Martinis & Moonlight (A Country Road Novel - Book 3) Read online

  “This. Us. Our midnight rendezvous.”

  “I think we need to have a conversation,” I say, taking the glass from her hand and placing it on the table next to mine. I extend my free hand to her. I will her to take it. To leave here with me. To let me tell her how I feel.

  She hesitates. It’s enough for me to worry she’s going to say no. Only, she doesn’t. She takes it and allows me to lead her from the bar and out to my Jeep.

  I shouldn’t have taken his hand. I should have stuck to my guns and told the girls no to a night out. I was already in my PJs when they called and demanded I get myself dressed and ready for a night out. Piper was insistent, and considering she’s the calmer of the two I figured neither was going to give up. Dakota seemed to be fine with the girls and I promised to not be out too late. She’s doing fine, but she’s been gone a long time and I know she needs the support.

  Instead of listening to the “shouldn’t haves,” I’m here in Owen’s Jeep not speaking and listening to nothing more than our breathing fill the empty space. When we pull up in front of an apartment building, reality slaps me in the face again. All these weeks with Owen and I’ve never been to his place. I’ve never seen where he lives or where he sleeps. I don’t know if he picked up someone else and brought her here after he would leave my bed. Just the thought makes me sick to my stomach.

  Lost in the thought, I don’t notice my door open and Owen’s hand extended. I hesitate again but, true to my actions the last time he offered his hand, I unfasten my seatbelt and take his hand. He leads me across a small courtyard and up a flight of stairs before placing his key in the lock and opening the door.

  I’m not certain what I expected walking into an apartment lived in by two bachelors and am pleasantly surprised. This apartment is the opposite of Kent’s condo. It’s small but comfortable.

  The small living room has a huge television on the wall, that thing must be amazing to watch Top Gun on, and a large, dark leather couch that takes up most of the room with a small table on either side of it. To the right is a pass-through that leads to the kitchen where a small table sits in the corner. The light over the sink illuminates the room and I see a few items on the counter that confirm these guys may not rely solely on pizza and Chinese food for nourishment.

  Still holding my hand, Owen leads me down the hall where we pass two doors before entering a third. His bedroom. I hesitate as he opens the door but his smile melts a little bit of my heart and I allow him to lead me across the threshold. Dammit. All my bravado and self-pep-talks of not giving in to him one more time are slipping away.

  “I just want somewhere private to talk in case Landon comes home. That’s all.”

  I nod, still not trusting myself to speak. I watch as Owen kicks off his shoes and climbs on his large bed. His body is a contrast to the soft-looking heather-gray comforter. He pats the spot next to him. I don’t move. Owen tilts his head in my direction, a smirk on his lips, and pats the spot again. I shake my head no.

  “Minnesota.” I roll my eyes in response. Damn him and the way he says my name. I kick off my shoes, well Dakota’s shoes that she insisted I wear. Owen mumbles something but the only words I make out are “fuck me.” I ignore him and gingerly climb up on to the bed next to him. He places his arm around my shoulders and tugs me to him. His chin rests on top of my head and I swear I hear him sniff me.

  “Did you just sniff me?”

  “I did. I’ve missed your smell.”

  “It’s been like five days. Relax there, stalker.” My words are teasing but my emotions are anything but.

  “So, you went to your parents’ house.” It’s a statement, not a question. I nod. Again. “I guess you saw the ex as well?”

  “I did. I went to pick up my belongings from my old job.”

  “Does that mean you’re staying in Lexington?” His hand on my shoulder drops so it’s on my hip, effectively pulling me closer to him. I relish the feeling as my hand instantly slides across his abs, my head nestled under his chin.

  “Mmhmm.”

  “So, I’ve been thinking a lot this past week.” His voice is quiet. Nervousness lingers as he pauses. “Actually, I’ve also been scolded a few times as well.” His use of the word “scold” catches my attention and I lift to look at him.

  An awareness runs through my body as I look into his eyes. The specks of gold are more intense. Each fleck conveying an emotion. The seriousness of this moment is palpable. I look from his eyes to his lips, licking my own as I glance back up to his eyes. Suddenly, he shifts, pulling me to his lap so I’m straddling him.

