Angels' Share (Bourbon Springs Book 3)

by Jennifer Bramseth

  “Still?”

  “I sprinkled their ashes over the springs, Bo. It was their last wish, and I carried it out. I don’t even know if it was legal, but I did it. They wanted it, and I made sure it happened. So if you really need to know why I spend so much time there, why I get so very upset—well, now you do.”

  “Lila…” he said, taking her hands.

  “Other than the two of us, nobody knows what I just told you, not even Kyle. So you have your answer now about whether I trust you,” she continued, and looked away. “But you also have to know that I have a problem with the—the trust thing.”

  “I’ve noticed,” he said wryly. Bo touched her cheek and turned her face toward him. “But sometimes I’m not very good at the trust thing, either,” he said, and thought about how he had harbored so much distrust for Kyle for years. And how he’d been so wrong about such a good man.

  “Then we sound like a recipe for disaster,” Lila said, only half-jokingly.

  Bo cupped her face with one hand. “So it might sound bad. But how does this feel—right now?”

  Chapter 15

  His stare was so intense that she had to close her eyes.

  “Like it’s felt every other time, Bo,” she whispered. “Wonderful.”

  “So is that such a problem?”

  She was shaking, but no longer from anger and pain. Although in her desperation and hurt she had lashed out at him, her rational mind understood that Bo had come to comfort her that night—and had saved her. Her greatest fear was that he was using her, trying to manipulate her heart to gain not merely access to her body but her land. Yet all he had done that day was come with simple offerings of food and his company, and had drawn her in so quickly that Lila had spilled one of her greatest secrets to him. She’d done it because she trusted him—why, she didn’t completely understand, but she had started to suspect it had something to do with how much he loved Old Garnet.

  Bo’s powerful attachment to something she originally only considered a product or a business should’ve caused her concern, but the more she was around him, the more she saw his deep commitment to craft, family, and home. Even though a boundary line technically separated them, they shared a fierce passion for the same place and delighted in the knowledge that they were tethered by love to a special spot on this earth.

  How could she not love someone who possessed that same zeal?

  Yet Lila also knew that her ability to trust had a more primal or hopeful basis, because it felt undeniably amazing to be held and loved by Bo Davenport. It was an experience she was beginning to think she couldn’t live without.

  And on that Christmas night, she decided she wasn’t going to be without it.

  “Right at this moment? No, it isn’t a problem. And because of that, you probably have figured out something else I don’t trust.”

  His brow furrowed. “What’s that?”

  “My own body when you get this close to me,” she said, and brought her lips up to meet his, taking him by surprise.

  Lila put her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her as she leaned back on the couch. His mouth soon found the tenderest parts of her neck and she flexed against him as his tongue teased her earlobe.

  Lila pulled away and looked at him, putting her hands on the side of his face. “If Hannah knocks on my door tonight, we are not answering, got that?”

  At once, Bo was off the couch. He went to the front door, locked it, and made sure the porch light was out. He did the same when it came to the back door, and met Lila at the foot of the stairs that led to the second floor. Wordlessly, she took Bo by the hand and led him up the stairs and to her bedroom.

  Through the faint glow of a night light, the dim outline of the shape of her room appeared as she entered the space. It was high-ceilinged, plain, and had north-facing windows that provided a wonderful view of the springs during daylight. The bed was a queen size brass bed, tidily made, and covered with a flowered comforter. She stood beside her bed, trembling, breathing raggedly, and waiting for him. When he came to her, she wrapped her arms around him and she felt tears slipping down her cheeks as he looked down at her.

  “How’d you do it?” she asked in a whisper, and wound her tiny fingers into his dark hair.

  “Do what?” he asked, and pulled her closer.

  “How’d you get the girl next door to finally fall in love with you?”

  He gaped and she felt him shudder as her words sank into his consciousness. “Best damn Christmas present ever,” he said, and scooped her up and deposited her on the bed. Lila let out a surprised yelp before hitting the mattress and bouncing on it, and Bo laughed as he fell onto the bed at her side.

