by Kim Loraine
That eases some of my worry, making my heart light. But she had him for seventeen years, more if I count their time together before they got married. It can’t be that easy to cut a person out of your heart.
“Hey,” he says, nudging me with his foot. “I promise.”
Nodding, I grab the remote and turn on the TV, scrolling through Netflix until I find a movie we both want to watch. It’s so normal, him and me together. It feels right. We feel right.
“Come over here, you’re too far away,” he says, holding out an arm.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
He shakes his head. “You won’t.”
I scoot closer to him as he props himself up enough that I can snuggle into his side. He’s warm and real and alive. We sit together in silence, watching the movie, but not really paying attention. I’m focused on his heart beating in his chest, his breaths coming in a slow rhythm, and the feel of his fingers playing over my arm.
“I didn’t plan on this,” I whisper.
“On what, sweetness?” His voice is lazy and sleepy.
“On falling so hard.”
“I never thought I’d—“
The front door opens and then slams shut, the sound of boots on the hardwood floor stopping him from whatever he was going to say.
“Oh, sorry, did I interrupt something?” Buck asks.
“No,” I say.
“Yes,” Travis mutters.
I smile and sit up. “Did you get everything you need?”
Buck nods, a grin on his lips. “Painkillers for him, a couple of six-packs for me.”
I stand and straighten my shirt before turning toward Travis. His expression is tight with pain.
“I think you got back just in time.” I say to Buck. “Where are those painkillers?”
“On the kitchen counter.”
“I’m fine,” Travis grunts.
“No, you’re not. When I was recovering from my surgery I tried to fight through the pain instead of letting my body heal. You need to rest for the next few days, then you can tough it out like the caveman you are.”
I leave before he can protest, heading into the kitchen. Grabbing him a glass of water and a pill I stride back toward the living room where he and Buck are both sitting on the couch, talking. The conversation stops me in my tracks. I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but I can’t help myself.
“She’s young,” Buck says.
“Yeah.”
“You’re old.”
“Fuck you, I’m thirty-six.”
You in love with her?”
Travis doesn’t answer, and each second he lets the question hang in the air steals air from my lungs.
“Sorry, that was too personal.” Buck runs a hand over the back of his neck. “It’s too soon after Gina.”
I use that opportunity to enter the living room. “Here. If this works on you the way it worked for me, you’ll be asleep in ten minutes.”
“Where are you going?” Travis asks, holding out a hand but not for the pill. For me.
“I have to get home. Work to do.”
He frowns. “You sure?”
“Yeah.” I turn to look at Buck. “How long are you staying?”
“Just a few days. I can’t stay longer than that. I have a very pretty woman waiting on me to make an honest woman out of her.”
I smile, thinking of the episodes of Saddle Up I’ve seen and the romance I watched unfold on screen. “Penny?”
He grins. “That’s the one.”
“I’ll leave you two to spend some time together, but once you go home, I promise he won’t be alone.”
Buck nods and he juts his chin over to where Travis is already nodding off. “He’ll try and convince you he doesn’t need to be taken care of.”
“I know.”
“Don’t let him.”
I smile. “I won’t.”
Buck stands and walks me to the door. “It’s really good to meet you, Lark. I have a feeling I’ll be hearing about you for a long time to come.”
“Likewise. Thank you for being here for him.”
“Course. He’s family. Rykers take care of each other.”
“I’ve never been part of a big family. It sounds nice. Even though Travis is your cousin, he makes it seem like you are all close.”
“He’s like my brother. And the woman he shares his life with is family too.” He winks at me. “Just so you know.”
My heart races. Does he think Travis wants to spend his life with me? It hasn’t been that long. Not long enough for him to come to that conclusion, but I know I love him. There’s no doubt in my mind what I feel for Travis is love. “Take care, Buck,” I say.
He tips his hat and grins. “Be seein’ you, Lark. I’m sure of it.”
15
Lark
I knock on Travis’ door the day Buck heads home to Montana, a bag on one shoulder, my heart in my throat. I don’t know if my plan is a good one, if I’ll be welcome or not, but I have hope. Travis needs me to take care of him. He might not admit it, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
The door opens, and my chest tightens at the sight of Travis, a few days of stubble on his jaw, blue eyes still clouded with pain. He’s dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants, God help me, and a white t-shirt. It’s basically the hot guy uniform.
“Mornin’, darlin’,” he says, the lazy smile he offers tightening things low in my belly.
“Mornin’,” I echo.
He eyes my bag. “What’s this? You moving in?”
The thought of being a permanent staple in his life, in his house, makes my heart flutter. “For a few days. You need someone to make sure you don’t overdo it. Buck called and made me promise to keep you under a watchful eye.”
One dark brow rises. “How’d you swing that with your dad?”
“I told him I was going camping with Daisy in Oregon.”
He reaches for my bag, but I back away. “I don’t think so, cowboy. Let me in so I can get you off your feet.”
“As tempting as that sounds, I’m afraid I’m not up for any…extra activities. I’m gonna be boring as hell if you stay with me.”
“Do you not…want me to be here?”
