As I rode him in that bed, I twisted my hips, grinding my clit against him, feeling the heat building higher and higher in my belly. He gritted his teeth, watching me coming closer to climax with every push. I screamed out in pleasure, wanting more and more as he picked up the speed, pounding his cock upward into me and lifting his body to meet mine. The breath in my lungs caught in my throat as I plunged over the edge, erupting in orgasm so strong, I couldn’t even make a sound. I lost control of my movements and let him take over as waves of pleasure blew through me hard and fast.
When my body had finally relaxed he lifted me up and turned me over on my back, groaning as he pulled himself up and climbed over me. He smiled, sitting up on his knees and lifting my legs up over his shoulders. He thrust his hips forward, pushing back into me, making my body shake with pleasure. I moaned, throwing my head back and closing my eyes, focusing in on every sensation he gave me. I had never been with someone who could read my body like he could. It was like he was made for me and me for him. It was sensual and erotic but needy and lustful at the same time. There were so many emotions swirling around that I barely knew how to handle it.
I opened my eyes and looked up at him as he ran his fingers down my thighs. I stared at his sexy body, the scratches and bruises from the night before looking even sexier on him from that angle. He pulsed his hips, pushing his dick in and out of me, holding his back and wincing. I reached my hands up and motioned for him.
“Come here,” I whispered. “Make love to me. I want to feel you inside of me, coming hard.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gave me a smile before leaning over me.
He ran his hands up my arms and latched his fingers through mine. He stared deeply into my eyes as he began to move up and down, sliding his cock through my juices. I moaned loudly, feeling the ecstasy of it. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine, leaving them there as he pushed his feet against the footboard, grinding deep inside me over and over again. I breathed heavily, clutching my hands in his, wanting to feel the rush of orgasm all over. His hips started to rock, pressing down onto my clit as he made love to me. I gasped for air, feeling his mouth open and match mine. We laid there in complete bliss as he pushed, heaving over and over, our breath mixing with each other’s. I tightened my grip on his as I felt the heat in my stomach reaching a fevered pitch. I whimpered into his mouth as that heat exploded. He lunged forward, kissing me passionately as my body shook beneath his. I could feel my pussy tighten around his cock, and he groaned, closing his eyes tightly and pushing deep and hard into me.
As we lay there, orgasming at the same time, our bodies molded into one another, matching each other’s pleasure. He shook and pulsated inside of me, letting go of his hot seed, filling me to the brim. When he was done, he relaxed there at first, looking deeply into my eyes and releasing his hands from mine.
“Wow,” I whispered.
“Tell me about it.” He smiled. “Come on, let’s take a shower.”
We both groaned, getting out of the bed and getting into the shower. We fooled around a bit more, our passion still not extinguished. Then, he washed me, and I washed him, getting out afterward and toweling each other off. He wrapped the towel around me and leaned down, kissing my lips. Slowly, he made his way back into the bedroom where I helped him pull on some sweatpants and a T-shirt that Alison had given me for him from the stuff Jimmy had left behind.
“What are your plans?” he asked, slowly sitting on the edge of the bed.
“I have to give the horses a checkup after last night,” I said.
“I can help you,” he said.
“No, no, no. You should rest until the doctor stops by later to give you a clean bill of health.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m fine.” He chuckled. “Besides, if I’d been too hurt, what we just did would have injured me even worse, and I don’t see any limbs falling off yet. I’ll be fine, and you need the help. Don’t worry so much about me. It’s just some bumps and bruises.”
“I’m not taking no for an answer,” I insisted. Then, I shrugged. “You went through a huge thing not even twelve hours ago. I won’t feel comfortable until you’ve been checked out one last time. Now, be a good boy, climb back into that bed, and if you behave yourself, you can have a treat later. I can promise you, my treats are well worth the wait.”
I walked over and stood in front of him, leaning down to kiss his lips sensually. This man drove me absolutely wild. I couldn’t seem to ever get enough of him. I wanted to take him again right then and there, but I was pretty sure his sore muscles would have something different to say. I stood up and smiled while I watched him reluctantly climb back into the bed and pull the covers up over him. I walked toward the door and looked back at him when he called for me.
“I sure hope that treat involves licking you all over because I can tell you right now, that’s the sweetest treat a man could have,” he said.
I laughed, shaking my head as I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me. I stood there for a moment, leaning against the door, a huge smile on my face. He wanted me. He really wanted me, and this time, I knew it wasn’t going to change. I sighed and walked from the room, happier than I’d been in a long time, but as I exited the house into the yard, my mood dropped to something more solemn. The air smelled like burning wood, and there was still smoke floating in the air. The horses were out in the pastures wandering through the grasses. I shook my head and made my way out to the fences, wanting to see if I could find the horses from the night before. Surely, they would still be covered in soot. As I approached, though, I spotted Alison standing off to the side, outside the burned down barn.
