Chapter Three
Everett
Ipulled out of the pub and the engine’s roar vibrated through my legs. Or at least I assumed it was the engine because I’d never felt this… giddy.
Hell. Giddy? Who the fuck was I right now?
I didn’t do emotions, much less giddy ones.
But fuck, I also didn’t walk up to strangers and claim them in a bar.
Yet, I had with him.
When that asshole berated him and ignored what he said, my mouth took over before I could think about it, which was a first for me.
Not that I was complaining. It had been the best damn kiss of my life.
The hottie turned in the seat, an ocean scent wafting toward me. I hoped it seeped into every inch so I could smell him after he was gone.
Because he would leave. No one stayed in Applewood. I needed to remember that.
“Dimples?” he finally asked. I could feel his eyes roaming over me, heating every inch of exposed skin and doing nothing to quell the vibrations in my body. I glanced over, my heart flipping at the sight of this gorgeous man in my truck. I focused back on the road, gripping the steering wheel.
“Yep,” I croaked.
“But I don’t have dimples.” He frowned, making him cuter if that was possible.
“Yes, you do.” At the reminder of his perfect ass, I smiled, and excitement bubbled like carbonation.
“No. Wait. Huh?” he stuttered so adorably I hoped he’d never quit talking.
The admission should’ve scared me, but I ignored it. I could be reckless for one night, but tomorrow, I’d return to being my avoidant self.
“I think you mean butt, Dimples.”
His cheeks tinged pink, and I wished I wasn’t driving so I could imagine it spreading over his body. I dropped my right hand to the console, mere inches from his knee, and debated placing my hand there. Would that be too forward? Did I care? I hadn’t when I claimed his lips in front of that sleazy guy.
“Oh.” He cleared his throat, shifting, and brushing his knee against my fingers. They tingled from the brief contact, and I couldn’t wait to feel his skin against me.
“Did I break you?” I said, turning on my turn signal. When I placed my hand back in the center, I dropped it on his knee, cupping it.
“No. Yes. I don’t know.” He laughed, the sound light and heartfelt, reminding me of summer nights full of fireflies. He ran his fingers through his hair, the honey waves thick and luscious, not helping the quickly hardening cock in my pants. “Don’t get me wrong, I like how direct you are. It’s sexy as hell, but it’s taking me a little to get used to. In my field, no one is ever honest. It’s all mind games and loopholes. So, you’re refreshing, Lumbergrump.”
I huffed, “I’m not a grump or a lumberjack.”
“Sure you aren’t,” he teased. “Tell that to your flannel.” He chuckled, and my pulse skittered at the sound. He shifted, bringing his body closer to the center, and my hand slid higher on his thigh. “It’s better than Daws, anyway. That doesn’t feel like your name at all.”
“That’s because it’s not. My last name’s Dawson, so people call me Daws or Dawson.” I shrugged, not understanding it and liking that he thought about my name.
“Hmm.” He tapped his lip. The urge to watch him over the road was a battle. “So, are we doing the typical one-night stand thing where we keep personal information to ourselves?”
His question took me aback. Hearing him say it was only one night rattled me despite knowing this was precisely what it was. I squeezed his thigh involuntarily. His hiss of air at the gesture lit me on fire, erasing logical thinking from my mind.
“If you think anything about me is typical, then you’re in for a surprise,” I grumbled, pulling into the bar parking lot. I had to remove my hand, making me irrationally angry at the steering wheel.
“Oooh, what made you extra grumbly just then?” I glared over at him, lifting a brow. He smiled, words falling out of his mouth faster than I could digest. “Screw the rules. I’m Asher, a thirty-five year old whose boyfriend cheated on him two months ago, but no matter how much I try, I can’t escape him. So, I’ve fled to my hometown, hoping to escape him, and you look like the perfect way to do just that.”
Who would cheat on him? Idiot.
“Great, now I broke you.” Asher laughed, but it was tinged with nervousness, and I already missed the brightness from before.
Asher. I couldn’t wait to shout it later.
I kept staring, my thoughts racing as fast as his words. He had an air of familiarity, but I brushed it aside, too eager to take him in. Asher bit his lip, tapped his fingers on his thigh, and searched my eyes. I hated seeing him unsure, which seemed the key to jump-starting me into action.
I needed to make him smile again. The urge was all-consuming.
I shoved the keys into my jeans and twisted as much as the tight space allowed. I clamped my hand on his knee, squeezing it before I traveled higher. His nervous movements stopped, his throat bobbing as he swallowed and zeroed in on me with deadly precision. I wrapped my other hand at his nape and pulled him closer until our foreheads met.
