by C. A. Harms
“Fuck,” he whispered as he pressed his cock against my wetness and began sliding inside me. “So good.”
It was like someone had yelled go, because he slammed inside me then, and we both moaned as our bodies began racing for more. More was all I could think of as I gripped his shoulder and rocked my hips with his.
I had never in my life felt more alive than I did right then.
***
My body felt like it was made of lead as I lay stomach-down against the mattress. I could barely hold my eyes open, and there was no way I could walk. I would surely collapse to the floor if I tried.
Noah was unbelievably giving—and an overachiever. I’m not complaining in any way, but I think if this keeps up, he may kill me. I could faintly feel a gentle touch along my shoulder blade as I attempted to lift my head. Noah’s deep chuckle filled the silence, and a smile pulled at the corner of my mouth. “Why are you laughing?”
“’Cause you are damn cute,” he said as he continued to trail his fingertip along my back and then back up again, over my shoulder. “You gonna make it?”
“Well, that depends.” My voice sounded muffled as my face was still partially buried in the pillow. “Do you plan on doing that again, or do I get time to recover?”
Once again, a husky chuckle filled the room. “Oh, darlin’, I plan on doing that and a whole lot more, over and over again,” he assured me.
I groaned, and he placed a kiss against my shoulder. “But I promise I’ll give you some time to reboot before I take over again.”
Like I said, he was a giving man.
***
I’m not sure how long I was out, but I woke to find Noah at my side. His head was propped up on his arm, and he was curled on his side, watching me. I suddenly felt slightly self-conscious.
“Were you watching me sleep?”
“Mm-hm.”
“And?” My stomach flipped at the idea of what he’d witnessed. I’m not only a drooler, but a mumbler. I’ve been told I can carry on full conversations with myself, and the thought of him hearing that was terrifying.
“And,” he said with a smirk that told me I had a reason to be worried. “Almost two years. That is a long time, sweetheart.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, daring him to laugh.
He lifted his head from his hand and held both hands out in surrender. “Listen, I ain’t complaining, because I love the idea of being the man who got the chance to remind you how damn good it feels, but I’m just confirming that time length.”
I could tell he was doing everything he could not to laugh. I buried my face in my hands and groaned. “I hate that I talk in my sleep,” I confessed. “What else did I say?”
“I don’t hate it. It is actually very informative,” Noah said as he pulled my hands away from my face. “But I do promise you one thing.”
“Oh yeah?” I replied. “And what’s that?”
He rose and crawled over my body as he positioned himself between my thighs. “I promise to never make you go that long without it again.”
The fact he was hard and pressing against me made me forget I was aggravated in the first place. Lifting my hips, I rocked against him and watched his eyes grow hooded. “I only had two condoms, baby, and they’re both gone,” he whispered as I nibbled on his neck.
Disappointment hit me hard. “I don’t have any. I never had a reason to.”
He pulled back and looked at me, and I could see the disappointment in his eyes as well. “I’m clean,” he assured me.
“Me too,” I replied, and he smiled. “But—” His face fell instantly. When someone follows a statement with a but, it was never a good sign. “I’m terrible at taking my pills. Like awful, so we can’t go without protection.”
We both stayed in our current position staring at one another. All the satisfaction of our earlier sexcapades faded fast. Once again, we were filled with need, and nothing was open at this hour.
“Well, uh,” Noah said as he rolled off me. I instantly missed his body pressed against mine. “Maybe we should eat that dinner I brought.” He chuckled and clutched his erection. “After I take care this.”
He winked before he sat up and threw his legs over the edge of the bed. When he stood, I placed my hand against his back. “Wait.”
He looked back over his shoulder in confusion, and I began crawling toward him. I pushed on his shoulder, indicating I wanted him to lie on his back.
“What are you doing?” he asked in a husky whisper.
Without answering him, I fisted his hardness in my hand. Our gazes met as I lowered my head and began sliding my mouth over his cock. He relaxed as he watched me with lust in his eyes.
“Oh, sweetness,” he whispered as he thrust his hips upward. “Amazing.”
Chapter Twelve
Noah
I was still flying high from the memories of Alena’s sweet moans when I left her apartment, still flying high when I entered the station to begin my shift, and still soaring when I headed home that night. I made a note to stop at the drugstore on the way home to stock up on condoms too. Never again would I be without them when I was with Alena. Not that the alternative didn’t feel damn good, but I’d prefer to be giving her pleasure at the same time she gave it to me.
Waking up Saturday morning, I was eager to shower and pick up Austin. Mom had decided to turn our day at the ranch into a family get-together. Which was okay with me, because I invited Alena to join us. It was time I properly introduced her to the little man who had stolen my heart, just like she was beginning to.
When I pulled up to Stacey’s parents’ home and her little red car was gone, my fear instantly hit dangerous levels. I guess the games weren’t over.
I jumped from my truck, rushed toward the front door, and rang the doorbell over and over. My hands were shaking as unwelcome ideas ran through my head.
When Sharon, Stacey’s mom, opened the door with a look of pity on her face, my stomach hit the fucking ground.
“Where are they?” My throat burned.
