by Mia Carson
“Burgers, fries, and wine,” she said. “Couldn’t have planned it any better myself.”
“I’ll admit, it’s about all I can cook,” he admitted and helped her to sit, her dress riding high up her thighs, and he completely lost his train of thought. “I… uh, I forgot to ask… what you liked to eat.” He managed to finish the sentence and sat down beside her, his gaze returning to the bare skin he wanted to touch to see if it were as smooth as it looked.
Johanna picked up the bottle of wine and read the name on the label. “God, I miss the cheap stuff,” she said and poured two very full glasses.
“Never thought I’d hear you say that,” he mused. “It was all that was here.”
“My parents drink the driest reds from the most expensive vineyards, and they’re god-awful. I never get to enjoy a good glass of sweet wine.” She raised the glass to her lips and sipped it, sighing as she swallowed.
Reider’s jeans tightened around the bulge growing from his observation of her, and he shifted so she wouldn’t see. The breeze blew across her body, and the sweet smell of honeysuckle filled his nose as they dug into the food. He worried she would be uncomfortable in a dress and hadn’t even thought to tell her to bring jeans, but she stretched her legs out in front of her, kicked off her heels, and made herself at home beside him. He grinned, happy she was so relaxed and easy-going with him by her side as the evening wore on and the sun began its downward descent.
“So,” he said when there was a quiet lull in the conversation.
“Yes?” she asked, rolling onto her side and propping her head up with her hand. “What’s up?”
He fiddled with the edge of the blanket, lying on his side, too, and stared at the empty bottle of wine, unable to meet her gaze. His nerves on fire, he licked his lips and said, “I wasn’t sure what your plans were for the whole weekend, with your family gone, but I wanted to know if you would stay here with me for the next two nights—”
The last word was barely out of his mouth before Johanna rolled him onto his back and kissed him hotly. Her hands cupped his face as his arms slid easily around her, holding her close to him as the long grass blew in the evening breeze and the crickets sang. Reider’s hands fisted in the fabric of her dress, wanting to tear it off, but the date wasn’t over yet and he wanted to do this right. Johanna wasn’t a weekend fling nor a roll in the hay. No, he wanted this to last a very long time, and he was going to make every stolen moment with her count. The kiss deepened, and he rolled them over gently, loving it when she laughed against his lips. It turned quickly into a moan when his hand slid up her smooth leg, inching closer to the bottom of her dress. But it wasn’t time for that, not yet.
“Come on,” he said and kissed her sweetly before climbing to his feet and pulling her up with him.
“Where are we going now?” she asked, picking up her shoes in one hand. After he had piled everything back into the basket, she scooped up the blanket.
“It’s getting dark,” he informed her, nodding towards the setting sun and the fire blazing across the sky in bursts of orange and crimson. “By the time we reach the barn, it’ll be perfect.”
He motioned for them to walk, and she continued with a stream of questions, but he only laughed until they reached the barn when the sun was barely peeking over the horizon. He took the blanket from her and, holding her hand, led her around to the other side of the barn towards the back where he had set up one of the old projectors facing the barn wall and spread out the blanket.
“Movie for you, my lady?” he asked with a flourish.
A mound of pillows was stacked in front of several hay bales for them to lean back on, and another blanket was there in case the air grew chilly. Reider glanced at Johanna and frowned when he saw a shine to her eyes as she chewed on her nails.
“Jo?”
She wiped her eyes and laughed nervously. “Sorry, this is embarrassing.”
“What?” he asked and moved towards her. “Jo, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she muttered. “This is perfect. You, the dinner, the movie. It’s all so perfect and I’m… I’m worried that I’ll wake up in the morning and find it’s all a damn dream that we can’t have.”
Reider held her face in his hands and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “It’s not a dream. This is real, and I don’t give a damn about anyone else right now except you. For now, we’ll enjoy the time we can have together, and soon, we’ll come up with a way to make this work long-term.”
