Trails of Love

by Melissa Foster

  Ohgodohgodohgod. She told herself to keep silent, because her thoughts were so often too outside the norm for others to accept. But his eyes bored into the far reaches of her mind, into her heart, and the truth came tumbling out. “Because synergy is the deepest desire of the human soul, and I think we might have found it.”

  “I have a feeling no matter how much I tried, I could never be fully prepared for you, sunshine.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her passionately as he pulsed his hips, entering her slowly and carefully. She felt her body stretching to accommodate his girth as he pushed in one inch at a time, retreating and entering again, until he was buried deep inside her. She felt full and complete in a way she never had. Not just from the way their bodies seemed to be made for each other, but because of the way he held her and kissed her, making her feel special without ever saying a word. When they began moving and found their rhythm, every thrust sent shivers of pleasure rippling through her. Heat raced through her veins and prickled beneath her skin. He kissed her deeper, rougher, turning all of her nerves into live wires. He quickened his pace, and her insides swelled, reaching for the pinnacle of their passion. He took her right up to the edge, but she wanted to come with him, to feel him lose control for her. She dug her nails into his back, and a rumbling sound crawled up his throat, pulling her closer to the cliff. His corded muscles told her he was still holding back.

  She wrapped her legs around him, craving his raw, unbridled passion, and tore her mouth away long enough to say, “Let me feel all of you.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “It would hurt more knowing you could have given me all of yourself and held back than it will to feel all of your energy poured into us.”

  His eyes flamed with a savage inner fire. He crushed his mouth to hers, holding and loving her with the power and magnificence of a hurricane, claiming all of her as they spiraled into oblivion together, groping and panting, crying out with pleasure.

  Afterward, as they lay with their foreheads touching, legs intertwined, and his arm protectively around her middle, he said, “Where have you been all my life?”

  She knew she’d never forget that moment, any of the things he’d said, or the look in his eyes—the one she was trying hard not to make too much of.

  But it was too late. She had already woven the specialness of them into a treasured memory.

  Chapter Five

  GRAHAM AWOKE WITH his right arm numb, something silky smooth beneath his left hand, and a warm weight on his chest. He opened his eyes and found Morgyn fast asleep, straddling his shoulder. Her torso was curled around his head, his favorite MIT shirt bunched above her belly. Her panty-clad hip rested by his chin. One thigh lay across his chest, her toes tucked precariously close to his junk. Her other leg stretched along the right side of his body. Two more firsts—a woman sleeping in his truck, sprawled all over him. He pressed a kiss to her belly, inhaling the fresh scent of body wash. They’d made love like rabbits, and afterward they’d washed up and lain with the truck doors open, listening to the murmurs and sounds of other festivalgoers. Morgyn had called their quiet time of togetherness just being. It was amazing how little thinking was involved with simply being together and how good it felt.

  He kissed her belly again, and she made a sleepy noise, curling tighter around his head. Her toes dug in just above his balls. Instinct brought his knees together as he guided her leg over his hip, kissing her again. She startled and shot up to her knees, hit her head on the roof, and fell on top of him with a loud “Oomph.”

  “Ow,” she said in a craggy voice.

  “Aw, sunshine.” He kissed her head as he gathered her close with one arm—because the other was asleep—and rolled them onto their sides. Her hair was a tangled blond mess, her brow wrinkled, and her expression was happy and pained at once. He held her tighter. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you okay?”

  She buried her face in his neck and made a grunting, moaning sound, like a pouty child, tweaking more unfamiliar emotions. He felt her head for a bump, of which there was none, thank goodness.

  “Was I lying across your whole body?” she asked softly.

  “Yeah. I think you were a cat in your previous life.”

  She laughed and drew back with a smile. “I’m not used to sleeping with anyone. I have a body pillow I usually curl around.”

  “I like being your body pillow.” He ran his hand up her thigh. “Your toes are deadly, though. For a minute I thought you were Sable in disguise, trying to castrate me.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry.”

