by Dylann Crush
“I’m not here for a movie, either.”
She sucked in a breath and scraped her teeth over her bottom lip. “Want a soda?”
He shook his head.
Her palms slid up his chest, her fingers clasping together behind his neck. “What is it you’re here for then?”
“I think you know.” Walking her back toward the bedroom area, he slipped his arms around her waist, his hands holding on to her hips. “You okay with this?”
Her nod against his chest gave him the final bit of encouragement he needed. As the backs of her legs reached the edge of the bed, he lowered her down. She didn’t let go of him, but pulled him on top of her. For half a second, neither one of them moved. Then he tentatively touched his mouth to hers.
twenty-one
Delilah couldn’t get close enough to Jasper. His warmth, his heat, his scent surrounded her, but still it wasn’t enough. He propped himself up on an elbow as he took the kiss deeper. Heat flooded through her, making her blood feel more like lava racing through her veins.
His hands were everywhere . . . her hair, her hips, her skin. Everywhere he touched, his fingers seemed to sear her skin. And still, she couldn’t get enough.
This man, the way he treated her, the way he cherished her . . . made her hungry for him in a way she hadn’t ached for anyone before. Her entire body was on fire.
He nipped at her lips and sucked on her tongue. She tried to pull him tighter against her but there was nowhere else to go. He leaned over her, trying to keep his weight balanced on his arm, preventing himself from crushing her.
Her fingers found their way under his shirt. He was hard in the places she was soft, making her realize how perfectly they complemented each other.
She worked his shirt up his abs, over his pecs. With one fluid motion he reached behind his neck and pulled it off. For a moment she just let herself stare. The last time she saw his naked chest they’d been bathed in moonlight. But now, under the warm light of the lamp attached to the camper wall, she feasted her gaze on him.
His body had been chiseled by hard work, not like the guy she’d dated who worked on each individual muscle group with precision at his high-priced gym. Jasper had earned every square inch of rock-hard muscle with manual labor. Knowing that made her even hotter for him, if that was even possible. She was already soaked, ready to take things to the next level and push them past the point of no return.
His lips trailed kisses over her neck. Then he focused on that spot behind her ear he seemed to favor. The one that drove her wild. If he kept that up she might come before he even touched her below the waist. Although, thankfully, his fingers seemed to be heading that way. He breached the waistband of her yoga pants. She shifted her hips in an attempt to urge him on. Every part of her ached for him.
Finally, his palm rested below her belly button. A finger slipped beyond the thin elastic of her lacy panties. She moaned as he slid a finger into her curls, zeroing in on her need. At the contact, she bucked her hips, writhing against him. He teased her to the brink of her release, backing off every time she got too close.
Trying to get even, she fumbled with the waistband of his pants. Her hand slipped underneath, running over his sculpted ass. He flexed, his muscles moving underneath her hand.
“Do you want me to stop?” he muttered against her ear.
She couldn’t even form words, she was too far gone. So, she violently shook her head from side to side.
He pulled back, shed his sweats, and eased her yoga pants down her legs.
“Come here.” He reached for her, sliding his hands under her shirt.
She hadn’t put a bra on when she changed, so his fingers moved up her ribs, then paused as he realized he had unfettered access. His touch was tentative at first. His thumb grazed one nipple, then the other.
In a move she hadn’t seen coming, he lowered his head, running his tongue between her breasts, then sucking a nipple into a hard point before he blew out a warm breath. Her skin pebbled immediately, and he turned his attention to her other breast.
She barely had time to catch her breath before his fingers were back at her entrance. With one hand he coaxed her toward a climax, his touch sending her higher and higher. With his other, he unrolled a condom that had appeared out of nowhere, his hand wrapping around his length.
“Wait.” She barely forced the word out.
He stopped, his gaze searching hers. “Are you okay? Do you want to stop?”
“Absolutely not.” She scooted out from under him and guided him to lie on his back. “I want to be on top.”
He settled on his back, and she lowered herself onto him. She had to pause as she became accustomed to the way he filled her. But he couldn’t stay still. His hips moved to a slow, glorious rhythm. His palms cupped her breasts, his thumbs playing over her nipples. She lifted her hips up, then slowly lowered them, again and again.
His mouth found hers as the first waves of pleasure hit. She grabbed for the cabinet above the bed, trying to get a little leverage. He clamped one hand on her hip, while the other tangled in her hair. The pace increased. She gripped the cabinet with both hands.
Jasper thrust his hips up, and she held on. And then she crashed. She seemed to stretch out, suspended in time and space. Then plummeted, faster and faster into a free fall spin. A shriek pierced the silence. It was her. Jasper pulled her down, his own body straining to reach a climax. She let go of the cabinet and made a move to collapse on his chest.
A horrible cracking noise filled the camper, then the cabinet above their heads separated from the wall. Jasper held her to his chest, rolling out of the way as it landed on the bed, inches from where their heads had been just moments before.
