by Tory Baker
“Good, then you’ll understand why I want this to be between the two of us for a while. I want us to have time before your family and my own insert themselves into our world.” I move my thumb to her pussy, gathering up her wetness before bringing it back to her clit. I want her to fall apart for me just so I can put her back together.
“Shit.” Her hips move, rotating the opposite way of what my thumb is doing to her. It makes me want to see exactly what she’s doing.
“Lift your skirt for me, Rowen. Show me what I’m doing to your sweet pussy.” I watch as she gathers it in one hand while her other hand is braced behind her, and that’s when I see it.
“Rowen Mae Jennings, you never cease to fucking amaze me. I’m not sure if I should get on my knees and worship you or turn you on your stomach and smack your ass.” I’m already wrenching her panties down her legs, wanting to see what she did for me. No, fuck that, for us.
“Worship sounds good to me,” she smarts back before she falls to her back.
“Yeah, that definitely will be happening too.” I can’t believe what my eyes are seeing. I can’t even describe what she did is doing to me. Thank fuck, my girl had the balls to come to me today. If she hadn’t, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. I’d be the miserable fuck I have been for the past three damn years.
Three
Rowen
That first year away at college, I was miserable. A new place, new people, and I’m not that person to venture out and make new friends. So, when Berkley came up the following year and we moved into our place, it was her suggestion to go get tattoos. I already knew what I wanted. The necklace I wear every single day since the day Braxton left it for me has been around my neck. I was game. I showed the tattoo artist the charm, she sketched it out, and it couldn’t be any more perfect. The hardest part was getting the design area just right. I didn’t want anyone but myself and Braxton to see it, not even if I were wearing a bathing suit.
Now I have this growly alpha slowly tracing every detail from my lower hip to the lips of my center, causing me to buck into his mouth. I should be pissed as hell. I didn’t get so much as a hello, a hug, or a kiss. No, instead he’s doing the most intimate thing possible, paying homage to my pussy, and I’m not even mad about it.
“Look at you. You’re quivering for me. And this tattoo, siren, I’m going to want to lick, suck, and see it every chance I get,” he whispers above my clit before latching on. Braxton turns my body into a writhing mess, and I couldn’t be happier.
“I’m going to come,” I moan before lifting my legs over his shoulders, my hands fisting my own hair as he alternates between hard and then light sucking, his fingers teasing at the entrance to my sex. I want him inside me, but Braxton knows as sure as I do that my body isn’t ready for his length. He learned that three years ago, and when he asked me to save myself for him, well, I did exactly that.
“Come for me, Rowen, give it to me,” he demands, doubling his effort. I let the sensation take over, the feeling of his tongue when he licks at me before nipping at my clit, then soothing it with gentle sucks before deepening it. He does this three more times until my body locks tight, and I swear I’m sucking the air supply out of him with the grip my thighs have around his head, but he never stops, not until I’m a boneless heap. Even then he keeps licking me.
“No more, please. It’s too much,” I plead. He moves up from his place between my legs, bringing me back up to a sitting position. His hand cups my neck, and he kisses me, finally. I don’t care that I’m tasting myself on his lips. I needed this more than anything. The way he takes from me, it grounds me, feeling him beneath the tips of my fingers as I wrap my hands around his waist, my legs locking around his trim waist. We get lost in our kiss. He dominates the entirety of it, and I let him, utterly and completely. As long as I’m in Braxton’s presence, the world could be falling apart around us, and I’d never know. That’s how much he means to me.
“Rowen.” He pulls away from our kiss, both of us breathless. My hand attempts to slide into the bottoms of his coveralls, but he stops me. I pout, but he pulls my lip down, causing me to laugh.
“If you get anywhere near my cock, I’ll take you right here, and, siren, I’m not taking you for the first time on an office desk,” Braxton tells me.
