by Raina Wilde
For some reason, this was a comfort. Of course Graham's sister would have a bias in the matter, but it certainly wouldn't be as heavy a bias as Graham himself. Besides, she seemed upright enough – and Christy could walk away at any time if she didn't like what she was hearing. Right?
Once they were inside the salon, however, she realized she wouldn't really have to run. The sister's face was soft; she seemed concerned more than preachy.
“So – as I think you've guessed? My name is Georgia. I'm Graham's sister. ”
“Pleased to meet you, ” she said, voice quiet. Her manners were drilled into her at a young age; even now as an adult she couldn't forget them, and polite words came out automatically. “How can I help? ”
“Well, ” she said. “It's Graham. Obviously. Like I said, I think he'd be horrified if he knew I was talking to you right now, but… you see, I like to think I know him very well. ”
“Of course, ” said Christy. She didn't have any siblings, but she knew how close their bonds could get. “He's your brother. ”
“Exactly, and I care about him very much. I saw how happy he was when he was spending time with you. I saw how excited he was about preparing for your dates – and let's be clear, ” she said, giving Christy a look. It was firm, but not unkind. “They were dates. I know this whole thing was supposed to be about sex, but the second I saw him after the first one, it was obvious that it had developed beyond that very quickly. Would you agree? ”
“Well. . . ”
“Be honest, now. He's not here, and neither is your father. ”
Something about Georgia was authoritative enough that she was forced to answer. “Yes, ” she admitted. “I would agree. ”
“Thank you, ” said Georgia. “And it only got stronger every time. I know I'm nobody, and I'm sure you're trying not to think about him right now, but… since you stopped? I've seen him sink so far down. I mean – my brother has been lonely for years, but it's been a very long time since I saw him like this. ”
Christy had seen a hint of that herself outside church, but hearing it now from such a reputable source made it hurt even more. Her eyes dropped to the floor, half in pain and half ashamed. “I'm sorry. ”
“You needn't apologize, ” Georgia said. “You're an adult, whether your father thinks so or not; you have every right to change your mind if that's what you want to do. But forgive me, Christy Robinson. We may never have met before now, but I've seen you around town. You're a sweet kid – very bright and bubbly, normally. Even more so when you were spending time with my brother; I'll admit to a little spying in that respect. But now? ”
She was right, of course. Going back to church and trying to forgive her father wasn't making Christy happy, and Graham really had. Was that really the answer to all of this?
“I want to tell you something, ” Georgia said. “Something I don't think you've realized. And I don't mean that in a condescending way. I mean you're stuck in this situation, trying to find a way out. You're lost, and sometimes that's the hardest place to be. It makes it difficult to think. ”
“Absolutely, ” Christy agreed.
“Alright, ” she said. “What I want you to know is… this is not a 'one or the other' type scenario. I know it feels like it right now, but… it's not. If you want to be with my brother and have a relationship with God, you can. If you want to repair your relationship with your father, then you can. I mean… sure. He's not taking to it very well right now, and that's hard. But soon enough, he's going to realize that he can't control you this way. If he wants to be in your life, he's going to need to accept that. ” She paused, looking out of the window. “None of this is your fault. Don't think I'm saying it is. But… changing your mind and repenting in church like this is going to make him think he's right to try and keep a vice grip on you. And he's not right, is he? ”
Christy shook her head, too focused to respond. Everything Georgia was saying made sense. She was as smart and incisive as Graham had always said – and though Christy couldn't form a sentence right now, her mind was rapidly clearing.
“That's all I wanted to say, ” Georgia promised. “I've said my piece. I'm sorry for pushing my nose in like this, but… I felt it was what I had to do. ”
Christy shook her head again, finally stirring her mouth into motion as her eyes met Georgia's. “No, ” she said. “You don't need to apologize. This has… really helped. You really helped me. Thank you. ”
Georgia smiled, reaching out to tuck a few strands of Christy's blonde hair behind her ear. “Well, good, ” she said. “Then I'm glad. Now… I think you know what to do next. Right? ”
“Sure do. ”
Their smiles mirrored one another, and the room seemed to lighten. She was right. Christy knew exactly what to do now. How hadn't she seen this before?
