KEPT: A Small Town Second Chance Romance Novella (Reckless Falls Book 0)

by Vivian Lux

  I could hear her smiling, scoffing slightly. “How are you going to do that, are you a doctor?”

  I licked my lips. How much was I willing to tell her? “No. But I’ve got a plan. Actions speak louder than words, don’t you think?”

  She thought for a while. “I guess so,” she finally said. Her hand slid down. “So I guess I shouldn’t say that I want you again, Action-Man. I should just show you?”

  I laughed and then groaned as her hand closed around my already stiffening cock. “It’s the only way I’ll know.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Aria Jane

  I groaned as he slid out of bed, and let the cold air rush in under the covers. He grinned devilishly, then tucked the covers more tightly around me. "There, you good?"

  I smiled at him, but he probably couldn't see it because I'd pulled the comforter up to my nose. So instead, I nodded.

  Then I watched him as he padded naked through the doorway. He paused and stretched, giving me a perfect view of the way the muscles across his shoulders rippled. I found myself imagining what it felt like to run my fingers over each one of the tiny muscles that twitched between his ribs. Then with a jolt, I remembered that I actually had and the feeling of triumphant pleasure that coursed through me was nearly as strong as the orgasms he'd given me last night.

  "Stop," I said I commanded.

  He turned around and looked at me.

  "Now turn all the way around," I instructed.

  A gleam shone in his dark eyes and he turned slowly towards me.

  "Stop right there."

  "Should I flex or something?" he asked.

  "That would be fine with me," I teased.

  He clenched his arm up in the classic bodybuilder’s pose. "How's that?” he asked.

  I licked my lips. "Pretty good, but there's only one problem."

  “Problem?”

  "Yeah.” I wiggled up to a sitting position and leaned to the side. “From this angle, I can't see your cute little ass."

  He grinned and executed a clumsy pirouette. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

  "It's all what I'm looking for," I said. Then I shivered. "But I'm also looking for a fire too."

  "Oh, so my landlord is telling me to stop fucking around and build a fire for her, huh?”

  I shivered again and flopped back down under the warm covers. ”I have no idea how you’re standing there naked right now."

  He grinned. “I’m a polar bear, what can I say?"

  "I think you actually are," I said, shivering dramatically. He laughed and went around to the wood stove. I heard him shuffling around and the scraping of the wood as he pulled it out of the box. Then he came back into view, crouching, screwing his brow intently as he stirred the coals so the fire sprang back to life.

  I could see it playing about in golds and oranges against his face, and I had the urge to go and join him, to kiss with those flames kissed.

  But I was too deliciously warm to do anything but lie here in his bed.

  Once the fire was stoked, he returned to the bedroom doorway. "I gotta start digging this out. You’re never going to be able to get back to your place.”

  I shook my head and stretched. "I wasn’t planning on leaving," I informed him.

  "As good as it sounds, we might run out of food at some point."

  “Are you saying I eat a lot?"

  "I'm saying I'd better have some supplies, right? At the bare minimum, I need the delivery guy to bring more hot cocoa.” He grinned. “In case you need rescuing again.”

  He ducked, laughing as I threw a pillow at him.

  "Yes, you must make sure you always have supplies for me," I grinned

  He cupped his hand against his groin. "Supplies, that's what we're calling it?"

  I laughed, then screamed as he came careening back into bed, and shoved his cold feet under the covers. Then I was screaming again as he ducked his head under the covers, diving between my legs….

  And suddenly I was screaming for a whole different reason.

  A round of sweaty sex, and three orgasms later, we were both way too hot in the bed. I pushed away the covers and grabbed one of his sweaters from the discarded pile on the floor. "I'm going to go make coffee," I shivered. “You want any?"

  He shook his head. "Not now, but maybe after I finish the porch and the walkway."

  I poked my head towards the window. "That's going to be hours," I observed. "There has to be at least a foot and half on the ground."

