by Adams, S. C.
Grams won’t take no for an answer, so I grab her gathering basket and head for the coop. We don’t keep many animals on the ranch, but the chickens have been a constant since I was a kid. I used to come out here and play. When I was really little, I named every single one of our twenty-chicken flock. I couldn’t keep track of them unless they had unique markings, like Hank with the black spot on his cheek or Frodo with brown feathers shaped like a star on his wing, but it was fun giving them names and stories.
It did make it a bit harder when Gramps would serve one of my feathered friends for dinner, though.
I take my time marching across the expansive property. Growing up, it was nice to have so much room to run around and play, but it got lonely, too. There were many days when I wished I had siblings to play with. The chickens were my playmates most of the time, and they hated playing house. The hens never wanted to do the dishes.
“Hello, girls,” I say to the hens in the egg coop. These are the chickens that aren’t being bred. We use them just for eggs. That also means they’re in no danger of seeing the dining room table.
The chickens cluck in response.
“I’ve missed you, too,” I laugh. Most of the hens move off their nests so I can gather up the eggs. Some of them require a push, and my arm gets pretty scratched up from the encounters.
I’m on the last nest when a noise outside catches my attention. The sound of crunching gravel overpowers the clucking hens. Who could that be? No one comes to visit this early. Grams would kill them for interrupting breakfast.
I poke my head out the coop door just in time to see a sports car with tinted windows making its way up the drive.
No way. It can’t be.
I pull my phone from my back pocket. Soon after I left New York on Monday, my phone was bombarded with texts from Nate. I didn’t read any of them and blocked his number so he couldn’t contact me anymore. A part of me was curious as to what he wanted after three days of radio silence, but I stayed strong. It’s for the best.
Or so I thought.
The shiny black car comes to a rough stop on the gravel driveway. I can’t peel my eyes away when the door opens and out steps a handsome, tall man that I know by heart.
Nate looks at our modest ranch. What is going through his mind? He’s probably thinking about the fact that my home could fit into his living room and there would still be space for the couch.
One of the hens, quiet until now, squawks so loudly that I jump. The commotion catches Nate’s attention. His head turns towards the chicken coop and his eyes land on mine.
I want to retreat into the coop and hide with the chickens until he’s gone, but I can’t move my feet. Nate is having the opposite problem. He crosses my grandparents’ large backyard in a record number of strides.
Within seconds, he’s standing in front of me the way he was just a week ago. His eyes are full of sorrow and lust.
Without a word, he cups my cheeks in his and pulls our lips together in a passionate kiss.
As far as hellos go, it doesn’t get better than this.
19
Nathaniel
Friday
Pulling away from the kiss with Alyssa is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I would happily keep our lips attached for the rest of time, but we need to talk, too. Alyssa deserves an explanation and an apology.
I stare deeply into Alyssa’s eyes as we slowly tilt our heads away from each other. If I wasn’t sure before, I’m absolutely positive now.
This is the woman that I love.
“I love you,” I say out loud for the first time. The words taste almost as delicious as Alyssa’s lips. Even the smell of chicken excrement can’t ruin the beauty of loving this woman. I say it again for good measure. “I love you.”
Alyssa looks stunned at first as she struggles to process my words, but a slight smile plays at her lips. She takes hold of my shirt and pulls me against her.
“Why did you believe that I’d cheat on you?” she mumbles into my chest.
I wrap my arms around her and hold tight. If I have it my way, I’m never letting go again. This past week without her has been the worst week of my life. When I found out about Samantha’s ploy on Monday, I wanted to force my driver to take me all the way to Maine immediately. I couldn’t just leave the school hanging, though. Plus, I couldn’t show up at Alyssa’s house without some semblance of a plan. So I told the school to get a substitute instructor for today’s class so I could come up and win Alyssa back. I couldn’t have waited until the weekend – I need her now.
“I’m so sorry, Lissie,” I begin. “I never should have jumped to that conclusion. It’s just, I’ve been used before. When you have money, you’re constantly worried about why people are with you. Seeing those texts, I thought the worst. I assumed you were just like the women who only want me for the number of zeroes in my bank account. I hate feeling like a dollar sign rather than a human being.”
“Oh, Nate, I would never be like that! I love you, not your money.” She plants sweet kisses on my neck to drive her point home.
Hearing those three words from her luscious pink lips sends chills down my body. “You love me?” I ask. It’s beyond my wildest dreams to have this woman’s love. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to Alyssa’s love. I don’t know if I’ll ever deserve it, either.
“I do,” she responds softly. “I never stopped.”
“I never stopped either. And I am so, so sorry. I will apologize every day for the rest of our lives.”
I scoop Alyssa into my arms and kiss her hard once more. She allows my lips to dominate hers and my tongue to sweep her sweet mouth. I picked a delicious woman to fall in love with.
We fall against the door to a rickety coop. Clucks escape the half-opened door at the commotion.
Alyssa laughs into the kiss. “The hens are unhappy,” she says with an arch smile. “We should move somewhere else.”
I look to the ranch. “Inside?”
She shakes her head deviously. “I have a much better idea.”
