his arms. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable with me.”
“I’m not.” She rested her head against his chest and let him cuddle her and bring her back to her feeling of rightness about what they were going to do.
“Let’s lie down for a while.” He led her to his bed. It was for only one person but was almost as wide as her and Mattie’s bed. The sheets smelled like him. She inhaled deeply as she pressed her cheek against the pillow.
In the already stifling room, his body was a furnace. But she clung to him anyway, and he rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“Do you remember when we were young, you, Daniel and me catching pollywogs at the edge of the creek?” Joe asked. “We had our Mason jars and scooped up water and tadpoles.”
She nodded. “I don’t know what we thought we were going to do with them.”
“Daniel wanted to start a frog farm. He said we could sell the frogs for their legs.” Joe laughed. “I came home so muddy my mom tanned my hide for ruining my clothes.”
“I wasn’t supposed to be off with Daniel. Mamm wanted me to bake with her that day but I snuck away.” Rachael smiled against his beating heart. “And I remember you pulled my braid so I threw mud at you.”
Joe chuckled. “That was the last time I saw you, other than from a distance, up to the day we talked in town. Even during haying seasons, we didn’t exchange a word. How is that possible? You were living right next door to me and we wasted all that time?”
She had no answer for that. They lived two completely different lives. The astonishing thing was that they’d ever had a reason to talk at all.
Her head was nestled under his chin. She turned to kiss his throat and the top of his collarbone, then his lips. The increasingly familiar sliding of mouth over mouth, tongue over tongue was as thrilling as it had been that first night at the drive-in.
Joe pulled back and brushed her hair away from her face as he looked into her eyes. “You know I’m in love with you, right?”
Rachael swallowed. Should she say, “I love you, too”? She felt as if she did, but didn’t know what it meant for them. Even if they were in love, how could they ever have a future together? It was too big a thing to consider, so she didn’t answer at all, simply smiled and kissed him again.
She grew bold and moved her mouth down his throat to his chest, kissing across the broad expanse. She plucked his nipples the way he had hers, boys apparently liked it too because Joe gave a quiet grunt of approval.
Rachael slid her other hand under the waistband of his underwear and wrapped it around his erection. She moved her hand slowly at first, then more vigorously as he’d shown her, and she continued to kiss his chest and lick his hard, pointed nipples.
He groaned and thrust into her hand, then abruptly grabbed her wrist to stop her. “I’m too close. I’ve been worked up for so long. Just thinking about you every day is enough to make me come. Lie down and let me take care of you first.”
She wasn’t sure what that meant, but if he was going to touch her down there like he did before, she was all for it.
Joe tugged on her slip. “I’m going to take this off now, all right?”
She sat up so he could pull it over her head then lay down and lifted her hips so he could remove her underwear too. Lying back completely naked to his view, Rachael fought the impulse to cover herself. But his gaze feasting on her was astonished and grateful and told her more clearly than words how beautiful he thought she was.
He kissed her once mouth once, then her jaw and down her throat to her breasts, sucking one nipple then the other. She gasped at the rough scrape of his teeth when he nibbled lightly and thrust her chest toward his mouth for more of it. But he moved farther down her body, kissing her ribs, her stomach, swirling his tongue in her navel then moving between her legs.
Rachael stiffened and her thigh muscles quivered as he
“I’m not.” She rested her head against his chest and let him cuddle her and bring her back to her feeling of rightness about what they were going to do.
“Let’s lie down for a while.” He led her to his bed. It was for only one person but was almost as wide as her and Mattie’s bed. The sheets smelled like him. She inhaled deeply as she pressed her cheek against the pillow.
In the already stifling room, his body was a furnace. But she clung to him anyway, and he rubbed his hand up and down her back.
“Do you remember when we were young, you, Daniel and me catching pollywogs at the edge of the creek?” Joe asked. “We had our Mason jars and scooped up water and tadpoles.”
She nodded. “I don’t know what we thought we were going to do with them.”
“Daniel wanted to start a frog farm. He said we could sell the frogs for their legs.” Joe laughed. “I came home so muddy my mom tanned my hide for ruining my clothes.”
“I wasn’t supposed to be off with Daniel. Mamm wanted me to bake with her that day but I snuck away.” Rachael smiled against his beating heart. “And I remember you pulled my braid so I threw mud at you.”
Joe chuckled. “That was the last time I saw you, other than from a distance, up to the day we talked in town. Even during haying seasons, we didn’t exchange a word. How is that possible? You were living right next door to me and we wasted all that time?”
She had no answer for that. They lived two completely different lives. The astonishing thing was that they’d ever had a reason to talk at all.
Her head was nestled under his chin. She turned to kiss his throat and the top of his collarbone, then his lips. The increasingly familiar sliding of mouth over mouth, tongue over tongue was as thrilling as it had been that first night at the drive-in.
Joe pulled back and brushed her hair away from her face as he looked into her eyes. “You know I’m in love with you, right?”
Rachael swallowed. Should she say, “I love you, too”? She felt as if she did, but didn’t know what it meant for them. Even if they were in love, how could they ever have a future together? It was too big a thing to consider, so she didn’t answer at all, simply smiled and kissed him again.
She grew bold and moved her mouth down his throat to his chest, kissing across the broad expanse. She plucked his nipples the way he had hers, boys apparently liked it too because Joe gave a quiet grunt of approval.
Rachael slid her other hand under the waistband of his underwear and wrapped it around his erection. She moved her hand slowly at first, then more vigorously as he’d shown her, and she continued to kiss his chest and lick his hard, pointed nipples.
He groaned and thrust into her hand, then abruptly grabbed her wrist to stop her. “I’m too close. I’ve been worked up for so long. Just thinking about you every day is enough to make me come. Lie down and let me take care of you first.”
She wasn’t sure what that meant, but if he was going to touch her down there like he did before, she was all for it.
Joe tugged on her slip. “I’m going to take this off now, all right?”
She sat up so he could pull it over her head then lay down and lifted her hips so he could remove her underwear too. Lying back completely naked to his view, Rachael fought the impulse to cover herself. But his gaze feasting on her was astonished and grateful and told her more clearly than words how beautiful he thought she was.
He kissed her once mouth once, then her jaw and down her throat to her breasts, sucking one nipple then the other. She gasped at the rough scrape of his teeth when he nibbled lightly and thrust her chest toward his mouth for more of it. But he moved farther down her body, kissing her ribs, her stomach, swirling his tongue in her navel then moving between her legs.
Rachael stiffened and her thigh muscles quivered as he
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