Chapter Fourteen
When the next Friday rolled around, I once again fought back tears as Jeremy drove away with Austin in the back seat. At least, this time, my child didn’t seem as reserved about going. That was a plus. Unfortunately, I had a feeling that was because Jeremy probably let him watch an endless amount of cartoons last time just to keep him still and quiet. Damn electronic babysitters.
What happened to kids playing outside? Or doing activities that didn’t encourage them to sit in front of a television screen all day? Austin and I enjoyed hanging around outside and doing things like watching the sunset, taking a walk, or even just listening to the sounds of nature. This old farm was perfect for outdoorsy stuff like that, and I hoped future guests at the inn would be interested in doing them, too.
Since it was almost dark, I steered myself out toward the barn to close up the chicken coop for the night in order to keep my girls safe. Once I started feeding the hens inside the enclosure, they’d taken right to it. Now the girls automatically went inside to roost in safety as soon as it would get close to dark.
When I exited the chicken enclosure, though, the strangest sensation crept over me and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Like I was being watched or something. But after glancing around and not finding anyone, I chalked it up to my discomfort of having to send Austin home with Jeremy once again. Lord knows that would make any mom uneasy.
On my way back, Seth poked his head out of the barn. “How do you like those new security cameras?”
Guess I now knew who my watcher was. “They’re great. Thanks for installing them for me.”
“You’re welcome. But you’re sure Jeremy didn’t do anything that would’ve prompted you into buying those?”
“Seth, I already told you. They’re just a precaution. Not only for Jeremy, but for when I open this inn to paying customers. I want my guests to feel safe.”
“I understand that, but I’m more concerned about your safety. Especially with that idiot.”
“I’m fine.”
“Well, do you have a minute? I want to show you the loft.”
“You finished it already?”
He nodded. “About a half hour ago. I was going to come get you, but I saw Jeremy’s truck pulling in. Thought it was best if I stayed out here until he left.”
I followed Seth inside and over to the new ladder he built leading up to the loft. “You go up first.”
“Why?”
I glanced down at my blue jean miniskirt. “For obvious reasons.”
He grinned. “Now you know why I wanted you to go first.”
“Seth. We agreed.”
“All right. I’ll go first. But when we come back down, I’m going first again.” He winked at me and started climbing.
I waited until he got a little ways up and then followed behind him. As I reached the top, he grasped my hand, helping me up onto the loft’s deck. My cowgirl boots clomped on the new wooden floor. “Wow. You did great work on this deck.”
He smiled at the compliment and pointed to the back corner. “I went ahead and put your bales of straw that you keep for the chickens up here. That way they’ll stay nice and dry.”
I went over and sat on one of the bales, crossing my legs, as I looked over the loft. “Wow. This is perfect.”
He chuckled. “Careful, darlin’,” he said with a drawl. “Your southern roots are showing.”
“What do you mean?”
“With your blond hair braided to the side like that, the pink flannel shirt, blue jean skirt, and your cowgirl boots, you look like a farmer’s daughter. A very sweet one.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah?” I loosened my side braid and plucked a piece of straw out of the bale next to me, hanging it from my mouth. Then I uncrossed my legs, stretching them out across the bale of straw, as I arched my back and posed in a sexy way with one arm over my head. “How’s this?”
Seth reached down and undid his pants.
My eyes widened slightly, but my heart rate sped up. “Um, Seth. We said we weren’t going to do…that anymore, remember?”
“Yeah, we did. But that was before you wore that little outfit and posed for me like you just did. You definitely got my attention. Not that you didn’t have it before.” He grinned and lowered his gaze. “Why don’t you open those legs and give me a little peek?”
Heat crept up my neck, and I shook my head. “Uh-uh.”
“Why not?”
“Because.”
He chuckled. “Well, that’s a great reason.”
I grinned. “Okay, fine. Because it would be a lot more than a little peek. I…I’m not wearing panties.”
He sucked in a breath. “Jesus. Don’t tell me that.”
My smiled widened, and a giggle slipped out. “Well, you asked.”
“So that’s why you didn’t want to go up the ladder before me? Because there’s nothing under your skirt but…unadulterated woman?” His brow rose.
