by Nicole Dykes
Keegan grins and squeezes her hand, “Well, then I’m in.” He turns to his older brother, “What about you, big brother? You up for it?”
Landon grins with confidence. I doubt he’s been on a four-wheeler out in the country before, but he’s clearly not a man that turns down a challenge. “Absolutely.”
We all make plans to meet tomorrow and I close the bar after everyone leaves.
At least Brady and I won’t be alone tomorrow when we are getting dirty.
Chapter 23
Brady
It’s shortly after six p.m. when I start unloading the four-wheelers. I borrowed Caleb’s Yamaha and Jack let us use both of his Hondas. Since I have a Yamaha, it works out perfectly. Every couple can ride one.
I’m tucking my jeans in my boots when I notice Lilly. She looks so damn adorable in a pair of ripped jeans and lace-up brown boots. Her hair is pulled back in a tight braid.
“You walk here?” I ask her when I don’t see her car anywhere.
“Yeah, it wasn’t too far. I’m pretty sure I could walk everywhere in Hollis.” she smiles and then it seems like she looks me over, taking in my jeans and long-sleeved black tee. I return her gaze, surprised at her attire.
“Camo?” I ask, eyeing her long-sleeved shirt.
“Jade let me borrow it.” she explains. “So, this is Jack’s field?”
“Yeah.” I answer. “Kind of the catch all for a hangout spot in Hollis.”
“It’s muddy.” she laughs.
“Well, it did rain yesterday and a little this morning. That’s why it’s perfect for four-wheeler riding. We can go ahead and get a little dirty if you want.” I wink.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not talking about riding a four-wheeler anymore?” she questions, a slight grin on her face.
Before I can respond, the rest of our group shows up. Jade must’ve also loaned Amelia some clothes because she’s dressed similarly in jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved green tee. I’m pretty certain Amelia doesn’t own any clothes like that. She’s a city girl just like Lilly is.
“Do you Dallas boys know how to drive ATVs or do you need tutorials?” I joke.
“I’m surprised you just said ‘tutorials’.” Landon laughs and climbs on one of the Hondas. He cranks it up and then takes off, laughing over his shoulder as mud flies up behind him.
Keegan takes Caleb’s Yamaha and helps Amelia climb on behind him. Madden and Jade get the other Honda.
“Looks like you’re with me.” I tell Lilly as I get on my Yamaha. I hold my hand out for her and she climbs on behind me. “Hold on tight, Lilly.”
I hear her squeal in my ear as I take off. Her arms wrap tightly around my waist as I speed through the field, mud flying all around us. I can hear the other ATVs around us, but it feels like it’s just us.
“There’s hay!” Lilly warns.
I laugh as I drive over it, maneuvering over the small amount of hay. Lilly’s grip tightens, but she laughs.
I drive towards Madden, Keegan, and Landon and issue a challenge. Of course, they all agree to it.
“An obstacle course?” Jade questions, raising an eyebrow.
“Why not? We have hay bales and Jack has some reindeer decorations for Christmas. We can set them up.” I explain.
“Won’t Jack get mad that you’re using his Christmas decorations?” Lilly asks and I laugh.
“He hasn’t used them in over ten years.” I inform her and run to grab them from his barn. The guys help me set up the reindeer and after a few minutes, we have our makeshift obstacle course.
“Speed is the game, boys. Fastest one wins.”
“Wins what?” Landon asks.
They all look at me like I’m supposed to have the answers. “Shit, I don’t know. Everyone puts in twenty bucks.” They all agree to that and then we start arguing over who is going first. “Since it was my idea, I should decide.”
“Bullshit.” Madden argues.
“Screw you, Brady.” Landon tosses in.
“Why don’t you all pick a number between one and ten. Closest to the number goes first, so on and so forth. I’ll tell Jade and Amelia the number so no one thinks I’m cheating.” Lilly offers.
We agree on this and by chance, Keegan goes first. He grumbles as he gets on the Yamaha. He sets the record at thirty-two seconds. Not bad. Landon beats it with thirty-one seconds.
