Love in a Small Town Box Set 1

by Tawdra Kandle

  She cast me a skeptical look. “You’re not too young. Mama was younger than you when she got married.” She laid down a pair of cards and gazed pointedly at Sam. “You’re not too young, Uncle Sam. Are you going to get married ever?”

  Silence fell again, and I saw Sam’s throat work as he swallowed. “Maybe someday, peanut, but for now, you and your mom are plenty of women for me.”

  “And Meghan,” Bridge added.

  Sam glanced up at me, his eyes unreadable. “Yep. And Meghan, for sure.”

  That same mixed feeling settled in my stomach, and I took a deep breath, wiping my suddenly-damp palms on my jeans. Just for now, I reminded myself.

  Sam made it through two hands of Old Maid before he stood up, announcing that he had to get some things ready outside. Before Bridget could ask what he was doing, Ali interrupted and reminded her that it was time for a bath and reading.

  “Have fun tonight,” she whispered as her daughter dragged her toward the steps. “But don’t tell me about it. I’d like to stay blissfully ignorant if you don’t mind.”

  I wiped off the table and stood uncertain in the middle of the kitchen. It was nearly eight, but I wasn’t sure whether or not Sam wanted me outside. I heard him around the truck, and my curiosity was running high.

  Before I could peek out the window, the screen door opened, and he stuck his head inside. “Okay, I’m ready. C’mon.”

  “Do I need to bring anything?” I rubbed my arms, wondering if I needed a sweatshirt.

  “Nope, just yourself.” He held out a hand, and I took it.

  The pick-up truck was just outside the door, and two fishing poles leaned against the bed. Sam squeezed my hand and looked down at me with questioning eyes.

  “Okay, so if I’m way off base here and you don’t want to do this, I’ve got a plan B. But tell me the truth: are you all right with some night fishing?”

  “Are you kidding me?” I reached for the pole nearest me and ran my hand over it. “I’m a beach girl. I love to fish.”

  The relief on his face was adorable. “Good. I thought it would be fun. I’ve got a special place picked out, and I think you’ll like it.” He pulled me around to the other side of the truck, tossing the fishing stuff into the back over a tarp as we rounded the tailgate.

  Sam started up the engine and within a few minutes, we were bumping along a rough dirt road, heading into the woods. He’d taken my hand again when he started driving, and now he pressed it to his thigh.

  “In case I forget to say it later, you look gorgeous tonight. I couldn’t stop looking at you when we were eating dinner.”

  I tightened my fingers around his. “I’ve been rushing through this whole day, just to get to tonight. I don’t even remember eating dinner.”

  He turned sharply, and we were deeper into the trees. The canopy of branches hid the stars and moon, and the night was full-on black. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the seat.

  “Are you tired?” Sam’s thumb rubbed the top of my hand.

  “No.” I turned my head and smiled at him. “Just enjoying the present. The quiet and the dark.”

  “Well, look ahead now, just for a minute.” He took a left, and suddenly we were in a clearing. The sky stretched over us with a million stars, and before us, moonlight gleamed on a beautiful expanse of blue water. I caught my breath.

  “Oh, Sam, it’s so pretty.” I leaned forward, checking out the sloping bank that led down to the river. “Is this where we’re fishing?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, this is my favorite spot.” He pulled the truck alongside the water, as close as he could get without getting stuck. “Wait here a second.”

  Sam jumped out on his side and circled around to open my door for me. He laced our fingers together again as he helped me out and led me to the river.

  “If you sit down here, I’ll bring the fishing gear over.” He pointed to a flat rock that sat on the edge of the water.

  “I can help you,” I offered, but he shook his head.

  “Nope, just stay put.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. There was something about moving water that spoke to my soul, and I realized how much I’d been missing the ocean this summer. I leaned down to let my fingers trail in the rushing bubbles. It was icy cold, and I shivered.

  Sam joined me with our fishing poles. He insisted on putting the bait on my hook for me, even after my assurances that I always did my own hook at home.

  “I’m not that much of a girl, Sam.” I took the offered reel.

  “I didn’t think you were, but this is a date, and maybe you don’t want to get your fingers all slimy.”

