by C. A. Harms
Curling onto my side, facing the empty space he’d occupied, I pulled his pillow in closer. Breathing in, I was surrounded by his manly scent. Aftershave, cologne, or maybe just Landon, I just knew I loved the scent.
I didn’t know how long I laid there, enjoying the feeling of his sheets and soft comforter over my bare skin. Last night he’d told me to stay as long as I wanted, but it felt odd being there without him.
As I climbed out of his bed and placed my feet on the cool hardwood floor, I shivered and searched for my clothes. Finding my shirt hanging over the back of the kitchen chair, I started to slide my arms through the holes when I paused. Folded on the end of the table was a gray shirt with red lettering, and an idea hit me. Moving around the table, I lifted the shirt, and though it was clean, it still smelled of Landon. Lifting it to my nose, I breathed it in and wished that it was him there, my face buried in the crease of his neck, feeling his stubble along his cheek rub my own. My stomach felt empty at the loss.
Quickly, I searched for my bra, finding it on the counter where it landed after he removed it last night.
Once I was fully dressed, wearing his shirt instead of my own, I gathered my purse and keys. I stepped out in the hallway, making sure his front door was locked and shut securely, and I hurried to my truck.
It was a little cool out. Fall was always my favorite time of year. All the colors of the trees as they changed from green to reds and oranges, it was beautiful.
Tossing my purse into the passenger seat, my phone fell out, and an idea came upon me. Pulling my hair out of the crazy updo, I combed it quickly, checked my eyes for darkness beneath them from still wearing yesterday’s makeup. Once I felt good about my appearance, I held my phone out in front of me and ensured that the shirt I was wearing could clearly be seen. It ended up cutting off most of my face, only showing from my mouth down, but the shirt I wore was in full view.
Tapping out a message, I hit send and tossed the phone back to the passenger seat before driving home with a big smile on my face.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Landon
Chloe: Your place is all locked up, but I thought you should know I took a souvenir.
Attached was a picture of her wearing my gray firefighter shirt. One I wore often when on duty. Immediately I felt my dick thicken, knowing she was walking around wearing my shirt. Having my name on her was a powerful feeling.
“Who’s that?” Will flopped down on the couch at my side with a big plate of bacon and eggs in his hands. “And why is she wearing your shirt?”
“Wait, is that the hot girl that brought you treats that day?” Rich piped in, and I knew where this conversation was going. Neither one of them had shut up about Holly since the day she stopped by. “The stacked one with legs that go on forever. Please, tell me she sent you a nude.”
“No.” The two of them were like teenage boys. “It’s not Holly, and just so you know, that shit is not gonna happen. Believe me when I tell you that girl is crazy.”
“Crazy is even better in bed, man,” Will said around a mouth full of bacon. “They get wild and do just about anything to please their guy.”
Visions of Chloe straddling my waist, her hands resting upon my chest as she shifted her hips, riding me slow, just before speeding up. Hard and fast, my toes curling into the sheets, me gripping her thighs, feeling my orgasm building with each thrust.
“You know from experience, don’t you?” Rich chuckled, reaching out with his foot to kick my leg. “She’s wild, isn’t she?”
Clearing my thoughts of last night with Chloe, I looked between the two of them. “Holly and I had a few dates, but nothing more.”
“And you expect us to believe that? You were just having a fucking flashback.” Idiots didn’t deserve to know I was thinking of Chloe. She was mine, and I wasn’t about to share even a small fraction of our time together.
“Holly is crazy, and I don’t mean in a good way.” They both waited, anticipating more. “On our third date, we both got a little too drunk and ended up outside in an alley behind Joe’s.”
“You dirty dog.” Will nodded as if he could picture the exact spot.
“It was nothing, it was interrupted quick, and then I had a moment of clarity. That’s it, nothing more.” I should have been honest with Chloe about it going a little further than a kiss, but telling a girl you were trying to win over that you were caught in the middle of nailing her arch enemy in a dark alley didn’t seem like the best option at the time. Chloe already hated me or thought I was a certain kind of guy, and I had to show her I wasn’t who she thought I was. That would have been the kiss of death. Besides, it was stopped before it got too far. No harm, so why do I feel sick every time I think about her ever knowing?
“So if the woman in the picture isn’t Hot Holly, then who is it?” Rich lounged back and kicked up his feet, waiting for an explanation. I knew I could give them a no one excuse and brush off this entire topic, but Chloe deserved more than that.
“Chloe.” Just saying her name made my chest ache remembering how I left her this morning. Naked in my bed, one leg peeking out from beneath the covers, bright red painted toenails, her blonde hair sprawled out over my deep blue sheets. “My girl.” The confession felt good to reveal. “Mike’s cousin.” They knew Mike well. “And before you ask, I’m not telling you anything about us, no secrets revealed, no recap of our time together. All you two idiots need to know is that Chloe and I are together and talk about Holly or any other woman for that matter from me is off.”
I’d just openly admitted that I was in a relationship and knew the two of them could have a field day with it, only that didn’t faze me.
