Noah had felt the chill and asked Caleb about it, but Caleb had shrugged him off.
“Can we talk?” Caleb asked in a low tone.
Addison didn’t even look up. She merely answered, “I’m having breakfast.”
Caleb took that as his cue that she wasn’t interested in talking about it now or at least not with an audience, so he leaned over to Bree at his side. “Can you pass the bacon?”
The rest of the breakfast was a typical Hart affair, with lots of laughing and talking. As expected, they rehashed parts of the wedding and reception.
“I can’t believe you caught the bouquet, Bree,” Jada teased. “Of all of us,” she said, glancing around the table at the other single women, “you’re the least likely to want to get married, considering you’re tied to your Crackberry, I mean BlackBerry.”
Everyone laughed.
Bree glared at her from across the table. “Some of us have other priorities. And it’s not like I don’t want to get married, there’s just a few things I want to accomplish first before settling down with a husband and kids.”
“It’s possible to have it all,” Chynna commented from the other end of the table. “Look at me.”
Bree chuckled. “You’re the exception, Chynna. I mean you’re rich and famous and can hire a slew of nannies.”
“Oh, there won’t be any nannies raising my son,” Noah replied as he sipped his coffee.
“I plan on being a full-time mom,” Chynna said. “My son will know who his mommy is.”
“Well, Bree wasn’t the only woman to catch a bouquet,” Madelyn Hart said. “I believe Addison caught one as well.”
Caleb felt Addison instantly stiffen at his side. This was exactly the topic of conversation they didn’t need.
“You needn’t worry, Mrs. Hart,” Addison said, wiping her mouth and rising to her feet. “Caleb is very content with his bachelorhood, so there’s no chance it will ever be put to use. If you’ll excuse me.” She inclined her head to everyone sitting at the table and fled from the room.
All eyes turned to Caleb, and he wished the floor would open up and swallow him. Addison had put him in a tough position, and now the spotlight was shining on him.
His mother was the first to speak. “Caleb, what was that about? What did you do?”
“You mean, what did he say?” Noah smirked.
“Noah!” Chynna chastised him.
“Mom, not now.” Caleb glanced at the door Addison had just left from.
“Well, aren’t you going to go after her?” Isaac Hart asked.
“Your father’s right,” his mother added. “Addison is clearly upset; you need to go after her.”
“I don’t think she wants to hear anything I have to say.”
“You won’t know until you go talk to her,” Uncle Duke chimed in. “Go make it right.”
Caleb rose from the table and without a word left the room. He had to find Addison. Tell her that he hadn’t meant to hurt her. Tell her that he enjoyed spending time with her and cared a great deal about her. Tell her she was the first woman he’d ever felt completely himself with and that he wanted them to end on a positive note.
After Addison left the dining room, she went on a walk around the grounds. Eventually, she walked past a Zen garden with a wheelbarrow and hammock, past a guesthouse and then headed toward the stables.
“Good morning,” a stable hand said as she approached.
“Good morning,” Addison replied.
“Would you like to go for a ride?”
A ride sounded wonderful. It would be a great way for her to clear her head and see the rest of the ranch. She wouldn’t have a tour guide, but she could figure it out herself. “Yes, would love to.”
“What horse would you like?” The man motioned to several stalls.
“I’d like the chestnut beauty,” Addison said, walking over to the stall the chestnut mare had poked her head from.
“I’ll saddle her up for you.”
Several minutes later, the stable hand brought the horse outside. It was already saddled and ready for Addison to ride. “I put a cantina of water in the saddle and some trail mix in, in case you get hungry.”
“Thank you.”
He gave Addison a lift. She gave the mare a little kick, and it took off.
The wind blowing through her hair felt good. Addison enjoyed the ride and the beauty of the scenery, which helped put her troubles on the backburner. She passed by a hay storage facility, a dozen smaller guest cabins and another row of mini-houses she assumed housed the onsite staff. She didn’t know where she was going, so she let the horse guide her.
She passed by the petting zoo and skeet shooting areas before reaching open land. It was so beautiful that she kept riding. After she’d ridden for what seemed like miles and miles, she took a break. She allowed the horse to graze while she sat on the dry earth and looked out over the horizon.
How had she gotten here? She was supposed to meet a random sexy stranger, have sex to end her virginal status and move on with her life. Instead, she’d gotten caught up in the moment. She’d gotten caught up in being with Caleb. Not only had the sex been amazing and exciting, but she’d fallen for the man when she’d sworn she wouldn’t. She didn’t think it would happen so fast. She’d known him for only a week, but it didn’t matter. She was in love with him, and he didn’t want her.
You know this is just for show? Those words echoed in her mind. Caleb put on a show for everyone at the reception, like he was an actor in The Best Man movie. And just like the Quentin character, he only wanted her in bed, nothing more. As much as she might hope for another outcome, there wouldn’t be a happy ending of him getting on his knee and proposing to her.
And so it was time to end this; it was time to move on. It would hurt like hell because Caleb was her first true love. She had to do it for her own preservation. But would she ever find a love or passion like this again?
