I was more disappointed that she didn’t want to sleep in my bed than I was about us not having sex, given the doctor’s permission we could. A couple of times, I considered lying down beside her, but if she’d wanted to sleep with me, she would’ve gone into my bedroom instead of the one she was in.
I left my door open throughout the night and slept only off and on, in case she got up and needed anything. When the sun rose, I got up to check on her again.
“Good morning,” I said when I eased the door open and found her sitting up in bed. “How did you sleep?”
“Like the dead,” she murmured, her voice hoarse. “I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“I only intended to rest a short while.”
“Your body needed more.”
She held her hand out, and I sat beside her.
“I feel muddled,” she said.
“Understandable.” I looked out the window and saw Zeke talking to Jack and one of the other hands. None of them looked happy.
“Do you need to join them?” Siren asked, following my line of sight.
“Not yet.”
She pushed against my stomach with her hand. “Go. Find out what’s wrong.”
The expression on Zeke’s face was worrisome enough that I knew she was right. Something was seriously wrong. “I’ll be right back.”
* * *
“Hey, boss,” said Jack when I came out the front door.
“Gentlemen, I sense there’s something you need to tell me.”
Zeke held up his phone without saying a word. What I saw, enraged me. “They just left them for dead?”
He nodded. “Forty down so far. I’ve got the crew out doing head counts.”
Forty head of cattle, slaughtered. Rustling, I understood, even though I hated it. This was something else entirely. This was evil and despicable.
14
Siren
With every step Smoke took to where the three men stood talking, I could see his body grow increasingly tense. When one man handed him a mobile, even from a distance, I could see how upset he was. Whatever had happened was something horrible.
When he came inside a few minutes later, I was waiting for him.
“I’m sorry, Siren.”
“What for?”
“Things have escalated with the rustlers. We’ve lost several more head of cattle.”
“There’s no reason to apologize to me.”
“Until I can get a new security system installed, the guys and I are going to be out, patrolling twenty-four seven.”
“Do what you need to do, Smoke. You have to protect your ranch.”
“I may have to have one of the ranch hands take you into Asheville on Monday.”
“Let Maureen and I sort that out.”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek.
“Let me know what I can do.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist and nuzzled my neck. “Know that every minute I’m out there, I’d rather be in here with you.”
I felt my cheeks flush but loved his open display of affection. As with everything else, I couldn’t remember whether he and I had been in the past. Or even if I was that kind of person. Probably not, given when he’d kissed me so passionately at the winery, I was as flushed as I was now.
When Smoke went back outside, I went into the kitchen. Ms. Wynona was sitting at the table with her head in her hands.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
She looked up, brushed away her tears, and stood. “Yes. Of course. What would you like for breakfast this morning? More oatmeal?”
I walked closer and took her hands in mine. “I want you to sit back down and tell me what’s wrong.”
“Pay no mind to me, Ms. Gallagher.”
“Please call me Siren, err, Siobhan, or whatever you want to call me other than Ms. Gallagher. And I’ll warn you, I’ll not eat even a speck of food until you tell me why you were crying.”
“Did Mr. Smoke tell you what happened with the cattle?”
“Only that things escalated.”
“They were slaughtered and left lying on the ground.”
I gasped and put my hand in front of my mouth. “How cruel.”
She shook her head, pulled a tissue from her sleeve, and wiped her eyes. “Poor, innocent animals.”
“Who would do such a thing?”
“Evil people who care only about money.”
“But why would they just leave them for dead, then? It doesn’t make sense.”
Ms. Wynona stood and tossed her tissue in the trash. “I’ve said too much as it is. He’ll be upset with me if I don’t make sure you’re fed.”
“I sense Smoke would never get upset with you about anything, and I can make my own breakfast.”
She cupped my cheek with her palm. “Child, sit yourself down and let me do what Mr. Smoke pays me to do.”
* * *
I didn’t see Smoke for the rest of the day, even from a distance. When it grew dark, I went into his bedroom instead of the one I’d been staying in and saw packages sitting on the bed.
“I forgot all about those.” I jumped when I heard Smoke’s voice from the doorway.
“What are they?”
“For you.”
“All of this?”
He nodded, walked over, and stretched out on the bed.
“You need rest. I can do this later.”
Smoke fluffed two pillows, put them behind his head, and twirled his finger for me to get on with it. “Start with the purple bag.”
I picked it up, set it on the end of the bed, and pulled out several lace brassieres, all in various shades of blue.
“Can you tell what my favorite color is?”
“Pink?” I asked, holding up one of the sheer bras. “I don’t think this will cover much.”
“That’s the idea.” Smoke sat up. “Let me see it on you.”
“What, now?”
He nodded.
I chose a set and was off to the lavatory.
“Where are you going?”
“To change.”
Smoke shook his head. “I want to watch.”
“Close your eyes.”
Smoke laughed. “Then, I can’t watch.”
