CHAPTER NINE
Operation: Avoid Everett was a massive failure.
Georgia had left the interview on a high after having scheduled a second interview with the mayor in a few days’ time. She’d managed to not think about Everett for more than five minutes—which, in itself, was a feat, based on her thought patterns since she’d arrived in town.
The moment she’d stepped into the workout area looking for Lucky so she could ask where she should change, she’d spotted Everett. Shirtless, his chest heaved with sweat dripping down his perfectly formed chest muscles.
Yes, she’d been able to notice all that in the milliseconds before all three men had turned and faced her. She was good like that.
Now, Georgia was the one trying to catch her breath as three sets of eyes bore down on her—two with amused curiosity and the third with a mix of surprise, need, and resignation.
She had to clear her throat before she was able to find her voice. “Uh…Lucky…I was wondering where I could change?”
“Right. Sorry. Let me show you.”
She reluctantly removed her gaze from Everett’s considerable assets as Lucky strode over to her with his usual easygoing smile in place. He showed her to a small but clean locker room. After thanking him, she took her time changing into her sports bra and her spandex shorts, hoping that, by the time she finished, Everett would be gone.
With a deep breath, she squeezed her eyes shut for a second, promised herself she wouldn’t ogle Deanna’s cousin’s body if he was still out there, and made her way to the workout area.
Georgia hated the feeling of her workout clothes clinging to her once she was sweating, so she tended to wear as little as possible at the gym. Lots of women did the same, but she’d never felt exposed or half naked until she walked into the gym and not only saw, but felt Everett’s gaze taking in every single inch of her bare skin. Multiple times. She swore she even saw Eli sneak a peek.
The best plan was to ignore him altogether, so she gave him a small smile and made her way over to the bench press. Lucky was nowhere to be found, and she figured he must have been getting some work done in the office. She hadn’t even reached the area yet when Eli called out from the other side of the gym.
“Want me to spot you?”
It’d been too easy to think they’d do the same and pretend she wasn’t there.
“Sure thing,” she said as she arranged the weights she wanted on the bar.
Eli spotted her and showed her some new upper-body exercises, but Everett kept his distance. She wasn’t able to stop herself from glancing over at him from time to time—the man’s body was like a beacon. Every time she did, his eyes were already on them. Almost as if he were keeping an eye on her and Eli.
It wasn’t until the end of her workout, when she challenged Eli at the chin-up bar close to where Everett was excercising, that Eli attempted to turn on the charm with her, which struck her as odd. Until then, he’d only been friendly.
“Have you been enjoying your time in Hope Falls?” Eli asked as he stretched his arms above him to grip the bar.
“Of course. What’s not to like? The people are friendly, the scenery is gorgeous…”
“Aw, Georgia. If you’re enjoying gawking at my body, you can just come out and say so.” Eli grinned then pulled himself up on the bar and counted his reps.
She rolled her eyes. “I was referring to the mountains.”
“Sure you were,” he said, a little out of breath. Then he dropped to the ground. “Have you seen the new show they’re playing at the theater? I’ve heard it’s a super romantic date movie. Some of the women at Brewed Awakenings were talking about it this morning in line.”
“Okay…” Georgia wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
“Maybe you and I—”
“Georgia” rang out loudly behind her.
When she spun around, Everett was giving his brother the stink eye. Then he directed his gaze at her.
“Yeah?” She looked from Everett to Eli and back, still unsure what was going on between them.
Everett opened his mouth to speak and then shut it again, appearing to think better of whatever he was going to say.
“Anyway,” Eli started, “like I was saying—”
“I wanted to see if you were free to do something tomorrow afternoon. I’m working in the morning but free after that,” Everett said.
Her eyes widened while butterflies started flapping their wings inside her tummy. Everett was asking her out in front of his brother? What happened to their agreement that nothing could happen between them?
“Um…yeah. Assuming Deanna’s still under the weather, I don’t have any plans.”
He nodded. “Great. That’ll make Deanna happy. She asked me to make sure you had a good time since she’s down and out, and I said I’d show you everything the town had to offer.”
The small part of her that had been thrilled when he’d asked her, as wrong as that was, shriveled up at the mention of Deanna’s request. Georgia pursed her lips.
“Seriously, bro?” Eli muttered behind her.
“Well, if that’s the only reason, I don’t want to put you out,” she said between gritted teeth, crossing her arms over her chest.
“It’s no biggie. I owe Deanna one.” He shrugged.
Her face heated—partly in anger and partly from embarrassment that Eli was witnessing their entire exchange.
“You know, I think maybe I do have plans tomorrow and I just forgot. Don’t worry about it.” She spun on her heel to face Eli, who was shaking his head at his brother. “Thanks for the workout.” Then she booked it out of there and back to the change room, her chest heaving, her fists clenched.
Everett had some nerve. It wasn’t more than a day ago that he’d had his tongue down her throat, and now, he was acting like he was doing her a favor by spending time with her? Georgia had heard about guys who liked to play mind games, but she’d never had any experience with them until now. She understood a little better what drove perfectly sane women to crimes of passion.
No sooner had she closed the door to the locker room and grabbed her bag with her clothes than Everett burst through after her.
“You can’t be in here!”
“There’s no one else here,” he said, his gaze darting around the small room to ensure he was correct.
“What do you want, Everett?” Georgia dropped her workout bag to the floor and cocked her hip out to the side with a hand on her waist.
He might not have known it, but she was from the South and her posture meant she was ready to go to war, as good as if she’d had a gun pointed at his temple.
“I need to explain what happened back there.”
“Oh, I know what happened. One minute, you’re groping me, and the next, you’re acting as if it’s a chore to be around me.”
He shook his head then ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. “No. I mean, yes, that’s technically what did happen, but it’s not how it looks.”
“Oh?” Georgia questioned.
Everett took a step toward her, gripping her upper arms. “Right before you got here, the guys were giving me a hard time about you. I did my best not to let them know how right they were. I do think about you. I do want you. Every second of every day since I’ve met you. But we agreed that it wasn’t a good idea. I was trying to honor that.
A small sigh of relief escaped her.
“Eli only asked you out to force my hand.”
Georgia narrowed her eyes.
“Not that he wouldn’t actually want to go out with you. God, I’m butchering this explanation. My name might as well be Dexter.”
“What are you trying to say, Everett?” She was hopeful but not sure what she was hoping would happen. Her feelings were such a mess when it came to him.
His hands slid up from her arms to push into her hair. “Damn it, if you had any idea how badly I want to be able to touch you, to feel you, to taste you.” He tilted her head so she was forced to look up at him, into those whiskey-colored eyes she could easily drown in. “The part about Deanna asking me to make sure you had a good time while you were in town was true. But I only added it for Eli’s benefit. The truth is there’s no one I’d rather spend my time with, and I don’t know how much longer I can restrain myself from acting on all the things I want to do to you.”
His gaze was smoldering, and stoked the fire in the deepest parts of her. She was drawn to him, and she couldn’t explain it, but maybe it didn’t need explaining.
“Then don’t. Don’t restrain yourself any longer.” Perched on her tiptoes so she could reach him, she crushed her lips to his and finally brought a lit match to the gasoline that was the lust filling the room.