Page 11 of Frankie (Big Northwest #5)
CHAPTER ELEVEN
FRANKIE
H e didn’t have to tell her twice. She was freezing, and the wet clothes stuck to her skin were only leaching what little body heat she had left.
Unfortunately, her fingers were shaky and numb, and the rain had glued her clothes to her body like a strait-jacket. No matter how hard she tried to grip the bottom edge of her hoodie, it was impossible to hold on tight enough to get it moving. Gritting her teeth, she was forced to admit, “I need help.”
Thankfully, JD didn’t give her more shit. He just went to work peeling away the layers, starting with her pants, and ending with her cotton bra. He left only her G-string in place before quickly pulling a heavy sweatshirt from inside the side-by-side and dragging it over her head. Once that was on, he tipped his chin toward the seat. “Sit down. ”
Her whole body was still trembling, so the movement was jerky, but she managed to get into the UTV without too much trouble. Once her legs were inside, JD reached around her to pull a thick, plush blanket from the backseat. After tucking it all around her, he zipped her inside and rounded the front.
She huddled under the blanket, shivering like crazy as JD climbed into the seat next to her. Tucking her face under the edge of the soft, fluffy fleece, she waited for him to start lecturing her.
But JD stayed silent, staring out the windshield as they drove back across the field to her house. He didn’t say a word as he climbed out. He didn’t say a word as he opened her side and scooped her up from the seat.
And he didn’t say a word as he carried her into her house and laid her on the bed.
“You’re m-m-mad.” Her whole body was still shaking, muscles jerking from the cold that had permeated her bones while she sat in that damn tree.
“You’re fucking right I’m mad.”
JD stripped off his raincoat as he left the room. A second later she heard a wet slap as he dropped it into the tub, followed by what she guessed was his bibs. He came back in, frowning at where she shivered on the mattress. Letting out a loud sigh, his head dropped back, face angling to the ceiling.
“Fucking hell.” His hands went to the buttons on his shirt, flipping them free with deft fingers as he kicked off his boots.
“Wh-wh-what are you doing?” She gripped the edge of the blanket, holding tight as her eyes tracked his every move. When he stripped away the white T-shirt he wore beneath his flannel, baring his broad chest in all its hairy glory, she nearly choked on her spit.
“I can’t believe how goddamned stubborn you can be.” JD unbuttoned the fly of his jeans and, without an ounce of hesitation, shoved them straight down. “There’s a good fucking chance you’re sick and you still went out there.” He kicked away the pants, standing in nothing but his boxer briefs and socks. “Alone.”
“I took my ph-phone.” She wasn’t a total idiot. Of course it occurred to her that things might not be smooth sailing in the woods.
It did not occur to her, however, that in the case of an emergency, the list of people she’d be willing to call to come help her was insanely short. Her sisters didn’t know the full truth about what doctors suspected was wrong with her—neither did Kenneth or Jeffrey—and they would all want to know why she was stuck in a tree. Specifically and in depth.
But JD didn’t seem impressed with her forethought. “You still shouldn’t have gone out into the woods like that, Frank.” He pulled back the blanket covering her and tossed it onto the floor. Then he climbed onto the bed beside her, pulling the sheet and covers over their bodies before pulling her back against his front. “Next time you want to go out, call me and I’ll go with you.”
Frankie opened her mouth, ready to argue, but then his words registered. “You want to go with me?”
“No, but I sure as hell don’t want you going out there alone.” He yawned. “Just do me a favor and wait until it stops raining.”
She blinked, still thrown off that he hadn’t told her not to go into the woods at all. “Okay.”
Pressing her lips together, she did her best to ignore the feel of his body against hers, but the warmth of his skin and the solid band of his arm where it wrapped across her middle had her brain misfiring. That was the only explanation for the admission that slid out. “I don’t like not being able to take care of myself.”
“I know.” JD’s voice was soft in her ear. Soothing.
Everything about this moment was soothing, actually. His heat baking into her back. The coziness of her bed. The soft sound of his steady breathing. For some stupid reason, it had her all up in her feelings and the damn things started falling out of her mouth.
“I feel like I’m losing everything.”
She swallowed hard at the admission. The power it would give JD over her. But it was too late to take it back.
To her surprise, JD didn’t ask what else she’d lost besides her climbing ability. He simply said, “I know.”
JD had always been on the quiet side—except when he was fighting with her—so she shouldn’t be shocked at his two-word answer. And she wasn’t.
She was, however, shocked at the possible meaning behind it. No one seemed to notice or even consider how she might be feeling now that everyone else’s lives had changed and she was still sitting in the same space.
Alone.
But it seemed like maybe someone had considered it after all. The one man she never would have suspected.
“It’s weird.” Now that she was admitting things, it was hard to stop. “Being the only one left.” She shifted around, moving the damp strands of her hair away from her face. “I’m happy for them, but…”
JD released his hold on her waist and brought his hand to her head, helping smooth out her tangled hair. Each careful stroke of his fingers as he worked through the matted mess made her eyelids feel heavier and heavier. “Change is hard, Frank. Even when it’s good.”
