Broken Dreams

  I stepped around the corner and stood in the living room as I listened to her. My cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so big. I peeked around the corner and saw she had a pickle in her hand while she was now dancing with the dogs running around her. I let out a laugh, and Midnight came running over.

  Courtney spun around and saw me. She kept singing as she began moving toward me. When she walked up to me, she started grinding her hips against me as she continued singing.

  Good God. It would have helped if she had a terrible voice, but she actually had a beautiful voice.

  I grabbed her hips and pulled her closer to me. She raised her eyebrows when she felt my erection, and she let out a giggle.

  “Ready so soon, huh?” she said as she pulled out her earbuds.

  “You sure you want to go for a ride? I could easily take you right here on this kitchen island.”

  She looked over her shoulder and then back up into my eyes. She bit down on her lower lip. “I’d rather make love on your kitchen island at the cabin.”

  I sucked in a breath of air and smiled. “I love you, Court. I hope you know that I will do everything in my power to never hurt you—ever.”

  Her smile faded for a quick second before she flashed it back at me. “Let’s go riding.”

  I grabbed her hand. “Come on, mutts. Y’all want to go?”

  “Oh, Reed, they won’t run away, will they?” Courtney asked.

  I grinned. “No, baby. I always take them when I ride. They love it.”

  She let out a sigh and started skipping out of the house with both dogs and me in tow.

  I watched as she and the dogs made their way over to the ranch truck. She pulled the tailgate down, and the dogs jumped into the bed of the truck. She shut it and turned back as she smiled.

  I walked up to her and held up the blanket. “Will this work?” I leaned down and gently kissed her.

  “Oh, yes, that will be perfect,” she whispered against my lips.

  As we rode along, the light of the moon lit our pathway. I glanced over, and my breath caught as I saw Courtney with her head thrown back and a smile on her face.

  “Damn…it’s so cool out, and that breeze feels amazing. I’ve always wanted to ride at night!” Courtney said with a giggle. She snapped her head forward and then looked at me. “What?” she asked.

  I slowly shook my head and smiled. “I just don’t want this to be a dream. If it is, I don’t ever want to wake up.”

  She started laughing. “I feel the same way.” Her smile faded, and she brought Tink to a stop. “Do you think we could stop here and…talk for a bit?”

  The seriousness in her voice scared the shit out of me. “Sure.” I jumped off my horse and grabbed the blanket as I looked around for somewhere to sit.

  “Just let Tink roam?” Courtney asked.

  “Yeah, Tink and Rascal are good horses. They won’t wander far, and the dogs will end up just lying near us.”

  I looked over her shoulder and saw a giant elm tree. I walked over and laid out the blanket. My heart was racing. I could hear it in Courtney’s voice that she was nervous about something.

  Please don’t let this just be a fling for her. Please, God, don’t let her say this all ends tonight.

  We both sat down on the blanket, and Courtney pulled her knees up to her chest as she finally looked at me.

  She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Reed, I need to tell you about Noah.”

  Noah…the guy she was dreaming about. I took a deep breath in and said, “Okay. Who’s Noah?”

  The moment I saw the moonlight hit the tear rolling down her face, I died inside.

  Whoever he is, I plan on hurting him.

  Hearing Noah’s name coming from Reed’s lips killed me. I’d never told anyone—no one—about what happened with Noah. Reed was different though. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Reed. I knew I loved him more than life itself, and I didn’t want to keep anything from him.

  I quickly wiped the tears away and took in a deep breath. “Noah is my brother’s best friend. He’s two years older than me, and he was my high school crush.”

  I stopped and looked at Reed. His eyes were fixed on mine, and I’d never had anyone give me such devoted attention before in my life.

  “When I was sixteen, he asked me to go to his senior prom. Needless to say, I was overjoyed, and I said yes. I was just happy that he’d finally noticed me,” I said with a weak smile.

  I swallowed hard as my mind went back to that night. I closed my eyes, and when I felt Reed take my hand, I jumped.

  I shook my head and opened my eyes. “Noah always stayed at our house when his parents would go out of town, which was often. His dad worked for the government, doing something. I never did understand what he did. Anyway, Noah was staying with us for the weekend, and I was so excited because that meant I got to see him all weekend. I was still jazzed from him asking me to the prom. That same night, he came into my bedroom in the middle of the night.”

  Reed’s grasp on my hand tightened.

  I closed my eyes and prayed that I could get through this without crying. Opening my eyes, I took in another deep breath and slowly let it out. “I asked him why he was in my room, and he said he was there to…to…make me his,” I barely said.

  “No,” Reed whispered.

  “I told him to leave, and if my father or brother caught him in my room, they would be mad. Noah put his hand over my mouth and pushed me onto my back. He…he, um…” I stopped for a second to regain my composure.

  “He told me if I said anything, he would hurt my brother, and Tyler would lose his football scholarship. So, I promised to be quiet. Then, he started touching me. He slid my panties down, and I grabbed his hands as I asked him to stop. I told him that I didn’t want this, and he just kept telling me that I did, that he saw the way I looked at him, so he knew I wanted him.” I began shaking my head. “I didn’t, Reed. I didn’t want my first time to be like that, so I begged him to stop. I said that I didn’t care what he did to my brother, but then Noah…he…”

  Reed started to move closer toward me. I knew he just wanted to take me into his arms, but I needed to do this.

