Intertwined souls

Red

“ Should I really wear this? Or is it too much”, I asked Nia who was on Facetime with me.

I had my phone propped up on my bathroom counter as I got ready. I took a step back to show her my whole outfit, which her and mom had helped me plan. It was my silk red dress, with white heels and a thin golden chain hanging above my collarbone. I had decided to straighten my hair, and I had a long butterfly braid on the right side of my hair. I was ready earlier than I needed to be but I had let my nerves get the best of me and didn't want to be late.

“I think it’s perfect! Just lose the bra” Nia said, looking at me over face time.

“Well, it has to be. I don't think I have enough time to find another outfit” I said.

Before Nia could say anything else, I heard a knock at my door. I checked the time on my phone and it was 7:00. Maybe it was a good thing that I was ready early. I said goodbye to Nia as she gave a quick wink and hung up the phone. Quickly removing my bra, I called out through my bedroom.

“You can come in” I yelled down the hallway. I heard Blake open and close the door, then start walking towards my bedroom. I managed to fix my dress again before I saw him enter the room.

Without saying anything, we both took in the sight of each other like a breath of fresh air. He was wearing dark blue jeans again, but this time he had on a black button-up shirt and he was wearing clean-looking cowboy boots. I could see a small chain with a cross through the top of his shirt which was not buttoned, and a black blazer-looking jacket on. His hair came out through the bottom of his cowboy hat and curled up behind his ears. Normally, this wasn’t something I would be attracted to, but damn, oh him, it looked heavenly. He was holding a bouquet of roses in his hand that I assumed was for me, and it made my heart swell. Other than my father, I have never had a man give me flowers. Something so small, but to me it felt so big and grand.

“ You look beautiful” he said, still eyeing me.

“ You clean up pretty well yourself” I said back with a wink, “I was just going to find a jacket, and then when you’re ready we can go”, turning back to my closet.

I grabbed my black jacket that I used to wear to interviews. I turned back to him and walked over to him, drinking in the sight of him one more time, before gently giving him a kiss. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, kissing me back. He opened his lips for me and my tongue momentarily explored his mouth before I backed away, looking up at him.

“ These are for you” he said, and offered me the flower he had been holding me.

“They are beautiful. Thank you so much” I looked down at them. “ I love them.”

“ It was actually my attempt at killing some time, but I got here early cause I wanted to see you” he said, almost shy, not meeing my eyes.

I laughed, grabbing his hand and walking him to the kitchen. I didn't have a vase yet, so I found the biggest cup I could find, filled it with water, then placed it on my kitchen counter.

“ So, where are we going?” I asked. He looked at me for a few seconds before responding.

“You’ll see, my love. Are you ready?” he said, grabbing my waist and pulling me in for another kiss. I felt his hands travel down my body and onto my ass, before looking at me and waiting for me to respond. I nodded and he led me out the door to his truck. He opened the truck door for me and let me in with a huge smile on his face. He closed it then got in and started driving. After driving for a while, we headed out of town. It was dark outside and I watched the stars and small towns as we drove past.

_

About 45 minutes had gone by and we were still driving. He had reached his hand over and laid it on my thigh. I felt at peace sitting with him. It didn't feel awkward sitting in silence, and not talking. We were driving through another small town, reading the store names and signs. I realized that I recognized the name ‘Barron’. After seeing a few more with the same name, I turned to look at Blake.

“ What is Barron? I've been seeing it everywhere back in town and I just saw some here.” I said, placing my hand on top of his. He turned to look at me for a second, then sighed, then hesitated. I watched him as a small smile cracked the corner of his lips, then he tilted his head to the side, looking at me.

“ It’s my last name,” he said, almost as if he wanted to tell me.

I watched him as he looked at the road, then at me again. He slowed the tuck and pulled into what looked like a large restaurant. He put the truck in park and fully turned to me this time. I didn't quite understand what he said to me. His last name?

“Come on, I’ll explain when we get in,” he said. He got out of the truck, then walked over to open my door before I even had my seatbelt off.

Taking my hand, he led me into the building. It had tall ceilings, with lights streaming all across it. The smell of food overwhelmed my nostrils as I felt my stomach growl at me. The host led us to a table. It was dimly lit but enough to see where you were going. I was thrown off when I felt Blake behind me pulling out my chair.

We took our seats and I was watching him while he looked over the menu. I tried taking in every bit of him while I knew he wasn't paying attention. The curl of his hair at the nape of his neck, his bright blue eyes with dark circles under them, the way his hand rubbed the bottom of his chin when he was concentrating. I continued watching as he ordered a Bourbon and continued his search of the menu. His eyes squinted and his brows furrowed.

