by Natalie Love
“I thought I was seeing it,” she teased as she glanced at him. He looked really good today. He looked good every day actually, but she hadn’t seen him in over a week because she’d picked up several stories and he’d taken a weekend trip out to see his parents.
His tan had deepened in the summer sun and his medium brown hair was lightening up to a dark blonde. She hadn’t thought that his looks could have improved, but this had proved her wrong. He’d forgotten to shave for the past few days as well, and that only enhanced his looks further. The stubble accented his strong jaw line very well and it made her want to press her lips to it.
“If this is what you’re looking for, then I’m more than happy to give it to you,” he assured her. “But I actually had something planned.”
“Then lead on,” she said, expecting to go back down to his truck. She was surprised when he took her into the house and tugged her toward the staircase.
“Just trust me,” Cason said with a laugh when he saw her doubtful expression. “We both know what a gentleman I am. I only made you spin around for me once out there, and believe me Blondie, it wasn’t nearly enough.”
Since that was true, she followed him up the stairs and into his bedroom. She’d never seen it before. As if they were still teenagers, they did all their kissing on the couch. Now, as she walked in, she knew that she’d been missing out on more than just sex.
“Cason! This bedroom is amazing,” she breathed as she looked around at it.
“I told you,” he said with a shrug. “My mom decorated like a crazy person and my dad was a good builder in his spare time. All the rooms look nice, but this one is my favorite.”
“I can see why.” The hardwood floors were a medium tone, hovering between dark and light in a way that was perfect with the neutral tones of the rest of the room. His bedding was white and there were two gray blankets folded on the top of the down comforter. There was a soft rug beside the bed that she could imagine would feel amazing on bare feet first thing in the morning. The exposed beams of the ceiling were painted a cream that contrasted with the lovely gray of the walls. It was all set off beautifully with a huge bay window with an upholstered gray window seat. “Wow. I don’t think I’d ever leave this room.”
He gave her a smile. “Good to hear.”
She found herself drifting toward the stack of books and a steaming mug of tea beside the window seat. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw that they were all from her wish list on the blog she wrote intermittently. It only had about 5 followers, and she hadn’t known he had even paid attention when she’d told him about it a few dates back.
“You haven’t had much time to relax,” he said when turned to look at him. “I know you’re not working today and it’s nice and rainy,” he gestured at the window where a light rain fell.
“There’s no better time or place to sit and read. So, I guess it’s not really a date, but I thought you’d like it.”
Her heart melted.
“Cason, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,” she said honestly. “Thank you.”
He walked across the room and put his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“Anytime. Enjoy it, okay?”
“Where are you going?” she asked in surprise.
“Now you know that a cowboy’s work is never done, darlin’,” he said, leaning down and kissing her neck before heading out.
Val allowed a huge smile to come over her face at the thought of spending the whole afternoon doing nothing other than reading anything that she wanted to. She’d finally have something to put on her blog! She curled up in the corner of the window seat and took a book from the top of the stack. It was a slim volume; the latest offering from her favorite mystery author. She flicked past the title page and instantly fell into a different world.
When the book was done and the tea was gone, she stood and stretched. She couldn’t see Cason from this side of the house, so she walked down the stairs to the kitchen, which had windows that looked out over the barns and the pasture. She watched him walk across the yard, his head down, rain cascading off of the brim of his hat. When had it started to rain harder? She thought back and vaguely remembered hearing the rain move from a gentle patter to a pounding deluge right around the time that the mystery was at a particularly tense moment. He’d be soaked to the skin by now. She was glad that the weather was warm, but she still felt bad that he had to be out in it.
Suddenly he glanced at the windows and saw her standing there. He raised his hand in a wave and she waved back. He smiled at her and walked on to the barn. Val leaned against the counter, wondering what it would be like to be here all the time. To know that Cason was out there working, that he would come in for supper at the same time he always did, that she could take the time to read and maybe even write. She’d loved to write in school and her grades had proven that she was good at it. That window seat would be the perfect place to craft a story.
She pushed herself away from the windows quickly. There was no point in going down this road again. It was like her father had always said, she could make up a story or she could tell a real one. It had been clear to her as he spoke that what he did was better. What she did was for a grade in English class. What he did was for the edification of the world at large. Val poured another cup of tea and walked back up the stairs where she opened another book and began to read, determined to shake away unpleasant memories.
Chapter Nine
“Hey there,” Cason said from the bedroom doorway a few hours later.
Val looked up at him in surprise. “Is it already dark?” she asked, bringing her gaze back from far away. She had clearly been deeply immersed in the story and he’d never wanted to kiss her more.
“Gettin’ there,” he said, clicking the bedside lamp on. “Didn’t your mama ever tell you that you’d ruin your eyes reading in the dark?”
“She tried,” Val admitted. “You’re soaking wet.”
“Yeah.” Cason made a face and pulled his wet shirt away from his rain slicked skin.
