by West, Dahlia
“Just the one bag?” he asked cautiously.
She glanced over her shoulder and then back to him. She cleared her throat. “Well, they don’t really sell cold weather clothes down South. So I figured I’d wait to do my shopping when I got home.”
His heart squeezed at her words. He lifted her up, cradling her, and bounded up the steps as she gasped. He left her bag by the door and unlocked the house.
“Chris,” she said in protest, but she was smiling.
“I want you to see the place. And I’m carrying you across the threshold so the first time you ever went inside, it’s because I brought you here.”
“Chris, that’s for married people,” she corrected, laughing.
“Yeah, well....” he replied and swept her into the living room.
Sarah gasped again. “Oh my God.”
He set her down on her feet. “I know it doesn’t look like much right now. It-”
“No, it’s amazing!” she protested and began walking around.
The living room was impressive, he agreed silently, if you could see past the cobwebs and grime. The floorboards were cracked and peeling, so were the pine board walls, but it was open with and two stories tall with large windows high up near the ceiling to let in the most light possible.
Pepper launched herself at Sarah, who picked her up and snuggled her close. She carried the cat around the room as she looked it over. Stopping at the fireplace, she reached out and touched the mantel. A small piece of the stonework crumbled and fell to the floor. She jumped back with a yelp and looked at him apologetically. “Sorry!” she cried.
He smiled and shook his head. “I’m replacing that. Before winter hits. There’s one in the master bedroom, too.”
She turned to him and gave him that look. Heat immediately pooled in his belly. “Let’s go look,” she said quietly.
***********************
Sarah had lost all of her reluctance in her time away from Chris. She’d gone to bed every night missing him and woke up every morning missing him that much more and she wasn’t going to waste another minute missing him. She kicked off her slip-on ballet shoes and pulled her shirt off over her head. She turned to face him and unfastened her bra while he watched. She let it drop to the floor and then wiggled out of her jeans and panties. Chris’ darkening gaze watched her every movement. Then it was his turn.
She approached him before he could do anything. She took hold of the hem of his shirt and pushed it up. He raised his arms so she could strip him of it, kissing his broad chest as it was revealed. She kept her mouth on him, working her way down his stomach. She knelt down in front of him and untied first one large boot then the other and laid them aside. Looking up to meet his gaze, she unfastened his jeans.
She rose up to pull his boxer briefs down enough to expose his already hardened cock. She only teased him with her hot breath against it as she pushed his jeans and underwear down to the floor. Chris was naked now in front of her and her hands were trembling, this time from sheer excitement and aching desire.
She licked his shaft from the base to the tip, repeating the process until a glistening drop of pre-cum beaded out of the slit. She barely touched it with the tip of her tongue giving him an unfettered view of it. He groaned appreciatively.
She wrapped her lips around the head of his cock and sucked gently. Since Chris hadn’t taken it upon himself to touch her yet, she took hold of his hands and put them in her hair. His fingers threaded through the brown locks and she took him as deep as she could manage. She worked him slowly, though, because he was already so hard and she knew he couldn’t be far from finishing. She’d been gone a long time.
When he was almost at the edge and she was nearly out of breath from her ministrations, she stopped and leaned back. “Don’t come yet,” she managed to say.
“Baby,” he said, his voice strained and his breath equally ragged. “There’s no way I can wait.”
She got up and grabbed his wrist. “You don’t have to wait,” she assured him. “Just finish inside me.”
She pulled him to the bed and brought him down with her. She was already wet with her desire for him and she gripped his hips to angle him into her aching pussy.
“Wait,” he groaned.
She shook her head. “Pill,” she whispered. “I’m on the pill.”
Chris nodded, apparently needing no more encouragement from her and far beyond the ability to speak much at this point. He took hold of her legs behind the knee and pulled them up to spread her open for him. She quivered with need.
The warm, slicked head of his dick nudged her clit, causing her to cry out. Then it slid down and buried into her tight channel. Chris let go of her legs and she wrapped them around his waist, locking her ankles behind him. He pressed his hands into either side of the mattress and drove hard into her again.
He struggled mightily with trying to wait for her to find release first. Desperately, his thumb searched out her swollen clit and rubbed it. She felt the wave of an orgasm rising. Apparently he felt it too because he pulled out and slammed back into her, causing them both to come. She felt each throb of his shaft as he emptied himself inside her. Her mouth found his in the dark and she kissed him until her lips were almost raw.
She managed to get him to slowly move onto his back so she could keep them connected. She rested her head on his shoulder.
“Stay, just like this,” she whispered.
“Not going anywhere,” he assured her. “Not going anywhere at all.”
