When We Kiss (26 page)

July
Ribbon Ridge, Oregon

I
T WAS
S
UNDAY
dinner, and as usual, everyone was here. Everyone but Hayden, who would be arriving next week in time for Sara and Dylan's wedding. Between wedding preparations and getting The Alex ready for its soft opening in a few weeks, everyone was overwhelmingly busy. Still, they gathered every Sunday, and Liam had to admit it had become his favorite time of the week.

Except for every moment he was with Aubrey.

He looked over at her sitting at the table next to Sara, their heads bent in conversation. He couldn't believe how drastically his life had changed, almost overnight. But he was glad. Humbled, even.

He'd started seeing a therapist a couple of weeks ago, and though he'd only had two sessions, he already felt a lightness he'd never known before. It was strange to feel that way at the time when he'd finally started to grieve, but he supposed it made sense. As he let the heaviness of his guilt and anger fall away, he emerged unburdened, free. Like when he floated through the air in free fall. Like he imagined Alex must be now.

Aubrey's eye caught his in silent question. He'd gotten up from the table to refill his beer and had become completely lost in his thoughts. He'd been doing that a lot lately as he worked through the emotions of moving back home and letting Alex go.

He sat down next to her and listened to the conversation he'd been missing.

“The limo's picking us up Friday at five, right?” Chloe asked Tori.

Tori swallowed a bite of food and nodded. “And Aubrey's got the dinner all set.” They had to be talking about Sara's bachelorette party, which was the same night as Dylan's bachelor party.

Liam looked at Aubrey. “Where did you decide to go?”

Aubrey rested her palm on his thigh, sending a bolt of lust straight through him. “We're taking Sara to the Ridgeview.”

That was the cottage event space at The Alex that Sara had designed. It seemed a fitting place for her to have her bachelorette party. It was also a short walk from where they were holding Dylan's bachelor party at their underground pub, Archetype.

“So you'll be close, then,” he said.

Aubrey's auburn brows pitched down. “What do you mean?”

“Did no one tell you that the bachelor party is at Archetype?”

“Shut
up
,” Chloe said.

Aubrey's eyes widened. “Oh. No. That's kind of a problem.”

“Is it? I think it'll be okay.” Liam looked over at Sean and Kyle. “I mean, we'll ask the strippers to keep it down, right guys?”

Kyle nodded. “Absolutely. And if they can't, well . . . ” He made an overly apologetic face and shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Not sorry.” Derek coughed the words, but everyone heard what he said. The guys laughed, and Derek and Kyle high-fived each other.

Chloe swatted her husband on the shoulder. “Cut it out. You losers don't need strippers, not when we're right down the road.”

Liam chuckled. “We didn't know that. I guess we'll cancel them.” There were no strippers, of course.

Aubrey rolled her eyes at him. “Whatever.”

Tori took a drink of beer and exhaled as she set her glass back down on the table. “I guess that means we have to cancel ours, too. Damn. I had them flown in from Australia special.”

Liam laughed heartily. “The Thunder from Down Under?”

Tori's eyes gleamed with mirth. “Yep.”

“And I was so looking forward to them.”

Everyone turned to stare at his mother, who wore a rather gleeful expression. Then she blinked. “Really. That sounds like great fun.”

Dad cleared his throat, but his eyes glinted with humor. “Yeah, fun.” He stood up from the table and took his plate to the sink.

“Why do I think we're going to end up merging parties on Friday?” Sara asked.

Aubrey leaned against Liam. “I see how this is going to work. You guys are going to wait until we're all tanked, then you're going to swoop in and save us again.”

Liam put his arm around Aubrey and stroked her shoulder. “Ha, doubtful. We might be more tanked than you.”

“Then it's a good thing the hotel has beds and plumbing, so we can all crash there.”

“Dibs on the garden penthouse!” Chloe said.

The hotel had three penthouses on the top floor. With six couples, they were going to have to duke it out. “We'll let Sara and Dylan have first choice.”

“Good plan,” Kyle said, standing. “Time for cocktails out back.”

Everyone but Liam and Aubrey got up from the table. He held her close and nuzzled her cheek before kissing the corner of her mouth. “I don't care what room we have.”

