Watching Fireflies

by Jaycee Ford

  As I sat, he scooted in my chair, and then he dropped into the one across from me. He lifted off the domes from the plates and set them on a serving tray that stood behind the table. I swore I was going to get fat from this country food, but it was too good to pass up. I needed to replenish from last night’s caloric burn. I really didn’t care about fat at the moment.

  “Your uncle really knows what he’s doing,” I said in between bites.

  “Well, he did teach me a thing or two.” He smiled and asked, “Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? I’d love to be able to spend the day with you, but I have stuff to farm, as you like to put it.”

  “I would love to have dinner with you, Tom.”

  He smiled at my response. I feared the early onset of the feelings I had for him, but I knew there was no way I was going to stop it. He would be the one to break down my walls, and by God, I was going to let him.

  As we finished eating, he came over to my chair and knelt down in front of me. He brushed his fingertips across my cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and leaving his hand to linger against my cheek.

  “Jordan, I don’t want to scare you off by seeming too forward, but what happened between us last night was incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything like that.” He smiled nervously at me and continued, “I just want you to remember that I’ll never hurt you, and if you ever want to talk to me about anything, I will always listen.”

  He knew I had built a wall around my heart. Looking back into his eyes, I only nodded in return. Tears pricked the back of my eyes and I was afraid I would start to cry if I spoke. My heart tore as it was pulled between the pain and the hope. I could still feel the ache left by Ryan, but the hope was winning. Tom leaned forward, pulling me into an embrace. My chest relaxed, the tension easing within his arms. Hope was winning.

  Kisses brushed against my cheek and my lips. I ran my fingers against his chest, returning his kiss. The kiss progressed as it usually seemed to do, and I licked his bottom lip, allowing me access inside. An exhale escaped as he eased his hands inside my robe, pulling me to him. I instantly molded against his body as if we fit so perfectly together.

  “I don’t want to go, but I have to.” He leaned his forehead against mine as we brought our heavy breathing back to normalcy.

  “You have stuff to farm; I understand.” I grinned into his eyes. He kissed me again. As much as we had kissed in the past twelve hours, my heart fluttered every time.

  “Go take a nice bubble bath, and I’ll clean up breakfast. But your next bubble bath will not be alone.” His sexy smirk and eyes full of lust from last night reappeared. It was so hard to keep him at a safe distance.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to join me?” Seeing the torn look on his face, I conceded. “Okay, I promise my next one won’t be alone.”

  The lips I had already become used to pressed against mine as my heart released a happy sigh. He pulled back with his perfect smile. “Pick you up at 6:00? Will that be okay with you?”

  “Perfect.” Everything seemed perfect with Tom.

  As I began preparing my bubble bath, the door to my room clicked shut. He had gone. The silliest grin brightened my face while I stepped into the warm, relaxing bubbles. I eased down with a pleasuring wince from the dull ache in between my legs. I had never felt this sated before, and yet, I couldn’t wait for more.

  I had never felt this way with Ryan. I knew I shouldn’t be so bitter and I should let things go, but a year was a lot of time to waste on someone who didn’t truly love you. I was angry with myself for not noticing the signs. Was I that gullible?

  What if I was doing it to myself? What if I wasn’t capable of having a happy relationship? What if I thought things were perfect and everything came crashing down again?

  Why couldn’t I allow myself to be happy?

  Frustrated with my personal sabotage, I finished my bath and pulled on my robe again. I figured it would be a lazy day. As I came out of the bathroom and walked over to my bed, I noticed a note on the night stand underneath one of the daisies he had left by my door last night. I picked it up to read what he said.

  I hope you enjoyed your bath, beautiful.

  I miss you already.

  Wear something comfortable tonight.

  Tom

  Putting an end to my mental debate, I decided to allow myself happiness, at least for tonight.

  The clock read quarter to six. My closet was empty. The entire contents lay in a pile on my bed. What was comfortable and sexy? Okay, skinny jeans were on. We would go with that. Boots! Okay, brown, flat, side zip boots. Okay! Now I needed a top. Top, top, top, top… Damn, I need Ellie! Taking inspiration from my matching navy blue lace underwear, I donned a navy tank and a white sweater. He said comfortable, and my sexy was underneath the clothes. There. Done!

