Second Sunrise Cowboy (Second Chance Book 8)

by Carver, Rhonda Lee

  “Somewhere I can do more than just fantasize about that body of yours.”

  “But-but, all of the hands are here…is there a place like that?” Her voice shook. She wasn’t against his idea at all, but the thought of others seeing them did funny, awkward things to her insides.

  “Trust me, darlin’. I know where all of the workers are.” He kissed her neck and nuzzled his beard against her aching flesh. Moisture gushed in her panties. After last night, experiencing more orgasms than she had in years, she still wanted him—right here, right now.

  “I’d like to give you an up close and personal view of our hay loft. Sound appealing?” His eyes gleamed.

  She shivered in delight. “I’ve never seen a hay loft before.”

  “Then you’re up for it?”

  “Question is, are you up for it?” she teased.

  “Oh, sweetheart, I’ve been up since the moment you looked at me with those expressive eyes,” he admitted.

  “Wow, Cash, you’re actually loosening up, flirting. This is monumental.”

  “Something about last night, whoo-wee, I’m a new man this morning.”

  The man pushed all of her buttons, but what was life without someone challenging? Boring. That’s what it was. She felt his muscles bulge against her side as they moved into the barn and past the cows. Once they reached the end, he put her on her feet. “I’d carry you up, but can’t promise no one will get hurt.” She looked up the ladder, grabbed hold of the rung, and gave it a good tug. “What? You afraid it’ll break?”

  She shrugged. “Never hurts to check. Remember, I’m like a fish out of water when it comes to a ranch.”

  He laughed. “You’ve already made a few best friends.”

  “I don’t think Clover has quite warmed up to me yet.”

  “He will warm up to you, and then you and I will take a ride on him.” He pushed his hat back on his forehead.

  “Ride? On Clover?” Her throat constricted. “Carrots are one thing, riding is a whole different thing.”

  “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” He threaded his fingers through her hair and lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her deeply. Her knees weakened. “Want to check out the hay loft now?”

  “I so want to check out your hay loft.” She wagged her brows.

  “After you, darlin’.” He pointed at the ladder.

  She started climbing, aware of Cash’s presence right underneath her and the fact that her bottom was two inches above his face. She stopped and looked down at him. “Slow down. I can’t climb that fast.”

  “Sorry. The view is mesmerizing.” His eyes sparkled.

  Her chest tightened. Nothing like getting a compliment from a sexy man.

  Reaching the loft, Dakota crawled across the hay strewn floor and watched while Cash maneuvered his powerful body up next to her. The loft was huge. The entire area was bigger than her apartment back in the city. Hay bales lined each wall, two bales deep. She inhaled and got a strong whiff of straw. It was a nice scent.

  Cash stood up and dropped down on a bed of hay, waving her over.

  She did as requested, sitting beside him. “Is this naturally made or do you bring all of your women here?” She made it sound as if she were joking, but a sliver of jealousy made her stomach turn.

  “Neither. Becca comes up here and plays sometimes.”

  She started breathing again. “Well, you have a very nice hay loft. So you won’t be missed?”

  He shrugged. “They’ll fend for themselves. Tucker is out on the property today and he can handle any arising issues, while I handle the arising we have here.”

  Her core throbbed. “I bet you don’t give up the control of this land often.”

  He stretched his legs, leaning against another bale of hay. “I haven’t found any reason to. And maybe I felt guilty for being the jerk I was after Rebecca died.”

  She laid her hand on his knee. She had no clue how it was to lose a spouse, but losing a loved one she understood all too well. She lost her father six years ago, then her mother a year later. She could understand the void. Seeing his sadness, she wanted to comfort him. Wanted to assure him everything would be okay, he just needed to let go, but would she come off as selfish? After all, everything she felt now made everything personal. She wanted him to move on, with her. “You seem better,” she said.

  “It took me a long time, but I think I’m heading on the right track.”

  “I know you’ve heard this many times before, but time has a way of healing the deepest wounds.” She swallowed.

  He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve heard that a time or two.” He sighed. “I have liked having you here. I appreciate everything you’re doing.”

  “I like being here.” She crawled beside him. “I like being around you and Becca, having you as family. She’s such a sweet child.”

  He tucked a tendril of hair behind her ear. The gesture was sweet, but what was sweeter was the way he looked at her. After what they’d shared, they were so much closer. And it happened so fast.

  This was all real. Not a dream or a fantasy. She was here in the hay loft with Cash. What more could a girl want than to be with the man who made her excited?

  “I wanted to let you know that I found a painter, and someone who’ll come in and carry out the trash.”

  She blinked. “Really? That was fast.”

  “I know how much this means to you,” he said.

  She played with the hem of her shirt. She couldn’t admit, not yet, that she had fallen for him. “I’m so thrilled to see what tomorrow brings.”

  “I also got another call from Kennedy.”

  “Have you two worked out a solution regarding Becca?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “Hell, I’m at a loss. I can see how she can add to Becca’s life, but what if I’m wrong?”

  “Nothing can hurt by giving it a try.”

  He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “I can’t get over how fast things have come between us. I’m wanting you near me every second of every day.”

