by Renee Rose
Charlie’s smile returned. “You want to hold her?” she asked, offering the baby.
Honest truth? In the few months since both these two babies arrived at the ranch, I hadn’t held one of them.
Hadn’t really felt it was something I was missing, either.
Course, it was hard to get the babies away from their overprotective fathers and their doting mothers and aunts.
“I’d love to,” I answered honestly, accepting the little bundle of sweetness. “Hey there, Lizzie-loo,” I murmured, holding under her armpits and bringing her eye level.
Her tiny face split into a gargantuan smile, tongue extended, feet kicking.
“Look at you. You’re so little.”
“You won’t say that when she screams,” Boyd said, walking up behind me and leaning in to steal his daughter’s smile. “The baby has a set of lungs on her, let me tell you.”
Charlie laughed. “That’s good. That means she can communicate her needs.”
“Yep. Loud and clear on every dissatisfaction,” Boyd chuckled, taking the baby from me and holding her straight over his head. She laughed and gurgled her pleasure. I had her about ten seconds before Boyd took her away. I had to laugh at how the tiny girl had her dad wrapped around her finger. I could only imagine what he’d be like in fifteen years. Hell, all of us men on the ranch would be on vigilant patrol.
I pulled Charlie’s back against my front, wrapping my arms around her from behind. I wanted to tell her how much I wanted to put a baby in her belly. Plant my seed and watch it grow. See her carrying our beautiful angel instead of Boyd’s and Audrey’s.
But we weren’t there. And I really didn’t see us getting there, no matter how appealing the idea felt.
No, Charlie was leaving, and I had to stay.
Or did I?
Fuck. Was I really considering living amongst humans again? Mating one?
That was crazy. I’d only known Charlie a few days.
And yet, the thought didn’t make my wolf twist and rage the way he usually did when I remembered living with my grandparents. Or even as he had a week ago, thinking I had to share the bunkhouse with a human.
Huh.
Maybe this thing could be possible… Maybe?
19
CHARLIE
* * *
“You’re still the big mama here,” I said to Seraphina the next day, patting her nose and rubbing her flank. “Just because we have eight cute little puppies doesn’t mean you’re not going to have the prettiest foal ever.” I crooned to the horse, who snuffled and nudged me with her nose. “I’m not sure who the baby daddy is for those pups, but I can tell you, Eddison is a stud.”
I smiled.
“Literally,” I added. A stud horse whose job was to knock up unsuspecting mares across the country.
I smiled and fed her some sugar cubes.
My bubble of happiness over seeing the puppies being born—and at having a guy of my own, at least for a short time—popped when my cell rang.
I grabbed it from my bag, saw that it was Dax. I also saw that he’d called before. Not once or twice, but over and over. I’d missed them all tending to Shadow and then dinner with everyone. I had to answer because I knew he wouldn’t stop, and I didn’t want to talk to him back at the bunkhouse later when Levi was around.
Besides, I didn’t know how unhinged he really was.
“Hello?” I asked, even though I knew all too well who had called.
“Hello-o,” he snarled in a sarcastic, expectant way.
I winced.
“When you getting back here?” For a really smart guy, he spoke like an idiot.
“Next week.” I wasn’t going to share more than that.
“Did you get the goods?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “No. I told you I ordered it. You saw the invoice. I also told you I don’t control shipping.”
“I control you. You show up without the K, and you’re fucked.”
“It’s on order.”
“I’ll be waiting.” He clicked off.
I dropped my cell in my lap, my head into my hands. What was I going to do?
My cell rang again, and I jumped. It wasn’t Dax, but Mrs. Vasquez.
“Hi there,” I said, trying to calm my heart and even out my voice.
“Did I catch you at a bad time, dear?” she asked. I could hear the worry in her voice.
“No. What’s up?”
“I know you’re busy, but something happened with your grandfather.”
I popped to my feet. “Is he all right?” I walked out of Seraphina’s stall and paced the long central corridor of the stable.
“He’s fine. He was trying to make lunch earlier. Heating up gravy on the stove.”
“Oh, God,” I said, setting my hand on my forehead.
“He forgot about it, and it began to burn, setting off the smoke detectors. I heard it next door and went over. We got the place aired out, no worries there. He was agitated and angry. I think he was a little ashamed of himself realizing what he’d done.”
I blinked back tears, mentally seeing Pops frustrated in himself. Ruining something as simple as heating leftovers would have bothered him.
“We had grilled cheese, and he settled in with his book. I made dinner and took some to him, so he didn’t cook tonight.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Vasquez.” I leaned against a wall with my forearm, set my forehead on it. Shut my eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“I think it’s time, dear. Time to consider someone to stay with him during the day at least.”
“You’re probably right. I’ll see about it when I’m back, if you’re okay keeping an extra close eye until I’m back.”
“Good, and no problem. I’ll watch out for him.”
“I’ll check in with you tomorrow. And thank you.”
She hung up, and I stood there, thinking. Hard. Too hard.
“Hey, doll.”
