Where Forever Ends: Maplewood Falls: Book One

by Street, K.

  The oven timer sounded.

  “How about we save the tour until after dinner?”

  “All right.” She followed me into the kitchen. “Is there anything I can do?”

  I turned off the timer. “Actually”—I snatched an oven mitt from the drawer and pulled the shrimp out—“you could grab the salad from the refrigerator. Second shelf.”

  While she did that, I opened the silverware drawer, pulled out a fork, and scooped a little risotto onto the tines.

  “Your salad, sir.” She set it aside and stood in front of me.

  I wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her close as I blew on the food. “Try this.” I lifted the fork to her mouth.

  Saylor’s eyes never left mine as her lips closed around the utensil, and I slowly pulled it from her mouth, setting it on the counter.

  Then, her eyes fluttered shut, and she released a moan that went straight to my dick. “Jase. Oh my God.”

  “Good?” I smirked.

  “Mmhmm. It tastes amazing.”

  I lowered my mouth to hers, trailing the tip of my tongue against her lips. When she opened for me, I slipped inside and swept my tongue over hers.

  “You’re right. It is amazing.”

  Blush crept into her cheeks, drawing attention to the dusting of freckles. Desire flared in her blue eyes, tempting me.

  For half a second, I considered abandoning dinner, throwing her over my shoulder, and dropping her into the middle of my king-size bed. But there was something to be said for delayed gratification.

  Gesturing behind me, I told her, “The dining room is through there. If you don’t mind taking the salad to the table, I’ll be right behind you with the rest of dinner.”

  “I don’t mind,” she said, picking up the bowl. “Wow!”

  “Is that a good wow?”

  “Yes. The table, it’s gorgeous.”

  While Saylor continued falling in love with the farmhouse table, I transferred the risotto into a serving dish, topped it with the shrimp, and then grabbed a serving spoon along with the salad dressing before I joined her in the next room.

  “My grandpa actually made it for my grandma one year for their anniversary.”

  She ran her hand over the wood in appreciation.

  “It needs a fresh coat of varnish,” I commented as I poured the wine.

  I swept my mouth over hers and then plated the food before taking the seat next to her, lifting my glass. “To the woman who takes my breath away.”

  “Thank you.” She gave me a sheepish smile, clinking her glass with mine before we sipped the cool, crisp wine.

  Saylor scooped a forkful into her mouth as I watched.

  “Are you going to stare at me all night?” she teased.

  “Maybe.”

  She rolled her eyes and took another sip of her wine.

  I shifted my attention to my plate and took a bite before glancing back to Saylor.

  “Chardonnay?” She held up her glass.

  “No. It’s a sauvignon blanc. It pairs well with the risotto.”

  Saylor looked at me with fascination.

  “What?”

  “You. You’re so unassuming.”

  “How so?”

  Saylor’s eyes skimmed the room as if the words she searched for were hanging in the air above us. Then, her gaze met mine.

  “You have so many layers. You’ve got this whole sexy-lumberjack thing going on. You enjoy a cold beer and working with your hands. Then, there’s this other side of you. Refined, tender, and patient. Not only do you make a kick-ass shrimp risotto, but you also know what wine to pair with it.”

  My mouth turned up in a grin. “So, you think I’m sexy?”

  Her laughter hit my ears. “That was your takeaway?”

  I gave her a guilty shrug. “As far as the wine pairing, it’s sort of my job.” I winked at her.

  We finished dinner and cleaned the kitchen together. I talked about my grandparents and how my grandpa had taught me about different grapes and the various regions. I told her the history of the vineyard. All while we stood side by side, rinsing dishes and loading the dishwasher. There was a rhythm to our movements, a normalcy that couldn’t be explained. And, when my eyes met Saylor’s as I took the last dish from her hand, I saw the rest of my life.

  I pulled her close and caressed her lips with mine. “Want to go watch the sunset?”

  “I’d love to.”

  Saylor slipped off her shoes while I turned off the music. I refilled our glasses, and then we exited through the kitchen into the screen porch. After I retrieved a blanket from the wooden chest, I led Saylor onto the deck.

