“Are you falling asleep back there?”
Sadie brought her face back down and stared at Rory in front of her. “Just enjoying the day and the sights.”
“See anything you like?”
“Every time I look at you, cowboy.”
Rory tipped his finger to his Stetson. The man looked even more handsome and dangerous in the black hat.
“Ready to eat?”
“I’m starving.” She looked around the area. “Hey, didn’t we pass this spot about twenty minutes ago?”
“Yep.”
“Why are we going in circles if this is where you were headed all along?”
“Because you needed time to relax and get out of your head.”
She had to admit he was right. Until about ten minutes ago, she’d spent most of their hour-long ride thinking about everything that happened and everything she still had to do. She thought about her clothes in Rory’s room, her hairbrush next to his in the bathroom, and the fact she planned to sleep in his bed with him tonight.
The flutter of anticipation in her belly excited her. The eagerness and growing need to be with him zipped through her system and made her body hum. This wasn’t just the natural progression in their relationship. It was a step toward their future.
She thought about that, too. Where they were headed. What the rest of their lives would be like now. She had a hard time picturing it clearly with everything from her past still so present now. She’d get through this rough time, sort out everything she felt was holding her back, and move forward with Rory. He was the one thing she felt certain about always.
“Do we need to take another circle, or are you going to come back from wherever you went in your head?”
She smiled down at him, surprised to discover they’d stopped and he’d already dismounted. “Sorry.”
He took her by the hips and lifted her right off her horse.
“God, you’re strong.”
“You hardly weigh a thing, little one.”
His hands slid down her hips to cup her bottom. She went up on tiptoe, her hands braced on his shoulders. He pulled her close and kissed her.
“Did you like the ride?”
“Yes. Very much. I’m sorry I wasn’t great company. You wanted to show me your land and I barely paid attention.”
“It’s not important.”
“Yes, it is. This is your home. Your work. It’s what you’ve worked so hard to hold on to since your parents died.”
“We’ll ride as often as you like and you’ll see it all then. Today, you needed the peace and quiet.”
“You always seem to know just what I need.”
He cupped her face and brushed his thumbs under her eyes and over her cheeks. “You need to rest. You barely slept last night.”
“You had something to do with that,” she teased.
He leaned down and kissed her again. “My pleasure. But you need to eat and get some rest. Come on.” He took her hand and tugged her toward his horse. He released her long enough to unstrap the blanket and their lunch bag. He took her hand again and walked her up toward the cluster of trees with the soft grass and dappled light.
Another man had walked her into the trees once. It seemed a long time ago, yet fresh as if it were happening right now. She stopped midstride. Rory kept walking another step, tugging on her hand, but she didn’t budge. Her mind took her back to the terror she felt that day and the bite of the wire pinching and poking into her skin.
“Sadie,” Rory yelled, like he’d said her name more than once.
“Huh. What?”
“You’re white as a sheet. What happened?”
“Nothing. Sorry. I got lost in thought.” She stared up the sprawling tree branches.
Rory dropped their stuff and cupped her face, making her focus on him. “You’re safe here with me.”
She clamped her shaking hands over his wrists. “I know that. I’m fine.”
“Then breathe.”
She sucked in a ragged breath and tried to smile to wipe the concern from his narrowed eyes. She reached for him, pulling him close and pressing her body to his. “Did I thank you for saving me?”
“A dozen times, sweetheart. It’s over. Soon that asshole will be behind bars where he belongs.”
She pressed her hands to his chest and leaned back in his arms. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It hit me all at once, seeing the trees, feeling the cool wind, and being out here again. I’m fine. Let’s eat.”
“I’m sorry, I should have thought before bringing you out into the woods.”
“No. I love that you wanted to take me on a picnic. I don’t want what happened to become so big in my life that I stop doing the things I love, like going for a ride and being out here with you.”
Rory didn’t look quite convinced, but he released her, picked up the blanket, shook it out, and spread it over the soft grass under the largest tree. Shaded from the afternoon sun, Sadie sat on the soft blanket and pulled off her boots, getting comfortable. She wanted Rory to see she had every intention of kicking back, relaxing, and enjoying their time together.
Rory set the lunch bag on the blanket. She pulled out the paper plates, wrapped sandwiches, and plastic containers. She found the two cans of PBR and bottles of water on the bottom, including her prize, a bag of her favorite chocolate chunk brownie cookies.
“How did you know these are my favorite?”
“I see you eating them all the time.”
She held up the can of beer. “Planning on getting me drunk?”
“Sweetheart, if one can of beer gets you drunk I’m not letting you drink at all.” The silly grin he gave her settled the last of the fear she’d felt reliving her nightmare.
She popped the top on the beer and took a deep sip. She swallowed and sighed. “That’s good.”
“Hand me the other. Let’s eat.”
The chicken, ranch, lettuce, and red onion on sourdough sandwich was also her favorite. One of the plastic containers had sliced apples. The other a pasta, broccoli, zucchini salad. “It’s kind of creepy that you know all the things I like.”
“I’ve been stalking you for years.”
