Chapter 11
Berkley thought thatwas the finest compliment anyone had ever given her. “Your faith in me means a lot.”
“I’m a good judge of character,” he assured her. “You’ll be fine.”
Hearing him say it with such belief made her believe it, too.
With a quirky smile, he added, “I have a feeling Durkinson is in for a big surprise. But if you decide to see him face-to-face, I’d like to be with you.”
A wonderful offer, except she’d prefer to dodge Chad if at all possible. “I have zero interest in being anywhere near him, so I was thinking I should call, just to make that perfectly clear.” Hopefully, that would keep him from showing up in Cemetery.
It was a silly request, but with Lawson, she didn’t mind being silly. “If I call him, would you want to be there with me—”
He swooped in to give her a firm, enthusiastic kiss. It happened so quickly that she laughed. “Is that a yes?”
“I’m glad you asked.” With one more kiss, he said, “I want to be there with you, and I agree. Telling him to get lost before he shows up is a good plan. Just remember that you’re past the hard part already. After everything you’ve accomplished, facing the past will be easy.”
“Maybe.” She wasn’t Lawson, and so far nothing had seemed easy to her—except loving animals.
And talking to him.
Wanting him. That came pretty easily, too.
She stroked his jaw, liking the slight rasp of his beard shadow. His fair hair, a little messy and a little long, drew her fingers next. Who knew a man’s hair could be so sexy? She never had before, but everything with Lawson felt new. Seemed appealing. And turned her on.
Lawson held perfectly still, watching her intently, before he caught her wrist, turned his head and kissed her palm. “What are you thinking, Berkley?”
Many things, decisions that involved the immediate future. She hoped he would continue to be agreeable. “That talking with you is easy, maybe because you share, too. Thank you for trusting me.” That’s what it was, she knew. Trust. He’d told her things no one else knew, awful things that a boy should never have gone through. She’d had her mother, she’d known love and concern and caring. He hadn’t. Compared to what he’d gone through, her own worries felt smaller.
And Chad... Well, Chad felt like nothing at all.
“Thank you for listening.” He opened the bag and dug out their food, handing one thick sandwich to her. They ate in comfortable silence, hearing only the distant, barely perceptible drone of voices from the main stretch of the beach. Occasionally a bird sang. Repeatedly, the lake washed against the shoreline in a lulling hush.
“Did you see that fish jump?”
He nodded. “Looked like a big carp, maybe. Or a bass.”
She finished off half of her sandwich and gave him the other half.
“You don’t want it?”
“I’m full.” She finished off her shake, then nodded out at the sunset. “It looks like it’ll sink right into the water.”
“Pretty.”
Berkley watched him polish off the sandwich, then use a napkin to wipe his mouth. “It’s not that late yet.”
Pausing, Lawson gave her his full attention for several arresting, heart-stopping moments. “Not late at all.” With his light brown eyes extra alert, he asked, “Something else you want to do?”
Oh, boy. Yeah, there were several other things she wanted to do, but not here in public. To give her something else to look at, she gathered up the wrapper from her sandwich and her empty milkshake cup, and put them back in the larger bag. “We could maybe go to your house.”
His voice went deeper when he said, “We could.”
She studied him, trying to gauge that simple reply, and realized at once that he wanted her, too. It was there in his heated expression, and that gave her the confidence to say, “I want sex.”
His eyes flared, then narrowed. “Hell, yes,” and suddenly he was on the move, grabbing up his own empty wrapper and cup, urging her to her feet, shaking out his jacket.
His rush was flattering enough that she laughed as she hurriedly brushed off her feet and stuck them into her sandals. She caught Lawson’s hand and, while dragging him along at a fast clip, said, “We could jog to your truck,” and she was only half-joking.
Holding her to a walk, his own smile warm with anticipation, he said, “No way, lady. We’ll continue like two sedate adults just finishing our casual stroll. Don’t forget how quickly news spreads in Cemetery.”