“Okay, but just so you know, I’m not hiding this from our friends and family for too long. We deserve to be happy. If we sink or soar, it’s on us. Not them. I won’t be your dirty little secret, Braxton Lucas Martinez.” I throw his middle name in the mix like he did mine.
“Let’s get one thing straight. You aren’t now nor will you ever be my dirty little secret, but if you want to dress up and play my naughty secretary, you can do that.” He winks. I cross my arms over my chest, not downplaying this for a second, but the pig just stares at my breasts.
“Oh my gosh, you’re such a Neanderthal! I really did come here because my car is making a weird noise. I might need new tires, or it could be my rotors.” I shrug my shoulders.
“You put those in front of me, I’m going to stare. Plus, they’re mine.” He goes to pull my straps down, but I stop him. There’s no way I can take more today, unless he’s finally going to make me his, well, in the biblical sense.
“Fine, but Jesus, how long has this been going on?” he asks.
“Um, since before I came home. So, maybe a month or two.” I wince.
“You didn’t think to bring it by sooner or have Bridger or Rob look at it?” He’s getting pissy with me. He’s not wrong, I probably should have brought it in sooner.
“Kind of difficult to do that when you aren’t talking to me, and I mentioned it to Dad, but he’s been busy with Mom lately. She’s having a tough time, so I didn’t want to put anything else on his or Bridger’s plate.” My eyes shimmer with tears, but I refuse to let them go. The Jennings family got hit with some devastating news early this summer. Mom was in a car accident, and the major culprit wasn’t the broken ribs or wrist she received. That would have been easier. When her rib was broken, it punctured her lung, which then collapsed, and it’s been a long journey. Some days are better than others. It still isn’t easy, and Dad has been her rock the entire time, as well as all of us kids. There was just no way I could add any more to their plate, not with it just being something simple as my car.
“Yeah, I get it. How’s she doing?” Braxton is still between my thighs, my arms hanging loosely over his shoulders, and finally his hands are holding me.
“Today is better, but she keeps having complications with fluid collecting. Sometimes it’s something they can deal with at home, but for the most part, her heart rate drops when it happens, so Dad has to take her in.”
“Fuck.” Braxton doesn’t say anything else. I’m grateful he’s not giving me the obligatory I’m sorry like so many other people have around town. Instead, he pulls me in closer to his body, neither of us worrying about the grease that could stain my clothes. I need this more than anything right now. It was hard being away and finishing out my bachelor’s in business degree. My parents wouldn’t hear of me coming home early, and in the end, I’m glad because I probably would have never finished. I will say living at home again is not easy, and I’m already looking at apartments to rent. There’s no way in hell I want to live there permanently. Bridger’s offer of living in his pool house is appealing, but he’s worse than Dad when it comes to being overprotective.
“Stay in here. I’ll pull your car into the garage bay and look at it. If it’s too bad, you can take my truck, and I’ll drive the Bronco.” I’m actually shocked. My mouth is wide open. It’s written all over my face.
“Are you feeling okay? No one drives your truck, and you don’t drive the Bronco unless it’s something special. Even I know that,” I say, astonished.
“Not letting you drive on bald tires either.”
“You’re not worried about what people could say, since, you know, this is all hush-hush?” I question.
“Nope, you tell
them the reason why, they won’t question dick. You know that. Sit tight. I’m going to go see the damage you caused.” I roll my eyes before jumping off the desk.
“Whatever.” Braxton kisses me one last time, this one showing the depth of his meaning. It’s soft, and it’s enough to make me want to hold on to him for the rest of the day. Knowing he needs to work, I peel myself away from him. That doesn’t stop me from enjoying the view as he walks out the door towards the shop area. I spin around and take in the sight of his office. It’s a freaking mess, and if I’m going to be in here for a couple of hours, I may as well clean this place up.
