Wallflowers: Double Trouble

by CP Smith

With one last look at him, Sienna turned and began heading to the house. Bo turned his back on her and stripped off his shirt, heading for the lake. He needed a cold shower, but he wasn’t going anywhere near that house while she was in it. “Fuck sainthood. I’ve gone straight to hell.”

  “He wants to wait?” Poppy said incredulously.

  I nodded and then scowled. I still didn’t know what to make of Bo. I hadn’t even known I was hesitant to take the next step until Cali asked, so how had he known?

  “Do you think he’s havin’ second thoughts about us?” I asked the girls.

  Both looked at the other and shrugged. “We’re Wallflowers, what do we know about men and their thought processes,” Poppy answered.

  “What exactly did he say?” Cali asked.

  I replayed the conversation over in my mind, then answered. “That he didn’t want to rush me until I was ready. He said I was his desire, his”—I looked at them both and grinned—“his wet dream.”

  Poppy snorted. “He’s not havin’ doubts.”

  “No, he’s not havin’ doubts,” Cali agreed.

  “Then how did he know I had any at all? We, you know, fooled around in the shower, so he should have thought I was all systems go.”

  Cali cocked her head. “Are you all systems go?”

  “I thought I was, but then I hesitated.”

  Poppy pushed the bottle of green magic across the table and smiled. “Go on,” she said cheerfully.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m not upset.”

  At least I didn’t think I was.

  “Mmhmm,” Cali hmm’d calmly, pushing the bottle even closer to my hand.

  “I don’t need it. I just need answers to my questions. Answers I’m not sure I have.”

  “About?” Cali asked.

  “Why the sky is blue. Why the Kardashians are even relevant. Why Taylor Swift dumped Tom Hiddleston, because, hello, he’s lush.”

  “My granddaddy would say you’re avoidin’ the question with drivel.”

  “How is dear old granddaddy, by the way?”

  “Still an asshole, but he’s stopped tellin’ me Devin’s not good enough, so answer my question. Why did you hesitate?”

  I bit my lip.

  “Sienna?” Poppy said with a long, slow drawl.

  I huffed and hung my head. “What if I’m not good at sex? Bo’s experienced, and if we don’t mesh sexually, he’ll know immediately.”

  A growled “Jesus,” sounded from behind me, and I swung around. Devin was standing at the door with a lighter and charcoal in his hand.

  “Tell me you didn’t hear that,” I gasped.

  Devin’s eyes shot to Cali then back to me.

  “I heard it,” he grumbled, walking further into the kitchen, “and it’s bullshit. Bo’s a man, not some idiot who doesn’t know how to treat a woman. Trust me, if he cares about you, it won’t matter to him.”

  I should have been mortified to have this conversation with Devin, but for some odd reason, I wasn’t. Devin was family now, and family talks about anything, I was learning from watching Cali and her aunts.

  “But how will I know what he likes or dislikes?”

  Devin looked a wee bit horrified by my question. “You just will.”

  Oh, this was too good to pass up.

  “He’ll tell me, or will I know by the sounds he makes?” I asked innocently.

  Devin’s jaw grew tight, and then he turned on his heel and walked right back out of the kitchen, mumbling as he went, “I’ve landed in hell.”

  I turned back to Cali and grinned from ear to ear. “That’ll teach him to knock before entering a room.”

  Poppy stood and looked out the window, then shut the back door. “He’s gone,” she chuckled. “I almost feel sorry for him.”

  “Devin’s right, you know,” Cali laughed. “If Bo cares about you, it won’t matter what you know. He’ll just teach you how to please him. Men like that don’t pussyfoot around. He’ll just drag you where he wants you then play your body like an instrument until he’s memorized every curve.”

  The front door slammed shut, startling us. Moments later, Bo walked in with dripping wet hair. He scanned the kitchen, taking in our stunned expressions, and raised a brow. “Why do you three look like the cat that caught the canary?”

  Poppy snickered, and he narrowed his eyes.

  Cali jumped up and grabbed my hand, pulling me from my seat. “Nothin’ untoward. We were just discussin’ if it was time to milk the cows. Come on, ladies, let’s go grab some tits and squeeze.”

