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The offer was way too good to pass up, and I’d jumped in without thinking. Something I never did but knew my parents would have been proud of me for. I was a planner by nature, but something about living in the new town and the people who lived there made me act like I had never done before.
I breathed in the cold air and shivered.
My coat was too thin for the weather in Odessey.
It was just one more thing I needed to add to what felt like a never-ending list of things I needed to buy, but I didn’t mind. Not when I knew I was going to be here forever. A gust of wind picked up, and I realized I’d forgotten to grab my beanie.
Whispering Springs was chilly and even got snow in the winters, but never anything like the weather I’d experienced so far in Odyssey.
Carefully, I walked to the local coffee shop, Brewed Grounds, when I saw him step out. Clay looked good this morning. Not that I thought it was possible for the man not to look sexy as hell. In his denim jacket, a navy-blue beanie pulled over his ears and hair I knew would make his blue eyes stand out even more. The scruff he’d had last night was darker now, and my hands itched to touch him. He had a green plaid scarf wrapped around his neck, wore jeans that fit him like a dream, and boots. The man knew how to dress, not only for the weather but for his body.
I stopped mid-step, taking advantage of the fact he hadn’t seen me just yet. I liked him. A lot. And possibly, I more thanliked him. It was crazy. We hardly knew one another, but there was something about him that drew me in.
Last night was proof of that.
I’d never said the things I’d said when he was going down on me in my apartment, much less the things we said to one another over the phone late at night. Having worked all day and stayed up late, I should have been exhausted, yet as I stared at him from across the street, I felt awake. Alive.
His blue eyes scanned the area, and I felt my heart trip inside my chest knowing he was looking for me. Our eyes connected, and the big handsome cowboy started to powerwalk, almost jog, toward me. I felt myself smiling up at him when he was suddenly in front of me.
“Morning,” I whispered, almost bouncing on the balls of my feet with excitement.
“You’re not wearing a beanie,” he scolded, shaking his head. Before I could say a word, his hat was on my head, and he was wrapping my neck with his scarf. His masculine scent enveloped me, making me feel safe and loved.
Another gust of wind picked up, but I didn’t feel it.
Not when Clay’s body shielded me from the elements. His hands rose to hold my face, and he tilted it back. I was hoping for a kiss. I knew we were out in public, and the city was just starting to wake up, and maybe we weren’t at the whole PDA point of our relationship, but I couldn’t help it. My lips tingled with anticipation.
“Clay,” I whispered.
“You.” He frowned. His big hands didn’t let go of my body. His fingers dug deeper into the flesh at my flared hips in a way that felt like I belonged to him. And I really liked it.
“Me?” My brow rose as I stared at him. My eyes dipped to his mouth.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered, and my eyes popped up to his. “I should have picked you up.”
“I just live—" I started to point behind me, but he wasn’t having it. He simply dipped his head down. “You’re mine, December.” His deep voice made me break out into goose bumps. I usually didn’t like my full name, but in that moment, in his arms, I didn’t mind it. “That means I take care of you.”
“I get that, handsome, but?—"
“No buts,” he cut me off, and my lips twitched. Why did I find him so adorable when he tried to get all bossy? “Next time, I pick you up and carry you to the damn coffee shop, if that’s where you wanna go for coffee.”
“If you had stayed at my place, we could have had coffee in bed,” I reminded him. He made a face, and I started to giggle when his lips found mine.
Right in the middle of Main Street of our small town. My soft laughter turned into a moan as I melted into his strong body. Clay broke the kiss as if he knew my lungs burned from lack of oxygen.
“If that kiss was supposed to make me rethink my choices, I think you messed up,” I sassed without thinking. The words tumbled out, and I stilled.
Clay had a new expression on his face. One I hadn’t seen before. Almost like he was biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing out loud while he stared at me like he thought I was cute.
“Jesus.” He looked up at the cloudy sky before he glanced down at me. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please,” I murmured. My lips still tingled from his kiss. Clay leaned in and surprised me with a sweet kiss to the tip of my nose. The innocence and tenderness of the gesture clogged my throat with emotion. Before I could say anything, his hand took a hold of mine, and we crossed the street together.
Maggie’s, the owner of Brewed Grounds, eyes turned to saucers when we stepped in and I waved shyly.
“Hey, Mags,” I said and felt Clay’s arm move and find its way to my waist before he pulled me in closer to him. The whole thing made Maggie look like she was going to pop with excitement.
“Hey, Em! Clay!” Her eyes bounced with a twinkle from the cowboy at my side to me. “I know you two might get mad at me for saying this, but sometimes things just need to be said. I don’t know if this is a thing"—she pointed at the two of us— “but if it’s not, it definitely should be.”
