“It’s indescribable,” Jill replied, resting her hands on his forearms.
He nuzzled her ear with his nose, trailing small kisses along her neck and sending shivers down her spine. Desire flashed through her, and she turned in his arms, linking her arms around his neck and pressing her body against his.
Roger groaned when the softness of her body pressed against the hardness of his own. He was painfully conscious of Alex standing behind them, pointedly ignoring their romantic embrace. Roger brushed his lips against Jill’s, forcing himself to stop there. He didn’t want to give Alex a show. For now, Roger was content to hold Jill in his arms and admire the view.
Doubt
The breathtakingly beautiful ride lasted an hour and fifteen minutes. Alex landed them in a meadow near the road about twelve miles from their original take off. Jill and Roger helped Alex and his small crew pack up the balloon before they all piled into the van. Alex drove them back to the parking lot where they started, then he and his crew drove off, leaving Jill and Roger alone in the twilight.
“I brought dinner,” Roger said, pulling a cooler out of the back seat of his truck.
He walked to the back of his truck and pulled the tailgate down. Jill followed him and watched as he spread a couple blankets out in the bed of the truck. Turning, he offered his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up into the bed of the truck with him.
She settled herself on the soft blankets while Roger pulled food and drinks out of the cooler. He placed a few LED lanterns around them, switching them on as he went. It was still too early in the season for mosquitos, so they only had to worry about the occasional moth. Jill was glad she had brought a heavy jacket as she shivered slightly in the cool night air. Roger draped another blanket over her shoulders without saying a word. It was clear he had thought of everything.
They talked while eating under the twinkling stars. Jill kept sneaking glances at Roger. He had planned this incredibly romantic date, but he hadn’t pushed her to do anything in return. This impressed her. He was clearly a gentleman who wanted her to feel safe and comfortable with him.
They were finishing up their dinner when thunder rumbled in the distance. While they had been eating and talking, a spring storm had blown in. Clouds covered the stars that had shone down on them only minutes ago, and lightning flashed behind the clouds.
Swearing softly, Roger gathered up their empty plates and started packing things away. Jill rushed to help him, folding the blankets while Roger jumped down from the tailgate and hauled the cooler into the cab of the truck. Jill followed him, placing the blankets on top of the cooler. She hopped into the passenger seat just as the rain came pouring down. Roger, who had held her door open for her, rushed around the front of the truck and jumped into his own seat, shaking the water out of his eyes. Jill laughed as droplets splashed her face.
Roger grinned at her and turned on the truck, cool air blasting out of the vents for a few long moments before turning warm. Jill stuck her cold fingers in front of a vent, letting the warm air defrost them. Roger squinted out the windshield at the deluge outside.
“It’s probably better if we wait to head out,” he muttered. “It will be difficult to see in this mess.”
Jill nodded, shivering slightly. Roger snagged her around the waist and brought her closer to him. The seat in his truck was a bench seat with no gap in the middle, which meant they could get closer to each other than in a regular car. Roger held her body against his, and her cold muscles relaxed with the shared body heat. She looked up to thank him, but the words died on her lips.
Roger gazed at her with eyes that had gone sapphire with desire. Before she could think, his lips were on hers. She opened her mouth, granting him access, and his tongue delved into her mouth, exploring her. Jill sucked gently on his bottom lip, making him groan into her mouth. His hand slipped under her shirt and up her rib cage to cup her breast. He stroked the skin that peeked over the cup of her bra before slipping two fingers under the stiff fabric to roll her nipple between those two fingers. Jill broke their kiss with a soft moan, throwing her head back. Roger trailed kisses down her neck and collarbone and then back up to her jaw before claiming her lips in another deep kiss.
Jill’s mind screamed half with desire and half with restraint. She knew she needed to slow things down now, but her body begged her to let go. Gasping, she pulled away from Roger’s kiss, pressing one hand flat against his chest and meeting his fevered gaze.
“It’s too fast,” she rasped.
