The Last One (The One Trilogy #1)

by Tawdra Kandle

  I had no idea where I was going. Burton was surrounded by two-lane roads that led north to South Carolina, west toward Macon, east to Savannah and south to Florida. I wasn’t sure which one I was driving on at the moment, but I knew eventually I’d have to stop and figure it out. The only important information right now was that I was driving away from Sam Reynolds.

  Even thinking his name wrenched another sob from my throat. I thought I’d been mad and hurt that day at Boomer’s, but I hadn’t really known Sam then. He’d been a virtual stranger making judgments on me, which was annoying and infuriating. But over the last weeks, Sam and I had opened up and gotten to know each other. Our porch talks had been surprisingly intimate, and especially after last night, when it seemed we’d come to some kind of understanding about this irresistible pull between the two of us.

  I didn’t have any idea that Ali was going to tease him about what had happened last night at the Road Block. When she’d begun talking about me dancing with one particular guy, I figured she was talking about Alex, using him to make Sam jealous. I kept waiting for her to explain, but before she could, Sam was saying the most horrible things I could imagine. Each word stabbed into my heart, cutting me until I couldn’t breathe. I could only think of getting away.

  The road curved sharply, and my car skidded on the shoulder, kicking up dirt until I got it under control. I eased up a little on the gas as I came to a crossroads. A familiar pick-up sat at the stop sign on the right of the intersection, and my heart skipped a beat. I floored it again, blowing past Sam’s truck. There wasn’t a chance he hadn’t seen me, given that there weren’t any other cars on the road. The sun was setting, but it was still light enough to make out my Honda. I could only hope that he’d choose to leave me alone.

  I should have known that was too much to wish for. Moments later, his headlights were in my rearview mirror, flashing on and off. I ignored him, pressed my lips together and gave the car a little more gas. Sam kept up with me, laying on his horn. I hit the button on my window and stuck my arm out of the car, flipping him off. But taking my hand off the wheel made it harder to control at this speed, and I swerved onto the shoulder again. For a dizzying minute, I thought I was going straight into the trees, but I managed to tap the brake enough that the car only did a ninety-degree spin and ended up facing the opposite direction as I was slammed against the door.

  Sam’s truck screeched to stop about twenty feet ahead of me—well, actually behind me now, since I was situated the wrong way. I heard a door slam, and I fumbled to unlatch my seatbelt. I had just opened my own door and put my feet on the ground when he reached me.

  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He seized my arm, almost shaking me before he stopped himself. His hand gentled, and he scanned me up and down. “Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Does your neck hurt?”

  I leaned back against the car. “No, I’m fine.” I shrugged his hand away, and his mouth clamped down.

  “You’re goddamned lucky you’re not dead. Are you fucking crazy?” Sam scraped his hand through his hair. “I swear to God, Meghan, you make me insane. You could’ve killed yourself.”

  “Why would you have cared? I’m just in your way, remember? I was heading off to find some guy to screw since that’s all I’m good for—”

  “Would you shut the hell up?” He grabbed me again, this time by both arms, and before I could maneuver away, he pulled me against him and covered my mouth in a bruising kiss.

  I fought him for the span of two heartbeats, and then a tidal wave of want overwhelmed me. I clawed at his back, trying to get closer. Sam slid his hands from my arms down my back until he gripped my ass and held me tight against him. I felt his hardness at my hip and ground into it so that he moaned.

  His mouth was aggressive and demanding, lips moving against mine and tongue demanding that I open to him. When I did, he explored the inside of my mouth, stroking and coaxing. I circled my tongue around his, matching his desperate need with my own.

  When I brought my hands up to his face, cupping his jaw, he spread his hands on my butt and lifted me. Instinctively, my legs circled his waist, putting my pulsing center even with the ridge beneath the fly of his jeans. I rocked, needing that friction more than I needed my next breath. Sam tore his mouth from me and stared down into my eyes.

  “I want you. I’m not waiting any more.” He ground out the words as though I’d been the one holding us back.

  “Like I’ve been—” I began, and Sam hitched me higher against him, making me gasp as the throbbing between my legs scraped across his middle.

