29. Tucker
Chapter twenty-nine
S he’s quiet as we drive towards our destination. I hope she likes what I have planned. I wanted to do something she would enjoy, that also tells her a little more about me.
I glance at her and sigh when I notice she’s looking out the side window, her fingers fidgeting nervously. I hope her nerves are because this is her first date and not because she’s nervous to be spending time with me. We haven’t spent any extended time together yet, thanks to school. But with what we know about Simon now, I’m not sure there’s a point in going to that high school anymore.
Gideon and the twins agree with me, but Dom doesn’t. I think he wants us there because then it feels like we’re doing something to work this case. The problem is even with Simon as our prime suspect, the only photos we have are from the security cameras outside Mina’s old home, and we have no idea where he could be.
But I’m determined not to let the thought of him or the case ruin our date. Especially since Ben texted me and told me it’s her first date ever . I’m going to make damn sure it’s one she remembers fondly forever.
We drive under the large wood sign that reads Burbury Ranch and Mina perks up as she asks, “we’re going to a ranch?”
“Yep. Have you ever ridden a horse before?”
I drive us up the gravel driveway as she looks out at the fields that surround us on both sides, and watches a few horses grazing.
“No, is that what we’re going to do today?” she asks, turning her gaze to me. I’m relieved when I see excitement shimmering in her eyes.
“Yep.” I pull the car to a park, undo my seatbelt, and she follows suit, but before she can reach for the door handle I grab her hand. “Mina, wait.” I turn my body to face her and pull her hand between mine, making sure I have her full attention before I continue.
“Before we go out there, I want to say something. I know I’ve broken something between us, that you don’t think you can fully trust me because of how we deceived you when we first met. I just need you to know that I never saw you as a case or suspect. I just saw this lonely, beautiful girl, and I wanted to get to know her better, to help her, to make sure she was okay. The fact that you were possibly connected to the case was always second to that for me, for all of us, honestly. If you had no possible connection to the case, we wouldn’t have treated you any differently.”
“Really?” she asks, watching me with so much hope in her eyes.
“Really, Sugar. Now, tonight I need you to do something for me, okay?”
“What’s that?”
“I need you to tell me the moment you aren’t enjoying yourself, or a bad thought comes into your head, or even if I say or do something you don’t like. I’m going to be honest, it’s been incredibly hard to hold myself back from you. I’m not the sort of guy who lets a girl take the lead, but I’m trying… for you. If I… touch you in a way you don’t like, you tell me to stop or push me away. You don’t even have to explain why. Is that something you can do for me, Sugar? ”
She licks her lips before responding. “Yeah, I think I can do that.”
I slowly lift her hand to mouth, and when she doesn’t pull away, I rotate her hand and kiss the inside of her wrist. Satisfaction fills me when she shivers. Hmm… She likes that.
“Now what do you say we go have some fun?” I let go of her hand and she smiles as we exit the truck. I grab the backpack out of the back and slip it on before reaching for her hand, and I’m relieved when she intertwines her fingers with mine.
We head towards the large barn when an older man dressed in overalls and a cowboy hat steps out and greets us warmly. “Howdy y’all! I’m Marvin Burbury. You must be Tucker, and who is this lovely young lady?”
“This is my…. friend, Mina,” I tell him, catching myself before I accidentally call her my girlfriend instead.
“Well, Mina, Tucker, I have a couple of beauties picked out for you in the back of the barn, if you want to follow me?”
We walk through the barn and Mina stares with wide eyes at all the horses in the stalls. When we reach the back, there are two horses saddled up for us. A beautiful brown and white speckled mare, and a smaller white female.
“You’ve both ridden before, yes?” he asks, turning to look at us.
“I have, but Mina hasn’t.”
He looks at Mina as he responds. “Well, we can give you a lesson to make you comfortable in the saddle today, or…” he trails off, his eyes darting to mine before a hint of a smirk appears there.
“Or…?” she asks, her hand gripping mine a little tighter.
“Or you can ride with Tucker. ”
“Oh, I don’t want to be a bother or stop you from enjoying your ride,” she says, looking up at me with worry.
It takes everything I have not to laugh, and by the expression on Gavin’s face, I know he’s thinking the same thing as me. She would only enhance my enjoyment. Having her sit in front of me as we rode… Yeah, now it was in my head, I needed that to happen.
“Sugar, if you think I wouldn’t enjoy riding with you, you’re crazy.”
“Besides,” Gavin pitches in, “it’s safer. Tucker is experienced, he’ll make sure you don’t fall and stay safe in the saddle. Who knows what will happen if you go out on your own.” I’d have to leave this guy a huge tip for his help, because that seems to do the trick.
“If it’s safer, then I think we should do that. For safety,” she mumbles the last two words like she’s trying to convince herself.