“And you come see me after, by the way, ” said Georgia, as Christy headed out of the store. “I won't let any girl of my brother's walk around without a nice new haircut - on me of course. ”
She gave her one last grin before she disappeared. “Yes, ma'am. ” And with that, Christy was off – sprinting to her truck as fast as she could in her heels. It was only parked a little way down the street, but now that she knew what she had to do, it felt like it was a thousand miles away. Worse than that, the drive out of town seemed like she was going to a different planet. Usually, the gravelly country roads and vast, stretching fields were therapeutic, but now they were a barrier between her and her personal happiness.
She could only hope that she wasn't too late.
When she arrived at Graham's house, she didn't see any trace of the cowboy in his fields or his paddocks. As such, she was forced to run up to the door, knocking on it so eagerly that she realized it probably sounded like an emergency. Well – she couldn't take it back now, and nor would she honestly want to. The adrenalin was running through her body like electricity.
As she heard the door begin to open, she only had time to clear her throat to prepare. Then, there he was – Graham Sullivan, handsome and heavy-hearted in front of her.
Granted, he looked surprised to see Christy standing there.
“Christy, ” he said. “Is… everything alright? ”
“Maybe, ” said Christy. Sparks danced down her fingertips. She knew there was probably a better way to do this, but she couldn't wait any longer. They had both already waited long enough. “I'm sorry. Can I kiss you? ”
Graham blinked, mouth dropping open. “I mean – Christy. Yes; I. . . ”
She didn't pause for another second. She rushed forward into Graham's arms, her own arms wrapping tight around the cowboy's neck to pull herself closer to his body, kissing the man she needed so eagerly she barely had the mental capacity left to hope that it felt good. Luckily, it did seem to be; Graham groaned quietly against her lips, scooping her up with those strong arms, and holding her close and tight.
“I'm sorry, ” Christy repeated against his lips, peppering extra kisses around his mouth. “I just – I panicked, and I didn't mean it, and I'm sorry. I want you. ”
“I want you too, ” Graham assured her, voice strained with the sincerity. “All of you. Not just-”
“I know, ” Christy told him, pressing another hard kiss against his lips. “I know. I know, I know. ”
Graham carried her inside, and the door clicked shut behind them. Unlike the distance that they had put between themselves on that night they had kissed in the car, they didn't spare an inch now – and by the path Graham was taking her through the house, it seemed that he was carrying Christy straight to bed.
She was nervous, sure. But frankly, there was nothing else she'd rather do.
Chapter Twelve
Having Christy here in his arms was more than Graham had allowed himself to hope for over the past few days – but now, here he was. Already he could feel her heartbeat rough and fast against his chest, and when he deposited Christy gently down onto the bed, he saw the flush in her face too, and the dart of her
tongue to wet her pretty, soft lips.
“You okay? ”
Christy nodded, eyes rooted on Graham's. Graham didn't think she'd ever looked so arousing as she did right now, staring right down the barrel of his eyes – like she was begging to be fucked. “I'm okay, ” she promised, voice jagged. “Nervous, but… I trust you. I want you. Anything and everything. ”
Graham grinned, already unbuttoning his shirt, and enjoying the feel of Christy's eyes following his fingers down the line of his chest. Soon enough, he discarded it, and pulled his undershirt over his head; she gasped quietly at the sight of him and his well-toned muscles. Thank goodness for all that hard farm work. It certainly gave her something to look at now.
Far more appetizing, however, was the sight of Christy herself. As Graham continued on to unbutton his own jeans, he watched as Christy fiddled with the zip at the side of her white cotton dress. She was so beautiful; everything Graham wanted was in her beautiful soft skin and her rippling, womanly curves – the swell of her generous breasts. As she pulled off her dress, he caught sight of them in the captivity of her bra – and then, with one shy gesture, she unclasped that bra. As it fell to the floor, his eyes were pulled to her breasts, and the sweet sight of her slowly-hardening nipples.
