One More Summer

by Burke, Dez

  “That’s for damn sure.”

  “You mentioned trying to get things done before you leave,” he says, turning to stare at me. “Will you be heading out soon?”

  I let out a long breath and finish off the water bottle before speaking. “There’s a big Labor Day concert Harry needs me back for,” I say, hanging my head. “That’s two weeks away. It’ll take me a few days to practice with the band and get back into the groove.”

  “Meaning what, exactly?” he asks, raising his eyebrows at me.

  “I need to go back to Nashville in a couple of days,” I say, unable to meet his eyes. “I can’t stay any longer. Not if I plan to make the second leg of the tour.”

  Cole slowly nods in understanding without arguing with me or judging.

  “Then we’d better get back to work so we can wrap this up,” he says. “You drive this time and I’ll load.” He points to a slim figure at the edge of the field. “Isn’t that Annie coming this way?”

  I take off my sunglasses and put my hand over my eyes to shield them from the bright sun.

  “Who else would be crazy enough to come out here in this heat?” I answer with a grin. “She’s carrying a cooler. I hope she has something cold to drink. Anything’s better than this damn hot water.”

  Annie waves when she sees we’ve spotted her. She’s wearing denim shorts over her curvy ass that shows off her long legs that go on forever. My eyes follow those legs up her body to a white tank top that hugs her full breasts. Her hair is pulled back into a ponytail.

  When she’s closer, I walk over to greet her. Leaning down, I kiss her lightly on the lips, being careful not to touch her with my hands.

  “Is that all I get?” she teases, gazing up at me. “A little peck on the lips? I thought you would be a little more excited to see me.”

  “My hands are dusty and I’m sweaty,” I say, wiping them on my pants, which doesn’t help much. “I don’t want to mess up your nice clothes. You smell clean and pretty.”

  “Do you hear me complaining about a little dirt or sweat?” she says. “Because I don’t. I’ve never minded a man who has done an honest, hard day’s work.”

  I raise my eyebrows at her.

  “As long as that man is you,” she adds with a mischievous grin.

  She opens the lid of a small cooler and hands me an ice-cold beer. “I thought you two might need a quick break and something to cool you off. I’m also here to volunteer to drive the truck if that will help you finish things up.”

  “Hey Annie!” Cole throws up a hand in greeting at her. “I see you saved the day with beer,” he says. “You sure know the way to a man’s heart.” He reaches out to take the beer Annie hands him. “Much obliged.”

  “You’re welcome,” she says. “I swung by the house first before coming out here. Your dad and Lily are fine. The sitter said she could stay longer this evening if you need her to.”

  “Annie offered to drive the truck if you want to finish up,” I say to Cole. “It might be the quickest way.”

  “Are you sure?” Cole asks before chugging down half his beer and wiping off his mouth. “Because if you are, it would help us out a ton.”

  “Of course,” she says.

  She opens the door of the truck and searches for the bar to adjust the seat. I catch a glimpse of her ass cheeks below her denim shorts when she leans over. My cock instinctively stirs to life even though I’m exhausted and on the verge of passing out from dehydration. I would have to be dead and buried in the ground before I’d stop wanting her.

  “We’ve done this plenty of times before,” she tells Cole. “It will be just like old times. Don’t worry, Levi taught me how to drive a straight shift years ago. I’m ready when you boys are.”

  Cole lifts his eyebrows at me. “I’m game if you are.”

  “Let’s do it,” I say.

  We finish our beers quickly and put the bottles back into the cooler then hand it to Annie to place in the cab of the truck.

  “You’ve got one hell of a good woman there,” Cole says up to me when Annie pulls the truck forward a few feet.

  The stacks of hay are piled high in the truck. I’m standing up in the bed and stacking the bales after Cole throws them up to me.

  “I don’t know many women who would volunteer to work in a hay field,” he continues. “She’s a keeper.”

  “I know it,” I reply. “You don’t need to remind me.”