  “Who has been scolding you?” I ask, running my hands across his shoulders. The smile he gives me takes my breath away. Or, maybe, it’s because his hands are now on my ass, tugging me closer.

  “Everyone. My dad, your sister, Jameson, Barb.” My confusion must show because he clarifies. “Barb is my dad’s girlfriend. Lady friend. Whatever. She kind of gave me a little crap, too.”

  “Why is everyone giving you crap?” I ask while saying a little prayer it’s for the reason I have been praying for.

  “Well, you see, I’m a moron.” I smile. “Yes, I admit it. I’m a moron. I’ve been walking around my entire adult life declaring I don’t do feelings. I don’t do relationships. Then, I met this beautiful woman and turns out I was wrong.”

  My eyes fill with tears, blurring the glorious man before me.

  “Don’t cry, baby.” And they fall. The tears I’ve only shed in private all week fall. Owen lifts his body so he’s eye level with me. His thumbs wipe the tears from my cheeks as he leans in and places a kiss on my trembling lips.

  “Do you have feelings too, Minnesota?” I nod.

  “Tell me, baby.”

  “No.” I must look a mess. My nose is running, the tears are flowing like a fountain, and my voice is quivering.

  “Yes, we need to talk, Min. I know I’ve screwed up and don’t deserve you. But, if we have a chance, we have to talk.”

  Staring up to the ceiling, I take two deep breaths and wipe the tears from my face before looking at Owen.

  “That’s why I stopped answering your texts and calls. I told you when I got feelings I’d stop this.”

  “You did say that. But, what if I had them too? You didn’t ask me.”

  I sniffle a few more times and, since I’m already a hot mess, I use the back of my hand to wipe my nose. Don’t judge me, desperate times and all that.

  “Do you?” I ask between sniffles, my voice hitching.

  “No.” His response is simple and catches me off-guard.

  “You, you don’t?” My voice is barely a whisper.

  “I don’t just have feelings.”

  His hands go to my face and he pulls me to him, I fight the move but he’s persistent. Owen nibbles at my lower lip and I gasp, which gives him all the incentive he needs to kiss me. I scoot my body closer, needing to feel him. If this is our last kiss, I want to remember it always.

  Owen pulls back, placing gentle kisses to my lips. I slowly open my tear-filled eyes. I love this man with every fiber of my heart and he doesn’t have feelings for me. I thought I had felt loss before, but this moment, here with Owen, is more heartache than I thought was possible.

  “Minnesota Walker, you walked into me—literally—and into my life, turning it completely upside down. I have lived my entire life believing that when you love someone, they leave. That love was a fool’s game I wasn’t willing to play. I was wrong. So very wrong.”

  I begin to sob as his words linger in the air between us. I run my hands up his arms, hope building that the next words will be the words.

  “How so?” I ask, hopeful.

  “Turns out, love isn’t a fool’s game. I was a fool for not realizing I love you.”

  Overwhelmed, I grab his face and kiss him. I kiss him for the words he spoke, for the feelings he’s sharing, for the amount of strength and trust it is taking for him to say this to me.

  “I love you, too.
So very much, Owen.”

  Owen begins kissing me back. With each swipe of his tongue and tug on my hips, I feel the tension and doubt I’ve carried dissipate. Eventually, he pulls back, and as I look in his eyes, I see nothing but love.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long to realize I was hurting you. You’ve never been anything like a booty call. Never. Do you understand me, Minnie? Never.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Your sister is kind of a hard-ass, ya know that?”

  We both laugh. “Yeah, I know.”

  “I’ve never done this before,” he says, his hands now under my shirt and lightly caressing my lower back.

  “What? Have a girlfriend?” My voice is still quivery from the crying.

  “Well, yeah that. But, no. I mean, I’ve never done love. I’m probably going to screw it up. You may regret this.”

  I sit back a little so my ass nestles over his very hard cock, wiggling my hips a little. Owen groans and I smile as I begin unbuttoning my blouse. Owen never falters his gaze. He keeps eye contact with me the entire time. I know it’s killing him not to look at my boobs.

