Chapter Six

· zach ·

My car circled around the Austin airport arrivals at least seven times before I spotted Hilary walking out the doors, rolling her suitcase behind her. I pulled the rental Jeep Cherokee to the side and attempted to steady my nerves. Her golden hair was piled on top of her head, curls falling. Jean shorts showed off her long legs. Pink toes and strappy sandals caught my eye when I approached. I mumbled a greeting to her as she drew me in for a hug. Her damn scent encased me, and my jeans instantly felt tight.

“God, I knew it would be hot here, but my hair grew about ten feet the moment I stepped off the plane.”

I grabbed her luggage and stuffed it in the back of the Jeep as she entered the passenger side of the SUV. Once I snapped my seatbelt, I took a moment to look at her and exhaled. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Her large smile was incandescent, those brown eyes attentive. She was bursting with an energy that lifted my spirits. “What’s this?” she asked, reaching over. Her hand cupped my cheek, and she rubbed at the hair that covered it.

“It’s a beard.” I turned from her touch, setting the vehicle into motion.

“I know that, but you’re almost unrecognizable,” she said, then dug into her handbag that seemed two sizes bigger than she was.

“Don’t like it?” I laughed nervously. The time away had made her even more beautiful. She snatched her sunglasses out of her purse, only to fumble them. She was also goofy, and that was completely adorable.

“Shit.” Her attempts to pick them up from the floorboard with her feet failed, and she finally gave up the pursuit. I held back my laugh, and she huffed. “Isn’t it too hot for a beard? It feels like a hundred and fifty degrees here.”

I rubbed my chin. “I’m thinking of growing it out past my neck.” I smiled. “Like Gandalf.”

“You’re full of it. You look great, though. I like it.” The small compliment sent me over the moon. “I’m sure it’s a hit with the ladies.” She winked.

Change of subject. “How’s everything in Boston?”

“Same old stuff,” she replied and took in the view from the passenger window. I stared at her tight blouse and the gorgeous tits that filled it. I recalled the way they had perfectly fit in the palms of my hands. My grip on the steering wheel tightened, as did other parts of my body. A car honked behind us, and she glanced at me as I put my eyes back on the road. I needed to get my shit together. Five minutes in the car, and I was already on the way to killing both of us.

“Everyone’s good?” I asked.

“Everyone’s good. All us misfits have lost you and Evan to this city. I had to come see what was so special about it. It’s sure as hell not the weather.”

“Says you,” I disputed. “This place is amazing. The heat isn’t that bad. There’re tons of summer festivals going on. You can go hiking and swimming.”

“When was the last time you went hiking?”

“Um…” I was busted. “Okay, so I haven’t gone yet, but I want to.”

She chuckled. “We should go. Sounds fun.”

“Yeah.” The tension was palpable, you could slice it with a knife, and words were impossibly difficult for me. I was always charming, always on top of my game with girls, but I didn’t know how to start with Hilary. She was one of the few people who could see right through me.

“I made some contacts with a couple of bloggers. We’re meeting for brunch next week at this place called Walton’s.”

Thank Christ she was making conversation. It was easier for me to keep my mind off memories of what she looked like naked. “That place has really great desserts. Save your appetite for a macaroon.”
“Still into your sweets?”

“Not lately. However, if you care even a tiny bit about me, you’ll bring me one and not tell Josh.”

The stoplight allowed me to look at her while she roamed my body with an appreciating gaze. “If not eating sugar had this effect on you, you’re on your own.”

“Meaning?” I fished for more.

“Meaning I won’t enable your sweets habit if you’ve been working hard at building muscle.”

“So, you noticed?” I lifted my arm up and flexed, the sleeve of my plain t-shirt tightening. She laughed. “You wanna feel?”

Her small hand squeezed my biceps. “Very impressive. I don’t know why you’re even wearing a shirt.”

“To save me from getting tackled. I have a difficult time warding off women when I’m not clothed.”

Her chuckle turned into a guffaw. “But all those nights reading Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill make you irresistible.”

“You know it. The muscles are just an added bonus.”

“Well, I’m more about your cock, but the muscles will do,” she said offhandedly.

“Hilary!” I slammed on the brakes harder than necessary and felt my dick stir from the comment as she laughed. “Jesus, that mouth.”

“We weren’t going to keep skirting around it, Zach.”

I kept my eyes ahead as the light turned green. “No need to bring up the past.”

She took out some type of lip balm and patted it over her plump lips with her finger. It was as if she were tempting me on purpose. “Well, your awkwardness around me is a little perturbing.”

“I’m not awkward.”

“You’re totally awkward. You didn’t even want to hug me out there. It’s been half a year since we screwed, and everything’s good. So, let’s cut the weirdness, okay?”

I chewed on my lip as I glanced at her and nodded. “Hungry?”

“Starving.”

We kept up casual chatter as I took her to Hut’s Hamburgers, a small but popular diner. I ordered the Buddy Holly while she ordered the Ritchie Valens. She also insisted that we share a chocolate shake, fries, onion rings, and fried pickles. So much for my protein-only diet. I’d work out extra the next few days.