  We work for another two hours in a steady rhythm until the sun begins to set behind the trees. The air is cooling down and we catch a second wind of energy. Only one small end of the pasture is left to do before we’re done.

  Annie has turned the radio station up full blast and we’ll all singing along to the county music songs to keep us going. Every few minutes, she glances back through the truck’s rear glass to check on me.

  Leaving all this behind is going to rip my damn heart out.

  It already is.

  I honestly don’t know how I’m going to make it through the next few months without her.

  “Is it okay if I speed up?” Annie yells back to us. “It’s getting dark, and I can barely see where I’m going. I don’t want to hit a stray cow.”

  “Yes! Do it!” Cole and I both yell.

  “There’s only a few more bales to go,” she yells back to us. “Hang on, fellas! You’re in the last stretch now. The finish line is right up ahead.”

  We go into double-time with the lifting and stacking. Cole is exhausted, not that he’d ever let on. Only his deep, laboured breathing gives it away.

  Cole is one tough son of a bitch and the best brother I could’ve ever asked for.

  Fifteen minutes later, we’re finally done.

  When the last hay bale is loaded, Annie turns off the truck. After uncapping a couple of beers, she steps out and hands them to me and Cole.

  The three of us sit on the tailgate of the truck watching the sun slowly slip from sight behind the trees at the far end of the field.

  “You can go anywhere in the world and you’ll never see another sight as beautiful as this one,” Cole says, waving a hand at the acres of farm land spread before us. “This is God’s country.”

  “Amen,” I say, agreeing with him.

  Annie snuggles closer and leans over to lay her head on my shoulder. I kiss the top of her head and put my arm around her, hoping she doesn’t mind my dirt and sweat.

  The three of us sit there for a long time without speaking. Eventually the sun drops out of sight completely and the darkness engulfs us.

  “We’d better head back,” Cole says. “I’ll drive since I know the field better. There are several holes and ruts that we don’t want to fall into. It would be our luck to tip the truck over and lose the whole damn load of hay.”

  “I’m too tired to move,” I say. “Annie and I will sit right here in the back of the truck for the ride to the house.”

  “Suit yourselves,” Cole says, hopping down from the truck. “Hold on and don’t fall off.”

  The ride back to the barn is slow. Cole turns on the truck’s headlights to help him see where he’s going. Annie and I hold on tight to each other, unable to see a damn thing in the pitch-black dark.

  I’d forgotten how dark it could be on the farm. In Nashville, there’s never total darkness. Not with the glow of city lights always shining. In the country, dark means not being able to see your hand five inches in front of you.

  When we arrive back at the farmhouse, I jump down from the bed of the truck and lift Annie out.

  “I’m going to take a quick shower then take Lily and Dad into town for an ice cream cone,” Cole says. “I’m not sure who enjoys it more of those two. Do you want to come with us?”

  “No,” I say. “I need to start clearing a spot in the barn to store this hay.”

  “Damn Levi!” Cole mutters, slapping a tired hand on the side of the truck. “Everything doesn’t have to be done today. It’s getting late. There’s always tomorrow.”

&nb
sp; “Not always,” I remind him.

  He grows quiet, remembering what I’d told him about my leaving. Annie doesn’t know yet. I hope he doesn’t say anything until I have a chance to tell her.

  I shouldn’t put it off any longer.

  Now is the time to tell her.

  It’s not going to get any easier, and putting it off will only make things worse.

  “Okay then,” he says, already walking towards the farmhouse. “I’ll see you two later.”

  I turn to Annie and take her hand. “Want to help me in the barn?”

  “Sure,” she says, falling into step beside me.

  As we walk closer to the barn, a dark weight presses down on my soul. The moment I’ve been dreading all summer is finally here.

  Telling Annie I’m going back to Nashville is going to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life.

  At least the first time I left, she was going off to college, so I wasn’t technically leaving her behind.

  Now I am.

