Imagine With Me: A With Me In Seattle Novel Page 7

  “Who?” Shawn and I ask at the same time.

  “No one,” she mutters and leaves again, the scowl still in place.

  “I’m going to go grab a beverage. Can I get you something?” I ask Shawn.

  “No, thanks.”

  Before I can walk out, Shawn catches my hand and pulls me back for a quick kiss.

  “What was that for?”

  “Just for being you,” he says. “Go get your drink.”

  I press my tingling lips together as I stride out of the kitchen and move right behind the bar. Keegan told me earlier to just come back and get myself a Coke whenever I want. So, I fill a glass with ice and shoot the gun thingie into it.

  I glance up to find a strikingly handsome man smiling at me from across the bar.

  “Hi, I’m Lexi,” I say before sipping my drink.

  “Cameron,” he replies with a nod. “You’re new here.”

  “I’m just helping out in the kitchen. What are you doing here?” I feel my eyes go wide and clamp my hand over my mouth. “Oh my God, who am I? I don’t just start up random conversations with hot men. Shit, I just said that out loud, didn’t I?”

  Cameron is laughing now, and Maggie rushes up to the bar, unloading her tray of empties. “So, I see you met Lexi,” she says. “Don’t be an ass and scare her off, okay?”

  “I’m not in the habit of scaring off women,” he replies, leveling Maggie with a cool stare.

  “Ha!” is all Maggie says before she hurries off again.

  “So, you’re the slimy bastard,” I say with a nod. “I get it. Now, I’m off to the kitchen again before my mouth gets me into more trouble.”

  I hurry away, passing through the swinging door to the kitchen, and stop cold when I see a woman wrapped around Shawn. The blonde has her lips pressed to his mouth, her ample tits glued to his chest, and her hands on his ass.

  I don’t give two shits that his hands are nowhere near her, or that he doesn’t look pleased with the current situation. In fact, he’s glaring at her as she pulls away with a satisfied grin.

  “Well, now I know what sexual assault feels like.”

  “Oh, you’ve wanted that for a long time,” she purrs. “There’s no need to play hard to get with me, Shawn.”

  “I’m not playing anything—”

  “Ahem.”

  The bimbo doesn’t jump back; she just turns her head and glares at me. “What?”

  I smile. “Hi. We haven’t met. I’m Lexi. And I’m only going to tell you one time to take your fake double-Ds off him.”

  “Who the fuck is this?” she demands.

  “Lexi,” I reply again before Shawn can. I take her arm and pull her through the kitchen, then push her out the door. “Don’t worry, you can have him back in a few weeks.”

  “What the—?”

  I let the door swing shut in her face and my smile leaves mine as I turn back to Shawn.

  “If you’d come in two seconds later, you would have seen me pushing her off and telling her to get the fuck out of here.”

  “But I didn’t come in two seconds later, did I? Am I poaching on another woman’s territory?”

  He crosses his arms over his chest. “No.”

  “Is she going to be an issue?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” I pull a clean basket off a shelf and line it with a square piece of parchment paper, getting it ready for a burger and fries.

  “That’s it?”

  “None of my business otherwise,” I say, not looking his way. “Coworkers with benefits, remember?”

  “If the tables were turned, and I walked in here to find some asshole with his hands on you, I wouldn’t be this calm.”

  “Oh, she almost lost the cheap extensions in her hair, but one thing saved her.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You didn’t have your hands on her, and you weren’t kissing her back. If that had been the case, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

  “She’s someone I—”

  “I don’t care, Shawn. Honest. As long as she’s not your girlfriend, and I’m not a homewrecker, it doesn’t matter to me.”

  He blows out a breath and runs his hand through his hair. “Really?”

  “Really. Now, are you going to help me with these orders or not?”

  “You suddenly got really bossy,” he says. “As long as it doesn’t bleed over into the bedroom, it’s sexy as fuck.”

