Ruined by the Rebel

7. Triton

I checkedthe peephole before answering, though I’d been expecting my brother Owen. I’d called him on my way in to let him know I’d be in the area. He’d insisted on bringing over some staples to get us through the first couple of days.

“Where is she?” Owen didn’t waste time pushing past me to enter the cottage.

“Shh. She’s in bed, probably sacked out already.” I closed the door and flipped the deadbolt. “Did you see anyone on the way over?”

“Saw a lot of cows.” He set the plastic bags down on the counter.

“People. Did you see any vehicles or people?”

“No one. You think I’m new at this shit?” With his hands free, he tied me up in a huge bear hug. “It’s good to see you. How long has it been?”

“Too long.” I hugged him back. Even though I’d been in Maplewood for a few years and only three hours away from home, I didn’t make the trip as often as I should have.

We broke apart and Owen started pulled things out of bags and putting them away. “Mama Mae sent over a pan of brownies. She wants you and Bess to come over for dinner on Sunday. Bison and Pris will be there. I think she invited the Calhouns too since they were nice enough to let you use the cabin.”

“Is there anyone in town who doesn’t know I’m here?” I joked. “You do understand the idea of lying low, right?”

Owen smirked. “She’s just excited to see you. And don’t worry about anyone getting close to you. We worked out a schedule and will have two guys posted around the clock to make sure.”

I emptied a bag full of fruit onto the counter then opened the fridge. “I can’t believe you did all this.”

“It’s what family does. We look out for each other.” He lifted his shoulder in a half-shrug. “Maybe you’ve been away so long you’ve forgotten that.”

“I’ve been busy, that’s all.” Guilt settled like a heavy anchor in the pit of my stomach. It wasn’t my schedule that had kept me away, and we both knew it.

“She expects you there at six, her words, not mine.”

“I’ll think about it.” It was the best I could do at the moment. Bringing Bess to Broken Bend had been a spur of the moment decision. If someone in the cartel wanted to find her, it might not take very long for them to figure out she was with me. From there, they’d be able to trace me back to my hometown. The last thing I needed was to draw the attention of the cartel here.

“You do that. Call me if you need anything, okay?” Owen stuffed the empty bags under the sink. “I’ll see you soon.”

I pulled him in for a half-hug, handshake thing. “You should bring the missus over sometime soon. I’d love to meet her.”

He walked backward toward the door. “Lucky for you, she’ll be there on Sunday too.”

I caught him right before he opened the door. “Hey, weird question, but what city do you think is the most romantic?”

“Seriously? You’re on the run from a drug cartel and you want to talk about romance? What’s this woman done to you?”

“Can you just answer the question?”

He took off his cowboy hat, ran his hand through his hair, and set it back on top of his head. “Hell, I don’t know. Kira’s always wanted to go to Paris.”

“Thanks. See you soon.” I shook my head as he let himself out then stripped down to my underwear and tried to get comfortable on the couch. Knowing Bess was only a few yards away ensured I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. I tossed and turned, trying to picture what kind of pajamas she preferred. Visions of her rocking a lacy, sheer negligee played through my head.

Fuck. I punched the pillow and tossed the lightweight quilt to the side. The next several days were going to test me in ways I never imagined.

I wokeup to the sound of an ancient coffee pot whirring and spitting liquid into the carafe. I’d barely slept and would probably need more than my usual dose of caffeine to get me going. Stretching my arms over my head, I sat up.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” Bess sat at the kitchen table with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. “Coffee’s on, though I’ve never used a pot like this one, so hopefully it’s not too strong.”

Forgetting I’d stripped down to my boxer briefs, I got up and headed toward the counter. “Too strong isn’t a possibility.”

Bess sucked in a breath. I turned around and her eyes went wide. I was sporting morning wood. Fuck me. I raced back to where I’d shed my jeans the night before and pulled them on.

“Sorry about that. I don’t function all that well before caffeine.”

She bit back a smile. With her hair falling in loose curls and her face scrubbed free of makeup, she looked absolutely edible. I wanted to walk over and pull her into my arms, then spend the rest of the day exploring every square inch of her curves.

“Then let me pour you a cup.” She pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she got up from the table.

I couldn’t see what she had on, but her bare legs drew my attention.

“Did someone stop by last night?” She opened a cabinet and reached for a mug. Her fingertips barely grazed the handle. Standing on her tiptoes, she stretched as high as she could. The blanket fell to the ground behind her.

