by Sienna Ciles
I’d never needed anyone before. Not even Bryan and I’d loved him. Or I’d thought I had at the time.
“Are you okay?” The truck slowed and bounced through a rut. “You’ve got a really weird expression on your face.”
“I – no, I’m not okay. Can you just stop for a second? I need to get some fresh air.”
Joshua slowed to a halt immediately but I didn’t get out of the car. I rolled down my window and let in the soft hum of nature along with the breeze. It did nothing to clear my head or the tension.
“Eve, what’s going on? Are you okay?”
“Not really, no. I don’t know what’s happening to me.” I pressed my hand to my clammy forehead.
“Shit, are you feeling sick? Do you want me to take you home?”
“No, not sick,” I said, and swallowed. Suddenly, my dress was too tight, my boots hot. “I can’t – god, this is going to sound terrible. I can’t stop thinking about you and me. What happened between us.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“No, not like that,” I replied, and nerves twanged behind my solar plexus. Was I really going to tell him this? I met his concerned gaze. “Like, I want it to happen again but I’m scared.”
Joshua didn’t reply. Just stared at me.
“I’m scared of the way you make me feel. I’m scared of making you feel the way I do.”
“It’s too late for that,” he said, at last and shut off the engine. “I already do.”
“No, you can’t. If you felt the way I do right now, you’d want to take a cold shower.” I’d never minced words before but that was the politest manner in which I could phrase it.
Joshua actually chuckled. “Who says I’m not?” He gestured to the front of his jeans. The outline of his erection strained against the front of them. “I’ve had this situation going on ever since you got into my truck.”
I gasped for air. What was this feeling?
“Eve, it’s taking every ounce of my willpower and my respect for you not to make a move.”
“But aren’t you worried I’ll hurt you?”
“No,” he said, “I don’t care. I just want more of you.”
I groaned and crossed my legs in an effort to fend off the desire. My head swam. “I want more of you, too,” I said, and looked at him again.
The unbridled desire in his eyes pushed me over the brink. I rushed at him. He came for me at the same moment, and we met in the middle, kissing frantically, needing to taste each other.
I tore at the front of his shirt, gave up and focused on his jeans instead.
He ripped down the front of my dress, grabbed the cup of my lacy bra and sucked on my nipple, sending prickles of pleasure spiraling back through my chest.
I undid his jeans and tugged on them until his thighs were out, his dick resting against his shirt. I pressed my lips together and stared at it, heat rushing through my limbs. I twirled my fingers through his hair and straddled him. Forced him back against the car seat.
He nipped at my chin, my jaw, then placed his hand over my cheek and pressed the side of his face against mine and inhaled my scent.
It was an animal moment, and I let out a low whine in response. I reached between our legs, took hold of his cock, and ran it between my lips. I hadn’t worn underwear tonight but only because I’d run out.
“Fuck,” he gasped, “you’re so fucking wet.”
I sat down on his dick, took everything he had and cried out.
Joshua cupped my left breast and pinched my nipple, hard. He placed his other hand on my hip, scrunching up the material of my dress. He lifted me and put me down again, using just that grip to direct our sex.
I dug my fingernails into his shoulders, hair swaying in front of my face, mouth half open, tiny breaths escaping my lips. It was too good. He fit me perfectly, just as he had the first time.
Except this was more desperate. Our need for each other had escalated. It was as if we’d taken the first hit of a drug that night, and this was our second fulfilment of that craving.
He thickened inside me, thrusting deep, hard, massaging my g-spot. My skin tingled, and my pulse went crazy. “Close,” I said because it was all I could manage right now.
Joshua let go of my breast and gripped the back of my neck instead, brought my lips to his, still working my body against his, bringing us both closer to the peak. He searched my mouth with his tongue, tasting me, taking it all.
God, I wanted him to have everything I had, too.
He bit my bottom lip and grunted. His pulsing started, hardening inside me, and my release followed right away. I let out a feral groan, and rode him for all I was worth, bucking my hips through the strongest orgasm I’d ever experienced.
