Chapter 33
Angela
I lean against a wall, watching the airport doors like a hawk.
Despite the merciless sun, a breeze cools the sweat at my temples, and I close my eyes, sighing in appreciation of small mercies.
Any minute now, Garrett will step through those doors.
It’s only been a few hours since we’ve seen each other, but I crave his touch.
His smell. The comfort of being near him.
My heart doesn’t understand time or distance.
The only thing it knows is “with him” and “not with him” and even a second spent apart is—
Oh shit.
I put a hand to my mouth.
What’s this nonsense I’m spewing? My heart doesn’t understand time or distance?
Am I…?
Am I developing feelings for Garrett Cooper? I mean, lust is one thing and that’s definitely there. He lived up to every single dirty fantasy I’ve ever had, and I can’t wait for more.
But feelings?
That’s a different story altogether. Like, record scratch. Stop the presses. What the hell is going on, you foolish woman? This is the worst case scenario for me.
How long ago was I standing at the new site, congratulating myself on having a casual sexual encounter and not letting it turn into A Thing? I count the days on my fingers and shake my head.
I don’t know Garrett well enough to feel anything more than “dang that’s a sexy hunk of man who can feed me strawberries in bed any time.
” And even if I’d known him longer, he’s grumpy and closed off and oscillates from pushing me away to pushing me against a wall while telling me how much he wants to sleep with me.
What happened to step one, assume everything that comes out of Garrett Cooper’s mouth is a lie? And step two? Remembering he is not my friend, no matter what he says? Yeah, that one’s pretty much blown all to hell at this point.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I’ve known from the get-go that this relationship is my one chance at saving The Hut. The phone sex was bad enough. Falling for the time bubble nonsense was worse.
But feelings?
How did I end up with feelings for a man I wasn’t even sure I liked a week ago?
The pushing me against a wall thing is a major perk. Just thinking about it has my body on alert, even more eager for Garrett’s arrival than I already was.
So yeah. That’s lust. Not feelings.
Which means everything’s okay.
I’m in the clear.
He’s hot. He’s good in bed. He’s got that whole “intense and growly” thing going on, which for some reason really does it for me. Anyone with eyes would fall into lust with Garrett Cooper.
As if summoned by my thoughts, the airport doors slide open and out he steps. My entire body lights up with too many sensations to name.
Lust is there, holding hands with desire.
Excitement, too. Totally natural when you’re in the middle of an illicit tryst that puts your whole life at risk.
But what’s that? The tingling sensation running along my skin? The swelling of my heart as I take an involuntary step forward? The smile growing on my face just seeing him?
Shit.
Those are feelings.
I have stupid, sick in the heart feelings for Garrett Cooper.
He must never know.
This is the man who managed to mention, at least once a day—if not once an hour—that he doesn’t do relationships. That he’s not an “emotional connection” kind of guy. And I’ve promptly declared every single time that I’m fine with that. That I’m in the market for a distraction too.
Neither of us signed up for feelings!
As my heart performs backflips at the sight of him, I do what any sane woman would in this situation. I shove all that nonsense into a shame box in the back of my mind. Maybe if I ignore them, they’ll go away.
Garrett zeroes in on me, a smile brightening his face, then strides over, draws me close, and presses a kiss into my hair. “How did you get even more beautiful?”
Do. Not. Swoon.
“It’s the Keys,” I reply as casually as possible. “They look good on everyone.”
When I meet his eyes, there’s something there. Something…unpleasant. Like maybe the Keys don’t look so good on him.
Although, that could be Garrett’s natural grumpy setting on display.
And it disappears so quickly I wonder if I imagined it.
We walk to the car.
…feelings…?
I pop the trunk for Garrett’s bags, then climb into the driver’s seat.
…how can I have feelings…?
His fingers twine through mine as I pull out of the parking space and he brings my hand to his lips, kissing me once, twice, a third time.
…are you sure…?
…feelings…?
My heart clasps its hands and sighs dreamily, so I do the only rational thing: toss a conversational bomb into the mix.
“Apparently there’s a thing at my parents’ house.” I glance Garrett’s way, chewing my bottom lip. “The whole crew will be there. All my aunts, uncles, cousins, and their significant others. I was so…uhh…preoccupied earlier that I forgot it was tonight. Wanna come?”
That’s right, I invited Captain Noncommittal himself to meet my parents. That should do…something. What? I haven’t a clue, but I doubt it’ll go over without a hitch.
Garret lifts his brows and gives an uneasy laugh. “You want me to come to a family thing?”
“Yeah.” I flip a hand as if it’s no big deal. “We’re all super easygoing.”
“So easygoing that no one will think it’s strange you brought a business connection?” His expression says yeah, I don’t think so. And for some reason, my heart finds that so cute, it starts practicing writing my first name with his last name.
So not cool.
I clear my throat and mentally put down the pen. “We’ll have to go easy with the touchy-feely stuff, but yeah. Huttons are all about welcoming others. We’ll say we had some contract stuff to go over or something, and you coming with was the best way to get it all done.”
“Speaking of contract stuff.” Garrett’s entire demeanor changes. He sits taller in his seat, letting go of my hand. “It’s time to finalize.”
A tremor of worry zips through me. Something seems off, but I don’t know what—
I laugh to myself. His change in demeanor couldn’t have anything to do with the conversational bomb I knew I was dropping, could it?
“Yeah. Okay.” I run a hand through my hair and order myself to chill already. “It definitely is.”
Only, as soon as I sign that contract, which I totally should have signed days ago, Garrett leaves.
