by Vivian Arend
“Damn straight. Unless you want me to fuck you right here in the parking lot.”
He wasn’t joking, and she knew it. A heavy pulse race to life at the base of her throat.
Hmmmm. “Tempted, baby?”
“We’ve never done that. How do you have sex on a bike?” she murmured, the words tight with desire.
Troy swore softly, taking over doing up her chinstrap since her hands hung uselessly at her sides. “Hard. Fast. Now get on behind me before I change my mind and give you a demonstration you won’t forget in a hurry.”
He had the urge to put her over the leather seat and follow through with his threat, especially since it wasn’t fear he’d seen in her eyes.
Curiosity. Anticipation—that’s what was on her mind, which proved all over again what he’d told himself before going off on some misguided celibacy path.
Nicole Adams was fucking perfect for him.
She liked her sex wild and nearly out of control, and her lover bossy as hell. Him to a T, especially after days of being tormented to a feverish pitch by his good intentions and bad timing.
Hell, jerking off in the mornings had barely blunted the edge.
She curled up behind him, wrapping her arms around his body and sealing her torso to his an instant before he floored it, laying rubber behind in the parking lot as he accelerated out the exit and back onto the highway.
Nicole tugged at his T-shirt, easing her hand under the edge as soon as she could to drag her nails over his abdomen.
His cock hardened further, a curse escaping his lips as the impossibility of adjusting to a less painful position registered. But he didn’t want her to stop either, the warmth of her palm driving him wild, the sheer cheekiness of her actions as she reached up and dragged the nail over his nipple…
Screw making it back to town. Troy pulled off the side of the road onto a narrow gravel trail on completely unknown land. It led toward a barn, the old structure set far off from the highway and nowhere near any other outbuildings. Abandoned, but still somewhat out of eyeshot from the main highway.
He came to a stop on the north side of the building, glancing quickly in all directions, pleased to see what appeared to be endless farmers’ fields.
Nicole dismounted, pulling off her helmet, lips twisting. “You lost?”
“I know exactly where I am,” he insisted grabbing the helmet from her and tossing it to the ground by the front tire. “Five minutes from making you scream.”
She pressed her hands to his chest as he dragged her into his arms, sliding upward until she could hook her fingers together behind his neck. “Oh, really?”
He waited just long enough to let her finish speaking before kissing her as if he were starving. Lips connecting as he reached down and caught hold of her hips, lifting her in the air. She wrapped her legs around him, and he stepped toward the barn, pressing her against it. He kept one arm between her upper back and the rough wood, the other hand slipping between them to undo his jeans and zipper.
Hands on automatic, he focused on her lips, her taste welling through him. It had been too damn long since they’d been together, and he simply couldn’t wait.
He nipped at the soft spot where her shoulder met her neck, and Nicole gasped in pleasure, body arching toward him.
“I’m going to fuck you right here,” he warned.
“Yes.”
The word came out with another gasp as he nipped her earlobe. Troy was going to lose his ever-loving mind. Next time he’d have the ability to do more than act like some crazed animal.
But he was no asshole.
“You ready for me?” He jerked aside the gusset of her underwear, trailing his fingers through her warmth. “Jeez, woman. You’re wet. You like the idea of being fucked against the side of a barn, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Nicole caught his mouth with hers, biting his lower lip hard enough he tasted blood. He didn’t fucking care—everything was a blur as he shoved his hand into his pocket and grabbed a condom, dragging it over his aching cock a split second before he lined up with her sex.
Somehow Troy regained his control for long enough to pause and look her in the eye. She wanted this. He needed it like an addict needed his next hit.
She stared back, eyes gone hazy with lust. He drove home in one stroke.
Her eyes widened, lips opening on a moan. “Troy.”
“God, you feel so good around me.”
Her breath fluttered out as she tightened her thighs around him. “You feel so good inside me.”
Then the minx smiled, mischief drifting in that he didn’t understand for a split-second until he felt her squeeze, body gripping him like a fist. “Fuck.”
Her smile widened. “Yes.”
He eased back his hips, slower than he thought possible, taking in the sensation of hot, wet paradise until he nearly escaped her body. Pausing long enough to make her anticipate what he’d do next.
Slow. Slower than she’d expected. Slower than expected considering the urgent desire commanding him to thrust.
Slow enough that when their bodies met it was as if he had forced all the air out of her. A sweet sigh of satisfaction floated past him on the warm afternoon air.
Again. A drag back, pressure forward. Vicious pleasure rippled up his spine and made his head spin.
His patience and control lasted a dozen strokes before he could take it no longer. Troy slipped a hand between them, placing his thumb over her clit to urge her along. All it took was that simple touch, and she jerked in his arms, fingernails digging into his shoulders.
“Yessssss.”
Hell, yeah. And it was all systems go—
Forget finesse, forget trying to torment her to further pleasure. Troy rocked faster and faster, driving his cock deep as Nic continued to moan and cry out. Stars floated in front of his eyes as he gasped for air. Urgent need unraveled, starting at the base of his spine before it propelled through his entire system.
He was the center of an explosion, the detonation escaping through his cock and leaving him wasted.
