Escaping the Past (Wester Farms) (23 page)

“Well, it looked different than that,” he declared like a six-year-old.

“So, you were jealous?” she asked.

“So jealous I couldn’t see straight, Lou. I know I have no right to be
,
so I apologize.”
He kicked at the dirt with the toe of his shoe.

“No right to be?” she asked quietly.

“Can we take a walk and discuss this privately?” Brody asked.

Lou placed her purse on the edge of the porch and walked with him toward the barns and the pond.

“You were saying you have no right to be jealous,” Lou prompted.

“Well, yeah. I can’t put a big stamp on you that says
‘
Brody’s Property
’
like I want to. Because I have to go home.”

“But you want to? You want to put a big stamp on me that mark me as yours?”

Out of
sight
of the house, Brody pulled her close to him and said, “Oh, yeah. I want to put a big stamp right here.” He punctuated the statement with a kiss to her forehead. “And I want to put a big stamp right here.” He kissed the side of her neck. One hand moved up to cup her breast. “And I particularly want to put one right here.” His thumb moved across her nipple. She could feel his hardness pressed against her belly. She stilled his hand with her own, even though her hands were shaking.

“But you won’t. Because you have to go home.” She stepped back, out of his embrace
.
She took a deep breath and then dove righ
t
in. “What are your plans for the farm, Brody, now that your mom is gone? For me? Do you plan to keep me on? I get to keep my job?”

“Is your job what you
’
re worried about right now?” Brody asked, his steely gray eyes flashing
with anger.

“That and other things. I guess I just want to be sure I’ll still be needed, still have a place to live, still have a job
.
”

He kicked at the dirt with his toe again.
“Actually, I don’t know what I’m going to do with the place, yet. I have to meet with Mother’s attorneys in a couple of weeks. They
’
are putting together the estate now.”

“You’re not thinking of selling, are you?” Lou snapped at him.

“I don’t know what I’m thinking, yet, Lou. I don’t even know what my mother’s plans were yet. She might have everything tied up in a nice and neat little package. She might not give me any choices.”

“And you just hate that, don’t you? Having your choices taken away?” Lou snapped at him.

“Yes! I do hate that. I hate to have my choices taken away. I hate to give in. I’m a doctor, for Christ’s sake, Lou. That’s what I always wanted to be.”

“You enjoyed the past month here.” Lou stated blandly.

“Yes. I did. I enjoyed it very much but I didn’t even
break ground
. Running this place is a big operation.”

“You could always do what your mother has done.
”
Lou said quietly.

“What’s that?”

“Leave it to the people who know how to do it.”

“Why are we even discussing this right now?” He practically growled at her. “I wanted to walk with you so I could apologize.”

“You already did.”

“I must have missed it. Did you accept, Lou? Trying to talk to you is like trying to make a chair out of a cactus. It’s painful no matter how you look at it.”

“I accept your apology for acting like a
jackass
this morning.”

Brody grinned.
He tried to hide it. But he failed.
“I’m not sure that’s an accurate description of my actions.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” Lou replied blandly.

He touched her hand and brought it to his lips, a slow smile spreading across his face. He turned her hand over and kissed her palm. When he did,
turned her hand to look at
the face on her watch.

“Damn. I have to go.” Brody said.

“Go where?” Lou asked.

“Home, Lou. I told you. I have to go home.”

“When?”

“My flight leaves at eight.”

“Today?”

He nodded.
“Yeah. Today.”

He took her hand and started walking back toward the house. This time, they did not spring apart or hide. He held her hand all the way up to the back porch, then he held the door open for her and ushered her in.

Lou was startled to find a packed bag beside the back door with old airline tags attached. She pushed it to the back of her mind.

Sadie had the kitchen table set and had dinner served. Lou
perfunctorily
ate some meatloaf and made idle small talk with Sarah. John couldn’t stop talking about his new horse and how he couldn’t wait to bring him home. Jeb and Sadie sat quietly watching the emotions that were flying around the room.

After dinner, Brody sat his napkin in his plate and rose from the table. “I guess it’s time for me to get going.” Jeb wasn’t quite finished with his meal. He started to rise from his chair, anyway. “Stay there, Jeb. You’re not even done yet. I’ll just call a cab and take it to the airport.”

Lou broke in. “There’s no need to do all that. I’m done. I can take you.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Not at all. And waiting for a cab out here might make you late.”

“If you don’t mind, I would appreciate it.”

Lou got her purse and met Brody at the Jeep. He rolled up the plastic roof to open the interior to the night sky and the breeze. “You don’t mind some wind, do you?”

“No. I love it,” Lou replied.

