by A. C. Wilson
“Sometimes.” Rayne’s reply to him sent a flash of eager anticipation straight below his belt. Her teeth peeked out as she slid her bottom lip between them. She only did that when she was really turned on and he hoped to God she was. He needed her in the worst way imaginable.
“I don’t think I can wait to get your clothes off.” He growled in frustration as he set her on her feet, but her arms remained locked around his neck. Her body from breast to thigh was pressed against him. Rayne’s bedroom eyes spoke of what he already knew. She was well aware of how hard she was making him. His vixen had enough skill to make his condition much more painful before she facilitated his sweet release.
“Can you wait to take your hat and boots off at least?” Rayne looked him up and down so slowly that he ached under her gaze. She purposely stopped her eyes at the bulge in his jeans and visibly took a deep breath before continuing to his feet. A grin spread over his mouth when she looked back up.
“I can remember a few times when you begged me to leave my hat and boots on.” His deep throated chuckle had Rayne licking her full bottom lip in lust. He had no doubt that she wanted him. He wanted her too. If sex was the only way they could talk right now, he’d do his damnedest to do it right.
“The whole thing with the boots and spurs was pretty hot.” Rayne’s chest rose and fell quicker now. He could only imagine how insanely wet she was as she waited for whatever came next.
“It was. Too bad I left my spurs at the ranch.” He slowly began to take his coat off. The zipper stuck halfway down, he looked up at her and noticed the impatience spreading. Her eyes were smoldering as she watched. Garrett set out to take his time and tempt her more. It only got sweeter with time.
Garrett tossed his coat onto the chair beside the hearth to dry. He left his hat on as tribute to Rayne. He would let her decide if she really wanted it off. Deftly his fingers unsecured the buttons of his shirt, but twisted his hips this way and that as he pulled the tail from his jeans. The further he went the wider Rayne’s eyes became. He wanted to laugh, but it was impossible with the prodding of erection. It had all but taken over now.
“I want you, baby.” Her murmured words made him let out a rush of breath. Now his chest rose and fell in anticipation. She only called him baby when they were intimate. Her nicknames never followed them outside of the house. He wished that they would.
“Can you not see how much I want you, my sweet siren?” Garrett watched Rayne’s eyes widen more and her tongue wet her lips again. “Come show me what you want.”
Rayne didn’t move from her spot. There was a war going on inside her and Garrett watched it with wary interest. He wished that she wouldn’t think. He wanted action, not reaction. This beautiful woman could be her own worst enemy, but he had left the ball in her court. It wouldn’t do to take the play back.
“I think I might be a tad overdressed.” She lowered her eyes and started to unbutton the top two buttons of her shirt. Instead of finishing though, she pulled the hem over her head and dropped it to the side. Garrett heard it hit the hardwood floor. Wishing he could employ his idle hands on her body, Garrett slipped them down to his belt instead. He unhitched his belt as she unfastened her jeans. Rayne’s lower lip was held captive in between her teeth again and he couldn’t help the groan that vibrated in his throat. She was making it supremely hard to hold back. It was difficult to watch and wait.
Rayne acknowledged his groan by letting her lip go, but it was left red and slick. He wanted to feel those precious lips everywhere on his body. He hardened at the thought which only made him groan again. Wicked eyes met his at that moment. Rayne shoved off her jeans to the floor and lifted her feet clear of them. Her red panties were striking against her pale skin. Her breasts strained to be released from the matching bra.
“I can’t wait to touch you.” Garrett acknowledged the neediness in his voice and his hands stretched out towards her. He purposely kept them from her body although he might have touched her if he wanted. She had to come to him. It wasn’t the time to take. Rayne breathed deeply and one bra strap fell off her shoulder. Her dark hair lay down her back, a stark contrast to her pale skin and red underwear.
“Please don’t then.” Her words tripped out of her mouth thick with desire. Garrett felt like his body was vibrating from the nervous energy of his own restraint. Patience was not necessarily a virtue of his, but he was exercising it now.
“Why don’t you show me what you want? What makes you ache tonight, Rayne?” He hooked his thumbs into his front pockets as if he had nary a care in the world. He thought maybe he missed his calling in Hollywood.
“Oh…the bad boy is taking the backseat tonight?” Rayne’s voice was pure seduction and it was crippling. He loved it. This was his fiery woman, all dynamite and liquid courage.
Before he could savor the ferocity he saw in her eyes, Rayne was pressing her palms into his chest and pushing him with force against the nearest wall. His back hit hard and the pictures rattled in protest. She was against him in a heartbeat and her teeth nipped the soft flesh of his neck. Garrett sucked air through his clenched jaw and grabbed hold of her hips. His fingers dug into her soft, warm skin. He burrowed his fingertips underneath the band of her panties. He could have sworn the woman was on fire. Garrett spanned her bare backside and gripped her tightly. Rayne released her vicious hold on his neck and threw back her head with a groan.
