Val was fascinated to learn that she was an artist and insisted that she pull up some photos of her work on her phone. She was good.
“These are fantastic. I’ve never even been in Colorado but I feel like, well, I feel like I know these places—they feel comfortable. Familiar.”
“I’m so happy you think so.” Her voice was quiet but enthusiastic. “I usually just take a lot of photographs wherever I go, take a lot of walks and a lot of pictures. Then, after I think about it for a little while I go back to the places that resonate the most with me and take more photographs. Mostly I take pictures of the people or the animals, the things that make that space its own thing. I find that once I settle down to paint it’s not so much putting that mountain in the right place or making sure that that lake is the right shape, but that all the pieces of the puzzle that make something whole feel right, resonate.”
Then they went off on a tangent about photography, since Val always took his own shots for stories. Before he knew it, the flight attendant was offering them a tray with rolled-up, damp hot washcloths to freshen up before they begin their decent.
Val noticed Jami getting tense, but when he asked her what was wrong, she shook her head.
“Nothing’s wrong, just not looking forward to the attitude that I’m going to get from my sister.”
He watched her as she fidgeted with folding the blanket, digging in her purse, anything to keep busy. He was sure there was more to it than that, but he let it go, he wanted her to tell him when she was ready.
Her phone buzzed as they taxied to the gate, and she smiled when she turned to tell him that Illeana and Stefan had been found safe. “Apparently they’d been tied up and left on the boat, thank goodness.” He smiled as the relief on her face, glad they’d gotten some good news for once.
Val followed Jami through the airport and the baggage claim process and customs, noting with amusement the looks she was getting. She was oblivious, but she had heads turning, eyeing the tan length of leg shown off in the floral wrap skirt she was wearing and admiring the healthy bounce of the light brown waves that she had clipped away from her face.
He wished she weren’t so stressed, getting more so by the minute he noticed, but he sure was enjoying the view from back here.
He could actually see her tighten up in the Uber from the airport. He pulled out his tablet and made a few notes, ran a few Google searches. He was beginning to get a glimpse of the story he wanted to tell, and how he wanted to frame it. Every time he looked over at her something had shifted, a brow furrowed, shoulders tensed. He wanted to make her laugh or kiss her. Anything to distract her. But he knew she was dealing with a lot, coming back home after everything that had happened, he reined in his instincts and left her alone.
He could hear her phone buzzing in her purse, but she was ignoring it. When they pulled off the highway, she sat up straight and smiled at him. It was a tense smile, but at least it was there. And for him.
She rolled her window down, he could smell a storm coming, feel the closeness of a thunderstorm in the air.
“For the next couple of miles, you’ll see on either side of the road what used to be a huge ranch. When the parents died the children sold the property off and it’s been developed into a few pretty exclusive estates.” She pointed out the entrances as they passed, huge wooden beams framing entrances to driveways so long and sweeping that they disappeared into the trees before you could see the houses. It was dark, and the lights tucked in and around the shrubbery and trees to accent the landscaping around a few houses was the only light visible for what seemed like miles.
“In a few minutes, we’ll be able to see the river out here on the left. This is Whiskey River, where the town got its name. The rumor is that there was an old saloon out here where the miners used to come down, trade some of the gold they’d found for supplies, and get drunk.”
She smiled again and shrugged. “Not very elegant, but true.”
She crooked her finger and pointed out the window on her side and he leaned over to see what she was pointing at. Sure enough, the road they were following was now curving along the edge of a cliff face and peering down over the edge he could see the tumbling river she was referring to, reflecting the light of the moon.
“Beautiful,” he murmured as she smiled, appearing pleased that he thought so.
“Next we’ll get to Aubrie’s bar. I’ll point it out as we pass it but it’s too late to go in and say hi right now.”
He glanced at his watch, seeing it was one o’clock in the morning with surprise.
“Then we’ll curve away from the river and go back through the woods. Following that road about ten minutes or so takes us to the lake. There are a few houses and cottages around the edge, and that’s where I live. I’d like to stop at the bar and pick up my dog,” she added wistfully, “but, like I said, it’s a little late and I don’t want to bother Aubrie.”
“What kind of dog do you have?”
At this, she did grin, no sign of stress or worry showing. “He’s a German Shepherd, about one hundred and forty pounds of pure love, unless you make a move that he thinks I won’t like. He’s not a guard dog, and I didn’t train him for that, he figured it out on his own. I’ve had him for seven years, and I bring him almost everywhere I go, this is the longest I’ve ever been away from him.”
“So, he’s protective, huh? He’s not going to lunge at me, is he?”
She turned to him with a concerned look on her face. “Oh my God, it didn’t even occur to me that you might not like dogs.”
“Jami, I was teasing. I love dogs. I’m sure we’ll get along fine.” Again, he made sure to smile and keep his voice soothing. She was definitely on edge.
Her face cleared. “Oh, thank goodness, he’s such a big part of my life.”
She pointed out of the window again as they passed a large log cabin style building overlooking the river. “So, there’s the bar. Aubrie used to be an actor, he came out here when he was done with all that stuff and renovated this old bar. Everyone in town was happy to have him here, that place had been sitting empty for so long. Now it’s kind of the hub of the town.”
