by Starla Kaye
She carried her boxes into the great room, thinking about the odd gleam in his eyes. What had he been considering? Something they would enjoy?
“Did we do okay?” he asked sounding anxious behind her.
“We?”
She glanced through teary eyes around the room. There was her collection of Santas all across the fireplace mantle, just as she usually put them. Her mother’s Christmas afghan lie spread over the back of the sofa. Fake holly was draped over the curtain rod, again, like she usually put it. And he’d put up an even bigger tree than normal. All of their ornaments covered it, even some she hadn’t put out in the last couple of years because she’d thought it was too much. He’d put all of them on the tree.
“It’s all so beautiful,” she whispered in awe.
“I wanted everything out in case you came home.”
When she looked at him, he was blushing. It was so sweet that she sniffed back tears.
“My family showed up just as I was about to tackle the job myself,” he explained before she could say anything.
His family helped him? Now she felt bad. She should have done this, with him. “I’m sorry for not being here.”
“Doesn’t matter…you’re here now. That’s what matters.” He walked around her to set the bench down in front of the tree. “I’d kind of like to try out my idea, if you’re game.”
Suddenly she felt awkward about the bench thing, but he looked so hopeful and sexy. His gaze had darkened. Her heart pounded and warmth spread through her.
She set her boxes to the side for later and then unbuttoned her coat. Her stomach once more fluttered with nerves as she eased the coat off and let it pool at her feet. She’d seen these skimpy little panties and barely-there bra in Shandra’s Secrets at the mall in Denver and decided to be bold. Her husband was a pretty conservative guy, but she’d imagined he might like the outfit. Hoped he would.
His eyes had widened in obvious admiration. He was breathing hard. And when she looked lower, she noted that an erection pushed at the front of his jeans. Everything in her tingled in awareness. Want. She wanted him so bad.
Since he appeared unable to function or speak, she took a chance on what he’d been thinking about. She moved to the bench, faced away from him, and slowly wiggled the panties off, kicked off her shoes too. Then she stretched over the bench. It was kind of strange, but she could live with this. Her butt was definitely up in the air and would be in a very bad position—depending on your point of view.
He sucked in a shuddery breath and then he began tearing off his clothes. She trembled, waited, uncertain exactly what to expect.
He moved behind her, smoothed his hand over her bare bottom, making it quiver. “Let me go grab some lube. Stay right here.”
Lube. She was already so wet and ready… Oh! He wanted to… Oh. It had been a long time since they’d done this, but she tingled in anticipation.
A few minutes later as Justin finally was fully inside her tight hole, she relaxed over the bench. She’d been glad he’d decided to fasten the restraints over her wrists, glad she could clamp her hands around the bench legs. It had taken a lot of lube and some gentle working with his fingers before she could accept his long, thick rod. They’d both had some heavy-breathing moments.
He held still, letting her adjust and catch her breath. His big hands gently caressed her back, her ass cheeks. “Thank you,” he said quietly.
She felt him so deep inside her. It was odd, but it no longer stung. She even managed to press back against him. “For the bench? For letting you take me this way?”
He rocked carefully back and forth, making her shiver at the exquisite fullness. “For those things, too.” He clasped her hips and pulled nearly out before sliding deep again. “For coming back to me.”
Suddenly she knew what she really wanted…what they’d both been wanting. She craned her head to look back at him. The sight of him standing behind her, knowing he was driving into her ass, took her breath away for a second. Then she recovered and asked cautiously, “Could you shift to doggy style? I’m okay with you taking me from behind, but…”
“I worried that you wouldn’t like this.” He stopped moving, pulled out and she gave a small moan at the sudden emptiness. “I’ll go get a condom.”
“No!” she said abruptly. She met his puzzled gaze. “I don’t really mind this and we can do it another time. But I want…let’s work on making a baby.”
She’d never seen him cry, even look weepy. Yet his eyes had appeared shiny when he’d walked up to her in the garage. Now he was blinking rapidly and grinning at the same time.
