by Tijan
He must’ve felt her hooves pounding through the ground before he looked back, finally, and his eyes bulged out. We were drawing down on him and at a fast pace, but right before she would’ve trampled him, I nudged her, and she swung left.
He fell off the trail, and I jumped off her.
I glared at him, standing above him on the trail. He had fallen down a few feet and was already pulling the headphones off.
“You’re an asshole.” My hands found my hips.
That throb only intensified. My lungs felt like they were going to burst.
“Yeah?” He smirked. “How so?”
His lips twitched as he stared up at me for a beat before he hopped up so he was standing in front of me. He was close, very close. I glanced straight ahead. I was on eye level to his chest, which looked just as good as the back of him. All dips and ridges between his muscles. The sweat was there, too, making his skin almost glisten.
I swallowed tightly, moving back a step. “I don’t remember my brothers running without their shirts on.”
He tipped his head back, a low and smooth laugh coming from him. “Nah, they wouldn’t.” He pulled his shirt free from the loop and wiped it over his forehead before his hands found their way to rest on his hips. He was mirroring my stance, but he suddenly seemed a lot more in control than I was. I didn’t understand it, but my breathing was shortening.
Tilting his head to the side, still watching me so curiously, he added, “They’d run on some treadmill at some fancy gym, no doubt.”
“People don’t run out here for a reason.”
“You do.” He raised his chin as if he were taunting me. No. He was challenging me, but I didn’t understand why.
I pulled at the strap of my tank top. There was a nice breeze, but suddenly, I was heated, too heated. The sun had started to wane. We had another thirty minutes before it would be dark. He really needed to get back by then.
“You have to return. You’re six miles out.”
His lips parted in surprise. “Six?”
I nodded. I looked for Shiloh and spotted her grazing farther down the trail.
I let out a loud sigh. “You’re incredibly stupid.”
“Why?”
“I have to walk beside you. I have to make sure you get back okay, and I don’t have a horse for you to ride.”
He looked over to Shiloh, a question in his eyes.
“She’s not broken. I’m the only rider she allows.” My voice was rising. “These are wild horses. This is the wild out here. There are bears. There are mountain lions.” I hit him. I didn’t care. And once I smacked his chest, I wanted to do it again. “You’re so reckless.”
“Hey.” His arm snaked around my waist, and he pulled me to him.
I lifted my hand to hit him again.
He caught it, holding it to pull me even tighter against him.
I almost moaned aloud . . . almost. He was rubbing against me, right where I was throbbing, and I wanted him to keep going. I couldn’t help it. The desire had been building since I was following him, and now that we were face to face, I saw the same hunger in his eyes too. I made the first contact, hitting him, and it was all he needed.
A spark lit, and he grabbed it, pulling me closer to him.
Hell. He felt so good.
He wrapped his arm around me, catching my hand in one of his. He traced a finger down the side of my face, softly, tenderly. “Hey.” He brought it to my chin and tilted my face until I was looking him in the eyes again.
Once I did, I saw he had softened. I saw the remorse, but it only worsened my ache for him.
I didn’t think I could walk beside him for six miles.
“I’m sorry.”
“What?”
He gentled his tone again. “I haven’t been training. I forgot how much I liked to run. I lost track of time.”
“You lost track of your sanity.”
I saw how he was fighting to hold back a grin before he managed to school his features into a straight line. “You’re lecturing me for what? Being out past sunset?”
“It’s dangerous out here.”
I curled my hand into a fist, but his hand wormed its way in there, and I struggled, pushing against him. I almost groaned, feeling pleasure lace my veins, but I couldn’t stop him. His hand got in there, unwound my fist and his fingers slid alongside of mine. They went slow, acting like a caress.
“Stop it.” But there was no heat to my words. I knew he’d take it as a submission.
“Stop what?” His finger rubbed against mine. His free hand cupped the side of my face, and I started to close my eyes. I felt myself leaning into him, letting him hold the weight of me up. Then his thumb ran over my lips, and my eyelids flew open.
I was looking into him. He was watching me as if he were waiting for something. I saw the lust there. I knew he wanted me. I could feel between my legs, and just thinking of it, I felt my legs tighten, but he was in there. His gaze darkened. He murmured, “Morgan.”
“What?”
My chest started heaving. I was practically panting.
Shivers, tingles, and wanton need coursed through my whole body. I was becoming drugged by him.
He continued to watch me, and then suddenly, his need shone prominently, and he shifted. He let go of my hand, but his arms wrapped around me and he lifted me.
I gasped, my legs went around his waist, and he held me there.
My arms wound around his neck. I was looking at his lips, wanting to feel them.
“We have a situation here,” he rasped out.
I laughed, just a tiny bit. We did indeed.
“I could lay you down here on this path. We could satisfy what we’re both wanting right now, or . . .” His hand slipped to just under the waistband of my pants.
I jerked from the sensation, but he caught me, holding me anchored to him.
“Or . . .” His hand slid farther down, resting on the outside of my underwear.
I gasped. “There’s a water place not far from here.”
His eyes sparked. “A pool?”
“It’s a hot spring, but not too hot. We should be fine.”
