Complicated Matters

by Unknown

  He kissed the whipped cream off the corner of her mouth. “I’d say better than pretty good.”

  She’d been out with boys before. Their agendas were all the same. See how far she’d let them go. But Heath Taylor was the only one who ever made her feel this conflicted. Her feelings were a hodgepodge of right and wrong. “Will you miss me when you leave?” She held his gaze, unsure whether she wanted to know the answer.

  He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I’m missing you already.” He leaned forward and kissed her.

  She opened her mouth to receive him.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. His tongue caressed her lips as he intensified the kiss. He brushed her hair back and nibbled the curvatures of her neck.

  Her knees went weak. In a last-ditch effort to hold on to her sanity she pushed him away. “Tell me about Immokalee.”

  He turned away from her and sat down on the bench in front of the picnic table. “What would you like to know?”

  She reached out for his hand. “I don’t know.” She turned his hand over and traced the lines etched in his palm. “Is it a nice place to live?”

  He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I guess that depends upon your social status. When you’re in the fields before six in the morning it isn’t so beautiful.”

  “I take it your status wasn’t good.”

  Chapter 29

  Taylor stared at an oak tree. A scene thirteen years in the past came to mind. A slight breeze began to blow causing the Spanish moss take on a ghostly motion. Memories of tired, sweaty workers bent over picking tomatoes in a field so big you couldn’t stand on one end and see the other flooded his mind. The heat was unbearable. The atmosphere heavy with humidity. He remembered the pain carrying the heavy buckets caused his hands.

  A worn out basketball and a rusty hoop with no net was his saving grace. They gave him hope. “I was sent there to help my grandparents with the farm work after my brother died. So no, I wasn’t high up on the social scale.”

  “I’ve never considered farming to be anything to be ashamed of.”

  He didn’t mean to insult her or her family. Farming wasn’t a business to some people. It was a way of life. He felt the pain when he saw it in her eyes. He guessed she’d taken her fair share of ridicule from wearing dirty sneakers to school or having calluses on her hands. He had to make this right. “I didn’t mean it like that. I wasn’t considered an upstanding part of the community. I was just a dirty half Mexican boy working in the fields.”

  He remembered how envious he was of the kids who got play while he worked. His thoughts drifted to one little boy in particular. The boy screamed at his mother for not getting him a particular brand of bicycle. Taylor would given anything to ride that bike.

  “There’s nothing about your summers in Immokalee that you enjoyed?” Her soft voice brought him back to the present.

  Taylor almost smiled as he considered his answer. “Every Saturday night, people would gather in my Grandfather’s front yard. They would bring food and drinks. That dusty front yard became party central.

  “The older kids would scatter to who knows where, while the little kids would chase fire-flies in the front yard.

  “The men sat on the front porch and reminisced, while the ladies gossiped in the kitchen while mi abuelo baked pecan cookies. Then, when the cookies were ready, she would call everyone to the porch.

  “When the timing was just right, mi abuelo would take out his guitar and play the most beautiful music. The old ones would talk of days long past. They told their stories with such passion. You didn’t listen to the stories, you relived them.”

  Farrah sat on the picnic table and put her feet next to Taylor. “I love how you use the Spanish words for grandmother and grandfather when you refer to your grandparents.”

  “Those are the only names I’ve ever called them.”

  “Do you think they would approve of me?”

  “I think they would love you.”

  She lowered her head. “I shouldn’t have interrupted you. Please continue.”

  He would rather hold her. He continued the story. “I would sit in a corner and listen, scarcely breathing. Their stories were so vivid, so full of action. Abuelo’s music held a passion I can’t even begin to imitate. After everyone left, I would go off to bed and dream of the great adventures told that night.”

  She touched the side of his face. “I heard you play, Heath Taylor. I felt your soul in your music.”

  Her hands were rough and callused, but at the same time, soft and gentle. He imagined her caressing his body while they made love. He kissed the top of her hand trying to slow his feelings. “I’m just an imitator.”

  “You play from your heart. I watched you create passion with wood and steel. Do you know how rare that is?”

  What started out as just a fun night suddenly turned serious. Farrah Mathews was no longer just a beautiful woman, or his assignment, she was inside his heart. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out an iPod. “I believe you mentioned this particular artist once before.” A slow Gloria Estefan song flowed from the machine as he stood up. “Would you care to dance, Miss Mathews?”

  She stood up. “Is that who I think it is?”

  “Downloaded just for you.” He slipped his hands around her waist, and pulled her to him until their hips were touching. His body reacted. He wondered if she felt it too.

  Farrah studied his face. “Heath, what are we--”

  “The next step is up to you.” He slid his hand higher up her back and relaxed his embrace.

  Farrah put her arms around his neck.

  “This place is ours for the weekend.”

  Her released her embraced and looked into his eyes. “What will my family say when they wake up and discover I didn’t come home?”

  He stepped back and handed her his phone. “Call ‘em up and tell them you’re spending the weekend with me.”

  Her eyes shifted from him to the phone and back again. “You really want me to tell them that?”

