Hiding Behind Love

by Karly Morgan

  “I thought you thought I was too sore for an encore?” I asked, trying my best to fight the heat flooding between my thighs as his hand skimmed down to cup my breast and pinch the nipple, twisting it just right to force a moan from my throat. I rubbed myself against him, completely lost to his touch and uncaring about anything but feeling him moving inside me once again.

  “Doesn’t seem like you think ya are,” he said close to my ear in a low voice that made me even hotter. “I’m inclined ta defer ta your expertise of what ya can handle.”

  With that, he lifted my leg and slid into me from behind, filling me completely. My eyes rolled back in my head at how he fit inside me as if he was the missing piece to my puzzle and how deliciously erotic it was to feel him so deeply.

  He held still, allowing me to adjust around him, but I needed more friction. I needed him to move. My hips began undulating, urging him to take action and satisfy me the way he’d done the night before. He didn’t need a second invitation as he took action, thrusting hard and fast.

  I was immediately lost to anything other than Kolton moving inside me, hitting every spot deep within me, setting my body aflame. Every sense I had was attuned to him in and around me. My skin was sensitive everywhere we connected. My ears caught every moan and growl he emitted, telling me without words that he was enjoying this as much as I was. My eyes closed, picturing the look of passion contorting his face as he pounded harder and deeper into me. My nose was full of his pure masculine scent that reminded me of a beautiful sunny day full of fresh air with a musky undertone mixed with the scent of our combined juices and sweat. And my tongue swirled around the fingers he’d thrust into my mouth as his cock slid in and out of my pussy, filling me with the salty taste of his skin. I was in sensory overload and loving every moment of it.

  My leg was still hooked over the arm of the hand he was finger fucking my mouth with and when he’d moved it upward, he’d opened me up further to his frenzied thrusts. He was losing control, losing himself to me, as we came together hard and fast.

  The hand he’d had under his head when he’d been sleeping worked its way down so he could pinch and flick at my clit, sending me over the cliff, plummeting hard and fast into yet another world-shattering orgasm. He followed closely behind this time, roaring out his pleasure as his cock exploded inside me.

  We laid there gasping for air, trying to pull ourselves back together after such a mind-altering experience.

  “What have ya done to me, woman?” Kolton finally growled, once he’d caught his breath again.

  “What have I done to you? What have you done to me? I honestly think you’ve ruined me for every other man,” I told him, slapping his chest and laughing.

  “Now that’s what a man wants ta hear,” he said with that cocky grin I was beginning to adore seeing on his face. He looked content and happy for the first time since I’d dropped into his life unexpectedly.

  “Go cook breakfast,” I ordered, trying to push him toward the edge of the bed but unable to move him an inch.

  “Isn’t that the woman’s job?” Kolton teased, shooting me a wink and hopping from the bed before I could swat him good.

  “Only if you like burnt food,” I said sweetly, batting my eyes at him as I watched him pull his clothes on. Kolton clothed was a shame. Naked, he was absolutely glorious.

  “Well, then it’s past time ya learned. Get that sweet ass outta bed and come help me,” he demanded as his hand came down hard on my exposed butt cheek, leaving it stinging and hot where it had struck. “Now that’s a nice color on you, darlin’. We’ll have to explore that later.”

  I squealed when his hand struck my skin but melted at the look of raw hunger in his eyes as he stared at my reddened ass. His words had me wishing I could pull him back into bed and demand we explore it now instead of later, but there wasn’t time for that. Kolton had breakfast duty and then work around the ranch, while I needed to help Bonnie as much as I could. I watched as he exited the room without another word, sorry to see him go, since I’d much rather spend the day exploring him instead.

  With a mournful sigh, I climbed from bed as Kolton returned carrying my suitcase and duffle bag into the room.

