A soft whining woke Tania from her sleep. The darkness of the room let her know it wasn't morning yet. Flint's heavy body laid strewn across her stomach and thighs- his arms wrapped around her waist.
"Penelope." She whispered hoping not to wake him. The dog whined once more in return followed by the sound of nails scratching on the door.
Moving his arms, she cringed as he let out a grumble and squeezed her body closer. His hair had once been tied back but had escaped the band to lay haphazardly across his head. Pushing it back, she smiled at his relaxed face- his mouth hanging open slightly.
"Flint, move. I have to let Penelope in." In the silent room her whisper seemed to echo off the walls before reaching his ears. With another grumble he finally released her and rolled to his side of the bed.
The floor was colder than she remembered as she tip toed to the door to let the dog inside. Instead of entering, Penelope stared up at Tania before pacing the doorway.
"Come in." Tania waved for her to enter the open door. Penelope returned an inpatient whine before pacing the doorway once more.
"Gotta pee?" The phrase immediately peeked her ears up and she let out an excited bark. "Alright, alright. Come on."
Penelope shot down the stairs and Tania silently followed. Downstairs was darker than she thought and she found herself constantly bumping into furniture on her way to the back door. Penelope sat patiently at the door, her tail wagging as she watched Tania trip over the rug.
"You could have helped instead of just sitting there." She fake scolded the animal. Penelope smiled up at her, her tongue out and her tail zipping back and forth.
As soon as the screen door opened, she shot out into the large yard. Tania could tell the land went on for miles so she simply waited by the door until Penelope returned. A chill ran down her spine as the night air nipped at her exposed legs and arms. Wrapping her arms around herself, she leaned against the door frame and watched for Penelope's white fur.
The sound of the floor creaking caused her to hurriedly spin around. Only darkness met her eyes. Immediately her heart beat wildly in her chest and she readied herself to run outside at the first sight of trouble. Once more the sound filled the darkness yet she could see no movement.
"Relax, Tania. It's probably just an old house. You're fine." She chanted to herself despite not taking her eyes away from the looming darkness.
"Everything okay?" A blood curdling scream left her as she fell away from the door. The broad figure of a man sat outside the screen door, his features concealed in darkness. Her body went crashing into the floor as he pulled the screen open causing her to scream once more.
"Get the fuck away from me!" She screamed as she kicked at his legs. Footsteps came speeding down the stairs before she was snatched up from the floor and tossed on to the couch.
"Flint, it's me!" The figure cried out as he aimed a double barrel shotgun at him.
"Jesus Christ, Trey." The relief in his voice was nearly palpable as he set the gun down. Tania was shaking like a leaf as she watched from the couch. Setting the gun beside the couch, Flint sat next to her and pulled her into his chest. The embrace served to calm them both.
"You scared me there." He whispered in her ear.
"Your friend nearly gave me a heart attack." She chuckled, relieved the man was someone Flint knew.
"What are you doing out of bed? Everything okay?" Pulling back, he examined her face in the low light before pulling her into his chest once more.
"Yeah, I got up because Penelope had to use the bathroom. I was waiting by the door when he kind of popped out of nowhere." Burying her head in his neck, she let out a heavy sigh. Flint's quick action and gun gave her a sense of security.
"Darlin' you could have gotten me up. I'm sorry she woke you." A kiss was placed to her forehead before he rejoined his friend by the door.
"I'm sorry to scare you, Ms. I should have been more cautious." The man, Trey, pulled the hat from his head as he apologized. Getting up from the couch, she flipped on the living room light before joining the two men.
"It's okay. I was a bit jumpy already." In the light, she could now see he was black- about two shades lighter than her. His hair was in twists that'd been flattened by his hat. She couldn't help but notice that he was exactly her type- tall, lean, with a bright smile and thick lips.
"I suppose being black in Boone County is enough to make anyone jumpy- let alone it being almost 4am." He chuckled lightly and Tania nodded in agreement.
"Yeah it's been a pretty shit day. Tania Roberts." Extending her hand, she bit her lip as she noticed tattoos running down the back of his hand. His grip was firm yet gentle as he slowly shook her hand.
"Trey Williams." He licked his lips after he'd finished speaking giving them a slight shine in the light.
"What're you doing here this late?" Flint interjected.
"I noticed Penelope was out so I came to see if you'd been the one to let her out." Placing his hands in his pockets, Trey smiled slightly. She could tell he was intimidated by Flint.
"Oh, yeah. Thanks man." Flint gave him an appreciative slap on the back before heading towards the back door. "Tania, come here."
Shuffling around Trey, she wasn't oblivious to his eyes following her as she approached the door. Her body immediately leaned into Flint's side as they made their way outside.
"I thought we were in the south. Why the fuck is it so cold?" She huffed as she pulled him closer for warmth.
"It tends to get a bit chilly at night. You'll get used to it." The statement caused her to stiffen considering they'd never spoken about what this really was. She was under the impression she'd see her dads property tomorrow and be on the first flight back to Texas.
"Used to it, huh?" Turning to look up at him, she found him surveying the land with attentive eyes.
"That's what I said."
"And what if I said I plan to return to Texas and never come back." She thought the statement would have shocked him from his watching but he continued to eye the land. The moon lit up his face and caused his eyes to sparkle.
