Broken Creek (The Creek #1) (11 page)

Me:
Merry Christmas to you too. How’s it going?

Karina
: Miserably. Ready to be back at school

Me:
Me too

I missed her. With all the happenings, I hadn’t thought about her or school much. I also hadn’t focused on A.D. either. Then it hit me. I didn’t recall seeing the paper with his number on it. I ran outside to my car and searched all the papers on the floorboard. The one with his number on it was not there. I turned everything upside down looking for it. I ran inside to my room and dumped my purse on my bed.

Nothing.

My heart sank. The excitement of returning to Denton vanished like the wind that had carried his number away. It was all I could do to keep from having a major meltdown, and I remembered what my grandmother used to say, “In the end, it always works out the way it’s supposed to.”

Monday, the bank called and set up the closing of the land sale for the next day. Funny how fast processes move when there’s money to gain. Everything was going to happen as planned, and it was all good. Justin made arrangements to start bringing cattle on Wednesday and would move in the following weekend.

Wednesday night arrived, and I couldn’t decide what to wear on my
friend date
with Stephan, so I decided to wear the sweatshirt he’d given me for Christmas. When he arrived, he was wearing dark dress slacks, a white designer shirt, and a leather jacket—he smelled sinfully sexy, sans cigarettes.

My jaw dropped. “You didn’t say this was dress up.” My eyes drifted up and down my chosen outfit, completely out of place.

“You didn’t ask.” He could always be counted as a smart ass, but his wink was soothing.

“Where are we going?”

“I can’t tell you. It’s a surprise.”

“Fine, then we’re going to be late. I have to change.”

“We’ve got all night.”

I ran up the stairs, while he visited with Mom. I searched my closet for something to wear, but his last comment left me puzzled and sizzling at the same time.

All
night?
I wanted him. I didn’t want him. I wanted to move forward. I was going backward, and I didn’t want to. Yadda. Yadda. Yadda. He was driving me nuts. Was that his plan? To break me down? Rip my heart’s barrier wire by wire?

While my new InStyler heated to max, I found a black mini-dress that had a sequined top and dolman sleeves. I slipped off my thong and put on a pair of black lace boy shorts just in case the skirt inched up by accident. After the third try, I found a pair of black stilettos that were painful, but sexy.

With my hair fixed and my make-up glammed, I descended the stairs, nervously anticipating his reaction.

Stephan’s deep intake of oxygen was visibly noticeable with the rise of his chest, as was the surprised look on his face. He was pleased. “Stunning,” was his only word.

“Thank you. Now, tell me where we’re going.”

“We’re taking a dinner and dancing cruise out at the lake.” He smiled, happy with himself.

“Oh, that sounds like fun. Happy New Year, kids. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Mom hugged us both as we left. Her chosen words a clue that she thought I wouldn’t be home after our date.

There were about ten couples all together, but we weren’t there as a group. They served us wine and appetizers, and the boat kept going back to shore to pick up folks until everyone finally arrived. The music was flowing softly, and several times Stephan asked me to dance.

He was deliciously confident—make that polished—and I was impressed.

“You’ve changed. So many different aspects about you have been altered. I’m not sure I’m with the same man from two years ago. What caused this, the class or a girl?”

“Both.”

“What’s her name?”

He leaned back so we could be face to face. “Wrenn.”

“Stephan, please.”

“There’s been no one in particular since you left me. I’m not a saint and won’t pretend that nothing happened here and there, but no one touched my heart but you.”

“This was supposed to be a friend date, not a get-back-together date. It may have been a mistake.” I stopped dancing and fought the urge to look at him and found a place on the floor in which to stare.

“No. You asked a question and I answered it. I’m not putting on the pressure. I just thought you deserved a lovely night after everything you’ve been through.” His arms held me, obviously his heart did too.

“It is a lovely night. Thank you.”

At midnight, I was shocked he only held me, swaying to the music and didn’t even try to kiss me. It was as if I was subconsciously wanting it to happen and afraid what would happen when he did. Oh my God, the ups and downs and back and forth was driving me insane.

