Love Letters Volume 6: Cowboy's Command (The Love Letters)

by Ginny Glass

  Nathan held up his hand and like magic the bartender appeared. He ordered two draught beers and sat back to wait for them to arrive. Either they really were tending to tourists, or my habit of overtipping was outweighed by my companion’s chiseled jawline. From the way the bartender checked out a nearby woman’s cleavage on the way to pouring our beers, I decided to stick with the former conclusion.

  Despite the long wait to order, our drinks arrived quickly. Nathan held up his glass and nodded to me before taking his first sip. I tried not to be obvious, but I couldn’t stop staring at him. Even as he downed half his beer in a single gulp, I found myself mesmerized.

  “You were about to tell me about this little town.” He put his glass down on the counter and turned toward me, his eyes fixed on my face. Once again, I felt the familiar heat rising through me. My cheeks were likely tomato-red by now.

  “I don’t know if I’m the right person to tell you about the actual town. I live several miles out of town and only come in once or twice a week.” Every word of it was true. Plenty of things went on, but I didn’t consider myself a joiner. I’d always preferred the solitude of the country. My father once said that I was perfectly suited to ranching. Though I was never quite clear on whether it was a compliment, the older I got the truer it became.

  “But you grew up around here. You must have come in for school and community events?”

  Huh? His comment made me snap my head up so fast I thought I might get whiplash. I hadn’t even started drinking yet and apparently I’d already forgotten a whole section of our conversation. “Who told you that?” I gulped down some of my beer. If things were going to be this confusing, I needed to be at least a little buzzed.

  “Am I wrong?” He cocked his head to one side and gave me a look that told me he knew exactly how good he was at this game.

  “Well, no…”

  “I’m pretty good at reading people. Call it a gift.” I must have given him a skeptical look, because he sighed and continued. “Plus, I don’t know a lot of ranchers who end up far from where they were raised. I took a guess based on the odds. Now, are you going to answer my question or not?”

  “It’s small enough that all the locals know each other, but big enough you can find a little privacy when you need it.” The blood drained from my face at the realization of the number of ways that sentence could have been misconstrued. “You know, if you want to be able to rent a movie without it being reported in the paper.” Worse.

  My recovery was poor, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Instead, he leaned into the bar and rested his chin in his hand as though he were enthralled with my discussion of grocery shopping.

  “There are a few places to buy clothing and other conveniences, but most people just order online these days.” I took another long drink of my beer. Talking to strangers—or really anyone—wasn’t one of my strong suits. I was better with livestock. “We’ve got a yearly rodeo too.”

  He looked around the bar. “Let me guess, it’s this weekend?”

  I nodded.

  “And the locals hate every minute of it?”

  I was tempted to agree but decided that wouldn’t be completely truthful. As much as it sucked to push through crowds to find a barstool on a Tuesday night, it wasn’t all bad. There was a time when I’d even enjoyed it. “We hate the crowds, but the actual event brings in a lot of cool things. Nothing beats watching bull riding in person.”

  “I don’t suppose you’re the kind who has tickets to one of these things.” Nathan’s face lit up. So much that I wished I really did have tickets I could share with him. Sitting next to him for a few hours, watching and chatting, wouldn’t be the worst thing that ever happened to me. One of the privileges of being a livestock provider was getting free admission to all the events. Not in the grandstands, though. Most of the time I was standing around the barriers or hanging out around the animal enclosures. Plus, ninety percent of the time I got called away to deal with something and missed most of the events. I hadn’t sat through a rodeo in a real seat in five years.

  “Too bad.”

  “Yeah.” The conversation died for several minutes as we enjoyed our beers. I came up with a dozen questions I could ask him, but when I tried them out in my head they all sounded completely ridiculous.

  “So if you don’t come into town very often, what exactly do you do for fun?” He swiveled his stool so that he faced me.

  That was one of my top three least favorite questions. I always felt like I should have something amazing to say that would make me stand out in the questioner’s mind. Except none of those answers would be truthful. “I don’t exactly have a lot of free time. The animals on the ranch take a lot of work.”

  “Nothing, then. No rock climbing or skydiving?” He knit his brows and leaned in close to me.

  Was this guy serious? Of all the potential hobbies I could take up, those would be at the very bottom of the list. Actually, they wouldn’t even be on the list. “You skydive?”

  He chuckled. “You don’t have to say it like that. Do I not look like the kind of guy who would willingly hurl his body out of an airplane?”

  “I’m not really sure what that guy looks like. If you say yes, then I’ll have a point of reference for judging future men.” The comment came out more flirtatious than I expected and I could feel my cheeks flush.

  “Then yes, I have skydived a few times.”

  “And the rock climbing?”

  Another laugh, this time the husky tone resonated through my body. “That too. Not all the time, but during the summer I try and get out of few times.”

  “You don’t think those things sound a little—” I searched for the right word, but nothing good came to me.

  “Dangerous?” he offered.

  “Ridiculous.”

  “Eh.” He shrugged and gave me his best nonchalant look. “You have to take a few risks in life if you’re going to have any fun.”

