My cheeks singe with heat and my heart pitter patters in my chest, making me short of breath.
I want nothing more than for him to take his shirt off and come over and kiss me. I want to feel him against me, skin to skin to see if it feels different when he touches me instead of myself. He’s not the only one soaked now… I pray he doesn’t notice.
“Oh, yeah?” He smirks like he knows my current state.
Fuck.
He walks a few steps toward me, and winks, his tongue flicking out on his bottom lip.
“Do you want to help me get ready?”
My eyes betray me. Damn them. They trace down his stomach and linger on his pants, blatantly showing the dirty place my mind’s stuck in. I bite my lip, barely holding myself back from being reckless and risking our entire friendship by placing my mouth on his and tasting him, experiencing him and his lush, full wet lips.
Wearing a cocky smirk, he closes the gap between us. He licks his lips and lifts my chin with his rough knuckle…sigh…farmer’s hands.
God, I love them.
The skin’s cracked and calloused on the outside but soft on the palms. Veins protrude on the back of his hands, going down his arm and into the part of his bicep not covered by his T-shirt.
I search each of his beautiful brown eyes, trying to figure out what he’s thinking. My attention moves back to his lips and then his eyes on repeat, searching each crinkle of skin and each minute change in expression to see if he’s feeling the same as me in this moment.
The rain’s a distant drumming on the barn, yet barely an echo of sound can cut through the tension between us. The only thing I can clearly hear is him, his voice, his breathing and my own. I lick my lips and bite the inside of the lower one to be subtle about what I want, givinghim permission to take that step if he wants. His breath hitches as his gaze dips to my mouth.
We lock eyes, his staring at me with intensity, mine begging him to make a move.
Do it, I will them to say.Kiss me.
A hint of a smile appears but then he backs away, his eyes softening. It feels like he broke a bond that was just forming between us but now has been ripped, catching my breath with it. The rain and wind appear again but slower than before. It must be about to clear up outside.
“How are you doing today, Char? You doing, okay?” he croaks, his throat bobbing. Is he breathless from the interaction between us like I am?
I lean back on the bale, the alfalfa sticking into my palms, grounding me.
“I don’t want to talk about what happened last night. I’m over it. I promised myself I wasn’t going to let that jack-ass ruin or control my mood and feelings. Fuck him and fuck that.”
“That’s my girl,” he says proudly.
Butterflies flutter wildly in my stomach at being called his girl. I curl my lips in to hold my smile back and look away. “By the way, did you get any sleep last night at all? When did you even leave?” I ask, changing the conversation.
He rubs the back of his neck and looks down at his boots.
“Uh, no I didn’t get any sleep. I left around four, I think?”
“Holy crap, four in the morning? And you didn’t sleep? Why?” I know he told me already in his note, but I want him to tell me in person. I need to know he won’t play games with me and will be direct and up front with his feelings. He shoves his hands in his pockets, visibly nervous.
“Well,” he says exhaling forcefully, “I was too nervous to sleep in your room in case I didn’t wake up in time and your parents found us. After the night you had, you didn’t need any more drama. Plus, I wanted to be there in case you woke up and needed some comfort. I wasn’t sure if you’d have nightmares and get scared if you woke up and were alone. I wanted to make sure you didn’t feel alone in any capacity because I know how scary it can be to wake up like that.”
I’m shook. He’s had nights of feeling alone and scared? He’s had nightmares that’ve haunted him? Why’s he never told me any of this before?
I push my luck and press for more. “You’ve woken up scared before?”
“Mhmm…” He stops talking and forces a cough. “Oh, good the rain’s about stopped…whichis convenient, because I have a surprise for you, and we need to go to the other barn to get it.”
My eyes widen. “A surprise? Y-you got me something? What is it?”
He grins broadly and grabs my hand, pulling me up and leading me out of the side door he came in through. His touch lights my whole body on fire until…
“Ouch.”
