Stripped (7 page)

Chase
had gone down to the kitchen to start coffee and breakfast while I took a
shower. There were a modest selection of soaps and shampoos, all masculine and
spicy scented. I stayed as long as I dared under the hot water, conscious of
Chase’s desire to get on the road. I finally pronounced myself clean, got
dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed a jacket and headed downstairs.

“Rachel’s
down at the bunkhouse making breakfast, so you’re at the mercy of my culinary
skills again.”

I
could smell eggs and bacon, and a steaming mug of coffee was waiting for me on
the counter.

“It’s
just a quick omelet with cheese and bacon. The eggs are from the neighbor to
the south; the bacon’s from the neighbor to the north. Can’t get much closer to
home than that, or much fresher.”

I took
a sip of coffee, blinking at its strength. Chase caught my reaction and
laughed.

“Not
used to cowboy coffee? You’re a city girl; I forgot. I tend to make it strong.
In the future, I’ll remember to cut back on the grounds and increase the water.
Here, this might help.”

He
pushed a ceramic creamer toward me. I added a generous amount and took another
tentative sip.

“Oh,
much better.” And it was - smooth and creamy, and tolerable.

“How
far is this Paradise Ranch?”

Chase
had his back to me, finishing the eggs. He slid them onto a plate, adding a
dash of salt and grinding of fresh pepper, before setting the plate down in
front of me.

“About
two hours north of here. It’s a small place but they turn out some great little
fillies. I’m going to need to add some depth to the stock some time and I think
this might be my girl.”

Chase
sat next to me, digging in to his eggs. I did likewise.

“These
are really good,” I said through a mouthful of cheese and crumbly bacon. I’m
not a breakfast girl, but I’d gladly eat this on a daily basis.

Chase
was done with his eggs before I was and piling dishes in the dishwasher while I
hurried to finish, draining my coffee cup. I got the distinct feeling there
would be no second cups of coffee this morning.

“Come
on, get whatever you’re taking and I’ll meet you outside. You’ll need a jacket
and probably a scarf. Otherwise, we’re traveling light. Lunch will be somewhere
between here and there. There are a couple diners along the route back home
that serve up good food. My treat.” He winked, his roguish smile making me
laugh. And then he was out the door.

By
the time I got outside, I could hear the throaty roar of a motorcycle. Chase
appeared around the corner of the house on something large and shiny, chrome
winking in the morning sun. I was speechless. Motorcycles ranked right up there
with large animals on my list of things to avoid.

“You
don’t look too thrilled with your chariot for the day, my lady.” Chase turned
off the machine, swinging one long leg over it as he got off.

“I
have no idea how to ride that thing.” I was still standing on the top step of
the porch, hesitant to even approach it. Everything about it looked loud and
dangerous and I already felt exposed, just standing on the porch.

“It’s
easy. You just climb on behind me, hang on and let me do all the work. You
follow my body, lean when I lean, straighten up when I do and just hang on.”
Chase stood at the bottom of the stairs, holding out his hand.

“Come
on, Abby. It’ll be fun. The wind through your hair…or over your helmet. It’s a
great feeling.” He twitched his fingers and I had the impression he used the
same gesture with horses that were reluctant to do whatever it was he wanted
them to do.

“Okay.
But go slow.” I walked down one step. Chase smiled, taking my hand. He helped
me into a helmet that seemed very fragile but which he assured me would keep me
safe. He donned his and then showed me how to get on the beast. He sat in front
of me and I instantly wrapped my arms around his waist.

“Abby,
I need to breathe. Loosen up a little.” He looked at me over his shoulder.
“Ready?”

I
didn’t have a chance to answer. The big machine roared to life and we were off
down the driveway and out on to the road in front of the ranch. I had no idea
how fast we were going but we seemed to be flying over the blacktop.

Once
we hit the main highway heading north I finally relaxed my death grip on
Chase’s body. I found once I relaxed, the ride became much more enjoyable. The
fields were green, ranches visible in the distance at the end of long
driveways. There were pastures full of horses and cattle, all of it under a
cloudless blue sky that seemed to stretch for miles.

We
stopped once for a break, my body a bit stiff but otherwise unscathed. I took
off my helmet and Chase burst out laughing.

My
hand went immediately to my hair, thinking it must be a mess. But Chase was
shaking his head.

“No,
darling, it’s not your hair.” He took a deep breath, finally gaining control.

“You
have the biggest grin on your face. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were
enjoying yourself on the bike.”

I had
to agree; I was enjoying myself and I did have a huge grin plastered on my
face.

“Okay.
I can admit when I’m wrong. I’m having a great time.” That got me a big hug and
kiss and then we were back on the road.

We
got to Paradise Ranch well before noon. The sun was hot, hotter than I realized
once we were off the bike.

Jake
Rodgers, the owner of the ranch, met us, shaking hands with Chase, tipping his
hat to me. He led us out to a nearby paddock with several horses grazing in the
lush grass.

“She’s
the chestnut there, on the right.” Rodgers pointed and I followed his
direction. I have no idea what makes good horse flesh, but she sure was pretty.

There
was a long discussion between Chase and Rodgers, much of which I did not
understand. I wandered down the paddock fence, watching the horses graze, idly
pulling the seed heads from a blade of grass.

I was
still standing there, gazing off into the distance when I felt hands on my
hips. Chase nuzzled my neck, arms wrapping around my waist. I leaned back
against him, breathing in the warm air, scented with grass, horse and Chase.

“How’d
the negotiations go?” I asked.

“Good.
She’s mine. Comes from a long line of good stock, she’s got all her papers…and
the price was right.”

I
turned to face him. “That’s wonderful. What’s her name?” Things like that
seemed just as important to me as papers and lineage.

