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I took the road that Lincoln had me turn on from the highway until I made the right turn onto his Uncle’s farm road. The house on the hill was lit with a welcoming glow, and Lincoln directed me toward it. I briefly glanced toward the lake which was glowing with the Tiki torches like the last time we were here. There seemed to be something else down there as well, but I couldn’t make it out.
When I parked in front of the two-story farmhouse, Linc asked me to wait because he just needed to grab something. While he was inside, his aunt came out, and I rolled my window down for her.
“Well hello, missy,” she greeted fondly as she rested her arms on the ledge of my window. “The last time you were here was with Kayden and pretty beat up. I’m glad you came back, this time, unharmed.”
“It wasn’t Kayden’s fault,” I defended, unsure where this conversation was going.
She chuckled. “Honey, you don’t have to defend Kayden. I know that boy well enough. He might be reckless and a little cocky, but putting you in danger would be the last thing on his mind. He probably didn’t expect you to be so much like him. You’re a fighter. And because of that, you’re going to drive Lincoln crazy.”
My brows pressed downwards, confused. “What? Why?”
“Because that boy is all about control.”
“Ahhh...” I didn’t know what to say to that. Sure Lincoln was a little overprotective, and when we made out, he did hold down my hands—oh. My eyes went wide. Oh. Shit.
I swallowed. “He’s Dominant.”
“Yes, he is. Just like his—”
“Birth control,” I popped out, not wanting to hear the rest of what she had to say. Hell, woman. Let's not and say we didn’t! I could certainly go without knowing her husband's preferences in the bedroom. I think my ears were bleeding.
Lincoln’s aunt paused, then she snorted as laughter erupted. “Oh, honey, you should have thought of that beforehand.”
I tensed then reassured her. “No. I’m covered.” I cleared my throat. “Just thought... um... yeah, never mind.”
“So...my nephews treating you right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She picked up her hand, waving it dismissively. “Honey, I don’t do well with all that ‘ma’am’ stuff. You call me Aunt Marlene.”
“Ok, thank you.”
The two of us briefly shared an awkward pause before the front door opened once again and Lincoln came out with one of his uncles holding onto a cooler.
“What are they doing?” I asked Aunt Marlene.
She shook her head and patted my hand. “You’ll have to see,” she said secretively. “It’s no fun knowing. Have a good time but not too much,” she said, pulling away from the truck as Lincoln climbed inside.
“Thanks, Aunt Marlene. We’ll be inside before midnight,” Lincoln stated as the uncle who had helped him went to her side.
“Keep your shoes on, darlin’," his uncle suggested with amusement.
I now knew who it was. “I’ll try, Denny.”
“A-A-Ah," he said teasingly. “It’s Uncle Denny to you.”
“Bye, Uncle,” Lincoln growled as I chuckled.
“See ya later, son.”
“We’ll have crepes in the morning,” Aunt Marlene hinted.
Were we staying the night?
I turned to Linc and noticed he looked happy. “You ready?”
I was curious as to what for. “I guess. What about Brady?”
“Don’t worry about him.” Lincoln said, taking my hand. “I talked to him already. You’re mine until tomorrow afternoon.”
“Really? Brady agreed to let me spend the night with you?” I asked carefully, putting the truck into reverse.
“Yeah. My Aunt and Uncle are here, and Brady thought it would be a good idea.”
“Huh?”
Lincoln let go of my hand and encouraged me to keep backing out of the driveway then put his hand on my thigh, warming it once again.
Despite the past few weeks being a little bit cooler, tonight seemed to be on the warmer side.
“So what are we doing?” I asked as he pointed me to where he wanted me to go.
“You’ll just have to find out.”
I parked close to the fire pit and felt proud of myself for my driving skills, until Lincoln asked me to turn it around and back it up.
“I don’t feel comfortable doing that,” I told him nervously.
“You'll be fine,” he encouraged. “There's really nothing you could hurt here anyways.”
Yeah right, I thought, eyeing the pond, dock, and fire pit.
“What if I back up into the fire pit?”
“We’ll build a new one.”
