Chapter Twelve
Crew felt like he he’d grabbed onto an electric fence. His nerves buzzed with unrelenting need, and he couldn’t shuck his clothes fast enough.
When he flipped open his wallet and pulled out a condom, his stare was on Fern.
Christ, she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever set eyes on. Her body twitching from release, eyes wide and fixed on his.
Pink lines of beard burn streaked her throat and the tops of her breasts.
Seeing the marks on her—his marks—had his balls about to burst.
“Spread your legs for me.” His gritty tone made her eyes widen, then hood.
Slowly, she let her thighs fall apart. Her pussy glistened with desire and her release. And he damn near lost it then and there.
Wrapping his fist around his cock, he gripped until the sensation decreased.
Then he stepped up to the bed. He braced his hands on either side of her curvy body, leaning over her but not letting their skin touch.
At the first brush of her naked body against his, he would be plunging inside her, and he wanted to take it slow.
His body had other ideas, and so did hers. His hips dipped at the same moment she wrapped her legs around his back and yanked him on top of her.
They shared a moan and he caught the flash of her smile before his cock head pressed at her opening. The tip sank inside. Her lips opened on a wide O, and he ground his teeth against the pulse of his orgasm at the base of his spine.
In one swift thrust, he buried himself balls-deep. He stilled, aware of her soft breaths coming fast against his neck…then the tender brush of her lips there.
As he shifted inside her, withdrawing only partway because losing that much contact with her caused him more than physical pain, he captured the point of her chin between his thumb and forefinger.
Lifting her face to his, he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss that made it impossible for either of them to go slow.
He fucked her hard and deep, taking her cries for his own and losing himself more with each moment of their unbroken kiss. When her inner walls tightened around him, his cock surged.
In another thrust, he was coming in long, hard streams. His mind blanked but not before he trapped her swollen clit with his thumb and pressed down with the pressure he knew sent her off the deep end.
He drove his cock into her innermost point and swirled his thumb over her bundle of nerves three times, then four. When her back bowed, he stared into her eyes and watched her come apart for him.
“Fern…” Her name felt so right on his lips.
He brought her down slowly, swishing the pad of his thumb slower and sinking inside her in the small twitches until the final contractions faded away.
Letting out a groan, he kissed her, loving the feel of her fingers lightly pattering down his spine. She paused over the ridge of a scar before moving on and cupping his buttock.
“You’re…hard all over.” She was still catching her breath and her eyes sparkled with passion that hadn’t yet cooled.
“And you’re a perfect fit for me.” He branded her throat with more kisses, and he might be purposely scraping his rough beard over her skin just to mark her more.
When she climbed out of this bed, he wanted her to feel how thoroughly he’d claimed her. And when she looked in the mirror, he wanted her to know who had claimed her.
Crew rolled into the thick covers, dragging her with him so one thigh draped over his hip and she cuddled into his shoulder. Her gentle breath felt like the softest summer breeze against his skin.
“My downstairs neighbor is going to wonder what those noises were.” She twisted her face against his shoulder and shook with a giggle.
“What will you tell them?”
“That I had an extra-heavy potted palm I was trying to move?” She burst out laughing.
He studied her, memorized her beautiful features that, as she laughed, transformed into something spectacular. “If your neighbor knows anything about you, they’ll believe it.” He pressed a kiss over her temple. “The first time I saw you was with a dead plant.”
“And I stuck my foot in my mouth.” She sobered.
He directed a lock of rich, red-brown hair off her cheekbone. “I don’t remember you sticking your foot in your mouth.”
She pulled back to search his eyes. “You don’t? Well, I rambled on, using some military terms and thanking you for your service.” She compressed her lips. “After you left, the clerk told me you were on the Black Heart. I didn’t know what that meant, so I asked my boss.”
“I’m touched that you went to the trouble to ask. But I don’t want it to weigh on you. You didn’t know, and none of us want people walking on eggshells around us either.”
Lip trapped in her teeth, she nodded. “It was great to work with some of the guys today. Do you think they’ll come back to the garden?”
He smoothed his hand over her back, and her skin pebbled in response. “Why wouldn’t they? They loved you.”
She giggled. “I wasn’t sure after that story I told. Not everybody likes my weird stories.”
