by Dee J. Adams
Hurt her, don’t hurt yourself. It’s her fault. If she’d just loaned you the car, you’d be out the door already.
Maybe if she listened this once, the voice would stop.
Marcella returned to the kitchen and looked around. She strolled to the stove and stared at the pans fastened to pegs along the wall behind it. She reached for a cast iron skillet and tested its weight in her hand. The TV blared as Marcella closed in on Mrs. Hesby’s back. “It really bothers me to see you in so much pain.”
“Growing old isn’t for sissies. You remember that.”
“I sure will.” Marcella stood there, waiting. All Mrs. Hesby had to do was loan her the car. “Are you sure I can’t borrow your car?”
Chapter Four
Terry barely made it to her psych classroom on time, and her head was anywhere but on the test. Between Jay’s proposal, Marcella’s bombshell, thinking about living with her mother-in-law and worrying that she’d forgotten something last night while packing for the weekend, her brain was nearly fried. School had only started six weeks ago, but she felt as if she’d been in for six months already.
She’d never been more relieved than when Jay picked her up right on schedule in the early afternoon, with Jess strapped into her car seat in the back of the old gray Audi. They headed to the mountains for their first official family vacation.
She shook off the stress of her psych test and concentrated on now. She couldn’t bring up living arrangements in case it started a fight and they’d promised to never argue in front of Jess. “How’d the interview go?” she asked after getting settled in the passenger seat.
“Bitchin’. But I won’t know if I got the internship until early next week, so I’m going to try and forget about it. How about you? How was the psychology test?” He was a master at changing the subject when he worried about something.
“Also bitchin’. I feel really good about it.” She dug in her bag for her surprise. “I have something for you,” she sing-songed.
“Mama sapise! Mama sapise!” Jess clapped from the backseat. “Songs fo Dada!”
“Remind me never to tell our toddler what I’m surprising you with,” Terry said as she pulled out the cassette tape with a mix of Jay’s favorite songs. She stuck it in the player and a moment later, Boston’s “Amanda” filled the car with its soulful melody. Jay glanced at her with a grin on his handsome face. Maybe because the words meant more since they’d officially become engaged that morning. I’m gonna say it like a man and make you understand, Amanda. I love you. Of course the fact that Terry’s middle name was Amanda made the song that much more special to Jay and he always managed to sneak in Terry before Amanda in the lyrics. It didn’t fit into the rhythm, but he never cared.
When Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer” came on they all started singing. Even Jess belted out, “Livin’ ona pear,” which just made Terry and Jay laugh, and made Jess clap and yell louder the next time the chorus came up. They spent the whole trip singing songs, laughing and having a great time. It was the kind of thing Terry wanted on a regular basis. The thing she knew she’d have once Jay and she got married.
Provided they had their own place. Just the thought of living near Lou Ann made her queasy.
Terry watched the scenery speed by. As they neared the mountains and she looked at the majestic view, a quick déjà vu hit and the image crystalized in her head. She’d seen it before. Last night in her dream. A few minutes later, they passed an observation site where a huge silver bullet camper had pulled over to the side and the same sense of déjà vu made a cold sweat break out under her arms. It was so weird that she took her eyes off the scenery and stared down at the beautiful ring on her finger. It had been hell concentrating on her psych exam with this beauty sparkling in the light and Jay’s mother scowling in the back of her head.
“You like it?”
She looked up to find Jay glancing at her before watching the road again. “No, I love it,” she said. “But I love you more.”
Right on cue, Michael Jackson came on singing, “The Way You Make Me Feel” and they all started car dancing and singing along again.
“I can’t believe we never did this before now,” Jay said after the song ended. “You are going to love this place. We’ve got a boat, jet skis, a couple of ATVs we can ride…”
“I’ve always wanted to ride an ATV,” Terry said. “But we’ll have to take turns because one of us will have to stay and watch Jess.”
Jay just slid her a smile that reeked of playboy. “Sure.”
