Decker's Wood (6 page)

“Fuck, Country, I thought you were a goner for a moment there,” laughed Decker. As my heart pounded like a scared rabbit, I glanced down at his big hands still wrapped firmly around my thighs, right under my ass. “Well, this is nice,” he murmured with a very satisfied smile on his lips.

“I’m okay,” I said way too fast to get away with indifference to his touch.

Decker chuckled but slowly released his hold on me. “Get down from there and let me do that.”

I climbed down the ladder, and when my feet were firmly planted on the ground, I risked looking at him. Cheese and rice, the man was a walking orgasm. Dressed in a pair of tattered old jeans and a Yankees jersey pulled dangerously tight across his chest, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at how utterly perfect he looked dressed down.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I’m here to help. I’ll be your slave for a day. Put me to work because tomorrow I might not be so willing.” With a paint brush in hand, I just stared. Impatience got the better of him and he finally grabbed the brush from my hand and climbed the ladder. “The back of my car is full of shit from my dad’s. I even managed to scrounge up a second hand oven that will be dropped off later today.”

“How much?” I asked, my eyes glued to the taut, impressive ass hidden under that thin denim.

“Sixty for the oven, the building materials were all scraps bound for the trash and the tools are on loan.” He easily reached the high spot with the brush, his shirt rising just enough to give me a teasing glimpse of the smooth skin sitting between his jeans and the shirt.

“Oh,” was all my lust riddled brain could manage.

“Yoohoo, Cinderella, are you in here…” Casey’s voice trailed off, and I somehow managed to reign in a derisive snort. Casey and Lionel had been on Decker watch all week. They would have noticed him the moment he pulled onto the street. “Ohhhh, I didn’t realize you had company.” He smirked.

I rolled my eyes. “Decker, this is Casey and the one about to run through the door like an out of condition cross trainer is Lionel. They own the dog grooming business next door.”

Lionel burst through the front door, panting. Casey extended his hand which I noticed had a business card in it.

“LC’s Day Spa, for your furry four legged babies that is,” Casey said all professional-like as Decker took the card. “If your baby needs some attention, you call us.” Casey was trying too hard to sound both sexy and professional,
and it came off sounding awkward.

I tried really hard not to laugh. What burst from my lips was something between a snort and a cough
, and Casey gave me a your-gonna-get-it look as I tried to muffle the laughter. Lionel just rolled his eyes.

“Thanks, but I don’t have a pet.” Decker admitted. “Not that I have anything against pets; I wasn’t one of those lonely weird kids who pulled the legs off spiders and wings off flies. I had a cat.” He gave me a wink and both Casey and Lionel made loud sounds of approval.

“A pussy man, figures,” I heard Casey whisper.

“Was there something you guys needed?” I quickly interrupted.

They both shook their heads, their eyes falling to Decker’s ass as he turned to resume painting. Lionel elbowed Casey in the ribs.

“Oh, of course. We’re having a small get together tomorrow night. We’ve invited a few others on the street, and we think it would be a good chance for you to meet some of the locals. Perhaps you would like to come? And bring a date?” Casey said not so subtly.

Decker leaned against the wall and grinned my way. “You need a date?” he asked.

“No, I don’t need a date.” I glared at Casey. “I don’t need a date, do I?” My eyes were now beseeching Lionel who I assumed, being the older and wiser of the two, would give me a break. He in turn simply nodded.

“Of course you need a date.” My eyes darted from Lionel to Casey then back to Decker.

“I’ll be your date, Country,” Decker said with a grin.

Casey all but bounced up and down clapping his hands like one of those crazy stuffed monkeys that smash symbols together. Lionel looked proud as punch.

“Excellent. Six tomorrow and bring an appetizer,” Casey said hurriedly as Lionel hauled him towards the door. “I mean something other than your eye candy.”

I was mortified and blushing. Eventually I found the courage to look back at Decker. He was trying, unsuccessfully, to hold back laughter.

“What if I want to be the appetizer?” He laughed.

“You might just end up in a Casey and Lionel sandwich,” I mumbled.

