Sapphire Falls: Going My Way? (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 8

  ****

  As a lifelong resident of Sapphire Falls, Dylan had gone to the annual festival every year. Even when he’d gone away to college – which was still fairly local – he’d made time to come back and participate in as many events as he could for its duration. It was just something he did and he enjoyed it. But seeing it all right now through Chloe’s eyes was kind of fun. Her excitement was infectious and he admired her sense of wonder over the little things.

  They had gone on the Ferris wheel – and the kisses they’d shared had him harder than he thought possible. As soon as their feet were back on the ground, Chloe took him by the hand and dragged him over to the haunted house. He’d been through it a time or two over the course of his life, but this was the first time he’d been tempted to simply run through it so he could take a girl home with him. She was turning him inside out and the constant state of arousal she had him in was starting to get uncomfortable.

  But in the best possible way.

  When they stepped back outside, Chloe glanced toward the hill and that’s when he had to put the brakes on. “Not yet,” he teased, kissing her on the nose. “Let’s save that one for later, like after dark.”

  “Spoilsport.”

  Hand in hand they walked the square, chatting with everyone and maybe it was just wishful thinking but…she fit. Chloe simply fit in with Sapphire Falls and the thought of her leaving was really getting to him.

  On the practical side, Dylan told himself he was being crazy. They’d known each other for only a week. This was infatuation. Lust. But when Chloe turned to him and smiled, his heart would squeeze in his chest and he knew it was becoming more. So much more.

  And it scared the hell out of him.

  He wasn’t the type of guy who did this sort of thing. He’d already broken one of his own rules by getting involved with Chloe when he knew she was leaving. Casual relationships weren’t his style. But to add to that by falling in love with her like this, so fast? It was mind boggling. And…he just wasn’t sure what he was going to do about it.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Chloe asked softly as he suddenly stopped walking. “You look a little pale.”

  Dylan was sure he did. He was in love. With Chloe. The girl who was going to leave him in a matter of days.

  He had to put a stop to this. Had to protect himself.

  “I knew we shouldn’t have gone back for that second round of cotton candy,” she said and gave him a helpless smile. “Come on. I think we’ve had enough for today. Let’s go home.”

  And like an idiot, he let her lead him back to his truck. When she asked if he was okay to drive, he’d nodded. They drove in silence back to his house while his mind raced. The longer she stayed, the harder it was going to be for him when she left. And asking her to stay – particularly this soon – just might scare her off and he didn’t want to do that either.

  Rock? Meet hard place.

  So what were his options? How was he supposed to protect his heart when it was already out there and seemingly willing to be broken?

  “Come on,” Chloe said quietly when they parked in the driveway. “Let’s go inside and just relax. Sorry if I overdid it on the food. It was all so good.”

  Inside the house, Dylan watched as she fluttered around – kicking off her shoes, going to the kitchen to see about making tea or soup or anything to soothe him. She didn’t know that her presence was enough for that.

  She looked good in his house.

  She fit in with his beloved town.

  He just had to figure out a way to have her come to realize that on her own.

  ****

  “This is amazing.”

  “I know. It never gets old.”

  Chloe rested her head on Dylan’s shoulder Tuesday night as they sat on Klein Hill to watch the fireworks. She sighed happily. “It seems weird to see fireworks and it’s not even the Fourth of July yet.”

  He chuckled. “We do an even better show then.”

  And she didn’t doubt it for a minute. It seemed like this little town had a way of making everything better, more enjoyable. Last night they played in some of the coed softball games. Chloe had never thought of herself as being athletic, but she managed to do okay out in left field for a couple of innings. The rest of the time she simply sat in the stands and watched Dylan play. And it had been spectacular. Afterwards they had gone to the Come Again for celebratory beers and then when they had gotten home, Dylan pulled her into the shower with him.

  And yes, it was spectacular too.

  And now, laid out on a blanket and staring up at the sky, she felt so completely at peace and it was wonderful. Between the fresh air, the fireworks and the man beside her, life was good.

  “Hey, you two!”

  Chloe looked up and saw Will smiling down at them, his arm around an adorable blonde. “Hey, Will,” she said, smiling. “Enjoying the fireworks?”

  “Always,” he said. “You both cut out before me earlier and I just wanted to let you know I took the Mustang out for a test drive and I think the problem was a hose that was a little loose. Everything’s good now.”

  “Oh,” Chloe murmured and beside her, Dylan made a small non-committal sound. “Thanks.”

  “See you tomorrow!” Will said with a grin and walked away.

  Well that took a little wind out of her sails. The damn car was fixed again. It was pure luck she had been able to stick her hand into the engine the other night and shake that hose until it had almost come off. There was no way she could do that again. She glanced over at Dylan who was staring up at the sky and wondered what he was thinking? Was he even thinking about what Will had just told them or was he simply enjoying the fireworks?

  With no other choice, Chloe pushed all thoughts of the car aside and went back to focusing on the festivities. There was nothing she could do now about the car. At some point tomorrow she’d have to deal with it and figure out what her next move was going to be. But for tonight, she was going to enjoy her time with Dylan.

