Her Desert Treasure (Entangled Ignite)

by Larie Brannick

  All that time in the car and now she decided to pick a fight. He calmly suggested that she just get it back to his parents when they returned to Chicago, but she started throwing a bit of a tantrum, saying that her things needed to be repacked correctly, and she thought Jake’s suitcase was ugly. One of the security guards took notice and came to see what was going on. That led to Jake getting angrier and more frustrated, which in turn caused the guard to take him aside for questioning.

  Kristen had worn a pleased half smile the entire time. He ran his hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “I can’t wait to see you,” he told Meg now.

  “Me, too.”

  “So are you guys still at the festival?”

  “Um…no. I wanted to come out to the cabin to pick up some things. If I’m going to be staying with you, I’ll need my clothes.”

  The thought of her without clothes distracted him for a minute but then something clicked. “Alone?”

  “Yes, Jake. Completely alone.” She sounded exasperated. “I haven’t seen so much as a chipmunk since I’ve been here. It’s all right. In fact, I’m getting ready to go back to your place now.”

  “I’m sorry.” It was that caveman thing again, he realized, but he couldn’t shake the notion that something wasn’t right up at her cabin. “Okay, then I’ll see you at home in a while, right?”

  “Yep. I’m going to load things up and take off.”

  “’Kay. Be careful.” He hesitated a moment, feeling both awkward and…a little of something he couldn’t put a finger on. Off, maybe. His gut continued to tell him that things weren’t as they should be, but he couldn’t be sure that wasn’t just because of the Kristen-induced hassle at the airport. Doing his best to shrug away the sensation, he added, “I’ll see you soon.”

  “See you soon.”

  …

  Meg disconnected and turned to go back inside, but noticed the car was leaning at an awkward angle. Her right, rear tire was completely flat. How had that happened? She didn’t remember hitting anything on the trip out, maybe she’d picked up something sharp on the gravel road.

  Sighing, she set to work hauling out the heaviest suitcase she’d just loaded in order to remove the tools that were stowed under a panel in the back of the wagon and released the spare tire from under the car where it was located. Luckily, Grandpa had taken the time to teach her how to change a tire as well as change her own oil and other basic vehicle maintenance. She liked not having to rely on someone else to do those things for her, but she had found a good mechanic back in California who did repairs on her car.

  She went about loosening the lug nuts, which took a while since they were on so tight, then set the jack under the frame and started the process of lifting the vehicle enough to get the tire off. She worked up quite a sweat getting the thing changed and loading the flat into the car. She would take it to a service station tomorrow to have it fixed and would ask Jake to check the lug nuts to make sure they were tight enough. Satisfied things were taken care of, she dusted off her hands and headed to Jake’s.

  …

  Bob and Linda were getting into their car when Meg pulled in. They waved and came toward her as she got out.

  “There you are, Meg. We spoke to Jake, he should be here any time. We’re going to go listen to some of the bands in the park and then meet you later. We left you a note inside.”

  “That sounds great. I think I’ll go clean up a little before Jake gets back. Have fun.”

  They waved, and Meg jogged up the steps and into the house. She had stripped down to her bra and panties by the time she got to the bathroom and then slipped those off as she waited for the water to heat. Stepping beneath the spray, she let out a contented sigh as the warm water washed over her. Scrubbing away the day’s griminess, she’d just begun to let her mind wander over the discoveries she’d made on the mountain when the shower curtain flew open, and she was face-to-face with a very naked Jake Matthews. She let out a little yelp of surprise and covered her heart with her hand in an effort to slow it’s erratic pace.

  Jake grinned and raised an eyebrow. “Is there room in here for one more?”

  Meg nodded slowly and watched as he stepped in behind her, pulling the curtain closed. Without another word, he turned her to face him then dipped his head and took her mouth in a ravaging kiss. He pulled her closer, their bodies sliding against each other. His erection ground against her belly, and his hands slid to her butt. When he finally let her up for air, there was no missing the emotion in his chocolate brown eyes. He continued to knead her behind and lowered his forehead to hers.

