Arms of Serenity (Rock Services) (17 page)

Nick’s legs start
ed to tremble, and she moved her other hand to fondle his balls. They instantly tightened under her touch, and he made a hissing sound with his breath.

“Get ready Angel.
I’m going to…”

Becca felt his cock grow even larger and impossibly rigid as he shot the first stream of hot salty liquid down her throat.
She vigorously swallowed the flow, and when he was finished, she swallowed one last time causing a shudder to ripple through him. As she leaned back allowing him to glide out of her mouth, he reached down and helped her up to his waiting arms.

Nick rested his back against the shower wall pulling her along with him.
The water was still warm but would be getting cold soon. She waited until his breathing came under control and whispered, “We’re going to be taking a cold shower for real any minute now.”

He laughed and patted her
ass. Adding a kiss on her forehead, he said, “I’ll wash your back, if you wash mine.”

She laughed back
. “Deal.”

Chapter Fourteen

Nick followed Becca’s directions and made a right on to a gravel driveway.
When he turned the wheel, he couldn’t help but steal another glance at her settled in the passenger seat. She looked downright adorable in her white puffer jacket, knit cap and gloves. The snow that fell overnight had left a fresh blanket on the ground and had turned the unseasonably warm temperatures back to normal. Turned out his Angel was a bit of a snow bunny. She could barely contain her excitement about heading outdoors and getting started on their, as she called it, excursion.

After finally climbing out the shower, they had gotten dressed and grabbed a few muffins from her shop for a quick breakfast.
They made a fast stop at the B&B he had been staying at to get warmer clothes for him, then jumped back in his Jeep on their way to her big secret surprise. He didn’t care where they were going as long as her plans meant spending the day together. Although staying in bed for the day had been a great idea to him. 

Nick brought the vehicle to a stop in front of a large farmhouse.
It was yellow complete with shrubs lining awalkway that lead to steps and a wrap-around porch. By the size and shape it looked older, but from what he could see it was in good repair with modern improvements being added over the years. The vinyl siding was newer, and the metal roof had been added, seemingly, to match the red brick color of the barn that stood across the yard.

He turned to her
. “Who lives here?”

“I do
.” She smiled as she opened her door and got out.

Nick pocketed his keys and followed her to the front door.
“This is your house? Why do you stay at the apartment then?”

“It’s closer to the shop.”
She shrugged while unlocking the door. “Honestly, it’s too big and filled with too many memories to stay here alone.”

Nick followed Becca in and instantly liked the house.
It had that great lived-in and filled-with-love feel. In the living room, there were family pictures on the mantel above the fireplace. Paintings hung on the wall, and there were worn areas on the hardwood floors from years of traffic. There was a crocheted blanket slung over the back of the couch at the far end of the room and a rocking chair in the corner. Other than the few pieces, the room was empty, and Nick guessed the sparse furniture was by design to help her mother maneuver around in her wheelchair.

“Want a tour?”

He nodded. “I’d like that.”

Becca led him through the kitchen and then down a hallway that ended with a large bedroom and connecting bathroom.
Both rooms had bars installed along the walls with the furniture and facilities made lower to the ground.

“This was your mom’s room?”

“Yeah, we converted the back of the house for her. We added safety features and furniture that gave her the ability to have as normal and assistance-free a life as possible.”

Nick reached out and laced his fingers in hers.
He wasn’t sure how often she came to the house or how being in her mother’s room would affect her. The instinct to comfort her immediately took over, letting her know that he was there for whatever support she might need or want. If Nick could, he would wrap her in his arms and shield her from ever feeling pain and loss again.

Becca smiled up at him and held on to his hand as she walked him through the rest of the house.
When they got back to the kitchen, she picked up a small ring of keys hanging next to the back door. She flashed another smile at him.

“Ready?”

Nick could see the excitement lighting up her face, and he wondered what she was up to. He wasn’t about to dull her exuberance.

“I’m always ready when it comes to you.”

“I hope you’ll say that when you see what we are going to ride.” She opened the door and walked out to the back porch.

Nick followed her down the ramp on the side of the house. “What do you mean ride?”

She giggled as she walked toward the barn. “You’ll see. I don’t get a chance to take it out that often. I hope it starts.” She opened the door and gestured for him to go in.

He watched her prop the door open and then walked over to remove a tarp off an ATV.
She straddled the seat, checked the gauges, and then started the engine bringing the motor roaring to life.

Ah, hell no!
Nick’s manhood took a giant hit when he realized she was going to be driving him around on that thing. The girl is supposed to be on back with her arms wrapped around her man. That’s the natural order of things, not the other way around. Caveman Nick wanted to go over haul her right out of the driver seat. The idea would be valid except he had no idea where they were going. He was screwed.

Becca raised her voice over the engine and asked him to get the helmets off the shelf.
He quickly put the black one on his head and handed the pink to her. No use in drawing more attention to his newly found feminine side. She motioned her head toward the back. “Get on.”

He slid in behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle.
The picture they made had to be laughable. His six-foot one bulk holding on to the back of her all of five-foot five frame. At least, Todd or any of the other guys couldn’t see him. He gave up a silent prayer that wherever they were going was completely devoid of other people. Nick swallowed the last bit of his masculinity when she told him to hold on tight, and she flew out of the barn yelling with carefree abandon.

“Ye
e-Haw!”

The woman was going to kill him.
She raced over knolls with the sole purpose to become airborne, made turns so quick that the back end would skid along with the momentum, and the landscape sped past him at such a rate that all he saw was a blur of green and white. He was going to yell to her to slow down, but every time he would open his mouth she would do something else that had him wishing the contraption they were on came equipped with a roll cage. All he could do was close his eyes, hold on, and wonder if women felt this way when they were at the mercy of their driver.

