Chapter Two
Jason milled around the festival grounds, a stretch of farmland that had been donated to the town and dedicated as a park. Although this was an event he’d enjoyed as a kid, tonight he was uncharacteristically on edge and Clara’s prediction was to blame.
Not that he believed in tarot readings.
Yet, as he smiled at people without stopping to make conversation, the uneasy feeling remained. The fact that most wore masks didn’t help. Nor did the sheer volume of people. Almost the entire town had turned out for the evening.
“Jason, no mask? I’m disappointed.” Gabrielle, his cousin Derek’s wife, zeroed in on him, pink feathers covering her face.
If her long chestnut hair wasn’t a giveaway to her identity, her trademark stiletto heels were. His cousin was one lucky son of a bitch, but he deserved good fortune. Derek had suffered plenty before finally reclaiming his high school sweetheart and the love and family he was meant to have. As the oldest of the Corwin cousins, Derek had set a stoic example for Jason and Mike to follow. Each had held out on relationships for a long time before succumbing. As for Mike, despite a rocky start, he and his wife Amber seemed to be going strong.
Jason, on the other hand, was finished with women for anything but sex—and that was something he hadn’t had in too damn long. Five months to be exact. But now he was open to the possibility. He wasn’t desperate, never had been, and not even a self-imposed dry spell would change that. He just knew better than to expect to find someone from around here. Predictions be damned, he was a Corwin and therefore a realist.
“Jason?” Gabrielle repeated. “I asked you what happened to your mask?”
He refocused his attention on his cousin’s wife. “No self-respecting man would wear one of those things.”
“He’s got a point,” Derek said, joining them. He wasn’t sporting a mask, either.
“You two are just no fun.” Gabrielle let out a long-suffering sigh and placed her hand over her rounded stomach.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Derek asked, covering her hand with his.
“I breathed loudly,” she said, exasperated. “I didn’t moan in pain!”
Jason laughed at his cousin’s reaction.
Ever since their announcement of Gabrielle’s pregnancy, Derek had been wired. Jason didn’t blame him. Their first try had ended in miscarriage and the damn Corwin Curse hung over their heads.
Still, Jason couldn’t help but lighten the mood. “Derek, it’s going to be a long nine months if you keep this up.”
“Only five more to go,” he said, before glancing at his wife. “I’m sorry, but—”
She shook her head. “Don’t apologize. I understand. I just wish you’d relax and enjoy this as much as I am. The doctor swore the last time was a fluke, and I’m determined to believe him.”
Derek wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her on the lips.
Jason tried not to roll his eyes. It was time he made himself scarce. “Excuse me. I think I’m going to refill my beer. This one’s getting warm.” Leaving his cousin alone with his wife, he turned and started across the field.
Catching sight of his father, Thomas, Jason headed his way. “Hi, Dad.” Another Corwin man without a mask.
“I’m so glad you decided to join the party,” Thomas said.
“I could say the same to you.” Jason eyed his father warily.
Wearing dark pressed chinos and a white buttoned shirt, he was perfectly dressed. Typical Thomas, showing the outside world all was well, no matter what turmoil was going on inside. “Is Uncle Edward here?” Jason asked.
“He’s supposed to be.” Thomas glanced over his son’s shoulder. “I haven’t seen him yet.”
“He’s coming with Clara, isn’t he? That’s who you’re looking around for.”
Thomas had been attracted to Clara from the moment they’d met, and thanks to Corwin history, Jason was worried his father would somehow end up with his uncle Edward’s woman.
Thomas shook his head. “No. I promised I’d steer clear and let those two make their way back to each other,” he said, sounding sincere.
“Or not?” Jason guessed. “Come on, Dad. Are you waiting for Uncle Edward to blow it so you can step in and sweep Clara off her feet?”
“No. That would be too close to history repeating itself.”
“You said you never took Mom away from Uncle Edward. She chose you.” He watched his father carefully.
Thomas nodded. “It’s true. But your uncle’s psychological problems obviously go way back. He blamed me, blamed the curse. His life was a mess. So whatever happens between your uncle and Clara begins and ends with them. I’m out of it.” He raised both hands and took a step back.
Jason nodded, satisfied his father wouldn’t make a move on Clara. The older Corwin men had just begun to repair their fractured relationship. The slightest look in Clara’s direction could conceivably send Edward over the edge. “I’m proud of you, Dad. Putting Uncle Edward’s needs before your own.”
