I drop my hair back down over my shoulders, feeling a bit less exposed. Sweeping my eyes over the landscape around the cabin, to the porch and over the entire building, I don’t see Judd anywhere.
“Shut up, you asshole!” Jake jogs over and stops in front of me.
I’ve noticed in the last week that Jake seems to be on the shy side, always making himself scarce when the partying starts. Judd had mentioned that his little brother likes to keep to himself, unlike most of the other guys who came out here in hopes for a little summer action. Because of this, I haven’t had the chance to talk to or get to know him yet. Luckily, he seems to be coming to my rescue now.
“Alyssa, right?” he asks in a very confident tone, which surprises me.
I nod my head and smile, looking at how he resembles Tristan more than Judd.
“He’s working at the next cabin,” he points in the direction I was already walking. “Come on. I’ll walk with you. I need to go find out what’s left to finish.”
This gets my attention.
“Finish?” I question.
He smiles, most likely noting the enthusiasm in my voice.
“Yeah . . . we should be done after today.” His reply makes me giddy.
I bounce on my toes and try to resist the urge to do a happy dance in view of several guys that just tried to get me to disrobe for entertainment.
“That’s great! So on with the relaxing and fun for the rest of your stay?” I say excitedly.
His lips quirk to the side and he lets out a low chuckle as we walk further away from Mitch and his gang.
“Well, I am sure they will be doing plenty of that and more,” he points his thumb over his shoulder behind him, “But after tonight, I’m heading home.”
My heart stops for a moment, praying Judd is not leaving with him. Jake and Judd had driven out here together, so I may cry if he says they are both leaving.
“Just you or. . . .” I say as calmly as possible, but my voice cracks.
He snaps his head up to look at me, probably to make sure he doesn’t have a crying lovesick girl on his hands.
A soft, sweet smile emerges on his face. “It’s just me. I’m going to take Judd’s truck home and he’ll leave with Tristan on the fifth.”
I let out a sigh and he cracks up at my reaction.
“I don’t think any of us could get Judd to leave if we had to. I really think when the fifth comes they are going to have to drag him away kicking and screaming like a little girl. I’m super glad I’m not going to be here to see that,” he chuckles as my heart swells with his words.
Judd doesn’t want to leave either? Oh yeah, here comes my happy dance.
I look back at Jake and flash him the cheesiest smile I’ve ever felt.
“Lyssa!”
My heart races as soon as I hear his voice. Pulling my gaze up past Jake and away from the lake, I see Judd running towards us with an equally cheesy grin on his face. My heart skips a beat at seeing him.
“I was just escorting her away from Mitch’s dirty thoughts,” Jake says with his eyebrows pulled down and his lips into a tight frown.
Judd nods his head in understanding, “Thanks, man. I owe you.”
Jake starts to reply when the rest of the group working on the cabin takes note of my presence.
“Oh, come on!” Evan stands on the roof of the cabin, a hammer in one hand and his other hand held out to question what I’m doing here. “Don’t tell me you are ditching to go make out,” he calls to Judd.
I guess this probably doesn’t look good. Evan is Judd’s friend, but when they are working he is also his supervisor. Looking around quickly, I decide there is only one thing to do.
Swinging around to face Judd, with my back to Evan, I quickly snatch the cordless drill out of Judd’s hand.
“What are you . . .” Judd starts up in complete confusion.
I look up at him and smile, hoping he just goes with it. Turning around, I walk my way towards the cabin where Tyler, Evan, and Matt are working.
Judd mumbles something to himself, probably wondering what I am doing.
As I near the cabin, I take in how the guys are placing new boards across the framework of the new front porch. Once in place, they screw them into the boards below them.
“Nope . . . I just came to help,” I say, looking up at Evan with a little sass in my tone.
When I get in front of the cabin, I hoist a board up into my arms. Jake and Judd stand back, eyes wide and mouths dropped open. The board is much heavier than I expect, but no way am I going to put it down.