“Lincoln!” I said, exasperated, twisting in my seat to face him fully. “What about Kayden’s truck? I don't want to have to explain that I wrecked it!” I put the truck in park and pulled the keys out, dangling them in front of him. “This is my second lesson. You do it.”
He pursed his lips and then sighed, giving in. “Alright then, hop on out and stand by the fire pit. I’ll do it.”
I smiled and leaned in, giving him a sweet kiss, then I pulled back, whispering, “Thank you.”
Linc's hand curled around my neck, dragging me back to him and his mouth as they continued their exploration, branding his name on my lips. He tugged me into his lap so that I was straddling him, my knees on either side of the bench seat. I held onto his shoulders. His hand stayed on my neck while the other one curved around my back, slipping beneath my shirt to rest at the dip in my spine. I moaned, curling my fingers through his hair, pressing my core into him.
Both hands tightened as his mouth slipped from mine, nipping my chin then dropping down to the hollow of my neck. “Faith.”
I was strung as tight as a wire and didn’t want it to stop. I moved my hips once again. “You’re addictive, Faith," he groaned with a desperate tone to his voice. His tilted back up to meet the sensitive tip of my ear. “I had a plan”—his hand at my back rubbed soothingly—“but I’ll give you a choice,” he whispered. “I can either make come quickly with just my fingers right now”—my breath hitched as my fingers tightened in his hair—“or we can go as planned." His hand slid out from my shirt to smooth it down before wrapping his arms around my waist to grip my hip. “And when the time is right, we’ll do more than just a quick fix fuck. We’ll take our time, explore each other and build up this ache before we let it free. No penetration, but lovemaking just the same.”
My heart hammered with indecision. I really wanted to come now, but what he was promising, I wanted that too. I couldn't help but feel that both of us were playing a dangerous game. Lust, love, infatuation. How long before each one of them held my heart? Tyler already did. Kayden and Linc... I was close to being already gone.
I let myself relax, dropping my head to his shoulder. There was nothing that I could do. My once hardened heart was cracking even more. I wanted him. I wanted them all. Now. Here. But I was also grateful that it was just Lincoln and me. This was our time. Did I want to taint this moment with a quickie? No. I wanted a chance to take it slow. To show him without words that he meant something to me. To explore him, through touches, kisses, and moans.
I swallowed, calming down but still aroused by the way we were sitting, along with my thoughts and his touches. “I can wait. I want that with you.”
Hands gently curved around the side of my head, lifting it so my eyes met his. A small smile played on his lips as I blushed and shoved his shoulder.
“Good,” he said with a kiss. “I wanted to take my time and taste you anyways.” That shocked me as he gave me a pat on my butt. “Jump out and wait by the fire pit. I’ll turn the truck around.”
I did as I was told and watched him back up the truck. When he parked relatively close to the fire pit, enough not to burn anything but sufficiently to enjoy it, Lincoln immediately rounded to the back of the truck and let the tailgate down, taking out a cooler.
I walked over to the tailgate, peeking in the bed and noticed there were large plastic totes toward the back and the back of the truck bed looked like it had been cleaned.
I helped Lincoln with a large gray tote, sliding it toward him. Then he put it on the ground followed by a black one and a few others. Were we camping again?
The night glowed as the Tiki torches reflected off the pond. I stood, taking Lincoln's offered hand, and then jumped off the tailgate. I helped him open up the black box which I realized was an air mattress. I couldn’t contain the grin that escaped. I think I knew exactly what was going on here. I glanced up to Lincoln, smirking. “Are we sleeping outside?”
Lincoln lifted his eyes, meeting mine, twinkling. “If you want to. But right now let’s work on the air mattress and get everything ready. Then we’ll see.”
I agreed, “Okay, let's do this.”
The two of us together were able to pump up the air mattress, and I quickly found out it was specifically designed for a truck bed. Whereas a typical air mattress was square, this one had cutouts on either side of it to fit between the wheel wells in the truck bed.
Lincoln then opened another tote that held an off-white bed topper and some blankets.
