The Milkman

by Tabatha Kiss

  I look over my shoulder at her cringing face. “We’ll take it slow, all right?” I say. “You want to stop, just tap my arm and say so.”

  “All right.”

  I flick on the headlamp at the front of the carrier tricycle and grip the handlebars in front of me. “You ready?” I ask.

  “Let’s go,” she says.

  “You sure?”

  Kimber gives a nervous smile. “I’m sure.”

  I start pedaling slowly down the street, trying to avoid any bumps along the way.

  Kimber keeps a solid grip on me with her face pressed into my back, eyes barely peeking over my shoulder. I release one end of the handlebars to lay a comforting hand over hers on my waist. She entwines her fingers with mine as we ride out of the town square toward the far end of town.

  After a mile or two, Kimber’s head rises off my shoulder. She begins to glance around. Her grip slowly relaxes. She chuckles lightly behind me.

  I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss her knuckles, happy my plan for how to get her out of town sans a motor vehicle is working as intended.

  Twenty minutes later, the Warner’s farm comes into view off the highway. Country music echoes in the air as red and blue lights illuminate the crowded barn. Dozens of cars line the road leading up to the barn. We pass them by and I come to a stop near the front of the barn.

  I turn in my seat to check on Kimber. “You still good back there?” I ask.

  She laughs. “Let’s go again!”

  “Later.” I hop off the bike and extend my hand. “Shall we?”

  She takes it and slips off the seat, her smile stretching to the ends of her face.

  We go toward the barn hand-in-hand and walk inside. I expect Kimber to drop my hand once we reach the realm of witnesses but she clings to me the entire time. Strings of party lights lead the way, branching off in multiple directions on the walls above banners of red, white, and blue paint. Lucky runs a table of refreshments in one corner. A cowboy hat-wearing DJ sits off in another. People sit around on bales of hay lining the walls. Every other inch of the place is filled with dancing, laughing people.

  The Fourth of July Hoedown of Clover, Kansas is officially in full swing.

  “Hey, you guys made it!”

  We turn toward the little voice behind us and Jovie stands there in a pink cowboy hat with a red, plastic cup in her hand.

  “Hey, Jove,” I say.

  Her eyes drop to our coupled hands for a half-second. “Nice tie,” she tells me.

  “Thank you.”

  She bows at Kimber. “And I love the dress. Very nice.”

  “Thanks!” Kimber glances around. “Where’s Will?”

  Jovie rolls her eyes and points toward the center of the barn. We follow her gesture and there’s Will in the middle of it all, lightly bouncing up and down to the music with Joanne secured to his chest in a bjorn.

  I laugh. “D’aww.”

  “You should join them!” Kimber says.

  Jovie shakes her head. “I don’t dance.”

  “Well, I do,” I say, giving Kimber’s arm a quick tug. “You in?”

  Her eyes flash with hesitation at the crowd but she looks at me and smiles. “Sure.”

  Jovie shoots me a glance but I ignore it.

  I have my Kimber.

  What do I care what anyone else thinks?

  Thirty-One

  Kimber

  Nate holds me against him and it’s like nothing else matters.

  His hand slides along my hip and I completely miss the nearby woman gawking at my face.

  He laughs in my ear and I don’t catch the whispered words from the teenagers behind us as they point at the scars on my arm.

  I spin around, fall right back into his embrace again, and I smirk at Lucky’s envious sneer from behind the refreshment table.

  He looks into me with those playful eyes and I know that none of it matters to him, either.

  The music cross-fades to a slow dance. The crowd adjusts to the sudden change and the couples slide together as groups of singles branch off toward the corners for drinks and rest.

  Nate takes my hand and leads me out of the crowd toward the entrance.

  “Where are we going?” I ask.

  He merely smiles and pulls me along with him outside. We walk along the grass toward his bike again. I turn my head up to fill my lungs with fresh air, enjoying the cool breeze on my skin.

  “They’ll start fireworks soon,” he says. “I want a good view.”

