Summer Burns Page 11

  He'd opened my dress and started kissing my breasts. It took every ounce of restraint to not actually scream.

  One of his hands slid between my legs, and started massaging that one little spot. I groaned as he slid first one finger, then two. I arched and pumped into him feeling an orgasm building quickly.

  Leaning back on the table, however, made it creak, and we both froze.

  "Did you lock the door?" he whispered.

  I shook my head.

  While the last thing I wanted was him to stop touching me, it was necessary to go make sure the door was secure so we didn't get interrupted.

  I might have killed someone if they interrupted us.

  Or at the very least, beat them with one of Mom's dream catchers.

  Because this was a dream--a completely amazing, real life fantasy I'd always dreamed about--a quickie at lunch.

  When he came back, I reached for his hardness, stroking him through the heavy pants.

  He kissed me as the two of us bumbled through getting his uniform undone, and when his hard cock was revealed, I groaned.

  He groaned.

  We both made noises as I stroked him, though he didn't let me do it for very long--he pulled out a condom.

  "You planned this?" I asked, watching him suit up.

  "Wishful thinking."

  I leaned back on the table, carefully this time so it didn't creak, and he slid into me.

  I wrapped my legs around him, and was ready for an awesome ride, but the table creaked, not sounding entirely sturdy.

  "Um," I said, freezing.

  He froze too.

  "I'm afraid this table isn't entirely stable," I whispered. Immediately visions of the table collapsing danced in my head.

  "Yeah, let's, uh..." He slid out of me, and guided me up. I turned and looked around the room. I really didn't see anything other than maybe on the--

  He grabbed me from behind, his hips against mine, and guided me toward the wall.

  I felt air against my back side as he raised my skirt. I arched my hips, and he slid inside.

  I put my hand on the nearest thing--a small counter--for leverage as he pumped.

  It was hard, fast, and made yet another orgasm burst from me, as quietly as possible. He came right after I did, and we both were panting.

  My forehead felt damp, and when he turned, I saw that he had a bit of sheen to him as well. We smiled, and I felt bizarrely shy as I looked away and straightened my dress. He did the same while I grabbed a towel from Mom's stash in the corner to blot my face.

  He straightened up, picking up our discarded sandwich packages and set them back on the table, and put the massage table back.

  Evidently we'd moved it over a few inches.

  Huh. Didn't even notice.

  We wrapped up the other little details, and by the time he got back from the bathroom, I had the room looking good and not smelling like sex anymore.

  I wasn't sure it smelled like sex, but I wasn't risking Mom's sensitive nose noticing anything, so I flipped on her smelly wax burner.

  When he came back, we just sort of stood there and stared at each other.

  I glanced at my watch. The whole thing took about fifteen minutes. I had maybe five before my next client came in.

  And I couldn't stop smiling. "Thank you for lunch," I finally said.

  "Yeah. Thank you."

  I laced my fingers in his, and he leaned down and kissed me.

  "Whoo hoo hoo!" I heard.

  He'd left the door open, and several of my coworkers were peaking in.

  I rolled my eyes.

  He shook his head. "I will see you later, okay?"

  I nodded. "Yeah. See you later."

  Chapter Sixteen

  Saturday

  Halfway through the second movie at the drive-in, Emma was out. Probably not a bad thing, since the movie was a more adult-themed comedy.

  I leaned over the seat and adjusted her little pillow.

  Hennessey waited for me to get comfortable, before swinging his arm over my shoulders.

  I tried to scoot closer, but really... "Cars nowadays aren't really designed for drive ins," I said.

  "Nope. Trucks are better."

  "Yeah, then you have the whole bed in the back," I said, crossing my hands in my lap, and stroking the petals of the corsage he'd brought for me.

  This had been a formal "family" date--he'd brought both me and Emma little corsages, and everything. And it had been cute how nervous he was when he gave us the flowers.

  Probably because both my mom and Paula had been watching--Paula had brought over Emma after I got home from work, and frankly, I was glad she did, because I didn't think I could have taken the judgmental stares on my own.

  Mom sort of buffered Paula's disapproval.

  I couldn't figure it out--if she disapproved of Matthew for some reason, or just me dating in general. Granted, she'd always sort of acted like I should mourn Jake for the rest of my life.

  And I did. I will.

  And a few months ago I probably would have never considered dating anyone ever again.

  But then Matthew walked into my life.

  Matthew jarred me from my internal thoughts, and frankly, that was harder than it sounded, because I was having a lot of them when it came to him. And this. And all of it. "Or just the bench seat in the front. If it's the right kind," he said as he rested a hand on my leg.

  "Bet you prefer older, vintage models." I stroked his hand, and imagined an old, vintage pick-up somewhere.

  He nodded. "My dad's got my truck in Missouri. Going to pick it up soon."

  "When you go back home?" I asked. We hadn't talked about the future. There hadn't really been any desire--especially not from me. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what the timeline was. I didn't know if I could take knowing that he was leaving. Counting down to it would only make it harder for me.

  "It's only an extra five hours," he said with a smirk.

  "One way."

