RIVAL: An Enemies to Lovers Why Choose Country Romance

Chapter 22

Rolling over, I slip my arm over Edith’s body and pull her gently against me so I don’t wake her. At some point through the night, we disengaged from each other, but I’m not ready to abandon the feel of her laying half over me with her leg thrown across my thighs.

I’m also not ready to face the fact that I fucked her last night without a condom and didn’t pull out. Once I pushed inside of her, I knew I wouldn’t regret going bare, not with how wet and tight she felt clenched around me. But it was my job to at least have that conversation with her, and I dropped the ball.

Barely inside her, I realized I didn’t even know if she was on birth control, so I resigned myself to at least pulling out to finish.

Yeah, that didn’t happen. She wrapped herself around me so tightly, there was no way I could have stopped myself from pouring into her. Last night I convinced myself I didn’t give a fuck after the thought struck me, but this morning?

This morning, I know we have to have a conversation. I fucked up, plain and simple.

A soft, contented sigh slips out of her and I grin before pressing a light kiss to her temple. Laying my cheek on her head, I close my eyes and push the conversation we have to have out of my mind. It’s only Saturday morning. We’ve got time and worrying about it now is only going to ruin the last bit of time I have with this woman.

I close my eyes for what only feels like a moment, but when they crack open again, Edith is gone, and the bright morning sun is blazing through the window. Stretching my limbs, I stretch them out and stare at the cracked, uneven ceiling.

Last night was incredible…

There’s a soft, muted clank of a pan downstairs, so I force myself from her bed and tug on the jeans I wore yesterday. Leaving my shirt off, I make my way down and find my girl working hard in the kitchen with maybe a little extra pep in her step.

There’s music playing from somewhere, maybe her phone, and she’s bouncing her head back and forth as she mixes ingredients in a bowl. She sucks her finger after setting the whisk down, only to spin around and freeze when she notices me.

“Good morning, Griffin.” Pink infuses her cheeks before she scrambles over to the fridge and starts pulling milk, orange juice, and eggs out. “You hungry? I was going to make some breakfast for you. I wasn’t sure what your plan was for today, but, umm, I’m not working. Normally I work on Saturdays, but today I’m not. Then I woke up, and you were sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you, so I figured I could—”

“Darlin’,” I interrupt, cutting off her nervous ramble.

She freezes, eggs in hand, and darts her eyes to my face. “Yes?”

“Come give me a kiss.” It’s not what I intended for this morning, but her worry has me tossing every concern out the window. Breaking that awkwardness is more important than sitting her down to discuss my cum inside of her.

Fuck, she’s probably still wet from me.

She turns of the music, then sets down the carton. Her shoulders drop, happy I’ve lightened the mood, and she hurries over. Lifting up on her toes, her lips connect with mine and I hook an arm around her waist and tug her closer.

We crash together, breakfast forgotten, when she links her fingers behind my neck and drags me lower. I slip a hand under her ass and lift her up, then turn her to lie across the kitchen table.

It’s as if she’s been ripped open and there’s a new woman in front of me who knows exactly what she wants. Her hand grazes over my head, scratching at my scalp before she grips my hair. My cock pulses at the slight sting of pain as she tugs at the roots.

“Fuck, darlin’. I was gonna be good this mornin’,” I confess, then drive my tongue into her mouth, tasting her sweetness and needing to have her again.

Without thought, I tug at the button and zipper of my jeans to yank them down while also pushing clothes from her body as my phone rings.

Ignoring it, because honestly, I’ve got a gorgeous woman ready to let me sink into her, I slip my hands under the thin shirt she threw on and lift it over her head.

Edith’s chest is bare, and I fall onto them, taking a nipple between my teeth. “Christ, Edith. I need you,” I pant against her skin. She cups my face and guides me back to her mouth where our kiss turns frantic. As I free my cock, she spreads her legs, her warmth welcoming and dripping.

My fucking phone rings again, and I growl. Pressing my face against her chest, I groan and apologize. “I’m sorry. Let me grab this real quick.” I eye her body and add, “Don’t fucking move from this spot.”

