Billy inhaled deeply, finally able to make sense of it all. He looked at her and let his breath out slowly. She met his gaze but couldn’t read his thoughts. It was as though he were carefully shielding her from them. He nodded, but offered no reply.
“Telling you about Amy, well, it just seemed really intimate to me. Like if I told you about her, it would be because I felt like things were developing between us or there was a possible future for us .But I’m not sure what this is,” she admitted, gesturing between them, and letting out a deep sigh of her own.
Billy still offered her no words, gave nothing away.
Alice was starting to feel exposed, vulnerable. She took a sip of her wine, buying a little time to collect her thoughts.
“I know it seems strange, me not telling you about Amy, but life hasn’t always been easy for the two of us, and I guess in some ways I was protecting her,” Alice offered, closing her words in a way that begged a response from him.
Billy picked up her cue.
“Maybe even protecting yourself a little?” he concluded, exposing her truth.
Alice regarded him carefully, her eyes unwillingly filling with tears. Of course, he was right. She damn well didn’t want to get hurt again. She nodded, causing the tears to spill from her eyes. Billy leaned forward and reached his hand out, wiping them away with his fingertips and smiling affectionately at her.
“Where is Amy’s father?” he questioned, giving her a moment to recover.
Alice shook her head slowly, taking another long sip of her wine.
“That is a long story, are you sure you want to go down that dusty, old road?” Alice asked with a chuckle.
“Tell me,” he urged, his tone compassionate but insistent.
Alice shared the story of her past, how Jerry had cheated on her with her best friend Lane, and how she had discovered it on the evening before their wedding celebrations were to begin. She told him how she cancelled their wedding and that Jerry had taken Lane away anyway, to the very place they were to be married.
Billy shook his head. Alice didn’t share the story very often because it would illicit the very response he was offering her. She didn’t want pity, and she certainly didn’t want people to think she was a victim.
“That was a bitch move on his part,” Billy said matter-of-factly, his response surprising her.
Alice nodded and chuckled softly.
“Yeah, it really was. Who does that?” she agreed, grateful he lightened the mood.
“A little bitch, that’s who,” Billy jeered scornfully.
Alice nodded, a wry grin on her face.
“Anyway,” she continued, “a few weeks later I took a home pregnancy test and it turned the stick pink. I had all the symptoms, couldn’t keep a damn thing down. At first, I chalked it up to nerves, but then I realized that my period was late. Really late. I had been so wrapped up in all the wedding plans and the drama that ensued, that I hadn’t really been paying attention to my cycle,” she said, deep in reminiscence.
“Jerry did try to reach out to me when he got back from his vacation, but I didn’t want to see him. A few months later, when I started showing, I knew I had to finally deal with him. I met him for a coffee in town and told him the ‘happy news.’ Needless to say, he wasn’t happy. He basically told me that he wouldn’t be trapped in a relationship with me, baby or no baby,” she confided, shaking her head. “I happily reminded him that we didn’t have a relationship.”
Billy held out his hand to her and she looked at it for a moment, then met his eyes. They held no pity whatsoever. In fact, he just looked curious. She smiled and took his hand, holding it loosely in the space between them.
“Anyway, I told Jerry that I was going to have the baby and that as far as I was concerned, I didn’t want him in the picture. He didn’t put up much of a fight. He told me that things had been pretty rough for him since the breakup, people judging him harshly and such.”
Alice paused, laughing when Billy rolled his eyes.
“He really had no one left but Lane,” she continued. “He told me that they would be eloping in Vegas in a month and then continuing east, moving to North Carolina. He said he wouldn’t send me child support, and not to depend on it. That didn’t surprise me. I told him that as long as he never came back or tried to reach out to me, or the baby, that it was more than fine with me. I preferred it that way,” Alice admitted, her tone holding no regret.
“So, you have raised her on your own?” Billy asked.
Alice shook her head.
“No, before the accident, my parents were a huge support. They adored Amy, as you can imagine. She was such a happy baby. They helped me out tremendously her first year. The oddest thing, my Amy was born on February fourteenth, on their wedding anniversary, and my parents’ accident happened exactly one year later? Isn’t that strange?” she said, her words trailing off.
Billy nodded and gently squeezed her finger tips, offering her some comfort. It had been a very long time since Alice had opened up about her past. Billy was listening without judgement, holding just the right amount of space for her. He made her feel safe.
She smiled softly at him, her eyes searching his. He met her gaze, but still she felt like he was holding something back. She couldn’t quite figure him out. It was like he was balancing on a tight rope, tentative but unafraid, not knowing whether to move forward or head back in the direction he came from.
Chapter 16
Billy
Alice captivated him. Although he wished it weren’t the case, there was no more denying it. As her story unfolded he found himself drawn to her spirit, inspired by her courage. Like him, she had been dealt some shitty cards, situations that could have crushed her, but instead they motivated her, strengthened her, challenged her. He respected her for that.
At first, when he found out about Amy, he was upset. Not so much at Alice, but because this was information that they should have had prior to him arriving at the ranch. Maybe knowing that information would have changed his approach, altered the plan.
