Knitted Hearts by Amber Kelly
Foster
Her sweet mouth tastes better than I imagined, and as soon as her lips meet mine, the tiny thread of control I was holding on to around her snaps.
I was trying to be the gentleman she thought I was, the one she wants, but I’m not a gentleman. I’m a man with only so much self-control, and my desire for her has been building for so long. Years, if I’m honest.
I brace her against one of the apple trees, and I feed my hands under her and lift until she is where I need her. Our mouths continue to wrestle as she begins to rotate her hips. Grinding into my hardness, which is entirely on board with stripping her naked and plunging inside her right here.
I break the kiss, and her head falls back against the trunk, exposing her neck. I lick and nip my way from her jaw to the hollow of her throat, and she whimpers when I reach the top of her tee. I hoist her up further, so I can kiss the swell of her breasts, but she cries out, stopping my descent.
I immediately step back with her still in my arms, cradling her to my body.
“Are you all right?” I ask.
She tucks her face into my neck, and I can barely make out her mumbled reply.
“Yes, but I think there’s a sharp place on the tree.”
Geezus.
I don’t even let her finish her reply before I drop her to her feet and turn her around. I tug her tee from her jeans and examine her back. Just above her bra line, between her shoulder blades, is a bright red scratch about an inch and a half long.
“Shit, Sonia, I’m sorry,” I say when I see what I caused.
“It’s okay,” she assures me.
“No, it’s not. You’re hurt,” I say.
“No, I’m not.”
“You’re cut. I shouldn’t have had you up against a damn tree like a teenager in heat,” I growl.
“I wasn’t exactly complaining.” She looks over her shoulder at me and admits, “I liked it.”
I feel her words like a physical touch, and as much as I want to lie down right here and pull her on top of me, I can’t do that.
I close my eyes and calm my body. I press a gentle kiss to the scrape, and then I lower the hem of her shirt.
She turns in my arms to face me.
I rest my forehead on hers and wrap my arms around her.
“We should get back before they realize we’re missing,” I say.
She lets out a laugh. “Are you kidding? Us walking off together is all they’ve been talking about since we disappeared in the trees.”
“Probably,” I agree.
“Are we still on for the playdate tomorrow?” she asks, her question dripping with insecurity.
“Fuck yeah,” I say before taking her mouth for one more deep kiss so she knows there is nothing I’d rather do tomorrow than spend the evening with her.
We return to curious eyes and settle back in our spot with the puppies.
All eyes are either on us or trying to look anywhere but at us.
Elle is gesturing silently to Sonia, and she reaches up to her head, pulls a thin branch from her hair, and quickly tosses it to the side. At the same time, Walker chuckles from the other side of his wife.
“It’s about time you came back,” Beau huffs as he stands and looks in our direction.
“Sorry, buddy,” I offer.
“Daddy thought you guys got lost in the dark and we were going to have to go help you instead of watching Casper!”
My eyes cut to an amused Myer.
“We did get lost for a minute, but I was able to find our way back,” I tell him.
“Whew, thank goodness,” Beau says before he lies back down with Charlotte.
Payne starts movie number two, and I couldn’t tell you what a moment of it is about because all I can focus on is the woman beside me.
By the time our second feature ends, most of the girls and Beau have all fallen asleep.
“Wait, he doesn’t get to stay alive? He just gets to dance once, and bam, he’s a ghost again?” Truett asks as the credits roll.
“Bullshit, right?” Walker agrees.
“Why do people let their kids watch this? It’s sad,” Truett adds.
I look back at my brother, and the expression on his face is comical. He’s pissed on Casper’s behalf.
Sonia stirs beside me. “Is it over?” she asks, lifting her head from my chest.
“Yes.”
She blinks her eyes open and squints as Payne flips the switch to the lampposts, and the area illuminates.
“Ladies and gents, that concludes our show for the evening. Please leave your pool pods and coolers where they are. If you don’t mind, please place your blankets and pillows in the blue bin and your Bluetooth speaker in the basket on the table beside it.”
Everyone begins to get up and does as asked.
“This was a lot of fun, Payne and Charlotte,” Sonia praises as she returns our items while I wrangle the puppies.
Charlotte grins at her. “I bet it was,” she says.
Sonia shakes her head and walks back to us. “Come on, George. Mom’s tired.”
The little one takes off as I release my hold on her and practically leaps up into Sonia’s arms.
“We’ll see you boys tomorrow,” she says.
“Tomorrow,” I agree.
She turns and walks to Elle and Walker. Walker takes George from her, and she and Elle walk arm in arm to the parking area with Walker on their heels.
I feel a hand clasp my shoulder.
“I’d ask how your night was, but the goofy grin on your face says it all,” Truett says as he, too, watches them get into Walker’s truck.
“You need a ride home?” I ask him.
“Sure do.”
“Here.” I hand him two small hunter-green baggies. “Grab your nephew and his girlfriend’s leavings, and I’ll go warm the truck up,” I tell him.
“What are these?”
“Poop bags.”
He wrinkles his nose. “You want me to pick up their poop?”
“Yep.”
“I’ve got to get my own truck,” I hear him mumble as he stomps off.