Curvy for Him: The Lawyer and the Cowboy

by Winters, Annabelle

  I have to shake my head a few times to make sure I’m not imagining things, and for a moment I wonder if maybe we’re still at that bar, both Cass and I drunk off our asses, blacked out and hallucinating or some shit! But no, this is real. More real than anything. More real than everything!

  And so with a nod I’m up again, pulling Cass up off the floor and carrying her over to the horse. I’m not going to saddle the horse, I decide. I don’t want to take the time to do it, and it wouldn’t work with two of us anyway. I frown as I look down at my filly’s broad back, immediately realizing that Cass’s skirt is too tight for her legs to spread wide enough to straddle the horse.

  “Shit,” I mutter, wondering if I should have her sit sideways, legs dangling off one side of the horse. No. That’ll be too unstable at a gallop. The last thing I need is for Cass to fall off a goddamn horse! I take a breath, feeling the color rush to my face as I realize what I have to do.

  “What are you doing?” she whispers as I lower her to the soft hay and then hesitantly reach for the waistband of her skirt. “Josh, no. Not tonight. I have a headache.”

  I frown as anger whips through my body. Who the fuck is Josh? Does she have a boyfriend? A man? A goddamn husband? I glance at her left hand. No ring. Then I force a smile and shake my head. She’s mine, and no other man is gonna stand in my way, in our way. Besides, that’s not what’s important right now. I need to get Cass home. Take care of her until the anti-venom takes effect and the fever runs its course.

  “Cass,” I say softly, pulling her skirt slowly down her hips even as I grit my teeth and try to contain my need. This isn’t the time. This isn’t how it’s done. She’s vulnerable and out of her senses, and you’re not a man if you take advantage of that. “Trust me, OK? You’re safe with me.”

  She’s mumbling something else about this guy Josh, her hands fumbling against mine as I pull her skirt off and almost choke at the sight of her beautiful hips and thighs. I want to push my face in there, but I close my eyes and turn away. She would never know if I stare, but I would know. I asked her to trust me—with her life, her safety, and her dignity. I can’t betray that trust, not even for a moment.

  With a grunt I lift her off the ground, shuddering as I feel her warm body curl up against me as the fever racks her. The fever is good, I know. It means her body is fighting the poison, holding it at bay until the anti-venom neutralizes it. I carry her over to my patient filly, whose big brown eyes are focused on me like she approves of how I’m conducting myself. A moment later Cass is on the filly’s back with me behind her, my hands holding my woman firmly in place, my body leaning forward against hers from behind.

  “Let’s go, girl,” I say quietly to the horse, and then we’re off and away, riding bareback across my land as the sun slowly dips below the horizon with a sigh as if to say this chapter is over and it’s time for the next one, for whatever comes next.

  6

  CASS

  “Next time take me to a hospital,” I say as I blink up the thick wooden beams of the ceiling. The wood is beautifully stained and varnished, done with care and attention, done with love.

  “You said take me home,” Cade says from beside me, and I turn my head and see him sitting on a wooden chair, tall and straight, fully dressed in dark jeans and a red shirt that looks old but well cared for.

  Just like his home, I think as I scan my surroundings, marveling at how empty the room is while still projecting a sense of fullness, like every object in here has meaning, purpose, a reason for its existence.

  “I probably said a lot of things while I was, you know, dying!” I say indignantly even though I know I’m smiling. I wince as I try to move my leg and feel the stiffness all the way up my thigh. My naked thigh. “Um, where’s my skirt?”

  Cade shifts on his chair and clears his throat. “I had to get rid of it.”

  I widen my eyes and look over at him. He’s embarrassed, I can tell. I blink as I feel a rush of self-consciousness, maybe even anger. But as I gaze upon Cade’s handsome face, his steady, dark green eyes, his tanned cheekbones, the way he’s looking at me, I know that although he’s embarrassed, there’s no guilt or shame in his expression. Somehow I know he didn’t stare, didn’t invade my privacy, didn’t touch me even though maybe he wanted to touch me.

