Page 2 of Josh & Hannah (Redwood Falls 1)

Everything but friends. He heard that slut, Rebecca-something, stealing what seemed to be her one and only friend, and it pissed him off. Hannah stood alone, obviously upset and some protective instinct he hadn’t known he possessed ran through him. He saw the blonde prettiness of her hair, the stature of her tiny frame, the wholesome purity in her face, and a strong urge to defend her fuelled the blood in his veins.

Rebecca had been coming on to him for months now, offering herself up on a platter and trying to get him into the backseat of her mother’s car. She was cheap and vulgar, and he recognized in a flash that she was trying to hurt and humiliate Hannah to show off for him.

Like he would ever think humiliating another human being was cool.

Rebecca was nothing but a manipulative, destructive bitch and with a strong surge of testosterone, Josh pushed off the fence, stood to his full height, and prepared himself to guard the younger girl from further pain.

****

Hannah stood still, trying to recover enough to turn and leave, when Josh pushed off the fence and began to prowl in her general direction. She swallowed and watched him pass by the group of girls, which now included Ava, without a glance, and home in on her.

She forgot all about the other girls as her world immediately narrowed to Josh Turner. She glanced around to see if he was really coming toward her, to make sure it wasn’t just her overly optimistic imagination.

It wasn’t.

When he was three feet away from her, he spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear but low enough that it could have been meant just for her. “Hey, babe. I thought you’d never get here.”

His voice, deep and rough, slid through her system and began reverberating back and forth in her head as she tried to absorb his words through the pounding of the blood in her veins. Oh my God, just breathe, Hannah! She bit her trembling bottom lip as he advanced on her the last few steps. Standing directly in front of her and with his back to the group of girls, he lifted her hands in each one of his with an underlying current of supreme male confidence that she couldn’t fail to recognize. He made a big production of lacing their fingers together, pulling them away from their bodies so that everyone else could see their hands entwined, and then he leaned down and whispered for her ears alone, “She’s really going to hate you now.”

Immediate, incendiary heat poured through Hannah’s veins from his touch as the vibrations of his voice hit her insides and sizzled through her system like ice cream on a hot summer day. Life had just changed! Josh Turner was holding her hands and whispering to her, and no matter what else happened after this day, she’d have this memory forever.

His thumbs caressed the back of her hands and his eyes glowed into hers as his smooth, deep voice flowed over her. “Do you care?”

Hannah visibly shivered from the rough clasp of his hands and from the question that she realized was supposed to infuse her with grit and determination. She steeled her spine and answered him softly but firmly, “No.” And she didn’t care; those bitches could hate her forever. Josh Turner was holding her hands!

She continued to stand in dazed confusion as he leaned away from her and studied her a moment before giving an approving dip of his chin. “Are you ready for this, Hannah?”

Absolutely dumbstruck that he knew her name, Hannah nodded infinitesimally as his grip tightened on hers and he said, “Then smile at me, princess, and let’s make this something they’ll believe.”

Hannah’s body trembled and through her shock, she registered that he wanted something from her. Breathe, Hannah, breathe. Lock your knees so you won’t fall to the ground in front of him. Through the blood pounding a vicious tattoo along her veins, she tried to follow his direction but all she could manage was a weak smile. His green eyes creased at the sides and he let out a hint of laughter and Hannah felt his pleasure all the way to her bones. When she realized that he was smiling at her as if they were conspirators in a secret plot, she felt her small trembling grin become real.

Hannah felt some of her shock recede as animation took its place. But the moment her smile became real, Josh’s brow furrowed and slowly, his smile disappeared as he studied her. His gaze left her smile and went to her eyes, and then slowly, dropped to her lips again.

Hannah felt his intensity all the way down to her toes.

As she stood trembling in his hold, he lowered his head slowly over hers and Hannah experienced what went down in her memory book as her first real kiss. Right in front of God and everyone to see. When his hands left hers to completely encircle her in his embrace, she grabbed his upper arms so she wouldn’t fall to the ground and disgrace herself at his feet. His biceps were hard beneath her touch and his lips were hot and firm on hers, and when he put his hands under her butt to lift her up and align her body into his, forcing her to her tiptoes, she gasped. When her mouth opened, he slid his tongue inside and entwined it with hers.

At the feel of his tongue in the interior of her mouth, her brain shut down and sanity left her completely.

****

Josh was stunned when his kiss of compassion derailed and against his will, became a kiss of hunger and need. He’d never meant the kiss to be a real one. He never intended to take her with his tongue. But when her lips had parted in a gasp of shock, his tongue had slid inside of its own volition. And just that fast, he noticed that the small, curvy body he held in his arms had all the softness and femininity he’d ever dreamed about. Her sweet scent infiltrated his subconscious and her innocence was an allure he hadn’t expected or even remotely thought about.

He realized something very quickly; she didn’t know how to kiss.

And that was exciting the crap out of him.

The outside world disappeared and his stomach clenched as he moved one hand to grip her face. Lifting her chin for better access, his breathing snagged in his lungs and the motivation for the kiss vanished. All that was left was him and her.

