by C. R. Moss
He grabbed a blanket out of the cab, then from the bed uncovered a few supplies he brought along just in case. Items in hand, he returned.
Cassie stood on the rock in a lacy black bra that supported and pushed up her breasts. Skimpy black boy short panties topped a pair of long, toned legs that wouldn’t quit. Every cell in his body pulsed with desire. His cock, fully aroused, spiked with heat. He wanted to bury himself in her, hard and deep, feel her clutch around him until he had his fill and she cried out his name.
“Looks like you’re starting the party without me.”
She shrugged a shoulder, her gaze falling to the picnic basket in his hand. “Whatcha got there?”
“A bit of lunch on the off-chance we had an opportunity to sit for a while and eat.”
“Good. I am a bit hungry, but I think you’ve forgotten something.”
Dakota put the basket and blanket on the ground, reviewing the items in his head—strawberries, lemonade, sandwiches, small compact disc player and speakers.
“I’m not talking about what you brought.” She waved a hand up and down in front of her. “I’m talking about getting out of your clothes. Strip.”
“Strip?” He glanced around the area, thought about the day’s work schedule for an idea of where all the employees were supposed to be on the ranch. A couple of wranglers were supposed to be feeding herd nearby. Maybe this wasn’t such a hot idea after all.
“Uh, yeah,” her voice shimmered with sarcasm. “That’s the whole point of naked playtime, right?”
He clamped his mouth shut. She had a point. Hopefully, no one would make a surprise appearance.
“What?” Cassie tilted her head, offered a curious glance. “You want to spend time with me or what? I’d be more than happy to go find Bristol and head to the strip with her to do some shopping, if you don’t.”
What have I got to lose? He tugged his shirt from his jeans and unbuttoned it. She watched him with the best poker face he had ever seen. His fingers trembled. Feeling exposed, like hidden eyes were watching the private event and making judgments, he removed the shirt. It fell from his hand. Shortly after, he shucked his jeans, then kicked the clothes to the side. All that was left on him was a chain around his neck with a ring dangling from it.
“Commando again.” A slight smirk lifted the corner of her mouth. “Nice. And I would have let you stay in your underwear for a while. You know, get you used to semi exposure before we took you all the way.”
Liking the appraising way her gaze seemed to drink in the sight of him, he kept his arms at his sides, not bothering to cover his erection, and endured her appraisal of his body. For the most part, he was confident she wouldn’t find fault with him in the daylight. He ate right, exercised when he could even though working one day on the ranch usually equated enough cardio and weight lifting for several days. His muscles were ripped, ass tight, abs still a six pack and not a keg like other men his age.
“Aww, you have a cute, smug look. How about you stop preening?”
“Preening? I wasn’t—”
“Shh.” She strolled behind him, trailed a finger along his ass crack.
The soft touch caused him to jerk. He looked over his shoulder.
She slapped his hip and giggled.
“Hey. What’s the deal?” His hip stung, but he did his best to brush off the sensation. She playfully swatted his other side, and he bit his tongue.
“Re-direction. It seems like you’re thinking too much. Maybe overanalyzing the situation? It’s not my intent to make you uncomfortable. This shouldn’t be an experience that will scar you either physically or emotionally.” She came around and gazed into his eyes. “Should it get to the point you want to wimp out, get dressed and head back, just let me know. But I hope you’ll open your mind. Just let yourself go. Enjoy the freedom from constraints.”
“I’ll do my best.” He smiled.
Cassie flicked the tip of his penis with her middle finger. “Good. So what’s in the basket?”
He knelt by the wicker food hamper. A breath of air tickled his balls. Tantalized by the ghost-like caress, he opened the lid, opened the cooler nestled within and pulled out the food and drink. From next to the cooler, he pulled out the music player, a disc and two plastic cups. After laying everything out, he turned on and adjusted the volume on the music. He wondered if she’d catch that it was the soundtrack from the movie they saw that last summer she visited.
Cassie picked up a strawberry, slid it against his lips, teased it into his mouth. She retrieved another from the plastic container and ate it with a sexy smile.
A breeze rustled through the canyon, caressed and chilled his bare skin, reminding him how exposed he was. Concern about the situation he’d practically begged to be in shot to the forefront of his thoughts again. Naked in nature. Naked in a place where anyone could come upon them and see what they were doing. See everything.
The devilish grin spread across her face. Seeming to read his mind about seeing everything, she rid herself of her underwear. The bra and panties fluttered to the rock. In two steps, she was sitting next to him, her stimulating, curvy body brushing against his.
He wanted to take her in his arms and ravish her, taste her creamy white skin, wrap her long dark locks that held hints of auburn when exposed to sunlight around his hands. He wanted her.
She winked, kissed his chin, reached down and stroked his cock. “How you doing so far?”
Her light caress shot hot desire through his body. With shaky breath, he said, “I’m concerned about people coming out this way. Seeing us in our b-day suits.”