“You’re dating Chloe Rigdon?” Spinning around to look behind me, I saw our rookie, Nolan Ricky, shifting his gaze between the three of us. He was wet behind the ears, still wearing that amazed look on his face every single time he stepped inside the station. But all in all, he was an all right guy. “Are you?”
“Yeah.” He shifted on his feet, and I noticed the way he gripped the fork he was holding a little tighter. “Why?”
“I know her is all.” He must have thought I was a fool. “We went to school together and hung out.” I waited for more, because I knew without a doubt there was more.
Silence settled over the room as I continued to stare at Nolan.
“Oh shit.” Will chuckled, and the sound off his fork hitting his plate echoed like an alarm through the space. “You nailed Landon’s girl, didn’t you?”
My stomach bottomed out. I felt nauseous as an image of Nolan and Chloe hit me hard.
“No way.” I stood, and the kid took a step back like he thought I was going to lunge for him or something. “No fucking way.”
“It was a long time ago.” Nolan held out his hand like that would stop me had I truly chosen to punch him. This fuck saw my girl naked; he’d touched her. Yes, it was before me, but still, that shit wasn’t sitting well. “We were seventeen, and it only happened once. We were inexperienced and it was—”
“Rookie deflowered your girl.” Will was laughing so hard he was bent over holding his stomach. “Classic,” he got out between fits. “Oh, that is fucking great. Since he won’t share any details, Nolan, you tell us…is she wild?”
I wasn’t sure what to do first. Punch the little shit that took my girl’s virginity or Will for asking for details.
“If any of you fuckers spill one word about Chloe, I swear I will break you.” I pointed to each of them. “I will make it so your own fucking mother doesn’t recognize you. Don’t test me.”
None of them said a word, just watched me and waited.
Storming from the room, I realized my happy-as-fuck mood was gone. I was pissed, not at Chloe, but at the idea of her with another man. A man I had to see every time I came to this station. A guy I had to train and mentor, a guy that now every time I thought of gave me visions I never wanted to have.
***
“Where are we going?” I stared ah
ead and sang along to the radio, ignoring her continuous questions of our plans. “Are you just gonna keep driving without giving me even the slightest hint?”
Nodding my head, I kept my eyes on the road. Maybe this trip I’d planned for us might have been misguided. The thought of Chloe and Nolan was too much; it was eating at me. I had to get away, take her to a place away where I knew it was only us. It was dumb. I knew this—hell, their time was before me, long before me. The problem was I couldn’t get the images out of my mind. I think she’d picked up on it, too, because I sure hadn’t explained the drive behind this trip.
“You’re messing up my hair.” I didn’t have to look at her to know she was more than likely smiling. “If you aren’t telling me where you are taking me, you could at least roll up the window so I’m not a mess by the time we get there.”
I moved my head toward the control on the door and allowed my thumb to hover over the switch. Glancing in her direction, I grinned when I saw her blonde hair whipping around her face as she tried to gather it all in her hands. Moving my finger a little lower, I pushed the control to both windows, and instead of rolling them up, I lowered them all the way.
Immediately, her gaze shifted to mine, and she glared, going for the evil eye that only made me laugh. She couldn’t do intimidating, not with me anyway. My Kitten, she didn’t scare me.
Narrowing my own, I glared back at her, daring her to do something about it. A few seconds passed, and when I saw a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth, I knew there was no hope of her remaining irritated.
Then releasing her hold on her hair, she allowed it to blow around her face and mumbled, “Hell with it.” With a shrug of her shoulders, she reached out and turned up the radio, singing along loudly.
The entire scene solidified just how perfect this girl was. My chest grew tight, and though I was still having a real hard time with the idea that any man had ever touched her but me, I knew I had to get over it.
Reaching out, I threaded my fingers through hers and pulled her hand over to rest it with mine on my thigh.
“Now are you gonna tell me where we’re going?”
All I’d said when I told her we had plans was to pack enough clothes for a couple days. I had my first seventy-two hours off, and the only one I wanted to spend them with was Chloe. She was able to take off Friday, so we left right after my shift, and four hours later, we were almost to our destination.
“Slide to the middle and buckle up.” She was entirely too far away. I wanted, no, I needed, to feel her body pressed to mine.
After she did as I asked, I relinked my hands with hers and brought them to my lips, kissing hers. I noticed the look she was giving, one of curiosity, and I knew, though I’d been trying my best to hide my mood, I’d failed.
“Are you okay?”
I shook my head, feeling guilty for being a distant ass.
“Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong or do I have to figure it out on my own?” She leaned forward so she could get a better look at my face, and I had no choice but to look at her. “Because you should know I’m terrible at mystery games or anything puzzle solving. So you could save us both the headache and just tell me.”
Half-tempted to pull over and pull her into my lap, I knew I needed to tell her. I didn’t want to start our weekend like this, but I also knew if I didn’t say something, the entire time away would be ruined.
“We have this rookie at the station.” My stomach soured even more as Nolan’s face filled my thoughts. “He’s a decent guy, but to be honest, I don’t know him that well. I’ve been assigned by the chief to allow him to shadow me, show him the ins and outs, make sure he sees action but stays safe when we’re called out.” Which was real hard to do when all you wanted to do was punch the guy. “But I’m having a real hard time with that.”
