All I Want by Natalie Ann

never been one for big crowds before. Even though she was a teacher and around people a lot, they were little people in her mind. Children that looked up to her, that needed her and her guidance. She had no problem communicating with children—that came naturally to her.
    Adults, not so much. Brynn was easy. They’d known each other for years and could talk about anything. But the rest of the group intimidated her. Not just their social standing, but also their sheer size, both as a group and individually.
    Thankfully, Sean stayed by her side all night. Almost like they were a couple, just like the rest of the group. Of course, they had only been on two dates, but still, they felt like a couple to her, and everyone treated them as such, too.
    Not to mention, she’d never thought she’d feel comfortable in a group of large and intimating men, but having Sean next to her made it easier somehow.
    The Harper men were all a few inches over six feet. Brynn’s brother-in-law, Ryan Mathews, and his brother, Lucas, were taller than the Harper brothers. And Lucas’s brother-in-law, Mac Malone, was the same height as Lucas. But the biggest of them all was Jack Reynolds, friend to everyone there. He had to be over six foot five easily and was just huge. Carly kept her distance from him. He was way too quiet and unnerved her too much, even though his wife, Cori, was tiny. And it did seem like Cori had Jack wrapped around her finger. Either way, Carly, still stayed away.
    By the end of the night though, Carly had relaxed enough to not jump whenever Jack talked. That was a big step in her mind. Again, she kept fighting the urge to leave with all those big men around her. Yet she stayed. She hated to say they all seemed harmless to her, but they did.
    A voice inside her wouldn’t relent. The bigger a man was, the meaner he could get, and the faster he could snap. She’d seen it enough, so she made sure she was aware at all times what was going on around her.
    She’d wished the kids were there. She would have enjoyed them again, like she did at Brynn’s wedding. But she understood that everyone wanted a night without their children for a short period of time. Working around kids all the time, she knew adults needed their time alone too.
    When some of the couples with families decided to leave, she got up too. Sean had stood up with her and walked her out. Next to her car again, he kissed her with as much heat as he had earlier. This time she looked around to make sure there were no witnesses.
    Then she went on her merry way. That night in bed, she’d found herself thinking more and more about Sean. How he felt in her arms. How he made her feel.
    Safe. She’d used that word before with Brynn. But after he stayed by her side all day, she’d felt it even more. She felt positive he had no idea why she was skittish around the men. But he stayed by her side, and somehow his presence relaxed her and let her enjoy her time with everyone.
    On Sunday morning he’d called her. “How’d you like to go for a ride across the state border to Vermont and look at the fall foliage?” She’d thought it was an odd suggestion coming from a man. Not that she didn’t love the changing of the seasons, but she’d never known a man to make that suggestion for a date.
    “I’d love to.” Anything to spend time with him. So he picked her up, they went for a ride, had a nice late lunch, talked the entire time about things in their lives and then he brought her home.
    Of course he didn’t leave before he kissed her again. He traced his finger along her jaw. “You have the most delicious looking mouth,” he said before lowering his head. She was getting addicted to his kisses. His lips so soft and tender, his grasp of her so firm. Such a contradiction, and yet she found herself craving more of it.
    She’d never liked being held so tight before. Or caged in. But he’d done it a few times against her car the day before, and against the wall right