by BJ Wane
“A great view and relative privacy,” he answered without turning around. “It’s not far, about a five minute hike. A good way to stretch your legs before riding again, especially if you’re not used to spending much time in the saddle.” He paused to turn around and eye her closely. “You’re not, are you? Used to riding for so long.”
She didn’t know how he could tell that and was too happy at spending this time with him to let it bother her right now. “No, but it’s not the first time I’ve ridden.” The only way she could say that for certain was because of how easy she’d found sitting and steering Jazzy as well as how comfortable she’d been when they’d picked up the pace.
“Still can’t tell me much, huh?”
That made her fidget. “I’m sorry, no.”
“Come on, then.”
With a sigh of regret at the disappointment on his face, she went with him through the woods in silence until they emerged at a small clearing that overlooked a spectacular view of the mountains. “Oh,” she breathed in awe. “That’s beautiful.”
“I thought you’d like it. It’s one of my favorite places to visit when I’m up this way.” Clayton turned to her with a heated expression that curled her toes and caused her heart to race. “If you’re leaving in a few days, we shouldn’t waste the time we have left, should we?”
His low, silky tone raised goosebumps along her arms; the look in his eyes as he backed her against a large tree sent her pulse leaping into the red zone. “What…what do you have in mind?” she asked with a breathless catch.
“How about another lesson in bondage with some outdoor fun?”
Right now, she’d agree to anything just to feel his hands and mouth on her again. It helped that his suggestion appealed to her in more ways than one. She doubted if she’d ever taken a walk on the wild side, since nothing even remotely close to such an experience sounded at all familiar, and she couldn’t think of a better fantasy to fulfill and take the memory home with her.
Skye nodded and held her breath as he removed his belt. “Uh, what are you going to do with that?” she asked, her throat going dry at the different scenarios running through her mind.
“Relax. You’re not ready for much more than hand swats yet.” He used his free hand to shackle her wrists with the belt and draw her hands above her. “Hold them there while I grab the branch.”
Her pussy went wet as she watched him wrap the belt around her wrists then loop it around the tree branch until her arms were secured above her head. But it wasn’t until he flicked open the buttons that ran down to her chest, spread her top apart, and released the front clasp on her bra that she quivered from not only her aroused state but his. The slight breeze wafted over her exposed breasts as he brushed a finger across her nipples.
“You have such pretty breasts, and look so fucking sexy bound and at my mercy.” His cobalt gaze shifted from her breasts up to her tethered arms. “I admit you’re not ready for a heavy spanking,” he said, his hands going to the zipper on her jeans. “But there are other ways to torment you using what mother nature has to offer.”
“There are?” she croaked, as eager to learn what they were as to feel him filling her pussy again with his steely cock.
“Yep. Close your eyes.”
She obeyed without question, enjoying his attention and this new experience too much to risk losing either by giving in to the need to see what he was doing as he lowered her zipper. A shiver racked her entire body as he yanked her jeans down and lifted her right leg free of the confining denim but left them bunched around her lower left leg. His rough clothing brushed her bare skin as he moved behind her, and she guessed he made sure of that contact to set her at ease about his whereabouts.
“How do you like outdoor exposure?”
“It’s different, exciting,” she admitted, squeezing her eyes to keep from peeking when she heard the snapped of a branch.
“Good, I’m glad you feel that way,” he whispered in her ear the same moment he tickled her exposed butt with something soft yet slightly scratchy.
“Are those leaves?” Goosebumps spread from her arms and legs across her cheeks with the next teasing glide.
“Good guess, sweetheart. Keep your eyes closed and concentrate on your other senses.”
It didn’t take her long to figure out he was using a thin, leaf-covered branch to trail across her backside, up her spine, then around to her breasts. The softer leaves tickled her nipples first then the scrape from the rougher branch bark pulled a gasp of intense arousal from her throat.
“Clayton!” Skye arched, pushing her torso forward as her head fell back, her entire body aching for more.