Nick heard the engine being cut
, and they rolled to a stop. He hopped off and took off his helmet ready to unleash an ass-chewing she wasn’t going to forget. Instead, his breath caught as she removed her helmet and shook out her hair. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were lit up from the exhilaration.

She glowed and almost yelled, “Damn that was great.”

Nick shook his head. If she didn’t look so gorgeous right now, he would be screaming at her recklessness. Did she always drive that way? If he had anything to say in the matter, she was never getting behind the wheel of anything again.

She cocked her head and asked, “What’s wrong?
You didn’t like the ride? An ATV is the preferred mode of travel around these parts.”

“Do you know how fast you were going?”
Nick couldn’t believe he was standing there complaining about how she was driving. It was official. His dick had just crawled up inside of him.

Dammit, he didn’t care if it shriveled up and fell off.
Ok, that was an exaggeration. He sure as hell did care. But the point was that she could have easily lost control and wrecked. Nick didn’t care about himself, but the thought of her lying on the ground injured made his gut wrench.

“Sorry, I get carried away on this.
It’s just
so
much fun. Want to drive back? I can be your bitch-on-the-back then.”

Nick couldn’t help but laugh.
How could he stay angry when her comment so eloquently summed up at least part of his annoyance? But he wasn’t going to apologize for being what he was—a man who wanted to take care of and protect his lady.

The thought of having her arms wrapped around him when they went back had him nodding his head at her.
“You’ll have to show me what to do. That was my first time being on one, and I couldn’t get a look at the controls because the whole time I was on the back I had my eyes closed praying.”

Becca walked over to him laughing and leaned up to give him a quick kiss.
“It’s easy. I’m sure a big hunk of man like you can handle it.”

“Angel, I will gladly handle anything you want.”
He bent down and scorched her mouth with a burning kiss that reinforced his words. She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and melted into him. He would go anywhere, do anything, and be anyone she wanted as long as she never stopped kissing him the way she was at that moment.

Becca broke the kiss and leaned back.
Her lips were swollen, and her cheeks were flushed. “If we keep that up, we will never get to the place I want to show you.”

“We’re not there yet?”
Nick looked around to where they had stopped. For the first time, he noticed they were in a small clearing at the bottom of tree-filled hill. “We’re going up the hill, aren’t we?”

She laughed and turned to put his helmet with hers on the seat.
Becca put her knit cap back on and started walking up the hill. “Yep.”

They hiked in silence while their boots made crunching sounds on the new snow.
His breath came out in a cloud as he followed behind her and wondered if they even on a trail. Where the hell were they going?

Becca finally turned around and pointed to her right
. “It’s over there.”

As they got closer, Nick thought he could hear the sound of running water
, and when the trees suddenly cleared he got a glimpse of what she wanted to show him. A creek was flowing down the hill over sharp drops creating a waterfall in the middle of nowhere. It was spectacular.

Nick followed Becca over to a landing that someone had built above the area where the falls pooled.
He came up behind her, gathering her in his arms and stood silently taking in the scenery that was around him.

“It’s amazing.
How do you know about his place?”

“My dad used to take me hiking when I was a little girl.
One day we just found it. He said that it was our special place and built this landing for us.” She snuggled deeper against his chest. “I used to love coming here with him. It was our time together, and we would just sit here for hours and talk. I even confessed my deepest secrets to him, pinky swearing him not to tell.”

Nick kissed her temple.
“Want to share those secrets?”

“Oh, the usual fantasies of a ten year old girl.
My dream of kissing a frog and turning him into a prince, or the one where my prince would come riding in on a horse and carry me away to live in a castle.”

“I’m detecting a theme.”

“What else is there for a young girl to dream about? I did have one about a unicorn, but I think the prince was riding that, too.”

They both laughed and then settled in to a companionable silence.
Nick took in the view. It couldn’t be more serene and perfect. There was the beauty of the falls and the beauty in his arms.

“Thank you
, Angel, for sharing this with me. Sometimes living in the city, I forget places as beautiful and peaceful as this still exist.”

****

Becca suddenly felt her heart drop.

He lives in the city.

She had been so caught up in being swept off her feet and falling for him that she had forgot
ten to consider where he lived. Either that or her subconscious had conveniently whisked that little tidbit away and filed it under the “Do Not Open ‘til Christmas” box.

Her nagging fears sprang back to life with the reality that eventually he was going to leave her. It might not be his choice, but his responsibility to his company and the security team would obligate him to go.

As quickly as she had felt hope and believed there could be a happily-ever-after, her castle in the sky came tumbling down and was lying at her feet in a pile of rubble. She could feel herself crumble with it and fought the tears that welled up inside of her.

Nick brushed up against the side of her face and whispered in her ear. “I love you, Becca.”

Why did he have to say those words? Why now? Becca’s hand flew to her mouth feebly trying to hold back the sob that escaped her lips. It was too late to protect her heart from the pain that would come flooding in when he left. She loved him, too. But did any of it make a difference? How could their love withstand living so far apart?

“Angel?”
Nick took her shoulders and turned her around to face him. She saw the confusion and hurt on his face when he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please don’t cry. What is it? Was it too early to tell you? It’s ok if you don’t feel the same yet.”

Becca shook her head and choked out, “I do
…It’s not…” She put her hand on his chest and took a step back to gather her thoughts. All the words she wanted to say to him rushed around inside her mind. More than anything, she wanted to reassure him that she felt the same. Those three little words were screaming in her heart and wanted to be heard. Her fear of what she thought was inevitable kept them locked deep inside.

Nick’s face was drawn
, and she knew he was waiting for her to say something, anything. “Nick, it wasn’t too early. I care about you more than I can say right now. You’ve come to mean so much to me so quickly.”