Jarod popped the cork and winked. “I have my ways, woman,” he teased, using a low, growly voice that wasn’t at all like his normal tone.
I covered my mouth with my hand and chuckled at his antics to impress me. Then he looked at me with those dark-brown eyes, and I fell even more in love with him. We’d been together four years and hadn’t taken the last big step, but I knew in my heart of hearts that tonight was the night. It was now or never. I didn’t want to go to college without ever having experienced the man I loved in all the ways a grown woman should. And now that I was eighteen and out of high school, I was ready. Ready for the next step in our relationship and our future.
Jarod handed me a cup filled with the golden liquid and lifted his own. “To you, me, and our future together. I love you, Savannah.”
I smiled wide and clinked my plastic cup with his. “To you, me, and our future. I love you too, Jarod.”
We both took a sip and then he leaned over and took my mouth in a deep, wet kiss. Our tongues tangled, dancing in a rhythm we’d perfected over the years.
Slowly he pulled back, set his cup down, and stood up. Then he reached for my hands, took my cup, and set mine next to his before helping me stand .
I frowned as he immediately went down on one knee.
My eyes widened to the size of saucers. “What are you doing?” I gasped, his intention very clear.
“Making you mine forever.” He grinned, and my heart pounded a thunderous beat in my chest as I trembled with joy, excitement, nervousness, and a hint of fear.
“You can’t be serious?” I whispered.
“Oh, I am. Savannah McAllister, the most beautiful, kind, loving, and gracious woman I’ve ever known. I want more than anything to make you my wife one day. But we both have much to do before that happens. So today, I’m giving you my promise, and with it, a token of that promise.”
I shook my head. “I-I don’t understand.”
He kissed the hand he held. “I’m promising with this ring that one day I’ll officially ask you to be my wife. When you’re done with school and I’ve built up my career on the ranch and can give you the life you deserve, I will ask you to marry me. For now, I want you to wear this ring as a symbol of our love. While you’re away, know that I’m back here waiting for you and working on our future.”
Tears filled my eyes at the incredible gesture.
“What am I supposed to say?” I didn’t know how to react or what to do, even though it felt good and right.
“Say you’ll wear my promise ring? Be mine even when you’re away.”
I let him put the ring on my left ring finger. He leaned over and kissed me there, right on top of his promise. “One day this will be a diamond worth drooling over, paired with a wedding band.”
“I can’t wait for that day,” I admitted, in awe as he tugged me down to where he was and kissed me.
The kiss turned heated instantly. His hands roamed up my back, down my sides, and back up to cup my aching breasts. I moaned when he pinched my nipples through the thin fabric of my dress. The straps were spaghetti style, and there were cups inside the top, so I wasn’t wearing a bra. With quick work from his talented fingers, he untied both the bows at my shoulders, and the top fell between us, baring my skin to his eyes and the open air.
He groaned and tipped me back as he took one nipple into the heat of his mouth. I moaned and arched into his lush kiss while bliss poured over me. He pleasured my breasts until I was slick between my thighs and desperate to feel him against me, within me, intimately.
“Please,” I begged. “Make love to me,” I whispered in his ear before nibbling on the edge in the way that I knew made his dick painfully hard.
“Are you sure?” He ran his tongue down my neck, and I sighed at the pleasure tingling along the surface of my skin.
“God, yes. I feel like I’m going to burn up if you stop again,” I admitted wantonly. Every time we’d gone this far in the past, he’d always put a stop to the festivities, speaking of honor and respect.
I didn’t want honor. I didn’t want respect. I wanted to get fucked.
Easing away, I stood up, tore my dress over my head, and let it fall from my fingers. Then with his eyes huge and tracing all over my body like a caress, I pushed my simple lace panties off and bared all to him, hoping he wouldn’t find me lacking.
“You’re so damn beautiful, Savannah.” His tone held nothing but awe.
Then I watched with slow breaths as he stood and removed all of his clothing, revealing the body of a ranch hand that had been working hard all year. His muscles were honed to golden perfection on his lean frame. His abdominals were defined, showing six sculpted muscles that led to a slight V at his hips. My mouth watered at the sight.
In a moment flat, I was in his arms, and he’d taken me down to the soft blanket. His mouth was all over me, and I too kissed his skin wherever I could reach. Then he skimmed his lips down my belly and used his mouth between my legs. It was my favorite thing we’d done to date. He was a master at it. We’d taken that step before, many, many times, pleasuring one another with our mouths, but never going further.
When he tore an orgasm from my body with his mouth and fingers, I tugged at his shoulders, insinuating how I wanted him to rise over me. Once he’d secured a condom from his pants pocket and rolled it on, he wedged his much larger frame between my thighs, using his hand to center his length at my entrance.
“You sure? I can wait forever for you to be ready.” He offered me another way out .
I smiled at my good fortune. I had the only man in Sandee, Montana, who cared more about me and my needs more than his own.
“More than sure. Make love to me, Jarod,” I whispered and took his mouth in a deep kiss, tasting myself on his tongue, which ramped up my excitement a thousand degrees.
Then he pushed slowly inside, one inch at a time. It was tight. Filling. Mind-bending. There was a pinch of pain and then a release as he pressed fully inside.
I gasped and arched against the pleasure-pain. His eyes were wild, his breath coming in uneven pants against my cheek. “Are you okay, baby? Did I hurt you?” he asked with a pained note to his tone.
“No.” I wrapped my arms around his body and held him to me. “It’s perfect.”
He kissed me for a long time and then he slowly started to move, in and out in a beautiful rhythm I matched until we both cried out our releases into the fading light of day.
Together we found a different kind of love, and it was beyond beautiful.
“Savvy! What the hell are you doing standing in the hallway looking out into space?” Dakota hollered at me as she stomped my way in her robe. “The stylist is looking all over for you. Come on, we’re already in hot water from my debacle with the waxing lady.” She hooked my elbow with hers, and I numbly followed her, thoughts of my first time with the love of my life disappearing with every step I took.
“Here she is!” Dakota led me over to my stylist, who clapped when I arrived.