Chapter Three
That night Kelsey headed out to pick up Nick in her dad’s truck—much better than her car for the rutted country roads leading to Aunt Phoebe’s house by the river—feeling pretty good about her chances of getting handsy tonight. Nothing like a river party to get a guy feeling frisky. Throw in some of her great-aunt Mary’s Booze, and she might just get the big O. Not that she fooled around a lot. She’d been on a bit of a…hiatus from hitting the sheets. The guys she met just didn’t get her to the big O, and she was so tired of directing them—higher, lower, more pressure, don’t forget the rest of me! Geez. It was just easier to handle things herself at that point. But she had a very good feeling that Nick would know what to do with those large capable hands.
He certainly knew what to do with that mouth. She shivered, thinking of the delicious kiss he’d laid on her right at the diner table. She would’ve tried for more after lunch, but he had to get back to work. The carnival rides opened tomorrow, and his uncle needed him for setup. Apparently he was the youngest and strongest on the crew.
She spotted him on the sidewalk by the square, pulled over, and powered down the window. He looked freshly showered, his caramel brown hair still damp, his square jaw clean-shaven. He wore a different outfit—black T-shirt, blue jeans, and cowboy boots. Yum. “Hop in, cowboy!”
He grinned, making her girl parts sit up and take notice. “Hey, goddess.”
Goddess! Wow! She was a goddess? As soon as he clicked his seatbelt, she asked, “Why did you call me goddess?”
He clamped his mouth shut and stared straight ahead.
“Nick?”
“Uh, that slipped out. I shouldn’t have—”
“O-o-o-h! That is the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me!” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. She meant it as a thank-you kiss, but Nick cupped her face with both hands, deepening the kiss, and she felt herself falling into it, into him. His lips were firm, warm, and demanding. She suddenly wished they weren’t going to a party at all. He nipped her lower lip, and she moaned. His tongue swept inside, thrusting in imitation of the connection she ached for. Soon, very soon. She clutched his T-shirt as his hand slipped under her cropped shirt, cupping her breast and then flicking across the hard tip. Electric pleasure shot through her, making her damp. She moaned against his mouth. A car horn honked, and they broke apart.
He pressed his thumb to her lower lip. “You make me forget myself.”
She kissed his thumb and then held it. “Me too,” she replied honestly. He was an amazing kisser, and she couldn’t remember ever losing herself in a kiss like that. Like no one else existed. There was nothing but his mouth, his hands, what he made her feel, consuming her. Whoa. And that was only their third kiss.
He let out a breath. “You know I’m leaving in a week, right?”
“Yeah, me too.”
“I don’t do casual.” He pulled his hand from her grip and plowed it through his hair, messing it up adorably. “Or serious.”
She scrunched her nose at that odd statement. “Then what do you do?”
“Nothing.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing with my life, and I need to focus on that.”
“No worries! We’re just having fun. Booze and a river party.” She pulled away from the curb. “How you like the carnie life?”
“I like it, but it’s a temporary gig. I get paid peanuts.”
“But you get a free place to live and all the popcorn, corn dogs, and funnel cake you can eat.”
“Don’t forget the curly fries, slushies, and fried pickles.”
“Exactly! All the food groups are represented—meat on a stick, dessert, and pickles.”
“Somehow I think you missed something.”
They exchanged a grin. She turned into the parking lot by Borcher’s liquor store, which was not far from the square. “Wait here.”
She hopped out, fetched the spare key from under the ceramic pig, and let herself in the store. She grabbed a couple mason jars of the strawberry Booze, left a note so her great-aunt could add it to her family’s tab, and left.
She handed Nick the Booze through his open window before getting back in the truck.
He stared at it. “What’s in it?”
She grinned. “Liquid fire! You’ll get used to it.”
She got in and pulled out of the lot and onto the main road.
“Who’s going to the party?” he asked.
“Everyone.”
“Who’s everyone?”
“I don’t know. Everyone who’s young enough to party will be there. Definitely my aunt, Phoebe, it’s in her backyard. Maybe her husband, Joe, too if they’re having a date night. You have to have those once you have a kid, so I hear.” Aunt Phoebe, in her thirties now, had been Kelsey’s babysitter as a teen.
