Fall for You (17 page)

Reed shook his head in disbelief. “I don't understand
it. She's never done anything cruel like this before. I'm sorry, Sophie.”

It was on the tip of Sophie's tongue to tell him about what Dot had said to her in high school but kept silent. It wouldn't help anything.

“
You're not really going to make that other order of cookies now that you know she planned the first mix-up, are you?”

Sophie sighed. “I don't really have a choice. If I want to maintain
my reputation, I'll have to make them. Hopefully, a meeting will actually be in session.”

Reed's lips firmed into a hard line. “I can ease your mind there. The receptionist at the town hall told me that the next MFLIC meeting really is Tuesday, next week.”

Shrugging, Sophie said, “I guess that's something.” She stared at him in the dim interior of the truck. “Reed, why would she dislike me so
much? She did this when she
suspected
we might be together. What's your mom going to do now that it's a fact? This is my livelihood and Dot Sutton holds a lot of sway in this town. I can't afford to lose business.”

He glanced at her in the glow from the truck console. “What are you saying, Sophie?”

Now her stomach hurt even more. “I'm saying that if we continue seeing each other, that your mom
is going to try to run The Cookie Jar into the ground. I can't let that happen.”

Reed turned off the road onto a gravel driveway. He parked near a copse of trees near the Falls. It was pretty dark this far out, but Sophie could hear the rush of the water hitting the rocks. He turned off the engine and stared out the windshield into the night,

In a low voice, he asked, “Are you dumping me?”

* * * *

Reed couldn't believe it. He'd just found Sophie. He didn't want to lose her again.

She took off her seat belt and turned toward him. His eyes were adjusting to the dark so he could barely see the outline of her body.

Sophie put a hand on his arm, but he couldn't seem to remove his hands from the steering wheel.

“
Reed, look at me.” Sophie sounded upset and with the bullshit his mom
had pulled, he couldn't blame her for cutting her losses.

“
If that's what's happening, just say it.” His hands were cramping from the grip he held on the wheel. He wanted to reach for her but stayed still.

He'd never even gotten the chance to tell her he loved her.
Screw this.

Reed let go of the steering wheel and unbuckled his seat belt. He levered the seat back and reached for Sophie, lifting
her until she was on his lap. “If this is it, look me in the eyes and say it.”

Sophie put her warm hands on either side of his face and looked him in the eye. In a slightly anxious voice, she said, “Okay, I'll say it.”

He could feel the weight of her sexy little body on his lap. Reed could also see the dark contrast of her dress against the creaminess of her skin. But most of all, he could smell
that wonderful Sophie scent and it was so appealing he could almost taste it.

“
Reed?”

“
What?” He'd take it like a man.

“
I love you.”

“
I…wait, what?”

She smiled even though he could see a tear track down her cheek. Reed didn't move because he still had no idea what was going on. Was this the “I love you, but” brush off?

“
Reed, I love you and I want to be with you. Is there a way we can do
that?”

His first thought, being a guy, was that she was asking if there was a way to make love in his truck. That was a definite ‘hell, yes’. Then Reed realized that what Sophie was asking was if he was willing to rein in his mother so she could keep her business afloat.

He had a feeling that whatever he said right now would make or break them.

At his silence, she said, “I need to know that
you won't let your mom ruin me. That's exactly what she's capable of. I'm not asking you to pick me over your family. All I'm saying is that whatever she's trying to pull can't continue if we're going to be together.”

Reed tugged her against him and rested his forehead against her chest and under her chin. He didn't think he'd ever felt so relieved in his life.

“
So, you're not dumping me?”

He felt her shake her head no.

“
I don't want to be without you, Reed, but I have to make that condition concerning your mom. I've worked too hard to get where I am.”

He squeezed his arms around her waist so hard she let out a little squeak.

“
In that case Sophie, there is something I should tell you.”

She wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it out. “Okay, I'm ready. Tell me.”

