A Week for Love to Bloom (14 page)

“You did say no, repeatedly.” She hit him playfully with her pillow.

“Baby, those days are over.” He swatted her butt again on the way to the shower.

Justin ran his hands through her wet hair as stea
m billowed around them. “Do you know the difference between this shower and the first one we took together?”

“No, enlighten me.”
Lauren couldn’t hide her smile. She knew a flirty, playful response was on its way, and Justin’s charm was one of her favorite qualities about him.

“I ca
n have my way with you,” he said before displaying a wicked grin.

Lauren looked into Justin’s blue eyes that were gliste
ning from the water and saw his desire calling her.

“That’s if you’ll let me.” He pulled her close and slipped
his tongue inside her mouth, leaving none of it unattended.

After sharing a passionate kiss,
Lauren pulled back and looked at his hot—wet—yummy—body.

“I’m all yo
urs,” she said slyly.

The shower …
this should be quite a learning experience.

***

Justin heard a knock at the door after turning off the shower. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist before going to open it.

“B
ro, is everything OK? Why are you not at work?”

“Can I come in a minute?”
Jonathan asked.

Justin looked back toward t
he bathroom to see if Lauren came out. “Sure, but I’m not alone, so wait here.”

Justi
n opened the bathroom door and saw Lauren drying off. “Baby, my brother showed up, so stay in here, and I’m not trying to hide you. I just don’t want Jonathan seeing any naked part of your hot body,” he said with a cheesy grin.

Justin walked b
ack to the door and let him in. “What’s up?”

“I was just ch
ecking on you. Dad said they’ve barely seen you over the last week, and you haven’t been back over to our house since you left a week ago.”

“
I’m fine, and I’m not leaving anytime soon. We have plenty of time to hang out. Let’s plan a fishing trip.”

“Sounds good. So, whose
truck?”

“
It’s Lauren’s, but I’m sure you’re here because you suspected as much.”

Lauren
heard her name, so she cracked the door open to listen.

“
You’ve always been respectful to women. I’m just surprised you have her in your bed so soon and obviously your shower.”

“I don’t think you want to go there with me.
You’ve obviously forgotten about all the girls you fucked before Emily. I wouldn’t expect you to understand, but I’m not
using
Lauren. It’s really none of your business. If that’s what you came here to discuss then we’re finished with our conversation.”

“Th
at was out of line, and this isn’t about me. Just remember you have a family that’s hardly seen you in years,” Jonathan said, glaring. He went out the door, slamming it behind him.

“You can come out. My asshole brother is gone,” Justin yelled.

Lauren heard the rest of their conversation. It made her happy to hear Justin take up for their relationship, but she didn’t want to be another source to the problems he had with his family, either.

“What d
id he want?” Lauren walked out with a towel tucked around her chest.

“He was being nosy. I imagine my dad sent him because of your truck.”

Lauren covered her mouth as panic washed over her. “How did I not think of that? I feel like such a fool.”

“Whoa, what?”

“I never considered the first impression I’m giving your parents by sleeping over here so soon.”

He pulled her close and tilted
up her chin.

“Look at me. It’s
not the sixty’s. My parents are old, but they understand that times have changed.

“
Trust me. Jonathan broke them in when it came to dating. Let’s just say he was a certified man whore without payment until Emily came along. Then he wanted someone he couldn’t have unless he changed his ways. Anyway, once my family gets to know you, they’ll be like me, unable to resist your sweetness.”

Lauren frowned with uncertainty.

“Get dressed, and we’ll
go out for a while. You’ve used up all my energy, so to keep up with you I need food.”

“Are you getting tired of me already?”

“Oh, I haven’t even begun with you. You have no idea the amount of
exploring
left to do.”

She
beamed at him with excitement and yearning.

***

Waiting on their lunch at “Momma’s Country Kitchen”, Justin reminded her she hadn’t told him about her dad. They stayed an hour while she filled him in on the bizarre and disturbing details. He repeatedly watched her fight back tears.

Just
in kept squeezing her hand as she opened up to him. He didn’t want to see her hurting, but he liked seeing a vulnerable side of her. He admired Lauren’s independence, but he also longed for her to need him, not just want him. He wanted to be her protector and her impenetrable shield from pain.

“Lauren, you amaze me more w
ith every conversation. You’ve been so strong through all of this. Your fortitude has made me realize I’ve been running from my problems for years. I’m not going to be that person anymore, but I wouldn’t go back and change the past because every walk on that road led me to you.”

Justin’s frequent boyish grin spread across his face. “Literally, the walk on that road led me to you, and you better remember, no matter how sweet I am, you’ll get a swift kick in that all mine, sexy ass of yours if you ever pick up a hitchhiker again. Do you hear me, young lady?”

“That was—hot.
” Lauren bit the corner of her bottom lip and shifted in her chair.

“If
that’s the kind of thoughts running through that pretty head of yours, then I need to get you back into my bed.”

The owner Betty was at the counter when Justin went up to pay for their meal.

“Justin, so good to see you again. I’ve known you and Lauren a long time. With you being gone so long, I never would’ve thought of you two together, but now, seeing it with my own eyes, you two are perfect for each other.”

“You think so
, huh?”