“I know,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “Location has never been something you put a lot of thought into.”

“Hey, all I need is you and a surface. Surface optional.”

She laughed, low and husky, and the sultry sound rocketed straight to his groin, via his heart and soul. She scooted to the edge of her chair so their thighs were touching. “You ready to go soon?”

“What about the cocktails?”

She sighed and retreated to the center of her chair. “I suppose we should hang around for a bit.”

He snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her back against him. “No, no. Let's discuss this. We can probably make a case for leaving, right counselor? I do have more interviews tomorrow—first one's at eight thirty.”

Her hazel eyes sparked with heat. “And I should probably draft a motion that's due tomorrow.”

“Well, we clearly have work to do. I guess you're right; we should go.”

They both stood so quickly that they nearly knocked over their chairs. Their intimate laughter provoked groans from the others, who were bussing their plates and tidying up.

Kyle rolled his eyes. “You two are disgusting.”

“It's cute,” Tori said. “Even if it is Liam.”

“Disgustingly cute,” Aubrey said, kissing him quickly before they took their plates to the sink.

Liam looked at them apologetically. “Sorry guys, we need to head home and get some work done.”

Sean didn't look the least bit convinced. “Uh-huh.”

Liam grabbed Aubrey's hand and pulled her toward the mudroom.

She waved and smiled, her face lighting up in that way that made his heart turn over. “Bye!”

As soon as he got her outside, he turned and pinned her against the house for a hot, fierce, far-too-brief kiss. “I just had to do that,” he murmured. “Couldn't wait another second.”

She brushed her hand along his jaw. “I hope it's always like this.”

He didn't doubt it. Their love was too absolute, their bond too strong. “It will be. You have my heart, my body, my soul. Forever.”

The end

 

The youngest Archer brother is back from his wine-making internship in France, and he's still looking for love . . .

The perfect woman has been right in front of him for years, but will he get a second chance at first love?

Don't miss Hayden's story . . .

YOU'RE STILL THE ONE

Coming April 2016

Preorder it today!

A
HUGE THANK
you to my husband, Steve, for all the legal information. If I got any of it wrong, that's on me.

I want to give a special thank-you to my fabulous friend Cami Curtis. I was remiss in not thanking her at the end of
The Idea of You
for helping me with some . . . stuff. She knows what it is. I'm so, so glad you came into our lives. You are the very best. Keep it classy. (No
really
, you need to keep it classy. For the children.)

I couldn't help but have at least one of these Archers love the Dave Matthews Band as much as I do, and Liam got to be the lucky one. I also couldn't resist having Aubrey love them, too, so that they could share the joy that is DMB. I saw them for the I-don't-know-how-manyth-time over Labor Day (I'm a huge fan, but I don't count shows!) right after I finished this book, so that was a fantastic reward. Thank you guys for creating a soundtrack that speaks right to my soul—how sweet you rock and sweet you roll.

I am so thankful for my terrific agent, Jim McCarthy. You are a delightful human being and a true professional. I'm also hugely grateful to my editor, Nicole Fischer, for being completely awesome and the entire Avon crew. Avon KissCon was an absolute blast, and I can't wait to do it again. I just love being an Avon author!

Finally, I didn't go skydiving or flying in a small plane for research. And I never will!

Thank You!

Thank you for reading
When We Kiss
! I have so much fun writing about the Archers. They feel like family to me, and I hope to you, too. I'm so excited about the next book, which is Hayden's story,
You're Still the One
. I hope to see you back in Ribbon Ridge when it releases in April 2016! And never fear, while that will be the last of the Archer siblings' books, I have plans for many more stories set in Ribbon Ridge about people you've already met. When you read
You're Still the One
, you'll be able to figure out where we go next. Cheers!

Ribbon Ridge is a fictional town based on several cities and towns dotting the Willamette Valley between Portland and the Oregon Coast. It's pinot noir wine country, very beautiful and picturesque—and a short drive from where I live. My brother actually dwells right in the heart of it in a tiny town with no gas station or grocery store (he recently informed me they now have a smallish grocery store/carniceria). There is, however, an amazing antique mall in a historic schoolhouse.

