Bought by the Raunchy Cowboy: A BBW Billionaire Romance

by Raina Wilde

  “Are you finished? ” Natalie’s voice floated over him with steely precision. “As witty as you seem to think that you are, Mr. Ryker, your little speech actually reveals quite a lot about you. ”

  “Is that so? ” He rolled to his side and stared at her. “I would love to hear your evaluation. ”

  “Oh, you’re textbook. ” She smiled. He could see that she knew very well that he would bristle against any claim of the sort. “You’re a classic loner. No time for personal relationships. Sure, you have friends and family, but no one would be surprised if you disappeared for several years and then showed up on the holidays as if you never left. ” He felt his eyes narrow. He did not like where this was going. “You ride a motorcycle and run with the most elite men in the military because you think you’re tough. So tough, that you are perfectly unscathed by the brutal deaths of your team, best friend, and what should have been your own end of the line. ”

  She was mad. He could tell. She was annoyed by his refusal to take her session seriously and he was desperately searching for a way to get her to stop talking. Her words were hitting too close to home for his liking.

  “Instead of being open about what happened, you keep your mouth shut because you think that you can deal with it. Well, you know what!” Her voice was quiet but from the tone she might as well have been shouting. “You can’t. I lost one of my brothers in Afghanistan and I thought the other four were going to tear themselves to pieces before they accepted help. That’s the reason I went into PTSD and grief counseling. I saw what it did for them. I know what it can do for you. ”

  “I don’t need counseling. ” He sat up and faced her with a serious expression.

  “Why not? ” she challenged. “Tell me what happened and let me be the judge of that. ”

  Suddenly, he needed to make her as uncomfortable as she had made him.

  “I’ll tell you if I can get a repeat of the other night. ” He accessed his most captivating smile.

  “Stop it. ”

  “Alright, fine. I’ll make an exception if you at least go on a date with me. ” He pressed.

  “GET OUT!” Natalie shouted.

  For a moment he had thought that he had seen a flicker of interest in her eyes. When Natalie’s office door slammed behind him he felt a moment of pride that she was so sensitive to his flirtations. Afterward, however, he felt like a jerk for giving her such a hard time.

  Chapter 8:

  Natalie was at a loss. What was she supposed to do about Chris’s impossible attitude?

  He blatantly refused to talk, continuously upended their professional relationship with flirtations and reminders of their one steamy encounter. The problem was, a part of her had wanted to accept his offer.

  That, more than anything else, worried her.

  She should not be harboring feelings for a patient. She should not be thinking about, remembering, or fantasizing about sexual encounters with said person. She should NOT be considering a date, and where that might lead, whether or not it produced results.

  The worst part was, she had liked the idea of a date even without the offer of information.

  She just wanted a date. Period.

  She shook her head and tried to regain some semblance of sanity. She was supposed to be focusing on his case, not his long legs spread over the length of her sofa. Not his killer abs that even the layered shirts that he had been wearing could not disguise. Definitely not the fact that he had picked her up, curves and all, and held her while they made love as if she were nothing more than feather.

  Natalie needed to focus. She needed to find a new approach. A solution.

  She drummed her fingers along the top of her desk as she thought.

  Finally, she flipped open his case file and dialed the number inside.

  While she waited for an answer, she lectured herself on the necessity of maintaining a professional relationship with her clients. Especially, one who could be as potentially dangerous as Chris Ryker.

  “Barkley. ” The gruff voice answered.

  “Commander Barkley. This is Doctor Barnett at the VA Clinic. I was hoping that you had a moment. ”

  The man on the other end of the line grunted.

  “Ryker’s giving you problems, huh? I’m not surprised. ” He sighed and Natalie imagined a weathered man rubbing his brow in frustration. “What can I do to help you? ”

  “I’d like a little insight, if you don’t mind. ” She explained. “I don’t seem to be getting anywhere and I was wondering what your thoughts were on the situation. ”

  “It’s a damn muck-up. ” The commander spat. “Ryker is one of the best men I’ve ever worked with. It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t fit. ”

  Natalie waited with bated breath for him to continue.

  “He has an impeccable record. He is thorough, reliable, and resilient. His men loved him. They trusted him. I just don’t see how Chris could have done this. If Murphy hadn’t had said those words I’d have told the investigators that they were off their rockers. Even so, who knows what sort of mindset Murph was in at the time. Maybe he was confused…”

  Natalie listened to the commander trying to piece together an outcome that seemed unlikely.

  “Commander Barkley, I can’t seem to get your boy to open up. Do you have any suggestions? ”

  Laughter trickled over the phone.

  “Ryker isn’t going to open up to anyone. Especially not a therapist. He’s rock solid and too smart for that. No, if he tells anyone, which I highly doubt he will, it will be someone he trusts with his life. Hell, he wouldn’t even talk to me and we’ve been to Hell and back more times than I can count. ” He paused, and then continued. “Chris isn’t one to volunteer information about himself, and definitely not about something he has already decided to keep a secret. Those of us who know him well only have our own observations to work with. I can’t say that I envy your job, Miss Barnett, but I hope you understand how important it is that you succeed. ”

  Natalie considered the Commander’s words.

