by Alison Ryan
I cried out as I came, his girth splitting me for a moment. I’d never been with someone his size. He was the stuff of pornography, a large thick cock that filled me so completely that I never wanted him to withdraw.
I couldn’t stand the thought of being empty again.
I dug my nails into his back as he quickened his pace, the wetness between us making lewd sounds, only turning both of us on more.
“You’re so wet,” he said. “Fuck. It’s going to make me cum.”
I moaned. His country accent talking filthy to me was the sexiest thing I’d yet to hear in all my life.
“You made it that way, Hayes,” I whispered into his ear. “Please. More.”
Before I even knew what was happening, he had flipped me from being on my back to straddling him.
“Ride me, girl,” he commanded. “Let me see your body go up and down. It’s what I dream about.”
And so I did.
I got off on his eyes raking over my body as I bucked, my hips swaying as I took him. I’d go up and down slowly and then quicken my pace when I needed to come. His thumb would press against my clit at the same time, the sensation making my eyes almost roll back in my fevered head. The pleasure was so intense that it was painful.
He beckoned me to come for him and I couldn’t do anything but what he told me to do. His body was so beautiful, so hard and large, and my body responded to his like it was the only reason I existed.
He took me from behind, my ass slapping against his flat, granite abs as he held onto my hips, his fingers leaving marks from the force of his need. He slammed into me with such power, making me scream. I held onto the headboard for leverage, letting him fuck his years of frustration into my body, happy to take the pain, desperate to be filled with the result of his angry lovemaking.
“Cum in me,” I begged. “Please, Hayes! I can barely take you anymore.”
We’d been off and on for the past two hours. He’d stop to let me catch my breath after a tsunami of orgasm would hit me. But then he’d yank me up again, forcing his hardness back into me, using me for his own gratification.
It was the best hours of my life.
“I’ll decide when I cum, Sarah,” he said. He was behind me again and he bent over while still pumping into me, licking my arched and sweaty back. “You’re mine, girl. You always were. I just need to mark you a little more. So when you wake up tomorrow, hurting, you remember what caused that ache. You’ll know I fucked you and that no one will ever fuck you the way I do.”
I cried out, knowing it was all true.
I knew I was ruined for anyone else. And I always would be.
10
Waking up in his arms was heaven.
And strangely, it was the first time I’d ever woken up with him. It was something I immediately knew I could get used to.
“Good morning,” he said as my sleepy eyes adjusted to the sight of him. I was snuggled into the crook of him, both of us naked.
“Good morning,” I said, kissing his chest. “And I thought last night was a dream.”
“It was as real as it gets,” he said, pulling me on top of him. “And I need more of it.”
We made love that morning, sweet and slow. I loved all the different ways he needed me, but this kind was the love I needed and wanted the most.
It’s always awkward to have breakfast surrounded by smirking men who are well aware that you’re eating at their table because you banged their brother all night.
“So, Sarah,” Huck Calloway said as he passed me a plate of pancakes. “You look like you just woke up. Did you just wake up? Is that Hayes’ t-shirt you’re wearing?”
I rolled my eyes. “I never did like you, Huck.”
He laughed. “Sure you did. Everybody likes me.”
“Not everybody,” said a female voice from the kitchen.
I turned to look. I wasn’t used to hearing another female in a room full of Calloways.
She was a tiny thing, with a head full of gorgeous, wavy brown hair. She walked over to the table and smacked Huck on the back of the head.
“Be a gentleman,” she said. “Or I might change my mind about marrying you.”
I was in awe. I’d never seen someone put Huck Calloway in his place. And certainly no woman.
“It’s Sarah,” he said. “I’ve known her since I was a toddler. She knows I’m teasing.” He grabbed her (I assumed this was the famous Belle Delford) by her waist and pulled her onto his lap. “And you better not change your mind. I love you too much. I’ll be good.”
She kissed his forehead. “You better.” Her attention was on me now.
“Sorry, Sarah. I’m Belle,” she held out her perfectly manicured hand. “I’m really glad to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot of things.”
“Oh really?” I said, looking over at Hayes who was watching this all unfold with a smirk on his face. “Hopefully good things.”
“Amazing things,” she assured me. “Apparently, you’re the love of Hayes’ life and he plans on rotting away alone on this ranch until the day you finally come back to him.”
The smirk was off Hayes’ face now, replaced with a glare. “Jesus, Belle.”
I smiled. I liked Belle Delford. She didn’t put up with shit.
“Well, that does sound pretty amazing,” I replied. “And very interesting.”
Hayes looked at me, sheepish.
Part of me loved hearing this. It was nothing I didn’t already know, but hearing it aloud was fun.
But it also put an urgency on me, a pressure to decide some monumental things. And I wasn’t ready for that. I’d barely been home and I’d been hit with so much. And I did have a very great life back in L.A. Who would I be to drop it all for him?
Then again, how dumb would I be not to?
Suddenly I wasn’t so hungry.
“You know,” I said. “I should really get back home. Momma is probably wondering where I am.”
“I doubt she’s wondering,” said Rick from the refrigerator. “Pretty sure she knows exactly where you are.”
