DAVID
Good God almighty. What the fuck just happened? I speed down the road, my dick hard as hell and pressing painfully against my zipper as Michelle works to catch her breath beside me. If that cop hadn't come by when he did, I would have fucked her right there on the hood of my car. Nothing slow, controlled, or romantic about it. Just me taking her hard and fast because that's how much I want her. The moment her lips touched mine, the second her hand gripped my back, her moan rolling out into the air around us, I was a goner. There won't be any backing off from whatever this is between us. No turning it around or calling things off. Her skin touched mine and I fucking ignited.
The clock on the dash says it's almost two in the morning when I pull up in front of her house. I walk her to her door, one hand on her back, and it's an exercise of self-control to keep it there. Every instinct I have screams at me pull her into my arms and kiss her so deeply she forgets what life was like before we met.
"Thank you for a lovely time," she says, her back rigid and her tone so formal it makes me want to grab her by the ass and kiss away all her pristine politeness. Dirty her up, shock her, break her out of the mannered little box she lives in.
But I won't do any of that. Not tonight. A woman like Michelle deserves so much more.
"Can I see you again?" I ask, trailing my fingers down her arms and then taking her hands in mine.
"Yes, please." She looks at me through her lashes, suddenly so quiet and closed off, I'd almost wonder if I did something wrong if I hadn't felt the way her body responded to mine. She wants me in the same way I want her, no doubt about it.
"Tomorrow?" I ask, because fuck playing hard to get. If I want something, I take it. If I need something, I get it. Being direct has gotten me more of what I want than playing games ever would.
"I can't." She takes a long breath. "I have Claire."
"Then soon," I say, threading my hand into her hair and lowering my face to hers because damn it, I can't stand not touching her. I pause, my lips barely brushing hers, savoring these last few seconds I have with her tonight.
"Soon," she breathes, and I kiss her, pulling her tight against me, her breasts pressing against my chest. She runs her hands up my back and draws me even closer, parting her lips to let me in. My dick throbs between us, pressing against her stomach, and she answers by rolling her hips into me, her need echoing mine.
It takes everything, but I pull away, promise to text her tomorrow, and speed home. The minute I'm alone, I take my dick in my hand and jack off, her face in my mind, her name on my lips.
* * *
The next week passes in a series of unending text conversations between me and Michelle. The more I get to know her, the more I want to know her. On the outside, she's so perfectly polite, a perpetual smile lighting up her pretty face, an encouraging word ready at every given turn. She never disagrees. She never picks favorites. She even told me she liked all the colors for different reasons when I asked her for the one she liked best.
I've gotten glimmers of the woman underneath all that glossy perfection and she's sultry. Sexy. Intelligent. I want to peel away all the layers she's wrapped around her real self and see her for who she is underneath it all. Because I'm starting to think she might be amazing.
Today is another record-breaking day for heat, and now that April has become May and there still isn't any sign of things cooling off, it's safe to assume summer is here. Things are busy growing and blooming here at Carmichael Farms, which means I'm busier and busier each day, checking things off my ever-growing to-do list. Today I need to check on the state of things in the orchard and I pause in front of the fragrant trees to snap a picture of the rows of light pink blossoms. I send it to Michelle as I walk down a long row. Her response is almost instant.
Hot Stuff: Wow! So pretty! More beautiful than I remember it.
Me: It'd be even more beautiful if you were here...
I have to wait a couple minutes for her to respond and I pass the time by walking deeper into the orchard. The apples will be ready early this year. Hell, everything will be ready early this year, but that's okay. There's something to be said for a change in routine to keep things fresh. My phone buzzes in my hand and I pause to read her text.
Hot Stuff: I wish I could be there with you...
Me: Then come here. Problem solved.
Hot Stuff: I've got Claire.
Earlier this week, I invited her to come see the farm but she doesn't want to bring her daughter into things right now. I hate not seeing her, but I respect her reason. Why bring the little girl into my life and risk her getting attached to me when Michelle and I have only been on one date? What if things don't work out between us? Then I'd just be another man that came into Claire's life and left again, and that's the last thing I want to be. But between me having to work at the first hint of sunlight and Michelle teaching well into the night, our schedules don't overlap enough for me to see her as frequently as I want to.