Roger nodded. “I know,” he replied hoarsely. “I’m sorry.”
Part of her was grateful he respected her wishes, but another part of her groaned in disappointment when he didn’t press the issue. What was wrong with her?
They spent the next hour snuggling, chatting and exchanging small kisses until the rain stopped and Roger could safely drive her home. Jill fell asleep on the two-hour ride, but jerked awake as he pulled up to the inn. Quite a few cars littered the front parking lot, and light streamed out the open front door.
“I guess the speakeasy is busy tonight,” Jill observed.
“Looks like it,” Roger said, squeezing her hand.
He walked her to the back door, stopping her before she could open it. Placing his hand on her cheek, he let his thumb trace her jawline.
“I hope I didn’t offend you tonight, Jill,” he whispered.
She frowned. “No, it’s okay, Roger. We got carried away. It happens. I like you and I want to, you know, express those feelings, but I think we should try to take it a little slower.”
He smiled and nodded. Leaning down, he brushed his lips against hers, deepening the kiss after a moment but keeping things tame compared to earlier. She watched him walk back to his truck before slipping inside.
“You’re home early,” Rose remarked from her usual spot at the table. Jill didn’t jump this time. She had gotten used to Rose waiting up for her, so to speak.
“Not really,” Jill shrugged. “He took me on a hot-air balloon ride.”
Rose raised an eyebrow.
“It was terribly romantic,” Jill continued. “Then he had dinner packed for us, which I guess you must already know about since you aren’t trying to force feed me.”
Rose snorted. “I wouldn’t have to force feed you if you took care of yourself. So… do you like him?”
“I do,” Jill said.
“But?”
“But nothing,” Jill snapped.
Rose crossed her arms, staring at Jill, who slumped into the seat next to her.
“Okay, fine,” Jill confessed. “I don’t know how to explain it. He’s just… very restrained. Part of me likes that he’s such a perfect gentleman, but the other part of me, I don’t know.”
“Wants him to rip your clothes off and have his wicked way with you?” Rose finished.
Jill’s face went red, and she threw Rose a dirty look. “Well, when you put it that way…”
Rose sighed. “It’s okay to want a man to seduce you, Jill. You’re a healthy young woman. You have urges. Embrace them.”
The older woman stood, squeezing Jill’s shoulder before slipping off downstairs to help with the bar. Jill sat, lost in thought, for a few more minutes before heading upstairs.
It took a while for sleep to claim her that night. She couldn’t shake the feeling she was falling in love with Roger Mayer, but she knew deep down that something was missing. She just couldn’t pinpoint what that something was.
Two and a half weeks passed, and Jill became very busy with work and Roger, both of which she found herself falling in love with more and more. Work fulfilled her craving for adventure and fun while Roger left her feeling giddy and mostly satisfied with her love life.
The group of executives came and went in a whirl of success. Each one had enjoyed their custom itinerary immensely, and before leaving, the CEO had booked a trip for the fall, assuring both Rose and Jill that he would recommend them to every one of his business associates.
>
Rose and Jill were flying high on the praise when Rose suggested they go into town for dinner. They had a quick bite to eat at the diner before taking a stroll through the town, eventually wandering along a path that edged between the town’s boundary line and the trees beyond. Arm in arm, they walked and talked, the close bond that had formed between them apparent even to a casual observer.
“Have you gotten any further in that diary?” Rose asked.
Jill sighed. “No, I haven’t had a lot of time for reading.”
“Well, there’s a lull in guests over the next week. Maybe you’ll have time then.”
Jill was about to answer when an unpleasant and faintly familiar smell wafted over them. Both women looked at each other in shock before running toward the smell of burning brush, skidding to a halt in front of a roaring wall of fire.
Rose swore, whipping her phone out of her pocket. “Damn teenagers,” she muttered, glancing around at the charred remains of an impromptu bonfire.
Jill nodded. Teen parties and bonfires were dangerous because the teens themselves were often too drunk or apathetic to put the fires out responsibly. The fire was rapidly spreading away from Rose and Jill through the trees.