Chapter 38
Chris let her sleep to the wee hours, cuddled into his side. God, he missed the feeling of her lying next to him in bed. Before dawn, he leaned over her and brushed his lips against her ear. “Wake up, Slick.” She stirred but didn’t open her eyes. Undeterred, he tried again. “Come on,” he prodded.
“What?” she mumbled.
“One last ride through the stars,” he replied.
It was cold and Sarah had put on her warmest coat and a pair of gloves for good measure. With winter moving in on them, it would be a while before they’d be able to ride again. Even though the temperatures in October weren’t that bad, the crazy South Dakota wind had to have its say.
Chris pulled the bike over at the same spot and killed the engine. Sarah took off her helmet, sat it on the seat, and swung her leg over the back. It was still dark and the stars were amazing. On the horizon there was only a tiny hint of a sunrise.
As she looked out over the landscape, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled her ear. “I lied,” he murmured.
“About what?”
“I told you when it was safe, I’d let you go. But I couldn’t do it.”
He let go of her and dug into his pocket. He produced a small velvet box and stepped around in front of her, handing it to her. “I was coming to get you in a few weeks.”
Sarah’s breath caught as she opened it. In the light of the nearly full moon, a small ring glittered. It was a platinum band. Nestled in a circle of small diamonds, was a larger stone. It was blue with six white lines crisscrossed just off center.
“I told the lady how much you love the stars. It’s called a star sapphire.”
“It’s so beautiful,” she whispered, and attempted to pluck it from the box.
“No,” Chris said suddenly, covering her hand with his. She looked up at him confused as he took the box from her. “I always said if I did this I was only going to do it once and do it the right way.” He got down on one knee in front of her. He took the ring from the box, slid the box into his pocket, and reached for her hand.
“Sarah. I lied about something else. But not to you. I told Tex I couldn’t live without you. Turns out, I can. But it’s not much of a life. I don’t eat much, mostly because I’m the one cooking it.” She laughed through her tears. “My woman’s not in our bed, curled up against me, so I don’t sleep as well. And sometimes I just want to get on the bike and ride through the stars, but there’s no one to share the vie
w with. I need you, Sarah. I have a life, such as it is, but I want a better one. I want my life with you. Forever. Will you marry me?”
Sarah sobbed and wiped the tears away with both hands.
He smiled. “Baby, is that yes?”
She nodded, enthusiastically, trying to catch her breath. “Yes. Yes!”
He slid the ring onto her finger and stood up. His mouth came down on hers as he held her against him.
*****************************
Sarah dropped her jacket on the chair as they entered the house. She caught Chris by the arm as he walked past. “Chris?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“Will you call the boys? For pancakes?”
He grinned and dug out his cell phone as she set about gathering ingredients and setting them on the kitchen island.
Easy was the first to arrive, since he lived just next door. He smiled when he saw Sarah in Chris’s kitchen. He came around the island and stopped a few feet from her. “So can I get a hug?” he asked.
She grinned and threw herself at him. He held her tightly, rubbing her back. “Missed your pancakes,” he whispered in her ear and she laughed and hugged him harder.
Jimmy and Chris set the table and Sarah stack up pancakes by the dozen onto serving plates. Tex breezed in. “Something sure smells good,” he announced. “Guess that’s how I know we got our little woman back.”
Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist. At that moment, Hawk came in. “Aw, now don’t hog it all, Cowboy,” he said, opening his arms wide for Sarah to come into them.
When Caleb entered he came up behind her and took hold of her hand. “Let’s see this thing in the light,” he commanded.
Tex grinned. “We’ve seen it before, but not on you,” he clarified, leaning in.
“He was so proud of himself,” Hawk declared, teasingly. “Brought it into the garage. Into the bar, to show Maria and Milo.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Sarah told them. “It’s perfect.”
Everyone sat down at the table and dug into the pancakes. “They’re just regular pancakes,” Sarah announced, trying to soften the blow. “There’s nothing in the pantry or the fridge. I need to go shopping today. Poker Night’s here at our place next week.” Tex and Hawk stopped fighting over the syrup long enough to cheer.
Hawk bit into his pancakes and screeched. “Demon!” he said, reaching down underneath the table. He brought Pepper up and set her down on his lap. She greedily licked syrup off his finger as he held the fork in his other hand. “Missed having you around,” he told the cat. “You keep me sharp, little demon. Don’t want to lose my edge,” Everyone laughed and the cat began to purr loudly.
Sarah set down her fork and wiped a tear off her cheek.
“Sarah?” Chris asked, leaning toward her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she told him sheepishly. “I like Family Breakfast,” she told him quietly.