Eventually, she started back toward the stables. She was surprised she could remember how to get back, but she supposed she was on autopilot. When she returned to the house, she would pack her bags, call a car service and take a flight back to Dallas. It would be costly at the last minute, but better she cut the cord quickly rather than drag it out another day. Plus, Addison wasn’t sure she could sleep another night beside Caleb without succumbing not just to his charms, but to her own body’s traitorous desire to be with him. It would be too easy to fall back into a pattern and allow him to make love to her until their bodies were spent.
She was nearly at the stables when she noticed a figure standing outside watching her as she approached. Addison didn’t have to guess who it was. Caleb.
She slowed the chestnut’s pace before coming to a stop a few inches away from him.
“Get down!” he ordered sharply, grabbing the mare’s bridle.
“I don’t appreciate—”
“I said, get down, now!”
Caleb’s tone told her he wasn’t to be trifled with and that she had better do as she was told. So she swung her leg over to disembark and felt his hands on her hips as he lowered her to the ground.
She glanced up to look at him, and she couldn’t read his expression, so she remained silent. He took the reins from her and began walking the chestnut back into the stall. Addison watched from the doorway as he filled the horse’s trough with water and fed her a few treats. “Good girl,” she heard him whisper as he brushed her down.
Addison felt stupid just standing there watching him be gentle with the horse. She needed to start packing so she could get to the airport. She turned to head for the door when she heard, “What the hell were you thinking?”
Caleb was furious as he helped the mare cool down. He couldn’t believe how reckless Addison had been. She’d just taken off on the horse with no thought for where she was or how to get back. She wa
sn’t used to the tough desert conditions. What if she’d gotten lost? Golden Oaks was on hundreds of acres of land. Who knows how long it would have taken for them to find her. He’d read the stable hand the riot act, and the man had gone off in a huff.
Caleb wasn’t mad at him, he was mad at himself for letting the situation get out of control. Addison wasn’t thinking clearly, which could put her at risk if she wasn’t used to her surroundings.
He’d ridden around the immediate tourist areas of the ranch as soon as he’d learned she’d taken off. When he hadn’t found her, he stomped back to the house and huffed and puffed until his mother had reminded him that she was a grown woman and capable of looking after herself. “There’s no need to worry just yet,” Madelyn Hart had said.
“It’s been four hours,” Caleb had responded.
“Relax. There’s probably no need to worry,” his father had added.
So Caleb had gone back outside to the stables and paced. Then he’d heard the horse’s hoofs and had immediately rushed outside to see Addison riding up as pretty as she pleased. She looked so sexy sitting astride that horse that he’d instantly wanted to pull her off and make her ride him.
“I was thinking,” Addison said, turning to face him and answering his earlier question, “that I needed some time alone, or did I need to ask your permission?” Her eyes rained fire on him.
Caleb stopped brushing the mare and glared back at her. “No, but it was dangerous for you to go out on your own without an escort. Golden Oaks is extensive, and you could have gotten lost.”
“I didn’t think you cared.”
Caleb threw down the brush and stalked toward her, grabbing her arms. “Dammit, I care, Addison,” he said seconds before he lowered his mouth and kissed her hard. She tried to push at his chest, but he didn’t let up. He kissed her with all the frustration he’d had over the last few hours worrying about her safety. He’d intended the kiss to be more of a punishment, but it didn’t take long for it to change from anger to passion.
Soon Addison was moaning and wrapping her arms around him. He pushed her against the stall door across from the mare and slid his hands down her curves. God, he’d missed this last night. He hadn’t known just how much until this very moment. Addison was his drug of choice, and he had to have a hit, now.
As he kissed her, he fiddled with the latch on the stall door. The stall was empty, as he knew it would be. He broke the kiss long enough to pull her inside and shut the door behind him. He deepened the kiss by sliding his tongue inside her mouth and exploring every crease and crevice. Addison returned his passion.
He didn’t know which of them reached for the other’s clothes, but his shirt was off before he knew what happened and she was caressing his chest with her warm hands. Soon he was unbuttoning the denim shirt she wore and pulling it loose from her jeans. He threw it on a stack of hay in the stall. He left her mouth long enough to plant kisses over her bare shoulder, nipping it lightly with his teeth while his hands came around to her back. He unclasped her bra, and she stepped backward, allowing it to fall to the floor.
When Addison’s brown eyes fixed on his, Caleb forgot that they were in the horse stables and that anyone could walk in and find them making love. He lowered his head so he could feast on her bare breasts. He flicked his tongue over the already-swollen buds. He laved them with his tongue and then began sucking gently, one then the other, while she held his head in place.
“Oh, God!” Addison’s head flew backward.
Caleb pulled her closer so he could fully taste each breast. While his tongue paid homage to them, his hands began exploring her stomach and waist until they came to the waistband of her jeans. He unzipped them, began easing them down her hips, and then lowered himself to his knees and helped her out of them and her bikini panties until she was completely naked to his admiring eyes. The jeans joined her shirt on the haystack.
“Don’t ever do that to me again,” Caleb stated just before he spread her legs, grasped her behind and lowered his head to her womanly center.
