Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Troy

Anna responds to my gentle encouragement, standing from her chair and moving in front of me. I spread my knees, making room for her, but she just stands in front of me for a second like she's not sure what to do.

I pat my leg. "Sit. I liked having you on me at the cove."

She glances over her shoulder at the deck, her lower lip caught between her teeth in her all but constant sign of nerves.

"They're in for the night," I reassure her. "Nick and Tina are giving us time to ourselves. They won't come back down."

She stops biting her lip, and it's all plump and shiny from her mistreatment of it, and all I want in this moment is to kiss her.

I've been dying to get close to her again since we left the cove. This evening was the best and worst combination of fun and torture I've ever endured.

She'd been so relaxed with me in the cove, as comfortable as I've seen her. Letting me touch her, kiss her, hold her hand. Then when we got back, she stiffened up, retreating inside herself again with the addition of Nick and his family.

Fortunately, they struck the right balance of including her without being overbearing or smothering. And the kids helped deflect attention when needed, giving her time to relax and get comfortable again. I can't help thinking the glass of wine helped too.

But now she's nervous again. It's like two steps forward, one step back every time the scenario changes with this woman.

What happened to make her so skittish? She mentioned an ex who sounds like an asshole. Was he the one who made her so she doesn't trust herself or anyone else? Or was it someone before him?

Gingerly, she perches on my leg, holding herself stiffly. That's nowhere near enough, but I don't think she'll relax without some encouragement and reassurance that yes, I want her here, in my lap, all her weight on me.

Hooking my arm around her, I pull her down so she's nestled against my chest.

Her arms come up in a startle response, her eyes flying wide behind her glasses, and she lets out the cutest little squeak. But when I rumble my contentment, settling my arms around her and letting out a sigh, she relaxes. "There," I murmur. "That's better, isn't it?"

She nods, letting out her own sigh.

We sit in silence, listening to the crackle of the fire, the water lapping against the shore below, and the few crickets chirping in the woods. Despite my earlier misgivings, I'm glad I invited her. And I'm really glad that she came.

It might not be a traditional second date, but nothing about our connection has been traditional so far, from our first meeting, to brunch as a first date, and now spending the evening around the fire with my best friend and his family.

And now I have Anna all to myself once again. I'd hoped for this but hadn't necessarily expected it. Thank god for little kids and their bedtimes.

Dipping my head, I place a soft kiss just above the neck of Anna's T-shirt, needing to taste the spot where the fire lights up her skin so beautifully.

She gasps, the sound almost loud in the quiet night, but tips her head, giving me more access. Feeling bold, I tug the shirt to the side, exposing more skin, running my lips along the tendon that connects shoulder to neck and placing a kiss just beneath her ear. She lets out a quiet moan, and I cup her jaw, turning her head so I can capture her lips. She sighs into my mouth, and I love how she responds to me.

She shifts in my lap, turning so the angle's easier on both of us, and I help her around so her legs are over the arm of the chair, her arms looped around my neck, one hand gripping my T-shirt like it's her only anchor in a storm.

And apparently, I'm the storm.

Satisfaction rolls through me at the thought that I affect her this much because the feeling is one-hundred-percent mutual. I'm just as swept away by her—her presence, her taste, her touch—and I don't want to find the ground again.

Soon, it's clear that this position isn't good enough for either of us. By unspoken agreement, we break off the kiss, and she moves around so that she's straddling me again. This time there's no pretense of holding back as though she's too shy to take what we both want. No, this time she presses right up against me, her hot center pressing against my low abdomen as she straddles my hips, and my cock pulses against her.

God, what I wouldn't give for the opportunity to get inside her tonight.

I know that's not going to happen—not here, and definitely not now—but a guy can dream, can't he?

She seems to feel the same way, and when I grip her hips and move, she groans. Dear god, that's almost enough to make me come apart at the seams. "I love the sounds you make," I whisper against her lips, and she freezes, lifting her head.

I give her a quizzical look. "What? Did I say something wrong?" I have to replay what just happened in my head because did I say something offensive?

But her lips curve in a tiny smile, and she shakes her head. "No," she whispers. "Sorry, I—" She shakes her head again, and since she seems lost for words, I decide going back to nonverbal communication is best. Pulling her close, I kiss her again, and she sinks into me like that's exactly what she needs right now too.

The longer we kiss, the more of this I need. My hips lift, seeking her warmth, friction, anything. I feel like I might explode if I don't get more. I want desperately to touch her skin, but her shirt is tucked in, and I'm afraid tearing at her clothes will ruin everything, and I won't risk that.

Holding myself back, I make the smallest, shallowest movements with my hips, giving in as much as I dare to my need for something , my hands roaming her body until they fall to her thighs, fingertips slipping beneath the edge of her shorts. I stop there, the fabric lying just past the first knuckle of my fingers, gripping her thighs and using all my willpower to stop myself from going farther.