She nodded, but after a minute or two, asked, “You want to keep our relationship private?”
“No, but I don’t want it advertised, either, not until you and I figure it out.”
That made sense, and yet as they moved along, a few reservations set in. “So... Do we have a relationship?”
His brows pinched together, his look serious and firm. “Damn right we do.”
She nodded again. “And that relationship is...what?”
As if he’d just run into a wall, Lawson stopped. It was so abrupt, she went a step past him before she realized it.
Tugging her around, he said, “If I haven’t made it clear, I care about you.”
The words were a balm, softening her heart. “I care about you, too.”
His frown eased away, replaced by satisfaction. “I haven’t done any serious, one-on-one relationships that I wanted to last. If I miss a beat, just tell me.”
Biting her bottom lip, she wondered how to reply to that. They’d only been reacquainted for a month, but the history they shared made it feel longer. Definitely deeper and more meaningful.
“This, with you,” he stressed, “is serious. It needs to be one-on-one. Just me and you.”
Well, that certainly explained it, and made her want to rejoice. Nodding, she said in a whisper, “Me, too.”
Apparently forgetting that he didn’t want their relationship advertised, he bent to kiss her, crushing her close and practically lifting her off her feet. Someone, somewhere, gave a loud whistle and he abruptly stepped back.
Feeling dazed, happily so, Berkley glanced around and saw that they’d gotten closer to the parking lot than she’d realized.
It was Wheeler who’d whistled, standing there with a trio of blondes who were maybe sisters, all of them beautiful. He waved as he laughed.
“So much for that plan,” Lawson said as he waved back.
Berkley hugged up to his side and got him walking again. “We have an exclusive relationship, it’s serious, and we both want it to last. That covers the bases, right?”
“Does for me.”
“Me, too. So who cares what others think?” Given that much of her life had been colored by negative judgment and condemnation, not caring was a new attitude for her.
Just as they reached his truck, he completely stole her heart by asking, “Will Hero and Cheese be okay for a few more hours?”
Affection filled her heart when she whispered, “Yes. Hero is chill and Cheese will sleep. No worries.”
Smiling, he jogged to a trash can to dispose of their bag, then hurried back so they could leave.
A few more hours...
It had been a perfect first date, and it seemed her evening was about to get even better.
When they stepped into his house, Lawson glanced around, glad that he’d put away tools and cleared construction messes. His house was almost done, minus some decorating.
“Ooooh,” Berkley said, walking through his now tidy living room, eyes wide as she took in the cathedral bookcases, track lighting and built-in seating. “This is amazing!”
Shifting, Lawson tried to see it as she would, freshly completed, but his mind was more on getting her upstairs to the bedroom. To that end, he stepped up behind her and looped his arm around her waist. “You know I read a lot.”
“I do, but this...” Tilting her head back, she stared up at the top shelves.
He had a rolling ladder to reach the uppermost books. “Those are all collections. I like to revisit some of them once a year.”
She said “And the seating” with a touch of awe.
“It’s a small space.” Damn it, he was starting to feel embarrassed and he had no idea why. “It made sense to build them to fit the lines of the house.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “They look comfortable.”
A hint? Hey, he could be spontaneous. He wanted Berkley, and a bed definitely wasn’t necessary. Urging her to the nearest couch, he drew her down and said, “Why don’t we test it out?”
She giggled—a sound he’d never thought to hear from Berkley—then slapped a hand over her mouth.
Grinning at her, he tugged her onto his lap and into his arms. “I like seeing you happy.”
“I like being happy. I thought I always was, but now, with you, it’s so different.”
“Easier, I hope.”
“Surprisingly so.” Looking at the material on the couch, instead of him, she asked, “Will we mess it up?”
At the moment, he didn’t even care. “No.” Leaning in, he nuzzled her throat.
Her breath caught. “It’s soft.”
Gently, he let her feel his teeth on her shoulder. “And not so soft.”
