Caged Songbird

by Avery Gale

  He’d heard her soft gasp of surprise when they’d rounded the corner, and she’d gotten her first look at Crystal Lake. This spot was the one place Colt could always find peace. He’d visited the lake anytime the walls of life closed in on him. And he’d spent many nights lying under the stars wondering if he’d ever feel as if he’d found his path.

  Colt had always known full time ranching wasn’t for him—he’d also known his career as a professional bull rider wouldn’t last forever, although he certainly hadn’t expected it to end nearly as soon as it had.

  Now, looking across the narrow cab at Josie, he was grateful he’d used their old Chevy pickup because she was seated within reach. The blue beast might be a nineteen fifties model, but the Morgan brothers kept their grandfather’s pride and joy in pristine condition. Each and every one of them had used the truck for dates over the years, and it had acquired a few important modifications making it perfect for what Colt had in mind. Reaching over, he brushed the backs of his fingers down the curve of her cheek. “A penny for your thoughts, songbird. What’s put that distant look in your eyes?”

  Even in the semi-darkness, Colt saw her eyes fill with unshed tears. Calling on his years of training as a Dom, he managed—barely—to refrain from pulling her into his arms and promising everything would be fine. Assurances he couldn’t possibly give her weren’t what she needed, and his gut told him these weren’t sad tears. “It’s breathtaking, Colt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful.”

  He understood exactly how she felt, he’d traveled extensively and never seen anything that compared to the splendor of what was essentially his backyard. Sliding his hand around the back of her neck, Colt cradled the base of her skull in the palm of his hand and gently pulled her closer.

  He kept his fingers above her nape in hopes the position conveyed an entirely different message than it would have if he’d slid his hand down even an inch or two. He wanted to slowly begin introducing her to his lifestyle and her reaction to the small hint of bondage was telling. She hadn’t resisted his firm hold; in fact, her breathing had accelerated perfectly. “You’re right, love. This is my favorite place on the entire ranch. This is where I come when I need to reset.”

  Flexing his fingers, he felt the muscles at the base of neck relax. He wasn’t sure if it was the gentle, flexing massage of his fingers or the lake itself—because the hidden mountain jewel had certainly always had that effect on him. Pointing to a tree-lined piece of land jutting out into the water, he confided, “Just around that bend is a small cave. It’s fairly well hidden, and it was always one of our favorite hideouts if mom was looking for us. I’m not sure, but I’d bet she knew where we were. She probably let us hide for our own protection.”

  “I can’t imagine how hard it had to be raising five boys. And despite that traumatic experience, she seemed remarkably well-adjusted when I met her at the wedding. Considering what you must have put her through, I’d say that’s pretty remarkable,” she teased.

  “You have no idea. But dad never let us get too far out of line, he backed her all the way, even when I suspected he didn’t agree with her decision. They were a team in every sense of the word. I don’t think I’ve ever known another married couple who worked as well together.”

  Silence fell between them, and he was surprised how comfortable he felt beside her, enjoying the beauty surrounding them without filling the silence with conversation. He enjoyed knowing they could enjoy each other’s company without idle chit-chat. Several minutes passed before he finally broke the silence. “When the moon rises you’re in for a real treat. But until then, I have something else to show you, come.”

  The air was cooling quickly, and he wanted to get her settled in the back of the truck before it was too chilly. He wouldn’t worry about getting her out in the cool air, he planned to simply wrap her up in the blankets and drive her home without letting her dress again. With the tailgate down, Colt flipped the soft covering off the surprises he’d secreted in the truck bed before she’d joined him outside.

  The picnic basket held everything they needed for a romantic dinner under the stars. Cheese, bread, and wine were perfect for stargazing. He knew the temperature was dropping, but his plans would push that discomfort from her mind quickly. Flashbacks of the inferno they’d created the night of Sage and Coral’s wedding streamed through his mind, and it took everything he had not to throw his carefully structured plan aside to pursue a pleasure far more immediate.

