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CHAPTER TWENTY

Declan

The first thing I noticed when I woke was the warmth along my front. Then the tickle of hair against my nose.

A sigh…that wasn’t mine.

My heart stuttered. A man was in my bed.

That hadn’t happened in six years.

I opened my eyes to confirm what I already knew. Yep. There Cash was, his back to me, his body curled up, and my body spooned right around his, my arms holding him tight, as if I didn’t want to allow even an inch of space between us.

I buried my nose in the hair at the nape of his neck and breathed in, my eyes stinging. I’d picked the worst possible time to invite a man into my bed, but here we were. I wouldn’t take it back. But I also didn’t know how to make our timing any better.

Cash stirred in my arms. “Time to get up?”

I pressed a kiss behind his ear. “Not yet.”

He turned in my arms and nuzzled into my neck. He stroked a hand down my side to cup my ass. “So, what are your plans for the day?”

There was an unasked question in his body language, one that said he’d be up for more sex, but I wasn’t in the right headspace. I kissed the tip of his nose. “I’ve got to head out to the garden, then pick up some breakfast for the guests.”

“Okay.”

“But Cash, last night…”

“I hope you don’t regret it.”

“No. I could never do that.” I cupped his face and brushed a soft kiss to his lips, keeping it brief. “I’m glad you’re here this morning. I haven’t woken like this…in a long time.”

“I haven’t either.”

I raised an eyebrow, skeptical, but he shrugged a shoulder. “It’s all relative, right? Even when I was sleeping around more, I was waking up with a stranger. This isn’t the same, Declan. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” I ran a hand through his hair, reveling in the touch that I’d been missing for so long. Even with my last partners, I’d started avoiding too much affection in case it led to sexual overtures. But Cash never pushed, always waited for me to lead the way.

Maybe things really could be different with him. But only if I found a way to stay.

“Sleep some more if you want. It’s still early.”

“Maybe,” he murmured, his eyes already slipping closed.

I watched him for a moment, still reeling to have a man in my bed. I shouldn’t want him there, all tousled and naked in my personal space, and yet, I did.

I went out to the garden to harvest some strawberries, then stopped in to grab my keys to head to town. Cash was awake and dressed in his work clothes from the night before.

“Hey, I’m going to grab Kat and get out of your hair. Thanks for letting us stay last night.”

“Anytime,” I said, and meant it.

He came to the doorway, his feet bare, and kissed me. “Good,” he murmured. “Because I hope to stay over again sometime, if you…want that?”

I should tell him no. I didn’t yet know what my future held, and the more we did this, the more danger there was that I’d hurt him.

“Anytime,” I said again—and meant it.

Damn, I was in too deep already, wasn’t I? The way his eyes lit up, I suspected he was too. We were in this together, good or bad.

Pearl was eagerly waiting for me when I got to her table at the Outdoor Market.

“Well, it’s about time you brought me some of those famous strawberries!” she exclaimed, making grabby hands as she watched me approach with a box of the freshly harvested fruit.

“I think you mean us ,” Ruth Marie said, crossing the path to join us at the table covered in Pearl Pantry jams. Peach, blackberry, traffic jam—a mix of multiple flavors—and her Ozark specialty, tomato jam, were on display.

Meanwhile, Ruth Marie’s table held jars of brandied peaches, pears, cherries, and other fruit mixes. The two were notoriously competitive vendors.

“You don’t even need strawberries,” Pearl said dismissively.

Ruth Marie squawked, “And what do you think folks use for their strawberry shortcake?”

“Store-bought topping, most likely.”

Ruth Marie drew in a sharp breath, and I cut in before this turned into a repeat of the food fight incident at the last Dock Hop food festival.

“There’s enough for you both.” I chuckled. “I’ve got more strawberries I can harvest if you think you’ll use them.”

Pearl instantly turned her attention to me. “Aren’t you just the sweetest man? People say you’re a grouch, but they don’t see how you put your love into the ground.”

“Er, thanks?”

“Are you growing more tomatoes this year? They were so delicious! Really made my tomato jam shine.”

“Ah, well, I don’t know,” I hedged.

Once I sold the B&B, I’d be working as a financial analyst again. I didn’t know if I’d have space to garden, much less time to do it. And, of course, I’d be nowhere near Swallow Cove.

My stomach turned over uncomfortably.

“Your fruits and veggies are always such a treat,” Ruth Marie said. “I imagine you could sell them here at the market if you wanted.”

“I wouldn’t want to take business from Burt.”

Pearl waved a hand. “Oh, he can hardly get the produce out here anymore. He sells at a road stand closer to the farm.”

“Oh, well…” I trailed off. “I hardly grow enough for all that.”

“I guess not,” Ruth Marie said. “You’d need a greenhouse and a lot of time. I don’t blame you for not wanting to take that on alongside the B&B.”

“Right,” I said, guilt prickling at me.

I hadn’t told the ladies I was selling the B&B and leaving town—and for some reason, I didn’t want to say the words.

Hudson strolled up, a cardboard box bearing the Hot Buns logo of the new bakery.