  Nate sits down on the bike seat and I hop on behind him, willing to follow him anywhere. I feel no fear at all as he pedals slowly over the uneven terrain, veering off the main road and away from the other vehicles. We ride about a half mile between the fields until we come to a small fishing pond surrounded by trees.

  “Wow,” I say. “I didn’t even know this was out here.”

  Nate parks the bike beneath a tree and flicks off the headlamp. “Not many do.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  He extends his hand and helps me off the bike. “Yes, you are,” he says.

  His arm slides behind me again and we sway to the music faded off in the distance. I look up into his green eyes, lit up beneath the moon, and he gazes down into mine. He raises my hand to his mouth and he kisses my knuckles with a smile on his lips.

  Our lips meet. My entire body bursts with warmth from my head to my toes. It hasn’t even been two days since we last kissed but it feels like two lifetimes. I never want to go that long without him ever again.

  Nate picks me up and sets me on top of the cooler at the front of the bike. I wrap my legs around him, pulling him as close to me as possible. I cup his face and kiss him again, parting my lips as his tongue begs me to.

  His hands inch up the skirt of my dress. I chuckle, feeling ticklish beneath his crawling fingers.

  Lights burst in the sky. I jump, startled by the sudden boom of fireworks above our heads. Nate laughs and turns his head to watch as another one fires into the air and explodes into red and gold.

  I kiss his cheek, drawing his happy gaze back to me.

  “Take me home with you tonight,” I say.

  “Are you sure?” he asks, whispering in my ear beneath the boom of bright greens and blues.

  I kiss him again. “Yes,” I say. “I’m yours, Nate Scott.”

  He lays a hand on my cheek and slides his thumb along my bottom lip before kissing me again.

  Nate unlocks the front door and turns toward me on the porch. He lays a finger against his lips, signaling me to be quiet and I nod, biting my cheek to contain my giggle.

  He pushes the door open. The house is completely silent and still. The Fourth of July fireworks are long done now. I should be at home with my husband but instead, I’m here. But there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

  I stay close to Nate as he guides me through the dark. He opens a door just to the left of the stairs and I walk through it ahead of him. Moonlight shines through the wide-open window above the bed, basking the entire room in a deep shade of blue.

  “Your room?” I ask after he closes the door.

  “Yeah,” he whispers.

  He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. I tilt my head to the side as his lips graze my neck and he leaves even firmer kisses as he walks us closer to his bed.

  “Is your mother home?” I ask.

  “Upstairs,” he answers as he pinches the zipper of my dress.

  “Is she a light sleeper?”

  “Yes.” He chuckles in my ear. “So, we have to be quiet…”

  I shiver as he pulls my zipper down. The dress goes loose around my shoulders and he slides his hands inside, reaching around me to cup my bare breasts.

  “I need you,” he whispers as he pulls me harder against him.

  I feel his bulge press into my rear. I turn around to kiss him, quickly pushing his jacket off his shoulder and flicking the buttons open on his shirt.

  “Nate,” I moan softly int
o his mouth as I touch his abs. “I need you, too.”

  He guides back around and bends me over the bed as he forces my dress down to my ankles.

  “Spread your knees,” he says as he drops down behind me, taking my panties along with him. “And don’t move.”

  I brace myself against the mattress. His teeth nip at my rear and I flinch, making him chuckle as he laves my crack with his tongue.

  “Shh...” I hear again.

  His tongue brushes my anus and I gasp. I tense up but Nate’s soft massage on my ass tricks me into relaxing. I grip the nearest pillow and press it against my mouth, letting my focus drift to my dancing nerve endings and I hum in pleasure.

  Nate’s hand crawls up my leg and I chuckle softly at the tickle of his fingers along my slit. He taps his fingertip against my entrance while his tongue flicks heaven on my anus. I hold back every moan, dying to cry out and say his name.

  He sticks a finger inside of me and I melt even more.

  “Nate,” I whimper.

  He moves up to whisper in my ear with his finger still deep in me. “Say that again,” he says with a smirk.

