“I don’t know what it’s called, I just remember it stank if you rubbed up against a tree and got it on yourself. Mama would go out in the woods wearing her most obnoxious perfume whenever we came across those wick things hanging in the trees. She really hated hunters.”
“So whoever attacked you was probably a hunter. Deer season isn’t until September, so he either was poaching or he got some of the stuff onto his clothes before he went after you today.”
“There’s only a hundred or so hunters in Dale. I guess it isn’t that great of a lead.”
“It’s another piece of the puzzle. When you put them all together, you get the whole picture. What I want to know is how this lotion reminded you of doe urine. If that’s what it smells like, I’m in big trouble.”
“Idiot. No, when Mr. Farley used to go hunting, he’d get all red and chapped, and Mrs. Farley would make him use lotion, which he hated. You talking about using the lotion for when your face got chapped reminded me of that which reminded me of the hunting-scent stuff.”
“I guess that makes sense. In a convoluted sort of way. Now rest while I try to ease your shoulder. I know it’s hurting you.”
Nadya let J.T. massage her back and shoulder. At first, she winced every time he touched her upper arm, but after a while, the soothing motions helped her to relax and she felt less sore.
“You’ve got one heck of a bruise on your cheek. I’ll get some ice for that.”
Rolling over was easier than she expected. The ibuprofen must have kicked in. “Thanks. For everything. I’m sure this wasn’t how you expected to spend tonight. I know it wasn’t what I had in mind after this morning.”
J.T. helped her into a flannel shirt of his that was loose and soft. When she was covered, he held her hands in his. “The day I don’t want to have sex with you will be the day they put the last nail in my coffin, but that’s not all I want to do with you. I have a good time whether our clothes are on or off. I always have.”
“Really?” Her heart melted like butter. “I remember you spending a lot of time trying to get my clothes off the summer we graduated high school.”
“Well, yeah. I was an eighteen-year-old guy and you had breasts. It was hard to think about anything else.”
“News flash, I still have breasts.”
“Yeah, but I have a little more control over my dick now. Sometimes. You still manage to push me over the edge.”
“I find that hard to believe. You had some pretty amazing control for a teenage boy. I was all set to lose my virginity to you and you stopped.”
“That really bothers you, doesn’t it? It’s not the first time you’ve mentioned the incident.”
“I guess it does bother me. I felt like I was making this life-altering decision, then you changed the game plan. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you were thinking about protection, because I sure wasn’t, but still. I guess I always felt like I wasn’t good enough or something.”
She couldn’t look at him, so she turned her head aside. He brought her gaze back to his with two fingers under her chin.
“I never wanted to do this, but you’re forcing my hand. I lied to you.”
“What?” She was stunned. Before she could pull away, he pulled her close. “That day by the creek, I was so excited to touch you, to have you touch me, I lost control and came too early.”
“What? You made me think… All this time I thought… And you just had premature lift off!” She smacked him on the arm. “Even when we were on Mary Ellen’s porch you made it seem like you were thinking about me and not having protection. Jerk.”
A wave of relief rushed through her. It wasn’t that he hadn’t wanted her enough. It was that he’d wanted her too much. She couldn’t hold back the laughter any longer, and it burst from her in a roar.
“Hey, that was a traumatic moment for me. You were a virgin, and I’d already lost it at my last school. I was supposed to be experienced, and you shot me off like a rocket. I had to save face somehow.”
“In a way it was a good thing. For a girl, losing her virginity isn’t a great experience. I’m glad