  Bo froze solid at her comment, dropped his head back, mumbled something about sitting at the right hand of God, then he turned abruptly and left the kitchen the way he came.

  We headed out the back door laughing, then burst out louder when Devin saw us and turned in the opposite direction. By the time we made it to the barn, I felt more relaxed than I had in months. I didn’t feel pressured by Bo, and between Devin and Cali, I wasn’t scared about the unknown. If Bo cared, he’d wait. And if he cared enough to wait, then he’d take the time to teach me.

  As we entered the barn, Clint stepped out from a stall holding a pitch fork. We jumped in response, then skirted around him and kept going.

  “Hey, look at that,” Poppy said, pointing inside an open stall.

  Inside were five four-wheelers of various sizes.

  “That doesn’t have four legs,” I mumbled.

  “And it’s not a tree,” Poppy smiled.

  Cali looked between us. “Am I missin’ somethin?”

  “Bo ordered her to stay off of anything with four legs, and to stop climbin’ trees.”

  Cali blinked and scrunched nose. “I swear these men are autocrats. They need to get with the times.”

  “So?” Poppy asked, her eyes gleaming. “Do we buck the system and have some fun?”

  “What about the cows?” Cali jumped in. “Shouldn’t we milk them first?”

  “I milked the cows already,” Clint said from behind us. “If you ladies want help with the four-wheelers, I’m your man.”

  Poppy turned and glared at him. “Have you learned some manners? Or do I need to use that pitchfork on you?”

  Clint smiled sheepishly. “Yes, ma’am. I apologize for my wicked behavior.”

  “All right, then pull out three of these beasts and check for fuel.”

  Clint actually bowed at Poppy, then he walked past her and began moving the four-wheelers out. He checked the gas, the tire pressure, then started each one for us.

  “We should go out the back entrance so we avoid the men,” Poppy shouted over the noise.

  Cali and I agreed and jumped on, then one by one we made the wide turn and exited out the back, opening up the throttle as we cleared the gate Clint had opened for us and flew across the pasture kicking up dirt. Once we’d cleared the gate on the opposite side of the pasture and drove up the rise, we stopped and looked across the valley below, taking in the ranch.

  I could see Troy and Brantley in the corral looking up at us, pointing. I scanned the courtyard and found Devin and Bo running toward the barn.

  “We’ve been ratted out,” I cried out.

  “Do we wait for them?” Cali asked.

  Poppy gunned her four-wheeler and took off.

  I grinned at Cali and followed Poppy.

  Seconds later, Cali flew past me laughing.

  The game was afoot.

  After realizing there was no escape from our predicament, Cali and I hid behind a mulberry bush watching breathlessly as Bo and Devin rode on horseback up to the rise. Poppy had sped off toward the lake as a diversion, stating her ass wouldn’t be in trouble if she was caught. Our half-assed plan was simple on the surface: get Bo and Devin to chase after her while Cali and I snuck back to the ranch, avoiding an unwanted confrontation with the brooding men. But Bo and Devin didn’t fall for it. They were currently scanning the hillside we were on. We were trapped like rabbits in a briar.

  “Why are we hidin’ exactly?�
� I asked Cali.

  “We don’t want a lecture about misbehavin’.”

  “Then why didn’t we go back when we had the chance?”

  She shrugged. “I was followin’ you. You seemed to have a plan.”

  “I didn’t have a plan. I was followin’ Poppy.”

  “Followin’ Poppy? Poppy doesn’t have a man who’ll give her crap about takin’ chances with her safety.”

  “Then why didn’t you stop me?”

  She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut.

  “Well?”

  “I’m thinkin’.”

  I peered through the branches until I caught sight of Devin. His face was drawn taut, his eyes wild. He wasn’t pissed; he was worried.

  “Cali, Devin doesn’t look pissed; he looks worried.”

  Cali pushed me aside and looked through the bush. She closed her eyes slowly, shaking her head, and then mumbled, “Stupid. I’m so stupid. I should have known better. I got kidnapped four days ago, and now Devin watches me sleep like he’s afraid to take his eyes off me.”

