by Diana Gardin
He let go of one hand and began ticking off a list on his fingers.
“She…is a business whiz. She manhandles her drunk ex-boyfriend. She changes her own tires…in heels. She yanks wild horses around for fun. She’s my personal shopper.”
He let go of her other hand and began ticking those fingers as well, continuing.
“You’re the girl I want on the back of my Harley…You’re the girl who shows me the best spot on N.I. You’re the girl who holds my soul in your hands. You’re the girl…my forever girl.”
He grasped both of her hands again, tugging until her body was flush against his and he was staring down into her unfathomable eyes.
“I could get used to that,” she said breathlessly.
“Good. Do that,” he said, his voice husky.
He pulled her to the doors and flung them open, ready to walk in and see their friends again, this time with Aston tucked under his arm, where she belonged.
The first person they saw was Princeton. He was standing at the bar ordering his drink from Kelly, and when they entered his eyes locked on Aston’s.
He slowly appraised her body, head to foot, and grinned. Then his gaze slid to Sam, and his lips became a snarl.
“So,” he said, sauntering over to where they stood.
Sam’s hand left Aston’s only to wrap protectively around her waist.
Princeton noticed, and the snarl on his face changed again, into an angry sneer.
“You’re with the convict now?” he asked Aston, raising his voice.
“Prince!” Her voice held a note of icy warning. “Don’t start.”
“Oh, I’m fucking starting,” he shot back. “I’m definitely starting, A. This isn’t you. I don’t know what he did to you, but this isn’t you. You’re not a slut.”
Her face snapped to the side as if she’d been slapped.
Sam reacted, stepping in front of her and getting into Princeton’s personal space.
“Say something like that to her again,” he growled. “And you’re gonna have to be carried out of here.”
Princeton had to look up to Sam at that distance, and he backed up a step.
“Whatever,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m just saying, A. If you wanted a convict, you could have found one native to N.I. You didn’t have to bring this one back from VA.”
Aston’s eyes narrowed, and she stepped out from behind Sam.
Reed appeared then, walking up from the deck outside. He stood silently off to the side, watching, in case he needed to step in. Blaze, Finn, and Tate soon joined him. They all looked on warily, their eyes moving from Sam to Princeton to Aston.
“How do you know about Virginia, Princeton? We haven’t even had time to fill everyone in on what happened. We just got back yesterday.”
Princeton shrugged again, but a look of concern crossed his features. “Rumor mill. Small town.”
“You’re lying,” Reed said. “You’ve always been a bad liar, Prince.”
Princeton turned around angrily to face Reed. “Shut the fuck up, Hopewell.”
“Easy, Prince,” Blaze warned. “You’re on the wrong side of right here, man.”
“Oh, really?” Princeton spat. “So you’re all on his side, now? He’s a newbie. A summer flea that’s gonna be gone next month. You really want to throw away years of friendship for him?”
“Did you turn him in, Princeton?” Aston asked quietly. Her voice was laced with rage. “Did you?”
Princeton faced her, his face scarlet with his fury.
“You know what?” he said. “Yeah. Yeah, I did. Because I found out what he really was, a murderer, and I couldn’t stand by while he stole you out from under me, Aston. He’s fucking trailer trash under your feet. You don’t end up with him.”
Aston’s eyes flashed their old, cool blue. She hadn’t been this angry since she’d met Sam, but now she was on the warpath. And she was superb on the warpath.
“Princeton Alexander, you listen to me,” she hissed. “Sam is mine, and I’m his. There’s not a damn thing you can do to change that, you asshole. Even if Sam wasn’t in the picture, I’d never go back to you.”
Sam tightened his arm around her waist, almost as if to hold her back. But his heart thumped with the pride of being able to call her his. And his hard-on throbbed with the promise of what was to come, when her fiery temper cooled.
“And you know what else?” she went on. Princeton was staring at her, his jaw clenched.
