And while the house must have cost a fortune, she had to smile at how inviting the home was as she climbed the steps. She admired the deep, wraparound porch hosting several swings and rocking chairs—just as Dex had drawn them—and pots of colorful flowers everywhere. She paused mid-step halfway up as her gaze unerringly went to the screened-in gazebo-type area taking up the corner of the right side of the porch. She’d already decided ahead of time it would be a good area to have some of her sessions with Dex, while deep down she’d imagined having the freedom of relaxing in that cozy spot with her charcoal pencils and sketchpad.
Again, she ignored the mystifying longing in her heart as she faced the front door and took the last few steps to the porch. But she couldn’t resist the pull to look out over the ranch from this vantage point.
“Breathtaking.”
The picturesque scene had her itching to pull her pad and pencils from her bag. She might not have Dex’s talent at capturing the beauty and motion of the horses running through the pasture—her talent leaned more toward portraiture, even though most did feature a certain panther in one way or another—but she wanted to try her hand at it.
Aubrey had been serious when she’d told Mr. Navarro Dex had talent. The little boy’s artistic abilities were well beyond his years—a true prodigy. Now, if during the next few weeks she could coax him to use those talents to tell her what was going on in his head, he might be able to begin the slow journey toward healing. She just hoped she could establish a good rapport early on to help the process along.
Once again, a profound sense of sadness washed over her when she tried to imagine what Dex had gone through. Many of her clients had experienced devastating pain—sometimes more than some adults might be able to manage. But for a young child…
She rubbed the sudden ache in the middle of her chest and closed her eyes as she willed it to pass. This is what came of being passionate about her job and her clients. And while she was well aware it wasn’t professional, she had a tendency to invest too much of herself into each case. She opened her eyes and grimaced. Unfortunately, it had taken some hard lessons to teach her how allowing her own emotions to cloud her objectivity wasn’t helpful for her clients or for herself.
So, she knew better. But why then, did she have a sinking suspicion this was going to be one of those times when she was going to have to be extra diligent when it came to sheltering her heart?
And not just when it came to Dex. But also to his uncle.
The man sure was easy on the eyes—both his back and front views. But there was more to it. Something more she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Some glimmer of familiarity she hadn’t been able to name.
She lifted her gaze heavenward. Rafe Navarro and the attraction she felt toward him weren't complications she needed in her life at the moment, especially if she wasn’t mistaken about the undercurrent of attraction flowing both ways. She let out a snorting laugh and shook her head. What was she thinking? For all she knew he was in a relationship.
She frowned at that thought and then frowned again about why she should care. It wasn’t as if Mr. Navarro had actually said or done anything to make her think he had one bit of interest in her.
She took in a shuddering breath. Except a few times while they’d been talking, she’d caught a look from him so intense she could still feel it all these days later. And perhaps it had been a trick of the light, but a couple of those times his eyes had glowed amber for a fleeting second before going back to the deep chocolate brown gaze she’d had a hard time looking away from.
And as strange as it seemed, while she never had been able to remember the face of her dream lover, for some reason Rafe Navarro’s beautiful eyes shot through with amber had been front and center in her mind the last few mornings when she’d woken up all hot and bothered.
“That reminds me,” she muttered as she pivoted toward the double-wooden front door. “I need to get some more batteries.”
She took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she lifted the heavy, horseshoe-shaped brass door knocker. She needed to focus. And not on Rafael Navarro. But on Dex—a seven-year-old little boy who needed her help. She rapped on the door three times and had barely pulled her hand back when it opened.
“Ms. Simmons.” The man’s smile should come with a warning label—may cause serious damage to your panties. “You’re on time,” he said with bit of mischief in his eyes. And maybe something more, as that hint of amber flashed in their depths once more.
“Aubrey, please.” She smiled while his gaze roamed over her. “This time I left thirty minutes sooner than I should have just to make sure.” She glanced over her shoulder at the main drive up to the house. “So, I’ve been hanging out over by the fence down the road. You have some lovely horses.” She got caught up in his smile again. “So.”
She wouldn’t say it was uncomfortable, but his stare held hers longer than might be considered polite. But with him, it didn’t matter. She would be content to look in his eyes forever.
And where did that thought come from?
“Oh, please come in,” he said, stepping aside with a surprising flush spreading over his lightly tanned, bearded cheeks, all the way to his hairline of hair so dark it bordered on black.
She brushed past him into the cool entryway of his home, her artistic eye appreciating the modern-rustic feel he had captured.
“Dex is in his room,” he said as he motioned for her to follow him. “So, I thought we could have a short talk before you officially start.”
“Oh, sure.”
“Let’s go to my office.” He led her down one hallway and then another until he ushered her into what she could only say was a manly office with dark furnishing and deep gray walls, with a massive desk centered in front of a large picture window that looked out onto a pool. “Please have a seat,” he said, indicating a low leather couch she sank into after setting her bag down. He joined her—not sitting close enough to touch her but enough his heat reached out to her.
“I’d like to know how you plan to proceed.”
Right. This is why I’m here.
