“You ready for the tree house today, Blondie?” he asked, beaming a cheeky smile.
“Not today, Thomas. I'm only three days older since you last asked.” It was that easy, our relationship was natural and we understood each other perfectly.
I can't pretend that the situation was easy though, we both had feelings and neither could do anything about it, talk about hormonal frustration. We just got on with it and realized that it was something that would happen when we were both good and ready, the bigger problem was that we were both good and ready, it was my age that was getting in the way, nothing else, I'd never discussed it with Tommy but if he was experiencing the same excitement and tension as I was, then he was in trouble.
Without actually realizing it, we became closer and closer. Every waking moment not spent at work in the farms, we spent together. Cycling to the markets, tucking ourselves away in the barn lofts or even lying head to head in the cornfields watching the stars, we were content in each other's company. This only confirmed to me how much love and respect Tommy had for me, if he didn't he wouldn't be spending his time with me and would have gone to release his frustrations elsewhere.
At least once or maybe even twice a week Tommy would playfully repeat his question and my reply would always be the same, I couldn't fault him for his lack of patience. On my fifteenth birthday he asked if now was the right time but, yet again, I rebuffed his advances. Bless him, God loves a trier as my grandmother would say.
During the summer holidays that year I found myself spending less time with Tommy as I was expected to study hard for my exams. Less time was spent working the farm as my grandparents granted me time off but I missed the long runs down to the lake and the chilling out in the stables before supper each night. I wasn't being locked in or anything like that so I would often sneak down to spend some alone time with the horses before locking up the stables for the night.
As well as daydreaming about Tommy my thoughts often drifted off into what would happen in my future. I was considered bright and was doing very well at school; I'd flown through my exams and awaited my results with confidence. There'd always been talk of me attending university and my grandparents encouraged this with pride, I loved living in the countryside and I adored working on the farm but I wanted more. I'd watched my grandparents working their fingers to the bone on a daily basis and although it was to provide a sufficient way of living I knew that my brain would take me to higher places.
This was where Tommy and I differed. Spending a lot of time with one another made a lot of time to talk and whenever we'd discussed the future, Tommy's future never ran further than the running of the ranch. A cowboy at heart, his ambitions spanned no wider than the rim of his Stetson hat, his future was already mapped out for him and he was content with that. He cherished the wide open spaces, this was his paradise, his freedom and his comfort zone, and it was difficult for him to comprehend a different way of life.
I was expected to get my exam results on the same week that my sixteenth birthday fell which meant, that in light of what had been building up between Tommy and I, it was going to be a very important week, a life changing week.
As I woke on my sixteenth birthday I was greeted seconds later by my grandmother, the postman had already delivered and as we had no other family I was guessing that the envelope she had in her hand wasn't a birthday card from a long lost aunt. Teasing me, she walked to the other side of the room and waved it in my direction, I pulled back the covers and leapt out of bed, I was too fast for her and I caught the envelope out of her hand. Before she had time to retrieve it the lid was ripped open and the paper was out. In my hand were the important results, the results that would determine where and what direction my life would be going in. I was suddenly frightened to look.
I passed the paper to my grandmother, “You read it. I just can't.”
My grandmother didn't need asking twice and she took the paper, opened it and I watched expectantly.
I'll never be certain how far she got down the paper but as soon as I saw her eyes fill up with tears I knew I'd been successful. I ran over to her and looked over her shoulder, I was a straight A student, I was off to university and neither me nor my grandparents could have wished for a better birthday present.
As a family we were never really ones for celebrating birthdays, my grandparents had tried their hardest when I'd been young but once I'd reached my tenth birthday I was kind of reluctant to accept all the fuss, it was all just an unnecessary waste of money as far as I was concerned and much preferred the family time together than the presents and effort to please party goers. I suppose presents were extravagant pleasures to me when I'd much rather have my parents there instead.
I wasn't granted this decision on my sixteenth though, this was considered a special birthday and in light of my exam results, even more special. It was out of my hands but I was happy for it to be so, my grandparents deserved the right to celebrate, not only had they managed to raise me safely for 16 years but their nurturing and encouragement had enabled me to succeed well at school.
It wasn't a big gathering, I was expected to invite a couple of friends from school, obviously Tommy and his parents had been invited and my grandparents had invited a couple of the neighbors from the village. The weather was kind to us which allowed us to have a barbeque; there was nothing better than a family and friends barbeque whatever the occasion, due to everyone's working commitments it was very few and far between that we were able to synchronize our schedules but when we did, I loved the fact that there was always plenty of laughter, all the adults got drunk which meant the drunker they got, the looser their inhibitions became, us kids learnt all kinds of secrets, it also meant we could get away with drinking alcohol without the adults knowing.
