Backroads Read online

  He flinches, and guilt washes over his face. “Ah hell, I can’t tell you that. You might try to favor Lee or Linda to win.”

  “What! Linda? She’s betting on us too? Or against us?”

  He laughs. “You should see your face right now.” Coughing from laughing so hard, he attempts to catch his breath. “She’s the one that started the whole thing. Haven’t you noticed her hanging around you two? Or pushing you together?”

  I’m lost for words and amused. Come to think of it, she is always either almost catching us or telling me to take her somewhere, show her something.

  Charlie continues. “Who do you think is winning most of the bets? Her of course.”

  I might have to have a talk with Linda.

  The afternoon passes slowly, and checking my watch every five minutes isn’t helping. I’m literally counting the minutes till I get to see Holly again. I’ve thought things through all day, and I’ve decided she might as well move in with me. There’s no way in hell I’m sleeping one night away from her after last night. And there’s no way I am going to sleep in that fucking Pepto-colored room of hers either.

  I haven’t slept an entire night all the way through like that in some time. It wasn’t just the sex; it was having her in my arms. She kept my thoughts calm and my dreams at bay.

  The anxiousness to see her again is mounting as I rushing through the last of my tasks for the day.

  I jog back to my cabin to grab a quick shower before heading to the lodge and am in and out of my place in ten minutes. My hair is dripping wet and soaking my fresh shirt. I have a thought to cut it even shorter but quickly shove that idea to the side, remembering how Holly grabbed it when I was deep inside her. No, it’s staying.

  The kitchen is where I find Linda working on supper for our small crowd tonight. It’s fun to watch how much she enjoys cooking.

  My first instinct is to find Holly, but my manners win out. I point to the plates. “Need me to set these out?”

  “I’m impressed you’re offering first before running off to find your half-naked girlfriend,” she says with a smile teasing the corner of her lips.

  My thoughts are split in two wondering if she is actually half-naked, while I grab the plates off the counter.

  “About earlier. I was hoping it was okay...” I clear my throat, trying to think of what to say.

  “I thought it was great how Holly stepped in. From now on if you have to be a trail guide, I’ll make sure she’s with you. She’ll keep you safe,” she says with a wink. “Yes, I think you two together is a good thing.”

  Any tension I had wondering what Linda thinks fades. “Thanks. Me too.”

  While placing the plates down, I scan the room looking for Holly. She could still be in her room getting ready. Thoughts of helping her getting ready fill my mind. Nothing would make me happier.

  The hairs on the back of my neck rise, alerting me to her presence before I turn to see her across the room. Fresh from a shower in black leggings and a loose top, she shyly smiles a hello at me. Her beauty slams into my chest, and my heart hammers away. It’s like seeing her for the first time all over again, but this time I know she’s mine.

  I no longer hear the murmuring voices across the room from the guests. There’s no clanking of pans coming from the kitchen. There’s only her. The twinkle in her eye as she bites her lip tells me she feels it too, whatever this is. I’m rooted to the spot, afraid if I move I will break this moment.

  She takes the first steps toward me, and like a magnet I have no choice but to take my own closer to her. Every step closer makes my chest swell even bigger.

  “Hey there, Princess,” I all but groan out, reaching my hand to her waist.

  Pulling her against me, I try to mentally memorize every detail about her: the warmth of her touch, the slight hitch in her breath as I tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  “Hi there, charming,” she says, grabbing a fistful of my shirt, her eyes darting to my lips.

  The moment I claim her lips with mine, I feel her whole body melt against me. Her lips are soft, warm, welcoming. Before I can lose myself in her, I pull back.

  Lost in her eyes, I don’t hear Linda’s approach till she obnoxiously clears her throat. She stands beside us with her arms folded and a smug smile on her face. “I thought I would let you two know we are sitting down to eat.”

  Glancing around the room, we notice all the patrons are looking at us, their hushed talking paused as they wait to see what happens next.

  “I feel like we’re the entertainment,” Holly whispers so only we can hear her.