  “Nate,” I moan.

  He etches a line into my neck with his teeth as he pulls his finger out and reaches for his belt. “Get up on the bed,” he growls.

  I obey, needing to feel him as much as he needs me. I climb onto the bed, staying on all-fours and spreading my legs a little wider. I turn my head, peeking back to get look at his throbbing cock before he aligns himself behind me.

  He enters my wetness, thrusting as deep as he can. I instantly moan a little too loudly and he quickly slaps his hand over my mouth.

  “Don’t... make... a... sound,” he whispers again, pumping me with every word.

  I arch upward and brace my arms against the headboard in front of me, letting him have his way with me. My ears twitch at every possible noise, anything at all that might indicate movement from upstairs. It fuels my passion for him. The dangerous stupidity of it all churns in my core, mixing

  with the pleasure until I’m nearly screaming into his palm.

  Nate reaches around me with his free hand and teases my clit. I jerk in pleasure as he chuckles in my ear, getting off on my pleasure as much as I am.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he says for only me to hear. “I love what you let me do to this body.”

  I turn my head and he rushes in to steal a kiss from my lips. I want to speak, to tell him that I love what he does to me, but he’s yet again stripped me of my senses. All I can do is lean against him and feel. I feel everything from his thrusting cock to his rubbing fingers and his warm, kissable lips. I dissolve in his arms, welcoming the orgasm he’s so determined to give me.

  His hand cups my mouth again and I bite into his fingers to keep from screaming too loudly. My knees turn weak and he tightens his hold on me, easily cradling me against his body when my strength dissolves.

  We collapse onto the bed together. With a strong hand, Nate rolls me over onto my back and positions himself between my thighs. He lowers down to my face and lays a soft kiss on my forehead. I run my hands over his body while I try and catch my breath, still buzzing from head-to-toe. He kisses my nose and both of my cheeks before landing on my mouth.

  “I love you,” he says.

  I smile. “Are you gonna leave me hanging again?” I ask.

  His lips graze my cheek back to my ear. “No,” he answers. “I love you, Kimber Kyle. And tonight is just the beginning.”

  Nate enters me again and I gasp before I can say it back.

  Thirty-Two

  Nate

  The scent of fireworks still lingers in the air. I smell it before I even open my eyes. I let the memories of last night flash in my head over and over again, popping up in my vision like fireworks.

  When I finally do open my eyes, they instantly fall to the blonde angel lying beside me. Kimber sleeps with her head resting on the crook of her elbow nestled beneath her head. Her chest rises and falls and I hope that scent of fireworks brings the same pleasant memories to her head as well.

  I lean in close to kiss her right shoulder. Her skin is soft and warm like fresh milk. I run the tip of my nose up her shoulder toward her neck, taking in the sweet scent of her as it mixes with the faint burn in the air.

  Kimber lets out a soft hum, just barely stirring from sleep. I won’t force her out of it but I’ll sure as hell nudge her just so I can look into those eyes again. I purse my lips against her forehead and inhale the scent of her hair.

  Her eyelids flutter open on my face, followed quickly by the gentle curve of her smile.

  “Hey,” I whisper.

  She licks her lips. “Hey.”

  She moves to rise but I lay my hand on her side. “No, wait... don’t move.”

  “Why?” she asks, growing concerned.

  “I don’t want you to yet.” I push her hair back behind her ear. “I want this moment to go on just a little bit longer.”

  She smiles and settles back onto her arm. “What time is it?” she asks.

  “I don’t know,” I answer. “I don’t care. Do you?”

  She rolls over onto her back. “Not really.”

  I ease closer, propping myself onto my elbow and resting my other hand on her cheek. I gaze at her for moments, maybe minutes. Kimber. My beautiful Kimber. Everything I’ve ever wanted is lying beside me right now, smiling back at me.

  Why would I ever let this go?

  Why would I ever leave... if this is what I would leave behind?

  Leave him.

