Page 27 of Rough
He lifts his head slightly to look me over, still holding my face. “This okay?”
I reach for him and tug him down to me again by the back of his neck. This time, when we meet, I’m unstuck. His lips arewarm and soft as he peppers close-mouthed kisses over and over again.
We stumble through it, not sure how to do this. I’ve never been kissed before, and I don’t think Clyde has been locking lips with any girls, either. I’m certain I’d have heard about it by now.
When he presses against me more firmly, mouth parted, I feel his tongue tentatively swipe against my lower lip and I gasp. With a groan, he shifts his body on top of mine and licks at me again.
“Country,” he whispers before holding me close to him, opening my mouth further. I tentatively reach mine out to him, and when our tongues connect, we both freeze.
This is like… MORE than just a regular kiss now. We’re doin’ it with tongues and everything!
I think we might have been kissing nicely before, but now, as he lowers his chest to mine and slants his head to the side, he slips his tongue further inside and absolutely melts me. This is so much more than I’d ever dreamed it could be.
Breathing heavily, we keep going for what feels like forever, both of us groaning each time we connect, and when he slowly pulls away, I realize I’ve got my legs wrapped around his waist.
Clyde’s eyes run down my body to take in our position, and they widen in panic when he shoots them back up to me.
“Billy, I…” I trail off, not sure what to say. Ineverdon’t know what to say, but he’s blanked all my thoughts out. “I—”
Shoving himself away from me, he stumbles back onto his butt, not looking at me. “S-Sorry Bets. We shouldn’t… I didn’t mean to.” Gulping hard, he quickly stands, still not looking at me. I sink, hearing Bets instead of Country.
“I liked it. I’m glad you kissed me,” I tell him, shifting to my knees to stare up at him. I don’t like him feeling like this, and I definitely don’t like that he won’t meet my eye. “Clyde,” I plead, inching forward to reach for him.
My chest hurts when he shakes his head quickly and jerks away. “Don’t tell no one.” It comes out in an aching, throaty whisper just before he takes off running back to his house.
I sink back and let my butt rest on my heels, watching him disappear through the trees. Embarrassment curls through my stomach and makes it twist up into knots, my cheeks heating so badly that I have to scoop some water from the pond to cool them down.
Maybe… Maybe my Billy won’t be weird about it tomorrow. Friends can kiss, right?
Chapter Eleven
Betsy
Grunting, I tug at the thick trash bag that’s stuck in the can. Another day of no shows for any of the guys from the school and I’m starting to worry. It’s been two days since Clyde found me out at the pond, and I suspect the guys have something to do with my lack of help around here.
“Comeon, you fucker!” I yell at the bag and tug with everything I’ve got.Finally, it comes free, but my relief is short-lived when the contents come pouring out at my feet. Dropping it, I hang my head back and groan. I tore it.
I’m so unbelievably exhausted; the thought of having to squat down and scoop this up into a new bag seems daunting. I put out word at the feed shop that I’m looking for a new right hand, full time, but so far, I haven’t heard a word from anyone.
Five in the morning comes quick nowadays, and I dread the alarm with everything in my being. I’ve already got the cows to pasture, stalls cleaned out and new bedding laid. Shit has been mucked, fresh water poured, chickens fed, and feeders refilled. Checking my watch, I’m surprised that it’s already close to noon.
There were some new boards I put up on the fencing, but I need to go out and stain it before it rains tomorrow. Sighing, Irun through a few more tasks and calls I need to make in my head when I’m interrupted.
“Knock knock. You in here, honey?”
Today’s stress leaks out of my muscles at the sound of Renee’s voice. “In the back!” I holler out, shaking a new bag open. Dropping down, I start to pick up the garbage and smile when I see her round the corner.
“How you doin’, momma?”
“Gettin’ by. The heck happened here?” With a hand on her hip, the other holding a foil covered plate, she looks around. “Where’s Murphy?”
Shoving the trash into the bag more aggressively than I need to, I snort. “I let him go. After he showed up with the boys to rage at me, spoutin’ crap he knows nothin’ about and accusin’ me of being money hungry, I decided it was time. He didn’t want to work with me, anyway.”
“I just paid him.”
Sitting back to look up at her, I cock my head to the side. “He was owed for the last two weeks. I’ll let you know the last day he worked, so you don’t pay him for more than he’s done.”
Looking around, she frowns. “Who you got helpin’ you, then? Those boys from the school workin’ today?”
