by Molly McLain
“Careful or you’ll be crispy, too.”
“Your fault!” I slug his shoulder, still giggling. “You made me eat that just so you could crack the wiener joke, didn’t you?”
He lifts his beer to his mouth and grins. “Maybe.”
“You!” I bump his arm again and he spills beer on his chin and beard.
“Really?” He plays all cool and controlled, as he swipes the liquid away with the back of his hand. Fortunately, I see his wheels turning and I jump out of reach before he drops the bottle and lurches after me.
“What are you gonna do, big guy, huh?” I skip away tauntingly, my Muk Luks crunching in the snow, while his sweatshirt hangs halfway to my knees.
He stands back, smirking patiently. With the campfire glow dancing across his face, he looks wicked sexy like this. All predatory and calculating. I also have a thing for guys in jeans and hoodies, so there’s that added bonus.
“You think you’re tough just because you look the part?” I goad him, bending to grab a mitten full of snow. “You forget we played this game before. I have you all figured out, hot shot.”
“You think so?” He cocks his head to the side, casually tucking his hands into his pockets. “What’s my next move then?”
“Well...” I shift from foot to foot to keep warm. It’s not the coldest night, but it’s still January and I’ve moved out of the fire’s circle of warmth, not that I’m not plenty warm just being in his presence. “I’m pretty sure you’ll try to fake me out. Catch me when I least expect it.”
“Okay, and then?” He takes an easy step forward.
“Hmm...” I pack the snowball between my hands. “I’m going with a head dunk in the snow. It’s after dark now. Stakes and punishments are higher.”
His head falls back in a bark of laughter. “You’ve got quite the imagination, Crash.”
“Am I wrong?”
“Are you ever gonna throw that damn snowball?”
I giggle and bounce front side to side again giddily. “Nice try at distracting me.”
“Not trying anything, babe.”
Then how the hell did he get close enough for me to see the moonlight shining in his eyes?
“You play dirty,” I glower, but he just grins a little harder.
“You look scared, Crash. You sure want to keep baiting the bear?”
If my punishment is anything like this morning’s snowy showdown, hell yes. “You must be seeing things, handsome. This isn’t fear—it’s confidence.”
“Handsome?”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, his hands on are on my hips, scooping me up and hoisting me over his shoulder as effortlessly as he did that towel earlier.
I squeal, but my protest is muted by a mouthful of his hoodie and a front row seat at the booty show.
“How you feeling up there, sweetheart? Still confident?” The friendly pat on my ass turns into a hard, greedy grip as he hauls me toward his truck. It’s all I can do not to shudder at the promise of that open tailgate and the hungry way he holds me.
“Are you going to stuff me in there?” I laugh. “Take me further into the woods and leave me for dead?”
“I did warn you about the bear.” He lets go of my butt and, without putting me down, rolls back the cover on the truck bed.
It’s layered with thick blankets and pillows and my suddenly spinning head has nothing to do with being turned upside down.
“Wow.” I’m breathless when he finally lowers me to the tailgate. “You were busy while I napped, weren’t you?”
“Supposed to be a clear sky tonight. Though maybe you’d help me find the Big Dipper.”
Be still my heart. “Are you trying to woo me, Mr. Scott?”
A boyish grin tugs at one side of his mouth as his fingers slide down a strand of my hair. “Maybe. Is it working?”
“Uh huh.” The campfire and the country playlist humming from the cab of his truck already took care of that. His company, his smile, and now his romantic side are just icing on the cake. “How are you still single?”
For an almost imperceptible moment, his smile fades and his focus drifts to where he touches me. “I work a lot of crazy hours. Don’t usually have time for this.”
“Hmm...” Fisting his hoodie, I jerk him between my open knees. “So, I’m special, is that what you’re saying?”
Those heavy-lidded eyes dart to mine once again. “Never made a bed like this for anyone else, Crash. Make of that what you will.”
Oh, I will. I have.
“Come here...” Tugging him by his strings, I pull his head down to mine, my heart already pounding.
