You're Still the One (22 page)

“West Arch
Estate
,” Jamie said. “Sounds cooler.”

“Congratulations, you guys,” Kyle said, raising his beer. “A toast to the new Gods of Wine Country.”

“Bollocks, I think you just came up with a new show,” Sean said. “I'm pitching that to Alaina tomorrow.”

Everyone laughed while Hayden exchanged looks with Jamie and Cam.

Cam turned his head toward Sean across the fire. “Seriously?”

Sean nodded. “Sure, why not? We chronicled the building of The Arch and Fox, why not West Arch Estate? I think it's a great premise.”

“That title is the bomb,” Kyle said. He turned to look at Sean. “How come the title of my show isn't that cool?”

Hayden didn't remember the title of Kyle's show, but knew it didn't contain the word
god
.

“I dunno,” Sean said, shrugging exaggeratedly. “You just came up with this one. You had total input on yours,
and
you approved it.”

Liam sucked in a breath and gave Kyle a condescending head shake. “I think you just got burned, son.”

Kyle grinned. “I think I did.”

The conversation focused on the winery for a few more minutes before turning to something else. Then someone suggested s'mores and they broke out the supplies.

Hayden found himself next to Bex as they speared marshmallows on their roasting sticks.

“Congratulations on the winery,” she said. “I'm so happy for you. It's a dream come true.”

“Yeah.”

“That's a big one on the bucket list.”

“Maybe the biggest.” Right after falling in love and having a family. But those had fallen to the bottom after she'd left him.

As good as he felt tonight, there was a splinter in his brain from that afternoon when she'd said that it was best to keep things uncomplicated. He'd wanted that too—at first. But now he had to admit that while hooking up with her this week, the feelings he thought he'd buried were maybe resurfacing.

He told himself to watch out for the Bex who'd broken his heart—the woman who kept her emotions at bay. They'd been close, but he realized now that he'd always been waiting for her to completely lower her guard. It had taken a full year to get to the “I love you” stage, and he'd been the first to say it after months of not wanting to put it out there for fear she didn't reciprocate the emotion. Then later, after she'd lived in Ribbon Ridge awhile, he'd seen how she was with his family. She'd kept herself detached—not aloof really, more like protected. But he'd been so in love with her, he'd fooled himself into thinking she'd lower her guard, as she finally had with him. But then they'd lost the baby and she'd completely shut down, which had made him think she'd never really been truly vulnerable at all.

When he thought of how quickly and completely she'd frozen him out, he grew even more uncomfortable. That had entered his mind earlier, during the hike after they'd talked about sneaking off. But as usual, he'd avoided letting himself delve too deeply. That was an old hurt, a profound one. It was best if he left it buried in the past, and it was the primary reason he shouldn't be dawdling with Bex in the present. They had no future together. Not in the bucket list sense. Been there done that, and it had been a total fail.

Any further conversation between them was interrupted by the arrival of Maggie. Hayden went and roasted his marshmallow. When they were done with s'mores, they kept the fire going until after midnight when the yawns started to outnumber the words spoken.

Hayden was tired too, but the southern regions of his body were still hoping to meet Bex in the woods. He knew he had to put a stop to their shenanigans, but not tonight. Tonight he was buzzed and happy, and he just didn't give a damn.

The plan was for everyone to sleep under the stars near the fire. They began to spread out their bedrolls, and soon people filtered off to take care of whatever business they needed to before bed.

Hayden waited a long time. So long that he dozed off for who-knew-how long. He jerked awake and found that the fire was nothing but embers. The sounds of sleep reached his ears, and he wriggled out of his sleeping bag.

He looked over toward where Bex was bedded down, but her bag was empty. Shit, how long had she been gone?

He tucked a small flashlight into his pocket and looked around the campsite, but didn't see her in the near darkness. There was only a sliver of a moon tonight but thousands of stars brightening the sky. Still, he relied on the dying fire to cast its glow.

