Blown Away

by Brenda Rothert

  “I can understand that.”

  “I got angry with the enemy when my buddies died in combat, too. And there was no one to take it out on. I felt like a ticking time bomb sometimes.”

  Drew set her cup down on the table by the couch and got up. She walked over and wrapped her arms around my waist.

  “Sweet Aiden,” she murmured against my chest, “you’ve been through so much. I wish I could have comforted you when you needed it.”

  I swallowed hard and wrapped my arms around her back. She was soft and warm, but her words affected me more than the feel of her. I couldn’t believe how much it moved me to hear those words from her.

  “I could’ve been nicer last night,” I said in her ear. “Sorry for being so…abrasive.”

  She laughed softly. “You, abrasive? Never.”

  Her body was still tight with tension. I pulled back enough to look into her eyes.

  “You still upset?”

  She sighed deeply. “No. I just feel like maybe I don’t belong here anymore. Maybe I never did, I don’t know. I wanted to see why Colby was so drawn to chasing, and I see now.”

  I cupped her cheek in my palm. “You belong here, Drew. You fit. And you love it, I can tell.”

  The corners of her lips turned up in a small smile. “You’d trust me in a bad situation?”

  “Completely.”

  Her smile grew bigger. “Thank you. I do love being part of this team. It feels good to know you think I belong.”

  She moved in close again and my blood pumped from the warm closeness of her.

  “You look really good in my shirt,” I said.

  She stroked her fingertips up and down my lower back. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  “We’re both gonna need a shower after this. I’m all sweaty.”

  Drew made a low humming sound against my chest. “If we’re already sweaty…a little more won’t hurt, will it?”

  “Hell no, it won’t.”

  I ran my hands up her back and into her hair, kissing her soft and slow for a few seconds before I put one hand on her lower back and pulled her against me.

  She moaned a little louder when she felt my hard cock pressing against her.

  “You want me, Drew?” I said in a low tone against her neck.

  Another moan. “Yes. I want you.”

  I hooked my thumbs into her panties and slid them off. She pulled the T-shirt up and off, revealing the pink nipples I could never pass up tasting. I played with them, licking, sucking and biting while I kicked off my shoes and slid down my shorts and underwear.

  When I pulled back, I took my T-shirt off and slid my hands around to cup her ass, stopping at the last second.

  “Fuck,” I mumbled. “Let me get a condom.”

  “It’s okay. I’m still on the pill.”

  I met her eyes, my heart stirring with something unknown. I’d never fucked a woman without a condom, and the thought of doing it to Drew filled me with hot, crazy lust.

  She didn’t waver. I cupped her ass and lifted her, easing her down onto my cock.

  “Oh my God,” she cried. “Aiden.”

  She was so hot and wet and tight. I groaned loudly as she sank all the way down my length. She gripped my shoulders, holding on tight as I lifted her up and down again.

  “So fuckin’ good,” I ground out, my eyes still locked on hers.

  “Faster,” she panted, and I obliged. She was taking all of me now, moaning her satisfaction every time I sank back into her.

  I turned around, set her on the island counter, and hooked an arm under one of her thighs, not missing a beat in my deep, rhythmic pounding into her. The harder I went, the louder she moaned.

  “You like it rough, don’t you, baby?”

  Her lips were parted and her eyes were glazed with lust. More, more, more. I could see it on her face.

  I grabbed her hips and fucked her deep and hard. She sank her nails into my shoulders and gave a long, guttural cry. Her pussy clamped down on my cock, a gush of wetness telling me she was coming, and hard.

  When I let myself go, I put my forehead against hers, my hands squeezing her hips as I came hard and hot inside her. It went on and on, her lips open against mine as we moaned into each other’s mouths in unison.

  My body went limp and I relaxed my hold on her. I was breathing hard and sweating, feeling drained in the best possible way.

  “That was…like nothing else,” I said. “I’ve never come that hard.”

  “I know. It was amazing.”