“It seems peaceful and quiet out here. Kind of on the edge of the world,” Val noted thoughtfully.
“It is. I actually think that’s why a lot of the people that live here ended up in Whiskey River. Close enough to get to anything you need in a decent amount of time, but it still has that small-town feel. I wouldn’t say that everyone here is best friends with everyone else, but everyone knows who belongs and who doesn’t, and everyone looks out for each other,” Jami replied, still staring out the window.
She’d softened a bit talking about her home town and its people, and had rested her hand on his knee. She didn’t seem to notice, but he felt it like a brand, loving that she was so comfortable with him.
As she described, the road curved up and away from the river once they had passed the bar, turning into a heavily wooded area, the road dark and twisting.
He wasn’t much for reading into things, but with all that they’d learned over the past couple of days, he couldn’t shake the feeling of foreboding that settled on his shoulders as they threaded their way into the dark.
Jami had to give the Uber driver instructions at this point, his app wouldn’t do him any good out here. After about ten minutes the woods thinned out a little and the road sloped down. Jami felt some of the tension ease out of her shoulders once the lake came into view. She had known as soon as she saw this place that this was where she belonged. Something about it called to her. She smiled a little bit a how weird that sounded. Not compared to the weirdness they’d discovered in the last week or so but still.
She was pointing out her cottage to Val as the road they were following sloped down towards the lake when she noticed her sister’s SUV in the driveway.
“Well…fuck.”
“What’s wrong?”
“My sister’s here.”
She very much
appreciated that Val didn’t grill her with questions, just paid the Uber driver while Jami got out of the car. As soon as she stepped out, Ghost came bounding out the front door. Remi followed, stopping on the steps of the front porch. As much as she was dreading this confrontation with her sister, she was thrilled to see Ghost again.
She crouched, losing her balance and sitting back on her butt as he covered her with kisses. Laughing, she gave him an “off” command and he immediately backed off a foot and sat down.
Val stood next to her with their bags at his feet while the car drove away. “Wow, you do have him trained, don’t you?”
“He’s got the basics down, I had to, he’s such a big dog that if I can’t control him, it would be scary.”
Remi had stopped in front of Jami, her hazel eyes filled with questions.
Jami introduced them. “Val, this is my sister, Remi. Rem, this is Val, a—friend I made on my trip.”
Remi moved her eyes to his face long enough to be polite. “Hello.”
“Great to meet you, your sister’s told me a lot about you.”
He picked up the bags and started moving towards the house and cleared his throat.
“Why don’t I take our things inside? Is it OK with you if I crash on your sofa tonight? I think it’s probably a little late to find a hotel room.”
Jami was distracted but nodded yes. “Actually, there’s a guest bedroom if you head left down the hallway past the kitchen. You can go ahead and get comfortable if you want, I’m hoping we won’t be out here long.”
She didn’t look at him while she spoke and Remi folded her arms across her chest, then immediately uncrossed them again, unsettled.
“So, are you going to tell me where you were? What you were doing? Who he is?”
“Yes, I will tell you everything. Tomorrow, at the F & G.”
“Jami, you can’t leave town without letting anybody know what you’re doing. We were all worried to death.”
She could feel the skin on her neck getting hot.
“Oh, you mean leave town without any notice, like you did last week? With a man you’d just met? Without telling me a damn thing about what was going on? For fuck’s sake, Remi, I called you and you answered on the plane on the way to Spain.”
She began walking towards the house, afraid if she didn’t move, she was going to start crying, and she definitely had to keep that under control.
“I am not a child. I’m not some broken thing that you need to cuddle and pamper. I’m twenty-seven years old and I can do whatever the fuck I want.”
She had reached the steps to her house. Ghost took all three in one giant leap and waited by the front door, but Jami stopped and turned back around to face her sister.
Remi was standing at the bottom of the steps staring at her with a shocked look on her face.
“Look, I didn’t want to get into this tonight. I’m tired and I have a lot of things to sort out. Val and I will meet you guys at the bar tomorrow. Tell Aubrie to have donuts or something ready and we’ll catch you all up.”
Remi nodded, she seemed to have had the wind taken out of her sails and she turned towards her truck.
Then shouted over her shoulder, “I’m glad you’re back. And safe. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Jami was still standing there, the taillights of her sister’s car long disappeared when she heard Val open the front door behind her. She heard him crouch down and whisper something to Ghost, and then she heard the rustle of the dog going inside.
She felt as though she were vibrating, she was so angry and frustrated, so when Val placed his hands on her upper arms from behind, she jumped.
“Hey, just me.”
She sighed, feeling the butterflies in her stomach settle down and some of the tension ease as he moved his hands up and down over her arms. He felt so big and solid behind her, so safe. So not judging. This time, she gave into what she wanted and leaned back, just the tiniest bit.
As soon as she did, Val wrapped his arms around her, crossing his arms, and her’s, over her stomach, and put his head beside hers.
