The Hometown Hoax (The Hoax Series)

by Heather Thurmeier

  Logan’s hand snaked down her spine to settle on her ass. He caressed it and squeezed gently. With a groan, he did it again, harder. “I’ve been dreaming of touching you again since that moment in the cabin,” he said.

  “I hope it lived up to your expectations.”

  He shrugged. “Meh.” It wasn’t even a word, just a sound of ambivalence.

  “Meh?” she questioned. “You’ve been dreaming about touching my ass and now it’s simply okay? I have a great ass. What’s wrong with my ass?” She tried to roll away, back to her side of the blanket where she obviously should’ve stayed.

  His arms locked around and he grinned. Chuckling, he said, “I was only kidding.”

  “Well, it wasn’t funny.”

  He dragged her leg over to drape across his. The skin of her thigh tingled as he slid his hand up to her ass, caressing and kneading along the way. “It’s better than I remember. You have an amazing ass.” He smacked it and any hint of teasing disappeared from his expression, replaced instead by pure lust.

  She kissed him, hard. Everything around them quieted. There were no birds singing in the trees, no breeze blowing through the branches, no waterfall in the distance. Instead there was only the sound of his breath mixing with hers, the slight whisper of his hands moving on her skin, the pounding of her pulse in her ears.

  Tessa kissed his jaw and neck on the way to his chest. She paused for a brief moment to take in the gorgeous scenery of his chest and abdomen. “I don’t usually care about physical looks, but damn, you’re hot. Your pecs are like…movie star pecs. They should be famous.”

  “I’ll have to find them an agent.”

  She giggled. “I know you put a lot of time and effort into your body because it’s your business, and I have to say, job well done. You deserve a raise.”

  He laughed. “Thanks. I work out because it’s my job and because I love it. It makes me feel good.”

  She swirled her tongue across his nipple and he groaned.

  “But this feels even better.”

  “I’m showing appreciation for all your hard work.”

  “Anywhere else you feel like bestowing your appreciation is fine with me,” he said, twining his fingers in her hair as she kissed his chest, then ribs, then belly button.

  By the time she got to his waist she was greeted by his fully erect and patiently waiting for her penis. She’d thought it had looked impressive before with her quick glimpses of it, but seeing it up close… Wow.

  If personal training didn’t work out, the man should work for UPS because he knew how to carry a package. She rubbed her fingertips from tip to base, enjoying his quick intake of breath as she did. When she wrapped her hand around him and alternated between stroking and squeezing, he groaned loudly. Flicking her tongue across the tip, she paused to glance up at him. His eyes were intensely focused on her as he watched every movement. When she tasted him again, encompassing him fully with her lips, he shuddered beneath her. His eyelids fluttered closed and his head flopped back onto the blanket.

  Knowing she was the source of his pleasure made her want him even more. She moved her hand and mouth in a slowly increasing pace, enjoying every second. By the time he rolled her onto her back, she was trembling with her own unmet need and desire.

  He hovered over her, pinning her hands to the ground above her head, making her breasts jut up toward him. She felt alive and free and more uninhibited than she ever had before. Maybe it was the fresh air and sunshine on her naked body. Or maybe it was Logan who brought out this feeling in her, made her come out of her protective shell both figuratively and literally. Whatever it was, she hadn’t felt this way before, and she never wanted it to end.

  “Are you going to stare at me or kiss me?” she asked.

  “I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to see you like this…to have you like this. I plan on taking my time while I kiss every inch of your body.”

  A tremble of excitement rippled through her.

  “And I’m starting right here.” He sucked one of her taut nipples into his mouth. His tongue rolled around the tight bud, then his teeth gently bit down on it. She gasped and arched into him, both wanting more and wanting him to stop at the same time. The pleasure was too good. She wanted him to do it again and as if reading her mind, he did. Every scrape of his teeth and sweep of his tongue on her skin made her want him to touch her and taste her everywhere.

  He slid down her stomach and nudged her thighs apart. When his lips pressed to her most sensitive skin, she feared she might crumble apart with the shockwaves he sent coursing through her body. She moaned and grabbed his shoulders, needing something tangible to hold onto since the world had to be coming apart beneath her. With every lap of his tongue, he brought her closer and closer to the point of total bliss until she felt like she was falling off the cliff behind her. The world spun around her as he kissed his way back up her stomach to her breasts.

  “That was… You were…” She tried but failed to find adequate words. “Get a… So we can…” Surely he had to know what she was saying.

  “Hold on. I think I have one in my backpack,” he said, giving her nipple one last kiss before crawling away from her.

  She propped herself up on her elbow, watching him, her head feeling less foggy. “What do you mean you think you have one? You’re a guy. You always have one, don’t you?”

  “Well, that’s sexist,” he said, unzipping the compartments on his bag and tossing the contents to the dirt.

  “But also true. Right?”

  “Well, if we were at my place, I’d have an endless supply of them, of course. In fact, I’d have a big dish full of them right at the front door to give out as welcome gifts to women who decide to stop by my apartment.”

  “Shut up. You know what I mean.”

