HAPPY PANTS CAFE (THE HAPPY PANTS SERIES) (6 page)

“I’m pretty impressed, actually. Where did you learn to drink like that?”

Harper laughed. “Years of skilled practice. Actually, my friends and coworkers are all lushes. We go out a lot.”

“So no boyfriend?”

They stopped at the corner, and Austin pressed the crosswalk button. It was just before ten p.m., but plenty of traffic continued flowing through town.

“I’m currently dating my job,” she said. “He’s very possessive and demanding, but we’re happy. He’s not very good in bed, though.”

He chuckled. “You’re one of those, are you? In love with work.”

“Yes!” she said triumphantly.

The walk sign lit up, and they crossed, arm and arm.

“So how about you?” Harper asked, hoping he’d say no.

A gentle breeze drifted over them, and she caught a subtle scent of Austin’s skin. She’d been inhaling him all night long and couldn’t get enough. He smelled like fresh and spicy man.
So yummy.

“I was engaged,” he replied, “but it didn’t work out.”

Yes, yes, yes,
Harper rejoiced while trying to remain sincere.

“She wanted New York. I wanted San Francisco,” he added.

“Your family still lives in the area, right?”
Harp! You’re not supposed to know that!

“I mean,”
she quickly corrected, “I would guess that they live in the area, and that’s why you want to stay.”

“Yes. My parents still live in the house I grew up in. How about you?” he asked.

Well, crap
. Harper didn’t want to lie, but it was a little late for that now. “I grew up in South San Francisco.” Okay, Pacifica was south so that was almost not a lie.

He nodded, and they walked the next few blocks in silence. The sexual tension grew, buzzing in the air around them with every step.

When they came up to the steps of the B and B, Austin turned toward Harper. “So,” he said, “want to see my room?” He grinned.

Harper smiled and bit her lip. Obviously, he didn’t have a room, so he was asking to go to hers. Were they really going to do this?

She nodded yes, and he bent his head, pulling her in for a kiss.

The breath evaporated from her lungs as their lips collided. His mouth was so soft and sensual, yet rough and prickly around the edges where his stubble touched her skin. His velvety tongue slid inside her mouth, and he tasted like red wine and cheesecake and man and sex and…

Wow
. Harper tried to keep upright, but her head felt like it might just float away, and it wasn’t because of the wine.

She slid her hands up to his chest and enjoyed its insane firmness. He snaked his arm around the small of her back and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.

It was crazy, but she felt like their mouths belonged together.
And so do our bodies
. Hers had already done its sex-warm-up calisthenics, getting ready to sprint straight to the big event.

Harper slid her hand to his cheek and stroked the roughness on his jaw with the tips of her fingers while his soft, sensual lips made love to her mouth. She leaned into him, feeling her heart knock inside her chest and the firmness of his arousal against her stomach.

This man is so sexy.
The intensity and pace of their kiss moved from steamy to indecent. Harper started to unbutton his shirt.

Austin cupped her cheeks and abruptly pulled back. “I think we should move this inside before we end up naked and someone calls the police.”

“Yes. Good thinking. Wouldn’t want anyone seeing your happy pants.” Harper flashed a glance at his obvious erection before grabbing his hand. They quickly scurried past the vacant front desk and up the stairs to the third floor. As she dug for the key in her purse, she felt Austin’s hot lips on the side of her neck and his even hotter somethin’…somethin’ pressing into her ass.
Oh, my Lord, this man is so hot. How can this be Austin? That Austin?

Because it’s not. That Austin was a boy. This is a man.

She fumbled with the key and finally pushed it in. They stumbled into the room and quickly glommed onto each other, hands frantically touching and exploring, lips and mouths sliding and sucking. Austin backed her toward the bed, and she fell, bringing him right on top of her.
I can’t believe I’m doing this. Oh, my God, he feels so amazing.

Austin pulled back and kneeled between her legs, frantically unbuttoning this shirt. When he opened it, he tossed it to the floor.

Jesus. He’s got a ten-pack! And those pecs. Holy crap.
She pulled him back to her and felt his hands run up the outside of her thigh to her hip. Grinding his rock-solid cock against her throbbing, tingling bud, he began tugging down her panties. Panting, she suddenly remembered she was missing one essential component.

More wine?

No, idiot! A condom.

His lips moved to her neck.

“Austin? Do you have…protection?”

Austin froze and looked at her. “Shit. No, I don’t. But…there’s a gas station four blocks away. I can be back in five minutes.”

Harper nodded frantically. “Okay. Okay. Just hurry. Run. As fast as your happy pants can move.”

He quickly hopped from the bed and grabbed his white shirt. He fastened just a few buttons and then pulled the tails down in front to hide the enormous ten-person tent.

Harper stared, still unable to believe how gorgeous he was. And happy.

“Take the key. It’s right there on the floor,” she said, pointing to the spot where she’d dropped it next to her purse.

He smiled. “I’ll be right back. Don’t start without me.”

“No chance.”

He disappeared out the door, and Harper flipped over onto her stomach. “Oh, my God. What am I doing?” She rubbed her face into the pillow.

I have to tell him. I have to. He’ll never forgive me if I don’t…

Suddenly, Harper felt the room spinning. She pressed her palms over her mouth. “I’m going to be sick.” She scrambled to the bathroom.

~~

Austin made his way out the front door of the B and B, feeling like his cock might actually bust through his button flies. He had no idea what it was about Marie that made him so incredibly fucking hot for her, but she did. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted to get a woman into bed so badly. No doubt she was beautiful—short auburn hair, big green eyes, and a body that he’d give anything to see in a bikini.

Bikini, my ass. Naked. I want to see her naked.

