Touchdown Daddy (138 page)

“I haven’t dated since the accident,” Cole told her as they watched the sun begin to set. “I haven’t even so much as kissed anybody because that’s not my style. I do relationships.”

“I can tell that about you,” Lauren said. She kept staring at the clouds.

“I know this seems convenient with the way our friends are, but I do see something in you, Lauren.” Cole began to stroke her arms and she shivered. “I am not going to rush you into anything since this is all so new to you. I would like to date you for a while, Lauren. Is that okay?”

Lauren turned in his arms and looked up at him. “I’d like that.”

He slipped his hand down to take hers and led her to the house. “There’s some supper in that house that smells too good to ignore. Let’s go get some.”

They all sat down around the table and ate the chicken and roasted vegetables that Jane had fixed as they talked about the upcoming rodeo. Lauren was interested to hear that both of the men rode the bulls and she asked how dangerous that was.

“We take a chance every time we’re out there, but it’s a rush,” Adam told her. Cole nodded.

“Sexy as hell too,” Jane added, grinning.

“We do a couple of other events too. The bull riding is the main one, though. That draws the crowds,” Cole said. She watched his eyes light up. He obviously loved what he did. She looked down at her plate and remembered the guys from her college who had had no motivation whatsoever. Cole was so different.

He asked her to walk him to his car that night and Lauren followed him to the truck, looking up at the sky as they went. “I used to watch the stars with my daddy before he died. They’re so beautiful here.”

“That they are. I know a great place by the creek that we can go to some night. We can have a picnic and just watch the sky until we fall asleep.”

“The creek? Is that close by?” Lauren asked, and he nodded.

“Close enough.” Cole looked at her and smiled. “Can we go to dinner tomorrow night?”

“I’d like that,” Lauren replied, looking into his eyes. He leaned down and kissed her, deepening it this time as she moaned softly against his mouth. It made her feel things she never had before, and Lauren stared at him as he pulled away.

“I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon for lunch.” Cole cleared his throat and stepped into his truck. She watched him leave. Lauren turned to go back into the house and found the living room empty. She glanced down the hallway. Sometimes she felt as if she was imposing on the couple, even though Jane was so happy to have her here.

Lauren sat down on the couch and watched some late night television before bed as she thought about Cole. She wanted him in ways that she’d never wanted another man, and it terrified her. Seeing him at work that way, bare and genuine, had sent her hormones running. Lauren shook her head. Cole seemed to be a wonderful man, but she was still dealing with moving and losing her father. Was she fit to get involved with anybody right now? More than that, was she enough for a man like him? Cole was handsome and could have any woman that he wanted. She didn’t even know whether she was his type. She’d never seen photos of his ex-girlfriends and she didn’t want to.

Lauren made her way to bed and slept late the next day. She was up in time for lunch, showered and dressed in some shorts and a tank top. She went out into the kitchen when she heard voices and watched as the guys sat down at the table with bowls of soup and buttered bread while Jane talked to them from the kitchen. Lauren looked at her and remembered the girl that couldn’t cook and just went along with life as it came along. Here she was in the kitchen cooking and taking care of a house and a man, a man that was nothing like any of the guys that she’d dated back home.

“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Jane said as she looked up and smiled. “Tired?”

“I suppose so,” Lauren told her, running a hand through her hair. She got some coffee and heated it up before she took a seat with the guys at the table. “How’s work today?”

“Great,” Cole told her, looking at her with warm eyes. “How are you?”

“I’m looking forward to tonight,” Lauren told him, as she smiled and met his gaze.

“Me too.”

“Should Adam and I plan a date night?” Jane asked, as she sat down and smiled at her boyfriend.

“That would be a great plan,” Cole told them, and the couple smiled at each other. When they had finished their lunch and Cole and Adam had gone back to work, Jane turned to Lauren.

“A second date?” Jane asked, and Lauren nodded.

“I need to give this a go. I feel good about him,” Lauren said. Jane nodded. “I don’t want to be scared of what he thinks of me or what anybody thinks of me anymore. Georgia is behind me.”

“Good girl. I was so glad to get you out of there. I think you’ll flourish here,” Jane assured her as they cleaned up after the meal.

“You sure have,” Lauren told her, and Jane looked at her. “You used to have trouble deciding on a movie. Here you are living in a house with a cowboy and cooking. You’re cleaning. You’re happy.”

“I truly am,” Jane agreed, as she set the last plate to dry in the rack. “Simple is good.”

They worked through the rest of the afternoon and then Lauren went to her room to dress for her six o’clock date. She didn’t know what Cole had planned, so she dressed in a long cotton skirt and a loose t-shirt with some sandals. She put on a little makeup but too much just didn’t feel right here. She wanted to feel natural.

There was a knock at the door and Lauren walked over to get it, smiling when she saw that it was Cole. “Hi, cowboy.”

“Good evening, Lauren. You look lovely tonight.” He had dressed in a nice blue button up shirt and some dark jeans. She looked down at her skirt.

“Is it good for where we’re going?” Lauren nudged him, and he smiled and nodded.

They left in his truck. He took her to a barbecue place for take-out and then drove on the freeway for about half an hour before turning off onto a side street. Cole parked and pulled a blanket and a basket from the back as he looked over at her. “The creek.” He led her to a spot under a tree where they could see the wide stream flowing and the sun setting before he unpacked the food and set down the blanket.

“This is incredible. I have never had anybody do all of this for me. I’ve barely been taken to dinner,” Lauren told him. She sat down and looked around. “You live this every day, Cole.”

“So do you now,” Cole replied, and she nodded.

“Did you grow up here?” Lauren asked as she watched the grass moving in the wind.

