Cowboy, Cross My Heart

by Donna Grant

  “They went after the Easts’ cattle, and I got caught,” Brice said. “It was Danny who arrested me. He and Abby went to school together, so he was the one who called her. From what Abby told me, her first meeting with Clayton didn’t go well.”

  Naomi frowned, trying to follow the story while it played out in her head as he spoke. “But you told the police who was really behind it, right?”

  He shook his head. “They said they’d hurt Abby and Caleb, and I couldn’t take that chance. Somehow, Clayton figured it out. He offered me the chance to work off what I owed on the ranch.”

  “Was it a lot?” she asked.

  “Well over two hundred thousand.”

  Her eyes widened. “Wow.”

  “Abby about died when she heard the amount. Yet I recognized the chance Clayton offered, and I really didn’t want to go to jail. So I started working at the East Ranch. Almost immediately, I realized that Clayton was attempting to gain my trust so that I’d tell him who was responsible.”

  She gawked at him. “Don’t stop there. Tell me the rest.”

  He shrugged while grinning. “Caleb wanted to work at the ranch, too. And Ben and Justine, Clayton’s parents, took all three of us under their wing. It was obvious to everyone that Clayton and Abby had something between them. He kept coming up with reasons for her to be there, and she didn’t even try to fight him. In the end, they fell in love.”

  “And the stolen cattle?” she pressed.

  “Oh, Clayton used his SEAL skills and tracked them down. He allowed me to go with him, Ben, Shane, some other ranch hands, and Danny and a few other policemen.” He paused. “You see movies with gunfire and people dying, but it’s completely different in real life.”

  She formed an O with her lips and blew out a breath. “That’s some story.”

  “Yep. We’ve been at the ranch ever since. Everything I learned, Clayton taught me. He was the one who encouraged me to buy my own place.”

  “Will you still work at the East Ranch?”

  “Always.”

  The truck slowed, and Brice turned onto a driveway. Naomi saw the wooden entrance, which was brand new, along with the black metal sign that read Rockin’ H Ranch.

  That barely registered before they were driving along the fence line with rolling pastures beyond. She spotted a couple of barns in need of repair, and an old farmhouse that looked quaint and full of charm.

  As soon as he stopped, she unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped out of the truck to take it all in. She noted that some of the fences needed fixing, and a couple of the gates were broken. Naomi fought not to go into the barns and inspect them.

  “What do you think?” Brice asked as he came to stand beside her.

  “I think it’s amazing. You can feel the history here.”

  He grinned as he looked at his land with pride. “I thought the same thing the first time I saw it. A woman inherited it from her grandparents, but she wasn’t interested in living here. She did do some remodeling in the house to help it sell.”

  Naomi turned and really looked at the house. Her mouth fell open as she took in the rustic exterior with the stone and brick façade and the wooden shutters. “She must have spent a fortune.”

  “She wanted it to sell quickly. Actually, she didn’t do much to the outside,” he told her.

  Her head swung to him in surprise. “This is original?”

  “It is.”

  She walked up the front steps and ran her hands over the wooden post supporting the roof of the porch. At the bottom of each of the six columns was rock that rose two feet high. “People pay a lot of money for this look. It’s stunning.”

  “Come inside,” he said and unlocked the door.

  She walked through the extra-wide, arched door and smiled at the acid-stained concrete floors. Off to her left was a family room with a fireplace. To her right was what looked like a formal living room.

  Naomi wandered through the space to find a new leather sofa and loveseat, as well as a TV hanging on the wall. Her exploration took her into the kitchen, and she smiled. It was a dream room.

  Everything was white, from the cabinets, the quartz countertop, to the walls and ceiling. Huge wooden beams were set in large wooden squares on the ceiling, and there were other wooden accents as well from the stools at the large rectangular island in the middle of the kitchen to a set of shelves. The appliances were stainless steel.

  She walked to the farmhouse sink and stared out the four massive windows overlooking the back of the property. If this were her house, she’d spend half her time in the kitchen. It was large enough to be a gathering place, and it had everything she could ever want.

  When she turned, Brice was watching her, leaning a shoulder against the arched doorway leading from the family room. They stared at each other for a long moment. The silence was easy, but the feelings rising up within her made her stomach flutter.

  She walked through the other doorway into a dining room. There was no table, but she imagined something rustic and modern to match the rest of the house.

  There was a good-sized laundry room and a mudroom that led to the back door. The last room she came to was empty, and there was no indication of what it had been.

  She felt Brice come up behind her. Without turning around, she asked, “What will this room be?”

  “What do you think it should be?”

  “Your office.” She shifted to look at him. “It looks out over the pastures and barn, just as Clayton’s does. This is where you should do your work.”

  He didn’t look away from her once. “That was my thought, as well.”

  Once more, they stared at each other. He brushed past her, their fingers grazing. Her heart skipped a beat as he walked out of the room without a word.

  Naomi followed him to the set of wooden stairs that went straight up. He motioned for her ascend, and she could feel his eyes on her as he climbed up behind her.

  At the landing, she looked right and left before she decided to head to the left. There were three bedrooms, not large but decent-sized, and one shared bath.