  “Get used to it. I plan to kiss you anytime I can.” I steal a quick kiss to prove my point.

  Linda smiles, but before she walks away, she points a finger at us both. “I don’t want to catch you with your legs wrapped around him on the dining room table.” She shudders as though it’s the scariest thing ever. “I can’t replace this table, you know.”

  I bring Holly’s hand my lips to kiss her palm, causing her to squirm in place. I wonder if the sexual tension building between us is as obvious to everyone else in the room.

  Linda turns to shoot Holly a thumbs-up. “Supper’s ready, everyone! Dish up.”

  The entire meal feels like foreplay: stolen glances at each other, our legs constantly touching under the table, the smiles that never leave our faces. My cock has been semi-hard since we sat down. When the table starts to clear, I grab Holly’s hand and drag it under the table to wrap her hand around it. Her eyes grow wide, then playful as she grips my growing erection. She strokes my shaft, then tightens her grip, coughing to cover the moan that slips between my lips.

  She grins wickedly, squeezing me one more time and enjoying my discomfort. “Stay here and get yourself under control. I’ll help clean up, and I’ll see you soon.” She doesn’t even try to hide her grin.

  I can only nod and grin as she leans over to give me a quick kiss before grabbing some plates.

  I am so falling for Chase Hunting.

  I help around the kitchen, cleaning after supper. And a few minutes ago, I watched a stiff-legged Chase make a hasty exit.

  Linda interrupts my thoughts. “Is this how it’s going to be every day?” she asks with a playful look of disgust.

  Walking by her, I smack her ass and dance over to put the plates away. “I hope so.” My happiness could be very short-lived after I come clean with Chase. I’ve been able to trick myself into forgetting on and off during the day about what I have to tell him, but now the time is quickly approaching.

  Linda thankfully doesn’t pick up on my mood shift. “Ugh, why did I encourage you little brats,” she whines.

  I smile at her. “You are loving every minute of this and you know it.”

  Even though she’s teasing me, I know she is happy for us. I gather her up in my arms, trying to keep the emotion from my voice. “Thank you. For everything.” I take a shaky breath. “I’m telling him tonight about everything. I’m scared how he’ll react.”

  “Stop. He will either support you or he won’t, but it needs to be said,” she says, pushing me away slightly. “Now go. He’s been waiting a whole ten minutes for you. And if he ends up being an ass, I’ll make his life hell shoveling shit from somewhere.”

  With shaky steps, I head toward his cabin.

  In a short time, I’ve become addicted to the way he looks at me. The way he makes me feel. Him.

  With every step, my nerves build. This conversation needs to happen if there is going to be any future between us. Selfishly I want to take him to bed first, but I know I’ll lose my nerve the moment he takes his shirt off.

  I don’t even make it halfway to his front door when he opens it, stepping out on his porch and motioning for me to hurry up. “Get your ass over here now,” he says playfully.

  His eagerness and megawatt smile draws me in like I knew it would. Slowing my walk to tease him, I swing my hips just a little bit more with each step.

  “Fuck, you’r
e sexy, Princess.” He reaches out to my waist to tug me close.

  I love the warmth of his callused hands as I nuzzle into his chest. His nose skims my neck as he breathes in deeply. “Every minute away from you feels like an eternity. I already missed you like crazy.”

  My chest tightens, feeling the sincerity of his words.

  Before I can get lost in him and let him continue, I push him away. I need to do this, even if it feels like the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.

  He looks confused. My heart clenches at how hard it is to see.

  “I need to tell you something,” I say slowly, and each word makes my heart heavier.

  He tries to read me as his body language shifts from playful to guarded. “Okay.”

  “I need to tell you this without interruptions. You can ask me questions after.”

  “I’m right here, Princess.” His endearment feels far from the truth. I have to close my eyes to gather my courage to admit my downfalls to him. The way he gently cups my cheek and caresses his thumb across my jawbone makes my knees shake.

  I need to say this. “Please sit down. I’m a little nervous to tell you. You sitting will help.”

