Crazy For You (19 page)

She was nearly dazzled by the strong, masculine, almost harsh beauty of him. All corded muscle from days of hard work. Years of hard work. She wondered once again about all that he’d done since he’d been gone which had to be far more than what he’d told her. She wanted to know everything about him and more.

He arranged his jeans and work shirt, along with her clothing, on a pile of clean straw before drawing her into his arms and pressing his naked body tightly to hers. Her heart beat faster. His skin felt hot next to hers, his cock hard against her belly.

Slowly he lowered her to the straw so that she was lying on his clothes and hers, her hair splayed around her face. She reached out her arms to him and he came to her.

“You look like a princess.” He braced his arms to either side of her. “My princess.”

He kissed her forehead then moved his lips down over the tip of her nose to her mouth. After a soft kiss, he continued on, brushing his lips along her jawline before moving to her chin then down her throat.

She found herself arching her back, begging him with her body to take her again. He took his time, moving so slowly that she found herself struggling to not beg him for more, sooner, faster, so that she could feel him inside her again.

But at the same time she loved how he was making love to her, like she was a treasure he had found right there in the straw. Like the princess who had spun straw into gold.

She looked up at him as he moved his powerful, naked body between her thighs and she watched as he rolled a condom down his incredible erection. She was amazed it had fit inside her last night and wondered if that had made it hurt even more than it had. Would it hurt again?

Truthfully, she didn’t care. She just wanted that connection with him, that amazing feel of him pushing in and out of her.

He reached between them and rubbed her clit. Her lips parted and her mind reeled. She couldn’t believe how close she was to coming and he’d barely touched her.

“I want you to come, honey.” He pressed his cock to the opening of her core as he fingered her clit. His dark eyes held hers. “Come for me.”

He hadn’t entered her but just feeling his cock pressed at her entrance as well as his fingers on her clit was sending her higher. Her breathing grew more rapid and her eyes widened right before her entire body jerked and her orgasm hit her full force. This time she bit her lower lip, not wanting anyone near the barn to hear her scream.

At the same time she climaxed, Clint thrust inside her. Through the haze of her orgasm, she felt a quick burn and then nothing but pleasure as he moved in and out of her. His movements stretched out her orgasm, and then to her surprise she climaxed again and yet again.

She was barely coherent as he took her, murmuring in her ear as she shuddered with pleasure. And then he gave a low growl as he held back his own shout and she felt his cock pulse inside her while her core contracted around his length.

Her body was still throbbing as he pulled out of her and he adjusted himself so that he was now lying on the hay beside her.

Straw prickled her back even though Clint had put his clothing as well as her own beneath her. He propped himself on his elbow and forearm so that he was above where she lay, and he trailed his finger in lazy circles down her abdomen and back up to the valley between her breasts.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly. “Did I hurt you again?”

She smiled. “I feel wonderful. Sore, but wonderful.” She looked down at his hard muscled body stretched out on the straw. “You, on the other hand, must be really uncomfortable with all that straw poking into you.”

He grinned. “Right now I’m not feeling anything but happy to be here with you.”

“Ha.” She rolled over onto her side and propped her head on her hand, her elbow on her clothing. “Says Mr. Macho Man.”

With a laugh he ran his finger down her nose. “Macho Man, eh?”

She nodded. “Yep.”

“Ella!” Her father’s voice rang through the barn and she and Clint went still. “Are you in here?” Carl called out.

She looked at Clint, her eyes wide. “What do we do?” she whispered.

“We’ll wait until he leaves, get dressed, and then you can go find him,” Clint said calmly in a low voice.

Her father called out her name again and she bit her lower lip. Clint rested his hand on her hip. It felt warm, strong, and comforting.

“Where could that girl be?” Carl’s voice faded.

She let out her breath and looked at Clint. “I think Dad would kill me if he caught us like this.”

Clint shook his head. “Your dad would kill
me.
”

She grinned as she sat up. “That’s probably true.”

