As if reading her mind, his head dipped down and his lips found hers in what he had planned would be a chaste kiss, but once his lips touched hers their bodies had other plans. His arms instinctively went around her and he deepened the kiss, parting her lips with his tongue.
Sabrina felt the world shift when his tongue gently entered her mouth and began exploring, she had no choice but to loop her arms around his neck or she would have fallen as pure sensation raced through her. She knew she should stop this, but it felt much too wonderful, it had been much too long since she’d been kissed. When Garrett’s hands began to roam across her back, Sabrina finally came back to reality and realized where they were.
She pulled her arms from around his neck and pushed him back, breaking the kiss. They were both panting with desire, and shocked at the heat that had sprung up between them. Staring at each other, they caught their breath, not sure where to go from there.
Finally, Garrett said. “Ms. Burke, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that, but I just couldn’t resist. You’re a very beautiful woman.”
“I...” She was at a loss for words.
“I can’t be the first man to tell you that.” He said, moving closer.
“No.” She stammered. “But you can’t kiss me again, it’s not a good idea.”
“Why? Because it seemed to me that you liked it. I know I did.” He said, bending and kissing her again.
She managed to keep her senses under control, but she still let him kiss her for a long time, it felt too good to stop. As he pulled away, he whispered in her ear. “I can’t promise I won’t do that again, but I won’t do it in front of the kids. I’ll find you when you’re alone.” Then he turned and walked into the house letting the screen door slam closed behind him.
She stood there for a few minutes getting her emotions under control. This was not what she had anticipated when she’d agreed to come on this trip, this had been about Scott’s education and proving Garrett wrong. Suddenly there seemed to be a lot more at stake.
She stood on the porch for a second, her fingers on her lips, which still throbbed with his kisses and looked at the night sky. She have never seen so many stars, they seemed to be twinkling and smiling at her, as if they knew a secret. These were the kind of stars people wrote songs about, she thought, especially if they’d just been kissed the way she had.
She made her way into the house and quietly got into bed, Marie was sound asleep but the last thing she wanted was to have to explain the silly look on her face. She’d seen it in the mirror and hadn’t been able to remove it, even thinking about how impossible what Garrett had just started was, hadn’t managed to cramp her good feelings.
Chapter 3
She awoke the next morning, having slept as well as she could remember sleeping in a long while. Even sharing a room with Marie, who talked in her sleep, hadn’t bothered her. Marie was already up and half way dressed, eager for the day to begin.
“I’m going down to Daphne’s house to play with her girl’s today, if that okay with you.” She remembered to add.
“That sounds like a good plan to me. Have fun because once we head out, then you’ll have to work like the rest of us. Now go get some breakfast, they’ll be here to pick you up soon.” She said, ruffling Marie’s hair.
Marie was out the door in a flash, pounding down the stairs, she was tempted to yell after her, but decided that would just be worse. She was just gathering her things for the shower when there was a knock at the open door.
Garrett popped his head around the door, when he saw she was still in her shorts and teddy, she could see him swallow. Then he said, “Sorry, the door was open, I thought.....”
“Umm, that's okay. I was just going to get in the shower. That was Marie you heard pounding down the stairs, sorry.”
“That’s fine. Scott used to do the same thing, still does sometimes. Anyway, I’ll let you get in the shower.” His gaze traveled over her again, raising her pulse. “That’s a good color on you, it brings out the green in your eyes.”
With that last comment, he actually smiled at her, then walked off down the hall whistling. Heart pounding, she crossed the room and quietly shut the door. At this rate that man was going to give her a heart attack before the weekend was over.
She was showered and downstairs in record time, dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, she was ready for a busy day. Daphne was already there, explaining that Chuck had taken Marie back to their house where the girls and the nanny were waiting for her. They’d have breakfast together then spend the day together.
Later they would all meet up at the coral for Sabrina’s riding test, it was the one thing she knew would be easy about today. She didn’t see Garrett before they left the cabin, but she was glad. She had no idea how she was feeling about that kiss last night. The rational part of her brain knew that it was a bad idea, but the emotional part of her brain wanted more.
Garrett watched as Daphne and Sabrina crossed the yard toward the supply barn, he could see a wagon already parked outside to carry the tents, sleeping bags, and other equipment on the trip. Daphne as organized as ever, was going to pack as she inventoried, quite a job. This would be Sabrina’s first test.
He’d been looking forward to embarrassing her on this trip, but after last night, he found himself cheering for her instead. She didn’t seem like the kind of woman who was afraid of hard work, she’d done what it took to pull this off, which had been a bit of a miracle in of itself.
That kiss last night had been unplanned, but he’d been unable to resist. Once it had begun all he wanted was more, and he would have taken as much as she’d been willing to offer. In the end, she’d given him very little which had been wise, considering he would have made love to her right there on the porch, given the opportunity.
This morning when he’d seen her in those skimpy little night clothes, he’d known that he wouldn’t be happy unless he got to take those off her. He’d tried to resist this strange pull he felt toward her, but found it impossible. In fact, right now all he wanted to do was go over there and see her. Deciding that was just what he would do, he sauntered over like he had nothing better to do.