Rose spoke quickly on the phone while Jill cast around for something to help put the fire out. There was nothing that would help, however. Just more brush.
Moments later, sirens announced the fire truck’s arrival as it skidded to a halt on the road a hundred yards behind Rose and Jill. Several firefighters came barreling toward the fire, pulling hoses and directing them toward the flames. Rose pulled Jill with her as she took a few steps back and out of the way.
Jill squinted and saw Roger at the head of one group with Luke beside him. Both men barked orders in every direction, overseeing the others in snuffing out the flames. Jill’s stomach clenched in fear as Roger got dangerously close to the flames. Rose grabbed Jill’s arm, jerking her back. Jill hadn’t realized she had stepped toward him.
“He knows what he’s doing,” Rose hissed in her ear as more onlookers joined them.
Jill nodded, her eyes on Roger. As she watched, a huge flare burst out of the wall of flames. It would have engulfed Roger if Luke hadn’t pulled him back in time. Roger collapsed, coughing, while Luke jerked a hose away from one of the other firefighters and directed it at the flames, dousing the column.
Roger staggered to his feet as another fire truck came racing down the road. He ran to the side of the new truck and grabbed another hose and pulled it toward the now considerably smaller flames. Shifting to one knee, Roger directed the stream of water toward the fire.
With the extra truck, it took only a few more minutes before the firefighters doused the flames and secured the area. The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Jill had heard about wildfires before, but had never seen one. She could easily see how terrifying it would be to a town as rich in history, agriculture, and livestock as this one. An uncontrolled wildfire had the potential to destroy many livelihoods. A scattering of applause broke out for the firefighters, and they acknowledged the gratitude with gentle modesty.
“Free drinks for all firefighters at my bar tonight,” Rose called out to them, causing another cheer to go up.
At Rose’s shout, Roger’s head shot up and his eyes met Jill’s. He murmured something to Luke. Luke glanced Jill’s way and heat flared in her stomach. Luke’s eyes were bright and wild with adrenaline and a primal need that sent tremors through Jill’s body, stopping at her center in a tingling mass of pressure. Jill cleared her throat and tore her eyes away from Luke’s heated gaze to look at Roger, who hurried over, pulling her away from the dispersing crowd.
“Are you okay?” Jill asked, her eyes raking him up and down with concern.
“I’m fine,” he answered, smiling at her. He pulled her in for a hug. He smelled of soot and burning leaves but seemed unhurt. Now that the panic and adrenaline of the past half hour was leaving her body, Jill started to shake.
“Are you?” he asked, noticing her shaking.
“Just a little scared,” she replied. “I saw what happened with the flare.”
Roger nodded. “I’m fine,” he repeated. “It wasn’t that big of a fire, and Luke always has my back.”
Jill nodded, eyeing Luke again, but his attention was elsewhere.
“We’re all going to Rose’s bar,” Roger said, stroking his soot-covered fingers down Jill’s arm. “We can’t pass up free drinks, can we?”
Jill smiled. “I’ll meet you there.”
He hugged her again, then released her and walked back toward Luke, who said something that made Roger shove him lightly. Luke threw his head back and laughed, returning Roger’s shove.
“Let’s go,” Rose said, making Jill jump.
“I hate when you do that,” Jill snapped at her.
“Do what?”
“Sneak up on me.”
Rose smiled. “If you were aware of more than just that boy, you would have noticed me before I spoke. It isn’t my fault you’re oblivious to everything but him.”
Jill rolled her eyes, looking back at Roger. But it was Luke who caught her eye. She shook herself. It’s just because he’s so mysterious, she thought firmly. Once you get to know him, the mystery will wear off and he won’t be so interesting.
Game of Love
Once they arrived home, Jill followed Rose to the front of the house. Even though she had lived in the inn for the last three weeks, Jill hadn’t had time to explore the popular bar in the cellar. Her job and her budding relationship with Roger had kept her too busy to check out the interesting set-up. And boy, was it interesting.