“Jesus!” Addison cried out when he inserted his tongue inside her.
There was no preamble. He just wanted to taste her and he did. Over and over. He slid his tongue in and out until her juices began to flow. When he was sure she was ready for him, he got to his feet and began unbuckling his jeans.
“Condom?”
Damn, it had been hard for him to think because she was teasing his earlobe with her tongue, driving him crazy. He let out a long sigh.
“P-pocket,” he urged, and he felt her fiddling to get the protection out as he sprang free from his jeans. He kissed her neck, suckling her favorite spot. She moaned deeply, but didn’t stop until she’d sheathed him.
He grasped her thigh in one hand, pushed her back against the stall door and thrust inside her. He grasped her behind and surged deeper. She accommodated him easily and began undulating against him. He grasped her other thigh and lifted her off her feet.
Addison began bouncing up and down on his shaft. “Oh, yes, baby,” Caleb murmured. “That’s it. Ride me.”
With her upper back against the wall and Caleb holding her lower half, Addison wrapped her legs around his hips and alternately rode and bounced on him until his breathing became more and more labored.
“Jesus, Addison!” he groaned, but he didn’t want her to stop.
And she didn’t. He didn’t how long they were at it before her entire body tensed and contractions began to overtake her. He grasped her shoulders, pulling her to him and kissing her long, hard and deep as his own climax hit with full force.
Caleb held on to her until the tremors began to subside. When her breathing began to return to normal, he lowered her to her feet.
She moved away from him and went to the haystack to collect her discarded clothes. Caleb didn’t know why he felt so bereft afterward; maybe it was because deep down he knew that something had changed between them. He didn’t want to let her go. When they were making love they were so in touch, he didn’t want to lose her even though he knew it was inevitable.
He reached for his jeans and pulled another condom free and put it on his already-hardened penis. Just thinking about being with her one last time had caused him to get erect in minutes. He was behind Addison in one long stride. Her back was to him, and he grabbed ahold of her and began kissing her neck.
“Caleb, don’t,” she said, but when his hands came around and grasped her breasts and began tweaking them between his fingers, he felt her resolve weaken. To ensure she was his once more, he slid his hands down her flat stomach to the curls between her thighs. He parted her lips and slid his finger inside. She was still moist, and his penis got harder.
“I need you, Addy. Please don’t deny me.” Using his knees to spread her legs, he bent her forward against the haystack and entered her.
“Oh ...,” Addison moaned as she clutched hay.
Caleb thrust inside her while his fingers played with her clitoris. Addison moaned louder and louder. He knew he was overstimulating her, but he wanted her to break for him. He knew their relationship was coming to an end, and he wanted her to remember him as the only man that could please her. His penis pumped deeper inside while his hands played with her sensitive flesh.
He smacked her behind with his free hand and she groaned, “Oh, God, yes ... Caleb.”
Caleb was lost in being inside Addison and lay over her as he began thrusting feverishly. Perspiration dampened his forehead and chest, but he didn’t stop. He fondled her breasts until they were peaks, his peaks. Then he pulled out and spun her around to face him. He wanted to look in her eyes as he made her come.
He saw her tears, but she didn’t stop him when he lifted her onto the haystack, grasped her face and kissed her before entering her again. He lifted his head so he could see her eyes as he thrust inside her repeatedly. Her eyes became dilated, and he knew she was
reaching her climax. He wanted to reach it with her and began pumping furiously. Just as her body trembled, his body began to contract and they climaxed together.
Chapter 14
Addison dressed quietly in the stall. She couldn’t look behind her at Caleb. How could she? He’d just proven that, yet again, she had no control when it came to him. For Christ’s sake, he’d just made love to her in a stable at his family’s ranch where anyone could have walked in and found her butt-ass naked having sex.
It was clear to her that Caleb was immensely attracted to her and enjoyed making love to her no matter the time or place. But what was also very clear was that she was fooling herself if she thought great sex would lead to something more. And they both knew it. Just now when they’d made love, there had been a finality to it. They knew they’d come to the end of the road, and it was time for her to go home.
When she turned, Caleb was already dressed. He’d been leaning against the stall watching her, for how long she didn’t know. Was he waiting for her to say something? Was he waiting for her to beg him? Well, she wouldn’t do that. She wasn’t going to beg him to reconsider a future with her. If he didn’t see it, didn’t feel it, she wasn’t about to throw out her pride and lay her heart bare.
“I’m leaving today,” she said.
Caleb nodded. “I figured as much,” he mumbled.
And you’re not going to try to stop me? Her heart pleaded with him to say something.
“I’m going to go pack.” She headed for the stall door. Caleb must have sensed her distress because he met her there and leaned his head against the back of hers.
“I’m sorry, Addy.”
Heartache bubbled inside her and Addison thought she might lose it, but she merely nodded, opened the latch and fled the stable. She was running toward the main house when she saw Noah.
“Is everything okay?” Noah inquired, but Addison couldn’t answer him. She just kept running until she made it to the safety of Caleb’s suite. She closed the door and locked it. She didn’t want to talk to or see anyone until it was time to go.
Harts of Arizona Series Page 70