Flatbed Date

It’s been days since I last saw Tobias. We have been sending flirty texts and we talked on the phone last night, but he has been so busy with work and the ranch that the only glimpse I got of him was two days ago.

He was driving past Frankie’s early in the morning, and I was watching the sunrise from my window seat. He looked flustered as he sped through the ranch, leaving a cloud of dust behind.

I continue to help Tanner and Travis at the stable early in the morning, and my new routine is to go for a run, either before or after sorting the animals.

Since coming here, I have become more of a morning person. I think it’s the heat. I wake up sweating daily but have been told it’s not always this unbearable.

Tobias

Morning princess.

Ella

Morning cowboy.

Tobias

Can I take you out tonight?

I smile to myself. ~Finally.~

Ella

Where are you thinking?

Tobias

A traditional flatbed date?

Ella

WTF is one of them?

Tobias

You’ll see xx.

I can’t wait. The news I am going on a date with Tobias instantly lifts my mood, and I bounce down the stairs as I prepare for my run.

I push in my earbuds, start my music, and take a deep breath in before starting my journey.

I head around the green field before venturing up past Travis and Dawn’s place, down by a little hidden pond, back uphill past some cattle, and finally, I head down to the stables and by Antony’s and Tobias’s houses.

It’s a great run, and I never see anyone other than Travis, who is usually out and about in one of the fields.

After I finish my run today, I head straight to the stables, sort the hay and water, and hang by the horses for a while, having a chat and stroking them.

I pay particular attention to Jack, Tobias’s horse, in the hope that if I tame him, his owner will follow.

Tobias said he will collect me at eight. It’s Friday night, so all the others are going out for drinks. Travis and Dawn are joining them all too, and I’m gutted I will miss them. I really like the two of them.

At eight on the dot, Tobias pulls up outside Frankie’s. I haven’t told Frankie I’m going on a date—he just thinks I’m joining the others.

“Why is Tobias picking you up?” he questions as he sits on the front porch, rocking in his special chair.

“He just is,” I reply as I skip off toward the truck before Frankie can pry further.

“Isobella,” Frankie shouts, but I ignore him and climb into the truck.

“Looking good, princess,” Tobias says with a whistle as he takes me in, his mouth slightly ajar at the tightness of my clothes.

“Eyes on the road, cowboy,” I laugh.

I have put on black jeans, for a change. They are tight Gucci ones that hug my hips and bum. I paired them with a white bodysuit and my favorite cross-body Gucci bag.

“Looking like you’re ready for a night in London rather than a flatbed date, though,” he smiles.

“What do you mean? You look smart.”

He shakes his head. “Nah, I look like shit in comparison.”

He really doesn’t—he’s wearing some cute black jeans himself and a black-and-white checked shirt.

He has his sleeves neatly rolled to his elbows and the top few buttons of his shirt open, showing just a tease of his hairy chest and a small crucifix.

He has a black cap, but it’s on his dash.

“You look damn fine to me. We are well coordinated,” I mumble as I struggle to pull my eyes away from him.

“Put some music on,” he says, gesturing toward his sound system.

“Can I play some of your songs?” I ask.

He smiles as he passes me his phone.

“I have an album on Spotify.”

I beam as I find his album and scroll through, studying the names of the songs.

“Which is your favorite?” I ask.

“There’s one on there called ‘The Man I Am Now.’ I like that one.”

I find it and press play. He turns up the volume as his husky voice fills the truck.

I like it, the words are amazing, and his voice has so much emotion. There is a line that makes me turn to him: ~I never felt good enough, but you were always my biggest fan~.

“Is this about your mom?” I ask.

He nods his head. The words make sense now—maybe I need to listen to his songs to know more about him, because just listening to this one shows how much his mom meant to him and how hurt he was after her loss.

“What’s this one?” I ask. “‘Southern Girl’?”

“I don’t like that one. It’s one of our earlier ones.”

“Is it about Lynn or Deena?” I inquire.

He smirks as he shakes his head. “No, it’s not about anyone.”

We listen and I like it as much as the last one. His voice really is amazing, so raw and unique—the kind of voice you can fall in love with.

“We’re here,” he says. I look out of the window and just see trees. We seem to be in some kind of clearing.

“Here?” I ask. “What is this place?”

“You’ll see,” he laughs.