“You know everyone in town?”
“Pretty much. I lived here my whole life, except for college and this past year in Omaha. How about you? You live in Silver Rose your whole life?”
“You know a lot about me.”
“It’s common knowledge from all the news stories on you. I’m not a psycho stalker or anything.” She made a crazy face at him, screwing up her nose and mouth.
He laughed. “Yeah, I lived there my whole life. I know everyone, and everyone knows me.”
“That’s nice.”
“In some ways, yes, but in other ways…no.”
“I know what you mean.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, because they know you so well, they have certain expectations. Like people still think I’m a little weird because I had a goth stage during high school. Sure, they’re nice, but I can see in their eyes they’re waiting for me to do something really out there.”
He snorted. “You? Never!”
She grinned. “When did I ever do something weird in front of you?”
“You didn’t, but your mischievous eyes tell me you’re plotting something.”
She laughed. “I do like to have fun. Speaking of which, you and I need to have the full romantic carnival experience.”
“Romantic?” he croaked.
“Yeah, you know, kiss on top of the Ferris wheel, all that good stuff.”
“I really need to stop kissing you.”
“Why? You said you liked it.”
“I do like it, but—”
“Excellent. So everyone in your hometown probably thinks of you just as the football star, huh?”
He got quiet.
“You don’t want to talk about that, do you?”
“No.”
“Okay, but you have to tell me something else about you. Something more interesting than the F word.”
A slow, sexy smile dawned, making her smile back. “Not much more interesting than the F word.”
“So we’ll just talk about that.”
“Err, um, well…” he stuttered adorably.
“Kidding! What do you like to do when you’re not, you know, playing that horrible sport?”
“Nothing,” he said flatly.
“You need a hobby.”
“I guess.”
She tapped her bottom lip, thinking. “Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something.”
“I’m sure you will.”
A short, bumpy ride later she pulled into the grassy area behind Aunt Phoebe’s big old white farm house and parked. The backyard sloped gently down to the riverbank. Trees on the other side of the river offered some shade on hot summer days, making it perfect for lazy inner-tube rides and swimming. Tonight, though, there was a bonfire going, and people were gathered on the riverbank, hanging out. Country music played from a speaker someone had set up.
She glanced over at Nick, who was just sitting quietly, his expression closed off. She sensed he was sad, like maybe losing football sort of snuck up on him now and then. She fought the urge to hug him. He needed a break from dwelling on his problems, and she’d promised him a fun time tonight.
“Come on, they won’t bite,” she said. “Leave the Booze here. We’ll hang out on the tailgate with it after we say hey to everyone.”
She hopped out of the truck, took his hand, and guided him down to the riverbank, where a bunch of people were standing around talking and laughing. A sense of peace washed over her. These were her people; this was her place. She’d missed this. How could she live in the city when the country spoke to her heart?
Her redheaded aunt spotted her just then, bubbly as ever. “Kelsey! Get over here, girl!”
She grinned and made her way down the small hill to the riverbank. Aunt Phoebe swallowed her up in a big hug. “Joe!” she called to her husband. “Little Kelsey’s here!”
Joe headed over to say hi.
Kelsey’s cheeks burned. Only Aunt Phoebe could make her feel little. It wasn’t like her aunt was tall either, she was just as petite as Kelsey, but her aunt had been her babysitter since Kelsey was three years old. Aunt Phoebe had many a story to tell about Kelsey’s zany antics as a kid. Was it her fault she had a big imagination and plenty of opportunity to test it out? Saddling a cow had seemed like the next best thing when she didn’t get the pony she wanted. The cow hadn’t agreed.
Neither had their dog.
Anyhoo! She grabbed Nick’s hand. “This is Nick. He’s a carnie and a Booze virgin.”
Aunt Phoebe laughed. “Nice to meet you, Nick. Go easy on the Booze. Killer hangover material if you’re not careful.”
