In Good Company: Chapter 18

So Lucy wasn’t lying. I stand off to the side as I watch her swing the golf club in a third attempt at hitting the ball.

She misses…again.

A crease appears on her forehead as she looks at me. “Ugh,” she whines. “I suck at this, and it’s embarrassing.”

I uncross my arms from in front of my chest and take a step closer to her. “How about I help?” I offer.

“I don’t know if your help will do anything. I’m hopeless.” She looks over her shoulder at the line of golf carts waiting for us to finish our turn. She closes her eyes and lets out a groan. “And everyone’s watching me make a complete fool of myself.”

I close the distance between us, trying not to focus on how good she smells. I’m becoming far too fond of her sweet scent.

I’m becoming far too fond of her.

I reach out and let my fingers trail down her back reassuringly. “All of this is for charity. No one’s judging you, I promise. Everyone in our group is my friend. They’re just here to have fun and raise money. Stop getting in your head.”

“Easy to say when you’re so good,” she protests. “You make it look so easy to hit the ball and have it go exactly where you want it.”

“It’s only because I’ve had decades of practice. Here, let me show you.” I step behind her and line the front of my body to her back.

She doesn’t shy away from the closeness of our bodies. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. Probably bad. I can barely think straight when her ass softly brushes against my cock as she adjusts her position.

Air hisses through my teeth as she pushes her hips forward and away from me. “Sorry,” she mumbles, trying to take a step forward.

I wrap my arm around her middle and place it against her stomach. Her stomach tightens underneath my touch. “Stay still,” I demand, my throat feeling thick while uttering the word.

Before she can say anything else, I push my foot between her feet and tap her shoe with mine. “First, you need to spread your legs a little wider. They should be shoulder width apart.”

Lucy does as she’s told and inches her feet a little farther apart.

I look down, finding the distance acceptable. “Perfect,” I note. My hand slides down her stomach before landing on her hip. My other hand follows suit, both my hands resting at the narrow of her hips. “Now, your body should be perfectly aligned with your target.” I look over my shoulder to make sure she’s lined up correctly. I lean a little closer, placing my lips close to her ear. “And your target is the hole over there on the green.”

“Okay,” Lucy whispers, her body tense against mine. “Feet shoulder width apart, body lined to target…what next?”

I chuckle at her eagerness to learn. I don’t make her wait to continue the lesson, too excited to keep teaching her. “Next, we’re going to talk about the swing itself.”

My fingertips trail over her skin and down her arms. “Your arms should be nice and loose.” I nod to her left foot. “Turn your toes out here, ever so slightly toward the hole.”

She’s a good student, doing everything I tell her to.

“Now, your lead hand goes right here.” I keep my arms wrapped around her as I grip the top of the golf club. She places her right hand where I tell her.

“Good. Now, just grip it naturally. Don’t think too much about it.”

She sighs, and I can feel it from the press of my front against her back. It feels natural to teach her like this, and I don’t care to read too much into what exactly that means.

“See how you’re forming a triangle?” I ask, keeping my lips close to her ear because I love the way it makes her shiver.

She nods as she adjusts her grip on the club. “Mm-hmm,” she hums as extra confirmation.

“Good. You want to keep that triangle.” I place my hands over hers so I can help her guide the club correctly. I still wear my golf glove on my right hand, so there’s no press of our skin against one another there, but there is with our left hands. I keep my grip on top of hers, firm but not too hard.

I test swinging our joined arms a little. She moves freely with me, giving me complete control.

“Now, keep your back completely straight and your knees slightly bent,” I command. Air seems to be ripped from my lungs as she does exactly as she’s told, but the change of her position has her grinding perfectly against me.

My entire body is tense as I try not to react. She innocently did exactly what I told her. I need to keep things appropriate between us, but all I can think about is what it’d feel like to have her ass pressed against me with no barrier of fabric between us.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to rid myself of the mental picture of her bent over in front of me.

Where are these thoughts coming from? And why are they coming at the most terrible of times?

“Everything okay?” Lucy asks, her voice quiet and unsure.

I clear my throat, hoping she can’t feel the way my cock hardens at the press of our bodies. “Yes,” I manage to get out despite the hard clench of my jaw.

