Unconditional Love

  I made a beeline straight to the bedroom next to mine. Before I walked into the room, she cleared her throat. I stopped and turned around to see her standing outside the bedroom at the end of the hall. She smiled and pointed into the room.

  Fuckin’ A.

  “Yep, and Lark is being such a gentleman by carrying my suitcase.”

  She let out a laugh, and when I walked by, my arm brushed up against hers.

  Shit! What in the hell is with the weird feelings every time I touch this girl?

  I put her suitcase down on the bed, turned, and ran my hand through my hair. I didn’t like the way I felt when I was around her, and I’d only been around her for about ten minutes. When I looked up, I saw she was staring at me.

  “Oh, um…what did you say, Jessie?” She quickly looked away. “Okay, I probably will because I am starving. Okay, see y’all soon.” She hung up and looked at me again. She gave me the sweetest smile. “They’re, um…they’re going to be heading back soon. Have you eaten dinner?”

  My heart dropped to my stomach, and I was starting to get pissed off at how my body was betraying me. I just needed to either fuck this girl or completely ignore her.

  “Nope,” I said, cursing myself the moment the word came out of my mouth.

  She nodded as she set down the two bags she’d carried up with her. Then, she turned and walked out of the bedroom. I followed her out and down the stairs to the kitchen. I sat down as I watched her open the refrigerator. She took a quick look, and then she went to the pantry and looked around. She pulled out powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and the bread. She walked back over to the refrigerator and pulled out some eggs.

  “Do you like French toast? I’ve been craving it so bad the last few days.” She pulled out a bowl and began cracking eggs into it.

  I had to swallow the lump in my throat before I could talk. “I love French toast.” Nikki used to make me French toast all the time.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Azurdee asked as she placed her hand on top of mine.

  I instantly pulled it away. “Yeah. Why the fuck wouldn’t I be?” I snapped.

  The hurt in her eyes made me instantly regret snapping at her. She took a deep breath and went back to mixing everything in the bowl. She got out a frying pan and put some butter in it.

  “Jesus, you sure do know where everything is. Do you come here often?” I asked, trying to make up for being short with her.

  She gave me a weak smile and began dipping the bread into the egg mixture.

  “I’ve only been here a couple of times. I made Scott and Jessie dinner a few times. I love to cook, and I’ve been told I make a pretty damn good fettuccine alfredo,” she said as she wiggled her eyebrows. “All from scratch, I might add.”

  I let out a small laugh as I shook my head. “I think maybe I need to be the judge of that.”

  She flipped the toast in the pan. “You got it. I’ll make it while we’re here. When are you leaving? I’m staying until the third and then heading back to Austin.”

  The feeling of disappointment washed over me. I wanted both of us to stay longer. I wanted to leave my world behind just for a few days more, so I could get to know this girl better.

  “I’ll probably leave on the third.” I got up and took out two glasses from the cabinet. I grabbed the orange juice and poured us each a glass. I glanced over and noticed her watching me.

  Yeah, I just need to stay away from her as much as possible.

  I sat down and watched her whip out the French toast in record time.

  “Will you get out some plates, please?” she asked without even looking at me. She reached and stretched to put the syrup in the microwave.

  I stood up, took out two plates, and set them on the island. She put French toast on each plate, and then she took a spoonful of powdered sugar and sprinkled it on top.

  She turned and stood on her tippy toes to get the syrup out of the microwave.

  I smiled as I looked down at her tight-ass jeans. Motherfucker, she has a nice body. No way is this girl still a virgin.

  I made my way over toward her. I leaned against her as I reached up and grabbed the syrup. When I pushed myself into her, she turned around quickly.

  “I never understood why they placed that microwave so damn high,” she said as a flush spread across her cheeks.

  I couldn’t help myself. I reached up and pushed a piece of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. She quickly touched the side of her face.

  “You’re just short,” I said with a wink.

  I backed away when I noticed her chest was heaving up and down quickly.

  Yep, she felt it, too.

