by Alex Grayson
I stop by the closet and pull out a blanket. I hand Mia the blanket to carry, and she looks at me with a question in her eyes when she sees the contents I’m carrying.
“We’re going to have a picnic while we’re out,” I explain to her.
She graces me with a smile, and I return it with my own. I feel like a little kid about to go on an exciting vacation. It’s pathetic, but I don’t give a shit. I’ve waited years for this, and I’m damn well going to enjoy it.
I hold the door open for her, and we walk across the yard to the barn. After saddling the horses, I put everything in the saddlebags.
Mia walks up to Pepper and pets both sides of her face. “Hey, girl, you ready for a ride?” Pepper answers her by butting her head against Mia’s, causing her to laugh. It’s a sound I’ll never get tired of.
I walk up behind Mia and kiss the back of her neck. She leans back against me and lets out a soft moan.
“You need help getting in the saddle?” I murmur against her neck.
Her head rolls to the side so she can look up at me. There’s pleasure in her expression, and it takes everything I have not to lay her down in a pile of hay and fuck her senseless.
She smiles at me when she says, “It may have been years since I’ve ridden, but I think I remember how to climb on a horse.”
“Damn,” I mutter, stepping away from her, not hiding the fact that I wanted to feel her up when I helped her onto Pepper.
She shakes her head and laughs. We walk both the horses out of the barn. Once outside, she grabs onto the horn of the saddle and places her foot on the stirrup and hoists herself up, as if it hasn’t been years since she’s done it. She was always a natural. I swing up on Drakar. We both click our tongues and tap our feet on Drakar and Pepper’s sides to get them moving. When I look over to Mia, she has a look of pure happiness on her face.
“God, I’ve missed this so much,” she says, leaning forward to rub Pepper’s neck.
I promise myself right then and there that we’ll take the horses out any time she wants. More and more of the old Mia is slipping through, and I’m determined to bring out the rest.
“Where are we going?” Mia asks after we travel for a few minutes.
“To our tree,” I tell her simply.
She smiles her beautiful smile at me again and says, “Race you,” then takes off into a fast gallop.
I spur Drakar to go faster, and it doesn’t take me long to catch up with her. There’s a reason why T loves Drakar; he’s really fast.
When we’re riding side by side, I look over at Mia and hear her laughing. She lets go of the reins, throws her arms out to the side, and tips her head back. The wind blows through her short hair, and she’s never looked more beautiful than she does in that moment.
We slow Drakar and Pepper when we come up on our spot. We both hop down and unload the stuff from the saddlebags. The horses are left to graze in the field. I lay the blanket down on the ground underneath our weeping willow tree that we claimed when we were younger. Mia turns in circles, looking around.
“It looks just the same,” she says, walking up and taking a seat on the blanket beside me.
Our spot is in a big field. The only tree close by is the weeping willow. The branches hang so low that it almost covers us, giving us a sense of privacy. The land is flat, and all you can see are lavender flowers that fill the field. Mia fell in love with the spot on sight and declared it ours.
“That’s because it is.”
I start pulling out our sandwiches, fruit, cheese, and water bottles. Mia gets on her knees and crawls to the base of the tree. I know what she’s looking for, and I know she found it when she reaches out to run her fingers across the inscription on the tree.
Mac + Mia = Per sempre e sempre Forever and Always.
I watch as I see a whole slew of emotions cross Mia’s face. The one that gets to me the most is the one filled with pain.
“Do you ever come out here anymore?” she asks me quietly.
“Once a week for the past ten years.” I tell her, speaking the truth.
Her eyes jump to me in surprise at my confession. “Really? Why?”
I scoot over to her and lay my hand over hers that are still on the tree. “Because I never stopped thinking about you. You may not have wanted the forever anymore, but I did. You never stopped being my forever, Pix, even when you hated me. Even when I thought I never had a chance with you again.”
I see her eyes water over and she looks down, saying, “Sorry.”