Turning her head, she murmured, “I meant the material you used.”
He gave a soft growl and said, “I don’t want to talk about the furniture or my house anymore.” Taking her mouth in a deep, hungry kiss, he showed her his priorities of the moment.
And actually, when it came to Berkley, the priorities of his future. In so many ways, they were intrinsically tied—by a past location, a difficult history, understanding and drive. Yes, he had his hands full with a new business and the work on his house and property.
Didn’t matter. He would always make time for her.
Lowering her to her back on the cushions, he settled his weight half over her. Thankfully, the custom-built couch ran the length of the wall, offering room for guests—or one reclining woman with sex on her mind. “This dress...” Sliding his hand over the material, he explored along her waist, down her hip, her thigh and to her knee. The fabric was no barrier at all, and in fact served as more of a tease, giving hints of her warmth, her softness, as he explored her curves.
“My dress?” She opened her mouth on his neck, tasting his skin with an innocent greed that threatened to incinerate him.
“I like it.” More than liked it, he thought, as he brought his hand back up, this time under the material. He felt her wiggling and lifted his head.
Flushing, she said, “Just kicking off my sandals. Proceed.”
How had he never realized her sense of humor? Earlier, stating flat out that she wanted sex? And now telling him, more or less, to get on with it?
He’d worried about rushing her, but clearly Berkley didn’t mind making herself clear. “Yes, ma’am.” Taking her mouth in another deep kiss, he did some exploring of his own.
Her hands went around his neck, into his hair, then down to his chest, where she plucked at his shirt. Freeing her mouth, and taking a few deep breaths, she said, “Not to be shallow, but could you remove this? It’s the truth you look better than most men and I enjoy seeing you. A lot.”
At this point, everything she said reeled him in even more. After levering up to a sitting position, he reached back for a handful of the shirt, stripped it off and tossed it to the side of the couch.
Her gaze devoured him, followed by her hands, fingers spread, feeling all over his chest. Keeping her attention on his body, she said, “Until I saw you without a shirt, I had no idea that chest hair was so sexy.”
Since she was in a teasing mood, he replied, “Mostly on men.”
“Ha! Yeah, no chest hair on me.”
Grinning at that, he lifted the hem of her dress. “Why don’t you show me? Pretty as the dress is, I’d like to get it out of the way.”
As if in confession, she whispered, “I’m not wearing a bra.”
A fact he’d already noted. Not sure a bra would have worked under that wispy material anyway. “Not a problem for me.”
That got him another huffed laugh. “Because you’re not the one getting naked in front of someone for the first time.”
The admission brought out his tenderness. Bold as she might be, he had to remember that this was new for Berkley. She’d been badly burned once, and needed this experience to be different for her. With that thought in mind, he stretched out alongside her, then trailed a fingertip over her collarbone. “I’m not just anyone, right?”
Her tension ebbed away. “No, you’re not.”
Slowly, he pulled one strap off her shoulder, down her arm and lower...until he exposed a breast.
“Say something.”
Leaning down, he whispered into her ear, “I want you so much, I’m holding on by a thread.”
“Me, too.” In a new rush, she slid off the couch to her feet, struggled to get the dress up and over her head, and she tossed it toward his shirt.
Okay, that was a shocker. Slowly he sat up, but he couldn’t take his gaze off her pale breasts, her narrow rib cage and slim waist that flared out to rounded hips. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Surprise.”
Joking was no longer possible for him. Not with Berkley standing there, naked except for tiny panties. “I hope you know you’re perfect.”
“I’m not, but I don’t even care.” With that said, she pushed down her panties and stepped free, then gestured at him. “Jeans off.”
The sudden rush threw him. When he got his attention off her body and onto her face, he saw the heat there. “Berkley...”
“Do you have a condom?”
“I do.” No lie, she was gorgeous, and she really had to stop expecting him to carry on a conversation. He fished out his wallet, took out the protection and handed it to her.
“Er...”
