continues, "You could walk across the grass naked," I blush and feel a fire cross my flesh in a ripple that resembles a shiver, "and I would remain a gentleman." His lips curl into a grin, "Until you gave me permission to be otherwise."
My breath is escaping my lips in puffs of hot air that resemble a laugh. My parted lips tremble, as I look up into his dark eyes and forget what we're talking about.
He bends his face and brushes his lips against mine, "That look will suffice as permission."
Time stands still for us, in fact it might have frozen across the world. His kiss is intense and yet delicate. He doesn’t part my lips further. He ends the kiss with a slight nibble of my lower lip and a very low growl, "I will end his life if he manhandles you that way again. He's lucky I ran into you tonight and not him."
I shake my head, "Please, stop saying that."
He straightens up his back and looks around, "We should be getting back." His words hurt. I want to stay here forever, dancing in the gazebo with his arms around me. I don't want to rejoin the real world. I want to stay with him, locked in the time warp we have created. I want to stay up all night, letting him hold me and kiss me and tell me how pretty I am. Looking back at the house, I scowl. That house has a man I am meant to marry and a way of life I don't want to live. I could live out here in the grass, live off of his kisses. I don’t even know who I am anymore.
"Let's go before I do things I can't take back," he takes my hand and picks my shoes up. My face flushes at the millions of responses floating through my dirty mind. I fan myself a little and try not to think about the possibilities in the words he's spoken.
I grip him as we leave the gazebo and smile at how refreshing the damp grass feels on my tired feet. My momma chose shoes that were too small, as always. She is always trying to make me smaller than I am.
The overhang of the huge willows and black walnut trees makes me feel safe and hidden, like our deeds are hidden from my parents. The world in the window is real. The world out here is what I want. I didn’t know it until this second.
"Do you like it here?" I ask trying to break the silence and delay the inevitable rejoining of the party.
He looks down on me and shakes his head. "I miss home."
"Why don’t you go back?"
His lips curl into a grin, "I will. One day." His voice grows serious, "How do you know Mr. Ryan? He isn’t from here?"
I knew it would come out eventually. I have dreaded telling him since I met him. I sigh and spill it, "My parents and the Ryans are making a marriage deal. It's more like a merger than a marriage. It's just how things are done down here for debs."
His grip on my hand tightens. He turns me to face him. He ain't letting up with the Mr. Ryan annoyance. When he spins me, my shoes hit the grass with a thud. He lifts me to my tiptoes. "You're marrying him?" He's disgusted.
I gulp and nod, "Yeah, but I don’t want to."
"Are you kidding me? You're joking? They'll sell you off to that little shit? What about us? What is this to you?" He looks at where our skin is touching.
I stammer, "I-I'm s-s-sorry. I sh-sh-should have said s-s-something. The deal ain't final. I'm fixing on getting out of the deal."
He grips my arms tighter, "Deal? Deal? This is your future and you call it a deal? Are you insane? Are they? He tried to rape you. I was on my way to beat the living shit out of him when you got away. I saw everything. I was crossing the grass just as it happened. You can't marry that man, that boy."
I shake my head, "I won't-don’t have a choice who they choose. All I can do is tell them I don’t want to."
He lets go of my arms and turns away from me. He's fighting his anger. He covers his face and moans; he is angrier than I expected him to be.
I look up at the house and wonder if anyone has seen me romping about on the grass, getting manhandled the entire party. I smooth my dress and lift the top up to
My breath is escaping my lips in puffs of hot air that resemble a laugh. My parted lips tremble, as I look up into his dark eyes and forget what we're talking about.
He bends his face and brushes his lips against mine, "That look will suffice as permission."
Time stands still for us, in fact it might have frozen across the world. His kiss is intense and yet delicate. He doesn’t part my lips further. He ends the kiss with a slight nibble of my lower lip and a very low growl, "I will end his life if he manhandles you that way again. He's lucky I ran into you tonight and not him."
I shake my head, "Please, stop saying that."
He straightens up his back and looks around, "We should be getting back." His words hurt. I want to stay here forever, dancing in the gazebo with his arms around me. I don't want to rejoin the real world. I want to stay with him, locked in the time warp we have created. I want to stay up all night, letting him hold me and kiss me and tell me how pretty I am. Looking back at the house, I scowl. That house has a man I am meant to marry and a way of life I don't want to live. I could live out here in the grass, live off of his kisses. I don’t even know who I am anymore.
"Let's go before I do things I can't take back," he takes my hand and picks my shoes up. My face flushes at the millions of responses floating through my dirty mind. I fan myself a little and try not to think about the possibilities in the words he's spoken.
I grip him as we leave the gazebo and smile at how refreshing the damp grass feels on my tired feet. My momma chose shoes that were too small, as always. She is always trying to make me smaller than I am.
The overhang of the huge willows and black walnut trees makes me feel safe and hidden, like our deeds are hidden from my parents. The world in the window is real. The world out here is what I want. I didn’t know it until this second.
"Do you like it here?" I ask trying to break the silence and delay the inevitable rejoining of the party.
He looks down on me and shakes his head. "I miss home."
"Why don’t you go back?"
His lips curl into a grin, "I will. One day." His voice grows serious, "How do you know Mr. Ryan? He isn’t from here?"
I knew it would come out eventually. I have dreaded telling him since I met him. I sigh and spill it, "My parents and the Ryans are making a marriage deal. It's more like a merger than a marriage. It's just how things are done down here for debs."
His grip on my hand tightens. He turns me to face him. He ain't letting up with the Mr. Ryan annoyance. When he spins me, my shoes hit the grass with a thud. He lifts me to my tiptoes. "You're marrying him?" He's disgusted.
I gulp and nod, "Yeah, but I don’t want to."
"Are you kidding me? You're joking? They'll sell you off to that little shit? What about us? What is this to you?" He looks at where our skin is touching.
I stammer, "I-I'm s-s-sorry. I sh-sh-should have said s-s-something. The deal ain't final. I'm fixing on getting out of the deal."
He grips my arms tighter, "Deal? Deal? This is your future and you call it a deal? Are you insane? Are they? He tried to rape you. I was on my way to beat the living shit out of him when you got away. I saw everything. I was crossing the grass just as it happened. You can't marry that man, that boy."
I shake my head, "I won't-don’t have a choice who they choose. All I can do is tell them I don’t want to."
He lets go of my arms and turns away from me. He's fighting his anger. He covers his face and moans; he is angrier than I expected him to be.
I look up at the house and wonder if anyone has seen me romping about on the grass, getting manhandled the entire party. I smooth my dress and lift the top up to
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