  She let out an awkward laugh. “I guess so. Anyway, um…dig in!”

  We sat down on the bar stools and ate at the kitchen island.

  “Damn girl, this is the best French toast I’ve ever had.” I shoved another bite into my mouth.

  She giggled. “Thank you. I’ve always loved to cook. I get to do a lot of baking with my business,” she said before taking a bite.

  “What do you do for a living?”

  She smiled, and my breath was taken away when her beautiful eyes lit up.

  “I own a coffee shop called Rise and Grind. It’s right outside of Austin in Wimberley.”

  I laughed. “I like it. Cute name.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. It’s been a dream come true…well, at least for me it has. My father, on the other hand, is still upset with me for not coming and working for him. He keeps telling me that my degree was a waste of his money—even though the coffee shop has done so well this last year. This is the first time I’ve left it. My mother has a business degree, so she has been helping me out with it.”

  For a moment, she almost looked sad.

  What is it about this girl that is getting to me?

  “What is your degree in?” I asked.

  “Ocean engineering,” she said with a weak smile. “My father is a petroleum engineer, and he owns his own company.”

  I let out a small laugh. “Well, hell, why open a coffee shop when you could be building dikes and flood control systems? If you worked for your dad though, I guess you would be exploring offshore gas and oil fields,” I said.

  Her mouth dropped open.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked with a smirk.

  “No one ever knows what an ocean engineer does. I always have to tell them,” she said with a small smile.

  I smiled and gave her a wink. “Well, you’ve finally met someone who knows.”

  I heard Jessie and Scott come in, and I turned to see Jessie barreling through the door.

  She stopped the moment she saw us. She smiled when she saw Azurdee, and Jessie immediately walked over to her. She took Azurdee in her arms and hugged her.

  Jessie turned to me and gave me a look. She put her two fingers up to her eyes and then pointed at me as if to say that she’d be watching me. I was just about to take a bite, but I stopped my fork right at my mouth. I couldn’t help but laugh. I shook my head and winked at her.

  Scott walked up, hit me on the back, and sat down. “You behaving, Lark?” he asked with a cocky smile.

  “Yes, I am. Isn’t that right, Azurdee? I’ve asked her to sleep with me only three times.”

  “What?” Jessie yelled out.

  Azurdee laughed and shook her head. “He has not. He’s really been a gentleman.”

  She looked at me, and I gave her my signature smile that I knew drove all the girls crazy—except it didn’t seem to faze Azurdee at all. Her smile dropped, and then she turned away as Jessie held up her ring finger. They both started screaming and jumping up and down. I threw my hands up to my ears and looked at Scott, who was laughing.

  Holy hell, why must girls scream when they’re happy? The only time I want a woman screaming is when I’m giving her an orgasm.

  “Jesus, make them stop, Scott,” I said.

  I peeked over at Azurdee. She was talking a mile a minute as she kept bouncin
g up and down. Fuck, she has nice breasts. Ugh, I need to get the fuck out of here.

  I got up, walked over to the sink, washed off my plate, and put it in the dishwasher. I leaned against the sink and looked at Scott. “Is the Wild Coyote Bar still open?”

  He nodded, and I noticed Azurdee look over at me.

  I pushed off the counter and started to walk out of the kitchen but not before I said,

  “Good. I need to get laid.”

  “Oh, really nice, Lark. Do not bring a girl back here!” Jessie called after me.

  I took the steps two at a time and quickly changed before heading back downstairs. Jessie and Azurdee were engaged in a conversation as they sat together on the sofa. I looked over at Scott, and he shook his head. He must have known I was going to ask if he wanted to come.

  I shrugged and said, “Well, thank you, Azurdee, for dinner. Y’all have fun tonight.”

  Scott stood and walked me to the door. “Dude, are you sure you want to go out? Why don’t you stay here? We’ll grab a few beers, head down to the barn, and catch up.”

  I smiled and put my hand on his shoulder. “Dude, I haven’t had a piece of ass since Belize. Don’t wait up for me,” I said with a wink.

