We soon found ourselves riding through the gentle hills of Kentucky. I had never been there and was amazed to see that they really are a blue-green. We would weave along the country highways as we watched thoroughbreds race alongside our bike, their manes flowing in the dappled sun. It was magical. We would stop alongside the road to picnic with goodies gathered along the way at local roadside markets. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much as Buck regaled me with stories of his Texas boyhood. It turns out he really did grow up on a ranch and had a love for that high arid country.
By the time we hit Memphis and the Mississippi River I knew that we would soon need to stop for the night. When he asked for two rooms, there was both a sense of disappointment and relief. Buck had proven throughout our trip so far to be such a gentleman, but I wasn't sure how far that Texan attitude extended. All day he had not let me pay for a thing, pointing out how we didn't want to leave any kind of paper trail Gene could follow. Everything, and I mean everything, was taken care of by Buck. I was wondering if he expected something in return, but true to form he never asked.
As I said goodnight and headed to my room, a sense of aloneness overcame me. Up until now I had little time to really think about everything that had happened since Gene stepped back into my life. Now it all came crashing down on me and I felt overwhelmed. The door closed with a click and I wondered just how I was going to get through the night. There was one thing that I knew would get me through and that was to get lost in my old love, geology. It seemed fitting that I was back to looking into new fracturing fluid ideas as I was returning to where I first studied them. I pulled out my old notebook and began looking through my notes to see where I had left off last year. I was lost in thought when I heard a quiet knock on my door.
Buck
She was looking a bit sad as we headed off for our rooms. They were right next door to each other and her room was pretty quiet as I pulled out my laptop to make a few quick emails. I needed to let others know I was on my way, even if I was running a little late. But my mind kept returning to that other room, so very quiet right now. I knew she had been through a lot the last 24 hours. I headed next door. Just checking on her, I told myself. I don't make a habit of lying to myself, but those green eyes kept returning to my thoughts. I didn't know what I would do if she was crying, but I just had to be sure she knew she wasn't alone.
The moment she opened the door and looked up at me I could feel the heat rise between us. I knew this could be dangerous, walking into her room. Somehow I didn't care. I glanced across the room and saw a little notebook opened up and papers sitting next to it. "Are you okay?" I asked. I tried not to get lost in those deep green eyes but I was already a goner when she stepped closer to me as she closed the door.
"Sorta" was all she had to say. Before I knew it I had swept her into my arms, my hands caressing the small of her back as I felt her arms go up and around my neck. When my mouth came down on hers she tasted sweet, like a spring day after a long hard winter. She met my kiss tentatively at first, and then with a growing passion. Our tongues darted back and forth, like little minnows looking for that perfect resting place in a stream. I longed to pick her up and lay her on the bed, covering that tiny perfect body with a storm of kisses. But before I could she stepped away, her hand against my chest.
"I'm sorry Chrissie, I thought…that is…" I have never been lost for words before but I was now. I looked down at her hands pushing ever so quietly at me and then up into her eyes. I saw tears hovering, and instantly worried.
"It's just too soon Buck," she said. "I won't deny there is something between us, something strong. But there are things about me you don't know and they matter." I kissed the top of her forehead, her nose and then her hands. She smiled and took a deep breath. This felt like the days when I would be breaking broncos my brother Bill brought in from the hills. Trust is something you earn with all living things and I knew I needed to back off and earn Chrissie's.
"Whatever it is, just tell me Chrissie." I took her hand and sat down on the bed, across from her. As I waited for her to gain her composure I glanced down at the notebook and papers. A map of the Glass Mountains was spread on the little screen with notations I recognized as indications of the presence of shale. The papers were filled with geological notes on the area as well. Could this be what she was hiding?
She sat across from me, toying with her papers and smiling when she saw me looking at them. "This is just something I am working on, an idea I had a year or so back that I may want to look at again," she commented as she swept them up and put them all away. She turned and sat cross-legged on the bed across from me, using plenty of body language to tell me that right now what she wanted was a friend and nothing more. I waited patiently.
