by Jill Sanders
She nodded and smiled a little. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
He nodded and then placed a soft kiss on those rosy lips of hers one last time.
Chapter Six
“Just because I haven’t ridden in a while doesn’t mean you have to take it easy on me.” She glanced over at Reece, who was on a dark horse next to her. Since leaving the barn almost a half an hour ago, they had crossed the field at a slow pace. So slow that she was beginning to wonder if the mare she was on could go any faster.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He looked over at her with a smile. She tried to ignore the skip in her heartbeat when he looked at her like that, but the truth was, that smile set off too many sparks in her body to ignore.
“We can go faster.” She hadn’t wanted to take off and leave him behind, but now she was thinking it would be a great idea to leave him eating her dust.
When he glanced over at her with a smile, she nudged her horse into a trot. When she noticed that he was right beside her, she pushed the horse faster until they were rushing across the field. The wind blew her hat onto her back, and she felt it pulling at her hair. Laughing, she stole a glance sideways to see if Reece was beside her. He was and his eyes were fixed on her, a large smile on his face as he steadied his horse into position right next to her.
She took that as a challenge and nudged her horse faster. They raced until they came to a small stream that crossed the field. Here there were trees and brush that would shelter them from the warm spring sun. Pulling her horse to a stop, she wasn’t surprised to see Reece stop right beside her.
“That was fun.” He had a mischievous look on his face.
“What are you up to?” she asked right before he moved his horse right next to hers and plucked her off the saddle. She landed in his lap with a gasp, which he covered up with his mouth on hers.
She’d dreamed about this last night after he’d left her hot and wanting. She hadn’t been able to think straight and it had taken her almost two hours to finally fall asleep. Then the dreams had started and no matter what she did, Reece had always been there.
“There,” he said, pulling back from her. “That’s better.” She shook her head and smiled. “What do you say to some food? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” He helped her down and then dismounted from the horse himself. She followed him when he took the reins and tied the horses to a low branch of a tree near the water, allowing them to drink from the stream.
He took a large picnic bag from his saddle, spread out a large checkered blanket, and then started pulling plates and food from the bag.
“There are some cold drinks in my cooler bag.” He nodded to his horse. She walked over and untied a large brown bag. When she unzipped the lid, she realized it was full of ice. Sitting on the blanket next to him, she reached in and pulled out a couple bottles of water. Twisting the cap off, she took a sip. Ever since his kiss, she’d felt overheated. She reached in the bag again and took out a bottle of champagne.
“I got that to celebrate your new home.” He nodded towards the bottle. “I meant to take it by your place the other day,” he said, holding up two champagne glasses. When she took them from him, she realized they were plastic and smiled. He’d thought of everything.
They sat and ate their lunch together in the shadow of a large mossy tree, listening to the water run over the small pebbles in the stream. After she’d eaten half of her turkey sandwich and drank most of her glass of champagne, she leaned back and looked at him.
“How’s the leg?”
He chuckled and shrugged. “It’s okay. Still on duty?” His eyebrows arched in question.
She shook her head. “Just curious. I’m sure you’re used to it…all the bumps and bruises.”
He shrugged again. “It comes with its perks.” He looked up at her through his lashes and she felt her face heat, his meaning made clear by the look he was giving her.
“Still, you really should take better care of yourself.” She looked off across the field and sighed. “It’s been too long since I’ve been riding. I’ve missed it.”
“You look like you’re a natural at it.”
“Oh, I was taught by one of the best riders. Your cousin.” She smiled. “Haley made sure to teach all her friends. I remember when Haley, Holly, and I decided to take Dash, Fresco, and Bob—”
Reece interrupted with a burst of laughter.
“Alex’s horse.” She rolled her eyes and continued with her story. “We decided to take the horses on one of our first outings. I think we were thirteen. It was before Haley’s father passed away.” She shook her head. “Anyway, Haley had decided that we’d spend the weekend up at their old cabin.” She leaned back on the blanket after taking the last bite of her sandwich. “We were about half way up the hills when Bob was spooked by a snake and threw Holly. She landed square in the middle of a big pile of blackberry bushes. It took me almost an hour to clean up all the cuts on her arms. It’s one of the reasons I decided to become a nurse. That and the time I had my tonsils out.”
He leaned back next to her.
“So, what about you?” When he glanced at her questioningly, she continued. “Why did you choose to work with horses?”
He smiled. “They were the only thing in my life that didn’t talk back or hit.” He crossed his arms behind his head and rested back. “The first time my father put me on the back of a green bronc, an unbroken horse, it threw me clear across the corral. Broke both bones in my wrist.” He held up his left hand and turned it several times. “My father cussed and yelled at me and swore that he’d never let me on another horse since I cost him two hundred bucks at the ER. Wore the cast for about a week, then sawed it off myself and crawled back on that horse til he stopped foaming and bucking.” He laughed. “When he finally settled down underneath me, that was the moment I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
She reached over and took his hand in hers. They were both lying on the blanket, staring up at the leaves in the tree above them, which blew in the breeze.