Shoving down his jeans and boxers at the same time, he kicked them away. Once he straightened, he took the condom from her, then pulled her into his arms.
Thankfully, all dialogue ended there, because he didn’t think he could have strung two words together. Berkley stopped being shy, and probably would have taken over if he hadn’t been in such a rush himself.
The thing was, everything clicked.
Her quirkiness, his lust. Her demands, his delivery.
Her gasps and his growls.
It was all in sync. He’d had sex plenty of times, but he’d never experienced anything like this. Like her.
Realizing how much he cared for her, that the inevitable had somehow happened lightning fast, gave him a sense of peace he hadn’t felt before. Like his past and his future had collided, and in the process every decision he’d ever doubted now made perfect sense.
When she clenched around him, when she arched and cried out, he felt it everywhere, especially in his heart.
For the first time in a long time, maybe the first time ever, it felt like he was home.
Held loosely in Lawson’s embrace, her heart still racing and her breath yet uneven, Berkley smiled. She’d done some foolish things in her lifetime, and she had more than her share of regrets. But this, with him, she would never regret, no matter what twists and turns the future took.
Talk about an eye-opener.
She rested half atop him, her cheek on his chest, and she heard the heavy cadence of his heartbeat as it gradually slowed. She was naked and didn’t care. Her hair and makeup were wild, and she didn’t care.
She’d been demanding—and noisy. And she didn’t care.
She cared about Lawson. About them together.
A few minutes passed. Lawson’s fingertips teased over the bare skin of her bottom. She liked it that even now, after they’d just expended all that energy, he still touched her.
Once she thought she could speak coherently, she tried to find a way to put her thoughts into words. She lifted her head and saw that his eyes were closed, his hair even messier. His mouth, so talented, wore the slightest of appeased smiles.
“Lawson?”
“Hmm?” His light brown eyes opened, sated, lazy, happy.
It filled her with contentment. “Even at the worst of times, I was glad to be alive, so please don’t misunderstand.”
Concerned, he brought his hand up to lightly touch her cheek, his fingers drifting over her skin before stroking through her hair. “And now?”
“Now I feel like I’m really alive.” That didn’t quite cover it, and she knew her words wouldn’t be adequate, but she gave it a try anyway. “I had no idea what I was missing.”
“You were missing me.” He brought her forward for a warm smooch. “So many times, I’ve thought that I never should have left you.”
“What?”
“Back when we were both still young. When the world wasn’t treating you kindly.”
A short, soft laugh of surprise escaped her. “You didn’t leave me.” How silly. “You got on with your life and I’m proud of you for it.”
“I left everyone. For a while there, after seeing you again, I felt bad about that.”
“You shouldn’t. I wasn’t your responsibility.”
“I know.” He sat up, drawing her up with him.
Okay, now she felt naked. It was one thing to be sprawled over him in the aftermath. This was altogether different.
As if he saw her dilemma, he reached over the side of the couch and grabbed his shirt. To give her an out, he even said “The air-conditioning is chilly” as he pulled it over her head.
She gladly pushed her arms through the short sleeves and tugged it down to cover herself. It was large enough that it slipped off one shoulder and hung nearly to her knees.
“Be right back,” Lawson said, and took his sexy self to the bathroom.
His jeans and boxers were still on the floor. Interesting. She waited, her gaze glued to the short hall, and sure enough, he returned only half a minute later, still without a stitch. Not only that, he detoured into the kitchen.
Berkley wasn’t sure if she should follow, maybe take his boxers to him—nah. She had no issue with his nudity. In fact, she’d consider it a gift to herself. After the opening and closing of the fridge, he came back with two bottles of water.
Stepping right over his jeans, he handed her a water, then pulled on his boxers and took the seat next to her.
Naked was better, but he looked pretty darned fine in his shorts, too. “Thanks.” Apparently, the bathroom trip was to dispose of the condom. Naturally, that was a priority, although she hadn’t thought things through to that logical point. Her limited experience with sex had been fast, less than satisfying and in the dark, followed by shame.
