Perfect Secret by Molly McLain

Chapter 7

ALANA

“Girl, I am so happy to see you out tonight!” Emma hollers above the music, which is still going strong well past ten o’clock.

“Well, I’m glad to be out!” I holler back to her from across the bar. She’s been running her butt off all night and I wish we would have had more time to talk and catch up, but I’m glad just the same that business is booming for her. “We need to grab coffee one of these days, Em. I miss you.”

Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “Are you drunk, Alana Faulkner?”

“Why would you think that?” I ask. Yes, I’ve had a handful of drinks and no dinner, but I’m hardly drunk.

“One, you never want to take time away from work or homework, and two, your face is flushed. Then again, maybe the color is because of that cute cowboy you’ve been keeping company with all night.”

A wave of heat seeps into my cheeks as I glance back to where Holden is laughing with Wilder, Levi, Caleb, Hallie, and a few other locals.

“He is cute, isn’t he?” I sigh. “I mean, if I was into that kind of guy, anyway.”

Emma snorts. “He couldn’t be more your type if you’d designed him yourself.”

“My old type,” I correct her. “I don’t do cowboys anymore, remember?”

“I’m not saying you have to do him.” She laughs, handing me another drink and a bottle of Coors I don’t remember ordering. “I mean, I wouldn’t judge you if you did, but at the very least, you should give him this beer and ask him to dance before Tucker shuts down for the night.”

Dance? I don’t think so. He’s growing on me, but I’m not about to draw attention to that fact and inflate his ego any more than it already is.

“Emma, can I get another round?” someone calls from down the bar and she mouths, “Ask him!” before hurrying away.

I push through the crowd, nearly dropping the drinks and falling on my ass when someone stumbles backward and crashes into me.

“Sorry about that!” the guy exclaims, but before I can tell him I’m good, an arm slides around my waist, restoring my balance.

“You all right?” Holden asks, our bodies suddenly touching in at least a dozen places.

“Yeah. Of course.” I blow out a breath, force a smile, and hold up the beer. “I got you a drink.”

His eyes sparkle down at me as his hold loosens, but he doesn’t let go. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I could tell him it’s actually from Emma, but I like the way he’s looking at me too much. I like the way he feels against me even more.

“Dance with me,” he says suddenly and I shiver.

“Um, I don’t know…”

The gleam in his gaze goes hazy as he leans down and says huskily, “Don’t play coy. I felt that shiver.”

Oh, god. Um…

“One dance,” he insists, taking the drinks from my hands and setting them on our table behind us. “And then I’ll leave you alone.”

“Is that a promise?”

A grin slashes across his face as he laces our fingers and leads me toward the dance floor. “You’d be disappointed if it were,” he says, as Tucker begins crooning a classic country ballad.

“God, you’re cocky.” I sigh, not bothering to fuss when one of his arms goes around my waist and the one with our tangled hands lifts beside us.

“Why haven’t you danced yet tonight?” he asks quietly, his breath warm against my forehead. “I know you’ve wanted to.”

“Oh, really?” I flick a glance up at him and he smirks.

“We’ve already established that I pay attention.”

And I hate that he’s so good at it. “Then you should know you’re the first and only person to ask me to dance, so…”

“Not for lack of interest, I’ll tell you that much.”

I frown. “Excuse me?”

He gives a soft laugh and shakes his head. “You’ve had the attention of a lot of guys here tonight.”

I half snort, half scoff. “Oh, please.”

“I’m serious,” he asserts, jutting his chin and sweeping his gaze across the crowd. “At least three of these guys tried to approach you, but for some reason, they’d get within a foot or two and chicken out.”

“You’re so full of shit.” And frankly, this is embarrassing.

“I’m not kidding, Alana.” His brows lift as he stares down at me. “Do you honestly not know?”

“Know what?”

“How fucking gorgeous you are.” The words roll so easily and confidently off of his tongue that it takes a second for them to fully register. And then I blush. “You don’t, do you?”

“Holden, if you’re trying to get into my pants, you should know—”

“That you’re the Ice Princess, right?” He gives a husky laugh as if he’s figured it all out. “I thought you were being dramatic, but that’s it, isn’t it? You’ve shut them all down so many times that they’re afraid to try again.”