Thomas shook his head. “You’re mistaken. I’m being selfish. I need my brother, too. We both missed out on too much.”
Jason gave his father a brief hug. “The Corwins are making progress,” he said, forcing a laugh.
“Oh! There’s Hank. I think I’ll go hang with my other brother,” he said. “You go find someone your own age.” Thomas slapped Jason on the back and strode away.
Chuckling at his father, Jason headed for the beer tent, not surprised to find a line ahead of him since all beverages were being served in the same place. Settling in to wait, he leaned against the stacked bales of hay and glanced around.
That’s when he saw her.
She captured his attention immediately and not just because she was wearing a red mask, though he had to admit Clara’s tarot reading had predisposed him toward noticing her.
This woman would have rocked his world anyway.
Rocked his world.
Not his usual way with words. They were Clara’s. But they were true.
She made her way closer and he couldn’t tear his gaze off her long, lean legs encased in hip-hugging, slimming black denim, black suede boots, and a black long-sleeved shirt. Her long, beautiful hair, light brown with blond streaks, hung down to the middle of her back, while breezy bangs fluttered over her forehead. But it was her red mask that stood out, covering most of her face, curving seductively lower on one side. She’d wrapped a matching red scarf around her neck.
As she walked toward him in the moonlight, a strange sense of déjà vu enveloped him but he couldn’t say why. The band played “That Old Black Magic,” winding a seductive spell around him—if he believed in such things.
But even as he told himself he didn’t, he was drawn to her.
Her gaze never left his as she came up behind him. She looked him over and he did the same to her. Silky hair draped her shoulders, and though the mask covered her face, her matching lipstick drew his attention to her red mouth. She ran her tongue over her lips in a clearly unconscious gesture and every rational thought fled his brain.
“Is this the line for hot cider?” she asked through those lush lips, full, ripe and begging for him to taste.
That voice, also familiar, nudged at the back of his mind even as his thoughts were already churning with the unbelievable notion that Clara’s prediction had come true. And he couldn’t do more than nod in response.
“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” she asked in a teasing tone.
A wry smile pulled at his lips. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
She raised her eyebrows warily over the top of the mask. “Try me.”
He shrugged. Why not? “This is going to sound corny as hell but a fortune-teller told me I was going to meet you tonight.”
She tilted her head back and laughed, a full, throaty sound that knotted his stomach and sent desire rushing through his body at breakneck speed. No woman before had ever made such an impact.
Only one had come close and he’d been too young to appreciate her.
“Tell me about that fortune-teller,” she urged.
He shook his head. “I’d rather not.”
She sidled up to him. “Then tell me about you.” Her green eyes sparkled with interest.
“I’m just a local.” He eyed her curiously, still wondering why that déjà-vu feeling hadn’t subsided.
“You’re not just anything,” she assured him flirtatiously.
That’s when he knew.
He immediately flashed back to their first meeting. “I’m just a skier,” he’d said in an attempt at false modesty. He’d wanted her to appreciate him, not the medals he’d won.
“You’re not just anything,” she’d said, those inquisitive yet knowing eyes boring into his.
The connection had been made, their bond solid from that moment on.
Jason swallowed hard and studied her now, attempting to see beyond the mask she wore to the intervening years they’d been apart. The same green eyes, those lips he’d kissed, the body he’d known as well as his own.
Blood rushed from his head to other demanding body parts as reality hit him. The woman behind the mask was Lauren Perkins and she apparently had no intention of admitting it.
Jason was curious as well as intrigued. She certainly had to recognize him.
Always up for a challenge, he decided to play along and pretend they were indeed strangers. “I appreciate the compliment,” he said, stepping closer, invading her personal space. “Despite the fact that you probably think the fortune-teller story is a corny pickup line.”
She grinned. “It’s not just a corny line, it’s the worst I’ve ever heard.”
A light burst of cold wind whipped around them and he inhaled her warm, seductive scent, increasing his interest as well as his desire.
He wondered what she wanted. And when she’d reveal herself.
“What if I told you I can do better?” he asked, still playing along.
“I’d tell you to go for it.” Lauren barely recognized her own deep, husky voice.
She’d made her way over here on trembling legs, determined to check him out up close. Foolishly believing she could handle him. She’d thought that whatever impact he’d had on her in the past would have died. She’d been wrong. The man he’d become packed more of a punch than the boy he’d been. He blew her away and she needed time to process her reaction. Flirting with him was fun and safe behind the anonymity of the mask.
