THIS BOOK IS CURRENTLY BEING REWRITTEN AND HEAVILY EDITED. NAMES, PLACES, AND SOME SCENES WILL BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. SOME STUFF WILL BE TAKEN OUT AND SOME WILL BE ADDED.
THE INITIAL PLOT STAYS THE SAME.
So, if you begin reading as of 5/21/2021 and choose to read ahead further than I have updated-some things might be confusing or might not make sense. As of right now and will continue, slowly, adding the new chapters as I write them. CHAPTER FOURTEEN has been rewritten & updated.
**IF A CHAPTER HAS BEEN REWRITTEN/EDITED THE ^^ABOVE^^ NOTE WILL BE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CHAPTER.
Chapter Fourteen
The next afternoon we made amends from the whole Tucker fiasco. I wasn't at all interested in that guy even though he was much more handsome than I thought he would be. I was being nice out on the lake because that's just who I was. The alcohol in my system made it easier to do so. Plus, if I was being completely honest, I needed to take a breath from Austin. Everything about him was so damn stifling that I couldn't think straight. If I needed to show a slight interest in another guy just to get him to take a few steps back then so be it. I knew very well that we could never be friends. There wasn't a part of me that actually thought Austin was capable of having a female friend.
It was late in the afternoon, and I was brushing my horse, Jaycee, getting ready to bathe her when he came up opposite of me. He silently grabbed the extra brush from the hook next to him and began brushing softly. He looked beautiful today. I'd been watching him all day-unable to keep my eyes from him.
His dark hair was becoming wildly long, much different from when he first came around, groomed to perfection. It was beginning to grow around his neck, curling at the ends. The light green plaid button-up that was cut off at the sleeves he wore so damn good did something to his eyes that made me literally shiver where I stood.
"She's one of the prettiest Palominos I've ever seen." He murmured, gliding his hand over the soft pale golden colored hair.
A small grin took over my lips. Even though, the last thing I wanted to do was smile at him. He had some nerve trying to tell me who I could and couldn't be around. I'd never actually been angry with him until yesterday and I was mad at myself when I felt all of that anger draining from my body as soon as he came around. "You know horses?"
Austin shrugged and cocked his head to the side, "I was a part of the polo team at Columbia, and I briefly had one as a child so I guess you could say I'm educated enough. What's this girl's name?"
Of course, he played polo-the wealthy man's game. Sometimes I forgot he lived a life of privilege outside of our town. I supposed he'd given me a little insight into his personal life so I decided I could return the favor. "Jaycee. I've had her since she was a foal. My mother picked her out for my 7th birthday...Just a few months before the accident." I whispered to him, sadly.
I watched as his adam's apple bobbed as if he were nervous. Maybe he didn't know what to say to that, but I didn't mind. "You mind if a friend helps you out?"
Silently, I nibbled on my bottom lip as if I were contemplating sending him away. Yeah, right. After a moment, I nodded. "What do you mean had one as a child?" I asked, as I grabbed one of the sponges from behind me and dipped it in the warm soapy water.
He turned and laid the brush down and followed me by grabbing the other sponge and lathering the opposite side of Jaycee. "His name Dash-he was a Thoroughbred. Damn, I loved that horse more than anything. He was wild when I got him, so my dad hired someone to break him. I was ten at the time and he was just about there-almost ready for riding. Me, being the impatient kid I was, I took him out one morning when our stable hands weren't around, saddled him up, and climbed on him. It took him about 15 feet to buck me off, breaking my arm in three different places. Long story short, when Felix found me and my father was notified, the next day he was put down. I tried to tell them that it was my own fault, but my father never listened to anything I had to say."
My heart dropped for him, and I couldn't help but frown. "That's awful. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
He glanced up to me through hooded eyes and shook his head, "It's been so long ago. I was a dumb kid." He chuckled, "No longer a kid anymore but still dumb. I'm sorry about yesterday, Hart. I just heard nasty things about that guy, and it got me...Worried. I know I'm only here for a brief time, but I have a responsibility to your father therefore I have a responsibility to you. So, whether you like it or not, I'm going to watch out for you while I'm here. Don't get me wrong, I still very much mean what I said but after a while, I realized that my approach to the situation wasn't ideal."
I understood, I really did. But I already had two emotionally unavailable men in my life and there wasn't a part of me that wanted to add a third to the mix. While Tucker Wells might have been devilishly handsome with his blonde hair and deep brown eyes, I knew that his closest friend got away with stringing my best friend along for almost six months before she found out that he'd been engaged to another woman the whole time. I wasn't stupid enough to believe that they weren't alike in some ways. Besides, I remembered back to when J.T. told me that he liked the inexperienced ones. That told me one thing-he wanted my virginity and well, that obviously wasn't going to happen.
"Hart?" Austin's deep voice pulled me from my thoughts. When I looked up to him, he was watching me expectantly.
"I understand, Austin. I'm not interested in Tucker Wells, but my best friend is with his best friend. That might mean we'll be thrown together at some point and I'm not goin to stop hangin out with my friend because of that possibility. You may not believe it, but I can take care of myself, you know."