I lift her face back to mine. “Why are you sorry? You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I’m sorry that I never let you talk and tell me what happened. You went through that by yourself when I should have been there. I should have given you the chance.”
I grab the sides of her face and rub her cheeks with my thumbs. “Oh, Mia, I don’t blame you for that. You were hurt. I knew that. Yes, I wish you would have let me explain, but I understand why you didn’t.”
“I wish I would have as well. We lost so much time.”
We’re both still on our knees, and I scoot over to her and pull her into my arms. She wraps her arms around me tightly. I rest my head on top of hers. We did lose time but not anymore. No way am I letting Mia get away from me now.
I kiss the top of her head before pulling away. “Let’s eat.”
She wipes a tear from her cheek and sits back on her legs. “Okay.”
We both get comfortable and start eating our food in silence, just watching the wind rustle the flowers. We’ve always been able to come out here and just sit. The peace and tranquility enough, no words necessary.
Mia breaks the silence when she asks, “I haven’t gotten the opportunity to ask. How do you like being Sheriff?”
“Hmm…depends on the day. Some days, I love it. Other days, when I have to get up at two in the morning to get a cat out of tree, not so much. All in all, I wouldn’t change anything though. As you know, Jaded Hollow isn’t very big and not much happens here, but I like knowing that people come to me to keep them safe.”
“I know you’ve always wanted to become Sheriff. I’m glad your dream came true for you.”
Mia puts down the container holding the fruit and leans back against the tree. I slide over until I’m next to her. I lay back resting on my elbow. I reach up and play with the frayed edges of her jean shorts. Mia reaches over with her bare feet and touches the bag still sitting on the blanket.
“What’s that?”
I reach over and grab the bag. “I got you this a few years ago when I went to South Carolina.” I pull out the jar and hand it to her. She takes it from my hand and sucks in a sharp breath.
“Oh, my God, Mac.”
She holds the jar filled with sand and shells up to her face. She gives off a squeal of delight, and I can’t help but laugh at her excitement. A few years ago, I went to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a vacation. I knew Mia had never been to the beach before. It was one of her dreams to see the ocean and gather seashells. I thought of her the whole time I was there.
Mia opens the jar and pulls out one of the shells sitting on top of the sand.
“That’s a sand dollar. I bleached it for you. You can paint designs on it,” I tell her.
Her eyes light up at the thought of putting her own design on it. She reaches in and pulls out another shell.
“And that’s a clam shell.”
She puts down the shell and reaches in past the few other shells inside until she gets to the sand. She grabs a small handful, pulls it out, and puts it on the blanket. The way she’s entranced with the stuff reminds me of a kid. It’s amazing to watch the fascination on her face.
“It’s so soft,” she says in awe.
She replaces the lid and carefully sets the jar beside her on the blanket. She turns and launches herself onto my lap, causing me to lay back. I laugh as she places kisses all over my face.
“Thank you!” My cheek. “Thank you!” My chin. “Tha
nk you!” She finally makes it to my lips. When she goes to pull away, I put my hand on the back of her head to keep her there. She goes soft in my arms.
I twist my head to get to her mouth better. She tastes of strawberries, and they quickly become my favorite fruit. Her legs are on either side of my hips, and I grab her ass to pull her more firmly against me. My hard cock meets her center, and she moans into my mouth, rocking herself on me. The feel of her warm sex flaying my control.
I bring my hands up to her shirt, and we break apart just long enough to the pull it over her head. Our lips immediately meet again. I run my hands along her back, and I feel goose bumps pop up on her flesh. I snag the back of her bra and pop it loose. The cups fall away from her tits. She pulls back and takes it the rest of the way off. Her hands go to the bottom of my shirt. I sit up and reach back between my shoulder blades to grab the material and pull it off.
Her hands run over my pecs, grazing my nipples, and I let out a hiss. Her eyes flare at my response to her touch. I lean forward and take a nipple between my teeth and give a tug. She squirms on my dick and grips my hair.
