by Teri Fowler
"Hey", she said, brushing her lips against his neck. "I thought you'd be asleep."
Seth wriggled down the bed to lie flat on his back, taking her with him. "I'm too wired to sleep."
"It's four in the morning Barbados time."
"Are you kidding? I didn't think about the time difference after I checked it wasn't too late to ring my dad in Texas from the airport while I waited for my flight."
Maya winced. "How did that go?"
"Surprisingly well. I got all fired up to tell him the ranch was his dream not mine, and that I wasn't going to let it put him into an early grave. Turns out, he thought he would be letting me down by giving up on it. He thought he was robbing me of my legacy."
"Does that mean he is open to the dude ranch idea now?"
"I hope so. We didn't get that far as my flight was called, but it seems likely."
"What about the orphanage? How will they raise the money they need?"
"If things go the way I plan, the dude ranch can pay them for allowing us to host a couple of events like barn dances or hoedowns. They've got a few buildings on the edge of the land that borders ours, and they never use them. This way, I can make sure the land is taken care of and help the orphanage to bring in a little money to help support the kids."
Maya kissed him on the shoulder. "You're an amazing man, Seth."
He brushed off the compliment. "Just practical. I've got an idea about stabling the horses over there. Then the kids get to enjoy them when they're not being ridden. It's good for the kids and good for the horses."
"Wow. You've really thought this through."
"I just need to convince my dad to sell off some of the land, and we'll have the money to get going straight away."
Maya fell silent, and Seth could feel her body going tense. "What's up?"
"I don't know. I'm just sad, I guess. I've been going through the motions in my career for years. I know I want to do something else. I just don't know what. I wish I had your passion."
Seth grinned down at her and let his hands wander, eager to take the sadness out of her eyes. "What about your passion for me?"
Maya laughed. "Watch out. Here comes that ego again."
Chapter Eleven
He rolled her onto her back and slotted his body on top of hers. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the sound of my head swelling. Did you just say you wanted to come again?"
Maya raised her eyebrows, trying to look innocent, but her smile gave it away. "I can't remember. How about we pretend I did?"
"Works for me."
Seth slid down her body and kissed the space between her breasts. Her skin carried the soft scent of the creamy lotion she asked him to wash her with, and the smell of orchids took him back to the first time he ever laid eyes on her.
He turned his head and sucked one of her nipples between his lips, letting his teeth graze against her skin. Maya let out a shaky sigh and pushed her breast against his mouth, encouraging him to take more. Seth lavished attention on one then moved to the other, his attention fixated on the way his wet mouth made her nipples glisten like plump coffee beans.
She squirmed beneath him, pushing her groin towards his and rubbing her mound against his torso. Seth didn't keep her waiting, sliding further down her body and trailing his tongue from her chest to the apex of her thighs. He parted her dark folds, holding them open so he could see how aroused she was. She was slick with moisture, and her clit looked ripe and ready for his touch. Seth blew cold air against her flesh, watching in fascination as her skin contracted slightly and then another hot gush of moisture oozed from her pussy.
"My God, Maya. I love the way you respond to me." Her vagina convulsed again at his words, and Seth slid a thick finger inside, eager to feel as well as see her reactions. "Do you like that?"
Her body answered before she did. "Yes..."
"Do you want more?"
"Yes."
Seth added another finger, pushing harder and faster, adding the extra sensation of flicking at her engorged clit with his tongue. Maya shuddered, and her pussy throbbed again.
"More."
He sucked her into his mouth, holding her firm as he added another finger and began to fuck her hard. Maya's hips jerked from the bed as she started to shake and moan in response.
Seth doubted she was anywhere near as out of control as she'd made him earlier, and there was no way he'd leave her wanting. He pulled out of her for a second, moistening his thumb with her juices, before plunging his fingers back in. He increased the tempo and shook his head from side to side, stimulating her from the outside as well as the inside. When her legs parted a little more and she ground against him to increase the sensations, Seth pushed the tip of his thumb into her ass.
"Oh, fuck! Yes ... yes!"
Maya let out a yell and clamped down, gripping him hard, and he felt her orgasm begin. Her insides coiled tighter and tighter, and then the first wave crashed over her, sending her into a chaotic series of jerks and shudders as her pussy convulsed around his hand.
He crawled up to lay beside her while she recovered, happy to let her sleep even though he had another raging erection. Maya had different ideas and reached over to her bedside cabinet for another condom, tossing it onto his chest in an unspoken command.
Seth sheathed his dick, gritting his teeth against the sensation. He turned to roll on top of her, but Maya stopped him, pushing him onto his back and swinging a leg over his hips to sit over him. She took him in with one, powerful motion and began to ride him.
Her hands were behind her, bracing her weight against his thighs as she bobbed up and down on his dick, her face a mask of concentration. Seth watched her breasts swaying against her torso and the muscles of her stomach trembling as she took him in all the way, and he reached for her but she smiled and shook her head.
