She held him then, sliding more firmly into his lap and straddling his lean hips. Their lips met with youthful passion. “I was an idiot,” Brick said after the first, tentative taste. “How did I not see you before? Why didn’t you wake me up, baby?”
His dark brown eyes met her hazel ones. “I love you,” she whispered, her lips quivering. “Don’t break my heart again, Brick.”
“Never,” he vowed. One fingertip traced the fine lines of her eyebrow and his gaze was transfixed. “Your eyes look green tonight,” he said softly. “I feel like I could look into them all night.”
She giggled – weak, watery, but still. A giggle. “That would be weird,” she said.
“Would it be weird if I kissed you again?” he asked, thumb brushing against the full swell of her bottom lip.
Violet felt her lips grow heavy lidded as she leaned towards him, eager for another taste of pleasure. They both laughed as their noses bumped with virginal awkwardness but amusement was soon replaced by the heat of passion.
~~~~
The late afternoon sun glowed softly as they moved into the sole bedroom in the tiny tent-house. Strong fingers pulled at her tank top and she sat on the bed, the soft white cups of her bra shielding her from his hot, ardent gaze.
“I wanted this to be about just us,” Violet whispered, aware of how voices traveled through the thin walls of Tent City.
“It’s just us here,” Brick assured her, taking off his shirt and joining her on the narrow bed. “Just you and me.” They lay together in the bed, shirts off, shorts firmly in place and gently kissed in the heart of the setting sun.
“Have you been with anyone else?” Violet asked, afraid of the answer but needing to know.
Brick held his finger to her lips. “No,” he whispered. “I’ve dated,” he said. “But that’s all. We never slept together.”
“Did you kiss?” Violet pouted, brushing her soft lips against his. Tasting him. Learning the taste of each dip and valleys and contour.
“No,” Brick said.
He deepened the kiss, lost in the depth of sensation. How could any kiss compare to Violet’s? It couldn’t. Simply couldn’t.
Hastily, with more desire than skill, he skimmed her denim shorts down her long, smooth legs. “You’re so beautiful,” he said, his eyes intent upon her. His arousal grew, getting harder and harder. He pulled back and looked into her eyes, eager for her response.
She didn’t disappoint him and he saw his own hunger reflected back in her hazel eyes. He kissed her neck, slowly biting his way down.
She smiled shyly and tugged at the button of his khaki shorts. The well-worn fabric fell away leaving the outline of his hardened cock against the light grey of his boxer briefs.
Her soft hands explored him, learning his size. Girth.
He groaned and she smiled with smug satisfaction.
He shook his shorts off, leaving his underwear on. “I want it to last for more than a minute,” he said against her lips. “This is new to me, too and I swear, I’m going to explode every other second.”
Violet’s laugh was throatier this time. More quietly charming as she silently passed from girlish amusement to womanly anticipation.
Her body became his play ground. Sweet curves called to him and he became enchanted. Enthralled. Devoted. Lips pressed against her sweet skin, he found his addiction. His home. “I love you,” he breathed against her skin, sinking deep into her kiss.
Under slow, gentle hands, their remaining clothing slid off their bodies with the help of eager, hungry hands. Sweat beaded along their skin as the room grew humid with their need.
He reached for his wallet but her hand restrained him. “I’m on birth control,” she whispered. “Mom took me to the doctor months ago.”
“You’re sure?” he asked, couldn’t help but ask, but the caveman part of his brain shouted now, now, now at him.
Eyes large with trust, she nodded. With shaking hands, she pulled him into her and settled him into the cradle of her legs.
With slow deliberation, they watched as with one pure, solid thrust, both of their virginities became entwined and passed into their mutual history.
“I’ve never. Felt,” Brick stuttered, in awe with the sensations overwhelming him. Engulfing him. “You. Feel.”
“Amazing,” Violet purred, finishing his thoughts.
“It doesn’t hurt?” he asked.
“A little,” Violet moaned, a soft, breathy sound of pleasure. “But don’t stop.”
He moved then, thrust into her and the pleasure washed over him as he escaped this world and entered a new one.
Violet ground her body against him, seeking. Each time he thrust into her, she coiled her stomach so she could see, touch, feel his massive cock as it pounded into her. He was delicious. Thick. Long. Heavy. His arms surrounded her, strong and powerful. “You’re perfect,” she whispered. “You’re right.” Tears filled her eyes and fell down the sides of her face.
Brick reached out to wipe them. “Don’t cry, baby.”
“It’s just,” she said, her voice catching.
“Beautiful,” Brick finished for her. He gripped her shoulders and thrust up against her, pushing her deeper into the bed. Taking her thighs in both hands, Brick opened her and slammed his thick shaft into Violet and she cried out.
“Does it hurt, baby?” His lips played over her heat dampened skin, seeking, finding the softness of her kiss.
“Not anymore,” she said, eyes closed, head bowed. Devoted and in love.
He shuddered and cried out and her heart expanded at his momentary vulnerability. She kissed him wherever she could – his ear, the strong column of his throat, his collarbone. “I love you,” she said, feeling her body tighten around his in absolute bliss.
“I love you.”
