by Tia Siren
“Yes,” I said sheepishly.
“Wow, Cute and manipulative,” he said. I could see him fuming with frustration.
“It’s like I’m the butt of some big practical joke,” he added.
“John, you’re not-” I pleaded.
“No, don’t start. I’m done with all of you.” He said.
He turned and trudged off towards the parking lot in the pouring rain. The rain soaked him to the bone, instantly. I turned to look at Craig and Jane, who both had innocent looks on their faces. Still, they shooed me towards John.
Whether out of pride, or embarrassment, I chased after John in the rain. My jacket was soaked as soon as I stepped out; my dress soon after. I didn’t care, though. I needed to try to explain why I did it.
I found him on the far end of the parking lot, about to get into his truck. I sprinted over to the car and hopped in the passenger seat before he had a chance to say no.
“Let me explain,” I said.
“Tess, I think you’ve done enough for one night. Just let me go,” he said.
“John, I’ve liked you for far too long, at least let me tell you why I did it.”
He sighed and shut the door. I realized how wet I was when my hair started dripping all over his car interior. He plucked a towel from his duffel bag in the back seat and offered it to me. It wrapped it around my shoulders and did my best to avoid shivering.
“Okay, now’s your chance,” he said.
“The first time I met you was during registration, but I don’t think you remember. I was the dweeby girl that made sure you got into the classes you wanted. The whole time I helped you, you were genuine. You didn’t look down on me, or make fun of me like some of the other football players. I liked that about you. It helped that you were probably the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen.”
He smiled at the compliment. I continued.
“I looked for any chance I could get to say hello, or spend time with you. But, even though I go to a lot of your parties, I never found the chance. You’re always surrounded by your friends.
“Then I got this chance. I didn’t want to mess it up, but I did. If you never want to talk to me again, I understand. Besides, after tonight I’ve come to realize that we’re just not made for each other after all. You’ll always be John, the center of attention, dating models and partying. I’ll always be me.”
He sighed, and I could see the frustration leave his face.
“Thanks, John. I’ll always remember the kiss. I hope you find someone that makes you happy,” I said.
I took off the towel and handed it back to him, then opened the car door back to the pouring rain.
“I’ll just keep watching from the sidelines,” I added.
I stepped out, shut the door and started walking off in a daze.
7.
The rain hid my tears, and I was glad it did. I was soaked to the bone but was too numb to care. I couldn’t tell if it was because I had just blown the best shot I had at being with John, or if it was because John wasn’t the person I thought he’d be. He was a great guy, and I knew he would make someone happy eventually.
I rode with Craig and Jane, and it seemed they had left without me. I’d have to walk back home in the rain. It wasn’t so bad, though. I looked forward to having the time to think.
I pulled my soaked jacket back over my shoulders and began my trek home.
Then I heard a honk from behind me. I turned, and John was there with his truck. His headlights nearly blinded me, and all I could make out was his shadow moving closer still.
“Tess?”
“John?” I asked.
The silhouette came closer still. I looked up at his looming shadow, and his face came into view. We stood, rapt in each other’s gaze. I didn’t feel the rain anymore, nor did I shiver.
He threw his arms around me again and pulled me tight.
“Let me give you a ride home,” he said.
I nodded happily.
He escorted me back to the car and helped me into the passenger seat, where the towel from before waited for me. I happily dabbed as much water from my skin as I could. John was just as soaked as I, and I laughed seeing him dripping wet.
“Oh, like you’re much better,” he said.
I slapped him playfully on the arm. Then he started the truck, or should I say tried to start the truck.
“I hoped this wouldn’t happen tonight. I’ve needed to get that battery fixed for a while.”
I laughed as the dome light in the truck clicked off. He didn’t see the humor in it at first, but laughter is contagious. We sat in his truck, staring at the rain as it continued to pour down on, making loud ting sounds on the metal roof of his truck.
In the semi-silence, we basked in one another’s company. Then the rain started slowing.
“I was going to talk to you at the party, last week,” he said.
“Why didn’t you?” I asked.
“Because you disappeared before I could,” he replied.
“I was beyond embarrassed.”
“Well, I thought it was cute. If you had stayed, things might have been different,” he said.
“I’m here now,” I said.
He leaned toward me and kissed me on the cheek, however unexpected. I felt a little giddy that he’d be so forward.
“What was that for?” I asked.
“It was the easiest way to say I’m sorry,” he replied.
He leaned in for another kiss, and I gave him his prize. He really was a good kisser. I pushed him away.
“I don’t want to be your girl for just tonight,” I said.
He leaned back and thought for a moment.
“Then be my girl for tomorrow, too,” he said.
“Why me? You could have any girl on campus, so why me?” I asked.
“I felt a spark from our first kiss. I didn’t think much of it at first, but as the night has worn on, I can’t stop thinking about it. You think I forgot about you after you helped me register for classes, but I remembered. When I wanted to say hello at my parties, you were always talking with that other guy, Craig. So, I’d back off.