I shrugged and probably turned three shades of red.
His gaze lowered to my knees. “Show me.”
My stomach twisted, and my nerves twitched. “I, uh…can’t.”
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling a little shy all of a sudden?” His eyes met mine and he waited patiently until I nodded. Then he smirked. “Want me to go first?” I didn’t even respond before he took out his hardening dick and gave it a firm tug. “See? Nothing to it. Now open your legs for me, baby. Just a little.”
My heart raced inside my chest, but I managed to move my knees apart about four inches. After all, he did say a little.
His golden eyes liquefied as he stroked himself leisurely. “Come on, Bobbie. Spread your legs for me, sweetheart. I need to see you.”
The innocent farmer’s daughter inside me hesitated, but the wanton pin-up gal urged me to go for it. So I did. I lifted and hiked my skirt up a little before slowly allowing my legs to fall open.
He groaned, and his hand squeezed at the base of his cock. “Touch yourself. Get yourself wet for me.”
I shook my head and laughed. “Sorry, but I’ve been doing that for the past five years. I’m over it. If you want me wet, then you do something about it.”
Though surprise registered in his eyes, Seth grinned from ear to ear. “Five years, huh? That’s a long damn time to go without sex.”
“Tell me about it,” I breathed out, widening my legs a little more.
His heated gaze touched me intimately. “No wonder you’re so fucking tight,” he said seriously. “Practically a born-again virgin.”
Okay, now he was just being ridiculous. But it still made me smile. “With the size of that thing you’re holding, anyone would be tight.”
He stood there, still fisting himself. “I beg to differ.”
Frustration chipped away at me. “Are we going to keep talking about this, or are you going to make a move sometime today?”
Seth moved toward me, his hand slowly pumping up and down on his shaft. Then he knelt down in front of me and spread my legs even wider, licking his lips. “You’ll never have to ask me twice.” Then his head lowered between my thighs as his tongue darted out to taste me.
My body jolted at the feel of his hot mouth on me, and I clasped the back of his head to steady myself. I leaned back against a bale of straw, reveling in the sweep of his mouth over my sensitive flesh, as my fingers tangled in his dark hair. Suctioning his lips over me, he sucked my clit into his mouth and then nibbled on it gently with his teeth. I released a breathy moan, which only had him doing it again. Except this time, his fingers joined the party.
I gasped quietly at first, my breath hitching, but the more he worked my body, the louder I got until I was panting his name. Desire warmed me. Need ricocheted through my veins. He lapped at my clit, circling the sensitive bundle of nerves with his tongue until my body exploded in ecstasy. Even still, his face stayed buried between my thighs until my convulsions subsided and my body went completely numb.
Finally, he lifted his head, his lips glistening. “God, I love the way you taste. So sweet,” he said, climbing up my body to kiss me. His tongue swept into my open mouth before he pulled back to nibble on the edge of my lips. “Do you taste your arousal on my tongue, baby?”
“Mmm-hmm. Now I want to taste yours.”
“You don’t have to.”
My hand pushed against his chest, and he immediately rose to a standing position as I sat up on the bale of straw. I wrapped my fingers around his length. “I didn’t say I had to. I said I wanted to.”
He grunted thickly as I eased my lips over his cock, taking him into my mouth. His fingers twisted into my hair, pulling gently and encouraging me to take more of him. So I did. But there was no way in hell I could take all of him. Not without choking to death. So I took enough that allowed me to breathe comfortably while I used my hand to stroke the rest of him.
He pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it aside. The rippling muscles of his abs flexed and tightened as he rocked his hips toward my face. I gently scraped my teeth against the smooth skin of his shaft, and then rolled my tongue around the crown. I gazed up at him as my mouth and hands took turns sliding over his length. Those intense eyes were watching me closely, not willing to miss a single second of this.
So I wrapped my fingers tightly around him and squeezed until a drop of pre-cum formed on the tip of his penis. Then I licked it off with a moan, relishing the flavor of him on my tongue.
Seth must’ve had all he could take because he pulled back. He leaned down to kiss me and carelessly traced his hands down the planes of my body. Then he started to unbutton my flannel top. When it didn’t come undone immediately, he grasped it and ripped it open, sending the buttons flying and pinging off the floor.