He looked up at me and we discussed what we would be getting. I decided on salmon and mashed potatoes and he, of course, decided on a steak. We talked while we waited for our food to come, and he told me about his sister, and how it was now just the two of them. Their Mother had passed away when he was a child, but their Dad had spent the last few years traveling on his own. He hadn't spoken much to his dad, but by what I gathered, they didn't seem to be very close.

“ So what about all the businesses that had your family name on them? Do you own them?” I asked.

He took another drink then started explaining that his dad owned over 30 businesses spread across Eastern Tennessee. When their father had decided to travel, he gifted them to Blake and his sister as equal partners. He talked to me about how his sister helped out when she could, but she had 3 kids on her own and didn't have the time. He managed everything that she couldn't, along with a few people he had hired across the state. I listened to him in awe, I could see his dedication through the way he spoke and how he wanted to make sure his family had everything they could ever want. He told me that the house I was staying in was the first one he had ever been in charge of designing and building. We talked for hours without any lull in conversation, it was easy to talk to him. We talked about our past relationships and he told me that since the death of Noah’s mom, Sarah, he hadn’t been with anyone in a serious way. He shared how it was hard for him to wrap his head around being a single father, but in the end he loved every bit and wouldn't change a single thing. He said that until I came around that was all he needed, but once we met he felt he had to have me, he wanted me more than anything.

He explained that they owned a variety of businesses; restaurants, realty companies, some smaller construction businesses along with a few other things.

The food was delicious-I had never had such mouth-watering salmon and the ash potatoes were just as good. Even after we were done with our meals, we talked about our past and how we had both lost parents. I had never met someone who so genuinely connected with me.

Once we left, he told me he had one more surprise for me. It was almost Eleven O’Clock when we arrived at a small field where people were gathered with small lights surrounding them in the sky. As I got out of the truck, he pulled out a few blankets and then handed me a paper lantern. We found our seats and sat quietly while we listened to the music playing in the background, lying on the blankets he brought.

After a few minutes, he explained to me that the lantern festival was a way to release your stress and worries away into the world and forget about them. We wrote our initials on the lantern and lit the bottom piece. We both held the bottom of the lantern, laughing when someone over the intercom suggested no one start any fires. We gently pushed the lantern into the sky and watched as it floated away. We were standing there leaning against each other watching as it drifted further into the sky.

Almost everyone had left by the time we packed up to go,anyone that was still there was too far away to see in the dark.

“ If you want to wait here, I can start loading everything up so we can head to your place”, Blake said, folding the blankets.

I agreed with him and waited until nothing was left before walking back to the truck. I was holding the blanket we had been sitting on and when I reached the truck he was closing the tailgate. Waiting for him to finish, I opened the truck door and sat in the seat with my feet hanging out of the truck, watching the lanterns continue to float away.

I watched him as he stopped in front of me and watched the sky, until he turned to me looking at me in a way that made my body heat seep through my dress. He walked towards me, and stopped directly in front of my knees, never breaking eye contact. He placed his hands on my knees and gently pushed them apart, and walked in between them. We spent a few seconds looking at each other before he slid his hand up my thigh and brought it to the back of my neck. He pulled my head to his and smashed his lips into mine with a force that made my stomach lurch with excitement. I met his readiness and placed one of my hands at the nape of his neck and the other on the peak of his chest.

Kissing Blake was like finding something I had been looking for my whole life, something that I didn't know I was missing. I felt like my soul was crawling out of my body to get to his, reaching out for more of him.

His tongue slid across my bottom lip and I opened for him. I wrapped my legs around his hips and pulled him as close to me as I could. His hand left my neck and I felt them back at my thighs, pushing the hem of my dress up to my hips, exposing my underwear. A moan left my mouth which seemed to spark a fire inside him. He kissed me harder as I felt his fingers running back and forth along my swollen center. I heard a growl from him as my tongue slipped inside his mouth, desperately exploring.

“ We should head home,” he whispered. He grabbed the top of my underwear and pulled it down.

I couldn't make my words come out to form a response, instead a gust of air left my mouth without permission. He pulled away from my lips and stared into my eyes as he rubbed my c**t in gentle circles.

“Oh my god, Blake,” I moaned, his eyes still watching me.

He looked down at my center, and I watched him lick his lips. Hyperfixating at the thought of him licking me and eating me up.

"Beautiful" he whispered.

I was panting as I started to reach my climax, his eyes still on me and suffocating me with want. Just when I started to come undone, he withdrew his fingers and said:

" Let's go." He walked to the other side of the truck and got in.