32. Thirty-Two
Thirty-Two
Rhett
I pulled Kyla into the hotel room later that night, and pressed her against the wall the second the door was closed, taking her mouth with mine. I could kiss her all night long, kiss every piece of her. She moaned against my lips, her fingers sliding into my hair, forcing my hat to fall to the ground. Her tongue danced with mine as my fingertips found her skin. I lifted her tank top up slightly, just enough to let me see that purple lace bra hiding underneath, bringing the heat in all the right areas, and I felt my cock get harder and harder with each touch.
But then she pulled away.
“We said we would talk after the rodeo,” she said breathlessly.
I growled, giving her another kiss. “But then you put my hat on. ”
“I promise we won’t break the rule, but we should probably talk.” Her breath hitched as I kissed the crook of her neck. “Rhett . . .”
“We’ll talk, we’ll talk,” I repeated. “But I just need,” I rumbled, “you.”
Kyla let out a heavy breath. “Rhett, trust me, I need you—want you—too. But . . . I need . . .” she gasped between each word, only making it harder for me to stop, until finally she pushed me away, her arms flying straight out in front of her. “I need to talk to you.”
Letting out a deep sigh I dropped my head, feeling her lips kiss my hair. I raised my chin slightly, raising an eyebrow to look her in the eye.
“Okay, let’s talk.” I gave in.
Her hands found my face, lifting me to her. “Thank you,” she whispered before kissing me again. “I still don’t know how to put everything into words.”
Earlier she had said she was feeling perfect, but the small differences in how she moved told me otherwise. We still hadn’t talked about what happened with her mother, what was happening with David. With only two more rodeos until we returned to Idaho, it had to be talked about eventually. I could feel the tension in her body, but according to Grace she was more comforted than she had ever been. She said she didn’t know how to put what she needed to say into words, and all I could think to tell her was . . .
“Try,” I said softly.
She ran her hands down my arms, grasping my hands in hers, lacing our fingers together .
“Panic attacks aren’t rare for me. In fact, they are more common than anything else,” she began, bringing our joined hands to her heart. I kissed her fingers, “Normally I would have one and have to take time to recover, only to have another thrust upon me. David mostly—”
“I hate him,” I interrupted.
“Hey now.” She sighed.
“Sorry.” I kissed her. “Sorry,” I whispered.
“David would put it all back on me. Tell me I was overreacting, overthinking—that I was the problem and I fully believed him. My last true panic attack, before yesterday, was when I made the decision to leave David. I was terrified of what he would do, and the recovery was bad. Ask Grace. It took days . . .” She leaned her head against the wall, making me realize we were still in the same position we were in when we came inside. We didn’t move, so caught up in the moment, but now this was just as important. “That was the longest time I ever needed to recover from something like that. I wasn’t expecting to break after speaking with my mother—”
“You didn’t break.” I released her hands and cupped her face. “You didn’t—”
“I know, I know.” She placed her hands on my wrists, “But it sure felt like it. All the raw feelings just burst out of me and I just couldn’t hold it in anymore. The tears just wouldn’t stop coming . . . until you took me in your arms.”
I furrowed my brow.
“Grace has held me through many attacks, but it’s nothing like what you did. Nothing. You told me I was real, you told me my feelings were valid, and then you . . .” She let out a breathy sigh. “You held me.” She kissed me softly. “It was as if the anxiety and panic vanished when I heard your heartbeat. This morning, when I woke up, I expected a headache and pain but all I felt was calm. All I felt was you .”
I searched her eyes, pulling in every word she was saying. That me simply being there was enough for her. If only she knew all I ever wanted for her was to be safe, to be loved . . . Knowing that I was giving that to her, made my entire being worth it. Kyla was . . . she was . . .
My whole heart.
“Kyla I . . .” I began, like her, finding it hard to find the way to form the words.
“Everything I said in front of my mother was true. I meant every word. You make me feel so much and I just . . . Rhett, I think I’m falling for you harder than I thought. You’re becoming my everything, Rhett. I’m absolutely in awe with the way you make me feel and I know . . . I know . . .” She paused, drawing in a shaky breath. “Nothing outside of you and me matters.”
