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Sandy didn’t know who was more excited to see Heff—her or Kevin. After thinking about that last kiss, however, the answer was clear—her. Definitely her.
She made a quick stop at the local beer distributor to pick up a case of the lager the guys liked as well as another stop at the farmers market. Regardless of what Heff or Sam had said, she wasn’t going to go empty-handed, and Obermacher’s locally brewed fruit teas and ciders were pretty awesome.
Once again, they were blessed with a beautiful day. The sun was hot, but the humidity was low, and a constant, light breeze kept them cool and comfortable as they drove up the tree-lined, curvy mountain road, windows open, the music of the oldies station playing on the car stereo.
Heff was waiting for them when they pulled up to the main building, and she got out of the car. The smile on his face suggested he’d heard them coming. That wasn’t surprising since the radio volume had edged up a little more with each great song.
Her heart thudded a little at the sight of him—a common occurrence these days. If any man ever looked better in worn blue jeans, a plain white tee, and combat boots, she’d never seen it.
She forced her eyes away long enough to take a quick look around. Bundles of cut flat stones, still in their wire wrapping, sat among neat stacks of pressure-treated lumber and other construction materials. The place was clearly a work in progress, but there was no mistaking its grandeur.
“Hugh!”
Kevin opened the door and made a beeline for Heff, embracing him in an enthusiastic hug. Kevin didn’t do that to anyone else, only Heff. Not that she blamed him. She wanted to wrap herself around Heff, too, but for entirely different reasons.
“Hey, buddy.” Heff accepted his hug and returned it and then faced Sandy and opened his arms. “What, no sugar, sugar?” His eyes twinkled devilishly, a dare if she’d ever seen one.
“Maybe later, if you’re lucky.”
Heff winked. “Lucky’s my middle name. Come on. Everyone is down by the water. Church has the grill fired up, and Mad Dog is going to go rabid if he doesn’t get some food in him soon.”
“Can you give me a hand?” she asked, popping the trunk.
Heff looked in at the case of beer and assorted gallon jugs. “You didn’t have to do that,” he said, but approval shone in his eyes.
She shrugged. The lager was expensive, but it was worth the price just to see the muscles bunch and dance in Heff’s arms and upper body as he lifted the case out of the trunk.
She and Kevin each took two jugs of tea and cider and followed Heff down a winding path, the sound of music and voices growing louder as they went. They reached a massive gazebo, oblong in shape with two huge stone fireplaces on either end, ceiling fans swirling lazily from hand-hewn beams above.
It was elegant and rustic at the same time, capable of holding a hundred people or more, the kind of place that could host a wedding reception as easily as a summer barbecue. Nestled beside a large pond among the mountains and forests with an expanse of lush grass surrounding it, it would afford spectacular views during any season.
In the span of a heartbeat, multiple images raced through her mind. Jet-skiing on the water in summer beside Heff, trying to keep her mind on the controls and not on how he looked in swim trunks. Taking a casual walk, hand in hand, in the splendor of autumn. Sipping hot chocolate with a fire roaring in the hearth after ice skating. Lying on the grass, looking up at the clouds, as they basked in the sun on the first warm spring day ...
They weren’t entirely outside the realm of possibility. Those things could happen—if she were still around.
Sandy was both surprised and pleased when she spotted Tori, Brian, and Danny there too. While she recognized the others, she hadn’t really talked to anyone besides Tori. Matt and Sam, she knew because they were local. She’d seen the Sanctuary guys plenty of times at Franco’s but not outside of that.
Heff called out an introduction as they approached. “Guys—and ladies—you all know Sandy, and this is her brother Kevin.”
Several offered a wave or called out a greeting.
Matt Winston—or Church, as Heff called him—turned from the industrial-sized grill and waved a big pair of tongs. “Glad you could make it, Sandy. Today, we get to serve you for a change.”
She grinned. “Does that mean I have to leave a tip?”
Heff glanced at her and gave her a secret smile, one filled with wicked promise. “I’ve got your tip right here.”
“Nice, Heff,” mumbled Sam.
“I was talking about the beer, Sam. Jeez, Smoke, your woman has a dirty mind.”
