In The Hay (Uninhibited in Apple Trail, Arkansas) (10 page)

“I’m hoping for no.” He’s eyes were on her waist and he moved closer. His hand slid along her inner thigh and she lost her breath, lost in sensation and waiting. Her whole world centered on his fingertips inching up and finally reaching the wet center of her.

He groaned, his fingers stroked along her opening. “That’s my girl.”

She grabbed his shoulders as he did exactly what he’d said. He pressed his fingers up and curled the tips against the inside of her. All too quick he pulled away and licked each fingertip. His eyes darkened. His face serious. “Drop them.”

She did as told.

He gestured toward the pool. “Get in.”

She did. The hot water washed over her shaking thighs. The heat against her lower back calmed her nerves and she just relaxed and waited as he stripped down to nothing and stepped in the little pool. He sank in behind her, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her against his hard frame. He hugged her tight, like she’d been wanting, and she rested her head against his chest. “Thank you for this.”

“I’ll be honest.” He rubbed her shoulders and down her arms. “I did it more to have you naked with me than for you.”

She laughed and splashed a bit of water at him. He laughed and grabbed her about the waist, wresting and twisting. Water splashed. Laughter carried out and then she was on her back on the slide with him sprawled over her.

“I knew going for the slide was a good idea.” He grabbed her by the waist and lifted until her back was across the top of the seat of the slide. He moved her hands to the child safety bar. “Hold on to that so you don’t fall.”

“What’s the point of a slide if I can’t go down it?” she tossed at him, but gripped the handle as told.

He crawled backward, his lips moving down her body, over each and every curve and spot between her neck and her pelvis. “Because I’m going to lick and suck on you and swallow your sweet release and I don’t want to do it underwater.”

She gasped. This was it. He’d given her no clues a moment ago when he licked his fingers. She crossed her fingers the pineapple had done its job. He kissed the inside of one thigh and the other.

His lips nuzzled her opening, but didn’t he take her. He groaned and bit the inside of her thigh. “But I think drowning here would be one hell of a way to go. You smell sweet and of sex.”

Thank God.

“Since that first night I’ve been wanting this. You left me standing in the road and all I could smell was your sex on my skin. It was killing me that I hadn’t taken a moment to just find out.”

Oh.

Then he licked.
Oh
. His short whiskers scraped against her sensitive skin. Warm breath caused a gentle chill over her cooling body. He hooked her thighs over his shoulder and grabbed her on the butt. His fingers held her tight as he made love to her with only his mouth.

The plastic was unforgiving under her, but she kept her position, not wanting to fall. She wanted to reach down and grab him somewhere. Hold on to him somehow. Pull at his hair like he’d mentioned, tugging at him and drawing him closer seemed about right, but she was forced to hold the pool so she wouldn’t fall. It was the single most erotic thing ever.

Far beyond anything she’d read. She felt suspended in air and completely at the mercy of him licking, sucking and nipping. He slid a finger up the center of her and she was reduced to shaking need.

“Drew,” she tried to hold her voice down.

A mumble of words came out of him, vibrated up through her core and she gasped. His finger pressed in. The tip of the digit turned up and he stroked her deep, hard and fast while his tongue pressed down the front of her.

Orgasm was near. Her muscles were drawing tight and his pace sped, brought her closer. She bit down on her lip to keep from screaming out in the moonlit night and waking all the neighbors. Drew nipped and it was the last of her. A moaning shout slipped past her lips and echoed out through the night. Release poured through her tight muscles. She couldn’t hold on any longer and slipped.

From somewhere in the house, Clyde barked. The lights at Mrs. Baker's next door flipped on and the old woman called out. “
Who’s there? Nicolette, sweetie? Is that you?
”

She slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Drew leaned over, his head on her belly as a pillow, silently chuckling and she slid down and into his arms. Once again he caught her as she fell and she was really, really starting to like being swept away in his arms.

Dangerously so.

Chapter Twelve

Nicolette lifted the empty container and stepped from her car. A tall, thin woman with brown hair was watering what looked to be a dying row of plants. Nicolette tried not to wince, but they were looking pretty sorry.

“Hi. I’m Nicolette. I brought your bowl back. Thanks again.”

“Put it on the porch for me, will you? I’m just about through watering these plants. They’re about to kill one of us.” Shellie’s lips tightened as she continued hosing them down with way too much water during the hottest part of the day.

Nicolette sat on the stairs of the porch. “It’s pretty hot. It’s hard on them when it’s hot.”