Better than the first time.
I sank against his chest and my eyes drifted shut. He kissed my forehead, stroked my hair, then laid me down beside him on the long, joined seat. His strong arms encircled me.
Chapter 12
Joshua
Sunlight and the gentle lowing of cows woke me from the best sleep I’d had in years. My arm was pretty much dead underneath Eve’s warm, supple body but other than that, this moment was perfection.
I’d never considered myself a romantic guy. Perhaps, all it took was the right woman to bring out that side in me. I lay there for a couple minutes more, listening to the sounds of nature outside.
The heat had already started building and it couldn’t be past six. I nudged Eve, kissed her on the shoulder. “Hey,” I whispered, “time to wake up, gorgeous.”
She cracked an eyelid and looked up at me. “Hi,” she croaked. “I’m not exactly a morning person. Am I crazy or are those cows mooing?”
I slid my arm out from underneath her and sat up. Laughter bubbled from my lips. “Oh, yeah, those are cows,” I said.
“What is it?” Eve adjusted her dress and pulled it up to cover her magnificent breasts. She struggled up right, her hair pushed flat against the side of her head – where she’d lain on my arm – and caught sight of our enthusiastic audience.
All up and down the fence, cows stood observing the truck, most of them chewing the cud, others letting out belated moos of complaint.
“Well, you don’t see that every day,” she said, and giggled.
Relief filtered past my doubt. I’d worried she’d wake up and have an allergic reaction to her close proximity with me.
The cows didn’t budge, in fact, a few others trotted up to join them.
“I feel like the cow apocalypse is about to happen,” Eve said, “like they’ve been bitten by a zombie cow and we’re next on the list.”
“What, like a cow version of Dawn of the Dead?”
“Or the Walking Dead,” she said.
I grinned at her. The easy banter was good for an early wake-up call. “This is normal behavior. These are my cows. And they’re used to seeing my truck ride out at feeding time. I usually put out a few bales for them in the morning. In fact, I’m a half hour late.”
“So, they’re begging cows?” Eve asked, and the corners of her lips twitched upward. “Now, I’ve seen everything.”
I zipped up my pants, then scooted over to my side of the seat, and started the engine. “Would you like to feed them with me? After a cup of coffee, of course.”
“That would be great, actually. I’ve never done anything like that before,” she said, without hesitation. It seemed some small part of her had opened up to the idea of us being together. That or she’d figured we could be friends with benefits.
Given the choice between no Eve and an Eve who only wanted sex, I’d have to take the latter. “All right, let’s go,” I said, and trundled off down the road. We were just a few feet from the entrance to my road.
Five minutes passed in easy silence. Eve, with her hand out of the window, riding imaginary waves on the warm air. Sunshine streamed through the windows, the horizon glowed.
We halted in front of the house,
and I hopped out, rushed to open her door. She’d already exited the truck though, and closed it behind herself.
“You don’t need to keep doing that,” she said, “I can get out myself.”
“I didn’t doubt it. I just wanted to do it for you,” I replied. I got the distinct impression that Eve hadn’t experienced ‘gentlemanly’ treatment before. I loved the thought of doing these things for her and showing her the respect she deserved.
I walked up the front stairs, boots clunking on the wood, then unlocked and stepped back for her to enter first.
We hit the kitchen and stopped right in front of my new coffee machine.
“Holy crap,” Eve said.
“What I tell ya? Isn’t she a beauty?” I stroked the silver contraption’s bottom grill. “See here? These are the spouts for the coffee. I got a grinder to go with it and the matching attachments. This? It’s a milk frothing spout.” I tapped the longest metal arm that poked out of the machine. “At least, that’s what I think it’s called.”
“I think I’m in love,” she said, clasping her hands to her chest.