********************
The next day, Sarah got a ride with Chris, who dropped her off at the bar. She slipped in through the front door and let her eyes adjust. Milo was there, perched on bar stool and Maria stopped washing a glass long enough to peer at her from across the bar. A few of the other patrons started murmuring amongst themselves. Sarah straightened her spine. Rapid City was a small town, no doubt about it. And she knew her return here would come with it’s own special challenges.
She ignored it and walked closer to the bar. She was nervous but tried not to show it. “Heard you need a watiress,” Sarah declared.
Maria narrowed her eyes. “What’s your name?”
Sarah halted, glanced furtively at the gawkers, and then back to Maria. She cleared her throat. “Um, Sarah. Sarah Davis.”
Maria nodded.
“Where you from, Sarah?”
“Raleigh. North Carolina. Just got off the plane.”
“Guess you’ve waited tables before.”
“Guess I have,” Sarah said, trying to hide her grin.
“Don’t hire slackers.”
“Well, good because I’m not one.”
“Last girl swore off men,” Maria announced.
Milo grinned this time. “Judging by that rock on her hand, she’s sworn off men, too.”
Even the regulars laughed.
“Well, I guess,” Maria said over the jukebox. “That that’s all we’ll be saying about that.” Apparently the patrons read her meaning loud and clear.
Sarah only did a half day. She said goodbye to Maria, who promised to write out a new schedule that night, kissed Milo on the cheek and went shopping because God knew she wasn’t going to be eating frozen tv dinners and whatever else Chris incorrectly deemed to be food. The man might be able to restore vintage log cabins but he couldn’t seem to put together a recipe and while it seemed odd, she accepted that everyone must have their limitations.
She arrived at Burnout in a cab, arms laden with grocery bags. The boys grabbed them from her and stowed them in Chris’ truck. She entered the office where Chris was sitting at the desk. “Can I have the keys? I’ve got frozen stuff from the grocery store.”
“Sure,” he told her, fishing in his pocket. “How’d it go at Maria’s?” he asked, following her back out in the service area.
“Got my job back,” she said brightly. “Everything else will work out.” She stopped under the large bay doors. “I need to go back out and get some more things. Can you get a lift home?”
Chris nodded but said, “It can’t wait until the weekend?” He had planned to knock off early.
Sarah shook her head. “No. I’ve got wedding stuff to buy.”
Chris looked at her askance. “Wedding,” he said slowly.
Sarah put her hand on her hip. “You asked me to marry you.”
Chris’ eyebrows knitted together and he risked a glance at the guys. “Um, yeah. I was there. I remember.”
She nodded. “So I’ve got wedding stuff to buy.”
“Sarah, baby, it can wait until the weekend. I can-”
“The wedding is next weekend.”
Chris’ mouth dropped open. “Well....that’s...”
“You’re not busy,” she asked the others.
Hawk grinned broadly and shook his head. “Ah, nope. Not busy. Not busy at all.”
“Well, good,” Sarah announced. “Because we’re getting married. Next weekend.” To Chris she said, “I just thought you should know.”
She turned and walked to the truck.
Hawk, Tex, and Easy guffawed riotously. “Well, I guess we got our Slick back,” Hawk declared.
“And then some,” Tex said grinning.
True to her word, the next weekend Chris found himself wearing, of all things, brand new, ridiculously expensive (in his opinion) jeans and a crisp, white button down shirt underneath a new leather jacket that Slick had bought for him. When she said she had wedding shopping to do, she hadn’t been kidding.
The pastor was more formally attired in black slacks and a gray cable sweater. If he thought it was strange to be standing on the edge of a canyon officiating a wedding made up of mostly bikers, the man did not show it. He was off to the side speaking to Tex and Sarah’s parents, who had flown in just two days ago.
He had to admit that for the short notice, she’d managed to handle everything with ease.
She was alone, looking out over the canyons and Chris felt a mix of desire, admiration, and joy every time he looked at her. He slid up behind her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Baby, are you sure about this?” he asked her again.
She half-turned to him and grinned. “Am I sure I want to marry you? Isn’t it a little late to ask me that?”
He grunted. “You’re definitely marrying me. There’s no getting out of it now. You said yes and you’re wearing my ring. So that’s all there is to that.”
“Oh. Good to know,” she replied, leaning back into him.
“But are you sure you don’t want a dress? A church? Warmer weather at the very least?” Th
e Rapid City wind was playing nice today, thankfully, but it was still barely a notch above Cold.
Sarah laughed and put her hands over the tops of his. He wouldn’t say she didn’t look great, because she did. She was wearing a white sweater, jeans, and a pair of brand new boots. Her hair was a little longer now and the brown locks hung down past her shoulders. She’d taken off her coat for the ceremony.
