Blown Away: A Small Town Military Romance (The Moore Brothers Book 1) (17 page)

“I can’t stay quiet,” she managed, her words stuttering with her sharp intakes of breath.

“You have to. Be a good girl and do what I say.”

And then, without breaking eye contact, he put one hand firmly over her mouth and sheathed himself deep inside her, pushing harder and faster and harder still and faster still and hitting that spot. That one good spot that no one had ever reached before and an orgasm started building up inside her. One that felt way more like flying than falling. She locked her eyes on his, and he locked his on hers, both of them building together. She fell over the edge first, wave after wave of pleasure made all the more intense with every stroke of his cock against her ever tightening interior walls. He drove into her again and again, hitting that spot over and over until she thought she’d have to scream. Just plain have to if he didn’t stop. It was all too intense to hold back.

Just when she was about to lose control, he came with one shuddering thrust of his hips and wrapped both of his arms around her. She dropped her head onto his shoulder while her center clenched around him, still contracting, both of them panting, until that damned giggle rose in the back of her throat. She tried to swallow against it, but it came out anyway, echoing against the cheap tile.

“That was funny?” he whispered, sliding out of her, eliciting one more gasp before zipping up his pants and getting himself set to rights.

Juliet shook her head. “No, it was wonderful. I’ve just never done it in a bathroom before.”

“And that makes you giggle?”

Juliet hung her head. “I giggle when I’m nervous.”

Ian brushed a bit of hair back from her face. “You never, ever have to be nervous with me around. I got you.”

“I know,” she replied. “It’s just new to me. To be taken care of.”

“Seems like this is a day of firsts, then.”

She hopped off the sink and picked her shorts off the floor, thankful her panties had stayed neatly tucked inside. “It was definitely that.” After she dressed and took a moment to smooth her hair into something that didn’t look like she’d just had hot bathroom sex, she looked at Ian, at a loss. “Now what?”

“Well, hot stuff, we walk out of here hand in hand, heads held high.”

“But what if someone sees?”

“So what? Do you know any of these people?”

“No, but I might one day.”

Ian linked his arm in hers and pulled her towards the door. “How about this, I can just about guarantee that anyone who sees us is gonna know what we just did and they’re all gonna be jealous, at least on some level.”

She couldn’t really argue with that, although some part of her was afraid they’d get in trouble or something. Public lewdness? Wasn’t that a thing? But it didn’t really matter because they couldn’t stay in here all day, and it extra double didn’t matter because Ian had unlocked the door and was pulling it open.

Pulling it open to show an older woman leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her ample stomach, fiddling with her phone, waiting. She looked up, shock playing in her eyebrows, and then a knowing smile slid across her face.

“Hello, Mrs. Cernshaw,” said Ian, pulling Juliet along after her body went rigid with fear.

“Ian,” said the woman, greeting him with a twist of her head and a glimmer in her eye. “I’d tell ya to have a nice day, but it looks like you already have.”

Juliet couldn’t stop herself from giggling and she stumbled after Ian into the restaurant.

“Head held high, Juliet,” Ian whispered to her through the side of his mouth.

She was pretty damn sure that everyone in the busy restaurant was looking at them, aware of what they’d done, snickering at them with each other, but with Ian’s hand firmly wrapped around hers and her chin up and her eyes straight, that sense of power returned. That’s right. She’d had sex in the bathroom. With the hottest guy in the whole damn town, nonetheless. After skydiving. How many of these people could say they’d done even one of those things? Not many. She was pretty darn certain of that.

Ian paid the bill and led her outside, letting go of her hand only to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

“No. That’s all you.”

“I won’t argue that I’m pretty amazing myself, but you’re stealing the show, doll.” He pulled her through the blazing June afternoon, heat seeping up through the black pavement and swirling around her legs. A blast of hot air fell out of the car when he opened the door for her and Ian told her to wait while he got the car started and the AC blasting.

“How’re you holding up?” he asked over the hood of the car.

“My legs aren’t very interested in holding me up at all, thank you very much.”

