Be My Warmth

by Shanade White

  “Soon Flynn, I’m just not ready yet.” She said, hoping he’d be satisfied with her answer.

  Flynn had no intention of pushing Tani ever again, he’d done it once and wasn’t going to make that mistake again. He’d known almost from the first moment he’d met her that she was the one for him and he wasn’t going to mess that up, if patience was what she needed then she’d get it. Until then, they were together and that was all that mattered to him. Nothing in her past could be bad enough that he’d turn away from her and he was willing to wait until she realized that as well.

  “Don’t worry, when you’re ready I’ll be there, but for now I can think of another way to spend our time.” Flynn said, sliding his hand down between her legs.

  As much as Flynn wanted Tani to talk to him, he wanted her where she was as well. Their first night together had been wonderful but he was sure she was capable of much more and intended to find out right then. First, he took her mouth in a kiss that immediately took them soaring into a storm of passion, his tongue dipping and teasing while he used his hands to tease her taunt nipples. Then he moved his hands lower to explore the soft skin of her thighs, the contrast between his rough hands and her smooth skin exciting him even more.

  Tani was anticipating his touch, knowing what it had done to her the last time, but Flynn continued to tease, stroking the skin on the inside of her thigh but never getting any closer to where she really wanted to be touched. She’d been dreaming of his touch for months and now was frantic to feel it, but not until she spread her legs for him did he touch her, a gentle touch at first, nothing more than the tips of his fingers. Becoming increasingly desperate, Tani whined in her throat and lifted her hips toward his hand, but Flynn continued to tease, determined to inflame her as much as she inflamed him.

  Flynn could feel Tani’s heat and knew that she was wet and dripping, but used all his control to keep her on the edge until he finally whispered in her ear, “Tell me what you want sweetheart.”

  Tani was past the point of being embarrassed by anything they were doing, she arched her hips again and pleaded, “Touch me please Flynn. I want you to touch me.”

  Flynn growled and plunged his finger deep inside her, his thumb working her swollen clit until in only a matter of moments Tani’s body began to shake with the pure pleasure that was washing over her in waves. Gasping his name, she came, her body clenching around his finger, the moisture pouring over his hand. As the last ripple of pleasure washed over her, she looked into Flynn’s eyes only to be inundated with an entirely new wave of desire and the need to make him feel as good as he made her feel.

  “I want to make you feel as good as you make me feel, but I don’t know how.” She said, her voice husky with passion.

  Before the words were out of her mouth, Flynn had flipped them over and she was draped across his body. “Climb on top of me Tani. Like you’re riding your horse.” He said, grabbing her hips and lifting her on top of him.

  When she came down, his erection was nestled between her legs pressing up against her clit which was still swollen and sensitive. Gasping as the contact, her hands came down on the bed next to Flynn’s head, her breasts in his face. With one hand in the center of her back, he pressed her down and took a stiff nipple in his mouth, while he rocked his hips. So much sensation was coming at Tani all at once that she cried out with pleasure forgetting her wish to bring Flynn satisfaction.

  As Flynn continued to rock his hips, Tani was helpless to do anything more than brace herself, her body no longer under her control. She whimpered and moaned unable to control the sounds she was making, unknowingly giving Flynn the pleasure she’d wanted to, until Flynn was desperate to be inside her. Grabbing her hips, he lifted her up and thrust himself inside her. He wasn’t gentle as he’d been the first time, he was beyond the point of being gentle.

  Tani cried out again when she felt Flynn fill her so completely and ground herself against him, a new sensation building inside her, one she hadn’t felt before. When Flynn began to move her hips up and down, she understood what he wanted and took over, her body in control, her mind flooded with pleasure. Flynn met her hips with his, powerful thrusts that drove their bodies together time after time, until each could feel the pressure coming to a breaking point.

  Nearly frantic to reach the crest of this new feeling, Tani ground her hips into Flynn again and again, driving him closer to release, his throbbing penis going deeper with each thrust of his hips. Just when she thought it couldn’t feel any better, Flynn took his thumb and began to massage her clit, causing an almost immediate explosion deep inside her. Waves of pleasure that took her breath away, but seemed to change just as they began to stop, again a new feeling that seemed to take control of her.

  When the second orgasm built to the breaking point, Flynn buried himself deeper insider her and ground his hips, then let go. Tani could feel Flynn’s release and her muscles gripped him tightly as he came, only intensifying her orgasm further. Fighting for breath she collapsed on top of Flynn, the pleasure still coursing through her body, every nerve ending warm with the memory of Flynn.

  Tani came back to her senses slowly, not wanting to break the spell that they’d wound together, but eventually she became aware of Flynn breathing heavily under her. She rolled off him, making him groan and immediately pull her into his arms with her head resting against his chest. Neither spoke for a long time, the immensity of what they’d just shared slowly seeping into them, as the connection that bound them wound tighter around their hearts.

  “Promise me we can do that again later tonight.” Flynn finally said, stroking Tani’s back.

  “Hmmm, if you keep doing that, it might be sooner.” Tani said, finding that she’d lost more of her shyness. Now that Flynn had shown her what was possible, she was more than eager to continue exploring.