  “I have plenty of fun.” Suddenly, I felt defensive.

  “Hanging out with your sheep? Isn’t that a saying around here? The men are lonely and the sheep are scared?”

  “That’s Wyoming, not Colorado. Besides, I don’t have any sheep.”

  “Fine, then you sit and home and what? Read? Watch TV?”

  “What’s so wrong with that? At least there’s no chance that I’m going to wind up with a broken ankle. Or dead at the bottom of some canyon.”

  “You’ve got a point. I’d rather have a few great adventures to think about while I’m confined to my wheelchair than spend a whole bunch of time playing the what if game.”

  I didn’t have anything to respond with so I let my turn to speak pass as I gulped down more of my beer. When he didn’t add anything to his earlier statement, I figured the moment had passed.

  And then I reached the bottom of my glass. It was a sign. The whole night had been one big warning from the universe. First the full parking lot, the crowded bar and now the deafening silence between my new friend and me. Time to get home and forget the whole thing. Nathan didn’t even meet the qualification. Tourists weren’t fair game for anything more than a one-night stand, and Nathan struck me as the kind of fuck that would leave me bitter and hungover for weeks. “I think I am going to take off for the night.”

  “Are you sure? I’d be happy to buy you another drink.” Nathan rested his hand on mine and I almost rethought my resolve to leave.

  “I have to drive home and get up early tomorrow morning. Have a great time in Rocky Trail.” I paused for a moment, wishing he’d say something to make me stay. When he didn’t, I plastered a big grin on my face and headed for the door. This was exactly why I didn’t go out.

  *

  I slapped the snooze button on my alarm clock and tried to fall back asleep for nine more minutes. My sleep had been full of tossing and turning and left me feeling more exhausted than when I went to bed.

  No luck. Despite my body’s demands for rest, my mind wouldn’t stop spinni
ng. It’d been in overdrive all night, running through visions of Nathan. Not just replaying our time together at the bar either. He’d been in my house too, spread out on my bed, waiting for me. The night had been spent touching, caressing and sucking each other until neither of us had any energy left.

  And then we’d done it again.

  Except he hadn’t really been there and the only one low on energy was me.

  I’d never woken up so horny in my entire life. It didn’t help that he refused to leave me alone. Even wide-awake—or as wide-awake as someone can get at five in the morning without a cup of coffee—I kept seeing him in my house. First in the bed, his lower half hidden beneath the sheets, begging me to come back to bed. Then in the shower, his naked body near mine, wet and waiting.

  I gave in to the insistence of my mind and closed my eyes. As the warm water pelted my back, I let my hand grab hold of my cock.

  God, if only I was the kind who brought random men home from the bar. Then I wouldn’t have had to picture him standing there, his dick jutting up from a mess of brown curls, eager and waiting for me. I could have the real thing.

  My fantasy took over as I stroked myself, imagining him kneeling in front of me and taking my cock in his mouth. I’d finally get my fingers through those thick curls, which I would happily tug as he swirled his tongue over my tip. Water dripped off his shoulders and pooled around my feet as he looked up and gave me that signature crooked smile I’d grown fond of last night. Then he’d open wide and pull me into his hot mouth.

  I tightened my grip on my cock and started stroking faster. A night of images like these had left me wound up and ready to explode at any moment. Vision Nathan started slow, using shallow strokes until I moaned my frustration, then he opened wider and allowed me deeper until my tip hit the back of his throat.

  That did it. A few more quick pumps of my hand and I came, leaning against the shower wall and shouting Nathan’s name.

  Yeah, this was not good.

  *

  For the second time in twenty-four hours I managed to not only leave my house but to do so for something besides work. I’d been distracted all day, a fact I blamed on insufficient coffee intake instead of the sexy man who kept infiltrating my thoughts. Since I still had several hours before I needed to get the steers ready to take out to the chutes for the day’s events, I decided to drive into town and indulge in one of the fancy coffees at the Corral Café.

  Like the bar, it was chock-full of tourists attempting to re-create the Starbucks experience they were missing while away from home.

  Good luck with that. Corral was only a half step above what I could make at home. It was a nice break, but I doubted it fit the needs of most of the people standing around studying the sparse menu.

  The high school kid manning the register immediately recognized me. “The usual, Mr. Lyons?” At home I drank my coffee black, but when I showed up here, I went in for the sweet and creamy cappuccinos the place pretended to be famous for.

  “Yep.” I pulled a five-dollar bill from my pocket and handed it to him. After dumping my change into the tip can, I walked to the end of the bar to wait for my cappuccino. I glanced around, wondering if anyone I knew had the same caffeine needs I did.

  And that was when he caught my eye. Apparently someone did have the same idea. The same someone who’d been the star of my fantasies. Except he wasn’t naked and bent over a hay bale. Instead, he was fully dressed and sitting at a table a few feet away.

  He waved.

  I stared, unsure if his gesture was intended for me.

  “Aaron.”

  Harder to ignore. He had spotted me and expected some sort of response.