This was a whole new ball game.
“Now...” He brushed a knuckle over her cheek. “I think I’ve run the gamut of emotions since finding you here in Cemetery. Like you, I hadn’t wanted any reminders of the past, but there you were.”
She nodded. “I had planned to avoid you.”
“Same.” He smoothed her hair. “But I couldn’t. When I didn’t see you, I thought about you. And your thieving cat kept taking my things.”
“She’ll probably continue doing that.”
“I don’t mind anymore. Cheese and I are coming to an understanding.”
So the quickest way to a woman’s heart was, apparently, to love her pets, and provide some truly stellar sex. Lawson was winning on all counts.
“After getting to know you again, I kept thinking about that mess you’d been left with. I could have done more.”
She pressed a finger to his lips. “Again, not your responsibility.”
Taking her wrist, he drew her hand down to his chest. “I’m not sure the male brain works that way. At least, mine doesn’t. The second I started to care about you, I wished I’d done things differently. The thing is, I’m not sure I could have. If I’d stayed, we might not even be here now. Maybe I’d have fallen into the same pattern as so many others who grew up where we did.”
“Hurting others, or being hurt,” she agreed.
“And you.” He cupped his palm to her face, pressed his mouth to her lips, then her cheek, the bridge of her nose, her forehead. “Maybe you wouldn’t have discovered your path in life, and all those animals who depend on you would still be lost and alone.”
Such a wonderful way for him to see things. “I’d gladly go through it again to make sure I could be where I am right now.”
The corner of his mouth hitched. “Naked on a couch with me?”
Humor had her own lips twitching. That, too, was new. She’d never expected to have so much fun following sex. “I wouldn’t mind ending up right here...often.”
“Plan on it.”
Oh, she definitely would. “I suppose you’ve had women from numerous countries?”
“Had?” His grin challenged her.
“You know what I mean. Sex.”
“I haven’t been marking conquests off on a world map or anything.”
That wasn’t a denial. “But?”
Rolling a shoulder, he said, “I’m damn near thirty, so yeah, I’ve been with a few women. Doesn’t matter, because none of them were you.”
“I wasn’t complaining.” Exactly. Just curious about how she’d measured up. “I guess if you wanted something, from me, I mean. During sex. You’d say so?”
He rubbed a hand over his face, then shoved his fingers into his hair. “You don’t have a lot of experience—”
Immediately, she felt defensive. “That’s what I’m saying.”
Pressing a finger to her lips, then replacing it with his mouth, he gave her a kiss at first meant to quiet her, but he lingered, she pressed closer, he adjusted, drawing her against his chest and turning his head to take her mouth more deeply. It went on and on, until they were both nearly panting again.
“Without experience,” he said, “you can’t know how special this is between us.” His gaze was so close to her own, filled with heat. His hand held her bared shoulder, his fingers long, warm against her skin. “I don’t even know how to describe it, except to say that if you were any more perfect, I’d probably incinerate, and I wouldn’t even mind.”
Dazed by that confession, Berkley set her bottle of water on the table and happily snuggled back into his chest. “Thank you.”
“Don’t second-guess yourself. We’re good together. If you want something, feel free to tell me and I’ll do the same, but you can trust your instincts, too.” He nuzzled against her ear and whispered, “You’re smoking-hot, and don’t forget it.”
Hiding her grin against his throat, she said, “That sounds like an invitation, but I can’t stay much longer. Hero and Cheese are used to me being there in the evening. They’re like little alarm clocks. They know when it’s bedtime.”
His hand returned to her bottom, stroking her skin. “And you have to be up early tomorrow. You work too hard to go without sleep.”
He was more than worth a little tiredness. “You do, too.”
“I start later than you. Most of the Cemetery shoppers don’t seem to get going until nine, and my shop doesn’t get busy until ten or so. Before that, I think they’re visiting the coffee shops.” He gave her a hug. “Not true of animals. I’ve seen them all demanding attention at the same time.”
