Ginnys crush, p.23
Ginny's Crush, page 23
“It’s tempting, isn’t it?” Isla laughed. “But during the day it’s completely overrun with tourists. This is the way to do it.”
“I can’t believe Justen is missing this,” Madelyn cooed from somewhere further along the stream.
Ginny sucked in a hard breath to prevent herself from saying anything.
“The guy’s a fool, if you ask me,” Luke said. “This is the place to be.”
Ginny tensed. She could still feel his eyes on her. The pools were narrow, and under the water, their legs were touching. She felt him rub his foot gently along the sole of hers. It wasn’t just an innocent comment. Luke was suggesting something, and she couldn’t listen; she needed to block it out.
“Let’s go jump in the cold pool,” Jaxson said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended on the group.
“Yeah,” Tyler agreed. “Let’s go.”
“Are you guys crazy?” Madelyn said in her pouty voice.
“Yeah, we’re crazy,” Leo said, scooping a shrieking Isla up in his arms and heading out of the pools. “But it’ll be amazing.”
There was a general buzz of agreement as the group clamoured out of the pools, leaving Ginny alone in the dark with Luke. When she looked up, he was smiling at her, his eyes filled with a mischievous grin.
“You two are missing out on all the fun,” Tyler called from above them, where they could still hear the girls shrieking.
“We’ll just have to take your word for it,” Ginny called out, still frozen in place. She knew that being in the dark with Luke was dangerous, but she couldn’t seem to make herself move.
“Hell, no we won’t,” Luke said.
He was moving before Ginny could comprehend what the gleam in his eyes meant. Then he was scooping her up in his arms. Ginny shrieked as the cool air hit her body.
“Put me down, Luke.”
Ginny wriggled, trying to get free, but he held her tight, as he navigated his way up the slippery rocks. She quieted in his arms, as he picked his way across the boulders between the hot springs and the cold pool.
“You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I would,” he chuckled, as he tossed her into the cold pool.
Her shriek was abruptly cut off as her head went below the water, the icy chill snatching her breath away. When she resurfaced, Luke was right there watching her, close enough to kiss.
CHAPTER 36
The seaplane landed smoothly on the water, and Justen waited impatiently for it to taxi to the dock. He had gone home with Spencer last night and crashed hard only to be up first thing this morning to drive to Tofino and catch the first seaplane out to Hot Springs Cove.
He had left Victoria just after dawn and driving along the twisting coastal road, all he could think about was how he was always too late for everything. He was always chasing to catch up and make things right.
He just hoped he wasn’t too late this time, both for Ginny and for Isla.
He spotted Ginny as the seaplane did a turn to come alongside the dock. She was a sight for sore eyes in a sundress that accentuated her curves in ways that made things inside him squirm.
And then he saw Luke standing behind her. The guy had some balls, Justen would give him that. He might have to accept Luke as Leo’s best man, and he might have to accept that he had to share his sister’s wedding day with him, but that didn’t mean he had to like it, and he sure as hell didn’t need to watch him ogling his girl.
Justen shook his head to clear his thoughts. Ginny wasn’t his girl. They hadn’t made anything official. Christ, all they really had was one aborted date and a few secret liaisons at his condo. Just because he wanted her, didn’t mean she was his.
And she hadn’t answered a single one of his texts. That had to mean something.
“How’s your dad?” Ginny asked, as he stepped onto the dock from the seaplane.
“Not good.” His voice cracked. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her until the fear inside him was silenced, but he held back. He could feel that something had shifted between them. He had been expecting it, but it still caught him by surprise.
“He’s stable. Spencer’s with him.”
She reached for his hand at the same moment that Luke stepped forward.
“You missed the fun last night,” Luke said, his body subtly blocking Ginny.
Ginny snatched her hand back; her cheeks pinkening. Justen’s gut clenched, as he became aware of an awkward tension on the dock. He looked from Ginny to Luke and back to Ginny. Had something happened between them? Anger gnawed at his gut.
“I thought you were watching my girls.” His voice was sharper than he had meant. He was supposed to be making things better with Ginny, not pushing her further away. But with Luke standing there, gloating, he couldn’t seem to remember Elaine’s words of encouragement or the way being with Ginny made him feel good. He just wanted to fight.
Ginny’s eyes snapped up to his, shock clear in their shamrock depths. “They’re with Isla.”
