Once they were free from her ankles, Miles pulled her against him, his fingers brushing her clit through the silky fabric of her panties. “Mmm, you look fucking delicious this morning.” His fingers breached the silk, and she whimpered as he pushed two inside her. “Fuck, and you’re already wet for me.” He tore open the condom wrapper, slid his jeans just below his hips, and suited up. “You wanna tell me how you like this?”
She blushed a little, then twisted in his arms, so her back was to his chest. He grinned broadly and reached around her, his fingers probing and teasing her again as she pressed her ass against his hard erection. “Mmm, is that good baby?”
“Yes,” she could hardly get the words out as an involuntary moan of pleasure highjacked her mouth. She rubbed against him and he moved out of reach, so she pouted. “Are you only going to tease me?”
“Oh, no baby, I’m gonna do a hell-of-a lot more than tease.” Miles grabbed hold of her panties, and yanked them down to her ankles and in one smooth move he had her sweater over her head.
He didn’t bother to remove her bra, but instead pulled the cups underneath her breasts, leaving her practically naked while he remained almost completely clothed. His erection probed her from behind, and feeling how ready he was for her, set off a chain reaction. Her nipples stiffened, and her juices gushed between her legs.
She couldn’t control her breathing anymore, and when he pushed inside her, she cried out, “Oh, God, Miles!”
Their first time wasn’t slow and gentle; they both had too insatiable a need for that. As soon as he filled her, Miles pulled back, almost coming out of her before he slammed back in. Bent over the hay bale with her ass exposed to the cool temperatures, all she could do was hold on while he controlled the wild ride.
The sex was hard, fast, and somewhat prickly. As he thrust into her over and over again, his fingers dug into the flesh on her hips and the straw poked into her thighs. But Cady didn’t care about the pricks and roughness because it all contributed to the explosive orgasm that detonated from her core, sending long delicious spasms from its epicenter, radiating outwards to her knees, and up to her heart. Finally clinging to her, Miles collapsed, his weight pinning her to the bales, his hot breath on her neck as he moaned, “Cady,” into her ear.
* * *
Eating breakfast surrounded by the family of the man that you just had wild, abandoned sex with was a little awkward. All throughout the meal, Cady could feel an echo of him between her thighs, and despite being thoroughly satisfied by their coupling, she couldn’t help but ache for more of him.
She sat in the same place at the table as the previous night, and Miles seemed frustratingly far away from her. She was wary of giving anything away to the others, so she kept her eyes on her plate for most of the meal. The odd occasion she looked up seemed to alert Miles, and he glanced over at her, a knowing smile on his lips.
By the end of breakfast, her legs were like Jell-O and her wits fried. All she could think about was their tumble in the hayloft, and plot how they would be able to do it again soon. God, she hoped Miles had plenty of condoms because after this morning, she had a suspicion they would be finding lots of opportunities to be alone together.
After breakfast, Miles showed her the website for the ranch.
“Hmm, it needs a little something, don’t you think?”
Miles tipped his head back and laughed. “That’s one way of putting it. Yeah, this isn’t my sort of thing really.”
“Well, you could start with adding some of those pictures from around the ranch that you sent to me. They were damn good, Miles, and really… what’s the word?”
“Cheesy?”
“No, evocative. They create a ‘lifestyle’, add poetry.”
“Poetry? Well, if you say so. Do you know anything about how to do this stuff? I could do with any advice I can get.”
“Well, I used to manage Paul’s website for him. Of course that was selling something completely different, but it is all about creating a fantasy for your clients. You could even set up a gallery with pictures of your visitors having happy times.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“And then you can add in reviews.” She switched screens and opened up Yelp. “Jesus, Miles, you need to publicize these. People love it here. God, look at this review from a Lauren Clayton. She can’t sing your praises highly enough. Anyone would think you took her for a roll in the hayloft—” Cady’s voice petered out as she looked up and saw his cheeks redden. “Oh, shit. Y-you did, didn’t you?”
