Spurs and Heels (5 page)
Authors: Heather Rainier
Tags: #Fiction, #Romance, #Western, #Erotica, #General
Chapter Four
He should have thought this out better. She was standing in front of him in only her bra, which he was willing to bet was also pink lace to match her thong.
They were both frozen as if they were having the same “oh shit”
realization. “My…gown is hanging on the hook behind my bathroom door.”
He stood with his eyes hooded, doing his best to not look at what he couldn’t have, at least not yet. His cock totally, vehemently disagreed. Greedy bastard.
He retrieved a silky little wisp of nothing that was the gown she asked for, along with a fleece robe that hung on the same hook beneath it. Coverage was a good thing right now.
He wanted to be a gentleman and allow her some privacy, but he could not get his eyes to cooperate as he returned from the bathroom.
He was not much of a gentleman in those seconds as he took her in.
Her sumptuous form was backlit by the lamp, so he could make out every inch of her silhouette, from the graceful curve of her spine to the delectable swell of her ass and then further to her long, shapely thighs.
Juliana turned partially on the bed as she heard him re-enter the room, and he could clearly see the generous swell of her breast, her peaked nipple visible through the sheer, pink lace of her bra. His eyes drank it all in, down the soft curve of her tummy to the top of her thighs, where a hint of the cinnamon-hued curls that covered her mons were barely visible. She turned away, and he saw the dressing
41
on her shoulder blade and her cast as she reached back to shield her derriere from his view.
With renewed purpose, he strode to her, ready to take the bull by the horns. He knelt in front of her, looking into her eyes the whole time, and reached around to the clasp of her bra. After releasing it, he smiled up into her eyes, hidden in shadow so he couldn’t read them, and slid the straps from her silky shoulders, refusing to give in to the temptation to gaze on what he knew were perfect breasts. He held up the nightgown and helped her slip her arms into it then drew it carefully over her head and smoothed it into place.
“Thank you, Ash.”
“You’re welcome. Come on, brush your teeth and get yourself ready for bed. I’ll get you a glass of water. I’ll bet you’re thirsty, aren’t you?”
“Yes…I am. Thank you,” she murmured as he helped her to the bathroom.
Ash found her kitchen and came back to the bedroom with a glass of water. After placing it on her night stand, he pulled her covers back and waited for her to return from the bathroom.
Helping her remove the robe, Ash did his best not to notice the tight nipples that peaked the silken fabric of her nightgown, or the fact that sheer lace slashed across both hips and the torso of the gown.
This is what she sleeps in at night? Damn!
He sat down on the bed with her and handed her the glass of water. After draining it, she laid back carefully, flinching as she tried to get comfortable. She wound up turning on her side so that she faced him, and he helped her prop her wrist up on a pillow. When she was finally settled, he brushed a fingertip over her cheekbone.
“When was the last time you took a vacation or a day off?”
After a long pause, she replied, “I can’t remember. The store has sort of become my life.”
“I thought as much. How many hours are you working per week?”
He didn’t want her to feel cornered, but he felt compelled to ask.
42
“Long hours, Ash. I work retail management. I’m there when we open and when we close.”
“How many? Give me an estimate.”
She frowned and sighed. “I’m usually there about eighty hours a week. I’ve gotten used to it. My friends always know where to find me, and many of my employees are like family to me.”
He had a feeling she was making the excuse to herself as much as she was to him. He didn’t speak for fear of coming across as judgmental. Eighty hours a week explained a lot. Evelyn had mentioned she was overtired and oversensitive, and now he could see why.
“Technically, I was off today. And I take off a couple of hours on Sunday to go to church and have lunch with friends. I still have time here and there for things like that during the week.”
“Here and there? You worked hard all day today, until you got hurt, so today cannot be counted as a day off.”
“I know. I’ll take the day off tomorrow…or at least the morning.”
“You have a second in command, don’t you?”
“Yeah, Leah Woodworth.”
“Good. Evelyn said she and Leah would cover for you tomorrow.
You should take off the whole day. How are you sleeping at night?”
“I sleep fine, but I tend to be a night owl.”
“Meaning what? What’s your bedtime?”
“After I’ve read for a while, usually around midnight, sometimes later. It takes me a while to wind down.”
He stroked her cheekbone with his fingertips. “You’re worn out, aren’t you, darlin’?”
She nodded in agreement.
