by Stark, Cindy
“It’s going to come faster than you know.”
“Yeah.” The thought tortured her.
“Come on. Let’s get you home before Rachel so she doesn’t see us and overreact.” He held out a hand to her, and she willingly took it.
His fingers wrapped around hers, and she savored the feel.
“You first.” He gave her a boost to help her up. “Okay, take your foot out of the stirrup and hang on tight to the horn.”
He swung up behind her, surrounding her with his warmth as he reached around her to take the reins. Daisy gave him both sets, not wanting to do anything but hang on. “Don’t worry. It will be over soon.”
Slowly, he eased the horses back into the water. She tensed, trying not to watch the river rush past.
“It’s okay. I won’t let you fall,” he whispered in her ear and tightened his hold on her.
She leaned into him, wishing her life wasn’t so complicated.
“There,” he said as they safely reached the other side. “All is well.” He dismounted and looked up at her with an expectant gaze as he held out his arms. She didn’t hesitate to fall into them.
He set her safely on the ground between him and the horse, but when he started to move away, she knew her opportunity was passing as well.
She gripped the sides of his shirt. “Oliver,” she whispered. She tried to use her gaze to impart the feelings rushing inside her.
He searched her eyes for several moments and then blew out a frustrated breath. “Damn it, Daisy. What am I going to do with you?”
“Kiss me?” she asked hopefully.
Just when she thought he would, he stepped away. “We can’t.”
“Oliver,” she said in a much more forceful tone. “This whole thing is so ridiculous. Why do we have to act this way with each other? I get that you don’t want Rachel to find out, and I have no intention of telling her. But do we have to deny ourselves what we both want? Don’t tell me you don’t want this as much as I do, because I won’t believe it.”
He remained silent.
“Rachel’s not here right now,” she said in a softer voice as she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. “No one is. It’s you and me alone in the wilderness, and I want you to kiss me again.”
“Unless you don’t want to,” she added when he didn’t immediately jump on the offer.
“You know I do.”
She sensed him softening. “Really? Because you seem perfectly content to only look at me from across the yard.”
He shook his head in warning. “You know that’s not true.”
“You say it, but I want you to show me.” She knew she taunted a lion, but she didn’t care. “Unless you’re too scared.”
He caught her chin in his hand. The dangerous need hovering in his eyes made her tremble. He pressed against her, forcing her back against his horse. Cognac shifted, but didn’t leave.
“You want me to show you?” He was so close his breath brushed her cheek. “I’ll show you.”
His lips claimed hers in a passionate assault that rocked her grip on reality. “Oliver,” she gasped against his mouth. Eager embers jumped to life, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him to her.
“I’ve dreamed of this,” she said between his kisses. “Every night and nearly every waking moment since the last time.”
He leaned back and looked into her eyes. “Is that so?”
She nodded. “We have unfinished business, mister, and I hate leaving things undone.” She pushed at the wet hem of his shirt.
He held her gaze for several long seconds before he tugged the shirt over his head. Within seconds, she was down to her panties and bra while he still wore his pants. Same as last time. If he thought that would do this go round, he was mistaken.
In the middle of an extremely hot kiss, he tried to undo her bra. She pulled from him and laughed. “Oh, no. You’ll lose those pants before you take anything else off me.”
He grinned as though she’d discovered his secret and tried to reach for her again. “Come here,” he growled.
She allowed him to pull her against him, but she held his hands at her sides to keep them from wandering. “Do you have a condom this time?”
He didn’t immediately answer.
She slipped a hand in his back pocket and tried to pull out his wallet. He caught her with a laugh. “Hang on a minute.”
“Answer me, Oliver. Is there a condom in your wallet?”
He sighed in self-disappointment. “I’ve carried one ever since.”
He’d thought of her often, then. “Seems to me neither one of us can fight this.” She slid her hands around his waist, loving the feel of him. “We shouldn’t have to.”
He drew fingers down her bare arms, giving her a multitude of shivers as a bird cried out overhead. “Are you sure you can’t be happy with me pleasing you and leaving it at that?”
“Oral sex is still sex, Oliver. Rachel would be just as pissed about that, you know.” He had a certain way of burrowing deep into her heart every time they were together. She cradled his face in her hands and pulled his head toward her. When he was close enough, she caught his mouth in a kiss that she never wanted to end.
“I want to feel you inside me, Oliver.”
“Fuck.” He tightened his grip, squeezing her against him as he owned her with a fierce kiss. With sly fingers, he reached for her bra. She let him remove it, but she quickly followed with the button on his jeans.
He didn’t stop her.
She unzipped his pants before he could change his mind and then tugged them down. His jeans weren’t as wet as hers and came off easily.
“One of these days, we’ll have to try this with dry clothes,” she said with a laugh.
“I hope so.”
His comment gave her pause, but the thick blood pulsing through her quickly stole her attention.
His gray briefs were next. When he stood before her, naked beneath the blue Wyoming sky with his muscles all hard and contoured, and his erection jutting toward her, she was certain she’d never seen anything so beautiful.
