“No matter. You’ve never been away from home for so long. It’s past suppertime already.” Her mother came over and took the bag she was carrying.
“It’s a long drive. I came home as soon as I could.” For the first time, Cindy felt claustrophobic. All her life she’d welcomed her parent’s coddling. They kept her safe from the cold, cruel world. She hid away in her family home, not willing to socialize in fear of being ostracized for her birth defect. Now she felt like she’d passed some sort of test. She could survive on her own, and men could like her unconditionally—like Matthew. There was now a world of possibilities ahead of her that she was eager to explore.
“Cindy.” Chance came and stood near her, nodding in greeting. He looked so much bigger in her small house, somehow out of place. She was out of her element, not in her business frame of mind.
“What are you doing here?” she asked accusingly.
“That’s no way to speak to a guest,” said her mother. “Chance was worried about you, so when he came over we offered him dinner.”
“Ain’t too often a man like me gets a home-cooked meal.”
“Right.” She scowled at Chance and headed for her bedroom, calling back over her shoulder, “Mom, I’m tired from the drive. I’ll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early.”
Who did he think he was? This was her home, her personal space. He was pushing her limits when she needed some time alone. Cindy crashed on her bed, breathing in the familiar lavender scent of her comforters. Her mother sewed the herbs into her linens for aromatherapy. It always reminded her of home and security.
There was a knock on her door.
“Yes?”
When the door opened and Chance’s masculine frame filled the doorway, she bolted up in bed. He closed the door behind him and stepped in.
“My mother let you in here?”
“She’s worried about you.”
“What on earth for?”
He shrugged. “Did you forget our dinner date?”
Cindy sighed, feeling a trickle of guilt for standing him up without warning. “I got busy with work and couldn’t get back in time. I’m sorry, I should have called you.”
“After no word today, I was worried. I stopped by an hour ago to see if you were okay, and that’s when your mother insisted I stay.”
She took a cleansing breath, forcing herself to behave more humanly. It wasn’t Chance’s fault. What kind of farmhand wouldn’t welcome her mother’s home-cooking? And she knew her mother was probably excited about a potential suitor, one who brought the promise of grandchildren. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine. My mind’s in a muddle right now, and I shouldn’t take that out on you.”
He came and sat on the edge of her bed, his weight dipping the mattress. Her walls were painted a soft blue, a reminder of the morning sky. The pale, feminine color was a stark contrast to Chance and his fitted black T-shirt and unkempt dirty-blond hair. He was gorgeous and sitting on her private bed. She remembered the wicked things Matthew did to her body, and she realized Chance was capable of the same feats. The fleeting thought made her pussy weep.
“Will you give me another chance to take you out to dinner? Lord knows it took me five years to get you to agree to the first date. I don’t want to lose my chance now.”
She smiled, recalling all the times he’d called her to the ranch for unnecessary service calls. As much as she tried to deny the fact, she’d always had a deep-seated crush on the cowboy drifter. But he wasn’t a God-fearing farm boy with classic values. He was a playboy, the type of man women radiated to. If he knew about her disability he’d disappear faster than butter on hot toast.
“Sure, Chance. I said I’d have dinner with you, and I will.”
“Twilight’s approaching. Will you take a walk with me before I leave?”
Cindy agreed, so they set out through the back door of the kitchen, the whiny screen door slapping shut behind them. The crickets were already chirping as the world grew dimmer. She already felt the tug of sleep embracing her.
“The hay’s ripe for harvesting,” he said as they walked along the edge of the barley field.
“It’s not ours. My father rents the acreage to neighboring farmers. His farming days are over—have been ever since we moved here for a fresh start.”
“Sorry, part of me cringes when I see a field so desperate to be plowed.”
“That’s because you’re a hard worker, Chance. You’ll make a good husband and provider one day.” As soon as she said the words, she clammed up.
“Will I now?” He sounded amused. “I think I best get my own piece of land first. I don’t have much to offer a woman of worth as is.”
