Freedom

Chad's words were sweet, but Rosalyn does shake her head a little. No, she really didn't have anybody to go do things with. She wasn't sure when she'd started to feel trapped. She'd been homeschooled, but had then gone to high school and even took two years in college before going out and getting a job. From the outside, it wouldn't appear she'd been sheltered. Perhaps though, it was more of what had happened on the inside than out. Perhaps her feeling trapped had spawned from obligations at home - constantly being with her mother, whom she knew was lonely. Getting a job to help support herself and her mother - not just having her own place. Making very few friends because she was too busy and taught that taking care of oneself and family came before fun. Rarely leaving town or doing fun things because there were too many responsibilities at home. Missing out on parts of life because she'd grown up without a father. It's just... the way it was.

Then moving to the ranch a few years ago, the world had only gotten smaller. And perhaps while there were things about her previous life that she hadn't minded, as she grew older and her dreams grew bigger, it just proved to her how small her world really was. Maybe it hadn't been up until recent years that she had even outgrown that world. But now she had. Whether for a long time or just recently. And she did feel trapped.

Feeling Chad's hand on her face, she could feel her heart beat just a little faster again, but she can't help but lean a little into his touch. It was more than just a warm physical touch. In his hand was a strange form of comfort that Rosalyn didn't recognize, yet she craved.

Looking into his eyes, his words rang sweetly in her ears - and her heart. She knew that people here valued her. Her family loved her and she didn't doubt that. But coming from someone else... coming from a man outside of her family circle... it felt different. It felt like something she needed without even realizing it - a man's affirmation that she was worth something.

As Chad leans a little closer, Rosalyn doesn't move. He was so close she could feel his breath on her skin, and for a brief moment, she recalls their close encounter that morning in the kitchen.

His next words stun her. He was warning her - not asking. And even though she could feel her face growing ten times hotter, she felt glued in place. There was a part of her that felt petrified of being this close to a man, and she wanted to turn and bolt out the door. And there was a part of her that wanted to stay right here and find out just what a man's affections could be like.

Without any more time to think, Chad's lips were suddenly pressing against hers. That alone makes her pulse race, and she tenses, shocked by the sudden wave of tingles down her spine. But something kept her from pulling away. Intrigue. Mystery. Enjoyment.

As she feels his hand go to the back of her head and rake through her hair, her muscles automatically relax. One of her hands rises to rest against his cheek, perhaps wanting power should she decide to run, or perhaps just wanting to feel his face under her fingers again. Just beginning to lean into him a little more, she's suddenly being moved. Giving a little gasp of surprise, her hands go to his shoulders as she's set in his lap. Without time to react though, he was kissing her again. Letting her eyes fall shut, she felt as though she were melting. Everything about this... about him... was just... tantalizing. As his kiss becomes more... deeper, she feels awkwardly inept, never having been kissed like this before. But following his lead, she falls further into his embrace, returning the affection as she figures it out. In the back of her mind, she hoped that he wasn't disappointed that she obviously didn't know what she was doing, but being held so gently and warmly, she lets that worry slide.

Moving her arms around him, one of her hands cradles his neck, the other settling onto his strong back. And for a moment, the rest of the world simply didn't exist. The walls of her trapped existence were gone, and in this man's affection was freedom.