“Wow,” he said, kissing either side my entrance. “Just beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.”
I grabbed at the bedsheets, really struggling with the thought of him paying such attention to me.
He placed his hands on my hips. “Relax, Sophie. Trust me.”
When he laid a kiss on me, I convulsed on the spot. Without giving me another second to think, he stroked me with his tongue, delving inside me. I groaned at the incredible feeling I’d been missing out on all these years. Every part of me was on fire, surges of tingles shooting up and down my body, all settling in an excited bundle in between my legs.
Tiny explosions erupted within me, hinting at the approaching burst of relief. He kept his leisurely rhythm, taking his time between kissing and licking me. This build up was killing me. I could feel it rising, my core tightening and ready to spring free, but the gradual tempo he was using was leaving me breathless, ready to beg for anything just so I could jump over that cliff edge and float in rapture.
When it did happen, it was such a steady tumble that I wasn’t ready for it. He kept going, lapping at me whilst I wriggled beneath him, calling his name. The sharp, quick release I was used to was replaced by a soothing, prolonged stay in paradise.
Whilst I laid there, basking in seventh heaven and trying to gain some sense of reality, he moved up the bed, leaning over me. I glanced down to see he was naked and raised an eyebrow at his size.
“Are you part horse or something?” I asked, my voice croaky from my taste of his tongue skills.
He grinned and positioned himself between my legs. “Are you ok?”
Looking into those hazelnut eyes of his, I only had one answer. “Yes.”
He slipped his hands underneath my back, cuddling me to him. He gifted me a kiss before pressing his nose to mine. “Keep looking at me.”
I wound my arms around his back, trying to calm the wave of nerves threatening to crumble me in seconds. I kept my focus locked onto him, losing myself already in his ardour filled eyes.
And then I felt him pressing against me. I held onto him, my fingers digging into his back. My walls were slowly giving way to him, accepting him little by little. A sweat broke out on his forehead and the clench of his jaw told me of his own struggle. As he moved through me, I fought not to close my eyes and enjoy myself.
When we were as one, he kissed me, teasing my mouth open with his tongue. And then he started moving. A relaxed, unhurried rhythm, all the time kissing me, massaging me where his fingers touched, drowning me in divine sensations over and over again.
I was encased inside his world, elated, high on him, and enveloped in his unyielding attention. Swimming in a hazy fog, I would quite happily stay in this bubble of ours forever. I knew then that now I’d given my body to him, it would only be a matter of time before he took my heart and soul too.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Waking the next morning wrapped in a pair of bronzed, sculpted arms was just amazing. It was like Christmas had arrived early. I immediately grinned as I mentally relived the previous night. He’d treated me to new experiences in so many different ways, I was no longer lost at sea, but heading on a direct course to the island of paradise he kept bewitching me with.
I’d had not a single thought of Ben either. Being with Brady just felt right, almost natural if it was even possible. I pushed the impending thought of my short time over here away, focusing on the here and now like Brady had said.
A warm kiss on my shoulder broke my thoughts. I rolled over and kissed his chest before losing myself in his captivating gaze.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he said, stroking up and down my back.
“Hi,” I said, barely a whisper.
My heart leaped against my ribcage before sprinting to new speeds. Butterflies fluttered around inside me. He moved a hand and stroked a stray piece of hair from my cheek. The intensity of his focus on me with such tender yet simple gestures were leaving me to liquefy into nothing right in front of him. What was this guy doing to me?
“How are you feeling?” he asked, running his fingers through my hair.
“I’m good. You?”
“Better than ever.”
I blushed, and after a moment, I raised a hand to his handsome face and caressed his smooth, tanned skin. He closed his eyes as I traced my index finger through his sprinkling of stubble and tilted his chin slightly, like a cat enjoying a chin tickle. I took my time to graze my way all over him, excitement grabbing me as I noticed goosebumps following my path.
Every part of this incredible man was flawless. He mesmerised me, entranced me, as if he were the mysterious red light I’d always been looking for and I was the cat waiting in the shadows.
I knew he wasn’t going to leave. My irrational fear of him leaving once I’d given myself to him was a distant memory, replaced by a comforting reality of being in the arms of someone who cared for me, deeply.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said, glancing a kiss over my forehead.
My heart thudded in my chest. Could I really do this? I’d allowed him to be intimate with me physically, but could I do it mentally? After all, letting someone into your heart and soul was the real clincher with trust.
“I...” I put a hand over one of his pecs, bracing myself to push him away should this go very wrong. “I was just thinking about how you’re still here and haven’t run off yet.”
“You thought once I’d got you in bed that would be it? You’d never hear from me again?”
I dropped my eye contact and bit my lip. Hearing him say it out loud struck a chord within me, making me feel foolish.
I nodded.
“Why would you think that?” His voice was nothing short of a breathless whisper, as if my honesty had knocked the breath from his body.
“Look at it from my point of view. I’m out here on holiday, trying to figure out what to do with my asshole of a boyfriend, along comes a hot cowboy and suddenly I’m swept off my feet. Never mind how cliché it all is.”
