Leo Maddox (15 page)

“Fuck this. Fuck me,” I mumbled to myself. “I still can't make sense of her and Andrew together.” I ran my hands through my hair, pulling at the ends. “One moment it feels like she’s all in with me and then in the next moment…everything comes back to fucking Andrew all over again.”

Maggie sighed. “Leo, calm down. Clara hates Andrew too,” she explained. “Just like you thought. She thinks he's a
lying pig who kisses like a Dachshund
. Or was it a Doberman? She also said something about wanting to protect me while giving Andrew a taste of his own medicine, but she couldn't date him while she had feelings for you. She wasn't mean to me today on the car ride home from the airport. She may have told me a bunch of stuff I didn't want to hear, but overall she was a lot nicer than she's been in years. I'm pretty sure you have everything to do with that. So stop pacing like a trapped animal—it’s making me dizzy. And don't pull at your hair like that or you’re going to go prematurely bald.”

I stopped moving from where I’d unknowingly been walking in circles. My hands moved from my hair and fell to my sides. So Clara wasn’t playing me? The relief I felt almost knocked me over. I let out a giant breath and then started moving up the steps to my house.

“Where are you going?” Maggie called after me.

“The library. I was working on a project before
Dan
here interrupted me. So get rid of loverboy and then come find me,” I told her and disappeared into the house.

The thing with Robby, aka Dean, was this—I wasn’t entirely sure Maggie didn’t want him back in her life. Sure, I still thought he was shady as hell and up to no good. But if Maggie wanted him gone, she was going to either have to tell me to get rid of him or do it herself. It occurred to me then that she’d done neither as of yet.

Making my way through the house and into the library, I picked up a book and started flipping. It wasn’t the one I needed, so I threw it onto the floor. I picked up another. And another. And I’d just found a repeat copy of Great Expectations when Maggie came into the library.

“I'm okay,” she told me before I could say anything. “I don't want to talk about it. And no, I don't want you to break Robby's jaw or any other part of his body for me. I can handle him myself, okay?”

“Okay,” I answered. I could live with that. For now.

“And same goes for Andrew.”

I frowned. “Hell no. I can't make any promises with Andrew. He's at the top of my shit-list and not just because of you. Anyway, want to go watch some old 80's movies, eat ice cream, and pretend our problems don't exist?”

“Yes,” she muttered, seeming relieved that I’d asked her to do regular stuff today.

“Okay. Good. I’ve got to make a quick phone call to Mary Ann at the Pro Shop. I was supposed to golf with Clara this morning. Let me do that and then we can watch a movie.”

She gave me a small smile and I pulled out my phone. It was already after eleven and it killed me to have to cancel on Clara. Absolutely killed me. She wouldn’t even know I was cancelling on her and it still bugged me. But I felt like Maggie needed me a little more in this moment. I made the quick call to Mary Ann, while Maggie left to go get some snacks ready for our movie. Watching old 80’s movies was kind of our thing. I wanted it to be my thing with Clara too—like it had been when we were all younger.

After I got off the phone, I absentmindedly flipped through the copy of Great Expectations I still held in my hand. Not expecting to find anything, since I was beginning to think that clover was lost forever, I froze when I saw something dark green tucked inside a page.

The clover.

It was the clover. It was still intact.

And if that wasn’t a giant, neon sign that Clara and I were supposed to be together, I didn’t know what was.

CHAPTER 14:

D
inner was supposed to be happening at six at the Ryder’s house. It was five after six. I laid across the Ryder’s couch, while Maggie sat the back patio table for dinner and Reed finished grilling the lobster tails he’d cooked for tonight. I’m not sure why he wanted us all to have dinner together—including me—but that’s what was about to happen.

Clara had been doing her golf lesson thing all day long and now that six was finally here, I felt so on-edge that I wanted to scream. The problem was…I didn’t know where I stood with her. Sure, we’d kissed in the airport this morning—dramatically, like she was sending me off to war or something. But what would happen when she showed up at her house and found me in it? For all I knew, she still thought I was in New York. For all I knew, that was where she wanted me to stay.

