“Thanks for having my back,” I answer.
“Don’t forget about the fundraising barbeque, guys,” he says to all of us.
I stop at the side of my pickup truck and place my lunch bag behind the driver seat, then look back at him. “What now?”
“The fundraising barbecue. The same one we have every year for our guys on disability. This Sunday.”
I have to hand it to Ben. He doesn’t give up. I haven’t attended one of these events for years. Not since before Neil.
“Hope everyone has a good time,” I say.
“Come on, you need to start somewhere,” he whispers. “Give it a chance. You might enjoy yourself. The food will be damn good too. You can catch a ride with us. Jane and Rachel are coming.”
I shrug and pull open the driver door. “I’ll think about it.”
“Don’t you worry, boss,” says one of the young miners that had been talking about getting with Jane last week. The little fuck puts a wide shit-eating grin on his face. “Count me in for the food, the friends, and the fine-looking ladies.”
The idea of Jane attending the barbecue, surrounded by guys like Josh makes my blood boil. This prick won’t hesitate to make a move on her, and if I don’t show up, who knows how far he and his buddies will go. Within seconds, I’ve changed my mind. Hopping into my driver seat, I roll down the window and give Ben a nod.
“I prefer to drive myself so I can leave whenever, but let me know when you’re all heading out,” I tell him.
“So, is that a yes?”
I lift my chin slightly. “Sure. I’ll be there.”
“Very good.” He’s all smiles as he jumps into his truck and turns over the engine.
I notice he’s leaving alone, and after he pulls out of his spot, I catch a glimpse of the SUV Jane and her mother take turns driving.
Jane’s still here at work. Her dad’s just left. Most of my coworkers are gone too.
Getting out of my truck again, I don’t think twice before heading to her office trailer. Inside, I pass Angie’s empty office and stop at Jane’s desk. Her back is turned, her focus on the large metal filing cabinet against the wall beside her desk.
“Hey,” I greet her, stealing a glance to the other end of the trailer. Her gray blazer is the only item of clothing hanging on the hook near the door. “Are you alone?”
“Hi!” she replies over one shoulder, smiling, but not hiding her surprise to see me. Hopefully it’s a pleasant one. “Yes, it’s just me. Ted’s out of town, and Angie had to leave early today.”
I lean forward and rest my hands at each side of her desk. I’m already hard, my cock straining against my work pants as I take in her toned arms and back in the light gray camisole she’s wearing. I lean forward some more and see her black skirt is halfway up her thighs in the position she’s sitting in. Fuck, she’s sexy.
“It’s quitting time,” I tell her, now that I know we’re all alone. “How much longer do you need to be here?”
“Half-hour, probably.” She points at a stack of files on top of the filing cabinet. “I can leave when those are back where they belong.”
“Come here.” My words come out sounding like a growl, and I straighten up to my full height.
Setting down the file in her hand, Jane does as I say. Her hands are around my waist and mine are buried in her hair the second she gets close enough. I tilt her chin up to me, stealing a heated kiss as my hands move up and down her soft curves. I can’t seem to get enough of this woman. I don’t even think about the possibility that someone can walk in on us any second. I’m too far gone for that. Wasting no time, I lift her onto the desk and stand between her legs. My fingers drag her skirt up her smooth, creamy skin of her warm, inviting thighs.
The moment I feel the soft lacy fabric of her panties, a part of me goes wild. I grip the seam, and before I can think better of it, the ripping sound fills the air. I drop the shreds of lace beside her on the desk and she wraps her legs around my hips, her hands already working feverishly to remove my belt and undo my zipper. She slips a hand under the seam of my boxers. I can’t help but let out a moan when she wraps her cool, slender fingers around my cock and strokes me up and down my thick, throbbing length. I soon move her hand out of the way, graze my fingertips up her outer thighs, grip her ass cheeks, and sink into her in one fierce thrust.
She holds onto my shoulders, her sweet sweet sounds serving as my real-life reminder that for the first time in close to a decade, I stand a chance to move on with my life—starting with our mind-blowing, sinful as hell, no holds barred fuck sessions.
