by Kim Loraine
My phone buzzes with an incoming text. Excitement builds in my chest when I see it’s from Lark.
I need you…soon.
I can’t stop my grin. I need her too. So damn much it hurts.
Tomorrow after my shift. Pack a bag. I’m keeping you for two straight days.
13
Travis
“Ryker, you joining us for breakfast this morning?” Chief Long calls on his way out to his car. Just like always, I turn the guys down. But this time, it’s not because I want to get home and be alone. This time, I have someone waiting on me. His daughter.
I put on my Stetson and keep my gaze off him and the other guys in my crew. I can’t look them in the eyes as I head off to take Lark to my bed for two straight days.
Because there’s no question about it, That’s exactly my plan. I don’t want to let her out of my sight.
She’s waiting for me when I pull onto her street, her overnight bag in one hand, a smile on her perfect lips. Fucking butterflies fill my stomach when I stop the truck. No one has ever made me feel the way she does.
She tosses her bag in the bed of my truck and opens the door before I can even get out and come around to help her.
“Eager, sweetness?”
Her eyes sparkle. “I missed you.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. Didn’t you miss me?”
“Do you know how hard it was for me not to go after you once you left? It was torture to stay on for the rest of my shift. I’ve never called out sick a single day in my life, but I wanted to more than anything just so I could get back to you.”
Her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink, and she toys with the frayed edge of her shorts. “Really?”
I take her hand and thread our fingers as I drive. Then I bring her knuckles to my lips and kiss them softly. “Really.”
She glances down at our joined hands. “I have to tell you something.”
My heart lurches. “What?”
“Declan knows.”
Flexing my jaw, I sigh. “Yeah, he told me.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to enjoy these next two days together.”
She pulls her hand free of mine. “And then what?”
“Then we decide if this is more.”
“More than a fling?”
“Yeah.”
She goes quiet and looks away from me, staring out the window. I don’t know what to say, how to gauge what she wants. So I’m going with my gut. And my gut says there’s more to us than sex. It might be too soon. I might be carrying the weight of my divorce on my shoulders sure as she’s carrying her trauma, but I wasted enough time with a woman I thought was my forever because I didn’t know enough to see we were wrong for each other. I’m not going to ignore what I feel for Lark. I want to be with her. I ache for her. I’ve never had a yearning for someone the way I yearn for her.
The next two days are going to prove to me what I already know. Lark is the start of something new. She might be the start of my future. If I take the leap and give us a real fighting chance.
Lark
“We’re not going to your house?” I ask as we leave the city limits.
“Nope. I think it’s important for you and me to have time away together. We need to be able to focus on each other, not be worried about being seen.”
That sounds like exactly what I need. Him and me. No interruptions. Just...us. “So, you think this will do...what?”
“Help us figure out what’s goin’ on between us, darlin’. Talking to Declan…it made me wonder about some...things.”
“Like what?”
“Well, it’s clear as day that this is more than a couple of rolls in the hay. I think we need to explore that.”
I giggle. Exploring anything with him sounds like exactly what I want. Travis Ryker can explore every part of me. “So, where are we going to do this exploring?”
“Somewhere quiet and peaceful. Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered. I may be a country boy, but I still know how to sweep a girl off her feet.”
“Is this what dating you is going to be like?”
He stiffens, but takes a long breath. “Yeah, guess it is.”
My fingers itch to lace with his. “I think I like this arrangement.”
A smile quirks up his lips as we continue on the path to this secret destination. I like him like this, relaxed and happy. He seems like a weight has been lifted from his shoulders, like he’s free. Honestly, for the first time in a long time, I feel the same.
For the hour and a half we’re in the car, he barely takes his hand of my knee, and I can’t keep the faint smile off my lips. This is what I want all the time. Him and me together.
“Here we are,” he murmurs, pulling down a sandy road. We round a corner and come to a secluded beach cottage on a bluff.
“What is this place?”
He shrugs just slightly. “My cousin owns it. He said I could use it whenever I wanted. Thought you might like a little beach house away from it all. No people, no crowds, nothing but you and me and the sand and surf.”
Parking the truck, he sighs contentedly. I unbuckle my seatbelt and slide closer to him, running my fingers across his thigh. He chuckles. “Don’t you wanna get in the house first, darlin’?”
“Can’t we fool around in the car and the house?”
“We can fool around wherever you want. This is a private beach. I’ll have you ride me under the stars tonight if you ask for it.”
My body goes tight at the rough, dirty tone. Yes. I’ll ride him like a stallion if given the chance. “I’ve never…”
“I’ll teach you how to keep from getting bucked off.”
“Something tells me that won’t be a problem.”
He cups the back of my head and pulls me close, his mouth a breath away from my own. “I want to kiss you, sweetness.”
“Then why don’t you?”
“I have no fucking clue.” Then he takes my lips and kisses me like he’s never going to have another chance. His tongue dances with mine, teasing and tasting me, promising what he’ll do to other parts of me later. There’s desperation behind the kiss. Want. We haven’t had each other in days but it feels like months.