You and me.
“You and me?”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more certain about anything.”
“I love you,” I said, knowing that nothing else mattered at that moment than letting her know. “I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you. I’ve wanted to keep you safe, hold you close and just . . . be yours.”
She kissed me then, her fingers lacing through my hair as she pulled me closer to her. I could taste her, feel every part of her, sense her need to have me just as much as I needed her. The heat radiated through us as we tangled together and I used my hands to raise her arms above her head without stopping the kiss. I glided my fingers down her arms as she kept them up, reaching the hem of her shirt. Breaking the kiss, I pulled the fabric over her head, her skin burning once the tips of my fingers trailed down to the clasp of the purple lace.
“Kyla.” I kissed her neck, feeling her hands move down to my shirt as she began to unbutton the top, slowly working her way down. “I’m yours . . . if you’ll have me.”
“I want all of you.” She breathed, heavily.
I stopped, pulling my head up to look at her. She met my gaze, her hand still working the last few buttons on my shirt until she finally was able to pull it off, letting out a small hum of disapproval once she saw my undershirt.
“Cowboys wear way too many layers, don’t you get hot under the sun? Running and lifting the calf . . . I think I need to see you do that with less clothing on,” Kyla bit her bottom lip, yanking my shirt over my head. The moment her hands met my torso I sucked in a sharp breath, remembering the feeling of that first night together. This was more heated, more passionate, more intimate, more everything . More love flowed between us than I had ever felt in my entire life.
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m thinking you’d like to see me rope a calf wearing nothing at all. I’m right, aren’t I, Mrs. Hartwell?”
Her eyes shot up to mine, her hands working my belt buckle. “Call me that again.”
“ Mrs. Hartwell .” I kissed her. “I love you,” I whispered, “Mrs. Hartwell. ”
“Hey, Cowboy.” She lifted her chin. “As much as I’d like you to take me against this wall—”
I lifted her by her ass, her legs wrapping around my waist, and I turned, leaning my head down to kiss her shoulder, moving us towards the bed. I laid her on her back, climbing over her.
“You are fucking perfect,” I grumbled, watching her skin come to life in the moonlight. “I will worship you for—”
“You keep saying that.” She laughed, her hands working my pants down my legs. “You’ve worshiped me before. How about I worship you?”
With little effort she flipped me on my back, straddling me as her hands glided over my body.
“You're the man who makes me feel alive. Let me show you how much you mean to me. Rhett, let me worship you.” Her voice was heavy as her body moved against me, and I moaned. The more she did that, the harder I would come and god damn . . . I wanted to feel her.
“ Kyla, ” I moaned, reaching my hands up to cup her breasts, but she moved, her body gliding down mine. She bent down and kissed my stomach, my navel, the sides of my hips. “I want you.”
“You have me, Rhett. All of me.”
Then the world went fuzzy—dizzying—as we took turns giving into each other, worshiping over and over until we cried out and shook. The feeling rushing through us like never before. It was electric. That spark you hear about came to life between us and the pull was indescribable. The connection was so deep I couldn’t believe it was real. That we were real. That she was mine and I was hers. Curled up in each other’s arms after our breathing finally steadied, Kyla nuzzled into my neck, giving me a quick kiss before she drifted off to sleep. I was not far behind her. Sleep found me gently, my body and mind feeling absolute with her next to me.
Kyla shifted, a soft hum leaving her lips. We had slept in, far later than we should have, but the sun crept through the hotel curtains, hitting her shoulder just right. She slept against me, her legs tangled in mine, using my chest as a pillow. I tried not to stir, not wanting to wake, but also desperate to have her again.
I didn’t lie when I said I had loved her since the first time I saw her—truly I did. If love at first sight was real, that was me. I fell hard and fast for her and now, she trusted me enough to love me back. It didn’t bother me that she hadn’t said those words directly to me—hell, it was early—but I knew she meant them. And that was enough.
She would be safe here, and I think she knew that. She was loved and cared for, worshiped and appreciated. And now I could show her that every single day.