Daphne watched Garrett approach, out of the corner of her eyes, he’d been standing across the yard watching them for a few minutes and she was quickly beginning to put two and two together. With a smile on her face she realized that her cousin Garrett was smitten with Ms. Burke.
It made perfect sense to her now, Mr. I’m never going to be in a relationship again had obviously fallen for Sabrina. She was thrilled, Sabrina was perfect for him. In the little time she’d know her, Sabrina had shown a backbone that spoke of someone who had triumphed over some kind of adversity in life. She would never have asked, but she could sense that Sabrina had been hurt once, very badly.
Garrett needed the kind of woman who would stand up to him, someone who didn’t care about his money or name. He was not an easy man, but he’d been hurt badly as well, maybe together they could heal one another. One thing she knew for certain, Garrett’s plan to never care about anyone again, was not healthy.
If there was one thing Daphne loved more than anything else, it was match making. She’d been responsible for no less than four happy marriages and would be pleased to add Garrett to that list. Deciding that it was best to keep her knowledge to herself, as soon as Garrett walked up, she made an excuse and left them alone.
Sabrina was nervous at first, but once it was clear that Garrett was only going to make small talk she relaxed, she wasn’t ready for another kiss and it was broad daylight. They talked about the weather, which was forecast to be good, but there was still some worry about rain. After a few more minutes of small talk, he’d exhausted all available subjects and said his goodbyes.
However, as he was walking away, he couldn’t resist reminding her of the riding test later. “Don’t forget to show up at the coral this afternoon, won’t be much of an experience from the back of a wagon. If you need some tips, let me k
now.”
Daphne came out of the storage barn just then, “What’s Garrett yelling about now?” She asked, curious about Sabrina’s feelings for him.
“He was kindly reminding me that in order to ride a horse on the roundup, I have to show some ability on horseback. I think he thinks I’m worried about doing it.” She said, shrugging her shoulders.
“Most people get a little nervous, especially if they haven’t been on a horse before, but the truth is as long as you can make it on the horse, you’ll be fine, most of the horses are very docile. The boy’s will have the workers, you and the kids will ride the trail horses.”
“Daphne, I have to tell you the truth, I’m feeling a little guilty. I didn’t do it on purpose but Garret never even asked.” She was rushing her words, afraid to offend her new friend.
“What, your killing me.” Daphne said.
“I’ve had a horse since I was 12, I had to sell it when I moved to Colorado. I’ve never ridden in the mountains, but I’ve ridden some tough horses before. When I was in college, I worked at a horse farm. We raised quarter horses.” Sabrina felt better, until Daphne began to laugh.
“What?” She asked, confused.
“I think Garrett thinks you’re going to fall off. It probably never occurred to him that you come from horse country. This should be fun. Don’t you dare say anything, it’s not often we get something over on him.” She said, giving Sabrina a big hug.
Relieved that Daphne understood her little joke, they went back to work, it would require a great deal of equipment for the roundup, there would be other family members coming as well. They managed to get all the equipment into the one wagon with careful packing. It took all morning and most of the afternoon, but when the kids arrived they would be ready.
They arrived at the coral, tired but feeling like they’d crossed a big job off their list. Garrett was waiting for them, a horse and saddle waiting. Sabrina waiting patiently while he showed her how to saddle the horse, check the bridle, and synch. When he launched into a detailed description about how to mount the horse, Daphne about blew her cover, nearly laughing out loud.
“Do you want to try it?” He asked Sabrina.
“I do.” Marie pipped up, she and the rest of the kids had come down to enjoy the fun.
“Well, maybe we’ll let you try after your mother.” He said, ruffling her hair.
“Okay, it looks easy.” She said, approaching the horse the way Garrett had showed them. She took her time, getting to know the horse, whispering in his ear and slipping him the sugar cube, she’d hidden in her pocket.
“Do you think we could turn him around? I might feel better if we weren’t looking at the house.” She said, pretending to be nervous.
Daphne, slipped up behind her and whispered. “What are you planning?”
“Just watch, hope I’m not too old to pull this off. If I land on my butt and you laugh I’ll never forgive you. But if I manage it, you’ll be picking Garrett’s jaw up off the ground.”
They watched as Garrett repositioned the horse so that he was facing down the road, Sabrina knew that she’d need a little space to run him after she mounted. She done this trick thousands of times, but she needed the horse to cooperate.
Clicking her tongue to get the horses attention, she waited until Garrett was walking toward her, he needed to be out of the way. She unhooked the halter line from the fence then slapped the horse on the rear and mounted in one smooth movement as the horse took off down the road.
She could hear Garrett yelling back in the yard and knew that she should reign the horse in, but it felt so good to be flying through the air on horseback again that she just couldn’t stop. She waved her arm, signaling she was fine then dug her heels in and gave the horse his head. He flew down the lane, only slowing when they’d gone a few miles.
She turned him around and headed back to the coral, feeling energized as only riding could make her feel. Garrett was standing in the middle of the road, arms crossed over his chest, clearly not very happy with her.
He took the halter line as she dismounted. “You could have told me you could ride.” He said, through gritted teeth.
