by Em Petrova
Mimi took her away to get changed, and he watched them go. He wandered to the window to look out into the night. He couldn’t see any vehicles parked out front, but he’d already searched for Dane’s and knew he was gone. Damn him. He’d breezed in and out so fast, and Zayden was mad at himself for believing he might stay on for good and shoulder the burden of the Moon Ranch alongside him.
Guess he was wrong.
No time for dwelling on things he had no control over. If he’d learned anything growing up, it was that. He couldn’t stop Dane from leaving any more than he could make his dad quit the whiskey.
“She’s a bit taller than I am, but the coverall still fits her.” Mimi’s announcement made him turn to see them entering the room. Esme’s curves were concealed by the long-sleeved one-piece garment, and he was quickly learning what a turn-on it was when he couldn’t see all of her, but knew what would be waiting for him later.
His cock twitched behind his fly. He would be hard-pressed to keep his hands off her, but they had work to do.
“Here, you’ll need this.” Mimi handed her a knit hat and gloves. Esme pulled the hat down over her curls and looked up at him.
Beautiful.
He drew a deep breath and nodded to her to take the leather work gloves Mimi offered. “Come on.”
“Take my coat. Don’t get your beautiful red one covered in muck,” Mimi called after them. In the mudroom, he paused while she put her own snow boots back on and then gave her Mimi’s coat.
“You gonna be okay with this?” He wanted nothing more than to cup her delicate jaw, lean in and kiss her.
“Yes. I’m ready.”
He led the way to the barn. The cow stood in the center of the space, tail straight out as she bore down on the calf that refused to come.
“Found her separated from the herd. They’d moved on to graze a ways, and I knew by the way she was actin’ that a calf was comin’. Damn my father for not separatin’ them.”
The oath was lost in the sound of the animal mooing loudly.
He walked up to her and patted her side. “We’re here to help. Hold on and we’ll get it out.”
Esme stood nearby, looking uncertain. “I’ve never been around such a large animal before. Horses seem different somehow.”
He nodded. “I’ll get the calf puller ready, but I’m hopin’ a rope works. And I can’t get the vet up here, when I still owe her money.”
He worked quickly, giving Esme directions to grab some extra hay and spread it in one of the center stalls, nice and thick to counteract the drafts.
“It’s March—isn’t it close enough to spring for the baby to survive?” she asked as she scattered the hay.
“If we keep it warm ‘til the weather breaks.” He shed his coat and rolled his shirt sleeve up as far as he could to his shoulder. Then he positioned himself behind the cow and slowly reached inside the birth canal.
A loud moaning moo sounded at the invasion, and he soothed the animal with quiet words as he explored the inside.
The baby moved against his hand, and a pang of excitement hit him. At least it wasn’t dead. Yet.
Esme returned to his side. “What can I do to help?”
“Keep her still. Just kind of lean into her flank there, but if she starts to go over, you jump out of the way fast. Can’t have you getting crushed. And grab that rope I put around her. I’m going to try to find the calf’s forelegs and straighten them out so the baby can slip free. I think it’s legs are tucked under.” His voice came in bursts as he explored using only his sense of touch.
It was hard to tell what body part was what, but when he ran his fingers over what he thought was the calf’s shoulder, it sucked his finger.
He gave a sharp laugh.
“What is it?” Esme leaned away from the cow’s head to look at him.
“It sucked my finger.”
“It’s alive!”
“Very much. Let’s see if we can move these legs around now.” A contraction had the cow’s body clamping down around his arm, and he quickly pulled it free to keep from being bruised. When it was over, he reached in again. This time he found one of the front legs tucked underneath the body of the calf.
With gentle force, he tugged it outward. Finding the other leg was trickier, and he feared the calf would expire before he located it.
The cow wobbled on its feet, and he jerked his head up to look at Esme. “Get outta the way!”
She quickly leaped back just as the cow toppled over, too tired to continue.
“Dammit.” He stood back, panting, staring at the huge animal lying on its side.
Esme dropped to her knees. “Is it trapped now? Impossible?”
“No, this is better. Now we got leverage against her body. I have to find that other leg.” He dove back in, feeling with his eyes closed for a long minute. “Ah-ha!”
“You got it?”
“Got it. Get me that rope.” He pulled both front hooves out of the momma’s body, and Esme squealed.
“It’s so tiny!”
“Yeah, hope it ain’t early. That reduces its chances of survival. All right, the rope now, sweetheart.”
She passed it into his hands and sat back on her haunches to watch him loop it around the small hooves.
He looked at her face, bright with excitement, and felt a stirring of such love that it froze him for a moment. He stared at her. She stared back.
Hell. He’d fallen for her.
Too late—he’d figure it out later. Right now, he had work to do.
* * * * *
The glow in Zayden’s eyes had her heart pounding triple time, and she could barely draw breath. All this time she’d known there was more than just lust and attraction between them, but looking at Zayden now and seeing that gleam of love in his eyes… Well, if she could take off soaring into the sky with joy, she would.