Another man—Smoke—came over and relieved her of the gallon jugs she’d carried, grinning but saying nothing. From what Sandy had observed at the restaurant, he was one of the strong, silent types.
Sam shook her head, but her lips quirked, and her eyes sparkled with amusement as she turned back to Sandy and jerked a thumb toward Heff. “Thanks for coming—in spite of him.”
“Ouch, Sam,” Heff said, taking the case over to the massive ice-filled cooler. “She’s vicious too, Smoke. You should really do something about that.”
“She’s perfect just the way she is,” Smoke answered, giving Sam a look over his shoulder that made Sandy’s knees weak.
Sam wasn’t unaffected. Her eyes glowed as she tracked his progress toward the cooler, raking over his broad back and lowering to his backside. Sandy could relate. She was doing the same thing, only her focus was on the man next to him.
“I see you brought Obermacher’s. Best peach tea ever. In fact, I’m going to get myself some right now. Can I get one for you?”
“That would be great, thanks.”
“Something for Kevin?” Sam asked, directing the question toward both of them. She wondered if Heff had given them a heads-up because no one seemed surprised or weirded out by his presence.
As expected, Kevin didn’t respond.
“I think he’s good,” Sandy told her. “He just needs a few minutes to acclimate.”
“No worries. I’ll be right back.”
“Hey, Kev!” Danny called out, emerging with an excited wave from inside the gazebo. “Over here! Wait till you see what I brought!”
Kevin shifted his weight.
“Go on,” Sandy coaxed. “You and Danny have fun. I’ll be right here, and so will Hugh. Okay?”
Kevin nodded and began walking slowly toward the gazebo as Sam returned with two glasses of tea and handed one to Sandy.
“Thanks. And thanks for inviting us,” Sandy added.
Sam grinned. “Are you kidding? Thank you. These guys are great, but it’s nice, having some estrogen around here to combat all this testosterone.”
“And Danny’s obviously thrilled because, now, he has someone to play with.” Tori said, joining them. “How was the farm show?”
“It was a lot of fun. Kevin did great. We couldn’t have done it without Heff though. Kevin adores him.”
Speaking of the sexy devil, he chose that moment to return. “What are we talking about? I heard my name.”
“We are talking about the farm show,” Sam informed him. “You should be over there, putting your money where your mouth is.” Sam looked to Sandy and explained, “He’s been telling everyone he has this amazing, super-secret Cajun barbecue sauce that’s going to”—she made air quotes with her fingers—“ ‘change our lives.’ ”
“That is one hundred percent accurate. It will change your life. In fact, my secret sauce will ruin you for all other sauces.” He winked at Sandy. She coughed and looked away.
“Yeah, yeah, all talk and no action. Go on then.” Sam laughed and made a shooing motion with her hand. “Do your thing before poor Mad Dog over there faints from hunger. Sandy will be just fine with us. Right, Sandy?”
“Right,” she agreed.
Heff looked at her, mischief twinkling in his eyes. “You sure? You could hang with me, be my assistant. I’ll even let you hold my ... implements. Proper technique is everything.”
Sandy laughed, recognizing what he was really doing beneath the humor and innuendo—giving her an out if she was feeling uncomfortable. He was incredibly sweet and perceptive that way. She appreciated it more than he probably knew, but she figured she could hold her own for a while. She and Tori got along well, and while she didn’t know Sam very well, her easygoing, down-to-earth vibe suggested they would get along too.
“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll wait and be wowed with everyone else.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself, but you’ll see. You’ll be begging me for it later.”
He walked away, whistling, his gait both cocky and hypnotic. Her eyes were drawn to his broad shoulders and fine backside once again, thinking that, yes, she probably would be begging at some point. Heat rushed into her face when she turned back and found Sam and Tori grinning at her. Thankfully, they didn’t call her out on it.
“Looks like the guys have everything under control,” Sam said. “Let’s head into the shade and relax while they argue over who has the bigger tools.”
Sandy laughed and followed behind her. “Do they do that a lot?”
“Constantly. I think it’s a guy thing.”
They sat down at one of the tables that had been set up in the gazebo. Kevin and Danny were on the far side, building something while Danny chattered on.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard Danny talk so much,” Sam observed a short while later.
