37. Lettie
Lettie
M y boots were frozen to the dirt as I stared at the spectacle in Bailey’s backyard. He’d gone all out. The fairy lights and candles created a warm glow that illuminated the field, making the scene look almost unreal.
The table was centered under the pitched roof, an array of blue and white flowers from the fields spread throughout the arrangement.
I could smell whatever food was waiting on the table from where I stood.
I was lost in the idea that someone put this much effort into a date with me. That he put so much effort into this.
An arm snaked around my waist a moment before my back connected with a warm, hard chest.
“You’re early,” Bailey said in a low voice, his breath against the shell of my ear causing a shiver to spread down my spine .
“I was going to offer to help with dinner but...” I kept my back to his chest as I turned to look up at him.
“I asked you on a date. That means I do the work, Huckleberry. Not you.”
I studied his face, the lights reflecting in his eyes, making them appear a few shades darker than their typical mossy green. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
He let go of me, his hand finding mine before leading me toward the gazebo.
“This is our first official date, Lettie. No way in hell was I going to order a pizza and turn on a movie. I want you to remember our first date night for the rest of your life.” He pulled the chair at the end of the table out, gesturing for me to sit.
Bailey didn’t know that regardless of what he did tonight, I’d remember it.
I never forgot one moment with him growing up.
All those times he’d conditioned my boots, cleaned up my saddle in the barn, or always made sure to bring an extra towel to the creek because I always forgot mine.
He may think I didn’t notice the little things, but I did.
I thought about them every day while I was gone.
“Don’t knock pizza and a movie. It’s actually pretty romantic,” I joked.
He scooted my chair a few inches forward, then went around to the opposite side and took his own seat. He lifted the foil from the dishes set out on the table, the scent of food making my mouth water.
My eyes landed on the steak and I smiled. “Typical cowboy, always eating steak.”
He frowned at me from across the table. “We’ve had steak together twice in the past few weeks. That’s not every day.”
“That was just when you’re with me. I bet you’ve had steak at least five more times since then. I can even bet you’ve got a freezer full of steaks inside right now.”
“You’re just trying to find things to pick on me about because you can’t believe I did all this.” He grabbed the bowl of salad, dishing himself up a portion.
“Why would I need to do that? My list is already miles long.”
He pinned me with a glare, doing his best to hide his smile.
“But, in all seriousness, this is amazing, Bailey. Thank you.” He held the bowl out to me and I grabbed it from him, piling the summer salad on my plate.
“It was no biggie. I needed to do something with this thing anyway.” I dished up the rest of my plate as he did the same.
I hadn’t even known this structure was back here. “When’d you build it?”
He finished chewing his bite before speaking. “Couple years ago. Wanted to keep myself busy and figured this was the best way to do it.”
“On top of all the other things you do?”
He rolled his lips together as our eyes met, his gaze burning into my skin. “I’d love to add one more thing to that list. ”
We held each other's gazes for a few silent seconds before I snapped my eyes away, focusing back on my food. He stared a few moments longer before taking another bite of steak.
“I wasn’t sure what to wear,” I said in a sad attempt to make conversation.
“You look beautiful, Lettie. You always do.”
I gave him a small smile before loading my fork with salad.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He pulled something out of his back pocket, setting one on the table beside my plate, the other on his lap. “Napkins.”
“Let me guess, blue for huckleberry?” I laughed as I unfolded the napkin and laid it out across my thigh.
“No. Blue because they remind me of your eyes.”
My laugh immediately ceased and I froze with my hands on the napkin from where I was flattening out a crease. I was too scared to look up at him.
He was saying all these sweet things and being so fucking romantic, it made my heart want to jump out of my damn chest. This was a new side of Bailey I wasn’t used to.
He’d do small gestures growing up, always silent with the way he cared about me, but now that he was voicing those feelings, my mind was having a hard time processing the fact that they were coming out of his mouth.
I refused to let my mind take over, though. I was done overthinking this. I wanted Bailey. Why was I so damn scared to give in to those feelings ?
Looking up, I found him watching me, gauging my reaction. He was scared I would run again. I knew that. But I needed to reassure him somehow.
As much as my head wanted to talk me out of crossing that line again with Bailey, my heart wouldn’t let it. Neither would the heat building between my thighs at the way he stared at me.
Fuck it.
I stood from the table and walked over to him, lifting my leg to straddle his lap.
His hands naturally fell to my hips as he gazed up at me, an intense fire blazing in his eyes.
“I want this, Bailey.”
“I never thought I’d hear you say those words,” he said, and a second later, he crashed his mouth to mine, slipping his tongue past my lips. His fingers dug into my hips as I slid my hands up his chest to tangle them in his hair.
I moved my hips forward, feeling his dick straining against his jeans.
He lifted me with him as he stood, wrapping my legs around his waist. His mouth never left mine as he walked us up his porch and into his house. He kicked the slider door shut before setting me on the kitchen island.
His eyes scanned me, lowering until they landed on my shirt. “You know what would make this outfit look even better?” His voice was rough with need as he spoke.
“What?” I breathed.