He wasn’t the kind of guy that would fuck over a single mother, was he? Well, he certainly didn’t feel like that guy anymore. If he hadn’t struggled with his ethics up to this point, he was certainly questioning his integrity now.
Alice explained why she couldn’t tell him about Amy and he had to admit it made perfect sense. He totally understood her reluctance. Her instincts were bang on. He was being ambiguous, and she had been picking up on it all along.
When she had invited him back to the house that morning, for a moment he forgot all of it, the plan, the condo development, James. None of it even entered his mind. As they walked up the path to the house, the three of them singing Old MacDonald, he felt happy.
Alice set down her empty wine glass and Billy picked up the decanter, holding it over her glass. She nodded and he poured her a little more.
“Lisa moved in shortly after my parents died. Her mother Dottie is my mother’s sister. Dottie stayed here for a short time after the accident, helping out where she could, but she eventually had to get back to her real life. Lisa and I have always been close, we are practically the same age. She spent most of her summers at the ranch, so it just seemed like a natural choice for her to stay,” Alice said, continuing her story.
Billy set the wine down and leaned back in his chair.
“She loves taking care of the house and is a natural with Amy, making it easy for me to run the ranch. I don’t know what I would do without her.”
“She seems like a very nice woman,” Billy agreed, “and Amy sure seems to like her.”
Alice nodded.
“She’s like a sister to me.”
Alice sat back in her chair and grew quiet for several minutes. Their silence wasn’t uncomfortable, in fact they both seemed to relish it, taking a moment to admire the evening sky.
“Billy, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Amy,” she apologized.
Billy shook his head slowly, mee
ting her gaze. He reached his hand out to her and she accepted it once again. He liked how easy it felt.
“You don’t need to apologize, Alice. I get it,” he assured her, caressing her fingers.
He met her gaze, resisting a strong urge to kiss her. As if sensing his need, she eased herself out of her chair, and knelt in front of him. She kissed him softly on the lips, the warmth of her breath triggering his arousal. He wrapped his hands loosely around her waist, enjoying her assertiveness. She parted her lips, inviting in his tongue until their kiss became more urgent, matching the intensity of their desire for each other.
He gently guided her into his lap and she sat down, her legs dangling over the arm of the chair. He placed one hand behind her head, while his free hand explored her curves. She moaned softly into his mouth as his hand slipped up her inner thigh, stopping just before reaching her mound. He could feel the heat from her pussy, beckoning to be pleasured.
“Wait,” she moaned, grabbing his hand.
Billy growled, not wanting to stop. He wanted her right there and now.
He grinned at her and shook his head.
“No, please, I want you, Alice. Please, don’t stop me,” he begged, his voice cracking with desire.
Alice chuckled softly.
“Ssssh. I don’t want to stop either. We just need to find somewhere a little more private,” she whispered, kissing him again.
She stood up and took his hand, gesturing for him to follow. Together they walked hand in hand as she led him to the barn. She scanned the room making sure they were alone, grabbed a blanket off a hook, then invited him up the stairs to the hayloft. He eagerly followed her, anxious for what was to come.
She handed him the other end of the blanket and together they spread it out on a soft pile of hay. She kept her eyes glued to his as she peeled off her clothes, easing herself out of each item, while he watched. Finally, she stepped out of her panties and walked seductively toward him. He opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace, raising her chin so he could easily locate her lips. He kissed her eagerly as her hands fumbled with his belt buckle. She unfastened it and quickly unzipped his jeans. She tucked her hand into his pants, wrapping her fingers tightly around his cock. He was already wet, his pre-cum lubing her fingers.
She fell to her knees, pulling his jeans down with her. He easily slipped off his shoes so she could remove his pants completely, in an almost seamless maneuver. She tossed his jeans aside and then wrapped her hands around his ass, pulling him closer to her lips. She took his hard cock into her mouth, a little at a time, until it was deep into the back of her throat.
He loved watching her please him, the sight of her lips around his cock intensifying his desire. He inhaled deeply and moaned, enjoying the sensations, the earthy scent of the barn making him feel raw, dirty, and primal.
She was pleasuring him thoroughly, her mouth eagerly exploring every inch of his manhood, her tongue playing with his scrotum as much as his cock. She gently wrapped her hand around his sack and pulled down ever so gently while she deep throated him, toying with that fine line between pleasure and pain. He held her head in his hand, guiding his cock into her mouth. In and out, in and out.
His excitement was peaking to the point of no return. Ten more seconds and he would explode, his hot cum coating the back of her throat. While he normally would love to finish in her mouth, he wanted to be inside her more, to feel her body writhing under his weight.
He slowly pulled himself out of her mouth, and she looked up at him smiling. He shook his head playfully and helped her up.
“Christ, woman, you could take me to Heaven with that mouth,” he growled, and pulled her into his kiss, tasting his salty essence on her tongue.
He placed his hands under her ass and easily lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around him and he carried her over to their makeshift bed, laying her down carefully. He slipped his hand between her legs, and slid two of his fingers deep inside her. She was already soaking wet, which served him well. As much as he wanted to take his time and pleasure her, he was too far gone. He needed to fuck her.