  “You’re gonna be sore in several places.”

  She leaned forward and kissed me softly. “So worth it.”

  “We’re okay, then?”

  She wrapped herself around me and laughed softly. “I’d say we’re more than okay. Can we do that again tonight?”

  “Baby, we can do that anytime you want.”

  “Like that? Rough?”

  “Like that,” I promised. “I can take things even further if you want me to.”

  She pulled away and met my eyes, her arousal obvious. “Yes. I want to try new things with you. Things we’ve…well, I’ve never done.”

  “I’ve never done ’em with you, though, Drew. And we might be able to find a new thing or two. We just did something I’ve never done, didn’t we?”

  She grinned at me and slid down from the counter. “Yes. Maybe we can talk about it on the road today?”

  I groaned halfheartedly. “You gonna make me storm chase with wood?”

  “Come on, it’ll be fun. Think of it as foreplay.”

  She started dressing in the clothes she’d worn yesterday. I was already thinking about taking her clothes off again later.

  “Play with me all you want today,” I said, my low tone steady. “And tonight I’ll show you how rough I can be.”

  She locked her eyes on mine and licked her lips. “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  She left the camper to shower and I grabbed a bottle of water and downed it. Today was going to be really fucking long.

  Chapter 22

  Drew

  There was something different between me and Aiden today. It was like we’d gotten more comfortable with each other between yesterday and today. Maybe we’d grown closer from the fighting and makeup sex.

  Whatever it was, it was good.

  We were driving across Oklahoma, and Aiden had spent the first hour telling me about the forecast. Murph had given it to him in less than five minutes, but it took longer for me to get it. I had to interrupt often for explanations of terms like “vortex,” “updraft,” and “wall cloud.”

  My mind was starting to wander.

  “Can I tell you something?” I asked, turning to him.

  He nodded slightly.

  “I’m not sure I want to know. About Colby, I mean. Maybe he cheated, maybe he didn’t, but I guess it doesn’t matter, does it?”

  Aiden considered for a few seconds. “It’s not that it doesn’t matter. Would knowing give you closure, even if it wasn’t what you wanted to hear?”

  “I asked myself that last night. I laid in bed and thought about this for a long time. And I think…no. The closure came after his death for me. I mourned him and the loss of what we had, and opening it back up…”

  “Won’t change anything,” Aiden finished.

  “Does it bother you if I talk about him?”

  He gave me a serious look. “No. It would bother me if you felt like you couldn’t talk to me about him.”

  “Whatever he did or didn’t do…it’s over.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Would you want to know?”

  Aiden laughed softly. “I’ve never been in a relationship like that, so I don’t know. I guess I’d probably want to know.”

  “Knowing might make me even more cynical.”

  “You’re not cynical.”

  “Oh, I am. Inside I’m very cynical.”

  “I hate the thought of you being cynical,” he said. “There
’s gotta be something you believe in.”

  “I believe in myself. And my brother and sister. It’s everyone else in the world I’m skeptical of.”

  Aiden sighed. “I get that. I’m the same way. Cynicism’s a dead-end road, though.”

  “I believe you look really good in that hat.” I grinned at him.

  “Oh yeah?” He pulled the brim of his black Hawkeyes baseball hat down a bit.

  “Has anyone ever told you you look like a young Russell Crowe?”

  He nodded. “A time or two.”

  “I bet you were really sexy in your Army uniform.”

  “What, Class As? Dress uniform?”

  “Oh, that too,” I said. “I was picturing you in the camo one.”

  “Combat uniform. I still wear trousers from that one when I hike or work on the cabin.”

  I scrunched my face in thought. “Is that where you live? I don’t know where you live.”

  “I live in the camper.”

  “You do? All the time?”

  “Yep. I’ve got electricity and water hookups at the cabin.”

  “So the cabin isn’t far enough along for you to live in?”

  A flicker of uncertainty passed over his face. “It’s not that.”

