Probably more so.
With her eyes on me, Jane reaches up and brushes the kid’s hand away. She shakes her head in response to whatever he said, and leaves the table when one of the other volunteers comes by to relieve her. I want to follow her, to remind her of two things. First, that she’s mine. Second, that I could stop assholes like Josh from harassing her if we come out in the open about the fact that she’s mine, starting with her father. But I know this anger bubbling up my chest won’t let anything I say come out right. Not now. Not here. Instead of going to her, I watch Josh like a hawk. He heads over to his buddies, who are now eyeing a couple of high school-aged girls clustered together at the dessert table. Not even five minutes pass and Josh is at one of their sides, hitting on the little blonde whose parents own the other cabin close to mine.
If I don’t get the hell out of here right fucking now, I’m liable to slip up by beating that kid into the ground, throwing Jane over my shoulder, and dragging her off like the caveman that I am.
After emptying my third beer, I can’t take it anymore. Leaving is the only option. I head inside through the kitchen door at the side of the house, intent on dropping off my empty bottle in one of the boxes stacked up for that purpose. The action is all happening outdoors, so I don’t expect to find too many people inside. And I don’t. But as I fit the glass bottle in the top box and turn to slip out through the front of the house, a small, soft hand that must be Jane’s laces into mine and pulls me toward the dark, windowless pantry at one corner of the kitchen.
I don’t have to guess. It can only be her.
Her arms wrap around my torso, and her hands slide under my t-shirt, her nails dragging up along my skin as she presses her little body against me.
“It’s about time you came inside,” she whispers.
“Jane,” I warn her, but it’s an empty threat. I haven’t had her since Friday on top of her desk at work. That’s too fucking long to go without her. I turn our bodies and press her back to the wall beside the high shelves in the room. She rubs one leg up to my thigh, pushing her midsection onto my now aching erection.
“I’ve missed you,” she admits in a whisper.
I’ve missed fucking her too, but we’re taking this game too far. It’s too big a risk, getting up close and personal here.
“We can’t. Not here,” I tell her, although if she pushes any harder I’ll take her right in this spot. Right now.
The heat sparking between us is undeniable.
It’s incendiary.
Unavoidable.
Inevitable.
“I know,” she answers, her disappointment clear.
Tilting her chin up toward me, I kiss her softly. A tender kiss to soften the blow of what has to be said again. “I need to tell your dad.”
“No,” she says quickly. “I’ll tell him. Tomorrow after work. I promise.”
“Why not tonight?” I demand. She knows that my interview for the job is tomorrow. I’ll be face to face with Ben and Angie, who’ll be sitting in on all interviews to add consistency to the process. Fuck, I’d prefer to be able to look Ben in the eye when I’m answering the tough management questions he throws at me. It’s also possible he won’t be able to stand the sight of me tomorrow if Jane tells him about us tonight. But I can’t keep lying to my friend.
Her eyebrows shoot up playfully. “Because… I was planning to sneak out and come see you later.”
Jesus. I’m harder than fuck just from those words alone. “All right. But remember… tell him before I have my interview. If you don’t, I will.”
She ignores the warning in my tone and lets out a shy, yet playful chuckle. “How exactly were you planning to tell him? What would you say about us if you ended up beating me to it?”
“I’d figure that out when I see him.”
“Is there an us?”
There’s no question in my mind about what she’s asking. Hell yes, she’s mine. I told her she belongs to me and I meant it. No way am I letting her go. This thing between us, it’s strong, fierce, potent, and it’s rare. The thing is, her timing isn’t ideal. It’s too soon for heavy, deep conversations. Certainly not in the dark pantry of a coworker’s house.
I swallow up all further questions with a punishing kiss. When the kitchen screen door bangs, signaling that someone’s coming inside, she starts to pull from our kiss, and freezes in my arms.
“See you later,” I mouth the words against her lips and slip away, wiping as much of the guilt from my face to avoid accidentally bumping into anyone who knows me. Hopefully, Jane will wait a few seconds for whoever it was to get what they need and leave. If they see me leave, they don’t need to know she’s the one I was cozying up to.
14
Jane
I stagger out of the pantry a short while after Savage leaves, confused and in torment. My core is aching, my clit is throbbing, and my mouth is sore from his rough kiss. I don’t know how long I stood leaning against the wall beside the shelving unit, but it’s long enough of a gap that whoever it was that came in has already left the kitchen. Relief washes over me. If they saw Savage, they surely didn’t see me.
Heading over to the counter, I remind myself inwardly that I need to tone down this blind, mindless, gotta have him all the time, attraction I have for Savage. It’s all well and good when we’re at his cabin, away from everyone. Not so much when we’re surrounded by dozens of people, including my parents.
And Meg.
She came to the barbecue with Talia, one of our friends from high school. If anyone can read my body language, it’ll be Meg, so I need to make sure my best friend doesn’t suspect anything. Not yet. Not until I bite the bullet and tell her. Meg can’t know until my parents do. And I’m not ready to tell Mom and Dad.