Gavin winks at me as he pulls the white horse off to the side before returning to the brown and white one. “This beauty here is Pickles.”
“Pickles?” Mina asks with a giggle.
“Yes, unfortunately, that’s what happens when you let your four year old grandson name your horse,” he says in fake exasperation. I bet this guy loves his grandkids.
“Tucker, let me know if you need me to go over anything with you. If you head out the back here and through the field, you’ll find a small gate that’s open for you in the south-west corner. Go through that and you will see the start of the trail in front of you. Just follow it and it will loop back around to that gate. Cell signal is good out there and you have my number, so just call if you run into any trouble.”
“Thank you sir, I think we’ll be fine,” I tell him, giving him permission to leave so I can start my one-on-one time with her. He says goodbye and heads outside to one of the fields, so I turn to Mina.
“So, you ready?”
“Umm… I think so. What do I do?”
“Do you want me to lift you up, or do you want to try getting up on your own?”
She places a finger on her lips as she looks up at the large horse. “Am I supposed to put my foot in that stirrup?” she asks, pointing to it.
“Yeah, it’s a little high, huh?” I ask, realizing it’s as high as her shoulder. “Okay, turn to face Pickles and I’ll lift you up. You’ll want to lift your right leg over top of her so you can straddle her.
Placing my hands on her waist, I easily lift her onto the horse and she quickly grabs the saddle and gains her balance before smiling down at me proudly. “Good girl, slip your feet out of the stirrups though, I’ll need those.”
She does as I ask as I untie Pickles’ reins and quickly get mounted behind her. I don’t waste a second pulling her back against me so her back is flush with my front. “For safety,” I whisper, my hand landing on her stomach.
Her hands drop down to my thighs as she replies, “for safety.”
The trail is gorgeous, and at first, neither of us talk as we take in the beautiful colors of the fall leaves surrounding us. About forty minutes into our ride, she speaks.
“It’s beautiful out here. What made you choose this for our date? ”
“Well, I wanted to share a little piece of myself with you, while giving you an experience that you’ve never had a chance to have before.”
“That’s… really sweet, Tucker. Have you ridden horses a lot?”
“Actually, I grew up on a farm.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, in Wyoming.”
“Did you always want to leave that life and become a PI?”
“No. I grew up the eldest of six. Three brothers and two sisters. We were always helping out on the farm. Farm life is busy, and there’s always something to do, our parents needed as many hands as they could get. And I didn’t mind helping, I even loved it for a while. But when I started high school, it was a bit further away than our elementary school had been, in a bigger town and I met a lot of new friends there. I started to see that there were other ways to live besides farm life.
“Don’t get me wrong, I respect what my parents do, running a farm, but the more I saw of the world, the more I started to question if that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. One of my friend’s dads was a detective and one day he came to talk to our class and I was so intrigued. The thought of solving a puzzle and catching the bad guys was thrilling.
“I told my parents I wanted to be a cop, and they told me I had to take over the farm. We fought about it for years, all through high school. My dad would always demand me home right after school and never gave me enough time to join any extra-curricular activities or even finish my homework. I swore he wanted me to do poorly in school so I’d have no hope of going to college. And it worked.
“When I turned eighteen, we had a huge fight. He told me I’d come crawling back when I realized chasing criminals won’t pay the bills. I told him I’d rather fail doing what I love than spend my life miserable, living up to his expectations. And that was the last time I ever spoke to him.”
“You haven’t seen or spoken to him since? What about your mom or your brothers and sisters?”
“I text with my siblings on occasion, and I write my mom letters to let her know I’m okay. She doesn’t write back, though.”
“I’m sorry Tucker, that must have been so hard to leave your family like that.”
“It was, but I landed on my feet. I took a few side hustle jobs as I tried to find my feet. I managed to work as an assistant for a private investigator, and it was when I was on a job for him that I met Dom and Atlas. We connected pretty quickly and they asked if I wanted to join their team, and not as an assistant, as a partner. I’ve never looked back. They’re my family now.”
I want to tell her she’s my family now, too, but I don’t want to spook her when things are going so well.
Suddenly, the trees part to reveal the part of this trail I’ve been waiting for. The pictures I saw of this overlook online were the reason I chose this ranch.
“Wow!” Mina gasps when she sees we’ve come out to a wide rock cliff that overlooks a beautiful forest below, which is full of yellows, red, oranges and greens.
“Pretty spectacular, ain’t it?”
“You’ve been here before?”
“I saw photos online, it’s why we came here,” I tell her as I pull Pickles to a stop. “Hold tight, I’m getting down,” I tell her as I dismount then reach up for her. She reaches for me with no hesitation and as I pull her off the horse, I let her body slowly slide down mine. When I place her on her feet, she stares up at me, licking her lips with desire in her eyes. Does she want me to kiss her?
