Chapter 31
Paisley felt like she could breathe. Like her life wasn’t hanging on the edge of a precipice.
For two weeks, she’d slipped deeper into life in Sutton’s Creek.
Just this past weekend, she and Ethan took Violet to the park to play in the newly opened splash pad.
They also went for pizza and strolled around the square to visit the stores together.
Ethan stayed every night. They slept together in her bed, and they worked very hard at staying quiet so they didn’t wake Violet.
No headboard banging unless Violet wasn’t home.
The kid slept like a log, but Paisley was pretty sure the noise they sometimes made was enough to wake the dead.
That’s why they saved it for whenever they had some alone time.
Then they got as loud as they wanted. Paisley blushed to think about all the things she begged Ethan to do to her when he was teasing her mercilessly with his tongue and fingers. Or all the things she did to him when she got the chance.
Life with Ethan was so good. She was still scared that Trey would show up to try and ruin her happiness, but the fear receded a bit every day. Maybe he was done with her. Maybe he had better things to do than obsess about punishing her for leaving.
A tiny part of her insisted it wasn’t that easy, that Trey wasn’t that kind of man—but she continued to cling to hope as the days went on and life stayed quiet and ordinary.
She was happy, Violet was thriving, and Paisley could actually see a life for them now.
A good one that held new friends and new experiences.
Pre-K was starting soon and Violet would be going.
Lily Park was also going, and Violet was excited to start with her best friend.
Mrs. Park—she’d told Paisley to call her Eun-Ji—would pick them up on the days when Paisley was still at the library.
And sometimes Ethan would do the child collecting.
The past three weekends had been spent going to cookouts with the One Shot gang. To Rory and Chance’s place, then to Daphne and Kane’s, and once at the range itself. Merrylegs and the deaf goat reappeared on both those occasions when the range property was the destination.
Violet loved riding the pony and the goat made her laugh with its random bleats and spooky eyes.
The farmer said the goat didn’t have a name.
But Violet named it Candy Kane—emphasis on Kane—much to the amusement of Daphne.
Paisley still wasn’t sure how that’d happened, but everyone seemed to think it was funny. Kane handled it with humor and grace.
She was no longer surprised at how any of the men responded to their women. They laughed and joked and hugged and kissed. They were fiercely protective, too, and she had the impression that any one of them would take a bullet for his woman if necessary.
She certainly hoped it was never necessary, though apparently Blaze and Emma had met when he’d interrupted a robbery at the Gas-n-Go outside of town. There’d been a bullet then, but the gunman was a poor shot and hadn’t hit anyone.
Paisley walked out of her office and into the main library.
Fern was at the circulation desk. She caught Paisley’s eye and looked down again.
Paisley wished the woman would lighten up and try to be friendly, but it was probably never happening.
She did, however, avoid doing anything that might upset Paisley.
And with good reason. Paisley had called Fern into her office, with Megan as a witness, and told her in no uncertain terms that if she ever sent an anonymous threatening text again, Paisley was calling the police and handing over the information she had about Fern’s burner phone.
Then she told Fern if she thought to buy another one and try again, Paisley would still give everything she had to the police.
They would have no trouble getting a search warrant and Paisley would have no trouble pressing charges.
She’d added that she also had a record of Fern buying paint at Sherwin Williams for her front door—and that the paint smeared on her own front door had been color-matched to the same shade.
It hadn’t, but Fern didn’t know that.
The threat had been enough. Since that day Fern had been, if not delightful, at least not a total bitch.
She didn’t go out of her way to make small talk or join into employee conversations, but she didn’t sneer or make passive aggressive comments either.
And she signed her suggestions in the suggestion box these days, though she’d gone light on those as well.
Thankfully, Mr. Watson wore less suggestive T-shirts and Fern had nothing to say about them. Paisley’s personal favorite was a cinnamon roll with adjectives describing the flavors—delicious, scrumptious, yummy—and a caption that said Synonym Roll.
Even when Chance Hughes strolled in wearing a T-shirt with a chicken on it that said Bawk, Bawk, Motherclucker, Fern had not uttered a word. Paisley had, though. Lord, that man.
