Storm Front (10 page)

The men seeing the horrific images on her laptop. The overwhelming need to get home. The frantic flight from the Lodge. The snow wall she missed hitting. The fall over the edge of the road into the ravine. The perilous climb to save herself. Finally, the fall to the ledge and unconsciousness.

“Shit,” she muttered into a pillow that smelled like something she recognized as safety, but couldn’t put a name to.

“Tessa? You in pain?” A low baritone whispered over her ear.

The calming scent on the pillowcase was Earl’s. It was his solid warmth aligned against her back. It was his bare, muscled arm which encircled her waist and held her to him. He swept a hand over her front from just under her breasts to her lower abdomen where he massaged her stomach just above her mound in what was both an exciting and soothing motion.

She angled her head to meet Earl’s emotion-filled, dark eyes. “Um, I’m okay.”

A frown creased Earl’s forehead, and he muttered in a snarling tone, “Bullshit, sweetheart. You’re bruised from head to toe. You’ve got some nasty lacerations. Your head has to be throbbing like a heavy metal band.”

“Are you mad at me?” Tessa struggled to sit up, to get into a better position to defend herself.

“Shh, easy,” Earl murmured against her cheek. His hand now massaged circles on her hip as his body cocooned her even more, his front to her back. “I’m not mad. Still trying not to be scared.”

He nuzzled her neck and kissed her jaw where it met her ear. “You scared the shit out of all of us. We barely got to you in time to stave off hypothermia and hypovolemic shock. You could’ve died.”

Tessa nodded. God, she had been so stupid. Tears slid from the corners of her eyes. What little strength she had completely disappeared, and she sank back onto the bed and against Earl’s naked body.

“Shit, sweetheart.” Earl hugged her closer. “Don’t cry. You’ll be fine. You’re killing me here.” He rubbed his hand up and down her side from rib cage to hip and back, again and again.

Tessa sniffed, but the tears, a combination of release of her pent-up fears and relief she was alive, continued.

All the while, Earl held her, swearing creatively in a low, grumbling tone. “Dick-cheese, douche-bag, pecker-headed son of a bitch.”

The profane combinations struck her as funny, and her sobs became intermingled with half-laughs and snorting chuckles.

God, she was losing it.

No, you’re fine. When have you ever allowed a real man to hold you, naked skin against naked skin, and let go? All your emotions hanging out there for him to see?

She’d slept with men. Had sex with men.

Not naked—and not like Earl. Those guys were pretty boys looking for bragging rights. Earl is a real man. The kind of man you need to protect you from your past. To cherish your tender feelings.

She flash-backed to the epiphany that had gotten her up the mountain to the safety of the ledge. She’d sworn she wouldn’t miss the chance at being with Earl—and she wouldn’t. From this second forward, she’d accept the man to whom fate, and Callie, had led her.

“Sweetheart, you’re tensing again. Stop thinking. Just feel.” Earl kissed her ear and leaned his cheek against hers.

Tessa luxuriated in the sensations of the moment. Earl’s strength surrounded her; his scent permeated the air and soaked into her very pores. She’d never felt this safe in her entire life; the only other time that came close was the night Evan and Chad had found her in the gutter, bleeding and near death. They’d saved her from a world of cruelty; Earl’s presence promised to save her from a lifetime of being alone.

“I’m thirsty.” She angled her face back and kissed the underside of his bristly jaw. “I need to pee, too.”

Earl stiffened against her as she licked and nuzzled the spot she’d kissed.

He turned her to face him.

The strength in the maneuver both amazed and aroused her. The emotions sweeping over his face astonished and humbled her—and excited her. Her pussy clenched, and she moistened at the enormity of what she saw in his dark eyes.

The snarky little voice in her head had been right—Earl was the man for her. He cared; it showed in every touch, every action since she’d met him, and every emotion that crossed his face, glittered from his eyes, and tinged his tone of voice.

He cared for her and—she could admit it now—had since he first met her. She’d been the one to run from the chance at finding a true partner, a mate.

It had taken the “aha” moment on an icy ledge and then seeing the emotion in Earl’s eyes for Tessa to see what had been in front of her from the moment she’d met him. While she might have been slow on the uptake, she wasn’t dumb. She planned to grab this chance at love and hold on tight.

