Hearts Collide (Canyon Cove Book 4) (2 page)

“At least I have a date,” Brent said, grinning.

“Figures you would bring a dog as a date. You probably read something about it in GQ or something.”

“You seem to keep forgetting that I’m the best man,” he said. “I don’t need a date. But maybe I should have brought you instead of Shade.”

“Are you saying I’m a dog? No offense, Shade,” I said.

“If I didn’t think you were attractive, like I said before, I’m the best man. I can take my pick from the single women. Look at all the ladies lining up for me.”

He opened his arms wide as he laughed, then sat down next to me.

This guy is too much,
I thought.

“You realize there’s less than fifty people here, right?” I said. “And you’re related to some of them. That lessens your chances.”

He shrugged.

“What do I need anyone else for when I have you, Miss Maid of Honor?” he said.

I slumped back in my chair and groaned.

“You cannot be serious,” I said.

“Hmm I can see my charm isn’t working on you.” He looked at his dog and leaned closer to him. “Shade, I thought you would’ve softened her up for me.” He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and grinned.

His charm
was
working on me. With his goofy lines and obvious confidence, how could I not like him? Plus, he had a dog, which said a lot about him.

Samantha might be right this time. Maybe he is perfect for me,
I thought.

“So why are you hiding out here away from the rest of the party?” Brent asked.

“I don’t know. I saw this spot and it seemed right.”

“How do you know Sam?” he asked. “You know she and I grew up together. She’s practically my sister.”

“That’s just gross. Your brother married his sister?” I widened my eyes in mock horror.

Everyone knew of the Winslow family. They were the oldest and wealthiest family in Canyon Cove. Samantha had told me a long time ago how, since her mother was the Winslow nanny, she grew up with them. Drake was the oldest by several years, so while Sam grew up with Brent and his sister Amber, she secretly daydreamed about Drake, who didn’t know she existed.

“Well, you know what they say,” he said. “Anything goes in Canyon Cove.”

“Really? And who are they? Do I know these people?”

Brent laughed.

“I like you. You’re funny,” he said.

“Mmm...funny? That’s exactly the last thing every girl wants to hear from an attractive man.”

“Really? The last thing? I thought maybe ‘is your friend single?’ or what about ‘wow that’s the same dress my great aunt Sylvia wore for her eightieth birthday party.’” He laughed. “I could play this game for hours. How about ‘you’re gorgeous, do you have a twin brother?’”

“Okay, you win,” I said. “Any of those would be worse than being called funny.”

“Good. I like winning,” he said. “You are funny though. And gorgeous, but no, I’m not interested in any brother you might have or your friend. And that dress does not look like anything my aunt Sylvia would wear. At least I hope not.”

“Why?”

“Because with my luck, I’d be dreaming about you and then Aunt Sylvia would take your place and–” He shivered and shook his head. “No, just no.”

“Seriously though, you look stunning,” he added. “I’m used to seeing you with the ponytail and black and white catering uniform. I’ve never even seen your shoulders until tonight.”

“I’m wearing a clingy dress and you’re only noticing my shoulders?” I laughed.

“It’s not all I’m noticing,” he said. “But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about tearing those flimsy straps off.”

His eyes met mine and everything stopped. There wasn’t a setting sun on a beautiful beach or a party going on, it was just the two of us.

Shade whined as he wagged his tail.

“Okay, okay,” Brent said to Shade as he stood, his eyes still locked on mine. “Shade would like to go for a walk. Do you want to join us?”

“Sure,” I said as he held out his hand to me. “I just need a jacket. It’s getting chilly.”

The back wall of Drake and Samantha’s house was open, letting people move in and out easily. Samantha was sitting down with her feet up. She had been suffering with swollen ankles in her last trimester of pregnancy. As I entered the house with Brent and Shade behind me, she nudged Drake, who was sitting beside her, and gave me a knowing smile.

I’ll never hear the end of this.

Knowing Sam wouldn’t mind my borrowing something of hers, I opened the large coat closet. Two rows of coats lined the walls like a mini department store. I shook my head in awe.

“My brother has always been obsessed with clothing,” Brent said.

He was standing close behind me. With my hair up, his breath tickled the back of my neck, giving me goose bumps.

“Jackie,” Samantha called out. “Where’d she go?”

Oh no!

I spun around and landed in Brent’s arms. There were definitely worse places to be, but that made it even worse. I didn’t want Samantha to catch us together.

“If she catches us together...” I said.

“She’ll never let up,” Brent said, completing my sentence.

The soft shuffle of slippers moved closer. Brent pushed me into the closet with him and pulled the door closed behind us.

“Where did they go?” Samantha said, sounding closer.

The absurdity of it hit me and I started to laugh. I covered my mouth with my hands as I tried to control myself, but it just made it worse.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed Brent’s eyes widened and darted towards the door as if he was telling me to shut up. It made me laugh even more.

“Jackie?” Samantha called out, sounding confused.