A strange lethargy invaded and Violet felt herself float momentarily in the bubble of pleasure. This, she decided, is where she wanted to live. Forever. In his arms.
They stayed there for a long moment, her arms and legs wrapped around him as his strong body pressed her into the deep cocoon of their bed.
Finally, he rose, determined to clean them off, needing to hold her next to him. She whimpered and reached for him.
“I’ll be right back, baby,” he crooned. “Let me get a warm washcloth.”
He was back as quickly as possible and pressed the white cloth against her. A small touch of virginal blood stained the cotton.
“I’m sorry I hurt you, Violet.” But he wasn’t. Really. Call him a caveman, but he now understood how men once sought this. She was his, entirely. No other man would be able to see her like this.
And he was hers. No other woman would ever interest him.
“You never call me Violet,” she said, nuzzling his exposed skin.
“This feels big. Important,” Brick whispered. “Sacred.”
“Hold me,” she said in response, which he gladly did. He placed the now cool washcloth on the night stand, curled against his girl and held her snugly against him.
His dick found the soft cradle of her ass and he quietly relished the pleasure of holding her close but not quite having her.
The moment was perfect, he thought.
But apparently, it wasn’t as perfect for Violet.
“Brick?” Violet’s voice was soft, her body aching. She gripped his strong, work hardened hand. “I still. Something. I don’t know.”
Running on instinct, Brick gently pushed her back so she lay on the bed, her fists falling away as her head rested on the pillow. He dipped his head.
“Brick, no. Omigoodness. What are you? Oh fuuuck,” she whispered, knees falling open, exposing the silky soft skin of her pussy. “Oh, Brick, it’s too sensitive,” she protested, closing her knees like a bear trap, snaring him within her heat.
She felt his cheeks move as he smiled and she stroked the soft curl of his hair. “Brick.”
Brick continued, tongue endlessly curious. Endlessly soft. His beard softly scraping
and driving her pleasure threshold higher. Still learning his way around a woman’s body, he experimented a little. Her heat, her taste made him hard instantly. Kissing the crease of her thighs, finding her warm core. He sucked a little on her clit before treating it to the flat of his tongue, moaning as she arched into him and ground her pussy against his face. His girl had another orgasm in her and it was his responsibility – no, his right – to help her find more.
“It’s too much,” she groaned, arching, begging, pleading. He hummed into her pussy and she gripped his hair, pulling him into her. “Not. Enough,” she cried, hips seeking something more. “Brick!” she cried. “More. Please. More!”
“I love the sound of my name on your lips,” he said, kissing her gently.
“I want you inside me,” Violet whimpered.
“Shh,” he said against her clit. “You’ve got to be tender, Vee. I don’t want to hurt you.” He rubbed the silky strands of his beard against the tender little bud which earned him a moan. “That’s it, baby. You’re so beautiful, Vee. Just like this. Naked. Fierce. Aroused.”
Violet rocked back and forth, acutely aware of the damp sheets clinging to her back, her legs, her ass. Brick suckled a little stronger on her clit and received another cry of pleasure from his girl.
Slathering his middle finger with a combination of his saliva and the generous juice sliding from her tight pussy he gently slid his finger into her. Gently he blew on and then kissed the sweetly exposed clit.
Violet screamed. She rolled her hips, shaking as the orgasm tore through her. Her body shook and she felt her thighs turn to jelly. Her hands suddenly seemed separate from her body. Anxious. Restless. She reached for him, empty, seeking, finally finding his own strong hand.
But Brick kept holding her, kept his mouth on her mound, kisses falling on the beautiful, sensitive skin. “So soft,” he murmured, loving her.
Violet came. Hard. Screaming his name.
Hours later, Violet awoke in the dark, her hands seeking and finding Brick.
“Are you asleep?” she whispered.
“No,” Brick said. “I have you in my arms for the first time. I may never sleep again.”
Violet giggled. “I wish we had more time,” she said. “I’m not ready to go back to the real world just yet.”
“We’ll have the rest of our lives, baby,” he said into her hair.
“Think our friends are still shocked over my behavior?”
“Please. You gave everyone at the bonfire a show they will never forget. You’ll probably get invited to every party there is all summer.”
“Oh, tell me social media has died down.”
“Probably, but it’s a small town. Everyone is looking for excitement.”
They were silent for a few more minutes as gentle hands stroked soft skin. “Vee?”
“Hmm?”
“I want this. Every night. For the rest of our lives.”
Violet propped herself up on one elbow. “Are you proposing?”
Brick got out of the bed and found his briefs. “Watch your eyes,” he said just before turning on the bedside lamp. He left the room before returning, moments later. He got down on his knees in front of the bed as Violet sat up with the sheet wrapped around her.
“I’ve loved you for forever,” he began. “First as friends, of course. You star in all of my best memories. Do you remember when you, me, and Ames would play hide and seek in the old orchard? Or when we’d go tubing down the Paulinskill? And then as we grew up, I wanted to kiss you. But how could I tell you? How could I risk my best friend that way? It was far, far better to put you in the same category of my heart as Amy or any of our other friends.” He looked up at her and wiped the sweet tears that fell down her cheeks.