  I laugh and drop a basket of fries into the grease.

  “You know, I’m really sad that tomorrow is Monday.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because we have to go back to work, and that means I have to go back to hating you.”

  He smirks. “You don’t hate me.”

  “I might have wished painful things on you Friday.”

  “We’re going to hit our stride this week. I can feel it.” He leans in to kiss my cheek. “Don’t sweat it, Lex. We’ve got this.”

  “Right.” Maggie barges through the door with anger and frustration written all over her pretty face.

  “He’s a fucking moron, that’s what he is. And if he thinks he can just sit there and look smug, watching me while I bust my ass in that pub, he has another thing coming altogether, I’ll tell you that right now.”

  Maggie’s face is mutinous as she sets baskets of food on her tray.

  “What in the bloody hell are you talking about, Mary Margaret?” Shawn asks.

  “Oh, there’s a guy named Cameron out there,” I reply, earning a glare from his sister. “The chemistry is off the charts.”

  Shawn’s eyes narrow on his sibling. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. He’s about to find his Guinness in his lap, I’ll tell you that right now.”

  She turns and leaves, letting the door flap in and out behind her.

  “Who is this guy?” I ask.

  “A family friend,” he says. “And, I suspect, the love of her life. But both of them are too damn stubborn to admit it.”

  I raise a brow. “Wow.”

  Chapter 7

  ~Shawn~

  The room is dark, except for a stream of light coming from my small desk lamp. The house is perfectly quiet. Lexi’s in my bed, sleeping like an angel, and I’m in the office, working.

  Not on our project. No, she might behead me if she found out that I worked on the movie without her. Just thinking about that day in Seattle when she highlighted and deleted all of my work makes me simultaneously want to throttle her and kiss her.

  No, I’m working on a project that’s been on the back burner for a couple of years, always simmering in my mind. It’s a thriller with a bit of a love story as a side story arc. And tonight, I figured I’d come in here and work on it since I couldn’t sleep.

  Sleepless nights aren’t new for me. Sometimes, after working at the pub, it’s hard to unwind.

  Just as I’m finishing up a scene, I hear bare feet on the hardwood floor. I look to the doorway and see Lexi leaning against the doorjamb.

  “I can go back to bed if you’re in the thick of it.” Her voice is full of raspy sleepiness.

  “Just finished.”

  I watch as she walks to me, wearing another of my shirts. It seems that she prefers to lounge in my things, and I can’t say that it bothers me, not in the least.

  She leans her butt on the edge of my desk next to me and crosses her arms over her chest. “What are you working on?”

  “A screenplay that I’ve had in my head for a few years,” I reply, scooting my chair back so I can nudge her in front of me, my hands on her hips until I’m staring right at her stomach at navel level.

  Her hands immediately find my hair.

  “Why couldn’t you sleep?” she asks. Her voice is hushed in the darkness. If I didn’t know better, I’d say she’s a manifestation of my imagination.

  “Sometimes, it’s just hard to unwind after a shift at the pub. What woke you?”

  “I don’t know. I just turned over, and you weren’t
there. The sheets were cool, and I wondered where you were.”

  “So, you found me.”

  She smiles softly. “I did. I have a question for you, Shawn.”

  “All right.” I lean back and watch her beautiful face, shadowed in the low light. “What is it?”

  “I guess I wasn’t as blasé about that woman in the kitchen as I thought I was. I want to make sure that she’s not your girlfriend or anything.”

  I frown up at her. “If she was, don’t you think she would have fought a lot harder than she did? Thrown a fit?”

  “Well, most would, but not all. Some women are doormats, Shawn. And I know that what’s happening here is casual, but I don’t want to hurt someone who might be in love with you.”

  I soften toward her even more. “You’re a sweet woman, Lex. That woman, Taylor, is someone I dated about five years ago. It lasted maybe two weeks before I figured out that she’s definitely not for me. So, no, you’re not encroaching on anyone’s territory. She does seem to still have a thing for me. Though, honestly, who can blame her? I’m handsome. Funny. Charming.”