“What are we doing, gorgeous?” He’s breathless, too, his chest rising and falling against mine while the storm begins to brew in his eyes.
“We’re having fun. Making the most of this time together.” My mouth brushes his and he captures my lower lip between his, sucking softly.
“And tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow we enjoy the memories.”
Chapter Nine
“This is nice. Cozy, too.”
“Not bad for an axe murderer, huh?”
Curled into RJ’s side, our heads on soft, fluffy pillows near the cab, I smile. “Not bad at all. But if that raccoon makes another appearance, I’m out of here.”
The blankets piled on top of us shake with his laughter. “You didn’t like my raccoon?”
“That thing is scary as hell. Probably died because it was rabid.”
“Actually, my grandpa shot it.” His voice is suddenly serious, somber even, and I push up on an elbow.
“Seriously?”
His jaw tightens as his gaze shifts to the sky. “Was the last gift he gave me before he died.”
Way to go, Jules. Way. To. Go. “I’m so sorry.”
He nods, his face pinched with emotion...and then the jerk busts out laughing again.
“Ugh!” I thump his chest with a fist and throw myself back on the pillows. “You’re such an ass.”
“And you’re gullible,” he replies, rolling quickly to hover above me, a hand on each side of my head. I try to pretend the rest of him, at least from the ribs down, isn’t pressed against me, all big and solid. Heavy in a way that has heat blooming low in my belly. “I think you’ve turned into a city girl, Crash.”
My feigned gasp rises above the sexy hum of Florida Georgia Line’s Sippin’ on Fire. “A city girl? Who plowed the driveway today, huh?”
A lopsided grin shines through his beard. “Who almost put the plow through the goddamn garage door?”
“I was just making sure you were paying attention!”
“Uh huh. More like you couldn’t handle all that power,” he says, teasing me with a barely there kiss before tracing his tongue along my bottom lip.
“Mmm.” I moan and coast my hands up the hard planes of his back. “I may be small, but don’t think I’m weak.”
“Being a city girl doesn’t make you weak, Crash. Just saying you’ve distanced yourself a bit from your country roots.” Another whispered kiss and then his mouth drifts to my jaw and that yummy spot behind my ear. I jolt at the soft nip of teeth there and my hands slide greedily beneath his beanie.
“I think you underestimate me.” But he can keep those lips and that tongue working magic on my neck. He got that right, for sure. “I also think you should take this hoodie off. I want to touch you.”
His low chuckle vibrates off my skin and goose bumps rise. “It’s cold out here.”
“You brought out every single blanket in the house.” I tug gently at his hair with one hand and blindly toss the beanie with the other. “You think I haven’t figured out why?”
He lifts his head, one eyebrow cocked. “What are you saying?”
My lips curve into a knowing smile. “I’m saying I’m happy to accommodate.”
“Yeah?” In one quick movement, his chest drops to mine and his strong hands slide beneath my thighs, spreading me. I gasp under the unexpected weight, but the sou
nd quickly morphs into a low mewl of approval when his hips settle into place against mine. “You like that?”
“Not bad,” I pant. “If we were fourteen.”
He chuckles, then his fingers dig into my ass, holding me in place so he can grind into my middle, his intention to drive me out of my mind, I’m sure of it. “Better?”
“Uh huh. Prom night worthy, for sure.” Except my blood already pumps hotter than it did even in college.
“Fuck that.” With one hand behind his head, he yanks off his sweatshirt and chucks it. Then he jerks my hands to his chest, rubbing my palms over his T-shirt. Like I need coaxing to want to touch all of those tight, sexy muscles. “Do I feel like a goddamn teenager to you?” he growls, and I grin.
“Not even a little.” But there is something about being with him that brings back that same nervous anticipation. That promising rush of something new and unexplored. Something unforgettable. “How about you stop trying to prove yourself and get back down here so we can do some adult things together?”
His eyes flash and his nostrils flare and he drops to me again with a grunt. I freaking love when he looks at me like that. Like I’m dinner and he hasn’t had a square meal in days.