It’s a natural response. It isn’t her. I repeat the words over and over in my head, but I don’t believe myself for a moment.

As much as I want to deny it, it is her. With each passing day, the more I go from being interested by her to being interested in her.

“What next?” Lucy asks, pulling me from my thoughts once again.

“Make sure you keep your weight on the balls of your feet. Remember, your back stays straight, and so does your left arm.” I guide our arms backward to show her what it should feel like for the proper swing.

“And hit just like this,” I finish, taking her through the full motion. From the backswing to the downswing, I show her how to go through the entire motion. “Let your hips lead at the end, and then your torso follows. And just like that, you’ve done it.”

She lets out a sarcastic laugh. “It isn’t that simple for the rest of us, Callahan. But okay, I’m going to try.”

Before, it bothered me to have her say my full name. But this time when she says it…it excites me. It’s said intimately, like she knows me well enough to feel comfortable calling me whatever she wants.

I allow one more moment of feeling the press of our bodies from chest to thighs before taking a step back and giving her the chance to practice what I just taught her.

“Now, put it all together and hit the ball that way.” I point to the hole.

Lucy stares at me, her eyes wide with worry. She pulls her plump bottom lip in between her teeth as her eyes dart from mine to the flag on the green and then back to me. “What if I mess up and make us lose?”

“It doesn’t matter how many chances it takes, Lucy. We’re here for the fun of it and to make a charitable donation. Now, hit the damn ball,” I add, keeping my tone soft despite the words.

The bluntness must ease some of her nerves because a beautiful smile spreads across her cheeks. Her shoulders rise and fall with a deep breath. “I’ve got this,” she says quietly, putting herself in the proper swinging position once again.

“Line up your left foot with the ball,” I instruct.

She nods. I’m impressed with how much she remembers from our little lesson. She spreads her feet perfectly shoulder width apart and keeps her hands in the correct position on the club.

I watch closely, my palm running over the stubble on my cheeks as she pulls back on the swing. My stomach drops as it seems like her swing happens in slow motion. I don’t know why I care so much about whether she hits the ball or not. It doesn’t matter. I don’t give a damn if we place last during this event because I’ll still feel like I won by getting time alone with her.

But I don’t want to see the disappointment on her face again. I can’t stand to hear her cry of protest and frustration at completely whiffing the ball.

So I watch, my entire body tight, as she attempts to hit the ball.

Her form is perfect.

She seems concentrated but relaxed.

She’s got this.

By the time it’s time for her downswing, I know it’s a perfect swing. The club hits the ball, and it goes soaring into the air—right in the direction she meant it to.

The golf club falls to the ground as she jumps up and down. “I did it!” she yells excitedly, her arms waving in the air as she looks ahead of her.

The smile I give her is genuine. Joy courses through my veins as she closes the distance between us. She leaps into my arms, and I immediately catch her, pinning her body to mine as her wide, excited eyes meet mine.

“Was that good?” she asks, her arms wrapping around my neck.

“That was incredible,” I assure her, spinning both our bodies around in celebration. Her legs swing in the air as the cutest giggle leaves her, making her entire body shake.

“I thought I’d miss it,” she confesses, a little out of breath from her laughter.

I smile, unable to resist directing my gaze to her lips for a brief moment. Our faces are so close it’d be easy to lean in and kiss her, but I can’t, no matter how much I can admit that I want to.

There’s nothing I want more at this very moment than to kiss Lucy Rae Owens.

I don’t care that she’s my employee for the summer. And I certainly don’t give a damn that she’s my brother’s ex-girlfriend. Nothing matters more than the desperate desire to feel her lips against mine.

Her breathing gets shallower, and she leans in just a little closer, her lips slightly parted. I know she’s mine for the taking.

It takes everything in me to put her back on the ground.

I take a step back and clear my throat. I stuff my hands into my pockets as I try to calm my racing heart. “Let’s go see how close you got,” I get out hoarsely.

Lucy smiles before turning to walk toward the golf cart. With her back to me, I’m able to close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath to calm myself. Desperate longing courses through my veins, but I push it aside, reminding myself that there are a multitude of reasons I can’t kiss her.

The problem is, I’m still deciding if just because I can’t kiss her means I won’t.