Then she explained. In halting language with several stops along the way when tears rebelliously showed in her eyes, she told me about her life before the accident. A happy life filled with promise, with parents who adored her and a fiancé who with her looked to find new ways to make the work in the oil fields safer, cleaner and more productive. As a team they were working to find new fluids that would leave less contamination while giving producers a better yield. They were on track to change the industry when one night their car swerved off the road.
She blamed herself. They were on their way home after a long day at a conference where she and her finance had made a presentation before the entire industry and both her parents. She had been leading an animated discussion on their work with everyone in the car when her father lost control. The wreckage caused by the accident was more than just the car; it was her life that was destroyed. She had been the sole survivor. With this confession she melted my heart with her tears and once again I took her in my arms, this time to comfort her. Our kisses were sweet but I knew it was not the time to demand anything from her. What she needed was a distraction from her pain.
I remembered that presentation, I had been in the audience. I glanced at the papers she had been toying with, curious. "Is this your work?" I asked. "Do you mind if I look?" She glanced up at me, surprised at my question. "Do you understand this?" she asked as she pulled out pages filled with computations and notes. I glanced through them, seeing the direction her research had taken her, recognizing the ideas from that presentation. It complimented the one I was currently pursuing for our "family business" if you can call any multi-billion dollar oil company a family business. Ours just happened to have remained within our family as others sold out to the multinationals.
"I don't actually do the research but yes, I do understand this. My family owns Austin Oil and we have been looking for a solution along these lines for the last few years." I looked through her notes more thoroughly. "Chrissie this is exactly what we have been looking for…" I glanced at a note on the bottom of a page. "…wait…Christina Alexander…I know that name." I looked up at her. "I have to tell you that I remember that presentation you gave along with a few papers you wrote about this a few years back. They were brilliant." She blushed but nodded, turning an adorable shade of pink.
I couldn't help it. I let go the loudest war whoop I could and picked her up and twirled her in the air. When I set her down I smiled down at her astonished face, grinning like a stupid fool. "There was a reason I walked into that taverna in Greece! Not only are you the prettiest gal I have set eyes on in a long time, you are the smartest. You can't keep hiding these ideas under the guise of a barkeep Chrissie. I see why you needed some time away but this could change the whole industry!"
She looked at me with amusement in her eyes as she gathered up the papers and put them away. "Austin Oil? That's the "little family business" you were returning to just now? Seems we both had a lot to reveal Buck. Because Buck Austin is not some Texas oil rigger, he heads research for his Dad's company." That was when she paused and looked up in concern. "Sorry Buck, I just remembered reading your Dad's obit last month. I know how that hurts." She gave me a hug but then turned away. "I think I need to turn in and we h
ave a lot to think over, both of us." I knew a dismissal when I heard it so I headed out the door. "Let me know if you need to talk, and I mean just talk. Otherwise, I will see you at 6 to head out before the sun gets too high. Texas is a big piece of land to cross." She smiled, nodded and I headed back to my own room.
Chrissie
The morning started out bright and clear. All day as we rode I kept replaying our conversation of the night before. It was strange to know this was the same Buck Austin I had read about when I was a student. I knew his history as the brilliant maverick of his clan, always seeming to be one step ahead of the curve when it came to research in the oil industry. His work had doubled his family's worth in just the last few years. Was this someone I wanted to get involved with at all? How much of his interest in me was genuine and what was a ploy to use me? I didn’t really think that Buck was the type to use sex to get what he wanted in business, but he wouldn't be the first man to try. And men who control, men like Gene, were always bad news. I decided to put the whole question aside for now. Today we were on the road and that was all that mattered.
