Stretching, he looked around, feeling happy to be back at the ranch. A lot had happened since he left, but it felt good to be back. This time driving up the road, he’d realized he felt like he was coming home, a nice feeling for someone who had been alone only a few months ago. When his eyes finally swiveled to the house he saw Allison in the kitchen window.
Just the sight of her standing there was enough to make his heart beat a little faster. Suddenly, it felt like he couldn’t get to her fast enough. He came stomping through the house, past the living room, through the dining room and into the kitchen, swept Allison up in his arms and kissed her.
She was so shocked to find herself in his arms being kissed she almost hit him in the head with the rolling pin she’d been holding. But within seconds, she realized who was holding her and dropped the rolling pin and threw her flour covered arms around him. After he’d kissed her breathless, she looked at him, smiling.
“Where did you come from?” She asked, slapping him on the arm.
“I wanted to surprise you.” He said, hardly able to control his urge to grab her up and kiss her again.
“Well, you succeeded. I should be mad at you, but I’m too happy to see you to be mad right now.” She said, kissing him.
By then all the family had found their way into the kitchen, his brothers were making catcalls while the women were wiping away tears. “Very romantic, Nate.” Donovan said, coming over to slap him on the back.
“Good to see you home.” Sebastian said, following suit.
“Any news?” Garrett said, always the practical one.
After they’d all greeted him, Sabrina ushered everyone out of the room. Nate looked around the kitchen which was covered in cookies, cakes, and other pastries. Then he looked at Allison who although wearing an apron was covered in flour, it was in her hair, on her face, and there was even a hand print on her butt were she’d wiped her hands.
“What have you been doing?” He asked, wondering what he’d missed.
“Well, we’ve been cooped up inside for weeks. I needed something to keep me busy, and I’ve always wanted to learn to bake. I started binge watching baking shows when you were gone, and one night I just came down here and started baking.”
“I didn’t know you liked to bake.” He said, amazed at the array of baked goods she’d assembled.
“Honestly, I didn’t know either. But something about it just feels right.” Allison said, rushing to take a batch of cookies out of the oven before they burned.
“Does it feel like something you used to do?” He asked, taking a warm cookie when she offered it.
“No, it feels like something new. This all looks good, but you should have seen some of my first attempts. Baking at high altitude takes some finesses, but I’ve got it now. I’m actually making money on all this.” She said proudly.
“Wow, that’s great.” Nate said, a little hurt that she hadn’t told him about all this.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but it all happened so fast, what was a hobby has suddenly turned into something I can do to support myself. It’s a little scary.” She said, wishing Nate would say something supportive.
Nate realized he was being ridiculous, it’s not like he’d expected her to sit around doing nothing while he was in Kentucky, but this was a whole new side of Allison he hadn’t seen before. “Well, I guess I better see what all the fuss is about.” He said, taking a big bite of the cookie.
To say that it was the best cookie he’d ever eaten would have been an understatement, it was crisp on the outside but chewy in the center, and melted in his mouth as he chewed. There was a burst of flavor in every bite, leaving him wanting more. He took another bite and said with his mouth full, “Oh my God, this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
Allison just smiled and handed him a cream puff covered in caramel, which he stuffed in his mouth in one bite. When he’d chewed and swallowed, he looked around the room appreciating all that she’d accomplished while he’d been gone.
“You taught yourself to make all this?” He asked, taking another cookie off the tray.
“I had some help from Cinthia and Daphne, but basically yes.”
His mind had immediately gone to that empty store front in town, visions of a coffee bar serving Allison’s baked goods. It would make money hand over fist in a tourist town like Pleasant Valley. But before he could voice his plans to Allison, she took off her apron and grabbed his hand.
“I’ve also been working on a little project in your cabin. I hope you like it.” She said, handing him his jacket and stepping into a pair of rubber boots. “You’ll want to put on a pair of those, it’s a mess out there.” She added pointing to a row of identical boots.
They sloshed though the mud to Nate’s cabin, although he hadn’t really begun to think of it that way. He’d only stayed in it for a few nights before he’d gone to Kentucky. When he’d been thinking about home, he’d been thinking about Allison’s bed, but he’d have to get used to this being home from now on. When they got to the cabin, Allison opened the door with a flourish and pushed Nate thought.
What he saw amazed him, the cabin had been completely refurnished, using his favorite pieces from both his house and his parents. Somehow Allison had managed to pick the exact pieces he would have picked for himself, including his desk and the leather couch that was his favorite. He’d imagined making love to Allison on that couch plenty of times when he’d been away, falling asleep thinking of her luscious curves.
Now it was in his living room, just waiting for that fantasy to become a reality. But before he could grab her and drag her down onto the couch, she said, “Well, what do you think?” Then seeing the look in his eyes, she sucked in a breath, her stomach tightening with desire.
“It’s wonderful, exactly the way I would have done it. But why did you do it?”
“I know you decided to leave all your furniture back in Kentucky, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that some of it should be here. Sabrina helped me pull it off.” She said, happy to see that he liked it.
