Convincing Cara (Wishing Well, Texas Book 2) (26 page)

“Fine,” she finally agreed. “I’ll tell the girls that Derek and I broke up on one condition.”

For the love of… Patience was seriously not one of my virtues, and I wasn’t sure how much more testing of it I could take. I did my best to remain calm as I asked, “What?”

She swallowed nervously, and my gaze was drawn to her mouth as her pink tongue slid between her pouty lips.

“You know what I was doing in the shower?” she questioned.

“The blow job?” I asked, not sure where this was going, but if the condition for her breaking up with Derek was me going down on her, I was all in.

“Yes.” The blush grew deeper. “I want to do that again and I don’t want you to stop me.”

I had to have been hearing things. “Let me get this straight. Your condition to break up with your fake boyfriend is that I let you go down on me and
not
stop you when I’m going to come.”

“Yes.” She nodded.

It looked like patience really did pay off.

“Damn, I love you.” I hadn’t meant to say it. I mean, I’d meant what I’d said, but I hadn’t meant for the first time I told her that to be when she’d just offered to blow me.

“I’m sure you do,” she said sarcastically, playing it off like I’d been making a joke.

I wanted to tell her that I really did love her and I was sorry that I’d told her at such a shitty time. But, before I could say anything, she moved between my legs and wrapped her lips around the head of my dick. The second she sucked me into the sweet wetness of her mouth, my train of thought got derailed.

All I could do was feel. And the only word I managed to form in my lust-riddled brain was:
Mine
.

Cara

“Her story had more twists than a pretzel factory.”

~ Dolly Briggs

O
h boy.

I was pretty sure that this was not what Trace had had in mind when he’d demanded that I “break up” with Derek a week ago.

Harmony tugged on my arm, pulling me across the parking lot of Briggs Sports Academy, where we were headed for the grand opening party. “You remember him, right? He came and stayed with us the summer when we were in middle school, right after his senior year when my aunt Claudia passed away.”

Of course I remembered her cousin’s visit. It was the summer after fifth grade and he’d been gorgeous. At the time, I’d thought that he looked like a movie star. All of Harmony’s brothers were good-looking, but her cousin Austin had stood out in the crowd.

His name was also seared into my brain because whenever anyone had referred to him that summer, they’d used his first and last name. Austin Stone. Girls would say things like:

“
Have you met Harmony’s cousin, Austin Stone
?”

“
Oh my gosh, Austin Stone is so hot
!”

“
I’m in love with Austin Stone
.”

From what I remembered, he was really nice but really quiet. And sad, for obvious reasons, since he’d just lost his mom.

“You remember him, right?” she asked again.

“Yeah. I thought your cousin was engaged?” I was grabbing at straws.

“He was.” Harmony lowered her voice to a whisper. “Three months ago, he was injured in Afghanistan, and after spending months in a hospital in Germany, he received an honorable discharge. He didn’t tell anyone that he was coming home so he could surprise Vanessa. He’d been gone on a fourteen-month deployment and wasn’t due back for four months. Well, he was the one who had a surprise waiting for him. He showed up, and she was six months pregnant. And the dad…is his best friend.”

I gasped as my hand flew to my mouth. “No!” I breathed behind my palm.

“Yes.” She nodded. “He told my dad everything last night when he showed up at my parents’ house. I may or may not have been eavesdropping from the washroom next to the study.”

In Harmony’s parents’ house, the vent from the washroom was shared with her father’s study. We’d sat in there and listened more than once when her brothers had gotten in trouble.

“So, see? It’s perfect.” Harmony clapped her hands. “You’re newly single. He’s newly single. It’s time for you both to get back up on the horse.”

“Um, I don’t think you can really compare my status to his. He was engaged. I was dating someone.” Actually, I wasn’t even doing that.

At least, not the person Harmony thought I was. And, since my brother had shown up yesterday, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be seeing Trace anymore. I’d been at work when Trace texted me that Colton was back. I told him that I had a late meeting and would be home around eight. I ended up not making it home until nine. Someone had been waiting for me when I got there—Colton. He’d made dinner, and after catching up with him and eating, I went to bed and sent a text to Trace to say goodnight. This morning, I woke up to three texts from Trace. My phone had still been on silent from my meeting.

