Walk With Me (Small Town Bachelor Romance Book 4)

by Abby Knox

  She would probably run screaming if she knew she was alone in the desert with someone having graphic sexual thoughts about her.

  Or maybe not…

  The lonely switchbacks were no place for a sexual encounter. The most boring and exposed part of the trail. He had been trying to keep himself together. To keep quiet and concentrate on survival. Forcing himself to think about snakes and rockfalls and possible dehydration. To forget about his hard-on until they reached the station. But now he wasn’t sure they were going to make it that far before they both gave in to their needs.

  Logan said, “That was a lot of words. Let me process.”

  She smirked. “Take your time.”

  He wanted to lay her flat and go to town on her until that sassy smirk turned to a moan. But he couldn’t say that, could he? It seemed, to Logan's foggy, blood-deprived brain, that she wanted to know whether he had kissed her because he really wanted to or because he felt sorry for her. He started with that.

  “I have never in my life kissed a girl because I felt sorry for her. Some of them I regretted kissing later. Some of them regretted having kissed me. But not a single one of them has asked me what the kiss had meant. Because they know. So, I guess I didn’t kiss you properly the first time. See if you can guess what this means.”

  The only thing left to do was make his move to lay another sensuous kiss on that sexy mouth of hers. He took a step closer to her. She swallowed her water and looked up at him, curiosity and wariness in her eyes. Logan reached out and framed her face. He looked deeply into her eyes and didn’t move for several seconds. Her eyes flashed. He smoldered with heat and drifted down for the kiss. This one was slow and intense but assertive. He felt her touch his abdomen, then felt her fingers travel up his back and squeeze him in closer. He pressed harder against her mouth, holding the back of her head and sinking his fingers into her waves. He wanted her to know he was in charge of where this kiss was going. He told her with his probing tongue that she was never to kiss anyone else like this again but him. It made no sense, they were total strangers, but he was already so far gone there was no going back, and he was not going to leave this canyon without her in his possession.

  She would not make this mistake again of wondering where he stood. He intended to bed her. As soon as possible. She would have no doubt that his mouth would be between her folds and leave no part of her untouched.

  Logan’s soul was swimming in the taste of her lips, her tongue, her mouth, completely forgetting what stood right behind Ever.

  Suddenly, her entire body jerked and she shrieked in pain. “Ouch!”

  Logan resurfaced from the haze of his desire and realized what he had done. He had kissed her so hard, he had backed her right up into the cactus.

  Smooth move, Ex-Lax.

  Chapter 11

  Ever

  Logan was in control of the situation before she even understood what was happening. One second she was enjoying the best kiss of her life, and the next minute she was in searing pain.

  Something was poking her in the back, and not in a nice, grinding, flashlight-in-his-pocket kind of way. After having jerked herself away from the source of the pain, it hadn’t stopped the feeling of being skewered like a kebab.

  “Ever, I’m going to lift up your shirt and have a look at the area.” He was kneeling beside her.

  “Oh my god, I have a cactus in my back, don’t I?” She yelped in pain at every move.

  “Not a whole cactus but some of it. You’re gonna be fine, just stay calm.”

  Ever did as he said. Even though the pain felt like a hot branding iron through all the nerves in her back, she forced herself to breathe through it. The way he was taking charge would have been pretty damn hot if she didn’t have a back full of needles.

  As usual, she cracked an inappropriate joke at this awkward moment. “I’m OK. Just don’t try and reach around to grab my bosoms while you have permission to lift up my shirt, OK?”

  But Logan was having none of it. His voice sounded like someone’s dad. “I really wish you would stop with the sass for one minute so I can concentrate on rendering first aid,” he said while gently helping her to a sitting position on the ground to stabilize her before pulling the needles out. “If I do reach around and grab your breasts like some kind of animal, it’s because you gave me the idea.”

  She felt him lifting up her shirt in the back.

  “Yup, you got a few that stuck,” he said.

  “Awesome. Pull them out, please?” She liked the feel of Logan’s strong hands having their way with her top. She kind of wished he would let himself cop a feel. She wouldn’t even fight it, not even with giant needles puncturing her back.

  “It’s not in you very deep, but it is going to hurt,” he said.

  “That’s what he said,” she said with a snort.

  “I need you to reach up and hold your shirt up for me. On three. Ready?”

  She took a deep breath. “Ready. Do it.”

  “One…two…” And he pulled the first one out.

  “Ouch! You said on three!” she wailed.

  “I lied,” he said. “That was for the ‘that’s what he said’ joke. Anyway, this way is easier so you don’t fight me on three.”

  She turned her head and watched as Logan dug through his pack for disinfectant.

  “You learn that in ranger school, Logan? Here’s something you didn’t learn. No female on this earth would fight you for putting your hands on her.”

  But Ever could see he wasn’t in the mood for flirty talk. He was in survival mode. He took his job seriously. His face glowered as he worked, and she liked it.

  After all the needles were removed and her back was disinfected and bandaged, the pain turned from searing to throbbing and itching. Logan helped her to her feet, and his eyes smoldered again like they had a few moments before.

