Broken (21 page)

Jesus Christ, I’ve never seen such a perfect body before in my life.

She had on black lace boy shorts with a black lace bra.

“Shit! Ouch, you little fucking bastards!” She threw her clothes off to the side and grabbed the hose. She washed her whole body down.

I just stood there and watched her. My dick couldn’t possibly get any harder. I turned and walked onto the porch. I reached up for the spare key and opened the door. Mike and I had always kept an extra change of clothes in the cabin. I walked over toward the sink and quickly stripped out of my clothes. I washed the mud off of me, and then I grabbed a towel, dried off, and wrapped the towel around my waist.

I hadn’t been in the cabin since last hunting season
—with Mike.

I was just about to change into a clean T-shirt and jeans when I looked up and saw a soaking wet and crying Whitley standing in the doorway.

My heart broke in two from just seeing her cry. “Honey…”

She ran up to me and jumped into my arms as she cried hysterically.

I ran my hand down her hair and tried to get her to calm down. “Sweetheart, are you okay?”

She shook her head and buried her face into my chest.

I reached down and made her look up at me. “Are you hurt somewhere?”

She shook her head. “I…I…” She bit down on her damn lower lip again. “I threw my clothes right back into the mud puddle, and the ant bites are itching, and I…” She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “I don’t have any clothes to wear now!”

She started to cry again, and it was everything I could do not to laugh. I held her for a minute or two before I reached over and grabbed another towel. I took the towel and started to dry her off. I dried off her back…then her arms…stomach…down one leg and up another.

I took in her perfect body, and I wanted nothing more than to touch her. I slowly stood back up and looked into her eyes. The look in her eyes told me she wanted me just as much as I wanted her. I leaned down and brushed my lips gently against hers. She let out the softest, sweetest moan I’d ever heard.

What am I doing? I don’t want or need this. I can’t be hurt again.

I pulled back just a bit. “I’m sorry.” I took a step away from her.

She reached out, took the towel, and wrapped it around her body. I walked over to the dresser and pulled out a Texas A&M T-shirt and a pair of sweats. I handed them to her and turned away, so she could get dressed.

“Please keep your bra and panties on, Whit.”

“Why? They’re soaking wet.”

“If I know you have no bra or panties on under my clothes, I’m not sure how I’ll react.”

“Oh,” she said in such a sweet and innocent way. “Okay.”

When she touched my shoulder, I jumped and spun around to face her.

“Sorry. I’m, uh…I’m done.” She looked down at the floor. “I’ll wait in the Jeep for you.” She turned and walked toward the door.

I wanted to call out for her to stop. I wanted to take her in my arms and make love to her so bad that it almost hurt.

She opened the door and shut it behind her.

I sat down on the bed and tried to catch my breath. I shook my head and tried to clear the image of her standing in front of me. I tried to erase the look in her eyes. I closed my eyes and saw Olivia and me making love on this very bed. I could never make love to Whitley for the first time in this bed. She deserved so much better than that.

She deserves so much better than me. I need to distance myself from her.

I was starting to fall for her, fast and hard, and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

Then, I heard a truck pull up, and someone started talking. I quickly got changed and headed outside. I locked up the cabin and put the key back above the door. I rounded the corner and saw Mitch, my ranch foreman, talking to Whitley.

The next thing I knew, she was running around to the passenger side of his truck and getting in. Mitch started to drive off, but I stepped in front of his truck. He quickly slammed on the brakes. I looked directly at Whitley, who appeared to be on the verge of tears. I walked up to Mitch’s window, and he rolled it down. He looked pissed-off.

“Layton.”

“Mitch.” I looked over at Whitley. “Where are you going, Whitley? And why are you in my foreman’s truck?”

“I, um…I just need to get back, and he pulled up, so…I’m just going to head back to your house, if that’s okay. I just need to leave.”

I looked at the hurt in her eyes.
Is it hurt or fear?

I smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll be up there right away. I just have to go back to the Jeep.”

She nodded and tried to smile. “Yep…okay.”

I looked at Mitch. “Thanks, Mitch.”

He gave me a nod and rolled up the window. I stood there and watched as he drove off with her.

My heart started pounding, and I felt sick to my stomach.

Why does it feel like she’s leaving me? She promised me she wouldn’t leave me—ever.

I jumped out of Mitch’s truck and thanked him. I practically ran up the back steps into Layton’s house. I shut the door, ran through the kitchen, and grabbed my bag and purse. I headed toward the door. I needed to leave and leave right now.

“Oh God! How could I be so stupid? What’s wrong with me? I can’t believe I actually wanted him to kiss me…I wanted him to…
oh God
!” I started to make my way out when I stopped dead in my tracks.

I saw the picture of Mike and Layton on the fireplace mantel.

I promised him. I promised him I’d never leave him.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds before I turned around and started walking down the hallway, looking for Layton’s bedroom to take a shower and put on dry clothes. I slowly opened a door and saw it was the master bedroom. I walked in and put my hand up to my mouth.

It was amazing. There was a huge king-size bed with a beautiful solid wood bedframe. The matching dressers were incredible. The walls had been painted a blue-silver color, and the bedding matched it perfectly. The pictures on the walls were all hand-painted country scenes.

“My God…it’s so serene in here,” I said to myself.

I glanced over and saw a nook with two giant oversized chairs. I thought about how comfortable it would be to sit there and read a book.

Ah hell…I sound like Courtney now.

I walked up, opened a door, and prayed it was his bathroom.

Nope.

“Holy shit. This is bigger than my whole bedroom.”

I walked into the completely empty walk-in closet. I backed out and looked across the room to another door. I walked over and opened it.

