by A. J. Wynter
They saddled two horses and literally rode off into the sunset together, both of them yipping, laughing, and riding as fast as they could. This time Sydney was ready for Buttercup’s belly flop and squealed as she leapt into the pool of water. Russ hopped off his horse and tied him to one of the trees.
He ripped his shirt open, the snaps popping, and tossed it on the ground, his undershirt quickly following suit. He struggled to kick off his cowboy boots and toppled to the ground, where he forcefully yanked them off.
“Wait!” Sydney shouted.
Russ stood frozen in his pre-dive position and looked at her quizzically.
“Those jeans aren’t too comfortable when they’re wet are they?”
“Is that a statement or a question?” he asked.
“You can take off your pants, Russ,” she was standing in the middle of the pool, her t-shirt clinging to her breasts. He felt his manhood start to press against the zipper of his pants and knew that if he took another glance at the perfect pink nipples awaiting his arrival, he would quickly be at full staff. He took a deep breath, ripped down his jeans and dove into the water in one smooth action.
But the water wasn’t his friend tonight. Usually, icy cold water was the antidote for a raging hard-on. But as he surfaced, and his eyes met Sydney’s, he knew that nothing could stop his body from responding to her. He felt himself grow thick and hard with his girth pressing against the slit in his boxers, finding its own way out into the water.
Sydney reached to Russ and wrapped her arms around his neck while threading her fingertips through his hair. He trailed his fingers down her back and gripped her t-shirt in his hands, bunching its wetness against her tight waist as his mouth hungrily met hers. He peeled the wet cotton off her back, over her head, and tossed it onto a shoreline rock, the saturated shirt landing with a wet thud.
Sydney wrapped her legs around Russell’s waist and he grabbed her ass, supporting her with one arm, while the other wrapped around her back. He trembled as the skin of his chest touched hers, both of them erupting in goosebumps. They continued kissing, their mouths growing hungrier for each other.
Sydney reached her arms around her back and unclasped her bra. Russ pulled the straps from her body and tossed the bra to their pile of clothes. He gasped at the first meeting of her hard nipples against his body. He gripped her back tightly, his fingers pressing into her skin, willing his body not to betray him, attempting to hold his orgasm at bay. He was so close to losing it, the touch of this woman, just the brush of her nipples, enough to make him come in his boxers.
Making matters worse, Sydney started rocking her hips against him. Russell pulled back, knowing that if they continued he was either going to have to fuck her right then and there or, embarrass himself in front of the greatest woman he had ever known.
He pushed her hips back and kissed her tenderly, then he picked her up and tossed her as hard as he could. She squealed as she flew through the air like a ragdoll and splashed in an ungraceful flop. She rocketed up from the bottom and gasped for air.
“You want to start that, do you?” she laughed and lunged at him.
His stall tactic had worked. They spent the next few minutes play fighting, tossing each other around. Russell letting her think that she could push him under. They were both full-on belly laughing as they clung to each other in the cold pool of water, then Russell did something that he swore he would never, ever, do.
Chapter 22 - Sydney
Sydney finally understood what it felt like to want something with all of your being. She wanted Russ’s smiling lips on hers, his thick hands around her body, his hard chest pressed against hers. She could feel his hardness pressing against her belly in the water, and she knew that she wanted him inside of her.
His eyelashes were clumped together forming star shapes around his blue eyes. Sydney could feel her heart racing and her hips were rocking like they had a mind of their own.
Both of their bodies were covered in goosebumps, and Sydney knew that hers were only partly because of the cold. The anticipation of losing her virginity to Russell was exhilarating and exciting, but she felt her nervousness growing.
“Russell,” she said, her teeth chattering. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Russ smiled at her and she saw him release a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you too,” he said and leaned in to kiss her again. “Let me go first,” he whispered in her ear.
Sydney drew back to look him in the eyes, wondering what he was about to say, hoping that it had something to do with them taking off all of their clothes.
Russ swept strands of Sydney’s soaking wet hair behind her ears and murmured, “You’re so beautiful.”
Sydney blushed and looked down at the water, she knew that Russell had been with lots of other women, and she opened her mouth, she had to tell him.
“Russ, I… I’m a—”
“I love you, Sydney.”
“… virgin,” she continued at the same time.
Russell pulled back, his dreamy look replaced with either shock or concern. Sydney couldn’t quite tell. “Really?” he asked.
“Really,” Sydney whispered, scared that she had just ruined a perfect moment.
Russ cupped Sydney’s cheeks and kissed her forehead. Syd felt as though years of tension had just been released from her body and she fully relaxed every muscle, allowing herself to melt into Russ’s arms. She had been so worried about disclosing her virginal status, that only then did Russ’s words catch up to her. She gripped Russ’s back, her cheek against his chest and whispered, “I love you too.”
She felt Russ’s hand on the back of her head and his lips on the top of her head. They remained in their embrace, for what could’ve been seconds, or hours, Sydney couldn’t tell. Russ pulled back and rubbed Sydney’s arms vigorously, saying, “You’re freezing,”
He was right, once their bodies parted, and the cold spring water was free to flow between them, did Sydney noticed that her teeth were chattering.
