Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
“ W ait! Wait!”
Declan paused, hand on the front door of the inn.
“You can’t go like that,” Ari insisted.
He glanced down at his gray suit. It wasn’t bespoke, but it had been serviceable enough for the infrequent occasions he’d needed one. And he’d even put on a tie and shined his shoes. “Why not?”
She held up a hand. “Don’t move.”
On a sigh, he waited as she disappeared into the kitchen. He was itching to get to the orchard to see Livia again. She’d been tied up most of the day hanging with Abbey, and he’d been occupied himself, trying to set some things in motion. Staying away had still been torture. The knowledge that his time with her was limited made every second precious. He didn’t want to waste a single one.
Ari reappeared with something in her hands. “You have to take these.”
“Flowers?”
She reached up to fasten a boutonnière in his buttonhole. “Daffodils are for new beginnings. It’s good luck. There’s a corsage for Livia, too.”
Declan couldn’t stop the smile. “You really are a romantic, aren’t you? Thanks. This is really sweet.”
Ari winked. “The sweet helps make up for the nosy.”
“Ah, so that’s how you get away with everything.”
She tapped a finger to the side of her nose and handed over the corsage in a little plastic box. “Go woo your lady.”
Saluting, he headed for the car, an extra spring in his step.
The closer he got to the orchard, the twitchier he got. He didn’t recall ever being this nervous before a date, not even when he’d been a teenager going to a school dance. Then again, it hadn’t felt like his life was riding on prom.
I don’t have to have everything figured out today. I just have to convince her to take a chance on us again.
He pulled up to Kyle and Abbey’s house and slid out of the car, smoothing down his tie. The door swung open before he got to it. But it was Abbey, rather than Livia, framed in the entrance. She looked him over, her gaze lingering on the corsage box in his hand. With a satisfied nod, she opened the door wider. “You’ll do.”
Declan stepped inside, taking in her yoga pants and blousy shirt. “You’re not going tonight?”
“Much as I want to, there is no dress on earth that will look like anything other than a tent on me right now, and the idea of dress shoes makes me want to weep. I’m sitting this one out.”
Kyle emerged from somewhere in the back, sliding an arm around his wife and dropping a kiss to her head. “We’re going to have a nice night at home eating ice cream and popcorn and bingeing her favorite movies.”
“There are worse ways to spend an evening.” Declan wondered if he’d ever get the chance to just cuddle up with Livia on the sofa and do exactly that.
“You come bearing flowers? That was a nice move,” Kyle observed.
“That’s got Ari written all over it,” Abbey declared. “It’s still a nice move.”
“Pretty sure she’s bucking to be a professional matchmaker when she grows up. I’m a little afraid of her long-term influence on Scarlett.”
“Three words,” Kyle said. “Force of nature.”
The sound of footsteps on the stairs had them all looking up. Her slim feet were encased in those strappy shoes with sky high heels that were impractical as hell and made men stupid. Which was probably the point. Declan’s gaze slid up from them, taking in slim, smooth legs and a fitted dress that hit her just above the knees and shimmered like stars in the night sky. Her pale hair was swept up in some kind of complicated knot, leaving her long, lovely neck bare. Lust pooled low in his belly. This wasn’t the girl he’d fallen for all those years ago. This was a woman grown, and he wanted her.
“Wow.”
Color rose in Livia’s cheeks. “You clean up pretty well yourself.”
That uncharacteristically shy smile had him moving forward, opening the box. “This is for you.”
For a moment, her face blanked. “You got me a corsage?”
Declan pulled it back. “Was that wrong? If it doesn’t go with the dress, you don’t have to wear it.”
Her hand shot out and settled on his arm, her face suffusing with pleasure. “No! It’s perfect.”
You’re perfect.
He kept the words to himself as he set the box aside and tied the corsage onto her wrist. If his fingers lingered on the pulse point jumping there, he wasn’t going to apologize. He needed to touch her, to make sure this vision before him was real. Livia’s breath caught at the contact, and her gaze lifted to his.
A camera clicked, the sound breaking the tension of the moment. They both glanced over to see Abbey with her phone in hand.
“You two are adorable. I had to document.”
Livia’s mouth quirked. “I’ll be sure to text if I’m out after curfew, Mom.”
Well, didn’t that just give Declan some ideas? Reining them in, he offered his arm. “Shall we?”
She slid her arm through his, and he decided that, for tonight at least, everything was right in his world.
By the time they got to the ball, people were streaming into the building, dressed in varying degrees of finery. Declan found a parking space and climbed out, hurrying around to open Livia’s door. She took his hand and slid out, taking in the multi-story stone building set into the mountain slope.
“Welcome to the Eden’s Ridge Artisan Guild and Education Center, otherwise known as the Old Mill, because the other is a mouthful.”
“This is where you’ll be working?”
