Cowboy Sanctuary (The Dixon Ranch)

by Michelle Hughes

  Pop thanked everyone for coming and asked for some help cleaning up, which got more groans, but the duty was taken care of. Before Ranger could head off with his date, I pulled him aside and explained that he didn’t need to dishonor our family by bringing her here.

  “Look, big brother, you ain’t some saint yourself, and you don’t know shit about what she’s been through. Take that judgmental attitude and shove it right up your ass,” Ranger admonished. With those heated—but spoken out of earshot of the crowd—words, he stormed off, his arm wrapped around the girl in question. I wanted to run after him. Maybe even kick a little sense into his stubborn head, but there was one thing I wanted even more.

  I turned my attention to my woman, deciding to give my brother some time to calm down.

  ***

  A few hours later, I was finally alone with my beautiful woman and my son, who was sleeping like the little angel he was.

  “I’m going to grab a shower,” she said, biting her lip nervously. I knew her thoughts were in the same place mine were.

  “I could help you out,” I offered. “I know today was exhausting.” The thought of washing her perfect body had me aching.

  “Um . . . . I need a little personal time. Maybe I could meet you in your room when I’m done?”

  I understood, but that didn’t mean I liked it. I nodded and placed a soft kiss to her forehead. I hoped I could live up to her expectations.

  I left her to take care of herself, and my worries started to mount as I showered. I’d never been a woman’s first lover before. Hell, I hadn’t lost my virginity until I was nineteen, and by then most of the women I dated were older and sleeping around. My family had ingrained strong faith values in me and my brothers growing up, and I’d tried my best to stick to them. Some parts I failed at miserably, like waiting for marriage to mess around.

  My first time had been one big embarrassing mess, with a woman twelve years older than me. We enjoyed each other several times, and she taught me more than most men get to learn in a lifetime. She’d lost her husband in an auto accident and had come to me for help training the horse he’d left behind.

  I’d trained her animal, and she’d taught me how to control my inner one in the bedroom . . . well, in the barnyard. I think my mother would have skinned us both alive had she known what happened in that stable. A year later the woman married a farmer out in Kentucky, and it took me a long time to get over her.

  After that, I started training horses and met women from every walk of life. Some of them were sophisticated, and I felt honored they wanted to spend time with a country boy like me. I loved them all in some way, but never found one I was ready to settle down with. Until now. Dana was my dream woman, and I wanted to make tonight the best memory of her life.

  She walked in wearing a silky nightgown that barely reached past her thighs, and I groaned. “Sweetheart, you’re not keeping that on long. Do you realize that?” As she walked closer, nibbling nervously on her lip, I got a whiff of the soft floral scent of her shampoo and stood up to meet her halfway.

  I rubbed my hands slowly over her soft-as-silk arms, and her trembling reminded me that this was all new to her. She was like a wild filly ready to be tamed, but I had no intention of breaking her. I wanted to stroke all the passion hidden inside and give her a long, pleasurable ride that she’d want to repeat time and time again.

  Her lips reached up to meet mine. She was taking the first step, and I marveled. Maybe I wasn’t the one who’d be doing the training tonight. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I drew her closer, enjoying the sweet flavor of her kiss. She tasted like strawberries with a slight tingle of mint.

  “I might not be any good at this,” she whispered.

  To hear this proud, independent woman worry about her lack of experience humbled me. I didn’t want her worrying about anything but pleasure.

  “Sweetheart, just looking at you turns me on. There’s no right or wrong way to make love. It’s all about what makes you feel good. Right now I want you out of this so I can look at how beautiful you truly are.” Without reprieve, I slipped the thin straps from her shoulders, and the gown slipped to the floor. She was wearing nothing underneath, and I was proud of her for being so brave.

  Her head lowered as I took in the most incredible body I’d ever had the good fortune to look upon. I refused to let her be embarrassed in this room with me. “Your breasts are the perfect size for my hands, darlin’.” I cupped their weight, and my thumbs grazed over her pink nipples, making my mouth water to taste them.

  Her soft whimper told me she enjoyed my touch, and I kissed her again while fondling those glorious mounds. My shaft throbbed, tenting the towel wrapped around my waist, and I reached one hand down to rip it away. Pressing myself against her stomach as our kiss deepened had me pulling back at the incredible sensation of flesh against flesh. “Let’s move into bed.”

  She pulled the covers back, giving me a delectable view of her heart-shaped ass, and I prayed to the good Lord for strength. She slid in and covered herself, and I chuckled softly. “What?” she asked.

  That one-syllable word and the look of nervousness she gave told me that I needed to take things slow.

  “Nothing, sweetheart. It’s just hard to look at you when you’re all covered up that way.” I joined her, covering up to the waist and pulling the blanket away from her the same way.

  “It feels strange having you look at me that way.” This wasn’t the woman who feared nothing, and I wanted her back.

  “I think that’s something that comes in time. What’s the worst that could happen?” Smiling warmly, I reached a hand out and slightly pinched her nipple with my thumb and forefinger. That soft gasp of pleasure made me even harder than I was before.

  “What if you don’t like what you see?”

