Chapter Thirty-One

“Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.” Avery fanned herself after unrolling a rather large poster of Hunter Black, sent courtesy of Autumn Moone’s publisher, along with an entire box full of goodies. Several signed books, bookmarks, and pens with Hunter Black’s pretty face and gorgeous body plastered all over them filled the package. This particular poster had him shirtless and in tight jeans.

So perhaps it was juvenile and maybe even tasteless, but his smooth, sun-kissed chest was worth ogling. To say we were in heaven was an understatement. We didn’t even care that James and Peter walked in with Dad after a long day of working out in the warm fall day. Dad took one look at the front desk covered in every woman’s fantasy and hightailed it to his office. I think he mumbled something about having to get home for dinner.

James stood with his eyebrow arched and a mix of irritation and playfulness etched on his face. He cleared his throat. “Yo, Mrs. Decker,” he sounded like a knock-off Rocky Balboa. “Why are you looking at that crap when you’ve got this?” He flexed his t-shirt covered biceps.

Peter and I both laughed at him.

I would give it to him, he was in shape. Not like Hunter Black shape, or you know, that guy I was going out with on Saturday. Two more days until I would probably find myself wrapped up in muscular arms. From all of Reed’s texts and calls, I knew that wasn’t all. The thought of his lips covering mine had me feeling like we should crank up the air conditioner. How old was I again?

Avery looked up from all the eye candy and grinned at her husband. “You know I love you.”

“Prove it.” He gave her a seductive grin that should have been saved for a private moment between the two.

“Please don’t.” Peter approached us at the front desk. He was shaking his head at us. “Where did you get all this stuff?”

“Good question.” James took matters into his own hands and wrapped his arms around Avery from behind and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Autumn Moone’s publisher sent it to me.”

“Why here?” James’s tone said he was wishing I had received it somewhere his wife wasn’t.

“It dawned on me that Autumn Moone could be a man, so when she asked for my address, so she could have her publisher send me a box full of swag, I gave the office address just in case.”

“She’s not a man.” Peter’s face tinged pink while picking up one of the signed books and thumbing through it.

We all gave him a strange glance, but James was the one to speak. “I’m disturbed you know that brother.”

“It’s not that he does, it’s how does he know,” Avery interjected.

Peter shrugged and set the book down on the desk. “You can tell by the way she writes.”

James snorted. “Tell me you aren’t reading this crap.”

“I think it’s sweet that he reads it with Delanie,” I said.

Avery elbowed James and caught him in the gut. “Be nice to your brother and maybe learn a few things from him.”

“Ouch, woman. Don’t expect me to get all metro-male and read this junk with you. The only feminine side I have is you.”

“Metro-male?” Avery and I said together.

“We heard that phrase on the radio the other day.” James looked to Peter to confirm. “It’s men that carry hand bags and get facials and manicures. Not real men.”

I ignored the older, dumber brother and focused on the younger, smarter one. I touched his arm. “Don’t listen to James. I would love it if a man read Hunter Black books to me.”

“Is that right?” James asked. “Do you have someone in mind?”

“Sure.” I pointed at the poster of Hunter Black, thankful I was quick on my feet with a reply that was true, though not entirely accurate. Not to say that I would ask Reed to do something like that at this stage in the game, but I could imagine him doing it, and I was sure I would enjoy it.

“He’s too young and pretty for you,” James scoffed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I gave James the evil eye.

James gave me that stupid grin he’d been giving me since I was old enough to remember. The one that said he still enjoyed tormenting me. “What, are you a cougar now?”

Avery elbowed her husband again. “Of course she’s not. But a little eye candy never hurt anyone.”

Yeah, of course I wasn’t. I would never date anyone younger than me. That was my story and I wasn’t mentioning it. To anyone. Like ever.

“You know, Hunter Black kind of looks like Reed.” A sly smile played on Peter’s face. “Don’t you think, sis?”

I casually took another peek at the poster. “I suppose.”

“He kind of does.” James took a closer look before addressing me. “So, does this mean you have the hots for Reed?” He wagged his eyebrows.

“Don’t tease your sister,” Avery poked her husband.

