Christmas Cowboy

by Claire Adams

  “Whoa, that’s some job,” I was awed by this revelation, and wondered if that’s why Brian had entered the military. “Is that why you joined the Navy?”

  “Nah, I did it because I couldn’t afford college and I didn’t want to work as a fry cook,” he admitted with a shrug. “My mom begged me not to do it, but I didn’t feel like I had many options, you know?”

  I nodded, not knowing what to say because I didn’t know. I had no idea what it was like to feel like I had no options in life. My parents had provided me with every opportunity I had ever wanted, and then made the choice as to whether I would take it or not. Until I left Dominic, I’d really never had to make any difficult decisions, and the fact that it had taken me so long to make that decision was the result of it. I wiggled a little closer to Brian, and stared at his profile. He tried to ignore me as he pretended to watch the movie, but after a minute he turned and said, “What’s on your mind?”

  “I don’t know, I just keep trying to picture you in the Navy,” I said, as a small smile played on my lips.

  “Oh, please do,” he laughed. “It was all debutante balls and afternoon teas. Except with buzz cuts, no sleep, and totally torn up feet. That’s the glamour of the U.S. military!”

  “Don’t mock me, Mr. Flynn!” I laughed as I threw a punch against his shoulder. “My life has been more than debutante balls and high tea!”

  “Oh yes, I can definitely tell that it has been!” he laughed. “What with that powerhouse punch you throw there.”

  “Are you saying I’m weak?” I was now pummeling his shoulder as I laughed harder and harder with every soft punch.

  “Who? Me?” his wide-eyed disbelief put me over the edge. “Oh no, I’d never call you weak, Ms. Klein! Not with those powerhouse punches you’re throwing!”

  “Oh my God!” I was laughing so hard there were tears running down the sides of my face. When he caught my wrists and held them for a moment, I straddled the line between laughter and panic as I struggled to pull away.

  “Ava! Ava!” he called my name as he held my wrists and watched me struggle. “Hey! Stop, stop!”

  “Let go of me!” I cried as I fought to free myself from his grasp.

  “Ava, stop fighting,” he said quietly. His voice cut through the fear in my brain and, for a moment, I stopped trying to pull away. “There you go now. That’s it.”

  “What are you doing?” I demanded.

  “I was trying to show you that you need to learn how to protect yourself,” he offered. “The more you struggled, the easier it was for me to maintain my hold on you because you weren’t thinking about getting free, you were thinking about the struggle and the fear.”

  “I don’t see the difference,” I said as I pulled the sleeves of my shirt up to look at my wrists. Brian took one of my hands and gently massaged my wrist as he looked at me.

  “C’mon, you’re a smart girl, you’ve studied physics,” he chided me. “What’s Newton’s Third Law of physics?”

  “What the heck are you talking about?” I blurted.

  “I know you know this one, it’s so easy,” he coaxed. “For every action…”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, there is an equal and opposite reaction,” I impatiently recited the law. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Well, if I grab you and you pull away, Newton’s Law means that the equal and opposite reaction will allow me to keep my hold on you,” he offered. “Assuming I have a strong enough grip, that is.”

  “So, I need to give in and let you do whatever you want so that I don’t spark the equal and opposite reaction?” I said sarcastically.

  “Hey, there’s no need to get nasty,” he smiled. “I’m just saying that when you’re the size you are, and I’m the size I am, you need to look for other ways to get yourself out of a situation like this.”

  “Like how?” I said as I eyed him suspiciously.

  “Like think about all the other ways you could get me to drop your wrists that don’t involve force,” he said quietly.

  I sat staring at him for a moment, considering everything he’d said, and then I leaned forward and softly kissed his lips.

  “That’s not quite what I had in mind when I suggested you think up other ways, Ava,” he gently scolded me.

  “I know,” I whispered. “But it works, doesn’t it?”