“No, you are not taking our daughter on one of those things. At least not until we have a helmet that fits her and enough padding to soften a fall.” Terry glanced back at Jess.
“What’s ATB, Mama?”
“ATV. It’s a big bike with three wheels and you won’t be riding one for a long time.” Terry couldn’t believe that Jess actually stayed awake the whole three hours it took to get to the mountains. Exhausted as she had to be, Jess still charmed the locals at the small market where they stopped for food. After emptying the cart at the checkout stand, Jay took Jess outside for a mechanical horse ride.
“She is one cute muffin,” a low voice murmured.
Terry glanced at the man behind her. His weathered face had deep groves and a twinkle lit his dark eyes as he watched Jay and Jess leave. Jess talked nonstop as she directed her dad outside. “Thanks.” Terry grinned, loving the bond the two shared.
“You all up here for vacation,” the man asked, grabbing for a pack of gum from the many choices on the small stand over the black grocery conveyer belt.
“Yes, just a quick weekend getaway.”
“Me too.” He lifted a bushy eyebrow. “I’m looking forward to a nice quiet two days on the lake. Can’t beat it when you need to refresh the soul.” He winked at her in a way that reminded her of her grandfather.
“Well, I hope you have a nice weekend.”
“Thank you. You kids do the same.”
Terry checked out and they loaded the car. Jess finally crashed the last ten minutes of the drive.
Jay took a left turn off a winding mountain road and drove down a long gravel path lined with giant pine trees. The scenery looked eerily familiar and a shiver raced up Terry’s spine. But when Jay came out of a curve and she saw the structure in front of her, her breath caught. It was the place in her dream. The A-frame log cabin had big picture windows in front and a large wrap around porch. It was nothing if not breathtaking; it was also equally chilling.
“Oh my God. This is total déjà vu,” she said. “I saw this place in my dream last night.”
“Really?” Jay’s brows pulled together. “I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of it from some of our family vacation photos,” he reasoned.
She hadn’t thought of that. He was probably right and she just hadn’t connected it. Maybe that was why she dreamed about this place to begin with. Some of her anxiety slipped away as Terry unlocked the front door so Jay could put Jess down in the small bedroom. Next, he brought in their luggage. Large leather sofas and recliners dotted the spacious interior and multicolored area rugs warmed the space with deep vibrant splashes of orange, yellow and teal. The large open living area flowed right into the kitchen on the right and a hallway on the left led to the bedrooms.
His parents had already arranged to have the house cleaned and the beds made for their arrival. She never thought too much about the money Jay’s dad made. They didn’t flaunt it, but they certainly lived well in a large beautiful home. Jesse Sr. and Lou Ann drove luxury cars and owned this cabin in Big Bear. Because Jesse Sr. built his fortune from the ground up, he insisted that Jay work just as hard for his own future. Jay hadn’t been spoiled with a fancy car or handed a monthly allowance.
Because of the difference in status, Terry worked that much harder to prove she wasn’t after Jay for his money. Or his parents’ money as it happened to be. Maybe that was one of the reasons she’d declined his previous proposals. She didn’t want them to think
she was a gold-digger. She hadn’t known anything about Jay’s background before falling in love with him, but no one knew that except her.
Jay came into the kitchen as Terry put the last of the groceries away. He pulled her against his deliciously muscular chest and wrapped his arms around her tight.
Sighing into the caress, she took a second to enjoy the power he radiated before turning into his arms. “I am so looking forward to the next couple of days.”
“Me too.” He tipped her chin up and brushed his lips across hers in a soft kiss, just grazing back and forth like they had all the time in the world. Of course, they definitely had more time than usual. With Jess just down for a sure to be long nap and no parents to interrupt them, they actually—probably—had a solid two hours of alone time.
Jay held her head and pulled away, their lips still a fraction of an inch apart. “We have a bed in this cabin,” he whispered.
