Chapter 7
THANE
My days have more purpose now that Audra is in my life. Even though I'm not yet certain to what degree or how long she's going to stay in my life. I’ve never been afraid of anything. Ever. Why am I scared to bring that up?
I adore everything about her. Not just simply being with her…kissing her…holding her hand…feeling her energy so close to mine. I may have set a special ringtone so I know when it’s her sending a text.
My main focus right now is thinking up a date for this afternoon that will impress her. Fortunately, I have the means to do that. If she wanted to fly to a private beach in Hawai’i for a week, I could make that happen.
But Audra seems so down to Earth that I don't think I need to do anything like that.
As I sip my morning coffee at the dining table, my laptop is open to a map of the area.
There must be something interesting to do.
Somewhere I could take her that would be charming and make her smile.
Oh! Somewhere helpful to her work! That might be good.
After all, Audra’s primarily here to get these recordings done.
I think I need to find ways to support her project while simultaneously showing her how incredible this area is.
Then, if I’m lucky, maybe she’ll decide to stay.
I actually manage to wait until noon to send a text.
I thought of a place with interesting birds. They usually come out in the late afternoon. Can I pick you up at three, or are you busy today?
Audra: Three sounds perfect – see you soon!
Great. Please wear sturdy boots.
I don’t have to debate my shirt this time. I immediately choose a snug dark gray t-shirt that makes the most of my shoulders and biceps. I've never dressed for a woman before. It’s…interesting. I'm dazzled by the way Audra makes me feel sexy. It's wild.
When I pull up in front of the inn, Audra waves.
"One sec – I'm going to move my Jeep out of the way, since I won't be needing it today.” She jumps into the vehicle, which starts with a noise that sounds like a rusty wrench in an even rustier blender.
She parks at the far edge of the lot, and the engine has another violent coughing fit when she turns it off.
I rush over to help her out. "Angel, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you driving around in something that sounds like that."
She grins. "It's way better once it warms up."
"I believe you, but what if you're out in the field somewhere and it doesn't start? I hate the idea of you being stranded." I hold out my hand. "May I please take care of it?"
She drops the keys into my palm, and I notice several small charms on the key ring – the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Empire State building, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Gateway Arch. Either Audra has traveled a lot, or she really wants to.
"Are you a mechanic too?" she smiles.
"No, but I've got some connections." I flash her a wink, then go around to the far side of her vehicle. Then I pull out my phone.
After four rings it’s answered. "Valley Auto."
"Hey, Walker. It's Thane."
"Thane? Wow. Long time, man. How are you?"
"Great. Listen, I'm at the Old Hemlock Valley Inn. There's a forest green Jeep in the parking lot. The keys are on top of the front right tire."
“Is it dead? You need a jump?"
"No. I just heard the starter, and something's way out of whack. We can't have a nice young lady driving around the mountain in an unsafe vehicle, can we?"
He chuckles. "You actually emerged from your backwoods shack and found yourself a girl? Good for you."
Audra's eyes blaze. It's so quiet that she probably heard him. You know what, I don’t care. "Anyway…" I pause while he chuckles again. "Can you please fix the starter, find out what is making it run so rough? Give the whole thing a once over? VIP treatment."
"Got it. She'll be completely safe by the time I'm done. Not sure about timing, though. Griffin and Carson are both swamped today."
"All good. Just keep me posted. Thanks, man."
"No problem."
As I help Audra up into my truck, her hand lands on my shoulder, then slips down slowly, caressing my upper arm. "Thank you," she whispers. There's a light in her eyes when she looks up at me. "I really appreciate it."
My hand slips around her waist, holding her close. “I want my girl safe. Always." The light in her eyes turns to fire, making my heart swell in my chest, threatening to crack open.
"Your girl?"
"Yeah – I mean, if that's okay with you."
She nods, then stretches up to meet me halfway as we lean in for a slow, deep kiss.
Every time our lips connect, I feel fire course through my veins.
It's more than simple lust. The feelings I have for Audra are starting to spin out of control.
What's more, I'm sure that she is starting to have feelings for me as well.
Her tongue tentatively meets mine as the kiss deepens, our hands roaming everywhere, my palm slipping down her back to caress her perky ass.
A car door slams on the far side of the parking lot, causing us to jump apart a few inches. "I'm sorry," she whispers, looking around guiltily.