  He nodded almost imperceptibly as I leaned back in and brushed my lips against his again. His mouth was so soft and it fit so perfectly against mine that I sighed as I ran my tongue over his bottom lip. I reached up and wound my arms around his neck as I pulled him closer to me. He wrapped one arm around my lower back as he lifted his other hand to softly stroke my cheek. Those lips. I was lost in the feeling of his lips teasing mine as he flicked his tongue between them, urging me to part them so he could slip his tongue inside my mouth. I parted my lips and our tongues began a tantalizingly slow dance. His tongue darted in and out of my mouth before languidly tangling with mine. It was a kiss so deep, for a moment, I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

  As we devoured one another’s mouths, our hands traced fiery paths across our clothed bodies, feeling the curves and lines that led to places we both wanted the other to explore. I lightly trailed my fingers across his upper back and felt him shiver as he slipped his fingers into my hair and grabbed a handful of it. He gently but firmly pulled down, forcing me to raise my chin toward the ceiling as he trailed a line of kisses down my neck. With his tongue he teased the sensitive skin at the base of my throat, forcing a soft moan from my lips.

  “Are you okay?” he whispered into my ear as he ran his tongue lightly around the edge, sending shivers up my spine.

  “Mmm hmmm,” I sighed as I pressed my body against his, hoping that he wouldn’t stop the way he was running his hand up and down my back.

  “I know it’s wrong and I shouldn’t, but I want you, Ava,” he continued whispering. “I have wanted you all day.”

  “I want you, too,” I moaned a little louder. “Brian, I’m sorry I pushed you away, I need this. I need you.”

  Hearing my words, Brian reached down and grabbed the hem of my shirt, pulling it up over my head only seconds before he stripped off his own shirt and pulled me onto his lap. He dipped his head to kiss my lips as he began slowly running his fingers across my bare skin. His light touch set every one of my nerves on fire and made me pull him closer and kiss him harder. With one hand, he undid the hooks holding my bra together and as he exposed my breasts, he whispered, “Oh, yes.”

  He bent his head and captured one of my nipples with his lips and softly licked and sucked it until I was arching my back and begging him to suck harder. He ignored my pleas as he carefully traced circles around my other nipple, and when it was as erect as the one in his mouth, he switched sides and began teasing it, too. The electrical jolts that ran from my nipples to my clit were excruciating, and I urgently pushed my hips up as I begged him to go lower.

  “Oh please, Brian! Please! Please? Please?” I cried as he continued to tease my breasts with his mouth. He looked up for a moment, shook his head and then continued the delicious torture. He cradled my head in one of his large hands while the other roamed my upper body, lightly tracing patterns on my skin as he licked and sucked, sucked and licked. I thought it might be possible that I’d orgasm without him touching anything below my waist, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted so much more.

  What had he said about Newton’s Law? I wracked my overly aroused brain for a memory of the conversation we’d been having not five minutes before. Equal and opposite… My brain spun from all of the colliding sensations. I felt like I was melting under his touch, but I struggled to pull myself back from the edge, and as I did, I reached down between his legs and pressed lightly on the growing bulge in his pants. Running my hand down his thigh and then back up again. And as I did, I felt him groan into my breast. I’d gotten the equal and opposite reaction!

  As he lifted his head and moved to kiss me, I pushed myself up a
nd quickly straddled his lap so that I could look down into his eyes as I started a tease of my own. I bent down and kissed him lightly as pressed my panty-covered pussy against his now rock-hard cock, and then slowly shifted my weight so that he could feel the heat through his jeans. That elicited a tortured moan from both of us as I pulled his head back to my chest and begged him to suck my nipples again. He quickly obliged, and soon we were both groaning from the torturous foreplay.

  “Ava…” Brian gasped. “Please? I need to be inside you.”

  “Oh, Brian,” I moaned into his mouth. “Yes! Yes, I need you inside me!”

  Brian pushed a hand up under my short skirt and looped a finger under the crotch of my panties, and pulled them aside as he undid his jeans and freed the turgid cock trapped inside. I whimpered as I felt him slide between my pussy lips, covering his cock in my wetness before pushing it up to the edge of my throbbing entrance. He kissed me deeply, and before he could push up into me, I slammed myself down on his cock; crying out as I felt the long, thick shaft fill me. Brian groaned as I took charge of the rhythm so that both of us felt the long, slow strokes up and the hard, fast thrusts down; over and over and over again.

