by Danica Avery
“Me either,” she replied, then nodded towards the living room. He got the hint and followed her into the living area, where she had the fireplace lit. There was an old couch placed in front of the fireplace. It was Bennett’s couch, but there was a feminine throw blanket laying over the back of it.
She took a seat on the couch, and he followed her lead, sitting next to her. He purposely left a small gap between them.
“You know, I’ve never seen anything like that before. The baby foal,” she said quietly before taking a sip of her hot chocolate.
“It’s really somethin’, ain’t it?”
“It was amazing. The baby was so cute! And to think, you and I were there when he came into this world. We saw him open his eyes for the first time ever... It was so incredible, Burley,” she replied.
He looked at her then, and he couldn’t help but notice that she had a glow about her. She was truly touched by what she had witnessed. For him, it wasn’t the first birth he had seen, but it was the first time he had shared the experience with a woman.
After the incident, he had given up on women. Honestly, he had given up on ever having any kind of relationship with a person. He had cut himself off from the town. He only interacted with Old Man Bennett and Luka, who were the only two people in the whole town who didn’t hate him for what happened.
He had contented himself to this new lifestyle he was living. Was he lonely? Sure. Before his mistake, he had a girlfriend. He thought she would be the one he would marry. But like everyone else, she couldn’t forgive him for what he had done. She left him. Last he heard, she was engaged. She moved on with her life, and he was left to be forever alone.
Then Dove showed up. He knew he didn’t have a chance with her. She was only going to be in Heart’s Peak a short time. But he couldn’t help his growing attraction. The more he got to know her, the more he realized there was more to her than meets the eye. She was a strong, beautiful person. She came off as arrogant and stubborn, but deep down she had a caring side.
“You know, you’re doin’ a real good job with this place. If ya need any help with heavy liftin’ or something, I’d be happy to lend a hand,” he offered.
“Really? Thank you. I’ve been working hard, but there’s still so much to do. I would love if you could help me out,” she said. Just then, Burley felt something warm on his knee. He glanced down to find her hand there. It was surely a friendly gesture. He had offered to help her out and she appreciated it. That was all it could be, right?
“Oh, yeah, sure. Not a problem at all. I was wonderin’ how you were gonna get those new doors up,” he said. Looking away from her hand, he finally took a sip of his hot chocolate. Its sweet flavor danced over his taste buds, briefly distracting him from her hand.
“Well... I was actually planning on asking you for that,” she said, a mischievous grin tugging at the corner of her lips.
Burley laughed slightly but he was still well aware of her hand that hadn’t left his knee. When he looked back to her, she was laughing. He thought she was laughing along with him, but then he realized she was laughing at him.
“What? What is it?” he asked, confused.
“It’s-it’s--” she said, but couldn’t get the words out, due to her growing laughter.
“Is there something on my face?”
“You’ve got marshmallows all over your beard!” she finally blurted out. Before he could even react, she was leaning towards him. That hand that was on his knee was reaching towards his mouth. Instinct told him to lean away, but he didn’t move. She reached her fingers to lightly scrape the marshmallows off of his facial hair and lips. This got his heart racing. He hadn’t had a woman that close to him in a long time.
“There, much better,” she giggled. She took her finger to her own mouth, and sucked the marshmallows off. Holy shit. He quickly looked away. There was an all too familiar sensation growing in his loins. His dick was growing hard, and he suddenly felt thankful for his jeans and briefs that would work well to hide his arousal.
“Thanks...” he muttered, not really knowing how to react to what just happened. He reached to sit the mug down on the nearby coffee table, and Dove did the same. When he turned to look at her again, she was looking at him with a hunger in her eyes. She had never looked at him that way before. It had been a long while since any woman had looked at him like that.
“You know what? I missed some. There’s still some on your beard,” she spoke. This time, there was a difference in her tone. She wasn’t full of amusement. She sounded... hott. Sexy. Fuck, he didn’t know how much more of this he could take. Maybe he should leave. Maybe he should make up an excuse.