He looked at me. “If it was laying on my floor.”
His hands came around my back, pulling at the knot that held the shirt together. He tugged on the fabric, the knot coming undone. The shirt fell down my torso and he tossed it to the kitchen floor.
“Fuck, Lettie. No bra?” His hands came around to palm my breasts before he brought them down to the hem of my jeans, his fingers working at the button and zipper.
I set my hands on the counter, lifting my hips so he could slide my jeans off.
He cursed once they landed on the ground, taking in my already wet, gray lace panties. “Already soaked for me, Huckleberry?”
I pursed my lips together as he set his hands on my knees, pulling my legs apart. My panties pulled to the side, exposing some of my pussy.
He kept his eyes on the sight between my legs as he worked at the buttons of his shirt, undoing them one by one. I watched his fingers, closing my legs slightly, heat creeping up my cheeks from his stare.
He pulled them back apart, his hard eyes landing on mine. “Uh-uh. No getting shy on me now. You can’t hide anymore, Lettie.”
He pulled his shirt off, the fabric landing in a heap on the floor behind him. He took his time taking his jeans off, kicking off his boots and socks.
He grabbed a condom from his jeans and I raised an eyebrow. “You always keep condoms in your pockets, at the ready? ”
“Wasn’t sure where we’d be doing this tonight. I don’t keep condoms in my kitchen drawers,” he said as he ripped open the foil and slid the condom on.
He stepped forward, coming back between my legs.
I stared up at him as he tipped my chin up with his finger.
“I know who you are out there, Lettie, but I want to know who you are in bed. I want to memorize every inch of your body, know how you like to be fucked, if you like it slow or fast, gentle or hard. I want my name to be the one on your lips when I make you come undone tonight and every night after. You’ve always been mine, Lettie. ”
I audibly swallowed, then said, “Hard.”
A smirk pulled at his lips. “I had a feeling you’d say that. Now, be a good girl and lay back so I can give it to you how you like it.”
He set a hand on my shoulder, easing me back until I was laying flat against the cool countertop. “Hold on to the counter,” he commanded.
My hands found the edge and I grabbed it. His fingers hooked in my panties and he pulled them off, letting them fall to the floor.
He slid me forward an inch, my legs spread around him. I watched as he fisted his cock and pumped it twice before dragging it along my center. The warmth of him made my head fall back against the counter.
The head of his cock brushed against my bundle of nerves. My breath picked up pace as he slid it lower, positioning himself at my entrance. “Eyes on me, Lettie. I want to see you.”
I tilted my head slightly, our eyes meeting a moment before he thrust inside in one swift motion.
I gasped, my lips parting. He gave me a moment to adjust to the size of him inside me before pulling out slightly.
He shoved back in with such force, my fingers almost lost the edge of the counter.
He thrust in and out of me, fucking me like I’d never been fucked before.
“Like that?”
“Yes,” I moaned.
“Such a good girl, taking all of me in that sweet little pussy. I knew you’d feel so fucking perfect wrapped around my cock.”
His hands gripped my legs behind my knees, keeping me positioned just right as he thrust against that sweet spot deep inside of me.
“Touch yourself for me, baby. Show me how you like it.”
My right hand let go of the counter and I brought it between our bodies to rub circles over my bundle of nerves as he fucked me mercilessly. My head fell back as pleasure coursed through me, pressure building deep inside of me.
He leaned forward, his body covering mine as he slid one hand up my belly to my neck, squeezing with just the right amount of pressure. “You think of me when you touch yourself?”
“Mhmm,” I managed to get out on a moan .
“Such a naughty girl,” he whispered into my ear. “You want to come on my cock?”
I nodded as his fingers flexed on my neck.
Fuck .
He picked up his pace, my body sliding up the counter. I added pressure with my fingers, and then I exploded.
“Bailey!” I tilted my head back, squeezing my eyes shut as stars danced across my vision.
He kept his pace as the waves crashed into me, coursing through my body in blissful pleasure.
As I began to come back down, he exploded, his head tipping back as I watched him unravel with his hand still around my neck.
Never in my life did I think I’d get to see this sight, get to feel these things, but now that I had, I never wanted to stop.
His head dropped to my chest after he released my neck, our breaths evening out.
After a few moments, he sat up, looking down at me.
“You’re more than I ever could have imagined, Lettie.” He grabbed my hand, helping me to sit up. He grabbed his button-up from the ground and slid my arms into it, buttoning the middle button.
I slid my hands up his bare chest, admiring every inch of it. His body was evidence of how hard he worked on the ranch. He was like a perfectly sculpted statue, all hard lines and deep curves.
Before crossing the line I’d so carefully drawn with Bailey, I had tried to move on from having him in my life, thinking I could forget about the way I felt around him.
But after being with Bailey, burning that invisible line to the ground, I was ruined. Ruined in the best way possible. Now that I had him, I didn’t want to imagine my future without his hands on my skin, his smile aimed at me, and hearing that ridiculous nickname every day.
Bailey was now ingrained into my daily life, quickly making the last five years apart disappear, like it never even happened.