Authors: Janice Kay Johnson
“Ready,” she called out.
She had no idea what Mack had in mind, but her heart beat faster as she walked toward him. Something had shifted between them the day before.
They'd slept together and it had been incredible, the years giving depth to their connection. Then they'd argued and it had hurt more than she ever could have predicted, but at least they'd cleared up the last bit of leftover baggage from their past. Or so she hoped. And somehow, they'd bonded all over again during the phone call in the middle of the night.
It was going to be so damn hard when he left town after the festival, but she didn't have a clue how to put up any kind of defensive walls against him. Instead she just kept handing him a little more of her heart every time they were together, knowing damn well it was going to hurt twice as much when he broke it.
“I've got a surprise for you.” Mack held an arm out for her as if they were going on a real date, the same way he'd escorted her to their first Harvest Festival Dance so long ago.
“I love surprises.” Her heart fluttered just as it had when she'd been a teenager.
“Lucky me, I knew that about you.” He laid a hand at the small of her back as they walked out of the kitchen and through the dining area where the lights were dim. Most everyone else had gone home for the night.
“I'm dying to see it.” Her skin tingled where he touched her and spread from that spot to the rest of her.
“Not much farther.” He held the door open for her, clearing her path out onto the central fairway.
Most of the lights were off, but the main gravel path was still illuminated by street lamps on a low setting that emitted a pink glow. Up ahead, she glimpsed the second pavilion constructed for the festival. It featured a covered area for performers, but didn't have the seating of the big grandstand.
“It seems one of your acts is testing out the new space.” She could see a movement on the stage. Hear guitars tuning up and masculine laughter.
“Seems so,” he agreed as they passed the stations for ring toss, balloon darts and Frisbee tic-tac-toe, all dark and vacant.
“Which doesn't surprise you even though it's past ten,” she observed, growing suspicious. Especially since a small dance floor was lit by tiki torches, which surely would never be allowed during fair hours. “Is this part of your surprise?”
His step slowed as they closed in on the dance floor in front of the pavilion. The musiciansâfive of themâquieted their instruments at Mack's arrival.
“I want this to be a special weekend for you, Nina.” He turned to face her, taking her hand. “So I thought I'd make sure I got the first dance.”
He pointed to the band, but never took his eyes off her. On cue, the music started for an old song that she'd always loved, “Sea of Love.” The strains of the musicâwith that uncanny power music always hadâcut right to her heart along with Mack's over-the-top gesture. Coming from a man not given to demonstrative displays, the gesture touched her deeply.
Speechless, she stepped toward him, allowing him to turn her into his arms. The warmth of his hand on her back anchored her swirling emotions. He guided her through familiar steps, reminding her she'd learned to dance with him. For him.
The lyrics talked about love and her breath caught. Had he chosen the song on purpose, or just because it was a favorite?
Before she could ask, Mack's mouth found hers. He covered her lips with a kiss that made her forget the steps until she shuffled in helpless harmony with him. Locked in the moment of torchlight and music, the cool night air making her lean into his warmth, Nina felt a timeless connection to him. Her heart cracked wide-open and she prayed they could find a future together.
They were still kissing when the music faded to an end. And instead of them clapping for the musicians, the musicians clapped for them. And wolf-whistled.
Shaking off the spell while Mack smiled against her lips, she stepped away from him.
“Thanks, guys,” Mack called, tucking her under his arm and turning her away from the band. “Great job. You can set up any time after four tomorrow, okay?”
“Gotcha. See you then,” someone shouted back.
“Sorry,” Mack murmured in her ear. “I didn't mean to let that kiss get so carried away.”
“You do have a way with a surprise.” She dragged in deep breaths of cool air as she followed him deeper into the fairgrounds.
“There's more.” He spoke into her ear through the veil of her hair, his lips catching on the strands.
A shiver snaked up her spine. Her skin was alive with sensual awareness.