Alyssa takes my hand and takes off in a run towards a red barn at the edge of her property.
“We haven’t had horses or cows in years,” she tells me breathlessly when we get to the doors. “My grandparents aren’t able to take care of as many animals as they used to, but they keep the barn in case we want to expand again someday.”
But instead of opening the barn, Alyssa leads me behind the large building where the smell of hay permeates the air. It’s lucky I don’t have any allergies. Then again, I’d risk going into anaphylactic shock just to have Alyssa right now. My erection pulses against my jeans, demanding release. There’s got to be a wet spot on the denim material, my dick’s leaking so hard.
Alyssa finds a saddle blanket from behind the haystacks and lays it on the freshly mowed grass. “Come,” she whispers. She settles onto the soft blanket and waits for me to join her.
“You were certainly prepared,” I remark. I lay beside her on the blanket and kiss her neck.
She giggles. “I like to come out here and look at the stars. I keep a blanket so I can be comfortable, that’s all,” is her playful reply.
“Oh really?” I say with a quirked eyebrow. “By the way, what’s inside the barn?” I ask, changing the topic.
“More hay,” she answers. “There’s hardly space to move around in there, let alone…”
I grin. “Let alone what, Lissie?”
Instead of responding with words, she runs her hand along my member, making it jerk, and kisses just below my ear. Oh fuck, this woman knows me so well. Even through the stiff material, she’s managed to find the vein on the left and stroke right along the pulse that has me going crazy. I’m glad my little girl has such good instincts.
But the time for slow is absolutely not now. I plan on having plenty of hot sex sessions with Alyssa in the future. For right now, though, I want her and I want her bad.
I unbutton her jeans and slip my hand inside to find her
slit already soaked and ready for me. Fuck, what a horny little slut. Just my type. With my thumb, I make deep circles over her sensitive clit.
“Yes, Nate,” she moans. “That feels so good.”
“You know what will feel better?” I ask.
She nods.
“Yes,” is her breathless reply. “Your huge shaft inside.”
My body goes to a hundred with that slutty response. I’ve missed her and within two seconds, our clothes are off, her ripe body so ready for cock. She sees my hungry look and lays back, spreading her legs to reveal that perfect pink pussy.
“Now,” she moans again. “Give me your everything, Nate.”
Oh yeah. In an instant, I’m on top of that nubile, creamy body. My stiffness doesn’t go in easily because she’s so small, but that’s never stopped me before. Working each inch into her soaked body takes time, as Alyssa moans a little louder.
“You’re so damn tight, baby,” I whisper. “It feels so good to be inside you again.”
“I never want to go that long without you,” she breathes. Her back arches when my thumb brushes her clit again, her twat squeezing me so that I gasp.
“That’s my girl,” I pant. “Show me how much you need it.”
Alyssa doesn’t let me down. She mewls and squirms, taking every centimeter of my horse cock and coating it with her fluids. Within minutes, I’m pumping into her, feeling that responsive cunt with every inch of my rod as she squeals and moans, clenching me tight.
“Yes, Nate,” she gasps. “Yes, yes, yes!”
I can’t take it. This woman is my everything and with a roar, I bury myself in deep while exploding, spraying my seed all over her fertile fields.
“FUCK!” is my agonized roar. “Fuck shit fuck!”
Alyssa comes too. With another buck and a moan, her pussy dissolves into spasms around my pole, squeezing it tight as female cream drips off my balls.
“Nate,” is her breathless moan. “Oh yes, give it to me.”
She milks and milks until my balls are dry, treasuring every drop of virile seed. Oh fuck. What has this woman done to me? I’ve had plenty of sex in the past, but there’s only one woman with whom it’s so satisfying each and every time. This female will be the death of me.
After it’s done, I flop over on my back and pull Alyssa against my chest.
“That was amazing,” I tell her. “We’re good at that.”
“We really are,” she says with a giggle. “I’m sure there are areas we can improve though. We’ll have to keep practicing for sure.”
We both laugh. I don’t think either of us will have any problem with dirty, repeat practice sessions.
I brush Alyssa’s hair with my fingers and find strands of hay lodged in her curls. I pull them out and kiss her cheek.
“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,” I tell her honestly.
She smiles. “I love you.”
I’ll never get tired of hearing those three words from her.
“I love you,” I respond, hoping she’ll never get tired of hearing them from me, either.
20
Alyssa
Friday
As happy as I’d be snuggling with Nate behind the barn for the rest of time, I’m supposed to be bringing eggs to my grandmother. It’s been nearly an hour since she sent me inside. She and Gramps are likely worried.
“Do you want to meet my grandparents?” I ask Nate.
He grins. “I’d love to meet them.”
We clean ourselves up as best we can with limited resources, grab the basket of eggs, and head into the ranch. Grams and Gramps have long finished breakfast by the time we return.
“Thought you got lost,” Gramps remarks. “It’s a big property and all.”
I laugh. “I found a straggler out there,” I tell him. “This is Nathaniel Glover.”
Nate shakes hands with my grandfather and offers Grams a kiss on the cheek.
“Grover like the president or Grover like the muppet?” Grams asks him.
To his credit, Nate manages to laugh at my grandmother’s lame joke.
