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“I’ve never liked my name. Until now. You whispering it in passion. God, what you do to me, woman.”

“I need… need…”

“I know what you need, darlin’. Say my name.”

“Hayden.”

The glide of his length when he moves in and out is glorious. Worth waiting for. Addictive. I gasp and moan, he mumbles words of encouragement, words of love.

That intense spiral of sensation he released once tightens again, each thrust a push toward another orgasm. “I can’t… Hayden, please…”

“Please… what…baby?”

“Make me… oh, I need to come. Please.”

His speed increases. A subtle shift of our bodies changes the angle. Each thrust hits and rubs perfectly. One of his hands cradles my breast, plucking at the nipple. I arch and cry out. His beard tickles as he sucks on that tender spot where my neck meets my shoulder. Then his fingers find my clit.

Too much sensation. Not enough. “Hayden,” I shout as stars explode behind my eyelids and my body thrums through wave after wave of an amazing release.

“Clo—ver,” he groans, pounding into me. His lips pull back in a grimace of pleasure-pain as he forces my hips hard against the mattress. The pulsing jerks of his cock ignite my body and I come again, sobbing his name.

I don’t know how long we lay there, still joined, regaining our breath, gently touching and exploring our cooling bodies. Hayden kisses my fingertips. “Sorry, darlin’. I gotta move. Take a deep breath while I pull out.”

The acute emptiness when we are no longer joined surprises me. I hadn’t expected the experience—making love—to be so intense both physically and mentally. And oh, the emotions.

He nestles me against his side and yawns. “Sorry, but it is true. Guys do fall asleep after. But I won’t. Not until you’re taken care of.”

“Since I’ve never really had sex before, I don’t know what I need. Right now, this is good. Just hold me for a while.”

“Would you like to uh, clean up a little first?”

Actually I’m enjoying the wet, squishy feeling. It’s something solid and real that tells me I’m not just imagining. That’s embarrassing to say, even to the man who made me this way. I settle for a compromise. “I think I’m okay for now. But…”

“Yeah, darlin’? Anything.”

“It would be nice to have a towel or something so I’m not laying in a wet spot.”

After a moment his confused expression fades and he chuckles. “We can do that. You stay put and I’ll be right back.”

I watch his butt and those muscular thighs disappear around the corner. After the bathroom, he detours to the kitchen and brings a large travel mug. “Water,” he says as he hands it to me. “We need to hydrate.”

Once he’s satisfied I’ve had enough to drink and the towel under our hips isn’t wrinkly, I curl against his side and wrap my arm over his waist. The beating of his heart is steady and comforting. I close my eyes and just listen. Each soft thump reminds me that I’m safe. I’m cared for. I’m home.

With all the crates already packed for the festival, and the mechanic not scheduled to show up until late afternoon, we spend most of the next day in bed. It isn’t all sex, although there was enough of that to keep me well satisfied. In fact I wanted more, but Knight wanted to be careful since this is new to me. I suppose he’s right.

When we aren’t otherwise involved, we talk about everything. Or tangled in each other’s arms, we nap under our warm nest of blankets.

The mechanic arrives on schedule with a new truck battery and some local gossip. I enjoy meeting the vivacious woman but once she leaves, I wonder if I’m now a part of the gossip lineup. Doesn’t really matter. Having moved so often as a kid, I’m accustomed to being the focus of ‘new kid’ speculation.

Before returning to bed, Knight moves the truck close to the forge and we load the crates, an open sided tent and a couple of tables. I wad up Pete’s expensive jacket and throw it behind the truck seat. Everything’s ready for our day in town.

The morning of the festival we’re on the road before the sun rises in order to have Knight’s booth set up before the festivities start. When I first arrived in the area, and Pete drove me from town to his place, I hadn’t paid much attention to the beauty of the mountains, or the majestic trees. Of course then I was nervous and unsure. Today I actually feel more ready to face the world than I have in a long time.

Which is a good thing since Knight’s booth has crowds of visitors all day and he’s kept busy explaining his work and taking commissions. Our booth is close to the crystal shop so I have the opportunity to slip away and meet with the owner. Knight was right, we clicked immediately over our love of crystals and I left the store with a few more to add to my mantle collection.

One of the festival volunteers watches the booth while Knight and I grab a quick lunch of sandwiches made on fresh baked bread before grabbing Pete’s jacket and heading for the post office. We’re off the main street when the roar of an engine interrupts our conversation and Pete’s big black truck angles up on the sidewalk in front of us.

He exits the cab to confront us, arms folded, legs spread. I force myself to stand tall with my chin lifted defiantly. Inside I’m shaking like a leaf in the wind. He points at the jacket in my arms.