  He didn’t care what she told her family. For months he’d been denying his feelings for her. Now that he was no longer undercover, and she and her family were no longer in danger, he saw no reason to deny anything.

  She looked into his eyes as if not believing him. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “You’re parents aren’t stupid people. John’s already told me you had feelings for me. He said if I couldn’t reciprocate to let you know. I’m letting you know I’m crazy about you.”

  “We’re both going to leave next year. You’re going to leave in January. How can we make this work?”

  “Distance ain’t nothing but a number. But if you don’t think spending the night with me is a good, idea I’m not going to pressure you.” He pulled her closer to him and started swaying to the music. “Much.”

  He pressed his palms against the small of her back.

  She dropped the phone on the picnic table. “Heath, what are you doing?”

  He traced her ear with his tongue. “Not pressuring you.”

  “Then what would you call this?”

  Her nipples felt hard against his chest. “You pressuring me.”

  He kissed her neck. Her sweet perfume made his mouth water. He felt like he was going to explode if he couldn’t make love to her. “Do you want to see the inside of the cabin?”

  “I-I don’t--

  He released her and took a few steps back. If she didn’t share his feelings, he wasn’t going to push the issue. The elections couldn’t happen fast enough for him. If asked, he’d lie and say they were just friends. But he couldn’t see her every day, wanting her, knowing there was no chance of that happening. “It’s okay, Farrah.”

  “Is it really?”

  “Of course it is,” he lied. Nothing was okay.

  “I don’t believe you. Most guys don’t take no for an answer that easily.”

  “I’m not most guys. But I am h
uman.” He pointed to an opening in the bushes. “This trail leads to a little swimming hole. I’m going down there to cool off. Join me, if you want.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “No hard feelings. I’ll take you home when you’re ready.”

  Chapter 30

  Farrah wandered down the trail. Like he said, he was human. So was she. Her body reacted every time he came near her. How many belly aches had she nursed because she wanted him inside her? They cared about each other. Were these feelings wrong? Heath said they’d make it work. She believed him. “Time to grow up, Farrah.”

  “Join me.” Taylor called from the center of the hole. “The water’s just right.”

  She stood on a huge flat limestone rock that formed the edge of the swimming hole. “I didn’t bring a swimsuit.”

  “That’s okay.” He dove under water and came back up near the lime rock ledge. “Neither did I.”

  Farrah stared at his clothes dangling from a low hanging tree limb. “What are you swimming in?”

  A devilish grin crossed his handsome face. “The water.” He propped his elbows on the ledge. “Are you coming?”

  She could feel him staring as her fingers fumbled the buttons of her blouse. She felt like a stripper. “Don’t watch.”

  He got out of the water. “I can help, if you’d like.”

  Her heart skipped a beat as she watched him climb onto the rock wearing only his boxer briefs. “For a minute I thought you were swimming naked.”

  “I will, if you will.” He fondled her buttons. “I promise, you’ll have fun.”

  Of that, there was no doubt. If she could just get past the first-time jitters. It’s just swimming, she reminded herself.

  “I’ll wait for you in the water.” Water splashed on the lime rock as he dove back in.

  Once she was sure he was no longer watching her, she stepped out of her shoes and removed her blouse and jeans.

  Oh, God. She looked down at her body. I can’t do this. He’ll think I’m too skinny. My boobs are too small.

  “What’s wrong?” He threw some water at her. “Don’t you know how to swim?”

  She backed up, but not before a few droplets of water hit her toes. “Of course I do.”

  “Then show me.” He disappeared under the water.

  Dusk was starting to settle in, but there enough light in which to see. She scanned the water, but couldn’t find Heath.

  “Farrah, help me,” he called from the far side of the waterhole.

  He sounded distressed. Had he caught a cramp from the cold water? She dove in and started swimming toward the direction of his voice. When she came up for air, he wasn’t around. “Heath, where are you?”

  “Help me!”

  Now he sounded like he was closer to where she had dove in. “Heath,” she called again.

  “Tag, you’re it.” He touched her back. “You are so definitely it.”

  She slapped him on the arm. “You scared the hell out of me.”

  “So? Spank me.” He swam away from her. “That is, if you can catch me.”

  She chased after him, but every time she got close, he’d dive back under the water. She was just about to give up when something touched her legs. “What the f--?”

  His head bobbed just above the water’s surface. “Language, Miss Mathews. Shit.”

  “Now who needs to watch their language?”

  He went back under the water and came back up coughing and gagging. “My legs are cramping up.”

  She wrapped her right arm around his chest making sure his face was pointing up. “I’ll get you back to shore.” It was hard, but both of them made it back.

  “Damn, that hurts.” Taylor dragged himself out of the water.

  Farrah climbed out after him. “Where does it hurt?”

  “My thigh.”

  “Hold still.” She massaged his thigh, but couldn’t find any knots. “I can’t feel it.”

  He ran his hand along her hip. “I can.”

  Her skin sizzled under his touch. “Jerk.” She pulled a few hairs out of his leg.

  “Ouch.” He rubbed his leg. “Why did you work so hard getting me to want you, only to back away now that I’m allowed to want you?”