  “Shut up, Meghan.” He took my mouth again and holding onto me, strode down the shoulder of the road to where his truck stood idling. Without lifting his head, he balanced me with one hand and used the other to open the passenger side door. His fingers circled to cup my ass, just barely skimming between my legs. My breath hissed as he set me down on the car seat.

  I wasn’t sure what he intended to do, but at this point, I was beyond caring. Him, hard and ready inside me, was my only goal. So when he grasped the hem of my shirt and tugged it upward, I raised my arms in silent obedience. Sam tossed the shirt behind us, and it snagged on the steering wheel.

  “My God, you’re beautiful.” He didn’t stop to admire me, just mumbled the words as he filled both hands with my breasts. His thumbs circled the sensitive peaks over the lacy blue material of my bra until my head fell back and I squirmed on the seat.

  “Sam.” His name seemed to be the only word I was capable of saying. He didn’t answer, only pushed my breasts together and leaned to take one nipple into his mouth. His fingers pulled down the cup on the other side and rolled the stiff nub, just hard enough to make me cry out but not enough to really hurt.

  I clutched at his sides, bunching the material of his shirt in my fists. My breath was coming in short puffs, hitching now and then when Sam bit down on my nipple or sucked me into his mouth.

  He put a hand to my shoulder and lowered me to lie down on the seat. He stood between my legs and skimmed the backs of his fingers down my stomach to the button of my denim shorts. My eyes closed against the onslaught of sensation, I felt the release when he unfastened the button and slid down the zipper. He took off my shorts and underwear in one motion, and I opened my eyes to see them fly over my head, landing behind me on the driver’s seat. He parted my legs further, making teasing circles up the inside of my thighs.

  I knew if he touched me at all, I was gone. I’d been so turned on for so many weeks, all he’d have to do is breathe on me to make me come. I suspected that he felt the same way, since instead of exploring the folds at the juncture of my legs, he undid his own pants, pausing to pull a condom out of his wallet. Somewhere in the back recesses of my mind, I wondered if he was always so prepared, but at this second, I could only be glad he was.

  “Next time, I promise, more. More everything. For now, I have to be inside you.”

  I wasn’t going to complain. He lowered his jeans enough that his cock emerged, hard and jutting forward. I watched through lowered lids as he rolled on the condom and then took me by the hips.

  He paused and met my eyes. For the first time since I’d skidded off the road, I saw something in his face beyond intense passion or anger. He swallowed and licked his lips.

  “This ... this is okay?”

  I reached my hand to stroke his forearm and smiled as I repeated back his words. “Shut up, Sam.”

  Without another word or hesitation, he lifted my hips and plunged into me. I arched my back, trying to draw him even deeper, but he held my hips and controlled our rhythm. His eyes never left mine as he thrust and rocked.

  I gripped the back of the seat with one hand and my own hair with the other as pure pleasure built within me, spiraling me upwards. I was so close, so ready to fall over the edge. Sam was moving faster, and then he used one hand to touch me at the spot where we were joined. The brush of his fingers over my clit sent me rocketing, soaring as I cried out his
name, my mouth open as I fought for air. I shattered into a million shining pieces as Sam’s body tensed. He groaned just a single word—my name—and I felt him spasm within me.

  For a moment, all was silent except for the chirping of the birds and the far-off sound of frogs, singing to each other at a lake somewhere. The blood rushing through my ears subsided, and I closed my eyes, not sure what would come next.

  Sam withdrew from me, stepping back from the truck. I heard him zipping up and buttoning his jeans and the crunch of his boots on gravel, stepping away briefly. And then there was the lightest touch on my thigh.

  “You okay?”

  I opened my eyes and nodded, suddenly self-conscious that I lay mostly naked on the seat of his truck while he looked down at me. Given our history, I expected him to turn cold, tell me to get dressed and go home. But instead, he lifted my legs and climbed into the truck, shifting me so that I lay partly over him. He reached around me to take my shirt from the steering wheel and helped me pull it over my head, giving me at least partial coverage.