I jumped at Levi’s words. He held his hands up. “Sorry. I thought you heard me come in.”
Shaking my head. “It’s okay. I’m… distracted.” I reached down and grabbed an antacid from my bag, popped it in my mouth.
“What has been going on?” he asked. He pulled me into his arms, and I let him. The feel of him hugging me close, of his chest beneath my cheek, felt safe. As if things weren’t so bad.
Yet they were.
He’d stayed on the ranch all day, but he and Colton had gone off somewhere to do something… I wasn’t exactly sure. A patched roof or something. I hadn’t seen him since I’d rolled out of his bed. Yeah, his bed. I pretty much gave up on the whole separate beds thing.
“Ultrasound tests show follicle growth, so it’s my guess we’re close to ovulation, but… whatever. Seraphina’s fine,” I told him.
“I wasn’t really asking after the horse, but I’m glad that’s going well.” He tipped my chin up, studied my face. “Want to go for a walk? With the rain clouds gathering, it’s shaping up to be a beautiful sunset.”
A walk. Such a simple pleasure, but one I almost never allowed myself. Not unless someone else invited me. It was stupid how hard I worked.
“That sounds great.”
He looped an arm around my shoulders and led me out of the stable and past the main house until we hit a path that seemed to lead up the mountainside. The path was dusty, but the field was sprinkled with yellow and blue wildflowers.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
Levi pointed up to a ridge. “There's a beautiful lookout up there.”
I tipped my chin to look in the direction he indicated. “Sounds great.”
We walked side by side in silence for about fifteen minutes until we arrived at the top of a hill. A small plateau with a stunning view of the entire ranch.
“Up here.” Levi beckoned me over to a giant boulder, which he helped me climb. I gasped when I reached the top. The valley was laid out below us like a green carpet.
“It’s incredib
le,” I breathed.
“I like to come up here when I need some perspective on things,” he said. “Sometimes just getting outside, away from buildings and people and structure, makes all the difference.”
“I can see that.”
I could. My problems didn’t feel quite so big anymore. Not when I could feel how much bigger nature was.
“So what had you worked up back there?” he asked, his voice calm and almost soothing. There was no playful tone to it. He was serious. He really wanted to know.
I sighed. There was so much I wanted to share, to tell him. I picked one. One I thought he might understand the most. “It’s hard to be away from my grandfather. I have the next door neighbor looking in on him while I’m gone, but I guess that wasn’t enough. She called a little while ago to tell me the fire alarms had gone off at the house because he’d forgotten about heating leftovers on the stove. It burned.”
“Oh shit.” His hand settled low on my back.
“I know.” I blinked rapidly, fighting back the tears I’d never allowed myself to cry. “It’s hard to watch people you love deteriorate mentally.”
“I’ll bet.” He tugged me in against his chest, and I allowed his strength to envelop me.
I loved the way it felt to be with him. So safe. Cared for. Admired. No one had made me feel this way before. And here we were alone, as if we were in this bubble. And yet, I was talking about my life problems, something that was happening elsewhere.
“You have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders,” he said. “And you take it all so seriously.”
“I have to.” I pulled back far enough to look up at him. His blue gaze was so deep, as if bottomless, as if I could see into him. As if he knew me. Understood. But could he? I held so much back. Had such a big, awful secret.
“Of course, you do.”
He kissed my temple. “How about you let me help you forget it all for one night?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?” My problems weren’t going away, and I thought about everything.
He stroked my hair back. “Is there anything you need to do for your grandfather tonight?”
I thought about it. “No. Mrs. Vasquez said she’d keep extra careful watch. He’s probably watching his shows or reading now. I don’t want to stir up anything now.”
“What about for Seraphina or Shadow?”
“Seraphina’s set, and Shadow just needs to go out to do her business. I’ll need to give her some water. Clint fed her a little while ago.”
“Other than that?” he asked, helping me off the boulder. He held out a hand as I hopped down.
God, he was so calm, so patient. So… nice.
“That’s it,” I said.
His arm curled around my waist, and he led me back to the path down to the ranch. “Good, then you’re going to be tied up with me.”
I paused in the middle of the trail. “What do you mean?”
“Just that.” He smiled, crossed his arms over his broad chest. He had on his usual jeans and T-shirt for the ranch although I liked him just as much in his sheriff’s uniform. I had to admit, it got me hot. Women always said a man in uniform was hot, and I couldn’t argue. “You’re going to be tied up. There will be nothing you have to do or can do because you’ll be my prisoner. And I’m going to have my wicked way with you.”
Oh my.
20
LEVI
* * *
The one thing I’d learned about Charlie was that she was ridiculously smart. That brain of hers worked all the time. Even when she was sitting still, she was thinking about something. There was a saying about a brain being like tabs on a computer browser. Well, Charlie had about fifty open at once.
I couldn’t blame her. Being sheriff made me juggle all kinds of complaints and issues at once. Thankfully, the county was pretty peaceful, and we had more issues with natural disasters than human ones. Charlie, though, had lots on her plate. Between her work and her grandfather, that was plenty.