I break the kiss and press my forehead to his, both of us breathing heavily. “Inside?”
“Hell, yes. Then I want you naked.”
Grinning, I bite my lower lip and flutter my eyelashes at him before whispering, “Yes, daddy.”
His answering groan sends a thrill straight between my legs. “Don’t play with me, little girl.”
“Who says I’m playing?”
I open my door and step out of the pickup, and he’s right behind me. His hand slides up my back, over my shoulder before he grips me and spins me around. Snagging the overnight bag from the back, he hands it to me and smirks. His free hand slips down to my waist. He pulls me against him, pressing the hard length of his rigid cock against my belly. Oh, now who’s playing?
The cry of a seagull and the crash of waves are the only sounds out here. Peaceful calm. That’s what he’s given me. He broke through the constant noise even a small town can generate and delivered me the absolute safety I’ve been craving. He always knows what I need, sometimes even before I do. I don’t know how he does it.
“It’s too bad you don’t have a place for Ben out here. I’ve always wanted to go horseback riding on the beach.”
He takes off his hat and settles it on my head. “Look at that. I made you into a cowgirl already.”
Amusement bubbles in my chest and escapes as a laugh. “I’m sorry to say this, but my love of horses started way back when I was five and my mom read me Misty of Chincoteague.”
He cocks a brow. “Are you sure you’re old enough to even know what that book is? I figured you’d have been more of a My Little Pony generation.”
“Oh! Now who’s making the age jokes?”
Pressing me up against the truck, he tilts the hat up and stares
at me with something like wonder. “How did I ever find you?”
My palms trail up his chest until I thread my fingers together behind his neck. “I’m pretty sure you crashed into me. Remember?”
“I’m fucking lucky.”
Heart light, I smile and pull him down for a kiss. “You really are.” I murmur the words against his lips.
Hands gripping my ass, he lifts me and walks us to the front door. “Enough of this torture. I need you.”
I’m back on my feet only so he can pull out a keyring and unlock the door. Then, with a stormy look in his eyes, he tugs me inside. “I’ll give you the tour later.”
“I just want to see the bedroom. That’s all I care about right now.”
“Look, horses,” I say, pointing down the beach to where there are two beautiful steeds tied to the back of a trailer. “Too bad you couldn’t bring Ben.”
There’s no one around, but someone had to have brought them out. There’s a horse trailer, a truck, and both of them are saddled up and ready for a ride. “A beach ride is one of the things I can’t get in Montana.” Travis links our hands and pulls me toward the truck. “Come on. Let’s go say hi.”
Anxiety creeps up my throat, but I take a deep breath and calm myself. This is fine. We are fine. As we get closer, I inspect the bigger horse and furrow my brow. “That one looks a lot like Ben.”
Travis grins like a kid in a candy store. “That’s because it is.”
“What? Why is he here?”
Shrugging, he says, “I thought we could take a ride, out in the open.”
“You did this?”
A laugh rumbles deep in his chest. “I got one of the ranch hands to bring Ben and Hank’s wife said you could use Flicker. There’s no way in hell anyone’d bring my horse out here without my permission.”
My cheeks burn as embarrassment rushes through me. “Oh, right. God, that was stupid of me.”
He stops us in our tracks, turns me to face him, and stares down at me. “Hey, don’t talk like that. It was a surprise. Of course you wouldn’t know.”
“We don’t have the right shoes for this,” I say, looking down at my sandy feet. “We don’t have any shoes.”
A wink is my only answer as we get closer to the waiting horses. The driver’s side door of the truck swings open, and a young guy hops out of the cab, a smile on his face. He looks about my age and he clearly has a strong case of hero worship going on for Travis.
“Hey, Travis. Everyone’s ready to go. Boots and socks are in here.” He hands Travis a bag and grins even wider.
“Thanks, Parker.” Travis’ voice is warm and kind. “I really appreciate you using your day off to do this.”
Parker shrugs. “I have to study anyway. This way I can get some peace and quiet away from my little brother.”
“Study? Isn’t it summer break?”
“I’m trying to get ahead, so I’m doing the online program without stopping.”
That piques my interest. “What school are you going to?”
“It’s the SU satellite campus in Greenvale.”
My stomach clenches. “I didn’t know they had an online program.”
“Yeah. Saved my ass.”
Travis squeezes my hand gently, and clears his throat. “Well, we’ll let you get back to studying. We’ve got a couple of horses who are itching to run down that beach.”
Ben stomps his feet as if in answer, and I laugh. Once the two of us are seated, Parker gets back in the truck and Travis and I lead our horses to the water. It doesn’t take long before I’m feeling confident on Flicker’s back, and soon we’re taking it at a trot down the empty beach. We ride in peace and quiet for at least an hour, neither one of us needing to talk. It’s a wonderful feeling to be in tune with my horse, to be calm and safe and with the one person I want more than anything. I don’t want to go back to the way things were in the real world.
Walking our horses side by side, we head back the way we came so Parker can get them to the ranch. After dropping them off and saying goodbye, we stroll, barefoot again, hand in hand toward the little cottage. “I wish we could stay here forever,” I whisper.
