by Vicki Green
For twenty minutes, I watch her repack my duffle bag then she went into my bathroom and scoured every cabinet shelf, every drawer, and even my medicine cabinet, until she’d repacked my makeup case as well. We stood by my open front door, hugging so tightly I couldn’t catch my breath. Of course, I was so nervous, I’d pretty much stopped breathing an hour before.
“Just relax and have fun. Don’t be so nervous,” she whispers in my ear, her arms like a death grip around me. It’s not like I don’t have some of the shirt on her back, fisted, not wanting to let go. She pulls back but doesn’t release me, looking at me with such love. “Ry, he’s so into you. Trust me.” A throat clears and we both turn our heads, not letting go of each other.
“Am I – interrupting?” He chuckles, and I shiver. I even feel Molly shudder a little.
She surprises me, releases her hold, and walks straight over to him, her hand on her hip. “Have a great time. Take care of our girl and….” She hesitates, and I’m a little scared. “If you hurt her heart, I’ll have to kick your ass.” My eyes widen as she turns around and walks over to me, pulling me into another hug. Looking over her shoulder, I see him standing there – smiling? “Be careful. Have fun.” Then she leans in until I can feel her breath against my ear. “I put an extra-large box of condoms in your bag,” she whispers. “Magnum.” Holy Shit! She steps back, turns and walks out the door. “Bye! Have fun, you two!”
I swallow hard, suddenly nervous. I watch her walk down my front walk, then turn onto the sidewalk. My eyes move to his, standing there patiently. “So. Are you ready to go?” I nod, eager but nervous. “C’mon.” He takes my hand tilts his head at my bag, and I nod. He picks it up, asks me if there’s anything else I want to take and when I shake my head, he smiles. “You can bring a book, if you’d like.” A guy after my own heart.
Turning to face me, he reaches up with his free hand cupping my face. “I mean, I’ll have plenty of things to entertain you.” I feel the warmth of my blush spread underneath his hand. “But this is your vacation too, so I want you to be relaxed and I know how much you love to read.” Oh. My. God! Where have you been all my life? He releases his hold as I walk down the hall and into my bedroom, grab a book and walk back to him. I look up at his gorgeous face and smile. “All set?” When I nod this time, he takes my hand and we walk out through the door. I lock it up behind me, and he leads me the short distance to his driveway. When he opens the car door for me and I slide onto the seat, my heart starts beating wildly. I’m really doing this!
I’m so nervous as he backs out and we leave but within fifteen minutes of the drive, I start to relax. We talk about books, movies, as I watch the scenery go by.
“Best comedy?” I ask.
“Groundhog Day,” he answers.
I laugh. “No! Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” He gives me a smirk.
He looks out the front window then his eyes snap to mine. “Best romance?”
I roll mine. “That’s easy. The Notebook.”
I wait for his answer, anxious to hear what his favorite is.
“Brokeback Mountain.”
“What?”
He laughs and winks. “Sleepless in Seattle.” Dang, for a moment I thought maybe he swung the other way. Scared the shit outta me.
I was so lost in our fun conversation that when I looked out the front window, the scenery had changed. Trees everywhere and we’re on a two lane road. When did that happen? Looking at the clock on the dashboard, I notice we’d only been traveling for about twenty five minutes. “Where are we?” I ask as we move around a bend. I’ve lived here all my life and had no idea there was anything like this so close. Talk about living under a rock.
“You’ll see.” He winks. He winks! And – there’s that sexy dimple making another appearance.
A few more bends, endless trees, and I push the button to lower my window. Fresh air! God, it smells heavenly here! Pine. Crisp fall air. You can faintly see the color of the leaves is already fading from green to become what I suspect is an array of fall colors. Damn, I bet this area is magnificent once all the vibrant colors are showing. Gram and I were always so busy keeping up with the shop that we never got to go anywhere. I had no idea what I was missing out on. Gram. My heart saddens, but I refuse to let anything dampen my time with Jax. We round another corner and he turns off onto a gravel road. The anticipation is overwhelming, excitement growing to epic proportions. I look down when I feel him cover my hand with his, wrapping around until he pushes his fingers through mine. I look up and see him watching me. His eyes snap out the front window as he nods, and I follow his eyes. The trees seem to open and a log cabin appears. It’s one story, with a wraparound porch. Beautiful fall flowers outline the area on each side of the stairs. It’s gorgeous. How did I never know such paradise existed so close by?