But first, she had to deal with an Earl whose feathers were ruffled over her running away, instead of facing the problems from her past and the potentiality of her future.

That he was pissed was evident in the frown-line on his forehead, but none of his anger touched her physically. This man, unlike others she’d known, knew his strength and had it under control.

“What are you thinking, baby?” Earl touched his nose to hers. His hands were warm on her back, holding her close to him. His large erection pressed against her stomach; her pussy throbbed and grew wetter. No man had ever made her wet just by holding her. She shivered, and Earl pulled her even closer to his heat.

“You’re naked.” She licked her lips and tasted mint. A hazy image of Lacey Quinn washing her face and swabbing her mouth flashed across her mind. “I’m naked.” Had Earl stripped her, or had Lacey?

“Your clothes were wet, sapping your heat. You were half-frozen. So I stripped you. Plus, skin-to-skin is more effective in warming a body up.”

Earl brushed a kiss over her mouth, his tongue tracing the path she’d just licked. “Do you want me to get dressed?” he asked between nibbles of her lips.

She thought for a few more seconds, testing her freak-out meter, and found his nudity, his kisses, his touch, and his very large cock throbbing against her mound were just fine with her. “Uh, no, don’t think so. Nope, not scared of you at all.”

Tessa leaned back within the circle of his arms. She found his dark, serious, and very intent gaze fixed on her. “I’m not afraid of you, Earl. I feel this … um, us … whatever it is or could be … is right. It feels right.”

“That’s good, sweetheart.” Earl smiled and cuddled her head against his chest. “Then why did you run? Those pictures are nothing you need to defend or explain. You were a child, a precious and fragile teenage girl who should’ve been protected, not abused. Didn’t you think we would understand that? That I would understand that?”

Tessa swallowed past the lump in her throat, tears falling down her cheeks unchecked. God, she didn’t deserve this good man, but she was going to keep him any way she could.

She sniffled. “I was scared. Humiliated. It’s one thing for you all to know I was abused, but to see it.” She sighed. “Can I claim temporary insanity and let it go at that?” She kissed the base of his throat, and he rumbled a purr like a large, contented cat.

Earl kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, as long as you understand you never need to be scared of me. I’ll never hurt you. I’ll protect you with my life.”

“I knew that inside. Maybe that was one of the reasons I ran.”

“What?” He tipped her head back and scowled down at her. “Why?”

“Because I knew as soon as I met you that you were different than the other men I’d had um, well, you know.”

“Damn right I am,” he growled, and she giggled.

“To them I was nothing but arm candy and maybe a quick lay.”

“This—you and me—is more than a quick lay, trust me on that, baby.” His expression was serious, solemn.

“Exactly. I recognized right off you are a forever kind of guy. But I never expected to find anyone like you, never expected you to want me and be willing to accept me and my garbage.”

“Listen up, Tessa Andrews. You are not garbage. No one, not even you, is allowed to slander you. Understand?” He cradled her head and massaged the base of her neck with his thumb. She relaxed into his supportive hold.

“Yes … no … I’ll try.”

“Do more than try.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “But I’ll be here to remind you of how precious you are. Okay?”

She nodded, tears streaming down her face again. God, she was so lucky.

“So, you ran because you were afraid of what we’d think? Not because you were afraid of me?” Earl massaged her jaw with his thumb.

“Uh, yeah … I needed to go home to the haven I’d created for myself. Regroup, so I could think.”

Earl nodded. “I can understand that. Osprey’s Point is a place like that for me and some other war vets. A place where you can control your surroundings and you feel safe.”

“Exactly.” She rubbed her cheek against the hand supporting her head. “I would’ve called you … eventually. I really wanted to go to the Bulls game, ya know.”

Earl laughed and kissed the corner of her mouth. “Well, sweetheart, you can go to every Bulls game this season once we get this ass-bastard off your case and out of your life. I promise.”

“Yay.” She wrinkled her nose. “Now can I go pee and get a drink?”

“Yeah.” Earl laid her back down, released her, and then rolled out of the bed on the opposite side, his back to her.

Even in the dim lighting, she could see every detail of his muscled torso. The man was huge and had to outweigh her by a hundred pounds. She licked her lips and imagined all that yummy mass over her, thrusting—then he turned to move to her side of the bed.