“Your lips are blue,” she said, running her fingertips along his thick lips.
“Let’s get back and get you warm again.”
“Russ—”
“Yes?” Russ had gripped Sydney by her hand and was leading her up the bank.
“I’d like you to make love to me.”
“What, here?” Russ stopped and turned to face her.
“Yes, this place means something to me, to us…”
“Yes, it sure does, but I don’t think this is the best place for your first, um, your first time.” Russ clambered out of the swimming hole and turned to pull Sydney out.
It had taken Sydney forever to muster up the courage to tell Russ that she was a virgin. How could he turn her down? She had felt his arousal in the cold water, and now, as he leaned over her, she could see his desire tenting out his boxer briefs. She thought that he would’ve ripped off her clothes, thrown her down, and taken her right there. She felt her heartbeat slow and seeds of doubt start to sprout in her mind. Why didn’t he want to have sex with her?
“Here, put this on,” he said and pulled his dry t-shirt over her head. He traced his fingertips down her neck and ran both his hands down the front of her body. Sydney’s breath hitched as he cupped her cold breasts through the cotton fabric, rubbing her nipples gently with his thumbs. “Your first time should be special, Syd.”
“This isn’t special?” she asked. She looked around, seeing the secret swimming hole, the horses, the sexiest man she had ever met. She couldn’t think of any better place.
“Oh, it is. And trust me, I’ll bring you back here and fuck you on every single rock, but for now, I have a better idea.”
Chapter 23 – Russell
“My cabin? That’s your better idea?” Sydney asked, looking around the small room.
“Your cabin?” Russ raised his eyebrows. “Make yourself at home, I’ve got to go get a few things. I’ll be right back.” Russ grabbed Sydney by the hand an
d kissed her, letting her fingers linger in his, then sprinted out the door. His hard-on had ebbed and flowed the entire night, and with every kiss, it came roaring back with a vengeance.
He hadn’t been with a woman in months, and just the idea of sliding into a woman of Sydney’s calibre had his heart thudding against his chest. He knew that he had to calm down. Sydney was different. He loved her, after all, and to his surprise, she was a virgin. He was going to have to be gentle with her, and like the action in his pants, that was going to be very, very hard.
When he returned to the cabin, Sydney was sitting on the bed in Russ’s t-shirt, her wet hair had created two damp circles on the front.
“What’s in the bag?” she asked. “And what’s behind your back?”
“You just sit back and relax, pretty lady.” Russ pulled the field daisies out from behind his back and handed them to her. He lit a beeswax candle and put it on the nightstand, casting the tiny room in a golden glow.
“We won’t need this now,” he said turning off the light.
He wished that he could stop time and capture the way that Sydney looked sitting cross-legged in the candlelight with the daisies in her lap, but he knew that no photo could capture the beauty that was in front of him.
She stood, walked over to him, and he felt his heart stop as her eyes looked up into his. She reached out and pulled him toward her by his belt buckle. She gripped the bottom of his shirt in her fists and then pulled it up over his head, kissing him as she tossed it on the chair. She fumbled with his belt buckle and zipper, and once released, the weight of the buckle dropped the jeans to the floor around his ankles with a thud. Russ gulped as his hard-on returned, threatening to rip through the fabric of his boxer briefs. He stepped out of his pants and reached to pull his t-shirt off Sydney’s body. Her nipples were pink and pert and perfect. He knelt on one knee on the orange Aztec print rug and took her nipple in his mouth, his hand gripped her ass, tight from riding, and he pulled her hips close to his body.
“Mmmm,” Sydney moaned and arched her head back.
Russell stood and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to the bed. He set her down and hooked his fingers in the sides of her white cotton panties, pulling them down and tossing them aside.
Russ kissed her chest between her breasts and ran his hand over her perfect belly button. He trailed his kisses down to the dip in her leg beside her womanhood. He felt her writhe as he kissed her mound and then moved to kiss the other hollow at her hip. He kissed around her triangle, his warm breath teasing her. She rested her fingertips in the hair at the nape of his neck and little moans escaped from her lips. He spread her legs apart and continued kissing her inner thighs, his grip on her strong legs getting more intense as he fought to keep his own desires at bay.
When he felt her hips rise in response to his warm breath, he knew that she was ready and flicked his tongue into her warmth causing her to gasp. Russell kept going, pulsing with his mouth and tongue, feeling her hips rocking with his rhythm. Then she started writhing faster and he knew that she was close. Her breathing was ragged, and he had to exercise all his self-control to not just plunge himself into her, to ease his throbbing manhood. He needed patience, right now all he wanted was to please Sydney.
With any other woman, he would’ve gone down on her for a minute or two and then fucked her brains out, not really caring if she got off or not. He couldn’t help it. In the past sex, had made him selfish but with Sydney, he wanted her to come first, literally and figuratively.
“Oh, Russ,” he heard her murmur. “OH, Russ,” she growled a little louder as she gripped his hair tightly. She was writhing under him like a wild woman and then her body shuddered as she screamed out, “Oh, my god, Russ. Oh… oh… oh.” Her body bucked, and her ab muscles contracted as she came.
