by Claire Adams
“Have I told you how fantastic you look?” he asked.
“It wouldn’t hurt to tell me again,” I said, smirking.
“I think it’s just better if I show you,” he said, and he brought his lips back down onto mine as his hands roamed along my back.
Chapter 38
Colt
A massive snowstorm barreled through the county Christmas evening, and it dumped a shocking amount of snow. The barn door had to be shoveled out from under three feet of snow just so we could get in to feed them, and Cheyenne had spent the night. She panicked about not being able to get to her horses, but thank God she had neighbors who were generous enough to go feed them for her. There was no way she was getting home anytime soon, and we were both trapped at my house.
The howling wind that had thrown my truck off the road last night ceased to exist as the entire countryside shone in its dress of white. This area hadn’t seen snow like this in over a decade, and it was only a punctuation to the perfect holiday I had spent with Cheyenne at my side. I couldn’t imagine spending holidays any other way after having her for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and that’s when the reality of the situation dawned on my conscious mind.
There was still that job offer, and we hadn’t talked about it last night.
Granted, I didn’t want the date to alter her decision in any way. I didn’t want her to think that I was using the date as a tool to show her what she was leaving. I merely wanted to show her that she wasn’t alone. I wanted to show her that family was more than blood and didn’t always reside under the same roof. I wanted to show her that a community like this was a family because we rallied beside one another when someone needed it the most.
Yes, we bickered, and we fought, and we stuck our noses where they didn’t belong, but when push came to shove, and one of ours was being bullied and battered, we stepped up to the plate. Every single time.
I wanted to show Cheyenne that she had a family within this community. I wanted to show her she didn’t have to run anymore. If anything, I wanted to use that moment as a time to really make her see that if she took this job, she didn’t have to view it as running away. There was nothing she was running from anymore, and I wanted to empower her to make this decision based on what was good for her.
Not the bad that she still thought she was always fleeing from.
We hadn’t discussed the job offer, but I also got the distinct feeling from last night that she intended to stay. The dinner boasted pineapple ham, whipped garlic potatoes, and an array of sautéed and roasted vegetables. We all ate, talked, laughed, and learned about one another, and I got to see the light in Cheyenne’s eyes really return for the first time since her barn had first burned down. I saw the woman I was falling for, and it ripped me apart that I might actually have to let her go.
“It’s so beautiful,” Cheyenne said.
“And it really piled on last night.”
“How long do you think I’ll be trapped here?” she asked.
“I mean, I would hope you don’t actually feel trapped.”
“I just meant in terms of the horses. My neighbor will have to continue feeding them until I can get back,” she said.
“I’m sure they’ll be glad to help. Your neighbors only got a few chickens and a couple of goats. I’m sure they don’t feel burdened.”
“I hope not.”
I wrapped my arms around her tight frame while we watched the untouched snow glitter on the ground. Trees were covered, and the barn was practically hidden, and the only thing I could think of was the fact that, in a couple months, I might actually lose her.
“Cheyenne?” I asked.
“Yeah?”
“Have you thought any more about that job you were offered?”
She turned into my arms, tipping her head back, and I lost myself in the pool of her eyes. Never had a woman felt so natural and so perfect pressed to my body the way she was, and I knew if she left, I’d never find another woman like her. There was only one Cheyenne, and I had the pleasure of wooing her into my bed time and time again. She bared her body to me on several occasions, trusting me with not only her beauty but her pleasure, and the vulnerability I’d seen peppered along the curves of her skin would cry out for my lips.
All I wanted was to never go another day without being able to touch her.
“It’s a good thing we set up those heaters,” she said. I knew she was diverting away from the conversation, and I simply went with it. She had a lot on her mind, and whatever made her comfortable is what I wanted as well.
“If it makes you feel any better, I went around and checked all of them yesterday. Including yours.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Yep. I slipped out for a bit yesterday while you and Tiffany were napping on the couch. Michael helped me make sure they were all wired up and ready to go should more snow have dumped overnight.”
“God, you’re incredible,” she said breathlessly.
I stood there with her and surveyed the snow-covered world a little longer, but my nerves were absolutely shot. I couldn’t go into the New Year not knowing what was going to happen with Cheyenne, but she started in on the conversation before I could ask again.
“This job is everything I could’ve ever asked for,” she said.
“I know.”
“Financial security and more time with horses. I wouldn’t actually own the place, so I could devote all my time to what I love most.”
“I know,” I said.
“Rehabilitation and therapy are what I do, and they even have a summer program where children with debilitating diseases get to come and ride and learn about the horses. God, I would love something like that,” she said.
I felt my heart sink to my toes, and for the very first time, I clamped my arms down onto Cheyenne tighter than I’d realized. She yelped a bit, and I had to let go, but the whole of my body wanted to plant her in front of me and hang on. In that very moment, I knew she was going to take the job, and the woman I’d fallen in love with would be gone forever.
I’d fallen in love with Cheyenne, and I had no idea if I could let her go.
