by S. N. Garza
Uncle Luke laughs out loud and sighs, “Children. It’s too damn early for all this.”
“Look at it this way, Uncle Luke. We put some spark into your life.”
“Yeah, you sure do, Willow-Tree. Now, feed me, woman.”
Gabriel spears him a look and I can't help but laugh. He’s the same way but seeing someone else joke with me like that, he turns into a big, protective papa-bear. Uncle Luke rolls his eyes before flapping the newspaper back up, blocking Gabriel’s dour face.
After I fill everyone’s plates, which of course I have to fill theirs three times as much as mine, we sit down and eat when Gabriel and Alann both start wolfing down their food.
“Jesus Almighty, boys. There’s plenty of food. Do you not feed this boy, Willow?”
“Eh. He’s always hungry.”
Heat creeps up my face and I close my eyes at the double entendre.
Alann snorts and smirks and Gabriel just continues shoveling food into his mouth, but I can see the hot, dark look in his eyes. I wink and continue eating.
“So, what’s there to do in this little bitty ass town?” Alann speaks, breaking up the momentarily comfortable silence.
“Not much, but it is Saturday. The social is usually fun. Dancing. Barbecuing. The town blocks the square off and it’s like one big party. From old to young. It’s the highlight of everyone’s week where they all get together and have fun.”
“Sounds country.” Alann remarks and Gabriel snorts.
“That’s for sure.” I give Gabriel a death glare and he quickly recovers. “Sounds great, baby. We should definitely go do that.”
Alann coughs hard, muttering, “Whipped.”
I smile, Gabriel glares, and Uncle Luke just sighs, finishing his coffee. He looks at me, giving me this small smile and with a soft wink, he stands, takes his plate and mug, comes around the table to kiss my head and walks to the sink.
After everything is washed and put away, I show Gabriel and Alann all around the ranch I grew up on. Soon, Alann walks off on his own and I take Gabriel to the stable, meeting some of the horses Uncle Luke still breeds. Even though I know this isn’t Gabriel’s thing, he listens and asks questions throughout, genuinely engaging me in conversation and I think, God, I can listen to him talk all day.
Around six, Gabriel says he’s going to drive up to the Palais Royal and find clothes to change into and Alann decides to go with him.
I’m sitting with Uncle Luke in the living room, when he asks, “Are you happy, Willow-Tree?”
It takes me by surprise and thinking about everything that’s happened the past few months and finding Gabriel and being with him, yeah. I am.
“Yes. And I’m sorry about last night.”
He rolls his eyes, gives me a droll look. “Willow, I don’t ever want to hear you have sex.” Red burns my cheeks, but he quickly continues. “But… I’m not upset with you. Or disappointed. You’ve been a smart kid your entire life. Your dad always told me you had an old soul. Maybe that’s why even though I don’t agree with some of the choices you’ve made; I know you don’t make them lightly. But I swear, if I ever hear he hurt you in anyway, Willow Claire, I will end him.”
I stand up, walk over to where he’s sitting and squish in beside him. I wrap my hands around his waist and lay my head on his chest. “I love you, Uncle Luke. You’re the best dad a girl can have, you know? And totally, I’ll help you bury the douchebag if it ever comes to that.”
He laughs, and I get back up, dust off my leggings and state, “Keep him down here. I’m going to go get ready.”
“Do not dress killer. I don’t think he can handle that.”
“He’s just going to have to deal with it. I am a girl. I know how to look sexy when I want to.”
“Let’s hope not too sexy. I don’t want to have a heart attack before I’m forty.”
“What if you become a grandpa before then?”
“I’ll kill you both.”
I laugh and begin to walk towards the stairs when I hear, “Y’all better not be making a goddamn baby, girl.”
“Nope. You know I got on birth control, you Private Dick.”
“Hey, that’s Uncle Private Dick to you, young lady.”
Laughing, I disappear up the stairs.
Almost an hour later, I double check my face in the mirror. I’m not wearing a ton of makeup, but I remember what Sarah showed me and with a little bit of mascara, eyeliner, and a classic red lip, I step back and view myself in the mirror.