I glared at him. “Dear God. Do you not know how buttons work?”
He grinned. “Sorry. Too impatient. I’ll buy you a new one.”
“Yeah, you keep saying that. At this rate, you’ll end up owing me a whole new wardrobe.”
His hands fondled my lace-covered breasts. “It’d be worth every penny, trust me.”
But that was just the thing. I didn’t trust him. Not entirely, anyway. His lips found my beaded nipple through the material, and my head fell back on a sigh. Maybe it wasn’t the right time to bring this up, but I needed him to be honest with me. And if I could get him to do so while his guard was lowered, all the better. “Seth,” I breathed out, struggling to concentrate while he was touching me. “Tell me something about your past.”
He froze momentarily. “There’s nothing to tell,” he said, then continued his onslaught of my breasts.
I shook my head back and forth. “Why don’t you want to talk about it? Something obviously still bothers you. Or you wouldn’t be having nightmares.”
Seth gripped my hips, scooting me toward the edge of the bale. He pulled a condom out of his back pocket, quickly put it on, and then settled himself between my legs. His hard cock pressed errantly against me, but he stopped before allowing himself to enter me. “The past is in the past. Nothing good can come from talking about it. Right now, let’s just focus on the present. This, specifically,” he said, entering me so fast and hard that it took my breath away. “I want to give you what you need.”
Funny, since what I needed was for him to be honest with me. But his lusty diversion splintered my mind and was clearly working on me. Part of me wanted to press him for details of his past, while the other part of me wanted to just have some gratuitous sex with a hot guy in an old barn. I wasn’t entirely sure which would win out…until he began thrusting his hips. Damn him.
Whether I liked it or not, my brain focused on the task at hand and the erotic sensations Seth was building inside of me. He held himself up over me with his forearms while taking my mouth long and hard. Then he trailed his lips down the underside of my jaw, nipping and sucking, before sweeping his tongue over my collarbone.
As he pounded into me faster and harder, an exquisite sensation took hold of my body. Pleasure rushed through me, and desire swelled in my veins. My teeth sank into his shoulder, and my nails raked down his back, biting and scratching him like a feral barn cat. One that was hanging on the edge of an orgasmic cliff and silently begging to be put out of its misery.
Seth sat up on his knees to brace himself, grasped my hips, and pulled me farther onto his length, burying himself in me repeatedly. The move lit a flare in my abdomen, and a hot ball of pleasure in the center sent sparks flying and heat fanning outward. I strained against him with each spasm, and his body jerked against mine as he did the same. We came together in an audible array of loud moans and deep-chested grunting.
When our heated bodies finally came to rest, I rested a hand over my racing heart.
Seth and I had both called this getting it out of our systems. Problem was, it never really worked. It was as if certain parts of our anatomies hadn’t agreed to adhere to those terms, and no matter what, we just couldn’t seem to keep our hands off each other. The last three times we were alone, we’d wound up having sex on the nearest flat surface. None of which had even been a bed.
As much as I hated to admit it, the scorching chemistry between us had started a blaze inside of me—or possibly both of us—that couldn’t seem to be extinguished. I burned hot for this man no matter how many times we were together like this. As if it would never be enough.
I hated that he had that kind of power over me. Each time we came together, I walked away from our encounter completely satisfied, yet somehow never fulfilled. Because, although I knew I shouldn’t go there in my head, I wanted more from him. So much more.
And that was a huge problem.
…
The next day, I carried a large basket out to the garden with me and strolled slowly down each aisle, picking out the ripened vegetables that were ready for harvest. The entire row of tomato plants and summer squash had successfully produced enough that we wouldn’t be able to eat them all before they spoiled.
So I planned to get out my canning supplies and freezer bags later this afternoon. That way I’d be able to store the tomatoes to be used in soups and stews throughout the winter, and I would slice up the squash to store in my freezer. It would be a great addition to casseroles or even just something to throw in the steamer.
I’d just finished gathering the last of the produce and sat down on the top of the picnic table to take a break with my legs dangling over the edge when Junior’s truck pulled into the driveway. Seth had gone with him earlier this morning to help find some lost horses that had gotten out of their enclosure sometime during the night.