He takes my hand and tugs me inside, wincing from the effort. “Fuck, of course I want you. I just want to be able to make it worth your time.”
Unable to stop myself, I rechristen up and brush the hair out of his eyes. “It’s you. Of course it’s worth my time.”
A tired smile spreads across his face. “Thanks for coming.”
“Where else would I be?”
“Nowhere. You belong here.”
Chest squeezing, I lean in and press a kiss to his lips. “You need a shave. And maybe a haircut.”
“I thought you liked the stubble?”
“I do, but you know you won’t keep it once you go back to work.”
He nods. “True. I’ve never been one for a beard.”
“And much longer than this gets in the way of your SCBA mask.”
“That too.”
He links our fingers and leads me into the living room. “I was just about to start an Indiana Jones marathon. We can watch something else if you want.”
“Are you kidding? Indy is my favorite. Pretty sure he was my first crush.”
He cocks a brow. “You’ve really got a thing for older guys, huh?”
Laughing, I give him a light slap on the shoulder.
“That’s not a no.”
“I have a thing for you.”
“Good.” He cups the back of my neck and kisses me, hard. It’s filled with need we can’t act on. When he breaks the kiss, both of us are breathing hard, and I want nothing more than to strip and give him my body.
“Careful, cowboy. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”
There’s a fire blazing in his eyes. “Maybe I don’t care.”
“The doctor said no physical activity for two weeks.”
“I can just lie here and let you do all the
work.”
I laugh. “Have you ever seen yourself come?” I run my fingers over his belly, feeling the tight muscles of his abs through the t-shirt. “All of these tense and flex. I bet that would hurt even through the pleasure.”
“Sometimes a little pain is okay.”
That sends a rush of pure desire through me. Straight to my pussy. I squirm where I sit, already wishing I could throw caution to the wind and ride him like a damn pony. “Nope. Not until it doesn’t hurt to stand up.”
“How do you know it hurts?”
“I can see it in your eyes.”
He smirks. “What do you see in them right now?”
Staring into those blues, I fight the wave of arousal that immediately hits. “Lust.”
“That’s one of the things I’m feeling.”
“Hunger.”
“Two.”
“Desperation.”
“Three.”
“What do you want, Travis?”
He licks his lips. “I want one of us to feel good. I want to see you come.”
My heart picks up a notch. “What?”
“Lie back on this couch and show me how you make yourself come in your bed at night.”
Biting back a moan, I cock a brow. “But I’m dressed.” Breath caught in my throat, I have to close my eyes and gather myself at the look in his eyes.
“Take off your clothes, then lie down and spread your legs for me, sweetness. Show me what I’ve been dreaming of.”
I do as he tells me, this time not feeling unsure of myself or afraid of doing something wrong. He wants to see me bring myself pleasure. I’ll show him.
“Touch yourself, darlin’. Pretend it’s me.” His voice is low and rough, and I fucking love it.
My fingers move down between my breasts, across my belly, and to the curls between my thighs. But I don’t touch, not yet.
“Your tits. Grab them,” he orders.
With my left hand, I palm my breast, doing it with him in mind, pretending he’s giving me everything I want.
“Fuck,” he groans. My gaze is on him, on the tent in his sweats. His hand goes to his cock, pressing down on the bulge. I know he wants release, just like I do. “I wish you were riding me right now.”
“Me too.” My voice is breathy, needy, and there’s a bit of a plea in there too.
“Touch your pussy. Show me how wet I make you.”
I nod and circle my clit with a finger, moaning at the friction. I don’t close my eyes though. I want to watch him. His chest rises and falls with tense breaths as he slowly squeezes his length but doesn’t stroke. Then I sink two fingers inside my opening and gasp as his eyes flash with primal hunger. When I pull out and show him the evidence of my arousal, he mutters, “Fuck,” before pulling his cock free and giving in to his need to stroke himself.
“Careful,” I whisper.
“I can fucking smell you. Goddamn, Lark. Make yourself come for me.”
Rubbing tight circles on my clit, I watch his eyes as pleasure coils inside me. My nipples tighten with each wave of pleasure that rolls through me, all pulling into my center, building into the promise of toe-curling ecstasy.
“Travis,” I whine. “I’m close.”
“Fuck, yes. Come. I want to see it.” His jaw is tense, hand moving slowly over his leaking cock. “Yes, daddy,” I whisper as the orgasm I’ve been chasing explodes in brilliant shards of sensation throughout my body.
He lets out a harsh bark of a mixture of pleasure and pain, his cock jerking in his hand, his cum painting the white t-shirt. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he murmurs, brow furrowed.
“Are you okay?” Dammit, I told him not to.
“Yeah. Like I said, a little pain is worth it. You are so fucking hot. I couldn’t resist.”
I laugh. “You didn’t try very hard.”
He shrugs. “I’m not apologizing for that.”
I stand and move to grab my clothes, but he clears his throat. “What?” I ask, looking over my shoulder.
“You don’t have to get dressed.”
“Well, if I want to keep you from hurting yourself any further, I think it’s a good idea.”
He sighs. “Fine. But when I’m finally able to fuck you silly again, we’re spending a whole day naked.”
