Warnings: talks of parental abandonment, mention of the passing of a parent, a gross man (makes a vulgar gesture and is misogynistic af), angst, oral sex (m receiving), brief mention of a pain kink, a light size kink and unprotected sex
Plot: Harry is one of the newest recruits at your father’s rodeo. Everyone knows that you’re off limits, but that doesn’t stop Harry from making himself known to you. Over time you find yourselves harmlessly flirting with each other - even when you’re well aware it can’t ever lead to more. A night out at the local bar ends up having the both of you see things differently, and when Harry rejects you, you also push him away. Just when you’re unsure on whether or not things can be normal between the two of you again, something surprising happens.
Quick A/N: I’ll be adding this to my blurbs/one-shots for a while to stay ahead of everything, but just wanted to make note that I’m very much aware of the anonymous messages that have been sent out about me over the last few months. I’ve made the posts I feel are necessary to address the context of said messages, and they’re all still up on my blog if you wish to look into it. The reason I’m bringing this up is because if you have your anon feature on, and you interact with this post, you’ll more than likely end up receiving one (or many) because it seems like whoever is sending these is just going through the list of people who like/reblog my most recent posts. I’m so sorry to anyone who may receive, or has been receiving these messages, just because they interact with a post. As always, my messages are open if anyone wishes to discuss further 🫶🏻 I love you all, and I hope you enjoy ‘Qualified Ride’!
✪ • ✪ • ✪ • ✪ • ✪
Harry’s eyes scanned over the ranch he would now be living on. A couple of weeks ago, a rodeo had held an event for new recruits, and Harry, along with five other new riders, were selected to join the team. His long, ringed fingers curled over the steering wheel of his antique Ford truck, one that he had rebuilt himself, as he continued down the path towards the main area of the ranch. The owner of the rodeo, Cliff, had been more than gracious when it came to the new riders. Harry was immediately promised a nice two bedroom house that was on the land of this very ranch which wasn’t too far from the rodeo itself.
From what Cliff had told him, the ranch was family owned for several years now, which is why they had so many empty houses scattered across the land. That had resonated heavily with Harry considering he had come from a very similar background.
The deal was that the riders could live on the land for free as long as they continued to ride for Cliff, and if they helped out around the ranch as well. Harry had no problem agreeing to that deal. He had grown up on a ranch for most of his life with his grandparents after his father walked out. Harry didn’t have a single memory of his mother. His father was American. When Harry’s mother left him at only four months old in the middle of the night with no note, his father was forced to come back to America and live with his parents. His father had been living in London, trying to earn his way as a musician, and had traveled overseas for a change of scenery.
The older Harry got, the more his grandparents opened up to him about the struggles his father went through. His father was one who never really felt like he fit in anywhere, and he traveled along the US for some time before he settled on going overseas. As much as Harry’s father did love his parents, it never seemed like it was enough, and he refused to help them on the ranch. He saw the ranch as a deadend with no escape.
Harry on the other hand loved his grandparents’ ranch. He enjoyed going out and tending to the horses, feeding the few chickens they had and milking the cows. It was never a burden for Harry to take on that role once he was old enough, and when his grandfather got to the point where he could no longer help him, Harry never complained about having to do double the work than he was used to.
When his grandmother passed away, Harry knew that his grandfather wouldn’t be too far behind. The two of them had been in love with each other since they were sixteen years old, and they never knew a life without the other since then. It was only six months later that they were joined together again.
It was when they were both gone that he realized he never got close to mourning for his parents in the way that he did for his grandparents, and that’s because he knew deep down they were his true parents. Not his father and mother that abandoned him.
It was no problem for Harry to now take complete responsibility for everything once it was just him. He had hired a few hands to help him with certain tasks, but other than that, he was overseeing every part of the ranch.
However, that all changed one night when he woke up to orange and yellow blazing outside of his bedroom window, and he walked outside to see that most of the ranch had gone up in flames. It had been a particularly hot day that day, and Harry asked that all the hands put the bails of hay outside, and not in the barn, due to the chance of hot hay combustion. Unfortunately, one of the new hands didn’t listen, and one of the bails caught inside the barn.
Harry lost everything that night except for the farmhouse.
People in the small town came together to try and raise enough money to help Harry rebuild everything, but he declined. He had gotten some money back from the insurance company, but he didn’t want a new ranch on the same land. He wanted the ranch that he had grown up on with his two favorite people in the entire world. So for the past two years, he had been traveling across the country and engaging in various bull riding competitions throughout the United States.
He hadn’t even thought about joining an actual team until he saw the flyer that Cliff had put up on a bulletin board a few towns over. Harry was in between competitions at the moment, and when he saw the flyer, he figured why not give it a shot? He had been on his own for so long that he figured it might be nice to actually settle somewhere for a while.
When Harry arrived at Cliff’s event, he rode that bull like his life depended on it. The second he was off the animal and back on the sidelines, Cliff approached Harry and offered him a position on the team right on the spot.
It was a bit intimidating to know that he would be joining a team that was already a bit established, four guys still remaining from the previous one, but there was an excitement that festered in his stomach at the idea of actually making somewhere new home.
Once Harry reached an open area of the ranch where he saw other cars, he parked his truck and stepped out. His aviator sunglasses were perched on his nose, and the rocks crunched underneath his boots as he walked towards the main area with his hands resting on his hips. He was taking in all as he stood there. He hoped that he was making the right decision by trying to settle down somewhere for the first time since the accident.
“If you’re looking for Cliff, he’s rounding up some of the horses,” he heard someone say, and he looked over to see you.
Your hair was blowing in the breeze with sunglasses of your own covering your eyes as you walked past him - carrying a bucket of chicken feed in each of your hands. As you walked by, you could feel him watching you, and you glanced over your shoulder.
“You one of the new ones?” You asked as you came to a stop, and Harry nodded while tucking his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
“Yeah, I am. I stopped by to get the keys to my place from Cliff,” he tilted his chin down towards one of the buckets you were still holding. “Can I take one of those for you?”
You scoffed softly at him, but you let a smirk linger on your lips. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve been doing this since I was six years old. I’ve got it, cowboy.”
As you continued to walk away, Harry couldn’t keep his eyes off you. The way your dark colored flare jeans hugged to the rounds of your hips, and the curve of your ass. The way your black crop top clung to your torso. Harry had been here, there and everywhere, but he never saw something that intrigued him so quickly as you.
It was just a moment later that he felt a hand clasp down on his shoulder, and he looked over to see a guy around his age standing next to him.
“Word of advice - stay clear of that one,” the stranger stated. “That’s Cliff’s daughter, and she’s very much off limits. She doesn’t take shit from anyone to begin with though.”
“That’s his daughter?” Harry asked, and he looked back over to see that you were now entering the fenced in area that housed the chickens that were roaming about.
“Mhmm. That’s Y/N. And I’m Ryker,” the man held out his hand which Harry took - giving it a shake. “Let me go introduce you to Cliff, and then I’ll take you over to your house.”
✪ • ✪ • ✪ • ✪ • ✪
It had been a couple of months since Harry started to work on Cliff’s ranch, and he had become one of his best riders. He couldn’t count how many offers he had received from Cliff’s competitors in the hopes of getting him to jump ship. However, Harry didn’t want to be anywhere else but the ranch or the team he was already on. It had felt the most like home since his grandparents had passed.
Cliff was amazing. He treated Harry like one of his own, and Harry got along with all of the guys on the team.
The work on the ranch had come easy to Harry. As if he had never stopped those couple years ago. Although he loved the guys on the team, he was the one that never complained. He took everything in stride - no matter how strenuous. Over time, he was pretty sure that he found his way to this ranch for a reason. He had missed the lifestyle more than he realized.
There was just one thing that Harry wished he could change about the ranch.
He wished he could properly pursue you.
Over the past few weeks, Harry had obeyed the rules of behaving himself around you, but that didn’t stop him from making it known that he was there - that if you needed something, he was available. Shameless flirting had happened back and forth between the two of you, however, it was easy to see what Ryker had meant when he said you didn’t take shit from anyone.
