Flirting with Love(21)

“I thought I could slip it in.” She laughed. “Well, I’m really happy for you. She seems really nice, even if the word around town is that she’s going to take what she can and bolt.”

That annoyed him to no end. Elisabeth was struggling over how to fit in in a town that had her pegged as a taker. Even he had teetered on doubting her at first, which he now felt horrible about. “Emily, she’s going to be working with you to renovate her kitchen. Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“Sure. She’s either settling in or flipping the property. We’re getting together next week, so I’m not sure which yet.”

He heard a door slam and Emily breathed harder.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for my suitcases. I thought I had them in the basement, but they may be in the attic. I’m leaving in a few weeks for Tuscany, and I just realized that I have no idea where my bags are.”

He pictured her standing in her living room, tapping her finger on her chin, the way she did when she was deep in thought.

“Well, if you can’t find them, you can always borrow mine. I never go anywhere.” Ross wasn’t big on traveling. He’d never had the urge to travel the world. He had the boys to think about, and the thought of leaving them so he could gallivant around the world wasn’t something he liked. They were his family as much as his siblings were. They relied on him to be there and to care for them, and he had no interest in letting them down. Besides, he was content in his surroundings. The only thing he felt was missing was a woman to share his life with, a woman to love. The thought brought his mind back to Elisabeth and their impending date.

“Thanks, Ross.”

“I’ve got to run, sis. Good luck with the luggage. Love you.”

“Good luck with the secret date, and I love you, too.”

Secret date. Ross had purposely planned a date that could not be misconstrued as secret. There was no worse feeling than being talked about behind your back, and he genuinely liked Elisabeth, from her selflessness to the adorable way she teetered between hot and sexy and sweet. The way Ross saw it, he had one of three choices for their first date. Take her to Allure, the next town over, and wait for word to get back to Trusty. We’d definitely be seen as trying to hide our relationship. The word relationship gave him pause. He hadn’t connected himself to that word in a very long time. He took a moment to let it settle into his mind and waited for an uncomfortable wave to knock him over.

It never came.

Huh.

He turned his thoughts back to the options for their date. He could cook her dinner at his house and have a nice, quiet evening together. I’d feel like I was hiding our relationship. Or he could do what he hadn’t done in ten years—the most appealing option because of how much he liked her—and take her out in Trusty, let people see he was with her and that they had nothing to hide. That was the only option in his mind.

Dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved black dress shirt, with the gift he’d bought to give her later in the night, he drove over to Elisabeth’s. She answered the door wearing a simple black tank dress that clung to her breasts and hips and stopped midthigh. Her feet were bare and she had a slim, silver toe ring on her third toe, which, for some reason, totally turned him on.

“Hi. Wow, you look so handsome.” She flashed her lovely smile.

He placed a hand on her hip and kissed her cheek. “Mm. You smell amazing, like sandalwood and springtime.”

“You’re good.” She casually touched his chest. “It’s Michael Kors Sexy Amber. Silly name, but I love the smell. You smell pretty delicious yourself.”

“I call it Ode de Labrador.” He pulled her against him and kissed her softly on the lips. “Last night you got to steal the first kiss. It’s my turn.”

“Steal, baby, steal.”

He sealed his lips over hers, and every thought he’d had about her smile, her voice, and her luscious mouth coalesced, making their kiss that much sweeter. Kissing Elisabeth, holding her against him, was a million times better than his fantasies. She slid her hands into his back pockets and rocked her hips against his. Holy fuck, she felt good. If they didn’t leave soon, they weren’t going to leave at all. He reluctantly drew away, pressing a few soft kisses to her lips on the way.

“Ross.” A heated whisper. Her eyes were full of desire, telling him she was willing, and God knew she was able.

He cupped the back of her head and brought her cheek to his chest. “I know, Lis. I know.” Damn, did he know. He’d never felt anything so powerful in his life as the way he was drawn to everything about her.

