Chapter 14 #2
Stars coated the onyx sky. The moon cast a silver hue across the jagged mountains in the distance. And while it was a breathtaking night, its beauty paled in comparison to the woman at my side.
“Come on.” Lyla snagged my hand, interlacing our fingers, then tugged me away from where we’d parked my truck.
I wasn’t sure where she was leading me, but I fell in step beside her, keeping her hand in mine as we crossed the open gravel lot beside Anne and Harrison’s house.
Three large buildings sat opposite their home—a barn, a shop and the stables. Lyla had pointed them out when we’d arrived earlier. The yard lights illuminated each of their fronts. Beyond them, past the fences and corrals, it was pitch black.
But when Lyla and I had come out before dinner, we’d made it before dark. It had given me the chance to see her family’s ranch. It was a magnificent setting, with meadows and untamed evergreen forests and mountain ranges in every direction.
Paradise.
“Want to meet our newest horse?” she asked, leading me to the stables.
“Sure.”
She let go of my hand to open a sliding door and step inside.
I joined her, squinting as she flipped on the lights. Then when my eyes adjusted, I took in the huge space, breathing in the scents of horses and leather and straw. A wide lane took up the center of the building. On each side was a row of stables.
She walked to a stall, peering over a gate.
I took the spot beside her. Inside the stall, a black colt stood with a white star on his head. His mother came over, nudging Lyla’s arm.
“Isn’t he cute?” Lyla petted the horse’s smooth, round cheek, then moved away, heading deeper into the building.
She strolled past empty stalls, her pace unhurried.
“My horse, Mercury, and most of the others are out in the pasture. But if you want to live out your childhood dreams, we could come back another day. Go riding.”
God, that sounded fun. I’d ridden a few times over the years, though never often. When I went out into the mountains, it was usually on foot. And as much as I’d love to spend a day with Lyla here, exploring the Eden ranch, that wasn’t why I was in Montana.
And time was running out.
Soon the mountains would be covered in snow, making any attempt to search for Cormac more difficult than it already was.
If he’d planned to spend the winter in these mountains, then he’d gathered enough supplies to stay in whatever hole he’d dug for himself.
He’d limit movement, hiding away until spring.
If he was even here.
“Maybe,” I told Lyla.
She heard the no and gave me a sad smile as we reached the far end of the stables.
“Hey.” I snagged her hand, missing it in my own. With a tug, I hauled her close. “Thanks for bringing me here tonight.”
“You’re welcome.” Her free hand slid up my chest, her index finger skimming each of the buttons on the Henley beneath my flannel jacket.
“I like your family. I like how loud they are.”
Her face softened. “I like it too.”
“I have a big family.” The words tumbled free before I could swallow them down.
Lyla’s gaze shot to mine. Maybe she expected me to pull away, to change the subject. Normally, I would.
Not tonight.
“Do you ever feel lost in the crowd?” I asked.
“Sometimes,” she whispered. “Is that how it is with your family?”
“Not lost. Just outside.”
Her hand came to my beard, stroking along my jaw with her knuckles. “Does your family know you’re here?”
“My dad does. My mother and I haven’t spoken for . . . a while.”
“Sorry.”
“Me too.”
There was more to explain. A story to tell. And goddamn it, I wanted to lay it on her. I wanted to unburden my heart again.
She had no idea how much it had helped, sharing my history with Cormac. Unloading it for the first time in years. Maybe it would help make sense of my family’s bullshit too if I told her about it. The way Lyla listened, the way she absorbed my every word, made it so tempting.
But we’d had such a good night. Maybe if there wasn’t an expiration date, maybe if the snow wasn’t coming, I’d give in.
Instead, I closed my other hand over hers, taking it away from my face and twisting it behind her back, pinning it just above her ass. Then I pressed in closer, holding her to me as I bent and took her mouth.
She opened for me instantly, and when I slid my tongue inside, stroking hers, the past disappeared. There was nothing but this woman and the sweet taste of her lips.
My cock swelled, my body craving hers.
Lyla whimpered as I pressed my arousal against her hip.
How many times did we have left? Five. Ten. It wasn’t enough. I already knew, no matter the number, it wouldn’t be enough. So I shuffled us toward the nearest surface, pressing Lyla against a wide, wooden beam.
I tore my mouth from hers, trailing it along her jaw to an earlobe. “Have you ever been fucked out here?”
“No,” she panted, reaching between us. Her palm pressed hard against my erection, earning a groan. “Vance.”
Fuck, but I loved how she said my name.
Almost as much as I liked that she’d worn a dress tonight.
It was a caramel turtleneck, the cable knit thick and soft.
The boxy shape shouldn’t have been sexy, but it was short, hitting her midthigh so a hint of those toned, smooth legs could taunt me all night.
Her sexy boots came almost to her knees.
“I’ve wanted to hike up this dress all night.” I bunched the fabric in my hands, dragging it up her hips. Exactly what I’d wanted to do since the moment I’d watched her come out of her bedroom, her hair curled in long, loose waves and a shimmer on her eyelids.
My hand slid beneath the dress’s hem, diving for the center of her panties.
“You’re already soaked,” I growled against her neck as I slipped the fabric aside, sliding my fingers through her slit to tease at her clit.
“Yes,” she purred, arching into my touch.
“You want my fingers? Or my cock?”
“Both.”
“What do you say?”
She leaned in for a quick kiss and whispered the magic word. “Please.”
I fisted the panties and, with a single, quick tug, tore them off her body.
Lyla gasped, her eyes popping open and shooting me a glare. “Vance.”
She could pretend to be pissed all she wanted. We both knew she got wet as fuck when I tore her panties. Maybe she’d realize before I left there was no point in wearing them at all.
“Mine.” I smirked and tucked the ruined lace in my coat pocket. Then with one hand palming her ass, I dipped a finger into her tight heat.
She melted against me, whimpering as I toyed with her, working her higher and higher. “I love your fingers.”
“My fingers love your pussy.” I added a second finger, stroking her deep until her legs began to tremble.
She’d come on my hand plenty of times, but tonight, I wanted to feel her explode on my cock, so I pulled away, earning another glare.
I quickly unzipped my jeans, fisting my shaft and giving it a few strokes. Then I hoisted Lyla up higher against the post, gripping her thighs as I pinned her with my hips.
“Mouth,” I ordered.
She kissed me immediately, her tongue tangling with mine. I lined up at her entrance, and with one thrust, I buried myself inside her, my jaw clenching as I fought to keep control. “Fuck. You feel so good, Blue.”
Her inner walls fluttered. “Hurry.”
One thrust, and she was ready to come.
I pulled out, slammed inside. Then I reached between us and pressed my wet fingers to her clit.
“Vance.” Her cry echoed through the rafters as she came apart, pulsing around me as I rocked us together, over and over.
It didn’t take long for me to follow her over the edge, my body collapsing over hers, both of us boneless and limp against the post.
A horse whinnied from the other side of the building.
Lyla giggled, that musical laugh right in my ear.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Yes. Are you?”
“More than okay.”
She hummed, sleepy and sweet. She’d probably crash on the drive back to town. So I set her on her feet, and with my come leaking down her bare thigh, I led her from the stables and took her home.
Lyla was out before we even reached the highway.
And while she slept, I took in the star-marked skies, praying this weather would hold for just a couple more weeks.
Not just so I had a chance at finding Cormac, but because I needed the time with Lyla.
Except when I woke the next morning, alone in Lyla’s bed because she’d already gone to work, beyond her bedroom windows was a thin layer of icy snow.