“It didn’t even matter,” she said smugly. “Sam was innocent. So now he’s here, and he’s working at Hopewell Enterprises, and he’s staying. He’s enrolling at U of C this month. So you can chalk your tattling up to a wasted effort.”
Blaze put his hands together and started to clap. Reed, grinning, joined him. It didn’t take long for Finn and Tate to join in the applause, and soon the entire bar area was clapping for Aston’s tirade. She grinned in satisfaction, breathing heavily and leaning into Sam’s side. Princeton looked around him with disgust. “You’ve all lost your fucking minds. I’m out.”
He walked past them all and exited the bar, slamming the wooden door behind him so hard the glass behind the bar rattled.
Aston turned and took a bow, and the applause grew thunderous.
She grinned at Sam. “Shall we?”
“We definitely shall,” he answered.
He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, carrying her squealing to their table outside.
Their group sat around the table, and Sam explained what had happened in Virginia, and why he was taken away in handcuffs in the first place.
“Holy shit,” Tamara said, her eyes wide. “So you actually were a wanted man.”
The awe in her eyes sent a smile to Sam’s face, and he answered her quietly.
“Yeah, I was.”
Blaze let out a whistle. “That’s heavy, dude. I’m glad everything is cleared up now. So you’re starting a new life here in N.I. That’s awesome. We’re really glad to have you, man.”
Sam nodded. “I’m glad to be here. And it’s N.I. and Charleston. I go to the University of Charleston now, remember?”
Reed clapped Sam on the back. “I always knew you had it in you, Sam. Damn motherfucking right.”
Sam shot Reed a grin. “So. I see that stage up there is empty tonight. No live band?”
“Nah,” he answered, shrugging. “Kelly said that Friday Night Rhapsody had to cancel. Food poisoning or something. So she’s just playing some tracks over the speakers tonight.”
“Oh, that’s a shame,” Sam said, looking pointedly at Reed. “Considering we have a perfectly good guitarist and songwriter right here in our midst.”
Tate, who was closest to Reed out of the bunch, began to smile slowly. He’d caught on to what Sam was doing, and he liked it.
“Yeah,” he answered, elbowing Reed. “Just do it, man. Enough is enough.”
Reed stared at them. “Y’all have lost your fucking minds. I’m not going up there.”
Aston cocked her head to the side. “What—?”
Sam squeezed her thigh. “Just wait, Princess.”
She clamped her mouth shut, darting suspicious glances between her brother and Sam.
Sam leaned close to Reed. “Come on, Reed. It’s now or never. Show us what you got.”
Reed looked doubtful, but that was his breaking point. Tate saw it and ran up to whisper across the bar to Kelly. She grinned and nodded. Tate looked back and gave them a thumbs-up.
Ten minutes later, Reed was climbing onto the stage with his black guitar, which he kept in his truck.
“We have something special for you tonight, folks,” Kelly said into the mic as Reed pulled up a stool. “The sweet, smooth stylings of Reed Hopewell, our one and only.”
She stepped away from the mic and rubbed Reed on the shoulder before leaving the stage.
Reed leaned forward on his stool and cleared his throat into the microphone. “Uh. Hey. It’s strange for me, being
up here, but yeah. I’m gonna play you something that you know real well first, and we’ll go from there.”
He began to strum, and the strains of Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up” drifted through the crowd. Everyone watched, transfixed, as Reed began to sing, leaving his heart on the stage with him.
Aston leaned into Sam, never taking her eyes from the stage where her brother sat pouring out his soul.
Reed had the entire bar in the palm of his hand, and when he finished the song the floor shook with the standing ovation he received. Everyone knew him, and they hooted and hollered their approval of his secret talent.
Reed smiled, his grin sparkling under the spotlight. And he leaned into the microphone again.
“Yeah? You liked that? Thanks. Now I’d like to play you something of my own.”
And he did, and everyone went wild again. Reed Hopewell was a hit, and he continued to light up the place for the rest of the night.
Twenty-Four
Sam backed Aston up until her back was pressed against the wooden wall of Sunny’s exterior.