"Then your plan needs revision." He glanced down at her, a confidence in his eyes. It was subtle enough to not come off cocky, something most men failed to accomplish.
He whistled loudly for Penelope and seconds later she came racing towards them. Her tail wagged so hard her butt followed it before she jumped up his chest.
"Hey there, girl. You weren't in the chicken coop again were you?" He scratched behind her ears as Tania took a step away to allow the dog room.
Penelope turned to Tania excitedly, "you better not." She warned as the dog approached her. Instead of jumping up on her, Penelope laid on her back ready to have her belly scratched.
Squatting down, Tania granted her wish while giggling as Penelope excitedly kicked her leg. It warmed her heart to know the dog was this trusting of her. Standing back up she followed Flint back into the home.
"There she is." Trey smiled brightly down at Penelope. She stared up at him before trotting over to her bowl and drinking some water. Tania felt awkward for him so she desperately tried to think of something to say.
"Well thanks for that. See you in a couple hours." Flint dismissed Trey before following him to the back door.
"Lock it." Tania commented before he could walk away. Obliging her, he locked both locks and pulled the window curtain closed.
"Come on. I've got about 2 and a half hours left before I need to get up." Grabbing her hand, he led them back upstairs after collecting the shotgun from its position by the couch. Tania laid back in bed with a relieved sigh- watching as he placed the shotgun behind the headboard.
"I can help out tomorrow, if you'd like." She offered despite knowing she'd be more of a nuisance than help.
"With those nails, I don't think you'll be able to help with much." He laughed before climbing in bed. Once more wrapping his arms around her waist, he laid his head on her titties.
Holding her hand out, she eyed the long coffin shaped acrylics. They'd been $120 after all her designs and crystals but her nail tech was one of the best so she always knew it'd be worth it.
"That's true. What about more domestic tasks? I can clean up, cook breakfast, all that kind of stuff." Her guilt began eating away at her. Something about sitting on her phone while everyone else worked made her feel bad.
"Sorry, darlin, but those vegan meals won't get me through the day. I'll need some protein."
"You can get protein through a vegan diet. Just not from meat." She pouted. Looking down, she couldn't resist the temptation anymore and buried her fingers in his hair. The strands were soft and slipped through her fingers as she lightly scratched his scalp and played with his hair.
"Mmm, if you keep doin' that your debts will be paid." He moaned as she scratched from his forehead to the base of his skull. A chill ran through his body and he shook briefly shook against her.
"I don't mean to keep you up but I've got to meet with the realtor tomorrow at noon." Silence filled the room and she thought he'd fallen asleep but he lifted his head from her chest to look into her eyes.
"I won't beg you to stay, but I'd really like it if you did." A heavy honesty sat behind his eyes as he stared down at her. It felt as if her heart had jumped into her throat and she found herself unable to swallow the feeling away.
"Flint..." her voice was soft as she tried to figure out what to say. There was something here that she wouldn't mind exploring but she knew she couldn't put her life on hold to chase a fairytale.
"There's a reason I haven't been with a woman for nearly 4 years. I'll be 30 this year and I'm sick of flings. If that's all you want, that's fine, but I think you should know where I stand." Tania felt the wheels turning in her head as she tried to truly process what he was saying.
"I have a whole different life in Texas. My shop is there, my friends are there, everything. I can't just pack up and move to racist ass Boone County."
"I'm not asking you to. Just give this a chance beyond these two days." Flint moved to hover over her, his hands on either side of her head. She had no choice but to look him in the eye now.
"Baby I-" her sentence was cut short as he pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was feverish as he moved to place his hips within hers. Tania could barely keep up as he rolled his hips into hers and trailed hot kisses down her neck.
Their ragged breathing was the only thing heard as he stripped them both of their clothing. Tania cried out as his hot mouth covered her nipple and he flicked the bud with his tongue. Her body shook with anticipation as he leaned over to rummage through a drawer for a condom.
Items spilled over the sides and crashed to the floor as he impatiently searched. When he finally had it in hand, he wasted no time in ripping open the foil and sliding it on. He connected their lips again, his tongue slipping into her mouth just as he pushed into her.
"Ahh, fuck." Tania moaned as he slowly thrust into her. Kissing down her neck, he rested his head on her shoulder as his hips worked to make her cum. Possessive growls emitted from his chest as he sped up and hiked her legs up to push her knees closer to her chest.
Pleasure coursed through her body unlike any she'd felt, her head felt clouded and her toes curled. Her nails scratched his back harshly as she tried to cope with how deeply he filled her. It felt like scratching an itch she'd had for years.
"Flint! Oh god!" Her back arched as he thrust as deep as he could before pulling almost completely out. The circling of his hips made her want to scream. As she clenched around him, he bit into her shoulder and let out a guttural moan.
Just as she approached her climax, he reached under her to lift her hips and began pounding into her like he hated her. For the first time in her life she screamed as her body began shaking. She felt her fingernail snag as she pulled at the cover but ignored it as she came.
Stars danced in her vision and her body convulsed as he pulled out with a heavy breath. She could feel her body clench as if he was still buried inside her. The dryness of her throat alerted her to how loud she'd been yet she couldn't wipe the smile from her face.
Flint pulled the condom off and tied it before throwing it into the garbage. Sliding to the side of the bed, she tried to stand but her legs quickly gave out.
"Need some help?" He laughed as he approached her.
"I'd appreciate it."
——