Chapter Four
Dane
I’m painfully hard.
It’s unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life. I am a healthy man, with healthy sexual urges, and experience arousal, but never this strong. It’s never driven me to near madness like this before. I’ve never been reckless with a woman before.
And I don’t even know this girl that well. Or at all.
Cherry Dunbar is trouble, with her beautiful golden eyes and that pouty mouth I want so badly to kiss. She could be a criminal; she’s clearly afraid of something. Maybe she knew exactly who I was before she showed up here and is using her connection to my niece to win me over.
I should be thinking of sending her back to where she came from, not humping her in my bed like a prepubescent teen with no self-control. At thirty-four, I am the furthest thing from an inexperienced teen, and yet…I'm dangerously close to blowing in my jeans, and I still don’t even know the taste of Cherry’s lips.
I push through the bathroom door, barely getting it closed and locked behind me before I am reaching for my cock. I fumble with my belt, nearly breaking the darn b off before it finally gives in. I unbutton my jeans and lower my zipper. “Fuuuck!” A groan slips out when I wrap my fingers around my aching shaft, my hips thrusting into my hand involuntarily.
Fire floods my veins when I start stroking myself. I see nothing but that girl lying on my bed, those luscious legs parted for me, pretty eyes pleading for me to take her. Fuck her fast and hard into the mattress.
I drop my forehead to the door and close my eyes, using my precum to slick my hand. I try to picture something else, but it’s those golden eyes that keep appearing. It’s Cherry’s slender hands I imagine wrapped around my cock as I pump myself harder and faster. My abs flex as I fuck into my fist, stroking myself roughly with the image of Cherry locked in my mind. Her wet little pussy riding my dick and sexy tits bouncing with every thrust. It's that perfect mouth I imagine wrapped around my cock, taking me deep…
My orgasm hits me fast and hard, causing my knees to buckle from the intensity of it. The muscles in my abdomen clench and release as I stroke myself hard through the waves. “Fuck!” I grunt, catching my release in my palm. I stroke through the aftershocks, images of Cherry flashing through my mind, and it's her name on my lips as I shudder.
It takes what feels like hours to regain my senses and calm breathing, and even then, I don't immediately push away from the door. The satisfaction I expect from the release doesn't come, though. I thought jerking off would ease the tension from my shoulders or release whatever hold that girl has on me, but no, nothing has changed.
I want her. Still.
With a sigh, I push away from the door, sweeping my gaze across the floor, looking at the mess I’ve made.
Fuck! What kind of spell does she have on me?
I walk to the vanity and find a cloth to wipe myself and the floor clean. Once the evidence of my lack of control has been erased, I tuck myself back into my jeans before walking to the door. With a sigh, I open it and look out, making sure the hallway is empty before slipping out.
It takes me longer than it should to make it down to the kitchen. Cherry is leaning against the counter, looking adorable with a plate of chicken pie and her mouth stuffed. She flushes when she sees me, quickly setting the plate down. “I’m sorry, I helped myself to some,” she hurries to say around a mouthful. “I was really hungry, and I wasn’t sure where you were.”
Fuck, did she hear me jerk off in the next room? Judging from the way she’s watching me, I don’t believe so. “It’s okay; go right ahead and help yourself to anything in the kitchen,” I say walking to the fridge and grabbing a can of beer from it. I pop open the can and down the entire thing in one go, but it does little to ease the tension in my muscles. I grab another, leaning opposite the girl to watch her. She’s a beauty. I have never seen anyone with hair that red or eyes so golden, she looks unreal..
“Are you ready to talk about why you need my brother’s help?”
She stills, eyes going wide as she chews her food, and I can see her mind running as she tries to decide on an answer. “Do you promise not to judge me?”
“Of course.”
“Alright,” she sighs, dropping her fork to her plate before setting her meal on the counter again. “I…I’m not a US citizen.”
Not what I was expecting, but it still doesn’t explain how my brother factors in. “Did your visa expire or something? Did you commit a crime and that’s why you want Derek’s help?”
“Not exactly,” she hedges. “A few days ago, an agent from ICE came to my house looking for my parents, and she told me that I was adopted as a baby. Apparently I was born in Scotland, and my adoption wasn’t exactly legal.”
“What did your parents say?”
“Um, nothing. They went on vacation before the agent showed up, and I haven’t been able to reach them. I don’t know where they went, but the ICE agent didn’t believe me. She said I had a week to help them track down my parents before they arrest and deport me.” Tears gather in her eyes as she speaks, and my stomach roles as I begin to get a clearer picture of what has brought Cherry to Valor Springs.
