Plus, I wanted more. More than just this mind blowing sex with him. I wanted to get to know the man and I was afraid to admit that.
“Well, how about I tell you what I’m thinking?” Brock suggested, his eyes almost glowing in the light of the full moon. A slight smile tugged up the corner of his lips. “I’m thinking that you are the best thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of being in. I’m thinking that you’re my favourite flavor and my willing sin. I’m thinking that I want a hell of a lot more of this thing between us. I want to see where this goes. I want to be with you, Tessa.”
His words made my heart clench and flip in my chest. “I’m thinking the same thing,” I whispered. “I want more of this…I want to see where this goes. I just…” I sighed, biting desperately trying to figure out how I could make that possible. How could I sneak around my entire family and have a relationship with this incredible man without them finding out? It was a small town; everyone knew everyone else’s business. Someone surely must have spotted Brock and me at the bonfire, and that would eventually get back to my brothers and ultimately, my dad.
“I know.” His voice was strained as if it pained him to acknowledge the huge elephant in the room. He cleared his throat. “I know that your family wouldn’t approve of us, your dad especially. I guess if I was a parent, I wouldn’t either.”
I lifted my head so I could better look at him. “Could you tell me about it…about why?” my voice was full of hesitation. I was afraid to ask, afraid that he’d get angry at me for asking. But I felt like I needed to know.
He swallowed hard, his eyes searching mine for a moment. Whatever he saw there made him nod once and start speaking. “You probably remember that I went off and joined the rodeo for a while, right?” I nodded. “When I was gone…I guess things at home fell apart. More than usual, I mean. My sister shacked up with some guy who got her pregnant. He was a cokehead and he was abusive. I guess she was afraid to leave or tell anyone what was going on, so she pretended everything was fine. Then I got a phone call from my brother, saying Becky was in the hospital. He’d beaten her so badly that she went into preterm labor and nearly lost Aiden. I snapped.”
“Oh my God,” I muttered, my heart breaking for Becky. “I don’t blame you for snapping, Brock. How come nobody knows the truth?” I added, frowning. The rumor mill whispered nothing about Brock defending his sister and nephew; the rumors just said he’d snapped on some guy and nearly killed him with his bare hands.
“My family has always been good at keeping secrets,” he explained. “We know people like to talk about us and we don’t like to add fuel to the fire.”
“But if people knew the truth, they wouldn’t blame you either,” I argued, thinking about my dad and brothers. Given their fierce protectiveness over me, they would understand completely.
Brock smiled regretfully. “They don’t need to know the truth, Tess. I don’t give a rat’s ass what this town thinks of me.” He brought his hand up to touch the side of my face. “The only opinion I care about is yours.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. I think very highly of you, Brock Miller,” I responded, smiling.
“I’ll take it,” he whispered, pulling me towards him so he could kiss me again.
Brock
We lay in the bed of my truck kissing and touching and talking for another hour before we dressed and I drove us back to the fairgrounds. I could have stayed there all night with her, but I knew she was anxious to get back. I knew she didn’t want to get caught and I didn’t want her to get caught either. I definitely didn’t want to deal with her family right then, not when everything between us was so new and raw and potent. I wanted to enjoy it for a bit; I wanted to see where it would go, just like I’d told her.
The fireworks were over, but the party was still in full swing. Music, dancing and laughter surrounded us as we walked, our hands not touching but our arms occasionally brushing.
I wanted to hold her hand. I wanted to claim her as mine. It was the strangest fucking feeling, a desire I’d never had before. I’d only known her— seen her— like this for a few days, and I was in ruins. Part of me wanted to be cautious, to take a step back and regroup and to regain control of myself, but a bigger part was telling me this was natural and to it, to embrace her. I knew I could fall in love with her, that I was falling… if I hadn’t already. With the way she looked at me and smiled, and with the way I’d felt when inside of her; I couldn’t help but want to dive in head first.
“There you are!” Elle shouted, coming out of nowhere and tackling Tessa. “Your brothers are looking for you.”
