Heartburn (Love By Design 3)

“Yeah, Amelia Rae Faust. I held onto to that report for weeks hoping you’d contact me first, come back to the Ranger Station with those chocolate chip cookies you promised me.” My name lingered on his lips, lips I wanted to kiss.

“It’s always about the food with you guys.” Hands on my hips, I smiled. Now was probably not the best time to tell him I was no cook, baker, or otherwise. The Keurig in the kitchen was probably the highlight of my culinary skills.

“I’m waiting.” Whit opened his arms, but I wanted him to take me and mean it. It was about as good as Custer’s last stand with neither of us willing to relent.

“Well, don’t just stand there, Mr. Green-Forest-Power-Ranger, sweep me off my feet already.” Arms crossed over my chest I tapped my fingers on my elbows.

He rolled his eyes and power walked the two steps toward me. Yeah, so either my apartment was shoebox NYC sized, or he had a huge stride.

Whit leaned down, whispering, “As you wish.” He picked me up hoisting me over his shoulder stomping toward my bedroom.

“Floors not your thing anymore?” I chuffed.

Whit paused cupping my ass in his hand. He rested his palm there for a second and I bit my lip wondering if he might do more than just tap my ass.

“Not today, Amelia.” His tone brooked no arguments.

I shuddered.

“Hmm, too bad cause there’s a yoga mat under the couch we could use,” I poked his back playfully. His large hands squeezed the backs of my thighs.

“Proactive, but no thanks.” He stopped inside the doorway to my bedroom and I realize then what he must have seen. His red sweatshirt folded neatly on my bed next to my pillow.

Ugh, I’m such a dork. At least I hadn’t been wearing it when he showed up at the door.

Gently, he slid me down over his shoulder and chest. My hands rested on his shoulders and my stomach clenched tight. I swayed when he pushed me back slightly so I bounced my ass on the end of the bed. Leaning back, I scooted up the mattress like a sacrificial offering to the man I saw as my bedroom god. Whit huffed a heavy breath before leaning over to strip the comforter out from underneath me. He crawled on top, trapping me beneath him. Leaning on an elbow, his hips dropped heavy in the cradle of mine while his free hand brushed loose tendrils of hair off my face.

He winked at me. “Nice shirt.”

“Yeah some guy gave it to me when he wasn’t being a total asshole.” I smiled.

“He probably figured you would call him back or bring those cookies you so blithely offered.” He remarked dryly.

“All right, well, hopefully the mattress isn’t too soft for your liking.” I rattled off nonsense as we ignored the awkwardness of the shirt for now. He grinned shaking his head, lips hovering so close I could breathe him in, the outdoors permeating every cell of my body with giddy happiness. He was pine, smoke, and malt, but mostly in this moment, he was mine.

“You’re soft and I like you, and that’s all I can handle right now.” Whit pressed his body into mine letting the bed dip. Heat permeated between us as he kiss me. I was undecided if he was kissing the stupid out of me or into me. My heart fluttered as our lips connected, moving with the words we didn’t or couldn’t say. Each touch conveyed another telepathic thought, fingers tangled in hair and hands gripped hips with pinches that would leave love marks for later. I held him closer to the place that craved him slowly hooking my legs around his waist as his hand skimmed up my leg and into the shorts I wore. His fingers hooked my panties gripping them tight.

“You might want to take those pants off.” I quipped rubbing myself over the teasing ridge pressing against me.

“We finally have a nice warm, dry bed and you have to rush my game, girl?” Whit hung his head into my shoulder, his body shaking with laughter.

“Ain’t my fault it took you so long to come around.”

“That’s it.” He growled fiercely ripping my panties like the savage man I adored. On a sigh, I relaxed into him thinking that maybe this time, just maybe, I was the girl who got the guy.

Yeah, I’d like that a lot.

14

Whit

“Just ask it again, only slightly more patronizing this time.” She leaned back in the booth arms crossed over her lovely breasts, her pretty violet eyes on fire.

I was back in Lia’s presence for a mere three hours and sixteen minutes and already we were bickering at the diner. We desperately needed a refuel after our sex-fest which could only be satiated with gravy fries. Funny thing was that I missed this, our back and forth volley. The tension was there between us all over again like we’d never been apart, and I knew if I kissed her we would end up naked as the day we were born on the white and gold glitter Formica tabletop shifting coffee cups and plates to the floor without a care in the world. Okay, that was my dirty fantasy, but still.

She eyeballed me hard. Yeah, I could have been more diplomatic asking her what she’d been up to in the time I hadn’t seen her, but that wasn’t what I wanted to know and we both knew it. My jealousy raged with irrational intensity and I didn’t want to dive too deep to explore where it was coming from. I had enough issues with my parents and my grandfather that I pushed down in favor of ignoring them all devoting all my attention to the woodland pixie I’d found again.

“I’m waiting Whittaker Jones.” Amelia tapped her short nails on the table top giving me no quarter.