Bodie kissed his mother on the cheek, and went straight to Vanessa. Vanessa placed a possessive hand on his chest. From her position, Treasure couldn’t see Bodie’s face and wasn’t sure she wanted to.
“Is that Treasure’s motorcycle?” Vanessa asked loud enough for her to hear the accusation in the question.
Treasure didn’t wait for Bodie’s answer. Carolyn headed in her direction. She turned on her heel and slipped out the back door seeking escape. What was Vanessa doing here? Had Bodie invited her? In her mind, Vanessa was the epitome of everything Treasure wasn’t. Beautiful — stunning, actually — had poise, grace, and was a high maintenance piece of work. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with Vanessa. Her presence complicated an already confusing situation. Leaving guaranteed avoidance and awkward confrontation.
Had anything really changed between her and Bodie? He told her he missed her over the winter, and he’d been attentive since his return. The only difference she could see between now and when they worked together is they flirted and sex was on the table. They made a pact to remain friends after their one-night stand, but he’d gotten under her skin in more than a “just friends” kind of way. She couldn’t shake it. If he wanted to keep things the same as they were before sleeping together, she’d be okay with the decision. Treasure would have to hide her true feelings for him. Her desire to become more than friends would have to be extinguished.
She skirted around the side of the house and went straight for her motorcycle. She would text Bodie later and tell him why she left early.
“Treasure, wait!”
Treasure glanced over her shoulder and flinched. Bodie hurried down the porch stairs. She averted her gaze and picked up her pace.
With the helmet over her head, she bit her lip and pulled her key out of her pocket. Treasure swung a leg over the bike and inserted the key.
“Where are you going?” Bodie jogged over to her. “I had no idea Vanessa would be here — again.”
His frustration was obvious as the muscles of his jaw bulged and his lips were tight. Treasure closed her eyes and took three long steadying breath. She sought inner peace, but only found raging contempt and a mad green creature lurking inside her.
Bodie lifted her helmet off. “My mom and Vanessa are up to something that doesn’t involve me. I need a friend who has my back. They outnumber me,” he said, trying to make light of the situation.
“Your brothers are here.”
“They’re no help.”
Treasure stared across the wooded yard trying not to see him.
“Come back inside,” he said softly.
“I better go.”
“Get off the bike,” he said, a little firmer this time.
“Why? I can’t take your mom’s glares and Vanessa’s… everything.”
“I understand. I hate the way my mom is acting. I don’t understand what’s going on with her. We don’t have to go inside. I have something I want to show you.” He held his hand out to her and she couldn’t resist the pleading in his eyes.
“Bodie, what is it?” Treasure wanted to stay. She’d ridden all this way and she had been enjoying his father and brothers’ company. They were funny like Bodie and it was interesting learning about him from their mixed perspectives.
“I’m not telling until you agree to walk with me.”
She slid off the seat and took his hand. It calmed her knowing he wasn’t ashamed to hold her hand even though anyone inside the house could see them. Bodie set the helmet down and led her away from the house.
* * *
Bodie loved the feel of her fingers intertwined with his. It felt right and he never wanted to let go. Did she want more from him? He couldn’t tell. She asked him at Peak 10 if they were still friends after Christmas. He was uncertain if she asked because that’s all she wanted, or if there was more to the question. Sometimes, trying to figure out Treasure was like piecing together a puzzle with no clue where to start. She sent him mixed messages, and he was sure she held back when her feelings were strong. Treasure was the exact opposite of Vanessa. Vanessa would talk herself blue in the face and expect Bodie to do the same. He liked that Treasure remained mysterious in some ways. He also wanted to solve her mysteries accurately.
He guided her down a path across his parents’ wooded lot toward a detached garage. Bodie swung the door open and gestured for her to go inside.
“What’s this?” she asked, the flirtatious tone back in her voice.
“My new boat.”
“It’s striking. Has sexy lines.”
“So, how about you, me, and those donuts? I thought you might want to check it out before you commit to my fantasy date on the lake?”
“You’re still daydreaming about that?” She flashed him an edible grin.
“Mh-hmm,” he said, edging in closer to Treasure. She smelled amazing, like wild flowers and mountains with a hint of motorcycle.
“You’re picturing the two of us on the water right now, aren’t you?”
Bodie lifted a hand and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He lingered, wanting to keep touching her. “Maybe,” he admitted. “I’ve come prepared this time.”
Treasure laughed and slipped around him running her fingers along the side of the twenty-five foot long hull. “Prepared how exactly?”
“I brought raincoats.”
Her smile widened, but she didn’t come back to him. Treasure’s attention seemed focused on the dumb boat. While he did want to take her out on the water someday, the boat wasn’t his first reason for bringing her to his dad’s workshop and garage.
“Raincoats? Are we expecting bad weather, or is that another way of telling me you’re wearing a bullet proof vest?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m not wearing it right now, but I can put it on if you want me to.”
Treasure stepped onto the side of the boat trailer, stretching her slim leg, and threw a smoky glance his way before climbing up and over. “Hmm, I might be interested in checking out your rubbers. Are they in here?”
Bodie followed her into the boat. “They are now.”
