Page 29 of Rebel Secrets (Devils Hockey #3)

Chapter Twenty

Six days after the wedding

E rin

“And I love books with princesses who have swords. Mommy read this one where the princess has to save her kingdom, and her parents were turned into trees, and her brother was an annoying bird who never knew what was going on. I don’t think I ever want a little brother. They’re so much work.”

“Sounds like you got it all figured out.”

I looked up from the laptop where I was ordering books for the store and immediately started to overheat. I knew that voice.

Rebel and Krista had just walked through the door. I hadn’t seen him since last Saturday, when we’d woken up in bed together after spending the night having amazing sex.

I hadn’t texted him back. I’d had no idea what to say.

I straightened as our gazes met and held, and heat spread through my body with sizzling flashes. That heat remained, even when he looked away, his attention focused on Krista, who continued to chatter. She held onto his hand as she skipped beside him, and his expression… The man actually grinned.

I’d only ever seen him give that smile to Krista. I might have been a little jealous. But I certainly couldn’t stay jealous at an eight-year-old. Especially not one as adorable as Krista.

“Miss Erin! Miss Erin!” She broke free from Rebel and ran to the desk. “Uncle Rebel said we’re gonna look at all the books.”

“Hi, Krista. That sounds like fun. We just got a whole lot of books, and they’re all on the shelves in the Book Forest. I think Miss Abby is back there now, and she can show you where all the new ones are.”

Krista’s smile could light the entire town. “Come on, Uncle Rowdy.”

“I’ll be right there, Krista. Just gotta talk to Miss Erin for a minute.”

Behind me, I heard Abby say, “Krista? Come back and join us for a story. We’re just starting.”

I’d actually forgotten there were other children in the store. I’d been working on inventory for the past two hours. It normally wouldn’t take that long but I kept getting distracted. I had bread in the ovens for tomorrow and had to keep an eye on that, and the store was busy.

We offered children ninety minutes of fully supervised activities every last Thursday of the month so parents could get something to eat at one of the local restaurants or do a little shopping of their own at the other stores on Main Street.

We hired a couple of local teenagers to help Abby, and so far, it’d been a huge draw.

It was one of our biggest nights outside of book clubs.

I was actually thinking about opening the café for a few hours on those nights, but then I’d have to hire more people and just thinking about that made me twitch.

“Go ahead.” Rebel smiled at Krista. “I’ll be right here.”

“Okay, bye!”

Rebel watched her take off at a run through the store before she disappeared into the entrance to the children’s section, his smile widening as he watched.

Then he turned to me and that smile became something else as he walked forward and leaned on the counter.

I took a deep breath. “Krista looks?—”

“You haven’t answered my texts.”

Okay, guess we were going to jump right in.

I looked around to see if anyone had heard him, but there was no one in the vicinity. I wondered if he’d be able to catch me if I made a run for it. Which was stupid. It was my store. And I couldn’t stop staring at the man.

His beard was trimmed, his hair perfect. He wore a short-sleeve henley with two buttons undone that perfectly molded to his upper body and khaki shorts that I’m sure made his ass look great. And I would totally be looking at that when he turned around.

But right now, he watched me intently, looking like every suburban mom’s dream son-in-law candidate. But then he always looked like he put in a little effort to look good. And he really, really did.

I breathed deep and released it on a sigh. I could stare at the man all day. But then my brain started to throw out images of when he didn’t look so put together. When he’d looked a little rumpled and…gloriously naked.

“I’ve been busy?”

Why did I make that sound like a question? Ugh, I was ridiculous.

He nodded. “Makes me think you don’t want to talk to me. And we need to talk.”

I knew that. At least, rationally, I knew we needed to discuss what had happened like two adults. However, there was another part of me who wanted him to just show up at my door one night, walk into my home and throw me on the couch and ravage me.

I’d never been ravaged. I mean, like, full banging up against doors and pushing things off tables and making the headboard bounce off the wall.

I’d never thought I wanted that. Sex with my fiancé had been nice.

And yeah, I know how that sounds. And you’d be right in thinking you know exactly what I mean. I did mean exactly that.

Sex with Rebel had not been nice.

It’d been amazing.

