By nine o’clock that night they’d made eight dozen cinnamon rolls. A large pan went in the fridge to bake the next morning, some were ready in foil pans for Jase’s mother to take home, Hannah had a couple of pans for her freezer, and so did Becca. The last pan they always took to the Swartz family, who had lived a mile down the road since before Becca was born. It was tradition, and she’d just texted Lily Swartz to let her know they’d be down soon.

“I guess it wasn’t the end of the world not having Dad here,” Hannah said.

“No. It wasn’t. He usually ended up in the living room watching television anyway,” Becca replied. Which was surprisingly what Jase and Jonas were doing now. She could only imagine what they had to talk about.

Hannah pushed a sticky note down on Brenda’s pan and then turned to the woman sipping hot cocoa at the table. “I’ve put the baking instructions on top, Brenda.”

“Thanks, girls. I appreciate you having us over,” Brenda said with a smile. She looked so much older than she truly was, her hair thin and her face lined with wrinkles from way too hard a life for one person. It was just too bad that she hadn’t been able to spend some of her younger adult years happy, instead of living in fear of an abusive husband. Even though he was gone, the damage had taken its toll on her in many ways.

“You’re always welcome here,” Hannah said, smiling, and Becca voiced her agreement. Hannah was always better about making people feel comfortable. It just came naturally to her, whereas emotions and a lot of personal interactions were Becca’s weaknesses. Not that she didn’t want or crave relationships; she just always expected herself to do or say the wrong thing.

Hannah didn’t worry or overthink. She acted. Sure, that could be dangerous, but Becca admired that sort of fearlessness. Becca normally did well with people she was comfortable with, which reminded her.

“I’m going to take this pan down to the Swartz house,” Becca said.

“Let me drive you,” a voice said behind her.

Becca turned around to see Jase standing in the doorway. He looked so good tonight in his jeans, boots, and flannel. His hair was a little mussed and curled up in front, like he’d been pulling at it. She glanced at Hannah to find her watching them.

“Okay. Sure,” Becca answered.

He nodded. “Ma, you ready?”

“I am. Drop me off first.”

“Planned on it.”

Becca was a little in shock that he was making it so obvious that he intended for them to be alone together. There really was no good reason for him to drive her down the road, other than to be a gentleman—and while that was somewhat believable, Becca knew Hannah was wondering what was up. She could almost feel her sister’s curiosity.

“Thanks again for the gift card, girls,” Brenda said with a small smile as she put on her coat.

“You’re welcome. Make sure you buy something nice for yourself,” Hannah said.

Becca put on her own coat, slipped on her boots, and then grabbed the pan of rolls and followed them out to Jase’s truck.

When Jase opened the passenger door for his mother, Brenda hesitated then turned to Becca. “Why don’t you climb in there first? He doesn’t want me snuggled up next to him.”

“Oh—that’s okay—” she started, but Jase cut her off.

“Get in, Becca. She’s getting out first anyway.”

“Okay. Sure.” She glanced up at him as she pulled herself into the truck and scooted over into the odd little seat he’d created by lifting the console. Brenda followed her in, and within moments they were heading down the road to the house Jase grew up in.

As soon as he pulled into the driveway he jumped out to help his mother out.

“Thanks again, Becca. You have a nice Christmas.”

“You too. Thanks for coming tonight.” And then the older woman was gone. Becca quickly scooted over into the vacated seat, put on her seat belt, and watched the two of them walk to the front door. Jase waited for his mom to get in and headed back to the truck.

The minute he opened his door, lighting her up with the interior lamp, he frowned. “Now, that’s a disappointment.”

She blushed and shook her head. It was still a little hard to believe that he was showing interest in her. All evening she’d caught him watching her. Whenever he’d passed, his hand touched her back, her shoulder, or her arm. She knew it wasn’t an accident. He had spent the entire evening finding innocent ways to touch her, smile at her, make eye contact. It had been unsettling but also amazing and unreal. Like it was happening to someone else.

“Sorry. That seat’s not the most comfortable.”

“I could have made it worth it,” he said, shooting her a grin.

She just laughed and stared out the window as he backed up and headed in the opposite direction. They passed her home once again and she wondered what Jonas and Hannah were up to now that they were alone. Hopefully Hannah had started cleaning up the kitchen.

They made it down the road to the Swartz home and were excitedly greeted by their six grandchildren who were visiting from Nebraska. Lily—who had been a friend of her mother’s—instantly pulled Becca into the kitchen to catch up with a cup of tea, while Ben—her husband and friend of her father’s—naturally drew Jase into their den with his sons. The Swartz kids had been older than they were, but they’d known them just due to being neighbors, and now they had their own children, whom Becca loved watching set out cookies for Santa by the fireplace.

