Stroke Of Fear

slowly turning up into a smile. “Goddamn, Aubrey,” he whispers.

   More, I fucking want—no need—more. “More,” I say, grasping the back of his neck and bringing his lips down to mine.

   He groans into my mouth, gripping at my side. “Aubrey,” he warns. I feel what he’s talking about pressed against the inside of my thighs. He definitely wants me, too. Badly. Christ.

   I don’t care. I can’t care. I run my fingers through his hair, drag them down the taunt, hard muscles of his back, through his shirt, all the way down to his pant line. I grip onto his belt loops, and he presses into me harder. So, I don’t stop. I tug harder, not wanting him to let me go.

   Suddenly I’m gasping when he’s growling into my mouth. Sliding down, he dips his hands underneath me and palms my ass and squeezes. Feeling his calloused hands through my yoga pants is making me ache, everywhere. My panties are soaked. I’ve never been this turned on in my entire life.

   There isn’t any self-control between us. None. Mine left the premises as soon as his lips touched my own. I roll my eyes back and screw them shut when he rocks his hips against my own. “Fuck,” I mumble, twisting the edge of his shirt into my grasp.     Pulling, I tug it off until he is shirtless on top of me. Big. Fucking. Mistake. The bad lighting in his cabin the night before didn’t do him justice.

   His chest is wider than I remember, his muscles long, lean. I can’t help myself; I reach up and bite where his neck meets his shoulder. “Christ,” he hisses through his teeth.

  He rolls his hips and squeezes my side harder. “Aubrey,” he whispers into my ear. I bite him again. He moves his hips against mine. “Tell me to stop, darlin’.”

   Stop? Hell no. “No,” I refuse, trailing my fingers down his abs. They’re hard, flat and drool-worthy. I didn’t expect anything less.

   Dampening his lips, he bites down on his bottom lip, hard. Gripping my ass, he sits us both up, so that I’m straddling him. Oh. His erection settles to my warmth, and I realize exactly how I affect him. Tanner rocks me up and down on his lap, trailing kisses down my neck. I bite back a scream that’s threatening to leave my throat.

   Tanner growls and grips my neck, bringing my face down to stare at him. “Please, tell me to stop, Aubrey. Not like this. I don’t want it to be like this. I want it to be good. Long, hard, slow. I want you to feel me. I want to fuck you the way that you deserve. Not in the back of my truck.”

   Unable to help it, a cry breaks from my throat.

   “Aubrey,” he whispers, locking his lips with mine again. Heaven. Closing my eyes, I roll my hips on his, feeling his fingers dig into my ass harder.

   “Tanner,” I moan, reaching for his zipper. I feel it, then his fingers latch around my wrist.

   “Please, tell me to stop, Aubrey.” He screws his eyes shut. “Not like this. Not in the back of my goddamn truck.” He’s breathless. Biting my lip, I nod. I understand. A little bit of me wants it to be more special. To let him touch me, taste me as long and as slow as he wants to. I know it’s going to be worth it.

   “Okay, I’m sorry. I just—”

   He stops me with his finger on my lip. “Thank you. I want you just as bad. Don’t think any different, ya hear me?”

   I nod. “Yes, sir.”

   A smile rises from the corner of his lips and he winks. “That’s what Daddy likes to hear.”

   Tanner drags me back under the covers and pulls me to him. We sit in the silence of the night for a few minutes. I love the feeling of him pressed against me, holding me so close. I feel safe. Wanted.

   “Tanner, you know how to swim, right?”

   He chuckles in my ear. “I saved you, didn’t I?”

   I swallow and nod. “I want you to help me. I know how to swim; I just freak out when I’m in the water. I can’t concentrate and everything is going crazy in my head. Can you help me?”

   My eyes are closed, even though I’m not facing him, I don’t want to see his reaction. Tanner reaches around and pulls me onto my back. “Look at me, Aubrey.”

   I open my eyes and gaze at him. His gray eyes are intense, his smile slightly pulled up. “I would love to help you.”

   I sigh in relief. “Thank you.”

   Pulling me onto his chest, he kisses the top of my head. “No, thank you.”

* * *

     My eyes flutter open. A yawn rips from my mouth, and I wipe across my face. Wet? Why is my face damp? Sitting up, I gasp. The sun is well in the sky. Why am I outside? What. The. Hell?

   Tanner. He’s lying beside me, one hand hanging over my waist, the other tucked in the covers beside him. His mouth is partly open, his chest moving in slow, elaborate sighs.

   The morning dew is covering his face and my own. I wipe at my neck, and pull my damp hair from sticking to my skin. Birds are flying around, the morning sun beating down on us. Oh, no. What time is it? I search around for my phone, but I come up short.

   Sliding out of Tanner’s grip, I crawl toward the tailgate and jump off. I wade through the weeds, and dig around inside his truck until I find my cell resting in the cup holder.

   Ten in the morning. Shit, we’re so late. Shutting the door, I glance over the field, and my eyes stop by the edge of the woods. Someone is there. Watching us. Chills rack over my body, my hands begin to shake. No, it’s not him. He’s in prison. Attempted murder. Craziness. Fucking whacko. He. Is. Not. Out. The distance is wide, long between us. But, I feel his gaze like he’s standing next to me.

   He’s wearing a white hat. Tilting his head to the side, he stares. Like Jason or Michael Myers. A soft touch breezes against my arm, and I scream.

   “Hey, it’s me,” Tanner says into my ear. “What’s wrong?” He turns me around to look at him. I try to open my mouth, but I can’t. I just point. He follows my finger, and his dark, brows pull down in the middle. “What is it?”

   What? I spin around, and my jaw drops. No one is standing by the woods. Was I imagining it? “He was… someone was standing right there.”

   “Stay here,” Tanner says, gesturing toward the passenger seat.

   “Wait, where are you going?”

   He turns around and lifts a brow. “I’m gonna go check. Get in the truck until I get back.” Nodding, I crawl into the truck and watch as he walks toward the edge of the woods and disappears.

   Had someone really been there? It was such a distance, but he looked so real. I’m not imagining things. When ten minutes hits I’m shaking against the door handle, my fingers lightly wrapped around the metal. Tanner emerges almost in the same spot. He is walking slowly, hands shoved in his jeans pockets. He doesn’t have a shirt on still, and I ogle him as he walks back. God, how hot can one person be? It should be against the law. He could easily give a girl a heart attack. It’s not only that he’s Ian Somerhalder gorgeous. It’s different. Humble. Masculine. He would be the spokes-model for sexy lumberjacks. His shoulders are wide, strong; his skin tanned and flawless.

   “I didn’t see anybody, darlin’,” his southern drawl brings me back to the present.

   I press my lips together. “You don’t believe me?” He doesn’t. Why would he? We just met. We’re just now starting—whatever this is between us—and now I’ve chased him off. No one believed me at first either. I had seen Michael around town for a while. He would follow me to school some days. Then he wasn’t there when I went to get the teacher. Ever.

   “Darlin’,” he voice is deep, seductive. “If you say you saw something I believe you. Maybe it was someone from the house on the other side of the woods. A few cabins are there. I’m sure it was someone.” He runs his fingers along his jaw. “Now, you ready to go back to camp? We’re probably gonna get our asses in trouble. We didn’t show up for breakfast, and our campout starts in two hours.”

   He believes me. “Thank you. Let’s go.”