by Ava Walsh
“Good girl. I was so glad to get you out of there. I think you’ll flourish here,” Jane assured her as they cleaned up after the meal.
“You sure have,” Lauren told her, and Jane looked at her. “You used to have trouble deciding on a movie. Here you are living in a house with a cowboy and cooking. You’re cleaning. You’re happy.”
“I truly am,” Jane agreed, as she set the last plate to dry in the rack. “Simple is good.”
They worked through the rest of the afternoon and then Lauren went to her room to dress for her six o’clock date. She didn’t know what Cole had planned, so she dressed in a long cotton skirt and a loose t-shirt with some sandals. She put on a little makeup but too much just didn’t feel right here. She wanted to feel natural.
There was a knock at the door and Lauren walked over to get it, smiling when she saw that it was Cole. “Hi, cowboy.”
“Good evening, Lauren. You look lovely tonight.” He had dressed in a nice blue button up shirt and some dark jeans. She looked down at her skirt.
“Is it good for where we’re going?” Lauren nudged him, and he smiled and nodded.
They left in his truck. He took her to a barbecue place for take-out and then drove on the freeway for about half an hour before turning off onto a side street. Cole parked and pulled a blanket and a basket from the back as he looked over at her. “The creek.” He led her to a spot under a tree where they could see the wide stream flowing and the sun setting before he unpacked the food and set down the blanket.
“This is incredible. I have never had anybody do all of this for me. I’ve barely been taken to dinner,” Lauren told him. She sat down and looked around. “You live this every day, Cole.”
“So do you now,” Cole replied, and she nodded.
“Did you grow up here?” Lauren asked as she watched the grass moving in the wind.
“Not right in this town, but close by. Ranching is in my blood, and every man in my family has done the same thing. My family would never have forced me into it, but when you grow up around animals and early mornings, you tend to love it. I just stayed and ended up working at Smiths Ranch and eventually I’ll move up the ladder. I’ll make my life for myself and maybe…maybe settle down here.” He looked at Lauren with a crooked smile. “What was Georgia like?”
“I am sure that there were things like this in Georgia, but we lived in Atlanta. Daddy had a condo that was just a couple of feet away from the other condos. The streets were crowded and busy. I didn’t realize it until I moved here, but I was always moving so fast all of the time. It is so refreshing to stop and slow down for a change.” She accepted the plate that Cole had filled for her and thanked him. He poured some wine for her into a paper cup.
“To Julesberg and a new life,” Lauren said as they clinked their cups together and sipped the wine before digging into the barbecued chicken and corn on the cob. There were even fresh rolls with butter and Lauren laughed as she caught a drop in her mouth.
“I like seeing a girl eat. So many just order salads and pretend that they don’t want the steak on my plate. Both of my exes were like that in the beginning.” He smiled at her. “You make an art form out of it.”
“I’m not small by nature, Cole. I do enjoy food, but I know how to stay healthy.” Lauren took a bite of her chicken and laughed. “This is too damn good not to eat, you know?”
“I do know,” Cole agreed, as he gazed at her fondly for a long moment.
After they were done eating, he cleaned up the trash and placed it into a bag before they settled back against the tree trunk to look up at the stars. He patted the blanket beside him and she curled her feet beside her and sat against him. Cole wrapped an arm around her, and she smiled as she let his warmth press through their clothes. They looked at the stars and talked about the constellations for a while and sipped more wine. Lauren saw a shooting star and turned to look at him with wide eyes.
She pressed closer to him and kissed him, and Cole pulled her into his lap. Their lips met in a heated kiss and she slipped her arms around his neck and molded her body against his. Cole moaned against her mouth, and Lauren tilted her head to slide her tongue against his with a slow drag. Her body was on fire and she blushed when she felt her skirt slide up.
Cole pulled her closer as he drove his tongue into her mouth and slid a hand into her hair. Lauren broke away from him as she gasped and stared into his eyes. “I have something to tell you, Cole. I-” She looked at the stars as she tried to find her courage and focused on the Big Dipper. “I haven’t ever slept with anyone. I’m a virgin. Does that completely turn you off?”
“Not at all. I want to take this slow with you, Lauren. I am not in this for sex.” He pushed her hair back and kissed her gently. They made out for several more minutes before he carried the trash to the truck and looked at her. “Home?”
“Yeah, I suppose.” Lauren walked over with the blanket and tucked it into the truck when he opened the door for her. Lauren smiled as she slid into the seat and watched him walk around.
When they arrived home, he walked her to the door and kissed her hard. Lauren almost begged him to take her back to his place. It was just a small house a few miles away, but Cole always told her that he preferred Adam’s house because it was full of life. She merely pressed her lips to his in a big kiss as she clung to his muscular neck and memorized his taste. Cole told her that he’d see her the following day before he stumbled back to his truck and she opened the front door.
Jane was just pulling a cake out of the fridge and Lauren groaned as she looked at the chocolate treat. “For me?” They sat down at the table and drank milk as they ate generous slices. Lauren looked at Jane and swallowed her bite before she spoke. “I want Cole. Is it too soon?”