I let out a sigh at the irony of the vicious circle I’ve put myself into. It’s no wonder Savage has become impatient over our secret. He’s a grown man, and although he spends a lot of time away from people, he isn’t the type to hide the truth from anyone.
Heading over to the row of open coolers, I see the sink is filled with dishes as I grab a beer and press it to my neck to cool myself off a little. It’s probably a good idea for me to stay in here for a while. I decide to load the dishwasher. As I’ve been at this house countless times with both Mom and Dad, I know where everything is, and I’m also sure that Steve’s wife will be thoroughly appreciative for the unsolicited help to keep her kitchen in order. Pre-rinsing and loading the dishes will also keep my hands busy and my mind off of Savage, at least a bit.
Being in the kitchen gives me a break from Josh too. I don’t know what his deal is. He and his friends were a year ahead of me in high school. They never said a word to me back in school, but now that I’m working in HR at the mine, they can’t seem to keep their attention off of me. I was worried Savage would lose it when Josh sidled up next to me at the donation table, trying to flirt and ask me out. I turned him down. That was a no-brainer. I was never attracted to Josh to begin with. Plus, there’s only one man I want. A little laugh bubbles up to my throat as I picture the look in Savage’s eyes when Josh put his hand on my shoulder. It was raw, unbridled jealousy, a primal possessiveness that made me a little fearful for Josh for a split second. But at least he got the hint and stopped when he did.
“What the hell, Jane?” I jump at the shrill female voice coming from the doorway but relax when recognition sets in.
“What’s going on, Meg?” I ask my best friend, not turning to look while I make space inside the dishwasher for an oversized glass bowl.
“You… and… mountain man?” she asks, the squeal in her voice betraying the accusation in equal weight as the inquiry.
I bolt upright and turn to face her, trying my best not to look guilty. “What?”
“Don’t even try to hide it. I know you, remember? And besides, I didn’t just see it in your eyes. I saw it in his too. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Will you hush, already?” I whisper in a hiss, and g
rab her elbow, dragging her with me to the pantry.
She swats my hand and closes in on me just as quickly, wrapping her arms around me tightly. “So it’s true!” she shrieks at my ear.
“Shhhh,” I repeat in a plea.
She pulls out of the hug and folds her arms, and her head tilts to one side so sharply that all of her long, blonde hair flips to one side. “All right, but I want to know everything, young lady.”
Shit.
I’m sure if she reads my face right now, she’ll know everything. I can never hide a thing from her. Not for long.
I close my eyes and bite down on my bottom lip, my cheeks burning as I try to string together my admission. “Okay, yes. I admit it. I’ve kinda been seeing Savage,” I whisper. “But only for the past two weeks.”
She covers her mouth for a second, dealing with her shock. Then she blurts out at the top of her lungs, “Two weeks! You kept this from me for two weeks?”
“Keep your voice down!”
Her chin lowers almost to her neck for emphasis, and she stares up at me. “Wow… you’ve been going around behind my back for all that time?” At least her voice is lower now. “Whatever happened to ‘no secrets ever’?”
“We can’t talk about this here, okay?” I hold onto her shoulders and look her in the eye to make sure she’s paying attention. “And you can’t tell anyone. Not a soul. Promise me.”
“I won’t, honey.”
I raise one eyebrow and look at her with skepticism. “Yeah… right.”
“I really won’t,” she answers, scrunching up her nose and sticking out her little finger to me. “Pinky swear promise.”
I roll my eyes but lock my finger into hers anyway. “Babe, we’re besties, remember? You’re not good with secrets.”
“Pfffft,” she answers. “I can keep a secret. I just prefer not to.”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself, loose lips,” I tease, smiling for a moment.
The loud bang of the kitchen door wipes the smile from my face. “Not another word,” I whisper sternly.
Her eyes roll with utter annoyance. “Jeez. Okay.”
“This is one piece of news you’ll absolutely have to keep to yourself. No one knows yet, and I’m trying to keep it that way, so as to not end up losing my job, or getting Savage fired. Not to mention dealing with Dad.”
“Shit. All right.”
“Now, we’re going to go back to the sink, and you’re going to help me neaten this kitchen, and we’re not going breathe a word of this today.”
“All right,” she agrees, and we slip out of the pantry as nonchalantly as we can, only to see one of the guys leaving with two beers in each hand. I return to my spot at the sink, my eyes on Meg as she looks around the space. Her focus lands on the umpteen empty and half-empty bottles, cans, and Dixie cups in disarray around every available flat surface. Mock-rolling up the nonexistent sleeves of her red princess-cut cotton tube top, she starts to work. “I won’t. But tonight, you spill. I want to know everything.”
“Um, I kind of have plans.”
“With?” She comes to stand beside me and pours out the contents of two Dixie cups into the sink, studying me for an answer. “With… him?”
I nod.
“Awww, hell no.” Her bright red lips straighten, and she scowls, eyes narrowed. “Cancel your plans, or make it later. Do whatever, but you’re telling me tonight.”
