Intent (16 page)

“Together,” she agrees. “You know, we’re very lucky River didn’t wake up and catch us in here.”

“She doesn’t hear anything once she falls asleep. There was a bad thunderstorm earlier this spring. The thunder was so loud it shook the house. She slept straight through it,” I chuckle. “As sleepy as she was after her bath, there’s no way we could’ve disturbed her.”

I reluctantly separate our bodies and pick her up in my arms as I stand. By the time we reach my bedroom door, I’m ready to experience everything that is Layne Elliott all over again. Crawling over her after I lay her down in my bed, I grasp one leg behind her knee, push it forward, and slide inside her. I push to the hilt and greedily accept her moans of pleasure.

“You are my addiction. I don’t ever want to be cured,” I murmur against her soft skin. “Stay with me tonight. Don’t go.”

“If you want me to stay, I won’t leave.”

Something in her tone catches my attention. Does she want me to ask her to stay in Oak Grove with me? Can I expect her to give up the life and career she’s built in New York and permanently move here with me?

What would my answer be if she asked the same of me?

I continue to rock into her, ravenous for her touch, her scent, and her sounds. Fuck, her moans, whimpers, and screams in the throes of passion just about make me lose control. Many times, I cover her mouth with mine and swallow her cries to help buffer the noise level.

She whispers, sounding so sexy, and her fingernails dig into my skin when her pussy clenches around my cock. “I’m coming. Come with me, baby. Now!”

Damn, it’s impossible for me to deny that request. After the last drop is released, I reluctantly leave the softness of her body, roll over onto my back, and pull her into my side. Her head rests at the junction of my shoulder and chest, her leg is thrown over mine, and her splayed hand lies directly over my heart.

Her words from earlier return to me and make me feel ten feet tall. “So, you see me in your future, huh?” I ask with exaggerated cockiness.

I feel her smile against my skin. “Yes, I definitely see you when I think about the future.”

“In your vision of this future…” I pause for dramatic emphasis. “Am I naked?”

L
ayne

O
ur outburst
and subsequent heart-to-heart discussion were apparently exactly what we needed. Every day this week, Ace has sent multiple text messages throughout the day just to say he missed me, ask how my day was going, or a random message to simply let me know he was thinking of me. I’m positively being spoiled by the romantic side of Ace Sharp.

River and I decide to go into town for lunch at the diner. Tara is working and her pregnant belly is substantially bigger than the last time I saw her. She greets us with a sweet smile and tells us to pick a table. The diner is oddly quiet at this time of day, but that’s fine with me.

I’m still considered an outsider here, and some of the locals openly gawk at me. Some have even tried to conjure up some wild tale to explain why I’d pick Oak Grove of all places. I overheard one young boy saying he heard I was in the witness protection program and hiding from the mafia. He sounded sufficiently impressed with the make-believe backstory. Knowing that, I fully realize there are multiple rumors being spread about me.

There’s no doubt the rumors have increased since everyone clearly knows Ace and I are a couple now.

“I haven’t seen the two of you in a while. What have you been up to?” Tara asks as she approaches.

“Catching frogs and crawdads,” River replies.

“You’re having all the fun. Why can’t I do that instead of working here?” she asks River.

“You can. Just quit.” River shrugs.

We both get a chuckle out of her “isn’t it obvious?” reply. Tara takes our order and delivers our food within minutes. After we finish eating, we walk to the playground and I take several pictures of River to text to Ace. We move from the merry-go-round to the swings to the slides. There are a few other moms and kids milling about, but most everyone who isn’t working seems to be at the river park beaches.

An elderly woman approaches us and strikes up a conversation with me. “How are you liking our fair city?”

“It’s wonderful. I’ve fallen in love with it.” I finally recognize her from my first day in town. Louise—the judge’s wife.

“It looks like you’ve fallen for more than just our little town.” She chuckles and inclines her head toward River.

“Is it that obvious that I’m wrapped around her little pinkie?”

“It sure is, honey. But I’d say she feels the same way about you, too.” Louise has a twinkle in her eye and a genuine warmth in her demeanor. “Where’d you say you’re from again?”

“New York.”

“Do you work?”

“Yes, I’m a lawyer,” I admit.

“What a noble profession,” she winks. “I don’t think George knows that. He’d probably be very interested to talk to you about the kinds of cases you’ve worked on.”

“Sure. That’d be great. I’d love to pick his brain, too.”

“At the risk of sounding like a meddling old woman, I wanted to say what you’re doing for Zoe, getting her out of that house and letting her stay with you, is very commendable. Her parents have always been such awful people.

“The way you connect with kids is a true gift. You’re the first adult Zoe has trusted in a long time. And, well, we all know what poor Ace and River have been through. You’ve brought life back to their home.” She wipes a tear from the corner of her eye and gives me a weak smile. “I hope you decide to stick around here for a while longer. Ace needs you more than you know, more than he knows.”

