Buckle Down (7 page)

Gypsy was curled on the foot of Tess’ bed as she danced
around her bedroom trying to figure out which shirt to wear with the denim
skirt she picked out. She hoped Shane wasn’t planning on going anywhere fancy
because she was dressing casual. She decided on a red and white striped shirt
that fit snug around her chest. It gave the illusion her boobs were bigger than
they actually were. She grinned at her reflection and slipped into her black
sandals.

She still had half an hour before he was due to pick her up
so she went downstairs and flipped on the television in the den. There was
nothing interesting on and she channel surfed the three hundred plus stations
until the doorbell rang.

Shane stood on the porch with his hand behind his back.
“Hey, beautiful.”

She smiled. “Hey, yourself. Come in.” She was relieved to
see he was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Not dressy at all.

He stepped into the foyer and whistled. “Nice place.”

“Thank you.”

He brought his hand around and held out a box of candy.
“Brought you some sweets.”

It was one of those yellow boxes she’d seen at the drugstore,
a sampler. She took it from him. “Thank you. Let me put this in the kitchen.”

He followed her through the dining room. “My mom would love
this kitchen.” He ran his hand over the granite. “I hope I can buy her
something like this someday.”

“Luke had this built for my parents a few years back. This
is my mom’s favorite room. She loves to cook. He made sure it had everything
she could dream of.”

“Does your dad live here, too?”

“Yes. And I live here during the summer. I still haven’t
decided if I want to move back after graduation. There’s so much I love about
Memory Grove, but the opportunities in California are better.”

“I bet they are. Big city living out there.”

“It’s definitely a different world.” She put the candy on
the counter. “If you’re ready, we can go. I’ll give you a tour when we get
back.”

He smiled and reached for her hand. “Sounds good.”

He completely surprised her with his choice of music. Nearly
everyone she knew listened to country music, but Shane was into hard rock or
heavy metal or whatever it was called.

“Who is this?” she asked, pointing toward the stereo.

“Slipknot.”

“Oh.” She laughed.

“You don’t like it?”

“It’s different.”

He turned the volume down. “What do you like? What’s your
favorite band?”

“I don’t think we have the same taste.”

“Try me. I like different kinds of music.”

“Okay. I like The Band Perry.”

“They’re good. Their singer kinda looks like you. But you’re
prettier.”

She rolled her eyes. “Such a charmer. So, where are we going
anyway?”

“I’m taking you to dinner and then a movie, if you behave
yourself.” He smirked.

“If I behave myself?” She grinned. “I always behave myself.”

He took her to an old-fashioned drive-thru burger joint
where the girls wore roller skates and short skirts to deliver the food.

“My name is Darla. I’ll be your car hop. Can I take your
order?” She chewed her gum exaggeratedly, smacking her lips.

Shane laughed. “You go first.”

Tess leaned over him to look at the billboard-style menu. “Umm,
I’ll have a cheeseburger, no onions, tater tots and a root beer float.” She
smiled at Shane.

“I love a girl with a healthy appetite.” He winked and
turned to the waitress. “Double cheeseburger, fries and a Dr. Pepper.”

“Be back in a jiff.” The girl flipped her hair and skated
off.

Tess’ eyes were bigger than her belly and she was only able
to finish half of her burger and a couple of tater tots. She did eat all of the
ice cream out of her float though. Wasting ice cream was a cardinal sin in her
book.

The movie was a sappy Julia Roberts’ romance that neither of
them particularly liked but they held hands throughout and shared a big tub of
popcorn. It was close to midnight by the time he pulled into her parents’
driveway.

“I had a nice time. Thanks, Shane.”

He leaned over and kissed her softly, touching his tongue to
her lips. “You’re welcome. Thanks for giving me the pleasure of your company.”

She smiled against his lips. “Do you want to come inside?”

“Sure, just for a few minutes.”

She led him into the living room and tossed her purse on the
couch. “Did you want a tour?”

He nodded. “That’d be cool.”