I nodded. “Me, too.” I focused on the machine instead of her, so she wouldn’t catch my real meaning. I didn’t want to scare her off but in the few days I’d known her, I’d discovered countless things I liked about Eve, and only one I didn’t. That she’d been hurt in the past.
“I’ll get the milk,” she said.
“And I’ll grind the coffee.” We set to work on our separate jobs while that warm atmosphere hung between us. God damn, if this wasn’t the best morning I’d had in a long time, and the fresh coffee had nothing to do with it.
“Sit down,” I said, and took the milk from her. I poured it into a metal jug and set to work frothing.
“What about the cows?” she yelled, over the noise.
“I’ll get to them in a minute,” I said. “They’ve got plenty to eat, they just like a treat in the morning, and I’m a sucker for a wide-eyed moo.”
She giggled and goosebumps rose on my arms again. “Fine by me. I’ll take two cups of coffee then.”
I finished our cappuccinos, then brought them to the center island in the kitchen, where she’d already taken a seat. “Here you go.” I handed her the cup and our fingertips brushed. Electricity again.
We both savored the first sip. Coffee rolled down my throat and injected me with the energy I’d sorely lacked this morning. “Oh, damn, that’s good. If I do say so myself.”
Eve groaned at the taste of hers. “I’ll allow it.”
“Man, am I glad I didn’t drink too much last night. Would’ve hated to have forgotten anything.”
Eve put down her cup and smiled into its depths. “Last night was amazing,” she muttered. “It was perfect. Thank you.”
“You’re perfect,” I said. And perfect for me. But perhaps, it was still too raw to suggest that. “So, not too push too hard or anything but I take it that you’d want what happened last night to happen again.”
“The sex?” She still hadn’t looked up from her cappuccino.
“All of it. The time we spent together, the laughter, and yeah, the sex, too. I know you were afraid of leading me on but I’m pretty much leading myself on at this point,” I said and downed more of the good stuff to give me strength. Kind of like non-alcoholic Dutch courage. “I want to spend more time with you, Eve. I just want to know what the context will be.”
She pressed her lips together and finally looked up. “I – I don’t know. I want to say that we’ll be friends but I know that it’s going to escalate.”
“Okay.”
“And, on the one hand, I want it to escalate. I really love, and I mean love, how it feels when we’re together. When you’re inside me it’s like I – never mind, it’s dumb,” she said and buried herself in the coffee instead.
“You can tell me.” My breath hitched.
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Did you want to say it’s like we fit? Like we belong together?”
Eve blinked and choked. “Yes,” she said, and broke into a coughing fit. She spat a bit out of coffee onto the counter. “Shit, sorry.”
“No problem.” I took a handful of napkins out of the drawer and dabbed up the spill. “We don’t have to decide anything now. We don’t even have to plan another date. We can keep it spontaneous and just chill. No pressure. How does that sound?”
She nodded but I read the doubt in her body. She didn’t think it would end up chilled. Maybe because the intensity of my feelings spilled out in the way I looked at her. Even now, I had to hold back from sweeping her into a hug, carrying her upstairs and making love to her for the third time, this time in my bed.
“See? We’re fine,” I said. “We’d better finish up before the cows storm the fence and come clopping up the drive. They love their morning hay treat.” Anything to get the sudden tension to dissipate.
Eve hadn’t gone into much detail about her ex but he had to have hurt her bad if she couldn’t stand the thought of being with anyone else. In a way, it was responsible of her to try remove herself from the situation until she’d healed. A pity, though, that our attraction to each other overrode her complaints and my doubts.
God, I just didn’t want her to avoid me for another week. The last time had been torturous.
“I have a question,” she said.
“Shoot.”
“What’s the deal with you and Faith Stone?”
Now, that had come out of nowhere. I nudged my empty cup to one side and raised both eyebrows. “Why do you ask?”
“She clearly likes you.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Because she’s threatened me twice now to stay away from you. The last time was on an ‘or else’ basis,” Eve replied. “She’s – uh, she’s quite a woman.”
