by Penny Wylder
Was she writing her fantasies? Her dreams? Was it a journal or fiction? Did she fill more pages today thinking about me? I haven’t seen her at all yet today. She slept late this morning.
Is she okay after last night? The second I saw that man go after her, I saw red. If I hadn’t decided to drive after her…thinking through the possibilities makes me sick. But as I step out of the shower in my towel, I realize that we might have bigger problems.
The temperature has dropped a few degrees, and the wind is already picking up. One of the good things about Texas being so flat is that you can see weather from miles away, and that is one a hell of a storm I sense coming toward us.
I toss on my clothes quickly, not knowing how long we have before the storm hits. “Mel!” I call, jogging up the stairs to the house. She’s sitting at the kitchen table, and looks stunned when I burst in, like she had forgotten that I even existed. Her clothes are soft and comfy, and I resist the distraction though every part of my mind is aware of how sexy she is just sitting there. “There’s a storm coming,” I say. “Shoes on, we need to make sure everything’s ready.”
Frankly, there isn’t much that we can do, but I want to check on the horses, make sure any loose tools and supplies are tied down, and pull the cars away from the house and tall trees in case the worst happens.
Melena joins me, and we work quickly, sealing the barn and making sure all the windows are closed. We place strips of tape in crisscrosses over the old panes of glass, just in case the wind really picks up. The sky is dark with heavy clouds by the time that we are finished, the wind whipping at my clothes and Melena’s hair. I shut the door behind both of us against the wind. “Sorry for the short notice,” I say. “Storms can come up pretty quick out here.”
She smiles. “It was good to get moving. I’d been sitting too long anyway.”
The inside of the house is dim because of the storm, but it’s even darker now because all the shutters are bolted closed to protect the windows. Already we can hear the air slipping past, growing faster by the second. “First storm of the season,” I say, flipping on the light. “Probably won’t be the last.”
“Do you think we’ll get a lot of them?”
I shrug. “Depends on the year, and how bad the hurricanes are down on the coast. But it’s just a storm. We’ll be fine.” I walk over to the fridge and pull out the box of pie from last night and put it on a plate, fully aware that Melena is watching me. “I haven’t tried it yet.”
Her eyes are glued to me as I sit down at the table across from her and take a bite. A burst of rich cherry flavor pulls a groan from my mouth. Fuck, that’s really good. I had no idea that diner made pie like this. If I had, I would have made a point of stopping by more often. “Holy shit,” I say. “That’s amazing.”
Melena’s eyes sparkle. “Right? So good. We’re going to need to get pie from there on a regular basis.”
“At least once a week,” I say.
She smirks. “If we think that a pie will last that long between the two of us, sure.”
I chuckle. “Maybe twice a week then.”
“Or twice a week and we get a pie for each of us both times. We’re burning more than enough calories to deserve as much pie as we like.”
Suddenly my focus is entirely on her as I take the next bite of pie. It’s fucking delicious. I can think of a few more ways to burn calories if that’s what she wants, but she has to ask first.
The cherries in my mouth make me wonder…how did she lose hers? The thought of anyone else touching the woman in front of me makes jealousy flare under my skin and a protective streak I wasn’t expecting roar to life. It’s like when she was afraid of Bean, but ten times more. I hope that whoever it was was gentle and gave her the best experience possible, because if they didn’t and I ever find out who it was? Me and that man were going to have words.
The pie is gone far too soon. “Feel like going back tomorrow?” I ask as I put the dish into the sink.
Melena shuts her laptop. “Yes, absolutely. I literally want to try every flavor of pie that they have. But I think it will be hard to beat the cherry.”
Outside there’s a huge gust of wind. It rattles the walls of the house, and darkness consumes the room with a pop! Melena gasps, and I look around. Fuck. The power is out.
The wind has gotten stronger, and I’m tempted to look outside for a tornado. They’re not super common in this area, but not unheard of. But the sound of the gusts warns me to stay inside. Time to batten down the hatches.
“Harlan?”