“I’ve been sitting next to you…” he began, murmuring against her neck. He pressed his lips to her skin, gripping her hips tightly with both hands.
Aston strained to get ahold of herself. She was attempting to remain calm and in control of her body and her emotions.
“For nine hours in Reed’s truck,” he continued in the growly voice that made her immediately want to rake her nails down his back. “Then all night at this damn bar. I can’t just sit next to you anymore.”
“Oh?” The word escaped in a strangled gasp, not at all the picture of control she was trying to be. “What’d you have in mind, Waters?”
His lips traveled from her neck down to her exposed collarbone, where he began to suck. Then he dragged a small circle on her skin with his tongue, his teeth scraping lightly against her. She clutched at his soft T-shirt and dropped her head back against the wall. His hands slid up the front of her shirt, cupping her breasts and squeezing, and she uttered a breathy moan at the shock and pleasure.
“Sam,” she said in a strained voice. “We’re outside the bar. You want to go home? Because we rode here in Reed’s truck, too.”
She reached into the waistband of his jeans and gripped his hardness in a firm fist, relishing the groan she received in response.
He trembled beneath her exploring fingers. His mouth froze on her neck. He lifted his eyes to peer at her and then he closed them briefly. “Shit, Princess.”
Suddenly, he lifted her, holding her under her thighs and pulling her flush against him. She squirmed, and white-hot need shot straight to his already throbbing, very swollen dick.
“I can’t wait,” he whispered into her ear. And it was her turn to shiver. He carried her into the bar and held out his hand to Reed, who was done with his performance and basking in the glow of it at the table with their friends.
“I need your keys,” Sam demanded, holding out his hand.
Reed eyed them both; Sam gripping Aston tightly with one hand to hide his current state of horniness and Aston giggling, her head buried in his shoulder.
Reed sighed. “Keep it clean in my fucking truck.”
Sam snatched the keys tossed by Reed out of the air and carried Aston back out into the night, climbing right up into the Silverado with her straddling his lap, and slamming the door.
“We aren’t going to make it home,” he warned her as he gunned the rowdy engine. “I waited too long as it is to be with you, and I missed you like hell when I was in that jail cell.”
She smiled at him. “It’s really, really dark over there on that side of the parking lot.”
He glanced that way, and shook his head.
“Uh-uh. I’m not doing this in the dark corner of a bar parking lot. Never with you.”
He put the truck in drive and pulled out of the lot, riding a few torturous miles down the highway. Then he pulled over and drove off the road through a sea of tall grass growing out of the sandy soil. When he pulled to a stop, they were completely alone under a dark blue blanket of sky and stars and miles of quiet South Carolina calm.
“This is more private,” he mused, glancing at her still in his lap.
His deep tawny eyes were wide and completely open to her; she could read every emotion written there, and in addition to the desire in his eyes he was looking at her with rugged, raw, rough-around-the edges love. She sighed happily, and he exited the truck with her heaped in his arms.
She placed her hands on his broad shoulders as she slid down his long body. He stood in front of her, his hands braced on either side of the vehicle and leaned down until their noses were nuzzling.
“I’m so sorry I waited this long to tell you how I felt about you,” he whispered.
His eyes fluttered closed. “This summer with you, especially after what happened with my brother and Ever, has been more than I ever expected to earn in this life. And making love to you the other night was the single most amazing experience of my life. I want to be wrapped up in you like that again and again, Aston. Only you.”
She stared at his lips as he spoke, wondering how long it would take until they claimed hers again. She reached up and framed his face with her hands. He opened his eyes, and they bore into hers.
“I would have waited for you as long as it took,” she answered simply. “Because you’re worth it. You saw what I needed before anyone else did. You saw right through the wall I put up for everyone. So for me, it’s also only you.”
His lips met hers, soft and gentle. He lifted her against him as he kissed her tenderly, carrying her around the truck and setting her down on the edge of the tailgate.