  His mouth was still attached to one of my nipples, and I could feel every flick of his tongue radiate down to my clit as I rode his cock. Rocking and grinding on him, I listened to him moan as I drove us both toward the edge. The moment Brian slipped a hand between us and began rubbing my clit, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hold out much longer. I leaned down and kissed him hard as I spread my legs wider to give him enough room to stroke me, and then threw my head back and gripped his shoulders as I felt the waves of orgasm begin crashing through my body. Brian wasn’t far behind me as he thrust his hips up, driving his cock deep inside me while he let go of his own pleasure. I could feel him pulsing inside me as he released, and I fell forward, my arms wrapped around his shoulders and his wrapped around my waist, as we both tried to catch our breath.

  I could feel Brian slowly running his hands up and down my back, and I relaxed into his touch as I buried my face in his neck. He smelled of leather and cut grass, two of my favorite smells, and it made me feel safe. I inhaled deeply and then let out a satisfied sigh right before I felt my right leg go to sleep. “Uh oh,” I mumbled.

  “What’s wrong,” he whispered.

  “Leg’s asleep,” I groaned. “This is going to suck!”

  Brian laughed as he slid to the edge of the couch and gently pulled me off of him, flipping me over so that I landed softly on my back with my legs propped on the couch. “It won’t be too bad,” he reassured me. “Just stay there until the circulation returns and you can stand up.”

  “I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to stand again in my life,” I said softly.

  “Oh, I’m sure you’ll recover very nicely,” he chuckled.

  “You’re not me,” I pouted playfully. “You have no idea.”

  “Oh, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of what it feels like,” he grinned as he turned and headed toward the bathroom, looking over his shoulder to add, “Now if you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

  *****

  As I was waiting for my leg to wake up, I heard my phone signal an incoming text. I reached over my head and grabbed the phone off of the side table and checked the screen to find a message from Lara. “Parteeeeeee at Fiji house! R U coming? Pleeeeeeze!!” I laughed at the silly little emoji she attached and thought about it for a moment. As I was thinking, a second text arrived. This one was from Jessie. “We never have fun N E MORE! Come to party. U no U wanna! Bring the hottie!” I laughed out loud at this one and quickly texted back, “On my way in a bit. Hottie in tow!”

  “Brian!” I called into the bathroom as I tested my leg and winced as the pins and needles started. “Brian? Did you fall in?”

  “Ha ha, very funny,” he said as he exited the bathroom with a big wet spot on the front of his jeans. “No, I did not fall in. I was just cleaning up a bit.”

  “What happened?” I asked genuinely perplexed. “Do you not know how to use a sink?”

  “Yes, Miss Smart Ass,” he replied drily. “I know how to use a sink, but apparently you know how to let loose with some moisture of your own, so I needed to clean up a bit.”

  I blushed deeply as I dropped my eyes to the floor and mumbled, “Oh, sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” he moved around in front of me and put a hand under my chin and lifted it so that I was staring up into his beautiful blue eyes. “Don’t ever be sorry for enjoying sex — or for having it with me.”

  I laughed as he playfully brushed a finger down my nose and then bent over to kiss me. My legs were both awake and ready to go, so I popped up off the couch and announced, “We’re going to a party!”

  “We’re what?” he asked.

  “We’re going to a party!” I said in an excited voice. “I’m taking you out with me. Jessie and Lara are over at the Fiji house and they want me to bring you along. See?” I held up my phone for him to see the messages. He looked at them, then back at me and shrugged.

  “Fine.” His suddenly morose response took me by surprise. What just happened? I wondered.

  “You don’t want to go?” I asked, genuinely concerned about his lack of enthusiasm.

  “It’s not up to me, now is it?” he replied. “I’m the bodyguard, I go where you go. End of discussion.”

  “Brian? What’s wrong?” I reached out to touch his arm, but he pulled away.

  “There is nothing wrong, Ava!” he shouted. “Go get ready and I’ll drive you to the party!”

