The idea of being with Kristy didn’t come close to the reality of it. But she was right about one thing…sex would never be enough when it came to her. Then again, that wasn’t a surprise. I already knew I’d want more, just like I was aware she wouldn’t.

So, I had to take what I could get.

For now.

Dad came home the day after my birthday, but aside from dinner on Friday, I didn’t see him much the rest of the weekend. I told him I had plans on Saturday to go camping at the lake with friends from school, and other than repeating the same warning I’d heard a million times, he didn’t question it. Although, for some reason, he felt the need to mention that I was now an adult, so if I broke the law, I’d be looking at jail time rather than house arrest.

I hated lying to him after all I’d done to earn his trust. However, there was no way he’d agree if I told him I planned to spend the entire night in a hotel room with my thirty-three-year-old neighbor, building my stamina to ensure she’d never look elsewhere for sex.

And by the time I got back Sunday, he’d already left for the week. That gave us six days before Kristy’s custody agreement reverted to normal—meaning Emma would be home. After that, school started, which translated into even less time that Kristy and I had to spend together.

Nevertheless, I’d figure out how to make it work.

Now that I’d gotten a taste of her—both physically and figuratively—I couldn’t allow her fears or excuses to get in the way. She tried, I’d give her that, though I refused to give her ridiculous obsession a second thought.

The night before the first day of school, she sent me a message—technically, it was more like a novel, though it came through as a text—expressing her concerns. Her biggest worry was that I’d tell someone in class about us. Apparently, she didn’t know me very well if she thought I was that close to anyone, let alone someone my own age. That spawned quite a bit of rambling that, in the midst of it all, came down to Emma finding out.

I simply responded with: Think of how good it felt earlier today when I used my tongue to get you off, and then touch yourself while imagining my face between your legs. After you come with my name on your lips, go to sleep. You’re being paranoid. See you tomorrow, babe.

Luckily, her anxiety over getting caught didn’t stop her from seeing me each night. Whether she met me on the side of the house or down the street, I managed to sneak in a few minutes, if only to kiss her before bed. It wasn’t much, but at least it held me over until the next time.

By Friday, I was so desperate to have more than ten minutes with Kristy, I practically kidnapped her the second Emma backed out of the driveway—it was her weekend with her other family. My dad wouldn’t be home until late Sunday night, which meant at least two days without interruptions, and I planned to spend every second buried inside the woman I couldn’t get enough of.

“Ash, I’m not taking it off,” Kristy hissed as if someone might overhear.

“It’s eleven o’clock at night. The chances of anyone showing up to the pool this late—in this neighborhood—are slim to none. But in the event the odds are against us, we’ll have plenty of warning ahead of time.”

“Plenty of warning?” She hadn’t meant that as a joke, yet it didn’t stop me from laughing. Either way, she didn’t seem to be very happy about it. “I’m serious. Who’s going to announce their arrival before coming in? Other than a cop. And in that case…hell no I’m not taking off my bathing suit.”

“You’re in the water, and there aren’t any lights on. I can barely see you, and I’m a foot away. You act like someone walking their dog across the street will be able to see through the bushes and gate and know you’re naked. It’s not going to happen, so you might as well stop fighting me on this and just do it.”

“If someone hears us and comes over to check it out, there’s no way I’ll be able to put my swimsuit back on in the water. Just my luck, it’ll be inside out and backward. Nothing is more obvious than getting out with my top twisted and bottoms on wrong. No one with half a brain will believe I left my house that way.”

I tried not to laugh, though I couldn’t help it. Her absurdity knew no bounds. “Think about it…we’re in a pool. What will they hear? Someone swimming? If so, I doubt anyone will come over to see what’s going on. Last I checked, people swam in pools, so there’d be no reason to investigate a few splashes.”

“That would be amazing logic…if it were in the middle of the day. Most people are asleep at almost midnight, not taking laps in a community pool without any lights on.”

“You’re absolutely right, Kristy. Most people are asleep at this time…which means no one’s awake to even hear you, let alone throw on clothes, walk all the way over here, just to see what we’re doing. Hurry up; you’re wasting precious time arguing instead of stripping.”