A little over an hour passed by the time she and Jase made it back to his truck. They were heading back down the gravel road when he suddenly pulled the truck off onto an access road to one of her father’s fields and killed the headlights.

Her stomach plummeted, her heart kicking up speed. “What are we doing?” she asked, turning to look at him.

“I was kind of hoping you might like to move back over here by me. But it was just an idea,” he said, giving her a boyish smile. “No pressure, Becca.”

When she hesitated for a moment, he put his hand on the driveshaft as if he was going to reverse, and that got her moving, quickly undoing her seat belt. He watched her, a look of uncertainty in his eyes, as she scooted into the middle seat.

When their thighs were touching, one of her feet on each side of the floor hump, he still didn’t move. She widened her eyes at him. “Don’t make me question this.”

The corner of his lips quirked and then he shifted in his seat to face her a little more. Before he made any move, he just looked at her for a long moment. He had his right arm resting on the back of the seat, and his hand came up to touch her hair, gently pushing it off her face.

He did it again, sending a shiver racing through her neck and shoulders. His left hand reached out, and he ran a hand slowly up her thigh.

“I could be very content to just keep on touching you like this. Like I have permission to,” he said. “It’s something I never thought I’d get to do.”

The strong hand that had been stroking her hair palmed the back of her head. She felt him pulling her toward him, and then just like magic he was kissing her. His lips pressing against hers, warm and soft. She inhaled slowly, letting the scent of his aftershave settle into her memory, because this was a moment she would want to relive over and over. The last kiss was good, but unexpected. This one was for savoring. She kissed him right back, because there was no longer any good reason to deny herself what she’d always wanted.

The minute he felt her give in, his hand threaded into her hair, pulling her even closer as his mouth parted over hers. It was like floating, his lips passing over hers in light nips and tugs. Everything about this felt like the first kiss she’d ever had. Her body burned and hummed with desire as his other hand came up to touch her chin, pulling her mouth open farther so he could slip his tongue inside.

She whimpered, tilting her head as her tongue slid against his. The groan that came from his throat was so raw and sexy she found herself leaning into him, her right leg shifting forward to lock over his knee. Her body was doing what came naturally, looking for friction and release. Instantly he dropped his left hand and grabbed the back of her thigh, pulling her closer.

He tugged again, and when she didn’t respond right away, he whispered against her mouth. “Straddle me, Becca. Please.”

Ripping off her coat, she tossed it aside and lifted herself up.

“Hang on.” He took of his own coat, adjusted the steering wheel, moved his seat back, and then scooted to make room for her knee on the other side of him.

“This is a lot of work,” she said.

“Amazing things always require a little work,” he said, grinning up at her. She smiled back, a little shaken by his words, and then noticed him adjusting himself in his jeans, which looked tight and uncomfortable. How in the world had it gotten to the point of her—Becca—giving Jase a hard-on?

Not wanting to overthink this, she positioned her right leg. Straddling him was going to be a tight fit, possibly awkward. She didn’t care. Situating herself as best as she could, she lowered her body, his hands gripping her hips.

“You are so fucking sexy, Becca. I don’t even think you realize what you do to me. All night I’ve been watching you.” His hands slid up to cup her breasts through her top. Glancing down between them, she could barely see his hands; out here in the darkness of the country there was only the moon and the faint blue dash lights behind her. But, oh, she could feel. The way his fingers located her nipples even through two layers of material. His hot mouth closing over one breast, applying pressure with his lips. Her hands gripped each side of his head, pulling him against her.

His fingers went down to the hem of her shirt and he tilted his head back to look at her. “Can I take this off?” The request alone had her squirming. In answer, she grabbed hold of the material herself and pulled it over her head, revealing the navy-colored satin bra underneath.

Instantly his mouth was on her, sucking her peaked nipple into his mouth. Wanting more, she reached back, banging her hand on the steering wheel, but finally she got hold of the clasp and undid it. As soon as the bra sagged, he pulled it off and dropped it on the seat beside him before grabbing a breast in each hand and pushing them together.

“I could suck on these until I die,” he said before giving each nipple a firm lick.

Becca ground down on his erection, silently begging him to take this further. All the way. This was her ultimate fantasy and she didn’t know if there would ever be another chance. She didn’t even care that they were smashed in the cab of his truck. In fact, nothing could be more perfectly Jase. He’d always had a truck. The shitty red Chevy he ended up wrecking when he was sixteen. The dented white Toyota 4Runner he’d gotten after that. How many years had Becca lived on alert, always looking for his truck in the driveway, in the school parking lot, at the Petro Mart gas station he worked at his junior and senior year? Her sister had spent a lot of time in those trucks, but not Becca. Until tonight. And now she wanted him to take her completely inside this truck.

