“Hey,” I said. “Good to hear your voice.”
“I want to go to the bed and breakfast with you,” she blurted out excitedly. “I knew as soon as you left, so I took the night, and I packed all of my stuff. I want to go tonight if that’s okay.”
“That sounds fantastic,” I said, my mood lightening almost instantly. “I’m gonna pack, and I’ll come get you.”
“All right,” she said happily.
I jumped out of bed feeling almost like a new man. I grabbed a bag and packed my things, hurrying so I could pick her up as soon as possible. I wanted to get both of us out of that town, even if was just for the night. I needed to be alone with Sara, and I didn’t want Janson anywhere close.
Chapter 16
Sara
After Ryan had left the night before, I sat alone in the kitchen sipping a cup of tea. I knew in the back of my mind that I wanted to go with him. I just had to get there. The next morning after getting off the phone with him, I stood in the hallway packed and ready to go, excited about the decision I was making. I woke up early that morning and rescheduled all my Monday appointments knowing we wouldn’t be back in time. I was really looking forward to an extra day off, something I never did. Even when the practice was closed, I was usually slaving away in the stables taking care of the horses and helping Alison with whatever maintenance needed to take place. This was going to be two full days of doing whatever I wanted to do, and I didn’t have to answer one phone call or go on any house calls during that time.
I was pretty sure the last time I took a weekday off from work was when my parents were moving, and I helped drive them up to Phoenix and then came straight back. Even that wasn’t really a vacation, so this one was extra special. I might even go wild and have a little too much to drink that night, knowing I wouldn’t have to wake up early for anyone, and I also would be right there at the winery. I had never gotten to go to a winery before, and the idea of it seemed fancy and luxurious to me. I knew Ryan felt differently about it, but he wasn’t going for the luxury. He was going for me. He wanted to be alone with me, spend some time, just the two of us without worrying about work, other people, or what people might say about it.
Janson was going to figure I was home since my car would stay parked out front, and unless he was still following me, there was a really good chance he wouldn’t find out about it. The winery was in the next county over, a place where he had no jurisdiction and didn’t have the kind of manpower in Bonanza to send someone to find me. I didn’t care at that moment, anyway. I was too excited about getting away with Ryan and really getting to know him better. Just at that thought, I looked out the window and saw Ryan pulling into the driveway. He got out of the car and smiled as I opened the front door. He walked straight up to me and took me in his arms, hugging me excitedly.
“You ready to get out of here for a while?”
“You don’t even know how ready I am.” I laughed.
“Let’s get your bags.” He smiled, reaching down and picking up my suitcase.
I grabbed my bookbag, slinging it over my shoulder and locking the door behind me. I looked around quickly but saw no sign of anyone around. I tossed my bag in the backseat and smiled as Ryan opened the door for me. We hit the road, the radio on and the windows cracked. I could already tell it was going to be an amazing day. I smiled, riding out of the city and into the open country. It was one of the most beautiful days it had been in a long time, with bright sun shining down on us and not a cloud in the sky. It was like the weather was reflecting my feelings, and I didn’t know how it could get much better than this. Then, Ryan reached down and took my hand, looking over at me and smiling.
“I’m really glad you agreed to come away with me,” he said.
I smiled at him, showing him how happy I was that I decided to come away too. For a moment, it looked like I’d knocked him off-kilter, like he didn’t know how to respond. He looked almost lost, staring into my eyes, watching me in the sunshine. He made me feel that way, too, so many times, but it was the first time I’d caught that look on his face. A look like I was the only girl in the world, and he had just figured it out, right there in the middle of the highway on a beautiful sunny day. I laughed and turned, looking out at the road ahead of us. Butterflies blew through my stomach, and I glanced back over him, watching him smile to himself as he drove. I loved that I had that effect on him, that he couldn’t keep his feelings off his face anymore. I had never had that kind of effect on a man before, and I didn’t think I ever would.
I had seen that look before, though, when I used to watch my mom sitting at the table and my father walk up behind her with flowers he picked from the field. She would smile, closing her eyes and sniffing the flowers. My father would have that same exact look on his face like he had realized all over again how special she was to him.
I looked around me and realized I was familiar with where we were. Bonanza was on one side of the county, and we had to drive all the way through to get to the next one where the winery was. My parents used to take me to this little, hidden beach to swim when I was a kid. I smiled and bit my lip, wondering if he would be up for a little adventure on our way to the bed and breakfast. I looked over and patted his leg.
“You up for a little detour?”
“Hell, yeah,” he said, smiling.
“Take the next exit and turn right.” I smiled.