Garrett took full advantage of her exposed skin, running his tongue from her breastbone between her breasts up to her neck and her ear. She trembled with need in his hands and it pleased him greatly. The fact that he was about to poke right through his jeans wasn’t lost on him. With a moment of irrational thought, Garrett moved his hand to unclasp her bra. The unthinkable happened. SNAP! The sound reverberated in his brain as a look of surprised pain crossed Rayne’s face.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The sting of her bra strap against the soft skin of her back was enough to make her grimace. It was quite a shock to her lust addled brain. The surprise was mutual as she looked into Garrett’s brown eyes. It was clear he felt badly for being the cause of it. She sucked air through her clenched teeth and closed her eyes. Rayne struggled not to retaliate. It was hardly done on purpose.
“Oh babe, I’m so sorry.” Garrett’s apology gushed out and he put both his hands on the sides of her shoulders as if trying to hold her together.
“That was…unexpected.” Rayne struggled to accurately find the words she wanted to say. The feelings of overwhelming desire still glazed rational thought. She was wet with need and there were greedy parts of her that begged to be loved by the one man who could do it. Garrett loved her so well. It had been quite some time since it felt this real and less staged. There it was. The reality of their situation had snuck into the room and although she wanted to hide from it, it sat there watching like a silent sentry.
“No! No, no, no.” Garrett said, his voice sounding panicked. He knew her so well. She looked up into his face as he shook his head. Rayne felt badly and the moment was slipping away. Eyes widened in anxiety, Garrett swooped in and firmly pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was forceful and demanding. She tried to focus on the passionate sparks zapping between them. This connection couldn’t be replicated by force. It was genuine and amazing.
Rayne closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She ignored the sting of her skin as it stretched under her clasp. Her bare stomach brushed the open ends of his leather belt. Garrett was pulling her back under and plundering her mouth with his tongue. It felt good not to be in control. When she tried to take control, reality stepped in with its very big, very ugly baggage.
His hand cruised along the back of her waist and up to the clasp of her bra. She held her breath, but the hooks were liberated quickly. Her bated breath was released as were her breasts. The bra fell to the floor at their feet and Garrett’s hands were cupping her breasts in an instant. She leaned back, breaking their kiss and pressing his hands into her. It felt so wonderf
ul.
“Beautiful.” Garrett’s praise brushed warmly against her nipples as he stooped to take them into his mouth. The strength of his mouth sent a shudder from her chest straight to that pulsing core. The feelings that Garrett elicited from her were brain-altering to say the very least. If he wanted her to forget even how to think it was close to happening. Rayne welcomed it. There was a freedom in the mindless hunger that tore through her body.
“Don’t stop.” The harsh whisper escaped her throat as she anchored her fingers into the curls at the nape of his neck. She loved them. They curled even more when he was just out of the shower. She’d imagine their child to have them too.
STOP! She begged her thoughts.
Firmly she pushed them back and tried desperately to close the door. Her hand on Garrett’s neck applied pressure, urging him to enhance his torture. He obliged with a twist of her sensitive nipple between his teeth. The sharp thrill of combining pain with pleasure streaked through her. Garrett dropped to his knees in front of her. The heat of his tongue slid in a line from between her breasts to her belly button and teased the top of her panties. The elastic was pulled downward by his finger so that he might access the softer bits.
A moan escaped her and her teeth sank into her lower lip. His ministrations were overloading her brain. She was dripping, which he soon discovered as he slipped his finger passed the thin barrier of cotton.
“Oh.” A noise more than a word, but it was felt in every corner of her body. His appreciation, passion, and desire all expelled in a sound. It made her giddy. Tugging her panties down her legs, Garrett looked up. His brown eyes reflecting the crackling flames of the fire. They were great pools of desire and she felt a surge of power in the knowing. His lips slowly spread into a wicked grin as he kept eye contact with her. Her nerves thrummed with the need for action. Her hips moved of their own accord, silently begging for him to continue with his delicious torture.
Garrett’s tongue was something of divine sin as he put it to work on the place that craved more and more. Her fingernails scraped his scalp as he kneeled before Rayne. The deep reverberation of his moans felt as if they trickled into that hidden, passionate place that was locked away. The mountain she climbed to that precious precipice of sweet release was arduous and high. As soon as she felt like she was close, Garrett would back away and then start again. She knew that the second he let her reach that burgeoning climax, the world would cease to exist as she knew it. Rayne would be lost to the man who breathed life into her soul and spread warmth into her chilled heart.
They lay there on the rug in front of the hearth with couch cushions spread under their heads and a light throw over their naked bodies. Rayne breathed in the slight wood smoke from the fire and the distinct scent of sex. She couldn’t keep the wicked grin from tugging at her lips, but it was when her stomach started to move with her laughter that Garrett looked her way. Bemusement touched those chocolate brown eyes and his scar on his cheek seemed more pronounced. He was worried.
“What’s wrong?” Garrett’s voice was so soft that she might not have heard him had she not seen his mouth move.
“I thought maybe you were punishing me for thinking too much.” Garrett’s brows rose in question. “That had to be the highest we have ever flown together.”
Gah, the blush! She hated that she couldn’t control it. Of all the things they had done together, she still blushed like a virgin. Then again, maybe she was in a way. Garrett’s brand of loving was unlike anything she had ever experienced. It left her craving more as if he completed every facet of her.
