17. Yep, Definite Arousal
Yep, Definite Arousal
Cara
Three weeks down, a lifetime to go. I love it here, but I have to admit, I’m so bored. I’m used to working, running, and taking Pilates classes. And I miss visiting my mum.
I pick up my phone and press call, knowing it’ll be dinner time but hoping for the best anyway.
‘Hi, Dad.’ I smile when I see my wee dad filling my screen.
‘Oh, sweetheart. This is a nice surprise.’
I agreed to call my dad once a week, and that call happened just a couple of days ago, so he wasn’t expecting his one. Look at me being spontaneous.
‘I know, Dad. I just wanted to talk to you.’
‘Are you okay, darling?’
The lump rises in my throat immediately.
‘I think I’m a bit homesick, that’s all.’ I sigh. ‘The people here are so nice, but…’
‘It’s not home yet.’ The word yet throws me. As much as I love Forest Falls, I don’t know if it will ever truly be home.
‘No, it’s not.’
‘Are you making friends?’
‘Yeah, I am, Dad.’ I smile genuinely. I spend a lot of time with Zoe and Bree, and our bond is definitely growing, and Missy is coming over this weekend too, so we’re having a girls’ night at Bree’s. I’ve never had a girls’ night before and have no idea what that entails, but Zoe said all I need is PJs and wine, so that sounds pretty great.
‘Well, darling, if they see even a fraction of what I see in you, they’ll love you.’
‘You have to say that. You’re my dad.’ I smile, and he chuckles.
‘I am. I’m your very proud dad who misses you very much.’
‘Oh, Dad.’ Tears escape my eyes, and I wipe them away.
‘Go on, sweetheart, don’t waste your time talking to your old man. Get out there and live your life.’
‘Okay.’ I sniff and smile. ‘I love you.’
‘Oh, I love you too, my Cara.’
I end the call and check the time, almost two in the afternoon. I know he hasn’t told me yet that I can go up to the house but screw it. It’s my house.
I push my feet into my trainers, fill up my water bottle, and head out.
‘Oh, my god.’
The gasp that escapes me as I reach the top of the hill and see the house is loud—it surprises me how loud, but the house in front of me surprises me more.
The broken wood on the front has been replaced, and the broken windows are now fully glazed. The door that barely needed blowing on to open it is now gone, replaced with one that is brand new and beautiful.
There’s barely been any work done to make it a home, but it now looks like a house that won’t fall down in the next storm. It’s gorgeous.
I approach and am drawn to the sound of music coming from the back of the house. It makes me smile. Aerosmith—one of my favorite bands. I’m still smiling when I reach the back garden and the source of the music, but the smile soon disappears, replaced by a wide gaping mouth and, yep, definite arousal.
Holy hell.
If I wasn’t attracted to him before, I am now.
Doug stands bent over a workbench, sawing some wood. He’s shirtless with a toolbelt slung low around his hips, his biceps, and the muscles in his back and his shoulders are working overtime. I should be paying them as much as I’m paying him.
As if he senses me looking at him, he straightens, turning to me, and oh, god, yep, it all suddenly makes a lot of sense. If the last couple of weeks of discovering that my body does actually work the way it’s supposed to weren’t enough, this moment right here drives home the message. Arousal is a real thing, and, my god , I’m feeling all of it.
Doug’s strong arms, covered in tattoos, were just the starter, his defined chest and abs are the main course, and I am starving. I can’t move. I’m completely frozen to the spot as he turns down the volume on the music and walks toward me. I should stop staring at his body. I should, but I can’t seem to make my eyes comply.
‘What are you doing up here, Cara?’ he asks, and I blink as I raise my gaze to meet his. There’s a flicker of something in his eyes, amusement? Something else? I’m not well versed enough in the male of the species to know for sure.
‘I, um…’ Words, Cara, make words happen. ‘I just, um…’ My mouth is dry, and my brain is foggy.
One corner of Doug’s mouth turns up as he steps closer to me and reaches out to tap the water bottle in my hand.
‘You look thirsty, darlin’,’
I inhale sharply before raising the bottle up to my mouth and taking a long drink. Doug turns away to pick up his own bottle and does the same.
‘I wanted to see how it was going,’ I say after a while, and he turns to look up at the house.
‘It’s going good. I’m happy.’
I smirk. Doug Campbell—happy, who’d have thought it?
‘When do you expect I’ll be able to move in? I don’t need it fancy for that.’
‘It’s a little way off.’ He starts to walk toward the house, then stops and nods his head for me to join him. I blow out a breath and follow him up to the back porch. ‘I need to make sure it’s warm and secure. I have some work to do on the electrics, and then I have to get Tristan up here to work on the plumbing.’
Tristan. The guy from the bar.
‘You really did want to talk to him about work then,’ I say without thinking, and he turns to me, gaze narrowed for a second before walking into what will be my new entrance hall.
‘What did you think I interrupted your dance for?’
I laugh. ‘You can hardly call it a dance. I think I broke all his toes in the first ten seconds.’ He smirks but turns away. ‘I don’t know. Zoe said you would never hire him, so I wasn’t sure.’
He huffs out a small laugh and turns to face me once more.
‘You’re getting pretty close with my sisters.’
‘I am.’ I nod.
‘So, what else did Zoe say?’ He steps a little closer, and that look is back in his eyes. One that hints at danger, one that should make me run in the opposite direction, but instead, it has me frozen to the spot, hoping he takes another step.
‘Nothing,’ my voice is barely there, not much more than a breath, but he hears it and steps closer. My pulse races, and I feel my breath quicken with his proximity. ‘Bree thought,’ closer, ‘that you just didn’t want me dancing with him.’
‘Why would I not want you dancing with him, Cara?’