  Bo rolled Lila onto her back and hovered above her, waiting to move in for a kiss—and, she knew, a whole lot more. For a few moments, they merely looked at each other, knowing that what was about to happen between them would be hallowed and special, and that it would forever alter how they saw each other.

  “Thanks for letting me change your mind,” he said, and put a hand on her face.

  Lila put her hands on his cheeks, searching his face in delight and shock, wanting the moment extended. “Thanks for not giving up on me,” she whispered.

  Bending to kiss her, Bo moved his hands up and under her sweatshirt until he cupped her small, firm breasts through the fabric of her bra.

  “Get rid of it,” she whispered in his ear as he kissed her neck.

  Bo moved his hands to Lila’s back, undid the clasp, and slipped his hands under the garment until his palms were skin-to-skin upon her breasts. Lila threw her head back into the pillow and surrendered to his touch as he caressed her gently, stroking her nipples with his thumbs until she was writhing and moaning.

  “Good to know that you like that,” he teased.

  She was so far lost in the pleasure and sensation that she couldn’t respond. Bo loomed above her, gently massaging her and she realized something wasn’t right.

  “Take off your damn shirt,” she said.

  “You first,” he taunted.

  She sat up and quickly slipped out of her sweatshirt, turtleneck, and bra, leaving her upper torso completely exposed.

  “Oh, God, Lila,” he whispered at the sight of her half-nakedness.

  He moved to touch her, but she backed away toward the head of the bed and crossed her arms over her breasts.

  “Nope, not until you’re topless, too,” she demanded with a sly grin.

  “Tease,” he hissed. Bo nearly tore every button off his shirt as he struggled to get out of it. He tossed the shirt to the floor and fell upon her, causing her to give a little shriek.

  “That’s a good start.”

  “What?” she asked breathlessly.

  “I hope I hear you cry out a lot more tonight,” he said, and brought his lips down hard on hers.

  Lila instinctively began to wrap a leg over one of Bo’s legs and she could feel him grinding his erection against her hip through his jeans.

  “Bo,” she said as he started to fidget with the top button on her jeans, “I don’t have—I mean—” Damn. How had she gotten this far with him and failed to have this necessary conversation? “I’m on the pill, but—”

  “I’m prepared,” he said.

  “What?” she cried and pulled away from him. “You came here tonight prepared?”

  “Lila,” he said, and held her face in his hands and looked directly into her eyes, “after I kissed you in the tasting room, I started dreaming about this moment,” he said. “And when I got really far into that dream, I realized that if I ever had any hope of it actually coming true, I needed to be ready for it. So I admit it: I went out and actually bought some condoms.”

  She blinked and licked her lips, not quite knowing how to respond to this revelation. Should she be flattered by his ardor or insulted at his presumption?

  “If you want to stop, I’ll understand,” he said, and bit his lower lip.

  She smiled at him. “As a teacher, it
’s hard not to admire someone being so prepared,” she said, and kissed him.

  He slipped his hand back down to her waist and managed to undo her top button but couldn’t manage to get the zipper to budge. She luxuriated in the feel of Bo’s chest against her own. Damn, had it been a long time since she’d felt a man’s rough skin against her soft, sensitive breasts—as well as a lot of other places she imagined would be happily reawakened that night. She moved her hands around to the back of his pants and slid them under Bo’s waistband until they rested in that zone between torso and ass. She giggled when she felt him shiver as she moved lower and cupped his cheeks and tickled him, causing Bo to cry out with laughter.

  “Didn’t know you were ticklish,” she said.

  “Who isn’t ticklish there?”

  She withdrew her hands from his waist and moved them to the front of his pants where she easily undid his button and unzipped his fly. Moving her hands lower until they rested atop his hip bones, Lila slid her thumbs across the sharp points, drawing a long sigh from him. Apparently frustrated with a lack of progress in the getting-naked-in-a-hurry department, Bo pulled away from her and successfully attacked the zipper on her pants. He then hooked his fingers into the sides of her pants and panties and pulled until they were around her ankles and she could kick them off.

