by Fiona Starr
“I like this one, Poppy.” Grandma Lynn taps on my arm.
I can’t help but smile.
The parade starts moving again. “You have to go.”
He doesn’t move his feet, instead he takes hold of my other hand. “Meet me after. At the clock tower.” The float is now past us and about to make the turn around the park.
“You’re going to miss your ride,” I say.
He shrugs like he has all the time in the world. “I can’t leave until you promise me.”
The float is now twenty yards away and still moving. I feel an incredible amount of pressure, like I am the one shirking my parade duties.
I sigh. “Fine. I promise. I will meet you—”
Roman smiles and kisses me with everything he’s got and it literally knocks me off my feet and into his arms. The crowd around us cheers as he puts me into my chair and runs off to catch his float. He hops on board like he’s got wings on his feet and doesn’t miss a beat waving to the crowd.
Grandma Lynn winks at me. “That Roman looks just like his Uncle Pete Chandler did back in the day. Talk about hot stuff. Holy diggety.”
I gape at my grandmother and then catch the last glimpse of the Uncle Sam float before it turns around the corner and out of view.
Chapter Eight
ROMAN
It takes a little bit to extricate myself from the end of the parade, but as soon as I am free, I make a run for it. I cut across the fair grounds and through the park and when I get to the town square, I see her.
Poppy sits in the shade on a bench under the clock tower.
“You made it,” I say.
She eyes me, serious. “You didn’t have to run.”
“You kidding? I was afraid you wouldn’t wait for me.”
“I said I would.” She bristles visibly at my teasing.
“Hey. I am sorry. I meant that you’d have to get your grandmother home or something. I feel like I stepped wrong and I don’t know how to get back in line.”
“Grandma Lynn is at the picnic with her bridge friends.” She sighs and rubs her hands on her knees. “I am sorry. It’s me.” She pauses for a moment as if gathering her thoughts. “I recently ended a long-term relationship because I found out he was cheating.”
I open my mouth to interject but she stops me with a wave of her hand.
“Roman, when we… Um… Yesterday was incredible.” She smiles and then looks away. “It happened so fast. We never had time to even discuss other people or anything like that, and if you’re dating someone else, that’s all right. I have no claim on you… in a relationship. But when I saw you in the bar last night, even if I got it all wrong, it showed me something about myself. I realized that I don’t want to share. And I don’t want to play. I want something real.”
I take her hand and pull her to her feet. “Walk with me.”
We spend the next few hours wandering through town, talking. I tell her about Anna and she tells me about Matt. It’s weird sharing things so openly with another person who I barely know, but with Poppy, I know she gets it. She listens and she understands where I am coming from.
When we get back to the fairgrounds and the town picnic, we stop at the gate. I touch her hand and she laces her fingers through mine. Her touch sends a zing up my arm.
“What is that?” I say. “Every single time I touch you it’s like…”
“…a tiny bomb going off,” she finishes my sentence and smiles.
“Big Bang Boom!” A craggy old voice comes floating toward us from inside the gate. It sounds like a cross between Willie Nelson and Yosemite Sam. We turn and watch the owner of the voice—a naked dude—come twirling around the gate like he’s dancing to music only he can hear and then he shuffles on past us down the road.
He’s tan all over every inch of his ancient body and he’s wearing a sparkly red, white, and blue hat with a matching sparkly pouch for his junk. “Well, glad to see someone dressed for the occasion.”
Poppy smiles and waves at the man as he passes. “Hi, Mr. Freeman. Glad to see you’re doing well!”
He waves over his shoulder without turning back. “Hey there little lady, tell your grandma Dick says hello.”
“Do I even want to know?” I ask, watching him roll into the sunset, the white hair on his shoulders catching the glow.
She shrugs. “He’s harmless. Milltown’s resident nudist. He’s got a whole closet full of holiday pouches.”
I wag my eyebrows at her. “Nudist… perhaps he’s onto something?”
She runs her hands over my shoulders. “Hmm. I think maybe you’re right.”
I take her hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
Back at my place, I lay a blanket on the freshly cut grass in the open field. The evening is warm and still, and the night bugs fill the air with their songs.
“Today was nice, thank you,” Poppy says as she stretches out on the blanket.
I sit down next to her. “I’m glad I found you at the parade.”
She leans back and presses herself against me and we watch the sky, waiting for the fireworks to begin in town.
I move her hair off her shoulder and kiss the back of her neck, letting the surge of heat move through my body.
She shivers. “Gosh that really is something.”
“Big Bang Boom,” I whisper.
Poppy giggles as she turns and climbs on top of me, pulling my shirt up over my head.
“We’ll miss the show,” I say, tipping my head as the first bloom of color fills the sky.
She runs her nails over my chest and bites my nipple. “Oh, I think we can manage our own fireworks right here.”
