Beating Heart: A Small Town, Single Dad Romance (Magnolia Falls Series Book 4)

Emerson had wrapped herself in a towel that had been on the dock, and I’d held the skirt of her dress up to help her get up to her house. I said I needed to run next door to get dressed because I sure as hell was not going to walk inside that house with a raging boner in front of her brother.

But that fucking kiss had done me in. I’d trained myself to go for long windows of time without sex ever since Cutler was born. But I was rock-hard and in need of relief. So a quick shower where I could have a minute with my hand was exactly what I needed. It didn’t take long. Thoughts of the way her head fell back on a gasp, the way her tight little body rocked against mine, desperate for relief. The way her lips parted for me when I’d kissed her.

Quickest shower-slash-hand job of my life.

I was dressed and knocking on her back door in no time.

Easton opened the door, one brow raised, as if he knew exactly what I’d just been up to.

“All good, buddy?” he asked.

“Yep. Just needed to catch a quick shower.”

“I’ll bet you did.” He chuckled. “I hope you’re hungry.”

I didn’t see Emerson anywhere, so I assumed she was showering, as well. Easton had cleaned the place up, and he had a large bag of takeout food from the Golden Goose on the kitchen table.

“Thanks for grabbing food for me, too.”

“Thanks for being there for my sister. She’s been through a lot,” he said, handing me a beer.

“Of course. She’s been really good to my boy.”

“She talks about Cutler every time I speak to her. Says he’s the coolest kid she’s ever met, which is saying a lot because she’s been around a ton of kids, being in pediatrics.” He sat at the table and motioned for me to do the same.

“He’s a cool little dude, no doubt about it.”

“You raise him on your own?” he asked, before taking a long pull from his bottle.

“Yep. His mom took off shortly after he was born, so it’s just been me and him, and I’ve had a lot of support from friends and my father. We do all right.”

“And you own a construction company?”

I nodded. “I do. My buddy and I opened it together, and we’ve built a ton of the properties in town over the years.”

“That’s pretty damn cool.”

“Thanks. You’re a lawyer, huh?” I asked. “Twin siblings and one is a doctor, and one is a lawyer. That’s quite the impressive package.”

He barked out a laugh. “Nah. Emmy’s the impressive one, trust me. She was top of her class and always driven. A fucking rock star at her sport. She probably didn’t mention that she’d even approached trying out for the Olympic team at one point.”

“Wow. No, she didn’t mention it. I’m guessing that would have interfered with her dreams of being a doctor?”

“Yeah. She’s just determined, you know? At everything she does. Always has been. I was more of a fuck-up before I found my way. I wasn’t the best student, but I’m damn good in a courtroom.” He held his bottle up, and I clinked mine against his.

“She claims she was a bit of a troublemaker as a kid, but I find that hard to believe.”

“You need to fucking believe that one. She worked hard to keep up with her brothers and cousins, being the only girl. The mailman banned all of us kids from the post office for a few years when we were young because she’d been turning on the sprinklers every time he walked up to our door with the mail. He’d run off to the other side of the yard, and she’d turn those on,” he said over a fit of laughter. “This went on for a whole summer until he figured out someone was messing with the timers. We were all hellions, but she was the clever one when it came to pranking people. So watch your back.”

“Good to know.”

“Are you out here shit talking me, E? Don’t listen to this guy,” Emerson said, as she strolled out to the kitchen wearing a white tank top and a pair of fitted joggers. Her hair was long and damp, and her face was clean of makeup. Fucking stunning. “There was a wanted sign with Easton’s picture on it hanging on several storefronts in Rosewood River when we were maybe ten years old.”

Damn. This was my kind of guy.

“That was Mr. fucking Harley raising hell because he blamed me for his pig going missing. I was framed.”

They were both laughing hysterically now, and I had no idea what they were talking about, but I couldn’t help but laugh along with them.

“Easton,” Emerson said, her voice serious.

“Emerson.”

“You dressed Mr. Pinkleton in my tutu and rhinestone tank top. He’s a farmer. What did you think he would do?” Tears were streaming down her face as she tried to stop her laughter, and they explained that Mr. Pinkleton was Mr. Harley’s pig.