  When she walked back to the stairs, Brice was waiting for her. This time, he trailed behind her into the master bedroom. The wood floors continued into the room and looked amazing with the wall of stone that accented the king-size, black metal bed.

  There was a fireplace on the opposite wall. She glanced out the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the land. Then she walked into the bathroom, which had obviously been remodeled. The white theme from the kitchen continued in the upstairs space with accents of black. There was a clawfoot tub, probably an original, set beneath a window, and a new corner shower in matching white tile.

  She took her time looking at the double sinks and the two doors that led to a massive closet that ran the entire length of the room.

  When she returned to the bedroom, Brice was looking out one of the windows. It was her turn to stare at him. While she wouldn’t have thought he would fit in a house like this, seeing him inside it changed her mind.

  He’d grown up dirt-poor and then lived in luxury for years. Now, he’d settled for a place in between.

  Suddenly, his head swiveled to her. She walked to him as he turned to face her. So many times she’d thought of them kissing. Now that they were alone, would she finally learn the feel of his lips?

  His hand reached out and rested on her hip before slowly moving to her back. He pulled her forward as he stepped closer. She couldn’t catch her breath. Everything ceased to exist as she sank into his pale blue eyes.

  They were breaths apart. Her hands were on his chest, desire swirling through her in a dizzying state.

  Then his gaze dropped to her mouth. His head lowered slowly. Naomi leaned into him as she lifted her face, her eyes closing.

  Her heart skipped a beat at the feeling of his lips on hers. He let out a moan and wrapped both arms around her as his tongue slipped into her mouth.

  Naomi wound her arms around his neck as she was swep
t away on a tide of passion so swift and unrelenting that it had to be destiny.

  Chapter 23

  This was what he’d needed.

  She was what he’d been craving.

  Brice deepened the kiss, letting the taste of Naomi fill every fiber of him. His body burned for her, and she fanned those flames by returning his kisses with such fervor that his knees went weak.

  She shoved his hat from his head to slide her fingers through his hair. And it drove him wild.

  The kiss turned hungry as desire surged between them. He wound his hand in her hair and tugged her head back so he could kiss along her jaw and down her neck.

  Her fingers dug into his arms as she released a soft cry. The sound was filled with hedonism and contentment. And he needed to hear more of it.

  He lifted his head to look at Naomi. Her lashes fluttered as her lids opened, and he stared down into her chestnut-colored eyes that sparkled with desire. Her lips were swollen and wet from their kisses.

  Brice couldn’t remember ever wanting something as much as he yearned for Naomi. An ache had begun deep within him when he first saw her, and the more time they spent together, the more that feeling grew until he realized she was the only one who could relieve it.

  “Don’t stop,” she whispered, her voice thick with need.

  Then she took a step back from him. Reluctantly, he loosened his hold on her hair as she smiled wantonly and shed her olive jacket. She turned and started toward the bathroom as she tugged her white tee shirt over her head and tossed it aside.

  Brice palmed his hard cock and shifted it in his jeans. His mouth went dry when she removed her nude-colored bra and looked over her shoulder at him with a sexy grin. Then she disappeared into the bathroom.

  A moment later, he heard the water running. His fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, and finally, he gave up and yanked it over his head.

  His strides ate up the distance to the doorway of the bathroom where he saw her bare leg before she stepped beneath the spray of the shower. He stared at the glass wall of the enclosure at her silhouette distorted by the water droplets and steam.

  He leaned a shoulder on the doorway and removed his boots before unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his jeans. His gaze landed on what remained of Naomi’s clothes. He pushed down his pants and let them drop beside hers.

  Brice made his way to the shower. He opened the door, and steam rolled out to surround him. His heart pounded, his blood drummed in his ears, and all because of Naomi.

  His gaze found her beneath the spray. She faced him, her back arched and her head tilted as she ran her hands over her wet hair. He drank in the sight of her small breasts and hard, pink nipples dripping with water.

  He couldn’t wait to get his hands on her body and skim them along the indent of her waist and the curve of her hips down to her shapely legs. But what he wanted more than anything was to sink into her and join their bodies.

  Her head lifted as she met his gaze.

  * * *

  The entire day had been surreal, but never more than that moment with Brice. Naomi raised her hand and placed it on his chest. She felt the erratic rhythm of his heart beneath her palm, and it made her own skip a beat.

  Brice’s hard body had been honed from working on the ranch and his stint in the Marines. He had wide shoulders thickened with sinew and a chest that made her mouth water. His washboard stomach made him look as if he’d come straight off a magazine cover.

  Her eyes lowered to his thick arousal that jutted between them. The sight of it made her stomach flutter in excitement and expectation. She wanted him inside her, needed it.

  When she looked back into his stunning blue eyes, her breath left her in a rush at the blatant hunger she saw there. It was the only warning she got before he yanked her against him and shifted them so he had her pressed against the cool tile as he savagely kissed her.

  She clung to him, her blood heating in her veins while desire pooled low in her belly. His hard cock pressed into her stomach, and she moaned into his mouth when he rocked against her.

