Page 3 of Flynn (Foxy’s Rent-A-Date #4)

Fucking hell. Ara looked good. I’d always thought so, but the years had definitely been kind to her.

Chiara Jennings was the epitome of the girl next door.

Or in my case, the girl across the road.

While I’d only lived near her for a little over two years, I’d never forgotten about her.

When I first came to live with my uncle and my aunt, I’d been a dangerously angry kid and tired of adults making decisions for me, telling me how to act, how to grieve, and how to move on.

I was done with all of them and headed down a road that would destroy my future.

My uncle Trevor had been a true hero in keeping me on track.

It was not an easy task to undertake, but he refused to lose me to a bad life.

I owed him everything. My ex-biker uncle knew a thing or two about living a rough life and getting through the crappy times.

He hadn’t let my bullshit slide for too long.

But if it hadn’t been for Chiara’s kind nature as a teenager, I’d have gone right off the deep end my first month in that town.

I’d barely been hanging on, and her ability to put me at ease simply by sitting with me was life changing.

She found me late one afternoon by total coincidence.

I’d ditched school and was out by the lake, skipping rocks and contemplating some really dark things when she’d shown up like some guardian angel throwing me a lifeline.

At the time, I saw no hope for myself, and the pain of living when my mother hadn’t ate at me.

And my father...well, my feelings about him were confusing and often contradictory.

I loved him. I hated him. I hated that I loved him.

They died in a car accident with me in the backseat, and I’d walked away with nothing more than a sprained wrist and a concussion that required one night of overnight care in the hospital and five stitches along my hairline.

That was it. But the crash killed my parents.

My father died on impact, but my mother— I shook my head and slung the duffle over my shoulder and tucked in my chair, my gaze on the sweep of Chiara’s dark lashes as she pointed in the direction of the exit.

I nodded and followed behind her, trying to keep my eyes from her backside but losing the fight in seconds.

Goddamn . I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about her over the years.

But it was more in reverence or in appreciation.

It was through the eyes of an eighteen-year-old boy who had a crush on the sweet, shy girl across the road and wondering what she was up to now.

She’d saved me as a kid, whether she knew it or not.

On more than one occasion, she’d brought me back from the brink just by being herself.

There were no ulterior motives with Chiara, no desire for recognition for being a good person.

She didn’t seek admiration or thanks for being my sounding board or for giving advice.

She did it in a non-patronizing way, and she never made me feel inferior for needing help.

She was just there, and she didn’t make me feel like shit for my twisted thoughts.

So, when I’d seen a date pop up on my calendar and realized it was Chiara, I hadn’t even hesitated to accept it.

Not only was this a chance for me to help her, but it gave me an excuse to see her again, to track her down and see how her life was going.

I’d asked my uncle here and there how she was when the topic of conversation allowed for it, but he hadn’t ever told me much.

An online check hadn’t given me much information either as all her social media profiles were set to private.

“So, what have you been up to all these years?” she asked as we exited the coffee shop.

I stepped up beside her and matched her pace.

“Well, I did two tours and was lucky to make it back safe and whole. After the second one, though, I was done. I floated around for a few months. I travelled and worked odd jobs while I tried to reacclimate to civilian life.” Her large gray eyes met mine, compassion and warmth in their depths and something inside me just.

..eased. She’d always had that effect on me, always soothed me, calmed me.

It was weird that all this time later she could still do that.

“I can’t imagine what you went through. I asked your uncle about you, about how you were,” she admitted.

Something inside me grew excited knowing she’d checked in on me too.

“He is so proud of you, but he was relieved when you were home for good,” she added.

My heart clenched at hearing my uncle was proud of me.

I knew he was. He’d told me, but it still hit home when I heard about it.

I cleared my throat. “It was an adjustment, but I managed.” I didn’t want to get into all that right now.

“After travelling, I rented a place with a buddy of mine from my old team, and he gave me a job working construction for a while. He was our second in command, and he’d pulled me out of hell several times.

I was grateful he was still looking out for me.

” It surprised me with how easy it was to be open with her.

Chiara and I hadn’t spoken in thirteen years, not since the night before I left.

I cleared my throat when memories of that night swept across my mind again.

It had been so long ago, and nothing that serious had even happened.

I’d be lying if I said that memory didn’t find its way into my highlight reels sometimes.

“Do you still work for him?” she asked as we took the dirt path to the left.

L’Amour Island was beautiful, and everything was within walking distance.

I’d heard about this place running contests to win “vacation hookups” a while back but had thought it was ridiculous.

Looking around, though, I could see how it would be easy to orchestrate something like that.