Evan’s mouth rises up into a full grin and he looks at Judd. “Damn, man, I like her! I’m going to have to add her to our payroll!” He quickly points his hammer in my direction as I start to lay the board down on the open porch. “But don’t screw up!” With that, he goes back to hammering on shingles.
I throw the board down onto the deck frame, my arms burning from its weight. Pushing the board flush against the next one, I pick up a couple screws and start drilling them in, mocking the ones that have already been put down.
“Hell, if you don’t marry her someday, I will,” Jake quietly says to Judd.
I turn just in time to see Judd nodding his head to approve. His eyes light up and he grins at me.
“So, are you going to help or just stare?” I tease Judd as the rest of the guys all crack up.
THE DAY FLIES BY WITH Evan’s constant sarcastic remarks about how he is going to have to replace the porch again tomorrow due to it being water logged from Judd’s drooling. It makes the work enjoyable and I cannot stop laughing.
After the work is done, most of the guys head to get cleaned up.
“Hey, you wanna go to my cabin while all the guys are gone? I can change into my trunks and then we can hit the lake,” Judd says as we walk back along the path. “We can always go to the shower house later.”
I jerk my gaze around to meet his.
His lips quirk into a mischievous smile and his eyebrows are drawn up as he adds, “You know . . . alone.”
I definitely do not miss the suggestion in his words.
We get to his cabin and I see it is identical to the one I am staying in. The only exception is they have actual beds, not cots.
“What?” I say sarcastically, pointing to his bed as Judd crosses the room to the bathroom.
He pauses and looks back at me.
“You have beds?” I say with a tad bit of jealousy. Placing my hands along my hips, I look away from the beds and level him with a firm look. “Well, I’m just going to have to sleep here,” I say without even realizing how it came out.
His face breaks out into a huge smile. “I don’t think I’ll put up much of a fight with that request.”
I drop my hands to my sides immediately, heat creeping across my face at what I just implied.
He snickers and then quickly changes the subject, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to change real quick.”
Pushing down the embarrassment that is pulsing through me, I lift my head to look at him and see his adorable smile before he disappears into the bathroom.
I shimmy out of my shorts, deciding to leave them here and get them later. Already in my bikini, I curl up on the bed that Judd had pulled his bag out from under. I stretch out and then pull my knees up to get comfortable. Oh this feels good; a real mattress. That cot is definitely getting old.
Judd comes out in black board shorts and snickers as he walks up to me lying on his bed. The mattress dips down as he climbs in behind me. He pulls me close to spoon with his cheek next to mine.
“This is probably more comfortable than those cots, huh?”
I look at him through the corner of my eyes and nod in mid-yawn.
“You want to go down to the lake or would you rather take a nap first?” Judd asks.
Swimming does sound good, but lying beside him sounds better than anything in this world. I smile and nod in agreement, wiggling my body against him. He sucks in a quick brea
th and I immediately feel his reaction to my movements. Turning my head to look at his face, his lips immediately find mine. I let out a whimper and open my mouth deeper so I can get the full effect of the kiss. Another whimper escapes my mouth as I close my eyes.
Judd pulls away, breathing heavily. “Do you know what that does to me?” he says, rolling his eyes in an exaggerated effort as his chest heaves in and out.
“What?” I ask, not sure whether he means when I wiggled against him.
“That little sound you make; the one you make every time we kiss.” He flashes me a sexy grin and then runs his hands across my belly to hover at the waistband of my bikini.
I bite my lip, not aware that I make a sound but by the way he is breathing, I’m thinking I definitely like what it does to him. Craning my neck so that I can keep my lips sealed to his, I desperately hope to let loose of a couple more sounds that seem to wake his body up.
Slowly, his hand slips further down with his thumb barely dipping beneath the fabric of my bikini bottoms. It stays there for a minute, wisping across the tender flesh above my pelvic bone like he is gauging my reaction. My eyes are closed tightly and my mind is on a continual loop of, keep going; keep going. Right then he pulls away, sliding his hand down the outside of my thigh. No, no! Put it back!
