by Haley Travis
scared. You know I would never hurt you.”
Her cheek snuggled into my chest as she murmured, “I know. I don’t think I’m scared… Just
nervous. Or curious.”
Picking her up, I carried her the two steps to her bed, sitting her down on my lap. “I never
want to make you nervous, Joanna. Just tell me what you’d like.”
Her fingers slipped into the neck of my t-shirt, gliding along my skin gently. “I guess I just want to be with you,” she said softly.
“I can’t spend the night, sweetie, but I could tuck you into bed. Would you like that?” she
nodded, her chin rubbing against my collarbone.
“You’re probably tired from working so hard in the fields these past few days,” I murmured,
slowly unzipping the back of her sundress. “Shall I help you?”
She nodded against my chest again. Running my palm against the silky skin of her back, it
felt like she was relaxing with me. Standing her up, I pulled her dress forward, and she
helped me wriggle her out of it so that it fell to her feet.
God, she was beautiful. So sweet and soft. Running my hands along the curve of her round
hips, I pulled her to stand between my legs, kissing her as I unhooked her bra. Then I let
that drop to the floor as well, enveloping her firm breasts in my palms. They were the
perfect large handful, with deep pink nipples that begged to be sucked.
Running my tongue slowly over her skin, I heard her gasp as my mouth closed around her
delicate bud. There was no way I could stifle my groan as I sucked her nipple into my
mouth, gently caressing her other breast with my hand.
It felt like her entire body was trembling slightly, and I looked up at her as I switched to the other side, sucking harder as I grabbed her ass firmly.
Pulling her to me, my lips were a whisper of breath against hers. She instantly pressed
against me firmly, her arms gripping my shoulders in a way that drove my desire sky high.
Sucking her bottom lip gently, I ran my tongue along it, loving her tiny sigh. Cupping her
breasts gently, running my thumbs across her nipples, Joanna moaned hungrily into my
mouth.
She felt so perfect against me, as if she was forgetting her nervousness. Running my right
hand down her stomach, I stopped at the edge of her white panties. “Sweetie, tell me what
you need.”
“I…” Joanna’s bright blue eyes were soft and dreamy. “I want you to keep touching me.”
My hand gently slipped under the fabric to cup her innocent little pussy. Skimming my
fingertips gently through her folds, her gasping moan nearly tore me apart. Then I felt how
wet she was.
“This feels so beautiful,” I murmured, dancing my fingers along her soaking skin. “All of
your sexy juices for me, sweetie?”
The sight of her biting her lip made my cock lurch in my jeans. It was going to be harder
than hell to keep myself from taking her too soon.
“I’m sorry…” she blushed. “I’ve never felt like that before.”
I picked her up by the waist and laid her on the bed, slowly pulling her panties along her
strong, sculpted legs. “Don’t you dare apologize, Joanna. Knowing that you’re wet for me,
knowing that I make your body respond… It’s perfection.”
Stretched out naked on her bed for me, Joanna was utterly gorgeous. Her hair fanned
around her in a dark halo as her fingers reached out to stroke my forearm.
“Do you want me to keep touching you?” I asked.
She nodded. “You can do anything you want with me.” Her voice was tight, as if she were
so excited her breathing was altered. The tone was incredibly sexy, and I looked forward to
hearing it in my ear soon as I plunged deep inside her. But for the moment, I needed her to
be comfortable.
Leaning in to kiss her softly, I ran my hand up her inner thigh, as she spread her legs
slightly. “That’s it, sweetie. Just relax.”
Caressing her most delicate skin wasn’t enough. I shifted down between her legs, parting
her thighs gently. Staring into the soft, sweet mound of her sex, I felt a strange wave of
honor, being the first man permitted to touch such an incredible woman.
Brushing my fingertips through her short curls, I inhaled her delicious fragrance. Spreading
her outer lips with my thumbs, her skin was so soft and pink. Fresh as flower petals.
Bringing my lips to her inner thigh, I begin kissing gently upward. A tremor ran through her,
and I grinned up to see her staring at me, wide-eyed.
Switching to the other side, I began my journey again, feeling her fingers wander through
the top of my hair. When I finally reached her center, I slipped my warm, wet tongue along
her outer lips, adoring the sound of her halting breath.
I wondered if she could see the hunger in my eyes. I didn’t have the words to share that her
honey was the most delicious thing I’d ever had on my tongue. There was no way I could
express how much I needed her, and that I was already falling in love with her.
So I told her through touch, sliding my tongue into her snug little lips, sucking and licking her juices until she called out my name in bliss. It was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
* Joanna *
I felt like I was falling. Dean’s lusty growl as he licked and nibbled between my legs was the most exciting sensation I’d ever felt in my life. My pulse was booming in my ears, my fingers
clenched in his hair. My belly was quivering, and it was all I could do to keep my hips still.
