Chapter 40
CHARLIE
Without any warning, I bent my head and claimed her lips for a kiss right there in the center of the waterfall. This girl had me wrapped around her finger. Casually discussing engagement like that would not have happened otherwise.
I had never, ever had a conversation even remotely like that with any other woman. I definitely hadn’t kissed anyone like I was promising I would make it happen eventually after. But I couldn’t help myself with her.
Didn’t want to help myself.
Instead, I caught her throat between my palms and stroked my tongue across the seam of her lips, groaning deeply when they parted to let me in.
Liv melted into me in that way that had been driving me crazy since the first time I’d tasted her, the entirely of her soft body pressing against my own with no holds barred.
Her arms came up to wrap around my neck and she tipped her head back to give me all the access I wanted. A semi-growl escaped into her mouth as I hooked my free hand around her lower back, hauling her as close to me as I could get.
It wasn’t exactly a civilized kiss for being in public. Certainly wasn’t appropriate for a place that was open to children—and it was a Saturday night in the springtime. It wasn’t impossible that there would be families around.
That was the only reason I wrenched my mouth away from Liv’s. Groaning and breathing hard, I released her. “We should get going before we scar some poor young family for life.”
She looked at me like she would rather I bent her over one of the strategically placed benches in the sparsely populated park, but she caught her swollen lower lip between her teeth and nodded.
Wordlessly reaching for my arm, she wrapped her fingers around the crook of my elbow again and the casual ease with which she did it made me ache for more.
More easy touches. More passionate kisses. More nights spent laughing and singing along to songs I shouldn’t have liked but did. More strangely intimate conversations that made me think about things I had no right to be thinking about.
While I wasn’t at the point of telling her yet, I knew I felt things for her I’d never felt for anyone.
I could tell she was as lost in thought as I was, her gaze slightly glazed over as I led her back to my car, but once we were inside it, she broke out of her trance, cranked the music once more, and we sang along all the way back to her house.
I loved that about her, how she could go from fun and playful, to serious, to deep, to vulnerable and open, to sexy and coy as hell, and back to fun and playful without making a thing about it.
As we pulled up in front of her house, I battled the urge to ask to stay, but it turned out she already had a few ideas about that.
“Would you like to come in and play games with me?” she asked.
The images my mind conjured up of the games she might want to play came straight out of my dirtiest fantasies, but her cheeks flushed as if she’d realized her mistake and she let out a mortified giggle.
“Actual games. God, that didn’t come out right. ”
My heart was hammering in my chest, my jeans a little tighter at the fly than they should’ve been, but I inhaled deeply and unbuckled my seatbelt. “I’m in. Don’t really care what the game is.”
“I have Monopoly, Life, and poker,” she said.
I laughed, the lingering thoughts of those fantasies finally shrinking back into the recesses of my mind, where they belonged. “What’s a girl like you doing playing poker?”
She stuck her tongue against the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. “Don’t judge. I could take you.”
As we climbed out of the truck, I grabbed a bag out of the back and she arched a brow when she noticed it, slowly lifting her gaze back to my own. “What’s that?”
“I carry a spare change of clothes for emergencies.”
“Of course, you do.” Her lips quirked into the barest of smiles. “This is an emergency?”
“Yep. I’m all damp from the mist and I’m not playing games in damp jeans.” I looked deep into her eyes before I added, “Always prepared, remember?”
“And so you are,” she murmured softly.
She walked up the pathway that led from the driveway to her front door. I followed her into the house, taking a good look around as soon as I stepped inside.
“Nice place,” I commented, my gaze skipping from the spacious entryway to the large living, dining, and TV rooms it opened up to.
Liv’s house was as much a home as I’d seen anyone make of a place. It was hard to believe she’d only been there for such a short period of time. There were soft white drapes in the windows and elegantly patterned rugs on the floor.
Bookshelves lined the wall in her living room, the shelves overflowing with all manner of novels, memoirs, and biographies tucked between authors I recognized belonging to fiction writers of mystery and horror.
A few of the spines made me think there was romance in there too, along with lots and lots of textbooks.
Framed art decorated the walls, interspersed with pictures of her with her family and friends. Trendy, exposed lightbulbs hung from the ceiling in places, lighting the room with an orange glow that wasn’t so bright but gave more than enough light to eat or read by.
Olivia watched me as I walked in, head on a swivel to take it all in. She chuckled. “Beer or wine?”
“Water,” I said. “Thanks.”
She nodded, disappearing around a corner that, when I followed her, led to a large kitchen. While she poured a glass of water for me and some wine for herself, my eyes drifted across this space as well, settling on some well-used recipe books in the corner.
“They belonged to my paternal grandmother,” she said without waiting for me to ask. “I’ve been meaning to try some of the dishes I remember her cooking for us out of them, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”
I nodded slowly before sliding my gaze back to her. She sipped her wine as she leaned against the countertop, openly watching me in turn. “That was weirdly specific. Most people would just have said my grandmother.”