Not wanting to pressure her, I gently push her hair behind her ear and kiss her forehead before whispering, “not until you’re ready.” I’m not sure if she knows what I mean, but she doesn’t say anything as I pull off my backpack and set up the picnic I packed.
I lay out the checkered blanket first, and top it with a couple of inflatable pillows, two bottles of water and the subs I picked up on my way home. When I’m satisfied with the setup, I look up to find her watching me with heat in her eyes.
Fuck me. “Sugar, it’s gonna be hard to keep my hands off of you if you keep looking at me like that.” Her eyes widen a little and before she can respond, I hold up the subs and ask, “now you prefer ham and swiss or roast beef and cheddar?”
She takes the ham from me and I help her sit down, taking a seat beside her so we’re both watching the valley below. The sun will be setting soon, the sky is already starting to change color. It’s another reason I chose this place. Watching a fall sunset is something that should be on everyone’s bucket list.
We eat in silence, but I sense the tension building between us. I feel her eyes on me, but when I look, she averts her gaze back to the sunset. When she finishes her sub, I offer her a cookie, which she takes gratefully and nibbles away.
“Tucker?”
“Hmm?” I ask, turning my gaze to her.
“Did you mean what you said earlier? That you would have treated me the same even if I wasn’t connected to the case? ”
I turn my body towards her, giving her my full attention. “Yes, I meant every word of what I said. I spent those first few weeks barely worrying about the case. I was more distracted by this beautiful seventeen year old student who I couldn’t get off my mind.”
“Really?”
“I wanted you as mine since the moment I saw you, but your age and the fact you were a high school student held me back.”
“But none of that was true, you aren’t even a real teacher.”
“That’s right,” I whisper back, my fingers coming up to touch her cheek. Her skin is so soft that I can’t help but run my finger back and forth.
“So… what’s holding you back now?” she asks boldly.
“You are,” I tell her honestly as I move my body closer to hers, my finger turning into a full hand on her cheek as I watch the heat in her eyes grow. “I don’t want to start anything real with you until you’ve forgiven me, it would be too hard to have you for a moment, only for you to pull away again. Does that make sense, Sugar?”
Her eyes drop for a moment as she nibbles her lip in thought. I give her the time she needs to figure out what she’s thinking as I continue to stroke her cheek, my hand moving to trail down her throat and she swallows. My cock pulses in my jeans at the sight. I do it again and her heated eyes rise to mine.
“I understand,” she says quietly, slightly leaning towards me. “But, Cowboy?” she whispers.
“Yeah, Sugar?” I asked, pleased as punch that she’s using my nickname again.
“I forgive you.” I close the distance between us, kissing her gently before using my hand to tilt her head back and pull her closer. The motion entices her to open her mouth and moan, allowing me entrance. My tongue sweeps in and I let out a groan of my own as I pull her to me, and quickly I find her straddling me, her arms wrapped around my neck.
She tastes like fucking candy and I can’t get enough of her. Her little fingers dig into my back and she tries to grind against me. I place a hand on her hip and try to help her, but through both of our jeans, it’s clear she’s not getting the friction she seeks.
Wrapping my arm around her, I quickly move us, laying her on her back as I lay over her, without even stopping to breathe.
My hand squeezes her hip, then slowly moves around to the front of her jeans. Pausing, I pull back to ask her, “be my girlfriend, Sugar?”
She smiles and nods eagerly. “Of course, Cowboy.”
“Thank fuck. Now… Can I touch you?” I ask as my finger skates along the top of her jeans. She bites her lip and nods, making me grin at her as I unbutton her jeans and unzip them. I sit up so I can yank them off her, but they get stuck on her boots, making me growl.
She giggles, and I grin as we work together to get her boots, socks and jeans off, I stare down at her cute lacey purple panties and thank the twins for filling her closet with such sexy cute clothing that suits her perfectly.
I run a finger down her seam and she sucks in a sharp breath. “You like that, Sugar?” She nods quickly, making me grin. “Can I take these off? I want to taste you.” Her eyes widen slightly and she licks her lips, giving me a single nod. Nervousness and anticipation is written all over her face. “Remember you say stop, and we stop. You won’t upset me. Promise?”
“I promise,” she whispers as I hook my fingers in the side of her panties and start to slide them down her legs. I’m surprised to see her fully shaven, but I love it. It means I can see everything .
“Gorgeous,” I whisper as I lay on my stomach between her legs. I part her with my fingers and lick her right up her slit before latching onto her clit. She yells out in shock, bucking her hips, I use my free hand to hold her stomach down as I taste everything she has to give… and then some.
“God, Sugar, I could do this all day, I mumble against her, making her moan.