“How did you get into bronc riding?”
He turned over onto his side, resting his head in his hand as he leaned up on his elbow.
“After my father died, I had a pile of bills to pay.” He shrugged a little. “It was the only other thing I was good at which I could make enough money to help pay the bills.”
“Do you enjoy it?” She leaned over and mimicked his position.
“Busting?” She nodded. “Sure, but it doesn’t match the thrill of having that connection with a wild horse for the first time.” He reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Knowing that your training will carry with them for the rest of their lives…how much enjoyment they’ll have by connecting with their rider…”
She smiled and leaned down to place a kiss on his mouth. “You’re pretty amazing.”
He chuckled. “Not really.”
She shook her head. “It takes a certain kind of man to do what you do. You’ve been hurt doing it but you still climb back in the saddle and love it.” She shook her head, then gently cupped his face and kissed him again. This time she put more emotion into her lips. When she pulled back, her heart was racing.
She looked down into his green eyes and could see the desire in them. “Why don’t we pick up where we left off last night? After all, there are no neighbors to gossip or see what we’re doing today.”
This time the kiss had more power as his hands wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her down on top of him. It excited her to feel the hardness of his chest against hers, to run her hands up and down his muscular arms as his tongue played over hers. She used her hips and ground herself against him until she heard him moan and reverse their positions. Now she was pinned under his weight and enjoying the feeling of him hovering above her. His hands shook as they reached up and started unbuttoning her blouse.
She was thankful that it was still early enough in spring to avoid the sheen of
sweat that one usually got by just stepping outside in Texas, but now she felt her body heat just from his touch. She moaned when he finally pushed her shirt wide. He pulled back, his eyes raking over her exposed skin, sending shivers over her body. Finally, she reached up and pulled him back down to her so she could tug at his shirt buttons. He laughed a little and pulled his shirt off his shoulders. He was wearing a white tank top and when she started tugging on it, he yanked it over his head and tossed it aside.
When he came back down to her this time, it was to skin on skin, and they both moaned with delight. The urgency grew and when she started to tug on his jeans, he pulled back and shook his head no.
“Missy, I’m trying to be good here.” He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on hers. “God!” The word escaped him in a whoosh.
“Why?” She wrapped her legs around his hips to hold him closer. “Why not let ourselves enjoy the moment?”
He pulled back and looked down into her eyes. Then he shocked her by sitting up and resting his arms on his bent legs. He looked off towards the water. “It’s hard to explain.” He shook his head. When she leaned closer to him, he glanced over at her. “It matters.” She tried to hide her shock. “You’ve got to understand.” He turned and handed her a shirt. She smiled a little when she realized it was his. She put her arms in the sleeves and held it close to her. He sighed and looked off towards the water again. “Ryan and I had always planned to leave home together. Then he left me there and dad got sick.” He looked down at his hands. “After he died, I kind of went a little wild.” He turned and looked at her again. “There were a lot of women.”
She chuckled. “Reece, I’m no blushing virgin either.”
He shook his head. “No, I mean a lot. Buckle bunnies. That’s what we called the women who followed the rodeo circuit around. Their sole purpose is to bag a cowboy and well…” He shrugged. “I was one of the easiest around.”
She sobered. “Reece are you trying to tell me something?”
He looked at her for a moment and then laughed. “No, nothing like that. I’m clean. I mean, I’ve always used protection, and I’ve been tested every year.” He took her hand and raised it to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “Leave it to a nurse to think that this is physical.”
She shrugged. “I guess I can understand.”
“I guess I used them to fill the hole in my life. I was lonely and thought that sex would fill the void. Coming back here”—he pulled her close, tucking her close to his side—“and making the commitment to stay, I guess I decided I wanted something more. A real relationship.”
She pulled back a little so she could look up at him. “Isn’t that what we have?”
His eyes smiled, but there was still a frown on his lips. “Is it?”
When she nodded, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Good, then you understand?”
She nodded and gripped his shoulders. “Now, can we pick up where we left off?”
He chuckled. “Far be it from me to leave a woman in need.”
Reece knew what he wanted and where he wanted it, and contrary to Missy’s plans, it wasn’t going to take place in a field in the heat of the day. So instead of taking his own pleasures, he set out to make sure she could take her own.
Pulling his shirt gently off her shoulders, he marveled in the beauty of her pale skin in the sunlight. The leaves overhead shadowed them, causing the daylight to play over their skin. He used his mouth and hands until he felt her moan under his fingertips.
When he started tugging on her tight jeans, he took a moment to appreciate how well they fit. “Thank god for Levi’s. The man should have earned a Nobel Prize for keeping women in tight jeans.”
She chuckled and sat up to help him tug the denim down her legs. He helped her pull her riding boots off, and when she moved to take his off, he quickly discarded them, making sure to be careful around his ankle.
“Does it bother you that much?”