“I’m here,” I say. “Power’s just out.”
There’s a barely-there dim light from the cracks in the windows, though between the storm and the evening light, even with my eyes adjusted, I can barely see the outlines of anything.
“Do we have a candle or something?” she asks. Her voice is closer to me now, and there’s a catch in it.
I grin, stepping closer to her voice. “You scared of the dark?”
“No,” she answers too quickly, right next to me now.
“Good,” I say softly. “I thought you weren’t afraid of anything but me. And Bean.”
Her tone has gone breathy, and I love the sound of it. “I’m not afraid of you.”
I step even closer, so I know that she can feel my presence. “Really? Cause every time I get closer to you, you run away.”
“No I don’t.”
Reaching out, I put my hands on her shoulders, and she shivers. “Not physically maybe, but you’re holding back, Mel. And I don’t know why.”
“I have to.”
“Do you?”
She shudders under my hands. “Yes.”
“Why?”
Her outline is barely visible, and I see her shake her head. “I’m not afraid of you, I’m—” a pause. “Maybe I’m afraid of what I don’t know.”
I swallow, the fact that I’m touching her more than I have in days and that I’m so close is making my own breath shake. “Even if nothing else, Melena, we’re here together. You can talk to me. We can be…friends.” The word burns in my mouth. I want so much more than friends, but if that’s all she can give me right now, I’ll live with it.
And that’s the moment I know I want her. Melena. All of her. Because I would rather have just a piece of her than nothing at all. I want this woman down to her very soul, and I hope that I can make her feel that way about me too.
Suddenly, Melena reaches out and places her hands on my chest. But this doesn’t feel like rejection. I freeze, not wanting to startle or discourage her, holding myself perfectly still as she slides her palms up to my shoulders.
Up to my shoulders and then down my arms, I let her feel me, listening to the erratic sound of her breath, barely audible above the rising storm.
“Will you kiss me, Harlan?”
The words are so soft that I almost miss them, but then my lips are crashing onto hers without another thought, unable to even say yes with the need to show her that fuck yes, I will kiss her.
She gasps under my mouth, and I pull her close, wrapping my arms around her and locking her to me. There’s no part of me that wants to let her go.
Melena melts under my kiss, holding me and kissing me with the same desperation that I have. I don’t know what changed, but her lips are sweeter than the cherry pie I just ate. Every part of her is sweet and amazing.
That protective, possessive instinct flares to life again. She’s choosing me.
I push her against the closest wall, pinning her there with my body while I plunder her mouth. I want to do so much more with her, but she only asked me to kiss her, and so I do. Until she’s breathless and moaning. I kiss her down her neck, nipping and licking. I grab her hair and pull it aside, covering every inch of skin with sensual kisses. I kiss her until I’m harder than I’ve ever been in my life. Until there’s nothing but her lips and mine.
When I break away to breathe, I press my forehead against hers. “Nothing in my life has ever felt as good
as kissing you.”
“Me neither.”
Taking her lips one more time, I gently push her against the wall. “Don’t move.” I need to see her. I go into the hallway and grab a hurricane lantern from the front closet and light it. Melena’s hair is mussed, and her lips swollen from my own. Her pajamas are out of place, and in my entire life I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything more beautiful or sexy.
And she’s watching me with gorgeous determination.
I walk back over to her as the storm starts to rage in full. “We’re not going anywhere for a while,” I tell her softly. “Is kissing all you want me to do?”
She bites her lip, and slowly shakes her head.
Making sure to keep the lantern far enough away from her, I press my body against hers again. “You tell me what you want, Melena. Fast or slow. Anything you want, it’s yours.”
My gut is guiding me here, and it tells me that she needs to be the one to say yes. I’ll still make her beg after she’s sure, but if I go too fast, I’m going to lose her entirely. Leaning in, I press my lips to her ear. “Fast or slow?”
“Slow,” she says, the word half a moan.
“Do you want me to spread you out on this table like I said I would, or in my bed?”
