River's End (River's End Series, #1) (27 page)

She headed towards shore, only to bump into Jack. He stood on the sandy bottom, his shoulders raised above the water as he swayed with the current swirling around him. She froze when his hands clenched around her upper arms, catching her and pulling her back towards his body. Her stomach tightened in uncertainty at his touch, and the soft way his fingertips brushed over her skin. She felt his body so close behind her, she was unable to move. What if he was just mocking her? What if she suddenly turned towards him and he rejected her? Or made fun of her? Or… well… what could Jack possibly be doing?

His hands came to her waist and her bare stomach. He lifted her, turning her towards him as he dropped her along the front of his body. Their wet bodies slid together and she groaned at the sensations. She was surprised sparks didn’t shoot off them and sizzle in the water. He was aroused. She could feel him against her middle with the water supporting her weight. Finally, his mouth came down on hers. Warm, wet, and soft at first. She sighed at the pleasure, and the ease of it. How right it felt. He held her there, kissing her for long moments as the chirping crickets grew louder around her, and the light totally faded.

Then suddenly, his hot tongue hastily entered her mouth. He moved his hands until they were at the back of her swimsuit. He undid it and threw it towards the shore in seconds. His hand came around to her wet breast. Her nipples were hard and small already from the cold water. The sensation of his warm, rough hands on her cold, wet nipples had her nearly screaming with the sheer ecstasy it sent towards her center.

He moved, then walked, easily carrying her towards the shore. He took her to the big beach towel, where they ate their dinners previously. Setting her there, his hands took off her swimsuit bottom. And that quick, that unexpectedly, she was naked. With Jack.

The sand felt soft and lumpy against her back. Jack lay down beside her, putting an arm under her head, and leaning in before he started kissing her again. His hands roamed everywhere, touching her, caressing her, igniting her. His hands were very large, with deep calluses that should have scratched her, but instead, only incited her more feverishly.

And he could kiss. His mouth was warm as he moved his lips over hers, complete and thorough without ever overpowering or gagging her.

When he ran his tongue over her lips, and started kissing down her neck, she thought she might melt from the sensual pleasure. His hands caressed her breasts, rubbing over her nipples, until his mouth finally took over. He licked and kissed her, using his teeth with the perfect amount of pressure. She felt it all spiraling deeper into her womb.

She grabbed his head, her fingers digging into the silky strands of glossy red hair. She had to think and stop this.
They could not do this.
They could not have sex. She knew that more than anything else. This was Jack. He didn’t want to have sex with her. He’d hate her tomorrow. He’d kick her out. He’d… well, he had the authority to ruin her life. And the potential to break her heart.

She gasped out, “Joey.”

He paused and lifted his head. “What did you say?”

“We can’t do this. I slept with Joey. Right over there. You…You can’t mean to do this.”

He dropped his head, with his face nuzzling her stomach, and groaned. “God damn Joey. Yeah, I know what you did and where it happened.”

“Then what…
what are you doing?
”

“I’m going to do this better than my brother did. I’m going to make you scream until you never again remember my brother’s name.”

Her mouth fell open in shock. She never expected
that.
Not from the stern, somber, always in control Jack Rydell.

His hands moved again and his face was close to her. She shut her eyes as he kissed her in soft, butterfly-like kisses. She couldn’t do this. The thought flashed through her mind, but the swirling behind her eyelids clashed with it. He kissed her between her legs until he touched his tongue inside her. She nearly sat up in shock at the sensations. She couldn’t handle it. It was too much, too good, and she was too quick. She came in a blinding scream as she shut her eyes and felt the pulsing aftershocks all the way down to her toes and right through her fingertips. She lay back down, breathing hard, the dark silence filling her after totally letting go.

She heard him move. He was taking off his wet swim trunks. He had a condom.
He planned to do this
? Impossible. No way. Jack never planned to sleep with her. She, who slept with his brother.

“What are you doing?” she finally asked, her voice almost sounding like a croak.

“Getting laid.”

