Chapter 27 #2
I arched into his touch, wanting more. When his mouth trailed down my neck, I tilted my head back, giving him better access.
It was my favorite spot to be kissed. At least I thought it was until his teeth grazed my collarbone, followed by the soothing warmth of his tongue, drawing a soft moan that felt like it came from the pit of my stomach.
“Cassidy,” Gunner breathed my name like a secret wish. “Come with me.”
He stood, extending his hand to me. It was an invitation, not a demand so I took it without hesitation and let him lead me up the stairs.
We passed a gallery of pictures on the walls.
Happy family memories, including Lily and Nash’s small family wedding in their back yard.
I remembered avoiding Gunner as best I could the whole day, even if I did appreciate how good he looked in a tux.
The memory made me wonder about being part of the gallery one day.
However, it was brief, as I quickly pushed it away.
“This is me.” Gunner looked at me over his shoulder and gave me a brilliant smile. He then pushed the door open with his hand.
As we walked inside, I noticed the personal touches—books, a photograph of him, his brothers and Bertie when she was smaller.
A huge bed dominated the room with covers of the deepest red, plump pillows piled haphazardly and wooden shutters, half-closed, at the window onto the acres of rolling emerald land at the back of the house.
Then there was the scent of his cologne.
Intoxicating and manly. The scent of him.
Before I could take in anything else his hands were on me again, this time pushing my sweater up and over my head.
The cool air against my skin was quickly replaced by the heat of his gaze, appreciative and reverent as he took in the sight of me in my simple white lace bra.
The rough calluses of his fingertips caught slightly against my skin, each drag leaving trails of heat that seemed to sink beneath the surface.
His scent clung to his skin, earthy and masculine in a way that made me want to bury my face in his neck and just breathe him in.
“Beautiful,” he murmured, bending to press a kiss to the hollow between my collarbones.
His fingers traced the strap of my bra, following it down to where it met the cup, then along the edge where fabric met skin.
“I’ve thought about this since the first time I saw you in that classroom, all prim and proper.
Wondered what you’d look like coming undone for me. ”
His words sent a shiver down my spine, the low rasp of his voice almost as arousing as his touch. “And how am I measuring up to your fantasies?” I asked, my voice breathy with anticipation.
“Better,” he growled, pressing his lips to the swell of my breast. “So much better.”
I worked my fingers up his shirt, pushing it up and over his head to reveal the body I’d only imagined he had.
The reality was so much better than envisaging.
Broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist, skin bronzed from working outdoors, scattered with freckles that I was desperate to trace with my tongue.
“God, look at you,” I whispered, running my palms over the hard planes of his chest. “All due to the work I watched you do on the ranch whenever I visited Lily.”
“You were watching?” His eyes darkened with desire as his hands found my waist, thumbs stroking the sensitive skin just below my ribs.
“Every chance I got,” I admitted, leaning in to place a kiss on his collarbone, then another lower on his chest. “Even when I thought I hated you.”
When my hands reached for the button of his jeans, he stilled them, bringing them to his lips instead.
“Not tonight,” he said, his voice husky. “We don’t have time. Tonight is about you.” His eyes locked with mine. “I want to taste you, Cassidy. I’ve been thinking about how you’d feel against my tongue since that first kiss.”
The bluntness of his words made heat pool between my thighs. “Yes,” was all I could manage.
Before I could protest, he was kissing me again, walking me backward until my legs hit the edge of the bed. As I sat on the deep, soft mattress, he knelt in front of me, his hands on my knees, gently parting them so he could position himself right at my core.
The sight of Gunner Miller on his knees, looking up at me with such desire, made my breath catch. He reached behind me, finding the clasp of my bra with practiced ease, his eyes never leaving mine as he waited for permission.
I nodded, and the garment joined my sweater on the floor. His sharp intake of breath was gratifying, as was the gentle reverence with which his hands cupped my breasts, thumbs circling my nipples until they hardened into tight peaks.
“Perfect,” he murmured, lowering his head to capture one sensitive peak between his lips. “Fucking perfect.”
When his mouth replaced his hand, the wet heat of his tongue against sensitive skin sent a jolt of pleasure straight to my core. I threaded my fingers through his hair, holding him to me as he lavished attention on first one breast, then the other.
“You like that, sweetheart?” His breath was hot against my damp skin, sending another rush of arousal through me.
“God, yes,” I gasped, arching into his touch. “Don’t stop.”
My hips shifted restlessly, seeking friction that wasn’t there. Understanding my need, Gunner’s hand slid up my thigh to the waistband of my jeans, his fingers working at the button.
“Okay?” he asked, his voice rough with desire but his eyes still seeking confirmation.
“Please,” I whispered, lifting my hips to help as he tugged the denim down my legs.
His hands returned to my thighs, tracing patterns on sensitive skin as they moved higher, the pressure building within me with each inch they covered. When his thumb finally pressed against the tiny bud of nerves through the thin cotton of my underwear, I gasped at the contact.
“Fuck,” he murmured, his eyes locked on my face as he repeated the motion, applying more pressure this time. “You’re soaked through. Is that all for me, sweetheart?” The pride in his voice was unmistakable.
“Yes,” I breathed, beyond embarrassment as his fingers teased me through the damp fabric. “Only you.”
The teasing touches through fabric quickly became frustrating and I reached for his hand. I guided it beneath the elastic, eliciting a groan from both of us as his fingers finally met slick heat.
“Christ, Cassidy,” he breathed, his forehead resting against mine as his fingers explored, learning what I liked, what pulled soft moans from my throat.
“You feel incredible. So wet, so ready.” His fingers found my entrance, circling before slowly sliding inside.