  His tone told me this was a sensitive subject, so I dropped it. But after about a minute of silence, he brought it up again.

  “My dad had a dream of building a log home on a lake, with woods all around. Mom, too, actually. They had the plans and everything, which survived the tornado somehow. One of the neighbors found an envelope in his yard with the plans in it. I figured it was a sign, so I’m building it.”

  My heart felt squeezed by the rush of emotion I felt. Aiden wouldn’t look at me. It was like he was waiting to see how I’d judge this fragile bit of himself he’d just shared.

  “You’re not as cynical as you think,” I said.

  He smiled, looking out at the road in front of the truck. “Well, I can’t live in the damned thing. I thought I’d be able to, but…it’s meant for a family. My mom’s huge pantry. Dad’s wine cellar. It just wouldn’t feel right to live there by myself.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “It’s not done, anyway. It’s livable, but not done. I’m taking my time with it, ’cause when I’m done, who knows? Guess I’ll have to sell it.”

  “Will you?”

  He shook his head. “Not really. My folks had enough life insurance that money’s not an issue for me. But I’ll become the town nutcase if I finish it and keep living in my camper in the driveway.”

  I smiled at the thought. “Forget the Lipton busybodies. Do whatever you want.”

  “The camper’s all I need. Well, besides a shower. I just shower at the gym every day, though.”

  “I’d like to see it sometime. The cabin.”

  He glanced at me, his eyes alight. “Yeah? I think you’d like it. I finished the fireplace last winter. It’s two stories of natural stone.”

  “Sounds beautiful. If you ever need help…well, I have no skills at all that would help you.”

  “I can teach you.”

  I warmed at the thought of me and Aiden alone at his cabin, working and talking. Or not talking. Just being. He was so easy to be with.

  “Deal. I can teach you how to shampoo hair in exchange.” I laughed at my joke. “Or how to wax? You never know when waxing skills will come in handy.”

  “Ain’t nobody waxing me,” he said adamantly. “Ever.”

  “You don’t want silky smooth junk?”

  He scowled. “Junk isn’t meant to be silky smooth. Pussies, on the other hand…hell yeah.”

  My cheeks warmed and my heart kicked up speed as he spoke. Anytime Aiden talked about sex, I melted into a puddle. His confidence was such a turn-on.

  “I’ve had Brazilians before, but I’m working a landing strip now,” I said. “Guess you know that.”

  He smiled. “Your pussy’s perfect. I love the way you taste.”

  My face was flaming now. It was one thing to talk about this stuff in bed, but while he was driving down the road, sipping a cup of coffee?

  It felt forbidden, which was probably why I could feel myself getting wet from the way he was looking at me.

  “You’re sexy when you blush,” he said.

  “You’re sexy…pretty much all the time,” I returned.

  He hummed with satisfaction. “So you want me to do my worst tonight, or have you reconsidered?”

  I swallowed hard, my heart hammering furiously.

  “Your worst sounds…hot, unless it’ll leave marks on me.”

  He arched his brows and laughed. “Jesus Christ, Drew, hurting women doesn’t turn me on. Some red marks on your ass and a sore cunt’s about the worst of it with me.”

  I let out a nervous laugh. “That’s the first time anyone’s ever used the word ‘cunt’ in a conversation with me.”

  “And you liked it.” He spoke with certainty, not even looking at me. “Didn’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  Another hum of satisfied amusement. “If I pulled over to the side of the road and told you to suck my cock, would you do it?”

  “Yes.” No hesitation.

  Aiden made me want things I’d never wanted before. He made me want to be brazen. Admit what really turned me on. He just made me want, want, want.

  “I’d do it if I wasn’t following Murph. Wouldn’t want them to come back to check on us and see you sucking me off.”

  I reached for the knob to the air conditioner and cranked it up. Aiden smirked with amusement.

  “Hot?” he asked.

  “So hot.”

  “Me too, baby.”

