“I’m sure living close to you will be the best part of my move to Harmony Falls,” Lucas said.
Gideon’s jealousy was threatening to flood the entire backyard in a hot green wave.
“Why exactly are you moving to Harmony Falls rather than back to Willington, Mr. Wright?” Gideon said.
“Call me Lucas,” he said. “I’m moving to Harmony Falls for a job, actually. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that Isaac Stark is opening up an office here.”
Gideon nodded stiffly. “I’ve heard.”
“Didn’t he buy the old firehouse?” Harrison said.
“He did,” Kira said. “He’s remodeling the inside. Construction started last week, actually.”
“Stark Entertainment is a large company, it’s a little surprising that Stark would choose to open a new company here,” Gideon said to Lucas.
“Technically it’s an offshoot of his existing company,” Lucas said.
“What do you do at Stark Entertainment?” Grace asked.
“Right now, I’m a game developer,” Lucas said. “But I’ve gotten a promotion and at the location here in Harmony Falls, I’ll be heading up the entire development section.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.” Grace’s tone was full of admiration. Gideon wondered if it was possible for his head to just pop off from jealousy.
“Thanks, Grace,” Lucas said.
“When will you be moving here?” Addison asked.
“Depends on when construction is finished. Tentative date of September first, but Stark’s a picky guy. If something doesn’t look exactly the way he wants in the new building, he’ll make them tear it down and redo it.”
“Sounds expensive,” Connor said.
“It’s Stark,” Lucas said, “he’s got more money than God.”
Grace laughed before standing and gathering up some of the paper plates on the picnic table. “I really need to meet this Stark guy.”
Gideon’s jaw clenched when Lucas stood and helped her clear the table. “I won’t lie, he’s a good looking bastard, but he is a bastard. Me, on the other hand, I’m good looking and so sweet sugar wouldn’t melt in my mouth.”
Gideon didn’t like the way Lucas was standing so close to Grace, but it was good he was invading her personal space. Grace wouldn’t want someone she didn’t know that close to her. She was affectionate and touchy with the people she loved but kept everyone else at a distance. Any second now she’d make it clear to the asshole that he was stepping over the line.
To Gideon’s shock, Grace leaned a little closer to Lucas and rested her hand on his chest. “Is that right? Because that isn’t what Connor told me.”
“Dude!” Lucas turned to Connor as Grace laughed and brushed past him.
“I didn’t say anything,” Connor said innocently.
“Cold, man, real cold,” Lucas said with a grin before following Grace into the house. “Gracie, you can’t believe a word he says about me.”
“You okay?” Preacher’s voice was low.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Gideon gritted out between clenched teeth.
“You look like you’re about to have a stroke,” Preacher said.
“I’m fine,” he said. “Just fine.”
* * *
Okay, so flirting a little with Lucas in front of Gideon was a shit thing to do. Grace could admit that. But she was only human, and it felt good to have Gideon see that someone found her attractive and desirable. Just because he didn’t want to touch her with a ten-foot pole, didn’t mean other guys weren’t up to it.
The fact that she wasn’t interested in Lucas as anything more than a friend was a slight problem, though.
“Do you know where they keep the garbage bags?” Lucas said.
“Yes,” Grace pointed to the cupboard above the fridge, “in that cupboard.”
“Perfect. So, this Kira and Connor thing is going really well, huh?” He grabbed a garbage bag and held it open for her.
“It is.” She dumped the paper plates she was holding into the bag. “I’m happy for them.”
“I am too.” Lucas’s smile was genuine. “Connor is a great guy and he deserves a wonderful woman like Kira.”
“So, are you excited about moving back to a small town or wishing the promotion was in New Cassel?” Grace said.
“I’m looking forward to being back in a small town, even if it is Harmony Falls,” he said teasingly.
“Has your family disowned you for giving up your status as a Willie and becoming a Harmonizer?”
He burst out laughing. “Oh God, I forgot all about those stupid high school nicknames.”
“Did you play baseball in high school?” Grace said.
“Didn’t everyone?”
“Were you at the championship game where we threw wieners at the Willington crowd while chanting, ‘Eat our willies’?”
He leaned against the counter, more laughter bellowing out. “Shit, yes. The next year we fought back by bringing harmonicas and loudly playing them every time a Harmony Falls player was up to bat.”
She joined him in laughing. “I remember that too. It was surprising just how loud hundreds of harmonicas could be.”
He held his stomach as he laughed harder, tears coming to his eyes. He really was very handsome, Grace decided. Handsome and easy going and he didn’t seem to have a giant stick up his ass like a certain sheriff she knew. Maybe she should try dating him. It couldn’t hurt, right?
Maybe Lucas would be an amazing kisser and she’d forget all about what it felt like to have Gideon’s mouth on hers, to have his big hand cupping her breast, and his erection pushing against her hip.
Despite her exhaustion, her body was already reacting to just the memory of that night three years ago. Her nipples were hardening in her bra and a familiar low throb was starting in her pelvis. She hadn’t been kissed or touched by a man since that night, and she needed to be angry about that. Needed to really understand what a problem that was and how she had to do something about it.
But she was too tired and too emotionally unstable to dwell on exactly why, now that she’d had Gideon’s tongue in her mouth, she had precisely zero urge to kiss another man.
Nope, that was a conversation for when she’d had some sleep.
“Hey, Grace?” Lucas had stopped laughing.
“Yeah?”
“Would you like to go – shit!”
Tank had barreled into the kitchen and, always eager to meet new friends, he’d plastered his big body against Lucas’s, leaning hard into him. His tail wagged, hitting the cupboards with rhythmic loud thuds as Lucas petted behind his ears. “Hey, ya big moose.”
He glanced up at Grace. “He’s gotta be the biggest dog I’ve ever met. What do you think he weighs? One fifty, one sixty?”
“One seventy-five, actually.” Gideon walked into the kitchen and Grace crossed her arms over her torso, feeling weirdly guilty.
“How much does he eat?” Lucas stroked down Tank’s back before scratching just above his tail and the Dane’s eyes practically rolled up into his head with pleasure. He leaned his entire body weight against Lucas, and Lucas made a low grunt before laughing.