For Christ’s sake, can I catch a break? he thought in frustration. Justen looked away to grab a hold of himself before he lost it. “Seriously? I promised Isla I would keep them out of her hair.”
Ginny breathed in sharply and took a step back. He was being a dick. He should just pull her into his arms, kiss her, and thank her for being a lifesaver. Instead, he was berating her on the dock in front of her ex-boyfriend. He was acting just like one of those guys he had spent so much time chasing away from Isla, before she finally found Leo and quit her bad boy obsession.
“They’re practicing for the ceremony. I was there until we heard the plane. I thought you might need some help…” Her voice trailed off.
“They’re not in the ceremony.” He wanted to shake her with the same ferocity that he wanted to hug her.
“Isla changed her mind.”
He was deliberately pushing her away, but he couldn’t seem to stop.
“Look. I know you’re tired, but the girls are fine,” she said defensively. “They were up kind of late, but they didn’t want to miss the singing around the fire and the marshmallows.”
“Oh great, so they’re going to be super cranky.”
“Hey man, you might want to lay off. Those cuties are having a blast,” Luke said, stepping a little closer to Ginny.
Justen’s head swivelled in shock. What the hell is he still doing here? On some level, Justen knew that he was the one in the wrong, but he didn’t have the patience to deal with any of this. He curled his hands into tight fists, fighting the urge to shove Luke back and tell him how he really felt about him.
He should’ve listened to Spencer and stayed far away from Ginny.
Ginny sat in the dinghy with her back straight, fighting back tears she had no intention of letting Justen see. She could walk away from him with her head held high, just like she had with Luke last night.
She was a fool. She had started believing her own fairy tale bullshit. Justen had come back into her life, and she had blindly accepted that as proof that he was the right one for her.
Never mind that the universe had given her a million signs to suggest otherwise. The two little girls who had spent the night snuggling in her bed being two pretty obvious examples.
The thought of Rose and Lily crawling into her bed because they were scared, nearly brought the tears flooding over the bank. She had never felt something quite so amazing as having two little warm bodies seeking her out for comfort.
For a few hours in the middle of the night, with nothing more than the moon shining in her window, Ginny had thought that maybe this thing with Justen could work. Maybe she could meet him further than in the middle. Maybe she could come right across and accept his crazy, chaotic life as hers without losing a part of herself.
The sun coming up had taken care of that illusion. And what the sun hadn’t taken care of, Justen and Luke almost fighting on the dock had. What a freaking mess.
Ginny pulled out her phone and sighed when she saw that she still had no service. She needed to call Shelby. She needed some girlfriend wisdom. Shelby would know what to say to fix this. Shelby would remind her that she didn’t need a man to define her life. Even if Shelby had broken that rule the moment Ian had walked into her life.
When the dinghy arrived at the dock, Ginny took the steadying hand Rob offered her and hoisted herself onto the dock surrounding the InnChanter.
“Would you like a snack?” Rob asked, as he took her lifejacket from her.
“Do you have any chocolate? It’s been a bit of a rough morning already.”
“I think there are some chocolate chip muffins…”
“I’m not sure they’re exactly what I need. Maybe, if I pair them with a vodka…”
Rob, wisely, didn’t respond. Instead, he led her to the InnChanter’s little galley and handed her a muffin. Then without a word, he rummaged in one of the cupboards, pulled out a bag of chocolate chips, and poured a good helping into a bowl.
Ginny smiled gratefully and took her treasure down to her berth. No wonder Rob’s wife always looked so happy; this man knew how to satisfy a woman—something Justen friggin’ Barret did not.
Ginny plopped down on the freshly made bed, set the muffin on the nightstand and then shovelled some of the chocolate chips into her mouth. She felt like she had been stood up for the prom. Or maybe this was how Cinderella felt when her stepsisters were trying on the glass slipper.
She scarfed a few more chocolate chips and then flopped back onto the bed. This was going to be a never-ending day—the ceremony wasn’t even until sunset, and there was still so much to get done—and all she wanted to do was take a nap. She rolled over on her side, curling around the bowl of chocolate chips, like it could give her comfort.
She wanted to cry; the tears were there, dammed up behind her eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to let them loose. She would have to go back out there and face everyone eventually, and she didn’t want to walk down the aisle in front of Isla with a swollen face from bawling over Justen.
The door clicked, and Ginny knew by the way the air shifted that it was him, but she kept herself curled up on the bed, refusing to look up. If I ignore him, he will go away, she thought. She desperately needed him to go away. There wasn’t the slightest chance that she would be able to protect her heart if he stayed.