I sighed. “Well. Anyway, Hayes do you think you can get me back?”
“Of course,” he said, pushing his chair away from the table and standing.
“Oh!” Belle called out suddenly. “Did Hayes invite you to the wedding? It’s tomorrow. I know it’s very short notice.”
“He did,” I said. “I don’t know what I’ll wear, but I’d love to come.”
Huck and Belle looked at each other and laughed.
“What’s so funny?” I asked, feeling like I wasn’t in on a joke.
“We’re getting married at the bar,” Belle said. “You can wear anything you damn please and I bet you’ll still be the most dressed up person there… well, besides me of course.”
The bar. Of course. Why wasn’t I surprised?
These were the Calloways after all.
Surprise, surprise, we didn’t go right home. We pulled over halfway for a quickie. I couldn’t help it. I needed him so much, and I didn’t know how long I had him for.
As I was pulling my jeans back on, Hayes spoke.
“Last night was the best night of my life,” he said. “And this morning was the best morning of it. And I’d sure love to keep having the best days of my life. You know. Forever.”
His eyes were sad.
“It was the best of mine too,” I said. “I love you, Hayes. You know that.”
“You can’t leave again,” he said. “Or if you do, you can’t leave without me. Right?”
What was he saying? That he would move to L.A. with me? The idea was almost as preposterous as anything I’d ever heard. Hayes would be miserable in L.A. There was absolutely nothing for him there. Except for me.
Was that enough?
It was a lot to discuss at that moment. So, I did what I did best.
I pushed it aside.
“Let’s just have fun this weekend,” I said. “I love a good wedding. Let’s talk about this after it’s over.
Okay? Because I don’t know…”
“You don’t know what you want,” he said. “Even after 10 years apart from each other.”
He was upset as he turned over the ignition and threw the truck in drive. I didn’t even have time to put my seatbelt on as he pulled back onto the road.
“Hayes,” I said. He wouldn’t look at me. “I’ve been home 3 days. You can’t expect me to have all the answers in 3 days.”
“Maybe not,” he said. “I just figured… it’s so simple for me. All I want is you. For always. Your body, your soul, your heart. That’s all I need. And I thought maybe I was enough for you too. I guess I’m not.”
I should have said he was wrong. That he was more than enough. I didn’t even deserve what he was offering, not after leaving him the way I did. The way I left everyone.
But I didn’t say anything. I was quiet until we got to my house. And then when I shut the passenger door, he drove off before I could say anything else.
Before I could tell him, he was all I wanted too.
The next day was slightly uncomfortable.
I texted him twice, but both times the texts failed because of the shoddy cell service in these parts. I wasn’t sure if he was going to show up, honestly. To pick me up for Huck and Belle’s wedding, to pick me up for anything ever again.
But of course, he showed up. Early as always.
I’d rummaged through my old closet to find anything resembling attire appropriate for a wedding. Whether it was in a bar or not, I wanted to show my respect to Belle. I loved and admired how she commanded it. From me and from Huck. Because honestly, Huck Calloway had always been an asshole. He was cocky, rude, and full of himself.
Any woman who could rock his world was a woman I wanted to be like.
I finally found a floral sundress that was probably a little too skimpy for late summer weather in Montana, but I found a cardigan to go over it and my old pair of brown cowboy boots. It was very Sandra Bullock in Hope Floats where she goes to the dance with Harry Connick Jr., so I figured it would work.
As soon as I stepped out on the porch, I could tell I’d done well. Hayes had a look on his face that told me so.
“Damn,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked me up and down. “You’re the sexiest thing Whitmer has ever seen. The bride is going to hate you, Sarah Beth Acres. You’re about to steal her thunder.”
God, I love him.
I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him, hard, hoping it was an apology. But even though he kissed me back, something was missing. And instead of pressing me against the wall like he would normally do, he let me go.
“We should get going,” he said. “I told Hunt and Rick I’d help set chairs up. And Belle wanted you to help her with girl shit.”
I nodded. “Sure. Let’s go.”
I wanted to cry. But I took a deep breath and got it together. This day wasn’t about me after all. I needed to remember that if I was going to get through it.
“Sarah!” Belle squealed as I walked into the back room of The Side Pocket where she’d set up a makeup counter, her white dress hanging on a hook in the corner where the aprons usually hung. “Welcome to my wedding day. I think you’ll be one of maybe 10 women here today.”
I smiled, sitting down next to her as she rubbed moisturizer on her pretty face. “No bridesmaids? No flower girl?”
Belle shook her head. “Nope. I thought about asking some of the waitresses to step in. But the closest dress shop is 2 hours away, and everyone knows it’s a pain in the ass to buy a dress you’re never going to wear again. So, I thought… let’s make this wedding a party. I hired the girls instead. They’ll be handing out shots of whiskey.”
“That sounds good to me,” I said. “I’ll need a few.”
Belle looked at me, one eyebrow up. “Yeah? All okay?”
“Yep,” I lied.