A long pause spiked my heart rate even further. I couldn’t tell if he was mad, upset, or just impassive. His tone of voice was flat, giving nothing away. I daren’t look at his handsome face.
He took his hand from my cheek and raised my chin, forcing my eye contact onto him. His dark eyes were ablaze with passion yet tinged with sadness.
“Did you not hear what I said to you in the hospital?”
I nodded. “But...but it’s just words...”
He pulled his lips into a thin line. Heart stopping seconds ticked by. Had I ruined everything between us? Spoiled the perfect night we’d had together?
He tightened his arms around me, crushing me against his chest. With my head now underneath his chin, he pressed a long kiss to the side of my head.
“Yes,” he said, his lips moving against my hair. “It is just words. But don’t forget that actions speak louder than words.”
Actions speak louder than words.
Never a truer word spoken. I thought over this, applying the phrase to my situation with Ben. He was nothing but words, filling me with false promises of never doing it to me again, but his actions made it quite clear he had little respect for me or our relationship.
And then there was me, here with Brady. My actions with him made it quite clear I no longer felt loyalty to Ben. The fact I didn’t feel a shred of guilt had me questioning whether I even had any feelings left towards him at all.
“Think about it,” Brady said, jolting me from my deep thoughts. “I met you ten days ago, gave you my sister’s cherished horse to ride, shared her clothes with you, asked my boss for permission to break his rules, and took a week’s vacation to stay with you after a nasty accident. Are they the actions of someone who is only after one night?”
My cheeks burned. I hadn’t looked at it from that perspective. “I’m sorry. I just...”
“I know,” he said. “I know you’re in a messed-up place with men, trust, and everything else. I just want you to
know that I’m here, and I’ll still be here regardless of how long it takes you to figure this all out.”
I smiled. He really was being such an understanding, patient guy. What I couldn’t figure out was why. He could have any woman he wanted, but he wanted me—the English chick with the sort-of-fiancé hanging around back at home.
However, I didn’t want to push things any further so I kept my mouth shut and just enjoyed the moment. After all, what better moment could there be than being nestled in the arms of a smoking hot cowboy?
Chapter Twenty-Four
We barely came up for air over the next three days. Whether he wanted to make a point of the whole ‘not for one night’ thing I don’t know, but I wasn’t complaining at all. The brief times he spent away from me, fetching us food and water, I felt cold, bare, exposed, almost in pain from the emptiness that took over instantly.
Our soul consuming explorations of each other were just mind blowing, like living in an ethereal plane. He was my ecstasy and I needed a constant fix of him. I floated on clouds, my mind as light as a feather and my body continually humming from his touch.
The morning of my final day of prescribed rest, I woke to find Brady staring at me, a faraway look glazing over his eyes.
“Morning, gorgeous,” he said, running a finger over my lips. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. You?”
“On top of the world.” He leaned in for a morning kiss, melting me in a split second. “How do you feel about venturing out for the day? I could do with a rest before I go back to work.”
I laughed and nodded. Every part of me ached but it was such a blissful pain that I didn’t care. “What do you have in mind?”
“There’s something I want to show you not too far away. Let’s get dressed and get going before the heat hits.”
He leaped out of bed with such enthusiasm, it made me question whether I could actually ever wear him out. I’d had a front row seat over the past few days to the glorious view of beads of sweat trickling along the defined lines of his muscles—it was without a doubt the best front row seat I’d ever had.
Whilst Brady was in the bathroom, I sorted out my clothes for the day. Just as I sat back on the bed, waiting for my turn in the shower, my phone beeped. Still grinning like a Cheshire cat, I grabbed my phone expecting it to be Mum.
My heart sank.
Ben – I love you and I miss you. I’m not going to let a decade of our lives be washed away. XXX
Usually a text from him would flip my heart into high gear but this just filled me with dread. He was starting to feel like a ships anchor, constantly dragging me down and refusing to let me move forwards. What he was failing to realise was the more he harassed me, the further he was pushing me away.
I ignored it, deciding not to say anything to Brady. After the amazing few days we’d had, I wanted nothing to spoil it. By the time I’d had my shower and gotten dressed, Ben was a distant memory from a previous life.
SITTING IN THE PASSENGER seat of Brady’s truck, I admired the view next to me. I still couldn’t quite grasp the reality of what was happening here, but nonetheless I was going to go along with it. This was turning out to be a holiday of a lifetime.
A playful smirk tweaked at the edge of his luscious lips. “Something I can help you with?”
I smirked. “No, not at all. Just admiring the scenery.”
He chuckled and shook his head.
Turning my attention forwards at last, I watched the desolate landscape roll past us. Dusty terrain surrounded both sides of the tarmac we cruised down. It seemed almost pointless to have a grey strip in the middle of such a bleak setting. The only colour out here was from the green trees thriving, lining each side of the road. We came across very few cars and even less houses. A random line of a dozen or so mailboxes appeared from nowhere, sitting on the side of the road, battered and grubby. It really was like the old Wild West out here.