She reached for his shaft. He hissed as she wrapped her fingers around him. “This. Yes,” she whispered.
He needed no further encouragement. It took him only seconds to open the condom and put it on. With his t-shirt in hand, he led her to the grass near a tree and spread his shirt on the ground. “It’s not much.”
“I don’t care.” She wouldn’t be thinking about the grass anyway.
The moment he had her beneath him, something wild sparked in his eyes. He caught her lips with his and greedily ran his hands over her skin as if he couldn’t get enough. “I’ve wanted you for so long, Daisy.”
“Me, too,” she whispered between passionate kisses. “For too long.”
She wrapped her legs around his, savoring the hard length of him pressing against her core. He was so close. She lifted her hips and urged him closer.
“If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to wait.”
“I don’t want you to wait. I want you now.”
He lifted his brows as he slipped a hand between them. Anticipation built as he made his way to her core. When he drew a finger along her crease, she gasped. She could tell by the way his finger slid through her folds that she was ready for him.
“Dammit. There’s no going back, is there?”
She shook her head. “We were destined to be here at this moment, destined to make love. Stop fighting it.”
He slid into her with enough force that she widened her eyes at the invasion. Every inch of her stretched to capacity, and her muscles clenched in delight. “God, you feel good,” he whispered as he pumped into her again.
“So do you.” Already, her voice was breathless. “Love me, Oliver. Just love me.”
She arched her back as he drove harder inside her. The friction of him filling her, his warm, strong body pleasuring hers, stole her thoughts. She closed her eyes and focused on their connection.<
br />
When the crescendo was close to its peak, she gripped his biceps.
“Look at me.” His voice was hoarse with passion.
The second she opened her eyes and met his, her muscles constricted around him. She fought to hold his gaze as her climax pulled her under.
When she’d settled several seconds later, she tried to regain control of her breathing. “God,” she whispered as he continued to thrust.
He grinned, obviously pleased with himself. A few more delicious slides of him inside her and he tensed as he reached his pinnacle. She savored the look on his face as he lost control.
“Damn.” He rolled and pulled her to his side. “What am I going to do with you?”
She shook her head, giving him a lost smile. She constantly wondered the same thing.
Chapter Eighteen
“Shit,” Oliver hissed as he and Daisy crested a small hill. The house came into view as Rachel pulled into the drive. Just like that, their intimate bubble burst. She could see it in the tense set of his shoulders. “We shouldn’t have lingered.”
“Yes, we should have.” She didn’t regret one minute with him.
“Rachel’s going to be mad when she sees you.”
“No, she’s not. I won’t let her.”
He assessed her with doubt harboring in his eyes. “Your clothes are still wet, your hair is a mess, and you have mascara on your cheeks. You look like you’ve had wild, crazy sex.” His drawl became more pronounced when he was preoccupied by something else.
She smiled even though she knew it wouldn’t help matters. “Because I did have wild, crazy sex. With you.”
“Hell.” He shook his head as though already defeated.
“It’s okay. I’ll take the blame.”
“She entrusted you to me. Threatened to kill me if anything happened to you, remember.”
“At least I didn’t break anything.” She gave him a small smile. “Please don’t worry, Oliver. I won’t tell her anything that could hurt you.”
“Hey, guys.” Rachel waved at them as they approached. She’d obviously seen them and waited. As they drew closer, she narrowed her gaze and then hurried forward. “Oh, my gosh, Daisy. What happened to you?” Her damning gaze immediately nailed Oliver.
“What do you mean?” Daisy feigned innocence.
“Your hair and your clothes.”
Daisy laughed like she didn’t have a care in the world. “I waded into the river and then promptly fell on my ass.”
Rachel studied her for a long second as though to discern whether or not she told the truth. Daisy could see her struggling to decide whether this was a big emergency or not.
“It was great,” Daisy added for effect. “I haven’t had that much fun in a long time. Besides, I did great with my first riding lesson, so thanks for lending Oliver to me.” She smiled, hoping to put an end to the questioning.
“Of course,” Rachel said, a smile blooming on her lips. “I’m glad you had fun.”
Daisy flicked a quick glance to Oliver. “Best day I’ve had in a long time.”
“My pleasure.” He smiled, too, his expression coming across as genuine. Daisy sighed in relief.
Rachel glanced between them several times before finally stopping on Daisy. “I’ll walk to the house with you. I’m sure you want to change.”
“Thanks again, Oliver.” Daisy waved as they walked away.
“He likes you.” Rachel held open the door for her.
Panic gripped her, but she couldn’t think of anything she’d said or done to give them away. “I like him, too. You were right about him. He is a nice guy.”
“No. I mean he looks at you the way a man watches a woman he wants.”
Daisy glanced over her shoulder, but Oliver had already disappeared inside the barn with their two horses. “Don’t be silly. He’s just being nice. I think he has a girlfriend, anyway.” She’d pulled that one out of thin air.
“Karla?” Rachel nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe so. She’s been after him for a long time. Do you think he’s finally given her a chance?”
Rachel seemed pacified, so Daisy nodded as they walked inside the house. “I’m going to grab a quick shower and then I’ll be down to start dinner. I think we should grill hamburgers.”
