Swoon (22 page)

“Steph,” I said.

“What?”

“Steph has dragged me through the mud. Her name is Steph.” I looked at him. “Look, man, I get what you’re saying. We just have this… this thing. But it’s more than that too. She’s smart. Fuck, she’s smart. And she’s so honest. To a fault, really. I want nothing more than to be with her, every second, to find out what she’s going to do next. She’s funny and quick-witted. And she cares about people. So much so that she’ll choose a new path for her life because someone’s story inspired her. Her life fell apart, and I wasn’t there. And now she’s on her way back. Fuck, I sound like a pussy, but”—I took a deep breath, groaning inwardly at my poetic side—“no one has tapped into the passion that would make her feel something for them. That would make her step out of her comfort zone and take a chance, personally. Until me. She wants to take a chance with me.”

Jace nodded slowly. “And you? You’re ready to take a chance on her?”

I shook my head. “Not on her. With her.”

He regarded me silently, then nodded with a smile as we clinked our longnecks together.

“Okay.”

* * * *

I pulled in front of Steph’s little house at just before two on Saturday morning. My eyes were in that stage where you blink and it takes an extra second for them to open back up. Not the smartest time to drive, but I just pulled up on the steering wheel to get here as fast as I could. I hadn’t been able to think of anything but crawling into her bed, hoping and praying she was sleeping naked. I might or might not have laid out that suggestion before I left home.

We’d spent hours on the phone together. Actually talking. We talked about our families and our friends, our childhoods, our favorite colors, which side of the bed we preferred, favorite foods, and the stupidest things we’d ever done. But none of that could compare to actually being together, being able to touch and look at each other. Steph refused to FaceTime with me because she was convinced I’d ask her to do dirty things.

She was right.

I pushed her unlocked front door open slowly and closed it with a quiet click. She’d left the porch light on for me, and I switched it off inside the door. The kitchen light was set on dim so I could see. I walked in farther and set my bag down on the couch. A minute ago I was dead tired, but suddenly I was wide awake. I peeked into Steph’s room to see her slow, even breaths making the covers rise and fall slightly.

I backed out of her room and made my way into the kitchen for something to drink. Inside the fridge was a note on a bottle of beer.

Have a beer, unwind, then wake me up. But you better be naked.

I had met the woman of my dreams.

I rested my back on the kitchen counter and sipped the beer. Halfway through, I took the time to kick my shoes off and stripped my shirt over my head. I unbuttoned my jeans and left them hanging open while I slumped on the couch.

It had been an intense week. Lots of wining and dining. Lots of making nice with clients, telling them how wonderful their horses would be, all about their potential. It was exhausting. Not because I was necessarily lying. But because who the hell knew how wonderful their horses were going to be? The best breeding could still give you a horse that hated dirt in the face or strained a tendon, chipped an ankle, or was just an asshole.

I was tired of it.

Rubbing my hands over my face, I felt the alcohol loosen me up. I was better being here, at Steph’s. Just being near her was a relief. Everything here felt right.

I took my bottle and set it quietly in the recycling bin, smiling at the order in the pantry. She was gonna hate living with me someday. I could clean up, but more often than not, there was a trail of clothes or a pile of dishes at my house. I could foresee some irritated arguments in our future over it but shrugged it off. Those little things didn’t bother me.

I pushed my jeans off my hips and kicked them off my feet. But I paused as I realized I’d already left my clothes in a trail. I smirked to myself. I might as well give her an honest glimpse into what lie ahead.

I silently padded across the thick carpeting in her room and peeled back the pink comforter, shaking my head at the pattern. I couldn’t believe she still had it. It needed to go.

Sliding under the sheets, I noticed Steph was facing away from me. I eased my way to her back, slipping a hand around to her smooth abdomen. A breath released from me when I realized she was, indeed, naked. I pressed myself against her, around her, and kissed where her neck met her shoulder, tightening my arm around her waist.

It was at that moment she awakened, her body coming to life and pushing back against me. I grinned to myself as she wiggled and tangled her legs with mine.

“Morning, queenie,” I whispered, continuing to kiss up to her ear.

She didn’t say anything, and though I was a little concerned, I gave her a moment to come into full consciousness. My hand started to make slow circles down from her navel, traveling down between her legs. She stopped me and entwined our fingers, drawing our hands up to her lips. She kissed my fingers, and I waited for whatever was holding her back.