  A knock on the door startled me from my stance. I jumped around to look at the clock, and it said exactly six. In a mad dash, I grabbed all of the clothes and tossed them back into the closet, shoving them into a pile on the floor with my foot. I slammed the closet doors shut and grabbed my chest, trying to ease my rapid heartbeat. Now was not the time for tidiness! Why was I so damn nervous?

  As I took a deep breath, I grabbed the doorknob, and with one final exhale, I opened it to my favorite cowboy with those blue eyes. The tingles immediately started to erupt throughout as the recent memories of what he did to my body swam in my thoughts. He wore his trusty cowboy boots, faded jeans, a tight black T-shirt, and a brown leather jacket. How could one man be so damn sexy?

  “Hey, darlin’,” he whispered, stepping closer to me and caressing my cheek.

  “Hey, cowboy.” He bent down to give me a lingering peck and a tingling need touched every nerve.

  “Are you ready to go?”

  I nodded as I grabbed my purse. Sometimes I was utterly speechless around him.

  Tom weaved his fingers through mine as we went downstairs. We passed Mrs. Ethel standing at the counter. She didn’t say anything, but grinned from ear to ear. His hand rested on the small of my back, guiding me to the passenger side of the truck. He opened the door for me, so I would say he was an incredible gentleman, but he did cop a feel as he boosted me into the seat. A smirk adorned his sexy face as he slammed the door behind me. While I buckled my seat belt, he got in on the driver’s side. My body reacted to his closeness, humming with need.

  “That was pretty smooth, Tom,” I said while he started the motor.

  “I didn’t think you’d mind.” He shifted gears with a wink in my direction. The giddy schoolgirl grin plastered itself on my face. I worried that these feelings were consuming me too soon. When I glanced up at him, his eyes sparkled with happiness, and his cheeks twitched, holding in a smile.

  He turned the radio onto a country station and interlaced our fingers again. He made me feel so comfortable even when we weren’t talking. My nervousness was slowly slipping away. As he started to chuckle, I looked over at him and asked, “What?”

  Continuing his chuckle, he shook his head and replied, “You’re going to think this is probably really stupid, but I was so freaking nervous about our date.”

  I started laughing. “Me too! I had no idea what to wear! My whole closet is torn apart!”

  “Well, you could wear anything and you would still look beautiful,” he whispered, squeezing my hand. We pulled up to a stop sign, and he turned to look at me. He brought our interlaced hands up to his lips, giving mine the sweetest peck. My head rested against the seat as I stared at his beauty. The ice dripped, melting away from my heart as it drummed to the beat of the wall being torn down brick by brick. It beat warmth again instead of the cold it used to shudder.

  He turned the truck onto a drive with a stretch of dirt, and the tires popped over gravel. The setting sun hid behind the tall trees that lined either side of the drive. A clearing approached, the most adorable country farm house coming into view. Sage green siding adorned a traditional, two-story farm house
with white trim around the doors and windows. A large wrap-around porch harbored a pair of rocking chairs that swayed in the light breeze. A colorful flower bed flanked each side of the steps that climbed up to the porch.

  “You kept this up all on your own?”

  The view of the Blue Ridge Mountains was unlike anything I had ever seen. From the inside of the truck, I could see just a bit of a lake set off in the area behind the house, where the actual farm stretched over acres and acres with a wooden barn standing at the farm’s edge. Rows upon rows were filled with vegetation, and on the other side of the farm, an open pasture with roaming cattle. My jaw dropped. I was on a real farm.

  “I couldn’t let the one place that had brought me happiness fall apart,” he said, his voice soft.

  I could feel his eyes on me, tickling my skin. I tore my gaze away from the land and slowly met his. My breath caught as his eyes gave him totally away. It was quite possible that this cowboy loved me. How was I able to wrangle a cowboy?

  I blinked away from his stare. If I hadn’t, I might have just straddled him right there in his truck. I had never had a craving for a man so intense before. After looking back at the house, I glanced to him and asked, “Had? Does it not bring you happiness anymore?”

