She was so into what she was doing the sexual innuendo of the comment skipped over her head as she followed his directions. It was only after she’d pulled a
hell yeah
from his lips it registered. “Does everything you say have two meanings? Like a regular one and sexual one?”
“I’m a guy. Remember earlier about the
all sex, all the time
comment?”
She laughed, but kept rubbing. The broad expanse before her was heavenly to touch, and she was getting turned on. It wasn’t enough to make her call things off, but damn, touching Joel wasn’t a hardship.
Or having him touch her.
“You know this would be easier if you were lying down.”
He nodded. “We’ll do that later. Any time you want to give me a massage you just offer, darling. You have wonderful hands.”
Vicki screwed up her courage and stepped back in front of him. “You want me to do your arms?”
He held out a hand. “All yours.”
She knelt on the hay bale. He rested his hand on his thigh, but the positioning was awkward. “I can’t get at you easily. Everything is in the way.”
He settled his fingers on her hip, and they both paused.
It was like an elaborate dance. One set of touching, retreat. Another caress, then a move away from each other. Only the longer they touched, the longer she stroked those muscles in his biceps, and the more she traced her fingertips over the dusting of golden hair on his tanned arms, the more the ache between her legs grew.
His fingers on her hip tightened briefly before he tugged her tank top free from her jeans.
“Joel? What—?”
“Shhh, it’s okay. I’m not gonna rush you. Just want to touch skin.”
He slipped his fingers under the fabric and held on, and holy fuck, she wanted him to rush. If he’d sent electrical charges flipping through her yesterday when he’d held her hand, this was like being in direct contact with a power plant.
She forced herself to finish the massage. To imitate all the careful caresses he’d given her, but it wasn’t about working kinks out of muscles anymore.
It was about touch. About skin. About the new awareness between them that had nothing to do with horses and everything to do with her wanting to taste the half-naked body in front of her.
She lifted her gaze to meet his. The blue of his eyes had faded to a thin ribbon as his pupils dilated, centers darkened with…desire?
“Am I doing this right?” she breathed quietly.
His fingers stroked her hip. A minute motion that had blood pulsing through her hard. “You’re doing everything perfectly.”
Go slow. Go slow.
The words repeated themselves in her head, but her brain wasn’t listening. She wanted something more than what they were doing even though she wasn’t quite sure what. “Joel?”
“Yeah?” The word escaped him nearly as breathless sounding as hers had.
“Can I…?” Damn it. Asking seemed stupid, so she interrupted herself and knelt upright, bringing herself right between his legs. “I’m going to touch you.”
He nodded slowly. “Okay.”
She rested her hands on his shoulders, like she’d done at the start of the massage. This time it wasn’t about copying anymore, but exploring. She stroked one hand down his chest, the heat under his skin warming her fingers. The fine curls on his chest tickled her, the bulk of muscles giving her lots of lovely terrain to tease.
She took her time, smoothing over shoulders, down his sides. His ragged breaths gusted past her cheek as she stared mesmerized by his body.
When she touched his abdomen he sucked in a quick gasp, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and trapping her in position. “I think that’s enough touching for today.”
Damn. “But I wasn’t done,” she complained.
“Trust me, you’re done.”
The husky tone of his voice made her lift her eyes, staring from under her lashes. They gazed at each other for a moment, and all of it hit real hard.
They were going to have sex. Not that minute, but sometime. And she was okay with the idea. Like, oh-so ready for the experience.
“Damn it, Vicki.”
“What?”
He cupped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her forward, holding her in place when she would have lifted her head and brought their lips together. He stopped them inches apart to lean his forehead against hers. “Damn it that I’m not doing this right. I was going to wait. Go slow, but hell if I can stop from wanting a taste of you.”
“I’m okay with it. Really.”
He smiled, wicked lips curling at the corners. “You are so fucking sexy, you have no idea.”
“Does that mean you’re gonna kiss—?”
It seemed it did. Because he did. Kiss her, that is. Soft, brief. Pressed his lips to hers and retreated before she’d gotten to wallow in the sensation.
This horrid noise escaped her. Most people would have called it a whimper. She just knew she wanted more. She slid her hands back up to his shoulders and held on tight as he came in for another pass. This time he stroked her lips with his tongue causing an instant shiver.
“Oh…”
The moment she opened her mouth, he slipped his tongue inside. Teasing. Fleeting. Soft and careful, yet sending every one of her nerves to high alert. She couldn’t press closer. His hand at the back of her head held her in one spot. She couldn’t rub against him. His hand at her hip locked her the precise distance away so there was only their mouths. Only the soft, sweet, intoxicating sensation of the kiss.
She pulled in her courage and met him halfway, darting her tongue out to make contact with his before retreating. He hummed approvingly and kissed her again, open lips closing as he worked his way to the corner of her mouth, planting tiny kisses as he moved.
Oh
God
, this was good. He nipped her lower lip, and she sucked in air, the shot of pure pleasure taking her by surprise. Another stroke of his tongue followed, easing the throb of pain in her lip, but doing nothing to ease the throbbing elsewhere.
“Ahem.”
A rush of adrenaline hit, overpowering even the lust in her veins. Vicki’s head snapped to the right where Joel’s dad, Mike Coleman, stood casually examining the rafters.
“Fuck.” Joel exhaled the word under his breath as they attempted to untangle themselves. Somehow her fingers had become buried in his hair, and his hand under her shirt didn’t slip out as easily as it had gone in. “Excuse us, Dad.”
“No worries, just wanted you to know you aren’t alone anymore.”
Mike stepped past the stalls and out of their line of vision. His footsteps were replaced by the sound of light tapping from the far corner of the barn.
