His hand catches mine as he grins and pulls us toward the driveway.
“You do now!” he exclaims with the same elation his sister had at the church.
“Uh… what? What are you talking about?” I stumble in my heels as he hurries us across the patio, pausing only to help me catch my balance. He stops in front of a Ford F-350 on raised wheels. I look up at the cab of the truck and back at him. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to climb into that.”
Without warning, he opens the door, picks me up so gently that I don’t even realize he’s moved me until I’m sitting in the bench seat of the cab. As he closes the door and walks to his side of the truck, I quickly look around and see camo seat covers, a tackle box in the backseat, and a camo garter hanging from the rearview mirror. The smell of mulch hits the fresh, yet woodsy scent of his cologne as he climbs in beside me and roars the engine to life.
“Hang on, Jules, we’re about to make you country,” he declares with a grin full of excitement. Seriously, where do these Ladners get their enthusiasm?
***
Shifting gears, I grin and watch a shocked Jules hanging on tightly as I cut through the field to the lake. I should probably be back at the party, listening to my father boast on my sister, but unlike the other guests, he doesn’t have to convince me. I know Brianna is an incredible, kind, and devoted young woman. Besides, Bri never mentioned how attractive her future sister-in-law was either.
Jules is the hottest brunette I’ve seen in a while with the brightest blue eyes that I can barely pull my attention away from. Her complexion is dark, especially for this time of the year and her sultry cocktail dress displays a pair of smoking hot, toned legs that make me want to know where they end.
I feel my pants getting tight and force myself to look away from her. I haven’t dated in almost a decade and the last time I was intimate with a woman was two years ago. I need to get it together before Jules notices and I don’t get a chance to get to know her myself. Between her looks and the stories I’ve heard about her, I have a feeling we’ll probably get along very well, maybe too well.
Chapter 6
I quickly find out where Bentley gets his excitement from. The bump and thump of his diesel truck bouncing over the field, driving through the mud. The guy is grinning ear to ear as I’m holding on to the “oh-shit” handle above the door and hanging on for dear life. It doesn’t take us too long to reach the lake where he backs his truck up and shuts off the engine. He turns to me with a sideways grin and a wink.
“Ready?”
I shake my head, waiting for my stomach to settle. Ignoring my gesture, Bentley jumps down from his truck. He walks to my side, opening the door and offering his hand to help me down. Gripping my right hand tightly, his left hand moves to my waist to steady me as I slide out of his truck. I hang on to him as gracefully as I can while trying not to let my dress fly up at the same time. Once my feet are on the ground, he doesn’t let go of my hand. Instead he guides us to the back of his vehicle where he drops the tailgate.
When he lets go of me, I’m confused by the tingling sensation flowing through my body, starting where his hand had held mine. I don’t have long to contemplate what this means as he grabs me by the waist again and sets me on the end of his truck.
Grumbling, I mutter, “I’m not a ragdoll.” Geez, the man just swings me around however he feels.
He frowns. “Sorry about that. Would you like me to help you down so you can climb up in that dress of yours?”
My cheeks glow at his comment as my legs dangle from his truck and I look down knowing there’s no way I would’ve made it up myself. I roll my eyes and give a slight shudder as a breeze blows off the lake in the cool March evening.
Bentley slips his suit coat off and holds it in front of me with raised eyebrows. “Want my jacket?”
I start to protest, but when another wind blows through, I gladly slip it around my shoulders as I mutter thanks.
Bentley rolls up the sleeves of his white dress shirt and loosens his tie. Standing in front of me, he leans toward me and I freeze, not sure what he’s going to do. His face just inches from me, his lips turn sideways while his hand reaches behind me and he retrieves two fishing poles. Relaxing a bit, still confused as to why his touch and proximity are making me nervous, I lean back on my hands while he hums a somewhat familiar tune and untangles the fishing line.
“What are you humming?”
He looks up, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “Get Your Shine On.”
I scrunch my nose, not familiar with the name at all. “Who is it by?”