  While she sat in one of the Adirondack chairs, I set my wine on the small, round table, unfolded the blanket, and draped it over her shoulders.

  “Thank you.”

  We sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, drinking our wine and watching as the sun began to sink over the ridge.

  Saylor released a content sigh. “It really is gorgeous.”

  I followed her line of sight to the rows of grapevines and the mountains beyond. “I have to admit, the view never gets old.”

  “I never want to leave.”

  I never want you to leave.

  It was a slip of the tongue, one she didn’t mean. Regardless, I hoped like hell, one day, those words would be true.

  Hues of gold, peachy-orange, and pink streaked the sky like an artist’s canvas. A soft breeze blew across the valley, causing Saylor to snuggle into the blanket.

  I placed my empty glass on the table next to hers and then reached for her hand. “Come here.”

  She held on to the throw as she settled on my lap. Once she was situated, I wrapped my arms around her middle while she rested the back of her head against my left shoulder.

  Saylor had been wound tight since I left her house the night she moved in. I knew she hadn’t been with anyone since Colin died almost a year and a half ago; I didn’t have to ask. She had been through hell. And this was a conversation we needed to have.

  “Socks?”

  “Hmm?”

  I love you.

  I kissed her temple. “I don’t have any expectations for tonight. I need you to know that.”

  Saylor angled her face toward mine. “Have I told you how incredible you are?”

  “Once or twice.”

  She turned back to the darkening horizon.

  It wasn’t long before she slid off my lap. She stood in front of me with the blanket draped over her shoulders.

  “Jase?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Take me to bed.”

  The wood boards creaked as we made our way up the stairs and into the master bedroom. Once inside, I led her to the center of the room where my king-size bed anchored the space.

  Lifting my hand, I stroked my knuckles over her cheek to the spot under her chin and tilted her face upward. Her blues landed on mine. Behind the hunger, I saw her fear, and I wondered if she saw mine, too.

  Losing Candace, especially the way I’d lost her, still haunted me. I blamed myself. I’d spent years playing a million different versions of what-if, and I’d vowed to never fall in love again. Yet here I stood.

  Saylor didn’t realize it, but she had the power to fucking destroy me.

  I clasped her cheeks in my palms and dropped my forehead to hers. “Talk to me, Socks.”

  “I’m terrified,” she whispered.

  “I know.” I didn’t know exactly what she was afraid of though. “If it’s too much or—”

  “No.” She swallowed. “It’s not that.”

  I raised my head to look at her. “Then, what is it? Because, if you need more time—”

  “I want this, Jase. I want you.”

  Lust. Desire. Need. All of it flared in her baby blues.

  “I’m right here. But I see the fear in your eyes. Tell me what you’re so scared of.”

  Saylor held on to my wrists and dropped her forehead against my chest. Hiding from me
.

  “I’m afraid of the fall.”

  The fall?

  She was afraid of falling in love with me.

  My arms snaked around her, holding her close. I kissed the crown of her head and tried to find the words. Promises and declarations were perched on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to tell her that she never had to be afraid. That I would always be here. But I couldn’t lie to her.

  Because always was a promise. One someone else had made to her. And one someone else had broken.

  Always was out of our control.

  I carefully chose my words. “I’m right here. If you fall, I’ll catch you. If you want to jump”—I reached for her hands, intertwining our fingers—“I’ll jump with you.”

  Saylor’s watery gaze met my eyes.

  “And, if you want to hold on to the ledge a little longer, that’s okay, too. You don’t have to be afraid.”

  As she weighed my words, the atmosphere around us shifted. Saylor withdrew her hands from my hold and lifted her arms into the air.

  The action spoke for her.

  My fingers grasped the hem of her dress. I eased it over her head and dropped it onto the floor, sucking in a breath. My eyes trailed her body in slow perusal. Hidden beneath her black dress was a nude lace bra that did little to conceal her pebbled nipples. The panties were part of a matching set, and my dick took notice.