He positioned himself over her, grabbing her wrists in one strong hand and pinned them above her head, bringing his lips down on hers, hard. She moaned into his mouth, clearly responding to his urgency. In one swift motion, he spread open her legs with his knees, driving his cock into her. She opened her legs wider, welcoming his desperate pounding.
He didn’t hold back. He wanted her to know just how frustrated she had made him over the past two weeks. He wanted to possess her, punish her, and please her, all at the same time, until she finally understood that she was the one he craved.
Alice squirmed and moaned beneath him, urging him, through raspy breaths, to fuck her harder. She wrapped her legs around him, using her feet to pull him tight against her body. He forced himself deeper inside her, slamming his pubic bone against her clit. She crushed her thighs against him and arched her back, releasing a deep, primitive moan.
He could feel the gush of her warm wetness icing his cock as her orgasm peaked and she couldn’t hold back any longer. He let go of her wrists and grabbed her hips, raising her pussy so he could easily thrust himself in and out of her. She grabbed at the blanket, her pleasure refusing to release her. She called out his name. She was in the throes of such orgasmic fury that he thought he’d cum right then and there, but he refused to allow himself.
Instead, he let the waves of orgasms flow through her until they seemed to subside. Then, still deep inside her, he pulled her even closer.
“You’re the best feeling in the world,” he whispered.
She sank her lips onto his and kissed him in the most passionate embrace imaginable. As her tongue toyed with his, dancing in his mouth, he pulled her groin even closer to him, pressing himself so far inside her that he felt she’d be his forever. When he reached that point, right in the very core of her body, he couldn’t hold back any longer.
Without even moving, just pulling her so tight to him, his cock exploded in an orgasm that made his vision blur. His cum pulsed out of his cock, over and over, and with each exquisite pulse, he cried out into her mouth, his cry muffled by her relentless passionate kissing.
To him, it felt as if his orgasm lasted forever. It felt as if it was going to kill him! He’d never experienced anything so intense, so intimate, in all his life. His cock pulsed but it was so far inside her body it felt like it was her pulse he was feeling. His orgasm was becoming her orgasm.
And as his cock continued to pump cum, her pleasure rose back up to the point of climax, and she was ravaged by another wave of orgasms.
“Oh, my God,” he cried, paralyzed as his cum continued to spill inside her.
She kept herself entwined around him while they both recovered, until he grew flaccid inside her. Perspiration from his exertion trickled down his neck. He rolled off her but didn’t go far, instead he pulled her close to him and spooned her, breathing in the familiar scent of her peach shampoo. He kissed her temple, drawing a smile from her.
“Wow,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Billy kissed her again.
“Yeah. Wow,” he agreed.
They held each other for several more minutes, quietly enjoying the afterglow. Finally, Alice broke the silence.
“I forgot how much I missed sex,” she said lightly.
Billy shifted a little so she could turn over and face him.
“How so?” he asked, urging her to continue.
“It has been a long time since someone fucked me like this, not since before Amy,” she admitted.
Billy raised his hand and gently caressed her face with his fingertips, secretly pleased that she had been so discerning all these years and yet had offered herself to him now.
She smiled at him sweetly and sighed.
“What is it?” he asked with genuine concern.
“It just feels too good to let go, you know?” she said quietly. “I have so much respon
sibility around here. I’m always on the move, making things happen, taking care of so much, especially now with these next steps underway.”
Billy nodded, and took her hand in his. What she said was true. Alice had proven herself one of the hardest working women he had ever met, and she made it look so easy.
“I know I’ve been really wishy washy with you these past two months, but only because I’ve been so afraid to let down my guard, especially since my parents died. I feel like it could all fall apart so easily sometimes,” she continued.
“I think it is remarkable what you have accomplished, Alice. I have been wondering something though.” Billy said, his words gently baiting her.
“What’s that?” Alice asked, searching his eyes.
“You’re so young. You could do anything you wanted. This ranch, the dream of turning it into a resort, talk about being pulled in a million directions. Have you ever considered just selling the ranch and starting off fresh? Make a whole new life for you and Amy? You could probably walk away a wealthy woman and take some pressure off yourself,” he offered cautiously.
Alice sighed and nodded, quietly contemplating his words.
“Truthfully, I have thought about that. I’m not going to lie, it does hold a tiny bit of appeal, but then I think about everything my parents and grandparents sacrificed for this place. What it has meant to our family? I can’t take that away from Amy. It’s so much more than a deed to some property. This land is our legacy. It’s in our souls. I feel like I owe it to all of them to stay put, to make it better,” she explained, her passion evident.
Billy nodded and pulled her closer to kiss her forehead, mainly to avoid her eyes. Her words were deep, and honest, and true, and yet invited so many mixed emotions for him. One of the things he really admired about Alice was her devotion, and yet it was the same damn thing standing in the way of his own goal. She was a pain in his ass, but he couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted to take away her ranch, but at the same time he wanted to give her the world. What the fuck did it all mean?
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