Chapter 16
sixteen
. . .
Cage
We both fell back on the bed, and I rolled on my side to look at her as our breaths were still coming hard and fast. Hell, I hadn’t even been inside her yet, and it was the best sex of my life.
Our bodies had always been in sync, but this was even more intense than I’d remembered.
Maybe it was because we both hadn’t been with anyone in a long time.
Maybe it was just because it was us.
I pushed the hair away from her beautiful face and stared at her, wanting to memorize every line and every curve.
And she stared right back.
“You’re fucking perfect,” I said.
“So are you. That was—amazing.”
“It was.” I pulled her closer, and for a brief moment, this panic settled in my chest that I’d fucked up by allowing myself to go here. Because this connection was too strong. Too real. And even if it was just for one night, it was going to hurt like hell when it ended.
Again.
“Are you panicking a little bit?” she whispered.
Goddamn. How did she always know what I was thinking?
“Why do you say that?”
“Because it makes me nervous, too.”
I kissed the top of her head. “Maybe we’re both afraid to feel good because it’s been so long.”
“Yeah. That’s true. But at the same time, I like feeling good, and I wouldn’t mind feeling good a few more times before we pretend it didn’t happen.” She chuckled.
“Well, good. Because I plan to make you feel good as many times as possible before the sun comes up.” I rolled her onto her back and settled between her thighs as I hovered above her.
She bit down on her bottom lip. “I’m on the pill. And I was never with Wes without using a condom. So, I’d love our one night together to be the way I remembered it. With nothing between us.”
Fuck. My gaze locked with hers. “You were never with your husband without a condom?”
“No. I didn’t want to get pregnant, and for whatever reason, I didn’t fully trust him.”
“I’ve never been with anyone but you without wearing one either. But it’s always been different with you and me, hasn’t it?”
“It has,” she whispered.
“It’s always just been you and me.” I was already hard again, and she noticed because she widened her legs for me, and I teased her entrance.
“You and me, Cowboy.”
I pushed inside her slowly. So fucking slow at first, and she squeezed my dick like a fucking vise.
I moved a little further, waiting for her to adjust to my size.
I knew it had been a while for her, and I didn’t want to hurt her.
But my dick was on the verge of exploding, and I wasn’t even all the way in.
“I don’t know how long I’ll last. It’s been a while.” I pressed my forehead to hers as I pushed forward a little bit further, testing every bit of restraint that I had.
Slow.
Once I was all the way in, I stayed perfectly still, savoring and enjoying the feel of her while fighting the urge to pull out and thrust into her hard and fast.
I wanted to own her. Possess her. Make her mine. Mark her the way she’d marked me.
All these thoughts were spinning through my mind when she startled me by shoving against me, rolling me over so she could be on top.
I gripped her hips as she looked down at me.
“No holding back, remember?” she said as she started moving. Steady at first, finding her rhythm. My hands moved to her gorgeous tits, which fit perfectly there.
Like they were fucking made for me.
Like she was fucking made for me.
And she rode me up and down, her eyes never leaving mine.
Faster and harder as I moved my hand down between us, knowing exactly what she needed. It was so fucking good I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on.
My eyes closed, and I concentrated on her.
On waiting for her to come.
Because pleasing her was all I wanted in this moment, even if my dick had a mind of his own.
“Open your eyes,” her voice said around her frantic breaths, and I looked up to see her watching me. “If we get one night together, I want to see you. I want to watch as you come apart. I want to remember every fucking thing, and I want you to do the same.”
She repeated my words to me, and it was the sexiest fucking thing I’d ever heard.
Making her demands just the way that I had.
I bucked up against her with a fury.
Desperate and needy.
Again and again.
And just when I thought I couldn’t hold on one second longer, she exploded around me. Squeezing my cock until I followed her right over the edge.
Her head fell back, and she met me thrust for thrust.
She cried out my name as a guttural sound left my throat.
And I just watched her in all her beauty.
My fucking perfect raven.
Flying free just like she always did.
It had been two days since I’d seen Presley.
Two days since I’d dropped her at her house the morning after our night together.
And I was in hell. I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and we were texting all day, every day because we were giving this new friendship idea a try.
I pulled down the long driveway toward Duncan Ranch and put the truck in park.
I’d just dropped Gracie at school, where she asked me no less than five hundred times if Presley could teach her to ride a horse.
I’d agreed to come check on the horses a couple of days a week until Frank found a replacement to work here full time.
And I was just trying to hold on to my sanity. Keep some bit of distance there, as our night together was a one-and-done deal.
But I couldn’t think of anything else.
“Hey,” Presley said as she came walking out of the barn in a long cream-colored skirt with her boots peeking out at the ankle. Her sweater hung off one shoulder, making my mouth water, and it pissed me the hell off. “I didn’t think you were coming until tomorrow.”
She’d stuck to the plan and hadn’t made any attempt to see me again, so I wondered if I was the only one who was struggling.
“I didn’t have anything on the schedule this morning, so I thought I’d run over and check on Honey.” I shoved my hands into my pockets because we both knew I was lying. Honey was doing well, and there were no concerns at the moment. “What are you up to?”
“I was just going to go for a ride. Why don’t you ride with me?”
I cleared my throat and thought it over.
It had been a while since I’d found the time to take a ride.
I was in the middle of building a barn, and I planned to eventually get a horse or two.
“I guess I can go for a quick ride before I take a look in her mouth and then make a quick round to see the others.”
“Great. I want to get back in an hour so I can meet with Baxter to get an update on my dad’s physical therapy.”
She walked in front of me. The fabric of her skirt hugged her ass perfectly while it swooshed around freely at her ankles.
“I don’t know if that skirt is the best idea for riding,” I grumped, and it came out harsher than I meant it to.