And this thing between them he had never expected.

He took a few seconds to kiss her deeply, tasting her fully, barely registering that his breathing was becoming ragged. As he assimilated her taste and the perfect fit of her in his arms, he hazily remembered that they had an audience. That’s exactly what he’d intended when the kiss had started, but now, all he wanted was for the world to disappear and to be able to kiss her the way his body was screaming for him to do.

For a few short, amazing seconds, he let himself do exactly that. He stroked his tongue over hers, positioning her head for the exact fit he wanted. He heard a soft little moan escape from her mouth and vibrate into his and he felt it, all the way to his groin.

He wanted to slant his mouth more fully over hers and go back for more but he steeled his guts against the need. He had just enough control left to know when the show needed to be over. He lifted his mouth from hers but didn’t release her from his hold. He watched her steadily until she finally raised her lashes, and with a dazed look, she focused on him. “I want you to look over at those girls and tell your friend goodbye, and pretend you don’t give a shit. Got it?” His hand closed over her wrist in what he was floored to realize was possessiveness as he started tugging her toward the gate.

Hannah turned jerkily toward the girls and threw out softly, “Bye, Ava.”

Josh tugged Hannah along behind him with no real thought in his head other than getting her alone, to himself, and away from the destructive bitches who would only hurt her more if he left her there. He pulled her through the maze of cars and trucks in the darkened parking lot. Finally pausing beside the old farm truck he drove, he put her back against the passenger door and caged her within the circle of his arms, not caring for the moment about anything other than touching her again and having a minute to analyze what the fuck had just gone down.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen.” He was mad at himself for the misstep he’d taken and he couldn’t help that his voice was bitter and rough, but by no means was he ready to release her just yet.

Hannah clung to the circle of Josh’s arms, shocked beyond comprehension at the way her world was suddenly turning. She wasn’t surprised about what had happened with the older girls, no, she was used to them treating her like dirt. What floored her and had her completely light-headed was the fact that only moments ago, Josh Turner’s tongue had been in her mouth and his hands had been on her butt. On her butt! Even now, his arms made a cage around her and the look in his eyes was something from a dream and had her almost hyperventilating. She couldn’t look away from him. Her eyes were glued to his and she was vaguely aware that her breathing was palpable. She sucked in another startled breath as he shoved roughly up against her torso, with a sharp, forceful push, and leaned his forearms on either side of her face, completely dominating any personal space she might have had left and giving her very little room to even breathe.

Dear Jesus, was this really happening to her?

Nothing had ever felt more exciting in her entire life. She tried to focus, tried like hell to get her last few brain cells to cooperate.

She took a deep breath and attempted to find the girl hiding behind the dazed whirling going on inside her head, so she could answer him. “Then why do I get the feeling it’s about to happen again?” She lifted her chin and displayed a bravado she wasn’t feeling as her nerves escalated. Wow. Way to go, Hannah. She’d finally managed to speak her first full sentence to him. Amazing after the kiss they had shared.

He was silent as his body pushed against hers and all he did was continue to study her eyes.

Josh was floored by the innocence radiating from her face, but aroused and tempted by the smart-ass remark that shot from her mouth. She was like a puzzle; a game he wanted to play that had him hooked already. “How old are you?” he finally managed to ask as tension mounted between them. He knew she was younger than he was, but for the moment, he desperately wanted to remain in denial about her youth, so he could keep touching her. Her mouth opened to speak and he abruptly realized that he didn’t want the answer to that question just yet. He whipped one hand from the side of her head and covered her lips with his palm. “Don’t answer that yet.”

Her eyes flared when he covered her mouth, and he studied first his fingers over her mouth and then his other hand as it entwined through the blonde silkiness of her hair. It felt as if he were having an out of body experience that he had no control over. He dropped his hand from her mouth and let it slide down and around to her spine to settle low on her butt. The softness of her feminine flesh beneath the material of her jeans was about to blow his mind. He squeezed her hard, immediately tried to soften his grip, but couldn’t do it and held tightly to her sweet little ass, his fingers clenching around her.

He lifted her into his body once again and his mouth came down on hers with an uncompromising demand. His tongue took hers in a deep, fierce kiss, a kiss that he was very much afraid held a touch of desperation as well as the all-consuming need that was rushing down his spine. But it was a kiss that would be the only one like it. Had to be the only one like it. She hung in his arms, and he could feel her trembling, her body shaking, her breath coming in small pants. But it wasn’t enough. He could feel her response; but he wanted her participation. By God and all that was holy, if this was all he could ever have from her, he wanted this one kiss. He couldn’t have her after tonight; he knew that. She was too young and he … he was a Turner. He knew that fact would always separate them and he felt it like corrosive acid running through his guts. But before she confirmed her age and sent even more guilt settling in his stomach, he’d damn sure get the kiss he wanted. He lifted his mouth from hers.

“Kiss me back,” he demanded. His fingers gripped her chin, holding her mouth open. “Give me your tongue,” he said as he pushed into her again and swirled his tongue around hers.

