by Aria Cole
Caroline.
“Sweet, sweet Raven. So beautiful wrapped around my cock, my finger fucking that pretty little asshole. I want to claim every inch of you, sweet girl. Are you ready for me?”
I gnashed down on my lip, afraid to answer.
His fingers sped up against my clit as my orgasm rushed closer and closer, his cock stiffening as he hit a deep spot inside me.
“I want all of you, Raven. Show me how much this pussy needs me.” His words throttled through me, an orgasm coming fast on its heels as I fell over, losing myself in him, quaking and shivering and crying in a violent storm on top of him.
His lips trailed across my face, hips pumping as he licked away my tears, sucked at my throat, and whispered, “I’m yours, Raven.”
I clamped down on his bottom lip, catching him in a kiss with long, languid strokes that sent fireworks up my spine. I crawled up his body, arching against him, grinding my core against his until another orgasm began to build.
“I’m gonna lose my mind with you.” He sucked at my ear, hands sliding between us before he was jerking with deft strokes, sliding his fist up his cock until he came in long, thick jets of white come.
I sucked in quick breaths, mesmerized by the sight of him, face still tight with pleasure, before his hand pushed through the mess he’d made of my belly and swirled it around with his fingers.
“That's the last time I do that.” He breathed, pushing his come-covered fingers into my mouth. “You on birth control?”
My eyes shot open as I shook my head.
“Good.” His eyes darkened, falling on the heavy flesh of my breasts, cups still pushed down and propping them out so they looked so much better than they usually did. “Feels like I’ve waited a lifetime to meet you. Don’t wanna waste a fucking minute.” He pulled me down, kissing me, molding me against him, sucking all the air out of my lungs. “You’re mine, Raven. Sooner I can claim this cunt and put my baby inside you, better off we’ll both be.”
Fresh tears trailed down my cheeks as I nestled against his hard body.
I should tell him.
I had to tell him.
But God, I didn't want to tell him.
We were too good—this was too good. What if he hated me?
I should have told him before we got here, with his come sprayed across my belly and having the birth control conversation. But when would have been a good time? God, I’d only been certain a few moments ago when he’d mentioned the last name Sutherland.
Colt Sutherland.
My Colt.
I snaked my fingers across his chest, cuddling closer to his hard body.
I know what Lexi would tell me to do. But somehow, I just couldn’t bring myself to. Not yet…not now.
“Stay with me tonight?” he rumbled at my ear.
I answered the only way I could. “Yes, Colt.”
FIVE
COLT
THE WAY SHE said my name made my heart fucking sing.
I swear I didn’t know it could do that, but hell if it didn’t do exactly that.
Sang like a goddamn angel.
I carried her all the way up to my room, didn’t hesitate once to wonder if anyone heard me. All I could think about was her in my arms.
I had this funny feeling that if she were with me all night, maybe, just maybe, she’d chase the bad dreams away. I didn’t know why I thought that, knew I shouldn’t have, but the way this woman made me feel was unlike anything I’d ever felt before. A sense of calm seeped through my system, the real world ceased to exist, the pain in my leg was all but forgotten, and I felt at peace.
As I carried her, I didn’t give two shits if anyone heard. I couldn’t wait to get her in my bed. Not to fuck her, but to hold her.
I needed to hold her.
Raven was tucked into my arms in my bed moments later, her long dark hair flowing over my pillow, my heart already at peace. I didn't know what I’d done to deserve this woman, but I’d spend the rest of my days thanking God for her.
“Thank you, Colt,” she whispered, sleep lacing her voice.
“Nah, sweet girl, thank you.” I closed her lips with a kiss, my hands running up her smooth skin. Desire flooded my system as I wanted to take her again, but more than that, I wanted to keep this overwhelming sense of calm that enveloped me.
“I love you, Raven,” I uttered so softly I wasn't sure if she heard. I didn’t care either way. It was more for me than her. I’d spend the rest of my days protecting her heart from pain. I might be a simple man, but I for sure knew this was love. I hadn’t felt this way about anyone since…
My heart wandered to that angel who’d been haunting my dreams at night.