He had me spread the topper out, which gave the air mattress more of an 'at home mattress’ feel with the blankets I spread out. Linc then directed me to the back of the truck cab where some pillows were, and I was surprised I hadn't noticed them before. I guessed I was too worried about driving to see anything in the back. Taking them out, I couldn't help but notice that there were five of them. Three of them were the boys, and the other two seemed to be new, each with a purple pillow case; one dark one light.
I couldn't help but wonder if they had bought one of the purple ones for me since it was my favorite color.
I brought them out and threw them into the back before noticing that soft music was playing. I turned and found Lincoln had gone over to the fire pit and was trying to light it. Off to the side on a log, his phone was hooked up to one of those portable speakers.
I breathed in the scent of the pond and forest before shoving my hands into my pockets and heading over to him.
I paused, off to the side just behind him, watching as the fire started to smolder and settle into a small flame. Linc added kindling to it to make it grow before he slid the first log into the flames, and the two of us watched it grow.
“Are you hungry?”
I shook my head. “Not right now.”
Lincoln nodded, pulling away from the fire before tugging off his shirt. My eyes went wide at his impressive build. What was he doing? “Uh, Lincoln?”
He turned giving me a sexy smirk. “Strip, Sweetheart.” He nodded toward the pond. “The weather is warm for once, and the water will be cooler than before.”
Lincoln continued to tug off his shorts, making my heart thump my chest. I quickly followed his example, pulling off my own shirt and shorts in a hurry so I could join him. My insides were all jumbled up with excitement and the thrill of possibly getting caught.
“Lincoln, are you sure we should be doing this?” I asked as my shorts dropped to my ankles. Kicking them away, I shivered, standing in just my underwear. I realized I was probably giving him quite a view. I had decided to wear a thong today. He was about to get an eyeful.
“We’re good,” he said as his eyes roamed my body. I couldn’t help do the same thing with him. Muscles gleamed by firelight as he stood there in a pair of boxers that had a tent growing in the nether regions. I snorted at my thoughts. Nether regions? Get it together, Daniels. It’s an erection. A freaking big one by the looks of it. I bit my lip, folding my arms across my chest as I drew my gaze back to Linc’s.
He looked like he wanted to eat me up. I gulped, angling my head toward the pond with an expectant look.
“Yeah, yeah we’re going.” He chuckled, taking ahold of my hand. We both sprinted toward the dock as I let out a soft squeal before the two of us hit the water.
As cool water enclosed around me, I grinned, knowing Lincoln was right. The water was perfect. Sinking lower, I held my breath until I couldn’t any longer then kicked to the surface, taking a deep breath of air.
“Took you long enough,” Lincoln worried. “I was debating if I had to pull you up.” I rolled my eyes, splashing water his way. “Hey!”
The water wasn’t clear so I couldn’t see what was beneath me but I couldn’t feel anything either. It was just water all around.
Lincoln disappeared beneath the surface, and I felt hands on my thighs making me squeal. I kicked away from him as he rose to the surface.
“Keep your hands to yourself!” I laughed, swimming away.
“That wasn’t what you were saying earlier, Sweetheart," he responded, wiggling his fingers at me. I giggled again, pushing my way toward the center of the pond and away from him.
The water's surface was black, but where the Tiki torches were lit it was almost golden. I relaxed, hearing a few frogs and the quiet sound of the music coming from Linc’s phone. While I was distracted for that little bit, Lincoln closed some of the space between us, growling playfully, making me back up once again, laughing. Turning around, I propelled myself forward in an attempt to get away. He caught my ankle, pulling me back toward him and dunked me before jetting off.
I rose, wiping the water from my eyes. I tread water to keep myself above the surface before I found Linc and stealthily inched my way toward him. I knew he knew that I was coming, but I didn’t expect him to dunk himself just before I could, pulling me down with him.
The two of us teased and played, hands definitely wandering, until we both found ourselves floating on our backs to catch our breaths.
“I love to come out here,” Lincoln spoke from beside me. “This is where I can think and relax, but you have to be here at night. That when it’s the best time to come. It’s my favorite place to be.”
“I like it,” I whispered. “In fact, it’s mine too.”
Linc chuckled. “Really? Well, I guess it’s a good thing I share.”