“I’d like to say the president, but I think I more resemble the muppet. And actually, it’s Glover and not Grover.”
“He’s a keeper!” Grams exclaims with a grin.
Gramps grunts. “I’ll be the judge of that. What do you know about cards, boy?”
“Enough to beat an old man,” Nate replies. Less than five minutes with my grandparents and he’s already figured out how to talk to them. Gramps has a sarcastic sense of humor and he loves people who can match him wit for wit. I think Nate might be that guy.
“While the two of you play, we’re going to make lunch.”
“But you just had breakfast!” I respond. “We can watch cards for a bit.”
“Your grandfather will take good care of your boy. We’ll prepare lunch nice and slow so it’s closer to eleven when we eat. How’s that?”
Nate catches my eye and shrugs. “You go on. We’ll be fine out here.”
My grandfather and my boyfriend settle down at the kitchen table with a deck of cards. Before Grams can whisk me away, the two are already trash talking each other. Judging by the smile on Gramps’ face, he’s loving every second of it.
Once we’re in private, Grams squeezes my arm. “How are you feeling, Alyssa? This is the same guy who sent you packing from New York. What’s he doing here?”
I explain everything that Nate told me, from the texts to Samantha’s involvement in our breakup. I do leave out the sex behind the barn, though Grams’ smile implies she already knows.
“I could hurt that girl,” Grams says. We both know it’s not true. Grams rescues the spiders that get into the house before Gramps and I can stomp on them.
“It’s fine, Grams. It sounds like Nate took care of her.”
“I’m still mad at her. And you didn’t answer my other question. How are you feeling about all this?”
I had hoped she would forget about that part of the interrogation. “I’m not sure,” I reply honestly. “I know that I love Nate with all my heart, but it still hurts that he believed so easily that I would cheat on him.”
Grams nods. “Jealousy is not an easy thing. It’s called the green-eyed monster for a reason. There have been plenty of times when jealousy threatened my marriage.”
My eyes widen. “What do you mean? You and grandpa never fight.”
Grams smiles knowingly. “Oh, but we do. Every couple has their spats, but the key is to never go to bed angry. If you can make up at the end of the night, nothing will ever tear you apart.”
“That sounds like a cliché.”
“It is, girly,” she admits. “But clichés exist because they’re true. Take it from a woman who has been married for over sixty years.”
She has a point. If anyone is the authority on marriage, it’s my grandmother. She would have to be to put up with Gramps’s sarcasm and gossip. From the outside, my grandparents seem so different. They must be doing something right if they’ve stayed together this long, and I pin her advice in my brain for future use.
But today is a new day, and I’m determined to make the most of it. After breaking up with Nate, getting back in the kitchen has been impossible. It’s not just the restaurant jobs I’ve been avoiding, it’s been cooking in general. Now that Nate is here, I’m desperate to cook again. Seeing him, touching him, and kissing him brought my mojo back.
Grams and I spend the next hour preparing lunch while Nate and Gramps yell at each other over poker. Based on the swearing, I’d guess Nate is winning.
“Put the cards away,” Grams calls into the small dining room when we’ve finished the meal. “And one of you set the table.”
“The winner always sets the table,” Gramps informs Nate.
Nate doesn’t argue. He asks where the plates and silverware are and gets to work setting our meager table. We have to pull out a folding chair from the basement for everyone to have a seat.
Gramps ta
kes the folding chair, saying that the loser should get the loser seat. He hands Nate a beer from the fridge and they tap their bottles together. Even after a hardcore game of cards, they seem to be getting along well.
“If your boy can cook as well as he plays poker, he’ll have a long future ahead of him,” Gramps informs me before filling his plate with the linguine alfredo Grams and I prepared. We even made the pasta from scratch, which I’m hoping will impress Nate.
My heart races. What does our reconciliation mean for my future? Can I come back to class? I’ve only missed a week…
That’s something I can figure out later. Right now, I want to enjoy lunch with the three most important people at the table.
“Hey, did you hear about the chef that backed into the oven?” Grams asks. Before anyone can respond, she finishes the joke. “His goose got cooked!”
The three of us laugh politely at her joke even though it doesn’t make much sense. While Gramps can be funny accidentally, Grams tries too hard to get a laugh and it usually falls flat. Gramps and I learned long ago to laugh when it seems like Grams is joking, otherwise she gets kind of grumpy.
Nate twirls a long noodle around his fork and pops it into his mouth. He groans when it hits his tongue. “This is incredible!”
“You mean it?”
“Is this your recipe?” he asks me.
I nod shyly. “Do you really like it?”
“It’s fantastic, Alyssa. You’re very talented.”
The compliment spreads warmth through my stomach. Coming from Nate, being called talented is huge. I’ve seen how he behaves towards fellow chefs in class and he’s not always quick with positive feedback.
“You know, Stanton stopped me in town yesterday to brag about his granddaughter dating a dentist,” Gramps tells the table, talking with a mouth full of pasta. “You can’t eat anything when you’re dating a dentist! I can’t wait to tell him my granddaughter is dating a chef. He’ll be begging his granddaughter to find a new boyfriend!”