  I glanced over his shoulder and saw Azurdee looking at me. Our eyes caught, and then she rolled her eyes and looked away.

  He slapped my back and laughed. “Yeah, ’cause Belize was so long ago.”

  As I walked out, I made a vow that I would not let this girl get under my skin. I sat down in my truck and threw my head back against the seat. I hadn’t felt this way since Nikki. One good fuck and I knew I’d get over it.

  “Lark? Hello? You’re a million miles away.”

  I shook my head and looked back down and smiled. Shit, I’m just ready for this reception to be over. I glanced back over toward Azurdee and her body language changed. She seemed nervous. She glanced back over at me and then quickly back at her date.

  “Listen sweetheart, enjoy the rest of the reception, I think we are going to be wrapping it up soon.” Her smile faded as she shook her head and walked away.

  I decided it was taking too long for this dickhead to leave. The sooner he left, and the quicker we got these people out of here, the sooner I would finally get to make Azurdee mine.

  The first time I ever laid my eyes on Lark Williams I knew I was in trouble. No guy had ever caused me to lose my normally calm train of thought like he did. His piercing green eyes looked right into my soul and seemed to know every dark secret.

  Dark secret. Who was I kidding? I was a 26-year-old woman who had yet to lose her virginity because of some silly idea that I had to wait for the one guy who made me feel…different.

  I glanced over toward the back door and saw Lark standing there talking to some girl who looked like she was about nineteen. Lark was the only man who ever made me feel different. He made my body ache to feel his touch almost from the first moment he spoke to me.

  “Azurdee? Are you even listening to me?” Paul asked. I pulled my eyes away from Lark and tried to smile at Paul. “Um…I’m sorry, I just keep thinking about all the clean up and everything.”

  Paul smiled and said, “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay? I don’t mind at all.”

  Oh for the love of all things good. This guy is not getting the hint that I want him to leave. “No, really, it’s taken care of. Thank you so much though. I guess now it’s just trying to get everyone to head on home so we can start cleaning up,” I said, hoping he would get the hint.

  “I think I should stay. I could crash on the sofa after I help clean up, if you’d like,” Paul said as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down. Ugh. What did I ever see in this guy?

  “We’ve got it covered. You can head on back to Austin now. I’ll be sure Azurdee is well taken care of.”

  I immediately felt the goose bumps cover my body when I felt Lark behind me and heard his authoritative voice. I was pretty sure my cheeks flushed when I thought of how Lark would be taking care of me.

  Paul looked at Lark and then me before laughing and looking at Lark again. “And who might you be?”

  Oh shit. Lark laughed and said, “The guy who isn’t a pussy and afraid to say he most certainly will not be sleeping on the sofa tonight but will be sharing a bed with…”

  I quickly grabbed Paul’s arm and lead him away from Lark. “Okay well, Paul, let me walk you to your car,” I said as I turned and looked at Lark, who was standing there with a huge smile on his face. As much as I wanted to be pissed off, I couldn’t be. Something about his smile has always been my weakness.

  As I walked Paul to his car, he stopped right before he got in and spun around and looked at me.

  “Azurdee, are you going to be okay tonight? I mean…”

  I smiled and nodded my head, “Yes, I’m going to perfectly fine. Thank you so much, Paul.”

  He nodded and got into his car, shut the door and started the engine. He rolled down the window and asked, “May I call you? Maybe we can meet for dinner this week?”

  Damn it how do I get out of this?

  “Azurdee? Honey, we have a slight problem and need you right away!” Ari yelled from the front porch.

  I gave Paul a weak smile and said, “I have to run but maybe I’ll talk to you soon.” I quickly turned and headed toward Ari, who was standing there giving me a shit-eating grin.

  Ari was one of Jessie’s closest friends here in Mason, along with Ellie, Heather, and Amanda. They were all friends but acted more like sisters. I stopped right in front of her and asked, “How did you know I needed rescuing?”

