An older woman stepped out on the porch. She had long brown hair sprinkled with a lot of white and grey. Her face was weathered slightly, with evident laugh lines and sparkling eyes.
She had an open smile that was kind and looked very amused. “Well son, that’s one way to impress a girl.”
I felt my cheeks burn as Holden deposited me right in front of the woman. I stared at her horrified. I must have seemed like the biggest weakling known to humanity. “I told him not to carry me. He’s being stubborn.”
She laughed. “Yeah, I know. He’s just like his dad. Stubborn, thickheaded and a bit of an ass. Come on in sweetie.”
She said ass. Thank the maker, a woman with sense.
I walked into the cabin. It was very straightforward. The living room and kitchen were basically joined in one long room. There was a fireplace, a couple of couches, a TV and a few chairs. The rustic look of the light brown wood against the earthy browns and reds of the cushions and rugs worked well. There were several plants everywhere. I wasn’t much of a green thumb but I recognized a tomato plant and a few herbs growing in pots. They seemed to be haphazardly placed near the door.
She walked ahead of me, gesturing me in. “Come to the kitchen and pull up a stool. You look dead tired. I’m making some stew. Holden called about two hours ago and said you hadn’t eaten. I also have some cornbread if you want it.”
I smelled the cornbread first when I pulled up a stool at the little island in her kitchen. My mouth started drooling.
She sliced a piece for me out of the pan and set it on a napkin. “Here ya go, sugar.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Oh, my manners! Sorry my name is Rose Saunders. I should have introduced myself.”
I smiled. “My name is Julia White.”
She tilted her head to the side for a second, then smiled. “Well Julia, you’re welcome here anytime. Now eat up, butter’s in the fridge if you want some, I’ll get you some stew. If you need anything else just look around. We don’t stand on ceremony around here.”
I nodded and took a bite. It had been a long time since I had eaten cornbread. The last time would have been at a friend’s house in Lakefield. It seemed to be more of a southern dish and probably an acquired taste for some people, but I had fallen in love with it the first time I had tried it. It was still hot from the oven.
Rose set a bowl of stew in front of me that was still steaming, along with a glass of water.
I watched her as she wiped down the counter and puttered around the kitchen making two more bowls. She was a large boned woman, one would say. She had a stout look to her but she was as tall as me. She seemed to have a sturdiness about her and efficiency of movement that spoke of self-reliance. I wondered how long she had lived by herself.
“Hey mom, do you have wood?” Holden said behind me.
She turned around and smiled, looking over my shoulder. “Yeah, there are some pieces out by the shed.”
“Heard it was supposed to snow possibly so I thought I would grab some.”
She shrugged. “Probably nothing but I brought my plants in when I heard. Let’s not burn all of it tonight. I think just a little to keep it from feeling like winter in here would be fine.”
I felt Holden’s hand on my lower back. “Sorry angel, I should have introduced you. This is my mom Rose. Mom, Julia.”
I stiffened at the use of his endearment in front of his mother. He had been using it for a while and I hadn’t complained because I kind of liked that he used it. But in front of his mother was different story.
“We’ve already met, son. Hurry with that wood, I think this poor girl is going to fall asleep in her soup.”
I felt my eyes drooping a little bit. “I’m so sorry. I want to stay up, I’m okay.”
She laid a hand on mine. The softness of her skin surprised me.
She patted me, “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s late and that barbarian son of mine has drug you across the state tonight so I think you could probably do with some shut-eye. Should we check your bandage first?”
I hesitated. “I don’t know honestly. I can’t remember what the doc said.”
Holden came to the kitchen and washed his hands. He glanced over at me with his mother. He had a thoughtful look on his face as he took the both of us in.
I frowned at him slightly. “Do you remember what Logan said about my bandage?”
He came over to stand in front of me. “Said it would be ok tonight but you probably should take a bath and clean around it. He put some cream in the bag. I’ll wrap it up afterward. I have some pills for you if it hurts.”
“It’s a little sore right now.”
He walked back to the living room and came back with a pill.
“Open.” He put the pill in my mouth and handed me a glass of water. “Swallow. Should take effect pretty quickly. I’ll show you where the tub is.”
His mother answered. “I’ll get her Holden. You start a fire and get something to eat. You look like you’re about to drop.”
I looked up at him and saw circles under his eyes. We had been up early, which I knew he was used to, but the day must have taken its toll on him.
“Did you check your bandage yet?”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll wash up after you.”
“Did you sleep at all last night?”
He looked around, then turned to get a bowl of stew.
I scowled at him. “Holden, you need sleep, like now. Go to bed. I can start a damn fire for us. If you drop from exhaustion I’m dragging you outside and you can freeze to death out there. And I won’t bury you. I’ll just let the squirrels have some payback on your soft bits.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m sure you can build a fire, but I would rather not see the house burn down in the process. Go take a bath, woman.”
Rose’s laughter started softly beside me. She looked like she had been trying to hold it in. Then it burst out of her like a cork had popped. She threw her head back and her hand went to her chest. She took several deep breaths, trying to control it then went back to a fit of laughing.