Cindy began to wonder about Chance. He only showed up to work the busy season. Where did he go when he wasn’t working the neighboring ranches as a laborer? “Where do you usually stay?”
He dragged a hand through his hair, staring out towards the darkening horizon. The sun was crimson red, a magical sphere which highlighted the surrounding clouds in various shades of red, orange, and pink. “Here and there. A lot of ranchers rent rooms to men like me. Can’t say I really belong in any one place.”
“Doesn’t that get lonely, always moving? Don’t you ever think about setting down roots?”
Chance stopped her, holding her arm until she came to a standstill. “I think about those things every time I see you.” His voice had changed, going from casual to intense.
She brushed him off. “Chance, you can’t sweet talk me. I’ve heard it all. One thing I know for certain—you’re not a one-woman man.”
“But I can be.” His hand shackled her wrist, his blue eyes reflecting the flames in the sky. He leaned over and surprised her with a kiss. As he deepened the contact, he tucked her in close with one arm around her waist. He smelled like the country, raw and untamed. Did she dare trust him as she did Matthew? He had no clue about her carefully guarded secret, and she wanted it to stay that way. The only way for that to happen was to avoid increased intimacy. One thing would likely lead to another as it had this morning with Matthew.
“This is a lot more than a walk, Chance.” Cindy rested her forearms against his chest. She could admit to herself that it felt good to be cocooned in his strong embrace. She felt protected, safe, and adored. But it was all an illusion. Men like Chance Anderson were superficial, only interested in outward beauty and fleeting pleasure. She’d be a princess for one night, but by morning she’d just be another notch on his leather belt.
“It’s even better, no?” He kissed her temple.
She chuckled to herself as her thoughts wandered.
“What’s funny, darlin’?”
“You’re the second man to kiss me in one day.”
Cindy thought it was amusing, especially when she’d managed to avoid men for twenty-seven years. She hadn’t worn a different perfume or added makeup, but the men seemed to gather towards her like moths to a flame. Chance looked anything but amused. The setting sun cast shadows over his face when he pulled back to look at her. He had a couple days' worth of dark scruff on his jaw. He was pure dominance when he stared down at her.
“Who kissed you, Cindy?”
“An old friend up north. It was my first kiss.” She felt her cheeks heat. Being a virgin her entire adult life was nothing to be proud of. But she knew Chance wasn’t looking for a long-term commitment, so why not tell the truth?
“You’re joking with me, right? You’ve never kissed a man before today?”
She shook her head.
“It should have been me, baby doll. I was here waiting for you.” He nuzzled her neck, breathing her in as if she was the sweetest thing he’d ever smelled. “What else did this ‘old friend’ do to you?”
“N–nothing.”
“You’re lying.” He trailed his kisses lower, closing in on her collar bone. “Tell me what else he did.”
She swallowed hard, determined not to hide any facts. Once he knew what she’d done with Matthew, he’d lik
ely be disgusted and leave her alone. “He–he did things. You know. Down there.”
Chance smirked against her skin. “Did he take your virginity, Cindy? Tell me the truth. I’ll know if you’re lying.”
“No,” she said confidently. Her virginity was intact, and at this point she suspected it always would be. If a man could walk away from her in the heat of the moment, she doubted he had any intentions on sticking around for more. She still felt wound up from her foray with Matthew, but apparently it was easy for him to move on.
“Then tell me what he did to you ‘down here.’” He cupped her mound, not gentle and lovingly like Matthew touched her, but rough and firm. Her pussy sparked to life on contact.
She gasped aloud, now holding his shoulders for balance. Cindy was thankful for the cover of night concealing their illicit act. “Matthew put his mouth down there. He kissed and licked until I came.”
“Did you like it?”
Cindy nodded again. For some reason saying things out loud seemed dirtier, as if exposing her actions to the whole world. She became more aroused.