“What did you tell them?” Tessa’s exquisite lips turned down in a subtle frown. Her eyes came to my face for a fraction of a moment before landing back on her friend’s.
“I told them you went back with my mom for a bit to help her unpack. They didn’t really buy it, but whatever.” Elle shrugged, tossing her hair over her shoulders. “Unless you want to get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, maybe you guys could cool the lustful looks and all that shit? Brother coming in at two o’clock,” she added, motioning with her eyes.
“Brock.” Gordon’s voice was dangerous. “What are you doing here?”
“It’s a community bonfire,” I responded dryly. “I figured that invitation was extended to me, by proxy.”
Gordon laughed lightly, a small smile easing the hard look on his face. “Yeah, well. What are you doing near my sister?”
“Chill out, Gordon,” Elle interrupted, scowling at him. “Brock was just asking us if we’d seen Braden.”
“He’s over by the beer tent.” Gordon answered the question I hadn’t asked. “I’m on my way there now. Come walk with me.”
I didn’t dare let myself look at Tessa again. I schooled my features to the mask of indifference the moment I’d seen Gordon approaching. I knew that she was nowhere near ready to tell her family and I wasn’t ready to deal with that fallout either. I followed Gordon toward the beer tent, spotting my brother hanging out with a few of his friends. He raised a beer to me, but Gordon made no move to slow down. He kept walking over to where Grady and Travis were hanging.
“Two Bud Lights,” Gordon ordered, nodding towards me. The bartender fetched two beers from the cooler and Gordon pulled out his wallet, raising his hand when I made a move to pay for mine. “I’ve got it.”
I pursed my lips into a thin line and accepted the beer he handed me. It was strange how on the defense I was around the guy I’d once called my best friend. But I didn’t trust his intentions, and I didn’t know him anymore.
“Cheers, to the dynamic four.” Gordon smiled, lifting his beer. His eyes never left my face as we all raised our beers to the toast. I took a deep sip, never backing down on the challenge. I wasn’t afraid of Gordon and I wasn’t going to let him intimidate me.
“So when are you back on the road again?” Grady asked Travis, making small talk. Gordon and I both turned our attention to Travis for the answer.
“Took a couple weeks off,” he replied, clearing his throat. “I needed a break and we don’t have any shows until next month anyway.”
“How does it feel to be a hot shot celebrity?” Gordon smirked, taking another heady sip of his beer.
“Pretty fantastic,” Travis said, grinning and lifting his beer bottle again. He looked three sheets to the wind. “I get to bang hot chicks and have everyone scream my name. Plus the money doesn’t hurt.”
I wasn’t paying attention to the conversation anymore. Movement by the flap of the beer tent caught my eye. I watched as Ezra Johnson walked up to Braden and his other friends, his DC decked cousin trailing behind him.
Braden’s eyes, full of alarm and anger, found mine from across the tent. My blood was fucking boiling, after everything that disgusting worm had tried to do to Tessa.
Instantly, my mind conjured up the image of her terrified against that tree and I slammed my beer down on the table. Three sets of eyes went from the beer to my face, but I was already
purposely moving towards the back of the tent where that slimy fucker was animatedly telling some story to the others. Braden stood up, about to intervene, but I already had DC guy’s shirt fisted in my hands.
“What the fuck are you doing back here?” I demanded, my face inches away from his. He slunk back, his pupils dilating with fear, trying to get away from me.
“Relax, man!” Ezra demanded, grabbing at my arm. “Just because you want her doesn’t mean you need to beat the fuck out of my cousin!”
“What the fuck?” Braden growled.
“I talked to Chris. He said Tessa wanted it and was eager for it, and this fucking jackass got all jealous about it. Fucking ‘roid raging, crazy asshole!” Ezra spat.
“Are you that fucking dense?” Braden roared, spit flying from his mouth. “Tessa was beat the fuck up and you’re gonna sit there and buy that piece of shit’s excuses for what happened?”
Ezra paused, looking to his cousin for help. By now, Gordon, Travis, and Grady were flanking my sides.