She was stunning.
He sunk down to kneel by the bed, pressing kisses to every inch of Christy's skin that he could reach. Already he thought he could see a wetness beginning to form on the fabric of her panties, but for now he pretended he hadn't seen it – he simply worshipped her upper body, trailing his lips over her stomach and then up over her breasts to press a teasing kiss against her nipple, tongue flicking out against it for the pleasure of Christy's eager whine.
“You're beautiful, ” he told her – though Christy scoffed.
“Have you seen yourself? ”
Graham laughed, standing back to shuffle out of his jeans before crawling back down to press a fond, long kiss against Christy's lips. This still wasn't just about sex, after all. She needed to know that.
“Really, ” Christy insisted, voice sharp against the sweet contact of Graham's lips. “You – you're so handsome. You could have anybody. I still don't understand why you'd choose me, of everyone. ”
“I feel the same way about you. ”
That seemed to surprise Christy, and her face flooded with fresh color that spread down into her cleavage as the pleasure of that honest truth sank in. Her color only got richer as Graham finally allowed one of his hands to drift down over Christy's thigh, and then up over the front of her panties. Graham enjoyed the sound of the quiet gasps as Christy registered the sensation, eyes fluttering shut as her body flickered with pleasure under Graham's hand.
Technically, it wasn't so different to sleeping with his wife – only this time, it wasn't out of routine. This time, his partner was everything he had ever wanted and then some.
“Relax, ” he purred by Christy's ear, hand rubbing more intently at her pussy over the surface of her panties now. Graham ignored his own hardness for the time being, totally focused on flooding his younger partner with this sensation. She was so pliable and so responsive; Graham felt he could dedicate hours just to seeing the way Christy reacted to various different things.
If he was lucky, he reminded himself, he'd actually be able to do that. If Christy really wanted him like this, then they had all the time in the world.
“Feels good, ” Christy croaked out, arms winding around the back of Graham's neck again as she gave in to the sensation. She gave a sharp cry as Graham's fingers slipped beneath the waistband of her panties and rubbed keenly at the bud of nerves that was her clitoris. “Oh, Graham. . . ”
“Yeah? ” he murmured, kissing her shoulder. “Like this? ”
In truth, however, he didn't intend on spending much time like this. He rubbed at her in circles for a while, still planting kisses over her shoulder and her neck, and then moved to peel those panties away for good. He needed better access now. He reached for his bedside drawer, half-watching as Christy's eyes darted between the lubricant and condom in his hands, and back up at his face.
“It might hurt, ” she asked, eventually. “Right? ”
“No. Not if you do it right, ” Graham promised. “You'll feel full, but in a good way. We're going to take our time – stretch you out, have you ready. . . ”
Christy moaned, her nails digging into the back of Graham's neck as she thought about it, tense with the pleasure. She softened up as Graham rubbed a hand down her side.
“Relax, ” he assured her again. “You've got to relax, baby. ”
It was hard to sound so certain when all he wanted was to press his face against her and devour her, but Christy needed the confidence. Besides, it wasn't entirely new for him as it was for her. As he slicked up his fingers with lubricant and positioned them at the entrance of her pussy, he didn't feel unprepared at all.
“Okay? ” he asked. “Ready? ”
“Mmhm. ”
“Breathe out, ” Graham said, tone soothing – and as Christy did, he finally eased one finger inside her at a curve, pausing at her low moan and waiting to let her adjust. “That's it, baby. ”
“Yes, ” Christy said, incoherent against Graham's shoulder. She was gripping so tight that it'd bruise tomorrow, and there was every chance her nails were cutting into him, but Graham didn't mind. He wanted signs of Christy's desire for him all over his body.
After a few seconds of working her open, he added another finger. By the sound of her voice, the stretch seemed almost too much for Christy, but the look on her face was pure bliss. “You tell me to stop if you need it, ” Graham assured her, wanting to be certain.