  “God, I missed you.”

  “I missed you, too.” How could she possibly make conversation with his hands moving on her that way? “Bad day?”

  “I’m beginning to think any day without you is a bad day.” He kissed her again, his tongue tangling with hers. “But it’s better now.”

  He backed Meg up until she felt the shower’s cool tile against her back and pressed kisses to her neck, down to her collar bone and shoulder before continuing his descent to her breast, taking it in his mouth and sucking hungrily. Meg arched against him and wound her hands in his hair, pulling him closer, encouraging him with her soft moans. He released the stiffened peak and moved to its twin, giving it the same attention.

  Her body’s reaction to him surprised Meg. The way her nipples puckered as he laved them with his tongue, the way her body arched to get closer as if he were her own personal magnet. She was quickly becoming addicted to the way she felt with him and knew withdrawal would likely be the end of her. No matter how independent she was and wanted to remain, she also didn’t want to let him go.

  He slowly lowered himself, kissing his way down her body until he was on his knees in front of her. Moving his hands around from her butt he gently parted her with his thumbs and tortured her with one long, slow lick of his tongue. Meg gasped and began to wilt, but Jake held her upright, licking and sucking, drawing her sensitive nub into his mouth and gently scraping with his teeth.

  Slowly, he worked a finger inside her, and her body began to tense. Her nails dug into his shoulders when he added another finger and increased the pressure of his tongue on her clit, the stubble on his chin lightly abrading her tender flesh. Her breath quickened. She was close.

  His fingers plunged deep, in and out, over and over until the delicious tingle in her clit intensified to an explosion of pleasure. Her inner muscles contracted around his fingers, and her body shuddered as she rocked her hips, pressing harder against his mouth. Her sudden scream of release shook her to the core. She didn’t think she’d ever made such a sound before, but her orgasm had been so intense, she couldn’t hold back.

  Pressing one last deep kiss to her sex, Jake removed his fingers and slowly stood. Meg was grateful for the steadying hand he left on her hip, because she wasn’t sure her legs would support her on their own. He pulled her tight against him and kissed her gently.

  “You are amazing.”

  Meg smiled devilishly up into his face. “Amazing?” She rubbed her hands across his chest, lightly flicking his flat nipples and enjoying the feel of his cock twitching against her. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

  Lowering her head, she kissed where her hands had been, softly sucking each nipple and running her hands down his torso and up again. She tilted her head so she could see his face and arched an eyebrow in a “dare me?” look. Jake inhaled sharply and could only watch as she made her way down his body and finally knelt before him.

  Meg had never done anything like this before, but Jake brought out a naughty side of her that she hadn’t even known existed. She longed to taste him and give him the same pleasure he’d given her.

  Taking his hard cock in her hand, she stroked it up and down, gently squeezing. She rubbed her cheek against him, loving the feel of the velvety member, inhaling his scent. A long swipe of her tongue took her to the underside of his shaft and back up so she could lick its tip and taste the salty be
ad of liquid that had escaped. Slowly, she took him into her mouth, just the head at first, and began sucking gently and swirling her tongue around.

  She relished the feel of him, loving the way he twitched and stiffened more at her touch. He was too big for her to take all of him into her mouth, but she relaxed her jaw and took as much as she could, as deep as she could, and started a slow, sucking, up and down rhythm.

  Jake threaded his hands through her hair, holding her in place, and pumped into her mouth, his moans growing louder, his cock growing harder. He tensed suddenly, and Meg increased her speed and the pressure of her tongue, wanting to feel and taste his release.

  Jake slowed his hips and said in a hoarse voice, “Meg, I’m so close, you have to stop.”

  Instead of complying, she tilted her head to look deeply into his eyes, sucked harder, scraping her teeth across his sensitive flesh, and took him deeper still. When he groaned and thrust against her tongue, she knew he was lost.