The teasing tone said one thing, but he’d been watching her for a long time.
“Why didn’t you ever ask me out if you were so interested?”
Rory didn’t look at her for a long while. He chewed his roast beef sandwich and stared off into the distance. “I intimidated you.”
“You scared me. You take up the space around you like no one else I know. It’s not just your size, but your presence. You never smiled at me to let me know you wanted to even say hi. Whenever I caught you looking at me, you walked away. I thought maybe I’d done something to piss you off. Or at least my brother had.”
“It’s no secret to anyone around town you watch over him like a hawk and he treats you like crap for all your trouble. That’s what I didn’t like. But that wasn’t why I never said anything.”
“Then what was it, because you don’t seem to have a problem with me now.”
“I never had a problem with you. I liked you. A lot. But you’re Colt’s age.”
“So.”
“So I didn’t think you’d be interested in someone six years older than you.”
“Age doesn’t really matter. Not when you’re headed toward your thirties.”
“You’ve got a few years to go yet.”
She shrugged. “Maybe, but it’s coming quicker than I thought. So that’s it, the age thing is why you never said anything, why you always sat across the restaurant. I thought maybe I smelled bad, or always had something stuck in my teeth.”
Rory laughed at that and set his empty plate aside. He took a sip of his beer, then looked at her again. “I didn’t know what to say, and it seemed too important to mess it up, especially when you didn’t seem interested in me.”
She went still, understanding the real reason he’d held back. The shyness most people didn’t see. The depth of emot
ion Rory felt but never let show. He’d opened up to her and showed her who he really was these last weeks. The age thing was an excuse for him to cover how much he really liked her but feared doing something, saying something that ruined his chances with her, especially when she’d kept her distance.
His fault for always being cold and remote, never letting anyone in, until he’d saved her and they’d found each other.
“Besides that, I’ve been too consumed with raising my brothers and keeping this ranch. It’s an all-day, every-day kind of thing.”
“Yet you’ve barely worked since I met you.” Because being with her had become more important. Like her, he found something he wanted and didn’t want to waste this opportunity and good fortune.
“I’ve turned into a real slacker.”
“After all these years, you don’t even care.”
“When I found you . . .”
He left off the part about how he found her and she appreciated it.
“I realized that I might lose you before I ever got the chance to see if what I felt for you was real or just some made-up thing in my head. I didn’t want to lose it then, I certainly don’t want to lose it now that I know how real and deep it is.”
Sadie set her plate aside, finished off her beer, and lay back on the blanket, staring up at the branches and the blue sky peeking through the leaves.
“I’m kind of glad my brother stole your cattle.”
Rory fell back onto the blanket beside her with a soft chuckle. “Don’t tell my brothers I said this, but so am I. I’m not going to thank him for it, though, especially after that asshole left you out there . . .” Again, he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it. He didn’t have to. She got it, felt it, shivered with the gruesome memory.
“I never thought you would or expected it.”
They shared the silence below the trees for several minutes, settling into the quiet and each other’s company. It never grew awkward. In fact, the longer it went on, the more comfortable she felt in his presence.
Rory rolled to his side, propped himself up on his elbow, and stared down at Sadie. Her pretty blue eyes were cast up to the trees. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
“You should stop stopping yourself from doing what you want where I’m concerned.”
He actually followed that convoluted sentence and went with his urge to kiss her, bending down and kissing her softly on the cheek.
She smiled and shook her head. “All that buildup for such a chaste kiss.”
This time he reached over with his free hand, placed it on her hip, and pulled her across the blanket to lie down his length. He dipped his head and took her mouth in a searing kiss that was so far from chaste that he had her panting for breath when he finally eased back and kissed his way down her neck to her collarbone.
Her fingers slid through his hair. His hand on her hip slid up her side under her shirt and cupped her full breast. He swept his thumb over her hard nipple, tucked his fingers into the bra cup, and yanked it down. His palm settled over the mound, her nipple pressed against his palm, and he squeezed her flesh into his hand, molding it to his grip. She sighed, arching her back and pressing her breast into his hand even more. He reached around her back and undid the clasp on her bra.
He kissed his way back up her neck to her ear and whispered, “If you’re not ready for this, say so now.”
“Don’t stop, Rory.”
He slid his hand back around her side to her breast and rubbed his palm over her.
“I want you.” She sighed.
That was all he needed to hear. He pulled his hand free of her shirt, grabbed the hem, and dragged it up and over her head, catching her bra on the way up and pulling it off, too. He stared down at her creamy skin and pink-tipped breasts, her nipples hard and begging for his mouth, and thought his heart stopped along with his breath. “Damn, you’re beautiful.”
Her hand settled on his face. “Love me.”
He already did, but right now he needed to show her more than he needed to say it. His mouth crushed hers. He needed that taste of her to settle his heart and give him a chance to hold on to his control before he tore the rest of her clothes off and drove his aching cock inside her sweet body.
Her hands smoothed over his back, grabbed hold of his shirt, and dragged it up and over his head. He broke the kiss long enough to let her do it, but quickly took her mouth again in a deep kiss. Her bare skin touched his, her hard-tipped breasts pressed to his chest, and she moaned into his mouth with the sheer pleasure she couldn’t contain and he needed more of right now.