Val was briefly disappointed, but the shirt stuck right back in its original location so that was all right. How had she never know exactly how sculpted his upper body was? He had an actual six pack. She’d never been with a guy who did before, with all her indoor-guy dating.
“I’m going to get into the shower and warm up real quick before supper,” he said apologetically. “Give you some more time with that book.”
“Okay.” She watched him walk away. Those broad shoulders were hard to miss, but she hadn’t realized how much muscle there was in the rest of his long back. It slid under his skin in a very distracting way as he pulled the bathroom door open. She officially had it bad. Which wasn’t a surprise. Every one of his kisses left her desperate to tumble into bed with him.
Val tried to delve back into her book, but she heard the water come on in the en suite bathroom and instantly began to picture it sluicing over his body. She bit her thumbnail absentmindedly. It certainly looked good in her head. What was she waiting for anyway?
She went over her reasons again, but they’d pretty much lost all meaning. Sure, she wasn’t ever going to be able to be serious with him. And yes, they’d have to go their separate ways at some point. But damn it, she wasn’t making things better by ignoring what she knew would be amazing sex.
Cason stepped out of the bathroom dressed in dry clothes and drying his hair with a blue towel, giving her a slightly embarrassed smile.
“Sorry about that,” he began as he walked over to where she was sitting and tugged her to her feet. “I bring you over here and ignore you all day and then--”
His words were cut off by her lips.
“So, I reckon this means that you liked my idea?” he asked breathlessly a few seconds later.
“Very much,” Val informed him honestly. “But right now, I’m in the mood for something a little more physical.”
“Oh yeah, Blondie?”
Cason didn’t want to hope for too much, but that sure was a sexy look in her eyes. He’d been careful to stop when she wanted to stop in the past, but she always wanted to stop well before he did. He was dying to have her skin against his, to hear her gasp in pleasure as he took her over the edge with him.
“I don’t know how far I want this to go,” Val began.
“You and your disclaimers,” Cason said, running his thumb over her full lower lip tenderly. “How about if I just let you do the drivin’? Stop where you wanna stop, but don’t feel like you have to put on the brakes anytime soon.”
“That’s pure poetry, Cowboy,” Val answered, tugging his shirt up and off in one smooth motion. “So is this, by the way.”
She followed the curves and planes of his muscular upper body with long, slow sweeps of her hands. She loved the way his skin felt under her palms. He was warm from the shower and he smelled like a combination of mint and forest.
“I do what I can.” He leaned down, pressing his lips to the curve of her neck where he knew she loved to be kissed. “You taste so good, darlin’.”
Val’s eyes slid closed as he began a sheer exploitation of every sensitive spot on her neck. She was supposed to be doing the driving, but she discovered that she couldn’t do anything but stand there and let him tease her to a nearly fevered pitch.
Cason felt her hands tighten on his shoulders as the rest of her body began to go soft and pliable against his. He drew his hands down her back, catching the edge of her tee shirt and whispering, “Turn about is fair play.”
She nodded and he skimmed the shirt over her head.
“Good God,” he muttered almost reverently as he looked down at her perfect breasts close to spilling out of her pink and white lace bra. They were better than he’d pictured them, and he’d done an awful lot of picturing them. “You are one beautiful woman, Blondie.”
She shivered under the hungry look in his eyes. She knew that there wasn’t going to be any stopping. This was too perfect.
“Cason,” she whispered, trailing her fingers down to the button on his jeans, relishing the way the smallest touch made his body flex with tension.
“Yeah?”
“Take me to bed.”
He pulled her close, feeling the lace of her bra scrape against his chest as he buried his hands in her long blonde hair, tumbling it and tangling it as he kissed her. “You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say that.”
She lowered his zipper tentatively and when her fingers found him he groaned against her lips. He’d wanted to drag this out, to have her in all the ways he’d been imagining having her, but he didn’t think that he could stand waiting now. Her jeans fell to the floor beside his and they were tumbling onto his soft comforter before Val knew it.
“The...” She had to stop when he moved over her, bracing his weight on his elbows and lowering his lips to her neck once more. The feel of his body pressed fully to hers nearly took her breath away, especially when she felt his length pressing insistently at the very center of her. She wanted nothing more than to arch up into him and feel him sink deep, but she’d realized something. “Wait.”
“What’s wrong, darlin’?”
“The light is still on,” she said, suddenly a little shy.
Cason wouldn’t have cared if they were outside in broad daylight, but he got up and turned the light off, plunging the room into the dying light of a summer evening rainstorm. Val turned back the covers and he slid in next to her, tracing his fingers down the smooth skin of her neck to her pretty breasts.
“Better?” he asked, and she could hear the teasing smile in his voice.
She caught his hand and raised it to her lips, kissing each rough fingertip gently. “Perfect.”
“Hell, I haven’t even got started yet.”
He shifted so that he was braced over her again and kissed his way down her neck as he slid slowly into her heat. Cason couldn’t help but groan at the perfect way her body fit him. He was pleased to hear her echo the sound as her head fell back against the pillow.
