Gone Country

Chapter 7 (He's Crazy)

I was so scared, beyond terrified. I was backed up against a tree and it was slithering closer to me. Finally a scream left my mouth after being stunned for the past twenty seconds. It hissed and flicked its forked tongue, chilling me to the core with its beady black eyes full of hatred. I screamed again as it lunged at me as a warning. There was nothing I could do. If I moved, the snake would surely strike.  

He moved a little closer, a scream from the bottom of my gut echoed around me when the snake lunged again. I couldn't think, I couldn't escape, and I was doomed. My life didn't flash before my eyes, my heart feverishly pounding was occupying my mind at the moment.

Something suddenly blocked my vision, pressing up against the tree. My head snapped up, seeing Clay worriedly looking down at me. "Stay calm," he whispered. He turned around, bravely facing the serpent. Slowly he guided me to the side, stepping in front of me with each step so I wouldn't be harmed if the snake did strike. He was risking getting bitten for me. 

I stayed on him like a shadow, clinging to his t-shirt so he could save me. We backed up to Chevy who was a safe distance away, calmly giving the snake his space. Clay turned around again when we reached his horse, his hands resting on my waist and then lifting me up to place me on the saddle that was on the back of Chevy.

He took the reigns, leading Chevy away from the danger and on down the trail toward our special place. I willed my frantic heart to be still, taking deep breaths in order to calm myself down from the occurrence. I stared at Clay's back, watching him tug Chevy along. He didn't say a word, not until we reached his mother's weeping willow tree.

I was still a little shaken up when he helped me down off of Chevy, but Clay fixed that easily when he wrapped his arms around me. "Are you okay?" he softly  whispered in my ear. "It didn't bite you or anything right? That was definitely a copperhead." He pulled away, squatting down and checking my legs for bite marks. "I didn't see any bites earlier...."

"It didn't bite me" I assured.  

He stood up and cradled my face in his hands, his eyes worriedly looking into mine. "You nearly gave me a heart attack with all of that screaming Charlotte," he breathed. "I've never been so terrified in my whole entire life." 

He drew nearer to me, letting his forehead press against mine. I don't know what I would've done if he hadn't of come and rescued me. "You're still scared, I can see it in your eyes."

I let my eyelids fall closed, hiding my emotions from him. He didn't need to worry, I would be fine once the shock and adrenaline wore off. His arms lifted me into his arms. I could feel it as we slowly descended to the grass. He pulled me onto his lap, whispering comforting things into my ear like, "Everything is fine," or, "I'm right here, there's nothing to be afraid of."

When I was sure he was right, I opened my eyes and smiled up at him. He smiled a little back, seeming relieved that I was okay now. "That definitely isn't how I wanted us to meet up, but I guess being a hero is another way to win your heart." 

Ever since I've met Clay, he's been a smooth talker. It's like he has a charming bone in his jaw that functions naturally whenever he talked. "Is there a reason I'm here so early nearly dying of a snake bite, handsome, or did you just miss me?" I quietly asked. 

He deeply chuckled, letting his fingers fall into my hair. "Well I did miss you..." I blushed at the thought. "Brant told me that you had been acting like there was something on your mind. If you wanna talk about it, I'm all ears."

What wasn't on my mind? Niona said the boutiques were fine, but I was worried she would soon grow weary of all the stress my job brought on. She knew how tough my job was, hopefully she was strong enough to handle it.

Then there was the whole 'my father is dating a gold digger in her twenties' thing. At any moment his heart could be broken, leaving me to superglue the shattered remains back together again. The biggest problem on my mind right now was one that made me want to forget about ever supergluing his heart whole.

"My dad.." I sighed. I could hardly say it, that's how frustrating and hurtful it was. My first reaction to the thought was to uncontrollably ruffle into a disturbed mess. Clay grabbed my hands, resting them on his chest so I would stop. Some things he understood, others were difficult to explain to him.

I let out a breath, letting my eyes rest on his concerned ones. "My dad hasn't bothered to call since the first time at the beginning of the week. Niona, hasn't heard from him either."

Clay tightly held me closer when tears filled my eyes. Truth was, I was scared something had happened to him. "I can't lose him too, Clay" I whimpered. 

Clay shook his head, rubbing my back to soothe my worries. "Shhh..." he softly hushed. "You're father is fine. Don't think like that Charlotte." He closed the gap in between us, resting his lips on mine for a second.

I wanted it to erase my fears, to make me forget everything I had just mention, but it didn't. Now I was in no mood to chat anymore, I'd rather be lost in my mind at this point, wishing my father would call to let me know he was alright. Clay wiped my face, offering me a confident smile with his next words. "I'm sure he's probably just regretting that he chose sides with that Chanel girl right now."