“Why?” Again I looked at her and saw those amazing blue eyes staring back at me. Her fucking eyes got me every single time; they were so beautiful. “Why are you having a difficult time with it?”
Seeing a gas station ahead, I turned on my signal and began to slow down. As I slowed to a stop next to the pump, I put the truck in park and stared at the gas gauge on the dash.
“Landon?”
“Because the guy’s name is Nolan Ricky.” Finally, I looked in her direction just in time to see her eyes had widened a small fraction. “And yesterday I learned that you and he have a history I could have gone without knowing about.”
Worrying her lip, she kept her gaze locked on mine.
“Now every time I see him, all I want to do is knock him on his ass.” Chloe pressed her lips tight, fighting off a smile. “Not funny, Kitten.” I felt my aggravation intensify. “Now all the guys at the station know that the Rookie was my girl’s first.”
“It was a long time ago.” She slid her hand up my thigh, undid her belt, and moved in closer. “Lots and lots of years ago, and just so you know, it was quick, sloppy, and I barely remember it. Actually something I would rather forget.”
“Not helping,” I pouted, and she laughed, moving her body in so that she could crawl over my lap and straddle me.
“Why do you care anyway?”
“No guy ever wants to hear about the girl he cares about being with anyone else. A first time is a big thing for a girl.”
“I can assure you,” Chloe placed on hand on either side of my face and forced me to look directly at her, “it was nothing special. Us, though, our time together, now that is something great. Amazing, even, and it’s all I care about.”
I was being a fucking punk; I knew this.
Reaching around her, I gripped her ass and pulled her forward, lifting my own hips to create friction in the process. Her lips parted when she felt I was hard beneath her. “You are all mine.” She nodded in agreement. “This weekend I’m taking you away to a place where you and I can drown in one another without any interruption. I need that—call me selfish, hell, call me a caveman, but I have to have this.” Again she nodded like she understood exactly what this meant to me and why. “This shit is crazy, Chloe, but I felt murderous the second I knew he’d had his hands on you at one point. I’ve never cared about that stuff before, not until you.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chloe
Landon and I spent the last twenty minutes of our drive in silence, the confession he’d made sitting heavy between us. Truth was I knew exactly what he was talking about because the idea of him and Holly made me sick.
I knew they’d not gone as far as Nolan and I had, but when I said it was nothing, it really was nothing. Two very inexperienced kids, fumbling around and nervous. It was over in the blink of an eye, and after that, well, things got weird between him and me. He moved on to Stephanie McClure, and I decided that boys were not worth it. Every day since then, I’d wished that I’d saved myself for someone more, someone I cared about. Someone like Landon.
I was just about to tell him those very things when I saw a sign up ahead. Squinting, I read the words, and excitement rushed through me in one huge wave.
Forrest Hills Mountain Resort.
“I thought what better way to get some time alone than to take you to a hidden cabin in the woods.” Landon shrugged, turning off onto the access road toward the resort.
“You rented a cabin?”
“Yeah.” The idea of him being jealous, I would admit, did give my ego a huge boost. Landon Layne, worried about my past with Nolan or any guy. I would quietly enjoy the satisfaction that gave me.
“That sounds amazing, actually.” He gently squeezed my hand and continued to drive toward the main office. We went down a long winding road lined with trees, all the colors of fall covering them perfectly. I was in awe of my surroundings, taking in every little piece that passed me by.
When the truck stopped, I realized we’d reached the front, and together both Landon and I slid out of the driver’s side. He gripped my waist to ensure I landed safely from the monster of a truck.
It was strange to
witness him withdrawn and hesitant. I didn’t like it and made it my sole purpose of this trip to remind him just how much he and I were what mattered the most.
Hand in hand, we walked toward the large glass doors that led inside a massive welcoming space. Upon entering, two women looked up and offered us a smile. “Welcome to Forrest Hills,” the younger of the two offered, looking more toward Landon than me. He’s a good-looking guy, I knew, so it didn’t surprise me.
“You two are simply adorable,” the older woman chimed in and gained my attention. “Newlyweds?”
“No.” I looked over at Landon to see if the idea of it freaked him out, and he seemed unfazed. “We’re here for—”
“A romantic getaway with my gorgeous girlfriend.” Landon stepped around and slid in behind. “I have a cabin reserved through Sunday afternoon. Under Layne.” He pressed a kiss to my temple and willingly took in the closeness. The entire four hours in a truck traveling he’d barely talked and when possible all I was given was a quick kiss. I’d missed his attention and hoped that he was over his sulking so we could finally move on.
“Here we are.” The older woman turned to gather a key that hung on a long chain with a number attached. “The cabin has been stocked with all the items you requested. Here is the map of the property so that you are familiar with all we have to offer. Food, activities,” she grinned wider, “if you decide you’d like to venture outside of Cupid’s Hideout.”
Wrinkling my forehead, I looked back over my shoulder to see Landon gleaming. That smile I’d seen very little of had returned. “We’ll take the map just in case, but I’m not sure how much of the outdoors we’ll be exploring.”
