Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
STELLA
Pop. Pop. Pop.
As the popcorn cooked in my microwave, I tapped my finger to its sound while I stared unblinking at my kitchen cabinets.
I should call him. Should I call him? Yes. Tomorrow.
Maybe.
The microwave beeped and I took out the bag, shaking it before dumping the white kernels in a glass bowl and retreating to my living room. I plopped onto the couch, shoved a handful of popcorn in my mouth and stared at the blank TV.
I’d been doing a lot of staring since sneaking out of Heath’s bed on Christmas morning.
Mom had asked me fifteen times yesterday if I’d been feeling okay. I’d lied, promising that I’d been fine. But no, I was not okay. I was a flipping mess.
Heath had literally scrambled my brain. Any time I tried to think of any other subject—work, gifts, food—I’d get about two seconds down one train of thought only to be yanked back to his bed. I’d picture his broad shoulders pushing my knees apart as he’d licked me into oblivion.
A shiver raced down my spine.
Oral Sex Fan Club, meet your newest member, Stella Marten.
I’d had sex, lots of incredible sex with lots of incredible orgasms, with Heath Holiday. My Heath Holiday.
What did this mean? Did he want a relationship? Were coworkers allowed to be couples at Holiday Homes? Why now?
All questions I could have asked had I stuck around his house yesterday morning, but when I’d woken up deliciously sore, panic had taken over, so I’d slid out from beneath his arm and bolted.
Because this was Heath.
Heath .
How long had I dreamed of this? Of him? I’d fantasized about him for so long, I hadn’t been prepared for this to ever become a reality. He’d exceeded every expectation, every dream. And in just one night.
It shouldn’t have been so good, right? That was crazy. Wasn’t it?
Maybe my juvenile delusions from years past were clouding reality. Maybe my teenage crush was bubbling to the surface. Maybe my subconscious was playing tricks on me because he was forbidden.
And terrifying.
One night and I’d screwed everything up. Because now I wanted him more than ever. And if he decided we’d been a mistake, well...
“I’ll quit.” That wasn’t the worst thing in the world, right? I’d only been working at Holiday Homes since the beginning of the month. Maybe my old company would take me back if I begged. And took a pay cut .
Or... I could move. If Heath dumped me, I could move.
Yes, I would definitely have to move. I’d have to find a new town. A new job. A new house and a new guy.
If Heath didn’t want me, there was no other choice.
“Yep. I’ll move.” I fisted another handful of popcorn, chewing with fury as anxiety raced through my veins.
I was going to have to move and change my entire life because Heath had ruined me.
Another handful went to my mouth, my cheeks bulging like a chipmunk, and I just kept shoving more in as I endured the hundredth mental freak-out in the past thirty-six hours.
Pull it together, Stella.
More popcorn was stuffed into my mouth. Wendy would be proud because usually, my stress eating involved McDonald’s, a can of Reddi-wip and a family-sized bag of Funyuns. This popcorn wasn’t even buttered.
Any other man and I’d throw myself into work as a distraction. But work meant Heath and luckily, the office was closed until after New Year’s so I wouldn’t have to face him quite yet.
“I don’t want to move.” I groaned, ready to toss the popcorn, find my keys and head to the nearest drive-thru when the doorbell rang.
With the bowl tucked in my arm, I shoved another bite into my mouth and went to answer, expecting Wendy or Guy since they were the only two people besides my parents who visited. It was after dark so Mom and Dad would already be glued to the History Channel.
I checked the peephole, finding Guy on the other side. His back was to me because he was looking at something on the street. I unlocked the door, swinging it open, just as he turned.
Not Guy.
Heath .
The popcorn in my mouth came shooting out in a stream of white confetti.
A soggy kernel landed on Heath’s gray sweatshirt.
My eyes bulged as I watched him flick it off.
“Hi,” he said.
I blinked.
He was wearing a Holiday Homes hoodie and a navy ballcap. Nearly the same navy Montana State ballcap my brother wore all the time. From the back, those hats were identical. But the fronts had different logos.
He’d duped me into opening the door. I should have looked closer at the hair color.
“May I come in?”
I blinked again.
Heath chuckled and stepped close, using his thumb to brush a popcorn piece off my chin.
“I just spit food on you,” I whispered, my cheeks flaming.
Other people didn’t get this version of me, the one intent on humiliating herself. Why did she only come out when Heath was around?
He lifted a shoulder, reached in to take a handful of popcorn, then came inside, shuffling me backward so he could close the door as he popped a few pieces into his mouth. His chiseled jaw flexed as he chewed.
No man had ever made popcorn so attractive. If he ever asked me on a movie date, I’d probably orgasm in the theater just by watching him eat popcorn.
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing, then stomped his Nikes, clearing off the snow on the rug in my entryway. He took off his hat, only to turn it backward.