The logical place to search would be the thick trees to his right. That would provide the most cover for what they had planned. He slipped into the forest and was plunged into darkness. He pulled out his flashlight and set it on its lowest setting, a sort of milky white shadow that stretched only a few feet in front of him.

Narrowly missing a rock, he stepped over it and whispered, “Bex?”

Nothing but forest silence.

He kept going, careful to pick his way over the uneven ground. “Bex?”

Another few feet, and he finally heard an answer. “It's about damn time.”

He found her standing near a grouping of large rocks. Her hair was down, the dark locks caressing her neck. The temperature had dropped some, but it was still well over sixty degrees, and she wore that same fitted gray T-shirt. But she'd changed her hiking shorts into a pair of very short pajama-type shorts, like the ones she'd been wearing the morning he'd run into her at The Alex. He lifted his gaze to her face. She'd worn very little makeup today, but she didn't need it. Her lashes were always dark enough to make mascara redundant, and her lips were lush and pink enough to make lipstick unnecessary.

“What took you so long?”

For some reason, he focused on that very question, on the years they'd been apart. He wanted to turn that question around on her. What had taken her so long to come back? But it didn't matter just then. The only thing that mattered was taking her in his arms.

He turned off his flashlight and thrust it into his pocket then closed the distance between them. Sliding his hands around her waist, he pulled her against his chest, their gazes connecting for a split second before he kissed her.

He splayed his hands over her lower back, holding her tight as he lanced his tongue into the sweet heat of her mouth. Her fingers wound in his hair and she met his thrusts with her own, kissing him with fierce abandon.

Their hips met, grinding against each other. He dug his fingers into her back, wanting more, needing everything she could give.

She raked her hands down over his shoulders and along his abs to his waistband. There, she unbuttoned his shorts, working her hands inside and cupping his ass as she thrust against him. He felt her heat against his raging cock and couldn't wait to be inside her.

He interrupted the kiss. “Condom's in my front pocket.”

“Not yet,” she said into his mouth before reclaiming the kiss. Her hands kneaded his flesh. Her touch was firm and demanding, and he was absolutely on fire for her.

“You better make it fast,” he managed to say.

She pulled her lips from his and kissed his throat, her tongue and teeth leaving a trail of need as she moved down to the neckline of his shirt. “I just . . . I just need to taste you. Haven't done that . . . ” Her words disappeared as she knelt before him.

Overheated, he ripped off his shirt. She splayed her hand over his abdomen, her fingertips sliding over his muscles. Then she moved down, gripping his hips briefly before she tugged his clothing down to his ankles. Her breath drifted over his cock, arousing him to a near-painful state.

He tangled his hand into her hair and guided her head forward. “Don't make me come.”

“Why not?”

“Because there's no way I'm not fucking you.”

She wrapped her hand around the base of his shaft and sucked the tip into her mouth. Stars danced behind his closed eyes. She'd always been good at this. Good? She'd been spectacular. No other blowjob in his life had compared to her. No other sexual experience had. Period.

Her other hand curved around his ass, holding him fast as she sucked him hard. He had no choice but to thrust into her mouth, encouraged by her fingers digging into his flesh. Her tongue slid along his length, her lips closing over him as she moved up and down. She squeezed his balls, lightly, but enough to force a groan from his throat. She took him deep, her throat opening.

Motherfucker
, he was going to completely lose control. She either didn't notice or didn't care. Her mouth moved faster, the sounds of her lips and tongue in the ebony night creating a symphony of seduction that he was powerless to refuse. He was going to come.

Then her mouth was gone, and cool air stole his orgasm before it hit. He sucked in air, trying to calm himself before he shot his load into nothingness. That would be a damned shame.

“Holy shit, Bex.” She'd gotten better, and
damn it
he did not want to know how. Maybe, just maybe, he'd forgotten how good it had been.

“
Now
I'll get the condom,” she said, her voice husky and darker than the woods around them.

