“I have absolutely no intention—or desire—to take your virginity this way. Not tonight, out in this fucking tent, under your father’s order. Absolutely no fucking way.”

She turns towards me, and there is a soft smile on her face. It’s the best reaction I could have hoped for.

“I mean, I want to,” I blurt out, unable to stop myself. “I do want you… and knowing I will be your first is a special pleasure, too. And this time…”

This time, there will be no one to stop me.

I don’t finish that sentence out loud. She doesn’t need to know about the fight I had with her father, the conflict between the packs, or the truckloads of illegal guns. She is innocence itself, and I have to protect her.

“Thank you, Jack,” she says. “That means a lot to me.”

Seeing her relax helps put me in a much better mood. I still feel tortured by the scent of cotton candy in the air, but I’m starting to get used to it. The anticipation of knowing I will taste it soon, and I will be the first and only one, helps me deal with my desire.

The tent is quiet again, and I try desperately to think of something to say. If I’m going to truly put her at ease, I need to be able to have a decent conversation.

“So, do you still like thriller movies?” I ask, feeling a rush of palpable relief that I have remembered something useful.

“Sure,” she says, laughing. “I don’t have a lot of money, so I don’t go to the cinema much.”

“I’ll have to take you. My husbandly duty. We can make it a regular date.”

“Sounds good!”

“Have you streamed any good movies at home?”

She shakes her head. “We don’t have a good signal, and Father says streaming services are daylight robbery.”

I feel like I’ve stumbled straight into a land mine, and I realize that’s going to happen a lot. I have to be careful to pull her out of these uncomfortable topics and focus on something good.

“What about Scream 5? I know you loved those films.”

“Oh, it was stupid,” she scoffs, shaking her head. “They are really taking it too far now. They should have stopped at three. Four was utterly ridiculous.”

“Are you kidding me? Four was excellent!”

“No fucking way!” she exclaims. “You’re delusional! It was a total farce.”

“It was more believable than five!”

Somehow, we’ve gotten very close to each other, and I didn’t even notice it happening. The scent of cotton candy is so thick I feel like I’m drowning in a soft, sugary cloud. I can’t help it—I open my mouth a little, as if I could taste that strawberry tang in the air.

Lena tilts her head to the side, closing her eyes. I’m a weak man. I can’t resist a sign like that, not at a time like this.

I lean forward and touch my mouth to hers gently. The tiny moan that slips through her lips sounds like pleasure, and I lean in even more, kissing her deeply.

When her hands come up and touch my shoulders, I’m worried she is going to push me away, but instead, she grabs me and pulls me closer. I try to hold myself up, but she rolls onto her back, pulling me down on top of her.

I’m completely immersed in the sugary, sweet scent of her. I explore gently with my tongue, parting her lips and deepening the kiss. When she clutches my shoulders and writhes under me, I groan with pleasure, trying to keep still as she wraps her body around mine.

I manage to hold myself up for a few seconds, but when she wraps her legs around me and thrusts with her hips, I completely lose my mind. Her body presses against me, warm and soft, while her lips knead at mine and her tongue hesitantly explores my mouth.

I run one hand down her side, thrilled by the feel of her. I fill my hand with one breast and squeeze it gently. She moans, thrusting her hips into me, so I squeeze her even harder. She cries out, a short, sharp sound born from surprise and pleasure at once.

Her small hands creep around my waist, reaching up my back. She digs her fingers into me, using her grip to balance the thrusts from her hips. I can’t help it; I start to thrust back towards her, setting up a rhythm that tortures me and pleasures me all at once.

I keep my hands above the waist and on top of the clothes, even though my every urge is screaming at me to rip her panties out of the way, open my pants, and join us together in one long, hard thrust. Her hot mouth on mine, the way she moves against me, and the thought of finally taking her is too much for me.

My hands tighten on her, and I lean forcefully into the kiss, pushing her into the ground. I grind my hips forward, swiftly approaching a tipping point I know I can’t return from. I gasp for breath, and as a wave of pleasure throbs through me, a deep growl vibrates in my chest, filling the tent with the sound of my primal need.