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 gossip. 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.
CHAPTER THREE
“LAUREN! COME BACK!”
Jason recognized the woman who’d interrupted his and Lauren’s reunion.
He climbed down from the loft and faced the mayor’s wife. “Hey, Sharon. What are you doing here?”
Of all people to catch him, Sharon wasn’t the worst choice. At least she wasn’t a nosy relative and she did know how to be discreet.
“Jason!” Her voice rose in surprise, her attention darting from him to the door Lauren had bolted through minutes before. “Richard asked me to pick up his jacket. He thought he left it here this afternoon.” She studied him without saying a word.
She obviously knew what he’d been doing in the loft. Did she expect him to apologize? She was one of the only people who knew about his past relationship with Lauren and she’d never judged. But she looked about to do so now, hands on her hips, frown on her face.
Sharon finally groaned. “Jason, what’s going on? Lauren’s only back in town for a few weeks, until she gets her grandmother’s house ready to sell. If you hurt her again, I swear to God, I’ll kill you myself.”
Women and their damn loyalty to each other, he thought, and then her words registered. “What do you mean hurt her? Her grandmother sent her away. End of story.”
And the tough guy he’d thought he was had hurt more than he’d wanted to admit. He’d thrown himself into his Olympic dreams with everything he had, so he wouldn’t have to think or feel.
Sharon waved her hands in front of her. “Oh, no. It’s not my story to tell,” she said.
A chill shook Jason to his core. “Fine.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’ll find out myself.” Because seeing Lauren again had given him a lift he hadn’t felt in a long time.
She had done that for him. Not even his family had been able to shake his depression and sense of loss over his career. If there was something more to her departure all those years ago, he wanted to know. He also wanted to see her again.
“Fine. I’ll grab the jacket and let’s get out of here.”
They walked back to the festival in silence. Sharon no doubt was consumed with concern for her friend, while Jason was consumed with thoughts of the same person, but for very different reasons.
Suddenly he heard their names being called and Derek and Gabrielle and Amber, his cousin Mike’s wife, descended.
“There you are!” Gabrielle said, pulling her husband along with her. “I’ve been looking for you!”
“And I told you he was perfectly fine,” Derek muttered. He sent Jason an apologetic glance. “Sorry. She forgets you’re a grown man.”
Gabrielle frowned, realizing she might have overstepped her bounds. “I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t gone home early to sit around and watch TV when you could still be with us having fun.”
“And we definitely didn’t want you to be all alone,” Amber said, backing up Gabrielle.
“He wasn’t alone,” Clara objected, joining the circle.
“What do you mean he wasn’t alone?” Amber and Gabrielle asked in unison.
Jason rolled his eyes. This was the way of things every time his family got together. Good-natured meddling. “How would you know I wasn’t alone?” he asked Clara.
“It was a hunch. But thank you for confirming it,” she said, smiling. “I’m glad to know my reading was correct.” She folded her arms across her chest, pleased with herself.
Jason groaned. “Why aren’t you in the booth I spent hours constructing?”
“Because I needed a break,” she explained. “I had a lineup for the last few hours.”
“Well, I’m happy for you,” he muttered.
“Who is she?” Gabrielle asked. “Who were you with?”
“What was the prediction?” Amber added.
Derek grabbed his wife’s arm and started to pull her away. “We’re leaving,” he promised Jason. “And Amber’s coming with us.”
“Not until we hear everything!” the women said in unison.
Jason gritted his teeth.
Beside him, Sharon remained silent. Of all the women, she was the most discreet.
“Sharon?” Gabrielle asked her best friend. “Did you happen to see?”
Jason sighed, resigned to his fate. “Go on,” he said to Sharon. “Tell them.”
Clara leaned in closer so she could hear, too.
“What? Your cards didn’t tell you her name?” He couldn’t help but tease her.
Sharon shrugged. “If you’re sure you want them to know.”