“Yeah, no problem at all. Let me grab my keys.” Brody spun on his heels, jogging toward the house.
Darryl began to slide the reins over the dappled gray’s head when Chase said, “Nah, leave those there.” He flicked his chin at Harper. “Come on, beautiful, let’s go for a ride.”
Lost in the steadiness of Chase now, she slowly approached, handing Houdini to him. He placed the puppy on his lap across the saddle. Obviously exhausted, Houdini stayed put, laying his head down.
“Thanks,” she said to Darryl with a smile, taking the reins from him. Glad she was wearing a long T-shirt and leggings, and not a dress, she placed her foot in its flip-flop into the stirrup then mounted the horse and quickly adjusted the length of the stirrups.
Brody returned then and exited the house, moving to his Jeep parked on the road. “I’m just over here, Darryl,” he called.
“See you two later.” Darryl smiled and nodded at Chase and Harper before heading over to Brody’s Jeep.
Everything faded away after that when Chase leveled her with a soft look. For all the spinning of her thoughts lately, and all the unknowns she faced, when she stared into his eyes, everything became very clear.
Chase had always been the one surety she never doubted. Her feelings for him were one of the clearest things she’d ever known.
He arched an eyebrow. “All good?”
She smiled, settling into the saddle. “Perfect, actually.”
* * *
Beneath the mountains and under the large shade tree, Chase finished removing the bit from Mac’s bridle, allowing him to graze the grass as he had done with Autumn, the dappled gray. With the horses settled, Chase noted Harper sitting beneath another shade tree next to the creek that ran through Blackshaw land. The current was fast, the water splashing against the rocky ground. She sat cross-legged, Houdini in between, his head resting on her legs, his eyes shut. Apparently, the puppy was intent on being with the woman who saved his life.
Chase felt the same damn way.
Leaving the horses behind him, he strode toward her, the sun peeking through the branches of the tree, making the honey-blond in her hair glisten. She stroked Houdini’s ears, the puppy sound asleep, his little belly rising and falling fast with his heavy breaths.
“It’s been a hard day for him,” Chase said.
Harper glanced up, those captivating eyes holding so much life, connecting with his. “For everyone, I think.”
She could not have made a truer statement, and he nodded in response. He sat next to her, being gentle, not to wake Houdini. He rested his back against the tree trunk, one knee bent, arm resting on top. “It’s been a hard week, really.”
“Yeah, it has.” She stroked one finger down Houdini’s nose.
Everything he wanted to say lay on the tip of his tongue. Before, he would not have said a word, supporting her choice to move to Las Vegas.
Now, things along the way had changed. Unsure where to begin, he started with gratitude. “I can never repay you for getting that information about Todd and Joel.”
“You don’t have to repay me,” she said softly. “Sometimes having boobs really comes in handy.” She grinned. “This was one of those times.” Her smile began to fade as she continued to run her fingers over Houdini’s floppy ear while the puppy began snoring. “Did everything work out okay?”
Chase nodded. “Todd passed the inspection. Joel is out of our lives.”
“That’s good.”
She smiled again, and the warmth she offered him woke up foreign parts inside him that he did not know lay dormant. He wanted to give her the world. He reached for her hand and twined his fingers with hers. “For my whole life, I’ve always tried to do the right thing. That’s something Dad instilled in us growing up. We always needed to be the better man. To take the high road.” He stared down at his thumb stroking her soft hand, loving the way they fit together. “A few months ago, Shep had said to me that nothing would stop him from being with the woman he loved.”
He glanced at her, finding her unmoving, staring down at Houdini. Needing to see her pretty eyes, he tucked a finger under her chin, bringing her attention to him. “But when it came to you, it seemed more complicated at the time.”
“Because of Vegas?” she asked softly.
