by Alla Kar
“You know you’re a lot braver than you think you are.”
She locks her jaw. “Don’t be a smartass, Tanner,” she spits out, her hands gripping the seat beneath her.
“I’m not. I’m serious. For you to get out here is a great step forward, Aubrey. I’m proud of you.”
Pink rises to her cheeks. “Thanks,” she mumbles, tucking her hair behind her ear.
She keeps glancing over the side, then snapping back to her seat.
“Come here,” I say.
“I can’t move.”
Scooting to the bottom of the boat, I offer for her to do the same. She slides until her ass hits the bottom. She’s sitting facing me, her body relaxing. I can see the tension leave her shoulders. “Better?”
Sighing, she leans her head back against the seat. “Way better. It’s almost…nice.”
Smiling, I reach over and offer her my hands.
She eyes my hand. “What?”
“Come sit with me.”
She shakes her head slowly and bites her lip. I poke my lip out and she bursts out laughing. It rings through the woods.
“Well, you’re adorable. It may just get me to get up.”
I lift an eyebrow. “I can motivate you, if need be.”
She tilts her head and smiles. She gestures for me to motivate her. Smiling, I slide my jeans off my legs and toss them to the side until they’re just a puddle of fabric in the back of the boat. Licking my lips, I curl my finger for her ass over here now. She bites her lip and gazes over me. Her face is red, and I fucking love it.
Gripping my thigh, she gets to her knees and crawls to me. The boat sways, but she keeps her eyes locked on mine until she’s sitting inside my thighs, her back against my chest. “See you made it.”
She squeezes my leg. “You helped. If you knew how sexy you are, you’d crawl to you, too.”
Smiling into her hair, I run my fingers down to her collarbone. She inhales and relaxes more into my chest. “Quit movin’, Aubrey. It’s makin’ it hard to not take your clothes off,” I whisper against her ear.
She moans. Oh, Jesus, she moans and twists again. She wants me to want her. She wants me to touch her. “You’re treading in dangerous waters, no pun intended, Aubrey.”
She laughs and turns her face until her mouth is close to mine. “You started it, partner. You saved me. I’ve been putty in your hands ever since.”
“You hated me,” I bark out with a laugh. “I swear I saw flames in your eyes when I said you could swim.”
She bites the side of my jaw, and I squeeze my eyes close. It won’t be long before I have her pressed against the bottom of the fucking boat. “I liked it. No one else had ever seen inside me before. Even Jake. He never noticed. It scared me so I kept guarded for a while. Until the campfire. I just fell against you, not even realizing I had. You felt too right. So perfect against me. That was when I knew deep down that Jake was never meant for me. You were.”
Adrenaline rushes through me. She’s right. As sorry as I am to say this, everything happens for a reason. Even if they’re shitty, it happens for a reason. “We’re meant to heal each other,” I whisper against her lips. She turns so she’s kneeling in front of me.
“I know. You’re mine, Tanner. Whether or not you want to be.”
“Oh, I want to be.”
She gives me a devilish smile. “Why don’t you show me?”
I’ll fucking show her. Grabbing her around her waist, I pull her until she is face-to-face with me. “You sure you can handle me, darlin’? I may talk slow, but I’m not lacking the intelligence—or need—to make you scream my name.”
Her eyes widen, and she pushes her mouth against mine. It’s warm, her lips soft. I span my palm over the back of her neck and pull her closer. She has one hand on my chest and the other wrapped around my neck. I’m sure she can feel my dick pressed against her stomach. But, she doesn’t recoil back, she pushes deeper against me.
“Aubrey,” I warn. Her chest is pressed against me, her hips grinding against my own. “Darlin’,” I mumble again.
She shakes her head and grips the bottom of my shirt. “Don’t ask me to stop, Tanner. Please.”
Her eyes are pleading. She’s biting at my jaw. I laugh and pull her back to look in her eyes again. “You have no idea how bad I want to take you here…but look around. We’re in a boat in the middle of the woods. I told you I wanted all of you. I want to be able to really take care of you.”
She bites her lip. “Damn it, Tanner.” She sits up and stares at me. “What does a girl have to do to get some loving?”