  “No, it does. It’s just that something else makes me even happier now.” His smile warmed my heart. As he got out of the truck and sauntered over to my side, I fought against the hope that tried to rise within me. I mustn’t let my guard down, although it would be easy to do with Tom.

  Tom offered his hand out to me as I hopped down from his truck. He placed his other hand in mine and looped my arm through his while we walked up the pathway to the stairs of his porch. He opened up the front door to a chocolate Labrador retriever, sitting in the foyer as if he had been waiting for Tom the whole time.

  “Jordan, I’d like you to meet Hampton.” We walked over to the dog, Tom held out my hand to him, and Hampton instantly placed his paw inside. I gasped as I looked at Tom, and he said, “He’s shaking your hand hello.”

  “Well, it’s nice to meet you, too, Hampton.” I shook and then released his paw to pet his head.

  “Good, I was afraid he wouldn’t like you.” Tom let out an exaggerated breath, and I laughed. He turned to me with a look of confusion. I stopped laughing for a second, afraid he was being serious. He busted out laughing, pulling me to him and wrapping his arms tight around me. I giggled into his chest at his silly antics. He pressed his lips to the side of my head as I melted into his embrace. I closed my eyes, breathing in his calming scent. I shouldn’t allow myself to become this comfortable with him. I didn’t want to screw anything up. I pulled out of his arms and looked up at him. I melted in the warmth of his eyes like I had inside his arms. I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Let’s go have some dinner.” He guided me through a comfortable living room with a stone fireplace centered in the middle wall. Built-in wooden shelves lined either side of the fireplace from floor to ceiling. The shelves were filled with books and a few photographs, and, of course, one shelf held a huge flat screen TV. Dark paneled wainscoting wrapped around the room, the same dark trim framing two large windows. The walls were painted a neutral khaki in contrast to the wooden elements. The hardwood floors were bare except for a plush rug lying in between an oversized leather sofa and the fireplace. A recliner sat opposite the window, in direct view of the television. We walked into the kitchen, and the warm, familiar aroma of beef grabbed my stomach.

  “It smells so good. Whatcha cookin’, good lookin’?” I said with my best country accent.

  “Pot roast.” He pulled out a covered pot from the oven. I stood in awe as he lowered it onto a trivet. He glanced up at me with a sense of pride as I gawked at him in astonishment. He couldn’t have possibly known that pot roast was my absolute favorite meal. His smile fell with his shoulders as he looked defeated. A wrinkle of concern formed on his brow.

  “Oh God, you don’t like beef… I can make chicken… or we have salad…” He frantically looked through his fridge. I snapped out of my stage of awe, walking up behind him. I pulled his head out of the fridge and he stood there in confusion with a head of lettuce in his hand. I grabbed his face and drew his lips toward mine. He pulled me to him, with lettuce pressing against my back. When I leaned away, he said, “Really, I can make chicken. It won’t take ver—”

  I interrupted him by putting my finger up to his lips.

  “Tom… I love pot roast. I was trying to think if I told you that before. That’s why I was so shocked because I know I never did,” I said with a reassuring smile.

  “It’s the best thing I can cook, and I wanted to impress my girl,” he said with a proud smile. I looped my arms around his neck, guiding him back to my lips as I kissed my way toward happiness. He ended the kiss with a peck and tossed the lettuce back into the open fridge, shutting the door after it.

  “Stay here for just a minute. I need to go fix the table,” he said as he grabbed the pot. He leaned over and kissed me again and said, “Don’t move.”

  I nodded with a smile as he departed out the back door. I glanced around the kitchen, admiring the mix between old and new. A rich granite slab, anchored to rustic cabinets, covered half of the kitchen. An island sat in the middle as a cooking workstation. Glass tiles in various shades of red and brown served as a backsplash to the stainless steel appliances, all of which were of high end chef quality. He knew how to cook, which put me at ease. I couldn’t find my way around this kitchen, or any kitchen for that matter. If it didn’t involve a microwave, I was hopeless.

  As he came back inside, he wrapped his arms around me, kissing my cheek. It was all too good to be true. I still had no clue how all of this happened so fast. I knew one thing. I was tired of questioning it. I was going to accept it for as long as I could hold on.