Joe showed up and gave Kelsey a hug. “Good to see you.” He turned to Nick. “Hey, aren’t you the wide receiver for the Huskers?”
“No,” Nick said.
“Yeah, yeah,” Joe said, pointing at Nick. “I watched you last season. Man, you were amazing!”
“Oh yeah!” Aunt Phoebe said, seeming to recognize him for the first time. “You’re the best wide receiver to come out of Nebraska since…ever!”
“Thank you,” Nick said with a pained expression.
Aunt Phoebe exchanged a puzzled look with her husband.
Kelsey jumped into the awkward silence. “That was before. Now he’s moving on to the next big thing.”
“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” Joe asked.
She turned to Nick, who was pale and silent. Not a good way to have fun at a river party. “He’s thinking about his next big move. Me too.” She launched into a long monologue on the pros and cons of keeping her current job or following her muse at the risk of dire but artistic poverty that concluded when she ran out of air.
“Ooh, honey, that was a mouthful,” Aunt Phoebe said. “You just take it easy tonight.”
“We will!” Kelsey sang. She pulled Nick along, introducing him to some of Aunt Phoebe’s friends she’d met a few times. There was Lauren and Travis, Tucker and Delaney, Ty and Hailey, even the mayor of Sapphire Falls, TJ Bennett, was there with his wife, Hope. TJ wanted to know if Nick was any relation to Scott Hansen, their local cop, which she hadn’t even thought to ask. Turned out Hansen was just a common name around here.
The best part was when they ran into Mason and Adrianne. She was surprised to see Mason, a genius agriculture researcher and owner of Innovative Agricultural Solutions, at the party, but as he explained, it was date night and he’d been promised time for some river water sampling. Mason got into a nice long talk with Nick about sustainable farming. She was pleased to see Nick’s enthusiasm and discovered he came from a long line of farmers just like her. She wondered why he didn’t just go into farming. Before she could ask, her friend from high school, Lisa, a copycat who used to dress like Kelsey with similar unpopular results, raced over and practically tackled her in a hug.
“When did you get home?” Lisa shrieked. She was dressed in a T-shirt and cutoff denim shorts now. Practically the hometown uniform.
“Last night. This is Nick.”
Lisa froze and then her voice took on a hushed reverent tone. “Omigod, Nick Hansen? I’d recognize you anywhere. We’re big fans. Huge.”
“Thank you,” Nick said stiffly.
“Time for Booze!” Kelsey announced.
“Stop by,” Lisa said, gesturing to a blanket on the riverbank. “I made chocolate-chip cookies.”
“Will do,” Kelsey said. She grabbed Nick’s hand and headed back to the truck, putting the tailgate down. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
He leaned against the truck. “Nah.”
She fetched the Booze, unscrewed the lid, took a drink and shuddered as it burned down her throat. “Bottoms up,” she said, handing it to him.
He took a swig and wiped his mouth. “Blech.”
“You need a little more. It tastes better the more you drink.”
He took another swig and shook his head. “Boo-yah.”
“Yeah?” She took a swig herself, already feeling the effects as her limbs got heavy and loose. She hopped up on the tailgate and patted the spot next to her.
Nick joined her. “You got a blanket?”
“Of course!” She fetched a big plaid blanket and a camping lantern from the cab of the truck. She spread the blanket out in the truck bed and set the lantern over to the side near the Booze in case they wanted more. He laid down, resting his head on his hands, and blew out a breath. She joined him. They stared at the dark starry sky. The moon was bright and nearly full.
“I missed this,” he said. “Working the carnival, there’s so many lights, it makes the stars seem dim.”
“Nothing like the stars under a country sky,” she said. “I’d miss this if I moved to Chicago.”
“So don’t move to Chicago.”
“I need to make money somehow,” she said on a sigh. “I’ve got student loans. Plus I really like to eat.”
“Yeah, I like to eat too.”
She sat up and fetched the Booze, taking another swig. “Give me a strawberry kiss.”
He turned on his side and propped up on one elbow. “You taste like cherries.” His voice was low and husky. “I thought we agreed no more kissing.”
