by Vivian Arend
The door to the living room closed with a soft sigh, and still he held her.
The position was comfortable, and she wasn’t sure why. “What are you doing here?”
Gabe lowered his voice. “If your family just found out about your mom, and you need to be here, then I need to be here as well.”
A thread of sadness wove through her tangled emotions. Oh. That made sense. And yet it wasn’t what she’d been hoping to hear, not if she was honest with herself. “You’re right. Thank you for coming.”
She went to walk around him, to put some physical space between them to help put some emotional space between him and that weird aching sensation in her heart.
He wouldn’t let her go. Instead he slipped one arm around her waist and tugged her to his side. Lips hovering over her ear. Secretive. Private.
“I came here for you. Because I wanted to be with you.”
Allison looked into his green eyes. The blond waves of his hair stuck out in a mess from under his hat, his concern clear in his expression. His hands on her body were controlling, but careful.
“You wanted to be here? What about the Coleman gathering?” Maybe he hadn’t meant his message how it came out. The caring sound of the words—that could be her wild imagination speaking.
He rubbed his hand up and down her back slowly. “Drinking with the guys can wait.”
Gabe didn’t say anything more, just tugged her against him and held her head to his chest. The steady beat under her ear reassuring and stirring at the same time. He wanted to be with her.
Like a tiny seed of hope in the middle of the coldest winter.
“Gabe?”
“Yeah?”
She didn’t look up, just clung a little tighter. “I’m glad you came.”
Elle had gone to bed. Maisey had gone to bed. Paul had left and headed back to his place. The living room was down to him and Allison, and if he wanted to be any use in the morning, he damn well better be going to bed soon as well.
He couldn’t stand to move. Not with the way she’d draped herself over him while they’d watched TV with her mom. The shows weren’t much on his agenda, but the heat of Allison’s body snuggled up tight—that he could get used to having around all the time.
When her sister had plopped down on the far side of the couch, Allison had shifted closer to him to make room. Gabe had to adjust position a couple of times to ease off the pressure on his cock. Damn thing didn’t care they were in a public place. The longer they sat in the cozy room, the more Allison’s scent filled his head. Her perfume, or soap, or whatever it was, tickled his nose and made him long to start at her toes and nibble the entire way up. Stopping a few places along the way for good long breaks.
Worse still was thinking about what she wore underneath the skirt. And that bit of torture was his own damn fault.
Allison sighed. “We could have gone back to your cabin.”
“I don’t mind staying. Puss in Boots is cared for. Your mom enjoyed having us here, and it’s no trouble to drive the short distance in the morning.”
“She’s going to want to feed you pancakes. It’s traditional Saturday morning fare.”
Gabe would have answered, but Allison picked that moment to roll and stretch, her breasts pressed to the front of her tight T-shirt.
He couldn’t look away.
She flicked a finger under his chin. “You never seen a pair of tits before, Angel Boy?”
Gabe rotated her slightly to let her back rest on the couch, her hips still in his lap. “You and the Angel Boy business. No one calls me that anymore.”
“Your family is still known as the Angel Colemans around town. I’ve heard it.”
“Whatever. I’ll answer your question if you answer mine.” He smoothed his hand over her legs. “And this isn’t the question, but what are you wearing? Not that I mind that shirt—shows off your tits nicely. And yes, I’ve seen that particular pair a few times.”
“Hoping for more?” she teased.
“Always,” he whispered back. “Fooling around in your mama’s living room. I feel like I’m fourteen and hoping for a grope or two.”
They smiled at each other, and the ease and comfort between them was wonderful and frightening at the same time.
They’d been having sex, but always on the wild side. Raw and needy, physical release and physical comfort. This felt like there was something new in the room. An edgy, needy part, just not as frantic.
Her breathing picked up as he caressed her leg. “I had old clothes in a drawer. Most things were too small, like this T-shirt. The jeans were all a write-off. The skirt still fits—oh!”
Gabe had gathered the fabric in his fingers, a little more bunching up on each stroke. Now he touched smooth, warm skin, letting his hand sneak under the cotton material.
“So my real question is…did you put on those panties like I asked you to?”
Allison bit her lip, then nodded.
He had to suck in a breath of air to keep from shouting out hell, yeah or something. He snuck his hand higher, teasing the inside of her thigh.
The house was silent but for the moans of the wind and the floorboards settling. And the increased pants from Allison’s lips.
Gabe touched a scrap of lacy fabric a second before making contact with the warmth of her mound. The curls covering her were damp. He forced himself to continue past until the second section of elastic brushed his fingertips.
He’d been right.
It only took a second to lean in closer. He kept his hand cupping her heat, not wanting to let go. “What a nice surprise.”
She glanced toward the stairs. “Gabe, not here.”
He pressed his index finger between her folds and hit moisture. Heat. That urge to up and drive into her struck again. To lift her legs in the air and rest them over his shoulders so he could line up and thrust deep…
“You’re addictive.”
“Gabe.” She sucked in a gasp as he pressed into her core fully, burying his finger while running his thumb over her clit.