  Did he want to touch me?

  I blink as I feel a rush of heat go through me like a fever, and my breathing quickens as I imagine myself in my panties, spread wide before Cade, at his mercy. The image shocks me, and I gasp and close my eyes and shake my head. I’m still delirious, I decide. That isn’t me. I’m not the submissive type.

  “Who’s Josh?” he says, breaking me from my daydream with a question that jars me back to reality.

  “Josh? That’s my . . . my ex-husband,” I say. “Why are you asking about—”

  “Never mind,” Cade says hurriedly, clenching his fists and forcing a smile. I see his broad chest move as he slowly relaxes, and it’s only then that I realize he’s relieved to hear my answer. Wait, was he jealous?

  “Did I mention Josh while I was babbling nonsense?” I say, smiling as I feel a warmth go through me. Somehow it matters that Cade was jealous. It’s lame, I know. But it matters.

  “Just once,” Cade says. “It was nothing.”

  I snort and roll my eyes. “I can’t imagine I had anything good to say about him.”

  “No,” he says softly. “You said no.”

  “I said no? No what?”

  “You said no, not tonight. I have a headache.” Cade flashes a grin.

  I groan and cover my face with the covers. They smell fresh and clean, but without a hint of detergent or chemical fragrance. Natural. Pure. So far removed from the modern world.

  “I had a lot of headaches back then,” I say, peeking out from under the covers and looking over at Cade. There’s a moment of awkward silence, the tension so thick I could pop it with a needle. Cade’s calm, and I feel like he could stay silent for years. I, however, need to say something. I don’t handle silence well. “How about your ex?” I say hesitantly. “She get a lot of headaches?” Lame question, but at least I’m breaking that killer silence.

  Cade’s body stiffens, his jaw tightening as he forces a laugh. “We were married for all of three months,” he says, his eyes narrowing as he shakes his head. “I don’t remember any of it. It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t matter.”

  “You don’t remember? As in you’re choosing not to remember or you actually don’t remember?”

  “I was too drunk to remember shit back then,” Cade says softly. “Too drunk to realize I was making a mistake. A mistake that comes back every two years for another stab, another reminder of the man I used to be.”

  I nod slowly, the memory of yesterday coming back to me in a rush. The bar. The glass of whiskey. The kiss.

  The kiss.

  Again that warmth flows through me from the bottom up, making my toes curl under the covers as I look into Cade’s eyes. Was that kiss real? Was any of yesterday real?

  A sharp pain in my left leg reminds me that hell yeah, yesterday was real! I wince as I reach for my wound, gasping as I feel Cade’s hand get there first, his big palm covering the spot and stopping me from rubbing or scratching.

  “No,” he says. “Leave it alone for a day or so. That way you won’t get a scar.”

  I snort. “Um, I’ve got enough scars from not knowing how to shave my legs properly as a teenager.”

  Cade frowns. “Why would you shave your legs?” he says.

  I frown back at him, wondering if he’s messing with me. “Um, is that a serious question?”

  “All my questions are serious,” he says.

  Again I see that strange innocence in his wise eyes, and I get that sense of Cade being from another world, another time, another age. Slowly I look past him and around the spartan room, turning my head back
up at the wooden beams of the ceiling. Then it occurs to me that something’s missing.

  “Um, why are there no lights in this room?” I say, realizing there are no ceiling fixtures, no lamp on the bedside table, no floor-lamp standing in the corner. “And why are there no electrical sockets on the walls? Ohmygod, you’re a vampire, aren’t you? Do you sleep in a coffin? Am I in a coffin?”

  Cade smiles and shakes his head. “In my family we don’t do coffins. We give our bodies back to the Earth. Why trap our bodies in a pinewood box, making it harder for the worms?”

  “Ohgod, you are a freak,” I groan, closing my eyes even though I want to smile. “I knew it when I saw you walk into that courtroom. Is this the part where you kill me and eat me? Go ahead. That’s what happens to dumb fat girls in every horror movie.”

  “I don’t watch movies,” he says with a grunt. “And you’re neither dumb nor fat.”