“Yep. My brother Porter and his wife Maggie were the brain trust behind all this. The mill itself was built by one of my foster mom’s ancestors, and they elected to convert it to house a maker’s space and classrooms. The guild itself has been around for a while, but this really formalized the arrangement, giving them somewhere to showcase their wares and teach their assorted crafts.” They stepped through the tall double doors on the second floor and into the main level of the building. “This floor has a huge open space that gets used for events like this. My brother Kendrick’s wedding reception was here last weekend. And they host weekly jam nights with local musicians during the time of year the weather isn’t conducive to having them outside.”
She seemed to be trying to look everywhere at once. There was plenty to look at with the cafe lights and streamers crisscrossing the high ceiling and the myriad of tables with harvest-themed centerpieces around the edge of the dance floor.
“And you’ll be organizing all that?”
“I will. Maggie’s been pulling double duty, so she’s happy to finally hand it off to someone else so she can focus on her true passion.”
“The business incubator.”
He glanced down at her in surprise. “Exactly. Good memory.”
“I ran into her downtown the day I went dress shopping, and we had a chat about it.”
“Oh?”
“She’s a formidable woman, your sister.”
“She is that,” Declan agreed, though he wondered what Livia meant.
Before he could ask, the woman herself hailed them. “Declan! Livia! It’s so good to see you both.”
“You, too, sis.” He pulled her in for a quick hug.
Livia gestured around them. “Declan’s been telling me about your brainchild here. It’s certainly something.”
Maggie laughed. “I can only claim credit for the idea. My husband was the one who brought it to life.”
“Where is Porter, anyway?” Declan asked.
“Oh, he and Xander are helping carry in some extra kegs for the bar. Ari’s running herd on Athena’s boys, and the three of them are watching all the babies so we can have a night out.”
His attention snagged on that detail. “So nobody’s watching the inn?”
“We blocked off the guest list to family only for the weekend, and all of us are here.”
Which meant the house was empty. No brothers. No sisters. No well-intentioned matchmaking teenager. Livia tucked her arm through his, pressing subtly against him, and he wondered if she was thinking what he was.
“Livia, have you given any further thought to our discussion?”
Declan focused back on the conversation, curious what this was about.
“A little. It would be a big change.”
“What kind of big change?” he asked.
Eyes a little uncertain, Livia admitted, “A bookstore. Maggie thinks there’s an opportunity for one here, through the business incubator. Maybe in conjunction with a tasting room or wine bar.”
“Hope adored the idea. She couldn’t stop gushing after you left the other day. A full on wine bar hadn’t been on her radar, but since you mentioned it, she’s exploring the possibility.”
Declan tried to rein in his excitement. “Obviously, my vote would be yes.”
“It would be a big commitment.”
He understood she wasn’t just talking about the business but about them, and he was beyond ready to stop tiptoeing around what he felt. If he didn’t take some kind of leap, he’d lose her again.
From the stage, a jazz band struck up “Dream a Little Dream”.
Sliding his hand down to the small of Livia’s back, he took a step back. “If you’ll excuse us, I’m gonna steal my date for a dance.”
“Enjoy the night, you two.”
As his sister disappeared into the crowd, Declan steered Livia toward the dance floor, pulling her into his arms. Her body hummed with tension.
Wanting to reassure, he pulled her closer, stroking a hand down her back. “I’m not going to push you on this.”
Her gray eyes lifted to his. “You aren’t?”
“You don’t like making snap decisions. You prefer to consider all the angles. That’s something I learned about you back when, and I still appreciate it, so I get it’s hard. There are a million and one things to factor in. So let’s just keep things simple tonight. You. Me. The music. Or…”
“Or?”
Bending closer to her ear, he murmured, “Or, we take advantage of the completely empty inn and finish what we started all those years ago.”
He felt the hitch of her breath.
Shock? Desire? Both?
When her gaze came back to his, her eyes were bottomless pools. “I vote for door number two.”
The porch lights of the grand Victorian shone with a cheery glow against the cool winter night. Livia climbed the front steps, her fingers laced with Declan’s, her heart drumming a skittering tattoo. She remembered waiting for him all those years ago, knowing they’d been headed exactly for this and wanting him more than her next breath. There’d been nerves, too, about what was to come. Not from doubts. Never that. But from worry over not knowing what to expect. They’d fooled around a little before, but she’d been otherwise untouched. She’d wanted him to be the first.
She was older now, maybe wiser, and there were still nerves. She knew her body and understood the dance. Would it be as good as she’d imagined, without the rose-colored glow of first love coloring the night?
At the door, he brought their joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles before he slid his key into the lock.
Livia’s heart did a little swoon.
It’s not first love. Not now. It’s something more, and you know it.
