Finders Keepers (17 page)

That earned her another round of torture by side pinching.
“I can be romantic. Admit it.” Neither of us were leaving that chute until she
had. I stopped pinching her so she could catch her breath but left my hands on
her waist.

“I’ll admit it when you prove you’re capable of it.”

“And you’re saying nothing I’ve done has proven that to you
already?”

“Really? Come on. My experience with you has been having
drunken sex with you while my boyfriend was out of town, and these past couple
of weeks where the only time you’ve touched me is when your arms are around me
at night. Those are on opposite ends of the spectrum.” I lifted my eyebrows.
“And not on the romance spectrum.”

I dropped my hands from her waist and thought about that. I
didn’t have to think long—Josie was right. Whatever relationship Josie and I
had been mixed up in through the years, romance had never been a cornerstone.
Hell, it had never even been a pebble on our path. “Well, shit.”

“Just in case you’re taking notes,
well, shit
doesn’t
qualify as romance either.” Josie blew out a slow breath and leaned her head
into the fence behind her.

Did she really have that little faith that I knew how to be
or could learn to be romantic? On my list of priorities in a relationship,
romance wasn’t high . . . but it obviously was on hers. Which made it important
to me. I waited for her eyes to meet mine. When they did, mine dropped to her
mouth. Wetting my lips, I approached her, one slow step at a time. Her mouth
parted just a bit when I was a step away and, when my chest bumped into her,
pressing her harder into the fence, it parted some more. I reminded myself to
go slow, to be purposeful—all new concepts to me.

I didn’t stop pressing until our whole bodies were locked
against one another. The breath coming in and out of her parted mouth picked up
its pace. Lifting my arms, I braced them on either side of her head, and when I
knew I would kiss her if I kept watching her mouth, my eyes shifted to hers.
Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated—signs that whatever I was doing, I was
doing it right. I wasn’t used to looking in a woman’s eyes. When I’d been with
a woman in the past, I kept my eyes closed to pretend I was with someone else.

But I didn’t have to pretend anymore, because the girl I’d
seen when I closed my eyes was standing in front of me. “Josie?” I lowered my face
until it was level with hers—until I could feel the warmth of her breath on my
lips.

“Yes?” she said with a breathlessness that told me she felt
as close to coming apart as I did.

“I want you to . . .” I lowered my voice and enjoyed the
feel of her chest rising and falling against mine. “I need you to . . .” She
sunk her teeth into her lower lip and trembled. I would have let myself smile
if I didn’t have to stay focused. “Can I have . . .” I swore I could feel her
heartbeat hammering so hard I was worried it might not be healthy for her.
Instead of drawing it out any longer for fear of her going into cardiac
arrest—or me doing the same—I glanced down at what she still had gripped in her
hand. “My hat.” My voice returned to its normal volume and tone. Josie’s face
went from wide-eyed and flat to glaring and lined in less than a second. “Can I
have my hat?” I finally let myself have that grin I’d been holding back.

“Unbelievable,” she said with a shake of her head. She
dropped my hat back on my head.

“Thank you.” I only grinned wider when she thumped the top
of my hat, pushing it over my eyes.

“You better hope I don’t lock you out of my room tonight.”

“But then who would rock you to sleep and warm your feet and
give you sweet dreams?” I adjusted my hat and winked at her. She wasn’t mad,
but she was something. She was something that I was, too. Wound so tight for
each other that I didn’t doubt either of us would mind if we wound up
horizontal and rolling through the mud and cow shit. I took a few steps back.

“I hear a warm cup of milk works wonders.” Slugging me
gently in the stomach, she headed out of the chute.

I watched her walk away until she was halfway across the
arena, partly because I didn’t know what to say next, but mainly because Josie
had one hell of an ass. When she walked with that annoyed anger, her hips
swayed just so. Damn, it was one hell of a sight.

“Hey, Joze!” I called out. She slowed, but she didn’t stop.
“Taking it slow. I’d say I nailed that hurdle.” She gave me a
So?
look
over her shoulder. “So what’s next?”

She gave a huff. “Not taking it
too
slow.”