“Look,” she said, moving her knees so she was facing me now. “I shouldn’t have said what I said yesterday. About Hayes. Not that none of it isn’t true, but that was a really shitty thing to do to both of you. I know you have a lot going on and there’s a ton of history I don’t know about.”
I sighed. “It kind of got really awkward after that, I won’t lie. I mean… I’ve only been home 3 days. But I’m not the same person I was 10 years ago. A lot has changed and… I don’t know. I think Hayes just figures I’ll drop everything and move back here. And it’s not that easy.”
“Isn’t it though?” Belle said.
“Uh, no,” I replied. “I have a career. A home. I’m not someone who is going to drop it all… for a man.”
“It’s not a man,” Belle said. “It’s Hayes. And what you have with him… or what you did have with him… it doesn’t come around often. Or ever. And careers are great. Believe me. And so is money. I know that too. But I have never once, not one time, regretted leaving Kentucky and finding Huck. Whitmer saved me. And you’re lucky enough to be from here. Don’t you miss it? Don’t you miss what was?”
“Sure,” I said. “All the time. But…” I couldn’t believe I was telling this to someone I had just met. “Loving someone, giving them everything you have is terrifying. What if it doesn’t work out?” Tears were falling now. “What if something happens to him? I could lose him and then the pain… The pain would be too much. I couldn’t live through that. I already lost someone I loved. But I love Hayes more than I have ever loved anything or anyone. How can I chance it?”
Belle smiled, her hand on my leg. “Here’s the honest truth: none of us can promise that life won’t come with pain. It most certainly has and will continue to. But that’s why we have to cling to what matters. We must hang onto each other, in this life and the next. Otherwise?” She sat up now. “What is the point? Of any of it? What are you fighting against? Or for? If it only leads to mediocrity? If there is one thing about these Calloway boys… they’re certainly never boring.”
I laughed. “That’s true.”
“Hayes is my brother,” she said. “And he promised to always have my back. And I’ll always have his. So, I tell you this because I love him which means I love you: don’t let him go. Anything can work if you want it to. You should know that. You’re an agent. Don’t you get told that daily by your clients?”
“God, you have no idea,” I said.
And she was right. Anything can work in this life if you want it to bad enough. And if it’s meant to.
I was tired of resisting.
It was time to allow love in.
The vows were the best I’d ever heard at a wedding. Even if it was in a dive bar. Love was in the air.
Belle and Huck were clearly desperately in love. You couldn’t be around them and not immediately want to have what they had. And the thing is… I did have it. What I wanted and needed was right in front of me in a pair of jeans and boots with broad shoulders and rugged handsomeness I would never find anywhere else.
“Hayes,” I whispered in his ear as we slow danced to a Garth Brooks song. “Can we go outside and talk?”
“Sure,” he said. We hadn’t spoken much since arriving at the bar earlier.
But much needed to be said.
As we stood under a dusky Montana sky I took him by his hands and pulled him to me.
“You are more than enough,” I said. “For me. For anyone. I love you, Hayes. And I have no idea how I could stay away from you for a decade. Lord knows I couldn’t do it again. I don’t want to do it again. I can’t. I don’t know how it will all turn out, but if you’re next to me at the end of all this, what does it matter?”
His eyes lit up. I’d said the right things.
He pulled me close and kissed me, the kind of kiss that made me yelp as he tugged me closer.
“You’re staying,” he said after we finally caught our breath.
“For the rest of the summer,” I replied. “And a little bit of the fall. I need to anyway. Momma needs me more than ever. And I need you.” I touched his face. “I always have.”
“You know you’re never going to leave. Not after a few months with me,” he picked me up and swung me around. “I’m going to treat you so good, Sarah. Like no man has ever treated a woman before. There’s no way I’m letting you go again.”
“Good,” I said. “I don’t want you to.”
I wrapped my legs around him as he pushed me against the concrete exterior of the bar. People were streaming in and out around us, but we didn’t care.
It was only us as far as we were concerned.
“Marry me,” he suddenly whispered in my ear. “I know it’s fucking crazy. And I don’t care when it happens. I just have to ask you to. And I probably will tomorrow. Maybe every day for the rest of our lives.”
Tears started rolling down my cheeks. “Yes. Absolutely. You can keep asking, Hayes Calloway. My answer will always be the same.”
“You’re the first girl I’ve ever loved,” he said. “And the last girl I’ll ever love too.”
“Promise me this is forever,” I said. “Promise.”
“I can’t,” he replied, crushing me for just a moment. “Forever wouldn’t be long enough,” he said.
And with that, we kissed again. A kiss that would last for always, the kind of kiss that can only happen in Montana, with the man you were always meant to love.
11
EPILOGUE
Aspen Rivers had called so many times that my phone no longer accepted voicemails. She’d filled up my inbox.
“Sarah! It’s an emergency! I need to see you!”
“Sarah! I know you’re on your damn honeymoon or something, but I am in dire need of your advice. Call me!”
“Okay, I pressured your assistant into telling me where you are. Whitmer, Montana? It doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page.”
“I’m coming to Montana. I mean, Aurora says I need a vacation anyway, that I need to get in touch with my natural side. So here I come!”