“He only does that around Kevin,” Tori told her. “He told me today that Kevin is his best friend.” She turned to Sandy. “I’m so glad you decided to give us a try. Having Kevin around is doing wonders. He’s really bringing Danny out of his shell. He’s made some friends in Pine Ridge, but they’re mostly younger, and he doesn’t get to see them as often.”
“Danny’s good for Kevin too. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I’ve seen some positive changes just in the last few weeks since I’ve known him.”
Sam’s eyes widened slightly. Clearly, neither Tori nor Heff had mentioned anything about her situation, which she found refreshing. She’d been the subject of small-town gossip for so long; she’d become accustomed to people openly sharing and commenting on her life.
What had happened wasn’t exactly a secret though, and Sandy found herself explaining a little about the circumstances that had brought Kevin to her. Tori had already known most of the story anyway, and Sam was a lot like Tori in that she was very easy to talk to.
“Wow,” Sam said when Sandy finished. “So, you don’t know where your father or Kevin’s mom are?”
“Our father’s in jail,” Sandy said, unable to keep the bitterness completely from her tone, “and we thought we had a lead on Kevin’s mom, but it was outdated. She was gone by the time I called.”
“Maybe you should ask Cage,” Sam suggested thoughtfully. “He’s really good at tracking people down.”
Her eyes darkened momentarily, and Sandy recalled some of what Heff had told her—how one of the guys had used his digital skills to figure out where Sam’s kidnapper had taken her. Sandy guessed that guy was Cage. She made a mental note to talk to Heff about it later.
“Maybe I will, thanks.”
After a delicious lunch of grilled meats and veggies, Heff offered to take her and Kevin on a tour of the place. Sam and Tori encouraged her to go. Kevin and Danny were engrossed in their building project, and with Tori’s assurances that she’d keep an eye on both boys, it was just Sandy and Heff.
Once they entered the forest and were out of view, Heff backed her up against a tree and kissed her, a soul-searing meeting of lips, teeth, and tongue that made her forget everything else.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” he admitted softly.
She had too. That, and a whole lot more. But they were both showing remarkable restraint. If she hadn’t felt the hard proof of his arousal against her belly or seen the way his eyes blazed with heat, she might have doubted him. As it was, she was just incredibly turned on.
With a heavy sigh and obvious reluctance, he stepped back and curled his fingers around hers. “Right. Tour. Now.”
She chuckled softly, taking pleasure in his single-worded sentences and the knowledge that he was every bit as affected as she was. “You sure?” she asked, the ache in her core making her bold. “Because I have this fantasy about sex in the woods—”
She didn’t get to finish that thought before she was up against another tree, and his lips were covering hers, even as his fingers were slipping into her shorts.
“Goddamn it.” He groaned as his fingers stroked between her legs. “You’re so fucking hot. So fucking wet. And so fucking close, aren’t you?”
She was close. Embarrassingly so. Being around Heff did that to her. The self-care she’d been giving herself every night didn’t begin to satisfy the hunger he’d created, and watching him discreetly over the course of the afternoon hadn’t helped.
She grabbed on to his shoulders, curled her hips, and met his rhythm, moaning when he slipped one and then two fingers inside her and hit that perfect spot. He added the pressure of his thumb on her clit, and she exploded with a silent scream against his neck.
He held her tight against him, stroking gently as he brought her down.
“If you expect me to control myself, you can’t talk about your fantasies when we’re alone in a forest, Sandy. There’s not a tree here I won’t fuck you against.”
His voice was rough, husky, like the calloused fingers that had just brought her so much pleasure. He withdrew his hand, and with his eyes locked with hers, he licked his fingers. It was one of the most erotic things she’d ever seen, and just like that, her arousal revved right back up.
“My turn.” She licked her lips and reached for him, but he stepped quickly out of her reach and shook his head.
“Oh, no.”
He was bigger than her. Stronger. Faster. She couldn’t physically manhandle him with the same ease of effort he had done to her. So, she chose another tactic.
She dropped to her knees and looked up at him, letting him see just how much she wanted him. “Yes.”
She could see him warring with himself. What he wanted versus what he thought he should do.
“Please, Heff.”
