“Aw, nothing. I just had to be sure. Anything less would've been impolite.” His face brightens, before hardening into the rigid intensity she loves.
“I really appreciate everything you do for me, beautiful. And I don't just mean in the bedroom.” His voice halves its volume and then breaks into laughter, louder when she rolls her eyes.
“Come on. You're the one who helped me out. I can't think of a better place than Weldon Ranch to have a future. The past doesn't matter...not with you. I'm ready for anything.”
Heaping plates of steaks, coleslaw, and fries arrive shortly after. For such simple food, it's very tasty.
They eat in happy silence, passing soft glances across the table. Sadie raises her eyebrows several times. Brax chews his food intently, trying hard not to let his hormones ruin a good dinner.
Just as her leftovers are being packed up and they're waiting for their pie, the door swings open and sets off the dinging chime. A gaggle of cops come in, silver badges gleaming.
A server escorts them over to the large table across from their booth. Brax watches the crowd get settled.
Four of the men are in their uniforms. Sheriff Jones spots the rancher and gives him a friendly nod.
Brax doesn't recognize a fifth man, a balding outsider dressed in a plain white shirt and long brown trousers.
Sadie digs into her dessert when it arrives. The apple pie tastes immaculate, but it's hard to eat freely in their presence. Their uniforms make her nerves stand on end, prickly as an alley cat's fur.
He's lucky he doesn't care about them being here. Wish I knew why I'm having such a gut reaction to these cops. It's almost like I'm afraid of being caught...
“Yeah, it was a real bastard,” she hears the balding man say. “He was covered in blood, and all he could do was shout about his asshole sister taking off with six figures worth of coke. The idiot didn't even think she knew it was in the car.”
“Ah, the things you city boys have gotta put up with. Glad we don't need a regular detective around these parts. You've got your work cut out for you, Hank.” The Sheriff shrugs his shoulders, hungrily eying the remnants of their dinner across the room.
“That pie looks awful good! Is it on special tonight, Brax?”
He turns to the Sheriff. “Yup. Best deal in town. Well, only deal in town to be serious, but it's still a good one!”
The cops laugh. The detective called Hank does too, but his face straightens when he gets a good look at Sadie.
“Excuse me a minute, boys,” he tells the others.
The policemen are happily distracted by the arrival of their appetizers. Brax watches the man warily as he crosses the small distance to their table and stops near Sadie.
“Sorry to bother you, Miss, but you look very familiar. Haven't ever been to Mankato, have you?”
She shakes her head vigorously.
Shit! How could I look familiar to this secret agent? If he recognizes me, then I've been into something bad. Real bad.
“How about Minneapolis?” The man speaks slowly, calmly, taking a deep breath and waiting like he's taking a drag on a cigarette.
You have to imitate his style. Make it sound authentic.
“No. I'm a South Dakota girl, born and raised. Haven't been to the Twin Cities since my parents took me there on vacations years ago.”
The stranger stares blankly. He shifts in place. Sadie glances over at Brax and sees his rough hands tightening on the table's ledge.
“How about the name Eric? Does that mean anything to you?”
“Eric.” It moves across her tongue like a piece of bitter fruit. Vaguely familiar, and not in a good way. But she can't let him know that.
“No, I don't know any Erics. Is that one of your crew?” She follows the detective's gaze over to Brax.
“Don't have anybody by that name working for me.” The rancher looks the man straight in the eye.
“Listen, friend, I think you've mixed us up with somebody else. We're not being detained or anything, are we?”
“No 'us.' Just the lady here. You're probably right. Sometimes I get caught up in my own wishful thinking.” A slow smile spreads across his thin lips. “Sorry for the trouble, you two. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
The detective retreats, but Sadie doesn't feel any relief until the check arrives a few minutes later.
Brax pays quickly and they scram out the door, catching one last icy stare from Hank as they step past.
“What was that all about? Do you know him – or does he know you?” He asks the question as soon as they're in the truck.