  She thanked him and hung up with a new level of resolve.

  He needed to trust her. Not as a therapist, but as a person.

  She wondered how serious he had been about his offer… she just might have to take him up on it and find out.

  Chapter 9:

  Chris was lounging in his living room, pretending to watch television, but really just lost in his own wayward thoughts. A knock at the door drew him from his reverie.

  When he opened the door, Chris wished that he would have glanced through a nearby window first. By the time he was standing in front of the glass frame, it was too late.

  The visitor could clearly see his shadow approaching through the tempered panes.

  Annabelle Pomeretti stood on his covered porch with a weathered box cradled against her hip. The look on her face meant business. She was not going to be avoided any longer.

  “Anna. ” Chris greeted her.

  She stared at him for a long moment before responding.

  “I expected you to come visit. ” Somehow she managed to sound cold and full of emotion at the same time.

  “I know. ” He admitted. There was no point in denying it. He had no excuse. No reason that he could give her for not visiting.

  She shifted slightly, angling the box toward him.

  “I thought that you might want these…” She thrust the box forward in such a way that he was forced to accept it. “It’s just some old photos of the two of you and a few of Tony’s things that he would have wanted you to have. ”

  “Anna, I…” He began.

  “Don’t. ” She held up a hand to stop whatever speech he had been about to make. “I have no idea what is going on with you, Chris. I’m not going to pretend that I have any idea what happened over there. They aren’t telling any of us until after the investigation is complete. All that I know is that Tony was your best friend. You two shared so much, and I want you to know that the kids and I still consider you a
part of the family.

  “Anyway…” She continued, “We are all mourning his loss. I just wanted you to know that you don’t have to go through this alone. Stop by sometime. ” She turned to leave. “The kids would love to hear some old stories about their dad. ”

  Before he could respond, she was shuffling down the sidewalk to her vehicle.

  Chris felt as if he had been punched in the gut. The last thing that he had expected today was a confrontation with Tony’s widow. Whether he wanted to help the family through this rough time or not, he simply could not. It was not an option. There was too much that he could not explain to them. Too much that he could never share with them about their father’s last moments.

  Guilt crashed over him and he slammed the door so that it shook in its hinges.

  Once more, a soft tap sounded on the door and Chris took a moment to collect himself. He had no idea what Anna might have returned for, but he felt as if he deserved more of her anger than he had yet received.

  He prepared himself to apologize to her. With a deep breath of preparation he opened the door once again.

  To his astonishment, it was not Annabelle, but Natalie who stood outside of his door. It took a moment for Chris to collect himself. He stared at her in dumb silence for a moment before greeting her with a frazzled grin.

  “What are you doing here? ” He asked. He knew that he owed Natalie an apology as well. It appeared as if that was the theme for the day.

  Natalie shot him a killer smile that caught him off guard. If anything, he expected her anger for his behavior this afternoon.

  “I’ve decided to take you up on your offer. ” She began. Chris struggled to remember what offer he had made. “A date. ” She explained.

  The memory of his joking offer returned to him.

  “In exchange for information…” His voice made it clear that he was not actually a fan of this option.

  “Nope. ” She smiled. “Just a date. ”

  Chris stared at her with suspicion.

  “What’s the catch? ” He asked.

  “No catch. ” Natalie continued to stare at him with an honest grin. “I would love to help you. If it ever comes to the point where you want to talk with me, I will always be willing to listen. Until then, or perhaps never, I’ve decided that we might as well get to know each other a little better. Either way, I don’t think that we are going to get anywhere with formal sessions. ”

  Chris narrowed his eyes.

  “What if I never talk? ” He asked. He still had no intention of sharing his story. He would love to take Natalie on a date, but not if she was only interested in information.

  She shrugged.

  “Then I’ll write my report and we will both have to hope that the investigators can piece together the case on their own. ”

  He knew, without a doubt, that they never would. Without his testimony they would be unable to determine with any certainty, how the men had died. That was a secret that Chris was prepared to take to his grave. He only hoped that his previous records would be enough to preserve his career, despite the suspicion that had been cast over his name.

  “I’ll grab my keys. ” He slipped inside the door for a moment to grab the keys to his bike. If Natalie was open to the idea of a date, he was not going to wait long enough for her to change her mind.

  When she moved to climb on top of her own bike, Chris shook his head. He patted the seat behind him, indicating that he intended for them to ride together.

  “Where are we going? ” She asked with a chuckle. Her laughter sent tendrils of excitement through his body.

  “I think a ride along the coast would be nice. ” He explained as she settled behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Afterward, we could grab some dinner? ”

  Natalie expressed her satisfaction with the plan. She found Chris much more relaxed outside of the office environment and, she had to admit, she took great pleasure in his casual company. The pair melded together like old friends.