I took a deep breath and made my way over to her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she stared, shaking her head from side to side. I looked over at the rubble, seeing melted pieces of equipment and burned saddles we never even got a chance to use on the horses.
“I can’t believe it’s all gone,” she whispered. “I really thought that maybe it was just a dream.”
I felt horrible for Alison. This had been her life’s work. She had planned and built this organization from the ground up, and that barn was her pride and joy. I could still remember when she had finally raised enough money to build it. She’d watched them hammer and nail every inch of it and had even put the first stroke of red paint on it. It had been the start of something amazing, something the town had come together over and over again to support. It gave me hope and love, working with those horses. And though the horses themselves had gotten out, the barn was their home and the center for everything we did there on the farm. I hugged Alison tightly and laid my head on her shoulder.
“We will rebuild,” I said. “I’ll help you rebuild.”
“It might take us a really long time to get to that point,” she said. “I don’t have the money to rebuild that barn. Everything I have is for the horses’ medical care first and foremost.”
“Then, I’ll take care of the medical care expense,” I said.
“There still isn’t enough,” she sighed. “It took me years to raise the money for this barn.”
“What about the insurance?”
“Insurance will pay out on the damages, but I doubt it will be enough to rebuild,” she said. “It’s depreciation and the fact that it costs a lot more to build these things now, especially since the town’s wood mill shut down. I’ll have to import wood from somewhere else. Not to mention the equipment we had stored in there.”
“Then, we’ll fundraise the hell out of this town,” I said. “We’ll make this work. We’ll get this barn back, I promise you.”
“You’re always so optimistic,” she said, giving me a skeptical look. “I just don’t understand how this happened. How did a fire start in the middle of the day with enough force to burn down the building? First, it was the fence, which was bad enough, and now this. I don’t get it.”
Alison turned toward me, completely collapsing int
o tears. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close, comforting her the best I could. This was a disaster, and, in my heart, I wasn’t sure how we would come back from it.
Chapter 57
Ryan
It was Wednesday evening before the town doctor had the availability to get out to see me. He was a crotchety old man who was a good sport despite his over-the-top attitude. I had to say, I rather enjoyed him. He reminded me of someone old and worn out from New York, hating people but secretly still loving his job.
“How am I looking, doc?” I smiled.
“Like you ran your stupid ass into a burning building,” he said, shaking his head.
I laughed. “You know, you and I should get together and play poker sometime,” I said. “I bet you’re one hell of a bluffer. I have to say, though, I’m not too bad at it myself. You might be surprised when I give you a run for your money. People tend to underestimate me.”
“Right,” he scoffed with a chuckle. “We can play poker. I’d be more than happy to take your money, son.”
“Well, I’d at least give it my best shot.” I laughed.
“We play poker on Thursday nights at my house,” he said, putting his things in his bag. “A room full of old-timers like me always love to have some new blood at the table. We get tired of trading around the same hundred bucks.”
“That sounds like one hell of a time.”
“Can you handle your whiskey? That’s the only rule,” he smirked.
“I think I might be able to handle that one rule.” I chuckled.
“Good,” he said, handing me a bill. “You have some cuts and bruises you need to take care of. I left you some gauze on the side table there. The rest is just sore muscles from the impact and some bruises from the falling debris. It’ll heal up in no time, but you’ll be pretty sore. If your city boy body can’t handle the pain, take a few Tylenol and rest.”
“Got it.” I chuckled. “I think I’ll be just fine with the pain.”
I looked down at the bill and saw it was only a hundred dollars. I spent more just getting my teeth cleaned at the dentist. I grabbed my wallet and paid him in cash, giving him an extra hundred as a tip for going out of his way and coming out to the stables. When I was done, I gathered myself out of the bed and showed him out. I turned and walked back through the house, finding Alison and Sara sitting in the dining room talking to the fire chief. No one looked happy at all, and my stomach sank a bit.
“Oh, Ryan,” Sara said, standing up. “Come on in and sit down. The chief was about to tell us what he found out.”
“How you are feeling, son?” he asked.
“Good as new,” I said, winking at Sara.
“Good,” he said. “Now, as far as the fire is concerned, we’ve gone over the remains of the barn a couple of times and found a couple of clues that make us suspect this might not have been some random accident. We’re putting in our reports that we expect this was some kind of arson.”
“Arson?” Alison said with wide eyes. “Really? Someone purposely came out here in broad daylight and burned down the barn? Why would they do that?”
“I’m not sure, ma’am,” he said. “Do you have any enemies? Owe any money or maybe have had some petty dispute with someone in town?”
“No,” she said. “I mean my boyfriend and I broke up, but he would never do something like this.”
“Jimmy volunteers for the department, so I would tend to agree,” he said.
