A Week for Love to Bloom (8 page)

“You h
ave no idea how bad I want you, how I crave you,” he said. Justin ran his large hand up under her dress and brushed her damp panties with the tips of his fingers. He fought the insatiable urge to slide them into her warm juices and pleasure her. To stop himself he clamped his hand around her toned thigh.

H
e sensed she wanted him just as badly as she clawed her nails down his back. Their mouths continued to crash against each other’s inviting warmth. Justin felt like he was going to erupt just from the feel of her velvety skin.

She pulled her lips away from his.
“I’m sorry, I need to sit up,” she said.

At once,
Justin climbed off of her and sat up. He closed his eyes and took in a rush of oxygen. The next thing he knew, Lauren was laughing.

“
Why are you laughing?” he asked with frustration, not finding anything funny. There was only one thing on his mind—the agonizing lust he felt for her.

“
Well, I’m fully aware you have my blushing figured out, and I feel I now recognize when you are struggling with your self-control. I was just laughing at how we’re not very good at controlling ourselves.”

Justin’s smoky
gaze burned into her. “Then let’s not. I’m staying at my parents’ guest house. Please come stay with me tonight.”

Lauren’s eyes widened. Justin saw panic fill them and instantly regretted what he said.

“I want to, I really do, but I can't yet. I’m sorry, Justin. I’m falling for you fast, but you’re leaving, and I haven't had time to think about the impact from that if I fall any further. This is hard to admit, but the other nights I’ve seen you … even that first night you got out of my truck, I missed you right after you walked away.” Lauren looked to the ground and chewed on the side of her bottom lip. “I can't imagine feeling any closer to you and then getting hurt. I’m afraid you’ll leave and never come back,” Lauren said softly.

Justin felt the
twinges of pain in his chest as he thought of his conversation with Jonathan about knowing you’ve found
the one
when immediately you miss them. Now he knew she missed him the same way. He cared for her too much to hurt her.

“
I told you last night I was sorry for losing control, and then I did it again. I’m sorry. I’m falling for you, too, Lauren. I’m still not sure about my future plans, so I understand why it’d be too difficult for you in the long run if we pursue this, and I don’t want to hurt you. I’ll take you home.”

They held hands but never spoke on the way back to Lauren’s. She stared out the window
and never looked his way. He repeatedly ran his thumb along her hand. Justin wished she could feel his apology through his touch for the damage he’d already caused. He knew he was hurting her because of his plans to leave Masonville, and her words about him leaving and never coming back stung. He was starting to wonder if he could even leave her at all.

Justin pulled into the drive
way. “Please thank your mom for supper.” He looked at Lauren with sheer intensity and desperation. “You’re magnetic, but I’ll try to stay away from you, Ms. Evans, if that’s what you want.” Justin brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. He had to do it in case he didn’t get another chance.

“Justin, I have some trust issues, yet I find
myself wanting to throw it all to the wind for you, and we’ve only known each other a few days. It seems crazy. I need some time to think.”

He felt lost at sea as sadnes
s filled his ocean blue wells.

“I understand.”

“I’ll talk to you soon. Goodnight,” she said before giving him a kiss on the cheek. He watched her walk away.

Lauren lay in bed Tuesday morning longer than usual, reminiscing about the times she and Justin had spent together. Recalling all their
intimate
encounters, she realized she gave him mixed signals. When he tried to stop himself, she made it harder for him. Instead of calling her on it, he was sweet and took the blame.

Justin
was going to leave her alone, not because she didn’t put out the night before but out of fear of hurting her. He was walking away for
her
needs, not because he needed to find someone else to satisfy his own. He was one of the good ones, and it was her fault it was coming to an end. She wanted to text him, but it would have to wait until lunch.

***

Justin spent the first half of his day sorting through a storage unit of his belongings that were packed away years before. He tried to keep busy. He didn’t want to think about
her
, but it wasn’t working. It angered him that he didn’t have patience when it came to Lauren. He was used to going without a girlfriend and most of the time sex, so it frustrated him that he couldn’t control his feelings for her. At one o’clock, his cell phone buzzed.

Lauren:
Justin, it’s Lauren. I need to talk to you in person. Would you have time this evening?

Justin:
Of course I have time for y
ou
.

Lauren:
We close at six so any time after.

Justin:
I’ll be there.

His stomach churned
. He prayed the night wasn’t about goodbyes.

***

At six o’clock, Justin pulled into her driveway and got out of his truck. Lauren’s mom was walking to her car and approached him.

“Hi. Y
ou must be Justin. Lauren told me all about you earlier today.”

“Yes ma’am, and you must be Mrs. um, I mean, Ms.
Evans?”

“Oh, it’s a Ms.
alright. Ever since Lauren’s father ran out on us last year with his Internet girlfriend,” she said, scowling. Justin heard the bitterness in her voice.

“I’
m very sorry to hear that ma’am.”

He saw her pleasant demeanor return.
“Please call me Claire, and I appreciate that, but I’m doing well. Honestly, Lauren’s had to bear the brunt of it since we were left to run the business. She’s still outside, but you’ll have to look for her. I’m off to church, so you two have a fun evening.”

A
nxiety washed over him from the thought of being alone with Lauren.

Keep your damn
mouth, hands, and body away from her.

As he walked to the greenhouses
, the news about her father made him furious. Justin couldn’t stand imagining the pain she must’ve felt, and now he knew the cause of her trust issues.