Holden rolled his eyes at me when I looked over at him. “Mom, it’s not that funny.”
“Oh, my gawd. It really is though,” she sputtered. “You’ve met your match with this young beauty.”
He shrugged. “Yeah, that kitten has claws. Watch out.”
She laughed again. “Come with me sweetie, let’s get you that bath.”
I frowned at Holden. Clearly his mother was the sweet one of the family.
She moved me off the chair while wiping at her eye “Oh, Julia. I love you already.”
Smiling at her, I warmed to her comment. It had been a long time since I had felt the motherly affection of an older woman.
I looked back at Holden. He was shaking his head when he turned to watch me go. Then he gave me a distinctly predatory look and winked.
I poked my tongue out at him and left.
Chapter Eight
The pill Holden had given me had put me out fast. I barely remembered getting out of the bathtub with the assistance of Rose. She cooed and worried over me when I had nearly fallen asleep standing up in the bathroom. I had been led around to the living room where a pull-out bed had been made.
She had helped me into a pair of night shorts and a tank top. As soon as my head had hit the pillow I faded. She had been humming to me as she covered me up and I drifted off.
I felt the bed move beside me.
The warmth of a large body up against my back was making me overheat so I kicked off some of the covers. I couldn’t quite tell what time it was. It felt like I had just closed my eyes.
“Baby,” I heard Holden whisper in my ear. He sounded half asleep.
His arm was wrapped around my waist and his large hand gripped me just under my breast. I could feel the cadence of his heart against my back and his breath against the skin at my shoulder.
There was a faint light outside. Like the sun might com
e up in the next hour. I had slept deeply and dreamlessly for once. Obviously, Holden had slipped into bed sometime during the night. I wondered how his mom felt about the two of us sleeping together. For that matter, I wondered how I felt about it.
Seemed good for now.
A bad idea, but hell, it was comfortable.
My hormones kicked on when he scooted closer to my body. A slight tingle went through me. I ignored it and tried to steady my breathing.
My heart started to race when he did it again. This time he pressed his engorged cock against my ass.
I gasped.
He growled low in my ear. His mouth started to move and I could feel light kisses behind my ear. The hand under my breast started moving. His thumb slid up under my tank top to gently tickle the underside before his entire palm covered me.
He moved his mouth to my neck and sucked as he squeezed my nipple. I quivered against him. My legs squeezed together as my back arched.
His cock pressed against me, then retreated, only to press against me again.
My hand reached back to touch his leg. The blanket that covered him slipped off and I came into contact with the bare skin of his hip.
He wasn’t wearing anything.
I whimpered.
The hand at my breast slid down to my hip and his other arm slid underneath my neck. He moved me onto my back and his lips started a burning trail of kisses down to the edge of my shirt. My hand at his hip slid down and brushed against his cock.
He grunted against my chest. “Tell me you want me angel.”
I was panting. I could feel a wetness between my thighs soaking my shorts.
His hand moved up and under my shirt again and I was nearly delirious enough to agree to anything he wanted.
As if on que, there was a yell from upstairs and we both froze.
“Holden? Can you get the kettle started?” his mother asked. “We can start on that woodpile this morning before you go up the hill. Holden?”
“Yeah mom! Got it,” he said and rolled on to his back.
My nerves were still on edge despite the interruption. His teasing over the last few days had been bad enough, but this morning knocked me off balance. My body felt hungry and not in the sense that I needed food. The only thing it craved right now was laying inches from me and his mother was upstairs.
I turned my head toward him. He seemed to be trying to calm himself as well. He ran a hand down his face and scratched the hairs on his chin. He was sprawled out beside me without a stitch of clothing on and an obvious hard-on. His jaw clenched and unclenched as he stared at the ceiling.
He was a very well built man. Even in the partial light of the morning, I could distinctly see the outlines of his muscles as he yawned and stretched. The abs on his stomach clenched, the muscles in his arms flexed, and the outline of his thighs twitched. He turned toward me and then angled his body over mine as he slipped out of bed. He brushed against my chest and legs with his own. He was a work of art in motion and sensation.
Leaning in, he crushed his mouth to mine for a wet kiss then whispered, “We’re never staying here again.”
“Oh, I don’t know, seems very comfortable,” I grinned at him.
He growled at me and got up.
I was fucked. I knew it when I watched him walk toward the bathroom, his rock hard ass in full and unapologetic view.
How could I possibly resist this man?
I could hate him and I would still want him. I could move to another country, change my name, have a lobotomy, settled down, have six kids, and fifty years later, I would still want him.
What scared me the most is even if he fucked up, said the wrong things, we drifted apart, and went on with our own lives, I would still want him. I would want him with a bald head, paunch, and white hair.
I found a pillow and pulled it over my face.
Truly and utterly fucked. I didn’t want to want him. We were too different and that was just the universal truth of things in my mind.
If I left it would make things easier. Nothing down this road with him would end well.