I’d just driven Josie Gibson wild with want. I’d turned her
on in about every way a guy could turn a girl on. If she hadn’t been watching
me, I might have done a flip. I’d turned on my fair share of women, but Josie
wasn’t just another woman I was hoping to get into bed later. I wanted to turn
Josie on for a million other reasons, reasons I hadn’t known existed until I’d
seen that look in her eyes and felt her breath catch in her mouth. “So it would
be okay if I finally took you out on an official date now?”

“A date? Do you even know what one of those is?” Josie
stopped when she reached the fence and turned to look at me.

I shrugged. “I’ve been doing a little research—asking
around. I think I’ve got the basics, and I was hoping you’d help me fill in the
rest.” It was true. I was a twenty-one-year-old man who didn’t know what a real
date or true dating was. It was all new to me, like so much of what I’d
experienced with Josie lately. I’d enjoyed every step of the journey.

When Josie had climbed to the top of the fence, she smiled
at me. “I can help you fill in the rest.”

JOSIE AND I were on a date. Like a
real one. It might have only been in the bed of my truck at the local drive-in
theatre, and her parents might not have known about it, and we might not have
even kissed yet . . . but it was the best fucking night of my life.

Josie had met me at the vacant gas station on the highway a
few miles north of Willow Springs after I got off work. She showed up in that
same dress she’d worn the first night I’d stayed with the Gibsons. She’d gone
and curled her hair and everything. Josie looked great no matter what she wore
or what time of day it was—even at five in the morning when she had bed head and
sleepy eyes—but that night . . . Damn, my throat ran dry the instant she
stepped out of that huge truck of hers. It hadn’t been the first time she’d
taken my breath away, but it was the first time I got to put my arms around her
right after. It was the first time she hadn’t taken my breath away only to slip
into the arms of someone else.

It was pretty much the best night ever. And we’d only been
ten seconds into it.

The Mountain-View Drive-in theatre was normally only open on
weekends in the summer, but they always did a special showing the week of
spring break when all the kids were out of school and looking to do something.
Also known as looking to get into trouble. The drive-in and I had shared plenty
of troublemaking times. Thankfully, the same staff from a couple summers ago
wasn’t still there. Otherwise, I never would have gotten in.

The movie had been playing for a while, but I couldn’t say
what was playing or who was in it. I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off of
Josie. I’d replaced the old mattress in the bed—that had seen its fair share of
wear and tear—with an inflatable mattress from the sporting goods store in
town. Easier to clean and not so . . .
used
. I figured Josie would
appreciate that, even if she never would have said anything about it. It wasn’t
the first time we’d shared a bed, but it was the first time we’d shared a bed
on a date. I knew better than to believe we’d be using my inflatable bed the
way I was used to utilizing a bed, but I hoped we’d get somewhere. When all I’d
done was hold her hand or have my arms around her, even a small kiss was a big
deal. So yeah, I was hoping for a kiss. Not expecting one, but definitely
hoping for one.

“The movie’s up there you know,” Josie said, glancing over
at me. She knew I’d been staring at her. That was fine, I wanted her to know. I
wanted her to know I couldn’t
not
stare at her.

“Why would I want to watch a movie when I’ve got you right
here?” I grinned at her and scooted a little closer. Scooting closer and a grin
couldn’t hurt a guy’s chance of getting a kiss. With my arm running down hers,
I noticed something. “Shit, Josie, you’re shivering.” I’d already given her my
jacket, and I’d brought every blanket I could snatch from the Gibsons’ house
without arousing suspicion, so I sat up and started unbuttoning my shirt to
give to her.

“No, don’t do that. I’m fine. I don’t want to undress you
one layer at a time.” She zipped my coat up higher and burrowed into it.

“Believe me, I have no problem with that. None whatsoever.
You feel free, anytime, every time, to undress me layer by layer until you are
warm and satisfied.” I unbuttoned another one to prove my point.

Her hand reached out to stop mine. “Keep your shirt on,
Romeo.”

“Why? When we both know you like me best with my shirt off.”

She wiped her hand over my grin, which did nothing but make
it grow. “Wrong. I like you best with your ego off. Wanna try again?”

I was about to reply when another shiver ran through Josie.
I suppose picking a drive-in movie for a date smack in the middle of March in
Montana wasn’t wise.
Better luck next time, Black.
Pushing away my hopes
for what could-have-been, I got ready to stand. “Come on, Joze. Let’s get you
out of here before you freeze.” I’d be sure to pick somewhere that didn’t make
my date chatter for our next one.