“Look, Cady, it was nothing. She meant nothing, it was just—”
She quickly pulled herself together. “No, it’s fine, Miles. I told you, I don’t care about your past.” She chewed on her lip and looked back at the screen, trying to convince herself it was true. But Cady couldn’t help glancing back at the review. At least it was dated September 3rd, and not last week!
“Cady, please, we should talk about this.”
“Ah, Miles, glad we caught you. We’d like to book a sleigh ride.” A couple of paying guests wandered into the reception area and Miles was pulled away.
While he chatted with them, Cady admired the easy way he had with people. He was good at this one-on-one stuff because he believed in what he was doing. Mmm, what they needed to do now was inject some of Miles’ passion and personality into his website.
Caleb appeared and stood next to her. “It’s dire, isn’t it?”
She looked up to find him reading over her shoulder. “Let’s just say that the face of the ranch does not come across so well on the screen. If we could inject more personality into it…”
“Yeah, I agree, but how?”
“I have a few ideas. If you and Miles are okay, I could tweak it a little while I am here.”
“That’s a big yes from me. Both Miles and I are hopeless at all this backend stuff. It’s hard enough keeping up with all the bookings, and we have to do a coin toss for the marketing stuff because we both hate it.”
She laughed. “You need a dedicated staff member for this. It’s a full-time job.”
“Yeah, you’re right. We should probably think about it.”
Miles saw the couple out and came back to Cady. He waited for Caleb to leave before he put his arm around her shoulder, and ran his fingers through her hair. “Damn, I’d been planning on taking you back to your room this afternoon, but now I have to work. You want to come? You can be my assistant.”
“What does a sleigh ride assistant do?”
“She sits up front next to me, keeps me cozy and warm as we ride, then half way around, she pours out cocoa from the flasks and hands out the gingerbread men cookies.”
“What’s the pay like for sleigh riding assistants?”
“Pretty lousy.” He grinned. “But I could personally make it worth your while.”
She couldn’t keep her smile at bay. “It just so happens that pouring cocoa is one of my favorite hobbies and I have to admit, your reward scheme does sound kind of tempting, so sure, count me in.”
* * *
Miles drove the sleigh out of the barn ten minutes late for the excursion. It seemed that both he and Cady had gotten a little distracted while they got the horses ready. Still, the family waiting for them didn’t seem to mind, as they were cooing over the picnic Sarah had put together for them. Miles had stretched the truth about the assistant’s job since there was more than cocoa and gingerbread to distribute. There was also mulled wine for the adults, hotdogs that Miles explained they would cook over an open fire, and a whole host of other mouth-watering goodies nestled in the basket.
Cady had never been so excited in her life as she sat up front on the sleigh. Jammed together with a rug across their knees, she clung to Miles’ arm as he controlled the horses. The animals didn’t seem bothered by the deep snow, and their hooves sent showers of white flakes into the air every time they lifted them out. The sleigh glided smoothly, accompanied by a satisfying swishing sound as the runners slid thr
ough the powder.
They moved surprisingly fast, whipping Cady’s hair around her face in the breeze. In the back, the children laughed and whooped in delight, and she couldn’t blame them for being so noisy—she wanted to do it, too. After about an hour of whizzing down empty lanes, they pulled up near a river. While Miles lit a fire in a makeshift fire pit that had been crafted from an old oil drum, Cady prepared the hot dogs as the parents and children took pictures in the winter wonderland landscape.
“You should go take some snaps of them.” She hissed at Miles. “You know, for the website.”
“Oh, right. Good idea.”
While she finished cooking the hot dogs, she watched Miles chatting up his guests and snapping some shots.
He wandered back and held his phone out for her to look at, his face beaming. “They were thrilled that I am going to put them online.”
“Wow, these are good, Miles. Look at the snow and their smiles, shit you can’t say ‘wholesome fun’ better than that.”
