Just Want Somebody to Love (Bella Warren Book 1) (22 page)

“I didn’t mean—” Her gaze locked on his and eyes widened.

Nailed it. Excellent, but he shrugged again to show her it was no big deal. “It’s okay. I’m not telling anyone your secrets.” He leaned against the tree she stood on. “When I was a kid, one of my favorite games was to pretend I was a doctor. Everyone respects a doctor. I didn’t even know what respect was, or why I craved it, until I was older. But when I pretended to be that doctor and operate on dead leaves with sticks, I was king of the mountain.”

A satisfied, happy sound escaped her. “You’re full of surprises, Justin.”

He pushed off the tree and faced her. “Then I got older, realized it didn’t matter two shits what anyone thought of me. All that mattered was what I cared about and my opinion.”

That pity look of hers was back. “Who loves you?”

Love. God, that hit the top of the list of the last thing on earth he wanted to talk about. Since he was supposed to be making her fall in love with him, the topic was bound to come up. Damn woman didn’t even know how she forced his hand to face things. If it got him the business, then it would be worth it. “Brandon.”

“No one else?”

“I don’t know.” He kicked a pinecone across the ground. Maybe his parents in their own special, distant way. Weren’t they required to love you by default? The last girl he’d dated off and on for a bit claimed to love him. He’d yet to puzzle that one out, since they’d been all physical. “If you want honesty, I don’t care either. How people feel about me doesn’t affect my happiness.”

“What about your mom and dad?”

Oh damn. His comforting cold shoulder at the hint of that topic started up, but he couldn’t hide anything from her. He knew his faults. People liked to tell him about them a lot, and his last girlfriend sure as hell let him know all of them, including the fact he didn’t talk about his parents, and, for some ungodly reason, that frustrated the hell out of her. He faced Whitney and kept a tight hold on the desire to tell her it was none of her business. “All parents love their kids, don’t they? Mom worked a lot. Dad was busy a lot.”

More sadness and pity. “That doesn’t sound very supportive.”

The part of his chest that used to hurt when he’d tried to show either of his parents schoolwork didn’t even bother him anymore. They were always too busy. Too busy became a numb spot on his soul. “They weren’t bad parents. Since a D in math is passing, that was considered a good job without expectations I could do better.”

She blinked. “I have a hard time believing that.”

“Believe it. They weren’t around a lot.”

“No, no. Some parents are shits, and it sucks you got stuck with a pair. Kara’s mom and dad could give yours a run for their money. Even more impressive that you don’t use their shortcomings as excuses. But what I meant was, you having a D is unbelievable.”

That was it? He got to skirt talking about his parents with one sentence. He might have just fallen into a lot of like with Whitney. “Believe it. I had Ds in almost everything until I got to high school and realized I had to get serious if I wanted to do something with myself.”

She jumped from the tree. It was about a ten foot drop. He started forward with his heart in his throat, but he wasn’t close enough to catch.

She hit the ground, dipped, and stumbled as a laugh fell out of her. “I haven’t done that in forever.” She cleared her throat and pushed hair back. “You’re so determined. I’m just surprised grades got you down.”

He wasn’t always determined, and there was a point in his life that the faster he could disappear, the better he liked it. But he didn’t want to get into that with her staring at him like he owned all the money in the bank. She eased her hand down his arms and her fingertips caressed his hands. He turned his wrist and caught her hand. “Lead the way.”

Ruts marked every which way through the center path. By the looks of them, it was mostly four-wheelers with a truck or two that passed through here. She pointed to a spot where the trail curved. “I think that takes you to the bar.”

“Where else can you get to from here?”

“If I remember right, if you go that way toward the bar, the path splits off and one will take you to the park area. That same section circles around, so if we’d have gone to the left when we stepped into the woods, we could have gotten there from that way too. I think.”

“And where are we going?”

Her smile was all kinds of sexy as she glanced at him. “A little place up here. You can’t get to it by truck or four-wheeler. I hope that bridge is still there, because with the rain, we won’t be able to get there without it.”

“Private, remote, and it’s dark? I like my odds so far.”

