by J. H. Croix
He turned his eyes back to the highway in front of us. Interstate 90 was taking us through the upper part of the United States. Of course, my eyes, ever willful, lingered on the flex of his forearm as he rolled the steering wheel under his hand when the highway took a subtle curve. That was how bad I had it. Mack’s hands turned me on. But it wasn’t just his hands. It was his forearms, his shoulders, his jaw, his nose, and every freaking inch of his body. And I was so screwed because I’d actually seen just about every inch of his body.
A part of me wrestled with whether this attraction—or rather, raw burning lust—was a one-way street, yet my body sure didn’t think so. I hadn’t missed the flares of heat that went up in his dark blue eyes whenever they snagged with mine. I thought he had things more under control than me, though. I had it so bad for Mack that for the past three nights in a row I’d masturbated in the bathroom in the middle of the night in an effort to fall sleep.
We hadn’t laid a single hand on each other, and I’d had more orgasms in the week I’d been traveling with him than I’d had with any man. Ever.
“The Badlands, here we come,” I said, trying to steel myself to tolerate the madness of the heat pulsing through my veins. It was bad enough we were sharing a room every night, but during the day, I was trapped in the truck with him. The space felt so small.
Chapter Six
Ash
“Hey, baby,” a man’s voice said over my shoulder right before his palm grabbed my ass and squeezed hard enough to make me jump.
I spun around. “I’m not your baby, and keep your hands to yourself.”
“Oh, come on, baby,” the guy muttered.
I opened my mouth to spew a retort, but the guy was suddenly lifted off his feet. Mack came into view when he set the guy down a few feet away as if he were a toy. “She said to keep your hands to yourself.”
I wasn’t usually the kind of girl who got all wound up by seeing a man be protective. Apparently, I was that kind a girl when it came to Mack. A thrill chased down my spine and goose bumps prickled over my skin as Mack stepped in front of me, all tall, growly, and so freaking manly and sexy.
“Let’s get a booth,” Mack murmured as he leaned down to be heard over the noise.
The feel of his lips brushing against my ear sent heat chasing through me, and I almost moaned out loud. After I wrestled my rebellious body under control—hell, it was like yanking on the reins of a galloping wild pony—I replied, “Sounds like a plan.”
I couldn’t help it. Whenever Mack led me through a crowd, my body spun like a little top. His big palm landed on the side of my waist as he guided me through the room. By virtue of his size, the crowd usually parted for him.
In another moment, Mack magically found us a booth in the far corner after a heavy wink at one of the waitresses while she was cleaning it. I leaned back in the wooden bench seat and let out a sigh.
“You okay, Ash?” Mack drawled as he snagged a menu from where it was tucked between the salt and pepper shakers in the middle of the table.
I wasn’t about to tell him that I was sighing in relief at having a few feet between us. I was in serious danger of making a move on Mack, and I knew it was a really bad idea.
Mack would probably have far more sense than me and point out just how bad of an idea it was, leaving me to deal with that awkward rejection for days. Maybe even weeks or months. Because it wasn’t as though he was going anywhere in my life. We might not be cramped together day and night after this trip, but our lives were still inextricably entwined in Stolen Hearts Valley.
Even worse, maybe he wouldn’t turn me away, and we’d end up having bad sex. Because I was really good at finding guys who sucked in bed and then staying with them.
There was a third option, though. Mack wouldn’t turn me away, the sex would be as good as my body thought it would be, and then all hell would break loose. Because that would make it even more awkward. I wasn’t looking for love. Hell, I gave up on love after my fiancé, who I thought I loved even though he sucked in bed, was getting ready for our wedding the very same morning his girlfriend sent me screenshots of their graphic texts, dick pics and all.
I’d sworn off men as far as looking for romance, then like a fool, I decided a friends-with-benefits thing would be right up my alley. Kyle had been hot, cute, and totally flirtatious, so my body thought he’d be great in bed too. I no longer trusted my body’s radar when it came to guesstimating the potential for a man in the sack.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t understood something about myself before I started that mess. I wasn’t really cut out for the whole friends-with-benefits situation. That wasn’t to say I fantasized about a picket fence and two-point-five kids with Kyle. No, I definitely did not. I just wasn’t the kind of person to be so casual even when I didn’t really want something serious. Kyle was all about casual. The dynamics of our arrangement dented my ego more than I wished I’d allowed.
If the sex with Mack was good, then I’d be in real trouble.
Mack’s not an asshole, my treacherous mind whispered.
No, but a good vibrator or even my fingers will do the trick for the rest of my life, my smart mind countered quickly.
Yeah, but what about kids?
Fuck you, I told that stupid part of my brain. I had always wanted kids, but I could adopt or do the sperm donation thing. I didn’t have to be traditional.
Mack would be a good father. You know him.
Oh, shut the fuck up.
These were the crazy directions my brain went when I let myself think too long about how much I wanted Mack.
“Ash?” Mack prompted as he looked up from the menu in his hands.
“Oh, sorry. I zoned out,” I belatedly replied. I wasn’t about to tell Mack I was thinking about him and having a baby. Jesus, I had gone seriously crazy. I chalked it up to the lust addling my brain. “I’m just tired. Anything good?”