  “Hope ya don’t mind. While you were gettin’ ready yesterday, I packed up all your stuff but didn’t wanna bring it in here until I was sure ya weren’t gonna change your mind about tryin’ this whole traditional marriage thing. Just thought I’d make it easier on ya,” he said as he parked the suitcase next to my legs and settled the duffle on the foot of the bed next to me. It was hard to be angry when the look on his face looked so honest and sincere.

  “Thanks,” I said, smiling up at him with the sheet wrapped around my chest.

  He dipped his head down and kissed me soundly before rounding on his heel and leaving the room once again. This time I knew from the sound of his thudding footsteps, he was heading toward the kitchen and wouldn’t be making a sudden reappearance. This man was quickly stealing my heart with how kind and thoughtful he was outside the bedroom and dominant, sexy, alpha male inside of it.

  Shaking those thoughts aside, I dug through my stuff and found a pair of shorts and T-shirt, along with a fresh pair of panties and bra and got busy dressing. I’d love a shower after all that hot, sweaty sex but wasn’t quite ready to wash away the feel or smell of him on me. Plus, I needed to try to help him with breakfast. There’d be time after that to shower…I hoped.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kolton

  I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face all day long. Even with the mundane tasks I had to handle, it wouldn’t go away. Breakfast had been interesting with Carissa attempting to help me cook—very unsuccessfully I might add. Her talents definitely did not lie in the culinary world. Mama, Caleb, and I smiled and ate it all, even though it was horrible. Even with me helping and trying to catch things, she’d managed to burn a lot of the food.

  She stepped up and tried again at lunchtime. Luckily, we were only doing a cold-cut spread, similar to the day she’d shown up, so there wasn’t much damage she could do to that. Thank God. I needed at least one edible meal throughout the day.

  “For a man who had not a single inclination ta ever marry, ya sure do look like a man on top of the world,” Caleb commented as he strolled up beside me as I started the grill to cook some chicken breasts Mama had marinated for us earlier in the day against all my arguments. “It sure does seem ta be agreein’ with ya, even though yer new wife’s cookin’ ain’t necessarily agreein’ with my insides.”

  I turned a glare on Caleb at his insult, ready to plow my fist through his nose for saying a cross word about Carissa. I was still adjusting to calling her my wife, but I had to admit, I did enjoy the sound of it coming from Caleb’s lips when he’d said it…before he’d insulted her first attempt to cook. She’d felt horrible enough without Caleb talking shit about it behind her back.

  “You better think twice before sayin’ another word,” I warned him, my voice low and laced with the intended threat. “I hear a word come from one of the hands about ya talkin’ crap, and I’ll plant my fist in your face. Comprende?”

  Caleb simply grinned in response, a twinkle lighting up his eyes. As soon as I saw that, I knew I’d been had. He’d been fishing and had gotten exactly what he’d cast the line for in my knee-jerk reaction.

  “Yer ma was right. Ya got it bad,” he said as he leaned against the railing, still smiling from ear to ear. I shot him a dirty look and went back to focusing on my current task, refusing to rise to his bait. “It got a bit noisy in the house last night and again this mornin’. Ya wouldn’t happen ta know anythin’ ‘bout that would ya?”

  My great mood was souring the longer Caleb ran his mouth, teasing me about how drastically I’d changed in the last week. I’d gone from swearing off committed relationships to happily married man in a short time span. It was a wonder I didn’t have whiplash. Could someone really change that much so quickly? I guess if you found the right person, they’d cha
nge your perspective fast enough. Carissa seemed to be just that person for me.

  “Now don’t go gettin’ all pissy. Just givin’ ya a hard time. Marriage does look good on ya though,” he told me, his voice growing serious as he crossed his arms and eyed me closely. I had no clue what he was looking for now, but I wasn’t inclined to give him anything.

  “Yer ma is on cloud nine in there. I haven’t seen her smile this much in years.”

  I had to agree. As hard as life had been on her, she’d usually found something to smile about, but it had never been this wide and genuine that I could ever remember.

  “It’s good to see,” I responded, still bitter about his previous comments. I knew I wouldn’t stay mad at him long unless he continued to insult Carissa, but I didn’t foresee him doing so. Caleb adored her the same as my mom did.