“I’ll get us some napkins,” he said quickly. It was the first thing that came to his mind.
“No, wait,” she replied. Her hand gripped his arm, then she was leaning in close. His heart thumped loudly in his chest. He was still, not moving an inch, as she locked eyes with him. He got lost in those blue eyes for the briefest of moments, and then she was kissing him.
He returned the kiss. His hand moved to the side of her neck without even thinking. Her skin was warm and soft under his touch. Suddenly, he felt a strong urge to just rip her clothes off. To have his way with her. To claim her. To make her his. But... no. He couldn’t. She didn’t need to be involved with a man like him. She didn’t know what he done.
“You don’t wanna do this...” he breathed out.
“Why not?” she asked, softly, her breath tickling his lips.
“You don’t know what I’ve done,” he said.
“Whatever it is... it can’t be as bad as it seems.”
“It is,” he confirmed.
“Burley, I saw you with that baby horse. You were so kind and gentle and caring... You’re a good man. And that’s all that matters to me,” she said. With that, she was kissing him again. The feel of her warm lips locking with his was quickly sipping away at what little willpower he had left. He didn’t want to hurt her. He was no good for her. He knew it. But damn, she was intoxicating... and it had been so long since he had last felt the lips of a woman.
7
Dove
His kiss was sweet. The taste of chocolate and marshmallow lingered on his lips. Dove’s head was spinning with delight. A spark had ignited within her the moment Burley joined her on the couch, an ember of desire, and now it roared into a full-blown fire.
What was she even doing? She wasn’t going to stay here in Heart’s Peak, and she couldn’t even imagine this mountain man in New York City. There was no future involving the both of them. She just wasn’t exactly thinking with her brain. She was thinking with her heart.
She was thinking about tonight. Now. Him.
Burley’s tongue slipped past her lips as he deepened the kiss. Her mouth was caressed by his hot breath and the brush of his facial hair. Her heart pounded in her ears. She wanted, no, needed to be even closer to him. She slid one of her long legs over him to straddle his lap.
“Dove...” he said, as if he was again having doubts.
“Shh,” she grinned, placing a finger on his lips. She could feel that telltale hardness beneath her, and that made her even hotter for him. He wanted this as badly as she did. She put her hands to the sides of his face and kissed him again.
No more complaints, she thought to herself. Her tongue was saying that to him in a different way. He got the message. His hands found her hips and his firm grip made her moan into the kiss.
They kissed for what felt like an eternity and an instant. Burley said this was wrong but it felt so very right. As if there was nowhere else in the world she’d rather be than wrapped up in his arms.
“I want you, Burley Johnson,” she whispered. Before he could protest, she slipped off his lap and grabbed the throw blanket from the back of the couch. She laid it out across the floor in front of the warm fireplace.
Dove turned around to see what Burley thought of her idea, expecting to find him seated where she left him, but there he stoo
d right behind her. He cupped the back of her neck and leaned in for another kiss. His tongue danced eagerly with hers. His sudden enthusiasm gave her a rush of excitement!
She melted against him. Yes, she thought, this is what I want! The quickening of her pulse matched the throbbing between her thighs. Her hands roamed and worked at the buttons of his shirt. His chest felt solid under her palms and she couldn’t wait to see everything his body offered.
She shoved his flannel off his shoulders, down his arms, freeing him of it. His t-shirt was snug over his muscles. It was her sweater that came next. He quickly pulled it off her and returned his lips to hers. The kiss was fast and hungry. Hands moved over skin; feeling, groping, exploring. Both of them acting as if they couldn’t get enough of the other.
Dove’s bra came off and Burley’s big hands took its place. He squeezed both of her breasts, drawing a lustful moan. His palms, rough from hard work, caressed her nipples and brought them to attention. He drew his fingers together to squeeze the tip of one nipple and a wave of heat shot straight to her core. The way he rolled her nipple between his fingers and thumb made her break the kiss in a hot gasp.