  "True." He sipped his soda but just got slurping noises. "Summer--"

  "Don't." I could hear the change in his tone, and knew he was about to take this in a direction that I wasn't ready to go. "Look, Matthew, I don't want to make this more than it is."

  "What is it?" he asked, and I felt his gaze on me.

  I focused on the movie screen. "Why does it have to be anything?" I asked. "Why can't we just be two people enjoying some time together after having a shitty run in life?"

  "No commitments, no promises?"

  "I can't make any promises to you Matthew. I can't."

  "Why not?"

  I looked into his eyes and damn it, I could tell that he was not happy. I wasn't happy. I didn't like how this felt at all.

  But I couldn't commit to that lifestyle again. I couldn't be happily alone anymore. Id' lived for too long not knowing when--or if--my husband would be home. And one day, he didn't come home.

  I couldn't live in that vortex of constant worry again. When Jake was gone, my asthma went into overdrive. Even when he was just gone for brief training, I worried that he'd be called back over to Iraq or Afghanistan without any warning.

  It would take a special type of man to step into my life and stay there.

  More than just someone who wanted to be home for dinner.

  A man who was home, and happy being a part of me and Emma's life.

  And Emma...

  I felt like a total shit for letting Emma connect with Matthew. Though really, I couldn't have stopped it if I wanted to--she fell in love with him that first day in the pizzeria.

  "What do you want, Matthew? What do you want from me?"

  He looked ahead at the movie screen, but I doubted he saw it. "I don't know."

  I had a feeling that he knew exactly what he wanted.

  And I was pretty sure it wasn't what I wanted at all.

  Chapter Seventeen

  A week later

  "Well, hello there, handsome," a brunette said as she sashayed toward Hen
nessey. The isle in Target had plenty of room for them both, but she closed in on him like she knew him.

  He raised his eyebrow. "Hello, ma'am." He tried to remember if he'd met her before.

  "Oh please don't call me 'ma'am,' I am not that old, there, soldier." She leaned into him. He moved away from her, but she had him pinned against the isle of birthday cards.

  "How do you know I'm a soldier?"

  The woman laughed a little too hard. "You have that look about you." Her gaze roamed over him, and he froze, unsure if he should move.

  So this is what a deer feels like...

  What he should do, he wasn't sure. He'd been really good lately at screwing things up. Like last week, he'd thought that flowers for Summer and Emma would be a good thing--a positive thing to lead them in a forward movement.

  While she'd been appreciative of the gesture, Summer still didn't want to talk about things. Hell, he wasn't a big fan of talking either, but he wanted to know where this was going between them. If it was something he needed to put stock in, or just cut his losses and be done.

  What he wanted didn't seem to mesh with what she wanted, anyway.

  Maybe he'd done something wrong.

  Maybe going back to the therapist would help him sort this stuff out--figure out what he should be doing.

  Like now, with this brunette woman staring at him. How did he handle women flirting with him? He guessed polite was probably the best bet.

  He held out his hand. "Hennessey."

  "I'm Shelby," she said with a grin, and shook it. "Pleasure to meet you." Her fingers lingered a little too long on his. "You new here in Barrum?"

  "Sort of," he replied and crossed his arms. "I lived here when I was a kid." He tried to remember the woman, even going back to his short tenure at Summer's high school.

  Didn't help.

  "Oh how sweet, coming home. Your family here? I don't recognize the name." She did this stretch, twist thing that was probably supposed to make her look sexy, angling her cleavage for better view. "I've lived here all my life. I know everyone." She still didn't seem familiar to him.

  "They don't live here." He tried to inch away from her, but it wasn't working that well.

  She tipped her head a little. "You married?"

  "No."

  "Well, if you need any help while you're in town, I know all the bright spots of Barrum. I'd be happy to show around." She stroked his forearm.

  "There's bright spots in Barrum?" he asked. Right now, the place felt sort of cloudy to him--well, everything felt sort of cloudy to him.

  Probably had a lot to do with Summer's declaration of not wanting to deal with this thing they had going on between them.

  Maybe it was best.

  He was almost done here anyway. He needed to get back to Fort Hood. He had a lot of crap ahead of him over the next six months.

  He didn't need the distraction of Summer Bettes. He glanced at his basket--a little girl's Disney necklace rested amidst the essentials he had grabbed.

  He probably should put that back.

  The woman jarred him from his thoughts. "There's lots of bright spots here," Shelby said, her smile a bit too wide, and her sincerity didn't quite reach her eyes. She handed him a piece of paper as she half wrapped her arm around him.

  He thought she was trying to hug him, and he figured he might as well work with it, rather than fight--if only to get it over with.

  "Here's my number. Call me." She sort of whispered that in his ear. When she pulled away, though, she straightened up. "And thank you for your service to our country." She walked away, shaking what her momma gave her.

  He took the paper and shoved it in his pocket.

  Maybe he'd give it to Ortiz. That guy always was looking for a date.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement at the end of the isle.

  He turned.

  A woman pushing a cart was hurrying away.

  From the back, he couldn't tell who it was, but she looked familiar.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Saturday Night

  Emma darted around the living room stuffed full of people.