“So what’s a gorgeous woman like you doing at this small-town festival?” he asked as they moved up in the line.
She swallowed hard. “I’m just passing through,” she said, keeping her explanation deliberately vague.
“Lucky me.” The words rumbled from deep inside his chest, reaching down to her soul.
They’d made out, they’d kissed, and he’d taken her virginity. He’d been her first and she’d never forgotten him, not even when she’d tried to convince herself she had. She’d also never forgotten the pain of coming back here and finding him gone.
He extended his hand just as the band switched to Cher’s “Dark Lady.”
“Dance with me.”
He didn’t ask.
He commanded, in a gruff tone that had seduction written all over it and had her experiencing the same tremors of excitement and anticipation she’d felt when she used to sneak from her grandmother’s house to meet him late at night.
And he spoke with the certainty she remembered when he talked about heading to Vail to show his skills to Bud Keene, his dream coach. Jason Corwin was a man who went after what he wanted with blind determination.
He held his hand out and waited.
It was one dance, she thought, and a chance to have his arms around her again.
She placed her hand in his.
He led her to the makeshift dance floor in the center of the field and swept her into his arms, gliding rhythmically to the soulful beat of the music.
His fingers intertwined with hers and his hard body did crazy things to her insides as he pulled her against his chest. Warmth seeped through her, heightening her senses. She tried to keep her emotions in the past and concentrate on the delicious sensations he created inside her.
Couples moved around them in a blurry haze but he was all she could see. And feel. They might as well have been in a world of their own. This spiraling need and sense of euphoria had been missing from her life. She’d come alive again, the yearning for him overwhelming.
The day she’d discovered Jason was gone, she’d sworn she’d never fall under any man’s spell. She ran through life at breakneck speed, never slowing down long enough to get to know anyone—man or woman—well, and she liked it that way. She didn’t need a shrink to tell her why. What was the point of letting another human being in when all they’d do was find her lacking the way her family had, or leave her behind when something more important beckoned. Men came and went from her life when she had time for sex or a short relationship.
Yet here was Jason again, bewitching and entrancing her. Erasing the memories of her sister and her family problems, overpowering her dislike of this town and her reasons for being here.
She hadn’t sought him out for this. She’d just wanted a glimpse of him. To see how he’d changed. But they’d locked gazes across the field and she hadn’t been in control of her emotions or her actions since.
“Tell me about yourself,” he said, bringing her back to earth as he swept her around, her feet barely brushing the dirt on the ground.
She tensed at his question. Too much. Too personal.
But his intent, curious eyes never left hers as he waited for her to answer.
“I’m just visiting. You?” she asked.
“I live here.” Without warning, he spun her around with the combination of grace and strength that had made him a successful athlete.
His strong thighs brushed against hers, hard and demanding, awakening needs only he’d ever aroused.
“I like your mask,” he said, his eyes focused on hers.
“Thank you. I like that you aren’t wearing one. It lets me see your face.” She wanted to trace the strong lines of his jaw, explore the stubble on his cheeks.
“I like what I can see of yours,” he said, his voice huskier than before. “What made you choose that color?” He touched the edge of her mask with his finger.
“It called to me.”
His eyes darkened at her response. “Any chance you drive a red Porsche?”
She grinned. “It just so happens I do. How did you know?”
“It suits you for one thing. But there’s also the fact that this is a small town with few new people or cars. Yours stood out.” He paused, then added, “And so do you.”
He inclined his head until his forehead touched hers and the dance continued. The night was truly magical and she was forced to admit she wanted more than this one dance.
She wanted him, and the throbbing erection against her stomach told her he desired her, too.
The music suddenly picked up tempo, interrupting their slow, intimate seductive dance. They paused and she met his gaze.
“I’m hot,” she murmured.
His eyes darkened with a heat she recognized. “Then let’s get out of here.” He never broke eye contact, just waited for her to decide.
Life had very few pivotal moments, but Lauren sensed this was one. She needed this night.
“It’s up to you.”
She swallowed hard, knowing her decision was already made. “Lead the way.”
He smiled, his expression one of surprise and relief. Before she could blink, he dipped his head for a kiss. A tantalizing, too brief brush of his mouth on hers that left her lips tingling, her senses soaring and her mind reeling.