“I was…sort of.” Garrett’s eyes darkened as he tugged the blanket off her body. It left her skin looking pearlescent in the flickering light. She boldly let him peruse her body. She smiled when she saw how looking her over was turning him on. It quickened the heartbeat in her chest and the desperate ache not quite sated fully below.
“I guess I don’t need to ask what is on your mind.” Rayne giggled in that girlish-happy way. She was tickled that just her presence drew him to her. It was the same for her. She looked into his face and held his gaze. Garrett’s grin was lopsided, half his mouth drawn into a bow.
“Not that…well, yes that, but I was thinking how great it is going to be getting away with you. We can have nights like this with no worries. Just get to know each other again.” His brown eyes fairly glowed with enthusiasm in every word he spoke. Heck, there were words he never said and they exuded from him. Rayne felt like she’d been dropped from her precious perch.
“Get away?” Rayne asked, her eyes searching his face. This was the first she had heard of it and that being said she would have liked to be consulted.
“Yes.” He saw her hesitation. “It will be romantic and stress-free.”
She saw how much this meant to him. She couldn’t help that it had broad-sided her.
“What about your dad? I can’t leave my practice at a moment’s notice.”
“My dad would want us to keep living our lives. Besides I’ve asked Royal to sub in your practice so that it is taken care of.” Garrett rose up onto his elbow and cocked his head to the side. She could fairly read his mind. He didn’t know why she was fighting this idea.
“You were planning on telling me this…when?” Rayne choked up, her throat constricting with warring emotions.
“I hadn’t quite planned that far ahead. I only asked Royal this morning and he said he needed a week.” Garrett’s enthusiasm was falling as was his face. He wasn’t so sure of himself now. It might have delighted her once to knock a man down in rank, she hated it now.
“You talked to my ex-husband this morning about taking over my practice and you didn’t think to include me on that decision?” She couldn’t help it. Her voice rose as her indignation did too. Garrett’s eyes lowered.
“What do you expect me to do, Rayne?” His chest rose and fell quickly. “If things get any tenser around here, I don’t know what I’ll do. Everything I say or do is wrong. You turn to Blake to console you and he only just got back yesterday. I can’t keep being used like a stud horse and then kept in the dark about what is going on.”
He got up from his reclining position and stood up. Rayne shoved up so she was sitting on the floor. He picked up his clothes and bundled them in his arms. Their nudity and intimacy forgotten. Her stomach clenched and then rolled.
“Talk about you being kept in the dark! You don’t ask me what is wrong and when you do, you judge me for being upset and angry that I can’t get pregnant! I’m sorry that I want our child in my body so badly that I can’t think about anything else. I’m sorry that you think it should be easy for me to give up.” Anger made a tear slip down her cheek as she stared at Garrett. His face was pale as he watched her. His own chest heaved as he stayed silent. Her heart was broken and it didn’t seem like it would mend. She hated that it put them at odds with one another when it should have banded them closer.
Garrett lowered his gaze and bowed his head.
“Oh Rayne is it wrong that I want that family, but I want you more.” He didn’t lift his head. She felt sick. A cold chill ran up her spine and she wanted to vomit. All the anxiety and anger was making her physically ill.
“I don’t want to fight anymore, Garrett.” She clenched her jaw against saying more. She was sure something would pour out of her that wasn’t what he would want to hear. Something that she couldn’t take back.
Garrett moved towards her and dropped his clothes on the couch. His warm, work-roughened hands clasped her upper arms and pulled her body into his. He buried his nose and lips into the side of her neck at her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist. The quiet moment stretched on until he broke it.
“Say you’ll come with me. Please give me a chance to prove that I love you.”
She heard the ache in his voice and it mimicked the one in her heart. If she turned him down, it was likely that their relationship would be over. If she went with him, she didn’t think that she would stop wanting
a baby of her own. Considering giving him up was hard and if this was the last ditch effort to keep them whole, then she owed him to decide just what she wanted. She promised herself that she would be truthful and thorough. Rayne let out a short sigh and breathed in.
“Let’s go.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Travis Johnson felt peculiar to say the very least and it was almost as if his body was functioning on its own without input from his brain. His chest rose and fell with steady conviction. His arms and legs felt heavy when he thought about it. It took a great deal of concentration to even remember that he had a body to operate. There was soft, lilting notes filling the air around him and he recognized it as music. Occasionally he could hear sniffles above the piano and the ceaselessly beeping. It was wearing him out. He felt so tired, thick and weighted.
“They are waiting for you.”
Travis searched in the darkness that surrounded him. His heart skipped and then charged on. The voice sounded so familiar to him and yet, the memory was just out of reach. Like the string of a balloon dangling inches from a child’s hand and no amount of jumping for it would grant it to him.
“Stop struggling and listen to me.”
Travis found that he didn’t want to struggle. His curiosity wasn’t joined with fear or anxiety. He simply wanted to identify the speaker.
“I hear you. Where are you?” Travis asked in his thoughts as his inner self searched the dark still.