Page 90 of Years in the Making

Nellie doesn’t argue when I get behind the wheel and she doesn’t flinch when my hand lands on her thigh. She even spreads her legs a bit when my fingers begin to wander. Now that they’re soil-free, I am desperate to sink them into her, which is exactly what ends up happening two minutes after I slam the truck into park before we even reach the road.

“You’re going to ride my fingers until you come undone, pretty girl. Then you’re going to spend the entire time at the barbecue wet, knowing it’s because of me.”

“Yes,” she gasps as she writhes in my lap, my other hand in her hair, pulling it back to expose her throat.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful, LG,” I growl against her skin, holding myself off from tipping over the edge. And she is. She’s always so in control, but this version of her is chaos and desperation and it’s hot as fuck.

“I, I, I—” she chants until I force her lips to meet mine. This time she unravels on my fingers with my tongue in her mouth.

“Holy shit, Teddy.” She leans back against the steering wheel, and I slowly pull my fingers from her, bringing them to my lips. She looks at me with hooded eyes and a wicked littlesmile. Her tongue traces her lower lip as she watches my every move.

“I’d share, but I’m greedy,” I say before sliding my middle finger into my mouth without breaking eye contact.

“Friends, that’s all we’re ever going to be,” Nellie had said before we left. But friends don’t go down on one another in a garden or get each other off in a car. Friends are not what we were ever destined to be. The taste of her on my tongue proves that.

“We were wondering if you two were going to make it,” Midge shouts when we finally get out of the truck. The air smells like grilled chicken, and my stomach rumbles immediately.

Nellie looks from my stomach up and smiles. “I guess I didn’t satisfy your hunger,” she pouts.

I bend down as we walk, getting my mouth as close to her ear as possible. “I’ve been starving myself for twelve years, LG. It’ll take a lifetime of feeding before I’m satisfied.” I can’t help the smug grin that appears on my face when she turns red.

“Nellie!” Devon calls from where he’s sitting at a folding table holding Kevin. “I found a raccoon today, and George says he’ll teach me how to stuff it.”

“Don’t say that in front of the dog, dummy,” Devon’s little sister Catelyn hisses.

“He doesn’t know what I’m saying,” Devon shoots back. “Besides,” he says, looking down at Kevin fondly, “I’d stuff Kevin if he died. Then he’d always be with me.”

“Okay, I think that’s enough talk about stuffing things.” Midge laughs, scooping Kevin out of Devon’s lap and snapping the long line onto his collar before setting him down. “Run free, lil wiener,” she whispers loud enough to wake the dead.

“We were able to get the garden ready for planting so thekids can do that tomorrow,” I say while piling chicken and various salads onto my plate.

“Turns out Teddy and I are quite a team.” Nellie smiles across the table from me as she goes to add baked beans to her plate before seeming to think better of it. “Stop looking at me like that,” she whispers to me.

“Like what?” I ask as innocently as possible but letting her know I know exactly what she means as my gaze runs the length of her body, pausing briefly where I know she’s wet.

“Like you’ve planted anything in my garden.”

I hold my hand up in surrender. “But I haven’t planted anything…yet.” I let the T pop and watch again as she blushes.

We manage to make it through dinner with no further incidents, and when the local band starts playing, people make their way to the dirt patch dance floor. Tanner is back and asks Nellie to dance immediately, and I watch him lead her to the center of everyone like a predator watches its next meal.

“There’s no rule that says you have to wait until the song finishes before you cut in,” Midge says conspiratorially from beside me.

“If Nellie didn’t want to dance with him, she would have said no.” I shrug as though I’m fine with her choice. I am, but I also don’t like how Tanner’s hand sits low on her back, far too close to where my hands made their claim today.

“Well, if you aren’t going to step in and get your girl back from that prick, then you may as well ask me to dance,” Midge says hotly.

“Prick? He’s your son. You can’t call your son a prick.”

“Exactly,myson. So I can call him anything I like, and heisa prick. Just like his father was in the end.” I roll my eyes and lead her out to join everyone else. “That’s not entirely fair,” Midge concedes, looking over at where Tanner and Nellie arelaughing. “He’s not nearly as bad as his dad.” She pauses, eyes still on her son. “But he is still a prick.”

“Noted,” I say as I spin us closer to the only person I want to be dancing with.

Nellie sees us move and stares at me. When she knows I’m not going to look away, I watch her mouth, “I’m so wet,” and good lord, I have no idea how I manage to stay on my feet as I stumble to the side and take poor Midge with me.

“Whoa there,” Tanner says, reaching for his mom. “You okay?” he asks her.

“Just fine, but I think I’d rather dance with you now, kid.” She pulls her son away and leaves Nellie and me alone.

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