  He kissed that adorable nose, and she snuggled closer. “If you don’t have plans for the day and wouldn’t mind leaving the festival for a while, I thought maybe we could take a hike, see what good old Romance, Virginia, has to offer.”

  “Really?” She leaned back, excitement dancing in her beautiful eyes. “I had this dream about us. Well…” She lowered her voice. “I had a lot of dreams about us, most of them dirty, but in one dream we were holding hands and walking through the woods. Sunlight streaked through the trees as pretty as a picture. You took both of my hands in yours, and then you kissed me. One simple kiss on the lips, but it was like a movie.” She spread her fingers, making an arcing motion between them, and sighed. “Perfect.”

  He touched his lips to hers and said, “You’re perfect.”

  She covered her mouth, speaking from behind her hand. “Perfectly stinky with morning breath.” She wiggled away and said, “Let’s go!” She reached over the front seat and grabbed her patchwork backpack. “I need to brush my teeth, but we can grab something to eat in town.” She dug around in her bag.

  He hauled her beside him, and she laughed, grinning up at him as he gave her a big, hard kiss. “I take it you’re not a coffee drinker?”

  She wrinkled her nose again.

  “No breakfast before our hike?”

  She shook her head. “But I’m sure you have a list of things to do, right? I just got excited to explore with you. It’s okay. You can get your coffee, do your risk assessments of ticks, sunburn, and poison ivy—”

  “I’ll give you sunburn.” He tickled her ribs, and she curled into a ball, laughing as she pleaded, “Stop, stop, stop!”

  He kissed her hip, then nipped at it, earning a sultry moan. “Stop? That’s not what you said last night.” He ran his hand along her leg and lifted her—his—shirt, kissing the dip at her waist.

  “The tickling needed to stop.” She ran her fingers through his hair and said, “This needs to continue.”

  He kissed her belly, and she said, “Mm-hm. You still have water to wash up, right?”

  “Mm-hm,” he said as he dragged her panties down—and off. He kissed her inner thigh, then gave it a long, slow lick.

  She tugged her shirt off, eyeing his briefs. “Someone has too many clothes on.”

  He nearly growled, quickly shedding those pesky briefs. As he did, she changed positions, sitting beside him, her legs tucked beneath her. She leaned forward and began kissing his chest.

  “Ah, sunshine. That’s nice.”

  He lay back as her fingers played over his pecs and her sweet, hot mouth teased his nipples. Her hair brushed over his chest and abs as she licked and kissed a path directly to his cock. He pushed his hand into her hair, brushing it away from her face and watching as she kissed the tip, then ran her tongue along the length of his throbbing shaft. He gritted his teeth as she did it again, driving him out of his mind. She kissed around the base, down his thighs, then up again, circling where he wanted her most. Her eyes flicked up to his, and the wonder in them sent warm gusts of emotions whipping through him. He didn’t understand the power behind them, but he wanted to explore those emotions as badly as he wanted her to take a grand expedition over his entire body.

  He reached for her, but she shook her head and whispered, “Not yet.”

  Fuuuck.

  She wrapped her hand around his sha
ft and slicked her tongue over the tip. His hips bucked, and she smiled, licking the length of him again and earning another torturous rock of his hips. She was going to tease him until he came; he just knew it. She licked slowly, kissed longingly, like she was savoring every touch. Lust coiled deep and hot inside him. He was blessed with a thick cock and had been told enough times it was too uncomfortable for oral sex to know better than to expect it. No matter how desperately he wanted Morgyn’s mouth on him, to claim her from the inside out, he’d never ask that of her. Her gorgeous eyes caught his again, and he saw a mix of anticipation and hesitation. As he opened his mouth to tell her she didn’t even need to try, she lowered hers, taking him all the way to the back of her throat and drawing a long, low groan from his lungs. She gave him a hard suck, sending heat through his veins. He ground his back teeth to keep from losing it.

