13. The Alternative
The Alternative
Ivy
Been a while since I felt this safe. Worshipped. Happily satisfied. Every muscle in my body relieved of stress, save for the ache between my legs, longing for more. My head rested on Colt’s chest, listening to his strong heartbeat and even breathing… My brain worked overtime.
Last night had been everything I’d thought it’d be with a man like Colt.
He moved me, physically, emotionally… in every way.
With Seth, it’d always been a challenge trying to keep his interest; trying to make sure another woman in the MC club didn’t catch his eye.
I was always on alert, never able to be free to be myself.
For Colt, I didn’t have to perform or be wary.
We both knew what we wanted from each other and took it.
And while the storm raged outside, this bed by the fire had been everything.
But now, how do we face each other today and move on?
I asked last night how much longer he’d stay here.
He all but brushed me off. How could I get myself tangled further with him knowing he’d be gone soon and leave me behind?
How could I trust another man with my heart?
“Morning, wild girl.” Oof. His gravely morning sexy voice waking up…
Before I could attempt to say anything , he rolled onto his back, bringing me with him, on top of him. I straddled his middle, the unmistakable sign of what he wanted clear, with his thick, hard cock between my thighs.
“Colt, I think—”
His hands came down on my ass, playfully, to get my attention. “Not doing that, Wylde. Not yet. Promised you I wasn’t done.”
To prove his point, his hips thrust up, his hands pressing my ass down. His cock brushed against my clit perfectly. I gasped, lifted with my hands on his broad chest, and rolled my eyes to the back of my head, grinding on him more.
“Yes. So good.” Wait, no, we needed to talk about things… I focused back on his face. “But we should probably talk—”
Smack. His hands came down harder on my globes this time. I gasped.
“No talking. Ride me.”
I bit my bottom lip, wet and thrilled, never knowing before now how much I liked a little spanking.
“And if I don’t shut up?” I teased, licking my lips. Smack. “Yes. More. Harder,” I moaned, gyrating on him, shifting my hands to brace on his shoulders.
I arched my back. His calloused hands rubbed my butt cheeks before smacking them real good one more time. I yelped.
“There’s your answer,” he crooned, and he must get off on this too, because he seemed to grow even thicker and longer. Before my next breath, his muscular arms flipped me around, my back to him, and he planted me on his cock. I slid down on him, inch by inch, moaning my pleasure.
“You’re sexy with my handprints on your backside,” he growled, his voice rougher, darker. His hands caressed there and then up my back, to my shoulders, and settling on my waist, pressing me down even further until he was buried entirely inside of me. “Move, cowgirl.”
“Ooh, yes.” I took it nice and easy at first, but then it was like a feral creature awoke within me. I worked us up faster, bouncing on him, going wild, unable to control myself.
“That’s it. Play with yourself. Let me hear you.”
Free, no one around to listen in, no one to perform for but him and myself, I let loose every sound I could make and rode him hard, while my thighs burned. My clit on fire, it didn’t take long for me to reach the edge, screaming when my body broke out in a little death.
But I couldn’t enjoy it long. He flipped me onto my hands and knees, kissing up my back.
His thick cock entered me again, and his arms wrapped around me, holding me through my aftershocks.
He grunted and thrust deep a dozen times more, bringing me higher each time, to the edge again.
Until we both spilled over, groaning loudly.
I reveled in his arms and the feeling of him filling me up.
He collapsed on top of me, both of us heaving, catching our breath.
We moved into a spoon to rest, this time me the big, him the little. I ran my fingertips lightly in circles on his abs. Such a solid man.
“Were you always this muscular?” I mused.
“Not really. Back home before the Navy, I was tall and lanky. Boot camp shaped me right up. I found I liked weight training. Running—not so much. Hitting the gym each day gave me something to do stuck on a ship.”
“I should probably make time to work out more. I’m just always so busy.”
“I like your curves. No complaints from me.”
I smiled against his back. “Thanks for the compliment, Calhoun.”
“You know you’re beautiful, Wylde. Haven’t you seen the heads you turn in town? Have to keep my jealousy under control every damn Cowboy Night.”