  She turned her back on him and hugged herself. “You’re not going to feel the same when you know the truth.”

  He pulled her hair to one side and kissed her shoulder. “Unless you’re about to tell me you’re a man, I doubt it.”

  She trembled under his hands and lips. “I feel so stupid.”

  “I promise to understand.”

  “Do you remember when you had that night terror?” She realized he probably had them often. “The night you thought I was Lianna?”

  He kissed her again. “How could I forget?”

  “I was terrified.”

  “I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Not of you.” She swallowed, only feeling a dry throat. “Of the way you made me feel. You triggered something. I don’t know what it is. I keep telling myself you did all that for her. I was just a body in the room.”

  “Do you really believe that?” His voice faded.

  “It’s true.” She held onto his arms. “Isn’t it?”

  “Turn around and look at me.”

  She lowered her head fearing he was about to tell her to get dressed, he was taking her home.

  “Please, Farrah. Look at me. I need you to understand.”

  Fearing the worse, she turned around.

  He lifted her chin and caressed the side of her face. “On some level I knew it was you.”

  “You did?” Surely, he wouldn’t be so cruel as to lie about this.

  “In my mind, I kept seeing Lianna. But when I kissed you--I love you.”

  “Love? You love me?”

  “That’s not a word I use easily. When they showed me your picture and told me what I’d be doing here, I balked at the idea. I didn’t want to hurt you. They didn’t give me a choice.”

  A few tears escaped her eyes as she remembered the day Sheriff Taylor, Heath, told her about the death of her parents. She hated him. She hated him even more for being so kind and understanding.

  “Part of my duties were to keep an eye on you. To keep you safe. After that horseback ride, I couldn’t wait to see you again. I went crazy when they told me Daniels escaped. I couldn’t let him near you. The job had nothing to do with it. Knowing I could be sent back to Miami this January kills me. But Gainesville isn’t so far away from Miami. Only a little over three hundred and thirty miles. If you want, we could still see each other.”

  She believed him. Her body trembled and there was nothing she could do about it.

  He ran his hands up and down her arms. “You’re shaking. Let’s get dressed and go back to the campsite. I’ll build a fire so you can warm up.

  “The cold isn’t the reason I’m shaking.”

  “What is it then?”

  She stared into his eyes seeking something. She wanted him to look at her like a man does when he wants a woman. “Teach me how to love you.”

  He cupped her face in his hand. Intense dark eyes held her gaze. “I think you already know.”

  Conflicted feelings started making sense. She wanted to know him on every level. “Not the physical.”

  He brushed his lips against hers. “Let’s go back to the cabin.”

  She put his hand on her bra strap. “Teach me here.”

  He pulled her into his lap. “It may hurt.”

  “I trust you to be gentle.”

  Chapter 31

  He leaned her back in the bend of his elbow. His pulse raced.

  Her long, slender neck and curvy lips beckoned him. Like a sailor to a mythical Siren, he felt helpless to do anything but come to her.

  She fluttered her long eyelashes. “You do want me, don’t you?”

  “More than anything.” He kissed her lips. His hunger grew. It had been so long. She was so be
autiful. He feared losing self-control. “Tell me to stop.” He kissed her jaw.

  She pressed the palms of her hands flat against his back. “I love you, Heath.”

  He kissed her collarbone and unfastened her bra. “Don’t let me hurt you.”

  “You won’t.”

  He laid her down of the cold, flat surface. How he wished he could take her without hurting her.

  She lay there, big blue eyes looking up at him. Her thin body, long with small curves in all the right places. In the right town, she could have any man she wanted. But she chose him. He had to make sure she found pleasure in his actions.

  He slid her pink bikini panties off. Light brown pubic hair, still wet from swimming, glistened in the moonlight. His mouth watered.

  He set her down on the rock. “I need to get something.” How he wished they had gone back to the cabin. It would have been so much cleaner and more comfortable. He got up and grabbed his jeans and retrieved a condom from his pocket. He hesitated to use it. Would getting her pregnant be so bad? He remembered her dreams of playing pro-ball. He couldn’t sabotage that. “I want you to promise not to look away, when I take off my underwear.”

  “Is it so important?” Her voice seemed small. Almost childlike.

  “I want you to see all of me. Promise.”

  She got on her knees and slid his red boxer briefs down his hips.

  He nearly went off when she kissed the side of his penis.

  “I promise.”

  He sat down and pulled her into his lap.

  She opened her mouth.

  He covered her mouth with his. His fingers slipped through her pubic hair.

  She wrapped her hands around his shoulders. “Heath.”

  He could feel her heartbeat getting faster. “Do you feel the excitement building?”

  She raised up and straddled his lap. She pressed her breasts against his chest. “Show me what it’s like to have you inside me.”

  He felt himself hardening even more. “I won’t be able to stop until I’m satisfied.”

  She brushed the tip of his penis against the outside of her vagina. “I won’t ask you to.”

  Her legs were open.

  His dick was hard and throbbing. He rolled his condom over it and tried to get inside her.