“Don’t stop now, Ryder,” Kelsey whispered in pleading voice, cupping his face, and gazing into his eyes.
“I need a condom,” he muttered. He pulled away long enough to retrieve a condom from the drawer in the night table by the bed. After ripping the packet open, he sheathed himself, and then settled between her thighs once more. He cupped her face, brushing hair away from her cheeks, and stared down into her flushed face. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life,” she said in a breathless voice then gasped and moaned as he began pressing into her. Her legs wrapped around his hips and she quickly matched his rhythm.
“You feel so fucking good,” Ryder whispered against her ear. He smiled when he felt her tremble, and then pressed her mouth to his neck.
“Oh, God. Ryder, you feel amazing,” she whispered in his ear then she caught his earlobe with her teeth, making him shudder.
He kissed her hard, moving his tongue into her mouth and growled against it when she sucked on it. He was breathless, his voice hoarse when he lifted his head. “When you suck on my tongue, it shoots straight to my cock.”
“I want to suck on that too,” she whispered, and then gasped, her eyes wide as if in surprise. “I’ve never said anything like that in my life.”
Ryder chuckled and kissed her again. “Say whatever you want. I love it and as far as doing that, I’ll let you…later.”
Kelsey laughed as she tightened her legs around his waist. He picked up the pace and moved into her harder and faster. Her inner muscles clenched around his cock and her head went back against the pillow as she screamed out his name. Ryder tried to hold out, but he couldn’t. Feeling her squeezing him sent him over the edge. He growled out her name and came. Hard. It had never felt anything like this before. He collapsed on top of her with both of them trying to catch their breaths. Their bodies still pressed against each other were slick with sweat.
“So, that’s what a mind-blowing orgasm feels like,” Kelsey whispered breathlessly.
“It must be. Never felt like that for me before.” Ryder rolled off her and lay beside her, closing his eyes against the way his body felt…like every ounce of energy had been sucked out of him.
“Really?”
It took him a moment to answer. “Yes. Really.”
Cool air settled over his skin raising gooseflesh. He moved to sit on the side of the bed and removed the condom. It wasn’t something he wanted her to see.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to put more wood on the fires. I’ll be right back.” He stood, pulled on his jeans then headed out the door, dropping the condom in the trash as he left the room to go to the living room.
The fire was still going strong but he wanted to keep it going to keep the house warm. He added logs, stoked it to a blaze, and then carried some wood back to the bedroom. He crouched down, added logs to the fire, and used the poker to move them around until the fire was fully alive again. He glanced over his shoulder to see Kelsey sitting up and watching him. Her breasts gleamed in the firelight. He felt his dick start to swell again. Son of a bitch! She reached her arms out to him.
How could something that left him feeling so distasteful, feel so totally amazing?
“Come back to bed, Ryder.” She was so beautiful, so alluring. He couldn’t resist her even when he knew he should.
He pushed to his feet, removing his jeans as he moved toward the bed. His conscience told him, he should leave them on as a protective barrier but he resisted that thought knowing full well, the cloth wouldn’t stop him. After climbing back into the bed, he gathered Kelsey close and wrapped his arms around her. She wrapped an arm around his waist and rested her cheek on his chest. He shifted making her groan in disappointment. But when he reached for the quilt at the bottom of the bed and pulled it over them, she smiled up at him.
“We need to get some sleep. It’s late.” He kissed the top of her head. He stared at the flames flickering shadows across the ceiling until he heard her breathing change. He knew she’d fallen asleep. Now, if he could just do the same.
Chapter Five
The next morning, Kelsey awoke to an empty bed. She glanced around the room. The light from the fireplace hadn’t been enough to allow her to see it last night, not that she was very interested at the time. It was definitely a man’s room. A beautiful cedar dresser sat against the far wall, next to the fireplace, with a door between them leading to a bathroom. French doors leading to a covered deck and a closet sat on another wall. Her eyes traveled back to the fireplace. It was open on both sides. She threw the covers back and walked into the bathroom. Inside, she found a large Jacuzzi tub next to the fireplace and a stand-up shower against the opposite wall. She smiled with delight. A large skylight allowed sunshine through, lighting up the room. She sat on the side of the tub, fantasizing about lounging in it with Ryder, and desperately wanted to try it out. She’d never seen a fireplace in a bathroom before. It was so romantic. Sighing, she pushed any romantic thoughts from her mind, and decided to take a shower before getting some breakfast.
After returning to her room for fresh clothes and dressing, she entered the kitchen to find Ryder standing at the stove frying bacon. She cleared her throat and then blushed when he turned toward her not knowing how he’d receive her this morning. He smiled at her and walked to her, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips.
“Good morning,” he murmured against her lips.
“Good morning. You were gone when I woke.”
He chuckled. “I was starving. You made me work up quite an appetite.”
“Oh sure. It was all me.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
“Go sit down. I’ll make you some breakfast then I need to head to the barn.”
“You’re leaving me for the barn?”
“I have horses to take care of, darlin’.”
“What if I need taking care of?” she asked with a teasing tilt of her head
Ryder groaned. “I’ll be back later.”
