The Anti-hero (The Goode Brothers)

Truett Goode barely looks at me as I sit down at the table across from him. He merely glances at his own son, offers a barely cordial greeting, and then spends the next two hours focused only on his drink, his food, the table, and the trees. His attention is almost never offered to the people seated around him, but I guess that’s on brand for him at this point.

The tension between him and Adam is thick.

I know I’m not the only one who feels it, and yet, no one will speak about it. The family would rather smile, sweep their feelings under the rug, and pretend Adam’s reputation isn’t actively ruining his father’s career. Of course, none of them truly know how much Truett deserves it. But it’s still so ridiculously odd to me how they will go about their small talk and pretend that none of this is happening.

Truett Goode is looking ragged. His eyes have heavier than normal bags under them, and his cheeks are a little more gaunt. Not to mention, he’s had two drinks delivered in the time I barely sipped down one glass of red wine.

He’s not doing well, but no one else in his family seems to be as concerned.

And that gives me satisfaction because that’s exactly what he has coming to him.

Adam keeps his promise and holds me close to his side all night. Even when I have to use the restroom, he sends Briar with me, giving her strict instructions not to let me out of her sight. She takes it as a romantic gesture rather than a real concern for my safety—which it is.

But Truett is still staring down at his whiskey when I return. I don’t even get the chance to sit down when Adam stands, practically dragging me to the middle of the dance floor.

His happiness is contagious. It makes me think that this might actually work. For the first time in my entire life, I feel as if the person I’m getting attached to is getting attached right back. I’ve never had my feelings so requited before.

It’s wonderful…and terrifying.

I’m in love with Adam. It’s so obvious and visceral. And if I’m judging the situation correctly, he loves me too.

I breathe in the rich scent of his cologne as he pulls me against him, swaying softly to the music. The safety I feel in his arms is blinding. I never realized how much I needed this.

“Sage,” he whispers, and I pull my face away from his chest to stare up into his eyes. Something romantic plays instrumentally at the front of the party, and it’s created the perfect moment for one of us to say what I know is on our minds.

“Adam,” I reply in a breathless whisper.

Neither of us speaks for a while. We just share intense and intoxicating eye contact as we sway in circles to the delicate music serenading us as we say with our eyes what I know we’re both feeling inside.

I love you.

Maybe he knows this isn’t the place or isn’t the time. Or perhaps saying it like this is somehow more powerful than bringing those words to life, but we keep quiet as we continue our dance.

His hand squeezes mine before he lowers his head toward me. Instead of a kiss, he rests his forehead against mine. We close our eyes, breathing in the tender moment.

I love you. I love you. I love you.

I could be a serious fool for falling for a man like him. Maybe no one can truly pretend to love someone without their heart mistakenly falling when it wasn’t supposed to. We come from different worlds with different paths and different values, but it doesn’t stop the fact that our hearts beat as one. Regardless of our differences, our souls are the same.

My fingers run through the cropped hair on the back of his head before I pull his lips to mine. The more I feel his love, the more I want his body.

“I need you,” I whisper against his mouth.

He pulls away from the kiss and glances around before taking me by the hand and hauling me off the dance floor and toward one of the three large structures on the property.

“Where are we going?” I whisper as we reach the back side of the main building. When he continues to pull me farther away from the event, I realize where he’s taking me.

Goose bumps erupt down my arms as we enter the moonlit vineyard. We are completely alone out here, the sound of the party in the distance now.

As he gets a few yards into the rows of grapevines covering us on either side, he spins around and takes my mouth in a bruising kiss.

“Fuck, I need you,” he says breathlessly as his lips travel down from my mouth to my neck.

“Then take me,” I reply, gripping and pulling at him in a frenzy of passion.

My hands find the hard bulge in his pants, and I rub him hard through the fabric. Letting out a deep groan, he buries his hands in my hair and bites my bottom lip.

“I want this mouth on my cock, Peaches. I might go crazy without it.”

Eagerly, I drop to my knees, not giving a shit about my dress in the dirt. Under the moonlight, I undo the button of his pants and tear down his zipper, desperate for the hard length waiting for me.

As soon as I have his dick in my hand, I stroke it as I stare up at him. My mouth opens, my tongue hanging out as I slide the head across the warm, wet surface I’m offering to him.

He groans again, and I can tell by the desperation in his voice that our time in this vineyard will be fast and filthy.

Holding the back of my scalp, he shoves his cock so hard into my mouth, I feel him at the back of my throat, cutting my airway and making me gag. Swiftly he pulls out, staring down with satisfaction.

“That’s my girl,” he mutters. “Gag on it.”

He shoves it back in, holding it there a moment before pulling out again. A string of saliva hangs from my lips, and I smile up at him before he fills my mouth once more. I can already feel the head of his dick swelling on my tongue, but I know he’s not ready to come yet.

A moment later, he pulls out and takes a second to compose himself before dragging me to my feet. Spinning me around, he pushes me toward the wooden poles stationed along the grapevines, each strung with wire to hold up the massive plants. I wrap my hands around the wood as I feel him drag up my dress, revealing my bare pussy for him to find.

“Such a filthy girl, Peaches. You wanted me to fuck you tonight, didn’t you?”

“Yes, sir,” I reply with a wicked smile.

The next thing I know, I feel the palm of his hand land hard and loud against my ass, and I stifle a scream. His hand clamps around my mouth as he leans toward me. “Keep it down, Peaches. This is our dirty little secret.”

He spanks my ass again, this time harder, then quickly massages the tender flesh when he’s done. I moan into his palm, squirming with my bare ass in the air. Three more times, he strikes me, each time feeding the arousal between my legs.

When his cock finally pushes at my entrance, it feels like I’ve been waiting forever. He has to hold my mouth shut as he enters me with force because I try to cry out even louder. With one hand over my lips and the other on my hip, he fucks me in quick, forceful thrusts.

As my body starts to tingle with desire, I feel a quick and intense orgasm cresting at the pinnacle of this sensation. Just as I’m about to come, the fingers on my hip slip between my legs, rubbing hard at my throbbing clit, and I practically scream into his hand.

“Come on my cock, Peaches. Give me all you got. Then, I’m going to come inside you and I want you dripping all the way back to the party.”

I’m buried in pleasure from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. The orgasm seizes control of my limbs as I tremble through the climax. With just a few more relentless pounds of his cock inside me, I feel him jerk and shudder out his own release, filling me up like he promised.

We are breathless and panting into the quiet night air. He releases his hand from my mouth and slowly pulls out of me. As his cum drips down my legs, he drags my body to his. His lips press to my ear, cheek, neck. Then his arms wrap around me, and I cover them with my own.

It’s another perfect moment for us to utter what we’re both thinking, but we don’t. Silence ensues.

Then he quietly mumbles, “Thank you for coming with me. Thank you for…just being you.”

I smile to myself before turning to gaze up at him. It’s enough. For now, it’s enough.