She grinned at his meaning. “A bed? You mean we’re not going to fool around in your car? Gosh, I’m not even sure I know how to have sex on a bed.” She loved the way his eyes twinkled.
“Trust me. I’ll show you.” He walked backwards, leading her toward the master bedroom in slow motion.
“Will I need pencil and paper to take notes?” she teased, loving the anticipation of his slow motion seduction.
He shook his head. “Nope. This will be a strictly hands on lesson. Nothing else is required aside from your full attention.”
“Oh, you’ve had that for a long time now.”
His grin sent her pulse rushing faster. When he reached the bed, he stopped and pulled her close for another one of his mondo hot kisses, the ones where he tasted her with quick dips of his tongue and delicious suction on her lips. His hands roamed over her curves and sparked tingles up and down her spine.
“We have way too many—”
“Clothes on,” he finished for her.
“Yeah. That.” She pulled his shirt over his head and couldn’t help but set her mouth on the ripe bud of his nipple. He didn’t like to admit it, but they were really sensitive. She’d learned that early on and when she really wanted to torture him, she sucked those tight peaks hard as she alternated with teasing nibbles. She rarely got enough of him.
As much as she would’ve liked to go down on him, she wanted him inside her more. She wanted him to feel her need, to understand the depth of her love and to seal this union with her heart and soul, especially now that they were engaged. It put a whole new level of sexy on this first encounter since she had a ring on her finger.
Like always, Jay touched her the places she liked most. He stroked his warm palms under her shirt that sent heat licking through her and unhooked her bra in seconds. She moaned at the pressure when he squeezed her nipples and she rubbed against the hard ridge in his pants to fight fire with fire.
“Can’t wait,” he muttered. Then managed to get her jeans unzipped and off. Her shirt and underwear followed the same path. His jeans soon landed on the same pile. Terry blindly pulled the covers back and they fell onto the plush bed, rolling until she landed on top. Her favorite position. She’d been on the pill for over a year, so they didn’t bother with a condom. Jay just stroked a finger or two to make sure she was ready, then bam. He pushed inside her with breath-stealing force. Enough to make her gasp, to feel every inch of penetration.
“Slow, slow,” she whispered. Because now that she had him where she wanted him, she planned to savor. Gently, Terry eased up and pushed back down, loving how the feel of him fueled her need. “I. Love. You.” She spoke the soft words in between long deep kisses. Kisses that touched her on a basic level. Kisses that forged a connection even deeper than anything they’d known before.
“You feel so good, Ter.” Jay’s hands roamed everywhere at the same time. She’d never get enough of the way he touched her, a combination of need and reverence that stoked the hot flames of her passion. He possessed her with every soft, warm caress. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted you like this?” he breathed as he rocked up inside her. “In a bed. With no steering wheel or console in our way.”
She’d wanted that too. “And now we have it.” All that mattered was the connection. The bond that brought them together and kept them together.
As much as Terry wanted this to last, she not only felt her orgasm shimmering close by, but she watched Jay’s restraint whittle away to nothing. She could always tell when he was close by the pressure of his hands on her hips or the way he surged inside of her like he might die if he didn’t fill every inch of her with every inch of himself.
“When we’re on our honeymoon, I’m not going to let you out of bed,” he panted before she kissed him again.
“No problem with that,” she muttered before another hot slick connection. The room heated up to desert conditions. Still she took her time, riding him deep and slow, loving the fullness, but most of all loving the way he gazed at her.
It was the look in his beautiful eyes that finally took her to the edge. The love, the sexy gleam, the sinful smile on his handsome face. Right at the point of no return, she stopped and looked down at him, committing the memory of his short tousled hair, flushed face and wet lips.
Gritting his teeth, and flexing his abs, he reminded her of a warrior. Her warrior. A man who would go to the ends of the earth for her. With her. And with one last downward motion, Terry fell over the edge. Everything shattered and the sound in the room was a mix of her moan and his groan. Waves of satisfaction pounded from where they joined and shot out to all parts north and south. Jay’s fingers dug into her hips as his release shot inside of her, triggering another orgasm that followed the first.
