Page 117 of Off Limits

“We can always bake a pie or something. I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.”

Having not gone apple picking in years, we don’t know our favorite varieties and stand a little confused as we hold hands in the middle of the pathway. We’re looking at the map and corresponding list of what’s ready for picking.

“Maybe we should have picked a smaller orchard,” Lochlyn mumbles under his breath.

“Don’t lose your excitement! Let’s just pick one and try it.” To get him motivated again, I shake his arm.

“You choose.”

“Hmm. I don’t know. I don’t want to get something we can eat any old time. Um, let’s try these—Macouns. Am I saying that right? Ma-coon?” I look up at him, my nose scrunched up.

“Honestly, I have no idea. But Macouns it is!” He says it the same way I did, but it seems off. Maybe I’ll ask before we leave.

We walk hand in hand, looking for the red and yellow striped ribbons on the trees to show the rows we’re in search of. When we reach them, we look down the long aisles and shrug.

“You know, it’s pretty private here. I’m sure if we wanted to, nobody would see us.”

Playfully, I smack his arm with my free hand and, like a good boyfriend, he flinches even though it probably hurts me more than him. “That’s not funny.”

“Who said I was joking?”

Heat pricks at the back of my neck. “We’re in public. And it’s outside, so we wouldn’t exactly hear somebody approaching.”

“But if we could, you’d be interested?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” He’s making me antsy. When he chuckles, I know he realizes it.

“Relax, Shay, I’d never ask you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. But maybe next year. I know we haven’t picked any apples yet, but this is nice. We should make it a tradition.”

My heart swells at the mention of next year and the future. I lean into him and encapsulate his hand in both of mine. I never could have dreamed that one person could make me so happy.

About halfway down the row, we stop and look at the trees. Some have many more apples on them than others, while the ground is littered with apples in various states of decomposition.

“Go for it, baby girl. You get to pick the first one.”

“Oh, well, thank you for this lovely honor.” I press my hand against my chest as I disentangle from Lochlyn and walk over to a tree. Inspecting the apples remaining, I find one that looks like it would fit in the palm of my hand and pull gently until it snaps free.

Walking back over to Lochlyn, I hold it out like it’s a mysterious object. He takes it and pulls up the bottom of his shirt to rub it clean, revealing his toned abs and the V that sits at the top of his pants. It makes me rethink my position on sex in the apple orchard.

Handing the apple back to me, he raises his eyebrows. “Go ahead, you get first bite.”

“Is it weird I’m nervous? What if it’s gross?” Lochlyn has a strange effect on me. While I’m my most at ease around him, I’m also at my most self-conscious state, and usually about silly things, such as tasting apples. It’s almost as though I don’t want him to know I’m not as perfect as he thinks.

“Then you spit it out.”

“Here goes nothing.” I sink my teeth into the firm flesh of the apple. A juicy sweetness invades my mouth, and I can’t contain the moan that rises from my chest.

“That good?”

I nod excitedly as my eyes widen and my hand flutters to my mouth. When Lochlyn holds his hand out to try it, I smack it away. “Get your own! This one’s mine.”

Chuckling as he walks past me to the tree, he smacks my ass, causing me to jump and yelp.

“Hey!”

“You get spanked for not sharing.” He cleans the apple off, giving another surge to my hormones, and bites down. His reaction is similar to mine, eyes wide and a nod of his head. “You’re right, these are good. Let’s get a bunch.”

I take a few more bites and toss my apple to the ground, brushing my hands on my pants as I walk to a new tree, picking a few and collecting them in my arm. When I walk back over to Lochlyn, he holds his apple in his teeth while opening the bag with two hands.

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