  “Ah ha!” he cheered, crawling back with his found treasure between his teeth. He dropped it onto her belly and grinned. “I do know what you mean. But no, I don’t always have one on me. Silly me, I thought most women would call me egotistical if I presumed that they might want to sleep with me and brought along provisions wherever I went.”

  “Oh we would.” She picked up the foil packet and toyed with the edge, debating if she should tear it open or not. They couldn’t go any further if she didn’t. “So you presumed you’d get lucky with me today, did you?”

  He took the packet from her fingers and tore it open, then rolled it onto his length. She couldn’t help but watch. And squirm with anticipation. His pre-show had been outstanding, but she bet his main event would be even more fantastic.

  “I didn’t presume anything, but I’d have to be an idiot not to be prepared in any situation. That’s why my emergency first aid kit has one of these bad boys in it.” He tossed the foil to the side and crawled between her legs, pausing at her entrance while he pulled her legs around his waist.

  “In case of emergency hard on, tear foil. That kind of thing?” She practically vibrated while waiting impatiently for him to slide into her heat.

  “Yep,” he said simply. He leaned forward and kissed her, taking his time to explore her mouth as he inched into her, achingly slow. Her heat surrounded his length until she felt like she couldn’t take him any further. “I didn’t presume, but I might have hoped like hell.”

  With that he withdrew and quickly thrust into her again and again. He reached so deep her head spun. She thrust with him, intensifying each movement. Her nails scratched down his back as she called out his name. He felt so good, so right.

  “Stop. Roll over,” she said, between panting for breaths.

  He did as she asked, taking her with him. When she settled onto his lap, straddling him, she rocked back and forth. He thrust upward. She made sounds she’d never heard herself make before—primal, guttural, deeply satisfied sounds.

  Closing her eyes, she arched back and raised her face to the sky. The sunlight kissed every spot of her body, heating it, while the breeze simultaneously cooled her. She’d never felt more at
peace with her life. For once she wasn’t running from the past or searching for her future. She was simply in the moment with Logan.

  He grabbed her hips and drove hard and deep, forcing her to take more of him. She swiveled her hips, drawing him in, holding him hostage. Her body suddenly clenched around him as another wave of ecstasy overwhelmed her. He called out her name with his release and his hands fell to the blanket. She waited for her head to stop spinning before moving to curl into his side, her head resting on his chest.

  This was what life was supposed to feel like—free, happy, weightless.

  She didn’t know how, but she hoped there was some way to hold on to this feeling forever.

  Chapter Twelve

  “This is nice.” Logan sighed loudly, contentedly.

  “What is?”

  “This. Today. Being out in the fresh air. Being here with you. All of it.”

  “It is.” And she meant it more than she thought she would before making the hike. Being up here again reminded her about why she’d longed to see the rest of the world to begin with. This view inspired her to see more.

  Being here with Logan, she felt not only inspired by the view but also by the incredible man beside her. He relaxed on the blanket while she sketched and felt calmer than she had in months. Whether it was from being on vacation, or from being with Logan, she didn’t know. But she liked the feeling and she didn’t want it end. She wanted to capture it forever in her sketchbook so one day she could look back on today and remember this feeling of serenity.

  “When Travis mentioned there was a job available here and that he might be able to help me get it, I was pretty desperate for the work. I didn’t want to be a trainer at someone else’s gym, and being a private personal trainer is difficult to get started and be successful at. Once New Yorkers find a person they like and who works with their schedule, they’re loyal. It’s great when you’re the one secure in your job, but it’s frustrating when you’re the new guy.”

  “I know that feeling.” Every gallery she’d gone to in the city already had their core artists. It didn’t matter that her work fell in line with the style of art they were already showcasing, they simply wouldn’t give her a chance.

  She checked her cell phone for a signal. Nothing. She thought it wouldn’t be a problem to get one up on the mountaintop, but it was, which meant she hadn’t gotten her emails all day. Of course, a break from them was probably a good thing. Every time she’d gotten a reply from a gallery, it had been a rejection. Only one hadn’t responded yet and all her hopes were pinned on it.

  “Having trouble getting your foot in the door too?” he asked.

  “You could say that.”

  “If the work you’re showing them is anything like the sketch I saw the other day, then they’re the ones missing out. Your work is incredible.”

  “Tell that to my empty bank account.” She smiled weakly.

  His compliments were appreciated, but it made her wish that even one of the galleries or studios felt the same. Of course, he’d seen one of the sketches she’d done here, which was completely different than the work she was showing in the city. But all of it was still done by her hand and with her eye for style, light, angle, and detail.

  The work she’d shown in the city was new, exciting, and fresh.

  She’d done a million sketches of the trees and mountains and lakes. When she’d moved to the city, she’d wanted to try something different so she’d painted the city on her canvases instead. Getting the angles and colors right had been challenging at first, but she was having fun and liked the way her paintings turned out. Too bad no one else did.

  “Thanks.” She didn’t want to talk about that stuff right now. Her current situation in the city made her feel like a failure. She didn’t want to feel that today. “Want to see this one?”