She felt him rocking his pelvis against her, and then he grabbed her hips and pulled her down hard, grinding their bodies together.

“Goddamn I want you, Beck. Tell me to stop.” He let his head fall back on the rest.

“Why would I do that?”

He huffed out a laugh. “Because you’re Becca. Too good and perfect.” He trailed a fingertip down her breast and circled her nipple until it puckered almost to the point of pain.

“I’m not too good. And far from perfect,” she whispered, arching her back to show him how much she wanted his hands on her. His mouth. His everything. “How about you just keep doing what you want?”

“Because what I want is indecent,” he answered.

She placed her hand on his jaw, wanting to touch him in every small way that she’d always dreamed of but been denied. Her thumb slid over his bottom lip and he parted them the slightest bit, inviting her to touch him however she pleased. She loved his mouth, always had. His top lip shaped like a stretched-out bow, but deeply creased with lines as if his rugged life in the sun had taken its toll. It was perfect.

“Maybe what I want is indecent also.”

He laughed and then quickly kissed her finger. “I’m not so sure that you and I measure indecent on the same scale.”

“I’ll never know unless you show me,” she heard herself saying. He sucked in air through his nose and then let it out slowly. Then she leaned down and kissed him again.

* * *

The feel of her in his arms, her taste on his lips, and the way his cock was straining in his jeans to get inside of her had Jase considering something crazy and amazing at the same time. Giving her another deep kiss, he pulled away. “Come home with me,” he said.

“To your mother’s house?” She sounded alarmed, jerking up on his lap.

“She’ll be upstairs asleep. I have the back porch to myself.”

She laughed quietly. “The back porch? It’s freezing outside.”

“I’ve made adjustments. Boarded up the lower half of the windows. It’s warm. Secluded. No one can see us. I promise.” He kissed her again, and by the way she kissed him back, he knew she wanted him the way he did her.

When she pulled back, she climbed off his lap, covering her breasts with her hands. Jase reached down by his feet, grabbed her top, and handed it to her. “Breaks my heart to see you put this on.” The moonlight coming through the windshield highlighted all her perfect curves and tight nipples as she lifted her arms above her head to dress. “Your body is like a goddamn work of art.”

She was smiling as she pulled her shirt over her head. “Hurry up and get home.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Shifting in his seat—which was becoming uncomfortable—he put the truck in reverse and then headed down the gravel road. Once in the driveway, he pulled around back into the grass so they could enter through the porch door.

She’d rushed to get out so she met him by the front of the truck. He took her hand in his and led her to the door. It was hard to believe he was here with Becca Walters. Even harder to believe he’d just had his mouth on her body.

It took him a minute to get the old door open. He hadn’t entered this way in a while, normally opting to go in through the main house. Finally, he turned the lock and led her inside. She glanced around, taking in his room while he got to work starting a fire in the old potbellied stove. Within moments the flames were sparking to life.

When he turned around she was sitting on his bed amid the messy flannel sheets, watching him. She nodded at the door that separated them from the kitchen. “What if she comes out here?”

He’d noted when they pulled into the drive that all the lights in the house were off. Even if they hadn’t been, he knew they were safe. He walked over to the bed and laid his hands on her shoulders. She tilted her face up to him. “Beck, I’m thirty-two years old. She has no desire to come out here. And she never has, as long as I’ve been staying here.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

“You notice I’ve got a blackout curtain on the window, and a slide lock. So even if she tried, she couldn’t get it open all the way. Trust me.”

“You bring women here a lot?”

He chuckled, palming her chin. “Never. I’m not usually looking for a reason to tell a woman I live in the house I grew up in.”

She smiled up at him. “I’m glad you do. You’re still close.”

“For that reason alone, tonight I’m glad I do, too.” Grabbing her hand, he pulled her into a standing position. Behind them the fire was roaring to life, pinging and popping in the stove. He could feel the warmth starting to overtake the space. Not that it was necessary; the heat coming off the two of them was probably enough to keep them warm. But he did like the way the golden light lit up her face so he could see the look of desire in her eyes.

“You sure this is okay? I know you’ve been in a relationship and I don’t—”

She placed a finger on his lips. “I’m sure.”

“Good.” He kissed her slowly. Thoroughly, loving the way her hands roamed over his body, neck, and into his hair. Finally, he deepened it, parting her lips, letting her tongue roll against his. He sucked it into his mouth, loving the breathy sighs it pulled from her. Sliding his hands down her body, he squeezed her ass, pulling her against him. He wanted her to feel what she did to him.

