Just A Taste
Just A Taste
Lou leaned as far forward as she dared without falling off the bench, trying to get a better view of the sight at the corral. One object in particular had caught her attention and now she was a captive audience.
Buck watched the young woman in front of him and couldn't help but shake his head and smile at the way she was acting. He leaned back against the post on the bunkhouse porch as Lou inched herself forward even more than she was.
"You wanna switch seats with me, Lou? You might have a better view from here," Buck said teasingly.
Lou's cheeks turned red as she made herself lean back against the wall of the bunkhouse. "I'm fine where I am," she told him, as she gave him an annoyed look. It was bad enough she and Buck had been recruited by Rachel to peel potatoes and prepare green beans for that evening's dinner but to be teased like she was - it was just too unbearable.
Sure she'd seen all the boys in their long johns more times than she could count but what was it about a man working up a sweat as he flexed every muscle in his body, that made her breath come in short, shallow gasps? Ignoring Buck, she turned to the right once more to see what was going on now.
Teaspoon was inside the corral barking orders to Jimmy, Cody and the Kid, who were on the other side of the fence. A fiesty new horse had busted the gate and it needed all new boards. Lou found she couldn't peel her eyes off a certain rider who just happened to sleep in the bunk under hers.
Absentmindedly, she broke off the ends of the green beans in her lap as she watched every move Kid made. What he did next caused her to sit up straight and take notice, a bean slipping out of her hand in anticipation. He was taking his shirt off! Sure she'd seen him without one dozens of times but each time was as wonderful as the first in her mind. She caught her breath as she watched him in action. Slowly he opened the buttons and peeled the sweaty material away from his deeply tanned broad chest. Then he worked the sleeves down, revealing toned muscles. God, he had a great body!
Lou had been imagining the muscles through the cloth, but this was so much better. She gripped the bean in her hand with all her might, wishing she was holding onto a part of him. Any part really, she wasn't picky. Although, she could think of one spot in particular that was still a mystery to her. Her breathing picked up as her eyes widened at the image being presented in her mind.
SNAP! Lou jumped. She glanced around quickly then noticed the broken bean in her hand. She was just grateful she hadn't called his name out loud.
Lou was suddenly sweating herself and she wasn't even doing physical labor in the hot sun. Her arm wiped across her forehead as she tried to calm down.
Buck just sat, peeling his potatoes, watching the show in front of him. She looked ready to pounce, he thought as he tried to hold back a laugh.
"Gettin' hot there, Lou?" he asked casually. "I was actually feeling a bit chilled sitting here in the shade. I think I'll pull my sleeves down." He acted very serious as he started to unroll then fasten the cuffs of his shirt.
"Very funny," Lou said sarcastically, but she made sure not to wipe her forhead again. Her interest was pulled from Buck back to the corral as she saw activity headed her way.
Kid was walking away from the corral, his shirt flung casually over his shoulder, and he was headed her way. It was then she recalled he had a run soon but he'd be back by tomorrow afternoon.
She sat up straighter and pushed her hair behind her ears. She flashed a smile his way as he climbed the steps to the porch and gave her a grin as a greeting. Those blue eyes twinkled at her - she wanted to melt in the pools of their blueness, she thought, sighing.
Lou now leaned forward looking to the left, watching his back, or rather his backside, as Kid walked through the door of the bunkhouse. She had to admit those pants fit him perfectly. Feeling eyes on her, she turned around.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"You couldn't be more obvious if you tried, Lou," Buck told her.
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"And unfortunately for you, neither does he."
Her head whipped around to stare at him, her mouth wide open in shock.
Buck response was to take the bowl from her lap and with his pot in hand, he headed into the bunkhouse with them.
Lou watched as Buck joined Kid, wishing it was her instead. "That does it," she said out loud, slapping her hands down on her thighs for emphasis. "I want results and I want them now, even if I have to spell it out for him. What is he waiting for anyway? Like Buck said, I couldn't be more obvious that I want more," she said to herself.
She had to admit that even though his slow progress in them developing a relationship usually drove her crazy, she was grateful for it too. Her past experience with men had been nothing but hurtful so it was natural she would have wanted to take things extra slow with Kid. But as soon as she realized he cared about her feelings and wasn't going to force her into anything she wasn't ready for, she had calmed down and found herself wanting more. Yeah, the time they'd danced had been nice and the couple times they kissed had felt magical but Lou was ready to stop backing off and take the next step.
