by Jill Sanders
She took her time exploring him, letting her mouth dance over his skin, causing her own body to heat with anticipation.
He nudged her back so that he could look at her. She watched his eyes as he took his thumbs and slid them slowly under the straps of her summer dress and nudged them off her shoulders.
She knew she was small, but what she had, she was proud of. The top of her dress slid down to her stomach, exposing her to his view.
“My god,” he said softly. “I’ve been wondering what was under this all night long.” He swept the back of his hand down her shoulder, just brushing it against her nipple, making it peak even further for him.
“Not much,” she managed to answer just before he bent down and covered her nipple with his hot mouth.
Crying out his name, she gripped his hair and held onto him as he took first one then the other into his mouth.
Even the feeling of the stubble on his chin against her soft skin sent waves of pure pleasure through her. Again, she wrapped her legs around his hips and tried to pull him closer to her. She felt him growing even harder in his jeans and when she tried to rub herself against him, he jerked to a halt.
“Em, I… It’s been… too long. I need to go slow,” he said, his breath floating over her skin.
“I don’t think I can wait,” she warned. Still, she held still, waiting, wanting.
“Let me, at least… take a moment to enjoy you.” His hands were slowly going down the outside of her thighs, and when she nodded in agreement, they started to move towards the inside of her thighs as they hiked her skirt up so that her entire sundress sat around her waist.
He ran a finger over the soft pink silk panties she’d worn under her dress, the only undergarment she had on.
“This is all you had on under here?” he asked, his eyes moving to hers momentarily.
“Yes,” she said, smiling, then quickly gasping as he ran his finger over the outside of her panties, sending shock waves pulsing through her.
“Trace.” She arched towards him.
“Let me,” he said again, bending over her. This time, his mouth moved farther down over her soft belly, past her bunched-up dress, and then finally covered the panties while his fingers nudged them aside. When his mouth covered her, she cried out again as her fingernails dug into his shoulders.
“My god,” he whispered against her. “I’ve missed…” he said, then shook his head and kissed her again. “I’ve never… like this,” he said between pleasing her.
When he slid a finger into her, she could no longer control her desire, and as lights exploded behind her eyes, pulsed through her entire body, she knew that he was right. She’d never either, and yes, it had never been like this.
She hadn’t realized that floating sensation was real until she felt him gently remove the rest of her sundress after he’d laid her down on the bed.
“You okay?” he asked, looking down at her from the side of the bed.
She nodded, knowing the wicked smile on her face could easily match that of the Cheshire cat in her favorite book.
“If you… I have condoms in my purse.” She waved towards the bedroom door.
“I have some.” He pulled out a package from the nightstand.
She sat up and reached for his jeans. As she unbuttoned them, she ran her mouth over his flat stomach again.
“I did warn you,” he said as she slid his jeans down his hips, leaving him standing before her in nothing but his shorts. Somewhere between the kitchen and the bedroom, he’d removed her boots and his own.
“I’ve been warned.” She smiled. “I don’t care how long you last, just as long as you promise we will have as many times as I want.”
His eyebrows shot up. “You want?” He smiled then gasped when she gripped him through his boxer shorts. She nudged them down his narrow hips until they landed on the floor with his jeans.
“Anything,” he said as he moved over her.
“Promise?” she teased as he settled between her legs.
“Yes,” he said, his voice a little hoarse. “Anything.” He bent down and kissed her, and she realized she would have promised him anything at that moment as well.
She couldn’t explain it, but when he slipped into her, as she wrapped her legs around him, pulling him as close as she could, she knew that no matter what she did in life, she would work to keep him right there, with her. Even if she gave up all her own dreams, she was determined to give him everything he needed. Everything he wanted.
As he started to move over her, his kisses turned softer, and she could tell that he was trying to hold back. Fighting for some sort of control.
Inside, she felt like a caged lioness. She scraped her nails against his shoulders, silently begging him to move faster. But he was so in control, a burst of laughter escaped her. How could he claim that he wouldn’t last long when it was her burning up, demanding another release so quickly?
Locking her ankles behind his back, she arched her body and reached up to nibble on his shoulder. She felt him jerk and then still.
“Em?” he warned.
“Let go, please, don’t hold back. I need… you. All of you,” she practically begged him.
She started to move her hips against his and felt the moment his control slipped. Laughing, then crying out with pure pleasure, she held onto him as he let go, for the first time in a long time, she knew.
How could she have known that it would be so wonderful, so powerful? That he had so much strength built up?
As she felt her own release building, he took her face in his hands and kissed her, sending her own release to match his own.
A strong arm and thick leg were flung over her body, pinning her to the mattress. Trace’s warm skin was pressed against hers, heating her even further than the warm sun outside was heating the room.
Her eyes slanted open and she groaned.
“You okay?” He jerked slightly, as if he’d hurt her.
“Yes.” She wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the feeling of his skin against hers. “I’m just sad that I have work today.”
He groaned. “Your dad was going to show me how to properly muck out a stall.”
