by Em Petrova
Was he trying to make up to her or allay his own guilty conscience? Either way, she would thank him for his help. What he’d given her was the gift of time—time where she didn’t need to muck out stalls or take time on basic ranch chores. Instead, she could work with Ladybug and try to get in a little extra training.
She glanced around for sign of the cowboy who’d sneaked onto her property and left her with help like the offerings of a fairy godfather. A scraping noise came from the pigpen, and her body broke out in goosebumps.
He’s still here.
The sun barely spread its light into the sky. Pinks and oranges sat on the horizon like dabs from a paintbrush. How the man could see what he worked on was beyond her.
Heart pounding, she headed toward the pigs. When she set eyes on Dane, she came to a dead halt and just stared at the man.
God, she’d missed him, and that spoke volumes about the feelings she had stuffed down as far as possible and ignored the past couple weeks.
One of the pigs squealed, and he spoke gruffly to it. “Yeah, yeah. You made the mess here. You gotta wait until it’s clean before I feed ya. Don’t know why anybody would want to keep pigs, but your owner must have a good reason.”
“I do,” she said from behind him.
He whirled, shovel in hand. Through the dim light, their gazes locked. A flutter in her chest and much lower in her belly said too much about what she wanted. But what she could have with Dane was a different story.
“Thank you for all the work you’ve put in today here. You don’t have to do this.”
“I know.” He dropped the shovel and took a step toward her. “Christ, Brennah. You’re so damn beautiful.”
Her jaw dropped but no sound came from her lips. She shook her head. Don’t get caught in his web again. There are too many lies and empty promises.
She swallowed hard. “Thank you. Dane…what are you doing here?”
“I need to stay busy. I thought I’d spend my mornings here from now on and the rest of my day on the Moon Ranch. I’m not askin’ for pay—just the opportunity to keep myself busy.”
She understood. “Because when you’re not busy, you’re down at the bar betting on sports?”
His chest expanded with the deep breath he took. “That’s right.” He looked her in the eyes when he admitted he’d slipped. “I don’t want to be that man. I want…” He stepped closer. “Goddammit, I want to be better. I don’t want to fight my father’s demons as well as my own. I—Brennah, please, just say I can work here in the mornings. My help might free up some of your time to work with the horse. And that’s another thing—I can do that too. If you really want her ready for the fair…”
She waved a hand, cutting off his rambling. “All right. I’d appreciate the help. But I feel I should give you some payment for your work.”
He gave a hard shake of his head. “It’s trade. I’m asking you for a place to burn off my demons. And you reap the benefits.”
The torment on the man’s rugged features cut her deep. The slice gaped open, bleeding freely inside her. The things he said made her want him more than ever before, but she refused to walk the same path with him as she had her mother.
She moved to pick up the shovel. “Let me help you finish up.”
He closed his fingers on the handle, just above hers but without touching her fingers. His gaze blazed through her. “No. I’ll do it. You work with the horse if you have time before you start your day at the clinic.”
For a long heartbeat, she battled with the urge to step against him, to beg for his hands on her, his mouth burning down her throat, over her breasts and between her thighs. The slick heat soaking her panties would never be satisfied until he stretched her walls with his thick cock.
A shudder ran through her.
He stared at her mouth. “Brennah. Christ, woman. I can feel your need for me coming off you in waves.”
“Dane.”
He tossed the shovel away, shook off his gloves and sank his fingers into her hair. “Tell me not to touch you and I won’t. I’ll walk away.”
She shook her head. “Whatever’s between us hasn’t reached its end.”
He made a noise in his throat. “What does that mean?”
“I’m not a woman who finishes things halfway. I want to see this through to the end. But…”
“But?” He raised a brow.
“But I can’t abide drinking, Dane. No more sitting at the bar.”
“I didn’t drink that night. I just had Coke.”
Her gaze flew to his and latched on. “Seriously?”
“Boy Scout honor.” He leaned closer.
Zeroed in on his mouth, she felt a hard thump of desire hit her. “I didn’t know you were a Boy Scout.”
“Wasn’t. Always wanted to be, but there wasn’t money for dues and uniforms. I woulda made a terrible one anyway. Brennah…” He cupped her face, tipped it up and kissed her, long and deep. The soft brush of his lips and swirls of his tongue chiseled away at her resistance, if she even had any left.
He lifted his head. “I swear I want to be a better man.”
“I know you do, Dane. And I believe in you.”
His eyes burned. “You do?”
She nodded. Her body urged her a step closer, so her breasts pressed to his hard chest. “Going into a bar and resisting alcohol was half the battle, and you won. Don’t you see that?”
He stilled. After seconds, he said, “I guess I do. Know what else I see?”
“What’s that?”
“A woman rubbing her breasts on me because they ache for my touch. C’mere, baby doll.” He lashed an arm around her middle, yanking her in.
* * * * *
The flavors of sweet, warm woman mingled on his tongue as he lay her back in the thick grass. As he flicked his tongue over her earlobe, she shivered and gripped his bare shoulders.
“God, Dane, I need you to put out this fire in me, but it never goes away.”
