by M. E. Parker
I couldn’t tell if she was having trouble believing me or if she was just curious, but I wanted to be honest with her. “She was…I don’t know. You have to know her. She started talking about getting married when we were eighteen. The truth is, I guess I didn’t trust her not to get pregnant on purpose. That sounds shitty I know, but looking back on it, I guess I didn’t really trust her not to sleep with anyone else either. I just didn’t trust her.”
Claire raised an eyebrow at me. “But you trust me?”
I looked her straight in the eye. “Yeah. I do. I don’t know why. We barely know each other. But I do. You shouldn’t trust me either, Claire, but here we are. This is crazy, whatever this is between us, but it feels right to me. Are you feeling this too?”
She blushed and smiled at me. “I told you earlier, I knew it was right—so yes, I feel it too and I trust you. And yes, it’s crazy.”
I laughed and bent down to kiss her. Her stomach growled. “Are you hungry Freckles?”
“Apparently so. I have no idea what time it is.”
“It’s midnight.”
“Holy crap. I guess we slept for hours.”
“You wore me out,” I said as I winked at her. “Stay right there. I’m going to get you something to eat and start a fire, so we don’t freeze tonight.”
I jumped out of bed and found an old pair of flannel pajama bottoms in the dresser and slid them on. She moved to get out of bed. “I’ll come with you.”
“No way. Stay there. And whatever you do, don’t put any clothes on.” She laughed and threw one of the pillows at me.
I came back in the room a few minutes later with a slice of apple pie that Suzie had sent from the diner. Her eyes lit up when she saw it. I fed it to her in bed, while she was naked. It was sexy as hell. I wanted to take her again. But I knew she had to be sore. So, we sat and talked for hours. I swear, talking to her was as fulfilling as making love to her. She was smart, kind, funny, and so fucking adorable. Part of me wanted to desperately believe that I wasn’t hooked on every single word that she said, that one minute hadn’t passed since I met her that I didn’t think of her, that I wasn’t mesmerized by her gorgeous eyes, or that our bodies weren’t destined to be together. But each second, I spent with her led me closer to the truth, she was everything I ever wanted and that scared the livin’ daylights out of me.
I woke up with her wrapped in my arms, clinging to her like I was afraid she might slip away. Her little fingers were wrapped around my wrist and she was tugging gently on it as she tried to move out of the bed. “Where do you think you’re goin’ pretty girl?” I rasped without opening my eyes.
She giggled. “It’s time to get up sleepy head. We have to go to work, remember?”
I had totally forgotten that I promised she could “work” with me on the farm today. I opened one eye and looked at my watch and groaned, “It’s six a.m. and we don’t have to be in a hurry today.” I pulled her in closer to me.
“Yes, we do Jack, I thought we were going to feed the animals?” I could hear the excitement in her voice. I realized I hadn’t texted my stable hand, Luke, to tell him I was going to take care of them this morning. If I didn’t hurry, he would be there before we even made it to the barn.
“Are you sure Freckles? I could just show you around the farm later today and you could help me work another day. I’m due for a day off anyway.” I brushed some hair back from her face and kissed her on the cheek, then her jaw, then her neck. I didn’t want to stop there.
“No way Jack. Quit tempting me. We are working today. You promised!” She wiggled away from me and jumped out of the bed. “I’m taking a shower. I’m so excited to see the farm, I can’t wait!” I watched her ass sway into the bathroom. There was no question, I was going to give her whatever the hell she wanted.
I grabbed my Blackberry from the nightstand and texted Luke.
Me: Don’t worry about coming in today, I’ve got it covered.
Luke: WTF???
Me: Everything’s fine. I’ll explain later.
Luke: Is something wrong?
Me: No Luke. Enjoy your PAID day off.
Luke: ????
I didn’t answer. But I knew what he was thinking, he was probably worried about his job. I knew I would need to call him later and explain. This wasn’t like me at all. I felt like I’d lost my damn mind. I treat my workers well. I think they respect me for the most part. But I sure as hell don’t go around giving days off with pay for no reason, there was always work to be done.
