13. Jude
13
jude
I forgot how beautiful sunsets were on the ranch. The twilight sky was putting on a show. Brilliant shades of pink, orange, and purples faded to the dark-blue expanse as the sun disappeared over the rocky horizon.
The burn pile was in a wide-open area, where the property sloped down to the craggy ledge overlooking the river. The location was absent of long grasses and trees. Hot as hell during the summer months, but as soon as that sun dipped, you could feel the breeze drift over the bluff. Nothing obstructed the view or muffled the sound of rushing water against rapids.
A shed stood nearby, offering a place to tie up our horses. It stored the necessary firewood and folding chairs.
Romy, Lina, and Sage—the bartender from the Rooster who turned out to be Kale’s sister—were approaching slowly, laughing and talking as they passed a bottle of Rosé from one saddle to the other.
“Do you think there’ll still be enough booze for us once they get here?” Christian asked as we dismounted to tie up our horses.
“If I know Lina, those saddlebags are packed,” Kale said, taking his hat off to hang on the saddle horn and running a hand through his curly, dark hair.
Christian and Kale were both bull riders and, most recently, roommates. Christian had stayed back for the last stretch of rodeos, recovering from a fall last month, but he was gearing up to return to the circuit. The next rodeo was Willows’s very own, in July.
“You keep sucking that down, and there’ll be no more for us!” Christian called.
“Shut the fuck up, Christian!” Sage yelled back.
My brows arched, giving Christian a look. “Doesn’t appear that she likes you very much.”
Christian shrugged and rolled his eyes. “She just doesn’t know she’s in love with me yet.”
“You both just enjoy annoying each other,” Kale dismissed. “You don’t want that pink shit anyway. I got the beer in my saddlebags.”
“Good man,” Christian said, slapping his back.
The guys started to set out the chairs, while I picked up a load of wood and kindling for the fire.
“You’ll need more than that if we’re having a real bonfire,” Lina hollered as they approached, leading the horses to where ours were tied up.
“Then you better get your ass over here and help me,” I told her, arranging the logs on the pile of ash and charcoal.
“Here, bro.” Christian handed me a beer.
I stood, cracked the can, and looked over at Romy, leaving the rest of the wood to Lina.
The evening light made her blonde hair gleam. It was down tonight in soft waves, reaching her waist. One of Lina’s black cowboy hats on her head. Romy wore a tight, long-sleeved, black, ribbed shirt and a black belt cinching her waist. And those curves! Damn! I wanted to trace them, grip her thighs, and hoist her legs around my waist. She was gorgeous.
Her eyes sparkled as she laughed at something Sage said while she dismounted. Sage handed the bottle to Romy. She took a couple gulps. I watched her slender neck swallow before returning it, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth. That rosy mouth that I was constantly drawn to, that I couldn’t help imagining around my cock while I fisted her hair. Those dark lashes fluttering up to glance at me.
My cock twitched, and I downed that beer as if I was parched.
“You should have seen him! He couldn’t get any words out other than ‘kaw kaw,’ like a damn seagull, his arms and legs twitching. I told him to turn it down, but he insisted he wanted the TENS unit higher,” Kale said.
We were all dying with laughter while Kale shared the story of Christian getting electrode therapy for his back.
“I didn’t mean for you to turn it all the way up,” Christian complained.
“I would have paid money to see that.” Sage wiped away tears.
Romy was hunched over in her seat, laughing, and I couldn’t help but smile. She had a quick laugh that when she really got going sounded more like hiccups. I forgot how much I missed her giggles.
She noticed me staring at her, and her face softened into a sweet grin, her laughter slowly dissipating. If not for the heat of the fire, I’d swear she was blushing. If she was, she quickly hid it behind her plastic cup of wine, taking a sip but never diverting her eyes from mine.
Fuck, she was beautiful.
Tomorrow she was going to leave. She said she’d return, but what if she changed her mind? Despite everything, she looked happy here. I wanted to encapsulate it. I wanted to give her a reason to return, to share more moments like this.
Romy shivered under my gaze and my jeans tightened.
I went and sat in the open seat beside her. “Are you cold?”
“A little,” she replied.
I didn’t hesitate to shrug out of my Carhartt jacket and drape it around her shoulders.
“Thank you.” She pulled her arms through the sleeves.