Accurate. “Dogs wake earlier than cats. So many of the cats are practically nocturnal, but they all have to be fed, water dishes cleaned, messes removed.”
“When did you know you wanted to take care of animals?”
She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “My mom knew before I did. I’m sure you remember that I was awkward.”
“Not awkward,” he corrected. “You guarded yourself, a smart move, all things considered.”
“Maybe. I was a little friendlier in school, but outside of school, everyone reverted to their street cred—and I had none. I think, like you said, that’s because my mother and I were so close. I needed to be home to take care of her, but we talked a lot, too. About everything. Even at her sickest, she watched over me, reminding me to be kind but safe, to stay alert but have an open heart. She always encouraged me to share my worries. I’d sit beside her to do my homework and she’d take care of bills, doing what she could online and using a lap desk to write checks when she needed to. She taught me everything that had to be paid and when so I’d be prepared. I’d moved a twin bed into the living room for her, because she was rarely well enough to sit in a chair, and we’d sometimes watch a movie while eating dinner.”
“What did you talk about?”
“School, groceries, everyday stuff, but also plans for the future. I know she was afraid for me.” It had always been hard to talk about her mother’s health, but now, tucked against Lawson, the words flowed. “She was afraid she’d die before I was eighteen, and that I’d have to rely on strangers. We only had each other. There was no other family to turn to.”
“Rough,” Lawson said.
She pressed back to see his face. “We owned that house, inherited from my grandfather before he died, along with a decent savings account. Mom probably could have moved us, but without enough money coming in, she was afraid we wouldn’t be able to keep up, and when she was gone, she wanted me to sell it so I’d have the funds to start over.”
“The house couldn’t have been worth that much.”
“No.” Not where they’d lived. “If we could have moved it somewhere else, a nice suburb or something, I’d have gotten three times what it sold for. Maybe four times more. But Mom’s plan was solid and I never questioned it. In the end, it worked out.”
“So how does that factor into you taking care of animals?”
She winced at the memory. “Every day, Mom would ask me what I might like to do, where I’d like to live. She was hoping to get everything worked out in advance, but I never had any answers, especially after everything that happened with Chad. Then Sabrina Durkinson dropped in on us.”
His arms tightened around her. “I remember.”
She understood his supportive embrace. It was the first time she’d mentioned Chad’s wife by name. Even more so than Chad’s, Sabrina’s name dredged up regrets. “She pounded on our door like she wanted to break it down. At first I wasn’t going to open it. Any loud banging was a bad sign in a place where people got robbed so often. It scared my mother, and Baby, her dog, started loudly yapping. I peeked out a window, and when I saw it was Sabrina, I figured I might as well get it over with.”
Displeasure brought his brows together and flexed his jaw. “It still pisses me off that she came after you instead of Chad.”
“I figured I deserved it,” Berkley said. “So I let her in and then took the shouts and insults, even though they made me feel about an inch tall. Mom tried to speak up, but Sabrina yelled at her to butt out.” That had already put Berkley on the defensive. “Mom’s energy was fading, and the whole scandal had left her weak and upset. I hated that, too, hated that I’d brought so many problems to our home.”
“I didn’t realize the princess’s visit was that bad.”
“Oh, it got worse,” she admitted. “In the middle of screaming that I was trash and should just die and do the world a favor, Baby got too close to her.” Heart aching, Berkley whispered, “She kicked him.”
Outrage widened his eyes. “That sweet little dog?”
“My mother cried out as if she’d been kicked. Baby squealed over and over again, cowering in the corner...”
“Was he okay?”
She nodded. “Mostly scared, upset, but no lasting injury. It didn’t matter, though.” Still bemused over her own reaction, she confessed, “I lost it. One minute I’d been shrinking with shame, and then bam, I saw red. I was in her face, backing her up to the door with terrible threats. Apparently, I was convincing, because she ran out.”