  "Really, I appreciate you bringing her home tonight," I said to Paula. Work had been a monster at the shop--I was slammed from eight-thirty until four. Then Mom wanted me to get some stuff at the store on my way home.

  Which of course I did, because, yeah. If your mom calls and wants you to get stuff, you do it. No questions asked.

  Paula followed me into the kitchen. I offered her a glass of wine, but she didn't take it, instead grabbed a chunk of cheese off the little hors d'oeuvre tray Mom had made earlier.

  I went back to my veggies.

  Evidently, we were having a barbecue tonight with guests. A house full already of people had greeted my arrival--Winter and her grown twins, including the kids' significant others--I can't believe I have a niece and nephew old enough to have significant others.

  On top of that was a couple of the stylists from work and their families were here along with some of Mom's friends. I checked the calendar--no sign, moon or seasonal phase to mark the evening, but I couldn't put it past Mom to be celebrating some kind of astrological something tonight.

  The place was busting at the seams.

  I was in the kitchen, chopping up vegetables for dinner. People were in and out in a constant stream.

  I was ready to hide in my room and read a book, if only for some peace.

  "Do you want help?" Paula asked.

  I shook my head. "Thanks, though. You can stay for dinner if you want, Paula."

  "I appreciate the gesture, but we're going to dinner at Red Lobster when I get back."

  "Fancy," I said with a grin. "You celebrating something?"

  "Not exactly. We got a gift card last Christmas and never used it."

  "Those are the best dinners," I replied as I chopped, happy for her. She needed to do something nice every once in a while. Probably much better on her mentality too, instead of sitting home and watching true crime TV.

  Paula glanced around the house, like she was looking for someone. Okay, I knew she was looking for someone. It was pretty obvious she was scoping the place out for Matthew.

  "He's not here," I said. I'd invited him over--rather, I'd sent him a text earlier, before I knew about this collection of people. Whether he was coming, though, was another thing.

  He never did answer me back.

  "I would think a military man would always be punctual."

  I raised my eyebrow. "He usually is."

  "Is there something wrong between you two?" We hadn't broached the subject of Matthew since she'd been here when he arrived with the corsages for us, and I had hoped that maybe, just maybe, Paula would be calming down over the whole idea.

  Guess not. I gritted my teeth. "Everything's just fine, thank you."

  A straight-up lie, but I wasn't telling her that. I wasn't sure exactly what was wrong. Even though Matthew and I talked a bit over the last week, after the drive-in, he wasn't the same.

  I wasn't the same either. Quantifying what was going on between us--putting a name on it, and a level in the relationship, well, I wasn't ready to do that. Because eventually, all levels moved up.

  Maybe I was jumping a few, but I didn't want to be a military wife again, which was where it would wind up.

  Back to being happily alone again.

  I glanced at this house full of people, and I knew in my heart that was part of the problem. Traveling around the country again? That was not for me. Not anymore. I did that for far too long during my marriage.

  Even if it did mean that Matthew would be with me.

  When he was here, anyway.

  Paula nodded. "I saw him today at Target."

  "Oh yeah?"

  "He was talking to that woman."

  I blinked. "Pardon?"

  Paula glanced at me, her eyebrow raised.

  She and I may not agree on much, but we agreed on that woman, every single time. The only time Pa
ula praised me--outside of anything involving Emma--was when I beat the crap out of Shelby under the bleachers when she tried to steal Jake away.

  And the thought of Shelby once again trying to come between me and a guy--I wanted to strangle her.

  Where did she get off thinking it was okay to hit on someone else's guy? What was the matter with her? It just sent my already tired emotions into panic that much quicker.

  I tried to be nonchalant about it, because, really, she could be mistaken. "Shelby always has been social." And I was grown up now.

  I wasn't going to beat her up under the bleachers again.

  Didn't matter if I wanted to.

  "She was hugging him. And she slipped him her number."

  This stopped me cold.

  "Are you sure?" I asked.

  Paula nodded.

  I put my hand on her arm. "Are you absolutely sure? Positive? Like there's no chance in the world you could be mistaken?"

  Paula nodded again. "I know what I saw. They were talking over in greeting cards. Me and Emma were picking up a few things."

  "Did Emma see him?" I asked, suddenly worried about what my little girl would think about seeing Matthew talking to... to that woman.

  "No. She would have said something. She was too busy reading the book I picked up for her."

  Good. I tried to keep my anger in check. "I'm sure it was nothing. I'm sure he was just being polite."

  "Better to find out now, then later," Paula said.

  "Yeah," I said through clenched teeth.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Matthew showed up just as Paula was leaving, and while I didn't witness it, I got the full report from Autumn of the chilly glare my mother-in-law gave him.

  Of course, it was Autumn.

  She most likely was exaggerating. I was going to go with that. One drama at a time.

  Besides I needed to talk to Matthew.

  I was a grown up now.

  I could handle this. Regardless of the visions of Shelby and Matthew dancing in my head.

  It was just like when Shelby went after Jake. She came, she saw, she took.

  She stuck her nose into business that wasn't hers--like convincing Jake to join the Army in the first place, because of her very well-known fetish for men in uniform. Even now, I still never figured out how he was swayed by her.