“That would be me.”
“Well, welcome to Lloyd’s. My husband and I own this place. It’s nice to have a local celebrity eating at our restaurant.”
I chuckled at the “celebrity” status she mentioned. I definitely didn’t feel like anyone famous and hearing people call me one was a little uncomfortable. I’d learned to just accept the compliment, however. It was easier. “Thanks,” I looked at her name tag, “Donna. We are both very happy to be here. Especially tonight.”
She nodded toward the window that was covered in snow. “Yeah, it’s getting pretty bad out there. You two staying at the motel?”
“Yep.”
“That’s good. Better to be safe than sorry. Most of our customers are from the motel. Anyway, I’ll get your drinks started.”
“Thanks. We already know what we want to eat, too,” I replied.
She took out her writing pad. “Sounds good. What can I get you?”
I ordered a steak sandwich with waffle fries. Chloe ordered a chicken Caesar wrap and a cup of broccoli cheese soup.
“Good choices. I’ll get this order in for you,” she said and then disappeared.
“Do you always get recognized?” Chloe asked, looking amused.
“In Summit Lake I do.” I smiled. “Not usually in Lancaster. I’m just a big nobody to everyone else in the world.”
Chloe laughed. “Right. I think you’re being modest.”
“No. Honestly, I’d rather not have anyone recognize me.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m usually remembered by the crash that ended my career. I hate seeing the pity on their faces when people ask me about it. Makes me feel almost like… I don’t know. A failure?”
She studied my face. “I don’t think that’s how anyone sees you. I think they see you as brave, for overcoming such an accident and getting back on your feet.”
And now you’re chasing ghosts and entertaining people all over the world. Not to mention, finding runaways. You probably saved Gabe’s life. He probably would have gotten stuck sleeping in the barn tonight. He might have froze to death or gotten hypothermia.”
“True.”
Donna returned with my beer and the bottle of Moscato we’d ordered. She poured Chloe a glass and then left the bottle behind.
“I’m surprised she didn’t card me,” Chloe whispered.
I grinned. “You’re with a celebrity. Remember? She was probably too flustered to remember.”
She laughed.
The rest of the night was nice. We talked more about the ghost hunting and her career plans for the future, which she was still up-in-the-air about.
“I honestly don’t know what I want to do. It’s a struggle,” she said.
“You’re still in your freshman year. You’ll figure things out.”
“I hope so.”
“What about a degree in paranormal studies?” I asked, only half joking.
She gave me a weird look.
“You seemed to enjoy what we were doing today. Maybe you could make a career out of it, too?”
“As interesting as it is, I seriously almost peed my pants when I heard the hammer drop earlier. I’m don’t think I’m cut out for that line of work. It’s a little too freaky for me.”
“Understandable.”
“I mean, it is fascinating. I’m sure there’s never a dull moment in that line of work.”
“Only when you’re staking out a place and nothing happens. Of course, it also depends on the company you’re with. It wouldn’t have mattered what happened tonight. It was just nice having you there.”
I could tell I’d said the wrong thing. I cursed myself inwardly for making her uncomfortable. The beers I’d been drinking were making my tongue a little too loose. I decided to back pedal. Clearly, she wasn’t feeling any chemistry between us. Obviously, I’d fucked that up a long time ago.
“Not that I mind Rory, but he is so high-strung at times and has shit for patience. He gets aggravated when things don’t go his way. It was nice being with someone else for a change.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. I watched a couple of your videos and noticed that about him too.”
“It’s worse when the cameras are rolling, too. He doesn’t want to disappoint the viewers. So, when things are too calm and nothing is happening, it drives him crazy.”
“I bet.”
The waitress appeared and asked if we wanted anything else to drink.
“I’m good,” Chloe replied.
I smiled up at the waitress. “We’ll just take the tab.”
Donna nodded. “Sounds good. I’ll be right back.”
After she left, Chloe stood up. “I’m going to use the bathroom before we leave.”
“Okay.”
As she was walking away, Donna returned with the bill and I paid with cash. Deciding to meet Chloe by the front door, which was near the restrooms, I headed over that way. While I was sending a text to Rory, the front door opened and three people stepped inside.
“Damn, what a shit-storm,” the guy said as they stomped the snow off of their feet.
“Yeah. Just what we needed. More snow,” one of the girls replied.
“Adam Knight? What a small fucking world.”
I turned to look at the three full on and recognized the guy in the group, Vaughn Reynolds. We’d played football together in high school.
I grinned. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
“Not much,” he replied as we shook hands. He introduced me to his girlfriend, Molly, and her friend Stascia. “What are you doing in Lancaster?”
“Just passing through,” I said, too tired to talk about the ghost hunting gig.
“You want to join us for some drinks? We’re staying at the motel and just stopped in to have a couple of night caps,” Vaughn said. “I’m sure Molly and Stascia won’t mind.”
“Not at all. We’d love it if you’d joined us,” Stascia said, beaming a smile at me. “Molly and I have always wanted to meet you. You’re like a local legend around here.”
“I really can’t, but thanks for the invitation,” I replied.