“When you were alone at my party last Friday I might have tossed the ball at you on purpose,” he said.
I smiled at the thought of John being shy by any means. I wondered if anyone else had seen this side of him before. I blushed, horribly. As I did, the rain started to let up.
“You know, there’s a nice little place just up the road where you get a great view of the stars on a clear night. Maybe I can take you there.”
He leaned in for another kiss. I bit my lower lip and opened the car door. The light sprinkle of rain was nothing to walk out to. John eased out of the driver’s seat to join me.
I took his hand and led him down the road. We talked of things we liked, and of the dreams we have of the future. He was more interesting when he opened up to me. It felt like I had never known him until now.
His smile was bewildering. Whenever I saw him smile, I swooned. And, he would grip my hand tighter whenever I did, and I would respond in kind.
When we arrived at the spot I wanted to show him, I wished that we could have continued walking. But, all the same, I led him from the road and down into a thicket of bushes and trees. John followed excitedly.
The area was soaked, and the trees still dripped from the down pour. It was beautiful to see the dripping water twinkle in the moonlight while the stars dotted the skies.
I looked up at the night sky, but John wasn’t interested in that. He kissed me on the neck, and again on the cheek. I could feel my heart quicken with each touch, and each caress.
I turned to his lips, and he pressed passionately. I didn’t want the kiss to end. His powerful arms held me close by the small of my back. My wet dress clung tightly to me, but he didn’t mind getting a little wet. Not after what we’d already been through.
He pulled the zipper on the back of my dress as far as it could go; the dress was so heavy with water
that it didn’t want to stay on me much longer. It fell to the wet ground, and I stood there in the moonlight for him to enjoy. He stepped away to take in the full sight of me, and I tried to shy away. John just pulled me back close and gave me another kiss.
I tugged at the buttons to his shirt, easing them loose, one by one. His hands caressed up my back and pulled at the strap of my bra. He was skilled, as it came undone quickly. With little care, he pulled the garment from my chest, exposing my curvaceous breasts to the cool evening air.
He took one of my fleshy mounds into his hand and played with it softly. I moaned with pleasure as he did. I continued my task of removing his shirt, which gave way soon after. John helped me pull it from his muscled chest.
I ran a finger down his toned mid-section, feeling ever little bump with pride. He smiled down at me and kissed me on the neck again.
I unfastened his slacks and pried them from his hips, along with the tight boxer briefs he had on underneath. As I pushed the garments down to his ankles, I came face to face with his manhood. I wrapped a hand around it, and it throbbed as I stroked up and down. He moaned in the darkness as I did.
Seeing an opportunity I couldn’t pass up, I took him into my mouth, eliciting more excited moans from him. He was bigger than average, certainly bigger than I was used to. I took as much of his member into my mouth as I could and massaged its length with my tongue.
He pulled on my hair as I did, and I liked the rough feeling. I continued for a while, and he continued to moan. But, before long he pulled me to my feet.
“Ladies first,” he said.
He pulled my underwear off with a single quick stroke of his hand, and I stood naked before him. I felt my sex begin to drip down my leg. He picked me up and laid me on my back in the grass.
The cold, wet ground sent shivers up my spine. I quivered with excitement and John was eager to begin. He kissed down my stomach, and then down my thigh. Every kiss made my heart beat stronger.
His lips then settled on my dripping sex. I moaned from the sensation. His tongue licked along my slit then nestled on my clit. I gasped for breath and bucked my hips as he continued his assault against my delicate womanhood.
Familiar sensations began to build in my stomach, and I could feel myself close to release. He showed no signs of stopping, and in one passionate moment I felt my muscles tense up and explode into an orgasm. For a moment I laid on the grass, enjoying the satisfaction that followed.
John wasn’t close to done, though. He kissed up my belly and tickled my exposed nipples with his tongue. I was still turned on from before, and my body begged to be held tightly again.
He pulled himself on top of me, and I felt small again. I couldn’t believe what was happening, and I didn’t want it to end. I could feel his throbbing member pushing at my tender opening. He rubbed along my still wet sex, and the sensations continued to drive me wild.
Then he started pressing into me; making me tense up again. My hands dug into the ground, and my thighs wrapped tightly around his waist. His beast continued to invade me, further and further. I thought I might explode any second, and still he continued.
I felt his pelvis crash into mine. The feeling I’d had before was slowly beginning to return. It grew greater as he started pumping, at first slowly, but then faster. I once again lost my mind to the mingling sensations, and his perfect manhood having his way with me.
He grabbed my hair and started becoming rough, and I begged for more. I didn’t know how much I’d enjoy it as I’d never tried it before.
The feelings continued to grow again in the pit of my stomach until I felt another release escape. This one stronger than the last; and I screamed in the darkness. John must have enjoyed my outcry because I felt him explode inside me. He moaned into my chest and collapsed beside me.
I was covered in sweat and out of breath, John wasn’t much better. I rolled over and put my arm around him. He was warm, and only then did I realize how truly cold it was outside.