“Well, you’ve seen the living room and kitchen.” Taking his
hand, she pulled him to the den at the rear of the bottom floor. She pulled
aside the curtains covering the sliding glass door, revealing the backyard.
“This is where my family spends most of their time.” The lights inside the
swimming pool illuminated the patio just enough to see the layout. To the right
were chairs, a table and a fire pit and on the other side of the pool was her
dad’s super fabulous manly grill.

Shane peered through the glass. “Damn. This is a really nice
set up.”

“Maybe you can come over for a barbecue sometime. Meet the
folks.”

“Yeah, that would be nice, but I’d rather not have to endure
your brothers’ wrath. I know they don’t think much of me right now.”

“They don’t know you.” She let the curtain go and turned
around. “This is the TV room. Game room. Whatever you want to call it.” A big
screen television was mounted on the wall and a folded card table rested
against the mantle. “We watch movies, play cards and stuff in here.”

“Y’all do a lot of stuff together, huh?” He asked, running
his fingers over the back of the brown couch.

“Yes. We always have. Family is important in this house.”
She grabbed his hand again to take him upstairs.

He walked behind her to the top. “How many bedrooms in this
place?” He stopped to look at some framed pictures on the wall beside the
staircase.

“Six. Which is ridiculous.” Tess laughed. “My parents have a
room and I have a room. Then my dad uses one as an office. My mom uses another
for crafts. The other two rooms are guest rooms that nobody uses. We all live
so close that Luke and Cade never stay here and nobody really visits from
anywhere else.” She showed him the other rooms with the exception of the one
belonging to her parents. That was their private area. She turned the knob and
opened the door to her bedroom.

Sometimes stepping inside made her feel sixteen again and she’d
long for those simpler times. Back when her biggest concern was which flavor of
lip gloss to use before going to school. Now she was a year away from finishing
her bachelor’s degree and real life would start. She’d have to find a job and
support herself. She lived very comfortably right now and she had Luke to thank
for that. He was paying for her school and her apartment and gave her an
allowance. She felt guilty relying on her brother for everything. But she also
had a part-time job in a department store to pay for extras and to keep herself
on task, and luckily they held her spot over the summer while she was away.

 Shane followed her into her bedroom and walked over to her
dresser. A picture of Tess when she was twelve and had won her first barrel
racing competition was tucked into the edge of the mirror. Talk about country bumpkin.
She wore a white cowboy hat and her hair was in two braids with big, blue
ribbons securing the ends . Her grandmother had made the shirt she wore, which
was hideous with blue and white fringe down the arms and the dorkiest jeans
anyone had ever seen. Shane leaned forward. “Is that you?”

“Yeah.” She walked up beside him. “I did competitive barrel
racing when I was a kid and was a miserable fashion failure.”

He smiled. “You were a cute kid. And the clothes aren’t that
bad.”

“You’re being nice. That shirt is horrid and those jeans
came up to my neck practically.”

“I like the braids and the braces are a shiny touch.”

She punched him in the shoulder playfully. “We all had our
awkward phases.”

He feigned injury and rubbed his arm. “You hurt me.”

“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “So, this is my room.” She
spread her arms out in a welcome motion.

Gypsy slinked out of the closet and curled around her feet.

Tess bent over to pet the cat’s head. “And this is Gypsy.”

Shane bent beside her to stroke Gypsy’s fur. “She’s pretty.”

The cat circled his legs once and sauntered out of the room.

 “Cats have more confidence than any other creature. They
don’t seem to care if you like them or not.” Shane turned to Tess, his gray
eyes burned into her.

She forgot what he had just said and stared at his face. She
touched his cheek and moved closer. There was no explanation for how or why he
affected her like he did. Why did she throw caution to the wind whenever he
smiled? She backed him up to her bed and pushed him back on it.

He laughed. “Whoa. What are you doing, babe?”

Hiking up her skirt, she smiled and climbed on top of him.
“Nothing.” She smirked at him.

Shane held her hips and his breathing sped up. “You’re
breaking the rules.”

“I don’t care about rules. They were made to be broken.” She
leaned forward and kissed him hard on the lips while grinding her pussy against
his crotch.

He groaned and his erection pressed against her. “You’re
making this harder than I thought.”

