The Wayward Sister (Wayward Sons Book 5) Page 8

  I look at her, swallowing thickly. “I’m not sure what you need, Sierra. A friend? A hiking buddy?” I push a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “Or something else?”

  “What if I said all of the above?”

  Her eyes hold mine. She means it. She’s an adult. I’m an adult, and there’s no reason we can’t do all of that at once. What do I want? I want her, in any way I can get her. I also get the sense that if I turn her away, I may not get another chance.

  I slide my hand behind her neck and pull her toward me. Her tongue darts out, and I don’t waste another second, pressing my lips to hers. Energy triggers on contact, coursing through my veins, head to toe. Her lips part, opening her mouth for me to deepen the kiss.

  We explore one another through the kiss. Fast, slow, hard, soft; until we’re breathing heavy. I slide my hand down her arms, feeling her damp skin, and it takes everything in me not to tug at the string holding up her top, revealing her body further.

  I hold off, knowing I don’t want to push this too far. There’s something about Sierra that’s skittish—like a doe in a field. Regretfully, I ease us apart.

  “Another relationship confirmed at Star Falls,” I say, kissing her forehead.

  It may not be a marriage, and she may not even be my girlfriend, but it’s the start of something I can’t wait to pursue. Sierra Falco isn’t just some girl that came into my life. I know in my heart she’s the girl. I just have to get her to realize that, too.

  18

  Sierra

  Tick, tick, tick…

  The old clock on the bedside table counts off the seconds. I’ve been in bed for an hour, the house, and my guests, settled. I should be asleep. I’m physically tired from the hike—the first good exercise I’ve had in a week, but my mind and body won’t shut off.

  I keep reliving that kiss.

  Over and over and over.

  So much that I spaced out while cooking dinner, staring out the window at the guys while they threw an old football they found of Dexter’s in the garage. Although they’ve mostly kept their tempers even, it’s clear that losing their home, their belongings, and the uncertainty of their jobs has been a strain. It’s nice to see them relaxing and just messing around in the yard.

  Watching them throw the ball, their muscles bulging and their shirts growing sweaty…it has a way of doing things to a girl. Especially one left wanting more.

  Which is why I’m lying here now, staring up at the ceiling, willing myself to go to sleep. I don’t know if it’s being around these guys for all these days, or the release of endorphins from exercising, or if I’m just horny as hell.

  Whatever it is, it propels me out of the bed, and across the hall. It’s the second time I’ve come to Adrian’s room like this. The first time I got a kiss—the spark that ignited the feeling building in my lower belly. This time?

  I want more.

  This time there’s no sliver of light under the door and I don’t knock, thinking that if he’s asleep I’ll just go back to bed. I push down this building desire and, well, take care of things myself.

  I turn the knob and slowly open the door.

  Adrian’s body is stretched down the bed, feet hanging off the end. His elbows are propped behind his head, and his bare chest rises and falls evenly. I start to close the door, faced with the reality that he’s asleep but then I see him blink, and shift his gaze from the ceiling. He props himself on his elbows.

  “Sierra?” he whispers, like maybe I’m not really there.

  “Hey,” I say, stepping in and shutting the door.

  “Is everything okay?”

  Other than my body being on fire? Other than the fact I can’t stop thinking about your mouth? Yeah, sure, I’m peachy.

  “Yes, I just…” Came for a booty call? “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “Come here,” he says, not needing an answer. Of course, he doesn’t. I can’t be the first female to show up at his door like this.

  I walk across the room and he shifts over, his large frame taking up most of the twin bed. There’s a queen across the hall, but I’m not ready to do this in my parents' bedroom. I sit on the side of the bed, hesitating for a beat before lifting my legs and sliding them under the blanket.

  Adrian props himself on his side, head cradled by his hand, a small, pleased smile on his mouth. “I couldn’t sleep either,” he admits. “I kept thinking about our hike.”

  “Yeah, me, too.”