Suddenly she turned to me, chewing her lip and looking into my eyes uncertainly.

“I love you,” she whispered.

A slow grin spread over my face. “Damn,” I whispered back. “You beat me to it.”

She smiled back, uncertainty erased. Her eyebrows arched in expectation, waiting.

“I love you, Steph. This is it.”

And I spent the next few hours until sunrise proving it.

Chapter 23

Steph

T
ap tap tap.

My pen had a mind of its own.

Tap tap tap.

It sort of stopped tapping and was just vibrating.

Mmmmm. Vibrating. That reminded me…

No. Stop.

Thoughts of last night—well, this morning—infiltrated my consciousness. I was consumed. I was… vibrating.

Oh. Wait. Phone.

That was actually worrisome for a moment.

However, the horrifically inappropriate text Lawrence had just sent me while I was in my office, finishing up some paperwork so I could rid myself of this job, did make my body buzz with excitement.

Glancing down at my notes, then looking at my computer screen, which was supposed to have all the necessary information transferred by now, I determinedly shut off all thoughts of Lawrence so I could get out of there. I was mildly successful, but once I did finish, I headed back into the stable yard to check on the horses and the staff, stopping short when I saw the back of Lawrence’s strong shoulders and tight, jean-clad ass standing in the barn aisle. There was a gaggle of teenage girls surrounding him.

I leaned against a stall door, arms crossed over my chest, and watched in amusement. The group was all still in their riding gear. Usually after their lessons, they were long gone, but not this time. I wasn’t sure when Lawrence had decided to make his way from my house to the barn, but these girls must have zeroed in on the testosterone a mile away. They were hair-twirling and giggling, and when he turned, I saw how completely uncomfortable he was. It made me want to giggle myself.

He shot me a look when he saw me standing across the aisle, and the look said “Rescue me.”

I didn’t, though. It was too entertaining watching him extricate himself. It took a while. A few girls made to follow him but stopped when they saw me.

He walked over and stood in front of me, saying nothing.

Finally I nudged his boot with my toe. “What are you doing here?” I was supposed to meet him for lunch when I had things wrapped up.

He reached to loop his arms around my lower back, pulling me close for a loud, smacking kiss on the lips. I laughed against his mouth.

“I knew this was gonna be a good day,” he exclaimed as he pulled away.

“Well of course it is. You’re here with me.”

“That too.” He nodded.

“So what’s our plan, cowboy?”

“I couldn’t wait that long. And I have a surprise. You all set here? Can we go?”

I nodded.

He dragged me out, hardly allowing me time to grab my purse and lock up my office. In a very gentlemanly fashion, he held the passenger door of his truck open for me and then copped a feel of my ass as I climbed up.

He climbed in the other side and we buckled in, but he pulled a lever and flipped up the center console. Then he leaned over and unsnapped my seatbelt, gesturing for me scoot closer across the large bench seat. I eyed the stick shift jutting out from the floorboard and smirked.

“You just want that thing between my legs, don’t you?”

“No, darlin’. I want my thing between your legs. Failing that, I just want you closer to me.”

Well, what did a girl say to that? I obliged him and slid over. He gripped the back of my head and pulled me close, his fingers pulling my hair taut, sending tingles up my spine. His lips caressed my cheek, and I held my breath in anticipation. When his mouth finally claimed mine, my entire body sagged against him, relief overwhelming me as his tongue parted my lips, exploring and teasing. I was a split second from straddling him in the parking lot of my work when he stilled me with his hands on my shoulders.

We settled back in our seats with a laugh, but he stopped me from fastening my seatbelt. His eyes stayed fixed on mine, the look scorching hot and a promise of what was to come. Hopefully soon. He reached to my right and took the seatbelt from my hands, smoothly drawing it over me, the backs of his knuckles grazing my breasts and making me push into the pressure. He chuckled at me as I squirmed around and then buckled me in with a click.

“I love you, queenie,” he said with a smile.

I let out a whoosh of breath. “I love you, but that wasn’t fair.”

