Page 34 of Home Town Advantage (Fourth Quarter Fever #1)

FIFTEEN

VANCE

“ R un,” Sulley shouts as we sprint naked from the bathroom to the safe and dry comfort of blankets in front of the fireplace, laughing the whole way.

We needed a shower after our sweaty marathon sex all afternoon, and then we ended up having sex for a fourth time in the shower. She’s so hot. I can’t get enough of her. I don’t know that I ever will.

There are no towels in the cabin, so we had to make a run for the fire. We quickly slip our wet, naked bodies under the blankets, and I pull her into my arms.

We’re both smiling from ear to ear. We have been all day.

I love holding her and looking into her blue eyes. Her naked flesh pressed to mine. This is undoubtedly the most intimate moment of my life. I wish we could stay stuck up here forever.

I run my thumb over her lips, loving that they’re red and raw from my countless kisses. “You’re a hot fuck, Gully Sulley. ”

She bursts into laughter. “Your dick should have its own zip code, Vile Vance.”

I rub it against her as it begins to harden again. She lets out a groan. “Ahh. Oh my god. You’re a machine. I am well and truly McCaffed for the evening.”

“Wimp,” I joke.

She smiles as we stare at each other. “Is it always like this for you?”

“Like what?” I ask.

She lifts an eyebrow. “So good. Life-changing good. Body lifting into orbit good.”

I shake my head. “Today has undoubtedly been the best sex of my life. Anything else has not even been close.”

She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious, Sulley. It’s never been like this for me. I’ve never cared about a woman the way I care about you.”

She rubs her fingertips over my scruff. “Don’t you date?”

I shrug. “Now and then. I’m not like Daylen or some of the other guys. I don’t go home with random women all the time. When I have an itch, I scratch it. It’s about physical needs. Nothing else. No one has ever felt like home to me.”

Her face falls. “That’s kind of sad.”

I sigh. “I feel like I’ve been sad for six years.”

She nods in understanding. I can tell she wants to ask more, but we agreed to shelve the heavy. She traces my lips with her fingers. “I wish you smiled more. It lights up the room.”

I run my hands all over her soft, bare back. “I’ll smile more if you spend time with me.”

She turns her head away and exhales a long breath. “You know I can’t. There’s too much hurt. Too much history.” She rolls and snuggles her back into my front. “Let’s just enjoy our time up here before we have to go back to reality.”

She doesn’t need to say it out loud for me to know what reality means. I betrayed her brother in the worst way possible. She’ll never be able to move on from that.

I peel my eyes open to the morning sunlight and the familiar beeping sounds of a truck moving in reverse. My body is wrapped around Sulley’s. Yesterday really did happen.

The front door of the cabin opens in a rush, and I have to squint with the bright light shining through.

I see my father’s imposing figure standing there.

He breathes a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank god. The whole town has been worried about you two. Fuck, Vance, when I found your truck in the middle of the road, I nearly had a heart attack fearing the worst.”

I croak out, “We had no reception. We were stuck in here.”

He nods in understanding as he begins to assess the scene. His chin drops when he takes in the fact that Sulley and I are cuddled up together, obviously naked, under the blankets. Mercifully, she’s still sound asleep. My body and the blankets mostly cover hers.

He immediately averts his gaze and turns toward the door. “I…umm…I’m going to clear off Sulley’s car. I left Billy to work on yours, and Dutch is plowing. Why don’t you two get dressed and come outside whenever you’re ready?”

Billy and Dutch are young guys who work for my father on the ranch.

“Yes, sir. Give us a few minutes.”

He leaves and closes the door behind him. I kiss along Sulley’s neck. “Time to wake up, princess. We’ve been rescued. Sadly.”

With her eyes still closed, she says, “I’m up. I needed to spare myself further embarrassment by pretending to be asleep.” She covers her eyes with her hand. “Oh my god, everyone is going to know what we’ve been up to. I’ll be the town whore. ”

I chuckle. “My dad would never in a million years say anything. The last thing anyone in this town thinks about you is that you’re a whore. You’re the town hero.”

She turns in my arms so we’re facing each other. “You were the town hero once.”

I give her a small smile. “Not anymore.” I shrug. “At least people have stopped throwing eggs at my parents’ house. This egg crisis has been a blessing for them,” I joke.

She smacks my arm playfully. “It stopped before that. It sucks that they’ve had to suffer. It’s not their fault.”

“At this point, it’s the thing that hurts the most. I’m glad your parents let them back into their lives. It paved the way for everyone else in town to do the same. Your parents are good people.”

She sighs while we lie in awkward silence.

I point toward the door. “We should probably get dressed. I need to help my dad.”

“Okay. What are your plans?” she asks.

“I’m going to visit with them for a few more days before heading back. My move-in was cut short by the storm. I raced to get home so I could help my father with the ranch. What about you?”

She nods in understanding. “I closed on my new house. I was supposed to be there a few days ago to move my stuff, but my flight was canceled. I’m going to head back right away as long as Momma doesn’t need me.

My team has already started offseason workouts.

And I need to go visit Bailey. I feel terrible that I haven’t done so already. ”

I’ve talked to her on the phone several times, and I sent her a few goodie baskets, but I haven’t seen her in person since the accident.

“The guys said she started walking. She’s not fully back to normal, but she’s getting stronger every day.”

“Yep. I’ve spoken with her and the crew a few times. It’s a miracle. Why is she living at Tanner’s house?” she asks. “I would have thought she’d be in some rehab facility.”

I twist my lips. “I guess it’s not much of a secret anymore. They’ve been secretly dating for a year and a half.”

Her eyes widen. “What?”

“Yep. It was supposed to be casual, but I think Tanner is in love with her. In fact, I know he is.”

Her face scrunches. “He’s like…a dad. He’s so old.”

I smile. “He’s not that old.”

She bites her lower lip. “I guess he’s attractive, but it’s still weird. Wait, doesn’t his ex-wife live with them too?”

“Fallon is a physical therapist. Tanner wanted her to work with Bailey so he moved her in too. He said she knows about him and Bailey and is cool with it. He spent, like, a million dollars to bring in all the therapy equipment she needed so she would rehab at his house instead of at a facility. Control freak.”

She blows out a breath. “Fucking hell. It’s like a soap opera. Someone should write a book about that crazy situation.”

I smile. “Gemma probably will.” Gemma is Trey’s wife. She’s a lawyer by day and a secret romance author by night.

Sulley visibly swallows. “I had a good time, Vance, but this ends here. I just…I can’t be with you after everything that’s happened.”

I nod as sadness fills me. “I know, Sulley. I know.”

We dress in relative silence as the best two days of my life come to an abrupt and painful end.