Sara Stone - Full Exposure

“The guys from B&B Trucking never showed. I have the crew here at White Rock, ready to load the timber from the fire line we cut, but no trucks.”

“I’ll make some calls.” He lowered the phone and turned to Georgia. “I have to do some work before we head out to pick up Nate. See if I can find a new trucking company on a Sunday.”

She walked beside him as they headed for the stairs, close but not touching. “You could call Summers Family Trucking.”

“Katie’s brothers.” Eric nodded. “Not a bad idea. They’re smaller than B&B, but could probably handle this job.”

They reached the gate to his deck, and Eric punched in the code. He glanced over at Georgia. Wrapped in the large towel and shaking from her cold morning swim, she looked small and fragile. He fought the urge to scoop her up, carry her inside, and warm her in the shower.

He held the gate, allowing her to walk past him. Work needed him, but that wasn’t the only thing holding him back. She’d pulled away from him. He wanted to know why, but he didn’t want to push.

Stepping inside the condo, Eric placed his hand on her shoulder and gave a light squeeze. “Are you OK?”

She nodded, moving out of his grasp. “Just cold.”

It was more than that, but he let it go for now.

AN HOUR LATER, Georgia watched the condo slip out of sight as they pulled onto the main street, leaving the coast behind. Eric sat in the driver’s seat, calmly focused on the road. The space felt cramped, as if his presence shrunk the otherwise spacious interior, barely leaving room for her to think. And every time she glanced over and saw his hands deftly manning the wheel or adjusting the A/C, she thought of how his fingers had felt on her skin last night.

“Did you resolve the trucking problem?” she asked, trying to focus on the scenery.

“Yeah. The Summers brothers stepped up,” he said. “It looks like we’ll be using them more and more. Liam won’t be too happy about it though. They don’t exactly get along.” He glanced over at her. “Speaking of your brother, I think we should sit down with Liam. Tell him about us.”

“Eric,” she said slowly. She’d been thinking about how to tell him she couldn’t repeat last night. And he’d given her the perfect out. “I don’t want one night of sex to come between you and my brother.”

“This doesn’t end here, Georgia.”

She kept her eyes fixed on the pavement in front of them. “Yes, it does.”

“Georgia, you asked me last night what I was most afraid of.”

“It was just a game, Eric.”

“No,” he said, slowing as the road curved. His grip tightened on the steering wheel. “This is more. Can’t you see that? I’ve wanted you for so long it feels criminal.”

Not much blindsided her. Not anymore. She made sure of it. But hearing those words? From Eric?

“How long?” She tried to keep her voice light and firm, but it wavered.

“Remember your junior year of high school when you went to prom with that football player and stayed out all night?”

She nodded. “I was grounded for the rest of the year. I remember.”

“Liam told me about that and I lost it. I drove all night, planning to come home and beat the kid up so he never laid a hand on you again.”

Georgia bit her lip. He’d wanted her since junior year? No, it wasn’t possible. She’d tried to catch his attention, insisting Liam let her tag along whenever he was going places with Eric. But Eric had always treated her like a friend.

“What stopped you?” she asked.

“I saw you first. You were so happy despite the grounding that I couldn’t do it. So I drove back to school and buried my jealousy.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You were jealous of Tommy Lewis? I had a better orgasm the other night, on your bed, than I ever had with him.”

“Not sure I wanted to know that,” he murmured. “And I think you have yourself to thank for that.”

“No. It was you,” she said softly, focusing on the trees speeding by outside the window. “It’s always been you. Even back when it was criminal.”

“Then let’s do this right”—his tone was firm—”and tell Liam.”

“No.”

She heard the rush of the road outside, but Eric remained silent. Still, his tension radiated through the car.

“What’s holding you back, Georgia?” he asked finally. “What are you afraid of when it comes to us?”

Georgia closed her eyes, her hands clenched tight in her lap. She felt as if she were out in the open surrounded by the unknown, and he was asking her to remove her body armor. If she set aside her defenses, if she let him in, what would keep her strong?

“I’m not ready,” she said evenly. “I’m just not.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his hands tighten on the steering wheel. “OK. I won’t tell him. You have my word.”

“Thank you.”