I wasn’t sure if Raven would chase her away. I wasn’t sure if I wanted her to, but I wanted the possibility. For so long, I’d lived without the sense of hope, and Raven gave me hope just like that girl who’d floated into my worst nightmares had.
I drew in a deep whiff of her hair and tucked my nose a little deeper into her neck.
“Sleep tight, sweet girl,” I whispered at her ear.
She hummed, snuggling closer into my chest, one hand coming to lie across my abdomen.
My eyes fluttered closed, my heartbeats soothing to a melodic pace.
Something about Raven felt like my future.
I fell asleep, soothed on a soul-deep level like I’d never been before.
I didn’t know what it was about Raven, but she was my new favorite prescription. My medicine. My healer. I’d do anything to keep her around for the next thousand forevers.
*
I woke the next morning to the smell of cherry blossoms.
The first thought in my head was of my sweet angel.
I curled against Raven’s warm body, tucking her close to me and waking her with my lips across her skin. “Mornin’.”
“Hey there,” she breathed, curling into me.
“I’m not sure about you, but I’m starvin’,” I hummed, attaching our lips and kissing her softly. I caged her in my arms and trailed my leaking dick down the center of her bare abdomen. All her soft curves made me want to dive in, lose myself for days, and take my time enjoying every inch.
“You’re the king of innuendo,” Raven husked, teeth clamped down on her lip when I parted her thighs and pressed my mouth against her soaked lower lips. I sucked and licked, swirling my tongue across the swollen pink flesh that was mine. All goddamn mine. I added a finger, sliding it against the tight bud of her ass before her legs began to shake and soft cries fell from her lips.
Her fingers clutched at my hair, pulling me up her body until our lips were attached and she was coming against my hand, hips writhing as she shook.
“Yes, Colton. Yes, yes, oh my God, yes!” My breath froze in my lungs at her words.
No one had called me that name since…
Since…
I paused, lifting myself off her to admire the sweet angles of her face.
Could it really…?
“No way,” I breathed, heart slamming in my ears. “No fucking way.” Her name clutched at my throat. “Caroline?”
Her arms went rigid, nails digging into my back.
“Caroline…Wetherspoon?” I peered into those beautiful eyes, searching for the girl I used to know. “The only person who’d ever called me that was Caroline…”
“I’m not her anymore,” Raven finally spoke up.
“Oh, you’ve gotta be shitting me!” I jumped off the bed, pulling my boxers up before tossing her tank top at her. “What the fuck? Raven? Who is Raven? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Her eyes pooled with moisture.
I couldn’t be sidetracked by her tears now that this girl had shaken up my world. I’d carried her photo with me every damn day in the desert, and now here she was, sitting in front of my eyes, and she couldn’t even tell me who she really was?
“I started going by Raven when I went to college. I needed a new me. I dyed my hair, I was rebelling. It just felt like it fi
t.” She twisted her hands in her lap, the sheet tucked neatly around her heavy tits.
Damn it all. Despite everything, I still wanted to crawl into bed with her. She made me feel like a man again. The man I was meant to be. I needed that. I needed her.
“My dad hated the name.” A wry smile turned her lips. “I think that’s what made me keep using it.”
I shook my head, trying to piece together the girl she had been with the woman who sat naked in my bed right now.
“How long have you known who I was?”
She angled her head down, gnawing on that pretty bottom lip. “Not long.” I narrowed my eyes. “When you said your last name, I knew.”
I sucked in a breath of air, slumping down on the bed next to her. “Fuck, it’s been a long time.”
She only nodded next to me, sidling up beside me in that soft cotton sheet.
She was such a vision, I could never be mad at her for long.
“No wonder there was something about you…” I glanced at her, anger melting into love.
Love.
No wonder I’d been drawn to this girl from the start.
“You never came back? Not a single time after you left?” I asked her, the only thing itching at the back of my mind.
