I sat down on the blanket and kicked my shoes off, putting them to the side before I slid down to the edge of the water and slipped my toes in. It felt cold and refreshing.
“I brought some lunch, in case you get hungry during the day.”
“You really did think of everything.” I smiled as he sat down beside me and unlaced his work boots. His cheeks went bright pink. I smiled widely as I reached out and touched his shoulder. “Thank you.”
When are you coming back?
The text was still fresh in my mind. If I went back, Ken and I would never be able to do this again. Would I be okay with that?
Would I be okay never seeing him again?
I stared out at the waterfall. I’m totally going under that before we leave, I thought. But no matter what I tried to think about to distract myself, I couldn’t help thinking about my future. I’m sick of worrying about it.
“Ken,” I had to ask, “would you ever move away from the ranch?”
I didn’t dare look at him. I waited in silence for what felt like ages. Please say yes. I knew it was unlikely, but if he said yes, even if he said there was a chance, then … there could be a chance for us. For us to be more than just friends.
Still, he didn’t say anything. The sound of the water was the only sound that I could hear.
“No,” he finally said.
I felt my heart drop. I should have known that would be his answer. And I shouldn’t have been surprised. But the truth is, I don’t even think it was that I was surprised. I was just sad it was out there. Sad I’d bothered to ask a question I knew I wouldn’t like the answer to.
I nodded, not trusting my voice to say anything. There you have it. My answer.
“When are you moving away?”
His question shocked me. Confused me a little, too. I turned to him. “I don’t know,” I admitted. His lips were closed and the corners sagged down. He didn’t meet my eyes. “I had a friend let me know about a good deal on a house, but the truth is I don’t even know where I’m going to live.” There was nothing that said I had to move back there.
“But you won’t stay here?”
No. I opened my mouth to say it, but I couldn’t. It’s a possibility.
I mean, really. Why not consider it? My mom would love it if I did. I shrugged. I didn’t know if I was willing to tell him I might consider staying here, so I decided it would just be best to not say anything.
I looked up at the sky. The clouds had started to roll in. “Do you think there will be rain?” I asked, trying to change the subject. I knew I had been the one to start the conversation, but it had been a dumb idea. I shouldn’t have even bothered with it. No more asking stupid questions, I thought.
“I hope not. The weather said it would be fine, otherwise I would have rescheduled with you.”
I risked looking over at him. He didn’t seem unhappy, though he wouldn’t meet my gaze. I bit my lip. Did I just screw this whole thing up?
~~~~
I felt something tug at my fishing rod as Ken pulled the walkie-talkie out of his pocket.
“Yes?”
I ignored the fish on my rod as I turned to watch him.
“You two had better pack it up. There’s a bad storm coming in.”
I felt goose bumps rise on my skin. A storm? But we were out in the middle of nowhere. What were we going to do? I don’t want to get in a plane if there is a storm!
“A storm?”
“I’m not going to be able to get out there in time. You two are going to have –”
“What do you mean you won’t get out here in time?” Ken sounded like he was going to kill someone.
“There is a cabin a few miles away. You two are going to have to bunk down there. It’s got everything you’ll need. I keep the place stocked in case something like this ever happens.”
Ken sighed. I could tell he was angry. “Okay, fine. Where is it?”
“Do you still have the map I gave you? It’s just over a mile west of where you are now. The map has the path on it.”
I could feel my heart racing.
My head shot up into the sky as I heard the sound of thunder. There was no sign of lightening, though. I sucked in a deep breath. It’s fine. It’s just a storm. It wouldn’t be the first one I got caught in, and it wouldn’t be the last. I just wasn’t used to it.
Damn it, Sarah! React. I forced myself to stand as Ken put the walkie-talkie away. I’d stopped listening. “Did he say anything else?” I asked as I pulled my fishing line in as quickly as I could, no longer caring if the fish was there or not. It wasn’t.