  I couldn’t think of an argument, so I smiled. “Thank you for that.”

  We cast out and watched the bobbers bounce as they landed. I settled myself between Sam’s legs, relaxing my back against his chest. “This is the best date ever. Thank you.”

  The fingers of his free hand wrapped around my stomach. “This is just the beginning. Don’t thank me too soon.”

  “But it’s perfect. Most guys would take me out to a restaurant or some place like that, and I’d have to pretend to like it. But this is exactly what I wanted. What I needed.”

  “I’m glad to hear that, because I’d have hated to put on a stupid tie and go to a fancy place to eat.” He leaned in to trail his lips down my neck. “I would have done it, if it were what you wanted. But I’m glad it isn’t.”

  My line tugged sharply. “Hey! I think I got something.” I sat forward and pulled up, cranking in slow and steady. I liked that Sam didn’t try to take the pole from me; he just watched me, smiling, as I slowly reeled in a good-sized trout.

  “That’s a nice one.” He watched the fish flop on the river bank. “I’ve got an ice chest in the truck if you want to keep it.”

  I shook my head. “Nah. Let’s let him go. He’s been a good sport.”

  Sam removed the hook and tossed the trout back in the river. I watched him swim away. “Do you think he’s going back to tell his friends how he was abducted by aliens?”

  “Maybe.” He laughed. “I’ve never thought about what the fish think when they’re thrown back in. Do you ever eat what you catch?”

  I shrugged. “Sometimes, but usually not.” I ran the tip of my tongue along my top lip. “It’s the catching that I enjoy, you know? I guess I always think the best part of anything is having fun while it’s there, and then being smart enough to walk away when it’s over. Or toss it back.”

  Sam watched me for a minute and then nodded. He picked up my rod. “Want to cast again?”

  I looked at him, kneeling next to me, those brown eyes hungry as he glanced up at me. His T-shirt stretched over his shoulders, and I knew I didn’t want to wait another minute.

  “No, I don’t think I do.” I slid from the rock and knelt in front of him. “I think I want to enjoy what I hooked. And guess what, Sam?” I kissed up his neck until I got to his ear lobe. I bit it gently, sucking it into my mouth. “WAN.”

  He pushed back to see my face, and he was grinning again. “WAN. We’re alone now.”

  “Yes, we are.” I slipped my hands into the waistband of his jeans and tugged him as close to me as I could. “So what are you going to do about it?”

  Sam lifted me up, his hands cupping my backside. “Come and see.”

  ONCE WHEN I WAS about ten, my mom took Ali and me down to Florida to see her aunt, who’d just moved there. She lived in a trailer park for senior citizens that sat on the edge of an orange grove. I remembered stepping out onto her deck and taking a deep breath of the tantalizing aroma of orange blossoms.

  That was exactly how Meghan smelled as I picked her up and carried her toward the truck. I made it up the bank before I stopped at a tree and let her slide down me. Taking her face in my hands, I covered her lips with mine, kissing her with such thoroughness that our hearts were pounding when I broke away.

  “Wait here.” I touched the tip of her nose. “I need to do one more thing
.”

  She nodded, leaning back against the trunk of the tree. I saw her touch her lips with the tip of one finger, and it was all I could do to scramble back to the truck. I pulled off the tarp and tossed it to the ground, and then I lowered the tailgate and climbed into the truck bed. I pulled out the bag that was tucked in the corner and found the candles and matches. Carefully, I lit each one and placed them around the edge of the truck.

  The last thing I did was dig my phone out of my pocket and plug it into the blaster I’d stolen from her that afternoon. I queued up the play list that I’d put together last night and hit play. Country music at just the right volume filled the air.

  I jumped off the back and went back to Meghan. “Okay, come on now. We’re all set up.”

  She smiled and followed me without asking questions. I liked that about her; she trusted me and wasn’t going to insist on knowing everything I was doing. When she saw the truck bed, piled in quilts and pillows, with the candles giving off a soft glow, her mouth dropped and her hand went to her heart.

  “Sam. Oh my God. This is ... it’s beautiful. It’s perfect.” She turned to look up at me, her eyes shining. “You got this all ready for us? When?”

