The Favor Read online

  “Don’t avoid the question.”

  “Spend some time with your new husband.”

  A delicious tingle spread through her stomach. “He’s not my real husband.”

  “That’s between the two of you.”

  “Mom, can I stay? Can I?” Louie tugged on her arm.

  “Sure it won’t be any trouble?” Anna asked Taylor.

  “No problem at all. I love it when he spends the night.”

  Anna kissed Louie then hugged Taylor. “See you guys later.”

  She backed her car out of Taylor’s driveway and headed toward the cabin. Her body hummed with the anticipation of having a night alone with Clark. Usually, they had to be conscious of the fact that Louie was just down the hall, but all bets were off tonight.

  When she opened the front door, most of the lights were turned off and something smelled divine.

  “Clark,” she called out. “Where are you?”

  “Out here,” he answered.

  Anna followed the scent through the living room and onto the back porch. Clark was in one of the rattan chairs, a beer in one hand. In the soft light, he was more handsome than ever. She ran her finger along his forearm, enjoying the feel of his skin.

  “Want one?”

  “I’ll get it.” She walked to the left-hand corner of the porch and grabbed one from the cooler. “What’s for dinner?”

  “Steak.” He grabbed her beer as she passed and opened it for her.

  In front of her, was a large, shiny new grill. “Where did this come from?”

  “I stopped by Madison’s. Been wanting a new grill for a while. The meat will be ready in a few minutes, and the salads are in the fridge.”

  She turned to see the table was covered in a crisp white tablecloth with candles arranged in a circle around a bouquet of daisies. “Is this all for me?”

  Clark nodded. “I have ulterior motives.” He dropped his voice into Redhawk range and her nipples hardened instantly.

  “You always have ulterior motives.”

  “Guilty.” He smacked her on the fanny. “But we need to eat first. I’ll need all my strength.”

  “And then some,” she countered.

  The wine paired perfectly with the steak. After finishing, Anna leaned back in her chair. “I need to ask you something.” She hated to ruin the vibe, but since leaving Taylor’s, she couldn’t get the questions about the accident out of her mind. “Is there anything about the accident that might give George some traction?”

  Clark’s eyes went cold. “No.”

  “Are there any charges I need to be aware of?”

  “You’ll keep primary custody of Louie. Period.”

  For the first time, Clark had totally shut her out, and it stung. “That’s all you’re going to say?”

  He nodded. “That’s it. There’s nothing in my past you should worry about.” His eyes softened, and he took her hand. “I never talk about the accident. I just don’t.”

  “I’m here if you ever change your mind.” There was sincerity, an earnest expression in his eyes, and Anna believed he was telling her the truth. He’d never lied to her before, and he had no reason to lie to her now. “I had to ask.”

  “I totally understand,” he said. “But now that it’s all cleared up, let’s enjoy the evening.”

  Anna’s skin tingled at the thought. “By enjoy, you mean…”

  “And more.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  After dinner, Anna insisted on cleaning up. There wasn’t much to wash, just salad bowls, plates, and silverware.

  “Let me help,” Clark said. Even though she’d cut back on her work schedule, she still cleaned a few houses, and he didn’t want her to feel like she had to clean all day and then come home and do the same. “I can wash dishes.”

  “It’ll just take me a minute. It’s the least I can do since you cooked the meal.” Anna bent to stack the plates in the dishwasher. “I’ll give the floor a quick mop after I finish these,” she said.

  He tried not to notice the firm curve of her ass, but it wasn’t easy. If there was anything sexier than the way the cargo pants hugged her curves, he wasn’t sure he wanted to see it.

  His marriage might be a sham, but his attraction to Anna wasn’t. It was a hundred percent authentic. For the hundredth time, he wished Taylor had introduced them before Jake’s accident, wished he’d let her introduce them. Before Jake, he might have been able to make something real work with her.

  But now it was all water under the bridge. Too late.

  Because now I know that I don’t deserve happiness. Not after what I did to Jake.