“You talk a big game for someone who’s still dressed.”

I moved to stand in front of her and rested my hands on her hips. “I used to come here all the time at night. Back when my dad first started traveling again and I was left home alone, this was the only place I could go. It got me out of the house long enough to keep the silence from getting to me. Trust me…you’re okay. I wouldn’t have you do this if there were anything to worry about.”

“Why am I the only one getting naked? If you’re so confident that we won’t get caught, why is your suit still on?”

“Because I’m not the one who said I’ve always wanted to go skinny dipping.”

“Well, being the only one doing it isn’t much fun.”

“Wow, babe…what happened to you?”

After a moment, she asked, “What do you mean?”

“You got old.”

“I did what?”

“You heard me—got old.”

“Don’t be an Ash-hole. In case you don’t remember…I am old.”

Shaking my head, I bit back a grin she couldn’t see, though I felt confident she could hear the hilarity drifting past my lips. “Did you just call me an Ash-hole? On purpose? Or are your dentures falling out, giving you a minor slur.”

“Keep it up, and you’ll leave me no choice but to open a can of whoop-Ash on you.”

It took everything in me to hold back the humor that filled my entire body before it bellowed out into the night—which would most certainly wake a few people. “You’re on a roll. What else you got?”

“The list is rather extensive; it could take all night. Maybe if you weren’t such a jack-Ash, I’d tell you. But alas, you are, so it looks like you can kiss my Ash.”

“See?” I lowered my head and allowed my hushed laughter to swarm us, creating a cocoon meant for two. “You’re not old. You might think you are, but if that were the case, you wouldn’t have been able to come up with creative ways to spin my name into a curse word.”

“Well, they say you are the company you keep.”

“So it’s my fault you’ve been sneaking around, making out with your neighbor behind bushes at night like a teenager without a care in the world?”

“Something like that…” She couldn’t even say that with a straight face, which was evident by the amusement in her tone. “Regardless, you’re not allowed to say I’m old. I don’t give a rat’s Ash how good you are in bed, do it again and we’re finished. You hear me?”

“Yeah, Kris…” Eliminating the humor between us, I lowered my lips to her ear. “Loud and clear. And if you don’t take this bathing suit off now, I’ll make you scream so loud the entire neighborhood will hear you as well.”

I slowly pulled the strings on the sides of her bikini until both knots came untied. Either she didn’t realize it or didn’t care, because she didn’t stop me—only released a slight gasp that went straight to my cock.

I had to step away before this turned into something more than I had planned. “Now, take off your top.”

She glanced down—though I couldn’t see at what—and began fidgeting with something beneath the water. I wasn’t positive, but it appeared she was in the middle of retying the strings at her sides.

“Oh, come on. I’m not asking you to steal a car or rob a panhandler. You’re too stuck in your own head. If you worried less about all the ridiculous things that could go wrong and just do what it is you truly want, you might have fun. I promise.”

Without a word, she bent forward at the waist, and when she stood upright again, she had the wet material in her hand. After placing it on the edge of the pool, she released the knot at the middle of her back. Once she had the top over her head, she added it to the other piece on the concrete deck and turned to face me.

What I wouldn’t give to see her right now.

“There. Are you happy?” The smile in her voice made the corners of my mouth curl.

“I’d be happier if you moved away from the side and enjoyed yourself a little.”

“It feels silly being the only one naked, Ash.”

As much as I wanted to join her in this experience, I’d told myself prior to leaving the house that this was her moment. “If I take off mine, I’ll end up fucking you on the stairs. And as much as I would love to do that, I’m trying to eliminate reasons for you to freak out.”

“I’m already naked in a public swimming pool where anyone and their brother can walk up and see—and who knows, join in if they’re feeling frisky. Why not add another misdemeanor to my rap sheet? After all, I’m supposed to be pretending I’m young and carefree, right?”

“Not that carefree.” I rolled my eyes and took a few more steps away. “To get the full effect of the water along the parts of you that are normally covered, you have to move around. The sooner you cross this off your bucket list, the faster we can get back to your place and cross off another one.”

She froze in place, so still it was like she’d turned into an ice sculpture. But then she asked, “Which one might that be?”