Chance held her tighter, his cock rubbing against her side. The sun almost fully set, making her feel like they were the last two people in the world. Every sound was magnified—her heartbeat in her ears, the crunch of dry grass beneath his boots, and the distant call of bats passing by.
“You liked having a man’s tongue in your virgin pussy?”
He was so crude, so vulgar. She should smack him and return to her house, even tell her father what a no-gooder Chance was. But she didn’t. Cindy felt a deep-seated thrill from his raw sexuality. It turned her on in new, exciting ways.
“Yes,” she dared to say.
“Did you stop him from fucking you?”
“He didn’t want to. He didn’t want to take my virginity.”
Chance scoffed. “I promise I don’t have a problem ridding you of that burden, sweetheart. I’ll bring you to heights you never knew existed.”
She was tempted to take him up on his offer, but she had to keep her mind anchored in reality. If they started getting naked, he’d see her fake limb. She’d also be the laughing stock tomorrow if he started spreading rumors. No rancher would take a female irrigation specialist seriously if she had the reputation of a whore.
“Maybe I’m not ready to lose it just yet,” she said. “Besides, just because you happen to be here tonight doesn’t give you a free pass to do with me as you please.”
“So who’s this Matthew character? You let him play with your pussy but you won’t even give me a sample. Has he courted you for five years like me?”
“No, it just happened.”
He grabbed her hand and brought it to his crotch, forcing her to feel the stiff erection in his pants. “That’s what you do to me, Cindy. You gonna leave me with a painful hard-on all night? Not even a little sample?”
She was curious. Her body was lit up with passion, desires so powerful she had trouble keeping up her hard-as-nails persona. If only she could enjoy Chance’s offer without any consequences. She’d have to trust he’d behave somewhat for the sake of his job. Mr. Oakley and his boss were on excellent terms.
The land was slowly coming alive with nocturnal critters and insects. It was a magical atmosphere that lowered her inhibitions.
“What kind of sample?” she whispered.
“Good girl.” He made a sound not unlike the growl of an animal as he slid his hands under her shirt. Chance cupped her breasts, squeezing firmly, rubbing his thumbs over her beaded nipples. “You have beautiful tits,” he said. “More than a handful.”
He squatted down in front of her, raising her shirt enough for him to reach her breasts with his mouth. Chance suckled her tits like a newborn babe, sending intense spikes of hormones through her veins. She could feel it happening as it had this afternoon—that wanton desire taking control.
Chance unfastened her pants, pulling them down over the curve of her ass, along with her panties. Was he going to do the same thing Matthew had? It seemed the crickets momentarily silenced, as if they watched, also awaiting Chance’s next move.
“What are you doing?”
“Hush,” he said, his voice carried a dominant edge that made her pussy weep.
He rose up but remained bent over at the waist where he continued to engorge himself on her breasts, alternating from one to the next. The continued stimulation was the catalyst to a deeper awakening. Her stomach cramped, her blood heating. He wrapped one arm around her until his big palm cupped her rear. He slid his finger in the overflow of moisture along her folds and then proceeded to impale one finger into her ass. It was the oddest sensation, taking her off guard.
“Chance!” she squealed.
“Relax. I promise you’ll like it.”
“I will not.”
He kept wiggling his thick digit into her anus until knuckle deep. With his free hand he did the same thing, except with two fingers, into her pussy. He impaled her virgin pussy in a slow, measured breach. With a finger in her ass and two in her cunt, she felt stuffed, overwhelmed with the unusual, titillating mix of sensations.
“You like it?” he asked, slowly thrusting his fingers in and out of her pussy.
“I don’t know.”
“It takes some getting used to, I suppose. One day you’ll be begging me to fuck your ass with my cock. There are pleasure centers back here that most people don’t know exist.”
She dropped her weight down so Chance was forced to support her. Her knees were too weak all of a sudden. Cindy wanted to lie down on the prickly grass and allow the rough and ready cowboy to fuck her with all the stamina she knew he possessed. It would be so easy and take away the cruel ache deep in her core. But the more she believed her virginity wasn’t important, the more she realized that she was better than this.
