Forget Me Knot

by King, Lori

  His lip curled up, and his black eyebrow rose, “Thank you. I’d love to spread you out in the hay and make love to you right now, but you’d better haul that cute ass into the house and get yourself a hot bath. I wouldn’t want any parts of you to freeze off.”

  He palmed one of her breasts through her layers, to emphasize his meaning, and she laughed pulling away and heading into the house. Even if it snowed for the rest of her trip, and she wasn’t able to do it again, she knew that she would never ever forget the feeling of sitting in the saddle with the wind whipping over her and Drannon watching her. Just hearing him tell her how well she did left her feeling ten feet tall as she made her way upstairs.

  She spent the rest of the morning in the bathtub and then reading her book on the chaise in the study. Someone had lit a fire in the fireplace, and she was warm and cozy. She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew a pair of warm lips were easing her awake.

  Drannon knelt on the floor in front of her, his fingers stroking over her temple and cheekbone as he stared down at her.

  “I came inside to warm up and found an angel sleeping in my study.”

  She smiled at his compliment before kissing him back. “Your nose is still cold, so you haven’t done a very good job of warming up.”

  Lust sparkled in his eyes, and he grabbed her knee, jerking suddenly to spin her body from lying down to seated with her knees on either side of him. “You know the nice thing to do would be to help me warm up. They say body heat is the fastest way to do that. Wanna get naked and test the theory?”

  Lacy laughed when he wiggled his eyebrows playfully. “What if someone walks in on us again? Marilyn seems to have terrible timing, and all of your brothers are inside now because of the weather.”

  “It’s after noon. she’ll be napping for a couple of hours. My brothers are playing video games, so they won’t bother us. But I could be convinced to move this upstairs if you’re interested.” He took her hand and pressed it to the hard ridge beneath his jeans, and her mouth went dry. She knew it was probably the worst thing she could do, but she wanted him again. While she had the chance, she wanted to feel totally free for the next couple of weeks. If that meant riding a horse—or riding a cowboy—she wanted to experience it all.

  Squeezing gently, she leaned forward and ran her tongue over his bottom lip. “Do you think you can handle me, without getting thrown, cowboy? I’ve been told I’m a natural rider.”

  His groan of appreciation was swallowed in a fierce kiss, before he shot to his feet and locked the study door in a lightning fast move that made her laugh.

  “Anxious much?” she teased.

  “Absolutely.” He reached for her shirt and helped her strip it off. Once she was naked, she took over and attacked his zipper. He helped by removing his shirt, and she giggled when she heard buttons go flying again. At this rate, he wouldn’t have any shirts left with buttons.

  The moment she got her fist around his hard cock, she felt her stomach tighten and her mouth began to water. She wanted to taste him. Last night had been about her, but now she wanted control. Her tongue slid over the crown and she heard him moan.

  “Shit, sweetheart, if you do that I’m going to embarrass myself.”

  “Shhh…” She blew air over the tip of his cock, “I want to. You can make it up to me.”

  Her mouth widened to take him as deeply as she could and he gasped.

  “Holy shit! Your mouth is on fire! That’s so fucking nice, baby.”

  Lacy hadn’t given many blow jobs, but she was determined to give him the best experience she could. Being careful of her teeth, she pushed him further into her throat. She gagged and choked just slightly, and she realized that her gagging made his dick grow even harder in her fist, so she repeated the process, never pushing herself too far, but giving him the sensation of her throat closing around the head of his cock. Within a few moments, she felt a burning ache in her jaws and she released him, disappointed with herself.

  Drannon didn’t seem disappointed at all. He dropped to his knees in front of her on the couch, and shoved her thighs apart, exposing her dripping slit to his view. She had to brace herself on the edge of the cushion as he spread her pussy lips and began licking her in earnest. His tongue flickered over her clit making her twitch and moan, and he pushed one long finger into her and fucked her with it.

  She rocked her hips towards him, begging for more, and trying to get him to stop all at once. She wanted to be full of him before she came.

  “Drannon, please, fuck me!”