That wasn’t right. The thought passed over her brain, and it wasn’t what she wanted with Jack. However, after he raised her legs around him, and pushed himself into her, she forgot what to think. He was so good. It was the last thought she had as he moved inside her, against her, over her, and his hand raised her ass and positioned her just the way he wanted. And he was right. It was hot and quick and earth-shattering. She never experienced such sharp, white-hot pulsations from orgasms that were so fast, so furious and so close together.

Jack lay down next to her, and as it turned out, he could damn well sleep anywhere, even on a lumpy, sandy beach. It had been a long drive home, made even longer by watching Erin in the pool all afternoon. He tried to convince himself there was nothing there for him. For them. She slept with Joey, and she lived there, for God’s sake. That was no set-up for any kind of affair, especially with his kids there too. No way.

Except: he did it anyway. She was hotter than he ever fantasized. Hotter than Joey even implied she was. As soon as he came inside her, he was fast asleep beside her.

Waking up to a face full of sand that exploded over him, entering his mouth and nearly choking him, his eyes automatically snapped opened. Big mistake. He rubbed at them to wipe out the fine, dry sand granules. His eyes were stinging and it was dark around him. It took him a moment to understand what happened. Erin was sitting next to him, her knees pulled up to her chest and a towel wrapped around her, hiding all of her, as she glared at him.

He rolled over and sat up. “What the hell did you do that for?”

“You just went to sleep.”

He stared and spat out the sand on his tongue. Then he got up and went to the river to rinse his mouth out as he flushed his stinging eyes. Finally, the pain subsided. Only then, now fully awake, did he turn towards Erin who still sat huddled, her eyes focused straight down towards her toes.

He was naked still, but he didn’t care. He stomped forward and sat down next to her. “You want to tell me why you just threw sand in my face?”

She shook her head and wouldn’t look at him. He finally noticed the tears. “Have you been crying?” His tone came out more annoyed than he meant to sound. Why was she crying? He was sure he hadn’t hurt her. She’d been a lot louder and lustier than he. What was her problem then?

“I want to go back to my trailer now.”

Her voice was quiet, almost tragic sounding. He had no idea what the hell was going on with her. Why was she acting like he just stole her virginity without her permission? Damn, if she hadn’t liked what they just did.

“Fine. Let’s go,” he said, standing up before grabbing his t-shirt and pulling it over his head. He threw his wet clothes into the bag and wrapped a dry towel around him before jamming his feet into black flip-flops. Erin stood there, wrapped up tightly, her hair half dry and hanging to her waist.

He went first as it was pitch black now on the trail. He kept his eyes wide open and his ears perked up, listening for rattlers. He should have remembered to bring a flashlight. He stopped when he heard Erin whimper.

“What now?”

“I-I heard something. Right there.”

He turned and looked to where she pointed.
A rock.
“It’s nothing.”

He kept walking and she stayed close. He walked faster, his anger growing with each step. Who was she to act like that? He was the one who broke his own code. He never intended to sleep with a woman whom one of his brothers had first. It wasn’t something he was proud of, so who was she to act so miffed? Or so offended? He didn’t even pretend to get it.

They reached her trailer and she threw her swimsuit onto the deck. She slipped past him, making it obvious she wasn’t going to speak to him again. He grabbed her hand and forced her to turn towards him.

“What exactly are you so pissed off about?”

“You told me you were getting laid and then fell sound asleep.”

“Yeah? Okay. So? It was a long trip today, and the extreme heat would’ve zapped anyone.”

“
You got laid and fell asleep
, just like you intentionally planned. I’m glad I could help you out with that.”

Jack started to answer when he noticed headlights at the top of the driveway turning in with an arc of light that swept over the darkened ranch. Then, rather oddly, the lights on the vehicle went out, as did the engine, and the car gently rolled towards the house, parking very near to where Erin’s trailer once sat. Jack tensed up. Was it Chance? Or a random burglar? Who the hell else would approach the ranch so silently and stealthily?

Erin jerked her arm from his hand, and nodded towards the car. “Like father, like son, huh?”

“What?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s Ben and Marcy. Trying to find a quiet spot to park.”