Clint tweaked one of her nipples and she caught her breath. It felt way too good when he did that. “You’d better get dressed,” he said.

She nodded and scooted to her knees. He shook the hay out of her clothes and then helped her put everything on. Her clothes felt scratchy but their time together had been worth every itch.

When they were dressed, he adjusted her clothes then pulled pieces of straw out of her loose hair.

He fluffed her hair around her face and smiled. “Beautiful.”

She reached up and pulled straw out of his collar. “I think we both could use a shower.”

“I like that idea.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Together.”

“I’d better find Dad first.” She grasped his shirt in her fists. “Then I’ll meet you out in the cabin.”

“Deal,” he said before she turned and headed down the ladder.

As Clint drove to Walt’s ranch, his thoughts centered on Ella, their time together, and how much she meant to him.

Especially now. Day by day his love for her grew stronger. He needed to tell her how much she meant to him, but he hadn’t been able to find the right words. He’d never been the best at expressing his emotions and he didn’t want to screw up when he did tell her.

It had been a week since their first night together and he’d never been happier in his life.

A pasture stretched out for miles on the right and a small herd of horses bolted across the flat land, the wind in their manes, their powerful muscles bunching as they ran wild and free.

Memories of riding spirited horses in rodeo after rodeo hit him. He’d loved busting broncs. Loved the feel of the powerful animal beneath him, its nervous energy stirring Clint’s blood. He could almost feel it now…

He shook his head. That was a lifetime ago and it belonged in the past.

The half-hour drive to Walt’s flashed by and before he knew it, Clint was pulling up to the corrals where he saw Walt. The older man was working with a Quarter horse in the arena he used for training.

Clint parked and climbed out of his truck before shutting the door shut behind him and striding toward the arena. When he reached the rails, he rested one arm on the top rung and watched Walt who was murmuring to the gelding in the ring.

The gelding was nervous and pranced, a wild gleam in its eyes.

Walt held a loose rope around the gelding’s neck as he stood in the middle of the corral. “Good timing.” Walt nodded to Clint. “This boy needs some work and I’m too damned old to do it myself.”

Clint shook his head. “You know that I don’t bust broncs anymore. Those days are long gone.”

Walt spit tobacco into the dirt before he eyed Clint. “You believe that about as much as I do.”

The gelding snorted and tossed its head and Clint felt the old competitive desires rise up inside him as he watched it.

“It’s time you got back in the saddle.” Walt patted the saddleless horse and winked at Clint. “So to speak.”

Clint raised his Stetson and blew out his breath and pushed his hand through his hair. He settled the hat back on his head as he watched the gelding dance to the side. Walt had called Clint and told him he needed a hand on the ranch. What the old man hadn’t told him was that he expected Clint to bust a bronc the moment he showed up.

He looked over the horse, taking in its strong spirit and the fire in its eyes. “I haven’t busted a bronc since—”

Walt’s gaze met Clint’s. “I know, boy.” Walt spit tobacco to the side in the dirt. “It’s time.”

For a long moment, Clint considered what Walt said. Thoughts of riding again always stirred something in the back of Clint’s mind, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

“Ah, hell,” he said beneath his breath.

Never taking his eyes off the horse, Clint found himself climbing up the wood rail of the corral before swinging over and landing on his booted feet.

“He looks like a hell of an animal.” Clint’s heart rate picked up as he studied the gelding. Its powerful muscles flexed as it shifted and tossed its head again, and the desire to mount its back and break it was so strong that Clint flexed his hands to keep them from taking the horse by the mane.

Walt nodded to the gelding. “I need this boy broken and like I said, I’m too old to do it myself.”

Clint shook his head even as he moved toward the horse. “And you just happened to have him out here when you asked me to stop by.”

The old man had a twinkle in his eyes. “Somethin’ like that.”

As Clint grasped a handful of the horse’s mane, he could feel the wild energy shimmering through the large beast whose body was as taut as a bowstring. The gelding was going to be one bitch of a ride.

“Tossing me straight into the fire,” Clint drawled and Walt chuckled.