“You’re sure? Even after I screwed up enough that you left me?”
“Like you said, we’ll fix our problems. I have faith in you.” She changed her mind and wiggled her bottom at him. “Change of plans. Let’s stay right here. Think you can…ummm…try making a baby here?”
He didn’t wait for a second invitation. She purred in happiness as he drove deep inside her. It felt amazing to be taken this way. “Oh, yes, I like this bench!” she purred.
He stood still, throbbing inside her. “Works for me, too.”
As she lowered her head, she caught sight of the other gifts she had for him. Would she like him using the velvet flogger on her bare butt, too?
All I Want for Christmas (Biggest Prize Ever)
I love him. I love him not. I love him. Krystal twisted the stem on the apple, doing her own version of the plucking of petals in the time-honored tradition of determining if she loved Ryan Evans. Okay, so she cheated and pulled the stem out before it was ready to come out on its own.
She did love the bad-ass bull rider. The problem was so did most of the rodeo bunnies that hovered around him at each and every rodeo he rode in. She wasn’t into sharing.
Handing the apple to Rebecca, she heaved a frustrated sigh. “What am I going to do about him? Yes, kicking him in the nuts when he comes home again is an option.” In her mind’s eye, she saw the latest photo on his website. He was grinning as always, with his arms around two gorgeous women after his last rodeo. She fought back tears stinging her eyes. “What happened to ‘You’re the only woman for me’? I’m pretty sure I didn’t misunderstand those words he said the last time he was here.”
The beloved Palomino he’d given her for Christmas last year chomped on the apple but remained otherwise silent. But then Rebecca adored Ryan…like every other female—no matter the species—on the darn planet. The problem was she loved him too. She didn’t want to.
Her older brother, his best friend, had warned her against it. Her mother adored his charming side, but even she had cautioned her against a bad boy like him. And her dad…well, he’d sworn that if she started seeing Ryan again after he’d broken her heart this summer, he’d take the brush to her bottom like he’d done when she was a rebellious teenager.
She looked around the big, warm barn where her father housed his prized rodeo stock breeding horses during the winter. He was all gruff talk for the most part and she doubted he’d actually paddle her, but the idea did make her have second thoughts. Not that she intended on getting involved with Ryan again when he came home this week to see his folks for Thanksgiving. She might love him, but she wasn’t stupid.
The large double door at the other end of the building slid open and a blast of cold air swept inside. She turned at the interruption and found her mother in the doorway. Even from here, she could see the worry on her mother’s still unlined face. “There’s a call for you on the main line. It’s Ryan.” She hesitated. “I can tell him…”
That you don’t want to talk to him. Her mother’s words went unsaid, but she understood them. She shook her head and moved toward the phone on the center post in the long aisle. It was one of the only land-lined phones remaining on the ranch. “I’ll talk to him.”
“I should have told him you weren’t here.”
“It’s okay, Mom.” As she picked up the phone, her mother gave her a regret-filled look and l
eft the barn, closing the door behind her. Her mother was probably right that she shouldn’t talk to him, but…
“Hello, Ryan,” she kept her tone as casual as she could manage.
“Damn, darlin’, it’s good to hear your voice again.” His familiar, sexy as hell rumble made her body purr in pleasure. It always had, or at least since she’d fallen in lust over him almost ten years ago, at sixteen. After being his lover off and on these last few years, her reactions to him were even stronger. She ached in places she shouldn’t, desired him with every foolish fiber of her being.
She let his comment go. She was a bad judge of when he was serious anymore. The man was an easy-going flirt with any woman near him. It came natural to him, like breathing. “I heard you’re coming to see your parents this week. Your mom has been cooking up a storm, making all of your favorites. According to what she’s told my mother, that is.”
“She’s always determined to fatten me up.” He sounded pleased and amused. “I can’t wait to see them. You, too. Especially you.”