He pulls up off the side of the steps, puts it in park, and shuts off the engine. I can’t seem to take my eyes off the cabin. “Wait until you see inside.” I hear him open his door, the crunching sounds of him walking on the gravel, and then my door opens. He takes my hand helping me out, then leads me up the wooden steps. Those same fall flowers are potted, sitting along the porch. A hanging wooden swing and two wooden rocking chairs with a table in between them sit on either side of the front door. I watch as he pushes a key into the lock and after opening the door, he steps back, allowing me to go in first.
I step in, ready to take in everything, when I’m turned around suddenly and pushed against the door. His mouth is on mine. One of his hands wraps around the back of my neck. The other is cupping the side of my face as his tongue makes an entrance. Instinctively, I wrap my arms around his waist, loving the feel of my breasts against his chest. I give him all my air, eagerly, as he turns his head kissing me deeper. Damn! This is some welcome! We’re both panting heavily by the time his mouth leaves mine, resting his forehead against mine.
“I couldn’t take it any longer,” he whispers. “I’ve been wanting to do that since I first saw you today.” He reaches up, and his finger rubs along my bottom lip. “Ready to see the cabin?” And there’s that dimple again. My eyes search his and then I press my mouth against his. Hard. What can I say? That damn dimple makes me crazy. He doesn’t seem to mind as he kisses me back. Even harder. Finally, we’re both gasping for air, our chests rising and falling so quickly against each other’s that I swear I can feel his rapid heartbeat. He steps back, taking my hand and smiles, noticeably still trying to take in air. “C’mon. I’ll show you around.” I’m not sure I can move and really? I’d rather go back to what we were just doing.
It might look like a quaint cabin on the outside but inside it’s more modern. He steps to my side, flips on a light and an enormous living room appears before us. A dark brown leather couch with a matching loveseat and an oversized matching chair sets across from it. Glass end tables on either side of the long couch with the same style coffee table making it a complete set. In front of the setting is a brick fireplace, complete with wood stacked in a large golden rack, sitting on the hearth while above is a beautiful wooden mantle. A very large screen TV hangs above it. It’s modern but cozy at the same time. He tugs on my hand and smiles and leads me across the room and through an open doorway. I stop cold and my mouth drops open as I take in the kitchen. Much like his condo, all the appliances are stainless steel. Another cooks dream. All the things you’d ever want in a kitchen complete with granite countertops, speckled in grays, white and blacks. The breakfast bar has the same countertop and high barstools with black thick leather cushions, setting on wooden legs. On the far wall is a bay window with a glass table sitting in front of it with four wooden chairs with the same black cushions.
I turn around and smile. “This is amazing! Where did you find out about this place?” I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life!
He kisses my nose. “I saw a for sale ad in the newspaper onli
ne.”
My mouth drops open. “You bought it?”
He shrugs, like it’s no big deal. “Yep. Thought it would make a nice place to get out of the city, a getaway.” I look back around, amazed. He tugs on my hand again. “C’mon. You haven’t seen the best part.” My brows raise as I follow him out of the room. The best part? He leads me through the living room, down a small hallway passing a few doors, and into the most beautiful room in the house. The master bedroom. Four poster bed, complete with a white canopy on top, being held by beautiful dark wood, which has intricate carvings set in. The bedding is light brown with swirls of white intermixed. There are matching wood end tables on either side and beautiful lamps on each. Another bay window sits on the side wall. It has a large windowsill aligned with cushions matching the comforter. The perfect place to sit and read. On the wall to my right is a long dresser with a mirror, made from the same dark wood to complete the set. I look at the mirror then at the bed and back again. Hmmm, you could see yourself as you’re having sex, perfectly. I wonder if that was planned.
