Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
GREG
It takes everything I’ve got to walk away from Joanie on Saturday night. Am I an asshole because “soon” wasn’t that same night? Maybe. But something is telling me to wait. To make her wait. That it’ll be worth it. And frankly, I’m kind of just enjoying her company.
Nate texts me that morning to let me know he and the girls will be at the skating pond after breakfast. I’m not sure what to make of him informing me of their whereabouts after his warning me off Mia’s best friend, but I’ll take the help.
I finish off a steaming mug of black coffee as I stare down my snowy driveway, and anxiety settles over me. Not because of skating. That part I’m looking forward to. It’s what comes after that.
Yakima. The Tyler clan. And my holiday visit-slash-annual report-in with my parents. Where I get to tell them all about what’s happening in Alpine Ridge, and they get to tell me how I’m wasting my life staying here. Good times.
As I throw my suitcase in the backseat of my truck and head out, I realize “soon” will probably have to wait even more. I can’t fuck and run with Joanie. Something tells me that I won’t want to stop for a while once we start. And I will seriously need my head in the game to survive this week.
* * *
I park in my usual spot at the community center, though a few other vehicles dot the small parking lot on the skating pond side of the building, Nate’s truck included. I go inside the building and grab my skates from the office.
As I head to the pond, the cold air does a much better job waking me up than the coffee, and I can hear laughter floating in the air. It breaks through the gloomy cloud hanging over my head, and as I get close, I can see that besides Nate and the girls, there isn’t anyone else out at the pond yet. It’s still early, I guess.
As I get closer, I can see Mia and Joanie spinning in circles, their hands clasped between them as they whirl around, heads tipped back while they laugh. The innocent joy on their faces is something to behold. It probably explains why Nate is stopped, watching them with a grin. Something like I’m doing right now.
I watch the girls break apart, Mia tumbling onto the ice with her momentum, still laughing, while Joanie catapults herself in a wide, graceful arc. She turns, then executes a perfect toe loop jump. And then, with confidence radiating out of her, she follows it with a double -toe loop jump.
I grin widely and advance to the pond’s edge while clapping, and she skids to a stop, startled at the sight of me.
“Where’d you learn to skate like that?” I say by way of greeting, sitting on one of the nearby benches as I change into my skates.
She glides across the ice and hobbles over the small strip of snowy grass to settle beside me.
“I’ve had lessons since I was six,” she explains, crossing her legs toward me. “So, I’m not shit at all winter sports.”
I lace up with a smirk. “Just snowshoeing, then?”
She narrows her eyes. “We can’t all be good at everything. Surely there’s something you’re bad at.”
I finish lacing the other skate, stand, and extend my hand. “I’m sure there is,” I agree. She takes my hand and lets me lead her onto the ice. I drop her hand and skate a quick, tight circle around her. “I’ll let you know when I figure out what that is.”
She rolls her eyes, and I skate away backward, saying hi to Nate as I pass him. Mia rolls her eyes as I glide by her, causing my grin to widen. Okay, so maybe I’m showing off a bit too much. I turn and stop right in front of Joanie.
“Cute,” she says. “But can you do any jumps?”
“No,” I admit. “I played hockey for years. I can skate, and I can handle a stick.”
“I’m not even going to rise to that bait, mountain man,” she says with a tilt of her eyebrow.
I tip my head back and laugh. “Then how about a spin around the ice instead?” I offer, holding out my gloved hand once more.
She takes it and lets me lead her around the pond. We do a few laps in perfect, silent sync, and I can’t help spinning her into a twirl as we go for our third lap. She laughs as we disconnect and then spins out, using the momentum to execute a loop jump.
I resist teasing her for being a showoff. I’m not exactly one to talk, especially around her. I can’t help it; something about this girl makes me want to impress her.
I notice that Nate and Mia have stepped off the skating pond and are putting on their boots.
“Where are you lovebirds off to?” I ask, skating to a stop nearby.
“Oh, noticed we were still here, did you?” Mia replies.
Nate shakes his head with a smile. “We’re going to go pick up some lunch. Want us to bring you anything back?”
“What, we’re not invited?” I joke.
Nate looks at me and says quietly enough that Joanie, still showing off her skills on the ice, doesn’t hear, “I figured we’d give you two some time alone.”
“Ah.” I nod. Nate knows I’m headed out this afternoon since he’ll be covering for me this week at the festival. “Thanks, man.”
Mia starts back toward the parking lot, and Nate nods in return. “We’ll be back in an hour. Maybe more.” He gives me a subtle wink as he follows his woman.
I watch them walk away, climb in the car, and drive off before I return to Joanie. Only to find she’s at the bench across the pond, changing back into her boots.
“Going somewhere?” I call across the sheet of ice as I sit back down to change into my own boots.
