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“Ready to get stuck in the mud?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she said, stepping away from his embrace. She grabbed her phone and keys, turned to John and asked, “Do you have a place I can put these?”

John nodded. As they walked out of her house, she locked the door and made their way to his four wheeler where he secured their phones in a duffle bag that was hooked on the back

Throwing a leg over his seat, John stood on the foot bars as he cranked on his ATV. He revved the gas and motioned for Alyssa to get on. Looking up at him, she placed her hand in his outstretched one, carefully put one foot behind his and threw her other leg over the seat. Her tiny shorts just covered her adorable ass, and damn, but he couldn’t help thinking how those legs were wrapped around his waist. The urge to pull her in for a kiss roared through his veins and it took everything in him to hold it in.

Dropping her hand, John turned back around and sat down on the seat. From the corner of his eye, he saw her hands on her thighs. He chuckled.

“You might want to hold on.”

“Oh,” she responded quietly, and grabbed his hips gently.

Looking over his shoulder he said, “You might want to hold on tight, Alyssa. It’s okay, you can touch me, don’t be afraid—I like it,” he teased. Alyssa reached around and pinched his stomach and he laughed. He felt her sigh against his back before she scooted forward and gave him a good squeeze around his stomach.

“Let’s ride.”

Here we go, she thought as John peeled out of her driveway. Her legs were pressed to the sides of his thick thighs, and her cheek rested on his back. She had never been on a four wheeler before, but she had to admit the ride was fun. They wove through the woods and down some back roads under the hot Georgia sun. The wind cooled her tepid skin, and she was free as they rode without a care in the world.

“Hey—how fast does this thing go?” she yelled.

John grinned at her question. “Hang on and I’ll show you.” She wanted speed, he would give her speed. John’s foot clutched into third gear and he flicked his wrist back on the accelerator. The ATV vibrated under them as they picked up the pace. Her breasts were smashed against his back, arms tight around his stomach, and he could swear he felt her smiling.

“That’s all you got?” she taunted.

Grinning, he pressed the accelerator as low as it could go and they flew down the dirt road. Giggles floated through the air and John laughed himself. He liked hearing Alyssa laugh and knowing that something as simple as a ride on the back of his four wheeler did it, made him always want to do it. Alyssa squealed when they hit their first pot hole a

nd mud flew onto their legs. She lifted off the seat and bounced back down then buried her face in his back. John turned in a circle and went for the same spot.

“Hang on!” he yelled.

Quickly shifting into gears, John raced toward the pot hole once more. “Oh my God, oh my God,” Alyssa chanted in his ear before he hit the hole again. She tightened her arms around his waist and this time she didn’t fly off of the seat. Mud flew onto their legs and feet, droplets coating their arms. Spinning the ATV around, John stopped and asked over his shoulder, “How was that for you?”

Alyssa straightened to meet his eyes, dropping her chin on his shoulder. All she could do was give John a cheesy smile and nodded. How was that? That was fun as hell!

John’s smile nearly hit his eyes. “That was only a prelude for what’s to come. Just wait. It rained all week which means lots and lots of muddy holes. Me and my buddies come out here when it rains like it did. Think you can handle it?”

“Try me.”

Before he realized what he was doing, John leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Down shifting, he drove them into the empty muddy field. There were trees planted sporadically, pot holes everywhere—some big some small—and a pretty large lake right in the center. The opened land was unlike anything she had ever seen before. John told her it belonged to Ford’s father who turned it into a riding spot for him and his friends years ago. There was a maze of hills and trees to ride through. Tracks were set in the ground circling and overlapping to all the different routes they took. It reminded her of a giant sand box except made with mud. This place was a country boy’s dream.

Jace rode over with a longneck beer in one hand while the other steered and parked right next to them. “What the hell took you two so damn long? We’ve been waiting for an hour now.”

Alyssa tensed and John felt it. “I had to convince this one to go,” he hitched his thumb over his shoulder at her. “Once she agreed, I had to explain that her sparkly glitter sandals weren’t going to work. Told her to get rid of them. That was an ordeal in itself. Man, you know how girls are … She had to put make up on, do her hair, paint her nails,” John joked.

Alyssa smacked his side and stood. “He’s such a liar.” She went to step down, but paused.

“Well, what are you waitin’ for? Step down,” Jace goaded.

Alyssa hesitated. The red clay looked like it would swallow her whole. It reminded her of quicksand. Maybe she should have worn boots? And maybe some jeans?

As Alyssa dipped her toe in the mud, she was nudged from behind and lost her balance. Instead of stepping into the mud, she swiftly stepped onto Jace’s ATV and into his arms.

“Looks like your girl is scared of a little mud, Johnny boy,” Jace snickered. Jace slid his arm around Alyssa’s slim waist and positioned her on his knee where she went willingly.

“I’m not his girl.”