Concealed Hearts (Hometown Jasper #4) - Nicky James Page 0,45
the men and women he worked with, and the things he liked to do for fun.
Hand in hand, we strolled an easy path among trees and rocks. I told him about my work—as much as I could—and talked about the few friends I had back in BC.
Before long, we turned back to the cabin. It was getting too dark to navigate much farther. We admired the stars as we went, talking about everything and nothing.
A few times, Windsor tugged me in for a kiss, and we shared a smile. It was freeing and made my heart flutter. I was so used to fretting and worrying all the time, and for once, all those stresses were gone.
Back at the cabin, I collected our dirty dishes off the picnic table out back and headed inside. “Where are you living now?”
Windsor tidied the leftover dinner while he spoke. “You know the old Sullivan mansion?”
“Yes. Oh, wow. You live there?” I hadn’t thought of that place since I was a sixteen-year-old kid. “In the haunted mansion?”
“It’s not haunted. You don’t believe that, do you? But no, I live in the old servant house beside it. They divided the property lines a while back, and I bought it. It’s not huge. Two bedrooms, limited living space, small yard. More than enough for this bachelor, but it works.”
“We used to sneak into that place as teenagers. The mansion.”
“Kids still do. Hell, they did back when I was in school as well. No one cares that the building is condemned and falling apart. It’s still a prime location for drugs, sex, and illegal teenage parties.”
I put the clean dishes away and wiped the counters. “Did you ever sneak in there as a kid?”
Windsor removed the cloth from my hand and tossed it in the sink. It took everything in me not to pick it up again and hang it properly to dry.
He turned me so my back was against the counter and held my chin. “Don’t look at the cloth. Look at me.”
“It’s like you read my mind.”
“If I don’t stop you, you’ll clean this whole goddamn kitchen.”
“I don’t see a problem with that.”
Windsor kissed me, looping his arms around my waist and crowding closer until we were crushed together. His heat surrounded me, and I forgot all about the state of the kitchen. When we came up for air, he stayed close, his whole focus on my lips.
“Yeah, I was in that mansion plenty as a kid. In fact, I took a dare to sleep overnight there with a bunch of friends when I was seventeen. A group of us broke through the boarded up kitchen window around back and snuck in. Royce Delaney stole a twenty-sixer of his dad’s whiskey. We got drunk off our asses and played truth or dare that night. There was me, Royce, a guy named Justin Patterson, Eric Manhorn, and Dwayne … I can’t remember his last name. Don’t think his family is around town anymore. We also invited three girls from school. Lacy, Gillian, and Rose.”
The mischievous look on Windsor’s face made me smile. “So you weren’t always a law-abiding citizen. Windsor Elkhart, I’m shocked. Underage drinking. Breaking and entering. You were a trouble-maker.”
“Which is why when I see other kids sneaking around the property, I’m hard-pressed to go chasing them off. I’d be a hypocrite. The Sullivan mansion is almost a rite of passage for teens in Jasper. Not much else to do.”
His hands landed on my waist, and he nipped my lips again, almost like he couldn’t help himself. His hunger surged through him and into me. The hard length of Windsor’s erection pressed against my leg, and I wanted to call it a night, drag him into the bedroom, and convince him to defile me in only the best possible way.
“You’re distracting from my story.” He rutted against me and groaned as he deepened our kiss. “Where was I?”
“Um… Truth or dare.”
“Right. We all got drunk and played truth or dare. That was the day I figured out that I was far more into boys than I was girls.”
I pulled back and pressed my hands to his chest. “Wait. What? What happened?”
He chuckled, and it brought out the wrinkles beside his eyes. “Got your attention now, don’t I?”
“Spill. This is going to be good.”
He worked at untucking my shirt and dove his hands underneath, smoothing them against my bare skin. Goose bumps shivered down my arms when his callused thumb rubbed over a nipple. I sucked