by Mj Hendrix
“Harley, I’m…hopelessly in love with you. There’s nothing to forgive. Just tell me you want me, and—”
I cut him off with a desperate, hungry kiss.
Our mouths were made to be welded together in a crowd of drunk people. The cheers that erupt around us are blaring. His tongue is in my mouth, and I suck it in like I’ll starve if I don’t taste every part of him.
He’s miserable without me, and only I can satisfy his craving. His hands are groping my butt. The good-boy persona was left in the truck. Tongues are licking, teeth are scraping, and our hands are violating each other like this isn’t a very public venue. A few hoots and whistles bring us back to the present, and he slowly releases me. We’re breathing like the top contenders in the Olympic swim competition, but we both fought for the gold.
38
Adam
Her hand in mine is the only thing keeping me sane. I’m dragging her through the crowd, out onto the sidewalk. I had to park far away because I got here late after the five-hour drive. She’s jogging after me, and I force myself to slow.
I need her—now. Right now.
Talking is useless when desire is your fuel, and neither of us bother wasting the breath.
My Chevy is finally in sight on the very back row under a tree, but none of the tension in my shoulders is released. I jerk open the door, waiting for her to climb in. She pauses for a moment, staring up at me in the moonlight. I sense that maybe she wants some type of explanation for my presence, but I’m not giving it unless she asks.
She doesn’t, obediently climbing into the single cab. I breathe a sigh, following her.
When I turn back to her from closing the door, she’s already removing her top, followed by her bra.
I draw in a breath, taking in her upper half. She’s all shadow and shapes. I can’t make out any colors in the near dark. The sight of her breasts is like being welcomed home after an extended absence. I’m hopelessly obsessed with her body. I want to lay her down under a lamp and inspect and memorize every skin cell.
“You are ravishing,” I exhale with a sigh.
She leans back, lifting a heeled foot toward me.
I obediently undo the clasp, slipping a shoe off of her delicate foot. She’s staring at me as she switches her feet, so I can remove the other heel. I comply again, my fingers selfishly caressing the velvet skin of her calves.
The light catches her etched skin, and I feel the urge to taste it.
She’s still watching me in the full moon, her eyes never straying from mine as she wiggles her skintight jeans down her hips. My open mouth is nearly dripping, but I can’t make myself care. My pulse is shooting into the night sky like a rocket.
I begin to slowly undo the buttons from my shirt, but she stops me with a hand before dropping it down to the physical desire in my jeans. The contact is the ultimate high, but I know it’s about to get even better.
I hold my breath as she slips the button through the loop, motioning for me to pull them down. I do, just enough to get myself out.
I lean forward to open the glove compartment, pulling out a box that I stopped to buy—very optimistically—at a gas station on the way.
“I…got these just in case.”
She doesn’t reply, but her lips part as I roll it on.
I’m sitting in the passenger seat, and she crawls over me, still wearing her thong that she slides over. My entire body is tense with anticipation. I need her like I need air.
I steady her with my hands on her waist, guiding her over me. The few seconds of finding the right spot nearly drive me mad.
My thoughts short-circuit in the next few minutes, my head falling back on the seat as she moves over me and our bodies collide in the best way. Words fail me when I’m with her like this.
She’s irresistible, everything I’ve ever craved, as she brings me to the most incredible place in this world. I’ll never be the same; she’s wrecked me. Twenty-one years was every bit worth the wait.
“You fit me,” she breathes in my ear.
I’m nearly losing my mind, but I force myself to focus on keeping it together. Her body and face are unmatched, and I’m unraveling underneath her.
“Next time, it’s my turn to play,” I whisper, biting into her ear.
I feel a smile against my neck.
“Bring it on, Farm Boy,” she breathes out, her body still moving over me.
I decide I can play a little bit this time. I fulfill my earlier fantasies as my lips meet her chest, drawing on the delicate peak of her breast. She gasps at the wet contact of my tongue.
I’m constantly focused on her reactions to me, overly concerned with her satisfaction. I’ll never settle for lying back and enjoying the moment unless I know she is too.
“I love you, Harley,” I choke out, unable to contain the words.
She stills for a second at the words.
“I love you more,” she whispers, and my world explodes. The bomb extends for miles, desolating all coherent thoughts and movements.
She reads my mind, audibly expressing the same feelings with sounds of euphoria until she slows, muscles relaxing on top of me.
It’s the most indescribable sensation to be physically connected in this way with her. I didn’t know sex would increase our emotional connection, but it’s like the strings lacing us together are being stretched and tightened every moment our bodies are fused.
She slowly lifts off of me, collapsing on the driver side.
As I come back down to reality, I reach down onto the floorboard for her clothes, worried she’ll be exposed to strangers as the concert starts to end.
“So, why are you here?” she asks, not looking at me as she grabs the bra.
“I…my parents tried to set me up with someone.” I’m zipping myself up as I talk.
She continues wiggling into her tight jeans. “And?” she asks.
I sigh, the ugly feeling in my chest growing. “And…I didn’t meet her, but I knew I wouldn’t like her.” I stretch my arm over the back of the seat, turning to face her. “Because she’s not you.”