  I close one eye and puff out my cheeks. “That’s very nice of you to say, but you don’t need to be polite. I’m quite comfortable with the fact that I’m never gonna be some petite little flower or some dainty little ballerina.” I exhale hard and feel my butt tighten under the covers as I realize that Cade must have seen my fat thighs and big ass when he hoisted me up on that poor horse who must have back problems by now.

  “Nature designs a woman to complement her man,” Cade says softly, his gaze making me shiver beneath my covers in the most delightful way. There’s no judgment in his eyes, no subterfuge, nothing hidden. He’s honest like an animal, it occurs to me. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t spend much time with people. He’s never had to worry about playing those psychological games we all play just to make it through the day.

  “Well, my body comes designed with a side of fries,” I say with a giggle even though I know the joke doesn’t make any sense. But none of this makes sense—especially since it feels like it all makes sense. Does that make sense? I don’t freakin’ know!

  “Your body is designed for me,” Cade says, his dark eyes flashing with a certainty that’s so pure, so clear, so unbroken that I believe him even though I know I shouldn’t. “Designed for my body. Designed to carry our children.”

  I blink as I try to process what he just said. Again the tiny voice of common sense is trying to remind me that this is exactly the kind of shit psychos spout before they lock you in their sex dungeons. But there’s still that innocence in his voice that makes me feel safe, makes me feel protected, makes me feel like . . . like I’m his.

  “OK, I’m gonna ignore what you just said,” I mutter, blinking as I feel my body reacting to his words. “This is just too weird. Just too freakin’ strange. Just too . . . too . . . um, what are you doing, Cade? What are you—”

  And then that voice of common sense just shuts the hell up and disappears, and my eyes close as Cade just leans in and kisses me.

  He kisses me like I’m his to kiss.

  He kisses me like I’m his to claim.

  He kisses me like I’m his to possess.

  And as I kiss him back I know he’s right.

  I am his.

  Ohmygod, I’m his!

  7

  CADE

  “You’re mine, Cass,” I whisper against her lips as I kiss her again. “I knew it before I even saw you.”

  “You know that’s logically impossible,” she murmurs, her red lips glistening in the sun streaming through the windows.

  “Logic is just a trick we humans have come up with to try and explain how the world works,” I say as I lower my head and kiss her neck. “Every animal follows its instincts to find its mate before it even knows who its mate is. And when they see each other, their bodies tell them it’s right. You need to trust your body, Cass. Trust what it’s telling you.”

  Cass shudders as I kneel on the bed and slowly run my hand down along the sheets, pressing her breasts through the covers until I can see the outline of her nipples pushing against the cloth. My cock is already so hard I wonder if it’s going to rip through my jeans, and I groan as I straddle her and place both hands firmly on her boobs, massaging and squeezing until she arches her neck back and moans up at me.

  “That’s it,” I whisper down at her, slowly pulling the sheets down past her neck until her bosom comes into view. She’s still got her blouse on, and my fingers tremble as I slowly undo the buttons one by one, my cock throbbing as her smooth cleavage emerges like the morning sun. “Oh, hell, Cass. You’re so damned beautiful.”

  She smiles, her eyelids fluttering open as a burst of color rushes to her face. “Stop it,” she whispers through an embarrassed giggle. “You’re just saying that because you haven’t seen a woman in like ten years.”

  I laugh and kiss her again. “Well then,” I say. “I guess that means you’re going to have to take ten years worth of my loving in one shot.”

  She laughs, but there’s also some insecurity behind her confidence, and I want her to know that I wasn’t kidding when I said a woman is designed to fit with her man, to take what he gives her. Slowly I straighten my body, my knees still firmly planted on either side of her hips. I take a breath and whip my shirt off, reaching down and unbuckling my belt. My cock is straining against the denim, and I can barely breathe as I undo the buttons on my fly.

  Cass gasps when she sees my cock push through the opening, my cockhead oozing through my underwear. Her eyes are wide as she stares, and then she quickly blinks and looks up at me like she’s ashamed for looking. She’s a lady, I can tell. A confident lawyer, smart as hell, able to stand up for herself and others. But she’s still a lady underneath all that.