Her gaze flicks to mine, sudden confidence and desire there. “Bed now. Table later.”
“Fuck.” I take her hand and pull her up the stairs. “I’m going to eat you like that cherry pie, Mel. And I’m going to make you scream while I do it.”
I yank her inside my bedroom and set the lantern down on the side table. It casts a pale, flickering glow over the room while the walls of the house shake. That damn pajama top is too tempting, and I reach for her, doing exactly what I’ve imagined. “I wanted to do this the first time you came downstairs for breakfast,” I growl. I drag my lips down her neck and across her shoulder. Her skin is so smooth and soft, and I can barely believe that I’m finally getting to touch her, explore her.
Melena moans, and all the blood in my body flows straight to my cock. God, she’s sexy. And not wearing a bra. Her fingers are fisted in my shirt, holding on to me desperately. “Talk to me, Mel. Are you okay?”
She laughs, breathless. “More than okay.”
“Good.” I rip my shirt up and over my head, and then hers. She’s perfect. But the blush on her cheeks tells me that she’s embarrassed. I’m going to kill the man who put that thought into her head.
Scooping her up, I lay her on the bed. I lay on my side and let my fingers drift up her tummy, between her breasts. I drag my fingers down her sides and feel goosebumps raising beneath my fingertips. I move slowly, watching her face, taking in every breath she takes, every move her body makes under my fingers. I could do this, just simply caress her, all night long. When I see her breathing picking up, and her perfect nipples turn a darker shade of pink, I cover her body with mine. I’ve dreamed about this moment and how it would feel, and it’s so much better than my imagination. “You’re stunning,” I say, mouth pressed to her skin as I finally sink down her body and take a perfect pink nipple into my mouth.
“Oh,” she makes a sound, quickly biting her lip to be quiet, again blushing a furious pink.
Not on my watch. I crawl back up to her face so her eyes are level with mine. “I don’t know who made you think that you were anything less than perfect, or that letting someone hear your pleasure was a bad thing, but they were wrong. Your body is so delicious that I’ve been dying to taste it since the second you got out of that car. And if I make you feel good, then you better fucking believe that I want to hear it.”
Melena is looking at me like she’s never seen me before, and she hasn’t. Not like this. I feel wild and feral, ready to make this woman mine. I’ll go slow for her. But if I’m going slow, then I’m going deep. I want her to shake.
Lazily, I move my mouth across her skin, back to her nipples that pebble under my touch, perfectly hard, ready for my mouth. I like the way she arches into me, her moans are still hesitant, but she doesn’t hold them back. Her hands fall into my hair, holding me against her while I tease and taste, switching back and forth until she’s writhing.
And then I’m moving lower, because as much as I fucking love her tits, I want to taste her pussy more. I want to feel her clench around my tongue and hear what she sounds like when she comes.
“You still okay?” I ask as I reach the waistband of her pants, pressing kisses along the lines of her hips.
“Yeah.”
“Mmm,” I make the sound across her skin and watch goosebumps form. I love the little tells in her body to let me know how she feels, and I’m going to watch them like a hawk so I know every step of the way she feels comfortable. Her soft pants are easy to slide down her legs, and I freeze when I see she has no panties on either.
I grin up at her. “This is interesting.”
She turns bright red and covers her face. “I didn’t think that this would be happening. Or that I’d be running around the ranch battening down the hatches without panties.”
“You have no complaints from me,” I say, tossing her pants off the bed so that she’s completely naked beneath me. “Feel free to wear no panties any time you want.”
She smiles, but it disappears when I push her thighs apart and lower my mouth. My lips hover just above her pussy, and I breathe in deeply, smelling her sweetness, her arousal is rising off of her like heat. Then my tongue takes a single trip up her glistening slit. Fuck she tastes so good, and her low moan makes me grip her hips and pull her closer. Her pussy is sweet, and she’s so fucking wet already. I can’t believe that I haven’t tasted her until now, and I thank the universe for this storm that’s forced us together.
