Hard-Riding Cowboy

by Stacey Kennedy

  Until the conversation took a hard-right turn.

  “When are you going to tell Ma about the baby?” Shep asked, shoveling some veggies into his mouth.

  Nash glanced at Megan for that answer.

  She shrugged. “Soon.”

  The tightness in her voice had Nash sliding his hand across her bare thigh beneath the picnic table. “We’re in no rush.”

  Megan looked sideways and gave him a grateful smile, telling him he’d said the right thing.

  Yeah, that was all he had to keep doing. Not fuck things up.

  “If you ask me, I think that’s fine,” said Harper, shaking salt onto her veggies. “Take this time for yourselves because once your parents find out, heads will roll.” She paused, placing the salt shaker down to reach for the pepper. “Well, maybe not all heads, just Nash’s.”

  An awkward pause settled among the group.

  “What?” Harper stopped midway through using the pepper. “It’s true. There’s no sense pretending that’s not going to happen.” She added more pepper to her veggies.

  Chase shook his head slowly and shoved some sausage in his mouth, obviously avoiding the conversation.

  Next to Nash, Megan relaxed. She began laughing. And so did everyone else at the table.

  “My head will be fine,” Nash finally addressed the comment. “A baby is good news.”

  Emma agreed with a nod. “Jenny will be thrilled.” Emma turned to Shep, bright-eyed. “Oh, my God, I can totally picture your mom’s face right now.”

  Shep nodded. “She’s been waiting a while.” He looked at Megan. “Prepare yourself that she might hover a bit.”

  “That’s okay,” Megan said with a soft laugh. “My mom will be happy too, and she’ll be hovering alongside her.”

  Nash noted she held her breath, obviously having more to say. He squeezed his hand on her thigh again. “Your father will be happy too.”

  She looked at him, eyes soft, and she nodded.

  “After he decapitates Nash,” Harper said under her breath. “I bet he’ll be real happy.”

  Nash glared at Harper. She shrugged his look away, always one to tell it like it was. Most times he appreciated that about her. Just not now.

  “My dad loves babies,” Megan interjected, drawing Nash’s gaze to her. “He’s really gushy with them.”

  At that, Shep lifted his brows. “I’m having a hard time picturing your father being gushy at anything.”

  Megan moved her sausage around her plate with her fork. “I think that’s because you don’t really know him.”

  Chase lifted his head then and stared at Megan. “We’ll fix that,” he finally said. “Once the dust settles, we’ll have a dinner and get the families together.”

  Megan gave him an are-you-kidding-me look. “You actually think that’s even possible?”

  “Of course I do,” Chase said firmly.

  Shep piped up then and gave Megan a smile. “You’re family now, Megan. We’ll make this work.”

  “I say, it’s about damn time,” said Emma, lowering her beer back down to the table. “This feud is stupid. I mean, seriously, how your fathers ever expected you not to like each other is really ridiculous.”

  “Right?” Harper stabbed her zucchini with her fork. “It’s time for everyone to move on.”

  Megan turned to Nash then, and he smiled. “See? Like I said, everything will be fine.”

  She had doubts. He understood why and deserved those doubts. He did hate her father. But to have Megan, Clint Harrison came with the package.

  Megan turned back to the group, glancing from face to face. “Well, I . . .” Her voice hitched, tears rose in her eyes. “Dammit. I’m going to cry. I’m sorry.” She grabbed her napkin off the table and wiped her eyes. “This keeps happening.”

  Emma and Harper reached forward, touching Megan’s arms, sympathy on their faces.

  “It’s understandable. You’re pregnant,” Nash announced. “Doesn’t that make you emotional?”

  Megan slowly turned to him, teary eyes narrowed.

  “You did not say that, Nash Blackshaw!” Harper exclaimed.

  “What?” he asked, glancing between the angry women.

  Emma crossed her arms. “Are you going to mansplain pregnancy to us now?”

