Chapter 19

We went outside of Singer's Ridge to a neighboring town just a few miles down the road. They had an Italian restaurant with tablecloths and candles, a nice romantic place. Dillon and I held out the chairs for Macy and Lindsey, acting like perfect gentlemen. I was wearing a suit jacket and tie, with dark blue jeans and my favorite boots. Lindsey was dressed in that hot little black number from the Lucky Lady, giving me a full view of her luscious legs.

"This is so fancy," Macy whispered when we were all seated.

"You should see some of the restaurants in Nashville," I said. "Seventy dollars for a plate of four shrimp."

Lindsey laughed in disbelief.

"I'm serious," I deadpanned, only making her laugh more.

"When were you ever at a seventy-dollar-a-plate joint?" Dillon accused.

"It was for a case," I said. "Kitchen staff was dealing cocaine."

"I don't think you'll find anything like that here," Macy said innocently.

Lindsey and I shared a pregnant glance. Dillon caught on but said nothing.

"Here's something." Macy pointed to her menu, "Manicotti, seventeen dollars."

I scanned my menu. "Almond-crusted tilapia, twenty-three."

"A bottle of wine, forty-five," Lindsey crowed triumphantly.

"That sounds good," I said.

We ordered a bottle of wine to share, and each picked our own meal.

"Lindsey's never been outside of Singer's Ridge," I shared.

"Is that true?" Macy gasped.

"Well, I mean, I've been into the neighboring towns throughout my life, but I've never really gone more than thirty miles from home."

"We're going to go to Rome for our next date." I winked.

"That would be expensive," she laughed.

"Where would you go if you could go anywhere?" Macy asked.

"I would go to a safari," Dillon said.

"With all the animals?" Macy turned to her husband.

Dillon nodded.

"Maybe Florida," Lindsey decided.

"We could drive to Florida," I said.

She looked at me like she was considering my offer. I imagined a road trip with Lindsey. She could curl up in my passenger seat, her manicured toes on my dash. We could stop at a roadside hotel along the way and have sex on a bed designed for illicit trysts. We could have sex in my truck and on the beach, under the boardwalk where no one would see. I shook the fantasy loose, trying to pick up the thread of the conversation.

"There was a street performer who used to paint himself silver and act like a statue, but the minute I saw him, he would pick up his hat and run away," Dillon was saying.

The girls laughed.

"I once chased this kid who had those wheels on his shoes," I interjected. "He thought he was so slick, gliding down the street, when he fell on his butt."

"I've got you beat," Dillon announced. "I was on patrol, riding shotgun, and I look over and this kid is giving us the finger. Just multiple times." Dillon demonstrated by pumping middle fingers in the air. "He didn't see where he was going and walked right into a pole."

The entire table broke into hysterics. Our food arrived, and we quieted down to share a meal. It was an enjoyable evening with no pressure or awkwardness. It was as if the four of us had been hanging out forever.

"You want to come back to our place for some drinks?" Macy asked.

Lindsey and I looked at each other.

"Come on," Dillon said. "The night is young."

"We could go out for drinks," Lindsey suggested.

Macy and Dillon shared a glance. "We'd really like to get home to let the babysitter go. Plus, I have this great new wine I just discovered. It's a red, but it's so smooth. What do you say?"

"If it won't be too much of an intrusion," Lindsey hedged.

I reached over and squeezed her hand. "We don't have to stay long."

She squeezed back, giving me a tentative smile. "Oh, it's not that. I just don't want to impose."

"Nonsense," Dillon declared.

"This is more excitement than we get all year round." Macy grinned.

Dillon and I fought over who was going to pay for the meal. Just like old times, neither one of us wanted to be the freeloader. I picked up the check as soon as the waitress left it, and Dillon held out a flat palm.

"Hand it over," he demanded.

We argued, but I won. I snapped my credit card into the plastic tray and called for the waitress.

"We can get the next one," Macy said to keep the peace.

Dillon scowled.

"That was nice," Lindsey said as soon as we were alone in my truck.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Really helps to destress."

"Have you been stressed?" She turned to me as I backed out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, well, the case. And… I didn't know if you were going to be homeless."

She sat back, smiling. "I didn't know either. It was close there for a minute."

"Where are your parents, if you don't mind my asking?" I kept one eye on the road and the other on her delicate form.

"They passed away," she said. "My dad from a heart attack when I was seven, and my mom from cancer ten years ago."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"I still miss them," she mused. "Like for example, it would have been awesome to call up my mom and say, ‘hey, there's this hot guy that wants to move in with me. Well actually he tried to evict me first, it's a long story.'"