12
Jane
I promised myself that I’d finish putting away these files before I leave for the weekend, but that was before Savage showed up, before I let him rip my panties off my body. Right now, as his fingers dig into the flesh of my ass cheeks and his swollen cock buries deep inside me, filing seems like so much less of a priority. The fact that I’m having sex in the workplace should mean something to me. I mean, I work in HR. I should know better. But that’s the effect he has on me. The second I’m around him, nothing else means a thing. Nothing matters but getting closer to him.
Savage presses his mouth to mine and our tongues connect while his hands find the top seam of my camisole. With just a flick of his wrist, he frees both my breasts, exposing my puckered nipples to the cooler air. My back arches on its own, and he captures one nipple between his lips. Jesus. A few sucks as he pounds his cock into me are precisely what my body needed to tip me over the edge. My eyes slip shut, and I have to cover my mouth to muffle the sounds of my climax, just in case anyone is walking by outside the trailer.
He pushes harder into me, the force of each stroke extending my peak, expanding it beyond anything I could imagine. I’m breathless, spent, and the only things making its way to my mind are the slapping sounds of his cock battering my pussy and the seductively sinful scent in the air.
The smell of us.
After a few moments, as I open my eyes and meet his gaze, all the butterflies come back again. That look is the reason I’m breaking workplace rules, keeping secrets from my best friend and my parents, delaying the inevitable, and pushing away one indisputable fact.
Hearts will break, and heads will roll when everyone finds out.
That reality however, hasn’t stopped me from behaving badly.
It hasn’t kept me up at night either.
Savage wraps his arms around me and lifts me up off the table, switching us around so he’s now sitting and I’m on top of him. The blazing heat of his gaze and warmth of his body spark my arousal yet again. He cups my chin and delivers the softest kiss that ramps up to one filled with urgency. Our teeth clash and our tongues tangle, and when his hand reaches into my hair, I shiver with anticipation of the same mix of his sweet tenderness and beautiful roughness as his fingers slide along my scalp.
I can never say this out loud, not so early on, but I fucking love this man.
He’s kind, protective, hot as hell, and his touch is everything to me.
I hold onto him, gripping fistfuls of his work shirt in my fist as I spread my legs wide and grind against him, call his name and taking more of his cock inside me. His head lowers to the crook of my neck, his lips spreading more heat across my skin. I feel his lips spread into a smile on the spot when I moan out his name and hook my arms around his biceps, pulling his body against mine. His kiss on my neck turns into a teasing bite, and I’m instantly rocking, lifting up and lowering, riding him harder, faster, the way he likes it. After we both come, he holds me so tight, calling my name, over and over.
“Jane. Jane. Jane.”
I relax into his chest, spent and beyond relaxed, almost forgetting where we are as his heartbeat lulls me to mindless bliss.
“We should go,” I hear him whisper at my ear after some time.
“Yes. Okay,” I reply, but I don’t move until he stands up, cradling my back as my wobbly legs touch the floor. I’m grateful that he doesn�
�t let go of me right away. When I feel strong enough to stand on my own, I straighten my skirt and tank on my body, stuff the ripped pieces of fabric that were once my panties into my oversized work bag, and stagger off to the restroom to neaten up.
He’s standing on the top step of the door to outside when I get back, with one foot holding the door open as he looks out toward the parking lot. Ours are the only two vehicles that remain from the day shift, and that’s a good thing.
“Looks like the coast is clear,” I tell him, not even thinking when I slip my hand into his, but I release it once we’re outside in the open. The mining staff for the overnight shift are around, and anyone can show up at any time.
We walk to the parking area, both wrapped up in our thoughts. I’m used to him being the strong, silent type. Maybe some of that quiet introspectiveness is rubbing off on me too. Or maybe he sets me at ease.
At my SUV, he opens my door on hearing me unlock the door with the remote.
“See you sometime this weekend?” I ask, turning to face him.
He nods, but his face goes tense and his jaw clenches, and I have no idea why. “The fundraiser.”
