Chapter Twenty-Two
The following day
Aasia grabbed two bottles of beer and took them out to the porch. “I thought we could both use one.” Aasia handed Bear one bottle.
“Thank you.” He sat on the rocker looking amazingly handsome in a blue plaid button-down and worn jeans. His Stetson was hooked on his knee.
She scooted a rocker over and sat down. “I’m glad you came.”
“You said you needed to see me.” The sincerity in his expression made her heart beat faster.
“Bentley reached out. He wants to see me.”
Bear rubbed the back of his neck. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him I didn’t see any reason for us to see each other. I can’t believe he pulled out of the race. Being a senator has always been a huge dream of his.”
He reached over and took her hand. “You know he’s not your responsibility. He could use his situation to try and get you back.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, Bear. I found closure with him. I’m free from the past with him.”
“Well, if you decide you want to go, I’ll take you.”
She absorbed what he said. “Where is this coming from?”
There was a short hesitation. “I don’t trust him.”
“Because you think he has an ulterior motive?”
Bear scoped the surroundings then settled his gaze back on her. “Hell yeah I do. I think you do too.”
“I truly don’t think his head is in that space of getting back together.”
Bear brought her hand to his lips and kissed the backs of her knuckles. “The gesture brought tears to her eyes.
He smiled and everything disappeared but the two of them.
“Guess what?” she said. “We’re all alone.”
“What would you like to do?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Yes.” His grin caught the sunlight.
She had nothing to lose, and that was why Aasia didn’t hold back.
Standing, she took the distance between the rockers and leaned over him.
She hooked his belt with two fingers and tugged.
She heard his intake of breath and almost instantly his zipper stretched.
All her restless energy seemed to disappear as she brushed the bulge through the denim.
He groaned, his hands gripping the rocker like it was a lifeline.
There was something very sexy and freeing about not having anything to prove to someone. Just to have fun. To just follow the feelings inside her. To know she was accepted.
“Phoebe will be back soon. Where can we go?” Her words came between pants of breath.
“I have an idea. Sin has a camper. It’s near here and I know where he hides the key.”
“How fast can we get there?”
They made the two miles to the camper that set on the lake’s edge in record time and both jumped out to meet each other in front of the truck.
She pushed him against the fender and pressed her mouth against his in a breathless, needy kiss.
Pulling away, she looked up at him through the pale light of the moon. “Are you sure about this, cowboy?”
His lips parted on a chuckle. “Thank you for your concern, but yeah, I’m very sure.”
She grabbed his hand and practically pulled him to the camper.
He bent over and fished the key from under a planter, unlocked the door, and flipped on the light inside.
He took a step back to allow her to pass in the narrow entrance under the striped awning that flapped in the wind.
As she passed, she allowed her fingers to brush his flat stomach.
The camper wasn’t much, just a weathered little place with nauseating green wallpaper that was peeling, a tiny kitchen that looked like it had never been used, and further in the back a bed. She swiveled to face him when he closed and locked the door. “Will we have privacy here?”
He nodded and pulled the blind on the small window on the door.
“We have a rule. Blind down go away. Sheets clean.”
“Great! No more talking.”
She started undoing the buttons on his shirt. Her shaky fingers wouldn’t move fast enough.
“Let me help,” he said in an encouraging tone. He had his shirt off his torso within seconds, missing a few buttons because they popped off and went rolling across the tiled floor.
While keeping their mouths connected, he walked her backward.
They tumbled back onto the bed. The firmness of the mattress was unforgiving as he landed on top of her. “Are you okay?” He looked down at her in concern.
“Splendid.” She lifted her head to kiss him deeply.
His fingers threaded into her hair, pressing into her scalp, holding her while he explored her with his tongue. His other hand was at the hem of her blouse, lifting it higher, pulling it over her head. He gave it a toss then planted his gaze on her. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.
She cupped his cheek, absorbing his warmth. “You always make me feel like the most beautiful woman.”
“To me, you are.”
The sincerity she saw in his expression warmed her heart. She’d never trusted anyone as much as she trusted him. That said a lot about how deeply he’d touched her. The impression he’d made on her.