“Hey.”
His voice was low and rumbly, and it awakened tingling sensations that brought back memories of intimate moments that made her heart ache. She wasn’t strong enough to deal with this.
She sensed him moving closer, but she forced herself not to look. The berth was small, and his scent wafted over her, making her core tighten. He smelled of vanilla and something spicy that she couldn’t name; it made her want to pull him down with her.
The bed shifted as he sat on the edge of it.
“I’m sorry.” He pressed gently on her shoulder, inviting her to roll over. “I was stressed, and I took it out on you.”
His voice cracked, and suddenly all of Ginny’s resistance was gone. She rolled over onto her back, gasping at how close he was; his masculinity filled the tiny space, making her ache to be in his arms.
His lips were on hers before she could think a coherent thought. She responded to the kiss instantly, pressing her lips harder against his, her arms snaking up around his neck, pulling him down on the bed with her. All logical thought was gone.
He pulled away, hovering above her. Ginny groaned. She pulled at him, but he resisted. His stormy grey eyes were locked onto hers, and she gasped at the intensity of emotions she found in their depths. It wasn’t just worry about his dad. She surged forward trying to fuse her lips to his, but he pulled away again, not letting her have what she wanted.
“I know I say sorry a lot. It isn’t fair. But if you knew how much it meant to me to know that my girls were safe here with you while I dealt with my dad…”
His eyes changed, and Ginny was caught off guard by the uncertainty she saw there.
“I know that kids aren’t your thing…” His voice cracked again, and he looked away, breaking the intense connection.
Ginny’s heart contracted; Justen needed her right now, and that was more important than anything that had happened. She placed a hand on either side of his head, her fingers buried in his copper curls. She pulled his head down until their noses were almost touching, and he had no choice but to look her straight in her eyes.
“I would do anything for you,” she whispered.
He stared into her eyes, like he was seeking the true meaning behind her words; she forced herself not to break the contact. It was raw—so real that it was almost painful. This man had the power to damage her heart in ways that she hadn’t even imagined were possible, and she didn’t have the ability to resist him. She searched for words to break the tension.
“I care about your daughters, Justen. They’re sweet girls. And they dig fairy tales, so they’re pretty much perfect in my books.”
It took him a moment to respond to her levity, like the words had to travel down all his neural synapses before he could truly comprehend what she’d said. Then his mouth curved into a wicked grin, and he scooped one hand underneath her hips, shifting her.
Ginny shrieked as she found herself twisting through the air. The moment she landed on her knees, the lust that swelled up through her almost pushed her over the edge. Justen lay on his back, his tousled hair bright against the white bedspread. She straddled him, and her dress hiked up, leaving her legs bare. Justen took full advantage, running his hands softly up over her skin. Ginny shivered, as every cell came to life beneath his touch.
“So, tell me more about how you’d do anything for me.”
His husky voice released her inner wanton. Ginny shifted her hips, rubbing back and forth along his muscled abdomen. He let out a growl and pushed his hands up under her dress, pulling it up over her head. He let it drop to the ground beside the bed.
“Maybe you should tell me more about what kind of things you want me to do.” Ginny licked her lips slowly, communicating how badly she wanted him.
Justen groaned again. “You’re driving me wild, Ginny White.”
“I’m not as sweet and innocent as I used to be,” she said coyly, working the buttons on his pants.
“No, you are not,” he growled.
The heat of him against her bare thighs threatened to send her to places that would leave her breathless. Justen Barrett had the power to always leave her wanting for more.
CHAPTER 37
Ginny collapsed down beside Justen, breathing heavily. A fine layer of sweat glistened on the surface of her skin, but she didn’t care. She was sated in a way that she couldn’t have ever imagined possible. The feeling of Justen’s strength underneath her while she rode him to her climax had been almost more than she could handle.
“I don’t think I can move,” she murmured.
Justen shifted beside her. He pulled her closer until their bodies were touching down the full length. “We’re going to have to move.”
“No. Let’s just stay here.”
“They’ll find us. They always find us.”
Justen’s words snapped Ginny back to the present. He was right; the real world always found them. They weren’t able to escape, and that had been half the problem. Maybe, they were going about this all wrong. Maybe, they needed to stop running from the world and face it head on.