“Oh, right,” I reply. “On Sunday. Are you going?”
“Your dad wants me to. You?”
“Yes, I’m helping out at the ticket and prize booths, I think. As it’s work-related… and for a good cause.”
“Okay.”
“So, you’ll come?”
“Sure… We should be careful,” he mutters, and I understand right away where he’s coming from.
Savage doesn’t like being around people much. That’s a given, and I don’t have a problem with it. But this weekend will be the first time we’ll both be out in a public place for the same event. We can’t let on that there’s anything going on between us, especially not in public. I imagine it’ll be just as difficult for him as it is for me. We’ve only been fucking and spending time together for two weeks now, but it feels so right, like we’ve been doing this since forever. Not that I can or should give a label to ‘this’. I don’t think it’d be fair to either of us. I have no business giving ‘this’ a name, in spite of him saying I’m his.
He’s not wrong.
I am his.
It’s just that no one else can find out.
Not yet.
All I know is that it feels right. I like Savage. A lot. I’m insanely attracted to him. Being close to him, holding onto him, it’s become second nature. But I’m the one pumping the brakes on telling my parents. I’m the hold-up.
“What about tonight and tomorrow? Can I stop by your place?”
“Yes. Anytime you want to. If I’m out hunting or fishing, just go in. The door’s always open.”
“Will do.” I smile up at him and squeeze his hand before climbing into my driver seat. I’d love nothing more than to reach up and kiss him right now. But we both need to be careful out here.
His gives me a one-sided smile that makes the sides of his eyes crease. “Drive safe, sexy,” he tells me, eyes on me as he waits for me to drive away. I can’t help but notice that look of lust residing there. It’s like the last half hour we spent fucking each other senseless on my desk is long forgotten. It’s like that was just an appetizer.
I pull the door closed and start the engine, then roll the window down. I soak in the sight before me. This big, broad, bearded, gorgeous creature, muscles straining the fabric of his shirt and work pants, the imprint of his swollen cock behind his zipper. My core clenches and my heart races just thinking about when we’ll do it again.
And the butterflies.
God, the butterflies.
“You too,” I reply, snapping my gaze back up to his eyes.
All I can hope is that he’ll be patient with me. And that neither of us will slip up in the meantime.
My phone rings as I’m about to put the SUV in reverse. Giving him a wave to go ahead, I check the screen. It’s Meg. Another person I have to be careful what I say with. I have the phone hovering in mid-air as I watch Savage walk to his car while I’m trying to come up with the right words to tell Meg about us. It should be easy to tell her, but if I do, that’ll be the end of the secret. It’s her loose lips. I have to wait until I’m ready to tell Mom and Dad, until I’m ready for the world to know.
I decline the call with one of those automated notes I programmed into my phone. Mine reads, I’m in the middle of something, but will call you back in a bit.
But I’ve sent that message to Meg a few times since Savage and I started sneaking around. I’m pretty sure that one of these days, when we’re face to face, she’ll call me on it. And when she gives me hell for being so shady, I already know I won’t be holding back from my best friend. I’ll have to tell her soon.
I have to get it over with.
13
Savage
I don’t know how much longer I can keep up this secrecy.
Sure, I’m a quiet guy, but sneaking around at my age, well, I hate doing it.
To be clear, I don’t give two fucks what people say or think about me. The only people whose opinions matter to me are the three individuals living in that cabin down the hill.
Ben, Rachel, and Jane.
I need to find a way to convince Jane that it’s time to open up to her parents about us. I’m not sure exactly how to explain what’s going on, but I can figure something out. I just need Jane’s go ahead.
Or better yet, I need her to realize that we can’t wait.
The longer we delay, the worse it’ll become. We both stand to lose a lot. I want to face him and tell him man to man that I want his daughter.
I want her.
I’ve had her.
She’s mine.
End of story.
Then let the chips fall where they may.
He may want to kill me. Or write me off as a friend, something I have precious few of. He might push to fire me from the mine. But I’d prefer to be the one who brings this to light. It’ll be a fucking disaster if Ben figures it out himself, finds out through someone else, or catches us with his own eyes.