But fuck that skirt.
It was putting all sorts of visuals in my head that I shouldn’t be thinking about.
She glanced over her shoulder and smiled like she was enjoying seeing me agitated.
We saddled up, and she climbed onto Honey, her skirt riding up as she draped it over her thighs effortlessly. I took Duke, the six-year-old stallion, who was one of my favorites.
We trotted out of the barn and took off once we were in the pasture.
I glanced over to see the wind catching her hair as it blew all around her, and she had a big smile on her face.
We rode for a few miles before she pointed over to the trees, where we used to come and hang out when we were teenagers.
The Duncans had one of the most gorgeous properties in Cottonwood Cove, as their ranch was set up high with impressive views of the cove.
We tied the horses to the tree, and she pulled a blanket out of her saddlebag and shook it out before setting it down on the grass.
I sat down beside her, keeping a little distance between us, even though her citrus scent was already flooding my senses.
“What’s going on? You seem a little tense.” She raised a brow as she leaned back on her elbows.
“Your skirt just kind of pisses me off.”
There, I said it. I was an asshole, and I wouldn’t argue that.
“My skirt pisses you off?” She smirked. “The color or just the style in general?”
“The way it hugs your perfect ass.”
She nodded and picked at a piece of grass before turning to look at me. “Are you struggling, Cowboy? Thinking about the other night? Because I am.”
I looked out at the water. “Something like that. We probably fucked up doing that, huh?”
“I don’t think so. We know what this is. There are no expectations this time around. And we have a history. I can’t speak for you, but I needed to feel something. I’m not ashamed to admit that being with you, even if just for a few weeks, has given me a new perspective.”
“How so?” I asked, narrowing my gaze as I studied her.
“Well, I don’t feel this overwhelming sadness anymore when I think about you.
Meeting your daughter has been really special to me.
I adore her, and I’m grateful that I get to spend time with her.
That I get to know the little girl you’re raising.
I guess it’s shown me that I am capable of being happy again.
I thought I lost the ability to feel that, you know? ”
I let her words sink in. Hell, I was feeling things I hadn’t felt in a very long time. Things that I knew were dangerous to be feeling. That was what had me on edge. But I wasn’t going to say that to her.
“Gracie’s nagging the shit out of me about letting you teach her to ride.”
“Let me do this. I promise you I won’t let her do anything dangerous. She loves horses, and you know it’s my passion. Let me give this to her. And you’re coming by and checking on the horses a couple of days a week now. It’s the least I can do to thank you.”
“Fine. I can’t argue with that. She’ll be excited. Just take it easy, okay? Nothing too fast. She’s got big ideas, but she’s young and clueless about all that can happen with an animal that size.”
“I give you my word. I’ll take it slow, and we won’t do anything remotely reckless.”
“All right. How about tomorrow after school?” What the fuck was I doing? I was clearly finding a way to see her every day until she left.
“Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it.”
We sat in silence for a little bit, and I glanced over at her as she looked out at the water.
“I thought I lost the ability to feel, too. You aren’t alone in that. And you definitely showed me I was wrong,” I said, keeping my voice low.
She turned to look at me as her lips turned up in the corners. Her honey-brown eyes appeared lighter with the sun shining down on her.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“So that rule we have seems fucking stupid now, doesn’t it?”
“The one where we gave ourselves one night together and nothing more? Is that the one you’re referring to?” She moved closer and chuckled.
“Yeah. Who’s fucked-up idea was that?”
“I’m pretty sure it was yours.” She reached for my hand, turning it over and tracing the lines in my palm. I closed my eyes at how fucking good it felt when she touched me.
How good it felt when she was even in my vicinity.
“Well, I have a lot of idiotic ideas, don’t I?”
“You’ve had your fair share.” She leaned against me, resting her cheek against my chest, and I opened my eyes to look down at her.
“What if we enjoy this time together as friends, with a few perks involved?”
“I believe that’s called friends with benefits.” She tipped her head back to look up at me.
“We’ve just got to be okay when it comes to an end. And Gracie can’t know this is anything more than a friendship, or she’ll get all sorts of ideas.”
“So, you don’t want me to tell your daughter that I’m having sex with you? Hmmm… that’s going to be so difficult.” She oozed sarcasm before laughing a soft, melodic sound that moved around us.
“Don’t be a smartass. You know… the more people that know what’s going on, the more complicated this gets.”
“How about we keep this just for me and you? It’s no one else’s business. Maybe it’ll help us both in the end.”
“How so?” I tugged her onto my lap and wrapped my arms around her.
“Well, for me, I thought I’d just grown to hate sex. But after the other night, I realized I really, really like it. So maybe I’ll go back home, get back to my real life, and be open to meeting someone.”
I flipped her on her back so fast that she gasped. I hovered above her. “New rule. We don’t talk about you fucking anyone else while we’re together.”
“Fine. But you know what I mean. It gives us hope that we can both be happy again.”
“You know what would make me happy right now?” I asked as I pushed the hair away from her stunning face.
“What?” she whispered.
“If I could bury myself deep inside you right here and every day until you leave.”
She smiled. “Good thing I’m wearing this skirt that pisses you off so much, huh?”
My mouth crashed into hers, and I kissed her hard.
I lifted her skirt, and she fumbled with the button on my jeans. My pants were pulled down, and I slid her panties to the side as I continued kissing her like I’d die if I stopped.
Hell, maybe I would.
She gripped my ass and urged me forward. I pressed into her inch by inch until I was buried deep, and nothing had ever felt better.
I knew I was fucking up by letting myself go here.
But I didn’t even care.
I couldn’t walk away now if I wanted to.
And I definitely didn’t want to.