Road Trip - Southern Belles Part 3 (Erotic Romance Series) Read online

  ROAD TRIP

  *****

  Southern Belles Part 3

  (Erotic Romance Series)

  By

  Amanda Heartley

  *****

  CONTENTS

  Road Trip

  Blissmas - Conclusion Preview

  About The Author

  Copyright

  *****

  Chapter 1

  Annie curled up on the big brown sofa. She had her own special spot, perfectly worn out and broken in, making it the most comfortable seat in the house. Sipping her tea, she thumbed through the pictures of her fiancé and her best friend Marti. Naked. Having sex. In various positions. And it fucking hurt. She discovered the pictures in Marti’s things when she ran away from home at the ripe ol’ age of twenty eight. What fuckin’ drama!

  Grandpa had left her the old antebellum ranch when he passed away last year and she had it restored to almost original after she moved in. She couldn’t restore everything to its original state because of building codes, but it was pretty damn close. She was happy with the work the construction guys were doing and even happier they had finally finished the inside of the house. All the sawing, pounding and banging were getting to her. Not to mention the lack of privacy. They were all working outside now and it was coming along very nicely. Too bad her heart wasn’t.

  Her phone rang. It was Tommy, again. He had called four or five times a day for the past few days. She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She put the phone on the table next to her. It beeped. Shit! Leave me alone! Voicemail. She picked it up to listen. Beeped again, text message.

  “Honey, omw. love u.. got gr8 news.”

  Oh great he’s fucking coming over and I am a hot fucking mess.

  The past few days had been hell for Annie. Crying, eating, drinking and then crying some more. She was hung-over, dirty, tired and exhausted. She sat there in the same robe she had on when Tommy left. The roses he brought last week were still sitting in the kitchen on the big oak table, wilting in the heat. She hadn't even opened the card.

  Annie had absolutely no reason to leave the house since the big blow up. She gave up her menial job at the sushi bar the day Marti left. She liked her job, she just didn’t need it. With the few million dollars Gramps left her, she knew she would be okay for a while. Set for life.

  She exhaled. She knew she caused a big mess coming back to Mountain View. The look on Tommy’s face when he caught her and Marti having girly sex said it all. And then the butt sex with him? And then to have the audacity to kick him out? And the pictures? The scenes kept playing over and over in her head like a really bad B-movie.

  What are they doing? Are Marti and Tommy still together? They can’t be. She is with one of them almost all the time. Are they still hiding something? God, what is she doing to them? I miss both of them so much. Why does this hurt so fucking bad?

  She walked over to the antique liquor cabinet and poured a shot of whiskey. She shuddered as the alcohol burned the back of her throat. She poured another. It was the middle of the day and she didn’t care. She needed something to take the edge off. To calm her nerves. Tommy would be there any minute. She slammed down one more shot of Southern Comfort just before she heard him drive up.

  Shit! He was on his way up the steps, gently tapping on the unlocked door as he walked in with a bouquet of roses in his hand, a silly smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eye. She turned to look at him, her hair hadn’t been combed in three days and her eyes stung from all the tears.

  "Hi baby, we found Marti, she’s okay, in Savan – what the hell happened to you?” He rushed over to her. “Baby, what happened?” setting the roses on the table.

  She looked up at him, “Tommy, what do you mean what happened? What the hell is goin’ on? Why did you leave? What do you mean you found Marti? Are you still fuckin’ her?”

  “Fucking her? What do you mean by that?” Raising his voice, “You told me to leave, what the hell was I supposed to do? Beg? Cry? You broke my fucking heart!” Exhaling as he ran his fingers through his hair, glaring at Annie.

  “…When I left here, I went to find Marti… for you, I wanted to – What’s that?” he asked grabbing the pictures from the table, flipping through them. “Oh shit, is this what’s bothering you? Oh my God, Annie, that was so long ago. Fuck!” He paced back and forth across the hardwood floor.