He trailed a finger down her bare stomach, making her shiver and lose her train of thought. “I’ve made plans for us.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, really. Leo’s parents are going to watch the girls, so that I can take you down to the beach for some alone time.”
“Some more adult alone time?”
Justen chuckled, then bent to drop kisses along her collarbone. “You are insatiable,” he said. “I like that about you. But I thought maybe we could go down to the beach and enjoy this amazing place. Since it took so much for us to get here.”
Ginny rolled over and buried her face in Justen’s chest, breathing in the heady scent of him. “Can’t we just stay here?”
Her words were muffled against his body. She didn’t want to leave their little cocoon. The outside world had a way of taking them down. He pressed a finger to her chin, forcing her eyes up to his face. She braced herself, as his lips moved closer.
“I promise they’ll find us,” he murmured against her mouth. “They always—”
Ginny pressed into his lips, capturing them before he could say anything else. She kissed him deeply, like she was sending him off into battle, and it was the last time she might ever have a chance to kiss him. When she let him go, she collapsed back onto the bed.
“Okay, we can go to the beach,” she said.
“You drive me crazy.” Justen shifted, rising up over her, staring down at her with eyes that smoldered with unspent passion. “I could spend all day locked in here with you.”
“Who says we have to go anywhere?” Ginny gulped, her own desire flaring as she recognized hunger in his eyes.
Justen’s eyes grew serious. “We don’t, but I want to. I don’t get many chances to take you out.”
Ginny smiled coyly. “Time for me to stop being your secret girlfriend.”
Ginny’s words hung in the air, as Justen searched her eyes. She held her breath, both wishing that she hadn’t said the words out loud—he had never referred to her as his girlfriend—and glad that she had been brave enough to put a label on it; no matter the consequences.
“You’ve never been a secret, Ginny. It’s just complicated.”
Ginny swallowed hard. It wasn’t exactly what she had wanted to hear, but she knew he wasn’t wrong either.
“I can deal with complicated.”
A smile curved Justen’s lips, and some of the shadows lurking around the corners of his eyes seemed to lift. He leaned in and dropped a gentle kiss on her lips.
“Let’s get out of here. The beach isn’t going to wait for us.”
She giggled and rolled out from underneath him, swiping her dress from the floor. She surveyed the room as she shimmied into her clothes, taking in the chocolate chips that had been spilled during their fun.
“I can’t believe Justen is missing this,” Madelyn cooed from somewhere further along the stream.
Ginny sucked in a hard breath to prevent herself from saying anything.
“The guy’s a fool, if you ask me,” Luke said. “This is the place to be.”
Ginny tensed. She could still feel his eyes on her. The pools were narrow, and under the water, their legs were touching. She felt him rub his foot gently along the sole of hers. It wasn’t just an innocent comment. Luke was suggesting something, and she couldn’t listen; she needed to block it out.
“Let’s go jump in the cold pool,” Jaxson said, breaking the awkward silence that had descended on the group.
“Yeah,” Tyler agreed. “Let’s go.”
“Are you guys crazy?” Madelyn said in her pouty voice.
“Yeah, we’re crazy,” Leo said, scooping a shrieking Isla up in his arms and heading out of the pools. “But it’ll be amazing.”
There was a general buzz of agreement as the group clamoured out of the pools, leaving Ginny alone in the dark with Luke. When she looked up, he was smiling at her, his eyes filled with a mischievous grin.
“You two are missing out on all the fun,” Tyler called from above them, where they could still hear the girls shrieking.
“We’ll just have to take your word for it,” Ginny called out, still frozen in place. She knew that being in the dark with Luke was dangerous, but she couldn’t seem to make herself move.
“Hell, no we won’t,” Luke said.
He was moving before Ginny could comprehend what the gleam in his eyes meant. Then he was scooping her up in his arms. Ginny shrieked as the cool air hit her body.
“Put me down, Luke.”
Ginny wriggled, trying to get free, but he held her tight, as he navigated his way up the slippery rocks. She quieted in his arms, as he picked his way across the boulders between the hot springs and the cold pool.
“You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I would,” he chuckled, as he tossed her into the cold pool.
Her shriek was abruptly cut off as her head went below the water, the icy chill snatching her breath away. When she resurfaced, Luke was right there watching her, close enough to kiss.
CHAPTER 36
The seaplane landed smoothly on the water, and Justen waited impatiently for it to taxi to the dock. He had gone home with Spencer last night and crashed hard only to be up first thing this morning to drive to Tofino and catch the first seaplane out to Hot Springs Cove.