“Much better.” Fisting his T-shirt, I show him how just how grown up I can be. Slow and sweet kisses become playful. Taunting nibbles become hungry bites. Sensual caresses of my tongue against his become greedy, possessive tugs of lips and hair and any other part of each other we can get our hands on.
Tonight, there will be no interruptions. No stopping. Not until he understands that my only regret would be leaving here without this.
By the time he breaks away, trailing wet kisses to the pulse in my neck, I already tremble beneath him. I’m not ready for this end.
“Lift up, baby,” he murmurs, and I arch my back so he can wiggle my sweatshirt up and over my head. He’s back immediately, loving on every bare inch of skin he can reach with his wicked mouth. “So fucking pretty,” he rasps, tracing a rough fingertip along the heart-shaped cleavage, rising from my top.
“You’re a boob man?” I smile and feather my fingers through his hair.
“I’m a you man,” he growls, dipping his face to my chest, inhaling a deep breath, and gently kissing each swell. “Sorry if I got a little rough last night.”
“I loved every minute of it.”
His gaze flicks to mine, as if to gauge my sincerity, and then a slow, satisfied smile replaces the concern. “You still sore?”
“A little.”
“How about I make you feel better?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
He smiles is all white teeth and playboy charm. “Standing invitation, by the way, if you ever need a pick-me-up.” His warm palm slides beneath the hem of my shirt, skating along my belly until he reaches my bra and gently thumbs my nipple.
“Is that so?” I squirm beneath his touch, wanting more, but also wanting him to go slow, so I can savor all of this. Memorize it.
“Uh huh.” His voice drops with his eyelashes, watching me carefully. “Whether you need it up here...” He continues the barely there teasing over my bra, but shifts his hips more blatantly beneath the blankets, rocking his erection between my legs. “Or down here.”
Sweet God, I’m already on fire. My nerves hum and my ears ring, and damp heat pulses in my sex, ready to pick up where we left off last night. “You’re such a tease,” I sigh, trying to slow my breathing so I can feel every single sensation he stirs inside of me.
“You think I’m kidding? Rockford and Chicago ain’t that far apart, sweetheart.”
So much for keeping calm.
“Really?” I’d wondered, but hadn’t worked up the courage to suggest it myself.
“Yeah.” His focus falls to my lips and he shrugs. “I kinda like you.”
Silly, schoolgirl delight bubbles up from my chest and I laugh.
“I also like the way you smell.” He dips his nose to my neck and traces the tip of his tongue lazily to my ear. “And the way you taste...” I gasp when his lips close around my ear, sucking softly. “I fucking love the way you hold your breath every time I touch you, but I don’t need you passing out on me. Breathe, baby.”
I give a shuddery exhale and slide my hands beneath his T-shirt. “God help me, I want to go slow so I can memorize everything, but I also want to feel you everywhere at once, too.”
A low, throaty growl sounds in my ear and he hikes my knees to his waist, grinding the bulge in his jeans a little harder into my middle. “Choose your words carefully, Crash. Unless you want to end up bare ass naked in the back of this truck.”
Wasn’t that the plan all along?
Inch by inch, I slide my hand down his chest and stomach, stopping only when my fingertips graze the hard ridge straining his jeans.
“So, I shouldn’t tell you that I want to touch you?”
He groans, shifting his hips just enough that I can glide my hand between us.
“Or that I want to taste you, too?” I ask boldly, and his body tightens above mine, muscles tense. “I’m a big girl, RJ. I know what I want.”
He levers up with that oh-so-sexy heat in his eyes. “And what’s that, babe?”
“You.”
His nostrils flare and butterflies whirl in my stomach, but I can’t shy away from the curiosity that’s lingered in the back of mind from the word hello. Not when our time is running out.
“I want to make the most of this, whatever it is or isn’t.” Lifting my chin, I refuse to look away. “I don’t want to walk away tomorrow without seizing every opportunity we have here. Who knows if we’ll get it again. Even if Rockford and Chicago aren’t that far apart.”
