by Susan Fox
“Sure does, sweetheart.” He thrust gently, matching the pace she set.
She arched her back, thrusting out her breasts in a clear invitation. When he fondled her nipples, they were so achy and sensitive that his caresses made her shiver with pleasure.
For long minutes she moved on him, learning about him and learning things about her own body she’d never known before. The thunder and lightning had stopped, but rain drummed steadily on the roof. Inside, she and Ben were in a blissful cocoon. She wanted this to go on forever. Yet the tension of arousal climbed within her until it clamored with a demand she could no longer deny. She wanted—needed—to come now.
But to do that... “Ben, I need . . . Please, touch . . .” She couldn’t bring herself to say “my clit,” but when his fingers drifted down to caress it gently, she moaned. “Oh, yes.”
She threw back her head, glorying in his touch, focusing totally on the place where their bodies joined, where his fingers and his erection created magic. There was one more thing she wanted, to make this moment perfect. Bending her head to gaze into his dark-lashed eyes, she said, “Come with me. Please come with me.”
He thrust harder and she whimpered with pure pleasure. His thumb tapped and stroked. She shuddered as she felt her climax begin, deep in her core, rising, growing—and then it exploded so powerfully it made her cry out with release. The release of so many things, both physical and emotional.
In her ears there was a roaring, rushing sound like a river in flood. Penetrating it came Ben’s guttural cry. And a moment later, “Oh God, Sally.”
The pulsing waves of his release joined the aftershocks of her own, merging with them and prolonging them so that their two separate climaxes became a single mutual experience.
When the shudders inside her finally stopped, she felt drained, yet light as air. Exhausted, yet free. Blissful. Slowly, she eased herself down on the bed. When he’d removed the condom, she curled against him and his arm came around her. “Thank you, Ben.”
Thinking that this was pretty much heaven, Ben lay flat on his back with Sally curled against him. Her head rested on his good shoulder; her right arm lay across his chest; her leg was flung over his thighs. Like she wanted to hold on to him and never let him go. Which, at the moment, sounded like a mighty fine idea to him.
“That was really great,” she said dreamily.
He squeezed her shoulder. “Freaking fantastic, sweetheart. You feel okay?”
“I feel good. Wonderful.” She pressed a kiss to his skin then sucked gently, not enough to leave a hickey but with a teasing sensuality that stirred his blood. “You know what I feel like?”
“No idea.”
Pushing up to rest her weight on her left elbow, she gazed intently into his eyes. “More.”
Did she mean more sex? His cock pulsed with interest. But this was the first intercourse Sally’d had in years. He shouldn’t jump to conclusions. “More, uh . . . ?”
“Sex. I want to do it all, try it all.” Her eyes gleamed.
“Oh, man.” Talk about an instant erection. “I only brought one condom, so—”
“Damn.”
Her frustrated tone and the furrow in her forehead made him chuckle. “So I’ll have to go out to my trailer and get more.”
“It’s pouring outside.”
He let out a disbelieving laugh. “You think a little rain’s gonna stop me?” He was out of bed in an instant, seeing her gaze drop from his face to his hard-on. “Back in a flash.”
As he sprinted out the door, her voice followed. “Aren’t you going to put clothes on?”
“Waste of time. They’re only gonna come off again.” A little water never hurt a guy.
The cool rain did, however, take care of his erection as he ran down the back steps and sprinted toward his trailer. The rough, muddy ground wasn’t the easiest stuff to run on, not in bare feet. Especially when he passed out of the dim circles of light cast by the house and barn lights. It was almost pitch black by his trailer. But he made it, grabbed the box of condoms, and started back. As he neared the house, the ball of his right foot came down hard on a stone. “Shit, shit, shit.” He hopped around on one foot.
“Are you okay?”
Startled, he looked up to see Sally at the open bedroom window, naked in the pale golden light from the room.
“Yeah,” he called back, the pain forgotten as he dashed for the house.