Down here, we’re closer to the gulf, so it’s not as cold here. It’s only about sixty degrees, so I pull on a pair of cut-off jeans, a stark-white tank with the word ‘lucky’ on it—maybe we’ll get lucky way later—and grab my shoes from under the bed. I slip on a pair of red cowgirl boots Uncle Luke bought me on my sixteenth birthday. I had always wanted a red pair because the color red always made me think of love, romance and sin and since I was never going to wear high heels, cowgirl boots were the next best thing.
I curled the ends of my hair and painted my nails to match my lips. I might be a leggings and baggy shirt kind of girl who loves staying at home, but I growing up, I also loved going to the social every weekend.
Dancing. Laughing. Everyone’s drama melted away Saturday nights. I step out of the bathroom and walk to the top of the steps where I hear the TV on and the guys grumbling about another Houston loss.
“Can’t believe they got licked like that. They had been doing so good, too.”
“Fuckin’ choke-city.”
“Hey, now. That’s our team.”
“And? I still say…
I slowly walk down the steps and the first one to notice me is Alann. “Oh, my God. I might be gay, but damn… Will, you look fucking hot.
Rolling my eyes, I laugh, and it catches Uncle Luke and Gabriel’s attention.
Gabriel shoots up like a knife, his gaze scanning me from toe to head and with every inch uncovered, his eyes grow wider. I see his Adam’s Apple bob and his mouth slightly opens in awe. I give Uncle Luke a small flicker of acknowledgement and his lips twitch with a smirk as he rolls his eyes.
I want to believe, if I had gone to my high school prom, which I didn’t, thanks to asshole Pete Lancôme, I would have hoped to get that kind of reaction from the guy I was with.
I hope I look good for Gabriel. Sexy enough to be on his arm.
With my hand on the banister, I swing around the post before standing a few yards away from Gabriel, who still has this stunned reaction on his face.
He gulps, shakes his head as if coming back to his senses and then with a narrowed look, puts his hands on his lips and growls out, “No way are you leaving this house looking like that!”
Seventeen
Gabriel
“No way are you leaving this house looking like that!”
Willow’s taken aback by my vehemence but fuck me. Red, fuck me color red, cowgirl boots—how the fuck is that a turn on?! And those short, cut-off jeans and that loose, white tank-top with the word “lucky” on it… only one getting lucky with her around here is me. She looks fucking edible. A wet dream come to life. My cock burgeons beneath my jeans and all I want to do is take her back up to her room and show her how lucky she’s going to get.
But no… one brow lifts up and her eyes scan me from head to toe and then this sweet, devil-may-care smile twitches on her lips. Oh, hell. That’s not her soft, sexy smile. It’s a warning.
“Oh, I’m not?”
Fuck. I feel my neck tingling. Heart racing. And I’m sure she’s going to come over and smack me for being a douchebag. But instead, she winks, chuckles, then turns, heading straight out the door.
Fucking incredible. And neither her uncle nor Alann bother to say anything.
I turn to her uncle, let him feel my glower and his brow raises, just like Willow’s just did.
“What, Gabe?”
“You going to let her wear that? You’re her father… like figure, aren’t you?”
�
��She doesn’t wear clothes like that often. When she does, I know she doesn’t do it to entice the boys. It’s meant to be fun and flirty, Gabriel.”
“Boys?! Every boy, teenager, man, and grandpa is going to see her and think she’s a gotdamn treat and every dick out there’s gonna wanna midnight snack. Fun and flirty, my ass.”
Alann smacks my back, his laughter filling the living room. “Luckily for you she only wants your dick.”
“God Almighty. That’s my child, boys.”
Alann laughs, shoves me forward and says, “Go to her, Gabe. She’s not going to wait forever.”
“I’m going to end up killing someone. I just know it.” I say, shuddering at the vehemence I feel coursing through my veins. Damn, I knew she looked incredible, especially when she showed off that night we finally made love.