I snorted. “Been a long time since I’ve had a man care enough to be jealous.” I swallowed, wanting so much to have that talk with him. What now? Where is this fake thing going? Have we taken things too far to be just friends again? “Still leaving by Christmas?”
The question sounded desperate, like I was trying to hold on to something I never had in the first place.
He rolled over and looked me in the eye. His fingers pushed locks of my hair back behind my ears, then along my jaw, tilting my head up by the chin.
“Hey, I don’t have the answers. All I know is, I enjoy being around you, with you, and I really like what we did together. We could enjoy more of it, too. See where this goes.”
“Yeah?” Butterflies came alive in my stomach.
“Since the Buchanans bought the Hollis Ranch, I suddenly have family ties here. I need to go home for Christmas and see my mother, but… I could come back. If you want me to.”
“Really? Like no more faking?” I peered up into his eyes.
“Did my cock and tongue and hands pleasing you all night and this morning feel like I was pretending?”
“No. It all felt very real.”
He kissed my forehead. “That’s right. I know you said you don’t want a relationship, so I won’t pressure you, but—”
“Maybe I’m reconsidering the whole idea of being with someone again.”
“Yeah?” He arched a brow. “As long as that someone is me, I could wait for you to catch up.”
I held back everything I wanted to say, every hope that this time could be different.
Instead, I kissed him, deep, sexy, aching yet again for him to be inside of me.
As if I wasn’t already worn almost raw, body swollen and satisfied, but still in need of more, like a drug I couldn’t get enough of.
I reached down between us, gasping for air, finding him hard again.
“Need round three, wild woman?” His smile smoldered at me. Only our phones started pinging like crazy. The cell service on the mountain must have suddenly turned back on.
We both reached for them. His was probably like mine, with dozens of texts from my sisters and Knox and Ash, all checking on us when the authorities found the truck downstream this morning.
“We should let them know we’re alive and where we are,” Colt said, his voice coming back under control, the real world crashing into our cozy shelter.
I’d never forget this cabin. Whoever owned it would never know the things we experienced together here, but every time I passed it on the road, I would.
His thumbs worked fast, sending out messages. “I’m asking Knox to come get us.”
“Okay. But can we shower together before he gets here?” A sultry smile spread across my face. “And by shower I mean be together one more time before we clean up.”
“I wouldn’t say no to that.” He sent the messages, tossed his phone aside, and took mine and tossed it too. “Hold on tight.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, my legs around his middle, locking my ankles at his back.
So strong, he lifted me up with him, carrying me to the shower.
He started the water, getting it nice and warm, before putting us under the stream.
My back hit the wall, and his cock found its way inside of me like it knew the way home.
We moved together in unison like that, staring, lost deeply in each other’s eyes, saying nothing, but every movement worth a thousand words. By the time we finished together, I couldn’t see anything in my future but him.
I thought last night, when we were run off the road, it was the scariest thing that could happen. I was wrong. Needing him this much put me in the most vulnerable position ever.
As we dressed, I remained lost in my thoughts. We put the cabin back the way we’d found it as best we could. I put the linens in a trash bag to wash them. Colt would return in a few days to fix the lock and put those items back in place.
“What the hell happened? Because your story that you lost control of the truck in a rainstorm is a little fishy,” Knox demanded to know after he picked us up. The seat of his truck was a bench one, so I sat in the middle between the men.
Colt and I had talked about it before Knox arrived, and, as far as Ash and my sisters knew, Colt’s truck had swerved during the storm, landing us in the river. But Colt wanted to confide in Knox that he suspected it might have been Seth’s SUV.
“He hit us pretty hard. No way his car could come away from that without a few scratches, maybe a dent or two,” Colt surmised. “In fact, just up here is where we swerved off the road. Pull over. Let’s see if there’re tracks.”
We got out and inspected the road. Sure enough, our set of tires left marks, veering off toward the river.
And another set of prints showed signs of skidding to a stop beside them, like whoever did this stopped and watched briefly to make sure we weren’t getting out.
A chill ran through me as Colt took photos from all angles.
Back on the drive, my mind raced. “It had to be Seth.”
“Let’s drive by the motel and find out,” Colt suggested. “If the SUV is there, we can have a good look at it and see.”