Decker turned back to the paint, and I tried really hard to ignore the sexy man who had suddenly made the room seem too small. When Bradley had told me Decker was going to pick me up from the airport, I had straight up said no way. Decker had always been too much for me. Too handsome, too arrogant, too confident. He made me feel even more inadequate than every taunting school kid, and there had been lots of them. His perfection only intensified my imperfections. I shook off the feelings of inadequacy. I was a grown woman now, an adult with a college degree, my own bookstore, and an apartment. I didn’t care what others thought anymore; my life was about embracing life and taking chances. A long time had passed since high school and I had learned a lot. College had helped me develop a lick of confidence, and even though Decker seemed to remind me of the bumbling, awkward teenager I once was, I was now a confident, beautiful woman. My eyes were drawn back to the impressive ass of Decker. My female appreciation for him had not lessened in the fourteen years since I had last seen him.

And it didn’t go unnoticed that Decker found some appreciation in me now, even if it had been painfully obvious he hadn’t noticed me as a teenager. It did wonders for a woman’s soul and ego to catch a man checking her out. However, I needed to pull my head out of my ass and zip up my heart. My infatuation with Decker Steele needed to end now. He was the kind of man who led to heartache, and I had endured enough heart ache to complete several seasons of a bad soap opera. I needed to have my wits about me where Decker was concerned, because if I wasn’t careful, I would end up doing something stupid, like fall in love with him.

DECKER

After seeing the overwhelming list of things Andi still had to do to get the shop open, I turned up bright and early the next morning to help her again. Even though I had been completely and utterly scared shitless of seeing her again, I actually enjoyed hanging out with her. She was so natural and easy going it was almost a relief to be in her presence. And enjoying the view of her perfectly gorgeous little body sure didn’t hurt much. I smiled as Andi walked down the stairs from her apartment in another pair of far too short cut off denim shorts. Whoever had decided to attack a pair of women’s Levi’s with a pair of scissors deserved a goddamn medal. She wore a tiny pink Hello Kitty shirt that left a tantalizing view of her navel. When I could drag my eyes away from the sliver of skin, I saw the smirk on her face. She was hot as hell in an almost blasé kind of way, and my dick was already bobbing around in agreement. If I was still unsure of my body’s reaction to her, my answer was swelling in my pants.

“You see what I did here?” She was pointing to her tits, and I grinned, dragging my eyes from her stomach. I let my eyes linger on her small yet mouthwatering breasts. I didn’t miss the picture of the cat on the front of her shirt, but I decided to play with her a little.

“You ditched your bra?”

Her playful grin turned into a scowl. “You wish.”
She had no idea
. “The shirt, you douche, I wore a kitty cat, because you like kitty cats.”

“Relax, Andi, your pussy was not lost on me.” And there was that damn cute blush again. I think I was going to like playing with Andi. Instead of throwing something at me, she laughed.

“Just can’t help yourself, can you?”

I shook my head as I began pulling stuff out of the back of my SUV. “I haven’t had my chance to interrogate you yet, Country. If we’re going on a date tonight, I need to know a little about my lady.”

“It’s not a date, it’s a fate,” she replied as she went straight into sorting through boxes of books.

“What the hell is a fate?”

“You know, a friendly date, a fate.”

I shook my head, hoping to dislodge that little pearl of wisdom. “Okayyyy,” I drew out. “I should still know my friend, who I am not taking on a date.”

“Fire away, I’m an open book.”

“Did you have a pet growing up?”

Andi sighed. “Dad was allergic to cats and dogs, so that was my loss. I had a cockatiel that flew away. I tried keeping a turtle, but it got shell rot and died. The fish lasted several weeks before they started floating. I even found one on the floor beside the bowl; he had literally jumped to his death. Apparently living in my presence was that bad.”

I laughed as she recited her animal mishaps. “So, it’s me who should be worried. You are obviously
the psycho who gets off on torturing animals.”

She shook her head with a small grin. “Don’t worry, I have no plans to turn all American Psycho on you and dance naked in your blood.”

I grunted a thank you. “I guess when it comes to music, TV, and books I know what takes priority. So how about this one: chocolate, candy, or ice cream.”

Andi thought about it a moment. “Well, all three play important roles in my life. Chocolate is good for holy week.” My brow furrowed with confusion. “You know,” she blushed. “A woman’s monthly cycle.” I grinned, holy week, I liked that. “Candy is for on the go, when I don’t have time for lunch. It’s like my very own personal form of speed. And ice cream is hang-over food.”

“Good to know,” I murmured. “Lace, silk, or satin?”