I didn’t want to show up with Claire down at the barn with Luke there. I love the guy, but he has a big mouth. I needed to tell her that the farm was mine, and that, hell, I owned most of the damn county. I needed to tell her that that big monstrosity of a house was mine. But I wanted to do it on my own terms. I didn’t want Luke blurting it out.
I heard the shower kick on. I couldn’t help but make my way to the bathroom. “Hey Freckles, you need any help in there?” I walked over to the tiny shower and opened the glass door. She turned around and let out a little yelp. I couldn’t help but watch the droplets of water pouring over her soft body. I couldn’t stay away.
“Jack!”
“What?” I said, stepping into the shower behind her. She grinned at me. “Why not save water and time?”
She laughed and turned her head away, “Somehow, I don’t think we’ll be saving either of those.” I wrapped my arms around her and pressed my body into her hers.
“Mornin’ Freckles.” I kissed her on her neck. “How are you feeling?”
I felt her breath hitch. “Just right,” she whispered.
“You sore?”
“A little.”
“Let me wash you.” I took some shower gel and lathered it up in my hands and began massaging her shoulders and back. God, she was beautiful. She let out a little moan. I could tell she was turned on and I wanted to wait to make love to her again, but I didn’t want to hurt her.
I moved my hands around her and began to rub the soapy water over her breasts. I played with her nipples, tugging on them and then caressing them. She pushed back against me. My erection was pressing against her back as I moved one hand down between her legs and kept the other on her breast. She moaned again, and my name spilled from her lips in a whisper.
“I just want to make you come this morning, that’s all.” Her breathing increased as I rubbed my fingers between her folds. I concentrated on her clit, rubbing it in circles. She squeezed her thighs tight together as I rubbed her faster and harder. She laid her head back on my shoulder and moaned.
“Oh god Jack, that feels…” She didn’t finish. I kept rubbing her clit as I played with one of her nipples, pulling one and then lightly pinching it, and then caressing it again. I could tell she was about to fall over the edge when she cried out. Damn, as much as I wished I was inside her hot body, I loved watching her come. It was fucking gorgeous.
I spun her around to kiss her with everything I had. Our mouths were devouring each other as the warm water splashed down on us. My erection was tight against her stomach. She pulled back and looked at me. “My turn.” She grabbed the body wash and poured it into her hands and started to lather up my chest, they quickly moved down my abs until she brushed over my erection and down to my balls. I lost my breath for a second at her touch. She wrapped her fist around my dick, grazing the top of it with her thumb, “I want to make you come.”
“Oh god, Claire—I don’t know.” I groaned as she began to pump me over and over. It was incredible to feel her soft hand on me with the soapy warm water. I had to brace my hands against the shower wall to keep standing as she slid her hand up and down my throbbing shaft. “Jesus Claire, I’m going to…” She reached down with her other hand and started massaging my balls and I felt them tighten. “Claire!” I growled as I felt my release spurting up, covering her soft, creamy stomach and breasts. I couldn’t catch my breath. The whole damn thing was so fucking hot. “Fuck. Claire, I’m sorry, I should hav
e warned you.” She looked down as she moved her hands up to my chest and pushed against me connecting her mouth with mine.
She whispered on my lips, “God that turned me on so much, is that weird?” Her breath was heavy.
“I don’t know, but it fucking turned me on too. So, if it’s weird, we both are. I loved coming all over you. It makes me think your mine, is that weird?”
“No, because I am yours, Jack.” She said kissing me again.
“God, I want to believe you so much, pretty girl,” I whispered against her lips.
I washed her again and then washed her hair and conditioned it as she giggled. We traded places and she washed my hair. I was hard again before I ever got out of the shower. She looked down at me and laughed. “I told you Claire, you may as well just get used to this. It’s a perpetual state when I’m around you. You do this to me.”
Chapter Nine—Claire
I stood in front of the mirror in the little bathroom staring at my own reflection, my body still on fire from our shower. Jack was in the kitchen making breakfast. I looked the same as always, but I felt different. I felt beautiful. Jack made me feel that way. I brushed the tangles from my wet hair and thought about last night and this morning. I had never been in love before, but I couldn’t help but wonder if that was what I was feeling. Was it even possible for it to happen this soon?