He had seen you go off on some of the guys at the ranch, as well as some of the competitors that had come through. Most of the time you put people in their place if a joke had gone too far, or if someone had tried to tell you how to do the job you clearly already knew how to do. Harry’s favorite was watching you go off on the competitors though. It wasn’t common to see a girl working closely with riders throughout the rodeo circuit, so whenever new guys came into town for a competition, they would always try to make their move.
Harry could tell that sometimes you fed into a bit, but one wrong move, and you were happy to threaten to break someone’s hand or dump a bucket of ice water over their heads. No matter how much he knew you could handle yourself, Harry was there to check on you every time something like that happened, and although you brushed it off and acted like it was nothing, you really appreciated how he always looked out for you.
As much as you respected your father, and as much as you also knew that Harry respected him too, you couldn’t help but wish that line would be crossed between the two of you. You had never wanted someone like you wanted Harry. It scared you, if you were being honest. You loved your father dearly, but there was that part of you that knew you would cross that boundary, the only boundary he had ever put in place for you, if it meant you could have a taste of Harry Styles.
That’s why tonight, as you were out at the famous hole in the wall bar that all the riders frequented, even the competitors that were coming into town, you were keeping your eyes on exactly what you wanted.
Harry was standing by the bar with Ryker, as well as Vinnie, another one of the riders on your father’s team, and you watched as his ringed fingers wrapped around an ice cold bottle of beer. Your eyes were trained on the way his lips parted to take a sip after lifting it to his mouth, and the way his throat bobbed as the liquid made its way down. If anyone was focused on you, it would’ve been obvious where your sights were, but you were thankful that the friend you were with had slipped off to the bathroom for a moment.
“Something as pretty as you doesn’t deserve to be standing at this bar all by herself,” a voice you didn’t recognize rang in your ear, and you turned to see a taller man standing next to you.
The more you studied him, the more you realized he was one of the riders competing at your father’s rodeo this weekend, and you rolled your shoulders back a bit. You weren’t sure if he was aware of who you were, but the last thing you were going to let him do was try and intimidate you. Of course, you didn’t know if that was his angle, but it wouldn’t be the first time this had happened.
“I’m not by myself,” you shook your head. “My friend’s just in the restroom. She’ll be back any minute.”
You glanced back over to the end of the bar where the boys from the ranch were, and you could see that Harry’s eyes are now glued to you. It wouldn’t be the first time he stepped in when someone didn’t take the hint that you weren’t interested in whatever they had to offer, but for now, you had it handled.
“Well, I’m also here with some friends,” the man continued, and you tore your eyes away from Harry to look back at him. “And I haven’t been able to stop looking at you since I walked in. You care to join us for a bit?”
Just as you opened your mouth to answer, your friend, Kaia, popped up on the other side of you.
“Who’s this?” She asked while taking her beer back that was in front of you for protection, indulging in a long sip.
“Funny, I don’t know his name yet either,” you smirked softly as you raised an eyebrow at the stranger.
“I’m Sterling,” he stated as he rested a hand on his chest before pointing a finger from that same hand over to a couple of guys at a high top table near the jukebox. “That guy over there with the hat on is Maverick, and the other one is Colton.”
“Well, I’m Kaia. And this is Y/N,” your friend swung her arm around your neck as she pulled you into your side. “And we’d be more than happy to join you.”
Sterling smirked softly at the two of you. “Sounds good. Get yourselves another round on my tab, and then meet us over there, yeah?”
You kept your eyes on the man as he walked back over to his table before looking over to Kaia. “Why did you do that?”
“Oh come on, Y/N,” she rolled her eyes at you playfully. “You haven’t allowed yourself to indulge in one of the riders that are just traveling through in a long time. He’s also not bad to look at, and he also has a friend for me. It’s a win for the both of us.”
Sighing, you knew that Kaia was right. You hadn’t hooked up with anyone in months. You honestly couldn’t remember the last time you had ended up in someone’s bed. You never brought anyone back to your house given that you still lived with your father, but you were always careful about who you chose to go home with, and your location was always on for someone to see.
“You’re right,” you gave in as you turned around and flagged the bartender down.
You ordered another round of beers, and another round of tequila shots, on Sterling’s tab after pointing him out to the bartender so it was known that he was taking care of your drinks. Kaia and you tapped the shot glasses together and downed them before heading over to where Sterling and his friends were standing.
It was almost as if you could feel Harry’s gaze burning into you, but you didn’t dare to turn around and look at him. You knew you shouldn’t feel guilty about indulging in flirting with someone else right in front of him, however, it wasn’t like you and him could do anything other than flirting you did here and there. Between you and Harry it would always be just that - flirting. You deserved to allow yourself to take advantage of the opportunity to have something further, even if it wasn’t with who you truly wanted it to be with.
Sterling would be gone after the weekend, and you probably would never see him again. That was more than okay with you. That kept things easy. Simple. Since you were still actively working on the ranch with your father with no intention of leaving soon, that’s exactly what you needed.
As the night continued on, you had a few more shots and a couple more beers, and you were definitely feeling tipsy, but you were smart. You didn’t allow yourself to get full-on drunk, especially if you thought that you might end up going home with someone.
“I want to ride the bull!” You exclaimed as you pointed over to the roped off section with the soft padding around the mechanical bull.
Although Sterling was the one who had been giving you most of his attention, that didn’t stop multiple of the guys from his team from running over - wanting to be the one to get on that bull with you. You giggled at their enthusiasm, and you looked over to see Kaia raising a brow at you with a smirk.
“So many of you,” you shook your head as you rested your elbow on the table in front of you while cradling your chin in your hand. You lazily took a sip of your beer before humming with your brows raised - an idea hitting you. “I’ve got it! Arm wrestling competition. Whoever wins can get on the bull with me.”
With that you stepped off to the side with Kaia as you watched the game begin, and the two of you had to fight to keep your laughter down.
“Men are really so simple, aren’t they?” She commented as she leaned over to speak into your ear.
“They really are. Climbing all over each other to try and get a round in and compete.”
Although you hadn’t looked at him anymore since joining Sterling’s table, Harry was watching every bit of what was happening around you and Kaia. He wasn’t sure what the reasoning for the arm wrestling was, but he could tell that you were more than amused by the look on your face.
Almost a half hour had passed, and sure enough, Sterling was the one that ended up winning the final round of the competition. You shot him a soft wink as you started to make your way over to the bull, and just like he had been, Harry continued to keep his eyes on you. He could tell that you weren’t aware that Sterling had hung back a bit, but when he watched the man make an obscene gesture right in front of his crotch in front of his friends, as if he were jacking off and blowing his load all over your back, Harry saw red.
Slamming his beer down onto the bartop, Ryker and Vinnie jumped as Harry pushed himself away from the surface and started towards the bull. Since Sterling had decided to be an idiot by lingering back and making an ass of himself, it allowed Harry the opportunity to slip right onto the bull behind you since you had already taken your place.
Like hell he was going to allow that prick to get that close to you after what he had just seen.
“Thought you weren’t going to join me for a second there,” Harry heard your sweet voice as you pushed yourself back against him, but he knew it was that asshole that you were expecting.
Harry didn’t respond as the bull started to move, but he quickly wrapped his arm around your waist - the other reaching forward to grab the knotted rope between your legs. He heard a gasp leave your lips when you looked down and noticed the tattoos inked onto his arms, and soon he was looking into your wide eyes as you stared up at him.
Your eyes wandered over his face for a moment before the operator of the bull started to up the speed, and Harry wrapped his arm around you even tighter. Biting down on your bottom lip, you grabbed the rope underneath his hand while placing your other forearm over his - lacing your fingers together with your palm pressed against the top of his hand.
As the bull began to gain even more momentum, you couldn’t help but roll your hips back into Harry and you heard a groan rattle in his chest as he leaned down to press his cheek against yours.
“Be careful, Y/N,” he commented, but he knew you could feel the start of his hard-on pressing into the small of your back.
“I should be saying that to you.”
Harry hummed as he tightened his fingers to squeeze your own that were still intertwined with his. “Then stop grinding that perky little ass back against me, and my problem will go away.”
You could’ve moaned at his words as your eyes slipped shut, and you dropped your head back to rest against his shoulder. As the bull continued to move, you began to control Harry’s hand that had been resting on your stomach. You started to drag his palm over the top of your thigh, and then underneath your crop top so he could feel your soft skin against his calloused palm.