  Shep cleared his throat and rose. “We need more drinks.” The traitor was gone into the house before Nash could say anything more.

  He studied the women glaring at him. “I thought that happened . . .” Nash said. When their glares intensified, he turned to Chase. “Anything to add?”

  Chase pointed to his plate with his fork. “I’m eating.” But the twitch of his mouth gave him away. The bastard was enjoying this.

  Nash sighed and took a lesson from his brother. He dropped his head to his plate and started eating again.

  When the women turned to each other, cooing over Megan, making her feel better, Nash took a quick look at Chase. His brother winked at him, a small smile curving his mouth.

  Nash shook his head and focused on his plate. Maybe silence was the best thing of all when it came to girl talk. Besides, that way it gave him more time to watch Megan laugh. He really loved her laugh. And that smile.

  Damn, that smile undid him.

  Chapter 6

  With a belly full of sausages and salad, and even a cherry pie, Megan hadn’t objected when Nash drove them back to his place. She had the night off tonight and was glad for it, wanting the time with Nash. Dinner with Shep and Emma had been great, and she felt lit up inside. After spending more time with the Blackshaw family, she saw the special thing that everyone in town saw. The family worked hard, played hard, and they even appeared to love hard.

  She wanted a piece of that. Not only for herself, but for her baby too.

  Those were the thoughts lingering in her mind as she took a seat on Nash’s porch while he ventured inside to get drinks. Gus settled at her feet, his head propped against her toes.

  This evening, for just a couple of hours over dinner, Megan had realized how lucky her child would be to be a part of their tightknit family. She kept up hope that by the time the baby arrived, everyone around her would get along like she’d seen at Shep and Emma’s dinner table tonight. She could even picture Christmas dinner at her parents’. Both Nash and her father there. She needed to keep that image bright. For everyone.

  She inhaled the crisp, clean air as Mother Nature began showing off with a sunset above the mountain peaks that compared to no other. Pinks, oranges, and purples spread across the sky for as far as the eye could see.

  A slight flutter tickled in her belly bringing Megan’s hands there. She pressed against the butterflies. Was that the baby? Or was she imagining it all? Having never done this before, both were entirely possible. What she did know for certain was the little one growing inside her, getting bigger day by day, was so heavy on her mind now. This was the kind of life she wanted for her child. Peace. Happiness. Love.

  Hell, she wanted that life for herself too.

  The air shifted around her, heating up, and she smiled, glancing sideways to Nash. He had his cell phone in his hand, aimed in her direction. The one glass of sweet tea and the beer bottle rested at his feet.

  “Did you take a picture of me?” she asked suspiciously.

  He tucked his cell back into the pocket of his Levi’s and grabbed the drinks off the floor. “Some moments should be captured.” He offered her the iced tea then stepped over Gus to take the seat next to her. His cowboy hat rested low on his head, his intense eyes watching her carefully. “What were you thinking about right then?”

  She hesitated but then chided herself for doing so. “I want this life for our child.”

  “What life is that?” he asked softly.

  “A quiet life.” She turned to take in the vast Colorado beauty. It was really endless out there. Mountains, a creek, and so much green, she would never grow tired of this view. “A happy life.”

  “You doubted our child would have
a happy life?”

  “I think . . .” She drew in a deep breath, knowing she had to get this right. When things made sense in her head, she turned to him. “I hope that we can give our child a life where the Harrison and Blackshaw feud doesn’t exist.” She rubbed her belly at that flutter again. “We grew up surrounded by so much anger. I don’t want that for our little one.”

  Nash’s head tilted in obvious confusion.

  “Don’t you remember what it was like?” she added. “Even when I was eight years old, I never understood why I was supposed to hate your family. As I got older, I hated that there was this thing between our families, standing in the way of all our friendships.” She paused. Then she unleashed her truth. “I don’t want our child to know that hatred.”