“No, Brax. I've never seen the man before in my life. He's got me in his head from some place, though.” Heart racing, she reaches for his hand and sighs when he closes his fingers around her. “I'm scared.”
“Don't be. I keep saying it, but I don't care what happened where you're from. I'm not gonna let anybody take you away from me. Not now. Not even the police.”
He glances in his mirror and sees the Silver Dollar Diner's flashing sign becoming a tiny speck. The evening hasn't turned out like he planned, but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way.
They exchange a few words about the incident on the way to the ranch. But he's mostly silent, fulfilling an old superstition that doesn't enjoy tempting fate by speaking grim possibilities aloud.
“Hold up. Let me come and get you,” he says, turning off the engine and unbuckling his seat belt.
A full moon casts a dim pallor over him as he gets out and walks around to her side. He opens the door and unclasps her seat belt, lifting her into his arms.
His embrace has never been so tight.
Brax holds her to his chest. She opens her eyes, staring up at him, basking in the reassuring silent lullaby of the distant moon.
“Come on, cowboy. Let's forget about all that crap. Take me inside.”
He takes a step forward, only stopping to lower his forehead to hers. Sadie whimpers.
A full body shiver runs through her. His body is spilling its familiar and addictive current into hers once again, a magnetic force intent on binding her to him forever.
The vibrations deep in her flesh rise in pitch when she feels his stubble, and then the inevitable firmness of his lips. It's been too long. For these lips, one day is too long.
Oh! What's going on? His kiss is so warm tonight. Hotter than before...
Brax flashes a knowing smile before he unlatches the door. They make their way inside quickly.
For a second, she has a silly vision of him carrying her over the threshold, just like a new bride.
Except this make believe honeymoon lasts for more than a minute, and she passes with him across many thresholds, higher into the old house.
Upstairs, he settles her on the ground, standing as he pulls her deep into his arms. Those rugged country hands fall beneath her shoulders, grabbing at her dress and fisting the fabric.
His next kiss comes hotter still, branding her with his manly strength. It's all taut muscles, tongue, and sharp teeth.
He bites her bottom lip with a growl, holding it in place. Sadie matches his fierceness.
Lust churns in her veins, forcing her fingers across his muscular flanks. God, she needs them pressed against her, concrete slabs that keep her right where she belongs.
I'm gonna grab a hold of you, cowboy. Wish I could tear apart this beautiful ass.
He pulls back in surprise when her sharp fingernails move down, raking beneath his belt and scratching loudly at his denim. He glares for a second, sultry and thick.
Then he dives into her, filling her mouth with his flapping, twisting tongue. She opens for him with a moan.
Next thing she knows, his bulk is moving, pushing her onto the bed. He thrusts outward, teasing the soft fold in her dress beneath her belly with the large bulge beneath his.
The hard erection leaves no doubt about what he needs.
The dry grind splits her nerves, knocking her over, but he catches her before she hits
the mattress.
Brax sucks at her neck, catching the hem of her dress with his hand and hiking it up, well above her waist.
Like a bull in rut, he's sensed her rising need, and he isn't going to stop until he's claimed her vulnerable flesh.
Sadie shudders as he snaps her panties aside. The rancher's fingers slide across her wetness, teasing and searching for her clit.
When he finds it, he rubs it with his thumb, shoving two stiff fingers into her wetness. She arches into him, gasping out her sumptuous awe.
“Is this how bad you want me?” Eyes sparkling, she looks deep into his and gives him a wink.
His fingers curl deep inside her. He goes to work instantly, stroking her sensitive velvet walls and swollen clit with the same brute rhythm.
“No. Not by half. Give me a couple more hours in this bed, and then you'll understand. You won't know how bad I want that skin, that womb, until you're screaming underneath me, beautiful.”
Holy shit. It can't be...happening?
But it is. He's really going to fuck me senseless, without holding anything back. He's going to spill himself deep inside me...