  She set her shot glass down and looked up at him again. “Tommy, you know what’s bothering me? You are. When you left here, I didn’t know what to think. Hours later I get a message from you saying you’re looking for Marti. Are you looking for her or screwing her?” she paused, catching her breath. “I have these pictures of you and her, right here, and I didn’t even know you went out with her, much less taking these fucking pictures while you were with her. This sucks, it fuckin’ sucks...Those are pictures of your naked ass and your dick fucking Marti and they were in MY HOUSE!”

  Taking a deep breath, she went on. “First of all, I lost my grandpa and had to move back to this God forsaken place, then I lost my best friend, yes, I know I shouldn’t have had sex with her, but she is still my best friend. It was something new and fun. I had just lost my grandpa and I was hurt, confused. Then, my fiancé, the only man I have ever loved besides my grandpa, runs off to find the girl he used to go out with. And then,” she hesitated, “and then, you waltz in here like Prince Charming with these flowers like nothing happened ‘cause you found Marti. What the hell am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to do? God, Tommy, this is all too much for me!”

  He sighed, reaching out to touch her arm. She flinched, pulling her arm away. “Annie, I’m sorry. I was so mad when I saw you two, I wanted to run away. I wanted to leave and never come back. But I stayed. I stayed because I love you. After we slept together that night, I knew I couldn’t leave you. I love you. You are the only girl for me. When you told me to leave, I thought if I found her, you would feel better, you would stop worrying, stop crying. I hate to see you cry. It breaks my heart.”

  She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “But you went out with her, and you didn’t tell me.”

  “Yes, I did go out with Marti. But that part of my life is over. You are my life now and I love you.” He sighed. “Damn, Annie, can’t you believe me?”

  “How can I believe you? Why didn’t you tell me before?” She sobbed.

  He reached his hand to her face, wiping her tears with his thumb. “Annie, please, darlin’, sit down and let me explain.”

  She sniffled. Her eyes puffed up and burning from all the tears “Okay, explain…What happened between you two? How come neither one of you told me?”

  He slid his hand behind her back and pulled her to the couch to sit down. Tommy looked down, took a deep breath and started, “When I got back from Iraq, Marti was working at the school and I’d seen her a few times at the club, so I asked her out. She said yes and we started dating. I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I didn’t know how to commit, I did some stupid things and we broke up.”

  “What stupid things?” She sniffed.

  “Well,” he hesitated, “It was ugly. I went out on her with a few girls in Savannah. They weren’t anybody special, I didn’t fall in love or anything, just some girls I partied with and it ended up in sex. Yes… it was more than once and yes, Marti found out and left me.”

  Annie reached over and pulled his face toward her, her eyes meeting his. “And? Are you done with these girls?”

  He took a deep breath, wavering for a moment. “Yes, Angel, I am done with those girls. Once Marti left, I knew I had to get my
shit together. Marti is a good woman, there’s no doubt about that. I hurt her real bad. And I knew if I was going to be a policeman, the people of this town needed to respect me, not hate me for being a womanizer or cheater or something. I knew I needed to straighten up and fly right. I got some counseling, went back to church and haven’t been with anyone since…until you got here.” He smiled, caressing her arm.

  “But, why didn’t you tell me?”

  He reached over and hugged her in his massive arms. “Darlin’, I really didn’t want you to be a part of that disgusting time in my life. I didn’t want you to think I was an asshole. I love you. This is my life, here…with you. The past is past. I can’t change that, but I would do anything for you. That’s why I went to look for Marti. God knows I don’t want you with that girl. I don’t want my lady having sex with someone else. I pray to God you never do that again, but she’s your best friend, Annie, and I had to find her…for you.”

  She looked up at him and slid her fingers across his cheek. “Do you love me more than you loved Marti?”

  “Yes, honey, I do love you more than I ever loved Marti, more than I knew I was capable of loving anyone.” He brushed her hair away from her face, kissing her forehead. She reached over and hugged him tight, smelling him, feeling his heartbeat through his shirt. She did love this man, and that warm, safe feeling came back to her as she held him close.

