Bewitching You: A Maple Grove Halloween Novella

by Katana Collins

  “And then some,” I whispered. I did not plan on coming home tonight. Or maybe ever. I smiled at the low growl that pushed through his pursed lips. That effect I had on him? Damn, I loved that. “One thing about me that you’ve apparently still got to learn? I never break a promise.”

  8

  Ford

  It took us just about an hour for Kandi to change, pack up the cats, and get back to my farm.

  I took the private driveway toward my house, but even still, there were dozens of cars parked along the side of the road and the dirt path toward the pumpkin patch that was roughly half a mile away.

  “What’s going on here?” Kandi asked, her mouth gaping open.

  I gave her a funny look. “It’s the day before Halloween,” I said. “The pumpkin patch is swamped today.”

  “You… wait. Do you have people helping?”

  I laughed and nodded. “Yes. I have assistants who run the customer service side of things. “I’ve been told my people skills aren’t great. So, Liz and Mike do the ticketing and run the hayrides and sell the cider and donuts in the evenings and on the weekends. That leaves David and me to do the farming, which frankly, is what I prefer anyway.

  Kandi had her nose pressed against the window. “You never work the pumpkin patch?”

  I shrugged. “I do, sometimes. On the really busy days, I’ll help out.”

  “But not today?”

  My mouth flicked into a smile. “Well, today I had something to prove to someone important.”

  I glanced quickly to my right as I pulled up to my farmhouse. The air between us heated and the tension was palpable as every molecule between us buzzed to life.

  “Thank you,” Kandi said. “For that. For putting me first.”

  The fact that she had to thank me for that broke my heart. “That shouldn’t ever be something you have to thank me for, Kandi. I will always put you first.”

  She nodded, and though I could tell she didn’t quite believe me yet, I think she was on her way to believing it.

  I unlocked my door, carrying the box with the momma cat curled up with her babies, and Kandi held a paper bag of groceries.

  I jerked my head toward the stairs. “We can set the cats up in my guest room.” It had a bathroom attached to it and was pretty much the perfect spot for them—big enough for them to explore and play, but small enough to keep them safely contained. And unlike Kandi’s tiny guest bathroom and her small apartment, there was plenty of room here on the farm for them to grow.

  After that, I showed Kandi around my four-bedroom farmhouse. It was more space than I needed, but it came with the farm, so I lived here. Quietly. On my own.

  “It’s massive,” Kandi said, nearly reading my mind. Her eyes wandered around my kitchen. It wasn’t fancy… but it was spacious. And mine.

  I nodded, tucking my thumbs into my pockets and leaning against the butcher’s block counter. “I debated asking a couple of my farmhands to come live with me, but decided against it.”

  “Why?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve basically been living alone since I was eighteen. I’m not sure how well I’d do with a roommate after all this time.”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “All this time,” she mimicked. “You’re what… twenty-six?”

  “No, you’re twenty-six. I’m Thirty.”

  She waved a hand at me. “Actually, I’m twenty-five.”

  Jesus. She was a baby compared to me. Not just in years, but in experience.

  “Don’t do that.” She crossed to me, closing the space between us, and pointed in my face.

  “Do what?”

  “That thing where you start doing age math and thinking I’m too young for you. Ben did that at first, too.”

  Ben. Dammit. I had teased Kandi yesterday with that ghost story at her house, but the truth was, Ben was our actual ghost. A real, looming figure that would always hang between us, even if we both hated him. Even if neither of us ever wanted to see him or talk to him again. We shared a history with someone, and there was a small voice in the back of my head telling me that I was breaking all kinds of rules by dating Kandi.

  But fuck that. He broke the rules first by cheating on her. By being an utter and complete asshole.

  I cupped her jaw, tilting her face up to mine. “It’s not the actual age difference that is the problem. It’s the fact that I’m a grumpy, eighty-year-old man in here.” I pointed to my heart, and when she grinned at me, I felt something in my gut go warm and mushy.

  “Lucky for you, I’ve always found grumpy, old men charming.”