I grinned.

"What about your parents?" she asked.

"They passed away as well," I said. "Car accident."

"I'm sorry." She snuggled down against my shoulder. "It looks like we're all alone in the world."

I slipped one arm around her, pulling her close. "I guess so."

We followed the taillights of Dillon and Macy's car past the turnoff for our cabin. Their access road was just as rocky and narrow as ours, and I was glad we had come in my truck instead of Lindsey's car. It was hard to see in the all-consuming darkness that settled on the forest. I parked right beside Dillon and killed the engine. Before opening the door, I leaned down to kiss Lindsey on the top of her head.

She stirred in my arms, looking up at me through the veil of night. I lowered my lips to hers, tasting pasta sauce and wine. Her kiss was hungry. She dug her fingers into the collar of my shirt, bringing me closer, as if we could fuse together. The kiss went from sensual to erotic in a fraction of a second, and it was all I could do to keep my hands off her. We finally remembered where we were and broke contact, breathing heavily.

"Let's make this a quick visit," I said roughly.

I couldn't see her respond, and she didn't say anything. I hoped we were on the same page, but then I heard her door open. A moment later, I could feel emptiness on the seat beside me. I groaned, opening my own door and sliding out into the night.

"This way," Dillon's voice called to us.

I had lost Lindsey, and I couldn't see anything. I circumnavigated the truck by sliding one hand along the frame. I found Lindsey on the opposite side, just as hesitant. My eyes began to adjust. Now I could see the outline of the truck and Lindsey's perfect silhouette leaning against it. The little dress clung to her midriff and swept across her thighs, making the curve of her backside accessible. All I had to do was reach out and brush that tiny bit of fabric aside, before reaching up to fill my hands with well-toned flesh.

The porch light flicked on, and suddenly the driveway was washed in yellow. Macy was all the way at the door, fitting her key into the lock. I turned away from Lindsey as if I had been caught reaching up her skirt. She held her hand out, and I took it politely. No matter how long this wine-and-games session with our neighbors was, it was going to be too long.

We walked hand in hand into Dillon's cabin. The layout was nothing like ours. The kitchen and living room were in the middle, with bedrooms and bathrooms collected at both sides. There was no hallway, and there was a great cathedral ceiling that made the whole place look like a rich man's hunting lodge.

"This is a great cabin," I said, appreciating the architecture.

"My uncle had it built," Dillon answered.

A teenage girl emerged from one of the bedrooms, closing the door softly.

"How were they?" Macy asked, pulling two twenties out of her purse.

"They're little angels," the girl said.

"Thank you so much." Macy smiled before letting herself into the closed room.

"This is Jason and Lindsey," Dillon introduced us. "They live in the next cabin over the ridge."

The girl smiled and nodded. "Good to meet you."

"Thanks again, get home safe, okay?" Dillon said, walking her to the door.

A moment later, we heard her engine start and the sound of tires crunching across packed earth. Macy returned from checking on her children and went to the pantry to get the bottle of wine she had raved about. She poured four half glasses and set them on the kitchen island. We sat around talking for a while, sipping the wine. I wanted to pace myself because my overwhelming mission was to get Lindsey home while we still had energy to spend. I didn't even remember what we talked about.

"I think we've taken up enough of your time," I said, standing up.

"No, stay," Macy begged. "Dillon, go find that party game."

Dillon winked at me. He knew what I was thinking, but he obediently climbed off the couch and disappeared into one of the bedrooms, returning with a party game in a box. I sighed in frustration. My cock was at half-mast, ready to charge into battle. I had a different party game in mind, and I wasn't sure how I was going to suffer through Trivial Pursuit. If Dillon was really on my side, maybe I could appeal to him as a brother.

"I don't know…" I began.

Dillon tilted the box toward us so we could read the title. Battle of the Sexes. I rolled my eyes. Maybe I could stay just for a minute.

The questions were flirty, things like "How long does it take the average woman to get ready for a date?"

"An hour," Dillon said.

Macy hit him on the arm. "Twenty minutes."

Dillon shook his head. "Much longer than twenty minutes."

My next question was, "How much do panty hose cost?"

"I have no idea." I threw down the card.

"Guess." Lindsey leaned in, her eyes sparkling, her voice teasing.

I laughed. "Five bucks?" I looked at Macy and then back at Lindsey. "Ten bucks?"

"Six or seven," the girls answered.