“Who’s being dramatic now?” I roll my eyes and try to look anywhere but at him. Also, if Tucker could just sing the song a little faster, that’d be great, too.

Holden chuckles again and I feel the low reverberation radiate from his chest to mine. “Damn, girl. I guess I’m the luckiest guy in here tonight then, huh?”

Before I can tell him I can also make him the unluckiest, he twists my hand and pushes me away from him, twirling me out into the crowd and then promptly pulling me back. Our bodies collide and all the air from my lungs swooshes out across his face, because he’s. Right. There.

“I’m onto you, darlin’,” he rasps, his breath mingling with mine as his gaze lowers to my parted lips. “They’re all watching us now. If you walk away and leave me standing here like a fool, you’ll only confirm your reputation and I don’t think that’s what you want, is it?”

He has no idea what he’s talking about. They don’t ask me out because I’m Cory’s ex and Aiden’s little sister. No one wants to piss off the town celebrity or the chief deputy sheriff.

Holden smiles almost sympathetically before he lowers his head and brings his mouth so close to my ear that his lips brush my skin. “Maybe I can help you,” he whispers and something about the featherlike caress of his mouth and just him in general has goose bumps rising everywhere.

“H-help me?” I stammer, my eyes fluttering shut as my hand balls in the fabric of his T-shirt at the small of his back.

“Uh huh.” He nuzzles close and the second the stubble on his jaw abrades my neck, I’m a goner. “Let’s make ‘em think you’re into me. Show them the ice is melting.”

Ice? What ice? All I feel is heat. So. Damn. Much. Heat.

By the time the song is over, I don’t even know where I am anymore. My senses have gone all haywire and all I can say is it’s a damn good thing Holden is still holding my hand or I might very well collapse in a pool of lust right in the middle of Pony Up.

“We’re gonna get out of here,” he tells Wilder and Hallie as we approach the table, where our drinks still sit untouched.

“Oh.” Hallie glances from me to him and back again, a slight crease in her brow. “You didn’t drive, did you?”

“No.” I shake my head, which has started to become a little cloudy. Probably equal parts buzz and whatever the hell just happened with Holden. “I walked.”

“Me, too,” Holden speaks up, tucking me into his side. “I’ll get her home safely.”

Wilder clears his throat and sniffs and when I glance up at him, I get the distinct feeling he isn’t thrilled. “You feeling all right, Al?”

I nod. “Yeah. I’m, uh, actually I’m kind of hungry, so we’re going to grab a pizza from Sauce It Up before they close.”

I flick a glance up to Holden, hoping he’ll play along, and he does, nodding like we’d already discussed it.

I glance back to Hallie and Wilder as relief washes over both of their faces.

“Ah, okay.” Wilder nods. “Yeah, you’d better get moving then. They close soon.”

“Thanks for tonight,” I tell Hallie when she pulls me in for a quick hug.

“I’m glad you came out.” She holds on for an extra second, whispering, “He seems like a nice guy, but be careful, okay?”

I give a quick nod and she lets go. Two minutes later, Holden and I step outside into the warm night, and I suck in a deep breath, still trying to process what the heck is going on. But then my stomach growls and getting something to eat is suddenly more important than figuring it out.

“I really am hungry,” I admit, my hand pressed to my belly. “In fact, I’m going to hate myself tomorrow if I don’t eat.”

He chuckles and reaches for my hand again. “I said I’d get you home safely and that includes making sure you’re fed. Where exactly are we going?”

“Sauce It Up is in the town square, so…” I spin to the left and point to the street. “We go that way.”

“All right then.” He winks down at me and we spend the next few minutes making our way toward the town square. “Pretty quiet this time of night, huh?”

“Yeah, most of the town shuts down around dinnertime, save the places to grab a bite to eat or a beer.” I point out Dream Big, which is our local real estate agency, the barbershop, the florist, and Java Jitters. “Java has the absolute best coffee around. If coffee is your thing, that is. Is it? Coffee, I mean?”

Holden laughs. “I like coffee, but have gone without for the last few days, since I haven’t picked up a coffee pot yet.”

“Oh, no.” As a certified coffee-aholic, I feel his loss deep in my bones. “What time do you get up in the morning?”

“I’ve been getting to the ranch around five or five thirty. Is the coffee shop open then?”