He had left Victoria just after dawn and driving along the twisting coastal road, all he could think about was how he was always too late for everything. He was always chasing to catch up and make things right.
He just hoped he wasn’t too late this time, both for Ginny and for Isla.
He spotted Ginny as the seaplane did a turn to come alongside the dock. She was a sight for sore eyes in a sundress that accentuated her curves in ways that made things inside him squirm.
And then he saw Luke standing behind her. The guy had some balls, Justen would give him that. He might have to accept Luke as Leo’s best man, and he might have to accept that he had to share his sister’s wedding day with him, but that didn’t mean he had to like it, and he sure as hell didn’t need to watch him ogling his girl.
Justen shook his head to clear his thoughts. Ginny wasn’t his girl. They hadn’t made anything official. Christ, all they really had was one aborted date and a few secret liaisons at his condo. Just because he wanted her, didn’t mean she was his.
And she hadn’t answered a single one of his texts. That had to mean something.
“How’s your dad?” Ginny asked, as he stepped onto the dock from the seaplane.
“Not good.” His voice cracked. He wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her until the fear inside him was silenced, but he held back. He could feel that something had shifted between them. He had been expecting it, but it still caught him by surprise.
“He’s stable. Spencer’s with him.”
She reached for his hand at the same moment that Luke stepped forward.
“You missed the fun last night,” Luke said, his body subtly blocking Ginny.
Ginny snatched her hand back; her cheeks pinkening. Justen’s gut clenched, as he became aware of an awkward tension on the dock. He looked from Ginny to Luke and back to Ginny. Had something happened between them? Anger gnawed at his gut.
“I thought you were watching my girls.” His voice was sharper than he had meant. He was supposed to be making things better with Ginny, not pushing her further away. But with Luke standing there, gloating, he couldn’t seem to remember Elaine’s words of encouragement or the way being with Ginny made him feel good. He just wanted to fight.
Ginny’s eyes snapped up to his, shock clear in their shamrock depths. “They’re with Isla.”
For Christ’s sake, can I catch a break? he thought in frustration. Justen looked away to grab a hold of himself before he lost it. “Seriously? I promised Isla I would keep them out of her hair.”
Ginny breathed in sharply and took a step back. He was being a dick. He should just pull her into his arms, kiss her, and thank her for being a lifesaver. Instead, he was berating her on the dock in front of her ex-boyfriend. He was acting just like one of those guys he had spent so much time chasing away from Isla, before she finally found Leo and quit her bad boy obsession.
“They’re practicing for the ceremony. I was there until we heard the plane. I thought you might need some help…” Her voice trailed off.
“They’re not in the ceremony.” He wanted to shake her with the same ferocity that he wanted to hug her.
“Isla changed her mind.”
He was deliberately pushing her away, but he couldn’t seem to stop.
“Look. I know you’re tired, but the girls are fine,” she said defensively. “They were up kind of late, but they didn’t want to miss the singing around the fire and the marshmallows.”
“Oh great, so they’re going to be super cranky.”
“Hey man, you might want to lay off. Those cuties are having a blast,” Luke said, stepping a little closer to Ginny.
Justen’s head swivelled in shock. What the hell is he still doing here? On some level, Justen knew that he was the one in the wrong, but he didn’t have the patience to deal with any of this. He curled his hands into tight fists, fighting the urge to shove Luke back and tell him how he really felt about him.
He should’ve listened to Spencer and stayed far away from Ginny.
Ginny sat in the dinghy with her back straight, fighting back tears she had no intention of letting Justen see. She could walk away from him with her head held high, just like she had with Luke last night.
She was a fool. She had started believing her own fairy tale bullshit. Justen had come back into her life, and she had blindly accepted that as proof that he was the right one for her.
Never mind that the universe had given her a million signs to suggest otherwise. The two little girls who had spent the night snuggling in her bed being two pretty obvious examples.
The thought of Rose and Lily crawling into her bed because they were scared, nearly brought the tears flooding over the bank. She had never felt something quite so amazing as having two little warm bodies seeking her out for comfort.
For a few hours in the middle of the night, with nothing more than the moon shining in her window, Ginny had thought that maybe this thing with Justen could work. Maybe she could meet him further than in the middle. Maybe she could come right across and accept his crazy, chaotic life as hers without losing a part of herself.