Now all she had to do was keep the mask on and Jason too satisfied to notice or care.
Jason was enjoying this stranger game Lauren was playing and wondered how far he could push her. He held her hand and led her toward the empty barn in a secluded corner of the field. They’d hung out together in various spots like this in the past, including this old barn. Did she remember?
“My cousin and I used to sneak beer here when we were kids,” he said, pointing to the building he hoped would be empty.
“So you were trouble back then?” she asked.
“For a while.” He squeezed her hand and held on tighter. “Until I found my focus.”
Jason remembered confiding in her about his past. She knew all too well that he’d been happy to be a troublemaking Corwin in high school until he’d discovered snowboarding at sixteen. More exciting than skiing, the daredevil sport had changed his life, given him his real passion and focus, and he’d been set on Olympic gold ever since.
“Yet you’re being bad again now. With me. Does that mean you’ve lost that focus?” she asked softly. Quietly, and far too perceptively.
She obviously knew about the scandal and was hoping he’d confide in her now. He swallowed the explanation she sought. No matter how much he wanted to reveal his pain, knowing she’d understand, he couldn’t. Not until she’d revealed herself to him.
He pushed open the barn door and she followed him inside. The heavy wooden door banged shut behind them and he turned on the lights, hitting the switch on the wall. “Don’t you worry. I’m extremely focused,” he assured her, pulling her into his arms. “Focused on you.”
He aligned his hips with hers, knowing damn well his erection would be obvious, reminding her of why they were here.
Her eyes darkened at the intimate contact. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”
Her husky voice turned Jason on even more than dancing with her already had. As much as he remembered the past, the good times and the summer that had been too short, he was totally in the present now. She smelled so damn good and fit in his arms even more perfectly now.
She’d filled out. Her breasts were fuller and plumper and he wanted to see her without the barrier of clothes. But first he needed to taste her more fully. With a low growl, he slid his tongue inside her mouth, taking possession and control. He ran his tongue through the damp recesses, soaking up the moisture, reveling in her sweetness. His body burned and throbbed more from this one kiss than any other sexual experience in his lifetime.
Merely kissing her did something to him that defied logic, and though he was primed and ready to glide into her hot body and feel her slick walls tighten around him, he couldn’t stop devouring her mouth. Her tongue dueled and tangled with his, matching him, teasing him. She grabbed the back of his head with her hand, grasping onto his hair and holding him tight, arousing him beyond thought and reason. Until finally the throbbing in his cock couldn’t be denied.
He released her slowly, keeping one hand around her waist. When he met her hazy eyes, he wasn’t surprised to see her adjusting the red mask.
He somehow withheld a grin. Though he wanted to rip off the covering and see her face, for whatever reason, she sought the anonymity. He needed her too much to break the spell by removing the mask. Besides, he had to admit the aura of mystery, and playing strangers heightened his desire.
“Come with me,” he said, heading across the room to the stairs leading to the loft. On the way, he spotted a blanket that had been left on a hook on the wall, grabbed it and gestured for her to go first.
Once in the loft, together they spread the blanket over the floor. Lauren was grateful for the few seconds to regain her composure. She was here again, with Jason. She shook her head in disbelief.
“Is this where you used to drink with the guys?” she asked as they settled onto the blanket. “Or is this where you used to bring the girls back when you were trouble?” She found she couldn’t meet his gaze.
She’d thought she was special. After he’d left town, she often wondered if she’d misread that summer and that she’d been one of many. All these years later, she still needed to know.
He lifted her chin with his hand. “There’s only one girl I used to bring here,” he murmured.
Her mouth ran dry and an unwanted lump formed in her throat, the emotions so overwhelming.
“But let’s not talk about her now,” he said, and dodged further explanation by easing her onto the floor.
Lauren was finished talking, too. She slipped her hands inside his shirt and placed her palms against his chest, feeling his hair-roughened skin, savoring the warmth and inhaling his masculine scent.
She let her hands drift over his nipples, pausing to savor the hard puckering against her skin. He let out a satisfied groan, allowing her to grow bolder. He’d been a boy and now he was all man, kissing her thoroughly as she continued to explore. From the hard planes of his chest, she roamed lower to his tight stomach, then to the waistband of his jeans. Her breasts tightened and moisture dampened her panties, desire growing ever stronger.
He did his own share of exploration, too, pulling her tight top upward and cupping her covered breasts in his hands. Her nipples puckered against his palms and she writhed and moaned beneath him.