“My brother Owen brought over a few things.” I moved in behind her and easily snagged two mugs from the top shelf. “Let me get that for you.”

“Thank you.” She froze with me pressed up against her.

I didn’t want to move, wasn’t sure I even could. The scent of lavender surrounded us. I’d smelled it the other day, too. Must have been her shampoo or lotion. Didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered in that moment was the way my front connected with her backside.

“Bess.” Her name drifted past my lips like an apology, yet I still couldn’t force myself to move away.

She turned slowly, her breasts full and heavy as they smashed against my bare pecs. “What’s supposed to happen next?”

The way she looked up at me, with such trust and longing in her eyes, sent my heart into a spiral. “I could back away and pour you a cup of coffee and we could go on about our day like this moment never happened,” I said, silently begging her not to shut this down.

“Or?” She tilted her head and skimmed her hands up my arms.

I shivered at her touch and what it implied. “Or I could kiss you.”

“That might complicate things, wouldn’t it?”

My hands went to her shoulders. “It could.”

Her eyelids drifted closed. “My dad wouldn’t like it, either.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” I agreed. That should have been enough to make me back away and promise myself to never touch her again. But there was something between us. Something I’d never felt before. Something that scared the shit out of me yet still drew me toward her like a bear to honey.

“But I would.” She rose up to her tiptoes and snaked her arms around my neck.

Knowing I shouldn’t, I leaned closer and brushed my lips against her mouth. At the contact, overwhelming need engulfed me. My heart beat in time to a desperate desire to make her mine. Mine. Mine. Mine.

I swept her up in my arms and carried her to the bedroom. “Tell me stop, Sugar Pie. I don’t want to take advantage of you. Just say the word, and I’ll set you down and never touch you again.”

She ran her hand over my beard and pulled my head down. “I can’t.”

Fuck. My self-control had been put to the test in some dangerous situations. I kept telling myself I could stop anytime.

That I should stop.

Now.

Before it was too late to turn back.

I gently laid her down on the bed and slowly pulled back. She was full of light, and I was drowning in darkness. Letting her go would be the right thing to do. She needed the kind of life her parents had probably promised her all along… a husband who adored her, a house in the country with plenty of room for their two-point-five kids, a minivan, and a slobbery dog.

“I can’t do this.” Shoving my hands into my hair, I wanted to scream. Every beat of my heart urged me to claim her, but I couldn’t.

She reached up and held out her arms. “Please, Triton.”

“You need kids and cats and dogs. You need someone with a heart that hasn’t been shattered into pieces by his past.”

“I need you.” Her fingers toyed with the hem of her snug tee.

I’d have given anything in that moment to slip my hands under the edge of her shirt and trail my fingers up her belly until I could cup her full, round breasts in my hands.

She must have felt it—the way I wavered back and forth. Because she eased her shirt over her head, shedding it like a second skin. Then she laid back and rested her head on the pillow. Trailing her own hand between her breasts, she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth in a move worthy of a famous porn star.

My willpower shredded. I climbed onto the bed and hovered over her. Her nipples grazed my chest and sent blood rushing to my cock.

“Where did you come from, Bess, and who the hell are you?” With her beautiful face surrounded by a cloud of golden hair she could have been an angel sent straight down from heaven.

“I’m yours if you’ll have me.” The honesty in her eyes nearly did me in. We were from two different worlds, opposites on every level.

Then she spread her legs. With nothing but a pair of thin pajama shorts keeping me from getting my first taste of her, I gave in. Within seconds I’d worked her shorts and her undies down her legs and threw them aside. My cock strained against my zipper, but her needs came first.

Intent on giving her the best orgasm of her life, I kissed my way down her belly, pausing as she giggled and squirmed underneath me.

“That tickles.”

“It’s the beard. I’ll shave it if you want.” I’d do anything for her, absolutely anything.

“Don’t you dare. I love it.”

“Then I love that you love it.” My journey continued, past her belly button and over the neatly trimmed patch of hair between her legs. I could smell her arousal as I slid a finger over her mound. Fuck, she was wet. Her slick heat made my mouth water. With one hand on her belly to hold her in place, I put my palm under her ass and angled her hips the way I wanted them.

Then I licked her creamy slit, tasting her for the very first time.