Seth climbed out of the cab and shut the door. He thumped twice on the outside of the truck as Junior pulled away, and Seth headed my direction. “Hey,” he said, nodding at me.
“Hey,” I said back, still feeling a little awkward about last night.
Although tension still sizzled between us when my eyes met his, we’d barely even spoken this morning. Probably because of the way I’d pulled away last night. After our barn escapade, I’d went back to the house to take a shower while he’d finished sweeping up the sawdust and putting away the tools he’d used. By the time he’d come inside for the night, I had already gone to bed.
Though it wasn’t like I got much sleep.
Not only had I worried about Austin all night long and listened out for the phone in case Jeremy called, but I’d needed to spend some quality alone time to analyze my thoughts and feelings when it came to Seth.
I had zero willpower when it came to him. That was perfectly clear. The utter abandon I felt in his arms had created a powerful bond between us, one that seemed to be somehow morphing our sexual connection into a totally different kind of relationship. And that was what scared me because the fear of getting hurt was becoming more real by the minute.
Seth was leaving, for Christ’s sake. Why would I even let myself long for something more with him when I knew that he wouldn’t be around much longer? Why dare to want something that could never be? But I couldn’t help myself. Something about this man made me want to throw caution to the wind and risk the pain of knowing that he wouldn’t stay. Not even for me.
It was my own fault, though. He’d been up front from the beginning that he was not the kind of man to stick around for long. These feelings I’d adopted were clearly one-sided and I couldn’t afford to fall for him. Not when I felt so overwhelmingly vulnerable. I couldn’t put my trust into another man that could break me so easily.
I didn’t know whether Seth had expected to spend the night in my bed last night or not, but, since he’d come inside, taken a shower, and gone into his own room without so much as knocking on my door, I could only assume he hadn’t. Further proof that my feelings were my own, and not his.
As he stopped in front of me, I gazed up at him. “That didn’t take you very long. You and Junior must’ve gotten to the horses before they made it to the Trinity River.”
He nodded. “Yeah. We split up on horseback and took separate shortcuts that got us there ahead of them. We were afraid they’d try to swim across, and the river is moving too fast for that. They would’ve drowned.”
“Who got to them first?” I asked, though I already knew the answer to my question.
Seth grinned. “Well, I like to think I have superb tracking skills. I mean, Junior taught me how to track at a young age. So I’m good, but…”
“He’s better,” I said, smiling.
“Yeah. I hate to admit it, but my uncle beat me there by three minutes. And he took the longer shortcut. The cocky asshole.”
I laughed. “Sounds about right. But I’m glad you found them before it started raining.”
Seth glanced up at sky and then cocked his head at me. “How did you know rain was coming in? Did you watch the weather or something?”
“No, I…” I glanced up at the clear sky and felt the heat of the blazing sun caress my face. There wasn’t a single rain cloud in sight. I shook my head. “I don’t really know how I knew that. It’s just…something in the air. Like I can feel it coming.”
He smirked. “You’re finally tuning in to your senses.”
I shrugged. “I guess so.”
Seth moved toward me and nestled his hips in between my legs that were swinging over the edge of the picnic table. His hands ran up the hem of my skirt and onto my inner thighs. “Wanna tune in even more?”
My legs trembled, and my heart beat faster. “W-what do you mean?”
“I mean, I need to be inside you again. Like right now.”
My eyes widened, and I eyed the picnic table. “Um, here?”
“Right here,” he confirmed with a nod. His fingers trailed up my bare collarbone and onto the side of my neck where he grasped the string of my sundress and gave it a little tug. It came untied, and the top immediately loosened. “You good with that?”
I meant to refuse him, to tell him no, to push him away even. But instead I ended up nodding like a moron and gave him a breathy little, “Uh-huh.”
He bent his head and his lips covered mine as his fingers worked the top of my sundress down and peeled off my strapless bra. Within seconds, the top of my garment was pooling around my waist with the warm breeze wafting over my bare nipples, hardening them.
