“I like to sleep with it cool in the room. Cold actually.”
My Oregon Duck sweatshirt hadn’t come off the rest of the day, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was going to sleep in it.
“I think we can manage that,” she said, her bright smile letting me know that I’d probably give in and do whatever she needed, including burn in hell. “I’m gonna change into my comfies.”
“Comfies?” I questioned.
“A really sexy outfit. I hope you don’t mind.”
She disappeared into the bathroom; my lower half came to almost complete attention. Almost. Getting comfy myself on the sofa, I flipped on the TV, hoping to get interested in something before she came out of the bathroom. The creepy voiced Dateline guy was talking when she opened the bathroom door and struck a hand on hip pose.
“See. Sexy!”
I chuckled, giving her a quick once over and then shifted my attention back to the murdered twenty-six-year-old girl left in the woods. Even though my eyes were seeing the poor girl’s body on the TV, my body responded to Phoebe’s perfectly shaped legs extending from the short shorts and the curve of her breasts under the loose T-shirt. Hopping onto the bed like a five-year-old, she buried herself beneath the covers. The loose red curls spilled out across the white pillow. I’d never seen anything so sexy in my life. She had been joking about being sexy, but the girl was clueless as to what sexy was because she fit the bill. Perfectly.
Sleep had evaded Phoebe last night, so I turned off the TV to allow her to try and get some rest. I laid my khaki shorts on the bed next to me and tossed my shirt in the direction of my suitcase. Following my night awake with her and the long drive, there was no doubt my body was tired too. I just had to coerce my mind into believing that. The five feet between our beds seemed like the Royal fucking Gorge.
My phone went off. Once I had it in my hands, I silenced it and then I saw Freebie on the screen. I grinned from ear to ear, which I imagined she could see from the light of the screen.
Thank you for letting me sleep in here with you. I feel safe.
I wish I would have known it last night—I hated that you felt the way you did.
My phone vibrated. It’s ok. You know now.
I sent back, We learn as we go. I heard her phone vibrate, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was going to text back. She did.
Sweet dreams, Austin.
Sweet dreams to you.
I didn’t think I snored, but I turned onto my side to make every effort not to.
Until I woke up, I never realized I’d fallen asleep. The drone of the fan on the air conditioner muted the silence. The other bed and its contents remained still. I wasn’t sure what woke me, but her soft whimper made me think it was that. Sitting upright, I shivered. This damn room felt like a deep freeze. The thermostat read 64, and I clicked it up to 68. The compressor kicked off immediately, but the fan continued to blow a soft hum.
The space between the beds seemed smaller as I stood for a short moment looking down at her. Her parted lips made me think of the tongue comment in the car. I swallowed with thoughts of her tongue. Phoebe’s body shifted as I quickly jumped backed onto my bed. The room was no warmer, so I pulled the covers up, watching her to see if she’d wakened. Situating myself in the bed, I lay quietly, listening to her soft whimpers, her legs beneath the blanket often jerking. Her beautiful mind and body seemed stressed enough during the daytime hours. To be this stressed during sleep too, I didn’t like it. My goal was to alleviate her stress in any way possible. The phone helped. She talked to and saw their little faces every day. That made her feel closer even though the miles between them grew exponentially every day.
“Nick,” she whispered.
My teeth snapped together right before my hands clamped into a fist. Sleep evaded me for the rest of the night as I lay there listening to her…waiting for another word from her subconscious. Nothing. Fuck Nick.
_______________
Fighting the annoyance at hearing Nick’s name come from her lips last night, my grip on the steering wheel was basically white knuckled. She, of course, was her normal, bubbly, wide-eyed-self, watching the scenery and memorizing it like she’d never see it again. If she only knew what I could give her.
“What’s on your mind Mr. Grumpy Gils?” She glanced over my way and then back toward the Idahoan landscape.
“Don’t mean to be grumpy. My back and that bed didn’t get along last night.” I stretched in the car seat, trying to make my lie believable.