“Perfect. I’m in the mood for a dangerous mission today,” Knox snickered and steered his truck to the motel.
There, he drove crawled by. Someone had parked the black SUV conveniently by the road, making it easier to see.
On the first pass, we saw nothing. Knox flipped a U-turn about a half mile away and took a second pass, slower.
As far as we could tell, not a ding was on the passenger side of the vehicle.
“Dammit. I should have thought to get a license plate.” Colt shook his head.
“It all happened so fast. I’m sure your primary worry was keeping us safe.” I squeezed his knee.
“Maybe he didn’t hit as hard as you thought,” Knox said.
“He did. We didn’t imagine it.” I huffed.
“I’m sure there are other black SUVs in the county. Can you go to the Sheriff about this?” Knox asked.
“It’s best to keep this between us for now.” Colt laced our fingers together.
“I’m worried that going to Sheriff Patrick could trigger a backlash from Seth. The last thing I want is for me or my sisters to be in danger,” I explained.
“That’s the last thing I’d want, too,” Knox clipped.
“Let’s just keep our eyes open around town for another car like that,” Colt said.
Knox was about to take the turnoff for the Wylde family home, but I quickly gave him other directions. “Take me to the shop, Knox. I’ll stay in the little apartment above it this week. If Seth or anyone is after me, at least it’ll keep my sisters out of trouble.”
“What’ll keep you out of trouble?” Colt peered down at me, brow furrowed. Was it crazy that I liked how possessive and protective he could be?
“I have a garage in the alley behind the shop. I’ll park there. No one will know I’m in the apartment but you two, and my sisters.”
Another good reason for staying at the little apartment I maintained above the shop was to avoid my sisters’ inquisition about Colt. Partly also so I could stay within my private thoughts about him a little longer, keep him to myself—I could still feel him everywhere.
His mouth on mine. His hands cradling my face in the dark, while the fire crackled and glowed. His body melding with mine, so in sync as we moved.
That was the part that wrecked me. Nobody was watching. No Seth to perform for, or crowd to convince. Just Colt kissing me, pleasing me like he meant every second of it.
I’d replayed everything about our night together a million times.
In the shower. At the shop. Just now, in the middle of ringing up a pair of boots for a woman from Lewistown.
She’d asked me twice if I was feeling all right because I kept drifting off mid-sentence with what I could only assume was a ridiculous expression on my face.
I behaved like a teenager who’d been kissed for the first time, butterflies active in my tummy, aching need constantly at the apex of my thighs.
The customer left, and I stood in front of the mirror in the shop and tried to remember why I didn’t want a relationship.
The reasons had been so clear a month ago.
I didn’t trust my judgment with men. I’d chosen wrong before.
I was the woman who’d once fallen for a criminal and helped him commit crimes, and nearly destroyed her own life.
The safest version of Ivy Wylde for me and my sisters was the one who kept men at a distance and focused on work.
One look at Colt and he made me forget my resolve. When he kissed me, every excuse dissolved like sugar in hot water, and what was left was warmth and wanting and the terrifying, exhilarating sense that I was standing on the edge of something real for the first time in my life.
Colt was the opposite of Seth in every way that mattered.
He was solid where Seth had been volatile.
Honest, where Seth had been manipulative.
Sweet in a way that showed up in the small things—the gentle way he had with Silver and other horses, the way he’d carried me through a storm, when we sat on the boulder and he confided in me about his past, the way he’d courageously faced the parents who lost their son because telling the truth mattered more than protecting himself at last.
I’d never been with a seriously good man. That was the reality I kept circling. Every flawed boyfriend I’d ever had was some flavor of bad, because that’s what I thought I deserved. Because I’d never stopped to ask what the alternative might feel like.
Now I knew.
It felt like waking up in a warm cabin while a storm finished itself outside. It felt like Colt’s arms around me. Like someone staying.
That terrified me in an entirely new way. Not the old fear—he’ll hurt you, he’ll use you, you’re nothing to him. This was quieter. More honest.
What if you don’t know how to keep something this good?
I pulled my hair into a ponytail, grabbed my bag, and decided that was a question for a version of me who hadn’t just been thoroughly, carefully taken apart and put back together by a man who kept his promises.
That version could wait.