She’d known it that night at the fair, as all those old feelings stretched and woke with his kiss. They’d only grown stronger, day by day, as they’d reconnected. Yes, they were both different, with new fears and a caution they hadn’t possessed at eighteen. But underneath, at the core, they were still who they’d always been. And that was why she was here, why she’d chosen the “or.” Because she still wanted him more than her next breath. Because no matter what happened tomorrow, she wanted tonight.
They stepped into the house, pausing to listen in the foyer.
“Hello?” Declan’s voice rang out, strangely loud. When no answer came, he shrugged. “Seems like it really is empty. It’s kind of weird, actually. I can’t recall this house ever being empty.”
“Then let’s make the most of it.” Aware tonight could as easily be their first and last time, Livia rose up to take his mouth.
His arm came around her, drawing her flush to his body, his hum of pleasure vibrating against her chest. His voice shook a little as he pulled back. “Not here. Upstairs. In case.”
She was definitely not here for any interruptions. “Lead the way.”
With every step, anticipation mounted, and when they stepped into his third-floor bedroom, she fairly quaked with it. Until he stopped just inside the door.
One hand went to the back of his neck, rubbing awkwardly. “I, um, hadn’t booked the room with this in mind.”
Livia took in the twin beds and understood he’d shared this space with Scarlett. His daughter. The necessary center of his world. He’d be going to get her tomorrow. Livia had no idea how that might change things. While they’d talked of Scarlett often this week, there’d been no discussion of introducing Livia. An abundance of caution on his part, or a reluctance to look too far into the future?
Don’t overthink it. He wants you to stay in Eden’s Ridge. That implies that, at some point, the two parts of his world will collide.
Turning, she laid a hand on his chest. “I think we can manage. Unless you feel weird now and want to change your mind?”
Declan drew her in, hip-to-hip, so she could feel the erection straining his suit pants. “Does that feel like I’ve changed my mind?”
“Just checking.”
His hand skimmed the hair back from her face. “If I’d known we’d have the chance to do this, I’d have rustled up a little romance.”
“Oh?”
“Mmm.” He pressed a kiss to her temple, then lower, to the apple of her cheek. “Candles. Flowers. Maybe some champagne, now that we’re both legal.” With every word, he pressed another kiss to her skin, trailing down, down the slope of her neck and making her shudder. “It’s what I had planned out for our weekend at the cabin.”
Her hands tightened on his shirt as he lingered on the valley of her collarbone. “You did?”
His fingers went to the zipper of her dress and began to slowly inch it down. “I did. I wanted to make your first time special. Perfect.”
The picture he painted was full of sweetness and beauty. And a part of her grieved that they hadn’t made it that far. But the grief was overtaken by sensation as he continued to explore each new inch of exposed skin with his lips. No matter their unfulfilled intentions from the past, they were together. Now.
Dragging her languorous eyes open, she met his gaze. “That would have been lovely, but I don’t need all the trappings. I just need you.”
He murmured her name and took her mouth in a deep, drugging kiss that put an end to any conversation. Hands found their way to flesh, shedding layers as they kissed and kissed, as if they had all the time in the world. As if this were a beginning, not an end. And when he laid her back on the bed, following her down, Livia gave herself over to the hope and the need.
Declan’s mouth stayed on hers as his clever hands explored every dip and curve. And when he parted her folds and found her wet, she pressed her hips against his hand, seeking more. He gave—oh mercy; he gave. Under his ruthlessly patient ministrations, her body wound tighter and tighter, until something inside her snapped, and she rode that long, lovely crest of release she knew was only the beginning.
Blinking her eyes open, she found him staring down at her, his lips curved into a self-satisfied smile. “Hello again, gorgeous.”
“Hi.”
“You’re stunning when you come apart for me.”
“It’ll be even better when you’re with me.” His eyes drooped as she threaded her fingers in his hair. “I need you, Declan. Don’t make me wait anymore.”
He kissed her again, fast and hard, before disappearing. Before she could protest, she heard the rip of foil. Then he was back, one knee between hers as he crawled up from the foot of the bed. She spread her legs, making room for him, and watched as he settled that long, lean body of his over her.
His lips were gentle as they brushed over hers. “Are you sure?”
She hooked a hand behind his neck. “I’ve never been more sure of anything.”
Their gazes locked and held as he slipped slowly inside her. At last. At last. The friction and fullness were delicious and perfect, as she’d known it would be. Staring into his familiar hazel eyes, she admitted the truth she’d been denying. She couldn’t fight this. It was him for her. It had always been him, and she refused to let him go this time.
Surging up, she took his mouth, wrapping tighter around him to pull him deeper into her body, her heart. His answering kiss tasted of fierceness, with an edge of fever and frenzy as he began to move. Joy and pleasure built between them, a rising storm that wiped away worry and doubt. And in her newfound freedom, she leapt off the cliff to fly, pulling him over behind her.