Page 50 of Cozy Girl Fall
A half-smile pulled at his mouth. “What?”
“I’m just glad you gave me a second chance.”
He softened. “I’ve been in love with you for half mylife, Penny Larkin. You did what you thought was right back then and, yeah, it sucked, but you’re here now. Things happen for a reason. Who knows where we’d be right now if you hadn’t ever left and grown into the person you are now?”
“You sound like your sister,” she teased and then she kissed him, tasting his smile, and then leant back to smirk at him. “How much wine have you had?”
“Stone cold sober, baby,” he drawled and her laughter made her shoulders shake.
“Are you worried this is moving too fast?” she murmured once her giggles had subsided, a melancholy filling her as they swayed under the stars without any music.
“You mean other than my dad’s interrogation about our non-existent children?” His eyes sparkled but he shrugged. “Not really, but we can take this at whatever pace you’re happy with. Like I said before, I may not have known it at the time but I’ve waited ten years to be with you, Penny. So, no, to me this feels long overdue,” he whispered, kissing her fiercely. Their mouths collided, a tide of feelings rising up and swallowing them whole as Ethan tugged on her bottom lip and taunted her tongue with his. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you this week.”
“Oh yeah?” She leant up to kiss him again, slipping her hands beneath his open flannel shirt and tugging him closer. “Do you want to get out of here?” she asked breathlessly as they broke apart.
She had been looking forward to the Orchard Fest for weeks and there was no way she was leaving this early and missing all the fun. But she couldn’t deny that right now, with Ethan’s hands on her and the warmth of his body under her fingertips, she wished there was somewhere they could slip away to, just for as long as it would take to relieve the desire that was building in her.
Ethan licked his lips, his grin made of pure, smug, male dominance. “That desperate for me, Penny?” His hand slipped from her waist to curve over her ass and she nearly growled.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
She debated where best to go, her body burning hot with need. They couldn’t stay in the orchard, not with impressionable young kids running about liable to get an eyeful. Her parents’ place was closest, but it would look a little too obvious what they were sneaking off to do if she took her car.
“How do you feel about horses?”
Ethan’s eyes widened but he didn’t argue as she took him by the hand and led them out of the trees. The town seemed to be out in full force, standing in line to carve apples or eat pie and vote for their favorite. They slipped through the crowd unnoticed and her heart raced as they crossed the dirt road to the much quieter fields on the other side.
Her hand was clasped tightly in Ethan’s as theymoved over the scraggly grass and toward the large brown barn. Colton had stopped using this space years ago when one of his horses had escaped too close to the road, the near-miss frightening everyone half to death. Luckily for Penny and Ethan, it meant one thing: privacy.
It was almost pitch-black inside and Penny left the door slightly ajar to let the bright moonlight illuminate the inside of the barn. Hay was strewn about the floor, an old tack set hung on one wall, and some graffiti had been sprayed onto one of the others. Penny wondered vaguely if this was a new make-out spot in town or if it was too out of the way for the high-school kids.
“Are you sure this—”
Penny halted his question with her mouth, the heat of his lips making her shiver as he walked them back until they leant against a wooden post. Ethan lifted her up so that her legs could wrap around his waist. “Did I mention I missed you?” she mumbled between kisses, gasping when he trailed his mouth down her neck to suck at the pulse point in her throat. “I was worried you’d changed your mind about me.”
He pulled back, the moonlight bathing his face and making him glow. “Never.” His kiss was tender, his hands gentle as they cupped her cheeks, and she whimpered, wanting more.
“Then why did we wait so long to do this again?”
His laugh rumbled through her as his hands slid into her hair, tilting her head back so he could kiss herdeeper. “I was trying to give you space. I didn’t want you to feel rushed or that this,us, was only about sex.”
Her answering laugh was breathless. “If I need space, I’ll tell you.”
“Do you need space?” The question was a taunt and she answered by tightening her legs around him and grinding against the hardness she could feel through his jeans.
“What I need is for you to put your mouth to good use,” she said, crying out when he nipped at her lip, the bite of pain making her breaths come hard. “What Ineedis for you to fuck me, Ethan.”
The words were his undoing.
She was glad she’d opted to wear a skirt that day, and Ethan made short work of her tights, ripping through the material with his bare hands and groaning her name when he found her bare underneath.
One finger slicked through her wetness, dipping inside of her briefly before pulling back to stroke her clit. “Have you been this wet for me all night, baby?”
She nodded, barely coherent as his fingers worked her, curling against that spot inside her that made her see stars. A slice of his face was visible in the moonlight, his pupils blown wide with desire as he bit his lip, head tilting back as he swallowed hard.
“You feel so good, Pen.”