She’s leaning back, looking out the window as people start to filter into their cars.
I reach down to grab her ankle, placing her foot on my knee. Her shoes don’t look comfortable, so I fasten the strap across the top loosely.
“Aren’t you afraid of what your parents think of me?” Her voice is small as she slowly faces me.
I pause, the other heel in my hand. “They’re…they aren’t horrible people. But they’re wrong about you. I can’t fathom how you felt, facing their judgment. I’m so sorry you had to deal with that. I swear I didn’t know they said anything.”
I start to strap the other shoe on, holding her feet on my lap. Guilt twinges inside me.
“I…I knew what they’d think, seeing you. This is horrible to say, Harley, and I hate myself for it. I judged you when I first met you, too, unfairly, and I’ll never be able to tell you how sorry I am.”
My hands are wrapped around her ankles, my thumb caressing the skin.
I can’t look at her face as I continue, “You’re nothing like what I first thought. I’d been taught…I’ve always thought beautiful girls like you were just a stumbling block. A seductress trying to pull me under dark waters into sin. And I have stumbled…but it’s not your fault. You can’t help that I’m enraptured by you. I’ll never only want you for one thing—I swear that to you. And if you give me the chance, I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that your worth is so much more than skin deep.”
Her eyes have been studying me in the shadows. “Your mom…thinks I’m a harlot,” she says, and I’m not surprised.
I grip the edge of the seat, taking calming breaths. “We…I talked to them. I told them we were together. They don’t…approve. But they don’t really know you. They don’t deserve to.”
I finally tilt my head up to face her. Her eyes are shining in the headlights of the line of cars pulling out. She licks her swollen l
ips, eyelids drooping down.
“Well…nobody’s perfect…” She leans her head to the side, resting it on my arm stretched over the seat. “I just…I can’t take you from your family like that.” She turns her face to kiss my forearm. “I also can’t let you go.”
Her legs are still stretched over my lap, but I nudge her closer.
“I can’t let you go either,” I whisper as my hand comes up to cradle her cheek. “Don’t make me…stay with me. Forgive me, forgive them. I don’t have to work on the farm if I can’t have you. We don’t even have to go see them for holidays. I want you to be my family.”
She whimpers, a tear threatening to spill over. “But I’ve been horrible to you.” Her voice cracks.
“You can never do anything to make me stop loving you. Ever,” I quickly reassure her, drawing her even closer. She’s nearly in my lap now.
“I know you’re in pain. I know you’ve lost the only family you ever had. You aren’t going to lose me.” I struggle to find the words to say, hoping she’ll understand my ramblings.
“My world was shattered when I met you. You made me…weak. From that first moment, I was gone for you. Your smile makes me feel like…like existing without you would be worse than death. The draw I felt toward you scared me more than anything. But now that you’re mine, I’ll never be able to move on from you. I know that for a fact. I’d give up anything to make you love me even a tenth of how much I love you.” I heave out a sigh, relieved to have finally spilled my guts to her. “Giving up my family, the farm—none of it means anything in comparison to what it would do to me to give you up.”
Staring at her while I tear my heart from my chest and hand it to her, she doesn’t move. Then, she’s leaning forward, pressing a wet kiss to my lips.
“In that case…I guess they’re gonna have to get used to having me around.” She smiles, and it’s the brightest, most stunning sight in the world.
Epilogue
Adam
Four Months Later
The sky is my favorite shade of blue, reflecting my love’s eyes. She’s clinging to my arm as the first warm breeze of the spring floats into the open windows of my truck. She’s got a smile on her face, lashes resting on her cheeks. We’re cruising down an old country dirt road about an hour north of Ole Tex.
When the signs for Oak Hill, Texas, start to flash by, I nudge her with a kiss. “We’re here.”
She wasn’t really asleep. She sits up, observing the luscious fields of emerald and violet.
“This is the winery capital of Texas. There are vineyards stretching for hundreds of miles, and they supply wine to the entire state and most of the surrounding ones.” I can’t help but smile, looking down at my beautiful girlfriend.
Her eyes are wide, but she doesn’t speak.
My side is aching, but I don’t touch it. We finally pull into our destination, a field of bluebonnets stretching for acres around us.
“Let’s walk for a bit,” I suggest, unable to stop grinning.
She turns to me, shaking her head as we get out.
“We don’t even know who owns this,” she says, stretching her legs in a perfect, dainty cream-colored sundress. It’s shorter than I would like, but that just means I get to look at more of her legs.
“I do,” I say, reaching out my hand for her. She grabs it, following me into the field of violet.
My phone starts to ring, and I curse myself for not silencing it. The screen shows my dad’s name flashing, and I’m about to deny it when Harley waves at me.
“Answer it. You’ve been dodging him too long.”
She walks ahead of me, and my stomach sinks. This isn’t how this moment was supposed to go.
“Hey, Dad. I can’t talk long,” I say into the old plastic.
He clears his throat. “That’s okay, Adam. Your mom’s here.”
Her voice sounds a little quieter. “Hey, honey. It’s Mom.”
“Hey, Mom,” I say, hoping they make whatever it is quick.