The thought of him going all the way and emptying himself in her waiting womb lights up every nerve simultaneously. Seconds later, she's a moaning, twitching mass, bucking back on his fingers.
“Don't let go!” She pleads.
Her body jerks as his free hand grabs for her breasts. His weight slams down, muscular and heavy, pinning her to the lurching mattress.
“Wouldn't dream of it. I'm never letting go of your beautiful body, Sadie. Not tonight, not tomorrow, not ever. I'm going to own every last inch of it, even if I have to fence you off and tie you down like all my other prized possessions.”
His fingers clench deep inside her, matching the spasms in her muscles. It won't be long now.
The rancher shifts maniacally, fighting off the insistent lust swirling in his own blood. He lowers the straps on her dress.
His eyes bounce as it falls away, freeing her breasts. Calloused hands rise, tweaking one nipple and then the next.
He grabs her wrist just seconds before she comes. Her thighs hug tight around his knees, locking his unstoppable hands in her sex.
Brax suppresses a smug smile, feeling her hand curl in his. But the tiny jerking sensation in her hands is nothing compared to the tremors circulating around his fingers.
She comes hard, grunting and shaking like an animal. He strokes her clit harder – anything he can do to bring the Sadie-quake to its splendid finale.
Eyes fluttering, she rides high, shooting up into the otherworldly realm only he can bring her to. The intoxicating pleasure steals her breath.
Count the seconds. Hold it all in. Don't stop until you're bound to him forever.
The voice within her is commanding and deep. She tries to follow its dictates, but she loses herself again, falling helplessly toward her waiting consciousness as the firestorm dies.
“You like that, beautiful? It's just a warm up of what's coming next.”
The corners of her lips quirk up. Brax knows it's his signal to get her prepared for the greatest sex of his life.
The cowboy takes her across his knees and strips her dress away. Her fingers reach behind her to undo her bra as he takes off her soaked panties.
Crouched on all fours, he guides her toward the headboard. “Put your hands right here. Grab the bar.
Tonight we're gonna need more than just a belt to keep you in place.”
What?
Her returning senses burn with curiosity. He leaves her there and she feels him slide off the bed.
A drawer opens and slams shut. When he returns, positioning himself close behind her, he runs the thick rope bundled in his hands along her back, tracing the length of her spine.
“You feel that? There's no escaping this. Tonight, we're thinking with our hearts. Not our minds. Are you ready to give into that drumbeat coursing through your blood?”
“Yes! I trust you, Brax.”
“All I needed to hear, beautiful. Hold tight. This may be a little scratchy at first, but you'll get used to it.”
The ropes bind her more fully than his leather belt. The expert knot he ties holds her wrists together, sealed to the wooden headboard.
The thick, inescapable weight around her hands has a deeper finality than anything else. Their weight is impressive when she pulls, whispering a surrender rite that says, yes, it's going to happen. No ifs, ands, or buts.
He lifts away and takes a deep breath. He steadies himself by eying the seductive hams of her ass, her thighs, the way her breasts hang below her like attractive pendulums.
Sadie hears clothes shifting. Another sheen of wetness coats her inner softness, waiting and ready for him.
A dull thud behind her signals the weight of his jeans and belt landing on the floor. Her body instantly hardens.
“Hang onto that bar, beautiful. It's going to be a rough ride once I get going.”
His words singe her eardrums. There's no time to recover.
With one swing of his hips, he fills her completely. A wistful cry shoots out her mouth, the cry of a body starved for his touch.
She can't see his eyes, but she can feel the fire of his gaze. Behind her, Brax's shoulders shift, hardening in rapture as her wetness cascades around his shaft.
He holds himself in her without moving for a long time, sliding his hands down her skin, admiring the plump slopes of her ass. It's the look of a man evaluating his mate one last time, marveling at her perfection.
Good hips. Damn good butt. The kind of hips built for breeding a big family.
