“I know you can, but we’ll get there much faster if I carry you.” The muscles in his body cringe and tense under me with every bang of thunder.
“Come on, please, put me down?”
“Fine.” He sets me on my feet. I can see the house not too far away. When he notices that I’m not going to move, he asks, “What are you doing, Kenleigh? It’s not safe out here.”
“Haven’t you ever just played in the rain?” I ignore his beseeching tone. Instead, I look up at the sky, tip my head back, and let the coolness of the raindrops crash upon my face. My arms spread like an eagle’s wings as I spin around. My hair slaps me in the face, sticking to my lips, my cheeks, and my forehead. I’m sopping wet, but I don’t care because I feel free. I spin, laugh, and enjoy the moment. The sensation of holes being burned into me by Wes’ eyes is a feeling that I’m starting to become accustomed to.
As I come to a stop, my eyes connect with a pair of cerulean ones that belong to the sexy man on the wraparound porch. With an amused expression on his face, he nods his head toward the screen door, silently asking me if I’m done. I take off in a full sprint toward the house. When I jump up onto the porch, he whispers, “Did you have fun?”
“Heck yeah. You should try it next time,” I whisper back, chuckling.
The screen door creaks and groans as he opens it, waiting for me to pass through. A shiver slices through me when a blast of cold air slams against my soaked skin. “Would you mind getting me a towel?” I sweep my hand up and down my soaking wet body.
“Oh, yeah. Wait right here.” He disappears into the house.
While I wait, I take a seat on the swing at the far end of the porch. My thoughts wander to how alive I feel. I can’t believe how much fun I’ve had today. Even though the bonfire wasn’t that great, I still had fun hanging out with Wes. I like that he shared a story and a piece of something so dear to his heart with me—trusting me. I like how I felt when his strong arms hoisted me up and over his shoulder in the rain, ready to escape the storm—protecting me. I like that he saw a tear trickle down my face, and didn’t think twice before he wiped it away—consoling me. The feel of soft cotton slowly gliding down my cheek pulls me from my thoughts. My eyes find Wes with a towel in hand, drying my rain soaked face. I reach up and retrieve the towel from him and whisper, “Thank you.”
“You seemed lost in thought,” he says, sitting down next to me.
“A little.” I release a chuckle when I ask, “How is it that you’ve caught me lost in thought more in one day than anyone else ever has in my entire life?”
“I don’t know. Just lucky, I guess.” His eyes find mine and hold my gaze.
“Well, thanks,” I say as I lift the towel. “I guess I should head inside.” I open the screen door and look back at Wes, whose arms lay stretched out along the back of the porch swing. “Goodnight.” I duck into the house and head up to my room before he has a chance to reply.
My back arches off the bed, and I stretch my arms above my head. The morning light dances across my closed eyes as the first rays of the morning sun burst into my room to wake me from a restful slumber. Twisting in the soft, handmade quilt, I roll over, tuck it under my chin, and listen to the birds chirp through the open windows that overlook the barn. Slowly, my eyes open to see the different orange and pink hues as they skate across the hardwood floor of my room. I sit up and toss my legs over the bed. The scent of smoke from last night’s bonfire hits me hard. I smell a strand of my hair, realize it’s coming from me, and know a shower is the only cure. All of a sudden, I’m aware of the fact that I’m still in my too-short sleep shorts and cami, sans bra, I can’t risk anyone seeing me like this. My head falls in the palms of my hands as I try to recall if I brought my robe with me from school. Fuck my life! Another crossroad presents itself when I remember there is one sexy piece of country ass in a room across from me and the bathroom is down the hall.
Dragging myself out of bed, I dig through my things for my robe. Sucking up my fate, I collect my clothes and toiletries and gingerly open the door as quietly as possible. Cautiously, I peek my head out. I look left first, then right, to make sure the coast is clear. With no one in sight, I tiptoe out into the hall, bypassing more rooms as I rush into the bathroom and close the door behind me. Why didn’t I bring my robe? Mentally, I slap myself for forgetting that extremely important article of clothing. I turn on the shower and let the room fill with steam while I brush my teeth.