Letting out a deep belly chuckle, he looks at me and gets serious when he sees I’m not clear what he’s talking about. “Florida Georgia Line… You know who they are, right?”
I shrug. I’ve heard a few of their songs on the radio, but I’m not a country fan. Bentley turns his attention back to the fishing poles, still shocked by my lack of musical knowledge as he shakes his head. Picking up both poles, he turns toward the lake which is a muddy mess on the shore line.
“What about your suit?” I ask. One step toward the water and he’ll be ankle deep in mud.
He shrugs. “I’ll get it cleaned… or get a new one.”
I scoff and shake my head. Of course, he’ll just get a new one. The man’s probably never had to work a day in his life for anything. Bentley stops suddenly and turns to face me.
Nodding in my direction, he asks, “What was that?”
“What was what?” I look around, trying to figure out what he’s talking about.
That sideways smile reappears and he nods directly at me. “You. That pouty noise you just made. What was that?”
Narrowing my eyes and throwing all manners out the window, despite what Paulie begged, I throw up my hands. “You’ll just buy another one? Must be nice to have been raised in this picture perfect house, being able to ride your horse around your land, plucking money off the money tree. Ugh!”
Bentley’s smile disappears and for a brief second I think I’ve crossed the line. Frowning, he retorts, “We never had horses.”
His eyes lift up to meet mine and we both inspect each other carefully. After a few seconds, the moment passes and his lips form a smile again. His grin, along with his comment, make me laugh out loud and I bury my head in my hands.
“Oh my gosh! You must think I’m awful, don’t you?”
My cheeks are on fire as I hide my face. I can’t believe I said that and even worse, I can’t believe he took it. Somehow, some way, I wish I was back in the party listening to Mr. Ladner brag about Bri. Then, without notice, I feel Bentley’s large, slightly calloused hands on my ankle as he pulls off my heel.
“What are you doing?”
Removing my second heel, he shrugs. “I know women are usually fond of their heels so we’ll salvage those, but I can buy you a new dress, just picked the money tree this morning.”
As my cheeks flame brighter, his finger moves under my chin as he lifts my head to look at him. “You’re cute when you blush.”
I shake my head as they burn even more. He runs his finger under my jawline and winks in the moonlight. “Don’t be embarrassed, Jules. I’m sure I can find something about you to make fun of.”
His hands move to my waist and I grasp his broad shoulders as he helps me down. Wet grass and dirt squish beneath my toes, slightly grossing me out, but at the same time, I enjoy the feeling. Bentley grabs my hand and leads us to the water’s edge where the grass and dirt quickly become mud.
Setting up the poles in the ground and ringing the bell at the top to make sure they work, I stand close to him for safety, worried about whatever creatures might get me in the dark of the night. When he turns around, he runs directly into me, not realizing how close I am. His hands wrap around my torso as he keeps me upright and that warm feeling rushes over me as his eyes smile at me.
“You okay?” he asks.
I nod and his hands linger before he guides us back to the grass. He rummages aroun
d in his backseat and pulls out a blanket that he spreads over the ground. Taking a seat, he pats the ground beside him.
“Sit down. Now we wait.”
Not knowing what else to do, I walk to him and do as I’m told. We both stretch our legs out in front of us. I lean back on my hands while Bentley lays on his back, arms folded behind his head as he watches the sky above us.
“The view is great from down here,” he says with a smile.
I glance up at the twinkling stars above us. Sighing, I lay down beside him. I fold my hands over my stomach as I take in the breathtaking view which really is exceptional when lying flat on the ground.
“So, Jules Rossi, tell me something.”
Twisting my head, I look at him confused, unsure what he wants to hear. His head turns to me and that dimple appears again. “Tell me about you, your brother, why you hate money.”
I laugh. “I don’t hate money as obvious with my heels. I just didn’t grow up with it, I had to work for it.”