“Come on, Meg. You can wait a day or two.”
I watch as she heads back to the long counter and stacks up a bunch of cups. She opens her mouth to answer me but stops, her eyes glaring down into one of the cups. “God, kids are gross… Some kid spat out their retainer in their soda. I’m not touching this shit,” she says, and places that cup on top of the fridge. Meg never did like touching other people’s stuff. Not that she’s a complete germophobe, but she’s pretty close to it. “Disgusting… And actually, no. I can’t want for your deets, especially as I just told Josh—” Her phone buzzes from somewhere on her body before she can finish her sentence, and although I’m mildly curious about what she was going to mention about Josh, I much prefer making full use of the distraction.
I turn and face the sink again. “You really should answer that,” I tell her.
With an annoyed sigh, she pulls the phone out of her jeans skirt pocket. While she’s taking the call, Talia saunters in and drags her outside to show her some cute college jock she’s been swooning over, who just showed up at the barbecue.
Well, fuck.
Meg knows.
Later on, after the barbecue, I’m pleased when I walk over to Meg and find that she’s out with Talia.
Thank goodness.
I waste no time hiking up to Savage’s place to burn off some of this nervous energy and work off all the sexual tension that’s been inside me all weekend.
But I still have to tell my parents before the cat is out of the bag around town.
Or God help us.
15
Savage
Looking down at the perfectly pressed blue shirt and tan slacks I’m wearing, I straighten up in the driver seat of my pickup truck and undo my seatbelt. I stare in the rearview mirror and shake my head at the way my hair’s smoothed back into a rubber band at the base of my neck, and my beard is neatly combed. I look like an idiot. I feel like a damn fool. This type of clothes, this hair, the beard… they’re not me, but here I am, all dressed up for my interview. Jane was at my cabin last night. After a couple hours of intense fucking, she picked out these clothes for me and made me promise to tame my wild hair and my unruly beard. I swear she and her dad are more excited about this job than I am.
A quick glance at my car radio tells me what I already know. I’m early. As I’m the first candidate of the day, I figured it was smart to not be the one holding up the schedule for today.
After about ten minutes of staring at the mostly empty parking lot, Ben drives up in his truck and parks beside my vehicle. He’s alone. Jane must be dropping off her mother or running an early errand.
“Good morning,” Ben greets me through my open window as he jumps out of his truck. “Looking good!”
“Morning.”
“Good luck today, son.”
“Thanks, boss,” I reply.
“You can go on into the training room if you’d like. Angie and I will be there to get started in a few minutes.”
“Sounds good,” I answer, pushing my door open.
I take my time walking over to the trailer. I’m the first interview and I’m early, yet I find Josh already sitting inside.
“Dude, you’re early too?” he asks.
I nod and scan the room for a seat as far from his annoying ass as possible. “What’s your excuse?”
“Trying to make an impression.”
Once I settle into my seat, Josh moves from his spot to come sit directly beside me. Fucking kid is lucky I’m in a half decent mood this morning, or I’d move away from him.
He pulls out his smartphone and unlocks the screen, then looks at me. “Hey, how would you answer a question like, ‘Tell me about a time you led a team to solve a complex mining problem’?”
Seeing as how this little fucker has practically zero mining experience, I understand why he wouldn’t know how the fuck to respond to it. Instead of telling him that, I answer with, “How did you come up with that question?”
He turns the phone screen in my direction. “Found it on the internet.”
He proceeds to ramble on about other potential questions he found online while he was preparing. I keep shaking my head at each one because, well, they’re pretty straightforward for someone with experience. To be honest, I haven’t thought of a single question before now. But then again, I didn’t prepare at all. I applied for the job to get Ben and Angie off my back, and it’s only yesterday that I drummed up some desire and motivation to come out on top. Thanks to this fucker next to me.
I would answer him and give him suggestions if he’d just shut his pie
hole long enough for me to get a word in. Oh well. Josh starts to talk about how much he wants a crack at being a manager so he can make more money and have better benefits. I’m about to tell him that if that’s the only reason he wants the job, it ain’t for him, but the trailer door creaks open before I can get a word in edgewise.
Ben enters first, then my jaw hits the floor.
It’s Jane.
What is she doing here?
Josh verbally echoes my mental question when he comments under his breath with, “Oh, sweet. Looks like we’re being interviewed by the sexy summer intern.”
With the window air conditioner on, I’m the only one who hears him though.
“Change of plans, men,” Ben announces. “Angie’s stuck on a call with head office. Our interview schedule is packed solid, so we can’t push back the start times. What this means is Jane will be sitting in for Angie. Rest assured, it won’t be in a decision-making capacity. Her role is as an observer. She will document your interview responses, and Angie and I will discuss them with the other managers at a later time to determine scores and the like.” He looks up at the clock on the wall. “Savage, we’ll start with you as scheduled. Josh, you can wait in the break room. I’ll send for you when it’s time.”
Josh nods and nudges me before getting to his feet. “Break a leg, bruh,” he mutters to me so only I can hear.
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