She felt she was in a daze. Before she knew what was happening, Burley’s hands were on her ass, scooping her right off her feet. She was taller than the average woman and had never had a man pick her up like it was nothing. It was so fucking hott! She could’ve stayed there all night, held in his arms, topless, kissing on him. She was soaked between her thighs as she wrapped her legs around him.
Burley carried her a few steps and then knelt to lay her down on the blanket. On her back, she bit onto her lower lip anxiously as she watched him peel off his t-shirt. The light from the fireplace cast a warm glow over his body, making him look like some sexy photoshoot come to life. The man was built like a dream. His broad chest was firm with well-defined muscles rolling down his abs. A trail of dark hair began under his navel and disappeared under the trim of his pants. His gaze was filled with some primal desire.
Heaven help me, Dove thought helplessly. Burley moved down with her, pulling her lips into another passionate kiss. The taste of hot chocolate had worn away, leaving only the taste of him. There was an intensity between them unlike anything she had ever known. Her hands moved to his belt buckle. She needed this man and she needed him now.
Burley wanted more too. He kissed her skin like a thirsting man in the desert would welcome an oasis. Wild and needful. His lips met her throat, her collarbone, her breasts. She cried out in pleasure as his tongue wrapped around her nipple. The hot, wet muscle set her nerves ablaze with good sensations. He licked and sucked, sending shudders through her body. His tongue would flick over her perky nipple before his lips again closed around it, sucking on her hard.
She was panting as if he was fucking her, and they hadn’t even got their pants off yet!
“Ohh... Oh, I need you to fuck me already,” she moaned. He growled in response, the sexiest growl she had ever heard, and came back to her lips. He kissed her hard for a minute, leaving her head in a blissful blur, before he pushed off her.
He stripped her of the rest of her clothing, then he stood to do the same to himself. Naked now, and breathing heavy, Dove sat up to watch him. She gasped as she got a look of him in all his glory. His penis was fully erect, thick with desire. And it was so big... Long and wide. It definitely matched the rest of his body. Would he even fit inside her? She couldn’t take her eyes away. Her pussy throbbed at the mere sight of him.
“Lay back,” Burley said. The raw lust in his voice made her weak. She happily did as he wanted and he was quick to rejoin her. He settled his frame over her and she felt his erection rubbing against her swollen folds. A shiver shot through her body.
His hand slid between them. She felt something else thick and warm against her pussy as his fingers slipped through her arousal. She whimpered and squeezed her thighs against him. Her heart threatened to race out of her chest. He teased one rough fingertip against her clit.
Pleasure exploded through her to her very soul. She felt so close to her climax already. His hand moved to his cock and she felt the head of it tease her opening. He pushed into her slowly, obviously aware of how large he was. Her sensitive walls expanded in a way they never had before to accommodate him. She worried he might not fit, but she soon found that was a needless worry. He fit. He fit so fucking good!
“Oh, Burley!”
Dove moaned out his name as an orgasm crashed over her. She clutched both hands to the blanket as her body writhed beneath him. Her pussy tightened around his cock and she felt him shudder. He let out a deep moan and seemed to savor it for a moment. Then he started fucking her.
She was still riding her orgasm when he pulled out most of the way and filled her again. Every thrust of his thick shaft sent her to new heights. She was soaring! Electricity coursed through her veins! She had never felt a man so deep inside her!
Burley started out slow, then picked up the pace when he seemed satisfied that she could handle him. Ha, if she could even claim to be handling it. She was so overwhelmed with the powerful feelings surging through her body. Her orgasm settled, but she didn’t calm down. His cock was in her, pumping, pushing her right back to that euphoric state.
Burley shifted, sliding a hand under the small of her back. He lifted her hips from the ground and got more forceful with his thrusts. The firelight played against his sweaty skin as he worked into her. He was like a wild man. Raw passion and lust. Dove thought she might die. She might literally die from how intensely the pleasure felt.