“Bridger and Clark stole the damn pig and dared me to dress it up.” He shrugged, and she explained those were their other brothers. “You know I can’t slack on a dare.”

“Well, our cousins, Axel and Archer, were supposed to be the lookout guys, and they left his gate open,” Emerson said, turning her attention to me as Easton and I dove into our burgers. “His chickens got out, and his pig was his prized possession, so having Mr. Pinkleton show up in that outfit put the old man over the edge. He made these wanted signs with Easton’s photo and hung them on store windows all over town.”

“I was ten years old and not hiding. I lived next door to the asshole. He was being dramatic, and he got my ass grounded for two weeks that summer. I’m the one who gathered all his chickens and put them back where they belonged. And Mr. Pinkleton sure as hell didn’t mind that outfit one bit.”

I barked out a laugh and shook my head.

“You guys sound like you got yourselves into plenty of trouble as kids,” I said, reaching for my beer.

“I’m guessing you were a bit of a hellion, too?” Easton said, with a wicked grin on his face as he looked at me.

“What gives you that impression?”

“I don’t know. You carried my sister out to the water in a wedding gown. You’re clearly not an overthinker. She couldn’t even get her prick of an ex to agree to jump into the water for a photo after their wedding. You went willingly. I’m guessing you know how to have a good time.”

“Well, I wasn’t exactly a Boy Scout,” I said, trying to hide my smile.

We spent the next hour sharing stories about both Rosewood River and Magnolia Falls. Emerson wanted to know how I’d met my four best friends, who were more like brothers to me. We’d grown up together and always had one another’s backs. She told her brother about our matching Ride or Die tattoos, and I shared that RoD was the name of my construction company.

I guessed, in a way, I had a big family, too. They weren’t blood, but they were family.

No doubt about it.

After we finished eating, I figured they’d want some time alone, since her brother was flying home late tonight, so I pushed to my feet and helped clean up our trash. “Thanks for dinner. I’m going to head home and get some sleep.”

“Cutler’s spending the night at J.T.’s?” Emerson asked.

“Yeah. I’ll pick him up in the morning.”

She nodded, taking a sip from her water bottle. She’d stopped drinking and was clearly starting to sober up after eating. “Well, thanks for—everything.”

“Of course. I appreciate the burger.” I moved toward her brother, who was standing now, and extended a hand. “Good to meet you.”

“Yeah. You, too. Thanks for using that key and not forcing me to break a window.”

“That’s a bit dramatic,” Emerson said, as she followed me to the door and surprised me when she stepped outside and pulled the door closed behind her.

“You walking me home, Sunny?” I said, my voice all tease.

“I just wanted to thank you for jumping into the water with me and, you know, the kiss and the⁠—”

“You’re a doctor. Say it. Thank you for the magnificent orgasm.” I chuckled.

Her teeth sank into that juicy bottom lip, and damn if I didn’t want to tug her close and kiss her again. I wasn’t sure if this was a one-and-done, and she’d want to pretend it never happened.

“Thank you for the magnificent orgasm, Nash Heart.”

“Was that so difficult?”

“Actually, no. Neither was the orgasm.” She winked. “But you should know, that’s never happened from a little make-out sesh.” She stepped closer, her chest bumping into mine as we stood on her back porch.

“That’s because you’ve been kissing a fucking dickhead for the last decade. A real man can make you come with his lips, his fingers, and his cock.”

“Holy shit,” she whispered. “You’ve got a filthy mouth.”

“And I think you like it.”

“What if I wanted to kiss you again?” she asked.

“It wouldn’t be very neighborly to deny you. But keep in mind, your brother is on the other side of that window, so I don’t think he’d appreciate the show that went on out in the water.” I smirked.

She pushed up onto her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck as she tugged me down. Her lips were on mine, gentle at first, before her tongue slipped in. My dick sprung to life immediately, and my arms wrapped around her as I tilted her head back and took the kiss deeper.

I couldn’t get enough of this woman.