“Hey, grabbing some breakfast?” I asked.

“Picked up some goodies for Fisher,” he said. “We were in a rush this morning. Didn’t get a chance to eat anything.”

Pearl chuckled. “You two have been rushed a lot of mornings lately, Hudson Nash. I wonder what could be keeping you so very busy?”

“Pearl, don’t be rude!” Ruth Marie chastised. “You’re embarrassing the man!”

Hudson was turning red, but it wasn’t until Pearl said, “I’m not criticizing. Love is love!” that I realized what she’d been teasing him about.

He and Fisher weren’t just running late. They were running late because of morning sex.

You could have been late this morning too, if you were wired that way…

An uncomfortable sense of other hit me, that feeling that I wasn’t made right. Cash had been in my bed, warm and affectionate, and I’d just gotten up and left.

My stomach tightened, but my memory kept going.

Right to the moment he murmured in a low, sweet voice that he wanted to spend the night with me again, if I wanted it too.

Some of my tension released. I hadn’t disappointed Cash. He wanted to spend more time with me. And, really, I had bigger fish to fry than whether I’d ever let Cash make me late with morning sex.

I had to figure out what the hell I was going to do with the B&B, Nathan’s development deal, the job offer in Chicago, and my desire to explore this thing with Cash.

“You okay?” Hudson asked.

Everyone’s eyes were on me. I cleared my throat. “Yeah, fine. I should get going. I’ve got to pick up breakfast and get it back to the B&B.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Hudson said.

“Okay.” I patted the box of strawberries. “I trust you two can divide this up without any brawls?”

Pearl tittered. “As if we’d ever do that.”

Hudson smirked at the lie, but it was good enough for me. I turned from the table, hurrying my step. “Quick, before they start arguing and we have to intervene.”

Hudson chuckled but lengthened his stride to match mine. “So, what’s going on with you today?”

“Nothing.”

“Didn’t seem like nothing. You were pretty distracted back there. Something bothering you?”

I hesitated. “Um. I, sort of…”

I mumbled the rest quickly, my words barely intelligible.

“You what? Talk slower and enunciate.”

I heaved a sigh. “I slept with Cash.”

A grin spread across his face. “Well, hot damn, this is great news.”

“Is it?” I grimaced. “I don’t do this kind of thing, Hud, and especially not when I’m supposed to be leaving town.”

His smile faded. “Ah, well, the timing is tricky.”

“The timing is horrible .”

He studied me for a minute. “Do you think that’s why you did it?”

My brows drew together. “Why would…”

“Maybe it enabled you to let down that iron-clad guard of yours. Obviously, you like Cash.” He hesitated. “Right?”

“Of course I do!” I lowered my voice as we passed Margie Owens. She’d shamelessly tell half the town my business if she heard a peep of this. “I more than like him, Hudson. He’s really great. I kind of feel stupid for pushing him away for so long, but I haven’t had the best luck in that department.”

“I can relate.” His smile went sappy. “It took me too long to pull my head out of my ass with Fisher. Don’t be like me.”

I snorted. “You were hopeless even in denial.”

“Thanks.” He motioned to me. “Pot.” Then to himself. “Kettle.”

I pulled a face. “Okay, but my situation is complicated. With relationships, I mean. I’m…well, I’m kind of ace, I guess.”

Hudson nodded. “I thought so.”

I drew back in surprise. “Why?”

“Eh, little things. You didn’t always pick up on flirtation. You didn’t seem to know Cash was crashing your B&B to get your attention.”

“No. What?” I thought back to those days over a year ago when he’d regularly hooked up. “No, that’s ridiculous.”

“I don’t think he even understood what he was doing, but yeah. The friends talk, and Fisher tells me Cash has crushed on you for ages. I don’t think you’re just a casual interest for him, Declan. He cares about you.”

That tracked with what Cash had told me last night about giving up hookups while he waited for me to see the possibility between us.

I raked a hand through my hair. “Why couldn’t I have figured that out before I was leaving town?”

Hudson paused at the end of the Outdoor Market. He would need to turn left to go to the bait shop where Fisher worked, and I’d need to head right to pick up my order at Hot Buns. “Maybe you don’t have to leave?”

I shook my head. “The B&B isn’t for me.”

“So sell it. You can find other work here.”

“The financial analyst industry is just booming in Swallow Cove,” I said dryly.

“Are you really telling me you couldn’t work remotely? Maybe fly in for the occasional meeting?”

“Well…”

“If you really care about Cash, you can figure something out.”

“We’re not even dating properly yet. Is it smart to plan my future around a possibility?”

“I think you should plan your future around your happiness, Declan. What will make you happier? A job in the city or a life here with a chance at love?”

Well, when he put it that way, it didn’t seem like a difficult choice.

But I still had to deal with Nathan’s reaction. I’d be pulling the plug on the development deal he found me and asking to change the terms of the job offer, too.

He’d gone out on a limb for me, and I hated to disappoint him. He was my only friend from the city. But the friendship I had with Cash—the more than friendship we were developing—was worth seeing through.