  Finished with loading the dishes, Anna bent in front of him to pick up a wilted lettuce leaf off the floor. His heart sped up. The V-neck of her T-shirt showed off the tops of her breasts. He fought the urge to run his finger along the line of her cleavage.

  He’d never gotten hard watching a woman cleaning, but there was always a first time for everything.

  Anna rose and wiped her hands on a dishcloth. After hanging it on the handle of the oven, she said, “Good as new. Do we have any wine left?”

  He nodded. “Want to sit on the porch?”

  “Yep.”

  Clark didn’t want to get used to this domestic bliss. Even after such a short period of time, it was becoming all too easy. He not only liked Anna’s company, he also craved her. But it went much deeper than the physical.

  He adored Louie. It was as if they’d been a family forever.

  The family he’d dreamed of but never thought he’d be able to create.

  He poured the last of the wine into two glasses and placed Anna’s beside her chair. After picking his up, he took a sip. He savored the spicy taste of the syrah as it slid down his throat. The night had been as close to perfect as he could imagine. Good food, pleasant conversation, and companionship.

  Startling him from his thoughts, she walked onto the porch and sat in the chair beside him. “About the dog,” she began. “I wished we’d talked about it this morning.”

  “I know. We agreed to talk more about it before we made the decision, but when Louie saw that puppy, I couldn’t resist.” He threw his hands up in the air in a show of surrender. “I’m so sorry. Huge screw up. I’m not sure how I’ll make it right, but I will. You have my word on that.”

  “It’s okay. I think you were right.” She tilted her head back and took a deep swig of the wine. He tried not to think about the way her neck tasted.

  “You do?”

  Anna nodded. “Louie loves him, and he’s pretty cute. The kid needs a companion, and it makes our relationship look real. We’ll figure out a way to keep him when this is over.” She reached over and took his hand.

  “We’ll find a solution,” he agreed.

  Her blue eyes sparkled, and he loved the way her small hand felt in his. Her breasts strained at the flimsy fabric of her shirt.

  I have to taste her again. Now. Feel the whisper of her breath. Wrap her hair in between my fingers. Make her a part of me.

  The tension of anticipation flashed between them, making the porch feel as small as the tiny bathroom. Every cell in his body was on edge…waiting, wanting.

  He pulled her into his lap.

  And then they kissed. There was no way to tell who started it, who moved in first, just that it felt like the most natural and wonderful thing ever.

  Less than ten seconds in, Clark didn’t give a damn how it happened. He just didn’t want it to end.

  …

  The heat cycled between them in waves, turning the screened porch into a sauna.

  The muscles of his thighs rubbed against her bottom, making her shiver. He pulled her closer and pressed his erection against her. She rocked her hips back and forth, loving the friction building on her clit. The memory of how he filled her floated through her mind, and she wanted that high again.

  Every inch of her body pulsed with the need for him. Her panties were wet with it.

  Clark wrapped his
fingers in her hair and claimed her lips. The heat of his mouth blazed through her, vibrating every cell in her body. He trailed his tongue lightly along her bottom lip, searing the sensitive flesh. She pressed her mouth against his, and when their tongues met, Anna’s muscles contracted, and her arousal heightened.

  She inhaled the masculine scent of him, and it went straight to her head. She had to have him. Needed him. Now.

  Thoughts vanished. She was a hundred and twenty pounds of desperate want.

  Clark stood, taking her hands and pulling her up with him. He placed his hand on her neck and ran his thumb along her jaw. “I want you,” he growled.

  Instead of answering with words, she kissed him. Hard. He kissed back. She looped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He ran his hand inside her shirt and toyed with her nipples. She threw her head back and enjoyed the warm heat of his mouth on her neck.

  Clark took her hand. “Follow me.” He led her into the bedroom and slammed the door behind him. “I’ve been thinking about your taste all day.”

  “I thought about you, too.”

