Serenity Falls (16 page)

“Sure.”
Wes places one arm under my knees and the other behind my back, and lifts me
out of the water. My arms find their way around his neck. “What are you doing?”
I ask quietly when I notice the curious stares coming from everyone else around
us.

“I’d
hate for you to get stuck again.” And just like that, everyone else around us
fades as I laugh.

“Good
point,” I reply with a smile and a nod of my head.

When
we reach the four-wheeler, Wes deposits me on the seat. I scoot back when he
grips the handlebars and throws one leg over the seat. Just as he sits down, I
bind my arms around his incredibly toned waist when Brantley comes running over
to us. “Hey man.” He claps him on the shoulder. “Kenleigh.” He nods his head
toward me.

“Hey,
Brantley,” I reply.

“First,
I just wanted to say that the other day I was out of line. I shouldn’t have
said anything,” He looks at Wes with regret in his eyes.

“It’s
cool. I get it.”

“We’re
good, then?” Brantley asks Wes skeptically.

“Yeah,
man, we’re good.”

“Alright
then. You remember the pond we all used to go to?” Brantley asks as he looks at
Wes who nods. “That’s where we’re going. And Jackie said she’ll meet us there
before the fire tonight.”

The
muscles in Wes’ stomach tense under my hold at the mention of Jackie’s name. A
chuckle escapes me as I think about how much her name alone irks him. I don’t
know why I find it funny, but I do. I mean, I know she can talk a lot, but
she’s not that bad. Maybe, it’s because I always found it funny when a girl hit
on a guy that I dated. I mean, Jarred got hit on all the time, and it never
bothered me. I’m not really the jealous type. I am a woman and have my
insecurities, but as long as my man comes home with me, and boundaries aren’t
crossed, I could care less who hits on my boyfriend.
Dating? Is that what
we’re doing?
“Okay, we’ll follow behind everyone,” Wes answers.

I
rest my cheek against his back, a smile of contentment on my face, as he and
Brantley continue to talk. But my smile soon fades when I see daggers shooting
at me from across the way by Leslie. Wes’ strong, warm hands cover mine as he
looks back over his shoulder at me. “You ready to go?”

I
nod my head against his back. The cotton shirt, stiff from air-drying, moves up
and down with my movement. “Yep. Whenever you are.”

“What’s
wrong?”

My
eyes dart up at him and then back to a scowling Leslie, and then back to him. I
refuse to let her get to me. Wes and I haven’t really had the chance to be
alone in over a week, and I’m not going to let some pissed off, jealous ex ruin
our time together. “Nothing.”

“Good.”
Wes lifts my hands from around his waist and kisses the backs of each of my
knuckles before he secures them to where they previously rested.

My
body jolts back on the seat when he takes off, which only causes me to hold on
tighter. The stray hairs that have slipped from my ponytail whip against my
ears, my face, and my neck— never staying in the same place for long. “Hang on
back there, because it’s about to get bumpy here in a second!” Wes shouts at me
over his shoulder. The next thing I know, my ass bounces up and down in the
seat. My body jostles from left to right as we hit hole after hole and crevice
after crevice. Mud flies in the air and coats us after we land harshly in each
hole. Our speed increases as Wes lifts his body into a standing position. He
hunches over the steering column, leaving me to release my grip from around his
waist and to grab onto his hips instead.

As
I look around him to see what the hell has made him stand up, I yell, “No. No.
No. NO! Hell, no! We are not going through—” but the rest of my words land on
deaf ears when a wall of water rains down on us like a waterfall. A dirty,
mud-filled waterfall. We come up on the other side of the mud hole that’s the
size of the Lake Medina. I slap his ass so hard that my hand stings as I shout,
“What the hell, Wes? You could warn me next time.”

“Babe,
it’s all a part of muddin’ and ridin’. You didn’t come out here expecting not
to get a little dirty, did you?” he asks as he takes another trail and breaks
away from the group in front of us.

“No.
I knew I was gonna get dirty, but that shit was seriously deep.”