How many stories had she heard about buckle bunnies and bar trawlers hooking up with men in the hay fields? She refused to be one of them. Cindy may have cursed her body most days for things she couldn’t change, but she could change the outcome of tonight.
Chapter Nine
Although Chance felt he had some kind of ownership over the cute, blonde cowgirl, he didn’t. After trying to earn her approval for five years, he should be seriously pissed off that she gave herself so freely to another man. But picturing the scene she described only made his cock hard. It was her virginity that gave him pause. He wasn’t even sure if he’d been with one, and he had a long track record of women he’d bedded over the years.
The truth was he was thirty-two years old and only getting older by the day. He used to register in at least half a dozen rodeo events in a year, but now he barely had the energy for two. Even if Cindy gave him the time of day, what did he have to offer her? He was chasing the wind. At his age, men didn’t start over. He had no land, not even a horse to call his own. How could he provide for a woman, a family? It was foolish to yearn for something that could never be.
At some point he’d resigned to living life as a drifter, not committing emotionally to any one person. He had enjoyed the fast life for years now. But that wayward lifestyle was catching up with him. Every time he’d look into Cindy’s big, blue eyes, he could see a future beyond what he’d settled for.
“Oh, God. It’s happening again.”
“What is?” he asked, wanting to hear her say it. Her innocence was an unexpected turn on. Usually he preferred his women experienced and uninhibited. Regardless, he knew a woman’s body well, and there was no way Cindy would be able to hold off much longer.
“I’m getting hot all over…” She was breathing heavily, her feminine panting music to his ears.
He moved his fingers just so, hitting the tender places he knew would push her over the edge. Then she detonated. He could feel her pussy and ass clamping down on his fingers. The girl was tight, and he could only imagine how good she’d feel around his cock. She latched onto his shoulders, digging her nails in deep. He had wanted to hear her cry out or call his nam
e in the height of her passion, but she stifled her cries in the flannel of his shirt.
Fuck, he wanted her. His cock pulsed, so engorged he could barely stand straight. But unlike his usual reaction, he couldn’t bring himself to act on his urges. She was a fucking virgin. Was he that much of a bastard to rip it away from her? He liked to think he had a few morals left.
“You’re very receptive, Cindy.”
She fixed her shirt and pulled up her jeans. It was too dark now to see facial features. Once the sun began to lower on the prairies, night settled in fast.
“And very stupid.”
“We’re not children. Ain’t anything wrong with what just happened.” He leaned over to kiss her, but she pulled away.
“I’ve got to go. Maybe it would be better if we didn’t see each other again. I know you’re not interested in anything long-term, and I certainly can’t deal with a real relationship.” She spoke so fast he could scarcely understand her.
“Don’t put words in my mouth, darlin’. Just because I can’t keep my hands off you doesn’t mean I only have one thing on my mind. You’re something special.”
“Really?” She scoffed as she started walking towards the house. “You’re a playboy, Chance. I know that, the whole town knows that. Maybe that’s for the best since I can’t see myself getting into anything serious.”
He bolted ahead of her, and then walked backwards. Where were all his feelings of insecurity coming from? He felt the need to prove himself, to hold onto the girl he couldn’t get off his mind. “Hey, it’s not fair that you’re making assumptions about me. Is it because I ain’t a wealthy rancher? I suspect this ‘old friend’ of yours has more money than he knows what to do with.”
“As a matter of fact, he’s about to become homeless. But that’s beside the point.”
“What is your point exactly?” Irritation lashed within him, a combination of unfamiliar emotions and blue balls. Why couldn’t Cindy have felt the same desire that pumped through his veins? She had no idea the restraint he was using. That alone should prove how much he cared about her. He’d have any other woman on the prairie ground by now.
The Reluctant Virgin [Ride 'em Hard 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 7