  Her chest filled with something indescribably warm. “It feels right.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  She heard the shuffling of the cows below them.

  He brought his hand to her stomach and slowly moved downward to her bare thigh, making a circle with his finger. Her body warmed.

  She leaned against him as his hand traveled up her hip, along her side, around to her breasts where her nipples beaded. She sucked in a deep breath, electrified at the feeling of his touch. Everything suddenly fell into place. Delores knew this would happen long before it did. Her aunt realized Dakota and Cash would work together, she truly believed that.

  His thumb skidded over her nipple and she moaned, dragging her thoughts back on track.

  He brought his hand back to her inner thigh and skimmed his finger along the hem of her shorts, slipping the tip under the material, teasing her flesh.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

  His finger grazed her most sensitive part and dizziness overcame her. “I’ve never known a man like you before.”

  It seemed like he touched every part of her, leaving a trail of scorching heat. Bending her head back on one shoulder, she stared at him through her half-lowered lids. “I like this hay loft. A lot.”

  “This is going to be my new favorite hiding place.” He removed his hat and laid it to the side, then covered her body with his. She moved to her back, enjoying his weight and the way he caged her against the hay-covered floor.

  Desire dissipated any fear of getting a broken heart. He wouldn’t hurt her, not Cash. A man who was loving and caring, who’d opened his home to her, who was opening his heart.

  He had no idea how much power he had over her, how much she wanted him. He had her heart in the palm of his hand.

  ****

  Cash realized they were moving way too fast, but for the life of him, he couldn’t do anything but continue down thi
s path of sweet emotion.

  He kissed her neck, her chest, and the edge of the shirt that dipped over the mounds of her breasts. He pulled the material lower, licking the flesh that the bra didn’t cover and rolled his tongue around the satin covered nipple. She moaned and arched her back, and he gently nibbled in reward. Her breathing became heavier and her fingers dug into his scalp. “I want you so bad, sweetheart.”

  He unzipped her shorts, the sound of the teeth loud in the loft. He growled and the sound vibrated his own ears. He tugged the denim, dragging them down her hips, her thighs, and calves to her boots. She kicked them off, tossing them to the side.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered as he stood. He toed off his boots, kicking them next to hers, and removed his jeans. The belt buckle thudded against the flooring as he dropped it to the side. He stood above her, looking at her, realizing his rigid length had pushed through the hole of his boxers.

  “You’re sexy,” she whispered.

  He pulled the T-shirt over his head and held it in his hand. She skipped her gaze over him and he touched his hard cock. She was spread out before him and his mouth salivated. Everything about the woman could be described as sexy. Sexy arms. Sexy stomach. Sexy legs. And sexy intelligence. He liked a smart woman.

  His stomach fluttered with urgency. Making love two days in a row. He was on a roll.

  The desire he saw in her eyes scorched him, wrapped around him, seeping into his pores.

  And then she did something that pounded his heart. She lifted her hand and motioned for him to come to her. He brought his shirt over and laid it down on the bed of hay. “This will keep your skin from getting sore.” The shirt was large enough that it covered most of the space for her body.

  She removed her own shirt, adding it to the bed. “Now we both will have protection.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  He lay beside her and she skimmed her hand down his cheek. The man carried such masculinity, and yet he had such kindness that it tweaked her heart. He buried his hand inside of her panties, sliding them from her legs in one long sweep. Kissing her chest, her stomach, down to her core throbbing for attention. He gently spread her thighs wide and lowered himself between her legs, his shoulders touching her calves. His strong hands pressed her sensitive skin as he kissed her most sensitive spot.

  He rolled his tongue over the pearl and she cried out, digging her fingers into his hair, tugging at the strands. His tongue swirled over her lips, thrusting in and out of her opening, bringing her more pleasure than she could comprehend. She’d never experienced such magic before and she never wanted it to stop. Never wanted to feel the void she had before Cash stepped into her life.

  “Mm. I could stay right here all day.” He mumbled against her flesh.

  “And I wouldn’t argue, although, eventually I’d be nothing but mush and skin.” She breathed out.

  “I want to be inside you.” He lifted himself above her, staring down at her with dark eyes and his thin mouth. He looked like a man who was doing everything in his power not to drive himself inside of her fast and hard.

  Dakota wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer, drawing him into her. He groaned and jerked as if chains were being released from him, link by link. They moved together, she thrust her hips upward, meeting his prod.

  He threaded his fingers through her hair, kissing her deeply. His stubbled chin rubbed her cheeks—she loved the feel of the roughness against her skin. His muscles bulged as he moved, sexy and commanding. He was a large man and filled her completely, rubbing parts of her that had never witnessed such pleasure. His primal moans ripped through her in waves of sweet poison, rocking her senses. She wanted to stay there, with him, wrapped in his arms—wrapped in the cocoon. Her body melted under him, transforming them from two into one. He made love to her. Kissing her, touching her, molding their bodies. His hips moved faster until her body lit like fireworks and she succumbed to the bliss he showered upon her.