I hadn’t realized the tension that was still in her body until she melts under my mouth. Mel’s legs fall apart, but I keep licking slowly, watching as her pussy opens for me, and her hips roll slowly from side to side. I snake my hand up the flat plain of her tummy until I find her breast, and I rub the pad of my thumb over her nipple until she’s practically bucking beneath my mouth. Then I start to lick deeper, stroking her entrance with my tongue before dipping inside. Pure, rich, flavor. I nibble up and down her sexy lips, and dip my tongue inside her pussy again. She moans my name and that’s my cue. I flatten my tongue and attack her clit. In small movements, I trace circles around her swelling bud, and I feel a fresh burst of wetness on my chin.
Melena gasps, hips arching and hands fisting in the sheets. I don’t let her rest, teasing and caressing and licking until she starts to shake. “Harlan.” The sound of my name is drawn out and desperate. My only response is to suck harder.
She jerks under me, crying out, grabbing at my hair to the point of pain. But I don’t relent. Mel’s breathing is ragged, shudders rippling down her spine to me. I lick her through the orgasm, thoroughly enjoying the way she continues to writhe under my mouth.
When she sags on the bed in bliss, I stand up to take off my jeans and grab a condom from my drawer. I bought them a few days ago on the off chance that this might happen. At the time it seemed like an impossible hope. Now I’m glad that I’m prepared. I roll the condom on and lay down beside Mel again.
I pull Melena’s face to mine. Her eyes are glazed with pleasure, and that perfect lost look that woman get when you’ve rocked their world. It looks good on her. “Talk to me, Mel,” I say, kissing her softly.
She laughs, nearly lost to the sound of the storm raging. I haven’t felt a storm like this in a long time. “Not much to say. That was amazing.”
I settle my hips between her legs where she can feel my cock and know what’s about to happen. But there’s something in her eyes, vulnerable and beautiful, and I know this is the time to take it slow. Truly slow. “You still with me?”
“Yes.”
“No second thoughts?” I kiss her, letting her taste herself on my tongue and giving her a chance to think before she answers. When I pull back to look at her, I see a thought I don’t understand, like she�
�s searching for something in my face. But it passes so quickly that I feel like I almost missed it. “No second thoughts,” she whispers.
I fit myself against her, and push in, just to the tip. Christ, she’s so tight. Her wince tells me I’m bigger than she’s used to. That shouldn’t give me the satisfaction that it does. That I’m more than whoever else she’s let inside her. But I stop myself right there, letting her adjust.
Melena wraps her arms around my shoulders, and her legs around my hips, holding me close as she adjusts to my size. Her pussy grips me so hard I see white, and I fight to keep myself still and give her the slow she asked for. “Fuck,” the curse falls from my lips. “You feel so good.”
Her lips are parted and eyes closed, arching into me. I can feel her body surrendering, easing. I stroke inside her with just the tip a few times. It takes every ounce of self-control I have not to dive in balls deep. With every stroke, I go a little deeper, and she’s so wet that suddenly I’m deep inside her. My movements half the speed I’m craving. Mel’s lips are at my ear now, and she whispers to me. “More. Please.”
And so I give her more. I lift her leg by the knee so I can fuck her at a deeper angle, and her moan tells me I’m hitting just the right spot. Despite the ache in my balls screaming for me to come, I slow down, dragging my cock in and out of her, making sure to hit that spot that makes her eyes roll back in her head each time. She’s isn’t looking at me. Her eyes are shut gently, and her lips are parted. But I’m looking at her as her face transforms, as the ecstasy becomes so apparent on her face that I swear I get even harder. Every stroke we build together, until we move from smooth precision to a desperate frenzy. I can’t make it last as long as I want to for her, the connection between us crackling with energy. Pleasure sizzles down my spine and my vision goes white as Melena shudders underneath me, and I come, shouting out my climax.
I’ve never actually seen fireworks during an orgasm, but this time I do. I bury myself deep, holding myself there as my cock jerks. Waves of pleasure that make me blind, and I nearly collapse on top of Mel.