Misadventures with a Country Boy

by Elizabeth Hayley

  Cole thought he saw Brooke’s muscles tense, as if her body was bracing itself for what she was about to hear.

  “My dad got in my face and told me to sit back down before he made me. That was when Brett jumped up to get between us. Sometimes my dad would back down when Brett got involved, because he was a coward. I was an easier target since I was smaller, and I don’t think he wanted to actually do anything to seriously hurt Brett since he was the starting quarterback for his high school. He was only a sophomore, and he was better than a lot of the seniors. That was always the one source of pride for my dad where Brett was concerned.”

  Cole shook his head and breathed deeply before continuing. “Anyway, it all happened so fast—my dad pushing Brett and Brett punching him in the stomach hard enough to make him fall. Our dad’s a big guy, but Brett was strong, and my dad was already swaying from drinking all day.” The images flashed through Cole’s mind like a movie reel on loop. “The two went back and forth, pushing and swinging at each other while I sat curled up in my bed like a scared little kid.”

  “You were a little kid,” Brooke said.

  “Physically, yeah. But mentally I should’ve been tougher. I should’ve been brave enough to help when my dad finally got a few solid punches in. When Brett hit his head on the corner of the night stand and fell to the floor, my dad hit him a few more times to make sure he didn’t get back up anytime soon.”

  Brooke gasped audibly. “Oh, my God.”

  Cole remembered the last time he saw his brother’s eyes open. They were glassy and covered in a thick red from his bloody nose running down his cheeks and onto the pile of dirty clothes he’d landed on. Brett had wiped it away a few times himself, and then Cole had tried to clean him up with a clean T-shirt. “Before he left the room, my dad said to leave Brett there. That he would be fine and he needed to learn a little respect. I should’ve gone to my neighbors’ house and told someone or called the police anyway. But I was scared of what my dad would do to me if I got the authorities involved.” Cole hated how selfish that made him sound, but it was a truth he couldn’t deny any longer. He’d let Brett suffer so he wouldn’t have to.

  “The most I could bring myself to do was somehow get him into his bed and cover him. I figured letting him go to sleep would do him some good. I had no idea it would have the opposite effect.”

  “You couldn’t have known,” Brooke said, placing a hand on his thigh to comfort him.

  “I know. But that doesn’t change the fact that I could’ve done something and made the decision not to.” After that, he’d made a promise to himself that never again would he stand by and do nothing when he could do something. “Eventually both of us fell asleep.”

  Finally, Cole allowed a few tears to fall, and he was thankful that a stream of them didn’t follow. “The next morning my dad had no choice but to call 9-1-1. He told the police that Brett came home late after a few kids from a rival school had jumped him.”

  “They believed that?” Brooke sounded disgusted.

  Nodding, he sighed heavily. “It’s happened before, so it wasn’t surprising. Just said he came home with a bloody nose and stuff and didn’t want to talk about it so he let him just go to bed. My dad didn’t have any visible injuries, and I was too scared not to corroborate my dad’s story. The police looked into the case a little, but without any idea who’d jumped him or where it happened, there wasn’t a whole lot they could do. And even though my dad caused it, Brett’s death hit him hard. He was still his son. Add some guilt on top of that, and my dad was pretty messed up from it. So the police didn’t really have reason to think my dad had anything to do with his death. The autopsy showed Brett had internal bleeding in his brain.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Brooke said, and Cole wondered if he’d said too much, put too much on Brooke before she was ready to hear it.

  “Thanks,” Cole said. And he meant it. He’d needed to let go of the weight he’d been shouldering for far too long. And though thinking about all of it had been painful, the relief he’d felt after sharing it made it worth it. “I know you said you hate walkin’ around worrying about somebody recognizin’ you, people thinkin’ they know you when all they really know are things about you.”

  Brooke nodded and gave him a quiet “Yeah.”

  “I can’t pretend I know what that’s like,” Cole continued. “Because no matter how hard I try, I can never seem to be more than the son of a town drunk and the baby brother of a dead star quarterback. I joined the army thinkin’ it’d make my life matter, make me matter. Like I’d somehow be able to fix some of the shit that’s wrong with the world even though I couldn’t even fix my own life.” He shook his head, disappointed in how naïve he’d been. “But after all the shit I’ve been through and all the shit I’ve seen, all I feel is smaller. Like I’m an ant, and any second somethin’ so much bigger than me is gonna come up on me and squash everything I know without a second’s warning. You know what I mean?”

  Brooke nodded again. “I think I do.”

  A few quiet moments passed before Cole found the words he’d been searching for, and he hoped like hell they were the right ones. “The other day you told me you couldn’t stand bein’ somebody, and you got mad when I couldn’t get that.” Cole pulled off the highway toward the hotel. “I’ve been tryin’ to get where you’re coming from, Brooke. I really have. I’m tryin’ to understand what it’d feel like for people to care about every word I say and every move I make. But honestly, I don’t think I’ll ever get it. Not fully anyway. Because even though I agree all of that would probably suck, I’ll never really know what it’s like to be somebody. Not when I’ve been nobody my whole life.”