To mount a bareback horse without a mounting block or a leg up took some athleticism. Clint had no doubt it wouldn’t be a problem for him because he’d always kept his body in prime shape.

His body thrummed with anticipation and he felt a wildness in his heart he hadn’t felt since the last time he’d busted a bronc.

Gripping the mane tight, he jumped as he swung his leg over the gelding. The moment he found his seat, the horse went wild.

The horse reared up before throwing itself forward, bucking hard. It didn’t take three seconds before Clint found himself flying off the horse and landing hard on his ass, his hat several feet from him. He easily rolled to his feet to keep the impact from putting too much strain on his body. Still, the pounding his body took had jarred his teeth.

Walt was chuckling and Clint winced as he brushed himself off before picking up his hat and slapping it against his thigh to get rid of some of the dust.

“Looks like this is going to be a long day,” Walt said with amusement as he watched the gelding gallop around the corral and Clint shook his head.

On the second try, Walt roped the gelding and brought it to a halt. Clint shook his head before mounting the horse again.

The second time Clint managed to stay on longer but he still found himself flat on his back within moments.

By the third attempt he was starting to feel like he might still have it.

Like he’d thought, the gelding was a real bitch to ride, but some time later it was with satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment that he broke it.

Walt slapped Clint on the back after they put the gelding up for the evening. The impact against Clint’s bruised shoulder caused him to wince again. The older man invited Clint to stay for dinner but Clint shook his head.

“I’ve got to get back home,” Clint said then corrected himself. “To the Fisher place.” He walked with Walt back to the truck. “Need to get evening chores taken care of.”

Walt gave a knowing smile as Clint climbed up into the vehicle. “Tell that young lady and her parents I said hey.”

“I’ll do that.” Clint lowered the window and shut the door, wondering if the knowing look had meant that Walt had guessed that Clint and Ella had a relationship. Clint leaned out the truck’s open window. “Be seeing you.”

Walt hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. “It’s not too late to get in on the next rodeo.”

Clint shook his head but said, “We’ll see.”

The older man grinned and spit tobacco off to the side before giving Clint a nod. Clint raised the window up before backing out and heading home.

He shook his head. When had he started to consider it home?

Ella smiled as she sat in her studio and heard the main cabin door opening and closing. She hadn’t seen Clint for most of the day. During this past week since they’d first slept together, being with him was always amazing and wonderful and she couldn’t remember being happier.

A glimmer of the possibility that this could all end kept a hint of sadness at the back of her mind, but she always pushed those feelings aside. Maybe he would stay. She had to hold onto that hope.

With a feeling of happiness in her heart, she set her sculpting tool down and covered the clay. It was coming along pretty well. Something about her relationship with Clint was making her feel happier, lighter, more productive, and filled with a kind of joy she hadn’t experienced before.

Just in case it was her dad and not Clint, she tugged on her jeans and stuffed her phone in her pocket. She walked through the door between the studio and the cabin and cocked her head when she saw Clint’s bare back and the dusty seat of his jeans. She frowned as she saw purpling skin where large bruises were blooming, along with a few scrapes and scratches.

“What in the world have you been doing?” she asked even as it occurred to her exactly what had happened.

He turned to face her, a tired smile on his face. “Hi, honey.”

She went to him and put her hands on his bare shoulders. “You rode,” she stated. “Bareback.”

He nodded. “Walt had a gelding he wanted me to break.”

With a frown she shook her head. “You don’t have anything to prove, you know.”

His expression was almost amused as he said, “Does it bother you that Johnny rides?”

She thought about it for a moment. “It’s just…different.”

Clint grinned. “I guess I’m an old man compared to that whippersnapper.”

She tried to hold back a laugh as she lightly slapped him on the shoulder and she noticed his wince. “You’re not an old man. It’s just that…I’d worry about you.”

“And you don’t worry about Johnny?” Clint asked, but his expression said he didn’t believe that.

She bit her lower lip. “I do worry about him…but like I said, it’s not the same.”