This place was stunning. “Uh, no. Not really, anyway. If he needs a hand on a big project I’m there, but I actually opened my own business,” I answered.

“Really?” she asked with a pleased smile.

“Doing what?” I flexed my arms. “Take a guess.” Her eyes sparkled as she took me in and shook her head.

“Personal trainer? Defense teacher?” I chuckled.

“No, tattooist. I own Ranger’s Ridge Tattoo Studio.

” Her face radiated happiness for me and fucking hell did it feel good.

“Congratulations, Flynn. That’s awesome.

You always were good with a pencil.” “And you always told me to do something with it,” I reminded, wanting her to know that she’d had an impact on my life.

Her cheeks pinkened softly and she slid her eyes from mine to focus again on the track.

“So, how’s the business?” she asked, pushing on.

“Good. Great. We are booked out for the next several months and get requests all the time.” “I’m glad.

” Her genuine happiness for my success hit me square in the gut.

Nothing about Ara was performative. She’d never been one to go on with fake platitudes because she didn’t do fake .

“What about you? What are you up to these days?” “I have two jobs,” she started, an air of contentment settling over her.

“But I mainly work as a youth counselor. I get to help kids with troubled backgrounds or who have suffered a traumatic event and get them the help they need.” “Really?” I asked, surprised, although I had no idea why.

She’d always been good with me, and I’d been an asshole of a teenager sometimes.

But from what I remembered of her growing up, she’d wanted to go to law school.

“Yeah,” she said with a gentle smile, slowing down to look around a building before turning back to me, eyes soft.

“I guess I was inspired to do something that would really have an impact.” I held her gaze for several moments, the meaning of her words settling over me, stirring something inside.

I’d helped to shape her life, too. Knowing I’d impacted her at all filled me with mixed emotions, and I swallowed convulsively.

My gaze dropped to her mouth and my lungs seized.

The second I’d laid eyes on her I knew I was in trouble.

I’d thought it would be fine, that I could handle it.

But I wanted to kiss this woman so fucking badly.

Blinking quickly, Chiara stepped away again and checked around the building before waving at me to follow along.

Trying to ignore the way my blood felt oddly electrified, I followed.

I’d been in her company for less than an hour, but I wanted her.

It was as if my attraction to her growing up had been paused while we’d been apart, and the minute I laid eyes on her again, it came flooding back three-fold.

“Does it pay well? You said you have two jobs,” I asked, bringing us back to the topic at hand.

She scoffed and shook her head. “No, but I don’t need a lot.

A lot of my work is with underprivileged kids whose schools and families can’t afford a lot to get their kids help.

I supplement my income by teaching piano most afternoons and some weekends.

” I nodded and then frowned. “Does teaching really pay that much? I know what the fees are from Foxy, and these dates aren’t cheap.

You’ve got me here for a few days,” I reminded, leaving the real question unasked.

Chiara shook her head. “No, teaching doesn’t pay well.

But my parents started a savings account for me when I was born and gave me access to it when I turned twenty-one.

I own my house outright, and from what was left, I did my degree and invested the rest. I’ve been lucky in that sense and while I’m not rolling in money, I’ve made some good choices in how to use it to my best advantage.

It helps that my dad’s an accountant and financial planner.

” “That’s great, Ara.” She smiled at me softly and shrugged her shoulder.

“I know I’m lucky. I’m incredibly fortunate.

It’s another reason I didn’t become a lawyer who was focused on money and wanted a job that focused on helping others and giving them the same kind of support I always had access to.

Everyone deserves a chance to make something of themselves.

” This woman… I shouldn’t have expected her to be any different, and yet I was still stunned by the goodness that radiated out from her.

She was like a ray of sunshine, and my thoughts suddenly turned murderous at the idea of anyone dimming her light.

Naturally, my thoughts jumped to Ellis, and I clenched my jaw.

Ellis and I had a complicated relationship.

We’d known each other all our lives but my parents and I lived in Keystone City, and they lived in a small town in Emerald Valley.

We hadn’t been close. When Uncle Trevor adopted me, Ellis had felt somehow betrayed.

He didn’t want me in his life like that, but it wasn’t as if either of us had much of a choice.

We were family whether we wanted to be or not, and Uncle Trevor wanted to ensure I felt as much a part of his family as possible.

I hadn’t really cared if I was legally his at the time.

I knew who my parents were. I knew what I’d lost in that accident.

Ellis’s little tantrums barely registered on my radar of things to worry about.

Still, he never let me forget that I wasn’t his real brother.

He’d just been careful about how and when he did it.

The fucker had no idea how goddamn lucky he was to have the parents he had, how lucky he was to have the life he had.

I’d known he was hot for Chiara for years, everyone could see it.