With the two of you being highly distracted, you knew that you weren’t going to be able to remain on the bull much longer as the operator was now really picking up the speed and the movements, but Harry’s grip tightened on you.
“You’re playing dirty,” he huffed as he gave your hip a slight pinch.
“Maybe I want you to play dirty back,” you nuzzled your face into the side of his neck, and although he was hot from the exertion of keeping you both stabilized, you could see the goosebumps cover his skin from your breath hitting against it.
It was only a second later that the operator took a sharp turn that neither of you were expecting, and the two of you flew off the bull - your body landing right on top of Harry’s. His arms wrapped around your waist on instinct, and your chests heaved up and down as you stared into each other's eyes.
“You good? You’re not hurt, are you?” Harry asked as one of his hands started to rub up and down your back - the other moving up to cradle your cheek.
“No, no,” you swallowed harshly. “I’m fine. Are you?”
“I’m fine,” he repeated your same words with a nod before he carefully rolled the two of you over.
You gasped as he was now slotted between your thighs, and you felt an ache flooding into your core from how desperately you wished you were both naked and in his bed upon finding yourselves in this position.
Harry forced you to wrap your legs around his waist after pushing himself up onto his knees - his body still hovering over yours. He securely placed both of his hands on your back before lifting you both off the ground, and your mouth gaped at the way he had chosen to get the two of you up from the mat.
After placing you back down on your feet, his hand remained on your lower back as you started back towards the main bar area, and your eyes widened as you saw Kaia making out with Colton in the corner. Sterling was already off with another girl at the bar, and you knew you shouldn’t be surprised given the circumstances. It didn’t bother you at all to see it.
“You ready to go?” Harry said into your ear so that you could hear him over the music. “I’ve only had a few beers. No shots. I can take you home.”
Your eyes met his once again, and you swallowed harshly when you felt his hand creep up to rest on the back of your neck - giving it a soft squeeze.
“Sure,” you glanced over at Kaia for a moment before looking back to Harry. “Let me just tell her that I’m leaving.”
Harry nodded. “I’ll be over by Ryker and Vinnie.”
The two of you separated, and you tapped Kaia on the back awkwardly as she had her tongue lodged down Colton’s throat. When she turned to look at you, you could see the spit all over her lips and you grimaced. “I’m heading out, I just wanted to let you know. Are you okay getting back by yourself, or do you want to come with? I’m sure Harry wouldn’t mind giving you a ride home too.”
“Oh, you’re going with Harry?” Kaia wiggled her eyebrows at you, and you scoffed.
“It’s not like that. He offered because he hasn’t been drinking like the rest of us, and I trust him to get me home safe. That’s all.”
Kaia hummed as she gave you a skeptical look before shrugging. “You keep telling yourself that, but to answer your question, I’m good. I think I have a ride home. Text me when you get back to yours, and I’ll text you when I get back to mine.”
Nodding, you gave her a quick hug before heading back over to Harry. You could see he was closing out his tab while Ryker was saying something to him - both of them standing. Harry wore an expression you hadn’t seen before, and you saw a glimmer of concern in Ryker’s eyes.
You cleared your throat as you approached the two of them, and forced a tight smile despite how uneasy both of their appearances made you feel. “You ready?”
Ryker glanced over at you before looking back to Harry, as if he were waiting for Harry’s response just as much as you were.
“I…uhm…” Harry trailed off as his eyes remained on the bar in front of him, and you felt your heart sink.
You knew what was going on here. Ryker had told him not to take you home because of your father. You’re sure he didn’t want you or Harry to get in trouble, but you didn’t expect anything further from Harry from just a ride home.
Had he wanted more?
“Right,” you sighed sadly as she rapped your knuckles against the bartop. “Have a good night, Harry. See you boys at the ranch tomorrow.”
Shaking your head, you started towards the entrance of the bar without bothering to look at Harry or Ryker again. You fought the tears that burned in your eyes. You didn’t cry. That wasn’t you, and you especially didn’t cry over boys.
You thrusted the door to the bar open with your palms, sucking in a deep breath of fresh air in your lungs as you tried not to overthink everything that had just happened. Your mind was reeling - trying to put every little piece together to figure out how your night ended up like this. Right now you would’ve been attached to Sterling’s hip, probably making out with him like Kaia was with Colton had Harry let him up on the bull behind you.
But no, Harry hadn’t let him. You weren’t mad that Harry took his spot, not in the slightest, but now that he had brushed you off, you were definitely frustrated. Had he not done that, you would’ve probably been guaranteed at least a subpar orgasm.
“Y/N,” you looked over to see Harry walking out the door you had just gone through and you shook your head. “Look, I just-”
“Stop,” Harry did just that, both physically and with his mouth, but he continued to stare at you. “I get it. Just a simple ride home could look like whatever someone wants to make it out to be. If someone wants to try and flip it to make it seem like you took me home for a reason more than just being a gentleman, it could ruin things for you.”
Sighing, Harry ran his hand up and through his long curls as he shook his head. “Ryker was just saying how there’s a lot of snakes around here - guys who have wanted to be on your father’s team, but didn’t make it. He told me that they would do anything in order to try and free up a spot and weasel their way in. By one of them seeing you get into my truck with me, that could be what they use to get me kicked off.”
You knew that he was right. There were several guys that had tried to make it on your father’s team time and time again, but they weren’t good enough. Plain and simple.
“Again, I get it,” you nodded as you crossed your arms over your chest. “Just go back in, Harry. You’ve probably already got them all talking by just being out here with me. I’ll be fine getting home.”
The bar wasn’t too far from the ranch, and even though it might take you a little under an hour to get home, you weren’t worried. No one messed with anyone out here. Besides, you could use the fresh air and a nice long walk to clear the thoughts rushing through your head.
Once you turned away from the entrance of the bar and started towards the barely paved road, you could hear that Harry was heading the other way. You knew that you had told him to go, but there was a big part of you that hoped he would give everyone else the middle finger. That he would take whatever would come of it with your father, and explain that nothing had happened, because truly nothing would.
Although there were people around you when you were both on the bull, it was dark, and you were certain no one saw the way you had been guiding his hand, or the way he was hard against your back. They may have seen what happened once you both landed on the mat when the bull had thrown you off, but that happened without either of you planning it.
The sound of rocks crackling under tires caught your attention, and you looked over your shoulder to see Harry leaving the bar, but going the opposite direction of the ranch. You found it odd, but at the same time, you couldn’t allow yourself to dwell on it.
Maybe he was going to grab a drink at a bar that didn’t contain so many people that knew him, where he lived, or who he rode for. Maybe he had been seeing someone that you didn’t know about and they lived on the other side of town. Regardless, it wasn’t your business what Harry did, and you had to remind yourself of that.
You walked for a few more minutes as you came to a fork in the road where it continued going straight towards the ranch, and then off towards the right to a backroad. As you approached it, you saw headlights coming, so you stopped before crossing over the fork. Once they got closer, you could see that it was Harry’s truck, and he rolled down his driver’s side window.
“Please get in, Y/N,” he said, and you could see in his eyes that he was practically pleading for you to do so.
Biting down on your bottom lip, you dropped your arms from where they were crossed on your chest, and you walked around the front of his truck to the passenger side. You slipped into the seat and buckled your seatbelt as he started back down the main road.
“You didn’t have to pick me up, you know? I didn’t mind walking.”
“I never intended on you walking to begin with,” he stated as he reached forward to turn down the radio a bit. “Went the opposite way out of the bar so I could cut down the backroad and pick you up without others seeing. That way they couldn’t try and create some narrative between us and go running to your father.”
You pursed your lips to the side as you hummed - staring out the window as fields upon fields passed underneath the moon. It was going to be a full one later this month, and you couldn’t wait. You had mentioned a time or two to Harry how much you enjoyed viewing them in one of the back fields of the ranch to have an unobstructed view.
“Why’d you get on the bull with me?” You asked after a few more moments of silence, and then you turned to look at him.
You could see the way that Harry stiffened slightly at your question, and he glanced over at you for just a second before looking back to the road.
“I had seen you with that guy all night, and I was fine, but then you walked to go get on the bull and he made this vulgar gesture behind you with his hand for his friends to see,” Harry’s hands tightened on the wheel. “I wasn’t going to let him get close to you again.”