“Well, that’s good to hear, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” Ian smiled. “How’s your energy? I’ve got one more stop planned, if you think you can manage.”

“I don’t know how much more excitement I can handle, but I’m willing to find out.”

“That’s the spirit.” Ian ducked down and climbed into the much more tolerable car. “But, this is a very tame trip. Boring almost.”

“I’m not gonna lie and tell you I’m not a little relieved.” Juliet relaxed into the soft leather and let her head fall back against the headrest. “What do you have in mind?”

“I thought we’d go to the hardware store and look at some paint samples.”

She actually loved that idea. She had all kinds of ideas for color palettes and had thought more than once that she could be working on little details like that in the evenings after Ian had gone home. She told him as much as he navigated the streets of Bliss and pulled into the parking lot of the hardware store.

“Well, that’s all well and good, with one stipulation,” he said as he put the car in park and pulled out a car shade for the window, muttering about how he should have remembered it the first time.

“Oh, yah,” she asked, unnerved by his stern tone of voice. “Afraid you won’t like the color I choose or that I won’t do a good enough job?”

“No, nothing like that, silly. I just don’t want you working from sunup to sundown. And let’s be honest, there’s a fairly decent chance you’d do just that.”

Julz couldn’t disagree. Not completely. “But I like to stay busy.”

“Me too, but sometimes we’ve got to sit still a little. It’s good for the soul. Or so I’ve heard.”

He led her into the store and plopped her in front of the paint samples, nodding his head in agreement with most of her choices. She chattered away about the way she envisioned the house looking when they were done, about all the potential it had, how happy she was to be there.

“What?” she asked with a little crinkle of her nose when she realized he’d stopped answering and was just smiling at her.

“You.”

“What about me?”

“I like you. I think you’re beautiful. And super cute right now with your ‘been fucking’ hair and your tan legs poking out of those little shorts, going on about all the same things I love about that house.”

Juliet’s eyes went wide and her hands went to her hair, trying to smooth the little wisps away from her face.

Ian took both her wrists in his hands and gently pulled them away. “Don’t. I like it.”

They talked a little more about the paint and even made a few decisions on color. Ian was paying for several gallons for the kitchen and living room when Juliet finally realized how much money he’d spent today. Guilt twisted in her stomach and she started chewing on her lip.

“And,” Ian said, not noticing. “If you run out of a color, you could just run down and buy another gallon or two. Keep the receipts and I’ll reimburse you the next time we get together.”

Her stomach clenched again at the thought of dipping into her money envelope. She was going to have to find a job. Soon. And she was pretty sure Ian wouldn’t like it when she brought it up. He genuinely seemed to like taking care of her, spoiling her with little surprises and making sure she had everything she ever needed. And, if she was being honest, she liked it, too, especially because it meant she had plenty of time to spend with him. But, it was also just as important that she stand on her own two feet. If everything she had came from Ian, well, where would that leave her if things didn’t work out? With a few boxes of old stuff jammed into the back of her Hyundai, that’s where.

“So, here’s the thing,” she said over the rattle of the cart wheels on the pavement in the parking lot. “I think I might need to get a job. I’ve got some money, but not a lot. And it really stresses me out to see that number dwindle without knowing I have a source of income. I don’t want to take time away from the renovations, and I
really
don’t want to take time away from being with you, but…” she held out her hands and shrugged helplessly. “I thought maybe I could get a waitressing job, something with variable hours. I don’t have a lot of expenses, but, I do need to have a way to make money.”

She didn’t know why this conversation made her so nervous. Ian understood the way the world worked and surely, he’d understand her need for an income. It wasn’t that she expected him to react badly or yell at her or anything like that. It’s just that a job would be a serious time commitment. It would mean the end of this little blip of fantasy life, spending her days working with Ian and her evenings playing with him. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to that and she definitely wasn’t ready for him to start thinking that she was trying to create distance between them.

