Chapter Two
Boone
This is a mistake. I’m not a late morning snack at the bakery kind of guy, especially on a busy Saturday. I think everyone on the mountain has come down to try out the weekend donut special. A dozen filled for six dollars is the best deal I’ve seen since the diner started giving a slice of pie with the Tuesday dinner plate. Twelve bucks for a huge spaghetti dinner and a slice of mile high is a steal. A steal that brings folks in, introverted or not.
It’s not that I don’t like people. I appreciate plenty of folks in town. What I don’t like is massive amounts of people all hoarding into one place at the same time.
That said, I can’t miss the opportunity to sit with Daphne. She’s the first woman in ages that I’ve felt any attraction to whatsoever… which is pretty fucked up, considering our age difference. I’d guess she’s in her mid-thirties, and that’s way too young for me. Hell, she’s still in the prime of her life. I’m going downhill on a train car with no brakes.
She leans forward, stirring her cup of coffee with the spoon. “Sorry you had to see all that on the trail. He’s… a mess. I don’t even know who that man is anymore.”
“I see that.”
I glance down at my donut and up again, wondering how far I should go, how much I should press, but my mouth is moving before I can make a thoughtful decision. “You mind me asking what happened?”
She raises her brows and blows out a heavy breath as a woman behind her carries a tray of croissants to a nearby table. “He… I think we both had good intentions, but we couldn’t get it right.”
“He’s not here. You don’t have to be polite. You can tell me all those feelings you were going to tell the dog. Fair warning, though, I never know what to say back.”
Her mouth opens ever so slightly, and she wets her lips. “I don’t want to bore you with my drama. Do you like hiking usually?”
I lean back in the small café chair. They really don’t make these things for big guys, which is weird considering we’re a community grown on steak and potatoes. “I try and hike up there every day. I’ve seen you before. A few times, actually.”
“Really?”
She leans forward, sipping her tea slowly. “I zone out when I’m up on the trails. It’s been my only escape for years. I listen to the birds, the wind, the river rolling… it’s so peaceful. I guess I really do block everything else out, because I think I’d have remembered you.”
I wonder if that’s a good thing.
“Why do you need the escape?”
I press again, desperate to know more about her. “Like I said, I suck at this stuff, but I’m not so bad a listener… so long as I’ve got a donut in my hand,”
I say as I bite into the jelly filled one I grabbed from the counter with coffee.
She rolls her eyes and bites back a smile. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”
“I like that smile. So whatever I said, I’ll say it again.”
I glance toward her. “Come on… tell me all those things you’ve been bottling up. You never know… might help.”
Her chest rises slowly as she takes a deep breath and glances toward me. The look is shy and reserved, as though she’s a scared kitten afraid to come out of her box. I don’t know this man or what he did to her, but I hate him all the same. “I’m surprised you haven’t recognized my voice yet.”
Recognize her voice? Shit, please don’t tell me this was one of the blind dates that I tried out back in the day. That would be humiliating. Then again, I don’t think I’d have forgotten a woman like Daphne.
“Do I know you?”
“No.”
She smiles and a wave of relief washes over me. “I do a morning show for Rugged Mountain Radio. I’ve been doing it for a few years.”
“So you’re a local celebrity? I had no idea. Sorry, I don’t listen to the radio much. If I do, it’s the seventies station. I miss the days when polyester was a personality trait. What kind of show do you do?”
“It’s a relationship advice show.”
She rings her finger around the top of her teacup, spontaneous tears welling in her eyes. “I feel like a fraud.”
Something inside of me ignites the same way it did earlier when her asshole ex came rolling up the trail. I don’t want to see her in tears. I need to protect her, hold her, fix everything until she’s better again. “Why’s that?”
“I don’t know.”
She brushes back a strand of silky red hair. “I spend all this time handing out advice to people about love and romance, and I’m not even sure I know what it is myself.”
“You were married, so you must have had some romance in there, right?”
A tear falls off her cheek, but she catches it quickly.
I want to run to her. I want to comfort her. My entire body is aching.
“We met young. There was a little romance back then, but it stopped when we moved in together. I was only eighteen, so… I don’t know. We neglected simple stuff. And look, I don’t need a lot of date nights or romantic gestures, but it would’ve been nice if he liked kissing me or if sex didn’t feel like this pre-planned chore. Also, not screaming at me would’ve been nice too.”
There are so many parts of what she said that I want to rage over, but I get stuck on one in particular. “What the fuck? He didn’t like kissin’ you?”
More tears fall from her face, and I can’t be this far away from her any longer. I stand from the chair and drag it to her side of the table, landing my hand on her leg in comfort.