He tells me to stay in the truck while he goes into the back and pulls out some blankets and climbs onto the back of the truck bed. I have no idea what the fuck he is doing, but he looks happy doing it as he whistles and sings.

“Princess, get your Gucci ass out here,” he finally commands as he opens my door and holds his hands out.

I take his invitation and jump into his arms. He pulls me in tight and kisses me so affectionately that I turn to jelly in his arms. I have been desperate for these lips since I climbed into the truck next to him.

“You smell amazing,” I say as I breathe him in.

He kisses me one final time before releasing me onto the dirt below.

“This is a flatbed date,” he says proudly.

I look at the back of his truck and I am impressed by his effort.

A couple of weeks ago, if a guy back in England did this, I would have thought he was just a cheapskate who didn’t want to spend money on a date.

But when Tobias does it, all I see is romance and the amount of thought he put into it.

He has covered the back of his truck with cushions and blankets, set out a picnic basket with food and a bottle of champagne in a bucket of ice.

“This is so romantic,” I say as I kiss his lips. “Thank you.”

“Shall we?” he asks as he lifts me onto the truck bed.

I lie back on the cushions as he pours me a drink and talks me through what food we have.

After we have eaten and the sky has turned black, we lie back and watch the stars. They really are amazing here. I don’t think I have ever seen so many.

“Do you bring all your dates here?” I ask as I lie with my head on his stomach. I feel his body tense under me.

“No, never,” he replies. He sounds sincere enough.

I sit up to pull myself close to him. He leans up and sweetly steals a kiss from my lips.

“Really?”

“I have never done this for anyone, ever,” he insists.

“Why me, then?”

His eyes narrow and he looks embarrassed by my questioning.

“I don’t know, you’re different. I can’t get you out of my head and I’ve never had that before.”

I smile. “So I’m special?” I tease.

He smiles shyly. “I guess so… I don’t know, it’s a new feeling to me.” He takes a sip from his Coors Light and uncomfortably tries to lose my eye contact.

I smile and let him be for tonight. I think I have embarrassed him enough.

We spend the next half hour in silence lying flat on our backs, looking up at the night sky. Our bodies are perfectly in line, touching as we lie side by side. His hand clasps mine the whole time.

“Shall we grab a drink at the bar before I take you back?” he asks.

“I’m happy to,” I reply as we start to fold away the blankets and cushions.

He leans into me as I dangle my legs off the back of the truck in preparation to jump down. I run my fingers through his hair.

“Thanks for the romantic date, cowboy,” I whisper in his ear as he kisses my cheek.

“Any time, princess,” he replies.

I catch his lips, and the trees around us start to spin as his kiss takes me off somewhere else.

I struggle to catch my thoughts—all of them evaporate as he possesses my mind and body. I feel so out of control and follow his lead as his head moves at an angle.

I’m so hungry for him, and I wish he wasn’t such a gentleman right now. This would be the perfect first time if he would just give in to his urges.

His hands start to roam my body, and I feel his fingers teasingly stroke the banding of my tight jeans. I urge him to remove them as my hands wander under his shirt and feel his hard, strong, ripped body.

It takes everything I have not to tear his shirt off and devour him.

“All in good time,” he growls into my ear.

“You’re playing a dangerous game,” I grumble as I kiss at his neckline.

He looks up to the sky and lets out a low, pleasurable moan. My hand goes over his groin, and I know he wants this too. Once again, he is saying one thing, but his body is implying something else.

His breathing speeds before his strong hand grips mine harshly.

“Princess, let’s get out of here,” he mumbles.

I ignore him and move my free hand to the front of his jeans, where I feel his growing bulge. He grunts, and I have victory as he pulls me from the edge of the truck with haste.

My legs wrap around him as his lips find mine and the passion implodes. Finally. His tongue darts around my mouth, and I think I have him—he has come too far now to stop. Our bodies yearn for it as we pull together.

Then he drops me to my feet and draws away.

~Whattttt!~

“Come on, you horny minx,” he laughs as he pulls me by the hand back to his truck.

“How can I not be horny around you? You’re just torturing me now.”

“Oh, and when you dress like that, you’re not torturing me?”

“Am I?” I ask as I flutter my lashes at him.

“You know what you’re doing.”

We listen to some more of his songs as we drive down to the bar. It’s late when we get there, and I hope people are still there. After a bottle of decent champagne, I’m looking forward to a dance with my cowboy.