When the food got there, she ripped through hers as though she hadn’t eaten in weeks. She was always passionate about food. Her moans of satisfaction reminded me of the night we spent together, although almost anything with her had me reminiscing. “I’m going to have to write about this place on my blog.”

“In the travel section?” She nodded. “Good. I saw you had more people working on it?”

“I’m up to eight contributors.” She stuffed fries into her mouth. “I’m getting more advertising spots out there, too.”

“Well, if you write enough about Austin, count me in for advertising.”

“Why?”

I wanted to laugh at her attempt to chew and talk with her mouth full of food. “How long since you’ve eaten? You’re inhaling your food.”

“Before my flight,” she said quickly, stuffing more burger past her lips. It was difficult to keep my eyes off her. “Fast metabolism. Anyway, what do you need for advertising?”

“My restaurant,” I said softly, taking a fried pickle and popping it into my mouth.

Hilary stopped mid-chew and pushed her food to the side of her mouth. “You serious?” I nodded as her smile grew. Before I could say anything, she swallowed quickly and then flung her arms around me and clasped my neck. Her lips landed on my cheek, and she finally sat back in her chair. “Holy shit, Zach! That is amazing! I’m so proud of you.”

A shyness crept over me. “I’m still working on it, it’ll be a while before it opens, but it’s getting there sooner rather than later.”

“Do you have a projected date set? Did you hire a chef? What about licenses?”

“How do you know about all this?”

She sipped on the milkshake and sat back, her burger almost gone. “When you mentioned you were going to open a restaurant, I looked into it.”

“You did? Why?”

She picked at the fries. “Just curious. We need a to-go box for the extras. Can we get some groceries? I need my Pop-Tarts and coffee.”

I rolled my eyes and raised my hand for the waiter. “I bought them for you already, even though that’s the worst thing you could have for breakfast.”

“Are they frosted?”

“Nope. Strawberry, unfrosted, just the way you like.” She was a huge Gilmore Girls fan. Anyone who watched the show knew that those women lived on Pop-Tarts and coffee. One time, she’d made me watch an episode and got defensive when I told her that all they did was talk faster than I cared to keep up with. She’d been trying to make me give it another go ever since. “And as long as you don’t make me watch another episode of that mother/daughter show, I’ll keep buying them for you.”

“You have no idea what you’re missing,” she muttered. “The show’s really good. You should at least watch a few more episodes.”

“No. Because I have a penis and not a vagina.”

“A penis I’m very fond of.” She winked.

I closed my eyes and exhaled. This woman was testing me. “Let’s go, kid.” Evan’s sister. Evan’s sister. She’s Evan’s sister. I repeated it in my head and would continue to remind myself, no matter how badly I wanted her under me and naked again.

The ride home was uneventful. I informed her of my busy week ahead, but she was adamant that she didn’t need to be entertained. Grace would be training her to take over the job as property manager for the six townhomes in our gated community.

“The place is nice,” she said as I pulled her suitcase into the room that used to be Evan’s. He was attached at the hip to his girlfriend next door now. I gave Hilary the master bedroom, which had more space and the connected bathroom. She glanced at the desk in the corner and smiled. “Thank God, there’s an audio dock.”

“I thought you’d like it.” She walked over and placed her phone on it and messed with the settings. John Mayer crooned out of the speakers as she opened the sliding mirror door that hid the spacious closet.

“Thanks.” Her eyes traveled down my body to my jeans. Shit. If her gaze lingered long enough, she might see how damn hard I was for her. Luckily, she looked back up to my eyes. “You can’t wear those jeans around me, Zach.”

My mouth opened slightly. How would I explain? Before I had a chance to answer, she started again. “You’re looking way too sexy for your own good, you know.”

My nervous laugh escaped as I ran my hand through my hair. “Well, I can’t help it.” I wanted to tell her how stunning she was, the way her presence sucked the air from the room around me, but that would only lead down a dangerous path.

“So, are you seeing anyone?” She lugged her suitcase onto the bed and started to unpack.

“Nah.”

“Still loving and leaving?” She gave me a wink.

My regret gathered like a lump in my throat. As strong and put-together as she seemed, underneath lay a pool of insecurities. “I’m hopeless, you know.” Our eyes locked. My voice was barely above a whisper. “You’re…”

The shrill tone of Stayin’ Alive from The Bee Gees blared out of the speakers, and she scrambled to the desk. She snatched up the phone, froze, and stared at it. Her finger hovered over the screen until she pushed the side button and set it down.

The color had left her face, and goose bumps covered her arms. “Are you okay?”

Her voice was low. “Yeah.” She gazed at the wall. I reached out to rest my hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged me off. “Sorry, Zach, I just…I’m tired. Can I call it a night?”

“Of course.” I kept my eyes on her. You’re beautiful. That’s what I had wanted to say before the interruption. I still wanted to say it. Her long lashes, soft skin, and thick tendrils of blond hair were only part of what made me crazy about her. My fingers instinctively reached for a strand of gold and tucked it behind her ear. “Let me know if you need anything.”

I left the room, shutting the door behind me. The last view I had was of her chewing her lip and reaching for the phone.