Love Me Nots (Jasper Falls 3)

Did he even want to get involved with a place like this? Sure, there was possibility here but at what expense? He knew Perrin wanted the land. And he could easily move on to the next town or try for another plot. He had the realtor scouting the vicinity, but nothing else offered access to the main road the way the land behind O’Malley’s did.

He grinned, imagining what she would build there. It would probably be an incredible upgrade from the dusty, old pub she currently ran. Something modern, woodsy, and full of guys in flannel with beards.

His grip tightened and he ground his teeth. She’d eventually find the courage to date again, and when she did, the guy she picked would be the luckiest bastard alive. There was just something special about her, something hardy and loving, delicate yet strong.

Parking at the motel, he sighed at the nondescript brown door. How long before a hotel chain showed up and bulldozed this shithole to the ground?

With so much new construction coming, it made sense to get a King’s up and running. There would be countless contracts and opportunities. He wondered how savvy the McCullough men were at bidding jobs and getting their materials on every new site. If they worked together, it could be a win-win. Or he could just quit while he was ahead and save himself another headache of playing the role of the villain out to destroy a small town.

“Fuck.” He dropped his head back and shut his eyes. It was damn exhausting sometimes, being him.

The familiar musty scent of the motel carpet greeted him, made stronger by the scent of rain. Housekeeping had been by, and he appreciated the sight of his dry cleaning hanging in the closet. He had to pay extra to have it delivered, but it was worth it.

Stripping off his suit, he climbed in the shower and let the hot water unravel some of the kinks in his back. He’d been tense for days, and his shoulders twisted like knotted rope. Goddamn, he could use a massage.

He laughed, mentally calling himself a pompous prick. At one time, he’d slept on a cardboard box in an alley. Now he was bitching about needing a massage? What the hell happened to him?

Somewhere along the line his purpose got lost. It used to be about making something of himself. Now, it seemed only about making an ass of himself. The suits were costumes he donned each day, a way to go from ordinary to superhero. But who was he saving? Every town he entered demonized him the second they learned his intentions.

He'd set his sights on success, but his greed and hunger only grew, spurred on with financial gluttony, as if the assets he amassed might somehow fill the voids in his personal life. Being the number one chain store of its kind in this field didn’t bring the satisfaction one might assume. Nor did the grand openings he used to attend. Life was an emotionless merry-go-round, with no exit in sight.

It was all bullshit luxury. Surface crap and artifice to prove to others he was enough. But deep down, he was the same lonely shmuck he’d always been.

A knock sounded at the door, and he quickly stepped into lounge pants, his skin still wet from the shower. “One minute.”

The sky was dark and rain spattered the front window, where the curtain was left a crack. He assumed it was the woman from the front desk, maybe with an extra piece of dry cleaning she forgot.

He opened the door and stilled. “Perrin.”

She blinked up at him, hair wet and eyes seeming too big for her face. “May I come in?”

Chapter 9

Gage’s mind short circuited. She was there. Standing in the rain. “Come in.” He stepped back and held the door. Her presence was so unexpected, he could hardly form a coherent thought. “What…What are you doing here?”

Her chin trembled and she shivered, slowly looking around. “Do you have a towel?”

“Of course.” He shot into motion, retrieving a fresh towel from the bathroom and handing it to her.

She wrung out her hair and blotted the raindrops from her face. She was wearing eye makeup, and the bad weather had left it slightly smudged, giving her face a dramatic edge. She was easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever met.

He waited for her to explain why she’d come, desperately hoping she was finally willing to talk and hear him out. She held the towel to her chest and glanced at his bare shoulders.

“Am I interrupting?”

“Not at all. Here.” He led her to the edge of the bed. “Sit down.”

She hesitated, then dropped to the mattress. Her hands twisted in the towel and then she shoved it aside. She seemed nervous. He sat beside her and waited.

“Um…” She glanced at the door then to the made bed. Her fingers twisted in the buttons of her coat, and she shoved it off her shoulders, exposing milky white curves.