Then Dean flattened his tongue, licking straight through my center until I cried out. His warm breath on my most sensitive spot was making it feel even more swollen and needy. My
thighs were trembling around his shoulders, and it felt like something deep inside me was
about to snap at any moment.
There was something in the way he touched me that told me very clearly that this was not
about sex. The way he cared for me so carefully made me realize that I already had intense
feelings for him. Deeper than I’d known. This certainly wasn’t going to be a brief encounter.
This was some sort of soul-stirring connection that I might never be able to make sense of.
My cheeks were growing hot, and I couldn’t stop my wiggling hips as he began swirling his
tongue around my sensitive little button.
His finger slipped inside me slowly. I loved the way that he was taking his time. His thick
finger began to thrust in and out very gently, as his lips wrapped around my swollen nub. His
intimate kisses were making me moan, but his hungry growls were telling me that he was
enjoying himself thoroughly.
It felt like my body was melting for him, as if I was dripping on his finger and across the
bed. I suddenly hoped that I wasn’t making a mess, but Dean’s eyes were blazing. “Come
on my tongue, sweetie. Relax and let me taste you.”
My entire body felt so open. His finger slipped a tiny bit deeper, as he flattened his tongue
against my skin, lapping upward in long slow strokes. His free hand pressed against my hip,
holding me down as I began to squirm.
I loved how patient he was with me, teasing me gently, then licking hard and fast for just a
moment to watch me gasp. Then Dean settled into the perfect rhythm.
He was so hungry for me, and as his finger moved faster, I realized I needed another part
of him there as soon as possible. I’d
never had such an overwhelming urge to be filled up.
Claimed. I needed to feel his body over mine, taking control.
My hands were gripping his hair for dear life as I pressed against him, my lust shamelessly
overtaking me. My hips and core were on fire, then my back arched as every muscle in my
entire body tensed at once. It was like being struck by warm, soft lightning.
“Dean… Oh my… Dean…” I heard myself moaning. His eyes were blazing even hotter,
staring into mine as the climax rattled through me.
As soon as I began to catch my breath, I pulled him by the hair and shoulders so that he was lying over me, kissing me hard. Tasting my own juices on his lips was a dirty, naughty
thrill, and strangely, the most intimate moment of my life.
Running one hand through the back of his hair, I knew my fingers were gripping too hard,
but I couldn’t stop. My other hand ran down his spine, then up under his t-shirt to feel the
broad muscles of his back. He moaned into my mouth as my legs wrapped around his hips,
pulling him against me.
“I want you so damn badly, sweetie,” he murmured, slowly pulling away. “But I can’t take
you yet, which means I can’t stay tonight. If I can’t stop touching you when I’m awake, I
have no idea what I’ll do in my sleep,” he chuckled. Those bright eyes were smiling, but I
could sense his frustration. Knowing how much he wanted me filled me with a strange glow
that I’d never felt before.
I thought it was sexy when he pulled my panties off, but the way he slid them gently back
on was even more seductive. Dean looked around the room and found a baggy tank top,
slipping me into it, then tucking me into bed.
Kissing me with his slow, steady heat, he murmured, “I’ll dream of you all night, Joanna.
See you in the morning.”
He pulled his boots on, shut off the light, and left quickly. Alone in bed, the tingling
aftershocks of such an intense time made my mind race. Pulling out my notebook for a
second, I used the light of my phone to scribble a few things before setting the alarm and
falling into a deep, satisfying sleep.
CHAPTER TWELVE
* Dean *
The next three days with Joanna were absolute perfection. We worked together, laughed
together, and truly got to know each other. There were secret kisses out in the fields, and
little moments of holding her hand under the dinner table.
Feeling her body resting against mine as we drove back to the farmhouse for lunch, I should
have been completely happy. Instead, I was torn in two.
Watching Joanna’s eyes as she had wrapped her legs around me the other night had
shaken me to the core. She wanted me completely, and she was willing to give me
everything.
Yet there was no way I could take her if it wasn’t right. She was at a turning point in her life where she was still discovering what she wanted. I couldn’t just buy a house here in town,
move her into it, and make her my country girl.
I would move to the city for her – hell, I would do anything for her. But I couldn’t think of any way I could make a good living there.
The thing that tugged at my heartstrings most of all was that Joanna seemed so inspired
out here. Every evening at dinner she told us a bit about the pieces she was writing, and
although I didn’t understand poetry, it sounded like her book was really coming together.
She also had a ton of ideas about more commercial things that she could write for various
magazines and websites.
Every time she giggled and said that the fresh country air helped her words to flow, my
heart lurched. Maybe she really would be happy out here.
The timing was just too crazy, with her going back to the city next week. We needed more
time together. Although I’d known that she was the girl for me almost immediately, I couldn’t
possibly expect her to decide to change her entire life so quickly.