“Just for a minute.”
When he did, I quickly removed my clothes along with the less-than-sexy bra I was wearing. I shoved it into the empty purple bag.
“Okay. Open.”
Smoke’s eyes traveled down the length of my body. Feeling self-conscious again, I brought my hand to my hair.
“Come here,” he said, holding out his hand. I picked up the bra and let it dangle from my finger and raised a brow. “Later.”
By the time I got to the bed, Smoke had everything off but the joggers he must’ve changed into before coming into the house. I watched as he shimmied them over his arse and off his body.
“Closer,” he said, pulling me so I straddled his waist. He reached up with both hands and palmed my breasts. He toyed with one nipple and massaged the flesh around the other.
“I can feel how much you want me,” he said, reaching his hand between my legs, where my wetness dampened the skin of his stomach. He sat up and slowly lowered me so my back was flat on the bed but my legs were still around his waist.
He used his thumbs to spread my folds. “Magnificent,” he murmured, caressing my flesh with his fingertip. He brought that finger to his mouth, licked it clean, and then reached over to the nightstand.
He grabbed a foil packet from the drawer and handed it to me. “Go ahead.”
I tore it open and rolled the condom down his length. He took my hand and pulled me up. “Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight.”
He lifted my pelvis up far enough that he could ease into me. “We’re going to take this slow, Siren. I want you to watch as I go deeper.”
I was mesmerized by the sight of him entering me no more than an inch at a time until my body was flush with his. He put his hands under my bottom and moved my
body back and forth. My fingernails dug into his shoulders when he increased the pace and thrust against me. He lay back, bringing me with him so I was in the same position as before, straddling his body, only this time, he was inside me. I slowly moved up and down, my eyes boring into his.
Smoke put his hands on my waist. “Be still,” he said, taking over the rhythm of our lovemaking. When I leaned back so I could feel him even deeper, he pulled me forward, grasped the back of my neck, and kissed me. He thrust once more and held my body as close to his as I could be. His mouth ravaged mine as I felt him pulsing inside me while the fingers of his other hand pressed against my clit.
I held my breath as my body pulsated, squeezing every last ounce of pleasure before I collapsed at his side.
“I can only sleep a few hours,” I heard him say as I felt myself sinking into a deep slumber. When I woke, it was still dark and I was alone.
A profound sadness settled over me as though, somewhere deep in my soul, I knew that, one day soon, Smoke would be gone from my bed forever.
15
Smoke
Two weeks ago, I’d called Decker Ashford to see if there was any way we could accelerate the installation of the ranch’s security system. He told me he’d see what he could do and get back to me. Today, he’d be arriving with a crew, and by the end of the week, the Blazing T should be close to as secure as King-Alexander Ranch.
Since the morning after we returned from Asheville, Zeke, the rest of the guys, and I worked around the clock, surveilling every part of the ranch. The breaks we took were few and far between, which meant I had very little time to spend with Siren.
Every minute I was away from her, I craved the feeling of her sweet body next to mine. More, I longed to keep my cock buried inside her wet heat as often as I could.
She’d left two days ago for Asheville, and once she finished her PT session today, followed by a session with Mansfield, she and Maureen would be on their way back here.
Siren’s nurse had insisted she was perfectly capable of making the drive from the ranch into the city, and when I balked, the woman who could be so sweet and loving when in my arms, turned into the hellcat I hardly remembered. Especially when I couldn’t contain my smile when she lectured me about being a misogynist.
I’d wound my arm around her waist, pulled her close, and told her the next time we had sex, I’d gladly let her be in charge.
“Maureen driving the car and you and I having sex are not the same thing, you feckin’ eejit.”
* * *
Today, I found myself hanging out near the barn, checking the time every few minutes, not in anticipation of Decker’s arrival, but of when I’d see my SUV drive through the gates and be able to feel Siren in my arms.
The last two nights, as I lay in bed alone, I reminded myself that my time with the woman who set my blood on fire was temporary. Even if her memory never came back, a woman like Siren would get bored with spending her days in the middle of nowhere on a ranch where there was little she could do.
In terms of her returning to work for Irish Military Intelligence, I would do everything in my power to make sure that never happened. Even if she wasn’t with me, I couldn’t fathom being able to live, knowing she was putting herself in danger without me being there to protect her.
I heard a vehicle pull in but was soon disappointed to see that while it was a big black SUV like mine, Decker Ashford was sitting in the front passenger seat.
“You’re like a puppy waiting for his master to come home and feed him,” said Zeke, clapping my shoulder.
“Fuck off,” I muttered as I followed him over to where Decker and his team were exiting the truck.
“Smoke,” he said, stepping forward to shake my hand. “It’s good to see you.”
“Likewise, Deck. Thanks for accelerating the schedule for me. I don’t know how much longer the guys and I could’ve kept up the round-the-clock surveillance.”