He looked over at her. “No. I was supposed to have the screws removed a while back, but just haven’t had time to do it.”
“Oh, you know—” He put a finger over her lips.
“No shop talk. Not now.” She smiled, and then she shocked him by taking his finger into her mouth and sucking on it until he felt his eyes cross. She was making it hard not to think about his own pleasures when her sweet mouth worked on his digit so skillfully.
Pushing her back gently, he decided two could play at that game. He ran his tongue down the side of her neck and down the outside of her rib cage until he landed on her soft belly. Using his fingers on her hips, he moved her legs wide until she lay open for his exploration.
She was wearing pink cotton panties with a matching bra and he realized that he had never found cotton so sexy before. When he touched her above the cotton, she squirmed and moaned. Then he moved the cotton aside and set his mouth to where his fingers had just been and she gasped.
She tasted better than the champagne, and he knew he’d quickly become addicted to her. When she reached down and tugged on his hair, trying to pull him up to her, he chuckled.
“No, let me just enjoy you.” He leaned back towards her, but stopped. “Tell me what you want, what you need.”
He watched her sink her teeth into her bottom lip. “You.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No, specifics.” He leaned closer. “Like, do you like it when I do this?” He ran a finger over her pink skin and watched her eyes close. She nodded her head, keeping her eyes shut tight. “Tell me. Just tell me what to do.”
“Touch me,” she said, and he chuckled again.
“And?”
“Put your mouth on me.”
“Like this?” He leaned down and placed his mouth to her again, kissing her lips until he felt her move with his movements.
“Yes, now use your tongue,” she gasped.
He did as she asked and was happily surprised when she exploded in his mouth.
“Perfect,” he said against her skin and realized that he’d never meant something more in his life than that.
Chapter Seven
Melissa was finding it hard to concentrate. It had been almost a week since she’d gone with Reece on the picnic, and she hadn’t been able to get her mind off of what had happened since. The day had been filled with much more than just heat. They had talked and laughed together during their long ride. After lunch, they had slowly made their way back to the barn and hadn’t arrived until shortly after dark. She’d never enjoyed a man’s company more than she had that day.
Every second that she found a moment to be alone, she thought of him. Of their conversation, of what he’d done to her. Of what she wanted him to do to her the next time they were alone. She thought of a million reasons to call him or to text him. She had hoped that he would contact her first, but as soon as she got off work, she was heading over to his place at Saddleback Ranch. Just as soon as she ran home, showered, and put on something sexy. Maybe even see-through. That would teach him to ignore her for six days.
When she stepped outside after her shift, she noticed that the streetlights had already come on, and the sky was filled with wonderful hues of pink and orange.
As she began to walk, her mind was consumed with different scenarios. She would show up at his door with a trench coat on and black silk stockings and undies underneath. Or she would wear a very short skirt and a low-neck shirt with heeled boots. She smiled at the images her mind conjured up.
She was so deep in her thoughts about how to seduce him that she almost walked right past him. He was reclining on the front porch swing, his booted feet crossed at the ankles as he rested back against the soft pillows she had bought just two days before.
When she stopped at her front door, keys poised and ready to unlock it, he slowly untangled himself and stood up. He started walking towards her without saying a word and for a moment, another scenario popped into her head. One of him pushing her inside, then against the back of
the door, ripping her scrubs off her body and taking her right there.
She felt her knees go weak at the thought.
“Hi,” he said in a low voice, stepping closer to her.
“Hi.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. So instead, she attacked him. Well, to be fair, they kind of both fell on each other. Her back was pushed up against the door, the door handle poking into her left butt cheek. She had enough wits to fumble with her keys and unlock the door. They both almost fell in when she twisted the knob and the door swung open quickly.
He laughed a little and stepped back, raking his hands through his hair. She’d left the hallway light on and could see the layer of dust that covered him. His shirt and jeans were covered in mud and grime. She could tell that he’d had a long hard day and realized that he had never looked as sexy as he did now.
“You look like you’ve had a rough day.” She leaned against the door.
He nodded. “So do you.” He nodded to the spot of blood on her scrubs.
“Comes with the job.” She nodded towards some blood on his shirtsleeve. “Looks like you’ve scraped yourself up again.”
He lifted the arm and looked at the nasty scratch going down to his wrist.
“Comes with the job.” He smiled. “I probably smell like the bad end of a horse.” He stepped back with a frown. “But I wanted to see you.”
She smiled. “I probably smell like baby vomit. I’m glad you came by.”
He nodded and just looked at her. “Did I ever mention how sexy you look in your scrubs?”
She laughed. “Even covered in vomit and blood?”
He nodded.
“I think you look sexy all dusty and covered in mud.” She walked over to him and took his hat from his hands, then set it on the table by the door.
“This may be a little forward of me, but how about a shower?”
He smiled. “I like your thinking.” He walked towards her and she tugged her shirt over her head and tossed it on the ground. She smiled when she saw his eyes heat.