The first text said:
Goodnight, beautiful.

The second was sent just minutes later and read:
I miss you.

The third text was sent around six this morning and said that he’d be helping JJ with last-minute details for the grand opening and would see me tonight.

Last night had been one of the loneliest of my life, and I’d had my fair share of lonely nights. Especially when I’d been hospitalized for treatments and couldn’t really have visitors because my immune system had been so compromised. But none of those nights had come close to how empty and lonely my bed had been after having shared it with Trace for the past few weeks.

It wasn’t just the sex I missed, although sex worked much better than counting sheep, chamomile tea, warm milk, or any of the other relaxation techniques I’d tried to help me sleep. But that’s not what I missed the most. I missed being in his arms. I missed his smell. I missed the feeling of his heartbeat beneath my cheek. I missed his fingers running through my hair as I drifted off to sleep.

I missed
him
.

“Wow!” Harmony’s exclamation snapped me out of my inner thoughts.

We’d made it into the facility set up for the party, and it was breathtaking. It all looked state-of-the-art. Everything was brand new but still somehow had a down-home feel. The warehouse was shaped like a large barn. JJ had used his parents’ place for inspiration, and twinkle lights had been strung along the rafters. Tables with gorgeous wildflower centerpieces were spread throughout, and a wooden dance floor had been set up in the middle of the room. The Briggses did know how to throw a good party. It must have been in their DNA. Of course, the fact that JJ was a millionaire thanks to his years as a starting pitcher in the big leagues probably didn’t hurt, either.

Grandma Dixie approached us with her arms outstretched. “Well, don’t you two look prettier than a pad of butter melting on pancakes!”

She hugged us both, and we told her that she too looked lovely.

“Destiny is around here somewhere.” She waved her hand. “I’ve been telling that girl that she needs to stay off her feet, but do you think she listens?”

“No,” Harmony and I said in unison.

“No.” Grandma Dixie shook her head. “She does not.”

“May I have this dance?” Fred Rogers stepped up, offering Dixie his arm.

Fred Rogers (his real name!) was a retired school teacher who had set his sights on Destiny’s set-in-her-ways grandmother. It was fun seeing the two of them together. It had given me hope that nothing was ever too late.

“Well, I suppose so.” Dixie made a show like it was putting her out.

But anyone who knew her knew that the woman didn’t do anything she didn’t want to. I wasn’t sure how she felt about Mr. Rogers, but she liked his attention.

“Ohhh, there he is!” Harmony whisper-screamed in my ear as she slapped my arm.

I looked up, and sure enough, a very grown-up, very
sexy
, all-man version of the same Austin Stone I remembered was across the room.

If I hadn’t already been head-over-heels in love with Trace, I would have probably kissed Harmony for trying to set me up with him. But I was. And I had to figure out a way to gracefully get un-set up.

“Harmony, I really don’t think—”

“Austin!” she called out, waving her hand in the air.

Seriously?

She knew exactly what I was about to say; she’d done that on purpose. When in doubt, though, there’s always the ladies’ room.

“I’m going to go to the bathroom,” I announced.

Harmony wrapped her fingers around my forearm, preventing me from leaving, and tugged me closer to her.

“Just meet him,” she said quietly through clenched teeth.

“I don’t—”

A voice so deep that it would have given Barry White a run for his money sounded in front of us. “I was summoned?”

“Yes, you were,” Harmony chirped. “Austin, I wanted you to meet one of my best friends in the entire world, Cara. Cara this is my ass-kicking cousin, Austin.”

“Hi, Cara. It’s nice to meet you.” Austin shook my hand.

Although his touch did not light my body up like the Electric Parade at Disneyland the way Trace’s did, he did have very large, very nice, calloused hands that I was sure would light up some lucky girl’s world.

“Nice to meet you, too.” I shook his hand raised my gaze to meet his.

Yep. Those were the same dreamy, green eyes I’d remembered. After a moment, Austin dropped my hand.