“You are so responsive, so sweet,” he murmured, bending his head and pulling one nipple into his mouth.
She arched her back and moaned aloud.
“God.” He unhooked the button on her black jeans and eased them down her legs, getting caught halfway.
Laughing, she shimmied her hips to help him, ending up wearing only her skimpy black lace panties.
His dark gaze settled on her there.
“Gorgeous.” He sounded almost reverent as he spoke.
“Thank—” He placed his palm over her mound, cutting off any thought.
Her hips jerked upward, demanding relief, and he seemed to sense what she needed and slowly rotated his hand. Waves sprang to life inside her, building as he continued the torment, teasing her with one finger, filling her until she moaned aloud.
“Hang on.” He paused long enough to shed his jeans and underwear, grab a condom from his wallet.
She eyed the packet with relief and a stab of…jealousy? “You’re prepared.”
“The men in my family always are.”
She didn’t want to get into a conversation about the curse and its havoc. Not now. “I wish you’d hurry,” she said, reaching for him. Distracting him.
“Now, that I can do.”
With practiced ease, he slipped on protection while she quickly did her part, undressing—panties off, legs parted. So when he rejoined her, she was ready.
He slid over her, his thighs aligned with hers, his erection pulsing against her stomach. Still, he paused to brush her bangs off her forehead. A tender gesture that reminded her of the past and made this moment all the more special.
“I want you,” she said, needing him to hear the words. Parting her thighs, she invited him in.
His throbbing head nudged her open further as he slowly eased himself into her, his eyes never leaving hers. “Good?” he asked.
She’d dreamed of him, of this. Her throat was almost too full to speak but she needed to lighten the mood so she looked at him and smiled. “It’s a start.”
He grinned. Then he thrust deep. His thighs crushed hers, their bodies joined tight, and he pulsed inside her, thick and alive.
Lauren gasped but she accepted all of him at once. Full to bursting, she felt the pleasure reverberate inside her, in every cell of her being. She could barely think, she felt so good.
Suddenly he pulled out, leaving her empty, making her want to beg, but just as quickly he thrust back in again, filling her, pleasuring her, taking her higher. He was thick, hard, and she felt every velvet ridge inside her as he ground his hips into hers. He teased her as he picked up rhythm. Out…in…out…in…until the first wave took hold, washing over her and taking her breath away. And he continued to plunge into her hard and fast, over and over, even as he let out a groan of intense pleasure that served to increase her own until he finally collapsed on top of her.
Accepting his weight, she hooked one foot around his and laid her head back on the blanket, gasping for air, her body still tingling.
He breathed heavily in her ear as she struggled to come back to herself. As she did, she realized she had to tell him.
But he spoke first. “We’re better with age, aren’t we?” he asked, his voice rumbling against her chest.
Lauren gasped. He knew?
Before she could reply, the barn door creaked open, then slammed, and a voice called out from downstairs. “Hello, is anyone in here?”
“Oh my God.” Lauren took in his equally stunned expression.
She had no desire to get caught up here with her pants off in a small town that thrived on gossip. Gossip about the Perkins family. And she was the only Perkins around.
“Get up!” Panicked, she shoved at his shoulders.
They both scrambled to their feet and rushed to find their jeans.
Lauren dressed in record time, but like a man, he was faster.
“Hello? The light’s on so come on down and show yourself!” the female voice called.
Sharon.
Lauren narrowed her gaze. Face her friend or have a heart-to-heart with Jason. Neither choice appealed. Heart pounding in her chest, she wanted nothing more than to get away from them both. Once she gathered her thoughts and feelings, she could deal with what happened much better. She buttoned her black jeans and did the best she could to smooth wrinkles, pick off stray pieces of dirt on her clothes and look as if she hadn’t been having sex on the floor.
She had pride and she had more than a little bit of modesty and she didn’t want to embarrass herself.
She brushed her bangs and hoped her mask wasn’t sideways as she headed for the ladder.
“Wait!” He reached for her arm.
“Not now.”
He shot her an amused glance. “Later, then?”
She scowled at him before starting down the stairs from the loft. As she peeked across the cavernous barn, she saw Sharon standing by the door they’d entered.
Without risking another look in her friend’s direction, Lauren raced for the door at the opposite end of the barn, headed for fresh air and freedom.
She didn’t even pause at the sound of her name.