“Again, Mac,” she pants out.
I release the one I was playing with and move onto the next one. She releases my hair and her hands move down my back, where she digs her nails into my skin. The movement is harsh, but damn, I love it. I love that I can bring her this much pleasure.
“I need more, Mac.”
“Stand up,” I grit out.
She scrambles off my lap and stands in front of me. I get on my knees and quickly undo her shorts. I pull them and her skimpy yellow panties off.
“Shit, Pix. We’re going back to those panties later.”
I bring my hands up her smooth legs until I reach the apex of her thighs. I can see the glistening moisture there, and move forward and run my tongue through her lips.
“Fuck, you’re drenched and taste so fucking good.” I growl against her. I feel her legs give out at my tongue swipe, and I bring my arms around her to hold her up.
I don’t feast on her long, too impatient to slide my cock inside. I pull back, unbutton, and unzip my pants. I tug them down my legs while Mia watches with lust-filled eyes.
As soon as I’m done, I lay back on the blanket and grab my cock with one hand and crook my finger at Mia with the other. “Come here, baby.”
She eagerly steps over my hips and lowers herself down. I stop her when just the tip is inside, knowing that if she sinks on me all the way I’m going to lose it.
“What the fuck are you doing, Mac? I need you inside me,” she says and tries to push down.
“I know, baby. Just give me a minute here,” I grit out between clenched teeth. “You slide down my dick right this second, and it’s over.”
Mia drops her head in the crook of my shoulder. Both our breaths are coming out in pants. I try my best to get control of my body. Mia sits back up and becomes impatient. She reaches down between us with one of her hands and starts rubbing her clit. I look down, watching her as she pleasures herself, and lose it.
“Son of a bitch!” I snarl and slam Mia down on me at the same time I bring my hips up. She cries out, and at first, I think I hurt her, but when I look up into her eyes, I see nothing but pure, unadulterated bliss. I grip her hips tight and start lifting her up and down my shaft, knowing this is not going to last long.
Her tits jiggle in front of me, tempting my mouth. I lift my head and catch one peak in my mouth. Her hips bear down on mine, grinding her clit against me. I pull my mouth back and flip Mia to her back. Her hands go to my back and score the skin there.
Fuck! She’s feisty!
I grab her hands and pull them from my back before she rips off all the skin and bring them above her head. I transfer her hands to one of mine and bring my other hand down and under her ass. I lift her hips and pound the ever-loving hell out of her pussy. I really need her to go over the edge first. No way am I leaving her behind.
“Yes!” She shouts out when I switch my angle. Her pussy grips my cock so tight that it’s almost painful. I have no idea how I’m going to last long enough for her to reach her peak.
“Goddamnit, Pix, your pussy’s so fucking tight. I need you to come, baby.”
Her legs tighten around my hips, and I feel her pussy squeeze my cock even tighter. She’s close. A minute later, she shouts out, and I slam my mouth down on hers to take her screams into mine.
Once her screams are down to whimpers, I release her mouth and sit back on my legs. I grip her hips and pull her so her ass is sitting on my thighs. Each forward movement I pull her hips to me. She arches her back, thrusting her tits in the air. Her arms are thrown back above her head. She watches me through half-closed eyes as I fuck her. I pick up my speed, and I’m soon finding myself emptying every last bit of come I have in me, causing her to milk my cock again with another release and prolonging my own. My thrusts slow down, but don’t stop completely, wanting to drag out her climax.
Both of our chests are heaving, and we’re out of breath. I settle Mia’s hips back down and then fall to my elbows and hover over her. Our sweat covered chests come together. I rest my forehead on hers, and we gaze into each other’s eyes.
“Wow, that was intense,” Mia says after a few minutes and our breathing is halfway back to normal.
I smile at her. “That’s putting it mildly. I may need you to put antiseptic on my back from all the scratches you left on me.”