Crap. “Unfortunately, no. But…” I give his hand a little tug. “You just happen to have a neighbor who is usually up at that time and always has coffee on. I bet she could hook you up.”

He grins down at me as we turn the corner and the Italian restaurant and pizzeria, still lit up like Christmas, comes into view. “Oh, you tell me this now?” he asks, nudging me playfully with his elbow.

“I didn’t like you before,” I admit, leaning back into him just as casually.

“But you do now?” His steps slow a bit as we approach the entrance.

“I mean, you’re okay. Though I’m not entirely sure what you think is going on with me and the guys in town. You’re going to have to explain that to me.”

He dips his chin. “Let’s grab our pizza and then I’ll do just that.”

HOLDEN

“You weren’t lying. This pizza is pretty damn good.” Leaning forward on Alana’s couch, I snag another piece from the box on her coffee table.

“Told you,” she says around a bite, holding the back of her hand to her mouth as she sits cross-legged on the floor on the other side of the table. “It’s almost as good as sex. Maybe better.”

I choke on the gigantic bite I just took, quickly reaching for the bottle of beer she’d offered me to go along with our late night dinner. “What?” I finally ask, eyes still watering.

“You heard me.” She glances up at me with a mischievous glint in her eye. A glint I’m sure is more than partly fueled by all of the Malibu she drank tonight.

“Uh, I’m not sure I agree.” Because as far as I’m concerned, there isn’t anything in the world better than sex. And if she’s seriously comparing the down and dirty to pizza, she obviously hasn’t been doing it with anyone worth a shit.

“Then again, maybe it’s just been so long I don’t remember.” She sighs and takes another bite, closing her eyes and giving a little moan as she does.

I watch her for a moment, the pieces of the puzzle that is Alana Faulkner slowly snapping into place. The grudge against men, the icy shield she keeps locked in place, the guys in town being so gun-shy around her... “How long are we talking?”

She flicks a glance my way as she swallows. “I’m pretty much a reborn virgin.”

Well, shit. I adjust from side to side on the couch, my jeans suddenly snug. “Really.”

She laughs softly. “TMI?”

I grin, take another bite, and ponder the confession for a moment. “I wouldn’t say TMI.”

“Surprising?”

I shake my head. “Not really. I mean, it’s all starting to make sense, if I’m honest.”

“What do you mean?” She cocks her head to the side, her hair falling off her shoulder in waves, as I finish off the last of my slice and take a pull from my beer.

“Well, you more or less introduced yourself as the Ice Princess. Then the way the guys acted like they were about to piss themselves just thinking about talking to you tonight. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

She narrows her eyes above a smirk. “What exactly do you think you’ve figured out?”

“My guess is that Megatron of exes, as you called him, hurt you pretty badly and you threw yourself into working at the store and school, essentially deeming yourself off-limits.”

Her smile evaporates like water on hot asphalt. “Dang.”

I watch her as she sets her plate on the table and seems to zone out uncomfortably for a moment. “Someone local?”

She’s quiet as she picks at the hem of her blouse. “He was, but he doesn’t live here anymore.”

Good, because I already hate the asshole. “What did he do?”

“Cheated. I’m aware of three girls, but there were probably more.”

Son of a bitch.

“Can we talk about something else? Something less depressing?” She glances up, her whiskey eyes hopeful, instead of sad or hurt.

“Sure. What’d you have in mind?”

She lifts a shoulder. “I don’t know. Tell me about your family maybe.”

“Okay.” I lean back on the couch and stretch my arm across the back. “I have two younger siblings, a brother and sister. Kaden is twenty-three and Tessa is twenty-one. My mom and dad will celebrate their thirtieth anniversary this year. My dad’s worked as a foreman at my uncle’s ranch just as long, and Mom retired last year. She was a nurse at an assisted living facility.”

Alana’s eyebrows lift. “Is your uncle’s ranch the one you worked at?”

“Not recently, no. I did grow up working there, though.”

She smiles softly. “Ah, so it really is in your blood, then.”

I chuckle and tap my beer bottle against my knee. “You could say that.”

“Did you go to college or anything? Or was it always ranch life?”

“I went to college for a couple of years. Got an associate’s degree in agricultural science. You know, just in case.”

“Just in case?”

“In case I ever wanted to have my own animals someday.”

“Is that something you want? You know, someday?”