A tear trickled slowly down her cheek. “He wouldn't let me. I wanted to. I never wanted to leave. But he made it impossible…”
I nodded, mind whirling with so many different thoughts.
“I need time to think.” I finally got up off the bed, pulling on a pair of jeans and a clean shirt. “Take your time. I’ll be back. I just…need a walk.”
I stalked down the stairs two at a time, the only thing on my mind getting air. I needed some fresh fucking air.
SIX
RAVEN
SHIT.
SHIT. SHIT. Shit!
I should have told him. I knew I should have at least told him my suspicions.
But I hadn’t, and now here I sat, naked in Colt’s bed, by myself.
A sore ache cut through my body as I thought of where he’d been, where his lips had been just minutes ago.
“Grrr.” I climbed out of bed, pulling on my jeans and shirt from yesterday before running down the stairs two at a time.
I waved hello and goodbye as the owners of Circle C, Nash and Colt’s sister, Eden, made breakfast in the kitchen. Their eyes shot wide before laughter followed me out the front door. I loved them both. In the few short months I’d been boarding Chase here, I’d watched them fall in love. They were two of the most genuine people I’d ever come to know.
I tried to ignore the embarrassment that crept up my cheeks as my eyes cast across the farmyard in search of that broad, familiar stretch of shoulders, the lean legs with the slight limp on one side. My eyes narrowed when I spied him in the garage, cowboy hat thrown on top of his head, firing up the engine of the John Deere tractor.
He wheeled out of the building a moment later and was headed toward the fields.
“Colt Sutherland!” I called at the top of my lungs. He didn’t hear me.
I jogged across the yard, following him down the old rutted two-track that led to the front field. The hay was over my head, ready to be cut and baled for the winter. The sun was already beating down even though it was early in the morning, and sweat beaded on my forehead as I made my way across the deep furrows.
“Colt Sutherland, you stubborn fucker,” I gritted out when he turned the tractor down a side trail. I jogged a few more paces, then watched as he peeled the white tee off his bronzed shoulders, discarding it in the chair beside him before he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.
Jesus, he was fucking gorgeous. And infuriating.
“Colt!” I screamed, relieved when he heard me and turned.
His eyes narrowed before he shook his head. “Get up here, Caroline!”
Oh my God, he’d done it.
He’d called me by my old name.
And just like that, something fell apart inside me then re-formed back together differently. More whole. A part of him, somehow. I hadn’t realized how much I missed being his Caroline.
I couldn't be mad at him, not really. Not after all the time we'd lost. Not after how sweet he'd been...being angry about this now felt silly.
“Get your wild ass up here.” He clasped my hand.
“God, you make me mad sometimes,” I breathed when he hauled me up into the cab of the tractor. He settled me on his lap, and I wrapped my thighs around either side of his hips as he pressed a kiss against my lips. I could never turn away his kisses.
“Touch?, beautiful.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” I said softly.
“I’m sorry I acted like such a dick.” He kissed me slowly, attempting to coax forgiveness out of me. There was no coaxing required. I was his. I always had been.
“So…” He cupped my face in his palms, grinding his cock against my core. “You think my tractor’s sexy?”
I burst into a soft giggle, only stifled when his lips crashed on top of mine.
His hand was pulling my jeans down a moment later, and then a second after that, Colt was pushing into me, his rhythm frenzied as we fucked out in the middle of the field, out in front of everyone, yet in our own world.
“You’re so fucking hungry for my dick,” Colt whispered up my neck, his hands gripping my ass cheeks and kneading. “You think this ass is ready for my dick?”
“Yes. Please, yes,” I whimpered. Colt spun me in his arms a moment later, planting my palms on the dashboard of the tractor and sliding one finger into my ass up to the first knuckle. “So tight.”
I rocked my hips against him. The tip of his cock slid along the crack of my ass cheeks, and my body coated his dick in my arousal.