When she pulled back, I was stunned that my first thought was that I missed her.

Missed her lips on mine.

Missed the way her fingers ran through my hair.

“Let’s just sit with this for a minute, all right?” she whispered. “But I like kissing you, Nash Heart.”

“I like it, too,” I said, and smacked her on the ass when she turned around, and she squealed at the contact. “’Night, Sunny.”

She waved before pulling open the door and stepping inside.

And I knew I was fucked. Because normally, a woman telling me she liked kissing me would freak me out. But this woman was different. And I couldn’t wait to kiss her again.

Lucky for me, I was exhausted, and I fell asleep quickly. When I woke up, I was surprised I’d slept in later than usual. I sent a text to J.T.’s dad, Jay, and let him know I’d grab donuts and head over to pick up Cutler.

I’d promised to take Cutler out on the boat today, and we were going to cruise over and meet up with everyone over at Kingston’s house.

I got him changed into his swimsuit and covered in a shit ton of sunscreen before walking out the back door. I glanced over at Emerson’s house and saw Winnie sitting on the back porch and a pitcher of lemonade on the table. Had she seen us and run inside to hide?

Was she going to avoid me again after that fucking kiss?

Cutler was already running toward Winnie, and I didn’t stop him. I had a bone to pick with my neighbor. Not to mention, the bone I’d been dealing with since we’d made out like teenagers last night. I’d been rock-hard ever since, and she wasn’t going to ignore me when I was dealing with an uncomfortable boner.

I followed Cutler up to the porch and noticed the door was wide open. I peeked my head in. “Hey, Emerson, are you here?”

She came around the corner, wearing a pink bikini top and a pair of jean shorts, and my mouth went dry immediately. “Hey, what’s up?”

I told Cutler to stay on the porch with Winnie and stepped toward her. “I saw Winnie and the lemonade, and I wondered if you ran into the house to avoid me.”

The corners of her lips turned up, and she raised a brow. “Why would I avoid you?”

“Because it’s kind of your thing. But I’m about done with it. It was a kiss. Don’t make it bigger than it is and get all weird and hide out in here every time I’m outside for another week. It’s ridiculous.” I didn’t hide my irritation. This woman was so far under my skin I couldn’t see straight.

She raised a brow. “Wow. All right. Good to know. But that’s not what I was doing.”

“What were you doing?”

“Well, I saw your truck pull up, and I was going to get my phone to text you and see if you and Cutler wanted to hang out today. I thought I’d be hungover, but instead, I feel damn good. Maybe it was the kiss or the magnificent orgasm… even if you’re claiming that it wasn’t a big deal. It was kind of a big deal to me.” She chuckled and held up her phone, just as mine vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out.

Chadwick

What are you and Cutler up to today, neighbor?

I typed out a quick text, and she glanced down at her phone.

We’re taking the boat over to King’s to swim and hang out on the water. You’re coming with us.

She chuckled and started typing, even though we were standing close enough that I could lean down and kiss her.

And damn, did I want to.

Chadwick

Are you always so bossy?

Yes. Get over it. I want you to come with us. Do you need me to beg? Because I will.

Chadwick

No need. All you had to do was ask, and I would have said yes.

Good to know, for future reference.

Chadwick

Okay. I’m ready.

Let’s go.

We both laughed, and she was cute as hell. I pulled the door open.

“Sunny’s coming with us,” I said, and my son started jumping up and down.

“Can Winnie come, too?”

“Sure. Uncle King said that Dandelion needs a friend. They can play together.” Kingston’s puppy had a ton of energy, and I knew he’d be thrilled if we brought someone to wear her out.

“Yes!” Cutler punched his fist to the sky with excitement.

Emerson grabbed a beach bag and filled it with a few things before looking over at us. “You have the inhaler?”

“Yep,” I said, motioning to my backpack. But damn, if I didn’t like the way she looked out for my boy.

And as we walked toward the dock, Cutler’s hand slipped into Emerson’s, and my fucking chest squeezed so tight it was hard to breathe.

She fit in with us perfectly.

Like she belonged here.

And that was scary as hell.