Her heart pounded in time with the banging. “You in shit?” she asked.
Joel chuckled, shaking out her sweatshirt and passing it back. “Hell, no. Just surprised, that’s all. I was enjoying myself.”
Well, yeah.
He cradled her chin in his hand and brushed his thumb over her lower lip. “I like kissing you.”
“I liked it too.”
Their soft whispers made it seem more real. Like a real kiss between them as boyfriend/girlfriend. God, even if this was just fooling around and helping each other out, her first kiss had more than met her expectations.
Joel sighed. “As good a time to end the lesson as any. I’ll call you this week, okay?”
She nodded as she stood and knocked the loose bits of hay from her jeans. “Hey, Joel?”
He finished pulling his T-shirt over his head before turning those gorgeous eyes on her. “Yeah?”
“You’re an awesome teacher. Thanks.”
Between the brilliant smile on his face and the memory of their kiss, she was good for a few days. And a lot more eager to return for lesson number two than she thought possible.
Chapter Eight
Joel watched until Vicki was back on the highway before returning to the barn. He had a feeling a few questions would be coming his way, and he wanted this done without his mama overhearing.
He wasn’t sure what his dad’s reaction would be. He hoped it wasn’t going to be an issue.
Stepping back into the barn was stepping into familiar territory, though. The peaceful atmosphere settled the concern in his belly. It wasn’t as if his parents ran his life, but their family was close-knit enough that if they disapproved he wanted to hear it.
Didn’t mean he would change his mind about being involved with Vicki. Just meant he’d know off the bat exactly how difficult this deal would be.
Mike Coleman was easy to find, tapping away on a small display shelf his mama usually had hanging in the living room.
“Need any help?” Joel offered.
His father glanced up. “You done with your earlier project already?”
Joel stifled his laughter. “And Mom wonders where us boys got our sense of humour from.”
Mike laid down his tools and turned to face him full on. “You’re a grown-up. You make the choices who you spend time with. But you’re still my son, and if you want to talk about anything, I’m here.”
“Is that dad-speak for ‘what the hell are you doing with Vicki Hansol’?”
“Well I’m not blind, so I pretty much already know what you were doing with the girl.”
“Dad.” Joel was thirteen again, caught necking behind the barn. Only that time his father hadn’t walked away. He’d stayed and watched until Joel and the girl he’d been kissing had separated and returned to the school picnic being hosted on the ranch.
His father grinned. “Look, I’m not some saint. I see why she caught your eye. Just…”
Joel waited. Leaned back on the nearest wall and let his hands hang by his sides. Kept his body language open. “Whatever you’ve got to say, I want to hear it. I respect you.”
Mike sighed, his lips tightening into a thin line. “You’re too old for me to be warning you about safe sex. If you haven’t got the message by now, you ain’t never gonna learn it. And I don’t know Vicki other than hearsay. Never liked the type of man who assumed, because a lot of the time, they’re wrong.”
“Her family isn’t the best in town,” Joel admitted.
“I’m not talking about her family. I’m worried about you in the long run. All I’m gonna say is be careful.”
Joel could hear the wheels spinning. The things his father was trying to say without saying them. “You are the fairest man I know.”
“I’m still human. I want what’s best for my own first and foremost, and right now I’ll admit I don’t know what to say to you.” Mike shook his head. “Dammit. Raising you boys was easier when you were all trying to kill yourselves building tree forts on rotten limbs instead of getting involved with people I have no control over.”
“She helped me clean stalls today.” Joel had no idea why that bit of information popped out. “Just talked, mostly. She’s fun to be around. Easy to talk to.”
“Easy to kiss as well.”
Joel nodded. “Hell, yeah.”
Mike shrugged. “You make your decisions. I’m not about to turn into some fool of a tyrant, since laying down the law and ordering you to stay away from her would probably be the stupidest thing I could do, right?”
“You’ve never interfered before.”
“Exactly. I don’t know what brought you two together more than she’s a pretty little thing, and I doubt she minds looking at you either. It’s not my business. Only I hope you trust me enough to say there are warning signs here. Be careful. Don’t let your dick lead you into trouble.”
Joel bit down on his lip and swallowed his laughter. “Yes, sir.”
Mike flipped the shelf over and pounded in another nail. “You bringing her to Thanksgiving dinner next week?”
Oh hell. He’d forgotten. Suddenly the entire
Vicki as girlfriend
was rolling along way faster than he’d expected. “Not sure. She welcome?”
Mike tossed him a glare. “Don’t be an ass. If you’re going out with the girl, bring her home to our table. If you don’t want to bring her home, then you’re not dating her, you’re fucking her. And if that’s all you’re doing, I don’t want to know the details, but I’d be hell of disappointed in you.”
The fact he was doing Vicki a secret favour eased the flash of guilt at his father’s words. “I’m not fucking around. For once.”
“Smart ass.”
Joel chuckled. “Well, I’m not.”
The pause that followed was long enough to get Joel wondering. Mike crossed his arms in front of him and refused to break eye contact as he asked, “Jesse fooling around with her as well—?”
“No.” The word burst out like a shotgun blast. “And whoa on this conversation continuing.”
“Why?” Mike asked. “Because you think I don’t know about some of the games you and your brother play? I’m not stupid. Don’t treat me like I am.”
His dad wanted blunt, Joel could give him blunt. Even though his cheeks were burning. “No, Jesse’s not invited to play any games with me and Vicki. Not anymore. They were fun at the time, but they’re done.”
At that, his father looked him over carefully before nodding. “Maybe you are growing up then. Damn good job I’m doing with you boys, if I do say so myself.”