“
I love
you. That's it.”

She sniffled and smiled. “That's it, huh?”

“
I'm not going to let anyone hurt you because I love you. That's all that matters. We'll figure out the rest.” He kissed her damp cheeks, her forehead, and then the tip of her nose. “So, Sophie Brandon, cookie goddess and slayer of high heels, ever make out in a pickup truck?”

* * * *

That was the last thing she expected him to say.
What made it even sweeter was that he was completely serious.

“
As a matter of fact, no. There was only one boy I liked with a pickup truck. I wanted to, but never got the chance.”

Reed gripped her hips. “Who was it?”

She moved forward and gave him a short, soft kiss on the lips. “It was you, Reed.”

“
Me? Why the hell didn't you say something? I would have said yes. I would have always said
yes to you.”

Sophie smiled as she ran her fingers through his thick hair. “I didn't know that! Back then, my crush on you had reached epic proportions. It bordered on pathetic, really.” She continued to pet his hair. “One day, I walked straight into my locker door because I was waiting for you to come around the corner. I wanted you to notice me but not like that!”

For some reason, Reed seemed
really pleased by this.

Sophie wasn't pleased. She was annoyed. “You're happy I walked into my locker? That's not nice. I was lucky not to break my nose!”

Reed shook his head. “No, I felt bad that you ran into your locker.” He stroked a finger down the tip of her nose. “But that was the day I fell for you. When I looked over and saw you looking back at me, I was a goner.” Shrugging, he said,
“I wanted to ask you out but you were dating that dick, Brent Francis.”

Sophie was confused. “Why would you think that? I never dated him. He liked Tracy.”

“
I thought that because he said he was taking you out. That's why I couldn't understand how he could ignore you at the Pizza Palace if he was dating you.”

Reed sincerely believed that?

She had to set the record straight.

“
Reed, Brent gave
me a ride to the Pizza Palace because Tracy couldn't pick me up. The only reason I accepted was because you were supposed to be there.”

He was quiet for a moment. “So, you're saying that the night we had pizza together and talked, you were single?” She nodded. “You know what that means don't you, Sophie?”

She had absolutely no idea.

“
That means that since you were single, you were
my
date.
Only, I didn't get to take you home. It might be a lot of years later, but I think I'm due a good-night kiss.” He whispered in her ear. “Kiss me, Sophie.”

* * * *

“
Gosh, I don't know Reed. I have a curfew and my mom might get worried.” She scooted off his lap and tugged him until he was in the middle of the bench seat. Sophie climbed back on and straddled him.

Reed gave a wicked grin. “Come
on, Sophie. Just a kiss. We don't have to do anything else. I promise.”

She tried to look indecisive. “I don't know. What if you tell your friends about it?” She spread her skirt over her knees and his lap until it made a tent around the lower half of them. Then Sophie pushed forward until she was nudged right up against his hard-on. “They might think I'm easy.”

He slid his hands under her skirt
and skimmed them back and forth along her thighs. “It'll be our secret.” Reed leaned forward. “Come on. Kiss me, Sophie.”

Sophie pressed her lips against his in a chaste kiss. “Like this?”

Good Lord, she was trying to kill him.

The top of his head was going to blow off, but he liked it.

“
No, sweet Sophie.” He moved a hand from under her skirt and angled her head a little. “Part your lips.”
She opened her mouth a fraction. “Now lick them for me.” That sweet little tongue came out and slowly licked along her lips.

“
Am I doing it right?”

Reed pulled her closer. “Now kiss me again and keep your mouth open just a bit for me. I'm going to slide my tongue in and play with yours.” He thought he heard a small whimper from her.

Sophie rested her hands against his chest and pressed her
lips to his again. This time he held her head in his hands and plundered her mouth with carnal swipes of his tongue. She joined him in the dance and angled her head more to press deeper.

It took everything he had to break the kiss and pull back. They were both breathing hard. “How do you like kissing, Sophie?”