The devious grin that consumed my lips wasn’t meant for her, considering she probably couldn’t even see. It was for the things I planned to do to her once I had her in bed. “Swim, and you’ll find out.”

“I guess it’s a good thing Black Friday is in a couple of days.” Kristy huffed as she leaned against the counter in her kitchen. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to find a fridge I can afford. Although, I’m not sure how that’ll help me now.”

Sitting on the floor, I finished putting the last piece of cold food into the ice chest and glanced up. The defeat on her face bothered me, but only because there wasn’t much I could do to make it go away. It was the day before Thanksgiving, and Kristy had come home from work to a broken refrigerator full of food.

“No need to jump the gun, babe. I don’t know a lot about appliances, but there’s still a chance it’s something simple that I can fix without having to replace it. For now, we have the cold stuff in the cooler, and if we need to, we can store it in the fridge in my garage.”

“I really appreciate this, Ash.” Her sad attempt at a smile did little to comfort me. “But I doubt you’ll have room. I mean, right now, it’s just a bunch of ingredients. Once I prepare it all for tomorrow, there will be casseroles and dishes that’ll take up too much space. And if I wait until tomorrow to do it all, I’ll have to get up super early to get started since I can only cook one or two things at a time.”

I scooted closer until I sat on my knees in front of her. If there was one thing I could do, it was take her mind off her troubles. I’d spent three months doing just that, and so far, I hadn’t failed yet.

She’d taken off her heels after coming home from work, though she hadn’t changed her clothes. And seeing her stand barefoot in front of me with just enough of her thighs exposed beneath her tight, black skirt to make my dick twitch, I couldn’t resist the temptation to make her forget about her broken appliance or whatever casseroles she had to prepare for tomorrow.

While sliding my hands up her legs, I met her stare. Her chameleon-like eyes brightened, turning more green than brown. They were one of my favorite things about her—capable of telling me when she was happy, when she was uncomfortable, and most importantly, when she was turned on. Like right now.

Pushing the material up her thighs until they bunched at her hips, I studied the effect I had on her. At first, her breathing hitched, then she held it while sucking her bottom lip between her teeth. I quickly added that to the list of things I loved the most. Between her eye color, the pink hue in her cheeks, and now this…I wanted to spend every day watching all three in a continuous loop of changing expressions until I had memorized every nuance of her reactions.

But once her breathing increased, I couldn’t delay my need to taste her any longer. She didn’t fight me when I grabbed her behind the knee and guided it over my shoulder. Nor did she protest when I traced the inside of her leg with my tongue. And when I slipped my finger beneath her panties to pull them aside, she gave her full approval with a throaty moan.

However, I had barely tasted her desire before the front door opened, breaking us apart so fast I got kneed in the face. Kristy righted her skirt while I crawled toward the ice chest. We’d managed to escape the position we were in by the time Emma came into the room, even though that didn’t seem to do much to hinder her suspicion.

She set her bag on the island and glanced between the two of us. “What’s going on?”

“Fridge broke. Ash came by to see if he could fix it.”

“Why is your face flushed, Mom?”

Kristy really needed to learn to control her nerves better. She talked with her hands when she was uneasy, and if Emma recognized her tell, the cat would be out of the bag long before she was ready.

“We just finished packing all the food in here.” I tapped on the top of the large ice chest I had brought over, saving Kristy the need to lie. “Care to help? We have to pull it away from the wall so I can check the coils on the back, and if that’s not it, then we’ll need to move all this over to my garage. An extra set of hands would be appreciated.”

“Yeah…” Dragging out that one word, she slowly nodded and regarded me with a squinted stare. “While that sounds like loads of fun, I’m gonna pass. Tori and I are about to hit up the early deals at the mall. And it seems like you’ve got it all under control—wouldn’t want to get in your way.”

As happy as I was that Emma didn’t plan to stick around, I wasn’t excited for the lecture that would inevitably follow once she left. I could practically hear it now, and Kristy hadn’t even glanced at me. That was enough to deflate my erection and give me a chance to stand up without giving myself away.

