Page 12 of Factory Reset

One corner of his mouth quirked up. You could never go wrong talking to guys about gas. Or poop. I’d learned that at an early age courtesy of my brother.

“You’re welcome to come over any time. Bart and I enjoyed having you here.”

Bart thumped his tail in agreement, the sound loud on the wooden deck, but he didn’t open his eyes. Now that he’d had his fill of burgers, the little guy seemed to be ready for a nap.

“I’d better get my papers out of the dining room so I can type everything into the software tomorrow and have it ready for us to walk through on Monday.”

“Okay then.”

Maybe it was my imagination, but he seemed sad that I was leaving. God knows I was. It was completely inappropriate, but I couldn’t help but wish that George would ask me to stay over.

After gathering up my papers, we walked together to where I’d parked my car. He touched my arm as I reached the driver’s side, and I turned to face him, looking up towards his handsome face. This close, I noticed that the skin around his eyes crinkled a bit at the corners.

“Since we’re out in the fresh air and away from my gassy old dog, there’s something I’ve been wantin’ to do all night.”

He stepped closer, trapping me between his body and my car door. Not that I minded. He was a giant of a man and yet I felt totally safe with him.

“What’s that?” I asked, looking up at him from beneath my lashes.

“This.”

Moving slowly, letting me know that I could stop this at any time, George lowered his head and pressed his lips against mine. I’d had first kisses before, lots of them, but I’d never felt such a sense of rightness just from the press of someone’s lips against mine. We held still just like that for a minute before George increased the pressure.

I sighed, and he slid the tip of his tongue between my lips. When I opened my mouth for him, he swooped in, exploring. His kiss was confident but not aggressive. Excitement flooded my body.

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I pulled him closer. He pressed me against the car door and deepened the kiss, one hand coming to the back of my head. I felt him loosen the band holding my hair back in a braid and then it all sprung free in a wild mass of curls. I had a lot of hair.

“Wow.”

When George pulled back he was looking at me like my messy curls were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. It made me like him even more. My entire life my mother had insisted that I try to tame the curls that I’d picked up from my grandmother on my father’s side. My hair was too wild for her taste. It took an hour if I tried to flat iron it straight and so I usually just pulled it into a thick braid to keep it out of the way.

George’s fingers threaded through my thick tresses, and then he kissed me again. He kissed me until I was breathless. He kissed me until I wanted nothing more but to beg him to fuck me right here against the car. And then he pulled back, gave me a sweet kiss on the forehead, and told me goodnight. I wanted to weep as he helped me into my car after demanding that I text him to let him know that I got home safely.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t spend a nice long session with my vibrator that night, imagining that kiss. Imagining what I wished had happened after that kiss. And when I’d brought myself to a wholly unsatisfying battery-operated orgasm, I stared at the ceiling and wondered what would happen next with me and George.

George

“I’m supposed to ask you how it’s going with Cassandra. Romantically, I mean.”

Glancing away from the candy machine, I found my brother-in-law leaning against one of the break room tables. He looked like he was in physical pain.

“I had no idea you were so interested in my love life, David,” I teased.

He gave me a glare that would have been intimidating if he wasn’t six inches shorter than me and fifty pounds lighter.

“I wouldn’t have to ask if you’d returned your sister’s damned texts,” he grumbled. “Josie’s been completely obsessed with getting an update on what’s going on with you and your lady love. Everyone in town knows that Cassandra was at your place this weekend.”

“How on Earth do you know that?” I asked.

It was a rhetorical question. This was a small town, you couldn’t scratch your butt without all your neighbors knowing about it.

“Elaine Farlow heard you making plans to get together in the parking lot of the Piggly Wiggly. Then Bobby Ray Jensen saw Cassandra’s rental car turn around in his driveway after she missed the turn for your place. His wife called Josie to ask who was visiting you.”

The small town grapevine worked faster than any other news source, that’s for sure.

“I practically had to restrain Josie from going over to the rental on Sunday to interrogate Cassandra,” David told me.

Yeah, that sounded on brand for my sister. She was nosy as hell, especially where I was concerned. Always had been.