  The orgasm came swift and hard. The spasms cultivated deep in the pit of her center, then slowly, easily spreading like warm molasses into her extremities, puddling in her loins. Her toes curled and she arched against him, her nipples rubbing his smooth chest. She burrowed her fingers into his back, the muscles flexing under her palms and she scraped her nails down his skin. He groaned and arched, his face scrunching, full of pleasure.

  He jerked and her body responded with another powerful orgasm. He didn’t move, and shudders blanketed her body until each one faded.

  He slid to her side, but stayed close. “Tell me, does this feel right to you too?”

  “Better than right. Feels, well, like two halves making a whole. Is it possible that our souls are meant to be here, together?”

  “This is the first time that I’ve not thought of her once…during…”

  Dakota swallowed. “Maybe time is mending your heart.” She moved her hand down his shoulder. “Maybe the guilt is leaving.”

  She could hear her heart pounding in her chest, like a drum beat…fast and steady. She could feel his heart beat against her shoulder, like rapid gun fire.

  Her chest tightened as realization skidded to a stop in her logical brain. She was in love with Cash.

  Facing the fact brought tears to her eyes. She quickly blinked them away. What was worse than having these feelings was knowing they weren’t reflected. Cash was barely over his first wife, let alone having enough space in his heart to allow someone else inside. In order to move on he needed to purge the past, but was he ready to do that?

  ****

  Cash sat in the saddle on Clover’s back, staring down at a shocked Dakota. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’ll ride together.”

  “Are you sure about this?” Her eyes sparkled with trepidation.

  “I’m not going to force you to ride, but I promise you won’t regret it.” He winked. He held out his hand for her. “Do you trust me?”

  She laid her palm in his and he pulled her up into the saddle behind him. She slid up close to his back, the apex of her thighs warming his ass. He couldn’t believe it. They’d just made incredible love and here he was, parts of his body misbehaving again. He shifted and attempted to remove the zipper teeth from his cock. Her arms swept around his middle, tight, and he smiled. He’d never ridden with another person before, and he had to admit, this was a damn good idea. He liked her being this close—how their bodies seemed to melt together. She was a perfect fit.

  Guilt pecked a hole in the bliss. Once upon a time he’d believed Rebecca was the perfect fit for him. What was the possibility that he’d find two perfect fits in one lifetime? He’d also thought Rebecca had been his soul mate, and to find another would be compared to finding a needle in the haystack. Impossible.

  And yet, his heart started singing the moment Dakota turned her eyes up at him, vulnerable and expressive, at the funeral. He wanted to be near her—not just here in the saddle or in bed—near as in knowing he’d be the only one who could make her eyes turn dark with passion. That was a look that belonged to him. He held it in his heart.

  He gritted his teeth. Did she realize the power of his thoughts? He was talking love.

  His stomach flipped. Hell, he’d lost his mind—or had he?

  For the first time in a long time, he could see that it was possible he could be happy again—fall in love again.

  “This land is beautiful,” Dakota said.

  He nodded. “Like a little bit of heaven right here this side of Texas.”

  “I didn’t think I’d be in Texas again, but I have no regrets.”

  He couldn’t see her face, but he felt the tension leave her body as she relaxed against him, leaning her cheek against his shoulder. He loved having her here, and her trust. He had a feeling she didn’t give it to just anybody. He’d never hurt her. He cared for her too much.

  His throat constricted. What would he do with these newfound emotions?

  He’d have to figure something out soon before he went bonkers.


  Chapter Fifteen

  Dakota looked over the supplies spread on the floor of the shop. Two weeks ago workers had removed the trash and then the painters had started. The contractors were already finishing up the small apartment upstairs. She’d ordered furniture and it was being delivered tomorrow. Kitchen appliances were on their way too.

  Today she planned to paint the tables and chairs.

  The place needed natural light and when she pulled the strings on the blinds, they fell to her feet and a puff of dust clouded around her. She coughed, sputtered, and kicked the blinds to the side. Just something else that would end up in the trash. She opened and propped the door with a chair. At least she could get fresh air.

  Grabbing a box of supplies, she set it aside and picked up a wet paintbrush from the can. Turning, she ran smack into an iron-hard chest. She looked up into Cash’s face. “I didn’t see you there.” She dropped the brush, grabbed for a rag and wiped the smudge of paint from his shirt, but it only smeared. “Oh no.”

  “It’s okay, Dakota. It’s a work shirt.” He winked.

  “At least the color looks good on you.” Her cheeks warmed, as they did every time he was near. “What do you think of the color?”

  “I like it. It’s lookin’ great, darlin’.” He looked around and kicked a bottle cap across the floor.

  “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be on the ranch?”

  He shrugged. “I thought you could use some help.”

  “You like cleaning clutter?”

  “No, but I’m pretty good at carpentry. Looks like these floors need redone.” He scrubbed his jaw.

  “I’m doing one thing at a time. And you don’t have the time to take on more work.”

  “Look, I’m not going to let you do all of this alone. I’m here to help. I think I have everything in the back of the truck that I’ll need to get this floor polished like new.”

  She smiled. “You’d rather be here, helping me than on the ranch?”

  “If I have a choice staring at the ugly mugs of the ranch hands or staring at your beautiful face, I’ll take you any day.” His eyes sparkled.