It was filled with Layton’s clothes. I walked in and ran my hand along all his shirts. I pulled one up to my nose and took a deep breath in.

“Oh Jesus,” I whispered as I closed my eyes. It smelled just like him.

I turned, stepped out of the closet, and shut the door behind me.

I made my way over to a set of double doors. When I opened them, I let out a gasp. “Who in the hell decorated this house?”

The first thing I noticed was the oversized tub surrounded by sandstone rock. Then, I looked over to the huge walk-in shower made of travertine in a matching color. The cabinets looked like pieces of furniture, and both sinks were copper with faucets that looked like little wells. I smiled because it all screamed Layton
.

And me.
This is exactly how I would have wanted this bathroom.

It was spotless.

Does he even use this bathroom?

I pulled the wet Texas A&M T-shirt off and threw it to the floor. I unclasped my bra and tossed it on top of his T-shirt. I took the sweatpants off and kicked them away from me as I reached in to turn on the shower. The heat from the water felt heavenly. I stood there, staring at the water falling down.

I’m falling in love with him. I’m totally falling in love with him, and I can’t keep denying it.

The moment I felt his hand move down my back, I smiled. When he leaned down and kissed my neck, every nerve in my body started going crazy.

He put his lips up to my ear and whispered, “I was so afraid you were going to leave me.”

I turned around and looked into his eyes. The way our eyes held on to each other caused me to catch my breath. It felt like every fear I’d ever had just melted away from the way he was looking at me. Every doubt about myself was instantly gone. I felt…healed.

I smiled as I whispered, “I promised you I’d never leave you.”

He reached his hand up and brushed the back of it down the side of my face. “When you first met me, Whitley, I was so damaged. I had a broken heart that was still bleeding. When I look into your eyes…I feel…like my heart is healing.”

Oh my God, he just said the same thing I’d thought.

“I feel…meaning in my life. I see a purpose again. Today, at the old ranch house, you literally healed my broken heart. I just need to know more about you. I can barely breathe when I leave your side.” He bent down and brushed his lips against mine.

My whole body trembled with his every touch.

“I think about you constantly, Whitley. I wonder what you’re doing, what you’re thinking about, and who you’re thinking about. I want to take away all of the hurt…all of the fear…I see in your eyes. I want you to lose yourself in my love.”

Oh my
.

My knees were giving out on me. He reached around me and held me up as he moved his lips down my neck. I’d never in my life felt so on fire…so desperate for another person’s touch.

I tried to talk, but nothing came out. His lips traveled down my body until he found my breasts. He fondled my one breast and nipple while he took the other into his mouth.

“Oh God…” I threw my head back as my whole body trembled.

He slowly moved his lips down my stomach. I’d never had a man treat my body with such…adoration.

“I can’t get close enough to you, Whitley.”

My breathing started to pick up, and I grabbed his hair to keep myself from falling. As his lips moved farther down, his fingers slipped beneath my panties. The feeling that shot through my body was amazing. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before.

He slowly started to slip off my panties. The trail of sensations he left with his fingers on my skin was more than I could stand. I was barely able to pick up my feet to get the panties off.

Then, I felt his lips on my upper thigh, and I ran my hands through his hair as I threw my head back again and moaned.

“Layton…”

I’d never let Roger give me oral sex
—ever.
At first, I’d practically begged him to, but he’d said it was dirty. Then, toward the end, he’d wanted to, but I couldn’t bear the thought of his lips down there.

Layton kissed me all the way up my leg and ended right above my clit. I wanted to grab his face and make him touch me with his lips, but he slowly stood up. He cupped my face with his hands, and leaning down, he kissed me with so much passion and love that I wanted to cry.

He slowly backed me into the shower. He pushed me up against the wall, and all I could think of was how jealous Courtney was going to be. All she ever talked about was shower sex and how she wanted it.

When I didn’t think we could kiss any longer and when I was in desperate need of air, he pulled his lips from mine. He gently bit down on my lower lip, and I let a moan slip from my mouth.

“Whitley,” he whispered against my lips, “I want to get to know every inch of your body. I want to make nothing but memories with you. Every day. Every minute. Every second.” He gently kissed me in between his words.

I’d never experienced such passion in my life. “Layton…I…I…”

His smile caused my stomach to drop.

Oh good God, I’ve never felt like this before. I love him.

“Tell me, Whit…tell me, baby.”

He placed both hands on my face and brought me in for another kiss. I was slowly losing myself to him. I never wanted this moment to ever end.

I slowly pulled away and looked into his eyes. “I love you, Layton. I tried to fight it, but…I want to be with you every second of the day. I want…I want you to…” I felt tears burning my eyes.

Can I do this? Can I open myself up to another man again? Can I trust that he’ll love me and never hurt me?

He slowly smiled as he reached around my body and lifted me up.

“You want me to, what, Whitley? Love you? Because I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you standing next to your car, since the moment your beautiful green eyes looked into mine. The moment I heard your sweet voice talk to me, I knew deep down inside that I would love you forever.”

I buried my face into his neck and cried.

I wasn’t sure how long he held me while I cried. He gently put me down and reached for the soap. He began to wash every inch of my body. He turned me around and placed my hands on the shower wall.

Everywhere he touched left tingles. The way he was washing me was almost as sensual as having sex. I didn’t want him to stop. I’d never felt this intimate with another person in my entire life.

Then, his hands began to wash my hair.

“Feels…so…good.” I could hardly talk.

After he rinsed my hair and body off, he reached over and shut off the water. I didn’t even care that we hadn’t had knock-my-socks-off wall sex in the shower. He’d just knocked my fucking socks off by washing me and giving every square inch of my body attention.