She stills, her lips leaving mine, but her face still close, her eyes blinking at me through those rimless glasses, dark and fathomless, and I desperately want to know what she's thinking, what she's feeling, but before I can ask, the sound of an engine cuts through the night. Gravel crunches under tires. Shit shit shit shit shit. Please don't be Dozer, please don't be Dozer, please don't be Dozer. Go away, go away, go away!

But my desperate plea to the universe, to Dozer himself, goes unanswered. Car doors open and close, and a drunken giggle carries through the still night down to us, Dozer's voice murmuring something I can't make out in return.

Anna pulls back more, her gaze clear now instead of cloudy with lust, her eyebrows pinching together as she looks around. "Who's that? What's wrong?"

Giving her thighs one more squeeze, I move my hands to the safer territory of her waist, resting just on the swell of her hips. "Dozer and Jenny. They're back earlier than I expected. I figured they'd stay out and close down the bars."

Anna smirks. "Depending on where they went, they might've. Even in the summer, things don't stay open that late around here. Arcadian Falls is more of a festivals and outdoorsy tourism kind of place. Not a nightlife kind of place."

Her lips are pink and swollen and so kissable, I can't help but dart in for one more kiss. I catch her by surprise, because she puts her hands up and lets out that adorable squeak she makes when surprised, but then she kisses me back, her hands coming to rest on my shoulders.

I know that Dozer and Jenny are likely to make their way out here, though, because they'll see the fire. Our alone time is about to be?—

"Oh, Troo-ooy!" Jenny singsongs, then giggles.

Dammit .

Dozer shushes her immediately. "Jenny, you gotta keep it down. Nick and Tina are getting the kids to bed. We don't want to keep them up."

"Oh, right," Jenny loud whispers. "Shhhh!" Her drunken whisper isn't much quieter than her full voice.

Anna's already scrambling off my lap, and I miss the feel of her body against mine already.

"I should go," she murmurs, her eyes darting to the stairs where Dozer's helping his drunken girlfriend of the week down to the fireside. "It's getting late."

I want to protest that it's not that late, but I don't. Realistically, I've taken up enough of her day. And while I think she probably would've stayed longer if it were just the two of us, Dozer and Jenny's appearance has effectively finished the evening for Anna and me.

Standing, I reach for her hand, giving her lax fingers a little squeeze. That seems to bring her back to life, because she looks up at me with a soft smile, her fingers curling around mine and squeezing back. "I'll walk you to your car."

Her head dips in a nod, and if she were going to say something, Jenny stumbling to the closest chair and dropping into it renders her mute. "Aww," Jenny coos. "You guys are the cutest! Aren't they the cutest, Dozey-Bear?"

Dozey-Bear?

Dozer shoots me a murderous glare when I look at him, a smile already stretching across my face at the nickname. "Don't," he mutters to me. "Yeah, Jenny. They're super cute."

"No!" she protests, belligerent. "The cute- est . Not just super cute. The most cute."

"Uh-huh," he agrees, clearly used to her argumentative side coming out when she's been drinking. That must be a blast for him. I wonder how much longer this'll last? My money's on him showing up to my place with a six-pack the night after we get back to Seattle to drink away his sorrows over the breakup. Or celebrate? It'll be a bit of a toss-up, I'm sure.

"Watch the fire for me," I tell Dozer. "I'm going to walk Anna to her car. I'll be right back."

"Ooooh," Jenny squeals as I turn my back to them, leading Anna to the stairs. Dozer immediately shushes her, but she's having none of it. "Don't shush me!" she practically screeches. "You shush!"

"Tina and Nick are getting their kids to bed," I hear him tell her in his most soothing voice as Anna and I climb the stairs to the deck.

She glances over the railing at them, a smirk on her face. "How long have they been together?" she asks quietly, nothing but curiosity in her tone.

I snort, glancing down at them too. Dozer's looking at me, which tells me they can hear us. One hand on her back, I steer her through the house, making sure to open and close the door as quietly as possible, especially after Dozer and Jenny tromped through like a herd of elephants a few minutes ago. Despite my care, a glaring Tina appears at the top of the stairs, arms crossed, her face ready to do battle. But when she sees it's us, she relaxes a fraction.

I hold up a hand in a silent wave, then point to the front door, indicating that we're heading out.

Tina waves back, giving us a spare, exhausted smile.

Anna waves as well, and I open the front door as quietly as I can, pulling it to the jamb behind us but not letting it latch to avoid that much noise at least.

Our footsteps crunch on the gravel drive as we walk slowly to Anna's car. It's funny how different this feels than walking her to her car after brunch just a few hours ago. Then I was full of tension and anticipation, wondering if it'd be okay to kiss her and finally settling for a kiss on the cheek.