“Naturally Sabrina would have been involved.” He said, smiling. “Now, I’ve been having some especially interesting thoughts about you and that couch.”
Nate pulled her over to the couch and down onto his lap, his mouth finding hers in a possessive kiss, that had her head spinning. They’d been apart for a long time, but the minute his mouth captured hers, she felt like nothing had separated them. Her body responded to his, as his mouth ravaged hers, like he was trying to make up for lost time.
He pulled her shirt over her head and threw it across the room, then removed his. She pressed her breasts against his hard chest, thrilled to feel his heart beating as rapidly as hers. But before things could go farther, she had one more surprise for Nate.
“Hold on, I still have one more thing to show you.” She said, pulling him up from the couch. “I’m a little nervous about this one.”
He followed her into the bedroom, where he found his bed. It filled almost the entire room, but Allison had covered it with a blue silk bedspread and lots of big fat pillows. It looked exactly like he’d always imagined it should look. He stopped right inside the doorway, a little sound of surprise escaping his lips.
“You brought my bed out here.” He said, shocked at how good it looked in the little room.
“It’s such a wonderful bed, obviously very old. I couldn’t resist when I saw it in the pictures.” She said, hoping that he was happy, but unable to read the look on his face.
Nate couldn’t have been more pleased. Taking her by the hand, he led her over to the bed and sat her down on the edge. There was no way she could know what this bed meant to him, but he was going to explain to her why she’d done exactly the right thing.
“This bed has been in my family for generations on my father’s side. When he died my mother insisted I take it. I bought a new mattress and set it up in my house thinking that someday I’d b
ring the woman I love home to it. But it never happened, no matter how much I liked a woman, I couldn’t imagine making love to her in this bed. When I walked into my room and saw the bed I knew that you were the woman I was supposed to share it with. It was like my father was giving us his blessing.”
“Nate, I had no idea. I just loved the bed and wanted you to have it here.” She said, looking into his blue eyes, thinking how lucky she was to have such a sensitive man.
“I think now we should make this our bed.” He said, pulling her to him and down on the bed.
Chapter 10
Allison jumped up, “Nate I’m covered with flour and who knows what else, I have to take a shower.” She said, stripping off the rest of her clothes. “Wait right here, I’ll be right back.”
“I’m right behind you, I’ve been traveling all day, besides do you really think I’m going to let you take a shower alone. I’m not letting you out of my sight for at least the next forty eight hours, so you’d better get used to the sight of me.
Nate actually beat Allison into the shower and was already washing his hair when she got in. This wasn’t the first time they’d taken a shower together, but the sexual tension between them could be felt in the air, this would not be a normal shower. When Allison stepped into the shower, Nate had his eyes closed, head back, rinsing his hair. She placed her hands on his hard chest, then lowered them to take his erection in her hands, making him gasp with pleasure.
Nate finished rinsing his hair, then swung Allison into the steaming water. She bent her head back, letting the water wash over her long hair, enjoying the heat soaking into her tired muscles. Stepping forward she opened her eyes to see Nate staring at her, his eyes that shade of blue that she loved so much.
He turned her around, the water rushing across her breasts and down her legs, grabbed the shampoo and washed her hair. He’d never done that before and she found it more sensual than she would have ever imagined. When he turned her to rinse her hair, she let the water wash over her, desire beginning to coil deep inside her.
Nate took the soap in his hands and began to rub it over her body starting at her feet and working his way up. When he came to the juncture of her thighs, he slid over the area, making Allison whimper. But soon his hands were on her swollen breasts, slick with soap. He rubbed her until she was moaning with pleasure, her legs barely able to support her.
He turned her in the shower again, letting the water cascade across her breasts, the soap bubbles disappearing down the drain. He soaped her back, then let his hands drift lower, until he had each of her full cheeks in his hands. Allison could hardly breathe, her legs shaking with anticipation when he finally ran his slick soapy hand between her legs.
Allison cried out with the pleasure of finally feeling his hands on her moist flesh. Knowing that if she didn’t hang on, she’d sink to her knees in the tub, she bent forward and braced her hands against the wall, spreading her legs as she did. Nate growling with the pleasure of feeling her hot and wet for him, rubbed her clit, positioning her in the shower so the hot water washed over her tender nib.
Her body driving her need, she spread her legs farther as the coil of pleasure became more intense. Nate continued to rub her in gentle circles, spreading heat through her body. She came crying out his name, the spasms rocking her body with their intensity. Before she could even catch her breath, Nate slid his finger deep inside her, stroking her until the pleasure began to coil again.
When her orgasm rushed through her this time, she was sure she couldn’t handle any more, but then Nate grabbed her hips and drove himself into her still trembling body. He was impatient, wanting to feel himself deep inside her, he drove himself into her over and over again.
Feeling his own release coming, he pulled out of her and spun her around in the shower, His mouth descended on hers, searing her with another blast of desire. She’d thought she was spent, but feeling the raw desire in Nate’s kiss, only increased her need for him, to touch him, taste him, to possess him.