  “I think she’s gonna talk to the doc about seein’ if he can get her back on the list,” Caleb said as he turned his focus from me out toward the pastures.

  I closed my eyes and tried to fight the burst of hope that expanded in my chest. I needed to hear that from her, not Caleb, before I’d allow myself to believe.

  “Carissa asked her ta do it as a weddin’ gift ta the two of ya. She talked ta me about it last night.”

  If I hadn’t already fallen head over heels in love with the woman I’d just married—which I was pretty sure I’d already done—I just did right then. I knew if anything were to change Mama’s mind, it would be that particular request from that particular girl that would do it.

  “I had no idea. Carissa never said a word about it to me,” I whispered, stunned as my mind tried to wrap itself around the gift my new wife had given me. She knew without me saying a word what my deepest wish was and had done her best to grant it for me.

  “Probably didn’t wanna go gettin’ yer hopes up in case Bonnie didn’t do it,” Caleb pointed out, and I knew he was most likely right. Carissa had a knack for considering other people’s thoughts and feelings before she said or did anything.

  “Thanks for lettin’ me know,” I said before heading toward the back door to retrieve the chicken from the fridge.

  “Letting you know what?” Carissa asked as she stepped off the bottom step of the porch, looking radiant in a simple sundress she’d changed into after she’d showered this morning.

  My eyes scanned her from head to toe, loving the fact she’d once again worn the boots I’d picked out for her. I didn’t know what made me do it, but the day after our trip to town, I’d had to buy her a pair, so I’d made some excuse to take off without her after sneaking up and checking out her shoe size on a pair she’d left sitting next to her dresser in her room.

  It had taken forever to find the right pair—the pair I knew she’d fall in love with and wear around the ranch—but I’d succeeded when I found these. They were round-toed, medium-brown leather with pink accents and rhinestones trimming the edge around her slender calf. A calf that, as I gazed at it, made me long to have those perfectly toned legs wrapped around me once again as she cried out my name.

  “I think I’m gonna head on in,” Caleb said, sounding awkward, which snapped me out of my daydream. “Ya two behave yourselves out here.”

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Carissa told him with a laugh, and Caleb shot her a wink before jogging up the stairs and disappearing into the house.

  “Hmm…I can think of all sorts of trouble we could get into out here…” I hummed in her ear as I wrapped her up in my arms, nibbling at her exposed neck. She quickly moved the dish holding the marinated chicken from between us before we ended up wearing it. “I’m sure we could find a bit of privacy out in the stables…”

  “You’re horrible,” she giggled and swatted at me, wiggling against me to get free of my grasp, which only made things that much harder down south.

  “Only with you, darlin’,” I replied easily, not letting go of her. Nothing had ever felt so right as holding her in my arms. Every time I did, it felt like coming home and being at peace. Maybe that’s what made me change my tune about marriage to this woman.

  “I bet you say that to all the girls,” she teased. “Now get this meat on the grill. We’re all starving.”

  “I have some meat I’d like ya to marinate for me.” I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively, and she rolled her eyes while shaking her head.

  “There’s time enough for that later. Right now, you need to feed me some real food or me ‘marinating your meat’ won’t be happening tonight because I won’t have any energy left,” she retorted, using one hand to air quote.

  It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen her do.

  “Well…well…well…now isn’t this cozy?” a male voice I didn’t recognize spoke from behind me, sarcasm dripping from his every word.

  Carissa instantly tensed in my arms as her eyes widened in fear, alerting me to the fact that whoever it was, wasn’t good.

  “Hello, Father,” Carissa said, her voice flat and emotionless as she stood frozen in my arms.

  My eyes searched hers, but any emotion she’d been feeling was locked away deep inside her. It made me instantly want to beat this man to a bloody pulp for doing this to his own daughter. Seeing the warm, loving, considerate woman she’d been from the moment she’d woken up in my stables, I’d had a hard time believing everything she’d tried to explain about her childhood…until now.