Talking about the food options at this bar off the interstate in South Dakota seemed like an excellent distraction. Unfortunately—I said that a lot when it came to Mack—my eyes got caught on his hands. Although he was a big man, his hands were elegant yet rugged at the same time. He had long, nimble fingers. I could just imagine the magic they might wring from my body.
“They probably have good burgers,” he said. “It’s crowded, and I noticed plenty of local license plates in the parking lot. That’s always a good sign. Plus, they’ve got spicy fries. Your favorite.”
He looked over with a wink and a slow, teasing grin. My nipples did their little salute thing, and I thanked God I wore a sweatshirt on this chilly summer night.
“Awesome,” I managed even though my voice came out raspy. Once again, I became aware of my slick, swollen pussy. Have I mentioned we hadn’t laid a finger on each other yet? The state of my body was something to behold. I felt like I was constantly primed.
I’d read about people who got off on edging each other for days. I never really thought much about any of it, but now I understood. I didn’t really want to do it, but I understood the insanely arousing effect it could have. If—a big, real big if—anything happened between Mack and me, and it was good, I was pretty sure I was going to go off like I’d never gone off in my entire life.
The following day—after another night in a hotel room that felt as small as a closet despite the existence of two beds and more than enough space for two people to tolerate each other—Mack and I set off on a hike in the famed Badlands.
Mack, being the planner he was, had looked up a trail and wanted to beat the crowds, so we were up at sunrise. As the sun crested the horizon, it cast a rosy pink glow on a rock face ahead while we walked.
“It is beautiful here,” I commented when we stopped along the trail to look out over a valley. “I understand the name now.”
Mack’s eyes slid to mine. “What name?”
“The Badlands. It’s gorgeous, but it’s tough looking.” The steep canyons and rock formations with layered colors were stunning.
Mack nodded. “So true. Come on.”
As I hurried along behind him, I couldn’t resist adding, “You set a hell of a pace.”
Mack stopped, his grin teasing as he waited for me to catch up. “Did you get out of shape?”
“I think our standards for being in shape are different,” I replied as I stopped beside him and rested a hand on my hip. “You rescue people for a living. I don’t.”
Mack chuckled, and I willed my body not to react to that. Of course, my will was nothing compared to my bossy nerves. It didn’t seem to matter what Mack did because I always had some kind of reaction. Just now, a prickle of heat chased over my skin, and butterflies tickled my belly. Staring into his eyes was dangerous for my sanity, so I averted my gaze.
“How much farther are we going?” I asked, finally looking back toward him when I thought I had my pulse under control.
“We can turn back if you want.”
“No way. I’m not gonna cop out. Come on.”
I strode past Mack, who turned and easily caught up to me with his long stride. Glancing to my side, I commented, “No fair. Your legs are longer than mine. Every step you take probably counts for an extra six inches. I should get extra credit.”
Mack grinned and winked. “You always did like to be an A-plus student.”
I rolled my eyes, and we kept hiking. After we made it to the predetermined high-point on the hike, I was relieved to discover the elevation went down on the opposite side of this loop trail. Despite my unsettled reactions to Mack, I was glad we knew each other well enough that our silence was comfortable.
While I wasn’t thrilled with the way my body went haywire around him, I was relieved to be traveling with him. It was a much better option than trying to bum rides from strangers and hoping for the best. Jackson had made it abundantly clear he was glad Mack happened to find me.
I kept telling myself I was going to get over my response to Mack. It worried me because I’d sworn off men and thought it would be easy. If I could react like this to an old friend, that meant it was possible with someone else. I didn’t trust my judgment when it came to men.
My mind spun back to the morning of my disastrous wedding that never happened. I’d had the pleasure of looking at sexy photographs of my fiancé with a woman who was gracious enough to tell me she thought it was only fair I should know he’d been in a “committed” relationship with her for six months before she learned he was engaged. Maybe gracious wasn’t the best way to describe it, but I did appreciate her honesty.
I mentally shoved those thoughts away. No need to dwell on how stupid I felt. It was one thing to have someone cheat on you, but it was another to realize they intended to carry on with it after the wedding. Of course, the humiliation of it was all made worse by the fact I had to cancel a giant wedding. Ugh. It was awful. I wasn’t even a little interested in trying to be serious with anyone after that.
Enter Kyle—sexy rodeo rider, consummate flirt, and charming enough to persuade me that a little casual fun was worth it. Sadly, my ego had been bruised enough that I tried to play along with Kyle’s way of life for over a year even though I found it pointless. He was on the boring side in bed, probably because his ego was much bigger than his skill set.
My shredded pride finally had enough, and I was ready to return to Stolen Hearts Valley and ignore the sympathetic glances from friends and family. I thought it would be easy to carve men out of my life because my capacity for desire seemed to have died.
I was tired of thinking about any of this and annoyed that my weird, out-of-the-blue reaction to Mack was dredging it all up again. A sharp cry instantly pulled me out of that loop of recrimination.
I heard another voice just as Mack glanced over his shoulder. “I’m going to run ahead and see what’s going on.”