Lawson made a strangled sound, and when she met his gaze, she realized he was trying not to laugh. Humor pulled at the corners of her lips, and she shoved his shoulder. “It isn’t funny.”
“Funny, no, except that I’m cheering you. Damn, Berkley, I wish I could have seen it.” He grinned. “And right after you chewed her a new one, she met up with me on the sidewalk. At least she had the good sense never to return.”
“I still feel bad for not knowing Chad was married.”
“That’s on Chad, not you. And it had nothing to do with that poor little dog. Anyone who mistreats an animal won’t get sympathy from me.”
“That’s what my mom said. Baby had already limped over to her and she was cuddling the dog, reassuring him while also praising me.”
“Poor dog.”
“Baby had never heard anyone shouting like that, and no one had ever struck him.” Even now, it enraged her to remember it. Sabrina had deserved to be blasted, but the dog had been entirely innocent; his only fault had been trying to defend Berkley. “Mom claimed I’d just met my calling.” Smile going crooked, Berkley said, “At first I thought she meant shouting—because I got really loud and mean. Then she explained that I was meant to protect animals. Turns out, she was right.”
“Yes, she was. So maybe when you remember that twisted tale, you can find something positive in it.”
“True. Because of that conflict, I found my way. After I lost Mom, I sold everything as quickly as I could. It was enough money for me to get a used car and get set up on my own, with money in the bank. Baby and I relocated to a small, pet-friendly apartment, and I got a job with a shelter.” She had poured herself into that job. During the day, the different dogs and cats had kept her preoccupied and given her purpose. They’d also entertained her and made her feel loved. At home, she’d had Baby for company to help get her through the first, most painful year. “I was at that shelter a long time, and I was content, but it didn’t pay much. I was starting to worry about the future, thinking of things I couldn’t afford.”
“Like a house?”
She nodded. “After Baby passed away and I got Hero, I knew he needed a yard. I worried endlessly about Cheese sneaking out and maybe getting into the road. Then I met Betty, and she told me she wanted to build a shelter here in Cemetery.” Holding out her arms, Berkley said, “Now I’m here, and I feel so lucky getting to run my own place, still with minimal pay but an adorable little house that I love.” And you, she wanted to say, because he was definitely a big perk. But she didn’t want Lawson to think she was pinning him down, so she kept that part to herself.
Being here with him, tonight, making plans for a relationship, it was enough.
“Unlike me,” he said, “you didn’t have to go halfway around the world to figure it out.”
“But how exciting to get to visit so many different places.”
“It gave me a healthy perspective on life, that’s for sure. After seeing so many disasters, I decided to settle down in one place.”
“What made you decide on Cemetery, Indiana?”
He looked off as if recalling something amusing. “I knew I wanted the Midwest. Familiar territory, you know? But I didn’t want to deal with a lot of crime, and I wanted that old-time vibe, where people pulled together and cared about each other. I saw that a lot in the more depressed areas of other countries. Community was big and people relied on each other.”
“Friends instead of adversaries.”
“I saw the ads for the lake, came to spend a few days to check it out and didn’t want to leave.” His gaze traced over her face. “I thought it would be entirely different from where I grew up, with more opportunity than the ravaged areas I helped rebuild.”
“You didn’t expect a blast from the past.”
“Or involvement. With you, both are nice surprises.”
It really was late, and Hero would start to worry, but she couldn’t resist. “Do you have another condom?”
“I have a whole box.”
“Think you could manage a quickie?”
Interest, and confidence, gave him a sexy smile. “Yeah, I can handle that. But then I’m walking you home, and I want your promise that we’ll get together again soon.”
Since she was having a hard time leaving, she knew that wasn’t a problem. “Guaranteed.” Next time, she’d get him to her house, and hopefully Hero wouldn’t mind. She figured if she could adjust, the dog could, too.
And she was adjusting just fine.