  “I think I’ve created a monster.” Flynn said, laughing then added, “But I’m starving.”

  Tani had skipped breakfast and it was way past lunch. “I bet we can find something to eat in the kitchen. Sabrina always has plenty of food around.” Tani suggested, starting to get out of bed, but Flynn pulled her back in and wouldn’t let her get up until he’d kissed her senseless once again.

  “Just in case you forget what our plans are later.” He said, when he finally let her up.

  Sabrina was more than happy to feed them and feed them well, warning that dinner wasn’t that far off and that they would be expected to join the family the entire time she piled food on their plates. She was grinning at them the way a proud mother would, but they were completely oblivious to her, only seeing one another, both overjoyed that they were finally together and relieved that their first fight was out of the way.

  Chapter 7

  The cattle drive was as much fun as Tani had thought it was going to be and having Flynn with her made it that much better. Devil took to the trails with an abandon that surprised even her, although it was a struggle to keep him under control for the first day; he quickly learned what was expected of him and became a new horse. Flynn on the other hand took a bit longer to get in the swing of things, and had to fight his frustration when one after another cow escaped when he was herding.

  “I had no idea that this would be so hard. I didn’t realize just how much work the dogs do.” Flynn said at the end of the second day. “I’m sore in places I didn’t know existed.”

  Tani laughed, “I’ll tell you a secret, so am I.” Then laughed and added, “Don’t worry by the end of the summer you’ll be able to do this in your sleep.” when Flynn groaned.

  “Are we going to do this all summer?” He asked, gingerly sitting down on the log next to her and handing her a plate of food.

  “Well, I have to work with Devil, although I’m not sure how much more he needs to learn. I’m already tempted to have someone else ride him to see how he does.” Tani answered, hoping she hadn’t assumed too much, they hadn’t talked about the future and what it held for them.

  “Don’t l
ook at me, I can barely handle my own horse.” Flynn said, shaking his head. “It’s a little embarrassing. Devil might have this all figured out, but I sure don’t, it might take me all summer to get the hang of it, so I guess it’s good we’ll be up here a lot.”

  Tani’s heart soared at his words, it was a relief to know that she’d have him for the summer at least. She ignored that little voice that kept telling her that she had to tell him about Egypt and everything that had happened there. There would be plenty of time to tell him, she just had to find the right time. Her fear that Flynn would turn away from her was melting day by day as her trust in Flynn grew, but she’d told few people the entire truth about what had happened and it wasn’t going to be easy.

  But those kinds of thoughts would only spoil the time they had together and she had a surprise for Flynn. “I think I might have something that can help those aching muscles.” She said, a mischievous grin on her face.

  “Oh, you do, huh? I can think of a few things that might take my mind off my pain.” Flynn said, a stab of desire sliding through him at the thought of Tani’s generous body under his.

  “This is better than that.” Tani said, trying to look serious. “It’s an old remedy used by cowboys around here for a hundred years.”

  Flynn pulled her to him, ignoring the other people around them and kissed her. “Sweetheart nothing is better than that, but I’m game to try something else.” He said, his voice husky.

  Tani giggled, “Then let’s go.” She said, grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. “It’s not far, we can walk.”

  The place she planned to take him was less than a mile from camp, but it took them a long time to get there because Flynn couldn’t keep his hands off her. Although they’d been sharing a tent, there was little privacy on the trail and Flynn took advantage of the fact that they were finally alone. By the time they reached their destination, Tani was so flustered it was all she could do not to trip over her own feet.

  When he pulled her into his arms again, she said, “If you don’t stop, we’ll never make it.”

  “But you don’t really want me to stop, do you?” Flynn said, sliding his hand between her legs.

  Tani pushed him away, “I promise this will be worth it, now hands to yourself mister.”

  Flynn grabbed her and kissed her, then said, “You didn’t say anything about my lips.”

  Tani just laughed and pushed him away again, then started up the trail. Flynn watched her hips sway as she climbed the mountain and began to wonder just how soft a bed of pine needles might be, but they got to the top of the hill they’d been climbing and Tani stopped. Flynn’s train of thought was interrupted by the scene in front on him.

  “What is that?” He asked, looking at the clearing filled with what looked like smoke.

  “It’s steam.” Tani said, and set off into the dense swirling mass.

  Flynn followed, almost losing sight of her once when the fog became thick. When he caught up to her, he took her hand and said, “This is kind of spooky, what’s….”

  But he never finished his sentence because right in front of them was the biggest steaming pool of water he’d ever seen. It was surrounded by trees and there were ferns growing right out of the rocks that provided a beautiful backdrop for one of the most romantic spots he’d ever seen. Taking a deep breath of appreciation, his lungs filled with the scent of water and green growing things and some of his soreness faded. He’d already begun stripping off his clothes, the lure of the water so great he did it without thinking, when Tani began laughing.

  “Guess you figured out what we’re going to do.” She said, stepping over to him and running her hands up and down his chest, thinking that Flynn looked even better in the moon light.

  The water was warm and soothing and both let out a groan when they finally submerged themselves in its soothing heat. But it wasn’t long before Flynn pulled her into his arms, “Now, where were we?” He said, his hand sliding between her legs.