  He swallows hard and watches me intensely.

  “What’s happening between us, it’s pretty great... That sounds lame. I mean, I don’t know what’s happening between us, but I like it. A lot.” He opens his mouth to say something but stops when I shake my head at him.

  “I don’t know what it is or where it will go, but I want to see it through. I like you. More than I wanted to admit to myself. But I haven’t told you everything you should know.” I take a few deep breaths, and I’m still not calmed down. “I already told you about being engaged and walking in on my ex. But I haven’t told you what followed after I walked in.”

  His entire body tenses. He looks away, nostrils flaring, his anger imminent. I can’t watch him and get through this, so I turn and face the opposite wall.

  “I don’t want there to be any secrets between us. I was engaged to a man who I thought loved me. I thought I loved him in return, or at least I loved him enough to walk down the aisle with him. Now I know I didn’t really love him. I loved the life we were living. I was a shallow-minded person in love with material things.”

  Telling him everything from the beginning of our relationship is harder than telling Linda. I tell him about walking in on them, the things they said to me, and then my tantrum that led to being escorted out by security. How I lost my job because of it. How that very day I was kicked out of my apartment that I shared with him.

  The words fall from my lips. My tears fall in a steady stream down my cheeks, and I can’t bring myself to wipe them away. My words begin to crack when my emotions get the better of me. Wrapping my arms around my stomach, I attempt to hold my trembling body still.

  “I need you to know what I could be facing.” I inhale a shaky breath. “I didn’t want to keep this from you. I need... I want to be honest with you. If you don’t want this to continue...” I can’t go on; it hurts too much to be so open, not knowing if he even wants to continue this. Hanging my head in defeat, I let the tears fall through my sobs.

  His strong arms wrap around me, and he pulls me flush against him. Instinctively my body molds into him. I stop shaking as he holds me tighter.

  “If you thought I wouldn’t still want you because of that asshole...” His voice is strained, and I can tell it’s taking everything in him to control his voice. Breathing in through his nose, he turns me in his arms.

  I close my eyes, not ready to meet his. He’s not having it and tilts my head up to his. “Baby, look at me.”

  My eyes are swollen from my tears. They fall more when I open them. His eyes are intense, so full of emotion. He clears his throat, and one hand rubs my back while he brings the other to my cheek to tenderly wipe my tears away.

  “No, I don’t think any less of you. I’m yours. For as long as you want me.” He kisses my forehead, my cheeks, my nose, my lips.

  I bury my head into his chest. I haven’t lost him. I cling to him, sobs racking my body as relief spreads through me.

  His voice is rough. “I need to ask if he hurt you? If he ever laid a hand on you?”

  Shaking my head, I manage to find my voice and whisper, “No, never.”

  His body relaxes, letting some tension out. He holds me tighter, and I do the same. I never want to let go.

  I’m soaking his shirt with my tears. “I’m sorry,” I croak into his chest.

  “You have nothing to be sorry for, Princess. Nothing,” he reassures me.

  “I didn’t mean to keep this from you. At first you didn’t need to know, then... I just didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t want you to look at me differently. I know I pushed you away, but I never wanted you to stop coming after me.”

  Lifting my face to his, he kisses me hard. His tongue caresses mine as he slowly brands me with everything that is him. That is us. “Baby, I will always come after you. Where you go, I’ll follow.”

  I run my fingers through his short stubble, loving the friction on my fingertips. “I’m yours, Chase.”

  His voice is a deep growl. “Holly.” Cradling my head in his hands, he looks at me without saying anything for a few seconds before his lips bruise mine. “Mine.” He nips at my earlobe. “Mine,” he repeats, his hands trailing down my back to grip my ass. “Mine.”

  He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist, looking into his eyes while I tug slightly on his hair. “You’re mine,” I breathe out, descending onto his lips.

  Our kisses are slow, claiming each other with every stroke, every lick of our tongues. Our moans chorus together as he takes purposeful steps toward his bedroom. My hands grope and roam his body, pulling him closer. More is still not enough.