“Oh my goodness. I slept so good last night. Thank you again for allowing me to stay in your room. It seems so childish, I know.”
“Seriously, Phoebe. I don’t want to hear another thing about it. We’ve settled it, we will share a room from here forward.” My terse words surprised me and by her reaction, hurt her.
The moment her eyes rounded; I regretted the comment. Her eyes fluttered as she looked away. An apology sat on the tip of my tongue but never found its way out. Maybe Nick would console her.
The scenic ride was beautiful but quiet, and that was alright with me. After a couple of hours, I pulled off the highway so I could take a leak. She shot out of the car almost before it came to a stop and bee-lined it for the convenience store. She seemed furious. For the first time today, I giggled. Alone in the car, I giggled. Like a god damned 12-year-old girl.
She didn’t ask to take a picture next to the Welcome to Oregon sign—a clear indication that she was getting more pissed by the minute. By the time we reached Hood River, one of my favorite places, Phoebe hadn’t said two words, but her eyes never left the window. I’d be surprised if her neck didn’t ache from staring away from me for so long. As I parked, I grinned at her stubbornness. Maybe I owed her an apology, maybe I didn’t. Regardless, her stubbornness was endearing.
The cliffs overlooking the Columbia River were breathtaking as usual. Our three-bedroom penthouse villa was clean and ready for our arrival. I set both of our suitcases in the master bedroom. When I went back into the living area, Phoebe stood on the balcony overlooking the river.
“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Very.” She left me standing there alone. Fuck. I didn’t know whether to think this was a cute first fight or if she was genuinely angry at me. We were meeting people tomorrow, I needed to address this tension so this whole charade could continue as planned. I walked through the living area, down the hall and noticed she had moved her suitcase into one of the spare bedrooms. Wow, I had a lot of shit to eat to make this right.
“Phoebe?”
“Yes?” she poked her head out of one of the bathrooms.
“Come with me. I have some things to show you.”
Her obligatory nod caused me to cringe. I should have been happy that she’d follow me just about anywhere, but I knew she felt it as an obligation. Meeting back up in the car, I drove first to Bonneville Dam. Something I thought she would find fascinating. She followed me over to the actual dam, which was releasing water. A lot of water. A steamy mist hovered over the spillway pounding water as it rushed through the dam.
“There’s so much water,” she commented while her eyes took in the massive dam. She turned her back, holding her phone up to capture herself with the dam behind her.
“Want me to take it?”
“No. It’s ok.”
Most of the pics taken had been of both of us. She knew that. The cool wind tossed her hair a thousand different ways throwing the smell in my face. A hungry roar vibrated in my chest as her intoxicating smell drove me mad. My hands flinched to rake through the red curls. I knew the perfect thing to straighten out her ass.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Come on. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
She bared her teeth with the most beautiful smile and relief soaked into me—her stubbornness was hopefully fading. Nothing prepared me for her excitement over the Columbia Gorge waterfalls. Starting with Bridal Veil falls, her opened mouth stare continu
ed from the bottom of the falls to the top and back down. She stepped as close as she could without stepping into the water and then closed her eyes, allowing the mist to settle over her face.
“Let’s move on to the next place before we run out of daylight.”
“There’s more?”
I nodded, holding out my hand. I shouldn’t have done it, but I did. Surprising me, she took it. Our hands collided in the best way, a loose embrace. Neither of us sure, but neither let go.
Wahkeena Falls, next in the lineup, was my least favorite falls but still beautiful. When we got back into the car, obviously our hands parted, but I didn’t want to lose the momentum, so I grabbed hers again, albeit playfully, once we got out.
“I don’t want you to fall in,” I joked.
“Truly, it’s best that we start faking it now. That way we are more believable to your friends.”
Her words didn’t settle well with me. They annoyed me, in fact. I wasn’t that out of the loop with reading girls. Hell, in college, I was the most sought-after guy at the frat. Yet, there I stood unable to figure out this fake relationship.
“Wait until you see the next one,” I said less enthusiastically.
“How many are there?”
“Two more.”