"Not yet. I want to watch how you react to me fucking you. I want to see the expression on your face as you come."
"Okay, but move closer. I need to touch you."
Maya put her hands on his chest, and Seth latched on to her hips. He began to control her movements, driving her up and down on his dick and making her rise and fall at a faster pace than she was capable of, one he knew would make them both come.
If she was annoyed that he'd taken over, it didn't show. Her eyes were locked on his, and he watched as they began to glaze over a little and her lips parted in a soft pout that told him she was near her peak.
Seth held her steady, changing position so he could thrust up into her as his hands pushed her down. Maya began to pant, a small frown creasing her brow as she bit into her lip. Seth could tell she was having trouble keeping her eyes open because it was just as hard for him. The urge to shut let his head fall back and tumble blindly into his orgasm was almost overwhelming, but he didn't give in to it.
Maya moved one of her hands and licked the pads of her fingers, then slipped it between her thighs. Seth kept his gaze locked on hers but saw the movement at the periphery of his vision as she began to rub at her clit.
Little electric shocks of pleasure rippled through his dick as they raced through her body, sending her into orgasm with a series of hard jerks and moans that made his balls contract until he had no choice but to come, too.
His fingers bit into her hips as he exploded into her, and the last thing he saw before he lost the ability to keep his eyes open was that hers were closed.
****
The next thing he knew, it was getting light outside, and Maya was asleep on top of him. He lifted her off, placing her next to him and covering her body with a sheet. He padded into the bathroom to get rid of his condom and freshen up, then crawled back in beside her, dragging her into the nook of his shoulder.
When he woke again, bright sunlight streamed in through a gap in the curtains. He stretched his arm out to feel for her but found the bed empty. Before he could think too hard about where she might have gone, the smell of good coffee reached his nostrils followed by the unmistakable sound of baco
n sizzling in a pan. Seth's stomach growled, and he rolled out of bed to use the bathroom, intent on finding her and the breakfast that was waiting for him somewhere.
When he got back to the room, Maya was sitting up in bed with a tray laden with food next to her. His mouth began to water, and he stopped only to kiss her in thanks before taking the plate she offered him and tucking in to a huge breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage, and fried potatoes.
Seth cleared his plate and drained his coffee cup before taking a breath, or at least, that's how it felt.
"Damn, woman. Don't tell me you cook, too?"
Maya grinned and nibbled at the edge of a rasher of bacon. Her plate was still half full. "Mom insisted I learn how to cook. I could feed an army with a bag of cornmeal."
"I can do the basics, but I don't enjoy it."
"I love cooking. I thought about becoming a chef for a while."
"Well, I'm glad you didn't. We would never have met."
Seth kissed her and went to take a shower after locating his travel bag in the hall. He washed his hair with some of the complimentary bottles from the hotel that he'd thought to bring with him and dug through to find clothes suitable to travel in.
He put on a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt and wondered if Maya had realized he wouldn't be able to stay for more than a few hours longer. He wasn't happy about it, but fear of how Maya would react outweighed his sadness.
But when he got back to the bedroom, he found Maya fully dressed and throwing clothes into a large suitcase.
"Going somewhere?"
She stopped packing and turned to look at him. "I hope so. There's this ranch I've heard about in Texas. Turns out, the guy wants to set it up as a dude ranch, and I'm hoping he could use a little help for a few weeks from someone who knows how to sell an idea and make something attractive to the public."
Seth stared at her without speaking at first, afraid to believe life could suddenly become so easy and uncomplicated. She looked sincere. In fact, she looked terrified, as if she thought there was a chance he'd turn her down. "You know I can't pay you?"
Maya nodded, hope shining in her eyes. "I know."
"And you know I won't take any money from you?"
"I know that, too."
"What about your career?"
She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him. "Ben is probably badmouthing me all over LA for walking out on his show, and it's time for a change anyway. I'd love to come help you set things up and maybe get involved with the orphanage, if that's okay with you?"
"It's more than okay. I'd love it. My father is gonna be real happy about the fact I finally brought a girl home." Seth kissed her. "Are you sure this is what you want? A week ago, you couldn't get far enough away from me."
Maya leaned back to study his face. "You sure you're not trying to talk me out of this, Mr. Coulter?"
"Just making sure you know what you're letting yourself in for, Miss Franklin."
"I'm letting myself follow my heart for the first time in my life, and you taught me how to do that." Maya pressed her hot little body against his, and Seth was reminded, one more time, just how crazy he was about her. "Besides, it's gonna take me a while to thank you properly."
"You don't need to thank me for anything. I should warn you though that once I get you on my land and in my bed, that makes you my woman."
Maya smiled. "Who are you kidding? I've been your woman since the day you walked into that audition."
"Damn straight." Seth grinned and picked up his Stetson, pulling it down low over his eyes and drawing Maya in close. "And I don't intend to let you forget it."
The End
Evernight Publishing
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