Chloe walked out of the bathroom and headed toward me. When she noticed Vaugh, I could tell she was annoyed.
Noticing her too, Vaughn’s eyes lit up. “Hey, I know you. You’re... “
“Chloe Maverick,” she said tightly, zipping up her jacket.
He snapped his fingers. “Yeah. That’s it. Chloe Maverick.” Vaughn laughed. “Wow, this is so weird. It’s like we’re in an episode of Black Mirror or something.”
“Why do you say that?” Molly asked.
“Because those two hated each other in high school and now, they’re together. You wouldn’t believe the shit Adam used to…”
I glared at him.
Noticing that I was pissed, he stopped rambling.
“Let’s go, Chloe.” I tried grabbing her hand, but she ignored it and stormed out of the restaurant.
“Thanks,” I muttered to Vaughn.
“Sorry, man.”
I followed Chloe outside and noticed that she was already several feet ahead of me. I called out to her but she ignored me.
Sighing, I started jogging to catch up with her and lost my footing on a patch of ice. My feet went out from under me and I landed on my back.
Hearing me swear, Chloe turned around and then raced back to me. “Oh my God, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” I lied.
She held her hand down. “Here. Let me help you up.”
Noticing the pity in her eyes made me angry. I told her that I was fine.
She frowned and pulled her hand back. “Okay.”
Taking a deep breath, I slowly pulled myself up to my feet.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes,” I replied between clenched teeth. I took a step and groaned from the hot, jarring pain in my lower back.
“Here. Lean on me. I’ll help you.” Before I could protest, she slid her arm around my waist.
“Am I too heavy for you?” I asked as she helped me walk.
“No. You’re fine.”
I knew that I had to have fifty to sixty pounds on her at least. I did what I could to try and keep most of the weight off of her shoulder. When we finally made it to the motel room, she helped me to the bed and pulled off my boots.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asked, staring up at me.
I took off my jacket and tossed it onto the desk chair nearby. “Yeah. I probably just bruised my lower back. Or pulled a muscle. Nothing feels broken.”
Just my pride.
“Good. Is there anything else I can do?”
I groaned as another muscle spasm hit. “Do you have any aspirin or other kind of pain medicine?”
“Yeah, I have some in my purse.” She opened it up and took out a small bottle of Advil. “How many do you want?”
“Two will be fine.”
She handed them to me with a bottle of water. I thanked her and swallowed the pills.
Chloe stared down at me. “Anything else?”
“I’m fine. Thank you.”
She looked around the room and nodded toward the television. “Would you like me to turn on the TV?”
“Nah. It’s okay. Unless you want to?”
“No. I’m fine. I’m actually pretty tired. I’ll probably fall asleep soon.”
“Me, too.”
She watched me as I struggled to get comfortable on the bed.
“Sorry. Something tells me it’s going to be a long night,” I said with a grim smile. “I’ll try not to keep you up.”
“Don’t worry about me.” She stared at me with concern. “You know, if you want… I can try rubbing your back.”
“That would be… incredible. If you don’t mind?”
“No. Not at all.”
She removed her jacket. “Too bad we didn’t have any massage oil.”
“It’s okay.”
Her eyes lit up. “Wait a second.” She headed toward the bathroom. “There’s a complimentary bottle of lotion in here. It’s better than nothing.”
“Sounds good.” Gritting my teeth, I slowly turned onto my stomach.
Chloe walked back into the room with the bottle. “Not much here, but it will have to do.” She crawled onto the bed. “Um, you should probably remove your shirt.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“Let me help you.”
Once we removed it, she squirted some of the lotion onto her hands, rubbed them together, and then began massaging my lower back. I groaned in approval.
“Does this happen a lot?” she asked.
“Me falling on my ass? Thankfully not.”
She chuckled.
“My back goes out occasionally. It usually happens if I twist suddenly or I don’t stretch before lifting something heavy. Sometimes just sleeping in a shitty bed can trigger an episode too.”
“My dad’s back stiffens up all the time whenever we’re on vacation. He always blames it on the mattress.”
“Surprisingly, the one we’re on isn’t
all that bad. Rory and I travel a lot and this one is actually pretty comfortable.”
She agreed.
I closed my eyes and sighed in pleasure as her hands rubbed and kneaded where my back hurt the most. There was only one other thing that could top this, and I was trying not to think about it.
“Does that mean I’m doing it right?” she joked.
“Oh, yeah.” It was a good thing I was lying on my stomach. She’d see the rise in my jeans and know just how good it felt.
20
Chloe
I had to admit, I was enjoying myself. As pissed off as I’d been to see Vaughn, I now felt a little silly about storming away from Adam. Especially now that he was hurt. Everything had been perfect until that moment, too. The food. The conversation. The chemistry. I was finding that the more time we were spending together, the easier it was to forget about the guy he used to be, and appreciate the man he’d become.
Yeah, I’d definitely overreacted. I blamed it on the wine.
Hell, I was still feeling tipsy.
