Watermelon Moonshine | Rip Wheeler

Watermelon Moonshine - Chapter Two

"So, you stole a school bus?" Kayce laughed drunkenly, earning the same from Layla.

"On accident!" She defended herself, face palming.

Rip took a sip of his beer bottle, setting it down after. "How do you accidentally steal a school bus?"

Layla shrugged, nudging Camila. "You just do." She winked at Kayce. "Unfortunately we can't have any witnesses so..."

"Oh no." Kayce caught the look. "What are you gonna do to me?"

Layla leaned over from her seat, cupping her hands around his ear before whispering something only he could hear. But his face showed he liked what he heard. Then Layla reached for his hand, tugging him to portray she wanted him to follow her.

"Don't come to the motel room." She said as she passed Camila, Kayce trailing behind her. That left her and Rip alone at the bar.

"Last call!" The bartender shouted over the music and various conversations.

Rip took the final swig of his beer, setting it down before turning to Camila. "You wanna get out of here?" Camila was taken back, her eyebrows scrunching in her drunken state. "Not for that reason." He snickered teasingly. "I wanna show you around a bit."

She finished her drink before speaking. "At two in the morning?"

"You're not allowed in your room anyway." He shrugged. "Why not?"

She thought for a second, he was right, she had no where to go and not even a car to sleep in. "Sure." She nodded, agreeing. "Let's go."

After tipping the bartender, he guided her out of the crowded bar, holding the door open so she could pass through. She noticed the large truck parked in the front. "You work at the ranch too?"

"Oh." He said before nodding. "Yeah." She hummed, following him as he unlocked it and opened the passenger door. "Come on." He smiled. "Let's show you a good time."

She reluctantly trusted him, climbing onto the dusty passenger seat. Then he walked around, climbing into his own seat. "So, where are we going?"

"Leave that to me." He smirked. "It's a surprise."

"Okay, not serial killer-ish at all." She giggled, shaking her head softly.

"You're in good hands, darling." He shot her a reassuring glance. "Promise."

"I trust you." She agreed.

The town of Bozeman was beautiful during the early hours of the morning, peaceful and quiet. There was so much to look at it in such little detail, it was all so new to her. She looked to her left, finally observing Rip. Of course she had looked at him but it was so hard to read the details of his face because he was so intimidating. He looked so wild and beautiful, the freckles on his face fit his complexion perfectly. His eyes were a mix between blue and green, they complemented his black curly hair perfectly.

He caught her staring, grinning whilst turning onto a dirt road and out of town. The stars were unbelievably beautiful, the sky lit up like Christmas in July. All she could hear was crickets and occasionally water running through the mountains.

Before she knew it, he had parked. The bed of the truck was facing a lake, the moon reflecting on it made it so romantic and unreal.

"You like moonshine?" Her thoughts were interrupted by his question, he reached over to the glove compartment. As he pulled it open, she noticed a jar with red liquid in it. "The stores stopped selling alcohol at twelve, but I have this in here for special occasions. I don't necessarily like the taste but I like the buzz." He opened his door, gesturing her door with and nod. "Come on."

She took a deep breath, this was so out of her comfort zone. But she promised herself she would start taking risks. "Be a little more like Layla." She'd tell herself.

She reached for the door handle, pushing the door open and shutting it behind her. He was smiling from the back of the truck, pulling the tailgate open. "Come sit, darling." He offered his hand to help her jump up. "Our night is just getting started."

She sat, her hand falling to her side as she awkwardly looked out toward the body of water. "You alright?" He asked. She nodded in response and he popped the jar open. "Maybe this'll help your nerves?"

She reached for the offering, reminding herself not to smell it. She wasn't the type to drink liquor, she had never even heard of moonshine. But she nutted up and took a good swig. She felt her nerves ease up, as the liquid burned her throat.

Rip snickered teasingly at the face she made, causing her cheeks to grow red and warm. He reached for the mason jar, his fingers touching hers in the process. They both paused, their eyes meeting as they did. The contact was almost electric, they both felt it.

He offered her a polite smile, then brought the jar to his lips. He took a good sip, before sitting the glass down on the bed of the truck. He licked his lips, the eye contact still strong. "Wanna take a swim?" He asked. To which her eyebrows rose in astonishment and he snickered teasingly. "What?"

"It's pitch black out there." She looked out to the lake, cringing at the darkness. "What if there's a river monster or something?"

"This is a lake." He hopped down from the tailgate, shaking his head. "I didn't make it to twenty-four by being scared of life." He offered his hands. "Come on, darling." She contemplated it for a bit, before finally rolling her eyes and taking his hand. "That's my girl." He nudged her, beginning to tug at the hem of his shirt. She watched as he pulled it over his head, then proceeded to unbutton his jeans.

She quickly looked away mumbling a quiet apology for seeing his boxers. He laughed at her innocence before handing over his shirt. "Here, you can wear this."

She took the fabric from his grip and he walked away and toward the lake to allow her some privacy as she changed. She turned toward the truck, setting the shirt down and shyly unbuttoning her jeans shorts. They fell to the ground and she pulled her top over her head, eager to get some coverage back on.

As she reached for the shirt, she heard a splash and obnoxious laughing. "Fuck it." She muttered, dropping his shirt on the tailgate and booking it for the lake.

She reached him at about waist deep and he pulled her toward him. "You're so brave." He encouraged. "Look at you, in the lake at almost three AM with a stranger."

"Please don't make me change my mind." She chuckled nervously.

"I have an idea." He brushed the wet strands of hair from her face, tucking them behind her ear.

"What?" She questioned, titling her head to the side at his adoring gaze.

"I can't wait anymore, sorry."

"Sorry for wh–"

He pressed his lips against hers.