Thankful for You

by Joanna Sims

  “Are you tired? Or do you want to stay up for a while?” his cowgirl asked him.

  “I want to go to bed.”

  Nick wasn’t tired—he wanted to make love to Dallas again. Once upstairs, Nick undressed his woman, kissing her naked skin each time he removed a piece of clothing.

  “I want you to ride me,” Nick said.

  The fantasy of Dallas riding him, his hands on her strong thighs, her head flung back, had become one of his favorite images he used to relieve his sexual tension; once he realized that he didn’t want to be sexual with any woman other than Dallas, regular masturbation became an absolute necessity.

  Now that it was dark in the room, perhaps Dallas would let the covers fall away from her body. He would love to look at her naked body while he loved her—her stocky, strong body was, as it turned out, the perfect fit for him.

  Nick lay back on top of the covers; Dallas straddled his body and he helped her guide herself down his thick shaft until their bodies were as connected as they could be.

  “My goddess.” Nick ran his hands down her stomach to her thick thighs.

  Unlike the other times they had made love, this time Dallas seemed to like being in charge. With her hands braced on his chest, Dallas rocked her hips like she was riding in a saddle, giving off soft, sexy moans. Nick waited until Dallas had her first orgasm before he swung his legs to the side, stood up with her in his arms.

  “Hold on.” Nick spun them around so when they fell back on the bed, he was on top of her. The maneuver didn’t work as smoothly as he had imagined.

  Dallas laughed, something she had never done when they made love. And this time she wasn’t shaking in his arms. He knew, implicitly as he had known with so many things about this woman, that her trust in him had grown.

  Nick held her face in his hands, kissed her lightly and said, “Did you say that you loved me?”

  “Uh-uh.”

  “That’s good.” Nick pressed his body harder into hers. “Because I love you.”

  Dallas wrapped her strong legs around his hips and they moved together as if they had been lovers for years. Nick felt Dallas begin to orgasm for a second time and he cried out her name as he found his own release deep within the woman he loved.

  Nick was the last of the two to go to sleep. It stunned him that he had actually considered what it would be like to make love to Dallas without a condom. He hadn’t really considered children as an option in his life—having fun and building a career had been his priorities. With Dallas, he might just want something different. Not any time soon, but one day down the road, he’d like to see her pregnant with his child.

  Chapter Eleven

  Nick bought her first-class tickets to Chicago over her objections. Nick had shelled out a lot of money for their dates, and even though she prided herself on her independence, she believed that it was right for a man to pay for the date. But a plane ticket? No dice. She had money for coach—that was her budget—but Nick wanted her to sit with him on the trip back to his hometown and he ordered the ticket online, end of discussion.

  Once on the connecting flight to Chicago, Dallas was actually glad that Nick had insisted on buying her a seat next to his. She’d traveled a lot in her life—most of her life was traveling—but the traveling she did had mostly involved driving. She had flown twice in her life. This plane was massive and jammed full of adults and kids and college students. Dallas didn’t like it when something made her feel out of control—this plane made her uncomfortable.

  “You almost done?” Dallas glanced over at Nick, who had been on his phone and laptop nonstop ever since the crew cleared the use of technology.

  It took him a moment to look up from his phone. When he did, Nick’s face had tension in it that she was accustomed to seeing.

  “I’m sorry—this is for my work.”

  “All right.” How many times had she told him that she couldn’t talk on the phone or have dinner because of her work? A lot.

  “I promise that I will carve out as much time as I can to show you Chicago,” Nick said this while he typed out an email on his laptop.

  “But...” He looked over at her. “You know that I have to work.”

  Dallas did know that he had to work. In theory. When she agreed, on a whim as was her nature, to go to Chicago, the visual of what the week would be like in the third-largest city in the country was only a fuzzy outline. Now, just seeing the change in Nick, from easygoing Nick to glued-to-his-electronic-devices Nick, her week in Chicago was starting to come into focus. She was going to be alone for much of the time. And even when Nick was with her in person, she had a feeling that the phone and the laptop were going to be his constant mistresses.

  “Chicago, baby.” Nick reached for her hand.

  The Fasten Your Seat Belt message forced Nick to put away his phone and laptop; he was now looking out the window with her, and seemed excited for her to catch her first glimpse of a city that she knew he loved.

  “I want you to love it,” Nick added.

  Dallas wanted to love Nick’s city too. She really did. As the sprawling city came into view, Dallas thought, much like the Houston downtown skyline, that Chicago’s downtown skyline was a beautiful scene to behold. Yet the miles and miles of roads and buildings and homes that fanned out away from the city center made her acutely aware of the fact that Nick’s hometown was inhabited by millions of people.

  Chicago O’Hare was crowded and hot and it took some jostling to get their luggage from the carousel. When she looked around at the wide spectrum of people in the airport, there were so many different races and manners of dress, but she didn’t see many Stetsons.

  Nick walked fast in Chicago; in Montana and Texas, he had been more relaxed. They picked up his Jaguar, and from the second Nick got behind the wheel and fought his way into bumper-to-bumper traffic to the time they pulled into valet parking at his downtown condo, he was so intense and frustrated. And yet he loved the city. All the way from the airport to his condo, Nick pointed out landmarks and places he spent his time. He seemed to thrive on the congestion and the frantic energy of the city.