I imagined her looking around and it made it even funnier. I couldn’t help myself. Looking up at Brent, I could see him trying to hold back his own laughter. He held his finger up to his lips.

“Shhh,” he whispered.

“I can’t,” I said, still fighting back my laughter.

He pulled me close to him, a smile on his face as he laughed quietly. Our eyes met like they did outside and the laughter stopped. His gray eyes were intense as my breath caught in my throat.

“Maybe we should take advantage of this closet,” he said.

He cupped my face with his hands as his lips closed down on mine. He sucked my bottom lip before his tongue explored my mouth.

We moved against the door and he pressed his body against mine. He felt strong and muscular as my hand moved over his chest to his shoulders.
 

Slowly, his hands moved down my neck and over my breasts. His fingers moved over my hard nipples, making the thin fabric of the dress nonexistent. A small voice in my head said things were moving too fast, but I didn’t care. It had been too long since I had been with a man, much too long since the last time I felt wanted.

 
His hand continued their trek down my body, reaching my hips, then following the curve of my butt. He lifted my dress as his lips brushed against my neck and shoulders. His hands skimmed my thighs before finding my panties and slipping a hand inside. As his lips met mine again, his fingers rubbed my wetness.

“Not here,” I gasped.

“Why not?” he said huskily.

“She’s right out there. And even if she goes away, someone might find us.”

“Then that’s even more of a reason to stay here,” he said. “That makes it more fun.”
 

His lips moved to a half smile and I knew he was up to something. “I want you to come.” His finger slid into me and my body trembled, responding to his touch. “Come for me, here and now, and afterwards we can go wherever you want.”

The whoosh of Samantha’s slippers went past, then several voices approached, growing louder as they moved closer.

“What if they want their coats?” I murmured.

“Shhh.” His finger moved deeper into me and I moaned. “You need to be quiet or they’ll hear you. Do you want to come?”

I nodded as the voices stopped right outside the door. He curled his finger inside me and my body pulsed in response. I didn’t want him to stop, but I couldn’t stop listening to the voices in the hall.

“I think it’s locked,” a man’s voice said as the door knob twisted, before Brent held it steady. “Maybe Drake has the key.”

The voices grew faint. Brent withdrew his finger and rubbed it over my swollen clit. My breath came quickly. I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders to hold myself up as my legs grew weak.

“Are you close?” he whispered.

His other hand cupped one of my breasts and squeezed my nipple between his fingers, pushing me closer to the edge. Panting, I nodded.

“I need to taste you,” he said.

He knelt before me and rested my leg on his shoulder. He pushed my panties aside as his tongue teased me, sending a shockwave through my body. He moved his tongue faster over my clit until the wave of my orgasm crashed against me. I clutched at him as my body pulsed intensely.

Oh fuck, he is the best man.

As he stood, he smoothed my dress down, then grinned.

“Let’s go,” he said. “I’m not done with you.”

“We can’t leave, what about Sam?”

“Right now she’s the last thing on my mind,” he said. “But if it means that much to you, then I’ll leave and wait in my car for you.”

I shook my head. “This is crazy.”

He cupped my face and kissed me again. Slowly his tongue entered my mouth and I leaned against him.

“Let’s go,” he said reaching for the closet door.

“No, not like this,” I said thinking about his jokes earlier about being the best man. “Not today.”

“Then how about tonight?” he asked.

I laughed. “No, if there’s anything really between us it can wait for another day.”

“Then give me your number,” he said as he pulled out his cell phone. “So we can make plans for tomorrow.”

“I’m not going to sleep with you,” I said.

“Is that a challenge?”

“I’m being serious. After what you said before, there’s no way. Not this fast.”

“That doesn’t change anything,” he said. “I still want to see you tomorrow. And probably the day after that too.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, but I want to find out. There’s just something about you, Jackie Stone.”

“How do you know my last name? Did Sam tell you?”

“There’s a lot I know about you,” he said with a grin. “I’ll just leave it at that.”

I took his cell phone and entered my phone number. I didn’t say it, but there was something about him too. Even though we didn’t know each other well, it felt like I had known Brent my entire life.

“Sometimes you need to let it ring a lot before the answering machine kicks on,” I said as I handed him his cell phone back.

“Answering machine? What year do you live in?” he teased.

“Very funny,” I said. “It’s a long story, but I’m waiting for a replacement phone. Until then, I only have my landline.”

“Alright, this better be a real number,” he said as he put his cell phone away.

“Are you ever serious?” I asked.

“Rarely. Life is too short to be serious.”

After we left the closet, Brent decided to go home. He walked over to me with a naughty smirk and I thought he was going to kiss me again, but then he held out his hand for me to shake.

“We’re shaking hands?” I asked.

“Sam’s watching and we’re not close enough to the closet,” he said before speaking loudly. “It was wonderful meeting you. What did you say your name was again?”

“Jackass.”

“You’re much too pretty for the name Jackass,” he whispered.