The courtyard to the farm was scattered, randomly with hay bales for people to be seated but most of the time they were used to balance drinks on or half empty plates of food, which Dolly the Collie soon cleaned up and waited patiently for the next lot to be cast aside. Inside the barn the men had constructed a makeshift bar, this would house at least half a dozen barrels of beer that had been kindly donated by our local bar and every kind of spirit you could think of that had been brought by guests. The food was always supplied by my grandparents and if they thought they were feeding the five thousand then there would still be too much!
A couple of my grandfather's friends would also bring along the instruments they'd lovingly learnt to play over the years and Sue, Tommy's mother would always give us a song at some point of the celebration. As soon as we'd got the embarrassing bit out of the way, which was everyone singing 'Happy Birthday' to me, the party got into full swing and there weren't many people sitting down for the rest of the night.
As the sun went down, the midges and mosquitoes came out to join us, the crickets accompanied the music and the stars gave us light – it was, as usual, a perfect night. As Randy Travis songs were played out into the night darkness, the stars and the smiles from everyone's faces gave me all the more reason to enjoy myself. I looked over towards the outskirts of the bar and noticed that Tommy also wore a grin like a Cheshire cat and what was even nicer was that he was smiling in my direction.
Like a vampire in the dead of the night, Tommy appeared beside me. There were no words, no look between us, just a comfortable silence as we took in the scene. Our families and friends were lost in music, happy in each other's company and taking a well-earned rest from all the hard work they did on a daily basis, people were letting their hair down, relaxing and enjoying their free time, suddenly it wasn't just about my particular birthday, it was about coming together and being a community.
I was very aware of Tommy's presence even though there wasn't anything in particular happening between us, he silently poured something into my glass, I'd been drinking, or rather sneaking beer from all the half empty glasses that were littered around the place but when I put the fresh drink to my lips it smelled and tasted a lot sweeter than beer.
“It's champagne and I bought it especially for you,” Tommy stated, proudly.
I smiled to myself, 'were Tommy's intentions to ply me with the good stuff and then apply his wicked way in my direction?' whatever he did intend to do, if this was the case then I was no longer in a position to deny him that, I was at last, of age and the excuse, although it wasn't an excuse at all, wasn't valid anymore.
I could have played hard to get but, personally, I think I'd made Tommy wait long enough and it wasn't like I didn't want him to make advances on me. I was ready, in my heart and in my head I was totally prepared to accept what the night would bring.
We continued to drink, although I was mindful of how much I was actually drinking, I didn't want the whole experience to be blighted by alcohol but I was also sure that drinking just enough would take off the edge from my nerves and perhaps allow me to be slightly bolder than complete sobriety.
I trusted Tommy one hundred percent and it had never crossed my mind for one second that he wouldn't guide me with respect and tenderness, despite this being a first time experience, it was an experience I was looking forward to. Tonight I was going to lose my virginity and it was going to be with someone I had grown to love over the time we'd known and spent time with each other.
As the party started to wind down, the music began to soften and the embers from the barbeque faded away into the night air. My grandmother was tipsily attempting to tidy the remainder of the food away and I couldn't help but giggle to myself as she piled some plates onto one of the hay bales and then caught it with her knee as she bent to pick them up, the whole bale swayed to one side and the plates crashed to the ground. Loving and firm, as he always was, my grandfather took her arm and maneuvered her away from the devastation,
“Eva, I know it's your night but I think Grandma should call it a night, would you mind clearing this lot up before you come up to bed?” He was now taking on my grandmother's full weight as the alcohol rapidly decided to take its toll.
“Of course, Grandpa, goodnight.” I waved and watched as they both disappeared towards the farmhouse.
Tommy immediately came to my aid, “Looks like it's going to be easier to sneak off than I thought.”
I knew exactly what he meant; I'd had visions of pretending to have to go to bed and then Tommy having to sneak back into the farmyard, scaling the walls and then climbing into my room like a desperate James Bond figure. This now gave us the green light in which we could take our time, wait until the coast was clear and then choose where we were going to tiptoe off to.
The final guests dispersed leaving Tommy, myself and Dollie the Collie, who, strange as it may sound, seemed to be guarding me, looking at both Tommy and I in a knowing way. As we stacked the final hay bale Tommy walked towards me – Dollie the Collie had other ideas and stood her ground between us, she wasn't acting aggressively, in fact she was completely the opposite, and she was wagging her tail and trying to play with us.
“I think someone senses the atmosphere?” Tommy laughed.
“I'll put her inside. The last thing I want is Dollie the Collie telling tales on us.”
So, pretending to play with Dollie, I coaxed her towards the house and encouraged her inside. Dollie had her own kennel outside the back porch of the farmhouse but every now and again, if no-one was looking she sneaked into the house and curled herself up underneath the dresser in the kitchen, she thought nobody knew she was there but we all turned a blind eye occasionally but if she was invited then she didn't need asking twice.
Once I closed the door I was aware that my heart was beginning to thump in my chest. This was it, I was going to finally be as one with Tommy, after all the waiting and the anticipation, not to mention my own personal fear, it was going to happen.
