It had been a waste of breath. She’d already been blinded by the glamour of it all. The shiny surface that was hiding a thick sludge she would one day drown in. Me, on the other hand, I always had a defiant streak under the cardigans and pinned up hair. I was a people watcher, and even from a young age, I hadn’t liked what I saw.
I shook my head to clear the memory and focused on Ellie. “Happens to the best of us, lovely.” I put my hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze while I pushed away from the table and stood up. She was such a sweet girl. I hadn’t had much contact with sweet, but damn if she hadn’t wiggled her cute self into my heart a little.
“He likes you. He’s lousy at showing it, but he does,” she told me quietly, making me stop with my hand in the air halfway to the door.
“Maybe,” I mumbled in return. What more could I say to that? He screwed me senseless right where you’re eating breakfast but then he went cold as a dead fish? That probably wouldn’t go down well.
I walked out the back door to find the boys all leaning against the quads waiting for me.
“You survived the wrath of Ellie,” Austin snickered, jumping on to his ATV as I shook my head at him and climbed onto the back of Destry’s quad, gripping onto his shoulders. I wasn’t sure why I had jumped on Destry’s bike in particular until I felt his strong body between my thighs. Oh, yeah. This probably wasn’t the best of ideas. I was so attracted to him that just sitting here was wreaking havoc on my libido.
Braxton and Austin took off ahead of us as Destry kicked the bike to life, the rumble of the engine vibrating under us. He reached up to where my hands sat and pulled them down, wrapping them around his waist.
“Hold on tight, sweetheart,” he rumbled before we shot off into the fields. I was acutely aware of the warmth of his skin coming through the deep blue cotton t-shirt. Every bump we went over bounced me around, my breasts rubbing against his muscled back. He grunted loudly when a large dip in the road had my hands losing their grip and landing solidly in his lap. With a cringe, I quickly righted myself and gripped the sides of his shirt as we flew through the green grass.
X X X
“What’s she doin’ up the tree?” Austin’s voice drifted up to where I was climbing onto another slightly smaller limb above me. I was so close, just a few more branches to go. I reached for the next one and lost the grip I had on the rough bark. Grasping for purchase, I tipped backward and before I could right myself, I was tumbling through the air.
“Amelia!” Braxton’s panicked voice penetrated my mind just as I hit the ground with a thud and skidded on my side.
“Shit, Austin, get my pick up. Brax, first aid kit.” Destry’s short bark seeped into my foggy brain, his voice closer than the others were.
I shifted with a groan and moved to sit up; his hand holding me in place stopped even that. “For shit’s sake, don’t move, woman.” I blinked a few times trying to understand what the heck his problem was. He had no reason to be an ass, yet short of growing a tail and pointy ears, he’d suddenly become one.
“I’m fine, “ I snapped back at him, pushing his hands off my shoulders.
“You could have broken your neck!” His dark tone was both unwarranted and ridiculous.
“I’m fine!” I spat through clenched teeth. “You don’t need to be an asshole.” I pushed myself up until I was sitting, the remnants of adrenaline coursing through my veins.
“You didn’t need to be actin’ like a fool climbing a tree,” he grouched back, running his fingers across my head and flicking his gaze over my eyes. “Are you hurt?” When I didn’t answer fast enough for him, he focused and asked again, “‘Melia, are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine,” I sighed and looked away from him, feeling like an idiot. I wasn’t incapable of climbing a tree. I just hadn’t done it in a long time. A long
I shook my head to clear the memory and focused on Ellie. “Happens to the best of us, lovely.” I put my hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze while I pushed away from the table and stood up. She was such a sweet girl. I hadn’t had much contact with sweet, but damn if she hadn’t wiggled her cute self into my heart a little.
“He likes you. He’s lousy at showing it, but he does,” she told me quietly, making me stop with my hand in the air halfway to the door.
“Maybe,” I mumbled in return. What more could I say to that? He screwed me senseless right where you’re eating breakfast but then he went cold as a dead fish? That probably wouldn’t go down well.
I walked out the back door to find the boys all leaning against the quads waiting for me.
“You survived the wrath of Ellie,” Austin snickered, jumping on to his ATV as I shook my head at him and climbed onto the back of Destry’s quad, gripping onto his shoulders. I wasn’t sure why I had jumped on Destry’s bike in particular until I felt his strong body between my thighs. Oh, yeah. This probably wasn’t the best of ideas. I was so attracted to him that just sitting here was wreaking havoc on my libido.
Braxton and Austin took off ahead of us as Destry kicked the bike to life, the rumble of the engine vibrating under us. He reached up to where my hands sat and pulled them down, wrapping them around his waist.
“Hold on tight, sweetheart,” he rumbled before we shot off into the fields. I was acutely aware of the warmth of his skin coming through the deep blue cotton t-shirt. Every bump we went over bounced me around, my breasts rubbing against his muscled back. He grunted loudly when a large dip in the road had my hands losing their grip and landing solidly in his lap. With a cringe, I quickly righted myself and gripped the sides of his shirt as we flew through the green grass.
X X X
“What’s she doin’ up the tree?” Austin’s voice drifted up to where I was climbing onto another slightly smaller limb above me. I was so close, just a few more branches to go. I reached for the next one and lost the grip I had on the rough bark. Grasping for purchase, I tipped backward and before I could right myself, I was tumbling through the air.
“Amelia!” Braxton’s panicked voice penetrated my mind just as I hit the ground with a thud and skidded on my side.
“Shit, Austin, get my pick up. Brax, first aid kit.” Destry’s short bark seeped into my foggy brain, his voice closer than the others were.
I shifted with a groan and moved to sit up; his hand holding me in place stopped even that. “For shit’s sake, don’t move, woman.” I blinked a few times trying to understand what the heck his problem was. He had no reason to be an ass, yet short of growing a tail and pointy ears, he’d suddenly become one.
“I’m fine, “ I snapped back at him, pushing his hands off my shoulders.
“You could have broken your neck!” His dark tone was both unwarranted and ridiculous.
“I’m fine!” I spat through clenched teeth. “You don’t need to be an asshole.” I pushed myself up until I was sitting, the remnants of adrenaline coursing through my veins.
“You didn’t need to be actin’ like a fool climbing a tree,” he grouched back, running his fingers across my head and flicking his gaze over my eyes. “Are you hurt?” When I didn’t answer fast enough for him, he focused and asked again, “‘Melia, are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine,” I sighed and looked away from him, feeling like an idiot. I wasn’t incapable of climbing a tree. I just hadn’t done it in a long time. A long
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