His deep-throated chuckled reverberated in her ear. “You’re a natural, Skye. I love that about you.” The pleasure in his voice cut her to the quick with how much she longed to keep his interest until he tired of her instead of just these few days. “Spread your legs.”
Skye shuffled her feet apart, ready for more, hoping Clayton planned on ending this scene by fucking her again, giving her more memories to take with her when she left to find the ones she had lost.
Chapter Nine
Clayton trailed the tree branch over Skye’s nipples one more time before gliding the loose leaves down her soft abdomen then up between her spread thighs. He couldn’t recall another woman as easy to read as she was, and what he continued to see written on her face, showing in her chocolate eyes, baffled him as much as it irritated and concerned him. Her body responded to his commands without fail, her berry-pink nipples puckering into rigid pinpoints, her tight pussy creaming from his lightest touch. And when he applied a harder hand, those copious juices were so abundant they dripped from her core to a mouthwatering glistening along her slit and labia. He’d love to see those soft folds minus the light cover of pubic hair she still sported.
But her continued reticence to opening up about herself and the trouble that had driven her to hide out in Mountain Bend did not bode well for continuing their relationship. He could only do so much, insist on so much given the boundaries she’d erected, he thought, sliding the branch down her thighs, eyeing the way her muscles tightened in response. He wanted her, possibly more than he’d desired any other woman, and he hated seeing the fear and worry etched on her face when a troubling thought or one of his probing questions hit a mark. All he could do at this point, however, was continue to offer to listen and help and hope she trusted him enough to change her mind before the weekend.
One way he pushed her was continuing to call her sweetheart. Every time he did so, she would either go taut with disapproval or her eyes would flash with ire before she tried hiding her displeasure. There must be a reason for her to remain adamant against the simple endearment, but, so far, his efforts to goad her past her stubborn resistance into blurting that reason had failed.
“I love the way you’re responding, sweetheart.” He almost gloated when she went rigid then forced herself to relax as he shuffled behind her again. “What do you like best, the softer leaves, or the rough branch?”
She blew out a breath before saying, “I’m not sure, unless it doesn’t matter what you use, that any touch in those areas will work.”
A rare flush stole over her face with that telltale admission, making Clayton wish he could get her to speak so plainly about her life. Drawing his arm back, he swatted her ass with the branch, ensuring a combined strike of leaves and wood hard enough to leave a pink stripe and elicit a gasp from her. “Admit it, keeping your eyes closed has ramped up your arousal,” he insisted before delivering another smack.
Skye’s lush, bound body bowed to his assault, her hips jutting back in a silent plea that never fell from her lips as she released one word on a tortured breath. “Yes!”
Satisfied for now, he dropped the branch and rubbed her buttocks as he leaned down to nibble along her neck and smooth shoulder before whispering in her ear again. “If only you would trust me with your troubled life as much as you do with your body.”
“So am I,” he returned, retrieving a condom from his pocket then freeing his cock and stepping in front of her. As soon as he sheathed himself, he clasped her buttocks and lifted. “Wrap your legs around me and hold tight.”
It wasn’t until she clung to his waist with her legs crossed behind him and he worked his cock inside her slick heat that she blinked open her eyes. His heart tumbled at the despair marring her arousal, and, for a second, he felt guilty for pushing her. Then she blinked again, and all that remained was a need that went soul deep and could be assuaged in only one way, frustrating him anew.
“Please,” she whispered, tightening her inner muscles around his girth for emphasis.
“Do that again,” he demanded roughly, lifting her up then back down along his shaft. Her rippling, damp muscles complied, her small, taunting grin making him curse himself. “Fuck!”
“All I did was obey your instruction,” she panted, her tone sugary-sweet.
“Just hold on,” he ground out, acknowledging she won that round but too far gone to give a shit.
