Hailey laughed as she took Grant’s hand and started walking toward the barn. “Do you know that I always trick myself into thinking that Q is much closer to the end of the alphabet than it actually is?”
“Okay,” Grant nodded, “a little random…but okay. If there’s an alphabetical order question, you can always just sing the song I guess.”
“Well,” Hailey contemplated, “it just seems like Q should be right back there with Y and Z you know, but it’s really more of a middle of the road sort of letter.”
Grant grinned at Hailey admiringly. “Well, I was gonna ask you to go inside and look up the definition of the word quiet, but I guess we’re just screwed.”
Hailey giggled, and a tear ran down her face.
“Hey, what was that for?” Grant said as he wiped it away.
“Because I love you,” Hailey cried. “Because you’re perfect…in the most unconventional of ways…but perfect none the less.”
“Does that mean you’ve forgiven me for acting like a jerk earlier?” Grant frowned.
“Of course,” Hailey nodded. “You may be a jerk…but you’re my jerk.”
“Aww, Baby, that’s the sweetest thing anybody has ever said to me,” Grant brought his hands to his heart as rain began to fall.
Thunder boomed and suddenly the bottom fell out of the sky at once. Hailey began running toward the barn. “Hurry!” she shrieked.
By the time Grant and Hailey reached the barn, they were both soaking wet.
“I’m freezing,” Hailey laughed as she ran into Grant’s arms. He held her close and rubbed her arms methodically for warmth.
“That storm came out of nowhere,” Grant laughed as he stopped to wipe water from his face.
“Yeah,” Hailey said, glancing out the barn door. “It’s like a monsoon out there; it looks like we’ll be stuck in here for awhile.”
Grant started up the ladder, toward the loft. “We might as well get comfortable, I guess.” He pulled his shirt over his head and began wringing the water out.
“You got soaked,” Hailey laughed.
Grant gestured toward her. “You could win a wet t-shirt contest yourself there.”
Hailey looked at Grant, and, with a sly little grin, she shoved him forcefully into a pile of hay. “Oops,” she shrugged coyly.
“What was that for?” Grant laughed as he landed on his back.
Hailey dropped to her knees next to him, wondering if she had ever seen him look more desirable. The melodic ping of the raindrops on the tin roof created beautiful music, and she wanted to freeze that moment in time forever.
Grant smiled up at her. “You’re gonna catch pneumonia in those clothes.”
Hailey bit her bottom lip before raising her arms and maneuvering out of her shirt. It was soaking wet, and she wrung the excess water out, so that it rained onto Grant’s chest.
“Sweet,” Grant chuckled as some of the water splashed onto his face.
“Well, I don’t want to get sick,” Hailey pouted.
“No, we can’t have that,” Grant shook his head.
Hailey straddled Grant, leaning down, so that her lips fell to rest against his shoulder. His skin felt so warm against her lips; he smelled very faintly of aftershave, and his blond hair was messy in the most appealing way imaginable after he had used his hands to wildly shake the water out. Hailey left a trail of kisses that extended from his ear lobe to his collar bone.
She thought about how progressively her life had been transformed into one shared by someone else. She had applied to Boston College, talked to the women’s basketball coach there and put a highlight tape in the mail to them. She and Grant were considering where to spend Christmas. They talked about marriage as a foregone conclusion now. Safety was no longer found in the certainty of home, but in the security of knowing that, in Grant, she had found her soul mate. He was brilliant, strong, capable, confident and protective. He made her feel like an entirely new person, like an adult just starting out in life. They would make mistakes; they would have arguments; they would make up; they would love each other, support each other and encourage each other for the rest of their lives. Two worlds had truly become one.
When Hailey had knocked Grant into the hay, it had been a flirtatious gesture, taking off her wet t-shirt, only a playful one. But now, this innocent attempt at seduction had spiraled out of control. Their breathing was heavy as they rolled round in the hay, kisses full of passion as their bodies intertwined.
“I know how you think, Grant Cohen,” Hailey breathed between kisses, and though it was supposed to sound like a warning, it didn’t.
Grant stopped, his arms raised innocently above his head. “Is that so?”
Hailey wondered if she too had the power to effortlessly make three simple words sound laced with so much more. Did her eyes speak to him, the way his spoke to her? Was it okay that she seemed to let him get away with just a little more each time, even if she intended to make him wait? Why was she so weak? Why did something so wrong seem so right? How many times could she play with fire before she got burned?
The clink of Grant’s belt buckle against the wood floor made Hailey stop cold, then, realizing she had been the one to toss it there, she felt her heart race inside her chest.
“Grant, I want you,” Hailey heard herself pant. Grant was on top of her now, his body pressed gently against hers, his fingers stroking her cheek so delicately, her fingers tracing the muscles of his bicep that held his weight above her.
Grant didn’t seem to believe what he was hearing. “Do you mean it?” he breathed in her ear.
“Yes,” the word slipped from Hailey’s lips so tentatively that she had to say it again to make herself believe it. “Yes. Yes, I’m sure.”
She was more than happy to let Grant take the lead, and he seemed completely comfortable in that role. He guided Hailey’s movements with a perfect combination of tenderness and authority. Their actions were at once affectionate and physical, maintaining a unique balance of romance and raw desire. They communicated wordlessly, the rain descending on the roof choreographing their dance. What had started out so innocently had certainly crossed the line.
“I love you, Baby,” Grant whispered when he had nearly completely disrobed both of them. His hands traced the curves of Hailey’s body as he wondered how he had ever gotten so lucky.
“I love you too,” Hailey kissed him, letting her lips linger wantonly against his bottom lip. “And I want to prove it to you.”
Grant pinned Hailey’s arms behind her head, ravishing her neck with kisses. Then, shifting easily, so that she was on top of him, he closed his eyes and she mimicked his gesture. Her eyes closed, she ran her fingers through his hair and kissed the edges of his mouth.
