Chapter 5: The Storm Breaks

Harvest Festival arrived anyway, stubborn as the Iowa soil itself. The town square in Ames was strung with colored lights that flickered weakly against the gathering clouds, a small band playing tinny country tunes from a wooden stage near the grain elevator. Families milled about with cider and caramel apples, but the laughter felt forced, edged with the undercurrent of fear that had settled over the county like frost. Two murders in under a week. No one walked alone after dark. No one spoke too loudly about the victims.

Ellie and Ruth came separately but found each other near the 4-H barn at the edge of the festivities. Ruth wore a simple blue dress that hugged her curves and made her honey curls glow under the strings of lights. Ellie’s heart stuttered the moment she saw her—thump ... thump ... thump—remembering the taste of her skin, the way she sounded when she came apart under Ellie’s mouth.

They danced once, close but not too close, under the watchful eyes of half the county. Ellie’s hand rested lightly at the small of Ruth’s back, feeling the heat of her body through the thin fabric. Every brush of their hips sent sparks through Ellie, her pulse quickening with every slow turn. Ruth’s eyes never left hers, dark with the same hunger they’d been feeding in stolen moments.

Later, when the band took a break and the crowd thinned toward the food tents, they slipped behind the old 4-H barn into deep shadow. The air was cool, carrying the scent of hay and distant rain. No one could see them here.

They couldn’t wait.

Ruth pushed Ellie against the weathered wooden wall, the rough planks digging into Ellie’s back. “I need you,” she whispered, voice trembling with urgency. Her hands were already at Ellie’s belt, tugging it open with frantic fingers. “Right now.”

Ellie groaned, cupping Ruth’s face and pulling her into a bruising kiss. Their mouths collided with weeks of pent-up fear and desire—tongues sliding deep, teeth nipping, breaths shared in hot, desperate gasps. Ruth dropped to her knees in the dirt, not caring about her dress, and yanked Ellie’s jeans and underwear down her thighs in one rough motion.

The first touch of Ruth’s mouth on her was electric. Hot, wet tongue dragging slowly up Ellie’s slit, circling her swollen clit with deliberate pressure before sucking it firmly between her lips. Ellie bit her lip hard to stay quiet, one hand fisting in Ruth’s honey curls as her hips jerked forward. “Fuck ... Ruth...”