Bracing his feet apart and tightening his grip on her ass, he set up a steady pace of lift and lower, controlling her body while ensuring he didn’t put a strain on her arms. He bent to suckle one straining nipple, and she mewled in pleasure, pushing her breast closer to his face while trying to use her leg grip to aid in his deep, ramming strokes. He groaned around her taut bud, bit then licked the bumpy peak before releasing her and fucking her into climax.
So soft. So fucking hot. Clayton ground into her spasming depths faster and faster, marveling how a woman’s body continued to fascinate him, even at his age. For the first time, though, he found himself as enthralled with the person as he was with her body, and admitted those extra feelings went a long way in adding to his pleasure. Then her eyes glazed over with her convulsive, harder contractions, and he set all that aside to join her in orgasm.
Skye arched her head back again as her orgasm ripped through her lower body then rose to fog her brain, even better than she remembered from the last time he was inside her. Clayton’s rigorous plunges, his squeezing hands on her cheeks, his mouth on her nipple, combined with the extra stimulation coming from the fresh air exposure and impromptu, makeshift bondage worked together to ensure a powerful release to savor for days.
By the time her head cleared, and her body settled down to a manageable quake, he was slowly dragging his cock from her still-clutching body and lowering her legs. “Wow.” She sighed, leaning against him for some much-needed support while she got her bearings.
“Well put.” Clayton held her close with one arm as he fumbled removing the full condom, a sight she enjoyed watching while catching her breath. She liked the visual proof of his response to fucking her.
If only they had met under different circumstances. Skye bemoaned the futility of thinking in terms of “if only” and vowed to go ahead and return to Boise in the morning. That lasted until he issued an invitation she couldn’t resist on the trek back to the lake.
Clayton stopped at the end of the trail and turned to her. “Be my guest again at Spurs Friday night,” he insisted instead of asking.
“Okay,” she agreed without pause, unable to say no to one more night of his focused attention regardless of the threat to her heart.
The four of them rode back together, Clayton staying close to her as he and Shawn conversed about the ranch and rodeo benefit taking place on Saturday. They mentioned the events each had signed up for, and she couldn’t help wishing she could watch Clayton breaking in a wild bronco or roping a fast, agile calf.
As if reading her mind, Lisa turned to her as they arrived back at the stables. “You should come out on Saturday and keep me and Poppy company watching these guys risk their necks.”
“I’m heading home that morning, but I can stop by. It sounds like fun.” She dismounted at the rail, unable to read Clayton’s expression but was thrilled when he came over to help her unsaddle Jazzy and extended another invitation.
“You’re going to stick around for dinner, aren’t you? Shawn managed to catch more than enough.”
Maybe she was a glutton for punishment after all since she couldn’t seem to say no to any time she could spend with him. She was setting herself up for more heartache, but not even that worry was enough to make her think twice before accepting.
“Thank you, if you’re sure there’s enough.”
“I’m sure.”
The look Clayton sent her made Skye wonder if he was referring to more than food. As she sat through another meal with him and his friends, she envied the group’s closeness, wishing she was returning to friends she thought of like family to ease the inevitable pain of losing her mother. All she could think about was how alone she would be once her mother’s suffering ended.
By the time they finished polishing off the grilled fish, vegetable kabobs, and potatoes, Skye realized she’d let her guard down way too much this past week. She wanted the time at Spurs with Clayton and couldn’t bring herself to give him an excuse for getting out of accepting his invitation. But between now and Friday night, she thought it best to keep her distance and shield her heart as much as possible going forward. Her mother and Alex’s death needed to stay her top priorities if she was ever going to get her life back.
The next morning, Skye opened the rear door to the alley and was greeted by a shout from a young guy sprinting toward a car speeding out of the lot. “Hey, stop!”
She glanced from his thunderous expression to her car and groaned at the message the fleeing person left for her across the windshield. GO HOME BITCH. Praying the large, white writing would wash off, she stifled her annoyance and strode forward to check the damage.
“Someone doesn’t like me,” she stated with a wry twist of her mouth as the twenty-something guy stomped over with anger and concern etched on his face.
