Chapter 9
CHAPTER 9
LAUREL
I woke up with a huge smile on my face. Leif might not remember all the details of the night we shared together at the reunion, but I sure did—and I couldn’t wait for a repeat performance. I giggled to myself as I lay in my bed, staring at the old pictures of us that were still taped to the mirror on my dresser.
It’s funny how life works out. Who would’ve thought we’d be right back here, over ten years after we called it quits?
And I had the list to thank for it, which was weird. Something I’d done with my friends at fourteen had put me right where I was happy to be at twenty-eight.
I’d also completed my first task for the Naughty List. Technically, Leif had kissed me instead of me kissing him, so it was a tiny bit of a cheat, but hey, I’d kissed him back, and besides, naughty girls for sure cheated.
“Laurel! It’s time to get up,” Mom yelled from downstairs. “We have to start cooking. The other girls will be here soon!”
I groaned but rolled out of bed to stumble into my adjoining bathroom, still thinking about Leif. With those chiseled features and standing at almost six and a half feet tall, there was no mistaking that he was a man now. A big, strong man who did all the things to me when he was in my proximity, but while the successful, jet-owning, mature part of him was new to me, I still felt like I knew him.
In his heart, he was still that guy I had known better than the back of my own hand, and we still clicked just as well as we ever had. Better actually. With him, things just felt right. They felt meant to be, and with the fiery chemistry between us, even if we weren’t meant to be forever, we were definitely going to have some good times figuring it out.
That chemistry was on my mind as I climbed into my shower, my body already primed from the dreams I’d had of our hot kisses last night. I’d never been an overtly sexual person. My panties hadn’t been spontaneously damp probably since high school, but last night, they definitely had been.
And this morning.
Even now, as I stood under the warm spray, I imagined his hands on my body, roaming as they had last night in the woods. We’d managed to steal away after the hayride for some time together, and while we hadn’t gotten naked, he had gotten me off.
Pushed up against a tree, of all places.
A soft moan tumbled out of me as I thought about it. My nipples hardened as the space between my legs burned for attention. I dropped my head back to wet my hair, but even the drops of water rolling over my suddenly heated skin seemed erotic this morning.
Gosh, that’s how you know you need to get some. If freaking showering turns you on . I sighed, but every time I blinked, I saw Leif’s bright blue eyes smoldering as he looked at me the night before.
I could still feel his body when he’d leaned into me against that tree last night, kissing me dizzy with one of his hands braced against the bark above my head and the other intently gripping my hip. My clit pulsed and I closed my eyes, drawing in a deep breath and trying to shut down the memories for now, but it didn’t work.
I needed to go help my mom get started with the cooking, but my heart was racing, my breathing labored, and my body was in desperate need of a release. Finally, I decided that if I didn’t want to be so distracted that I fried myself instead of the turkey, then I needed to do something about the desire coursing through me.
Allowing one of my hands to skate over my chest, I let my fingertips dance across my torso, biting my lips to keep from making a sound. In my mind, it was Leif’s hand doing these things to me again and I fell into my memories of the previous night, remembering the way it felt when his fingers had slid between my folds.
I mimicked his movements, so turned on at the first brush of my index finger over my clit, I trembled and nearly fell over. After adjusting my position so I could lean against the wall, I closed my eyes again. My fingers sped up just the way his had done.
Gasping at the intensity of the pleasure streaking through me, I sank my teeth deeper in my lips, wishing he was there with me right then but intent on getting the job done anyway. It didn’t take long for me to reach that edge, and when I remembered his throaty groans as he’d done this to me last night and the way he’d cursed just as I came, I went flying over it.
The orgasm slammed into me, leaving me gasping for air. Pleasure washed through me in waves that spread from my core to my extremities. Panting in the aftermath, I gave myself a few seconds. Then I washed up and climbed out of the shower. Feeling like I was glowing, I dried myself off and got dressed.
As I opened my bedroom door, I heard my friends downstairs and I wondered if they would be able to tell just by looking at me that I’d just masturbated in the shower for the first time ever. But I squared my shoulders and kept going.
People say blondes have all the fun, but I’m starting to think they’ve got it wrong. It’s the naughty girls for sure. They have all the fun—and all the orgasms.
I grinned as I skipped down the stairs, in a ridiculously good mood when I joined them in the kitchen. Mariam arched an eyebrow as soon as she saw me. “Someone definitely had a good night. Care to tell us about it?”
“Happy Thanksgiving.” I shrugged, flashing her a coy smile. “Maybe we can talk about it later. What’s first on the menu for us this morning?”
“The turkey,” Mom said, her hair up in a messy bun and her sleeves pushed up to her elbows. “Good morning, darling. Happy Thanksgiving. It’s good to see you looking so happy, but I need you to focus. This is serious business today. We’re expecting a houseful of people later and it’s up to us to make sure they’re fed.”
“Aye aye, Captain,” Gemma joked, pulling her sweater over her head and tossing it aside to push up her own sleeves. “Laurel and I will take the ham.”
“I’ve got the turkey,” Mom said. “Andrea is bringing a bunch of pies and desserts, so we don’t have to worry about that.”
“I’ll be on mashed potato and green bean duty then,” Mariam volunteered. “Who’s doing the gravy and the stuffing?”
“I’ll take charge of that, too,” Mom said, glancing at her watch. “Andrea will be here soon to help, so don’t worry. We’re going to get it all done.”