“We need to get out of here,” he said, more strongly than he meant to. He reached for her hand as she slipped her feet into a pair of strappy sandals and grabbed her purse from a hook by the door.

Once outside, he breathed in the cool evening air as she locked the door. He couldn’t help but wrap his arms around her from behind and kiss the back of her neck. They hadn’t even gone on a real date yet and it felt like she was his. She smelled so damn good, and when she turned in his arms and met his lips with hers, he got harder.

“I love kissing you,” she said against his lips, which only made him want her more.

“Me too.” Their kisses were heated, urgent. “That’s why we have to leave, or I’m going to lay you down on this porch and make love to you.”

He heard her breath catch.

“Sorry.” Like hell he was sorry, but it was the proper thing to say.

“Don’t be.”

Holy hell.

They climbed into his truck, and Elisabeth started to pull her seat belt over her shoulder. Ross patted the bench seat beside him.

“I’ll never make it with you all the way over there. I promise not to kiss you, but I need you closer. Wait. I don’t promise.”

She scooted over with a laugh and settled her hand on his thigh. “I used to dream about what it would be like to date a guy with a truck and snuggle up next to him while he drove.” She wiggled in beneath his arm.

“You used to dream about it? Don’t most girls dream about princes on white horses?” Driving had never felt as good as it did now, with Elisabeth beneath his arm, pressed against his side.

“Probably. Not me. For me it was always about small-town stuff. This town in particular. My aunt Cora got me a subscription to Farm Girl magazine when I was seven, and I’ve kept it going ever since. When I still lived at home, it drove my mom crazy. She used to buy People magazine and Star, and those other rag mags, and she’d put them all over the house.”

“It’s so hard for me to imagine anyone outside of those born here wanting to be here so badly. I mean, I love it, but you talk about Trusty like other people talk about Hollywood.” Ross glanced at her and caught her looking at him. He kissed her quickly and then turned back toward the road.

“I know how it must sound, but it’s true, Ross. I’m not going to pretend it’s not. Yes, I was in LA, the land of the beautiful, where life moves so fast, if you blink, you miss the good stuff. Where the sun’s always shining, and if you can ignore the threat of earthquakes, then you can have a pretty idealistic, albeit materialistic, life. It just wasn’t me. I never felt like I fit in there, regardless of how successful my business was or how long I stayed.”

Ross pulled down his brother Luke’s driveway.

“How was Storm when you picked him up?”

He loved that she thought of him. “He was fine. Happy to see the boys. Still not sleeping as well as I’d like.”

“I wonder why. Maybe he keeps the crate far from his bed.”

“I don’t buy into that whole thing of the dog needing the crate to be close to the person at night. The cells are small. Storm can see him fine from his crate.”

Elisabeth sighed. “That’s a little hypocritical coming from a guy who lets his dogs sleep on his bed. How can you not buy into the fact that a dog needs comfort?”

“I’m not saying that. We have to be strict with service dogs. Their owners won’t be able to crawl into their crates or move their crates around.”

“Okay, I can see how that makes sense. But I still think Trout is probably right and Storm might be lonely. He’s here every weekend with the boys, and then he goes back to sleeping without the sounds of other dogs breathing nearby. I just think making sure the crate is close enough that he can hear Trout breathing might help.”

Ross couldn’t deny that it might make a difference. He squeezed her shoulder. “Okay, I’ll suggest that to Trout.”

“Where are we?” Elisabeth squinted into the darkness.

“My brother Luke and his fiancée, Daisy, have something that I thought you might enjoy.” He parked down by the barn and stepped from the truck, then reached for Elisabeth’s hand. They followed a gravel path down to the barn.

Elisabeth turned at the sound of horses whinnying in the pasture. Her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh. Are those Clydesdales?”

“Luke raises gypsy horses. They’re like Clydesdales, but their feathers, manes, and tails are much fuller. He’s one of the finest breeders in the country. That’s Rose and Chelsea, two of his girls.” He took her hand and led her into the twelve-stall barn.