  Chapter 23

  Drew

  The parking lot at Sneaky Steve’s was full. Several women spilled out of the front door, holding each other up as they laughed and staggered toward a car. Friday night was apparently in full swing.

  I’d thought my night would be in full swing right about now, too, but I’d somehow managed to leave Drew in my camper, telling her I had to run out but would be back soon.

  Not soon enough. I was on fire for her after our day together. I wanted to move fast and get back to her as soon as possible.

  As soon as I walked in, I saw Brandi delivering drinks to a table near the door. I approached and waited until she was done.

  “Hey,” I said in greeting.

  “Hi again.”

  “Have you got a minute to talk? It won’t take long.”

  She looked around at the tables and then back at me. “Yeah, I’ve got a minute. We can go outside.”

  We left the blaring jukebox behind and stood on the sidewalk outside the bar. Brandi looked at me expectantly, her serving tray tucked under her arm.

  “So I know this is gonna seem strange, but I was here with Colby last year. The last time you saw him.”

  She furrowed her brow. “I’m sorry about his fiancée getting upset. I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to start anything.”

  “Yeah, I know.” I took off my hat, ran a hand through my hair, and put it back on. “So, that time we were here…the last time…you and Colby left for, like, ten minutes. Can I ask what you did?”

  “What we did?”

  “I need to know for my own peace of mind. I know Colby was flirting with you. He’d flirted with other women, too, and I told him once that he needed to act like a guy with a fiancée at home instead of a hormonal frat boy. But after that I never brought it up again.”

  “And now his fiancée…she’s upset because she thinks there was something going on with me and him?”

  “Well, it looks bad. And if you tell me you gave him a blow job in the back room, I’m not telling her. I just need to know for myself. I’m wondering if I should’ve said more to him than I did.”

  Brandi sighed deeply. “You know what? He wanted to see my tattoo. I’d just gotten it a couple days earlier. It’s between my hip and my hoo-ha because I’m in nursing school and I’m not a
llowed to have visible tats. I took him into the kitchen and showed it to him.”

  “The kitchen?”

  “Yep. My boyfriend was a Marine who died in combat overseas so I had his name tattooed. Jonathan. Colby said he wanted to get a tat that said ‘lush’ and he asked to see my letters.”

  I closed my eyes and looked at the ground.

  “Fuck. Brandi, I’m sorry. About Jonathan, and for assuming something I shouldn’t have.”

  “It’s okay. I get it a lot. You know, bleached blond hair, big boobs…and I’m kinda a flirt myself.” She paused for a second. “You know, my brother Scott works in the kitchen here. Colby wanted to see his ink, too. We got them at the same time. Scott’s back there now. Let’s go see him for a sec.”

  I shook my head. “That’s okay. I believe you, Brandi.”

  “I know you do,” she said, grinning as she opened the bar’s front door again. “That’s why I’m offering.”

  I followed her through the bar and then down the hallway Colby had returned from last year. I felt like an asshole when I saw that the only doors led to the bathrooms and the kitchen.

  The kitchen was staffed with a handful of people. Two were washing dishes, one was cooking, and another was watching a baseball game on a small TV on the wall.

  “Scott,” Brandi said to the guy watching the game. He turned to us. “You remember a year ago when I brought a guy back here? Tall, average build, dark hair.”

  Scott scrunched his face in thought. “I think so. Why?”

  “You remember why I brought him in?”

  “We showed him our tats. Dipshit said he was getting one that said ‘lush.’ ”

  Brandi smacked him on the cheek before I even knew it was happening. “Shut your face, asshole. He’s dead now.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  She gave me a smug look that said, See? Told you so.

  “Thanks, man,” I said to Scott, clapping him on the shoulder.

  Brandi walked me back to the front door.

  “Tell your friend he was a good guy,” she said, leaning in to talk in my ear over the music. “I offered to show him more than the tattoo but he turned me down. I didn’t know he was engaged, but now it makes sense.”

  I nodded, relief setting in.

  “Thanks, Brandi,” I said, meeting her eyes.