Even in the dark where no one was looking at me, my cheeks heated at his comment. I felt his hand curl around mine as we floated on the water. “Look at the sky, Daniels. See the stars? How clear and bright it is? You can’t get anything like this in the city. It’s a million-dollar view right here in the country.”
I breathed in agreement as I took in the diamonds in the sky. I thought about that night Tyler and I had sat outside.
They were the same stars, and it had been cooler that evening, but this view was way better.
I played with the water in my other hand, thinking about what all had gone on since that night with Tyler. “Do you have any idea, Lincoln, who might be sending these texts? I mean, I’m sure if you did know you would’ve—”
“No,” he broke in, his hand tightening on mine, “but I promise you we’re going to find out.”
His voice was rough with anger, but not toward me, as his thumb stroked my wrist that was still underwater. “I feel like we’re so close,” he continued. “Like whoever it is, is right there in front of us. I know it’s not anyone in our group, but it’s someone close enough to know things. Do you have an idea?”
“Um no. I don’t know anybody except possibly Tucker but even then...” I let my voice fall.
“Yeah, I understand.” He squeezed my hand. “I don’t think it’s him, for what it’s worth.”
“But... what if?” I questioned as I kicked a little bit, loving the way the water lapped at my skin.
“I agree, what if,” he answered.
“I think tomorrow I want to head over to the library and search their archives about that night. See if maybe I can get some insight or possibly a flashback again.”
Linc moved from floating on his back to being upright. I followed suit. “You had a flashback?”
“Yeah, a small one.”
“Well, what was it?”
“A glove,” I whispered looking down at the water. “A gloved hand reaching for me. That’s why I want to search the archives, to see if it triggers anything. Something is just not right. It’s time to find out who did this to my family, to us, who killed my father, whoever it was. I think there’s something I’m missing.”
Linc reached for me once again, bringing my now chilled body to his. “Let's set this on the back burner for tonight. We can focus on that tomorrow. Come on.” He tugged me. “Let get out, get a drink and warm up. The fire could probably use a few more logs.”
We both swam to the dock, jumping out wet. It was colder now that I was out, and the breeze seemed to have picked up.
We both were by the fire; Linc dipped into another gray box pulling out two towels.
“Take off the everything, and I’ll give you my shirt,” he said roughly, turning away before stripping out of his boxers. My mouth went dry as he shoved his legs back into his jeans before tossing me his shirt and heading back over to the fire. “Hurry it up, Sweetheart, or you might find yourself in that truck bed sooner.”
I tore off my bra, my nipples tightening as they became exposed to the cool air, then threw Linc’s shirt on before pulling off the little bit of scrap that kept me from being bare. I towel dried my hair, then made my way over to Linc by the fire.
He waited patiently then reached back to take ahold of my hand, lacing our fingers together as we both watched flickering flames while music floated around us. Lincoln tugged me closer, wrapping an arm around my waist, encouraging me to move with him and the melody. He was being sweet, but this wasn’t me. I wasn’t into the love-ish dating stuff, but I also didn’t have the heart to tell him.
“You’re stiff,” he murmured. “Relax. Move with me. You need this more than you think.”
I sighed as he navigated both of my arms around his neck, my elbows resting on his shoulders and raising his t-shirt so that my butt was almost showing. Our bodies were now touching with no gap in between. This is more than just dancing, I thought as Linc’s hands soothed down either side of me, brushing slightly against the swells of my breast until they rested along my hips but still on top of my borrowed shirt.
Lincoln didn’t play fair. I sighed once again as I willed my body to relax like he’d commanded and tried to push past my discomfort.
After a while of slow rocking to the tune, with Linc’s hands caressing my backside and his hips pressed into mine, I could see why people took dancing seriously.
Dancing was the art of lovemaking, fully clothed. Well, except for the clothes and the release, but it was pretty darn close.
When the music stopped, so did we, and I found myself reaching up to give him a slow and sweet kiss. My body came alive as I remembered what Lincoln had said earlier. That he wanted to go slow. A shudder ran through me as his deep voice resonated in my mind, full of promise.