Reviews help readers find books that are right for them. I hope you'll consider leaving an honest one on your preferred social media or review site.

Be sure to visit my
Facebook page
for the latest information and to say “hi,” follow me on
Twitter
(@darcyburke), check out images of the northern Willamette Valley and other things that inspired this series on
Pinterest
, and sign up for my
newsletter
so you'll know exactly when my next book is available.

Thank you again for reading and for your support!

DARCY BURKE
is the
USA Today
best-selling author of hot, action-packed historical and sexy, emotional, contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age eleven, a happily-ever-after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan that loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations.

A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious kids who seem to have inherited the writing gene, and three Bengal cats. In her “spare” time, Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a twelve-step program where one learns to say “no,” but she keeps having to start over. She's also a fair-weather runner, and her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
hc.com
.

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Ribbon Ridge

Where the Heart Is
(a prequel novella)

Only In My Dreams

Yours to Hold

When Love Happens

The Idea of You

When We Kiss

Coming Soon:

You're Still the One

HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Secrets and Scandals

Her Wicked Ways

His Wicked Heart

To Seduce a Scoundrel

To Love a Thief
(a novella)

Never Love a Scoundrel

Scoundrel Ever After

Regency Treasure Hunters

The de Valery Code

Romancing the Earl

Raiders of the Lost Heart

The Legacy of an Extraordinary Gentleman

The Untouchables

The Forbidden Duke

The Duke of Daring

The Duke of Deception

The Duke of Desire

A Mechanics of Love Novel

By Megan Erickson

After a devastating relationship left her reeling, mechanic Alex Dawn swore off all men. She's got a chip on her shoulder no man will ever knock off, so she's content to focus on her family and her job at Payton and Sons Automotive. But all the defenses she's worked to build are put to the test when British businessman L.M. Spencer rolls into her shop late one night, with a body like a model and a voice from her dirtiest dreams.

 

H
e followed her outside, the clack of his expensive shoes a contrast to the clomp of her boots. She was hyper-aware of his gaze on her back, like fingers down her spine. When they reached her truck, she reached out to open the door but the next second, a hand spun her around and a body pressed her up against the side of her truck.

She looked up, up into the face of one turned-on Brit. Her knees nearly buckled.

When they'd arrived at the bar, the sun was still setting, so she hadn't thought to worry about where she parked. Now she realized she'd chosen a spot that the dim lights outside the bar didn't reach. They were mostly in darkness, and she probably should have been afraid. Spencer was much taller than her, broader. His forearms were muscular and she could see the roundness of his biceps under his shirt.

But for some reason, she wasn't worried. The only part of him that touched her was his chest brushing along hers. She'd worn a push-up bra today and she cursed the padding that was separating her from rubbing her hardened nipples against him.

His hand was braced on the side of the truck, the other hanging at his side in a loose fist. His entire body was tense as he stared down into her eyes.

Slowly, very slowly, he lifted the hand at his side and settled it on her hip. Her tank top had ridden up so a strip of skin was bared between it and the top of her jeans. He ran his thumb along that strip of skin, watching her face. She got the impression he was waiting for her to say stop, or keep going, and she appreciated that.

Although what did she expect from a man named Leslie Michael Spencer?

She curled her tongue around her top teeth and lifted her chin. “You too posh to take what you want?” she whispered.

He barked out a laugh. “I have to make the first move, do I?”

She swallowed. “I'm pretty sure my invitation to stick your hand up my shirt was the first move.” She was proud of her chest, always had been. Dawn girls were blessed in the boob department, that was for sure, despite their small statures.

His eyes dipped to her chest, then back up. “Hm, I guess you're right.”

“Your move then, Posh.”

“This
was
my move. Not letting you get in the car, pressing my body to yours, showing you that I want you.” He emphasized that with a slight roll of his hips. “So, actually, it's now your move, Sprite.”

There were a lot of things about a man's body Alex liked. Hands were one. Legs and ass were another. She'd seen glimpses of the muscles in his thighs flexing in his pants, the perfect shape of his ass, so now she decided she needed to feel too. She reached down with both hands, running her fingers up the back of his thighs, then cupped his ass. She pressed his hips to her, and he exhaled roughly. “Your move now,” she whispered.