We got halfway through the game board before I called it quits. Lindsey had at least three glasses of wine, two at Macy's house and one at the restaurant. She was looking at me with such liquid eyes, her body so comfortable around me. We were curled up together, playing cards and laughing with our friends. If this were some kind of swingers' club, I could lay her down on the floor and begin kissing her right there. But this was a friend's house. I just didn't know how long I could keep my hands off her, and I was tired of fighting it.

"We're gonna go," I said, climbing to my feet and pulling Lindsey with me.

"Stay," Macy complained. "We haven't finished the game."

"Rain check." I put my foot down.

"Okay," Macy pouted.

I grabbed our jackets and helped Lindsey into hers. "Thanks, man," I said to Dillon. "This was fun."

"It was so much fun!" Lindsey clarified.

Macy threw her arms around her friend. "Come by again soon."

"We will," Lindsey promised.

Outside, we couldn't see anything. We held hands and inched forward like blind people, feeling for the stairs to avoid tripping.

"I'm a little tipsy," Lindsey whispered, giggling.

"You're beautiful," I countered.

"Are you tipsy too?"

"I'm okay."

"Let's walk," she suggested.

Suddenly, I didn't care. It would be enough to be alone with her. I didn't have to rush her into bed. Friends were fun, but what I really craved was a connection with the woman beside me.

"Okay," I agreed.

"We can pick up your truck tomorrow," she whispered.

I nodded, unseen in the dark. "Let's sit down and wait for our eyes to adjust."

"Right." She gripped my hand tightly as I guided her down the first two steps. We sat hip to hip, staring out into the night.

I knew Dillon's truck was right in front of us, and mine was just beyond. Macy's car must be somewhere close by, but I couldn't see any of the vehicles. Lindsey put her head down against my shoulder, sighing in contentment. We sat without speaking for a long time until we were finally able to make out shapes in the darkness. Then the shapes focused into objects, and we could navigate our way through the forest.

"Do you know which way our cabin is?" Lindsey asked.

I pointed. I was good with directions, and I knew that our cabin wasn't far away. Holding her hand protectively, I pulled her up off the porch steps, and we set out into the night. We heard an owl somewhere close by, and the crickets chirped in the background. It was like a symphony performing just for us. It was easy to imagine that there was no one else in the world, just the two of us. Leaves crunched underfoot as we wove our way through the trees to the clearing in front of our own cabin.

"I have something to confess," I said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I'm still married." I let the words out, and they felt like a betrayal.

"What?" Her voice lowered several octaves.

"Soon to be divorced," I recovered quickly. "My wife was… difficult, possibly abusive. She took all the money she could get her hands on and ran away. I haven't seen her in months. As soon as I can find her, I'm gonna file for divorce."

"Oh." Lindsey's voice returned to normal as she digested the information.

"Does that bother you?"

I could barely see her shaking her head, but I felt her hand reach for mine. "No. You have a right to be happy. She sounds awful. I just wasn't expecting something so crazy."

I inhaled relief, having crossed a bridge I had been reluctant to try. I had thought Lindsey would be angry, but she understood. Angie's ghost wouldn't get in the way of whatever newfound feelings were developing between us.

By the time we reached home, I was ravenous. The whole night I had played the gentleman, making polite conversation and keeping my fantasies at bay. Now that was over. We were alone in the mountains, on our own property, and Lindsey would be mine. I picked her up and carried her up the porch steps. She gave out a surprised laugh, circling my neck with her arms to steady herself.

I set her down for one second to fit my key in the lock.

"Jason…" she breathed.

"Shh." I put a finger to my lips. I didn't want any conversation to interfere with the night I had planned. We were done with conversation; now was the time for action. As soon as I got the door open, I swept her up in my arms and carried her into the living room.

I took her straight to the bed, my bed, and threw her down. She landed with a giggle and a huff of air. I sat down next to her, taking one slender calf in both my hands. I kissed her leg as if it were a meal I planned to eat, a succulent delicacy that I would savor. I slid her high heel off and dropped it to the floor, retrieving her other leg and kissing that one too.

She sighed, relaxing into the comforter. I removed her remaining shoe and dropped it, turning toward her. I climbed onto the bed slowly, until I was leaning over her, hands planted on opposite sides of her chest. She smiled up at me in the dark. Before I could stop her, I felt nails scratching down my back, gentle above the fabric of my shirt.

"I don't know how I survived that board game," I whispered.

"You did very well, but I could tell you were dying to get to the next part of the night," she admitted.

I smiled, sinking down into her kiss, claiming my reward. I didn't have to rush—we had all night to get this right. The kiss was warm and sweet, so tender that I could feel something burst in my heart. I explored the cavern of her mouth with my tongue and sucked on hers when she returned the favor. I broke the kiss to peel the dress up over her head in one clean stroke.