She chuckled. “I doubt my mom’s mom has ever even held a recipe book in her hand. She’s always had a personal chef on staff, so…”
When she trailed off, I realized I understood what she meant. “You’re not close to them?”
She shrugged. “Not as much as I was to my dad’s parents.
Unfortunately, we just never saw as much of them as we’d have liked.
Growing up, they came to New York often to visit, but their visits got more difficult as they got older.
I had school. College. Then a job at the bottom of the food chain.
I should’ve made time to come to Texas to see them, though. I regret not doing it more often.”
“And your mom’s parents?”
Liv smiled. “We saw a lot more of them, but Grammy doesn’t understand us at all.
She loves us and we adore her. She’s just the type that shows affection to dogs, horses, and charitable foundations more naturally than she does her own grandchildren.
Maybe if we would have taken her up on the offer to join the boards of the foundations she heads up, it would’ve been better, but we didn’t. ”
“It sounds like your mom’s family is interesting.”
“They’re good people,” she said, immediately coming to their defense, which I found attractive as hell. I admired loyalty. Treasured it. Especially within a family. Liv’s gaze flicked up to the ceiling as she tried to find the right words. “They’re very old-money New York, if that makes sense.”
“Not really, but maybe it will once I’ve been there with you.”
She pushed away from the counter and carried her wine to the living room with her. I followed with my water, wishing I wasn’t planning on going back to the ranch tonight. On that note…
“I should change,” I said. “Point me in the right direction.”
“I’ll show you.” She set her drink down beside mine and led me down a long hallway to a door on the right. “It’s a guest room with a bathroom attached. You should find everything you need in there.”
“A broom closet would’ve worked too, but thanks.” I let myself in before I did something stupid, like invite her with me, and quickly changed.
When I emerged, I could hear her humming from a room farther down the hall. Her bedroom, potentially, but while I was itching to see it, I wouldn’t welcome myself in.
I hadn’t been raised that way.
Fighting every instinct I had to go to her, I went in the opposite direction instead, waiting for her in the living room. I took a seat on an armchair with my water in hand, sipping it to cool the heat igniting in my veins as I thought about what she might be doing in that bedroom.
Changing, probably. Which meant she was stripped down to her underwear. Maybe even naked. I swiped my hand over my face to clear my head, deliberately focusing my gaze on the bookshelves instead.
Olivia reappeared with a poker set while I was studying the numerous titles she owned on the topic of self-care for professional business women, and I was about to ask her to explain why when I looked up. The words died on my tongue.
She’d changed, alright. Into a pair of black sweats and a fitted blue tank, her feet bare and her hair knotted on top of her head. She looked comfortable—and so fucking sexy.
I made a noise deep in my throat that I hoped she hadn’t heard. My eyes lowered to the game in her hands. “Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t want to take your money.”
“Oh, but I will take yours.” She winked at me, then strode to the coffee table and started taking out chips and a deck of cards. “So, since we were talking about you coming to New York with me before we went to change, how are you feeling about the trip?”
“I’m excited to see what your world is all about,” I said, figuring I might as well be honest about it. “I’m country to the bone and I always will be, but I’m finding myself intrigued by a city girl, so I’m curious.”
She smiled. “Lucky girl.”
I shrugged, eyes caught on hers. “Are we going to play or what?”
It took her a beat of shuffling the cards without looking before she finally let those poison-greens drop away from mine. She dealt our hands expertly and then proceeded to kick my ass at least three times before I managed to win a hand.
We laughed a lot while we played, conversation flowing easily. When I finally caught sight of the time on the grandfather clock in the corner, I declined the next hand she offered to deal.
“I should get going,” I said, getting up. “This will be continued, however. I’m going to need a chance to redeem myself.”
“Just name the time and place, Cowboy.” She rose slowly to her feet, crossing the distance between us before speaking softly. “You’re welcome to stay, you know. It’s a long way back to the ranch and I’ve got plenty of room.”
“This was our first date. I’m going to be respectful, kiss you good night, and go home.” I stepped around her and went to collect my bag.
“Bleh.” She made the noise from somewhere behind me, but I only chuckled in response.
As much as she wanted to deny it sometimes, she appreciated that I was a gentleman. I knew she did. I’d seen the secret smiles and the pleased softness in her eyes.
Once we were out on the front porch, I reached for her hand, drew her closer, and lowered my lips to hers for a slow, hard kiss that I stopped before it could turn into more. “Good night, Liv.”
“Good night, Charlie,” she murmured against my lips. “Drive safe.”
“I will.” Turning before I could go back on my word, I strode to my truck, got in, and drove away, smiling all the way back to the ranch as I thought about the night we’d had.
I never would’ve thought that I’d get along with anyone from New York City at all, let alone a woman in marketing who was nearly ten years younger than me, but I more than got along with her. I liked her—enough that I was about to let her take me to Manhattan and for a week, and that?
That said more than any words ever could.