Shellie chuckled. “It’s hard them if it’s hot, cold, raining, or dry. I can’t get a plant to grow to save my life, but I love flowers.”

Nicolette tapped her toes and couldn’t help it. Those flowers were all but crying out. “Maybe try watering them in the morning. If that’s a bad time, wait until the evening.”

“They just look so wimpy and dry in the middle of the day.”

“Yeah. But when it’s this hot and sunny, the sun dries the water on the leaves and it’s kind of like dropping water in a hot pan. It can scorch them a bit.”

Shellie cut off the water. “You know how to grow plants?”

“Mom taught me.” While other kids were learning to roller skate,
Lette
was pulling weeds.

Shellie glanced around and eased on the step next to her. She lowered her voice. “What else?”

Nicolette leaned over. “Why are we whispering?”

Shellie, remaining very serious, leaned close. “I want to grow a garden. Riley said I could have all the land I wanted, right after I could keep the plants alive around the house.” She gestured at the dying gardenias. “They’re failing me.”

Nicolette hid her smile and thought Riley was a wise man. There would be a lot of money sunk if Shellie was turned loose in a garden. “Could also be poor dirt in the ground. Have you tested it?”

Shellie shook her head.

“What about fertilizer?”

Shellie’s mouth hardened. “Just what those cows leave all over the yard. That’s why we’re getting a new fence. I am sick and tired of those cows leaving a mess all over my front yard.”

Nicolette shrugged. “What kind of soil did you use?”

Shellie stared at her blankly.

Oh, boy. “You just dug a hole and put them in the ground?”

“There’s plenty of dirt in the ground. I didn’t realize I’d need more.”

She glanced around at the grass that wasn’t even growing. There were hardly any weeds. “It’s probably not nutrient rich soil, so the plants aren’t going to really flourish.”

“There’s so much more to it than I ever realized. No wonder everything always dies on me. Except for cut flowers. My mother taught me how to keep cut flowers alive.”

Footsteps from around the corner caught Shellie’s attention and she stood. A handsome man, tallish and broad with dark hair appeared. “Your fence is done, Shellie. No more cows in the front yard.” He winked.

“The fence is finished?”

“Yep.”

Shellie wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his mouth.

Nicolette eased away from the moment, but as she pushed off the step, the old wood creaked.

Shellie started and spun around. “Oh! Sorry Nicolette.” She patted the man’s chest. “This is Riley.”

He gave her a two finger wave. “Drew's in the barn putting some things away if you’re looking for him.”

She stood, feeling uncomfortable and rubbed her hands down her hips. “I was just returning Shellie’s bowl.”

Shellie grabbed Riley’s hand and tugged him toward the house. “Go on out to the barn while you’re here.”

Nicolette got the feeling those two were heading inside and didn’t want Drew interrupting anytime soon. “Sure.”

She walked past and headed for the barn. A warm breeze licked over her skin and she hurried for the shade of the open barn door. “Drew?”

Something banged and she heard cursing. She followed the sound and Drew appeared from a room. “
Lette
? You surprised me.”

She cupped her hands behind her back. “I brought Shellie her bowl back. Riley said y’all were finished.”

He dusted his hands off on his hips. “Yep. Just finished up. Riley had some people from town drop by yesterday and again this morning. Got us done a little faster than we expected.”

“I guess you’ll be going home soon, then.”

“Yeah. I guess.”

She pushed her hands behind her back and would not allow how she really felt about that to show. Cause she didn’t like it. It wasn’t time for this week to end. It could never be time for this week to end, especially not shortened. “Do you know when you’re leaving?”

“Probably tomorrow sometime.”

She nodded and squashed any sort of feelings that tried rising up. Just play it all off. “Cool.”

A grin kicked up the sides of his mouth as he walked near, put his hands around her waist, and tugged her close. “Do you know how cute you look right now?”

“Yep.” She tried playing everything off nice and easy like, not wanting to wreck what time was left. “I checked myself in the mirror for an hour before I left and Clyde looked like he approved.”

“Smartass.” He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’ve been thinking about me leaving.”

“And?”

He laced his fingers through hers and tugged her away from the center aisle of the barn and into a little room filled with hay bales. “And, I’m not done with you yet.”

Be still, my overeager heart
. She waited, hoping he’d repeat and confirm she hadn’t dreamed that up, because she wasn’t through with him yet either. She wasn’t sure of what all she wanted, but he was definitely in the picture.

He tugged her dress up. “And that we don't live too far apart.”

She stepped into him and started on the buttons down the front of his shirt. “I agree.”