By the time he made it up the back steps, she was on the deck. Out in the rain, still naked, she raised her arms and shimmied in a sensual dance. Like a woman under a tropical waterfall, not in a cool, Cariboo rainstorm. When he came up to her, she stopped dancing and grinned. “That was about the funniest sight I’ve ever seen, you naked in the rain, hopping around and cussing, hanging on to a box of condoms. I’m never going to forget it.”
He brushed wet curls back from her forehead even as more raindrops landed on her skin. “You dancing naked in the rain was about the prettiest sight I’ve ever seen, and you can bet I’ll never forget it.” He circled his arms around her and moved close so the fronts of their bodies touched. Cool, rain-washed flesh quickly heated with the contact. “In fact, I’m never gonna forget a minute of tonight.”
“Me either.” She stared up at him, blinking against the rain. The outside light showed him that all traces of laughter had gone from her face. “Ben, you’ve made me whole.”
His heart melted, but before he could speak she went on. “I promise I will never let anyone break me again.”
“Aw, sweetheart.” It shattered his heart, thinking about how that man had hurt her. “I know you won’t. And if anyone ever tries, you let me know. I’m guessing you’re not prone to violence, but I have no qualms about throwing a punch when it’s warranted.”
“Let’s not even talk about violence, okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry about that. Now let’s go in before you catch a chill.”
“I bet you can warm me up.”
“I bet I can at that.”
She stepped back, out of his arms, and took the box from him. “I bet you can even warm me up in the rain.”
“Uh . . .” What did she mean?
She pulled out a wrapped condom and tossed the box into the shelter of the roof’s overhang. “I’ve never been kissed in the rain.”
As she opened the wrapper, his erection grew. Sex in the rain? “Hey, sweetheart, when you said ‘try it all,’ you really meant it.”
Her eyes danced. “Is that a complaint?”
“Never.” Laughing, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her as rivulets of rain dripped down both their faces.
Morning sun warmed Ben’s face and he opened bleary eyes, squinting against the light. The sound of a long, loud yawn made him yawn reflexively and roll over in bed with a good morning smile. What a night it had been. Sally had wanted to do it all, try it all, and he’d done his best to oblige until sheer exhaustion sent them both to sleep.
His smile widened when he took her in, then he started to laugh.
Her eyes popped open. “What are you laughing at?”
“Sally, you will always be beautiful. But this morning you look a little, er, tousled.” Her uncombed curls had dried every which way, messed by his hands and her pillow. Her cheeks and chin were rosy with beard burn. She looked adorable and sexy.
He rubbed a hand across his stubbly jaw, then touched a gentle finger to her chin. “I shaved before I came over last night, I swear.”
She gave a humorous grimace. “You marked me?”
“’Fraid so.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Marks from pleasure. That’s something new for me.” Another pause. “The demons are gone. We chased them away, Ben. I’m free.”
“That’s something to celebrate. Want to give me a kiss and say good morning properly?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Two sets of morning breath? A fresh case of beard burn? Not to mention, I’m already going to be walking like I spent the night bull riding.”
> “You sayin’ I’m hung like a bull, little lady?” he said in a John Wayne drawl.
She gave a burble of laughter and put on a drawl of her own. “Pardner, I’m not touchin’ that one with a ten-foot pole. No, wait, you’re the one with the pole, though I’m not sure it’s even ten inches.” Giggling, she climbed out of bed and yeah, she didn’t exactly bounce out. It was more like the way he moved the morning after a rough fall.
“Want to measure it?” he challenged as she walked across the room with him admiring her shapely rear view.
“Later. Right now, I need a shower. And no, you’re not joining me.” She went through the doorway, then peeked back around the frame. “Not this time. Tonight, though . . .” And she disappeared from sight.
Leaving him grinning his fool head off. Whistling despite the pain in his shoulder, which had been exacerbated by a night of bedroom acrobatics, he clambered out of bed and set about finding his clothes. How many hours until tonight?