“I can't imagine what sorts of surprises you could be hiding back here.” She peered around in the dark as they left the soft glow of light from the fairway. “The pond is that way,” she pointed to her right when they were heading toward the left. “The straw maze?”
“I've got something a little more private in mind than the pond.” His arm tightened around her waist.
Her imagination started running wild at the word
private.
The possibilities got very interesting.
“I hope it's close.” She needed another kiss. Wanted to show him how much she appreciated his thoughtfulness. For arranging something special just for her.
She hadn't gotten a lot of that in her life.
“Watch your step,” he warned as the gravel ended and the dark grew deeper. “It's over here.”
They were behind the straw maze, the walls huge in the shadows. As Nina's eyes adjusted, she could see the Eldorado parked nearby. And three hay wagons from Spencer Farm.
“I don't know, Mack.” She slid her arm around his waist, her fingers grazing hard abs just above the waistband of his jeans. “It'll be tough to top the last surprise.”
When he steered her between the wagons, she could see the middle one was open. A side panel had been removed for easier access and was now acting as a ramp of sorts. From within the hayâthe wagons were still full of leftover balesâNina could see a glow of light.
“Go on,” he urged. “Climb up, unless you want me to carry you.”
“In there?” she clarified, peering around at how isolated they really were back here. She couldn't even see the fairgrounds.
“Only if you want your surprise.”
Securing her purse under one arm, she gripped the wooden slats of one wall on the wagon and pulled herself up. She had to climb a couple of hay “steps” before she could look down into the wagon and discover what Mack was talking about.
One layer of hay bales covered the wagon floor, but other than that, stacks of the bales made privacy walls six feet high the whole way around. Down in the center of the straw room, there was a big quilt spread out like a picnic blanket. A few stray pillows and blankets had been tossed to one side, and a small cast-iron lantern set on the low setting. A strand of small white lights rimmed the hay bales and they glowed with a softness that suggested they were solar powered. A champagne bucket rested beside the blanket with what looked like a bottle of sparkling water inside.
“I hope it's not too cold for you out here.” Mack stood behind her, staring down at the blanket with her. “I figured the hay would cut the wind.”
“I trust you to keep me warm.” She shivered again, but not from the cold. Carefully, she climbed down into the clean, sweet-smelling hay, her nerve endings hyper aware of him as he followed.
There was so much she wanted to say to him. So much she wanted to ask. But right now, with the memory of their dance playing in her mind, his body grazing hers as they moved, she found she couldn't hold a thought in her head long enough to have a conversation. She wanted Mack with a fierceness that surprised her.
“I adore it,” she said simply, setting aside her purse and sliding out of her jean jacket. For a moment, she stared up at the stars where more white lights winked at her. Then, she met Mack's gaze again as he joined her near the blanket. “From the song and the dance to this...incredible place. I love everything about tonight.”
Arching up on her toes, she slid her arms around Mack. Gently, she kissed the thin scratches still on his face from the night before.
She watched in the soft light as his eyes closed for a moment, his lashes surprisingly long. So she kissed his eyelids, too, and dragged him down to the blanket with her. He cushioned their fall with strong arms, making sure he fell first. He dragged pillows closer and tucked one under her head. They stared at each other, breathing one another's air. The hay bales blocked the sound from outside, all except for an occasional rustle of tree branches overhead as the breeze blew. A yellow poplar leaf drifted down onto Mack's shoulder and she brushed it aside, taking an appreciative feel of his muscles as she did.
He smoothed her hair off her cheek and away from her neck. Then, leaning closer, his mouth brushed a spot just under her chin. She closed her eyes, her fingers digging into his upper arm while he kissed her. Licked her. Nipped at her ear.
The cool breeze hit her skin, driving her closer to him. He gave off heat like a furnace, his whole body hot, hard and ready for her. Desire for him curled through her with a needy edge, and she tugged at the hem of his shirt, hardly understanding why her hand moved so low. She kissed his chest through his shirt, savoring the warmth and the male scent of him.