  A smile slips across her delectable mouth. “Humble.”

  “That goes without saying, of course.” I lean in and press my cheek to her belly as I wrap my arms around her waist and hug her. “I don’t want to think about her—or anyone else for that matter.”

  I only have Lexi here for a few more weeks. I’ll be damned if I waste precious moments on thoughts of Taylor or any other woman when the one I want is standing right in front of me.

  I tug the hem of the shirt up, uncovering her bare pussy, and plant a wet kiss on her inner thigh, making her gasp.

  I fucking love how responsive she is. How willing to explore new things, and how she trusts me with her body.

  I kiss her other thigh and then urge her legs apart just a little more so I can taste her. My lips fasten to her clit, and I press a finger inside her, just as her legs start to tremble.

  Christ, I’ll never tire of this. Of watching her body come to life with the touch of my fingers, my tongue.

  She’s pulling my hair and crying out as I send her over the first crest, and then without giving her a break, I turn her around, bend her over my desk, and quickly protect us both before easing my way inside her. With one hand planted on the small of her back, and the other gripping her hair, I set a rhythm.

  She reaches back for me, and I take her hand and pin it behind her, grinning down at her.

  Over the past few days, I’ve learned that Lexi enjoys being restrained. I can’t wait to introduce her to my ropes, but for now, my hands will do.

  I tug on her hair, and she stands, easily following my wordless commands.

  I kiss the ball of her shoulder, release her hand, and reach around to press my fingertips to her clit.

  She comes spectacularly, shivering and moaning, and I can’t help but follow her over.

  I pull out of her, turn her to face me, and wrap her in my arms. She’s the perfect match for me sexually, and I plan to take advantage of every opportunity I have to explore with her while she’s here.

  She’s bloody amazing.

  “Why are we getting along so well?” Lexi asks me several days later as we sit in the office, working on the screenplay. “Like, we haven’t yelled at each other in days.”

  “I told you we’d hit our stride,” I reply. “And we have.”

  “You’re also not quite so hardheaded,” she replies. “At least, not as bad as you were that first week.”

  I grin because I know she’s not going to like my next question.

  “But speaking of that, we need to talk about this next scene. The one where she thinks she’s catching the killer, but it’s the wrong guy. I want to discuss the dialogue here. I just don’t think it flows well.”

  She blinks at me, and then that scowl slides into place, and I know I’ve pissed her off.

  “I’m not trying to make you mad here, Lex. I’m trying to make it sound as good spoken as it does on the page.”

  “How do you propose we change it?”

  “I want her to speak softer. I know she’s in a potentially dangerous situation, but instead of yelling and being so aggressive, I think her voice should be hard but not raised.”

  She shakes her head and rubs her temples. I’m in for a fight.

  “I think it’ll be more believable, given how you’ve written her before this scene. She’s not one to fly off the handle.”

  “And she’s not doing that now,” she insists. “She’s doing her job.”

  I lick my lips. “She’s being a showboater. She’s showing off, Lexi, and that’s out of character for her.”

  “Are we even reading the same book, Shawn? Because that’s not how it’s written at all. Maybe you’re one of those men who’s intimidated by women who feel confident in their job and their skin and know what the hell they’re doing.”

  “I’m staring at one of those women, and trust me when I say, I’m not intimidated by you in the least.”

  “Well, change my story, and you will be.”

  I blow out a gusty breath and stride out of the office, heading straight for the kitchen.

  “Don’t run away,” she says as she follows me. “We have to resolve this.”

  “After lunch,” I reply as I start pulling out the ingredients for hoagie sandwiches. “I’m hungry, and we need to cool down.”

  She sighs and sits on a stool, brooding.

  “You’re sexy when you’re mad.”

  She doesn’t reply. She just frowns at me.