A bark out laughter releases from my throat. “Oh, darlin’. You really have no idea how much I want you. You’ll never have to beg me to take you, Aubrey. But, I won’t take you in some place I don’t think you deserve.”
“Wow, you really are a smooth talker.”
I smirk. “Now”—I glance down at her chest—“get your breasts off me before I come to my senses and take you out here.”
She giggles; it’s the fucking sexiest sound I’ve ever heard. She sits up and her eyes widen. “Wait?” She looks around at the pond around her.
“You forgot all about the water?”
“You’re a sly dog.”
“I try.” Sitting up, I grab the paddles. “I think we should go back to my cabin. Watch a movie.”
Lifting a brow, she sits up on her seat facing me. “Watch a movie?”
I don’t miss the sarcasm in her voice. “Watch a movie,” I say, giving her no indication that I mean anything different. She narrows her eyes and keeps her smile at bay.
We get the boat tied up and Aubrey is jumping with excitement. We get to my truck and she stops dead in her tracks.
“What?” I’m frantically searching around, trying to find someone standing in the bushes.
“A fucking snake. By your foot. Right there.” She’s whispering, like it may hear us. I try not to laugh. Snakes were everywhere around my house. My grandparents had a farm so chicken snakes where always trying to eat our chicken eggs.
The snake is about ten feet. It looks like a copperhead. “Stay still. I’ll be back.” She gapes at me, watching as I ease around it toward my truck. I keep a hatchet underneath the seat. So I pull it out. Aubrey is wide-eyed and hasn’t moved one inch.
Swinging the hatchet, I kill it in one swift movement. “There,” I say.
Aubrey exhales and glances up at me. “We need to hurry.”
“Why?”
“Because, you look ridiculously hot slinging that hatchet around. And I want to get back to your cabin.” She’s so serious, telling me exactly what she wants. Tugging on my shirt, I try to hold back my smile. In Arkansas the girls aren’t as forward. Some, but mostly not. It’s refreshing. Hot.
“Well, I always give my lady what she wants. Let’s go.”
Chapter Twelve
Aubrey
Someone must have taken over my body. I just basically begged Tanner to take me back to his cabin so we could have sex. I have no idea why I’m not digging a hole in the ground and burying myself in it right now.
But I’m amped up. My blood is flowing. He spent the day with me, helping me get used to the water. Not that I actually got in it, but I was on it, and totally forgot about it. I did have a nice distraction, but it’s all the same. We’re here to help one another.
Tanner looks relaxed driving us back to camp, but his fingers tap against the opened window. His left leg is jiggling, too.
We barely talk on the way back. I’m scared if I say anything it’ll come out in an incoherent babble. When we pull up, and we’re both out of the truck in two seconds. Tanner’s arm wraps around me, and he nearly drags me toward his cabin.
But, of course, we slow down once we see Mrs. Jones standing on the porch. Shit. What in the hell did we do this time?
She’s frowning, a worry wrinkle on her forehead. Tanner cusses underneath his breath. “Hi, Mrs. Jones. What’s goin’ on?”
“It’s Austin. He got caugh
t”—she clears her throat—“sneaking out of a girl’s cabin late this morning. I’m afraid there was inappropriate behavior going on. I called his mother, and she said you were to take care of it.”
“I will, Mrs. Jones. Where is he?”
“I restricted him to his room.”
“Okay. I’ll take care of it.” Mrs. Jones walks down the path toward her cabin. We wait until she disappears before we say anything. Tanner groans and presses his forehead toward mine. “Well, I guess I have to go take care of him. Rain check?”
Fuck, no. I want him now. “Sure.” I frown.
“Don’t pout, darlin’. I’ll take care of you later.” He bites my lip before stepping onto his porch. “See you in a bit.”
* * *
Cassie is lying on her bed when I get home, reading a magazine. “Where have you been?” she asks without looking up.
“Out with Tanner,” I say, jumping on my bed. “He went all southern on me today. He killed a snake. It was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Um, why are you still here then?” she asks, glancing up.
“Austin. He’s in trouble. Mrs. Jones was standing on the porch when we got to Tanner’s cabin.”
“Ah,” she smiles. “What a pussy blocker. So, you two were going to do it?”
