Coming Home (The Morgans) (10 page)

 
There was plenty of room in his dual cab truck. As she moved over and laid her head against his shoulder, Drue placed his hand on her thigh protectively.

 
The radio played soft country music and as they drove the thirty-minute drive back to Oak Creek, he absently caressed her leg.

 
Tingling sensations traveled up her body at his touch. In response Tori’s hand had begun caressing his chest in small circular motions.

 
“Keep that up, and I’m going to have to pull over.” Drue said as he cleared his throat.

 
Tori grinned. “Why?” she asked. “Do you need to check the tire pressure?”

 
“More like my blood pressure.” Drue growled.

 
Tori lifted her head and twisted slightly in the seat.

 
“Really?” she asked. “Well let me just look you over and see if we can identify the problem.”

She leaned into him and flicked her tongue against the inside of his ear, blowing lightly against it.

  Drue shifted in his seat, his grip tightening on the steering wheel.

  “Victoria, I’m warning you.” h
e said through clenched teeth.

 
A thrill ran down her spine as she witnessed the effect she was having on him. How many times had she wished she could be this close to him?

 
She continued her attentions by nipping at his neck and licking each spot as if to soothe where her teeth had just been.

 
Her tongue seared his skin. Heat spread to his mid-section and his jeans became unbearably tight as the evidence of her effect on him could not be hidden. He had the hard on of his life.

 
“Hmm…” Tori whispered into his ear. “Definitely sensing an increase in the pulse at the base of your neck.”

 
Drue’s knuckles were now white wrapped around the steering wheel.

  “You seem a little tense.” s
he said as she gently massaged his shoulder.

 
She couldn’t believe she was pushing him like this, watching as his control slipped little by little.

Drue always held on to his control, and to know she was the cause of his reaction right now drove her excitement up another level.

  Suddenly the truck took a hard left and slammed Tori against Drue.

 
She managed to sit upright and looked up confused at what had just happened.

 
“Was there an animal in the road?” was her first thought.

 
Then she saw they had turned onto a dirt road in between two cornfields. Where was he going, she wondered?

 
“Taking the scenic route home?” she questioned.

 
Drue didn’t respond. He drove a few miles down the dirt road and came to a clearing underneath a large oak tree.

 
He pulled the truck beside the tree and put it in park.

  “Drue, What are we…?”

  She got no further with her question as Drue turned to her, wrapped his arms around her and assaulted her lips with a molten kiss.

  Her
response was instantaneous. Her arms wrapped around his neck as her fingers tangled in his hair.

 
His hair had grown a little longer this summer and looked slightly unkempt in a sexy kind of way. She really liked it.

  His
hands roamed her back down to her bottom and cupped her, molding her even closer into him.

  Opening up to him, his
tongue invaded her mouth as he drew in her sweet taste.

 
He pushed her back down to the leather seat as he struggled to be closer to her.

 
He needed to be close to her, couldn’t think of anything else at this moment. He just plain needed her.

Need intensified as she rubbed her body against his, sensations overtaking them both.

Heat pooled between her legs. She wrapped her ankles around his legs pushing into him, his erection digging into her through their jeans.

  As his
hand cupped her breast kneading the taunt nipple as he kissed her neck, she reached for him.

She rubbed against his manhood and felt him jerk in his jeans.

  Was she really being this bold? God help her because she couldn’t help herself. 

 
She loved this man. Oh, God! She loved him.

 
That thought was like an icy bucket of cold water to Tori’s libido.

 
She had never stopped loving him. She had been fooling herself for so long that the feelings she had for Drue had been buried and gone.

 
All it took was a week being home and she was in over her head.

 
She knew he had feelings for her too, obviously, but love?

 
If she put herself out there like this, it could lead to heartbreak again just like six years ago.

 
It took a moment for Drue to realize she had pulled back from him.

His head came up and he looked into her eyes.

  “Drue, we need to slow down.” She said into his passion-filled gaze.

 
She knew the same emotions were reflected in her eyes along with something that probably looked like fear. She hoped he wasn’t that perceptive in the dark.

 
They broke apart, needing to take in air, their chests heaving, but Drue did not lessen his hold.

He turned his head into her neck brea
thing in her fresh scent. He touched his forehead to hers as he had done before, trying to get his lust-filled body under control.

 
“God, I’ve wanted to do that all night.” Drue said as he brushed his hand along her cheek.

 
“Guess things were getting a little out of hand.” he continued. “But don’t expect me to apologize this time, because I’m not going to.”

 
He stared at Tori waiting for her to say something.

 
She smiled up at him.

 
“I’m certainly glad of that, because I’d hate to have to water you down again.”she teased.

 
He chuckled as he untangled his body with hers and sat upright.

 
He helped her come back to a sitting position beside him.

 
Both were drawing in deep breaths of air, trying to calm their heated bodies.