But I wasn’t in New York. I was here because Clara was here. And if she really was as serious about us as she’d appeared to be last night and this morning then it wouldn’t be an issue that I’d taken liberties, showing up at her house.

Right? Right.

The sound of the front door opening caused my screwed up brain to focus. Clara was here.

“Hey guys, I'm home,” she called out to the house. Since the sliding glass door that lead out to the back patio was closed, Reed and Maggie didn’t hear Clara. I stood up, waiting for her to walk in and find me.

But she didn’t notice me in the living room. Instead, she walked into the kitchen, dumping her purse onto the counter. She stared across the room, looking outside at her family.

God, she was breathtaking. She wore gym clothes—a bright yellow tank top and pants that fit her ass like a glove. Her purple hair hung over one of her shoulders. Simply unable to resist the girl, I went toward her. Not even my own fears and insecurities could stop what was about to happen next.

I snuck up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her body against my own. Instantly she leaned back against my chest, a small moan escaping her lips. Bliss ran through me as she let me touch her.

I could tell she’d had an exhausting day. Neither of us had slept much last night, and Clara had been in the hot Virginia sun all day. But for the way she relaxed into me, it told me everything I needed to know. She was happy I was here. She didn’t ask the details of when I’d gotten home to Blue Creek. She only rested her head back against my shoulder. An open invitation for me to kiss her neck.

She smelled like the sun as I planted a trail of kisses over her bare shoulder and across her neck. “Hi, killer,” I whispered. “You're like fucking nirvana for sore eyes.” My hands slipped up and down her waist, exploring and needing to touch as much of her as possible. “I didn't know I could miss you so much after only a few hours, and I love that I can touch you like this.” My touch grew bolder and I moved my hands over her chest. Hell, from the way she was arching into me it felt like this was exactly what she wanted me to do. I gently squeezed and caressed her breasts above her shirt. “Tell me I'm a pervert and I have to stop. Tell me and I will.”

She told me nothing. So stopping was the furthest thing from my mind.

And then, as if I wasn’t turned on enough and straining painfully in the confines of my pants, she pressed into me more. “Hmm,” she murmured, her voice throaty, as she felt my erection pushing against her ass.

“Dammit. Tell me now, Clara,” I demanded.

And when no words came from her mouth still, I took that as my green light.

“Okay then. I gave you fair warning. Remember that.”

My hands continued their exploration. Her breathing turned heavy and choppy. And then, partly to see if I could and partly because I couldn’t stop myself, I moved one of my hands inside her shirt. My fingers grazed over her tight, little nipple.

Clara shivered against me.

Jesus Christ.

And then she steadied herself by placing both hands on the counter in front of us. Shit. This was hot. My body was on fire. If her family wasn’t right outside I’d be stripping her naked and having my way with her right this moment, right against this counter. The best part was the way Clara reacted to my touch. She wanted me as bad as I wanted her.

That reminded me that her family was in eye-shot. I quickly moved her a few feet to the left so we were out of view. I knew I didn’t have long with her, but I wasn’t ready for this small moment to be over yet either. So in a move that was a remnant of the old me, the pre-celibate me, I pushed that yellow tank top of hers down, completely exposing her breasts to the kitchen. My fingers grazed over her sensitive flesh. Her nipples were so hard, despite the fact that it wasn’t cold at all in the kitchen.

“You have the most perfect tits,” I whispered. “I've been fantasizing about touching them since we were twelve years old.” Taking her waist in my hands, I turned her around to face me. I even took a small step back so I could better see her. Her naked chest was right there, perfect and all for me. I couldn't breathe. I couldn’t really think. And as much as I wanted to study her body. I couldn’t take my eyes off her eyes. I couldn’t look away from the way she was staring back at me—so trusting, so enamored.