He inhaled deeply and brushed the fallen pieces of her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t want you to have to choose between the dream you always wanted and a life with me. You lost your chance at your dreams once before. I didn’t want to be the reason you lost those dreams again.” He paused and considered all that had unfolded between them, stroking the soft strands of her hair. “There has never been a single doubt in my mind that the second we crossed that line and let ourselves feel what we feel, there would be no going back. That’s what kept me at a distance.” Again, he paused before laying it all out there. “I foolishly believed I could touch you and then I could simply watch you walk away. That was my desperation to have any part of you I could before you left me. I was raised to stay in control, to be the bigger man, to think of you over myself. Those are the morals that have shaped my life.”
“And now?” she asked.
“Now everything has changed.” He brushed his fingers across her jawline, and she leaned into him. “I know I should stand by you, hoping you choose to stay here in River Rock, not pushing my thoughts onto you.” He removed his hand, resting it back on his thigh, no longer holding back all the things he wanted to say. “Houdini seemed to know what I should have known all along. He refused to let anything or anyone stand in his way. And I won’t either.” Chase cupped her face. His voice cracked. “We belong together. Houdini needs you. I need you. You need to be with us, or life doesn’t make sense anymore.”
Tears welled in her eyes.
He placed the other hand on her face, hoping this was enough to keep her. “Every goddamn day, every minute, every second of every day, I’m thinking of you, wanting you, craving you. The way you brighten up this world amazes me. How strong you are impresses the hell out of me. Your fierce nature is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I want you with me, Harper. Always.” He tightened his hands on her face, and he did the one thing his father told him to never do. He thought only of himself now. “Don’t go to Vegas. Stay here in River Rock. Make a life with me. It might not be as fancy or as exciting, but what we’ll have is real and honest and full of love.”
“Okay,” she said with zero hesitation.
He raised his brows. “Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.” She laughed softly, her eyes creasing with heady amusement. “I already decided I wasn’t going to Vegas. You’re right—it’s you, me, and Houdini now.”
Confusion clouded his head. “The boxes in your car?”
She lifted one shoulder. “It felt too weird staying with Faith and Brody now that they’re married. When I told Megan that, she offered me a room at her place.”
Chase’s thoughts stuttered. He had been so sure she was leaving for Vegas when he arrived at her house earlier. “So, you’re not going to Vegas?”
“Nope.” She placed her hands over his on her face. “My family is here. My heart is here. There is no way I could leave. And you want to know why?”
“Tell me.”
“You’re the best man I know, Chase.” Her voice broke and her eyes grew watery. “You’re good and sweet and all mine, and I’ve known we belonged together from the second I came back from Denver and you looked at me with those warm, strong eyes, making me fall for you right then and there.”
Overwhelmed by her, he hesitated. “I love you, Harper.”
She leaned in and her smile took his breath away. “I love you right back.”
No words had ever held such power as those words did now. He caught a whiff of her fruity perfume when he closed the distance between them, and the hints of the wild flowers around them. He pressed his lips against hers, and she moaned against his mouth. The kiss was gentle and warm and filled with promise.
When he leaned away, he brushed his knuckles across her jawline, curiosity getting the better of him. “Tell me this, beautiful—if you knew you were staying in River Rock, why didn’t you say something before I went into that whole spiel?”
Her mouth twitched, the sassiness he loved filling her gaze. “I think after waiting nine months for you, I deserved to hear every one of those words, don’t you?”
“I suppose so.” He chuckled, her mouth right there. “Shall I tell you I love you until you’re sick of hearing it?”
“I’ll never grow tired of hearing it.” She glanced down at Houdini between them before closing the distance and whispering against his lips, “We’ll never grow tired of being loved by you.”
Chapter 17
On the opening day of Blackshaw Cattle’s Guest Ranch, Harper sat at the folding table on a hard plastic chair in the middle of the Clayton’s Diner, honing her knives, something she had neglected to do for a while. Some people read to relax, or took a bath, she gave her knives the attention they deserved. She studied the space around her, seeing all its potential.