He was quiet while he opened the trunk and put the paint and supplies inside. Still didn’t say anything when he opened the door for her and she slid inside. He didn’t close the door so she could enjoy the breeze and her nerves went haywire waiting for him to come back from putting the cart in the corral.
Calm down, silly. If he’s mad, then it’s just another sign that he’s not the kind of guy you need.
Of course, her heart fluttered around down in her stomach at the thought because so far, he’d been everything she’d ever needed and then some.

She looked up expectantly as he lowered himself into the car and pulled the shades out of the window. She waited for him to crank the AC before they both closed their doors, the heavy thunks sounding small compared to the sound her heart was making.

“A job would be silly,” he said, pulling out of the parking spot. Juliet’s heart sank. “I could just pay you for the time you spent on the renovations.”

“But you’re already giving me free rent for that.” She held her breath for his response, needing him to give her a good reason for not wanting her to find a job.

He blew air out his mouth and checked the mirrors, the space between his eyes tight. “That’s true.” He waited about a million years to finish his thought. “Here’s the thing. I’m feeling a little greedy about my time with you. I’m not sure I’m ready to give up even a minute of it.”

Well, that was a pretty decent reason. “I understand. Believe me, the fact that I’ve waited this long to even consider looking for a job is a testament to how much I like spending time with you. But, it makes me nervous. My entire life savings is in an envelope in my room, and sure, I only take out a little at a time, but that money is finite. I’m living a fantasy right now.” She turned in her seat, put a hand on his thigh. “A wonderful, exquisite fantasy that I don’t want to end. Not at all. But, that money
is
going to run out.”

“What would you do? What did you do in New York?”

“I’m not sure that I want to do what I did in New York.” She sighed, the thought of having to find a job dampening her mood. “I don’t know, like I said, waitressing? Something simple.”

Ian shook his head. “You’d be wasted as a waitress.”

“Yah, but I’d get to spend time with you. Maybe only take part time hours. Match them up to when you’d be working on the other houses, or doing whatever other work you have to do to keep things running.”

“I know it makes sense for you to work. I know you’re gonna need an income. But, do me a favor. Live the fantasy with me a little longer. And we can look for a job that would suit you together.” He finally smiled again and her heart unclenched.

“I don’t know.” She swallowed, wanting to do exactly what he suggested, but not sure if it was the smartest path. Her head was a mess of
should’s
and
want’s
and
supposed to’s.
“I just need to know that I can stand on my own two feet.”

“But you already know that. You’ve done that your whole life, haven’t you? And here I am, more than capable of helping you with your finances, asking you to let me help you.”

Juliet’s head and heart went to war and it was a few seconds before she could find her voice around all the conflict. “I just can’t let myself be controlled.” Her words were a whisper, the voice of fear, the voice of the woman who’d signed a terrible contract that let a man do terrible things to her.

Ian pulled off the road and flicked on the emergency lights. “Oh, my angel,” he said, turning in his seat, his expression soft. “There’s a difference between being controlled and being taken care of. I’m not ordering you to stay unemployed, I’m not trying to make you weak and reliant on me. I’m asking you to stay with me because I feel like I can’t take a full breath when we’re apart. Because you are my sun and the world goes dark when I’m not with you. I’m here to help. I
want
to help. And if you need a job in order to feel in control, then fine. We’ll find one that’ll get you some money and still let us be together. But if you need a job in order to feel like you’re doing the right thing, then let me just say this.
My
right thing is taking care of you and it would make me feel like I’m being the best man I can be if you let me make you feel safe.”

Juliet blinked back tears, her voice obliterated by a rush of emotion. His words gave her heart all the ammunition it needed and her head sulked in a corner, admitting defeat. “You just keep proving that whole Ian-Moore-is-amazing thing, don’t you?” she finally managed to ask.

“I hope that what I’m proving is that I care a lot about you and your happiness matters to me.”

“Yah,” she said, her voice cracking on the word. “That too.” Juliet blinked back the tears that blurred her vision. How did he keep managing to speak directly to her heart like that? “I can’t tell you how good it feels to know I matter.” And then her throat constricted against any further words and she swiped at her eyes. She refused to cry in front of Ian.