  I bent, pressing my mouth to hers and linking our fingers together. “Come on,” I said. “I want you to meet someone.”

  Five minutes later, we were out in the stables and I had my hand on the back of my favorite horse, Chester.

  “A horse?” she asked skeptically. “You wanted me to meet a horse?”

  “Not just any horse. Chester was Mr. Grey’s prize-winning chestnut. When I first started working here as a farmhand, I lived out in that guest house.” I pointed to a small one bedroom cottage next to the stable. “I was lonely as hell, living out here alone. Sure, I had Mr. Grey, and he and his wife would always invite me for dinner, but I hated to be a bother. Most nights, I would cook something small for myself and bring it out here to the stables and eat with Chester. For the longest time, he was my best friend. My only friend, really.”

  “But… you had friends,” Kandi said. “You had Ben and Tyler and Jonah… at least until recently, right?”

  “I did, but it took me a while to meet them and make friends with them. And even after we did, they didn’t understand my weird hours. And when we went out, happy hour inevitably turned into a late dinner. Then into watching the game. Then into staying out and talking with girls. And when I tried to slip out early, instead of being cool about it, they made fun of me.” I shrugged. “It’s just how a lot of guys are, I guess, but it became easier to not go out at all since I always ended up staying out later than I wanted to and woke up exhausted the next day.”

  Kandi nodded and turned to look at Chester, stroking her palm down the bridge of his long nose. “Well, hello there, Chester,” she said in a soft voice. The horse gave a low whinny in response and she laughed. “You got any apples?” she asked me. “I want him to like me.”

  I reached into my pockets to grab some baby carrots I had snatched before we came out here and handed them to Kandi. “He likes apples better, but he’s an old man and he’s on a diet.” I patted the side of his neck. “Isn’t that right, Chester?”

  He stomped a hoof and shook his head.

  “Awww,” Kandi said and held out a carrot for him to take, carefully tucking her thumb beneath her other fingers. “Don’t worry, Chester. Maybe I can sneak you some apples tomorrow while Ol’ Man Ford is sleeping.” She winked at me and my blood ran hot.

  “Does that mean you’ll be sleeping over?”

  She blinked, standing taller. “Didn’t I make that clear when I packed an overnight bag?”

  Well, hell. How’d I miss that? “That fancy leather satchel thing is an overnight bag?”

  She laughed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. “You didn’t know?”

  “Shit, women carry giant tote bags as purses these days. I just thought you were one of those girls.”

  “Oh, no.” She placed her palm on my forearm. “I’m a small purse kind of girl. The sort of girl who goes out with a little wristlet just big enough for my ID, credit cards, lip gloss, and cell phone.”

  Huh. That was a little unexpected. Granted, I should have known that from the few times she and I had hung out with Ben. But then again, I’d spent most of those nights avoiding her. Trying not to get into a conversation where I’d be forced to lie that Ben had been with me the night before and not some random hookup. I’d also spent most of those nights desperately trying not to stare at how beautiful she was.

  It was my own fault that I assumed she was the type who would ne
ed a million things while she was out for a night, but apparently, she was a minimalist. And I kind of liked it.

  “You’ve been around horses before,” I noted, lifting my chin to the last bit of carrot in her hand that Chester was eating.

  She nodded. “I grew up on a ranch.”

  Surprised, I glanced her up and down. “You never mentioned that before.”

  “You never asked before,” she challenged.

  Well, that was true. “So, all this?” I gesture around me. “This isn’t anything weird to you?”

  She gave me a look and wiped her hands on her jeans. “Weird how?”

  “I thought maybe my quiet, rural life here would scare you off.”

  Her shoulders squared off, and I noticed the subtle way her spine bristled at that. “You really don’t think all that highly of me, do you?”

  “What?”

  “Do you seriously think I would call it quits on this,” she gestured between us, “whatever this is because you live ten minutes outside of town on a few acres of property?”