  Josie looked at the soft bed in the back of the truck and grinned at him. “You’re kidding me, right? We’re going to sleep out here?”

  “No. I have no intentions of sleeping.” He waited a few seconds for his meaning to sink in before adding, “Strip, songbird. And you best not waste any time. It’s getting cooler by the minute.” He saw her stiffen slightly—he doubted the Josephine Alta the world knew had a submissive bone in her body. But Josie, the soft, sexy woman standing in front of him craved the comfort of having someone else make decisions.

  If she could let go, Colt would show her a level of pleasure he’d bet his interest in heaven she’d never experienced. He watched her closely and between one blink and the next, Josie made a decision. Even in the dim light, Colt saw her eyes brighten at what she knew lay ahead.

  She slid between the blankets a split second before he followed. Christ in heaven, her skin felt like warm silk gliding against him. “Fuck me. I’d planned to feed you and then show you all the splendor of the Montana sky before making sweet love to you under the full moon. I wanted tonight to be a memory you’d hold close to your heart for the rest of your life. But Jesus, Joseph, and sweet mother Mary, right now all I can think about is sliding balls deep into your sweet heat and losing myself in you until we’ve both given our sanity over to the stars.” Colt felt his heart squeeze at the truth of his words. The sentiment had come directly from the depths of his soul.

  What he hadn’t said was how much he wanted to make a memory he’d take joy in reminding her of in the years to come. Almost as if he could see into their future, he knew he’d take great pleasure from the teasing reminders as they sat in well-worn rocking chairs on their front porch. They’d be watching their grandchildren play in their front yard, and she’d shush him as her cheeks flushed at the sweet memories.

  He could see the entire scene playing out in his mind—their family would gather for holidays and each year there would be an addition or two to the brood. Before long there would be flag football games, forts by the creek, and young lovers stealing away for special moments here by the water’s edge. Boyfriends and girlfriends would find out how the Morgans’ celebrated everything from Valentine’s Day to Independence Day to Christmas.

  Birthdays would always be a big deal—balloons and streamers with cake and ice cream chosen by the guest of honor. And through it all, he and Josie would stay by each other’s side, watching as the tapestry of life wove itself around them with the most vivid threads possible. The scene playing out in his head was so perfect Colt was startled back to the moment by a sound he hadn’t expected to hear.

  Josie giggled. He couldn’t fucking believe it. He’d just spouted a bunch of romantic drivel worthy of a damned movie script, and she’d laughed. Rolling her over and pinning her wrists to each side of her head, his knees alongside her hips, and his cock pressing against her lower abdomen, Colt smiled at her surprised gasp. “Want to tell me what’s so funny, my little captured songbird?”

  He’d tried to pitch his voice low enough it would hide his amusement, but he wasn’t sure he’d succeeded. She had a way of humbling him, she could level the playing field when he’d never allowed another woman to even try. He wasn’t a hard ass as a Dom, but he’d certainly never been a push-over, either.

  Josie’s eyes widened in wary surprise, but then he saw a rare glimpse of unease flicker in them before she answered. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to be rude. It just struck me as funny that a man whose entire life has centered on m
anly pursuits, as my granny used to say, would be able to paint such a detailed picture with his words. You really should think about writing lyrics.” When his frustration rumbled deep in his throat, she shook her head. “I wasn’t laughing at your words; I was laughing at the irony.”

  Leaning down, Colt ran his lips over the sensitive skin beneath her ear. The lingering scent of citrus was now mixed with an intoxicating combination of mountain air and soft, sensual woman. She was quickly becoming an addiction he wasn’t interested in ever curing. “I’ll show you irony, songbird. And I’d love to write music with you. Let’s start with a tune about countless orgasms under a black velvet sky sprinkled with sparkling diamonds.” With one quick canting of his hips, he slid balls deep into her wet heat. Her slick walls rippled around him, and he wanted to smile. She’d been wet and ready despite their casual conversation. Good to know she is as affected by me as I am by her.

