He glanced at me over his shoulder. “It was mine. Is it okay? I never stopped to think you might have plans tonight.” He shot me a wicked grin that just about curled my toes. “You know, like another Saturday night at The Road Block?”
I shuddered. “Not hardly. No, my Saturday nights are usually an exciting blend of eating dinner and going to bed early. Sometimes I sneak in a chapter or two whatever book I’m reading.” I reached for my phone. “That reminds me, though. I need to tell Meghan I won’t be there for dinner. They’re probably waiting for me.”
“No, they’re not. Bridge and I took care of that.” Flynn closed the cooler and fastened the lock for me. “Your only job is to relax and have fun. Let us take care of you for once.”
With everyone working together, we were climbing into the truck a few minutes later. Bridge scrambled over the front into the tiny back seat, and Flynn handed me up into the passenger seat. I wasn’t sure if he held my hand a little longer than necessary to help or if it was just my imagination.
They’d chosen a spot by the river, on the far side of the Nelson farm. We’d never paid attention to any kinds of property boundaries growing up; Alex and I ran back and forth from their family farm to mine without thinking about it. I’d always liked this particular bend in the river, which formed a protected bank. The trees shaded us from too much sun in the summer but allowed enough filtered light to keep it from being too dark in the spring or fall.
Flynn stopped the truck and helped us get out. He and Bridget spread the blanket and began to unpack the food.
“I can’t believe how delicious this all looks. Did you really make it?” I picked up a wing and broke off a piece of the succulent skin.
“Yep. I’m a pretty good cook, you know. You want more than a wing, don’t you?”
“Hmmm.” I peered into the container. “Maybe a thigh.”
“I’m a breast man myself.” Flynn winked at me as he bit into the meat, and I felt my face turn pink.
We all ate until we thought we’d burst, and then Bridget asked if she could play in the water. It was a warm evening, and once I’d gotten her promise that she’d be careful, stay in the ankle-deep shallows and within view of her father and me. I gave my permission.
Flynn lay back on the blanket with groan. “I don’t think I can move again for at least a week. You’ll have to stand guard over me until I can get up.”
I laughed. “You’re on your own, buddy. I happen to know the mosquitos’ve started coming out, and down here they bite like a son-of-a-bitch.”
He feigned shock. “Why, Miss Reynolds, such language. And in front of your child.” He shook his head, tsk-tsking the whole time.
“She can’t hear anything from down at the water, and she’s not paying any attention to us at all. She’s playing water sprite.”
“Well, in that case . . .” Flynn reached for my hand and threaded his fingers through mine. “I’ve been waiting all evening to hold your hand.”
I couldn’t help my smile. “Oh, really? Well, you’ve shown great restraint, then.”
“I’d say so.” He tugged a little, throwing me off balance so that I landed on his chest, my boobs pressed against him and my hand pinned between us. “Now, this is even better.”
“What’re you doing, Flynn?” I swallowed, wondering if he could feel my heart pounding against him.
“I’m holding you. I’m enjoying feeling you against me. You might even say I’m canoodling with you. Isn’t that what people do on picnics, after they eat? They canoodle?”
I shifted, bringing my head back just far enough that I could see him better. “I don’t know. Is that what’s traditional?”
He rubbed his hand in slow circles, up and down my back. “I remember being on a picnic with you, at another spot on this very river. Just the two of us. And after we ate, I undressed you. And kissed you. And touched you here.” He slid his hand to cover one of my breasts. “And touched you here.” The same hand shimmied lower, to cup me between my legs. “And I made you come for the first time. Do you remember that?”
My breath was coming in shallow gasps. “Of course I do.”
Flynn lifted his head to whisper in my ear. “If we were alone right now, I’d do it again. I’d make you come, over and over, until all you could remember was my name and all you could feel were my fingers and my lips.”
“Mommy? What’re you doing?”
I jerked away from Flynn, trying to sit up, but he had a grip on my arm. “Mommy’s fine, honeybunch. She’s just canoodling with me.” He grinned, and I was pretty sure my whole body was about to burst into flames.