  He hesitated and then pressed a kiss to the curly red hair of her mound before he stood again. This time, he was a little less stable as he toed off his boots and pushed his jeans the rest of the way off. When he was gloriously naked, he sank back to his knees and lined his cock up with her pussy. The thick head teased her clit and she whimpered.

  “What do you say?” he whispered.

  “Damn it Drannon,” she cursed, trying to arch her body and force him inside of her.

  “That’s not the magic word. Say please, Lacy.”

  “Please Lacy!” she begged.

  “Nuh uh.” He dipped the tip of his dick into her moist opening and then pulled it away.

  “Oh please Drannon. I need you.”

  “That’s a good girl.” He surged forward, filling her to capacity and making her cry out her need. “Tell me what you want Lacy. Do you want me to fuck you? Fill you? Make you come?”

  “Yes! Yes, please! Holy hell!”

  Her orgasm hit her hard and fast, and she cried out his name as she jerked against him, absorbing his weight. The delicious way they seemed to work together made each orgasm that much sweeter, and she nearly cried with the strength of emotion running through her.

  “Now that we’ve worked some of that tension off, why don’t we head upstairs to continue this,” he murmured against her nipple.

  “Oh, now you want to go upstairs?” she laughed.

  “Yes, but I’ll never come in this room again without remembering how it felt to have you begging me to fuck you.” The emotions in her chest were reflected back to her in his eyes, and it stole her breath. Should she tell him?

  Instantly, she tossed the idea aside and went back into her standard escape mode. “We’re going to have to get dressed again.”

  “Nah, the boys are caught up in Masters of Mercenary Mayhem or something. I think we can get up the stairs without incident if we’re quiet.” He held his hand out to help her off the couch, but when she stood her knees buckled, and she fell against his chest.

  His laughter joined hers as he led her out of the room and up the stairs, leaving their clothing behind. She was surprised when they turned towards her room instead of his bedroom, but she wasn’t complaining. As long as they found a bed she didn’t care whose it was.

  He paused in the doorway and winked at her. “Climb on the bed sweetheart, I need to grab something.”

  She didn’t have a chance to complain as he was gone in a flash leaving her naked in her bedroom doorway. With a grunt of frustration she did as he asked, settling herself on top of the pretty lilac bedspread with a couple of pillows at her back.

  When he stepped back into the bedroom the first thing she noticed was the coil of rope in his hand, the second was that he locked the door behind him.

  “What in the world?”

  “I have to make sure I don’t get thrown. You’re looking at the best bull rider this side of Fargo. I have several belt buckles to prove it, but rope is necessary when breaking in a new ride.”

  He moved toward her with that fluid grace that she found so arousing, and she couldn’t seem to move in protest. His hands slid up her arms to grip her wrists, and before she knew it, she was tied to the brass rails of the headboard. The rope was snug, but not too tight. If she struggled too much, she was sure to have rope burns on her wrists, but by the time she returned home, they should be healed. Giving him a mocking smile, she laughed.

  “
You think a little rope will tame me, cowboy?”

  Drannon shook his head, “Nope. I don’t want to tame you. I prefer you wild and wicked, but this will keep you where I want you while I fuck you until you scream my name.”

  His words made her hotter, and her body responded. Nipples that were already hard, grew even harder, skin that was already tingling now zipped with electricity. Desire blasted through her body as he rose over her and captured her nipple in his mouth, tempting and teasing her clit with the head of his cock.

  He didn’t take her yet and proceeded to make her crazy by rubbing his cock in the moisture between her thighs and teasing her from clit to asshole and back. He squeezed her breasts with his hands, and teased them with his mouth, occasionally biting down on one delicate tip just to hear her moan.

  The need that was growing inside of her again was powerful, and she found herself grinding on him and pleading for mercy. Her fingers were curled around the rope, and her thighs were stretched to the limit on either side of his spread knees. She was completely open to him, and she found it fulfilling in an odd way. The fact that he wanted her so much made her feel powerful, even though she was clearly in the submissive position at the moment.