  “Tommy?”

  “What, honey?”

  “Thanks for the flowers.” She sniffed, rubbing her eyes. “Thanks for finding Marti. I love you, too. And I’m sorry I told you to leave.” She squeezed him as tight as she could; her body ached to feel him again. She was glad to be back in his arms.

  “Annie?”

  “Yes, honey?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I love you so much. No more secrets, huh, no more lies, no more of this bullshit, okay?”

  “Ok, baby. I promise.” She thought about the money in the trust. Would now be a good time to tell him we’re millionaires?

  “Tommy?”

  “Mmm-huh?”

  “Can we throw those nasty pictures away?”

  He leaned down to her, his mouth tenderly kissing her lips and whispered. “Anything you want, angel. Anything you want.” She shivered at his touch, his soft kisses tracing her lips, moving down her neck. He slipped his arm under her legs, lifted her up and carried her up the stairs.

  *****

  Chapter 2

  Marti slapped her debit card down on the desk of the Greyhound bus station.

  “I need a one-way ticket to LA. How much?” She knew she couldn’t stay in Georgia anymore, the last few days had been hell and Marti had to get away. Tommy knocking on the hotel room door didn’t help. Who did he think he was? Some freakin’ Dog the Bounty Hunter?

  LA sounded like a great place. She had heard so much about the nightlife and Hollywood from Annie, she figured it would be a great place to start a new life.

  “That’ll be $298 ma’am with taxes, out the door.” Shit! I don’t have that kind of money. It’s a freakin’ bus! What happened to 69 bucks to anywhere? “$298? Uhm, you sure?

  “Yes, ma’am. $298. Just one ticket?”

  “Thanks, but no, thanks.” She grabbed her bag, turned and stomped out the door.

  She walked over to the little café around the corner and went in to grab a glass of sweet tea and figure out what the hell she was going to do.

  She didn’t want to go home. Her mama didn’t have any time for her anymore since she got a new husband. She shook her head and sighed. UGH! Old people in love. Who has time for that shit? I better text her and let her know where I am.

  She flopped down at a booth and sighed. Digging her phone out of her purse, she thought about Annie, the last few days and how much her life had changed since Annie came home. Flipping through the pictures on her phone, she giggled to herself, remembering the iPhone sex and how Annie was all freaked out about it. That was the night Tommy caught them having girly sex. Asshole. Not a good end to what started as a great night.

  Oh...the memories…When her best friend moved to Los Angeles right out of high school to be a famous actress, Marti was crushed. Annie had been her best friend since pre-school. They did everything together. She moved back to town, right after Grandpa Gibbons died. Marti was happy to finally have her best friend back home. But it really fuckin’ sucked that Annie hooked up with Tommy and now they were “living happily ever after”.

  Oh, Annie, why did you have to fall for HIM?? She thought about the first night when it all started. The booze, the sex, Annie’s perfectly shaved pussy. God, she was sah-weet! The hugs, the love, the girly tenderness.

  She never thought one night of drunken sex would blossom into a full-fledged love affair, but it did. She was head over heels in love with Annie. Or was it just lust? Marti hadn’t been with a man for over a year. She hadn’t even thought about it. She had Annie. And now that was over. She lost her lover and her best friend all in the same day.

  On top of all of that, Greyhound wanted way too much money to take her to L.A. It’s a fucking bus for God’s sake! She shouldn’t have quit her job so soon, but she had to leave. The mess she started between Tommy and Annie was just too much to bear and in this po-dunk crappy ass town, everyone already knew.

  Dear Lord God Almighty, please help me, I’ll be good, I’ll do whatever you ask, just please, make this all better.

  Bad ending to a really fucked up week.

  And she had the scowl on her face to prove it.

  *****

  Chapter 3

  “Tommy?”