“We could see each other on weekends sometimes.”

“I don’t usually have Friday classes, and when I do they’re just mornings.” It was happening. He was thinking of the future. Making plans. Wanted to see her more. This couldn’t be happening. Fate had brought her too fantasies and dreams in a week.

He grinned and pressed a kiss to her shoulder as he ripped her dress overhead. “Even better.”

He turned and tossed his shirt over some of the hay. He grabbed her and walked backward till her knees touched the rough bound hay.

He laid down, pulling her down on top of chest. “I was afraid you’d say no.”

She kissed the tip of his nose. “Not a chance.”

When she came to this town ready for adventure and excitement, she never expected to find a man with it. One who was perfect and got her. And when he wrapped his arms around her like that, fireworks went off in the back of her mind.

He stroked over her hips and grabbed her ass. “I want you to ride me.”

Ride?
She moved with him as he encouraged her up and sank down on his fullness. Oh, my, he’d never been this deep, this tight. And that’s where his guiding stopped. His hands lifted from her hips and cupped her breasts. She was lost between the sensation of him inside her and his hands on her breasts, pinching the very tip of her nipples in that way she liked.

“Sweetheart you’re slowly killing me if you don’t give me some relief.” He rolled his hips.

She bit her lower lip and lifted up, picking back up the rocking pace he’d shown her. Natural instinct and straight up desire drove her from there. Her hands pressed on his chest and she took him how she wanted until her insides squeezed and seemed ready to burst. She held him tight, angling for exactly what she wanted. And found it.

Drew groaned, his hands back on her hips, jerking her against him. She let him move her as he wanted and simply rode through one orgasm and right into a second until his hips bucked under her and he stiffened.

She fell across his chest with the last of her spiraling relief soothing out. His heart pounded against her cheek and his arms held her again. This was all hers to keep. To have on weekends when she could. No, every weekend. They would see each other every weekend and she wouldn’t be able to wait for long holiday-weekends. And breaks in between semesters. All summer long she could be with him.

Suddenly just a few weekends until then didn’t seem like enough. Why in God’s name should she have to give up, even partly, what she finally wanted more than anything?

And that something was Drew.

He wanted her. She wanted him. His work was in Little Rock and another great college was in the area. There were no binding ties putting her in Fayetteville specifically. It’d been the local college. All her friends had gone there, she like always, had followed. She was done following and was ready to take. And she could manage just fine at the University of Conway…doing something. The
what
she didn’t know yet, but she would bet she could find it at
UCA
and close to Drew.

Her fingers curled in. Nails glided across his chest and chills pricked his skin. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Hmm. About what?”

“College.”

“You said you were taking a break from it.”

She licked her lips. She had said that. It was easier to explain than the rest. “Yeah. Sort of. I started at eighteen for
early childhood education. Had everything I needed but one more class and then my teaching year. I changed my mind. I’d been in school my whole life, why did I want more for the next thirty or forty years? I turned and went for a business degree, then graphic design. I lasted through a little over half the courses with that one before I decided to dabble in broadcasting. That didn’t work either. I’ve been playing in an English major, too. For journalism. I don’t think that’s working either.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Three weeks.” She drew a curvy pattern on his naked chest. Around his nipple, his ribs and back to his neck. “I just, I don’t want to get trapped in something and be stuck there. And I don’t know how to pick. I’ve never had the chance to choose and what if I pick wrong? Whatever I decide to do with myself, I don’t want to feel like I’m stuck there for the rest of my life. Every time I’ve gotten close to a degree, close to a future, I thought my throat was going to seal off. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, it really does. To want something, but not sure how or if you’ll ever get it. I think everyone is nervous about the future.” He stared off to the side. “How do you know what you want will happen? It’s scary.” He blinked, his face serious and controlled again. “Once you know what you want, if you work for it, you’ll get it.”

“Think so?”

His smile was tight. “Of course.”

“Good.” She rested her head back on his shoulder. “I’m thinking of transferring to
UCA
.”

His hand that had been sweeping up and down her side stopped. “Why?”

“To be closer. So we won’t have just a few weekends. There’s nothing tying me to Fayetteville. It was just close to home. Convenient. Now it’s no longer convenient to what I want.”

“And you know what you want now?”

She chuckled. “Yes. You. More time with you is a start now that I know you want the same. I’ll go from there. Let life take me.”

“You don’t need to change your life for me. We’re not...” He looked down at her and met her gaze and stopped his words. His eyes dropped closed. A breath slid from him.

Unease settled in the pit of her fast cooling heart.