And very very eager to do it all over again.
His head was still spinning as he realized Nicole was dancing kisses over his face. Along his jawline, his cheeks. Whispering contented words the entire time.
Somehow he had managed to keep his arm in place, protecting her from the wood, although—damn it.
“You’re gonna have bruises tomorrow,” he muttered, stroking a hand over her hip where he’d clutched her at the end, far too powerfully for her fair skin.
She kissed him, gentle, lips curled into a smile. “I don’t mind.”
He was a bastard, but there was not much he could do at this point. “I don’t want to leave you.”
A chuckle escaped her. “It’s going to get pretty tiring holding me up all night. Maybe we should go back to my place. Try this again on a mattress…”
A wave of satisfaction and relief hit nearly as hard as his climax had. “No arguments from me. Unless you’re pissed I made you wait and then lost it against the side of a damn barn.”
She stroked the rough stubble on his cheek. “I’m stubborn, not stupid. I’ll admit it. I still don’t know what we’re doing, but I like you, Troy Thompson. I like you the way you are—impulsive, and strong, and oh my God sexy.” She brushed her lips over his. “Come on. Take me home.”
Chapter Thirteen
Night and day difference.
They’d turned a page, and suddenly all the things she’d loved about spending time with Troy before they’d became a couple were back, while stretching their boundaries into new territory.
Troy would pick her up after work, and they’d head off to do typical summer things like hitting the local hangout by the river. Playing around on the rope swing that hung under the railway bridge, and splashing down into the refreshing water. Or sitting in lawn chairs with their friends and shooting the breeze until the stars made an appearance. At which point they’d head out and end up
somewhere, hip deep in sex.
They hadn’t set a deadline on whatever this was they were doing, but slowly, steadily, the doubts she’d had about him were fading. Maybe he’d been footloose before, but so had she.
Spending time together wasn’t earth-shattering, but it was enjoyable, and easy, and right.
Only two uncomfortable issues remained. Kids—i.e., was Troy really interested? And her family’s ongoing disapproval.
Whenever they were around her family, it was clear the entire Adams Collective was waiting with bated breath for the relationship to fall apart so she could move on to better pastures. Their lack of faith was frustrating on so many levels.
Although Mike seemed to have calmed down somewhat. At least Troy hadn’t reported any middle-of-the-night death threats.
Still, she worked to reassure them all even as she waded through unfamiliar waters. She spent time with her sisters and their families, with or without Troy, and tried to ignore the annoying.
It was hard to ignore at times.
Nicole had joined her parents for Sunday-morning breakfast, and everything had been going great until the program froze on the same damn topic as before.
“I ran into Chase at the grocery store yesterday,” her mom informed her.
“I hope you didn’t hurt him too much,” Nicole said, completely straight-faced.
Her mother blinked, considered, then rolled her eyes.
Nicole was sure she had the only mother on earth who rolled her eyes.
“He’s settling into town nicely,” her mom continued, “but he’d love a tour of the local hiking trails.”
“Really.”
“He’s free this afternoon.”
Good grief. “That’s nice. Have fun.”
“What…?” Her mother laughed. “Oh, stop kidding around. You need to take him.”
“I’m busy, Mom.”
Her dad frowned as he boomed over the table, “Too busy to be neighbourly to newcomers? That’s not very nice, Nicole.”
“Neither is trying to set me up with someone when Mom knows I’m already dating someone else,” Nicole answered as pleasantly as possible.
Her dad looked thoroughly confused. “Who are you dating?” He glanced at Darlene. “I thought you said the Thompson boy was out of the picture.”
“Why would you think that?” Nicole demanded.
Her mother looked uncomfortable. “The girls said it was only a matter of time, and—”
“He’s not very grounded,” her dad announced loudly. “Good boy, but not much more there than what you see. No ambition. You should move on. Let him go, and find someone who’s got what it takes.”
The sound of someone clearing his throat broke through the tension. All three of them whirled to face the back entrance, and Nicole’s heart plummeted. Troy stood in the doorway, his patented happy-go-lucky grin firmly in place.
He held a box in his hands, and as if it wasn’t the most awkward moment ever, he strode forward to offer it to Nicole’s mom. “My sister’s garden is going great guns. She sent over some of the early harvest.”
Darlene slipped into recovery mode, rushing from the table and directing Troy where to put the box. Gushing over the contents even as she tossed meaningful looks over Troy’s shoulder at Brian, and condemning ones at Nicole.
Nope. It wasn’t her fault her parents had behaved like asses. And it wasn’t as if she’d known Troy was coming over. She wouldn’t have wished that bullshit on anyone, especially not him.
They escaped shortly after, Troy tucking her into his truck and driving them away. She tried to figure out the best way to apologize when she wasn’t sure how much he’d overheard…
Before she could come up with a solution, he broke the silence. “Katy asked if we could come over early to help set up for the barbecue. You okay if we head over there now?”
“No problem. Glad to help.”
He caught her fingers in his, resting their joined hands on her thigh. Humming softly—a light, easy tune. The mood was comfortable and right, a stark contrast to the awkwardness of only moments earlier.
She laid her head against his shoulder and wondered how he did that so quickly—turned a stressful situation into something far less volatile.