  "Looks that way," he shrugged. His sheer ability to take everything in stride was such a revelation to me. With Derek, it didn't matter that the task was going to be hard. What mattered was that it needed to be done.

  I sat back on his bed, tucking my feet under me. "You sure I can’t help?" I said.

  He came over and kissed me on the forehead. "I'm pretty sure you're only offering to make yourself feel better, but you're off the hook. I only have one shovel."

  I tutted. "That's a real shame,"

  He smiled wryly, “Yes, isn't it, though?" He kissed me again, lingering on my lips for so long I didn't need the fire to feel like I was burning.

  I sat on the couch, listening to the roaring and pop of the fire, and the soft sounds of Derek's shovel scraping against snow. As I sipped my coffee, the sense of peace that filled me had me grinning like a fool. I haven't felt this warm and safe and cherished since I was a child. Possibly ever. The way he looked out for me, the way he took care of me, without calling attention to it… It was the kind of selfless love that I'd sing about but never knew existed.

  Love.

  I sat up straighter.

  I thought I knew what love was. Love is what I had with Killian. Fierce, passionate, full of drama. We were always fighting and then making up, storm after storm after storm. I've never known which way was up. There was always the drama of wrong expectations, of preconceived notions. I could never measure up to the person I was in Killian's head, and he, well he'd fallen well short of what I thought love should be.

  Was it possible that I'd never actually been in love?

  I shifted in my seat, and then rose to go for another cup of coffee. Without thinking, I pulled down another mug, and poured another steaming cup.

  As I stood there at the counter, looking at the two mugs, I remembered mornings at our apartment down in New York City. Killian didn't want me to touch his coffee. He said he didn't trust me to prepare it the right way. So I've never gotten him one. I’d never wanted to. And he'd never done the same for me. Even if I did bring it to him, he'd probably criticize me for not putting in the right amount of cream or sugar.

  I took a deep breath, and then walked the mug over to the door and opened it wide. "Hey!" I called over the sound of the shovel. "You want something to warm up?"

  Derek looked like the abominable snowman. Icicles hung from his shaggy head, and his jeans were completely crusted in snow. He exhaled in a great cloud, and then shoved his shovel into the snow bank. Peeling off his gloves, he made a beeline towards me. "You’re a saint,“ he said, cupping his reddened hands around the mug.

  I waited for a second, but he said nothing about the way I prepared it, whether it was too strong, or too weak or too much sugar or not enough. He just took a sip and sighed. "Thanks," he said

  “You're welcome," I said. There was no way I could put into words when I was feeling right now, so I just stood on my tiptoes, craning up to kiss him.

  He caught me up in his arms, and the snow that clung to his jacket brushed freezing cold against my skin. I squealed, and he laughed, trapping me against him while he covered my cheeks nose and neck with frozen kisses. “I’m taking a break,” he told me. “Going to go take a shower,” he said.

  “Want some company?”

  “Hm, the idea is appealing. But I’m all sweaty and gross right now.”

  I pouted. “What if I like you sweaty and gross?”

  He grinned and kissed me again. “Let’s be together for more than one
day before I’m ready to be foul in front of you.”

  My heart caught in my throat. “Are we together?”

  “Well you can do whatever the fuck you want I guess, but I’m not gonna lie. I’m pretty fucking gone for you, Aria Jane.”

  I hid my gasp of pleasure behind another sip of coffee. I watched him as he stripped his snowy clothes and shed them like a snake sheds its skin. “Don’t be long, foul-man,” I called after him, appreciating the sculpted view of his ass.

  “I’m only slow when it counts,” he called back from the bathroom.

  Desire flooded my body and I sagged back against the wall… only to feel it move against my back. “What the hell?” I said aloud.

  I looked up and saw that the sliding panels were swinging freely. He'd left the padlock somewhere and the huge, old-fashioned iron latch was just hanging there.

  I pressed my ear up against the panel and heard a faintly electric hum.

