Romantic - Enemies to Lovers - Forbidden Love
•✦───✧✦✧───✦•
In the peacetime following World War II, Jean Ward loses everything and is sent to live with her best friend, Clyde Mayberry, and his brood of brothers on his family's cattle ranch.
For a...
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•✦─Spring, 1957─✦• Jean, age 18 and 19
Laying in bed with Jory one early morning before the world awoke, Jean finally understood why people had linked the heart to the feeling of love.
It jumped when romantic words were whispered, it sped up when lovers' eyes met, and it felt an awful lot like it was being ripped out whenever two people desperately in love with each other had to part.
That was how Jean felt every morning when she left Jory, so she often tried to savor her time with him as much as she could.
That morning followed a similar tune. They were both awake but not ready to get up, basking in each other's warmth. Jory's arms were wrapped possessively around her, and Jean ran her fingers along every curve and dip of his face, memorizing him. When looking at him made her heart swell two sizes too big, she impulsively pressed a kiss to his cheek. His arms tightened around her.
"Mmm," Jory murmured, his voice raspy from sleep and eyes still closed. "Keep going."
Jean laughed softly, giving him another kiss, then traveling lower to pepper kisses along his neck and bare torso.
The wildlife soon began to twitter and moo and cluck outside, Jean sighing and propping herself up on his chest. "That's my cue," she told him.
Jory's eyes opened. "No," he protested. "You're staying here."
Jean smiled, her hand coming up to cup his face, her thumb rubbing across the stubble on his jaw. "The others will be up soon."
"Five more minutes won't hurt."
"My, someone's being more reckless than normal," Jean taunted, lifting herself from the bed. "I guess I need to be the responsible one here and go ahead and leave—"
Jory reached out and wrapped an arm around her, yanking her to him. Her back met his chest as he nuzzled his face in the curve of her neck.
"Jory!" Jean protested in a hushed whisper, laughing. "You're being ridiculous."
"I don't care," he said against her skin. "I want to hold you for a bit longer."
It didn't take much for the fight to leave Jean and let her melt against his embrace. She was comfortable enough for sleep to beckon to her, though a girl could hardly sleep with so many butterflies fluttering in her belly.
Even so, she rested her eyes, telling herself she'd get up when she could see the sunlight from behind her eyelids—but it ended up being her ears that roused her.
Footsteps bounded up the stairs, Jean jerking in Jory's arms. "Jory," she whispered, trying to wriggle free. "Someone's—"
The door flew open. "Jor, you need to get up, Pa wants—"