While I lied over his chest, I listened to his heartbeat. It was an excited tune. I could have listened to it all night long, but my exhaustion set in, and I slipped into a satisfied slumber.
8.
“Seriously, Tess. I’m really sorry about last night,” Craig said.
“It’s fine! I managed to have fun. How did things go with you and Jane?”
“Better than I thought. We’re going on another date tomorrow night,” he said.
“I knew you two would be great together,” I said with a smile.
I still hadn’t fully recovered from the previous night. I had caught a cold in the evening, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
“Really, how did you get home?” he asked.
“John gave me a ride,” I replied.
“But, didn’t you tell me that his car broke down?” he wondered.
“You’re right,” I laughed.
I didn’t know how to tell him that I wasn’t talking about a ride in his car. But, really that didn’t matter that much.
My phone vibrated, and I read the text message that was scrawled across the front. It was from John.
“Can’t wait till tonight, this time, I pick the place.”
I smiled, and I could feel my heart skip a beat.
“Who’s that?” Craig asked.
“That’s none of your business,” I said, “but if you must know, it was John.”
Craig winked at me.
“It’s just a study session,” I said, trying to conceal my smile.
Craig just laughed. We would always be best friends, and I was glad that we could both be happy.
*****
THE END
Big Bad Cowboy: A Billionaire and a Virgin Romance
CHAPTER ONE: Miranda Carson
I hated my life.
Okay, hate was probably too strong of a word to use, because my life was not all horrible all the time. It was just mostly horrible most of the time. So maybe I should just say I hated parts of my life at different times. And this moment was one of those times when I pretty much hated everything all at once.
And I blamed it all on my dad. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be in the spot I’m in today. My life would be a hundred and ten percent different. Then again, I probably wouldn’t be the person I am today, but honestly, I didn’t think that would be such a bad thing. I was certainly nobody’s idea of a prize.
Please don’t get the wrong idea about my relationship with my dad. He was never anything but kind to me. The truth is, I loved my father, more than anything. I still do. He was a great guy, the best dad a girl could ever ask for. He worked hard to support his family, taking as much overtime and as many weekend shifts he could get working as an oil driller in our hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. Even though he worked his ass off to keep us fed, he never missed a dance recital or a softball game or a school play.
We remained close even after he got married again two years after my mom died of cancer. And the fact that he married Mom’s best friend, Helen Anderson, didn’t bother me a bit. Helen was great. I loved her. She had been like a second mom to me all my life. If Mom could have picked Dad’s next wife, she would have picked Helen.
Okay, maybe Dad getting remarried bothered me a little. Not because it was Helen, but because I had always been daddy’s little girl and having to share him with a woman other than my mom just took a little getting used to.
Hey, give me a break. I was just eighteen years old when they got married, and I was your typical, selfish teenage girl. It was bad enough that I had to share my dad with my younger brother, Scotty, who was thirteen at the time. I understand it now, but at the time it was just hard for me, watching him open his heart to share all that love with someone other than me.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, Helen, who was nearly forty-five at the time, got pregnant a year after they married and gave birth to TWINS!
Can you imagine that, at her age? Twin boys named James and Josh. Thank god I was heading off to
college by then, so I didn’t have to put up with two screaming babies in the house like Scotty did. He says it was pure torture.
They turned my old room into a nursery and all seemed right with the world for a while. I’d never seen Dad so happy, and I had to admit, those had been some pretty cute babies. They still were.
Then, when the twins were two and Scotty was fifteen, Dad and Helen were killed by a drunk driver on the way home from a cookout at Helen’s sister’s house in Lakeview.
They were less than a mile from home when the guy veered into their lane and hit them head on. Scotty and the babies were in the backseat asleep and somehow walked away without a scratch. Scotty says he doesn’t even remember the crash. He just remembers waking up and seeing blue and red flashing lights and wondering why the babies were crying. They say our brain blocks out the most traumatic moments of our lives to keep us sane. For Scotty’s sake, I pray that’s true.
A few days later, we buried my dad and Helen. I had to drop out of college without finishing my degree to take care of Scotty and the twins. I came home just two semesters away from earning my physical therapy degree. All I had to show from three years of college was a grungy Texas A&M sweatshirt and a shit-ton of student loans that I didn’t know how I’d ever pay back.
At the ripe young age of twenty-two, I became the legal guardian to two-year-old twins and a fifteen-year-old boy who was pissed at the world because it had taken his father from him. We had to sell the house at a loss and move into a tiny apartment, because on my paycheck as a waitress at Red Lobster, it’s all we could afford. The place was a shithole, but it beat living in a cardboard box by the railroad tracks. Or having my brothers taken away from me. That would be the last straw on an already-breaking camel’s back.
It had been two years now and things had just gone from bad to worse. Or from horrible to even more horrible. I spent eight to ten hours a day, six days a week, waiting tables at Red Lobster while my neighbor, Sheila, watched the twins. Scotty just ran amok. I gave up trying to keep up with him long ago.
If it wasn’t for food stamps and government assistance, we’d all be living in the street.