“Long-term?” she asked quietly.
“Yeah. Not to sound horribly cheesy here, but I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve never felt this way about anyone before—ever—and if you think I’m going to let you slip away so easily, I’m sorry, but it’s not going to happen. I don’t care if your brothers come after us, or your parents or mine,” he said fiercely and wrapped her in his arms. “I want you, and I’m not letting you go for any of them. Ever.”
She nodded and hugged him close until he lifted her off her feet to hold her to him. He meant every damn word he’d said, and as she kissed him, he knew she understood that. She clung to him tightly, and they stayed in the embrace as the sun set and the night closed in. When he set her on her feet, he kissed her lips softly and leaned his head back to stare up at the stars. She did the same and sighed, leaning against his chest.
“This is all I want,” she whispered. “The stars and the plains, nothing else.”
“One day, we’ll make it happen,” he promised. “Ready for a show?”
She sat down on the blanket as he walked to the projector behind her and set it up to run. “What movie are we watching? It’s nothing scary, right?”
“What? You don’t trust me to keep you safe?” he chuckled.
“We’re out in the middle of nowhere. I’d prefer not to have nightmares,” she replied with a nervous giggle.
“Don’t worry, nothing like that,” he said and started the movie. When the opening credits rolled, Johanna whipped around to stare at him. “What?”
“How did you know this was my favorite movie?” she asked as he hurried to sit down beside her and she snuggled close. He placed his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. There was nothing more natural in the world than Johanna by his side. “Seriously, how did you know?”
He shrugged. “You had your laptop the other day at the coffee house, and I saw your desktop background. No one has a movie poster as their background unless they really like the movie.”
“Sneaky, aren't we?” she teased.
“I try, though I’ll admit, I have no idea what this movie is about.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “You’ve never seen Shakespeare in Love? Really?”
“I’m an only child and a guy,” he said with a laugh. “Not exactly on my movie list.”
“Well, it should be,” she whispered as the opening scene played.
Reider pulled her closer and breathed her in. “I’m sure it will be from now on.”
While they watched the movie, Reider was well aware of Johanna’s body pressed up against his and how warm it was beneath the blanket he pulled over her when she shivered in the night air. His hand rested on her shoulder while his other held one of hers under the blanket, resting on her thigh, a thigh he wanted to feel every inch of as he kissed her passionately beneath the stars.
If she kept inching her hand closer to the throbbing erection in his jeans, he might not be able to control himself. Her face didn’t change, but her hand slipped from his and she rested it exactly where he wanted it to be. Biting back a curse, Reider shifted so her hand pressed harder against it, and her lips twitched in a wicked grin.
Reider’s hand slid down her arm, and she shivered at his touch, her hand massaging him through his jeans as her other snaked up his chest under his shirt. When her fingers trailed up the light dusting of hair that ran down his abs, he forgot to pay attention to the movie and let his free hand wander. Two could play at this game, and before long, his
fingers found the edge of her dress and slipped slowly up beneath the fabric. Johanna’s breath caught, but her hand remained where it was. She massaged him harder, and he cursed as he moved his hand up her thigh to the hem of her panties. He teased her, gliding his fingertips along the edge as they inched towards her warm center. She sighed, and her thighs parted slightly, letting him move between.
The music for the movie hit a dramatic crescendo, but Reider had stopped paying attention. All he wanted was Johanna in his arms. As his hand was busy inching closer to the most delicate part of her, her hand moved up to the button of his jeans and undid it, slid his zipper down, and before he could even brace for it, her hand reached in and gripped him.
“Jo,” he grunted, and his hips moved against her hand. She ran her hand down his length, holding him firmly with the right amount of pressure and laughed quietly as she leaned close and sucked on his earlobe. “I have a feeling we won’t be finishing the movie.”
She brushed her thumb over his tip as his hand under her dress cupped her, kneading her swollen lips and pressing against her clit until she groaned against his ear. “Do you want to finish the movie?” she asked breathlessly, her hand moving up and down his swollen shaft, making his hips buck from her simple touch.