I wanted to help her, to shoulder some of that load, but really, I couldn’t. I wasn’t a vet. I had barely any knowledge in animal husbandry, and her boss was expecting an impregnated mare upon her return. As for her grandfather, I couldn’t make the old guy any better. I couldn’t visit with him and ensure he was safe, that he didn’t burn any more food. He lived five hundred miles away.
The only thing I could do was give Charlie a break. A mental one. Whenever I got her beneath me, she gave over to our actions. She gave in to my commands although I wasn’t all that bossy between the sheets. She let go, forgot. It was a treasured gift that she trusted me so much that she didn’t have to think, didn’t have to do anything but feel.
I doubted she even knew how much of a gift that was.
I could give her more of that, and the best way to do it, the best way I could think of for someone who just needed to hand everything over was to tie her up.
I hadn’t been lying to her about my intentions.
All she had to do was lie there and come.
When I shut the bedroom door behind us, she turned to face me. She tipped her chin up and met my gaze. “This tying up thing, it’s not like calf roping, like in the rodeos, right?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Calf roping ties the legs together. I want your legs spread wide apart.”
Her mouth fell open as she caught my drift.
“Doll, stop thinking.”
She pursed her lips in reply.
I stepped toward her, cupped her face. Kissed her. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
Her gaze skittered away.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are going to be with these around your wrist?”
I dropped one hand, grabbed the handcuffs off my utility belt.
“Oh my God, it’s like every woman’s fantasy.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “I know I am.”
She smacked me on the arm.
“You okay with this? It’s taking what we’ve been doing to a new level.”
She looked up at me then began unbuttoning her shirt. “Will you shut up already? Less talk, more dick.”
I tossed the handcuffs on the bed, set the key on the bedside table where it would be easy to reach… just in case. I stripped off my utility belt then the rest of my clothes as I watched Charlie do the same.
When she was completely bare to me, I circled around her, took in every ebony inch of her. Fucking stunning.
I grabbed the cuffs and clipped them onto one wrist, left the other side dangling.
“Crawl up the bed. Show me that gorgeous ass on the way.”
She did as told, and I had to take my dick in hand as I watched her on hands and knees, her ass and pussy on perfect view for me before she dropped onto her back.
I stalked after her, coming over her and taking her cuffed wrist and lifting it over her head. I took the other and brought it up beside it, but caught the chain around the slat of the headboard then clicked the cuff around her other wrist.
Her head was tilted back as she looked up at what I’d done. Then she tugged, testing the restraint. She wasn’t going anywhere. As a shifter, I could break the slat on the headboard with a swift tug with my hand, but she didn’t know that.
“Okay?” I asked, looking in her eyes for reaction as much as her words.
She nodded, licked her lips, then gave me the verbal “Yes” I wanted.
“Good girl.” I kissed her on the lips, but didn’t linger. I had so much more of her body to get my mouth on. Her nipples drew my eye, and I visited one, then the other, warming her up slowly.
We’d been wild and frantic for each other. This time, I was going to take my time. Savor. Even if my wolf and my dick were in disagreement.
“Did you know I was a tit guy?” I asked, taking a turgid tip into my mouth.
“Levi,” she breathed. “You’re going to drive me crazy, aren’t you?”
I glanced up at her from the valley between her breasts. Grinne
d. “That’s the plan.”
I had to hope Clint or Rob would clear everyone out of the downstairs because things were going to get loud. Loud enough where Rob, Willow and Colton would probably hear Charlie from the main house. Too bad. I’d heard them all often enough.
Charlie groaned.
I kissed my way down to her navel, then lower and lower still, using my hands to spread her thighs wide, so I could settle between. “I like your tits, doll, but I love your pussy.”
And I showed her how much.
CHARLIE
* * *
“Levi,” I cried again. The guy was ruthless with his tongue. I wasn’t going to survive this. Every ion in my being was focused on the tip of his tongue and how it flicked over my clit. Was he following the alphabet? A compass? I couldn’t tell north from south, A from G. All I knew was that I liked that swirl, and I liked it right there.
“Levi!” I screamed when he pushed me over with one little flick of his wicked tongue.
My knees were clamped around his ears, and my body was tense from the pleasure. I was hot all over, my skin coated in sweat. And all he’d done was put his mouth on me. He hadn’t even touched me with anything else yet.
He pushed himself up on his hands. I blinked, watching his talented tongue as he licked his lips. I wanted to touch him, to put my fingers in his hair and tug him down for a kiss. But all I got when I moved my wrists was restraint. I couldn’t do anything.
Levi had me completely at his mercy.
“That was one.”
“One?” I asked, my voice breathless.
“You don’t think I’m done yet, do you?”
I shook my head.
His hand cupped my pussy, and I hissed, my clit sensitive. I was wet, and he stroked over me, spreading my wetness, then sliding his fingers into me. I writhed and moaned as he worked me but was thankful when he set his hand by my head, so he loomed over then kissed me.