Bliss. Pure, simple, raw,bliss.
Chapter 6
Okay, so he’d lied. Sort of.
Yes, Brock had wanted to make sure Brianna was all right. But mostly, after the adrenaline dump of confronting that fucking asshole, he wanted to hold her. To taste her sweetness. Feel her soft curves pressed up against his body.
And she was sweet. Her mouth tasted like fresh, ripe cherries. She opened for him when he pressed his tongue against her soft, plump lips and he explored her mouth. She wasn’t bashful, which turned him on even more. Brianna explored every inch of his mouth as she first gripped his upper arms, then ran her hands over his back. He groaned as her fingers found the nape of his neck and then played with his hair. He thought he was hard before, but her teasing, talented fingers had his cock aching, wanting to be in on the action.
He ran his hands down her back and cupped her perfect ass—not bony and skinny but round and plump. He imagined grabbing it as he drove into her or as she rode on top, gazing down at him, tits swaying as they reached their climax together…
I shouldn’t be doing this. He was supposed to be working, patrolling the grounds for any trespassers. He figured he was already in trouble for the altercation with Jerold, maybe to the point that Kyle would kick him off the assignment. But with Brianna in his arms, he wasn’t sure if he cared about that.
She pulled away. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.” She smiled up at him.
Yup. Totally worth it. He brushed her hair back from her face. “Am I going too fast?”
She bit her lower lip. “No. Yes. Ask me that later.” She glanced at her fiddle case on the ground. “I probably need to head back.”
Dammit. Hewasgoing too fast and she was too sweet to admit it. “I don’t want to screw this up.”
She bent and grabbed the case, but quickly met his eyes again. “You aren’t, I promise.” She shook her head. “I just wish…that we weren’t meeting right now. The timing—”
“Is bad. I get it.” He blew out a breath. “Let me walk you back?”
“Of course.” They started toward the river. After a few steps, she added, “I’m not saying no.”
“I get it.” And he did, but it still stung, just a little. It felt like leaving San Diego all over again—his friends, his family. The woman he thought might come along with him, even though in retrospect, he knew the relationship had been over for a long time.Get over yourself, Badger.
Brianna grabbed his hand. “I hope you do.”
And that was enough to settle him.
* * *
Brock spent the rest of the day on the job, wishing the day would hurry by so that he could see Brianna again. It helped that he caught someone trying to sneak in through the woods behind the main stage. The St. Vrain curved around back there, too, providing hidden access to anyone with an inner tube, which made patrolling and guarding a challenge. There was hardly anything to the fence back there, either. But the guy was just a looky-loo hoping to take some photos for his damn social media, not paparazzi trying to get an exclusive shot of Rachael or the other celebrity judges and instructors.
Brock didn’t know a lot about the folk music/country/bluegrass scene, but from what he’d researched online he knew that Rachael wasn’t the only star present before the festival started, just the biggest at the moment. And bigger stars were coming in on Wednesday ahead of Friday’s start, including a banjo-playing comedian who had been around forever.
After turning the trespasser over to a deputy at the security station, Brock went back to patrolling the grounds. Music filled the air, adding to the beauty of the place. The broad lawn where everyone would spread out their tarps and blankets was thick and green, watered to within an inch of its life. The sky was blue over the tall cottonwoods ringing three sides of the grounds and the red stone cliffs towering over the St. Vrain on the fourth side. The sound of rushing water and music bounced off that wall and floated over the farm, along with clapping and occasional laughter.
He could understand why Sean loved his home, but not why he was eager to leave it and join up with the Swicks. Though, his buddy’s great love in life was seeing the world. Arden was the polar opposite, wanting nothing more than to stay on the ranch where they grew up. He hoped she wasn’t angry with him after yesterday, but he didn’t like the way she was talking about Brianna.
God, why do I feel like I’m just a bull in a china shop these days?
But when hadn’t he been? Maybe his earlier display had intimidated Brianna and this was her way of backing off.
But that kiss. There was nothing hesitant about that.
Still, he avoided patrolling by the river and left that up to Jake and a couple other guys. Brianna’s group was practicing over there and the last thing he wanted was to stir up trouble for her again. Jerold had gone back to the group of musicians like nothing had happened, and whenever Jake reported in over their comms, everything was five by five. Brock hoped he’d become Jerold’s target so that the jackass wouldn’t focus on Brianna, and Brock had a hunch that Jerold would aim his anger at her today the second he saw Brock.
White trash.
Son of a bitch, calling her that. No wonder she was so focused on her music, determined to succeed. Brock didn’t want to bring up those two words with her and put her on the spot, make her thinkhethought of her that way. He’d let her do all the talking—or not—as she saw fit.
The sun was setting when he got the text from Brianna:
Thanks for earlier. Want to meet for dinner?