Damn, she cut straight to the heart of things, didn’t she? “Maybe? I’m not sure. I’ve been pretty content with how things have been. Haven’t thought much about it.” But if the ABR doesn’t get their head out of their ass, I’ll probably have to think about it sooner than later. “How about you? Do you have anyone other than Aiden?”

She gets up from the floor and takes a seat on the other end of the worn, but comfortable couch, her knees folded in front of her. She’s still dressed in her jeans and see-through top, but she’s lost the boots and her feet are bare, pretty pink toenails peeking up at me.

“My mom and dad own a farm on the outskirts of town. Nothing huge, but big enough to pay the bills. Unfortunately, I don’t see them as often as I’d like because of work and school, but it’s nice knowing they’re close. And I’m sure you know that Aiden’s just recently come back to Mason Creek from L.A.”

I did not know that. We’d only met a few times out on the road over the years, and I guess I hadn’t paid much attention to where he was living at the time. I just knew that he and Cory were old high school pals.

“My best friend Madelyn is Wilder and Levi’s sister. She’s off finishing her master’s degree right now. I’m close with Aiden’s fiancée, Emma, too. Mads and Emma are basically like the sisters I never had.”

“I think you’d like my sister Tessa. She’s a smart-ass just like you.”

“Hey!” She reaches out and pokes at my arm, still stretched across the couch. “Growing up around all of these Mason Creek guys forced me to become the way I am. It’s a survival mechanism.”

“And now they’re scared shitless of you.”

“What the heck are you talking about?” She laughs, but there’s a guarded glint in her eye, too.

“I saw it at least five times tonight. You had your back turned to them, so you didn’t see, but I watched them make their way over to you only to stop short of actually tapping on your shoulder and asking you to dance.”

She rolls her eyes. “You are so full of shit.”

“Why would I lie to you about that?” I laugh.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe to catch me off guard and give you an excuse to make a move yourself?”

I smirk behind the lip of my beer. “Is it working?”

She swats at my arm. “Holden McMurray, don’t you dare mess with me. I’ll keep that bathroom locked permanently.”

I only laugh harder. “Oh, is that how we’re going to play this?”

“Just be real with me!” she says, throwing her hands in the air and letting them drop to her lap. “I’ve been screwed over one too many times. I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t anymore.”

My chuckle softens as our eyes meet again. “I am being real, Alana.”

Her eyes dart back and forth between mine. “Why would they not ask me?” she finally asks, her tone almost disappointed.

“Like I said before, you’ve probably shot them down before.”

She gulps, and in the near silence of her apartment, I hear it.

“Did you ever date anyone else from Mason Creek or just the asshole ex?”

She eyes me for a quiet moment. “Why are you so interested in my love life?”

“Something tells me you need a friend. Maybe I can be that for you. At least while I’m here.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“Because I like you.”

Her eyes widen. Initially, it’s in surprise, but I see hope there, too.

“I could be wrong, but from what you’ve told me yourself and what I’ve gathered from bits of conversation with your brother and Wilder, you’ve thrown yourself into work and school and you’ve more or less cut yourself off from any kind of social life.”

She swallows again. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“For a short while, no. I’m sure it’s served its purpose. But it can’t go on forever, and something tells me you’re ready for it to end.”

She studies me for a long moment, her eyes sliding around my face as if she’s searching for something, but can’t quite figure out what. “And you think you can help me with that?”

I dip my chin. “Yes, ma’am.”

“How?”

A crooked grin tugs at my mouth. “Well, darlin’, I think we got a pretty good start tonight. For one, you came out. Then you danced with me.” I give her a sly smile and gesture around her apartment. “And then you took me home.”

She gasps. “But I didn’t… This isn’t…” She flounders for the right words and I chuckle, reaching for her hand.

“I know that, darlin’. But that doesn’t mean we can’t let them think otherwise.” I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss her knuckles slow and sweet. She sighs. “All we gotta do is let them see us together a few times. Let them think you’re into me and me you.”

“But if they think I like you, how does that help me?”

“I’m only here for a few weeks, darlin’. Someone’s gotta sweep in and heal your broken heart when I’m gone.” I wink and a small smile flits across her face.

“My broken heart, huh?”

“Don’t worry, gorgeous, I’ll be gentle.”