  She gave me a Cheshire cat grin and said, “Please, bitch, I saw the way you and Lark were dancing earlier. Too bad your date didn’t notice the hotness between the two of you on the dance floor. I knew you were trying to ditch the date and I was pretty sure when I saw him roll down that window he was asking if you would like to meet for coffee sometime?”

  I chuckled and said, “It was dinner.”

  Ari rolled her eyes and said, “Stupid bastard must have been the only one to not see you and Lark practically humping on the dance floor.”

  “Oh my God, Ari! It wasn’t that bad…was it?”

  She gave me an evil smile and said, “Let’s just say I’m wishing I would have started a bet among the girls because I have a feeling someone is going to be coming over to the…” Ari looked around and then looked back at me and whispered, “My-cherry-was-popped side.”

  My mouth dropped open and I stood there frozen. “I just don’t even know what to say to that, Ari.”

  “I get that a lot. Okay, just make sure the bastard gives you an orgasm before he sticks his…”

  I held up my hands and said, “Please stop! Really, I think I’m going to be okay without your…tips.”

  Ari laughed and said, “Okay, seriously though, it does help you relax. Are you on the pill? Please tell me you are at least on the pill.”

  My heart started pounding and my hands started sweating. “Um…yeah, since college. Just to be safe. I dated a guy in college for a while and thought he might be the one but turns out he was far from the one.”

  Ari’s mouth dropped open. “You haven’t had a boyfriend since college? My God Azurdee, do you just not like men?”

  I laughed and pushed her back some. “Yes, bitch, I like men. I just haven’t met a guy who did it for me. One that made me want to give myself completely to him until…”

  Ari wiggled her eyebrows up and down and said, “Mysterious and handsome Lark Williams has though, hasn’t he?”

  I let out a sigh and walked over to the porch swing and sat down.

  “Oh my God, Ari. I don’t know what it is, but when I’m around him my body just goes into overdrive and I have to do everything in my power to keep from jumping him. It’s been like this from the beginning. I’ve dreamt about him, I’ve thought about him while driving, working, out on other dates. I cannot get him out of my head. He is my weakness.”

  Ari sat down
and gave me a weak smile. “Is it just a sexual thing? I mean…do you have other feelings for him?”

  I nodded my head. “No, it’s not just sexual. I mean, a big part of it is of course, and the fact that I pretty much threw myself at him tonight has my stomach dropping. But there’s more to it. When he enters a room, I swear I have to take a deep breath. He brushes by me or touches me in the slightest way and my stomach flips around like I’m on a damn thrill ride. His eyes…oh my God. I get totally lost in them. I swear—if he had told me to strip down and let him make love to me on the dance floor, I would have done it.”

  I threw my head back onto the swing and thought about earlier when Lark and I danced.

  I walked back outside and looked around. Lark was sitting at a table, and two of my college friends were talking to him. He looked bored out of his mind, and I didn’t think he was even listening to them.

  Billy Currington’s “Must Be Doin’ Something Right” started playing, so I walked up to the table. I smiled at the girls and looked at Lark. “I think the best man and maid of honor should dance together at least once, don’t you?”

  He looked up at me and smiled. “Yep, I think so.” He set his beer down, grabbed my hand, and practically dragged me to the dance floor.

  As he pulled me close to him, he said, “Thank God you showed up when you did.”

  I giggled as we started to two-step. “Why? You aren’t enjoying yourself?”

  “Sorry, but the girls you went to college with are either bitches or boring as hell.”

  I placed my head on his chest and closed my eyes. When I felt his chin rest on top of my head, the butterflies in my stomach went crazy.

  I looked up at him. “So, what type of girl are you looking for anyway?”

  The left corner of his mouth moved up just a bit further when he smiled. It almost felt like my knees might have wobbled for one quick second.

  “What do you mean?”

  I hit him in the stomach. “You know what I mean, Lark. What kind of girl is it going to take to get you to settle down? You know, for you to stop your man-whoring ways?” I asked with a wink.