Love on the Lake (Lakeside 2)

“I’ll share Teagan’s contact with you,” Dillion offers.

“That’d be great.” Aaron’s smile is wry as Dillion pulls out her phone and taps at the screen. A moment later Aaron’s phone pings.

He pulls it out of his back pocket, and a few seconds later my phone pings too.

Van glances between us and gives his head a shake.

After dinner Aaron makes an excuse about needing to take a couple more measurements in the loft before he takes off, so I leave with him. The measurements are clearly a ruse, because the second we’re inside and the door is closed, his mouth slants over mine. A minute later he breaks the kiss.

“What’re you doing tomorrow?”

It takes me a few seconds to switch gears from kissing to answering questions. “Um, I work at Harry’s from nine until five.”

“And after that?” His gaze is on my mouth.

“I’ll probably work on the Winslow idea board and maybe paint the wall behind my bed. Or put a decal up or something.”

He scratches the back of his neck. “I have a McMansion project I need to work on during the day, but I should be done before five.”

“McMansion project?”

“That’s what we call the houses on the other side of the lake.”

“Oh, right. Is it a lawn-mowing kind of project?” I squeeze my eyes shut and make a face that I’m sure isn’t the least bit attractive. Way to be too needy after sleeping together once, Teagan. Okay, twice, but still. “You don’t have to answer that. It’s not my business.”

“I haven’t mowed any of those kinds of lawn in the figurative sense in a long time.”

I crack a lid. “We’re talking about sex, right, and not the literal act of cutting someone’s grass with a lawn tractor?”

Aaron smiles. “Yes, we’re talking about sex. I don’t get involved with those women anymore, but if you’re interested, I could come over after work and finish up the trim, and we could do this again.” He motions between the two of us.

“I would like that.”

“Me too.” He tugs me forward by my belt loop and wraps his arm around me, bending until our lips connect. And we start all over again.

CHAPTER 11

INTO THE SWING

Teagan

As promised, Aaron shows up just after five the next evening, carrying a backpack and a bag of takeout from the diner where Dillion’s mom works.

“What’s this?” I motion to the backpack.

“A change of clothes for after I’m done with the trim. And I brought my shower stuff, because as nice as you smell, I’m not partial to me smelling like roses and chamomile.”

“Lavender and rosemary.”

“Pretty much the same thing.”

“Not even close, but okay.” I step aside so he can come in, which he does before he drops the backpack and the takeout on the floor, takes my face in his calloused hands, and kisses me until my toes curl.

Everything else is forgotten: the food, the things he came over to do—other than me. He kisses along the edge of my jaw, hands sliding under my shirt. “This okay?”

“More than okay.”

“How was your day?” he asks as he lifts the fabric over my head and drops it on the floor.

“Good. Yours?” I get to work unfastening his belt.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you. And every time that happened, I got a really inconvenient hard-on I couldn’t do anything about. It was a good thing that I was working alone, on a roof, otherwise it would have been embarrassing as hell.”

“I guess it’s also good we can do something about it now.”

“So good.” He yanks my pants down my thighs and takes my panties right along with them. Then he spins me around and pins my back against the door. “All day, Teagan.” He drops to his knees and hikes one of my legs over his shoulder. “You were all I could think about.”

An hour later we’re seated at the kitchen table, me with a martini and Aaron with a bottle of root beer, eating takeout from the diner.

Aaron picked up three different meals, and one included a side salad. I’m in awe of the way he shovels in food, barely tasting it.

“I already took care of the trim, so you don’t have to worry about that.” I pop a cherry tomato in my mouth.

He pauses with a forkful of pasta halfway to his mouth. “When did you have time to do that? I thought you were at work all day.”

“I woke up early and couldn’t fall back to sleep because my brain went straight into high gear. Anyway, I bought a bunch of light fixtures, and I thought maybe you could show me how to install them.”

“I can install them for you no problem.”

I spear a piece of grilled chicken and dip it in my salad dressing. “I know you can, but if it’s not too much trouble, maybe you could show me, so I know how in the future.”