Now I'm more sad than anything that she has to go, even if I'm fairly confident I'll see her again soon. This evening, as wild as it's been, feels like we've passed some kind of milestone, though. Like this is becoming real in a way it wasn't before tonight. All the kissing and grinding probably has something to do with that.

When we get to the driver's side door, Anna turns and looks up at me. "Thanks for inviting me tonight. I had a lot of fun."

One corner of my mouth turns up in an affectionate half smile, and I reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear. "Me too. Sorry about—" I wave toward the house to indicate Dozer and Jenny. "I didn't expect them back this early."

She stifles a giggle behind her hand. "Oh my god," she whispers. "Are they always like that?"

I grimace, shaking my head. "It's hard to quantify ‘always' for a couple who's only been together for maybe two weeks. I met Jenny when she showed up here with Dozer a few days ago when we all got here."

That makes her laugh harder, and she buries her face in my chest to muffle her laughter. A full-blown grin on my face, I settle my hands on her back, enjoying this easy intimacy and the fact that she feels comfortable enough to reach for me this way.

Straightening, she sniffs and runs her fingers under her eyes, then fans her face with one hand. "Oh my god, that's so much worse than I'd imagined somehow."

I chuckle, and she bursts out laughing again. After a moment, she manages to stop, though little giggles burst out still, but she's smiling, and if I could keep her like this always, I would.

Still smiling too, I tip her chin up and give her a gentle kiss.

That finally stops her giggling, and she sighs, the sound so content that I want to hear it every day for the rest of my life. Her fingers curl into my shirt, and I take that as a sign to deepen the kiss.

She meets my kiss eagerly, her tongue sliding against mine, but Dozer and Jenny once again ruin the moment. I'm not sure what's happening down there, but I hear Jenny's voice, the words indistinct but her volume much too loud for this time of night with kids in the house. Tina's going to tear that woman a new one if she doesn't shut up soon.

Reluctantly, I end the kiss, taking a half step back to give Anna space to get into her car. "Can I see you tomorrow?"

The look she gives me makes me think of the deer that stopped in the middle of the road the other night when we were driving back to the cabin, eyes wide and unblinking, completely frozen. Fortunately, we were going slow enough that we didn't hit it. Nick flashed the headlights a couple times, and the deer managed to come out of its trance and bound away.

Anna doesn't take as long, at least. And when she does, she smiles, looking down for a second, then meeting my eyes again. "Um, I guess? What did you have in mind?"

That's not exactly the resounding excitement I was hoping for, but I guess it's better than a rejection. "Nothing specific. If you're busy …" I give her the out at the last second, taking a step back, because it occurs to me that it's possible she feels unable to tell me no while I have her alone in the dark practically trapped against her car.

"Not too busy," she interjects right away. "Sorry. I just didn't expect …" She waves a hand, then sucks in a breath and lets it out, straightening her shoulders. "I'm sorry. My agreement sounded unenthusiastic, and that wasn't what I meant. I was just surprised is all."

My eyebrows climb my forehead, a grin sprouting on my face. "Surprised I'd want to see you again?"

She shrugs. "I mean, we spent like half the day together today. I didn't expect …"

I chuckle, reaching for her and dropping another kiss on her sweet mouth. "I'll happily monopolize all your free time if you'll let me."

Another shout from Jenny has Anna glancing past me toward the house. "Well, considering your alternatives, I guess I can't blame you."

The self-deprecating humor has me chuckling again, but I shake my head. "Even without her making the trip extra fun, I'd still want to spend as much time as possible with you."

Her lips part, her eyes searching mine, though I'm not sure what she can see in the low light. Hers are barely more than pools of darkness. But whatever she sees seems to satisfy her, because the tiny gasp of surprise is over, and she smiles at me. "Okay. I'll let you monopolize my free time tomorrow, then."

"Really?"

She giggles at my surprise. "Didn't you just say that's what you wanted?"

"I did. I just wasn't sure you'd go for it."

Pressing up on her toes, she hooks a hand behind my neck and brings me down for another kiss. "I'm meeting Brit tomorrow at eleven, but after that I'm free. Text me in the morning and we'll figure out our day, okay?"

"Okay." I'm almost dazed by that quick reversal, but I'm not going to question it. "Text me to let me know when you make it home okay." Putting my hands in my pockets, I step back so she can get into her car.

She gives me a brilliant smile as she opens the door, the dome light almost blinding in the darkness. "I will," she assures me before closing the door. After starting the car, she raises one hand in a wave before turning around to follow the gravel drive back to the road.

I watch until her tail lights disappear, reluctant to go back to the fire, but when I hear voices, I turn and head that way. Better make sure Jenny's not trying to burn the house down.