“Maybe I don’t want to talk.”

His jaw tightened, and he was probably biting his tongue. I couldn’t tell if he was upset that I didn’t want to talk or if he’d read my mind and knew what I wanted to do instead of talk. It’s not that I didn’t want to be with him. It’s that I didn’t want to talk while I was with him.

But I knew he couldn’t read my mind, and he probably took my words at face value, which meant we were going to have to talk.

“But you’re right,” I added. “We need to sit down and have a …discussion.”

His expression didn’t change, but his gaze swept over my face, probably noting the hot spots on my cheeks and the way my lips parted when I drew in air. It was hard to breathe around him. But when I did, I smelled the clean, oceany scent of his bodywash.

My gaze fell from his eyes to his lips, which I could still feel on the inside of my thighs when I closed my eyes at night, then to his throat where his pulse beat hard enough for me to notice.

What would he do if I leaned over the counter and put my lips on that pulse? Would he let me? Would he wind his fingers in my hair like he’d done Saturday night and hold me steady so he could kiss me like he was starving for me?

Was he starving for me like I was starving for him? The craving got worse every day. And yet… How had we gotten here? I needed to know. So…

“Are you going to be at the arena tomorrow getting ready for camp?”

His gaze narrowed for a second, before he nodded.

“Why don’t we plan to meet there around two-thirty? The lunch rush will be over, and I can get away for a couple of hours. We can talk about the arrangements for the camp lunches. And, um, whatever else we need to talk about.”

He didn’t say anything, just looked at me for a few, very long seconds.

Those dark eyes held mine like we were alone in the room.

Or back in his childhood bedroom. The arena would be neutral ground but somewhere we could talk alone.

Without our neighbors and friends knowing we were getting together and blabbing it to the rest of our world.

“Sure. Tomorrow. We’ll talk.”

Then he turned and headed for the children’s section.

And yeah, his ass looked great in those shorts.

I decided to walk to the arena Thursday. It was a beautiful summer day. The sky looked like someone had colored it with a blue crayon and the few fluffy clouds floating in all that blue looked painted there.

Yeah, it was almost eighty-five degrees, but the humidity was low, and a nice little breeze blew across my skin and cooled the heat of the sun.

The trees sparkled like emeralds on the surrounding hills, and the streets were practically deserted as I set out from the bakery.

Rain staffed the bookstore today, so I knew she wouldn’t be at the arena.

The walk was just over a mile, but I didn’t mind. It gave me a chance to clear my head before I had to face Rebel. We did need to talk about the lunch plan for the camp kids. I wanted his input before I ordered supplies.

I just didn’t know why we needed to talk about the wedding night. Except for the fact that every time I thought about it, I got hot all over, and I wanted to push Rebel against a wall and climb him like a tree.

I’d never wanted to do that to another person. And it was a huge change from wanting to stick my finger in his chest and tell him to lighten up. I’m not sure I wanted him to lighten up anymore. I think…I might like him just the way he was.

Turning that over in my head as I walked, I made it to the arena in twenty minutes, with ten minutes to spare. I peeked around the corner into the parking lot and saw only Rebel’s truck there.

Good. That was good. We could talk and no one would be listening in or watching us and spreading rumors about how we suddenly seemed a lot closer than we had before the wedding.

I knew the front doors wouldn’t be open, so I headed for the side doors that led into the lower level where the locker rooms and the other meeting and utility rooms were. Just as I was about to open the door, my phone rang.

I glanced at the number and felt my stomach dip.

I debated not picking up, but I knew my mom. She’d just keep calling until I answered. And since I was early, I could get this out of the way before I talked to Rebel.

“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

“Hello, dear. I just wanted to let you know that I’m planning a short visit to St. David’s next week.”

My mouth dropped open, but I couldn’t find the words to respond.

My mom hadn’t visited since I’d told her I was staying.

She’d told me then that I was making a huge mistake and throwing away my life.

She’d never understood that I didn’t want her life.

And I loved the life I’d made here. My granddad was here.

My friends lived here. The businesses I’d created.

Only one word finally came to mind.

“Why?”

I knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as the word left my mouth, but it was the only question I had. Then she laughed and confused me all to hell.