  Nash’s eyes searched hers for a long moment before he replied, “Blackshaw men are proud. Your father is also that way too. Whether you understand it or not, there is going to be some tension between men like that.”

  “Oh, I know,” she agreed with a soft nod. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I wish I could remove the tension so our baby doesn’t have to grow up in the same way we did.” She hoped he would take that message to heart.

  Nash looked away. “We turned out fine.”

  “Did we?”

  His hard gaze returned to hers, his working jaw the only sign the conversation bothered him.

  “We went through high school trying to ignore the way we felt about each other,” she continued, needing to get this out. “I’m twenty-seven now. You’re twenty-eight. So many years have gone by that we’ve ignored what we wanted. Now that we’ve opened that door, I can’t help but see all the time we’ve wasted when we could have been happy.”

  That made him smile. “You’re happy?”

  “I think I can be, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I think we could be very happy together.” Her breath caught at the emotion in his eyes when he rose then went to one knee in front of her. “We’re going to be okay, Freckles.” He slid his hands along her thighs. “Do you know how I know that?”

  “How?” she asked.

  “We’re having a baby. And that’s a really great exciting moment in our lives.” The warmth in his eyes enveloped her as he cupped her face. “Will this be smooth sailing? That’s doubtful, because we are both strong and stubborn people. That said, there’s nothing I won’t do to make sure that you stay happy”—he placed his hand over top of hers on her belly—“and that our baby is happy and loved too.” He paused to study her. “I know it’s hard not to think of the future, considering what you’re facing, but for now, let this be. One day at a time. We’re going to be fine. All you have to do is let me show you.”

  She smiled, embracing this new sweetness between them. “Okay.”

  “Good.” He smiled back. Then he covered her mouth with his, stealing away her thoughts just that easily, until there was only him and his wild and wicked kiss.

  He eventually broke away and took her hand, leading her to the front door. She followed, with Gus on her heels, into the bedroom. He stopped next to the bed then pulled her in close and sealed his mouth across hers like no time had passed at all. Her nipples hardened into tight peaks at the promise of pleasure. He wasn’t giving her the hard ride he had in the parking lot. No, this was a slow ride of simmering desire, and she melted into each and every delicious touch.

  This was when she trusted Nash. Always trusted him. When he touched her, it felt honest and real, and she couldn’t get enough, wanting desperately to get closer. She reached for his T-shirt and he removed hers, and soon the rest of their clothes were gone and there was nothing between them. Just the way she liked it.

  His hands came down onto her hips, and he gently nudged her back toward the bed. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips explored her neck, not missing a single place that made her squirm. The spot behind her ear. The way he slid his tongue slowly down her neck until he nibbled there a little. She relished every single swipe of his mouth.

  A soft moan fell from her lips when he laid her on the mattress. She ran her hands over his flexing arms to his strong shoulders and over his back. Goose bumps covered her flesh wherever his lips traveled, her body entirely aware of where he’d touched her. She angled her chin, loving how he made her feel. Alive. Sensitive in a way she’d never been before.

  When he leaned away, she opened her eyes, finding man and muscle and something so much more addictive than that. Pure lust. Naked and hard, Nash asked, “Did you like it when I tied you up that first time?”

  “Yes.”

  He gently dragged his fingers up her thigh. “Would you like more of that, Freckles?”

  “God, yes,” she breathed.

  He grinned then kissed her inner thigh before sliding off the bed and turning to his closet. He grabbed a belt, and her breath hitched a little. The gold buckle on the belt was from when he won the PBR world title. The year before the accident that ended his career. When he returned to her, he placed her wrists together, one on top of the other, and then began tying her up with his belt to the headboard, the belt buckle facing out.

  “Pretty, pretty things right here.” His heated gaze caressed her with his intense examination before he looked her in the eye again. “My greatest accomplishment is now on my greatest gift.”

  She slid her legs together, squeezing her thighs against the pulsing. “Nash . . .”

