7. Huck
HUCK
Trapped in a storage shed with the one woman I’d never been able to forget, a woman who was deathly afraid of dark, close spaces, was like living my worst nightmare. I kicked at the door again and again. For a rickety old shed, it was surprisingly strong.
“Sorry. Doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to break out.” Defeated and discouraged, I tightened my hold on Peyton. “It’s going to be okay. Do you have your phone on you? We can call for help.”
Her voice came out shaky and uneven, like she was trying, and failing, to keep a tight grip on her self control. “I left it in the truck.”
Damn. Mine was sitting on the edge of the stage. I’d only come into the shed to look for a box of screws since I’d run out. “Looks like we might have to wait for someone to come by in the morning. Unless you can think of a reason someone might swing by tonight?”
“No,” she whispered.
“Hey,”—I wrapped both arms around her, pulling her tight against me—“I’ve got you, Pey.”
Her fingers curled into my shirt as she tucked her body into mine. “I can’t believe this is where we’ve ended up. Is it poetic justice or a wicked twist of fate that we’re trapped in a shed at the fairgrounds together?”
“Why? Because this is where it all started?” It wasn’t lost on me that the first time I’d seen her had been at the county fair.
She’d been surrounded by a group of friends.
All of them had the same long, straight hair and wore matching cut-off shorts and tank tops.
But it was Peyton who’d caught my eye. She stood out like a fucking diamond in a sea of glass.
Hell, she even sparkled thanks to some spray-on body glitter she and her friends had doused themselves in that night.
“My dad would have killed me if he knew I’d been at the fair that night.” She let out a little laugh.
I could still picture her shaking her head and singing along to the band on the main stage.
No telling where we’d be today if I hadn’t been cocky enough to walk right up to her and try one of my cheesy pickup lines.
I thought I was so cool back then. If I’d channeled more of my energy onto the baseball field and less of it trying to impress girls way out of my league, I might have made it to the pros.
“Your dad would have killed you if he knew about half the things we did back then,” I teased.
“That’s the truth.”
Silence hung in the air as I remembered those long summer nights.
As soon as I got off work, I’d drive out to the dead end road behind her ranch where she’d be waiting for me.
I lived for those nights where I could escape the doublewide where my dad buried himself in the bottom of a bottle and feel like the world was mine for the taking.
With Peyton next to me, anything was possible.
She shivered, pulling me out of the past and back into the present. The sun hadn’t fully set, but it was just a matter of time. My eyes had adjusted enough to the dim interior that I could make out a few shadows.
“Stay right here. I’m going to look around to see if there’s a flashlight or lantern buried in here somewhere.
” I left her standing in the middle of the shed while I felt around the perimeter.
Dust filled the air as I disturbed items that had probably been sitting there for years.
Finally, my fingers closed around the handle of a lantern.
I found a book of matches nearby and crossed my fingers that whatever fuel had been poured into the lantern hadn’t dried up yet.
“Oh, that’s so much better.” Peyton sighed as a soft light radiated out from the lantern.
I swept it over the shelves and headed back to her with a tarp and the lantern in hand. “Think we can survive for a night with this?”
“And a sandwich.” She stepped out of the circle of light for a second and came back wielding a sub. “I was going to eat it when I got home, but I’ve got enough to share. Have you had dinner yet?”
I spread the tarp out on the floor and set the lantern down in the middle. “Let me guess, turkey and cheddar on wheat with tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, and mayo?”
“Am I that predictable?” She sat down and split the sandwich in half. Handing me the bigger piece, she looked up and met my gaze. “Would you consider half a turkey sub as an acceptable peace offering?”
My stomach rumbled, reminding me I hadn’t had anything to eat since I’d taken an early lunch. “It’s not exactly an olive branch, but I suppose it’ll do.”
“You can go back to hating me tomorrow.” She leaned against the wall and took a bite of her sandwich.
I stared at her, wondering if that’s really how she thought I felt about things.
“What?” she asked, wiping at the corner of her mouth. “Do I have mayo on my face?”
“No. I just can’t believe you said that. Do you really think I hate you, Pey?”
“Don’t you?”
The light from the lantern was just bright enough for me to catch the flash of hurt in her eyes before she looked away. I reached up and cupped her chin to turn her face back toward me. “No. I’ve never stopped…”
I caught myself before I slipped. Being this close to her, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume, old feelings bubbled up to the surface.
A tiny wrinkle appeared between her brows. “Never stopped what?”