“Just that we could use whatever was in the cabin and the blankets were clean.” He shrugged as he pulled his own line in. I dropped do my knees, laying the fishing line on the ground as I started to put lids on everything we had open. The last thing we needed was to have cookies all crushed up in the back pack.
Ken joined me and together we had everything closed up in no time. As he folded up the blanket, I put the containers into the backpack he’d brought with him. Something cold and wet touched my hand as I passed Ken the pack. My head shot up into the sky. No sign of water yet. My brow furrowed.
“What?”
“I felt water.” I shook my head and gave him a shrug. “Let’s get walking.”
Ken nodded and we fell into pace together as we headed toward the cabin. I didn’t dare double check with Ken that we were going in the right direction. I figured I should have enough faith in him to get it right.
Boom.
My heart skipped a beat. I glanced up at the sky. It was covered in dark grey clouds now. I’d been so busy getting ready I hadn’t noticed the sun vanish. My pace quickened behind Ken as we stepped into a wooded area. Yeah, this is safe.
Ken glanced behind me.
Drop. Drop. Drop. I heard the sound of the water falling against the trees before I felt it on my skin.
“Shit,” he muttered. His pace quickened and I followed him. We weren’t quite running, just a fast walk. “I see it.”
“Thank god,” I said.
Ken reached behind him and grabbed my hand. Crack. I didn’t need to look up to see the lightning strike this time. It lit up our surroundings. His fingers tightened against my hand as he pulled me into a jog. Our jog quickly turned into a run.
The rain came down in large droplets, the trees no longer protecting us from it. “Watch your step!” he shouted.
I glanced down, jumping over a large tree root and landing a little too close to Ken, but it didn’t matter; we kept running. I saw it now, too. It was small. The rain pelted down on its roof. I hope the inside is dry. I glanced down at the ground again, just to make sure there was nothing in my way.
Crack. The lightning lit up the sky again. Then there was the boom of thunder and more lightning. I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw the lightning land way too close to us.
Thump. Thump. Thump. I felt my heart pounding in my chest so fast and so hard I thought it might actually pop out. Just a few more feet, I thought as we drew closer and closer to safety. The rain pelted us as we made our way to the cabin.
I jumped up the few stairs that were there, running into Ken from behind as he stopped at the door. His body slammed against the wood. “Sorry,” I muttered, stepping away from him.
He didn’t say anything. Instead, he jerked the door open and headed inside. I followed quickly, gasping for breath.
It was dry in here. Thank god. I shook my wet hands and looked around. It was actually really cute. The walls and floor were all wood, and it didn’t look like it was anywhere near new. But it was warm.
“Geez, it’s nice to be out of that,” Ken muttered.
I glanced over to see him pull his shirt over his head. I felt my lips go dry. I watched as he made his way over to the fireplace and bend down, filling it with wood.
Walking over to the not-so-cute vintage couch, I dropped down on it as I heard a match light. The cabin was tiny. There were two doors leading other plac
es, and one of those doors we had just come though. I hope the other one is a bathroom. I really didn’t want to have to go outside to go to the bathroom in this weather. Other than that, there was a table in the right corner near the door, and in the back left corner there was a bed. Bedside the bed was a standing closet. And that was it.
It wasn’t much, but right now I was just happy it was dry.
“He said there was everything we would need here.” Ken stood stepping away from the now blazing fire. He walked over to the closet and opened it. “Food, drink, and extra blankets. Even a couple games.” He grabbed something and headed back to the couch.
As he sat down beside me, he opened a bag of chips and took a handful for himself before passing it over to me. The fire was the only light in here and, despite the fact it was still supposed to be light outside, the dark clouds were blocking the sun from shining. The dimly lit cabin was warming up fast, though.
“I’m sorry our day had to end like this. And I’m sorry we won’t be able to get back to town for a while.”
I shrugged. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. Plus the day isn’t over yet.” Day or date? A smile touched my lips. I had told him it could be a little bit of a date, after all. “Anyway, it’s nice to get the chance to hang out with you more.”