Kristy helped me slide the fridge away from the wall while Emma changed in her room. And before I could finish checking out the backside to see if it was anything I could fix, she’d said goodbye to her mom and left the house. Then, after a few more minutes, Kristy spoke up. Honestly, I was surprised it had taken that long, but I was in no hurry to be reminded of her reservations.

“We have to start being more careful, Ash.”

It didn’t surprise me to find her across the room, as if being too close would make her clothes fall off. Truth be told, that was entirely possible, though not while I was in the middle of cleaning the coils behind her fridge. That would have to wait until I at least washed my hands.

“She didn’t see anything.” It was a lame attempt at a rebuttal, and we both knew it.

“What would’ve happened—”

“I know.” I stepped to the side so I could see her without having to speak with a giant appliance in the way. “I get it, okay? I fucked up and didn’t think about her coming home. I guess I thought that since we both left school at the same time, her not being here meant she wasn’t coming.”

Her shoulders dropped, though her eyes never left mine. And with an elongated sigh, she dragged her feet toward me. It didn’t happen often, but when she came to me—and not the other way around—it gave me a burst of hope that she would eventually accept the idea of us being more than what we were.

“It’s not all your fault. Don’t say you fucked up like I wasn’t just as much to blame for allowing it to happen. She’d told me she was going to the mall with Tori, so I didn’t expect her to come home any more than you did. We just need to be more careful, that’s all I was trying to say.”

I grabbed her hand and pulled her the rest of the way to me. And when I lowered my mouth to hers, she didn’t hesitate to give me what I wanted. Her lips parted, though our kiss remained calm. As much as I enjoyed the passion-filled, impatient, needy kisses we shared any chance we could, they didn’t compare to these—the slow, intense kind that told me she was all-in. They convinced me that her feelings went beyond the physical, regardless of how hard she fought against it.

After a moment, I pulled away to return to her fridge. There was a good chance that if I hadn’t put an end to it, I’d have her on the counter, legs spread, making her scream until Emma returned. If that happened, all her food might spoil, and I’d be the only one with something to eat in this house. “What do you suggest we do to be more careful?”

So far, we’d been good. We’d managed to make it three months without anyone catching us. Then again, it wasn’t like we went many places to be seen. On the weekends Emma and my dad were gone, we kept ourselves holed up in her room. However, those weren’t always convenient. Between their two schedules, we were lucky to have one weekend a month. Which meant we had to get creative in the meantime.

I’d snuck in after Emma had gone to bed a few times, and there were other nights she’d come to me. Although, she wasn’t a fan of having sex in my room—she said it reminded her of my age, which made her feel dirty. Other than that, when we were desperate, we’d meet at the pool, I’d take her to the lake if I knew no one would be there, or we took advantage of the lawn chairs in her back yard. Somehow, despite having a hundred obstacles in our way, we’d managed to find time for each other.

I couldn’t wait until we didn’t have to sneak around anymore—though I doubted that would happen anytime soon, considering Kristy seemed adamantly against the idea of ever admitting her feelings for me.

She smiled and shrugged. “I was kind of hoping you’d come up with something. My suggestions aren’t exactly doable.”

“Why?” I asked with a laugh. “What would you recommend?”

“Uh…stay away from each other?” Even though she said it with a smile on her face, it was obvious this had been something she’d thought of at some point. The fact that she would even contemplate the idea of ending things—whether she believed it was possible or not—hurt worse than a dagger stuck in my chest.

“That’s the only thing you can come up with?”

“At least it’s something, Mr. I-Got-Nothing.”

“Oh, I have a solution, but you won’t like it any more than I like yours.” I licked my lips and continued before taking a moment to think this through. “How about we stop hiding? If we eliminate the secrecy, then we won’t have any need to be careful. That way, if I make you scream my name, we won’t have to worry about Emma catching us.”

“Point taken, Ash.” She walked away, sullen as if I’d slapped her.

Stepping out from behind the fridge, I halted her retreat with my fingers around her arm. “There has to be a happy medium here. I understand your concern over someone finding out, but at some point, people will know about us. Because I have no intention of keeping our relationship in the dark forever.”