Dazed at the new intimacy, Hannah pushed her tongue more fully toward his and when she did, he groaned deep in his diaphragm and the kiss went wild. Their tongues swirled and their breathing mingled as his hands ran up and down her body, touching her everywhere at once. Finally, he settled his hands around her face, sinking his fingers into her hair, and took from her mouth, sucking on her tongue, sending an arrow of delight through her breasts to pool between her thighs.

Josh kissed her for several minutes, drinking from her mouth, trying to take something from her that would sustain him for a long, long time.

Finally, against everything he really wanted, he lifted his head.

He cleared his throat, his hands still holding her by the scalp, the muscles in his forearms corded. “How old are you?” His voice was rough with arousal as he asked the question he already knew the answer to.

Chapter Two

“F-fifteen.” Hannah answered Josh in a whisper.

He jerked against her. Even though he had expected that response, he still felt it like a body blow. “A sophomore?”

“Yes.”

Josh knew that if he were any other person, it would probably be okay to start something with her. His conscience wouldn’t let him screw a girl this young, but if he were any other person besides his father’s son, he could probably get away with dating her. Hell, the quarterback of the damn football team was a senior and he was dating one of the freshmen cheerleaders. So Josh sure as hell should be able to date a sophomore if he wanted to.

But he wouldn’t be able to get away with it. Not a fucking chance in hell. Not with Turner being his last name. Not with the sheriff knowing exactly what scum his father was. His deadbeat dad still lived on the family farm, but far enough away in one of the outbuildings that Josh never had to see him. His father was too busy raising hell, getting drunk, and sleeping with other men’s wives for him to notice he had a son quickly growing to manhood who lived not even half a mile away.

Josh told himself that he didn’t care what his father did. He didn’t care and he damn sure wasn’t scared of the man anymore. At eighteen, Josh was big enough now to stand up to the older man if he ever came by and tried to raise his hand to him again. The son of a bitch knew better. His father, Chris Turner, may be scum, but he was smart enough to know Josh could stand up for himself these days. Josh was tall, wiry and strong, and he wouldn’t put up with shit from anybody, ever again.

But even though the entire town knew that Josh lived with his aunt and uncle now, it didn’t change the fact that in some people’s eyes he was still his father’s son. And Josh knew that he wouldn’t be able to get away with dating a fifteen-year-old girl. Especially not Hannah McIntyre, who came from the richest and most influential family in the county.

He wasn’t a damn bit happy about it, and he knew his face reflected his resentment of the situation. As he continued to study her in silence, she said, “B-but I’ll be sixteen in a few weeks.” There was a hopeful question in her voice that Josh couldn’t possibly miss.

“Shit.” Frustration and pure, unadulterated pain laced his words as his eyes searched hers. “I’m already eighteen, a senior.”

Hannah studied the myriad emotions that played on Josh’s face and attempted to answer him. “I … I kind of figured that.” Her voice was shaky; he wasn’t giving her any space or moving back from her. Not that she really wanted him to. She didn’t care why he had kissed her. She just wanted it to happen again. And again.

His body pressed into hers, harder, and Hannah thought for a moment that she was going to get her wish.

Her breath caught when she felt his erection against her. She was exquisitely, enticingly stunned when she recognized it for what it was and her gaze remained fastened on his. His hands tangled more fully in her hair, his fingers gripping her tightly as he opened his mouth to speak. And then shut it again as a look of defeat crossed his features. He took a deep breath and finally spoke, “I can’t have you. You’re too young for me. Pure jailbait. No way. It isn’t going to happen.” His words were low, his voice vibrating with anger and what sounded like frustration.

She felt the impact of his words pound thro

ugh her in waves of disappointment. Finally, at his continued silence, she pushed her chin up and her eyes flashed knowingly. “Who are you trying to convince? You? Or me?” She bravely threw out the challenge while she trembled softly.

Josh was stunned by the look in her eyes, the scent of her in his nostrils and all points leading to reason left his brain. His body pumped against hers again and he held tightly onto her flesh as he growled, “Me. I’m trying to convince myself.”

And he lowered his head. But he made a simple mistake; the kiss he gave her was too carnal, way too much for Hannah to handle. He knew it at once when she stiffened against him.

Shock bled through Hannah’s veins. The feelings inundating her were too new, too much at once. She pushed against him and his grip tightened possessively for a few seconds as he growled low in his throat. Before she had time to make up her mind whether to be afraid or to sink back into the kiss, he expelled a hiss, released her, and stepped away from her.

Josh broke all contact with her body as he lifted his hands up, palms facing out, in a stance that tried to convey that he was no threat. “We’re done here.” He looked around the semi-lit parking lot and knew she would be safe when he drove off. There was only one person in the entire town who might pose a threat, and that person was playing offense on the football field at this very moment. So Josh knew that she would be way safer left alone here than she would be with him. His body was tied in knots of frustration but his cock was already rebelling at the idea of finding a replacement for the exquisite little blonde girl he couldn’t have.

He walked around to the other side of the truck and said, “See ‘ya ‘round, princess.”

Hannah shook herself from the inertia that controlled her body. “Josh, wait.”

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