11. Kissed
ELEVEN
Kissed
ASH
Through the bus window, I could see Eli scooting across his seat, waving wildly and patting the spot next to him.
Ro’s smile split her face like a sunrise.
I returned to the cabin porch and relayed this to Willow.
“Is this simply friendship or her first crush? My baby is too young yet for boys,” she fretted.
I cracked a joke. “If he ever breaks her heart, I know where he lives.”
Her laughter rang out as she gathered her hair in a scrunchie and formed a bun on top of her head. Wisps of golden strands fell gracefully down her neck. Another of her pretty sundresses revealed creamy skin across her chest. The woman mesmerized me.
“Ash, did you hear me? I said now that we’re alone, how about going over the open house details inside, over coffee?”
“Oh. Sure.” I snapped out of my daze of staring at her. But alone with her again in the cabin? My thoughts raced to our previous encounter when she had cried bear, and how near we were to kissing then. At church, there’d been a spark between us, a connection that grew as I danced with Ro.
Alone with Willow now, I might not be able to resist her.
I followed her inside and took up a seat at the kitchen counter. She poured coffee into mugs and slid one toward me. All businesslike, she had a notebook and pen in front of her.
“So, from what I gather,” she said as she leaned her elbows on the counter, “Chris wants the open house to draw in the local community—ranchers, families, even potential donors. We should make this event casual but impressive, I’m guessing?”
I nodded. “He wants to show how the ranch is making a difference. But I want people to see the actual work, too—the horses, the healing, the sweat that goes into everything we do here.”
Willow clicked the pen and wrote as she talked. “ Goals: show impact, show behind-the-scenes work, attract community interest and support.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay, what about a fall family-friendly vibe—barbecue, picnic tables, even some fun and easy yard games? If we can find a pumpkin patch in the area and buy various small sizes of them, we could set up pumpkin bowling lanes in the grass.”
“I like that idea. Let’s keep the barbecue simple with just hot dogs, baked beans, and salad. Lemonade and maybe some cookies?”
“Ro and I can bake dozens like crazy, but I would need supplies.” She waved around my kitchen.
“Make a list and Anson can get what you need during his grocery runs. Oh, we just had some baby goats born recently. We could set up a small pen and let kids pet them,” I offered.
“Aw, baby goats? Ro and I need to see those. Can you show us after she gets back from school?”
I nodded, my energy building around this event I hadn’t actually wanted to begin with. All thanks to her. My cock grew by the minute, too. Good thing she was on the other side of this counter or I’d be tempted to do something about it.
I cleared my throat. “Can you make flyers and posters to put out around town?”
“Sure. I brought my laptop with me.” She pointed at the end of the counter where it’d been charging.
“Throughout the day, we can have the ranch hands stationed around the barn to talk about what we did to rehab each horse.”
Her pen worked furiously down the page. “Yes. People love stories that tug at their heartstrings, especially with happy endings. Maybe we'll have a photo station set up where people can take photos with the horses or with props. And Daisy could give a demo of the training she does with Juniper.”
I raised a brow. “Whoa. You want the wildest damn mare on this property to be the star of the show?”
Willow tapped her pen against her lip, thinking. I focused on that lip too much as she told me about her interaction with Juniper choosing her. “I swear, Ash, I felt a connection to her.”
“Well, you are easy on the eyes,” I blurted, and flirted without thinking.
“You think so?” She cocked her head at me with a goofy grin.
I averted my gaze into the coffee, letting a long awkward pause take hold.
She leaned in over the counter. “Hey. What are we doing? ”
“Uh, planning the open house?”
“No, I mean, are you going to keep pretending nothing happened the other day when you almost kissed me?”
It took all my willpower to look up and say, “It would have been a mistake.”
She narrowed her eyes to slits. “Then why did it feel like the most right thing we could have ever done?”
Because it did. Damn it.
“Ash, I have to tell you something. True confession time. I’ve always regretted not meeting you under the bleachers the first day we met at school. There, I said it. God, that felt good to finally admit it.”
The corner of my mouth curled slyly. “I don’t think you understand what went on under the bleachers.”
“What—making out?”
“Exactly. See, I’d have pushed things too far with you, as far as you would have let me go. Then, I would have lost interest. That was the kind of self-centered kid I was back then when it came to girls.”