“Deal.”
He looks down at his shirt, covered in his release. “Guess I need to get cleaned up.”
With painful slowness, he takes off his shirt. I hold out a hand, not letting him get up.
“I can do it.”
“I know, but I’m going to. Hand it to me and I’ll put it in the wash and bring you a new one.” I walk down the hall and toss the shirt into the washer before grabbing a clean one from the dryer. When I return, he’s right where I left him, shirtless, head leaning back on the couch cushion, eyes closed. I gaze at his defined chest. The incision on his side looks like it’s healing well, but his ribs are still covered in yellowing bruises.
“It looks worse than it is.” His voice is low and soft. He caught me staring.
“I know.”
“Once when I got caught between a bull and the wall of his pen at a rodeo, my entire right side was one big bruise. This is nothing.”
I gasp at the thought. “That sounds awful.”
“It wasn’t fun. Broke a couple of ribs. Lucky I didn’t die.”
“Was that when you decided you were done with bull riding?”
“Pretty close, yeah. It took me another few months. Gina and I had a pregnancy scare and when I thought I was gonna be a dad, I left the circuit and applied for a full-time firefighting position. Wanted to be able to be home.”
I laugh. “And still risk your life all the time?”
“Now that you mention it… Guess I’m a little bit of an adrenaline junkie.”
“I love you anyway.”
All the air leaves the room. Or at least, that’s how it feels. His eyes go wide, and I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole.
“What did you say?”
My cheeks burn. “Nothing.” Heart hammering, I rush out of the room and go into the kitchen, trying to come up with some way to put the words back into my mouth. Instead, I grab a bag of popcorn out of the pantry and tear it open before throwing it into the microwave.
Warm arms wrap around my waist as I start the microwave.
“You love me?” he asks.
“I…If you’re not ready—“
“I love you too, Lark.”
My heart leaps and I turn in his hold. “Really?”
“Really.”
Travis
Lark and I spend all week together, and I’d be lying if I said it isn’t heaven. I want her with me all the damn time. I wish she could stay forever. But we need to move slower than my hopelessly romantic heart wants. I’d honestly thought I’d never find love again, but to be truthful, I think I hadn’t ever found real love in the first place. Not until her.
“Should we go out to the ranch and see Ben? I bet he’s missing you.” Lark slides her arms over my shoulders from behind where I sit on the couch.
“I told you, he’s fine. Kelsey’s taking him out him every day. He’s probably glad to have someone lighter than me riding him.”
I want to go. But it’ll be harder to see him and not be able to take him for a ride than it is to let someone else take care of him. “I can ride him. You can watch from the seats where parents hang out.”
I cock a brow. “I don’t know if—“
“Don’t even try to tell me I can’t ride him on my own. I’ve saddled him up without you plenty of times since you first taught me how.”
Frowning, I entertain the idea of watching her in the saddle. It wouldn’t be the worst thing. “You really wanna go ride my horse for me?”
“He makes me calm. I kinda love him.”
That does all kinds of things to me inside. If I didn’t love her before, I’d fall in love right now. “When do you want to go?”
She shrugs. “I’m not busy r
ight now.”
Chuckling, I trail my fingers up and down her arm, loving her soft skin. I turn my head and kiss the inside of her wrist. “Then let’s go.”
I move slower than I want, but the fact that I’m with her helps keep me going. I don’t want her to know how much pain I’m in. She’s doing so well lately, and worrying about me won’t help. I grab my keys and catch her eye. “You drive. I’m on pain meds.”
She nods and takes them from me. “You trust me to drive your truck?”
“I trust you to do a lot more than that, darlin’.”
Grinning, she leans in and kisses me, soft and gentle. “Thank you.”
It’s weird not being in the driver’s seat, but I quickly get over that when I realize this means I can look at the beautiful woman next to me the whole ride to the ranch.
She parks the truck and turns her focus to me. “You know you’ve been staring at me this whole time?”
“I do.”
“See something you like?”
I grin. “I see something I love.”
Her cheeks turn bright pink, and she bites her lower lip. “I like it when you say that.”
“That I love you?”
She smiles. “Yeah.”
“Then I’ll make sure to say it as much as possible.”
“Good. I want to hear it. So I never forget it.”
I take her hand. “I’ll never let you.” Then I wink. “Come on, we’ve got a horse to see.”
I wrap my arm around her as we walk slowly to Ben’s stall. I swear that horse knows when I’m near. He huffs and stamps his hooves before sticking his nose through the bars.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming, old man.”
She giggles and nestles closer to me. “Who are you calling old man? I’m pretty sure you’ve got a few years on him.”
I grumble, pretending to care about the dig. “I can’t lift the saddle for you. You sure you can do it?”
Nodding, she steps out of my hold and waits to make sure I’m steady without her. Then I watch, leaning against the door as she gathers everything she needs to get Ben saddled for a ride. In ten minutes, they’re both ready and she’s leading him out into the arena as I take a seat. It’s painful not to be able to ride him, but I’m beyond thankful this woman loves him as much as I do. That she loves us both.