He moves closer, so close that I can feel the warmth of his body against mine. One more step, and there’ll be nothing left between us.
‘I don’t know. It was silly.’ I try to step back as my self-defense mechanisms start to kick in, but his hand on my back stops me, and he takes that last step. His hard body presses against mine as he holds me so close that I have to tip my head back to look up at him.
My breath comes in nervous pants, and I can feel my body trembling against him. He’s hard everywhere , and the reality makes my knees feel weak.
‘You want to know what’s fucking silly ?’ he asks, his voice low, gravelly, and making goosebumps raise up across my skin.
I swallow hard and nod, yes.
‘Knowing that I can’t have you but wanting you so fucking bad that I hire that asshole just to get him away from you.’
Shit. He was jealous.
‘I never said you couldn’t have me,’ I exhale the words in a rush, not overthinking the repercussions.
‘But I can’t.’ He releases me and steps back, then back again, and shakes his head. ‘I’m sorry, Cara. That was out of line.’
‘It’s okay.’ I feel the need to reassure him, but it stings.
‘No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have said that to you. It’s not fair.’
‘I don’t, it’s…’ I take a breath. ‘Why?’
He sighs and wipes a hand over his face, then rushes forward. I don’t have time to think before my back hits the wall behind me, and his mouth crashes against mine.
One of his large, calloused hands grips the back of my neck while the other squeezes my hip as he steals my breath with his kiss. His lips part mine, his tongue explores my mouth without invitation, and a moan rises in my throat.
His hand lowers over the shorts covering my backside to the bare sensitive skin of my thigh, and he groans into my mouth as he lifts my leg to his hip. His hips push forward, pressing the hard bulge in his jeans between my legs, and I’m on fire. This is it—this is it . The pieces all fall into place as the full-body experience of Doug kissing the life out of me against a wall in my new home consumes me, and I suddenly understand— this is how it’s supposed to feel.
Another loud moan rolls out of me of its own accord as the heat between my legs becomes almost unbearable, and he stops. Doug breaks away, stepping back as though hurt, leaving me a weak-kneed panting mess against the wall.
‘I’m sorry,’ he grunts, and it takes a moment for confusion to overtake my desire. ‘Cara, I can’t.’
And then he’s gone. Out the back door without a second glance.
What just happened?
I sag against the wall, my lips still tingling from the fierceness of the kiss. That kiss. Oh, my god, I’ve never experienced anything like that. That kiss was better than any sex I’ve ever had. I raise my hand and press my fingertips to my mouth, then inhale shakily at the memory.
I hear the music outside and the clang of tools. He went back to work. He left me standing alone and went back to work.
Pushing away from the wall, I take some deep breaths as I look around the space. The wreck of a house I looked at a few weeks ago now looks like a blank canvas ready to be made into something beautiful.
The debris of years of neglect is gone. Any broken wood on the floors and walls has been replaced. I walk around, taking it all in. He’s worked his socks off to get it here.
I run my fingers over the now smooth wood of the banister and take a tentative step. The stairs don’t groan in protest—they feel strong and safe.
Making my way upstairs, my stomach knots with emotions: confusion, lust, joy, and hurt. So many feelings I don’t understand and don’t know how to manage. Upstairs it’s the same story—gone is the mess, and in its place, an empty shell.
‘Oh, Mum.’ I breathe, sadness tightening my throat and wetting my eyes. ‘I need you.’
She’d understand all this. She’d know what to do.
I head for her old room and make my way over to the window. Looking out, I see Doug sitting on the bed of his truck, staring out at the view. He has on a shirt now, and I have no idea what he’s thinking, but he looks as lost as I feel. As if he senses me watching him, he turns his attention up to the window, and I step back. I need to get away from this man, from these feelings, because I can’t help but think he’s going to crush my heart if I let him get that close to me again.
Risk-averse, Cara. You need to remember who you are.
Just because he looks nice and smells wonderful and kisses like heaven, don’t forget, he’s dangerous. He’s broken glass, an unsupervised fire, a broken balcony balustrade, and if you don’t watch out, you’re going to get cut, burned—you’re going to fall.
‘Cara,’ Doug says as I step out of the front door. If the expression on his face didn’t say he regretted kissing me, his voice definitely did.
‘It’s okay, Doug. It’s fine, really. I’m going to go.’
I start to walk toward the road, being careful not to get too close to him.
‘Let me take you back to town.
‘No,’ I shake my head. ‘I need the walk.’
His brow furrows and I notice his fists clench and then release, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he lets me walk away.
‘Missy.’ I can’t keep the smile off my face as I welcome my new friend back to Forest Falls with a hug. ‘I’m so glad you made it.’
‘Me too,’ she chuckles. ‘I can’t remember the last time I had a night away from home.’
I’m so excited to spend the evening with my friends. We’re all sleeping at Bree’s house, and it’s a new experience that I’m actually excited about.
‘So, you think your new friends will like me?’
Missy and I haven’t seen each other since she dropped me off outside the bar, but we talk and text all the time.
‘Yes, absolutely.’ I open the door to my cabin and let us in.
‘Ohh, this is nice.’ She flops down onto the bed. ‘So, are you going to tell his sisters what happened yesterday?’
My stomach knots at the memory, and I sit. I told Missy all about the kiss while I walked back to town because, honestly, I just needed to vent.
‘No, I can’t. It’s obviously something he doesn’t want to repeat and deeply regrets, so I’ll leave it at that.’
‘You haven’t heard from him since?’
‘Not a word.’
She shakes her head. ‘What the hell was he thinking?’ I don’t answer, and she wraps her arms around me, pulling me back on the bed. ‘It’s okay. It was just a kiss. Don’t let it eat you up.’
I smile and push myself up, then stand.
‘Come on. Bree will be here soon.’