4. Kane
4
KANE
I park my truck outside Stirling’s Lumber and Hardware and grab the cherry pie box, carrying it into the store.
“Duke?” I call out, striding through the aisles of tools and stacked wood.
My fellow lumberjack is in the warehouse out back, several planks of wood slung over his shoulder. He owns the store and has a few employees, but he still does a lot of shit himself.
“Hey, Kane.” He swivels around, nearly knocking my head off with one of the planks. “Shit, sorry. What you got there?”
“Brought you a cherry pie.”
Duke frowns, bemused. “Another one? Is it my birthday or something?”
“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Just take it.”
I hand him the pie and he shakes his head but thanks me anyway.
Truth is, I’m overrun with baked goods: cakes, pastries, you name it. I’ve been visiting Buttercup Bakery every chance I get. Buying pies is my excuse, but all I really want is to see Hannah. It’s been a few days since we met in the forest, and my need for her is only getting stronger. Her luscious curves are on my mind twenty-four-seven, and my hard-on is fucking permanent at this point. But it’s not just physical. This sassy little smart mouth is the brightest part of my day, and I can’t get enough of her.
“Have you been keeping up with the shit happening in Silvercrest?” Duke asks as he stacks the planks.
“Heard a few rumors around town.”
Silvercrest is the only big city in Crave County, and people around here like to know what’s happening there. Cherry Hollow isn’t exactly full of breaking news stories, so people often turn to Silvercrest for their gossip.
“That Mayor O’Neill…real piece of work.” Duke scowls. “His wife’s just as bad.”
“She was definitely involved then?”
“You bet.” He shakes his head. “Rotten to the core, both of them.”
I nod in agreement. Usually, I’d stick around to shoot the shit with Duke, but the bakery will be closing any minute and I want to try to get there in time to see Hannah again.
“I’ve got to get going, buddy.” I slap him on the back. “See you around.”
Duke waves me off, grunting another thanks for the pie.
I hop in my truck and drive toward Main Street, parking in front of the bakery. I’m about to head inside when I see a flash of red in my peripheral vision. My heart thuds as I turn to see Hannah walking away from me, her ass looking sexy as hell, plump and rounded in her jeans. My gaze lingers on her thick thighs as I hurry after her.
“Where you headed, Ginger Snap?”
She whips around, eyes wide, but her face softens when she sees me. The sight of her stops me in my tracks. I can’t get over how fucking pretty she is. Those curves will be the death of me, I swear.
“I’m going to pick up my car from the garage,” she says. “Then I’m going to go home and bake the best, most delicious contest-winning cherry pie ever.”
I chuckle. “Still feeling confident about the festival, then?”
“Yep. I’ve been practicing my baking.” She tilts her chin defiantly. “Haven’t you?”
“Don’t need to.”
She huffs out a breath of annoyance, and it takes all my self-control not to kiss those pouty pink lips. This girl has no idea what she’s doing to me.
“You’ll be eating humble pie tomorrow when I win,” she says, tossing her auburn hair over her shoulders. Then her eyes light up with a thought. “Literally! Because you’ll be eating pie! Humble cherry pie! Get it?”
“You should write that one down,” I tell her.
She nods eagerly. “I know you’re being sarcastic right now, but I’m definitely going to write it down.”
Dammit, she’s so cute.
“I think you’ll do great, Ginger Snap,” I say, my throat dry as I look down at her.
She raises her eyebrows. “You do?”
“Sure.”
“Wow. I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” She blinks. “Are you ill or something?”
I roll my eyes but can’t hold back a smile. “You know it’s only teasing. Seriously, Hannah, I bet your cherry pie will be really damn good.”
Her cheeks pinken. “Well, you must be serious if you’re calling me Hannah.” She reaches out her pale hand toward me. “May the best baker win!”
I take her hand in mine and a bolt of electricity shoots from my fingertips to my heart, stealing the breath from my lungs. It’s the smallest of touches, just a handshake, but my body is reacting like somebody just set off fireworks inside my gut. I want this girl so fucking badly. It’s like an ache—more powerful than anything I’ve ever felt before.
I want more.
More than just fleeting chats over the bakery counter. More than jokes and banter. More than handshakes. I want all of this angel, every perfect inch of her, and it’s driving me crazy.
I want her to be my girl.
Hannah’s hand is still holding onto mine, her eyes fixed on me. The street around us melts away until all I can see is her, my gaze drifting down to her mouth. Her lips look so damn juicy. So kissable. It would be so easy to lean down and taste them. Instinctively, without thinking, I move toward Hannah. Only an inch or two, but enough that I can see the dark flecks in her green eyes, the delicate freckles on her nose, the soft curves of her face…
Suddenly, she catches sight of something across the street. Her eyes flicker toward it and she frowns, her face contorting with worry.
“I…I have to go get my car.”
It’s all she says before she spins on her heel and hurries away from me, disappearing around the corner. I look across the street, trying to understand what just happened. It was like something spooked her, but the street is empty except for a woman with dark hair tapping away on her phone.
Does Hannah know her?
I frown, watching the woman until she’s out of sight, wondering what could have spooked Hannah so badly. Then I get back in my truck and head for home, still puzzling over it as I start to bake my cherry pie for the festival tomorrow.
Goddammit, why didn’t I kiss her?
It was the perfect moment, but I hesitated. Now I’m more frustrated than ever, and something tells me that resisting this girl is only going to get harder.