Sinking to her knees she took him in her mouth and massaged him with her tongue, loving the way he grabbed fistfuls of her hair. She could feel his penis getting harder as she licked and teased him, finally taking all of him into her mouth again. Nate began rocking his hips, driving himself into her mouth, deeper each time.
Finally, with a strangled cry, he pulled her to her feet and then picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he drove himself into her, backing her up against the wall, as he buried himself inside her over and over again. Allison was no longer aware of anything besides Nate and the wonderful things he was doing to her body.
She clung to him, her head thrown back as Nate possessed her as completely as any man ever could. Nate’s legs began to shake as his climax came closer, but he still wasn’t ready to let go. Setting Allison back on her feet, he knelt down in front of her and spread her legs. With his fingers he spread her folds and bent forward, his tongue finding her clit. Sliding his tongue over the swollen bud, he grabbed her nipples between his finger and thumb and squeezed them, sending her spiraling into a fury of sensation only Nate could create.
Just as she was about to crest on a wave of pleasure, he got to his feet, spun her around, spread her legs and thrust himself into her again. This time, she came with a force that made the world go black for long minutes as she rode the pleasure of his hard cock buried deep inside her, throbbing as he spilled himself inside her, crying her name as he did.
By the time they managed to climb out of the shower, the water had grown cold and they shivered as they jumped into the big bed. Nate dried Allison’s hair, then brushed the tangles out, loving the feel of the long silky strands as it slid thought his fingers. When he was finished with her hair, they cuddled up, Allison shocking Nate by putting her cold feet on his legs.
They spoke little, the experience they’d just shared saying everything they needed to say to each other. Finally Nate broke the silence, “We still haven’t made this our bed you know.”
“I guess not, but the shower is definitely ours.” She said, laughing.
“Well, it just doesn’t seem fair that you brought it all the way here and we’re just lying here doing nothing.” Nate said, sliding his hand between her legs.
“I suppose you’re right. What did you have in mind?” She asked, trying to look innocent.
Nate sat up a little, grabbed her by the hips and pulled her on top of him. His erection was pressing suggestively against her opening, begging to be let in. She reached between them, grabbed him and slid him inside her.
“That’s exactly what I had in mind.” He said, reaching for her.
Late that night, they snuck back over to the main house to clean up the mess Allison had left that afternoon, but when they walked in the door the mess was gone. There was a note on the counter from Sabrina.
Welcome home Nate, there’s dinner in the oven for you guys. Sleep late in the morning if you want.
They found two huge plates of food in the oven, which they devoured. On the way back to the cabin, Allison grabbed a blueberry pie and two forks, which they ate in bed, then fell asleep in each other’s arms. They slept soundly that night both happy to be with the one they loved.
The next morning, they didn’t get up to the main house until mid-morning, long after breakfast was over, but everyone was still in the kitchen. When they walked in the door, Donovan and Elizabeth were sitting at the kitchen table, several sets of roughly drawn sketches of their cabin in front of them. It was clear from their body language they were having another discussion about their cabin.
Donovan was the first to spot them, happy for anything that might distract Elizabeth, he said, “Well it’s about time you two decided to show up.” Then tried to get up from the table.
But Elizabeth was wise to his avoidance tactics, “No way. Sit back down here.” She said, then put another sketch in front of him. “I like this one, it would blend in just fine with the others, bu
t would also offer modern conveniences like a bath tub.”
“But would also cost a small fortune.” He said, pushing it away. “What’s wrong with just adding onto the cabin? We could add another room. Make the kitchen bigger. See look at this.”
“Nope, it looks like you put two completely different houses together.” Elizabeth said, pushing it away.
Nate and Allison had quietly been pouring themselves a cup of coffee, trying not to listen to what was quickly turning into a fight. They looked at each other then turned to look at the couple to find that they were looking at Nate. With a sinking feeling Nate knew he was going to be a part of this discussion whether he liked it or not.
“Want me to take a look. I’m new at this but....”
“Yes, that’s exactly what we need, an independent opinion. And let me remind you money is not an issue, no matter what Donovan says.” Elizabeth said.
“But it also makes no sense to replace a perfectly good building with a new one.” Donovan said, making sure his side was known.
“I think I understand what you both want. Elizabeth wants modern conveniences, the features of a smart house, and added eco friendly features like solar power. Donovan, you want to conserve what is essentially a historic building on the ranch, while keeping costs as low as possible.” Nate said, looking from one to the other.
“Exactly.” They said in unison, then laughed breaking the tension in the room.
“I’ll need a little time to come up with some designs, but I’ve already been looking at my cabin, wondering how I would, um, redo it for a family.” Nate said, looking at Allison, they’d never talked about kids, he’d assumed she’d want some, but you never knew.
Allison blushed, then said, “If your cabin is like Nate’s it would be hard to raise a family there, even if you added extra rooms the kitchen is much too small.”
“See.” Elizabeth said, happy to have another woman’s opinion.
“Okay, don’t start fighting again. I’ll put something together and get back to you right away.” Nate said, scooping up all the sketches on the table.
You're My Rock (Brothers From Money #4) Page 10