Russ kissed her belly as it rose and fell under his lips as she gasped to regain her breath. He kissed each nipple and then worked his way up along her jawline to her earlobe before meeting her lips with his. She kissed him back, breathlessly and hungrily, her hands scrambling to pull down his underwear. She managed to get them down over his muscular ass and then hooked her toe on the waistband and pushed them down to his ankles, his member springing free and slapping his lower abdomen.
Hold it together, Russ, he thought as he breathed deeply, fighting for control while easing Syd back against the pillows. All it would take was just one small movement, a slight lift of his hips, one thrust, and he could be deep inside this gorgeous woman. She arched her back, pressing her wetness against his hardness as he knelt between her knees. He shivered and leaned forward over Sydney, kissing her hungrily.
“Russ,” she said as she caught her breath.
“Yes, baby.”
“Just make love to me already.”
“You’re sure?”
“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life,” she said, grabbing his ass and pulling him back down on top of her.
Russ was shocked that in all of this, she was the aggressor. He saw their sex life flash in front of his eyes, and based on what he was witnessing, it was going to be good. He imagined them stumbling into the cabin after a long day of riding, pulling down her jeans and pressing into her from behind. He imagined them back at the swimming hole, him going down on her as the water trickled down her body. He could tell that Sydney was his match in the bedroom, along with almost every other aspect of his life.
He kissed her again and rolled over to grab a condom from his bag. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her watching him roll it on over his thickness and noticed the adoration on her face. He crawled over her and kissed her again. She spread her legs and drew her knees alongside Russ’s body. She nodded, and Russell pushed into her slowly and gently. She gasped, and Russell paused, “Am I hurting you?”
“No, Russ, keep going,” she smiled, her eyes shut.
Russ breathed out and eased all the way into her, and she opened her eyes and smiled at him, “I love you, Russ.”
“I love you too, Sydney.” He pulled back, kissed her, and then pressed back into her a little quicker. Her body responded, and she pushed back against him, and they started moving together. She wrapped her legs around his muscular back and hooked her ankles together.
As much as Russ wanted to be inside Sydney all night, to make love to her for hours, the pent-up energy had been so built up, it didn’t take long for him to shudder and gasp out Sydney’s name as he came. He collapsed in a heap on top of her, breathing heavily. She kept her legs around his body, hugged him tightly and ran her fingers through his hair as he laid his cheek on her chest.
“You were right, Russ,” Syd murmured, fingering his hair.
“About what?”
“This was perfect.”
Russ eased off Sydney and rolled beside her. “Shit, I forgot something.” He sat up and reached into his bag, pulling out a Van Morrison LP. He put on the record and the scratching and popping of the LP filled the room with the warm music.
“Now it’s perfect. Do you like Van Morrison?” He slid back into bed beside Sydney, pulling the quilt up over her shoulder.
“Mmmm. I do.” Sydney nestled into the crook of Russell’s tanned arm and rested her cheek on his chest.
Russell’s heart felt full with Sydney in his arms. He couldn’t think of anything better. Not even winning a rodeo felt as good as lying here with her in his single bed, watching the candlelight dance off her blonde hair, his favorite music lilting through the warm evening breeze.
“But I don’t know this song,” she said.
“Really? Tupelo Honey is my favorite.”
“Is that really a thing?”
“What, Tupelo Honey?”
“Yeah, I’ve never heard of it.”
Russell had forgotten that Sydney came from another world, even though it was just across the country. “You know the tree stand by the swimming hole?”
“Sure, those trees are beautiful.”
“Those are Blackgum trees.”
“Ohh, like the ranch,” Sydney replied, running her fingers through Russell’s chest hair.
He felt goosebumps rise up in response to her touch and ran his fingers down her arm, noticing that hers did the same.
“Well, Tupelo Honey comes from the Blackgum Tree,” Russ was pleased to be teaching Sydney something that she didn’t already know.
“I wonder why Floyd didn’t call the ranch Tupelo Acres. It has a better ring to it,” she murmured and kissed his cheek.
“That it does,” he replied. “Sydney?”
“Yes.” She sat up to look Russell in the eyes.
“Were you serious about us going out on our own to train horses? I mean, do you think that we could really do that if the interview with the Tillers doesn’t go well?”
“Of course. I know that we could. And I think that we should. We make a great team.”
He looked at her sparkling eyes and felt complete. Everything that had been missing from his life: companionship, opportunity, excitement, was staring right back at him.
They made love in the candlelight again, softly and sweetly, and then drifted off to sleep, only to be awoken by an aggressive banging on the cabin door, so hard that Russ thought that the hinges might come off.
Chapter 24 – Sydney
How many people can say that the night that they lost their virginity was absolutely perfect, Sydney wondered.
She opened her eyes as the pre-dawn light started to filter in through the window and gazed at Russell, his full lips parted slightly as his chest rose and fell with the breath of a deep sleep. She snuggled in tighter to Russ and inhaled his scent, a mix of cedar and musk, and this morning, sex.
The hatred she once felt for him seemed like a distant memory. That man, a distant person. She loved Russ and knew that she wanted to spend her life with him. She didn’t care where they were, as long as they were together.