Loving Lauren

by Jill Sanders

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chase stood in front of her, a funny look on his face. When he started coming towards her, heat flooded her body. It may have taken her brain a few seconds more to understand what his intentions were, but her body had picked up on it before her mind had.

  By the time he'd gathered her up in his arms, she was back in sync and wrapped her arms and legs around him as he carried her a few steps to her bed. When she hit the mattress with a slight bounce, she had no time to recover before he was covering her, his mouth on hers, spreading warmth and heat to every inch of her. When had she lost control?

  Her fingers dug into his hair as she tried to pull him closer. She didn't remember him removing her clothes or her pulling his off in return. He paused briefly to put on a rubber, but kept kissing her and building something deep inside her as he protected them. All that she could focus on was the feel of his skin next to hers, the feel of his hands on her, pleasing and pushing her to the very edge.

  His calloused hands gripped her hips as he spread her legs wider with his knees. When he slid into her, she felt like something had been missing all day, and realized it had been this. Simply him.

  His every movement made time stretch, made every breath she took seem like it was for him. How could he have changed her so much with just a kiss? He trailed his hot mouth down the column of her neck and sent shivers through her entire body. She felt like she couldn't get close enough, pulling her arms around him and wrapping her legs around his narrow hips as he moved above her.

  “Faster, Chase. I can't...” She ended on a moan as his lips closed around her nipple and he sucked gently on the peaked skin. His tongue twirled around her heated skin, torturing her with his patience. How could he be in such control? Feeling a little frustrated that his desire wasn't matching hers, she pushed him up and over until finally she was looking down at his smiling face.

  “My turn.” She dipped her head down and started running her tongue over his chest and flat nipples. His hands went into her hair, holding it back so she could explore every muscle, every inch of his glorious chest as she moved her hips and sent him deeper. She quickened her motion and was pleased when he groaned and grabbed her hips, helping her move.

  Then, just when she thought she couldn't stand it anymore, she leaned back and looked down at him. His deep eyes were locked onto her own, a slight smile on his lips as he watched her move over him. Closing her eyes, she held that image as her body convulsed around his.

  Then she was being gently moved as he reversed their positions again. He took her leg and pulled it close to his side, pulling her leg over his arm. When she looked up, his smile had deepened, and there was a fierce look of determination and unmistakable lust in his eyes.

  “Now, it's my turn.” His hips started moving quicker, his thrusts grew longer and deeper until she was lost to the motion. He pinched her nipple between two fingers gently and she moaned moaning again. “I love the sounds you make as I'm pleasing you,”

  he said against her skin. She reached up and held onto his arms as he took complete control. She watched his face and could tell he was building up to his release. Pulling him down towards her, she placed a soft kiss on his lips as every muscle in his body tensed with pleasure.

  Lauren lay there and listened to his heartbeat slow down. His breathing had leveled out and she could feel the light sheen of perspiration on his skin. She'd never felt so alive, and even though he was crushing her with his weight, she didn't want this moment to end.

  “I hope you don't mind us crashing here,” he said, then placed a soft kiss on her shoulder.

  “Hmm, anytime.” She smiled up at the ceiling.

  “Good, because I don't think I could move if the house was on fire.” She chuckled.

  “Don't. I like it right where you are.”

  “Hmm, you smell wonderful.” He began to place soft kisses on her neck and she was amazed that she could feel him growing inside her again. “On second thought, maybe I can move.” She chuckled and was happy he could.

  The next morning she woke an hour before sunrise. She had a full day ahead of her. She had to work the morning shift at the diner and then she needed to help her men vaccinate the cattle that were going off to be auctioned. Looking down, she noticed Buddy snuggling with Dingo on the dog bed and sighed. They looked so cute together.

  Half an hour later, when she stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed, she saw Chase coming back in through the window with Buddy in his arms. Dingo jumped through the opening, looking totally pleased that there was another way into the house. “He had to go out. You know, you could probably turn that window into a patio door.” He set Buddy down and stood looking at her window.

  “I've thought about it.” She reached down and picked Buddy up and scratched between his ears. “I've got to get going. I have the early shift at Mama's.” She hugged the small dog and set him back down next to Dingo, then gave her loyal dog a few pats on the head.