She’d heard the change in his tone, the fading of amusement. If she hadn’t seen the gazillion pictures of him with one pretty young woman after another plastered on every rodeo site she followed trying to keep up with him, she might have believed him. She really needed to get a handle on this obsession she had for him. It kept her comparing every man she dated to the handsome blond cowboy. Including Todd, the widowed banker she’d gone out with more than anyone else. Most of those she’d dated were solid men, settled in the community, would make great husbands and good fathers. But none of them were Ryan. Pitiful. You’re just pitiful.
“I’m going to be pretty busy,” she said flatly, hoping he didn’t hear the sadness in her voice. She needed to be strong, resist him this time.
The problem was that they’d had good times together. He made her laugh, made her feel special. He saw beyond the simple second grade teacher she was, drew out the sensual woman inside her. But he’d never said anything about a future together. He never talked about anything but the next rodeo, nothing about his life after he stopped working the circuit. That line about her being “the only woman for him” had just been one of his lines to make a woman feel good. She was certain of it. After all, if he’d been serious, wouldn’t he have kept in touch with her? Sent her an email once in a while? Facebooked her? He had a huge following, of which she—foolishly—was one.
He’d been quiet while her mind had wandered. Maybe he’d disconnected and she’d missed it. “Are you still there?”
“Yes, just thinking.” He hesitated and then asked warily, “Are you upset with me?”
Maybe he wasn’t quite as clueless as she’d thought. But she didn’t want to get into a deep conversation, really any kind of conversation. “No. I just have a lot of things to do. Family dinner, of course, tomorrow. Papers to grade. School stuff.” The school work was under control, but he didn’t need to know that.
“Can’t you squeeze in at least a little time for me? I’m only going to be here for a few days. I won’t be home again until Christmas.”
He sounded almost hurt, like he was begging. Odd. But she was wary of giving him an inch, fearing he’d grab for a foot. She’d learned the hard way that if you gave him what he wanted, he took it and more. Especially when it came to letting him have a simple kiss. Kissing him led to him stripping her before she had known what was happening. It had led to him laying her out and feasting on her—not that that had been a bad thing. He repeated all of it every time they were together because she couldn’t resist him. Every time he left her totally boneless and so content she never wanted to move again. The man was DANGEROUS in big-time capital letters.
“Please, darlin’,” he prodded. “I really need to see you.” That really did sound like begging, which boosted her ego.
As always, she weakened. With a defeated sigh, she said, “I’ll meet you at Sal’s Pizza Place at noon on Friday. Take it or leave it.” For clarification—for him? For her?—she added, “No sex this time. I mean it. Pizza or nothing.”
“I’ll be there.” He hung up before she could chicken out and she wondered if he’d known she was considering just that.
* * * *
Ryan waited anxiously in a booth in Sal’s Pizza Place in Middleton, Kansas. He hadn’t been in here since high school but the place hadn’t changed a bit. The tables scattered around were mismatched, as were the chairs. The clock on the far wall always seemed to be off, since Sal didn’t get around to adjusting it to daylight savings time. His wife, Connie, had put on quite a few pounds but her attitude hadn’t changed. She still mothered everyone who walked in the door. Including him.
“You need more meat on your bones,” she said, sadly shaking her head at him. Then she followed his glance to the door. “Expecting someone?” She grinned in mischief. “Our sweet little Miss Krystal?”
He already knew everyone in town adored Krystal Carter. His mother always told him every detail about what was going on with her whenever he called home. She volunteered around town for anything that needed help. She sang in the church choir, “like an angel.” But the latest news he’d received was that she’d been dating a lot this summer, particularly a widowed banker. A revelation he’d heard yesterday at Thanksgiving dinner. His mom had reluctantly told him the news and he’d felt sucker-punched. She was his girl! Evidently she didn’t understand that, but he’d always thought it was a given.