The sex was incredible. It was nothing like I’d ever felt before. I never imagined it could be so good. I can’t believe I waited this long to experience it, but something told me it wouldn’t be like that with just anyone. Jack told me it was different with me than it had been with others and I wondered if he meant it. All I knew was that I felt connected to him in a way I hadn’t ever felt connected to anyone else.
It was more than a physical connection, there was something deeper, more emotional. But he made it clear to me that there had been others, not just Tiffany. I was scared to trust my feelings with Jonathan’s betrayal so fresh, but deep down, I knew I already felt so much more for Jack than I ever felt for Jonathan. I didn’t have one ounce of doubt when I gave myself to him and even if he asked me to leave now, I wouldn’t regret it for a second. But I knew I needed to guard my heart. I trusted Jack, but I wasn’t sure that this was anything more than physical for him. I hadn’t asked for more and he hadn’t promised, but I couldn’t help but hope that he was feeling what I was feeling.
I walked into the bedroom and started digging through my suitcase. I pulled out the one pair of jeans I had with me and pulled them on. I had nothing appropriate to wear. I wish I had at least packed a sweatshirt or hoodie, but I had nothing. I could wear the sweater I had worn the first night, but it was my favorite and I didn’t want to ruin it. I settled on an aqua-colored silk blouse. It was long and flowy and completely ridiculous to wear to work on the farm, but it was all I had. I pulled on my boots. I had managed to clean the mud off yesterday, but they were still discolored, so I wasn’t too worried about messing them up. I went back to the bathroom and braided my hair over to the side. I put on a little mascara and lip gloss and walked into the kitchen to see Jack packing up a cooler.
“Hey, what ya’ doing?”
“Packing us some lunch. Sit down and eat, before your eggs get cold.” He turned to look at me and walked towards me with a wide smile on his face. He grabbed my face with both hands and planted a gentle kiss on my lips that produced what had become a familiar feeling—butterflies in my stomach and an aching between my legs. He took a step back and gazed up and down my body.
I could see him trying to hold back a chuckle, “You look beautiful Claire, but you can’t wear this if you really want to work today.” He reached and rubbed his fingers against the fabric of my blouse. “I’d be willing to bet this dry-clean only. It’ll be ruined.” I couldn’t help but laugh. I still couldn’t figure him out, how would he know that? I’d never met a guy who noticed stuff like that. R.J. was the biggest snob I’d ever met, and I don’t think even he could determine or even bother to notice what type of material my clothes were made of and Jack, a guy who worked on a farm, was worried about my silk blouse.
“I know it’s not appropriate. But it’s all I have, I didn’t exactly pack with this in mind. I could wear the sweater I wore the other night, but it’s my favorite. It’ll be fine, I’m not that attached to it.”
He smirked at me. “Sit down and eat.” He went back to the bedroom and came back with a plaid flannel shirt. “Here. Put this on after you finish eating.” I took the shirt from his hands and without thinking put it up to my nose. I could immediately feel my face turn red as he started laughing.
“Was that really creepy? I love how you smell.” I laughed. He leaned down and kissed me on top of the head and I could hear him inhale.
“No, it’s not creepy. I’m already addicted to your scent.” He kissed me on the cheek.
I inhaled my breakfast and went back to the bedroom and took off my blouse and put on a tank top and Jack’s shirt. It was super long on me, so I tied it around my waist and rolled up the sleeves, but I felt much more comfortable. I walked out, and he smiled. “It looks great on you.”
“I like this. You may not get it back.”
“It’s yours. It looks a lot better on you anyways. If you decide to stay, we should probably go into town a get you some things.” If you decide to stay. I saw a flicker of something in his eyes when he said it, fear, sadness, or worry—I couldn’t be sure. All I knew is that I wasn’t going to go anywhere willingly, he would have to ask me to leave. The corners of his lips turned up a little “I’m afraid your boots may be a lost cause though, I probably owe you a new pair.” I just shrugged. There was no way I’d let him buy me anything. But I wasn’t going to start an argument, I was too excited to get going.