  ****

  They had ridden the rides. Three times.

  They had tasted all the food. Three times.

  They had played softball, watched the fireworks, and talked to just about every person in town over the last three days. As much as he loved Sapphire Falls and the festival, he knew he was using it as an excuse to keep Chloe from leaving. And with Will announcing her car was fixed – again – Dylan had a feeling their time was coming to an end.

  She was curled up beside him and the night sky and the fireworks had never seemed better. Actually, his life had never seemed better. He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head.

  “I wish everyone would go home,” Chloe said softly.

  Dylan couldn’t help but chuckle. He knew exactly what she meant. “Me too.”

  Lifting her head, she looked at him and smiled. “I was thinking how beautiful the night is and how perfect the weather is and how amazing it would be to make love under the stars.”

  It was as if they were of one mind. “That does sound amazing.”

  She sighed. “But unfortunately…”

  “Hold that thought,” he interrupted and pointed up to the sky. “Here comes the finale.”

  Together they watched in awed silence at the spectacular grand finale. It was loud and colorful and everyone cheered and clapped as it finished. After the last boom, everyone stood and began gathering their things. Dylan carefully maneuvered so he could sit up.

  “We’re leaving too?” she asked.

  “I don’t want us to get arrested for public indecency,” he teased, holding out his hand to pull her to her feet. “Let’s go home. I have something to show you.”

  She burst out laughing. “I’ve heard that line before!”

  Together they laughed and folded up their blanket and Dylan grabbed their cooler. Along with the throngs of people, they made their way back to his truck. It was unusual for there to be a traffic jam in town, but considering everyone was there, it was to be expected.
The trip home took a little bit longer, but all it managed to do was build the anticipation Chloe felt.

  Wordlessly, Dylan came around to her side of the truck once they were parked in the driveway and helped her climb down. Reaching into the cab of the truck, he grabbed the blanket and within minutes they were in his backyard. Chloe hadn’t been back there before – hadn’t had a need to – and all she could do was stop and stare.

  There weren’t any houses close by and the massive yard was fenced in with a giant cottonwood tree in the back corner. The grass was perfectly manicured and there were several different varieties of shrubs lining the sides. And when she looked up? The sky was clear and beautiful and filled with millions of stars.

  Without realizing it, Dylan had let go of her hand and was laying the blanket down on the grass and kicking off his shoes. When her gaze met his, he gave her a wicked smile. “I figured privacy was a good thing.”

  Kicking off her own shoes, Chloe nodded. “You figured correctly.” She peeled her t-shirt up and over her head and then shimmied out of her shorts. In the blink of an eye, Dylan was down to his boxer briefs and she could only stand and stare.

  Perfection.

  It didn’t matter how many times she’d seen him stripped down. His body was completely perfect – all lean muscle. Just looking at him was enough to kick her arousal up a notch. Her fingers twitched with the need to touch him even as she began to tremble with the need to be touched. And as if reading her mind, he stepped forward and did just that.

  Starting with his hands on her shoulders, he gently caressed his way down her arms until he clasped her hands in his and slowly dragged them up and placed them around his neck. Then he dipped his head and stopped when his lips were a breath away from hers. Her name came out as a whisper.

  “Yes,” she breathed and then his lips were on hers, kissing her, claiming her. It was like her every sexy fantasy come to life. All of her senses were heightened and with every touch of Dylan’s hands or the feel of the cool evening breeze against her skin was pushing her toward an overload.

  Slowly Dylan lowered her to the blanket and stretched out beside her. “How did I get so lucky to find you?” he asked, his tone full of awe.

  Reaching up, Chloe caressed his strong stubbled jaw, loving the feel of it. “It’s a good thing you were going my way. Otherwise there’s a good chance I’d still be sitting on the side of the road.” She was going for light and teasing, but his expression turned fierce. “Dylan…I…”

  He placed a finger over her lips. “You have no idea how glad I am to be the one to come along. Do you have any idea how dangerous that whole thing was? Anyone could have stumbled upon you…taken advantage and…”

  Now it was her turn to quiet him. Her hand snaked around to his nape and pulled him down for a searing kiss. She knew she was lucky – not only because Dylan had come and helped her with her car, but because of Dylan. Period.

  And as he shifted and covered her body with his, she was even more thankful.

  ****

  On Wednesday afternoon, Chloe walked into the garage bay and saw Dylan standing next to her Mustang. “Can I take her for a spin?”

  “Absolutely.” He tossed her key to her and then stepped around to open the door for her.

  “Wow…what service,” she teased as she settled into the driver’s seat.

  “Just take it easy with her again…”

  “I was easy with her the last time, Dylan. She’s just got some years on her.” She rubbed the dash lovingly as she said it. “I’m sure she’ll be fine this time. And I have my phone with me…you know…just in case.” And with a wink, she started the engine and slowly backed out of the garage.

  Dylan watched her go and gave her a quick wave as she drove away.

  As she had on her last drive, Chloe circled the town and drove along some of the side streets before hitting the town limits and pulling over. Turning off the car, she took out her phone and Googled car engines and tried to find something to do that wouldn’t be too obvious again – and would be easy for her to do on her own without any tools.