By the afternoon, all the Thompsons had showed up at the gathering except for Maggie, Clay’s fiancée, who was out of town visiting her parents, and Anna, who was on shift. Nicole caught herself gazing after Troy as something nagged at her. She knew something was off but couldn’t define it enough to vocalize it.
The guys and Janey took off for some pick-up football after the meal, leaving Nicole and Katy with a sleeping Tanner. The little guy was so cute, curled up against Katy’s chest, his dark curls hanging over his forehead.
Nicole tilted her chair back and stared into the sky, content to watch the game from the sidelines as she tried to unscramble the uneasiness in her soul.
The Thompsons had welcomed her in, no problem. Why couldn’t her family do the same for Troy? As a couple they seemed to be closing in on something amazing, but it scared her to see her family hesitating. More than hesitating—downright dismissive of what she was experiencing.
She let her gaze drift to where the guys and Janey were tossing the football between them. Troy’s firm muscles flexed as he stole the ball from Clay and passed it to Janey, laughing easily as Len stepped in to guard her protectively.
Was she that bad a judge of character? What was she missing that her family was worried about?
“Penny for your thoughts,” Katy offered.
“Is that still an expression?” Nicole pushed herself back to vertical. “We don’t have pennies anymore.”
“It sounds wrong to offer nickels.”
Nicole snickered.
Katy grinned back. “You’re thinking hard about something. Everything okay with you and Troy?”
“We’re good.” Nicole paused. “I think we’re good.” She met Katy’s gaze. “He acts as if we’re good.”
The other woman snorted. “I figured as much.” Katy dragged her fingers through her son’s hair, her face softening as she admired him. “I love my brothers, but they have their moments.”
“Troy’s been great.” Oh, damn. What if Katy was going to make negative comments about him? She couldn’t take anyone else cutting him down—not after her parents’ stupidity earlier in the day. “I’m the one with issues,” she insisted.
“You’re dating. Things aren’t going to go completely smoothly,” Katy assured her. “This is the time to figure out each other, only…” She made a face. “Only out of all my brothers? Troy is going to be the least likely to pony up and admit if something is wrong.”
“I’ve never noticed Troy to have any trouble sharing what’s on his mind,” Nicole offered, thinking back to how many times in the past month he’d astonished her.
“Oh, he’s always got plenty to say. Len’s the one with a word quota for the day, but Troy? He can talk for hours and say nothing about himself. Nothing real, at least.”
Like on the ride over. Had he heard her parents? Damn her for not asking.
Katy pressed a kiss to Tanner’s head before rearranging the toddler more comfortably in her arms. She looked up to meet Nicole’s eyes. “When Mom got sick, everything tipped sideways. I was young enough what I remember most are emotions. Like being upset I couldn’t have a birthday party—Mom was going through chemo, and she was too ill to bake a cake or organize anything.”
“God. You were…ten…when she got sick?”
“Close. Eleven, going on twelve, which for some kids would be old enough to react better, but while I knew Mom couldn’t help it, inside, that moment was still all about me.”
“Kids don’t understand.”
“No, and I don’t blame myself or anything.” Katy stared out at her family, her dad in the middle of the action, laughing loudly. “And so many details are gone, but the emotions? I can remember those clearly, as if bright splashes of colour were t
ossed over each of us. Dad went black with sorrow. Clay was this dark green—protective and focused on getting stuff done.”
Nicole liked the idea of associating colours with emotions. “I can guess Mitch. He went wild. Red?”
“Bright red. Especially after I walked into the house and found him bleeding after a fight. God, you should have heard me scream. I thought he was going to die right there in the kitchen.”
So many memories. “Mike and I were fourteen. I remember bits of it happening—your mom being sick—but we were all tangled up in our own lives. And what Troy let slip when he was around Mike.”
Katy nodded. “Len went pale yellow, nearly invisible.”
Which made sense. “And Troy?”
The other woman hesitated. “Part of me wants to say blue, like a clear winter sky. But that’s not right, because he was also green, and yellow and red and purple…”
“You’ve been watching too many musicals.”
Katy snorted. “I can’t explain it any other way. He was always there, Nic. Not like Clay, making sure I had everything I needed for school, but every time I needed someone around, he was there. He helped me in the kitchen without anyone knowing it, and he flirted with my friends, which smoothed so much teenage drama. And any time tears rolled in, Troy would show up and make me laugh.”
He’d always been good at that. It was part of what had attracted Nicole in the first place. His sense of humour. His ability to make her happy—not only in the bedroom.
“So Troy’s a rainbow?” Nicole smiled. “It fits. He does brighten up the world.”
“I hope he’s really doing what makes him happy.” Katy jerked her head toward Nicole, panic in her eyes. “I’m not saying you don’t make him happy—you’re awesome. Really. I just…he’s complicated, that’s all.”
“I can agree with that.” The man had surprised her too many times for her to argue.
Tanner woke, fussing and wiggling in Katy’s lap.
She stood. “I’d better change him before the rest of the crew stops playing and starts looking for dessert.”
Curiosity made Nicole ask. “What colour were you, by the way?”
