A Week for Love to Bloom (5 page)

He
was surprised but responded instantly to his wish being granted. He squeezed her waist as his tongue swept and swirled with hers. He’d never felt an attraction as strong and couldn’t help but indulge in his urges.

Their yearning
grew stronger when Justin grabbed the back of her head and took hold of some of her satiny hair. He pulled her closer and into a more heated kiss as he felt the hard-on forming in his jeans. Lauren moaned into his mouth as she reached over and gripped the top of his thigh. The sound of her desire and the feel of her hand so close to his dick made him want to pull her into his lap.

He released her swollen, warm
lips. “Damn, Lauren. You are so sexy.” He probed her mouth again with his fiery tongue while still cupping the back of her head. His free hand traveled up her silky thigh before he slipped his eager fingers barely under the hem of her skirt. It took all the will power he possessed not to run them up further. Justin felt the tug of his hair as she whimpered. He realized they were gripping each other’s hair tight and could sense that he wasn’t the only one fighting the onslaught of blinding lust. The passion between them was explosive.

“Hey, you love birds, cut it out,” Andrew sa
id as he and Ashley walked toward them. “Do you all even know a damn thing about each other?”

Justin and Lauren parted quickly
. She turned to wipe her lips.

“
I’m just playin. You better treat her right though, she’s a keeper like my Ashley here.”

“Come on
, Andrew.” Ashley rolled her eyes as she pulled on his arm. “Leave them alone.” She gave Lauren an apologetic look. “We’re going to go. Would you like a ride?”

Justin looked to Lauren. “I can take you home, and
I’m good to drive since I’m still sipping on this first beer.”

She never took her eyes off of him.
“I’ll ride home with Justin. I don’t think I’m in the presence of a serial killer anymore, although I’m not so sure about the stalker thing yet.”

Justin
smiled and squeezed her hand.

“
I’ll see you bright and early, boss,” Ashley said.

“
I’ve told you not to call me that, silly.”

Justin got up and walked with Andrew to the car. When
they got there, Andrew put his arm on Justin’s shoulder. Justin was surprised by his friend’s change in demeanor.

“Don’t hurt her.
She’s a sweetheart. You’ll leave, and I’ll be left to deal with it. Then Ashley will be pissed at me, too.”

“
I’m sorry, man, but I don’t have the will to stay away from her. She’s like a damn drug.”

“Unless
you’re staying in Masonville, stay away from her.”

“Just get in the car
, Andrew. We can talk about it later.”

Ashley gave Lauren a hug goodbye. “Be careful.
He’s charming, but I can’t see him moving back here. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Thanks,
but I can take care of myself.” Lauren squeezed Ashley’s hand to give her reassurance before she walked away. Justin noticed Lauren shivering when he returned to the picnic table.

“You’re cold. Let me go back to the car and get my jacket
for you.”

“Um,
I should be getting home. I have a long day ahead of me at work.”

“Sure
, no problem.” Justin offered his hand to her.

Lauren
took it and hopped off the picnic table, stumbling right into his firm, masculine chest. In an instant, Justin’s arms wrapped around her, returning her balance. He closed his eyes and breathed in the magical, floral scent of her hair, delaying her release as long as possible. Feeling as if a spell was being cast upon him, he let her go. Without a word, he grabbed the beer and took hold of her hand.

Justin walked her to the car and opened the door for her. When he got in he handed her his jacket.
“Put this on. I don’t want you to feel cold.”

“Thanks,
” Lauren said.

Justin only made small talk with her on the way to her house. He could hardly
focus from the throbbing in his pants. He didn’t want their night to end.

“I had a
great time tonight,” she said.

Justin glanced her wa
y long enough to catch a glimpse of her twinkling eyes and see the lips he wanted to taste again. “I did, too, Lauren. Could I bring you lunch tomorrow?” he asked as he pulled into her driveway.

“
I don’t have much time to take a lunch break on Sunday’s, but you’re welcome to come over after work.”

“What time?
I’ll bring supper.” Excited that he’d get to see her again soon, he grabbed her hand and almost brought it to his hungry mouth to kiss. He was thrown off guard by his behavior.

“Seven would be great.”

Justin stroked her cheek with his thumb before giving her a soft, feathery kiss on her lips.

“Goodbye, Justin,” she said with a heartfelt smile.

He was in a daze
as he drove back to his brother’s. Already missing her, Justin tried to uncover why he found her absolutely irresistible. The gravitational pull toward Lauren would complicate things, but he couldn’t seem to stop it. He was helpless under her spell.

***

Lauren collapsed onto her bed. She couldn’t make sense of her behavior the two previous days. The blanket-like shield that surrounded her was being shredded. She questioned how long she would’ve stayed in his arms when she stumbled off of the picnic table had he not let go. She loved their passionate kiss, but the simple act of Justin catching her inside his strong, protective arms caused her to feel something foreign.

For the first time in years, even if only for a fleeting moment, her strength wasn’t needed. Someone was there for her, and she didn’t feel the weight of the world on her shoulders.
She was perplexed by her willingness and desire to give up some of her independence to a man she just met.

Lauren realized she still had Justin’s jacket on.
The stimulating scent of his cologne was all over it, and she desperately wished she could drown herself in it. Feeling heavily aroused, her body tingled and ached for his compelling touch. With just her panties and a t-shirt on, she laid Justin’s jacket on top of her in bed before her sheet and blanket. She knew she was behaving like a teenage girl, and she didn’t care. The smell of his cologne reminded her of their night, and she felt more like a woman than ever.