“You’re doing it again,” she warned with tight lips and a sharp gaze. “Please, don’t push me on this.”

I could’ve argued, could’ve listed my reasons and made my points known, but I decided against it for fear of losing her. She was right; she’d expressed her need to keep this between us, and until I graduated, I had to take what she was willing to offer without asking for more. That had to be the hardest thing I’d ever done, when all I wanted was for her to accept all of me, in public, instead of making me feel like her dirty little secret.

Wrapping my arms around her neck, I hauled her into me until her cheek rested against my chest. I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and she relented, returning my embrace the way she always did—her hands clasped together at the base of my spine in a lazy yet comforting hug.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered into her hair. “Emma coming home was an isolated incident that neither of us could’ve predicted. I think we can be more careful without suggestions or rules…by simply being more mindful of where we are the next time I try to lick your pussy.”

She pulled away and lifted her chin to look at me. “Speak for yourself. Anytime you so much as give me that look, the one that lets me know you’re about to turn me into a porn star, nothing else exists. Not time, not location, other people, right and wrong. None of it.”

I laughed and shook my head. “Let me guess…that’s my fault, too?”

“Yup. I’ll add it to the list.”

“Damn, woman…by the time you’re done itemizing everything I’m guilty of, you’ll have me serving eighty-four life sentences.”

“Eh…” She shrugged and wagged her brows. “You’re young. You’ll survive.”

“You know what won’t survive? Your food if you don’t go get me that vacuum so I can finish cleaning these coils.” I slapped her ass and went back to the fridge.

“Aye aye, captain.” That shouldn’t have made my dick come to life…yet it did.

Within five minutes, I had the coils unclogged. And as we waited to see if I’d fixed the problem, I perched Kristy on the counter and stood between her legs, where we made out like teenagers who were left home alone. Albeit, irresponsible teenagers, considering she had her skirt hiked up enough for me to tease her, which I took great pleasure in…while being very mindful of where we were.

“Stop freaking out.” I couldn’t help but laugh at Kristy as she jumped at every little sound.

“It’s not my fault I’m jumpy tonight. The last time I was around fireworks, I found out you were seventeen. I think I’m suffering from some form of post-traumatic stress.”

She sat in front of me on the lounge chair with her back to my chest, her body cradled between my legs, while I rested my chin on her shoulder and took in the scent of her clean hair—I would know this because I’d washed it an hour ago when we were in the shower. “I think it’s called crazy, not PTSD.”

“I’m not crazy.” She hummed when I traced the side of her neck with my lips. “Okay, so maybe I am, but you can’t blame me. I don’t know what I’ll do if something else comes out and I have to give you up all over again.”

Recently, Kristy had started to make comments here and there that insinuated she had feelings for me. The first time it happened was just before Christmas. I’d been at my mom’s for the holiday and hadn’t been able to force her into admission. I’d questioned it, but a lot was lost in text, and she refused to tell me what I wanted to hear. Since then, I’d let it go, choosing to accept it for what it was without making her confess anything. She’d come this far, and with less than five months remaining until graduation, I had no doubt that her feelings would be confirmed before I walked the stage.

“Babe, my dad’s gone—hundreds of miles away—and won’t be back for three more days. Emma is out with Thomas, and considering they’re downtown, there’s no way she’ll be home before midnight. She’s sixteen, and she’s with her boyfriend on New Year’s Eve. There’s more of a chance that you’ll win the lottery without buying a ticket than Emma showing up before the ball drops.”

She sighed against me, which meant whatever she was about to say wouldn’t make me happy. “I hate that you’re here, alone with me in my back yard, instead of out with your friends, celebrating the holiday. You’re young; you should be doing all those things, too. I feel like I’m keeping you from acting your age.”

“And what exactly do you think I would be doing if I weren’t here with you?”

“I don’t know…drinking from a keg? Making out with horny girls who would probably give you a blowjob in the back of your car? Doing stupid things with other kids your age, because that’s what seniors do? Anything other than hide out on a lounge chair in some crazy, old lady’s back yard waiting to see fireworks over the treetops.”