“I
wouldn’t have let you drown. I would have saved you. I already told you this.
I’ll always save you,” he replies as he comes to a stop. He fiddles with the
stick on the side, and pops the clutch into neutral.

“I
wasn’t worried about drowning. I can swim. I just didn’t want to have to help
you get this thing unstuck.” I smirk.

Wes
turns around to face me. His knees touch mine. He lifts my hand to his mouth,
and slowly kisses my mud-covered knuckles. “I wouldn’t have asked you.”

My
head turns in all directions as I get a good look at where we are. A canopy of
trees surrounds us. Leaves, some fresh, some dead, litter the ground below. The
rumbles of the four-wheeler engines and screams from the dirt bikes have all
disappeared. The sound of birds chirping and the quiet hum of our idling
four-wheeler is all that exists around us now. “What are we doing out here?” I
ask quietly.

“I
thought we could talk.” He gives me a sly smile as he lifts my soaked legs, and
pulls them over his to rest on his thighs.

“What
are we doing, Kenleigh?” Wes asks as he cups one of my cheeks in his hand.

His
thumb moves slowly back and forth, caressing my cheekbone as our eyes lock. “I
was gonna ask you the same thing.”

“Okay.
How about we start with we both know that we have something going on between
us, right?”

I
stare into his eyes when I answer, “Yes.”

“All
right. And do you like where things are going between us?” he asks, slowly
inching his way toward my lips while never breaking eye contact with me.

“I
do.” I can’t come up with much else to say because of his woodsy smell, and
just him, begins to fog up my senses.

Just
before his lips touch mine, he replies. “Me too. But you should know, if we do
this, I do
not
share, and you
will be
mine. All of you. Every.
Last. Inch. I will intoxicate you, and I’ll promise you this, you’ll love every
fucking second of it. You’ll beg for it—beg for me.”

I
don’t wait for him to finish his conquest; I climb up his body and straddle him
as I crash my mouth down onto his. I’m already intoxicated by him. I have been
since the first day I saw him get out of his truck. His touch makes my body
smolder. His words rush like sweet wine through my veins, relaxing me, making
me feel things I’ve never felt before. His kisses are like a drug that leaves
me wanting and aching for just one more hit, no matter how big or how small. My
lips cover first his top and then his bottom.

With
slow and precise movements, I suck his lip into my mouth, and nibble before I
reply, “I don’t share, either.”

His
eyes turn from a clear blue to a dark cobalt in a matter of seconds. His hands
glide up my thighs, painfully, achingly slow, as they make their way to the hem
of my shirt. He grasps it in his hands, while looking into my eyes. “Now that
we have that out of the way.” He looks from my eyes to his hands and back,
silently asking if it’s okay to remove my shirt. The single nod I give him is
all the permission he needs. He peels my wet shirt off and tosses it behind me
on the rack that rests on the back of the ATV. For a long minute, he sits and
stares at my satin leopard print bra. “You are so fucking beautiful.” His head
bows as he kisses the swells of my breasts. His hands graze the skin of my
stomach, making their way behind my back to unclasp my bra.

I
lean away from him. Unhurriedly, I slide the smooth, soft, satin straps of my
bra over my shoulders and down my arms, tossing it somewhere behind us. The
want and need that had taken over his eyes only seconds ago is replaced by
desire and passion. My hands reach up and cup his strong jaw in the palms of my
hands. I tilt his head up so that he can look at me. “You’ve already made me
yours, but now I’m about to make you mine,” I whisper as I entwine my fingers
in his hair and close the distance between us.

Our
tongues collide. They twist and lap against each other, filling each other’s
mouths as if we are trying to commit each other’s taste to memory. Our breaths
come out harsh and fast. His hands cover my full, achy breasts as he squeezes
and kneads them. He rolls the tips of my nipples between his calloused fingers
while I rock my hips against his. As his mouth breaks away from mine, he
nibbles and sucks his way down my neck, across my collarbone, and finally sucks
one of my puckered nipples into his mouth. A wild fire shoots through my veins
making me blind with lust. My head tosses back, and I pull him closer as a loud
moan escapes me. “Fuck, Wes,” I breathe out.

