I wrapped my hand around hers, dismissing my dark thoughts. “Let’s go.”
4
Sunny
I was a bundle of nerves all day on Saturday. I knew what tonight meant. What was going to happen. I was ready, and I wanted to give myself to Linc, but still, I was anxious.
Linc was the first boy to kiss me. To touch me. He was my first everything. He was shy and sweet, and we had sat together on our first day of school years ago. He shared his crayons with me. Mine were from the dollar store—all my mother could afford—but his were the large
expensive box containing a rainbow of colors. He let me use the magenta and teal ones, and when I got home that night, he had put them in my box, keeping two of my cheap ones for himself—the orange and yellow, the two worst colors I had.
I fell in love with him right then.
We were the best of friends in grade school. When his mom died, he became quiet and withdrawn at school and with other people, but with me, he seemed happier. We grew closer but only remained friends. I was afraid to push beyond that, happy to at least have him in my life. I knew his father would never approve of me. The few times I saw him, his gaze flickered over me as if I were a piece of dirt beneath his expensive shoes. In town, he was a “big deal,” as my mom called him, but not well-liked. Feared, was more like it. I knew Linc feared him. I saw the bruises to prove it, but he refused to tell anyone.
He said it would only make matters worse, and he made me promise not to say a thing to anyone. I promised him, because I loved him.
The day he kissed me and changed my life forever was one of my best days. By then, we were confidants, both of us anxious to leave this small town and start life fresh with no baggage. The feel of his mouth on mine, hesitant and gentle, changed everything. He became more.
We became more, and I knew I would follow him to the ends of the earth.
My mother and sisters adored him.
His father loathed me. I was horrified to find out he’d beaten Linc more than once, telling him to stay away from me. I was aghast at the lengths Linc went to in order to defy him. I hated sneaking around, keeping my face neutral and friendly if I saw him in town. At school, people were used to seeing us together, and we both worked hard to make sure they thought of us only as friends—nothing more. I lived in fear of someone finding out and Linc taking more punishment.
I despised his father. He was a horrid, cruel man. Linc was nothing like him. He was protective, sweet, and kind. He tried to look after not only me, but my mom and sisters, which only made me love him more.
I pictured our life together once we were able to get away from this town and the influence of his father. Linc assured me more than once, when he was nineteen, it would happen. He said he had money from his mother he could get to at that point, and we only had to hold on until then.
I would wait for him for as long as it took.
“Sunny!” Cindy’s voice broke into my thoughts. “The timer’s going off, girl. Get your biscuits out before they burn.”
I shook my head and pulled out the tray of biscuits. They were puffy, golden brown, and smelled delicious. I brushed the tops of them with honey butter, thinking how much Linc would enjoy them. Biscuits with butter and jam were one of his favorites.
As if he knew, he appeared in the doorway, taking my breath away.
The boy I loved was slowly turning into a man. He was tall, his shoulders beginning to widen. All the work he was doing made his chest broader and his muscles tight. His light-brown hair was golden from his days in the sun, and his blue eyes were bright in his face as he smiled at me. His teeth were straight and white against the brown of his tan. He looked sexy, his T-shirt tighter than before and his shorts hanging low on his hips.
I felt my cheeks grow warm as I thought of the way I had gripped his hips as I sucked his dick.
He had loved it.
Cindy laughed behind me. “How is it you always know when the biscuits are ready?”
He sauntered in, his gait relaxed, his eyes lit with mischief. He had both hands behind his back as he approached, his smile getting bigger.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he denied, pulling his hands out in front of him and holding out two small bunches of wildflowers. “I just happened to be walking by with flowers for my two favorite girls.”
Cindy scoffed. “Little rake, you are.” She nudged me. “Go on then. Get your boy a biscuit and jam.” She accepted the flowers from Linc. “Make it two. He looks hungry.”
I laughed and slipped two on a plate, slicing them open and adding butter and jam. I handed Linc the plate, taking my bunch of flowers with a smile.
He winked and leaned forward. “I am hungry. For biscuits—” he glanced to make sure Cindy was out of earshot “—and you.” Then he took the plate and kissed me quickly, leaving me breathless.
The biscuits disappeared in fast mouthfuls. He sighed. “Promise me you’ll make these for me every weekend for the rest of our lives.”
My heart stuttered at his words.