“They rode along with Ed to Billings. They left about an hour ago.” She stood behind the screen door, looking nervous.
“She did this on purpose. She knew I’d be here to get him at ten.” My fear morphed into anger I was having a hard time containing.
“She just wanted—”
I cut her off with a glare. “Don’t try to defend her. We both know your daughter plays games. She kept my son from me for almost four years, Sharon. She’s a liar, and I can guarantee you if these games continue, I’m going to make this a lot harder than it needs to be on her.”
“They shouldn’t be gone too long,” she whispered. I could tell she was torn. Stacey’s parents knew she was a conniving bitch. Hell, she gave them more than enough trouble before she ran off to L.A. But they were her parents, and they had no choice but to stand behind her and her fucking games.
“I’m not leaving. You can call her and tell her she has an hour to get her ass back here with my son, or I’m going after them myself.” I turned around on the heel of my boot and walked toward my truck. I sat behind the wheel, picked up my phone, and shot a message to Ryan, letting him know about the shit Stacey had pulled. I then called Bernie, my attorney and a longtime friend of my father. He answered in a worried tone, because it was a Saturday morning, after all.
“Get this shit moving, Bern,” I said through gritted teeth. “She’s kicking the games into high gear, and I’m running real thin on patience.”
“What’s going on, son?” He tried a calming tone then, and it had the opposite fucking effect I think he was hoping for.
“What’s going on is she fucking knew I was picking Austin up at ten. So she packed him up and went on a damn road trip with her dad.” I took a deep breath. “I know for a fact she didn’t want to go along, but keeping Austin from me sealed the fucking deal. Now I’m stuck. I don’t liking having no options, Bern. I don’t like my son being used as a goddamn bargaining chip in the fucked-up w
orld she is living in.”
“Noah, you need to breathe,” he soothed.
“No, I need you to do what the fuck I am paying you to do. Get me rights to my fucking son, that’s what I need.” I hit End and gripped my phone tightly.
It vibrated not even a minute later, and Alena’s name lit up the screen, but talking to her right now was a bad idea. Talking to anyone was a bad idea.
I hit Ignore and tapped out a text to Stacey instead.
Me: Keeping him from his father, that’s low. I thought you were a better mom than that, but I guess I gave you too much credit.
My text went unanswered, but I convinced myself that meant I’d gotten beneath her skin.
***
I woke to the sound of a car door closing. Lifting my head from the headrest, I found Stacey standing at the side of her dad’s SUV ten feet away. She had her hand on her hip as she glared at my truck. Wasting no further time, I climbed from it and walked to her.
“He’s asleep,” she said as she stepped in front of the rear door, as if to block me.
“That’s fine, but I’m still taking him,” I replied.
Ed, Stacey’s dad, rounded the front of the truck, and I thought I was about to have a fight on my hands, but he shocked me instead.
“Let the man have his son for the day.” He shot his daughter an authoritative look. “It’s a cold move to keep them apart, Stacey. I didn’t raise you to be so manipulative. You lied to me and your mother when you said Noah canceled today.” He made eye contact with me. “Sharon and I aren’t part of this game. That boy needs the both of you, and I just hope my daughter can work out her issues and allow that to happen peacefully.”
He walked to the back door of his SUV and nudged a reluctant Stacey out of the way.
When he opened the door and Austin’s sleepy little eyes looked back at me, I smiled brightly. “Hey, bud, you ready to go see Storm?”
His face instantly brightened as he began to pull at his seat belt. Ed chuckled as he reached in and helped his grandson unbuckle. As Ed lowered him to the ground, Stacey shot her father a glare he chose to ignore. “Go on and have some fun with your daddy.”
The sound of the front door shutting caught my attention, and I looked up to find Sharon walking toward us. She held a Batman backpack that was so full, it was about to bust at the seams. When she stepped up to her husband’s side, she held it out to me.
“Thanks,” I said as I took it.
“I packed enough clothes for the night, and his favorite fleece blanket is inside too,” Sharon said, and I looked at her in surprise.
“No,” Stacey snapped as she reached for the bag.
I picked up Austin with a smile so big my jaws ached. “You wanna spend the night at my place, little man?”
He did that cute little bobble-head thing, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Sharon and Ed laughed as well, but Stacey crossed her arms over her chest, and her nostrils flared in irritation.
Her reaction made something inside me ache. I didn’t want to keep Austin from her. Even with all the shit she was pulling, the thought never crossed my mind. She was his mother and he loved her, so taking him from her would only punish my son, which I would never do.
“Around eight tonight, can I have him call you to say good night?” I asked, looking directly at Stacey. My stomach tightened at the glossy look in her eyes. She nodded as she stepped forward and reached out for Austin’s hand.
When she spoke, the vibration of her lower lip was like a punch in the stomach. “I’ll miss you, handsome,” she whispered as she lifted up on her tiptoes before placing a soft kiss to his cheek. “You be a good boy, okay?”
As she went to step back, I don’t know what possessed me, but I placed my hand on her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. She pressed her face against my neck, and her body shook lightly.