She chuckled. “I’ve been doing it since I could hold a pitchfork.”
“Seriously?” He leaned up and glanced down at her. A slow smile formed on his lips. “Would your dad kill me if I was late?”
She glanced at the alarm clock on the nightstand and smiled. “I have an hour before I have to be into work.”
He bent and ran his mouth down her neck. “Thank god,” he said between kisses.
An hour and a half later, she unlocked the store and strolled in with a bounce in her step. She was thankful that no one was there waiting for her to open the store.
Half an hour later, the place was packed. More so than normal. Everyone seemed to be buzzing about something online. She was too busy filling orders to see what was up, so she stuck to her work as she daydreamed about being with Trace again.
That was, until Mal and Laura rushed in an hour later.
“Did you see it?” Mal asked, setting her iPad on the bar.
“What?” she asked, finishing an order
“It’s gone viral,” Laura added. “I knew it would.”
“What?” She wiped off the counter and then stopped moving when Mal turned her screen around. There was Trace on the stage of the Rusty Rail singing his song, “Lost My Way.” Damn, he was sexy.
“Cool, I want a copy of that.” She started to put a few glasses away.
“No.” Laura rolled her eyes. “Look at the number of hits. Tessa and Lucas shared the video last night. By eight this morning, there were over a million hits.”
“What?” She almost dropped the glass she’d been drying.
“Everyone’s calling him the next big thing to hit the country music scene,” Mal said. “Tessa’s mentioned singing him with her record label.”
“Really?” She pulled the screen closer and noticed that the
views had almost hit another million. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she gauged that was a million every two hours.
“It’s on a roll now. I bet it hits five million by noon,” Mal said to Laura.
“Wow.” She sighed, then quickly jumped and grabbed her cell phone. “I have to tell Trace.”
Since she’d given him her old cell phone, she called her old number. It rang twice before he answered.
“I was just thinking about you.” He almost whispered it.
“I have news,” she said excitedly, then told him quickly what was happening without taking a single breath.
Chapter Fifteen
Trace was in shock for the rest of the day. Each time Emma texted him how many views his video had, he couldn’t believe it. When he took his lunch, he got directions from Emma about logging into her laptop and checked the video out himself.
She hadn’t mentioned that the video was him singing his own song. He’d taken a chance last night and played it, deciding if no one liked it, he would just go back to playing cover songs.
But, now, seeing close to ten million views, his head was spinning. He watched the video a few times, mentally tweaking his performance, criticizing himself as he went. Then he started reading the comments and all his doubts fell aside.
Most people talked about how sexy he was, but there were some military personnel talking about how the lyrics spoke to them. How they could relate to his words, to his emotions.
By the time he shut down her laptop, he was a little unsteady, emotionally.
When he walked into the barn, Chase immediately noticed it.
“Everything okay, son?” he asked.
The man hadn’t so much as mentioned the fact that he knew Emma had spent the night with him. If he did know it.
“I…” He shook his head. “My song went viral and Tessa and Lucas James want to sign a contract with me.”
Chase’s smile was instant as he slapped him on the shoulder. “I knew it was bound to happen. You’ve got a talent, son. All it took was someone catching wind of you.”
“The song I sang last night,” he said when he remembered Chase hadn’t been there last night. “It’s a song I wrote after I got out of the marines… So many other ex-military personnel they… responded to it.”
“Responded well, I take it?” he asked.
“Yeah.” He wiped his hand through his hair.
“Damn, I wish we’d been there. You’ll have to sing it again. I wish we could make it tonight, but we already have dinner plans. Maybe we can stop by after. If not, we’ll make a point to come see it next weekend.” Trace nodded. “But, for now…” Chase handed him a pitchfork. “You get the privilege of mucking out Bart’s stall while Rick is away.”
Trace laughed. “Privilege?”
“Bart sees it that way,” Chase said, leaning closer to him and lowering his voice. “Don’t tell Bart it’s a chore. I swear, my son treats that horse as if he was damn royalty.” Chase shook his head as he walked away.
Trace didn’t mind the arduous work. It cleared his mind and allowed him to think of other lyrics and tunes to try out. By the time Bart’s stall was clean, with a fresh layer of hay covering the floor, he’d worked out his first positive song in his head. It was no surprise that it was about Emma.
Of course, he wouldn’t be playing it for her anytime soon, if ever. Still, he itched to grab his guitar and strum it out instead of just playing it in his head. But the rest of the day was spent learning how to properly care for the animals around the massive ranch.
Besides horses and cattle, there were chickens, goats, and a few pigs that he’d been told were just visiting. He didn’t know if that was code for the fact that they were going to be eaten soon or if they were watching them for someone else. He didn’t want to know after the smallest of them rushed up to him, demanded to be pet, and promptly fell asleep on his boot.
Shortly before four that afternoon, he climbed the stairs to the ranch house. He was once again physically exhausted. Every muscle in his body ached and his stomach was growling loudly. He knew that if he was going to make it through tonight, he needed a pick-me-up.