After the cruise was over, we walked out to the truck, and he opened my door. I went to step up into the truck and missed the sideboard in my heels, sending me straight into his waiting arms. Once again, our lips clashed together, and this time we didn’t stop ourselves. Our breaths heated, flaming each other’s desire. He slid his hand up my thigh under my dress, gripped my ass, pulling our bodies together, grinding his arousal into me, and making our passion almost indecent to the public.

He broke the kiss, leaving me breathless and handed me the seat belt before getting in the driver’s seat. He didn’t ask where to go, he drove straight to his house, holding my hand against his lips the entire way. When he parked, he came around to my side and carried me into the house and straight to the bedroom. I buried my head in his neck and inhaled him. All of those years mastering his pheromones to memory…came back to me.

I could see desire irradiating from his eyes. Pure hunger. He wanted me, I desired him, and nothing I tried kept me from craving him.

But was it wrong to start something I couldn’t finish?

The bed kept me propped, but I didn’t need it for courage. My body was overheated and stinging with tantalized nerves as we stood by it and slowly undressed one another. Stephan didn’t rush me, if anything, I think I was the one that pushed things along in getting us both naked. My breaths were choppy and raspy with anticipation.

His hands trembled as he trailed his fingertips up my arms. He nipped at my shoulder and trailed his tongue up my flesh to leave a teasing bite at my neck’s pulse-point. When his mouth made contact with mine, desire was all consuming. I bit and sucked his lower lip, remembering it was something he loved. Our tongues tangled, a familiar dance with a new twist.

When we were both fully nude, he pulled back the bedding and laid me down slowly, my body weightless in the cloud of sexual euphoria.

Our bodies entangled, we rolled back and forth kissing, touching and exploring in delicate moments of pleasure. He was drawing the night out slowly, taking every available second to new heights.

When he was on top of me with his hands in my hair, I caught a glimpse of his eyes in the lamplight, asking the question, but he waited on me.

“Make love to me.” My plea was quiet from a voice just above a whisper.

His answer caught me by surprise. “Why?”

“Because I want to remember how great we were together. Only the good times for a new year.”

“But not because you love me?”

“I’ll always love you.”

He left me for a moment, returning with a condom. At first it seemed strange because I’d been on the pill since the first time we’d made love back in high school, but then I decided maybe he just wanted me to feel sure.

When he first entered me, it was as if I’d never had a physical relationship before, but the initial discomfort gave way to beautiful pleasure. I loved the pressure of his body pushing me into the mattress. The predatory look in his eyes, the way he held my hand while he took me to new heights was animalistic and delicate in every way.

Our night was a magical rekindling of something old and a discovering of much new.

The first day of the new year, I woke in Stephan’s arms with a sense of happiness and encouragement I hadn’t known before. I was loved, and I truly felt it, but more than that, I knew my heart was safe with him. He would never hurt me again.

I listened as the birds sang their song to each other and wondered if they were as happy as I was at that very moment.

Stephan’s breathing was slow and rhythmic; I figured he was still asleep. Trying to be still, I looked around the room and saw a photo on the nightstand of his sister, Analina, and her husband, Eric. It had been years since I’d seen them. Stephan was three years older than me and Analina was five years older than him. I was curious if Eric was still in the Army and where they were living.

“Morning, beautiful,” he mumbled against my neck.

I rolled over to face him. “Hi.”

His lips slowly descended to my neck. That was all it took for us to become consumed with desire again. After we’d made love, I raced him to the tub for the hot water.

“Don’t you use all of it,” he teasingly threatened.

“Then get in with me.”

“I don’t do baths. Besides, even if that thing is oversized, I don’t fit. I tried once and liked to have killed myself getting out of it.”

“Wish I’d been here to see it.” I caught the veil of instant sadness come over his face.

“I do too.”

Reluctantly, I didn’t fill the tub to the brim, so he could shower without having to wait on the tank to reheat. The glass door on the shower provided me a great view of him. His body was beautiful with olive-toned skin and nicely developed muscles. His mother had been Italian, and he got her skin, but he and his sister were both blonds, and those genetics must’ve come from his dad, whom I’d never met, nor seen a picture of. It was a painful topic for Stephan.