And how many more tonights, he wondered a few minutes later as he made his way to his trailer and his own cramped shower.
Though the selfish part of him was glad Dusty’s new heeler was no phenom, every rodeo Ben missed not only cost him money and standings, but cost Dusty as well. Ben roped with his right hand, using his left on the reins to guide Chaunce. His horse was a natural and the communication between the two of them was almost intuitive now, so Ben’s left shoulder and arm didn’t need to do much. Monique’s adamance had kept him from driving to Peace River to compete this weekend, but for sure he’d be up for roping the weekend after—even if he had to hold off on bronc riding for a while longer.
Every other time he’d been sidelined by injury, he’d champed at the bit wanting to get back to rodeo. Now, he was torn. Life at Ryland Riding was pretty nice, and being with Sally—especially now that they were lovers—went way beyond nice. Too bad she’d settled down and had so many responsibilities. If she’d still been barrel racing, they could have had one mighty fine time riding the circuit together.
Instead, he’d soon be back doing what he loved, and she’d be here. Doing what she loved too, but by herself, working herself to exhaustion. That didn’t sit well with him. Business was picking up: not only did she have Andrew and Terry, but in the past week she’d acquired two other new students and a new boarder. Sally had to find an assistant.
After he had dressed, Ben made coffee and had a quick breakfast. He filled his thermos with the rest of the coffee and got to work. When Sally arrived, he had a chestnut gelding in the cross ties, grooming it for the owner who’d soon be in for a prework ride. He smiled at Sally. “Do I get my good morning kiss now? Can I bribe you with some of the coffee you like?” He picked up the thermos he’d set on a bench and handed it to her.
“That’s definitely worth a kiss.” She leaned in for a lingering one, then opened the thermos and took a swallow. “Mmm. This could be addictive.”
She went to the tack room and returned with the horse’s saddle pad, saddle, and bridle.
As the two of them readied the horse, Ben said, “Why don’t you get in touch with Corrie again? See if there’s any chance you can sweet-talk her into coming back.”
“I don’t feel right about asking, not when she’s got some personal thing going on.”
“Being asked is flattering. What’s wrong with letting her know what a great job she did and how you miss her? And how business is growing and you’d love to have her back. Maybe she’s sorted out her personal issues by now. Maybe she thinks you’ve replaced her.”
“Hmm. That makes sense.”
“Do it now,” he urged. He wanted to know that Sally would have time to commune with her chickens, grow fresh vegetables, go riding just for pleasure, and build herself a social life.
And what about dating? Sharing her wonderful, generous body and heart with a man. Falling in love, getting married, and having children. He ground his teeth.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “Don’t scowl at me.”
“I’m not—” All right, he was scowling, and he couldn’t tell her the real reason: that he was jealous as hell of the man who would prove himself worthy of Sally and win her heart.
This was crazy. He’d never been possessive about any other woman he’d slept with.
He shoved that thought out of his mind as he bridled the horse, and then helped another owner with her horse. Andrew and Terry arrived next. In addition to taking one-hour lessons on Mondays, they’d also booked two-hour trail rides with Sally on Fridays.
After Sally and the men had ridden off, Ben cleaned the barn then tacked up Chaunce and did some work in the ring. He guided his horse this way and that, making quick turns and stops as he roped bales of hay and fence posts. Really, he hardly used his left shoulder—at least as long as nothing unexpected happened.
A blue minivan drove into the yard. There’d been no one listed on Sally’s schedule until after lunch. Ben slid off Chaunce and left him inside the ring as a tall, black-haired woman dressed in jeans and a gray T-shirt jumped out of the driver’s side. She went around to slide open the side door on the other side. A ramp came down and, as Ben approached, he saw she was helping a boy who was seated in a wheelchair up front on the passenger side. She unfastened whatever secured the chair in place, and the boy powered it backward, sideways, then carefully down the ramp, with the woman standing close by. The kid, who looked to be about eight or nine, was frail and had a mop of dark hair and wide, curious brown eyes. He was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and sturdy shoes. Ben wondered what disability kept him in that chair.