He felt her take it from the pocket of his shorts wrapped around his ankles. Then he heard the sound of the plastic opening. Next he felt her fingers stretching the latex around his heated flesh. Lust pulsed through him, and he kept his hold on her head, urging her, guiding her, needing her.

When he was sheathed, he knelt. His knees caught the edge of something soft. A blanket maybe. He kissed her hard and fast, his tongue licking at her mouth. “You thought ahead.”

“Of course.” She sounded breathy, excited. It fueled his desire.

“Turn around.”

She did as he said, moving forward on the blanket. He did the same so that his knees were completely on the soft cotton.

He yanked her shorts down her thighs, exposing the creamy paleness of her ass. His eyes had adjusted so that he could make out just enough to appreciate the view. Not that he hadn't committed it to memory years ago.

He pulled the shorts down farther, working them past her knees and taking them off one leg entirely, careful to move them past her hiking boot. She opened her legs and arched her back, offering herself to him. He shoved her shirt up so he could see her back.

He traced his fingertips down her spine. “I've always loved your back.”

“I know.” She reached back and grabbed the shirt, pulling it over her head.

He hadn't noticed before, but she wasn't wearing her bra anymore. He reached around to stroke her breasts. They hung hot and pendulous, the tips hard and pointed. He cupped one and squeezed the nipple. She moaned, her backside moving backward.

“I thought you wanted to make this quick.” Her voice was breathy, starkly seductive.

“It would be a hell of a lot easier if you weren't so damned sexy.”

He slipped his hand between her legs and found her moist heat. She was so ready. He was beyond ready. He thrust his finger inside her, eliciting a sharp gasp and a quick snap of her hips.

“Hayden, please.”

“Hold on, baby, I'm coming.”

He reluctantly let go of her breast to guide himself into her slick channel. He went slow, sheathing himself inch by delicious inch. Apparently impatient, she pushed back and took him as far as he could go, his balls slapping against her ass.

She cast her head back and moaned again.
“Yes.”

That was enough to drive him directly to the edge. He clasped her hips and let himself go, ramming into her with deep thrusts. She met every single one of them and he had to fight not to come too soon.

Then her hand was around his balls, pulling and stroking. Her thumb and forefinger ringed the base of his shaft and held him tight while he plunged into her. God, he loved when she did that. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her touch.

Her muscles began to contract around his cock, and he gave up the fight. White-hot pleasure slammed through him and sent him careening into oblivion. He gripped her tight, holding on for his life as his orgasm ripped him apart from reality.

He worked to catch his breath as he slid from her body. “God, Bex, that was amazing.” He considered the condom and what to do with it. Guess he'd just have to take it back to camp and get it far enough into the garbage bag that no one would notice.

She was quiet, her head down on the blanket. She'd brought her knees up so that she was more compact. If they were anywhere else, he would think she could just roll to the side and fall asleep. That sounded fantastic.

He stood and set the condom on the rock while he pulled his clothes on. “Bex? You okay? That was amazing, right? If you tell me it sucked, I'll have to get professional help. On second thought, don't tell me, even if it
did
suck.”

She rolled over and pulled up her shorts. Then she pushed her hair back from her face and looked up at him. “That was more than amazing.”

He held his hand for her and helped her up. “Excellent.” He felt great. Fucking
fabulous
. “We should get back.”

She bent to pick up the blanket then handed him something. “Here. I brought a paper towel and a baggie for the condom.”

Wow, she'd
really
planned ahead. He appreciated it, but was also concerned that there was now an expectation. A routine, even. And that wasn't good. Maybe it was time to back off.

He took her hand as they made their way back to the campsite. He used his flashlight again, but turned it off well before they emerged from the trees.

As they reached the edge of the clearing, a figure came toward them. His gut clenched at being found out by Liam or Kyle, who would undoubtedly flip him shit. Or Tori, who would be insanely happy and probably tell their mother. But the silhouette was too big to be her. In the end, it was Jamie.

Hayden had dropped Bex's hand the minute he'd seen the shape. “Hey, Jamie. I found Bex stumbling around in the dark.”