by SJ McCoy
His words set her pulse racing. He certainly didn’t seem too shy this morning. He closed her fingers around his thick shaft and began to move her hand up and down the length of him. Yes, please! She got up on her hands and knees and made to straddle him, just the thought of what he wanted had her wet and ready.
He surprised her with the speed with which he turned her. Somehow she was on her back and he was smiling down at her. “Hold on a minute, missy. There’s no rush. We need to make sure you’re all warmed up and ready before we ride.”
She smiled. “Oh, I am. More than ready!”
She pushed her hips up against him, wanting to feel his hard shaft pressing into her.
He shook his head slowly and reached his hand down between them. His fingers found their way between her legs and sent tingles of anticipation rushing through her. She thrust her hips again, wanting more than just his fingers.
He shook his head again. “You know I like to take it slow.”
Oh, no! He was going to tease her? “But, I thought we were past that?’
He began to circle her clit, making it hard to concentrate on his words. “We are, but now we get to savor every single moment.”
Hmm, she didn’t exactly want to argue with that! Every single moment of what he was doing right now felt wonderful. She relaxed and gave in to the sensations. He dipped a finger inside her at the same moment that his hot mouth came down on her neck. She began to move her hips in time with his hand. She wanted to feel him inside her. She brought her arms up around his neck and spread her legs wider, hoping that he’d take the hint and give her what she wanted so badly.
Instead he turned again, rolling onto his back and drawing her with him. She straddled him and sat up with a smile. He smiled up at her and rocked his hips.
“Ride me, darlin’.”
She wasn’t about to argue! She closed her fingers around him and guided him to her entrance. His hand joined hers and he began to stroke her again. He was driving her wild. She let herself slide slowly down onto him, surrendering herself to the rocking of his hips and gentle pressure of his fingertips against her clit. She closed her eyes and let her head fall back. She wasn’t going to last long, but she wanted to do as he’d said and savor every moment.
His hands came up and closed around her waist as his rocking changed to thrusting. He held her in place, pulling her down to take him deeper and deeper. It felt as though he was filling her with every thrust. Her breasts bounced as she rode him. She grasped his wrists and hung on tight as he took her on the ride of her life. He met her gaze and smiled as he took her closer and closer to the edge. She felt him tense and that was all it took to trigger her climax.
“Carter!” she screamed as he came with her. He held her still and continued to thrust deep and hard. She felt as though she’d lost control of her own body. Carter now controlled every cell of her being, and he demanded that every cell dissolve in exquisite pleasure. Wave after wave crashed through her, taking her soaring away. Her muscles clung to him as if he were the only solid point in a melting universe.
When he finally lay still, she lay down on his chest breathing hard. She’d never come like that in her life! His hands came up to tangle in her hair and he nuzzled his lips into her neck. “You’re a good rider.”
“Not yet, but if you give me lots of lessons I think I could learn.”
“Lots of lessons?” he asked with a chuckle.
She nodded. “Lots and lots and lots. It might take me a lifetime to perfect it, but we can have fun trying.”
He didn’t chuckle at that. In fact, he lay quite still. Oh, crap! Why had she said anything about a lifetime? The one big dark cloud hanging over their heads was the fact that they would only have a short time together, and she’d had to go and talk about a lifetime? Especially at a moment like this!
She lifted herself to look into his eyes, but he avoided her gaze. Damn! “Carter. I’m sorry.”
He pursed his lips. He looked so sad for a moment. Then it was gone. He smiled that smile that melted her heart every time she saw it. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just a big ol’ dumbass who got carried away for a minute.” He stroked her hair. “I really am sorry. What do you say we get up? Get cleaned up and go do something fun with the day?”
Summer wanted to talk to him, wanted to tell him that she was sorry for mentioning the lifetime when she didn’t know if it was possible. She wanted to tell him that a lifetime with him sounded wonderful to her right now. But she knew better. There was no point having a conversation about something that might not be possible, even if they did both decide they wanted it. She rolled off him and stared up at the ceiling for a moment. “Okay. Let’s go get a shower.”
~ ~ ~
Carter felt a little uncomfortable about not helping Mason with the McLellan horses. He didn’t tell someone he’d do something then not follow through. That wasn’t him. When he and Summer arrived at the ranch, he felt a little better about it, though. Gina was out in the arena on one of the mares and she and Mason were joking around. Maybe it was a good thing for the two of them to get some time together.
Summer smiled up at him as they walked toward the barn. “Does that make you feel a little better?” she asked. “You can still go help out if you’d rather do that. I don’t mind watching.”
He put an arm around her shoulders. He was grateful that she understood, and he knew she really meant it. He shook his head. “I do feel better seeing Mason and G together like that. I don’t feel guilty anymore. I can go have fun with you, knowing that Mason’s getting done what he needs and having fun with his lady…” He stopped himself short. He didn’t want Summer to think that he saw her as his lady in the same way Gina was Mason’s. That was different, they were getting married. It wasn’t the same. He looked down at her. No matter how much he wished it could be.
She smiled. “Okay then. I’m glad, because I’m looking forward to this.”
