Chapter Twelve #3
A flash of lust hit Chad hard, taking him by surprise.
God, he was so strange. He had no idea why hearing how protective Britt was toward his mother was such a turn-on.
But there was no denying it made him want her all the more.
Appreciate her. Thank his lucky stars that he’d been in that parking lot at the exact right time to overhear her being yelled at by that stupid employee.
“Britt, can I talk to you for a second before I go join my brothers?”
She looked concerned and stood immediately. “Of course. Evelyn, I’ll be right back. Oh, and don’t forget to work on your grocery list. I need to do some more inventory work at the shop, but how about we run into town after lunch?”
“That sounds perfect,” Evelyn said as she sat back against the couch cushions. “I’m just going to sit here and relax and enjoy the view for now. I love when the sun comes up after a storm. It reinforces the fact that no matter how dark a day, the sun eventually always rises again.”
Chad had heard his mom’s idioms so many times, this one barely registered. But he could see that it resonated with Britt.
When she reached him, he grabbed her hand and headed for his dad’s office at the side of the house, out of his mom’s eyesight.
“Chad?”
His mom’s voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look at her. “Yeah?”
“Treat her right ... or you’ll deal with me.” Her voice was uncharacteristically stern.
“Of course. And for the record, we’re dating. I hope that’s not a problem.”
“Nope. As long as you’re good to her.”
“I am.”
“He is.”
He and Britt spoke at the same time. He grinned at her, and she returned his smile.
He continued toward the office. As soon as he shut the door behind them, he took her face in his hands and kissed her. Backing her against the closed door to devour her properly, Chad didn’t miss how she enthusiastically returned his ardor.
Their heads tilted left and right as their tongues dueled. Britt’s hands slipped under his shirt, caressing his lower back and using her fingernails to urge him closer. They were plastered together from chest to hips, and there was no way Chad could hide how much he wanted her.
They were both panting when he tore his lips from hers a minute or so later.
“Good Lord, woman,” he exclaimed.
She shyly smiled at him as she licked her lips, making Chad want to kiss her again.
Taking a deep breath, he said, “Tell me what happened.”
She was on the same wavelength, and he didn’t have to explain what he meant.
“It was interesting. They were both pretty polite, and their voices didn’t rise.
They could’ve been having a conversation about the weather .
.. despite your neighbor’s words getting nastier the more she refused.
He was telling Evelyn that she couldn’t possibly think she could run the businesses by herself, that she’d be better off selling to him and moving into something called Summit Place. ”
Chad curled his lip. “That’s a retirement home up in Belfast. It’s nice enough, but Mom would hate it.
All her friends are here in Rockville, and she’d go stir crazy sitting around with nothing to do.
Besides, this is her home. Where she lived with Dad for decades.
She’d hate only having a small room to live in. ”
“Which is what she basically told Victor. And that he could take his lowball offer of one million and shove it up his ass.”
Chad gaped. “She said that?”
“Yup. Very politely. She also told him that we were doing just fine, thank you very much, and that he’d be better off putting all the energy he was exerting on harassing her toward his daughter and grandson. That finally seemed to piss him off, and he left pretty much right after that.
“For what it’s worth ... Evelyn can take care of herself.
She wasn’t upset, wasn’t surprised that he was asking for what I assume is the hundredth time for her to sell.
She knows how to deal with him, and that’s by staying calm and meeting his rude comments with a few snarky ones of her own. She’s pretty amazing.”
“She is,” Chad agreed. “As are you. Are you all right?”
“Me? Yes, why?”
“Because that had to be a little awkward. And Victor’s a big man, and you don’t know him.”
“It was actually a little entertaining. At first, I didn’t understand what was happening.
I was thinking everyone’s opinions about the neighbor had been blown out of proportion.
He seemed genuinely concerned about the damage to the cabin.
It’s almost impressive how he can be so nasty without changing the inflection of his tone in the least. How’s the fort? Is Kash’s stuff okay?”
Chad wasn’t sure he wanted to change the subject.
He was still worried about his mom and concerned with how Britt was handling all the drama.
She’d had a hard night, still looking a little pale after the scare she’d had, and then the conversation with her mom.
But he didn’t want to keep asking her if she was all right. She was a grown woman.
“It’s good,” he finally answered. “Kash did a great job building it. Just a bit of damage that shouldn’t be too hard to fix. And his stuff is all safe.”
“Good. I told your mom about the fort and Kash, and she’s determined to make him some cupcakes.”
“That’ll really stick in Victor’s craw.”
