It had been a long day and the entire Stokes clan had turned in early.
Nick and Sara were the only ones still up and they decided to take a walk
out to the stables to see how the foal was doing. Sara couldn't get over
how small a horse could be and Nick found that very endearing.
"You must have loved growing up here, Nick." Sara sounded relaxed.
"It did have its advantages." He stood behind her, his hands on her hips as they watched the foal nuzzle its mother. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and let out a deep breath.
Sara turned in his embrace and raised a curious eyebrow. "What's up?"
Nick chuckled softly. "You know me so well."
Her fingers played at the collar of his shirt as she looked up into his eyes.
Nick's brow furrowed. "I'm so sorry for how Ashley and Amanda have been treating you. If I had known they would be this malicious, I would have warned you. I didn't think they'd stoop even lower than they did this afternoon by having Tiffany what's her name stop by."
Sara looked somewhat amused. "Well, they obviously underestimated you; because you made it pretty clear you weren't interested."
Nick laughed at the memory. When Ashley had disappeared for a while and had returned with Tiffany in tow, Nick was livid. He did the only thing he could think of at the time to get the message across, which was to pull Sara into a passionate embrace in front of his entire family. Afterward, his mother had taken him aside and asked him if there was something going on that she should know about. Nick's only response was that she should ask Ashley and Amanda. Audrey Stokes nodded, understanding immediately what was going on, and proceeded to take her two grown daughters into the kitchen and give them the tongue lashing of their lives. Neither of them had said a word since and had gone to bed exceptionally early to get away from the glares of the rest of the family who couldn't believe their juvenile behavior.
The rest of the Stokes clan seemed to love Sara. The nieces and nephews that Nick had talked so much about had peppered her with questions about her job and Nick's niece Celia had asked her if she was going to be their aunt. Sara's face had flushed red at her question.
"Hey." Sara's voice brought Nick back to the present.
He grinned at her. "Want to see something?"
She tilted her head slightly. "Depends on what it is."
He chuckled. "Do you trust me?"
She rolled her eyes. "Of course."
"Then come with me." He took her hand and let her to a ladder at the end of the row of stalls. He climbed up and motioned her to follow.
As she climbed up, she noticed that they were climbing into the darkened hay loft. "What are you going to show me?"
Nick just shook his head. "You just have to trust me."
She followed him in the darkness as he walked to the far side of the loft and swung open a door facing out into the pasture. The Texas sky was ablaze with stars. "Oh." Sara's voice had a hint of wonder in it.
"I used to come up here to think when I was a kid. It got a little chaotic at times in the house. It's sort of a special place." Nick squeezed Sara's hand as they took a seat on a loose pile of hay.
"Nick, it's beautiful." Sara wrapped her arms around his waist and lay her head against his shoulder.
"You're beautiful, Sara." He leaned down and kissed her softly capturing her face with his hands.
As Sara responded to the kiss, she parted her lips and they began to slowly explore each other's mouths. They slowly reclined until they lay in the hay lost in their kiss.
Nick tried to roll them over so that he was on top of Sara, but as she lay flat on her back, she let out a yelp and broke the kiss. Nick's eyebrows shot up in concern. "Sar, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
Sara started to giggle. "I think my neck has just been impaled with a piece of hay. Whoever came up with the phrase 'roll in the hay' obviously never tried it. I can't imagine being naked in this stuff."
Nick started to laugh and waggled his eyebrows. "I'd sure like to see you naked in this stuff, but you're right, it's not comfortable."
"Are you speaking from personal experience?" Sara looked somewhat amused.
He raised an eyebrow. "A gentleman never kisses and tells."
"We're not talking about kissing here, Nicky, we're talking about getting it on in the barn." Sara had a mischievous tone in her voice.
"Ok, you want to know." He queried her.
She nodded. "Uh, huh." Her fingers traced his lips.
"Guilty as charged, but I'd rather kiss you than talk about that." Nick continued, leaning down to kiss her again.
Sara pushed him away, ignoring the confused expression on his face and stood up. She turned toward him and extended her hand. "Are you coming? We have to get up early tomorrow and we need to hit the hay, but not this hay."
Nick took her hand and stood up. They both had hay sticking out of their hair, but in the darkness it was difficult to dust it all off. They climbed down the ladder and headed back into the house. They took their shoes off before ascending the stairs so they wouldn't wake anyone up. Nick kept silent, mulling over if he'd done something to make Sara push him away. They both walked into Sara's room and closed the door. Nick studied her for a moment before speaking. "I'm going to turn in." He turned toward the bathroom door.
Sara reached out and grabbed his arm. Her eyes searched his.
"Do you want me to stay, Sar?" He was concerned that she might have another nightmare.
She nodded wordlessly.
"Ok, I'm just gonna go get changed." He began to turn toward the door again.
"No." Sara whispered.
Nick turned around to see what she meant.
As he turned, Sara pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor. She stepped toward him and looked into his eyes. "I want you, Nick."
"Are you sure?" His eyes searched hers even as she slid her arms up his chest and around his neck.
She nodded and leaned up and placed a searing kiss on his lips. Nick crushed her against him and walked them back towards the bed, releasing her long enough to remove his own shirt. Sara fumbled with Nick's zipper and helped him out of his pants before removing her own. They fell back on the bed clothed only in their underwear. That too soon joined the scattered pile on the floor as they began touching, caressing, tasting, and arousing each other's bodies.