  When they got back from the trail ride, it was clear to them both that what they’d found was special. After five intense days of herding cattle, nursing small injuries, and sleeping on the ground they’d not only grown closer but learned a lot about each other. Tani could tell when Flynn was getting frustrated by the way he got quiet, and Flynn had learned that Tani was grumpy for at least fifteen minutes in the morning after she woke up. But the new knowledge that neither was perfect only seemed to make their connection stronger as they learned to cope with those imperfections in each other.

  They were happy to be home and quarreling good naturedly about who would get to take the first shower when they came in the kitchen door of the ranch house. They’d already decided that it was time to ask Sabrina if she could find them a cabin to live and head planned to do it the moment they got home. But she wasn’t in the office, so Tani grabbed her mail and they headed up stairs to get cleaned up.

  “I’m surprised she’s not here, but maybe we missed her; she goes to the big barn sometimes to meet Cooper.” Tani said, throwing the mail onto the dresser.

  “We’ll talk to her at dinner. Cooper said it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Do you want the shower first?” Flynn said, stripping off his dirty jeans and making her heart leap in her chest at the sight of his muscular legs.

  “Umm, sure.” She said, barely able to get the words out.

  “Keep looking at me like that and we won’t make it to the shower.” Flynn said, taking off his shirt.

  Tani took a deep breath and swallowed then scurried into the bathroom. As much as she wanted Flynn right then, she was just too dirty to even think about getting in the bed. She took a quick shower thinking about Flynn the entire time, the grin on her face making her get soap in her mouth twice. When she walked out of the bathroom Flynn slid in behind her, flashing her a smile over his shoulder and blowing her a kiss before he shut the door. For a moment, she considered following him inside, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it, so she sat down on the bed and began to brush the tangles out of her hair.

  She’d finished brushing her hair and was looking for another excuse not to put her clothes on when she saw the mail sitting on the dresser and decided to see what kind of junk mail she’d gotten this time. When Flynn came out of the bathroom he found her sorting through the mail, dressed only in a towel, and he stopped to watch her for a second then realized that she was staring at an envelope with a strange look on her face.

  “What’s the matter?” He asked, using a towel to dry his hair.

  Tani didn’t answer, but turned the envelope over and tore it open, inside she found a stack of pictures. The first one was of Cooper Terrell, then came Sabrina and the rest of the family who had taken her in and saved her life. But when she came to the last picture, it wasn’t one of the Terrell family it was of her parents and David, taken the night they’d all died. Clearly a crime scene photo, it shocked her to the core. She let out a small scream and flung the pictures across the room, then her vision began to cloud and the last thing she remembered was falling towards the floor.

  Flynn heard Tani’s little cry through the towel over his head and pulled it off to see her crumpling to the floor. He couldn’t reach her in time, but he picked her up off the floor and carried her to the bed, calling her name softly. Tani lay motionless for several long minutes, but finally her eyes fluttered opened, and she looked up at him in confusion. But the confusion was gone quickly, followed by a look of pure fear that froze Flynn’s heart with its intensity.

  “Sweetheart what’s wrong? What’s got you so scared.” He asked softly, afraid he’d spook her if he spoke too loudly.

  The fear in Tani’s eyes faded a little bit, so he sat down next to her on the bed and pulled her into his arms. “It’s okay, I’m here. Talk to me Tani, I can’t help if you won’t let me.”

  Tani began to shake in his arms, her body trembling uncontrollably until he began to get worried. But finally, she managed to say, “In the mail…. Pictures of�
�.” Then pointed to where she’d flung the pictures to the floor.

  Flynn moved to get up but Tani clung to him, “Please don’t leave me yet.” so he shifted his weight back into the bed and pulled her closer.

  Flynn held her until she stopped shaking and her breathing became even, sleep taking her to a place where she was safe from whatever had scared her so badly. While she slept, he stewed about what could have been so bad that it had reduced a very strong woman to a trembling mess and vowed to get to the bottom of it even if he had to ask someone else. He’d give Tani a chance to explain first, but it was clear that she’d been through a terrible trauma not that long ago. If she hadn’t been so clearly wounded by what was in those pictures, he’d have been mad that she hadn’t told him about something that could upset her that much, but he couldn’t find any anger looking down at her asleep in his arms.

  When he was sure that it wouldn’t wake her, he got out of bed and tucked a blanket around her and got dressed. He picked up the pictures off the floor and looked through them confused by why she’d become so upset at seeing them. Looking back at Tani sleeping in the bed, he knew that he couldn’t possibly wait until she woke up to get some idea of what was going on, so he put the pictures in his pocket and went in search of Sabrina who had to know what had happened to Tani.

  He found her in the kitchen supervising dinner, but when she saw the look on his face she left what she was doing and pulled him into her husband’s office. “What’s wrong?” She asked as soon as the door was closed.

  “It’s Tani. She got a letter with these pictures in it and fainted. She’s scared to death and I don’t understand why.” He explained, handing her the pictures.

  Sabrina looked through the pictures quickly, then set them down on the desk. “There has to be more than this, go back up and look again and I want to see that envelope.”