She glances at me quickly. I half expect her to push me away, but she doesn’t. I think she might like the relief. “He said he didn’t like kissing.”
I glint down at her lips before meeting her honey gaze. How could anyone not like kissing those lips? If she were mine, I’d kiss them every chance I got.
“The worst part was the communicating, though. He’s very easily offended, so talking about my feelings became a landmine. I’d think I was sharing something simple, but to him it sounded like something else.”
She shrugs. “I don’t know… it always ended in tons of blame shifting and a screaming match. It was exhausting, and there wasn’t a lot of good to offset any of it. I have no idea why he came looking for me to get back together. Last I’d heard, he was sleeping with some twenty-something, which has been a real bright spot in my self-esteem,”
she says, her tone sarcastic. “He never seemed interested in younger women before, but maybe he was never into me, which is fine, but it’s also weird that I spent so long with someone and they were meeting so few of my needs.”
“Sounds like a selfish asshole.”
I keep my hand steady on her thigh, unsure of the right thing to say.
“I know. I just don’t know how I spent so many years with him. I mean, this isn’t how I saw my life going.”
“I get it. I’ve been thinking the same lately.”
“What do you mean? You said you were married before, right?”
“Long time ago. Married straight out of high school, ended seven years later. We weren’t bad people, we were just different, and not in the good way. We couldn’t agree on anything. She hated that I was a cop, and I hated that she hated it. I worked my whole life to be respected, and she had something to say about my job every fuckin’ day. It got old fast. After that ended, I tried the blind date thing a few times, but it didn’t work out, and I’m fine with that. Some days, I think I’m better on my own, anyway. Not everyone was meant for marriage.”
She lands her soft hand on top of mine and she brushes her thumb back and forth. “Don’t trust anyone and you won’t get hurt. I get it. I’m sorry you’ve been stuck there for so long. Police work is respectable. I can imagine it’s hard when someone you love doesn’t see it the same way, but… you really don’t think you’re ready for marriage? You seem like a really great guy.”
I don’t know how she did it, but the validation is hitting me unusually hard. Maybe it’s because I’ve waited fifty years to hear it, or maybe it’s the fact that it’s come so easy to a woman I’ve just met where it hasn’t for anyone else.
Jesus. I need to get my head out of my ass. I can’t get sucked into this.
I drag in a deep breath and let it out slowly, inadvertently squeezing her thigh as I try to figure what profound thing I can say back. “You’re good at this.”
That wasn’t the profound thing I was looking for.
A soft smile lifts her cheeks. “Seriously, I think maybe you just haven’t found the right person.”
She clears her throat and sips her tea. “What happened with your ex? Must be hard to avoid her in a small town like this.”
“She moved to New York, met a guy in finance, so no running into any ghosts… thankfully. There’s still hope that your ex disappears.”
She laughs. “Now you sound like a villain. Are you going to offer to make him disappear next?”
“It was on the tip of my tongue.”
I love watching her smile. “I was a cop long enough to know how to get away with all kinds of shit.”
“Wow,”
she grins wider, “I feel so much safer now.”
“Promise I’ll only use my powers for good, though more times than not these days they’re used exclusively for finding the best pastries in town.”
I take a sip of coffee and lean back in the small chair, aching to wrap my arms around her shoulders and pull her close, kiss her lips, taste her tongue.
“Well, you did spend the last thirty minutes listening to my feelings, so I’ll give you points for that.”
She glances at her phone. “I’m actually having a really great time, and I hate to leave, but I promised Mrs. Robinson I’d stop by and say hi at noon. It’s sort of a standing date after my hikes.”
“No shit? I stop by there every other Monday morning for muffins and coffee. Been doing it for years now. If something’s going on in town, she knows it. It was a great way to stay on top of all the drama in town when I was on active duty. Now, I just go for the gossip, the company,”
I grin, “and the muffins. You ever have her pumpkin ones?”
She shakes her head. “No, but I’ve had her pumpkin cookies and they’re insane! She makes this cream cheese glaze that’s, ugh, so good!”
“Are you guys close?”
Rocky growls low as he sleeps beneath the table.
“Yeah, she’s so amazing. I met her a while back, but we’ve gotten a lot closer since I started volunteering to finish the playground project. She held me up while I was going through my divorce. I can’t be thankful enough, really.”
She stands and turns to the side, inadvertently showing off her bubbled ass before wrapping her purse around her shoulder. “It was good getting to know you, Boone. I’ve never met anyone quite as… interesting.”
“I guess I could say the same. I’ve never listened to anyone quite so intently, so consider yourself lucky.”