Like today at the fundraising barbecue, being held at Steve Shoreham’s sprawling property at the edge of town. He’s the overnight shift supervisor, and one of Ben’s good friends. Ben is here with his wife, Jane is staffing the entry table and helping out here and there. And as for me, I’m doing everything in my power to avoid them all.
I’ve been here for all of twenty minutes and already, I think I should leave. I make my rounds, first picking up a beer from the row of coolers on one corner of the large, well-maintained turf. By the time I’m finished walking from one side of the place to the other, the awkwardness has set in. I can’t relax here, and I’m not one for idle chit-chat, not even with the men I work alongside day in and day out.
On top of that, both times that I casually look in Jane’s direction, I find her looking back at me. Smiling, beaming at me with those eyes that can bring me to my knees.
At one point, I see one of those fucking kids from the mine chatting with her. The way his body leans across the donation table toward her, his eyes downcast as he feasts his eyes on her cleavage showing in the low-cut blouse she has on, I’m practically seeing red. Without thinking, I start to head over to them, but when I’m a few steps away from them, Ben comes over at the same time.
“How’s it going?” he asks openly, directing the question to no one in particular.
“Great!” Jane is the first to answer. “Folks are really in the giving mood when their bellies are full,” she muses, then looks over at me. “Having a good time, Savage?”
“Sure,” I answer, clearing my throat as I acknowledge what a close call this was. I have no idea what I would’ve said or done to the kid if Ben didn’t show up.
“Can’t beat free food and a nice view,” the kid says.
“Sure can’t, Josh,” Ben replies to him.
The fuck?
I feel my jaw tick, and I’m a little surprised that Ben
didn’t pick up on this kid’s disrespect. My eyes are on Jane as Ben chats casually with Josh and a few other guys that gathered around. It fucking irks me that I can’t tell any of them to keep their fucking eyes off of my woman.
After a while, Josh changes the subject by nodding over at Ben and adding, “Oh, I meant to ask, any update on the assistant managers you’re hiring?”
Ben’s face lights up for some unknown reason. “None yet, but we have a strong list of candidates.”
The kid nods thoughtfully. “That doesn’t help my chances much, boss.” He whips his gaze over at me. “Not when guys like Savage are my competition.”
What? This little shit applied? He thinks he’s my competition? He’s got some nerve thinking he can hold a candle to me or any of the longstanding, tried and true miners that we work with.
But Ben rests a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t give up yet, Josh. Anything can happen.”
As they continue to chat, I have to wonder what the fuck Ben is thinking, entertaining this kid’s pipe dream by making him believe he has a shot at one of the jobs. He’s barely been around for a few months. Right away, a switch goes off in my head. I have to get one of these goddamned jobs. I have to put some serious effort into my interview, if only to make sure this kid doesn’t end up being my fucking boss one day. Sure, it’s a shitty reason for wanting to be a manager, but I swear to God, if I have to take orders from this dickhead, I’m better off unemployed. Fuck yeah, I’d quit. I don’t need to work at the mine at all. Ben is the only person who knows that I received a large settlement in trust when that drunk driver killed my parents and sister. It’s money that I’ve barely touched, as my father built the cabin with his savings, and truth be told, living off the land and mostly off-grid doesn’t cost much at all.
So yeah, there’s no fucking option where I’ll stay working at the mine if a little turd like this Josh kid ends up being the boss of me. None whatsoever.
Someone over at the barbeque grills calls Ben over and he excuses himself. I wait around for Josh and the others to move on, cradling my beer and hanging back. This fucking kid leans over toward Jane again. He says something to her that I can’t hear from my spot, then I see him curl his fingers around her bare shoulder. My vision goes red, and my grip on the beer bottle tightens to a white-knuckle grip as I fight the urge to break his fucking hand to teach him not to go around touching what doesn’t belong to him. Of course, that wouldn’t look too good, considering I have no business openly telling anyone a fucking thing where Jane is concerned. She’s supposed to be off-limits to me too.
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