  He hadn’t meant to let all of that out like he had, and the fact that Brooke hadn’t spoken more than a few words almost made him regret telling her everything. This time he let the silence fill the space between them as he wondered what she was thinking. Did she think his family was trash and that he was trash by association? Did she think he was calling her spoiled or pretentious because she was running from something most people run toward? Both of those possibilities seemed likely, and Cole hoped that in his effort to bring them closer he hadn’t driven them further apart.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly as Cole turned into the hotel parking lot and killed the engine.

  “For what?”

  “For all of it. For telling me about what happened to Brett and about what kind of person your dad is.” She massaged the skin between her thumb and finger as she spoke. She hadn’t been looking at him, instead fixing her eyes on the neon OFFICE sign ahead of them. Finally, she settled her hands on her lap, and her mind seemed to settle with them. When she turned toward him, she looked peaceful. “For the stuff about not wanting to be somebody.”

  “That may have come out wrong.”

  She shook her head. “It can’t be wrong if I needed to hear it. I have a lot I should be thankful for.”

  Cole tried to smile at her, but he knew it looked forced. “Yeah, well…so does everyone,” he said. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. Not when so many other people are happy to do that for you.” He hoped the last comment might help to lighten the mood.

  “’Kay,” she replied. And then, “So Arches Park tomorrow?”

  Cole gave her a nod and then reached over and squeezed her hand, thinking about how tomorrow was never promised to anyone.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lying on her back, Brooke inhaled deeply and debated whether to open her eyes. Cole had been running his hand over her body—which was still naked from last night—for at least five minutes. It had started innocently enough. A gentle dragging of his fingertips across her skin while he lay next to her, and then his strong hands kneading the muscles in her thighs, arms, and shoulders once he could sense she was awake.

  Her soft moans while he massaged her were what caused him to pull her against him and hold her hips in place so her ass pressed perfectly against his cock. Then he brought a hand up to brush
her hair off her neck so he could kiss it. “You feel what you do to me?” he rasped as he ground against her but didn’t allow her to move. It turned her on even more than she already was.

  “I felt what I do to you three times last night,” she said, causing Cole to nip her ear. “I don’t even know how you can be hard again.”

  He released a hand from her hip enough to swirl a finger lightly over her clit. She tried to move against him, but he held her in place. “I’ve had you naked sleeping next to me all night. How could I not be hard?”

  It was a valid point, but she was having trouble coming up with any type of coherent reply with him touching her like he was. His finger moved in delicious circles over her clit, and every so often, he’d dip a finger inside her enough to make the ache deep within her nearly unbearable. Finally, she was able to force out an “I need to come,” and the plea made him laugh softly into her ear.

  “I think we both need that,” he replied. “But I actually don’t have any condoms left.”

  He dipped his hips lower so he could slip his cock between her thighs and rub against her. God, she wanted to tell him to forget the condom and fuck her senseless until they both exploded with their need for each other. But she knew that would be a reckless decision. Not that most of her recent decisions would be considered sensible—skipping out on a contract, trekking across the country with no plan in place, and then finally hitching a ride with a stranger. Her actions hadn’t exactly screamed “safe and responsible,” yet somehow trusting her instincts had worked out so far. And though all her instincts told her to hop onto Cole’s dick, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. She certainly didn’t think of Cole as a stranger anymore, but he was when it came to his sexual history. “Well, I guess we’ll have to get creative, then.”

  Cole groaned so low into the crook of her neck, she felt the vibration down her spine. “What’d you have in mind?”

  The truth was she didn’t have anything in mind. She liked what they were doing right now—the way Cole’s thrusts between her thighs teased her in exactly the right way, how thick and smooth he felt. “I’m liking this,” she said.

  Cole didn’t reply but instead sped up his long strokes with his cock. She wished it were inside her, but this still felt so good. Especially when she angled herself in a way that allowed the head of his dick to rub over her clit with every stroke. She tightened her thighs around him, giving them both more friction, and the sharp breath Cole exhaled when she did it told her it was appreciated. His fingers were still on her clit, but his touch was light—slow circles and gentle taps that had her pressing his hand down harder with her own. She felt him smile against her neck and let out a low laugh. She guessed the bastard had been waiting for her to do that, probably enjoying watching her squirm with need while he gave her just enough to drive her crazy but not enough to get her off.

  Cole followed her lead, moving his hand exactly as hers guided him to. All of it felt so fucking good. Until Cole slid his hand out from under hers.

  “What are you doing?” she practically choked out.

  Instead of answering, he placed his hand over hers, pressing her own fingers over herself. The pressure alone was practically enough to make her come, so she moved her hips to grind against her fingers.

  “Touch yourself,” Cole said.

  Wasn’t she doing that already? “I am.”

  “No. I mean touch yourself like you do when no one’s watching.”

  “Cole…I don’t…”

  He slowed his thrusts, dragging his cock too slowly against her slick entrance. “Everyone does it, Princess,” he said after a kiss to her shoulder blade. “Even you.”

  She huffed but didn’t remove her hand from herself. “Not with people in the room.”

  “I’m not ‘people.’ And besides, if anyone’s used to having an audience, it’s you,” he said.