Jane laughed and sipped her milk. “I waited a week with Adam, so I am the wrong person to ask. But as far as you and Cole go, it has been developing since the night that you met. I wanted you together more than anything, and so did Adam, but this happened on its own. We just put the idea out there.” She looked at Lauren. “Are you scared of it being your first time?”
Lauren looked around to make sure that they were alone before she shrugged. “Not really. I mean, I am nineteen, and I just feel so ready with him. I feel so much for him, Jane.”
“He feels a lot for you as well. His eyes just shine when he looks at you. I’m jealous,” Jane teased her. She laughed as Lauren gaped at her.
“Yeah, you and Adam have nothing on us, right?” Lauren laughed as she noticed Jane blush. “What? Did you guys break up?”
“No. Hell, no,” Jane assured her, beaming. “Quite the opposite.” She revealed her left hand and Lauren noticed the vintage diamond ring before she gasped.
“Oh my God. He proposed! Is that why Cole asked me out?” Lauren asked. Jane laughed.
“From what Adam told me, he was quite into the picnic with or without this. I am so happy, Lauren! I know I am only twenty, but Adam is my life,” Jane gushed. Lauren jumped up and hugged her tight. “Help me plan? I mean, I know that Mom’s going to be all up in our business, but I need you.”
“I am not going anywhere,” Lauren assured her as they started to cry together.
Chapter Five
The months started to move faster. Adam and Jane went to visit her parents to make wedding plans, and Lauren found herself alone with Cole in the house a couple of months into their relationship. They had edged closer to intimacy with every moment alone and tonight she knew that it was time. Her body hated her every time that she left him, and she got them some beer and headed out to the deck where he was waiting for her to stargaze. It was Saturday night and there was no early morning the following day.
He cracked open the can and sipped it. She set hers down and moved back against his body to feel his arms wrap around her. They looked up into the night sky and listened to the sounds of the wind as he stroked her stomach gently. “Cole,” Lauren said, as she felt heat pass through her thighs.
“
Yes, baby?” he asked her.
Lauren turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him hungrily and he pulled her against him with a groan. Cole moved her around and lifted her on the table as he ran his hands up her denim covered legs. “I want you. I’m ready.”
Cole moved between her legs and she felt him hard against her as she kissed him again. Lauren wrapped one hand around his neck and let the other trace the muscles in his back as their lips met over and over.
She’d seen him on the job up close and personal, both on the farm as well as riding a huge, crazy bull. The rodeo had been last month, and it had been a huge event. People had come from all over Colorado and even other states and Lauren had watched in awe as he had twisted his body right along with the bucking animal. She was both frightened as well as incredibly turned on when he finished. When he came right over to kiss her, Lauren nearly ripped his clothes off, and she remembered it now.
She tilted her head as he sucked her tongue into his mouth and wrapped her legs around his body. They’d done nearly everything together, and now it was time to give herself to him. Lauren pushed against him and Cole backed up as he watched her slide off the table and offer him her hand. Cole took it, and they walked into the house and to her bedroom. “Are you sure?” Cole asked in a hoarse voice. She nodded and lifted her shirt over her head. Lauren had picked out a light purple lace underwear set and when she faced him his breath caught in his throat. “Baby, you’re so beautiful.” He gathered her into his arms and brought her onto the mattress as he kissed her swollen lips before moving his mouth over her pale neck.
Lauren slipped his button up shirt off of his shoulders and felt the breeze against their skin as she looked over his tanned chest in between kisses. He was so sexy and she looked into his eyes before he covered her nipple with his mouth through the bra. They’d come so close to this, but the feel of him sucking her inside of his mouth was overwhelming, and she moaned as she gripped his hair. His hand slipped around her back and she felt him unclasp the hook before he pulled away and released her generous breasts.
She cried out as he kissed her all over and finally settled on her bare, hard nipples and sucked harder. His hands loosened her jeans and slid them down as she moved to her knees. She slipped her hand down to tug at his jeans and opened them enough to slide her hand over his thick cock as he groaned against her.
Lauren found herself on her back, naked, as he kicked his pants off and crawled up between her legs to lick her slowly. It was intense, almost too much, and Lauren jerked against him. “Oh, Cole. This feels too good.”
“I want to taste you when you come for me,” Cole told her, as he parted her and found her sensitive, swollen nub. She rocked against him as he murmured to her in between long licks and deep sucks with his mouth and finally she felt something break inside of her. Lauren arched her back and cried out as she closed her eyes to see the stars against her eyelids. She felt him continue to taste her as her orgasm rocked through her. “You’re like honey, Lauren. You taste so good and look so beautiful like this.” Cole stared at her and she managed to open her eyes and look back at him. “I love you, Lauren. I love you so much.”
“I love you, Cole,” she told him. He reached down and slipped off his boxer briefs. He looked so good in them with his tight abs and toned thighs, so much so that Lauren almost hated to see them go.
She’d prepared for this and had been on the pill since she got together with Cole. He moved over her body as he looked closely at her. “Baby, you’re everything to me.”
Lauren felt him slip between her legs and stroke her with his fingers before he pressed against her entrance. “Ready for this?”