If I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I wouldn’t have believed it, but a cute little blush forms on Mia’s face. She looks down and mutters, “Sorry.”
I chuckle at her discomfort and nudge her head back up with my nose. Once she’s looking at me, I kiss the tip of her nose and tell her, “It’s okay. I like that I can make you lose yourself like that.”
As much as I don’t want to, I know we need to pack up and get back to T. I don’t like leaving him alone for long periods of a time, especially with what’s going on with his mother.
“We need to head back to T.”
She nods, and I get up off Mia and turn to grab our clothes. I hear a strangled sound come from behind me and turn back to her. Mia has her hand up at her mouth and a look of horror on her face.
“Oh, my God, Mac. I am so sorry.” She scrambles up and comes over to me, trying to turn me to face the other way so she can better see the welts I’m sure are popping up on my back. I stop her movements by grabbing her arms.
“I told you Mia, it’s okay. I bear these marks gladly. Do you have any idea how it makes me feel to know I bring you to the point of losing control?”
“But, Mac, you’re bleeding!” Her voice is loud, and I can tell that this really upsets her.
I grab the side of her face. “I love those marks, Pix. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
She’s still unsure, but I can tell she’s trying to accept my words for what they are.
“Come on, let’s get dressed. I want you to ride with me back to the house. I missed having you in front of me on a horse.”
Some of the uncertainly leaves her face when she says, “I would love that. I’ve missed it too.”
We get dressed in silence and gather everything up and put them back in the saddlebags. I grab Pepper’s reins and tie them to the back of Drakar’s saddle. I hop up on the saddle behind Mia, and we slowly make our way back to the house.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mia
Her scent…
The trek back to Mac’s house is slow, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I’ve missed having his arms wrapped around me while riding on a horse. When we were younger, I would sometimes opt out of riding Marabelle just so I could feel his arms around me while we rode his horse.
I have my hands lying on his thighs that are on either side of mine and my head leaning back on his shoulder. I’m tiny, so with Mac’s arms surrounding me holding onto the reins, I feel like I’m wrapped in a warm but firm Mac blanket.
“How’s T taking his mother running off?�
�� I ask Mac to break the silence.
“I’m not sure yet. He has something going on that he’s not telling me. For some reason, he’s closed himself off from me, and I don’t know why.”
I turn my head to the side and give his jaw a kiss. “Just give him time. Whatever it is, I’m sure he’ll come to you when he needs to.”
“I hope so,” he says quietly, with worry still in his voice.
I give his leg a squeeze in comfort. In return, Mac kisses the back of my neck, and I swear my body quivers at the touch. This man knows just what to do to get my body primed and ready, and that was just with a kiss. I just had him not even ten minutes ago, and I’m ready again. I feel moisture seeping between my legs.
Mac must sense my reaction, because he runs his nose up my neck and nips at my ear, before whispering, “Ready for me again already, Pix?”
“I’m always ready for you, Sheriff.” I whimper out. “Even when I thought I hated you, my body didn’t.”
“Mmmhmm… because it knew you were still mine. No matter what, Pix, you’ll always be mine.” He punctuates his words by sucking the skin at the back of my neck, knowing that it will leave his mark.
I shiver at his words, wanting them to be true so much. I want to belong to Mac, just as I want him to belong to me. It’s still scary to think something might happen to take it away from me.
I lean my head to the side and reach one hand back and tunnel my fingers through his hair. Mac transfers the reins to one hand and wraps his arm around me, pulling me back further against him. I feel his hard cock against my backside, and I’m tempted to ask him to stop the horse and take me again. Knowing he needs to get back to T is the only thing that stops me.
All too soon, the house comes into view. I hear Mac mutter, “Damn.”
I smile to myself, knowing that he wants me as much as I want him.
I release my grip I have on his hair and sit up straighter. Mac and I both dismount right outside the barn doors. We walk in together, and I help him take the saddles off the horses and rub them down.