He wasn’t exactly subtle. But she’d seemed only slightly interested.

I knew she felt obligated to go out with him, to see if everyone was right about them being a good couple, but she never looked at him like she was really into him.

But it's not like I spent all my time looking at her, either. I was usually trying to fuck up my own life in some strange reaction to my parents’ death, or I was out sleeping with any girlfriend who was up for the ride.

I got a fake ID, rode my motorcycle at terrifying speeds.

I drank and got into fights. I even managed to find a tattooist who was happy to take my design and permanently etch it into my skin when I was seventeen.

Uncle Trevor had not been happy with me.

And yet nothing I did ever pushed him away.

I’d hated him for it, but in the end, loved him even more.

We never talked about my parents or how they died, and I suspected Trevor knew more about the accident than he let on.

He was just waiting for me to open up first. I never bothered to.

The way I saw it, the past was in the past, and nothing I did would change it.

Talking about it just kept it in the present.

Ellis and I had finally had it out years ago, and we’d never repaired that bridge.

I didn’t think there was any point. I’d called him out for his bullshit, and he didn’t like that his actions had consequences.

In the end, we’d walked our separate ways and Uncle Trevor let us keep our distance.

Chiara stopped so suddenly that I stumbled into her.

I grabbed her shoulders to stop us both from falling to the ground and looked around for the problem.

“Damn,” she whispered before she spun to face me, pressing her hands into my chest. I realized she was trying to push me backwards into a small alcove.

“What?” I asked, trying to see what bothered her.

“Ellis,” she whispered. Shit…we weren’t ready for that confrontation yet.

I noted the potted tree by the entrance and dropped my bag before dragging the heavy pot over slightly to give us better cover in the alcove.

It took longer than I would have liked, but I managed it.

Pushing Chiara against the wall, I angled my body to block her.

Hopefully anyone walking by wouldn’t even look, and if they did, they’d think it was a couple looking for a few private moments.

“Are we near the hotel?” I whispered, trying to spot anyone walking by.

She didn’t answer and I glanced back down at her, frowning.

“Ara?” “Huh?” she said, wide gray eyes blinking up at me as if I’d surprised her.

I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips or the way my blood rushed hot.

The small stain of pink spreading across her cheeks told me she still found me attractive, and I inwardly cheered.

It wasn’t just me finding it hard to concentrate.

I’d known she liked me as a teenager—her small lingering looks and cute blushes had clued me in—but she had a surprisingly strong idea of what was good for her, even then.

She’d known I was not right for her, which was good, because if she’d flirted with me before that last night, I would have worked at her until I had her, and she deserved so much more than the train wreck I’d been.

I was still no good for her. In my mind, I knew that, but my body refused to get with the fucking program.

Being this close to her and not making a move—especially when I could tell she was as affected by me as I was by her—was out of character.

She wanted me; I wanted her. Normally, that was all the green light I needed.

But not with Ara. There was too much at risk for this job, and I never wanted her to feel like a notch on my bedpost. She wasn’t the kind of woman you fucked and walked away from.

Even so, the temptation to test the water was too much.

Keeping one hand pressed to the wall by her head, I tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and lowered my voice.

“Are we near the hotel?” Her already wide eyes widened further, and she took a sharp intake of breath.

I was playing with fire. My question sounded like it had a double meaning, but I couldn’t help myself.

I’d always been a flirt, and making the grown-up Chiara blush gave me a rush.

“Y-yes,” she whispered breathily, her gaze lowering to my mouth.

My body tightened at the idea of kissing her, but I reminded myself who she was, that she deserved more, and then mentally slapped myself again.

I was working . Fuck it . I’d never slept with a client before, but the idea of breaking that streak for Ara was more than tempting.

I wasn’t sure if she’d give me the time of day again once this was all over.

You’re not good for her . The voice in my head whispered darkly, and I cleared my throat.

I turned my head again to see Ellis laugh with someone as he passed by.

Seeing my cousin after all these years—even from a distance—brought back the fire in my gut that pushed me to lose my cool whenever he was around.

I’d learned restraint in the Army, but Ellis had a way of getting under my skin.

I wanted to rip the smug smile from his face.

Chiara shifted, and I pushed away from her before I gave in to my body’s demands to seduce her.

Call me cocky, but I was pretty sure I could, especially with the way she was looking at me.

“He’s gone,” I said. She dropped her gaze from mine, and I leaned down to scoop up my bag and give her a chance to collect herself.

“Okay. We should just concentrate on getting to the room. We’ll catch up more there,” she said, her tone more professional this time.

“Lead the way,” I said with an easy smile, holding out my arm for her to lead the way.