“Not weird. Quirky.” He stroked his hand back up to her shoulder blade. “You’re quirky. And it doesn’t matter if everyone doesn’t love that about you because I do.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
With a soft sigh, she settled against him. “Thank you for being so supportive, Crew.”
Warm heat spread through his chest, and he tightened his hold on her.
“From the start, you were a nice guy, picking up the pots of what you call dead plants.”
He arched a brow, amusement tipping the corner of his mouth. “You mean they aren’t dead?”
She laughed. “No. In fact, they’re thriving.”
“No way.”
Her deep green eyes twinkled. “I can show you.”
“Lead the way.”
They slipped out of bed. She grabbed a dark green robe from the end and padded from the room, bare feet whispering on the carpet. He saw so many plants lined up in front of the bathroom window, some lush and some only sprouts. But all were reaching toward the sun.
He could only shake his head. “You have such a special gift, Fern.”
Her eyes glowed as she stared up at him.
He closed the gap between them, cradling her face in his palm. “You’re such a special person…” Then rougher, more honest, he said, “To me.” His throat clicked as he swallowed hard.
“Oh, Crew…”
They stared into each other’s eyes for so long that he forgot that just weeks ago, he lived his life without Fern in it.
She slid her hand up his nape and into his hair. “Stay the night with me.” Her brow creased. “Are you allowed to do that?”
“I’m a free man. About to leave the program.”
Her frown deepened. “Oh, yeah. When we met, you said you wouldn’t be around to see the community garden growing.” Pain laced her words.
He shook his head. “I don’t have to leave. There’s an opportunity at the training facility. If I want it.”
If I’m brave enough to take it.
Staring down at this beautiful, creative and caring woman in his arms…he thought he could be.
* * * * *
Fern stood at the potting bench of the greenhouse, the fresh air from the open door rushing through her senses and teasing the ends of her ponytail. She had several pretty annuals lined up and a much larger pot on the floor at her feet to plant them in.
From somewhere in the greenhouse, she heard Marla take a phone call. She spoke in a low but friendly tone, but Fern couldn’t make out the words.
She started to reach for one plant when she remembered the bracelet Crew had made her still circled her wrist. She stared at the beads in all colors of green—some clear glass and some with swirls of other colors. But all perfect.
For this job, she would be up to her forearms in dirt. She didn’t want to get the bracelet dirty or risk breaking the fragile cord he’d strung it on. Sighing, she slipped it off and set it on the shelf over the bench.
“Fern,” Marla called.
She turned to see the older woman bustling toward her, apron dirty and water beading on her rubber clogs.
“What’s up?”
“I just took a call from Vera at the bakery.”
She almost wrinkled her nose at the name—and her boss saw it.
Marla chuckled. “I know. She isn’t the easiest woman to get along with. But this was a good call.”
“Oh?”
“Did you make a pot for the front of the bookshop?”
“Yes! I created it for Felicity, and she asked me to swap out the plants with the seasons.”
The woman beamed. “It’s great that you’re generating repeat business, both for you and the greenhouse. And now you’ve got a new client—Vera at the bakery. She would like a color theme of pink and white flowers.”
She tapped her fingertip to her lips, mind already selecting the blooms and varying greenery to complement the flowers. “I have just the right ones in mind.”
“Great. She’d like you to deliver the pot to her tomorrow.”
Smiling, she nodded. “Shouldn’t be a problem.” She thought of all the other businesses in Willowbrook—the hardware store, the thrift shop and coffee shop too. So many different pots she could make.
“Marla,” she said thoughtfully, “what do you think of me soliciting the other businesses in town tomorrow? To see if they’d like to invest in seasonal pots too.”
Her face lit up. “I think it’s a wonderful idea. I knew hiring a woman named Fern was a sign of good things to come.”
Warmed by the kind words and the genuine feeling behind them, Fern impulsively threw her arms around Marla. She hugged her back. When they broke apart, they were both grinning and Fern felt so happy that she’d seen the exit for Willowbrook and decided to put down roots here.
“I’d better finish this pot.” Fern beamed at her.
“Get back to work.” Marla beamed too, then turned and walked to the succulents.
Just seeing the little handwritten sign for the succulents section felt like a cloud crossing over Fern’s beautiful day.
The Black Heart Security team hadn’t uncovered the source of that succulent that suddenly appeared in her car that day.
And after digging deeper, they’d learned nothing more about the truck either.