“Copy that,” he said. “Okay to set up in there?” he asked Zeke, pointing to the barn.
“All ready for ya,” he answered.
My head shot up when I heard another vehicle pulling in.
“That’s the rest of my guys,” said Decker, maybe catching the look of disappointment on my face.
“He’s waiting on Siren,” said Zeke once he was far enough away from me that I couldn’t throttle him.
“Go do your job, asshole,” I growled in his direction.
I walked over to the corral, and Deck followed. “How’s she doin’?”
“She’s got almost full mobility on the left side of her body, but her memory isn’t improving as quickly as her doctors expected it to.”
“What’s it been, a month?”
“About that.”
“Before I put my foot in it, what’s the situation between the two of you?”
“We’re together.” My head snapped up again when I heard another SUV pull in. This time, I saw Maureen behind the wheel. “Excuse me.” I raced toward the vehicle, shouting behind me, “Zeke can get you set up.”
“Hi,” Siren said when I opened the door to help her out.
“How’d it go?”
“Not well,” she answered. “I have a terrible headache, and I’m not sitting through another one of those feckin’ scans.”
“They did more?”
“Yes,” she murmured, walking around me toward the house.
“Siren,” I called after her but felt Maureen’s hand on my arm.
“She had a rough go of it today.”
“In what way?”
“She remembered some things that are troubling her.”
“About her and me?”
The nurse nodded. “You might want to let her be for a bit.”
That was the last thing I intended to do. I stalked toward the house, down the hallway, past the open door of my bedroom. I opened the door to the other room without knocking. Siren was lying on the bed with her arm covering her eyes.
“Go away, Smoke.”
“Maureen said you had a rough day.”
“That, I did, and I’m not up for talking about it.”
I walked to the window, closed the blinds, and sat on the side of the bed. I moved Siren’s arm from her face. “Look at me,” I said when she turned her head away. “What did you remember?”
“More of the same.”
I hated the anguish I could hear in her voice.
“Why is it in every memory I have, you and I are at odds?” she cried, rolling her body farther from mine and then looking over her shoulder. “I don’t want you to answer unless you’re going to say something different than what you’ve said before.”
Even if I believed now was the right time to tell her how we’d felt about each other before a bullet almost took her life, with Decker’s arrival, I couldn’t get into it.
“Get some rest, and we’ll talk later.”
“Was that Decker I saw you talking to?”
“It was. Why?”
“I remember him.”
I left the room and the house with a terrible feeling plaguing me. Could I afford to let this go any longer? If I did, was I risking losing her forever?
* * *
Over the next several hours, there was a whirlwind of activity at every part of the ranch as Deck’s team and mine began installing the security system that would stop the rustlers from stealing—and killing—any more of our cattle.
When I finally called it a night, one crew was still out riding the ranch, making sure the areas left unmonitored were secure.
Ms. Wynona made sure Decker’s crew was comfortably ensconced in the guest houses that usually sat empty save during branding and calving seasons.
All I wanted was to take a hot shower, crawl in bed, and curl my body around Siren’s. Heaviness weighed my heart down in the same way fatigue did my body.
When I walked down the hallway, I was surprised to see the door to the master bedroom was closed. I eased it open and breathed a sigh of re
lief at seeing Siren sound asleep in my bed.
My exhaustion faded away as I went into the bathroom, stripped off my clothes, and let the hot water of the shower melt away the tension I’d carried with me throughout the day. I was rinsing soap from my hair when I felt cold air come from the open shower door.
“May I join you?”
“Am I dreaming?” I asked, running my hands over Siren’s naked body. I pulled her against me. “God, you feel good.”
“I’m sorry about earlier.”
“Don’t be.” I cupped her cheek with my hand and kissed her.
“I couldn’t stand the idea of sleeping alone,” she murmured.
“Me either.”
I washed her body, and she washed mine. I wrapped her in a towel heated on my warmer, dried myself off, and led her over to my bed. Once under the covers, I pulled her up against me, her back to my front. “I want you more than I want to breathe, Siren, but the old man in me needs to catch a couple of hours of sleep.”
I peered over her shoulder and saw she was already out.
At one point during the night, we woke and I took her from behind. At another, I woke and she was straddling me, stroking my erection before sheathing me first in a condom and then in her pussy.
* * *
We were four days into the security system installation. Another four, and Decker said everything would be in place—something that would’ve taken a normal security company a month or more to do. However, there was nothing regular about the system that was now partially functional at the Blazing T.
Zeke and I had spent the morning with Decker while he reviewed what was currently operational and what they still needed to complete.
“Any changes to the original quote?” I asked when he finished the review of the first phase.
“You got an answer for Rile?”
I shook my head.
“Then, it’s double.” We both laughed.
Zeke stood. “If you fellas don’t need me, I’ll get back to work.”
“We haven’t had much of a chance to talk about Siren,” said Deck, leaning against one of the desks after Zeke left.
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