Chapter 6

6

TREY

O ur lively chat stretched our lunch break out quite a bit. Talking with Electra is incredibly comfortable. We're not trying to impress each other, and we each really listen and try to make sense of what the other is saying.

The only thing that distracts me from her words is her hypnotic blue eyes…well, and her sexy figure. Her curvy hips, lusciously round ass, and graceful legs… I want to worship every inch of her.

A week ago, if someone had told me I was going to meet the woman of my dreams, I would have resolved to take things slowly. Savor every step. Now my heart is pounding with the need to ensure she is mine. Immediately.

We go into the studio again to check on the plaster. "I know this will look better when it's finished," she says, "but I'm still freaked out by that big messed up chunk of wall. You said there's one more coat of plaster?"

"Yeah." I tap along the edge with my fingertip. "Looks like I'll be able to do that in about three hours."

Electra grins. "You wanna stay for a movie while you wait?"

"Sure. Something totally cheesy, or action-packed? Or both?"

She leads me through a living room that looks almost like a library to what is clearly the TV room, complete with a giant U-shaped comfy couch and a massive flatscreen.

I'm hoping to kiss her again, but that's it. If we sleep together right away, she'll always wonder if that's all I wanted from her. It's bad enough that I'm older, and have to lurk in her house due to this tight repair timeline. Never mind that I'm just an average guy and she's an angel. No, being patient and playing my cards right is my only chance to make this last.

She looks slightly unsure of where to sit, so I plunk myself right in the middle. "There. This way, you can't be more than a half a couch away. Smart, huh?"

She bursts into laughter, sitting a polite few inches to my left. Then she goes quiet. "I'm really sorry about this afternoon," she says quietly, staring down at her hands. "I don't want you to think that I don't want to be seen with you."

I hold my hand out, palm up, and she takes it. "Electra, you're absolutely radiant. Smart, and funny, and charming, and heart-wrenchingly beautiful." Her pale cheeks turn a perfect shade of pink as her fingers squeeze mine. "And here we are thrown together by…what? Fate? Equipment breaking?"

She looks up at me through her lashes with a sweet smile. "A bolt of electricity, actually."

I chuckle. "Years from now this could be a great story to tell our kids, if you want to give this a try." Her eyes lock with mine and I can't shake the feeling I'm begging. "If you want to take a chance on a guy who's nothing more than a boring electrician, whose only goals in life are a nice home and a great dinner out every Saturday night."

Damn, I love the way she smirks at me. "I'm sorry that I've ruined your grand Saturday night plans this week."

"Ah, but you see, grand Saturday night plans are nothing without the company of a lovely young lady. And I haven't dated in ages."

She moves a bit closer. "Even though my parents…are who they are… I've never wanted that kind of life for myself. I work in a kitchen because I want a routine. Normalcy." Her eyebrow quirks up. "I don't want to answer the landline at home and have it be a magazine wanting to check the spelling of friends' names. Or a news show demanding to know where certain people are going on vacation so they can have a photo crew standing by."

"Ugh." I release her hand so that I can wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "I know some people dream about that, but it sounds exhausting to me."

"Same. I just want a quiet life."

"With plenty of time to write your own songs, paint, that kind of thing, right?"

"Right." She looks at me carefully. "I wonder, though…what about you? Would you really want to be seen in downtown Sandersville with the daughter of the local weirdos?"

Leaning in, I drag my lips gently along the top of her ear before whispering, "I don't think I've met a person yet who wasn't a bit of a weirdo in their own way."

"That's a good way of looking at things."

I can't possibly admit that I looked her up. "Electra, how old are you?"

"Twenty-two." She blushes again. "I know, I shouldn't still be living in my parents' house. I've been saving up for an apartment?—"

"Oh, no, I think you should live here as long as you want." I look around and shrug. "It's a great home with plenty of space. If you get along with your family, and you can live here for free, why not? Save your money, build a nest egg, right?"

Her head tilts. "Practical. I like that."

"Good. But my point is that I'm thirty-one. Before I fall head over heels for you, is that a problem?"

She bursts out laughing. "Certainly not for my parents. They keep trying to fix me up with their friends' sons, anywhere up to forty years old."

My fingers tighten slightly on her shoulder, and she looks up at me in surprise. "I can't stand the thought of you being forced to go out with some guy you didn't like. Or even know."

She nestles in a bit closer. "It's all about connections with them. If their daughter married the son of another Nashville sensation, or a TV star or whatever, it would be great publicity for them."

"What if you ended up with a local tradesman?" I ask gently. "Whose only claim to fame is that his dad is a well-respected master electrician? And that my only talents outside of work are the ability to sing a handful of campfire songs and my impeccable taste in women?"

We're leaning closer together, sparks flying as we stare into each other's eyes. "I'd say that's none of their damn business," she breathes.

"Good answer."

Her lips are soft as they meet mine, our bodies shifting slowly toward each other. My right arm scoops under her knees to set her on my lap so she can wind her arms around me. Feeling her curvy ass against my thigh instantly makes me hard as steel. Her lush breasts press against my chest, almost taking my breath away. Our kiss deepens, and her tongue plays with mine the same way her fingers play in the back of my hair: gentle and curious and searching.

I fist the back of her long hair, angling her mouth against mine with a savage, wild hunger. It's as if my sex drive has been hovering at forty percent power my entire life, and now it's redlining.

Electra kisses me back with just as much ferocity. Just as much intensity. Her soft moans and gasps fill me with hope that this beautiful girl might be mine.

Sure, there are going to be some delicate conversations with her apparently intense parents. And my dad is going to wonder what the hell I'm thinking, getting mixed up with "those nutbar showbiz people".

None of that matters. We belong together, I can feel it. My heart is unlocking for her and only her.

Electra is the one.