At that most inappropriate time, my stomach growls. Loudly. He laughs. “C’mon, Coffee Girl. I’ll show you the rest later.” The rest? He pulls me from the room, and it dawns on me that he’d never let go of my hand since we first walked into the cabin. God, I could get used to this. We walk back to the kitchen, and I let out a small gasp when he releases my hand and grabs me by the waist, lifting me onto a barstool with ease. I watch in fascination as he putters around the kitchen.
“What did you say you did for a living?” He must be a millionaire.
He has to be doing one of two things to afford buying this place and the condo. One: he’s into something illegal, like playing the stock market only with insider tips. Or two: he’s found a gold mine somewhere and has dug out so much that he’s swimming in money. Okay, so I have a very vivid imagination.
He chuckles, turns around, and sets down a paper plate holding a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, crust removed and cut in half, accompanied by some chips. I look up and he shrugs. “Never said I was the best cook.” I smile, picking up one half of the sandwich and taking a big bite.
When the peanut butter unsticks from the roof of my mouth, I smile. “I’ll cook tonight.” I can’t wait to try out this kitchen! I wonder what food he has that I can use?
He remains standing in front of me with his own plate of peanut butter goodness. “Oh no! Tonight, I cook out on the grill. Now that I can do. In fact, pretty sure I could be an amazing grill chef.” I let out a snort. I bet that’s not all he’s amazing at.
“Okay. Quit avoiding the question.”
He’s at the fridge and comes back with two bottled waters and hands me one. I twist off the lid and suck down the cold liquid, trying to clear all the peanut butter that’s sticking in my throat. “Question?” Oh yeah? He doesn’t remember like two seconds ago?
“Living? What do you do?” I ask again, tilting my head, my brows raise.
“Oh! Well, you know I’m in the Army Reserves, right?” I nod, taking another bite of my sandwich. “Well, you know I help train the newbies, recruit, but I also do a ton of their paperwork. I get paid for just the weekly visit as I keep everything up to date, all the time.” Oh! So that’s what he’s been typing on his laptop all along. He shrugs. “I’m also a thrifty kind of guy and have been saving ever since I’ve had my very first job. Stacking it away. Never really had a reason to use it until lately, didn’t know where I’d end up.” He takes another bite of his sandwich and shrugs again. We eat in silence for a bit, until he suddenly speaks. “Hurry up, Coffee Girl. I have more to show you.”
God, and I want to see what he has to show me. Desperately!
Chapter 13
Once we finished our lunch, he cleans up – meaning, he threw away our plates and empty bottles and lifted me off the stool by my waist. He might have let me slide down his very toned body, and I might have shivered. Taking my hand, he led me by the eating area but turned and unlocked and opened a door I hadn’t seen there. We walked out onto a large deck, and I gasp when I see the view. So many trees, beautiful grass, the sounds of birds chirping, leaves blowing in the cool breeze, and then at the end of the lawn is a gravel path. I follow it with my eyes as far as I can see then look up to blue sparkling water. A lake? A pond? No matter. It’s breathtaking.
Releasing his hand, I walk over to the wooden railing, placing my hands on top, and just look in awe. Off to the left there’s even an opening with ripples of water over rocks, like it’s streaming in from part of a lake somewhere. It’s romantic. It’s like paradise. I shiver as a breeze blows around me but warm immediately as I feel him behind me, his arms wrapping around my waist. He rests his chin on my shoulder. “Well? What do you think?”
“It’s amazingly beautiful.” I sigh.
“Yes, so amazingly beautiful.”
Turning my head, I look up at him, his eyes staring into mine. Oh my! He leans up, his nose cool against mine then he kisses me. Gentle. Caring. “I’ve wanted to do that since you got peanut butter stuck on the corner of your mouth,” he whispers against my lips, smiling.
I turn in his arms, putting my arms around his neck. “Well, by all means. We can’t have any leftovers there, can we?”