  “Do you trust me?”

  I gazed into his eyes, and the only thing I could see was his heart. “Of course.”

  The smile never left his face as he said, “Okay, close your eyes.”

  I closed my eyes like a good girl, his arms wrapped around my waist, and he guided me through kitchen. The fall breeze hit my face and the sound of the screen door shut behind us.

  “Keep them closed, okay?” I smiled as he picked me up close to his chest and carried me down a few steps. When he set me on my feet, he shifted behind me, wrapping his arms around me. He kissed my cheek and whispered, “Open your eyes, darlin’.”

  When I opened them, I gasped.

  THOUSANDS OF TWINKLING lights fluttered over the expansive farm. The lights dazzled in the night, performing their fire dance and flirting about while attracting their mates.

  Fireflies.

  “This is unreal,” I murmured, unable to take my eyes off the night sky. Millions of stars adorned the heavens with the fireflies mimicking their sparkle.

  “This is beautiful.” I tore my gaze off the sky and into the eyes of my heart’s captor.

  “Yes, it is,” he whispered, never shifting his eyes away from my face to gaze on the night’s wonderment. He watched my expressions evolve from utter disbelief to utter astonishment.

  It would be so easy to let myself fall.

  Caressing his face in my hands, I leaned up to kiss him. He met me halfway. I roamed my hands down from his face to his chest and around to his strong back, pulling him closer to me. One of his hands wrapped around to my lower back as he held me tighter. His other clutched the back of my head, entangling his fingers in my hair. He had me in such a hold that I couldn’t even move if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay in this moment until the sun came up.

  Our tongues continued to dance with each other, and I moved into him, forcing him to walk backward. My body throbbed with need, and the only man I wanted for the rest of my life was this man in front of me. I pushed him down on the bench behind him, and as our kiss broke, we panted for breath, feeling the desire pulsing between us. He reached out for me, but I took a step bac
k. His brow creased in confusion. To ease his worries, I graced him with a sexy look and took off my sweater, letting it fall slowly to the wooden deck. His eyes popped up to mine, filled with lust as he stood up again, trying to pull me close, but I stopped him, pushing my hand against his rock hard chest.

  “Not yet. It’s my turn.”

  After pushing him back down to the bench, I placed my foot in between his legs, and he reached up to the zipper of my boot. His fingers slowly unzipped one boot and tugged it off, repeating with the other boot. His gaze remained locked on mine. Standing barefoot on his deck overlooking his farm, I peeled my tank over my head, allowing him to see my bra-covered chest. As his eyes were immediately drawn to it, I slid my hands up the sides of my body and grasped my own breasts. His eyes pained with lust and need. I knew he wouldn’t last much longer until he would pounce.

  Sliding my hands down to the waistband of my jeans, I unfastened the snap and skimmed down the zipper. Our gazes locked as I pushed down my jeans and stood in front of him. He breathed in sharply and his hands reached out toward me, brushing his fingertips down my sides and resting his hands on my hips. After pulling off his jacket, I gripped the hem of his shirt, drawing it over his head. The only time his hands left my body was to let his arms come out of his clothes. As I bent down to unbutton his jeans and lower his zipper, his lips crashed to mine as he stood up to shove his own jeans down. I pushed him back down on the bench and straddled him.

  He throbbed between my legs as he thrust against me. His hands gripped my hair as he kissed down from my lips and buried his head in the crook of my neck. I steadied my hands on his broad shoulders, holding on for the oncoming ride. When his lips reached my ear, he whispered with heated breaths, “Darlin’, I don’t know what you’re doing to me.”

  As I released my hold of his shoulders, I reached around to unsnap my bra, allowing myself to pour out before him. His eyes penetrated mine as he cupped my breasts, sending throbbing pulses throughout my body with his touch. He caressed my right nipple, pinching it lightly with his thumb and finger while licking and sucking my left. My head fell back as I released a gut gnawing moan. His lips left one nipple for the other, and his tongue drew circles around my hardened tip. My hips bucked against him, needing him to fill me completely.