Among other things…
Running my hands over Adam’s muscular back was very erotic and definitely turning me on. It had been awhile since I’d touched a guy and he was so incredibly sexy. I couldn’t seem to stop myself from exploring his shoulders and neck too, even though his lower back was where he needed the most attention. But, the sounds of approval he was making urged me to keep going.
“Just tell me if you want me to focus on a specific area,” I murmured, now totally hot-and-bothered “Where ever it’s the stiffest.” Thinking about what I’d just said, made me blush. “You know, hurts the most.”
“What you’re doing feels great,” he said, a smile in his voice.
“I’m just going to move on top of you, if that’s okay. It’ll make things easier.”
“No problem.”
I straddled his hips and continued running my hands along his back, squeezing and loosening up his muscles.
“Mm… that feels great,” he replied huskily.
“Good,” I said, breathlessly. “Don’t be alarmed. I’m going to keep moving down to loosen your fascia. Do you know what that is?”
“My physical therapist mentioned something about it.”
Fascia was the connective tissue supporting the muscles and other organs. I’d learned about it in my biology class. It was important to massage all of the connecting tissues for the most benefit. It was also an excuse for me to keep touching him.
My hands moved down from his lower back, to his butt. His breath hitched and he groaned into the pillow.
“Sorry, should I stop?”
“No,” he replied in a strained voice.
I moved down lower, to his thighs and then his calves. Because he still had his jeans on, it was a little difficult, but I didn’t yet have enough courage to ask him to remove them.
I slowly made my way back up to his butt and I could tell he was enjoying it by his heavy breathing.
“Jesus,” he murmured into the pillow.
“So, I’m doing good?”
“Yeah.”
I never thought that touching a guy’s ass would turn me on so much, but I could barely breathe.
“How’s your back?” I managed to say after a few seconds.
He rocked his hips into the mattress, testing it out. “Like new. I need to hire you as my personal masseuse.”
My panties felt like they were filled with liquid lava as I watched him rock his hips again. A girl could only handle so much.
Fuck it.
I slipped my hand under his hips and felt a raging hard on bulging beneath his jeans. My sex clenched with desire.
Groaning, he grabbed my hand.
Mortified of my actions, I started apologizing. “Sorry… It was the wine. I’m usually not-”
Adam turned over and pulled me down on top of him. His lips crashed against mine, cutting off the rest of my apology. His mouth was hard and demanding. Almost savage. I moaned in the back of my throat, relieved and trembling with excitement.
“Fuck, I want you,” he growled, grinding his hips into mine.
Feeling his hard cock rubbing against my sex was maddening. “I want you too.”
His hands slipped under my sweater to my bra. He squeezed my breasts and then slid his fingers inside of the lacy material. Then, as if he’d forgotten all about being in pain, flipped me onto my back. He raised my sweater and unlatched my bra, both of us panting like wild animals. His hot, wet mouth found my nipple. I moaned as he sucked on one tip and then the other.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, licking around my nipple.
I wrapped my legs around his waist and slid my fingers under the waistband of his jeans, over his hard buttocks.
He groaned. “I could fucking eat you up alive.” His hand moved to the button on my jeans.
Oh my God, we were really going to do this?
He unzipped my jeans and his hand slide down to my panties. I gasped as his finger dipped below the material and into my wetness. I knew right then and there that I needed to come. Hell, I was almost there already.
Feeling how wet I was, he groaned again and began fucking me with his finger.
“Oh, God,” I moaned.
“Let’s get rid of your jeans.”
Trembling with desire, I pushed them down my hips and kicked them away.
Adam pulled my panties to the side and began rubbing my clit, murmuring all the dirty things he wanted to do me.
Whimpering, I managed to get his jeans unbuttoned as his fingers played me like a guitar. When I felt how thick and long he was, I begged for him to fuck me.
He groaned into my neck as I moved my hand up and down on his cock. After a few seconds, he stopped me and then began kissing and licking his way down my stomach. When he reached my lower lips, I cried out. He dragged his tongue down the length of my slit and back up. Gasping, I grabbed onto the headboard and mewled as began teasing around my clit, driving me insane.
“Yes, yes, yes,” I whimpered, practically begging for mercy.
Adam shoved a finger inside of me while driving me crazy with his persistent tongue. Our eyes met and I was reminded of who exactly was trying to make me come. A guy I’d once hated with a passion. A cruel, Adonis. A royal prick. Instead of turning me off, it did the opposite. Seeing him between my legs, knowing that he was hard as a rock and wanted to fuck me, brought me over the edge. I don’t know if it was some kind of a power trip, or I was just a little demented, but I came so hard, the office attendant must have heard me screaming.
“Fuck me,” I begged again, still trying to catch my breath as my orgasm subsided.
Adam pulled out his wallet, took out a condom, and quickly put it on. He got between my legs and paused.
“You sure?”
I looked him in the eye. “No.”
He stared at me in surprise.
I got up and pushed him down on the bed. “It’s not okay because you might throw your back out again. So, let me take over.”
He stared up at me with hunger. “Fuck, yeah. Baby. Take over.”
I climbed on top of him and slid down onto his thick cock. We both groaned in pleasure.
The Prize: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance (Diamond Lake Romance Book 3) Page 11