2. Amos
2
AMOS
“So, what’s the singles scene like?” She repeats. “I would imagine options are limited but there have to be some hunky lumberjacks or something around.”
I tighten my knuckles on the steering wheel, watching them go white. I know she dates. She’s always been flirty with other guys. It pisses me the fuck off. Then I think about how I have no right to be pissed off and I get even more tweaked.
I anticipate a lot of sessions with the punching bag in my cabin now that she’s here.
“Most of them are married,” I say. Lyla would never go after a married man. That much I do know.
“You said most, not all.” She brightens at my words. “That’s good news. It means there are some hunky, single lumberjacks. I haven’t gotten laid in so long.”
If she keeps talking, I’m going to rip the steering wheel column out of here with my bare hands. I can’t imagine her spreading those thick thighs for some other guy or her calling his name in the throes of her release.
No, it should be me. Always me that she spreads her thighs for. That she screams the name of. That she lets eat her out and pleasure her.
My cock rises at the mental image of Lyla naked and writhing underneath me, her honey-brown eyes wide and her cheeks flushed. To distract myself from those thoughts, I jab at the radio and let the oldies station fill the cab.
Lyla starts humming along to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun .
I don’t want her thinking about fun with someone else. I flip to the next station only to hear the opening strains of When a Man Loves a Woman .
Finally, I shut the damn thing off.
“Why are you wearing grumpy pants today?” Lyla demands huffing.
She crosses her arms over her chest, pushing up her tits and I nearly groan. I thought the camping trip last year was going to kill me when she wandered around in that tiny blue bikini with the red sailboat on it.
But nope, it’s this. Being so damn close to her and never acting on my filthy thoughts. Never wrapping my fingers around her ponytail and watching her suck me off. Never fucking those delectable tits of hers. Or knowing what her sweet little pussy will taste like against my tongue.
“Why did you invite me here if you were just going to be so darn mean?” She demands. “There are a million places I could have started a donut shop. But you said that Mount Bliss would be perfect. You forgot to mention that my next-door neighbor would be Oscar the Grouch.”
This is the part where I should probably apologize and try to start the whole day over. But the last thing I need to do is give Lyla the idea that we’re ever going to be friends. Because a friend doesn’t think about pushing his friend up against the wall and fucking her until she can’t walk. Nope, the safest course of action is for me to keep my distance from her.
“Jamie wanted me to watch over you,” I growl.
I’m man enough to admit I want Lyla nearby too. I want to hear her beautiful laugh every day and watch the way her eyes shine when she’s talking about something she finds interesting. But she can’t ever know those things.
She uncrosses her arms but she’s still scowling. “This was a babysitting thing, wasn’t it? You know what, I don’t even care. This is something I’m doing without his help. I’m standing on my own two feet.”
That’s not exactly true. Jamie went behind her back and took care of most of this stuff. The business loan she received? He made sure it happened. Without him throwing his money around, I doubt it would have gone through.
She’s got a sizeable inheritance, but he won’t let her get anywhere near it. I’ve never understood it since Lyla isn’t irresponsible. She’s a grown woman. A woman I’d like to fuck.
“We’re just trying to look out for you,” I say. Sure, I want her keeping her distance, but I don’t want her spending every day pissed off at me either.
We make the rest of the nearly two-hour drive from Asheville to Mount Bliss in strained silence.
Every time I’m tempted to open my mouth and give her a reason to smile, I remind myself that things are better this way. She’ll keep her distance and I’ll keep jerking off to her social media posts and feeling like a dirty old man.
The snowflakes are getting bigger and they’re falling faster as we pass the welcome sign for the town.
“Is the snow always like this here?” She asks, gathering her hair up into a ponytail and filling the cab of my truck with the sweet scent of cotton candy. It’s a smell and taste I’ll always associate with her.
“First snowstorm of the season,” I explain, flicking my wiper blades on faster. “It’s here hours earlier than expected though.”
Her phone rings, and she frowns. “That’s the bed and breakfast in town.”
There’s no privacy in the cab of my truck, so it doesn’t take much for me to follow along with the conversation. Winnie is telling Lyla that a pipe burst at the B & B thanks to the falling temperatures and her room has flooded.
She thanks the older woman for letting her know before she hangs up. Blowing out a breath, she asks, “I take it that was the only inn in town?”
I nod and keep my gaze focused on the roads that are becoming icy. Just a few more miles to my pub.
After a beat of silence, I clear my throat. “The bar is a two-story building. The second floor used to be an apartment. I reckon you could stay there until you figure out what to do next.”
She gives me one of her smiles that makes me feel like I just saw the sun after years of darkness. “That would be amazing.” Her expression falls. “I’ll pay you rent. I know you’re just putting up with me because of Jamie.”
I pull the truck to a stop outside of my bar. I should tell her that’s not true. I should explain that she’s never been a burden to me. That I love everything about her and think about her constantly.
But I’m a former Marine. I have more self-control than to pour out my feelings like a lovesick teenage boy. Especially when she’s busy thinking about the singles scene in Mount Bliss.
“Let me show you the place,” I grunt, trying to dismiss the image in my head of her talking to other guys.
I grab her suitcase and when she tries to take it from me, I hold it out of her reach. I laugh at her frustrated expression. This feels natural. This feels like the us I remember from a half dozen camping trips.
She finally gives up and follows me into the pub and up the stairs to the apartment. I used to crash here while I was building my cabin on the edge of town.
“It’ll be noisy as hell at night,” I warn. “But it’s yours if you want it.”
She steps inside and spins around, taking in the hardwood floors and the huge windows that offer a breath-taking view of the mountain. “This is perfect. I’ll be so close to my shop. How much is rent?”
“A donut a day,” I insist, crossing my arms over my chest. She could pay a hell of a lot more than that. She and her brother are loaded. But they’re my friends and where I come from, you treat a friend fairly.
She laughs and the sound is light, airy. “You can’t charge me rent in donuts.”
Then how about by letting me tie you up and give you orgasms?
Before I can let my dirty mouth get away with me, my phone rings.
I frown when I see it’s my brother. Owen never calls me. Sure, he lives on Mount Bliss, but the man is practically a ghost. No one ever sees him come and go, even his own flesh and blood.
“You’ll need some furniture, but at least there’s a bed. I’ll let you think about it,” I tell her before I move downstairs and answer the call.
“Did you do this to me?” Owen demands instead of greeting me.
“Do what?” I ask, rubbing the back of my neck. He had some top-secret government clearance and did work all over the world. But the man who came back from those assignments isn’t like my once easy-going brother.
“Did you send me a woman?” he growls.
“Yeah, I went and sprung for the deluxe package. She should come with incredible tits and an insatiable sex drive,” I say, still not knowing what he’s talking about.
“Fuck you,” he hisses. “A blonde showed up at my place, swearing that her uncle had rented it online. Looking about as lost as Goldilocks.”
“Not your problem. Take her down the mountain and drop her off in town,” I suggest.
He grunts. “The roads are already impassible. I’m stuck with a roommate for the snowstorm.”
I groan when he tells me about the roads. My place is also on the mountain which means I’ll have to hunker down here from the storm.
With Lyla.
Just me and her.
Alone.