When we got off the exit, we drove slowly through a little town, looking around at all the people coming out of church and heading to the same ice cream parlor my parents would take me to after a day of swimming. I led him down a dirt road that ended at a shallow river beach. It was vacant and beautiful with the water splashing up on the shore and the birds flying high overhead. Ryan got out of the car and smiled over at me, looking around at the beautiful landscape. It was the perfect place to stretch our legs, and I wished I had thought of packing a lunch for a picnic. It was a little early for lunch anyway. It was a relatively warm day, just coming out of the break of the frost on that side of Oregon. He took my hand and led me down the small embankment onto the sand. I sat down and took off my shoes and socks and rolled up my pant legs. Ryan was on the same page and reached down to help me up. We walked out into the water, wading in up to our calves and feeling the cold river water rush over our feet. I laughed loudly, watching Ryan waver, almost falling over as he stepped on a rock. I closed my eyes and looked up toward the sun, feeling the beauty of the day wash over my entire body.
Suddenly, water sprayed over my face, and I smiled, slowly opening my eyes and looking over at him. He had a playful grin on his face, and his hand was dripping water. We both moved at the same time, splashing water in each other’s direction. I screamed out laughing, running from him as he swiped his hand through the water in my direction. He took off after me, grabbing me around the waist from behind and bending me toward the water. I laughed out, begging for him not to do it.
“I’ll do it,” he said, laughing. “I’ll dip you right over into that cold water.”
“I’ll take you right along with me,” I yelled out between laughs.
“Is that right?” He laughed, struggling to bend and then picking me up, cradling me in his arms. “I think I might have the upper hand here.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding on for dear life. “If I’m going in, you’re going to have one hell of a fight on your hands. You don’t know how hard I can hold onto someone. You’ll topple right over headfirst into the water.”
“Maybe you’re right,” he said, pretending to let go and smiling at my scream.
He turned and walked back toward the shore, laughing loudly as he carried me. I still clung to his neck tightly, not trusting him until I saw sand beneath us. Slowly, I uncrossed my arms and leaned back, looking deeply into his eyes. Both of our smiles faded into passion, and I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his. I could taste the water on his lips, and he breathed heavily into my mouth, both out of b
reath from the swim and out of breath from the lust bubbling up between us. He dropped to his knees and laid me down on the beach, leaning over me and kissing me passionately. I moved my hands through his hair as he swirled his tongue around my mouth, tasting me, having me. Between the fresh air, the excitement, and the attraction between us, I was beside myself. He leaned into me, kissing me harder, making out with me like we were teenagers hiding from our parents.
The thrill of it was invigorating, and I could feel the heat of need simmering deep down in my stomach. He ran his hand up under my shirt and grabbed my breast, pushing a light moan from my throat. The sound aroused him further, and he groaned, kissing me feverishly. He pulled his hand back out and just as he was about to go for the button on my jeans, another car pulled up. He pulled back and looked into my eyes with a smile.
“They’re here to get you,” I laughed, pulling myself up and helping him to his feet.
He took my hand, and we ran toward the SUV, laughing loudly like children. He nodded at the family getting out of the car next to us and opened my door, giving me his hand and bowing as I climbed inside. I giggled, watching him close the door and almost skip around to the driver’s side.
“I say we grab an ice cream cone and head out toward the winery,” he said.
“That sounds like a perfect idea.”
We pulled out of the drive and down the dirt road, listening to the music and dancing around. Suddenly, I wished there weren’t so many miles left to the winery. I was on fire for Ryan. I could feel it all over my body. I couldn’t wait to get him alone, to let him take me in our little hideaway vacation spot. I breathed deeply trying to get myself under control, but from the look of the bulge in Ryan’s pants, he was struggling through the same thing.
We grabbed an ice cream cone and headed out toward the winery, covered in sand and water. It was the best day I’d ever had with a man, and I knew it would always be part of my memories after he was gone. I didn’t want to think about that, though. I wanted to think about that passionate kiss and how every turn of the wheel brought me closer to ecstasy.
Chapter 17
Ryan
I had to admit, no matter how fun that drive was, no matter how much I enjoyed the sunshine shining down through the windows, I was really glad when we finally arrived at the winery. It had been the point of the whole trip, but the drive there made me know that being with Sara was what I wanted. After the swim in the river on the drive over, I felt like I was being tortured. Every move Sara made turned me on, and I couldn’t help moving my eyes over every part of her body whenever she was looking the opposite way. I was pretty sure I had been caught a couple of times, but I didn’t care, I wasn’t trying to hide the fact that I wanted her. I was pretty sure that had been understood since the first night I’d talked to her, even more so when we’d kissed for the first time.
As soon as I’d put my lips to Sara’s at the beach, my cock started to struggle. It had been an upward battle every moment after that. The only time I had been able to keep my mind off it was in the ice cream shop and that was from all the people around us. Even in the car, watching her lick that cone was agony. My cock had been throbbing ever since then, which made the ride eternally long and eternally hard to pay full attention to. I did my best, though, trying to calm myself down by focusing on the road. That proved harder than I thought as well, and I found myself swerving the steering wheel several times to avoid running off the road. It was hell trying to keep my eyes on the road because they kept sneaking back over to her sitting in the passenger seat. Her shirt had been wet for half of the trip, and her heaving breasts and hard nipples were more than a distraction. They were a visual torture hell-bent on running me right off into a ditch. At least then, I would have been sitting still.