  “Okay.” He turned and kissed her, then went back to looking at her wall.

  “Chase?”

  “Hmmm?” He didn't turn around.

  “What are your plans for the day?”

  “Oh, I have some personal things to take care of.” He turned and gave her his full attention. “Why?”

  “Well, I was thinking maybe we could have lunch before I ride out and help with the cattle.”

  “Sounds great. What do you say to eating at my place? I need to get a few things there. Then I have some work that needs to be done.”

  She thought about it and nodded. “Sounds good. I'll see you there.”

  When she got to Mama's a little before six, the diner was already packed. She liked working a few hours here and there, because it afforded her the time to catch up with some of the people in town. The extra money in her pocket didn’t hurt either. Of course, she'd been depositing that money into their joint account to pay Chase back in hopes of having her freedom someday.

  She quickly put her purse in the back and got to work. Shifting around the place—refilling coffee mugs, delivering food, and taking orders—she couldn't stop thinking about her and Chase's relationship. Did she still want her freedom from him? Sure, she now viewed them as being in a relationship, but did that mean she wanted to stay married to him?

  By eleven she was ready to leave, and her head hurt from running the question over and over in her mind. She knew she didn't have to make any major decisions just yet, but still, she took her time and deposited her latest check from the diner into the bank.

  She was shocked when she found out that Chase had withdrawn a large chunk. She knew she'd told him that he could do whatever he wanted with the money. After all, it was his. But still, there was a part of her that was sad to see the large balance going down for once. It also made her think about the changes in their relationship, the uncertainty of what was to come.

  When she drove up to his place, he was setting a large salad bowl on the picnic table. When he looked up and smiled, her mind cleared. By the time she turned off her truck, he was there opening the door for her. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her lightly.

  “Hello.” She couldn't explain it, but her body just melted when he looked at her like that.

  “Hi. Did you have a good morning at the diner?”

  “Yes, fairly uneventful. How was your morning?”

  He smiled and tugged her towards the table. “Very productive. I'm starving. I hope you don't mind, but I thought we'd just do a salad and sandwiches.”

  “Sounds wonderful. I've got to head out soon to help the men.” She fanned herself as she sat in the shade; even here it was almost too hot to be comfortable. She had changed from her diner uniform to her jeans, shirt, and boots at the diner. Even though the clothing was hotter than her skirt and blouse, it felt more comfortable.

  “Here, have some tea.” He poured her a glass. It felt good to just sit in the shade and enjoy a simple meal. By the time her sandwich was
gone, the heat no longer bothered her. She was laughing so hard and enjoying her time with Chase so much that when she looked down at her watch, she was shocked at how fast the hour had gone by.

  As she drove out to the large barn at the back of the north field, she was already looking forward to seeing him at dinner.

  Driving up, she parked next to Jimmy's old truck. The men were on their horses, separating cattle. Jimmy and Larry, another longtime worker, were working in the small stalls, giving immunizations to the cattle. It was a two-person job and she knew just how sore a person would be at the end of the day from doing any part of it.

  Getting out of the truck, she wasn't surprised to see Dingo jog up to her. Taking a moment, she bent and pet the loyal dog. When she walked up to Jimmy, he looked a little relieved.

  “Good, we could use the extra hand.” He stood up and wiped the sweat from his face with a white handkerchief.

  “Are we short staffed?” She looked around and counted heads. To her count, three men were missing. She saw Haley out in the mix of men and felt a little proud that her sister could keep up with the hardest of men.

  “Yeah, well,” Jimmy stepped up to the fence and rested his boot on the bottom rung. “I had to let my nephew go.” He tipped his hat back and she got a look at his face. Large black bruises ran down the left side of his face. His left eye was swollen and black.

  “What happened?” She stopped right in front of him, grabbing his face with her hands. “Jimmy?”

  “Let's just say that a few men will no longer be on the payroll. I'll take some time next week to replace them, but until then”—he motioned towards the large herd of cattle—“we have our hands full. It may take us a few more days to get it all done, but we'll get 'er done.” He pulled his hat back down on his head. “If you're ready to help...”

  She crawled up and over the fence and got to work.

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