  Murmuring against his lips, I grind my center into him. “Chase. I need you.”

  “Baby, you have me.” He adjusts my weight lower so my core aligns with his arousal.

  I pull at his shirt between us, my fingers needing the contact of his skin. “No, I need you...”

  My words are swallowed by his kiss as he sets me on the edge of the bed. His voice drips with intent when he speaks. “I know what you need. Let me give it to you. Trust me.”

  He pulls back and lifts his shirt off. My fingers trail along his chiseled chest. He dances his pecs beneath my hands. The move is so Chase; it means so much more now. My fingers tweak a nipple, and he sucks in a sharp breath, letting me know they are sensitive like mine. I purposefully pinch the other one playfully.

  The growl that comes from deep in his chest has me biting my lip to conceal the smile appearing.

  “Shirt off now,” he demands.

  Complying as quickly as I can, I don’t even have it over my head before he has my bra unclasped and flings it to the side.

  “You’re everything to me, Holly. I need you to know, to feel you are everything to me.”

  He pushes me back to lie down as his hands roam my body, setting my skin on fire. His lips follow everywhere he touches me—kissing, sucking, licking me. Capturing my nipple in his mouth, he sucks hard, causing my back to arch into him. His tongue flicks back and forth, sending a current straight to my center.

  He pulls back, letting my nipple slip from his lips with a wet plop. He wastes no time in delivering the same attention to the other one.

  “I love your skin. So soft. So responsive to my touch. The way you turn pink when you’re turned on. How you squirm under my touch when you’re aroused. I want to have my hands on you all the time. My fingers ache to touch you.” He tugs my leggings off along with my panties as he speaks.

  He stands and undoes his pants. My eyes are still swollen from my tears, and I watch him hungrily. When he pulls his impressive erection out, my mouth waters seeing the bead of precum at the tip. He smiles, knowing where my thoughts are.

  Lifting one of my legs, he kisses his way up my thigh, spreading me wide. He’s deliberately going slow, not t
ouching me where I need him. The throbbing between my legs needs his touch.

  “Chase,” I plead.

  “Shhhhh, baby. I need to savor every inch of you. You need to know how much I cherish you,” he says, licking his way up my other leg and pushing me even wider.

  My body is trembling. I’m so worked up that when he blows across my clit, I moan.

  “I love how turned on you get for me.” He dives down, and his tongue slowly drags from my ass to my clit.

  The contact is so electric I would have bucked off the bed if he weren’t holding me down. My hands claw a fistful of sheets to hold on to.

  “Don’t stop,” I whine when he doesn’t continue.

  I feel a soft laugh against my inner thigh. “There’s no way I’m stopping till you scream my name.”

  Pulling my ass to the edge of the bed, he drapes one leg over his shoulder. “This is how I want you always, wet and panting for me.”

  There’s no time to respond to him before his lips are on me. “Shit!” I yell, throwing one arm over my eyes from the intense pleasure.

  His tongue is relentless, licking, stroking, flicking my clit, delivering the perfect rhythm that has my climax building quickly.

  My body start to tighten. I need more of him. “Chase.”

  He starts to pull back, but I grab a fistful of hair and tug him down, urging him to finish what he started. My hips act on their own and begin to fuck his face, and when I look down at him, our eyes meet. His are filled with lust, enjoying what he does to me. He slips two fingers in me, massaging me exactly where I need him to while he attacks my clit.

  “Chase! Yes! Yes!” I scream as my orgasm rips through me. His tongue never stops. My body is quivering through the aftershocks of the orgasm while he continues to flick my clit. I’m so sensitive, and he won’t let me push him away. Before I can tell him to stop, another orgasm is barreling through me.

  “Chase... Chase... I’m...” I struggle to pant through the intensity of it.

  My brain is in a fog of pleasure. I don’t register him moving until I feel the tip of his cock slide up and down my pussy before he enters me in one thrust. Squeezing my eyes closed, I cry out, grabbing his shoulders as he stills, waiting for me to relax to his girth.