38. Sage
sage
“Hey, kid,” Bill greeted me as I got out of the Jeep in front of the barn where Christian had said they’d be working out.
“Hey. Is Christian still working out?”
He shook his head. “He’s up in the stable.”
I nodded. “Okay, I’ll head there.”
“Did he tell you he’s hanging up his chaps?” he asked.
I stalled in my steps. “I know he’s out for the season, but he didn’t say anything about retiring.”
Bill nodded, picking up the snow shovel resting against the barn wall. “He wants to help Chuck with the new up-and-coming bull and bronc riders and take over the breeding here at the farm so I can take a step back.”
My brows raised. “He said that?”
“I don’t want him giving up something he loves,” he said, scooping old snow and shoveling it off to the side.
My chest clenched. “I don’t want that either. I don’t know him as someone who gives up easily.”
Bill straightened to look at me, the same dimples as Christian’s popping. “No, no, he doesn’t. Not when he loves it.”
“I take it you’re not just talking about bull riding now, are you?”
He winked at me. “He’s by himself in the stable right now.”
I pinched my lips to keep from grinning, a little thrill shooting through me. “I’ll head over there now.”
Bill turned his back to me to continue shoveling snow. The fog from earlier had dissipated, leaving an overcast sky. Temperatures were above freezing now and as spring approached rain would soon be washing away any remnant of winter.
I didn’t bother getting back in my Jeep, heading up the hill to the stable.
The familiar, comforting smell of horses surrounded me as soon as I stepped inside, my eyes adjusting to the dimness.
Movement of bridles and bits sounded from the tack room and I followed it, knowing I’d find Christian there.
Sure enough, his back was to me. He wasn’t wearing his brace now that he was getting stronger, but I could tell he still favored his left leg as he shifted his weight.
He was wearing a hoodie and sweatpants, a baseball cap turned backwards, his grown-out hair curling around his ears still sweaty from his workout.
Even in sweats, his ass looked phenomenal.
I licked my lips. “Decided not to rest after your exercises today, huh, rodeo star?” I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.
At the sound of my voice, he spun on his heel, a smile broadening across his face as soon as he saw me. “Star fire,” he greeted, hanging the bridle up and taking two strides to reach me. He wrapped his arms around me, not hesitating to drop a kiss to my lips.
I welcomed the warmth of his mouth, immediately opening for him and letting his tongue stroke mine.
I moaned, my hands going to his chest to grip his sweatshirt and bring him closer.
We’d only been apart for three hours, but it seemed like it had been an eternity.
I wanted to devour him, savor his minty taste.
He shamelessly ground his hard-on against my belly.
My pussy clenched, missing the feel of him inside me.
With some difficulty, I broke the kiss, wanting nothing more than to keep kissing him. I looked up at him, his green eyes sparkling in the dim light. I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling nervous.
“Your dad said you were thinking about retiring from bull riding?” I asked.
He sighed, his eyes going to the ceiling before returning to mine. “It was time for me to be honest with myself. That wreck rattled me.”
I rubbed his chest in hopes of comforting him. “It was scary to watch, so I don’t blame you. I don’t think I’d want to get on the back of a bull after that.”
He shook his head. “It’s not the bull.” His eyes hardened slightly, his jaw ticking. “It was seeing you scared, Sage. Seeing you worried.”
I swallowed the lump growing in my throat, nodding in understanding. “You could have been …” I couldn’t say the word. Just the thought terrified me.
He brushed a loose curl out of my face. “See, I can’t do that to you.
I don’t want you to ever feel like you might lose me.
Being on the road constantly chasing the next rodeo is not something I want to put you through.
I want you to know that I’m not going anywhere.
If it means retiring, then so be it. I’ll help Chuck train the next rodeo stars and get Thornbrush Ranch back up and running.
My dad has been wanting to take a step back from the horses and dogs, too.
He’s been ready to hand the reins over to me for a while now but hasn’t wanted to pressure me into it. ”
“You love bull riding,” I reminded him.