He lowered his mouth and left a trail of kisses in the valley between her breasts, then pulled the lace bra aside. He suckled her nipple, using the tip of his tongue to flick the torrid peak. She arched against him, crying out in bittersweet anguish.
He shifted, moving his mouth and tongue to her stomach where he kissed and kneaded her skin. “My God, you smell so good.” His tone spoke of his internal torture.
His fingers were at the waist of her jeans, unsnapping the button and slowly easing the zipper down.
He fisted her jeans and dragged them down her hips and bottom.
Her damp center spasmed and she opened her legs wider, craving his kisses in places she hadn’t been touched in so long.
Bentley never liked to pleasure her body in all different ways.
But Bear, he feasted on her, sliding his tongue through her and into her passage. He exchanged his tongue for his finger, thrusting in and out, while he suckled the most sensitive part of her. Her toes curled and she closed her knees around his ears, warding off the sparks building within her.
She closed her eyes, relishing in the act of him making love to her with his tongue.
Opening her eyes, she stared into the beady glare of a rat that was sitting less than five feet from her.
A scream fell off her lips and she jumped up, feeling the softness of Bear’s face bumping her pubic bone.
“What the…?” His voice pulled her out of her shocked state.
She wasted no time. She came off the bed and landed both feet on the floor. Pointing, she couldn’t seem to get her voice to work. Finally, she stammered, “Rat. There. It was watching.”
He climbed to his feet, reached over and switched on the lamp. The dim lighting lit the small space. The rat was gone.
“It was there. I saw it. I did.” Just as soon as the words were out, she realized Bear had one hand clamped over his nose and blood seeped from between his fingers. She had bloodied his nose. “Oh no! I’m so sorry. I’ll grab something.”
Aasia raced into the bathroom and grabbed a clean towel from the rack. Bear was sitting on the bed, still cradling his nose in his palm.
“Let me see,” she said gently.
He lowered his hand and he had two trails of wetness streaming from his nostrils.
“I’ll be okay,” he said confidently. “It’s just a nosebleed.”
“I’m going to help you.” She shook out the towel and pressed the terry cloth against his injured nose. He looked up at her and she could see the humor in his gaze. She was grateful he could find the humor in the situation, but she wasn’t quite there yet. “Bear…I…”
“Stop. This is nothing.” She did manage a smile when hearing how he sounded with the towel pressed against his face, muffling his words.
“I hate rats. Since I was a child. We used to have them and sometimes they’d come into my bed.” She pulled the towel away, checking the condition of his nose. “It’s not broken and the bleeding has stopped.”
He took the towel away from her and used his thumb to lift her chin so she’d look at him. “Hey, it’s okay. I understand.”
She met his gaze and what she found there made her heart skip a beat. He truly wasn’t angry or bothered. “Thank you for understanding.”
“Maybe this was for the best. You deserve more than a ramshackle camper.”
Aasia felt closer to him than she ever had. She sat down on his lap and wrapped both her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “You are an amazing man, Bear.”
“I’m glad you think so, but you’re cutting off my air supply.”
She quickly let go. “I’m truly not trying to beat you up.”
He chuckled. “How about we get you out of here?” He lifted a tendril of her hair and tucked it behind her ear.
“I agree.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to catch the rat and take it home as a friend for the kitty you rescued?” His teasing made his eyes light up.
“That’s not even funny. I think that’s where Pedora would draw the line.” She stood and found her clothes.
She found him watching her. His expression trickled excitement through her. “You’re probably going to have a bruise on your nose.”
“I’ll come up with a good story to tell the boys.”
“Yea?”
“Yea. How I got attacked by a lioness, she knocked me to the ground and nearly consumed me with her sharp teeth, but I managed to save myself from her claws.” His eyes sparkled.
“You’re full of jokes, aren’t you?” She threw her shirt in his face, and it fell onto his thigh. He lifted it and inhaled her scent from the material.
Something changed between them. An understanding of sorts. She realized the rough and tough Bear had a softer side, and she wanted to investigate it further.