  He pumped his hips faster, every muscle straining as he let go, emptying himself into the heat of her mouth. A long, low cry escaped him as he shuddered one last time and ground into her.

  Meg was taken by surprise at the force of his release, his hot, salty semen hitting the back of her throat as she continued to milk him. When he finally relaxed, she glanced up to find his glazed eyes on her as he massaged her scalp with his fingers. She sucked lightly as he slid from her mouth, and his legs nearly buckled. He helped her stand and pulled her close against him.

  She winked at him and licked her lips. “Now that was amazing.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  They finished their shower, soaping each other and playing as they rinsed off. Jake finally shut off the water when it began to cool and helped Meg out of the tub, wrapping her in a fluffy towel. He slung his own towel around his hips and planted a smooching kiss on her lips.

  “You finish in here, and I’ll shave when you’re done.”

  “I won’t be long.”

  True to her word, Meg emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later, after a quick application of makeup, her damp hair in loose waves. She went to her case to grab clean clothes, frowning when she couldn’t find the light sweatshirt she’d wanted to wear.

  Wearing only his jeans, Jake watched her rummage through her bag, noticing her faint scowl.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “I just realized the shirt I wanted isn’t in this case.”

  “Where is it?”

  “I must have left it at the cabin this afternoon.” She chewed on her bottom lip and mentally retraced her steps. “It was in the back of my car. I had a flat tire and had to take some stuff out to get to the jack and tools. I was in a hurry to get back here, so I guess I didn’t bother grabbing my other suitcase.”

  “You had a flat? What happened?”

  Jake took a step closer, she could almost feel the tension radiating off him. She smiled and pulled a heavy tee shirt over her head. “It was no big deal. I must have picked up something sharp on the way to the cabin. That reminds me, can you tell me where I can take the tire to get it repaired?” She stopped speaking and almost laughed when she saw the look on his face.

  “No big deal? You could have been stranded out there. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  She grinned. “I didn’t know it was flat until after I talked to you. Besides, it’s not the first time I’ve had to change a tire.” She pulled on a pair of faded denim shorts and zipped them up, then turned around and checked her butt in the mirror. “I can even change my own oil if I need to.” Her chin jutted out just a bit, and she crossed her arms defiantly over her chest.

  The look on his face said her butt looked good. It also said he was frustrated. He ran his fingers through his hair. “I guess that doesn’t really surprise me. The more I get to know about you, the more I’m finding you’re a very capable woman.”

  Defiance gone, Meg smiled. “Thank you. And since I’m so capable, you can stop worrying so much about me, right?”

  “I’ll try, that’s all I can promise.” He finished dressing, and Meg grabbed a light sweater out of her bag. He glanced at his watch. “All set?”

  She nodded. “Let’s go.”

  …

  Monty watched Meg and the vet climb into his truck to head for town. He’d lost track of her at the park today, so he didn’t get to see her reaction to his little surprise. She’d probably just found some sap to come change the tire for her, anyway. He’d already decided to follow her and her lover around tonight for a while, but it was too risky with all the people around to try to get her alone.

  No, he told himself, he’d bide his time and take advantage when the opportunity presented itself.

  …

  They took Jake’s truck to town and parked in the alley behind Paul’s restaurant again. There were so many cars crowding the streets it was impossible to find a regular parking spot.

  They got out, and Jake grabbed a heavy blanket from the back seat. He locked up, then took Meg’s hand, lacing their fingers as they walked to the park. One of the bands was already playing and had drawn a large crowd. Jake and Meg wound their way through the throng and spotted his parents seated in a couple of folding lounge chairs near a large tree. Jake waved, and Bob stood to offer Meg his seat, but she shook her head and placed her hand on his arm.

  “No, please, sit back down. We brought a blanket.”