  When Drannon finally finished teasing her, he gave her no warning before he shoved his cock into her pussy hard, bottoming out against her cervix making her cry out.

  His thrusts were desperate, his face tight, and her body was on fire. Never in her life could she have imagined wanting someone so much. His powerful body looked backlit by the shadows of the gloomy skies outside, and in her mind’s eye, it was epically beautiful.

  They climbed to the top of a mutual climax. Like a musical crescendo she felt herself explode and heard her own lusty scream mesh with his groan of release. Never in her life had anything felt so right. His body collapsed onto hers, and he released her arms, pressing gentle kisses on each wrist before he rolled, taking her with him. She lay draped over his chest in the fading daylight and drifted to sleep to the sound of his heartbeat, surprisingly happy.

  Chapter 9

  A cool breeze over her body woke her several hours later. The room was dark but for the bright moonlight coming through the small crack in the curtains. Drannon lay on his side staring down at her.

  “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.” He pressed a sweet kiss to her forehead.

  “What time is it?” She snuggled into his chest, pressing her nose against his collarbone. His arms wrapped around her naked form, and she realized he must have tugged the blankets off her to wake her up. “It’s dark, why are we waking up?”

  “It’s almost midnight, but I wanted to show you something.” He hugged her tightly before he rolled her away so he could stand up. As she sat up she realized that he was already dressed, and wearing his boots, “Well, come on! The radar only shows a couple of hours before the snowfall starts again.”

  Grumbling as she climbed from the warm bed and got dressed, she followed him downstairs and through the quiet house. When he handed her her shoes and coat, she gaped at him.

  “It’s midnight; are you crazy?”

  He laughed and knelt holding her shoe out for her foot. “Only for you, sweetheart. Let’s go.” She let him help her bundle up, puzzled as to what he could possibly want to show her in the middle of a nighttime snowstorm.

  When he pulled open the front door, icy cold air and shock hit her simultaneously. Toto stood saddled and waiting in about two inches of fresh snow where the ranch hands had shoveled it clear just hours before.

  “What is this?”

  “We’re going for a ride. Don’t worry, it won’t take long. I’ll have you back in bed and warm soon.” Drannon led her to Toto’s side. The horse actually looked as perturbed as she would have been if she wasn’t so moved by his desire to surprise her.

  Drannon launched himself into the saddle and helped her up so that she was seated in his lap, caught between his groin and the pommel of the saddle. His hard cock pressed against her ass and, she wiggled a bit trying to ease away from it. “Pay no attention to him, he’s been hard ever since a gorgeous redhead appeared on the ranch.”

  “He has good taste.” She shivered a little, but she wasn’t sure if it was from the frigid temperatures or the feel of him pressed so tightly against her.

  Lacy struggled to take it all in. The snow that had already fallen glittered like diamonds in the moonlight. There were clouds to the east and clouds to the west, but at the moment, they were riding under a clear sky with a beautiful midnight moon. Stars filled the expansive black sky, making the whole world seem endless. It was stunning.

  Content to let Drannon have the lead, and still a bit sleepy, she nestled into him and enjoyed the intimacy of the shared silence. After several minutes, he turned Toto and led him through an opening in the tree-line. The moon disappeared behind a cloud and the trees seemed to swallow up the warmth of their embrace. The beautiful environment was suddenly a bit creepier, and she twisted to frown at him.

  “How far are we going?”

  She couldn’t see his face in the dark under the brim of his hat, but she could feel his hot breath against her cheek when he spoke. “Just another minute and we’ll be there. Trust me.”

  For the first time, she realized she really did trust him. They’d only known each other for a couple of days, but she felt like she’d known him for lifetimes. Every story he and his brothers shared gave her new insight into the man who’d clawed his way from ruin more than once in his thirty eight years, and she found her respect and feelings for him growing.

  How many times had she wished for a man in her life who was worthy of respect? Drannon Russo was one of a kind, and now that she’d had a brief taste of being treated like a queen by him, she wasn’t sure any other man would ever live up to him.

