Page 38 of Never Finished

I grinned, feeling like a boy again before I texted back.

Jaime: Naughty thoughts, I hope…

Emma: Of course. I was just thinking about that old truck of yours…

Jaime: What about it?

Emma: I can’t believe you still have it. I thought for sure I’d lose my virginity in that truck.

Jaime: Really? I wish I would have known that back then—you definitely could have had your way with me.

Emma: Lol. I’ve never had sex in a vehicle before… want to take my virginity, so to speak?

Jaime: Tell me more.

Emma: I’m getting wet just thinking about it… thinking that we might get caught, so I try to stay quiet, but soon I can’t take it anymore and I’m screaming your name while I come all over your cock.

Holy shit. Her fantasy had me swallowing hard and shifting in my seat, trying to ease the ache from my growing erection. I glanced around the cab of the very truck she was referring to and grinned like an idiot. I’m the luckiest son of a bitch in the world—dirty talking Emma had my full attention. But what was even better was knowing she had fantasized about me over the years and it was a shot to the heart and the groin. All this time I’d wondered if she thought about me the same way as I did her and now… I was a man on a mission.

Jaime: I can’t think of anything better than feeling you wrapped around me in this truck, screaming my name. There’s no sweeter sound than you losing control just for me. Promise me you’ll lose control with me, and let me inside in all the ways.

Her reply was one word, but it was one word that wrapped around me and worked to fill in all the cracks in my heart.

Emma: Promise.

And this started an afternoon-long text exchange.

I love days like today, where we were still connected, even when we couldn't be together and her messages comforted me knowing I was still on her mind.

What I didn’t love was her having to deal with this prick business associate I'd been hearing rumors about.

It wasn't just the man I was hearing rumors about, but the entire company he was a part of. One server, Susan, informed me his company was known for land acquisition, and she asked me nervously, "You don't think they're trying to buy the land behind the resort, do you?"

The people of Silverpine never wanted to see that land sold off. We appreciated the revenue the resort brought in, and the jobs that were created, but expansion would give us over to pure commercialism. We were proud of our lack of strip malls and big box stores.

If there was anything most Coloradans were familiar with, it was the term "land acquisition" and how it would often lead to the destruction of the surrounding beauty.

Silverpine managed to avoid capitalistic takeovers thanks in large part to Lydia Carter, and now Emma, who was honoring her mother’s wishes.

But I didn't like the rumors I was hearing.

Susan continued with bated breath, "Get Outdoors did the same thing in Alaska, apparently. There was this town that held out even longer than we have. Then the Travers’ came in and, within months, flattened everything. Now they have a bunch of steel storage container-looking buildings, a McDonald's and Starbucks and all the wildlife has run off."

I was a little taken aback when Susan’s eyes turned to me then pleading, "Jaime, everybody knows you've been hanging around Emma Carter, maybe you can find out for us."

I stuttered, "Look, I've lived in Silverpine for a long time. Every few years there's some threat of impending development, and every time it gets shut down. Let’s not make things worse by giving into the hysteria of the rumors," I tried to reassure my staff.

Emma hadn't said much, but I knew the deal was weighing heavily on her, and yet I hadn’t asked her about it. I didn't want to ruin our time together by talking about work or the family business.

Besides, at this moment, I had more pressing matters—namely how I was going to juggle a family dinner with an old flame and my bitter oldest sister.

***

When I picked up Emma, she was a bundle of nerves, but still a sight to behold that took my breath away.

Her long red hair was sweeping down her back in loose curls, and she gave her makeup a lighter touch resembling the girl I'd fallen in love with.

But what caused a stirring in my pants was that she’d worn a modest sundress. It wasn't like the sexy, slinky dress I had seen her that first night and yet there was something about the simple calico cotton hugging her curves in all the right places that had my imagination racing.

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