“Right behind you,” I said as I broke into a jog.
Moments later, we were standing beside a couple on the trail, and the woman was clutching her very pregnant belly. Her husband, who looked fit and tough, was basically useless. His eyes bounced from his wife, to Mack, and then to me. “I think she’s gone into labor.”
“How far along is she?” Mack asked, his tone all no-nonsense.
“Eight months and three weeks.”
Mack cast a look at them. “And you decided to go hiking today?”
“It’s just a hike,” the woman protested before she emitted another sharp cry while her face contorted in pain.
Mack glanced at me. “Call 911.”
I had emergency services on the line in a matter of seconds. Once I explained the situation, they asked if it was possible for the woman in labor to walk to the base of the trail. Glancing over to see her on the ground with her face twisted in pain, I answered without asking. “That’s doubtful. It looks like she’s going to have the baby right here.”
“We’ll be there in about twenty minutes, ma’am.”
Considering it had taken Mack and me almost thirty minutes to get to this point on the hike, I figured they’d be hauling ass. After I hung up, I glanced at Mack. “Is there anything I can do?”
“What do you have in your backpack? We could use a jacket, or shirt, or something to put under her hips. If you have any water, that would be great.”
“I have both,” I said, quickly shrugging my backpack off my shoulders.
Meanwhile, the husband still wasn’t particularly helpful. He kept pacing in a circle and then kneeling to see how his wife was doing before putting his hands over his face and running them through his hair repeatedly.
Thank God for Mack. His steady and calm presence made the situation less stressful. Although I wasn’t the one in pain, I was concerned about the baby being born out here. I knew women had been giving birth for millennia in a variety of difficult locations, so I hoped for the best and prayed there were no complications.
The twenty minutes ticked by fast and slow. The baby seemed to be on a speeding highway. At one point, Mack coached the woman. “You’re gonna need to push. Now,” he said.
“I’m scared!” the woman screamed in reply.
“Your baby’s not. The baby is coming whether you like it or not. I can see the head, and we need you to push,” Mack replied, his tone calm and level.
Her body seemed to take over. Only minutes later, Mack was holding the baby as he asked me to pull a medical kit out of his backpack. Without even breaking a sweat, he snipped the umbilical cord and handed the baby to the mother. The baby was breathing in angry cries.
The emergency team literally showed up a minute after that. Mack left them to stabilize the mother and baby for transport. Once Mack gave his phone number to the husband who’d finally calmed down so he could call later and give us an update, we resumed our hike down the trail.
Mack rinsed off in a nearby stream. After we had walked in silence for several minutes, I glanced over at him. “Have you ever delivered a baby before?”
Mack let out a surprised laugh. “Hell no. They train us on it, but honestly, I prayed I wouldn’t ever need to deal with it.”
“Well, you were totally calm.”
“Good thing I can fake it,” he added with another laugh.
When his eyes met mine, for the first time ever, I saw a flicker of vulnerability in his gaze. “Wow, you can actually get scared,” I commented.
“Oh, yeah. I just deal with it at the moment and then get the shakes later if it’s really bad. I gotta say, that was definitely not easy. I was worried there might be a complication.”
My breath left my chest in a rush as emotion crashed through me. There was something so comforting about Mack’s constant sense of calm, yet knowing that it wasn’t that easy for him struck me hard.
At that moment, as Mack and I stared at each other, it felt as if electricity sparked between us, sizzling through my body in a fiery jolt. Unsettled, I looked away and began walking again.
Hours later, we stood at the hotel desk while Mack politely argued with the receptionist. “Sir, I’
m so sorry, but we don’t have a double room available.”
“Do you have two rooms?” Mack countered.
“No, sir. It’s early though. Sometimes people cancel, so you can check later if you’d like.”
Without thinking, I shifted on my feet, and my hand brushed against Mack. Small problem. That subtle touch, which had no erotic intention whatsoever, sent sensation spinning through my body. It felt as if I was constantly on edge around him, and any incidental contact only served to stoke the fire.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s just one night,” I offered.
Mack’s eyes held mine, his gaze searching. After a moment, he shrugged and turned back to the receptionist. “Okay. That’ll be fine.”
Chapter Seven
Mack
Fine, my ass. Sharing a bed with Ash was anything but fine. I was in for a sleepless night, and I just prayed that I didn’t actually fall asleep and end up twined around her again.
In an effort to make sure we didn’t have much time alone in the room, I suggested we go out for drinks at a bar after dinner. It turned out, the bar was having an open mic night. That was all fine and good until Ash decided to go up and play. Ash’s voice was divine—throaty and raspy with a Southern twang that strummed every cord in my body. Watching her was transporting.
By the time her voice rang out the last note, every hair on my body was standing. I took a gulp of my ice-cold beer and willed myself to get a grip. As I had learned was the case whenever Ash performed, plenty of men crowded near when she walked off stage, trying to get into her pants for the night.
I tried to tell myself she was an old friend and I would do it for any woman, but once again, I stood and threaded through the crowd to her side. I could tell myself that was my motivation except for the jolt of possessiveness that struck me every time somebody laid a hand on her.