I grin as I get on my Yamaha. “That’s the best you Dallas boys can do?” I joke. I give ‘em hell when I come back with twenty-nine seconds. “You’re up, Madden.”
I cross my arms and watch him take the course. Amelia is keeping the time on her phone and I curse when he ties me.
“Fucking tie-breaker!” Madden says the moment he’s told his time.
“Hell yes!” I agree.
“Not so fast!” Jade cuts in. “It’s my turn.”
Madden and I both look at Jade and burst out laughing. She scowls, but walks over to my Yamaha.
“Baby, do you know how to drive that thing?” Madden heads over to her.
Lilly nudges my side. “She does know how to drive it, doesn’t she?”
“Of course.” I answer. Jade takes off as Madden throws his hands up in defeat. He comes to stand beside me, mumbling ‘stubborn woman’ as he crosses his arms.
Amelia starts the timer the second Jade takes off. She maneuvers the four-wheeler around the obstacles, mud slinging, and comes back with a grin on her face.
“How’d I do?” she asks and Amelia starts laughing.
“Twenty-eight seconds!” she yells.
“No fucking way!” I say and grab the timer. Sure enough, it reads twenty-eight seconds.
“Ante up, losers!” Jade laughs and Amelia and Lilly join her. I pull out my twenty and push it into her muddy hand. Now when her and Madden ride again, she drives.
“You wanna learn, Lilly?” I ask and she looks a little timid. “Come on.” I help her on and then climb on behind her. “This is an automatic transmission so it’s really easy. Put it in drive here and then press the throttle here.”
I show her where and she follows my instructions. The four-wheeler shifts forward. She drives slowly at first, but then she starts to pick up the pace as she gets comfortable. I let my hands rest on her sides as she drives.
“You’re doing good.” I encourage her.
She drives a little more and then heads back towards my truck. Everyone else is already parked and getting ready to leave.
“We’re leaving early tomorrow, so we have to head back.” Keegan explains.
I check the time and realize it’s almost nine p.m. I had no idea we’d been at it so long. We say our goodbyes and I watch them drive off after putting towels down on their seats. I look at Lilly and laugh at the amount of mud caked up on her.
“Come with me.” I tell her and hold out my hand. She takes it and I lead her over to Jack’s water hose.
“I don’t think so.” she immediately says.
“Trust me, the water that comes out of this hose is always warm. I don’t know how, but it is.” I promise her.
I turn it on and let her feel it. She takes her hair down and undoes her braid. I spray our boots off first, creating a pool of muddy water at our feet. We’re both quiet as I hose us down, each scrubbing the mud from our clothes as best as we can. I hold the hose over my head and run my hand through my hair.
I move the hose to her hair and see the dirty water cascade down her neck. She wrings her hair out and then rests her hands on my chest. I wonder if she can feel my heart pounding. I drop the hose to the ground and then press my lips to hers. I wrap one arm around her waist and cup the back of her head with the other.
We’re both dripping wet, our soaking clothes clinging to our skin, but I don’t care. I need this and I’m pretty damn sure she does too.
Our mouths meld together, tongues tasting each other in a heated kiss. I don’t want any other woman. This is who I want.
I slowly break the kiss and let my forehead rest
against hers. We’re both breathless. Both still holding on to each other.
“Come home with me, Lilly.”
She gazes up at me, her green eyes piercing straight through me. I know then that I would give up every other woman for her. Despite how badly that scares me, I’ll do it. I’ll do it for however long she’s in Hollis. I just have to have her. I have to have Lilly Benson.
Chapter 24
Lillian
I want Brady. There’s no reason to deny it anymore. Hooking up with him again at this point is totally inevitable. I’m going to be here for a couple more months and he’s going to be here. I can’t ignore the magnetic pull I feel toward him. Maybe if I give in, I’ll find it easier to focus on my real goal.