  “How does it feel?”

  “Fine,” she said, blinking up at him. “Perfectly fine. You have magic fingers, Logan.”

  “I like hearing you say my name instead of calling me Ranger Rick.”

  She smiled. “Where were we?”

  “If you think I’m gonna kiss you again after injuring you, think again.”

  He was kind of bossy. She kind of liked it.

  “I assure you, I’m fine. Is it gonna leave a scar?”

  “Nah, it looks like a few small red bumps on an otherwise incredibly sexy lower back with half of a Celtic knot tattoo peeking out of your camo shorts,” he said.

  This made her catch her breath. Had he actually said her back was sexy? This was new. “Feel free to keep talking.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” She honestly could not remember what it was he should be apologizing for.

  “For backing you up into a cactus, in case you forgot.”

  He was seriously sexy in his bossy mode. “I don’t remember anything except both of us fully participating in that little tongue-tango a minute ago. You have nothing to apologize for.”

  “On the contrary. No more making out until we get to the bottom. I’m serious. If we waste any more time on this trail, I fear I could put you in real danger. Also, I’m on the clock. Let’s go.”

  Before he had even completed this sentence, he had picked up her pack in one hand and started down the trail.

  “You don’t have to carry my pack. I can handle it.”

  Logan laughed and kept walking. “The pack is going to irritate the wounds. I don’t want you carrying anything on your back.”

  Ever huffed. “I’m not a baby.”

  “And I’m not a doctor,” he said curtly. “If your back gets infected, you’re in trouble. As it is, I should be carrying you out of the canyon back up to safety, but now we’re below halfway down, so at this point it’s quicker just to get to the hollow. At least there, you can rest.”

  “Give me my pack.”

  “No.”

  “Logan. Come on. You can’t carry that pack and yours.”
>
  “Watch me.”

  Goddamn, he was stubborn. Finally, Ever gave in and fell in line behind him on the trail again.

  Chapter 12

  Logan

  When they finally reached the ranger station at the hollow, Logan was unaware of any hunger or thirst except the kind that made him eager to taste every inch of this exasperating woman’s curves.

  He marched straight past the hikers’ campsites to the building where he was to stay for the night. It was set back from the primitive campground, a few hundred yards farther along the river that snaked through the hollow.

  “Where are we going? Hey! I need my pack!”

  Ever was trying to get his attention, but he was on a mission. No friggin’ way was she staying in a tent tonight. Not with her luck. Not with bats flying overhead and snakes slithering about down here. She’d be dead or have contracted rabies by morning. That was his brain’s attempt at dark humor, but the reality of this possibility made him all the more protective and determined to get her into his bed for the night.

  “Hello? Did you forget something? This is the part where I set up camp! Remember, me?”

  Logan kept walking. He rolled the dice that if he kept going she would follow. She had to follow. He had her hairdryer in his pack.

  When they finally arrived at the ranger station, she caught up to him while he unlocked the door.

  She started in on him. “Are you deaf or purposely ignoring me, Logan? What is your problem?”

  As soon as Logan had the door unlocked, he pulled her inside the dimly lit room, tossed both their packs to the floor and attacked her damp, salty neck, marking her skin with urgent kisses up to her jawline, barely able to contain himself after that long slog down to the hollow. His need was going to be met, and it would be met now. But he had was something else to do first.

  “Arms up,” he commanded huskily, pulling off her sweaty shirt up over her head. “Hey!” she said, startled, covering her breasts, barely realizing she’d complied with his command.

  “Turn around,” he gritted out.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Woman, I have to check your wounds.”

  “Oh.”

  She obeyed.

  He looked over the area and didn’t see any bleeding through. Still, he wasn’t taking any chances. He slowly peeled off the bandages.

  “Looks OK. No infections. Let me wrap it back up just in case.”

  She turned around. “It doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

  “It might start to hurt,” he growled.

  She caught his meaning right away and batted her lashes seductively. “Whatever would cause that to happen?”

  Logan took a step closer. “Things are gonna get out of control when I get you out of those clothes and on to my cock. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Ever peeled off her sports bra and sighed with relief. Her breasts were magnificent. “If it bleeds, it bleeds,” she murmured as she took his hand and placed it on one of her breasts. He didn’t know or care about cup sizes, but if he had to guess, her cup size would be whatever perfection is. The look and feel of those satin-soft mounds compounded his ache.

  In seconds he had her in his bunk, her ridiculous shorts and panties torn off and thrown to the floor. Logan’s fingers tangled into her sweat-soaked curls, and freed her hair from the messy bun, while his mouth desperately devoured every inch of her mouth, her face, her neck, her shoulders. Her mouth responded with urgency, while her hands worked at his belt. He regretted letting go of her skin in his grip for even a second, but he reached between them to help her along. Together they could not release his beast quickly enough. He moaned in relief as his cock sprang free.

  They were so ready for each other they could not even be bothered to take their hiking boots off. It would take too long anyway, even with his experienced fingers.

  He let his shorts fall away, but the need was so great and immediate he didn’t bother with pulling his khakis all the way down.

  “I need to get inside your pussy right now.”

