Read Online Count on Me (Petal, Georgia) by Lauren Dane - Free Book Online

told her he’d gone bowling the night before with his friends. It was clear Anne had been there, but truthfully Caroline was pleased he wasn’t making a big deal out of it. She didn’t want it to be weird, and she’d have to find a way to deal with Anne because Caroline really liked Royal.
    “What are you doing today?” he asked as he reached out to brush her hair back from her shoulder. It pleased her to have him touch her. Simple and warm. This man made her feel good.
     
    Royal had been operating on very little sleep after a late night bowling and then darts at the Pumphouse along with drinks.
    On top of that mild hangover, one of the irrigation hoses had gone out on him, and he’d spent two hours in the mud in the cold getting it replaced. And then he’d had to run that permit to city hall so he was not having such a great day.
    He’d planned to grab lunch to go and head back to the farm to get stuff done. But Caroline had been in the window, so lush. And then once you focused on her, you saw the edge her intensity gave her. She gave off so much personal charisma and energy it seemed to hum around her.
    It was like that frequency snagged him. He wanted to touch her and smell her and listen to her laugh, and he was harder than he should have been in public but Caroline Mendoza had a lot of stuff he wanted to roll around in.
    She looked at him when he spoke. And she listened to him as well. She was pretty much the most brilliant person he’d ever met. It was so fucking sexy that she was intelligent and powerful.
    And she had a really foul mouth. She reined it in mainly in public, but sometimes she got her rant on. Also. Really. Hot.
    And funny.
    “I think I should tell you I have a big crush on you right now,” he said, leaning in and kissing her forehead.
    Pleasure seemed to light her. She didn’t try to hide it or play some sort of game. She liked what she liked, and she didn’t apologize for it. There was such a ferocious verve in her.
    She touched her forehead to his briefly. “That’s very nice to hear.”
    “That so?” He shifted back to drink some of his soda and look all he wanted at her.
    She nodded. “You made my stomach get a little fluttery.”
    It was his turn to be pleased.
    “Aside from the permit—it’s never fun to deal with that stuff—how’s your day been?”
    He found himself telling her all about the hose breaking and nearly freezing to death—though he skipped the hangover part. He also told her about his night with his friends. He’d made a conscious decision not to make any big deal of seeing Anne. She was his friend, one of his closest, and she was part of his life. He came with his crazy aunt and uncle and his friends. He wanted Caroline to be one of his friends too.
    She didn’t seem upset when he’d talked about an event that included Anne either, which he’d been relieved about.
    After about an hour she began to pack her stuff up. “I’ve got a hearing. I need to head over there.”
    “Can I walk you over? I have to get back home to finish all the stuff I had to put off earlier. Plus I need a good night’s sleep since I’m taking you out tomorrow.”
    “I’ll be sure to eat a hearty breakfast. I have a new outfit.”
    “Score. I can’t wait.” He took her trash and threw it out with his and opened the door. It was cold as they headed up the block to her office. The cold was a good excuse to put an arm around her shoulders and pull her closer. She moved into that spot against his side like she was meant to be there.
    As they neared the corner where they’d veer left, he gave her a quick kiss. “I know you need to look badass and all businesslike when we turn this corner and you put your job back on. So I wanted to steal a kiss from you now.”
    “Thanks for that.”
    They turned the corner and while he kept an arm around her, he didn’t kiss her when they parted ways. He took her hands, squeezing them briefly. “I’ll see you tomorrow