  “Good lord,” was all Bo could say when he took in the sight of a nude Lila on the bed before him. He put his hands aside each breast and caressed the lines of her body, slowly dragging his palms downward as he traced along her torso, hips, and thighs. As he did so, Lila wriggled in delight at the sensual and gentle strokes. He brought his hands to rest on the tops of her thighs and she frowned at him, causing him to pull back a little.

  “You’re still wearing clothes,” she complained.

  Lila sat up on the bed and quickly helped divest Bo of his remaining garb. With an unobstructed view of his bare body, she realized that he was much more muscular, lean, and strong than she had suspected as he sat back on his heels. Her gaze landed on his large erection, and she shamelessly reached for him and took his length in her small hand, letting her thumb gently rub the underside. His head fell back onto his shoulders and his breathing became labored as she lightly stroked him, and she enjoyed the knowledge that she was giving him such pleasure. With a small groan, Bo pulled his head up and brushed her hand away.

  “Your turn,” he said, putting his hands on her breasts.

  Bo massaged and caressed her nipples until she was moaning and writhing under his touch.

  “Mercy,” she whispered in a combination of a gasp and laugh.

  “Oh, no,” he said and moved closer to her until their faces were only inches apart. “I’m only getting started.”

  Before she could think of a retort, his mouth was on hers, tasting her as deeply and forcefully as he possibly could. After only a few seconds he abruptly pulled away.

  “You’ve had Garnet today, haven’t you?” he asked.

  She opened her mouth in shock, admiration, and annoyance. “You just stopped making love to me to ask that?”

  “Yep,” he admitted, “I can tell you’ve had bourbon today. Tell me it was Garnet.”

  “Maybe I just had a bourbon ball,” she countered.

  “Nope, no chocolate.”

  She smiled, and closed her eyes as though embarrassed. “Yes, I’ve had Garnet today, a few hours ago, and I think I got a little on the tip of my nose. Bet that’s what you’re really sensing. Not sure why I pulled out my bottle. I guess I was feeling a little lonely, and thinking about you.”

  “Here I am,” he said, and kissed her again, moving his lips to her neck and finally her breasts. “And you’ll be lonely no more,” he whispered against her skin.

  Body pressed against body as they explored each other, with Lila taking especial delight in discovering the taut muscularity of Bo’s naked form. Her hands slid appreciatively over his skin, coming to rest on his chest where her fingers found his nipples and teased them by rubbing in small, firm circles. Bo sighed and rolled over on his back as Lila replaced her fingers with her mouth and tasted Bo’s salty skin, tense and already sweaty from his exertions. Straddling him, her tongue flicked over his chest until Bo’s head thrashed back and forth against the soft pillow and his breath came in short, heaving bursts. Suddenly, he grabbed her by the hips, causing her to cease her sensual ministrations. Before she could react, Bo had rolled her onto her back, his face inches from hers.

  “Let me return the favor,” he said, his eyes fixed on hers before he kissed her.

  After seeking the pleasures of her mouth by sweeping and taunting her tongue with his own, Bo broke away and left her breathless and dizzy. Kissing her in a line from chin to tummy, his hands glided over her breasts before moving lower toward her most delicate and secret places, where he dragged his thumbs over the soft and sensitive skin of her inner thighs. Lila shivered and instinctively spread her legs apart, anxious for his touch. Closing her eyes, she felt his fingers stroke her wetness for the first time, and she moved her hips to meet his hand, eager for him to fill and claim her.

  When Lila opened her eyes and saw Bo on his knees above her, staring down at her in a near-trance, she knew they shared the same sense of wonder and awe at what was happening between them. She felt angry at the fear which had gripped her, the monster which had made her resist Bo and which had so long denied her pleasures of the heart as well as the flesh. And then she released her worries and ire, no longer needing them to protect her from the thing she now wanted most in this world—the love of the man making love to her.

