CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Noah pulled back on the lever to dim the bright headlights of his truck as he drove down the dirt road. Hitting the brights in a case like this only made the dirt floating in the air seem thicker. Reese had been quiet ever since her conversation with Annie Osburn had come to a conclusion. He didn’t blame her.
“I can give Lance a call to confirm what Ms. Osburn said for you tonight,” Noah offered, wishing he had the power to take away Reese’s confusion. “She might have her facts wrong. She is getting on in years.”
“Ms. Osburn isn’t wrong.” Reese finally stopped looking out the passenger side window and focused on him. Her movement allowed him to see that she was still as strong-willed as ever. The dashboard lights illuminated her determination to find answers. “She is the reason Sophia went to camp that year. What I don’t understand is why Tanner didn’t tell me the whole truth.”
“Tanner is Sophia’s brother, right?” Noah turned into her small driveway, ignoring the temptation to check on his place. Deputy Wallace was back on duty, so he should have things covered for the night. “It couldn’t hurt to call him to verify what you’ve been told. Besides, Ms. Osburn might have misread the situation completely.”
Annie Osburn had been born Anastasia Pearl Osburn. The older generation easily recalled the time Annie packed her bags at the young age of nineteen and headed off to Hollywood. She starred in a very popular movie as a secondary character, and even starred in a few commercials. It wasn’t until she was in her mid to late twenties that she came back to town with Cassie in tow, never speaking of her time away from Blyth Lake to anyone who Noah knew of firsthand.
“Annie didn’t misread anything,” Reese said with a woeful smile. “Sophia sought her out so that she could find her way into the movie business. Everyone back home always thought it was a pipe dream, even with her exceptional looks.”
“You said yourself that Sophia wouldn’t have left home without saying goodbye. Her relationship with her father might have been strained, but your cousin loved you very much from what you’ve told me about her.” Noah had turned the key and cut the engine. There were a few clicks and pops from the exhaust manifold cooling. This wasn’t how he’d intended to end this evening. “Call Tanner.”
Reese made no attempt to exit the truck. She reached down for her purse that was next to her yellow flowered sandals. Her cell phone was in her hand when she sat back, but she didn’t call her cousin.
“I think…” Reese’s voice trailed off as she struggled to find the right words.
Noah didn’t want Reese to spend her night unable to sleep because she didn’t make a simple phone call.
“Call him, Reese,” Noah urged, reaching over to her and pushing back the light brown strands he’d been admiring all day and night.
“What I want is you. I just want to forget for a little while. Is that so bad?”
Speaking of desire, that lone emotion was deep and raw in her tone.
He would give her anything in this moment.
Reese surprised him when she set her phone up on the dashboard and pressed the button on her seatbelt. She kicked off those bright sandals before she climbed over the console. She was petite enough to fit perfectly between him and the steering wheel.
The clouds parted, allowing the soft moonlight to enter the cab of his truck and shine down on her like a spotlight.
Damn, but she was beautiful.
It was she who could be the next star in a Hollywood movie.
“Not here,” Noah said with a shake of his head. She’d already lifted his t-shirt away from his jeans. She sure as hell wasn’t making this easy. He leaned his head back when she stroked her fingers across his abdomen. “If you recall, you have a brand-new air conditioning unit we need to operationally test extensively.”
“Where’s that risk taker you were telling me about?” Reese whispered, leaning forward and capturing his lips. It should have been the other way around. This was not how he pictured their first time together, and now she was throwing his own words back in his face. “Take a risk with me, Mr. Kendall.”
Reese sounded so overconfident in her ability to get him to act on impulse that he couldn’t resist her challenge.
Noah had his shirt and the holster attached to his waistband off within seconds, keeping the latter within reach. The gentle beams from the moon highlighted her excited gaze, making it seem as if the golden flecks in her eyes glowed in anticipation.
They might be making love in the cab of his truck, but that didn’t mean it had to be quick. He stopped her attempt at unfastening the button of his jeans. He didn’t miss the catch in her breath when he slowly raised her arms so that it was easy for him to remove her shirt.
“You’re not wearing a bra, little one.”
“No, I’m not,” Reese agreed in a seductive tone that took him by surprise.
Noah would never have pictured her the teasing type, but he really, really liked this side of her.
“Have you thought about what will happen when Deputy Wallace drives this way to check on you?”
Noah couldn’t contain his laugh when her arms suddenly came down and crisscrossed over her body. This was a hell of a lot more fun than he would have thought.
“We’ll duck,” Noah murmured, tangling his fingers in her hair and drawing her closer. He melded his lips to hers and kissed her thoroughly before exploring what was right in front of him. “You are so beautiful.”
Reese leaned back against the steering wheel, arching her back to give him better access to her breasts. He palmed her ample flesh, brushing each thumb over her nipples. They hardened in response, but it was her enticing moan that had an arousing effect on him.
He took her right nipple in his mouth, suckling the nub gently as he continued to caress her other. She shifted and her hair became a shield as he continued to make love to her body.
Noah unfastened the button on her capris with his left hand, but purposefully left her wanting. He wasn’t even remotely done pleasuring her. Their current positions made it rather hard to do the things he wanted, so he improvised.
The driver’s seat was already as far back as it could go, but he reached around her and pulled the lever that had the steering wheel tilting upward. He wrapped his hands around her waist and easily shifted her so that she was facing forward.
“Now I have better access,” Noah whispered, catching her earlobe in between his teeth. He stroked his hands down the front of her until he was able to shimmy the fabric of both her capris and panties down until the material slipped over her knees. He was relatively sure she was able to get one ankle free. “Put your foot up on the dashboard, sweetheart.”
Reese leaned back against him and turned her head to capture his lips. She had done as he’d requested, opening herself up to him as she lifted her arms and wrapped her hands around the headrest.
Noah noted her change in breathing when he lightly brushed his fingers down the front of her and into her folds. He kissed her shoulders as he stroked her sensitive clitoris, loving how she pressed into him to lift her hips in anticipation.
“You are so wet.”
“I want you,” Reese said, lowering her right arm and resting her hand over his in an attempt to rush things along. He wasn’t having any of it. “Please, Noah.”
“We have all night.”
Noah used his finger to breach her entrance, cherishing the gasp that fell from her lips. He withdrew, only to then re-enter her to elicit another alluring reaction. He’d hardened to the point of pain, but the end result would be worth the wait.
Her dainty toes painted in that pretty pink nail polish curled when he added another finger, rubbing against her sweet spot. The change in her breathing was audible, raising his own need to draw out her orgasm.
“Noah, I—”
“Come for me,” Noah requested softly, loving the way her sheath tightened on his fingers upon his wanting appeal. “That’s right, sweetheart. Take what you need.”
Reese’s hips lifted in response, her release coming in waves as well as the tantalizing whimpers that made him want more. Her grip on the headrest had tilted the seat slightly forward. He showered her shoulder with gentle kisses until she’d regained her composure.
Her next statement was music to his ears.
“I want more.”