Riding on the back of Brady’s four-wheeler today, I’ve never felt so free. That is until he pushed me to the front and let me drive. It’s something I never would have thought I would like, but I loved it!
With all of the talk about trying a new type of person and then having all of these new experiences, I realized I need to stop fighting my need for Brady.
He looks incredibly sexy. His clothes clinging to him tightly from being drenched by the hose. When his lips touched mine again, I knew I was a goner.
I don’t have to answer his question, he knows that I want this. His hand finds mine as he starts to lead me to his truck. My body is on fire and I feel like I’m going to explode from the sexual tension. My head turns toward the barn that he retrieved the Christmas decorations out of for the race.
As if he can read my mind, his lips turn up in that sexy smirk and we shift from his truck to nearly running hand in hand toward the old rundown barn.
He lets go of my hand briefly as he opens the large red door and we walk inside the barn. The sun has completely set in the sky and it’s fairly dark inside.
Luckily Brady finds an old lantern and lights it with a match from a box that was sitting next to it. He closes the door behind him and then turns to me, his voice is husky when he says, “Follow me.”
I comply with his order silently, as he seamlessly climbs a ladder at the back of the barn. When we reach the top he immediately sits the lantern down on a small wooden table next to an old cot. I quirk an eyebrow, “Done this before?”
He chuckles and slips out of his boots, “Not here.”
I laugh too and then he’s standing in front of me. “We can go back to my place if you’d rather.”
I shake my head. I don’t want time to overthink this. I pull him to me, my hands settling on his waist. I kiss him and I feel him smile against my lips as he returns my kiss. His hands move from my wet tangled hair down my sides as he pulls my shirt up and off.
I mimic his actions and toss his wet shirt to the floor as we slowly make our way over to the cot. It’s different from the first time, but similar too. Brady takes his time as he removes my bra, letting it slowly slip off. His mouth trails from my lips, down my neck and finds my right nipple, already pebbled from a mixture of being freezing from being wet and from me being so turned on I can’t think straight.
I let out a soft moan as he moves his attention to my other breast. His tongue flicks over my nipple and I blurt out, “I won’t be in Hollis for long.”
His mouth moves down, leaving feathery light kisses over my stomach, “Then we will just have to enjoy the time we have.”
He kneels in front of me, looking up as his hands go to the button of my jeans. I look down into those beautiful eyes, “Brady, I can’t just be like Kelly. I don’t want to be a casual fling who sits around waiting for her turn while you are out with God knows who.”
My words don’t seem to bother him at all as he flicks the button open. “That’s not what I want either, Lilly. As long as you are in town, I’m all yours.”
His finger slowly lowers the zipper on my jeans and he stares up at me devilishly. “No one else? Not even Kelly?”
I step out of my boots as casually as I can while he steadies me by gripping my ass in his strong hands. When they are kicked over next to us he says, “Kelly and I are done and I made it as clear as I can to her. I don’t want anyone else. While you’re here it’s just us. If that’s what you want.”
I swallow. That’s exactly what I want. I don’t know if this is actually possible for him, but he looks almost vulnerable, his eyes begging me to believe him. I nod my head and he grips both sides of my jeans pulling them off of my hips and down my legs. Not an easy feat with them being wet.
“This won’t end well.” I say nervously.
He stands and then his hands cup my face, “Yes it will. We will make sure of it. Only happy memories.” He kisses me again, sweetly and then it intensifies as my hands drop to his jeans.
I don’t move slowly like he did. I need to have him inside of me. I swiftly unbutton and unzip his jeans and he must sense my urgency as he reaches in the back pocket. He grabs a condom before pushing his jeans and underwear down in one quick motion.
I bite my lower lip as I watch him roll the condom on and then move back to kissing me. His hands tangle in my hair as our tongues dance greedily. His hands drop to my panties and he gracefully slips them down my body, leaving us both totally naked.
My gaze trails over his perfectly sculpted impressive body. Damn I’ve never seen a body like his.