Suddenly, everything I had been waiting for was right there beneath me. She wore only panties and a bra, her velvet skin ripe for my touch. I slid my hands down the curve of her waist, to her hips. Hooking one thumb beneath the waistband, I slid her underwear off. She arched toward me to facilitate the transaction, her breath coming quick and hot in my ear.

"Tell me what you want," I whispered, settling my mouth back onto hers.

"I want you," she gasped, twisting beneath me.

It was like her skin was an instrument, a tight drum just waiting for me to play it. "What do you want?" I repeated, tilting her chin up so I could feast on her neck.

"I want…" she whispered desperately.

"Do you want this?" I trailed one hand from her hip to her core, tickling the shaven skin above her pussy. It was smooth, just like the skin I was tasting at her neck.

She groaned, arching her chest toward me.

"Do you want this?" I moved lower, parting her intimate folds.

"Yes," she breathed.

"Tell me," I commanded, allowing my middle finger to trace her clit.

"I want it, please," she moaned.

Hearing her plead inched me further as I returned to her neck, sucking a circle of flesh into my mouth and releasing it. At the same time, I pushed one finger deep inside her. I could feel her inner muscles constrict and fought the urge to release my cock. She let out a beautiful little sound, tilting her head back in ecstasy. I pulled my finger out, dipping two inside with the next thrust. I worked them forward and back, rubbing against the walls of her canal.

Her bra was in my way. I replaced my exploratory hand with my knee, putting pressure on her sex. As fast as I could, I reached behind her to unlock the clasp, pulling the fabric free. Now she was naked and squirming beneath me. I returned my hand to her hip, trailing fingers patiently across her stomach, down south to her flower. Dipping two fingers inside, I resumed my motion, eliciting excited squeaks from my beautiful tenant.

I narrowed in on her nipple, crouching down between her thighs to bring my mouth level with her chest. I circled one areola lavishly, painting it red and swollen with my tongue. She surrendered beneath me, her entire body shuddering. I brought my thumb to her clit, stroking the tip so gently I almost couldn't feel it. But she felt it. She bucked, her muscles clenching around me. She tilted her head back and cried out, digging her manicured nails into my shoulders. I pushed my fingers deeper and deeper, playing the instrument of her body. I could feel the shudders of release wash through her and knew that I had brought her to the top of the mountain.

"Please," she whispered.

I didn't need any more encouragement. I tore off my shirt, hiked out of my pants, and kicked my shoes off onto the floor. My skin tingled when I laid myself on top of her, electricity racing from head to toe. Every single cell opened toward her, rejoicing. I could feel longing in my obliques, in my rib cage, and in my knees. All the various parts of me that were sewn together ached in anticipation of release.

Her perfect, naked form rocked beneath me. Her mouth found mine briefly, sharing a breath. Then she arched her neck, looking away toward the wall. I reached between us and guided my cock toward her entrance. She threw her arms around my shoulders and stretched her legs wide. I found her wet where my fingers had left her, ready to be filled. I slid myself home, submerging inch by inch until my hips came to rest at hers.

Like two puzzle pieces that found each other, we became one whole being. Her cavern constricted around me, its lush and fertile depths bringing me to the edge of sanity. I began to move, slowly at first but with increasing urgency. She wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me deeper inside her. She came up off the bed, meeting my every thrust with a grinding force.

Her fingers left my shoulders, and I heard a scraping on the wall. The force of our pounding rocked the bed, sending rhythmic shock waves through the wooden floor. Her voice broke, screaming over and over again as I submerged myself in her core. I felt like a racehorse on the final lap, like a machine drilling for oil. My world narrowed to her and her alone, her infinite softness driving me insane.

I growled with pleasure as I reached my climax and came inside her. All my muscles clenched, riding the wave of primitive possession. I ground deeper and deeper until I was sure I had emptied myself fully. But she screamed my name and constricted around me like a starfish, arms and legs clinging to my body. Her sweet cavern milked my rod, its aftershocks coaxing even more from me.

I collapsed on top of her, remaining inside until the last delicious shudder passed. Her neck was warm and wet from sweat and saliva. Her hair, having come loose at some point, was fanned out across the pillow. I reached beneath us gently to peel open the covers. We shifted together, laughing weakly. I pulled out of her with an aching retreat that left both of us satisfied. I wrapped the blankets around us and held her close, pulling her hips level with mine. We fell asleep in my bed, curled up together, blind to anything else in the world.