  “Here we are,” he said, drawing her attention back to the present.

  The sight in front of them brought a gasp from her lips, and Drannon chuckled. Spread out before her was the most magnificent view of a mountain range. A deep valley stretched for miles between the outcropping they stood on and the craggy steep slopes of the mountains. Snow covered every surface—trees, rocks, even a creek or river that ran off to the north of them.

  “What is this place?” She asked breathlessly.

  “Those are the Turtle Mountains. I wanted you to see the valley covered in snow. There isn’t a more beautiful sight in the world, except maybe in the late spring when the forget-me-not flowers bloom. It’s like a sea of pale blue buds, and the scent is heavenly.” He paused, and it sounded distinctly like emotion cut off his words for a moment. “Very few people get a chance to see it like this. Usually, the snow comes down so fast that all access to the valley is shut down for weeks or months. I didn’t have time to get you a gift for your birthday or for Valentine’s Day, but I could give you this, and I wanted you to have a memory to take with you that was just yours and mine. I hope you aren’t still mad at me for dragging you out of bed.” He rested his chin on the top of her head, and she could feel the warmth of his breath against her cheek.

  “Mad at you? How could I possibly be mad at you? This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. I love it. Thank you.” A tear rolled down her cheek, and then another and another. The tears chilled her cheeks as they sat in peaceful silence. Drannon held her without asking questions, and she felt a comfort and security in his arms that she had only ever tasted briefly. His care for her touched her in a way she wasn’t sure she would ever be able to describe.

  After several minutes, it began to snow lightly, so Drannon set Toto on course back to the ranch.

  “Why didn’t the Crawleys legally adopt you when you were a kid?” she asked. She felt his chest rise and fall against her back with a big sigh.

  “For a long time, it was because I didn’t want them to.” His answer surprised her, but she held her tongue hoping for an explanation. When he stayed quiet she shifted slightly to look back at him.

  “What kid wouldn�
�t want to be adopted?”

  “You might be surprised. I was only meant to be on the ranch temporarily. When the social worker dropped me off, the plan was for her to find a more permanent place for me if she couldn’t locate any family members. You know, they never even asked me if I had any other family.” Underneath them, Toto huffed as if irritated by this bit of news. “I didn’t, so it didn’t matter.”

  “What about your dad?”

  “Never knew him. I’m not even sure my mom knew who he was. She never talked about any other family, so I assume there wasn’t any. Anyways, after a few weeks on the ranch, Sera asked me if I’d like to stay on. Vin was already here, and he and I clicked right away. She used to say we were like peanut butter and jelly—meant to be together. I’d never imagined having it so good as I did with the Crawleys, so I said yes. The state of North Dakota gave them guardianship, but I resisted starting the adoption process. I just wasn’t ready to give up myself. I thought that if I was adopted it would mean I wasn’t a Russo anymore, and my name was all I had left of my mom.”

  “Oh, my God, that’s so sad.” She murmured, tears pricking her eyelids.

  “I know it hurt Sera and Abe that I didn’t want to take their name, but they said they understood. Over time, lots of kids came and went, some stayed longer than others, but very few actually became part of the Crawley family, and none were ever legally adopted. The Crawleys didn’t need adoption papers to be great parents; they just needed kids.”

  “Why didn’t they have their own?”

  “Sera couldn’t. I don’t really know specifically why, but I know she was barren. Abe agreed to start fostering kids shortly after they got married because Sera was a born mother. She was great at it. Small in stature, but she had an enormous heart” —he chuckled—“and that doesn’t even compare to the size of her temper. I only remember her raising her voice to me a few times, because knowing I’d disappointed her hurt more than her anger. She was a great mom.”

  “Sounds like it.” Lacy stopped asking questions, and just enjoyed the warmth of his arms around her and the sway of the horse. She was falling for Drannon. No doubt about it. He was everything a man should be. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside, and proud of who and what he was. Maybe he’d hit low points, but he managed to drag himself back to the top. She should take a page from his book and focus on getting her career back to the top instead of mooning over him.