“Son, we…wanted to invite you and Harley over for Easter Sunday lunch in a few weeks.”
As soon as he finishes, my mom pipes up, “Yes, we’d love to have you. If you come a day early, we can take her to pick apples in the orchard on Saturday.”
My mouth is open as I watch her floating through the state flowers, like a dream suspended over violet water.
“I—I’ll have to talk to her about it. Thank you for the invitation,” is all I can manage, but a tiny burst of hope has flared inside my chest.
Maybe they’ve come around. Maybe they want to get to know her.
“Tell her we want to meet her again. Tell her…please just tell her we want her to be here. With you, Adam.” My mom’s voice is a little strained as she says it.
I force out a response, “I will, Mom. I’ll tell her. Thanks for calling.”
I flip the phone closed, looking up to see that she’s disappeared. I run forward, panic licking my veins. Seconds later, I see a squished section of the flowers. My heart rate starts to slow, a smile forming on my face.
I lie down next to her, nuzzling her neck. “Hey.”
“Hi.” Her fingers are playing with the collar of my flannel.
I stare into her electric-blue eyes for a few blissful moments.
“How’s your side?” she asks, pulling up my shirt.
The ink is dark, my skin bleeding slightly. It’s a type of Medusa, but instead of snakes for hair, she has green vines curling around my rib cage. Tiny butterflies in a rainbow of fuchsia, lilac, and blue are fluttering throughout them.
“It’s fine, a little sore. What about yours?”
She smiles at me, closing her eyes. “I’ve gotten a bazillion of these, Farm Boy. A few vines and butterflies were nothing. I was glad you were there to hold my hand though.” She lets out a sigh of contentment, ebony hair fanning out among the flowers, making her look like she has them woven into her dark tresses.
“Guess what.”
“Hmm?”
Her eyes are still closed. I know her counselor advises her to spend as much time with nature and Jesus as she can. She’s made miles of progress with her panic attacks.
“We were invited to Easter lunch.” I hold my breath waiting for her response.
Her ocean eyes pop open. “By…your mom?”
I nod slowly, watching her.
“Well…I guess I’ll have to learn how to make deviled eggs.” She starts to smile, which turns into a laugh.
“Guess what else,” I reach into my pocket. I can’t wait anymore.
“You brought brownies?” she jokes, grabbing my arm and sitting up.
My girl can hardly go a few hours without a sugar fix. Her laughter fades as the diamond shimmers in the sunlight.
“Harley Kain, I want to see you smile for the rest of my life. Will you spend the rest of your life with me?” I hold up the little violet velvet box, matching the flowers we’re surrounded by. “Also, to sweeten up the deal, I bought you this vineyard,” I tack on, just to make it harder for her to say no.
Her eyes couldn’t possibly get wider as she drops her jaw. I’ve made good money, working on my family farm since I was twelve.
“It has three fields of flowers like this one. It has a cute little windmill and a creek that flows during the rainy season. We could name it Buttercup’s Vineyard or—” I stop as she tackles me, pushing me back onto the soft ground.
She starts to pepper my face with frantic kisses, trailing up and down my neck and jawline, finally reaching my lips. Her hands are roaming all over me, and I do the same to her flawless form.
“You never…answered,” I force out, trying to keep her still as she straddles me. The excitement growing below my waist is impossible to hide.
She finally stops moving, biting into her lower lip and trying not to smile.
“Yes,” she whispers, her eyes drawing mine in.
“Yes?”
“Yes! Yes, yes…” She’s reaching for my zipper.
/> I try to move away from her hand, but she’s determined.
“Now?” I ask, even as my skin starts to heat.
“Now. Right now. I love you so much.”
I finally let her, and she’s dipping her head lower.
“I…I love you more.” I suck in a breath as she drives me insane.
She pauses for a moment.
“What about kids?” she asks, and I briefly wonder why we have to talk about this now.
“Uhh, do you want kids?” I ask.
“I think…with you, I could have a few. But not, like, ten.”
I laugh out loud as I sit up, cradling her face in my hand. “Okay, deal, way less than ten,” I say, pulling her in for another kiss.
Also By Mj Hendrix
Falling For Temptation is my debut novel!
If you're interested in Book 2 of the Good Ol' Boys Series, Levi and Kenna's Story, you can find the pre-order link for it here or on my website.
Refusing To Fall publication date is anticipated to be sometime in Nov-Dec 2021 (the date in Amazon Kindle is a placeholder until the official date can be announced).
Here's the blurb:
Orbiting a million miles out of my league, popular Kenna Davis is the last girl on the planet an invisible guy like me can ever be with.
I'm a science nerd with exactly zero experience with women, especially ones that can reel in every single guy on our college campus with her perfect smile and intoxicating personality.
What happens the first time I get a glimpse of her flawless skin is something I hope no one ever finds out about. After the incident I’m certain her opinion of me is not favorable.
It doesn't help my growing desire that she’s dating my roommate/best friend. He’s a better match for her anyway, considering my issues with socializing and her penchant for sorority events. I’m not the guy for Kenna.
I'm just her tutor.
But something tells me if I refuse to fall for her, I could be in for a lifetime of regret.