  She stood immediately and started making her way through the brush. I followed quickly on her tail, tripping over rocks as we slid down the hill. When we broke through the clearing, Devin shouted, “There,” and kicked his horse, racing toward Cali. I moved out the way to give him room and then faced Bo. His reaction was a little different. He crooked his finger at me again.

  “I’m thinkin’ that’s a bad idea,” I whispered. “I’ll just get the four-wheeler and meet you back at the ranch.”

  He was too far away to hear me, but the sinister grin that pulled across his mouth said he’d read my mind.

  I picked up my pace.

  He kicked his horse.

  I started running.

  Goliath snorted loudly at my puny attempt to outrun him.

  I made it within five feet of the ATV when my feet left the ground on a shriek. One second I was running, and the next I was laid out across Bo’s lap, facedown.

  “Put me down,” I cried out, struggling to raise my head.

  He kept riding.

  And riding.

  All the way back down without saying a word.

  Troy met us at the barn, sporting his own version of a scowl, so I ignored them both on principle.

  I tried to slide off on my own when Bo stopped, still sporting the silent treatment, but Bo threw Troy the reins before I could. He pulled me up without a word and slid off Goliath, taking me with him as he went.

  I was ready to do battle at being manhandled like a child, but my feet never hit the ground because he threw me over his shoulder and headed toward the house.

  “I can walk,” I bit out. “I can also ride an ATV without supervision. I’m not incompetent.”

  He continued to ignore me and kept walking until he’d entered the kitchen. Then he deposited me unceremoniously with a thud into a chair, caging me in with both arms until we were eye to eye.

  I chanced a glance to gauge his anger and swallowed hard. His gray eyes were tweaked, his nostrils flared, and a tick had returned to his eye. A spark of fear shot through me, and I swallowed.

  Danger, Will Robinson. Proceed with caution.

  “I may not be fuckin’ you yet, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have rights as your man. I asked you not to put yourself in danger again. What if you’d been hurt? Or worse?”

  What anger I’d stored up over being manhandled like a child evaporated immediately. He’d been worried as well, but he showed it differently than Devin. My own family never showed that much concern for me, so I didn’t recognize Bo’s concerns for what they were.

  Guilt flooded me like it had Cali, and I reached up and grabbed his face, pulling his mouth to mine. I whispered, “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again,” against his lips and watched his eyes turn from stormy gray to ink.

  On a hiss, Bo pulled me from the chair and claimed my mouth, then he leaned over until he’d deposited me on the table, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. The kiss turned wild after that. Bo never broke from my mouth. We exchanged air as he ground his erection against the inseam of my jeans, and his hand moved to my waistband then inside my panties. I gasped when he found my clit and threw my head back.

  “Lift your hips,” Bo growled low and husky, and I obeyed, not caring if anyone walked into the kitchen at that moment. All I cared about was the man making me feel alive, and what he was doing to my body.

  He slipped a long finger inside my core, then curled it up and pressed in while he rolled my clit with his thumb.

  Sensations flooded me, and I arched my back as millions of nerve endings spiraled out of control.

  “Give it to me,” Bo hissed. “Come all over my hand.”

  I groaned low in my throat as the pressure built, reaching out to grab the edge of the table to anchor myself to reality. This is what I read about in books. The deep pulsing that comes with an orgasm so powerful that your atoms split at the point of release, only to merge again as you float down from heaven.

  “Bo,” I whimpered, terrified of what I was feeling but still wanting more.

  Grabbing the front of my shirt, Bo yanked it up until my breasts were exposed. He leaned down and sucked a nipple into his mouth, growling around it, “Imagine my cock pounding into you,” before he bit down on my nipple.

  I erupted into a kaleidoscope of color as every nerve ending fired at the same time. Bo crushed his mouth over mine to silence my scream, his thumb unrelenting as another orgasm followed on the tail of the first.

  His mouth was everywhere at the same time, coaxing the second orgasm to its crest. Needing a connection to Bo, I reached down and grabbed him through his jeans, and he thrust into my hand. “I want my cock inside your mouth, in your sweet pussy,”—one of his fingers found my ass and pressed in—“and I’m claiming you here, too.”