Her chest heaved and a sheen of sweat covered her skin. Jasper’s hair stuck out all over and he propped himself up, his gaze searching hers.
“You okay?”
She glanced up where the cabinet had been. “We broke my camper.”
His lips spread into a grin. “No, you broke your camper.”
“How am I going to explain that?” She curled into him, not willing to let their time together be interrupted, not even if the walls were coming down around them.
He ran a finger down the center of her breastbone, causing her skin to pebble, all the way down to her toes. “You could tell them the truth.”
“That I yanked the cabinet off the wall in the throes of passion?”
“Throes of passion, huh? That sounds pretty intense.”
“Was it?”
“What? Intense?”
She nodded.
“It was fantastic.” He rolled off the bed and picked up the cabinet. “We should figure out where to put this. I don’t want anything to get in the way next time.”
“Um, next time?”
“That’s right. You don’t have anything on the schedule tomorrow. I figured we could stay up all night and watch the sunrise together.”
“And what’s your family going to think?”
“What they don’t know won’t hurt them.”
* * *
* * *
Jasper didn’t leave Delilah’s trailer until the first streaks of pink bled across the sky. He wanted to wake up with her in his arms, to be the first thing she saw when she opened up her beautiful green eyes. But he also wasn’t ready to take their connection public. If folks found out they were getting together, the contest committee might pull her from the judging. She couldn’t afford any negative publicity, and Lacey would strangle him if he threatened Ido’s chance at a win.
So, he gathered his things, pulled his sweats up over his hips, and shoved his feet into his sneakers. Delilah hadn’t moved. Her cheek rested on the pillow they’d shared. Her hair fell over her face, almost covering her eyes. He wanted to reach over and brush it back but didn’t dare risk waking her. With a final kiss to
her cheek, he cracked open the door of the camper and tried to quietly make his way down the steps.
Today he needed to put the final details in motion for the Fall Festival. He’d asked his brothers to block out their calendars and was pleasantly surprised when he showed up at the big house and everyone was ready to go. His mom wouldn’t let them head out on empty stomachs so as they filled their bellies with scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and homemade sausage links, he divvied up tasks.
“Trent and Mitchell, you work on the site down by the kissing cove. Lucas and Davis, I want the two of you to take on the tunnel of lights.” He checked items on the list he’d made up, making sure he didn’t miss anything.
“What do I get to do?” Abby grabbed the last sausage link before Trent could snag it. She was getting to be pretty fast thanks to battling her brothers.
“You can come with me, Little Bug. We’re going to set up an arbor.” Jasper skimmed his own chicken scratch. “Once we all finish the station we’re at, we’ll meet up and finish the other two. Got it?”
“You really think this is going to work?” His mother returned to the table with a pot of coffee.
“We won’t know unless we try, isn’t that right?” Jasper slipped the last bite of his breakfast into his mouth, then cleared his place from the table. “We’re leaving in five.”
He loaded the dishes in the sink into the dishwasher while he waited for his brothers and Abby to gather their things. As he scraped plates into the trash can, he wondered if Delilah had woken up yet. She’d told him her mother would be heading back to Dallas the next day, so she wanted to spend some time with her before she left. Which was perfect since he didn’t want her to find out about the surprise he’d been planning.
And she’d promised not to leave the town limits so he wouldn’t get into any more hot water with Lacey. They’d made it this far. If he could hang on for another week without any major crises, Ido might have a decent shot at coming in first.
“I’m ready to go.” Abby came into the kitchen, her excitement at being included in the plans obvious by the wide grin on her face.
“Let’s hit it then.” Jasper grabbed his keys and the plans he’d drawn out. He’d spent a few hours over the past week in his dad’s workshop. All he needed to do was put the arbor together and then train those climbing vines he’d picked up from Milkweed Gardens.
It took him a little longer than he’d anticipated to piece together the arbor. Abby was an eager helper but lacked the upper-body strength to carry any of the larger pieces by herself, so he spent just as much time carting the wood over to the site as he did actually putting anything together.
When they’d finished, they both stood back and gazed upon their accomplishment.
“It’s really pretty, Jasper.” Abby walked underneath. “You know what would make this a million times better though?”
His heart dropped into his stomach. “What?”
“A swing.” She ran her hand over the latticed side. “You could hang one right from the middle. Just think how romantic it would be if you kissed Delilah here while you’re sitting next to her on a swing built for two.”
“What are you talking about?” He might have had a little trouble keeping his attraction for Delilah under wraps, but he hadn’t been so careless that he expected his twelve-year-old sister to figure it out.
“I know you like her.” Her smile was more of a smirk.
“And just how do you know that?” He narrowed his eyes.
She giggled. “Because you look at her like you want to kiss her.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Kind of like this.” She smooshed her lips up and made kissy noises.
Jasper laughed as he grabbed her around the waist, swinging her around until the kissy noises turned to shrieks of laughter.
“Put me down.”