He grins at me and I hope he can’t read my mind. His lips find mine again and he whispers, “You’re so fucking beautiful, Lilly.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him into a deep kiss. I can feel his rock hard cock pressed against my stomach. I remember wishing I had gone slow with him last time we slept together, but I don’t want to wait any longer.
We have a couple of months, we will have some time to go slow. On the same page, he slowly lowers me onto the cot. His body hovering over mine as he slowly enters me. We both groan.
His lips graze my neck and he gently sucks, driving me wild. I wrap my legs around him and dig my heels into his firm ass, pushing him even deeper.
We pick up the pace, my body moving toward what I desperately need. Brady’s left hand moves under my ass, pulling me to him as I feel my intense orgasm rip through my body, my breasts pressing to his bare chest.
Not long after, he follows, his face buried in my neck. He groans and his body tenses with me wrapped around it.
Here’s to new experiences. I hope to get in as many as I can while I’m here.
Chapter 25
Brady
I trail my fingertips over Lilly’s bare stomach, watching the goosebumps as they rise over her flesh. I trace the outline of her taut pink nipples and hear her suck in a breath. It’s almost one a.m. and I have no idea how long we’ve been lying like this. I thought I would’ve gotten cold by now, or she would have, but neither of us have moved to get dressed yet.
“Why’d you come to Hollis?” I ask, quietly. “I mean, it’s not a vacation destination.”
Her green eyes lower from my face to where my hand is still making silly designs on her skin. She takes my hand with her own and turns her body to face me. Her lips brush against mine for a moment before she sits up and starts gathering her clothes.
“Hmm…someone’s deflecting.” I tease.
“Avoiding or deflecting?” she grins and then shrugs her shoulders. “I guess it’s the same thing. I came to Hollis because I wanted to come to Hollis.”
“There you go with those bullshit answers again.” I deadpan. “I get it, you don’t want to talk about it.”
Lilly stands and shimmies her jeans up. I start gathering my clothes as well and stand beside her while I get dressed.
“I suppose I’ll tell you when I’m ready.” she admits.
“Okay, I won’t argue with that and I won’t push.” I notice she’s looking for something and spot her socks at the edge of the cot. I pick them up and toss them to her.
“Did you mean what you said?” she questions while she pulls her boots on. “I mean, about it just being the two of us?”
Sh
e looks nervous and unsure of herself as she asks this and it’s honestly a look I don’t like on her. I button my jeans and pull my shirt over my head before resting my hands on her hips.
“Yes, Lilly. While you’re here, it’s just us.” I assure her.
I lean down and give her a kiss that lets her know I’m serious. I don’t need Kelly or anyone else as long as she’s here. When we break apart, I take her hand and lead her down from the barn loft.
“I’ll come back for the four-wheelers later.” I tell her and open the passenger door to my truck for her.
When I get in, I hear the message indicator on my phone. I check it, but ignore the thirty-two text messages from Kelly. Thirty-two. Fucking hell.
I drive to Jack’s bar to take Lilly home. Another message comes through on the way.
“Someone obviously needs to get in touch with you.” Lilly muses.
“Nope.” I respond. “I’m with you and I don’t need to talk to anyone else.”
She arches her eyebrow as if she has a feeling who it is, but she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she reaches her hand across the seat of the truck and waits for me to take it. I entwine my fingers with hers and feel relieved that she didn’t give me the third degree about Kelly. It’s nice not to hear the who, what, where, why questions I’m typically bombarded with.
Once I get to the bar, she slides across the seat and gets out on my side. I think to myself that she just might turn into a country girl after all. We head inside together and I walk her right to her door.
“See, I told you my mom raised me to be a gentleman.” I smirk.
“Is that so?” she smiles and I gently peck her lips.
“Yep. Goodnight, Lilly.”
“If you were a gentleman, you’d come inside and help me to bed, Brady Thompson.” Lilly states, a gleam in her eye.
I sweep her into my arms and she lets out a giggle. I step into her apartment and kick the door shut with my foot.
“I am definitely a gentleman, Lilly Benson.”