Her secret fantasies hadn’t been only about him getting her off, but also about her doing the same to him. As wonderful as he made her feel, she craved the rush that came from making him lose control just as much. To see his eyes fill with lust, to feel his body tense and flex, to hear his breath and heartbeat get faster and heavier as she explored and enjoyed.
She knew the exact moment when he made a decision. His eyes darkened, and he stepped forward, tangling his fingers in her hair while she made quick work of undoing his jeans. He hissed as she released his cock and wrapped her hand around his solid thickness. He was so hot, so hard, the tip already glistening.
“Ah, fuck, Sandy.”
She wasted no time, wrapping her mouth around as much of him as she could. She sucked and licked and stroked with singular focus. He must have needed it every bit as she had because, in mere minutes, he was pulling her hair and coming hard down her throat.
“That was ...”
“Incredible,” she finished for him, licking her lips.
“Not part of the plan.” He exhaled and refastened his jeans. Then, he pulled her up for another soul-searing kiss. “I want to take this slow, Sandy. I want to do it right.”
“Doing it right is doing whatever works for us. And this? This definitely works for us.”
“Can’t argue with that.” He kissed her again—this time, sweet and tender. “Now, are you ready for the rest of the tour, or do you want me to bend you over that fallen tree and fuck you senseless?”
“Are you actually giving me a choice?”
He groaned. “No. Let’s go.”
He grabbed her hand and tugged her forward. He showed her the path that would eventually connect Sanctuary to Danny’s Happy Trail Ranch, providing off-road access on horseback. They emerged on the far side of the pond, and Heff pointed out outbuildings in various states of disrepair as well as the trailers most of them lived in and the cabin they’d fixed up for Smoke and Sam.
“It’s really beautiful here,” she told him as they concluded their tour and approached the gazebo.
“It is,” he agreed. “But it’s not for everyone.”
No, it wasn’t, herself included. It was peaceful and quiet and scenic, but it held none of the energy of the big city. Strangely enough, the idea of moving to New York didn’t seem quite as appealing as it had. Much of that could probably be attributed to the man walking beside her and not the area itself.
“What about you?”
He looked down at her, his lips holding the ghost of a smile. “For me? It’s perfect.”
Was he talking about her or about the area? He seemed far too ... vital ... for such a sleepy little place or to be satisfied with someone like her for any length of time.
She told him as much, “You don’t think you’ll get bored?”
“No, not anytime soon.” He grinned, an added silent reassurance to the meaningful squeeze he gave her hand. “And as for this place, it’ll take years to realize Church’s vision. Besides, I’ve already seen and done more things than most people do in a lifetime. I’m good.”
She envied him those experiences, those opportunities. Despite the undeniable chemistry between them, they were as far apart on the spectrum of life experiences as they could get. He’d traveled, seen places, done things. She hadn’t.
A sense of uncertainly rippled through her. As wonderful as it felt being with him, were they making a mistake in trying to take things beyond the purely physical and into something more? The more time she spent with him, the more time she wanted to spend with him, but she hadn’t planned on it becoming a long-term thing. Her end goals hadn’t changed. What would happen when her universe finally aligned, and it came time for her to leave?
She didn’t want to think about that. Short-term, they were in a good place, taking things day by day. As long as she kept things in perspective, there was no reason not to make the most of it. Besides, the way things were going, it didn’t look as if she’d be leaving anytime soon.
“Hey, you okay? Where’d you go?” he asked, concern coloring his lovely green eyes.
She summoned a smile. “Nowhere. I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Stuff.”
“Got it. Mind my own business.”
She laughed. “No, it’s not that. I just don’t know what’s going to happen, you know? I had all these plans, and now, I’m in this holding pattern until something shakes loose. I love my brother—don’t get me wrong—but living in Sumneyville and working two part-time jobs ... not exactly my life goals.”
He considered that for a moment. “What do you need to move forward?”
“I’d like to get in touch with Kevin’s mom because I have no idea what’s going through her mind. Like, did she walk away permanently, or is this a break to get herself together? A lot of what I do next will depend on that. That reminds me ... Sam said something about Cage being good at finding people. Do you think he’d help me track down Kevin’s mother?”