Four
Braxton
I can’t fucking believe it. Walking out to Rowen’s car with her taste still lingering on my lips, that tattoo, it had me crumbling, knowing she got it to remind herself of the feather charm on the necklace I gave her on that fateful night. I pull her car into the bay that isn’t occupied knowing damn good and well it’ll be getting the works. Bridger must be getting it every which way between Kellie, his mom, and his sisters. He’s a good brother, but it doesn’t make it an easy pill to swallow that Rowen could be driving on bad tires, and if it’s vibrating like she says it is, it’s clearly got something else going on with it too.
Her car, if you can even call it that—I can’t believe I’m sitting inside this rattle can of a car—this tiny two-door coupé passes as her car. Pulling the lever until I’m practically sitting in the backseat is the only way it’ll fit my six-foot-two-inch frame. There’s no way she’ll be driving this come the first snowfall. I’ll have to make sure the Bronco is finished so she can take the truck. By then, I’m hoping this shit is a thing of the past, and the ‘dirty little secret’ Rowen threw, those being her words, will be down and the dust will be settled. Even if it is my own idea, it still sucks. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to take my time to get to know Rowen more, to see how we do in a relationship compared to the off-limits bullshit Bridger put on me when he saw me looking at her more than once.
Once her car is in the bay, I get out, placing the four lifts underneath before hitting the motor to lift it up so I won’t be breaking my back while looking at her tires. This life isn’t for the faint of heart, and when old man Red was ready to sell, I jumped at the chance after working my ass off with him for years before. That doesn’t mean I’ll see retirement anywhere near in my future, or sitting plush in the cash. I’m a simple man who enjoys a simple way of living, including the modest home I purchased last year. It’s a simple three-bedroom, two bath. It does the job and is big enough to qualify at the very least as a good starter home.
“Fucking hell,” I grumble out. The wear bars are well past showing on her tires, and her brakes are shot to shit. I can’t imagine what else is wrong or when was the last time she had a damned oil change. That settles it. I’ll keep her car here for the night and work on it in between my other customers. I wipe my hands off for the second time today as I make my way back to my office, shaking my head the entire time.
I walk inside the office, the music playing over the speakers that were installed in the garage as well as the inside, but I didn’t have those turned on this morning. Rowen must have done that, probably bored out of her mind while waiting on me. I can’t say that I blame her. There’s not much you can do here. I saw her purse she left in the passenger seat, so she doesn’t even have her phone. Who knows what the hell she could be up to. I’m shaking my head when I open up the door. I’m figuring Rowen will be singing to the music while thumbing through the magazines that come in the mail. That’s not what I walk into though. She’s singing to the music alright, her body swaying, keeping in tune the entire time. But the fucking place is clean. All the receipts and invoices I had piled up on my desk and scattered around are put away and you can actually see more of my office than ever before.
“Are you looking for a job? Because if so, you’re hired,” I tell her, unintentionally scaring her.
“Give someone some warning, would you. Your office is a shit show. It’s a wonder you get it all taken care of.” She’s sitting in my desk chair now, slowly waking up the computer that I turn on once a month to pay the bills. Other than that, I use it for nothing else.
“Good, that will give you something to do for the time being until you land your dream job I know you’ve been searching for. Not to mention the phones. Jesus, the amount of times I get interrupted daily is ridiculous. I tried hiring someone from the temp agency, but nothing would stick,” I grumble.
“I can’t imagine why. Nothing is organized. You have the software, and yeah, it might be a lot for someone new to take in. You’re lucky I thrive on this kind of stuff, never mind the business aspect. Which yes, by the way, I’ll take the job. It might be a crapshoot. I could get hired by another company any day, or you could be stuck with me forever, or you know, you might get sick of me.” I’ve never seen this side of Rowen, the one that loves the career she’s making or the woman who’s insecure I’d get tired of her. In that, there’s no fucking way.
“Not sure that could ever happen, Rowen. I’ll take my chances, siren. Your car is out of commission for the time being. Not to mention, how is that little car going to tote you around the mountains this winter?” I question her. Sure, it was good while she was on campus and in the center of town where streets were taken care of, but when you’re in our rural area, that doesn’t happen as often.