“Okay, those horses must really be something if you’d rather spend the morning with them than me.”
“Oh, they are. Dark brown eyes that look so sad when I leave them. Except Tramp. He has blue eyes.”
“I can look sad,” she told him frowning and pouting out her bottom lip.
He leaned down and nibbled on her lip. “I promise I’ll make it up to you. They need to be fed and the men didn’t make it in.”
“Did we get a lot of snow?”
“A foot, but it will be gone by tomorrow. It’s supposed to warm up.”
Kelsey sighed. “Darn…I guess that means no power loss and no snuggling.”
“Really? Who made up that rule?” He nibbled on her neck.
“I think your bacon is burning.” She grinned.
“Shit.” Ryder hurried back to the stove and saved the bacon. “What kind of eggs do you like?”
“Scrambled.”
“I like mine over-easy—for future reference.”
“If you’re going to abandon me at first light, you’ll get them over-easy your head,” she muttered.
Ryder burst out laughing. “I’ll make my own breakfast then. I’m usually up at three-thirty but someone had other ideas last night.”
“Oh yeah, blame me. You happened to be up at three.”
He waggled his eyebrows at her. “I was up after that too.”
Kelsey laughed. “Yes, and I’m so glad you were. It was a first for me. I’ve never had an orgasm during sex before.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Yep. Sad, huh?”
“What the hell kind of men have you been with?”
“Not very sexually skilled ones obviously, including the last one who I thought I was in love with. He was only interested in getting himself off.”
“And you thought you loved him?”
“I did. I figured if I had love then I could live with bad sex.”
&nbs
p; “No one should have to live with bad sex,” Ryder muttered.
“I know that now. I’ll never settle again.” She pulled a chair out from the table and sat down. Ryder placed a plate in front of her and her stomach growled in reaction to the wonderful aromas.
“Sounds like you worked up an appetite too.”
Kelsey grinned, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. “Honestly, I had kind of hoped to work up a greater appetite before getting up.” She shrugged.
She heard Ryder groan. “I won’t be in the barn long and perhaps we’ll work one up for lunch.” He winked at her and grinned when she blushed yet again.
She was in so much trouble here. The man was way beyond hot and sexy. The things he’d done and whispered to her made her face heat up just thinking about them. Damn. It was getting hot in here. She smiled shyly at him, picked up her fork, and dug into breakfast. She moaned at the first taste and saw his eyebrows lift. Hoping to distract him from all the sex talk, she changed the subject.
“These are fantastic. You can cook breakfast for me anytime.”
Ryder seemed surprised but then he grinned. “Deal.”
They finished their meal in relative silence. When he was finished, he stood then carried his plate to the sink. He glanced over his shoulder at her but then grabbed his coat and hat, putting them. “I’ll be back later.”
“Can I come out there?”
He looked startled by her question so he hesitated, but then grinned. “Sure, if you want to, but its damn cold out there.”
“I’m not some delicate flower, Ryder. I’ve never been in snow like this. I want to go outside.”
He chuckled. “Okay, No need to get testy. Get dressed, and come on out. I have to clear a path to the barn, so give me a few minutes.”
“All right. Thank you.” She smiled.
He shook his head as he opened the door. “She wants to go outside,” he muttered before closing the door behind him.
Kelsey laughed and then finished her breakfast. She’d clean up the kitchen before going out to join him. She hoped she packed her mittens. Her mom was supposed to be shipping her more clothes but she hadn’t expected snow so soon after arriving here.
Kelsey sighed. She was hoping she wouldn’t need more things but it looked like she was going to be here a while longer. Her mother told her that letters were still showing up at her apartment. As for emails, she hadn’t received anymore but she wasn’t sure if that was because her stalker feared they were too easy to trace or the blocking really worked. She couldn’t help but wonder if her stalker could still find her and what would he do if he found her?
Ever since arriving in Clifton, she’d thought about going home. It was her first thought in the morning and her prayer at night. She wanted to go home. Or did she? After last night, she wasn’t sure anymore. Being here with Ryder wasn’t easy, and the man was hard to ignore.. He was gorgeous and sexy as sin, which was just bad for her. The most this could ever be was a fling…a lusty, mind-blowing sexy fling. She would go home someday. Right?
Her insides quivered and she swore her heart skipped a beat thinking about last night. Sex had never been like that for her—ever. Lord, what she had been missing all this time.
Ryder had pulled her from a deep sleep with his hands and mouth once more during the night and it had been just as mind-blowing. He could bring her to orgasm so easily with his mouth, his hands, and his body. Shit. Now she was horny. She had to stop lusting after him. He was right, it wasn’t why she was here and it could only lead to disappointment in the end. Right?
She needed to get her coat on and go see the man in the barn. Hey cowboy, how about a roll in the hay? She laughed at the dirty thoughts rushing through her mind and even wondered if he’d go for it. She imagined kissing every inch of him and wanting to since, she hadn’t gotten that chance yet. He had made it all about her last night. How she wanted time to explore that gorgeous body. The thought of running her fingers, and tongue, over his solid pecs and a six-pack stomach gave her chills and heat flashes at the same time. He said working the ranch and lifting bales of hay all day was more than enough workout to keep him in shape. You can say that again!
