The Middle of Nowhere Read online

  Rex walked into my house and I could hear him set the bags down on the table. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him get down on the floor to help. I got up to put an armful of things on the table and spun around to gather anything else that I may have missed.

  But my breath caught in my throat as I turned right into Rex. He was holding a couple random grocery items, but that was all that was between our bodies. I stared at his chest as I tried to remember how to move. But being this close my mind got foggy and my body didn’t want to work. I bit my lip when he didn’t move either. I could feel his eyes on me. It was warming my entire body.

  My eyes raised up to meet his and our eyes locked. I felt like I was under some kind of spell. Was he feeling the same thing? Of course not.

  “Sorry,” I said as I forced myself to blink. I stepped around him to make my way back to the doorway and out to his truck for more bags. The cool, fresh air was welcomed. I needed to get myself under control around him. I had no idea what it was about him, I barely knew him. He was insanely hot, and tall. I just wanted to run my hands all over his solid body, but beyond his good looks and kindness, I didn’t really know anything about him.

  It wasn’t like we had any deep conversations, all we had really talked about was the town people and random small talk. Nothing personal. Although he didn’t know anything about me either. Was there anything wrong with physical attraction? Well, no, but when he was my closest neighbor it would probably be a good idea to keep things platonic. That way the next time my car breaks down I have someone I can bug for help again. If I acted on what I was feeling, that could make things really awkward between me and my freaking hot neighbor.

  We walked past each other as I brought my bags inside and he went back out to grab the remaining ones. Somehow he was carrying three when he came back in. Strong. I forced myself to start unpacking a bag so he wouldn’t catch me staring.

  “Thank you so much for your help… with everything,” I said only connecting with his eyes for a split second.

  “No problem,” he said lingering. Oh my God was he waiting for gas money?

  “I wish I had some way to repay you,” I said turning my back to stuff items into my cabinets. And roll my eyes at myself.

  He coughed and after a short pause he said, “OK, how about dinner sometime?”

  I don’t know how I stopped myself from letting out a little squeal. My heart started pounding so hard I worried he’d see it beating against my shirt.

  “Sure, whenever,” I said trying to sound cool and casual.

  “How about tonight?”

  6

  I desperately wanted to say yes, but I didn’t have anything I could make that would impress him. I’d bought yogurt. And peanut butter. Single girl staples, not grown-up date night meal type things. And it wasn’t like there were any restaurants he was going to take me to. There wasn’t anything anywhere near here and it wasn’t like we were going to drive back to that little town. Although, I do think I saw a little family diner down the road from the general store.

  “So, I would happily say yes, but I’d be mortified to serve you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a side of Greek yogurt,” I said as I continued to put my groceries away.

  “Be right back,” he said as he disappeared out the front door that I hadn’t yet locked. Rex came back inside carrying one of his brown paper bags. “I bought this, hoping you’d say yes.”

  I stood on my tiptoes and tried to peek inside the bag. When he had gone back inside the store I hadn’t realized it was to secretly buy dinner ingredients. I was curious what he had planned. He had been thinking about asking me to have dinner with him even back at the general store. The thought made me blush and it made my insides heat up. Could he be feeling whatever it was between us too?

  “You can cook?” I said sounding more surprised than I probably should have.

  “I can,” he said flashing me his sexy grin. His perfect teeth showing ever so slightly behind those delectable lips.

  “Well, OK,” I said, as I finished putting away the rest of my groceries. If it should have felt awkward letting him into my home and into my kitchen, it didn’t. At least not out here in didn’t. In the city, well, in the city this wouldn’t have ever happened. At least not with any of the guys I ever met. I had been more likely to attract the type of guy who would flop down on my couch, order a pizza, and then wait fifteen minutes before trying to get into my pants.

  I walked around the kitchen counter and sat down on one of the stools. My book was sitting on the counter so I grabbed it and opened it to my bookmark. I had to busy my eyes with something so I wouldn’t watch him moving around my kitchen the whole time he was here.

  He went into the kitchen and unpacked his bag, setting everything out in an organized line. I peeked over my book to see if I could figure out what he was preparing. Spaghetti, no chicken parmesan. Either way it sounded so much better than a sandwich and a side of yogurt.

  “Where are your pots?” he asked as he spun around as if they might call out to him and reveal their location.

  I laughed and I slid off the chair to show him where everything was. Before I got out of his way I paused to make sure he wouldn’t need something else.

  He didn’t seem to be moving. I smiled at him. “Need anything else?”

  Once everything was on the counter he looked it over. “Spatula?” he asked not bothering to look at me.

  I opened the drawer I kept it in and handed it to him. When his fingers lightly brushed against mine I thought time had stopped. It felt as though I had felt his touch all over every inch of my body. I tingled as my body reacted. All I knew was that I had to get myself under control.

  “Thanks,” he breathed and turned away from me. Maybe he hadn’t been feeling it after all. Maybe he was just a nice guy, looking to be friendly with his new neighbor.

  “So you like to fish?” I said sitting back down on the stool. We were going to be here awhile, might as well at least try to make normal conversation. See if I could learn a little something about him.