  “You’ve led me on quite the wild goose chase. Was all this really necessary? You knew I’d find you in the end,” her father said, an undercurrent of rage vibrating through his smooth voice.

  I kept my back turned toward him and my arms around her, hoping she would draw strength from me and stop being so frigid and afraid.

  “My investigators are top of the line, but of course, you knew that as well before you ran off. Did you think running away would change my mind about you marrying Carver?”

  “She won’t be marrying this Carver or anyone else,” I finally said, keeping one arm locked around her waist, holding her to me, while I turned to face the man causing her so much distress just by being here only to find that he wasn’t alone.

  Another man, one I assumed women would find attractive if you liked that Ken-doll, pretty-boy type, was standing beside the older man who was busy smirking at Carissa. Pretty boy and I assessed each other closely and I dismissed him rather easily, turning my focus back to the real problem on our hands.

  “Why? Because the two you ran off and got married? Didn’t my daughter inform you that I am the top divorce attorney in the entire state of New York?” my new father-in-law said, derision dripping from his tongue as he addressed me as if I was something stuck to the bottom of his name-brand loafers. “I can have this marriage annulled at the snap of my fingers.”

  “I don’t want to marry Carver,” Carissa finally spoke up, her voice weak and shaky as she openly defied her father.

  I hated the sound of it but was happy she’d said something in her own defense. It was a start, at least.

  “Stop being a spoiled brat. I’ve given you everything you’ve ever wanted in life. You will do this one thing for me,” he said, turning his focus back on his daughter, his anger bubbling to the surface.

  “You’re a liar,” Carissa stated, straightening her back and squaring her shoulders. This was the woman I wanted to see. “You gave me absolutely nothing I ever wanted growing up. Everything had to be your way. I wasn’t allowed to play outside or with other kids from my class. I never had a sibling to keep me company. Hell, I wasn’t even allowed to pick my own friends or dates!”

  “Still throwing your little temper tantrum are you? I feel I need to apologize, Mr. Reed, for my daughter’s dramatics landing on your doorstep and pulling you into this family matter. If you’ll go get her things, I’ll take her home and she’ll no longer bother you and your mother,” her father said, shocking me when he called me by name.

  Carissa turned a worried glance up at me, which irritated me beyond belief. I’d given her m
y word I would stand beside her and help her fight her father’s unrealistic demands. One thing I honored, come hell or high water, was my word. She’d have to learn that pretty quick and now was a good lesson for her.

  “Ya won’t be takin’ my wife anywhere. We’re legally married, and if you attempt to take her from here against her will, I will call the sheriff and file attempted kidnappin’ charges against ya. And considerin’ you came up on my land without an invitation, I’m askin’ ya ta leave now before I call him out here to arrest ya for tresspassin’ on private property.”

  Carissa’s father’s eyes narrowed on me as he assessed just how far I was willing to back up my threat. What he didn’t know yet but was about to learn was that I didn’t make threats; I gave promises that I fully intended to keep.

  “And take your friend with ya. He’s no more welcome than you are.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this, son?” Her father quirked his eyebrow at me and sent me a warning look which I completely ignored. After dealing with my father, this man didn’t stand a chance of intimidating me.

  “I’m not your ‘son.’ Don’t ever call me that again. I had a daddy and he was a piece of shit, but compared to you, he looks like a goddamn saint,” I spat angrily, my voice elevating as my temper flared.

  I hated how stiff Carissa felt standing next to me when she’d been happy and relaxed just a few minutes before this asshole showed up. “Contrary to your belief, Carissa is now, and will remain, my wife. If ya try to do anything to nullify that, both of us will fight ya on it. Considering the mayor himself officiated our ceremony, I think ya might have a hard time winnin’ that case.”

  Her father laughed heartily as if I’d just told him the funniest joke in the world before levelling me with a cold, hard stare. “Don’t push me, boy.”