  I wish like hell there was any other way.

  Once we step inside the barn, I switch on the one bare lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. She glances up at me with a casual smile on her lips that slowly drops when she sees my face.

  Our eyes meet and my heart shatters into a million jagged pieces.

  The pain is too much.

  Annie already knows.

  Reaching up, she cups both sides of my face with her hands and holds me steady. “Don’t say a word, Levi,” she says softly. “You don’t need to. I can see everything in your eyes. Just kiss me. You asked for one more summer. Now I’m asking for one more night.”

  I grab her to me and crush my lips against hers in a desperate kiss, drinking in her sweetness until my head spins. Even knowing I’m leaving soon, here she is with me now, her lips soft and eager against mine.

  The ache in my heart threatens to suffocate me.

  After a few long moments, I slowly and regretfully break our kiss to stare down at her. Gazing into her eyes, I wonder if she has any idea how difficult it will be to walk away from her.

  Even for a few days.

  Much less weeks or months.

  She surprises me by reaching for my brass belt buckle and starting to undo the clasp.

  “What are you doing?” I mutter hoarsely, covering her hands with mine.

  “Do you want me to stop?” she asks, already knowing the answer.

  “Never,” I reply, leaning back against the horse stall for support.

  She frees the top button of my jeans and slides her hand inside. My cock hardens and lengthens the moment her tiny hand touches it. She firmly encircles it with her hand and strokes slowly down and up again, never taking her eyes from mine.

  I let out a low moan against her hair. “Fuck, Annie! Going back to Nashville is going to be goddamn impossible. How can I go when all I can ever think about is how much I want to sink deep inside you and never leave? This is fucking torture.”

  Maybe that’s the whole idea.

  She doesn’t answer and instead leans up closer to nibble on the side of my neck with her teeth while continuing to stroke. My breath grows harsh and I fight to keep control.

  Damn!

  I can’t take this any longer.

  Quickly I remove her hand from my jeans and zip them. Picking her up, I sling her over my left shoulder with her head dangling down my back and go toward the wooden ladder leading up to the hay loft.

  “Levi!” she gasps in shock, clutching my shoulders. “Put me down! What are you doing?”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t drop you,” I reassure her after lightly slapping her delicious ass once, because I can’t resist.

  And because it’s right in my face.

  “I’ve had a vivid fantasy ever since I was old enough to know what sex was,” I say. “And now I’m going to play it out, just like it’s played out in my head a thousand times.”

  Gripping her body tightly with my left arm, I step up on the ladder and start climbing with my right hand. When we reach the second-story barn loft, I carry her over to a stack of hay bales. After grabbing one of the horse blankets hanging on a rack, I throw it down and gently place her on her back.

  “Do you still not mind being with a hard-working man covered with farm grime?” I ask while leaning over her. “Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

  She wraps her hands around the back of my neck and tugs me down to meet her lips. “Trust me, I don’t mind, cowboy,” she whispers. “This is the exact spot where you kissed me the very first time.”

  “I know,” I say. “And I’m going to do a hell of a lot more than kissing this time, darling. We’re not twelve anymore.”

  I straddle her with my knees on either side of her body. Grabbing the bottom of her shirt, I tug it over her head quickly, followed by her bra.

  I sit back on my heels a moment just to stare at her beauty. Her firm, heavy breasts are rising and falling with shaky breaths while the pink, hardened nipples beg me to touch them. To caress them with my tongue and suck until my mind dissolves into a white-hot blank.

  Slowly, I slide my hands up her stomach until her heavy breasts fill my hands. I massage both breasts with my hands and kiss my way slowly up from her jean shorts to one thick nipple.

  “I can never get enough of you,” I murmur against the pink tip. “Never in a million lifetimes. No matter where I am, you’ll always be a part of me.”

  I move down her body, kissing my way down to her jean shorts. Quickly I unzip them and tug them off, followed with her silky panties. Settling between her legs, I firmly spread her knees wide apart.