  I slid my arm around her side. “I have my ways. Here, let me boost you up.” I held her by the waist and lifted until she was crawling up toward the pillows.

  “What’s this?” Meghan poked at the bag on the side.

  “Supplies.” I climbed up and joined her. “Bug spray.” I held it up. “Because I don’t want you getting bitten up by anything but me.”

  She giggled and reached for it. “Okay, good thinking. What else you got?”

  “Protection.” I tossed the strip of condoms onto the pillow.

  Meghan raised her eyebrow. “Someone’s optimistic.”

  “Hey, preparation is important.” I reached back into the bag. “And I stole Ali’s favorite wine, too. Remind me to replace it, please, or there’ll be hell to pay.”

  “Got it. Did you bring cups?”

  I shook my head. “No, we’re going old school tonight and drinking it straight from the bottle.”

  I loved that she didn’t blink. “Excellent.” She lay back, falling onto the pillows with a soft thud. “Sam, this is amazing. Wine, protections from all the elements, blankets, candlelight, music ...” She looked over at the blaster. “Hey, isn’t that mine?”

  “Yeah, I had to liberate it from your room. Sorry.” I lay down next to her.

  “That’s okay, it was for a good cause. Though I think this is the first time it’s ever had country music played on it.”

  “Then it must be a really happy blaster. Since this is clearly the best music ever.”

  Meghan snorted. “Oh, please. Twangy, whining cowboys? Give me my rock bad boys any day.”

  “Hey.” I rolled and held myself over her, bracing on my forearms. “Don’t diss my music. Have you ever made love to country?”

  Her eyes grew soft, and she sucked in her bottom lip. “I can’t say that I have.”

  “Then you’re in for a world-shattering experience.” I lowered my hips until they rested on hers. “Because the songs I put on this play list were chosen just for you. For tonight.”

  I let my lips stroke over her mouth, teasing and tempting. She was pliant and eager as her arms reached around my neck. I moved over her lips, waiting until she arched against me before I nudged her to open to my tongue. Stroking the inside of her mouth, I framed her face with my hands and caressed her cheek.

  Meghan slipped her hands beneath my shirt and traced the muscles on my back. “Do you know how much I love to touch you? When I watch you work and see your strength ... it just makes me want you.”

  I pushed up to my knees and stripped off my shirt. “Now that you’ve told me that, I’m never going to wear a shirt again.”

  She ran her hands up my ribs, brushing her palms over my nipples. At her touch, pure lust ran down to my already-stiff cock. I bit her bottom lip softly and sucked it into my mouth before kissing down her neck, stopping at the pulsing vein near the base of her throat to circle my tongue there.

  “God, Sam, you feel good.” Meghan lowered her hands to my ass, trying to get me closer to her.

  I kissed and licked my way back up to her ear. “I want you naked and screaming under me. I thought we could take this slow, but there’s something about you ... I feel like I’m going to die if I can’t be inside you.”

  She moaned, and I fumbled for the hem of her shirt. “Lift up a little, so I can get this off you.”

  Meghan crunched up, raising her arms to help me. I almost swallowed my tongue when I saw the bra she was wearing. It was black lace, plunging low, and the pale pink peaks of her nipples pushed against the material. As though I couldn’t help it, I lowered my mouth to catch one of them between my teeth, worrying it without biting down too hard.

  She cried out, but I knew it was from pleasure, not pain. I balanced on one arm and covered her other breast with my hand, palming it and feathering my thumb over the nipple.

  Meghan writhed beneath me. I pulled down one cup of her bra and covered the rosy peak with my mouth, sucking and pressing it to the roof of my mouth. Her hands clawed at my back, and she moaned my name.

  “What do you want, Meghan?” I already knew, because it was the same thing that I needed, but I had to hear her say it.

  “I want—more. I want you. I need you inside me.”

  Reaching behind her back, I unhooked the bra and threw it to the side. I pushed her breasts together, kissing them and then moving lower, down her stomach. My fingers played under the waistband of her jeans before I unbuttoned them and tugged down the zipper.

  “Sam.” Her hands threaded into my hair, and I knew she was coaxing me on.