My chest swelled seeing her in my jacket. She didn’t think I noticed, but I saw her lean toward the collar to sniff it.
I didn’t want it back. I wanted her to wallow in it until all she smelled was me on her.
“I almost forgot!” Lina declared, rushing over to her saddlebag. “I brought a speaker!” She pulled out a Bluetooth speaker, then rushed back over to the fire. “There is no such thing as a Thornbrush bonfire without music.” She handed Sage her phone. “Here, pick a playlist.”
Sage scrolled through Lina’s phone until she landed on a playlist, and Morgan Wallen started streaming through the speaker.
“This is my shit!” Lina announced, pulling Romy up from her seat.
“I may need more wine for this,” Romy complained, but her eyes were bright in the firelight.
Sage set the phone down, clutching the bottle of wine.
The three women danced to the beat and sang “Cowgirls” as loudly as they could, while Sage poured the bottle into Lina’s open mouth and then Romy’s.
My girl was getting tipsy.
Not. My. Girl. I had to remind myself.
The way she was moving her hips right now, though. Fuck. I wanted that ass in my hands. Even better, I wanted that ass in my lap, rubbing against my dick until she made me explode.
The sound of clopping hooves signaled a rider approaching. Thinking it was Uncle Chuck, I got up to greet him but stopped when I noticed it was the new hire, Reed.
His eyes were hard, dark orbs when he glanced toward Lina.
“Chuck wanted me to bring out some hot dogs for you all,” Reed announced, dismounting and opening his saddlebags.
“Probably the nicest thing you’ve ever done,” Lina snarked while she continued to dance with Romy and Sage, her eyes narrowed on Reed as if she didn’t trust him out of her sight.
“Not the nicest , Lina,” he replied, a spark of recognition in his eyes. I definitely did not like that. Did they know each other?
“Oh, fuck off, Reed! You’re killing our vibe,” Lina huffed, dropping back into her seat.
“I’ll take those dogs,” I said bluntly.
Reed handed me the package of hot dogs and buns.
“Make sure it burns out before you call it a night,” Reed threw out as he remounted his horse.
Lina rolled her eyes, leaning back to gaze at the stars. She released a breath as if she was exasperated.
Everyone was quiet while we waited for Reed to ride away.
“What the hell was that?” Kale asked, once Reed was out of earshot. He was staring straight at Lina. “Is that the guy?”
“What guy?” I demanded, looking between Kale and Lina.
She lounged in her chair, grabbing the bottle from Sage and taking another gulp.
“No one,” Lina grumbled.
“Not no one . She had him give her a tattoo when we were at the Saddle Room in Joseph. In fact, if I recall correctly, you proclaimed you were in love with him,” Kale explained.
“Shut the fuck up, Kale! I was drunk. I say stupid shit when I’m drunk. And he’s a fucking asshole. Not someone I want to waste my time talking about.”
Kale lifted his hands in surrender. “Whatever. We won’t speak another word about it.”
“Yeah, what happens on the circuit, stays on the circuit,” Christian chimed in. “Right, Sage?”
“You wish,” Sage snarked.
“I do wish.” Christian winked at her.
“Can you guys just fuck already and put us out of our misery?” Lina moaned.
“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Kale added with amusement.
“Great.” Sage shook her head. “Now I need to deal with both of you. It’s never going to happen.” She turned to Romy. “Kale is just tired of hearing Christian whine about his big, fat crush on me. You all have to get over it. Christian annoys the hell out of me, and the last thing I need is him crowing once he gets some.”
“Baby, are you sure you’re not going to be the one crowing?” Christian’s eyes softened, and he gave her a sexy wink.
“Ugh! You’re impossible!” Sage hollered, throwing an empty beer can at his head.
Christian dodged it, chuckling.
“She wants me, bro,” he whispered to me.
I chuckled. There was some obvious tension there, but it did seem mostly one-sided.
Romy gave a loud, audible yawn beside me. She was looking so cozy in my jacket before the fire. It had been a long couple days for her.
“Do you want to head back?” I asked.
She nodded, setting her cup down on the dirt. “If that’s all right.”
“I’m going to ride back with Romy,” I announced.
“Romy!” Lina jumped from her seat, falling into Romy’s embrace. “You have to come back! We’ve missed you too much.”
I smiled, my heart full, seeing my little cousin hold on to Romy—to make her feel wanted and missed, like part of the family.