I traced my thumb on her shoulder, drawing slow, soft circles and making her skin slightly twitch under me. She stirred again, a deep breath leaving her. She needed to sleep, I needed to sleep. But I needed to go tend to Buckle and get ready for the event tonight. This was our last night in Utah, then off to Cheyenne and back home. Home.
I couldn’t wait to take Kyla home .
My phone buzzed somewhere on the other side of the room. In our rush to have each other, we had left everything on the floor. Our clothes, boots, and even my hat were tossed aside as if they were nothing. I would have ignored it if it wasn’t a constant buzz. Kissing Kyla’s forehead, I slowly untangled myself from her warmth, grabbing my pants to dig for my phone.
Abi’s name lit up the screen, and I furrowed my brow. Lately I had been hearing from Lachlan, not my sister.
I cleared my throat softly and answered.
“Hey, morning.”
“Morning, bro.” Abi’s voice was loud and I almost shushed her, but looked back over at Kyla. She was awake already, her eyes focused on me. She shifted, her hands gliding under the pillow, a soft hum leaving her. She looked relaxed—pure bliss covering her features as she lay in bed.
A corner of my lips tipped up. I so didn’t want to be on this phone call.
“Good morning, Abi. How can I help you?” I asked as I stood, fully aware that I was going to be ignoring my sister the moment I sat on the edge of the bed. Kyla’s hand found my waist and it trailed up my back.
“Oh nothing, just figured I’d call you and wish you luck on the event today. Gold Medal Wednesday.”
I shuddered as Kyla’s hands roamed my back, slowly finding their way lower.
“Yup,” I answered. “Gold Medal Wednesday.” With my other hand I reached down and grasped Kyla’s, guiding her closer and closer to where I was suddenly very, very hard .
“Oh, and I thought you’d be interested to know that David officially gave Dad an offer yesterday.”
“What?” I snapped, causing Kyla to jump and her hand to pull away.
She scooted up in the bed, the sheet falling from her body. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “Is Stetson okay?”
“Stetson is fine.” I angled the phone away and looked at my wife. “It’s . . .”
God, she didn’t need to know this now, but then again, if I told her, it may take some of the weight off my shoulders. She was open and honest with me last night. I reached up to cup her check, and she smiled, leaning into my hand.
“It’s a pretty good one too,” Abi continued.
“It’s not going to happen.” I sighed, keeping my eyes on Kyla.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Oh, I know it’s not,” she sighed. “He said he’d give us a week to think on the offer, then he’d come back with papers ready to be signed because he knew we wouldn’t say no.” She chuckled as I heard movement in the background. I could picture her moving around the kitchen, getting Stetson ready for riding lessons or feeding a few of the ranch hands. Abi was always on the move. “Does he really think he’s fooling us?”
“No, I don’t think he does. He’s trying to get under our skin, he’s playing a game.”
Kyla’s jaw dropped and her mouth slightly formed the word, David.
I nodded.
Letting out a long-exasperated sigh, Kyla plopped back onto the bed, her brown hair flying over the white of the sheets. She stared at the ceiling, her head shaking lightly.
“Listen, don’t . . . just don’t do anything until I get back. I just have tonight, and then Wyoming . . .”
“And then a twelve-hour drive home. Trust me, Lach and I are on douchebag alert.” Abi let out another laugh. “Stetson, no, go get your boots. Tell Kyla we love her and we’ll see you soon. We’re watching tonight. Do not let this get to you, okay? No more broken barriers.”
“No more broken barriers. I’m grounded now,” I admitted, placing my hand on Kyla’s thigh. “Bye, Abi.”
“Bye!”
I hung up the phone and tossed it on the floor. It hit with a thud as I climbed my way back to Kyla, lying on top of her, my arms creating a cage around her shoulders. She let out a sigh, her hands moving to find my skin again.
“You’ve had more on your mind than you’ve let on,” she said softly.
“I have,” I admitted. I kissed the bridge of her nose.
“You gonna fill me in?” Her fingers brushed my checks, her thumbs finding my lower lip. “I think you’ll feel better if you do.”
Dropping my forehead to hers, I closed my eyes. “It’s David . . .”