With your brows raised, your lips parted when you heard Harry’s explanation. You truly had been oblivious to Sterling making any sort of gesture when it came to you. Part of you wanted to ask what he did, but the other part of you didn’t want to make Harry even more upset by making him tell you.
“Well, thank you,” you reached over to rest your hand on his forearm. “I really appreciate you always looking after me, Harry. I know most of the time you observe since you know I can handle my own, but those times when you do make it a point to check in on me, or step in, it really means a lot.”
No one had ever done that for you except for your father. You had dated a lot of duds in the past that were happy to make you the butt of a joke if they thought it made them seem cooler to their friends. The same friends that would then think they could make fun of you as well because they witnessed your boyfriend doing it, so why wouldn’t they be able to do the same? You learned early on that you had to be your biggest defender if your father wasn’t around.
Harry’s eyes slipped down to take a peek at the skin to skin contact that was happening between the two of you, and you watched his chest swell as he took in a deep breath. “Like you said, I know you can hold your own, but I like looking out for you. I like you knowing that I’m there for you if you need me. I want to be that person for you.”
Soon you were turning into the main driveway of the ranch, and you glanced at the house to see all the lights were off. That meant your father was asleep, so there was no chance of him recognizing Harry’s truck as you knew he wouldn’t be looking out the window. You felt Harry shift the vehicle into park as you looked back over at him - only the light from the night sky making the two of you visible to each other in the cabin.
“Well, thank you for the ride home,” you reached down to unbuckle your seatbelt. “I really appreciate it, and I’m sorry if I acted like a bitch back there in front of Ryker by storming off. I’ve just lived with people watching my every move for a really long time. I know that Ryker means well, but it gets really exhausting. It kind of hurt that you were getting roped into walking on eggshells around me too.”
“I’m sorry,” Harry reached out to stroke his fingertips across the back of your hand that was resting on the bench between the two of you. “The last thing I would ever want to do is hurt your feelings, Y/N. I hope you know that.”
Sucking in a deep breath, you shifted a bit closer to him and you placed your palm over his thigh. “I do.”
With the sides of your arms now pressed together, you realized just how close your faces were to one another. Your eyes followed the same patterns, looking over each other's faces before starting to lean in. Just as Harry’s top lip brushed against yours, you heard him suck in a deep breath and he pulled away.
“I’m sorry, Y/N,” he shook his head as he rested his elbows on the top of the steering with his eyes closed - pinching the bridge of his nose between the pad of his thumb and his index finger. “You know that we can’t.”
The flush of embarrassment radiated all over your body as you quickly moved yourself to the other side of the truck. Your shaking hands fiddled with the door, but you finally managed to get it open before practically flinging yourself out of the vehicle. You knew that you should have said something to him, but you didn’t know what. Your mind was muddled as you raced onto the front porch, and you didn’t even dare to look back to see if Harry was still sitting there watching you, or if he had already started down the way towards his own house.
✪ • ✪ • ✪ • ✪ • ✪
It had been a couple of weeks since the events of the night out at the bar with Harry. You were currently avoiding him, and the only time the two of you had spoken was when you had some choice words with Sterling the weekend after he had hit on you. The stakes for the rodeo that weekend were high, and it became obvious that from the time at the bar to the time at the competition, Sterling had found out exactly who you were.
You had been helping some of the guys get ready on the outskirts of the arena when you heard his familiar voice starting to talk about you.
“Lucky for me I didn’t go home with this one the other night. After she had been drooling over me the whole time, I saw her going to leave with some long haired fuck and then someone told me who she was,” you stopped walking upon hearing him. You knew he wanted you to hear him, but his words shocked you. “Couldn’t imagine sleeping with someone who has a hand in my competition.”
Forcing your sunglasses onto your head, you made sure that you made direct eye contact with Sterling. “Funny you say I was the one drooling over you all night when it just so happens that you were the one who approached me. Also, the person you saw me leaving with has more respect for women in his pinky finger than it seems you do in your entire body, and that will always win a woman over. I suggest you try learning from his example.”
When you started to head back in the direction you were originally going, Sterling spoke again. “The girl I ended up going home with was way prettier than you. I only approached you because you seemed easy, and sure enough, you fed right into my charm once I came up to you. Sometimes when you’re scoping out the bar for a while, and you land on a ‘butterface’, you have to do what you have to do.”
That last comment set you off, and you quickly turned on your heels and were charging back towards Sterling with your hands clenched into fists. You didn’t give a fuck how this would reflect on your father, or the riders on his team, if you were to clash your knuckles against one of his cheekbones. No one spoke to you in that nature and got away with it.
“You little fucking-” But as soon as your fist was raised, aiming straight for his face, you felt an arm wrap around your waist and it started to pull you backwards.
“Y/N, don’t do this,” you heard Harry’s voice bleeding into your ear as his other arm then came around to pull you back even further. “He’s not fucking worth it, and I’ll take care of this.”
Although you were fighting against Harry’s hold, he was stronger than you, and he had managed to drag you all the way to the section of the arena that was for your father’s riders specifically before letting you go.
“You should’ve let me hit him!” You exclaimed with a shake of your head. “He may not have been worth it, but he fucking deserved it.”
“And I’m not disagreeing with you there, but you’re better than that, Y/N. Don’t stoop to his level.”
Rolling your eyes, you crossed your arms over your chest. “I really don’t care what you think I am or am not better than anymore. You don’t have to continue following me around and stepping in for me. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”
“Funny you’re saying all this to me now when just a few nights ago you were telling me how much you appreciated me being there for you,” Harry scoffed.
“Yeah, well that was before I realized that you're the person I need to protect myself from the most. Just leave me alone, Harry.”
Since then, you and Harry hadn’t spoken, and you did a good job of making sure that you didn’t cross paths with him. However, now you had started to feel guilty considering the dust on the whole situation had finally settled. Harry didn’t deserve for you to speak to him that way just because he embarrassed you by turning you down. You knew he was right to pull you away from Sterling, and you also knew he was right to make it clear you couldn’t cross the line you both so desperately wanted to.
Tonight you were standing on the sidelines at the arena, and you could see Harry getting ready to ride - throwing one leg over the antsy bull in the bucking chute. Unlike a lot of the other riders, Harry never wore a hat, he would just pull his long hair back into a bun which caused him to look more delicious than ever. The other riders in this competition had done well, but with Harry’s history, you knew he had the capability to take it all by storm. You wished that he would, and then you would go to congratulate him and apologize.
It was in the blink of an eye that the gate opened, and the bull Harry was riding went flying out. You watched as his thick, toned thighs pressed down against the sides of the animal as he moved his body the best that he could with the erratic movements. You were holding your breath without even realizing it as you tried your best not to focus on the clock keeping Harry’s time. You were only trying to focus on him. Harry was good, there was no doubt about that, but given that the competition today was at your father’s rodeo, it was a big deal that all the riders on the team did well.
It felt like the longest eight seconds of your life before Harry’s ride ended, and it was deemed that he had stayed on the bull for a full eight seconds. It was also determined he only ever used one hand and didn’t touch the bull or the ground with his free arm. His ride was quickly classified as a ‘qualified ride’ and his score ended up being the highest on the board.
Your hands cupped around your mouth and you cheered in celebration of such a successful round. Harry’s eyes flicked over in your direction, and you dropped your arms by your side. It was the first time the two of you had laid eyes on each other since you told him off. Sending him a soft smile, you waited for him to return it, but instead he looked away from you and went in the opposite direction.
As much as that caused your heart to sink, you couldn’t fault Harry. You were more than cruel the last time you spoke to him, and truly, if he never wanted to go back to the way things were, you’d understand.
Sucking in a deep breath, you wiped your sweaty palms onto the denim shorts that covered only half way down your thighs before leaving the sidelines. You knew you needed to talk to Harry, but you knew he was on a high from his almost guaranteed win, so you decided you would give him some time.
After about thirty minutes, you walked towards the back of the arena where the riders hung out after the scores were finalized. You rounded the corner to where you knew Harry’s station was set up, and as you approached, you saw him speaking to a girl with sandy blonde hair. As you studied her, you realized that you recognized her. She was known around the town as the girl who hooked up with just about any bull rider - local or not. You didn’t fault her for that, to each their own, but jealousy began to spread throughout your limbs as you watched the interaction.