  “Yes, baby?” He and Annie lay on the bed, freshly showered, naked and cuddling.

  “You know how we said no more secrets?”

  “Mmm-hmmm.” Tickling her thigh, his hand started slowly moving up toward her belly.

  “Well, I really need to tell you something, like now.”

  He quickly sat up, a look of concern on his face. “What? Dang it, Annie what is goin’ on now? You got more surprises?”

  “No, no, no honey, it’s all good stuff, I promise.”She sat up and cupped her hands gently on his cheeks. “Don’t worry so much, babe, it’s good news, and since we’re being honest with each other, I just wanted to tell you, no more secrets, right?”

  He let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God for that. What’s the good news? Are you... uh…you know, uh preg - “

  “Oh, heck no!” she interrupted, “I’m not pregnant. Dang! We aren’t even married yet!” She winked and smiled, her blue eyes sparkling. “But it’s nice to know you think it would be good news!” She quickly reached over and kissed his forehead. “Seriously, honey, I need to tell you something, it’s been bugging me forever.”

  He stroked her back, running his fingers up and down her spine. “Okay, my love, shoot.”

  “Well,” she paused, “Do you remember when I told you Grandpa had left me some money?”

  “Yup.”

  “And, you’re positively sure you love me? No matter what?”

  “Yes, Annie, just tell me,” he said, getting a little annoyed at her game.

  “Well-my-grandpa-left-me-over-two-million-dollars!” She blurted out and fell back onto the bed, waiting on his reaction.

  He shook his head “What? Two mill – s - s - slow down. What did you say?”

  “I said my grandpa left me over two million dollars. We’re millionaires.” Her eyes lit up waiting for his reaction.

  “Two million? Holy moley! Where did that old man get that kind of money? Are you sure?”

  Smiling at him, she could feel her heart beat thumping in her head. “Yes, I’m sure; it’s over at Georgia Bank and Trust.”

  “Dang! Annie, that’s a shit load of money. What are you going to do with that kind of money? People around here don’t have that kind of money.”

  She let out a long sigh. “Honestly, Cupcake, I don’t know. Having that much cash kinda scares me. It’s a lot of money and you know… if
people knew about it, they might try to take it. You’ve heard about people who won the lottery or something and then long lost family members jump out of nowhere. That’s why I haven’t said anything to anybody. Not even Marti.” She paused, “You know what’s cool about it though? You don’t have to work anymore! We could travel and go places and - “

  “Not work anymore?” He interrupted, scoffing at her, “What? Are you crazy? I’m not about to quit my job and live off my lady!”

  Her mouth fell into a pout. Slowly she said, “But…but, honey…once we are married, the money is yours, too.”

  “Woah, Annie. I’m gonna have to think about this. But I’m not leaving my job. I love my job. You really think I am just gonna up and quit?” He looked over at her and exhaled. This was something he was going to have to really think about. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” looking at her, a look of concern and worry in his big brown eyes.

  “Because I wanted to know you loved me for me, and not money or sex or anything else.” She snapped, turning her head.

  He reached over and gently pulled her chin, taking her face into his hands, looking into her eyes, “Oh, honey, I do love you for you; money doesn’t mean anything to me. It doesn’t change anything. We can be as broke as freakin’ beggars on the street and I’ll still love you.”

  “So, you’re not mad?”

  “No, baby, not at all.” He smiled. “Come here, I wish you had trusted me enough to tell me sooner, but I totally understand, and it’s all good.” He reached over and grabbed her, pulling her tight into him, his hand reaching for her breast. His eyes twinkled as his mouth met hers, dancing along gently, playing with her soft lips.

  Whew! She told him and he’s not pissed. Thank you, Lord! Every time he held her, her whole body ached for him and she felt like she was melting away into his arms. And he was so freakin’ hot! Tall, dark hair, dark eyes, rippling muscles all over and his arms and chest were enormous next to Annie’s small frame. God, she was in love, unquestionably, totally in love.