  I rehearse the words in my head first, taking a moment to appreciate the full weight of the request. Leave him. Leave your husband. Leave your big house on First Street. Leave your whole life behind to start a new one with me.

  I inhale, ready to say it.

  “Stay with me,” she says before I can.

  I pause. “What?”

  She swallows. “Stay with me,” she says again. She rests her hand on mine over her cheek. “Don’t go away again.”

  My heart jolts in my chest. “You want me to stay?”

  She nods with tears in her blue eyes. “Please.”

  I exhale a shaking breath. “Leave him,” I say. “Leave him for me.”

  Kimber leans upward and kisses me. “I already have,” she says, her lips quivering on mine. “Please stay with me, Nate—”

  I crush my mouth on hers, holding her tightly as her arms wrap around me. I kiss her until I can’t breathe and my lungs beg for air.

  “I’ll stay,” I whisper. I rest my forehead on hers. “I’ll stay for you.”

  She laughs, shaking a tear from her eyes. It falls down her cheek but I quickly banish it away with my thumb.

  “I love you, too,” she says.

  I close my eyes. “Say that again.”

  “I love you—”

  I kiss her hard, unable to hold back the joy in me. She kisses me back with everything she has, wrapping her arms around me to pull me against her. I ease between her legs as morning blood pounds south. Her thighs rest on my sides and her breasts press into my chest as I guide my cock inside of her.

  “Moo-OOOOOO!”

  Kimber startles and slaps a hand over her mouth as Gertie’s big snout pokes in through the open window above our heads.

  I groan. “Dammit, Gertie!”

  She takes a step back and I swear I see a literal grin on her big, damn face.

  “Is she supposed to be out like that?” Kimber asks.

  I twist to look out the window. “No. No, she’s not.”

  “You should go get her.”

  I sigh, my eyes lingering on Kimber’s naked body in front of me and the tip of my cock already very comfortable inside of her.

  She chuckles and lays her palms on my chest, playfully shoving me off her. “Go,” she says. “I’ll wait here.”

  I reluctantly turn and put my feet on the floor. “Don’t go anywhere.”

  “I won’t.”

  “And don’
t put anything on.”

  “I won’t!” She laughs.

  She pulls the blanket up to conceal her breasts and watches on a propped elbow while I throw on my pants from last night and the first random blue t-shirt I find on the floor.

  Before leaving, I lean over to kiss her again. “I’ll be right back,” I whisper.

  Kimber hums behind her smile. “I’ll be right here.”

  My heart bursts, sending sparks throughout my entire body. I kiss her again, easing a leg onto the bed again, but she just shoves me away.

  “Go!” she says. “Before she makes it to the highway.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  I step back, quickly memorizing the image so I can make it through the next few minutes alive.

  I close my bedroom door behind me and step into a pair of work boots by the back door before rushing outside to catch up with Gertie.

  The air is even thicker out here with that firework scent. A thin cloud of smoke lingers above the fields, mixing with a cool morning fog.

  I hook Gertie’s collar. “You think you’re real funny, don’t you, girl?”

  She walks with me, head down.

  “One of these days, I’m gonna have to shackle you. What do you think about that?”

  “Moo-OOO!”

  “Oh, you don’t like that, do you?” I tease. “Well, I don’t like having a cow watch me have morning sex, either. So, I guess we’re both shit out of luck, eh?”

  She says nothing.

  I give her a scratch behind the ears. “You’re all right,” I say, patting her head. “I’m in a good mood.”

  I secure her inside the barn, once again checking for clues as to how the hell she gets out in the first place, and close it up. Flashes of memory come right back as I picture Kimber waiting for me. Naked. In my bed.

  It’s a beautiful Sunday morning in Kansas.

  I skip up to the house and pause by the back door, turning once to look out across the fields again.

  Goddamn beautiful.

  “Good morning!”

  My face drops.

  My mother sits at the table with her coffee mug and a few slices of buttered toast on a saucer in front of her. She smiles wide, but it’s not her normal morning smile. It’s her we-have-company smile.