  “If it were my choice, I’d sit here all night, just looking at you lying naked in my truck. Damned if it isn’t the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” His voice was low.

  I tried for a smile. “I guess we’re lucky nobody really drives these roads this time of night. That would have been an awkward explanation.”

  A pained expression crossed Sam’s face. “Meghan, I’m sorry. That wasn’t—I mean, I’m not sorry about what just happened. But I should’ve been man enough to make sure it happened somewhere more private. If someone had come along and seen us, it would‘ve been my fault.”

  I ventured to touch his arm, fingering the hard muscle where tanned skin disappeared into the tight sleeve of the shirt. “At the time, I didn’t care. And since no one did come along, I still don’t care. So stop beating yourself up.”

  A flush crept up his neck. “Yeah, I guess I’d have to agree. I was pretty far gone. I’m not sure anything or anyone could’ve stopped me.” He reached his other hand to cover mine where it still rested on his arm. “But Meghan, I am sorry about before. About tonight. I was way, way out of line, and I was wrong. I don’t have any excuse. When I heard what Ali said, I just couldn’t think straight.”

  I struggled to sit up a little, keeping my hand within his and pushing up on the other elbow. “Sam, nothing happened last night. Ali and I hung out with her friend Alex, and yes, we danced, but he definitely isn’t interested in me.”

  Sam’s lips curved into a smile. “Yeah, my sister told me. She felt awful.” He snorted. “Serves her right, trying to play around with people’s lives. Maybe she learned a lesson.”

  “I doubt it.” I grinned, and Sam laughed.

  “You’re probably right.” He looked out the windshield, down the road to where the last lingering rays of the sun danced between the trees. “Anyway, I didn’t mean what I said. None of it. I was hurt, I guess, thinking you’d been with some other guy and then coming home to me.”

  “I don’t play like that.” I kept my voice even and serious. “I do date a lot. I’ve been upfront about that with you. But I never see more than one guy at a time, and cheating is never okay. Not for me, not anyone I’m with.”

  “I know that.” He cupped my face in one large hand, and I leaned into his palm, letting the gentleness of his touch undo me. “So what happens now?”

  I turned my head to kiss the center of his hand. “What do you want to happen next, Sam?”

  His eyes were steady on mine. “I want to take you home and let my sister know you’re okay. She’s probably going crazy, worrying.” He paused, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head. “And then ... I want to be with you, for this summer. I don’t want to hide anything, or make it something shameful, something to keep secret.”

  “We’re both grownups,” I agreed. “No reason to hide, as long as everyone knows ... it’s just a summer thing. Just for now.”

  His eyes flickered. “Yeah.” He rubbed his face and sighed. “It’s not that I don’t feel something for you, Meghan, but the farm, and Ali—”

  “And Bridget. They all have to come first. I get it. And you know I’m not looking for anything serious. I just want to enjoy whatever this is between us. I don’t want to fight it, or fight you.”

  Sam pulled me up against his side. “I don’t know, if a fight leads to something like what happened tonight, maybe it’s not a totally bad thing.”

  I laughed. “Okay, point taken. But maybe it doesn’t have to get so serious before we let off that steam.”

  “Yeah.” He shook his head. “Jesus, you scared me, Meghan. When you went past me, you had to be doing over ninety. And when I saw you go into that skid—” He shuddered. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life.”

  “I’m sorry.” It was my turn to apologize. “It’s kind of my thing. When I get mad, or sad, or upset, I go driving. I blare the radio and just wander. Usually not so fast, but you really got to me tonight. I was ... hurt.”

  He winced. “I’m an idiot.” His hand caressed my face again. “How can I make it up to you?”

  “I’m sure I’ll think of something. For now, maybe you should try to find me my shorts.”

  WHEN WE GOT BACK to the house—me driving slow and sane, with Sam sticking close behind me—Ali was sitting on the steps to the kitchen. As soon as I opened my car door, she flew across the yard.

  “Meghan, I am so, so sorry. I never meant to push it that far. I was stupid. And—” She glanced over my shoulder, to where Sam was approaching us. “And I shouldn’t have tried to interfere in your life. Or my brother’s.”