He’d gotten used to eating at the main house with Emma’s family, but tonight her parents were going out with friends. Which meant he had a frozen meal to look forward to before heading into town to play for the Saturday crowd.
Tossing his muddy boots off at the door, he pulled off his shirt, which smelled a lot like hay and pigs. He stopped in the hallway and smelled himself. Maybe that was him?
Either way, he tossed his soiled clothes in the bin and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wash away the smell, sweat, dirt, and soreness.
Resting his head against the tile, he thought of trying to convince Emma to swing by his place after the show again, but he didn’t want to come across as needy.
Was it needy? They’d had a wonderful night together last night. It was natural that he wanted more time with her, in or out of bed. Did she want to be with him as much?
He’d never really doubted himself like this before with anyone. In his younger days, he’d been with a few girls. Each had been special in their own way, but he’d never felt as much for any of them as he did for Emma.
When his muscles no longer screamed at him, he stepped out and pulled on a pair of fresh jeans and a new black T-shirt.
Seeing Emma standing at the table caused his heart to skip a beat and he smiled. She had changed out of her work clothes of khaki pants and a blouse into another sundress, this one a soft blue.
“I brought a couple burgers from Mama’s.” She moved aside and showed him two containers of food. “I thought we could eat before we head down to the Rail.” She pulled a bottle of ketchup and two beers from the fridge.
He walked over and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her until he felt steadier. He was just as spoiled as her brother’s horse.
Sitting at the table, neither of them wasted any time devouring their food.
“I think your dad is right,” he said between bites. “Your brother spoiled Bart. That horse demands his stall be just the way he likes it.”
“A pile of hay in the left back corner and none on the right side,” she said with a giggle.
“Yes.” He shook his head. “He’s a smart one.”
“Unlike my brother,” she joked, then grew silent for a moment. “Your video has hit ten million.”
“It’s crazy.” He shook his head. “I took a chance playing that song last night.” He sighed, remembering some of the messages he’d read from the vets during lunch. “I never thought that it would touch so many people.”
“I’ve read some of the comments. Not all of them because there are thousands now,” she said between bites. “It really makes you realize how many other veterans are dealing with… stuff.”
He glanced over at her. “We make sacrifices, sometimes the ultimate kind, yet when we come home… it’s… lonely.”
She reached over to take his hand. “It doesn’t have to be.”
“No,” he agreed, “I’m starting to see that. But if you would have told me that a few months ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. Everyone needs to go through the stages—I suppose that’s what it is—of coming home.”
“Like grief,” she added. He nodded. “Are you going to play that song again tonight?”
“Yes, and maybe another one of my own.” He shrugged and glanced at the clock. They had an hour before he needed to start setting up. His eyes moved back over to her. “Just so I don’t wonder all night”—he nudged his empty food container aside as her eyes met his— “what exactly do you have on under that dress?”
Her smile was quick. She moved over and, to his joy, straddled him right there on the chair. Her arms went around his shoulders. “Why don’t you find out for yourself? I think we have the time.”
He instantly grew so hard, he doubted he would be able to focus on anything else for the rest of the night if he didn’t have her now.
>
In one quick move, he swooped her up in his arms. Her legs wrapped around his hips as he started to walk towards the bedroom.
When he bumped into the wall, he knew there was no way he was going to make it. Her mouth had fused to his and she was moving her hips over his growing crotch. His jeans were suddenly too damn tight. He backed her up until her shoulders were pinned against the wall. Then he used his hands to free himself, lifted her skirt and, without looking to see what color they were, yanked her panties aside.
He was thankful he’d shoved a condom into his back pocket, since he doubted that she wanted to wait, and he knew he couldn’t.
“Trace, now,” she said as her teeth scraped his jawline. “Now.”
Filling her, he closed his eyes and prayed that, as with last night, he could hold out long enough to satisfy her.
The moment she cried out his name, he allowed himself to lose control. There was no denying the need, not after watching her green eyes go soft and feeling her body tighten around his.
“I’m ruined.” He sighed into her hair. “Completely.”
She chuckled in response. “In a good way? I hope.”
“The best.” He leaned back and looked into her eyes. “What I want to do is carry you in and lay you on my bed so we can do that all night long.”
“But”—she shifted until her feet touched the ground— “your fans await.”
“Right.” He frowned as he righted his clothes. She bent down and picked up a small pink silk cloth. He realized that it was what was left of her underwear.
“Sorry.” He reached for the ruined material.
“Don’t be.” She smiled at him. “It’s the only reason I wore them.” She sighed and stuffed them into her purse. “We can stop at the house, and I’ll grab another pair.” She shrugged. “We’d better get going.”
“Right.” He shook his head clear, his mind and body already wanting her again. He moved towards the door, but she stopped him.
“Trace?”
“Hm?” he asked.
“Won’t you be needing your guitar?” she asked sweetly.
Chuckling, he walked over and grabbed his case. “You make my mind melt.”