She looked a little dazed but said, “I think I like it. It feels good.”

Hell yeah,
it did.

Reed began toying with the spaghetti straps on her dress. “Are you ready to go home yet?”

She shook her head no.

He could see the excitement in her eyes. “Do you want to try something else you might like?”

Sophie rocked against him. “Do you promise not to tell?”

Lord have mercy.

He slid his hands up her skirt again. “I promise.”

She nodded. “Okay, what's next?”

The moonlight was
beginning to peek through the truck windows.

“
Unbutton the front of your dress for me. I want to see you.”

Sophie nudged her mound against his erection. Reed could feel the heat from her and knew she was getting wet.

“
All right, but only a little.” She unbuttoned three out of the five buttons running up the front.

“
Come on, Sophie. Just a little more. You know you want to show me those pretty
breasts of yours.” Reed looked around as if searching for other cars. “No one can see us. We're all alone out here.”

Sophie unbuttoned the rest and let the straps fall down her arms. “What do I do now?”

“
That's up to you Sophie. Do you want to take off your bra and see what it feels like to have my hands cup your breasts? Are your nipples hard?”

She nodded her head yes.

“
Pull down your top
and take it off. Show me.”

Sophie complied. She pushed the straps the rest of the way down and unclasped her strapless bra. She kept her hands shyly over her breasts.

Reed was pretty sure he couldn't get much harder. The bra was tossed on the seat next to him. Sophie was naked from the waist up. He was wrong. He could get harder.

“
Are you ready to go home yet? We don't have to go any further.”

Yes, they did.

Her voice was husky, but she said,
“
No. Not yet. I want you to show me what else I'll like.”

“
Have you ever thought about a man touching your breasts, Sophie?”

She nodded.

“
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have those pretty little pink nipples sucked on? I can see how hard they are.” Reed ran the back of one hand lightly against one peak. Sophie arched forward.
“Yes, I think you want that. You want me to taste you and suck that sweet flesh into my mouth, don't you?” He ran his thumbs lightly against her skin. “Say the word, Sophie.”

He heard a faint moan of “Yes.”

Reed lifted her until she was balancing on her knees in front of him. He placed his hands on her back, pulled her forward, and began to feast.

Sophie cried out.

Reed licked and sucked on
her nipples only long enough to tease her. He pulled away with one last, long, wet draw. “You taste like paradise, Sophie. But I know you're a good girl. You probably want to go home now.”

She shook her head no.

“
Oh, I see. My sweet little Sophie is curious. Are you wet? Do you feel achy between your thighs?”

She sat down fully and rubbed against him.

“
This is your last chance. You can go
home and be a good girl or you can stay here and get fucked.”

Sophie moaned.

Reed ran his hand up her thigh and rubbed his thumb along the cotton covering her mound. “I feel how wet you are through your panties.”

She rose up a little and he pushed his thumb inside the leg band of her underwear. He felt the creamy wetness between her thighs. “Later on, I'm going to taste you here. I want my
mouth between your spread thighs so I can make you come with my tongue. Let's get those panties off, Sophie.”

She rose up quickly and slid them down her legs. Instead of climbing back on, she kneeled before him.

Sophie stroked her hand up and down the length of him. “I've never seen one of these before. Can I look at it?”

He unbuttoned and unzipped and pulled his cock free.

“
Can I touch it?”

He nodded mutely.

She wrapped her hand around it. “Reed, it's so long and hard. It feels so hot. Do nice girls want to taste it? Do they want to put it in their mouths and suck on it?”

Reed couldn't concentrate on the questions. She'd turned the tables on him. “Yes. Good girls love it too.”

Sophie ran her tongue along the length of him and lapped at the head. “Is this right?”

He panted out.
“Put me in your mouth and suck on it. Now!”

She lowered her lips over the head and licked around it. She kept her hand at the base of his shaft. Then she sucked as much of him as she could into her mouth.