Lauren woke up Sunday morning with joy in her heart. Behind her curtain, she looked out at the property. Beyond the backyard, colorful wildflowers were blooming on rolling hills. Behind that were woods that turned a brilliant red and orange in the fall. Lauren never took her home for granted. She enjoyed every season and knew she was blessed to get to work among nature every day.

Seeing her mom busy outside watering the plants, she decided to do some paper work before they opened. As she sorted through
papers, Lauren picked up Justin’s brother’s receipt and glanced at the name.

Jonathan
Garrison
.
Ugh, he’s a Garrison. I knew he was out of my league. Andrew was right. I know absolutely nothing about the man who I let stick his tongue in my mouth!

She threw the receipt back into the wire bin before slamming the door behind her as she sulked outside.

At nine o’clock, Ashley arrived to work. She found Lauren picking off the wilted, soft petals of purple Dianthus before she moved them out for display.

“Lauren, you have to tell me all about la
st night. Did he kiss you again? When are you going to see him next?” Lauren continued to work while Ashley probed. “I don’t know if I’ve ever witnessed a kiss that hot and heavy.”

“
We’re getting busy, Ash. I’ll tell you the details at lunch, but yes, I’m supposed to see him again this evening.”

“I knew it. Andrew told Ju
stin to stay away from you if he was leaving town again. He didn’t even listen for five minutes. He better not hurt you, Lauren. I’ll go to California myself and find that damn oilrig,” Ashley said.

“Oil
rig?”

“Yes, oil
rig. Weird, huh? I thought so, too. Andrew claims he dropped out of college with only one year left and took off to California to work with their friend Max on an oilrig. Justin seems to be the rebel of the family. His brother Jonathan is like his dad, all wrapped up in the law business. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Lauren stopped working and looked at Ashley.
“Like I told you last night, I’m a big girl. It’s my life, and I’ll determine how far to let it go. I mean, does Andrew know for sure that he’s going back to California?”

“He said they didn’t get
a chance to discuss it, but I know from the past he never stays.”

“
I can’t believe he’s a Garrison. I hardly see his brother, but I should have recognized him from that stupid billboard in town with his picture on it. I was so shocked to see Justin ‘the hitchhiker’ here that I didn’t make the connection. Will it make you feel better if I get some answers from him?” Lauren asked.

Ashley pointed a finger at her. “Yes, and
I’ll be waiting to hear the details.”

***

Justin awoke from Jack yelling “mama” and “dada” throughout different parts of the house. Little Jack looked just like Jonathan, and Justin couldn’t help but wonder if his own kids would look just like him. His mind flashed to Lauren, and he became flustered for painting her picture in his mind when he thought of having children. Having showered the night before to “cool himself off”, Justin dressed and walked into the kitchen.

Jonathan was at the table reading the Sunday paper when he peered over it to speak to Justin. “So, were you with Beth last night? I really doubt you were at the store buying snacks until wee hours of the morning.”

“I went out with Andrew.”

“How is Andrew? Is he still working at the cardboard factory?”

“I guess so, I didn’t get to talk to him about it.”

“How’
s that if you were with him?”

“We um, ended up meeting his fiancé Ashley and her friend out somewhere.”

“Who’s her friend? Anyone we know?”

“Believe it or not, she was that girl from the garden place, Lauren Evans. Once again it was a surprise, but what’s with the twenty questions this morning?”

“It’s odd you ran into her again. Look, I haven’t heard much good about her family recently.”

“Like what? I thought Emily loved the place?”

“She does, but you know nothing about that woman.”

“Yeah, and I won’t know
anything if I don’t talk to her. Stop trying to tell me what to do and what not to do. I like her. God, you started, and it’s not even ten o’clock.”

“I’ll shut up. Just sit down and eat. What do you want to do today?”

“I want to go fishing,” Justin answered.

“Sure, where?”

Justin paused. “My place.”

***

“I’m surprised you want to go fishing at your property. You never want to go there,” Jonathan said as he and Justin gathered fishing supplies from the garage.

“I know, but now I do. I didn’t want to tell you yet because I know you’ll get a hundred steps ahe
ad of me, but I quit my job and enrolled back into Vanderbilt for the fall semester.”

Jonathan
grabbed the back of Justin’s shoulder. “That’s so good to hear, bro. I’ve never understood your appeal to that job. Does this mean you’re considering building on your property?”

“I thought about it some last night,
but it’s doubtful, so like I tell you all the time, don’t start harassing me about it.”

“
I’ll try to back off. I’m relieved you left that place. Now let’s go catch some damn fish.”

***

“I forgot how peaceful it is out here,” Justin said as he looked around at the panoramic piece of land.

“A house would look awesome up on that hill right there,”
Jonathan said, pointing to a hilltop that made way for a spectacular view of the lake and meadow. “Grandpa and Gran left you this spot because they pictured you here with a family. They wanted you to settle down in Masonville. Dad pays for the upkeep of this land every summer in hopes you’ll come back for good.”

“
I know, and I’m grateful for that. It was generous of them to leave us property.” Justin turned and eyed the hilltop. He imagined a house with a big wrap around porch and rocking chairs. Once again, he pictured Lauren. This time she was rocking on the porch.

He became anxious as his mind started racing with
“what ifs”. He decided it was time to leave. “Are you ready to head out?”

“
I’m ready if you are,” Jonathan answered before they packed up their stuff and climbed into the truck.

“
I try to give Emily a break from cooking on Sunday's, so I’m going to light up the grill. What sounds good?”