I pointed to my office with a strained smile. “I need to print the invoices that should go out tomorrow morning.” It was a lame excuse to leave, but it was true so I ran with it. I tried to keep my voice and footsteps steady as I fled the scene.

Good thing there was nothing serious going on between Reed and myself. How could I ever tell my family if there was?

~*~

“Are you sure you measured right?” I asked Reed.

“We could always go to my place to make sure.” He inched closer to me on the picnic blanket.

“I don’t have time, and—”

“And what?” He leaned in and brushed my lips. He had been doing that any chance he could since I found him two hours ago, per the map he made for me. He’d texted it to me this morning. I couldn’t believe how fun and romantic he was. He had set up the perfect picnic, complete with tiny sandwiches cut into hearts, at a secluded spot in the Half Day Forest Preserve. He promised we would curtain shop too, so I didn’t have to lie to Cody about where I was.

So there we sat with his laptop using a personal hotspot, searching for curtains online. I had already ordered some, but now we were choosing some “manly” curtains for his rental. He was partial to the navy blue set on the screen.

I took a second to think about how to answer him. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of the sun in the cool breeze. Fall was definitely in the air, but I was warm in my light sweater as I sat next to Reed, sharing his body heat.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to go to your place.” I opened my eyes to see what his reaction would be.

He reached up and tucked an errant curl behind my ear. “I would never do anything you weren’t comfortable or ready for.”

I nodded. “I believe you.”

“Good.” He leaned in again, but this time his lips pressed hard against mine and begged mine to part. He moved the laptop off his lap without missing a beat and moved in closer. His strong hand ran through my hair and pulled my head closer to his.

I easily fell into his kiss. My lips parted and I drank him in. I could taste the chocolate strawberries we had eaten earlier. They were better the second time around. He deepened the kiss and groaned. I had missed this kind of affection. And someone to kiss my neck. He deliberately lingered on each spot of my neck he kissed. His warm breath against my skin combined with his soft lips made me gasp.

He chuckled before lifting his head and meeting my eyes. “I like that I’ll always know when I’ve pleased you.”

“Are you teasing me?” I had forgotten about my little gasps. It had been a long time since I’d had anything or anyone to cause such a response.

He shook his head. “I’ve never been more serious.”

I placed both of my hands on his stubbled cheeks and gazed into his blue-as-the-sky eyes. “This is so surreal to me.”

“Not to me.”

My head tilted. “Not even a little?”

“No. For me, this is a finally, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it, while it lasts.”

“I can’t believe you’ve liked me since you were thirteen.”

“Believe it.” He pecked my lips before reaching up and taking my hands from his cheeks, holding them capably in his own.

“You haven’t said anything to my brothers, have you?”

“And ruin our clandestine meetings? No.” He grinned.

“Would you please forget I used that word?”

He shook his head in that slow seductive way he was a pro at. “I like that word.”

“I bet you do.” I was sure it was a favorite for most men.

“Did your brothers say something to you?”

“Not directly, but Peter keeps hinting like he might know something.”

“I’ll keep sitting by him during Sunday dinners.”

I paused, thinking how to best say, “Not that I don’t want you there, but maybe you shouldn’t come.”

He let go of one of my hands and slapped his hand across his heart. “That hurts, Sam.”

I let go of my inhibitions and kissed him first this time.

His grin said he liked that I made the first move.

“I’m only trying to be cautious. I don’t want to rock Cody’s world more than it has been. Or have my family freak out.”

“I like spending my Sundays with your family. I especially like getting to know Cody better.”

I was going to keep kissing him if he kept talking like that. “That means a lot to me. To him.”

“He’s going to come through this okay. He’s got an amazing mother.”

“I hope so.”

“I know so.”

I sighed with contentment. “I better go. Thank you for the beautiful afternoon.”

He rested his forehead against mine. “I wish you could stay, but I understand. So where should we clandestine next?”

A small laugh escaped me. “How about I come up with a plan and let you know.” I figured I should take a turn.

“I like that. I like that a lot, Samantha Decker.”

I found that I like him a lot, too.