I had a really good idea of who probably committed the crime, but once again, I had zero proof to point any fingers. I knew it had to be Janson. This had him written all over it. The bastard probably covered his tracks, though, especially since he and his cronies would be the ones who would be investigating the crime. There was really next to nothing I could do without some good hard evidence like a photo or a video. Alison didn’t have a video security system out here. In a town like this, why would she ever think she would need one? It was frustrating, to say the least, and when I looked over at Sara, she seemed to have similar thoughts running through her head, looking up at me and giving me a knowing stare.
Dinner that night was a somber affair. Sara cooked a bunch of food, trying to comfort Alison, but I could tell this hurt her deeper than just her business. She was attached to that barn and those horses, and it was painful to watch. I couldn’t imagine someone doing something like this to the ranch, and this stable had been around a lot longer than those solar fields.
“I wonder how long the insurance company will keep that money tied up,” Alison said. “With the arson investigation, they’ll hold the funds until they discover the motive, just in case they think I burned my own barn down, which is ridiculous.”
“I’m sure they’ll do their best to get through this quickly,” Sara said, patting her on the arm. “In the meantime, we can start thinking about the fundraising efforts.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I need to get a barn up before the temperature starts to drop. You know how cold it gets here in the winter. If I can’t, I’m going to have to find a new home for all of my needy horses.”
“There won’t be a need for that,” I said, shaking my head. “I have a bunch of guys with no hours to give at the ranch right now with everything on hold. I’ll send them over here, and they’ll get started building that barn. You’ll just have to get together with the engineer and go over the materials you want for it. I’ll have them ordered and shipped here. It shouldn’t take too long, especially with my contacts. Those guys are pretty handy when it comes to building, and I’ll pay the contractor for the license you need to have.”
I took a bite of broccoli and stared down at my plate as I happily chewed. After a few moments, I realized the whole room had gone silent. I looked up at the girls, and they were both looking at me as if I were crazy. I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders, putting down my fork and looking up at them.
“I have donated tons of money to charities all over the world,” I said. “Why not help fund one close to home? You’re not only close to home but obviously close to my heart as well. Hell, if I’ll risk my life for those horses, pulling them out of a burning barn, making sure they got to safety, then ten to twenty grand or so is nothing comparatively. They need a home, a good home with strong ties. They need to be taken care of, and the only way you’ll be able to do that is by having a new barn built. I won’t watch these animals be shipped off all over the place with no real telling whether they’ll properly be cared for or not. The whole point was for you to help them, so it seems only fitting we help you in return.”
“He has become the horse whisperer,” Alison said, elbowing Sara.
“It’s weird,” Sara said, turning her head to me. “Do you think he can hear us right now, or do you think he only talks to horses?”
“You guys are ridiculous.” I laughed. “It’s not being a horse whisperer. It’s doing the right thing. I have the means right now, and I want to know I’m spending my money on something worthwhile. This cause is definitely worthwhile.”
“Thank you so much,” Sara said.
“Yes, thank you, Ryan. Without this, I don’t know what we’d do,” Alison said.
We spent the rest of dinner laughing and talking, just enjoying the release of stress and somber moods everyone had been feeling for the last day. I was glad to help them, and it made me even better in Sara’s eyes. I wanted her to see I was a really good guy and that I was there to stay, supporting her in anything she did. After the glass of whiskey we’d all decided to share, Sara got up and stretched her arms over her head.
“I gotta get home,” she sighed. “It’s been a while since I’ve actually been there. And I have an appointment at the practice tomorrow, so I want to be close to my stuff.”
“Aw,” Alison said. “Well, thank you for staying with me through all of this. You’ve been a lifesaver. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Always,” she said, hugging her tightly. “I’ll try to come back out and do ch
eckups on the horses tomorrow afternoon. I know the one horse has a small burn that will need its bandage changed, and there’s ointment in the kitchen on the counter for it.”
“Will do,” Alison said.
“I guess I should be getting back to my hotel room as well,” I said, standing up. “I’ll be out here with the guys tomorrow to get things started for you. They probably think I abandoned my room and just left my stuff there, by this point.”
“I doubt it.” Alison laughed. “The whole town, I’m sure, knows about the heroic horse rescue at the barn.”
“Where’s the paparazzi when it counts?” Sara laughed.
“Thank you again,” Alison said. “Both of you. It’s been a long couple of days, but because of you, things are looking up.”
We both gave Alison another hug and headed outside to the drive. Sara walked with me over to my truck and stood there awkwardly for a couple of moments. I chuckled to myself, watching her cheeks blush. She was so beautiful, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“You have a lot to do tomorrow?”
“I have a well checkup for my favorite basset hound,” she said. “And then a pregnant cow needs a checkup, but that will be a house call. Other than that, I’m trying to get caught up on administration things and get clients back in on a regular basis. The schedule is bleak right now, but I know it will pick up.”
“It’s almost summer,” I said. “You should probably have some flea and tick pickups coming in.”
“Very true.” She laughed. “Most of these people bring the dogs and cats in when they need a flea bath instead of just buying the medicine. It baffles me every single year.”
My Last First Kiss Page 57