“So…you and Nicki,” she began.
“There is no me and Nicki,” Ryder said in a low voice before taking a drink of beer.
“I just figured…well, the way she was hanging on you and…” Kelsey paused and looked down at the glass in her hand. “Well, you weren’t interested in me.”
“Not interested in you,” Ryder exclaimed, his eyes meeting hers in the dim light of the room. “You’re the one who told me it was a mistake.”
“Yeah, well then, I guess it was.” She finished the last of her wine and set the glass on the coffee table. “I don’t compare to the other women you know.” She thought about how beautiful Olivia was and knew she was nothing like her, or even Nicki.
****
Kelsey stood. Ryder knew she was once more thinking herself ugly thanks to the bastard who told her so while claiming to love her. She was so wrong about him not being interested in her though. He could have had Nicki tonight had he wanted, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Kelsey. Holding her in his arms while dancing reminded his body just how soft and wonderful she felt when he kissed her the other night.
When she moved to leave, he came to his feet. She stopped and looked at him with a curious expression. He moved forward until he stood in front of her. He heard her inhale as he smoothed her hair back from her beautiful face. Dipping his head, he touched his lips to hers and felt her tense for a moment. Here we go again!
Ryder hesitated in deepening the kiss and nearly stepped back when Kelsey snaked her arms around his shoulders and pressed her warm body against him. His body immediately reacted and his arms slid down to her waist and pulled her close. Lowering her onto the couch, he spread out alongside her while his tongue danced with hers. He heard her moan low in her throat and his body liked it.
Her hands pushed his outer shirt off over his shoulders before sliding her fingers across his chest and down along his stomach to the bottom of his T-shirt. She lifted it over his head and pulled her lips from his. He watched as her eyes roamed over his chest and down his muscled stomach. He pushed her shirt up and groaned when he saw her beautiful breasts. The rosy nipples peaked in anticipation and arousal.
“You’re beautiful, Ryder,” she whispered on an exhalation.
He grinned with satisfaction and moved his mouth to her neck as his hand slipped inside her sweatpants to her very core. He kissed her and smiled against her lips.
“Commando?” he said as he pulled them off her and tossed them onto the floor.
Kelsey blushed and nodded. “Touch me, please…” Her plea ended on a gasp when he moved his fingers between her wet, slick folds.
****
Kelsey pressed her body against his hand as he inserted a finger. His tongue lapped at her nipple, and then he sucked it into his mouth. What he was doing was driving her crazy. She’d never felt like this, and she wanted him inside her. Now. Kelsey threw her head back as her orgasm grabbed her. A low moan emerged from her before she cried out his name. Her body trembled as she came down from her high. She felt Ryder move his mouth up her neck to her lips, taking them in a deep kiss. He removed his hand from her still throbbing body, and lifted his lips from hers. She groaned as she watched him stick his finger into his mouth and sucked on it. She’d never seen anything so erotic in her life.
She wrapped her hand around his neck, pulled him down to her, and ran her tongue along his lips, making him groan. He took control of the kiss and deepened it, his tongue dipping deep inside her mouth. The growl that tore from him when she sucked on it made her feel very much in control. He moved his lips across her cheek to her ear.
“I want to fuck you,” he whispered, his hot breath in her ear. “I want to feel you clench around my cock when you come. I—” All of a sudden, he pulled away from her.
“What…?”
“We can’t do this, Kelsey,” he said in a rough hoarse voice.
“It looks like we already are.”
Ryder sat up and moved away from her. He cleared his throat and ran his hand around the back of his neck. “Frank would kill me.”
“Frank isn’t here and besides, who would tell him?”
“No one has to tell him. I’d know he’d be disappointed in me. I’m supposed to be protecting you, not fucking you.”
She sat up and pulled her T-shirt down. “Well, we certainly didn’t get that far, did we?” she said, suddenly feeling angry and humiliated. He’d used her just as Daniel had.
Ryder stared at her. “No, we didn’t, because I came to my senses.”
“Was that before or after you were licking me off your finger?” She grabbed her sweatpants from the floor and pulled them on. She stood and glared down at him. She saw his jaw clench, and a muscle ticked in his cheek.
“Go to bed,” he growled suddenly.
“Are you coming with me? Oh. No. Wait. You’re too afraid to be a man here and finish what you started.”
“I got you off, didn’t I?” he shouted, noticeably angry.
She spun away from him and then turned back to him. “You’re right. At least I got off.” Her eyes shifted to the bulge behind his fly. “You’ll have to take care of that by yourself.”
Kelsey wanted to hit him, and demand he just admit he wanted her, but feared he didn’t. She stormed off to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
****
Ryder swore under his breath when he heard the door slam. What the fuck is wrong with you? He ran his fingers through his hair, and then down over his face. He could still smell her scent on his finger and that just made his cock swell even more. Son of a bitch!
He pulled on his shirts and stomped to the kitchen, grabbed his hat and coat, and walked out the back door. He trudged through the snow to the barn. Frank would have his balls in a sling if he even thought, for one minute, that Ryder would touch Kelsey.