His business in the Keys will be done and that’s the end of that.
We’ll go back to our respective corners of the world, and he’ll take his bossy self and his “good girls” with him.
And me? I’ll be left here to deal with these stupid feelings all by my lonesome…
not to mention my brand spankin’ new praise kink.
Mmmm… spanking…? What if I like being a bad girl, too?
Focus, Angela!
How does any of this make sense? I was supposed to be the smart one. The driven one. The first of the next generation to carry on the family business. Instead, anyone watching from the outside would swear I’m trying to burn it to the ground.
Garrett’s waiting for an answer. Tense. Guarded. My lawyers gave the all clear on the contracts, so there’s no reason to delay pulling the trigger on those.
At least, no reason that is business related.
“How about we stop at the Hut after the party and you and I can sign then? You’ll still need Dad and Wyatt’s signatures, but we’ll take care of that tomorrow.
” I flick on an indicator and check my mirrors, distracting myself with driving so I don’t freak out over every micro-expression that crosses Garrett’s face.
“Sounds like a solid plan. It even provides a reason for me being at a family party.”
The shift in him is subtle. So subtle I’m not sure I’m seeing it properly. He takes my hand again, but it feels forced. Meets my eyes, but that unpleasant something is a giant wall between us.
Was this whole thing between us part of a bigger plan?
Did he ask me to stay in Bliss for an extra day as some part of a twisted negotiation tactic? Get me to let down my guard then swoop in for the kill?
Jesus.
That’s…
Is that even possible?
I shove those thoughts into the same box I shoved my feelings, fully aware how freaking stupid that makes me. I’m falling for a guy I worry might have slept with me for nefarious reasons.
Way to go, Angel. Way to go.
On the other side of the windshield, white clouds dot a sapphire sky. Palms blur by, bending lazily in the breeze, offering glimpses of the ocean. It’s hard to be tense in a tropical paradise, but the atmosphere in this car is creeping toward arctic.
But then, the wall slips from Garrett’s eyes and his touch is warm and his smile is real and maybe, maybe, lack of sleep due to too much sexy times is taking its toll.
“You think your family will like me?” The question is so simple, so genuine, so…not Garrett, I can’t help but smile.
“They’re gonna love you. We’re all about wildly intense people who go after what they want. My dad, my uncles…hell, the only Hutton who isn’t intense is my Uncle Caleb, but he’s so easygoing, even that is kicked up to eleven if you get my drift. They’re gonna be massive Garrett fans.”
And what then, Angela? What then? They love him, which will only make your feelings harder to ignore. He flies home. The end. I let out a nervous breath and inwardly shake myself away from that thought pattern.
Worrying will get me nowhere. It’ll eat up the time we have left together, souring the experience. What will be, will be. Maybe I should just sit back and enjoy the ride for once.
I take the turn that leads me home instead of to The Hut and Garrett shifts, watching through the window as we leave the road we were just on.
“Now granted, I don’t know my way around here all that well, but are we going the right way?”
“We are.” I glance over with a mischievous smile.
“I could have sworn the hotel was down that way.” He points behind us.
“We’re not going to the hotel. We’re going to my house. I want you where no one else can see us for a little while.”
A glimmer in his eyes. A devious grin. A shift in his seat. “I like the sound of that.”
When I pull to a stop in front of my house, an odd sense of homecoming washes through me as Garrett gets out of the car. Seeing him here, in my space, it solidifies everything. The feelings I shoved into a box in the back of my brain start creeping out.
I like having him here.
Shit. That’s not going to help matters. Not at all.
A flash of fur disappears off the steps as we climb to the porch.
“Do you have a cat?”
“Two. Kind of.” I shrug as I unlock the house. “We’re…working it out.” I toss my keys into the bowl near the door and grab the cat food before stepping back outside. “They may not come out with you here, but maybe, if we’re really quiet, you’ll get to see them.”
“That sounds ominous,” Garrett replies, leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed.
He’s wearing his standard dress slack and button-down uniform.
But his sleeves are rolled up and his face is more relaxed and the humidity has added some curl to his hair.
Maybe the Keys look good on everyone, after all.
I grin, then scoop food into the bowls. Fluff appears, leaping onto the porch in a flash of white and brown.
Instead of dashing away, he cautiously walks over to me, rubbing against my thigh on his way to the food bowl.
My face lights up as I turn to Garrett. “He’s never done that before,” I whisper-yell so as not to scare my furry friend.
He pushes off the wall and shakes his head. “This seems a lot like you have a cat.”
I share the story of them appearing, of the weeks of feeding them and watching behind my screen door as they hungrily crunched kibble.
“I called the Humane Society, and they won’t come get them.
I can trap them, take them to the shelter to have them neutered, and then release them back to the wild, which is my fallback plan.
My happy path is I desensitize them to human contact and adopt them myself. ”
Orange hops onto the porch and eyes me while his brother eats.
Garrett crouches, holding out his hand and clicking his tongue, which sends Orange right back into the bushes.
“He’s always been a little more shy than his brother.”
I give Fluff one last pet before straightening and heading inside the house. Garrett follows, looking uncomfortable as he crosses the threshold. His energy takes up space, making my home reverberate with tension.
“How long until we need to be at your parents?”
“Couple hours? Why?”
He takes my hand and pulls me close. “Because if I have to share you tonight, I need you to myself for a while.”
This is a bad idea.
I’m in over my head.
I need to put a stop to this before things get out of control.
But as Garrett’s lips claim mine, I realize they’re already out of control. I couldn’t stop if I tried.