“So what if they do?” Cassie trailed the backs of her fingers up and down along his thigh, hip and the side of his abdomen. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
Sucking in a breath, he shrugged a shoulder, using all his will not to succumb to her salacious touches.
“Well, I’ll tell you,” she drawled in a sexy purr. “There’d be some embarrassment. People would talk. But that can happen with any situation. Eventually, the embarrassment would fade. People’ll stop talking. Life would go on. What we’ll be left with, though, is one hell of a good memory.”
“So you’re telling me I shouldn’t worry and just go with the flow.”
“I think you’re getting it.” She kissed his cheek.
The music switched to a new song. A man’s voice crooned through the speakers.
Cassie’s gaze shot to the compact disc player then back to him. “The song.” She cocked her head and listened some more. “It’s from the movie we saw together, isn’t it?”
“Yep.” He grabbed her hand, kissed the backs of her fingers, pulled her up to her feet with him. “Dance with me?”
She stepped back, trailed a finger down the midline of his chest to the top of the patch of hair at his crotch. “I have a better idea.” Kneeling before him, she stroked his cock, then sucked it into her mouth.
It was a liberating to be naked in the midst of nature. He picked up on the soft scents of flowers, the spicy aroma of the dirt and trees, the fresh ocean scent wafting off Cassie. The feel of her warm moist mouth around him, sucking and licking was heaven.
She slid off him with a long lave of her tongue. “You’re feeling the pleasure, aren’t you?” Her fingers caressed him. “Not just from my mouth but the whole experience?”
Her low, hypnotic voice soothed him. He found himself relinquishing his control, let his thoughts roam free. “Relaxed. Yes.”
“Good. It’s nice letting go of your restraint, isn’t it? Realizing, there’s no escape until you surrender and know that you don’t really have control over life and others as you may think you do.”
“True.”
Her laughter echoed off the cliff walls and rocks. Her gust of breath swathed his cock.
Nerve endings fired off and twanged in sharp strums up his back and down his legs. On the one hand, he wanted to stop, control what she was doing but couldn’t. He was crazy. How did he end up naked, on
a rock, getting a blow job in the middle of the morning? What kind of example was he setting for his brother, for his employees?
He was the one who had to stay in control of his personal and professional life. He was the one who had to be strong and never show weakness to his family and employees. They all looked to him for guidance, leadership and the answers he sometimes didn’t have but came up with anyway. He couldn’t let go of his restraint, the authority and respect he worked so hard for.
She smacked his thigh with her hand, flicked his cock with a finger. “Your mind is still working. You’re wondering how you can let go. You think that if you do you’ll lose your effectiveness. Those thoughts aren’t serving you. Stop thinking. Just let them go.”
He glanced down at Cassie, raised an eyebrow. “How do you do it? How do you know what I’m thinking?”
“Because I’m good.” She latched back onto his cock, working it with the magic of her mouth, scraping her teeth along it just enough to be erotic but not hurtful.
He stroked the side of her head. The softness of her hair graced his palm. Maybe it was wrong to think he couldn’t show emotion, that he couldn’t trust others to do their jobs. Perhaps it was wrong to be such a control freak and equate it with strength. His obsession with micromanaging was causing him stress. If he didn’t change, he’d end up dead of heart problems like his grandfather.
What could be the worst that could happen if he gave up control? He’d probably be a happier, more relaxed guy. His being a control freak served no one, and in the grand scheme of the universe and time eternal, all his worrying wouldn’t matter in the long run. He let out a long breath through his nose, relaxed again.
Let her have control. It’d be a nice respite to release his restraint for once.
All thoughts fled his mind. A calm state of erotic delight filled him as he focused on the sultry mouth around his cock, continuing to lick, suck, stroke. His muscles released their tension.
The soft touch of her fingers grazed over his sides and hips as she stood and wrapped her arms around him, made them sway to the music.
Realization hit him as if he had dove belly first into the warm pond water. She had done it. She had stripped the one thing from him he thought he had an iron grip on, broke him from his stringent thought patterns. He didn’t care on such a deep, outlandish level what happened anymore. People would do what they wanted—like make love outside in the middle of the day. The only one he could control when it came to actions and feelings was himself. He smiled, hugged her tighter. It was a good lesson to learn.
The wind kicked up and brushed against him. He centered on the cool caress of the air, his nakedness, the soft curves of her body molding against his hard form. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was allowed to feel.
Though he thought he loved Cassie before this, he recognized his affection had still been based on an adolescent viewpoint. Infatuation. Puppy love. Now, as an adult, he knew he loved the woman. He appreciated her inner and outer beauty. He admired her strength and what she did in her life to make it what she wanted, though those choices until now had taken her away from him. She was smart, sassy, sensual… and his. He wanted to shout it from the top of the cliff that he loved Catherine Harding.
But why take a chance of someone coming to search out the noise. He chuckled.
When the song ended, she pulled back and gazed up at him. For the first time since he’d seen her on the ranch her expression was soft, almost vulnerable.
Her hand lovingly stroked his chest, toyed with the ring he wore on a chain around his neck.