With that last cryptic message, she gives me a grandmotherly pat on the arm and walks away. When she reaches her car, she calls out to me. “You’re welcome to stop by the house anytime. We’re the only house on Magnolia Way—you can’t miss it. George and I would love to have you over. We’ll look for you soon.”

“I just may do that. Thank you,” I reply.

Interesting conversation
, I think to myself.
And odd.

After I get River settled into her car seat, we drive to the equine rehabilitation center to see Ace. As we’re rounding the corner of the main building, heading to the round pen in the back, movement catches my eye and I watch Lily and Justin emerge from a secluded spot between the main office and the barn. Only, they don’t look embarrassed or guilty, like two lovers who were just caught in the act. In fact, they don’t look happy at all. They’re deep in conversation, with very serious expressions that match their body postures.

I’m careful to avert River’s attention elsewhere before she sees Justin and Lily and interrupts them with her excitement. Just as Ace comes into my view, I have to remind myself about the whole containing excitement part. It’s a hot summer day, the sun is blazing, and Ace is shirtless. The sheen of sweat covering his exposed skin beads and rolls down his chest. My eyes involuntarily follow the path it takes until it disappears into the happy trail on his lower abdomen.

The way his arm, chest, and abdominal muscles flex and straighten when he lifts and moves the square bales of hay is mesmerizing. My mouth is dry, my skin is flushed, and it’s hard to breathe. None of my body’s reaction is from the heat of the sun. It’s from the heat of the man who is quickly taking over all of me. When I rake my eyes back up, drinking in the fine, sexy specimen of a man standing in front of me, I realize I’m the one who’s busted blatantly ogling him. The knowing smirk on his face is both cocky and handsome.

“What are my two favorite girls doing here?” he calls out. River’s attention snaps to him, and she takes off running in his direction. He gathers her up in his arms and meets me halfway. “I’m glad you came by.” He leans in to kiss me hello, and I know from the husky quality of his voice he’s thinking about the same thing I am. “I’ve missed you.”

River begins chattering, telling him every move we’ve made today, everything she’s learned, and all the activities she wants to do tomorrow. He’s the most attentive father I’ve ever seen in action. The way he interacts with her is precious. He listens to her, has two-way conversations, and creates ways to make her requests a healthy reality. Watching them together, I realize he shows his love for me in similar ways. I love the way he supports me, actively participates in matters that are most important to me, and shares his thoughts and feelings.

“Hey, baby girl,” Lily calls from behind me. “Come give your favorite aunt a hug!”

River jumps out of Ace’s arms and runs to her. Lily covers her little face with kisses and River squeals with laughter. “Aunt Lily, you’re smothering me,” she laughs.

“Why don’t you come home with me for a couple of nights? Daddy and Layne may want to have a date night or something,” Lily suggests.

“Can we camp out in the den?” River asks, cutting her eyes to look sideways at Lily before she answers.

“Yep. And we’ll make s’mores, too.”

“Okay!” River agrees. “Daddy, I’m spending the night with Aunt Lily.”

Ace chuckles and nods his head. “Yeah, I knew she had you at s’mores.” He directs his gaze at Lily. “Something up I need to know about?”

“River and I are going to take off now. I’ll stop by your house and pick up her clothes. I have my spare key with me,” Lily replies.

Ace puts his hands on his hips and leans his weight to one side. He clearly isn’t fooled by her sudden desire to babysit River. “Lily.”

She hesitates for a moment before her shoulders slump and her smile falters. “Just erring on the side of caution.”

Ace’s face turns to stone before my eyes. He folds his arms over his chest and positions his feet in a fighter’s stance. He doesn’t appear to be aware of his movements, but he’s subconsciously preparing to fight. “You’re sure?”

“Not one hundred percent. But I’m not willing to take the chance, regardless,” Lily replies. “I’ll talk to you later, big brother.”

Lily and River turn to leave and Justin walks them out. I’m not sure if that’s to give Ace and me time to talk about what the hell just happened or if he doesn’t want to get caught in the cross fire of Ace’s wrath. His face isn’t stone now; it’s pure rage.

“Ace, what’s wrong?” I ask.

He takes a deep breath and blows it out forcefully. “Layne, I’m not hiding anything from you, but I need some time to cool off before we talk about it. Can you understand that?”

“Of course,” I reply. Honestly, I completely understand how it feels to need time to collect my thoughts, get my emotions under control, and then mentally prepare for a conversation. “Take your time. I’ll give you some space while I run a few errands. You know how to find me if you need anything.”

His strong arms wrap around me and squeeze me to him. “Thank you for understanding. We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Okay.” I kiss his cheek and step out of his embrace. “Don’t take it out on my horse, though.”