He stopped spinning and they both stumbled, dizzy from the game they’d played when she was younger and used to beg him to spin her for what seemed like hours at a time.
Her hand landed on his arm and she struggled to catch her breath from laughing so hard. “I still think you like her.”
Since when had his baby sister become so astute? His mouth ticked up on one side. “You know what?”
“What?”
“I think you might be right.”
She clapped her hands together while she jumped up and down. “I knew it. Does she like you, too? Are you going to get married?”
“Slow down.” Jasper put his finger to his mouth. “And shush before someone hears you.”
Abby drew her lips into her mouth and clamped down, making her look like she’d lost all her teeth.
“She might like me back a little. But nobody should know. At least until the contest is over, okay?”
Abby nodded, still unable to stand completely still.
“Don’t make me regret telling you. You’ve got to keep this between us.”
Her head nodded up and down.
“You think we need to add a swing, huh?” He let out a sigh as he shook his head. Abby had a point. If they were going to bill the Pucker-Up Path as a main feature of the Fall Festival this year, adding a swing would definitely provide the right touch.
“So, do you like her like her or just like her?” Abby asked, her hands clasped together while she waited for him to respond.
“We’re done discussing my love life.” He couldn’t believe he’d even shared as much as he had. But it wasn’t like he had anyone else to talk to about matters of the heart. He and Colin used to confide in each other. But like everything else, that was ruined when his brother turned his back on everyone.
“Let’s get these vines planted and then I’ll see about adding a swing if I have time before the festival starts. Sound good?”
Abby grinned as she nodded her head.
“You can talk again now. As long as you keep it down.”
“Okay. I’m so excited. Do you think Delilah will wear a dress like the bride from the wedding yesterday when you get married? Are you going to move into town? Can I pick out the flavor on your cake? Jojo said she really wants to try to make one with lemon frosting, and I know you like lemons. Or at least you used to because Mom said one time you used all her lemons to make lemonade, and I . . .”
Jasper tuned her out. He had to if he wanted to get the rest of his to-do list done. When they’d finished planting the vines and running them through the holes in the lattice arbor, he sent a group text to check on his brothers. Everyone had finished their stations. Eager to wrap things up and get back to Delilah, he packed up the truck and headed to their meeting point.
twenty-two
Delilah was ready for Stella to head home. She needed the next week without her mother around to figure out how she felt about everything, especially Jasper. But before Stella left, Delilah was determined to get to the bottom of whatever secret she’d been keeping.
She pulled up in front of the motel, expecting she’d have to humor her mother into a late brunch before she had to hit the road for the drive home. But as she brought the truck to a stop, Stella came out of the door like she’d been waiting.
“Good morning.” Stella slid into the front seat, her fingers wrapped around a book. Or maybe it was a photo album.
“What do you have there?” Delilah asked.
“My high school yearbook. It’s not my copy. God only knows where my things ended up after I left home, but I borrowed it from someone I reconnected with at the wedding last night.”
“Do I get to see?” Delilah’s fingers itched to flip through the pages, as if she could find answers from her mother’s past somewhere inside.
Stella slid her dark sunglasses into place. “I need coffee first. Lots and lots of coffee.”
“I know just the spot.” Delilah didn’t press things until after Jojo had shown them to a
table in the back at the Burger Bonanza. Jasper hadn’t been joking when he said the place got busy on the weekends. Delilah might not be able to eat much off the menu since there were very few vegetarian options, but the coffee was strong, hot, and never ending.
“Where the hell have you brought me now?” Stella slid into the booth with her hands in the air, like she was afraid to touch anything.
“I’ve been told they serve an amazing breakfast here on Sunday mornings. I thought you might like to eat something substantial before you drive back.”
Stella pulled an antibacterial wipe from the pack in her purse and ran it over the table. “Here, do your side, too.”
“That’s not necessary. I happen to know the owner and he runs a pretty tight ship.” The decor might look like it was from the past, but she’d seen Jojo go through her cleaning routine on more than one occasion and even if the tabletops were avocado green, Delilah had no doubt they were sparkling clean.
Jojo stopped by with two empty mugs and a carafe of coffee. She jotted down their orders and headed back to the kitchen, leaving Delilah to face her mother.
“Can I see your yearbook?” Delilah held out her hand, expecting Stella to slide it across the table.
Instead, her mother held it close to her heart. “There are some things I haven’t told you about my past.”
Duh. Stella couldn’t be so obtuse that she didn’t realize Delilah knew there was something missing. “Now would be a fine time to share them.”
Stella’s jaw set and she passed the book over. “I just want you to know that everything I’ve ever done was for your own protection.”
Delilah frowned as she opened the front cover and began to flip through the pages. “Is this your senior year?”
Stella dumped three creamers into her coffee and slowly stirred. “Yes.”
Delilah scanned the pictures, locating her mother on the page that showed the homecoming court taking the field during halftime at the football game. Her heart squeezed as she read the caption. “You didn’t tell me you were on the homecoming court.”