But it wasn’t her looks that had him panting for her over dinner; it was that feisty-as-hell attitude. She had a pair of balls bigger than his own, and she had an opinion on everything. Frankly, he was sick of dating women who just smiled politely and said nice things, wanting to please him. Yes, he knew he was good-looking—something that hadn’t been the case in his younger years, which meant he’d taken full advantage of the benefits when he’d gone to college—but these last few years, he’d started to wonder why he’d never found anyone that made him want more: friendship, relationship, a life together.

His ex-fiancée had seemed like that kind of woman, but after a few months, he’d begun to notice inconsistencies. She hadn’t enjoyed half of the things she’d claimed to like when they’d first met. Reading, going to the beach, wine tasting, traveling—she hadn’t liked any of them. Little did he know that had been the tip of the
iceberg. She’d lied about where she grew up—not a city girl. She’d lied about having a degree—he’d never even cared about that, but she’d lied anyway. The final straw had been that she’d said she wanted kids someday when she really hadn’t. Bottom line, she’d lied her way into his life and was the fakest person he’d ever met. Dumping her had been the easiest breakup of his life. Getting over the deception, however, would take much longer. In fact, Austin was beginning to wonder if he’d ever trust another woman again.

Until now.

He smiled at himself as he opened the door to the small convenience-store-slash-gas station. Marie was just so…perfect. And honest. And genuine.

He purchased a pack of gum, two large bottles of Gatorade—they were going to need hydration after the marathon of sex he planned to be having tonight—and two boxes of extra-large condoms.

He hurried from the gas station and headed back toward the B and B, not even the slightest bit worried that the mood would fizzle. Hell, he was more in the mood now than before he left; the anticipation was killing him.

Five minutes later he entered the B and B and was greeted by an older redheaded woman.

She smiled. “Hi there. Can I help you?”

“Oh. I’m, um…with Marie. On the third floor.”

“Ah, you mean the young lady that checked into the honeymoon suite this afternoon?”

He nodded, holding the bag in front of his groin, hoping the innkeeper wouldn’t notice his obvious arousal.

The woman pulled out a sheet of paper. “Hmm…that’s odd. But we don’t have a Marie staying in that room. Are you certain you’re on the third floor?”

Austin pulled the key from his pocket and showed it to her.

“Yep,” she said, “that’s the honeymoon suite. I don’t see a Marie registered in that room. What’s your name?”

“Austin Royce. But I didn’t register. We kind of,” he cleared his throat, “ran into each other.”

She looked at him guardedly. “Ah, I see. Well, my son must’ve mixed up the registration cards. He was the one who checked her in.” She picked up the phone. “I hope you’re not offended, but I think I’ll call up to the room and just double-check.”

Lady, please hurry!
“Of course. Can’t have strangers running around.”

The woman held the phone to her ear. “Good evening, ma’am. This is Mrs. Kelly from the lobby. There seems to be a mix-up with the registration cards, and I just wanted to verify your name so I can straighten it out in our system.” The woman listened. “Oh, that’s odd. I have a gentleman down here saying your name is Marie.”

What is going on?

Mrs. Kelly nodded. “Makes perfect sense. I’ll send him right up.” She hung up the phone. “Miss Branton goes by her middle name, not Harper, which is why the card didn’t match.”

Austin blinked. Had he just heard that correctly? “Harper? Harper Branton?”

The woman nodded. “Yes. Why? Is something wrong?”

What the hell? Harper Branton? Harper Branton? I knew it. I knew she looked familiar.
But the Harper he remembered had no front teeth, dirt on her face, frogs in her pockets, and was as flat as a board. This was not…
that
. She looked nothing like he remembered.

Holy hell.
But why hadn’t she told him? In that moment, Austin’s blood began to boil.
She lied to me. She’s been lying to me all night.

“Uh, no, nothing’s wrong.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I forgot something in my car. I’ll be right back.”

He left, resisting the urge to go back up to that room and give that lying, deceitful woman a piece of his mind, but…

Harper Branton. How can that be her?

The next morning, Harper rolled over onto her stomach and glanced at her phone.
Saturday. Oh, thank goodness.
Because she was absolutely certain that space aliens had been prodding her brain last night. She pressed her hands to her temples and groaned into the pillow. What in God’s name had happened?

She rolled onto her back again and stared at the ceiling, trying to piece it all together. First, there’d been her run-in with Austin (
oh, the horror
), and he’d insisted on them eating together. Second, lots of wine and hours of invigorating conversation (
not horrible at all
). Third, they’d made out on the sidewalk (
move that needle over to slurp-slurp. Where have you been all my life?
). Fourth, they’d made out in her room and were about to have what promised to be the best sex of her life.
Then he left, I got sick, and he never came back.

She rolled her head back and forth. “What was I thinking, anyway?” She wasn’t the type to hop into bed with a guy just because he was hotter than hell during a heat wave. There were serious, incurable cooties out in the world, not to mention a girl’s reputation. Harper believed in casual sex in moderation in a safe and non-
whorey kind of way.

Thank God he’d had the sense to walk away.

Wait. Why did he walk away? Why did he change his mind about wanting me?
He wasn’t the kind of guy to get cold feet. Or, at least, he didn’t seem that way. And he certainly hadn’t been faking their connection. In fact, she was certain that last night’s act of “pinot-graphy” was partially brought on by their excitement over it. Talking to Austin felt so easy and wonderful, like being home again
.

Only your home is a really kinky place that makes you want to do naughty, adult-type things, like using his hard man-branch to create a human chocolate fondue fork.

Harp…you can’t pierce strawberries with that and then dip it into melted chocolate. He would not enjoy that.