Page 28 of Long Time Coming

There’sno hiding my growing desire for her, even in frigid water.

Pris wraps her legs around me and lifts, rubbing herself against my erection. She feels so good, too good to be fucking her in a river. But I also know that once we get out, things will never be the same between us. I’m not sure how to feel about it.

I like her company.

I like looking at that pretty face of hers.

I like her.

I’m so fucked.

She pulls back and licks her glistening lips. Her chest swells with heavy breaths, the weight of them matching mine. Her eyes soften as her gaze drops back to my lips. “It was better than I ever imagined.”

Those words, her soft blue eyes watching me with trust encircling the gold centers. It’s like she’s set off a reminder in my brain.

It’s a compliment, nothing but an innocent remark . . .

The idealism rattles me back to reality. But it strikes a familiar chord that I don’t want to revisit. I’ve been someone’s fantasy of what they thought they wanted in life, only to turn me into a project that needed fixing. I won’t be that guy again.Not for anyone.

“We should probably dry off before the sun heads below the trees.” Looking back at where we left our clothes, I see the horses have gone. “Guess it would have been wise to tie them up.” I release her and move back through the water in slow strides.

“They’re used to roaming. They’ll be up at the barn before we get there, ready to have their saddles taken off.” As the water between us grows, she asks, “Why are you sneaking away?”

“I’m not sneaking,” I reply, struggling to keep the defense out of my tone. “I’m right here.” I shake my head. “I just think we should go.”

“Because I kissed you?”

“No, because I kissed you.” I turn around and paddle my hands through the shallower waters until I’m standing on the flat boulder again.

I hear the water rustle behind me as she works her way out, but I’m already drying off with my T-shirt before she’s standing behind me. “What’s wrong with kissing me?” I couldn’t hide my defensiveness, and neither can she.

When I glance over my shoulder, she’s shivering with her arms wrapped around her chest. Hard bud nipples push against the cotton, which is already see-through from being wet. I look down at her entire body because I’m an asshole, even if I pretended I wasn’t this week. The pink of her panties is smooth against her pussy, revealing more than she’s probably aware. I meet her gaze again, where I’m met with a tinge of anger she’s not bothering to hide. “Nothing, that’s the problem.” I turn around and grab my jeans because I can’t be showing up at the house with her daddy sitting there with a rifle at his side seeing us both soaking wet and basically naked together.

“That doesn’t make sense, Tagger.”

Of course it doesn’t. None of this makes sense, even to me, other than I just played with fire and feel burned in the aftermath. I need to get out of here because she’ll never understand. “Get dressed, Pris.”

“And just drop it because you don’t want to answer?”

“Exactly fucking that.” I finally get the denim over my wet legs and button them up.

She finally reaches down and grabs her shirt to slip on over her head. Reaching underneath, she unfastens the bra and slips it off before it soaks through the fabric. “That’s really weak, you know that?”

Grabbing my socks, I bend to put them on, not bothering to respond. We’re only going to end up arguing, and that’s not what I want despite being the instigator.

She pulls on her jeans and then walks to where she left her socks and boots. She says nothing more as she finishes getting dressed.

If she were most women, I’d probably be grateful they got the message. With her, though, I feel like shit. Standing tall in my boots again, I lower the temperature of my tone, and say, “Listen, Pris?—”

“No. I don’t care what you have to say, so save it for somebody else.” She walks to the softer covering of the needles and then calls out, “Sunrise? Here, girl. Sunrise.”

Sticks crack under her feet as she makes her way through the trees, taking her hat with her to the openness of the rest of the property. “Sunrise?”

Taking my hat off the branch, I start behind her but stop when her horse comes trotting into the woods.Her saving grace from me.Animals know these things. She gets on without any assistance needed and takes off toward the barn.

Hurting her feelings was the last thing I intended, much like her comment in the water. But I fucked up, and I’m not sure she’s the forgiving type.

Guess I’ll find out as soon as I get up to the house. To avoid the long walk back, I try her trick, and call out, “Nightfall?” Clapping my hands, I keep walking. “Come on, boy. Come, Nightfall.”

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