The way Clay said Chanel's name, I couldn't help but laugh at how disgusted he sounded by her. He was probably the best boyfriend right about now. "Of course, if you never would've returned to Motown, I wouldn't be sitting here with you in my arms." 

He had a valid point. If I never would've came to Motown, I never would've slowed down to even think of the possibility of dating. Now I'm happy. I finally have someone to care for me in a romantic way. "I like being in your arms."

He smiled at my words. "Well I like you." I couldn't help the million butterflies fluttering in my stomach when he looked at me with so much desire in his eyes. It was like he thought I was the only girl in the world.

"I like you too, Clay."

It was good to know that I had someone to talk to about these things, even if it wasn't their problem. I could've talked to Brant about these things, but I'm sure he gets tired of my drama. Clay on the other hand was stuck with it, although he didn't really seem to mind. 

"If you like me so much, I dare you to kiss me. It has to be on the lips and it can't be a long peck. I want so action and emotion behind it." Nervously I nibbled on my lower lip, not sure if I could do it or not. It wasn't that I didn't want to kiss him, I was just scared he wouldn't like it because I didn't know what I was doing. "Come on Charlotte, I'm becoming a frog again. Kiss me so I can be your prince."

The heck with it! If he wanted a kiss, I'd give it to him whether it was good or bad. If he didn't like it, I'd of course would be hurt, but would understand. So I grabbed his face, quickly leaning in to give him what he wanted, only to stop short when I saw something in his eyes.

Pleasure. He had pleasure in his eyes and I hadn't even kissed him yet. It gave me confidence that he was going to like it and comforted my nerves about doing it. He was just happy that I was at least going to try to show him my affection. 

My eyes fluttered close when my lips made contact with his. Gently, I kissed his lower lip, then top. I let my arms link my arms around his neck when my tongue instinctively ran across his lower lip as I kissed it again!

His fingers gripped my hair, begging me for more. I refused to give him more and cruelly pulled away from his lips. "No Charlotte" he breathlessly whined. "Don't tease me." I giggled, leaning back in close to his lips again. Teasingly, I grazed mine over his, letting him feel how my breath became ragged whenever we were this close.  "Kiss me," he whispered, his sparkling emerald eyes brightening when he saw the emotion in my own.

I kissed him once more, not hesitating to let my tongue invade his mouth. He pulled me closer to him, wholeheartedly kissing me back to send shock waves throughout my body. This morning he took my first kiss,  now look at us. It couldn't be helped. I wanted to kiss him like this for the rest of the day without a single break. 

His hands ran down my sides, a small groan rumbling in his throat when my kiss turned rough and passionate at his touch. I couldn't help but gasp when ended up sprawled across the grass. He was on top of me, taking over the kiss with all the strength he had. The dominate side of him was wonderfully aggressive when it came to taking what he wanted. It was almost scary.

His lips left mine and his possessive attitude changed when his lips made contact with my neck. "I'm sorry" he whispered. "I'm jumping ahead. I'm sorry Charlotte."

He pulled away from me, sitting up and helping me sit up. Awkwardly he scratched the back of his neck, worried that he might have scared me. It was sweet that he wanted to make sure we were on a level speed with us. There's no telling how fast he normally went with girls.

I tossed my arms around his neck, bringing my lips to his cheek to let him know it was okay. "I liked it," I murmured against his skin. 

He softly smiled at me, leaning in and carefully kissing my lips for just a split second. "I lied Charlie." The thought of him lying to me again made my heart sink in despair. After I gave him another chance, he was going to do it again? 

His fingertips tenderly grazed across my cheek. "I don't just like you," he began. "Charlie, I'm falling in love with you."

My eyes widened and my voice left me. He couldn't possibly serious! We've dated for a week, we still had so much to learn about one another before we decided to be really serious. How could he possibly be falling in love with me? I didn't know what to say, so I didn't speak a word. My silence didn't seem to phase him, he just smiled in relief that he had gotten it off his chest and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. 

Clay Holt, falling in love with me? Now I know for sure that the boy was crazy.

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AN:)

Yeah, it was pretty short. :/

Thanks to all who answered the Trivia Questions! Random winner is Enchantment3! Picked by her cupcake (only she will understand that) haha :) Addie likes the kitty wearing the sunglasses, she didn't even know who she picked until I told her. Congrats!!!!

Next Question: What Type of snake did Charlotte stumble across? 

Thanks for reading!!!