Only five days ago, Clayton had given her a fair price for the diner, taking fifty thousand dollars off the asking price because of all the work it needed. Chase had offered to draw up the new plans for free, and with his crew doing the renovations, she only had to pay for supplies and the crew’s labor. Those reasons made building her restaurant doable. Sure, it meant staying at Megan’s a little longer since the restaurant took all of her inheritance, but Megan seemed okay with having a roommate, and Harper loved living with her. Especially since instead of paying room and board, Harper cooked dinner for them every night. Of course, that was just Megan’s way of taking away Harper’s guilt for not paying rent.
Harper smiled to herself and wiped the shiny blade with a soft cloth when the front door opened. Newspaper was taped up to the windows next to the door, blocking the view from the outside, which she’d heard built the public’s anticipation. Chase entered the restaurant, wearing his BLACKSHAW CONSTRUCTION T-shirt and dark jeans for the ranch’s grand opening in an hour.
He closed the distance between them, grabbed the back of her chair, and dropped a soft kiss on her mouth. “How’s my girl?”
“She’s enjoying her new restaurant.” She gently placed the knife back in the black leather storage box. She leaned into his touch as he brushed his knuckles across her jawline. “Those big wooden beams were dropped off about a half hour ago.”
Chase straightened, and his gaze fell to the large beams that would soon go up on the ceiling to set the rustic tone. “Things seem to be falling into place nicely. The crew will start Monday with the rebuild.” He hesitated, his head tilting to the side. “You, however, still haven’t decided on the most important thing.”
“Which is?”
“Your restaurant’s name. Have you given that more thought?”
She glanced around the bare space. The decision seemed like such a big deal that she had been mulling it over. But about twenty minutes ago, in the silence while she tended to her knives, an idea had formed. “I actually was thinking about that. What do you think of The Kitchen?”
Warmth touched Chase’s face. “Because your love for cooking came from the time you were with your mom in her kitchen?”
Not sure she could get words out, Harper nodded.
“Ah, beautiful,” he murmured, tucking her hair behind her ear. “It’s a perfect name.”
She smiled.
He turned his attention to the knives on her table. “What are you doing with these?” He reached out to stroke the shiny blade.
Harper slapped his hand. “Don’t get handsy, buddy.”
Chase chuckled, pulling his arms away to cross them. “Seriously?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m dead serious.” She slid her finger carefully along the blade. “My knives are my babies. No one touches them but me.”
A pause. Then Chase’s voice lowered. “Are you telling me what I can’t touch, Harper?”
The hardness in his voice brought out her smile. She glanced into his eyes, unsurprised to see that sexy strength in his gaze that she was becoming more familiar with. A side of Chase that came out only so often, but one he obviously liked to indulge in, where he owned the show sexually. “I sure am,” she said, playing along with the game. “Does that make me a bad girl?”
“A very bad girl.” Though his mouth twitched, the intensity in his expression stole her breath. Leaving her there, he made quick work of locking the front door.
By the time he returned to her, his powerful stare on her, she sensed herself grow warm and wet. He stopped in front of her and offered his hand. She slid her fingers into his, feeling her nipples tighten, goose bumps rising on her flesh. Because experience told her when Chase looked at her like that, she would be a panting, satisfied mess by the time he was done with her.
Lost in his stare, she rose, her breathing increasing when he tucked his fingers into the flower-pattered scarf around her neck, slowly undoing the knot. Instead of continuing to undress her like she was expecting, he said, “Tell me to stop and we stop. All right?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
The side of his mouth arched before he stepped in behind her, and then she was staring at the wall. Until she saw nothing as he used the scarf to cover her eyes. While the scarf was not dark enough to block out light, she couldn’t see very well, making out only shadows around her.
