UNDER MY SKIN

twenty. part of me

The lake was beautiful, peaceful, and secluded, nothing but the sound of a cricket choir and the occasional frog jumping into the water. But it was nice and calm, just what the couple needed.

Especially after the day they'd had.

It had been fun, exhilarating even, but Sam was a simple girl and she loved just laying on a blanket in the tall weeds by the lake that was tucked away on the back of the Compton property.

Tyler smiled, his eyes on the sky as he laid on his back. He had one arm behind his head and Sam next to him, her head in his other arm as he toyed with the ends of her hair. He drug his fingers through her golden waves, loving how soft they felt between his fingers.

Sam took a deep breath of the warm afternoon air, they still had a little while until sundown, her head lulling towards Tyler's shoulder as a smile played on her lips. She had never been more content in her entire life than when he was next to her.

They'd been there for over an hour, just enjoying the others' presence. They hadn't really said much, the cowboy had even thought she had fallen asleep. That is, until Sam broke the comfortable silence.

“I think I wanna get back on the circuit.”

He knew that meant that she wasn't gonna be with him, but still, he smiled, “I think you should.”

“Really?” She tilted her head back, meeting his eyes. “Even if that means we're apart?”

“If you want to, hell yeah. You love it. It's a part of you who you are. And I ain't gonna stop you from doing somethin’ you wanna do. Not even if it means we're apart for a little while longer.”

She smiled, leaning up to brush her lips against his, then her smile faded a little as she got lost in thought, “what if I ain't any good any more?”

He pushed himself up onto his elbow and she sat up, looking down at him, “it might be hard, but you just gotta work at it. It's like riding a bike, you never really forget how. You may be a little rusty, but I'd bet anything that you're still one of the best riders on the circuit.”

There was a moment where she just smiled at him, but that faded a little as her doubts slipped in.

“Am I crazy for actually considerin’ this?”

He smiled, “‘course not. Crazy would be not tryin’ at all.” He leaned up and brushed his lips against hers, “besides, you always got me in your corner. I'm your biggest fan.”

She laughed, her cheeks pink, “are you now?”

“If I could, I'd be at every rodeo holdin’ up the biggest sign for you.”

She reached out and brushed some hair off of his forehead, “we really gonna do long distance again?” She mumbled, her eyes focused on her fingers as she brushed his hair back. “I feel like I just got you.”

“You'll always have me, no matter the distance between us.” He grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. “And it ain't gonna be forever, just for now.”

“Just for now,” she nodded her head in agreement.

“I love you, Samantha Carter, and I ain't lettin’ you go. Not now, not ever. You got under my skin. You're a part of me, always have been.”

“Always will be.” She hummed as she climbed into his lap and as she brushed her lips against his, he laid back. His hands pulled her shirt up before sliding against her soft skin. “I love-” Her breath hitched a little, cutting her sentence short, when he shifted his hips upward, her eyes falling closed for a second.

Then her lips were against his again, her hands in his hair as he gripped her waist. And when she rolled her hips against his, he let out a groan before rolling her onto her back.

She giggled as she looked up at him, her hands still in his hair but his hands were pressed into the blanket on either side of her torso. He leaned down and brushed his nose against hers, before molding his lips to her slowly. Like he was savoring the taste of her.

He pulled back, but she attached her lips to his neck as she gripped his hair by the fistfull. He took a deep breath, his eyes falling closed.

Then he remembered where they were, “is it – is it private out here?”

She nodded against him quickly, “it's just us. No one knows about this place.”

“Good,” he breathed out before pressing his mouth to her again as his hands worked to unbutton her shirt. He pushed it open and pulled back to let his eyes drift over her torso. He gently trailed his finger over her stomach, his touch feather light. His eyes followed his finger as it drifted up towards her bra, it was black and lacy and sexy. She squirmed underneath him and a small smirk played on his lips as she traced the band before letting his finger follow the edges of the triangle shape that confined her perfect breasts.

“You wear this for me?” He tilted his head to the side, his eyes flickering up to meet hers as she nodded almost pathetically.