Christ, when she said things like that, he didn’t just want to be a better man for her—he wanted to be the only man for her.
He nipped her ear and then the side of her throat. Working his way down to her breast, he looked into her eyes as he sucked her bud between his lips. She arched, crying out and gripping his shoulders harder.
“Tell me you’ve got a condom,” she breathed.
Fuck. He didn’t. They were all in her bedroom, and he had no excuse for not buying any himself when he actually had money in his pocket.
He dropped his head to her chest. “I don’t.”
“We can go inside.”
He slipped a hand between her inner thighs, damp with her juices. “But you need me now.” Without waiting for more from her about going inside, he delved a finger into her tight sheath.
Shivers ran through her, and her walls clenched on his digit. The exquisite pull of her pussy against his hand almost made him rethink the decision to pleasure her in other ways that didn’t require birth control. But he nudged her thighs wider and sank deeper. Deeper still.
She bucked her hips off the grass, and he stared down at her beautiful face. Pleasure rocked her again, and he ground his thumb into her clit while pumping his finger into her pussy. The clenching need at the base of his spine almost stole his mind and forced him to take off his jeans and claim her the way he wanted—needed. But he held back and watched the sun’s rays creeping over her features while she slowly unraveled for him.
Biting into her lips didn’t stop her screams. He added another finger, stretching her further. When he slipped a third into her core, she tossed her head back on a gasp. For long seconds, she stared dazedly into his eyes.
Then her lids closed on the ecstasy he felt ripping through her. Angling her head back, she released a scream to the lightening sky.
He drew his fingers free and sucked all of them clean of her cum before thrusting them back inside.
“Dane!”
He stroked her innermost spot, and the soft wal
l twitched under his fingertip. God, he wanted to drive inside her.
Kissing over her throat and breasts, he teased her until the final shudder left her boneless in his grasp. She threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled him in for a kiss.
“So beautiful.” He brushed his wet fingers over her lower lip and then leaned in to bathe it away with his tongue.
“Oh my God,” she whispered.
“I want to do so many dirty things to you, baby doll.”
“Like…claim my ass?”
His gut clenched in desire so strong that he nearly emptied his balls there and then. He almost wished he hadn’t shucked off his clothes yet—he battled for control. His cock stood up, curving to the side. And Brennah took the invitation.
She closed her fist around it. Looking into his eyes, she stroked him from base to tip. His thigh muscles locked as he strained into her soft hand. She pumped him a second time and then a third.
Breathing hard, he collapsed into the grass, sprawled out as she stroked him into harder steel. Heat clawed his insides, rising up far too fast to control. He squeezed his eyes shut on the pleasure—and jolted upward at the warm, wet feel enveloping his cock.
“Fucking Christ.” He watched his mushroomed head push past her lips and vanish into her hot mouth. Unable to stop himself, he gripped the back of her head and eased her down over him.
A soft whimper escaped her throat. A cloud scudded across the sky overhead. And he was about to fucking come in her mouth.
She wrapped her fingers around his root and took him down to her own knuckles, sucking in far more of him than he thought possible. As she flashed her eyes at him, passion exploded inside him.
When he shoved upward, he felt the tip of his erection hit the back of her throat. And again. She swallowed around him, and the tightening of her mouth around him tore the final shred of his control away.
He cupped her cheek. “I’m gonna…”
“Mmm.”
Too late. The first jet hit her mouth, and then spurt after spurt left his body. She pinned him with a hand on his thigh, as she moaned around his length and sucked him dry.
For long moments, she nuzzled his length, down to his tight balls. He closed his eyes and gave himself up to the feel of her loving him.
Hell—he’d finally figured that out, didn’t he? What love felt like? It wasn’t fuckin’ and fightin’. It was a sweet, beautiful and amazing woman who held him up to a standard he wanted to reach and then surpass.
His heart flexed. He knotted his fingers in her waves and drew her head away from his cock.
Their gazes held. Something played in the soft depths of her eyes like small lights he wanted to study forever.
Swallowing hard, he dragged her up his body. Their naked limbs entwined without conscious thought on his part, and her head fit so perfectly tucked against his shoulder. Stroking her hair, he reveled in the feel of the strands on his skin.
“You need to get to work,” she whispered.
“So do you.”
She snuggled closer. They were silent for a long minute. Then she said, “Dane?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you for being honest with me. About all of it. You’ve never lied, and I appreciate that so much.”
His throat tightened. “I wish I didn’t have anything to confess. I’ll try harder, baby doll. I’ll do better.”
She leaned up on an elbow to stare into his eyes. When she flicked a lock of hair off his forehead, so much tenderness sprang up in his chest that he felt he might overflow and wash away on the tide.
“I believe you, Dane.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I can see you want to do better. And if you’re half as determined as you’ve showed me you are with the work you do here and on your own ranch… Well, you can’t fail, can you?”
Looking into the warm brown depths of her eyes, his heart swelled even more for Brennah. He dragged her against him and wrapped his arms around her. “I won’t fail. For you, I won’t fail.”
She shook her head. “No. For you. And only then can there be an us.”