“I didn’t want to live a day without you in my life,” he confided. He fiddled with a small box in his hands. “I found this for you the summer you turned 16 but I was too…I don’t know. Still too much of a guy and not enough of a man to tell you my feelings were changing. So, I took my feelings and stuffed them into my pocket, promising myself I’d examine them later.”
Violet swallowed. “And what about Mandy?”
Brick shrugged. “A crush. With my feelings for you firmly tamped down, I could crush on her and no one would know how I really felt.”
Violet laughed. “That’s pretty fucked up,” she said.
Brick nodded. “I know. I had a lot of growing up to do.”
“And you think you’ve done it now?”
“I’m getting there,” he promised. He presented the small box to her and with a small movement of his thumb, opened it.
She gasped and took the box out of his hands. “It’s beautiful,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. A large purple amethyst lay nestled between two smaller emeralds.
“It reminded me of you. A violet,” he explained unnecessarily. “It’s not a diamond engagement ring, but I can’t afford the ring you deserve. And, I don’t know, this one seemed special. Unique. Like my feelings for you.”
She held a finger to his soft lips. “This is perfect. And it reminded you of me. That’s what I deserve.”
“Will you marry me, Violet Race?”
She looked at him, kneeling before her and she felt all her dreams align and fall into place.
“When I was little, I used to pick all the silver dandelions.” She gave a watery giggle. “Not that Dad would ever let a weed onto his lawn. But the neighbors had them. And I’d hold each one tight and wish on you. On us. On this.” She nodded, tears free falling with emotion. “Yes,” she whispered and together, they pulled the ring from its velveteen nest and slid it on the third finger of her left hand. “It fits,” she said, admiring the sparkle of the large cut stone in the dim bedroom light.
“Like us,” Brick said, brushing his lips against hers.
“Like us,” she agreed.
Chapter Ten
Harper’s Mill felt anti-climactic going home.
Violet felt changed inside. Different. A woman living in a girl’s role.
The buzz from the fight had died down and with Violet’s head held high, no one dared bring up the bonfire, the fight, or questioned the sudden appearance of an engagement ring sparkling on her finger.
Violet resumed her summer goals of working on the farm, reading at least five new books, and ultimately planning her upcoming wedding.
Neither of them wanted to wait.
“Hey, baby, I wanted to use up the supply of zucchini Eden gave us and make zucchini bread but I don’t have enough flour. Can you run to Chip’s Market and grab me a bag of all-purpose flour?”
Violet tilted her sunglasses up on her forehead. “Sure thing, mom,” she said, marking her place in Elijah’s diary. “Let me put my book upstairs and I’ll run out. Need anything else?”
Her mom frowned for a moment. “Bananas. Maybe some crushed pineapple. Chocolate chips, too,” she mumbled. “You know what? Let me make a list,” she finally said.
Half an hour later, Violet had a full basket and stood at the checkout of the small market on Main Street. Something tingled at the back of her neck and she looked up to see Mandy walking in the store.
The two young women stared at each other for a long moment before Mandy broke her gaze, turned, and left.
Violet hurriedly paid for her purchases and ran after her.
“Mandy, wait,” she said. She bit her lip, awkward and unsure. Finally, she pulled two cans of iced cold cola out of her grocery sack. “Can we talk? Like, two adults talking. Let me put the bags in the truck.” She nodded towards a small bench across the street. “Can we go have a talk over by the Falls?”
Mandy stared at her, her gaze cool before she nodded. She took the two cans of soda and Violet put her bags in the back of the truck.
A defensive silence surrounded them on the walk over the small footbridge and to the falls on the outer edge of Harper Academy.
“I love the view from here,” Violet said. “The sound of the water cras
hing against the rocks.”
Mandy shrugged. “This is a one pony town,” she said dismissively. “And I am just about done with it. Now, what did you want to say?”
“I just wanted to talk,” Violet said.
“Is this a trick?” Mandy began, looking around. “I’m not going to be immortalized on social media again, am I?”
Violet shook her head. “No trick. And you know I didn’t start that but I am sorry. I became the bully and I hated it.”
Mandy rolled her eyes in disbelief. “Why am I here?”
“I don’t want to be enemies anymore,” Violet said. She stared at the pouring water and Harper’s Hall, the large white structure that was the original Academy building. “I plan on living here in Harper’s Mill for the rest of my life and I don’t want to avoid you forever.”
“Always such a good little 1950s girl, aren’t you?” Mandy asked, derisively. “Like somehow you think yourself above the rest of the world, don’t you?”
“No,” Violet said, although she suspected Mandy was partially correct. “I mean, I like my home town. I love living here. I love knowing where everything is and who everyone is. I love knowing if my basement floods, help is a call away. I love that my family has been here since the town was founded. I can’t and won’t apologize for that. And yes, Harper’s Mill is superior to all other places out there.”
“Well, I plan on shaking the dust of this crummy little town off my shoes come August and I have no plans of coming back. Ever.”
The silence built again but there was less anger this time, as though the balloon of their shared history had lost some if its air.
“I was always jealous of you,” Violet began, popping the top on the can. “Gymnastics, dance classes, and cheer. You did everything so well.”
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