“Oh Cason,” she whispered. “I've wanted this for so long.”
“You’re telling me,” he answered, leaning forward as he began to thrust, so that every stroke sent her closer to the edge.
Val clutched his shoulders and tilted her hips to take him deeper. He pressed his face against her neck, breathing in her scent as he moved over her. He'd driven himself crazy imagining what it would be like to have her and now that it was happening, he realized that he hadn't even come close to how good it was. More than good. It felt right to have her in his arms, to have her body arch against him while she whispered his name.
There was no point in kidding himself anymore. She wasn’t casual to him. He met her lips with more force, catching her moans and gasps when he moved faster. Suddenly her body went tense underneath his and her nails dug into his shoulders as she called out his name. He drew back to watch a flash of amazed pleasure in her eyes as she came around him.
“Cason,” she whispered. “God, you feel so good.”
Once her body had relaxed a bit he rolled over, settling her on top of him and drawing her down for a kiss before she could protest.
“I love the way you move, Blondie,” he said, his voice a deep pleasured rasp.
It was a hard argument to resist so she sat back up, her insecurities falling away as he groaned with pleasure at each movement of her hips.
“Just like that, darlin’.”
His hands rested on her hips as she moved on him and she was surprised to find her body tensing up again. Maybe it was her unimpeded view of his sexy body that was pushing her toward the edge again. The low summer light that was fading across the room showed her every flex of his body and she couldn’t resist sweeping her hands down his chest once more.
This time when she came, he came with her and when the tremors had subsided, he rolled over and pulled her against him, kissing the top of her head as he caught his breath.
“Damn Blondie,” he said after a moment. “That was sure as hell worth the wait.”
She snuggled in against him with a nod. “I can’t believe I waited so long to do this.”
“I’ll let you slide,” he teased. “As long as you don’t let it happen again.”
She gave him a sarcastic salute and then closed her eyes, tired from the sheer amount of pleasure he’d given her. As she slept he held her close, running his fingers through her hair and wondering what to do.
For the first time, he realized that they might want different things out of their relationship. For the first time, he realized that he actually wanted a relationship with her. With a sigh, Cason rolled over onto his back and Val cuddled against his side, reaching for him even in her sleep.
He wouldn’t say anything yet. But he knew himself well enough to know that, at some point, he was going to have to be honest with her and take the risk of losing what they had.
Chapter Ten
It took him nearly a month to make his move, but he was fairly confident by then. They spent even more time together now. She spent every weekend at his place, and he’d taken her to the nicest restaurant in town for what he hoped would be a big step for them.
“Wow,” Val said, glancing around the restaurant and trying to keep her voice low. “This place is really nice, Cason.”
“It oughta be,” he answered, trying not to wince visibly at the menu prices. He glanced up to see her looking at him with a quizzical expression.
“I mean, you know, it’s a special night,” he hurried on, going for a save. Her soft smile told him that he’d accomplished the job. “Three months since the night you showed up for that interview.”
“I remember,” she admitted. “I thought men didn’t remember dates, though. As a general rule, that is.”
“I’m a special kind of man,” he said with a grin. “But I’m smart enough to know that you should order the wine,” he said quickly as th
e waiter began to make his way toward them through the crowded restaurant. “I’ve got no clue what’s good and what’s not.”
Val scanned the wine list quickly and then asked, “Red meat, right?”
“Yeah,” Cason answered as if it should have been obvious.
She pointed to a selection quickly and whispered the proper pronunciation. He only stumbled over it a bit, and the waiter left with an approving nod.
“Thanks,” he said, reaching over and giving her hand a squeeze. “You’re a good woman, Valerie Turner.”
“I like to think so,” she said with a chuckle.
They ate slowly, enjoying the food and the atmosphere. Val had eaten in a lot of fancy places, usually work dinner with her father if her mother had a prior engagement. In the later years, once Val was older, her mother had had a lot of those. Her father had never seemed to mind and Val had learned to conduct herself well in situations like these. Cason wasn’t doing badly himself. He wasn’t strictly proper, but his good manners served him well. She was surprised he’d chosen a place like this.
“So,” he said once dinner had been served. “I’ve got a question for you.”
Val stopped with her forkful of cheesecake halfway to her lips. That was a serious expression. Her heart skipped a few beats.
“Okay,” she said cautiously.
Cason cleared his throat. Now that the moment was here, he was scared he was going to choke. He drained the last of his wine and sat up straighter.
“I’m in love with you, Valerie.”
All the air left her lungs. “What?”
“I’m in love with you.”
Her fork fell to the plate with a clatter that had heads turning in their direction almost instantly. Cason’s eyes stayed on her. She reached for her wine glass, realized it was empty, and put her hands in her lap instead.
“Cason. I…I don’t know what to say.” She felt her face turning red under his steady gaze.
He swallowed hard. “There’re only two options.” And he had a feeling he knew what she was about to say.
