33. Sarah
Chapter 33
Sarah
The next few days were a blur of emotions. On the one hand, it felt good to finally stand up to my mother in defense of Ranger. I wasn’t going to allow her to demean him. He was too good, too amazing to be held under her wrath.
I thought that standing up to her might make me feel more empowered. I’d finally said what I was truly feeling about her and how she treated me. But all I felt was a giant weight lingering over me, supported by a tiny string that might break at any moment. I didn’t want to be crushed, and at the same time, I felt like it almost needed to happen so I could walk away from my parents forever. They caused me too much pain and I was a glutton for punishment.
Ranger could tell something was up with my string of mopey text messages since then, so he opted to invite all my friends out for a night of fun before he and I shared the weekend and whatever surprise he had planned for me. We were going line dancing at Cowboys and I was ready for a night of distraction.
“Feeling any better?” he asked, driving his truck into the dirt parking lot. Holes in the lot had me jostling side-to-side in the passenger seat.
I looked over at him, feeling a lift in my chest as I took him in. His normal flannel was replaced with a long sleeve black shirt, tucked into dark wash jeans and his leather belt. His black cowboy hat didn’t have a speck of dirt on it. I found myself wanting to climb into his lap and weave my fingers through his long hair. I just wanted it to be us, lost in the feeling of one another.
But my gaze flicked to his window where I saw Johnny and Willow getting out of Johnny’s truck a few cars over.
Shifting my attention back to Ranger, I nodded. “Yeah, a little bit better I think.”
Those stormy blue eyes assessed me. “If you get overwhelmed at all or just want to leave, say the word and we’re out of here.”
I leaned across the center console and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.” Ranger knew I had problems with my parents, but this was the first time he saw my mother in action with her vile words and nasty attitude. It was embarrassing and I didn’t understand how she couldn’t see that. For all the effort she put into maintaining the perfect image, she didn’t seem to care how mean she came across.
As Ranger got out of the truck and came to my side to open the door, I took in a few deep breaths, letting my shoulders fall from all the tension I was carrying. Tonight would be fun. I wanted it to be fun.
“Come on, sugar.” Ranger lifted me from the seat of his truck and set me down. The smell of leather and fresh grass swirling around me at his closeness. Letting my eyes close for a moment, I held onto his forearms and allowed his presence to ground me.
“Okay, I’m ready.” Hand-in-hand, we rounded the back of his truck and found Willow and Johnny walking toward us. Deacon was getting out of his truck at the end of the parking lot. I waved him over and he made his way.
Willow pulled me in for a hug and said against my neck, “Holding up okay?” I’d called her the night my mother stormed into my work kitchen and debriefed her on everything that had happened. She was furious, of course.
“Yeah,” I breathed. “It feels hard right now, but I know it will be alright eventually.”
If there was anyone in the world who understood complicated family dynamics, it was Willow. I was thankful to have her helping me navigate everything happening with my mother. But I was tired of talking about it. I wanted to forget about everything and enjoy the night.
“Let’s go have some fun,” I said, pulling back from her embrace.
She waggled her eyebrows at me. “Oh, I think we can manage that.” Looping our arms together, we bounded for the entrance to the bar.
I was weightless in Ranger’s arms as he spun me around the dance floor. The light in his eyes made my heart skip a beat. I loved seeing him like this. Carefree and wild, his heart racing beneath my palm where I settled it against his chest as we moved to the music. We were both slick with sweat as we danced the entire night away. The dance floor was looking slim compared to when we first arrived.
When the song came to a close, he led me to the small high-top table our group had grabbed. Willow was standing in front of Johnny, his arms draped over her shoulders, holding her close as they swayed to the building beat of the next song. Her eyes were a little glassy from the shots of tequila we did earlier.
“Where’s Deacon,” I asked. Johnny nodded his chin toward the bar and I found Deacon sipping on a beer next to a striking blonde woman. Long curls fell nearly to the small of her back hanging just above her Daisy Duke shorts. How she managed to not freeze her ass off on the way here was beyond me. Some women just had that superpower of being able to wear minimal clothing in cold temperatures.
“How long has she been trying for him?”
Willow hiccupped and giggled. “At least half an hour at this point.”
Deacon had a problem. He was extremely good-looking but had a sour-puss attitude that kept anyone from getting too close to him. It wasn’t that he was an asshole, you just had to work through his grumpy exterior to find the good parts of him.
“I think that might be a record,” Johnny said, a grin pulling at his lips.
I snorted. “I think you’re right, Johnny.” I looked back over to Deacon and saw the blonde get off the stool and head toward the billiards tables where a few stragglers were playing. “Oh, looks like we spoke too soon. Another one bites the dust,” I laughed as Johnny and Willow turned to see the blonde walk away.
“Maybe he just hasn’t found the right one yet,” Ranger offered, pulling me into him.
I smiled, all the heaviness from earlier in the night left me the moment we had stepped onto the dance floor and I felt his body move against mine. “Valid point, cowboy.”
He brushed his lips against mine and my body hummed. I’d discovered that dancing with him was one long tease fest and all I wanted to do was devour him. Kiss every inch of his body until there was nothing left to claim.
“Ready to get out of here?” His breath tickled the cuff of my ear.
I bit my lower lip and nodded. His eyes flickered down to my lips. “Keep that up and I won’t be able to wait until we’re in the truck to make you mine.”