  “Now, baby girl, I’m trying to decide whether we should just take the edge off and then enjoy everything I had planned, or if I should stay inside you until we are both too exhausted to move further than the picnic basket.” He wasn’t really struggling with the decision at all. They were both already teasing a diagnosis of pyromania—things were so hot between them he wouldn’t have been surprised if they spontaneously burst into flames. He wanted to give her the romantic night she deserved, but neither was going to be able to think about anything else until they got this first round out of the way.

  He felt the muscles of her vaginal walls ripple and pulse around him, and she sucked in a breath when he slowly swiveled his hips. Repeating the motion with a little more force brought on another clench of her muscles, this one even stronger than before. “Hang on, songbird, this isn’t going to be an eight second ride, but it is going to be damned hard and fast.”

  The wash of liquid heat he felt bathe his cock was the answer to his unasked question. Her body’s anticipation and acceptance were all he needed. Colt tilted his hips so each deep thrust pushed the tip of his cock against her cervix, the hard ridge surrounding the head sliding over her G-spot.

  Colt made no move to cover her mouth with his—hearing her sweet, lyrical voice echoing around them had been part of the reason he’d wanted to make love to her out here. He’d never heard a woman come so beautifully. Hell, she’d sounded like an angel singing an acapella benediction each time he’d sent her over the edge, and he made sure she came twice before he joined her for the finale.

  He looked forward to her sweet melodious shouts skimming over the water and bouncing off the mountain tops as she surrendered to the pleasure he planned to bring her for many years to come. It had only taken seconds after she’d come the second time before she was teetering on the razor’s edge of her third orgasm. He leaned close and spoke against the shell of her ear and felt her shudder clear to the depths of his soul. “Let go, Josie. One more time, baby. Come for me, songbird.”

  Her response was immediate; Colt hadn’t been prepared for the intensity of her release, and she pulled him into the abyss with her. Brilliant white fireworks exploded behind his eyelids, and he knew his shout hadn’t been nearly as sweet sounding as hers. Colt had wanted to feel her come one more time before he let go and she’d leveled him with the intensity of her orgasm. He hadn’t lost control since he’d been a kid. Hell, if the other Doms at the club had seen what he’d just done, he’d never hear the end of it.

  Josie tried to pull in gasping gulps of air hoping the oxygen would clear the fog swirling around in her head. She was absolutely certain the climaxes she’d just experienced had sent all of her functioning brain cells into hibernation. Nothing mattered but the pleasure and she was very much enjoying the feeling of all those wonderful happy endorphins free-floating around in her brain. Before he’d stolen her sanity, Colt had mentioned eating, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to lift her hand to her mouth, let alone hold anything. Holy Hannah, even chewing and swallowing sounding like daunting tasks. Maybe in a few hours after I recover.

  During the months since first meeting Colt, Josie managed to convince herself her memories of the sex were grossly exaggerated. After all, it really couldn’t have been that incredible. Since she hadn’t had sex in longer than she wanted to admit, she’d persuaded herself the memory was tainted by her stint of celibacy.

  Boy, had she ever told herself a whooper. If anything, they were more sexually combustible now than they’d been the first time. Her body was literally vibrating from the intensity of her release. And, Josie wasn’t sure she’d ever felt as vulnerable as she did now. I opened my soul and let him waltz right in. What the hell was I thinking?

  As her brain cells began functioning again, Josie realized Colt had rolled them to the side, but he was still inside her. Insatiable man. “Holy hell. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to keep up with you. And I work out…a lot! You’re going to have to feed me if we’re going to do that again…and I’m really hoping we do.”

  Reaching behind him, he pulled out a small towel and used it to clean them up before setting out the plates of food and pouring the wine. “I’m usually a beer and pizza guy, but Phoenix insisted we needed wine to bring out the flavor of the cheese and to enhance the strawberries which are buried in the bottom of the cooler. Sounded like a load of horse shit to me, but there you have it.”