  I put my hand up to stop him. “No, wait. I have to get this all out, Reed. Please,” I said as I looked into his tear-filled eyes.

  Taking in a shaky breath, I closed my eyes and slowly opened them again. I needed to think about my future with Reed. I wanted a future with him. I wanted kids. I wanted to finally let go of this darkness that was buried so deep inside of me. I had to get this all out.

  “He told me he would hurt my parents, and then he would go after my younger sister, who was only fourteen at the time.”

  Reed sucked in a breath of air and whispered, “Fucking bastard.”

  “So, I promised him I wouldn’t make any noise, and I wouldn’t tell anyone our secret. The moment I felt him down there, I just kind of got lost in my own world. I started repeating my favorite book quotes over and over in my head.”

  “My God, Courtney,” Reed whispered as he reached up and wiped away my tears.

  I squeezed his hand, my knuckles turning white. “He started staying at our house more and more. Each time he came into my room, I would just try to disappear into another world. I tried to pretend I was with the love of my life, but it never worked. He just destroyed me more and more after each time.”

  I took a deep breath in and then let it out. “It went on for three months until I couldn’t take it anymore. One night, I was watching my father clean his guns. I told him I wanted to learn more about how to clean them. I had gone hunting with my father a lot, so it made sense to him that I was interested in knowing more about guns. After that, I only needed the combo to his gun safe.”

  Reed began shaking his head.

  “I got the combo, and the next night Noah stayed with us, I snuck into my father’s office and took a handgun. I checked to make sure it was loaded, and it was. I brought it up to my ro
om and put it under my pillow. I had the safety on the whole time. I was ready to put a stop to all of it. When Noah came into my room that night, I didn’t care what I had to do.”

  I took a second to look at Reed. His eyes were filled with such sadness, but there was also something else there—anger.

  “He told me to get undressed and said that we were going to try something new.”

  Reed pulled his hand from mine and ran it down his face. I could see his anger growing more and more.

  He began shaking his head. “I want to kill him, Courtney,” he said as he looked me in the eyes.

  My heart started beating faster, and I wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. “Reed,” I barely whispered, “I just need to get this all out…please.”

  He slowly nodded his head and took my hand in his again.

  Praying to get through this, I began again. “So, anyway, I stood up with the gun, faced him, and pointed it at him. I told him it all stopped right then and there. I was willing to spend the rest of my life in jail if it meant he would leave me alone.”

  “Your sister?” Reed asked in a whispered voice.

  “I told him I would sit outside her door with the gun every night if I had to. He never stayed with us again. He somehow talked his parents into letting my brother come to his house when they went out of town. After Noah and my brother left for college, they hardly ever came home. When they did, they stayed at their girlfriends’ places, so I didn’t have to worry about my sister.”

  Reed cleared his throat and looked away before glancing back at me. “Did he ever…your sister?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I asked her once if Noah had ever approached her in a way that made her uncomfortable, and she said no before asking me why I would ask her that. I’m almost a hundred percent sure he never touched her.”

  “Wait…Court, you never told her about what happened?”

  I slowly shook my head and whispered, “I’ve never told anyone.”

  Something I’d never seen before moved across Reed’s face. He pulled back and looked down a little to the side, like he was thinking about something.

  “What Whitley said to me that night…” His face snapped up, and he looked me in the eyes.

  I looked at him, confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “Baby, you never even told Whitley?” he asked.

  The concern in his voice and the knowledge that I’d actually told someone hit me like a brick wall, and I began crying hysterically.

  “No. You’re the…first person…I’ve told,” I said in between sobs.

  He grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap. He held me as he gently ran his hand up and down my back. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. I just needed him to hold me right now. I felt so incredibly safe in his arms.

  I wasn’t sure how long Reed held me while I cried. Something happened though, and the more I cried and the tighter he held me, the more free I felt. That dark, dirty secret I had held on to for so long was finally lifting away.

  “Courtney, I’m so sorry that happened to you, baby. It kills me to know that you’ve been hurting for so long. I…”

  I heard him hold in a sob, and my heart started pounding. I couldn’t look at him, or I would start crying again.

  “I want to love you forever, Courtney. I want to give you what you deserve and do nothing but make you feel my love for you every single day.”

  I slowly pulled away and looked at him. I just stared at him as I took in everything he’d said. This is what I’ve always dreamed of. Reed, my Prince Charming, was going to rescue me and love me for the rest of my life.

  He pushed a piece of hair behind my ear and gave me the sweetest smile. “I love you, Courtney. I’ll always love you…forever,” he whispered.

  “I love you, too, Reed. Forever.”

  He started to move me off his lap, and I instantly missed his warmth. He stood up and reached down for my hand. As he helped me up, he whistled, and both horses began walking over to us.

  I looked at the horses and then back at Reed. “Holy shit, that was awesome. Will that work for you, too?” I said with a wink.

