Lip Lock: Country Fever, Book 2 (12 page)

Brant’s chest burned with fear and anticipation as he strode into Anecdote. After a night of torment, dying to get hold of Hayley, he was damn well going to have some answers today. Starting with where she lived and ending with whether or not she was halfway in love with him too.

Dust motes swirled hectically in the dim interior of the shop. Brant drew up short and scanned the little space, finally picking out Andrea clinging to a ladder on the far right. The hints of polyurethane and stain drifted toward him and made his balls ache.

Hayley
.

“Dr. Foxfire, she specifically said no visitors today.”

“I don’t give a damn.” He stormed through the wares, uncaring of the fragile china or precious antiques. If he broke everything in the store, he was prepared to hand Andrea a check for damages.

He grasped the floral curtain and yanked it back with such force, the tension rod holding it up in the doorway slid partway down. He shoved it back up before striding into the room—and right up to the stunning and perfectly disheveled woman pressing her back against the wall and trying to disappear.

“You. Come here.” He crooked a finger.

She quivered, her lips parting.

“Hayley, I mean it. You’re not avoiding me another minute.” He stopped ten steps away, determined that she’d cross that space and walk into his arms. Dammit, he’d suffered for almost twenty-four hours since the incident in his office. Right now, she was going to at least talk to him about it.

When she didn’t budge from the place where her sandaled feet were rooted, he gave a frustrated huff. “Are you afraid of me?”

“N-no.” She knotted her fists, eyes stormy with some unknown emotion.

“Then what?”

“Afraid of myself.”

His heart dipped then soared at her admission. “Sweetheart, you know my stance on this thing between us. You gave your all in my bed—”

“Shhh!” She cast a frantic glance at the curtain, where Andrea was probably glued with an ear to their conversation.

Brant went on, unruffled. “And I expect the same from you the rest of the time. I want your phone number, your address. I looked them up in patient records, but you gave Anecdote’s information. I’m going to give you the chance to tell me before I get it out of Drake.”

She shook her head. “You can’t use my own son against me.”

His lip twitched upward. “I want to spend some time with him anyway, maybe tossing a ball around. Playing catch loosens the vocal cords, so maybe he’ll let me into his life a little. And you’re damn well going to talk to me about what happened yesterday.” He locked his knees to keep himself from closing the gap between them and pulling her into his arms. But he’d pursued her plenty, and it was time for her to tell him where she stood. If she couldn’t say the words—and he suspected she couldn’t—then she was pretty damn good at expressing herself with her body.

“Come here, Hayley.”

Struggle crossed her face. Her normally smooth brow lowered, and then she steeled herself and pulled away from the wall one body part at a time, as if she were Velcroed there.

She took two steps. Stopped. It almost broke his goddamn heart to see her wringing her hands. Afraid of herself, she’d said. Did she mean that she feared her self-control around him, as he did his around her? Or was something darker going on inside?

He firmed his lips. “Hayley.”

Reluctantly, she drifted across the concrete floor, which was splattered with dried paint, to stand before him.

He wanted to let her come to him on her own terms, but dammit, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. Sagging at the knees, he grabbed her under the thighs and hitched her against him. Electricity spiked through his nerves and gathered in one big, pressurized knot in his groin.

She melted in his hold. Wrapping her arms around him, she dipped her face to his shoulder and fell still.

For a long moment, he waited for her to move or even breathe. Finally, he cupped the back of her head. “God, Hayley, what is it?”

“I can’t see you anymore, Brant. What happened in the office… I can’t be the cause of you losing patients.”

He hummed his disagreement, spinning her toward a table near the back of the room. “This one’s dry, yes?”

“Yes.”

He plopped her down on the surface, moving so she was wedged between his thighs, unable to escape and give him any more shit about losing patients or not seeing him again.

She quivered and avoided his stare. “I just can’t continue this way, Brant.”

“The hell you can’t.” With a forefinger under her chin, he lifted her face. “Are you worried about anything else? Is it Drake? Now that I’m a permanent fixture in your life, it’s time we bring him in. Let me get to know him. I have a thing for gawky teens.”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to confuse him.”

“Hayley.” He captured her gaze. “We’re together. I’m firmly rooted in your life. He won’t get confused because I’m not leaving.” His tone held no room for more arguing.

She gave a reluctant smile, and his breathing hitched.

“We’ll meet after school at the coffee shop today. Does that sound okay?”

She nodded, looking a little lighter.

He cupped her face and looked deep into her eyes. “What goes on in my personal life is no one’s business. We’re not doing anything wrong, sweetheart. We’re both unattached, and dammit, I’m already hip-deep in this mire of wanting. Tell me you are too. Say it, Hayley.”

She shook her head, eyes clouded by tears.

“In my bed, you had no trouble telling me what you wanted—needed. Say it now, baby. You want me in your life. You’re going to give me your address and phone number.”

Her head was swaying back and forth before he’d finished his rant. “Why is it necessary? You always find me anyway.”

He skewered her with his gaze. Where was the forthright woman who came apart in his arms and begged him to take her to that blissful place? Away from the physical manifestation of their feelings, she closed up. Shut down with a “no trespassing” sign hung around her neck.

Not this time.

He slipped his phone from his pocket. “Phone number.”

A long sigh plumed from her, fogging the air with her sweet, minty-scented breath. In a resigned voice, she recited it to him. He logged it into his contacts. “Address.”

“That’s enough for now, Brant. And about tonight, I can make the coffee shop with Drake date, but I really am working late.”

“Tomorrow.” He waited for her to respond, but she simply stared at him with a look that shattered his hard exterior.

With a sigh of his own, he wrapped her in his arms, finding her temple with his lips. “I can’t help it I want more from you, baby. You’re the only air I can breathe since the moment I met you.”