The last half hour of the trip, I had kept my hand on her thigh, squeezing it every so often and smiling over at her. I could see the lust and desire in her eyes, and I knew she was thinking the same thing as me. We both wanted to get to the bed and breakfast and just rip into each other, but we had to be patient, something I had always been pretty good at until that moment in the car. I had to keep telling myself not to slide my hand up farther, to keep right where it was. When we saw the sign for the winery, I was pretty sure I could have jumped for joy.
We turned down the dirt road and drove slowly through rows and rows of grapes, starting to sprout in the warming sunshine. Sara looked excitedly out the window, and I realized she had probably never been to a winery before. The thought had never even crossed my mind, especially since I had been to my fair share, especially when I’d traveled to California and overseas for work. After about five minutes, we finally made it to the main house. I parked the car in the small lot in front of the house and looked over at Sara with a big grin. She leaned over and kissed my cheek tenderly, giving me a knowing look.
I got out of the car and chuckled, watching her walk out into the sunshine and look over the hills of grapes growing in the distance. I opened the car and grabbed our bags, throwing her backpack over my shoulder. She looked over at me and smiled, hurrying to catch up. We walked inside to the counter, and I set the bags on the floor and glanced around me. I was impressed with the rustic grace of the house and was starting to think this would be even better than I thought.
“Hello,” a woman’s voice rang out, coming from the back.
The woman was middle-aged with long brown hair tied at the nape of her neck. She had the kind of clothes rich housewives would wear from tiny boutiques they went into when vacationing in the mountains. No labels, mostly handmade, but her accent jewelry showed she was a little whimsical. I was very familiar with this kind of woman. She was obviously bored, her husband always gone on business, her children or child grown and in college. So, she bought a bed and breakfast not far away, and it was the horny customers who were currently keeping her entertained for the moment. She probably had a full staff to run the winery and then took her time meticulously picking out every stitch of furniture, every picture, and every bedspread, finding satisfaction in her “uncanny” ability to turn an old farmhouse into a chalet for those wanting to get out of town.
“Hi.” I smiled. “Ryan and Sara, here for the night.”
“Yes, yes.” She smiled. “You’re the winning bidders for the gift certificate from Bonanza.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said.
“Wonderful. Let me show you to your room.” She smiled.
I picked up the bags and walked behind Sara who was trying to keep up with the woman. She looked back at me and held in a giggle, almost running into the innkeeper as she stopped to talk about a painting on the wall. This went on the entire way up three flights of stairs, and my arms were burning by the time we reached the top. Luckily, the hallway was short up there because staring at Sara’s ass was getting me hard all over again. In fact, the whole tour was complete and total agony. All I wanted to do was get to the room, put down the bags, throw Sara on the bed, and spend the next several hours making love to her. I had been tortured on the entire drive and, now, all the way up to the room. It was like karma was sitting on my shoulder having a ball watching me struggle through the long wait. I didn’t think I had ever wanted someone as much as I wanted her right then.
The innkeeper stopped one last time and showed us some bench that was circa—hell, I don’t know. I stopped listening. Finally, she reached the door and opened it with an old skeleton key. She showed us inside and pointed out the different amenities to Sara as I lugged the suitcases in and dropped them on the floor. I leaned back against the dresser and panted, feeling like my heart was beating out of my chest. Maybe I wasn’t in as good of shape as I originally thought. Now, all I had to do was wait out the last few minutes of the woman standing there, telling us about the wine tour and where to find her if we needed anything. I felt almost triumphant as she handed Sara the key and smiled sweetly. I stood up, gripping my fists together in anticipation as she walked toward the door. She stopped and turned around,
forcing me to act nonchalant.
“Dinner is included in your stay,” she said. “It will be served on the terrace in less than an hour.”
She smiled and turned around, walking from the room and closing the door behind her. I put my arms up in the air with my mouth wide and groaned loudly, dropping them to my side and hanging my head. Of course, my cock took over and the scheming and debating began. Did I say screw it and knock one out of the park real fast? Did I take a cold shower and just deal with it? I looked over at Sara who was bent over, looking in her suitcase. I quickly shut my eyes and breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth, just like I was taught to do when I was anxious. A lot could be done in an hour, that was for damn sure, but at the same time, I didn’t want to rush it. I didn’t want to have to stop so we didn’t go hungry for the night. The innkeeper also seemed like the kind of woman who would come looking for us if we didn’t show up for dinner. It was probably for the best since I didn’t want to rush things. She deserved to be paid attention to, to have me fawn all over her body.
I adjusted my pants and turned toward Sara, smiling as she looked up at me holding a small black dress. I could already imagine her in the thing, and it was starting to make my head dizzy. She looked at me confused, and I forced a smile on my face.
“How about this for dinner?” she asked.
“Looks good,” I said.
I knew one thing for sure. I couldn’t stay in that room with her. Otherwise, I would be all over her in minutes, and this time, there would be no stopping us.
My Last First Kiss: A Single Father Secret Baby Novel Page 35