  All at once my mind flashed back to yesterday morning and the mysterious package Derek had handed the man in the Beemer.

  The noise of the shower was still going, but for how long? Did I dare risk getting caught snooping? But then again, didn’t I have a right to know what was behind this door? He’d already confessed to hacking my ex-boyfriend’s phone, what else was he up to? And if I was going to sleep with him again…shouldn’t I know?

  I lifted the latch. The door slid easily. It was obviously well cared for and used often. I slid it to the side and slid quietly into the hidden room.

  “What the fuck?” I whispered. Equipment, completely foreign to me and obviously quite expensive, hummed all around me. I was standing in the middle of a very well-equipped lab and nothing made sense anymore. What the hell was he doing back here that he had to keep it so hidden? I could only guess, so I did….

  And then my heart started to race.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  Derek

  Just one look at her had me hard as anything again. With a shuddery groan, I twisted the shower knob all the way to the right and forced myself to dance under the icy spray. But even a literal cold shower wasn’t enough to drive the image of Aria standing there naked under my sweater, handing me a cup of coffee with a smile on her face.

  Frustrated, I twisted the knob back to the left and decided to take matters into my own hands. Literally. Closing my eyes, I gripped my cock and began to move my hand as the vision of Aria, her long legs bare, standing on my porch. As I moved my hand I saw her grin as she handed me the coffee cup and then sank to her knees, winding her long red hair up in a twist before letting it flow like a river of fire down her back. She’d smile up at me as she reached for my zipper, her lips already parting in anticipation of…

  “Fuck!” I hissed. I was coming already, before the fantasy had even unspooled.

  But that was okay. Because the real thing was waiting for me out in my living room.

  I was going to have to send an email to my employer and let them know that I might never get out of bed again.

  I ran a washcloth over my body, quickly rinsing away the traces of my fantasy. Then I turned off the water and listened.

  She wasn’t waiting for me in the bathroom.

  Maybe she was already lying in the bed.

  That thought sent me tripping out of the tub, nearly wiping out on a wet patch of tile. I debated whether I should wrap a towel around my waist, but decided this was a mere formality. We were both going to be naked in about two seconds…

  I turned out of the doorway to see Aria standing there, and my so-recently abused cock stiffened instantly the second I saw those long legs, ready to spread wide. Then it softened when I saw the thunderous expression on her face.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, wishing like hell that I’d elected to wear a towel.

  She pressed her lips together and lifted her chin. Folding her arms she fixed me with a glare that should have struck me dead. “I’ve already called the police.”

  My heart stopped, started and then stopped again. “What the hell?” I stammered.

  “I found your workshop,” she said coolly. Then her eyes snapped and she launched herself at me. “What is it?” she cried, smacking me in the chest. “Drugs? Are you making drugs in there?”

  I held up my hands to ward off her blows. “What? What the fuck?” None of this was making a lick of sense.

  “Forget it,” she cried, throwing up her hands. “I’m not going to ask questions, you can explain yourself to the police.”

  “Okay,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. “Well, I have nothing to hide.” I looked down at my naked self. “Clearly.”

  She turned back to face me and I was startled to see tears gathering her eyes. “Then why are you hiding, Derek?” she demanded. “What the hell is going on with you? You used to be the life of the fucking party and now you’re some kind of hermit in the woods? People don’t just fucking disappear off the grid like this unless they have something to hide!”

  “They do if they have a reason to be ashamed.”

  “What? You know what? Fuck it.” There was a loud knock on the door. “Tell it to them.”

  “How the hell did you get up here?” I wondered aloud. The unplowed driveway was clearly no obstacle for the County Sheriffs. “Can I at least put on some fucking pants before you open the door, Aria?”

  She glared at me and then started to count to three. Shaking my head, I lunged for the sopping wet jeans I had thrown to the floor. Wincing as the cold, wet fabric clung to my legs, I yanked them up to my waist and was just closing my fly when Aria opened the door.