  My lady.

  I’m aching to unleash my manhood and take her, just fucking take her. But I want our first time to go slow. Hell, it has been ten years since I’ve been with a woman, and even back then it never felt like this. Back then it never felt like there was a woman out there who could give me what I want, what I need, what I desire. A woman who could handle me, bring out the cowboy in me and love me for it instead of pushing me away and calling me a wild animal, a goddamn beast.

  “Not yet,” I whisper as Cass slowly reaches for me. “I just want you to see how much you turn me on, Cass. This is instinct. Instinct older than the desert, deeper than the canyons, stronger than a storm wind. Out here you don’t ignore instinct. You ignore instinct out here, you die.”

  Cass looks up at me, blinking as she exhales, her bosom rising and falling in a way that makes my head spin. “So you’ll die if I don’t let you . . . um, you know . . .” she glances at my cock and then quickly blinks and looks back into my eyes.

  “Yes,” I say with a straight face. “I’ll die right here, on top of you.”

  “Well, that would be very inconvenient for both of us,” she whispers up at me. “We can’t have that happen, can we?”

  “No, we cannot, Ms. Cass,” I whisper back, sliding down along her body, my tongue rolling along her smooth cheeks, down past her neck, along her cleavage until I’m carefully sucking her nipples through her blouse and bra. “We most certainly cannot.”

  “Ms. Cass,” she murmurs as her nipples perk up through her clothes and I gently bite down on them, bringing my fingers up so I can get this damned cloth out of the way. I need to taste her. Every goddamn part of her. “I like that. It sounds so elegant, old world, dignified.”

  “Well, you are elegant and dignified, Ms. Cass,” I mumble into her cleavage as I finally pry her blouse apart and pull her bra down, releasing her boobs into my damned face. I stare for a moment in disbelief, my cock almost exploding as I take in the heavenly sight of her naked breasts hanging off to either side in perfect symmetry, her dark red nipples big like saucers, nubs standing erect like Apache arrowheads. I could look at her gorgeous body forever, but I can’t hold back the part of me that wants to take this woman, taste her, smell her, possess her.

  With a growl I descend on her, taki
ng her left nipple into my mouth and sucking so hard she screams in shock. I bring my other hand up and press her right breast firmly, pinching her nipple with all my strength until she’s arching her back and pushing her boobs up into my face. My saliva is all over her, and I feel a primal need to mark this woman as mine, like an alpha beast does.

  “OK, maybe not so elegant and dignified,” Cass mutters as she catches her breath and looks down at the way I’m sucking and pinching, biting and grunting, the way her breasts are shining with my saliva as I mark her like she’s mine. “Is the big bad wolf going to eat me for breakfast? What happened to that dignified, elegant Western gentleman I saw in the courtroom?”

  “I’m a cowboy, not a gentleman, Ms. Cass,” I whisper up at her as I lick her smooth round belly, tickle her belly button, tease her tummy. “Rough. Dusty. Dirty. But I can try to be dignified and elegant for a fancy-pants lawyer from the big city. How’s this for dignified, Ms. Cass?”

  With a grunt I yank the sheets out from between us until she’s lying bare before me in just her panties. Her scent comes to me immediately, and I almost lose my mind as I jam my face against the front of her wet panties and inhale deep, taking in her feminine musk, the clean aroma of her sex. Now I’m lost in her, and I hold her hips down with my strong hands, pull her thighs apart, and lick her panties down the middle until her wetness forms a dark spot on the bed. A moment later I grab her soaked underwear and rip it off her, feeling her body jump in surprise.

  Now I know I’m not stopping, not slowing down, not holding back. I can feel ten years of holding back coming to a head, and I groan out loud as I look upon Cass’s beautiful cunt. I want to taste her, fill her, fuck her. I want to make her whimper, make her moan, make her howl as I put my seed in her. This is nature in its barest form, its most basic form, its most beautiful form.