by Kay Maree
“Will you let me help you?” I asked as I reached out to grab her hand. Bold move considering I didn’t know her well enough to warrant me taking her hand. This could go one of two ways, either she hits me and storms off making a scene in the middle of my parent’s anniversary party, or she takes my hand and allows me to help.
If she was, who I thought she was then there was no way in hell she would make a scene here. It just wouldn’t be the Kislet thing to do. Thank goodness, she’d stretched out her hand and allowed me to whisk her away to get cleaned up. I pulled her along as we left the party for more of a quitter and private room. The only place I knew where she could get cleaned up was either the lake house or the main house. It was a slight walk to either, but it would have to be done regardless of the snow coming down outside. I ripped at the coat rack taking with me a long trench like coat and draped it over her shoulders. I gripped her hand a little tighter pulling her through a wide door which would place us both out onto the deck that cuddled this entire building. It was party sheltering us from the weather but the cold chill I felt course through my spine told me that if I didn’t push us to get to shelter soon, I was going to freeze. After all, this was Alaska in the winter, ice cold conditions and snowfall that was so unpredictable.
“Where are we going?” she asked her voice sweet and soft.
“To the lake house,” I simply replied.
“But….”
“It’s alright, you’re not going to get into any trouble,” I ensured as I squeezed her hand in reassurance.
I wasn’t about to hesitate; I took charged and marched the two of us along the semi now covered pathway to the lake. Within a few minutes I’d gripped the door to the house and pushed it open ushering her inside before kicking it closed with my foot. The room was warm, toasty even as the open fire was still lit and I was grateful for the light it gave off in the room as I’d forgotten all about leaving a light on so I could see when I made my way back here after the party. She froze midstep forcing me to run into her yet again but this time I wasn’t traveling at a high speed to try to catch her this time I was more of a brick wall to her soft marshmallow like body. I said I was a clumsy fool and I totally was one tonight. I gripped her hips and tried to steady the both of us.
“I’m sorry,” I voiced.
“You’re just full of apologies aren’t you,” she chuckled. The sweet sound resonating over my flesh making it prickle with goosebumps.
I smiled.
“My momma is going to kick your ass for touching me so…,” she declared as she placed a hand over mine as it rested on her hip.
“So, you do remember me?” she asked.
“Mackenzie Mathews, the adorable little curly red head girl from across the way,” I answered.
Of course, I remembered her. I’d remembered her giggling foolishly as she was chased by Tommy Little the rough and tough boy who went on to become an electrical engineer after he graduated from some prestigious college, I remember my cousin Emmett being smitten with her when he was a wee babe, how she could make him happy when everything else failed. I remember the day she said she was leaving because she wore the saddest look, I’d ever seen a girl bear and that frightened me but that’s beside the point. The last time I saw Mackenzie I was starting high school and she was barely starting primary school. To see her here, grown up I had to admit silently that she’d turned into a gorgeous woman, age agreed with her. Damn, she smelt good, like Jasmine or Freesia flowers. Being this close to her could be a bad temptation especially when I couldn’t keep my thoughts from conjuring up erotic thoughts. What could I say, it had been a long while since I’d allowed myself to think such things and I couldn’t help it if she was smoking hot? I felt her body move as she turned in my grip. Her smile growing as she looked up at me. Fuck! She was beautiful… her eyes, those lips the whole damn package was too good to be true. This had to be a dream. Here I was standing in a stunning lake house with a beautiful woman and all this was because I spilt my drink. Of course, my mind was filled with impure thoughts of ravishing her, laying her upon the sheep skins on the wooden floor in front of the fire, lifting her dress up over her head… tossing it aside before stripping her of her panties. Then of course…. Fuck! Shit! Crap! I needed to get my head examined. I silently groaned; my cock was twitching in my pants. I internally smiled admiring the look of her.