  He filled a pot with water and put it on my stove. “Sure do,” he said turning back to the ingredients he had set out on the counter.

  “Never been fishing,” I said wishing I could get him to say more than a few words. It had almost become kind of a game of sorts to see if I could get him to expand upon anything. “Were you a chef in a former life?” I said looking at the words on the page of my book. They all looked foreign.

  “No,” Rex laughed, “no I wasn’t. This is one of the three dishes I know how to make.”

  “Smells good so far,” I said realizing how stupid I sounded since the only thing going was a pot of boiling water. Thankfully he didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he hadn’t heard me because he was so wrapped up in his meal preparation. But at least I had gotten the longest response to a question so far. Winning.

  “Do you cook?” he said with a smile, “I mean beyond peanut butter and jelly.”

  I looked up at him to catch the glimmer in his dark eyes, “I can but I don’t.” I caught myself before I mentioned that it was mostly because I didn’t have anyone to cook for. And it was a good thing I had since it probably would have made me sound desperate.

  He looked as if he was trying to concentrate so I went back to pretending to read my book. I secretly watched him move around my kitchen practically drooling over him, instead of the wonderful aroma coming from his cooking. The way his muscles moved was… hypnotizing.

  “Almost ready,” he said taking a tray of garlic bread out from the oven.

  “Can I help with anything?” I said fascinated by how expertly he was at plating the meal. Everything looked perfect and professional. It could have been something served at a fine dining restaurant.

  After he finished serving it up he tilted his head as if he was thinking. He took a bottle of wine from a paper bag, “Wine glasses?”

  I never actually thought they’d get any use, I had only brought them with
when I moved because they had been a gift from my mom. It tugged at my heart to hold them in my hand, but at the same time I was happy to get to use them. And she would have been thrilled that they were being used on a date.

  “Sit… sit,” he said after I had set the glasses down. I happily obeyed.

  Rex set down a plate that looked like it could have been photographed for a food magazine. And, it smelled amazing. I was surprised that the fisherman could make something that looked so beautiful and smelled so divine. And before I even tasted it, I knew it would be delectable.

  “This all looks wonderful!” I said unable to hide my surprise.

  “Thank you,” he said looking satisfied. “Go ahead,” he nodded as he set down his plate in the chair next to me.

  “This is so good,” I said taking a bite. And it was. By far, it had been the best pasta dish I’d ever had in my entire life.

  He soundlessly slid a wine glass in front of my plate and one next to his seat. Rex lifted the bottle of wine and I nodded. He poured me a healthy glassful. “Sorry,” he said with a quick glance.

  “About what?” I said confused.

  “The wine.”

  “What do you mean?”

  He turned the bottle on the table and smirked at it. “It was all they had at the general store. Nothing fancy,” he said shaking his head as if he had hoped to pair his perfect meal with the perfect wine.

  I laughed, “I don’t know anything about wine. You could have told me it was a hundred bucks and I wouldn’t have known the difference.” I rested my hand playfully on his bicep just as I finished speaking. It hadn’t been my intention to flirt, but that is exactly what it felt like. Especially when I felt the butterfly tickle my throat. I jerked my hand back quickly hoping he wouldn’t have noticed.

  But Rex noticed. He turned to me and unleashed the sexiest of smiles. Oh God, I just wanted him to push the meal off the table and take me on my table. I’d let him do whatever he wanted.

  I broke our gaze and went back to my food. Although it was delicious, it was filling and I couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was so distracting I didn’t feel like eating, and I couldn’t think of anything to say.

  Rex quickly finished his food. Every last drop. I hoped I wouldn’t offend him because I hadn’t been able to eat anywhere near the amount I normally would have. And it wasn’t like I was someone who was afraid to eat in front of a man. I had no problem with it, but this man, well, he was something different. It wasn’t like I couldn’t do it… it was more as if I couldn’t stop thinking about other things long enough to figure out how my fork was supposed to work.

  “Do you like it?” he said looking at me and then down at my plate.

  “I love it!” I said with wide eyes. My hand almost reached out for his arm again, but I stopped myself. “I’m sorry, it is just so filling. I don’t think I can eat another bite.”

  “You sure?” he said squinting at me. His expression turned into a small frown, “You don’t like it.”

  “Positive! I promise, I love it,” I said placing my hand on my heart. I stood up and he copied me in true gentleman form. “No, sit, you cooked, I’ll clean.”

  He grinned and shook his head side to side as he picked up his plate. When he turned his back, I took a big gulp of wine hoping it would help settle my nerves. I wasn’t even sure that the wine could help me when I was around him.

  I started packing anything I could into containers. There was no way I was going to let any of his meal go to waste. Once he left and my stomach settled I’d have a feast. Rex helped by putting the dirty pots and plates in the sink. He started running the water as if he was going to do the dishes.

  “No,” I said putting my hand on top of his to turn the water off, “they can wait.”

  We both froze. Time seemed to stand still. Our bodies were so close. My breathing changed. I knew he could feel my reaction to our touch. But I didn’t know if he was feeling the same thing I was.