  “Christ, sunshine…”

  She must have liked that reaction, because she did it repeatedly, until he was shaking with restraint. Just when he thought he was going to lose it, she released him, and the air rushed from his lungs. She reached for a condom, and he took it from her, tearing it open as fast as he could. When he went to roll it on, she did it for him, and then she straddled him, slowly lowering herself down. Her tightness wrapped around him and the emotions brimming in her eyes sent his world careening away. When he was buried to the hilt, she leaned forward, her hands on his shoulders, and her hair tumbled around their faces.

  “Confession time,” she whispered. “I don’t want to move. I just want to feel you inside me, knowing I just had you in my mouth.”

  “Sunshine, if you talk like that, whether you move or not, I’m going to come. Which means I have to move, because I’m not coming until you’ve had enough orgasms to never forget how this feels.”

  He pulled her into a passionate kiss and made good on that promise.

  NEARLY TWO HOURS later Graham and Morgyn hiked through the woods toward town. They’d been blessed with a breezy, sunny, perfect morning. Although Graham would have thought it was perfect whether it rained, snowed, or blazed as long as Morgyn was by his side. She was a funny woman. While he had coffee and eggs for breakfast, she drank ice water with lemon and scarfed a cookie from a vendor. She had sweet-talked her way into borrowing another one of Graham’s favorite shirts, this one from the Hilltop Vineyards, the winery his mother’s family owned. He’d had the soft gray shirt forever. The logo had faded so much it was nearly invisible. The shirt was so big on Morgyn, she’d tied it in a knot at her waist and paired it with sexy cutoffs that had colorful patches on the butt. She hadn’t brought sneakers or hiking boots, but Graham was quickly learning that Morgyn was quite resourceful. While he’d dressed, she’d traded the embellished rain boots she’d worn the day before for a pair of black Converse high-tops from a woman at a neighboring tent. Not exactly proper hiking footwear, but she seemed happy and her feet were protected from the sticks and leaves they were traipsing over.

  “Do you have goals?” Morgyn ducked beneath a branch, her eyes trained on the chain of wildflowers she was making.

  “Doesn’t everyone?”

  She used her fingernail to make a slit on a stem. “Probably, but everyone’s are different. What are yours?”

  “That’s a pretty open-ended question. Professionally or personally?”

  She shrugged and threaded a stem through the slit and then made another slit.

  “Well, today my goal is to enjoy this time with you.”

  She bumped him with her hip. “Big picture?”

  “Let’s see. Work-wise, I’d like to be even more hands-on with my investments and do more than simply invest money. I want to make a bigger difference, although I haven’t completely mapped out how yet. On a personal level, I hope to continue enjoying what I’m doing and to enter and win more sports competitions, do some rafting with my cousins, spend time with you…”

  Her gaze flicked up, and she stopped walking. “You’re not looking to make a billion dollars or prove that you’re better than every other engineer slash real estate investor in the world?”

  “I make a lot of money. Not billions, but I don’t have to worry about my future, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  She shook her head and they began walking again. “I don’t care about money. I’m trying to figure out more about the man you are. What drives you, if not money?”

  “Life. I want to experience as much of it as I can. Most of the competitions I take part in are for charity, and that drives me to work harder in my professional life so I can afford to give more time to the events. And yeah, money drives me to some extent. Of course I want to be great at what I do, but not at the expense of living a fulfilling life. And eventually, I’d like to get married and have a family, but not necessarily settle down.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He leaned closer and said, “It means I don’t want to have a house and a white picket fence where everything is always the same. I’d like to love and be loved and to be able to travel with my family. Homeschool the kids, whatever it takes. What about you? Do you have goals?”

  “Yes, but I could never homeschool children. Math is my enemy. My kid would be in sorry shape if they had to rely on my knowledge to learn more than the basics. But I could teach them all about art and botany.”

  He chuckled. “You realize they make online tutorials for kids, and you’d probably have a husband in there somewhere, right? He could help out?”

  “It’s not necessary to be married to have children,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’ve never been one of those girls who dreams of her wedding day. I don’t believe real connections, the type that last forever, need a piece of paper to keep them together or honest. I don’t want to be waiting at home for a cheating husband. I want to be my significant other’s best friend, someone he can’t wait to come home to, even if I’m knee deep in daisy chains or dancing in the rain because it feels good.”