I roll my eyes and toss a pillow at her. She backhands it into a vase of pink lilies, and it crashes to the floor. “Where did you…” I trail off. The flowers. Pink lilies. No. “Where did you get those?”
“Holy shit, Aubrey,” she says, pressing her hand to her heart. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
“Where did you get those?”
“They were on the doorstep when I got here. I assumed they were for one of us. I just…are you okay? You’re shivering.”
I am. I didn’t even realize. My head is pounding, too. My chest burns. Those are the same flowers he would send to me for every occasion. They were my favorite. Sliding off my bed, I slowly walk toward the window. The blinds are opened, the woods behind the cabin clear. A shadow casts across a few trees, ducking behind them for cover. No, he can’t be here. He isn’t. He’s in jail. I’m hallucinating, again. They went away, the shadows. Why are they back!
Fire is sliding down my throat to the depth of me. Cassie’s hand wraps around my upper arm and she turns me toward her. Her big blue eyes are wide, scared. “What’s wrong, Aubrey? Tell me. You can trust me.”
“Cassie. I see him, but it’s not real.”
“See who?” she asks, shaking me.
“Sit down. I have a lot to tell you.”
The entire time I tell Cassie the story, I’m crying, shaking, convulsing. She hugs me close to her, patting my back, and cries with me. I don’t know how long I lay in her lap, or what time it is when I hear someone knock on the door.
I’m shifted and feel different hands on me. Rough. Hard but gentle. When I open my eyelids Tanner is staring down at me. His eyes are concerned, his body tense. “Let’s get you a shower, you need to cool down. Come on.”
My feet drag the ground. I feel so useless—ashamed that I’ve turned into this person. Someone full of demons, and lets someone else determine their fate.
Tanner locks the door behind us and guides me to the closed toilet. “What happened? What did you see?”
I sniffle, my eyes burn. My throat feels like someone shoved hot coals down there. “Lilies. Cassie had lilies on her nightstand.”
His brows pull down in the middle, and he strokes my cheek. “What do lilies mean, Aubrey?”
“They’re the flower he always gave to me. Always. Even after our breakup, he would send them.”
“Was there a card or…?”
“No, just the lilies. I—I don’t know who is doing this, but I want them to stop. Just stop. It’s not funny.”
“No, darlin’, it’s not. Have you talked to your mom recently? Or the detective assigned to your case? Has anyone tried to call you?”
With shaky hands, I dig my phone out of my pocket. I shake my head. “I haven’t talked to my mom in a few days. She did comment on one of my Facebook posts, but she hasn’t said anything.”
A tear slips down my cheek and Tanner wipes it away. “Then I’m sure you’re just stressed. You would be the first person to know if he was out, believe me. Just breathe. Calm down and breathe.” I take a steady inhale, and Tanner nods to encourage me. “You want to take a shower?”
“With you?” I ask.
The corner of his lip moves slightly. “I’ll sit right here and talk to you, but I won’t take a shower with you. I don’t need any temptations right now, Aubrey. It’s not the right time.”
I nod, knowing it isn’t. Tanner helps me up and turns around while I undress and hop in the shower. The warm water slides over my skin, all the way down to my toes. “Do you think he could get out?” I ask, through the water on my face.
“Sure. But, you would know if he’d escaped. They would call you, and it would be on the news.”
It’s true, yet something doesn’t feel right.
I finish my shower and wrap a towel around me before I step out. Tanner’s leaning against the cabinet, ankles crossed in front of him. The condensation from my shower has made his face damp. It looks good on him.
A sexy, easy smile spreads across his jaw. “If we were under different circumstances, I’d ask you to drop that towel.”
Heat races under my skin, my lower stomach aching with need. Why not? I’m safe. He’s mine. Lifting a brow, I drop my towel. Tanner’s eyes widen, like fucking saucers, and his mouth gapes open. “Aubrey… put your towel back on. Now,” he grits through his teeth.
I can’t believe I’m doing this. Smiling, I step toward him. His gaze is on my chest, my thighs, my stomach… all of me. I see the temptation in his eyes. His fingers twitch
“Tanner,” I whisper. “Touch me, please.”