  I finish her sandwich, cut it in half, and slide the plate across the island to her, then start building my own.

  “Why are you trying to change my story?” she demands before taking a big bite of roast beef and swiss.

  “I’m not.”

  “You are. You’re changing her. And I wrote her the way she is for a reason, Shawn.”

  I sigh as I close my sandwich and cut it in half. “Did you give your editor this much shit? Or does he just tell you that it’s perfect the way it is?”

  “She gave me plenty of feedback, thank you very much. But she didn’t try to change who the character is.”

  “I’m not either, Lexi. I’m just trying to make it flow better for film.”

  She shakes her head. “You don’t get it.”

  “Then bloody explain it to me, damn it.”

  “That character is everything I wish I was, Shawn. She’s brave and strong. Trustworthy. She’s so fucking badass.”

  I can only stare at her, shocked by the words coming out of her gorgeous mouth.

  “What are you talking about? You’re exactly those things, Lexi.”

  She shakes her head again, more stubbornly than before. “No, I’m not. I’m some of those things here, which has been a surprise to me if I’m being honest. But when I’m home, just living my life, I’m not those things at all. I’m a coward. I’d rather sit in my condo and write stories about other badass women than go to the freaking grocery store. I hate leaving my house. I hate crowds. Strangers. People in general.”

  “That’s not the woman I know at all,” I reply honestly. “I don’t know who she is. You’re the woman who walked into that kitchen the other night and basically told Taylor to fuck right off.”

  “And I’d do it again,” she says without thinking, and then she lets out a little surprised laugh. “See? I don’t know why I had to come to Seattle to find some courage, but…here we are. And, no, I don’t think it’s going to follow me back home.”

  “You didn’t have to find anything. Maybe you just had to be out of your element for a while to grow into this part of yourself. It’s not like I hooked you up to a machine and put the sass inside of you.”

  “The point is,” she says, “I don’t want to change the tone of that scene. I think it fits perfectly for where we are in the story. It’s written that way on purpose.”

  “What if we write it both ways?” I ask her. “And we make a note t
hat the director can make the final call.”

  I can see that she’s not convinced. She tells me I’m stubborn all the damn time, but Lexi is the most bullheaded woman I’ve ever met.

  “Fine,” she says at last and then passes me her empty plate. “Let’s go do this then, you big bully.”

  I laugh as she storms away.

  God, she’s something.

  We’ve had a slow evening at the pub, which is pretty standard for a Thursday night when it’s not tourist season.

  Keegan had to take a call, so I’m manning the bar while Lexi’s in the kitchen. I’m swiftly starting to think of it as her kitchen, as much as she bosses me around.

  I don’t mind in the least. She seems to be in her element back there.

  I’ve just finished building a Guinness when I hear Maggie yelling at someone across the room. I look up in time to see a man rear his fist back and punch my sister, right in the fucking face.

  Cameron, who’s been sitting at the bar, jumps into action, as do I, but before we reach Maggie, she hits the asshole in the nose with the heel of her hand, sending him backwards with blood spattering everywhere.

  “You bitch!” he screeches. “You broke my fucking nose.”

  “And I’ll take off your wee pecker while I’m at it,” Maggie bites back as Cameron slips his arm around her shoulders. “Slimy ball bag thinks he can put his hands on me.”

  “I’m calling the cops,” I say as I pull my phone out of my pocket. Keegan appears and presses a white towel full of ice to Maggie’s eye.

  I glance around and see Lexi standing just outside of the kitchen door, her blue eyes big as she takes in the scene.

  Are you okay? I mouth to her.

  She nods and stays where she is as we wait for the cops and the paramedics to arrive.

  Keegan hauled the jerk who dared to put his hands on Maggie outside.

  “Are you okay, baby?” Cameron asks my sister. I raise a brow at him, but he’s not paying attention to me.

  He only has eyes for Mary Margaret.

  What the hell is going on here?