Chapter 10

chapter

ten

Chelsea

By the time I hit the city limits of Saddle Creek, Texas, I'm hungry, pissed off and I have to pee. I could stop somewhere in town to take care of two of those problems, instead I just follow the directions straight to JD's address.

Unlike his condo in Austin, which was modern and luxurious, this house looks like a proper home.

It has the bones of an old arts and crafts bungalow, but someone must have renovated it in the past decade. From the outside, it feels well loved and cared for. It feels settled.

From the street, I can see an extension built on the back that extends into the big backyard. Mike would love it.

It's lovely, but seeing it kind of breaks my heart. This is the house of a man who has come home to make a place for himself. One that doesn't include me.

I pull up to the curb and put my car in park, then just stare out the front windshield. I'm doing this. I'm really doing this. It's time.

I can't keep working for him and pretending that I don't miss him like I'd miss gravity or oxygen and every other necessity that keeps me safe and alive. Telling him the truth about Mike seems irrelevant now.

He's been gone for two months and we've barely had any contact outside of work-related emails. And my heart is completely broken.

I know it's my own damn fault too. I'm not stupid. Doesn't make it any easier though.

Just then my phone pings with a text.

CHARLIE: You've got this.

I smile. My sister is the very best.

CHARLIE: Now get in there. Tell him the truth and bone your man.

brENDAN: For fuck's sake, Charlie!

brENDAN: I'm going to have to get a new number and not tell y'all.

ME: Love y'all.

I silence my phone and drop it in my purse and then get out of my car. It's now or never. And I'm pretty sure if you park in front of someone's house in a town this small, people will notice if you don't get out.

I just need to do it. Quickly, like pulling off a waxing strip. It'll still hurt, but maybe not as long.

I knock on the door.

JD pulls it open and holy shit. Is he trying to kill me?

He stands there, holding the door open with one arm. He's shirtless and barefoot, wearing nothing but low-slung blue jeans that look like they were tailored just for his long, long legs.

I can see the full sleeve tat in all its glory. It's stunning and comes up over his shoulder onto one pectoral. I gotta admit though, while the ink is attractive, I'm completely focused on his chest. The skin. The dark hair. The muscles. So many muscles.

Please don't let me be drooling.

"Chelsea? You okay?" he asks.

His deep voice slides over my skin. I don't understand how such an innocuous question can soak my panties. But here we are, me fully aroused and staring at my shirtless boss like I've forgotten how to use words.

He takes a step back, opening the door wider. And I step inside.

The door has barely closed behind me and I'm steeling myself for what I've come to say.

But I'm not given a chance. Instead, that tall, muscular, hairy chest presses to my body, flattening my back against the door.

I stare up at his face. Those mesmerizing eyes of his look right back at me. His hands go around to my bottom and lift me. Instinctively, I wrap my legs around his waist.

"Fuck it," he murmurs. Then he devours my mouth.

I don't actually know what's happening, but we're kissing and frankly, I don't even care about anything else. I gasp and he takes the opportunity of my opened mouth to slick his tongue inside. He growls when I slide my tongue against his.

His fingers dig into the flesh of my ass and I moan. With no space between our bodies and everything lined up just right, I have no problem feeling the ride of his erection up against my core. Damn, he feels enormous. And so, so good.

But wait, what are we doing? What am I doing?

He thinks I'm still with my imaginary boyfriend.

I pull away from the kiss and push at his chest.

"JD," I say his name and it's breathless. "We can't do that."

He smirks at me. "I'm glad you're wearing a skirt. We don't have to go buy you something. I've got to finish getting dressed, then we'll go."

"Uh… what? I feel like I walked in on the middle of conversation we weren't actually having. Where are we going?"

"A wedding. Don't worry, it's not formal. It's a country wedding." He points as his legs. "Thus the jeans. But I know you'd freak out if you were wearing jeans."

I shake my head. "I don't understand what's happening right now."

"Give me ten minutes," he says. He points to a door off to the right. "Bathroom is in there."

It's annoying he knows I need to use the bathroom. I don't bother asking him any more questions because I've evidently entered an entirely different timeline. One where JD kisses me senseless and bosses me around.

And we're going to a wedding? Maybe I'm being punked.

Or maybe I had a horrible car accident on the way here and I'm in a coma. Or worse, dead.

Bummer my subconscious couldn't have gone right to the sex instead of just a panty-melting kiss.

I take care of my business and wash my hands. Then I'm wandering around his house, looking at pictures on the walls. Pictures of him and his younger, twin sisters. His smile with them is blinding, it's so bright. I've never actually met them in person, but Emmy works for the company so I've seen her in video meetings.

I feel JD come and stand behind me. The warmth of his nearness peaks my nipples into hardened points. I close my eyes for a brief moment and inhale his woodsy, masculine scent. God, I've missed him.

He drops a kiss on my exposed neck. "Ready to go?"

"I think I might be dead," I say as I turn to face him. "Like on the side of the road or something."

His brows rise. "I really thought I was a better kisser than that." He grabs my hand, then pulls me in a different direction than the front door and we step into a darkened garage.

The overhead flickers on and there's his electric truck. Still a Texas boy at heart, but you can't live in Austin for any length of time and not become an environmentalist.

"Seriously, where are we going?"

"A wedding."