Brax tilts lower and kisses her, underscoring his heated thoughts. They're the last he'll have while he's inside her before the animal inside him seizes total control.
When he raises his lips from her mellow warmth, the beast has come. His hips roll back and then strike forward. The old springs snap beneath them, groaning loudly into the night, matching the fevered pitch of their masters.
He slams into her in slow, discreet waves. It's the dance of lovers drunk on intimate magic, a spell writ deep in the flesh.
And he's so deep. God, I've never been this full of a man – and such a beautiful cowboy too!
She shakes her head. Even through the pleasure, her heart warms with disbelief at her good fortune.
It's one thing to mate with any old lover, no matter how handsome or rugged. But it's quite another to have a man deep inside you who's perfection incarnate: successful, protective, and darkly possessive.
“Come on, beautiful. I want to hear you whimper.”
Brax reaches up, grabbing her hair like rope. He pulls hard, holding her at arms length, pouring tension into her until she screws back to meet his jabs.
His breathing quickens. The sound of the bed springs is pierced by the vicious slap of his thighs on her ass.
Sadie moans with fervid delight. Her arms jerk without thinking, reminding her of the ropes around her wrists.
They leave a slight scratchiness across her hands. Somehow, knowing there's no way to relieve the itch lends an extra madness to the pleasure welling up inside her.
Brax's thrusts assail her with riveting speed, rising each time he completes another impact. His balls wash over her mound.
Thrust by thrust, she feels her insides shifting, opening for him like a beautiful flower famished for sun. He feels it too, and a primal node inside him recognizes the change instantly.
Snarling, he yanks her hair tighter, using his free hand to slap her ass.
“Oh! What's going on?” She gasps.
“I'm taking what belongs to me, what I've wanted and needed for the past ten years. We're gonna be together forever, Sadie. Flesh and blood, welded in our perfect baby.”
Yes! He's really going to do it.
The craving in her deepens. Not caring about the itchy heat on her hands, she slams backward to meet him, driving him to the very edge of her cervix.
Who knew
that baby making was such hard, spine tingling work?
Brax tightens his jaw. He reaches across her thigh with his free hand, cradling her clit between two fingers.
The sudden invasion breaks the last resistance inside her. Sadie jerks forward, burying her face low into the fat fluffy pillow.
Howling, she comes hard. Her tight canal corkscrews around his cock with wild abandon.
The heat. Oh, God, the heat! Every inch of me is roasting in his fire, killingly hot, and all I can think about is taking more.
The mattress shifts fluidly beneath them, singing its sex song the entire time. He can't hold it much longer.
“Keep coming, Sadie. I want you to suck up every ounce of this seed! Here comes our first baby together. First of many – beautiful as you.”
His words bury her. His hands draw off her body and plant themselves on both sides of her head.
Groaning, his hips collapse into hers one last time.
Fire races up his shaft. The explosion rocks her to the core, taking her to a level she's never reached, a breathless place where impassioned euphoria exists.
It's euphoria and nothing else, ecstasy and awe, ice and fire.
Her quake ripples into him, shaking all the way to his rough and fiery core. Every fiber of his being clamors as he releases his pent up sperm, pouring it into her with ruthless intent.
The carnal satisfaction of burying his seed deep inside her only provides a moment of satisfaction.
Even with his erection flagging, he knows he'll rally, restless until he's completely sure she's pregnant.
When it's over, he draws himself out of her. He slides beneath her side, holding her with the pillow propped up beneath her. They kiss in wet relief, their bodies preparing them for the next round.
Tell him. He's just given you something that's going to change your life forever. Give him the only thing you can. He deserves more than a baby.
Before her mind retreats back to the pleasurable wonderland, Sadie opens her lips, eyes drawn to his broad chest.
“Brax...I love you. I love you so much. Don't ever let me leave this place.”
His eyes brighten with a few more stars. He kisses her deep before he responds.
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