  Josie snorted a laugh before coughing and choking on the sip of wine she’d taken. Waving him off when he reached for her, he could see tears of laughter streaming down her cheeks. “Please tell me you have beer in that cooler. My manager is always trying to get me to drink wine. I’ve tried, but I just really don’t much like it. I always feel like I’m at communion or eating dinner with my parents…and both of those things were equally dull.”

  Colt grabbed her glass, dumped the wine from both their glasses over the edge of the truck’s bed before digging back into the ice chest. Producing two cans of his favorite beer, they toasted their mutual dislike for sophisticated beverages, and settled back to watch the celestial light show. And as usual, the Montana sky didn’t disappoint.

  “Do you ever look up and wonder who else is out there?” Josie paused because she wasn’t sure whether or not to continue…not everyone was as free thinking as she was. Mentally shrugging, she decided it was probably better for Colt to find out now rather than later how out there her thinking was at times.

  Sighing, she decided to plunge in with both feet. “It doesn’t seem reasonable to me to assume we’re the best the Universe could come up with.” Josie hadn’t meant for her comment to sound so cynical, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t the truth. She’d grown up in an ultra-conservative household where any challenge to mainstream thinking was quickly suppressed.

  Church hadn’t been a place to ask questions, and it certainly hadn’t been a place to explore all she now knew spirituality encompassed. For her family, church had been all about being seen in the right place at the right time. Social networking always trumped their daughter’s seeming insatiable need for information. Questions about anything other than how she could improve her parents’ social or economic standing were strictly forbidden. For a free spirit like Josie, the entire experience had been an exercise in frustration.

  Colt laughed. “All the damned time. And I agree it would be monumentally arrogant to believe we’re the only intelligent beings in existence. Actually, it would be downright frightening. Hell, if only one planet in every universe has intelligent life there would be millions of other beings out there.” Chuckling softly, he added, “My best guess is they’ve visited and decided we aren’t worth their time.”

  Chapter Six

  Colt settled Josie against him, adjusting the blankets and switching on the music. He’d put together a very specific play-list, and he was anxious to hear her reaction to his choices. The first song to play was an old John Denver favorite. When the first strains of Poems, Prayers, and Promises started to play Josie rolled toward him so quickly, the blanket fell away giving him a hard-on in
ducing view of her tightly peaked nipples. Her hand splayed over his chest, and Colt wondered if she could feel the way his body responded to her touch.

  “This is one of my favorite songs. The melody is soothing and the lyrics so very meaningful.” He wanted to smile at the wistful note he heard in her voice. “And John Denver’s voice is timeless. I’d love to know my music was going to speak for me long after I’ve passed on. What an amazing gift that is to his children. Can you imagine being able to hear your dad sing to you with just the press of a button? And to be able to experience it when he was taken from you too soon would make it even more special.”

  Her heartfelt words rendered him completely speechless for several seconds. Colt wasn’t sure if it was being hit with the ice cold realization he’d someday have to live his life without his own dad or if it was her insight into the gift another performer had given his family. But for several heartbeats, he wasn’t able to speak around the lump in his throat. Before he could respond, Josie leaned down and brushed a soft kiss against his lips. “I don’t know how you knew, but thank you. Knowing we have similar eclectic tastes in music makes my heart happy.”

  When she lay back down beside him, she was so close the heat from her satin-smooth skin warmed him all the way to the deepest part of his soul—the part he’d worried would never find a woman he wanted to claim as his own. But now that he’d found her, would they be able to find a compromise between their lifestyles? He’d never wanted the ranch to be the center of his life, but he had no desire to live in the city either.

  Looking toward the heavens, Colt couldn’t imagine a worse torture than being forced to live in a place where you couldn’t see the stars at night. Montana was known as the Big Sky state for a reason, and his mom swore a piece of that sky was planted in your soul if you were lucky enough to be born here.