  “Thirty acres,” I corrected—because thirty acres was a hell of a lot more than a few. “And… yeah. I mean, it’s not a commentary on you, but most women are a little scared off when they see my lifestyle here. Up by four-thirty. Hands constantly caked with dirt. In bed by nine. And I get it… it’s not ideal. But it’s also not something I can change. Let’s face it…” I waved a hand at her gorgeous curve-hugging jeans and her expensive looking leather boots. “You’re fine Italian leather. And I’m worn in work boots. At some point, I fear you’re going to realize you don’t fit in here.”

  Her expression dipped, brows creasing in the center of her otherwise flawless face. Even frowning, she was the most beautiful person I’d ever seen. With a few steps, she was in front of me, sliding her hands up my chest. “I do like nice things,” she said quietly, then pinched my chin, stopping me as I dropped my gaze to the ground. She forced me to make eye contact with her. “I love designer bags and shoes and getting dressed up for the occasional night out. But the keyword there is occasional. Most nights, I’m happy to be staying in and reading or watching TV. I grew up on a ranch. I love the country. And I love that this beautiful farm of yours is only a ten-minute drive into town. It’s the best of both worlds.” She swallowed and my gaze dipped to follow the delicate line of her throat. “At the risk of moving too fast or scaring you off… I also want you to know and feel assured in the fact that thirty acres of beautiful land and a hard-working man does not scare me off.”

  She bit her lip and dragged her hand down my chest, over my stomach until she palmed my hard cock through my jeans. “In fact, it turns me on.” With a step back, she slowly undid the buttons of her tailored flannel shirt, stripping it from her shoulders and dropping it to the hay-covered ground. Kicking her boots from her feet, she undid the top button of her jeans and wriggled out of them until she was standing in front of me in nothing but her black lace underwear. “I don’t mind getting a little… dirty.”

  She lowered to her knees in front of me, and with a few nimble flicks of her hand, she had my belt and pants loose and pushed them down my thighs, tugging my cock free. It was thick and swollen with need. As she licked her scarlet-stained lips, it bucked beneath her greedy gaze. “Fuck,” I hissed and leaned back against the wood plank wall of the stable.

  She looked up at me with those big, brown eyes, her sleek, blonde hair falling across her forehead. Her hand closed around me and she squeezed.

  I reached down and dragged my thumb across her bottom lip, smearing the red color ever so slightly, and my cock pulsed against her palm, causing her to squeeze me tighter. I groaned, and she parted those perfect lips and sucked me deep into her wet mouth.

  My eyes slammed shut and I arched, the wood planks grating against the bare skin of my back—but I didn’t even care. Not with the feel of her hot tongue circling my head.

  She took me deeper into her mouth, her teeth gently scraping along my shaft. I gripped her hair gently, pumping my hips to her rhythm. Jesus Christ, her mouth was pure heaven. “Easy,” I grunted, going against every instinct in my body that wanted her suck faster, harder. But I knew… if she did that, this would be over before we even started. And fuck me, I wanted this to last.

  My balls tightened, nearly painfully, and lust tore down my spine. I wanted her to devour me.

  I placed my hands under her arms and lifted her to her feet, her nipples dragging against my body as I did so. I claimed her mouth in a brutal, bruising kiss. She squealed and wiggled against me as I grabbed her ass and tugged her lace-covered pussy against my cock, still wet from her mouth. “You really don’t mind getting dirty?” I asked.

  I watched as she slowly shook her head no, biting her lip. The red lipstick from before smeared down her chin—and fuck me if that wasn’t the hottest sight ever.

  I grabbed a thick flannel blanket from a closet nearby, laid it down across the floor, and shut the stable door. “Bra and panties off,” I demanded as I shed the rest of my clothing.

  I laid her down on the blanket and our mouths came together wildly, bodies thrusting and writhing as I rolled on top of her.

  She spread her legs and wrapped them tightly around my waist, her heels pressing urgently against the small of my back.

  Her folds surrounded me, wet and slick. It would only take one small adjustment, one slightly different angle to slip inside of her so fucking easily.

  I dragged a breath in and I felt so light-headed, I might as well have been in zero-gravity space. I pulled back, gliding my hand down the slick space between her breasts until I reached between her legs and sunk my fingers inside of her wet, velvet heat. I withdrew slowly, then pulsed them inside once more, bathing them in her dampness.