The next one—the most magnificent of them all—Multnomah Falls. Parking was a nightmare, but we found a spot and started the jaunt up the hill. About halfway up, her hand found mine until she gasped when she spotted the falls. Her hands clasped over her mouth.
“Oh my goodness, Austin. This world is so beautiful, and I wouldn’t have seen any of it if you hadn’t given me this.” Tears filled her eyes as we walked closer, maneuvering around the crowd. “I want to go up there,” she said, pointing to the bridge over the falls.
“It’s a small hike but let’s do it.” I navigated her to the trailhead and within a few minutes we were at the bridge over the falls and walking out. Once again, with her phone in hand, she backed up, this time next to me, to take the picture of us with the falls behind her.
“Want me to take a picture?” a lady with a stroller asked.
Phoebe looked at me. I shrugged but nodded.
“Ok. Thank you. Be careful, that’s a new phone.”
“I will.” The lady smiled.
Once again, Phoebe backed up next to my body, so I threw my arm over her shoulders and smiled. The lady took some pics with the phone horizontal and some with the phone vertical and then handed it back.
“You’re a beautiful couple.”
We awkwardly smiled, took the phone back and thanked her. Phoebe swiped through the pictures, standing against the rock railing of the bridge. Our proximity was close enough I could see the pictures too. The lady was right, we looked good together. Phoebe turned into me, not realizing I was inches from her. The long lashes fluttered, exposing a vulnerability in those emerald eyes.
“We do fake well,” she whispered, but the words felt like a jab. I wasn’t sure I was faking anymore, but it was obvious she was…or maybe she wasn’t. Hell, I didn’t know which way was up though one part of me did.
Everything around us, the hundreds of people, the roar of the crashing water, the cool breeze, it all disappeared. Lost in the moment. Lost in her eyes. Lost in the unmistakable feeling happening between us. There was nothing fake about it.
“I…” she started, and I didn’t give her the chance. Her mouth could lie, but her eyes couldn’t. I lowered my mouth to hers and thankfully, hers lips softly puckered in response. Three slow, gentle pecks. Two mouths saying hello in the most intimate of ways. When I started to pull back, her top teeth bit down on my bottom lip driving me mad.
“I work for you,” she said softly, doing that damn nose scrunch thing. “We can’t deal with blurred lines.”
Frustrated, I nodded. Except I didn’t agree with the nod. I blew out a long breath and began walking down the paved trail. Never in my life had I been rejected quite like this girl handed it to me. My steps became heavier, my arms swung, my jaw tight with frustration. I was waiting in the running car by the time she got there.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said.
“It’s all good, Phoebe.” Jesus. I needed to get a grip. Finish the trip and…Let. Her. Go.
Back at the villa, I grabbed a beer from the fridge and retreated to the balcony. I’d missed the Oregon air. The smell of the Green Douglas Firs. I was home.
“Austin?”
Lifting my brows, I waited for what she had to say.
“You’ve done so much for me. I know that I owe you and…”
The chair flew back hitting the wall when I shot up. “Don’t, Phoebe. I paid you to come here with me, nothing more. Don’t do a goddamn thing because you think you owe me. I kissed you because I felt like kissing you. You should have just said no. I’d have respected that. But don’t kiss me because you feel some fucked up obligation.”
I stepped past her, rage boiling beneath the surface, and I stormed back inside.
“I didn’t kiss you because I felt obligated,” she whispered. “I’ve imagined that kiss a thousand times in my head since I met you.”
I stopped in my tracks and slowly pivoted around.
Chapter 6
Austin
Sealed the Deal
“THOSE KISSES TRUMPED every fantasy kiss I’ve had but…”
“No buts,” I stated, setting my beer on the table. I swallowed as I strode purposefully toward her without reservation. The deal sealed when she started walking too. All anger. All stubbornness. All frustration. Dissolved. Our bodies crashed together before our mouths melded together in a deeper kiss than before. The near frantic kiss seemed to steal oxygen from both of us as we broke for a moment, resting our foreheads together.
