Waking Hearts (28 page)

“Oh my—”

“Mom, isn’t it cool?” Mark said. “It makes ice and crushed ice and has water and everything.”

Chris pulled open the freezer on the bottom. “Ice cream!”

“Don’t even think about it.”

Ollie walked in the back door only a few minutes later while the kids were still playing with the various ice settings and ignoring their homework.

“Hey,” he said. “How was school?”

Loralie ran over, and he bent down so she could jump on his back like the monkey she was.

“We colored new name tags, Ollie! For our desks.”

“That sounds fun.”

Allie said, “You got a new fridge.”

He shrugged and went to the sink to scrub his hands, Loralie still clinging to his back. “Been wanting to move that old one to the barn for a while. Keep drinks and stuff out there and get something bigger for the house.”

“Did you know this is the exact one I’ve been wanting?”

He was smiling when he turned around. “Is it?”

She couldn’t keep from smiling back. “Jena’s been telling stories.”

“Who better to ask about buying a new fridge than a chef, right?” He winked at her, then plucked Loralie from his back. “Hey, guys. Did I see groceries in the car?”

Oh, for heaven’s sake. Allie had completely forgotten about the four bags of groceries left in the minivan. She rose to her feet.

“We’ll get them,” Mark said, grabbing Chris’s arm and pulling him out the door.

“I’ll help!” Loralie ran after her brothers.

“You,” she whispered. “Did you buy this fridge for me?”

He swiftly walked to her and slid an arm around her waist. Allie went up on her toes and met his mouth in a scorching kiss.

“Absolutely not,” he murmured against her mouth. “A refrigerator is a terrible first present.”

“Mmm.” She kissed him again and slid one leg up to wrap around his thigh. “That’s too bad. It’s a very nice fridge.”

“I just happened to be in Palm Desert today getting your actual first present—which is very small, very lacy, and hidden under your bed—and I remembered I needed a new fridge. This is”—he nipped at her lips, then kissed her again—“purely a coincidence.”

She slid her hand down the firm muscles at the small of his back and into one of his jean pockets. She heard the kids shouting on the porch. Allie squeezed once before she sneaked in another kiss. “Thank you.”

“Thank me when you see your real present,” he muttered before he slipped out the back door.

Chris yelled, “It is not!”

“Is too. You always grab the lightest ones.”

“I have two. You have one.”

Chris and Mark barreled into the kitchen with Loralie trailing behind. The baby, of course, had the bag with the eggs.

“Look, Mama! I helped.”

Allie quickly grabbed the bag before it could fall. “Thank you!”

“I like our new ’frigerator.”

“It’s not ours, baby. Ollie got it for his house.”

Loralie cocked her head. “I know.”

Leaving her with a quizzical look, her youngest ran outside, yelling for the dog.

“ALLIE!”

She heard Ollie calling from outside the barn after school on Wednesday. He was worried about the minivan. He’d taken to muttering “catastrophic engine failure” or “don’t forget your Triple A card” under his breath every time she left to take the kids to school.

Allie walked out the kitchen door, leaving the kids doing their homework while she walked to the barn.

“Let me guess,” she said, walking in and sliding the old door closed to block the glaring sun. “It needs something that costs several thousand dollars and really, can I just get something that’s not going to blow—what are you—?”

Ollie swung her around and planted a kiss on her mouth as he lifted Allie to the hood of the old truck.

“Hey,” he murmured. “How are you?”

Turned on. Frustrated. She gripped his hair in her hands and pulled his mouth back to hers.

“Better now,” she said between kisses. “You?”

“Doing just fine.” He stepped between her legs and leaned in, making her feel surrounded in the very best way.

The hood of the old Ford put her and Ollie face-to-face, which was definitely one of the challenges with a man over a foot taller than you. He liked to pick her up and cart her around, which made Allie feel ridiculous. Still, it was practical if they wanted to avoid neck injuries.

After his initial fierce kiss, he slowed and savored.

Oh, the man could savor.

The innate patience Ollie had always exhibited in life told her he’d probably drive her crazy in bed. She’d want fast. He’d go slow. But the hand kneading her hip told her it would be the best kind of slow. The devastating kind that—

She gasped when his hand closed over her breast.

“This okay?” he whispered in her ear, sliding a finger along the curve of one breast while his thumb teased her nipple over her shirt.

“You getting grease on my shirt?”

He smiled. “I washed up before I called you.”

“Then it’s awesome.” She pressed into his hand and let her head fall back when he dragged his lips along her neck.

They made out like teenagers until she heard a little voice calling her name from the house.

Allie pulled away with flushed lips, dragging her nails lightly down his cheeks, his soft growl of approval vibrating against her chest.

“I better get back. Dinner will be at six. Jim and Tracey said they’d open tonight so we can go in a little later.”

He helped her off the truck. “I get your breaks tonight, woman, so don’t plan on gossiping with the girls.”

“Bossy.” She laughed. “Oh, so what’s the damage on my car? New transmission? Let me know and I’ll see if my dad can—”

“Oh, I fixed the van already,” he said, waving her off. “I just called you out here so I could kiss you. Car’s fine.”

SEAN was sitting across from her at the bar Thursday night, talking quietly so they couldn’t be overheard.

“According to Connor, there isn’t a bank within a hundred miles that rented Joe a safe-deposit box. He hasn’t been able to check all the private storage facilities, but he’ll keep looking.”

“What if he used a different name?”

“You do actually have to provide ID to rent one,” Sean said. “So unless he had a bunch of good fakes lying around—”

“He might have.” Allie glanced around at her tables, but everyone was watching the musician on the small stage. It was an older blues guitarist, not the Cave’s usual hard-rocking sound, but it suited the quieter midweek crowd.