"Why sorry? It's all my fault. You're too hot for your own good, and apparently I can’t control myself around you."
Her hand lands square in the center of my chest. "Maybe you shouldn’t. Control yourself, I mean."
"Let's see if you still say that after I’ve dragged you out into the middle of nowhere.” I look down to double-check that she’s wearing sturdy hiking boots and has her gear bag. We get buckled in, then drive out of town, toward my house.
"Oh wow," she exclaims, looking around. “You didn't have to pick me up. I could've easily come out to you."
"Not with the way your Jeep is running. Also…" I reach out and squeeze her hand. "I like taking you places."
The drive flies by as we chat about our favorite holiday meals and guilty pleasure junk food. Eventually, I turn off the back road and onto a narrow gravel driveway.
Audra spots the no trespassing signs and looks at me nervously. "Are we allowed to be here?"
"This is the McNiece farm. They’re out west visiting relatives for a month, so I'm keeping an eye on the place."
We drive past the house, garage and new modern barn, then turn down another laneway to an abandoned barn that has seen better days and is practically falling apart before our eyes.
"Last time I walked through here the floor was safe," I explain, lifting her down from the truck. “But please be very careful."
"Um…okay." She eyes up the crumbling structure suspiciously, then follows me inside…though, to be fair, the term "inside" is kind of debatable, since a large chunk of the roof and one wall have completely caved in.
I pause two steps inside the huge open door. "Listen,” I murmur. There’s a rustling coming from what used to be the hayloft.
"What's up there?" she barely breathes.
"Keep still. You'll see."
A few moments later, her fingers dig into my bicep and forearm as an owl swoops down from the top rafter, flies through the barn, then out into the field.
"That's amazing," she whispers. "Do you think we can set up the equipment right here? Or will the sound of them swooping inside the barn cover up their hooting noises?"
"It should be okay," I explain. "Owls fly silently. Microphones don’t pick up any noise from their wings. I saw a thing about it online – scientists are still trying to figure it out."
She grins, looking up at me, that special light again in her pretty, brown eyes.
We spend the next hour watching the owls, recording some of their sounds and just hanging out in the barn and nearby field.
We laugh together so easily. Listen to each other's rambling stories so well.
I'm definitely not one to chat a lot. Like my brothers, I'm quiet and reserved.
But with Audra, I find myself sharing more than I ever have before.
Listening carefully to Audra's stories of her childhood, it sounds like most of the time she was alone.
She rarely mentions her parents, or what they do.
I don't like it. The thought of this lovely woman spending so much time by herself as a child makes me feel prickly.
Like I should've been there to help, even though I didn't know her yet.
There's an old picnic table beside the barn which is surprisingly clean. She moves her gear over, then we sit.
It's like flipping a switch. One moment we're looking out over the field. The next moment I’ve pulled her into my lap, threading my fingers through her hair as I tilt her mouth to mine. I’m enjoying this new side of myself that she has awoken.
Audra’s hair, her skin, her breathy gasps…
Everything about this beautiful girl is so soft.
Maybe she's the softness that my life has been missing.
My hand skims down the side of her curvy ass, and I feel her inhale sharply.
The urge to see her naked sends all my blood rushing to my cock, and I clamp my hand around her hip.
Her eyes sparkle as she pulls back to smile at me. "Whatever you're thinking," she whispers, "I'm thinking the same thing."
My heart pounds. Back in college, women used to throw themselves at me. I wasn't interested. I knew they were only interested in my huge frame and my family name. Everything is different with Audra.
She’s brought out a new side of my personality. Hell, I wasn’t even aware that I had a personality until she came along. I feel like I’ve been in a fog my whole life, but ever since I first saw her in that sunbeam, the clouds have parted.
Every syllable of her body language screams yes.
The way her thighs have fallen open. The way she leans in, snuggling against me as her fingers trail along the back of my shoulder.
I kiss a looping line from her cheek down the side of her neck.
She leans back slowly, silently encouraging me to work my way lower.
I catch her eyes. There’s a naughty look in them that clearly says, I dare you.
She gasps loudly as my hand dives into her dress, pulling her breast out of the stretchy tank top she’s wearing instead of a bra. The moment my lips close around her pebbled nipple, my cock aches with a dull throb. I want her. Need her.