  “Mr. Lyons?”

  My mind started spinning. If I walked over and sat down with him, I knew I’d spend another sleepless night wishing he was next to me.

  “I’ve got an extra seat.” Nathan pointed to the chair on the other side of his table. Though the word table was probably an exaggeration. More like a small square of wood that would barely accommodate the two of us without our knees touching.

  “Your coffee?” The barista tapped me on the shoulder, pulling me out of my internal debate.

  Argh! Too many people. Too many directions. I couldn’t think the situation through fast enough. Not until after my cappuccino. Or maybe three of them. I grabbed my drink from the impatient barista and headed toward Nathan. Good sense be damned. At least I’d have some new images to keep me awake tonight.

  “What are you doing here?” I slid into the empty seat, making sure to angle my body so that my back rested against the wall and my knees pointed out. No use in making this any more awkward.

  “Maybe this is part of my secret reason for being in town that I can’t tell you.”

  “Is it?”

  “Nah. I’m here because I’m a caffeine addict and the lady at the front desk of my hotel told me this is the best place in town for a cup of coffee.” He raised his cup and took a sip. Smacking his lips a couple times, he stared suspiciously at his hand. “On second thought, she may have said this was the only place.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. “It grows on you.”

  “Really?” He cocked his head and closed one eye.

  “Maybe. It’s the only place in town so I don’t really have anything to compare it to.”

  “You are missing out, then. I have to tell you, the best part of traveling is getting to try out different cafés and restaurants.”

  “Right, you travel a lot for your job. Which is what again?”

  “Prove to me you’re not a spy.”

  “So we’re back to that again.”

  “Seems like it.”

  I took a long drink of my sweet coffee and tried to come up with something new and interesting to discuss. Like his appearance in my masturbatory shower fantasies. Yeah, probably not the best option to lead with.

  “This place is a little crowded. Want to get out of here?”

  The way that line sounded in my mind was more like a porn film than an innocent request. I pushed the impure thoughts from my head. “Sure. Where do you want to go?”

  “How about you give me a little tour of downtown while you make sure I get back to my hotel?”

  The word hotel made my blood run hot. At this rate, I’d need at least two more showers today. “Sure.” I drew the word out in an attempt to make sure it didn’t sound too eager.

  He stood and I followed his lead, tossing my half-empty cup into a trash can on the way out the door. Suddenly, I was wide-awake.

  As we wandered down the street, I pointed out the various shops and eateries that dotted the block. “I’m not really sure how the dry cleaner is still in business considering most people around here don’t own any fancy clothes, but somehow they seem to keep going.”

  “I see.” He didn’t seem nearly as interested as I’d hoped. I let my tour trail off and instead stuffed my hands into my pockets and walked quietly beside him.

  “This is it,” he said a few seconds later when we reached the entrance to his hotel.

  “You know, this is one of the oldest places in the city. It opened at the same time as the railroad to support all the new people who would be passing through. The other places around here at the time were dirty and full of prostitutes, so this one catered to the wealthier tourists and executives.” Though I’d always imagined most of them were sneaking across town to visit the various brothels anyway.

  He stared up at all six stories of the building. Not very impressive when you were standing in front of it. At least not compared the places in big cities.

  “It’s changed hands several time and undergone several renovations, but I hear they’ve tried to keep a lot of the original details.”

  “You haven’t been inside?”

  I shrugged. “Why would I need to stay in a hotel here? I’ve got my own place.”

  “You should come in and look.”

  My cock hardened and I willed it to behave. “That’s real
nice of you, but I couldn’t.”

  “Of course you can.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the revolving door that led to the lobby.

  So much of me wanted to resist, but the parts of me that wanted to live out this part of my fantasy got the better of me and I didn’t put up a fight.

  I’d seen the promotional pictures of the lobby a hundred times, but they failed to do justice to the real beauty of the place. Marble floors glistened with the reflection of the crystal chandelier. Dark cherrywood details lined the walls and gave the place a feel for days past. Despite the decidedly Western touches, the place felt modern. How they did that with bison heads mounted to the wall I’d never know. If I hadn’t seen it for myself, I never would have believed that it existed.

  “It gets better.” It was as though Nathan could read my thoughts about the place. Though, I admit it probably wasn’t terribly difficult given the way I was walking around the room with my neck craned, staring at the ceiling.

  “Really? Where?” I could hardly imagine there would be any part of the building where more work had been done than the main entrance.

  He motioned for me to follow him and headed for the large staircase in the corner. Curious, I followed behind him, taking the stairs two at a time to keep up. At the top, he looked back at me with a smile, then took a left.

  I continued to follow, unsure exactly what was going on. My heart pounded as we made our way down the hall. As far as I knew, there weren’t any public areas past the main floor. If we were going to his room—well, I didn’t know how that was going to play out, but the butterflies in my stomach would be turning into birds. All the fluttering was making me regret the choice to have more coffee.

  “Here.” He paused and pulled a card from his back pocket. A quick whirr before the locked clicked and he pushed the door open. “I think you’ll like it.”