“No wonder you’re out of sorts. You’re dead on your feet. It’s eleven o’clock right now. I’ll let Angel know I’m staying here tonight to watch over you and help you in the morning. I’ll fix you breakfast, too.”
43
“You don’t have to do that,” she murmured, rubbing her cheek against his palm. He could tell she was already drifting into slumber.
“It’ll ease my mind. Besides, the doctor said you were not to be left alone because you’d hit your head so hard.”
“Marshmallow,” she whispered.
“What?”
She smiled sleepily. “You look like a big, tough cowboy on the outside, but you’re soft as a marshmallow on the inside, aren’t you?”
He felt a small hitch in his throat at the vulnerable tone she used.
“Yeah, you nailed me.”
She pressed her lips to his palm and drifted away, saying nothing further. He forced himself to rise from her cozy, comfortable bed and move to the overstuffed chair in the corner nearby. At least it had an ottoman so he could prop his feet up. He slipped his boots off and got comfortable.
* * * *
Juliana woke during the night, disoriented and groggy. Her eyes wouldn’t cooperate at first and felt like they were lined with sandpaper. She reached up to rub them and bopped herself in the forehead with her cast. Then she remembered what had happened.
She attempted the same maneuver with the other hand and groaned when her stitched and wrapped finger started throbbing. Bad move.
She used her left elbow to prop herself up, thinking to get some Tylenol from her bathroom but rethought that action when it pulled on her stitches. She lay back down with a groan, and then she noticed Ash as he sat up and came to her, concern in his eyes. He looked wide awake.
“What’s the matter, darlin’? What do you need?”
“Ash? You stayed?”
44
He grinned. “Yeah, you were pretty out of it when you fell asleep.
The doctor doesn’t want you to be alone tonight.” He checked his watch. “It’s about three o’clock. Are you in pain?”
“Yes. I can’t seem to get up without making something hurt.”
“Stay right there and I’ll get it for you. How is your stomach?”
“My stomach feels fine now. The pain reliever is in the medicine cabinet in my bathroom.”
Ash went to the bathroom, got what she needed, and refilled her water glass then brought them back to her. He helped her to sit up in the bed, and she took the pills and then handed the glass back to him after draining it.
“You didn’t eat any supper last night. Do you want some crackers or a piece of toast?” he asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“No, I think I’d better wait until the morning, but I could use an ice pack. My finger is throbbing like crazy. I must have put pressure on it in my sleep.”
“I’ll be right back.”
He fixed her an ice pack and wrapped it around her hand with a dish towel, helping her to lie down and position herself on her other side, with both hands propped up.
“It was nice of you to stay with me, Ash. You must be exhausted.”
“Actually, your chair is fairly comfortable. Why don’t you go back to sleep now. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”
Juliana closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep but gradually came fully awake. She’d knocked her sleep schedule off-kilter by dozing throughout the evening and then falling asleep so early, or at least, early for her. She lay quietly listening to Ash and heard him sigh and shift in the chair. A few minutes later, he shifted again.
“Ash?”
“Yeah, darlin’?” His faintly accented voice was a balm to her senses in the quiet of the room.
“I can’t sleep. You can’t get comfortable. Will you come lay down with me?” Yeah, because
that
would help her fall asleep. This
45
would no doubt be an exercise in self-torture, but she knew he was not comfortable, either. If he was willing to stay to watch over her, the least she could do was make him comfortable. She posed it as a direct request, knowing he wouldn’t come to bed if she asked him if he’d like to.
“You sure, darlin’? I’m afraid I’d wind up hurting your stitches or banging on your wrist.”
“I’ll be okay. You won’t wobble me on this mattress. Just be careful when you scooch in.”
“Which side?”
“Behind me. There’s more space on that side of the bed.”
“You sure?” he asked, sounding unsure.
“Yes, Ash. I’d feel better if you were lying down, comfortable, and I…I’d like it if you came closer. I promise I’ll behave,” she said with a faint chuckle.
He sounded like he was smiling when he said in the dark, “Well, if you’re sure my virtue is safe.”
“Very safe, Ash,” she whispered, softly adding, “For now, anyway.”
She felt the bed dip slightly, and then a shiver went up her spine as his lips brushed her ear when he replied, “I heard that,” before she felt his lips press against her throat, his fingers brushing her hair away from her neck.