Yeah, I said it. Made love. I fuck her. Have sex with her and I make love to her. I can admit it to myself. But the short denim shorts that stop only a few inches below her big, juicy ass, and the flowy tank top that brushes over a strapless bra. Fuck me. I’m not going to make it if someone tries something with her. This caveman, primitive, dark desire raging inside me, makes me want to keep her all to myself. I can’t do that though. I’m also excited to have her on my arm, showing me a side to her that I’ve probably never seen before. She’s home here. Comfortable. I want that. I want her to be at home with me here, just like I want her to be comfortable with me back home in Grifton Falls.
Then I go out to the woman of my dreams and she’s sliding on my letterman jacket. This smugness fills my brain and shoots straight to my cock, filling out an already thickening erection.
Someone’s going to get hurt. She’s temptation. Sexy, sweet, playful, sinful temptation. And she’s all mine.
“You going to say anything else, Gus?”
Damn. Her sweet voice does strange things to my body. I walk straight up to her, take her hips, and plant my lips on hers. After kissing the stuffing out of her, I pull back to see this dazed, happy look on her face.
“Yes, dammit. You look sexy, Willow. Are you cold?”
Being a smart girl, she sees right through me. Even though it’s the beginning of November, Texas is such a fucked-up state for weather because it’s not cold out, but it’s not hot either. It’s the perfect weather. Sixties, where she can get away with wearing shorts and a tank. Watching her walk away, her juicy ass almost—dear God, almost—hanging out her shorts because yeah, she’s got an incredible ass, and I know she’s wearing a strapless bra, and no else would know, but I do. Her tits are just as delicious as the rest of her. A guy will think she’s on the market when she’s not. She’ll never be on the market ever again.
Shaking her head, she tells me, “No, Gabriel. I’m just fine. Besides, I have your letterman to keep me nice and warm here. I do so love wearing your name on my back.”
Damn right she does.
“You’re a witch, you know that, fairy-girl?”
She taps her chin, gives me this saucy smirk and states, “And here I thought I was your bitch.”
I pull her into my body, showing her just how much my bitch she is by pressing my hard cock against her. “Oh, you are, Willow. Never doubt it. The only one. But you’ve also cast some kind of spell over me because you’ve bewitched me. Fuck, I am turning into a pussy.”
“No. You’re sweet.”
I curl my nose and give her a glower. “I told you never to call me sweet.”
“That was a long time ago.” Then she leans up on her tippy toes, whispers her lips across my jaw and says, “It’ll be our little secret. You’re only sweet to me. And I love you.”
Something settles inside my soul when I hear her say she loves me. I can’t believe I said it back to her last night either. But I felt it. Deep down into the recesses of my soul. There’s only her. The only one I want is her. The only one I want in my future is this girl.
This overwhelming sense of emotion sweeps over me, I cup her neck in my hands and kiss her lips. Stealing her breath. Demanding her submission. Begging for a taste of her. Because what I said was true… I am powerless when it comes to my emotions for this girl. This… woman.
My woman.
I release her lips and she sighs dreamily in my arms.
“Willow, I… I love you, too.”
It’s still a little difficult to say… but to see the way she lights up when I say it, I’ll be saying it to her for the rest of my life just to see her give me this look. Dreamy. Full of contentment. Happy.
Fuck. Enough of this sweet bullshit.
“Come on, cowgirl. Show me what you got.” I pull out the keys from my pocket and drop them into her hands.
“You don’t mind if I drive?”
“Do you know where you’re going, baby?”
“Yes, I do.”
I turn her and smack her juicy behind a little harder than necessary, causing her to jump. “Then get your ass behind the wheel and don’t get us killed.”
Laughing, she jogs to the driver’s side, opens the door and steps on the floorboard, “You best be glad I love you, Gabriel. Or I’d smack you.” She says with a wink.
I jump in and give her a flat look. “Oh, I’m sure you will before the nights out.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I know something you don’t.”
“You do? What’s that?” She says breathlessly, giving me a smile.
“I’m probably going to commit murder if someone tries something with you. You look incredible. Every man’s wet fantasy come to life.”