“You’re going to feel so good wrapped around me when I finally get inside you. ”
The combination of his words and the pressure of his palm against my clit had me writhing against his hand. “More,” I pleaded, beyond pride.
He built me up slowly, methodically, watching my reactions with an intensity that made me feel both exposed and cherished. His thumb circled my tiny bundle of nerves as his fingers curled inside me, finding that perfect spot that had me gasping his name.
“That’s it,” he encouraged, eyes dark with desire. “Let me hear you. I want to know exactly how good I’m making you feel.”
When I was close, trembling on the edge, he slowed his movements, drawing out my pleasure until I was begging.
“Gunner, please,” I whispered, my hands clutching at his shoulders.
“Tell me what you need,” he demanded softly, his rhythm maddeningly steady but not quite enough.
“I need to come,” I gasped, beyond shyness. “Make me come, Gunner.”
“Sweetheart, look at me,” he commanded softly. When I did, the connection in that moment, his eyes holding mine as his fingers finally pushed me over the edge, was more intimate than anything I’d experienced before. “That’s it, let go for me.”
My release crashed through me in waves as his fingers continued their relentless rhythm, drawing out my pleasure until I was gasping his name, clutching at his shoulders as my body convulsed around his fingers.
My chest heaving as I gripped the comforter and continued to thrust against his hand.
It was too much, but not enough, as my clit continued to throb its own beat.
Before I could catch my breath, he lowered his head between my thighs, trading his fingers for the heat of his mouth. The first stroke of his tongue against my oversensitive flesh had me crying out, my hands tangling desperately in his hair.
“Too much?” he teased, his breath scorching against my core.
“No…” The word scraped from my throat, barely a voice at all. “Don’t stop.”
His answering hum vibrated through me, sending a shockwave of pleasure spiraling straight to my core.
He devoured me with the same relentless focus he gave everything else, tongue circling my clit before dipping lower to taste me like I was his only salvation.
His hands pinned my thighs wide, powerful and unyielding, keeping me open for him.
“You taste even better than I imagined,” he murmured against me, every word a sinful vibration against my raw flesh. “I could do this for hours.”
The sight of him between my legs, broad shoulders anchoring me in place, eyes dark with hunger, nearly undid me. Then his fingers slid back inside me, curling deep while his tongue worked its magic, and I shattered.
“Gunner, I’m going to—” The words dissolved into a broken cry as release ripped through me, harder and hotter than before. My back arched, my body trembling violently as wave after wave of ecstasy left me breathless.
When the aftershocks finally released me, he moved up to gather me against his chest, fingers drawing lazy, possessive patterns along my spine. I melted into him, boneless, yet acutely aware of the thick, insistent press of his arousal straining beneath his jeans.
“What about you?” I whispered, sliding my hand lower with intent. “I want to taste you. To feel you.”
He caught my wrist, bringing it to his lips instead.
“I told you, sweetheart, I don’t have enough fucking hours to do everything I want.
Tonight was about you and that was just a taster of what is to come.
You touch me and I might just explode like one of those fireworks at the funfair.
” He kissed me gently, cupping my face. “When we have sex, sweetheart, I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll think you’re still straddling that horse. ”
I burst out laughing, not one bit disappointed that he’d gone from tender to coarse in a split second. “Promise?” I teased, rolling my hips against his evident arousal.
He groaned, his hands tightening on my waist. “You’re playing with fire, Cassidy.”
“Maybe I like getting burned,” I whispered, pressing another kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“I know you’re an independent woman, Cassidy,” he said, kissing away the remnants of my laughter, “but when we get a night together I’ll be in charge. You okay with that?”
Tracing his eyebrow with my fingertip, I nodded.
“I am a strong, independent woman, Gunner, but if that night you demand I get down on my knees and suck your dick, then it’d be my pleasure.
” I leaned closer to whisper in his ear.
“I’ve thought about that too, you know. How you’d taste, the sounds you’d make as I took you into my mouth. ”
Gunner’s laugh rumbled from his chest, though I felt his cock twitch against my hip. “Why the hell did I act like a dick for the last three years?”
I shrugged, dropping a kiss to his sharp jaw. “I wasn’t exactly innocent was I?”
His eyes grazed over my face, going softer than I’d ever seen them before. Deep chocolate pools of honesty.
“That was then and this is now, sweetheart. We realized in the end.”
The tenderness in his voice, the restraint that he’d shown, made me understand so much. This wasn’t just physical, this was Gunner showing me that my pleasure mattered, that we weren’t rushing into something that deserved time.
“I think I quite like you, Gunner Miller.”
His fingers trailed lazy patterns on my bare shoulder, and I realized how far we’d come from that disastrous first date. The man who held me now, who had put my needs before his own, was someone worth taking time to know properly.
“Want to stay the night?” he murmured into my hair.
I could sense he was already half-asleep. No wonder how early he started work every day.
“What about Lily and Nash and the children?” I asked, half-heartedly. “What do we say to them?”
He sighed contentedly. “We say that my girlfriend stayed the night.” He pulled me closer. “Unless you want to go home, and I’ll follow you back to town.”
I pressed a kiss to his chest, right over his heart. “I’m not going anywhere,” I told him and tapped his shoulder. “You should get undressed, babe. Get undressed and under the covers.”
Another sigh was followed by a nod. He unwrapped himself from me and quickly undressed, leaving his clothes where they fell before getting under the covers with me.
“Okay, sweetheart.” I was immediately enfolded in his strong arms again. “Let’s get some sleep.”
And within minutes we were fast asleep, wrapped around each other while I dreamed about life on a ranch with a man who took my breath away, caused a fluttering in my stomach and made my pulse race, all while letting me be me.