Consent to Love

by Abby Wood

  He could sit a horse like no one’s business. She wiped her forehead with her forearm and held the door open for Kane. Why didn’t he have a drop of sweat on him?

  “What?” He caught her staring, lifted her hand and kissed the back of her knuckles.

  She fanned her face. “You don’t seem hot, while I’m dying in the heat.”

  He shrugged. “I work in the sun every day. I’m used to it. Plus, I don’t wear as many clothes as you do.”

  “You mentioned you train and sell horses. Do you also do your work half-dressed?” She raised her brows. “Even barefoot?”

  “Yes, it helps the horse know that I too am vulnerable and I fully trust him not to step on my toes or nip my skin.” He pulled the outside doors on the stable wide open and latched them against the wall. “In the winter, I take time off training and concentrate on making saddles indoors out of the cold.”

  “So you’re not stupid.” She laughed. “Good to know.”

  “Only took one winter for me to learn my lesson.” He winked.

  Outside, not a speck of grass grew in the beaten-down dirt. She made sure not to shuffle her feet as she walked beside Kane, or she’d have them both covered in dust from head to toe.

  She peered ahead. Small houses dotted the area as far as she could see. At first glance, the homes were all similar in their square shape and wood siding, but the more she studied the vicinity, the easier it was to find little differences setting them all apart.

  The closest place had clothes out on the line, a child’s tricycle in the yard and a flag flying off the makeshift porch. She looked off to the left. An older man helped a teenage boy change a flat tire of a newer two-door car. She smiled as the man patted the boy’s shoulder and nodded his head in approval.

  “It’s like a neighborhood.” She turned her attention back to the direction they headed. “I’m not sure what I expected. Maybe more country living… Lakota is considered rural, even compared to Podunk.”

  “We’re a community. The land we rode over is all of ours. We share living space, but out there—” he swung his arm behind him, “—is space. We all use the open area, but don’t claim it. It belongs to no one and we are free to come and go as we want.”

  She nodded. “Which one is your home?”

  He pointed. “This one.”

  A cherry-red crew cab pickup sat alongside the house. The chrome polished and the outside washed clean, the truck was a showcase. She chuckled. “Your truck?”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “You have a side of you that likes shiny things, huh?” She smiled over at him. “I’m curious to find out what else I don’t know about you.”

  Inside the house, Ana strolled around the small living area shaking her head. Mixed in with the Native American art pieces, half-finished saddles and leather pieces sat a big-screen television taking up half the wall. She turned to Kane, who studied her as she took in his home.

  “I pictured you living off the grid and simply.” She raised her brows.

  He nodded once. “It’s a fair assumption. Those who live off the reservation often think we still pitch tents up on the prairie and hunt buffalo too.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” Embarrassed, she wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry. I suppose I did jump to conclusions. That wasn’t fair of me…”

  “It’s okay.” He held out his hand and led her over to the couch. “It’s true we do live simply in ways, but reservations are no longer the forgotten place. We’ve got our own community set up here so that there are few things we have to travel off Lakota land for.”

  “Oh!” She jumped and hurried over to the door. “I almost forgot.”

  Ana opened up her pack, removed the folder and returned to the couch. She scooted to face him. “I almost forgot about showing you what made me so excited last night. Yesterday when I was working and thinking about calling you today, I got this flash of a picture in my head. I can’t explain it very well, but what I envisioned stole my breath away. I knew you.”

  He leaned back on the couch. “You had a vision?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure what it would be called.” She slipped out the drawing and held it face down to her chest. “You’ll notice on the picture, I’ve written the date. I drew this back in April…way before I even met you.”

  She handed him the paper and bit down on her lip. What if he didn’t notice the similarities? She wasn’t the best artist or painter, and she’d never shown anyone her work before. Not even any of her friends. She created art for her own enjoyment only.

  Kane tilted his head, narrowed his eyes and finally stood up and moved toward the window. Holding the paper in the light, his face changed. His gaze softened and he glanced up at Ana.

  “I know it’s not very good, but it’s you.” She joined him on the other side of the room. “Even down to your body, your hair, your facial features.”

  He remained silent, studying the drawing. A chill swept over her and she rubbed her bare arms. What if she was blowing the significance of creating him in her artwork months ago into something more? What if she came across silly and juvenile, like a child wishing on a four-leaf clover?

  “It’s okay. I’m probably reading too much into it.” She raised her hand to take the picture back, but he held the paper out of her reach. “Kane, I—”

  “It’s beautiful.” He smiled. “I’ve never seen myself in this way…free, at peace.”

  She let her breath out. “Really?”

  “Yes.” He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. “You are very talented. You’ve shown me what I can have, if I try, and that’s a gift I’ve never received before…from anyone.”

  “O-oh well, I…thank you.” She slipped her arms around his waist. “Do you think I’m silly as seeing this for a sign? Maybe we were meant to meet.”

  “Maybe.” He leaned over and set the paper down on the end table before taking her in his arms. “There is a connection between us, but I have to be honest. I’m getting cold feet after seeing how you view me.”