Just as suddenly he withdrew. Lifted his hand to his mouth and licked his finger clean. Her scent wrapped around them, filled his mouth, filled his head.
Her eyes were wide. Her hips had followed him as he’d pulled back, as if she was as reluctant to let him go as he was to leave off touching her.
Please, please let her want him as bad as he wanted her right then.
“Where can we go?” he whispered.
Not upstairs where the guest room sat next to the master bedroom. Not on this floor where he knew Elle slept. He didn’t give a damn who heard them, but Allison probably would.
She used his shoulders as a lever to rise, slipping off the couch and pulling him after her. When she opened the front door, he thought maybe they were going to leave, but instead she tugged him around to the side of the porch.
He peered through the darkness eagerly searching for deck chairs. Or a porch swing.
No such luck. One good thing, though, there were no windows on this side of the house. This section of the porch faced the fields and the small horse stable. It was as private as he could hope for.
Impatiently he scooped her up and manoeuvred her until he could claim her lips. Kissing her, wanting to experience her taste and the wild thrill of teeth and tongue, lips and needy gasps. Allison wrapped her legs around him, the layers of her skirt riding up and exposing her long smooth limbs.
He grabbed her by the ass and held on tight. Brought her warmth over his hard cock, rubbing her slickness over him. She was wet enough he felt it through his jeans. Gabe pressed her against the wall and pinned her there as he struggled to gain back control before he simply ripped open his pants and fucked her hard.
Allison caught him by the ears and pulled until their lips met again, just as hungry as he was.
He backed away. She clung to him as he walked the dozen steps to the corner of the porch. Inspiration struck as he lowered her to the top rail.
“Gra
b on to the upright post,” he ordered, “and spread your legs.”
She threw her arm around the column and squeezed. Gabe lifted her leg closest to the pillar and rested her foot on the railing that headed off at a ninety-degree angle to them.
He snuck his hand under her skirt again and found her pussy.
“Damn, you are wet. So fucking sexy.” He slid his fingers through her folds, loving the little noises that burst from her lips.
“Oh God, Gabe. Oh yeah, right there…”
He focused on her clit. The hard little point demanded his attention. Even as he played with her, circling and teasing, he kissed her, their breaths mingling as she got closer to exploding.
Gabe took his time to learn more. When he changed pace, he listened to her response. Concentrated on making her squirm until she cried out and he swallowed the sound. Sucking the call into himself as she writhed on the railing and he held her firmly.
She relaxed a bit, sighing happily, and he straightened up.
“You got a condom?” she whispered.
“Hell, yeah.” He pulled it from his back pocket.
“Cocky. That sure you were going to get lucky?” Allison reached down and one-handed managed to pop open the button on his jeans.
He was never going to be around her without one handy ever again. Their time at the creek had taught him that. “That cocky, period. You’re in charge. Put this on.” He pressed the condom into her hand and took hold of her shoulders.
Watching her fingers move toward his dick was incredible. The actual heat of her taking him in hand was even better. Gabe gritted his teeth together for a second to make sure he didn’t lose it while she rolled the latex over his length.
Then he put her hand back on the support pillar, hooked his arm under her thigh. Stabbed forward, little aim, no finesse. Just damn good luck as he found her heat and buried himself in one persistent rush.
“Oh, yes. So good.” She had one arm around the pillar, elbow crooked like she was holding on for dear life. Her other hand fisted his shirtfront. He withdrew and thrust forward slowly. Evenly. At least at first.
Then she started whispering.
“You know how good that feels? With you touching all those places inside? I feel you all over. My lips, my pussy.”
Gabe’s balls were tight, the shiver of icy cold down his back rising in anticipation as he got closer to the final point. He wanted to be the one blowing her mind and making her crazy but he couldn’t speak, just fixated on the sensation of how good it felt to be surrounded by her. Warm moisture, flashes of heat.
He stared down at where they connected and watched his cock slip in again, and he shuddered.
All the while Allison spoke to him. Soft words, but dirty ones. Swear words occasionally, especially after a deep thrust where his groin meshed tight with hers.
He loved it. Loved having this woman be herself. Unique and perfect. The words became confirmation that fucking her outside her mom’s house was exactly what she wanted right here and right now. Because, yeah, it was twisted in a way, but sweet mercy, it was good.
Her final fuck me hard was too much to take, and he rocked against her again and again, grinding with his pelvis over her clit until she joined him in release. Sheath squeezing his cock, jerking his climax free. Lips fluttering breathlessly against his until they both caught their breaths.
“You’ve fucked me boneless,” Allison complained. Or boasted.
Gabe reluctantly withdrew and supported her as she found her balance on the porch. He dealt with the condom, not sure where to toss it, when Allison giggled faintly.
“Drop it over the railing and we’ll grab it in the morning.”
He did it, feeling a little stupid. “Make sure you remind me. I would hate for your mama to find that in the garden box.”
They laughed together, straightening and organizing their clothing. Gabe turned to allow her to walk ahead of him into the house. Instead she snuck her hand back in his. Painfully sharp hope smacked him, but he tried to ignore it.