I let Lincoln maneuver the two of us backwards until we met the tailgate. I sucked in a quick breath as his hands curled around my thighs, encouraging me to wrap them around his waist, bringing my center against the front of his jeans.
With me hanging onto him like a monkey, he climbed into the truck, depositing me in the middle of the airbed before his hips pressed more fully into mine, pushing my legs further apart as his lips found mine once again.
He rocked his hips slowly, and the metal button on his jeans slipped between the folds of my core, eliciting a gasp from my lips as cool metal touched my clit, gaining friction. Lincoln took advantage of my gasp, ravaging my mouth, sucking on my tongue.
My fingers grasped his hair as I gave as much as he took until his hands left my hips, capturing my own, only to bring them above my head, holding them there.
I felt something smooth glide across my wrists, binding them loosely, and I remembered what Aunt Marlene has said. What she had meant.
Lincoln like to be in control. Was a dominant. Even though I knew this wasn’t entirely normal, I couldn’t help a small thrill that went through me having to be at his mercy.
“Lincoln?” I whispered, trusting him completely but worried just the same.
“Comfortable, Sweetheart?” he breathed in my ear as his hands descended from my wrists, down my arms until they were on either side of my face. His eyes bore into mine, filled with an emotion that I could only place as worry. “You trust me with your fears, your wants and your tears, Faith. Trust me with your body and heart.” He leaned in and whispered against my lips, “Let me in. Let me love you like you deserve.”
He pulled back, and I did the only thing I could do to keep him with me. I lifted my head taking hold of his lips. After a second he groaned, pushing my head back down to the soft pillow beneath me. His lips brushed mine as his hands drifted before they rested on the sides of my breasts.
I whimpered when his thumbs brushed against my beaded peaks, causing lightning pleasure to race downwards as the rough cotton texture of Lincoln's shirt scraped against them.
His mouth trailed down my neck as he made a quick work of pulling his shirt off of me and over my head toward my tied hands. I was completely naked and vulnerable, lying beneath him as he kissed my forehead, my cheek, my lips and trailed down my neck until his lips rested just above my right aching breast.
“Lincoln...,” I groaned when he seemed to stop. “Please.”
My skin was extra sensitive to his touch as my core throbbed. My nipples were hard and aching. I wanted him to soothe the ache away. His mouth opened against my flesh, and heat pierced me. My hips lifted as teeth raked against my tender skin, and a whimper escaped my lips.
A husky chuckle sounded as hips press downward. I open my legs to accommodate him, looking for some kind of release.
Lips trailed down to the straining peak and more heat erupted as they closed around it. Sucking, biting, soothing. Molten heat danced within me as Lincoln paid as much attention to the right peak as he did to the left.
I felt moisture pooling as his head trailed on down, leaving reverent kisses in his wake.
His hands brushed the outside of my thighs, then my calves as his mouth was now on the lower part of my hip, just above where I wanted him.
I held my breath when I felt the first swipe of his tongue. The air rushed out of me as warm velvet touched my most intimate area. I hissed as lips closed around my clit and sucked. Pounding heat rushed to fill it, making it more sensitive to his attentions. He kissed, sucked and licked until I was more than ready to come. Even then he showed me who was in control, stopping just enough that I couldn’t go off that edge, but keeping me hot enough that it could happen any moment. It felt like he knew my body as if it was his own. Fingers prodded me, one sliding in just far enough to trigger the spot, and I felt my clit swell as pressure pounded throughout my body.
Lincoln swept his jeans off and crawled up my body, and then I felt him at my entrance. Was he...?
“Linc—” I gasped as I felt the prodding of something big. My heart raced. I thought...
“Shh-sh. Sweetheart.” He held my head as he looked into my eyes. “Do you trust me, Faith?”
My eyes widened. He ignited a fire in me at every point of my body that he was in contact with. I whispered, “With everything I have.”
The intensity in his eyes grew as he swooped down and kissed me. “Then don’t move your hips. Keep still, Faith,” he instructed as his lips left mine. “And I promise you, you will still be as you were and very satisfied.”