  By the time that they had stopped for dinner, Natalie was shocked at how much Chris seemed to have opened up to her. They shared stories about their childhood, families, and personal interests.

  Natalie learned much about Chris’s relationship with his Navy Seal unit. Though, he pointedly avoided any discussion about their final mission. The men had been close, very close. They spent every waking moment together while on duty and, when off, visited each other frequently.

  Chris was the leader of the unit and he had trusted his men without question. Natalie learned that Chris was the godparent to Tony’s oldest son. She had tried to ask him if he had visited the Pomeretti family since the death of their father, but he quickly changed the subject.

  She wondered how a man so obviously devoted to his friends could isolate himself so completely after their deaths. There was more to the story. Something that Chris did not want to talk about. She was sure of it, but she did not push any further.

  Instead, she allowed the conversation to turn toward herself. She allowed him to ask her questions and therefore divert the attention away from the sensitive topic. She hoped that one day he would open up completely to her. Natalie realized that she wanted him to open up to her on a personal level. She wanted to know him completely.

  She also realized that a part of her wondered if there was a future for them as a pair. She had learned long ago that there could never be a future if secrets existed. She would never be able to fully trust Chris until she knew for certain what had happened to his teammates.

  A few hours later, Chris pulled the bike back up the hill of his driveway. Natalie swung her leg over the seat. The gentle hum of the motor had made her legs feel numb and shaky. It was similar to the feeling that she would experience when getting off of a boat after a lengthy excursion. She waited for her strength to return.

  “I should get going. ” Natalie gestured toward her own motorcycle parked on the pavement. The truth was that the evening had been perfect and she did not want it to end.

  Chris gestured toward the front door.

  “If you have somewhere to by, that’s fine. " His smile made her already weak legs shake. “But, you are welcome to come inside. If you’d like. ”

  Natalie very much wanted to join him inside of the house. The look in his eyes told her that this was no casual invitation. The electric current that had passed between them all night was at its peak. They had both been thinking about it, both been feeling it, but neither had made any attempt to address their attraction in any obvious way.

  Natalie took a shaky breath. She knew that this was a pivotal moment for them, both on a personal level as well as professional. If she overstepped the boundary of propriety she might ruin any chance she might have to help him. On the other hand, they had already crossed that line long before they knew that he was her patient. A small voice in her head told her that if she did not give in to this need it would only make their passion grow to the point of insanity.

  Like an itch the needed to be scratched, she could not resist.

  She gave a slow nod, with a shy smile that crossed her lips. The look of utter surprise that took over Chris’s features had already made the decision worth it. He had honestly expected her to decline.

  “Are you sure? ” She could tell that he was battling the same choices that she was. Unfortunately, they had both already had a sample of what it meant to be together and neither could ignore the desire to experience it properly this time.

  “Yes, I’m sure. ” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

  Chris cleared his throat and moved to unlock the door. He made some comment about how he had beer and wine in the refrigerator, but Natalie was not listening.

  The moment she heard the door click shut behind her, she spun on her heel and pressed her lips against his. She had expected resistance, or at least confusion, but Chris met her with a hunger that matched her own.

  She curled her fingers into the collar of his shirt and pulled herself agains
t him. The pressure of their bodies was a study of opposites. They were heat and ice, hard and soft, smooth and rugged all at the same time. Natalie’s mind was overwrought with sensation.

  There was no point in waiting, she told herself. This was the call between their souls that needed to be answered. This was the reason she was here. She knew it. He knew it. There was no point in prolonging the inevitable.

  She picked at the buttons of his shirt until she had opened the front completely. Her hands slipped inside and she nearly groaned when they met the hardened muscles and heated skin. Had she known that he was not wearing an undershirt, she probably would have ripped it open much earlier in the night.

  She could hear, and feel, Chris’s chuckle against her mouth. She did not care if he found her impatience amusing. At this very moment, her mind was focused only on one thing. Their mutual satisfaction.

  Her hands slipped to the clasp of his jeans and Chris’s laughter died on his lips. With a sudden ferocity that he had yet to exhibit previously, he slipped an arm beneath her knees and lifted her with an ease that surprised her.

  The next thing that she knew, she was being gently eased down onto a plain blue coverlet. She could not have told you the path the led from the main door to the bedroom. She had been much too focused on exploring the rigid muscles and tendons of Chris’s neck and shoulders.

  Natalie shimmied out of her own jeans, discarding her underwear at the same time. She peeled her shirt over her head and unclasped her bra, reveling in the pleasure of the freedom of her heavy breasts.

  Chris’s pupils contracted and his grin showed blatant appreciation for her body.

  She lay back among the pillows and waited for her lover to join her. This time, they would have much more freedom to explore one another. This time, she fully intended on memorizing every detail of his body and the sensations that passed between them.

  Much like everything else in his life, Chris threw himself into their lovemaking with gusto. His hands massaged and kneaded every inch of her skin, from her tired legs to the corded tension of her neck. By the time he was finished, her entire body felt like a melted stick of butter.