She arched her brows. “And now? Have you grown up?”
I scoffed. “Of course. I know how good to treat a woman.”
Pink rose to her cheeks. “Then I’m not opposed to you pushing things too far between us.
” There went her fluttering eyelashes again.
She definitely had a flirt mode she could turn on that got me revved up.
But no, dammit. Willow offered herself on an altar as a sacrifice to me, and I still hesitated.
I took a long drink and shook my muddled head. “But you were Scott’s.”
“And now I’m not. He and I were barely adults trying to raise a child. And then… I was a widow. But I never stopped being me. And I never stopped wondering about you and me, and about what if?”
I set the mug down hard enough to make her jump. “You think this is easy for me? Knowing I wanted you back then, and still wanting you now?”
“Then stop pushing me away.” She stepped around the counter and closed the distance between us. Her hand slipped around my waist. I jolted, and my pulse thundered. She tilted her head up, her lips in my view. “Kiss me. And this time, don’t stop.”
“You’re really not bothered by the fact that I was Scott’s brother?”
“I’ve had time to grieve and deal with it all. But you’ve locked it away inside and not confronted it. Let me help you face your fears, Ash.” Her hands cupped my face, eyes imploring, drawing me into her like a magic spell.
My defenses withered away, caught up with her.
I leaned in as if I had no control, pulled by her desire.
Closer still, her pretty floral scent overtook me, until I passed the point of no return.
Nothing could stop me. I did what any man would do with a beautiful woman in his arms he’d spent years longing for.
I kissed her as if I needed her to survive.
My lips crushed on hers, lingering and savoring. I growled into it, like the touch unlocked my wild and greedy side. The one that had always wanted her.
When she parted her lips, I deepened the kiss, and danced with the devil. We lost control. Her hands were suddenly everywhere, at my belt, stroking me through my jeans, under my shirt. I gathered the hem of her sundress, my fingertips sliding up her silky, smooth thighs.
The temptress in my arms reached down and urged my palm toward her hot center, heated and wet through her panties.
“Oh, Ash, it’s been so long,” she gasped, clinging to me.
I gave her the relief she needed, pressing my palm against her clit gently through the fabric. “Like that, baby?”
“Don’t stop.”
I memorized every flicker of expression on her face as she ground against my hand, getting herself off. Like a free-spirited animal, she bucked wildly, soaking me.
I nipped at her racing pulse, begging my cock to stand down as my pants became unbearably tight. When her knees almost buckled, I held her up, keeping the pressure on her clit right where she needed it. As if I were her lifeline, she gripped my shoulders, squirming and moaning for more.
Nothing could deter me from my mission here—to know at last what it felt like when she came undone in my arms.
With her cry of my name into my neck, I didn’t have to wait long. She erupted, the aftershocks coming in waves as I held her through each one. I almost came in my jeans at the thrill of it all.
“Ash,” she whispered my name on a satisfied sigh, a sound like no other. One I’d never forget.
She melded into me, her head against my chest. I kissed her temple, trying to return to reality, sighing to clear my head and think straight about what just happened. Then my phone rang. I ignored it and held her tighter in my arms, holding on to temptation a little longer.
I just made my brother’s widow come. It was fast and good and, fuck, everything I shouldn’t have allowed to happen. But it did. We opened that door, and now I desired much, much more. Too many emotions battled within me at once.
When my phone started ringing again, I had to bring an end to this.
“Must be important.” I made sure she was steady on her feet before I stepped away. My phone fumbled in my hands, and I took a shaky breath to calm myself. Difficult to do when the tantalizing scent of her remained on my palm.
Colt’s name appeared on the screen. I swore under my breath and answered. “What?”
“Knox told me to call. Juniper’s losing it. She kicked the stall door clean off. We can’t get a halter on her. Daisy is on her way, but we need backup.”
“On it.” I hung up and stared for a brief moment at Willow and her pink, swollen lips. She’d pressed her dress back in place, and her fingers reworked her hair into a new bun.
Against my urges to take her all the way to my bedroom, I grit my teeth and stayed the course, heading for the door. “Juniper has thrown a fit. If you really think you have a connection, come with me, and prove it.”