“Christ,” he hisses through his teeth, gripping my neck and turning me so that I’m sitting on top of the counter. “Aubrey,” he bites my lower lip, “I told you not to do that.” The heat from his mouth is burning me up. I feel like I’m on fire.
“Why?” I mumble through my teeth. “Don’t you like it?”
Fingers dig into my ass, and he finds my lips. That’s definitely the answer I was looking for. His growls are coming faster, harder. I’m naked in front of him, and I couldn’t care less. I suck his bottom lip in with my teeth and grab the edge of his camp shirt. Tugging it over his head, he tosses it to the side. “Aubrey,” he moans into my mouth, his tongue exploring every inch of my mouth.
“Touch me,” I beg. I’ve never been so forward, so blunt. But I want—need him. It’s like he was meant to be here with me. For me. Tanner presses his forehead against my own and trails his index finger down to my breast and cups me. I cry out, it’s such a small touch but it lights me on fire. His calloused finger rubs over my nipple, slowly at first, then he speeds up. My back arches, my breasts tender from his firm grip. “You feel so good in my hands, darlin’.”
Gripping his neck, I move his ear toward my mouth. “More.”
Tanner cups my other breast, and then takes his index finger and slides it down to my sex. His hands are large, rough but gentle. My heartbeat is pumping harder against my ribs. My eyes roll back in my head. I feel his finger slide against me until it’s circling my clit. “Ah,” I cry out in his ear, wrapping my hands into his hair. The contrast between his rough finger and my soft folds is heaven. He slides against me harder, quicker.
“Fuck, Aubrey.” His fingers inch lower, slowly entering me. I tighten my thighs, leaning my head against his broad shoulder. “You’re so fuckin’ wet for me, baby.”
I’m soaking. I can’t help it; I want him so bad it hurts. “Please, don’t stop this time. I want it. I want you.”
He presses his head against my shoulder and starts to move his fingers quicker. I’m shivering against him, my body hungry for more. “You like that?” he whispers, his voice low and
deep. “Tell me you like it.”
Christ, hearing his voice is like swallowing a cold glass of water after three days in the desert. “I love it.”
He pulls his finger away and unzips his jeans. He stands in front of me in his boxer briefs, and they’re filled out nicely. I tug on his waistband, bringing him closer. “I’m gonna take care of you, darlin’. Let me take care of you.” He tugs my hair and forces my mouth open with his own.
Tanner slides his hands down to my hips and pulls me against his erection. “You feel that?” he whispers. I nod, slowly, unable to do anything else. “I’m gonna make you scream my name—loud. I want you underneath me. I have since I laid eyes on you.”
Oh, I want that, too. So much. A loud three knocks echoes against the door. My voice is hoarse from breathing so hard, dry and scratchy. “Not now, Cassie.”
Cassie giggles. “It’s not me. Mrs. Jones and Jake are both here to check on you. Apparently someone called Mrs. Jones and told her you were distressed. Should I tell her you’re doing just fine in there?”
Tanner nods against my cheek. “I don’t want to stop.” He bites my neck gently and tugs on my hips.
“Tell her I’m fine,” I say, my voice low. I’m not even sure how I’m talking right now without it coming out in a moan.
Cassie leaves, I guess. Tanner doesn’t waste any time pressing against me and covering my mouth with his own.
Three more knocks. “Jesus,” Tanner spits out.
“What?” I nearly yell.
Cassie laughs. “They insist you come out now. Sorry, I even tried to bribe them. They’re not budging.”
Closing my eyes, I press my cheek against Tanner’s chest. “I’m sorry.”
He groans. “Just wait a second.” He closes his eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“Thinking about dead puppies.”
“What? Why?”
He glares at me and then I remember. I laugh, loudly. “I guess there are advantages about being a girl.” I jump down from the counter and grab my towel. “Let’s get this over with.”
Jake paces the floor, and Mrs. Jones is standing next to the door. They both look up and exhale at the same time. “What happened?” Jake says, walking toward me. I’m still in my towel since I didn’t bring any clothes in with me. His mouth drops open a tad bit, but he stops. I’m guessing Tanner’s walked out behind me.