They collapsed against each other bare flesh against bare flesh, blissfully happy and deliciously sore. They fell into a peaceful sleep with their arms and legs tangled together.
"It did have its advantages." He stood behind her, his hands on her hips as they watched the foal nuzzle its mother. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and let out a deep breath.
Sara turned in his embrace and raised a curious eyebrow. "What's up?"
Nick chuckled softly. "You know me so well."
Her fingers played at the collar of his shirt as she looked up into his eyes.
Nick's brow furrowed. "I'm so sorry for how Ashley and Amanda have been treating you. If I had known they would be this malicious, I would have warned you. I didn't think they'd stoop even lower than they did this afternoon by having Tiffany what's her name stop by."
Sara looked somewhat amused. "Well, they obviously underestimated you; because you made it pretty clear you weren't interested."
Nick laughed at the memory. When Ashley had disappeared for a while and had returned with Tiffany in tow, Nick was livid. He did the only thing he could think of at the time to get the message across, which was to pull Sara into a passionate embrace in front of his entire family. Afterward, his mother had taken him aside and asked him if there was something going on that she should know about. Nick's only response was that she should ask Ashley and Amanda. Audrey Stokes nodded, understanding immediately what was going on, and proceeded to take her two grown daughters into the kitchen and give them the tongue lashing of their lives. Neither of them had said a word since and had gone to bed exceptionally early to get away from the glares of the rest of the family who couldn't believe their juvenile behavior.
The rest of the Stokes clan seemed to love Sara. The nieces and nephews that Nick had talked so much about had peppered her with questions about her job and Nick's niece Celia had asked her if she was going to be their aunt. Sara's face had flushed red at her question.
"Hey." Sara's voice brought Nick back to the present.
He grinned at her. "Want to see something?"
She tilted her head slightly. "Depends on what it is."
He chuckled. "Do you trust me?"
She rolled her eyes. "Of course."
"Then come with me." He took her hand and let her to a ladder at the end of the row of stalls. He climbed up and motioned her to follow.
As she climbed up, she noticed that they were climbing into the darkened hay loft. "What are you going to show me?"
Nick just shook his head. "You just have to trust me."
She followed him in the darkness as he walked to the far side of the loft and swung open a door facing out into the pasture. The Texas sky was ablaze with stars. "Oh." Sara's voice had a hint of wonder in it.
"I used to come up here to think when I was a kid. It got a little chaotic at times in the house. It's sort of a special place." Nick squeezed Sara's hand as they took a seat on a loose pile of hay.
"Nick, it's beautiful." Sara wrapped her arms around his waist and lay her head against his shoulder.
"You're beautiful, Sara." He leaned down and kissed her softly capturing her face with his hands.
As Sara responded to the kiss, she parted her lips and they began to slowly explore each other's mouths. They slowly reclined until they lay in the hay lost in their kiss.
Nick tried to roll them over so that he was on top of Sara, but as she lay flat on her back, she let out a yelp and broke the kiss. Nick's eyebrows shot up in concern. "Sar, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
Sara started to giggle. "I think my neck has just been impaled with a piece of hay. Whoever came up with the phrase 'roll in the hay' obviously never tried it. I can't imagine being naked in this stuff."
Nick started to laugh and waggled his eyebrows. "I'd sure like to see you naked in this stuff, but you're right, it's not comfortable."
"Are you speaking from personal experience?" Sara looked somewhat amused.
He raised an eyebrow. "A gentleman never kisses and tells."
"We're not talking about kissing here, Nicky, we're talking about getting it on in the barn." Sara had a mischievous tone in her voice.
"Ok, you want to know." He queried her.
She nodded. "Uh, huh." Her fingers traced his lips.
"Guilty as charged, but I'd rather kiss you than talk about that." Nick continued, leaning down to kiss her again.
Sara pushed him away, ignoring the confused expression on his face and stood up. She turned toward him and extended her hand. "Are you coming? We have to get up early tomorrow and we need to hit the hay, but not this hay."
Nick took her hand and stood up. They both had hay sticking out of their hair, but in the darkness it was difficult to dust it all off. They climbed down the ladder and headed back into the house. They took their shoes off before ascending the stairs so they wouldn't wake anyone up. Nick kept silent, mulling over if he'd done something to make Sara push him away. They both walked into Sara's room and closed the door. Nick studied her for a moment before speaking. "I'm going to turn in." He turned toward the bathroom door.
Sara reached out and grabbed his arm. Her eyes searched his.
"Do you want me to stay, Sar?" He was concerned that she might have another nightmare.
She nodded wordlessly.
"Ok, I'm just gonna go get changed." He began to turn toward the door again.
"No." Sara whispered.
Nick turned around to see what she meant.
As he turned, Sara pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it on the floor. She stepped toward him and looked into his eyes. "I want you, Nick."
"Are you sure?" His eyes searched hers even as she slid her arms up his chest and around his neck.
She nodded and leaned up and placed a searing kiss on his lips. Nick crushed her against him and walked them back towards the bed, releasing her long enough to remove his own shirt. Sara fumbled with Nick's zipper and helped him out of his pants before removing her own. They fell back on the bed clothed only in their underwear. That too soon joined the scattered pile on the floor as they began touching, caressing, tasting, and arousing each other's bodies.
They collapsed against each other bare flesh against bare flesh, blissfully happy and deliciously sore. They fell into a peaceful sleep with their arms and legs tangled together.