Once you knew you couldn’t watch them any longer, you turned around and started to clean up around some of the other stations of the riders who had already left. It wasn’t until you heard a chuckle that you realized you weren’t alone.
“What are you up to, Y/N?” Your father asked, and you looked over to see him leaning against a pole with his arms crossed.
“Just tidying some things up,” you replied as you forced a smile, and you quickly pulled your sunglasses down to cover your eyes.
“I see the way you look at him like a lovesick puppy when you don’t think other people are watching.”
Your father’s words caused you to pause, and you took in a deep breath as you tried to figure out your next move. Should you rebuke his claim? Tell him that he’s wrong? Or do you admit to it?
“What do you…I don’t-”
“You do, Y/N, and I see the way he looks at you too. Like you’re walking on fucking water,” it was quiet for a bit as you avoided looking over at him. “Do you like him?”
You glanced back over to the fence where Harry was standing to see that he was still entertaining the same girl, and you licked over your bottom lip before continuing to busy yourself. “Can’t you see that he clearly has his hands full?”
“Not what I asked. Do you like him?”
Stomping your cowboy boot covered foot, you finally looked over to your father. “Doesn’t matter if I do. You’d never let me near him.”
“Sweetheart, I-”
“No, Dad,” you shook your head. “For years you’ve scared everyone away from me, and that didn’t really bother me until now. And he’s been warned by everyone that I’m unobtainable, and to not even try. For once…”
You could feel the tears burning in your eyes, and you were grateful that you had pulled your sunglasses down now.
“For once what? I need to hear you say it.”
Looking over one more time, you now saw Harry and the girl with their phones out - clearly exchanging numbers. Your shoulders slouched as the repercussions of your actions really took hold, and you completely turned away from the two of them.
“Nothing. Just forget we had this conversation, please.”
You stalked away from the area, wanting to get away from the arena as fast as possible, but little did you know that your father lingered behind.
He continued to observe Harry and the girl that had gotten under your skin, and once Harry slipped his phone in his pocket, and the girl walked away, he stepped forward.
Cliff almost felt bad as he approached the boy, watching as a large smile spread across his face, and he was sure that Harry thought he was coming over to congratulate him on his win.
“Look, son, I need you to be straight with me,” the smile instantly fell, and Harry changed the position of his body so he was no longer relaxed and leaning his weight on one of the fences. “You know I’ve been good to you since you’ve been here, and I treat you like one of my own considering how respectful you are, so I need you to be honest. Do you have a thing for my daughter?”
Harry’s eyes were darting back and forth between Cliff’s, and he watched as the boy started to flush.
“This isn’t a trap, Harry.”
Clearing his throat, Harry nodded. “Yes, sir, I do. Your daughter…she’s beautiful. Y/N is unlike any girl I’ve ever met.”
“I’ve never seen my girl look at a boy the way she does you,” Cliff said honestly. “She doesn’t get hung up over boys like this.”
It remained silent before Cliff continued to speak. “I’ve done my best to protect her from the boys around here because I remember how I used to be when I was your age, but I have to keep reminding myself that she’s grown. I can’t shelter her forever. I see the way the both of you look at each other.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“Harry,” Cliff chuckled as he walked forward, and he placed a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I’m saying all this to let you know that if you would like to pursue my daughter, you have my blessing to do so. But I need you to hear me loud and clear when I say this.”
He could see that Harry swallowed harshly. “Yes, sir. Anything.”
“You will not play games with her. Either you’re all in or you leave her alone. Do you understand? That’s my little girl. The only thing I have left outside of this rodeo and the ranch, and I will not allow her to get hurt more than she already is.”
Harry knew a little bit about your mom, and how she had passed when you were younger, but he never pressed about it. He figured that you, or Cliff, would talk about it whenever you felt comfortable enough. And even if the both of you never did, that was also okay with him.
“I truly am only interested in your daughter,” Harry nodded. “Yes, I just gave that girl my number, but…I didn’t know I could have what I really wanted.”
Cliff threw his head back with another laugh. “Like I said, I was your age once, I get it.”
“Now that you’ve told me I have a chance with Y/N, I’ve already forgotten that girl’s name,” Harry blushed while running his hand over the back of his neck.
“Good,” Cliff gave one more good pat to Harry’s shoulder before dropping his hand. “Now, I’m going to head home. You tell my daughter if she doesn’t come home tonight, that she needs to text me. I’m certain you’ll see her.”
With a wink, your father walked away and Harry stood there almost dumbfounded. Never did he think he’d see that day that Cliff finally allowed anyone to date you, let alone him. He knew that he needed to straighten up and find you as soon as possible.
After changing into a pair of fresh black jeans and a plain white shirt, Harry hopped into his truck and started towards the usual bar. His palms were sweating against the steering wheel on the drive over as he tried to figure out what he was going to say. He felt like a right dick earlier when you had cheered him on, and he just looked at you before looking away, but he just wasn’t sure where the two of you stood.
At this point, you both had hurt each other's feelings, and he was going to do everything he could to get the two of you back to where you were before - at the very least.
With rocks flying out from under the treads of his tires, Harry parked his truck in the parking lot of the bar and walked inside. His eyes raked over the crowd in front of him, and soon his sight landed right on you.
You were standing at the bar by yourself with a beer and a shot of clear liquor in front of you. The tip of your finger was lazily tracing over the rim of your shot glass as Harry forced his way through the sea of people, and once he got beside you, he turned his body to face your side - leaning against the bar top.
“How much have you had to drink?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.
Your eyebrows narrowed as you assessed him - scoffing slightly with your answer. “This is my second shot. I’m still on my first beer. Why?”
“Come on then.”
“Excuse me?” Now your eyebrows shot up on your forehead as you huffed a laugh. “Where to? And also, don’t you have someone else to entertain?”
“Y/N.”
Harry didn’t say anything else as he held your eyes, and you gulped a bit under his gaze. Taking in a deep breath through your nose, you downed your shot and threw back the rest of your beer as a chaser before allowing him to lead you outside with his hand resting on the small of your back.
Once you got outside, you pulled yourself away from him and took a couple of step backs to create some distance. “What do you want?”
“You,” Harry stated without hesitation.
You stared at him for a second before barking out a laugh. “Okay, very funny.”
“I’m serious. I want you. I talked to Cliff and-”
“Fuck,” you sighed. “He was really making his rounds today, wasn’t he?”
Harry tilted his head to the side, but he didn’t say anything as he stared at you.
“He talked to me earlier,” you cleared your throat. “He talked to me…about you.”
There was more silence as the two of you held each other’s eyes, and Harry slinked just a bit closer to you as he tucked his hands into his pockets. “Funny. He talked to me about you too - obviously.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter,” you shrugged. “I’m sure you have plans with that girl I saw you with.”
With a sigh, Harry reached out slowly to rest his hand on your hip - the pad of his thumb caressing the bone there. “I got her number, yes. But I don’t have any intention of using it. Not when I know that I can have who I’ve really wanted all along.”
“I don’t know,” you tried to fight the feeling that came with his hand being on you, and the way his touch was tingling your skin. “I’d feel a bit easy if I allowed myself to give in after what I saw.”
“Then I’ll work for it, Y/N. Tell me what I need to do in order to have you.”
Your mind was going a mile a minute as you tried to decipher all of your thoughts. This was what you had wanted for so long. For the two of you to admit that you wanted each other. To throw the rules away in order to have one another.
“I want it to be proper, Harry,” you told him as you stepped forward to close more space between the two of you. “The build-up. The dates. And if we figure out this is really what we both want - I want to be properly asked to be your girlfriend when the time comes.”
“I can do that,” Harry moved an inch closer. “I can do all of that for you.”
Biting down on your bottom lip, you held his eyes as you reached out to place a palm against his stomach. “Okay then,” you whispered. “My first demand is that you kiss me. Just one to hold me over for now.”
Harry smirked as both his hands now moved up to cradle your cheeks. “I think I’m more than capable of managing that.”
Not another second was wasted as he lowered his mouth down to meet yours, and you hummed as you felt the sides of his thumbs caressing your jawline. The kiss started out slow, and sensual - both of you getting the feel for the other. Soon you tilted your head just a bit while allowing the tip of your tongue to sneak out and prod at the seam of his lips. Harry let out a small groan in response before parting them for you, and soon his own tongue was rolling right against yours. You allowed yourself to bask in the moment for just a few more seconds before pulling away.