He stared at me, his eyes wide. “Really?”
I nodded. It was true. I was thankful to be able to spend more time with him. I just hope Mom isn’t worried. I grabbed a handful of chips and started munching. It was totally silent, but by now I had gotten used to silence around Ken. It wasn’t bad. Actually, it was really nice.
The sound of rain pounded against the roof, and now that I wasn’t out in it, it was soothing. Even when the lightning lit up the sky, it was beautiful now that I wasn’t outside. I just hope no lightning strikes near here. We were too far out if a wildfire started.
I stared into the fireplace, watching the flames dance as the wood slowly burned. “I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you,” I admitted.
I felt his body weight move, inching towards me. “I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you, too.” He reached out and took my hand.
“And I’ve been thinking …” I trailed off.
“Thinking about what?”
“Well, I said yesterday this could be a sorta date. I’d like to change my answer. I’d like this to be a real date.”
Ken stared at me, his eyes getting wider than they had already been. I swallowed dryly. There was still something I wasn’t telling him, and I was waiting to see if he was going to figure it out.
“R –really?” he stammered.
I gave a single nod. I waited a couple more seconds, but it still didn’t seem like he was going to get it. I sighed and shook my head, trying not to laugh at him. “Just for the record, I do kiss on the first date.” Or before it. But I wasn’t going to mention that part; after all some guys seemed to think that was a bad thing.
A grin spread over Ken’s face. “Really? So if I kiss you …”
“I’d definitely kiss you back.” I reached out and took his hand in mine.
I watched as his eyes roamed over my body. He moved closer to me and our fingers tangled together. His free hand moved to my cheek, his fingers brushing over my skin softly. Goose bumps rose over my skin as my eyes locked on his. He moved toward me, closing what little distance there was between us. “Are you sure?” he whispered against my lips.
I could smell the chips on his breath, he was so close to me.
I nodded.
His fingers moved from my cheek to my hair as he pulled me close to him, his lips crashing against mine.
A soft moan passed through my mouth as my arms wrapped around his neck and our kiss grew more passionate. My teeth gently grazed his lower lip. He pulled away just long enough for me to take in a deep breath, then it was back to kissing. The kiss grew more hungry. One hand moved from around his neck, slowly trailing down his body. A low breath passed through his lips as my hand rested on his thigh. My eyes locked on his as a wide grin spread over my face.
He pulled away from me, leaning back as his fingers wrapped around my wrist. He tugged my arm, and a gasp escaped my lips as I felt myself slide forward. I giggled, kissing him. My lips moved from his to his neck. A soft breath escaped him as his hands traced over the curves of my body. I let out a moan, letting him know I wanted this as much as he did. There is nothing I want more right now, I thought, but didn’t dare voice it to him. Ken’s hand slipped up my shirt, and I sighed as I felt his hot hands touch my skin. I arched toward him as his fingers unclasped my bra.
I didn’t mind at all.
I pulled away, grabbing the hem of my shirt. I had it off in seconds flat and then it was back to the action. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was obvious it had been a while for me. I pulled away, staring at his muscular chest. My pulse raced. I licked my lips, trying to restore some moisture to them. His eyes locked on mine as a wide grin spread over his face. “I have a confession.”
Ah, shit.
I opened my mouth and nothing came out for a couple of seconds. I cleared my throat and tried again. “What is it?”
“I had a crush on you in high school.”
My heart skipped a couple of beats, and I barked out a laugh. “Oh, that’s it?” I shook my head. I was worried there for a second. I leaned in for a kiss, my lips touching his softly. “So, are there any childhood fantasies we’re going to make come to life tonight?” I whispered.
The rain pounded down on the roof as his arms wrapped around my hips, pulling me closer to him. My heart raced, and I leaned back, my cheeks so hot I was almost sure they were burning.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, putting distance between us.
