Harmony for Christmas (Dansboro Crossing #4)

Chapter 10

ten

BEAU

It’s still freezing outside. I left Harmony to dress while I refilled the generator with fuel. She joined me to stack extra firewood in the mudroom. She had already moved the warm wood to the living room by the time I brought the first bundle over from the barn. I was smarter this time and fashioned a sled out of an old door to drag it over on. Four loads, and there is enough to heat the house for a while.

I decide to leave Reacher in the house. There is definitely not enough room in the tractor for all of us. Harmony is adorable in her oversized coveralls. She really does look like that kid from the movie with her arms held away from her body in the snow.

I start the tractor to warm it up then haul her inside. It’s not the easiest task with both of us completely ensconced in outerwear.

Once we’re both inside, I slide onto the seat and back the tractor out of the barn. I shift it to start forward and wrap an arm around her waist. Gently, I lower her to my left leg. It won’t be easy to shift, but I don’t care. Something seems right having her with me. Like she belongs here.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“I’m good. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“It is,” I agree. It’s all beautiful—her, the landscape, everything. “Tell me if you get tired.”

“Okay. What do you have to do again?”

“Check if the ice needs to be broken on the water so the cattle can drink. I’ll have to get out, but you can wait in here where it’s warm.”

It doesn’t take long to reach the first water trough. I put the tractor in idle and climb down. Pulling the axe out from next to the seat, I set about working on the ice. Harmony watches me from her warm seat in the tractor. There are cattle standing around waiting for a drink.

“Can I do one?” she asks when I’m done. We jockey around until she’s sitting on my leg again.

“Only if you promise not to chop your foot off.”

“I won’t if I have a good teacher.”

I catch myself smiling. I do that a lot suddenly. She’s a mess, but if she wants to get out in the cold and hack at some ice, who am I to deny her.

At the next trough, she climbs out but simply stands aside to watch how I use the axe. By the next one, though, she’s ready.

“Okay. Wide stance.” She spreads her feet apart. “Make sure you’re steady.” She does some kind of wiggle like she’s teeing up on the golf course. “Don’t swing it too high to start. Just take baby swings.”

She nods and picks the axe up to waist level. With a roar that would make a warrior princess proud, she brings it down with a resounding whack.

It takes longer than if I did it, but eventually she makes it through the ice. Holding the axe in the air, she does another yell. This time, though, it makes my ears burn in surprise.

“Yes. Fuck everyone who said I’d never be more than a mindless voice,” she announces. It’s the first fuck I’ve heard her utter. It’s adorable and a total shock at the same time.

“Damn, Xena. Next time I’ll let you chop wood. That should even grow some hair on your chest.”

“Well, let’s not get too carried away,” she says. “Don’t want to have to wax my chest.” She takes the axe in both hands and shakes it over her head with another roar.

“Okay, come on.” I take the axe in one hand and toss her over my shoulder with the other. “You have at least five more to do.” I set her on the steps of the tractor.

“Oh, my. Look who’s doing the manhandling now,” she teases.

“Behave, or there’ll be more.”

“Ooh, I don’t think I want to behave now.” Jesus. Thoughts of sex in the seat of my tractor flood my mind. I’ve never had sex in a tractor, but I’m liking the idea. “Come here.”

She’s almost my height standing on the step. I pull her to me and press my lips to hers. She moans as she pulls me closer. My tongue sweeps inside her mouth. She tastes of chocolate, the mint from her toothpaste, and brown sugar. I want more. I want all of her.

The kiss breaks, and she tugs me into the cab. I’m pushed onto the seat as she climbs up to straddle my lap. Her hands grapple with the buttons on my coat, finally pulling it off over my head. It’s tossed on the floor as her mouth crashes back against mine. She has on a full piece coverall. I snag the zipper between my fingers and pull it down her body.

Harmony stands and tugs her boots off. Then she shimmies from the open suit keeping her warm. Leaning forward, I turn the heater up. I want to know that her shivers aren’t caused by the cold.

Quickly, I push the shoulder straps on my suit down and push it to my ankles. My boots are a little harder to get off. Doesn’t matter anyway. She’s back on my lap in a snap with her tongue in my mouth.

Bare hands slide under my shirt, tugging it off my body. The floor of the tractor is slowly filling with our clothes. She sits back to take a lust-fueled gaze at my body. I can still feel her hands on me from the first time we met in the kitchen. I want that feeling again. She obliges by running her palms up my chest.

“Beau.” It comes out in a plea. I slide her shirt up her torso until it’s added to the pile. She sits on my lap in nothing but a bra and a pair of pants. My knuckle blazes its way down her breastbone to her stomach.