“I've been ready for you for years,” Lauren assured him. He slid inside of her and moved slowly so she could adjust to his size. She moaned as she felt him fill her and move a little deeper as something pinched. “Oh, Cole,” she whimpered, before heat filled her and she started to move.
“Lauren, baby. Yes, honey,” Cole told her, as he moved with her until their bodies were slapping together. He held out until she trembled before him and then released inside of her as he told her how much he loved her.
Cole held her on the bed after as they tried to find a way to make his over six-foot-tall frame fit. Lauren was already five foot six and she had a hard time. “How big is your bed?”
“I have a king,” Cole told her.
“Now that I’ve given in to you, can we sleep there sometimes?” Lauren asked, as he stared into her eyes.
“I will sleep anywhere that you are. Now that I have you, I am not letting you sleep alone ever again,” Cole promised her and she smiled so much that it hurt her face.
“I like that,” Lauren told him, as he pulled her against him and kissed her hair.
They made breakfast the next morning, and he looked at her across the table. Her first time was now three or four times ago, and Cole smiled at her. “I have a small place, much smaller than this. I always just felt like it was four walls compared to this house and I think that I’d like you to live there with me. If it’s too small, we’ll get something bigger, but I need you with me all of the time.”
“I’d love that.” Lauren had no idea how she’d gone from being single to having such a strong love in a matter of months, but she was happy as she stood up and went to hug him. Cole spun her around as she laughed and squealed.
They cleaned up the house and cooked dinner for their friends since they were due home on Sunday, and then they broke the news to Adam and Jane. Jane hugged Lauren happily even as she proclaimed how much she would miss her with tears. They opened a bottle of champagne and toasted to love and cowboys and Lauren slipped into the secure feeling of Cole’s arm around her before clinking their glasses together.
Cole took her to his place the following evening, and Lauren looked around with a smile. It was smaller, but it still offered a good living room with a spacious master bedroom and a guest room. It just needed a little warmth and she assured him that she could help him with that.
Lauren moved in two weeks later. She still spent a lot of time at Jane’s house, because the girls loved staying up late together and talking. Lauren adored Jane so much and thanked her every day for helping her to meet Cole.
The wedding wasn’t planned for another six months, but Jane was already thinking about every detail. This was going to be her only wedding and she wanted it to be a perfect day, something that made Adam roll his eyes every time she said it. He only cared that she became his wife and that was the only detail that he wanted to focus on. They were more in love than ever and Lauren loved seeing Jane so happy.
Lauren was falling more in love as well. She loved the nights when she was with Cole in his bed and he taught her more and more about sex and making love. Even though he was not that experienced, Lauren thought he was perfect. She loved the way that he held her afterwards and whispered how much he loved her. Cole was a perfect boyfriend and she was happy.
“Did you live here with Kelsey?” Lauren asked him one night, after they’d made love sweet and slow.
“No. We never lived together, since she wanted to be married first,” Cole told her, as she gazed at him.
“Why did you ask me to live here?” Lauren asked. He smiled and kissed her.
“I love you more than I’ve ever loved anybody,” Cole explained. “I have never wanted someone close to me the way that I want you.”
Chapter Six
It seemed like time passed at the speed of light once Lauren lived with Cole. She slowly fixed the house up with Jane’s help and gave it a warmer touch, framing pictures of them and of their friends. Lauren added a few paintings to the walls and even painted the walls a warm brown color and the kitchen a soft green. It felt good to have a home again, somewhere to settle in and love again. Every month it seemed to come more and more to life, and Cole smiled with every change. Lauren spent equal amounts of time between the two houses since she was still hanging out a lot with J
ane, planning the wedding and working on their side jobs.
It was fun, and Lauren felt like she was accomplishing something.
Despite her happiness about her new home, Lauren also missed her dad a lot and sometimes when she was alone, she talked to him and told him about her new life. She told him that somebody loved her and that she was happy here. She just wished that he could be a part of things here.
The wedding was coming up fast, and Lauren found herself over at Jane’s almost every night, making this or that for the ceremony. Lauren admired the fact that her friend wasn’t going expensive with this and making a lot of favors herself. They were having the wedding at a cute little barn in town that had been fixed up for such occasions. It was perfect. It offered a beautiful tree out front that they could say their vows under if it was nice enough outside. The barn was open and welcoming. They could set up tables in there and food with a dance floor outside for the party. It was going to be a true country wedding, and Lauren couldn’t wait.
The guys grilled dinner for the girls while they worked on the wedding preparations and joined them to keep them company. It was like the perfect foursome, both of them happy couples and all friends. Lauren was getting to know some of the other people in town as well through the wedding planning.
It wasn’t Georgia, and Lauren missed some of her friends and the state itself, but she was happy. She fell more and more in love with the simple farm life and just sitting outside at night looking at the sky. She and Cole made love every night, unable to get enough of each other. They’d snuggle together and fall asleep before the alarm went off early in the morning and the day would start over, all over again.
The closer the wedding day came, the less time Lauren could spend with Cole due to all of the last minute things that needed to be done. She was at Jane’s all day and night, and though the guys still cooked for them, it was busy.