Jack closed his eyes. “Well, shit.” He glanced down at himself, and decided that wearing a t-shirt and a damp beach towel wasn’t exactly how he wanted to confront his son, but what other choice did he have? As Erin so succinctly pointed out, he was Ben’s father, and it was time he acted like it, despite however unpopular any confrontation with Ben might become.

He turned and left Erin. No doubt, she wasn’t finished with whatever got her so pissed off. He wanted to turn and make a beeline for his bed and stay there, away from Erin, and now his young son who so obviously was making out in the front seat of the truck he borrowed. He almost felt hypocritical, however, when he remembered parking near that very spot and making out with Ben’s mother at the very same age. His chest tightened.

He didn’t look in the windows, but rather, thumped his fist on the roof of the cab. He waited the few moments for the kids inside to fumble around, until finally, Ben’s head popped out.

“You have five minutes to get your ass into the house.”

“Yessir,” Ben said, not meeting Jack’s eyes. For once, he didn’t argue or grumble. Ben’s eyes were on him as Jack turned and left the car with his towel flapping behind him ridiculously. He stomped into the house. Yeah, great way to appear real fierce.

He threw on a clean t-shirt and black sweats once he got inside before steeling himself for an avenue of fatherhood he never really thought he’d encounter. He wished like hell that Ben’s mother were here to tell him what to do. Should he be understanding? And quiet? Or yell? And maybe even ground him? What the hell do you do with your hormonal teenage son? Without ending up looking like a total hypocrite? Being a father was so different from being the teenager who could only think about having sex. Only now could Jack realize all the things that could have gone so wrong for Lily and him, as he instantly saw what might go wrong for Ben and Marcy.

He looked up from the table when Erin walked in. She wore a t-shirt and flannel pajamas pants, and her hair was dry now, falling down to her waist while the curls spiraled around her head. He’d never seen her without the signature headband she always wore. Her hair was crazy beautiful, and extraordinary, really.

“Can we get into this later?” he asked, feeling tired just thinking about everything he’d done wrong. The first mistake was having ever touched her. He ran a hand over his face. “Ben will be right in.”

“I know. He saw me.”

“I know. He saw me wearing a frickin’ beach towel. I’m sure he’s figured out what I must’ve been doing at midnight, walking around the ranch that way.”

She looked away as he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
Shit.
This night that started out so great was ending in painful embarrassment for all involved.

Ben and Marcy walked in. They both hung their heads, refusing to meet Jack’s gaze. He waited until they sat down.

“First of all, where is your brother, Ben?”

“He decided to stay the night at the Collivers’ house. They called you, but you didn’t answer. They got a hold of Ian and he said it was okay. Check your messages, Dad.”

The snide tone was there.
Yeah, Ben knew why he didn’t answer his phone
.

“And so you decided… what? To pick up Marcy and sneak her back here?”

Ben shrugged.

“Second, you’re not supposed to be driving alone yet. What the hell were you thinking? If you’d gotten pulled over, you’d have lost your permit, and probably wouldn’t drive for another year. As it is, you have to wait until December.”

Ben’s head shot up. He was due to turn sixteen in three short weeks. “Dad, you can’t do that.”

Jack grunted. “I sure as shit can. You broke numerous rules here tonight, the least of which we’ve yet to discuss.”

Ben stood up, his youthful age making his skinny arms quiver. “You mean, like what you and Erin were doing? I saw you, Dad. You were wearing a towel.
A towel.
I’m not stupid. I know what that means.”

Jack nodded. There was no use denying the obvious. “Yeah, well, Ben, the difference is I’m an adult, and Erin is an adult, so it’s not the same thing.”

“How isn’t it the same thing?”

“Because I’m not a stupid kid who’s sneaking around with a young girl and about to make the biggest mistake of both of their lives.” He walked forward and slammed a fistful of condoms down. “Do you have any of these?”

Ben’s cheeks turned a shade of red Jack had never seen a person turn. Ben didn’t answer so Jack took that as a no. “Damn it, Ben. Have you two already had unprotected sex?”