I felt like I was about to say something stupid, but if I did, I couldn’t help myself. My mother had taught me to respect women and while my thoughts may sometimes run away with the wind, I physically would never do anything to women that would jeopardise any form of a friendship. With that thought in mind, I let go of her hips and stepped aside, I needed to search for a towel to dry her off. She couldn’t stay in wet clothing even if it was a lovely dress. I walked into the enclave that would lead out onto the back deck, I opened the cupboard and shuffled through the piles of linen my mother had stashed inside and pulled out two towels returning to where Mackenzie was standing in the open loungeroom and handing her a towel.
She was going to need clothing; shame I didn’t have any sisters to help in that department, I had female cousins, but I wasn’t about to traipse back out into the cold weather to seek their assistance. I knew I had a few old shirts around here somewhere, otherwise I only had the items I’d brought with me. I quickly unbuttoned my shirt and slipped it off my shoulders throwing onto the kitchen counter. I turned to head up stairs to get her a t-shirt and froze. She was staring at me.
“Is there something wrong?” I inquired curiously.
“Noth…nothing… umm,” she stumbled on her words, but her eyes never left their current position.
I looked down at my chest and noticed exactly what she was staring at. I had body art that intricately weaved its way across my chest and shoulder. The sparkle in her eyes told me she liked it very much and that made me intrigued. I liked my ink and while some parts of the intricate design hurt like a bitch, I couldn’t complain, the artist had done a great job.
“As much as I like having you stare at my chest,” I stated as I stepped closer to her, “we shouldn’t stay here for too long especially when there’s a party going on.”
“Good God,” she mumbled right before I saw her hand close over her mouth.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. I knew she hadn’t meant to say the words, but they’d been said, they were now out floating around the open air and would rest where they fell. It didn’t matter, I had more pressing matters to deal with then a slip of the tongue but the tone in which she spoke those words had me internally smiling. Good God, it was a flattering complement.
“If you wait here, I’ll be back in a second with something for you to wear and then we’ll try to dry your dress so you can return to the party,” I declared as I turned and walked to the steps then bounded up them two at a time. I rummaged through the closet and found a giant oversized t-shirt. Thankfully it was toasty warm in her because she couldn’t go outside in just the thin material. I returned not a few minutes later and handed her the stark white shirt. It was no shorter than the dress she had on now, so I was sure she wouldn’t mind wearing it. Besides it would be a hell of a lot more comfortable then roaming in her undergarments while I tried to dry her black dress.
She certainly wasn’t a shy woman, no sooner had I handed her the t-shirt did she unzip the dress and peel herself from its confines right in front of me. A somewhat stranger as I hadn’t seen her in years and here, she was removing clothing. She hadn’t quiet finished pulling the shirt over her head when she paused and looked up to find me starring, gawking at her beauty like I had to tact in the world.
My eyes couldn’t stop starring. She was going to think I was some sick pervert who escorted her here, just to peek. I quickly diverted my eyes and tried my best to control the urges I felt coursing through me. Thank fuck my cock hadn’t become stiff in these jeans, but if I didn’t start reciting the pledge of allegiance it might just.
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��How do I look?” she asked.
No! she couldn’t ask me a question like this because I’d go and fuck this all up. I’d say the wrong thing. She looked divine. I knew she looked smoking hot in the oversized shirt; in fact, I could guarantee she knew she looked great in it also. It was slightly too big for her frame, but it wouldn’t matter. I’d be the only one seeing her in it.
“It looks good,” I said trying to sound convincing as I stepped towards her and picked up the towel along with her black dress. When I looked up, I couldn’t help but focus on the black bra that encased such perfectly rounded and perky breasts. The shirt was V-neck and dipped. It also didn’t help that the black screamed out through the thin whiteness of the shirt. It was like a red light just flashing at you to stop but I couldn’t because I felt like a deer caught in headlights. It was taking immense willpower to not gawk at the cleavage she had on display, to not take her and push her into the top of the kitchen table and ravish the hell out of her but the last thing I would ever want to do, is scare this woman away.
