Page 48 of When It Burns

“I want to see your farm,” she declares.

“Okay, well I don’t have any animals yet, and Margaret is probably consuming every inch of the kitchen and living room,” Theo says.

“I’m not worried about either of those things,” Caroline says as the sexiest smirk I’ve ever seen spreads across her face.

“Well, what do you want to do then?” I ask her, anxiously waiting to see what she’ll say.

“Hmmm, let’s just ride, Cowboy. I have some blankets in my trunk from baseball season, and when we find a spot we like, we can just get in the tailgate and talk,” she says as her eyes sparkle with mischief.

If the look on her face is any indication, I have a feeling there won’t be much talking, but you certainly won’t hear me complaining. “Perfect, let’s go.”

Unable to stop myself, I grab her and kiss her deeply for a minute before jumping into motion. After she runs to her car and grabs the blankets, we jump into my truck, and I resist the urge to speed off towards the house, ignoring every stop sign and traffic law until I am between her legs with her lips on mine.

“So, Coach, I guess congratulations are in order,” she says, winking at me from the passenger side as she leans over and reaches for my hand. “That was some game.”

“Yeah, it was,” I say with a small smile on my lips. “I thought when I gave up the sport in high school I would never know what it would be like to be on a team again. But tonight proved that wrong. And it feels pretty damn good.”

“Theo, you’re a natural. I know coaching wasn’t in your original plans, but those boys have grown to really love you. You should be proud, Cowboy,” Caroline says while she squeezes my hand.

“Thanks, Sunshine. The squad looked awesome tonight too. I’ve never seen someone flip like Maggie did in that pyramid.”

“Thank you. She’s so talented. I am really hoping that Hannah and I can help her get a cheerleading scholarship. After everything she’s been through, she really deserves it,” she says.

We continue to make small talk while I drive until I pull into our long and winding driveway. One of the things that I love about the farm is the long driveway that hides the house from the street. I pull into the drive, stopping by the garage and grabbing us each a beer, before making our way to one of the pastures.

As I throw the truck into park, Caroline leans over. She brushes her hair back as it falls into her eyes and says, “I have a proposition for you, Mr. Johnson.”

“Hmm, that sounds like it could be interesting. What is it, Miss Tyler?”

“You can have your way with me tonight. Anything you want. But first, you have to catch me,” she whispers with a devilish grin. Before I can comprehend what she said, she is off—throwing the passenger door open and sprinting through the field.

My adrenaline from the game returns, and it feels like a bolt of lightning as it races through my veins. I let out a loud whoop and call out, “Sunshine, when I catch you, you better be ready to beg!”

The moon is almost nonexistent tonight, but the stars give off enough light to see a few feet in front of me. I start running in the direction she had headed off in, but I can’t see any sign of her.

I race between my truck and the field, knowing she couldn’t have made it far in the dark. After a few minutes, I finally see a flit of her figure before she ducks behind a hay bale that was left over from when Mr. Wilkerson lived here. I break into a sprint towards her, and she lets out a loud shriek before taking off again back towards the truck.

She laughs while she runs, and I race faster, closing in on her. I catch her wrist right as we pass my tailgate, and I haul her into my arms. “Hmm, looks like you’re all mine now,” I say as I clamp my arm tightly across her stomach, securing her to my side as she tries to wiggle free.

“Whatcha gonna do with me Cowboy?” she asks, sounding desperate to hear my response.

“Well, that depends.”

“On what?”

“Are you gonna be a good girl for me tonight?” I ask and I hear her breath catch in her throat as she rubs her thighs together against me.

“Yes sir. Always,” Caroline responds.

I sit her on the edge of the tailgate and grab the blankets she’d thrown in the backseat. After spreading a few out, I turn back to her. In the dim light, I can feel the desire rolling off of her body, and I am desperate to feel her close to me.

“Sunshine, do you trust me?” I ask her while I wrap my arms around her.

“Clearly, Cowboy,” she says, hugging me tightly to my body.

With that piece of encouragement out of the way, I reach for my belt. I unbuckle it and pull it through the loops of my jeans as Caroline tracks my every movement.

“Are you gonna spank me?” she asks with a wink.

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