When the aftershocks subsided, Terry collapsed on his chest, breathing hard, waiting for the erratic beat of her heart to slow down.
Jay wrapped his arms around her tight and held on and she vowed then and there that she’d never let him down as long as they lived.
Two hours later, sweaty and satisfied, Jay took a minute to catch his breath. Next to him, Terry giggled. He smiled because she never made that sound. Not as long as he’d known her. Turning his head, he peeked at her from a slit eye. “What’s so funny?”
“You look wrung out, dude.” Her smile brightened his whole damn life. Perspiration covered her skin and errant locks of red hair lay damp against her cheek. “And you look sexy as hell.” She made a move toward him and he warded her off.
“Whoa, wait. As much as I’d love to go again—” he checked the bedside clock, “—Jess is going to be up any minute and she might be scared being in a strange bed. I want to make sure we get to her ASAP and you know how distracted we get when we fool around.”
“Yeah.” She traced a gentle finger along his cheek, her gaze dreamy and satisfied. Jay loved that look. Loved that she lost all control and all sense of anything around her when they connected. He doubted an earthquake could separate them if they were in the middle of sex. “I’m going to jump in the shower real quick. Be right out.” She kissed him hard and fast and disappeared into the master bathroom, her sweet, round ass swaying across the room before she disappeared.
He would’ve joined her in the shower, but one of them needed to be ready when Jess woke up in case she panicked.
Jay stretched and looked forward to the next two days with his girls. Tossing aside the tangled sheets, he found his jeans on the floor and yanked them on. Padding softly down the hall, he checked on Jess. Her head rested on her hands as she slept soundly on her side, her little butt protruding with extra puffy cushioning from her pull up diaper.
Sometimes he still couldn’t believe that they’d created her. She was the most perfect thing in his life. Both she and Terry gave him a sense of fulfillment that drove him to work harder, get ahead, to be the best he could be so he could make a home for them. With football out of the way, he could concentrate on fast tracking a law degree and all that started with this internship. A job at his dad’s law firm would pay almost twice as much than the electroni
cs store he currently worked at.
Leaving the door open a crack, Jay left to ogle his fiancée. They usually didn’t get nearly enough time together, so he took any chance to be with her. He peeked into the bathroom as she shut off the water, and he quietly eased inside to the dense steam. “Knock, knock,” he said, giving her fair warning that he was there.
“Who’s there?” she said, taking his bait as she reached for her towel over the glass door.
“The big bad wolf.”
“The big bad wolf, who?” She opened the shower door, dewy fresh and beautiful.
“The big bad wolf who’s going to eat you, my dear.”
She laughed and squealed as he lifted her off her feet and set her on the countertop. He put his mouth on hers and got hard at the pure feminine rumble that vibrated in her chest. He loved that sound. Loved it when she put her hands on his ass and pulled him into her. “Jess?” she questioned before setting her lips on his again.
“Is still sleeping,” he answered. “I just checked.” Then because she needed to be unwrapped, he eased his hands up her thighs and parted the terry cloth until she sat in front of him without any cover. Drops of water clung to her skin and he smoothed his thumbs beneath her breasts. Her softness mesmerized him. Slowly, he moved in for a kiss, couldn’t get enough of her minty taste. Bending low, he took a tight nipple into his mouth and sucked her deep. Terry gasped, dug her fingers into his hair and held on tight. The pull made him hotter. And harder. She always knew how to ramp him up. From day one she’d done it with just a smile and a look from her amazing blue eyes.
Jay brought her closer to the counter’s edge, spread her legs wider and got to his knees, level with the exact spot where he wanted to be. When he put his mouth on her, she tightened her legs around his head and held him still. God, he loved that too. Loved how she didn’t hold back when they made love. If she didn’t tell him what she wanted with words, she showed him with her body. With the way she moved against him, touched him and kissed him.