“Well,
Rodgers calls her ‘Mary Jo’, after his wife.” He shook his head.

“She’s
got a nice proper name that reflects her lineage, but I’m planning on calling
her ‘Abby’s Smile’…‘Abby’ for short.”

He
was looking down at me, his eyes dancing, that roguish grin on his face. For
the second time that day I was speechless.

“Cat
got your tongue? I like you, I like your name and I want to remember that smile
you have on your face.” He pulled me close.

“Although
it was a huge grin, but ‘Abby’s Grin’ just sounds silly.”

I
pulled him down to me, kissing him hard. I think there were tears in my eyes
when I finally let him go. There was a surprised look on his face.

“What
was that for? Not that I’m complaining…” He smiled.

“No
one’s ever named a horse for me before. I’m touched.”

Chase
brushed a strand of hair from my forehead, then ran his finger down my nose.
“You’re getting sunburned.” He kissed my nose.

“It’s
cute. But I think we should be heading back. All this wheeling and dealing has
given me quite an appetite.”

***

The
storm clouds began gathering while we were eating lunch. We didn’t see them
until one of the ranchers at the diner came in complaining the rain was going
to keep him out of the fields for the day.

“We
need to get going then, if there’s rain. One thing about riding a bike, you
don’t want to do it in the rain. And you don’t have any rain gear.”

He
paid up and we were on the road, headed south. The big ugly clouds to the west
were growing at an alarming rate. Chase was pushing the speed on the bike, or
at least it felt like he was. We seemed to be going faster than on the trip up.

The
first lighting strike made me jump, squeezing Chase hard. The sound of the
thunder was lost in the roar of the bike. The second strike was accompanied by
a smattering of raindrops.

Chase
pointed off to the right; there seemed to be a wall of dark gray hanging down
from the clouds with flashing lights embedded in its depths.

Almost
without slowing Chase turned down a dirt lane, heading away from the storm. I
could feel the wind change, the smell of ozone on the air, a chill that made
the hair on my arms stand on end. I peered over Chase’s shoulder, just able to
make out a small barn at the end of the road.

Chase
pulled up to the barn, had me get off and get inside, and then maneuvered the
bike through the door. There was enough room for the bike and us, pushed up
against several hay bales, well back from the opening. Once we were inside, we
realized the barn had no door to close.

Within
seconds the walls shook as the first waves of wind-blown rain and hail lashed
the building. The world grew dark, the wind very loud. Lightening flashed,
followed by the distant rumble of thunder.

“Well,
looks like we made it here just in time.” Chase was looking out the open door
of the barn, watching the waterfall in sheets, the hail bounce on the ground.

“Nothing
about this was on the weather forecast. Must have blown up pretty quickly.
Hopefully it’ll blow over just as fast.”

Chase
turned back to me. “Hey, you’re shivering. You’re all wet.” He pulled me close
to him, against the warmth of his body, rubbing my arms. I could smell the rain
on his shirt, the musty hay smell of the barn, the engine smell of the
motorcycle.

“Let’s
get this off, maybe it’ll dry before we leave.” He tugged at the hem of my
t-shirt, pulling it over my hair. With great ceremony he draped it over the
handlebars of the bike.

I
reached out, touching the sleeve of his shirt. “You’re wet too. You should
probably take this off.” I winked up at him.

My
fingers reached for the buttons, slowly undoing them as Chase watched, his eyes
dark, as my hands brushed against his warm skin. My breath caught in my throat
as I uncovered him slowly, his broad shoulders and chest, muscular arms. I
stripped the damp fabric off of his body, spreading the shirt over the back of
the bike.

When
I turned back, there was a fire in Chase’s eyes, a fire that matched my own. We
came together in a rush, hungry for each other, as we were new to each other.
Chase’s mouth found mine, insistent, devouring; his arms wrapped around me,
pulling me hard against him, hands moving over my back.

“Jeans,
off. Now.” Chase growled the words against my mouth. We broke away from each
other with a gasp. Chase’s eyes took in every movement I made as I stripped the
damp jeans down my legs.

“Jesus,
Abby.” He reached for me, almost blindly, pulling me against his naked body,
his hands sliding down my back, cupping my ass, fingers pulling and tugging at
my panties.

“What
you do to me.” With one abrupt motion, he tore the panties; the remnants
sliding down my legs. His hands slid up to my bra, tugging at the straps. My
hands followed, holding his, stopping them from destroying all my lingerie in
one fell swoop.

“Don’t
tear the bra, please.” I reached back, undoing the clasp, letting it slide down
my arms. His hands were on my breasts, cupping them, pushing them together,
watching his dark hands move over my pale skin.

He
slid his hands back down to my ass, clutching, groping, his lips nuzzling my
neck. Suddenly he picked me up. I slid my legs up his thick thighs, wrapping
them around his hips. He took two steps forward, setting me on a hay bale.

I was
momentarily surprised by the prickliness of the hay against my skin, but Chase
was pressing me back, his body between my legs. He took one nipple into his
mouth, sucking hard, sending little frissons of pleasure through my body.

But I
wanted him inside me, more than I’d ever wanted anyone, it seemed. The wild
storm outside, the rushing wind and hail, the flashes of light followed by the
crack and peal of thunder, I felt like all of that was inside of me, building
to an impossible crescendo. I needed Chase to release it, to let me be swept
away by it, to let me be wild with him.

“Now,
Chase. Please…now!”

He
raised his head, looking at me a moment, his face shadowy in the dim light.

“What
do you want, Abby? Tell me, say the words. Don’t be afraid of what you feel.”
His voice was low, seductive.

“I’m
not afraid. I want you…I need you to take me, Chase. Hard.” I was panting, my
heart racing. There was no way he wouldn’t do what I wanted, but he seemed
intent on teasing me.