She licked her lips, put the jar of Booze back, and lay on her side to face him. “It’s cherry lip balm, and I never agreed to that.”
His large hand cupped her cheek. “Kelsey.”
“Nick,” she breathed.
He dropped his hand. “I don’t want to hurt you.” But that felt like a cop-out. Like what he really meant was he didn’t want to get hurt.
“Why won’t you do casual or serious?” she whispered. Someone must’ve hurt him bad. Probably Tara Westwood, Nick’s serious girlfriend from last football season. The cameras loved to pan to her face during the games when she cheered Nick on. They’d broken up, though, shortly after the season ended. This was all common knowledge and had been covered in the local news stories.
He rolled to his back. She took in his tight jaw and debated if she should press for details or just shut up. She impulsively ran her hand through his hair, which was so silky soft, and he closed his eyes. He needed her. She knew it instinctively. He needed comfort.
She maneuvered herself to sit behind his head, cross-legged, and tugged at his shoulders. “Rest your head in my lap.” She stroked his hair again.
He shifted so her leg was his pillow, and she continued stroking his hair while he relaxed, eyes closed.
“Do you miss her?” she asked.
“Who?”
Nice try. “You know,” she said, still stroking his hair. “Tara.”
“No,” he said sharply. The tone meant to put her off only drew her in. He had a tender heart. Like her. She bent down and placed a soft kiss on his forehead before stroking his hair again. His expression relaxed.
She gazed at the sky for a moment. “I like to go with the flow. Sometimes, if you stay open to it, the best things just…happen.” She looked down at him, he was stargazing too. She stroked his hair, loving the feel of the silky strands.
He snorted. “Not much good has happened in a while.”
“How about, just for this week, you be like me and go with the flow?”
He looked up at her. Even with the upside-down view, he was sexy, all square jawed, his lips smooth and sensuous. “What does that mean?”
She stroked his jaw, reveling in the smooth hard line. “It means if I want to kiss you, you let me, and know that I like it as much as you. If I want to touch you, please by all that is holy, let me. You’re as beautiful as Michelangelo’s David. That’s a statue.”
His lips played at a smile. “I know it’s a statue.”
“I won’t hurt you, and you won’t hurt me. Okay?”
He groaned. “Kelsey.”
She gave him her best seductive smile. “We need more Booze.” She pushed his shoulders, and he sat up. She crawled over to the tailgate and snagged the jar. She offered it to him and he took it, his eyes hot on hers. “Do it, do it,” she chanted.
“Peer pressure, damn. How can I hold out against that?” He took a swig, and she cheered. He grinned and handed it back to her. They did a few rounds like that, swig and grin, swig and grin, before it turned to swig and hot look.
She took a last sip, set the nearly empty jar out of the way, and scooted back to his side. Their gazes locked for an electric moment before they slammed together, their mouths fusing in a frenzied kiss, their hands grabbing everywhere. Someone moaned. Her. They fell to the blanket in a tangle of arms and legs. She wanted to feel all of him, all at once, and then he was on top of her, his hardness pressing against her softness. His mouth shifted to her jawline and over to her ear. He tugged her earlobe between his teeth. “Let’s go somewhere private,” he whispered.
She opened her mouth to make a suggestion of where they could go, but lost her train of thought as he rained hot open-mouthed kisses down the side of her neck. She ran her fingers through the soft hair that curled at the nape of his neck.
He lifted his head and looked at her. “Where are you staying?”
She cringed. “With my parents. What about your trailer?”
“I share it with my uncle.”
She groaned. They slammed together again. He slipped the top of her dress down, cupping her breast, strumming over the hard tip, making her throb. This was crazy. There had to be somewhere they could go. She tried to think, but then his mouth replaced his hand, suckling her breast, and every rational thought flew from her head. His hand slid down her body, snagged the edge of her dress, and then slid up her inner thigh. She let her leg fall to the side, open and aching for him.
The sound of voices reached them, one of them her aunt, who would never let her live this down. She still saw her as little Kelsey, the niece she used to babysit. She shoved Nick’s shoulders. He lifted his head, his lips wet from where they’d been suckling her. His eyes were dark and hot on hers. “What?”
