by Gina Cole
“And your house is ten minutes away.”
“So where do you want to kiss me goodnight? Your house or mine?”
“I’m afraid if I kiss you that I won’t stop.”
“I’m counting on it, right now.”
“I want more from you,” he breathed, looking up at her. She saw the battle in his eyes and knew that it was all coming to a head between them. He stood up and took a step towards her in the truck bed. “I want so much more with you. I want all of it and I don’t want to wait.”
“Your house, it is then.” She saw his nostrils flare at her softly spoken words. She planned on taking Beth’s advice. She’d try the man on, as Beth put it.
“I don’t want to ruin what is between us by rushed sex. I want to make love to you for hours on end and smear that lipstick everywhere, little one.”
“Promises, promises,” she teased with a knowing smile. “I’m scared sometimes. But when I see you, I know it’s perfect. There are no rules. No time frames. Just us. You and me. That’s what we had said, right?”
“I think I love you.”
“You don’t have to say that,” she exclaimed softly. Jack pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately, effectively silencing her.
11
Jack was a helluva kisser. His hands tenderly cupped her face as she lost herself in the sensation that was just him. The scratch of his shaven face against her skin was erotic. The way his mouth tasted made her knees weak, yet he seemed to know as he held her tightly. The darkness provided a privacy that she had never imagined and being outside with him felt all the more forbidden. Oh yes, she was completely fine with having her wicked way with the man in the back of his pickup truck.
His hands guided her to turn around and her breath caught as his lips descended on her neck, nipping softly and murmuring words of encouragement. She felt his rough palms slide under her blouse, caressing her torso and cupping her breasts through the padding of her bra. She could feel his own excitement against her lower back, a sure sign that he was just as moved by the electric heat between them.
Unconsciously, she found herself arching against him as his hand slid down the front of her pants ever so slowly. Almost as if he was afraid she’d balk at the intimate touch, instead she found herself craving more from him. His long fingers slipped down and barely touched her wetness, drawing a groan from both aloud. His arm held her against him and it was a good thing, too! Her legs were completely useless as he continued to touch her, causing her to body to move of its own accord.
Just before she found her release, he stopped and removed his hand. Turning back towards him, she saw the unsure look on his face.
“I don’t want us to be a one and done thing.”
“Neither do I.” Reaching up, she unbuttoned her blouse and let it drop down near her feet. She had no intention of leaving without some sort of relief. Silently, she unbuttoned her pants and lay down against the cool wood planking of the truck bed. “Touch me again, please?”
Jack knelt down near where she lay and removed his shirt. She could see the scarring that had come with years of being injured while riding for competition. Instead of feeling shocked or disgusted, she felt a keen bolt of desire race through her as her fingers traced each mark. His hands reached down and pulled her pants from her body. She could see the desire in his gaze as he looked on her in the faint moonlight.
She was infinitely glad she was wearing delicate underthings and that it excited him. She loved that his hands shook as he removed her bra and the infinitely tender way that he tasted each bud. Her body was awake and alive for the first time, craving more. When he removed his pants, she admired the way they were so different. As she touched him, she felt the stirrings of fear as she knew that he would be loving her untried body soon.
“We don’t have to,” he offered tenderly, cradling her against him. “I’d be happy just being able to touch you.” His hand slipped between their bodies, touching her again as she straddled his lap. The heat of his manhood burned against her stomach, making her body weep with desire as his fingers worked their magic.
Feeling herself rising upwards, she knew from touching herself in the past that her release was close at hand. She wanted that sweet relief coursing through her, but more than that she wanted the intimacy that only he could give.
“Stop,” she breathed against his lips and felt him tense up.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No, but I want everything,” she breathed and positioned herself just above him. “I’ll need your help cause I’m afra-”
“Shhhh baby,” he whispered, kissing her skin tenderly between her breasts, just over her heart. She felt his hands on either side of her hips, slowly guiding himself into her. Her body stretched and burned, causing her to tense up.
“There’s no rush,” he crooned, holding her. “I’d wait for you forever.”
Struggling to relax her body in order to get used to the sensation, she felt herself responding as he tugged at her nipples that were nearby. The warmth of his mouth combined with the feeling of him inside of her was making her squirm involuntary against him. Each movement, each gasp drawing him deeper.
Finally, feeling that uphill climb in her body again as she slowly moved against him, she knew she was close. Cradling his head, she felt herself whimpering aloud and begging for more. She felt almost elemental and animalistic as she felt her body on the precipice and drove herself onto him, needing to have every bit of him within her. The feeling of fullness and sharp sting made her cry out in ecstasy. A sweet mixture of pleasure and pain.
His mouth engulfed hers, his movements frantic as he guided himself into her wetness again. The feeling of him pushing into her body made her keenly aware that she would never be tired of this sensation he was creating in her.
“I want to make this good for you.”
“Then keep doing what you are doing. Don’t stop.”