The door opened and this time when he looked in that direction, he saw the woman he loved. His heart skipped a beat and he smiled in relief, the day already feeling better. He’d been worried that she might not come. He hadn’t seen her since May, when he’d been in town for Mother’s Day. Damn, he’d missed her.
She gave a weak smile and headed toward him. His stomach tightened; his palms were sweating. You’d think he was on his first date, worried about impressing her. He’d known Krystal all her life and known since she’d turned sixteen that some day she’d be his forever. Sure, she’d dated in high school and in college. They’d talked about it. He’d wanted her not to miss out on the dating experience. He hadn’t liked her hanging out with other men, even if he hadn’t led the life of a saint while working the rodeo circuit over the years. But he’d never gotten seriously involved with another woman. In his head and heart, he knew they would end up together. And she’d never shown any real interest in anyone besides him. So he’d been okay. Until now.
She’d thrown a kink in his plan by getting serious about another man. It was supposed to be him. Always only him.
“Hi, sweetie,” Connie said and helped Krystal off with her coat. “I’ll give you two a few minutes to decide what you want.” She walked away, but not before she looked worriedly at him.
“Pretty as ever,” he said, taking in everything about her as he always did. He meant it, too. There had never been a woman prettier, at least not in his biased opinion.
She’d let her chin-length hair grow out, now it fell in soft, warm auburn waves over her shoulders. Shoulders that appeared tense. Actually she looked stiff all over, distant. This was so unlike the way she usually reacted when they got together after being apart for a month or two. But he suddenly realized he hadn’t seen or talked to her in six months. Six months? No wonder she was pissed at him. How the hell had he let so much time get by him?
She eased into the other seat and focused on folding her coat just right instead of looking at him. “Are you leaving tomorrow? Or this weekend?” She glanced at him and took the rolled-up silverware and started unrolling it.
Unable to help himself, he reached across the table and gently touched her hand. So soft, fragile, feminine.
She jerked it away, her eyes flashing fire at him.
“Honey, what’s wrong? What did I do?” If he thought about it, he could probably come up with a hell of a long list.
“Hmmm, let me see….” She leaned back far enough he couldn’t touch any part of her. “You tell me I’m the only woman in your life, t
hen you forget about me. You flirt with every rodeo bunny that crosses your path.”
“I do no such thing,” he protested. At her raised voice, he glanced around the partially filled restaurant. Nobody was paying them any attention. Okay, maybe he flirted a bit, but he’d not done more than that. He’d been tempted many times. Some of those young women could be pretty insistent. “I didn’t cheat on you.”
She dared to roll her eyes at him. “Yeah, right. I’ve seen the pictures on your website and on your Facebook page. You out celebrating at some bar after yet another win.”
“I don’t lie.” Damn his frequent rodeo-traveling companion. Toby was into all of that Internet stuff, not him. Toby had created both the website and the Facebook page for him. He’d hardly even looked at it. Social media wasn’t his thing. But he knew there had been pictures taken many times. He never thought much about them. “They’re only photos. Nothing more.”
She gave an unladylike snort. Her eyes looked teary and she drew in a shaky breath. “You’re a highly sexual man. I can’t believe you’ve been celibate since the last time we were together.”
That she thought so little of him bothered him, a lot. He might not be the best man around or even worthy of someone as smart as she was, but he didn’t cheat. He’d made a commitment to her and he’d stood by it. Did she know he’d made a commitment to her? Had he actually said the words out loud? He thought he had, but maybe he hadn’t. Still, she should have known he was serious.
He frowned. “Don’t be like this, darlin’. Trust in me. I haven’t changed. I’m still the same man you’ve known and loved.”
She set the silverware aside and waved Connie away as she approached the table. As the older woman walked off, Krystal met his gaze. “That’s the problem, Ryan. You’ve been an outrageous flirt ever since you were a teenager. You’re a natural-born charmer. I’ve been charmed, too. But I need more than a man who is in and out of my life whenever he damn well pleases.”