“No, I don’t want to go,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m
enjoying myself.”

My forehead lined. “You’re shivering yourself.” I wasn’t
cold, but I was probably too focused on Josie to notice the cold, and I’d
likely built up an immunity after sleeping in my truck for a few months. I
wanted to stay because I wanted to be with her, but not at the expense of her
getting hypothermia.

“I’m not leaving, and that’s that. Can we get on with our
date now?” She brought the blankets up under her chin and returned her
attention to the movie.

I sat there, watching her again, and smiled. Josie wasn’t a
laid-back, easy-going woman. She had some serious spunk and fight. Some guys
might have been intimidated by that, but Josie’s spunk was what caught my
attention years ago. The fight in her had kept my attention. She was the only
thing that had my attention. I needed to do something right then so badly my
muscles ached from holding myself back. Taking a deep breath, I bolstered up my
courage. “I might not have any more blankets, but there are other ways to get
you warm.”

Josie’s eyes flashed my way. “What other ways?”

I scooted down until I was propped up on an elbow beside
her. My heart was already thundering, and I hadn’t even touched her. “Well,
there are lots of other ways, I guess . . . but I had
one
particular way
in mind.”

“What ‘particular’ way is that?” Her voice was a few notes
high, and then she licked her lips. She knew.

I leaned in closer until my mouth was just barely above
hers. “This way is what I . . .” The fight I’d been battling all night, all
month, the past fifteen years, finally became too much. My mouth covered hers,
and when it did, Josie let out a small gasp. Shoving my hat off, she weaved her
hand through my hair, and pulled me closer.

Oh, dear god . . . Her mouth moving against mine was enough
to send me straight through the roof, but then her mouth parted and her tongue
pressed into mine, and I almost lost it. Lost whatever I’d been holding on to,
whatever had been weighing on me and holding me back. I almost lost it all with
one kiss from one girl. If that didn’t make a man stop and reexamine his life,
I don’t know what did.

She continued to kiss me like she was finally letting go of
everything she’d been holding back while I tried to keep up and hold on to
everything so I didn’t let myself go . . . all the way. Because that was the
place I wanted to go with Josie. I’d already unzipped the jacket of mine she
had on, but I craved more. One hand was twitching, ready to go for the hem of
her dress. The other hand wanted to close in on her chest. I drilled my
twitching hand into the mattress above her shoulder, bracing myself, but when
Josie’s body rocked under mine, sliding so she was directly beneath me, my hand
trying to reach for her breasts didn’t need to try any longer because it was
there.

“Shit, Joze,” I panted between her unyielding kisses. “I’m
sorry. I’m trying to behave.” I squeezed my eyes closed, separated my mouth
from hers for a moment—just long enough to gain some traction of control—and
forced my hand away from a very nice part of her body.

“It’s okay. You can touch me.” She looked up at me. “I want
you to. Just because we’re kissing and touching and . . .” Josie’s hips rocked
gently, and I was fairly certain if she did that again, I’d go cross-eyed.
“Let’s touch. Let’s make out. Let’s do all of those things you’ve held back
from us doing.” I lifted an eyebrow and held onto my last scrap of willpower.
“Okay, so not
everything
everything, but just because we’re not ready to
go there tonight doesn’t mean we can’t do more than kiss.” Grabbing my hand,
she moved it until it covered her chest again. She lowered my other hand until
it curved around the outside of her thigh. As if that wasn’t enough, Josie’s
hands slid inside of my shirt, one crawling up my back, the other sliding up my
stomach. “Kiss me.” Her lips pressed into the corner of my mouth gently. “Touch
me.” Her hand curled into me, her fingernails digging into my skin in a way
that made me gasp. Smiling at me, she added, “Preferably both at once.”

I had to give my head a swift shake and pull both of my
hands away from the spots she’d adhered them before I could reply. “I’m glad
you’ve got that much faith in your willpower, but I don’t have that much in
mine.” Josie had taken my breath away again, but in a way I liked even more
than the first way. “I’d love to keep touching and kissing. Screw the movie . .
. But, Joze, I don’t know how to hit the brakes once I get going. I don’t know
how to pull back when I’m supposed to or when you want me to. I don’t know how
to stop.” I hated admitting that to her, but I knew the only way we would make
us work was if I was honest with her.