Her body was throbbing with energy as he touched the deepest parts of her intimately, stroking her to the point that when she came it was with a force that ripped a cry from her. She faintly heard his own roar of pleasure as a rush of heat flooded her body. He held her tightly, his arms wrapped around her. He whispered sweet words over and over against her hair as she waited for the shockwaves to subside. She adored feeling him in her, at how well they fit together and could never have imagined anything so decadent in her life.
The stars above glittered in a majestic canopy, better than any bed she could have ever imagined. It was magic, and it was working. Whether she was the first, last or somewhere in between, she didn’t care. The feelings in her body would never be forgotten as he made love to her several times throughout the night.
12
Stiff and sore, Charlie awoke the next morning to the sun in her eyes. Sleeping in a truck bed sprawled all over Jack resulted in some severe stiffness in her muscles. Good thing she woke up first and the sun wasn’t blazing down, or she’d have a sunburn all over her rear end. She now understood what the big joke was about when Beth said she’d rather crawl out of bed without waking up the guy, that she’d gnaw off her arm first before disturbing him.
It wasn’t out of kindness, it was due to the uncomfortable conversation that was sure to come. What guy says that they love you right away? That was a no-no for girls…it should be for anyone! She was in the moment – and, frankly, it was a helluva moment! But now he wasn’t talking with her, looking at her, touching her.
She was awake, thinking clearly and, honestly, a little alarmed. She’d had sex repeatedly with a man she was just getting to know with no ride home, except from him. She couldn’t even call Beth to come get her because her phone was fried.
“Good morning,” he said in a scratchy, husky voice that gave her nether regions a shiver of delight. As he sat up, she saw evidence of everywhere her mouth had been on him as well as several smears of red lipstick on her body. Faint red stains circled his mouth as he smiled at her, making him look
utterly ridiculous and completely adorable. Damn, she thought. I am putty around him.
“Hi,” she replied, looking away and blushing. “I hate to ask this, but I am really sore and need to get back home. Would you mind if we headed out?”
“Do you want breakfast? Or some coffee?”
“Not really.”
“Ahhhh,” he said quickly, and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She could see the wall coming down over his expression, hiding his innermost feelings. “I see.”
“No, it’s just…” she started and got quiet. It was just what? She didn’t want to be there? That wasn’t true. She’d had an incredible night with him and he was the most tender, sweet, fascinating guy…but he moved fast! Too fast for her!
“I need a bit of time to process all of this,” she admitted. “Things are really…intense between us.”
“Incredibly so,” he agreed and pulled his shirt over his head. “If you need time, you’ve got it. Don’t shut down or pull back though.” He handed her the wrinkled blouse she’d worn yesterday and her jeans. “I think it’s fair to say that we both had a good time and I’d like to see you again when you’re ready.”
Nodding, she hurriedly pulled on her clothing and tried to twist her hair in a bun. It was incredibly snarled, and she was sure she looked atrocious. Or like a woman that had her world turned upside down by a sexy cowboy.
“Stop,” he said quietly. His hands stopped her arms from trying to redo the sloppy bun again as she looked away from him. “Don’t overthink it and don’t analyze it. No rules, remember? No games, just us…if you decide that you want this between us. You look beautiful.”
“I remember,” she whispered, looking down at her bare feet. She remembered everything. The way he felt, the way he tasted. She’d never forget that, nor how she responded to his touch. It was incredible and terrifying at the same time. Was it like this for other people?
“Then you’ll have what time you need from me.”
Jack jumped down from the truck and held out his hands to help her down. She felt him lift her up and set her down like she was nothing, making her feel infinitely precious and delicate, something she rarely felt. He hesitated to release her and the urge to reach up and kiss him was almost too much but, somehow, she held back. When his hands dropped, she nodded and looked away painfully.
It was a short trip to the garage ten miles away, but it seemed to take forever. The cab of the truck was completely silent. She stared ahead, afraid to say a word because she knew she’d break down. She barely knew him, she kept telling herself over and over again. Sure, she had a great time and things were phenomenal physically between them, but what about the other things that mattered? Like their personalities? Similar likes or dislikes? Did he have family or friends in the area? You don’t just say that you love someone without actually knowing them.
It was weird…and weird could be good or bad.
Pulling into the garage, she saw Buddy’s truck was dropping off a small Chevy at the garage doors. He looked up and saw her arriving in Jack’s truck. Just what she needed, to be caught with her proverbial pants down by the guy who’d been asking her out for months.
Greaaaaaat.
“Do you need me to come in?”
“No.”
No, she didn’t want him to come inside. It was obvious they’d been fooling around or more. Her lipstick was smeared, her hair disheveled and her clothes wrinkled beyond belief. If she was going to do the walk of shame in front of a disgruntled friend, she’d be damned if he’d see it. Thank goodness he didn’t look smug or possessive right now. He looked concerned.
“Take care and call when you can,” he said awkwardly as she opened the truck door.
“I will,” she promised and exited quickly. Shutting the door behind her, she put a hand up to smooth her hair once again in an attempt to make herself presentable. Jack pulled out of the parking lot, leaving her there with Buddy.