He tied the knot at the back of her head, and she sensed him move in front of her again. His fingers grazed her belly when he reached for her white T-shirt, pulling it over her head. Her bra followed a moment later, the cool air brushing against her taut nipples. She inhaled sharply, her nose tickled by the dust in the air when he unbuttoned her coral cotton shorts to reveal her panties, pulling those down until she stepped out of them.
Silence surrounded her while he examined her naked, available flesh. She cocked her head slightly, listening carefully to the rustling in front of her. Soon, she realized he was undressing, and a crinkling sound told her he was sheathing himself in a condom.
Everything, from her head right down to her toes, pulsed in need.
She sensed him moving toward her and noticed the outline of his shadow before she felt his hand on her waist. Everything seemed to melt away beneath his touch. She closed her eyes under the blindfold, falling into where he wanted to take them.
His finger tickled up the front of her leg and then into the junction of her thighs, and he stroked her sensitive flesh. Slow at first, until his touch became more determined. But then it all changed. He went from slow touches to hard presses against her bundle of nerves, then to moving fast and returning back to slow a second later.
The rise and the fall of the pleasure left her panting. She whimpered and her hands fisted at her sides, the sensation confusing. Which only amplified when his tongue replaced his finger, and her knees weakened while he somehow mirrored the same movement his finger had traced. Sometimes, he would lick slowly as if to take the pleasure away. Other times, he would go hard and fast, bringing euphoria rapidly.
When she reached for his head, threading her hands into his hair to hold him to her, his mouth vanished. He placed a kiss on her thigh. “Grab your elbows behind your back. Do not let go.”
Desperate now, she did exactly what he told her to do. Blessedly, his tongue returned, continuing its assault, slowkly licking over her clit, flicking the bud back and forth, until he hardened his tongue, increasing the force. She sensed herself falling, the pleasure right there for her to take.
Coldness sank into her bones when he backed away.
She heard her desperate whimper when one finger slid inside her. Searching for a release, she bore down against his touch, grunting at the frustration of that finger not being his tongue that nearly sent her soaring.
With each passing minute, he moved his finger slowly in and out, not giving her the force or speed she needed to claim the orgasm that was right there waiting for her to
take it. Her legs trembled, and her uncontrolled moans were stacked right on top of each other.
When another finger slid inside her, she screamed at the joy of it, her head falling back. Two strokes later, his fingers dug into her waist, and then he was pumping his fingers fast and hard, and she was screaming without restraint. She reached the edge again, nearly falling into the pleasure, when he yanked his fingers away.
“No,” she screamed.
His low chuckle brushed against her face before his tongue slid between her lips, exploring her mouth. Only after he had her a panting mess of desperate need, did he break the kiss. At some point, he had removed the scarf from around her face.
She blinked twice, her vision adjusting.
Then he was there.
All of him. All of Chase, and his sweet love.
He gathered her in his arms and carried her over to the wooden beams that had been delivered earlier. He set her down, her bottom resting on the edge of the stack, her legs hooked over his arms. He stared deeply into her eyes, and he entered her painstakingly slowly.
“Chase.” She gasped, shaking from the inside out, her legs trembling over his arms.
“Yes, beautiful?” He withdrew again, and holding the base of his cock, he slapped his shaft against her overly sensitive clit.
She gasped again and wiggled, grabbing his forearms. The pleasure was almost unbearable, but then he was back inside her. No more. She couldn’t possibly take anymore. Reaching up, she cupped his face and begged, “No more playing, Chase. I need you. Now.”
With the satisfied knowledge that he had brought her to the very brink of madness, he smiled and entered her in one swift stroke, all the way to the hilt. His brows were furrowed over his intense eyes. His teeth biting onto his lip while he thrust his hips in a rhythm, showing he would not stop until she exploded against him.
And she did.
A scream she didn’t even recognize escaped from her mouth, her fingernails biting into his arms. She shattered into pieces, falling into a foreign pleasure that had no beginning and no end.
Everything was a blur after that. For a long time.
Sweet-Loving Cowboy--A Kinky Spurs Novel Page 22