“Nah, then it wouldn’t be special. This is where I come to get away from everything, not to bring real life with me.”
“Am I not real life for you?”
His jaw clenches but he stays silent for a few beats. My heart sinks. “You’re real, Lark. I just…I haven’t had a relationship with anyone other than Gina. It’s almost like I’m learning it all again. Fuck, maybe I am. I was a kid when I met her. We were fourteen years old. She’s all I’ve known for more than half my life.”
“Maybe you’re not ready.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t give me an out. I’m not trying to get you to let me go, I’m just trying to explain why I might say the wrong thing or put my foot in my mouth. I want you. I need you. I just don’t know how fast or slow this should all go.”
I shrug. “I think it goes whatever speed feels right, Trav. There isn’t a rule. I know people who fell in love the day they met, others who fell slowly over time. It’s different for everyone, but who’s to say one way is right or wrong?”
“You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”
My chest swells with pride. “So are you.”
The sun is high in the sky, bathing us in warmth. My stomach growls in the least sexy way possible, making us both laugh.
“Come on, I need to feed you. You’re gonna need your energy for later.”
I cock a brow. “What’s later?”
“I’ve got a thing or two to teach you.”
A thrill runs through me. “Like how to ride a cowboy?”
“You’re already pretty good at that, darlin’.”
“Practice makes perfect.”
He smirks. “Damn right, it does.”
I wake up with a strong arm draped across my middle and a thick cock pressed against my thigh. Oh, I could get used to this. Travis murmurs in his sleep, pulling me closer as he does, and I sigh happily. Until my bladder has other ideas.
Warm sunlight streams in through the picture window, the only view of sandy beach and clear blue ocean. God, this is like our very own little haven. A place we can just be us without worrying about who we might be hurting.
Slipping from his hold before I sit up, I mourn the loss of his touch instantly. The man has a hold on me even when he’s right here within my grasp. I stand and stride, naked and unashamed, to the adjoining bathroom. He’s still asleep when I come back into the room, and I can’t help but stop and stare at his handsome face. The shadow of a beard on his jaw gives him an even more rugged look, and I wonder what he’d look like if he really let it grow. But honestly? I know exactly what I’d see. He’s the most gorgeous man I’ve ever known.
“You keep staring like that and you’ll give me a complex, darlin’.” His low grumble makes my heart lurch.
“I’m just admiring my cowboy.”
He opens his eyes and smirks. “Yours?”
I cock a hip and a thrill runs through me at the way he watches my breasts bounce. “You’d better not be teaching any other girls how to ride.”
“Never.”
As he sits up, his abs ripple, the defined ridges getting even deeper. God, I want to lick them. Maybe I will. He runs a hand through his dark hair and sighs. “I haven’t napped in the middle of the day since…I don’t know when.”
“A good nap can do wonders for a weary heart.” I repeat the words on instinct as I dress. “My mom always used to say that.”
“She was right.” He grabs his jeans from the floor and a little part of me is sad to see him putting clothes on his gorgeous body. “It’s late afternoon. What do you say to a little time on the beach?”
I grin. “I say that’s exactly what we need.”
“Good.”
In a few minutes we’re strolling hand in hand with our feet in the surf. “Did you have a rough night?” I ask, keeping my gaze on the empty beac
h in front of us.
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s a look I recognize. Your eyes are tired, a little sad.”
He chuckles. “Sometimes it’s so easy to forget you know what my life is like.”
“Not as well as some. I’ve only had a few years of it.”
“More than most.”
“True.”
“We had a hard call last night. A kid. It’s always so fucking hard when it’s kids.”
My stomach twists at the ragged sound of his voice. “What happened?”
“He’s okay. We weren’t sure for a little while there, but Hamilton got him breathing again.”
“How old?”
“Just under a year. Shit, I shouldn’t be telling you stuff like this.” Brows furrowed, he stops walking and looks out at the ocean. “I never had kids, but I can’t imagine the fear those parents were carrying.”
“You wanted them though?”
“Yeah. It’s why I quit the rodeo circuit, stopped competing and got a real job. I wanted to support and build a family, and do something to help my community.”
“So you became a firefighter.”
He nods. “Yep. I left my job as a ranch hand on my uncle’s ranch, stopped trying to rope and ride professionally, and settled down.”
“And?”
Shrugging, he turns back to face me. “And she left me because the life I gave her wasn’t enough. It took her fourteen fucking years, but she did it.”
“Your life is more than enough, Travis. You help people. You care about people. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“Therapy must be rubbing off on you at least a little, sweetness. I’ve heard that line before.”
I laugh. “It works. I won’t even charge you for it.”
Eyes twinkling with mischief, he growls and bends down before grabbing the backs of my thighs and tossing me over his shoulder. Classic firefighter. I squeal and laugh and squirm as he runs down the beach with me in his arms. Then, when I can’t breathe because I’m laughing so hard, he finally puts me down and cups my jaw with one palm.
“You’re everything I’ve been looking for. It just took me a lot of wasted years to find you.”