“My god,” Harry groaned as he dropped his forehead against your temple. “Your mouth is even sweeter than I imagined.”
✪ • ✪ • ✪ • ✪ • ✪
“I’ll be back tonight, and I’ve planned the evening for us,” Harry said to you on the phone as you leaned against one of the fences near the horses. “That sound okay?”
Harry had been out on the road with the team on and off for the past few weeks, so the two of you hadn’t been able to see each other much.
The night the two of you finally decided to give things a shot, thanks to the permission from your father, Harry drove you home and you indulged in another kiss before you hopped out quickly. You knew if you hadn’t that you would’ve asked him to take you back to his place instead of having him work for it. Since then, you guys had taken time to have a few minutes alone when he’d be working on the ranch, and you had grabbed a few quick lunches together, but Harry hadn’t been able to take you on the proper date that he wanted.
“Yeah, that sounds good, Harry,” you nodded as you bit down on your bottom lip to keep the wide smile you felt pushing in at bay. “Just make sure that Vinnie drives safe, okay? I need you back here in one piece.”
“Don’t worry about that. He’s already making jokes about how he has Y/N’s precious cargo on board, so he knows to not drive like he stole the damn truck as he usually does,” Harry chuckled, and you could feel the blush rising in your cheeks at the comment.
It wasn’t like you were trying to keep the guys from finding out about the two of you being together - if you could even call it that right now. You both decided that you didn’t really care who knew and who didn’t, but there had been a couple of times where the others had seen the two of you clearly acting differently, and they had put two and two together themselves.
“Well, I’ll see you when you get here. Just text me when you’re about an hour out from coming to get me, yeah?”
“Will do, baby. I’ll see you soon.”
Ending the call, you stared down at the blank screen as your stomach fluttered with excitement. You had been waiting for Harry to finally mention taking you out on a proper date, but you hadn’t faulted him for not doing so yet considering the busy schedule he was dealing with. You also knew that if you were to date him, he’d be gone a lot as well, so it was just all part of choosing to be with someone with his profession. It was something you’d have to get used to.
You finished up your day on the ranch by feeding and grooming the horses, and then you went back into the farmhouse to shower before your date. While you were in the shower, Harry had texted you that they were about thirty minutes out from the ranch, and that once he got home he’d freshen up and then come to get you - giving you the hour notice that you had asked him for.
It didn’t take long to set your hair in some long curls, but it did take you a bit of time to figure out exactly which outfit you wanted to wear. You weren’t sure what he had in mind, so you didn’t want to look too fancy, but you also didn’t want to look too casual.
Staring at yourself in the mirror, you ran your hands over your dress before picking up two pairs of boots to choose from. You decided on the lighter colored ones - slipping them on your feet and heading down the stairs.
Your father was in the kitchen preparing himself some dinner, so you knew that Harry had to be at his house getting ready by now considering your father had been traveling with all of them.
“You’re home,” you commented as you walked behind him - planting a kiss on his cheek. “How was the trip?”
Cliff looked over at you with a smirk. “I think you probably got a pretty good rundown on how things went down over the past week.”
Shaking your head, you smiled at him as you turned around to press the small of your back against the counter next to the one he was occupying. “I did, but from his perspective - not from yours.”
“It was good,” Cliff nodded as he continued to work on the sandwich he was making. “I think this is one of the best teams that I’ve had in years. They all get along really well. They’re all eager to help out here on the ranch as much as they can, and they all take their riding very seriously. I couldn’t ask for more out of them.”
“I’m glad, Dad,” you crossed your arms over your chest. “I know you had a couple of years there where all the guys wanted to do was give you trouble. I’m happy to hear that’s not the case anymore.”
“Not at all. I can tell each one of them respects me, and because of that, I respect each and every one of them.”
You opened your mouth to say more, but the sound of the doorbell ringing interrupted you. Your pulse quickened when you realized it was probably Harry coming to pick you up for your date. Cliff wiped his hands off on a dishtowel before heading towards the door, and you walked quickly back up into your room to grab your purse.
By the time you came back down, Harry, with his hair pulled back in a bun, was standing in the foyer of the farmhouse talking to your father. He was wearing a pair of dark blue washed skinny jeans with his boots and a black short sleeved button up with thin, white, vertical stripes covering it. You watched as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans - his tattooed bicep flexing as he did so.
“Hi,” you said as you made your way down to the last step, and he turned around to look at you.
“Y/N,” his dimples popped in his cheeks as he looked you over. “You look stunning.”
“Thank you,” you giggled while tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “So do you.”
Harry walked forward and placed his hand on your back as the both of you turned to look at your father.
“I’ll have her back by midnight, at the latest, sir,” Harry said while holding his other hand out for Cliff to take.
“You can have her back by then if you’d like, son, but she’s a grown woman. She can choose how long she stays out - if she wants to come home.”
Heat flushed over your neck as you realized what your father was alluding to, but you decided not to comment on it. You watched as the two men shook hands before Harry guided you outside to his truck. Once he opened the passenger door, and when you slipped up onto the bench seat, he remained standing there for a moment.
“What?” You bit down on your bottom lip as he cupped the top of your knee - rubbing circles against the inside of it with his thumb.
“Just really happy to see you again, is all,” he confessed with a small laugh. “I know we talked and FaceTimed a few times, but seeing your pretty face in person is always better.”
Taking in a deep breath, you took Harry’s face into your palms. “Kiss me, please.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.”
Harry leaned in and planted his mouth against yours in a short, but searing, kiss and you sighed happily through your nose as he pulled away.
“If I don’t stop right now, I’ll makeout with you, and I’d rather not have your dad witness that,” he smirked, and you shook your head playfully at him.
“Maybe later then.”
Harry hummed as he ran his nose along your jawline before pulling away completely now. “Definitely later.”
He rounded the front of the truck and got into the driver’s seat before heading back down the driveway of the ranch. The radio played lightly as he started down the road, and you could see that the sun was just beginning to set along the lines of trees fencing in the open fields.
“So, are you going to tell me what we’re doing? Or is it going to be a surprise?”
“A surprise,” Harry smiled over at you before taking your hand - locking your fingers together on the seat between the two of you. “But I think you’re going to be really happy about it.”
“Just being able to be with you tonight has made me happy, Harry,” you told him honestly as you gave his hand a squeeze.
Only a few minutes later, Harry was pulling off onto one of the dirt paths that journeyed through the middle of one of the fields. Once he passed the line of trees that blocked the sight of the remaining bit of field from the road, he turned to park his truck right in the middle of the open area.
“I decided tonight we’d enjoy the full moon. I know you’ve mentioned looking at them where nothing is blocking them. I figured this would be perfect,” he announced as he shut the truck off. “I’ve got everything we need in the back.”
You weren’t sure if you had ever felt your cheeks hurt so bad before from smiling, but you didn’t want it to stop. The fact that he had taken something you had casually mentioned, and locked it away in his mind, made your heart beat in a way you couldn’t explain. The words to respond to him escaped you as he got out, and he came around to help you as well before walking the two of you around to the bed of his vehicle.
Once he lowered the tailgate, he grabbed the large quilt he had rolled up and spread it out over the whole back of the truck. He turned around to wrap his hands around your hips before lifting you up and setting you back down in the middle of the bed. When he climbed in beside you, he helped you remove your boots, and then did the same with his own - tossing both sets down onto the ground below.
“I thought I remembered you saying that you didn’t like white wine, only red, so I brought a blend,” Harry stated as he zipped open a tote bag that was beside him. “But just in case, I brought a white as well.”
“You remembered correctly. I like red wine,” you told him as you watched him pull out two stemless wine glasses, and he set them down on the quilt between the two of you.
Harry uncorked the bottle and poured each of you a glass before putting a stopper into it and setting it off to the side. From there he began to pull other things he had out of the bag, and you saw that he had an assortment of vegetables, fruit and cheeses in different containers. He also brought out some different dips as well, and you looked over his face as he set everything up for the two of you.
“This is so sweet,” you complimented him. “No one has ever put this much thought into a date for me before. This is so…sentimental, Harry. Thank you.”