He nodded in silence and continued lathering Jaycee's coat. "Just be careful around that guy, you hear me?"
I nodded once, hoping the subject would change. I went back to lathering and he did as well. We worked in silence for a long while but once we were finished with the underside, I began speaking. "Can you pull the hose over this way?"
Austin walked over to the hose attached to the barn and began yanking it towards me. Once there was enough slack, he handed it over and I began lightly spraying off Jacey until she was clean. After that, we both grabbed some towels and began drying her off. Working like this with him was actually kind of relaxing. It was silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was more than peaceful.
Once we were done, I walked Jaycee back into the barn and walked her to her stall. When I came back outside, Austin was still there cleaning up the mess I made-picking up the brush and the sponges from the ground. I quietly grabbed the hose from the ground and before I could even ask myself what I was doing, I was pointing it at him. It was when he was fully leaned over that I turned the sprayer to medium and covered his backside with the cold water. He jumped straight up, and I couldn't help but giggle.
When he turned towards me, he was grinning. "You're gonna regret that, Hart."
I backed away with the hose pointed at him, "Next time you'll think twice about being an asshole to me."
Before I could blink, he was charging towards me. I screamed and moved back but as he came my way, he grabbed the large bucket of sudsy water and flung it towards me-drenching me from head to toe. Unfortunately, the ground was still wet from the rain yesterday, and adding soapy water to the mix when he doused me didn't help, water began accumulating under my boots. When I took a step back, I slipped and fell straight onto my ass in the mud. The wetness was coating the backs of my legs and beginning to soak through my jean shorts.
When my eyes found him, he was standing there as if he looked surprised as if that weren't a part of the plan. When he dropped the bucket that was still in his hand, he doubled over-laughing as hard as I'd ever seen him. Even though I was coated in mud, I relaxed as I allowed myself the time to unravel in how happy he looked in that moment- how much fun he was having. When it came to Austin, he didn't often let himself enjoy the simple things but when he did, it was like witnessing, experiencing, something once in a lifetime.
My heart rattled against my chest, and I couldn't help the grin that broke out on my face. "I'm glad you're enjoying this, but a little help would be nice."
He let out another belly laugh, "Oh Hart, I didn't anticipate that happening but, man, it was a cherry on top of my day." He said as he stomped through the mud towards me. When he reached out his hand to help me, before I could grab it, he jerked it back. "Truce?" His eyes turned to slits, giving me a knowing look.
I nibbled on my bottom lip, "Truce." I replied, sweetly. He slowly reached out again until I pushed my hand in his. When they were gripped tightly together, I pulled him down with all of my might, until he was rolling over me and landing right in the mud next to me. It was almost as if he knew it was coming because he didn't try to fight me, and I knew damn well that he could have if he'd tried.
He wasn't mad. When he leaned up, he was chuckling. "You're sneaky. Too fucking sneaky. I guess I deserved that."
We sat in silence for a long moment, calming ourselves, but not moving. But when he finally did make a move, I was slightly sad. "We should get cleaned up." He murmured, pushing himself to his feet and then turning to help me to mine.
"Ava won't ever let us step into that house like this," I said, turning away from him. "Race ya to the pond." It was then, I took off in a dead sprint towards the dock. I glanced back to see when running behind me.
It took a few minutes to get there, but when I did, I didn't waste any time jumping in. When I felt even more ripples in the water, I knew he was right behind me. We both surfaced, breathless and silent. He pulled me close-my back was to his front when he reached up and began pulling my hair from the high ponytail I'd had it in before. Now, it was soapy and muddy. It fell around my shoulders as he turned me towards him. This time, he didn't have to grab my legs and guide them around his waist. They did it on their own accord- like it was a normal reaction. The only difference this time was that we both had multiple layers of clothing between us. Albeit they were soaked but they were still a sufficient barrier.
"Lean back." He murmured, gently. His hands were on my waist, guiding me backward until my hair was floating in the water. He took one hand from my side, causing his other arm to wrap around my waist so that I didn't fall backward. I felt safe in his arms- so safe that my eyes drifted closed, and my heart slowed until it was soothingly beating against my chest. He dragged the fingers of his free hand on the skin of my neck until they dove into my hair-cleaning the mud and soap from it.
His hands were delicate as they worked through my tangled hair. I began wondering if he found this as intimate as I did. There was nothing sexual about it, but I couldn't deny that as his large hand gently massaged my scalp that chills spread like a wildfire over my body. Also, I didn't have to touch them to know that my nipples were beginning to pebble and that there was a light pulse between my legs.
It didn't take long to realize that he was in the same boat as me. Even though our clothes were between us, I felt his manhood coming to life against me. My breath hitched and my hips automatically moved against his- I needed to create more friction, but his arm tightened around me-not letting me.
As I let out a guttural whimper, he chuckled. "Nuh uh, baby. Don't tell me you forgot our friendship deal. It was your idea."
For once, he was the logical one and I hated it. "I didn't forget anything." I breathed out, as I pushed him away and began swimming towards the dock. After I pushed myself out of the water, he came up and followed after me. I peeled off my white t-shirt and began ringing it out. At this point, I was no longer embarrassed for him to see me without one-I still had an undershirt on, so it wasn't like I was showing too much skin.