Brody threw his bag in the back of the Jeep and slid into the driver’s seat. Lou got in the passenger’s side and turned on the radio. Brody backed out, gravel flying behind them as they hit the main road. They traveled a few miles in silence and then Lou felt the Jeep begin to slow. She looked around absently, not quite sure where they were.

Brody pulled down a long and winding driveway to the back of an old barn and stopped the car. He turned the key backward so that the radio stayed on. He leaned his seat all the way back and gazed up at the stars.

“We don’t have stars like this at home,” he said blandly.

“You wanted to stop and look at the stars? What is this place?”

“This, my lady friend, just happens to be where I used to go parking with the girls when I was in high school. I was quite a catch. A whole lot of necking went on behind this barn.”

Lou laughed. “I bet you had some smooth moves back then.”

“Back then? You make me sound like I’m ancient.” He chuckled. “I still have some smooth moves, thank you.”

Brody sat up and leaned across Lou. He pulled the lever that caused her seat to recline and she was suddenly on her back, looking up at the stars.

“Was that one of them?” she laughed.

He leaned over her and scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Now that I think about it, I believe it was. But I always got farther with a different one.”

“Which one was that?” Lou asked breathlessly.

“That would be this one.” Brody sat back in his seat and looked up at the stars again. Lou sat up in her own seat and looked at him speculatively.

“I don’t get it,” she said blandly. Then Brody grabbed her arm and flipped her over, effortlessly, so she was lying on top of him, face to face. He kissed her temple. “Put your head on my shoulder. And just breathe with me for a minute, will you?”

Lou did as he suggested, taking a deep breath. It felt good. “This is how you got the girls to go parking with you?”

“Nope. I’ve never done this with anyone else. I just wanted to feel you stretched out on top of me. I think I like it.” He touched his lips gently to hers. She kissed him back.
He
deepen
ed
the kiss, his mouth slanted against hers, their tongues warring. Lou broke the kiss.

“You’re going to miss your flight.” She tried to sit up. He pulled her back down.

“Nope. I called before we left. My flight has been delayed by one hour.” Then he whispered. “So I have one hour to make love to you. If you want me to.”

Did she want him to?
Lou nodded against his chest. “Would it be terrible if I said I do want you to?” she asked softly.

“Not for me,” Brody said, unbuttoning his shirt. “It would be like heaven.” He opened his shirt and laid her against his chest. She brushed her fingers in his chest hair and absently stroked his nipple.

“Not fair. You have too many clothes on
,” he complained.

Impulsively, Lou sat up in his lap, her thighs straddling his and pulled her shirt over her head.
Her actions
left
her in
a slinky pink bra through which he could
probably
see her nipples plainly.
But she didn’t care. God, what was she becoming?
Brody cupped a breast in each hand and toyed with her nipples. She threw her head back and drew in a ragged breath as Brody reached between her breasts and unhooked her bra. He pulled it off her shoulders and laid it on the seat beside them. Sitting up slightly, he captured one nipple in his mouth, lathing it with his tongue
,
and biting gently with his teeth. Lou’s heartbeat sped up and sweat broke out on her brow. Brody reached for the button on her shorts and unfastened them. Then he unzipped the zipper. The noise was amplified in the quiet.

Lou stiffened.

“It’s okay,” he soothed, now paying attention to her other breast. “It’s just that damned zipper.”

Lou reached down between her thighs and grabbed his belt buckle. She maneuvered the leather out of the buckle and unbuttoned his pants. He stilled her hands and patted her leg. “I’ll finish this. You figure out a way to get these off.” He tapped his fingers on her leg.

Lou scooted away from him and instantly felt the cool night air surround her. She lifted her bottom and slid her shorts and panties off, kicking her shoes off as she did so. When she looked back over at him, he had pushed his pants down to his ankles and his manhood was displayed proudly. She flushed.

Brody tore open a small package with his teeth. She watched as he rolled a condom over his length. “I forgot it last time.” He looked at her sheepishly.

Sensing her discomfort, he picked her up and set her back over his lap, one leg on each side of his. He pulled her face down for a searing kiss, toying with her breast as it hung over him. Lou groaned low in her throat.

“God, I want you,” Brody breathed.

Lou bit her bottom lip
. “We can’t do it like this.”

“Oh, yes, we can.” He whispered in her ear, “I want you to ride me.”

“Brody!”
s
he protested. But she was intrigued. “I don’t know what to do.”

He grabbed her hips and lifted her over him. She felt him at her entrance
, hot and hard against her.
He pushed in slightly. “Tell me if I hurt you.”

“Doesn’t hurt yet,” she
whispered
. She sank lower over him, feeling
the gentle glide of him into her wetness
.
A muscle in his jaw ticked
. She stopped moving. “Are you okay?”