“Tyler,” she nearly whined, shifting her hips up a little but there was too much between them. Too much space. Too much clothing.

It was frustrating.

“Look at you,” he almost tutted, his eyes darkening. “I love it when you beg.”

“Ty, please,” she was getting restless. His voice, the barely there touch of his fingers, the ever rising need between her legs, it was all driving her crazy.

He hummed contently, leaning down to kiss the top of her left breast, then he kissed did the same to the other one. He leaned back, holding himself over her as he met her eyes with a gentle look. “You okay with this? Out here?”

She nodded quickly then she leaned up to brush her lips against his, “more than okay.”

That was all he needed and in no time at all they were utterly lost in each other and down to nothing but the hat he had placed on her head when he ended up on his back once again.

>>>>> • <<<<<

Kate stepped out of the house, the screen door swinging closed behind her as she made her way down the porch, meeting Javi in the yard. His eyes darted around as if looking for something, or someone, but Sam was nowhere to be seen. He did, however, see Tyler's big, red truck. He shook his head a little before he looked at the blonde that stood in front of him.

And it did bring Kate a small sense of joy when she saw that he had a black eye and busted lip. Sam could throw a punch – though it wasn't all from Sam.

“Hey, uh… about what I said earlier, I didn’t mean any of that.” He told her, his voice soft and drenched with guilt. He couldn’t stand it if she hated him.

“It’s fine,” she told him as she shifted on her feet. And she meant it, but even though she was younger, she was protective of her sister. “What’s not fine is what you said to Sam.”

He took a breath before he swallowed hard, his eyes wide. He didn’t know she had heard him, “Kate-”

“I can’t believe you would do that to her.” She cut him off, then she watched as his face fell. That was the moment he knew that she knew everything. “You knew how she felt about you and you used her. How could you?”

He took a breath, his eyes on his shoes, “I was an idiot.” He mumbled. “But if there’s anything I can say or do to make it better… For either of you…” He trailed off.

“Give me your PAR data. That’s a start. As for Sam…” a small smile graced her lips. “She’s gonna be just fine.” And she wholeheartedly believed that.

Javi nodded before he turned and made his way towards the car Scott sat in. He opened up the backdoor and reached in before pulling out a hard drive.

“What are you doing?” Scott asked, looking back at Javi.

“Giving this to her. What does it look like?” He closed the door and made his way back towards Kate before handing it over. “I needed money to start StormPAR. That’s why I went into business with Riggs. I wanna help people, too, Kate. I really do. I said what I said ‘cause I… I carry that guilt with me, too. Every single day of my life, so… I’m sorry.”

She nodded, then she managed a small smile, “um, why don't you stay and help us?” She asked and he was already shaking his head. “We can finally figure this out together.”

His eyes searched hers and a small, sad smile tugged at his lips. He knew that she'd never feel the same as he did, she'd never love him the way he loved her.

And in that moment, he knew how truly awful Sam had felt and that was like a blow to the chest because he did care about Sam. At one point, she had been his best friend.

“You know, there was a time when I’d do anything for you, Kate.”

The hurt was evident in his eyes as he finally let go of the crush he'd always had on the girl. And to his surprise, she looked just as hurt, but for an entirely different reason.

Kate and Javi had been friends, best friends, and to lose that over something as stupid as who invested in his company sucked. But that's life.

After a moment of letting that settle between them, Javi took a breath and glanced around, “Sam around? I wanna clear the air, I did – and said – some awful things to her.”

“Um, she’s-”

Laughter cut Kate off and both turned to see a wide smile on Sam’s face as she rode Biscuit at a full gallop. Tyler was behind her on Sadie, Kate's horse. He, too, was laughing, even as the blonde cheered before she slowed down and circled around to face him.

“You suck,” she mused as he stopped next to her.

“Been a while since I've been on a horse,” he defended himself, which only made her laugh again.

“You're still cute though,” she hummed as she leaned towards him and did the same, pushing his hat back a little as his lips met hers. “Even if you are a loser.”