As the cow gave a long moan, she became grounded once more, standing on solid earth and watching her man battle to save a calf that shouldn’t be born at this time of year.
He scooted back on the floor, rope wrapped around his fists.
“Can I help you pull?”
“Might not need ya to. Let’s see.” With that, he dug in his boot heels and pushed himself backward. The calf’s hooves moved a few inches outward but were sucked back in most of the way when he let up.
Esme watched the progress in awe. If anybody had told her when she’d moved to Stokes that this would be where she ended up—or that she’d stop being able to picture herself anywhere else, with any other man—she would have laughed at them. But watching Zayden’s determined pulls and the fierce expressions cross his face, she knew this was it for her.
The calf’s forelegs appeared to the joints.
“You’ve got to be tired. Let me pull with you.” She didn’t wait for his response, just crouched near him and took hold of the rope above his fists. Soon they got a rhythm going, and all of a sudden, she toppled back into him. Fluids and something solid hit her legs, and she twisted to see the calf was out.
He scrambled forward to get the rope off its legs then he stuck his fingers into its nose to clear away some of the fluids.
“Grab that blanket and rub it hard. We need it to take a breath. God knows how long it was stuck.”
She rushed for the blanket. Rubbing down the calf was something she’d never done in her life, and she put all her concentration into getting it dry.
“C’mon! Breathe.” He slapped it a couple times.
Esme watched its rib cage for movement but saw nothing. Yet its eyes were open and blinking, the lashes insanely long.
“Come on, baby!” She rubbed it using both hands and the blanket. Zayden added his efforts and when it dragged in a small breath, Esme burst out laughing in relief.
“It’s breathing,” she cried.
“Lemme have the blanket.” He took it from her hands and continued massaging the calf as it took more and more breaths.
The cow shifted, and before E
sme knew what was going to happen, the momma was on its feet and leaning over her calf to clean her.
Zayden stepped back to let nature take over. Esme moved to his side. She couldn’t stop herself from leaning against him, despite what filth covered them both.
He put an arm around her back and kissed the top of her hat. “You were fantastic.”
“You did most of the work,” she said.
“You make an excellent rancher.” His words trailed off as he stared into her eyes.
She felt like that calf, unable to draw a full breath as she gazed up at him. “Zayden…”
“I want to kiss you, but I don’t want to touch you ‘til my hands are clean.”
“Oh, who cares?” She threw her arms around his neck, and he caught her against him, tight. The moment their lips met, she gave up all ideas of walking away from this man. She loved him, and she was going to fight for them as hard as they’d just fought for that calf to be born.
He brushed his lips over hers with an indescribable tenderness. When he pulled back, he continued to nuzzle her. “You smell bad.”
She laughed. “So do you.”
“Stay with me tonight.” His gruff words were a whisper that sent her heart hammering faster.
“I have work in the morning.”
“Wake up early then. But don’t go.”
A lump of emotion and love filled her throat. She nodded. How could she say no to that?
When he drew away to check the animals, she watched him. Knowing full well what she was feeling in her heart showed plain on her face and not caring one bit. The calf remained lying down with the momma’s tongue stroking over its back to stimulate and clean it.
“They’ll be all right. I think I’ll leave them here for a bit and check on them later to see if they’ll move into the stall where it’s less drafty.”
She slipped her gloved hand around his upper arm. “They’ll be all right?”
“Yeah. Let’s get inside and clean up.” When he turned to her, his eyes glimmered with that lust that had started everything.
“Will Mimi mind if we shower together? Or I spend the night?”
“Even though my dad was alive, she’d been alone a long time. She likes having me here and I can tell she likes your company too.”
She smiled. “I’m glad. I like her.”
“She’s a dear woman.”
Esme took in his face as he spoke the words sounding so unusual from his hard lips. Mimi was right—Zayden was tough and kept everything inside, but this glimpse she had right now was enough to make her fall even deeper in love with the man.
They left the barn and he led her in through the back door of the house to a utility room. A washer and dryer stood quiet for the night, but everything smelled of fresh detergent and dryer sheets. She stripped off her gloves and coat, tugging up her sleeves to wash off in the utility sink. Zayden waited his turn, stripping to the waist and shucking his heavy boots.
She shook the water from her fingers and tracked his movements as he scrubbed to the shoulders and rinsed the soap from his skin.
“That’s good enough till we get to the shower.” There it was—that crooked grin, a direct line straight to her soul.
She slipped her hand into his, and he led her through the dark house.
* * * * *
Each swirl of the washcloth over Esme’s spine made her shiver, and he couldn’t stop himself from doing it one more time.
Her lush, water-drenched hip brushed against his stiff cock, and he groaned. She twisted her face and smiled as she did it again.
“You’re asking for it,” he growled.
“You got the hint?”
That was it—he picked her up, legs around his hips, and pressed her against the wall. Her slick heat tormented him, and all he wanted was to sink into her bareback.
Would she let him fill her, claim her in all ways?
His brain misfired—the last thing he needed was someone else to take care of. Yet, the thought of Esme walking out of his life hurt.