Miles hardly took his eyes off her the entire time they were out, and rather than feeling shy, Cady felt her heart swell. She was falling hard for this man. So hard, she had to counsel herself that she’d be returning home in a few days, and this blissful Hallmark movie reel would end soon.
Back at the ranch, they unharnessed the horses, and worked side by side to tackle the chores together. Seriously, life didn’t get any better than this. As they wrapped up, Miles pulled her into his arms and kissed her. His eyes drifted to the hayloft above them.
“I don’t think I am ever going to look at my hayloft the same way again.”
She shook her head. “Ah, but you already confessed I’m not the first woman you took up there.”
He scratched at his chin and lowered his eyes. “No, you weren’t the first, but you are the only one I will remember when I am forking the hay out of there.”
13
Miles
December 25th
In his thirty-four years, Miles couldn’t think of a better Christmas morning than waking up with Cady in his arms. Well, perhaps that year his parents bought him the Lego Millennium Falcon when he was twelve—but even that was debatable. At twelve, Miles hadn’t even discovered women, so Star Wars shit was literally the only thing that excited him. However, post puberty, Cady naked beside him was the best Christmas present ever!
The second best present was he got to sleep in because Caleb had drawn the short straw on the early morning chores. There, a double bonus. It was not going to get any better than this.
“Mmm, you’re awake?”
He grinned down at a sleepy Cady. “Yeah. Force of habit.”
“Oh, do you have to go to work? I’ll get dressed and help you.”
He tugged her up his body so he could reach her to kiss her. “No, I have the morning off. Caleb’s doing the early chores, I get to do close-up.”
“Do you have any excursions today?”
“Nope.”
Her smile broadened and her hands wandered under the blankets. “So, we can stay in bed all day?”
“Sadly, no. But we have a few hours before the family stuff happens.”
Her eyes twinkled, but before he could work out what she was thinking, she wrapped her hand around his dick. “Fuck, Cady, you forget I’m an old man.”
“Bah! Thirty-four isn’t old, it’s... experienced.” She climbed onto his lap, and as she bent forward to kiss him, her breasts hung above him. Miles cupped them, circling the nipples with his thumb while he plundered her mouth. His dick took up the challenge and within a few minutes, he had forgotten his looming thirty-fifth birthday and was lost in the young woman riding him.
As they lay dozing after another heated round of fun, Miles wondered why he had wasted his time on one-night stands this past two years. Of all the encounters he had, none of them were as satisfying as what he had with Cady. There was something that could be said about discovering a new partner, finding all the ways you could make her come, exploring how your bodies fit together, and in the quiet moments, learning all of her little quirks and tells.
He stroked his hand over her bottom, and kissed her gently on the temple. Cady had fallen back asleep after they fucked, but as nice as it was having her positioned across him, it was getting late. His family would be gathering in the great room and they’d be missed.
“I need to go. Take your time and shower, we probably shouldn’t both turn up looking disheveled at the same time.”
She stroked his face. “Okay, but I’m going to miss you.”
Miles climbed out of her bed and pulled on his jeans. “Mmm, I’m going to miss you, too. Say thirty minutes?”
It was all he could do to stop himself whistling as he skipped down the steps. Back at the house, there were already sounds coming from the kitchen. He could hear Harriet and Juliet arguing over the best way to make scrambled eggs. He glanced into the guest dining room and saw that the table was heaving with food, and the ranch guests already chowing down and chattering loudly.
Miles hurried down the corridor to his room and quickly showered. In less than ten minutes, he was in the kitchen, looking presentable.
“Okay, what do you want me to do?”
“Morning, Miles. Glad you decided to show.” Juliet laughed and pointed to a pan on the cooktop. “Sausages are nearly done, so you can start the pancakes.”
He picked up the batter from the counter and set about his assigned task. Although he wasn’t in Sarah’s league, Miles knew his way around making breakfast, and he poured out the batter onto the hot skillet, forming perfectly round pancakes.