Fuck it. I didn’t have anything to lose anymore, not after I’d lost what mattered most. I plowed ahead, tearing down the internal barriers I’d constructed to protect myself. “I’ve never stopped loving you. Not even when you let me walk away. Not even when you didn’t fight for us.”
Her eyes shimmered as they filled with tears. “Let you walk away? What are you talking about?”
“I waited for you to stand up for me. To believe me when no one else did, but you never showed. Did you really think I was the one who spray painted that building?” The evidence had been stacked against me when they found three half-empty cans of spray paint in the back of my truck, but I’d been innocent.
Anyone could have tossed those cans in there at any time, but since I wasn’t willing to tell the sheriff where I’d been that night, I didn’t have an alibi.
“You were with me that night.”
“That’s right, Pey. Your dad would have locked you in your room until you turned thirty if he knew you’d been sneaking out to meet me.
I didn’t expect you to admit we’d been together, but I thought you might have stood up for me.
” I’d been left on my own to figure out what to do.
When one of the most influential men in town painted a target on my back, I didn’t stand a chance.
“I didn’t know what was happening. My dad said you were caught red-handed. You never even said goodbye.”
“That’s because he made damn well sure I didn’t get the chance. He might not have known everything that happened between us, but he knew enough that he wanted to get me out of town. He made a deal with the sheriff. If I left quietly, he wouldn’t press charges.”
“I’m so sorry. I thought you left me.” Tears streaked down her cheeks. “I would have told him the truth if it would have saved you.”
“What about now?” I asked. Fifteen years of locked up emotion surged through me as I looked into her eyes. The anger dissipated. How could I be mad at her for giving up on us when her dad had played her just as easily as he’d played me?
Her palm rested on my chest, right over the heart that had only ever beat for her. “Now I feel like we’ve wasted so much time.”
I couldn’t hold back. My hands moved up to cup her cheeks. I tilted her head to more easily capture her mouth with mine. It was time to sweep all the regrets of my past away. Time for Peyton and me to pick up where we left off.
The heat between us built with each touch, each moan, and each kiss.
I’d dreamed about this moment for too long and now it was here.
She was different, yet the same. We fell back into the same easy rhythm we’d always had between us.
It was like we were back in high school and couldn’t get enough of each other.
Her palms slid under my shirt and I sucked in a ragged breath as her fingers touched my skin. She was mine again, right back where she belonged, and I was going to remind her how good it had been between us… how good it could be now.
I took our kiss deeper, tangling my tongue around hers while I peeled her shirt up and over her head. My cock strained against my jeans as she yanked my shirt off and pressed her tits into my chest.
“Fuck, Peyton,” I growled into her mouth. “I’ve missed you, baby.”
“I missed you too.” She laid back on the tarp, pulling me down with her. “Take off your pants. I need you inside me now.”
Chuckling, I did as I was told. She’d never been shy about telling me what she wanted. I was glad to see that hadn’t changed. Kneeling over her, I tugged her pants over her hips, taking her underwear with them.
“I wish I could see you right now.” Bending over her, I trailed kisses across her belly while I reached behind her and unclasped her bra. “You’re so beautiful, Pey.”
“You don’t need to be able to see me.” She put her hands under my arms and tried to tug me up for another kiss. “A lot’s happened in fifteen years. My butt got bigger, my hips got wider, and my belly grew.”
“And you think I give a shit about any of that?” I ran my hands over her stomach and held onto her thick hips. “I love you just the way you are. Always have, baby.”
“You sure you’re not just saying that to get laid?” She tried to tease, but I heard the insecurity underneath her laugh.
“If I just wanted to get laid, I probably would have picked a more comfortable location.” I set my finger on the tip of her nose. “I love everything about you, Peyton. From the tip of your nose right down to your toes and everything in between.”
To drive home my point, I traced a line from her nose, down her chin, between her breasts, and straight down her stomach until I reached her core.
She shivered as I circled her clit. “I think you got distracted on the way to my toes.”
Nestling my shoulders between her thighs, I settled in. “Thought I might spend a little time visiting my favorite place on my way down.”
“Damn, Huck. You could have warned me that’s where you were going to stop.”
I spread the lips of her pussy and licked along her seam. “Is this enough of a warning? Get comfortable because I plan on staying here until I get my fill.”
She sucked in a breath as she angled her hips up, giving me complete access. “What are you waiting for?”
Grinning from ear to ear, I lowered my mouth to her core.