Me: What if I come to your house after she falls asleep?
As I wait for her response, I catch the faintest whiff of cigarette smoke. I follow the scent and find Colton leaning against a tree, his hat pulled down low over his face. He takes a long draw, the tip of the cigarette glowing bright red, and then blows smoke out through his nose.
"Damn it, Colton," I say. "I thought you quit."
My brother turns towards me with a start, hiding the cigarette behind his leg, and then sighs when he recognizes me. "Fuck. You sounded just like Dad."
"That shit's disgusting." I check my phone for a response from Michelle.
"Says the guy who told me this spot was safe when Dad caught me smoking when we were kids."
"Whatever dude. I've done my fair share of dumb shit." I check my phone again. "I just outgrew most of it." I smirk.
"Ah yes. My big brother is getting so wise in his old age." Colton grinds the unfinished cigarette out on the bottom of his boot and palms the butt. "How old are you again? All I know is that you're so much older than me."
"Nice try, little man." I shrug. "But I don't give two shits about my age."
"Come on, man. You know I hate that nickname." Colton kicks at the ground.
"Which is why I haven't retired it yet." My phone buzzes and I unlock it, eager for Michelle's response.
Hot Stuff: You can't stay long. I have a dress rehearsal tomorrow, bright and early.
I hold up a finger to Colton and then tap out a response. Me: But I can come?
Hot Stuff: Do you want to?
Hell-fucking-yes I want to. I want to see her so badly, I haven't thought about anything else for the last week.
Me: Yep. Just tell me when.
I look up to meet Colton's incredulous stare.
"What the fuck was that about?" he asks, lifting his ball cap up to run a hand through his hair before sliding the hat back in place.
"What was what about?"
"Who are you texting?"
I slide my phone back into my pocket. "A friend."
"You mean a woman."
"Sure. A woman." I shrug.
"How long you been seeing her?"
"Who says I'm seeing her?"
"Don't even try that shit with me, man. I haven't seen that dumbass grin on your face since before all that shit with Becky."
And Maggie. He doesn't say her name out loud. That's a line he won't cross. But I can see it written all over his face.
"Fine," I say, unfazed and surprised about it. "I met her a couple weeks ago but didn't go out with her until last week. Well, we actually met a long time ago. Hell, you might even remember her. Turns out she was friends with Sarah when we were kids."
"How long you going to keep her around?" Colton asks, ignoring my last statement. Brookside is small enough that everyone knows everyone else in some way, shape, or form.
"What's that even mean?"
"You know damn well what it means." My brother smirks. "You turned into the love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy right around the time all that shit went down with your bitch of an ex-wife."
"Now that's not fair." Except it kind of is. I've gone on a handful of dates since my marriage imploded, but as soon as things start to progress even a little, I call it off. My life is fine just the way it is and the last thing I need is someone coming in to mess it up. At least that's what I used to believe. Now that I've met Michelle, none of that rings true anymore.
Colton rolls his eyes. "I didn't say that you don't have a good reason for it. But you know as well as I do it's true."
"Yeah, well, maybe it's not true with her."
Colton looks surprised. "She must be something special."
"She is." I stare past my brother at the little glimpses of blue sky I can see through the canopy of apple blossoms. "She's got a little girl." Sharing this is dangerous. Heartache waits for me at the end of this little jaunt down memory lane, but if anyone in the world is going to understand all the things I can't say, it's my little brother.
"Oh yeah?" Colton shoves his hands in his pockets and leans back against the tree. "How old?"
I clear my throat. "Five."
"And you're okay with that?"
"So far." I stare at my brother's profile until he meets my eyes.
"Well good. I hope it stays that way. Maybe this is what you need."
Maybe it is what I need. Maybe, Michelle is everything I ever wanted. Maybe, just when I thought life couldn't get any better, it goes right on ahead and shows me what perfect looks like.