CHAPTER FOUR
Georgia couldn’t drink another shot. Hell, she couldn’t even look at another shot without wanting to reenact Deanna’s earlier performance in the women’s restroom.
She’d been a little nervous, staying there on her own. But she hadn’t wanted to seem rude or like the party-pooper of the group, so she’d politely accepted the first offer for a shot. Then another one had shown up on the table for her. And another. After the third one, she’d had to enlist the help of Everett to make them stop. Eli had disappeared to the other side of the bar to chat with an attractive redhead who had been eyeing him all night. Everett hadn’t seemed too pleased with his appointed job, or maybe it was her overindulgence that he wasn’t pleased with.
He was so intense. Maybe he needed to get laid. She wouldn’t mind that assignment.
Though no one was able to hear her internal thoughts, she smacked her hand over her mouth—a little to forcefully given the wide-eyed reactions of the other guys at the table.
“I think it’s time to take you home,” Everett announced. He gripped her upper arm to help her out of the booth.
Georgia didn’t put up a fuss. In fact, now that she had a little liquid courage in her, she didn’t find it so hard to admit how attracted to Everett’s dark intensity she was.
Why hadn’t she wanted to pursue anything again? In her current state, she couldn’t think of a single good reason not to see what it would be like to be with a man like him. It’d been way too long since she’d been wrapped in a man’s arms. All of her orgasms lately had been courtesy of handheld electronic devices.
Sad but true.
Everett held her coat out for her. Her head flopped back as she stood before him to take him in. His dark hair and the shadow of his beard gave him a rough, weathered aura that tugged at her insides.
What would that face feel like between her thighs?
Hopefully she hadn’t just thought that out loud.
She didn’t think she did anyway.
“I like this.” Georgia ran her hand along his stubble.
His jaw contracted under her fingers. He sucked in a large breath and didn’t let the air out until he responded seconds later.
“Thanks,” he said and shifted his weight. “Come on. Let’s get your coat on. I have to work in the morning.”
Georgia spun around and slipped her arms into her jacket, and before she was able to say anything else, Everett was dragging her by the hand to the exit.
“Hey! Where’s the fire?” Georgia drawled as her boots crunched the snow beneath her feet.
Fire. That was it. Maybe he was a firefighter too. She had a faint recollection of him mentioning where he worked earlier but couldn’t remember what he’d said.
Everett opened the passenger’s door and helped her inside before going around to the driver’s side and hopping in.
“This is the second time in one day that I’ve been in your car,” Georgia observed.
He pulled out of the parking lot and out onto the dark and deserted road with a noncommittal grunt.
Now that they were in the enclosed space, his scent wafted over to her. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. God, he smelled good—like a mix of men’s cologne with a woodsy undertone. It made her want to lean into him.
Georgia scooted over in her seat until she was able to rest her head against his shoulder. He made a great pillow. She thought she should tell him so, but she was so warm and comfortable now that she didn’t feel like moving a muscle.
He continued to stare straight ahead with a blank expression as he navigated his way back into town. Georgia’s eyelids grew heavy as she stared out the windshield and listened to the thrum of the pavement under the tires. Maybe she’d close her eyes for a second.
Before she knew it, Everett was waking her up with a shake of his shoulder. “We’re here.”
Georgia blinked a couple of times to clear the cobwebs, and when she was able to focus, realized they were parked in Deanna and Lucky’s driveway. She pulled herself off Everett and shifted to look at him.
“Thanks for the ride.”
Everett stared at her with an intensity in his gaze and her breath grew shallow. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. The magnetic pull between them was undeniable.
Georgia swallowed hard and licked her bottom lip, wanting nothing more than to kiss him.
Then why the hell didn’t she? She was a member of the new breed of women who believed in going after what they wanted, wasn’t she? That was why she was in Hope Falls in the first place, after all. Why did Everett have to be the one to kiss her? This all sounded reasonable to her in her sexually frustrated, alcohol-plied state, so she closed her eyes and leaned forward.
Her lips had just touched his when his hands landed on her shoulders and pushed her back.
“What are you doing?” Everett’s eyes were wide, and his tone was clipped.
“I…uh…” No words would form as humiliation raced to invade every cell in her body. “I’m sorry.” Without another word, she spun in her seat, opened the door, and sped to the house.
Everett called after her, but she didn’t turn around as she gripped the handle to open the front door.
Thank God people don’t lock their doors in small towns.
She stepped inside and closed the door as fast as possible, wanting to put as much distance between her and the man outside as she could.