“Get up! My aunt’s almost here.”
He scrambled off her.
By the time Aunt Phoebe stopped next to the tailgate and invited them down for s’mores, they were both under control. More or less.
~ ~ ~
It might’ve been the Booze talking, but Nick felt happy for the first time since he’d had to say goodbye to football. Kelsey made him feel light. Okay, he was wasted. He must be, because everything she did or said felt magical. His magical goddess brought him back to life. Her voice was a happy song, her beautiful smile a sunshiny day, and her body a decadent dessert. Even wasted, he knew a good thing when it landed in his lap.
As Kelsey was now. They were in her truck parked at the end of a long gravel driveway of someone’s farm, way out in the middle of nowhere. The trees lining both sides of the driveway gave them privacy. The house was dark.
She straddled him, kissing and nipping along the side of his neck.
He breathed in vanilla, cherries, and strawberries, and tightened his hold on her hips, fighting his instinct to plunge deep inside her body. He wanted her something fierce. More than he’d ever wanted anyone. And he’d been a damned horny teenager with football groupies throwing themselves at him. “Kelsey,” he managed.
She lifted her head. “Call me goddess,” she whispered. “I really like that.”
He groaned. She wanted his nickname for her. He loved that. It made her feel like his. She got more irresistible by the minute, and he got surprisingly possessive. He never cared enough to get possessive. Not since his ex. “Goddess, I didn’t bring a condom. Do you have one, or can you get one?”
She grimaced. “I don’t, and the stores are closed.”
He leaned his head back on the seat. He was about to bust the zipper on these jeans. Things were getting to dire blue-ball territory.
And then she got off his lap and unzipped him.
The relief of just cotton briefs was stunningly good. She gathered her long dark brown hair and held it up to him. “Hold this,” she said.
He knew where she was going with this, but he wanted to get her off first. He tangled her hair in his fist, pulled her in, and gave her a hard kiss. She kissed him back passionately, making these little noises in the back of her throat that had him pulling her back onto his lap and bunching up her dress. He slipped his hand under the side of her silk panties and ripped them right off. She gasped into his mouth, and he slid a finger inside her. She clenched around his finger and threw her head back.
“Wait,” she gasped out. “I want to do you.”
“You first, Goddess.” He stroked and plunged, adding another finger, finding her rhythm until she was bucking against his hand. She clung to his shoulders in a tight grip. He used his other hand to pull down her dress and brought her nipple to the roof of his mouth, suckling hard as he increased the pressure over her sweet spot, strumming and circling and thrusting, soaking his fingers with her desire, his own desire coiling tight right along with her. She tensed against him, and he kept going, watching her as her eyes fluttered closed, her lips parting as tiny gasps escaped. She trembled in his arms, and then she cried out, rocking mindlessly against his hand. His cock got thicker, harder, but he didn’t push for more, just let her ride it out.
She sagged against him, and he slid his hand away, holding her by the hips. He felt content just to hold her, which was weird considering how turned-on he was. Her petite size fit against him perfectly. She felt right.
She hugged him. “I knew you’d be good with your hands.”
A laugh rumbled out despite his dire blue-ball state. He couldn’t remember ever smiling or laughing as much as he did when he was with her. His goddess.
She lifted her head and beamed. His heart stuttered.
She slid off his lap, went to her knees, and licked her lips. “Your turn.”
And then she proceeded to show him the ecstasy a determined goddess could give to a guy. Her hair fell in soft waves over his lap, her mouth hot and wet, the suction perfect. He wasn’t going to last long. He closed his eyes because her bobbing head was making him want to thrust hard. It had been too long for him. He panted, trying not to—
“Kelsey,” he warned, tugging her hair.
She moaned and took him deeper. He couldn’t hold back. He exploded with a roar, jerking uncontrollably as she took in every last drop. She swallowed and licked him clean. He’d never seen anything sexier. He couldn’t speak, he had nothing to say anyway; he was in a stupidly stunned state of wonder.
She lifted her head and kissed him tenderly.
He was toast.