He winked and started the truck with the loud rumble of his diesel engine. I was, once again, vibrating, but I thought it was only my seat this time. His large hand parted my thighs, which fell apart with embarrassing ease, and I watched as his hand traveled higher and higher. Suddenly he stopped and reached for the stick shift. His foot smoothly worked the clutch, and he shifted into reverse. I had to blink several times to regain my bearings.

“Okay, so where are we going?” I asked eventually.

“I’m not sure.”

I blinked again. “A hint?”

He looked over at me and grinned. “Well, while you’ve been working all morning, I’ve been lounging around, drinking your coffee and Googling things.”

“Wow.”

“I know. I’m finding that I truly enjoy being a kept man.”

“Don’t get used to it,” I said. “I’m actually jobless.”

He laughed and continued. “Okay, so we don’t want to go east or we’ll be in DC, and no one wants that. North just gets worse weather regardless if it’s hot or cold. And there aren’t enough people west. That leaves…?” He raised his eyebrows for me to finish.

“South?” I wasn’t sure why I answered in a question.

“South!”

And that was it. That was all he offered.

“So we’re driving south?”

“Yes.”

“That’s it? No other plan?” I started to fidget at the lack of organization.

“Oh, you want the whole thing?” He grinned at me.

“Yes!” I yelled at him, bouncing up and down.

“You’ll have to wait and see.”

I groaned and slumped back.

“What about lunch? You have a plan for lunch?” I grumbled.

He removed his hand from my thigh and reached to the seat behind us, feeling around until he pulled out a large, brown paper bag triumphantly.

“See, I always have a plan. Got you a cruiser,” he said, referring to my favorite sandwich from our local deli.

My mood instantly changed as we unwrapped our food and the scents of crusty bread and cheese and veggies filled the air. I peeked over at Lawrence’s food.

“What’d you get?”

“Buffalo chicken burger.”

“Huh.” I pondered that.

“What?” He laughed. “Bad choice?”

“You can learn a lot about a person by what they order at the deli.”

“Ah. What does my choice say?”

“I don’t actually know because I never knew they had that on the menu.”

He winked at me. “What it means is that you shouldn’t get stuck in a rut. You gotta read the menu, queenie. Try new things.”

“So you’re saying I should keep my eyes open for better options?”

He shook his head. “I’m saying I’ve been on the menu this whole time. You just needed to order me up.”

I got up on my knees and leaned over him to take a bite of his sandwich. It was spicy and flavorful, the butter and hot sauce mixing together with a creamy blue cheese dressing.

I nodded at Lawrence as I swallowed. “You’re right. It’s really good.”

He laughed. “Damn straight.”

* * * *

Lawrence

“All right, babe,” I said as we pulled into the first driveway. “I found two decent options. Both have pros and cons, both are pretty close together. But if these don’t work, we’ll just keep looking.”

Steph’s eyes were a little wide as she looked around, the reality of what we were doing truly sinking in. The area was just north of Charlottesville, very rural, but close enough to civilization to make it a reasonable place to run a business. There were a lot of very old, very grand estates. The land was cheaper than anywhere in Northern Virginia, but still more than just a drop in the bucket. The particular property we drew up to was the more expensive of the two, smaller in size, but pretty much turnkey. The other was a foreclosure with more acreage and a lot more work. Knowing Steph, I was pretty sure I knew which one she’d lean toward, but I figured having two to compare was beneficial.

Both properties stood empty, and since this was a last-minute decision to come searching, the agents had given us permission to walk around unattended. We couldn’t go in this house, but we could peer in the windows. We
could
go inside the barn, which was the most important factor anyway.

Hand in hand, we strolled around. There was a large, center-aisle barn, very clean and not very used. The grass in the paddocks was untouched, the black board fencing unchewed. It was like someone had built an entire equestrian facility and then thought, “Nah.” So strange.

“No ring?”

“Uh…” I looked down at the paper in my hand I’d printed from online. “It says riding arena.”

We walked around the fields and came across one that was fairly flat, the fencing a rectangular shape. We stared at it for a moment.

“Do we think that’s it?” Steph raised an eyebrow.

I nodded. “I guess so. False advertising.”

“Weird.”

I nodded again.

“Well, it’s not like we couldn’t put an arena in here. But for the price of this place, I’d really rather not. I feel like this price is what we should pay to move in tomorrow. And ideally, I’d like more turnout for the horses so they can live out a majority of the time.”