Page 33 of Nixon’s Promise

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It’d been just shy of a week since Nix had found himself relaxing on McKenna’s back porch listening to her confess that their tryst in his kitchen meant something to her. He was pleased as fuck, she hadn’t left because he’d done something wrong. He was also happy she’d felt the same connection he had. However content he was in the knowledge, he was also frustrated.

Between his workload and McKenna’s, he hadn’t found any time to be alone with her. She was under a deadline and he’d been helping Mr. Adams with his broken-down tractor. The fields had been plowed and disced and were ready for the corn to go in, when the steering went out in his old John Deere.

Something else Nixon had already respected about Mr. Adams—he’d rather fix what he had than go into debt. However, the John Deere was nearing the end of its usefulness. The old tractor was too small for the acreage Adams tilled, yet trying to get him to come off of damn near a hundred large to buy a new one would take a miracle.

Now it was Saturday and as much as he’d enjoyed the time they’d spent at her house, Mandy and Zack were always around. McKenna wasn’t letting Mandy out of her sight and Zack was hovering. He still needed to pull the kid aside and talk to him about what he’d said to his sister. But that day was not going to be today.

Nix had found, even though he was not a phone person, he’d enjoyed exchanging texts and talking to McKenna until it was way past time they should’ve been awake. He’d found that when she wasn’t face-to-face with him, she opened up.

They’d shared their high school experiences, she told him about college, and he’d even told her about some of his deployments. He’d kept them as PG as he could, and of course there was a lot he couldn’t share with her, but he did tell her about his teammates and how much he missed the camaraderie.

Nixon had finished what needed to be done around his house and jumped in his Kubota to head over to McKenna’s. Careful not to run over the rows of newly planted corn, he took the long way around, passing by the old fort he’d built in the woods. Damn, he’d had many fun days and nights in that old shack and he was happy to see, that if Zack had been hanging out down there, he’d been keeping the area clean. It took less than five minutes to pull into McKenna’s driveway. Zack and Duke were in the yard, but he hadn’t seen the woman who had plagued his every thought.

“Yo! Nix.”

He tried to hide his smile at the boy’s greeting.

“Yo,” he returned. “Where are your sisters?”

McKenna poked her head out of the barn. “Hey.”

Goddamn she was sexy, even in her ratty-assed jeans, boots, and covered in dirt and sweat. She also had on a pair of work gloves. Nixon felt his ire start to simmer. He glanced back at Zack and he, too, had on gloves and was carrying a pitchfork.

“Where’s Mandy?”

“Inside.” The bite in Zack’s tone was all he needed to hear.

Crossing a line he knew he had no business crossing—but he was going to do it anyway—he stormed to the house, through the porch, through the kitchen, into the hall, and stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

“Yo! Mandy.”

It took a few seconds but her door opened, and she appeared at the top of the landing. Groggy and still in her pjs, she answered. “Yeah?”

“Get dressed and come down here.” Her teenage attitude was getting ready to fly. He put a hand up to ward off her comeback and continued. “I know you hearing your brother say all that to you the other day didn’t feel all that great. I also know he’s been jabbin’ at you all week. You want that to stop, I suggest you get dressed and get down here and start pulling your share.”

Mandy was still standing there staring down at him like he’d grown antlers out of his forehead and he was farting unicorn dust. Nixon didn’t give the first fuck what she thought about him, only that once again, McKenna was in the barn working her ass off and Zack was doing his best to help his sister, while Princess Mandy slept in.

“And while you’re getting dressed you can maybe think about why it is you feel entitled to sleep the day away while everyone else in this house is working.”

He didn’t wait for her to answer. He turned, took two steps, rounded the corner into the kitchen, and he ran headlong into McKenna. Both his hands shot out and he steadied.

“Shit, McKenna. Are you okay?”

He’d damn near knocked her on her ass.

“Yeah,” she whispered and looked down.

Fuck. He’d overstepped. “I’m sorry I—”

He didn’t have the chance to finish, because she rolled up on her toes and kissed him. It wasn’t a sweet brush of the lips. It was full on with tongue and Nix couldn’t stop his cock from hardening. She pulled back just as abruptly as she’d started and moved her mouth to his ear. “You have no idea how badly I wish we were alone.”

Her admission did nothing to help his hard-on deflate. He had no idea what he’d done to deserve a kiss like that, or her appreciation, but he wished he did so he could do it again.

They’d made their way back outside and enough time had passed he didn’t think Mandy was going to join them, when she made an appearance.

“I’m here,” she announced.