Holy. Shit. Why was that so hot? He was the older, rugged version of the boy I’d loved from afar. A man so utterly attractive I forgot to breathe. As I stood there drooling, his gaze raked up and down my body.
“Jesus, Stell. Are those your pajamas?”
I nodded.
He closed his eyes for a moment, his hands fisting like he was praying for restraint.
I glanced at my attire. The set was black satin, the pants wide and drapey. The top was basically a bra, showing my midriff beneath the jacket that went over the top that I hadn’t bothered buttoning. “Sorry?”
He opened his eyes and closed the gap between us, fitting his palm against my cheek. “You ran out on me.”
“I’m sort of freaking out. Like, a lot of freaking out.” My free hand dove automatically into the bowl, but before I could scoop a handful for my mouth, Heath stole the popcorn and set it aside on the console table.
“Why are you freaking out?”
“Because now I have to move.”
His eyebrows came together. “What? You’re moving?”
I nodded. “I have to.”
“Why?”
“Because we had sex. A lot of sex.”
“We did? When?”
“Stop.” I smacked his arm, relaxing as he laughed, and led him to the living room couch. I plopped down on one end as he took the other.
He looked so at ease, so confident, as he laid an arm over the back and crossed an ankle over his knee. “Be real with me. Are you okay?”
I melted a little at the worry in his voice and concern in those blue eyes. “Yes. Just... confused.”
“Is that why you snuck out?”
“I don’t do well when things are up in the clouds. ”
“In the clouds. What do you mean?”
“That saying. Up in the air. I say up in the clouds because clouds are fluffier, so if I’m going to be in limbo, I might as well be in the fluff.”
He studied me, the corner of his mouth turning up. “That shouldn’t make sense. But I guess it does.”
“Did you have a nice Christmas?”
“I did. We just hung out at Mom and Dad’s. Opened gifts. It was more exciting than normal years with Violet there.”
“You’re warming up to her.”
“She’s a terror and she’ll turn Maddox gray before he hits forty, but yeah. She’s a cool kid. I just came from Mom and Dad’s. Mom declared a game night. Natalie was there too.”
“Really?”
He grinned. “Maddox is crushing on her. Hard.”
I loved that for my friend. Natalie deserved a sweet, billionaire hottie.
Maddox had graduated by the time I’d started high school, but his legend had lived on through the girls on the swim team. He’d been a lot like Heath. Handsome. Athletic. Popular. He’d become extremely wealthy since leaving Montana, but given the way Heath seemed to admire his older brother, I suspected Maddox had always kept his small-town roots.
“How was your Christmas?” he asked.
“Uneventful.”
“Did Santa bring you anything good?”
“These pajamas.”
“Well done, Santa.”
My breath caught in my throat as his gaze raked down my chest and the shift in his expression. Heath looked like he was about to pounce, to drag me across the couch and have his way with me.
I would gladly be dragged .
But then he shook his head, shifting to dig something out of his jeans pocket. “I picked up something for you.”
“Oh. You didn’t need to get me anything.”
“I know.” He handed over a rectangular, black velvet case. “But I wanted to.”
I sat up straighter, taking the box and flipping it open. Inside was a dainty gold bracelet with three jingling bells. The jewelry brought a smile to my lips. “This is beautiful. I used to have one just like it.”
“I remember.”
“You do? No way. That was ages ago.”
“Your grandpa bought it for you, right?”
“Yes. He used to tease me that I walked silently and could be a ninja when I grew up.” Grandpa had been a lot like Guy—loud in every way. So loud that he wouldn’t hear me walk up. I’d startled him countless times, and each time, he’d let out this huge yelp before slapping a hand to his heart. “That bracelet was the last Christmas present he bought me.”
“I was there the day it broke,” he said. “You caught it on the swing set in your backyard, and you cried so hard I thought you were hurt.”
I’d been devastated. And he’d remembered. He’d bought me a new one. My eyes flooded as I touched the bracelet. “Will you help me put it on?”
“Sure.” He slid to the middle cushion, taking the jewelry from the box. Then he fastened it on my left wrist, his fingers warm against my skin.
I jingled it, smiling at the delicate chime. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Heath’s gaze was waiting when I looked up, and because I hadn’t gotten him a gift, I rose up, pressing my lips to his.
It was meant to be a quick kiss, but one brush of our mouths and the heat between us ignited .
His arms wrapped me tight before he pressed me deeper into the toss pillows. His tongue swept between my teeth, stroking my own.
We kissed frantically, neither of us getting enough. Then the clothes between us began to disappear, item by item. His hoodie. My pants. His T-shirt. My top.
He settled between my thighs, his arousal hard and thick and long as it pressed into my throbbing core. “God, Stell.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I whispered.
He positioned at my entrance, slowly, inch by inch, thrusting inside. “Believe it now?”
I shook my head, savoring the stretch of my body to fit his. “No.”