He leaned his forehead against mine, inhaling deeply. “I love you more.”
I closed my eyes letting his words wash over me. I’d never been loved like he’d loved me and he deserved to know how I felt. I trusted him with my secrets. I trusted him with my body. I could trust him with my heart, too. I mimicked his deep breath. “I’m falling in love with you, Christian.”
Christian stilled and I held my breath, afraid to open my eyes to see his expression. Then he was pulling away, his hands bracing my face. “Open your eyes, baby.”
I blinked them open. There were tears shining in his. The mossy green looked so deep, penetrating mine. Seeing the emotion there made me shudder a cry.
“I’m not going anywhere. I promise you. You’re never going to lose me.”
“You can’t promise that,” I told him, my vision blurring.
“Then I want you to watch me try.”
My eyes fluttered closed again, the tears silently falling across my cheeks.
“Don’t cry. Please.” He leaned in to kiss one cheek, then the next, his lips brushing the tears away. “Please,” he begged, not letting my tears fall.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I confided, inhaling a shuddering breath.
“I know.” His thumbs caressed my cheeks. “Will you let me show you how?”
I opened my eyes again. His eyes searched mine.
They looked sad, pleading. I thought for sure I’d get high energy, gloating-Christian when I finally told him how I felt, but instead I was getting tender-Christian.
Another side of him that was melting my heart and making me fall harder for him.
The one who was patient with me and seemed to know exactly what I needed.
I nodded tentatively.
He dropped a kiss to the corner of my mouth and I closed my eyes again, trying to settle my heart.
His lips brushed along my jaw until they were at my ear.
“I love you, Sage Pardy,” he whispered. For some reason hearing him use my maiden name made me fall harder.
It was like he was reminding me that he loved me.
Not the idea of me. Not his pretend fiancée. Not his accidental wife. Me.
I tipped my head back, resting it against the wall, to allow him access to my throat as he continued kissing me.
His mouth pressing soft kisses against my skin, his teeth nipping the shell of my ear, sucking my pulse point.
I brought him with me to lean against the wall, my hands feeling the ripple of muscle beneath his sweatshirt.
I wanted to feel him, to build our connection.
When his lips made their way back to my mouth, I felt like my knees were going to give out, until Christian’s leg went between mine to hold me up.
“Christian,” I breathed into his mouth. “I need you.”
“What do you need, star fire?”
“I need you inside me.”
“Fuck,” he whispered, returning to deepen our kiss. His tongue stroked against mine. Like a tether to my clit, his tongue skimmed the roof of my mouth making my pussy pulse.
“Please,” I begged.
“I’m yours, remember?”
I reached for him, feeling his hard cock through his sweatpants. He thrust into my palm. Finding the waistband, I reached for him, finding he wasn’t wearing boxers. I blinked my eyes open to look at him, my pleased smile stretching across my face. “Good boy,” I told him.
He returned a grin at the praise. “How do I feel in your hand?”
I licked my bottom lip and stroked his velvety length. “So good. But you’d feel better inside me.”
“You want me to fuck you in the tack room?” His eyes twinkled with mischief.
I nodded, unable to speak.
“You better keep quiet then. I don’t want you spooking the horses.”
“Are you calling me loud?” I gripped him harder.
“Shit,” he grunted.
I leaned toward him, my lips brushing his. “Fuck me in the tack room, rodeo star.”
I ran my fist over his cock, causing him to lose speech. His tip leaked and I ran my thumb over it, spreading it and making him shudder. “Undo my pants,” I ordered him.
With trembling fingers, he fumbled with my button and zipper.
“Tell me how wet I am,” I told him, widening my stance.
His fingers traced the skin at the waistband of my panties, causing me to suck in a breath.
My heart was pounding in anticipation. Inch by painful inch, his fingers drifted lower beneath my panties, brushing lightly over my clit but not staying there.
