Page 32 of Something that Could Last

“No,” I answer with a wry chuckle. “It's kind of out in the sticks.” He seems skeptical, so I explain The Barn to him. “Sam Jameson owns a two-hundred-acre farm a few miles outside of town. There was a big, red barn on the property that his granddaddy built, but it was dilapidated and not much use to his livestock. His wife wanted him to tear it down, but he had a better idea. He fixed it up, ran electricity and plumbing to it, and added a stage and a bar. He even built onto it, adding a bathroom and small kitchenette. He basically turned it into a night club.” I bet old man Jameson never expectedthatwhen he built it.

“He rents it out for wedding receptions, family reunions, proms, things like that. He has parties there, and there’s almost always live music on Saturday nights during the warm months. My brother's band plays there a lot.” Tiff and I have been to many a party at The Barn. Jameson lets pretty much anybody in. He even lets younger kids in as long as they have a parent present. They just have to leave by ten o’clock. That's when things start to get rowdy.

“So, everybody just calls it, ‘The Barn?’”

“Yep.”

“Okay. Count me in.”

I smile to myself. I can't wait to introduce him to my brother and spend the evening dancing with him. I feel lighter, having bared my deepest, darkest secrets to him. Even Tiff doesn't know the full extent of the story. Ethan was in his bedroom that day, so he doesn't know that Mom and I got into a physical fight. Only my grandmother knows what really happened, and now Jacob knows as well.

A sharp bend in the trail looms ahead of us, a heavily shaded area just beyond. As we approach, Jacob excuses himself and steps away, disappearing into the dense thicket. I continue up the trail a little further to give him some privacy to relieve himself. As I pass a familiar giant oak, I rub my hands over the bark, my fingertips skimming over the rough, bumpy ridges. I remember a trick I once played on my brother, and it gives me an idea.

I slide in behind the enormous tree trunk, my body fully concealed, and press my shoulder against it, listening for Jacob to approach. A moment later, I hear his voice call out to me.

“Abby?” He sounds a good twenty yards away. “Where’d you go?” I keep quiet and listen for the crunch of twigs under his feet, waiting for him to close in on my hiding spot.

When I hear him draw near, I hold my breath and wait until he's about to step into my field of view. Just as he passes by the tree, I jump out and startle him, yelling, “Boo!”

He jumps back and nearly falls on his ass. “Shit!” he yells, clutching his chest. “You scared the hell out of me.” He's trying to catch his breath, but a smile slowly spreads over his face. I laugh at him openly and unabashedly. “You got me good,” he admits with a teasing glimmer in his eyes.

“Yes, I did,” I respond proudly. I love to play around and scare people, especially Tiff, even though she gets super mad when I do it to her. My grandfather used to scare the snot out of us on a regular basis when we were little, often jumping out from behind a door or the couch to grab us. Once our racing hearts slowed down, we would squeal with laughter as he tickled our bellies. That's one of the things I miss most about him since he passed. It’s why I try to keep his spirit alive by using his antics on my friends.

“Oh, so you think you're funny, huh?” he asks as I continue to howl with laughter. Suddenly, his face changes from humored to stern and my smile fades away.Uh oh, is he mad?He didn't seem mad just a second ago.

Jacob steps up to me, an unreadable expression on his face as he slides the straps of my backpack down my shoulders. He presses me up against the trunk of the tree, never breaking eye contact. The rough bark digs into my back, and I nearly lose my footing on the over-sized roots jutting up from the ground. His eyes flare with desire before he covers my mouth with his. He coaxes my lips open with his tongue and I eagerly allow him entrance. His kiss swallows my moans and he presses his body into mine, the proof of his arousal growing against my belly. I gently sink my teeth into his lower lip as he pushes his hands into my hair.

His scent and the taste of his mouth consume me, overwhelming my senses, smelling like fresh rain and bergamot. I trail kisses down his jaw, onto his neck, and inhale deeply, savoring him. I lick and suckle my way from the base of his throat to the skin covering his Adam's apple. When he swallows hard and groans, I feel him twitch against my stomach, inciting my desire. “Abby,” he exhales my name. I don't know where this sensual confidence is coming from. I've never been this brazen with a man before, but Jacob coaxes the vixen out of me.

I slide my hands down the hard ridges of his stomach and grip his belt, unbuckling it with trembling hands. I pop the button at the top of his shorts free and slide the zipper down slowly. He grabs my wrists, stopping me before I can push them down over his hips, and presses his lips to mine roughly.

“If you don't stop now, I can't promise I'll be able to stop before things go too far,” he growls against my mouth.

“I don't want you to stop,” I whisper against his lips.

He groans and presses me harder against the tree. “I want you. I want you more than I've ever wanted anyone before.” He's practically panting from excitement. “But I'm not gonna take you here, out in the open, where anybody can see us.” He kisses me once more before leaning his head back and closing his eyes tightly. “I would lose my mind if anybody else saw your perfect, naked body. I’d end up in jail.”

I shudder at his possessiveness, even more turned on than before. “Then take me away from the trail,” I whisper enticingly into his ear. I feel him smile against my cheek.

“Damn it, how am I supposed to have any fucking self-control when you talk to me like that?”

It's my turn to smile. I don't want him to have any self-control right now. I want him to lose himself to me, but he's holding back because we’re out in the open. He kisses me one last time and steps back, refastening his pants. He picks our backpacks off the ground and hands mine over. Even though I know he’s only being sensible, I'm disappointed that he stopped things from going any further. I was ready to do things to him that I've never had any desire to do to a man; things I’ve only done to please a boyfriend, never because I desperately wanted to. But I want to with Jacob. I want to taste him and drive him mad with pleasure. Too bad that will have to wait.

“Cheer up, babe. I'll give you whatever you want once we leave here,” Jacob tells me with a wink and a smirk. He must have noticed the defeated look on my face.

We continue on the trail, making small talk about our families. He tells me about his brother, Logan, who is going to be a sophomore in high school. Logan is already a varsity football player with a 4.0 GPA. He's destined to go places with his talent and smarts.

I tell him about my Aunt Roselyn and my dad's parents who live in Charleston. Roselyn may be my employer, but she's more like a second mother to me. When my brother and I weren't at our grandmother's, we were with Ros and her husband Phillip. Their son, Waylon, is two years younger than Ethan and, much to his mother's distress is determined to join the Marines.

When we hear rushing water, I know we've finally made it to our destination. We step into a clearing and Jacob lets out an appreciative whistle when he sees where I’ve been leading him. The rushing water of Dunloup Creek flows over the falls, crashing into a crystalline pool below. I can’t imagine a more perfect place to spend the day with Jacob.

Abby

“THIS PLACE ISincredible!” Jacob announces, taking in the view. “I can see why you like it here.” He grabs my hand and leads me to the edge of the water, setting his pack on the ground. I drop my bag next to his and plop down on a flat, moss-covered rock.

“Are you hungry?” I ask. I’d decided to take the long way around, so we've been hiking for a while already.

“Starving,” he replies.

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