Never one to sit in a silence, awkward or otherwise, Harmony clapped her hands and announced, “So, I have to go…find Destiny. You two have fun.”

With that, she spun on her heel and was gone.

I was going to kill her.

“Well.” Austin stared at the spot Harmony had just vacated. “It looks like my cousin still hasn’t mastered the art of subtlety.”

I laughed, relieved that he seemed about as comfortable with this as I was. “No. Subtle is not really in Harmony’s wheelhouse.”

“I don’t think she’s going to be satisfied until we at least have one dance.” He offered me his arm, much like Mr. Rogers had offered his to Grandma Dixie. “What do ya say?”

“Oh, umm…” I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t think it was the best idea, but he was right. Harmony was like a dog with a bone. When she set her sights on something, it was just best to get out of her way.

The corner of his lip turned up, revealing a deep dimple in his right cheek, as he said, “You don’t have to be scared. She was kidding about the ass-kicking part.”

Again, I found myself laughing. I took his arm, and as he led me onto the dance floor, I looked around the room for Trace. We still hadn’t talked about anything. But, if he’d gotten upset about a
fake
boyfriend, I didn’t think he’d be too happy about me
real
dancing with his cousin.

When we reached the center, he placed his hands on my lower back and I rested my hands on his shoulders. As we swayed to the music, I had to admit that he smelled delicious. And the way he led me left no question in my mind that he could dance. Really dance.

“I would ask you about yourself,” he said, “but I think we both know that Harmony has filled in most of the small-talk blanks.”

And for the third time I found myself chuckling. “Yeah, she has.”

I liked Austin. He made me feel comfortable, and I started to relax. All of my efforts to keep my emotional distance from Trace were for not. I was in real, deep trouble.

I was in the arms of a beyond-sexy man with gorgeous eyes, deep dimples, and a voice that would make any woman’s ovaries explode. Plus, he was funny and could dance, and all I could think about was how much I wished things were different. I wanted to be on that dance floor with Trace.

“So, Harmony said that you were single?” Austin asked with more than a hint of amusement.

“Um, yeah.” I nodded perhaps a little too emphatically.

“You sure about that?” He grinned as his eyes narrowed. “’Cause my cousin is heading our way and he looks like he wants to kill me.”

I whipped my head around, and sure enough, Trace was just a few feet away with a not-so-happy look on his face.

“Hey, T.” Austin dropped one arm from my back. “Did you want to cut in?”

“No.” Trace wrapped his arm around my waist and practically dragged me with him as he headed off the dance floor.

When I looked back to thank Austin for the dance, he lifted his hand in a small wave as he smiled from ear to ear.

“Trace?” I looked up at him as I moved my feet as fast as possible to keep up with him. It was harder than it looked with the heels I’d decided to wear tonight.

And I wasn’t doing that great of a job, because before we even made it off the dance floor, I stumbled. Thankfully, Ninja Trace scooped me up and carried me like a bride on her wedding day.

I buried my face in his neck, not wanting to know if anyone had noticed his display. I didn’t know if every eye at the event was on us or if he was really mad or not, but I did know I was in the arms of the man I loved, and that’s all that really mattered.

Trace

“Gravity can’t stop the scariest fall of all. Love.”

~ Dolly Briggs

I
’d heard people
talk about being so mad that they saw red, but I’d never thought it actually happened. I’d been wrong. When I’d walked in and seen Cara in the arms of my cousin, I’d been pissed. But when her head had fallen back as the sweet sound of her laughter had filled the air, I’d seen red.

I pushed the door to the back office open and set Cara down. The door slammed behind me, and she flinched.

“Trace?” Her voice sounded so small.

The last thing I ever wanted to do was upset her, but I felt like I was losing my mind. Frustrated, I ran my fingers through my hair as I paced the room. I thought about starting with telling her how I felt, but I thought it would be better to see where she stood on things.

“What do you think is going on between us?” I managed to ask semi-calmly.

Her chest rapidly rose and fell. “Um, I think we are friends that—”

“You think we’re
friends
?” I snapped. I hadn’t meant to raise my voice, but hearing her categorize us as “friends” had caused that knee-jerk reaction.