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Chapter twenty

Chris

“ D o you know what this is about?” Dean asks, tapping the toe of his boot on Isaac’s workshop floor.

“No clue.” I shrug and check my watch again.

It’s Friday at lunchtime and Isaac promised us a half-day. The Jeep is loaded up for the trip with Anna. Coincidentally, today also marks the end of the six-month goal I’d set. There’s a part of me that planned this trip so I wouldn’t do something stupid like run off the first woman I could find. Now that I’ve seen who I can be, and what Anna and I can be together, the idea of being with anyone else makes me sick. Pacing the length of the workshop, I try to chill out even though I'm raring to go.

“ I happen to be going on a much-anticipated hike. What are you so eager to get out of here for?”

“Stuff to do at the marina.”

I give him a thumbs up. Dean is the king of vague answers.

Berg, yawning into his fist. “I want a nap.”

Moments later, Isaac fills the doorframe.

“About time,” I say.

Ashlyn files in behind him which is weird since I thought this was a work meeting. Speaking of significant others, Anna walks in next, shutting the old wood door behind her with a shiver. It’s chillier than the forecast had originally called for, but I’m committed to the trip. At the sight of her, my heart leaps into my throat. Since the day we went shopping and decided we were a couple, we’ve barely seen each other. For Anna to get this last-minute weekend off she had to bump up a few of her clients. I planned to pick her up downtown after this and head out. Seeing her an hour early shouldn’t be a big deal, but I’m practically giddy at the opportunity for a few more minutes in her presence. Adorably, she’s looking anywhere but at me. She goes from examining the wide-plank floors to pretending a hammer is really interesting. Her hair shines under the bright industrial lights and I’m failing hard at not remembering her naked. I start to stiffen in my Carhartts but it’s a fabric that doesn’t allow for much growth. I grip the table behind me. If she wants to ignore me, that’s fine. In an hour she’ll be mine for the whole weekend. She’s dressed in black leggings and a thick fleecy zip up that reminds me of a sheep, and when my gaze falls to her feet, I have to bite my lip, so I don’t start smiling like a lunatic. She’s wearing the hiking boots I bought her. The red wool socks she chose peek up a couple inches above the boots, matching the laces. There’s not an inch of skin showing but she looks damn gorgeous, and it doesn’t stop me from picturing the soft curves I know are beneath that cute as fuck outfit. When she finally spares me a glance, I’m leaning against a workbench, arms crossed over my chest. She’s pasted an indifferent cool-girl expression on her face but I don’t miss the way her eyes light up. A subtle flush of colour washes across her cheekbones and I smirk, smug that the fingers she’s running nervously through her silky hair were recently clutched around my cock. Isaac steers Ashlyn further into the workshop by her shoulders, clears his throat, and holds up an envelope. He withdraws a sheet of cream paper.

“I received a nice piece of correspondence this morning. ”

I begrudgingly tear my eyes from Anna to pay better attention.

“This,” he waves the tri-folded sheet, “is a notification that we’ve been nominated for an award for the Amberley Avenue house restoration. The Island Home awards have a category that recognizes restorations done on houses with character status and, well, we’re in the running to win.”

The group breaks into a polite round of applause and Ashlyn is looking at Isaac like he’s been nominated for a Nobel prize.

“The invitation states that two people can represent each nomination. The awards night is in Victoria in two weeks. Right when Ashlyn and I will be in Ontario visiting her family for Christmas.”

Ashlyn looks apologetic as she rests her head on his shoulder.

“We’ll go,” Dean pipes up, ruffling my hair. “We can take the boat down the coast.”

“I’m not going on a date with your ugly mug,” I counter, dodging his hand.

“Ha! Right,” Anna says at the exact same time Ashlyn scoffs.

Isaac and I pin the girls with a glare. The only remotely ugly thing about Dean is a slightly crooked nose. He has a rugged demeanour and don’t-give-a-shit attitude that Isaac and I could never pull off.

“I’ll take Anna.”

Her eyes go wide as she looks to Ashlyn who nods at her encouragingly.

“Okay.” She finally glances up at me with a shy smile.

“Great! That’s settled. Get off my property.”

When everyone except Anna leaves the workshop, I hold open my arms and, finally, I have her where I want her again. She smells sweet, the weight of her body leaning against me a comfort.

“You ready to go?”

“I think so.”

I nudge the toe of her boot with my bigger one. “Those look cute as fuck, by the way.”

She tries to school her smile. “Stop. I’m trying to break them in like you said.”

I tip her chin up, and the fuzzy fabric she’s wearing can’t conceal the way her chest begins to rise and fall more quickly.

“I will not stop.”

I lean in and cover her pouty lips, soaking up her sigh. Pulling her closer, I settle back further against the workbench, wrapping my hand around the nape of her neck. She tastes like fresh coffee and her hair feels slightly damp like she washed it before she came. When she sighs her lips part and I slip my tongue into her mouth. Thrill zips up my spine at the thought of being caught. Not my usual source of adrenaline but I’m here for it. Anna kisses back with an enthusiasm I don’t expect, given the location. Nobody closed the workshop door behind them, and I can make out the soft tones of conversation somewhere else in the yard and the smell of crisp fall air. Settling my thigh between her legs feels like the right thing to do, so I skim my hands down her soft sweater and pull her ever so slightly by her hips as I nudge my leg forward. Immediately, she presses herself against me and moans with a level of urgency that I was not prepared for. I’m rock-hard now. Fuck, do I want to help her relieve that neediness.

“Chris,” she breathes, rotating her hips.

I can feel the heat of her core through her leggings and my pants.

“Jesus,” I gasp, taking her shoulders and holding her at arm's length.

Still too close, really. I don’t want her any less from this distance.

The gleam in her eye is more than mischievous.

“I’ll let you cool off and meet you at your place, okay? Can I leave my car parked there ?

All I can do is nod as I watch her perfect ass sashay toward the door.

“Oh, Chris?”

I blink at her as she looks over her shoulder.

“I am very ready.”