“But Georgia, don’t walk away from us. We could make this work. Trust me.”

She nodded. But in her head, the questions swirled. How could they move forward when he wanted more than she could give? Talking to Liam implied a future for them. A relationship bound with commitment and promises. She couldn’t travel down that path, not when her emotions were off the table. Georgia knew she should tell him. But she hated the idea that he’d see it as a problem that needed fixing, the same way he’d stepped up and offered her a job when her brother asked. Or how he’d jumped in to keep her from hiking with a perfectly capable firefighter.

Georgia stared out the window as they turned off the highway and headed for his mother’s house. Maybe that was the dead-end barrier they could not get past. How could she open up to someone who looked at her and saw her weaknesses, not her strengths?

ERIC HELD TIGHT to his frustration, knowing that if he let it loose, Georgia would bolt. But it took all his self-restraint not to punch his fist against the steering wheel. Georgia was slipping away, backpedaling out of his life as quickly as she’d walked in and dropped her towel.

He turned into his mother’s drive and put the car in park. Nate waved from the front window as if he’d been waiting for Eric.

“Do you want me to go get him?” she asked.

“No.” He opened the car door. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

He glanced over his shoulder as he raised his fist and knocked on his mother’s door. Georgia was still there. But he wasn’t so sure for how long.

“I should have listened to Liam,” he murmured, raising his hand to knock again.

His best friend had told him over and over that Georgia wasn’t equipped to handle a relationship right now. She had too much baggage. But Eric had let years of desire push that sad fact to the side. She’d said that she didn’t need anyone to help her, but she was wrong. She’d been through too much to handle it on her own. Hell, if they had any hope of moving beyond one night in his hot tub, she had to open up and let him help her.

“Eric.” His mother smiled, opening the door. “Come in.”

“Hi, Mom.” He leaned forward, kissing her cheek. “Georgia’s waiting in the car. Is Nate ready?”

“He’s packing his bag and saying good-bye to the puppies. They were born last night.”

“That’s great,” he said, knowing he’d hear about little else from Nate on the drive home.

“Please come inside,” she said. “I need to talk to you before you go.”

He shifted his weight but didn’t step inside. “Not today. I have to get home. I had a trucking problem this morning. I can’t stay and chat today. Maybe next time.”

His mother pressed her lips together. “We’re moving at the end of the month. To Arizona. Henry went down last month to look at condos. We found an independent living community we like.”

Eric froze. His mother was walking out his life again. Only this time, she wasn’t leaving just him behind. His jaw clenched and his hands formed tight fists at his sides. “Did you tell Nate?”

“Not yet,” she said. “I wanted to speak with you first. We didn’t make the choices lightly. The dry air will be better for us. Henry’s asthma is getting worse.”

Henry. Of course. The man who’d been in her life for five minutes trumped the son she’d left behind countless times and the grandson still moving past his parents’ tragic deaths.

“I’ll talk to Nate,” he said. “I’ll handle it.”

“I hope you’ll come visit us once we’re settled. We’ll have a pool. I think Nate might enjoy it.”

His nephew appeared in the doorway. Eric scooped him, holding him tight. “Hey, buddy. How are the puppies?”

Nate launched into a monologue as Eric carried him to the car and secured him in his car seat. Georgia kept the conversation flowing, asking questions about the dogs while Eric drove. An hour slipped by, and toward the end Nate fell asleep.

“It’s his nap time,” Georgia whispered.

Eric nodded, not trusting himself to say a word. His mother was picking up and moving away. Logically, he understood the reasons. But he couldn’t push past how easy it was for her to say good-bye.

Eric turned into the drive. “I’ll carry him inside and put him to bed.”

But when they pulled up to the house, Eric spotted Liam’s truck blocking the entrance to his garage. Georgia’s brother leaned against the driver’s side, his expression grim.

“Change of plan,” Eric said. “You take Nate up, and I’ll talk to Liam.”

“Do you think he knows?” she asked.

“No. And I won’t tell him. Not today.” He’d had enough for one day. And right now, if Liam took a swing at him, which his friend would, Eric would fight back. Liam deserved to land a punch. Hell, maybe two. Eric had violated his trust and taken advantage of his sister. When the time came, Eric would take the hits without fighting back. But not today.