My heart gave a happy little tug now that I knew I’d be seeing Leif’s mom again so soon. Andrea had been like a second mother to me growing up, and I knew she and my mom were still close. After our dads had passed in the old mill fire, the two women had leaned on each other heavily, forming a bond I doubted would ever be broken.
I smiled, glancing at Gemma as she patted the ham. “I’m not sure it needs TLC before you start cooking it.”
She laughed. “It tastes better that way. Now come here and help me. No one is getting a free pass today. Not even you, Ms. I-Did-Something-With-My-Guy-Last-Night.”
I blushed all the way to the tips of my toes, my gaze immediately shooting to my mother, but she was too busy with the turkey to be paying any attention to us. Gemma winked when I met her eyes again but thankfully seemed to realize I wasn’t going to share any details with my mom right there.
A little while later, the doorbell rang and Andrea walked in, looking exactly like she always had. There were a few more lines etched onto her beautiful face, but outside of that, her clear blue eyes and sandy blonde hair were exactly the same.
I grinned as I went over to give her a hug. She welcomed me into her arms like it hadn’t been ten years since I’d seen her last. “Oh, honey. It’s so good to have you home. I heard you kids had lots of fun at the festival last night.”
I flushed but tried to hide it behind my hair. “It was great. Come on in. Mom and the girls are in the kitchen. Can I help you carry the pies?”
“That’d be great.” She walked back outside to her car with me, lightheartedly catching me up on all things Andre and Phil. We carried her contribution to dinner into the house, where she was greeted warmly.
The day sped by in a haze of cooking with the girls, and before I even knew it, it was midafternoon and the guys showed up. Phil arrived first with Doug hot on his heels. I’d met Phil a few times, but I didn’t really know him very well. Doug was the older guy who had my attention.
He smiled at my mom a lot, making her blush and avert her gaze. I giggled as I watched them.
The doorbell rang again, and this time, it was Dave, Gemma’s ex. He grinned when he saw me, pulling me in for a tight hug.
“Laurel! God, it’s been too long. Are you allergic to Austin or something? You should come home more often.”
I chuckled, hugging him back before I stepped aside to let him in. “I promise I’m going to try, but things are so busy in Franklin that I feel like every time I blink, another month has flown by.”
“It’s not Franklin, honey. It’s old age. We’re all suffering from it.”
I laughed, but I knew he was probably right. As Dave swept past me to go greet everybody else, a stupidly expensive-looking car rolled up. The windows were blacked out and the back door opened instead of the front.
This must be Noah.
Sure enough, a younger-looking guy emerged. Keeping his head down and shoving his hands deep into his pockets, he jogged up to the front door. I watched him with keen interest, noticing that he was very clearly trying to avoid being seen, but as soon as he reached the porch, his demeanor changed.
He seemed to relax. The tight line in which he’d been holding his shoulders eased and he finally looked up, giving me my first glimpse of the guy Gemma was hanging out with. He smiled when he saw me.
“You must be Laurel. Thanks for letting me crash Thanksgiving.”
“You’re welcome,” I managed, but honestly, the guy was so blisteringly pretty that it was hard to speak while looking right at him.
Leif was much more attractive as far as I was concerned, but good heavens. It was no wonder this guy was responsible for vibrators running out of battery power all across the nation. I also completely understood why he was the lead singer.
He grinned. “Is Gemma here yet?”
“Right inside.” I blinked myself out of my semi-starstruck stupor and cleared my throat as I let him in. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. I’m just awkward that way.”
He laughed, the sound easy and carefree. “Don’t worry. I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I’ve known you all my life.”
To my surprise, he scooped me up into a big, warm hug, and then he bounded away energetically, presumably off to search for Gemma. I chuckled and shook my head, just about to shut the door when the drone of motorcycles told me Leif and Jack were nearby.
A shiver of excitement passed through me. I smiled as they flew around the corner. They parked just milliseconds apart. Laughter rang out as they climbed off their bikes, bantering back and forth about who had won.
When Leif saw me waiting at the door, he punched his brother in the shoulder and took off running. Grinning, he swept me up in his arms. I melted into his embrace, inhaling the rich, masculine, leathery scent of him before I took his hand.
“Help me set the table?” I asked, smiling as I stared up into those blues. “Mariam and your mom are already in there, but I said we’d come too.”
“Of course,” he said easily. His brother tried to make a grab for him and he dodged. “Leave it alone, Jack. You lost. Live with it.”
Jack smirked at me. “He’s just saying that to impress you. I won.”
Breezing past us, he went to join Phil and Doug in the living room. With our house so full of life and laughter, I couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day. The guys played football in the yard while we watched and cheered, and to my complete surprise, Noah and Dave actually seemed to get along.
In fact, Noah seemed to get along with everybody. There was none of that celebrity snobbishness I might’ve expected from a guy who had achieved so much success so early in life.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and when we retired to the yard after pie for more football to be played, I finally had a minute alone with my friends. I grinned at Gemma first and then at Mariam.
“I’m happy to report that I have completed my first Naughty List task, ladies. Let the games begin.”
Gemma shrieked and gave me a high-five while Mariam laughed before she offered me a fist bump. “I guess it’s just me now. I’d better get moving when I get back to Idaho, or else I’m going to get left behind in the dust.”