He stood between her thighs and leaned into her, his kiss becoming more urgent as he tangled one hand in her long hair. She pulled away from him and climbed into the bed of the Silverado, reaching into the metal box by the window and pulling out a thick afghan. She spread it out and sat down, crooking her finger to beckon Sam toward her.
Watching her bend over in those skintight jeans to spread out a blanket in the back of a truck bed…he nearly stopped breathing altogether. At her request, he climbed in and crawled to where she sat. Her fingers hitched up his shirt, and he raised his arms so she could pull it off him. His lips were immediately on hers again, and his hands explored all the glorious softness that her skin always offered. Making quick work of those skinny jeans and tight top, he grabbed hold of her under the knees and behind her back and deftly flipped their positions.
“This is new,” she said, a wry smile tugging her lips.
He cupped her round little ass with his hands and squeezed. “I like to keep things interesting.”
She leaned down to kiss him, but the cleavage brushing his face was far too tempting, and he caught hold of her front clasp, letting the skimpy fabric of her bra fall away from her breasts. He pulled her toward him and caught a taut nipple between his teeth.
She hissed, raking her nails down his bare chest as he sucked, leaving her tingling and aching in the very best way.
“I’m going to be honest with you,” he said as she pushed her hips against his hard-on. His hips bucked up to meet her. He stared at his hands covering her breasts in amazement, then raised his eyes to hers.
“There’s never been anything so sexy as the sight of you ready to rock my world in the back of this goddamn truck.”
She threw back her head and laughed. “Don’t get used to it, Waters. I’m a lady.”
“You are,” he agreed. “A lady about to ride me in the back of a truck.”
His lips smothered her giggle as he pulled her head toward him and devoured her mouth with his once again. His hands ran down her bare sides, and she trembled under his gentle fingers. He reacted to her shiver, grinding his hips up against hers, and she closed her eyes in euphoria.
She reached down to pull off his jeans and boxer briefs; she worked with a haste that let him know she wanted to feel him without any more barriers between them.
“Sam,” she whispered.
He gazed up at her, using his strong hands to still her hips above him.
“Yes, Princess?”
“Put it in.”
He grinned at the sexiest statement he’d ever hear. “Seriously? My, you’re bossy tonight.”
She grabbed his length and squeezed. “Are you really gonna argue?” Her eyes glittered dangerously.
He moved, guiding himself to her entrance so that she could press down onto him. The quickness with which she moved surprised them both; they cried out at the sensation caused by the unexpected friction.
“You’re incredible,” he said. “So hot, so wet. So…mine.”
“So yours,” she agreed. “I’m all yours, Sam.”
She ran her hands over the tattoo stretching across the defined abdominal muscles of his stomach.
“Rise,” she whispered. “Have I told you that I love this tattoo?”
He smiled up at her. “No. Do you? Have I told you why I got it?”
She shook her head. He shifted the position of his hips and she moaned as she took friction in the sweetest of spots. His pupils dilated and he pulled her down until their bodies were pressed tightly together.
“I’ll tell you later,” he said. His voice was so rough and sexy it sent tremors through her.
She nodded, and then gasped as he rocked his hips against hers.
His eyes burned directly into hers while she moved against him and she didn’t break the contact. Making love to him while staring into his eyes was an experience she wouldn’t trade for anything in the entire world. It just reminded her that she belonged to this man. She’d never belonged to anyone, not really, and being in Sam’s arms in this completely intimate way was right.
He used his hips and his hands to help her climb, creating delicious friction just where she needed it; and as she reached the brink of her pleasure she fell ecstatically over the edge with his name on her lips. He followed quickly behind her, unable to continue to hold out when she was coming apart all around him.
She might have lost any sense of reality, because the next thing she knew she was on her back, staring up at the stars, and he was kissing her mouth, her nose, her forehead, and then resting his forehead against hers while they unraveled from the high they were riding. When their breathing had calmed, he rolled over onto his elbow, and the absence of his body over hers affected her immediately.