It was too soon to say anything. But in terms of starting to let her know he wanted more than casual from her? It had been a positive day.
Chapter Eighteen
Day slipped into night. The next day followed, and the next. Allison was busier than she’d ever been. In spite of the sadness of watching her mom grow weaker, she daily found enjoyable moments.
More than enjoyable, they rocked.
She worked full out at the restaurant, filling the rest of her time at her mom’s or putting through calls to help arrange matters for Gabe and the ranch.
No matter what she was doing, though, the longing to be with Gabe remained. She didn’t want to avoid the other things, but spending time with the man?
Addictive. She’d stupidly fallen for her own deception.
Or had something changed?
He held her hand while they watched TV, Puss in Boots purring happily in Gabe’s lap. He sat with an arm around her shoulders as they talked with family or visited with Maisey. He hugged her at the drop of a hat, and it seemed he couldn’t get enough of kissing her, no matter what time of day it was.
The sex? Oh my God, the sex. Even thinking about how they carried on made her flush and tingle.
Her mom noticed her happy glow, and complimented them both on being so terribly in love. “His rough edges are getting worn smooth by caring for you,” she shared while Allison helped her one afternoon.
Allison hid her grin by turning to fill the kettle. Something was happening, but she didn’t have the nerve to come right out and ask him if the rules had changed on their charade. “He’s never been one of the wild ones, Mom. He’s hard working and decent.”
Maisey patted her arm and slowly moved into the next task she felt had to be done. Allison clung to the happy moments, like spotting bright jewels sparkling in the rough.
Gabe was hard working. Which meant he was out in the fields and with the animals in all the different weathers, at all hours. Summer had finally decided to stick around, heat-sweltering days followed by lovely cooler nights as the sun dipped behind the foothills. The little cabin they shared with Puss in Boots seemed to have a steady stream of visitors. Rafe stopped in often. Travis. The twins from the Six Pack Coleman side.
Every time someone visited, Gabe dropped what he was doing to help.
The third time he abandoned his dinner to up and give a helping hand Allison wanted to fuss at him. That she wanted to rant didn’t piss her off as much as the fact she had no right to tell him to make his family wait. Gabe helping others—it was just a part of who he was.
Like he’d helped her. How could she be upset with him about that? And the memory of her basically stomping in and begging him to cooperate made her feel guilty all over again.
Guilt mixed with a healthy dollop of longing.
Was it crazy she wanted more?
She’d thought hard about it all week, trying to decide when things had changed. If they really had changed, or if it was her imagination working overtime after the exhaustion of long days and short nights.
Deciding to be brave and straight out ask him was difficult, especially knowing her mom could be gone soon. Having things change between her and Gabe before that happened?
She couldn’t take the risk. After would be soon enough to discover if that look in his eyes was something more than wishful thinking on her part.
So she put her plans on hold and took each day in stride. Promising to enjoy every moment as much as possible with Gabe, as well as with her mom. Because she didn’t know when either would be snatched from her.
The bonfire before them shot sparks into the indigo-coloured sky. Allison rested against Gabe’s side and looked around. “It’s a beautiful night.”
“Too early yet for the Perseids, but come August we can go lie out on the hill side and watch them all night long.”
“Shooting stars?”
“Meteor shower. Hundreds of them.”
Oh, what s
he wouldn’t give for a hundred stars to wish on. To miraculously make her mother better. To know her siblings would recover from the coming heartbreak.
For Gabe to feel even a little bit about her the way she’d begun to feel about him.
He leaned back on the low cushion he’d brought along and sighed.
“What’s that for?” She spoke softly to avoid interrupting the rest of their company, although she didn’t really need to worry. The Friday-eve activity had broken into two this weekend. Some still met at the bar in town while the more hardy of the Colemans made the trip to the bluff overlooking the Baptiste River.
“Just relaxing. It’s been a long week.”
She agreed. They’d moved Mom to the main floor of the house, shifting Elle upstairs. Her sister didn’t want to take over the master bedroom, so ironically, she was back in her original space, sunshine flooding in at a horrible hour.
Allison had teased Elle about it, but the taunts had been bittersweet. Maisey couldn’t do the stairs comfortably anymore, although homecare visits meant remaining in the house was still possible for a little longer. The clock kept ticking.
She added her own sigh to Gabe’s, and when he dropped his arm around her, she rolled to cuddle against his chest and soak in the warmth and comfort of his body.
Guitar music began, Steve Coleman rocking lightly as he picked out a tune. His girlfriend sang along, her voice a little too high to complement his, but it wasn’t centre stage Nashville, or even the Stampede fairgrounds. It was the middle of the summer in the foothills of Alberta, and the out-of-tune mashup fit.
You did what you could, you enjoyed yourself.
Jesse threw back his head and howled. A series of yips answered back from the not-so-distant trees, and the crowd laughed.
Another joy of the country. You didn’t take yourself too seriously.
“Was that a commentary on me?” Steve taunted. “Because you notice the coyotes didn’t start in until you piped up.”