Rose led her into a small front room lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A few couches and chairs scattered the room, and there were a half dozen landscape paintings hanging on the walls.
“I painted them myself,” Rose said as Jill studied a particularly large painting in between two bookcases.
Surprised, Jill took another, closer look at the painting. It was an oil on canvas painting of a mountain scene. Rose had captured the freedom and beauty of the terrain that called to Jill every time she took in a scene like this one in real life. “It’s beautiful.”
“Come on,” Rose replied, brushing off the compliment. “You can help me open the bar. I have no idea where the hell Danny went.”
Rose slipped her hand behind the bookcase to their right and Jill heard a click. Throwing her weight against the bookcase, Rose maneuvered it out and to the left, revealing a narrow staircase surrounded by stone. Jill squinted into the darkness, unable to make out more than a few feet in front of her.
Rose reached up and pulled a string, illuminating the staircase in pale yellow light. Jill followed her down the rickety staircase into a small, square cellar. Barrels lined the left wall while shelves lined the right. On the shelves were jars of various preserved and pickled fruits and vegetables. Jill followed Rose to the opposite wall, empty of decoration.
Reaching her hand out, Rose pushed on a spot in the stone that caused an opening roughly the size of a door to appear. Rose flipped a switch just inside the opening, illuminating a large bar and a massive room filled with tables and chairs.
The bar itself was carved from stone with a mirror running the entire length behind it. Liquor lined glass shelves in front of the mirror and bar stools sat in front of the bar. There was even a small platform and a piano next to the bar that must have served as a stage for live music performances.
Rose walked around the room, flicking on lights. She disappeared behind one of two doors with a jukebox between them. Squinting, Jill realized they were bathrooms.
Rose had an entire pub under her inn. Although Jill had already known this, she couldn’t mask her awe. “I didn’t realize it was so big,” she breathed, moving further into the room as Rose reappeared.
The older woman gave her an amused look, taking off her jacket and hanging it behind the bar on a hook. She motioned for Jill to do th
e same. After hanging her jacket, Jill took a seat on a barstool while Rose fiddled with a few of the nozzles behind the bar. She then handed Jill a glass of dark liquid. Jill rose an eyebrow in question.
“My own brew,” Rose explained.
Jill took a sip. She wasn’t a fan of beer, but this wasn’t like any she had ever tasted. It had a licorice aftertaste with something spicy underneath. Frowning, Jill tried to place the familiar taste. “It tastes a little like root beer!”
“Yep,” Rose replied. “I call it beer root so people don’t get it confused with actual root beer. Do you like it?”
“I do, actually,” Jill answered. “I can hardly taste the beer part.”
Rose chuckled as a group of customers walked in from upstairs, followed by Danny.
“Do you want me to bartend or bounce tonight?” he asked.
Rose considered him for a moment. “Bounce, if you don’t mind,” she answered. “I’d like to stay behind the bar for a while. Has Chelsea arrived?”
Danny nodded. “She’s on her way down,” he said before hanging his jacket and walking back up the stairs. A moment later, a young woman came bouncing down the stairs.
“Rose,” she said breathlessly. “Did you hear about the fire?”
“Yes,” Rose replied, giving the girl an indulgent smile. “We were there,” She gestured to Jill. “This is my wilderness expert, Jill. Jill, this is my part-time bartender, Chelsea. Chelsea helps out on the weekends.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jill said, shaking the young woman’s hand.
“Jill?” Chelsea asked, squinting at Jill. “Oh, yes, you’re the girl who caught Roger’s eye, aren’t you?”
Jill blushed and cleared her throat. “Yeah, I guess that’s me.”
“Chelsea, can you go get that table’s drink order?” Rose asked pointedly.
“Sure,” Chelsea chirped, hanging up her jacket and grabbing a small notepad from behind the bar. She bounced off to take the drink orders.
Destiny: AN MFM Romance Page 7