The problem with moving on from Elliott was this: She still wanted to climb him like a motherfucking tree. That incessant need had been there before arriving at the Tates’ farm, but after the way he’d cowed that pasty banker, backed him down and turned him into a kindergartner on his first day of school? Peggy’s underwear might as well have been through a monsoon. As they all piled into the Tates’ kitchen, she was grateful for the oversized island, because she was pretty sure the wet spot between her legs was visible, something that had never happened in her life.
Lord. She’d seen Coach Elliott Brooks in action. Goodness knew she’d pined over him, pom-poms in hand, from the sidelines. He was scary as hell when he wanted to be. But she’d never seen it up close. Never watched his back muscles bunch up, heard his voice drop into a pitch so low and dirty, it had strummed cords in her stomach like she’d swallowed a guitar. When he’d been putting O’Leary in his place, he might as well have been thrusting inside her—no exaggeration.
And it was his cause that had made the difference. He’d been fighting for something that mattered. To both of them. For those shining moments, they’d been on the same team…and she’d hated herself for loving it. For feeling proud of what they were accomplishing together.
Across the kitchen island, she watched Elliott accept his third round of smacking cheek kisses from Kyler’s grandmother with as much warmth as an ice sculpture, heard him make some modest reply…and dammit if she didn’t get wetter. It was a veritable deluge right where it counted, and here she was, hiding any signs of her arousal behind a marble kitchen fixture. Or maybe she wasn’t hiding it at all, because Elliott’s gaze meandered across the island and caressed her nipples. Of course they were in embarrassing little points. She was an indecent woman. They shouldn’t even have let her in the house.
Peggy quickly crossed her arms and searched out Belmont where he hovered by the front door, Sage at his side, looking like she might be pondering the wisdom of holding his hand, but was too afraid to make her move. Something needed to be figured between those two and fast, because Peggy could still sense the nervous energy building in her best friend, and she couldn’t decide if it would be better or worse if that turmoil centered on Belmont.
Nearby in the living room, Alice sat on the couch, staring down at her phone. At the opposite end, a girl her same age—probably Kyler’s sister—peered down at her own cell, but every once in a while, the girls would trade an interested glance.
Peggy was distracted by Kyler’s mother pulling her into a hug, wedging Peggy’s crossed arms against her bosom. If she hugged the woman back, there was every chance she would stab the poor lady with her freak show nipples, so she feigned a shiver upon moving back. “Just a little chilly.”
“Crank the heat, Lyle!” Kyler’s mother called out without interrupting her grin. “Let’s not freeze our saviors to death.”
Rosy-cheeked Lyle, Kyler’s father, looked nothing like his strapping young son. Not classically handsome, he was adorably rotund and possessed the kind of demeanor that made you want to smile, especially now that they’d been issued a short reprieve from the bank. His step was springy as he did his wife’s bidding, then returned to the gathering around the island, propping himself on his elbows and nodding at Peggy. “Now, far be it from me to look a gift horse in the mouth, but if you wouldn’t mind explaining what you’ve got cooking on that laptop, I’d love to know what I can do to help.”
“Sure,” Peggy breathed, nerves bundling up near her throat when she realized she’d have to uncross her arms. But before she could reveal nipples that could probably double as air traffic controller wands, something warm dropped onto her shoulders. Elliott’s jacket?
When she turned to give him a grateful look, he passed on a slow wink…and more heat gathered between her legs. This was going to be a long afternoon.
“Now before we go talking business,” Jess said, holding up both hands for silence. “Let’s get the sleeping and eating arrangements in order.”
“Here we go,” Lyle said, pinching his wife’s waist and earning a yelp. “Now you leave the eating to me. I can throw some steaks on the grill out back and we’ve got enough corn and potatoes to sustain an army.”
“Sleeping arrangements?” Peggy squeaked, noticing the conversation had turned Belmont’s wary expression into a dark frown. “I figured we’d just find the local motel—”
“Won’t hear of it! Don’t even suggest it!” Jess exclaimed. “This lot will be headed home soon.” She gestured to the various family members of unknown origin, all of whom looked content just to watch the proceedings. “We have two guest rooms and a pull-out sofa. I figured we’d put the big feller on the pull-out, Sage and Alice in one room, Elliott and Peggy in the other, since they’re a couple—”
“Oh. Whoa.” She gave her most sincere smile, noticing in her periphery that Elliott looked pleased beyond words. “We’re not a couple. I’ll stay with Sage and Alice.”
“The car is fine for me,” Belmont rumbled.
“And Alice can stay in my room,” the phone-obsessed teen said from the couch, before quickly ducking her head back down. “She seems chill or whatever.”
Alice’s mouth dropped open, then slammed shut, a flush racing up her neck. “Thanks.”
As if the teenage breakthrough hadn’t just taken place across the room, Jess propped both hands on her hips. “Kyler, you said Coach and Peggy were a couple.”
“I also said not to say anything about it,” Kyler mumbled, his red face buried in his hands. “Just let them sleep where they want, Mom.”
“Fine enough,” Jess said, splitting a speculative look between Peggy and Elliott. “They’re a mighty interesting pair, is all.”
Elliott started to laugh. The sound was so rich and unexpected and made of manliness, the strong muscles of his throat flexing, that every female in the kitchen went visibly loopy-eyed, probably including Peggy. When the rich sound faded, his attention was trained on Peggy. “She’s the interesting one. I’m lucky she ever looked twice at me.” He turned serious. “Trying to figure out how to make her do it again.”
“Stop, Elliott,” Peggy whispered, fury clogging her lungs. Who was this man who spoke so freely in front of strangers? She didn’t know him. He wasn’t her Elliott. He was…everything she’d ever fantasized he could be. Better, though. A million times better. And hope was a terrifying thing when she knew how it felt to have that feeling crushed under someone’s foot. The same man who’d inspired it too many times. Straightening her spine, Peggy turned the laptop so it faced the family, who now looked way more interested in her love life than any fund-raiser. “Actually, there is a way you can help…”