I wanted to make sure Romy knew that.
“I’ll be back,” Romy declared, giving Lina one last squeeze.
“Good,” Sage said, getting up to give Romy a side hug. “I can show you some of my work.”
“I’d love to see your art studio,” Romy promised.
After we said our goodbyes, we mounted our horses. Without a word, we both smirked, and before I could give Chip the command, she was racing across the field of sagebrush, making me chase after her.
We finished putting up the horses for the night, and I met her at the open stable doors. Stars punctuated the night. The earth was still. Quiet. I had gotten so used to the high intensity of Vegas, I forgot what real peace felt like.
It felt damn good. And seeing this woman standing on the threshold, in my jacket, waiting for me to join her in the dark, felt …
Damn good.
“Tonight was fun.” Her lips tipped in a smile.
“Yeah, it was. Reminds me of everything I’ve missed.” Like you.
I inched toward her, my boots bumping into hers. I could feel a prickle of electricity along my skin. It was like a tether, reeling me in.
Her eyes sparked in the dim light of the stable, and her lips parted on a deep exhale.
That fucking mouth.
I wanted to taste her, to feel those lips on mine, to have that tongue trace down my chest to my throbbing cock. I always knew that I wanted Romy, but now I realized I needed her, too.
Women had a habit of walking out of my life. It scared the shit out of me that I might lose her again, that it may be another twelve years before I saw her. Now, having her back, I didn’t think I could survive it.
“Jude, I … I’m sorry how I left.” She struggled to find the words, but I knew. It was what I wanted to hear her say that morning I found her in her car.
“I know, honey.”
“Do you … do you ever think about that night? Before I left?” she asked.
I turned my ball cap around. I didn’t know what I expected from her, but it wasn’t that. Relief washed over me. She wouldn’t have asked if she didn’t think about it, too. She had no idea how often I’d thought about her, how I regretted not working harder to track her down, how she ruined other relationships for me.
“Romy.” Her name came out like a prayer. “I don’t think without thinking about you. It’s always been that way for me. Like breathing. I don’t know how to live without it.”
Her face crumpled as if she was in pain, her eyes glistening. “Jude?—”
I didn’t wait for her to finish what she was about to say. I slid my hand into her hair, tugging at her roots, knocking her hat off. She sucked in a breath. I held mine. Our eyes bounced between each other until my gaze fell on her parted lips. Pink and pouty. I needed to taste her. To be reminded how her mouth felt against mine all those years ago.
Her tongue darted across her bottom lip before pulling it in between her teeth. It was utterly distracting. I barely noticed she had leaned into my grip, closing the distance, before I realized she brushed a quick and tentative kiss against my mouth.
“I—I’m sorry,” she stammered again. I released her, and she shuffled back until she bumped into the stable door.
But I followed her, drawing her chin up to look at me. “I’m not. Fuck, Romy. I’ve dreamed of this for twelve years.” A sheen glazed over her silver eyes, and I couldn’t bear to see her shed a tear. I wanted nothing more than to show her exactly what I had dreamed. And just as her kiss was the key to unlocking my heart, I flew open that door and crushed my mouth to hers.
Desperate, her lips molded to mine. Romy’s body bowed toward me, her arms reaching to wrap around my neck, drawing me closer.
Her chest rose with panting breaths, her breasts pressed against me.
She tilted her head, angling her mouth to deepen the kiss. I slid my tongue along the seam of her lips, and she parted for me. Her mouth was as sweet as the wine she drank, and I vowed I’d kiss her until I was drunk. I caressed my tongue along hers, sucking it into my mouth. Showing her exactly what I could do with it. I’d learned a few things since I last had her in my arms.
I wanted to feel every inch of her against my body. I walked her backward until she leaned against the rolled-back door. Pressing against her, my cock was so hard, I was afraid I’d blow a load in my pants like a damn teenager. Fuck, I had to have her.
Romy bit my lower lip and I groaned, grinding against her. She pulled back and came up for a breath. But I wasn’t about to breathe. I wanted to devour her. I leaned into her smoky, coconut-scented hair, kissing her jaw and tracing the curve of her neck, gently sucking the sensitive spot below her ear.