“Well you haven’t exactly had a lot of practice, have you?”
She smiled and pulled the hand on my stomach out of my shirt so she could cover
my cheek.

“Try
no
practice.” I knew I should probably roll off
of Josie and go ice my nuts, but the way she was threading my hair through her
fingers as she studied me with that playful look in her eyes made it difficult.
Actually, it made it impossible.

“You want to get some?” Josie asked. My immediate response
was a wide grin to which she gave a sigh. “Practice. You want to get some
practice
.”

“And this practice entails . . .?” I didn’t really give a
damn as long as she stayed right where she was and kept running her fingers
through my hair.

“Touching. Kissing.” She lifted her eyebrows. “Fully
clothed.”

I exaggerated a grumble, but I was anything but
disappointed. I’d wanted to touch and kiss Josie Gibson for so long, I didn’t
care if she told me I had to do it wearing Saran Wrap. The one time I had
touched her intimately, I hadn’t fully enjoyed it. She might have been drunk,
but I wasn’t. I knew what I was doing, and I knew the girl I was touching
wasn’t mine. The girl I wanted to love loved someone else. My best friend.

“I would love to kiss”—I dropped my mouth to her neck and
skimmed my lips down it until her skin erupted in goose bumps—“and I would love
to touch”—my hand combed into her hair, my fingers trailing through it and
giving it a light tug that made her gasp—“you as long and as much as you’ll let
me.” Moving my face over hers, I felt the skin between my brows crease. “But
you’re right. I don’t have a lot of experience knowing when to quit. Or how to
quit. These past couple of weeks, I’ve taken things slow because I kept my
hands and mouth to myself, but now . . . Now that I’m touching and kissing you,
it won’t be as easy to take things slow. I’ll need you to tell me when to stop.
And you have my permission to knee me in the balls if I don’t. I want to make
this work, but I need your help.” Saying all that when my breathing was already
erratic should have earned me some sort of award.

“You’ve got my help,” she said. “Now would you stop worrying
so much and kiss me already? I’ve been waiting weeks for you to finally cross
that line, and now that you have, I’d like to get back to it please.”

Letting one hand slip under my bulky jacket, I formed it
around her waist. “You know I can’t resist you when you say please.”

She winked. “I know.” Tossing the covers over our heads,
Josie’s mouth reconnected with mine at the same time her hand returned to my
stomach. Her fingers traced patterns into my skin as her mouth played with
mine, sucking and nipping and smoothing and all of the things I didn’t know
could make a person’s toes curl. Before, a kiss had been nothing more than a
prelude, a stepping stone, a necessary evil. A means to an end. I’d never paid
attention to a kiss because it had never been anything more than a segue to sex.

But that kiss, with that girl . . . that was something else
entirely. If a person could only choose one memory to take with them into their
next life, that would be the one I’d take. That would be the one I’d carry
through all of my lifetimes. I didn’t need to have lived them all to realize
that memory I was making with Josie was the thing men sold eternities for. It
was the thing I’d sell mine for.

I managed to keep my hands on her waist and in the bend of
her neck, and as each second passed, it became easier and easier to keep them
from straying into newfound “danger” zones. A few weeks ago, those areas had
been my primary targets. Now they were danger zones. Irony was really making me
its bitch.

When Josie’s fingers trailed along my belt line, skimming
just below the surface, I let out something between a sigh and a groan before
returning the favor. She might have been in a dress, but fingers skimming the
area just south of the navel packs a powerful punch even through clothing. When
she moaned around the kiss we were tangled up in, I came close to hiking up her
dress, lowering my fly, and making her moan again and louder. Then, like she
knew the internal war I was fighting, Josie’s mouth slowed and her hand moved
away from the sensitive skin. She knew what she was doing. She knew how to
“make out” and when and how to tap the brakes. That was a relief since
everything inside of me was dying to punch the gas. A minute ago, I’d been in
control. Thirty seconds and one moan from Josie later, I was utterly out of
control. Right then, I was back to having a grip. I was returning her slow,
soft kiss when something thumped the outside of my truck, jolting us.