First Epilogue
ONE YEAR LATER
POPPY
The parade is longer this year. Grandma Lynn and I watch from the sidewalk as the floats roll past, each one with their own piece of the local flavor. As the Stars and Stripes float approaches, I can see Uncle Sam waving and dancing at the top of the gigantic top hat, while throwing candy to all the kids down below.
Roman comes up behind me with a cardboard tray with three lemonades. “He does a much better job than I did.”
I smile at the memory. “Well, the costume was actually made for him.”
We wave up at Tommy as he rolls by. He tosses a handful of Tootsie Rolls in our direction.
“But you made for a better show, my dear,” Grandma Lynn says. She looks up at Roman and winks behind her sunglasses. “I wonder if anything will happen this year to top that.”
“There’s always Mr. Freeman,” I suggest.
Grandma Lynn scoffs. “That old coot and his bedazzled noodle covers? You call that a show?” She waves it off.
“Well, now that you mention it, there is something. I was saving it for later, but if Grandma Lynn asks…”
I watch as Roman gets down on one knee and takes my hand. The spark of heat when we touch is as alive as it was a year ago and shows no sign of letting go.
“Poppy Blaze, you bring me to my knees. I thank god every single day that I get to wake up next to you and feel that kick whenever we touch. I feel like the luckiest guy alive that I get to see the light in your eyes when you smile at me. I’d like to give you the rest of my life. Would you do me the honor of giving me the rest of yours?”
“Yes, Roman, yes! Oh my god. I can’t believe this. I love you.”
He opens the little velvet box and the diamond inside sparkles in the morning sunlight. It’s got a ruby on one side and a dark sapphire on the other. “Red, White, and Blue… like the fireworks when we met and the ones in the sky too.”
I throw myself into his arms and kiss him, letting all the little bombs light up over my skin. “I love you, Roman.”
“I love you, baby.”
Grandma Lynn applauds. “Now that’s how it’s done.”
Second Epilogue
Another Year Later
POPPY
I watch Roman as he stands behind his pickup. His shirt is off, and his sweaty b
ody glistens in the sun. He lifts another two-by-four from the bed of his truck and carries it to his work table on the back porch behind our house. His muscles bunch and flex as he moves and the way his tanned skin looks right now sends a thrill of pleasure right through me that starts in my chest and goes off like a tiny bomb between my legs.
I lean back on the top of the picnic table. “Hey there. Do you work out?” I bite my lip and smile at him, sending him every teasing vibe I can muster. After two years, our relationship has deepened and grown. It’s changed in many amazing ways, but nothing has altered the way it feels when we touch.
Bombs. Little tiny bombs. Every damn time.
He turns to me and smiles, the top of his face hidden by the shadow of his baseball cap. His white teeth flash in the sunlight as the dimple in his cheek deepens. “Only in bed.” He walks over to me, his heavy boots scraping the gravel. “My woman keeps me on a tight workout schedule.”
“Your woman?” I ask. “How does she ever let you out of her sight?”
He growls and wraps his arms around me, his hands on my back, pulling me to him. “Well, she’s one hell of a woman.”
“Oh yeah?” My heart is racing.
“Yeah.” Roman buries his face in my hair and kisses my neck. “She’s all I need.” He’s holding me up so he can touch his lips to mine. His tongue moves over my lips and I open my mouth, letting him inside. I could drink him in, he’s so intoxicating.
Roman presses his thigh against me, spreading my knees so he can get closer to me. He wraps his fist in my hair and pulls my head back, forcing my mouth open as he plunges even deeper into our kiss.
An involuntary moan escapes me and I find myself desperate for more. I can feel his heartbeat racing under my hand as I press my fingers into his pecs. Dear God, please let Roman always have this power over me. Always.
He moves toward me again, leaning over me, grinding his thick cock against the thin fabric of my skirt. A new rush of heat explodes inside me, sending a gush of wetness into my pussy.
I undo his belt and then open his jeans, reaching in to stroke his length. His skin is hot in my hands and as he pushes his pants down, I slide down off the table top and sit on the bench so I can take him in my mouth.
His scent fills me and my mind swims as I suck the head of his cock, rolling my lips and my tongue over the smooth roundness.
Roman groans and grabs me by the hair, holding me as I take him in. “God, when you touch me…”
I moan in agreement. I love that he feels it too. It’s like a tiny electric charge surging through us because when we touch we complete some kind of circuit that leads right to our cores.
Roman pulls away and lifts my chin so we can look at each other. “I want to fuck you on this table, Poppy.”
I nod as much as I can with my chin still cradled in his hand. “Take me, Roman. Fuck me hard. Right now.”
