Page 66 of Rough Cowboy
“They’re plannin’ a party, aren’t they?” I sip my coffee, watching them bustle about the property, deciding where to place the balloon bouquets.
“It’s for Sammy since he’s missing the ultrasound.” My ma dumps a paper bag of freshly baked buns into a basket and sorts them in a meat row.
“He’s had a stick up his ass for weeks,” I mutter. “I ain’t looking forward to him coming home and bitchin’ about how wrong I am for Elsie. Everyone else is on board.” I wave at the table. “They’re makin’ a damn love quilt for us.”
“Elsie’s his friend, and you do have a repudiation.”
“She has a reputation.”
“I don’t think that’s the approach to take with your brother.”
“You’re probably right.” I push off the counter and stand across from my ma. “I’m just going to tell him I love her.”
“Better.”
“And that I love his kid.”
“As you should.”
“And I’m not trying to replace him as the kid’s father, but I want to spend the rest of my life with Elsie.”
She touches my hand and smiles that sweet motherly smile of hers. “I think with time, Sammy will be happy for you. He loves you as much as you love him. He might need time for you to prove your intentions, but once he sees how dedicated you are, he’ll be nothing but happy for you.”
I squeeze her hand. “Thanks, mom.”
“I’m proud of you for listening to your heart.”
When a half hour creeps around, I wait for Elsie outside her bedroom door. When she finally opens it, I swing her into my arms and cover her mouth.
“We’re not going to get a second of privacy today.Come with me.”
***
ELSIE
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IGIGGLE AS WE SNEAKup the attic stairs without anyone noticing us.
Once we’re are, he spins me around and cups my face. “I want to say it’s been five days of torture not stripping you naked and having my way with you. But every day, I learn something new about you. Swimming at the creek and having a picnic in the field was more intimate because we were in the moment in a way I’ve never been with a woman.”
His words touch my heart, but if we don’t get down to business, I know we will be interrupted. “Do you not want to banglefuck or write a poem?”
“I definitely want to banglefuck you in here. I also want you to know I love doing everything else with you. Only you.”
“Corny.” My fingers grip the front of his shirt. “I love that my rough cowboy is also my corny cowboy.”
He dips down, and his mouth crashes against mine. Surprisingly soft, warm, and tender, but rough and demanding all at the same time. Heat blazes between us. I meet every heavenly stoke of his tongue with an eagerness of my own.
Massaging.
Biting.
Licking.
In the same instant, his hands are on my ass cheeks, and he lifts me like I weigh nothing and sets me on a table. I don’t care if I get a hundred silvers in my cheeks. My legs wrap around him like I’ve done so many times. A rodeo booth. Behind a concert stage. Horse stalls. Restrooms. His trailer—so many times in his trailer.
But today is different.