“You can’t hit me. You touch me, and you’ll go straight back to jail. Besides, I don’t know why you’re getting your fucking panties in a knot. Ezra said she wasn’t a good fuck anyway,” DC guy spat, his eyes darting back and forth between my face and the others staring at him.
“Don’t, Brock.” Braden jumped forward, placing his hand on my shoulder to keep me grounded after seeing the rage flickering in my eyes.
I took a calming breath, focusing on the feeling of Gordon vibrating with anger at my side, and I laughed darkly. “You must be all kinds of stupid,” I said, shaking my head. I released my hold on his shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles and giving him a very dangerous smile. “I might not be able to hit you, but these guys? They sure can,” I said lowly, threateningly. “And that one on my right? He just so happens to be Tessa’s brother. And he doesn’t take kindly to his sister being talked about like that, or what you tried to do to her.”
DC guy’s pupils were completely dilated now, the whites of his eyes showing.
“Better run.” Gordon’s lips barely moved when he spoke, but DC guy heard him clear as fucking day. He took off, stumbling out of the tent and running. Gordon finished the rest of the beer he was holding and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. He looked at me. “We’re not done here, Brock. I respect what you did, but you and me? We need to have a chat.”
I nodded, pursing my lips, and watched as Gordon took off, Travis and Grady following close behind, likely to keep an eye on him.
Gordon was a smart guy. Smart enough to chase him off public property and get him away from a crowd. Gordon wasn’t deadly, but he was effective. With the other two with him, I didn’t have to worry if he’d end up down the same path I’d gone.
I cracked my knuckles, exhaling deeply before I turned my gaze on Ezra. He almost seemed to wilt from the fire in my eyes. “I expected more from you, to be honest. You looked like a smart guy. Smart enough to know that when a girl emerges shaking, bloody and bruised from the woods, she wasn’t a willing participant in whatever happened.” I stepped closer to him. “And for the record, she’s the perfect fuck. You just didn’t know how to operate.”
“OH SHIT!” Braden cackled, bowing over with laughter as I stomped out of the beer tent.
I was just reaching my truck when a hand reached out and clasped mine. I turned, seeing Tessa’s mischievous smile as she pulled me towards her.
My body was still amped up on adrenaline and testosterone, and the way she was biting her lower lip was not helping. But losing control to Tessa was far better than losing control to rage. I looked around, finding the parking lot dark and empty, save for the parked cars. I grabbed her ass, pulling her against me as I walked her backwards to my truck. My lips found hers and I kissed her like she was water and I was a parched man. She kissed me back, sucking on my lower lip and I growled, thrusting against her and pinning her to the cold metal of the truck. My dick was impossibly hard again, like we hadn’t just fucked a few hours before. My need for her was insatiable and I think she felt the same, if the way she grinded up against me was any indication. She pulled away, breathless.
“So, Elle has my truck keys,” she whispered, biting her lip. “She’s going to go find Braden and then they’re leaving…in my truck…and I’m ‘sleeping’ over at her house. Take me home with you,” she added, pressing her lips against mine again.
That was all I needed. I gripped her ass, picking her up and keeping her pinned against the side of the truck as I opened the door. I set her down on the bench seat without moving my lips from hers. Regretfully, I broke the kiss. If I didn’t get her to my place soon, I was going to need to take her right there in that parking lot where anyone could see us.
* * *
I took my time with her, focusing all I had on bringing those soft moans to her lips. Afterwards, my fingers twirled in the silk curls of her hair while she lay in my arms.
“I want to know everything about you. Is that crazy?” she asked, lifting her head up to look at me with a timid expression.
“No.” I smiled. “‘Cause I want to know everything about you too.”
“Alright.” She exhaled. “Well, I like riding horses, jumping, fishing…basically any activity outdoors and I’m afraid of snakes. I’m going to college in the fall with Elle… who, as you know, is my best friend and has been my whole life. I want to be a veterinarian and open my own clinic one day, but that’ll be a long time coming. Right now, I’m focusing on getting my veterinary technician diploma so I can work in a clinic and save up the money for vet school. Elle and I have a place lined up and everything. I’m excited to leave this town and get some space away from my family. I love them, but sometimes when I’m around them, it’s like…” she trailed off, thinking hard. “It’s like that feeling you get when your shoes are too tight, and you just want to take them off and walk free for a little while.”