Jerking my phone from my pocket, I answer without checking who’s calling. “Yeah?”

“Hey brother. Listen, would you head over to Clay’s place? Your fuckin’ truck got a flat, but it threw off the alignment. We hit something in the road. I don’t know what it was, but it fucked it all up. Boss sent out a flatbed to pick us up. We’re pullin’ up to his place now. I swear to God, I’m so goddamn ready to get some sleep from this bullshit night. I just wanna go home.”

Pulling the phone from my ear, I cock my head and hear the faint sound of an engine rumbling down the drive.

“Fuck,” I murmur, then ignore Corbin’s question to repeat myself. “Fuck!” Standing up straight, I reach down to pull my pants up and throw a confused Edith a look of apology. “Alright man. I’m actually already here, so I’ll see you in a few. I’ll talk to you when you come in.”

Hanging up the phone, I look longingly at Edith’s chest. She’s sitting up and reaching for her shirt. “What’s going on?”

“You need to hurry. Your dad and Corb are pullin’ up right now. Somethin’ about my truck, but they’re about to walk in here.”

Her face pales and she shoves me away from between her legs, scrambling for her clothes. “Oh God. Oh God! I’m going to be in so much trouble.”

I frown, not liking how panicked she is. Sure, it’s not fun to be caught in a compromising situation, but she’s fucking shaking. “Darlin’, it’ll be alright. We’ll just tell them—”

“What are we going to say?” she yells, partially muffled as she drags her shirt over her head. “What possible reason could you have to being here this early? It’s barely past seven!”

I try not to let the rejection sting as she continues to shove away from me. Cupping her cheeks, I wait until her wild eyes focus on me. The engine grows louder, then shuts off, leaving us in silence apart from her short, wheezing inhales through her nose.

A second later, doors slam, and I know my brother and Clayborn are about to walk into the house. Edith’s fearful breathing is coming out in short gasps now and I’m actually concerned she’s about to hyperventilate. I know I need to cover for us; I just don’t know how I’ll do it yet.

“I got you. Run upstairs and I’ll come up with a reason I’m here.” Turning her bodily toward the stairs, I pat her ass and get her moving. She jerks forward, only glancing back at me once, then sprints for the stairs. Her feet are so quiet that I barely hear them over the sound of the guys plodding inside.

Quickly, I lean back against the counter and grab the abandoned orange juice jug on the counter and fill a glass. Nothing better than looking like you’re supposed to be here.

Another wave of hurt curls inside of me as I try to come up with an excuse. As much fun as I had last night, I’m thinking Edith may not have considered what it could mean for both of us. Obviously, her main intention is to hide this away, tucking it into a dark corner so no one will discover our secret.

I’ve been in enough situations with women to read her unspoken intentions. This seems to be one of those one-time things which is incredibly disappointing.

Corbin comes into the kitchen first, looking exhausted and ready to fall into bed. Clayborn follows, then comes up short. “The hell you doin’ here?” He looks toward the stairs leading to Edith’s room, but I draw his attention back to me.

Quick on my feet, I start talking without knowing where I’m going and end up pulling it off. “Ended up passin’ out on your couch. Hope you don’t mind since I’ve done it before.” There, I’ll remind him I’m familiar with staying at his house. “Went to leave last night and fuckin’ Corb’s truck was givin’ me issues. I worked on it a bit but decided to grab some sleep before tryin’ again in the mornin’. What happened to my truck?”

And that’s my explanation followed by redirection.

I ignore Clayborn’s glare, and face my brother. “Like I said, we hit somethin’ in the road, and it fucked your alignment five ways to Sunday. Sorry, brother. Boss said he’ll cover the repairs, but we had to haul it back on the flatbed. He sent someone out a few hours after we left to swap places. They finished the run so we could come back.”

We didn’t expect them back until tomorrow, so this interruption just solidifies that sneaking around isn’t the best way to go about things. As much as I wanted to fuck Edith moments ago, seeing the way she reacted to their arrival has me relieved we didn’t get further into things this morning. Fucking her twice then getting pushed away would have stung even more than this does.