“So sweet and soaked for me. I thought I’d need lube, but this pussy is so juicy for me I’m going to slide right in.” He nipped at my ear, clamping a hand down on my ass as he pressed his cock to my back entrance.
“So you’ve thought about taking my ass then?” I teased and tossed him a cocky grin.
“You bet this sweet ass I’ve thought about fucking it. Gonna own every part of you, Caroline.” His finger worked the tight ring, loosening me until pleasure soaked my veins and had me craving more. He slid my juices around, coaxing the muscles into relaxation, driving me a little further into desperation with every pass.
“That’s my sweet little ass whore. Feels good, doesn't it? I can't wait to see my cock buried between these beautiful cheeks.”
I whimpered, fingers clutching at the dials on the dash as the tip of his cock pushed a little harder, stretching my muscles, his fingers working around the base, preparing me for him.
“Harder. Harder, Colt,” I begged, rocking against him.
He grunted, sucking in a soft breath of air and pressing his teeth into the flesh at my neck before he shoved the tip of his cock in the rest of the way. I groaned, tears welling up in my eyes with the tightness his breach caused.
“We’ll go slow, baby. If it’s too much, we stop. Just tell me.” His hands were drawing a map across my body, easing the pain away, soaking in the pleasure.
“It’s okay, it’s good, it’s full.” I sucked in a gasp of air, wiggling my hips a little more. “It’s amazing, actually.”
I heard the grin on his lips when he replied, “Naughty little girl.”
Colt started a slow rhythm then, fingertips working against my clit and sending me just to the edge of release.
“I hope every man on God's green earth can see how I want you right now. All of this is mine. It’s always been mine. Caroline…Raven…it doesn’t matter what you call yourself, as long as it begins and ends with Mrs. and Sutherland.”
I crashed over the edge. His orgasm followed swiftly in a crescendo behind as I felt his come coating my insides at the exact moment my body was spasming in gorgeous waves around him.
I cried out his name, tears burning in my eyes as I thought about how much I loved this man.
How much I’d always loved this man. Nothing could keep us apart. Not anymore.
“God, Caroline.” His hands gripped my face, lips pressing kisses at the edge of my lips. “Raven, whoever you are, I love you. The sooner I can get a ring on your finger, the better we'll both be.”
His throaty words crashed through me, heating every last nerve. “You sure know a lot about what’s best for me.”
“Mmm-hmm, and don’t forget it, gorgeous.”
SEVEN
COLT
“SO, YOU’VE BEEN staying at my place every night since I found out you’re my Caroline.” I teased a fingertip up the strap of her tank top. “I gotta ask, what’s your old man gonna say when he finds out who you’re shacking up with?”
“I hate that you won’t call me Raven.” She pouted, legs wrapped around my waist as we drifted on the front porch swing well after dark.
“It’s just not who you are to me. I can’t stop thinking of the angelic blonde named Caroline. I’m still adjusting to the darker side.”
Her grin deepened. “As for my dad…” She frowned. “We haven’t talked since I left, so what he thinks won’t matter one way or another.”
“How come he wouldn't let you come back? See friends?” I asked casually.
“Remember that day he caught us kissing?” She traced my lips with her thumb. “I’m pretty sure that day he made up his mind to leave. He’d already told me you weren't good enough for the Wetherspoons. I think I hated him then.”
“You were only nine.” I shook my head.
“I don’t care. He wasn’t a nice person then, and he still isn’t.” I caressed her cheek as she spoke. “You make me the happiest I’ve ever been. It’s a miracle we even found each other again.”
“It is.” I breathed against her neck, pulling the soft band of metal from my jeans pocket and sliding it onto her finger. “That’s why I want you to be my wife. I’ve wasted too damn long waiting for you, Caroline…Raven.” I winked when I said the nickname. “If life has taught me anything up to now, it’s that time is not on our side, and tomorrow isn’t promised.” I pressed a kiss to her lips. “Marry me. Be my wife. Have beautiful babies with me. Please have babies with me.” I smiled at that last part.