  She reached down and took his cock in her hand to guide him to her. “You mean this pussy here?” The head of his penis was resting right at her entrance.

  “Don’t even think about torturing me, woman.” Logan lifted her up onto his lap; he had no intention of plowing her into the mattress and risking her back starting to bleed, no matter what she said. She gasped in surprise when she found herself positioned on his lap, his cock making itself completely at home.

  Her eyes widened at the sensation of the full length of him inside her. Her thighs gripped around him as her sex clamped down hard. She was not messing around, and she was good at this.

  She may have been all soft curves and yielding, luscious mounds, but her pussy was solid muscle. The brief thought of her recently axed boyfriend criticizing her for being supposedly too out of shape? Ridiculous. So ridiculous it enraged him.

  He coaxed her pelvis tighter to him and joined her in her grinding. He massaged her hips and lower back. “Every inch of you is beautiful, and anyone who says otherwise is a piece of shit. I’m gonna fuck you until every memory of any other man is obliterated.”

  She moaned and hugged him close. “You are the sweetest talker when you wanna be, Ranger,” she breathed.

  But Logan needed to make sure she was taking him seriously. He let go of her hips and took her face in both his hands. He forced her to make eye contact. “Do you hear me? Look at me.”

  “I’m close to coming.”

  “Not yet.”

  “Ranger,” she moaned.

  He stopped his thrusting and gripped her hips once again to stop her grinding. “I’m serious. Don’t come yet. Look at me.”

  She groaned and gritted her teeth. But she complied. “Do you know what you’re doing to me?”

  “Say my name and agree with me.”

  “Huh?”

  He gripped her face in his hands again and kissed her mouth hungrily. “Say, ‘Yes, Logan, you’re right, I’m beautiful.’”

  Her breasts heaved in hunger. “Finish me, Logan. You’re driving me crazy.” Her body clamped around him, urging him on.

  “Say it.”

  “It’s too hard.”

  “Not as hard as I am,” he said. “Not as hard as it is holding back while I’m about to let loose like the fuckin’ river inside you. That’s how serious I am. You need to say it.”

  “Yes, Logan, you’re right, I’m beautiful, now finish fucking me please!”

  He pushed himself hard into her. Then he rose up on his knees with her legs still wrapped around him. He held her steady with his strong arms as she clung to him and began to tremble.

  “Shit, Ever. I’m gonna pull out. No condom.”

  But to his surprise she wouldn’t let him. She cried, “Don’t you dare pull out!” and rode him, locking him in all the way home.

  They came together in a blast of energy that fell over them both like a waterfall in the desert.

  Relief suffused his entire body. As their grinding against each other slowed, the relief was replaced with pure happiness. This female was his match in every way possible, and only hours before they were strangers.

  “We’re gonna be doing that again soon, you know,” he murmured, kissing her sweat-matted hair. He smiled as he got a good look at her for the first time with her hair loose and falling in silky waves around her face and shoulders. “Look at you. You’re a goddess.”

  She said nothing, but she made a noise he did not like.

  “Ever, what’s wrong?”

  It was then he noticed she was crying.

  “Shit, what did I do? Did I pull your hair? Did I hurt your back? Are you bleeding?”

  She nodded. “I’m bleeding, but it’s not my back. You touched a pretty sensitive spot when you made me say I was beautiful. I’m not used to that.”

  Goddamn, what had stupid-ass boys done to this beautiful creature in her life to make her not realize what she was? “Well,” he said, “get
used to it. Because you’re stuck with me, and you’re going to be hearing it and saying it a lot.”

  Ever let out a little sob and nodded. This was inexcusable, Logan thought. No female of mine should ever doubt she’s anything less than perfect.

  With that thought, he wrapped her up in his huge arms and let her cry into his chest until she slept.

  Exhausted, sweating, starving and a little dehydrated, Logan and Ever rested.

  Chapter 13

  Ever

  The oversized ranger must have been more tired than he realized. Ever woke up in the dark of night to find herself naked and happy, yet also desperate for water and eager to get her feet free of those boots.

  Ever slipped out of Logan’s grip as he slept and got some water to drink straight from the faucet. She dug out some flip-flops, a flashlight, shorts and a tank from her pack. She sat down on one of the primitive kitchen chairs and gingerly removed her boots. Her feet were sore, but there was also something else going on with her toes. They had been throbbing something fierce during the last leg of the hike that day, but she didn’t want to alarm Logan about it.

  She just needed to get dressed and soak her tired doggies in the river, and she’d be as right as rain.

  She slipped out of the ranger station and made her way in the dark toward the sound of burbling.

  On the bank of the river, she sat down and anxiously stuck her throbbing feet in the drifting water. She sighed in relief. The feeling of cool water moving over her toes was heavenly.

  She vowed to treat herself to a pedicure as soon as she was back home in Middleburg. Scratch that. After this epic trip, she was going all the way to Chicago for a real spa day.

  Then all of a sudden, the sensation of the water over her toes began to feel strange. Like something was coming loose. She knew right away this was not normal. This was very, very wrong. But it was dark, and she couldn’t see.