Andi grinned. “I thought you had that one all figured out
, hot-shot? Cotton-tails, remember?” I rolled my eyes. “But, if I were not so fond of my granny panties, it would definitely be lace.”

As if guided by forces outside of my control, my eyes automatically dropped to her breasts. Was she wearing lace right now? Was it white? Red? Black? A clearing of her throat broke the lace haze and my eyes snapped back to hers.

“Men,” she mumbled with faux irritation.

“You’re not the slightest bit curious what lies beneath all this?” I asked with a grin as I waved a hand around the front of my body.

Andi shook her head. “No, I most certainly am not.” Wow, that was spoken with so much decisiveness, it almost hurt.

“Well, moving right along, what’s your favorite holiday?” Andi’s smile was slight and wistful. Her eyes got that dreamy faraway look that had me peering over my shoulder to see what had caught her attention.

“That’s easy, April first, April Fool’s Day.”

I shook my head. “Country, that’s not a holiday.”

Andi’s eyes left the distant memory and came back to me. Her smile had dropped. “I know, but it kind of belonged to my dad and me. He was always so busy he missed most holidays, but April first is my birthday and, well, it’s April Fool’s Day. Even though Dad was buried in his own thoughts ninety-nine percent of the time, on April first it was like he came out to join the world for the day. We would prank each other, prank everyone else, and laugh, a lot! And then we would have cake.”

It suddenly occurred to me that even though I had known Andi for a long time, I knew very little about her and her family. I knew she was Bradley’s cousin and that she spent a great deal of time with him, his sister, Alice, and their parents. I couldn’t recall ever meeting Andi’s parents or any siblings.

“What does your dad do for a living?” I asked.

“He was a writer; he wrote mystery and thrillers mostly.”

Now I understood where her book addiction came from.

“Wow, that’s pretty cool. I guess the fact that he was busy so much means he’s pretty good at it.”

Andi shrugged. “He was good, won a few awards.”

“Was?” I suddenly realized how many times she had used the term ‘was’ when talking about her dad. Andi’s solemn gaze confirmed my fears.

“He passed away twelve months ago, pancreatic cancer. That’s how I was able to afford all this, my inheritance.” A thousand questions sprung into my mind.

“What about your mom?”

Andi shrugged. “She died when I was little.”

Oh man, could I honestly talk us into any more of an uncomfortable hole?

“And your brothers and sisters?”

“Only child.”

Yes, in fact I could make this conversation more awkward. Well done, me.

“Shit, Andi, I’m sorry.”

She began methodically stacking books back on the now clean book shelves. “I’m surprised you didn’t know about my mom at least. Gotta hand it to Bradley, he’s definitely not one to gossip.” Her words lacked enthusiasm, and her mood had drastically darkened since my arrival.

“So,” I began, in an effort to change the direction of this conversation, “what should I wear tonight?”

Andi snorted. “You’d be the first guy I’ve ever met to care. Don’t ya’ll just reach into your closet and wear whatever your hand lands on first?”

“Pretty much, but I wanted to impress Casey and Lionel.” I winked at her when she gave me a dumbfounded look.

“I’m pretty sure Casey would like to see you in spandex,” she said with a small smile.

“Can tell you right now that’s not gonna happen. He’ll have to settle with cotton and denim.” Andi shrugged and resumed sorting through the books on the shelf. Her mood had settled into
brooding territory. I didn’t do crying chicks. It wasn’t that I thought there was something wrong with the occasional water-works, I just didn’t know how to cope with it. I hated seeing a woman drowning in sorrow, and I hated not knowing how to fix it. Needing to escape the uncomfortable melancholy, I went outside to work on the dilapidated sign.

*

“You’re kidding, right?” I exclaimed as I stood on the front concrete path outside Andi’s store. I had spent the morning fixing up her hanging sign. I had sanded it and painted it, now all it needed was her store name.

“What’s wrong with it?” she asked with a serious look on her face.

“What’s wrong with something simple, like Andi’s Book Store?” I suggested.

She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? That sucks, Decker, and it’s boring. I want something catchy and memorable. The Book Shelter is original, not boring, and it doesn’t suck. This is a book shelter, like an animal shelter. All the books that people get tired of and no longer want end up here. I house them, take care of them, and eventually other people come in and buy them. See?” Actually, when she explained it like that, it was a kind of clever. “Anyway, it’s my business. I put in the application for it, it’s done, and I want The Book Shelter, so back off or I will kick you in the balls and leave you crying right here on the street.”