“I like the way you think,” Rachel added with a smile. “It’s good to have you here, Daisy.”
A warm smile curved her lips. “It’s really good to be here. I’m so glad I came.”
****
“Hey.”
Oliver turned from his horse, surprised to find Rachel behind him when she’d walked with Daisy to the house only minutes before. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.” Rachel strode forward, picking a brush from the nearby shelf. She began to groom the opposite side of Cognac’s coat. “Daisy seemed like she had a great time.”
Fishing for information, then. “Yeah. She seemed to enjoy it.”
She met his gaze over the horse’s back. “Did she really go wading in the river?”
He swallowed, tempted to lie. “No.”
“I knew it.” Rachel pressed her lips together as she shook her head. “She always was the worst liar. Tell me what happened.”
Oliver imparted the details, making them seem as innocuous as possible. “She was never in any danger, Rachel. I made sure of it. I’d protect her with my life.”
Rachel studied him for a long minute, long enough for him to feel the heat of her stare. “Thanks for that, Oliver. I know I’m overprotective, but you know how much she means to me. I wouldn’t want anything to happen that might keep her away in the future. I’ve spent too many years without her.”
“I know, Rachel. You don’t have to worry.” Fuck. He’d always prided himself on being honest, but if he owned up to what was in his heart, nothing good would come of it. Daisy had made damn sure everyone knew she intended to go to New York, so he couldn’t very well tell Rachel he had good intentions toward her sister. Any relationship with Daisy was doomed from the start. She had her heart set on going, had told them all multiple times, and he didn’t know of anything that would change her mind.
She nodded thoughtfully. “How’s Karla?”
“Karla?” Why the hell would she ask about her?
“Daisy said she thought the two of you were officially dating.” More probing questions, probably to decipher if her sister was in any danger from him. He hoped he was a better liar than Daisy.
“She’s doing great. I haven’t seen her for a couple of days, but she’s good.” He wouldn’t confirm or deny anything about their relationship.
Rachel sent him a warm smile. “You guys look good together.”
“Uh…thanks.” But Karla wasn’t the one for him.
“Are you planning on staying for dinner? Daisy’s grilling hamburgers.”
“You know I can’t say no to a grilled burger.” Or her sister for that matter.
****
An hour later, Daisy wandered toward the paddock where the frisky colt raced around the edges. The grill wouldn’t be heated for several more minutes, which gave her time to visit her new friend.
When Bucky noticed her, he snorted and kicked up dirt like it was the first time they’d met.
“Hey, there,” she called, encouraging him to come toward her. She’d visited him daily during the past few weeks. Always, she brought a carrot, hoping he’d see her as a friend. Her bribes had worked the past few days, but today, he seemed agitated again.
Eventually, he sauntered toward her with a cautious look in his eye.
“Hi, there, Bucky.” She had no idea if he actually had a name yet, but it fit him because of his coat and feisty nature. She held out the carrot, enjoying the feel of his whiskers as they brushed her flat hand. While he ate, she lifted her free hand and placed it on his neck.
He startled when she touched him, but allowed her to keep her hand on him. Slowly, she stroked his coat silky and soft beneath her fingertips.
“Look at you.” The sound
of Oliver’s voice surprised her and sent Bucky skittering in the opposite direction.
“You scared him.” She reprimanded him with a stern look.
“I can’t believe you have him literally eating out of your hand.” Oliver squinted as Bucky circled the paddock again. Then he turned and leaned against the fence, sending a waft of delicious cologne in her direction. “He sure has a lot of spirit.”
She inhaled and tried to focus on their conversation. “It’s a good thing, though. Rachel will get more money out of a lively horse, right?”
He laughed. “A lively, but well-trained horse, yes. And he’s mine, not Rachel’s.”
“Oh. I’d just assumed.” The way he studied her left her heart fluttering. She wished she could place a hand on his cheek and press her lips against his. They’d made love only hours before, but now she had to pretend nothing about him interested her, when the opposite was true.
“I should have you help me train him. You seem to have a magic hand.”
“He likes carrots and a gentle voice. That’s all.” Though it did make her feel special that Bucky had taken a liking to her.
“He let me put a lead on him early this morning and willingly followed Cognac and me out to the main pasture and back. Would have stayed out longer, but he started acting up. Still, not bad for one they said couldn’t be tamed.”
“Yeah?” She smiled. “That’s great. He’s restless, but I sense a good spirit inside him.”
He nodded and watched the young horse for several long moments.
“I guess everything went okay with Rachel.” He met her gaze, lifting his brows in question. “She invited me to stay for dinner.”
Even if Daisy had to pretend indifference, more time around Oliver was a good thing. “Of course, everything is fine with her. She has no reason to not be okay.” Thank God for that.
He chuckled and faced the fence, placing his hand on the rail next to hers. He lifted a pinkie finger and discretely caressed the side of her hand. “Thank you for today. You are amazing.”
A warm blush heated her cheeks. “Not me. You’re the one who’s amazing.”
“How am I going to manage to get you alone again?”
