Andrea watched her cousin closely as they moved through the aisle at the grocery store. Never in all her time with Marit had she ever seen her so…

  Well? Happy.

  Her features were softened, hell even the way she walked was smooth and steady, not hurried or prompt like she was on a mission. Today they just flowed easily from aisle to aisle and Marit hadn’t even really glanced at her list.

  “So… what are you cooking Julian tonight?” That was funny too, Marit was no housewife. Growing up she had always spent her time out with the boys along with Phoebe while Trinity and herself helped their mothers in the kitchen. Now Marit could cook, but she had always been the girl to buck common gender roles.

  She didn’t always have the strength that the boys did, but she had determination and a wealth of knowledge that came from many weekends spent with Andrea’s daddy while the boys ran out to play. Marit had always been studious, had loved to read when she was younger, and then things just changed when she entered her later twenties.

  Perhaps it was the pressure to settle down as everyone around her got married and had babies. Andrea wasn’t entirely sure, but she did know that the Marit she was seeing reminded her a lot more of the Marit she knew when they were teenagers.

  Granted back when they were teenagers Marit still had boy problems and a low self esteem, but she could dream. The stories she wrote! And the stories she could tell. Her imagination was really something. In her senior year she won a literary aware at the state level for one of her pieces.

  WHen she went to college is when it started to go downhill. Her mother didn’t believe majoring in English would get her anywhere so she made her take a criminal justice program because Mabel was going to put her daughter through law school and make her a somebody.

  What she didn’t understand was that Marit already was a somebody to those who mattered, her family.

  Marit turned to her cousin who was pushing the cart and smiled. “Sloppy joes, salad, scallopped potatoes and some corn.”

  Andrea blinked. “All of that is for the two of you?” IT was a lot of food.

  Grabbing the last bit of items that she needed, Marit nodded. “You should see him eat, it’s impressive.”

  Well with a body like that he has to maintain it. Andrea thought to herself as the two of them lined up. Considering Marit’s good mood, the other woman decided to make the leap and ask her what she had tagged along to ask. It was a long shot, but Marit was her only hope.

  “Sooooo…”

  Cutting her off, Marit looked at her cousin as she handed the money for her groceries to the clerk. “What do you want?”

  Sighing, the lithe brunette put on her best puppy dog eyes and grabbed a few bags while Marit collected the rest. “Ok. So, I was contacted by the Witchita paper, and they want me to write a comparative piece on city functions when compared with more rural affairs.”

  Marit’s gaze widened in surprise. “Wow. That’s a great opportunity.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Andrea’s smile widened. “Yeah, there have been five of us picked across the state to come in and see what happens in the city for the next three months and compare it to what we do in our home counties. Apparently it’s the government’s goal to promote more travel outside of the city to get more traffic in and out of the smaller towns. You know, promote tourism and all that.”

  Loading up the groceries into the back of her truck, Marit listened and was rather impressed. If they could get some more press for their county it could really open up more opportunities for growth. What was also impressive was that out of all the counties in Kansas, only five people were picked to represent their county and Andrea was one of them.

  Sliding into the truck, she turned and took hold of her cousin’s hand before kissing her cheek. “I’m really proud of you An. Now what do you want from me.” She wasn’t entirely sure she would be able to say no to whatever it was.

  Andrea knew it was a long shot because Marit wasn’t a fan of the city but the woman didn’t look irritated or annoyed, so it was now or never. “Jackson’s family is from Witchita and Aunt Ana doesn’t want me to go without a chaperone…”

  “And the boys are finishing up with harvest season, preparing for Halloween, and everyone else is working but me.” Marit summed up for the woman with a sigh. No, she wasn’t a fan of the city but this was a huge honor for her cousin and she wanted to support her. “Of course I’ll go.”

  Andrea launched herself at Marit, who caught her in a tight hug, “You think we could ask Julian too? Aunt Ana will feel better with a man there…”

  Inwardly Marit was thrilled with the prospect of spending more time with Julian while simultaneous being terrified to ask. Going on a trip meant hotels and restaurants. Potential shopping! He had said he was going to get her out shopping to spend the money he wanted to share with her from the yard sale. “D-do you want to ask?” Marit asked, praying that her cousin would do the asking and not make her. She would just die to ask something so intimate so early on in their…

  Well? Their? Hell, she didn’t know what to call what was going on between Julian and herself. So far they had spent time together everyday for the past three weeks enjoying her ritualistic October movie festival and she was enjoying herself. She had learned a lot about him and he had weaseled out information about her she had even forgotten.

  It was fun. And it was also painful as hell. That man was gorgeous and Marit could swear he was doing things to draw attention to his body and especially his mouth on purpose to drive her crazy!

  Andrea eyed her cousin and shrugged. She knew it was a big step to ask Julian to come on a trip even if it was for her cousin, so she could throw her a bone. “I’ll ask.”

  Marit heaved a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god!”

  Chuckling at the relief her cousin portrayed, Andrea asked, “Things not going well?”

  No. Things were going well. Too well. Shaking her head, Marit sighed. She was very confused. “Things are going fine, but…”

  “But?” Andrea knew what was bothering her cousin. It was the same thing that plagued all women when starting a new relationship. She was horny.

  “Well…” Marit’s brow furrowed as she tried to put into words how she was feeling. Thankfully Andrea did it for her.

  “He’s driving you crazy cuz he’s so ridiculously good looking and you just want to rub your naked body all over his and never get out of bed?” She asked in one long breath, sending a jolt of pink through Marit’s face.

  “Well. That’s not how I’d put it… but I guess?” Looking over at her cousin who was far more knowledgable in the ways of men and dating, she sighed. “He’s just so…”

  “Sexy?”

  Marit nodded. “I mean he’s kept it clean. He kisses me good night on the cheek. Walks me to my car. But he teases…”

  Ahh, the teasing. That was Andrea’s favorite. It was a fun tug of war between a man and a woman to see who could drive who crazy first. Andrea always won, but then she never fought fair either. Her ex’s never stood a chance in trying to seduce her before she got under their skin. Unfortunately, Marit wasn’t a natural seducer, but she was innocent and that had it’s own merits.

  Especially for a man like Julian. He was big, strong, and definitely an alpha male with a gentle side, but he was the type of man who protected a woman and made sure she was all right. Those that challenged him for dominance were fun, but men like him tended to flock to women like Marit.

  Someone just a little unsure in some aspects of her life, but with just the right amount of sass that lit that fire in them and ran rampant each and every time the woman showed that burst of personality that promised she wasn’t someone to take advantage of. They loved the gentleness, the way the woman would take care of them, and if they were tender in return, they would be given the most precious gift without a fight.

  That woman would let them into their heart without a bit of resistance and that’s where they would stay until the end of time. She would be his oasis of peace and comfort in a world of brutality and fear that he needed to wield to survive.

  Not all men lived in that world, but those that were powerful and grew up hard like Julian had, did live there. Hell they owned real estate, they weren’t just renting. It was a hard life, and while Andrea didn’t want Marit to suffer any, she knew that Julian would take better care of her than any of the losers could here at home.

  That and Marit knew how to use a shotgun, so Andrea wasn’t too concerned for her cousin’s safety.

  “I don’t know what to do.” Marit murmured as she turned into Julian’s driveway. The man was sitting on the porch, but the moment he saw the truck, he was up and heading their way.

  Andrea turned to her cousin and smiled. “Just take it slow. He’ll do the rest.” It was the best advice she could give at the moment especially when their topic of conversation reached the truck and was opening Marit’s door.