She softened at his words, sagged in his hold. His heart jerked hard, and he tugged her closer. For long moments, he simply enjoyed the feel of her soft hair tickling his nose and the sound of her breathing.

“You really can’t be with me tonight?”

She shook her head. “Sorry. I really do need to work.”

“Tomorrow?”

Her voice came muffled. “I’m busy tomorrow too.”

“I’ll bring dinner to you. We’ll talk while you work.” Damn, was that desperation he heard in his voice?

Her words came slow, measured. “I can’t. Actually, Drake has an away game. I won’t even be around.”

Brant felt his shoulders slump. “When can I see you alone, then?”

“I’ll call you.”

He pulled back enough to study her expression. She didn’t appear to be giving him the runaround. Maybe she really would call. “Okay. Give me your phone and I’ll add myself.” At least she’d have no excuse that she didn’t have his number.

She withdrew it from her jeans pocket and passed it to him wordlessly. Just holding the pink unit in his hands made his cock throb. It was still warm from being tucked next to her body. Closing his eyes, he pressed the “add” button and returned the cell to her.

“I’ll see you soon, Hayley. Don’t let this be the end.” Backing away, he held her gaze, unwilling to let that go if he couldn’t have her in his arms.

He bumped into a chair and skirted it, feeling the floral curtain at his back. “I’ll see you soon,” he repeated.

With that, he pushed his way through the curtain and into the shop, ignoring Andrea’s presence near the back room. Brant escaped the confines of the cramped store and broke into the open air, knowing in his heart that Hayley might never belong to him. In fact, it was as likely as getting a new crop of patients with perfect teeth. Or to wipe out his need to tie her up and spank her.

The coffee shop was stuffed with an after-school rush. As Hayley and Drake made their way to the booth in the back that Brant already had secured, several of Drake’s friends and fellow ball players called hello to them.

Hayley gestured for Drake to slide into the cushioned booth before her. She wanted to be on the outside so she could easily escape if necessary.

“Hi, Drake. Hayley.” Brant held her gaze for a heartbeat longer than she would have liked, as that bold, commanding stare heated her insides instantly.

Sliding into the booth, she clamped her thighs together.

“How was school, dude?” Brant asked Drake.

Funny, but after picking her son up from school, she hadn’t even thought to ask about his day. Nervousness about this meeting swam through her head like dozens of minnows, each a separate worry or concern. What if Drake resented her seeing Brant? What if he was rude? She’d raised him better, but kids were surprising at times.

Brant reached across the table and placed a big hand over hers. The heavy warmth anchored her, and she released the breath she’d been holding.

“It was good. Aced a math test.”

Hayley’s lips spread into a grin. “That’s another reason why the colleges want him so badly.”

“That and the fabulous arm.” Brant waved at the waitress.

A group of students sat in the booth across from them, and Drake continually glanced over at them. If Hayley hadn’t recognized the girl Drake had a crush on, she would have suspected by the mottled redness of his throat.

Brant caught Hayley’s eye and deliberately looked toward the booth. She gave an imperceptible nod. Maybe it had been a good idea to allow Drake and Brant some time together, after all. Drake needed a male figure in his life, and Brant was good with kids, as he’d said earlier that day. Besides, if she was serious about seeing Brant, all of them needed to be comfortable.

“Is that the Bell girl in that booth?” Brant asked.

Drake tossed a look over his shoulder then turned back with a look of nonchalance on his face. “Oh, yeah. Squashed next to Chad Turner. He plays football.”

“I know both of them.” Leaning forward, Brant lowered his voice to say, “Chad had one of the worst cases of buck teeth due to thumb sucking I’ve ever seen.”

Drake snorted. “Yeah?”

“True story.”

“And Sarah Bell?” Drake asked quietly.

Brant sat back. “A great girl. Smart and funny. A slight underbite, easy to treat.”

As Drake craned his neck to look at the students again, Hayley squeezed Brant’s hand. His eyes shone. Suddenly, under the table, she felt his foot move up her calf, then back down.

She delivered a sharp kick as the waitress came for their orders.

“Ladies first,” Brant said.

“I’ll just have a black coffee.”

Brant shook his head. “No. She’ll have a caramel macchiato and a glazed donut.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but Brant squeezed her hand harder.

“Yes, that’s what she’s having. Drake, what would you like?”

Drake gave her a funny look before ordering a couple of chocolate cake donuts and a large soda.

“That sounds great. I’ll have the same,” Brant said.

The waitress moved off, and Brant plunged into a conversation about baseball stats and drills. When talk between him and her son turned to the best colleges, he suggested his alma mater.

“I played for them myself,” he said.

“Baseball?” she asked. He’d never mentioned it, but then again, when would they have had the time? Talk of college pursuits didn’t exactly fit between oral sex and scorching kisses.

“Yep. Ah, here’s our order.”

Drake dug into his snack with more enthusiasm than she’d seen in a long time. When Hayley only sipped at her coffee drink, Brant gave her a severe look.

“You’re having that glazed donut, Hayley.”

She eyed the circle of dripping goodness. It smelled heavenly. How did he know she was a simple glazed donut girl? And the donuts at this shop were the best—freshly made several times a day.

Picking it up, she took a bite. Yeasty and warm, it melted on her tongue. She resisted the urge to close her eyes as she chewed. Treats like this didn’t come to her and Drake every day, and Brant probably knew it. He had a way of knowing too much, seeing too deeply.

She licked her lips, and he tracked the movement, a look of hunger on his face that had nothing to do with donuts. Gliding her foot along the floor, she struck his shoe. His gaze snapped to hers as she slid her foot up his calf in thanks and promise.