Hometown Glory: Fox Creek Series #1 - A Sensual Romance Novella

by Danica Chandler

  The only clean clothes he had available were a pair of black sweats and a t-shirt. His hoodie was dry enough on the bathtub. Gathering up his clothes, he searched for a place to do his laundry. There was a laundry mat just down the road, so he walked the few blocks up to take care of that chore.

  He studied the machines for a moment, trying to remember how to use them. It wasn’t rocket science, and he threw his shirts, jeans, and underwear all in one together and put the water on warm. There was a woman with three kids in the corner, each one throwing a fit as she folded their clothes. An old man was on the other side, reading a magazine.

  Rather than sit and listen to the kids fight and cry, he stepped out in the sidewalk to a nearby bench and enjoyed the chilly morning air.

  Traffic was light and there weren’t many people out. He noticed the bar was right across the street. He could use a good breakfast, but the thought of job hunting shot butterflies through his stomach, killing any appetite he had.

  Footsteps pulled him from his daydream and he saw a woman walking down the road, only she was on the side where the bar was. Her pace was quick and her sunglasses guarded her face. Jace watched from a distance, and if he wasn’t mistaken, recognized her from the bar the night before. Her shoulder length, dirty blonde hair was pulled back and she looked frustrated.

  Studying from afar, he put two and two together. It was her pickup parked on the side. Had she got too drunk to drive home? She was smart to leave it there if so. She opened the door and got in, but the engine turned over a few times and died. Getting out, she slammed her hands on the hood and let out a yell. It was like a comic routine playing out in front of Jace, but he sympathized with the woman.

  Rather than watch her suffer, Jace crossed the street, hoping his past mechanical knowledge would help out. Either that or it was certain he’d terrify her.

  “Car trouble?” he asked, not completely looking up at her right away.

  “No, I just thought I’d stand out here in the cold and scream at my truck at nine in the morning.” She hesitated and gave him a hard look. “Do I know you?”

  When she removed her sunglasses, Jace recognized who she was. It was like he swallowed a lead balloon at the sight of her. Was he dreaming? Was it really her? It really shouldn’t have been that unbelievable, seeing as it was Fox Creek where everyone knew everyone.

  “Annie?” He asked, even though he knew the answer.

  She nodded. “Jace Cooper. When did you get back?”

  Squinting from the sun, he grabbed her keys from her in hopes to skirt the subject. He cranked the engine a few times and popped the hood.

  “You’re looking real good, Annie. Wish I could say the same for your truck. Is this the same one you’ve had?” He looked over the engine.

  “Same ol’ you, Jace.The master of changing the subject. And yes, this is the truck I’ve always had. You know, the truck where you took my virginity in the backseat. The truck we’d take out on a back country road and lay in the bed, watching the stars until the sun came up.”

  Jace smiled at the memories. “Good times.” He reconnected a wire on her battery and the truck fired right up. “And same ol’ you, Annie.Hotter than a firecracker with a fast mouth. You were one of those chicks I saw last night, weren’t you?”

  “I knew I recognized you. I wasn’t sure. So again I ask, when did you get back?” She looked at him straight in the face and it was the first good look he got of her. Her blue eyes were bright against her tan skin. Her figure was curvier than he remembered. She had toned up and was a real woman.

  “Yesterday evening.”

  “I didn’t think you’d come back to Fox Creek.”

  “No?” Jace arched his eyebrow, not sure why she’d make an assumption like that, but didn’t want to press the matter. “Well, here I am.”

  Annie closed the hood of her truck. “Here you are. And what are your plans?”

  Jace looked over at the laundry mat and back to her. “My next course of action is getting the few clothes I have washed and then I gotta find my ass a job.”

  She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Shouldn’t be too hard. You’re a jack of all trades. You got a place to stay?”

  “I’m up at the Black Spur right now. Hoping that’s very temporary, but it’s not looking like I’m leaving tonight.”