“I’ve never gone a night without him.” Her tears soaked my shirt as she took a moment to attempt to calm her sadness. When she stepped back and put on a happy face, I got a small glimpse of the girl I used to know. “You have fun with your daddy. And tomorrow when you get back, we will make the biggest batch of chocolate chip cookies we’ve ever made. Then we’ll watch your favorite movie while we eat them until we feel like we might pop.” She tickled his stomach, and he giggled as he wiggled in my arms.
All my anger and disgust at her earlier actions faded away. Stacey was scared of the very same things I was. The thought of losing Austin had us both doing and saying things that weren’t fair to each other.
Chapter Thirteen
Alena
I had shown up at the ranch with Amber expecting to see Noah, but he was nowhere to be found. Apparently he ran into some issues while picking up Austin. No one actually knew when he would grace us with his presence, but it didn’t stop the family from moving on.
I was pulled off toward the barn by Jackson and placed on the safest horse. Jackson described Stella, an older thoroughbred mare, as calm and less likely to spook than other horses. With my lack of experience when it came to riding, I needed as much help as I could get.
On the third attempt, I was finally able to mount the horse. I sat frozen stiff atop this gorgeous brown horse, afraid to move from fear of falling to the ground and gripping her so hard with my thighs, I felt a little sorry for her.
“Alena, honey, you have to nudge her along,” Bailey said from my left. I moved very slowly as I looked in her direction. There she sat, Miss City Girl, the high-heel queen herself, looking completely comfortable on Diamond, the beautiful black-and-white thoroughbred Jackson had bought her. I had never imagined Bailey being a country girl, but after she and Jackson became an item, she adjusted remarkably to the ranch lifestyle. I admired her calmness.
“Just nudge her side lightly with your heel. Like this,” she directed as she tapped the side of her horse with her boot, and Diamond stepped forward. “And when you want her to stop, you pull back on the reins.”
“How did I let you all convince me to do this?” I could hear the shakiness in my voice.
Olivia laughed, and I looked back over my shoulder at her. This movement caused Stella to step to the side, and I instantly fell forward, wrapping my arms around her neck. I closed my eyes tightly, bracing for the fall I was sure was coming.
“What the hell are you doing, Alena? You don’t have to hug Stella for her to be gentle,” Jackson said as he too joined the pick-on-Alena party. “She’s as gentle as they come, darlin’.”
I peeked through squinted eyelids and slowly began to rise to a sitting position. “Forgive me for being just a little freaked out. I am straddling an animal that could buck me off in two seconds flat. I’m a little uneasy here.” I took in a few short breaths, carefully slid my hands along the horse’s neck, and took the reins in my fists.
“You got it,” Ryan said, and his tone was much more reassuring. Jackson was a practical joker, a big kid at heart, and at times that was fun. But right now, I didn’t trust that he wouldn’t do something to make this moment even tenser. Ryan, on the other hand, was a calming, rational man who tried to make everything just a little easier to handle anytime a tense situation would surface. “Just relax. If there’s any horse on this ranch you can trust, it’s Stella.”
I nodded and took in one last calming breath before I lifted my boot just enough to lightly tap Stella’s side. And as Ryan said, she treated me right. She slowly took a step forward, and I may have squealed before biting my lip to refrain from spooking her, but she remained calm.
And just like that, Stella and I became friends. With each step she took, I grew a little less frantic and was comforted by her slow, gentle movements.
I trailed behind Amber and Ryan, with Bailey and Jackson only a few feet behind me. Olivia had taken off like a bullet the minute we exited the barn. She’d been riding since she was barely able to walk, and she knew what she was doing. Seeing her disappear into the open land before us made me smile. She was so free-spirited and determined. The o
lder she got, the more vibrant she became, and one day she was gonna be a heartbreaker. Stunning would be one word you could use to describe her.
As the five of us trotted along, taking in the scenery, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad.
I had intended to spend the day with Noah, but he was still missing. And I felt completely out of place.
***
“I’ll race ya,” Olivia called out as she raced off toward the barn. She knew there was no way I would attempt to trail after her. I valued my life entirely too much. Jackson and Bailey had disappeared over an hour ago, and none of us were brave enough to go looking for them. There are truly some things in life you’re better off not witnessing.
Amber and Ryan had gone into the stable about fifteen minutes ago as I trailed behind at a comfortable pace. Olivia had stuck around and shown me a few places she loved to sneak off to when she needed a little break from her overprotective father and uncles. “A place to breathe without them hovering,” as she put it.
Once I reached the stable, Ryan was waiting to offer his hand as I timidly crawled from Stella’s back. When I turned to face them, he and Amber were looking at me with unreadable expressions.
“What?” I asked, looking back over my shoulder. “Did I truly look that pathetic?”
Amber stepped forward. “Noah’s here,” she whispered. I wondered why she said it as if she thought his being here was a bad thing. I had waited all morning for him to show. “He didn’t just bring Austin.”
“Excuse me?” I asked as I peeked over her shoulder, trying to figure out what in the hell she was talking about. But from the position we were in, the house was not in my direct view.
“Stacey and her parents came too,” Ryan said, confirming my worst fears.
