Page 41 of Collins
She takes the case back and starts peeling away the wrapper. “I’ll get you to like country, just wait and see.”
“I doubt that, but have fun trying.”
The musicfrom her new CD has been playing in the background as I put the final touches in the bed of the truck, two bed pillows propped up on the cab.
Johnnie is lying on the bench seat, dangling her feet out the rolled down window, tapping her foot to the beat when she pops up to check out what I’m doing. She looks confused as her eyes wander over the makeshift bed.
“We’re camping and we don’t have a tent?”
“How are we supposed to get a good look at the stars if we’re under a tent?”
She walks toward me, placing her arms on the side of the bed.
“We’re sleeping in the bed of the truck?”
I know she’s trying to act like it sounds like a bad idea, but I’ve got this girl figured out and she’s a bad actor.
“Yeah, I’m going to sleep under the stars with my girl and when we wake up in the morning, I get to be the first one to tell her happy birthday.” She throws herself in my arms. “Oooomf.”
“How did I get so lucky?” She beams up at me, and damn, she’s adorable.
“Funny, I’ve been asking myself the same thing since the first time you let me kiss you. Maybe even before that.”
I see her eyes dart to my lips, so mine land on hers in the next breath. She tastes like sunshine and sin. She always seems so pure, but when her mouth is on mine, she turns into something I hope no one else has ever seen. I want to be the only one to get this side of her, the hungry, curious, seductive side.
I reach down to take her hands in mine before whispering against her lips, “Come on, let’s go for a walk. I have a surprise for you.”
CHAPTER 23
collins
NOW
There’rea million thoughts running through my head as we silently cruise down the road. Johnnie said she needed to grab a few things before I take her to my lake house. I know we were caught up in a moment at the service and emotions were high, but when she didn’t back away from my kiss, I never wanted to let her go. She also let me take her hand as we left, and you bet your ass I took it right back in mine when our asses hit the seat of this truck.
She’s slowly been giving me permission to get close to her again. But when our lips touched for the first time in ten years, it unleashed something in me, and there’s no going back.
She is mine. If I’m honest, she always has been.
I don’t care what she thinks she did that was so bad, there’s nothing, not a thing, that can keep me away now. I look over at her staring at the road ahead and squeeze her hand. Shesqueezes back and looks over at me, and when she grazes her thumb along mine, my self-control snaps.
I hit the brakes and pull off on the side of the road, tall grass snagging at the bottom of the 4x4. She tenses and looks around. Thank god for small towns, back roads, and her…in a skirt. I throw it into park and rip my seat belt off, reaching over to do the same to hers. Her eyes go wide, and I can hear her take in a breath. Sliding my arm around her back, she easily slides along the bench seat until I have her in my lap, skirt hiked up to her waist, legs straddling mine. We both still, breathing inches from each other.
“I’m about to start something, John, so now’s your chance to say no.” I audibly gulp, my self-control dangerously close to snapping.
“There’s a lot of things in my life I should have said no to, Collins, but you’re not one of them. I don’t plan on starting now.”
And there it goes, the very last thread of any reserve I was holding on to.
Leaning forward, I grab the back of her head and pull her face down to mine, lips crashing. It’s nothing like the kiss from earlier. This one is messy, ravenous, and laced with desire. The second I taste her tongue, my hands fly to her thighs, then her ass, squeezing, and she moans into my mouth. The hum vibrates straight to my dick, and I can’t control the need to thrust up into her. There’s too much clothing between us but the pressure we create is enough to take the edge off.
“God, Collins…” she breathes against my lips. “I need this. I needyou.”
Grabbing her ass again and pulling her into me harder, she’s practically panting now. When her hips take over grinding without any assistance, my hands slide up the back of her shirt.
“Don’t stop,” she whispers. “Please don’t stop touching me.”
When I make it to her shoulders, she’s raising her arms above her head and I don’t waste any time yanking her shirt off. It hits the dashboard just as Johnnie leans forward, pressing her lace covered breasts to my face and grinding into me harder as she moves one side directly over my mouth. Now I’m the one moaning as I run my hands slowly up and down her back and press a kiss to the smooth material directly over her hard nipple before opening and sucking as hard as I can.