I’ll just let her know we’re okay and back off. No reason for things to get messy.

Swallowing against my dry throat, I stand up further. “Well, let’s move shit around and I’ll get you home. We can deal with the truck later.”

“Thought you said mine was fucked too?” Corbin asks, clearly not so tired he remembers my lie.

Waving him off, I chug the last bit of orange juice and rinse my glass. “It turned over, but made a weird sound. Maybe it just needed a rest. I bet it gets us home.” Clayborn’s eyes narrow, as if he’s reading straight through my bullshit. I know it’s a risk, but I won’t leave before saying goodbye to Edith and giving her the out she needs. So, I urge them out the door. “Why don’t you guys grab your stuff and swap it to the other truck? I’m gonna take a piss, then get ready to go. I’ll be outside in ten.”

I wait for them to head out, then hurry up the stairs only to find Edith sitting upright on the edge of her bed. Her hands are clasped between her bouncing knees and she’s still fucking pale with worry.

I know I have to be quick, so I pick my shirt up from the floor and pull it over my head and fill her in. “Told him that Corb’s truck was acting up, so I crashed on the couch. Nothin’ more than that, but I gotta get Corb home.”

“What… uhh, what happens now?”

There’s my cue to address the elephant in the room. As much as I hate having this conversation, especially when I have to hurry out of here, I know it needs to happen.

Acting as nonchalant as possible, I force out a half smile. It’s all I can manage. “Edith. I had a fantastic time last night. Truly. It was fuckin’ incredible, and you were amazin’. But, and I hate sayin’ this because it makes me sound like a total dick, but I think we both know that it wasn’t a smart decision. Your reaction to your dad showin’ up just goes to show it hasn’t been right of me to sneak up here and play with you behind his back.”

If she was pale before, she’s downright see-through now. Almost a sickening green, but it’s probably because of my reminder that we were almost caught. Nodding more to myself, I feel positive this is what she wanted.

Bending down, I press a kiss to her cheek. “I don’t regret it and I hope you don’t either. We can just pretend it didn’t happen and no one will be the wiser.”

I feel fucking sick saying the words and my gut is telling me I’m making a massive mistake right now. But my head is screaming that Corbin and Clayborn are waiting on me downstairs and neither of them would approve of me fucking little Edith Hughes. She seems to be of the same mindset.

Checking around the room, I don’t find anything else that belongs to me, and I make my way to the door.

She still hasn’t said a word. Pausing, I glance back at her and see a mix of devastation and acceptance. That brings me up short and a wave of confusion overtakes my irritation of ending this.

“Are you—” I start to ask if she’ll be okay, but she cuts me off.

“You should go. I understand.”

Her words are simple and give me the out I think she wants, but again, it doesn’t feel right. My eyes fall to her doorknob and I can’t turn it. “I don’t wanna leave you like this.”

Whispering, she shifts back on her bed, her toes leaving the floor as she puts distance between us. “I’ll be fine…” Her voice trails off, then she adds, “Thank you for last night. It was, umm, it was really nice.”

I scowl at her use of nice and open my mouth to argue, but I hear my brother shout from downstairs.

“Fin! I wanna fuckin’ go!”

Nodding my head, I force myself to open the door and slip outside. I leave the second floor, every step feeling as if I’m walking away from something special. All it feels like is regret, but not from being with her. It’s regret from walking away. And an ache wishing she would have told me I was wrong.

I head to the backdoor and slip my shoes on, then find my brother and Clayborn. “Ready?” I ask. My voice is clipped and emotionless. Corbin seems curious by my shift in mood, but Clayborn’s face shifts as if he just figured something out.

“Yeah. Let’s go.” My brother hops into the passenger seat and lays his head back, already closing his eyes in exhaustion.

With a lift of my hand, I wave goodbye to Clayborn and drive my brother home. Unsurprisingly, the truck starts without issue.

It all worked out perfectly, and we got away with it. So why do I feel like I’ve just fucked my entire future up?