Chapter 13
Garrett
Charlie meets me at the airport, lifting up on tiptoes to wrap me in a giant hug when I step into a gray New England day. After squinting against the sun in the Keys, I welcome the dreary weather. The energy is different here. Subtler. Less intense.
Or maybe that’s because Angela Hutton is thousands of miles away.
She’s…shit…what is she?
She’s facing down this career-ending problem and doing it with a smile on her face and hope in her heart. She’s smart, though overly optimistic. She’s funny. She calls me on my shit and manages to annoy the crap out of me while doing it.
I can’t stop thinking about her and I hate it.
“How did you spend four days in the Keys and not get tan?” Charlie shakes her head, her dark curls bouncing around her shoulders. “Please tell me you did something that wasn’t work related.”
“You mean on the trip I took for work?” I fight back a smile because I don’t want to encourage her. This topic is getting old.
“Yes, Bear. Fun can happen, even on the trips you take for work.” She pops the trunk on her car.
“You’re allowed to enjoy yourself from time to time.
You should try it. In fact, this is me officially giving you permission to let loose.
Start small, if that would help. Maybe have a cup of coffee simply because you want it and not because you meet someone at a café to negotiate a deal. ”
I deposit my suitcase in the trunk and close the lid as the wind picks up and the clouds darken. “I have fun.”
“Name one thing you did that made you smile while you were in a tropical paradise, not getting tan.” The twinkle in Charlie’s eyes says she thinks she’s got me. Little does she know that messing with her is my number one way to have fun.
“I met a woman at a bar,” I say as I yank open the passenger door. “Twice.”
My sister’s wide eyes meet mine as we lower ourselves into the car. “You did not.”
“I did. She’s smart and funny and is a surprisingly good kisser.”
“You sure are fast at finding distractions.” Charlie shakes her head as she fastens her seatbelt.
“She’s more than a distraction. I intend to see a lot more of her. And soon.”
In my mind, Angela’s gaze locks on mine, burning with lust after our kiss. It’s been just a few days and I haven’t stopped thinking about her. Jasmine perfume mingling with coconut shampoo, the hint of lime on her lips. Soft skin and sweet vulnerability in eyes as blue as the Florida sky.
I wasn’t supposed to like that kiss so much. And neither was she. It annoys me that I’m still thinking about it.
Charlie gives me the side-eye. “You’re talking about someone you met for business, aren’t you?”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“It is a bad thing! Here I thought you were having a little fun with the next Future Mrs. Cooper, and you’re talking about business meetings with a potential partner.
That was a dirty trick, making me think you kissed her.
” She shakes her head as she pulls into traffic. “You’re officially hopeless.”
Outside the window, travelers blur by as the car picks up speed. “How about you? Anything exciting happen while I was gone?”
“It basically rained the whole time, so that was fun. But it’s Friday, so you know, it’s Cheers ‘n Beers time. You’re coming, right?”
Every Friday, there’s a standing invitation from my siblings and cousins to meet for drinks at the bar. I don’t make it as often as they’d like, as they are quick to tell me every time I pull a no-show. Tonight though…?
“Of course I’m coming. Why wouldn’t I?”
“I was worried you’d be all funned out after your adventures.” Charlie’s smile is sharp, though her eyes are soft.
I’ve had as much as I can take of the jokes about me being a workaholic. I enjoyed my nights with Angela. Well, the second one anyway.
Kind of.
Maybe.
Fuck, I don’t know.
Sure, everything about her is work related, which means there’s no chance of her becoming another distraction, but shit…
…that kiss…
I was not prepared to lose control like that. Our lips touched and I wanted more. So I took it. And if we hadn’t been in a public space, I would have taken a lot more than that…
I swipe a hand through my hair before the thought can go anywhere. “A night at the bar sounds great.”
My sister drops her jaw and widens her eyes, placing her hand to her cheek in mock surprise.
“We will be so honored by your presence, but are you sure you won’t overdo it?
I’d hate to swell that organ you keep in your chest into something resembling a normal human heart… complete with feelings and everything.”
Her joke echoes the one Angela made when we were talking about Melinda. The comparison is a spark, setting my annoyance ablaze.
“That’s enough, Charlie.” The edge to my voice surprises even me and I turn my attention back to the window.
“Geeze. Sorry. I didn’t mean to push a button.”
“I know.” I swallow hard. “You just gotta know when to stop.”
“I’d say you gotta learn how to take a joke—”
I turn, anger flashing across my face, and Charlie holds up a hand.
“Okay, okay. Message received. I’ll drop it. Guess it’s true what they say about poking the bear.”
I laugh despite myself. “You’re lucky you’re my little sister.”
“I think it’s more like, you’re lucky I’m your little sister, but whatever.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I say with a laugh. “Just drive.”
Charlie drops me at home, a two-story house on the outskirts of Wildrose Landing, the small coastal town where we grew up. When I got the job at Vision Enterprise, I immediately rented an apartment in the city. Said goodbye to my family and put all my chips in the work basket. After Elizabeth…
…after I found her with…
…and she…
…she…
I couldn’t stand to be in the city anymore.
I kept my apartment and I’ll spend a week or two there if things are busy, but my primary residence is right here in good old WRL.
I like being this close to family and the simple energy of Wildrose suits me.
I don’t like people and they don’t like me.
Out here, I can kick up my feet and everyone leaves me be.
Branson isn’t a fan, but I’m too good at what I do for him to make it a thing.
I unlock my front door and hang my keys on the hook near the door, then wander through the quiet house to deposit my suitcase in my bedroom before checking email and giving the projections from the Huttons another read.
They’re solid. If this was all Angela’s doing, she has a good eye for business—when she’s not making catastrophic rookie mistakes.
After I unpack, I grab a shower, with Angela prancing into my mind as warm water slices down my chest. Tonight, she’s the perfect blend of Dirty Angel and Pencil Skirt Angel, wearing red fuck-me heels with a tight skirt and blouse, her lips painted a fiery red and her hair tousled around her shoulders.
Her eyes are wide and innocent, like they were the night I kissed her and fuck if that blend of sweet and sexy doesn’t send a jolt of need to my swelling cock.
I lean my arm on the cool tile and take myself in hand, imagining her graceful fingers undoing the buttons on her blouse, her full tits spilling out of a black lace bra.
What the hell am I doing? It’s bad enough I can’t stop thinking about the woman. Now…this?
A better man would be appalled enough to stop what he’s doing.
But me? I remember the taste of her lips. The fire in her eyes. The heat of her skin as I whispered in her ear. Does it feel good, Sweet Angel? Do you like it when I take what I want?
Water beats against my shoulders, rolling off my chest, down my back.
Maybe all I need is to get her out of my system. Maybe then I can stop thinking about her, stop being so frustrated all the time…
My hand slips and slides along my dick and I pretend it’s her mouth, my hand fisted in her hair as I press all the way to the back of her throat.
Except that isn’t enough. I don’t just want her mouth.
I want all of her, stretched out in front of me, moaning my name.
I imagine her naked body, writhing beneath me, her eyes rolling shut as I bury myself to the hilt.
I’d slam into her, my balls slapping her ass. She’d beg. She’d moan. She’d cry my name as I work her clit, claiming that body as mine. She’s heat and warmth and she’d look up at me with those blues…
This is bad, whispers a quiet voice in the back of my mind. This is wrong. I shouldn’t be thinking of her like this. We’re going to be working together.
Me and my Dirty Angel.
My balls clench and I grunt in release, coming so hard my knees go weak.