“You will. Give it time.”
Time with him was just another fantasy.
But before I could get stuck in my head, I was lost to Heath’s body. I succumbed to the ragged breaths. To the rough touches. To the rhythm of his strokes and the thunder of my heart.
We came together, both crying out, as the orgasm stole my sight, blinding me to anything but this man.
My new bracelet jingled as I shoved the hair out of my eyes, coming down from the high. “Wow.”
“Fuck, you are incredible.” Heath twisted us so he was beneath me on the couch, our bodies slick with sweat. Then he stared at the ceiling. “I wasn’t going to do this.”
“Do what?”
He let a hand trail down my spine to cup my ass. “You.”
I smiled. “Why not?”
“Because I want more than sex from you. But those goddamn pajamas from Santa were irresistible. They look even better on the floor.”
I laughed, closing my eyes to memorize every second. His spicy scent. His hard body. The weight of his hand. The caress of his touch. The sound of his words still ringing in my mind.
Because I want more than sex from you.
There was a giddy laugh in my chest. The moment he was gone, I was going to let it loose to bounce off the apartment walls.
“I can’t stay.”
“Oh.” The disappointment in my voice filled my living room.
“I want to.” He kissed my forehead. “But I’d better get going. Tobias was acting strange at Christmas yesterday, so I want to see if I can find out what’s going on.”
“Okay.”
The two of us dressed and then walked to the door. When was he coming back? What would it be like at work? Should we tell Guy? The only men I’d ever slept with—all three of them—had been boyfriends before lovers. I was a woman who loved labels.
I opened my mouth to ask when I’d see him again, but I caught myself and faked a yawn. There was time to figure this out, right? We didn’t have to answer all the questions tonight.
“Tired?” he asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to hit the straw.”
“Hit the hay.”
“They don’t put hay in stalls for the animals to sleep on. Did you know that? I went to a petting zoo once and asked the owner, and she told me they put straw in the pens and feed them hay. So you hit the straw.”
“That’s...” Heath’s broad chest shook as he laughed. “Okay. Hit the straw.”
“Thanks again for my bracelet.” I twirled my wrist, loving the tiny jingle .
“Welcome.” He inched closer, taking my face in his hands. “You’re something special, Stella Marten.”
And he was a dream.
With one last kiss goodbye, he winked and headed into the winter night. The smile on my face pinched my cheeks as I closed the door behind him.
Wendy. I had to call Wendy.
I hurried to the living room where I’d left my phone earlier, pulling up her name. But before I could call, the doorbell rang again. I skipped down the hall, my toes dancing that Heath had come back. “Hey th?—”
Not Heath.
Guy.
“It’s cold.” He shuddered and stepped inside.
I peered past him, searching for Heath’s truck. His taillights were at the edge of the parking lot.
“Are you going to close the door?” Guy asked, shrugging off his coat. He must not have seen Heath’s truck in the dark because he would have asked an entirely different question.
“Oh, um... yeah.” I stepped out of the way to shut away the chill. “What are you doing here?”
“I was bored. Thought I’d come over.” He looked me up and down, his face souring. “Are those the pajamas Mom bought you?”
“Yes. What’s wrong with them?”
“Aren’t you supposed to button the top?”
I rolled my eyes and buttoned the outer shell. “Happy now?”
“I’ll be happy if you have a beer.”
All I had was wine and a bottle of vodka in the fridge. I’d never much enjoyed the taste of beer. “You came to the wrong house if you wanted beer. ”
“True.” He walked toward the living room and my stomach dropped.
Oh, shit. Would he be able to smell the sex? Or Heath’s cologne ? Please don’t let there be a wet spot on my couch.
Guy tipped his nose to the air. “Popcorn?”
I swiped up the bowl that Heath had set aside and carried it to Guy, shoving it toward his face, hoping all he’d smell was the salt. “Here.”
“Thanks.” He popped a kernel into his mouth. “No butter?”
“I can make a new batch with butter.”
“Yes, please. Want to watch a movie?”
“No. Let’s sit in the kitchen.” I wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about Heath if we sat on the couch and my brother would notice if I kept smiling like a fool.
“Why?”
“I was going to make some cookies,” I lied.
“Not as good as beer, but I’ll eat a cookie.” Guy moved to the counter and took a seat on one of the barstools.
I rifled through my pantry, praying I had all of the ingredients. I was out of flour, but I spied a box of brownie mix. “Oh, how about brownies instead? That actually sounds better.”
“Fine by me.” He shrugged, finishing the bowl of my popcorn. “So what did you do tonight?”
Your best friend.
I pulled in my lips to hide my smile as I gave him my back to retrieve a mixing bowl from the cupboard.
At some point, Heath and I would have to tell Guy. If this was more than sex. But considering I still wasn’t sure exactly what our relationship would be like, there was no point telling my brother I’d slept with his best friend.
Twice.