“And not even a half a mile walk with a good chance of my pants coming off.”

His throat got extra tight. Not as tight as his jeans, but tight. “If I knew where we were going, you’d be over my shoulder while I ran for it.”

“Too bad you don’t know.”

His hand lowered from her back, to the sweet curve of her ass. “We can stop here.”

She lowered the bright beam of the flashlight to the rutted up and muddy road. “I can wait.”

“I don’t mind being on bottom.”

She chuckled. “I mind picking red worms out of your back, though.”

And a sock to the gut. “Way to kill the mood.”

“When it comes to you, I have a feeling it won’t be gone long.”

When it came to him? More like when it came to her. He hadn’t followed a woman to the middle of the woods for sex since he moved out of his parents’ house. The kicker of it, they’d walked in her house to grab a flashlight and left the comforts of her private home for the purpose of coming here where sex was going to be happening.

It wasn’t talked about or planned. They were together and they were alone, and she couldn’t be on a different page than him. That page said they were about two minutes from pulling off shirts and ripping off underwear.

“Almost there.” She turned and faced a ditch too wide to jump across. “This is why you can’t take a car or four-wheeler to get here.”

A light current carried leaves. The soggy walls of the bank were soaked with muddy water. A two by eight stretched over the ditch, and he had a feeling this was her idea of a bridge. “I’m surprised nobody made a makeshift bridge to get a four wheeler over it.”

She lifted a shoulder and walked across the narrow board. “Don’t know. We always parked the four-wheeler and walked the rest of the way. Not really far enough to deal with it.”

That board looked questionable for supporting a lot of weight. He waited until she made it to the other side before he started. To his surprise, the thing didn’t creak or split under his steps. “Where to, fearless leader?”

“We’re there.” She turned and her light showed they were at the base of a small hill.

She faced him with a grin getting bigger. “Race you?”

“Race?”

She was gone. For short legs, she made good time. He chased after. Holy shit, he was out of shape. He needed to increase the climb on the treadmill. She made it to the top, and her laughter carried him the rest of the way.

Sweet as the sound was, and how her deep breaths pushed her breasts out, he almost forgot about the burn in his calves. She was winded, but not nearly like he was. She laughed as she crossed the small hilltop.

“This side.”

Leaves crunched under his steps as he eased around a twisting oak tree and stood behind her. She bent and moved her light around until stopping between some trees. “If it were daytime, you could see the farm through there. But not in the summer because the leaves grow in and you can’t see anything.”

“So you escaped the farm so you could come up here and look at it?”

She laughed and lifted a shoulder. “Yeah, I guess.”

“If you ever want to escape, I’ve got an apartment that would love to meet you.”

“I could possibly make that happen.”

“Name when you’re coming and I’ll be ready.”

“Maybe one weekend after planting season. I can swing that. I’m not sure I could stay gone for long.”

Dammit. Not what he needed to hear. “I don’t get you.”

“Why’s that?”

“Sometimes you seem like you want to get away, and then others you don’t.”

She laughed. “Nowhere is perfect, I don’t think, but the farm isn’t far from it. Sometimes I get frustrated with being here, but at the end of the day, I love way more things about it than the few I dislike.”

Ouch. Wasn’t helping his case. “I don’t dislike anything about living in the city. Or my job. It’s perfect.”

“Really?” She tipped her head. “You don’t get frustrated with anything?”

“No. I face challenges, but nothing I can’t handle. I think if you don’t love everything about what you’re doing, then you shouldn’t be doing it.”

She gave him a long, thoughtful look. “I’m not sure everyone has the luxury.”

He lifted a shoulder. “No one’s fault but their own if they don’t. Life is too short to spend it doing shit you don’t like.”

She studied him, then turned away to face where she mentioned being able to see the farm if it were day.

She was so conflicting at times he didn’t know if he was making progress or not. All he knew was how he felt. He felt like he wanted more of her and hoped she wanted him too. His entire business was staked on feelings. Fucking feelings. He’d made a point for so long not to give a shit about how people felt about him, and the biggest moment of his life pin-holed on that exact point.