  Annie walked to the driver’s side of the truck and climbed in, shutting the door but she kept the window rolled down. Sticking her head through, she flashed him a heart melting smile that made him wonder why he ever called it off with her. She was gorgeous, and it wasn’t just him being without a woman for so long bringing up the emotions.

  “Maybe I’ll see you out. We need to catch up. A lot of crap has happened around town and you’ll need to know about some of it. As for the job, I’ll get word out.” She put the truck in reverse. “It’s really good to see you. Don’t be a stranger.”

  “It’s good to see you too, Annie.” He watched her drive off. If anyone had connections for jobs, it was her. Her father owned one of the bigger ranches out in the county. He disliked Jace, but when it came to work, he could out cowboy many of the other ranch hands that Dale Martin had hired.

  Sighing, he turned back toward the laundry mat, finishing up the miniscule chore before he pounded the pavement, looking for anything that would give him a steady paycheck.

  ***

  Annie had fought off her friends for another night out. Her mind was on Jace and The Black Spur. She didn’t want to seem like a weirdo showing up there, but something was pulling her back to him. Would he think she was crazy if she knocked on his door this late? Would he get the wrong idea?

  The parking lot of the Black Spur was lit up and there were a few people hanging out nearby. The office was open, and it dawned on her that she didn’t have a clue on what room he was in. Hopefully she could get that information released. They weren’t exactly a place that ran by rules.

  The bells above the door jingled when she walked through and a young girl was at the counter. She looked bored out of her mind. That was good for Annie. Maybe she wouldn’t have any problem revealing where Jace was.

  “Can I help you?”

  “I am wondering if you could tell me what room Jace Cooper is in.” The girl smirked, making it obvious that Annie would have to give more information to convince her. She wasn’t as dumb as she appeared. “I’m his wife. I am meeting here. He came up a day before me and forgot to tell me what room he’s in. He’s not answering his phone so…”

  The girl stopped her. “He’s in seven. Need a key?”

  It was tempting, but Annie turned it down and walked toward room seven. If she didn’t do it now, she’d talk herself out of it. Light illuminated through the closed curtain. He was watching TV. Swallowing the bile in the back of her throat, she balled up her fist and knocked. The first was light and she wasn’t sure if he heard it, so she knocked harder, only for him to answer quickly, his dark hair messy and sticking out in every direction, in the same sweats and t-shirt he had on earlier.

  “Hey Jace. Did I wake you?” She felt stupid. What was she doing here, acting like a teenager chasing after her love? They were grown now, in their thirties, he a convicted felon, and she was acting like a hopeless schoolgirl.

  His green eyes squinted open. “No. Everything okay?” His voice cracked.

  She tucked her hair behind her ear, still feeling like a moron. Why wasn’t he more excited? “Everything’s fine. I’m sorry if I’m bothering you. I was out with the girls again tonight and…” she had no good excuse to hand him. Her stuttering was giving her away. “You wanna go for a drive like old times? Catch up like I suggested?”

  Jace looked back inside the motel room, flicking the light on. “Let me get dressed. Make yourself at… home.” Smiling, he went into the bathroom and shut the door.

  Annie couldn’t believe the desire she was feeling for him. It was four years that he had been gone, but even longer that they had shared any kind of passion. He had
run wild with his group of friends and claimed he didn’t want a relationship. Why was she sitting in his motel room now, wanting to catch up with a man who had once broken her heart? There was no backing out now.

  He emerged from the bathroom in dark blue Wranglers and a plaid pearl snap shirt. He slipped on his boots and cowboy hat, lending an even more attractive look, as if that were possible. His once boyish looks were now chiseled and rugged. His five o’clock shadow was the finishing touch that did her in. He looked amazing, like he was straight out of a western movie. She found herself staring and hoped he hadn’t caught on.

  “Where do you wanna go?” He asked, adjusting his hat.

  “I got my truck. Thought we’d go out to the pond on daddy’s land. Just hang out.”

  Jace nodded. “Sounds like a good time to me.”