I batted my lashes at him innocently. “But I’m already yours. ”
He growled before laying his arm over my shoulder. “Alright, we’re out of here,” he announced to Willow and Johnny before he whisked us away to his truck.
I pressed the button to roll down the window and Ranger sped through the night. He gripped my thigh, eyes glancing at me every few seconds. It was so damn hot in the truck even though it was in the fifties outside. If we didn’t get to my place soon, I was going to suffocate from the heat emanating from both of us.
When he slid his hand upward toward the crease in my thigh, I let out a whimper. His eyes shot to me, molten blue and gray swirling with the same desperate need I felt for him.
“Fuck it,” he said, voice low as he turned the truck off the road and threw it into park.
“What’re you doing?” I asked, but my words were lost in the silence as he hopped out of the truck and came around to my side.
My heartbeat quickened when he opened the door. “I need you, sugar. I’ve been waiting all damn night to taste you and I can’t fucking take it anymore.”
My throat was dry, my sex throbbing and I knew my panties were soaked. A bodily betrayal of the need for him that I was trying to hide all night. I didn’t have a chance to respond before he reached his arm under my knees and back, lifting me out of the truck. He carried me to the hood and set me gently on the edge.
“Right here?” I gasped. “What if someone comes down the road?”
His fingers made quick work of my small leather belt and jeans. “It’s two o’clock in the morning and we’re in the middle of farm country. No one will be on this road. And if they are…” he smirked. “Oh well.”
Giddiness filled my chest at his don’t-give-a-fuck attitude. I loved that about him. He was wild and beautiful and he wanted me . I’d never felt more alive than when I was with him. The risks we took together had me wanting more. I felt like a wild horse running free in the wind. Nothing to stop me. Nothing in the world mattered except for him.
Lifting my hips, he hooked his fingers into my jeans and pulled them down to my ankles. Goosebumps rose along my thighs and calves as my hot skin hit the cold fall air.
“Aren’t these fucking cute?” He toyed with the pale pink thong I wore, lifting the side straps up and letting them hit my hips with a snap. “Too bad they’re in my way.” He gripped where the triangle met the strap and ripped my panties apart. I didn’t have a moment to protest before his mouth was on me, licking my clit in one long stroke of his tongue.
“Holy fuck.” I nearly slipped on the hood as my arms failed at keeping me up. His eyes were dark, hooded by his lashes when he looked up at me. “Do that again,” I commanded. His feral grin had my knees shaking as he looked right at me, his dark curls brushing the skin of my inner thighs as he flicked his tongue against my entrance, then licked my center from bottom to top. My head fell back and I swore I was floating amongst the stars above.
Grabbing my hips, he yanked me to the edge of the hood. “Tell me what you want.”
Drawing my head forward, I said, “I want you to suck on my clit.”
He nipped the inside of my right thigh with his teeth, sending a bolt of fire to my core. “That’s it, sugar. I fucking love it when you tell me what you want.”
His head lowered and his lips sealed over my sex, sucking and teasing my clit with his tongue. The wet warmth of his mouth was sinful as I reached down between my legs and grasped the back of his head, pushing him tighter against me. He growled at my neediness and the vibration of his tongue hit just the right spot, sending my vision into a spiraling haze.
Both his hands found the back of my thighs as he continued to work his mouth on my pussy. He pulled me further to the edge of the hood until there was nowhere else for me to go. I draped my legs over his shoulders, my ankles hitting his back. I was completely at his mercy and I loved every second of it.
Grinding my sex against his mouth, I felt him pull away just a little. Pressure hit my entrance as he slowly circled two fingers against my slick lips.
“Yes,” I breathed, needing to be filled by him. “Please.”
He pressed his fingers deeper, moving in slow motions. In and out. In and out. The same rhythm he used with the stroke of his tongue. It was a high no alcohol or drugs could buy. Being touched and licked by him was pure ecstasy.
“You’re so fucking good, baby. God, I love the way you taste. So good.” Even the feel of his breath against my hot clit was enough to send me spiraling towards release. When his mouth moved against me again, he pushed his fingers deep inside me, stroking easily against my spot.
“More,” I cried out, grinding my pussy against his scruff. “I need more.”
“That’s it. Tell me what you want.” His pace and pressure quickened, his lips and tongue suckling my clit while his fingers moved faster.
I writhed against the metal hood, stretching my arms out wide to grasp anything that would help me feel grounded, but it was no use. Off the cliff I tumbled, my orgasm shattering my mind, body, and soul. There was nothing left of me, it was all his and there was nothing I loved more than giving my entire being to him.
His movements slowed, riding the wave with me until he slowly withdrew his fingers and pressed a final kiss over my sex. I laid back on the hood of his truck, not quite ready to come back to reality as I gazed up at the stars. Ranger’s hands moved over my legs as he slowly slid my jeans upward and zipped me back into them.
Finally, I propped myself on my elbows and looked at him. “I never want to stop doing that with you. Feeling you against me without anything between us.”
Reaching behind my bottom, he slid me off the hood and into his arms. I hooked my legs around his waist as he held me at eye level. “We can do that for the rest of our lives if you want to.” A question flared in his blue eyes. A tentative step toward a path that had big meaning.
But I wasn’t scared. Not with him. Not ever.
“I think I’d like that very much.”