  Dallas looked out the passenger window to the signage on the building: the Ritz-Carlton.

  Why were they at a hotel?

  “I’m not stayin’ with you?” she asked.

  Nick handed his keys to the valet. “This is where I live.”

  A different valet opened her door and offered her a hand. Nick jogged around the front of the car; he thanked the valet, but he was the one to help her out onto the sidewalk.

  “Welcome to my world.” Nick offered her his arm.

  “What about our bags?” Dallas looked behind at her small rolling bag.

  “Don’t worry. They’ll get to us. Come on. I’m excited to show you the view.”

  Nick lived on the twenty-second floor of a forty-story building in downtown Chicago. The lower part of the building was the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

  “I’m renting the place from my parents,” Nick explained as he put the key in the door. “I love living in this building—it’s close to work, and I’ve been thinking about buying the condo.”

  Nick opened the door for her and let her walk inside the condo first. Immediately, she saw the view. He had told her that he had a surprise for her. He loved to surprise her—Nick knew how much she loved the downtown view in Houston. To have that kind of view for the week? This was a wonderful surprise.

  “Nick—the view!” She smiled at him.

  “I knew you’d love it.”

  “I do.” Dallas walked through the narrow entrance way, through a curved arch that led out to an open-concept living and dining room. Dallas noticed the lovely, wide-plank dark wooden floors and the dove gray of the walls, but she was all about the wall of glass that led out to a small patio.

 
Nick anticipated that she would want to see the outdoor space first. Dallas walked out onto the small patio; she rested her hands on the railing and looked down. Nick came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her body.

  “You’re looking down at the famous Magnificent Mile,” he told her. “And that tall skinny building right there—that’s the Willis Tower, one of the tallest building in the Northern Hemisphere. I’m going to take you there tonight.”

  Dallas couldn’t see herself living in a downtown high-rise full-time, but the beauty of Nick’s view was undeniable.

  “What do you think?” He moved her hair out of his way so he could put his chin on her shoulder.

  What did she think? She thought it was noisy with the sirens and horns blowing, and it was too crowded, and there was a lot of exhaust.

  “I love your view.” Dallas wanted to tell her man the positive truth about his hometown. She knew that he was anxious for her to love it as much as he did.

  This answer seemed to make Nick happy—he turned her in his arms and kissed her in that sweet, gentle, easy way of his.

  “I love you,” he said in between kisses. “I love you.”

  * * *

  Nick gave her a chance to soak in his giant tub before they went on their first Chicago adventure. According to his calendar, he had packed their schedule every night and for the upcoming weekend. Dallas was up for it. She had her doubts, but she wanted to be open to falling in love with Chicago. After all, she was open to falling in love with one of its best sons.

  “Maybe leave the hat here,” Nick suggested.

  Honestly, even on the occasions she got dressed up for rodeo award ceremonies, she still wore a hat. Everyone did. It would feel strange not to wear it.

  Dallas looked at Nick, as always, dressed crisply in chinos, a button-down and loafers, and his hair cut high and tight. She thought about the suggestion and ultimately decided “when in Chicago...”

  “You look great.” Nick smiled at her approvingly as he buttoned his sleeve cuff.

  She thanked him and returned the compliment. Nick shrugged into a sports coat, gathered his wallet and keys, and then held out his hand for her. “Let’s go have some fun!”

  Nick didn’t get the valet to bring his car around; instead, he offered her his arm and they started to walk up Erie Street.

  “What’s there to do at the Willis Tower?” His excitement for having her in his city was infectious. It was hard not to smile.

  “My cousin and her husband are having an event on the ninety-ninth floor.”

  “Which cousin?”

  “Jordan.”

  Dallas stopped walking and gaped at Nick. “Are you tellin’ me that your cousin Jordan is here? Right now?”

  “That’s right.”

  Dallas hit Nick affectionately on the arm. “I haven’t seen her since we were kids!”

  Barbara and Hank had five children, the two oldest boys twins, Luke and Daniel, a middle child, Tyler, and then the youngest twin girls—Jordan and Josephine. Jordan, she remembered, was a tomboy daredevil like her.

  “What’s their exhibition?” Dallas asked, more excited now to get to Willis Tower than she had been just a moment before.

  “A collection of photographs,” Nick explained. “Jordan’s husband, Ian, was a really well-known fashion photographer—a couple years back he lost his eyesight and he had to quit. With Jordan’s help, he’s taking photographs again.”

  “The love of a good woman.”

  Nick squeezed her hand. “Exactly.”

  * * *

  “Nicky!” Jordan Brand Sterling spotted them the minute they walked off the elevator.

  Nick’s cousin was a tall, willowy woman dressed in slim black pants and a figure-hugging top. Her hair was cropped short and colored a light lavender.

  “Thank you so much for coming to support Ian.” Jordan had this genuine openness about her smile that Dallas always liked. “Dallas! What are you doing here?”