  His eyes flick to my lips and he leans forward, his warm, clean body pressing against mine. Our mouths meet, lips then our tongues, a few seconds later we’re back were we left off, wound up and breathless. Except this time, we’re in a bed.

  Weeks of tension builds. Adrian’s hands skim down my side, stoking the fire as his fingertips touch my skin. I push away the blanket, brushing my hand over his hip and startling myself by grazing his erection. I gasp in surprise. He grimaces, shifting back. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize,” I say. “It’s flattering.”

  “That you make me hard like a teenage boy with zero self-control?”

  I could shove his hand down my pants and show him that I’m just as aroused. I don’t, but I could.

  “A little bit, yeah.”

  “Well, in that case you should be ridiculously flattered. I’ve been rock hard for days.”

  I laugh and reach for him, running my hand over the cotton of his shorts. His cock reacts at my touch, growing larger, fuller. He touches my chin, lifting my focus back on his face, his mouth. I continue to stroke him, and he kisses me again.

  We’re not horny teens, grappling and unexperienced in the backseat of the car, but we do have to be quiet. It’s a challenge, because he knows what he’s doing. Knows what he wants. Knows what I want.

  He knows his way around a woman’s body, and I’m glad, because I don’t want fumbling awkwardness. I want Adrian to blow me away.

  It’s obvious from the first touches, the tiny licks, that I won’t be disappointed.

  His frame shadows over me, the two of us still on our sides. His finger trails down my neck, over my chest, and between my breasts. It’s a gentle touch—a warning—and my body reacts accordingly. My nipples peak. My stomach flutters. Heat builds between my legs. I want friction, and I press my hand against his chest, flattening him against the bed, then climbing over his hips.

  I hiss when our bodies meet, both still covered with cotton. Adrian smiles up at me, although it’s tight with need. I can’t help but assess his body. His broad chest, his defined abs. I run my hands over his warm skin, fingertips grazing over his nipples. It earns a low groan from him, and his fingers thrust into my hair, then clasp behind my neck, yanking me forward.

  We kiss, lick, rub, grind.

  My body heats, my skin burns. I feel him everywhere, want him everywhere. Adrian takes his time pushing up my shirt, then pulling it over my head. He blinks when he sees me bare, eyes wide, tongue darting out.

  “Jesus,” he mutters, ghosting his hands underneath. My back arches, and he leans up to kiss each breast, lingering over the peaks, working me into a state.

  I grind down on him, moaning quietly. Desperately. I don’t have it in me to care how it sounds. I want him, and I want him to know that I want him.

  His fingers trail over my hip bones as he tugs at the waistband of my shorts, lowering them inch by inch. I don’t know how he’s so patient, because I’m not. I am absolutely not. When they get to my hips, I rise up and kick them down my legs, then reach for his own shorts, tugging them away. His cock frees, bobbing under the cut of his muscular waist, beneath the soft hair that trails down his body. I graze my fingers over the tip, swirling the fluid dripping down the side. Adrian’s eyes darken as he watches me.

  “You’re beautiful,” he says suddenly.

  “Because I’m naked and holding your cock?”

  His lips twitch. “Because you’re strong and smart and funny.” His thumb parts my lips. “I’ve wanted this for a long time,
Sierra.”

  I open my mouth and suck his thumb, then rise up, centering myself over his body. His hand trails between my legs, feeling the pool of slick wetness. He grips my hips, and guides me down, his girth and length pushing past long-set barriers. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a man like this, but my body doesn’t care. It reacts on instinct, expanding with his size, with his demand. I have my own demands, my own need for control, and I take it, setting the pace, fucking this handsome, charismatic man I’ve let into my house, and now into my bed.