“Tucker, oh my god, what are you doing to me? I can’t… I need…”
Lifting my head, I ask, “do you need to come, baby?”
“Yes!” she gasps as I slide a finger deep into her pussy. I pump it slowly in and out as I watch her head thrash around in pleasure. After a minute, I add a second digit and she calls out my name with a plea on her lips.
“Tucker, please!”
“Okay, I won’t make you ask again, come for me, baby,” I tell her, increasing my finger fucking. Then I latch onto her clit and suck on it hard before biting down gently. It does the trick as she screams out her release at the top of her lungs and her pussy convulses around my fingers.
I don’t stop my thrusting as I keep sucking and she rolls into a second orgasm, screaming out words I’ll remember forever.
“Oh my god! Tucker, I love you!” I keep my fingers in her but move up her body to seal my lips over hers before she can even catch her breath. I thrust my tongue in her mouth, hoping she can taste herself on me, and knows how much I love it.
She throws her left leg around my hip, letting me sink my fingers even deeper and we both groan. Her hips start thrusting harder against my fingers until I don’t know who’s fucking who anymore. She comes for a third time around me, but this time I get to taste her screams.
I’m so fucking hard right now, but I want this to all be about her. I want her to know that she doesn’t owe me anything .
She twists her head to break our kiss as she whispers, “Tucker?”
“Yeah, Sugar?”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, slightly pulling back so I can see her face more clearly.
“I… I’ve just come three times, but all I can think about is this,” she asks just as her small hand squeezes me through my jeans, making me groan in surprise.
“Sugar, I wanted this to be all about you. You don’t have—”
Her laugh cuts me off. “Cowboy, trust me, this is exactly what I want right now.” She punctuating her words with a squeeze of my dick.
“If you’re sure…” I ask, unable to hold back when she’s begging for my cock.
“Yes, please, Tucker, I want you.”
I quickly pull off my jeans and boxers but she stops me from laying down. “I want to see all of you,” she says, tugging on the corner of my shirt. I grin at her as I throw the rest of my clothes to the side.
Kneeling between her thighs, I grin down at her. “Will you let me see you, too?” She licks her lips before slightly sitting up to pull the rest of clothes off, which leaves her lying there, completely naked.
I groan, grabbing my dick and squeezing it hard as I study her perfect body. Her hands start to move to cover her scars, but I pull them aside. “Don’t, I love them. They’re a part of you, and there isn’t an inch of you I don’t love.”
She stares at me in shock for a few seconds before she smiles wide. “Make love to me, Cowboy?”
“Fuck, Sugar. I’ve never heard such an easy question in my whole life,” I tell her as I run my cock through her folds, getting myself lubed up with her wetness. I lean down and grab her tit, holding it up while I stare at her, watching her watch me as I lick her nipple slowly before sucking it into my mouth.
She groans as she starts rubbing herself against my cock. Knowing this is making her even wetter, I switch back and forth between her tits, letting her pussy get me wet and ready for her.
Unable to hold back any more, I release her tit and kiss her hard. “You ready for me, baby?”
“Yes,” she hisses, her fingers digging into my back as she tries to pull me closer. I grab her thigh and raise her leg. She helps by wrapping that foot around my back as I line myself up with her entrance. I push myself into her an inch before I pull back, fucking her with only my tip over and over as I move my hand down to her clit.
I rub it in soft circles, slowly getting faster and faster until she finally begs for me. “Tucker, please, I need all of you inside me!” I don’t make her wait anymore as I slowly sink all the way in. When I bottom out, I press my mouth to her neck, groaning at her tightness as her fingers dig into my back.
I softly lick and kiss her neck, waiting for her to adjust, and when her heel digs into my back and her hips try to move, I pull back slowly before thrusting forward again.
“Yes! Tucker, again!” I thrust into her, over and over, slowly gaining speed. My whole body feels like it’s on fire, she feels incredible. I’ve never felt so much during sex before. In the past, it’s been mostly about a physical need, but right now I feel connected with her on an emotional and spiritual level, like our two bodies are becoming one.
“Tucker, I’m going to come,” she cries out.
“Yes, baby, come for me, I want to feel you squeeze my dick. ”
“Ahh!” she screams, my words sending her over the edge. The feeling of her convulsing around me is enough to set off my own orgasm and I come in her with a surge. Thank god for birth control because fucking her without a condom was sensational. I’ve never gone bareback before and it feels amazing.
Eventually, I pull out of her and roll to the side, kissing her before pulling her close.
“That was amazing, Sugar.”
“Mmm,” she mumbles in reply, making me laugh.
“Did I break you?”
“Mmm hmm.”
“Does that mean you’re enjoying your date?”
She tilts her head up to me with a huge smile on her face. “Best first date ever.”