Wow, she was hot when she was threatening me. I could almost see myself pissing her off just to hear her reprimand me with that sexy damn voice.

“Don’t threaten the goods, Country, you seriously have no idea how important they are to my career.”

She drew her bottom lip into her mouth as she carefully considered me. I was envious of that mouth that got to nibble on those beautiful full lips.

Suddenly her eyes sprung open wide, her smile manically crazy. “Oh my god, you’re a sperm donor.”

I laughed, because honestly, she didn’t realize how close and far from the truth she was. Sure, I donated sperm, but it certainly did not get used to make babies.

“No, Country, there is not a football team of baby Deckers out there. No donations, ever.”

“Huh, I’ll figure it out sooner or later.” It was only a matter of time.

I painted the sign and screwed it to the wall above the window. Inside, things were looking much better. There was a large canvas hanging above the counter with the quote
, “A room without books is like a body without a soul.” There was a sign on the opposite wall saying, “Either buy it or shelve it. This is a book store not a library”. In front of the large glass windows at the front of the store were two large couches and a coffee table. Andi had thrown a couple of cushions down and bowl of candy sat in the middle of the table.

“I’m going to put some chairs out front and sell coffee. I’ve ordered a machine; it should come tomorrow. You aren’t allowed to read unless you buy though.” She pointed to the sign reminding customers this wasn’t a library.

“I like it,” I murmured, spinning slowly, taking in the whole space. “You’ve done good, Andi. Your folks would be proud.” I don’t know why I said that, it just slipped out without thought. Andi didn’t seem bothered by it though, a small nod the only indication that she had heard me.

I had brought some clothes with me for the street party I was escorting her to. While I waited for Andi to shower and change, I found myself pulling a photo album from one of the boxes in front of her couch. I recognized teenage Andi right away. I carefully took her in, noting the similarities. She had always been cute. A little on the thin side with an unruly head of long red hair, but her small smile and hopeful eyes tugged at my heart. On the next page was a picture of Andi standing beside a tall, thin man with a receding hairline. Andi carried his eyes and smile, there was no doubting that he was her father. I wondered what Andi’s childhood had been like. She obviously spent a lot of time with Bradley and his family; she must have been lonely. On the next page was a picture of me and Bradley. We would have been no more than seventeen. Under my arm, a pretty blonde and under Bradley’s arm was Andi, looking shy and uncomfortable.

“Amanda was a bitch.” Andi’s voice from over my shoulder startled me.

My eyes jumped to hers, and I tried really hard not to let my mouth drop open. She looked stunning. Her long curls hung over her shoulders, still wet from the shower. Her shoulders were bare; a strapless yellow dress fell to her mid-thigh, those damn boots finishing off her outfit. I cleared my throat in an attempt to find composure and lifted the album.

“Sorry, I probably should have asked first.” She shrugged as she wandered around in front of me and glanced down. I watched her visibly grimace at the picture. “Who’s Amanda?” I wondered out loud. Andi arched a brow and smirked before tapping the blonde standing beside me in the picture.

“You don’t remember her?” she asked.

I shook my head. The girl was familiar, but I couldn’t really place her in my memories. I knew the picture was taken on a beach in Florida. But I still couldn’t really recall the pretty girl my arm was draped across with smug appreciation.

“Seriously? You slept with her!” she said with a chuckle.

My eyes immediately dropped back to the blonde. Really? “I did?” I asked out loud. I glanced back up at Andi. “Did she tell you that?”

She fidgeted uncomfortably. “No, I wasn’t worthy of Amanda White’s time. She never spoke to me.” I guess Andi saw the question in my eyes. “Two nights before that photo was taken, I needed an escape from Bradley’s family; they were pretty intense sometimes, and I needed a
timeout. I went for a walk, alone, down the beach.” I nodded as she stalled, encouraging her to continue. “Remember the pier, about a hundred yards down the beach from the apartment?” Like a slow moving torrent, the memory began to return to me. “I was sitting on top of it, you were underneath, and you weren’t alone. Not wanting to sit and listen to Amanda moan about how awesome you were, I tried to sneak away and I fell off the edge of the pier. Amanda was making so much noise you didn’t hear me, but I got an eyeful of you humping Amanda like the horny teenager you were. I found my feet and got the hell out of there.”