  That was until he put his hands on my arms and spun me around. He pushed me against the counter, and pressed his body into mine. His eyes locked with mine, just for a second, and then he kissed me. Hard. As if it was something he had wanted to do all night. Maybe even all day. Could he really be feeling everything I had been feeling too? I kissed him back easily matching his passion.

  He pulled back abruptly but he kept his hands on my arms. “I’ve been dying to do that since the minute I saw you,” he said looking almost as if he was afraid of how I was going to react.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on my tiptoes and kissed him. I didn’t bother telling him I felt the same, instead I wanted to show him how I felt. He was so hot that he had to be used to this type of reaction. If he had lived in the city women would have been throwing themselves at him constantly. I felt his desires pressing against my stomach, and it only made me want him more.

  “You are so beautiful,” he said grazing his hand along my cheek and back into my hair. Thankfully, I stopped myself before I said ‘you too.’

  I let my fingers twist into his thick, wavy hair. He pressed his body into mine and I let out a soft moan. My body was already reacting to his touch and I didn’t know how I was going to be able to control myself. I couldn’t let things go too far, no matter how badly I wanted them to. But my body had a mind of its own. It was completely ignoring my rational thoughts as I started to pull him into the living room.

  I clumsily fell backwards onto my couch pulling him down on top of me. My palms pressed down his back feeling all of his stretched muscles through his shirt. There wasn’t anything I could do to stop myself from arching my back and pressing myself harder into him.

  “Mmm,” I moaned as he kissed down my neck. Rex’s hand slid across my stomach stretching the hem of my shirt. He tugged gently before he moved his hand up my side. I knew where his hand was going, or at least I thought he did before he stopped his movements abruptly. He leaned back and looked down at me with hungry, yet confused eyes. “Everything OK?” I whispered.

  He removed his hand from my shirt and trace a line across my bottom lip with his thumb. “It’s fine. More than fine,” Rex said as he sat up.

  I scooted back against the armrest of my sofa feeling self-conscious… embarrassed for just throwing myself at him. What had I done wrong? Why was he pulling away? I pulled my legs up towards my chest and hugged them tightly.

  “Did I do something wrong?” I asked looking at my knees.

  “Oh, no!” he said moving towards me. He placed his hands on top of mine, “It’s just that… well, this is going so fast.”

  I puffed air upwards which caused my hair to wiggle across my face. “Doesn’t feel fast to me,” I muttered.

  Rex smiled his super sexy grin at me. The one that made me want him even more. “That’s just the cheap wine talking,” he said as his thumb stroked the back of my hand.

  And maybe it was the wine. But it was also my body. But it was my brain I wanted to ignore. It was the part of me that told me he was right. No matter how awesome, or right it felt. Everything was going way too fast. I didn’t want him to get the wrong impression of me. If he hadn’t already.

  He put his finger on my chin and tilted my head up so I met his gaze. “Trust me, I wish I was the type of guy that could do this sort of thing, but I’m not. I don’t want just one night of pleasure,” he said looking me up and down, “although I know it would be beyond amazing.”

  I didn’t even know how to respond. With all the other guys I’ve dated it was always me bringing up the relationship aspect. They were always happy to get into my pants as much and as often as they wanted and then move on to the next. I’d only dated really crappy guys to be totally honest. They were always young and stupid, and they definitely didn’t know what they wanted out of life. Rex was different. He seemed to have his head on straight.

  And it wasn’t that I didn’t want the same thing Rex was proposing, I did, but there was just something about him. He was truly irresistib
le. Not finishing what we started was going to be absolute torture.

  It was hard to believe he wasn’t the type of guy that just took a woman home and then moved on to the next. He was so hot that he could have his pick. And the next woman would walk right up to him knowing exactly what she’d get. One night of steamy, hot… maybe even wild sex. But maybe he was the except to the rule. Could a guy like this really exist?

  “Can I see you again?” he said blinking his mysterious dark eyes at me.

  “I’d love that,” I said still wishing he’d change his mind and pin me down on this couch. And I’d gladly see him again any time.

  “Good,” he said as he stood up, “now I’m going to leave before I can’t stop myself from leaving.”

  I stood up, but I keep myself several steps behind him as he grabbed his jacket, and walked to my door. He reached out for the handle but paused before he turned to me.

  “Goodnight Rex,” I said blinking up at him. He took a deep breath, and put his hands on the sides of my arms. He pulled me against his hard body and tilted his lips down to mine. His kiss was so amazing. My knees turned to jelly and I worried I wouldn’t be able to keep myself upright.

  He placed me back in my original spot stiffly and turned the door knob. “Goodnight Heather,” he said and closed the door roughly.

  I reached out and twisted all the locks into place before he had even gotten to his car. Hell, probably even before he had gotten off of my porch. There was no doubt in my mind he had heard me lock the doors. I shook my head worried about what he might be thinking. Paranoid. Crazy. Uninterested. Two out of three ain’t bad. I was so interested it was disgusting.

  Thirty minutes later the thought of being with Rex was still fresh on my mind. His scent covered my clothing. I decided to take a bath to calm myself. There was no way I’d be able to sleep if I couldn’t clear my mind. All I could think about were his hands on my body, sliding upwards to my breasts. Oh dear, God why hadn’t he just put his hands all over me?