“What’s canoodling?” Bridget crossed her arms over her chest, one eyebrow raised in skepticism.
“It’s what two people—two grown-up people—do when they like each other very much. And I like your mother very much.”
My daughter shifted her stare to me. “Do you like Daddy very much, too?”
I licked my lips, and Flynn rubbed his hand on my hip. Like I needed another distraction. “I—yes, Bridget. I like your daddy very much.”
She nodded. “Okay, I guess that’s all right. Is it time for cookies yet?”
Flynn pushed himself to sit up, holding onto my hand all the while. “I think we can make that happen.” As he reached for the basket, he lowered his voice so that only I could hear him. “Funny, I was just wishing for the taste of something . . . sweet.”
I swatted his arm. “Flynn Evans, you’re incorrigible.”
Laughing, he brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “Oh, I try, sweetheart. I do try.”
The week after our picnic, the nightly telephone calls between Flynn and me took on a decidedly sensual tone. His game of do-you-remember tended toward very private moments we’d shared.
“Do you remember the first time you let me touch your boobs? I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. And the first time I got your bra off? I could hardly walk for a week after.”
I giggled, which was something I was doing a lot lately on these calls. “Why couldn’t you walk?”
“Because every time I saw you in school, if you were passing me in the hall or worse, if we were in class together, all I could see was you lying next to me, with no shirt or bra on. Instant hard-on.”
I stuffed my pillow over my mouth to muffle my laughter. The last thing I needed was to explain to Sam or Bridget what was making me laugh. “Oh, God, Flynn, really?”
“Yeah, really.” He sighed, long. “You have no idea how tough life is for teenaged boys.”
Another night, another phone call: “Do you remember the first time you touched me? And the first time you went down on me? Oh, my God.”
I smiled. “What I loved was that you and I were so open about everything. Remember? When we wanted to try something new, we talked about it. We discussed it before we did it.”
“Yeah. I used to hear other guys talking about how things were with their girlfriends. No one was like us. I never said anything about you or our sex life, because I knew they’d be so jealous, they’d try to win you away from me.”
“It wouldn’t have worked.” I brushed the hair out of my eyes. “I never wanted anyone but you, Flynn. From our first day of freshman year until . . . until graduation. There was no one else who existed for me but you.”
“It was the same for me.” The silence that followed was comfortable, filled with promise instead of regret. “Ali, this weekend, when Bridget’s in Savannah with Sam and Meghan . . . would you have dinner with me?”
I had been hoping he would ask but telling myself not to expect it. I hugged my arms around my middle. “I would. But why don’t you come here, and let me cook for you?”
He didn’t answer right away, and I wondered if I’d pushed too far. After all of our conversations this week, I was so turned on that I could only think about getting him alone, recreating out some of the memories we’d been discussing. But maybe I was moving too fast. I opened my mouth to take back my offer, but Flynn spoke first.
“I don’t want to push you, Ali. But I have to tell you, if I’m alone with you in a house where no one’s going to be there all night . . . I can’t promise I won’t . . . push a little. I’m back to having trouble walking around. And my mother thinks I’ve developed a weird clean fetish, I’ve been taking so many damn cold showers. So before you ask me to dinner at your empty-all-night-house, are you sure this is what you want?”
I was about to tease, to play bashful, but I remembered what we’d both said. Being open was who we were. “Flynn, I was hoping you’d get the hint if I invited you over to my empty-all-night-house. I want you. Although I’m pretty sure at this point, all you’ll have to do is look at me to push me over the edge.”
Flynn groaned. “Can I make it two more nights? God, Ali. I could be there in fifteen minutes. Climb up the house to your window . . .”
I laughed softly. “Sometimes anticipation is good for us. Saturday night, Flynn. I’ll have to figure out what to cook for dinner. What’s your pleasure?”
His answer was fast and succinct. “You.”
“HEY, MA, I’M HEADING out. See you later.” I stood at the front door, calling into the kitchen.