“Don't you dare. ”
He grinned. This was all the confirmation he needed – and so he continued, gently scissoring his fingers to open his lover up. Christy rocked gently against his hand and keened at the brush of his thumb against her clit, voice high-pitched and eager as she wordlessly begged for more. After some time, Graham felt by instinct that Christy was ready – that she needed more. That she wanted Graham.
“Okay, ” he said. “Are you ready? ”
“Oh, Graham, please, ” Christy begged, pulling away from his shoulder to press a desperate kiss to his lips. “God, I want you so badly. ”
“You can tell me what you want before I ask, ” Graham teased, pressing another few kisses to her lips. “You know that, right? ”
With that, he slicked himself up. He couldn't wait for the sensation, and yet he knew it was only moments away; frantic, he pumped a little more lubricant onto his hand and rubbed it over Christy again, determined not to hurt her in any way. This had to be good. This had to be perfect.
“I want you, ” Christy told him, lying on her back on the bed. As Graham lifted her legs and put them around his hips, eyes and heart full of feelings far too strong for the short time they'd spent together, he nodded.
“I want you too. ”
He guided himself into Christy with bated breath, watching carefully for any signs of pain – but all he saw, aside a little strain, was blissful pleasure. The sound Christy made was wild and heavenly, like he was already fucking straight to her core. Her eyes squeezed briefly shut and her mouth stayed open, breath heavy.
“God, Graham; oh, yes. . . ”
“Christy. . . ”
After giving her a few moments to stretch and get used to the sensation, Graham was finally ready to move in her – and when he did, in a slow and deep rhythm, he knew that he had never really been alive until now. He'd been fucking the wrong people; he'd been loving the wrong people. He was supposed to be here with Christy, rocking into her tight, sweet body with his hips like this – seeing the blonde arch up against him and take it, bleating out raw sounds of pleasure.
He spared a hand to rub circles on Christy's clit, timing the rhythm with his thrusts for her pleasure. He didn't want to go too hard, as this felt like more than a fast, hot fuck – but soon he felt both his and Christy's p
eaks approaching, and he couldn't hold on any longer. He sped up, hitting deep inside Christy over and over again as she cried out, begging him for more.
They were so close, and so close to coming together – and then it happened. He watched Christy tip over the edge first, eyes squeezing tightly shut again as her limbs flooded with ecstasy and she cried out Graham's name like a prayer.
“Graham. ”
He couldn't last after that. Seeing Christy so empty and so full all at once, pinned up by her own pleasure, was too much. Graham came hard inside her, feeling the twitching end of her orgasm around his cock, and he slowed the rhythm as they both rode it out, lost and found together on his old ranch bed.
It took a while for them to come to, but when they did, Graham found that they had come to each other's arms. Christy was curled up against him, lashes lightly tickling his arm as they batted slowly against his skin, and those beautiful blue eyes were looking up at him like he was some kind of god.
“That was incredible, ” she said, voice rough and tired. “Graham – that was. . . ”
“Yeah, ” Graham agreed, briefly tightening his grip around her and rubbing fondly at her shoulder. Her breasts pressed up against his body, soft and full. “It was. And so much more than just sex. ”
Christy's smile was broad and easy, and though she was too limp to move quickly, she leaned up to give Graham a keen, messy kiss. It felt almost like the first time they'd kissed. Maybe it was just the first time they'd kissed as a couple. After all, there was no denying it now. They were undoubtedly meant to be together.
“I think I love you, ” Christy told him, her hand twisting lazily through a few strands of Graham's hair. “Is that crazy? ”
“No, ” Graham told her. “Not at all. I think I love you too. ”
He paused, head reeling in the silence and the warmth of the room.
“No, screw that. I know I do. ”
Christy laughed quietly, giving his jaw a soft kiss. “Well, then, so do I. And maybe we should stop being so tentative about things. ”
“You're right, ” Graham agreed, rubbing her shoulder again. “Nearly cost us… well. This. I'm not risking that again. ”