“And you need to speak to a lawyer, which is why you came here looking for Paula and Derek.” It’s not a question, but she nods anyway. “Cherry, you realize my brother isn’t an immigration lawyer. He’s a criminal prosecutor. You need an attorney who specializes in immigration law,” I tell her as gently as possible.
“I know,” she says around a choked sob. “But they froze my parents’ assets and I don’t have any money for an attorney. I was hoping Paula’s dad could help me buy some time or something.”
I hum noncommittally. It’s true that my brother holds a lot of influence in the city, and he likely has some connections he could lean on to help his daughter’s friend, but it would take time. And based on what she said at the bus stop and just now, time is something Cherry doesn’t have. An idea tickles the back of my brain, but I don’t dwell on it. Instead, I cross the distance to Cherry and pull the distraught girl into my arms, hugging her tight. She buries her face in my chest as she sobs.
Several minutes later, she pulls back and I reluctantly let her go. She snags a napkin from the counter to dry her eyes. “So, now you know. If I don’t figure something out in the next few days, I’m going to be deported to Scotland, where I know no one and have no resources.
“I’m not going to let that happen,” I say firmly. “We’ll figure something out.”
Cherry gives me a small smile. It’s clear she doesn’t believe me but appreciates my vehemence on her behalf. “I’m tired of thinking about it. It’s all I’ve been able to think about for the last several days. Can we talk about something else?” she says.
“What do you want to talk about?”
“You?” Her unexpected answer startles a laugh out of me.
“Okay. What do you want to know?” I ask, happy to see some of the light return to her eyes as she realizes I’m playing along.
“Have you ever been in love?”
I pause, bringing the beer to my mouth and taking another sip. “Yes.”
Her eyes widen with surprise and glisten with something darker. Is that…jealousy? It’s an odd look in such bright innocent eyes, and for some reason, that fills me with satisfaction. “What was she like?” she asks, feigning nonchalance as she plays with her fork on her plate.
“Majestic. She has long chestnut brown hair and sharp brown eyes, and man, she is fast.”
“F-fast?”
“When she was younger and we’d go out to the fields, none of the others could keep up with her. Few still can.”
Her mouth falls open, and her eyes narrow in suspicion. “S-she's still around?”
“In the barn, that’s where I keep her.”
“W-what?” she splutters, straightening indignantly. It takes longer than it should for her to make sense of my words, and when she does, the jealousy in her eyes is replaced by relief. Her cheeks darken to a pretty rosy tint, and she quickly looks away. “You’re talking about a horse, aren’t you?”
“Delilah is her name. She was the first mare I bought for the ranch. I'll introduce you some time,” I laugh, realizing too late what I've just said. Fuck, the plan for tomorrow is to drive her to the bus station, not show her around the ranch, and yet, I like the second idea better.
“I bet she's lovely,” Cherry whispers, ignoring my little slip-up. Does she realize how close she's moved? I place the beer can behind me on the counter and instinctively turn toward her, drawn to the girl like a bee is to nectar. “So…have you ever had feelings for a woman before?”
“Depends,” I rasp, my eyes locking on hers.
“On what?” Her voice is barely audible over the loud beating of my heart.
“On the kind of feelings you are talking about.” She’s so fucking close, I can smell her sweet scent clinging to her hair. Just like that, I forget the pep talk I gave myself earlier. “If you are asking if I’ve ever wanted to bend a woman over my kitchen counter and worship her with my tongue on her sex the way I want to with you, then the answer is no.”
“Dane!”
“Maybe you want to know if I’ve ever ached this hard with the need to take a woman, to feel her heat tight surround me as I work my cock in and out of her channel, and in every position until she’s screaming my name.”
“I…I wasn’t asking about that!” she protests, her chest rising and falling fast, and my eyes drop to her tits, which shake with the movement.
I want her.
Whatever reservations I had earlier have been resolved. It's clear what I want, and right now it's this girl. I need to be inside of her. There is a fire climbing through my veins that burns and heals in equal measure when she is near.
Mine!
I move closer to her, almost like there’s a magnetic force between us that keeps pulling us toward each other despite knowing all the reasons we shouldn’t be together, but for the life of me, I can’t remember any of them. “What about you?” I rasp, trying to bring us back to our previous conversation, but she blinks up at me in confusion.
“Huh?”
“Tell me what you want.”
We're close now, our noses nearly brushing. Her breathing is just as labored as mine is, and I imagine she's trying and failing to fight this current of electricity crackling between us. It's a losing battle. The air between us is heavy, and the warm gust of Cherry's breath over my skin is chipping at my fraying control, but I refuse to cross the line this time. No, she needs to make the first move.