  “You’re exquisite.” I lowered my mouth to hers and softly kissed her.

  Her hands slid up my stomach to the collar of my shirt. The deeper I kissed her, the quicker her hands moved over the buttons. With my help, she freed me from the confines of my shirt.

  Then, my jeans were next until I was down to only my boxers.

  Saylor stepped back, wanting to look her fill.

  Her languid gaze lingered on every inch of my body. First, down, and then, up again. The inspection took time; after all, there were a lot of inches, and the count was rising by the second.

  She skimmed her nails over my stomach. “It’s like you were chiseled from stone or something.”

  I trailed my forefinger from the base of her throat to the valley between her breasts.

  Gooseflesh skated over her skin.

  My mouth took hers as my hands glided over her creamy skin to the clasp of her bra. I slid the straps over her shoulders, and Saylor let the material drop to the floor.

  I broke the seal of our lips, desperate to peek at the part of her I’d just uncovered. My mouth watered as I glimpsed the perfect globes. I dipped my head, swirling the tip of my tongue over one soft pink nipple. Saylor’s back bowed, and I grasped her waist as I nipped and sucked her breast. First, one, and then the other.

  She gripped my hair, holding my head in place. “Oh God.”

  Her moan went straight to my cock.

  He begged to be set free.

  Not yet, man. First, I want to taste her.

  I stood, rotating our bodies, walking Saylor backward until her knees hit the edge of the mattress.

  I brought my mouth to hers while my hand skimmed a trail down her belly and then to those sexy lace panties. Using the pads of my index and middle finger, I rubbed circles over the fabric.

  “Baby, you’re soaked.” When she came, I wanted to be buried inside her, but I needed to taste her first. “Sit down for me.”

  Saylor’s eyes never left mine as she followed my request. A blazing hunger burned in her eyes; heat painted her cheeks in a rosy glow. Her fists, already gripping the bedding in anticipation, told me just how tight her body was wound.

  I knelt before her and grasped her foot, planting a kiss to the inside of her ankle. Then, my lips teased a trail up her leg to her inner thigh. The tip of my nose skimmed her apex, and I inhaled her light, sweet scent, desperate to get drunk on it.

  I threaded my thumbs into her waistband.

  Saylor leaned back on her elbows and lifted her hips, allowing me to slide the lace down her legs. Since I considered myself an equal opportunist, I grasped her opposite foot, pressed a kiss to the inside of her ankle, and repeated my equally deliberate ministrations.

  Before I dipped my head to the sweetness that awaited me, I glanced up at the woman who had captured my heart and stolen my breath.

  Her eyes shone.

  “Hey. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  “It doesn’t look like nothing, baby.”

  “I’m fine. It’s just …”

  Just what? Why does she look embarrassed?

  Shit.

  “Do you need to come, baby?”

  She nodded, but I needed to hear the words. I wasn’t trying to humiliate her. Far from it.

  “Saylor, I need words.”

  “Jase, please make me come,” she whined.

  It didn’t matter that I had wanted to be buried inside her the first time she came. She needed this. And I was more than happy to put my girl out of her misery.

  I tugged her hips to the edge of the bed and spread her legs wide. I hadn’t thought it was possible for my cock to get harder, but I had been proven wrong.

  The tip of my tongue swirled over her swollen bud. I inserted a finger inside her, stroking her as my tongue moved faster.

  Saylor’s hands fisted my hair. “Oh God, Jase.” The sound half moan, half whimper.

  My name on her lips was heaven.

  I added another finger, then twisted my wrist, and began pumping in and out. Faster. And faster. My lips were sealed over her clit, lightly sucking. I hooked my fingers and pumped deeper.

  “Jase. Jase. Oh God.” Saylor’s hips bucked off the bed.

  I sucked with a little more pressure.

  Her hand dropped onto the mattress. She fisted the sheets. The walls of her pussy strangled my fingers as her climax took hold. Her body trembled, and her legs tightened. I took in the view as she fell apart.

  “Ah. Jase. Jaaassse.”

  Her pleasure-filled scream was music to my ears.