When I climbed into Jack’s old truck, I couldn’t help but worry about his financial situation. I couldn’t let him support me, I needed to find a job fast. If I couldn’t, I would need to dip into one of my investment accounts. I wasn’t going to let him keep feeding me, without contributing anything. I wondered how much his rent was. I wanted to at least pay half of everything. The longer I watched out the window as we drove, the more I knew I wanted to stay here. The place brought me peace in a way I never could have imagined.
I looked over at Jack and my stomach dropped. “So, tell me what we are doing.”
“We are driving to the barn first. From there, we’ll get the Gator and pick up a few things. Then we’ll take care of the chickens, then hogs, then horses, and last the cattle. That’s probably all we’ll do for the day. The horses take some time.” I couldn’t help but giggle with excitement and he shook his head grinning. He laughed as I started peppering him with questions.
“What’s a Gator?”
“It’s like a golf cart, but it has four-wheel drive and a small bed on the back to carry things.”
“Can I drive it?”
He chuckled, “We’ll see.”
“How do we take care of the chickens?”
“We need to feed them, make sure they have clean water, and gather eggs, the usual.”
My excitement was mounting. “Do we get to milk cows?”
“No darlin’ we have beef cattle, not dairy cows.”
My stomach dropped a little. But I couldn’t say much because I enjoyed a good steak just as much as anyone. “So, you’re saying I shouldn’t get attached?”
He laughed. “Probably not. You sure are full of questions, aren’t you, Freckles?”
I smiled at him as I saw the barn come into view, “Are you kidding? I’m just getting started.” The barn was much nicer than I had anticipated. It was a large red structure that looked new with a tin roof and two garage doors. “Are the horses inside?” I asked excitedly as I jumped out of the truck. He walked over and pressed a code into a keypad and one of the garage doors opened. “No, they’re kept in the stable, we’ll see them later. This is mostly storage. Although you will meet Billy, our goat, and you might see a stray kitt
en or two.”
I walked in and tried to take in the massive space. Jack flipped on some lights. It was more of a glorified garage than a barn. The Gator was parked inside and there were tools everywhere and a series of refrigerators and freezers lining the back wall. To the side, there was a glass window and you could see through to an office that was equipped with a new Apple Computer. I was starting to think this farm was a way bigger operation than I ever imagined. I squealed when I saw Billy the goat in the back corner lying down in a makeshift pin on a thick bed of hay. I ran over to him and Jack followed me.
“Can I pet him?”
Jack chuckled, “You can try but he usually won’t let anyone near him but Ted, our farm manager.” I reached my arm over the top of the pin and held out my hand to him. The goat stood up and walked over to me and nuzzled my hand and I began to pet the top of his head. Jack let out a sigh, “Well I’ll be damned. Ted is never going to believe this.” I turned to smile at Jack.
“Does he stay in here all the time?” I asked looking around the dark barn. It seemed like he should be outdoors.
“Well, Ted’s a softy and lets him stay indoors during the winter, but it would probably be good for him to be out grazing today if we could get him outside. He has a pin set up on the side of the barn. Ted has him trained on a leash.” I noticed that he was wearing a harness and I saw a matching leash hanging on the wall behind him. “I’ve never gotten him to go anywhere with me, maybe you’ll have better luck. We’ll give it a try after I get some stuff together. If not, we’ll leave some alfalfa in his pin and get him some clean water. Luke takes good care of him while Ted is gone. I’ll be right back.”
I watched Jack walk towards the other side of the barn. I meant to ask who Luke was, but I was too excited about meeting Billy and I was determined to get him outside to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. I grabbed his leash off the wall and stepped into the pin and attached the leash to his harness. I patted his head and then stroked his beard and told him we were going for a walk. I took a few steps out of the pin and Billy followed. I didn’t have any idea what Jack was talking about. We made it out of the barn and I took a right, not sure which way to go. As soon as I rounded the corner, I saw an empty pin with what looked like a large dog house. I opened the gate and Billy followed inside. There was an empty water bowl, so I grabbed it and closed Billy inside and walked back around the barn to the water spigot I had seen as I walked out to fill it.