She came into the foyer, drying her hands on a dishtowel. “Okay. Have you heard anything from Bridget? Is she having a nice time in Savannah?”
“Yeah, they got there fine—Meghan texted me—and then Maisie’s mom sent Ali a picture of all the girls at the Pirate House. Looks like they’re having a blast.”
“Good.” My mother opened her mouth as though she were about to say something and then shut it. “Well, enjoy your dinner tonight.”
“I will. Oh, and uh, Mom, don’t wait up. I’m pretty sure I’ll just spend the night out at the farm.”
Mom’s lips pressed together, but she nodded. “Oh, yes, of course.”
I paused, my hand on the doorknob. “Mom, do you have something you want to say to me? You look like you’re about to burst.”
“No, I just . . .” She sighed. “Flynn, I know you’re old enough to make your own decisions. You’re a father now, you’ve lived on your own for a long time. But I’m going to be a nibby-nose mama anyway. Are you sure you know what you’re doing with Ali?”
I leaned back against the door. “Yeah, I am. I’m probably surer about this than anything else in my life.” I looked up the steps, into the shadows. “Ma, I never stopped loving Ali. Never. We were young and stupid, and we made mistakes, but we’ve been given a second chance. I’m not going to screw it up again.”
She regarded me steadily. “And it’s not just because of Bridget? Because you won’t be doing Ali any favors if it is. It’s admirable to want to be there for the mother of your child, but be sure, Flynn.”
“I thought you liked Ali. When we were dating . . . you treated her like a daughter.”
“I adore Ali. I always have. And if you truly love her, Flynn, no one will be happier for you than me. Your father . . .” She paused, shut her eyes for a minute and crossed herself. “God rest his soul. He always told me you and Ali were going to end up back together. He loved that girl, and it hurt him that we were estranged. We never stopped liking her, sweetie, but we didn’t want to interfere with her life after you left.”
“I never want to lose her again, Mom. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I won’t.”
My mother nodded. “What’re you going to do about work, Flynn? I know you’ve been turning down jobs. But pretty soon, you’ll need to do something.”
I rubbed my hand over my chin. “I know. I’ve been hoping for a shoot to come along close by, where I could go do it and be back in a day. Even DC would be doable. But everything I’ve been offered has been overseas. I don’t know what to do.”
She patted my shoulder. “You could always teach photography at the high school. Think what you could offer those kids.”
The idea of teaching in Burton unleashed a torrent of dread in my chest. As long as I focused on Ali and Bridget, staying in Burton was fine. But when I began contemplating taking a job, becoming part of the community . . . it felt like I had a heavy weight around my heart.
“It’s something to think about. I gotta run, Mom. Ali’s cooking, and I don’t want to ruin her dinner.”
“Of course, sweetie. Run along. Oh, and why don’t you plan to bring both Bridget and Ali to Sunday dinner tomorrow?”
I leaned to kiss my mother’s cheek. “You’re pretty awesome, you know that, Cory Evans?”
She smacked my backside. “Get out of here, you. Behave yourself.”
“Never.” I waved at her and closed the door behind me, climbed into my truck and aimed it for the highway. I couldn’t get to Ali fast enough.
The ride out to the farm seemed to take three times as long as it normally did. I was unreasonably nervous, my leg bouncing up and down as I cruised down the road. I hadn’t even been this keyed up the first time we’d had sex. Of course, then I’d had no time to be nervous.
Ali and I had stuck to our promise to talk about everything when it came to our physical relationship. Although we hadn’t taken the final step to actual intercourse yet, by the early spring of our junior year, we’d done pretty much everything else. I’d given Ali her first orgasm, and then she’d given me my first hand job—by someone who was not me, of course. We’d ventured into oral sex, although I’d never expected Ali to take to it so enthusiastically. She was open to trying almost anything, and I was diligent about finding new things for us to try. It wasn’t exactly a hardship.
We had more freedom than many of our friends, because Sam was so consumed with the farm and the stand that he couldn’t be around to keep his eye on us all the time, or even very often. We spent lazy afternoons next to the lake or down at the river, and when we could, we took advantage of her empty house and her bed.