He nods and looks back at the sky. Frogs croak around the lake as we both lay there silently. The music from the party floats down the pasture toward the lake. There’s a small jingle of a bell and I start to sit up until Bentley’s hand gently grabs my arm.
“They’re teasing us, it’s not a bite.”
Looking at him before I lay back down, I notice that his biceps stretch the material of his shirt to their maximum capacity. He doesn’t seem particularly muscular anywhere else except in his arms. I lay back down as the crickets chirp around us. Slowly and quietly, Bentley begins to speak and I roll my entire body toward him, giving him my full attention.
“My parents started their landscaping business the year after I was born. My father was tired of working for ‘the man’ and my mom wanted to work from home. It took them over fifteen years to finally turn any profit. It wasn’t until high school that my mom was able to hire someone to help her in the office and she began cooking our family suppers again. My dad still worked in the trenches with his staff until a year before he retired. They worked hard to get what they have.” Bentley turns his gaze to me, his dimple gone as he says, “Not everything is as it seems.”
Swallowing hard, feeling like a total ass, I nod, unable to speak after that. Turning his body to the face me, he runs his finger along my jawline. “I know that J.P. has put in the time and effort to be successful in his sales position and it seems like he’s done a damn fine job of raising you. We all have a story, we all have a background. Own it, be proud of it, and don’t be scared of what’s ahead.”
My eyes are locked with his chestnut stare and I can’t move. He just put me in my place and I don’t mean that he made me feel like an idiot for my completely out-of-line comment. No, he looked in me in eyes and told me to be proud of my past. Proud of the hardships Paulie and I have overcome. Proud of where we are now. He’s right, I should stop dwelling on the past and move forward with the present. I may not have been raised by my parents, but I never lacked any love.
Bentley jumps to his feet as the bells jingle. Reaching down, he grabs my hand and pulls me up before I have even registered what the ringing indicates. Romping through the mud, he urgently tells me, “Come on, you’ve got a bite!”
“What? How do you know it’s mine?”
“Mine was the black pole,” he explains as he picks up the rod.
Looking back and forth between the two, I object, “They’re both—”
Placing the reel in my hand, he moves behind me. His long torso is pressed against my body as his arms slide underneath mine. I hear a splash in the water and my heart races at his proximity and the excitement of what’s on the other end of the line. Bentley mutters under his breath, which blows against my ear, “Steady… steady… loosen up…”
Hearing the intensity in his soft words, I focus on them carefully, doing exactly as he directs. His hand is over mine as I slowly reel in the line and something powerful tugs on the other end. Five feet from the edge, a large catfish pops out of the water.
“Oh!” I exclaim, even more excited to see my prize.
“Easy, Jules, you’ve got it. Slow… now reel him in!” Bentley instructs, letting go of my hand as I spin the reel as fast as I can, playing tug of war with the beast.
Less than a minute later, I’m almost ankle deep in mud and Bentley’s in the lake pulling my prize catch out of the water. Meanwhile, I’m bouncing up and down like a giddy child on Christmas morning. He walks over to me with a smug grin. He hands the fish to me and surprisingly I take it, despite my fear of touching anything slimy and gross.
“Nice catch, Jules,” Bentley says and I beam from the praise of my teacher.
“Julianna?”
Spinning around, I see Paulie shining a flashlight on me with Bri right beside him. Flicking the light to Bentley and then back to me, he asks, “What are you doing?”
Unable to wipe the grin off my face, I reply, “Night fishing!”
***
I can tell from J.P.’s frown that he’s not happy with either of us, but the look on Jules’ face as she holds her fish is worth it. Her brother’s tone slightly kills her buzz and I can tell the reality that she’s touching a scummy amphibian has clicked in her brain. Her arms quiver and I reach out to take the fish from her. Her neon red cheeks let me know she’s uncomfortable being “caught.”
“Where are your shoes? Are you covered in mud?” J.P. questions her like she’s a child.
Jules’ eyes narrow and even though I just met her, I can tell she’s about to respond with a snarky comment. Stepping in front of her, shielding her from her brother, I answer for her, “Her heels are in my truck and I’m sure Bri has something Jules can change into, right?”