She’d spoken with him while Fern glowered. “Sorry, Paisley,” he’d said. “I forgot I was wearing it.”
“You didn’t. You just wanted to see what she’d do.”
He’d grinned. “Got me.” Then he lifted the book he’d been carrying. “I’m going. Just returning this for Rory. She said you’ve got another one on hold for her.”
“Yes, we do.”
“More wolf shifter porn, I take it?”
Paisley had eyed him. “Are you complaining?”
“Oh hell no. You give her all that wolf porn shit you got. I’m not complaining in the least.”
She’d given him a book that was sure to singe his eyebrows if he peeked inside and sent him on his way.
Yes, life was good as a small-town librarian with a hot, beautiful man who loved her and friends she was happy to call her own.
Even if she’d gotten them through the beautiful man, they made her feel like she’d always belonged.
Like maybe, if she wasn’t with Ethan, they’d still like her for herself.
Paisley made her way over to the shelf she wanted and found the book the mayor had called about. She plucked it from the shelf so she could take it to the desk and tell Fern to put a hold on it.
When she turned, Ethan was strolling into the library with a bag from Kiss My Grits. He walked straight toward Fern. Paisley could see her face go pale.
“Hey, Fern,” he said as Paisley hurried that way to head off any trouble. “How’s it going?”
“Fine. Can I help you?”
Ethan leaned on the counter and smiled like a shark about to swallow something whole. “Nah, just seeing how you’re doing. Making sure you’re all right and not feeling at all compelled to harass my lady.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know, I know. And that’s good, yeah? No texts, no paint, no harassment. Life is good.”
“Hi, Ethan,” Paisley said.
He turned and held up the bag. “Babe, brought you lunch. Just talking to Miz Fern here for a sec. Making sure we understand each other.”
Paisley slid the book across the counter. “Fern, can you put a hold on this for Mayor Green? She’ll be by later to pick it up.”
“Of course,” Fern said, shooting a wild eye at Ethan before attacking her keyboard.
“Great talking to you, Fern. Remember, any hint of trouble, I’m looking at you.”
Fern didn’t speak as Ethan took Paisley’s hand and headed for her office. When they were out of earshot, Paisley said, “You’re terrible.”
“No, just thorough. Can’t have her thinking it’s safe to start her shit again. I want her to know she’s got no space to breathe in. That I’m watching and I’ll know.”
Paisley went inside the office first. Ethan shut the door behind him and twisted the lock. She arched an eyebrow.
“What are you doing? I thought we were eating lunch.”
“I ate lunch. I’m here for dessert. Brought you lunch, though.”
The gleam in his eye made her stomach twist in the best way. Her panties grew instantly wet. Her pussy throbbed.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Bend over that desk and you’ll find out.”
Oh, God.
“In a minute,” she said, launching herself at him and wrapping her arms around his neck.
Their mouths met, tongues tangling, bodies tightening.
He kissed her until she forgot herself, until her heart threatened to pound right out of her chest. She wanted him so much.
But then she pictured everyone outside this door.
“Wait, Ethan. It’s not professional. We shouldn’t—”
He kissed her again, and her resolve melted. Hands slid along her thighs, pushing her skirt higher. “You sure?”
She wasn’t sure of anything.
He nibbled her ear. “You tell me to stop and I will.”
She didn’t want him to stop and that was the God’s honest truth. Her panties dropped to her ankles and then she was on the edge of the desk, her skirt hiked around her hips, and his face between her legs. “Been thinking about this all morning.”
“You just did it last night.”
“Too long.” His tongue swiped right up her middle before circling her clit.
He threw her legs over his shoulders and licked her so expertly she came in less than a minute.
Didn’t hurt that he sucked her clit into his mouth at just the right moment.
Her back arched, her legs shook, and she exploded. Quietly. Just in case.
“Damn that’s fantastic,” he growled. A moment later he was on his feet, his jeans open, stroking himself before gliding his dick to her opening. “You’re so fucking wet. I love it, Payz. Love you.”
She was a mass of nerve endings waiting for another explosion. “Love you, too, sexy man. Now fuck me hard and make me come again.”
He shoved inside to the hilt, dropped his mouth to hers, and took them both to paradise on the express train.
There was nothing better than small town life.