“We shouldn’t,” Cherry whispers, her eyes dropping to my mouth, and I read longing in them when they shift back to mine. “I…I promised myself that I would only ever do this with my husband, but…”
“But what?”
As if they have a mind of their own, her hands wind up around my nape, and I groan when she dips her fingers into my hair, causing my cock to twitch hard behind my fly. “But…I want to know,” she whispers. “I…I want to know what it feels like to kiss you.”
There will be nothing experimental about this, I want to warn her. If her lips touch mine, it will not end there. And yet, I don’t want to say anything that’ll make her change her mind. I want to kiss her just as much, and maybe she’ll prove me wrong.
Maybe what needs to happen between us is a sweet innocent kiss, and then I’ll be freed of this deep possessive hunger burning inside of me. I doubt it, but there’s no way of knowing until it happens.
Cherry rises on her tiptoes and presses her lips to mine. It’s awkward, almost as if it’s her first time kissing a man. The brush of lips is soft and barely a kiss, but it’s enough to rouse a different kind of beast inside of me. It unfurls a storm within me that roars out with a vengeance.
She was wrong.
Cherry pushes back from me, lifting her eyes to mine to gauge my reaction. “Is that all you wanted?” I ask, my voice thick with desire.
“No.”
“Good, I didn't think so,” I say, lifting a hand to push a red lock of hair behind her ear before cupping the back of her head. With my eyes locked on the most beautiful golden ones I’ve ever seen, I pull her in for another kiss. Her mouth opens undermine with a whimper, and I devour her, quickly losing my sanity with every soft stroke of her tongue against mine. She tastes like heaven, her addictive flavor turning me into an addict for her.
The truth is, I have never had feelings for a woman before. I’m not a virgin. I’ve had sexual relations with women, and I cared for them. Some of those relationships even lasted a couple of months before they inevitably broke things off, cursing me for being married to the ranch. Perhaps this is the reason I am against the idea of marriage. Even to a woman as gorgeous as the one in my arms. One that makes me feel things no other has.
What happens if she can't stand me a few months or a year from now because of my work? All those late nights tending to a sick calf, leaving her lonely in bed, and the long days working with the animals weigh on any relationship. What happens when I come home exhausted and she accuses me of being emotionally unavailable because I can't keep my eyes open long enough to listen to her tell me about her day? Past relationships have shown that I am not cut out for it. The best thing to do is let this girl go, let her find a man who will treat her the way she deserves to be treated.
I’m not the right man for her, but Christ, I want her.
I want her like my next breath.
I flip us around so her back is to the counter, kissing her like a man starved for affection. The little pleasured noises she makes at the back of her throat cause my cock to twitch. I should put an end to this, but I can't stop kissing her, drinking in her pleasured little moans. “I want to taste you, Cherry,” I rasp against her lips, and feel her still against me. “Don't worry, I won't fuck you.” No matter how hard my cock is begging me to, leaking like a faucet behind my fly.
“T-then what do you mean?”
“Let me show you, sweetheart,” I say, dragging my hand up her dress, and she whimpers, biting her lip when I slide it between her thighs. She jerks against me when I drag my knuckle along the center of her pussy, a growl climbing up my throat when I find her bare under her dress. “You took them off.”
“I… My panties were…um…”
“Wet?” She nods, and fuck, I could come just from this. I wonder if she stayed in my room—in my bed—and played with herself while I was in the other room jerking off to thoughts of her. “Fuck, the things you do to me!” I drop my lips to her neck, and she tips her head back for me, allowing me access to her smooth skin. She smells good, so fucking good, I could spend an eternity buried here, losing myself in her scent.
“Dane—” she whimpers when I lick the silky column of her throat, nipping at her earlobe all the while teasing the sensitive bud between her legs. I feel her sex grow slicker by the second, coating my digit with her arousal. All I can think about is dropping to my knees and tasting her, showing her what a man can do before I have to send her away.
Away? Why the fuck does that word fill me with so much agony. For fuck’s sake!
Cherry protests when I pull my hand away, sliding it to the back of her dress. I find the zipper and tug it down, watching how quickly she turns crimson when I attempt to pull down the straps of her dress along with her bra. “You are so fucking gorgeous, sweetheart,” I say thickly, tugging down her dress to reveal her pale, sexy tits, the rosy buds pebbled and begging for attention. “I’m going to make you feel so good, I promise.” She nods, her pretty lips parting on a moan when I palm the supple weight of her tits, but I realize it’s not enough. “Trust me,” I rasp, before leaning down and closing my lips around one of her rosy buds. She cries out, her back arching when I start rolling my tongue around the bead before shifting my attention to the other and giving it the same treatment.
“Oh Dane… Oh God!”
