“Nothing. Emma, why did you run away? What were you thinking?”
“Well, I don’t know. At first, I thought I might be able to stay with Margie, but I know my parents wouldn’t allow me to be away from them. So…” I looked down.
Garrett lifted my chin with his finger. “So?”
I swallowed hard and said, “So, I had to see you. I don’t want to leave”—I turned away before looking back into his eyes—“without us being together, Garrett. I don’t want to lose you.”
His smile faded, and the look in his eyes changed. “You think sleeping with me will make me wait for you?”
Darn it. That didn’t come out right. “No. I mean, I don’t know. Do you not want to be with me, Garrett?”
Now, it was his turn to swallow and suck in a breath of air. “Emma, I want to make love to you more than anything, but I don’t want our first time to be me fucking you up against the side of the barn.”
My stomach dropped, and it felt like I had a rush of water hit between my legs. The crude way he’d said that did things to me deep in the pit of my stomach. I was ashamed to even admit to myself that I loved the idea of Garrett doing exactly tha
t to me. I looked his body up and down and licked my lips. What would it feel like? I’d heard the first time would hurt, but I bet Garrett would be so gentle.
“Emma, stop looking at me like that,” he said as he moved closer to me.
“Garrett,” was all I could manage to get out.
I didn’t even have time to think before he was grabbing me and pulling me into the most passionate kiss I’d ever experienced. It was like he was trying to get as much of me as he could. He bit down on my lower lip, and the shock wave riding through my body had me whimpering.
“Please…Garrett, please,” I said as I began trying to take off his T-shirt.
When I finally pulled it off of him, I let out a gasp. I’d known he was built, but his muscles were amazing, his chest—oh my goodness, I think I might have just had my second orgasm—was broad, and his stomach—mother of God, I swear, I can see the definition of every single muscle.
He pressed his lips against mine again, and this time, he kissed me like he was hungry for more of me.
Yes.
I began unbuttoning my shirt as fast as I could as his hand moved up my skirt. The moment he touched my leg, I jerked and let out a whimper. His touch drove me mad with desire, and I wanted nothing more than to be with him, for him to make me his.
I’ll be his for the rest of my life.
“Oh…God…” I whispered as he moved his hand inside my knickers.
I pushed my hips against him to get him to touch me there. I needed to feel his touch.
Then, in an instant, the warmth of his body and his touch was gone. I opened my eyes, only to see him reaching down for his shirt before putting it back on.
I began shaking my head. “No, wait. What are you doing? Garrett, I want you. I need you.”
He turned away from me. “Not like this, Emma. Not when you’re scared and not sure of the future. I won’t do that to you or to me.”
I felt the tears building in my eyes. “You’re rejecting me?”
He quickly spun around and looked me in the eyes. “No! I’m trying to do the honorable thing here, Emma. The only reason you want to do this is because you think you might never see me again. You know, there is a chance you’ll go to college, meet someone else, and never look back.”
I wrapped my arms around my body and began sobbing harder. “That’s not true.” I slowly shook my head back and forth. “I love you. I don’t care that my parents think we are too young or that we don’t know each other well enough for me to say that. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to help you build this ranch up even bigger and better. I want to wake up every morning with you by my side and fall asleep every night with you making love to me.”
Garrett closed his eyes and then turned away. He walked over to a bale of hay. He sat down and put his head in his hands as he let out a frustrated moan. “Jesus Christ, Emma. I want the same things, but I’m not going to take you here because you’re moving. I’m not going to risk both your future and mine because you’re leaving, and we might not—”
“Don’t say we won’t see each other again! Stop saying that!” I yelled out. I walked over to him and dropped to my knees. “Please, don’t…don’t say that anymore.”
Garrett placed his hands on the sides of my face and gave me a weak smile.
“Okay, I won’t say that again. Buttercup, you have to go with your parents. Your father is right. It’s best if you go to school and get your degree.”