This at least gets me half of a smile in return. “I won’t. I promise.”

M
y errands are finished
and I haven’t heard from Ace yet, so I head for my cabin. There’s a strange car parked in the driveway when I arrive, but since Zoe is still here, I assume it’s a friend of hers. When I climb the stairs to the front door, I hear raised voices coming from inside. As I open the door, I very clearly hear an angry female voice.

“You will damn well do what I tell you to do, or I will make your life a living hell. And you know I can fucking do it!”

The girl screaming has her back to me, but I can clearly see the worry and torment on Zoe’s face and it brings out the protective momma bear in me.

“What the hell is going on in here? Who the hell are you?” I bellow as I advance on her.

She whirls around, her blond hair flying in the air, and narrows her eyes defensively at me. “Who the hell am I? Who the fuck are you?”

“I live here and you are trespassing here. Get out of my house and take your juvenile threats with you, or we can just let the police take you to jail and you can figure the rest out from there.”

She sneers at me, her face contorting in an ugly, unimpressed expression when my words sink in. But it’s all bravado and I know it without a doubt. I’ve dealt with bullies like her far too many times in my life. I dramatically drop my purse on the table in front of me and pull my cell phone out. “Have it your way, then. Tell Judge Edwards hello for me.”

The sneer morphs into pure anger, but there’s evidence of intimidation underneath. Her head snaps back to Zoe. “You’d better remember what I said,” she threatens. Turning on her heel, she stomps in my direction as she makes her way to the door. She stops beside me to issue her final warning. “And you’d better learn to mind your own fucking business.”

I laugh in her face, truly amused at how clever she thinks she is when she’s really just showing what an idiot she is. “I’ll mind my own fucking business when you get the fuck out of my house.”

With an angry huff, she jerks the door open and slams it closed behind her theatrically. Concerned about Zoe, I rush to her to reassure her. “Are you okay, sweetheart? Who was that?”

“I’m okay,” she replies, but her hand is still slightly shaking.

“Who is she?”

Zoe shakes her head in repulsion. “She’s my cousin. She’s been away for a while and just recently came back to town.”

“What does she want from you?”

“She just found out I’m pregnant and what Jeremy did to me. She’s always been a diva, very popular around here, expects everyone to cater to her, and she’s so worried about what other people think. Anyway, she wants me to go after Jeremy and make him pay. She said I’m the talk of the town, that all the kids think I’m just white trash, and they’re planning to make my senior year unbearable.”

“How is it any of her business? How much can it possibly affect her if she didn’t even know you were pregnant before now? And who is planning things against you? None of this makes any sense.”

“It’s not her concern. She’ll just have to get over it. She blows things out of proportion with her temper and drama, then she quickly moves on to something else,” Zoe explains, basically dismissing the whole scene. “I have to leave for work now or I’ll be late. I’ll see you later.”

“All right,” I reply reluctantly. “Be careful, Zoe.”

I watch her leave and notice how her shoulders are still slumped, like she’s carrying the weight of the world on them. It seems the argument was worse than she wants to admit and it’s still taking a toll on her. With Zoe’s esteem teetering on the edge of oblivion at any given moment, it affects her considerably when yet another family member treats her badly. I wish I could shield her from all the negativity so she can be a happy teenager for once.

She still has six weeks until her due date, which is after I’m scheduled to return to work.
If
I return to work.
If
I return to New York. That’s a decision for a different time, though. Right now, I have a new idea for Zoe to consider, and it’ll be perfect if we can coordinate the timing. With my nails clicking furiously on the keyboard, I locate the section on the website that gives me all the information I need.

A few phone calls later, my plan is shaping up nicely and I have plenty to share with Zoe when she gets home. Now I can only hope she’s as excited about this as I am for her. All the documents are printed and waiting for her to review when she gets off work later tonight. Stretching as I rise from where I’ve been perched in front of my laptop, I realize my research obviously took more time than I’d planned since it’s already beginning to get dark outside.

I still haven’t heard from Ace. He needed his space earlier today, and I’m fine with giving it, but I can’t help but wonder where he is. Funny how quickly I’ve grown attached to spending evenings with him, seeing him during the day, and waking to the feel of his warm, steady breaths on the back of my neck while spooning in our sleep at night. This leads to a completely different discussion I have to have with myself.

“What are your intentions for this relationship, Layne?” I ask aloud as I begin to pace. My pacing used to drive Bobby insane, but it helps me to think through complex situations, plot out my course, and prepare for my next move. “Why did you allow yourself to get sucked into falling for him when you know you’re only staying here for a few more weeks? You told him you love him. You put all your cards on the table, laid them all out on display for him. But you haven’t committed to anything past the end of the summer. So what’s the deal? Are you going back home?”