  Sam stepped close enough to me that I could feel the warmth of his body against my back. We’d decided not to keep any secrets from Ali, but I wasn’t sure if he wanted to actually come out and tell her anything. And when I thought about it, what was there to tell? “Hey, Ali, so I’m going to screw your big brother senseless all summer, with no strings attached. You cool with that?”

  Clearly Sam had no such qualms. He slid his arms around me from behind and leaned to murmur into my ear, loud enough for Ali to hear him. “I don’t know, Meghan. Do we trust her? Do we think she learned her lesson?”

  I watched her eyes widen, and a grin spread across her face. “Oh my God, did you two finally give it up? No more sexual tension at every meal? Staring at each other when you think the rest of us don’t see?”

  Sam shook his head. “Don’t make a big deal of this, Ali. It’s just—” He caught my eye and paused. “Just what it is. Don’t break out the wedding magazines or go telling everyone around town that I’ve got a girlfriend. Understand?”

  “As if I would.” Ali rolled her eyes. “Please. I’m just relieved not to be caught in the middle anymore.”

  “If you were in the middle, baby sister, you put yourself there.” Sam tweaked her nose. “Now if you ladies don’t mind, I’m going to bed. It’s been a long and eventful day.” He smirked at me, and then dropped a light kiss on my lips as he released his arms from around me.

  I watched him head into the house, jeans tight on that ass I’d had in my hands less than an hour ago, T-shirt clinging to the muscles on his back. If I’d thought that having him once was going to make this intense want lessen, I was sadly mistaken. If anything, it had only whetted my appetite. I needed more.

  Ali followed my gaze. “Oh, girlfriend, you’ve got it bad.”

  I jerked my eyes back to her. “What? No. I mean ... you heard Sam. This is casual. It’s a limited-time-only-deal, and when summer’s over, so are we. He’s got a farm to run, and I’ve got another year of college. This is just ... fun.”

  “Mmmhmmm.” Ali nodded, pretending to take me seriously, but I spied the spark of humor.

  “Really, Ali. That’s all. Oh, and don’t worry, we’ll be discreet around Bridget. She won’t catch me sneaking into her uncle’s bedroom, I promise.”

  Ali laughed. “You better hope she doesn’t, ‘cause if she
did, she’d think it was a slumber party and invite herself along. Relax, Meghan. I’m not worried.”

  We made our way inside, and as Ali held the door, she laid a hand on my arm. “I really am sorry about before. I had no idea my brother would go all jealous-caveman-mean. Can you forgive me?”

  I thought about lying on my back in the cab of Sam’s truck, my legs around him, and I smiled. “Yeah, I definitely forgive you.”

  OVER THE PAST TWELVE years, I’d become an expert at keeping my so-called love life separate from my family life. I guess that’s what they call compartmentalizing. Whatever it was, I liked it fine. I’d go into town one night every week or so and spend the evening with a woman, and then I’d come back home a happier and more relaxed man, able to take on the stresses of the farm and family. I didn’t have to worry about what Ali thought of the girl I was sleeping with or whether that girl would get her nose out of joint when I sat for hours drinking beer and watching a baseball game on television. I didn’t have to take anyone’s feelings into consideration. It was easy. Simple.

  The morning after Meghan and I had screwed our brains out on the side of the road, I awoke with a distinctly uneasy feeling. Whatever this was between us, there was no keeping it apart from the rest of my life. I’d not only brought my love life to my doorstep, I’d given her my grandma’s bedroom.

  I lay in my bed as the gray light turned pink with the sunrise, wondering if Meghan had expected me to sneak into her room last night. Was she going to be disappointed with me, or pissed that I’d just come up and gone to sleep? I’d never stayed the night with any woman I’d slept with, but Meghan was right here, one floor down. What if she gave me the cold shoulder this morning? And was I expected to do anything special, like take her breakfast or offer to come see her during the day? No way I could do that. I had work to do, a farm to run. I couldn’t hang around here all day.