The first kiss was tentative, as if he didn’t trust her not to change her mind. His vulnerability touched her, yet the knowledge that she possessed such feminine power over him emboldened her response. She clasped his face between her hands. “I want you, Jake Turner.”
“Amanda. I have to tell you something and it might change the way you feel about—”
She rubbed her fingertips across his lips. “I love you. I fell in love with you the moment I entered the detention room and you tried to frighten me with your scowl.” She gazed into his brown eyes, willing him to believe her. “I know what you want to confess. At least my father’s version of the incident.”
Gaping, he took a hasty step back.
“Now I want to hear your version.” She prayed he wouldn’t shut her out. Prayed he trusted her enough to listen and judge without bias. When he remained silent, she squeezed his hand. “Please, Jake.”
“It was the summer before our senior year. I got off work early from the Quick-Lube and went home to change clothes. When I entered the house, I heard weird noises coming from my mom’s bedroom.”
He paused and Amanda insisted, “Go on.”
“I thought maybe Mom had hit the bottle early and had gotten sick, so I walked right into the bedroom. Your dad was in bed with her.”
Amanda closed her eyes and inwardly cringed at the image that flashed through her mind.
“I was shocked. Not that a guy was in bed with my mom, but that the man was a preacher. I left and waited on the porch. When your dad appeared, I expected him to apologize, repent or whatever the hell a preacher is supposed to do in that situation. Instead he gave the impression that his actions were permissible because my mother was white trash.”
Amanda slapped a hand over her mouth and battled tears.
“When you offered to tutor me, I refused at first because you were the preacher’s daughter. But then I realized I could use you to get back at your father. I’d planned to gain your trust, get you to like me, to have sex with you, then dump you as if you mattered little to me.” He shrugged. “I’d intended to treat you the way your father treated my mother—with total disregard.”
“But you didn’t. Why?”
“Because you were kind, caring and sincere. Nothing like your old man. I couldn’t hurt you, so I walked away.”
“Oh, Jake.” Amanda wanted to weep for the pain in his gaze.
“But in the end I was the one who paid the price for your father’s actions.”
“I don’t understand.”
He stroked her cheek, his gaze softening on her face. “I walked away from you in the physical sense. But you’ve always been with me here.” He held her hand to his chest. “I never stopped loving you, Amanda.”
She struggled against tears. “We’ve wasted so many years when we could have been together.”
“But you shouldn’t have to choose between me and your father.”
“I’ve already chosen. And I choose you.” She breathed deeply. “It will take time, but one day I hope to be able to forgive my father.”
“For your sake, Amanda, I’ll try to forgive him, too.” He hugged her fiercely. “But no promises.”
“The only promise I insist on is your love.”
He sealed his promise with a kiss, then lifted her in his arms.
“I’m not helpless.” Her protest sounded feeble to her own ears. What woman in her right mind wouldn’t wish to be swept off her feet?
“You’ll break your pretty neck in those sexy heels.” He trudged up the rocky pathway. Instead of stopping at the boarded-up mine entrance, he carried her behind a large boulder, then set her on her feet near a smaller opening in the rock.
“There’s a decent-size chamber inside that shoots off the main mine entrance.”
“You want to go in there?”
Jake’s breath brushed her mouth when he spoke. “I rode out here earlier today and got rid of all the creepy-crawly things. It’s comfy and cozy inside.”
Amanda’s heart thumped crazily in her chest. So he hadn’t planned on skipping town without her, as she’d feared. “You go first.”
He slipped through the opening, then a moment later a shaft of light spilled from the secret hideaway. “Ready. Watch your head.”
Carefully she edged inside. “Oh, my,” she sighed, awed that Jake had turned the small cavern into a pleasure den. Aside from the lantern in the corner, he’d laid out thick blankets, and a bottle of red wine and two goblets stuck out of a picnic basket.
She sank to the blankets, her legs curled to the side. “So this is where all the high-school guys brought their girlfriends to make out.”
“Not all the guys.” Jake’s face turned ruddy.
“You never made out with a girl here?”
He shook his head, his expression open and vulnerable. “You’re my first.”
He kissed her while his hands slipped her dress straps off her shoulder, his fingers leaving a trail of fire across her skin. Before the heat of his touch cooled, his mouth replaced his hands and Amanda found herself on her back, gazing up at Jake’s face.
This is right. Perfect. Her mind and heart agreed—here and now with Jake was her destiny. Whatever the future held for them as a couple, Amanda would always cherish the memories of this hometown Fourth of July weekend.
Jake’s kisses worked their magic as she gave herself over to the moment. Not until a cool breeze caressed her breasts did she realize that her dress bunched around her waist. Jake stared boldly at her body, his hands busy shoving the material over her hips and down her legs. Clad only in her panties and high heels, she reveled in the pleasure she read in his face as he perused her seminaked form. When his fingers joined his visual pursuit, Amanda arched her back seeking more—seeking Jake.
He lavished attention on her breasts, his tongue creating a glistening path across her skin. At the same time he slipped his hand beneath the waistband of her panties.
“I can’t wait,” he breathed into her mouth.