“Let’s get this dress dry,” I voiced as I turned from her. I needed a little breathing room to try and synch in these thoughts.
“Jasper,” her voice called out. It was soothing and made my insides do some pretty crazy shit. I don’t think I’ve ever loved hearing my name be called ever… up until now I mean. I turned to see McKenzie stepping towards me. The shirt suited her… it fucking suited her well however I didn’t particularly like the fact that if someone was to walk in right this very second, they’d get to see this. I don’t know what I was feeling but it was obvious my possessiveness had kicked in and I wanted to well I wanted to keep this private.
“McKenzie,” I replied. I couldn’t help but feel a little pull towards this girl. I don’t know if I believe in the whole insta-love thing, but she had me captivated. Something inside me wanted this woman so badly… after all I was going to have to chant a mantra to keep my cock from wanting to spring free. I guess, I wanted her more than anything I had ever wanted in my life and I rarely wanted for anything since I had everything I ever needed. I barely knew this woman and here I was ready to throw caution to the wind and grasp at straws to fuck her.
Get your mind out of the gutter and find some strength to get past this. I needed to stop thinking with my appendage and start focusing on the task of getting this woman’s dress dry and her back to the party. My mother was probably wondering where I’d gone.
So why the fuck was my body wanting this woman so much. I couldn’t help it; I couldn’t contain this feeling anymore. I walked towards her, and gripped her arm dragging her off to a more secluded place. I didn’t care if she was talking with friends or what, she was going to get some good old-fashioned Jasper charm. I rounded the corner and within seconds I had her pinned to the wall, my body pressing into her as my lips made vicious contact with hers. For a split second I thought she was going to push me away and slap me clean across my face, but she didn’t, she melted and soon I felt her hands slip around my neck. I liked the feeling of her body close to mine. Her warmth radiating from her as those big curvaceous breasts pressed into my chest. My hands of their own accord stretched out to grip her hips to steady her. She trembled ever so slightly making me smile… obviously I affected her just as much as she affected me. How could this be when we were effectively strangers. She didn’t know much about me; all she knew was the boy who went off to college while she moved town.
I pulled back, breaking the kiss we shared to breath in some much-needed air. She was short, cute even as she tried to gain her composure.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?” I curiously asked.
She smirked as her hands slipped into my hair and she pushed up on tipped toes as she pulled me down to her level to whisper in my ear. “For giving me something I’d been wanting for a very long time,” she simply replied right before the woman did the last thing, I ever expected her to do. She blew my fucking mind even more than I could have imagined. She placed her lips to mine and the rest they say is history. Yes, we’d just kissed but this was something more. It was the ultimate sex filled kiss that left my cock rock hard, my head spinning and my body craving for her even more. When it was over, I remember that cheeky as fuck grin on her lips as she sashayed away but not before whispering two little words.
“Call me.”
Fucking oath, I may just marry this girl.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Bar
“Please tell me you’re totally excited about tonight, because I am and we haven’t been out in so long,” Emmett remarked. Of course, we hadn’t been out in forever because none of us lived remotely close to each other. Apparently, that didn’t matter, Emmett was just excited, so excited about going out to the only bar within a ten-mile radius of Kislet.
“I’m over the moon,” I sarcastically chuckled.
“I’m keen,” Adley remarked, “Just gotta find something to wear,” she said.
Dwayne scoffed, “You have plenty to wear missy, besides it’s the dead cold of winter and if you’re that stupid to go out in anything other than snow gear then you’re a crazy fool. Just pick something and let’s get going,” he groaned.
It was meant to be a guy’s night out but somehow my mother caught wind of our plans and now she’d roped not only Adley but Kate and Rebecca and her husband into tagging alone with us. Dwayne was hoping that the girls were light weights with the drinks and would head some quickly so we could have a good night.
