Chapter 15
Dakota
“This is it for me.” The words repeated themselves over and over all night. Dinner was a blur, and I felt bad because Jack had been chattering on about working with Grandpa and swimming with the guys. At one point he laughed because he had asked some ridiculous question, and I’d just nodded, oblivious to what he wanted. He helped me clean up, and then went to play in his room. I’d spent the evening pretending to watch TV. Thoughts of Hank flitted though my mind as well as questions about my sister’s odd behavior.
I’ve never been one to sit back and wait for things to happen, so after Jack said goodnight and went to bed, I decided to go to the bunkhouse. I needed to see if Hank knew anything about Lou and what had been going on while I was away, and then I intended to drag him into the woods for a long overdue kiss.
Just as I was opening the door, there he stood in the edge of the shadows. I jumped back, startled. I wasn’t prepared for him to be there, and I wasn’t sure how long he’d been lurking. “You scared me,” I whisper-shouted. He stepped forward into the glow of the porch light, his lips pulling into a smile on one side.
“Wasn’t trying to do that.” He chuckled. “Just wanted to say goodnight. You going somewhere?” He eyed my feet where I was slipping on a pair of sandals.
“I was coming to find you,” I muttered. I was slightly embarrassed at being caught, but also annoyed that I felt that way. We were adults and should be able to share our feelings. I motioned for him to come in. “Jack’s asleep,” I clarified.
Hank nodded and stepped inside. As soon as his boots cleared the threshold, he wrapped his arms around me and leaned in for a kiss. All thought of asking about my sister went away as every part of my body woke up to Hank’s touch. ’This is it for me’ floated through my head once again, and it was if a switch has been flipped, and I gave myself permission to feel all of it.
My arms looped around his neck, my fingers sliding up to thread through the soft hair at the nape of his neck. I tugged gently, and he groaned. He stepped farther into the house and used the heel of his boot to kick the door shut. Strong arms banded around my middle as calloused hands slid down my back, cupping my ass and pulling me closer.
“What are we doing here?” He panted as he broke the kiss. He leaned his head down and rested his forehead against mine. The ridge on his jeans pressed against my belly, making it known how he felt. “I’m holding on by a thread,” he mumbled before pressing a kiss to the tip of my nose. He bent his knees, so we’d be eye level. “You need to tell me what you want, because I can go back to the bunkhouse right now if I need to.” His eyes darted across my face, a mix of uncertainty and want swirling in the crystal blue of his eyes. “Talk to me.”
I leaned forward, brushing my lips over his, and whispering, “I want you. All of you. All the time.” As the last word left my lips, I crushed my mouth to his, sinking into his embrace. My arms tightened around his neck as I began moving toward the hallway. My bedroom was at the end, and we had to get past Jack’s first. As if he knew what I was thinking, he lifted me into his arms, and silently moved with cat-like reflexes down the hall.
The door softly closed as my feet touched the floor. I reached for the hem of my t-shirt and tugged it over my head, tossing is to the side before reaching for his. He let me push the soft cotton up, kiss his abs and chest at the same time. His tanned skin was warm, his pecs rising rapidly as he attempted to calm himself. I tossed the shirt to the floor, running my hands over his broad shoulders, taking time to kiss along their tops as I made my way up his neck, pausing right below the ear. He stood there like a statue, letting me explore. Our last time together had been when we were kids. His body was more defined now with new ridges and dips, and I wanted to touch them all.
“You’re killing me, Codie.” He hissed as I pulled at his belt. His stomach sucked in, goosebumps running along his arms as I nimbly undid the buckle and button on his jeans. He kicked his boots off before I peeled the denim over his ass and thighs. He reached for me, tugging at the cotton shorts until they pooled at my feet, before reaching around to undo the clasp on my bra. We stood there for a moment, just admiring what we’d both missed over the last thirteen years. I was an inexperienced teen, and he was the boy who taught me what it meant to love someone. Now, as a woman, I knew myself better and what I wanted from all of this.
“I love you.” He leaned closer and rubbed his knuckles along my cheek. “You’re so beautiful.” He threaded his fingers with mine and led me over to the bed. When my thighs hit the edge, he squatted down and began tugging at my panties. He kissed my hip bone as the silk slid down my legs. “Beautiful,” he whispered. As he stood, I slid onto the soft sheets. He stepped back, shoved his boxers down, kicking them to the side in the process.
He climbed onto the mattress and laid down beside me. “This is better than the hayloft,” he teased as he kissed along my neck. My fingers dug into the sheets, fisting the cotton as I shivered against him. One hand glided down my belly as he rolled closer, toying with me until I was begging for more.