“Oh, you've wounded me.” He mumbled as he held his hand to his chest, she rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue as she turned Biscuit towards the barn. And Tyler went to follow her but he stopped when she saw that they had a small audience, “hey, baby?”

“Yeah?” She turned to look over her shoulder, then he nodded his head towards Kate and Javi, so she turned the other way, her eyes widening slightly when she spotted Javi making his way towards them.

“Can we talk?”

Sam hesitated for a moment, her hands tightened on the reins, but she slowly nodded, “yeah, uh, I just gotta untack Biscuit.”

“I can do it,” Tyler offered. “I think I remember where everything goes.”

She sent him a smile before climbing off of her horse, then she pulled the reins down and handed them to Tyler so he could take both horses to the barn.

“I'll just, um…” Kate mumbled before making her way towards the house, leaving Javi and Sam alone in the yard.

“So, what’d you wanna talk about?” She asked, her arms crossed over her chest as nothing more than a form of comfort.

“I'm sorry.” He told her, and she was a little shocked. “I'm sorry for everything, and it's a long list. And I know that you probably can't forgive me, but if there's anything I can do to make it better… I - I'm just so sorry.”

“Thank you, Javi.” She nodded, a small smile on her lips. “For apologizing. But I don't think there's anything that can make this better.”

He just nodded, “I hate myself for what I did to you, and I didn't call because I didn't know what to say. I was grieving and I handled everything the wrong way. I tried to call, but every time... I chickened out. Nothing was good enough for me to say to you, no apology was strong enough. Because you were my best friend, and I ruined everything.

“I'm so sorry, Sam. I'm sorry and I know that's not enough. It'll never be enough. But that's all I’ve got. I understand if you hate me, I just needed to tell you how sorry I am.” There was a moment where they just looked at each other, then Sam did something Javi hadn't expected.

She stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, “I don't hate you, Javi. I should, but I don't.” He let out a small sigh as he wrapped his arms around her, then he squeezed her a little. “But I don't think we can be like we were before, not even friends. Too much has happened.”

From the barn, Tyler watched as he leaned against the doorframe. He had his arms crossed over his chest and his hat still on his head, his eyes, though, studied Sam's face as she pulled back. He just wanted to make sure that she was okay.

“Javi,” Scott called out from the car. “-let’s roll. We got a storm developing out near Enid. Team’s waiting.”

“Alright, I gotta get back to work.” He told her and she nodded, “the more data I get, the better for business.”

“See ya around, Javi.”

He nodded, “j – just be careful out there.” His eyes flickered over to Tyler, who was still watching them. Sam turned, smiling a little at the cowboy. And she knew he wasn't just talking about chasing storms.

But she was, “you too.” And with that, Javi made his way towards the truck the Carter sisters had taken. Sam offered a small wave as he pulled out of the driveway, following Scott down the road.

Suddenly, a pair of arms were wrapped around her waist and she smiled as she leaned back into Tyler's chest. He kissed the side of her head before leaning down a little so his chin rested on her shoulder, “you okay, baby?”

She turned her head, meeting his eyes, “yeah, I'm alright.” She nodded, leaning in to brush her lips against his then she turned in his arms, her hands gripping at the front of his shirt. “I like havin' you here.”

He chuckled, she'd said it a few times already and each time she was looking up at him with stars in her eyes – stars that matched the ones in his eyes.

“Me too.” He brushed his nose against hers, his hand sliding into her back pocket like it was second nature.

She swallowed hard, her smile fading a little, “long distance is gonna be hard.”

“We've done it before,” he reminded her, using his free hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.

“This is different, we weren’t together before.”

“That's where you're wrong, baby. We've been together the whole damn time, we were too scared to admit it.”

She chuckled because she had felt like they were more than friends, she had since that first kiss. With the constant calls and almost never ending text thread, how could they be anything less than everything?

“We'll figure it out, promise.” He rested his forehead against hers as her hands slid down his chest and to his sides. “I ain't letting you give up on something you wanna do, not for me.”