“Had a good night, I see.”
“Fantastic, not that it’s any of your business,” she admitted hotly, feeling her cheeks flush with mortification.
“Well if you need me to take this little beauty down the road, I can.”
“No, I need the work and you know it.”
“I’m not sure what I know or don’t know anymore. I thought you didn’t want anything like that right now in your life. Or was it just me?”
“Buddy, you’re nice. Sweet. I don’t want complications right now. And Jack and I are complicated.”
“Jack? As in Jack Seguin? The tow in from the other day?” He yanked his baseball cap off, turning it around and slapping it back on his head. His eyes stared at her hard, like he was looking at a complete stranger. She felt like one honestly. Charlie knew her face had to be redder than her lipstick that was staining her mouth.
“I’ve known Jack for a while,” she fibbed and looked away, knowing she was a bad liar.
“What you do is up to you, but when you decide you want a real man,” he began and walked up to her confidently, causing her to back away. “When you want to make a go at a partnership that could be beneficial for both work and home, let me know, Charlie.”
Before she could say a word otherwise, Buddy stepped forward again closing the distance between them. He grabbed her by the shoulders and attempted to kiss her. Charlie instinctively fought against it, shoving her hand between them in order to push his mouth away from hers. Her knee flew up, narrowly missing its desired mark between his legs.
“No!” she yelped, lost her footing and landed painfully on the asphalt parking lot. Her arm was scraped and her tailbone hurt. But most of all, she’d destroyed a budding relationship with Jack, a connection for her business and a longtime friendship with a good guy that simply didn’t appeal to her in the slightest.
Three horrific strikes against her and it wasn’t even ten in the morning yet.
“Fine,” Buddy announced angrily, grabbing the chains that lay under the Chevy and throwing them onto the back of his truck where the hook extended. “I can take a hint!”
Charlie got to her feet slowly, fully expecting him to take the car down the street. Instead, he got into his truck and peeled out of the parking lot, sending rocks and dirt flying backwards directly where she was standing. She stood there in shock for several moments, holding her injured arm and elbow. Slowly, as if walking through mud, she made her way to the door and unlocked it, making her way inside to the sanctuary of her garage.
13
For Charlotte, time seemed to stand still. A week went by, then two weeks. There was no word from Jack and no more tow ins from Buddy. One hurt her financially, the other hurt her emotionally. Both were painful, but one was absolutely devastating.
Jack.
All the doubts, wondering and fears she’d had tickling the back of her mind were rushing forward. Was he sincere? How many girls had he used the corny pick-up lines on? How stupid had she been to fall for them?
Not only did she flail herself mentally, she was kicking herself daily for not collecting the payment on the repairs for his truck. She’d totaled the bill but hadn’t rung him up. Instead, she’d hopped right in the sack with the man and given him his truck back. So now she was out $800 for the repairs and her virginity.
The only thing she had going for her over the last two weeks was the fact that her phone had dried out enough to actually work. She’d been shocked that the rice had done the trick after seeing the screen flicker wildly. Instead, three days ago it had rung when Beth called her. She’d scrambled to reach the phone, thinking it was Jack calling and broke down crying with her friend on the phone.
“Beth, I screwed up royally,” she whispered tearfully. The whole sad story came out, to which she was promptly called a moron by her best friend.
“I don’t get it,” Beth railed at her. “You have some fairytale mush stuff going on in your life and you chicken out? Of all things out there, that is the looniest! You? The girl who yanks apart motors with
out an instruction guide for the hell of it?” Both sat there silently on the phone for a long while.
“Do I call him?”
“Do you want to?”
“I think so.”
“Well don’t do it until you know so. You don’t ever play with someone’s emotions. It’s a shit or get off the pot moment, my friend. You either want him or you don’t. The man is serious about you if he said the la-la-la-love word.”
“Having problems saying the word, Beth?”
“Never felt it, so yeah. Big time.”
“Thank you for being there and listening to me.”
“Thanks for not being an unredeemable dumbass. Call or text your man when you are ready.”
Laughing, Charlie smiled to herself and ended the call. She could always count on Beth to cheer her up. Sitting cross-legged on her bed, she held the phone for several moments before texting Jack.
Hey there
It was quite a while before he texted back. Charlie had kicked herself mentally over and over again, wondering if he was on a date or missing her like she missed him. She was tempted to call but didn’t want to seem as desperate as she felt. Setting her phone down, she flipped on the tv and tried to relax. Instead, she found herself checking her phone every few minutes, just in case. Finally, she heard that sweet ding indicating that she’d received a response.
Hello
How are you doing?
Awful, honestly
Charlie felt tears well up instantly and smiled at the phone. She really liked that there were no games between them. That was one thing that impressed her from the very beginning and probably what terrified her. He didn’t fool around ever, it seemed. It was as if he saw something he wanted and went after it with everything in him. It was intense.
I’m pretty awful, too. I miss you.
Can we try again? I miss you terribly.