Hell, he loved her. He’d known it a while now, and tonight had fused all those moments they’d shared into one big one that had taken over his whole life.
He couldn’t be dumb and believe this could go further. But for tonight, he refused to let her go.
When she kissed him, the passion flowed as hot as the water. He ground against her, raising a moan to her lips in answer. The blast of sensation stole his mind a moment, and he almost plunged into her tight heat.
Shaking, he lowered her toes to touch the shower floor and switched off the water. She stepped out and gave him a crook of her finger. He stood motionless as she spread a towel on the countertop and hitched herself onto it.
“I don’t have a condom in here,” he grated out.
“I’m not asking you to fuck me.” She arched a brow. “You know what to do.”
She parted her thighs, the wetness coating her folds an invitation to his tongue. With a low growl, he dropped to his knees and sank his tongue into her pussy. She clasped the back of his head and pushed him deeper inside her. God, this woman was killing him. His cock couldn’t get harder, bouncing on his abs and dripping pre-cum.
He licked a path up her soaking seam to her clit. The nubbin strained, plump and juicy, and he sucked it between his lips. She squelched a moan and rocked forward to meet his tongue. He flicked her clit with short strokes, and she was already peaking.
Hell, he wasn’t going to last. Reaching down, he closed his fist around his cock and squeezed. Need washed up from the base of his spine, sensation doubling when Esme came apart for him.
Her gasps punctuated her pulsations, and he sucked on her clit harder, drawing a quiet groan from her.
When she tugged his hair, he drew back to look into her eyes. “Can I take you to bed?”
She smiled. “You’re asking?”
“What I want to do to you there requires some consent.”
She shuddered and ran a hand between her breasts. “I can’t wait…”
He drew her off the sink and wrapped the towel around her. He didn’t bother with one for himself, just opened the door, looked up and down the hall to make sure Mimi wasn’t standing there, and crossed the two steps to his bedroom.
As soon as they stepped through the door, he closed it and swept her into his arms. She hooked her legs around his waist and kissed him. The desire rolled off her like heat waves.
When he lay her down on the bed, he reached into his bedside drawer. She watched him with burning eyes, the intensity getting to him more than the sight of her nudity ripe for the taking.
He drew out a condom—and a length of rope.
She sucked in a sharp breath. “What do you plan on doing with that?”
“I’m going to tie you up and have my way with you. Do you trust me?”
“Zayden…” Her stomach dipped as he stretched the hemp between his hands.
“You can say no. But I’ve always wanted to take a woman with her hands bound and make her scream.”
Another shiver coursed through her. He settled his steady gaze on her, waiting for her to make a choice. If she said no, he’d still take her—he couldn’t deny her or his own need. But adding in the rope… Well, his cock pulsed at the thought of her handing over all trust to him, of putting herself entirely in his hands.
After a moment, she didn’t reply, and he tossed down the rope, reaching for the condom instead.
“No,” she rasped, leaning upward. Her wrists outstretched. “I want it. I trust you. I-I…love you, Zayden.”
Not many people in this world could make his jaw drop, but she did. He gazed down at her beautiful face and wondered how the hell he deserved such a thing as love.
“You don’t have to say it back. I just want you. I want this.” She thrust her wrists forward more.
His chest exploded with so much emotion that it stole his thought. He had no memory of grabbing the rope or knotting it around her hands so she couldn’t move but st
ill had blood flow.
Then he pressed a hand to her stomach, and she laid down for him.
“Spread your legs.”
“Oh God.” Her soft cry spoke of how turned on she was. As if he couldn’t see her soaking wet folds for himself.
He pumped his cock once and then covered it in a condom. He planned to tease and torment her before he took his own pleasure, but he wanted to be ready when he did.
She watched with eyelids drooping over her smoldering green eyes.
“How did we get from the mountain to this?” she whispered.
His heart hurt from so much love leaking from it. “You were sent to me,” he said thickly.
The shine of her eyes revealed tears, and he leaned in to brush his lips across hers. The gentle caress tugged at his guts more, and he closed his eyes as he deepened the kiss. It spiraled out of control, their tongues entwined and soft moans filling the room.
When he tore free, he kissed down her throat, nipping at her flesh as he did. Damn if he didn’t want to mark the woman—make her his. He was probably a freaking head-case, but right now, he couldn’t stop.
She lay there staring up at him, her heart in her eyes, as he kissed down her body, circling each nipple with his tongue before giving each a long, sucking pull into his mouth. She arched upward, writhing, hands bound before her.
Moving downward, he lapped a trail to her pussy once more. This time, she bit back a scream as he thrust his tongue deep.
Chapter Thirteen
Her senses were firing off like cannons on a warship, and she could barely see straight as Zayden licked her pussy till her previous orgasm seemed like a small blip on the radar. She succumbed to his lips and tongue, and each time he tongued her channel, she felt a frenzy rise up in her.
She couldn’t even touch him, and somehow that knowledge amped up their lovemaking. The rope came as a shock to her, but she saw the need in the man—he needed her to give herself up to him, to trust unconditionally.
And she did.
She trusted him with her life, with her body and now her soul.