She smirks and strolls around the edge until she stops before me.
“ We ,” she stresses, “are going in there.” She tips her head toward the community center. “I’m cold. Want to warm me up?” She looks at me seductively.
I smile at her, then rise, offering my hand again. She takes it, and I lead her through the snow toward the building.
“So, this is your main gig, huh?” she asks, gesturing around her. “Running this place?”
I raise an eyebrow. “The community center? Yeah, something like that.”
She peers out over the pond as we make to round the corner. “There are worse jobs,” she says, then flashes me a smile to let me know she’s not being critical.
“Alpine Ridge growing on you, city girl?” I tease, also realizing I hope it is. I wouldn’t mind if she visited more. But I’m getting ahead of myself, I know.
She shrugs, but I can tell it’s feigned indifference. “It’s all right. So, are you one of the famed locals? Born and raised here?”
I laugh. “God, no. Though my family has had property here for decades,” I explain. “But I came back a few years ago and just kind of stuck around.”
“Fell in love, huh?” she pokes. Not quite teasing, more … looking for information?
“Not just with the town. I have a lot of good memories of this place, and it’s peaceful here,” I explain freely. “No pressure. No expectations. I can just … be here. Do what I want when I want.”
We get to the building, and I push the door open, holding it for her to walk through. I follow her in and let the heavy door close behind us. The sound of it shutting heralds the first time we’ve been completely alone in private, nobody waiting outside to bust in and bother us. At least not for a while yet.
“What did you do before?” she asks.
I lead her down the hall to the office, the only room with a comfortable seat for us both, while I contemplate how to answer her question without spilling my entire life story.
I open the door into the small room and gesture to the old, maroon loveseat under the window next to the small desk and bookshelves that fill the other side of the room.
She folds herself onto one half and drops her coat, hat, gloves, and skates to the side. I toss mine back in the pile on the other side of the desk before joining her on the couch.
“I was a middle school PE teacher in Ellensburg,” I finally admit. “I was ‘made redundant’ and decided that was as good an excuse as any to focus on something else for a while.”
“Did you like it?”
I’m a bit taken aback by her question. “I loved it, actually. I’ve always had a passion for fitness, and it was great getting kids excited about it, too.”
Joanie’s expression softens. “That’s sweet,” she admits. Then she gives me a wicked smile. “God, I can’t imagine if I’d had a PE teacher who looked like you. I bet all those little preteen girls loved you.”
I chuckle. “Unfortunately, yes, that came with the territory.”
“Unfortunately?” she asks shrewdly.
I gaze fixedly into her ice-blue, cutting eyes. I’ll never get used to the effect they have on me. Like I want to tell her everything. I’m not sure if it comes with the law degree or if it’s just her.
“I was dating another teacher. She didn’t love it.”
Joanie barks a sharp laugh. “Well, good that that’s over then. What kind of woman is jealous of a bunch of twelve-year-olds?”
I hesitate, not wanting to badmouth my ex. Or even talk about her right now, not with Joanie.
“We were together a while. I don’t think it was a big deal in and of itself, but when you have to deal with that day in and day out for years …” I shrug.
“How many years?”
“Six.” The word drops into the silence like a stone in a still pond. The ripples of emotion on her face come and go, and I give her a minute. “Not one for long-term relationships?”
She tips her head back and forth. “I guess I haven’t met someone I wanted to be with for that long.”
“How about someone you want to be with for right now?” I tease, reaching out and running my thumb over her cheek.
She tilts her head into the touch, her long, dark hair spilling over her shoulder. Fuck if I don’t want to run my hands through those waves. Gather them in my fist. Pull them hard while I take her from behind.
I shift as my dick rises at the thought. She misinterprets my shift as a move to kiss her, and her mouth meets mine.
Which I can’t be mad about at all, as her soft lips open to me, and our tongues meet. I slide my hand to her neck, tilting her head so I can kiss her more deeply, my tongue exploring her mouth. She groans deep in her chest and then moves into my lap.
She straddles me as her face descends on mine, her teeth grazing my lip, the sensation traveling straight to my already too-hard dick. I lock my hands onto her waist, but she beats me to the next move, grinding her hips over mine, her core rubbing across my length through our jeans.
A groan escapes my lips, and she smiles down at me.
“You gonna show me that cock, mountain man? Make me scream with it?” she whispers, circling her hips over me. Electricity zaps down my spine, coiling in my balls. Fucking hell.
“All in good time,” I promise, kissing her lightly on the lips. Deceptively. Because my next move is to upend her on her back, which I do in one quick movement, pinning her onto the couch with my hips between her thighs, my dick rubbing her warm center through our clothes. “But I bet I can make you come without ever whipping it out.”