The sun coming up had taken care of that illusion. And what the sun hadn’t taken care of, Justen and Luke almost fighting on the dock had. What a freaking mess.
Ginny pulled out her phone and sighed when she saw that she still had no service. She needed to call Shelby. She needed some girlfriend wisdom. Shelby would know what to say to fix this. Shelby would remind her that she didn’t need a man to define her life. Even if Shelby had broken that rule the moment Ian had walked into her life.
When the dinghy arrived at the dock, Ginny took the steadying hand Rob offered her and hoisted herself onto the dock surrounding the InnChanter.
“Would you like a snack?” Rob asked, as he took her lifejacket from her.
“Do you have any chocolate? It’s been a bit of a rough morning already.”
“I think there are some chocolate chip muffins…”
“I’m not sure they’re exactly what I need. Maybe, if I pair them with a vodka…”
Rob, wisely, didn’t respond. Instead, he led her to the InnChanter’s little galley and handed her a muffin. Then without a word, he rummaged in one of the cupboards, pulled out a bag of chocolate chips, and poured a good helping into a bowl.
Ginny smiled gratefully and took her treasure down to her berth. No wonder Rob’s wife always looked so happy; this man knew how to satisfy a woman—something Justen friggin’ Barret did not.
Ginny plopped down on the freshly made bed, set the muffin on the nightstand and then shovelled some of the chocolate chips into her mouth. She felt like she had been stood up for the prom. Or maybe this was how Cinderella felt when her stepsisters were trying on the glass slipper.
She scarfed a few more chocolate chips and then flopped back onto the bed. This was going to be a never-ending day—the ceremony wasn’t even until sunset, and there was still so much to get done—and all she wanted to do was take a nap. She rolled over on her side, curling around the bowl of chocolate chips, like it could give her comfort.
She wanted to cry; the tears were there, dammed up behind her eyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to let them loose. She would have to go back out there and face everyone eventually, and she didn’t want to walk down the aisle in front of Isla with a swollen face from bawling over Justen.
The door clicked, and Ginny knew by the way the air shifted that it was him, but she kept herself curled up on the bed, refusing to look up. If I ignore him, he will go away, she thought. She desperately needed him to go away. There wasn’t the slightest chance that she would be able to protect her heart if he stayed.
“Hey.”
His voice was low and rumbly, and it awakened tingling sensations that brought back memories of intimate moments that made her heart ache. She wasn’t strong enough to deal with this.
She sensed him moving closer, but she forced herself not to look. The berth was small, and his scent wafted over her, making her core tighten. He smelled of vanilla and something spicy that she couldn’t name; it made her want to pull him down with her.
The bed shifted as he sat on the edge of it.
“I’m sorry.” He pressed gently on her shoulder, inviting her to roll over. “I was stressed, and I took it out on you.”
His voice cracked, and suddenly all of Ginny’s resistance was gone. She rolled over onto her back, gasping at how close he was; his masculinity filled the tiny space, making her ache to be in his arms.
His lips were on hers before she could think a coherent thought. She responded to the kiss instantly, pressing her lips harder against his, her arms snaking up around his neck, pulling him down on the bed with her. All logical thought was gone.
He pulled away, hovering above her. Ginny groaned. She pulled at him, but he resisted. His stormy grey eyes were locked onto hers, and she gasped at the intensity of emotions she found in their depths. It wasn’t just worry about his dad. She surged forward trying to fuse her lips to his, but he pulled away again, not letting her have what she wanted.
“I know I say sorry a lot. It isn’t fair. But if you knew how much it meant to me to know that my girls were safe here with you while I dealt with my dad…”
His eyes changed, and Ginny was caught off guard by the uncertainty she saw there.
“I know that kids aren’t your thing…” His voice cracked again, and he looked away, breaking the intense connection.
Ginny’s heart contracted; Justen needed her right now, and that was more important than anything that had happened. She placed a hand on either side of his head, her fingers buried in his copper curls. She pulled his head down until their noses were almost touching, and he had no choice but to look her straight in her eyes.
“I would do anything for you,” she whispered.
He stared into her eyes, like he was seeking the true meaning behind her words; she forced herself not to break the contact. It was raw—so real that it was almost painful. This man had the power to damage her heart in ways that she hadn’t even imagined were possible, and she didn’t have the ability to resist him. She searched for words to break the tension.
“I care about your daughters, Justen. They’re sweet girls. And they dig fairy tales, so they’re pretty much perfect in my books.”