Walking back out into the farmyard, Tommy was dousing the flames of the fires; unbeknown to him there was a fire going on inside me at that very moment, a fire that he was only about to stoke further, I felt excited, apprehensive and a little coy but as I got closer, his smile appeased my nerves, not completely but it made me feel less nervous. Standing by his side I felt his hand slip into mine, I didn't dare look at him in case he saw any anxiety in my eyes, I allowed him to take me wherever he intended.
We walked towards the stables, when he'd suggested this place on our 'maiden voyage' I'd refused on the basis of being caught, this time, with the alcohol and party taking that out of the equation, I was confident that everyone was out of the game on that score. Entering the stable it was almost soothing to hear the horses shifting in their slumber; a few muffled whinnies came from Cracker's shelter as she assumed that the strobe of light breaking through the door was that of someone with food, or perhaps a run in the midnight breeze. Disappointingly for her, it was just two teenagers seeking indecent sanctuary from the outside world, a place where we would be getting up to no good in the eyes of the adults. I didn't care though, it wasn't in a rebelling manner, and it was merely a step that I had previously put a block on but right now, was ready to embrace.
Embrace is exactly what we did. As the stable door closed we were enveloped in a soft, moonlit luminance. Tommy held me in his arms and all my nerves just fell away, his hand touched the side of my face and then he bent and kissed me. I had never kissed anyone in my life and whether I was doing it right or not mattered very little because to me, it felt right. I may not have experienced it for myself before that but I'd watched plenty of Hollywood actors kissing the faces off one another. How hard could it be? But I knew, even though I'd done this already a thousand times with Tommy in my dreams, we were both doing it right otherwise I wouldn't have been feeling what I was feeling at that moment in time.
My body temperature seemed to soar, there was a definitely tingling in my toes and my stomach was somersaulting like an Olympian gymnast. Still unsure and a little timid as to what I should be doing I granted Tommy the power to navigate, I was happy to shadow his behavior so when his hands moved down my body, I followed his lead. He began to undo the buttons on my blouse, slowly whilst still kissing me I was finding his movements mesmerizing, he was wearing a t-shirt which actually had no buttons for me to open but I was far too demure and inexperienced to start tackling his trouser buttons.
At the very last button Tommy stopped kissing me for a second and looked as he opened the final one, slipping the material over my shoulders I could see the corners of his mouth turn into a smile as his eyes took in my breasts, still in my bra but available for him to touch. His hands continued to travel and next to be removed was my bra, the one thing that was preventing my semi-nakedness. My breathing was slightly faster and I hoped he couldn't see my heart dancing to his touch, as the clip was unfastened my nipples sprung forward, primarily due to the cold air but secondly because they yearned for Tommy's touch. Watching as his fingers approached I realized that Tommy was shaking slightly, I wondered how experienced he actually was, had he gone as far with other girls or was this just as new as it was for me?
All I knew at that particular time was that when Tommy's fingers made contact with the skin of my breasts there was a definite electrical chemistry that surged from him into me, I gasped and I'm almost certain he did too. He cupped both of them in his manly hands and felt the entirety of their weight and size. Kissing me again, he continued to fondle my breasts whilst I enjoyed every single minute of it. By now, there were other parts of me starting to react to his treatment, I was beginning to feel tingly in places I'd felt before only this time it was emphasized greatly.
I certainly wasn't unaware of my body, being a teenager, like any other normal teenager, I had feelings, hormones and certain satisfactory needs. Masturbation was something I'd discovered by accident on my own and thankfully, instead of considering it shameful, dirty or taboo, it was something I participated in on a regular basis, without any kind of unease. I'd had, on occasion discussed this with other girls at school and understood it was a healthy activity so, pleasuring myself was something I knew about.
&
nbsp; The feelings I was experiencing at that time though were threefold, whereas I would feel excited with certain thoughts on my own, I had never felt the dampness I was feeling right there and then, also the aching down there was something very novel, yet very pleasant.
By now, Tommy was stroking my body all over and as he slipped both hands down into the back of my jeans, just having his fingers touching my backside was exhilarating. Pulling me closer I was suddenly acquainted with the hardness of his crotch, as it met with mine Tommy sighed deeply and kissed me harder, I didn't have to concentrate on my side of things as my instincts took over, I found myself responding to his kisses.
“You have the most amazing curves, Eva,” he whispered into my ear.
Just hearing those words made me shiver with excitement; of course, I was in the midst of puberty and my body had always been fuller than the average girl my age but recently, almost suddenly I'd started to form into more of a voluptuous shape rather than a plump schoolgirl and Tommy hadn't been the first to notice. He took a slight step back and took control of my jeans zipper, slowly he opened the metal teeth until it revealed my panties, then the jeans were removed. Standing in just my white, cotton panties I was by now, even more thrilled than before, I held onto Tommy's forearms, almost clinging on for support. I wasn't in fear and I wasn't unsure, I only felt breathless with arousal.
Rodeo (BBW Cowboy Romance) (BBW Western Romance) Page 2