  He smiled bigger as he placed both hands on my face, and he brought me in for the most amazing kiss of my life. It was so gentle and filled with so much love. I’d never in my life experienced anything like it.

  “I want to give you what you deserve, Courtney,” he said as he moved his thumbs gently across my cheeks.

  All I could get out was, “Okay.”

  The ride back went by quickly once Reed had picked up the pace, and we let the horses trot back the whole way. By the time we got back to the stables, I was exhausted from the whole evening. I leaned against Tink as Reed took care of the saddles and the horses. The dancing, the laughing, the lovemaking, the crying while telling Reed about Noah—all of it just hit me at once. I moved to a hay bale and drifted off to sleep.

  When I felt Reed’s arms around me, I couldn’t help but smile.

  “Shh, go back to sleep, angel,” Reed whispered into my ear.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and nodded off to sleep again. My dreams were filled with nothing but my Prince Charming.

  My cell phone vibrated, and I looked down at it sitting on the counter.

  Layton: Hey, dude! Did you survive three weeks with Court? We landed a little bit ago and will be there in a couple of hours.

  Reed: Welcome home! All I can say about the last three weeks is that I’ve never been this happy in my entire life.

  Layton: No shit! Y’all together?

  Reed: Dude…I don’t kiss and tell.

  Layton: About damn time. Whit is screaming next to me right now. I have a feeling they will want some girlie time when we get home.

  Reed: Probably. What about you? You enjoy your three weeks?

  Layton: One word—heaven. Getting in my truck now. See ya soon.

  Reed: Awesome. Drive safe.

  I smiled as I thought about Layton and Whitley spending three weeks alone together. I only hoped I could give Courtney that kind of an amazing honeymoon. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I let out a laugh. Just imagining marrying Courtney was causing my dick to jump again.

  I poured two glasses of orange juice and set them on the tray next to the plates covered in scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit. Making my way upstairs, I heard Courtney on the phone. I slowed down and stopped at the door. I wasn’t sure who she was talking to until I heard her let out a little scream.

  “Oh, Whitley, I have so much to tell you. I mean, at first, I hated you like there was no tomorrow because y’all set us up like that, but”—she let out a sigh—“Reed is so amazing, so…so amazing. Oh yeah…that kind of amazing, too.”

  I smiled, and if I weren’t holding a tray loaded down with food, I would have done a fist pump.

  “Well, I don’t really want to kiss and tell,” Courtney purred into the phone.

  I let out a small chuckle because that was exactly what I’d said to Layton. I started to make my way into the bedroom, and her eyes caught mine. I was pretty sure I let out a moan when she smiled at me.

  “Okay, well, be careful driving and see you soon. Oh, trust me…I will. Later, girl.”

  She ended the call and tilted her head as she looked me up and down. I had on nothing but a pair of boxers.

  She closed her eyes and said, “Please tell me I’m not dreaming…because I’m pretty sure I just had the most amazing night of my life last night.”

  I set the tray down on the side table and made my way over to her on the bed. With her eyes still closed, I gently kissed her on the lips and then sucked her bottom lip into my mouth. I pulled back slightly as she opened her eyes and looked into mine.

  “If you’re dreaming, then so am I, and this is one dream I don’t ever want to wake up from.”

  Her eyes filled with tears as she gave me the sweetest smile. “Reed…” she whispered.

  “I think we have time before they get here,
” I said as I looked down at her lips.

  She pulled her lower lip in between her teeth and nodded her head. As she lay back on the bed, I stripped off my boxer shorts and then slowly began kissing her body everywhere.

  “Courtney, you’re so beautiful in every way.”

  She let out a small moan that traveled straight through my body and to my dick. I slowly began teasing her with my tip as we found each other’s lips and began a sweet dance with our tongues.

  I just wanted to freeze this moment in time. I needed to go slow and enjoy every second with the woman I loved. I needed her to feel special, wanted, and adored.

  As I began making love to Courtney, that familiar fear of me hurting her crept back into my mind. I pushed it aside and focused on doing nothing but making her feel good. I covered her body in kisses and then focused on each of her nipples, sucking and then pulling each one with my teeth, and she let out moan after moan.

  “Reed…oh God, that feels so good.”

  When she fell apart in my arms, I rolled her over until she was on top of me. The feel of her on me, moving in such a way that was practically driving me mad, caused me to have one of the most intense orgasms of my life. It felt like it went on forever.

  Courtney leaned down and kissed me before she whispered, “Thank you for swooning me.”

  I smiled bigger, and inside, I was like a little boy jumping up and down for joy.

  “Nick swoon-worthy?” I asked.

  She made a funny expression and then looked up, like she was thinking hard. “Not quite but oh-so very close. I think you’ll need more practice…lots and lots of practice.”

  She began grinding on me, and I swore I felt my dick growing harder.

  I let out a laugh as I pulled her to me and rolled over. Pinning her to the bed, I began tickling her. It wasn’t long before Lulu came running in and jumped on the bed. I immediately stopped and looked at her, and then I looked down at Courtney.

  “Holy shit, we didn’t crate them last night.” I jumped up and started getting dressed.