My sister nods, her eyes wide in awe and I want to laugh, but I hold it in. J.P. tries to look behind me, but from the feel of Jules’ hands on the middle of my back, I know he can’t see her. I try to hide my smile, enjoying her touch and even more how alive she makes me feel, something that’s been missing in my life for much too long.
J.P. nods and mutters, “Fine” as he turns to walk off. I take a couple steps in his direction. “Look, don’t be upset with her. I’ve been itching to night fish this time of year and I’m the one who dragged her away from the party. It’s not her fault, I promise.”
I extend my hand as a peace offering. Bri stares between us both until J.P. finally takes it and shakes, making a silent truce. Promising to have her back at the party in half an hour, I turn back to the lake. Once Bri and J.P. are far enough away from us, Jules doubles over and begins laughing hysterically. It’s an infectious laugh and I join her, unsure what she thinks is humorous but encouraging her to keep it up as the sound of her laughter makes me smile, another thing I don’t do often enough. Closing the gap between us, she still laughs, but it slowly gets quieter as my hand cups her cheek and I look into her eyes. I watch her eyes shimmer in the moonlight and she swallows slowly.
“Thanks for getting me out of trouble,” she says quietly, sucking in her bottom lip and chewing on it nervously.
This woman has awakened every sexual nerve in my body. Aside from wanting to lay her down on the blanket and really get her dress dirty, I have the strong desire to protect her. Protect her from anything bad that can happen, including a scolding from her brother, but more importantly protect her from herself and her past.
Her lips are tempting me, making me want to cross the unspoken line that’s been drawn. Licking my lips, I let go of her body and nod. “Anytime, Jules, anytime,” I answer and start to collect my fishing gear.
Chapter 7
One week later and I’m surrounded by tulle, satin, and so many rhinestones that I almost need to wear sunglasses. Love ballads play quietly through the speakers as I’m squeezed in between the nine other bridesmaids, Bri’s mother, her three aunts, both of her grandmothers, and four saleswomen helping us. Wiggling, I raise and move to the back of the room just so I can breathe some fresh oxygen. It’s only two hours in and
I have a feeling this little version of hell won’t be over any time soon.
The women chat amongst themselves as we wait for Bri to try on another wedding gown. I’ve lost count, but we’re well into double digits by now. The chatter stops as the bride-to-be enters the room which is filled with collective gasps of ohs and ahs. I bite down on the inside of my cheek, trying to keep my eye rolling in check.
Standing on the podium in the middle of the mirrors, Bri turns side to side, looking at herself from all angles. I hold my breath and cross my fingers that she’ll pick this god-awful dress. This thing has to weigh at least fifty pounds with all the material and feathers that dress up the skirt. Pick this one, pick this one! I plead internally.
Frowning, Bri shakes her head. “No, this isn’t it.”
In unison, all the women who were just ohhing and ahhing not even two minutes ago nod, making comments that they agree. Unable to stop myself, I roll my eyes, this is ridiculous and I’m really starting to get hungry. Looking at these girls with their Barbie-doll figures, I imagine they can probably go all day without eating. Bri exits to the dressing room, prolonging my purgatory.
“Can you believe she asked his sister to be the maid-of-honor?” one of her sorority sisters says to another one.
“I know, it totally should have been you, Nikki,” the other one comments.
The first girl, Nikki, shrugs her shoulders. “I heard J.P. begged Bri to have his sister be in the wedding, refused to marry her if she didn’t.”
He what? I can feel all the blood drain from my face as I hear her comment. Quietly slipping out of the room, I make my way outside. Pacing the sidewalk, I try to steady my hands to find Paulie’s number in my phone. Thank goodness for my Otterbox because the phone slips from my hand at least twice before I place the call.
“Hey Jules, how’s the dress shopping going?” he asks in a chipper voice that makes me want to punch him through the phone.
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