  His large hands grabbed her bottom and lifted her. Naomi immediately parted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. She locked her ankles together and sank her fingers into his thick, dark locks.

  He ended the kiss. She opened her eyes to find him staring at her. Water sluiced down his back and over his shoulders to run down his front. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anything as sexy as the man before her. Part of her wished she had her camera so she could capture this moment forever. She might not have her equipment, but the image would be imprinted in her mind for eternity.

  His voice was hoarse with desire when he said, “I need you.”

  Her lips parted when his head lowered. When his mouth wrapped around her turgid nipple, her eyelids fell shut, a moan falling from her lips.

  She was helpless against the tide of ecstasy that engulfed her, and desperately rocked her hips against him. It wasn’t long before her moans turned to cries as he suckled and teased her nipples. Her eyes flew open when she felt the head of his arousal at her core.

  He lifted his head and trapped her gaze as he slowly lowered her onto his hard rod. She used her legs to pull him closer as her body stretched to accommodate him.

  Once he was fully inside her, he drew in a ragged breath, a muscle in his jaw jumping as if it were everything he could do not to move.

  But she wanted him to move. She needed him to, longed to feel his length deep within her.

  She tried to shift her hips, but his hands held her immobile. Then he turned her beneath the spray of the water so that it hit her already sensitive nipples. Once more, she attempted to move, to no avail.

  “Please,” she begged.

  His lips curved seductively. “What do you need?”

  “You,” she whispered and grasped his face. “I need you.”

  His blue eyes blazed with satisfaction as she leaned forward and kissed him ravenously. In answer, he lifted her until only the tip of his cock remained before thrusting hard.

  Naomi tore her mouth from his and cried out at the feel of him. He shifted and had her back against the tile once more as he started to rock his hips, slowly building his rhythm until he was driving hard inside her.

  Her orgasm built quickly, and before she knew it, the climax ripped through her with such intensity that she went weak for a moment. When she came to, Brice had stopped thrusting. He stood breathing heavily as he held her.

  She opened her eyes and felt his arousal deep within her. He wasn’t finished with her, not by a long shot. A thrill went through her.

  This magnificent, amazing man had a way of making her feel beautiful, invincible, and shamelessly, wickedly wanton.

  She turned off the water, and he carried her out of the shower to his bed, both of them dripping wet. Neither of them caring. The pleasure was too intense, the desire too powerful for them to stop and dry themselves off.

  Naomi’s heart thumped once again when Brice put one knee on the bed and laid her down. He pulled her legs from around his waist and grabbed her ankles before he thrust hard and deep.

  She gripped the comforter with her fingers as pleasure easily and quickly built once more. Her gaze fastened on his hard body with beads of water rolling down his chest and over his stomach. His blue eyes looked from her face to their joined bodies.

  Her breath hitched as she thought about him sliding into her, of him filling her again and again. Everything about him turned her on.

  Suddenly, he released her ankles and leaned over her. He searched her face before caressing his fingers down her cheek. She had seen so many sides of Brice—determination, honor, friendship, family love, and strength. Today, she’d gotten a glimpse of his hungry, ravenous desire.

  And now she was witnessing his gentle side.

  Her stomach fluttered at the mix of passion and affection. No one had ever looked at her like that before, and it did crazy, wonderful things to her.

  There
were no words spoken between them. He kissed her, slowly, but it was filled with such need and yearning that it curled her toes.

  And all the while, he moved his hips, his thick length sliding in and out of her. She slid her hands from his waist, up and around his back as the kiss ended and he started to pound into her, hard and fast.

  Naomi clung to him, overwhelmed by the utter bliss she felt at being in his arms, of their bodies coming together. Time lost all meaning. Nothing mattered but the two of them.

  He rose up on his hands and drove inside her hard and deep once more before he hastily pulled out of her. She held him as his body jerked from his orgasm and his warm seed spread over her belly.

  After a moment, he rose up on his elbow and kissed the tip of her nose before he said, “I’ll be right back.”

  She looked at the ceiling, reliving the last hour in her mind. Brice returned with a warm, wet washcloth that he used to clean her stomach.

  Naomi curled onto her side, her head propped on her hand as she inwardly laughed at herself while he disappeared into the bathroom again.

  When he returned, he raised a brow. “What’s that odd look for?”

  “I’m normally very cautious about the men I sleep with.”

  His lips twisted as he glanced away while sitting beside her. “Okay.”

  “You don’t understand,” she said and sat up. “I like to have a talk where we discuss birth control and everything. I wasn’t thinking about any of that with you. I’m glad you had the wherewithal to pull out.”

  He gave her a sheepish look. “I nearly didn’t.”

  She fell back laughing. “Wow.”

  He stood and pulled the covers back and crawled beneath them before lifting them and raising a brow. As if she were going to turn down his offer.

  Naomi quickly got beneath them, a smile on her lips when he pulled her against his chest. She rested her head on him while he put one arm around her and the other behind his head.

  She wasn’t the type of person to randomly sleep with someone. When she decided to have sex with a guy, it was because they were in a steady relationship. She and Brice hadn’t discussed anything like that.