Page 123 of Love, Pucks, and Other Stories

But…fuck…

How could I not?

I blew out a breath, smothered my frustration—just like I smothered that thought. This wasn’t personal. This was a crisis coming up and Billie Rose having copious amounts of people needing her. She’d be here.

She always showed up.

She always—

Gravel crunched, and I spun on the job site, seeing her SUV tear down the road in typical Billie Rose fashion, screeching to a halt and throwing her door open.

“I’m sorry,” she called, clicking up to me in a pair of heels that I rarely saw her in. Usually, she swapped those out as soon as possible. But today she was in full mayor mode—those heels, tight black skirt, narrow scarf wrapped around the collar of her white silk button down blouse. Fucking pearls hanging around her neck.

Sexy in a school librarian way.

I wanted to undo those buttons and get at her breasts.

I wanted to wrap my hand around those pearls and tug her down to her knees, undo the zipper of my jeans and slip my dick between those red-slicked lips.

I wanted…to tug up that skirt and—

Fuck her.

Yup.

I wanted to fuck her.

But when I got a glimpse of her face—the worry and the nerves and the anxiety rippling through her bright blue eyes—I wanted to hold her.

“Hi, hi,” she said quickly, bussing my cheek with a kiss that barely connected and turning toward my parents. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I had an interview that ran long and then a cow got out of its pasture—a cow!” She laughed and it wasn’t Billie’s laugh, not the one I knew was hers now. It was the mayor’s, something I would have expected to hear from her mouth months ago, and it ran like sandpaper down my spine. “I know we’re a small town.” She grinned, almost maniacally. “But a cow running down Main Street is a new one, even for me.”

All of that was said in a flurry.

Literally aflurry. Of sound. Of movements. Of handshakes and hugs and kisses on the cheeks.

“You must be Joel’s mother, Janette. I’m Billie Rose, his girlfriend. Wow.” A laugh. “It feels weird to say that out loud.” She tossed a smile my way. “Especially since we haven’t really talked about titles. Oh, wow.” Another laugh that was more mayor than woman and it seemed to refocus her—or at least to focus her concern on my parents and sister. “Ignore me. I want to know all about you. How was your trip to town? Were your flights okay? Oh my God, it’s so late.I’mso late”—more flurry, more words spoken so rapidly that they were barely discernible—“and you’re probably hungry. Especially since you’ve been waiting on me and I’m late and—”

Right.

I’d had enough.

“Mom, Dad,” I murmured, stepping close to Billie, and tugging her back against my chest, “excuse us for a moment.”

“Oh no,” Billie said. “I couldn’t possibly inconvenience you any furth—”

I steered her toward the open frame of the back door. “We’ll be right back.”

My sisters shot me a look when I led Billie away, before I guided her through that opening and to the dirt-filled back yard.

It would need to be landscaped again, but that was a problem for when the rest of the project was finished.

Today, it was level enough—even in those heels—for me to figure out what in the fuck all was happening with my woman.

“We’re late,” Billie said, the moment they’d reached the dirt ground. “No.I’mlate,” she added, still fully in that flurry, “and I’m so sorry for this. But keeping your parents waiting even longer is unaccept—”

I cupped her cheeks and kissed her.

Deep and long.

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