  I roll my hips, taking him in, and he thrusts with every move. In this position he continues his touches, his kisses, his adoration. I close my eyes, feeling his hands all over me, his tongue and god, his cock. My breath rattles, growing less controlled with every move, every thrust, every roll. The coil in my belly winding, tighter and tighter, until my vision glazes and every inch of my skin because over sensitive. A moan falls over my lips, too loud, too much, and he pulls me down to kiss him, covering my mouth, absorbing the sound. The movement triggers the wave, and as I taste him, breathe him in, consume him, I come, body shaking, limbs quivering, soul quaking.

  Before I fully finish, Adrian rolls me over, pressing my back against the twin mattress, and slams into me. It brings on a second wave, something I’ve never experienced, as he hitches up my useless legs, and plows forward. He lays a hand flat against the wall, holding himself up right as he shudders against me, in me, and comes in long, sweeping thrusts.

  He braces himself over me, a hand on each side of my head. He smiles down, satiated, pleased. I smile back at him, feeling the same.

  When he kisses me, just before pulling out, I tell myself that this was a good thing, that we hadn’t crossed any lines. I’m buoyed by the fuzzy feelings, and the way his arms feel around me as he pulls my back against his chest.

  I just hope I feel the same in the morning.

  19

  Sierra

  I slip out of the room before Adrian wakes. I’m not running, but awkward mornings after are not my thing. I quietly cross the hallway and reach for my phone on the bedside table, where I’d left it the night before.

  S: I slept with Adrian.

  K: O.M.G. I need to know everything. EVERYTHING.

  I smile down at the screen, loving Katie’s enthusiasm.

  S: Breakfast? And don’t tell Robbie. This is between us for now.

  K: Gotcha. Diner. 30 minutes?

  I agree and gather my things for a quick shower. As the water heats, I get a good look at my body in the mirror. There are pink marks all over my body. The side of my breast. My hips. It’s discreet, and nowhere really visible, but Adrian definitely marked his territory.

  I’m actually pleased I can’t scrub away the evidence of our acts from the night before.

  I don’t waste time, hopping in and out of the shower quickly. I wrap the towel around me and head out in the hall. Adrian waits in his doorway, with tousled hair and a sleepy face. His eyes sweep over me, taking in my towel and exposed skin. The tug to go back in the room with him is strong.

  “Avoiding me?”

  “No. I’ve got to head into town.” His hand snakes around my waist and he pulls me to him, tongue darting out and licking a droplet of water sliding down my cheek.

  “Last night,” he starts, eyes holding mine, “was amazing.”

  “It was.”

  “Any regrets?” he asks, cutting to the chase.

  I shake my head. “Nope. Not one.”

  “Good.” He kisses my forehead and releases me. “We have a meeting in the park today. Hopefully some good news about our assignments.”

  I nod. “Keep me posted, okay?”

  “We will.”

  Like teenagers not wanting to say goodbye, we stand before one another a few seconds too long. I force myself to walk into my room, knowing if I stay around any longer, I’ll push him back in that room and explore his body once again.

  That will have to wait until later.

  “So now that you and Adrian hooked up, does that mean whatever was going on with you and Smith is over?”

  I take a bite of bacon. “Only you would think me and Smith ever had something going on.”

  She shrugs. “I’m just calling it like I see it. Adrian is adorable. Sexy. Totally fuckable and boyfriend material. Smith is like, that guy you want to just toss you around and make you beg for it.”

  My jaw drops. “Katie!”

  “What?”

  “You have a boyfriend, remember?”

  “So.” She shrugs. “I’m allowed to have fantasies. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”

  I have thought about it. I’ve thought about all three of the guys, and what it would be like to kiss and touch them. Adrian made that a reality last night, but that doesn’t mean I’m not curious about the others still.

  I make a face. “Do you think I did something stupid? I mean, what if things get weird between all of us now?”

  She takes a bite of pancake and chews. “Those three are close. Really close. I’m sure they’ll have a way to figure out how they want to handle it.”

  We finish up and I walk Katie out to her car. She needs to head back to the lodge and I have tons of work to do back at the house. As she pulls off, I search for my keys in my bag, rummaging through all the stuff I have inside. I don’t notice the person walking up to me until they’re a few feet away. I glance up and a chill runs down my spine.