  I gasped at the pressure. Anticipation and longing for the pleasure he promised directed my hips to press down against his finger. Bo hissed his approval, rubbing his cock against my hand once more. Then he claimed my mouth and groaned as his finger pressed all the way into my ass, and I exploded around them both.

  I convulsed from the overload of sensations pouring through my body and cried out, arching my back off the table as the orgasm claimed my body. As I rode the waves, reveling in the beauty of the physical touch on a body, my bones became liquid and I slumped into a pile of mush against the table.

  As I lay there panting, Bo pulled his hand out from inside my jeans, running his tongue around each of my nipples before pulling my shirt down. Then, without a word, he picked me up from the table and headed up the stairs to my room, placing me on the bed. He brushed a kiss across my lips as I watched through hooded eyes, still exhausted, and unable to form a clear thought, and then moved to the bathroom, turning on the shower.

  I was too sated to move or contemplate what had just happened, so I lay there and listened as he undressed and jumped into the shower. Moments later, I heard the telltale sound of a man grunting and sat up. I moved to the bathroom door with my heart beating out of my chest and found Bo standing in the middle of the shower, running his hand up and down the length of his cock. It was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen.

  He pinned me with his eyes the second I cleared the doorway. He’d been waiting for me to come watch. My gaze drifted down the length of his body, and I licked my lips. His breathing increased as I touched each inch of his body with my eyes, and when mine came back to his, he bit his lip, moaned deep in his throat, and threw his head back as his release pulsed into the water.

  My knees went weak at the sight. I was tempted to throw caution to the wind and strip out of my clothes, but I didn’t. Instead, I lifted my hooded eyes back to his, licked my lips, and then turned and left the room. I needed to think. I needed to figure out what the hell was holding me back from Bo.

  I needed the Wallflowers.

  Seven

  WHAT IF

  A SOFT BREEZE LIFTED MY hair as I stared sil
ently at the stars. The moon shone in the gloom of the night sky. The old man’s face hid behind a sliver of shadows as the stars danced around it, peeking out like fireflies at twilight. I’d always preferred the darkness of night to daylight. The vastness of the universe made most feel small and insignificant, but for me, it was a time to dream. A time to plot the course of my life away from my family. I’d lie in my bed trying to find the constellations, wondering if there was a man out there staring at the same night sky, thinking about me as well. I’d try to picture him. His hair color, his eye color, whether he was tall or medium height. His face would never come to me, but his presence was always there somewhere between dusk and dawn. He’d appear in that place between consciousness and dreams, a shadowed figure reaching out his hand for me to take hold, beckoning me to trust him.

  Looking over my shoulder where Bo sat with Devin, I wondered if I’d finally found that man. “Men at some time are masters of their fates. The fault is not in our stars but in ourselves,” I whispered. The abbreviated quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar seemed apropos. I was master of my fate if I chose to follow it. If I didn’t, it wasn’t fate’s fault, but my own.

  Had fate led me to Bo?

  I’d accepted Bo as the man in my life with little argument, but I was holding back from the one aspect of a relationship that brought a man and woman closer, and I wasn’t sure why anymore.

  I wasn’t a child, a fresh-faced college student with stars in her eyes, but a woman. So why was I acting like the virgin I was?

  “How did you know that Devin was the one for you?” I asked Cali.

  She and Poppy were sitting on the top railing of the horse corral, silently taking in the beauty of the night as well.

  “I knew he was the one when I jumped on the trolley. I was prepared to turn my back on us to protect him from my granddaddy, but I couldn’t breathe at the thought of what I was leavin’ behind.”

  I closed my eyes, wondering what it would feel like if Bo were to change his mind. I drifted back to earlier in the evening when he’d said he wanted to slow down, and how my immediate reaction had been emptiness. I’d turned my back on him to hide my tears, but I remembered a pain in my chest, as if I couldn’t fill my lungs. The thought of being so close to what I’d always wanted had tumbled around in my head, then extreme relief had pulsed through me when he’d clarified his statement.