His mouth covers mine. His tongue does a magnificent job ridding me of any leftovers – outside and inside my mouth. God, his tongue is so talented! His kissing becomes harder, less gentle, but God – I love it! His hand moves down my side, over to my breast, and I can’t help my hips bucking into his Hot Tamale that is harder than a rock in his jeans as he tweaks my nipple through my shirt and bra. Why are we still dressed? Suddenly, he stops. Did I do something wrong? Oh, my God! Did I ask why we’re still dressed out loud? We’re panting, both trying to catch our breaths when he leans his forehead against mine.
“Coffee Girl,” he whispers, his breath warm against my overheated skin. I look up and into his eyes. “Don’t think I don’t want you. Right here. Right now.” I swallow hard with his words. “But I want our first time to be special.” He straightens, reaching up and cupping my face, his thumb moving across my cheek. “You deserve that.” Swoon! He grins, and it lightens up my heart. It could brighten the darkest of days. “Why don’t we go unpack our things and go take a walk?”
Hmmm, I definitely need to change into some dry panties. Good thing I brought extra. I had a feeling I’d need them.
We walk. We talk. He holds my hand while we go down dirt paths, around the pond and beyond. I don’t think I’ve ever walked this much – more like hiked. The air is crisp and clean, the colors around here beautiful, and I can only imagine how breathtaking this would be once all the colors have changed on the trees. Trees and more trees. It’s like the perfect getaway place, giving a feeling of seclusion. In some of the books I’ve read, envisioning all the faraway places, the beautiful scenery – nothing compares to this.
Two hours later, my feet hurt, and even though the air is cooler, I feel sweaty. I definitely need a new pair of tennis shoes, or hiking boots, if he ever brings me back here. I hope he brings me back here! Walking up the deck steps never felt so good, knowing I can sit down once inside. Wait! I don’t think I even want to sit on his nice furniture full of sweat and dirt. We walk into the kitchen and he hands me a bottled water from the fridge, iced cold, which I downed in one swallow. “Why don’t you go take a nice long bubble bath?” Bubble bath? He has bubble bath? He laughs. “What? A manly man can take bubble baths.” Oh yeah! Sexy! Standing before me, he leans down and kisses my forehead. “I’d suggest to clean you myself but I want to save that for later.” I gulp. “After.” Double gulp. And swoon! I startle when he smacks my ass. “Go now. Take a luxurious bath. You deserve it after that walk.” It was more like a hike. I smile and start walking from the kitchen. “Everything you need is in the master bathroom. Help yourself!”
Still smiling and rubbing my ass, I walk through the living room, into the hallway, and into his room. I close the door, feeling a tad shy, and look around the room. I didn’t get to fully take it all in earlier. “God. It’s like it could be out of a style magazine,” I murmur as I walk over to my duffle bag. What should I wear? Taking out a clean pair of dry panties, a clean t-shirt and a nice pair of yoga pants – yes, I have a nice pair, I walk into the bathroom and flip on the light. My mouth drops to the floor as my eyes scan the room. Hell, this is almost as big as my bedroom. Granite countertops, with different shades of grays, a white, long linen closet beside the counters, a Jacuzzi tub across from the porcelain toilet, and at the end – a huge shower that has overhead faucets – yes, I said plural, most likely the rain shower heads. There’s a built in bench, one that could be used for the ease of shaving legs, or sitting while…. You get the picture.
Setting my things on the counter, I open the linen closet and get out the most fluffy towel, large enough to cover my entire body and on the top shelf is an array of bubble bath, lilac salts, lotion, and – feminine products? Okay, that’s a little strange. Shrugging, I walk over and start the water in the tub, add a little of the bubble bath, and then walk back into the bedroom to get my book. Since the third of the Dreams series isn’t out yet, I brought a new romance novel. A stand alone. Thank God! Settling into the tub of warm water, I open the book and begin reading, loving the feel of the bubbles surrounding me and how my aching legs and feet find a little comfort.