  He lifted her chin, taking in the honesty and hope in her eyes, and kissed her smiling lips. “I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to come home to you. And I’ve definitely never met a woman who wasn’t looking for a ring on her finger.”

  “Well, now you have,” she said sassily.

  “So I have. You know my goals. What are yours, mysterious Morgyn?”

  “I’m hardly mysterious, but my goals change from time to time. Like you, I want to enjoy what I do, but not so I can afford to do other things. I want to enjoy it because I want to enjoy my life. If I don’t love what I do”—she shrugged—“why do it?” She fiddled with her flower chain and then put it around her neck. “What do you think?”

  “I think it’s almost as gorgeous as you are.” As he pulled her in to a kiss, he spotted poison ivy by her leg and swept her against him, away from the plant. “Careful where you’re walking. That’s poison ivy.”

  She glanced at the plant and said, “Thanks. But if I got poison ivy I could just pick that jewelweed, cut open the stem, and rub the inside on it. It’s an instant remedy for soothing and healing skin. I’ve used it for cuts and burns, insect bites, all sorts of things.”

  “I forgot you were an herbalist, and full of surprises.”

  She went up on her toes, flashing a cheesy smile, and kissed him. “Want to race to town?”

  “I thought you didn’t like sports.”

  She rolled her eyes and said, “I have never gone mountain climbing or run in a race, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. Ready? No risk or any kind of calculations, cracker. We’re a team. We’re racing against time.” She climbed on his back and said, “Piggyback race. Go!”

  MORGYN WAS LEARNING a lot about Graham, like the fact that those thick legs of his could run wicked fast, even when burdened with her weight on his back and her kisses on his neck. And that sometimes he studied her as though he was trying to work the pieces of a Morgyn puzzle into some semblance of normalcy he could understand. Good luck with that.

  When they reached Main Street, t
hey walked hand in hand. Romance, Virginia, was a quaint small town, much like Oak Falls. Pretty flowering dogwood trees lined the sidewalks. Large picture windows graced the front of old-fashioned shops with faded awnings and cheery welcome signs. Colorful flowers spilled out of large planters by shop entrances and trailed over the edges of window boxes. There were flyers for the festival posted on shop windows and a big banner across the main road announcing the festival. They lingered in a bookstore and learned they both enjoyed reading crime novels. Graham seemed surprised about that. Almost as surprised as Morgyn was when he bought Zev a postcard from the gift shop, wrote Thanks for the donation. Xox, Cracker + Sunshine, and mailed it to a post office in the town where Zev was headed. As they walked by the antique shop, a big gold cat lying in the window lifted its head, giving them a cursory glance, then hunkered down again and closed its eyes.

  It was wonderful spending time with Graham, sometimes talking and sometimes just walking in comfortable silence. He didn’t rush her through shops or seem annoyed when she spotted a thrift shop and hurried toward it. A bright green sign read FUNKY JUNK. VINTAGE. UPCYCLED. LOCALLY MADE.

  “This store is a must!” she said as they entered.

  Bells above the door chimed, and they were greeted by the scent of fresh linens. Brick walls held metal racks loaded with clothing, old pictures, and funky mirrors. A velvet sofa, eclectic end tables, and a number of gorgeous, distressed dressers created an aisle through the center of the store.

  “Howdy, y’all!” a petite brunette called out as she hurried up the center aisle with her arms full of clothes. She wore bright red leather shorts, cowgirl boots, and a black mesh shirt with a yellow tank top underneath—an outfit Morgyn would kill for. “I’m Magnolia Love,” she said with a bright smile. “Jewelry, household items, toys, and footwear are in the back. We have a make-your-own section with everything from frames to key chains on the counter in the right rear of the store. And don’t worry, handsome, we have plenty of tools and guy stuff, too. A whole roomful right through that curtain.” She pointed to a batik curtain hanging to their right. “If you need anything, just holler Mags and I’ll come running.” She headed to the opposite side of the store to hang the clothes.