 
“What are we doing, Drue?” Tori asked quietly.

 
“I would have thought that was pretty obvious, but if I need to explain it…” Drue teased.

 
He then saw the trepidation on hers face and sobered instantly.

  “I’m serious, Drue.” s
he continued, twisting the flap of her blouse in between her hands looking down to avoid facing him.

 
“Do you know that every time you walk into viewing distance I can’t think of anything else except getting my hands on you, even if it’s just to hold your hand.” Drue admitted to Tori.

 
“It’s never been like that with anyone else. Only you. I want to be with you, talk with you, share my day, but most of all I want to hold you, to love you Tori. I’ve never wanted anything more.”

 
He tipped her chin up to force her to look him in the eye.

 
“I never dreamed it possible to be able to hold you like this, to tell you how I really felt.” he said as he rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip.

 
“I let Kevin be my excuse, because I was afraid to find out otherwise, so I told myself that you were off limits.”

 
Tori was shocked at his admissions. How long had he felt this way? Both of them had been so foolish and lost out on so much time together.

 
“Do you remember the time you and Kevin climbed the grain bin on the farm, and you fell off the ladder and broke your arm, and I carried you all the way home?”

  She nodded
her head yes in response.

 
“You were ten. I was twelve.” He continued. “Even then I couldn’t stand the thought of you being hurt.”

 
“You carried me all the way home, up the steps and into the house.” Tori remembered. “You didn’t want to put me down until Grandma made you.”

 
“Do you also remember your high school prom when Jimmy Johnson’s car got a flat and you had to ride home with me and my date?”

 
Tori looked at the slightly guilty look on his face as he brought her thoughts back to that night.

 
“It wasn’t an accident.” Drue confessed. “I let the air out of his tire, so that you would have to ride with me. I didn’t want you alone in the car with him, where he could put his hands on you. It drove me crazy thinking about you alone with him in that car.”

  Her
eyes were wide in amazement. Never had she even guessed that he would do or want to do anything like that.

 
His actions thrilled her to her core.

 
“Why are you telling me all this now?” she asked hope springing from its well-hidden nook in her heart.

 
“For some reason the fates have given me a second chance with you, and I don’t intend to blow it, Victoria.” He answered, his gruff sweet voice washing through her like satin.

 
What was he saying? What did this all mean? She felt like she couldn’t put together two coherent thoughts.

 
“In my heart you’ve always been mine. You’ve always belonged here with me. I just wouldn’t let myself believe it would ever come to fruition because of yours and Kevin’s friendship.” He took a breath.

 
“What I’m trying to say is that I want to be with you. I love you, Victoria Winslow. I always have. I am not letting you go so foolishly again.”

 
He leaned down and gently kissed her, passion just under the surface as their lips met.

  Her
heart flipped as tears pricked her eyes.

 
“You love me?” she nearly croaked.

 
He gently wiped a tear that escaped down her cheek.

 
“Yes, my little spitfire, I do. With all my heart, and it’s yours if you’ll take it.”

 
Happiness seared her soul at his words…words she thought never to hear from him. Then reality crept in.

 
“Drue, I love you too. I always have, but it’s not that simple, is it?” she said sadly.

 
“I live in Chicago and your life is here on the farm.”

 
“If you want something badly enough, Victoria, then you find a way. We don’t have to have all the answers tonight, do we? We will figure this out together; otherwise the option is being without each other. Now that I have you, I’m keeping you. You’re mine.” Drue finished.

 
She wanted to believe him that they could find a way to make this work. She had never wanted anything more, but uncertainty remained. Was she strong enough to see this through no matter how it ended? They had three weeks until she had to be back at work to figure it out. She would just have to have faith that their love truly was strong enough to see them through.

 
She shook her head in amazement. Drue loved her. Whatever else happened, she had that to keep her strong.

  “I love you.” w
as all she said in reply.

 
Their lips locked one last time before they headed back out the dirt road toward home.

 
As they pulled up the drive to Tori’s home, she couldn’t help but smile at the events of the evening. How things could change in an instant. Her future looked brighter than ever before. Although she was scared, she wouldn’t let fear stand in her way. She didn’t expect to get much sleep tonight.

 
Standing on her front porch, Drue kissed her goodnight. It was different now that he had confessed his love for her. It was like a barrier was gone, and it was as natural and comfortable to be in his arms as if she had been there forever.

 
“Good Night. Sweet Dreams.” She told him as she opened the front door.

 
“I don’t think sweet comes to mind when I’m thinking about what I want to be doing with you right now.” Drue responded.

 
He winked and got in his truck and headed home.

 
As Tori entered the house, she saw a note from Katy on the hall table. She’d already gone to bed, but the note said she wasn’t off the hook.

 
“Dirt at Dawn” was all it said.

 
Tori laughed as she read the note. Leave it to Katy to make sure she didn’t miss out on anything.