“Well, with this first session, it’s going to be very casual. I want Dex to get to know me. We’ll talk—if he will,” she said when he grimaced. “We’ll probably both draw, and then I’ll talk to him about my drawing—see if he’ll let me pull him into a conversation.” She shrugged. “There’s no guarantee he will, but if he does it’ll be a start. He likes horses, so I think I’ll start by drawing one.”
Rafe nodded. “He has a favorite—Chaparrita. I see her in several of his pictures.”
“That’s good to know.” She made a mental note of that fact. “Has he shown any outward signs to you that he might not be open to my being here?”
“No. You’ve been the topic of several conversations—at least on my side.” And why that sent warmth spreading through her, she had no idea. “But he’s mainly just said, ‘Okay’ when the topic has been brought up.”
“Okay is good.” She smiled to hopefully alleviate the concern on his face. The man had a deep scowl. “Is it okay if we use the gazebo area on your porch?”
“Certainly.” He went quiet as he held her gaze for several seconds. “I want you to know I appreciate what you’re doing for Dex.”
She smiled and wanted to reach out to him, but she forced her hands to stay where they were. “Mr. Navarro. There’s no guarantee I’ll be able to get through to him.”
“I understand, but I believe having you here is going to make a difference.” And though he hadn’t budged, she couldn’t help feeling he had moved closer. “And it’s Rafe.”
“Okay. Rafe.”
A few minutes later, she was standing at the bottom of the steps near the front entrance watching a little boy hesitantly walk down the steps as he glanced first at her and then behind her to where Rafe stood. She met him as he reached the bottom step, and she squatted in front of him. Since she was fairly tall, it put them at about the same eye level.
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br /> “Hi, Dex. I’m Aubrey.” Dark brown eyes reminding her so much of his uncle’s met hers, their depths tinged with a sadness that reached out to her before he cast them down. She wasn’t going to let that discourage her. “I hear you like to draw.”
He tightened his grip on both the sketch pad in one hand and a small box in the other before nodding.
“I do too.” A shy glance met hers as she hefted up her bag. “I brought all my supplies. So, would you like to come out to the gazebo and we can draw together?”
His eyes traveled to her, then her bag, and then behind her again before he shrugged. But he took the last step to the floor anyhow and headed toward the front door.
“I’ll talk to you later,” she whispered to Rafe before she hurried to catch up with Dex who had already walked out the door.
The gazebo was just as nice as she’d thought it would be with comfortable, padded wicker furniture and a nice breeze blowing through the screens. A ceiling fan helped keep just the right temperature in the shaded enclosure. She sat beside Dex on the loveseat and pulled out her supplies, laying them on the low table in front of them, as Dex opened a box of well-used chalks in various colors, with the darker shades almost a third of the size of the other sticks.
“I used to work with chalk too.” A whinny caught her attention and she looked toward the front of the barn where a big bay mare stood near the fence. “What a beautiful horse.”
Aubrey didn’t comment on anything else as she picked up her sketchpad and charcoals to begin a rough sketch of the horse. Within a few moments, Dex was doing the same, although she noticed he didn’t stare at the horse the way she did. A few glances at his drawing told her he didn’t need to.
After many minutes of drawing, Aubrey decided to break the silence. “I might need to get a closer look. There’s just something I’m not getting.” She hadn’t drawn the horse exactly, but she had done it on purpose in an attempt to engage him. He glanced at her paper and then pointed to the forehead. “Chaparrita has a spot here.”
“She does,” Aubrey said, squinting at the horse. “Is that a star?”
Dex shook his head and then showed her his drawing. “It looks like a bird.”
“Oh, so…” Aubrey drew something similar to what Dex had, but just different enough it still wasn’t quite right. “Like this?”
A small smile touched his lips. “Almost.” He took his own chalk and broadened the wings until it looked more like it should. “See?”
“Thank you, Dex.”
Dex shrugged and went back to his drawing, but Aubrey had a sense of happiness he’d interacted with her. They continued to draw together with only the sounds of the ranch around them until they had finished.
“Can I see yours?” she asked.
Dex nodded and handed her his sketchpad.
“This is beautiful.” And it was. She handed it back to him and held hers up to him. “It’s much better than mine.” She frowned. “I guess I just can’t draw horses as good as you can.”
Dex shook his head and then quietly said, “It’s good.”
“You think so?” She scrunched up her face and looked at her drawing. “I don’t know. I think I need some more practice.” She gathered up her supplies to put them away while he packed his chalks. “Would it be okay if I came back out maybe in a couple of days and I can try again? Maybe we could go to the barn so I can see her better.”
Dex shrugged again with another one of those shy glances, and then he shocked her by saying, “Here,” as he tore his drawing out of his sketchpad and handed it to her. He gathered his things close to his chest. “To help you practice.”
And with that, he took off, leaving her to watch after him as he rushed through the screen door, across the porch, and then back inside the house. She sat back in the seat and contemplated how well things had gone until the screen door creaked again.
It was Rafe.
“How’d it go?”