With a quickness that belied his size, he leaped from the blanket and stripped off his tux.
She soaked up the sight of his glorious nudity and thought she’d never viewed anything more beautiful than Jake’s lean muscular physique. There was an aura of wildness about his aroused state, yet also a raw vulnerability in his eyes. With Jake it would never be just sex. It would always be love.
Amanda rose to her knees and ran her hands up his legs, the back of his thighs, his muscular buttocks. She wrapped her fingers around him and stroked, reveling in the groan that rumbled in his chest as his head dropped back and his eyes closed. She rubbed her mouth against his navel, then swirled her tongue inside. A moment later Jake sprawled atop her.
“These are coming off.” He tugged her panties down her thighs. The elastic band caught on her heel. She reached to remove her shoe, but he grabbed her knee and instructed, “Leave them on.”
Feeling a little naughty, she grinned. “Whatever you wish.”
Their hands and mouths engaged in a game of who could arouse whom more. At the touch of Jake’s lips on the inside of her thigh, Amanda raised a mental white flag. Jake ignored her surrender, his fingers serenading her aroused flesh. Her heart pounded, her pulse raced. Her reach for release became painful in its intensity. Then Jake’s mouth replaced his hand and she soared through the heavens, uncaring that her cries echoed down the mountainside.
Amanda hadn’t caught her breath before Jake sheathed himself and slid inside her. Her muscles, still convulsing from her climax, squeezed him. Stroke after stroke, he dragged her back up the mountainside.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, her high heels digging into his hips. His thrusts became frenzied, andAmanda grasped his head and tugged his face near. When he sought her mouth, she held him off with a hand in the center of his chest. “I love you.” Threading her fingers through his damp hair, she kissed him with all the love and desire she’d held inside for so long.
“You’re all I
’ve ever wanted, needed, to be happy, Amanda.”
Jake’s lovemaking intensified, and before she’d even recovered from her first climax, she tumbled off the rocky hillside again. Jake followed, grunting his release against her neck.
Save for their labored breathing, they lay in the stillness, their slippery bodies entwined. Jake buried his face in Amanda’s neck, battling the lump forming in his throat. Making love with her had been a gut-wrenching experience. He’d expected their lovemaking to be special, but he hadn’t been prepared to connect with her on such a deep level. After his screwed-up childhood he’d believed his heart was impenetrable. Damned if Amanda hadn’t blown right through the organ.
In her arms Jake felt as if he mattered. As if Amanda couldn’t live without his touch, his kiss, his loving. Somehow, she’d made him believe he was her everything.
Lifting his head, he studied her blue eyes. “I’ve never loved anyone before. Never even came close. But I swear, Amanda, I’m head over heels for you.”
“I love you just as much.”
Face sober, he tucked her against his side. “Then we’ve got a problem, Winslow.”
“We do?”
“Your life is here in Silver Cliff and mine’s in California.” His chest expanded with a deep breath. “I thought I could, but I’m not ready to move back here. The memories are too…” He swallowed hard. “But if it’s where you want to live…”
She trailed her fingers across the muscled ridges of his stomach. “We deserve a fresh start.”
“But your friends are in Silver Cliff. Your home. Your job,” he argued.
“Jake, are you asking me to marry you or just be with you?”
Hell, he was making a mess of things. “To marry me, of course…unless you’d rather—”
“Yes, Jake, I’ll marry you.”
Emotion throbbed in his chest. “I don’t know what I did to deserve your love,” he confessed. “I can give you a good life. A big house. A fancy car.”
“I don’t want material things, Jake.” She caressed his chest. “This…your heart…your love is all I need.”
“Then it’s yours, babe.”
“Good. Now that we’ve settled that, I will admit the whole white knight rescuing me from the small mountain town holds some appeal.”
He chuckled, amazed this beautiful woman with such a generous, warm heart was forever his.
“Take me to places I’ve only read about in library books. Then when we’re old and tired and we’ve seen the world, we’ll return to Silver Cliff and spend the rest of our days meddling in everyone’s business and generally creating an uproar riding your Harley around town.”
“What about kids?” He wasn’t sure what kind of father he’d make, but he trusted Amanda to show him the way.
“A couple of babies would add to the adventure.” She curled a hand around his neck. “Since my biological clock is ticking rather loudly these days, we’d better begin our little family right away.”
Because Jake was through running, he was more than happy to oblige. “Whatever you say, babe.”
A BABY ON THE WAY
Laura Marie Altom
Dear Reader,
Even though I’ve always been a “good girl” and married a “good boy,” there’s a mischievous part of me that still wonders about the “bad boys” of the world. What makes them tick? What happens when those boys grow into men? Are they still naughty, or do they change their rebellious ways?
This story was a hoot to write, because in dreaming up hunky Graydon, I got to vicariously see not only what a true “bad boy” was like, but how a “good girl” like India might handle taming him. Turns out that just as for the scary punk rocker I landed as my freshman college roommate, appearances—or, in Graydon’s case, perceptions—can be deceiving!