Ben finally shook his head no and Erin suddenly stepped forward. “Jack, perhaps I should take Marcy home?”

Marcy’s head jerked up as relief washed over her face. Jack nodded yes, urging them to go. If Marcy’s parents were different, and actually cared, he would have promptly told them what their daughter was up to.

When the girls left, Jack and his son endured a terrible silence. Jack took a breath and sat down across from Ben. “Look, I’m sorry I lost my temper, Ben, but you’ve got to understand how serious your actions tonight were. You stole a truck, you can’t legally drive, and you involved Marcy in that, then you nearly had unprotected sex. You can’t do that, Ben. You know about safe sex and pregnancy. Do you really think I want to help you raise a kid right now? Or stand around worrying while you get tested for some terrible, often incurable, disease?”

Ben’s face fell. He never considered any of that in his hormone-driven rush to have sex. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Jack laughed harshly. “Yeah, until you can talk about it, you shouldn’t be doing it. Take these,” Jack said, pushing the condoms his way. “I can’t stop you, Ben. If you really think you’re ready to do that, I’m sure you’ll find a way. But I have to tell you, as your father, it’s a huge mistake. You’re too young. It’s much more than you think, and you need to be more than you are now for your partner. I know you might think you love Marcy, but you’re really young, Ben.”

Ben shook his head. “I don’t love Marcy. I kind of like her. I like Dottie Carmichael; she’s in the class below me. But she won’t, you know, do that kind of stuff.”

Jack sat back, his anger finally fading. “You already know then that it isn’t right. You’re my son, and I know I taught you that much. Just because Marcy might, doesn’t mean you should. And Ben, any young girls who do it are usually a lot more complicated than just eager to have sex.”

“I know, Dad,” Ben said after a while, his cheeks still blushing. Jack sat back, rather surprised to find Ben listening to him. He previously avoided talking about the subject because he thought Ben wouldn’t even hear him out. Instead, Erin’s warning rang clearly in his head: he was Ben’s father, and he had to at least try to guide him.

Ben continued, “I thought I could get some experience. ‘Cause, you know, a lotta guys I know have already done it. I thought I should too.”

Jack finally found a reason to smile. “My ass, those boys you hang out with have ever had sex. I’ve seen every pimply-faced, brace-toothed, skinny, pathetic lot of them, and if they say they’re having sex, that’s all they’re doing: just saying so. I promise you, Ben, when you’re old enough, and in love, it will become a totally different experience, and so much better than sneaking around in a car with a girl you don’t even like.”

“You mean different than you sneaking around with Erin? She was Joey’s girlfriend, Dad. How could you do that?”

Jack had carefully kept his sex life away from home and his sons for the last five years. And now here they were, at the critical point where Ben finally needed Jack to set a good example, and yet he did just as Ben tried to do. He snuck off to have sex; right on their ranch land with a woman he had no business having sexual relations with.

As he considered what to say, Erin walked back inside. Jack glanced at her, and then at his son.

“No one was awake at Marcy’s house. She walked right in through the front door. No one at her house even cares that their fourteen-year-old daughter was out past midnight, do they?”

Ben squirmed. “No. Her dad doesn’t pay much attention to her.”

Erin nodded. “I told her she deserved better, and was much too young, and that you were just using her to have sex. You should be ashamed of yourself, Ben. I only hope she listened to me.”

Jack almost spoke up in defense of Ben, but Ben looked truly contrite at hearing Erin’s words. Erin wasn’t finished. “You don’t get it, Ben, what it’s like for a girl like her. I was just like her. No one cared what I did. So she has sex only because she can, and because no one cares. The thing is: she’s looking for someone who cares. She’s hoping by having sex with you, perhaps you’ll care about her. I don’t think for a second you will, because I also know you have a girl named Dottie who calls and texts you frequently. Decide now what kind of man you’ll be, Ben. One who takes advantage of vulnerable, insecure girls while stringing the one you really like along, or a man who respects himself and all women by thinking about more than what might feel good in that brief moment.”