“Of course, Y/N,” he reached up to run the back of his fingers against your cheek. “I’m so happy that we’re finally doing this.”
“Me too.”
The two of you worked your way through the fruits and veggies, and Harry took note of how you left the cheese for last. Another small blurb of information about you that he tucked away into his brain as he figured you saved it for last because it was your favorite.
Once the two of you were finished, you both laid back and stared up at the stars and the moon - nothing blocking your view of the sky due to where Harry had chosen to park his truck. You were tucked into his side as he ran his fingers through the back of your hair, and you had one of your hands resting on his chest.
“This has been so nice,” you sighed before turning your head - nuzzling your face into the side of his neck.
“It has, hasn’t it?” Harry turned his head to press his lips against your temple.
Bringing your face back up, you moved your hand up from his chest to cup his cheek before pressing your lips against his. He hummed against them as he pulled you even more into his side, and eventually you rolled him onto his back so that you were laying on top of him.
“Y/N,” he whispered against your lips as you positioned yourself to properly straddle his lap.
“Please,” you pleaded, moving your mouths together for a bit longer before speaking again. “I want this with you.”
“Are you sure?” His hands started to run up and down your thighs underneath your dress - the tips of his fingers grazing the waistband of your thong. “I don’t want to rush this. I told you that I wanted to work for it, and you wanted it all to be proper. I want to give you everything I promised.”
“You have, Harry,” you replied without hesitation. “You’ve exceeded any expectations that I had with what you planned tonight. I’m more than sure that I want this. Are you?”
“Yeah,” a crooked smile pressed onto his lips. “I’ve wanted you like this for so long.”
“Then have me.”
Harry’s hand wrapped around the back of your neck, holding you in place so that your chest would be pressed right against his, and he tilted his chin to kiss you once again. It was like the two of you were moving in perfect sync as your lips parted, and your wine-stained tongues glided against one another's.
You moaned into his mouth when you could feel him hardening underneath you, your panties being the only thing separating you from the bulging denim pressed against your core, and you slowly rocked your hips. Harry whined as you sucked on his tongue all while grinding yourself over his lap.
“Fuck, Y/N.”
The whimpery tone of his voice had a delicious shiver vibrating up your spine as you moved your hands between the two of you so you could start to unbutton his shirt. Once you had it all the way undone, Harry lifted up just a bit so you could shove it off his shoulders, and then he pulled it the rest of the way off - tossing it to the side.
You had seen Harry without his shirt several times on the ranch, but something about now being able to run your hands over his inked, and sunkissed, skin had a hunger you had never felt growing. Smoothing your palms over his chest, you leaned back down to kiss him - all while your fingertips journeyed lower to start undoing the buckle of his belt.
“Trying to get me naked so quickly, baby?” Harry grinned against your lips.
“I just really want to see you,” you panted as you sat up fully. You watched as Harry reached down to his belt with one hand, the other caressing your thigh, and he pulled it through the loops of his jeans before having it join his shirt somewhere on the bed of the truck.
Something about seeing him rid himself of the belt one handed managed to turn you on even more, and you curled your fingers around the hem of your dress. You arched your back as you pulled it over your head - letting it drop down beside the two of you as Harry’s eyes wandered over the expanse of your torso. Your dress had allowed you to go without a bra, so there you were, straddling the most gorgeous man you’ve ever seen in nothing but your little lace thong. You could see that his throat bobbed as he took you in, and soon you felt his calloused fingertips dancing along your ribcage.
“I was going to make a comment about how we were a bit uneven when it came to clothing,” he started before looking into your eyes. His large hands enveloped your breasts, giving them a squeeze as you fought to keep your eyes open from how good he already had you feeling when he had just started to really touch you. “But now I’m the one who’s overdressed.”
A laugh left your mouth as you started to undo the button of his jeans - your bottom lip tucking its way between your teeth as you did so. You quickly pulled the zipper down, and then you and Harry shifted around so that he could remove them. You couldn’t help but laugh again as you watched him take a moment to organize your clothing so that he could properly move it out of the way.
“Should we just…” you trailed off as the two of you kneeled in front of each other.
Harry nodded, knowing what you meant without having to acknowledge it fully, and the two of you reached forward to rid the other of your underwear.
Now, completely naked in front of one another, you each took a moment to allow your hands to indulge in each other’s bodies. It was nothing overtly sexual - just becoming familiar with a body each of you had wanted to know for so long.
“You’re so beautiful, Y/N,” Harry whispered as he looked into your eyes. “I hope you know how much this means to me - how special it is that you’d let me see you like this.”
You felt as if you could cry with Harry’s sweet words, and you shuffled just a bit closer to him to have one of your thighs slotted between the two of his. With your chests pressed together, you held the sides of his neck in your hands while smoothing the pads of your thumbs over his jawline.
“You’re beautiful too, Harry,” you confessed, and you were sure you could feel his own heart beating against your chest. “I’m so happy to be doing this with you.”
As the two of you indulged into another kiss, you gently pressed your palm against one of Harry’s shoulders to have him laying back against the quilt once more, and then you straddled his waist just like you had been earlier.
“Wait,” he pulled away from you with a look that had a bit of panic. “I…I didn’t bring a condom. I didn’t want you think this is what I expected by doing all of this tonight.”
Curling your lips into your mouth, you started to slowly grind yourself over his length, and you watched as Harry’s eyes rolled back into his head. The groan that left him was like music to your ears as you stabilized your hands on his chest.
“I’m on birth control,” you told him as you peeked down to see his tip becoming visible every time you drew your hips back far enough. “But if you don’t feel comfortable, you can pull out.”
“You’d let me have you like that? For the first time?”
“Yeah, I trust you.”
Pressing a kiss to his collarbone, you carefully wiggled your way down to where your mouth hovered over Harry’s cock. You peeked up at him underneath your lashes as you took his shaft into your hand - beginning to work your palm over it. Harry let out another delicious whine as you took his tip into your mouth and swirled your tongue around it, and you hummed as you could taste not only him, but also yourself just from the little bit of grinding you had done.
You kept your eyes on him as you lowered your head, and you gagged just slightly once he hit the back of your mouth. Taking in a deep breath through your nose, you pushed further until you felt him slightly curving down your throat. The slickness between your thighs was growing as you heard Harry gasp while he gathered your hair into his hand to hold it like a makeshift ponytail.
“That feels so good,” he sighed as his eyes fluttered shut again, and you started up the motion of moving your head up and down his prick.
It had been a while since you had given someone a blowjob, but never did you have someone as vocal as Harry. He was definitely unlocking a turn on that you didn’t even know you had by how responsive he was being, and it made you feel that much more confident.
You knew that you had to look a bit messy with drool dripping down your chin, and the gurgling sound of when you tried to take him just a little too far, but Harry didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. Once he had opened his eyes to look at you again, it caused your stomach to clench in the best way possible. He looked at you as if you were the most gorgeous thing in the world - the most treasured thing. It was both sexual and romantic all in one.
Every now and then Harry’s hips would buck up, especially when you swallowed around him, and he’d murmur out a breathless ‘sorry’, but there was nothing for him to be sorry for. You enjoyed knowing that he was on the border of not being able to properly control himself, and you had never felt that way about giving head to a man before.
“Y/N,” Harry’s voice was strained as he said your name. “If you keep going, ‘m gonna come.”
You pulled off of him with your mouth, but you curled your hand around his slick shaft to continue working him. Licking over your lips, you straddled his waist and you positioned him right at your entrance - holding his eyes as you did so.
Slowly, you began to lower yourself onto his prick, and you moaned as just how much he was filling you when he was barely even inside of you yet. Once you had taken enough of him, you moved both of your hands to rest on his pecs while Harry gripped to your hips.
“Oh my god,” you babbled once he was fully sheathed inside you, and you gave yourself a moment to process all of it.
“You feel so good,” Harry’s voice cut through, bringing you back to reality a bit. “You’re so fucking snug around me, baby.”
Humming, you began to rock your hips back and forth, and you gasped at the feeling of him already hitting against your sweetest spot. Your nails dug into his skin, which caused him to hiss from the pain, and now you were the one to apologize.
“Sorry,” you said while quickly retracting your nails, and going to move your hands away.