  Jace studied Annie from the passenger seat as she drove on the two lane country roads that led them to the pasture land of her dad’s ranch. She seemed a little on edge and he was glad they had stopped off at the beer store for a twelve pack and a cooler. It was also a side of Annie he had never seen before. She was always outspoken and quick witted, but when it came to making moves and doing things, she was shy and reserved. Her suggesting a drive like this was out of left field, but like him, time must have changed her.

  She pulled the truck along the shoreline of the pond and they both got out. The land hadn’t changed much. It was as beautiful as he remembered, and it was things like this that reminded Jace of why he came back to the Fox Creek area. Bluebonnets lined the ground and he bent over and picked one, handing it to her.

  “Is that corny?” He asked, letting out a laugh.

  “Of course not.” Annie pinned it behind her ear and let the tailgate down. She pulled a beer out of the cooler and handed him one. “I wasn’t sure you still would drink after… you know, everything.”

  Jace unscrewed the lid and flicked it. “Just try not to do it as much. And look at you. The girl who swore she’d never drink.”

  She nudged his arm. “Like you said, things change.”

  They both fell silent for a few, listening to the crickets chirp and the breeze blow through the trees. Jace hugged his jacket around him. “You cold?”

  Annie looked at him, her eyes bright in the dark of the night. “A little. It is chilly for October.”

  Jace scooted closer to her, wrapping his arms around her. He felt her body shiver and wasn’t sure if it was from his touch or from the wind.

  “I sure have missed coming out here and doing this,” she said. “I thought you’d never come home.”

  Jace finished off the beer, debating on if he wanted another. “You said that earlier too. What made you think that?”

  She leaned in to him and rested her head on his shoulder. “I don’t know. Just that when we were together, you hated this town. Then when all of the stuff went down, you said something about how people were gonna hate you here now. That you’d never be able to show your face around town again.”

  Jace grabbed another beer. “Yeah, I remember. I guess something pulled me back.”

  “I know this is a touchy subject, and just tell me to shut the hell up if I’m getting too personal, but what exactly happened that night? No one has ever given the real story.”

  Jace looked up at the stars, unsure of if he wanted to go into it. It might do him some good to talk about it. “I don’t even have all of the details, Annie. I don’t even remember what happened. We had all been drinking that night.”

  “Yeah, we had all been at that party and I saw you leave with them. Next thing I know, you were arrested and it was all over town.”

  “Truth is, I was drunk off my ass in the backseat of the car. Cash and David are the ones who thought up the genius idea to go in and rob the gas station. Since I didn’t have a story to plea, I was the guilty party. Since they used Cash’s shotgun, the sentence was worse too. Cash and David get off with a year and I get stuck with four. All for being passed out in the backseat. That’s about par for the course.” He flicked the other beer cap.

  “No one ever told me all of that,” Annie said.

  Her head was so close that Jace could smell her shampoo. She smelled so good and he wanted to take her in. “Yeah, it was a shitty situation and still is. But I can’t put blame on anyone. I’m guilty by association. Pointing fingers just makes me look like an even more piece of shit.”

  “Well, I don’t think you’re a piece of shit, even though you did break my heart.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She pushed off of his chest and looked at him. “You were my first love, Jace. I gave it all up for you and after a year, you cut it off with me. I remember it well. Your reason was you were still young and had some things to take care of. I was devastated.”

  Jace didn’t realize he had hurt her so bad, and her words, despite the fact that it was years later, were like a punch to the stomach. “I apologize for whatever it was I did to you back then. I was a jackass.”

  “It wasn’t so much that you broke up with me. That happens. It was seeing you around town, chasing tail with every hot chick that walked through the bar doors.”

  Jace nodded and cupped the back of her head. Her gaze grew deep. “I don’t want to talk about the past anymore,” he whispered, brushing his lips across hers. “This is the present, and here we are again.”

  “Here we are,” she whispered back, pressing her lips hard into his. Pulling away, she had a flirtatious expression. “It’s a bit too cold out here to carry on our tradition. Shall we continue this back at the motel?”

  It was going to be the longest drive back to town of his life.