She spun around and gripped his shirt in her fists. “What I want is to sit you down and finish what I started last week.”
She shoved Bodie onto a padded seat. Taken off guard, he plopped down without an ounce of grace. Treasure knelt down in front of him and gazed into his surprised eyes.
He swallowed hard when he saw her clear mission and determination to undo him. A frisson of fear and elation raised the fine hairs on his forearms. Before things got totally out of hand, something Treasure excelled at, he leaned forward, took the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss.
Her willingness to be taken made him hard in an instant. He groaned as his tongue possessed her mouth. Treasure’s hands slid up his back and then raked over his skin. His body clenched as her fierce nails left a burning trail. She nibbled his lower lip and then bit. Bodie jerked back an inch to look at her.
“Are you playing with me or releasing frustrations?”
“Frustrations,” she said. “Do you mind?” Defiance and rebellion gleamed in her amber eyes. Sometimes they were more hazel, but in the moment, they were smoldering amber with glints of gold. He thought about her question, but his loins didn’t need to think. He hardened to the point of agony. His anatomy liked the rough treatment. His gaze moved to her lips and he wanted to resume kissing, this time with more force.
Bodie trailed his fingertips over her shirt and then palmed her breast. Not hard, but not delicately either. His fingers traced up the length of her neck and he gripped a palm full of her hair. Bodie tugged just enough to expose her neck to him. His mouth found her pulse and he sucked hard. Treasure’s moan of pleasure sent shivers straight through every cell in his body.
“Frustrations? I have some of my own,” he growled against her throat.
Her hands moved to his belt and she was unbuckling it a second later. When she dipped her fingers inside his shorts, he moved ba
ck to her mouth. Still holding her hair, he kissed her deep as she worked on lowering his shorts and freeing his erection.
The cool air inside the garage caressed his overheated manhood and a faint layer of goose bumps rose over his flesh. She seemed to notice even if she didn’t see the hairs rising on his upper thighs. She pulled away from his greedy mouth and glanced down at her handiwork.
“We don’t need a raincoat or rubbers for this.” She grazed deft fingernails across his stomach to the exposed skin of his hips where she traced circles over his flesh.
Still on her knees, her mouth inches away from his erection, Treasure delayed putting her lips on him.
“Oh, God, Treasure,” he said, wanting to grip her head and guide it to his waiting member. He held back another second, too curious to see what she would do to him next. All thoughts of taking her had vanished as he watched this sexy vixen play with her food. He couldn’t help himself. Treasure intrigued him. He had to know what she planned to do to him next.
Her teasing hands moved to his thighs and squeezed as she licked her lips. Bodie yearned to touch her, explore her, but he liked the anticipation more. When she began kissing his hip crease and slowly working toward his shaft, he knew waiting a few agonizing seconds was worth it. She used clever lips as she kissed his head. Bodie’s mouth went dry. He thought of one sure way to wet his own tongue, but that could wait until it was his turn to gratify her.
“I think things have taken an unfair turn here,” he said as she swirled her tongue over the tip of him. He could feel her warm breath tickle his sensitive skin and suppressed the next groan.
“Oh, I am being fair,” she said and took him fully into her mouth. When she came back up and said, “Remember leaving me hanging in the park? I was so ready for this before we were interrupted.” She continued sucking and kissing up and down his length.
Bodie tangled his hands in her hair and his groin clenched. It was so damned hot she wanted to give this to him, had thought about it, and didn’t mind telling him. He held back from letting go too soon. He didn’t want this to end quickly. “I meant, I’m the one who brought you in here, and you’ve taken control.”
Treasure kissed his inner thigh and wrapped a palm around where her mouth had just been. “If you think I’m in control, you’re mistaken. You make me want things I’ve never even considered a possibility before.”
“Hmm, something more like this?” he asked as he scooted to the side, moving away from her wicked lips and massaging hand. Bodie slid off the boat seat to kneel next to her. At the same time he gripped her hips and placed her in the seat. He unbuttoned her jeans and lowered them over her hips. The riding boots were hindering his intentions. He needed them out of the way so he could spread her more effectively. Treasure helped remove the boots and he slid her creamy long legs from her pants.
Bodie dug a condom, the “raincoat”, from the pocket in his shorts.
“Let me do that.” She plucked it out of his hand.
As Bodie knelt, Treasure tore open the package and rolled the condom over him. Before he could decide what position he wanted her in, she sat on the edge of the padded vinyl seat and bent a knee up and to the side, exposing herself.
Bodie leaned forward and placed his lips to hers. His tongued dove in and circled with hers in a mind-melting kiss. He lifted her shirt out of the way and caressed each breast with equal attention. Lowering his mouth to her tight nipple, Treasure arched her back to meet his hungry lips. Bodie lingered while his fingers sought her delicate folds. He found her wet enough to drive him insane. He stroked and played with her sensitive core and trailed kisses down her midriff until he found the center of her heat. She whimpered and urged him on with the same need he felt for her.
Bodie lingered until she cried out with release. He retraced his path over her stomach and circled her nipple with his tongue. His hand stroked her ribcage until he found her hip. He caressed her thigh and wrapped his fingers around the soft underside of her knee, lifting her leg. Treasure anticipated his desire and pulled her leg up, giving him more room to maneuver.