We wanted to make good time because there had been a report of a storm heading our way in the news that morning, but so far you would never know. Texas really is big, a big sky and big distances to travel. We would stop along the way for a quick bite, always watching the sky. The thunder clouds began to build behind us around noon. By three they were that strange black and green that warns you just how bad a storm they are going to unleash. But we wanted to make good time, so we passed the towns that dotted the countryside and kept going. That was our first mistake.
As the wind began to pick up we knew that it was just a matter of time before those storm clouds caught up with us. We really did not want to be on the road when that happened, but our little scattering of towns seemed to have petered out. The next one wasn't for another 30 miles and we weren't sure if the storm would hold off that long. Buck gunned the bike, hoping to simply outrun it. That was our second mistake. Because life had other plans and they came in the form of the Texas Highway Patrol.
He pulled us over and took his time walking up. You've seen the type. He slowly swaggered up, looked at me like I was dinner on a plate and then glanced over at Buck. I prayed Buck didn't cause us any trouble but he just did his best good ol' boy, handed the papers and told him how we were hoping to find a place to "tucker down in" before the storm hit. But the cop wasn't biting. He just nodded, walked back to call in our info and then had a nice friendly chat with the dispatcher before heading back to the bike. By the time he had written out our ticket and let us leave, the rain was just starting to hit.
The cop took off; I am sure to a nice warm dry coffee shop. We headed down the road, trying to stick to the speed limit in case he called in our direction to the next cop, and prayed for a motel. Within ten minutes I was soaked to the skin. By the time another 20 had passed and we finally saw the motel sign, I was chattering with cold and barely able to feel my fingers. As we pulled in, an elderly couple came out in rain gear to guide us to the office. The woman took one look at me and said "You come with me dearie; we are running you a nice hot bath. He can take care of the rest." She passed him a scorching look as only a Texan grandma can.
By the time Buck was back in our room, the only one available tonight, I was stripped down and sitting in the hottest bath I have ever experienced. It was amazing and I was starting to remember what fingers and toes felt like. She walked out of the room, admonishing Buck for "letting' that gal freeze her ass off!" and closed the door. He called to me through the closed bathroom door.
"Are you still alive in there?" I laughed at him and let him know I was indeed, though I was a bit worried about our equipment. "No problems there, I always store everything in an oiled waterproof bag, so don't worry about your notes." He had read my mind. Clothes can be replaced and looking at my shirt it just might need to be. But those notes were not replaceable.
When I emerged a little later, he was sitting on the bed with his laptop. He looked up and gave me a lecherous grin and a bit of a wolf-whistle. I was wrapped in the biggest fluffiest white bathrobe you have ever seen. "I see that everything in this state only comes in extra big" I said as I dried my hair. He grinned back, and drawled "well, missy I can prove it if you like." I sat on the bed across from the desk he was using, and he turned to face me. His long legs, still encased in a pair of thoroughly wet jeans, straddled my legs as his hands went down to rest on my thighs.
"I think you will catch yourself a death of a cold if you stay in those jeans," I ventured. There was laughter in his eyes as he caught my face in his hands."We wouldn't want that now, would we?" he murmured as he kissed me. I could feel that kiss burn right down me, giving me flutters in places that I longed for his fingers to explore. Soon the kiss turned into something more. His fingers were running down the middle of the robe, teasing it open as his tongue followed suit.
I reached for his zipper and tugged at those wet jeans but his cowboy boots were causing a bit of trouble. We laughed together as we struggled to get his clothes off, dumping the soaking wet garments on the floor and kicking off his boots in one motion. He turned to me, peeling the robe off my shoulders as he gave me slow sweet kisses to each bit of exposed skin. I ran my hands across his back and down that tight ass of his, thrilling to the feel of skin on skin.
He looked down at my now fully exposed body and grinned up at me. "You are every bit as beautiful as I thought you would be Chrissie." He bent down and began to tongue my nipples, making them hard in seconds as his hands caressed me, reaching down my body to that final jewel that made everything else stop still. His tongue quickly followed and I was soon bathed in a hot glow as he created wave after wave of ecstasy until I couldn't stand it another second. I had to feel him in me now and I reached out in my need.
