Chapter 13: Byte

BYTE

After dinner, Gabby and I went back to my house. Keegan asked if Gabby wanted to stay with them, but she declined, saying that her stuff was already at my place.

"I'm going to let Shadow out and put the chickens up for the night," I said.

"I'll come, too, and check for eggs," Gabby said.

I was throwing a ball for Shadow when I heard Gabby's footsteps crunching through the grass behind me. "Did they have any eggs?"

"Yes," she said, "but I found something else."

I turned to see Gabby holding a large black snake. For a brief moment, I didn't know what to say or do. Finding a snake in the chicken coop didn't surprise me, but the fact that Gabby picked it up and was holding it like a pet did. I opened my mouth to lecture her on the dangers of handling an unfamiliar snake, but she stopped me before I could utter a single word.

"I can identify all the venomous snakes in our area, and this isn't one of them. While I can't always give you the exact species of the nonvenomous snakes in our area, I can tell you this one is a gray rat snake. They are one of the most common snakes in our state and usually feed on rodents, though this one obviously just had one of your eggs," she said and pointed to the prominent egg-shaped bulge on the snake's body.

"I take it you like snakes."

"I do," she smiled. "Even the venomous ones, but I know to admire those from a distance."

"Good," I said and gestured toward the water. "Lakefront property comes with snakes. I've seen my fair share of copperheads around here, and even a few timber rattlers."

"I'll let you in on a little secret. If you don't want to come across a snake, look for them. I'm always looking for them, and this is only the third one I've managed to catch."

"How did you catch it?"

"This one was a piece of cake. They move a lot slower after a large meal."

"What are you going to do with it?" I asked.

"I'm going to let it go. Will you take a picture first?"

"Sure," I chuckled and snapped a few pictures of her posing with the snake.

"Thank you," she said and walked over to the trees to let her snake friend go.

I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was smiling, and it was the first time I'd seen her really smile since her whole ordeal began.

"I'm going to go inside and wash my hands," she said and pointed toward the house.

"We're right behind you," I said and followed her and Shadow inside.

"In case I haven't told you, you have a great place out here. It's exactly the kind of home I hope to have one day."

"Thank you," I said sincerely. I chose my house for me, but it was nice to know that Gabby liked it, too. "Where do you think you'll end up when you finish school?"

"It'll depend on where I can find a job. Hopefully, I'll be able to find something in Croftridge or nearby."

"What about Patch's place? I'm sure he'd hire you," I suggested.

"I can't say I haven't thought about it, but I'd never know if he hired me because of my skills or because I'm a club kid."

"You don't have to worry about that with Patch. Being a club kid might give you an advantage in getting an interview, but he wouldn't hire you if he didn't think you'd be a good fit, and he certainly wouldn't keep you around if you weren't doing a good job," I explained.

"I'll keep that in mind."

"You could also open your own practice in Croftridge," I suggested.

"Maybe one day," she said. "I need to get a few years of experience under my belt first."

A loud, rolling rumble of thunder woke me. I started to go back to sleep when I heard footsteps on the stairs. I got up to investigate and found Gabby tiptoeing down the stairs with Shadow not so quietly following along behind her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she said.

"You didn't. The thunder did. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just going to sleep on the couch," she said.

"Because of the storm?"

"Uh, yeah. It's pretty loud up there. I thought I'd sleep better down here."

I grabbed her hand and gently tugged. "You can sleep in my room."

"Byte, I—" she started.

"It's not a big deal, Gabby. It's not the first time we've shared a bed."

"What?" she asked, sounding surprised.

"Where do you think I slept when you spent the night in my room at the clubhouse?"

"I didn't really think about it," she admitted.

"And we took a nap together when you were sick."

She climbed into bed beside me but seemed uncomfortable. I wasn't sure if it was me, the storm, or something else.

After several minutes of awkward silence, I decided to address the issue. "I can practically hear you thinking over there. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly," she said.

"Remember when we agreed to tell the other if something bothered us?" I reminded her.

"Fine," she huffed. "You kissed me, said we'd talk about it later, and haven't mentioned it once."

I rolled onto my side and propped myself up on my elbow. "Technically, you kissed me."

"Semantics," she said and made a dismissive motion with her hand.

"I haven't brought it up because I haven't had a chance to."

"You have a chance now. What did you want to talk about?" she asked.

I exhaled heavily. I knew I had to choose my words carefully. "I'm a lot older than you."

"Really?" she gasped and feigned surprise. "I had no idea."

"Seriously, Gabby. Have you thought about this?"

"I don't care how old you are, Byte. I care about what kind of person you are, and from what I've seen, you're a really good guy."

I wondered if she'd still think I was a good guy if she knew the truth about my past.

"But I understand if you have reservations about someone as young as me," she said.

"Gabby," I started. We weren't as far apart in age as she thought we were, but I couldn't tell her that. Instead, I said, "Your age isn't an issue for me."

"Good," she said and leaned forward to press her lips to mine. This kiss started off slowly and tentatively but quickly grew in intensity.

I rolled on top of her and struggled to keep myself under control. I hadn't realized how much I wanted her until I was so close to having her.

She reached between us, grabbed the hem of her tank top, and pulled it over her head. Her braless breasts bounced free, and I groaned at the sight. I took one nipple into my mouth while my hand went to the other.

Gabby threaded her fingers through my hair and moaned. "Please, Byte."

I grinned against her skin. She was as worked up as I was. "Please what?"

"More. I want more," she said and shoved her pajama pants and underwear down her legs. She tossed them to the side and reached for the waistband of my boxer briefs. Once my cock was free, she wrapped her hand around me and rubbed the head of my dick against her slick slit. She lined me up with her opening and wrapped her legs around me to urge me forward.

It took everything I had to refrain from granting her wish and pushing into her. "Wait," I managed to say. "Condom."

"I'm on birth control," she said and tightened her legs around me.

That was enough for me. My hips surged forward, and I entered her in one fluid movement. She felt better than anything I'd ever experienced, and I took a few seconds to relish in the feeling.

When I started to move, she dug her fingers into my back and groaned. Before long, I lost what little control I had and was pounding into her. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Her eyes were closed, her mouth was open, and her tits were bouncing with each of my thrusts.

I sat back on my heels and draped her legs over my arms so I could get a better view. I almost lost it when she cupped her breast with one hand and reached down to rub her clit with the other.

"Don't stop. Don't stop," she panted.

I didn't want to, but it wasn't going to be long. She felt too good.

I almost sighed in relief when I felt her body tense, and she came. I waited until she was finished before I picked up the pace and found my own release.

I dropped down beside her and tried to catch my breath. "That was," I said and trailed off when I couldn't think of the right words.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Again?"

Well, who was I to say no?