  Smartass.

  “You were the one who said to get creative,” he said. Then he moved his fingers from over her hand up to her stomach and then to her nipple. “Do you want to come or not?”

  Cole hadn’t ever shown this side of himself before, but she had to admit she liked it. The realization that he wanted her to do something so intimate with him right there made the whole thing even hotter. And to answer his question, yes, she wanted to come. Really fucking badly.

  So with Cole’s hands roving over her body and his thick cock moving between her legs, she touched herself. Softly at first until she couldn’t help but give herself more, she brought herself closer and closer to orgasm. “I’m gonna come,” she said. But before the sentence had fully left her lips, she was already letting go. A few seconds later, Cole followed, his cock spurting long bursts of come onto her hand, which she’d moved down over his tip so she could feel his release.

  She could feel Cole’s chest moving up and down against her back, their breaths almost synchronized. They hadn’t even kissed or looked at each other. Yet, somehow it was one of the most intimate sexual encounters she’d ever had. She wasn’t sure what would happen between the two of them after they got to Oregon, but right now she didn’t want to think about it. Cole was by her side, holding her tightly. It meant she was safe, protected, happy. For now, anyway.

  By the time they’d managed to drag themselves out of bed and wake up enough to take showers and dress, it was nearing eleven thirty. But it was also already ninety-eight degrees and projected to get even hotter by the height of the day. Though it had still been hot yesterday, the temperature hadn’t been quite as high. And it had been partly cloudy, making it feel a little cooler than it was. He’d still be happy to go to Arches today if Brooke wanted to go, but he felt he should give her fair warning. “It’s pretty hot today,” he said.

  She looked over at him from where she was standing in front of the mirror fixing her hair. “It’s pretty hot every day.”

  Cole laughed as he pulled a T-shirt over his head. “True. But it’s worse than yesterday. It’ll probably be above a hundred soon. I was thinkin’ it might be too hot for Arches, but if you wanna go, I’m game.”

  Brooke’s lips twisted in thought. “I did want to go. But that is really hot. I wouldn’t want to have to drive your ass to the hospital if you pass out or something.”

  He couldn’t resist. “Scared someone’ll recognize you and ask for your autograph?”

  She chucked some sort of hair stuff at him she’d been using and then gave him a shove to his broad chest with both hands.

  The fact that he fell back onto the bed definitely had more to do with him wanting to play along than it did her strength. Once on the bed, he pulled her onto him so she was straddling his hips.

  “So if we didn’t go to the park, what would we do today? I can’t bear the thought of driving another eight hours to Yellowstone today. And it’s already past checkout, so we’re paying for another night regardless.”

  Cole ran his hands up and down her sides and then over her ass to massage it under her shorts. “I’m sure we can think of something,” he said.

  She gave him an exaggerated eye roll. But the way her gaze settled back on him told him she was more interested than she let on. “We can’t just stay in this room all day and have sex.”

  “Says who?”

  “Says me. And you, actually,” she added. “Didn’t you say you were out of condoms?”

  “Oh yeah.”

  “Well, let’s drive into whatever town we’re near and get pancakes and condoms. I’m starving.”

  Cole couldn’t help but laugh at her words. They were on the exact same page.

  After finding a drugstore, they settled into a table at a nearby café. The waitress brought them each a glass of water, and when they ordered coffee, she was back within seconds. “Fresh pot,” she said, putting down the porcelain cups and saucers and filling them almost to the brim. She told them she’d give them a few minutes to decide, and she’d be back to take their orders shortly.

  When she returned, she set down a pla
te of pastries between them—some sort of apple walnut cinnamon bread and a few mini danishes. Cole wasn’t sure why it hadn’t ever occurred to him that restaurants never put out something before breakfast like they did with rolls or bread at other meals, but now that he’d seen a place do it, he didn’t think he could ever go back.

  After the waitress took their order, they dug into their little appetizer plate. “You getting excited to get to Oregon?” Brooke asked.

  “Excited” wasn’t exactly what Cole was feeling, but he did want to get there. Though truthfully less than he had before he’d met Brooke. Cole picked up his napkin from his lap and wiped his face so he didn’t have to answer right away. Nodding, he tried to think of a response that wasn’t a lie. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Jimmy.”

  “You guys have any big plans or anything?”

  “Nope. Are you plannin’ to come all the way to Oregon, or were you wantin’ to head somewhere else?”

  “I’ll ride with you all the way if that’s cool with you.” She poured a little more cream in her coffee. “I promise not to intrude on your guys’ weekend or whatever.”

  “And after Oregon?” he asked. He wanted to steer the conversation away from Jimmy, and that was the next logical question. Plus, it was something he’d been wondering about the last few days. As far as he was concerned, what he had with Brooke was more than just casual sex that filled a need while he was on the road.

  Brooke stopped stirring her coffee and put down the spoon, looking across at him intently before she spoke. “Guess we can figure that out together,” she said.

  And it was exactly what Cole needed to hear.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Cole said as they entered the resort.

  “I can,” Brooke said simply, a small smile threatening to creep over her lips. “I think behind that manly exterior you’re a metrosexual at heart.”