* * * * *
Brennah stood back and watched as Dane worked with the horse in the ring. The mare still had a ways to go in order to win any ribbons at the fair. But even second place would prove she knew enough about training horses that she might generate some interest in her small ranch in future.
He dug his knees into the horse’s sides, pulling her to a halt. “What do ya think, Brennah? How’s she lookin’?”
Leaning her arms on the fence, she cocked her head. “Speed’s good. She’s still not handling as well as we need. She’s a little laggy in taking commands, don’t you think?”
He nodded. “I agree. Reaction time’s a bit on the slow side.”
“I might hold her out of the fair. I want to give her the best chance of going to a good seller.” If only she’d put more time into training Ladybug, she would have the mare shooting for a blue ribbon next week, but she couldn’t regret the hours she worked to save other people’s beloved pets.
“She’s a fine horse. Would make any rider proud,” he said, putting the horse into a spinning turn.
Brennah examined the horse’s position in the turn. She went in fine but came out a few seconds too late. In a championship, the delay would cost a rider precious points. But with a few more months of training, she’d be ready to roll.
Mind made up, she shook her head. “I’m going to keep her from the fair. I’ll just take the pigs with hopes of winning a prize with them.”
“If there’s a fattest, most spoiled pig prize, you’ll win hands down.”
She laughed and watched Dane dismount. He caught the reins and led the horse over to the fence, and Brennah stroked her nose. “You’ve done great, girl. You’re just not ready yet. And that’s okay.”
The horse nudged her hand, seeking the treat she typically got after a training session.
Suddenly, a strange falsetto voice projected from Dane. “Oh, c’mon, Brennah. Give me a treat. I did well.”
Caught off guard by Dane impersonating the mare, Brennah shook with laughter. “You did very well.” She held out her palm with a baby carrot on it, and the horse slurped it up. Then she patted Dane’s arm, making sure to wipe the horse spit off her hand.
His brows shot up. “You just wiped spit on me.”
“I was just patting you.”
“Woman, you’re bad at lyin’.”
She laughed more.
“Soon as I take this horse to the paddock, I’m comin’ back for you.”
“We’ll see, won’t we?” she asked in a lazy drawl.
Clicking his tongue, he got Ladybug’s attention from seeking more treats from Brennah and led her to the barn. She rested her arms on the fence and watched them go, admiring both beast and man.
The summery evening breeze freshened, and she inhaled deeply. How different she felt right now compared to the week of the fire. Then, she had been unsure if she was juggling the practice and her own responsibilities well. She’d also learned that passing some work to others was okay. Mindi and Kylie were happier in their positions. And Dane’s help this week lessened her own load even further.
That Skype interview with Dr. Clemens loomed on the not-so-distant horizon too. Each day the appointment drew closer, the more nervous she became that she didn’t know her own mind. Of course, she knew her dreams from a year ago when she’d arrived in Stokes. Had those changed?
Looking up at the field that had burned, she saw the regrowth of thick green grass and felt the even bigger change in herself.
A pair of strong arms encircled her from behind, drawing her against an even more solid chest. Sighing in pleasure at Dane’s touch, she rested her head against his shoulder. He rubbed his stubbled jaw against hers.
“How do you keep a constant five o’clock shadow, but I never see you shaven?”
He nuzzled her ear
. “Lazy I guess.”
“You’re far from lazy.”
“My brother would argue that. Mimi too.”
“I don’t see a lazy man. You’re always working hard for me.”
“Mmm. I’d like to work hard to make you scream.”
Tingles electrified her. She reached back and grabbed onto his steely thigh to keep from falling over, and he held her even tighter. He kissed a small trail up to her temple, and she twisted into his arms. Tipping her head back, she stared up at him.
“When you look at me that way, I know you want my cock buried inside you.”
Her stomach pitched at his dirty words. Clamping her thighs together, she felt a blush covering her face as well as the rest of her body.
She pulled off his hat and tangled her fingers in the hair on his nape. “You would be right,” she whispered.
A growl escaped his throat, and he swooped in for a kiss. This wasn’t a brushing of lips—he claimed her. For a dizzying moment, she couldn’t catch her breath. Then, just as quickly, he tore his mouth away, grabbed her waist, and lifted her against him. When he ground his erection into her pussy, she regretted the layers of denim that separated them, but at the same time, she became extra aware of both their arousals.
He slipped a hand up her torso and enveloped her breast, finding the aching tip with the pad of his thumb. He swished it back and forth over her hardened peak, and she swallowed a cry.
“I want you, Brennah. More than I’ve ever wanted any woman in my life.”
She went still. Mind backtracking, she tried to make sense of what he’d just told her. He wanted her more? Did that make what they had…different?
Meeting his gaze, she searched his eyes. “Dane…”
“I don’t have the control to stay away from you anymore. I’m tired of tryin’.”
“Then stop.” She cupped his face with one hand and kissed him. At the same time, he brought his hands under her thighs, hooking them around his waist.
As he carried her to the house, she threw herself into pouring all her emotions into her kiss. Any words lying on her tongue were best swallowed for now. What they had was too tenuous, and admitting she was falling in love with him would only make him bolt.