  “Yeah, Freckles, I want you too.” He joined her on the bed and surprised her by not settling between her thighs. He knelt next to her face, grabbed the base of his cock, and offered himself to her. Something she would never pass up. She licked her lips as he placed his other hand on top of her head then moved closer. She took him in deep, tasting the saltiness of his pre-cum. He smelled of Nash and man and perfection. He stretched her lips as he stared down at her, slowly thrusting in and out.

  The tip passed her lips, brushing against her tongue, and then he was gone again, and she only wanted more. He rested one hand on the headboard, flexing his biceps, and his abs moved with masculine grace every time he shifted his hips forward. She ached to stroke him, bringing him satisfaction, but the bindings on her wrists held her tight. Doing what she could to make him feel more, she sucked her cheeks in around him, and his deep groan was her sweet reward.

  When she swirled her tongue along the tip as he withdrew, his deep grunt told her he’d been teased enough. Damn, so had she. Her fingernails bit into her hands as wetness and hot need pulsed through her.

  Those intense eyes held hers when he climbed over her leg then settled between her thighs. He grabbed her hips, adding more pressure onto her wrists. He was a sight of perfection as he knelt between her legs and held onto his cock, stroking the tip against her sensitive clit.

  It was enough to drive her crazy. Her back arched against the wild pleasure racing alongside the blood in her veins. “I need you,” she cried out.

  The grin he gave her made her hips wiggle, searching for the cock that now rested on her sex. He leaned down and cupped her breasts. With those sexy eyes firmly on her, he sucked on a nipple.

  By the time he moved on to the next nipple, she outright squirmed. “Nash,” she gasped.

  He bit the bud gently, and she cried out in desperation.

  Again, she circled her hips, attempting to find the tip of his cock, taking what she wanted so badly. Him. Pounding into her until she couldn’t even remember her damn name.

  And again, his low chuckle brushed over her.

  She wiggled a little bit more then realized she had a way out from the belt. His amused and aroused gaze watched her carefully while he squeezed her breasts until he tweaked her nipples. He began stroking his thick hardened length over her clit, driving her mad. So close. God, she was close to taking him inside her.

  “Nash,” she cried out again, turning her wrists, trying to free herself to grab him.

  Just as she got her hands free, he sank in deep. And then she only knew pleasure. She held onto his shoulders as he
kept their bodies together so close, like nothing could come between them, his chest tight against hers. The gorgeous blue depths of his eyes stayed right in line with hers, and she lost herself, falling so hard she never wanted to recover.

  With a growl from low in his chest, his hand snuck around to her shoulder and he rode her. Hard. She was left understanding one thing with total certainty: There was a reason Nash was a PBR champion. He hated to lose. And he would do all he could not to lose her.

  She felt that in every touch, every kiss, every stroke.

  Desperate in the same way, she held onto him, meeting him thrust for thrust, wanting to believe all the things he had said and promised. Every stroke and each pound of his pelvis against her sex blinded her with pleasure. Her toes curled and her back arched at the pulsing of his cock.

  As they fell apart in each other’s arms, she began to believe him. They could be happy. This could be a time when the only two people who mattered were him and her, and their new baby who needed them at their very best.

  * * *

  By the time Nash looked at the clock it read 11:00. He realized the night had gotten away from them. He’d fed Gus before they settled back into bed. Other than that, he’d had Megan a few times, which was all that he wanted to do.

  Now as they lay cocooned together, a couple of sweaty bodies tangled in the sheets, a sweet smile on her face, what she had told him earlier filled his mind. He hadn’t realized how hard the feud between their families had been for her. More importantly, he didn’t realize that was what she thought had kept them apart. He thought he caused that.

  Nash tucked an arm under his head resting on the pillow and glanced back up at the wood planks on his ceiling. He’d never felt that way about the feud between their families. Maybe because he wasn’t as emotional. What he saw was a man trying to destroy his father’s business and steal away Blackshaw land. Nothing but that.