“You're beautiful,” I whispered, kissing her cheek. Then I pulled her tank top back up so that it once again covered her chest. “Too beautiful.”

My eyes left hers. And I felt my face flush. Seeing her partially naked and seeing the way she’d completely let me look at her, not to mention touch her, was too damn much. Moving across the kitchen, breathing a little too heavily, I gripped the edge of the counter and tried to regain my composure. Her confidence was so sexy it was crippling.

“Leo. You're—” she started to say, but never finished her thought because Reed and Maggie walked into the kitchen.

Fuck. I’d forgotten they existed. Good thing everything had stopped between Clara when it did or they would have found her with her shirt down. I think Clara realized this too—because she had the biggest, cheesiest, most adorable grin plastered on her face.

“There you are,” Reed said to her. “Honey, I'm sure you're tired. Dinner’s almost ready, but why don't you go shower first? Oh, and there is aloe under my sink. You're a little sunburned.”

I don’t think she was as sunburned as Reed thought. I’m pretty sure her cheeks were red on account of me. Oh well, I wasn’t about to correct him. Let him think she was red from a sunburn.

“Okay.” Clara nodded, avoiding my gaze.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Maggie asked her, noticing something was up between us.

“I'm having a good day,” Clara answered and then she hurried from the room.

“Hmm,” Reed muttered. “Maybe she doesn’t hate golf as much as she pretends to.” Then he grabbed the biggest ceramic platter I’d ever seen, tucking it under one arm, and with his other free hand he grabbed his special butter-lemon sauce that was for the lobster. Maggie helped him open the sliding glass door.

I flipped open the fully-stocked fridge. “Want a water?” I asked Maggie.

“Sure.”

I handed her one, then grabbed one for myself and one for Clara. We joined Reed out on the back patio. He took his lobster tails off the grill and plated them. Then he sat down in his usual spot at the head of the table, while Maggie sat beside him where she always did. Typically, if I was joining the Ryder family for dinner, I would have sat beside Maggie. It was what was expected of me and what I always did. But I sat in the seat beside Clara’s usual seat. In fact—I was damn sick of always doing what everyone expected.

A moment later, Clara came rushing outside with her long hair still damp and hanging down over her shoulders. She wore a similar outfit to the one she’d been in a few minutes ago. Except her tank top was pink this time. It clashed with her hair, but she didn’t seem to mind or care as she gave me a quick smile. She took the seat next to mine like it wasn't weird that I’d chosen to sit beside her instead of beside Maggie.

And, for being the smaller twin, the girl always had a giant appetite. Tonight was no different. She started loading food onto her plate like she was a two-hundred pound man. Once she finished, she sat there waiting because Reed had a strict rule about saying prayer before eating. When she noticed everyone staring at her she explained, “I'm so hungry I could eat this table. I didn't have breakfast or lunch. And Mary Ann is such a ‘you-know-what’ that she wouldn't even let me borrow a dollar to hit up the vending machine. I guess I should start carrying cash around like you always say, Dad.”

I guess, for once, I was right. Mary Ann was a bitch.

“You should have called me,” I told her. “I would have brought you something.”

“I didn't know you were back in Blue Creek until...” Clara paused, her voice nearly whispering, “Until a few minutes ago.”

“Okay then.” I grabbed Clara's hand in mine, locking our fingers, and then reached across the table for Maggie’s. She gave me the oddest look and then hesitantly took my hand. Then I glanced in Reed’s direction, staring at him impatiently. “Say the prayer, Reed. Please. So she can eat already.”

Reed’s mouth was hanging open, and it appeared I’d rendered him speechless. I’m not exactly sure why he was so shocked. I thought I’d made it perfectly clear this morning that Clara and I were more than enemies now. Maybe seeing it first hand, seeing us together in person, was weird for him. It was still a little weird for me too. But whatever. He needed to get used to it.

After a few moments of sitting frozen in place, Reed swallowed hard and then completed the circle before saying the blessing.