One of us would either choke the life out of the other or end up miserable. I just knew it, and I was absolutely certain my psychic friend would agree if I called her and asked. Hell, half my friends in Cali would agree. Even my dad might be convinced to agree if I told him how much Holden irritated me to no end sometimes. We would just end up trying to change each other too much. What then? Change so much that neither one of us recognized the other, then split up? What a sorry tale. I would rather keep things like they were, wondering what could be, than be disappointed in failure.
I was really going to have to keep a healthy distance from him if I was going to survive the week. If I could get back to civilization, without dropping my panties for him in the forest with half the wildlife urging me on, then I could set some things straight and go.
“Angel, sit up. Need to get some ointment on that bandage.”
The pillow was removed from my face and I saw him standing beside me, clothed in jeans and thermal that hugged his chest.
I sighed and swung my legs over the mattress to sit up. He got on his knees in front of me and unwrapped the bandage around my arm.
I eyed him. “Did you check yours yet?”
“I’ll do it later. Have some things to do, then I’ll take a shower. You might want to take a quick bath before we go.”
I scrunched up my face. “Do I smell?”
He chuckled as he removed the last of the bandage. The tape on it didn’t come off easily and it stung my skin as he tried to remove it slowly.
“Just rip it off, better to have it hurt all at once rather than prolong it.”
“On three.”
I braced.
“One.” He tore it off. I felt like half my skin had gone with the tape.
“OUCH! What about three?” I scowled at him.
“Sometimes worrying about what will hurt is worse than the reality.”
“Not true! So not true! That fucking hurt!”
He shrugged and applied the ointment. “Angel, believe me I know it hurts. I’m fully aware, but it had to be changed. Now suck it up and lift your arm for me.”
I rolled my eyes and turned my head away. No sympathy. Add that to the list of growing reasons he wasn’t for me.
“Stop pouting. You’re making me feel bad.”
“Really?” I blinked at him.
“No. Not really. I would rather you pout about it, than get a fucking infection and die. If you want to pout about it all day long, go ahead. Then we can change your diapers later and eat cookies and milk.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re such an ass.”
He laughed and stood up. “Yep and you’re going to live another day dealing with it. It’s done. Do you want some breakfast? I think we have milk. Maybe some cookies.”
I looked down at my arm. It felt a lot better today, and not half as sore, but I could clearly see bruising all around it. I poked at one of the bruises.
“Angel, stop.”
I grimaced and poked it again. “It looks terrible.”
He grabbed my hand. “You look beautiful. It’s my fault, I should have looked in to what was happening with you. Should have never taken you out to Muse last night either.”
I looked up at him. “This isn’t your fault Holden.”
He looked in my eyes and then he slid his gaze to the scar on my face. “Yeah it is.”
I frowned at him in confusion. Was he even referring to my arm?
“I don’t understand,” I said.
Rose interrupted before we could continue the conversation. “Good morning kids. Did you sleep well Julia?”
Still staring at him, I opened my mouth but nothing came out.
Holden ran his hand through the top of my hair like he was brushing it. “She slept like a rock mom. Think she’s hungry though, she tried to bite me in her sleep.”
Rose laughed. “Try not to piss her off then son. Jul
ia, what would you like to eat sweetie?”
I stood up and Holden put his arms around me. We weren’t going to be able to finish our conversation right now but I needed to know what that look meant. I could wait, but I had a deep instinctual feeling that it was important.
“Whatever you’re having would be great Rose.”
I kissed Holden’s chest and moved away. His hand slid over my hip and brushed against my fingertips as if he was reluctant to let go.
Rose was puttering around the kitchen. “Holden, can you load up the gas tanks in the back of my truck? Told your dad I would bring them up this week.”
He gave her a look of surprise. “Of course. You’re headed up there with us?”
She smiled and started cracking some eggs over a bowl. “Yeah, I’m between projects at work and we’ve been spending some time together. You know how we are. I think it’s time we spent some family time together again.”
She winked at him and started whistling as she beat the eggs.
Holden gave me a “this should be interesting” look and walked out. I wasn’t quite sure what it meant. I had assumed that because Rose and Holden’s dad lived separately, that they were not together. Then finding out that his mother’s house was only a few miles from his dad, I assumed that they had just decided to live in the same neighborhood like some divorced couples did.
If this could be called a neighborhood.
“Uh, Rose, you said you worked. Where is the nearest town from here?”
She started making scrambled eggs, then opened a package of bacon.
“Well, you go about two miles down the dirt road you came up last night. Then you take the county road about thirty miles east and there’s a town there with not a whole lot, but a lot of good people. If you go about another forty or so miles past that, then you’ll get to actual civilization. We’re up in the mountain range here.”
“Sounds like we’re out in the boonies,” I replied.
She laughed as she started the bacon, stirred the eggs, then started making pancake batter. The smell of the bacon alone was making me drool. Having pancakes and eggs in addition, sounded divine. I felt like I could eat two plates of it this morning.
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