He
peeked in a few of the greenhouses before he found Lauren with her back to him at the opposite end of one. He approached her quietly, admiring her ass in tight jeans. He took a deep breath as he fought the urge to wrap his arms around her from behind. The abiding force pushing him to Lauren was overwhelming and baffling to him. Watching her work made him realize the pressure he felt to succeed paled in comparison to the pressure she was under.

“Hi, Lauren.”

She jumped and spun around with the garden hose, spraying Justin’s body.

“Jesus
, you startled me,” she said as she lowered the hose.

There was water dripping from Justin’s hair and face, and his clothes were speckled from the unexpected shower.
Lauren started snickering.

“You find this funny do you?”
Justin tried to shake the water from his head.

“No, not at al
l,” she said, covering her mouth. Justin saw that she was holding in her laughter. He grabbed the hose out of her hand and turned it on her.

“Justin, stop!” Lauren turned and ran toward the other
end of the greenhouse.

“That’s what you get, young lady,” he said as he dropped
the hose and chased after her.

Lauren’s wet boots
touched the grass at the end of the greenhouse and went out from under her. She hit the ground, landing flat on her back.

He quickly squat
ted down in front of her. “Lauren, are you OK?”

She placed her hands on her stomach and started laughing unco
ntrollably. “In all my life I’ve never had as much fun as I have with you, Justin.”

“
You scared the shit out—”

Lauren grabbed each side of his t-shirt near his shoulders and pulled him down on top of her, plunging her tongue into his mouth.

He reluctantly kissed her back, but after a few seconds he pulled away from her. “We need to sit up and talk,” he said. Her kiss sent the sparks of lust ricocheting through his body.

“You’re righ
t, sorry. I did intend for us to just talk tonight, but you’re too adorable,” she said, trying to sit up.

Justin entwined his fingers between hers
and brought her hand up to kiss. “You’re too sweet, Lauren.”

“Justin, I don’t want to stop seeing you. Y
ou shouldn’t have apologized for anything. I haven’t made this easy for you. I’ve flirted excessively since we met, and I realized this morning that I gave you mixed signals when it came to being physical with me. I wasn’t trying to be a tease. I’ve never felt this kind of attraction to anyone before, so I didn’t know how to handle it.

“I believe
you’re a good guy, and I don’t want to have a guard up anymore. I can already tell the price my heart is going to pay when you leave, but you’re worth it. I’m not ready to go all the way yet, but I’m open to some ...
exploration,
” she said.

Lauren’s seducti
ve words sent lust rushing through his veins.

Exploration. Fuck, I
’ll do some exploring with you, just after I take you home and tie you to my bed.

Justin closed his eyes and took in a deep breat
h. He exhaled slowly as he tried to rid some of his dark desire.

“Shit, Lauren. I can’t comprehend how you can be so damn sweet
, and so damn hot at the same time. I’d love to do some
exploring
as you call it, but you’re going to have to exhibit some restraint until you’re ready to go further. I mean, it’s nearly impossible to stop with you, and it’s killing me, so take it easy on me.”

“That’s
fair, so are we good?”

Justin laughed
and shook his head. “Yes, Lauren, we’re all good.”

“
You shake your head at me a lot. Am I that amusing?”

“You just surprise me every day. Sweet and feisty all wrapped into one. I just never know what to expect.”

“Well, right now I want you to kiss me, dammit.”

“You’
re leading me down a path of trouble with your seductiveness,
woman
, but I’ll happily follow you.”

Ju
stin cupped her face and kissed her before they fell back onto the grass. He straddled her and leaned over, holding himself up with his hands. He gazed down at her, feeling the electric current running between them once again.

G
ently he lay on top of her, running his fingers through her hair and exploring her delectable, sweet mouth. Sensuously. Methodically. It was as if he was memorizing every inch of it with his tongue. After a long make out session. Justin stood and helped Lauren up, pulling her into a tight embrace before he smacked her bottom. “Go change, and I’ll take you to get something to eat.”

“OK, bossy man.”

Justin awoke on Wednesday
to Lauren’s image. He realized he’d seen her every day since she picked him up on Friday night. As unhealthy as it sounded he loved every minute of it and was racking his brain as to how he could weasel seeing her that day—and indefinitely.

I have to
attend a closer university.

He and
Jonathan were the third generation of males in his family to attend the same university, and he was fully aware that it wouldn’t go over good with his family if he changed colleges. Justin thought about the possibility of a future in Masonville. He couldn’t fathom how a woman did that to him in less than a week. It was interfering with his only concrete plan, and he didn’t care. He felt the urge to call her.

“Hi, beautiful.”

“Hi, handsome. How are you this morning?”

“I’
m better now. How are you?”

Lauren sighed. “Busy already.”

“I wanted to tell you that I had a great time in your yard.” Justin chuckled.

“So did I,
but you’re wearing me out. I usually crash most nights after work. It’s caught up with me today, and I’m not productive.”

“Sorry, I have a lot of free time on my hands right now
. My buddies on the rig would never let me live it down if they’d seen my behavior over the last week. If I didn’t want to devour every mouth-watering inch of your gorgeous body, every time I see you, I’d be questioning my own manhood at this point.”

“
I have to admit, it’s a first for me, having a man pursue me to this degree, but I’ve
felt
your manhood pressed against me, so I don’t think you have to turn in your man card just yet.”