My breathing was becoming shallow as his finger ran through my slit, and I folded against him, resting my head on his chest.
“You’re drenched, star fire.” His finger dove inside me. I gasped, my hips already responding, desperately wanting the friction. “Your pussy’s weeping, begging for my cock.”
“Yes,” I breathed, still stroking him as he stroked me. I bent my knees, pushing my pussy against him so I could grind my clit against the heel of his hand.
“Look at you,” he whispered. “You’re desperate to come, aren’t you?”
I whined against his chest. “Please, Christian.”
“Turn around, baby.”
He stopped, slipping his hand out of my pants. He spun me around so fast, I barely realized I released his cock until I was pressed flat against the rough wall of the stable. Excitement shot through me and I couldn’t help wiggling my ass in an attempt to keep in contact with him. “What are …”
My words died as his fingers looped into my jeans, pulling them and my panties down over my ass and to my knees.
“Christian,” I gasped.
He didn’t say a word, his feet kicking the inside of mine to make me widen my stance, and running a hand down my spine. I couldn’t help arching my back like a petted cat. He leaned over me and I could feel the heaviness of his cock on my ass.
“You trust me, right?” he asked, his breath brushing the shell of my ear.
“Unequivocally, yes.” It was the honest truth. One I believed in the marrow of my bones.
“Good, because I don’t want you to stop falling for me. Not even for one second. And especially not while I fuck you against this wall.”
He notched the head of his cock at my entrance and I crouched lower to try to get him to quickly put it in, but his free hand pressed onto my lower back, pining me there.
I was squirming out of my skin, wanting him to hurry up and let me feel him, but he was making me wait it out, giving it to me slowly, wanting me to feel every second of this.
He entered me, slowly. My mouth fell open on a moan, forced to feel every inch of him as it brushed past my walls. With his hand at my lower back, I arched into him, feeling the stretch and wanting to feel the weight of his body.
His hand landed with a thud beside my head, bracing himself, while the other hand dug in at my hip as he started to thrust.
“Oh, God,” I panted. Unable to widen my legs, my jeans holding me in place, while Christian was in control, made me impossibly wet. The sounds of our flesh slapping and the suction of my pussy filled the tack room. I pressed my lips together, breathing through my nose to keep from crying out.
Grabbing my messy bun in a fist, he pulled my head off the wall slightly so he could devour my lips as he fucked me. I moaned into his mouth, his own sounds being swallowed with mine.
Then he loosened his hold, letting my head rest again on the wall while he found my clit. With a feather light touch, he circled it and I couldn’t help the quiet moan I released.
“Shh, baby,” he hushed.
”I’m going to come,” I told him.
“Good. I want you to come all over my cock. Take what you need.”
I clamped my mouth shut, panting through my nose.
I bent my knees, slamming myself on his cock as he thrust up, and rubbed my clit.
Grinding against him, I rode it out, knowing we were both close.
His body was tensing behind me, his fingers flexing at my hips.
I could feel our hearts beating together.
Our breaths came out in short, quick bursts.
Pleasure was building rapidly inside me, my walls were fluttering against him.
“Don’t stop,” I said.
“Never, star fire.”
But his never seemed to mean a whole lot more.
My orgasm came on a rush, my whole body vibrating with it as I crashed down on his cock one last time. My walls tightened, milking him. I could feel him come shortly after, his cock pulsing spurts of cum deep against my walls. I shuddered, my muscles spasming around him.
He collapsed against me, pushing me into the rough boards, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want this feeling to end, feeling him deep inside me. This feeling of connection. This feeling of falling and knowing he was right there to catch me.
He pressed a gentle kiss to my temple, his breath fluttering my hair.
“Know this, Sage Riggs,” he said, whispering in my ear.
It wasn’t lost on me that he was using my married name now.
Tears once again threatened to come, burning behind my eyes.
“There is nothing, no one, not even a storm, that will keep me away from my wife. The only thing I’m never giving up is you.
I promise you till my dying breath. I’m yours. ”