Smiling into the darkness, she listened to him settle directly behind her, not pressing against her but up nice and close. She closed her eyes and couldn’t help the shuddering sigh of pleasure that slipped from her when his fingertips slid up her cheekbone then over her temple, stroking in a repetitive pattern down her throat, to the curve of her shoulder, then back up again.
“That is the most soothing thing I’ve felt, in…I have no idea how long,” she whispered, sighing in pleasure at his light, tickling touch.
“Try to relax and get some more sleep. I’ll be right here,” he murmured, continuing to stroke her.
46
“Ash?”
“What, darlin’?” She shivered slightly at the feel of his breath on her cheek, her body very much aware of his proximity.
“I’m not usually such a difficult person to be around.”
“I know, darlin’. I never thought that.”
Scoffing lightly, she said, “After today, even I would think I was one crazy, mouthy bitch.”
“Today you were not yourself, and anyone can tell you’re tired out. I don’t think you’re like that at all.”
“You haven’t seen me at my best, not even once.”
“We haven’t known each other that long. It would be harsh for me to judge what kind of person you are based on the little time we’ve spent together.”
He was being awfully generous. If she’d met someone as cantankerous as she’d been, she’d have written them off without another thought.
“I just wanted you to know, I’m not usually like that, so oversensitive. I don’t know why I’ve been like that.”
“I’ll bet you’d feel better if you had a little rest, and some time off.”
“It’s easier said than done.”
“I know. It’s hard when you have so much responsibility. But people will cut you slack when they know you need it. Darlin’, when you were in the closet at Teresa’s house and you got upset, did you think I was making fun of how you’re shaped?”
“I’ve always been self-conscious of certain…physical attributes.”
“You mean your derriere?”
She sighed and nodded as he continued his hypnotic stroking, drawing the honest answer from her.
“Why?”
“Growing up, I got teased for it. I developed early, and I’ve always been…curvy, unlike most of the women in my family who are willowy. My older brother teased me mercilessly when I started
47
developing. He was hateful to me, telling me I had a fat ass, even kicking me or swatting me there several times. Turning my back to anybody, like how I was with you in the closet, is very uncomfortable for me.”
Juliana felt his lips in her hair, and then he murmured, “I’m sorry your brother was mean to you, darlin’. All the women in my family are shapely, too. My dad would’ve kicked my ass if I’d ever teased one of them for it. He and all my uncles were proud to have curvy, beautiful women in our family. My grandma, my mom, sisters, and my aunts are all real lookers.”
“Really?” She wondered what it would be like to be part of a family that didn’t judge you by your appearance. She never felt like she measured up with any of the women in her family and only a few of the men.
“As for what I personally think about your attributes? I think your ass is just about the
prettiest
thing I’ve ever seen, except for maybe all the beauty I tried
not
to see tonight while I helped you change clothes.
My only regret was that I couldn’t enjoy the experience because you were in pain. I think you’re a knockout, and anyone who can’t see that must be the
dumbest
ass in captivity.”
She chuckled at the disgruntled snort that punctuated his statement. “Cowboy, you sure do have a way with words.”
“I call ’em like I see ’em, darlin’.” He stroked her hair, drawing his fingers through it and smoothing it back from her forehead and temple.
“That feels so good.” Her heart ratcheted up a notch when she felt his full lips and the tickle of his moustache on the nape of her neck as he stroked her hair from her neckline. She tried not to fidget as an aching rush of desire flooded her core, wishing his fingers were stroking her pussy like that right now. She felt awash in need for him.
“Your hair feels like silk under my fingers. You’re beautiful, and I hope you never doubt it again.”
48
“Ash, you keep this up and I’ll be putty in your hands. Hell, I already am,” she whispered shakily, choosing to be honest about how he affected her.
He brushed his lips against her jawbone. “I won’t take advantage of an injured woman, and you need your rest. If it helps, I’ll keep doing this, but if it’s keeping you awake—”
“Oh, don’t stop. I love it.”
“My hands aren’t too rough?”
“They feel just right. And, Ash, thanks. You’re good for a girl’s ego.”
“I aim to please. You rest and I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“What about the ranch? I know you have a lot of responsibility.”
“Joaquin and Angel are going to cover for me in the morning like they did this evening. Sometimes you have to take a little time for the important things, and you’ve become important to me.”
“You’re extremely forgiving,” she said humbly.
“I’m a good judge of character.”
49