His fingertips leisurely caress my thigh as his hand dips further down to my knee to gently pull my legs further apart. Knowing exactly what he wants, I scoot my leg over his, giving him complete access.
His lips roam the back of my neck as his hand makes a slow descent to its original destination, inching up my inner thigh,
Closer . . .
Closer . . .
Closer . . .
I let out a strangled breath that I didn’t know I was holding as his hand smoothes over the front of my thigh and slides up my hip back to my waist. Well now he’s just torturing me.
I turn my head slightly to look at him. My eyes lock with his intense stare for only a second before his mouth returns to my neck, teasing the spot behind my ear with soft, wet sweeps of his tongue.
“Ahhh . . .” a whimper moves across my lips as his hand creeps below my waist. I am so ready to feel him touch me.
He slides his fingers to the area of my body that is aching for him and I let out a thunderous moan that I swear could wake the dead. From the corner of my eyes, I see him smile against my neck as his finger teases me with soft gentle strokes. I swear I may come unglued.
He pulls his mouth up to my ear and his breath tickles me. “Is this ok? I’m not hurting you, am I?” he says with such tenderness.
Biting down hard on my lip, I try to keep from screaming from the sensation. I shake my head and take several quick breaths.
His lips move down to the back of my neck and he plants slow wet kisses around to my ear. All the while I am whirling and spinning from the shockwaves his fingers are causing to course through my body. He repositions his fingers and begins to tease my most sensitive spot. This sends me plummeting off the cliff, freefalling into pure bliss.
It takes more than a minute or two for my breathing to return to normal. Once my heart has steadied, I twist my neck to look into his eyes and shift my hips, folding my body into his.
His hand immediately clamps onto my hips to stop me, “Easy,” he says in a pained voice as he nudges me away from his lower body.
My mouth drops as I realize exactly what this whole moment did to him, and he has no relief from it. I roll around onto my other side to face him and place my hand on his chest. Looking down, I can’t help but giggle from the tent that has suddenly emerged on his trunks. He laughs with me, dropping his head back in embarrassment. Guilt washes over me for being on the receiving end of things.
“Judd,” I whisper in a shaky voice, a little hesitant to suggest what I’m thinking.
I place my hand on his lower abs and continue to drop them lower. “Do you want me to . . . ?”
He shakes his head and grabs my hand, pulling it away from its current destination.
Placing a kiss on my knuckles, he whispers, “I just wanted to make you feel good. I’ll be alright.” His smile doesn’t waver, but I see a little pain in his eyes.
Taking one more look at his predicament, I take a deep breath and push down the guilt I feel for not returning the favor. He places my hand over his heart covering it with his own and that is how we fall asleep.
I wake up with Judd’s finger tracing the curves of my arm. His hand moves over the inside of my elbow, up my arm, to my shoulder, and then back down. Soft lips pressed against my forehead pulls me out of my sleep and I open my eyes, looking over at him in complete happiness.
“Hey, beautiful,” he whispers.
“Hey,” I croak out. “How long did I sleep?”
The backs of his fingers glide across my cheek so carefully.
“A little over an hour,” he says softly.
Smiling at him, my hands instinctively reach up to touch his gorgeous face. As soon as it makes contact, his smile grows. I could look at him forever.
“What do you want to do now? Go to the lake?” he suggests.
“I don’t care.” I’m too lost in this moment of being wrapped in his arms. “What do you want to do?” I return his question, leaving the ball in his court.
His chest rises with a large sigh as he says something that always makes me light up inside, “It doesn’t matter to me what we do, as long as I’m with you.”
My heart bursts with affection at his words. Looking around the room to keep from spilling out all the emotions he stirs within me, my eyes land on a couple of fishing poles and a tackle box sitting in the corner.
I flip my gaze back to him. “Let’s go fishing.”
His hand immediately stops its smooth pattern across my skin and he looks at me skeptically.