“You
like that?” The vibrations of his words against my nipple send me into a
frenzy.

My
body hums with pleasure. “Uh-huh.”

“What
about when I do this?” His teeth bite down on the tip of my nipple with just
enough pressure to send a shockwave of pleasure coursing through me.

“Oh…
my… Wes… I need you,” I reply as I grind against him harder, trying to get as
close to him as our jeans will allow.

 My
nipple releases with a pop as he grabs my hips and slides me off his lap. He
lifts his hand to my chest, and slowly pushes backwards until my skin meets the
cool leather of the seat. Wes lifts my feet and places them on his knees to
take off my boots. As I lay here, the top of my body completely exposed, I
suddenly feel vulnerable as I stare into Wes’ eyes so full of adoration. He
lightly pinches my puckered buds just as he skims his fingers down my stomach
to the tops of my pants, leaving a quake of destruction in his path. At this
moment, I know, no matter where life takes me, no one will ever compare to Wes.

“I
want you to play with these while I take these off.” My eyes widen in a moment
of shock. Like I’ve said before, I’m no virgin, but I’m not that experienced
either. I’ve only been with one other person. He must recognize my expression
because his whole demeanor changes. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I
want you to feel comfortable with this, with us. I never want you to feel like
we
are a mistake.”

“I
don’t feel like
we
or
this
is a mistake. I just don’t think I’m
ready for anything like
that
. I’ve never done anything like touch myself
before,” I reply, that last part a whisper as I send up a silent prayer that he
didn’t hear me. My cheeks flame with embarrassment.

“It’s
okay, Babe. Let me teach you things. Things that we can do together. Things
that you’ll come to love. I can show you things beyond your wildest dreams.”
Tenderly, his thumb swipes my throbbing clit through my jeans. Too soon, he
stops his ministrations and begins to unbutton my jeans. My eyes roll in the
back of my head when his fingers graze me from hip to ankle as he frees my legs
from my wet jeans. I force my eyes open only to meet Wes’ cerulean ones. I
stare back at him as I push up on my feet; my hips lift as he gradually edges
my black lace panties off. We don’t need to speak. We both know what we want,
what we are doing.

Wes
lifts my feet off his legs and places them on the cool metal footrests beneath
us. He stands and produces a silver foil packet from his pocket. I smile up at
him as he reaches for the hem of his shirt. I watch his exquisite stomach
muscles contract against the movement as he pulls it over his head. I lean in
and grab a hold of his hips. With a featherlike touch, I trace the contours of
his abs with the tip of my tongue as I peek up at him through my lashes.

“Someone’s
missed me, too,” he groans out.

I
pull back from his chest and watch as his fingers make quick work of his button
and zipper. Instead of discarding his jeans and boxer briefs, he pulls them
down right below his taut, muscular ass, and his generously, long erection
springs free. My hands grasp his velvety thickness as I begin to stroke him.
Wes rips open the condom packet. I place my hand on his and peer up at him.
“Can I?”

He
nods and hands the condom to me. My hand wraps around him tighter. His cock
throbs, and the veins begin to swell under the silky skin. His hips thrust
forward as I continue to work him. With his eyes trained on mine, he reaches
out and grazes the backs of his knuckles along my jaw, and hisses through
clenched teeth. “Fuck me, Kenleigh. Shit.”

I
take my time rolling the condom on him. Once in place, he bends down and seizes
my lips. My arms go around his neck as I pull him down on top of me. Instead of
gliding inside my slick, awaiting passage, he thrusts his hips forward. I gasp
from the sensation as the head of his shaft skims over my pulsating clit.
Instantly, I’m wetter than I’ve ever been. We pant between our kisses; my hips
lift and meet him thrust for thrust. “Wes… please… please… I need you,” I say
breathlessly.

“Are
you wet for me, Baby?”

“So
wet.” My breath comes out in spurts as need blinds me. My lips nip, suck, and
taste their way up and down his neck as his fingers find their way to my entrance.