“It went well.” She grinned. “He talked to me a little and said I can come back in a few days.”
“Tomorrow.”
“Pardon me?” She sat up and stared at him where he stood leaning against the doorframe.
“Can you come tomorrow? Or are you busy with another client?” He didn’t look pleased at that prospect.
“Dex is my only client right now, but I generally have only weekly or bi-weekly sessions.”
“Of course I’ll pay you extra to compensate for your gas and time.”
“It’s not the money.” Although she could use the extra funds. “But coming every day won’t rush the process.”
He glanced over his shoulder at the house. “If he’s interacting with you, it’s already more progress than anyone has had with him since…” He shook his head, his pleading look her undoing. “Can it hurt to try?”
She bit the inside of her mouth, knowing she should say no.
“Same time then?”
The black panther prowled closer, his body transforming with each step into the man she’d been waiting for.
“Aubrey.” Her lover’s low rumble of her name sent tingles racing over her skin. “Come to me.”
“I’m here.” She moved into the circle of his arms.
“No. Come to me.” His darker hands brushed over the pale skin of her arms and then higher as he pulled her closer. “I need you. We need you.”
“I don’t understand. We?”
“Mmmhmmm,” he murmured against her ear and then nuzzled the sensitive skin behind her lobe. She forgot about her confusion as he lifted her naked body up against his and then felt his grin against her neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist. There would be time for questions later, but right now there were more important things.
Like his hard cock pressing into her core.
“Feels like you need me too.” His growled words ended on a deep groan as she rubbed her wet pussy over his prodding flesh.
“I do.” She clutched at his broad back and rolled her hips into his as he walked with her to the far wall and pressed her back against the hard surface. “Please.”
Narrowed chocolate brown eyes flashing with amber met hers, their depths filled with heat. “You never have to beg me,” he whispered, his eyes closing on a low moan as he slid inside her. “Never.”
Soon he was moving with slow even strokes that dragged against her inner walls and brushed her clit with each thrust. She met each one in an easy rhythm as they took their time exploring each other’s mouths. She loved this—no urgency—only easy loving with a slow burn that would eventually burst out of control.
“Mine,” he whispered against her tender lips as his thrusts increased. His hands dragged down her arms and he entwined his fingers with hers before pulling them still joined over her head as he pressed his body even closer. “Have to have more.”
And he took it.
Took her.
His body surrounded hers—filling her over and over—until all she could do was close her eyes and ride the bliss as he pounded into her willing body.
Had she actually thought slow was better?
It wasn’t.
This was what she craved.
Him making her his.
She tilted her head and exposed her neck, something she’d done more and more often the past week. Waiting. For what, she didn’t know.
But what she did know was each time she did it, he went wild, taking her beyond what their bodies were doing to a place she longed to know in her waking hours. And then soon she was flying apart, her screams of pleasure joined by his roar as he emptied himself inside her and then panted against her neck.
“You have to Awaken.”
Aubrey stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and then rubbed it over her body still coming down from the orgasm she’d wrung from herself under the spray of hot water. And this was after waking up earlier with her fingers playing over her throbbing clit.
So, after coming twice in a day, she expected she would have been more relax
ed. But she wasn’t.
The dreams.
They had her keyed up, which was strange. It wasn’t as if they were new. She’d had dreams of the panther since childhood. Her dream lover? She shivered when the towel rasped over her sensitive nipples as she wrapped the fluffy fabric around her body and went into the bedroom area of her hotel room. Well, he had gradually made an appearance once she was an adult.
Maybe it was because the dreams had never been every night like they were lately. They’d also been more intense with her coming awake each morning to a sense she was missing something.
And, as always, she couldn’t recall specific details of the dreams, except, of course, for the panther. She could describe him down to the last whisker. But when it came to the man, nothing but his focus and the way he made her feel stayed with her the next morning. Maybe she was just antsy because since meeting him, Rafael Navarro had begun to fill her mind as she worked out her morning frustrations.
Which wasn’t a good thing. At all. But she couldn’t help herself. It made for some awkward conversations—at least on her part—when Rafe had her come to his office after each session to discuss Dex’s progress.
She’d been going to the ranch every weekday now for more than a week. And while the sessions weren’t full of major breakthroughs, which didn’t surprise her, at times Dex seemed to be close to opening up to her. He was definitely more talkative—at least compared to when they’d first started. And at those times, when she spied a smile or he said something unprompted, she was glad she’d let herself be talked into the daily sessions.
Except of course for the weekends.
She hadn’t told Rafe why. Not even when he’d tried to press the issue. But this was her business.
Besides, it would have been embarrassing to let him know she’d been forced to moonlight to make ends meet. And while she would have been paid to go to the ranch for the sessions, it couldn’t match what she made in tips the two nights a week she worked at The Covenant while she filled in for the young woman on maternity leave.
She dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of black silk panties before taking her waitress uniform—what there was of it—from her closet and laying it on her bed. It was minuscule, but she’d learned to be comfortable in it. Besides, she had a feeling those generous tips had a lot to do with how much skin she exposed.
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