  “Knowing you were coming home to my bed. Imagining you wrapping your legs around my waist.” The grin on his face was dangerous. Primal. One hundred percent sexy beast.

  A shiver of anticipation ran along her spine. “You like me in your bed?”

  Anna ran her finger along his bottom lip. When she got to the middle, he took it into his mouth and sucked it.

  “I might.”

  Clark gently pushed her onto her back. After tugging her shirt over her head, he flung it to the floor and removed her bra with one deft motion of his fingers. When he took a pert nipple in his mouth and massaged the other breast with his large hand, she cried out.

  “I want skin to skin,” she whispered. “Now.”

  She ripped at his shirt, desperate to feel the warmth of his broad chest next to hers. He shucked his T-shirt off, and she drew him back to her, running her hands along the expanse of his shoulders. He pressed his body next to hers, and the coarse hair on his chest tickled her breasts, heightening her arousal even more.

  He moved down her body, kissing a line down her stomach while he brushed the underside of her breasts with his fingers. When he reached the waistband of her pants, he unbuckled her belt, and she raised her hips so he could take off her jeans. “You know how I feel about pink panties.”

  The Redhawk voice.

  He ran his tongue along the flimsy elastic waistband of her panties, making her moan again. He removed her panties slowly, kissing the inside of her thigh and sending a delicious thrill up her spine. When she felt the heat of his mouth on her clit, she put her hands in his hair and enjoyed the incredible sensations coursing through her. Her climax began, at first in small ripples, and then in crashing warm waves that consumed her, driving out everything but the feel of Clark’s mouth on her. It was so intense she shook with the aftershocks.

  Clark moved up so his head was on the pillow next to hers. “Nice?” He asked with a sinful smile on his face.

  “Umm…very nice. Can’t form a complete sentence,” she said with her eyes still closed.

  “It only gets better,” he said, trailing a finger across her stomach. His erection pressed against her leg.

  After slipping on a condom, he moved atop her and slid into the slick wetness of her. He filled her completely. He began moving inside her, and even though she thought another climax was impossible, a spark of desire flickered inside her. She began to move with him, their hips rotating in lazy circles. Soon, she was at the brink again. She was floating, tethered to the earth only by the rhythmic motion of their lovemaking. Clark moved faster, each thrust deeper and deeper. He moaned. The sound of his voice pushed her over the precipice. She was flying, sailing in a sea of soft clouds and brilliant colors. He quivered inside her, and she pulled his face close to hers, his forehead touching hers. He kissed her, softly with a kind of reverence.

  “Wow,” Clark said a few minutes later. “That was incredible.”

  Anna smiled contentedly and agreed. “I don’t even have the words for how incredible that was.”

  They fell asleep, arms and legs tangled together.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next week, Anna was loading the dishwasher when Louie walked into the kitchen.

  “I know what we should name him,” he said. He held up a baseball glove that had fallen victim to puppy teeth. “Chewy.” The dog nipped at his ankles and yipped.

  “Where did he get that?” Anna asked.

  Her son shrugged. “I don’t know. He had it in his mouth when I found him.” Tears welled in the corner of his eyes.

  Anna grabbed the glove and her heart sank. In the corner, it was signed. She couldn’t make out the signature, but she was sure it was part of Clark’s collection. She didn’t want to think about how much it was going to cost her to replace it. If that was even possible.

  She tensed automatically. Clark was going to be furious. Even though he was an easygoing guy, surely, he had a breaking point.

  “How did the puppy get into Clark’s office?”

  Louie looked at the floor. “I had to go to the bathroom, and he followed me inside.”

  “You weren’t watching him?”

  More tears welled up in her son’s eyes. “No. I was in a hurry.”

  Anna sighed. “We’ll have to find a way to pay for this.”

  The old money worries slammed into her, making her feel like she couldn’t breathe. Since she’d moved into the cabin, she hadn’t worried about the grocery bill or the electricity. She’d been able to relax, but now, with the ruined glove in her hand, she remembered the nauseating worry that came with trying to make ends meet as a single mom.