It took everything I had not to look away from him. I forced myself to make eye contact, my eyes staring into the reflection of the flames in his.
“I … it’s just … Ken, it’s been a while for me.”
A small laugh passed through his lips. “Is that all? Here you had me worried something might actually be wrong.”
I opened my mouth to protest. Something was wrong. It had been a long time and I didn’t know how I was going to be. I didn’t dare voice that out loud, though. It would be too embarrassing.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me back into his arms. His lips crashed against mine. “Just relax, I’ll take care of you,” he murmured.
Adrenaline filled my veins, but I tried to relax. He guided me to lie down on the couch as he reached for the hem of my jeans. “Do you –” I started to ask if he had protection, but he put a finger on my lips.
“I’ll take care of you,” he promised again. I nodded, letting him know I was going to give in.
My bottoms came off and my panties weren’t far behind. I watched as Ken unhooked his belt and pulled it from of his jeans, laying it down on the ground. He spread my legs and positioned himself in between them; his lips touched my uppermost thighs. A moan passed through my lips as I arched.
His tongue tickled my pussy.
I gasped, moaning louder. My fingers dug into his hair. All at once arousal filled my body, raging as I remembered something that had been long forgotten until now – a man pleasing me.
Ken’s tongue flicked inside of me, then out just as quickly. I moaned as he tongued me, teasing me. Making me want more. “Ken,” I sighed his name, but that was all I could get out. He pulled away from me, his eyes locking on mine as he undid his jeans and shoved them down to his knees. I stared at his hard cock as it sprang forward, standing at full attention. He doesn’t wear boxers. My heart raced and my pussy tingled with arousal.
He reached behind him, digging through one of his pockets and pulling out a condom. Relief washed over me. Thank god. I didn’t want to say no. Not now that we were in the heat of it. I watched as he tore into the condom and placed it over himself before getting comfy between my legs.
His head touched the folds of my skin. He thrust into me gently.
My hips arched as he filled me. My fingers dug into the soft fabric of the couch. I cried out in pleasure. “Oh, Ken, fuck me. Please.”
His lips touched my neck as he obliged me. He thrust in and out of me, slow at first.
“No. Harder,” I begged. I knew I wouldn’t last long, but I didn’t care.
Ken’s hands traced over the curves of my body as his cock slammed in to me again and again. He grabbed my free hand, his fingers tangling between mine. I moaned louder, my eyes rolling back.
“I’m so fucking close,” I cried. If it hadn’t been so long I wouldn’t be able to believe it myself.
Ken’s rhythm increased. Faster. Faster. With his free hand he grabbed my hip, pulling me into every thrust. Everything went a hazy white as I cried out. Waves of pleasure washed through my body. My hips bucked. I moaned as Ken thrust into me, faster and faster.
He sucked in a deep breath, each thrust growing harder as he filled me.
Another wave of pleasure hit me and another. I opened my eyes just in time to see Ken’s body tense. He gasped, his eyes rolling back as he slammed into me. He pushed into me again, squeezing my hand. His eyes opened and he stared, so I grinned. “You did take damn good care of me.”
He gave a breathless laugh as he pulled away. “I’ll be right back, then we’ll cuddle.”
Sounds perfect. I watched as he headed into the bathroom.
Ken
I laid there in bed staring up at the ceiling. I ran my fingers through my hair, letting out a deep breath. Glancing to my left I stared at the girl beside me. She was fast asleep by the looks of it, snoring lightly. I smirked. She was gorgeous even when she was asleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way she had touched me.
She was tight. It had been childhood fantasies that came to life tonight, but better than I ever thought it could be. Damn it.
My heart fell as I thought about the one thing I didn’t want to think about. Her question. Would I ever leave the ranch? Of course not. I had to stay there with my brothers. But she’s leaving. She hadn’t said it, but why else would she have asked? She wanted to know what our future was, and that was a fair question.
The Billionaire's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad Next Door Romance Page 37