She throws her head back laughing, cranks the ignition and begins backing out, turning in a half circle before we watch Alann and Luke walk out the door. Luke sees who’s behind the wheel and his eyes widen. But Willow’s already driving down the driveway, her arm out the window waving, her uncle and Alann an afterthought.
She glances over to me with a saucy smirk and giggling, she says, “Wet fantasy, huh? Am I your fantasy, Gus?”
“Willow, you’re my fucking reality. Nothing’s better than that.”
>><<
Oh, my God. I’ve never seen so many hicks gathered in one place. Grifton Falls is a small town, but it’s a college town. Here? Everyone says y’all, ain’t, fixin’ to, and gonna-wanna-shoulda like it’s second nature.
Their setup is nice though. Fairy light strings all around the square, tables with chairs around a dance floor, and a buffet line with barbecue and crawfish with potatoes and corn stubs. Willow talks about all the little mom and pop shops that have been here for years; about the old folks who get together at the local hardware store in the mornings and the old biddies who gossip and quilt down at the Baptist Church.
“Oh, by the way, we’ll have to go to church in the morning.” She says quickly as if I’ll refuse. A part of me isn’t really into the church thing, but I get why she goes. I think it’s a small-town thing too.
Not that I don’t believe in God. It’s quite the opposite. I’m pretty sure he answered my prayers the day I met Willow, so I shrug in response. We can do whatever she wants as long as I get to be by her side.
“Really? You don’t mind?”
“No. I haven’t seen you go to the church in Grifton Falls, but if it’s your thing, I don’t care what we do. I’m with you.”
She faces me, attempts to wrap her arms around my neck and doing a miserable job at it—damn short, sexy, stubborn woman—but I just smile, pull her in and press a kiss to her temple.
“Gabriel, you’re kind of the best boyfriend a girl can have, you know? Sweet, sexy, generous—
I shut her up properly by pressing my lips on hers. I hate it when she calls me sweet. It’s a trait I’m not quite comfortable with just yet. “Must you call me sweet? I hate that word, baby.”
“Charming?”
I roll my eyes and snort. “You’re fucking weird, Willow.”
“If you don’t like it,” and she tries to back away, and growling, I cup the back of her neck and haul her again
st my body, kissing the breath right out of her lungs. God, she’s so frustrating and sexy and I slide my hands into the back pockets of her shorts and squeeze. “Gabriel…” her voice is all breathless, but I don’t give a shit.
“You got the letterman on, baby. With my name plastered on the back. Fuck, I still don’t know how I feel so fucking smug about that, but I am.”
“Well, you are kind of possessive, Gus. Possessive, protective, proud, pretty—
“Pretty?”
“I was trying to be cute… all those ‘p’ words… you know?”
“Like I said, fucking weird.”
“Well, you’re with a weirdo, so what does that make you?”
“Pretty awesome.”
“That’s what I thought. Now come on, let’s go find a table and I’ll get you a plate of food.”
“There’s your uncle and Alann.” I point to where I see them sitting down across from each other and it seems like no one else is in their universe. I take Willow’s hand and lead her across the way when I see something pass between them… a look that can only be described as hot and hungry.
No fucking way. Her uncle did say it takes one to know one, but I hadn’t… does Willow know? She never said he was and when we get close, I eye them both and her uncle has on a passive, bored look when his gaze flickers to me.
I look him over and then Alann, and meet his gaze again, raising my brow with speculation. I’m onto him, but if he hasn’t said anything to Willow, I’m not going to be the bearer of bad news. She’s told me she wishes he’d find a woman to fall in love with. But if it’s guys he’s getting with… makes me wonder if Willow would be disappointed. Why did he keep it from her? She knows Alann’s into guys and isn’t judgmental. Why would she care if her uncle was the same way? It’s the twenty-first century, it’s not like it’s a secret in society anymore. It legal to marry the same sex if they so wish it.
He doesn’t give anything away and when we get close, Willow lets me go and throws her arms around her uncle, hugging him tight even though we just saw them not fifteen minutes ago.
“You guys hungry?”