He raised an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smile. “I know. You proved this morning just how much you like me taking you for a ride.”
She pushed at his arm. “I guess I did, didn’t I?”
“And I seem to remember you saying something about wanting me to take you for a ride in the mountains?”
Her eyes widened. “Oooh! I could be persuaded.”
Carter laughed. He’d only been joking, but he could be persuaded, too.
As they reached the barn, Shane and Cassidy came out laughing together. “Hey, guys! How’s it going?” asked Shane.
Carter nodded. “Going great. Is everything okay? What are you doing out here? I thought you took Sundays off?”
Shane laughed. “I do. But Cassidy wanted to ride out. We just brought Cookie and Lady back. We’re headed over to see Chance. You know he’s going to California this week?”
“That’s right. It’s his sister’s wedding, isn’t it?”
Cassidy nodded. “Yeah. We’re going to see if he wants to come for lunch at the Riverside, and maybe see if he’ll come out one night before he leaves. He’s going to miss our engagement bash, but we can hardly compete with his sister’s wedding. Do you two want to come along if we can get him out?” She looked at Summer. Carter knew she was checking with her friend whether she wanted to risk being seen out with him.
He relaxed when Summer nodded. “We’d love to.” She looked up at him to check. His grin answered for him, even though it was mostly caused by the fact that she’d referred to them as a we!
“Okay.” Cassidy smiled at Carter. She seemed to understand his reaction and felt the same way. “I’ll give you a call when we figure out what’s going on.”
Shane winked at him. “See you soon, then. Have fun, kiddies. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
“I guess that means we can get up to all kinds of mischief then, little bro.”
Shane shrugged. “I guess it does.” He grinned at Summer, “Just don’t go blaming me if he gets up to anything too wild.”
Summer smiled up
at Carter. “Don’t worry; whatever he gets up to, it’s all on him.”
Carter smiled back as he led her into the barn. He was glad that she saw him as his own man, responsible for his own actions and decisions. Sometimes he felt like a pale reflection compared to the larger-than-life Shane.
He stopped when he reached Lola’s stall. “So, it’s time for the two of you to get to know each other.”
Summer reached up to rub the mare’s nose. “I feel as though we already do. She feels like an old friend.”
Carter nodded. He couldn’t help thinking back to the conversation at dinner last night. He would love for Lola to become Summer’s horse. He would love for their stories to mirror each other. He sucked in a deep breath. That would mean Summer finding that life here in the valley suited her better than the life she’d left behind. He had to be realistic. Lola’s former owners might have turned their back on her, but he could hardly see Summer’s people—her sister, her record label, hell, even her fans—giving her up so easily. Even if she did want to stay.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded. “I’m just fine.” He smiled and dropped a kiss on her lips. “Come on. Let’s bring her out and we’ll get her and Jake saddled up.”
~ ~ ~
Summer smiled to herself as the horses picked their way up the trail. She was enjoying this. She hadn’t ridden for years, but she’d felt right at home as soon as she was in the saddle. Lola had everything to do with that. She’d turned her head to look up at Summer, as if to check that she was okay. Summer knew that they’d become great friends. It might have been a long time since she’d been around horses, but one thing that had stuck with her was that what mattered most was the trust between horse and rider. She trusted Lola to take care of her, and she hoped that Lola trusted her not to interfere or mess up.
They were making their way single file up a rocky path. They’d climbed so far that it was cooler up here. Summer was grateful for her jacket. She’d been about to leave it behind, but Carter had suggested she bring it along.
He turned in his saddle and smiled at her. “How are you holding up?”
“This is wonderful! Thank you. Lola is awesome.” She reached her arm out over the view of the valley below them. “And it’s so beautiful. I mean this place is gorgeous no matter where you are, but seeing it from up here, it’s spectacular!” It really was. The valley was maybe fifty miles long and twenty miles wide. From this point they could see almost all of it. The snowcapped peaks seemed to sparkle in the sun, shining stark white against a deep blue sky.
Carter nodded. He seemed to take pride in the place, as though she were paying him a personal compliment by admiring the place. “It is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It’s gorgeous.” Seeing the way he reacted, the way he obviously loved the place so much, Summer knew for absolute certain there was no way he’d ever leave. This place was more than just where he lived; it was a part of who he was. The tiny part of her that had been wondering whether they might continue seeing each other when she had to leave saw the truth in that moment. If she wanted Carter, she had to want a life here. She pursed her lips. She thought she did, but was that realistic?
He reined Jake in and waited for her to bring Lola alongside. “Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“What is it though? For a moment there you looked so sad.”
She met his gaze for a moment. “It’s nothing.” She didn’t know what to say. There was no point in trying to explain it to him. She wanted to enjoy their time together, not spoil it with sad talk about what might never be.
His big brown eyes were full of questions. It seemed as though he found his answers and he nodded. If he did understand what she was thinking, he apparently didn’t want to go there either. He patted the pack behind him. “Let’s keep going, there’s a great picnic spot a little farther up. If you like the view from here, you’ll love it up there.”