He cupped her shoulders and caressed her arms to her hands and then back up. The sound that purred from her said all he needed. They were definitely on the same page.

He kissed her neck and shoulder and got his hands under her shirt to that soft skin.

A small turn of his hands and his fingers eased under the tight fit of her black pants. His knuckles brushed over cool silk as he uncurled his fingers. Light blue panties, maybe? Or red. As red as the shirt she’d worn the first night he’d met her. Before he’d never cared much what a woman’s underwear looked like, but since she’d brought it up, it hadn’t left his mind. On his toes seemed to be her favorite place to keep him. Then again, the things he enjoyed most in life he had to work at the hardest to get. She shouldn’t be any different.

She was exciting and intense, and at other times, so frustrating he wanted to pull his hair out. She leaned on his shoulder as he pushed her pants down enough they slouched around her upper thighs, and he could get his hands in every place he wanted.

He hooked his thumbs in the tight elastic of her panties. Too dark to tell what color. Her ass curved up, and he traced the curve from the silk to her thighs. Definitely would be enjoying this. Her rounded cheeks he’d been happy to lean over last time were at his hips, and he wasted no time in getting his hands on her. A breath filled her as he gripped and she pressed into his hands.

He rubbed over her center and found the smoothness of her panties coving her wet opening. “Should have thought ahead and brought a blanket.”

“I had one last time.”

“Really?” Damn. Why did he have to rush out of here so fast last time?

“Yep. And snacks. Kara had fixed us a basket loaded full of stuff.”

Shit.

She leaned forward, pushing her ass against the tight confines of his jeans. “She had cupcakes, but she put the frosting in a bowl. We could have put the frosting on the cupcakes or somewhere else.”

He gripped her hips. They couldn’t go to the ground here. He didn’t want her knees marked up from the pine needles and cones. With her leaned forward like that, though, ideas filled him. He bent over and wrapped her in a hug from behind and lifted her off her feet.

He lowered her to the ground in front of a sturdy looking pine tree. He cupped down her arms, gathered her hands in his, and pushed her forward until she touched the hard trunk.

He left a kiss on her neck. “You’re not going to fall over, are you?”

She scoffed and used the tree for leverage just as he’d imagined she would. “I’m more concerned about you falling and dragging me down.”

“I will do my best to see that you land on top.” He lowered her pants farther on her legs so there was enough room to reach between her thighs.

“Always the gentleman.”

“Honey.” He reached between her legs and caught the edges of her panties. “You know I’m no gentleman.”

He tugged at the thin silk and the satisfying rip followed by her sharp inhale had him in the palm of her hand.

God, he didn’t realize how much he’d missed this. Not just sex. He knew he’d been missing that. He’d been so busy since he’d left to waste time having any. But he’d missed having it with her. The noises she made. The sexy little curve of her lower back so her ass lifted and faced her sweet, wet entrance to him. How all that wild hair bounced with his thrusts.

He liked sex. What crazy ass man didn’t, but with her, an extra enjoyment factored in. An eagerness she matched as she pressed against him.

The heavy pant of her breath as he filled her and the hunger that came from her hips meeting his as he slammed into her over and over.

Her head tossed back, hair flew, and insides gripped him in a tight hold. He gritted his teeth and no doubt held her far too damn hard, but he couldn’t stop as he took her until he let go.

She bent forward, the flashlight on the ground tilted at an angle to illuminate her white knuckles. Fingertips gripped the tree. Her head lowered and back arched as she sucked in large breaths of air. He echoed that and needed a moment to catch his breath too. With a heavy weight and a shit ton of just damn-well-didn’t-want-to, he withdrew so she could straighten.

The best part was, when everything was over, they could do this as often as they wanted in his apartment. And after they were done with a quick fuck, he could take his time about stripping her and tasting where he’d just filled her.

Whitney stifled a laugh as Mrs. Laura bumped Justin with her elbow. “I heard from Sarah you were a looker, but she’s got cataracts, so I wasn’t sure. She once told me Jim Barrow had someone new living with him, but turned out he’d just put a donkey in his front yard.”