  “I’m so sorry, Mama.”

  Her heart broke for Louie, but there had to be a consequence. “No playing with Chewy inside. Not until he’s a little older. When he’s inside, he needs to be in his crate. You know the rule.”

  Louie nodded. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated.

  “Sorry for what, buddy?” Clark asked. He’d been outside mowing. His clothes were dirty and he smelled like freshly cut grass. She fought the urge to brush a blade of dried grass off his cheek.

  Louie looked at Anna, then at Clark, then back at Anna. “Chewy ate your glove.” His voice was small and shaky.

  Anna handed him the remains of the mitt and braced herself for his reaction. “I’ll pay for it.”

  With George, she’d learned to offer a solution quickly. Sometimes it worked.

  “Chewy, huh? Sounds like you found the perfect name.” Clark took the glove in his hand, looked it over, and bent to address Louie. “He wasn’t in his crate?”

  The boy nodded. “I’m very sorry.” Tears ran down his cheeks and his lip quivered.

  Clark ruffled his hair. “You know the rules, bud.”

  “Chewy can’t play inside until he’s potty-trained.”

  Clark nodded. “That’s right. He’s just a puppy, and we need to make sure he understands what we expect of him before we give him too much freedom.”

  “You can ground me if you want,” Louie said. “It was my fault.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary. I think you understand what you did wrong.”

  Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Clark didn’t seem angry at all, just firm. While she wanted to teach Louie to be responsible and keep his word, she could tell by the look on his face he’d learned his lesson. Louie was crushed. Clark had picked up on that, too, and it made him all the more wonderful.

  “Thanks, Clark. I’ll make it right,” Louie said.

  Her son sounded so much like Clark. Knowing this was a short-term arrangement, it should have concerned Anna, but it didn’t. Finally, Louie was spending time around a man who was teaching him the right things. Even though the marriage was only temporary, maybe some of the lessons would stick with Louie forever.

  Clark rose and smiled. “No need. Can I tell you guys a secret?”


  Louie looked up at them and Anna, not realizing what she was doing, leaned closer to Clark. They both nodded.

  “I never really liked this glove.”

  Anna arched an eyebrow. “It’s not a collectible? I thought the signature—”

  “It’s collectible, all right. For Braves fans. It’s a Chipper Jones glove.”

  “And you hate the Braves,” she said.

  “With a passion,” Clark said.

  The three of them broke into laughter. It felt so good to take a rotten situation, one with the potential for real tension, and turn it into a teachable moment for Louie and a family laugh.

  Just what she’d always wanted.

  Anyone who saw this moment would assume they were a family, and a happy one at that. Why couldn’t Anna have picked someone like Clark to be Louie’s father?

  “How did you get the glove?” Louie asked, breaking her train of thought.

  “My best friend, Jake, is a die-hard Braves fan, and lost it to me in a game of poker. I was planning on giving it back to him. But I wanted him to suffer the loss a little while first.”

  “Poker?” Louie asked.

  “A card game. I’ll explain it to you when you’re a little older.” Clark turned the glove over in his hands and ran a finger along the soft leather. “After the accident, I wanted to give it back to him, but I felt weird about it, like he might think I was returning it out of pity.”

  “Jake will want it back eventually. It’ll cost you quite a bit to replace it.”

  Clark shook his head. “Not that much. I can get one on eBay when the time is right.”

  How could he be so chill? If George had been on the gnawed end of a baseball mitt—whether it was signed or not—he’d have raged and swore and he didn’t even like baseball. He would’ve made sure Louie felt like the worst kid in the world. He would’ve used it to break the kid down. Clark had used it to build the child up.

  “I’m going to put Chewy in his crate now,” Louie said. He picked the dog up and kissed him on the head. Chewy responded with nibbles and licks. “He probably needs a rest.”

  “Thanks,” she said to Clark. It wasn’t nearly enough, but it was the only word she could find. “I appreciate the way you handled that.”