“Anyone seen Cady?” Harriet looked directly at Miles when she spoke, but he didn’t take the bait.
“Not me, has anyone woken her?”
“Oh, she’ll be here soon. I just texted her and she said she was on her way,” Jules said.
Ten minutes later, Cady appeared at the door, her cheeks rosy, and her hair corralled into a ponytail.
“Wow, you look great.” Juliet went to Cady and kissed her on the cheek. “Happier than you’ve looked in a long time. You even have a twinkle in your eye and a glow in your cheeks.”
Cady’s gaze wandered to Miles, and she smiled back at Juliet. “I guess all this country air is agreeing with me. Now, what can I do to help?”
“You can take more coffee through to the guests and see if they need anything else.”
Cady grabbed the coffee pot and disappeared through the swing doors into the dining room. From where Miles stood flipping pancakes, he could see her laughing and joking with the couple from yesterday. A moment later, she was taking some pictures of the spread on the table, and an elderly couple posed for a shot of them eating breakfast.
“They love everything,” Cady said as she reappeared in the kitchen. She went straight to Miles and showed him the photos she took with her phone. “Another couple for your website.”
“What’s this?” Juliet looked over Cady’s shoulder.
“I’m helping Miles make his website more exciting. What do you think?” She swiped back through the shots.
”Oh, those are cute. They’ll look fantastic on there. You should listen to her Miles, Cady did the website for her firm. Oh, my God, you should have seen the transformation. Yet another thing Paul never gave you credit for.”
Cady shrugged. “I’m over Paul and his damn company. Roll out the New Year, I am going to find myself a new job where they appreciate my talents. Well, first I have to work out what my talents are, of course, but yup, New Year, new me.”
Juliet handed her a mimosa. “I’ll drink to that. But seriously, Cady, you don’t give yourself enough credit. You are damn good at this stuff.”
Miles kept quiet as he finished off the pancakes. He didn’t need reminding that in just a few days, Cady would be gone. It was going to leave one massive hole in his life.
Perhaps, they could try the long distance thing for a while. He had money, it was just his time that was limited. Maybe he
could buy her a plane ticket and she could come visit him again in the spring.
Could that really work? He doubted she’d get more than three weeks’ vacation time a year, but would that really be enough to sustain a relationship? Probably not, but he’d be willing to try. Would Cady?
Miles was still mulling over his thoughts about where they’d go from there when they all sat down at the table for their late breakfast. Surrounded by his family, he was aware that his whole life was here, and it always would be. Even if he had the choice, he’d choose it this way. Miles wasn’t made for a big city, or a desk job somewhere. The land was in his blood, and he had Colorado soil in his bones. He’d be miserable and homesick in a week.
Was it the same for Cady? Was she a city girl through and through? Would she be homesick if he asked her to stay?
Fuck, Miles, what the hell are you thinking? She’d been at his ranch three days and he was planning… What? Asking her to stay? With him? To be his… The food suddenly became hard to chew, and he developed heartburn. Don’t be a fucking fool, Miles. This is fun, but it’s nothing else. Yes, she is beautiful, and she is the best thing to have happened to you in a long, long time, but this was always going to end on the 27th when she left on that plane.
He pushed his unfinished breakfast aside and tried to get his head in order.
* * *
“Seriously? I can’t believe I am going to ride a horse!” Cady jumped up and down in the barn. Miles’ brothers and sisters were finishing tacking up their mounts and Sarah was already in the saddle. Nolan helped Olivia onto her horse, and then jumped up on to Popeye.
Miles held out Miss Molly’s reins to Cady. “You nervous?”
She nodded. “The closest I ever got to riding a horse was a carousel once.”
“Well, don’t be. This mare is as gentle as they come. In fact, you won’t have to do anything, other than sit back in the saddle and enjoy yourself.” He linked his fingers and twisted his hands, palms up. “Come on, put your foot here and I’ll help you up.”
Miles' Christmas Roundup (Holiday Hunks Book 2) Page 10
