“You finally met Lincoln?! In person? Were you wearing the dress? Is he as hot as Finn? Did he ask you to dance? Tell. Me. Everything!” Honey squealed.
It was rare that Honey could separate from her busy work schedule, even on a Saturday, but she was always down for girl talk and this. was. epic.
Honey knew that when I was in college, I’d become friends with Finn and, as a result, started writing letters to veterans with the rest of the town. She also knew that after seeing some family photos, I’d developed a major soul-sucking crush on Finn’s older brother, Lincoln. He was fucking hot, a Marine, and there was something about his thick, dark hair and sexy, sweet smile that was no match for an impressionable nineteen-year-old girl.
I’d dropped my letters with the Chikalu Woman’s Club at every single collection—careful to make sure they knew it was addressed to Lincoln Scott. Every birthday, holiday, special occasion. I’d spent days, sometimes a week or more, writing the letters. I didn’t want them to be a standard “Dear Marine” letter—I hoped to inspire him, uplift him, share a piece of home with him.
I knew there was a good chance he never got some of the letters—we’d been told that the postal service was spotty, and if the troops moved around a lot, many times packages got lost. But after six years of writing and not a single response, I’d chalked it up to a schoolgirl crush that was unrequited. When I’d left Chikalu Falls after college, I’d still drop a letter off during collection—old habits, I guess.
When I’d heard that Lincoln had been wounded in action and was coming home, I was cautiously excited, but Finn was ecstatic. A glimmer of hope bloomed in my chest, and I wondered if he’d ever ask about me—but it never happened.
Pushing away the hurt feelings of a younger, more naïve me, I focused on my call with Honey.
I turned in slow circles in Finn’s office chair—I’d checked into the town’s motel and come by to talk about the upcoming guide tour. I was still uneasy about the trip, so I wanted a few more details. Finn still hadn’t come into the office yet. Figures. He had probably overslept.
I leaned back in Finn’s chair as the open window let in the warm summer sun and thought about what to say. Really, I’d only been at the bar a few minutes before Lincoln disappeared, but holy shit. When I caught Finn’s eye, Lincoln was sitting at the high-top table, but as I walked up, he’d stood. That simple gentlemanly gesture squeezed my heart—stupid hormones.
He looked different than the photos I’d remembered. His military buzz had grown longer, and his brown hair was tousled like he’d been dragging his hands through it. I couldn’t help but imagine dragging my own hands through it, feeling the rough stubble on his face rub against me.
Not quite as tall and imposing as Finn, but years in the service had given Lincoln a hard and muscular body that he’d maintained in the years he’d been home. His dark shirt stretched across his chest in a way that made me want to tear it off him on sight. And his arms? God, that shirt was lucky it was still holding together.
My thighs squeezed together as I thought about how good he smelled when I sat next to him—clean, like pine and campfire and musk only a man could make smell good. I closed my eyes, just thinking about it.
“He’s intense, for sure. Quiet. And Finn said he was acting really strange, but he was fine. Kinda . . . I don’t know. Cold? He left right after I got there.”
I tried focusing on my sister and not on the growing dampness between my legs as I recalled my knee brushing against his thick, muscular thigh. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was as thick everywhere else.
“Oh. My. God. Joanna . . . Did he know it was you? Was he hot? That’s really what I want to know . . . was he hot?”
“Yes! Ok? Yes. He’s fucking hot!” I yelled into the air.
At that moment, the door to the office swung open and hit the opposite wall with a bang. Startled, I whipped my chair around, my phone hitting the ground and spinning away from me. I had nearly knocked myself to the ground. I looked up and was face to crotch with Lincoln. He held out his hand to help me up as Finn sauntered into the office.
I placed my hand into Lincoln’s and felt lava flow straight into my core. His hands were large and rough, but he gave me a gentle squeeze as he helped me to my feet. My eyes peeked up to see his steely gaze fixed on my face. They were sea-blue, with an outline of navy at the edges. My chest hitched with a sharp inhale—girls like me were not used to getting looks like those.
“Sorry about that.” His deep voice rumbled through me, and I nearly moaned. He was even more handsome in the daytime and it left me feeling breathless.
“Sorry, Jo!” Finn’s voice cut in and snapped me from my runaway fantasies of Lincoln. “Pack it up, we’re going!”
I turned my attention to Finn who’d walked through the door as he’d pushed it open and was making sure he hadn’t dented the wall, Lincoln still holding my hand in his.