"Maybe what he needs is a little sampling of what could be in store for him," she told herself. "Yeah, that might be just what he needs." She smiled slyly as she came up with a plan. It was perfect and if all went right, it was sure to work.
"Rider comin'," Lou called from the bunkhouse porch. "Ride safe, Buck!" she yelled as she watched Kid hand the mochilla over to their friend. She went down the steps to follow Kid as he led Katy into the barn.
She walked into the building, pulling the door closed behind her.
Kid looked up from Katy's stall as he started to take her saddle off. "Hey, Lou."
"Hey," she said, smiling shyly at him.
"I thought I saw you when I rode up. Where is everyone else?"
"Well, Jimmy's helping Teaspoon with something up to the jail and the rest of the boys are with Rachel on a supply run. Won't be back for a couple hours at least," she told him casually as she moved to lean on the stall wall across from where he was working. "How was your ride?" She brought her arms back to lean on the top rail of the stall, thrusting her chest out as far as it would go, which wasn't very far, but hopefully he had a good imagination. She bit her lips to hid the grin surfacing as she saw with pleasure where Kid's eyes had fallen and remained.
She waited a couple seconds and when he didn't answer, she asked again, "Kid, your ride?"
"Huh?" he said in confusion, shaking his head. "Oh, my ride." He paused, trying to get his thoughts back to a more decent place. "Hot, dusty," Kid laughed as he tried to brush himself off.
"That shirt sure is dirty, Kid. Maybe you should take it off."
Kid stared at her as he caught something different sounding in her voice. She was saying each word slow and deliberately and even dragged out the word 'off'. "I'll take mine off if you take yours off," he told himself then looked away as he chided himself for letting his mind go there. But out loud he found himself saying, "Maybe I should." His eyes locked onto hers. But how could he help thinking that way, what with how she was standing there, and then there were those big brown eyes of hers watching his every move.
"You, uh, you said we were all alone?" Kid asked confused, trying to decide if he'd heard right.
"All alone," she told him. "Though I'm sure we can find somethin' to amuse ourselves doin' til they get back."
Kid felt like he was in a trance. He walked out of the stall and headed toward Lou. He didn't stop until he was a foot in front of her, his arms boxing her in as he held onto the stall edge on both sides of her. He stared deeply into her eyes, trying to read where she was going with this.
"So we're all alone?" he asked once again.
"All alone," she repeated, looking up at him through long lashes.
"We could do whatever we wanted, with no interruptions?"
"None at all," she told him, licking her lips slowly. "We could do anything."
Kid opened his mouth in anticipation. "What did you have in mind?" he asked, his eyes not leaving her lips.
Lou took a step toward him her chest almost touching his. She looked up at him then leaned forward and whispered, "Kiss me, you fool."
"Whatever you say," Kid replied obediently. As he bent his head toward hers, Lou closed her eyes in anticipation. He kissed her gently, caressing her lips with his own. When she responded, he deepened his action.
Lou's hands found his chest to rest upon and Kid wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. Her fingers entwined themselves in his wavy hair as the kiss intensified. Once Kid started moving down her neck, Lou forced herself to pull away. It was for his own good, she told herself breathlessly.
She reached up and gave him one more passionate kiss then caressed his cheek. "Just remember, Kid, there's always more where that came from." She started backing away toward the doorway, her finger tracing her lips, savoring each kiss he put there.
Kid leaned heavily on the stall as she let herself out then closed him in. His wobbly legs gave out and he slipped down the expanse of the stall wall, landing on his bottom on the dusty floor. He dragged his hands slowly down the surface of his face.
"What just happened here?" he asked himself. She sure didn't back away from him this time, in fact, she was the initiator. He gasped as he realized what she'd done.
Lou had given him just a taste of what she had to offer - enough to wet his appetite. And all that Kid knew was that now that he'd had a nibble, it wasn't enough - he wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth in! Had he misread her all along? No, she was scared of the intimacy before but now, this wasn't the Lou he knew, this was a whole other person and that scared the crap out of him. Now what was he going to do?
He leaned his arms on his raised knees and grabbed his head, sighing heavily. He needed help and he needed it bad. Maybe he could talk to someone, maybe ... or maybe he just needed a cold shower. He would be safe in the shower, be able to think things through with no interruptions ...
The
End