I flattened my hands on her stomach and let her settle into me. I hated it when she became stressed, when her body went rigid like she was uncomfortable in my arms. Although, all it took was a little coaxing and she relaxed; just the slightest touch or softest kiss, and the tension vanished.

“In case you forgot, I’ve done all that. Then I spent two years in solitary confinement at home under the watchful eye of my father—whom, despite what you think, is not a teddy bear when he’s pissed. So, even if I weren’t here with you, I wouldn’t be doing any of those things. In fact, I’d probably be in my room watching a movie.”

She rolled the back of her head along my shoulder, turning her face toward me while mindlessly stroking my forearms with her nails. “What kind of movie would you be watching?”

“Porn.” I laughed for a moment before adding, “Kidding. Probably whatever action flick was on.”

“You wouldn’t have the channel set to the countdown? Rockin’ New Year’s Eve or whatever that show’s called?”

“Nah. Without you, there’d be no point in it.”

She tilted back a little more to look at me. “Why not?”

“It’s not like I’d have anything to look forward to, so there would be no reason to celebrate another year.”

“God, Ash…you make your life sound so boring and sad.”

Laughter rumbled through my chest, feeding the humor in hers. “I don’t think that. It was just lonely before you came along. But I love what I do, and I know my situation at home isn’t permanent, so there’s nothing to be sad about.”

“Well, now that things are different…do you have a resolution for this year?”

“Yeah, but I doubt it’ll happen.”

She shifted to the side so that her back was against my thigh, cradled in my elbow while she studied my face in the moonlight. “I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to choose things that are doable, but we can work on that later. What’s your resolution?”

“To take you down the street to my favorite pizza place, hold your hand on our way to the table, and then have dinner without you worrying about who’s there. And when I drop you off at home, I want to walk you to your front door and kiss you on your porch, right under the light where anyone can see.”

She grew quiet, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth while she scanned the yard in thought. “Maybe you should concentrate more on yourself. You know, like make a resolution for you that doesn’t have to do with me.”

“That would be for me.”

Her chest heaved a few times, her inhalations too soft to hear but deep enough to see. “Your intensity scares me. I get that you care about me, and you want this to be something bigger than it is right now…but you need to focus on yourself. You’re about to graduate from high school; isn’t there something else you could pick as a goal? Like college?”

“I don’t plan to attend school after May.”

Kristy shifted on the cushion, practically turning on her bottom to face me more than she already was. The moon was bright enough to recognize her shocked expression, and it made me realize we hadn’t ever spoken about this before. I couldn’t believe we’d managed to make it this long without discussing my post-graduation plans. Then again, that first month was spent playing a very dangerous game of cat and mouse, and ever since my birthday, we’d pretty much ignored any conversation that might lead to the state of our relationship once high school ended.

“Why aren’t you going?” she asked, eyes wide and glistening in the faint light from above.

I shrugged while contemplating my answer, because no matter what I said, she’d believe it had to do with her. “I have no reason to. I’ve spent over two years working out of my garage, and I’ve done rather well for myself. I don’t need a degree to keep doing it.”

“Maybe not, but furthering your education can go a long way. Trust me, I wish I could’ve gone. You don’t want to get to my age and regret this decision, because by then, life may have gotten in the way, making it impossible to change your mind.”

“Babe…” I held her face in my hands and brought our noses close together. “While I understand what you’re saying, and I get that you’re speaking from personal experience, that’s not something I want. I refuse to waste the money or years studying, all for a piece of paper to congratulate me on a job well done. It’s not necessary for what I want to do in life.”

“What about business classes? Those would be needed, right?”

I shook my head, wishing she’d accept this and stop pushing the issue. My mind had been made up years ago when I came to live with my dad, and no amount of persuasion from her or anyone else would get me to reconsider. “There’s not a damn thing anyone can teach me in a classroom that I wouldn’t learn better or faster in the real world.”

“I worry you’ll regret that decision.”

“Just trust me when I say I won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Think about it, Kristy…I’ve spent the better part of the last three years starting my business and putting a plan in place for my future. I’m not saying college is a waste of time and money for everyone. It’s a personal decision I made after looking into what I need to do to become a carpenter. That’s all.”