As if knowing what I was agreeing to with that admission, my mind started to flee. I wanted him as much as he wanted me. We just watched the other, the air thick with tension between us. I didn’t know where Shiloh had gone, but I didn’t care.
I wanted him.
I shoved back enough that he let me down, and I led him the rest of the way. It wasn’t too far. When he saw the water, his eyes rounded. “Whoa.”
It was a small waterfall. The foliage around it kept it private, and there were rocks jutting out so we could sit and dangle our feet into the water.
“This is beautiful.” He pulled me against him.
“This is where I bathe if I don’t want to go to the house.”
“I can see why. It’s amazing.” He looked up. The pines towered high above us, the tops opening to a small circle where we would be able to see the stars in a few minutes. “Morgan, wow. Thank you for showing me this.”
The need for him was still there, but it ebbed a little, enough for clear thinking to return and self-consciousness to take hold, but he was right. This pool was like a home, or one of my areas I considered mine. It was the first time I had shown anyone.
I stepped back from him, but his hand caught mine. He kept that one area of contact, lacing our fingers together as I stepped into the pool.
“You don’t take your clothes off?”
I shook my head. “I keep stuff out here. I’ll be fine.”
He let my hand go, but only to toss his phone and headphones to the side. His shoes and socks were next, then his shorts and underwear. He stood, almost proudly in his nakedness, and gazed at me, watching for my reaction.
I didn’t shy away. I knew I would be feeling him all over. I was almost trembling, knowing he would be inside me that night. Stepping out of the pool, I traced a hand down his chest, lingering on his waistl
ine, drawing closer to him, and then, as my eyes went to his, I wrapped my hand around him.
He gasped silently, but he didn’t do anything else. He held still, waiting to see what more I would do.
I began to rub my hand over him, softly, going up and down.
He closed his eyes, and as I kept caressing him, his head tipped back. His mouth fell open, and he groaned.
I rubbed my thumb over the end of him, hearing him hiss for a small second. His body reacted to me, making me feel powerful. He was hard already, but he only got harder and harder as I kept stroking him.
My own pleasure was pulsating through me, and before I thought about it, I knelt and took him into my mouth. His head reared forward, his eyes almost black from desire as he watched me. His hands caught the sides of my face, and then paused before he pulled my mouth away and guided me back to standing. As if I weighed nothing, he lifted me into his arms and carried me into the water.
His mouth found mine.
It wasn’t like anything I’d felt. A graze of his lips over mine. It was a tingle, spreading through me, and before I realized it, I acquired a thirst for him. I wanted more of this touch and somehow, I knew after this first kiss, I would always hunger for him.
He whispered, “Not this time. Later, trust me. Later.” His eyes held so many promises as he pulled back to look me in the eyes.
I nodded, my legs tightening around his waist.
I felt him moving, seeking me out, and if I didn’t have my pants on, he would’ve sunk into me already.
“God, Morgan.” He panted softly, sinking into the water and moving so my back was resting against one of the softer banks. “You have no idea how much I’ve thought about this.” A hand slipped under my shirt so he could pull it off. I didn’t wear a bra, and after tossing the fabric aside, he grasped one of my breasts, his hand cupping it fully. His thumb went over my nipple, almost teasing me like I had with him.
His mouth found mine again, pressing to me.
I shuddered in his arms.
His lips opened over mine, and his tongue swept in. I was kissing him back, relishing every taste of him. I was moving in his arms, grinding against him.
I wanted to be just as naked as he was.
His hand ran the length of me, a soft rub, and tingles trailed behind. He went to my waistline and paused, curling his fingers around my pants. “Is this your first?”
I shook my head. “A drunken mistake at a barn party once. It was stupid.”
His eyes softened, and his hold on my pants gentled too. He began to peel them down, trailing kisses over the length of me as he went, pausing between my breasts. He kissed both of them, his tongue licking, teasing me briefly before he continued. As my pants and underwear were pulled from my legs, his mouth explored my stomach before moving lower and pausing right over my opening.
He looked up at me. The same dark promise there as before. “This won’t be a stupid mistake. I promise.”
I nodded. I already knew. There was something about Brody that made me not regret anything. Regret seeking him out. Regret looking out for him. Regret feeling myself being pulled more and more into their world. Regret following him tonight, even his stupid mistake of going too far and for too long—I wouldn’t regret not stopping his run earlier than when I did.
I leaned down, my hands raking through his hair as I pulled him up to me. He stretched out, half on top of me, but I felt him nudging me. He went to slide inside, but he held back, waiting.
I nodded, letting my lips brush over his. “Yes.” I opened my mouth, and he was inside me. He pushed all the way in, and I gasped, feeling him fully. He held still, letting me get used to him, then his lips brushed over mine again.
“Yes,” he repeated my word, grinning against my lips.
I felt my own matching grin, but I kissed him, opening my mouth against his.
“God.” He breathed out right before he began moving.
I closed my eyes.
My head fell back.
He thrust in deep before pulling almost all the way out, only to slide back in.
He started a rhythm, but I was moving with him. I wrapped my legs around his hips, my ankles locking behind his back.
I wanted him to go faster and harder.