My tongue drags across her skin, tasting her sweetness.
Audra wriggles in my arms, her soft moans telling me she loves my touch.
Every move I make is instinctive. The ultra gentle scrape of my teeth across her peak, making her shudder hard.
My fingers gliding under her skirt to play with the waistband of her tights.
I wait for her firm nod before delving into her panties, and her thighs spread even more.
We both moan as my thick fingers dance across her softest skin. Fuck, she’s so wet for me. My mouth captures the side of her throat, nipping and sucking a line along her collarbone as I inhale her breathy moans.
The blunt end of my middle finger circles her soaking opening as my thumb parts her folds, finding the nub that makes her tense up and whimper.
I make a few swipes back and forth, up and down, then a swirling motion.
It takes a few passes for us to explore what she enjoys most. What she wants from me.
Kissing a path up to her ear, I breathe, “You’re the sexiest woman in the universe. Tell me what you need, angel.”
“You.” The word is sharp and desperate, making my heart pump faster, harder, until I’m consumed with lust.
“You’ve got me, gorgeous. Just relax and come on my hand. You like it here?” I swirl my thumb in a tight circle.
Audra responds with a broken moan. “Yeah. Right there.”
My middle finger pulses, barely inside, just teasing. She’s even wetter now, the urge to plunge into her overtaking me. “How deep do you want me?”
“Real deep,” she moans. “All the way.”
I tease her a bit more, my finger bouncing along the edge, not quite dipping inside. Then, achingly slowly, I glide into her slick warmth, my thumb keeping up the quick circles she craves.
Audra responds by grabbing the sides of my face and yanking my mouth to hers. Her direct approach hits me just right, my cock already leaking pre-come with each throb.
The sensation of her soft mouth nibbling at mine, her silky pussy wrapped snugly around my finger, her luscious round ass squirming in my lap… I can barely contain the dark growl that’s rumbling around my throat.
This moment is so perfect that I don’t notice the clouds changing until it's too late. Raindrops begin to patter down on us.
Shit. Her equipment. “Should I—”
“Don’t stop.” Her hoarse cry is desperate and raw.
My ring finger slips inside as I fuck her with my hand, harder, faster, my thumb locked onto her swollen clit. Our kiss becomes feral, all tongues and teeth and groaning gasps.
It doesn’t matter that the sky opens, drenching us to the skin in seconds.
It’s even hotter to have our wet bodies grinding together.
My beautiful girl begins to shake, and for a split second, I worry that she’s cold.
No… She’s coming. A luscious, intense ripple is running through the entire length of her body as her pussy clamps around my fingers, trying to pull them deeper.
Her mouth falls open, our eyes locked as she cries out a string of wordless sounds. They hit me like a bolt of lightning to rival the flashes in the sky. She’s going to make the same noises while I’m pumping balls deep inside her. She’s going to squeeze my cock like she’s squeezing my fingers.
She’s going to be mine.
Audra blinks up at me through wet lashes as I pull my hand back, instinctively sucking my fingers clean as my eyes roll. “You’re fucking delicious, angel. I’m going to devour you. But first, let me get your—”
She jumps to her feet, yanking my jeans open so fast I don’t have time to stop her. “I want to see you,” she moans, eyes glazed over with both arousal and rain.
The droplets are a cool contrast to her warm hand as she pulls out my pulsing length.
“Wow,” she blurts. “That’s huge. Thick. I didn’t…”
“It’s fine, angel. You don’t have to… mmmmfff…” My attempt at speech devolves into a lusty moan as she strokes me firmly.
“You’re already so close.” She stands to the side, lightly brushing her lips to mine. Then her voice drops. “I need to feel you come in my hand.”
The split second her lips lock to mine I’m coming, shooting thick white ropes across the wet grass under us. I can’t tell if I’m seeing lights at the edge of my vision, or if it’s the lightning over us. I clutch her to me, kissing her smile through a throaty groan that shakes me down to my ankles.
Then I brush her hair from her face, dancing a kiss across her lips and wet forehead. She lets go of me, the rain drizzling across my still twitching cock doing nothing to cool my desire.
“That was the hottest thing in the world, angel. Give me three breaths, then I’ll get you warm and do what I can to save your equipment.”