She bites into her bottom lip, but it doesn’t stop the grin that breaks over her face. “How do you make not sticking your dick in me sound so good?” she asks breathily.
“You haven’t heard anything yet,” I promise, descending on her. I run my lips up her neck, sucking the place where it meets her shoulder, then up the sensitive column to drag my tongue along the shell of her ear. She shudders under me. “I’m going to lick and suck you all over until you’re begging for more, city girl.”
She nods and turns her head so the other side of her neck is exposed to me. I grin and kiss it gently while simultaneously reaching down and twisting one of her nipples mercilessly. She gasps in surprise and arches into me. I twist it again, and she moans. When I twist it a third time, I bite her neck and suck just as mercilessly. She bucks against me as the pleasure goes through her.
I growl against her skin, the need to dominate, take, pleasure, fuck, own tearing through my veins. I use both hands to squeeze her breasts while my tongue returns to plundering her mouth. She grabs at my ass, desperately grinding against me. I tilt my hips into her, relenting on everything else, letting her focus on the one sensation. I twist and roll circles around her wet heat until her eyes flutter closed, and she stills. Her brows pinch together, and her breathing accelerates. I’d be smug knowing how close I have her already, but the sight is going to make me nut in my undershorts if I’m not careful. So, I slow it down. And her eyes flutter open.
I run my hands down her chest, landing on her hips and pinning her as I lower my mouth to her. As I bite her nipple through her shirt. She fists a hand in my hair in approval. So, I move to the other. She nods and gasps. I move between her breasts slowly, repeating the process as I gradually start to flex my covered cock against her.
I increase my speed leisurely, moving my mouth from her breasts to her neck, then to her mouth, letting my hand tweak her nipple as I speed up. The combined assault has her so worked up that her body undulates to the rhythm I’m squeezing her nipple, which I match to the thrust of my tongue in her hot mouth, the tilt of my hard, denim-covered dick against her warm, damp core, until I can tell she’s on the edge.
Drawing my mouth from hers, I lean up and knead both of her breasts with my full hands. Her eyes pop open and stare at me, glazed with lust.
“You like that?” I ask, tilting my hips into her.
She nods.
“Tell me,” I push.
“I like it,” she breathes. “I need more.”
“Like this?” I push myself against her hard, and she groans and nods. I squeeze her nipples hard in tandem, drawing them upward as I push our fully clothed centers together. God, the friction is killing me. I’m not sure I won’t come too. But that’s not what this is about. “This is just a taste, city girl.” I lean in, working her nipples harder, faster as I dry fuck her toward orgasm. “Just a small preview. When I have the time to get you naked…” I thrust hard, and one of her legs clamps around my backside while the other shudders — a good sign. I hold back my smug grin. “God, Joanie, I’m going to fuck you so good. So fucking hard. For so long your pussy is going to —”
“Oh shit, Greg, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Joanie screams, coming apart under me, her hands clamping on my forearms.
I slow the tilt of my hips and the pressure on her nipples as she comes down from her climax. I lean into her, my mouth skating over hers, feeling her sharp, hot bursts of breath on my lips. I place one soft, sweet kiss on her mouth, high on hearing her call out my name in orgasm and so wanting to rub it in her face. But I hold back. I wait.
Eventually, her eyes open lazily, filled with satisfaction. A matching smile spreads over her lips.
“So, when will you get me naked? Because if that was just a preview…”
I laugh and kiss her before hauling us both upright. “All in good time,” I repeat in promise. “But I’m glad it didn’t disappoint.”
Joanie levels me with a look so heated my cock almost finishes what our dry fuck started.
“While it was the best tease I’ve ever had, I’m going to need you to fuck me. And soon,” she says huskily, not breaking eye contact.
Her tone, her gaze, the wet spots on her shirt over her tight nipples make me lose track of everything; whatever I was about to promise, whatever I’m supposed to be doing today — the beast in my pants wants to do exactly as she demands and fuck her seventeen ways from Sunday.
But just as I’m about to lose control, Nate’s voice barks down the hall, “Lunch is here.”
Joanie scoots up and pulls her legs out from between my thighs with a grin. She leans in, her breath hot on my ear. “To be continued. Soon, mountain man.” And then she licks my earlobe.
I suck in a sharp breath and watch her sashay to the door, flipping her hair over a shoulder and giving me an expectant look.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” I promise.
She shrugs and waltzes through the opening. I rise to close it behind her. And I waste no time unzipping and gripping my dick hard, stroking it once, twice, and a third time — that’s all it takes, and I quietly finish into my waiting palm.
As I tip my head back against the door, breathing hard, I let out a choked laugh. I have a feeling I’m going to be jerking off like a fucking teenager this week because of that woman.