“Please, don’t stop,” she begged, which was music to my ears.
Fulfilling a fantasy of my own, both of my hands sifted through that luscious red hair, holding her in place. I knew her well enough to know that her fight or flight seemed to always end in flight. There was no way I was letting her go anywhere. Not this time.
Her kiss was everything I’d hoped it to be. What started out as tentative turned into confident. Warm. Sweet. Soft. Relentless. This beautiful girl in my arms seemed starved, and I was going to feed her until she wasn’t hungry anymore. As natural as could be, I lifted her, and her legs wound around my waist; our kiss never faltered. Phoebe’s fingers clawed at my scalp, holding my head in place like I had held hers earlier. I sat on the sofa, bringing her body to rest on top of me. Our kiss broke, and her eyes flitted over my entire face unsure where to land.
“Tell me this has nothing to do with the money I paid you. Tell me this has nothing to do with the trip,” I clarified.
“I’m kissing you because I’ve wanted to fuck you since you took me home that first night. Even if I thought you were a serial killer.”
“Christ, Phoebe. Why didn’t you tell me?”
There was no time to wait for an answer. It didn’t matter. My khaki shorts were busting at the seams because of the building pressure. I leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose and then violated her mouth with the longest, deepest kisses. Moans of pleasure echoed up her throat, driving me fucking crazy. My mind catapulted between continuing the make out session or taking her to the bedroom and ravishing her. My hands roamed her body, wanting to touch absolutely every place at once, greedy for an education on what she liked and didn’t like. I wanted to learn everything I could about Phoebe Miller.
PHOEBE
A fiery heat rushed through my body, and I was unsure if it was aftereffects of my rude comment or what his kisses did to me. My body was woke. God, did I want it to stay woke. Austin’s hands were like no hands I’d ever felt before. Man hands. Austin was all man. And I wanted him to manhandle me. His kiss—polished, perfect, fatal. I wanted to die in his arms.
I’d never met someone so delicious. Everything about this man, whose lips barely touched mine, was worldly and sophisticated a
nd everything I’d ever dreamed about. But I worried if my kisses would even be good enough for this man. There was nothing about my world…our worlds that were cohesive. Yet, there I was, straddling his hot, and noticeably hard body, trying to speak the international language. His teeth nibbled my bottom lip, all the while, his chocolate eyes penetrated mine. Austin hadn’t responded to my lude comment. I shouldn’t have said fuck. He was classier than that. But seriously, make love sounded even dumber.
Gasping for breath, I lowered my chin and rested my forehead on his chin.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. He immediately lifted my chin.
“Sorry?”
I tried to glance away, but he kept hold of my chin. “For saying I wanted to fuck you. That was…”
“Hot as fuck.” He smirked.
A soft giggle hid my embarrassment. “You didn’t really respond.”
“Besides annihilating your lips, you mean?” he teased. “I guess I was thinking about the two nights we’ve wasted. I’d have taken you sooner, Phoebe. You made some comments of your own about being paid for sex. I didn’t want there to be confusion about what this was.”
That comment was meant to clarify but it only confused me more. I loved his ability to communicate. I loved the way he spoke to me and the way he worded things.
“You said you would have taken me sooner?” I asked, and saying the words out loud shot a wave of prickles down my entire body.
“Yes. If I’d have known.”
“Then why aren’t you taking me now?”
Austin’s Adam’s apple jutted out and slowly back in. One of his hands rested on my hip, the other hand began unfastening my blouse slowly, too slowly. I was ready to rip it off myself.
As he moved from one button to the next, he said, “In some states, when you go to purchase a gun, there is a cool down period where they don’t let you buy the gun for 72 hours. They want to make sure that you don’t do something stupid when you’re full of emotion. You cool down and hopefully make a better decision later. Do you think you need a cooling down period?” His lips twitched upward as he reached the bottom of my blouse and guided it off each of my shoulders. The palm of his hand rubbed heavily over my abdomen just above the buttons to my jean capris.
Finally...My Forever (Just One of the Guys Book 4) Page 7