Take Your Clothes Off, Lie Down, and Shut the Fuck Up

Frankie stumbles out of Tanner’s truck at around half past nine.

“Is everything okay?” I ask Tanner as Frankie scrambles onto the rough dirt road.

“Yup, he just had a few bourbons. He can’t take it like he used to.”

“Thanks for bringing him back,” I shout as I take Frankie’s arm to lead him into the house.

He squeezes my hand lovingly before breaking out into song.

~Gosh, he really is drunk~.

Once he’s safely in bed, I walk to Tobias’s house with haste as my excitement grows. I’m going to spend the night with my cowboy—in his home, in his bed.

I have changed into my new Victoria’s Secret underwear and tossed my shorts and strapless top on over.

I don’t intend on wearing these clothes for long once I’m with him, so more effort was definitely needed for the undergarments.

I take one final deep breath and knock on his rugged wooden door. I suppose I should really just walk in like everyone else does, but I struggle to get over my English habit of knocking and waiting.

“Come on in,” he shouts from somewhere inside.

“Hello there, cowboy,” I say as I sneak up on him in the kitchen. He has his head in the oven. A veil of steam clouds his face as he moves away.

“What are you doing down there?” I ask.

He stands and pulls me into him.

“It’s what I will be doing down there you should be concerned with,” he smirks, his eyes trailing down my body.

~Wow, something has been unleashed—this cowboy is kinky! Who would have thought!~

“I saw your new song,” I comment as he kisses my lips.

When he pulls away from me and smiles, I finally see that look again. The one he gave me before the kiss with Tanner. I was worried it would never return after my inexcusable behavior, but here it is, just for me.

“What do you think?” he asks.

“I think I deserve a private performance of my own.”

“Hell no!” he cries.

“Hey, if you want me for the night, I want a private performance of that amazing song.”

He laughs. “Okay, then. Grab my guitar.”

I head into his lounge and pick up his acoustic guitar. It’s so retro, so him.

“Shirt off, cowboy,” I demand.

He laughs and obeys. His bare skin against the wood of the guitar is super sexy, as is his chest hair and his tattoos that run up his muscular arms and onto his chest.

He smiles shyly at me as I snuggle up on the sofa facing him.

“Can I record it?” I ask.

He nods. “It’s for your eyes only, though, princess.”

I smile. I don’t intend on letting anyone share this experience with me, ever.

He strums his guitar then opens his mouth and starts to sing.

His deep, husky voice is so emotional and raw. My heart skips a beat when he winks in sync with the words and puts his hand to his chest as he belts out the higher notes.

I drown in his blue eyes, which don’t leave mine.

My overwhelming urge to touch him is difficult to restrain. I want to feel him, kiss him—I want to belong to him. When he stops, he puts his hand over the strings of his guitar to silence it, looks up at me, and smiles.

“I love you,” I blurt out. My hand goes over my mouth—I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. I quickly stop the recording and wait for a reaction.

My body tenses at his silence. Then he stands, and the suspense kills me. I watch as he leans his guitar against the wall and moves closer to me.

I have never told anyone I love them, not in my life. I always thought I would be one of those people who would go through life never really loving anyone.

I liked people—I cared for people—but I had never had an overwhelming urge to tell someone I loved them, not like this. It shocked me and the silence that’s followed is massacring me the longer it goes on.

He pulls me up on my feet and lifts me tenderly. I wrap my legs around his body and burrow my head into his neck, hiding my blushing face. As he sways and runs his hands over my body, I feel his manhood growing.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” I whisper into his ear.

He shakes his head. “I want to say something, but I don’t want to freak you out.”

~Holy fuck, what does that mean?~

If he doesn’t feel the same way, I think I would prefer him to say nothing. The silence is better than any rejection.

He has told me he loved me—that night in my room—but he was drunk and I bet he doesn’t even remember saying it.

“I want to make a promise to you, but I don’t know if you want it.”

“What kind of promise?” I ask.

“I want you to be my princess forever, when you’re ready.”

I pull my face from his neck and our eyes join. “Forever-forever?” I ask.

He nods and smiles. “Forever mine, forever and ever, always.”

“Wow, cowboy,” I smile. “That’s a big commitment for a twenty-three-year-old.”

“I’m twenty-six and I know what I want. I wanted you the first time I clapped eyes on your beautiful ass.”

“I guess I could be lumbered with you forever,” I say as I kiss his face and hug him tight.

“A promise is a promise, though. You can’t accept that if you plan on leaving here after your course or heading off to travel at some point in your life.”

“That is a big commitment. What if I don’t know what I want after my course finishes?”

“Do you see yourself living here forever, or do you want to move back to England?”

“Wouldn’t you sacrifice anything for me?” I ask.

“I’m not sure I could,” he mumbles as he drops me to my feet. “I mean, I’m not educated like you. I grew up with humble beginnings, worked from a young age. This is really all I know.”

“It might be you going off traveling with that amazing voice of yours.”

He shakes his head. I can’t believe he can’t see how amazing he is. I wish he could see himself through my eyes—see how talented and unique he really is.

“We can’t predict the future, Tobias, and I can’t promise you forever and ever, but I can promise you now. I can promise you that if we are together, we can make any important decisions together and do what’s best for both of us so we can grow. I want to be your biggest cheerleader, and I can promise you I will always have your back, forever and always.”

He smiles and pulls me in by the waist. “I guess I can’t really say anything to that, can I?”

“Do you say yes to now, yes to this? Me and you supporting each other in our paths through this shitty hard-knock life?”

“I guess, yes. I do.”

He lifts me up again and I shriek as he slaps my backside.

“Let me turn the oven off and we can consummate this agreement,” he laughs.

I jump down from him and run toward his staircase. “Thought you would never get to the good part.”

“You go take your clothes off, lie down, and shut the fuck up.”

I laugh as I obey and head up to his bedroom.

~Is this guy for real? He’s like some unrealistic write-up of a man in a romance novel.~

Not even Mr. Darcy could top the shit he comes out with. Sorry, Jane Austen, but you’d obviously never met a cowboy when you were writing your novels.

I’m more than happy to submit to his demands. I remove my shorts and top and check myself out in his bathroom mirror—I’m happy I wore my new black and coconut-white plunge bra set.

These aren’t the type you pick up in the two-for-fifty-pounds bargain section.

I jump on his bed as I hear his heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. It’s so comfy, and I love that he is a tidy man. His bed is freshly made and folded, which tells me he’s a keeper for sure.

His eyes gawp and his jaw drops as he examines me laid out on his bed.

“Sweet mother,” he mumbles, and he bites his bottom lip in.

I smile when he starts to shuffle toward me. He’s like a kid waiting for candy as he tries to contain his animal instinct.

I slowly move to him at the foot of the bed and lift his T-shirt over his head. His lips catch mine as my hand goes to his ass to pull him in closer.

My mouth leaves light kisses on his face, neck, collarbone, and down to his chest. He moves to unbutton his jeans and my body follows his, falling nicely in sync as my skin rubs against him.

My nails dig into his back as I try to contain myself. It’s gonna leave a mark, but he doesn’t show any sign of discomfort as he moves over my body.

“On your knees, princess,” he groans when he lifts his weight off me.

I accept the challenge and his hands go onto my waist as he pulls me into him.

I am so turned on by him, I can go all night. I don’t care that I have a lecture at 9 a.m. or a full day of study to concentrate on.

All that matters tonight is him, his body, and the toe-curling, screaming orgasmic sex that we have.