“I can’t… I can’t…” I started begging, and he leaned over, covering my mouth with his. His body moved to hover over me and in one quick motion, we were one.
He paused, “This ok?” Without words, I reached up pulling him closer, digging my nails into his shoulders and wrapping my legs around his hips. He began moving, fluidly at first, but the longer we went, the jerkier the movements became. The kiss broke as he froze and then dropped his head onto the pillow beside me. “I’m sorry. It’s been awhile,” he muttered before rolling to lay beside me. He tucked me against him and pulled the covers over us, cocooning us in the blissful warmth of each other’s bodies.
“Sleep.” He yawned. I closed my eye and drifted off into the best night’s sleep I’ve had since moving back here.
*****
I awoke the next morning to the sound of cartoons coming from the living room. I reached over and was met with cold sheets. My eyes popped open, memories of the night before seeming like they might have been a dream. The sun was beaming, and the last sounds of summer were in the distance.
I sat up, the sheets pooling at my waist when I realized I was naked. It hadn’t been a dream, and the pile of scattered clothes was proof. I quickly climbed out of bed and grabbed some clean panties and PJs. After slipping them on, I noticed a note on my dresser. Hank’s messy handwriting scrawled across it.
Morning Beautiful,
Weren’t sure how you felt about Jack finding me here in the morning, so I slipped out before the sun rose. It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. I’d hold you all day and night if I could. See you later.
Love, Hank
I folded the paper and tucked it into the top drawer of the dresser before heading out to the kitchen. I went about fixing myself a cup of coffee as I meandered around the kitchen in a dreamlike state, not even realizing that Jack was staring at me.
“Mom? You ok?” His nose crinkled as he stared at me.
“I’m fine,” I smiled. “Just happy, I guess.”
“I like it when you’re happy.” He grinned.
“Me, too.” I grabbed some bread and dropped it in the toaster. “You not helping Grandpa today?” I got butter and jam from the fridge.
“He told me to take the day off since school’s starting soon. Wants me to enjoy the summer.”
“You can help me get ready for our cookout tonight if you want.” I grabbed the toast as it popped and placed it on a plate.
“Sure.” He shrugged as he went back to watching his show. After adding butter and jam to my toast, I sat down at the table. I could see the guys outside prepping the tractor to mow the corn fields, and I couldn’t help but stare. Hank was out there shirtless, and as he bent down to pick up something, you could see the muscles in his back flex. Parts of me started to wake up, and I had to look away to keep from doing something stupid in front of my son.
*****
Hank
Leaving this morning was the hardest thing I’ve done, probably harder than being in the same room as her when she first came back. “Where were you last night?” Johney teased.
“None of your business,” I snapped. He was always asking questions about things that had nothing to do with him. We were heading down to the barn to prep the mower and get the tractor ready. Jeff wanted to get the fields mowed so we could begin the fall soil treatment. It was already hot as blazes outside, and after putting the blades back on the mower, I tossed my shirt over the fence.
“Nothing, huh?” Johney scoffed. “Them red marks say you was doin’ somethin’.” He pointed.
“If you don’t want some red marks of your own, I suggest you shut it,” Ben warned.
“Why? Were you down at Tumbleweeds with Gia again? Is that it?” Johney cackled.
“I’m warnin’ you,” I turned and snarled at him.
“I wouldn’t blame ya if ya was. She’s a firecracker.” He hooted. “I’s heard she likes ‘em rough. Two at a time sometimes.”
I glared at Jeff. “You shut him up, or I will.”
“I ain’t doin’ anything. He’s diggin’ this hole. He can get out of it himself.” Jeff rolled his eyes.
“I don’t need no babysitter,” Johney cawed.
“Maybe not, but you will.” I stomped up to stop in front of where he was standing. “Say something else,” I ordered.
“You’s just upset that I know what you do in the off hours. Bangin’ the bosses’ wild one.” He grinned and that was it. I reared back and threw a right cross at him, connecting with his nose in the process.
“Damn.” He clutched his face as blood gushed between his fingers. “All ya’ll saw that.” He pointed with his free hand.
“We didn’t see shit!” Bo waved him off.
“Go clean up and shut your hole in the process.” Jeff pointed to the bunkhouse. “I’ll be addressing this with the bossman if you can’t keep your opinions to yourself.” Johney turned and made his way up to the bunkhouse, and when he came back later that afternoon, he didn’t say one word to anybody.