I looked from Lincoln to Finn. Pulling my hand back, I smoothed my shirt down my hips and cleared my throat. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Let’s go do some research.” Finn’s arms opened as if to say “ta-dah!”
I just looked at him, still thinking about the feel of Lincoln’s fingers trailing under my palm as he released me.
Blinking and trying hard to regain my bearings, I looked down. “Um . . . ok.”
“Jo, what the fuck!” Finn laughed. “Pack your shit!” Without waiting for an answer, he walked out of his office.
In the decade Finn and I had known each other, “doing research” meant skipping out on work to fish together. In reality, it was kind of like research. Two years ago, I’d made the decision to go it alone, and I’d been searching for a place to set up a top-notch fishing guide service ever since. Finn and Lincoln had their family’s land for their guides, so he was always keeping an eye out for me.
I looked at Lincoln, and he gave me a small wink before following his brother out the door. Behind his back I squealed a silent, oh my god! Honey was not going to believe this.
Oh, shit. Honey!
Looking around the office floor, I found my phone. It wasn’t cracked, thank god, but Honey had long since hung up. I’d have to remember to call her later. She’d definitely want to hear about how good Lincoln’s firm, round ass looked as he walked out of Finn’s office and into the main lobby.
Looking left, then right, I figured I’d need only a few things for our impromptu adventure.
“Finn, are you driving?” I asked through the office door.
“Yup, let’s roll,” he called back.
I grabbed a thick, gray flannel shirt hanging in the office closet. It was going to be huge on me, but it would keep me from getting a chill. I smoothed my hair, swiped on some lip balm, and stuffed it in my pocket.
Finn and Lincoln kept all of the guide equipment in a row of metal storage lockers in the central main office space. Noticing Finn must have already grabbed the waders from the closet, I grabbed a pole, soft-sided tackle box, and clipped a rag to the outside with a carabiner.
By the time I’d gotten around back, Finn had pulled up in his truck. Since I’d known him, he’d been driving this new, shiny black truck with black rims—it was lifted so high, even my five-foot-seven-inch frame had to clamber up the side to get in. I walked around the back, ready to toss my gear into the bed of the truck when Finn turned the corner to grab my bag.
“I got this. Go on and get in.” Finn paused a second. “And, Jo? When we’re out there, if the timing’s right, I think I’m going to tell him.”
I looked up at Finn sharply. Of all the moments I’d known him, he usually chose bravado and cockiness and humor. I’d never seen him scared, but his eyes were pleading with me, begging me to give him strength. I knew that opening up to his brother and telling him that he was gay was something he’d struggled with for a really long time. I wrapped my arm around his waist and squeezed.
“Uh, sorry.” Lincoln cleared his throat and looked away. “Do you want to take the middle?” he asked, gesturing a wide palm toward the cab of the truck.
Straightening, I practically pushed Finn away in my surprise. A flash of warmth crept up my cheeks when I felt Lincoln’s eyes move with me. Head high, I briskly walked toward the passenger side.
With my left hand on the doorframe and my right on the open door, I went to hoist myself up into the monstrosity of the truck. Right as I pushed off my foot, I felt Lincoln’s strong hand curl around my left hip. Surprised, I jumped back, my ass bumping right against the solid length of his body. Both of his hands went to my hips to steady me.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said in his deep grumbly voice, his mouth so close to me, his breath touched my ear. “I just figured you might need a boost.”
I felt a surge of pleasure race down my belly, and I knew my underwear was already soaked through.
Oh, shit. His body is so hard. Oh, shit. Oh, fuck.
Laughing nervously, but not willing to move my body from against his, I said, “Yeah. This thing is ridiculous. Thanks.”
Gently pushing off him, I braced myself against the truck again as his hands stayed firmly affixed to my hips. This time, when I pushed up, his strong arms tensed and helped to lift me onto the seat. As I went up, his hands dragged down my sides before dropping. I scooted myself to the center, staring straight ahead, trying to hide a smile.
My heart pounded in my ears, my cheeks burned, and I prayed that neither of them would notice.
Finn buckled, adjusted the mirror, and looked over as Lincoln effortlessly slid into place next to me. My thighs pressed together firmly, but with two gigantic men on each side, I couldn’t avoid the outside edge of my thigh touching Lincoln’s.
“Let’s get ‘em, kids.” Finn wiggled his eyebrows and grinned as he cranked the engine, the roar of the motor drowning out the release of the breath I’d been holding.