  “Yeah, I know, babe. I’m getting there.” I pulled off her jeans and inhaled fast when I saw the tiny piece of lace between her legs. “Oh my God, Meghan. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” I touched her, letting one finger tip trail over the panties, dipping down to where the black cloth was soaked. I added just enough pressure to feel the hard nub of nerves beneath.

  “Sam—please.” Meghan grasped my hand, pushing it against herself.

  “Shhh. I’m going to make it better. Much, much better.” I hooked my fingers into each side of the panties, pulling them down her legs and over her feet. My mouth was level with the juncture of her legs. I parted her, slow and tender, and kissed within them, circling her clit with my tongue as my fingers explored.

  She let out a strangled cry. “So close. Oh, God, Sam. Don’t stop.”

  “Not planning on it.” I sucked the bundle of nerves at the same time that I plunged two fingers inside her. Meghan rocked her hips, trying to get closer to my mouth. She gripped my hair and her whole body spasmed as she ground out my name. I could feel her pulsing around my fingers and twitching beneath my tongue.

  When she collapsed onto the quilts with a heave of breath, I kissed down to her feet and then back up, letting my lips cover every bit of the silken skin on her legs as I moved. She hummed a little, and when I reached her face again, she opened her eyes enough to offer me a lazy smile.

  “Hi.” She reached out to draw me closer and kiss me, this time with sensual slowness, as though we could lie here forever enjoying each other.

  “Hi.” I ran my hands over her breasts again, loving the feeling of their weight and fullness in my hands. “You’re incredible, did you know that?”

  “I know you make me feel incredible.” She laced her hands together behind my neck. “When you touch me, it’s like you set me on fire. And I burn for you, until I think I’ll end up cinders.”

  She kissed me again, pulling me tighter to her as her tongue tangled with mine. Her fingers danced over my chest again, trailed down my stomach and skated beneath my jeans. I sucked in my breath to give her room, and when her small palm closed over my throbbing cock, I groaned.

  “I think you’re way too dressed.” Meghan sat up on he
r knees, her hair falling in a silken curtain around her shoulders. She unbuttoned my pants and tugged at them. “But I also think you’re going to have to help me get them off.” She smirked at me. “You get them off and I’ll get you off.”

  I shook my head in mock outrage and sat up to help her maneuver the jeans off. My boxers caught on the button, so I took them off too and discarded them in the corner with Meghan’s clothes.

  “Much better.” She swung one leg over me, straddling my hips so that her hands were on my shoulders and my dick jutted out behind her. Laying there looking at her, with her red hair spread around her face and her body glorious with the globes of her breasts, I thought I’d never seen anyone so beautiful, so perfect. I knew this vision would haunt my memory for a long time.

  “I like this.” I lifted her boobs, using one finger to draw a circle around a nipple. “Are you going to ride me?”

  “Maybe.” She flashed that sassy smile that used to annoy the hell out of me. Now it only made me want more. “But first I’m going to taste you.”

  She slithered down my body, and I thought I was going to lose it when her boobs ran over my cock. But in a few seconds, Meghan’s hand was on me, stroking and pumping, pausing now and then to cup my balls or to circle the head with her thumb. Just when I wasn’t sure I was going to live and didn’t care if I died, she surrounded me with the burning silk of her mouth, sinking over me, taking in each inch.

  She gave that same little hum that I’d come to associate with her pleasure, and the vibration ran out of her mouth and into my dick, making my hips buck up to meet her lips.

  “Shhh.” She glanced up at my face through her lashes, and the sight of her there between my legs, taking me into her mouth, hair cascading over us both as her breasts brushed my legs was my undoing. I reached for her shoulders.

  “Now. I need to be inside you now.” I tried to drag her up to me, desperate to have her on top of me. Or under me. I didn’t really care, as long as it ended the same way.

  I heard the sound of her soft laughter as she crawled her way toward me. She leaned to the side of my head and picked up the strip of condoms from the pillow next to me. All of my senses were overwhelmed: the scent of oranges wafting from her skin, the feel of her legs alongside mine and her weight on my thighs, the taste of her still on my lips, and the crinkle of paper as she tore open the little packet were only heightened by the sight of her rolling latex over my pulsing cock.