On the first truly warm evening of that spring, we’d gone to our favorite spot by the lake. We’d long since abandoned the car for a blanket on the grass, and after a particularly chilly winter had confined us to her porch and a few heated sessions in the front seat of my car, I was more than anxious to be out on that blanket with Ali.
We made short work of our clothes, and I was raised over her body, kissing the slope of her breast. She clutched the back of my head when I moved to take one taut pink nipple between my teeth. At the same time, I slipped two of my fingers between her legs, groaning when I felt how wet she was.
“God, babe, you feel so good.”
Her hips pistoned against my hand, and her small fingers captured my cock, which was the best feeling in the world ever. I caught my breath and growled.
“Flynn.” Her whisper floated down to tickle against my ear.
“Yeah, babe.” I was focused on not coming too soon, trying to hold back.
“Don’t stop.”
“I won’t. Wait, don’t stop what? You mean here . . .” I swirled my tongue around her nipple. “Or here?” I rubbed my thumb over her clit, expecting her to tell me both.
“I mean, don’t stop. Let’s not stop tonight. I want you . . . inside me. I don’t want to wait anymore.”
My heart stuttered, and I pushed up to look at her face. “What? You want . . . tonight? Now?”
“Yes.” She curled her hand around my dick and moved them up and down. “Now. Tonight. Please.” She hesitated, opening her eyes to meet mine. “Oh, damn, do you have . . . you know? A condom.”
“Yeah.” I rolled to the side and brushed my hand over her flat stomach. “I’ve kept a package in the glove box of my car since we started talking about it.” I stood, still nude, and leaned in through the open car window to fumble with the box. I managed to get one in my hands and went back to lie down again.
Ali tilted her head back and touched her lips to mine. “Are you okay with this? I mean, we don’t have to if you don’t think . . .”
“Oh, my God, babe. No. I mean, yes. Yes. I’m ready and I’m okay with it. As long as you are.”
“I love you, Fl
ynn. I want to be with you, all the way.”
I brushed her hair out of her face. “I love you, Ali. All the way.” I slid my hand back down her side and between her legs.
“What are you doing?” She sucked in a breath as I circled my thumb over her clit. “Aren’t you going to—aren’t we—”
“It’ll be better for you if you come this way first. I want to make it as good for you as possible. If you come before I enter you . . . it might not hurt as much. Or so I read.” I slipped two fingers inside her, stroking the spot on her inner walls that made her go wild. She arched her back, her breath coming in short gasps, and then I pressed my thumb over the small bundle of nerves and brought my mouth to her nipple. Ali tensed, her hips raised as her fingers dug into my back.
“Flynn . . . oh, my God, Flynn. Oh, God.” She fell back onto the blanket as I stroked her down from the orgasm. “That was incredible.”
“You’re incredible.” I kissed down her neck. “You’re the sexiest, most beautiful woman in the world, Ali. Do you know that?”
“Flynn.” She reached back between my legs. “Please. Make love to me.”
I knelt up and ripped open the condom package. With hands that weren’t quite steady, I rolled the rubber over me for the first time in a situation of real need. I’d practiced putting one on before in the privacy of my own room, but this was a whole different deal. Ali leaned up on her elbows, watching me, which somehow made it even hotter.
“Are you sure?” I needed to ask again, to make sure she knew she could change her mind any time.
“Flynn, I’m so sure, I’m about to roll you onto your back and take you myself.”
I choked on a laugh. “Okay, I get it.” I held her face and lowered my lips to hers. “I just want you to know, Ali, that I love you, and I’ll never leave you. As long as I live.”
She wrapped her arms around my back. “As long as I live.”
I positioned myself between her thighs. I’d listened to enough guys in locker rooms and read enough stuff on line to realize that taking a girl’s virginity was a dicey business. It might hurt her. She might cry. She might bleed. I was going to do my best to make it good for her. But she was taking my V-card too, so we were all newbies here.
The First One Page 18