  He shook it out and laid it on the ground at the base of the tree. Then he sat with his back against the tree and pulled Meg down to sit in the vee of his legs, her back against his chest. When he wrapped his arms around her, she relaxed, a soft hum of satisfaction escaping her lips. Bob reached into a small Styrofoam cooler between the chairs and offered them each a cold drink. Jake accepted a beer and Meg took a bottle of water. Jake raised an eyebrow at his dad.

  “You’re certainly getting into this. Where’d you get the chairs?”

  Bob shrugged back. “One of the vendors was selling them, and we thought they’d be nice for the concert. We grabbed the cooler and drinks at the convenience store and settled in before the crowd got too big.”

  Linda added, “We’ve been having such a good time just watching the people. We’ve seen a little of everything today. And we met the nicest couple. We hope you don’t mind, but we asked them to join us.” She paused before asking, “How was your trip today, Jake?”

  He rolled his eyes. “The drive wasn’t as bad as I expected. Kristen fell asleep after about thirty minutes, and I didn’t have to talk to her until we got to the airport.”

  “Oh, I’ll bet that was a relief.”

  “She made up for it after we got there, believe me,” Jake said and told them about the scene Kristen had caused over him packing her things in his suitcase, how it had attracted the attention of airport security. “The worst part was watching her smile while they were frisking me. She was really enjoying herself.”

  Linda sounded horrified. “Why, that little…”

  Meg turned in his arms and couldn’t suppress her chuckle. “What’d they do to you?”

  “The guy was actually pretty nice about it. He just wanted to make sure we weren’t going to cause a problem on the plane. After I explained that I wasn’t going to be onboard, he just checked my ID and let me go. I think he felt sorry for me after he talked to Kristen.”

  Jake’s father laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his folding chair. “I’ve got to hand it to that girl, son. She really knows how to work a situation.” He wiped a tear from his eye and held up his beer bottle for a toast. “Here’s to Kristen-free Big Rock.”

  They all toasted and took drinks.

  Jake could still feel Meg chuckling against his chest and pulled her more tightly against him. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine, “Are you laughing at my pain? You know paybacks are hell.”

  Meg faced him so their lips almost touched. “Is that a promise?”

  They stared into
each other’s eyes, hardly breathing, until Jake’s father cleared his throat. Jerking toward the sound, they realized that another couple about his parent’s age had joined them. The men were shaking hands and the women were chatting happily. Jake stood and helped Meg to her feet as Bob introduced George and Jan. Linda said they were visiting from New Jersey and they’d hit it off right away. At a lull in the conversation, Jake pulled Meg aside.

  “We’re going to get something for dinner. Do you all have plans?”

  Linda waved her hand. “No, we’ve been eating all day. Why don’t you two go get something?”

  “Great, we’ll catch up with you later. Have fun.” Feeling a wave of relief at having been dismissed, Jake and Meg waved and moved away from the crowd.

  Quickening her step to keep up with the longer-legged Jake, she asked, “Where are we going? I thought you wanted to spend the evening with your parents.”

  Jake slowed a bit as they continued through the park. “I’m not sure where we’re going, but it looks like my folks are set for the night. This way, you and I can make up for the day we missed out on.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Besides, aren’t you hungry?”

  Come to think of it, she hadn’t eaten much today, and with all the wonderful smells coming from the vendors, she realized she was starving.

  “Sure, I could eat. Lead the way.”

  They walked hand-in-hand until they came to a small, Mexican restaurant. It was busy, but there were empty tables since the music had started so they took a spot on the patio and were greeted by a young brunette who took their drink orders and left them with a basket of chips and salsa. They nibbled on the chips until their margaritas arrived, and Jake ordered large combination plates for them both. Talking quietly, they sipped their drinks while they waited for their food. Meg was thirsty and had downed nearly half of her drink before she knew it. She ate a few more chips to counteract the alcohol, but she could already feel herself mellowing. They talked about Jake’s trip and laughed again at the security guard incident before their meals arrived. The platter the waitress set before Meg was huge.