  How could she believe that for a second? I refused to allow that train of thought to continue!

  “Seriously? You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. If I knew how to paint, I’d draw out every delectable curve and hang it on my bedroom wall to look at every night. Of course, having the real thing is much better.”

  She laughed at that, and I was glad to see her coming back to me. “I would throw that picture on a fire and make sure you had nothing to paint with again,” she said. I doubt she even realized when her chin lifted she automatically pressed her chest forward, giving me more of that view I was craving.

  “Uh-huh, and what if I retaliated by taking you over my knee and warming up that sweet little ass of yours?” I brought my hands around her waist to cup that part of her body, and she moaned softly. I was getting more turned on by the second.

  “Then I’d find some way to get even, and besides, I told you that wasn’t happening,” Dana replied.

  That she had, and right now wasn’t the time to test out the theory. Instead I wanted to get her comfortable. I planned on us spending a lot of time in this bed.

  I tossed back the covers and motioned my hand down my body. “Take a good, long look, sweetheart. This is me. There’s nothing about the human body to be ashamed of. God made each of us unique, and we were meant to enjoy each other.” She did look, long and hard, and my shaft felt near to bursting as those blue eyes focused there.

  “I’m not a coward, but it’s going to hurt when you do that.” She was the sweetest damn thing, and I hated to tell her there was nothing I could do to stop that initial pain. The fact that she wouldn’t even name our body parts made me grin. For such an educated woman, she sure was shy when it came to intimacy. I loved that about her.

  “The way I see it, the readier you are before I take you, the easier it will be,” I explained. “I’ve never done this before, so I’m just guessing.” Maybe I should have read up on it or something. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her.

  “You mean you’ve never been a woman’s first?” At my nod, she gave a soft sigh, and I don’t know if it was relief or in concern. She rested her cheek on my chest and her arm across my
body, and I hugged her tightly. Hell, I was scared of taking her, even though I wanted it more than air. “Guess there’s only one way to find out?” Her finger played lightly over my chest, and I got the distinct feeling she was telling me to hurry up.

  Her soft little hand trailed over the line of hair running from my navel and kept moving lower until she grasped my shaft firmly in her hand. “Not sure that’s such a good idea right now. I want you so bad already, I’m not sure how to hold back,” I moaned.

  “Then don’t.” I arched my hips up as she began to stroke. I felt sure any minute I was going to lose myself on her fingers and not where I wanted. “I want you to love me like you mean it, Brock.”

  I groaned as she applied just the right amount of friction and pressure, then pulled her hand away. “Because I love you, I’m going to take this nice and slow,” I said. I flipped her over on her back, then pulled her legs apart and used one of mine to keep her open to my touch as I petted her sweet sex. There was that passionate woman I longed for.

  Her neck arched into the pillow, her eyes closing as she felt instead of thought about what was happening. It was the most wonderful sight. It felt like my fingers were gliding against satin, drenching me with heat and drawing me inside. “Touching you is like enjoying a slice of heaven, darlin’.” It seemed like coming home as my fingers delved deep, her body opening to accept my invasion.

  “I love how that feels.” She pressed her hips upward, straining against my hand. “Don’t ever stop,” she pleaded softly as I stretched her carefully. How could I ever get enough of this? Discovering how she liked to be touched, how to exert just the right amount of pressure against her clit to make her cry out, was all perfection.

  I wanted so much more and planned to own that passion. Keeping up the steady push and pull of my fingers, I slid down between those legs. My tongue suckled on that sensitive bundle of nerves until she came undone, crying out my name. Never in my life had a woman’s pleasure been more important than my own.

  I slid free and pulled her on top of me, needing a moment to gain control. She panted softly as she came down from the high, and I held her tightly against my chest, cherishing the trust she was giving me tonight. Then she raised up slightly to gaze into my eyes, and whatever was left of my heart was lost to her.

  She was looking at me like I was all that mattered, with a smile on her face that was all the approval I could ever need. I loved this woman with every fiber of my being. “I want more,” she said. There was no pretense with Dana. She told me exactly what she wanted, and who was I to deny her anything?

  “I want to give you that and everything I have.” My lips met hers, and I hoped my kiss told her what my brain couldn’t explain. I’d never enjoyed making love with a woman like this before. I wasn’t even sure I’d ever made love before her. I ran my hands lightly up and down her back. I wasn’t sure I could calm down enough to take her gently. It was definitely what she deserved.

  Dana’s hand found me again, and all thoughts of taking my time were swept away like a dust storm. I rolled over and reached into the nightstand to pull out a condom. She watched in fascination as I ripped open the packet and rolled it over my length.

  “I need to learn to do that,” she said. Her words were turning me into some primitive creature that could think only about claiming what was mine.

  I moved back between her legs and she parted them wide, telling me she was ready to let me have whatever I needed. My only coherent thought was to make sure she was ready. Finding her soft folds again, I stroked and pressed inside, riding her until she was crying out my name again. “Brock, please, I can’t wait any longer.”

  Mine. For as long as we both walked the face of this earth, she was mine! I replaced my fingers with my shaft, then rested at the breach of her entry. “I’ll never let you go, darlin’.” With one deep thrust, I branded her, and only the soft cry of pain from those perfect lips forced me to remember that she was unbroken.