“Don’t be,” Harry took your hands and placed them back on his chest. “I like a little bit of pain.”
“Yeah?” You looked into his eyes as you started to lift yourself up and down his shaft - letting out a soft laugh. “Good to know.”
Harry smirked up at you as his grip on your hips tightened even more, and he started to assist you with bouncing up and down on his cock. The jumping in your lower abdomen that would always start when you were on the brink of your orgasm made itself known faster than you were expecting, and you could feel yourself already starting to flutter around him.
“You’re squeezing my cock so good,” Harry commented, and you reached down to wrap your hands around his wrists - using it as extra leverage to ride him even harder. “Gonna have to try so hard not to come once you do. It’s gonna be so tight that I might lose my fucking mind.”
“Keep talking like that,” you pleaded as you tilted your head back, and Harry took a moment to admire the glow of you underneath the light of the full moon.
He had never seen something so beautiful, never had someone so beautiful clashing down against his hips - riding him in such a sultry way. He’d be a liar if he said he had never imagined what it would be like to have you in this very position with him, however, this was way better than he ever expected. Way better than any fantasy his mind had concocted.
“Yeah?” Harry journeyed a hand down to rub the tips of his index and middle fingers back and forth over your swollen clit. “There’s something about watching the way you take my cock, Y/N. Seeing how I practically split you open. It almost looks like you can barely take it.”
A whimper caught in the back of your throat at that last one. Another thing he was having you learn, you guessed.
You liked a man who had a size kink.
“Don’t you think so?” He continued. “I told you you’re so tight - squeezing me so nicely. It’s because your cunt’s so small, baby. Never had a real man fuck you before, have you?”
That was it for you. Your knees tightened against Harry’s hips, and your own stuttered as you surrendered and gave him all the power to keep moving you up and down his shaft as your orgasm took over. Even with your ears ringing, you could hear the grunt that fled from Harry’s lungs as he continued to rub over your bud, but he stopped moving you over him. You knew he had to do that to keep himself from coming, however, he still wanted to make sure he rode you through your climax completely.
Collapsing onto his chest, you felt Harry’s arms wrap around you. He held you tight as his fingers stroked your hair, and he pressed a kiss to your forehead.
“So good for me,” he whispered into your ear before sponging a kiss underneath it as well. “Fit right against me so perfectly, hm? Always knew we were meant to be together. No one fits together like this if they’re not made for one another.”
Once again he had your heart fluttering in the midst of still being so turned on. You lifted your head to look into his eyes, and he leaned up to have his lips pressing against your own. As you both took some time just to treasure the feeling of each other's lips with Harry still being inside of you, he cradled the back of your head in his palm, and still kept one arm around your torso, as he slowly turned the two of you over so he was now hovering over you.
“I have to tell you,” he whispered before pecking just your bottom lip. “Once I start again, it’s not going to be long before I come.”
“That’s okay,” you assured him as you ran your hands up and down his toned arms. “I think you’ve edged yourself long enough.”
That caused you both to laugh as Harry maneuvered himself around just a bit more so that he was perched on his knees, and your own were hitched up right beneath his ribcage - his hands cupping your abdomen in the same place. Biting down on his bottom lip, he began to roll his hips forward to be inside you fully once again, and you shuddered at the feeling.
You were a bit sensitive given that it had been a while since you had been with someone, and the fact that Harry was quite large, but in a way, it made it all feel even better. As much as you felt the overwhelming urge to close your eyes, you couldn’t bring yourself to miss out on what was happening right above you.
With every roll of Harry’s hips, you watched as the butterfly etched into his torso rippled, and the ferns that framed the delicious cock that was giving you so much pleasure vanished from your sight each time the bottom of your thighs would be flush against his body.
It was a stunning sight with the stars flickering in the open, dark sky behind him, and the moon just barely illuminating the two of you. This had to be the most beautiful, and romantic, situation you had ever found yourself in. You should have figured that Harry would be the one to make you experience something like this all during your first date together.
The slapping of your skin echoed just barely in the open field around you, considering the closest line of trees was pretty far back, so most of the sound just drowned out.
“You look so beautiful underneath me, Y/N,” he leaned down to press a small kiss against the side of your neck, and then the corner of your lips. “I don’t ever want anyone else like this.”
You reached up to loosely wrap your arms around his neck, reaching up to pull his hair out of the bun he had it in all night to let his long curls free. Your fingers ran through them for a moment before you let your nails scrap against his scalp.
“You won’t have to,” you whispered as you lifted your legs up a bit to rest your heels against his lower back. “Because I don’t ever want to be under anyone else. Just you.”
Harry choked out a moan at your words, and you pressed one of your heels down to have him delving into you even further. You could tell he was nearing his end with the way his thighs started to tremble, and the way he was beginning to lose his rhythm.
“Fuck, baby,” he mewled. “I’m about to come.”
You loosened the grip you had on him with your legs so that he could pull out, and you watched as he fisted his shaft - pointing his tip right at your glistening pussy. The way Harry’s eyes rolled as he tilted his head back up towards the sky had you clenching down around nothing. It was then you felt the warmth of the ropes of his come falling onto your cunt, and you couldn’t help but hum at the feeling. Harry gave himself a few more strokes before he lowered himself onto the quilt beside you, and he draped one of his arms over your waist as he pulled you into his side.
“I’ll clean you up in just a moment,” he leaned down to capture your lips briefly. “I just need a minute.”
“I’m in no hurry.”
After a few minutes of allowing your hand to run over his chest, and for his fingers to trail up and down your spine, Harry sat up and grabbed some paper towels from the bag he had packed with all the necessary essentials for tonight. He kneeled between your legs again like he had before, and he carefully lifted one of your legs and moved it to the side while his other hand wiped up his mess.
The two of you pulled your clothes back on, and as Harry helped you down from the back of the truck, he pressed his lips against your ear. “Come home with me.”
You nodded without hesitation and gave him a soft peck before he helped you into the passenger seat of the truck.
The ride back to Harry’s house on the ranch was silent, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. You knew the two of you were just basking in what happened just moments ago, and you knew it was a night you would never forget for as long as you lived.
When Harry pulled up in front of his house, he got out and once again helped you out of the truck as well, but once he closed the door behind you, he pressed you against it.
“Y/N,” he held your eyes as he massaged your hips in his hands. “I want you to be my girl. I want to be able to tell people that you’re my girlfriend. I want to be yours.”
If you already thought you couldn’t smile any harder after everything he had done for you tonight, you were wrong. Your cheeks were already aching as you hooked your arms up underneath his so that your palms were pressed against his shoulder blades. “I want to be yours too, Harry. There’s no one else.”
You were sure that the smile on Harry’s face had to match just how big yours was before he leaned down and locked your lips together in a passionate kiss.
One thing was for sure, as soon as you got home tomorrow, you needed to thank your father for finally seeing you as the woman you had grown into. He managed to lead you right into something that you knew would probably be the best experience of your life. Though, getting to be with Harry had you feeling certain that maybe your father had kept all the others away because he knew something you didn’t. That he knew none of them were right for you.
None of them until Harry.
✪ • ✪ • ✪ • ✪ • ✪
Taglist: @daydreamingofmatilda @prettygurl-2009 @ghoststyles @lillefroe @gem1712 @lemoncrushh @namoreno @mellamolayla @idklilili @angeldavis777 @michellekstyles @freedomfireflies @triski73 @daphnesutton @harrrrystylesslut @giitterysuits @finelinepie @hannah9921 @mema10 @fruity-harry @fangirl509east @babegoalsreads @madstyles3204 (if you’d like to be added to my taglist, please check out this post!)
I haven’t read something like this in such a long time 🤯, this fic from start to finish was absolutely amazing!! I fell in love with cowboy Harry and Y/N (granted cowboy Harry fics are my favorites) 🥹…. As always you outdid yourself Leigh, this is my new favorite fic from you 🩷
Thank you for always making us laugh while watching your videos and making us happy with your music. You will always stay in our hearts and we will miss you forever.
In another universe the boys weren’t overworked, in another universe the boys were protected from older women and the media. in another universe maybe zayn stayed. in another universe the boys reconciled. in another universe they remained brothers until they were old and gray. in another universe liam recovered and found peace.
yousharknotpass
kaledo-art
2087
annaxmalina