  Jordan hugged her cousin and then hugged her like they were long-lost friends. In a way, she supposed they were. “I’m visitin’ with Nick.”

  A quick myriad of emotions passed over Jordan’s pretty face: surprise, curiosity, acceptance. Jordan, who was nearly six feet tall in her bare feet, leaned toward her. “Thank God you’re here. OMG! There’s so much stuffiness in this thin Chicago air, a good dose of Montana will balance the mojo.”

  Jordan’s excitement about her being in Chicago made her relax inside; she hadn’t even realized how tense she had been holding herself.

  “Come meet my husband,” Jordan said. “Nick hasn’t even met Ian! Weird, right? That’s the good ol’ Brand family dysfunction for ya.”

  Jordan introduced them to Ian Sterling, who happened to be one of the most beautifully handsome men she’d ever met in person. She didn’t really believe that people like Ian existed in real life—he was tall with broad shoulders, chiseled jawline, very nice lips. And with Jordan on his arm, they were the beautiful couple in the room. Ian did wear special glasses with lenses that protected his eyes—a rare eye disease had taken his central vision, but he still had his peripheral vision intact. Sitting quietly beside Ian was a black service dog named Shadow.

  After they talked for a few more minutes, Ian and Jordan went back to circulating the room to meet and greet their guests. Nick and Dallas stopped by the open bar, and Nick looked impressed, and a little surprised, when she ordered a glass of wine.

  Together, they walked around the gallery of photographs—each photograph seemed to be more compelling than the next. Ian was still photographing women, but the women were a part of the scenery, not the main focus. Nature, color and the human body were all captured in such unique ways. Ian, even with his disability, or perhaps because of his disability, had focused in on details of life that most people would never notice.

  Dallas loved it and thanked Nick for bringing her.

  “I have one more thing I want to show you,” he said with a secretive smile.

  They said their goodbyes to Ian and Jordan; they parted with a promise that they would all get together again while the three of them were still in town.

  “I’ll come get you while he’s working. We’ll go find some trouble to get into,” Jordan had told her.

  “Where are you takin’ me with that smile?” Dallas asked him as she stepped into the elevator.

  Nick pressed the button to take them to the hundred and third floor. “You’re going to love what’s next.”

  Dallas stepped out of the elevator onto the hundred and third floor of one of the tallest buildings in North America and knew immediately why Nick had brought her.

  “What a view.” She took a deep breath. It was dusk and the lights of downtown Chicago were lighting up.

  Nick took her hand and led her to where a small group of tourists were gathered. Beyond the tourists, the Skydeck Ledge, a clear floor that let you have a straight view one hundred and three stories down. Nick led the way, winding through the crowd until they were standing on the clear ledge.

  Dallas loved adrenaline rushes, which was part of the thrill of barrel racing—standing on a clear floor looking straight down to the city street below made her heart start to race, and sent adrenaline shooting all over her body. She held Nick’s hand, more out of excitement than any fear, and felt as if they were flying or falling.

  After she had a moment to experience the clear ledge unfettered, Nick pulled her into his side and kissed her quickly so she wouldn’t object to the public display.

  “We’ll come back again—during the day,” Nick reassured her when they left the clear ledge. “On a clear day, you can see four states away.”

  * * *

  For Nick, Dallas’s first day in Chicago was a resounding success. She loved the condo view and the outdoor
space, and bonus, his cousin from Montana, a childhood play buddy of Dallas’s, was in town. Awesome luck on his part!

  He brought his woman home, made love to her with the city lights streaming through the window and then went to his office to catch up on work while Dallas drifted off to sleep in his bed. He’d had women sleep over, of course—he’d been in relationships where the women had actually started to move some of their belongings into the closet—but having Dallas in his home, in his bed was a feeling he’d yet to experience. He felt whole—like everything was right in his world now that his wild-child Montana cowgirl was curled up beneath his covers.

  Nick wanted the rest of Dallas’s week to be as successful; he’d struggled with when to take Dallas home to meet the parents—should that be a beginning of the week or the end of the week kind of event. He had decided to get it over and done with. Everyone in the family knew that his mother was difficult. And he anticipated that she was going to become very difficult when she discovered that yet another one of her children had gone to the dark side and was dating “country folk.” Honestly, he was surprised that he had fallen for someone like Dallas. Falling in love, he was discovering, wasn’t a matter of choice—it was a matter of your heart finding what it wanted.

  * * *

  “Woo-hoo!” Jordan Brand hung over her cousin’s balcony and let out a loud whoop. She spun around and leaned back against the railing. “Nice digs, eh?”

  Dallas was happy to see Jordan. She had awakened late, barely remembering Nick giving her a kiss goodbye, ordered room service from the Ritz and then drunk several cups of coffee on the balcony. But as much as she loved the view, she was starting to feel stir-crazy just looking down at all the activity on the street below. Jordan’s call to see if she wanted to hang out came at the exact right time.

  Jordan fell into one of the balcony lounge chairs, one leg dangling over the armrest. She flipped her sunglasses onto the top of her head. “So—you and my cousin Nick. How’d that happen? I’m dying to know.”