  “But you’re…that’s crazy.” She tilted her chin up. “I’m not sophisticated enough, am I?”

  “This has nothing to do with you. It’s me.”

  “What?” Not wanting to ruin the day, she slipped out of his arms and picked up the picture. “This is nothing. Just a sketch. It wasn’t supposed to mean anything. If you think this is pressuring you to feel differently, or rushing you, that wasn’t my intention. I knew I shouldn’t have shown you.”

  “Ana, stop.” He took the paper from her. “Don’t ever say your drawings or your paintings are nothing. They are a part of you.”

  “Something about seeing it scared you.” She studied his face. “I don’t understand. I thought you wanted have sex with me. Isn’t that what this is all about?”

  He pressed his lips together in a firm line, and the muscle along his jaw ticked. He seemed to be fighting an internal struggle she didn’t know about. What was going through his head?

  “Come sit down.” He held out his hand to lead her over to the couch.

  “Kane?”

  “You’re aware of what would happen if we are seen together outside of the reservation. A relationship doesn’t work between a Lakota and someone who lives off the rez. It’s something I would never put a woman through.”

  “Sarah is one of the happiest people I know.” She crossed her arms. “I’m not a fragile flower that doesn’t know some people will turn up their noses at me if they know I came here, but I came, didn’t I?”

  “Yes.” He sighed.

  She slapped her bare thighs. “I know we barely know each other, Kane, but you’re pissing me off.”

  He raised his brows.

  “How dare you think so little of me, regardless of how short a time we’ve known each other
, to think I am so…so shallow to care what other people think. God!” She jumped off the couch and marched outside the open door.

  Before she could step down to the grass, she heard him call her name. Part of her wanted to keep walking. She’d seldom felt so offended in her life, but another part of her wanted to defend herself against his accusations.

  Reluctantly, she turned around and walked back inside. Kane stood beside the couch, his hand rubbing the back of his neck as if he wasn’t quite sure what to say or maybe she’d taken him by surprise with her anger. Good. He deserved it. It was unfair of him to judge her without knowing her.

  “I’m sorry.” He lowered his arm. “I jumped to conclusions.”

  “You must have a reason, but without telling me what is going on, I can only assume you think I view you, your home, your life, as—”

  “No. It has nothing to do with what you think and don’t think.” The muscles along his throat convulsed.

  “Tell me then.” She rubbed her arm, unsure whether to go to him or to give him space.

  “Regardless of what we both had planned to happen today, there could be consequences from you coming to the reservation.” He paused. “Another woman I cared about years ago…”

  She glanced away. It hurt her to think that he’d loved and lost before, but even worse was the knowledge that losing the woman still hurt him. More than anything else, she was mad at herself for even caring if someone had hurt him before. That’s not what they’d agreed on. She was here to have sex.

  Strong arms closed around her and drew her into his embrace. His hand rubbed her back, and he whispered, “I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”

  She didn’t realize she had a tear running down her cheek. “This is crazy. I don’t know why I’m crying. I feel like I’ve been twirling in a circle since meeting you, and any moment I’m going to fall down.”

  Not wanting to accept his comfort, she pushed away. He held on tighter, and she slowly let herself relax against him and accept his embrace. For only a moment, until she gathered enough strength to distance herself again. She wouldn’t cave to another man’s touch the way she had with Bruce. She’d learned her lesson.

  “I don’t want to fight with you.” She faced him. “I don’t even want to deal with what could happen between us. I’ve always been a planner, and done the same thing you are doing now by assuming this will turn into love or a long-term relationship. Sometimes…most times, I would be better off just accepting what is going on in the moment. You’ve told me from the beginning this was all about finding pleasure together.”

  “You’d be okay with that?” Kane frowned.

  She thought it over, inhaled and then nodded. “Yep. I’m perfectly fine with us being together for sex benefits. If tomorrow you decide you never want to see me again, I’ll survive.”

  “Even though you know that’s all I’ve got to offer you?” He spanned her back with his hands and rubbed up and down.

  She sighed and closed her eyes. “I like that you want me. I don’t know what else to say for you to believe me.”

  “Good, because I’m going to shock you and be blunt. One thing I’ve learned over the years is to speak my mind. To take what I want before it slips away. And I want you, Ana.”

  “I want you too.”

  “The minute I found you standing off from the others with your nose pointed away from everyone, lost in your own world, I knew I wanted to be the one capturing your thoughts.” He loosened his hold. “I would like nothing more than to take you back into the bedroom and show you how good I can make you feel.”

  “I-I’m not one to jump into bed with someone I just met days ago.” She meant to grin and lighten the mood, but the heat in his gaze had every muscle in her body quivering with need. “But if you don’t shut up and fuck me, I’m gonna die, right here in your living room, and then you’ll have more problems than wondering what everyone is saying about bringing a white woman to your house.”

  His thumb rode her neck and tangled in her hair. “I want to feel what it’s like to bury myself in your body.”