I hope you’ll enjoy India’s exploration of Graydon as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Laura Marie
For her generous donation to the northeast Oklahoma chapter of ASHRAE, Mary Bowers won dedication rights to this story. When I asked how she wanted her dedication phrased, this is what she said: “I would like to dedicate this book to my four grandchildren, Ryan, Daniel, Addy and Laura. You are the lights of my life and I am so proud of you for your accomplishments. Since you are all such good students and love to read, I am dedicating this to you. Love, Mimi.”
Beautifully put, Mary.
Thanks again for your generous spirit!
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter One
Welcome, Silver Cliff Eagles!
India Foster glanced at the banner stretched across the Silver Palace Hotel’s teeming lobby, then groaned. Talk about leaping from the frying pan into the fire…
After the solitude of her two-day drive from Columbus, Ohio, to Silver Cliff—a small, Colorado mountain town—finding herself drowning in a crowd felt surreal. Still, as the hotel’s newly-hired conference and event coordinator, India knew wrangling mobs like this was a large part of her job. She just hadn’t expected to do it quite so soon. And wouldn’t have, if not for her sister, Lyndsay, flaking out on her.
Upon India’s arrival at the apartment they’d planned to share, the building manager had handed her a note: Off to L.A. Long story. Happy B-Day!
Right. Too bad birthdays couldn’t be postponed.
Better yet, in India’s case, canceled altogether.
The potbellied guy had further brightened her day by explaining that the entire county had been invaded by Silver Cliff High graduates, in town for a reunion to both celebrate and mourn the end of an era. The old high school was being converted into luxury condos. Apparently, the new school was state-of-the-art, but many older graduates were taking the closing hard. Having herself gone to high school in Pershing, Ohio, Class of 2000, she’d been more choked up about not having a place to stay than by the closing of Silver Cliff High.
Because it was the Fourth of July, any nearby hotels and motels not overwhelmed with graduates were booked with tourists. She’d hoped to find a temporary home here at the Silver Palace, but now that she’d planted herself and her rock-heavy overnight bag at the end of a long line crawling to the front desk, she knew from the pit in her stomach that she might end up sleeping in her car.
“Pardon.” Someone tapped India’s shoulder.
“Yes?” India turned to face a middle-aged woman wearing a disastrous red-and-black striped dress. She carried a clipboard in the crook of one arm. In the other arm, a basket threatened to overflow with numbered pins.
“Didn’t you read a word of your registration packet? You can’t get in this line without first visiting mine.” As if she were a teacher scolding an unruly child, the woman shook her head and clucked her tongue. “Jill Benson, I thought I’d taught you better than that. Always, always read and follow directions.”
“Sorry, but you must have me mistaken for—”
“Here you go,” the woman said, snatching an ’04 button from her basket, then fastening it to India’s pink chambray shirt. “Can’t have you running around naked, so to speak.”
“But I’m not—”
“Tommy Underwood, if I’ve told you once I’ve…”
Before India got a word in edgewise, the woman was off, accosting another victim. India started to remove the button, then figured there was no point. She’d probably just get nailed anew. This way, she’d at least blend with the crowd.
Shifting her overnight bag from one hand to the other, she moved up in line, vowing that her sister would pay for putting her through this.
Scowling, India decided that out of a record number of awful birthdays, this one was the last straw. No cake, no presents, no breaking out in song she could handle, but this crushing sense of yet again being alo
ne in a crowd hurt.
Which was why she’d moved halfway across the country. To finally fill the gnawing hunger stemming from never belonging. In the two years Lyndsay had lived in Silver Cliff, she’d characterized the town as sweet and as welcoming as a scoop of hot-fudge-drenched ice cream, and had repeatedly urged India to pack up and move in with her. Lyndsay being Lyndsay, though, she hadn’t put much stock in India actually finishing her degree. However, now that India was armed with her diploma and had this amazing new job, she felt certain only good things were to come. Surely fate wouldn’t be so cruel as to put her through the stress of the past couple of months only to land her in fresh trouble.
Steeling her shoulders, raising her chin and inching farther up in line, India vowed not to think of this latest development as trouble but an adventure.
Thirty minutes later, at last taking her turn at the sumptuous hotel’s ivory-toned marble registration counter, that adventure India had convinced herself she was seeking was firmly back to being trouble!
“But I’m supposed to start work Monday,” India said to the front manager, whose name tag read Vicki. “I’ve already tried every other conceivable place in town. Please, I’ll sleep in my new office. I really need a place to stay.”
“I understand,” Vicki said warmly. “Your new boss is one of my dearest friends, and if it wasn’t for my husband’s sister and what feels like her fourteen kids staying with me, I’d offer you my guest room, but—”
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” said a grinning brunette who’d been complaining to a clerk about one of her roommates having canceled, and therefore no longer sharing the bill. Unless she was a fellow impostor graduate, she was, as her button proudly proclaimed, a graduate of the Class of ’02. “But seeing as how my sisters and I just lost a roommate and you need a room, would you consider staying with us?”
*
HER HOUSING CRISIS temporarily resolved thanks to the incredibly kind set of triplets, with whom she’d become fast friends, India was grateful that at least some of her birthday angst had been assuaged. She figured that now her best course of action would be to launch an apartment hunt.
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