Oh, my God! His huge cock stood at attention, and the tip of it touched his navel. She whimpered in arousal and, yes, a slight touch of fear.

Yes, he is definitely more man than you’ve ever had. Yowza!

“Tessa, you scared?” Earl came around to her side of the bed and leaned over her prone body, his arms caging her. “I can put on some clothes. I don’t want you being scared of me physically. I’ll never hurt you. We can take our relationship as slowly as you need. The nudity was only to get your body temperature up since I didn’t want to risk putting you in a hot bath.”

“Not afraid. Impressed is more like it.” She licked her lips and assessed her body and mind’s reaction to his maleness. “I’m aroused, sort of.”
Be honest
. “No, not sort of. A lot.”

Earl groaned, and his cock twitched and seemed to seek her like a dowsing rod looking for a source of water. “God, sweetheart. Don’t say that if you don’t mean it, because I’ve had a hard-on since the first minute I met you on Saturday. Lying next to you has been a lesson in restraint. Restraint isn’t something I’m used to when it comes to sex.” He lifted one hand from the bed and swept some of her hair behind her ear. “But for you, I would, and will, do anything you need.”

“I want you.” Tessa touched his chest, swirling a finger in the smattering of dark, silky hair that covered his chest from nipple to nipple. “Very much.”

Earl groaned. “Baby, you were very close to death. I’m not sure the kind of sex I need is something you’re up for at the moment. And with your past … I’m worried—”

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m fine.” Tessa took one of his hands and placed it on her abs just above her navel. She hesitated and looked at his expression and found only desire and something even more precious in his dark eyes. She slowly pulled his hand down her body, her gaze never looking away from his.

“Sweetheart, do you want me to pet your pussy?” His voice was husky and low. “Make love to you?”

She nodded and placed his hand over her very wet slit and aching clit. “After I get cleaned up a bit and have something to eat and drink, will you try?”

Earl swept a finger through her wet folds and growled. “God, sweetheart, you’re drenched.”

He lifted his fingers to his face and sniffed and then licked her juices from them. His gaze never left hers, and she about died at the desire and love she saw there. He liked her, maybe even more than liked. She was something more than a body to him. She choked back a sob of relief. She’d done enough crying in front of this special man.

“You want me to love you, baby? You sure?”

“Yes. I want this. I want you.” Tessa took his hand once more and held it firmly over her pussy.

“I promise to make it good for you, but only if you’re up to it. You took quite a beating on the mountainside.” Earl’s lips twisted into a slight smile, and then he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bathroom in what she now saw was his room and not hers. “But first, let’s take a bath together, relax a bit. Then we’ll get some chicken noodle soup and some more fluids into you. If you’re still awake after all that, we’ll revisit this discussion in bed. Okay?”

Tessa leaned her head on Earl’s shoulder and sighed. “Sounds good to me.” She caressed the nape of his neck. “Just so you know—sex doesn’t bother me. I’ve had a lot of therapy.” She hesitated and buried her face in his neck.

Earl stopped and looked down at her. “What is it? You got all stiff on me. If sex doesn’t bother you, why are you upset again?”

“I’ve never had an orgasm with a sexual partner—ever. I can get myself off with a vibrator, but I never, well … I don’t want you to be disappointed if I don’t respond the way you need.”

“I’m not worried about that. How you respond will be on me … and I’m very patient and goal-oriented. I just don’t want to scare you.”

“
You
won’t.” Tessa nuzzled and kissed the side of his throat.

“God, I love it when you kiss me.” Earl walked to the toilet and sat her on the closed seat. “Do you still need to pee? I’ll turn my back.”

Tessa blushed. God, the man had already seen her naked. She’d placed his hand on her pussy. But she couldn’t be totally exposed in that way … not yet.
They
had never given her privacy, had controlled her every—

Stop it, Tessa.

She shook off the ties to the past. “Uh, could you start the bath and then wait outside?”

“Sure, sweetheart.” Earl leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Never be afraid to ask for what you want or need.” He turned and opened the taps to fill the Jacuzzi tub. He looked over his shoulder. “If you feel dizzy, yell for me. I’d rather you be a bit embarrassed than get hurt from a faint.”