Burning Barriers (Barriers Series Book 3)
Read Burning Barriers (Barriers Series Book 3) Online
Authors: Sara Shirley
Tags: #Contemporary Romance
Copyright
©
2014 by Angela Page
All rights reserved
Cover Design by Renee Ericson, RE Creatives,
http://recreativesdesigns.wordpress.com
Interior Design and Formatting by Jovana Shirley,
Unforeseen Editing,
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Editing by Paige Smith
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual personas, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.
I can’t figure out why I’m suddenly back in the woods behind my parents’ house in Breckenridge, Colorado, but here I am, walking down the mountain bike trails along the ski slopes. The aspen trees rustle above me as the typical summer afternoon storm suddenly rolls in. I hear the thunder roar overhead before I see the blackened storm clouds that continue to darken the path I’m trekking. I traveled this path a million times before I left this town. It was the quickest route to Jake Galloway’s house. I could walk this path blindfolded in the dark; that’s how many times I sneaked out to see him.
To see him
.
I never really went
to see him
. Until the end of the summer after our high school graduation, we were hotter than hot for each other. His parents owned a luxury mountainside villa that cost more than I would ever earn in my lifetime, but I never had any issues with his family. They operated a horse ranch in the area, trained barrel racers, and were hardly around. I’d sneak out almost every night to be with Jake.
My feet move steadily below me. Branches crunch under my sneakers as the wind howls through the thick tree cover. The heavy rain suddenly begins to push through the trees, soaking me to my bones. I quicken my pace some as I begin to make out the lights of Jake’s house ahead through the onslaught of raindrops. The clearing to his property is a few yards away.
Something sends a chill down my spine, and I turn to see his stealthy eyes staring at me. I’m no longer that teenager sneaking out to see her boyfriend. I’m now twenty-five and glowering at the man who fucked me twice a couple of months ago. The same man who gave me the scar that now permanently brands my neck after he attempted to kill me as well as my best friend, Sam.
Stone.
My hand runs along my sopping neck as I feel the raised scar tissue where the knife sliced through, reminding me of that horrific night. I watch as Stone stomps forward before I yell at the top of my lungs and turn toward Jake’s house where it’s safe for me. As I turn, hands wrap around me from behind before my feet slip from under me on the slick, rocky trail. My vision becomes foggy as I am propelled forward, hitting a tree trunk on the way to the ground.
Stone’s rough laugh and evil smile rush closer to me at the same time a body soars out of nowhere, pushing Stone to the ground. The mystery man kneels over Stone, ultimately pinning him below his strong, powerful body. Punch after punch lands across Stone’s face as the shoulder muscles strain through the back of the wet T-shirt of the man who came to my rescue. I watch until Stone’s body goes limp within seconds, and the grunts from my rescuer grow silent.
This man who just saved me stands over Stone’s lifeless body, making sure he’s no longer a threat. I catch him raise the front of his shirt to wipe the sweat and rain off his face before he slowly turns toward me. The face of my rescuer stares back at me, and my body tingles all over. He’s even sexier than he was the last time I saw him. He’s no longer that high school boy I left behind. He’s
all
grown up, six feet of pure male with slightly grown out brown hair and brown eyes that overpower my senses. While I simply gaze,
a cocky smile creeps across his face as he begins to near me.
My jaw drops as my body weakens into lava the closer he gets to me. “Jake,” I breathlessly say as my body temperature rises, and my heart pounds inside my chest.
My eyes can’t focus and begin trailing over his body. His chiseled jawline is sharp, but his eyes scream dominance. His defined abdominal muscles peek through the soaked beige shirt that clings to his skin. His bicep and forearm veins protrude as he intensely stands before me.
“Hey, Luce, miss me?” His deep voice rumbles through me as he reaches down to pick me up. We continue to stare silently at each other as he cradles me in his arms, walking back toward his house. I take one last look behind me to see Stone’s body still lying motionless on the ground.
My arm glides around his neck as I tease my fingers in his wet, messy hair. I hear him groan through his throat, his telltale sign that I’m turning him on. My eyes venture up from my fingers to his face just as we enter the back of his house with purpose.
His feet hastily make their way through his private entrance, and I’m suddenly inside Jake’s old bedroom. My wandering eyes take in the walls as a soft glow lights them. Nothing has changed since the last time I was here. Before I can make a comment about our prom picture still sitting on top of his bureau, I’m dropped onto his oversized bed. His outdoor woodsy smell seeps into my nose. As I glance up, Jake is hurriedly removing his shirt and kicking off his sneakers. His hands drop to start fiddling with his leather belt until it’s undone; his zipper opens just as fast. Jake’s drenched jeans and boxers get pushed to the floor in an instant, and out of nowhere, he’s standing naked before me.
Holy shit.
My eyes take in his adult body until I see his hardened cock in front of me. He’s certainly grown into the man I’ve only fantasized about when I have sex with random guys these days. My breathing escalates as I anxiously wait for what I
think
he’s going to do to me.
Jake’s hands reach down and pull off my wet sneakers before his fingers slide up my bare legs. Goose bumps form over my body. The elbows that once held me up have given way, and I shut my eyes as lie on my back, allowing my body to feel his hypnotizing hands. My stomach flutters with a sensation I have only ever felt with him.
“Open your eyes, Luce. I want you to watch me claim your body again. It’s been way too long,” he hisses into my ear. My eyes fire open to see his smoldering eyes on mine. He slips one hand under my heavy shirt while his other hand pulls me up into him as his body crouches over me. My shirt is ripped over my head as my damp, disheveled, blonde hair slaps against the naked skin of my shoulders.
Sitting here in nothing more than my pink lace bra and shorts, I feel completely exposed and yet covered at the same time. My body wants him. I’ve craved this for too long with him. Now that he’s here in front of me naked and willing, I’m not saying no.
“Jake, I need to feel you inside me again,” I devilishly whisper as my fingers reach out to barely touch his taut body. His eyes are no longer smoldering; they are blazing with heated desire. My fingers begin to work their magic and zigzag over his pecks and then trail their way over his nipples and lower to bump their way over each defined ab line on his stomach. One of my hands lies flat on his chest as the other suddenly wraps its way around his length to start stroking him slowly. I know what I can give him and what he likes. My hand may be small compared to his rigid cock, but it has always had the power to bring him to his knees.