“I recognized her,” he bit out. “Sharon Mize, works at the Watering Hole. I’m sorry about this. Clayton’s attending an early morning breakfast meeting with the D.A. staff in Boise, but I’ll tell him as soon as he returns. He’ll want to know, and…”
“No! I mean, please don’t bother him.” She waved a hand at her vandalized vehicle. “This is just petty crap from a jealous ex who doesn’t realize there’s no more to my relationship with him than hers.” Her chest constricted from saying that. “I’m Skye. Thanks for trying to stop her.”
“Josh.” He held out a hand. “I’m Clayton’s legal assistant and am just sorry I didn’t show up in time to prevent this. She’s been a pain in Clayton’s side since their split at the beginning of summer. He’ll have my hide if I don’t report this.”
Shaking his hand, she couldn’t bring herself to ask for his promise to keep this quiet and get him in trouble. But she didn’t have to stick around and wait for Clayton’s return and reaction to both the petty tirade and interruption to his busy day. She didn’t need anyone rushing to her defense against a vindictive ex. Besides that, after spending a restless night dreaming about her mother, she was anxious to spend more time with her, fearing her time with her only parent was almost up.
“I understand. Can you point me toward a good car wash in the meantime?”
“Sure, over on Elm. The Clean ’N Go has heavy scrub brushes that’ll take that off. Don’t let this ruin your day. Everyone is aware of Sharon’s disgruntlement over Clayton refusing to fall in line to become her third husband. She should have heeded the rumors about him being a die-hard bachelor. He’s good to the women while they’re together, but, as I’m sure you’ve learned, he doesn’t lead them on or let them think he was in it for anything except a good time.”
That confirmation of Clayton’s way with women cemented her decision to get back to her life with as few regrets as possible. Just because he’d exhibited such concern and protectiveness toward her didn’t mean anything more than he was a great guy, and she should count herself lucky for getting his attention and help
these past weeks. The fact he’d only spent one entire night in her bed with no indication he wished to repeat the experience was a clue to his limited involvement she couldn’t ignore.
“You’re right, he’s never led me on, so I’m sure whatever she read into their affair was all one-sided wishful thinking. Thanks again.”
Josh opened her door for her. “You’re welcome.”
After cleaning her car and picking up a flowering plant, she drove back to the Mercy Hospice, nervous over running into Harper again, but not enough to keep her away from clinging to her mother, and those memories, as long as possible. This time she parked and went in with her partial memory return giving her more confidence, the same receptionist greeting her with a beaming smile.
“Good morning, Skye. We weren’t expecting you again this week, but we’re always glad to see relatives.” She nodded at the plant with the bright-pink blossoms. “Pretty.”
“It’ll brighten her room. I have time, but not much more with her. I can only hope she knows, on some level, that I’m here for her.”
“You never know. The brain is a strange, powerful organ.”
You have no idea, she mused, thinking of her still lost memories. “That it is.” Ignoring the urge to ask if Harper was working, she waved and entered the ward, saying hello to the nurse behind the desk before slipping into her mother’s room. Tears pricked her eyes as she took in her huddled form. Sinking onto the bedside chair, she set the plant on the end table, leaned her head back, and started talking, telling her everything that had happened in the past weeks.
Skye sat with her mother for three hours, helped bathe her and fix her hair while she told the nurse stories of her childhood that put her in an even more nostalgic mood by the time she left. She breathed a sigh of relief, walking to her car with the afternoon sun erasing the chill of depression over her bleak, lonely future. At least she’d managed to steer clear of seeing Harper again. That was until she settled behind the wheel, glanced toward the employee lot, and spotted the woman who claimed to be her closest friend. Harper got out of the same vehicle Skye remembered seeing parked in front of her house the day she’d taken off in confusion, her cell to her ear, appearing agitated. She took a moment to watch her as she seemed to argue with whoever she was talking to, waving her arm in anger, the frustration stamped on her face easy to see even from a distance.