I don’t know if it’s because we started out like a firecracker with our relationship—hot sex first, love later—or if it’s simply because the connection between us is so easy and real, but the dirty talk between us is more than just fun stuff. It’s carnal. It’s raw need and desire and the ability to verbalize exactly what we want when we want it.
It not only makes our sex life thrilling and exciting, it’s also totally fucking hot.
Roman lifts me up onto the table and turns me so my back is to him. His hands are warm on my skin as he lifts my skirt up and rubs my ass, then slides my panties down to my ankles.
I step out of my panties and bend over the table, letting him spread me wide. When I feel his cock pressing against my entrance, I gasp. I can’t help it; it’s like my body knows what’s coming and just can’t wait another second for it.
I look over my shoulder at him, flicking my hair out of my face. “Fuck me, Roman. Show me that you own me.”
His jaw clenches and his eyes blaze with an intensity that makes my whole body thrum. Roman reaches around and fingers my clit, pressing me onto his cock.
I arch my back, opening for him, rocking against his hand. My breath rushes from my lungs. It’s like a slow release as he fills me and I settle onto him, his huge cock stretching me as it glides into my entrance.
“Yes. Roman, yes,” I whimper, unable to make my voice any louder.
Roman pulls me up and squeezes my breast through my tank top. “Oh, god, Baby. You’re so good. So good.”
I reach down to my clit, my fingers moving against my body with an urgency I don’t question. I am so aware of the feel of Roman as he moves inside me, filling me. His hand finds mine and he laces his fingers with mine. We circle my clit together, rubbing and pressing until I am so close to the edge of the world that I can no longer breathe.
Sensing my closeness, Roman quickens his pace. “Oh, yeah baby. I want you to come. Come for me, Poppy.” His voice is thick with pleasure and animal need.
Pleasure rises up inside me like a warm wave, pulsing and rising, filling every curve of my body, pushing through my walls, throwing me over the edge.
My pussy clenches on Roman’s cock and he moans with pleasure. He lets go of my clit and grabs my hips, holding me as he thrusts against me, harder, faster, fucking me raw and rough as he, too, tumbles over the edge with my name on his lips.
He clutches me to him, our bodies slick with sweat and half naked in the summer sun.
Every time we make love it’s like this—heat and need and just power and pleasure.
After a moment, the breeze starts to chill my skin. Roman kisses my neck and straightens, and I take the opportunity to bend down for my panties.
“And what do you think you’re doing with those?” he asks, his brow arched and his smile wide.
I freeze and smile up at him, my panties hanging from my finger. “What would you like me to do with them, Master?”
“You leave them there. I’m not finished with you yet.”
My body is still buzzing from the orgasm he just gave me, but I know I am ready for more. “I see. Forgive me; my mistake,” I whisper, letting my panties fall from my grasp.
“Very good. Now stand up.” His words are rough, a command.
I do as he says and he sweeps me off my feet and cradles me in his arms.
I giggle. “Careful, you’re still wearing your boots,” I say, realizing that he’s going to carry me and walk with his jeans pooled around his legs.
“That’s all right. I’ve got mad skills.” He shuffles across the lawn from the picnic table to the back door, and carries me inside.
“Mad skills?” I echo his words and let my mind fill with the images of all the ways they’re absolutely true. Oh, yes he does. “Lucky, lucky me.”
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The Fireworks Series
Read all the stories in The Fireworks Series!
Her Captain’s Deck
by Dee Ellis
Her Declaration of Independence by
Poppy Parkes
Her Firecracker
by Laney Powell
Her Hot Shot
by Alexx Andria
Her Massive Missile
by Amelia Wilde
Her Private Party
by Alexis Adaire
Her Roman Candle
by Fiona Starr
Her Smokin’ Firefighter
by Tracy Lorraine
Her True Blue
by Sierra Hill
Her Yankee Doodle Daddy
by Rebecca Gallo
August: Cowboy’s Promise
Cowboy’s Promise: A Big Sky Short Story - Copyright © 2019 by Fiona Starr
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Giddy up! Flirt Club is headed west to Big Sky country! Join 11 of your favorite romance authors as we head to Paulson, Montana and wrangle up some of the steamiest stories yet! So hold onto your hats and join us for one wild ride!
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
First Epilogue
Second Epilogue
The Big Sky Series!
Chapter One
CASS
“Aren’t you at least a tiny bit excited to see him?” My sister is hot on my heels as I hurry through the office to the break room. She won’t let it go. “It’s been a year. You can’t tell me you don’t still think about him, Cass.”
It’s been fourteen months, one week, and three days… but who’s counting? “I really don’t want to talk about this, Lou.” I weave through the tables and chairs to the back of the break room and then the supply closet, looking for a place I can go where my sister can’t follow me. I swing the door to the closet open and step into the narrow space between the shelves, bumping into rolls of paper towels, coffee creamer, and copy machine toner. I turn and pull the door closed behind me.