Ryder walked into his office and closed the door. After taking his hat and coat off, he sat behind the desk and booted up the computer. Why he did, he had no idea. He just needed to get his mind off Kelsey. He snorted…like that would happen with his body still wanting her.
He groaned when he thought about how responsive she’d been. When he felt her inner muscles clenching around his finger, he just about came himself. He’d wanted to shove his jeans down and thrust into her hot, wet heat.
His hands grasped the edge of the desk, his knuckles turning white trying to push back his need to march back into the house, go to her room, throw her on the bed and fuck her till she screamed for more. He jerked when his cell phone rang. He picked it up and groaned when he saw who it was.
“Hey, Frank,” he answered through a clenched jaw.
“How is everything, Ryder?”
“Fine. Why?”
A silence greeted him for a few seconds. “I was just wondering,” Frank finally said.
Ryder cleared his throat. “Everything is just fine.”
“Good. I tried to call Kels, but she didn’t answer. Is she all right?”
All right? She was fucking fantastic was Ryder’s thought, but he couldn’t say that to Frank. “She’s probably in the shower.”
Shit! Ryder didn’t need that image in his head. His dick was hard enough to pound nails already.
Frank chuckled in his ear. “Okay, then. Tell her I called and I love her. I’ll talk to you soon, son.”
“All right, Dad.” Ryder ended the call and walked to the window.
This was ridiculous. He wondered how much longer she was going to be here. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could take having her here with him and it’d only been a few days. He slammed his fist on the wall alongside the window, and then swore at the pain. His knuckles hadn’t healed from hitting Big Earl yet.
Ryder sighed, and returned to his seat behind the desk. He figured he could look over the books, and do whatever else came to mind until he headed back inside. Give his body some time to calm down. He couldn’t avoid her forever. If only he could.
****
Kelsey l
eaned her head back against the tub and closed her eyes. Damn him. He wanted her. She restlessly moved her legs. She was still on fire from his touch. No man had ever made her feel that way that quickly. She wanted him inside her and he’d moved away. Moved away! He got a fucking conscience and pulled back from her. Told her they couldn’t do it. Damn him. God damn him! If he were standing in front of her, she’d slug him. She hoped his dick stayed hard all night. She snorted and laughed. Then she sobered when she remembered how she’d felt him hard against her thigh and how fantastic he’d felt. Long, thick, and hard. She jerked when a sudden knock sounded on the bathroom door. He called her name.
“Go away, Ryder.”
“Are you all right?”
“Sure. I’m not the one sexually frustrated right now.” She placed her hand over her mouth and grinned maliciously when she heard him swear.
“I just wanted to tell you that Frank called. He said to tell you he loved you.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to bed.”
“Thank you…Ryder?”
“Yes?” Why did he suddenly sound hopeful? Was he? No! He’d made his opinion quite clear.
“Hope you and your hand have a nice night together,” she yelled through the door, and then laughed when she heard him swearing as he walked away.
Damn him anyway. Even Daniel hadn’t gotten her to an orgasm like he had, and Ryder had only used his hand. She shivered against the warm water, feeling her body react at the memory. If he was that good with just his hand, she wondered what he could do with the rest of his body. She’d never felt that way before. She groaned when she remembered him sticking his finger into his mouth and sucking her essence from it. God! He was so fucking hot.
She wanted to see him…all of him. Every. Delectable. Inch. Of. Him. Because what she’d felt against her leg had been very impressive, and she had no doubt he knew what to do with it. Daniel had never touched her like that. He’d never done much in the foreplay area. He was too anxious to get inside her, and get off. She’d always been left wanting…craving for more, just as she was now.
Kelsey pulled the plug on the tub and stood up as the water began draining away like she wished the throbbing of her body would. The water ran down her body as she reached for a fluffy towel. After drying off, she pulled on a pair of lounge pants and a T-shirt. Entering her bedroom, she looked at the empty bed and sighed. She had a feeling it was going to be a long night. Again. After pulling the quilt back on the bed, she climbed beneath the covers and turned the bedside light off. Taking a deep breath, she blew it out and stared at the ceiling hoping sleep would come before daylight crept through the lace curtains.
Chapter Four
Sunlight played across her face, waking her. Kelsey stretched against the pillows and mattress before sitting up and glancing toward the window. Once again, she heard hammering. She threw back the covers, swung her legs over the side of the bed, and slipped her feet into her slippers. She pulled the quilt from the bed up around her shoulders and walked to the window. The sun reflected off the snow making it almost impossible to see at first. Once her eyes adjusted, she saw smoke pouring out of the chimney that jutted up from the smaller barn roof. She decided she was going out there today, so she quickly dressed and headed toward the kitchen. After getting a quick cup of coffee, she put on her boots, hat, and coat before heading outside. She let her eyes adjust to the brightness before walking down the steps. Someone had shoveled a path through the snow leading to the barns. Kelsey followed it and stopped at the door of the smaller barn. She smelled fresh sawdust. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside.
She let her eyes adjust again and once they did, she gazed around in awe. Wood furniture sat everywhere. She heard a saw running and walked toward the sound. She saw Ryder standing at a table saw with safety goggles on. She stepped in front of him and waved her hands so he'd see her. She watched him turn off the saw, raise his goggles up, and push them up on top of his head.