  It was heaven, hell, and forever as I remained perfectly still, savoring that tight grip that refused to let go. A single tear slipped down her cheek, and I kissed it away before finding her lips again. I allowed my tongue to dance with hers the way I craved our bodies moving together. Her arms wrapped around my neck in a death grip, and I hated the idea that this was causing her pain when it felt so incredible to me.

  It seemed like an eternity passed before her legs wrapped around me, and I lifted my eyes to hers. “Sorry I hurt you, sweetheart.” The emotion on her face spoke to my heart in a way I’m not sure a man was allowed to feel.

  “Show me everything,” said my sweet, perfect girl.

  With more patience than I thought I had, I loved her body until she relaxed enough to join me on our ride. Giving her the reins by following her lead, each rise and fall of her hips set the pace until I wasn’t sure how long I could remain in the saddle before tumbling over headfirst.

  Thankfully Dana found paradise first, gripping me so tightly that I felt free to let go, and once I did I wanted nothing more than to start all over again. Restraining myself was almost impossible, and it didn’t matter that I felt drained and craved a few minutes to recuperate again. I held her like I was afraid she’d slip away if I let go. Listening to her soft laugh was like hearing my favorite country song on the radio.

  “I can’t breathe.” Of course she couldn’t! Instantly I loosened my hold and turned her over to rest on top of me, not once thinking about allowing our bodies to unjoin.

  “I never want to be apart from you,” I told her. She was everything right in the world, and I even thought about tying her to my bed so we never had to get out of it.

  “Not even for a few minutes? Because I think going to the bathroom might make it a little difficult this way.” Dana was smiling at me again. She looked down into my eyes, which made it hard to see what point she was trying to make. Bathrooms were overrated, anyway!

  “Nope. Not even for a second,” I replied. “It feels great just like this.” She sat up on me, and already my body was getting ready for round two just from the movement. That and the sight of her breasts begging to be kissed again, and I was darn happy to remain right here.

  “We’re kind of making a mess,” she said, easing off me. The grimace marking the perfection of her face reminded me that I was acting like a caveman.

  “Oh, shit. I mean crap. Did I hurt you? I could run you a bath. Or maybe a shower?” Her laughter made me realize I was acting like an overprotective father, the last idea I wanted sneaking into my mind right now.

  “Stop. This was the most beautiful experience of my life, and I’m fine. I just need to use the bathroom,” she assured me. She gingerly slid off the bed, and I noticed a stain on the sheets. Was she supposed to bleed like that? What kind of damn monster was I?” I followed behind that beautiful ass, determined to make sure she was OK.

  Watching her sit down on the toilet was second nature to me, but her cheeks flushed. “I can do this on my own, you know.” She was biting back a smile, and I had to pull the fog out of my brain to realize she wanted a little space. Like I was going to leave her alone when I’d injured her!

  “You’re bleeding!” Maybe I’d made love to her so roughly she couldn’t even feel it? I was the worst lover in the entire world. Pretty sure I’d go down in the history books as being a complete ass!

  “That’s pretty normal the first time,” she said.

  I didn’t like that she was being so relaxed about this. Men that loved their women, they didn’t make them hurt. None of the horses I’d raised or any livestock, for that matter, bled after their first mating. I’m sure I would have remembered that.

  “Don’t lie to spare my feelings. I’ve been raising animals my whole life. That’s not normal.” I thought it was sweet she was trying to protect my feelings, but I deserved to be cussed out after what I’d done.

  “I can’t believe you’re freaking out over this.” She was laughing again! How the hell could she laugh at a time like t
his? aybe she needed medical attention.

  “I’m taking you to the hospital,” I announced. That made the most sense. I wasn’t looking forward to the staff finding out what a horrible man I was, but Dana was more important than worrying about my reputation.

  “You’re serious! Baby, most women bleed the first time they have sex. We have hymens.” She was holding her sides while using the bathroom, and I felt like a complete damn idiot.

  I’d been so worried about hurting her that I’d forgotten the talks with the boys in high school about popping a girl’s cherry. Something that I felt was a horrible way to describe being a woman’s first lover. I wasn’t an uneducated man, but now I was thinking like someone who’d never been through sex education class. I’d never actually been a woman’s first, but still, that should’ve been something I remembered.

  “So you’re really OK?” I was an idiot, and not only that, I’d been one in front of the most important woman in my life!

  “I promise. A little sore, but I think that’s normal too,” she assured me. How could she look at me with adoration when I’d acted like a bumbling moron? Shit! She’d said she was sore. I was fixing that too. I could’ve been more careful.

  “Hurry up and pee. I’m getting the shower started. Some hot water should help make you feel better. That works, right?” I asked. I knew it helped with my sore muscles, and that was a muscle too. I wasn’t a complete idiot! Turning to the shower, I started up the hot water and even checked it like we did for Jeremy’s bath.

  “A shower sounds nice. Seriously, you’re overreacting just a little.” At least she was still smiling, a bit widely at that, so I wasn’t someone she wanted to run away from. That was a good sign.