He kissed his way down her neck again. This time, he didn’t stop at her shoulder, but trailed kisses over her chest and straight to one of her peaked nipples. He took the tight bead into his mouth and sucked softly, his hand sliding up her ribs to cup her breast. He licked the tip, circled his tongue around the tight bud, then took it into his mouth again, sucking harder.
Her fingers raked through his hair and gripped it tight. “Oh God, Rory.”
Exactly. God sent him this gift and he meant to show his appreciation and love her the way she asked.
He took her breast in his hand, her nipple caught between his index and middle fingers. He squeezed and kneaded, kissing his way to her other breast and taking that nipple into his mouth. Her hands never stopped moving over him. She brushed them over his head, down his neck, and over his shoulders, arching her back and offering up the bounty he couldn’t get enough of for more attention. He gave it to her, but he wanted so much more.
The little moans and sighs she made drove him crazy wild. He slid his hand down her taut belly to the button on her jeans. He pulled it loose, then unzipped the denim, sliding his hand inside and over her panties to cup her in his hand. She rocked her hips into his palm and he rubbed back and forth, hindered by the tight material. Frustrated he couldn’t touch her the way he wanted, he leaned back, sat up, and hooked his fingers in the top of her jeans and pink lace panties.
“You’re killing me, you know that.”
She planted her heels on the blanket, lifted her hips, and he dragged the denim and lace down her legs. It didn’t take but a second to pull her socks off her feet. With Sadie naked to the sky and his wandering gaze, he stared down at her and took her all in, from the fall of her blond hair over the blanket and her shoulders, to her softly rounded breasts, slender belly, slightly flared hips, and long toned legs. She had pretty feet and toes. It made him smile.
“What?” She covered the scar on her side and across her belly with her hands, which only made him stare at the scars around her wrists. The many other small marks all over her barely registered. All he saw was the beauty laid out before him.
“I am so damn lucky.”
She leaned up, hooked her hand around the back of his neck, and pulled him in for another kiss. He followed her back down to the blanket and started the dance all over again, because now that he had her naked, he wanted to touch every inch of her again and again, but his restraint waned until he smoothed his hand down her thigh, back up the toned muscles, and found her hot, wet center with his roaming fingers. He slid his fingers over her soft folds and sent one deep into her warmth. She rocked her hips into his hand and moaned out his name.
Her hand mapped his chest and down his taut stomach. He ached to be inside her, but settled for her hand sliding over his swollen flesh over his jeans. She wasn’t satisfied at all and made quick work of undoing the button and zipper and dipping her hand down the front of his boxer briefs and along his aching cock. Her fingers wrapped around his length and squeezed. He rocked into her hand and groaned, sending his finger deep into her core. He pressed his thumb to her clit as she circled her hips and rubbed against him. Her hand sank deeper down his length, her fingers gripped his balls, and he sucked in a ragged breath and tried to hold on to his sanity.
He broke the kiss they shared and replaced her lips on his with her breast. God, the way she tasted. The way she felt. The way she tempted
him.
Her hands rubbed up his stomach, around his sides, and down over his ass as she turned into him.
He licked the underside of her breast, took her tight nipple softly between his teeth, and licked the tip with a sweep of his tongue.
“Oh God, Rory, now.” She pulled him close, both hands on his ass, squeezing.
He left her long enough to kick off his jeans and boxers. Her hands smoothed over his back. She rose behind him, kissed her way along his shoulder to his neck, her hand rubbing up his spine until her fingers dug through his hair. He could barely get his socks and jeans untangled from his feet for all the kissing and mapping his body she did with her mouth and hands.
At the last second, he remembered the condom in his pocket. He made a grab for his jeans again just as her hand came around his side and her fingers wrapped around his hard dick again. She worked her hand up and down his flesh, stroking and teasing, her cheek pressed to his shoulder, her lips softly kissing his neck. Frozen by her erotic attention, he completely forgot what he needed to do.
She shifted before he totally comprehended her intention and landed on his lap, her thighs straddling his hips. Her soft heat pressed against his shaft. She rocked and rubbed against him, her breasts right in front of his face. He cupped one and took it into his mouth, lost in her movements over him and the sweet floral scent of her.
Her arms banded around his head and held him close as she rocked and rubbed herself against him. He wanted to drive his aching cock into her right now, but kept his head, reached for his jeans behind her without leaving her sweet breast. He fumbled for the condom, found it, and tore his mouth free from her creamy skin so he could tear the package open with his teeth.
Rory sheathed himself, grabbed hold of her bottom, held her close, and rolled her over onto her back. He lay between her thighs, the head of his dick pressed to her entrance. He held himself above her on his elbows and stared down into her brilliant blue eyes so filled with love and lust he got drunk on her. The buzz raced through his veins, joined by the need gnawing at him to make her his. He slid into her slow and easy all the way to the hilt and watched the heat in her eyes flare when he joined their bodies.
Stone Cold Cowboy Page 23