  My mind can’t decide if I should look, touch, or do both. She willingly spreads her legs and opens herself to me. I lean down closer to nuzzle her inner thighs while my hand caresses the smooth calf of her leg.

  I love how responsive she is to my touch and how her breath catches when I hit the right spots.

  “I can’t wait to taste you,” I mutter. “You’re so fucking wet.”

  “Levi!” she gasps, her voice so soft it’s almost a whisper when my tongue touches her pussy.

  Slipping an arm under each leg, I pull them up and wrap them around my shoulders. I spread her wet folds apart with my thumbs and slam my tongue deep inside her. Her pussy tastes intoxicating, causing my brain to fog over and making my cock so hard and thick that I’m throbbing. Above me, she’s whimpering my name.

  She grinds her pussy deeper into my face and grabs a tight fistful of my hair. I force myself to slow down to pleasure her when I desperately want to sink my cock inside her and fuck her senseless right now.

  But there’s not a damn thing I want more in this world than to please her.

  To make her cum until she screams my name and loses all sense of reality.

  I move my tongue to her clit and grip her ass cheeks with both hands to hold her steady underneath my oral assault. She’s writhing and arching up against me.

  “You’re hot and melting on my tongue,” I tell her.

  Glancing up, I see her staring at me, her lush lips parted and her breathing heavy.

  “Don’t hold back on me, baby,” I murmur. I lick her clit faster until I feel her body go tight and tense underneath me. She’s almost ready to cum on my face.

  “Levi!”

  She grips my hair tighter and grinds against my tongue through an endless, powerful orgasm. I forget how to breathe as her orgasm spasms uncontrollably around my mouth. I drive my tongue into her slit, drinking it all in.

  Fucking amazing.

  I love everything about her.

  Her taste, her smell, her sound of my name on her lips as she cums on and on.

  I don’t stop with my tongue, lips, and fingers until her orgasm is spent and her body finally goes still.

  After a long moment, Annie grabs the back of my neck and pulls my lips down to hers for a long kiss. “You’re not the only one who has fantasies,” she says, locking her eyes with mine and running her t
ongue slowly along her moist lips. “Why are you still wearing clothes?”

  “Hell if I know,” I say, quickly standing up and ripping them off. My long, hard cock springs free in front of her face.

  When she gazes up at me and licks her lips again to moisten them, I know what she’s about to do. Scooting up slightly, she leans forward.

  When she lowers her mouth to my cock, I suck in a sharp breath. Slowly she closes her lips around me and sucks the tip, then glances up at me with those baby blue eyes I’m forever lost in.

  My hands fist her hair. “Oh fuck,” I moan.

  She closes her eyes and slides her lips all the way down to my balls and back up again. I grip her hair but don’t try to force the tempo. It’s taking every bit of willpower I have not to grab her head with both hands and shove my cock deep into her throat. Instead I grit my teeth and let her go at her own speed.

  She grips my ass tightly and pulls me into her mouth as far as I can possibly go. Her nose touches my stomach when my cock hits the back of her throat.

  My head swims and I blink away the sweat dripping into my eyes.

  Oh shit!

  I swear, she’s fucking killing me and has no idea how much effort it’s taking me to maintain control over my urges.

  The sight of her wet, pink lips wrapped around my cock is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. She slides my cock all the way out to the tip and then takes it again and again without flinching and gagging.

  Nothing has ever felt so good.

  If I can’t gain control and slow this down, with a couple more strokes of her mouth, I’ll be cumming straight down her throat.

  My brain threatens to explode.

  Fuck taking it slow.

  God help me, I can’t do it.

  This is going to be over way too soon.

  “Open your eyes,” I say. “Look at me, Annie.”

  Her eyes flew open and she stares into my eyes as I begin to move. I thrust in and out of her mouth, holding the back of her head steady. My eyes burn into hers, holding her captive as I fuck her mouth, owning her completely.