  Normally, she kept her sketchbook private to everyone, her family included. But Logan had already seen one and liked it, and since this one was about today, maybe he’d like it too. She’d been completely bared to him physically so showing him a sketch couldn’t make her feel anymore exposed.

  “Definitely,” he said, rolling onto his side toward her. Thankfully, they’d put on their underwear after fooling around or else she would’ve gotten another eyeful. Not that she would’ve minded the view, but it would’ve made her want to be with him again. And she wasn’t sure if she wanted that or not.

  He’d been amazing, outstanding actually, but being with him again would only deepen her feelings and make things harder for her at the end of the week. Of course, looking at his chest made her want to touch it and kiss it and all her logic started seeping out her ears. Good thing he’d only had one condom, which meant there was zero chance of them getting busy again.

  She handed him her book and held her breath while he looked over the sketch of himself, lying on the blanket. Instantly, she wished she could grab it back and erase it from his memory. It wasn’t good enough. That line needed to be smoothed and the arch of his eyebrow wasn’t right. Not to mention the angle of his knee was off by at least a couple of degrees, and she couldn’t even look at the shadows on the ground. Those were all wrong.

  “This is incredible. You did this today?”

  She nodded. “I know there’s a lot to be fixed.”

  “Sugar, this is perfect. I love it.” His voice sounded genuine. She mumbled her thanks and took the book back, closing it quickly so she wouldn’t have to look at it anymore.

  “Were you sad to leave the city when you got the job here?” She couldn’t imagine going from having everything you could ever desire at your fingertips to being here, where there was nothing but nature for miles.

  “No, I was excited. I couldn’t wait to get out of the noise and congestion. Of course, I never knew it would be this rural, but I don’t mind. I love the quiet. I love being able to come to a place like this and not see a single building.”

  “But don’t you find it boring after all the excitement there is in the city?”

  “No. I grew up with that excitement and after a while it becomes noise. I never felt like I could be alone, even in my apartment. Here, it’s completely different. The first night I stayed in my new place I couldn’t believe how noisy the critters were and how I didn’t hear a single person or vehicle.”

  “I like the hustle and bustle of the city. Always having so many people around that no one even takes notice of who you are or what you’re doing. I finally feel like I can be whoever I want to be and not who people expect me to be. I can run to the coffee shop in my slippers and it won’t be the talk of the town the next day. It’s awesome.”

  “You go to the coffee shop in your slippers often?” he asked, smirking.

  “Never. But the point is, I could, and that is a freedom I never got here.” She grabbed a granola bar from her bag and took a bite and washed it down with a sip of water. “I’m warning you, this town will know everything about you and they’ll tell everyone they know. Before you know it, you’ll wish for the anonymous life in the city again.”

  “I was no one in the city my whole life. I didn’t even know my neighbors’ names after living beside them for years. Here, people already say hello to me by name when I walk into the coffee shop. They ask me if I’m settled, if I need anything. It’s nice to feel cared about.”

  “Oh they care alright—about your hair, and your new ball cap and the book you’re reading and how often you buy toilet paper. No thanks.”

  “Is that why you’re so insistent about not living here? Because people care about you too much?”

  When he said it like that it sounded stupid, but it was more than that. “It’s because I’m tired of everyone having a say in how I live my life. It’s about knowing there is more to life than this little town and the people in it. I want to see the world.”

  “Can’t you go on vacations like everyone else?” he asked.

  “Can’t you mind your own business? Oh, wait, nope, you live in Cutter’s Creek now. I g
uess that means you’ll start hounding me to stay here too.”

  She flopped back onto the blanket, thankful that the sun was behind the trees so she could watch the clouds floating by without getting blinded. Why did he have to be like the rest of them, bugging her about her choices? Why couldn’t he accept her for who she was and what she wanted?

  “I obviously hit a sensitive spot and not in the good way like earlier either.” He laughed as if he’d made a joke, but she didn’t laugh. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get into your business. I was only making conversation and trying to figure you out.”

  The silence between them was suddenly thick with tension. She sighed. “I’m sorry too. The whole issue is a bit of a sore spot for me.”

  “I know you have reasons for making your choices, but I wish I understood them.” He shrugged. “If I had a family like yours, I’d do whatever it took to stay nearby.”

  “I guess we want different things in life.”

  They did want different things in life—he wanted small town community; she wanted big city anonymity. He wanted to settle in and start a business; she wanted to be recognized for her paintings, and not because she was a Cutter in Cutter’s Creek. Their situations were like oil and water. Unmixable.

  From now on, she needed to keep that in mind. Sleeping with Logan was a fun distraction from real life, but she wasn’t about to let it change the path she walked toward her future.

  Logan yawned as he grabbed himself a beer from the small cooler tucked between the lawn chairs. It was only mid-afternoon, but he’d already worked out, hiked up a mountain, had mind-blowing sex with Tessa, and hiked back down the mountain. Honestly, he deserved a nap. But he’d hardly hung out with Travis and the idea of lounging on the dock with a fishing pole was too good to pass up.

  “Heard you and Tessa went up to the lookout. Alone.” Travis had that tone in his voice, the one that said he was fishing for more than bass.