“That was oddly poetic.” I smiled, loving all these little facts she listed about herself.
“Yeah well…” She blew a strand of her hair out of her eyes. “Your turn.”
“Okay.” I paused, thinking about my answer. My hand dropped to her shoulder, brushing against her soft flesh. “I like outdoor activities too, and I like to work with my hands. I like to keep busy; I’m always moving, I guess. I’m restless. I like traveling and dogs. I don’t like people. I don’t know, there’s not much about me to tell.” I figured it was obvious that I had a temper, not everyone serves time for beating the crap out of someone who crosses them, and I didn’t feel like getting into my broken childhood, either. I didn’t want to tell her the ugly things. I didn’t want to taint this time we had together with my darkness.
“Tell me about your job,” she urged, her toes brushing along my leg.
“My job?” She nodded. “Alright. I work at an oilfield work camp in Alberta, in the middle of nowhere. I don’t mind my job. It keeps me busy and it keeps my thoughts occupied. I don’t notice the distance when I’m working because it’s such a demanding job; there isn’t much room outside of it. I took a leave of absence because my mom is dying.”
She stiffened beside me, drawing in a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
I kissed the top of her head because I didn’t know what else to say. It wasn’t her fault that my mother was dying.
“Are you going to go back? To Alberta?” she asked, her voice a quiet whisper. The sound of crickets could be heard through the screen window over my bed.
“I’m not sure. That was the plan. I was going to build a cabin here, somewhere I could stay when I visit…but I was planning on keeping my job. The money is really good…” I hesitated.
“But what?” she muttered, her voice sounding tired.
I swallowed hard. “I don’t know if I want to leave them,” I answered, referring to Becky, Aiden and even Braden. I was only speaking half of the truth. The other half, the part that I couldn’t tell her, was that I’d met a girl that I didn’t want to leave 3,337.4 km a
way.
* * *
The sound of tires on dirt and gravel and the low menacing rumble of Hunter’s growling alerted me to the Ford pulling into my makeshift driveway early the next morning. Tessa was still sleeping in my bed, her hair strewn about on the pillow, her bare breasts rising and falling with every breath.
“Fuck,” I muttered, diving out of bed and pulling on my jeans. I scooped up my t-shirt from the floor and pulled the blinds down in the kitchen while I tugged it over my head, watching as Gordon and Tommy Armstrong exited the cab of the truck, peering around the property.
I opened the door to my trailer, letting Hunter out. He followed me as I approached my unexpected guests. I knew this visit had very little to do with a social call and a whole lot to do with a certain blonde haired girl with amber eyes and a wicked grin.
A girl that was completely off limits, a girl that I couldn’t stop thinking about despite the fact that I knew she was off limits, a girl that didn’t seem to give a rat’s ass that she was off limits, a girl that I hungered for, a girl that I’d give up everything for in the blink of an eye if she asked me.
A girl that was currently passed out, naked in my bed, a mere five feet away.
I raised my head, making eye contact with both Gordon and Tommy. I wasn’t afraid of either of them. Gordon was every bit as burly and tall as he’d been in high school, but I had a least five inches on him, and I was in better shape. I knew I could take him, if need be. I just hoped that Gordon wasn’t here to fight.
“So,” Gordon drawled when he got close enough to us. His dark brown eyes assessed me, trying to decide just how much of a threat I really was. It was an intimidation tactic that went back to high school, one that I’d done too with Gordon and Grady alongside of me. His eyes met mine, hard and unyielding. “Looks like we’ve got to have a little chat, old friend.”
If anything, his attempt at intimidation made me want to throw back my head and laugh. I’d fought bigger guys in jail, and I’d done worse things than Gordon Armstrong had ever done.
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