He’d had sex with a few women, but none of them set him on fire this quickly, drove him to the edge of insanity and made him want to live there. Reider pulled his hand free and very delicately removed hers from his pants. She pouted, but he scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the barn. He had planned to go in ahead of her at some point and light candles, get a small fire going in the hearth, and really set the mood, but with his jeans already undone and after feeling the wetness between her thighs, he wasn’t sure that was an option anymore.
Once inside, he set her on her feet. “I guess I should turn the movie off,” he muttered roughly as his eyes caressed her body while her hands slid down to her hips and she grinned. “Damn. You really are trying to drive me over the edge.”
“Is it working?” she whispered.
“You have no idea,” he growled and drew her into his arms so he could kiss her intently, letting his tongue delve into her mouth as she moaned and melted against him. “Be back in a minute,” he said and hurried back out the door.
His hands itching to hold her naked body to him, Reider shut off the projector quickly and rushed back inside. Johanna wasn’t in the open room, but he saw the bathroom door closed with the light on. Perfect. He grabbed the lighter and lit the candles, his body reeling with anticipation.
9
Johanna smoothed her hands down her dress as she stared at her flushed cheeks in the bathroom mirror. Earlier, when she first arrived, she thought she would be too nervous to do anything with Reider, but as they watched the movie, all the worry faded until it was only the two of them, alone with a weekend to spend in each other’s arms. She wanted to be with him more than anything, wanted him to have all of her, just as she wanted all of him.
She ran her fingers through her hair and smiled. There was no nervousness with Reider, and Johanna reached up and tugged at the zipper on the back of her dress. She heard his booted steps come back inside. As the dress came undone, she shoved it over her hips and let it hit the floor with a soft sound. The red and black lace bra and panties highlighted her chest, hips and narrow waist, even showing off the tattoo she got in secret when she’d started college.
She’d wondered if they would take it slow at first, if it would be better, but in the bathroom, remembering how hot he felt in her hands, throbbing with his desire for her, taking it slow was the last thing on her mind.
Johanna took one last deep breath and turned to open the bathroom door. “Reider?”
As she glanced around the barn turned cozy hideaway, she smiled when she saw him on the other side of the room lighting more candles to add to the dim glow illuminating the space. He asked if she wanted another glass of wine as he turned. When he saw her, he fumbled to catch the lighter in his hands.
“Is this alright?” she asked, running her hands down her sides. When he sucked in a deep breath, she took a step closer. “Reider?”
He set the lighter down, swallowing hard, and moved across the room one slow step at a time. He said nothing, but he didn’t have to. Johanna saw the desire in his glimmering green eyes lit only by the candles surrounding them. It pulsed towards her with each step he took. What grew between them was not simple attraction, and when he stood a few inches from her, she breathed him in, closing her eyes on the teak-wood cologne he wore that drove her crazy every time they had class together. No, this was something so much more, a force Johanna had only read about in books or saw in movies. Yet she felt a strong passion consuming her with a heat that would never be extinguished. Reider’s gaze locked onto hers, and his chest heaved with every deep breath he took as if searching for the words to express what was happening.
His face tightened with sudden worry, and he asked her quietly about protection before this went too far. “I was tested recently,” he said quietly.
She smiled, sensing his annoyance at having to ask such a thing. “I was, too, as a just-in-case, and I’m on the pill. If we’re going to have this weekend, I want to feel you, really feel you. Don’t you want to feel me?”
Reider’s face relaxed, and he reached out his hand tentatively to hold her cheek. The second his skin touched hers, she was lost. He groaned and dragged her against his body as she wrapped her arms around his neck, claiming his mouth as intensely as he did hers. Their tongues clashed in a fierce dance, trying to dominate and surrender at the same time. Reider’s arms enveloped her, and his fingers made quick work of her bra hook, undoing it and removing the lace. It fluttered to the floor beside them and he leaned back long enough to see her breasts. A moment later, Johanna moaned as his lips closed over one pert nipple and sucked hard.