  “If you screwing up was going to scare me off, I’d have been gone a long time ago.” I reach the final button and slide the blouse off my body.

  “Touché,” he says with his eyes widening. He’s trying too hard to stay focused on me.

  Taking one of his hands and placing it on my boob, I watch as he visibly relaxes. Oh this man, he makes me smile just by being him. “You’ll probably screw up all the time.” He scoffs and looks up at me. I smile. “But, it’s okay. I’ll probably make a mistake or two. I can’t be perfect all the time.”

  Admitting I will mess up too gives Owen a little more confidence in this conversation because he lifts both hands to the back of my bra. He doesn’t unclasp it, he only waits.

  “That’s the beauty of love, Owen. We get to mess up and love each other anyway. Love doesn’t mean everything is perfect, it only means we’re perfect for each other.”

  Owen unclasps my bra and leans forward, placing feather-light kisses to my collarbone. The shivers are instantaneous and I lose myself in the feeling. Before I can say anything else, Owen flips us so I’m on my back and he’s hovering over me. I anticipate the kiss, the movement of his hand on my body, the euphoria of emotions that await me.

  I lean in to kiss Owen. I know that we have a long way to go and each of us is bringing demons and baggage into this relationship. But, I’ve never believed in forever like I do right now. Owen Butler is my forever.

  “I think you were right, Minnesota.”

  “About what?” I ask while running my hands up his back.

  “The moonlight. Only good things happen under the moonlight.”

  The End.

  I feel like this section takes the longest for me to write. Mostly because I want to say Thank you in as many ways as possible. As always, I apologize to anyone I forget in this section.

  First and foremost–Readers. Thank you for your continued support. If it weren’t for you, none of this would be possible.

  Bloggers–Your support of the Indie community continues to amaze me. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

  Kyla Ellison—Thank you for taking my (horrible) notes and creating such amazing photos. I look forward to what the future holds!

  My betas–Alyssa, Andee, Chelle, Christine, Kacey, Kiersten, and Stacy. Thank you for accepting my need to send you a mess and not wanting to toss me to the wolves. Your attention to detail and encouragement are appreciated.

  My spirit animal–I’m not sure this book would be finished if it wasn’t for your daily check-in and encouragement. Thank you for your friendship and spirit.

  Heather, Jodie, and Suzie–I’m honored to have you as friends and colleagues.

  Shannon M.–Thank you for sharing your online dating stories and allowing me to share a snippet.

  Charli–You’ll never see this but thank you for making me laugh and for the stories.

  My fellow Nerd Herd authors–Andee, Emma, Jessica, M.E., Rachel, Sara, and Shirl. Thank you for accepting me for me, for encouraging me, and for the endless laughs. I still don’t get this sisters business but I’m glad you’re mine!

  My husband and children–Thank you for accepting that I will disappear for hours and days at a time and allowing me to follow my dream.

  Finally, Country Superstar, Luke Bryan—Thank you for releasing a song that inspired a series I love so much! Home Alone Tonight will forever hold a special place in my heart.

  Andrea Johnston spent her childhood with her nose in a book and a pen to paper. An avid people watcher, her mind is full of stories that yearn to be told. A fan of angsty romance with a happy ending, super sexy erotica and a good mystery, Andrea can always be found with her Kindle nearby fully charged.

  Andrea lives in Idaho with her family and two dogs. When she isn’t spending time with her partner in crime aka her husband, she can be found binge watching all things Bravo and enjoying a cocktail. Nothing makes her happier than the laughter of her children, a good book, her feet in the water, and cocktail in hand all at the same time.

  Connect with Andrea:

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  Or e-mail her at [email protected]

  Join Andrea’s reader group–Andrea Johnston’s Sassy Romantics

  Life Rewritten

  Spring Break (Phoebe & Madsen Part 1)

  Country Road Series:

  Whiskey & Honey (A Country Road Novel–Book 1)

  Tequila & Tailgates (A Country Road Novel–Book 2)