At supper, I enjoyed listening to her chat with the newcomers that just arrived. Dusty,
Chuck, and Gus were going to have their hands full with a whole new batch of guests over
the next several days.
I noticed that Miriam had arranged the schedule so that Joanna and I could be alone all
week. She obviously knew precisely what was going on, so I supposed that she was alright
with it.
Joanna squeezed my hand under the table, flashing me one of her saucy grins, even while
she was chatting with one of the other girls about some movie they were deconstructing.
Every time I touched her, things were perfect between us, and we were already a done deal. When we weren’t touching, I began to over-analyze everything, starting to believe that
I would be a bad influence in her life, and not give her everything she needed.
She patted my knee as the guests all began stacking plates and figuring out who would
clean what in the kitchen as they hauled the dishes away.
The other farmhands all sitting at my end of the table gave me strange looks. Then they
glanced between each other until Dusty spoke. “Dean, you have a fine young woman there.
You’d better not let her slip away.”
In the several years we’d worked together, that was the only comment he’d ever made
about my personal life. Staring toward the kitchen, I saw Joanna laughing with one of the
other girls as they got a tall young man to put away everything on the top shelves.
“She’s a keeper, for sure,” I said softly. “I just don’t know if a dirty older man like me is the best thing for her.”
Chuck shot me a look that clearly stated he thought I was an idiot. “Get her. Keep her. You
know she’s yours.”
“Thanks, boys,” I said, nodding.
They went off to their rooms, as I walked out to the porch. Miriam was sitting in her huge
wicker rocking chair, staring out at the sunset. I sat on a bench beside her, but before I
could open my mouth, she turned to me with a broad smile. “It’s okay to be scared, Dean.”
“What are you talking about?”
She laughed, her dangling strawberry earrings rattling softly. “I see you with that sweet girl.
You’re perfect together. Now, why haven’t you come out and told the world you’re a couple
yet?”
“Well, for one thing, I didn’t know if it would be appropriate. You know, seeing that she’s a
guest.”
She rolled her eyes, waving her hand at me as if she were swatting a mosquito. “Oh, come
on. Everybody can see this isn’t some sleazy little tryst. You two are meant for each other.”
“You don’t think that her living so far away is a problem?”
She exhaled heavily, shaking her head. “Why do you men always seem to think in black and
white? All or nothing? Did you ever think for one second that there might be a solution in the middle?”
“I don’t know.”
“I know you’ve been saving up for your own house for years now. Why not get one that’s
halfway to the city? You have the farm truck to get back and forth to work. Buy Joanna a
little car, so that she can go in to work a few days a week. Or maybe she could get a job around here. She could take the train in to see people, then come back to you.”
“That’s a lot of driving during the busy season,” I said.
Miriam snorted. “Dean, they’ll always be a room for you here. You could stay here during
the busiest harvest, and see Joanne on weekends. Until you g
et the house and everything
sorted, you could visit her place when you drive in to make deliveries.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why not? People make crazy things work all the time. You two are both bright and clever,
and meant for each other. Figure it the hell out. But don’t you dare let her go back home
without some sort of arrangement.”
She was right. As always. Realizing that there really were ways to make this work, I began
to laugh, feeling the tension leave my body. “Thanks, Miriam. I really appreciate it.”
“Not just the county’s best pie maker,” she laughed, pointing to her heart. “Besides, I’d like Joanna to pop by now and then to help me taste test things. The girl really does have a
way with blending herbs.”
I laughed even harder. “See – I knew there was something in it for you. Greedy, nasty farm
owners.”
Joanna came around the corner to see us both howling. Her soft smile at seeing us
behaving like idiots was positively adorable. “Hey, sweetie,” I said softly, holding out my
hand to her.
Her eyes were huge as she stepped closer. She took my hand, and I pulled her into my lap,
tucking her against my shoulder.
“Pretty as a picture, you two,” Miriam smiled. She stood up, giving us a wave as she
sauntered away, around the corner of the porch.
“So, I guess we don’t have to hide anymore?” Joanna asked softly.
“No. But I need to ask you something important.”
“Okay.” Her arm slipped around my shoulder as she snuggled closer.
“Joanna, if you came to live in the country, is there anything you would miss about city life?”
To my great relief, she nodded thoughtfully, but her eyes were smiling. “I thought about this
a lot over the past few days,” she said. “Although I want to be a writer, I’m still figuring that out. But I could be a waitress anywhere. I just like keeping busy, and sending people off to
have a good day, fueled with good food.”
Kissing her softly, I murmured, “You’re so damn sweet, baby. But seriously, what would you miss?”
“My friends,” she said. “We have girl drinks every Thursday evening. If I could take the train in once a month or more to see them, that would help me still feel connected. You know?”
My hand slid up her shirt to caress her back. “I usually do the drive taking deliveries to the city on Thursdays,” I said. “Miriam scheduled Chuck to do it tomorrow, likely so that you