Chapter Six
Cassie studied his body—the wonderful definition of his muscles, his cock with its red mushroom head slick with her saliva, his strong legs and arms. His non-verbal cues and relaxed state had alerted her that she had achieved her goal. He had crossed the threshold, given up control in this particular situation. She wrapped her arms around him again as the next song started. Her cheek rested against his chest.
Dakota tilted his head, put his chin on top of hers. A quiet peace seemed to have descended on him as he stood there with her. No longer did he fidget like mad, act like he was searching for the nearest patch of bushes to hide behind. She took a calming breath. He was a beautiful work of art. She palmed his chest, felt the hard planes of his pectorals, fingered the chain and ring around his neck.
Would it be possible to have a normal relationship and not have to give up certain hobbies if she were committed to one man? A man like Dakota?
His still hard cock pressed against her. She enjoyed running her tongue along its silky skin, tasting the salty bit of cum on its head. For a moment, she wondered if she should go down on him again.
Though it wasn’t a breaking session like the ones she used to perform once upon a time, he might still have a lot to process in terms of giving up control. She didn’t need to muddy the waters of his mind, or hers, even more with anymore sexual acts.
Hell, they hadn’t even discussed what they meant to each other yet. Were they just fooling around, no strings attached? Were they going steady? Did she have to worry about leading him on and possibly hurting him again?
She could categorize this time with him and their actions as just plain sex, like she did last night. A little bit of weekend fun. But then, they had a history. One he seemed fond of reminding her about.
He moaned, hummed, cleared his throat. “Now I understand why you seemed a bit dissatisfied last night,” his deep voice was quiet, calm. “You’re not used to old-fashioned lovin’ and a guy taking care of you.”
“That’s true.” Gazing at the ring again, she pictured her own that she had left on the bathroom counter in the cabin. His was an enhancer ring to go with hers, made of the same metal with two small sapphires on either side of a curve. The jewelry was supposed to be a symbol of promise between each other.
The fact he wore his half moved her almost to tears, chipped away more of her wall.
Images from her past assailed her. Their sudden impact left her breathless, froze her to her spot.
* * * *
The moment she thought she had an opening to escape from her family and the festivities around the fire pit, she snuck away. Happy there was enough moonlight to see her way through the trees, she waited until she walked a good distance before she pulled the compact flashlight out of her pocket and turned it on. A sense of urgency compelled her to run to the area where Dakota said he’d leave a bicycle. She was meeting him at their favorite spot at Shimmer Pond and was excited to see what the surprise was that he had planned.
Something had changed between them over the summer. He had started looking at her differently, like she was the only girl in the world. During the past week, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. Every time his image popped into her head a thrill rushed through her. When she wasn’t with him, she couldn’t wait until she could be. When she was with him, she yearned for a smile, a gentle touch on her arm or back. Her imagination wouldn’t leave her be. Scenarios of them kissing kept rushing through her mind. She couldn’t picture her world without Dakota Dougan in it.
Moments later she hit the trail with the bike, tore up the path toward the outcropping of rock in the water.
Dakota stood on the flat boulder surrounded by all shapes and sizes of flickering white candles. Their golden glow encompassed him. She sighed with girlish appreciation and clambered up to him.
“Good thing there’s no wind,” she joked, motioning to the light sources on the rock.
“Yeah, turned out well, didn’t it?” A charming grin ruffled his mouth. His eyes twinkled.
Her stomach flip flopped. He held out his hand. She placed hers in his. His fingers closed around hers. His thumb stroked the backs of them as he led her over to a flannel picnic blanket. A single red rose lay on the material next to a bag of chocolate kisses, a picnic basket, and a small blue box.
The magic of the night surrounded her. Cicadas buzzed. Desert foliage rustled. Stars pin
pricked the dark expanse of space and sparkled like jewels. Her last night on the ranch couldn’t have been more perfect. She sat across from him, trying to contain the butterflies flapping madly in her stomach.
He opened the picnic basket and pulled out two plastic champagne flutes and a can of lemonade. She took the drink he poured then offered. As she was about to take a sip, he pulled out a container of strawberries and fed her a piece.
“Mmm, sweet.”
“Like you.” He clinked his glass against hers. “Here’s to a wonderful summer and the hope that you’ll be back more often… like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, Easter—”
She held up a hand. “You know I can’t promise anything.”
“I know, but I can wish, can’t I?” The sparkle in his eyes turned to fire. He picked up the rose, gave it to her. “For you, my beautiful Cassie.”
She sniffed the flower. Its delicate perfume filled her nose. She committed the tastes and smells to memory so when she was back in New York she could remember her time with him.
Dakota snatched the box and flipped it open. Nestled on black fabric were two rings. One was a sterling silver Claddagh ring with a heart-shaped sapphire in the hands. The other was an enhancer ring, made to fit under the hands and heart. “I spent a year’s allowance having them specially made. The Claddagh’s for you. I want people back home to know your heart and love belong to me.” He handed her the box. “The thinner ring’s mine. Maybe one day they’ll be able to come together again on your finger.”