“Hey there,” Ben greeted them. “Welcome to Ryland Riding.”
The woman held out her hand. “I’m Lark Cantrell and this is my son, Jayden.” She studied Ben’s face. Recognizing his First Nations blood, he guessed, just as he saw the same in her light brown skin and strong features. She was fit and definitely had presence.
“Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand, not surprised that her grip was firm. “I’m Ben Traynor.” He extended his hand to the boy, who met it with a weak shake. “Hi, Jayden. How can I help you two?”
“Is Sally Ryland around?” the woman asked.
“Sorry, she’s out with students. I’m her assistant.”
“I should have called, but Jayden and I were talking at breakfast and he got excited, so I took a half day off work and we took a chance.”
“She’ll be back in less than half an hour if you want to wait. Or maybe I can help?”
“Jayden has cerebral palsy and he’s keen on horses. Yesterday we met with his physiotherapist, Monique, and—”
“Monique Labelle? I see her, too. Sorry, please go on.”
“She says that therapeutic riding could be helpful for Jayden. There’s no program around here, but Monique says Sally’s been helping one of her other patients. We wondered if she’d be willing to work with Jayden, too.”
“I really want to ride,” the boy said. His speech was quick, the words slurring together a little, and his eyes were bright with excitement and hope.
Bringing the kid was a clever strategy. Who, much less a softhearted, child-loving person like Sally, could resist the boy’s enthusiasm? “I’m afraid you will have to talk to Sally about that.” He didn’t say that he was pretty sure she’d bend over backward to accommodate young Jayden. “Why don’t you wait? I’ll introduce you guys to my horse, Chauncey’s Pride.” He gestured toward the ring.
“Are you a cowboy?” the boy asked.
“I’m a rodeo cowboy,” Ben told him.
“Cool!”
“And Chaunce is my roping horse.”
“He’s pretty,” the boy said.
“He prefers ‘handsome,’ but he’ll appreciate the compliment.”
Lark gave a soft laugh. “Is he gentle? He won’t hurt Jayden?”
“He’s a gentleman and he loves kids.” Glancing at the rough dirt surface of the parking lot, Ben said, “I’m not sure how the chair’s going to handle this ground.�
�� He started to take off his sling. “May need to be pushed.”
“That’s okay,” Lark said. “I’ll do it. I’m plenty strong.”
“My mom’s a frfr,” the boy said proudly.
“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”
He gave a frustrated scowl. Slowly, more clearly, he said, “Firefighter. She’s the chief.”
“Really? Wow.” He glanced at the tall woman again, knowing better than to comment on her gender. “That’s even cooler than being a rodeo cowboy.”
She flashed a smile. “Toss up, I’d say.”
Chapter Twenty-One
It was seven-thirty that night when Sally put a bowl of salad on the table on the deck and sat down with a sigh of relief. “I’m tired and starving.”
“Me, too.” Ben, who’d been manning her barbecue, came to join her, bringing three juicy burgers.
Unlike last Friday when they’d taken off early to go to dinner at Dave and Cassidy’s, today she’d had a couple of new clients and the very welcome business had extended the workday. She and Ben had postponed their shared shower, to have a quick meal first.
As he took his usual chair across from her, she asked, “You don’t mind about not going into town for dinner?” Earlier, he’d asked if she’d like to see if Heather could tend Ryland Riding so they could eat out.
As she dished out salad for them, he shook his head. “This works fine, too.” Under the table, his bare foot caressed the top of hers.
Arousal rippled through her, reminding her of why she’d turned down the dinner invitation. “I admit there’s something appealing about the idea of putting on my one nice dress and sitting across from you in a fancy restaurant, having someone wait on us, and eating something I’d never cook at home.”
Ben put down his burger. “But?”
“Now that we’ve, uh . . . Now that we’re . . .” Maybe she hadn’t lost all her inhibitions last night. She ducked her head and started in on her own burger.