“You're perfect,” it left her as a whisper and he chuckled, kissing her temple as he pulled her into his chest in a tight squeeze.

“So, are we doing this?” Kate asked, the screen door squeaking as she opened it then it slammed when Cathy let it swing closed after the two dogs ran out.

“Yeah,” Sam was the first to pull back and Tyler let his arms fall from around her before he latched into her hand. “Let's see this data.”

Tyler laughed at her failed attempt to sound the least bit interested, “nice try, baby. But you ain't gotta be excited about the data.”

“What? I'm totally excited,” she argued as they stepped into the barn. “I love buoyancy and wind speed a – and updraft.” Though she knew what all the words meant, she wasn't thrilled about the data aspect. It looked cool, but there were too many big words and even bigger numbers to follow the two storm nerds when they really got going.

Tyler and Kate both laughed, knowing she had spit out words she had heard earlier, “y'all are mean.” She mumbled, pulling her hand from Tyler's before making her way towards her mom as Buck and Grizzly ran round their feet, the younger dog with a squeaky bone in his mouth.

Cathy simply wrapped her arm around her oldest, a smile on her face. It had been a while since her house – well, the barn – had been so full of laughter. It warmed her heart.

And it seemed Tyler not only brought back Sam's spark, but he also had a hand in bringing Kate's back, too. Though, if she were asked, Kate would tell you that it was Sam that had brought back her sense of life and her want to actually live it.

“Oh, come on, baby, don't be like that.”

“Don't be an asshole,” she retorted, her eyes narrowed at him but he just smirked, which had her glare softening as a smile tugged at her lips. “I hate that.” She muttered, plopping down on the stool she had been sitting on before.

Tyler wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head before he and Kate got to work linking the hard drive to his laptop. Both Cathy and Sam just watched, both a bit in awe as the cowboy worked almost seamlessly.

“Well, I wanna beer, anyone else?” Cathy asked, her head starting to hurt a bit as she watched them.

“Me please,” Sam told her and she nodded.

“Yeah, thank you, Cathy.” Tyler smiled up at her and she hummed.

“Katie?”

“Sure, thanks, mom.”

“I'll be back,” Cathy told them and Sam kicked her feet a little as she watched Buck and Grizzly tug at both ends of the rubber squeaky toy. Sam just watched as Tyler worked, a small smile on her lips. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, pulling his attention away from the laptop.

He turned, looking over his shoulder at the girl then without a word he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her off the stool. She stumbled a bit, clutching onto him, but he steadied her. And when she was in front of him, her back to his chest and his arms around her, he kissed the side of her head.

Kate rolled her eyes a little, but a smile played on her lips. She was happy for them, but she could do without the damned near constant PDA.

Soon, Cathy was back with four beers, and Tyler had successfully pulled up the data. They all watched as a 3D tornado formed on the screen, numbers and other things rolling across the screen as the digital storm moved.

“Wow, these scans are impressive.” Tyler mused, the awe clear in his eyes as he rested his chin on Sam's shoulder as the blonde sipped on her beer – her eyes were slightly wide as she watched the screen. It was significantly better than the model he had pulled up before.

“I mean, it’s a complete map of the chaos,” Kate mumbled in complete awe, but her eyebrows pinched when she saw something. “Tyler, our moisture numbers are off. Currently, the polymer is only absorbing the existing raindrops, not the moisture from the humidity. I mean, we need it to participate out more.”

“So we need to make it rain,” he nodded, his brows pinched as he watched the screen.

“Weren’t they cloud seedin' in Lawton a few years ago?” Sam looked over at mom, who nodded as she took a sip of her beer.

“For the farmers.”

“Yeah. Yeah, silver iodide.” Kate nodded.

Tyler hummed, “we can shoot rockets of that.”

“Boone’ll love that,” Sam mused, knowing Boone loved anything having to do with rockets.

He chuckled, but continued, “So, the silver iodide converts the moisture into rain, and then the sodium polyacrylate – we’d need a lot of it – would pull the water from the storm, increasing the cold pool.”

Kate nodded, her smile wide, “no faster way to choke a tornado.”