“But…if I’m careful with the funds from the auction, I could get by with my routine for the next two years before I had to worry. That would give me enough time to come up with other grants and streams of revenue to keep this place going, and there’s nothing stopping me from implementing my own little program for the kids around here.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah. Between the donations of things people had to offer, the donations you collected, and the proceeds from the silent auction, my barn is completely restocked. The money we garnered is just going to basic maintenance right now. If I wanted, I could take a bit of that money to advertise a summer program of my own. Not only would I be helping a community I love, but I’ll be surrounded by those that love me back.”
My eyes searched hers while my heart fluttered in my chest. She was actually considering staying, and all I needed her to do was say the words. I took her hands within mine and brought them to my lips. I was shaking with anticipation over what she would say, and her eyes sparkled with her smile as her cheeks slowly curved upwards.
“You mean the world to me, Colt. It wouldn’t be easy leaving you behind,” she said.
“Please just say it,” I said.
“I’m turning down the job offer. I actually placed the call late last night after the dinner.”
I threw my arms around her and picked her up off her feet. We swung around the kitchen while the world settled itself into its dance of white, and it began to snow again as I held her close to me. She was staying. She was staying with her sanctuary and staying in town and staying with the people she knew loved her more than anything in the world. She was staying with me.
“I love you, Cheyenne,” I murmured into her ear.
“I love you too.”
She wrapped her legs around my body, and I stood in the middle of my kitche
n and held her. The relief and love that cascaded down my limbs filled my body with a strength and security it hadn’t felt since I saw that man approach her at the auction, and my lips pressed small kisses onto every inch of her skin that I could reach. Her grip around my neck grew tighter, and her hips began to roll into me, and I knew exactly where I was taking her the moment I walked us out of the kitchen.
“I’m so happy you’re staying,” I said as I made my way up the stairs.
“How about showing me?”
Chapter 39
Cheyenne
He carried me up to his room, and I could feel his smile against my skin. All at once, my life felt as if it had jolted into place, and all that was left was for me to simply accept and embrace it. The winter wonderland had blanketed me into a home I had come to consider my own, and the man whose body I clung to woke me up every single morning with his body pressed solidly to mine. Memories of my past faded with every passing day I spent in this miraculous town, and I knew I had made the right decision.
Yes, the job would have provided me with financial security and taken much off my shoulders, but I would be starting all over. I’d have to earn the trust of an entire town again, and I didn’t know if I could. I would’ve been leaving behind the close friendships I’d cultivated during a scenario that was never again going to happen in my lifetime. An entire community had rallied behind me in a time when I didn’t know how I was going to push forward, and it was their love and support that had convinced me to reconsider and to see them through objectively.
But it was the love I had for the man undressing my body that convinced me to turn down the job. In a flurry of clothes and kisses, what stood before me was a man clad only in his skin. His sun-kissed muscles stood in stark contrast to the great white world that had descended upon us over Christmas, and as I drank him in with my eyes, I suddenly began to shiver.
My body needed him close. Like a bird drawn to the heavens, I wasn’t rooted without him. My nipples stood at their peaks, and my legs trembled underneath his gaze, but my body cried out for his merciful touch while we stood and looked at one another. The man I had fallen in love with worked hard every single day to bring a smile to my face, and my body and soul would forever be his, so long as his heart continued to pump that selfless energy through his veins.
His hand raised to cup my cheek, and I pressed my palms into his chest. His skin was warm to the touch and jumped underneath my softness. When his lips encompassed mine, my knees buckled underneath me. His tongue slipped through my depths just as his arms caught my falling body, pulling me deep into his world with every caress of his tongue against the roof of my mouth. My swirling mind ceased to operate, and the tune my body hummed grew into a crying chorus, searching for the chords only his body could sing in order to complete the special melody.
He laid my limp body down onto the bed and sunk between my legs, his merciless dick throbbing against the corners of my thighs while his lips slowly migrated down my neck.
“Oh, Colt,” I whispered. His name slipped easily off my lips, showering my skin below with promises of years to come. His hands slid along my skin, cupping my breasts and tweaking my nipples. He set my skin aflame with promises of pleasure while his lips wrapped around my puckered breasts. The way my body rolled into his gave away my entire state of mind, and when his fingertips parted the folds of my pussy, I sighed in glorious relief.
Never again would I have to part from the touch he afforded me, and never again would I have to question how much he cared. The way the tips of his fingers swirled around my clit boasted of the care and compassion he exuded for me, and the way his tongue teased my nipple to its hardest bragged of the wanton lust that flowed between us. Even at his dirtiest, he was beautiful to me, and when I rolled into his hand, he continued his kisses down my stomach.
“So beautiful,” he said.
I ran my hands through his hair while my pussy began to soak his hand. The fingers that were teasing my body slowly pushed through my tight entrance, and when his tongue landed in the very spot I desperately needed him to be, it shook the very foundation I was laying on.
I would spread myself over an altar for all the world to see if it meant feeling this way in his arms.