“Yup. But I think she cares about the kid. She isn’t looking to befriend him just to spite Victor.”
“Of course she isn’t. That’s not how my mom’s made. And considering how badly she wants grandkids, she’d befriend any strange kid that shows up at Lobster Cove.”
He watched a slight flush bloom in Britt’s cheeks.
“You want kids?” he blurted.
The pink deepened. “Yeah. Three. You?”
“Three as well. It seems like a good number. And I want them closer together than me and my brothers were. I loved playing with all my brothers, but Zach and Lincoln aren’t as close, since they’re ten years apart.”
Britt licked her lips again, and all Chad could think about was giving this woman children. Watching her play with them. Spoil them. Go mama bear when there was some perceived threat.
“I’m both sad and relieved I don’t have any brothers or sisters.
I wouldn’t want anyone else to experience what I did growing up.
I’m determined to do better for any children I might have.
I might not be the richest person in the world, but my kids will never go a day without knowing they’re loved and wanted.
They’ll never feel abandoned. I’ll never make them feel as if they’re a burden, the way my mom did to me. ”
Chad’s heart broke for her. He framed her face in his hands and tilted her face up to his. “You’re going to be the best mother. Your experiences will actually make you a better mom than most.”
“I hope so,” she whispered.
“I have a secret,” he said.
She smiled and lifted a brow but didn’t pull out of his embrace.
Chad ran his thumbs along her cheekbones. “The closet in your room? There’s a small access panel in the back.”
“I saw that,” she told him, looking confused now.
“It leads to my closet. That was Knox’s room when we were growing up, and we begged dad to put in a secret passage so we could play together in the morning without waking anyone else up.”
He could see the heartbeat in her neck speed up. “Yeah?”
“Uh-huh. It might be a tight fit, but I think you could probably manage.”
“Why would I want to do that?” she asked, mock innocently.
“Because after holding you last night, after you being in my bed, in my arms, I’m not sure I can ever sleep without you again.”
Britt licked her lips once more. They were shiny and plump, and her light-brown hair fell in tousled waves around her shoulders. She’d filled out a bit since she’d been at Lobster Cove because of his mom’s cooking, and while beauty was totally subjective, to him, she was gorgeous.
“No pressure,” he hurried to say. “I know it might be awkward to be sneaking around in my mom’s house, especially as an adult.”
“Before you and Linc arrived, she not so casually told me that since her room was on the other end of the house, on the first floor, she couldn’t hear anything that happened upstairs.
She said it was a blessing when the four of you were growing up that she couldn’t hear any arguments or roughhousing. ”
Chad chuckled. “I should be surprised my mom is trying to interfere in my sex life, but I’m not.”
“She’s something else,” Britt agreed.
Wanting to beg this woman to come to his bed tonight, Chad kept his mouth shut.
He’d extended the invitation. The ball was in Britt’s court now.
He wouldn’t pressure her into doing anything she wasn’t completely on board with.
But he wanted to do more than share a hallway and bathroom with her—he wanted it all.
The ring, the house, the kids. It was unreal how fast his feelings were developing, but they felt so right.
Moving back to Maine, living back on Lobster Cove, meeting Britt.
It all felt like fate. And he was there for it.
He just had to have the patience to let Britt catch up.
She’d faced a lifetime of trauma, and he’d rather cut his wrists than add to that stress.
“I’m gonna head out and help the others. If you need anything, you know where we are,” he said.
Britt nodded, then went up on her toes and kissed him again.
It wasn’t a short peck either. She took control, sweeping her tongue into his mouth and knocking his socks off.
He wasn’t the kind of man who normally enjoyed giving up control in a relationship, but he could handle this woman taking charge.
“Evelyn’s making lasagna for lunch. See you then?” Britt asked when she lifted her head.
“Yup. And yum. It’s my favorite.”
“That’s what she said.”
Chad reluctantly dropped his hands from her face and stepped back. Britt moved away from the door, brushing her own hands down her sides, as if trying to straighten her shirt.
“You look perfect,” he told her. And she did. Her lips were deep red and her cheeks equally rosy, and she had a satisfied look in her eyes. Chad loved it. He couldn’t wait to see what she looked like after he’d made her come.
“See you later,” she said quietly.
“Later,” he agreed, then forced himself to open the door and head down the hall.
Britt Starkweather had stormed into his life, and he was more than happy to have her there. Time would tell if the chemistry they had would morph into a long-term relationship or not. He hoped like hell it would, because so far there wasn’t a damn thing about the woman he didn’t like.