by Gorman, A.
Friday nights are normally nights spent in town at the bar dancing, but it’s not for me. I haven’t been to the bar in almost two months. Now that I think about it, I haven’t been anywhere but PT and the ranch in two months.
Rory asked me for a date tonight, but I didn’t answer him. It’s not that I don’t want to go with him; it’s that I don’t want to do what we used to do. Go out to eat, find a place to have sex, and call it a night. But I was a teenager then. I shouldn’t assume it would be the same now.
I pick up my phone and dial Rory’s number…
“Hello.” His deep, raspy voice echoes through the line, and my body hums with anticipation.
“Hi. It’s Hayden.” Duh. I’m sure he knew it was me calling.
“Hey, darlin’. How are you?”
“I’m good. I was wondering if your offer still stands.” I bite my lip, waiting for his answer.
“Yes.” I hear horses in the background. Shit. I should have texted.
“Good. Want to meet up, or…?”
“I’ll pick you up. Seven work?”
I look down at my watch, and it’s only a quarter till two.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“See you then.”
“Yep. Bye.”
The line goes dead.
Damnit. I didn’t ask where we’re going or anything that I need to know. I’ll text him later. I get back to work so I can get out of here earlier than normal. Hopefully no one will be around to ask a hundred questions when Rory picks me up.
My phone dings with a text notification as I replying to my last email.
Rory: Dress up but comfortable. We have a little drive.
Me: Can do.
Rory: Does six work? I’ll be finished sooner than I thought.
Me: Yes.
Rory: Perfect. See you then.
Me: Bye.
I turn off my phone and focus back on the last email; it’s regarding the last colt we have. He’s beautiful, and it pains me a little to see Storm go, but he needs a home. I know he’ll make someone a very happy racer. I end the email with all my info, click the send button, and once it sends, I close my laptop. I make my way out of the office, turning out the lights as I walk toward the outside door.
The heat is miserable and almost catches my breath as I step outside from the AC’d building. The yard is quiet. I get in my truck and drive to the house a half mile from the office. The driveway is void of vehicles, so I’ll be able to get ready without questions from my parents or my brother.
I unlock the front door, walk into the house, and shut the door behind me. My boots echo on the dark wood floor, and they thump up each step I take up the stairs. I reach my room and close the door behind me, and I walk over to my closet to decide what is worthy of a date with Rory. I try not to show too much skin. I have scars from surgery, and I’m not ready to show them off to everyone.
I pick out a sun dress that covers me front and back, but it’s sleeveless, and I’ll wear my favorite boots. It’s time for a shower so I have plenty of time to do my hair and makeup. I hope I’m ready for this…Be still my heart.
Chapter Four
Rory
Nerves flutter in my stomach like they did the first time I took Hayden out over six years ago. She was almost sixteen, and I was eighteen. So much has changed since those days. I was a senior, and she was a sophomore…The next four years were life changing. I didn’t leave home for college; instead, I went to a community college for Equestrian Studies, worked at the ranch, and graduated early so I could start my future with her.
While in high school, Hayden did a vet tech vocational program, so when she graduated, she was a licensed tech. At nineteen and twenty-one, we thought we were ready for what life threw at us, but we were wrong. However, the experiences made me realize that life here wasn’t too bad, especially with Hayden in it.
I know I’m going to have to work hard to win her back and break through the wall she has built around her feelings about riding. Each passing day she’s not on a horse, I can see a difference in her. She might not realize it, but her family and I do. I had a conversation with her dad Michael the day after I went to look at the colt.
He’s worried about her, and he doesn’t want to see her give up on something she loved so much. So we came up with a plan, because Michael saw the affection between Hayden and the last colt left, Storm. I’m going to pick him up for a “client” and train him at my ranch, and when Hayden’s ready to get back on a horse, he’ll be waiting for her. I know she’ll be upset at us for doing this for her, but we’re here to support her. She can’t let one fall keep her from living life to the fullest.
I park beside Hayden’s truck in the driveway and look at the dash clock to see I’m almost twenty minutes early. Oops. I walk up to the door, ring the doorbell, and wait for someone to answer. A few moments pass, and the door swings open. Hayden stands in the doorway. Her strawberry blonde hair frames her sun-kissed face, and her green eyes sparkle with excitement. The blue dress she has on isn’t form fitting, but it fits where it should.
“Want to come in?”
“Sure.” I take my Stetson off and walk through the door, closing it behind me.
“I’m almost ready. Have a seat in the living room, and I’ll be right back.” She rushes upstairs, taking two at a time.
I walk into the family room—the room hasn’t changed in two years—and walk over to the fireplace mantel. Pictures of the family, including pictures of Hayden and me, decorate the area. I figured that I would be erased from the house, I assumed wrong, and I pick up the picture with me holding her after her first state championship win. She glowed with happiness. I hope to bring back that glow.
“I’m ready,” she says from behind me. I place the picture back on the mantel. “I couldn’t take them down…I tried.”
“I understand.”
