The Plan (The Hillers of Barratt County #4)

Chapter 22

22

The leather chair behind her creaked. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her right down into George's lap before she could protest. Not that she would have. She was too tired to move after a day of herding testosterone-addled males away from each other while they debated the merits of crown molding. And one thing was very clear—her baby came from two families of very opinionated people. Even Greer had had a very clear opinion about a great variety of things. She was a very passionate, but articulate child, that one.

Of course, Cam had been egging the girl on.

Ronnie had pulled him aside and explained to him what Giavonna had told her about what had happened to Greer when she’d been nine.

That was all it had taken for Cam. Greer now had a big shaggy best buddy for life.

Kidnapped kids would always be a trigger for her brother. Always.

Giavonna had spent most of her time helping Ronnie deal with all the rest of them. And giving Murdoch chiding looks. After about an hour of that, Murdoch had started looking back. And saying things. There was about the same age difference between her and George as there was between her brother and George’s little sister…

It had Ronnie doing some plotting of her own.

Murdoch and Giavonna would look very pretty together, once Giavonna was a little older—and Murdoch was a lot more mature. He always had liked dark-haired, taller girls, too.

But… maybe someday.

Giavonna had plans for her life first. She was adamant that romance didn’t factor in just yet.

If Murdoch ever grew up, anyway. Giavonna was far too mature for him now.

And probably would be for a very long time. Maybe forever. Murdoch would need a woman capable of wrangling him on a daily basis—that was one thing Ronnie was absolutely certain of. And one who could make him laugh again, too.

But for now… there was another Hiller causing Ronnie problems. She turned. “What exactly do you think you are doing?”

"Hello, sweetheart. I have been waiting all day to get you alone." He used that voice again. That one that gave her shivers straight through.

Dangerous. She tried to focus on the wallpaper samples instead of how perfectly she fit against him. Focus on anything except the way his hands settled on her hips like he had every right to touch her. Which… he had touched her throughout the day, almost as if he was unaware of it, and she hadn’t stopped him then, either. Because Ronnie liked it.

"You're supposed to be icing that jaw. Guthrie and Anthony both told you to.” His brother and hers had been responsible for cleaning everybody up after that little ridiculousness this morning. George and Murdoch had taken the worst of the blows.

"Worth it." His arms tightened. "Though watching you make Snarly replant roses was better than any ice pack."

Her brother had done it, too. After Giavonna had told him what an asshole he was being, and she hoped her niece didn’t act like his side of the family as it would be downright embarrassing. Murdoch’s cheeks had been so red after that.

She touched the bruise darkening his jaw, then caught herself and pulled back. No touching. Touching led to thinking, and thinking led to remembering that night in his office. "At least nothing's broken.”

“It had to be done. I couldn’t let them think I couldn’t defend and protect you, if the need arose. It’s a caveman thing.”

"Subtle as a neon sign, all of you." She tried to stand, but his arms held firm. She found herself right there on his lap, feeling his warm body pressed all close and personal with hers. “George."

"Hmm?" His lips found that spot behind her ear. She had never sat on a man’s lap in her entire life. She had also never been more aware of a man in her life before, either.

What was it about George Hiller that did this to her? Every hormone in her body was flipped on right now. She just wanted to press closer.

And… what was she even doing here in George Hiller’s house for the second night in a row? She’d sent Anthony over to her apartment to check her mail and grab her clothes for work tomorrow, for heaven’s sake.

"Let me up. I should go home. I have spent far too much time with you today.” It was just a test, of course. She wanted to see what the man would say.

"No." Simple. Direct. Pure George.

George had made up his mind. Ronnie was his, because she was incubating his spawn. To him, she… was his. And he had a plan.

Probably intending to seduce her the first chance he had. Her body melted even thinking about it.

His hair was all mussed. She loved it when it looked like that. Before she could stop herself, her fingers were in that hair. It was still damp from his shower. Well, he felt he had the right to touch her every time he wanted now. Didn’t that work both ways?

"This isn't going to work." But her body betrayed her, melting back against his chest.

"What isn't?" His fingers trailed up her spine, his hand cupped the back of her neck. And he just pulled her closer.

Oh, she had no willpower at all, did she?

"This..." She waved at the scattered renovation plans. "All of your planning. You’re plotting worthy of a master criminal. Newsflash, I have not agreed to move in. We are not a couple. We are not together. I am not going to sleep in your master bedroom with you. I am just… here. We were never a couple.”

“I think that is the problem.” He stood, and she was just… scooped right off her feet and into his arms. “In my head… we were a couple. Long before I touched you.”

“Start explaining.” And why was he holding her like he was just going to carry her away? Or… carry her right into that master bedroom on the second floor with its antique bed that just screamed king of the castle? It had smelled like him in there, when she’d been sleeping the night before. And… dreaming of his arms around, wanting him to just hold her forever.

Damn it.

If they kept up like this, she was going to end up naked again. In the next five minutes.

Or… five seconds, rather. She had no willpower. She just didn’t. Maybe it was time she accepted that.

“I kept you late all those nights because… I wanted to spend not just my days with you, but my evenings, too. I lived for the weekdays, so I could be with you. No other woman in the world has ever made me feel the way you do.”

Ronnie just stared at him. She knew him well enough to know when he was lying. At least to her.

He wasn’t very good at it. And never had been. She’d always been able to see right through him… “So why didn’t you ever tell me?”

What would she have done if he had?

If he had just turned to her, and touched her and kissed her…

And…

Oh. Hell.

That had already happened.

She would have melted right in front of him, gotten him naked, and had her way with him. Because, damn it, she had always wanted him too.

No man had made her feel more like… her… than this one. Made her feel like he saw her, appreciated her exactly as she was, flaws and all. No man had ever made her as angry as this one could either.

That had to count for something, right?

“I’m ten years older.”

“Nine and a half. And… so what? When I’m ninety and you are almost one hundred, is nine years going to matter?”

“Not now. But in my head… before I touched you… I convinced myself it mattered.”

“Now it suddenly doesn’t? Or is it just that it’s too late? I’ve trapped you now.” Well, they weren’t living in the dark ages, there hadn’t been any trapping involved. But… she knew he was doing the whole ‘right thing’ thing.

And well… that wasn’t fair to either of them.

“If you’ve trapped me, what have I done to you? I touched you first that night.”

She had been raised to be an honest woman, so… time to tell the truth. “Did you? I’m not sure who touched whom first. I can’t remember. We touched each other. That’s the story and I’m sticking to it. We made this baby together. Together.”

And… it hit her like a ton of bricks. If he seriously touched her now, she’d be putty in his hands. Because she wanted him. Exactly as he was. Arrogant and bossy and sometimes a bit too clueless for his own good.

She’d never minded working overtime with him, and not for the money, either. She had wanted to be with him. It hadn’t mattered what they were doing, she’d just wanted to be with him. Why hadn’t she realized that before?

No other man had ever made her feel the way he did, because with him… she was the Veronica Lake she wanted to be.

She pressed her cheek to his shoulder. Her fingers spread over his chest. He’d worked hard today, no denying that. And every time he’d said something about the house, it had been about their house. Because in his head, she belonged with him. And deep down, Ronnie felt exactly that.

She never would have let him touch her otherwise.

“Will you kiss me, Georgie? And just hold me?”

“The way I should have that night. And then… I am never letting you go.” He pressed his mouth to hers. And she kissed him.

And when he turned and carried her toward his bedroom—she let him.

Because in his arms was exactly where she belonged.