  After caressing her cheek, Bo brought one hand to a breast and began to knead her softly while placing a thumb on her hard nub and slipping a finger into her tight core. She clenched around his finger in invitation and need, and Bo’s thumb moved in harder, tighter circles.

  “Oh, God, Bo…” she moaned, and lost herself to him, the man she loved.

  His hand left her breast, he moved lower along her body, and then his tongue was upon her swollen folds. Lila reached for his head and tangled her fingers in that dark, thick hair as his mouth performed exquisite feats of intense pleasure. His tongue raked her long, sweet lips and darted into her, tasting and tickling, making her writhe and cry and causing him to hold her thighs down as her hips bucked against his mouth. When he gently sucked her while curling a finger inside, Lila suddenly and intensely climaxed, with her whole world exploding in bursts of light behind her closed eyelids. She rode her powerful orgasm as it consumed and drowned her in wave after wave of pleasure until she was only vaguely aware of the sensation of her own ragged breaths.

  Lila gradually became cognizant that Bo was at her side, his hand at her waist and his lips at the curve of her neck. “So beautiful...” he breathed against her shoulder as she fought for breath and the tip of his forefinger lightly brushed along the top of her arm.

  “Hold me,” she said, desperate to feel him against her and suddenly cold in the chilly room.

  He clutched her to his chest, and her forehead rested against him. Lila slowly regained a certain level of awareness of her surroundings, only to give in to the relentless grip of sleep.

  She could not stay unconscious for long, because she felt her own need surging, and there was no mistaking the insistent hardness of Bo’s length against her. Lila opened her eyes and rolled onto her back, placing her hands on the back of Bo’s neck while keeping her thumbs along his cheeks. Stroking his face, she said nothing, transfixed by the image of the man before her. She was serenely and fully aware of what he wanted from her, and for the first time she was eager to give it to him. He kissed her, left the bed, and retrieved something from his discarded jeans. Upon returning to her, he ripped open a small packet and removed the contents.

  “You or me?” he asked, holding the condom between his fingers.

  Lila took the thing from him and unfurled it along his length, making him shudder and sigh under her touch. She reclined and Bo positioned himself abov
e her, the tip of his erection brushing against her entrance. He gently stroked her before she moved a hand to him and sheathed him inside her.

  “Lila…” he gasped as she completely enveloped him. Bo dipped his head to her shoulder and rested his forehead while Lila wrapped her legs around his waist.

  Placing her hands along his arms, she turned her head until her lips touched his temple. Lila felt his tears dripping onto her shoulder.

  “What is it?” she asked, and then kissed him.

  With effort, Bo pulled his head from her shoulder. “This is so wonderful, so perfect,” he said, and Lila saw more tears fall, this time landing on her own cheeks. He struggled to continue. “I love you and I—I’ve never felt—”

  Bo couldn’t finish, yet she understood. Lila moved her hands to his face where she brushed away his tears. “You—you’ve never been in love?” she asked, amazed.

  “No,” he whispered, “How could I have been?” he said, entranced, with tears still falling as he searched her face.

  “Now you understand my fear,” she said, and pulled his lips to hers.

  Slowly, he gently moved inside her as their tongues intertwined and Lila’s hips welcomed his every thrust, joyfully meeting his movements. Feeling Bo fill her was the most perfect sensation, and she watched his face as her own bliss was reflected upon his. He began to move more quickly, and she kept pace, wrapping her legs more tightly about him and feeling herself yet again moving toward that ecstatic space between body and soul. There she floated, in that sweet sensual place where all that mattered was the moment and the man with whom she was sharing it.

  “Lila…oh, God…” he groaned, and closed his eyes and stilled himself, breathing heavily and trying to keep his climax at bay.

  Yet Lila was too close, too far gone, and despite his warning she continued to seek him and her own pleasure. Her movements at once sent him over the edge, and he slammed again and again into her, calling her name as he also brought her to climax. Her legs pulled him closer as ecstasy uncoiled deep within her, and she let out a long, shuddering, cleansing cry that drowned Bo’s moans.