She sniffled, fighting the tightness collecting in her throat. “I guess it was stupid of me to think things would never change.”
“Not stupid.” JD continued petting her, his touch steady and smooth. “I kinda expected the same thing.”
Her lips curved in a smile. “That makes me feel a little better.”
JD took a deep breath, the movement pressing his chest tight to her back. “You and your sisters had a rough time when you were young. Then after what happened with Jude’s dad, I thought you would all write men off forever.”
“Right?” She peeked at him over one shoulder. “That’s what I thought too.” Her eyes met his, holding for a few long seconds.
JD opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but then clamped it closed again.
“What?” She wiggled around to face him. “Tell me.”
It wasn’t until she was fully turned that it became apparent what a very bad idea it was. Now, there was no avoiding the situation they were in. No ignoring the nearly nude state they were both in. And her traitorous body was only too happy to react.
Heat rushed through her insides, heading straight to her pussy, waking up her clit like a smack to the face. Her nipples hadn’t quite recovered from the cold and rain, but now they were tightening for a whole new reason. One that had them achy and desperate to be touched.
“Turn back around, Frank.” JD’s voice was strained. Tight.
She shook her head, rocking it against the pillow. “Not until you tell me what you were going to say.”
One large palm gripped her hip, holding tight. For a second she thought he was going to push her away. Roll her back where she was. Maybe even decide she was plenty warm and get out of the bed.
Instead he pulled her closer. Close enough to notice something was happening. Something odd. Something that had the heat low in her belly exploding like someone threw kerosene on a fire.
She swallowed hard, pussy clenching at the solid line of JD’s cock pressing into her stomach. “What were you about to say?”
JD’s fingers flexed where they held her, his jaw clenched tight. Finally, he said, “I was going to say you didn’t write all men off.” His nostrils flared almost like he was mad. “Just me.”
There was a hint of hurt in his voice. The same hurt reflected in his eyes as they moved over her face. Like he was searching for something. An answer she wasn’t completely prepared to give.
“Not only you.” The hurt she harbored reared its ugly head, biting at her insides as she admitted, “ Especially you.”
JD was not only her first love. He was her first friend. The first person outside of her sisters she trusted. When he told her he didn’t want what she wanted, it was a crushing blow. Not only because her fifteen-year-old little heart was already amped up with hormones and angst, but because for the first time in her life, she hadn’t seen a male as the enemy. And then he betrayed her.
It made her feel stupid. Foolish.
Exactly like her mother.
In that moment she swore a man would never make a fool of her again. But here she was, desperately close to being a fool.
“I have to pee.”
She pushed at JD’s chest, hating how good the slightly stiff hair there felt under her fingers. By some miracle, her time in the tree tonight hadn’t left her back at square one, so she was able to get to her feet and waddle to the door before JD was even out of bed.
He caught up with her quickly though, and came prepared with the robe she’d draped over the end of the bed. He slung it around her shoulders.
“I swear to God, Frank. If I’d known you were this shit at taking care of yourself?—”
She spun to face him, drawing up the anger she wore like armor. “You would have what?” She snorted. “Taken care of me?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.” Turning away, she moved as fast as she could into the bathroom, swinging the door closed behind her.
But it didn’t slam the way she intended. It bounced open again as JD stormed in after her. “Are you kidding me?” One hand jutted toward the toilet. “I fucking pulled your pants down so you could shit and you’re really going to stand there and claim you don’t think I would take care of you?”
That wasn’t what she was claiming at all. Lifting her chin, Frankie stared him down. “I don’t want you to take care of me.” She waited for the flash of hurt to move across his face, but it didn’t come.
JD moved closer, invading her space with his big body. “Too fucking bad.” He grabbed the sides of her robe and pulled them together, trying the belt at her waist. “I’ve been taking care of you for ten years, Frank. I’m not gonna stop now.”
She glared at him, but it wasn’t as easy to muster up the expression as it normally was. “No one asked you to take care of me.”
“Yes, they did.” He grabbed her bonnet from the countertop and pulled it over her hair. “Now pee and brush your teeth so we can go the fuck to bed. I’m tired of listening to your mouth.”
“If you’re tired of listening to my mouth, then go home.” She batted at his hands as he continued messing with the satin band across her forehead. “You won’t have to listen to it there.”
“Not happening.” He stepped back, out of her reach. “You’re the one who climbed their dumb ass back up into a tree tonight, so you’re the one who has to deal with me staying to make sure you’re okay.”
For some stupid reason, her lips tried to smile. She flattened out the expression before it could take hold, but the odd fluttering in her belly wasn’t as easy to murder. “Then you’re the one who has to deal with sleeping on my couch again.” She hiked up her robe and dragged down her panties before dropping her ass onto the toilet. “Because you’re sure as hell not sleeping in my bed.”