It took him a moment to respond to her levity, like the words had to travel down all his neural synapses before he could truly comprehend what she’d said. Then his mouth curved into a wicked grin, and he scooped one hand underneath her hips, shifting her.
Ginny shrieked as she found herself twisting through the air. The moment she landed on her knees, the lust that swelled up through her almost pushed her over the edge. Justen lay on his back, his tousled hair bright against the white bedspread. She straddled him, and her dress hiked up, leaving her legs bare. Justen took full advantage, running his hands softly up over her skin. Ginny shivered, as every cell came to life beneath his touch.
“So, tell me more about how you’d do anything for me.”
His husky voice released her inner wanton. Ginny shifted her hips, rubbing back and forth along his muscled abdomen. He let out a growl and pushed his hands up under her dress, pulling it up over her head. He let it drop to the ground beside the bed.
“Maybe you should tell me more about what kind of things you want me to do.” Ginny licked her lips slowly, communicating how badly she wanted him.
Justen groaned again. “You’re driving me wild, Ginny White.”
“I’m not as sweet and innocent as I used to be,” she said coyly, working the buttons on his pants.
“No, you are not,” he growled.
The heat of him against her bare thighs threatened to send her to places that would leave her breathless. Justen Barrett had the power to always leave her wanting for more.
CHAPTER 37
Ginny collapsed down beside Justen, breathing heavily. A fine layer of sweat glistened on the surface of her skin, but she didn’t care. She was sated in a way that she couldn’t have ever imagined possible. The feeling of Justen’s strength underneath her while she rode him to her climax had been almost more than she could handle.
“I don’t think I can move,” she murmured.
Justen shifted beside her. He pulled her closer until their bodies were touching down the full length. “We’re going to have to move.”
“No. Let’s just stay here.”
“They’ll find us. They always find us.”
Justen’s words snapped Ginny back to the present. He was right; the real world always found them. They weren’t able to escape, and that had been half the problem. Maybe, they were going about this all wrong. Maybe, they needed to stop running from the world and face it head on.
He trailed a finger down her bare stomach, making her shiver and lose her train of thought. “I’ve made plans for us.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, really. Leo’s parents are going to watch the girls, so that I can take you down to the beach for some alone time.”
“Some more adult alone time?”
Justen chuckled, then bent to drop kisses along her collarbone. “You are insatiable,” he said. “I like that about you. But I thought maybe we could go down to the beach and enjoy this amazing place. Since it took so much for us to get here.”
Ginny rolled over and buried her face in Justen’s chest, breathing in the heady scent of him. “Can’t we just stay here?”
Her words were muffled against his body. She didn’t want to leave their little cocoon. The outside world had a way of taking them down. He pressed a finger to her chin, forcing her eyes up to his face. She braced herself, as his lips moved closer.
“I promise they’ll find us,” he murmured against her mouth. “They always—”
Ginny pressed into his lips, capturing them before he could say anything else. She kissed him deeply, like she was sending him off into battle, and it was the last time she might ever have a chance to kiss him. When she let him go, she collapsed back onto the bed.
“Okay, we can go to the beach,” she said.
“You drive me crazy.” Justen shifted, rising up over her, staring down at her with eyes that smoldered with unspent passion. “I could spend all day locked in here with you.”
“Who says we have to go anywhere?” Ginny gulped, her own desire flaring as she recognized hunger in his eyes.
Justen’s eyes grew serious. “We don’t, but I want to. I don’t get many chances to take you out.”
Ginny smiled coyly. “Time for me to stop being your secret girlfriend.”
Ginny’s words hung in the air, as Justen searched her eyes. She held her breath, both wishing that she hadn’t said the words out loud—he had never referred to her as his girlfriend—and glad that she had been brave enough to put a label on it; no matter the consequences.
“You’ve never been a secret, Ginny. It’s just complicated.”
Ginny swallowed hard. It wasn’t exactly what she had wanted to hear, but she knew he wasn’t wrong either.
“I can deal with complicated.”
A smile curved Justen’s lips, and some of the shadows lurking around the corners of his eyes seemed to lift. He leaned in and dropped a gentle kiss on her lips.
“Let’s get out of here. The beach isn’t going to wait for us.”
She giggled and rolled out from underneath him, swiping her dress from the floor. She surveyed the room as she shimmied into her clothes, taking in the chocolate chips that had been spilled during their fun.