I knew he wanted me as much as I wanted him. He looked up at me, his face serious but his eyes filled with a sensual need. "Are you ready for me?" he asked. I let him know by reaching down and running my hands along his cock, hard and as ready for me as I was for him. His first thrust was long and slow, as he carefully watched my face and then kissed me. Soon we were rocking in rhythm, with the sultry thrusts growing in intensity as our hips met and our breath came in short gasps of pleasure.
Time stood still, the world stood still and we were both lost in the moment of ecstasy, our fervor rising with the increased pulse of our passion. With a gasp I felt us reach towards a mutual orgasm, shuddering in our release. Then slowly, we sank down together in that old bed, Buck pulling up the blankets around us as we curled up together. Exhausted by the day, the ride and now this incredible lovemaking, I soon lost my battle with sleep and fell into dreamland in his arms.
Buck
I awoke to the sunlight steaming through the window, setting the storm of auburn tresses on fire that slept beside me. Seeing her like this, relaxed and at rest made me realize what a force of nature she was. Now, as she dreamed beside me I could watch her face and realize how precious it had become to me. A sprinkle of cinnamon colored freckles across the bridge of her nose added to her charm and I resisted the urge to gather her up in my arms and make love once more.
With a sigh at what I was sure was my misguided chivalry I quietly slid out of bed, grabbed my jeans and headed out in search of coffee. When I walked back in with two steaming cups of java, she was sitting in bed with her notepad. I climbed in beside her and she sipped while showing me highlights of her concept. It was brilliant, beyond brilliant and I was quickly thinking about what I could offer her to bring it to our company.
But I couldn't resist a quick kiss and soon one thing led to another. It was a good two hours later when we finally emerged, dressed and ready to ride. I know neither of us regretted the time spent laughing, tickling and making long slow love while exploring each other with tongue, fingers and of course investigative eyes that roamed a new and glorious landscape.
The day passed quickly but Texas is a big land
and I knew we were not going to make my family's ranch by nightfall. When it got too hot mid-day we headed for whatever shade we could find and took a siesta, curled up hip to hip beneath a spreading oak tree. The familiar trees were a sign we were heading into the Savannah of Southeastern Texas, the wide open land where I had grown up. We continued on and just after sunset we were in a place I knew well. I pulled over and took her hand. Together we climbed a small hill just as the stars were beginning to show.
This was a favorite place of mine. As we lay on our backs at the top of the hill, hands clasped together, we waited for the miracle to unfold. Slowly the Milky Way revealed itself – a wide pathway of pure white with only tiny sparks of deep blue to betray any sign of sky. I could hear her breath catch as it slowly unveiled its glory. I had been waiting for the right woman to come along and share this with, and I had a feeling with Chrissie I had found her.
Chrissie
I know, I have said magical before but this really was. We lay together, the smell of the rich loamy earth mixed with the fresh green scent of prairie grass that tickled our skins as it reached around our bodies. Above us was a sky like none I had seen before. Iridescent white against the darkest blue every created, a deep midnight blue like you see in a rich velvet cloth. The stars crowded out the sky, as if they didn't even want to share it with that blue. We lay together, lost in that sky for what felt like hours though it was probably one. It was the kind of night where you just didn't notice time.
When the breeze turned cool we slowly rose up and walked down the hill. As we did I saw huge dark shadows drifting nearby and stopped, startled. Buck laughed. "Those are buffalo but don't worry. They walk as they sleep, sort of an animal type of sleep-walking I guess." With that he kissed my hand and we threaded our way through a herd of slowly walking, sleeping buffalo. It was a true Texas moment and I don't think I would have believed it if I were with anyone but Buck.
VAMPIRE:Vampire Guardian Series: Paranormal Mystery Vampire Alpha Male Romance (New Adult Contemporary Paranormal Royalty Fantasy Romance Collection)) Page 25