  Unfortunately, there was no way she was going to stick her hand in the engine again or crawl under the car. There weren’t a whole lot of options for her and she actually lost track of time while scrolling for ideas. When her phone rang, she screamed and dropped it on the floor. Picking it up, she saw Dylan’s number on the screen.

  “Hey!” she said, sounding overly bright and cheerful. “What’s up?”

  “Is everything okay? You’ve been gone for a while.”

  “Oh…um…I was just…”

  “Is the car running okay?”

  She sighed wearily – but quietly. “Yeah,” she said, a little deflated. “It drove great. Really.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure, Dylan. I’ve been all over Sapphire Falls and…I just lost track of time. Everything is so damn pretty around here that I just got caught up in it all.” With no other choice, she reached for the key and went to start the car.

  It wouldn’t start.

  She waited and tried again.

  Nothing.

  Cursing, she almost forgot Dylan was on the line. “Chloe? What’s the matter?”

  “I…I um…I had pulled over to sort of enjoy the scenery and shut off the car and now it won’t start.” She tried again.

  “Okay, okay, relax. Don’t keep trying to start it. You’ll either flood the engine or wear down the starter. Where are you?”

  Looking around she tried to figure out where she was. “I was heading west on Crimson and I think I’m almost at the town limits. Dammit!” She slammed her hand on the steering wheel. “Can…” she started and then sighed. “Can you please come and get me? Again?”

  He chuckled. “Sit tight. I’ll be there soon.”

  She hung up the phone and couldn’t believe it. Here she was trying to sabotage her own car and the damn thing had done it all on its own. She wanted to call it a traitor, but really, she was secretly thankful. With a sigh, she rested her head back and closed her eyes. The windows were rolled down and there was a light breeze and even if she had to sit and wait for hours for Dylan to come, this wasn’t a bad place to be stuck.

  She wasn’t sure how long she had sat there before she heard the sound of the tow truck pulling up. Smiling, she climbed from the car and watched as Dylan maneuvered and backed up to the front of her car. When he got out and walked toward her, she gave him a helpless shrug.

  He stepped in close and gave her a quick kiss. “Hey there, pretty lady. Need a lift?”

  Pretending to consider his question, she tapped a finger on her lips. “Well…I kind of do. But are you going my way?”

  He chuckled. “And where might that be?”

  “A sweet little place called Sapphire Falls. Ever heard of it?”

  “You’re in luck,” he said, sounding proud of himself. “I just happen to be the local mechanic there.”

  “Whew!” She dramatically wiped the sweat from her brow. “It’s a good thing you came along then.”

  And then Dylan surprised her by picking her up and swinging her around before giving her another kiss – this one a little slower, a little deeper and a whole lot hotter. “You know it.”

  Eight

  Sand volleyball was Dylan’s favorite activity of the festival. It was always fun and it was a good way to let his competitive nature come out and play. Chloe had opted to be strictly a spectator for this event and he was kind of relieved. She was a distraction to him no matter what she was doing, but he had a feeling watching her jumping around in the tiny cutoffs she was currently wearing would wreak havoc on him.

  A volleyball hit him smack-dab in the middle of his forehead and snapped him out of his reverie. Snatching it up off the ground, he looked around to who threw it. “Seriously, Dude,” Ty Bennett said, grinning, “if you’re going to sit there daydreaming like a schoolgirl, step aside and let the big boys play.”

  Dylan frowne
d and took his place to serve. “No one’s daydreaming like anything,” he argued. “My mind wandered for a minute because you were taking so long getting into position.”

  Ty winked and gave him an exaggerated OK sign.

  Asshole.

  Annoyance worked in his favor as he served the ball. And for the remainder of the match, no one questioned his attention – or lack of it. When they won – as Dylan knew they would – he did his best not to appear too anxious to leave the court and go seek out Chloe. And as if his teammates knew it, they did their best to drag him into conversations and to convince him to join the next round.

  He cursed himself as he caved to the peer pressure and joined in.

  He loathed himself when he did it again for a third game.

  By the fourth, Dylan was pretty sure he was going to be incapable of moving in the morning from the physicality of the damn game he once loved.

  On the sidelines, Chloe sat with a group of the girls and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her having a good time. He figured he had a sappy grin on his face and it was confirmed when a volleyball smacked him right between the eyes again.

  “Hey!” he snapped, unsure of who exactly he was yelling at. His five teammates all looked at him innocently, but there was a definite smirk on Ty’s face.

  “For the love of it, Maxwell, go get the girl and go home already! We’ll put you out of your misery and finish the final round without you,” Ty said, laughing.

  The manly thing to do would be to deny everything and say he’d stay and play the final game.

  But Dylan was up for proving his manliness in other ways - in the privacy of his own home. With a wave and a smile, he jogged off the court and made his way over to Chloe.

  “You done?” she asked with a knowing grin, as if she could read his mind.

  “Yup.” Reaching across the table, he took the mug of beer Chloe was handing to him. “Thanks.” Finishing it off, he put it down and looked at her expectantly. “You ready?”