His brow creases and his lips twitch, but he waits.
“We’ve been given a chance here. I don’t understand why, but I don’t have to.”
“Crash...” His hands drive back into my hair as his mouth claims mine, hunger and desire branding me with every stroke of his tongue.
Somewhere between the toe-curling kisses and the hurried hands, I lose my top and bra. His T-shirt goes next and, in a flurry, I end on top of him, nothing but a tent of blankets and body heat keeping us warm.
I’d laugh at the insanity of being half naked in the back of a truck in the middle of January if I weren’t so freaking turned on. Or if everything between us hadn’t been this wild and crazy from the start.
“Ah, shit...” He groans when I sit up and straddle him, circling my hips over the erection still tucked in his jeans. “That’s...really fucking good.”
Feminine pride courses through my veins and I grin. “Yeah? I have an even better idea.”
His eyelids drop and his jaw clenches, and that’s all the encouragement I need. I flick open the button on his fly, peel back the zipper, and slide my hand inside. I touched him last night and even took a couple exploratory licks. But this is different. This isn’t rushed and it’s not a means to an end. I don’t just want to get him off. I want to enjoy him and explore all this soft, satiny skin wrapped around steel.
“Crash,” he grits through clenched teeth. I’m not sure if my name is a plea or a warning, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t plan to stop touching him...tasting him...taking him any way he’ll let me until I’ve driven him as wild as he’s driven me.
I don’t ask for permission when I shift beneath the blankets and take his jeans and underwear with me, tugging them just low enough to play.
“Babe...” His head tips back on the pillows, fists gripping the quilt beneath him, waiting. His expression, so tense and controlled, yet powerless, is the possibly the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
This big, strong man, usually so self-assured and in charge, is now putty in my hands. All mine for the taking.
Wrapping my lips around the head of his cock, I wet him inch by inch until he’s as deep as I can take him. I do it again and again until his legs shake and he levers up on an elbow, driving a hand into my hair. Watching. Flexing. Guidi
ng me, as if I need the encouragement.
“Ah, Crash, honey...” He grunts, hips pulsing with every bob of my head and twist of my hands, stroking and sucking.
I wish I could see him. All of his ridges and veins. Where he’s thick and proud and undoubtedly beautiful, so when this is over, I can take those images with me. Tuck them away in a place that’s reserved just for him and this one unexpected, unforgettable moment.
“Babe, you’ve gotta slow down,” he rasps, his hand tightening in my hair one moment and then gentling the next. I should take his words as a warning, but what fun is that? Instead, I dip down again, taking him to the back of my throat.
My reward? The deepest, sexiest groan ever, complete with a full body shudder.
“Get your ass up here,” he growls, grabbing my arms and tugging me to his chest. “You want to play with fire, Crash?” His breath is ragged and his eyes are wild, and a rush of unleashed power—by way of hot, scorching blood—floods to my lower belly. I did this to him. Me. “The only place I plan on losing it tonight is inside of you. We clear on that?”
Sweet God, we are now. “Okay, but how about you get me out of—”
Jackknifing up, he flips us over before I can finish the thought. Big hands grip the cotton at my waist, but that’s as far as his urgency goes. He takes his sweet time, licking and sucking his way from my mouth to my belly button before he even lifts the fabric.
The torturous journey makes me curious: will he touch me like he did last night and make me come with his fingers first, or will he give me his mouth instead?
Lips nuzzling my navel, he finally eases the leggings off, his tongue dancing along the inside of my thigh and then my knee...only to tour back up again.
“So soft...” His husky exhales teases over my sex before he’s right there, gliding his tongue from the bottom of my lips all the way to the top, where he licks at my clit like a freaking ice cream cone. Flames roll through my veins and those telltale stars begin to sparkle again in my peripheral.
“Knew you’d taste good,” he murmurs, wrapping his arms around the back of my legs and lifting me, so he can bury his face in my heat. His nose, his chin, his mouth... They’re everywhere at once, so much delicious friction giving me exactly what I need.