His thrusting easily pushed her to another orgasm. She practically screamed out, unable to even contain herself. He continued fucking her as strong sensations rocked her to her core. Her fingers gripping his hair, her legs wrapped around him, she whimpered and moaned and was unable to even think any coherent thoughts as he reached his own climax.
He finished with a satisfied moan that came from deep within his chest. He dropped his head down over her shoulder, his hot body pressed against hers, as the two of them laid there in pure ecstasy and tried to catch their breath.
Where had this man been all her life?
8
Burley
The next morning, Burley sat at his kitchen table, a cup of coffee in his hand, as his mind replayed the events of what happened with Dove. He could still taste her on his lips. Smell her floral, feminine scent. Hear her screaming out his name as he was buried so deep inside her...
He didn’t regret what they had done together. How could he? After the incident, he thought he’d never be with a woman again. He felt doomed to live the life of a hermit. Alone and lonely. Now there was Dove. She had come into his life. A bright ray of sunshine on a dreary rainy day.
He knew they couldn’t be together. She lived in the city. She was only going to be in Heart’s Peak a short time before she went back home. Then he’d never see her again.
That thought brought a frown to his face. He brought the cup to his lips and had a long drink. The crunching of dog kibbles could be heard. BD was eating his breakfast near the back door. Burley glanced at his companion before his eyes drifted to the window. His kitchen faced Bennett’s house. The two houses weren’t close enough for him to really make anything out from that distance, but he couldn’t help but wonder what Dove was doing right now. Was she thinking about him too?
It did cross his mind that maybe it had been nothing more for her than just a good time. She was a city girl. City folk were different. They lived a different kind of life. If that was all it was, he would accept that. It would probably be for the best. She’d never be happy with someone like him. Not once she found out what he had done.
He placed the cup on the table and pushed out his chair to stand up. He was dressed only in a pair of grey jogging pants. No shirt. His long hair draped over his shoulders.
BD was still busy with his bowl, licking every inch of it to make sure that he had gotten every last crumb of dog food. The dog had always been a
glutton. If Burley wasn’t careful, BD would swipe his sandwich off the table, if he wasn’t looking.
He left the kitchen and went about his usual morning routine. He tried to get his mind off of Dove. To focus on other things. Like his plans for the day. But try as he might, she inevitably kept creeping back in. While he was in the shower, he thought of what it would be like to shower with her. To have her naked body pressed against his, the hot water dripping over them with fresh steam in the air.
He left the shower in frustration with his dick standing to attention. Fuck. He was going to have a boner all day long.
After he got dressed, he left the house with BD trotting beside him. The sun was out but there was a chill in the air. Dead leaves danced around his boots as approached the stable.
Violet and baby Bennett seemed to be doing well. When Burley had checked on them last night, Bennett had already been on his feet and nursing. The little colt would be galloping in the fields before you knew it.
He left mother and baby alone for the moment, and brought Mac out of his stall. He was a grey Thoroughbred stallion with a dark grey mane and tail. To people unfamiliar with horses, he would be considered white. He was a beautiful horse and one of Burley’s favorites.
He led the horse outside and into the pen that was attached to the stable. With a grooming mitt, he began to brush him in circular motions. When his coat was shiny and clean, Burley replaced the mitt with a hoof pick. He slid his hand down Mac’s leg and gave it a squeeze just below his pastern.
“Hoof,” he said, and Mac complied with what he wanted, lifting his leg for Burley to start cleaning out his hoof.
He was busy doing that when he heard a crunching sound. The kind of sound shoes made walking through gravel. He lifted his head in the direction of the sound and saw Dove approaching.
Just the sight of her got his heart racing. Since arriving at the stable, he had been doing well to focus on his task and not think about their wild night together. Now, here she was. She was dressed in a tight dark blue sweater. It had a V-neck and was cut low to show off the cleavage of her perky breasts. Along with the sweater, she was wearing skinny jeans and a pair of stylish boots. The woman always knew how to dress to make herself look good, but today, she was beyond sexy.