The green in his eyes was magnified this close, shifting from emerald to the dark evergreen I loved. They swirled so fast with emotions and promises that I couldn’t grasp one before it slipped through my fingers. Asher appeared so confident that seeing this gorgeous man doubt himself was disarming. His ex did a number on him, and a part of me wanted to track him down and make him pay for hurting Dimples. But the selfish and possessive part of me didn’t want that asshole to be reminded how great this man was, so I curbed thoughts of disembowelment. For now.
“Everett, thirty-seven, and I hope your plans for tomorrow were lying in bed because when I’m through with you, not only will you be ruined for anyone else, you won’t be able to walk without the reminder of me owning your ass.”
True to his word, Asher’s eyes dilated, and a whimper passed his lips. “Yes. Yes. Yes. To all that. All the yeses. Right now. I’m saying it.”
I gripped his chin. “Consent isn’t a blanket thing. You always have the choice to say no at any point. Understand, Dimples?”
A shudder ran through his body, lighting me up on the inside. “Yes, Dad—”
“No.” I narrowed my eyes and he smirked, licking his pouty lips, and I knew I’d never get them out of my head.
“I understand, Everett.”
This time, I was the one to shudder as something clicked inside when he said my name for the first time. Lust and logic battled, but I pushed it aside, too focused on remembering why it was a bad idea to fuck him against my truck.
Smoothing my hand down his throat, I cupped his neck and pressed our mouths together in a soft kiss. Tingles danced across my skin, and my heart skipped like a rock dancing across a pond.
“Come on. I promised you mediocre music and overpriced drinks, and I’m a man of my word. If we don’t get out of here, I’m liable to lose all sense of reason.”
With Herculean effort, I pulled back after pressing a lingering kiss on his lips. I sucked in some air, but it was all him, so it did nothing to quell the raging boner in my jeans.
“Damn, Lumbergrump.” Asher chuckled, smoothing his hands down his pants and shifting his erection. “You’re good for one’s ego.” He lifted his head, his smile back in place, filling the cab with lightness.
I returned the gesture without question. It felt good to share it with him like it was our secret. I rounded the front and took Asher’s hand, pulling him toward the bar. He chuckled, and I smiled again, loving how easily he found delight in things. I pulled out my wallet and shoved two twenties at the man guarding the door, ignoring Asher’s protest behind me. I wanted it to be clear he was with me so there was no confusion about who he’d be going home with tonight.
“Drink or dance first?” I asked, lifting a brow when I caught him staring at my ass.
“What? You’re the only one who can check out butts?” he challenged, stepping in front of me and dragging me to the bar. He braced his arms on the top, waving to capture the bartender’s attention. I pressed myself into his backside, wrapping my arms around him, and bent to whisper in his ear.
“You can look at my ass all you want, Dimples. I’ll even give you your own viewing party. All you have to do is ask.”
He trembled, his breath hitching as I nipped the spot behind his ear. A throat clearing followed by a chuckle pulled our attention, reminding me we weren’t alone. The bartender stood with an all-knowing grin. “What can I get you two lovebirds?”
“Water and your most expensive drink. Grumpy Bear here said he was treating me,” Asher teased while thrusting his ass back into my very hard cock. I groaned, my eyes fluttering closed as I tried to rein in my arousal. I refused to come in my pants like an inexperienced teenager.
The bartender snorted, and I opened my eyes to see him nod at Asher. A look of interest flashed across his face before he lifted his eyes to mine. “And for you, Grumpy Bear?”
I narrowed my eyes. Only Asher could get away with calling me that, and he was mine, so the bartender needed to back off. “Whatever you have on tap.” I kissed Asher’s neck, keeping my eyes locked with the bartender’s.
“Got it.” He laughed again, moving on to fill our requests.
“Look at you being all toppy.” Asher turned in my arms. His hands smoothed over my chest, reminding me how he’d done it back in Applewood. That kiss seemed so long ago now, before I’d even known him.
After spending the drive talking, I still didn’t know everything about him, but I felt like I knew who he was at his core. That should terrify me, but the reminder it was only one night kept me grounded. I could survive one night with the most tempting man I’d ever met.
Anything more and I’d never recover.
The thought saddened me more than terrified me, which alone was the only red flag I needed.
But something inside me said to fuck it, so with a big swallow of the beer the bartender handed me, I did.