“Fishing? You fish?” he asks with a quirk of his brow.
“I can fish,” I state in a neutral tone, knowing good and well that I completely suck at it.
He grins, placing his fingertips below my chin.
“Then fishing it is,” he laughs then adds with a chuckle, “I’ll even worm your hook for you.”
He smiles so brightly, but all I can do is stare and revisit my father’s words, “The guy who falls in love with you will do truly horrendous things for you.” A warm flood of emotions fill my heart as I smile at him and remind myself once again to breathe.
Judd places a quick peck on my lips and then bounces up off the bed. He grabs me at the waist to pull me up and out of my thoughts.
After fetching the poles and the tackle box, we stroll down to the Snack Shack for some drinks, snacks and bait. He and I laugh and joke around endlessly as we make a twenty-minute hike around the path to the boat dock. Evan’s grandfather keeps a fishing boat there that the guys have been using from time to time.
We walk side by side, sometimes hand in hand. Every once in a while I purposely walk ahead of him, glancing over my shoulder and shaking my ass. I try my best to look all sensual and get a rise out of him; it works. He lets out a groan and swats at it.
When he pulls me close, I shake loose and take off running. Even though I’d rather stay right there within his grasp, I run ahead to escape a possible onslaught of tickles. He darts after me only to catch me a second later. I whirl around and we laugh uncontrollably.
“I give up, I give up,” I squeal as Judd tosses our stuff to the ground and pins me down.
He straddles my waist and holds my hands above my head as I giggle endlessly. Last time this happened was when Abby tickled me until I peed my pants. Oh dear God, do not let me pee my pants in front of him! I keep my face as neutral as possible, hoping I will give off the impression that I am immune to his tickling powers.
“Alyssa . . .” Judd stops laughing and gets a serious tone in his voice.
I look at him and my own amusement fades. “What’s wrong?” I ask, kind of alarmed.
He stares deeply into my eyes with the look of a man stranded
in a desert and I am the mirage he sees in the distance.
“I . . .” he whispers so softly.
My heart rises up into my throat, waiting for what I think he might say, for what I so desperately want to yell out to him when we touch. Every time we stop what we’re doing and look at one another, those words come to my mind; yet they are words that I am petrified to say out loud. His eyes close as he shakes his head to clear his thoughts and I know the moment is lost.
“I just wanted to say that this is the best summer of my life.” He gives me an uneasy smile and then hops up. “Come on. Let’s go,” he says as he helps me up and grabs our poles and food.
We settle into the fishing boat and he guides the vessel to a private area away from all the skiers, boaters and swimmers.
Once we’re there, we sit back and bask in the warm glow of the sun while getting our poles ready.
“You know, I’ve never really asked about your family,” he asks, tying an orange and yellow ball onto the line of one of the poles.
“We’re very close,” I say quietly, looking down at the tiny ripples that are formed each time a fish nips at the surface. “Actually, you know what . . .” I pause and glance up, feeling guilty for not telling him about my dad in the first place. My voice quivers as I go on, “There was another reason for this trip to the lake. My dad is waiting on test results to find out if his cancer has returned.”
He stops what he is doing and listens to every word, remaining quiet with his eyebrows crinkled in understanding.
“A few summers ago my dad battled cancer, but he got past it. Then last week, I came home and found out that we may possibly have to relive that heartbreaking experience again. I just don’t know what to do if . . .” I stop talking and stare at Judd.
For an instant, I swear I can see my pain mirrored in his eyes. He looks at me with so much compassion and empathy that no words are needed. That look alone completely comforts me. When I finish my story, he stumbles forward in the boat, rocking it to where I think we may flip. I realize he has reached his destination when he sits in front of me and squeezes my hand tightly.
“I wish I could hold you right now,” he says with so much concern in his voice, “but I may flip the boat.” He dips his chin down and smiles. “I promise as soon as we get to shore, I’ll wrap my arms around you.”
Take My Breath Away Page 9