“I know so
, and not to mention the heat sizzling between you two, it’s like my kitchen,” Betty said, cackling. “Not that I was being nosy or anything.”

Justin cocked an eyebrow and smiled
. “Thanks for another good meal, Ms. Betty.”

“I
was looking for a mint in my purse and saw that I’ve been carrying around money that I need to deposit for work. Do you mind taking me to the bank?” Lauren asked as she and Justin walked to his truck.

“Of course not,
I’ll drive you right over. Which bank do you use?”

“
Mason County, but don’t worry, you can wait in the car, so you don’t have to see
her
.”

“Maybe
I’d like her to see us together.”

“This is our time. I don’t want her on your mind even in a negative way.”

“No worries there, baby. You’re the only one on my mind, but I’ll wait in the truck if it’ll make you feel better.” Justin picked up her hand to kiss.

***

Lauren was getting out of the truck when a black convertible tore into the parking lot with three guys inside. Brett, her part time employee got out of the passenger side.

“Hi
, Lauren.”

“Hi, Bre
tt. What are you up to?” she asked as they walked up to the bank doors.

“My friends and I are out cruising around.
It’s a ‘top down’ kind of day ... don’t you agree?” Brett asked slyly.

Justin saw Brett talking to
Lauren and instantly recognized him. He rolled his window down as his heartbeat accelerated.

They
both reached the door when Brett leaned into Lauren and whispered in her ear. “Wow, Lauren, I never get to see you outside of work. You look hot.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but I think
you’ve forgotten I’m your boss,” she said as she moved away from him.

“
I’ll quit my job right now if it means I have a shot with you,” he said seductively as they entered the bank.

Not replying, Lauren went straight to Ashley’s booth.

Justin tried to unclench his fists while taking a deep breath. He instinctively recognized Brett’s lustful attraction to Lauren. A blinding wrath came over him, and in his entire life, he couldn’t remember feeling that kind of anger. He decided if Brett followed Lauren out, he was getting out of the truck.

“Hi, girl.
I miss you. How’s it going with Justin?” Ashley asked.

Lauren leaned over and spoke quietly.

“Umm ... I’ve spent the last two nights with him.”

“Shut—The—Front—Door!”

“Ashley, hush,” Lauren said with a harsh whisper.

“Girl
, you have to tell me every juicy detail. I can’t believe you didn’t call me. This is a big deal since you haven’t ever … you know.”

“I will
tell you soon if you quiet down.” Lauren glanced at Brett. “I’ll be so glad when Brett leaves for college. He’s causing me problems. He was flirting with me outside, and I don’t want Justin to think I was flirting back.”

After Ashley
finished the deposit, Lauren walked to the door. Brett purposely hung around to open it for her. She stopped outside the bank and turned to him.

“I have a boyfriend, Brett,
and he’s sitting in that truck.” Lauren pointed at Justin. “I like you as a friend, and you’re a good employee, but it’s never going to happen between us, so you need to stop with all the flirting. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of college girls throwing themselves at you soon enough. Are we clear?” Lauren asked.

Justin jumped out of the truck the
second he saw Lauren point to him. Full of jealous rage, he stormed toward Brett. When he reached them, he stepped in front of Lauren and pushed Brett hard, almost knocking him to the ground.

“I saw you whisper in her ear, a
sshole! You better never get that close to her again. Do you hear me?”

Lauren jumped between them. “Justin stop!
I was handling this on my own.”

“Dude,
I’m sorry,” Brett said, holding his hands up in surrender after getting his balance back. “I had no clue she had a boyfriend.” Brett’s best friend, Matt, who was driving yelled out to him.

“Get your ass in the car, Brett.
She’s hot but not enough to fight over.”

Justin spu
n around and snapped his hands back into fists. He started tearing toward the car, pointing at the driver. “You—get out now!”

Lauren ran after him and grabbed his
arm.

“Justin,
I’m begging you to stop!”

In the meantime, Brett jumped in
to the passenger seat, and Matt peeled out of the parking lot. Beth and Ashley went outside to see what was happening when they first heard Justin yelling, so they’d witnessed most of the episode.

Lauren’s plea finally registered with Justi
n. She grabbed him by the shoulders. “Look at me.” He was taking harsh breaths as he looked into Lauren’s desperate eyes.

“Get back in the truck
. Let’s go, now.”

“Lauren,
I’m so—”

“Don’t. We can talk about it when we get home. I need to calm down
first.”

Justin liked the way “when we get
home” sounded from her mouth, but he couldn’t miss her anger and tears.

Fuck, I’ve screwed up big time.

Neither of them spoke on the
way back to Justin’s. He recalled the only serious fight he’d been in. When he first began working on the rig, a coworker had picked a fight with him. Being gentle at heart, he tried everything to keep it from becoming physical, but when the other guy threw the first punch he defended himself. He received a busted lip, but the other guy didn’t fare so well.

Lauren walked straight to
the restroom.

Justin threw his keys on the table and
sat on the bed. Resting his elbows on his knees, he buried his face in his hands, fearing he screwed things up for good. Lauren wiped tears away as she came out of the restroom.

“We have to talk
about this,” he said, feeling a tightening in his chest from seeing her cry.

“Oh, now you want to talk like a civil human being?”

“OK, I deserved that.” Justin nervously ran his hand through his hair.