  Her heart beat erratically, leaving her giddy. “Kane…fuck me. Please.”

  Kane groaned and tightened his hold on her. “Do you have any idea what hearing you say that does to me?”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Does this mean—?”

  “It means get ready, we’re both going to enjoy every minute of it.”

  She tangled her fingers in his hair and challenged him with her smile. “I can handle that. Can you?”

  “Yes.” Kane’s hands fiddled with the bottom of her tank top before slipping to each side of her waist. “I want you. I can go slowly, but it’s only fair you know what’s going through my head. I want to hear you scream my name.”

  Right away, she pulled him down, her lips parted and her tongue sought his. Kane groaned. Her pulse pounded. She could only imagine what would happen when their bodies touched.

  Lost in the rush, Ana mewled. Wet mouths, nips of teeth and the sweet hint of swirling tongues had her clutching his arms, afraid that he’d stop.

  Kane eased away with short, soft kisses. Ana stared up at him wide-eyed. He traced his finger along her lower lip. “A part of me wants to take my time and see how long I can hold this feeling…”

  “And the other part of you?” She caught her lip between her teeth.

  “Wants to take you right here on the floor.” He stared into her eyes. “Last chance, Ana. You can walk out the door with your innocence or stay the night with me and enjoy.”

  “It isn’t like I haven’t had sex before.” She planted her hands on his smooth chest.

  He covered her hands. “Not with me you haven’t. It’s going to be different with me.”

  “You’re not going to talk me out of doing this. I’m not going anywhere, except to your room.” Ana pushed him backward down the hallway.

  Kane flipped on the light in his bedroom. She sighed. “I like how you go shirtless and barefoot around here.”

  “Fine. I’ll go naked for the rest of the night.” His chuckle broke off as he helped her remove her tank top. His gaze roamed over every inch of her exposed flesh. “Do you know how much your dark nipples teased me all day long? I must have wanted to jump off my horse a dozen times or more seeing them peek at me through your white shirt.”

  “Mm…I thought you might like that.” Her mouth dry, she swallowed. Her pussy spasmed and all she could manage to do was focus on the way his finger followed the line of her collarbone down to the hollow of her throat.

  Kane swept his thumb over the fullness of her breast. Her nipples constricted even more, as if a cool breeze floated through the room.

  Unable to stand there and let him touch her body without doing some exploring of her own, she pushed him toward the bed. The back of his knees hit the mattress and she gave him a slight shove until he was lying flat with his legs hung over the edge of the bed.

  She lifted her knee and moved over him to straddle his waist. “I worried about being nervous with you, but all of a sudden, I’m not. I haven’t done this in a while and I’m not very good at it…”

  He slid his hands over her jeans, her stomach, and cupped her breasts. She let her head fall back, all her strength leaving her body. She squirmed on top of him. Kane manipulated her senses. Using a gentle massage that had her body swaying and gyrating atop him, he fed her constant attention.

  “You’re wonderful. You shouldn’t worry. We’ll be perfect together.” He swiftly lifted her off him and rolled over. “Let’s get your pants off. I want to feel your heat pressed against me.”

  She helped him pull the tight material off her hips, lifted her legs and realized he’d taken her panties along with her clothes. Stripped bare, she languished on the bed watching him get naked.

  He removed his jeans
one button at a time, his cock hard and ready. She smiled. He was beautiful.

  He was worthy of being the star of a nude painting of the perfect male body. She wanted to create the way he looked this minute. Unclothed, raw and powerful. He came in shades of brown. Tawny, sunset and burnt sienna.

  He seemed to fill the room. She lowered her gaze. His ball sack sat high and tight. Her fingers itched to cup the smooth skin and weigh its heaviness.

  Kane moved over to the dresser, opened the drawer and removed a condom. She licked her lips as he rolled the protection over his hardness. Later, she’d taste him and run her tongue over every inch of his body. Not now, but soon, when she had all the time in the world to show him how much he turned her on.

  Dark and masculine, he was her polar opposite. She giggled at discovering his skin never changed in color. From the tips of his toes to the top of his head, he was the same shade, even under where his jeans had covered. “You bad boy.”

  He stilled. His mouth half open.

  “You wear much less than a pair of jeans outside during the summer.” She shifted onto her elbows. “How? Where?”

  Kane chuckled and held himself over her body, supporting his weight with his arms. “If you’re still here in the morning, I’ll show you.” He opened his mouth along the side of her neck and sucked. “Except, I’d never want you burning your skin. I like your tan lines going around your body, highlighting the satin paleness of your breasts.”

  Her legs widened and she rubbed the sides of his hips. “I-is it wrong to ask you to hurry? Just this once.”

  His warm breath tickled her ear. “You’re reading my mind.”

  Kane rose up, shifted his hips and teased her moist heat with the head of his engorged cock. She arched and gasped as she stretched.

  “Hang on.” He plunged into her pussy.

  She sank into the bed. A squeak came out of her mouth from somewhere deep in her core. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down. Skin to skin, as close as two people could be.