Luke hadn’t realized how much he’d missed his hometown until he stepped into The Dust Bucket. Loud country music filled every corner of the room, and the smell of barbecue and draft beer hit him hard.
“Luke!” several guys called out. Old friends and acquaintances came up to give handshakes and surrounded him with questions. The thing about Sweet Hill—everyone knew everyone. A nice idea, unless you gave them a reason to gossip.
But that wasn’t why he came here tonight.
The reason he came was for a set of long legs, wild red hair, and a wicked little mouth, the owner of which was currently stomping straight toward him.
He couldn’t hold back a smile because, damn it, Annie Thompson was looking as fine as ever. Two years she had been on his mind. Not a day passed that he didn’t replay his hot one-night with her. Now, with his land development project finally done and a break in his schedule, he was home to help his grandfather with harvest. But it was mission number one to get back in Annie’s good graces—and in bed.
She parted through the crowd—rather, the crowd parted around her—and didn’t stop until she was practically on Luke’s toes. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Well, hello to you too, Annabelle.” He glanced around the bar, then said, “I believe I live here.”
“You haven’t been home in years. I thought you started your own orchard on the East Coast.”
It was still a Jacobs orchard, a family endeavor, but yes, his brainchild. He had bought up several hundred acres and spent the last couple years getting ready to plant them.
“You’ve been keeping tabs on me. I like that.” He winked.
She scowled. “You told everyone that was your plan before you left, dumbass.”
While he preferred it when she called him by name—rather, moaned it—he’d take what he could get. Dumbass was better than he thought he’d get. And he liked her spark. She was the only woman who never tiptoed around him.
“Missed me?” The moment the words came out and he saw the way her sparkly blue eyes turned into eat-shit-and-die slits, he tried a different approach. “Because I’ve missed you.”
That got her to stall. But only for a moment.
“Oh, really?” A sexy smile laced her lush mouth, and she leaned a little closer, enough so her breasts brushed against his chest. Whatever fury she had just been harboring disappeared. That was all it took. She was the only woman in the world that got him hard with a single look.
His stare openly roamed over her body. Tight tank top that showed off just a hint of cleavage, and short skirt that showcased those incredible legs. Her long hair was loose and spilling over her shoulders in a way that made her look like some kind of wild angel.
He dipped his head, wanting to snag that plump bottom lip of hers between his teeth.
“And what is it you’ve missed, Luke?” she asked in a throaty voice loud enough for only him to hear.
What did he miss? Every damn thing about her. She was the only person who had ever gotten under his skin. Challenged him. There was also the way she made him crazy with wanting her.
He’d thought it was going to be more difficult to get her to give in, but so far, this was shaping up to be fairly easy. He’d been honest before he left. Told her he was moving out east. After that night, though, he had to leave earlier than he’d planned. Something he had no idea how to tell Annie, then or now.
When he had woken up with her in his arms, something had come over him. A stillness. Like nothing in the world existed but them. A notion he hadn’t been ready for. Distance was his best bet, but after the two long years, the need for her and the need for that stillness between them was stronger than ever. Annie was different. Always had been, and he was ready to experience that again. And hopefully, with a few more words, they could pick up where they left off all those years ago.
“I miss the way you taste. The way you feel.”
She seemed to like that answer, because she shimmied even closer and said, “I’d love for you to feel me again.”
Fuck yeah! He’d be down for that. Before he could agree, she pulled her arm back, clenched her fist, and punched him straight in the stomach, damn near knocking the wind out of him.
“Jesus Christ,” Luke said around a strangled breath and burning gut. “What the hell was that for?”
With the sweetest smile he’d ever seen, she said, “I was just flirting.”
Chapter Two
“I still can’t believe you punched him,” Jen said, smiling over the rim of her coffee cup.
Annie paced behind the counter, stocking the pastry shelf with a fresh batch of muffins and gearing up for the lunch rush. Of course, in Sweet Hill, lunch rush equaled her grandmother’s quilting buddies and a few regulars picking up to-go orders on their lunch break. Still, it was enough for the café to make a profit, and if it kept up, she’d have no problem staying
in business.