I was already dressed and waiting to leave much like Emmett and Dwayne also, but girls took a good hour longer than needed to get dressed up.
“It’s only the local dive bar,” Emmett yelled. “If you’re not ready to go in five minutes we’re leaving without you,” he added.
“It’s totally not fair, look how sexy you are,” Adley sighed with a huff.
Dwayne rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“I need a drink,” I mumbled as I stepped towards my parent’s bar and poured Dwayne and I, a shot of tequila.
“Here’s to surviving a night out with these chicks,” I announced as we both clinked our shot glasses together before downing the liquid. It was gross, something I rarely drank but I needed it. I don’t know what it was, but something about going out tonight screamed with warning. This night was going to be messy… oh so messy.
***
“Oh my… you’re never going to believe what Helena is up too,” Adley yelled so I could hear her over the old jukebox pumping through the speakers. We were all sitting in two booths at the side of the local pub sharing a few bowls of hot chips. We had been here for a good three hours and still the girls were hanging around. Dwayne was a brooding… well I don’t know what to call him, but I think he had a lot on his mind. I had a sneaky suspicion that Kate, Bec and Adley were in for the long haul.
I smiled and waited for Adley to spew her exciting news out, she loved to gossip but most of all she was downright crazy after a few drinks and very fun and flirty… even with her own flesh and blood.
“Look,” Adley said turning me to face Helena who was kissing some guy. How the fuck was this gossip? He looked young, fun and appeared to be enjoying what Helena had to offer, considering the guy looked barley legal I prayed for her sake he was. I smiled and shook my head just as the two of them pulled apart and starred at each other. Holy crap balls… I knew the boy and I say boy because well… he is Bill Howl’s son. Bill is the owner of Kislet’s only hardware store. He’d been providing the residents of this small town his services since his father ran the store before him. His son was… well known as somewhat of a bad seed but I just think he was a guy stuck in a small town where there was nothing to do and the same girls to date. I think seeing Helena was like a fish seeing bait… he couldn’t help but take a bit and get hooked.
“I hope she knows what she is doing, because that boy there is Bill Howl’s son… as in Mr Howl’s workshop,” I remarked shakin
g my head and chuckling over what I’d just seen. It was just a little bit of harmless kissing so I couldn’t see it being a problem, but if his father knew he was hooking up with girls from out of town. Well, it could turn out to be a hell of a headache for him.
“Jasper,” I heard a voice call out from behind me just as the music started to meld into the next song, an upbeat version of some popular country song everyone was dancing to.
I turned around to see McKenzie stride towards me, the biggest smile on her lips. I took the time, staring at her. I wanted to appreciate her subtle sexiness. She was hot, wearing jeans which by the way were so firm fitting on her legs that they were almost like a second skin. As for the shirt that so lovingly showed off a small but very nice bit of her neck… oh who the heck was I kidding it dipped and showed more of her chest then I’d like others to see but… well it was clinging to her in all the right places and making me want to just well I wasn’t about to finish that sentence because then this would be one hell of an awkward moment. It was already starting to make me wish I’d kept a closet tab on my train of thought. I really did need to get my head clean out of the gutter. She was probably coming over to chastise me for not calling her. It has been a few days, but it has taken a few days for the majority of the family to recover from whatever odd hangover or food-coma they all seemed to be sporting.
“Fancy seeing you here,” she said as she leaned down and kissed my cheek, lingering just a little too long. My head was starting to race with naughty thoughts that I knew it was time to shake them off.
I pulled back and looked up at her, damn. She was so beautiful. I shook myself mentally and remembered that we weren’t alone here in the bar, I had cousins all in toe for the evening. Cousins that seemed to be in some awe-struck pose. Alright to Dwayne and Emmett appeared to be curious about McKenzie but they could keep their noses out of anything in relation to her. She wasn’t mine, but I’d fight like hell to make sure she wasn’t one of theirs either. I couldn’t blame them, I thought she was smoking hot too.