She broke the kiss, angling her body away long enough to remove her shirt for the second time, revealing her naked breasts since she hadn’t bothered to put her bra back on. Then her hands went to his buttons. Jase watched in fascination as her slim fingers worked each one open and then pushed the heavy flannel off his body. Then she went for his white tee and shoved it up and off him before dropping it on the floor. She stood before his naked torso and hesitated, her eyes glancing over him.

“You want this, Becca?” he asked.

She lifted her hands and placed them both on his chest, sliding them up over his collarbone and then around his neck. She leaned in, her nipples smashing into his skin, and damn it felt like heaven. “I’ve wanted you for as long as I can remember.”

Jase sought her lips once more and then kissed over her face, down her neck, breasts—taking time to give each one some attention before he went to his knees in front of her and got to work removing her jeans. His tongue swiped at her navel while his fingers lowered her zipper. Leaning back, he tugged the denim off her hips, then lowered it down her thighs, revealing her tiny navy panties.

Unable to stop himself from reacting, he instantly leaned in and pressed his face against her, loving the way she gripped his head. Running his nose up and down the fabric, he palmed her rear end and let the tip of his fingers gently pull the panties down in the back so he could feel the skin of her perfect ass cheeks in his hands while he opened his mouth over the satin in front. She moaned so quietly, and he knew she was trying to be quiet, but he couldn’t care less about the noise because he knew well enough that it would make no difference. They were a floor down, on the opposite side of the house, and in a brick exterior room not connected by ducts or vents. Besides, the fire was now at a solid roar in the metal stove.

“No sound is leaving this room, Becca,” he said, giving her damp panties another slow lick. “So, if what I’m doing makes you want to moan, you better let me hear it.”

“Okay,” she said breathlessly.

He pulled the panties down her beautiful hips just a bit. Far enough to find the very top of her neatly trimmed pubic hair. He stroked it lightly. “So pretty.”

Hooking his fingers over the front elastic, he pulled them down all the way. “Spread your legs,” he whispered, so he could push them past her curved thighs. Pivoting his body a bit, he exposed her to the roaring fire, letting the light flicker across her perfectly ripe sex. He felt her tense, her legs start to close, but he grabbed her, halting any movement.

“Jase,” she whispered hesitantly.

“You’re beautiful, Becca. I love seeing you like this.” And to show her how much, he parted her lips to find her glistening for him. The sight was breathtaking, and he gently ran his thumb along the seam to feel how slick she was.

Glancing up, he found her looking down, watching. Their eyes met, and he held her gaze as he leaned forward and let his tongue trail the same path he’d just ran his thumb over. Her eyelids fluttered, but she didn’t quit watching. He did it again, penetrating deeper this time. She moaned.

“That’s it, babe. Damn, you taste sweet.”

This time she whimpered, and Jase couldn’t hold back anymore. He began to lick with abandon, his tongue flicking at her clit. When she began to rock into his face he knew she was getting close, and the thought got him excited enough that he had to quickly reach down, unzip his jeans, and free himself.

“Hold yourself open for me,” he said roughly. She instantly did as he said, and the sight of her fingers parting herself open nearly had him coming right then.

He stroked himself with one hand, palmed her ass with the other, and pressed his mouth onto her exposed clit, sucking it hard. The breathy, whimpering groan that left her lips had him groaning in response, jerking himself harder.

He continued his ministrations on her while he kept a steady rhythm on his shaft. The last thing he’d planned was to come this way, but goddamn he wasn’t going to complain, this was too good. Her fingers tangled with his tongue, and he realized she wanted to touch herself. Hell yes. He pulled back and watched for a moment, her fingers working over her sensitive skin, and he jacked himself harder.

“That is so sexy, Becca.”

“I’m gonna come,” she whispered.

“Yes, do it for me.” He angled his head and worked his tongue inside of her, sliding it in and out. When her body began to vibrate, he could feel his own climax growing. Without thinking, he grabbed the wad of cloth on the floor and gripped himself through it, until they were both coming at the same time, her on his mouth, and him into the material.

“Oh my gosh,” she whispered, her grip on his head softening. Her body still shuddered against his lips and he licked gently at her, his dick still twitching. He wiped himself up, dropped what he was afraid was her shirt—damn—and then stood. Her hands instantly touched each side of his face and he smiled down at her.

“That was amazing, but . . .” She glanced down at him, jeans halfway down his ass.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I couldn’t help it, Becca. Having my mouth on you was too good.”

She smiled. “It was pretty hot. Watching you.”

He smiled. “Yeah? I’ve got more hot where that came from.” Backing her into the bed, he laid her down and settled down beside her. “But first, we relax.”