“I’m only getting started, sweetheart.” My voice is thick with need as I drop to my knees. I yank the dress the rest of the way down, leaving her standing naked in my kitchen, and Lord above, she’s a goddess. Every pale and flushed inch of her is so fucking gorgeous. My eyes drop to her folds, which are a shade darker than the red of her hair.
I knew she would be this gorgeous. I knew it the moment I walked up to her at the bus stop, and I have no fucking idea how I’ll send her away after this.
She peers down at me, the red on her cheeks a brighter shade than it was a minute ago. “I…I've never been naked like this before. God, this is embarrassing.”
“It won’t feel that way in a few seconds,” I say, raking my hands up her legs and pushing open her thighs to expose her pussy. My mouth waters at the thought of burying my face between her feminine lips and being the first man to taste her.
Mine. Comes the unbidden thought with such a vengeance, it nearly roars out of me.
I push it back, leaning in and brushing my lips over her thighs. I inhale deeply and immediately get high on her sweet scent, a mix of peach and orange, so fucking addictive that I find myself leaning in for a taste. A tremble racks her body when I lean in and nuzzle her sex, kissing her parted flesh for a taste before quickly sliding my tongue through her wet valley. She moans, the sound barely registering as I lose myself in her scent and taste.
I’ve thought about this...imagined this very moment back in the bathroom while I jerked myself raw. I pictured my tongue buried between her feminine folds, lapping at her flavor, but I couldn't envision losing total control in this way.
I see and feel nothing but this girl. I’m surrounded by her intoxicating scent with her arousal coating my tongue, and…I’m obsessed. A man weakened in his defenses.
Cherry falls back against the counter, her sob ringing through the room when I drop my tongue over her clit, bathing the swelling bud in fast strokes, but it’s not nearly enough. I grab her left knee and rest it over my shoulder, exposing more of her sex.
“Dane… Oh God!”
Her clit swells with every stroke of my tongue, and her sex floods with more of her arousal, painting my chin and jaw when she begins pumping her hips to ride my mouth. She sobs, bucking against me when I reach up and fondle her tits. She's panting now, her breathing coming out choppy. She's close, I can tell by the way her thighs begin to tremble and how she drops all reservations and eagerly lifts her sex to my mouth, faster and more desperate for release.
Mine!
I shake off the persistent thought, suctioning my lips over her clit and sucking hard. Her legs stiffen and her pussy begins to quiver around my restless tongue. “Oh! Oh, Dane!” she heaves, her body shaking hard as she orgasms. She buries her fingers in my hair and tugs hard, her juicy tits shaking with the rest of her, and it's a beautiful sight. Perfect in every sense of the word. I want to capture this moment and keep it with me forever.
I could keep her…
“Fuck!” I push back to my feet, crowding her into the counter as I work to take out my cock. It's hard and heavy behind my fly, aching with the need to feel the warmth of her hot pussy, but I promised her we wouldn't go all the way. That prize belongs to her husband. The thought causes a growl to escape me as I demand, “Kiss me!”
There is shock in her drowsy eyes, confusion at the hardness of my tone, but she doesn’t question it. Instead, wraps her arms around my shoulders and leans in, kissing me with just as much fervor as earlier. A fast learner, it seems. Christ, all the things I could teach her…
My hand wraps around my stiff cock, losing myself in the soft heat of her mouth. I pump my fist once, twice before I spill my thick load over her. She swallows my groan as I paint her stomach and sex with heavy streaks of white, marking her as mine. “So good,” I pant against her lips, breathing her in, and maybe a part of me hopes to imprint on her.
It’s selfish, I know. That I would want her to remember me when she’s going to belong to someone else someday, but I don’t want to be the only one left reliving this moment.
“Thank you,” she whispers, dropping her head against my shoulder, her breath brushing my neck and causing my spent cock to twitch. “You could have crossed the line, and I would have let you.”
“Please don’t say that,” I choke out. Not when your perfect, naked body is pressed against me .
“It’s a shame I have to leave,” she whispers, nuzzling my neck and slowly driving me to madness. “Whoever the woman is that captures your heart someday, she’ll be lucky to have you for a lover.”
“That’s not going to happen. There is no other woman to capture my heart.”
“Maybe you’re right; I don’t know.” Cherry pushes back to meet my eyes, and I am taken aback by tears crowding them. “I have no idea what kind of a husband you would be, but I know one thing for sure. You care. It’s in the little and big things you do. You cared enough about me to not cross the line I set, and in my books, that makes you a good man.” She steps away from me, and I immediately miss the softness of her body. I watch as she gathers her clothes and hugs them to her chest. “I hope the right woman finds her way to you.”
And with that, she’s gone.