“OK?” he asked, whispering softly in her ear.
Not trusting herself to speak yet she nodded again.
“Am I going to do all the talking here? If so, it’s going to be a long night for you.”
Somehow, that actually made her laugh and when he felt her shake with it, he started laughing too.
“Family stuff is always hard. Even when everything is great, it’s just, messy. But it’s worth it. I know you know that. I figured you might need to hear it.”
As their laughter settled, something else started to roll through her. She turned around in Val’s arms so they were nose to nose.
His eyes flared at her closeness and though he didn’t move, his gaze lowered to her mouth.
What the hell was she doing?
She should step back, go inside. It was two o’clock in the morning and they were both exhausted.
But that’s not what she wanted.
She watched as his eyes came back up to hers, there wasn’t a question in them, but she knew that he was waiting.
Waiting for her.
She tilted her head the slightest bit, and leaning in, she brushed her lips against his softly.
Val’s arms were still around her and they tightened as soon as she kissed him. He tilted his head to complement hers and kissed her back. At first just as softly as she’d begun, tasting, testing.
She could feel her temperature rising, slow burn curling up from low in her belly, making her want more. More of him.
Her hands were on his chest and she moved them down slowly, loving the feel of his stomach muscles reacting to her touch.
She nipped at his lower lip then flicked it with her tongue and it was as if she had lit a fire.
Suddenly their tongues were dancing, and his hands were buried in her hair. His kiss hardened and became more urgent, and she met him measure for measure.
She felt more than heard the small sound that curled up, something between a purr and a moan, shocked when she realized it was her.
That was it, they were done with the front porch.
She stopped kissing him and pulled his head back, waited for his eyes to flutter open.
Jesus, he was gorgeous. The smoke in his eyes was deep, and dark. For her.
“Inside. Now.”
“Yes.”
Her response had been breathless, but she hadn’t hesitated. He tugged on her hand and she laughed as he pulled her through the door. She placed her hand on his chest, pushing gently and he cooperated, stepping backwards trustingly until he was in front of the sofa. She kissed him again, starting softly again, the sweet, wet heat of his mouth driving her insane.
He stopped kissing her, pulled his head back.
She opened her eyes slowly, and he asked, “Are you OK? You’re trembling.”
“I’m fine,” she answered breathlessly, “I haven’t done this in a while.”
At that he smiled, moving her hair off her neck to nibble gently a delicate line that lead from her ear to her collarbone.
“We’ll go slow. You let me know what you like. Or what you don’t like.”
Hell, she realized, she barely knew herself.
When she didn’t answer him, he moved back up to her mouth, tracing the outline of her lower lip with his tongue lightly. “Hmmm?”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t know what to tell you. This was never my area.”
At that, he threw back his head and laughed. “Hell, sweetheart, you could’ve fooled me.”
Something about the way he looked at her, the way he said that, with such obvious desire for her, filled her with desire yes but also the strength. The ownership. She tugged on his shirt. “Off.”
“See, you’re getting the hang of it.”
He grinned this time but didn’t laugh as he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.
He moved in for another kiss, but she re
sisted, and he stood there, still, as she traced her hands over his chest and down to those stomach muscles that had jumped under her hands earlier.
There they went again.
She raised her eyes to his and he whispered hoarsely, “You’re going to kill me.”
This time it was her turn to grin. “Maybe. But not tonight.”
He pulled her back in for another kiss, this time there was no slow build. This time it was all heat, and pressure. Her blood was thundering in her ears and she didn’t think she was breathing, but she didn’t care. He pulled the same move she had, and her shirt was over her head before she knew it.
His eyes flared at the site of the lacy bra she was wearing, and she thrilled again knowing how much he wanted her. Everything slowed down, and there was nothing but him. He flipped open the button to her skirt and it drifted down around her ankles. She unbuttoned the top button of his jeans, and the rest of the buttons slid out of their holes with ease. He sat back on the sofa and dragged off his jeans and socks while she watched, sure she could stare at him for hours. His hair was rumpled and falling around his face from her hands, and when he tossed his jeans aside and looked up at her, she could’ve died. All that dark hair framing that perfect face. His hands were on her hips, his thumbs teasing the edges of her underwear, and she gave in and fisted her hands in his hair, pulling his mouth to her stomach. He tugged off her underwear gently and she stepped out of them.
He began to trail kisses over her belly button down further, pulling her into him with his hands on her buttocks.
Urgently, she tugged on his hair again and he looked up at her, his eyes telling her in that moment that he would do anything for her.
She realized she wanted more, and right now. He must’ve seen it in her eyes, he asked “What? Tell me what you want.”
“Sit back.”
He did as she asked, his eyes hungry, no hint of doubt or questions.
She placed a knee on the sofa, wanting more of him touching her. He placed his hands on her waist and lifted her onto his lap, and she sighed as skin met skin. He growled in her ear as she moved over him, slicking against him in a tease of what was to come. Her skin was feverish, sensitive from her toes to her ears, where he was nibbling right now. She dove in for another kiss, his tongue meeting hers, until another low growl pushed from him.
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