“Morgan,” he whispered my name, his hips thrusting into me. He dropped a kiss to my throat, his tongue tasting me there.
I wanted him to keep going.
I was riding with him, our bodies straining against each other. There was something so frenzied about our movements, primal.
Then he paused, a raw tenderness came over him, and he began to explore my body again with his lips. He kissed me everywhere, and I gasped, feeling my insides straining for him to keep going. I needed that release, but he chuckled, knowing the torment he was enacting on me.
“Brody!” I gasped, pushing against him.
His eyes were dancing. He lifted his head to look down to me. “Hmm?”
“You’re driving me mad.” I reached down, grasping his hips, and I began moving him. If he didn’t start again—I growled from frustration.
“What?”
He was laughing.
I smacked him on the chest, but then pushed so he was the one lying on the bank. I rose up, getting my feet under me for better position and lowered myself back onto him. He went in deep, and I stilled. His hand came up my back, holding me, and I half-leaned backward, letting him touch me.
I savored the feel of him in me and began to move.
I was in control and could push down as far as I wanted, which was all the way. When I did, his mouth dropped open and a low groan left him. He was embedded in me, all the way to his hilt, and I lifted up, only to go back down.
I went slowly at first, enjoying the rub of him, but then sped up, rolling my hips forward and backward.
I arched my back as I kept going.
God.
I loved this—the feel of him deep inside me, the pleasure rolling through me in waves as I kept going.
His hand covered one of my breasts, and he lifted so his mouth could catch first one of my nipples and then the other. He was tasting me as I kept riding him.
I started going harder, faster.
I was nearing my climax.
He grunted, his hands flexing into my hips as if he was going right with me. He was slamming me down to him almost ruthlessly.
“Fuck!” He growled, and I was flipped onto my back.
He didn’t wait for me to adjust again, he slammed into me, and this time, he didn’t stop or let up. He was almost rough as he pounded into me, but I wanted it. I was thriving on it. My entire body was awake and wanted him to keep going.
Then, as he held me still and kept driving hard into me, I almost screamed.
I hurtled over the edge, my whole body climaxed at once, and I went mad. I was trembling, shaking, quivering.
He paused, waiting until the wave lessened, and once he saw I was sated, he grinned lazily down at me. “You ready for me?”
I groaned and wrapped a hand around his neck. “I’m ready.”
And I held on as he pounded into me for his own pleasure. As he neared, he paused and then ground into me for a moment before he thrust again, his movements turning jerky as he swelled and climaxed. His body going taut right before he slumped over me.
Holy.
I ran a hand down his back, savoring the feel of him over me and in me.
This . . . this had been nothing like my drunken mistake.
I curved against his body, my lips against his neck as I smiled. He laughed, leaning into my kiss as he curled a hand around my waist and dragged me into the water.
We both went under, but the water was warm from the hot spring. He dislodged from me. I went to the surface first, and then his hands caught my waist. We played after that.
He dunked me.
I dunked him.
I was the better swimmer, so I could evade him if I wanted, but he had a better reach on me. He caught my ank
le, pulled me back to him, and it wasn’t long before he was inside me again.
Morgan
It was close to dawn when I woke.
Brody was half on top of me, his head curled into my neck and his arm heavy around my waist. We’d fallen asleep like this, lying on the bank beside the water after I dug down, putting some heated coals beneath us and covering those with enough dirt to protect us. Grabbing some blankets from a hidden stash, we settled in.
It was cozy where we were, but I knew it’d be cold once I peeled back the blankets.
I looked at him, needing a fast way to get him back to safety.
I didn’t want to leave him, but I had to. I edged out, pulling on my clothes from the night before. They were damp with dew, but they would dry within an hour. Once I got my sandals on, I edged out from the hot spring. I started running down the path, and I whistled for Shiloh.
I kept going. She must’ve gone back to the herd, but I kept whistling for her. I’d been jogging for thirty minutes before I heard her behind me, and because it was like second nature for me, I weaved to the side. She came up beside me, and I reached up, pulling myself to her back. Once I was settled, she could sense my intensity. I clicked my heels in, and she took it as permission. She kicked up her speed until she was full bore going ahead. We skipped the wood trails, choosing to run alongside a cliff’s edge instead. There was enough clearing beside the rock where she could go comfortably, knowing there wouldn’t be a hidden log or hole in the path.
As she ran, I leaned back.
I spread my arms wide, and as her mane was flying behind her, so was mine.
I’d never felt more alive than I did in that moment.
This was the world I loved. Moments like these, where it was just she and I and our perfect understanding of each other, were what I lived for. She wanted to run, and I wanted to feel like I was flying.
We stayed on the ridge for as far as we could, dipping into the woods again once we neared the main lodge.
I knew domestic horses had been brought in, and I didn’t think they would mind if I snuck one out, especially for the star.
We drew up to the end of the field, and I jumped off Shiloh. I scrambled over the fence and then ran the length up to the barn. I would need a halter this time. Once inside the barn, I eyed the saddles, not knowing if he would need one but knowing I didn’t have time to grab one I kept going. Part of me churned at the idea. In the truest sense, they weren’t supposed to be strapped down with saddles.