  So fucking breathtaking.

  I wasn’t done with her yet.

  Using my forearms, I nudged her legs wider and withdrew my fingers, replacing them with my tongue. I plunged inside her.

  She tried to scramble away, but I gripped her thighs, holding her in place, while I fucked her with my tongue and used the pad of my callused thumb to draw circles over her clit.

  It wasn’t long before Saylor was coming again. Screaming my name at the top of her voice. And I felt like a fucking king.

  I licked her clean and got to my feet.

  Her head lulled to the side.

  She watched me from the head of the bed. The sight of her lying there, surrounded by my sheets like she belonged, made my chest swell.

  Her admiring gaze was trained on my boxer shorts.

  I slid them off, setting my cock free. The head was swollen and angry.

  She licked her lips, tossing the covers back for me to climb in with her. “I knew you were packing, but damn.”

  I wanted to preen like a fucking peacock.

  I lay next to her, smoothed the hair from her face, and gently swept my lips over hers. The amount of restraint I was able to exercise was beyond impressive. Much to the disappointment of my very swollen dick.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  Something I didn’t recognize flashed in her eyes, and she looked away.

  “If you aren’t, it’s okay.” The twitch of my dick told me he was not on board, but I didn’t give a shit.

  She didn’t say anything.

  So, I waited. Giving her time. Because that was what we did.

  When she spoke, the words out of her mouth were not the ones I had expected. “Do you have … I’m not on birth control.”

  “In the top drawer”—I pointed to the nightstand—“there’s a new box I bought recently. You’re the first woman who’s ever been in this bed, and I haven’t slept with anyone in almost a year.”

  She hadn’t asked, but I’d wanted her to have the information.

  Saylor smil
ed. “Yes, I’m sure.” She pressed her lips to mine. Then, she reached into the drawer and grabbed a square foil packet.

  Saylor peppered kisses over my chest, down my stomach, and halted when she reached my bulging cock. She opened her mouth, taking the tip inside and sucking gently.

  A groan rumbled deep in my throat.

  Leaning back, she tore the foil with her teeth.

  Seconds later, she was underneath me.

  My lips trailed over her jawline to her neck, and she angled her head, baring more of her skin. She shifted her hips, and I reached down, gripping my dick and lining it up with her entrance.

  With my arms braced on either side of Saylor’s head, I watched her face. She winced as I dipped inside.

  My body stilled. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. I just need a second.”

  I lowered my mouth to hers, caressing her lips.

  “I’m ready,” she whispered against my skin.

  I pushed in a little further. Her nails dug into my back.

  “You’re so fucking tight, baby.”

  She stretched around me, her warm, wet heat hugging my cock like a glove. I dropped my forehead to hers once I was fully seated.

  “Jase. Please.” She tugged the ends of my hair and then nipped my bottom lip.

  My tongue plunged inside her mouth as I rocked into her with unhurried strokes.

  We made love for hours until exhaustion took hold. Saylor lay on her side, her back to my chest, her breaths even.

  I kissed her temple and whispered against her skin, “Good night, sweetheart.”

  Then, I drifted off to sleep.

  Thirty-Eight

  Saylor

  My frame went rigid.

  “Sweetheart.”

  Like a shout into the void, the word echoed in my head. The reverberation splintering bones and fragmenting my soul.

  “Sweetheart.”

  A term of endearment, spoken from the lips of the wrong man.

  Guilt sauntered into the room, wearing a sardonic grin. Reminding me the nickname didn’t belong to Jase because it’d belonged to Colin. Only Colin. Betrayal twisted like a knife in my gut.

  The ocean of grief opened its arms, welcoming me back into its depths.

  Stupid girl. You thought you could swim.

  I quietly slid from beneath the covers and crept down the stairs. My bag sat just inside the doorway, where Jase had left it last night. I dressed in the entryway, grabbed my purse, and sidled out the front door of the farmhouse just as the edges of daylight began to break. A different guilt ate at me by the time I made it to the end of the long driveway. I pulled my phone from my purse and sent a text.