His kissed me some more as he slid his penis along my slit. I kept very still, even though I was burning like a thousand embers with each pass he took. His mouth made love to mine as he kissed me from breast to hip. He rubbed slowly, building sweet friction between the two of us. That same edge was coming, and I realized the two of us were playing a dangerous game as my release tore out of me. I couldn’t help but buck.
“Shit,” Linc cursed. I felt my release between my thighs as my hips settle back down, and my racing heart slowed.
Lincoln's rested his head on my breast as I struggled to come down from the high.
But not for long, I finished silently.
I opened my eyes to the sky and decided right then that I was going to get those three alone and have my way with them. This “no penetration” thing was going to be shot down.
After cooling off, Lincoln pulled his shirt back down over my body and let my hands and arms free, massaging them, making sure they weren’t sore. He got up and kissed me before jumping off the truck, finding his pants, and drawing them back up around his hips. The fire crackled as it casted a glow along his ripped body. The sight made me hot all over again. I watched him head over toward the fire and pick something up before searching through one of the buckets by the truck. He came back to me with his boxers and a small towel. I realized as his hand touched my thighs that he was going to clean me up. “I can do that.”
His head shot up, eyes meeting mine. “I know that, but I want to do it,” he said in a rough voice, sending all sorts of tingles down my body. I relented, opening my legs again to let him do it, and it became a whole other experience.
Who taught these teenage boys to be so sweet and considerate? No teen I knew would be like that, at least not from the stories I heard.
“What happened my first time happening with all three of you?”
He didn’t miss a beat when he casually stated, “You’re still a virgin, Sweetheart.”
My breath caught. He was right, but for how long?
Lincoln slid his boxer shorts up my thighs as I lifted my hips for him. He then threw the towel down over the side of the truck and crawled up beside me, I curled my body into his, and he kissed my forehead. “I love you, Faith,” he whispered.
My breath caught as he continued, “It was when you cried on my shoulder the last time we were here. You broke my heart and took it with you.”
My heart stopped, then raced as tears spilled on my cheeks. “I love you, Lincoln. You gave me a million reasons, but it was the first time you kissed me that I realized deep inside that I was a goner.”
The arm that was around me tightened as he linked his fingers through mine. “Where do we go from here?” I asked him, worried about that.
With his other hand, Lincoln swept wisps of hair back away from my face and said, “I guess it depends on you.”
I twisted my body around so I could study him while we talked. He leaned over, grabbing a blanket to cover us. We put our arms around each other’s waists. “What does that mean?”
He kissed my lips. “Do you love my brothers, Sweetheart?”
“Yes,” I told him without reservation. “But I haven’t told them yet,” I rushed out, “so don’t say anything.”
Lincoln chuckled, drawing me in closer. “I wouldn’t.”
“So what happens after this?” I repeated.
“We finish what we started. You with college, Kayden will take over mom’s real estate company like he wants to, and Tyler will most likely become the company's accountant.”
“And you?” I asked, my heart racing with what he would say.
“I’ve changed my mind, Faith. No Arizona. I want to be an architect, but there’s no rush.”
“Why, Lincoln?”
“Because, there are other things more important. Right here,” he stated quietly.
My heart ached for him. Lincoln couldn’t give up his dream. “Lincoln, you can’t—”
He tensed then stated firmly, “I’m not giving up. I’m just going to have to find another way; that's all. One that can be done, here.”
I went to say something else, but his hand swept up my shirt and cupped my breast, distracting me. “Go to sleep, Daniels. We can talk about this in the morning.”
I relaxed, sighing and closing my eyes, only to be teleported back into that nightmare where the pain was real and gloved hand reached for me once again.
I was back in hell.
I woke up crying once again, but this time I had stayed put and Lincoln was the one to shake me awake.
I mumbled, “Sorry,” before rolling over, but he shook me again. “Come on, Sweetheart. We were supposed to be in the house by midnight.”
I groaned and sluggishly got up into the passenger side of the truck, still half asleep but not in my nightmare anymore. Lincoln drove us up to the house, and in my sleepy state, I somehow got out of the truck, walked into the house, found a bed to crawl into and drifted back to sleep, not realizing that a warm body was already sleeping there.