“Oh, Colt,” I groaned. His tongue flattened out against my clit before he raked it side to side. He crooked his fingers against the walls of my body, feeling around for that perfect angle, and when I gushed all over his hand, I felt his smile against my skin. He sucked my swollen bud between his lips and pressed his face deep into my core, and my legs wrapped around his head and locked him in for the ride.
I bucked and I writhed while his tongue danced along my clit, and the more he pressed into me, the warmer my body became. His tongue was a match swiping over my slit, and when his tongue burst into flames, I felt my pelvis begin to burn. He had learned every single spot I enjoyed. The ones that made me soaked and the ones that made me beg for mercy. I gripped his hair and pulled him close, and when my pussy began to clamp around his fingers, he gave me one last lick.
His name caught in the knot of pleasure choking my throat. My back arched into him, and my legs shook around his cheeks. Never in my life had I experienced such mind-numbing pleasure than when at the mercy of Colt’s body, and as he rode through my orgasm, I felt a light sheen of sweat begin to cover my body.
I heaved for the cold winter air howling against the windows. The snow was battering the house, and ice was tinkling as it broke off from the gutter. Colt climbed back up over me before he encompassed my lips with his. My tongue licked his lips, tasting myself on him as I shook in his wake, and he slowly slipped into me without a second thought while my body continued to recuperate from the pleasure he had just afforded me.
“I love you, Cheyenne,” he said. His voice was low and rough, like his truck that rolled over the gravel of my driveway. He slowly slipped into my pussy, stoking the fire he had set between my legs as the embers of my heart began to swell. I enveloped his body with my flame while the ice continued to gather outside, and when we easily found our rhythm and rocked against one another, I could feel how his body was shaking against me.
His muscles were expanding and contracting against my skin with every thrust his body took. With his hands planted next to my head and his eyes locked onto mine, all I could think about were the thick slabs of muscle my fingernails were digging into. His arms flexed, and his back churned. His legs pumped, and his pelvis snapped. His breath fed me, and his groans stoked the fire, and it wasn’t until I lifted my shoulders to capture his lips that he collapsed onto my body and lost himself in my skin.
Bite after bite was left across my shoulders, neck, and chest. His hips pumped furiously into mine while my legs hooked over his calves, and his hands pinned my wrists above my head, exposing the whole of my body to him. He fed on me—devoured me—like a vulture who had finally descended on its dinner, and I was dead in the water when his dick twitched inside me.
“Fuck, Cheyenne,” he said.
“I love you, Colt,” I said breathlessly. “I love you so much. Please, don’t stop.”
The bed bucked against the wall, and our bodies rammed together. Our teeth clattered together in sloppy kisses while bite marks raised themselves on my skin. I could see the welts from where my nails had raked his body, and I could feel the way his feet were digging into the mattress. When my head became dangerously close to the headboard, he released my wrists and cupped my head for safety.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered. “You’re alright.”
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and locked my legs around his waist, and I knew the moment I latched onto him he was done for. His hips barreled deep into mine before all of his actions stilled, and his thick cock jumped with every pump of his orgasm that painted my body with his mark. I smiled into his skin and dragged my lips along the thickness of his shoulder, reveling in his strength and admiring his raw beauty.
He collapsed onto me, panting for ai
r while he shook in the afterglow of his own orgasm, and all I could do was hold him close. I ran my fingers through his hair as I felt him slowly slide out from between my legs, but this time I didn’t feel the need to go clean myself up.
All I wanted to do was hold him.
“I love you, Colt.”
He lifted his head and pressed his lips into mine, and then I felt his telltale smile creep across his lips.
“I love you, too, Cheyenne,” he repeated.
“Are you glad I’m staying?” I asked.
“Is that really a question?”
“I suppose I just want to hear it,” I admitted.
He rolled me over with my legs straddling his hips while I felt him grow against the access between my thighs.
“Why don’t I just show you?” he said, grinning broadly.
Then he slid into me once again without a second thought.
Epilogue
Colt
The wind was howling in the trees, signaling the beginning of fall—now Cheyenne’s favorite time of the year—and I was beat. The restaurant was thriving now more than ever, and we had even expanded our hours to include breakfast during the week and brunch on Sundays. People would flood the restaurant before scooting on up the road to the church, and it made for some very chaotic days. I was ready to get home and wrap the whole of my arms around Cheyenne, who I knew could use a foot massage at this point.
I parked the truck and hopped on out, but a movement caught my eye through the window. Cheyenne was bent over, no doubt trying to fiddle with something I told her to leave be, and for a second, I just stood there. I admired the sweat dripping from her brow and simply took in her glowing skin. I knew she was uncomfortable and ready for this entire part of her life to be over, but I was relishing every second. I enjoyed waking her up with my face planted between her legs. I enjoyed giving her foot rubs that made her moan like I had wrapped the whole of my lips around her toes. I loved the hot baths we took together and the massages she begged for on her lower back that almost always led to licking up her drippings as they ran down her leg.