“Sounds perfect.” She urged Lola forward and smiled a bright smile, determined to enjoy the day. She’d be crazy not to. No matter what the future might or might not hold, today she was with this beautiful man, in this beautiful place—how could she not enjoy that?
Chapter Thirteen
Carter was tired when he got home from work on Monday afternoon. It’d been a great few days, but he hadn’t gotten much sleep. He smiled as he let himself in the back door. He’d never been happier! He peeked into the laundry room where Hero was nursing her kittens. She looked up and blinked at him happily. He was starting to think that Summer was right and he had four new permanent house guests. He couldn’t help but wish that Summer herself would become a permanent feature in his life. He’d loved spending the weekend with her. He’d only left her place this morning and only then because he was starting a new job today. He’d gotten the contract to redo and maintain the grounds of the county offices up in town. He’d needed to be on site for the first day of the job. Things had gone well and his guys had a handle on what he wanted done. He didn’t plan to spend all his time there over the next few weeks.
He set out fresh food and water for Hero and then went to check the shed. Buster was lounging on one of the shelves and came to rub around Carter’s legs in greeting. He butted Carter’s arm as he filled up the food bowl and refreshed the water.
“How’s it going, old fella?”
Buster butted his arm again, but didn’t seem to have much to say for himself as he buried his face in the bowl.
Carter left him to it. He was headed for the gym. He needed to fit in a quick workout before he went back down to see Summer tonight. He wanted to get back to her place as soon as he could, but four days with no gym had him feeling like crap. He wouldn’t stay too long, but he needed to go.
He was almost done with his workout when he spotted Melanie. He sighed and focused on another set of reps. He felt bad that he’d dodged her last week, but he still didn’t feel like talking to her. It seemed he wasn’t going to have a choice about it tonight, though. She came straight over. At least she waited for him to finish his set before she spoke.
“Hey.”
He nodded. “Hi, Melanie.” He decided he needed to just go for it. Tell her he wasn’t interested and get this over with as soon as possible. “Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you about maybe going out, but…”
She held her hand up with a smile. “That’s okay. I get it. I’ll admit I was a little disappointed at first, but when I ran into Summer at your place, I understood. You could have just told me, you know.”
Carter frowned. Summer hadn’t mentioned running into Melanie, and what was it that he could have just told her. He waited for her to explain.
She looked around before she spoke again, as if to check that no one was listening. “You could have told me that you two were seeing each other.”
Had Summer told her that they were? “We weren’t when you and I talked.”
Melanie smiled. “But you are now! Don’t worry, I didn’t come to give you a hard time. I just wanted to let you know I’m happy for you.” She seemed to mean it.
He shrugged. “Thanks.” He didn’t know what else to say.
Neither did Melanie. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah. See ya.”
~ ~ ~
Summer sat out on the deck. She’d had a lovely peaceful day. She’d spent most of it counting down the hours until Carter would return, but other than that she hadn’t done much at all. Now she sat looking out at the river. Hopefully he’d be here before too long. He’d said he was going to hit the gym first. Summer had wondered whether she should tell him about Melanie. She’d completely forgotten about it on Friday. There didn’t seem much point now though. He’d see her himself. She had to wonder what the history was between the two of them, but had to admit it was none of her business.
She did a double take when she saw movement on the path down by the river. She leaned forward and peered down there, then laughed when she realized it was Cassid
y.
“Hola, chica!” she called and waved up at Summer.
“Hi! What on earth are you doing down there?”
Cassidy laughed. “I’m practicing braving the wild!”
“Huh?”
“Hang on. I’m coming up. I’ll tell you when I get there.”
Summer watched as she climbed the steps to the deck and then flopped down in the chair beside her.
“Are you going to offer me a drink?”
Summer grinned. “Let me guess—vino?”
“Yes, please!”
Summer went inside and returned with two glasses of wine. She handed one to Cassidy before taking her seat again.
Cassidy took a sip then smiled. “Ah, sustenance. It’s scary out there you know!”
Summer laughed. “Out where? Where have you been and what are you up to?”
“Like I said, I’m practicing braving the wilderness. You’ll come up against it yourself at some point, if Carter ever leaves your side.”
“Come up against what?”
“The fact that we live in bear and wolf and who knows what else country. It’s all fine and dandy and great to talk about, but what happens when you just want to go for a walk? Do you know where the bears are? Do you know what might leap out and want to eat you?”
Summer laughed. “No, of course I don’t.” She frowned. “And I suppose you’re right. I will come up against it at some point. I’m still just finding my feet here, but what do I do when I want to go hiking?”
“Exactly! I was ashamed to admit it, but I’d been hanging out in my house like it was a little oasis, but I don’t want to do that. I want to go out and explore. I don’t want to be ridiculously naïve about it, but I certainly don’t want to become something’s lunch either. I’ve been asking Shane all kinds of dumb questions, and today I thought it was time to venture out by myself. That little path down by the river from my house to yours seems like just a romantic little walk when you’ve got a big strong Montana man by your side. It looks a whole lot different when you’re by yourself and there’s a hungry critter lurking around every corner!”