Her hands dug into his hair, pushing his head even closer as his hand gripped her ass, massaging it until she couldn’t see straight from the crazy flare of need flooding her body. As he switched to her other nipple, she slipped her hands between them and yanked at his shirt so she could see his chest, feel his bare skin against hers.
Though they’d only really met this semester, had only spent a few weeks together, it felt like ages that Johanna had waited to see Reider bare-chested so she could press her palms flat against his well-defined muscles. She tugged at the soft dusting of hair and traced her fingers over the tattoo she never knew he had. He held her close, breathing hard as she went over the intricate details of the vines around his left shoulder, intertwined with barbed wire and dying leaves that turned to blossoms towards his chest. It fascinated her, but tonight was not a night for words, so she kissed it instead, knowing he would tell her the story behind it one day.
Reider claimed her mouth and picked her up, carrying her to the kitchen table, and set her down on it as she worked at his jeans, shoving them roughly over his hips. He kicked out of his boots as quickly as he could, and the second he was completely free before her, Johanna reached out her hand and gripped him. He shivered at her touch, groaning as her hand moved against him. His fingers pressed into her back, massaging before they trailed down her sides to her panties.
When he glanced down, his lips twitched in a smirk, and she felt his calloused fingers touch the tattoo on her hip, the broken, melting heart done in black and red ink. He glanced at her face, but she pulled him close for another kiss as he slowly and gently tugged down her panties, lifting her with one arm to remove them completely. He tossed them aside with the rest of their clothes.
There was no fear of being naked with him, no worry or anxiety over what might happen. Johanna didn’t even stop to tell him she was a virgin. She trusted Reider to follow her lead, and when she nipped at his lip, he grunted and moved his hand between her thighs.
His fingers circled her swollen, wet lips, and he growled against her neck, nipping and sucking as he spread her thighs wider and stood between the
m. His erection rubbed against the tender skin of her inner leg, hot and wanting her. Johanna’s head fell back on a moan when he tugged on her clit, rolling it between his fingers. Her hand dug into his shoulder, her other holding onto him still, wanting him to feel as much pleasure as she was.
As his fingers worked against her and penetrated her most sacred place, her head fell back and she lost her hold on him. She needed to grip his shoulders, the table… anything to keep herself from falling over the edge.
“Reider,” she gasped roughly. “Oh God!”
He smirked, but his fingers disappeared and she whimpered, wanting them back. He sank to his knees in front of her, and when his tongue thrust into her, she cried out, the new sensation twisting her inside and stoking the ever-growing fire they created together. She couldn’t take it. His one hand tugged and teased her nipple while the other rolled her clit as his tongue thrust continually within her. Her eyes rolling back, she cried out, her whole body quivering at his touch until he quickly reached an arm around her to hold her up.
While she recovered from the orgasm, Reider stood and picked her up, carrying her to the over-sized couch where he set her gently and followed her down. He nuzzled her neck, moving lower until his tongue caressed each breast and sent more shivers of pleasure down her back. She tried to reach for his throbbing member, but he pushed her hands gently aside, chuckling deep within his chest.
“Not yet,” he whispered. “I want you to enjoy this.”
“I thought I was,” she said, then gasped when he closed his mouth over her nipple and tugged, licking until her eyes rolled back again and her limbs weakened. “Your tongue… is not… playing fair.”
“Oh no?” He smirked against her breast before moving to capture the other nipple.
Johanna cursed and writhed beneath him, but he held her captive against the hard planes of his body. His hand reached between them, and his fingers thrust into her as his thumb teased her clit. They stretched and twisted her untested depths, arousing her until every nerve begged for release. The smooth motion of his expert touch left her hungry for more, and her desire flared. Before long, she cried out again, the intensity of the orgasm greater than the last.