Her knees buckled, but I didn’t let her fall. I’d never let her fall. Pressing my leg between hers, I kept her upright while I tasted her skin. My hand trailed her side, beneath the open jacket, finding her breast. Gently squeezing. Her nipple hardened through her shirt at my touch. I swiped my thumb across and was rewarded with the buck of her hips. A delicious sound emanated from her, and I drew slow circles over the stiffened peak as she ground against my leg. I could feel the inner seam of her jeans shift as she moved against me.
“That’s it, honey, use me. Grind that pretty pussy on me. Do those tight jeans rub you just right?”
“Oh my God, yes,” she breathed, her hand wrapping around my neck to pull me back. “Kiss me, Jude.”
This time, it was a tender, sensual kiss. Slow and smoldering. My thumb continued to stroke, and my girl responded with increased rhythm as she rocked against me. Fuck, I wanted to feel how wet she was. I wanted to taste her. Remind myself how sweet she tasted on my tongue. I wanted to sink inside her and never come out. But if this was what she wanted, I’d give it to her. I’d give her anything she wanted.
Because she was mine .
This time, I’d make her mine. She wasn’t running away from me again.
I could feel the heat and pulsing of her pussy on my thigh.
Her hand trailed down the front of my shirt, landing on my belt buckle before finding my rock-hard dick. I leaned into her touch, wanting her to feel exactly what she did to me. The pressure of her hand shot an electric current into my lower belly. She hummed while she rubbed me through my pants, gently squeezing until I twitched in her grasp.
“You’re driving me fucking crazy,” I whispered into her mouth.
“More.” She said it as if it was all she could get out through her panting.
I wanted more, too, but this would have to suffice—for now.
“What do you want, honey? Do you want to come? Do you want to rub your hot, little cunt on my leg until you scream?”
She fisted my shirt, drawing me closer, almost to the point of slamming herself against my leg. “More, Jude. I need more.”
“We’ll have to get in my truck and drive back to my place.” Fuck, we hadn’t made it out of the stable, and I wasn’t sure I could wait, either.
She was breathless as we stared into each other’s eyes. Her eyes were bright, silver galaxies that held more beauty than anything else in this universe.
God, she was breathtaking.
“Then take me to the truck,” she demanded.
Her wish was my command.
I straightened, hoisting her up into my arms, gripping her perfect, tight ass, her legs wrapping around my waist. I leaned down and picked up Lina’s discarded hat before walking us out of the stables. She trailed kisses along my jaw while I carried her. It took everything in me not to sprint to the truck.
I set her down, unlocking the driver’s-side door.
“Get in,” I ordered, flinging the hat onto the dashboard.
She never took her eyes off me, lifting herself into the cab and sliding back across the bench seat. I stalked her like a hunter, ready to devour her, shutting us in the cab, following her across the seat until her head rested against the passenger-side door. I parted her legs, settling my hips between them, until I could reach her lips again.
“Um … shit! I don’t have a condom,” I said breathlessly, continuing to kiss down her neck. “Tell me what you want, Romy. I’d gladly eat you right here. Do you want me to fuck you with my tongue?”
Romy nodded against the door. Her eyes hooded with desire. Desire for me . I’d dreamed of this so many times. I was ready to burn every moment into my memory, especially those beautiful eyes. I didn’t move, waiting for her to say the words. I wouldn’t do this if she didn’t say it.
“Please, Jude. I’ve been tested. I’m clean.”
My dick twitched. I liked the sound of her begging.
“Good. Me too.” I inched back down her body, running my hands over her breasts. She arched into my palms before I continued my journey to her waist. Reaching the button of her jeans, I slowly pulled down the zipper.
She helped me shimmy her jeans down over her knees, and I parted her legs. The tattoo I’d only glimpsed through ripped denim was a vibrant phoenix, curving around her thigh and traveling up her hip. I knew Romy well enough to know why she would choose it. She had started a new life after leaving Willows, broken free of the ashes. And she blazed just as bright. Just as fucking brilliant.
Romy’s pink, lace underwear was already dark along her slit.
I beamed with pride, knowing I did this to her. “You’re already wet for me, aren’t you?”
She nodded, biting the corner of her lip. Even in the moonlight, I could see her blush.
My tongue darted out between my teeth, craving her, and she groaned, seeing my tongue so close to where she wanted it, pushing her hips toward me. Eager.
“Now you’re going to have to be a good girl and stay still for me if you want me to eat this pussy and make you come.”
I parted her knees wider.