“Jesus.” My mind says a thousand things to her. It speaks of how gorgeous she is, how I want her so bad I’m shaking, how lucky I am that she’s here. But it can’t form the words for any of those.

“Yeah,” she says seeming to understand. “Do you think this will break us?” she whispers. I’d like to say no, that nothing will ever hurt us. It will. This will absolutely break us, but I no longer care.

I lean forward just enough to reach around her. Her bra slides off her shoulders. My hand slides down her body again blazing a fire.

I press her to me until she’s kneeling high enough for me to draw one of her taught nipples between my lips. Her back arches encouraging me to continue. I don’t want to disappoint so I lavish it with my tongue until she squirms.

My focus moves to the other one next. I love the way she moans my name when I tug at the nub. I brand everything she loves in my memory. I slide my hand under her jeans finding her soaked. All for me. My fingers play with her, caressing between her entrance and clit.

“These need to go,” I growl, tugging my hand out. She rockets off my lap to wiggle from her jeans. Then her hands go to work on mine. “I don’t have any condoms.”

“I’m on birth control,” she answers. I know neither of us have done this in a long time, so I’m not worried about catching anything. I need to remember and go slow though. As much as I want to leave her sore and knowing who made her that way, I don’t want her hurt.

She manages to work my jeans free. I push them to my ankles. She takes one look at me sitting on the seat in nothing but my underwear and half my outwear at my ankles and smiles.

“We can do better than that.” She slides both hands inside my boxer briefs and slides them down. My length stands proudly waiting for her. She slides out of her panties and eases back onto my lap. She doesn’t wait for me to go slow, instead she lines herself up and slides down. She’s the best thing I’ve felt in a long time. Possibly ever.

“Ride me hard, princess,” I say.

She grins and raises back up on her knees before slamming back down.

“Come on. Use it like you own it.”

She repeats her motion carefully a couple more times before I sink my hands onto her ass.

“You’re fucking like a schoolgirl. Let me show you how to fuck like a rock star.”

I guide her up and down in a hard, punishing pace. When she takes over, I flip my hand to press against her clit again.

“Beau,” she chants. That’s what I like to hear.

“Make me come, gorgeous.” I slap her ass just for emphasis. She looks shocked for a beat before her eyes heat with pleasure. So, she acts sweet but likes rough. I can do that.

Pulling her off my lap, I spin her until her hands are pressed against the back window. Pushing back inside her, I slam into her as she begs for more.

“Come for me, siren.” I reach around and pinch her clit between my finger and thumb. It does the trick.

“Beau,” she screams as she comes apart. She clamps my dick in a vise grip as she comes around me. I can’t hold the heat at bay. It winds up my spine until I’m spilling inside of her.

“Take it all,” I moan as I thrust one last time. Her hands move from the window to the back of the seat as I pull her up to me. I ease out so her feet can reach the floor. Spinning us back around, I collapse on the seat with her on my lap. “Fuck.”

“Yeah,” she says in a muffled voice. “We did.” Her face is buried against my neck as I hold her close. Our chests heave in unison fighting for breath. My heart races like I’ve raced a marathon. But over it all, I have the most overwhelming feeling of peace. Like this is where I’ve meant to be from the beginning. With Harmony.

I pull her face up so I can kiss her plump lips. They’re a little burned looking from my stubble. I didn’t get to shave this morning. Wait until I use those rough cheeks on the inside of her thighs.

“So, that happened,” she says.

“It did,” I agree.

“No regrets.”

“None.” She relaxes against me. I’m glad I turned the heater up earlier, though the windshield is now covered in condensation. It makes a private cocoon we can relax in for a little while.

“I have a question.” Her soft gaze turns to mine. “Where did you learn to talk like that? You must drive the women wild.”

“I saved it for you.” She looks at me in disbelief. “Really, I’ve never done that before. I think I just wanted you to lose your mind.” Honestly, what I really want is to ruin her. Make her so hungry for me that no other man will work. Keep her wanting more.

“You’re a quick study then.” I laugh. “So, first time, huh. What else was a first?”

“The tractor,” I answer.

“Oh, same here.”

“First time without a condom.”

“Same. I have to confess, it’s a little messy.”

“Yeah.” I laugh again. “First time I’d really like a repeat performance.”

“Yeah,” she says softly. “Me too.”

“I guess we’d better finish with the ice so we can get back then.”

“Hey, you know what?” she asks.

“What.” I can’t imagine what is swirling around in that brain of hers. I’ve found I actually like the continual banter now.

“I haven’t thought about those presents in a while.”

“And to think, I was just about to agree to let you open them all.”