His hands moved over my breasts, his fingers touching my nipples ever so gently. Then his mouth left mine and followed the path his hands had taken, drawing his lips around one rigid bud and sucking it into his mouth. He lavished my breasts with his wet tongue until I strained against him, unable to take any more.
Seth ripped his white T-shirt over his head, and my mouth went dry. His biceps flexed as his tanned, dark skin glistened under the hot sun. He draped the shirt behind me across the wood of the picnic table and then pushed lightly against my shoulders to get me to lie back. I did as he nonverbally suggested and almost immediately closed my eyes to keep the bright sun from blinding me.
Large, rough hands shoved my skirt higher and trailed up my thighs until they reached the waistband of my panties. Calloused fingertips slipped beneath the band and slowly pulled them off as I lifted my hips to assist with the maneuver. When his hands returned to pull at my sundress, I swatted his hands away. “Just leave it.”
“You don’t want me to take your dress off?” he asked, confusion deeply embedded into his tone.
Thus far, I had only ever been half naked during any of the previous times we’d been together. It wasn’t like I was all that shy about my body or had any hang-ups with my curvy figure. That wasn’t it at all. It was more like the thought of baring myself completely to him scared the hell out of me. “No. It’s not in the way. Just leave it.”
He was quiet for a moment, and then said, “If it’s covering even an inch of your skin, then it’s in the way.”
Maybe I was being silly and it didn’t really matter, but taking all of my clothes off and sharing every piece of me somehow just translated to something more intimate. Stupid as it probably was, it felt like I would be baring my soul to him. So I held tight to what little clothing I had left to hide behind. As if the mere scraps of fabric could stop me from falling completely in love with him.
I didn’t know if he even was looking at me or not, but I shook my head anyway. “It’s fine. I imagine you can find your way around them pretty easily,” I said firmly, not giving an inch.
“All right,” he said calmly, though I detected a bit of underlying irritation and possibly a little confusion in his tone.
The rasp of his zipper and the crinkling of a condom wrapper sounded in the breeze before his hard hands moved back onto my thighs, lifting them and spreading them wider. He moved closer, using one hand to position the head of his cock at my entrance while his other hand held on to my hip. And then he thrust forward slowly.
My hands slapped down on the table beside me, bracing myself in place, as my body absorbed the tremendous pressure of his large cock. Once his erection was cushioned all the way inside of me, his agile fingers found their way to my clit, where he massaged and fondled my flesh in order to relax me.
No doubt this was probably the weirdest place I’d ever had sex, but I couldn’t muster up the energy to even care. I only hoped like hell that no one would choose this moment to stop by and say hello. But even if they did, chances were good that we’d hear them coming up the drive before they ever got close enough to the house to see anything. That thought comforted me a lot.
As warm pleasure unfurled in my abdomen, an acute surge of desire raced through me. Aching tension built inside of me, and he began to rock his hips at a slow, even pace. A moan escaped my lips, and the strength of his hands on my hips tightened, gripping me harder as he held me up and pumped his body into mine.
Then I felt something I’d never experienced before.
Something strange vibrated in the air around us. Even with my eyes still closed, I could tell that the harsh rays of the sun had suddenly dimmed. I cracked open one eye only to see a dim gray cloud passing over us just as drops of cool rainwater landed on my heated skin. The exquisite contrast sent blood humming through my veins.
As the raindrops began to pelt against both of us more and more, tingles ran the length of my spine, and I gazed up at Seth. Rainwater dripped from his hair onto his bare shoulders, and his golden eyes glimmered as he bore into me faster and harder than before. He looked primitive, wild, and possibly a bit savage.
My wet body surged upward to meet his, accepting the brutal strength of his passion. Almost immediately, a gripping sensation took over my body and I arched my back as my inner muscles squeezed around him. I cried out as wave after wave of pleasure cascaded through me. The orgasm was incredible—my body chilled by rain but blown apart by the heat Seth had created inside of me.
After Seth watched me come undone, he drove into me a few more times and let himself go as well. The guttural groan he released echoed around us as the thunder rumbled in the distance. Both sounds were so low and deep that I almost couldn’t tell which was which.
All I knew was that Seth had just taken all of me, whether he meant to or not, even the parts I hadn’t been willing to share. I was so screwed.