“You were a big part of my life then. I can’t erase you from my past.”
“I’m glad that you’re giving me a second chance.”
“Not only you, but us. I look at these pictures daily…but not until the other day did I really look at them. We were happy, in love. Maybe I’m still naïve to want that, but I do. Granny always said, ‘Things fall apart so they can fall back together better.’ I hope this is a time her saying applies.”
“You don’t think we’re rushing back into this, do you?”
“No, you’re the only guy I’ve wanted since I was twelve years old. I’ve loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you at the rodeo when you wouldn’t give me a second glance because I was a girl. Why stop something—”
“That feels so right…”
“Yes.” She puts her arms around me, and I hold her with mine. She looks up. “Maybe it’s because I thought over and over what I would say to you if I saw you again. I played out every scenario in my head, and they weren’t nice. After my accident, I realized that you had to go, just like I had to stay here. We both were to blame for not trying. So I told myself if I was ever given a second chance with you, I was going to give it another try.”
I release her and step back, the heat between our bodies is driving me wild, and I want to do more than just hold her. Hurt shows in her eyes, but the front door opens, and the emotion fades away. The sound of boots comes toward us, and I turn around.
“Hey, Rory. I thought that was your truck,” Mrs. Bergman says as she gives me a hug. “How are your mom and dad?” the older version of Hayden asks.
“They’re busy getting ready for their first herd of cattle next week.”
“Sounds exciting. Tell them I said hi, please.”
“Will do, ma’am.”
“Have a good evening, you two. Hay, let me know if I need to leave the light on.”
“Yes, Mama.” She kisses Hayden on the cheek and pats my arm before leaving the room.
“I think that’s our cue to get out of here.”
“Yes, me too.” I take her hand, and we walk out of the house. I h
elp her into the truck before getting in myself. It’s an hour drive to the next town over for dinner.
The conversation doesn’t stop, and it’s not one sided. The drive went by quickly and dinner even quicker—a steakhouse neither of us had been to before. It’s a perfect place to get a fresh start for our relationship.
A moonlit highway stands between me and getting Hayden into my bed. I hope I’ve been reading her body language correctly. We drive into town, and I’d better ask her to make sure.
“Am I taking you home or to my place?”
“Your parents’?”
“No, my house…”
“Your house?”
“Oh, I thought you knew.” Smooth, dumbass. How did you forget to tell her that? “You know the ranch next to my parents’ place?”
“Old man Miller’s?”
“Yes, that’s the place. He sold it to me for a good price. He and his wife are staying in the guest house until their house is finished in Florida.”
“I was wondering what they were going to do with their place since they didn’t have any children and their family moved away.”
“It’s not a big place, only a few hundred acres. People want land these days, but that’s enough for training horses.”
“Are you going to move the business to your place then?”
“Eventually. I don’t want to jump the gun in case Dad hates cattle.”
“That’s probably smart.”
“So…my place or home?”
She bites her lip as she thinks. “Yours.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
I turn in the opposite direction from her house and head to the county road that takes us to my house. She pulls out her cell phone, I’m assuming to text her mama to let her know she won’t be home. The conversation has stopped, but anticipation has taken its place. I can’t wait to get home.
The two-story plantation style home is dark when we pull up, but motion-activated lights turn on when I pull in front of the garage. I press the button, the garage opens, and I pull in. Hayden takes a deep, nervous breath, and I look over at her.
“We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I’ll never force you.”
“I, um…I know. I’m nervous…”
“It’s okay, darlin’. So am I, to be honest. I don’t want to screw this up.”
She gives me a small smile, and I get out of the truck, helping her out. Once inside, I take her purse and place it on the kitchen table.
“Want something to drink? Water, beer, or Coke?”
“Beer works.” I grab two.
“I’ll give you quick tour of the house…There’s not much here since I just moved in a few weeks ago. Maggie has been trying to come over to decorate, but I don’t want my sister’s design ideas in my house.”
She laughs. “I understand. It would be like me decorating Matt’s place. I would purposely put up stuff that would make women run the other way.”
“That’s exactly what Maggie would do.” I show her the downstairs and tell her about the upstairs. I don’t want to be pushy or assume that’s where this is heading.
“The house is gorgeous. I’m proud of you,” she says as we sit down on the couch.
“Thank you.” I saved every penny I could from the time I was eighteen until now to buy a house without a huge lien, and that’s what I did. “Want to watch a movie?”
“Not really. I’m enjoying you. I don’t need the distraction.”
She places her beer bottle on the table and straddles me.
“Oh, hello.”
“Hey.” She grins mischievously. “Are you going to show me your bedroom?”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Yes. Just be gentle because I don’t know if my shoulder can handle much pressure.”
“You got it.” She moves off me, and I stand, pick her up, and carry her upstairs.
My room is a blank canvas, waiting to be painted. I haven’t decided what I wanted to do to it quite yet. Maybe I can get suggestions from Hayden.