“Quite a girl, you mean,” I said, anger brewing in my gut. Christ, what gave Faith the right to talk to Eve? She’d already tried the same bullshit with me, tried to make me believe that Eve was a man-eater. “I have no interest in Faith whatsoever.”
“So, you two never…”
“Never,” I said. “When I first moved to Hope Creek, I was introduced to her by my parents. I think they wanted us to get together but only because my mom is fixated on grandkids right now.”
“Oh.”
Shit, that probably hadn’t been the wisest thing to say. “Anyways, she tried her moves on me and I was repulsed by her. Yeah, she was furious with me when I turned her down because she’s never been turned down in the past, I take it. Since then, I’ve always gotten the weirdly creepy feeling that she’s got her eye out.”
“Your feeling was right.”
“She threatened you,” I said, and clenched my fists.
“Don’t worry about it,” Eve replied, and finished off the dregs of her coffee. “I’m not afraid of her, I was more curious as to whether there was a valid reason she might be angry.”
“No. She’s spoiled, that’s her reason,” I said. “I think she’s used to getting her way and it pissed her off that I wouldn’t let her have it this time. To be honest, and this sounds a little harsh, I think she wants to marry for money. Her parents can’t support her forever, and she doesn’t really have marketable skills of her own.”
Eve smiled.
“What?”
“No, it’s just something Cassie and I spoke about. Like she’s the actual Paris Hilton of Hope Creek.”
“I guess you could say that.”
“That reminds me,” Eve said, and checked her watch, “I’ve got another shift in the restaurant at noon. If we’re going to feed these cows, we’d better do it soon.”
“Let’s go,” I said, and hopped off my seat. “Oh, and don’t get out the truck unless I tell you it’s okay. There are cow patties pretty much everywhere out there.”
“Duly noted.”
Chapter 13
Eve
I hummed my way down the sidewalk, toward the front door of the Cowboys n’ Cut
s, and shoved aside the niggling thoughts that I’d gone too far with Joshua, that I’d pushed my luck and now I’d somehow pay the price.
God dammit, could I enjoy this? Couldn’t I enjoy anything? All the friends I’d had growing up had been uninhibited, reckless, regardless of what the consequences might be – why did I have to be the one who worried endlessly?
“Not today,” I muttered and shoved open the door. Today, I’d enjoy cooking with thoughts of Joshua swirling around my head, and the haze of pleasure from a morning spent feeding cows and giggling when he’d stepped in cow poop. Unheard of in NYC.
I entered the diner and frowned. Something felt off. Cassidy stood in front of the counter, a tray hugged to her chest, eyes darting from side-to-side.
Oh, god, what’d happened last night? I’d left her there with Roger. Had he hurt her?
“What’s wrong?” I hissed, and hurried to her side. “Are you okay? Did you get home safe?”
“You haven’t heard, have you?” Cassie searched my face. Behind her, customers ate their meals and chatted amiably. Bob, the morning chef, didn’t scream at me for being late when I wasn’t, for a change.
“Heard what?”
Cassidy exhaled heavily and hugged the tray tighter.
“Cassie? What’s wrong?”
“Lily sold the Cowboys n’ Cuts,” Cassidy replied.
“Are you kidding? She sold it? But Lily loves this diner.” It was part of the reason I actually enjoyed working here. The creative freedom coupled with the owner’s real passion for the restaurant made this place a joy.
“She was bought out,” Cassidy said. “It happened sometime over the weekend. Lily’s left town to set up a new restaurant in Heather’s Forge.”
“This doesn’t make any sense.” Sure, Lily had always talked about starting fresh and finding more customers for her business but this? I’d never pictured she’d just let the Cowboys n’ Cuts go, not for anything less than a small fortune.
Which meant that someone with a lot of money had bought her out.
“Oh, god, I don’t actually want to tell you the next part,” Cassidy said, and gulped. “But I have to because you’re going to find out in about five minutes when the new owner comes in.”