  Chapter Three

  Annie led him back into the room, turning on one lamp, giving them just enough light. She pulled her jacket off and left everything else on, hoping that Jace would soon rip it off of her. He stood by the door, his gaze so handsome that she wanted him right then and there. He stripped down to his undershirt and jeans, pushing her back on the bed. His body hovered over hers, making her feel safer than she’d felt in forever.

  Was she crazy? He had just got out of prison. He had broken her heart before. Was she letting lust fog her better judgment? His hands trailed down her chest and his fingers played with her nipples under her bra, making her close her eyes.

  Grabbing his hand, she made him stop. “Wait, Jace. I just have to say one thing.”

  He nibbled on her neck and said, “Whatever you need to say, let it out.” His breath was so warm and his scent was musky. There was no way to resist him, even if she tried.

  “Don’t break my heart again, Jace. This is fast.”

  He pushed up off of her and cool air replaced where his warmth once was. “We don’t have to do this, Annie.”

  Grabbing his collar, she pulled him back down. “I want this, just promise me that much.”

  “I won’t break your heart, Annie Martin.”

  He pulled her shirt over her head, followed by her bra. His mouth went to work, and his kisses moved down her collar bone, resting between her breasts. His tongue trailed around each nipple, flicking each one. It felt so good and she couldn’t hold in her excitement.

  “Ohh, Jace…” she murmured as he continued downward, his tongue circling her belly button. “Don’t stop…”

  He looked up at her again as if he were asking her if it was okay. He spoke so many words with his facial expressions, and she nodded, giving him permission for whatever it was he had planned.

  Undoing the button on her jeans, he pulled them off along with her panties, completely exposing her in front of him. The look on his face appeared satisfied, and he spread her legs with his hands, his fingers dancing in her most intimate areas. He inserted one finger, and then two, causing her to arch her back and let out more yelps. She clenched her jaw and bit her lip when she felt his fingers be replaced by his tongue.

  He kissed the inside of each thigh, nipping at her. She was on the verge, unable to control her bucking hips a
nd legs. As his tongue worked, his fingers went inside again, and his free hand held her hips down to keep her still.

  Jace pulled away, tugging his shirt off. Sitting up, she did him a favor by aiding in taking his jeans off. His boxers hugged his hips and she glided those off, revealing his bulging erection. She gripped it lightly, working it between her hands, remembering how well-endowed he was. How could she forget?

  He closed his eyes as she gave him pleasure, and a soft moan escaped from his throat. “Damn, Annie…”

  Each of his hands pushed her shoulders back into the bed again and he spread her legs apart.

  “Do you have a condom?” She asked, hoping it wouldn’t kill the mood.

  Leaning over the edge of the bed, he dug through his wallet, pulling one out. He handed her the package, smiling as he did. “You wanna do the honors of putting it on?”

  She took the wrapper and opened it, her hands shaking as he looked down at her. She hoped he didn’t notice her nervousness. Why was she being like that? He had already crossed the boundary with the foreplay. She longed for his touch again and got the condom out, slipping it over the tip and smoothing it downward. He closed his eyes as she made sure it was in place, and laid back, waiting on his next move.

  Her legs were on either side of his hips and he kissed her again, the hot passion in his eyes so inviting, so steamy, and so amazing. Annie tasted his lips – they were salty and delicious. She arched her hips upward, practically begging for him to enter her. She felt his hardness against her, but he still didn’t move in. His lips once again, trailed down her neck and to her breasts. His tongue traced her nipples again and he let out a low laugh.

  “Jace, please…” she murmured, her eyes looking deep into his.

  “Tell me what you want,” he whispered, grinding up against her.

  “I want you, Jace.”

  “Here I am…”

  “I want you deep inside of…”

  Before she could finish her sentence, he plunged every inch in and her attempts to not let out a yell were gone. Her voice escaped and she found herself saying his name louder with every thrust. She wrapped her legs around him and dug her nails in his back, finding her body uncontrollable during the embrace.