Kelsey quickly donned her coat and pulled a beanie over her head. Luckily, she did have her mittens. After putting them on, she stepped onto the porch. The cold hit her hard. She knew it would be cold but this snatched her breath away. Ryder had cleared a path that led directly to the barn. She hurried along the path and stepped inside the barn. She let her eyes adjust, and the warmth of the building washed over her, and then walked down the aisle. Horses stuck their heads over their stalls as if eager to see who the visitor was to their home. She rubbed their noses as she passed them, smiling at the noises they made in response. She saw Ryder come out of a room carrying a bucket. Her heart nearly stopped at the image he presented. He was the quintessential cowboy. She’d always been into cowboys and she was definitely into this one. He stopped when he saw her, smiled, and then walked toward her. He stopped in front of her.
“Hi, darlin’,” he said. “I see you made your way here.”
“Hi, yourself,” she responded a bit disappointed he didn’t kiss her. “Yeah, the yellow brick road was easy to follow.”
He chuckled and walked around her. “Come on, I have to feed Tramp, and then we can go back to the house where it’s much warmer.”
“Why do we need to go to the house? We could always have a roll in the hay, as they say.” She was trying not to laugh.
Ryder spun around, raised an eyebrow, and laughed. “Have you ever had a roll in the hay? It pokes you.”
“Oh, well I’d rather have you poke me,” she told him with a grin.
Ryder burst out laughing and turned away.
She frowned at his lack of eagerness at her idea. She followed him through the barn watching him work. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the way his jeans hugged his tight butt. Damn. She’d really hoped he’d be more in the mood. Maybe things looked different to him in the light of day.
Some while later, Kelsey entered the kitchen with Ryder behind her. She was freezing. Georgia didn’t do cold like Montana does. Her fingers felt numb, and she wasn’t sure she if she could even smile the way her cheeks felt. She stood in the kitchen shivering.
“Take your coat off,” Ryder said from behind her.
“No. I’m too cold.”
He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned close. “I’ll have you warm in no time.” The sound of that had her smiling as he turned her to face him and started unbuttoning her coat.
She kept her eyes on his face. He glanced up and their eyes met. She took her bottom lip between her teeth. She watched as he closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, she gasped at the heat in them.
“Ryder?”
“I want you, Kelsey, honestly I do, but…,” he paused, his fingers fell away from the front of her coat and he raked his fingers through his hair. He stepped away and pulled his coat off, hanging it on a hook alongside his hat. “I’m going to get a fire going.”
Kelsey stood there, silent, watching his back disappear into the living room. He wanted her, but… But what? She yanked off her mittens, hat, and then her coat, tossing them onto one of the kitchen chairs. Rubbing her hands to warm them, she walked into the living room and stood watching Ryder stoke the fire. Soon she was warm again, but she wasn’t sure if it was from the blazing fire or the anger building inside her.
****
Ryder could feel her eyes on him and knew what she expected of him since they had flirted wildly before he left to work in the barn. He hadn’t meant to, he had intended to stay cool as usual but he wasn’t used to having women stay overnight here and she looked so sexy sleeping in his bed. By the time she’d come in for breakfast, he thought he’d convinced himself it was only the one night. Nothing more. But then she was there, so beautiful and so sweet. She’d all but said he was the best she’d ever had. Hearing that made his body stand up and take notice again. W
hen he left her, he was serious about coming back and working up an appetite for lunch and much more. It wasn’t until he was in the cold light of the real world that things slapped him in the face. She was here for his protection. She could be gone tomorrow for all he knew and besides, he wasn’t looking for anything permanent and Kelsey Sullivan had commitment written all over her.
“Warmer now,” he asked standing and placing the poker in its stand. She was frowning at him and as he moved away to take a seat in his recliner, he silently begged her not to go there.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Damn. She was going there.
He shook his head and stared at the fire. “Last night…”
“Last night was amazing,” Kelsey interjected coming to stand between him and the flames. “You can’t deny that it was.”
“I’m not, darlin’, but I am going to admit that it was a mistake.”
Kelsey stepped back, her arms dropped to her sides and she turned to stare at the fire. He knew it wasn’t what she wanted to hear but it was the truth. He might be a lot of things, but he was honest.
“Look, it was great, really great, but I’m not boyfriend material, Kelsey,” he said rubbing his hand across the back of his neck.
She turned slowly, folded her arms across her chest, the action pushing her deliciously beautiful breasts high and making him all the more aware of them.
“Did I ask you to be my boyfriend, Ryder?”
“No…but…well, I know how women get,” he stumbled trying his best to crawl out of the hole he’d somehow dug for himself.
“Oh, you do, do you? Well, maybe I’m not like other women. Maybe I just like to have some fun. Maybe I’m not looking for a boyfriend,” she exclaimed with a saucy toss of her silky blonde hair.
Ryder Men of Clifton, Montana Book 5 Page 7