He pressed into her and a groan of need rumbled out of him. It’d been months since he’d been with a woman and it happened to be this same woman. He didn’t want to be with anyone other than Treasure, and now, here she was, wrapping herself around him.
Bodie centered his focus on pleasuring Treasure. He rocked back and forth until a fine layer of sweat covered his body. Treasure held onto his waist and met him with each thrust. He held back his own release until she crested the peak once more. Her body tightened, pulsed around his member, and then trembled in waves of ecstasy. He let go of her leg and buried his manhood inside her. Treasure’s legs encircled his waist and held tight as he shuddered and drained himself. Bodie leaned in and kissed a path along her chest to the side of her neck, then found her tantalizing lips.
“You’re amazing,” he whispered, his mind imagining how he’d like to try this again, and not after a four month wait.
“You’re not so bad, either,” she said against his lips.
He breathed her in, wondering if he should ask her now or wait until they were away from his parents’ house. He’d been contemplating how and when might be a good time to bring up the subject of making things more official between them. Something or someone always interrupted him. Now might be the best time considering his mother and Vanessa seemed set on complicating his life.
With reluctance, he slid out of her and reached for her pants on the bottom of the boat.
“I’m going to say something and if you’re not ready for this conversation, please tell me.” He bit the inside of his lip and smiled in case she thought he was about to drop a bomb on her. He hoped it wasn’t a bomb. He hoped she would be as excited about seeing him on a more permanent basis as he was.
Before she replied, the garage door creaked open. The intrusions never stopped with his family. I need my own place, he thought. Bodie was in the middle of pulling up his shorts. He yanked them into place. “Who’s there?”
“Bodie? What are you doing?”
“Shit,” he said under his breath and his gaze met Treasure’s.
She scrambled to get her clothes in order.
“Get out!” he yelled.
“No,” Vanessa said back. “What are you doing in the boat?”
She sounded giggly and in high spirits like this was some kind of game she wanted in on. Treasure was mostly dressed, but her boots couldn’t be laced quickly.
“Just go. Treasure and I are talking. Privately.”
He knew Vanessa wouldn’t listen to him. The woman was single minded and obstinate. Once her mind was set on something, there was no going back. That’s more or less how their breakup had happened. Vanessa decided she needed to experience things she thought she missed out on by getting engaged to her college boyfriend. Perhaps, they were engaged because of Vanessa’s stubbornness. The hints and non-stop talking about their future had eventually worn on him enough to go buy a ring. Was that how it happened? He hadn’t fully considered the idea until now, when she refused to leave the garage and was headed their way to peek over the rail.
Bodie blocked her from coming onto the boat, but Vanessa could see Treasure sitting on the seat with her bootlaces half done.
“Wow, looks like the real party is happening out here.”
“And you’re not invited,” he said.
If Vanessa couldn’t hear the anger in his tone then she was deaf. She blinked rapidly at him, hesitated, and backed up. Voices chattered from outside the door. Bodie glanced over at Treasure as she finished tying her laces. Vanessa exited the garage and he spun around and squatted down in front of Treasure.
“From the sound of it, they’re all coming.”
“I hear them.”
He kissed her once before taking her hand and helping her to her feet.
“Let’s go back to the house before there are more questions.” He didn’t care if his family knew about his interest in a r
elationship with Treasure, but he would save her from unnecessary embarrassment if he could.
She nodded and they climbed down.
* * *
“There you are.” Carolyn Everett stood on the path that led to and from the garage. “What were you doing in the garage?” she asked her son.
Treasure wondered how much of the just-had-mind-blowing-orgasm showed. Bodie’s hair appeared slightly disheveled, and heat radiated off him, but he otherwise appeared normal. She caught herself reaching to check on the disarray of her own hair and stopped herself.
“I wanted to show Treasure the boat we’ll be taking out on Granite Lake.”
“Oh, well, Vanessa’s been feeling rather ill lately. A party on the lake would be a bit much,” Carolyn said.
Shane appeared from the side of the garage. “I don’t think you have to worry about Vanessa being there, Mom.”
“Thank you,” Bodie said to his brother, exasperated. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but you need to stop being so rude in front of my friend.”
“Bodie, that is no way to speak to your mother. I’m not doing anything other than making sure Vanessa is cared for in her fragile condition.”
“Carolyn, I don’t believe Bodie wants to talk about this right now with everyone here,” Vanessa said.
Vanessa and Carolyn stood near each other on the path and were effectively blocking the house and driveway. Treasure sucked in a steadying breath and tried for patience as she stood slightly behind Bodie waiting to return to the barbeque.
Shane stood between the two groups like a referee.
Bodie said, “Listen, Vanessa, I’m sorry your boyfriend died. Mom, I’m sorry you think Vanessa’s fragile right now, but I don’t want to be involved in her current situation.”
Vanessa covered her mouth and held back tears. Treasure had her own moment of shock. She knew nothing about Vanessa’s loss.
“Holy shit. Bodie doesn’t know,” Shane said.
Chasing Treasure: Granite Lake Romance Page 12