"So this is what you do in here? You make furniture?" She was astounded at the beauty of the furniture sitting around. From bedroom suites to dining room tables and rows of rocking chairs. She realized the one that was in his living room was just like the ones sitting in there.
He grinned. "What do you think?"
Kelsey shook her head and walked toward the rockers. She ran her hand over the top of one of them. The surface was as smooth as glass. The cedar gleamed, and the lighter shade of wood running through the darker wood was beautiful. She sat in one of them and rocked it. She watched Ryder walking toward her. She gazed up at him when he stopped in front of her.
"I love this. I'd love to have one." She grinned.
Ryder took a seat in the rocker beside her. She glanced at him as she rocked the chair. Who knew this is what he did out in this barn? She glanced around at the other pieces in the space and when her eyes landed on an armoire, the beauty of the piece stole her breath. It was made from cherry.
She pushed out of the rocker and walked over to it. She ran her hands over it, and then opened the doors looking inside and inhaling the wonderful aroma. It was a truly beautiful piece of furniture. She turned around and looked at him with admiration.
"You made all of this? You made this?" she asked caressing the fine wood.
"Yes, and most of them are sold already too. Just waiting for pick-up. One of my best customers owns a furniture store in Billings. He usually sends a big truck here to pick up a huge order. He came here last month to pick up an armoire I'd made for him to give to his wife for her birthday."
"My mom would love to go through here. She's a big furniture nut." She spun around and looked at him. "You made the furniture in my bedroom, didn't you?"
"I made all the furniture in my home, except the couch and recliners. Well, maybe a few other things." He shrugged and flashed a grin at her.
“But you have horses too?”
“My main business is my ranch, the Paint horses I breed and sell. This is just a hobby that took off like wildfire.”
“I can see why. It’s all so beautiful.” This was the most talkative he’d been since her arrival. Of course, they both failed to talk about the issue hanging in the air between them.
“Thank you. Look, I need to get back to work. I only work out here on the weekends and I have a customer coming tomorrow to pick up a bedroom suite.”
“All right. I’ll get out of your way. Did you have breakfast?”
“Hours ago. I’d love some lunch though in about an hour. If you don’t mind?”
She smiled. “No problem. I’ll fix you something. Is there supposed to be more snow?”
“Yes. The weatherman is calling for up to a foot more tonight. I’ll have to make sure we have plenty of firewood and gas for the generator, in case the power goes out.”
“Do you think it will?”
Ryder shrugged and moved to stand by the table saw. “We never know around here. It has before and it will again. Don’t worry, we’ll stay warm.” He lowered his goggles and turned on the saw.
Kelsey nodded and left the barn to head back to the house. She looked around at all of the snow. She’d never seen so much snow, not in person anyway. It was beautiful. She glanced back to the barn when she reached the back door. She knew of one way to stay warm…with Ryder. Of course, all she had to do was think about the time on the couch and she was burning up. Damn. If only she could get him to admit he wanted her and to stop worrying about what Frank would think. Suddenly, she was hoping the power would go out tonight.
About an hour later, Ryder entered the kitchen and took off his hat and coat. After hanging them up, he told he was going to make a fire, just in case and headed off to the living room. A short while later, he returned to the kitchen and washed his hands in the kitchen sink. He took a seat at the table and Kelsey set a hamburger in front of him.
“I hope that’s all right. I didn’t know how big of a lunch you’d want.”
“It’s just fine,” Ryder told her as he spre
ad mustard on the bun. He glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you eating?”
“I already did.”
He nodded, picked up the sandwich, and took a big bite. “Umm…this is good. Different.”
“I added some spices to the meat. Who wants a plain old hamburger?”
“Not me, not anymore.”
Kelsey laughed, appreciating how he was enjoying his lunch. “I have steaks out for dinner. How do you like yours?”
“Rare.”
Kelsey made a face and gave a mock shudder. “How in the world do you eat it like that? Isn’t it still mooing?”
“Only way to eat a steak, darlin’, more than that and you cook the flavor out.”
“Uncle Frank eats it that way too.”
Ryder chuckled. “Who do you think got me started on it that way?”
“They were good to you, weren’t they?”
He stared at her for a few seconds. “Yes, they were.”
It was obvious he wasn’t going to say anything more on the subject. He simply finished his burger and then stood. After putting his plate in the sink, he grabbed his hat and coat, and was gone.
Kelsey blew out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She was never sure what she could say without offending him. The man was a puzzle, but one she’d very much love to solve.
****
After working a few more hours on the furniture order, and Kelsey feeding him one of the best steak dinners he’d had in a long time, Ryder returned to the main barn to feed the horses. Since it was the weekend, he took care of it himself. He gave his men weekends off when possible. The only one around full-time was his manager, Cookie Bridges, and he rarely left the ranch. He and his wife, Charlene lived in a small house behind the barns.
As he walked down the aisle with the bucket of feed, the horses stuck their heads over their gates. He talked to each one as he fed them. He opened Tramp’s gate and entered the stall. The horse butted his head against Ryder’s chest.
Ryder Men of Clifton, Montana Book 5 Page 5