“You never asked.” She said, walking away from him.
“Well, since you ride so well, I would assume you know how to take care of Hercules here. Everything you need is in the barn.” He said, stomping off. “I assume Marie doesn’t need to show me her riding skills either.” He yelled over his shoulder.
Sabrina had been holding the laughter in, but that last comment proved to be too much, she burst into laughter and everyone else soon followed suit. When the laughter finally died down, Sabrina asked Daphne. “Do you think he’s really mad? He looked really mad. He has been really nice to us. Now I feel guilty.”
“No way. He deserved that for just assuming that you were a city girl and knew nothing about horses. He’ll get over it. Now let’s go see what’s for dinner, I’m starving.”
“I’ve got to give Hercules a rub down. That was a pretty rough ride for the old guy.” She said, leading the horse to the barn.
“We can have one of the stable boys do that.” Daphne offered.
“No, I’ll do it. He served me well, it’s the least I can do. I’ll be inside in a bit. Marie can help me.”
Daphne was more than pleased to see that Sabrina wasn’t afraid to do the dirty work and she made sure that Garrett knew that she was late for dinner, so that she could take care of Hercules. He only grunted at her, but she watched him looking for Sabrina to come in from the barn. He’d barely touched his dinner, but once she and Marie were back, he finished his food in record time and was out the door.
He made a bee line for the barn and checked on Hercules, who was happily munching hay in his spanking clean stall. Damn the woman knew her way around a horse. How had he missed that? It wasn’t like him, he should have noticed that she was strangely calm about the whole thing. He should have known that something was up when she asked him to turn the horse around, but his brain hadn’t been fully engaged.
He’d been thinking about how good she looked in her jeans, when all of the sudden, she’d jumped on that horse and ridden hell bent out of the yard. At first he’d thought the horse had taken off on her, but then he realized that she was in perfect control. But he had asked for it, he’d just assumed that she’d never been on a horse, but she’d shown him.
He couldn’t help but laugh now. The truth was, now that he thought about it, Sabrina on a horse was hotter than he would have thought. Mindy had ridden but somehow she had always made it seem more like a chore than anything else. It had been clear, that Sabrina felt true joy when she was riding.
He was musing these things over in his mind, unconsciously rubbing the horse’s head, when Sabrina walked into the barn. “Hey, I’m sorry about that earlier, but I just couldn’t resist.”
“I guess it was my fault, I didn’t think to ask if you could ride.” He said, turning to face her. “It was short sided of me and I’m sorry.”
“No harm done. Honestly it was fun, I haven’t been on a horse for a long time.” She said, coming closer, now that she knew he wasn’t mad.
“We’ll definitely have to get you a better horse than I had in mind. Maybe you should pick your own. Tomorrow is a day off, we never do more than we have to on Sunday, some of the hands like to go to church and I certainly wouldn’t stand in their way. How about we go for a ride tomorrow? You can pick a horse and we’ll take a picnic.” He said, warming to the idea of a day with Sabrina.
“What about the kids, I can’t just go off and leave Marie.”
“We’ll take them of course. I assume Marie can ride.”
“Probably better than I can.” She answered.
“Perfect, but until then, there’s something I need to try.” He said, pulling her into his arms in one smooth move. She was unprepared for it and fell against his hard chest, the breath leaving her lungs in a little sigh.
He wrapped her securely in his arms and
just held her there for several long minutes. It should have felt awkward, but instead she felt safe and protected. Garrett made a noise in his throat, like he couldn’t breath and she looked up at him. The minute his eyes met hers, she felt that jolt of desire, her heart rate increasing.
He held her gaze for several seconds, before crushing her mouth with his. It was a kiss like nothing she had ever experienced before, passionate, needy, and above all, intoxicating. Her head spun with the intense feelings rushing through her, as they came up for air, she tried to reason with him.
“Garrett, we can’t do this. I’m your son’s teacher.” Her eyes were pleading with him to put a stop to what had already gotten well out of control. But he was no help, instead his mouth found hers again and she knew she was lost.
“So, there are lots of great teacher’s at that school. Scott can be in a different class.” He said, kissing her neck, sending more shivers of desire down her spine.
“But Garrett....” Her voice trailed off when his mouth found her breast through her tee shirt. His mouth was warm and he’d found her hard nipple and was gently biting it through the layers of her clothes.
His mouth left her breast and she whimpered in frustration, but he took her face in his big hands and looked her directly in the eyes. “Tell me you don’t feel something special when we’re together. When I touch you. What do you feel?” He asked, never breaking eye contact.
“Oh, Garrett.” Those words and the look in her eyes was all the permission he needed. His mouth came down on hers, possessive and demanding. His hands, finally given their freedom, found their way to her butt and he pulled her up against his erection, making her purr in her throat.
The feel of Garrett’s obvious desire, was enough to erase all her qualms, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with all the passion she was feeling. Growling, Garret slid his hands around her ribs to capture her breasts in his hands. Still kissing her, he ran his hands under her shirt and pulled her breasts out of her bra.
You Complete Me: A BWWM Single Parent Older Couple Romance (Brothers From Money Book 1) Page 3