I turn the switch on with my elbow, and my unmade bed comes in view. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting company…”
“You’re fine as long as you’re the only one who’s been in those sheets,” she smarts off as I sit her on the side of the bed.
“Yes, ma’am, and in the bed too. Well, you’ve been in this bed.” I smirk.
“Oh, this is your bed from your parents’?”
“Yeah.”
Hayden’s bravado fades, and her posture slumps.
“Hay, what’s wrong? We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to…”
“It’s not that, definitely not that. My body isn’t what it used to be. I have scars…”
“They don’t make me think any different of you…”
“You might once you see them. They’re gross.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
I kick off my boots and unbutton my shirt, and she watches my movements. I undress down to my boxers, get on my knees in front of her, and help her stand up. Hayden’s body trembles under my touch with bated breath. I slide my hands under her dress and caress the skin underneath. Goose bumps appear under my fingertips as I rub down her sides and legs.
The hem of the dress is a loose ruffle, and I gently grab it, pulling the garment over my head. Hayden stands before me in boots and lacy panties. No bra. My dick instantly tents the loose material of my boxers. She tries to cover her body, but I stop her.
“You’re beautiful…” I kiss the red scars on her collarbone, and she turns around. Two other scars line her back, but they aren’t ugly, just red from healing. She turns back around. “And I think you’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid eyes on…”
She gives me a small smile. “Thank you.”
“Still okay?”
“Yes.”
I grab her by the waist and lay her on the bed, removing her boots and panties. The smell of her arousal permeates the air, and I can’t wait to be inside of her. I grab a condom out of my drawer, and she shoots me a look as I remove my boxers. I smirk. I was feeling optimistic.
I take in her body in my bed, because this is where we were our first time. She was my first kiss, my first love, my first everything. Maybe that’s why I compare everyone to her. We were perfect for each other, and I hope that is the case still.
Foreplay isn’t one of my fortes, but I don’t want to jump her and it be over in two pumps. She has me keyed up. Ready to pounce and conquer, but she isn’t the type to be conquered. Hayden needs to be savored. I straddle her and massage her body, from her toes all the way to her neck. She tenses when I rub her shoulders. I didn’t mean to be rough; my eagerness is getting the best of me.
I make my way down to her sex, and she parts her legs, giving me access. She’s reaching for me, wanting to return the pleasure, but this is all for her right now. I lick her hot center and latch onto her clit, causing her to moan out in pleasure. I don’t let go as I place a finger in her heat and gently work it in rhythm with my mouth. I add another finger, and she bucks into my face. She’s wet and ready. I roll over, grabbing the condom off the bed and rolling it on.
Instead of missionary, I pull her on top of me. I don’t want to hurt her anymore.
“Is this okay?”
Her shyness returns.
“Hayden?”
“Yes.”
I grab her waist, and with her help, I align myself to her sex. She slowly takes me in, and she whimpers in delight as she adjusts to the fullness. I lift her up and slide her back down my cock, stretching her with each stroke. Hayden’s fingers find her clit, and she rubs it in rhythm with my strokes as her orgasm builds.
“Oh, yeah, darlin’. That’s hot.” She flashes the smirk of a vixen and continues to grind on my cock as I thrust in and out of her.
She tightens around me, on the cusp of coming undone. I don’t stop my pace and thrust her up and down as she comes on my cock, and her tightne
ss pulls me over the edge with her. My body tenses as I pour myself into her, and my vision speckles as I gasp for air as I forgot to breathe.
Hayden lies down on me, kissing my lips before she rests her head on my chest. I don’t want to move, this is perfect, and I caress her backside with my hands, so silky smooth. I don’t want to let her go…
Chapter Five
Hayden
For a little over three months, Rory and I have been whatever you want to call this. I haven’t spent a night away from him since our date. He’s been very honest about what he wants, but he hasn’t been pushy about it. That’s why our relationship doesn’t have a label. Am I his girlfriend? That’s how he introduces me, but it’s not official because it doesn’t need to be. I’m happy, and I think he is too.
After work today, I’m meeting him at his parents’ ranch, because he has something to show me. I have no idea what it could be, and I hope while I’m there I can see Storm. Rory picked him up a few weeks ago for his client. He didn’t say much about him after he got him. I hope he’s okay.
Today’s paperwork is light, and it allows me to daydream more than I should. I don’t realize I’m not alone until someone clears their throat.
“Oh. Hi, Daddy.”
“Hey. Everything okay?”
“Yes, couldn’t be better.”
“Good to hear. So…are things with you and Rory getting serious again?”
“Um…yes…not really. We’re taking it slow and seeing where it goes.”
“You know our view on living with someone and not being married.” I try not to roll my eyes, but I couldn’t stop it. “I know you think it’s old fashioned, but it prevents a lot of problems.”
“I’m not living with him. I spend the night. My belongings are here.”
“People talk.”
“Well, they need to mind their own business. If something did happen, I’d like to believe that Rory and I are mature enough to handle it. I don’t want to rush into anything, but I don’t want to be away from him either.”