  Reid.

  He’s just as big as I remember him and there’s a faded, yellowing bruise near his eye.

  “What do you want?” I ask, still feeling around.

  “I wanted to talk to you,” he admits, looking slightly contrite. “That was out of line the other day.”

  “You’re damn right it was,” I say, pretending my heart isn’t beating wildly in my chest.

  “I was drunk. I got your signals mixed up.”

  “Dude, I told you to stop—there were no mixed signals. I said no.”

  He narrows his eyes. “Whatever. I wanted to apologize for the misunderstanding, but obviously you’re just a frigid bitch.”

  “You’re a fucking predator.”

  “What did you call me?”

  I swallow, realizing how alone we are in this stretch of the parking lot. There’s no one around and Reid is big enough that he could overpower me in seconds. Again.

  To prove this point, he rests his hand on the top of my Jeep, blocking my way inside.

  “I called you a bitch, but really I should call you a liar. If you really thought I did something wrong, you would have reported it to the police. Your boyfriend already got me arrested, but you didn’t press charges,” he takes a step closer, so close I can smell the coffee on his breath, “because you know that you wanted it.”

  My fingers finally graze my keys and I pull them out.

  “You’re delusional,” I say, swallowing back bile. “Here’s a little tip: no girl wants you to shove your tongue down her throat or your fingers up her pussy without a fucking invitation. Stay away from me or I will call the police.”

  That’s when I drop the fucking keys.

  They land with a clank, right between the two of us. He doesn’t move, and I realize just how alone we are right now. I can’t bend over, giving him a view down my shirt or of my ass. I’m frozen with the reality of the situation.

  A horn blares on the street, breaking the silent impasse, his eyes flicking toward the road. I dive for the keys and shove them in the door. Despite my shaky hands I manage to get it open, although I’m forced to brush against him as I push my way past him to get inside.

  His smirk is nauseating, victorious as he watches me lock the door. He knows I’m scared. Gets off on that more than anything. Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him, I mutter. I manage to slide the key in the ignition on the third try. Reid hasn’t moved an inch, and I make no efforts not to run him over as I back out of the parking spot and into the road. I floor the gas, well aware that he’s watchi
ng me, and wondering if maybe it’s not the first time.

  20

  Holden

  “We’re working as hard as possible to get everyone reassigned and into housing,” Brent, our supervisor, says from the head of the table. “We do still need people working up on the east entrance. Obviously, housing is limited, so if you have options in the area, please let me know.”

  “How long are you thinking?” Smith asks.

  “A few weeks, maybe four. We’d already planned to open a new ranger lodge near the midpoint. Luckily, it wasn’t damaged in the fire. It should have been ready by now, but since we’ve had to divert resources and the park has been closed, it fell behind schedule. I’m confident it will be ready to occupy by the end of the month.”

  “We can stay where we are for a few more weeks,” Adrian says, confidently.

  Smith and I exchange looks. Sierra probably will let us stay, but Adrian shouldn’t say so until we talk to her first.

  “And you?” our boss asks Robbie.

  “I’m good,” he says. Staying with Katie is definitely not a hardship. Those two are barely coming up for air.

  “Okay, Adrian, Smith, I need you to go check the upper trail today. A few hikers said a tree fell across the trail. Take the chainsaws.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Holden, you can take the afternoon off. I need you on gate duty tonight.”

  I nod. We all take night shifts. I’m not going to complain about an afternoon off.

  We’re excused and meet the guys on the front steps of the building. “Dude, you shouldn’t have said we can stay at Sierra’s without asking.”

  “She’ll be fine with it,” he says, tugging on his brown baseball cap. He’d been in a relaxed, easy mood all morning. “But if you want, I’ll talk to her tonight.”

  I shake my head. “I’m headed back for the afternoon. I’ll bring it up.”

  We part, and I get in the truck, heading back home.