She hoped this night would be the first of many. But if it wasn't, she planned to store up every delectable memory and tease out each touch to imprint it on her brain for the rest of time.
His kisses dipped lower on her collarbone while his hands found the hem of her blouse and lifted it higher. Off. He skimmed away one strap of her bra and traced a path over the swell of her breast. Before his tongue reached the crest, she flung her thigh over his, her body already hungry for more of him. He gripped her hips and sealed her to the stark ridge pressing against the fly of his jeans.
A wave of want made her moan aloud. She needed him. Needed the completion only he could bring her.
She arched against his kiss, his mouth curving to the tight, aching nipple and feasting there. Already, an orgasm shimmered close to the surface for her. She squeezed her thighs tight against it, wanting the moment to last. Her breath grew short and she tensed.
“Let go.” The words were a hum of vibration against her, the rumble of it traveling over her skin and landing between her legs in a phantom touch. “I've got you.”
He touched the seam of her jeans, cupping her through the denim, and she flew apart hard. Sensations rocked her and she gasped for air while Mack worked the palm of his hand against her. Heat flooded her cheeks and chest, her skin warming as if a sexy fever had taken hold of her. She closed her eyes, riding out the sensations as they slowed.
When she lifted her eyes to his, he looked at her with a gaze so hot and possessive she thought it might melt the clothes right off her. Reaching for the front clasp of her bra, she unfastened it and shimmied out of the pale blue satin, liking the way Mack's eyes followed her every move. She undid the snap on her jeans and wriggled out of them, too, leaving on nothing but her underwear.
She moved to peel away his shirt, too, but he hauled it over his head almost instantly, recognizing what she wanted.
“Nice.” Admiring his powerful chest, she laid a kiss on his pec, absorbing the heat of his skin. “I could get used to this.”
She hadn't meant it as any kind of declaration, but as soon as she said it, she levered back to check his reaction, wondering if she'd broken the mood.
His brown eyes glittered as hot as ever. “Please do.”
Reassured, she returned to raining kisses over him while he grabbed another quilt and slid it over her. She'd forgotten the chill in the air since she seemed to operate on a thermostat all her own. Flicking open the button on his jeans she heard his swift intake of breath. Felt him twitch beneath her palm.
He rolled her onto her spine then, letting her see how much he'd been holding back for her sake. He shed his jeans and his boxers in a flash, his boots already gone. Her heartbeat went crazy, pounding in a fury as he gripped the delicate satin of her panties and hauled them down her thighs. She wanted to hold on to the moment forever. The fierce want in his eyes. The strong, sculpted beauty of his body. The tender way he touched her.
He rolled on a condom he produced from underneath the cast-iron lantern, obviously hidden there ahead of time. Nina's eyes burned at his thoughtfulness even though it reminded her how careful he'd always been about...that.
Chasing the idea away before it stole the moment from her, she arched up to kiss him so that their mouths met an instant before he eased inside her. She cried out with pleasure at the feel of him, her fingernails gently clutching at his shoulders, holding him closer. Closer.
The friction of his chest against her breasts caused another little sensual storm inside her, a pleasurable stroking that mirrored the rest of what was going on between them. Tension coiled tight in her again. She traced the muscles of his back with her palms, sliding her hands down to the bottom of his spine and out to his hips.
With the next thrust, she held him there, deep inside her. She rocked her hips against his, quick, tight movements of her own that made sweat pop along his brow. She could see it glisten in the lantern light, could smell the scent of him mingling with the fragrant hay.
When his release came, he thrust hard again, over and over. He anchored her to him with one arm, squeezing her tight to him while his heart slugged a relentless beat. It echoed her own heartbeat and she focused on that, knowing how much this connection cost him, too. And that's what put her over the edge for the second time.
Feeling what she did to him, knowing that he was as helpless in the face of it as she was, shred every wall she'd ever built against him. Her body convulsed around his until she was breathless and spent, her skin flushed with heat.