  I turned and walked to my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. I had no idea what had just happened, but if he was going to act like a jerk, then it wasn’t my problem. His moodiness wasn’t going to ruin a night of fun with my best friends. I quickly decided on a short skirt and a midriff-baring top in two soft shades of blue and, having been to the Fiji house before, I chose a pair of flat silver Gladiator sandals that would stay on my feet no matter how much dancing I did. I dressed quickly, and then grabbed a crossbody bag off of the dresser and put my ID, lipstick, and room key in it, along with some cash in case I needed it. I checked myself in the mirror one more time, and then headed out to the front room.

  “You ready?” I asked as I stood by the door. Brian was lounging on the couch watching the rest of our forgotten movie.

  “Yeah, whatever,” he said without looking up.

  “Then let’s get a move on, sailor!” I chirped half-heartedly. Not having him on board with this plan was taking some of the fun out of it.

  “Oh, wow,” he breathed as he stood up and caught a glimpse of me.

  “What? Is something wrong?” I asked as I ran a hand through my hair, hoping to tame any flyaway ends.

  “No, nothing’s wrong at all,” he muttered as he grabbed his keys and stalked to the door. “Let’s go get this over with.”

  “You don’t have to be such a grump!” I teased.

  “Ava, go get in the car,” he said seriously. “We have a party to get to.”

  *****

  When we arrived at the Fiji house, the party was in full swing. All the lights in the place were on, and the music was blaring so loudly that the windows were pulsing to the beat, and for a moment, I was afraid they would break. On the porch, a group of Fiji brothers were playing beer pong with a group of Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters, and it looked like the Kappas were actually winning; either that, or the Fiji boys were so far gone that they had lost sight of the purpose of the game. I walked up the steps with Brian in tow, and the game players all yelled their welcome before turning back to the table and enthusiastically urging the next Kappa to put the ball in the cup.

  Inside the house, we had to navigate through a maze of people dancing to the pounding bass that seemed to be coming from the far corner of the living room. People were dancing everywhere; on the stairs, in the hallway, in the kitchen, and on the kitchen counter was a girl in go-go boots and a bikini dancing
for an audience of one while the rest twisted and writhed to the beat. I grabbed Brian’s hand and pulled him toward the backyard where Jessie and Lara had said they’d be.

  The Fijis had, at some point in their illustrious history, build an in-ground pool in the backyard of the fraternity house, and tonight, the pool was lit up by hundreds (maybe even thousands) of strings of chili pepper lights, which made the yard glow an ominous shade of red. I scanned the large yard as several drunk frat brothers pushed each other into the pool yelling, “Cannonball!” before they did. From the looks of their soaking clothes, they’d been doing this for a while. I shook my head and then jumped up and down as I spotted the girls in the far corner of the yard.

  “Jessie! Lara!” I yelled as I made a dash for them. “I’m here!”

  “Ava!” Jessie shouted. “Did you bring the hottie?”

  “Jessie!” I scolded. “He has a name. Shame on you!”

  “Awww, I’m sorry,” she said as she hung her head shamefully. “Hi Brian, I’m sorry I called you the hottie. No offense.”

  “None taken,” he replied with a bit of a smile creeping across his lips. No one could stay mad at Jessie for very long, not even a tough bodyguard.

  “What’s going on, girls?” I asked.

  “Well, James here is showing us how he can beer bong, but I’m not buying the whole setup,” Lara said as she grabbed James’ apparatus and turned it over to examine it. “I’ve never seen anything like this, and he’s managed to pour more beer on himself than into his mouth thus far.”

  I looked at James and wondered if it was the beer bong that was the problem or the fact that he was about 12 sheets to the wind already. I said as much to Lara and she laughed it off, telling me that I was overanalyzing and that I should lighten up. I shrugged and asked where I could get a drink. Jessie walked me over to the table and ordered a couple of punches for us both. I turned to ask Brian if he wanted anything, but he’d moved over to the corner of the yard where he could observe with his back against the fence. I waved to get his attention, but he didn’t see me, so after I got my glass, I walked over to him.