“And when exactly did you decide this?”

I could tell by her tone and the way she held herself still that she worried I’d say she had been my reason. That I’d tell her I had made the choice to forgo a degree to be with her. I didn’t blame her, though she couldn’t be more wrong. Granted, it didn’t matter what the truth was, considering her fears defied the boundaries of logic.

“When I was fifteen and my dad made me stop playing football. Prior to that, I wanted to play ball for the state. But that dream died the day I found myself on my dad’s front porch. And before you think you can convince me to change my mind, you should know it’ll only be a waste of your breath and energy.”

“What makes you so sure I can’t convince you to go?”

I dropped my mouth to hers and whispered, “Because…there’s no way in hell I’d choose to be buried in textbooks when I’d rather be buried in you.” Before she could protest, I locked the sentiment in place with my lips.

It didn’t take her long to wrap her arms around my neck and climb into my lap. I leaned back as far as the cushion allowed as she settled herself on top of me, slowly grinding against my growing erection. I loved how she wasn’t afraid to go after what she wanted, and it made me even happier when I was what she wanted.

Just then, the sky lit up with brilliant colors, hollow bursts filling the silence in her back yard. “I guess that means it’s midnight,” she whispered with a smile dancing in her words.

“Happy New Year, babe.”

Rather than say it back, she kissed me again while continuing her eager movements. As much as I wanted to fuck her right here with promises of new beginnings exploding overhead, I refused to let her blind me with sex during a serious conversation.

Gripping her hips to sustain her momentum, I broke the kiss to ask, “What’s your resolution?”

“Right now, it’s to come.” Her voice was full of so much air I almost didn’t hear her over the fireworks. She was close, and it would be a dick move to make her stop now, so I continued to grind her along my covered erection until she collapsed into me, panting, her heart beating furiously against my chest.

“Now that you’ve succeeded, how about you come up with a real one?”

“Um…” She trailed her fingertips down my torso toward the waistband on my jeans. Then she lifted her head, looked me right in the eyes, and said, “Making you come.”

It seemed Kristy was hellbent on avoiding this conversation, and as much as I loved having my dick in her mouth while she hummed and stroked my shaft, I refused to let her use sex to her advantage.

I grabbed her wrist, preventing her from unfastening my pants, because once that happened, my willpower would be cut in half. “Seriously…what’s your New Year’s resolution, and why don’t you want to tell me?”

She cocked her head and sighed. “You’re eighteen…aren’t you supposed to have a one-track mind when a woman is on top of you, promising a very satisfying blowjob?”

“Yes, and right now, it leads me straight to why you’re not answering my question.”

“Because…you’ll take it upon yourself to do it for me, and then it won’t really be my resolution, will it? I appreciate everything you’ve done to help me out—fixing my fridge, my hose, the garage door, mowing my grass on occasion—but there are certain things I’d like to do for myself.”

“Okay, like what? If you tell me what they are, I might be able to point you in the right direction or give you some tips…but if you’re this serious about doing it on your own, then I won’t take that from you.” I ran the pad of my thumb over her cheekbone to her jaw and then down to her chin where I pinched it between my fingers. “I would never do anything to steal your thunder, babe. I need you to know that.”

“Believe me…I do. But I also know how you like to be the man of the house and come to my rescue—which I love, so please, don’t take that the wrong way. And I appreciate your offer to give me tips, because I might need those; I just really want to make improvements to my house and be able to say I did it myself. You know?”

“You don’t have to explain yourself. I get it. This is the first house you’ve ever owned, and you take pride in it. I can only imagine the things you’ve dreamed of doing once you bought a place, and I would never take that away from you.”

“Do you really want to hear everything I’d like to do to it before this time next year?”

“Absolutely,” I whispered, taking in the sight of her captivating smile. “But how about you show me instead? Take me on a tour and explain everything so I can picture it while standing in each room. That way, if we still have time, you can fulfill that other resolution you made.”

She lowered her lips to my neck while pressing her body against mine. “I have a better idea…let’s check this one off before we go inside.” With her mouth close to my ear, she murmured, “I want to make you explode like the fireworks in the sky.”

I was certainly in no position to object.