  She cried out, bucking beneath me. Fuck me, I needed to taste her again. I pressed each of my palms to the insides of her thighs and spread her even wider as I bent down between her legs. Just one taste. One quick taste. But even as I thought that, I knew I was kidding myself. Kandi was my buffet and I could spend hours sampling her.

  I licked my lips and inhaled her salty-sweet scent before spreading her lips wide and taking a long swipe with my tongue. Starting at the crease of her ass, I glided my tongue over her tight pucker and up her hot opening before landing slowly at her clit, sucking the hard nub between my lips.

  Holy shit, that ass. I needed that ass. I worked her clit with one hand, and with the other, I positioned my finger there, slowly and gently pushing in as she whimpered and teased her own nipples. “Yes,” she whispered, her hips pumping against the slow ascent of my finger. “More.”

  A smile curved my lips, and I resisted the urge to say I told you so. I slid her legs higher, positioning her so that the backs of her thighs were resting on top of mine with her ass in air, still spread wide. Split, wet, and pink, her pussy was glistening up at me. My desperately hard cock was thick, aching to be inside of her.

  With my cock in my fist and one finger still in her ass, I positioned my head at her opening.

  Her eyes were half open and locked onto mine. Together, we inhaled and on the exhale, all she said was my name. Like it was a prayer. Never in my life had my name sounded so fucking beautiful. A shudder rocked down my spine as I entered her slowly. It took every bit of self-restraint not to slam myself inside of her. Instead, I took my time with slow, gentle thrusts. I filled every inch of her, and as I withdrew my cock slowly, I circled my finger inside her ass.

  She moaned and pushed her body deeper, greedily wanting more. More of my finger, more of my cock.

  “Fuck, you’re gorgeous, Kandi” I whispered.

  I sucked in another staggered breath, clinging to whatever self-control I could manage and pushed inside her again. I forced my eyes closed against the heady, sweet pressure. It was almost too much. Nothing in my thirty years on this Earth had ever felt this good. As Kandi’s warm, sexy body engulfed me. Nothing tasted as sweet as her body. Nothing sounded as glorious as her moans.<
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  A cool draft rushed in through a crack in the door, cooling the heated sweat along my skin.

  “Harder, Ford. Please,” she begged.

  I sank deeper inside of her, shifting my position and braced my weight on my knees. My thighs quaked with the intensity, with the adrenaline rush, and I released my grip on the base of my cock as I bottomed out inside of her. I moved my fingers back to her clit. Almost every appendage of mine was involved somehow with her body. One hand inside her, one on her clit, and my cock buried deep in her pussy.

  But instead of fucking her harder, faster, I continued with my slow pulsing thrusts, dragging slowly out of her and pushing back in until she was writhing and mad with lust— wriggling beneath me, clawing at me, begging me to go faster, harder.

  Her chest heaved and I watched as a blush overtook her body, rising like high tide coming in fast. Starting at her belly, the pink flush climbed to her breasts, warming her neck and eventually her cheeks as her chest heaved.

  “God, yes. Yes!” she cried out, her hands flying to the blanket below her and clutching them in her white knuckled grip. Her head fell back, exposing the line of her throat, and fuck, how I wished I was nimble enough to bend down and lick her right there. Her body clenched hard around my dick, and I groaned, dropping my head and taking deep breaths to keep myself from losing it right then and there.

  Her hips twisted against my hand and fingers that had anchored her in place and I watched, fascinated as the orgasm took complete and utter hold of her body.

  The pulsing spasms slowed and eventually stopped, and I gently withdrew my finger from her ass. With her orgasm spent, I gave in to my own pleasure. I gripped her hips tightly in each hand, my fingers digging into her warm flesh, and I drove into her with a hard thrust.

  She was tight around me, and with only a few more pounding thrusts, my orgasm was close at my heels, ready to tear through my body. “Fuck, Kandi,” was all I could say as I spiraled into my own explosive pleasure. I worked my hips through the orgasm, trying to wring every ounce of hedonistic pleasure from it that I could.