Tess laughed again. “Was that pun intended?”

“Maybe.” He kissed her and bit her bottom lip gently. “This
wasn’t supposed to be part of tonight. I don’t put out on the first date.”

“Not even if I beg?” She rubbed the fly of his jeans and
gripped his cock through his pants.

“You’re not playing fair, Miss Reilly.”

“All is fair in love and war, honey.” She inched down his
body and knelt between his legs. Her fingers worked the buckle of his belt and
pulled at the buttons. She could smell him, a sweet musky scent that
accelerated her heartbeat and made her mouth water. She freed his thick cock
and stroked it slowly.

He folded his arms behind his head and watched her, his lips
parted and his eyes hung at half-mast.

She pulled her shirt over her head and reached behind her to
unfasten her bra. Both garments were tossed on the floor and she leaned back
over him. She rubbed her breast against his dick, the sweet sensation made her
nipples harder. She kissed his cock, licking the drop of fluid from the tip.

“Dammit,” he hissed, lifting his hips to push his pants
down. “I’m gonna lose this bet.”

“You bet your ass you are.” She circled her lips around the
head of his cock and sucked hard. Her hand stroked the shaft and she squeezed
his thigh with her other hand. She swirled her tongue around the head, paying
attention to that sensitive spot on the underside.

Shane moved his hips and grabbed a hold of her hair. “That’s
so good.”

Tess fondled his balls and sucked him deeper, taking him all
the way into her throat. She loved his taste, his scent. She moved her head faster
and tightened her lips around him.

He panted and pulled her hair. “Jesus. Don’t stop.”

His balls tightened, pulling up to his body and she knew he was
about to come.

He shoved her head down on his cock and rocked his hips as
he came in hot spurts at the back of her throat.

Tess swallowed and dragged her tongue over his cock as she
lifted her head.

Shane let go of her hair and lay there with his eyes closed,
breathing hard. “God damn.”

She stood up and shimmied out of her skirt and panties. His
cock twitched against his stomach but remained hard, and she wanted him inside
her.

Climbing on top of him, she rubbed her pussy over his cock,
spreading her wetness.

Shane opened his eyes and smiled at her. “I like it when you
take control.” He pulled his shirt off, revealing that hard chest and muscled abs.
He was beautiful.

Wrapping her fingers around his shaft, Tess stroked him a
couple of times before positioning herself above him. “I know what I want
tonight.”

“I want it, too.” He squeezed her hips and impaled her on
his cock.

She screamed and pitched forward, scratching her nails down
his chest. No one had ever made her feel that way. He filled every inch of her,
stretching her to capacity and she loved it. The tiny ripples of pain mixed
with pleasure were so intense she was close to coming already.

“Oh, my God.” Tess panted and rode his cock slowly at first
before working up to a quicker pace. Every time she slid back down on him, his
dick rubbed against her G-spot. “I’m gonna come, Shane.” She used his chest as
leverage to bounce on him.

“I want you to. I want to feel it.” He wet his fingers with
his saliva and rubbed her clit.

She stopped moving, her body would not cooperate with her
while he was building that pressure. Her toes curled involuntarily when Shane gripped
her waist and ground his hips against her. The sensation of his cock so deep
and the feather soft strokes over her clit sent Tess into a tailspin. Her
thighs clamped on his hips and her pussy squeezed his dick. Her vision blurred
and her head spun as every bit of energy gathered in her lower body and exploded
like dynamite. The only sound she made was a small whimper. That was all that
was left in her.

If Shane hadn’t held her hips, Tess may have toppled off the
side of the bed. “Now that’s what I like you to feel, baby. Let me take the
reins now.” He rolled her to her stomach and positioned himself behind her. He
rubbed her pussy, slipping two fingers in and out. “Relax. You’re so tight.”

She moaned in response, finding no words. She felt his cock
pressed to her cunt and she spread her knees a little wider.

Holding her hips, Shane pushed into her slowly. “This pussy
is so good. Damn.” He worked in and out of her and graduated to a faster pace.

Tess cried out each time he buried himself completely, his
balls slapping against her clit.