Not Fake for Long by Weston Parker

11

HARRISON

Usually, we had the cookouts at a firepit Ashton and I had built outside of the main house. Since Keira had let me know that Hailey had decided to rest again, I’d told her to come to my place for some grub.

I had the grill out back fired up, cold beers in a bucket on the table outside, and I was just laying down the steaks on the sizzling grate when I heard her voice behind me.

“I love the smell of barbecue. There’s nothing that says it’s a weekend afternoon quite like that smell.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I forgot to ask if you even eat meat.” When I glanced at her over my shoulder, my hand froze with the next steak still hovering a few inches above the grill.

So far, I’d only seen her with her hair up and mostly with that cap on her head. Tonight, however, her hair was down and hanging in shiny, dark waves to her waist. It framed her face, contrasting with the pale, porcelain smoothness of her skin.

While she hadn’t picked up much of a tan in just two days, her cheeks were rosier than before, making her look like she had a glow about her. Her deep brown eyes were crinkled at the corners as she laughed, her hair shifting on her shoulders from the slight shake she gave her head.

“You definitely don’t have to worry about that. I’m a carnivore. I’d eat steak every day of the week if I had a choice.”

Fighting to keep my eyes on hers instead of letting them dip to her chest, I finally placed the last steak down and took a step away from the flames. “I’m the same. Chicken should count as a side-salad. I’ve been told meat-and-potatoes people are boring, but if you ask me, that’s all I need to survive.”

She moved to the table and motioned toward the beers. “Can I open one of these for you?”

“Sure. I didn’t want to crack one open before you got here.” I wiped my hands on the apron hanging around my neck, then untied it and set it down on the table. “Have a seat. I’m assuming Hailey didn’t change her mind after all?”

As she lowered herself down onto the wooden bench, I couldn’t take it anymore. I allowed my gaze to drop for just a fraction of second. The shirt she had on was more revealing than any of the ones I’d seen her in before, and I swore my mouth went dry at the sight of her cleavage. Her neckline didn’t dip scandalously low, but it did display the tops of her breasts very fucking well.

Her shoulders were bare, her straps only two black pieces of fabric I’d probably have been able to tear off with my hands, given the opportunity. A small metal tab on her side let me know that the shirt had a zipper, which meant it would be even easier to get it off her.

Images of what she might be wearing underneath it flooded my brain for a moment, and I was halfway hard before she even handed over my beer. Fuck me, I’m going to sleep with blue balls tonight for sure.

“So,” she said as she popped the top off a beer for herself. “What’s it like working for Ashton? He seems like he can be quite the character.”

Or maybe not, since there was nothing sexy about Ashton.But I supposed it was a good thing that I wouldn’t be turned on while I was supposed to cooking steaks.

It was the perfect opportunity to set her straight about the incorrect assumption they’d made that the place belonged to him, but I didn’t want to. I really liked the way she talked to me like I was just another guy. She didn’t seem to care about status or money, or at least, she didn’t seem to mind that I had neither.

As far as she knew.

Since she was only going to be here for one more night anyway, it didn’t really matter who she thought owned the place. Plus, I enjoyed being treated normally for a change. Selfishly, I wanted to indulge while I could.

I decided to just go with it. “Ashton’s a character, but he’s also a good guy. Underneath the rough exterior and the gruff personality, there’s an old softie.”

“I had a feeling it might be something like that,” she said, smiling. “It always seems to be the people you expect it from the least who end up being the best. He handled Hailey really well, for starters. I don’t know if she’d ever have gotten up on that horse after struggling at first if it hadn’t been for him.”

“If there’s anything he excels at, it’s giving people the kick in the backside they need,” I said. “He lets the softer side out sometimes, though. If he’d thought she needed a gentler hand, he wouldn’t have barked at her like that.”

“She responds well to a challenge—usually,” she said, then cocked her head thoughtfully. “I suppose that’s one thing we have in common. What’s it like working with him?”

“There must be some hardasses where you work too,” I said. “Probably about the same.”

She chuckled. “There are, but I don’t work for any of them the way you do for him. My direct supervisor and mentor is great. Strict and firm, but we have a good relationship and I’m learning a lot from him.”

I flipped the steaks. “My relationship with Ashton is kind of similar. He’s been working this farm for a long time, and he’s very set in his ways.” I sighed softly as I thought back to when I’d first met him. “His wife passed away three years ago, and he’s become a lot more closed off since. Those two were so in love, even after thirty-five years of marriage.”

She rested back with her palm braced on the bench she was sitting on, genuine sadness clouding her eyes. “I can’t even imagine losing someone after loving them for so many years. It’s got to be the most difficult thing in the world to try carrying on after something like that.”

“Yeah, it’s been tough on him,” I said as I checked the steaks, then leaned my hip against the serving table beside the grill when I realized they needed a few more minutes. “He’s always been salty, but it got a lot worse after she passed. At first, he wouldn’t even speak to anyone except me and a few of the other workers here.”

Sympathy crinkled her brow as she thinned her lips. “I’ve heard grief can do that. Make a person retreat so far into themselves that some never come out again. Thank God, I’ve never experienced anything like that myself, but I’m glad he had you here to be there for him.”

“I tried my best, but I’ve never experienced grief like that either, so I don’t know how much it actually helped.” I pushed away from the side table. “On a less depressing topic, tell me about the other places that are on your bucket list.”

“There are so many, I don’t even know where to begin. I like the idea of exploring locally first before going overseas, but I’d definitely like to see places like Vietnam and Fiji.”

“Beach destinations rank at the top then, huh?” I laughed, turning the steaks when it was time. “I’m not much of a fan of sand myself, but I’ve heard those places have a lot more going for them than just the beach.”

“I love the food and the culture of both places,” she said, then explained in detail what she’d heard and read up about it all.

When the steaks were done, we left them on a board outside to rest while we headed to the kitchen to grab the salad and baked potatoes I’d made before. She helped me carry the food and the plates out, and we drank more beer while we ate.

There were no awkward silences between us, even if not every moment was filled with words. After dinner, she turned to face me after we’d loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.

“Is it okay if I stay for another little while? Hailey is probably still on the phone and I’m having fun with you.”

My gaze locked on hers when I glanced down, and the moment suddenly morphed into something else. Something heavier and much more primal.

It was like it had suddenly dawned on both of us the sun had set, it was completely dark outside, and it was just the two of us there. We were completely alone, as we had been all day and pretty much even since they’d arrived, but this was different.

Her lips parted and the movement drew my eyes down, away from the swirling browns of her eyes, until they reached her mouth. As I watched, her tongue came out to swipe across them, and when my gaze darted back up to hers, she gave me the tiniest of nods.

That was all it took for me to hand control over to my instincts. One of my arms shot up and wound around her waist, tugging her forward until her chest was flush against mine. The other hand went to the side of her neck, my thumb on her jaw and my fingers at her nape.

When I dipped my head down to slant my mouth over hers, she dropped hers back to give me better access. Her arms looped around my neck, and she pushed herself up on her toes to deepen the kiss.

Her lips might’ve been on my mouth, but they might’ve been on my cock for the way it reacted under the soft press of her lips moving with mine. It jumped to attention, digging into the zipper on my jeans as if it were trying to leave an imprint on itself for good.

Keira moaned into my mouth when my tongue found hers, and that was when I realized that even though this had started as an impulsive kiss, it wasn’t going to end as one. If she sounded that good when all I was doing was kissing her, then I had to find out what she sounded like when she came.