A gnawing scratch eats at me from the inside out. I can’t let her walk away. I can’t let her leave. I need to touch her, taste her, hold her, kiss away every bit of pain she’s ever felt.
Stop. I need to stop, but I can’t refocus my mind. I can’t think of anything other than making her mine. It’s the strangest urge I’ve ever felt, and I have no idea how to navigate it.
I shake her hand, and she turns away, stepping out into the street. A brief second passes, and though I know I shouldn’t follow her out the door, my body stands itself and moves without permission.
Am I a stalker now? Who the hell is this guy and why is he staring at her ass? Why is his cock throbbing? Why are his palms itching to touch her? Why are his legs moving faster? Why is he grabbing her? Why is he dipping her into the alleyway? Why is he pressing her up against the cool brick wall like an out-of-control animal?
Her eyes widen and she shrieks, which only makes me harder. God, I’m sick.
“What are you doing?”
she pants.
My eyes lock with hers. “I wasn’t ready for you to leave.”
“So, you’re pinning me against a wall in the alley?”
She glances toward the dog, who’s licking my boot, and bites back a grin. “Bad dog!”
“He trusts me. You should, too.”
“Yeah? This whole, aggressive thing is definitely the first step in trust.”
Her lips nearly brush against mine as she talks, and there’s enough heat passing between us that we could bake a cake. I land my hand on her throat, and suddenly, her lips are on mine.
Fuck!
She moans into my mouth and lands her hand on my chest. Damn, she tastes earthy, like the green tea she was just drinking. Her soft hair brushes the back of my hand as I deepen the kiss and my cock drives into her stomach.
Again, who the fuck is this guy?
People walk past on the street, but I doubt they can see much of us hidden in the shadows. I run my hand down her curves and cup her ass, lifting her thigh against mine as I press her closer to the wall.
“You’re so fucking delicious, kitten,”
I growl low in her ear as her body vibrates against me.
“Oh God, touch me,”
she whines. She sounds as though she’s been thirsty for touch, though I doubt she’s as thirsty as I am.
I run my hand down her thigh, tuck into her leggings, and move over the top of her thin cotton panties, massaging her clit through the fabric as it soaks beneath my touch.
A second ago, we were eating strawberry filled donuts. How the hell are we here?
Moan after moan releases from her pretty lips into my ear, and though I know I should stop, I can’t. I haven’t been this turned up in ages. She’s so sweet. She smells so good. Her body is so soft… fuck, fuck, fuck!
I press behind her panties and sink into her pussy with two fingers until I’m deep inside of her tight little core, thrusting her clear up off the ground.
Her tits bounce against my face, and she moans softly as a group of people pass by without noticing we’re ten feet away.
“Do you sneak all the girls in town back here?”
she pants.
“First time,”
I growl, my head black with emptiness. All I can think about is feeling her, touching her, watching her. “Come for me, kitten. I need to feel you on my hand.”
She rocks her hips against my touch and tilts her head back, slightly opening her mouth as I thrust into her over and over again.
I didn’t see this happening this morning. Hell, I didn’t see this happening this year.
“Right there,”
she whimpers. “Don’t stop!”
Panting and moaning, she rocks into my hand, scrubbing her smooth little pussy against my palm. “Please… please!”
I had no idea how much I needed to hear her beg. My cock is so fucking hard.
Her fingertips dig into my bicep, and she lets out a howling moan so deep that I’m sure people have noticed us by now. Part of me wants them to notice, to watch me claim her and tell all their friends who this little kitten belongs to.
I thrust inside of her harder and faster, as she grips the back of my shoulder and scratches her nails down the center. “Oh God, I’m gonna come.”
“Do it! Come for me, kitten. Give me all that sweet juice.”
She moves her hips against my touch, and within seconds, she’s moaning low in my ear as an orgasm tears through her curved frame and leaves her convulsing against my hand.
My cock is so fucking hard. How the hell am I going to go on with the day like this didn’t happen? I need to touch her, feel her, spread her wide, and figure out why my body is having such a strong reaction to her.
A breeze blows through the passage, carrying the blended scent of nearby eateries as I pull out of her tight little pussy and lick my fingers clean.
“Damn. How the hell do you taste like wild berries?”
Eyes wide, she stares at me. “You’re insane.”
“And you like it.”
She bites back a grin. “I do.”
“So then tell me you’ll see me again tomorrow.”
“If I said no, would you come anyway?”
I can tell she wants to smile wider, but she’s holding back.
I nod.
“Okay then.”
She grins and pushes out of my arms, tugging her leggings back into place. “No.”
My cock grows harder, and though I know I can’t tear off her clothes and claim her right here in the street for all to see, it’s all I’m going to be thinking about until tomorrow.