I laid back on the wooden planks and bunched my shirt under my head and then stared up to the sky. My body was still humming below and as he came up and stood above me, the bulge in his pants told me that he was too. He slowly began unbuttoning his plaid shirt and then dropped down beside me and did the same.
We stayed silent for a long moment, but when he did begin speaking, I didn't expect the words that came out of his mouth. "So, Hart. I've been dying to know; have you been making use of the new... skill I taught you?"
Damn near every day, I thought but I didn't want to tell him that.
When I glanced over to him, I realized he was grinning at me. "What makes you think that's any of your business?" I asked in a sassy way.
"Isn't it?" He asked, his grin even wider at this point. "Honestly, I don't have to ask to know that you've done it. I can tell just by your body. You're much less tense and more in tune with yourself. I was just asking as a concerned friend."
"Why would that even be concerning for you?" I asked, glancing over at him.
He chuckled, "Just gotta make sure you're satisfied with what I taught you."
You know, that was the funny thing about it. I wasn't satisfied- if anything using my fingers on fueled my need for something more. I had a feeling that I wouldn't be satisfied until I had the real thing again. My mouth opened to reply, even though I wasn't sure what to say. Before any words but mutter from my mouth, something or someone interrupted us.
"I've been lookin everywhere for you two." I rushed up as I heard my daddy's rough voice. "Get on up to the house and get cleaned up. We have a guest for dinner."
We both pushed up and I was slightly surprised that daddy didn't say anything else, just walked off in the direction he came but it wasn't like we were lying too close. I imagined from the outside looking in, it looked innocent, even though our conversation was anything but that.
When I pushed onto my feet, I grabbed my shirt and shoved it over my head. After Austin had his shirt buttoned, we began walking back up the steps, towards the house. I decided that the conversation didn't need to go any further, so I stayed silent.
He cleared his throat and began talking lowly. "Still waiting for that answer, Hart."
I couldn't help but groan, "Austin...Why do you even wanna know? Like you said earlier, you already know the answer to it."
This time, he groaned. "Oh, Hart. You little minx. I just want you to know that having the image of you tangled in your sheets, pleasuring yourself is going to live in my spank-bank for years to come."
I look to him, giving him an odd look. "Spank-bank?"
He looked at me as if I were juvenile and laughed. "You know, a collection of mental images retained for...masturbational purposes."
I could feel the heat on my cheeks, "Y-you masturbate, too?"
His eyes glanced to me and smiled gently, "Oh sweet Hart, fuck yeah, I do. Late at night and every morning as soon as I wake...You're always at the tip-top of my thoughts when my come spills out on the floor of that tub."
"I guess I just figured that you wouldn't have to go far to find a woman willing to take care of your needs," I muttered, realizing we were too close to the house to be talking so openly about this. The truth is, I'd watched him. I knew that he hadn't been anywhere to be with anyone else. The times he had gone out, I'd been with him.
Austin laughed, "I've pulled plenty of leg in my day, Hart, don't you worry your pretty little head about that. Since being here, there hasn't been as much opportunity. Plus, why would I need to go find pussy when daydreaming of one pussy gets me so fucking hard that I only have to tug on it a few times at max before I'm spilling over in my own hand."
My eyes cut up to him and I know I was blushing, and I know he was talking about me. The heat on my skin was burning so hot. "I guess you could say that I have one of those, too. You know a...S-spank bank."
His head cocked to the side as he looked down at me, "Oh yeah?" He questioned, curiously. "Tell me what you think about."
I nodded feeling too brave. For some reason, I wanted to tell him everything I'd imagined so far. I wanted to turn him on so badly that he snapped and gave me what I so badly needed. "Well, I-"
Austin stopped in his tracks, "Don't tell me." He said, hurriedly. "I know you have nothing to compare to what happened that night, Hart. Knowing what mental image you fuck your pussy to will only make me want to add more images to that inevitably shortlist. So, keep your mouth shut, friend."
A grin spread over my mouth as I began to walk ahead of him. "Suit yourself," I murmured, as I walked up the front steps of my home. I could hear him chuckling as I opened the screen door and walked in. Through the foyer, I could hear talking and laughing in the kitchen. It only made me more curious. When I rounded the corner, I stopped abruptly.
Jack.
Jack Bowen standing in my kitchen wearing his signature plaid button-up and dark jeans. And snake skinned boots. Other than very briefly at church, this was the first time I'd laid eyes on his beautiful features since the night I threw myself at him. Momentarily, his eyes glanced over my body-taking in how much of a mess I looked. At that moment, I felt heat from behind me. That heat was Austin, standing a little too closely behind me. It was confirmed when Jack's eyes left me and drifted to him, taking in his damp clothing that had been stained with the deep brown color of mud, just like my white shirt.
I knew Jack wasn't stupid-I immediately assumed his mind began reeling as soon as he saw us enter the kitchen together.
"You two look like a mess," Ava murmured, from the stove. "Better go on and get cleaned up for supper."
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