Sean said, “Good fakes are expensive, especially these days. But it’s possible. Connor will keep looking.”

Her eyes cut to Ollie, who was watching them carefully, then back to Sean. “You do realize your cousin probably uses those computer skills for more than just studying and looking up information about rotten ex-husbands, right?”

“I don’t ask questions when I don’t want to know the answer,” Sean said. “He’s an adult. Kind of. And hopefully college will civilize him.”

“Well, I’ll owe him one if he can find anything.”

“You don’t owe him.
I’ll
owe him. ’Cause he’ll be a lot more cautious about what he tried to collect with me, so don’t argue.” Sean scratched his chin. “You know, even if you find it, you can’t just deposit all that cash in your checking account, right? Have you thought about that yet?”

“No.” She grabbed three more longnecks when table seven held up their empties and nodded at her. They were regulars, so she popped off the caps and loaded her tray. “The first step is finding the money. Then I can worry about what to do with it. I just don’t want this Lobo guy to get it first.”

She could tell Sean didn’t like that answer. His mouth turned down in a frown.

“Allie—”

“Don’t tell me to keep my head down and forget about the cash, Sean Quinn. I may not have approved of Joe’s gambling, but the fact is, he won that pot fair and square. His kids deserve to have his share of it.” She blinked back the unexpected tears. “Damn it, he died for that stupid game. It shouldn’t be for nothing.”

“I get it,” Sean said, brushing a hand over her shoulder and kissing her cheek. “We’ll keep looking.”

She nudged him back. “You trying to cause drama?”

“I can’t help it. You’re so damn cute when you’re happy.”

She could feel a bit of a blush, but she didn’t care. She was happy, and she was glad her friends could tell.

“He treating you right?”

She glanced down the bar at Ollie, blowing him a kiss before she picked up her tray.

“Course he is,” Allie said. “He’s Ollie.”

HE’D caught her doing the dishes the first time it happened. Allie was cleaning up on Friday night, rushing around so they wouldn’t be late for work while Ollie settled the younger kids in with a movie in the family room. He snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his chest and teasing his beard against her neck.

“It tickles,” she said, laughing and trying to wiggle away.

“Kiss me.”

“The kids—”

“Are staring at the TV. Kiss me.”

She turned her head and kissed him. He drew it out, teasing her lips until she opened for him, then she turned, her hands still soapy, and leaned into him, her arms resting on his shoulders while he made her head spin.

“Need to get some alone time,” he said quietly.

“Agreed.”

“Want you something fierce, Allie-girl.”

“I want you too.” She sighed and closed her eyes, drifting into the warm happy place he took her.

“It’s not gonna be at the bar, and that’s the only time we’re alone,” he whispered. “Maybe if we—”

He broke off when he heard the giggle.

Allie’s eyes went wide as she turned her head to see Loralie in the doorway, giggling behind her hands.

“Ollie,” the little girl whispered. “You’re kissing Mama.”

He cleared his throat and took a step back. “Uh… yep.”

Allie’s heart was beating out of her chest. “Hey, baby.”

Loralie ran over and help up her arms to Allie. “I want a kiss too.”

“Okay,” She picked Loralie up and kissed her little bow of a mouth while Ollie smacked a kiss on her cheek. Then she wiggled and Allie put her down.

“I don’t wanna miss Merida. Ollie, kiss Mama again!”

Of course she had to shout that. Of course she did.

And yet… there were no shocked gasps from the boys. No apparent signs of emotional trauma.

“Well,” Ollie said, sounding way more cheerful than she felt. “I guess the kids know.”

“Apparently, yes.”

“Good.” He leaned down and gave her one last kiss before he smiled and smacked her backside. “That’ll make life easier.”

Then the man walked out to the family room—whistling!—and said in a loud, cheerful voice, “Guys, I’m kissing your mom now.”

Loralie giggled, and Chris asked, “Why?”

She heard Kevin say, “I’m shocked. So shocked.”

“Ew. Gross,” Mark added. “Just don’t do it in front of us.”

Allie covered her face with her hands only to realize they still had soap all over them.

“HMMM.” She started awake when she heard the door slam. She’d been resting her eyes on the couch in Ollie’s office while he closed up the bar. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He sat down next to her, let out a deep breath, and leaned his head back. “Long week.”

She scooted over and snuggled into his side when he put his arm around her. “Two days off.”

“I checked with Kevin and Eli. Kids are asleep. House is quiet.”

“Good.”

“We doing Sunday dinner at my place tomorrow?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Come on.” He turned toward her. “We should get you home. You’re exhausted. You’ve got to get your dad to hire someone on Saturdays. You work way too much.”

She burrowed into his side. “Snuggle.”

He sighed. “I’ve only got so much self-control, woman.”

Allie’s breath caught, and her sleepy languor took on an entirely more heated tone. She stretched against him, throwing one arm over his shoulder and one leg over his thigh before she scooted onto his lap and nuzzled into his chest.

“Allie…” He let out a breath and put his hands on the small of her back, teasing the sensitive skin there with rough fingertips. “We should get home. You’re worn out.”

Yeah, but she wasn’t dead. And they were alone in the bar. Really and truly alone.

With a lazy stretch, Allie pressed her body into his. Her breasts against his chest. Her heat against his hips. She felt him, hard and swollen between her thighs, and she let the animal in her out to play, overwhelmed by the scent and feel of the male beneath her.

Allie rocked into him, laying her head on his shoulder and pressing lazy kisses to his neck. She licked at the edge of the flames that marked his chest, pulling his collar down so she could taste more.