After twenty minutes or so, the surroundings became even sparser with sandy red mountains a backdrop to towering cactuses dotted everywhere. Plants and bushes became less green and more dried, crisp greyish hollows. All this place was missing was tumbleweed.
“Um, should I be concerned?” I asked.
He laughed, his brown eyes dancing with joy. “Why? Is it making you think of ‘The Hills Have Eyes’?”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
A soft chuckle sounded next to me as I continued to stare in fascination around me. Just as I was about to ask where exactly we were going, we turned left down another empty road. At the top, almost obscured from view by various desert plants, was a brown sign titled Saguaro National Park.
My eyes widened as I stifled an excited squeal. “Really?”
“I thought you might like it.”
I smirked. “Are you sure my wrist is up to some hiking?”
“If not, I’m sure I can play doctor.” He gave me a cheeky wink as he parked the truck up in front of the visitors centre.
Despite it being barely nine am, the heat threatening to roast us was unreal. A light sweat had already broken out on my forehead by the time we’d been walking for ten minutes. We meandered down a paved trail, marvelling at the wonderful sights around us. My heart skipped a beat as Brady’s hand found mine, holding me in a tight grip.
“Don’t worry,” he said, looking at me. “There’s something specific I wanted you to see. It’ll be too hot soon to stay much longer.”
I frowned, wondering what he wanted me to see. He led me off the track, taking me over to a clump of grey stones. More of them were scattered all over the steep hillside. As I stepped closer, I gasped, delight whipping through me. “Petroglyphs!”
He nodded, smiling. “I thought you might like them.”
I gazed at the marvellous creations, lingering over the white lines depicting strange pictures carved into the rocks. It amazed me that what they could have meant to people all those years ago probably now meant the opposite to us. Perception is a funny thing. It was as I thought over this point that a light bulb switched on inside my head. It didn’t matter what other people thought I should do with my situation—it was how I perceived it and how I would continue to perceive it that mattered.
I fell silent as I became immersed in my thoughts, thinking a little too deeply as usual. Brady led me around the gorgeous history laid out on the ground, beads of sweat trickling across his bronzed skin. After nearly an hour, I was ready to ask to head back to the truck. The heat was just unbearable. Even though I’d put sun cream on, I could still feel myself burning. A headache had started pounding at my temples and my throat screamed for some cool water.
Seeming to read my mind, Brady led us back to the truck. Settling inside, I laid my head back against the head rest and closed my eyes. When the ice-cold breeze of the air conditioning hit me, I groaned in relief.
My phone began ringing, jumping me out of my oblivion. I reached for it with an irritated sigh. Flipping the screen up, my heart stopped.
Ben.
Feeling Brady’s curious stare, I felt I had no choice but to answer it. “Yes?”
“Hello to you too, darling.”
I ground my teeth together. “What do you want?”
“I was just wondering where you are?”
“None of your business.”
A soft laugh drifted down the phone. “No, I mean I know where you are. I just wondered why you’re not here.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m in your room, Soph. Waiting for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
My heart stopped. My body broke out into a cold sweat. Adrenaline pulsed through me. I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out except short, shallow breaths.
“Soph?” His voice hit my eardrums once more, confirming this was all too real.
A nauseating wave hit me like a sledgehammer. I turned to Brady as tears began to fill my eyes. His handsome face creased with concern and he reached a hand across, rest
ing it on my leg.
“You ok?”
I shook my head as my phone fell into my lap. With a shaking hand, I clasped it shut.
“Hey.” A gentle touch fell on my chin. “Whatever it is, it’ll be ok. I promise.”
“He’s here,” I said, my voice trembling.
“Who?”
“Ben. He’s back at the ranch. In my room.”
He froze for a second, disappointment leaking through his dark eyes. Then he took his hand from my leg.
That one single move ripped me apart.
It was as if he’d sliced through any connection we’d built up. He gave a single nod before turning his attention back to his truck. Starting the ignition, he drove us back to the ranch in a tension filled silence.
The closer we got, the harder my heart hammered and the more unbearable the silence became.
“I don’t want to go,” I said, my tears finally falling.
The thought of facing Ben was like a dark storm cloud shadowing my mind. A wall of pressure was building inside me, threatening to burst through anything I’d managed to salvage of myself over the past two weeks.
Brady pulled over on the side of the road. A cloud of dust burst into the air at his sharp stop, settling all around us.
“What do you mean?” His soft tone gave me hope he wasn’t backing away from me.
“I don’t want to go back to the ranch. I don’t want to see him. I’m not ready to see him.” I covered my dampening face with my hands. “How did he find me anyway?”
A strong arm slid around my shoulders, pulling me in close to his warm body. “Just calm down. Breathe, slowly.”
I did as I was told, finding his instructions helping to lessen the rising panic inside me.
“Good,” he said, running a hand through my hair. “You’ve got to go back to the ranch at some point. Unless you want to sleep out here.”
I giggled. “No. Bit too prickly for me.”
He smiled before pressing his lips to the side of my head. I closed my eyes at his kiss, revelling in the affection. He pulled away, settling back in his own seat.
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