“As long as you’re sure. Don’t talk about my baby that way. She’s done me just fine the past three years. I’m sure she’ll continue to do so. Well, with some minor repairs.” She bats those baby blues at me, and I’m done for.
“You keep thinking that. You’re in my truck for now, and we’ll come back to the topic of your car and snow. I have to get back to work. The keys are in the truck. Let me know when you leave. And Rowen?”
“Braxton?” She cocks her hip out, giving me that attitude of hers I love so much.
“That can be your uniform while you’re in the office.” I wink at her, ducking as she throws a magazine at me, but smiling nonetheless. This has got to be the best day of my life. I’m glad my five-foot-five brunette and blue-eyed girl came in today to confront me. She has bigger balls than most men do when it comes to getting something she wants, and I’m the lucky son of a bitch to call her mine.
Five
Rowen
I walked into the house after leaving Braxton’s shop, Martinez Auto Shop. I laughed when I saw the originality in his name. For the most part, though, his family name is pretty well known in our area and even some of the surrounding towns.
Of course, driving his truck was a dream with all the bells and whistles my Honda doesn’t have. Though I probably drove like a little old lady and was more cautious than ever driving his baby. I’m not kidding. There’s one thing Braxton loves more than his shop, and that’s his truck.
Dad’s eyes were all too telling when he saw me. Mom was lying on the couch, Dad in his recliner, with the television playing softly in the background.
“Something you need to tell me, baby girl?” He dropped a kiss on my forehead before I said, “Hey, Mom.” She returned a kiss to my cheek and settled back in, all while waving Dad off with her hand and grumbling, “Leave her be, you old coot,” trying not to laugh and putting pressure on her already hurting lung.
“My car needed a service. Braxton said it would take him a day or so to work on getting new tires and something else. Also, I’m working there for the time being or until some of the companies I applied with get in touch and want to hire me.” Dad stood up, his full height on display. Even for being in his sixties, he’s still well over six foot tall, muscular. The only sign of aging is some of the weight around his midsection, from too much beer, Mom says, and the head of salt-and-pepper hair that is still full of volume.
“You could have told me. Bridger and I could have worked on it for you.” I could hear the tiredness in his voice when he pulled me in for one of his bear hugs.
“It�
��s okay. I have money saved up, and it’s not like you two have all this spare time. Plus, it got me a job too. It’s a win-win for everyone.” I didn’t bring up the fact that I did tell him and Bridger at one point. It wasn’t really needed though.
“Alright, if you need anything, you be sure to tell me. I know being twenty-one and living back at home isn’t fun, but you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you want.” He squeezed me one more time for good measure. Aspen moved to Texas, something about wanting to spread her wings and fly the coop, so to speak. It sucks that she moved. I get it too. Between Bridger, Dad, Mom, and Peyton, sometimes it’s hard to live a life of your own. Case in point, the shit Braxton and I are doing until we manage our relationship on our own, which, don’t get me wrong, it’s not my favorite thing to do. The secretiveness will only cause more backlash when shit comes to a head.
“I know, and I’ll more than likely only be in your hair the next month or so. I’m actively looking.” I winked at them both before making my way into the kitchen to find something to eat. I don’t ever expect a hot meal to be waiting for me when I get home, or for them to cook dinner. They’ve raised us all. This is their time to enjoy one another, and I know the only thing keeping them home right now is Mom’s health. If not for that, they’d still be out RV’ing.
That brings me to the here and now. Braxton joked about me wearing skirts and tank tops to work, but when I woke up this morning, the short skirt was exchanged for a longer one. I kept a tank top on and threw a chunky cardigan to go over it until it warms up. Braxton didn’t give me a set schedule, but I know he opens up by eight o’clock every morning and shuts everything down by five o’clock every evening. So, I made sure to be here thirty minutes before in case Braxton needed help.