  When I saw who it was my heart plunged down to my toes. “Hi Gabe,” I said warily.

  Gabe Foster sauntered through the front door followed by a blond, baby-faced kid that looked like one of the Abbotts, though I couldn’t figure out who. Both of them looked all around my place with a critical eye before looking right at me. “Someone call about a meth lab?”

  “Yes, me,” Aria said, shooting me another death glare. “In here.”

  “Aria, seriously? It’s not a fucking meth lab. I’m not making drugs.”

  “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to open that door.”

  “Gabe, really? Back when you were a metalhead with long hair I used to hold it back for you while you puked your guts out. Are you really going to pull this kind of power play shit with me?”

  Gabe’s eyes softened, then hardened again. “Open the door, Granger.”

  “Granger, even,” I sighed. “Fine. I have nothing to hide,” I said loudly, for Aria’s benefit. “Behold. My giant fucking meth lab.”

  As I rolled the doors open, my heart skittered around in my chest like a rabbit caught in a trap. I knew they wouldn’t understand. I’d have to explain what I was doing, how I was trying, trying so fucking hard to have my actions speak louder than my apologies.

  Game and Whatshisface Abbott peered into my space. “What’s that?” Gabe asked.

  “3d printer.”

  “What are you doing with a 3d printer, Granger?”

  I looked at Aria and then back at my old friend. The guy who’d seen me drunk off my ass more than I’d ever been sober. After the accident, he’d slipped away, never returning my calls. He blamed me just like everyone did. And now I had to tell him. “Prosthetics,” I said, squaring my shoulders.

  “Prosthetics?” Game repeated.

  “Prosthetics?” Aria echoed.

  I nodded. “I design them. Then I 3d print them and give them to the hospital.”

  “Give?”

  I nodded again. I could feel Aria staring at me.

  “Wait, I know about this,” Whatshisface Abbott piped up. “My buddy up at the VA was telling me.” He turned to face me with a dumbfounded look on his face. “That’s you, Wreck? The anonymous donor giving all of those amputees new legs and arms and shit?”

  “And shit.”

  “It’s you?”

  “Yes,” I sighed. “That’s what I’m doing up here. M
r. Dolan - your grandfather, Aria - he and Sy Tarrington down at the County Hospital are the only ones who know. That’s the way I wanted it. I didn’t want to tell anyone. Words are kind of meaningless, don’t you think?

  Gabe looked at me and blinked several times. “Jesse just got a new prosthetic. His old one hurt so bad they had to make him one custom.”

  I swallowed hard. “I know.”

  “That was you too?”

  I nodded.

  “How many have you made?”

  “No idea. But I’m going to keep going.”

  “Granger that’s…” he blinked a few more times. “Not sure what I want to say.”

  “Don’t tell Jesse. If you see him. I don’t want him thinking he owes me anything. If anything I owe him.”

  Gabe looked far away for a moment. “Sure thing man,” he said, but I wasn’t sure he heard me. Then he socked the Abbott kid in the shoulder. “Looks like we’re all set here.”

  Aria was slumped back against the wall. Slowly she slid to the floor. “I’m real sorry I wasted your time, guys,” she whispered.

  “No problem, A.J.,” the Abbott kid said. “Hey, it’s good to see you again.”

  “You too, Will.”

  Will, that was his name.

  When Gabe shut the door behind him, she covered her face and peered up at me from behind her fingers. “I am so sorry,” she croaked.

  I shoved my hands in my pockets. “Yeah… well…” I muttered.

  She looked up at me beseechingly. “You shouldn’t be keeping that a secret, Derek!”

  “I can do whatever I want.”

  Her face fell. “I suppose you can. But they should know who is helping them.”

  “Why?” I asked. I started pacing around the kitchen, rattling cabinets and opening the refrigerator, anything to avoid this conversation. “Will it make their arms grow back? Will it undo the damage already done? No. I can’t take back the past. For anyone. So I’m just fucking trying to make the future a little better.”