“Not right in this town, but close by. Ranching is in my blood, and every man in my family has done the same thing. My family would never have forced me into it, but when you grow up around animals and early mornings, you tend to love it. I just stayed and ended up working at Smiths Ranch and eventually I’ll move up the ladder. I’ll make my life for myself and maybe…maybe settle down here.” He looked at Lauren with a crooked smile. “What was Georgia like?”

“I am sure that there were things like this in Georgia, but we lived in Atlanta. Daddy had a condo that was just a couple of feet away from the other condos. The streets were crowded and busy. I didn’t realize it until I moved here, but I was always moving so fast all of the time. It is so refreshing to stop and slow down for a change.” She accepted the plate that Cole had filled for her and thanked him. He poured some wine for her into a paper cup.

“To Julesberg and a new life,” Lauren said as they clinked their cups together and sipped the wine before digging into the barbecued chicken and corn on the cob. There were even fresh rolls with butter and Lauren laughed as she caught a drop in her mouth.

“I like seeing a girl eat. So many just order salads and pretend that they don’t want the steak on my plate. Both of my exes were like that in the beginning.” He smiled at her. “You make an art form out of it.”

“I’m not small by nature, Cole. I do enjoy food, but I know how to stay healthy.” Lauren took a bite of her chicken and laughed. “This is too damn good not to eat, you know?”

“I do know,” Cole agreed, as he gazed at her fondly for a long moment.

After they were done eating, he cleaned up the trash and placed it into a bag before they settled back against the tree trunk to look up at the stars. He patted the blanket beside him and she curled her feet beside her and sat against him. Cole wrapped an arm around her, and she smiled as she let his warmth press through their clothes. They looked at the stars and talked about the constellations for a while and sipped more wine. Lauren saw a shooting star and turned to look at him with wide eyes.

She pressed closer to him and kissed him, and Cole pulled her into his lap. Their lips met in a heated kiss and she slipped her arms around his neck and molded her body against his. Cole moaned against her mouth, and Lauren tilted her head to slide her tongue against his with a slow drag. Her body was on fire and she blushed when she felt her skirt slide up.

Cole pulled her closer as he drove his tongue into her mouth and slid a hand into her hair. Lauren broke away from him as she gasped and stared into his eyes. “I have something to tell you, Cole. I-” She looked at the stars as she tried to find her courage and focused on the Big Dipper. “I haven’t ever slept with anyone. I’m a virgin. Does that completely turn you off?”

“Not at all. I want to take this slow with you, Lauren. I am not in this for sex.” He pushed her hair back and kissed her gently. They made out for several more minutes before he carried the trash to the truck and looked at her. “Home?”

“Yeah, I suppose.” Lauren walked over with the blanket and tucked it into the truck when he opened the door for her. Lauren smiled as she slid into the seat and watched him walk around.

When they arrived home, he walked her to the door and kissed her hard. Lauren almost begged him to take her back to his place. It was just a small house a few miles away, but Cole always told her that he preferred Adam’s house because it was full of life. She merely pressed her lips to his in a big kiss as she clung to his muscular neck and memorized his taste. Cole told her that he’d see her the following day before he stumbled back to his truck and she opened the front door.

Jane was just pulling a cake out of the fridge and Lauren groaned as she looked at the chocolate treat. “For me?” They sat down at the table and drank milk as they ate generous slices. Lauren looked at Jane and swallowed her bite before she spoke. “I want Cole. Is it too soon?”

Jane laughed and sipped her milk. “I waited a week with Adam, so I am the wrong person to ask. But as far as you and Cole go, it has been developing since the night that you met. I wanted you together more than anything, and so did Adam, but this happened on its own. We just put the idea out there.” She looked at Lauren. “Are you scared of it being your first time?”

Lauren looked around to make sure that they were alone before she shrugged. “Not really. I mean, I am nineteen, and I just feel so ready with him. I feel so much for him, Jane.”

“He feels a lot for you as well. His eyes just shine when he looks at you. I’m jealous,” Jane teased her. She laughed as Lauren gaped at her.

“Yeah, you and Adam have nothing on us, right?” Lauren laughed as she noticed Jane blush. “What? Did you guys break up?”

“No. Hell, no,” Jane assured her, beaming. “Quite the opposite.” She revealed her left hand and Lauren noticed the vintage diamond ring before she gasped.

“Oh my God. He proposed! Is that why Cole asked me out?” Lauren asked. Jane laughed.

“From what Adam told me, he was quite into the picnic with or without this. I am so happy, Lauren! I know I am only twenty, but Adam is my life,” Jane gushed. Lauren jumped up and hugged her tight. “Help me plan? I mean, I know that Mom’s going to be all up in our business, but I need you.”

“I am not going anywhere,” Lauren assured her as they started to cry together.

The months started to move faster. Adam and Jane went to visit her parents to make wedding plans, and Lauren found herself alone with Cole in the house a couple of months into their relationship. They had edged closer to intimacy with every moment alone and tonight she knew that it was time. Her body hated her every time that she left him, and she got them some beer and headed out to the deck where he was waiting for her to stargaze. It was Saturday night and there was no early morning the following day.

He cracked open the can and sipped it. She set hers down and moved back against his body to feel his arms wrap around her. They looked up into the night sky and listened to the sounds of the wind as he stroked her stomach gently. “Cole,” Lauren said, as she felt heat pass through her thighs.

“Yes, baby?” he asked her.

Lauren turned to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him hungrily and he pulled her against him with a groan. Cole moved her around and lifted her on the table as he ran his hands up her denim covered legs. “I want you. I’m ready.”

Cole moved between her legs and she felt him hard against her as she kissed him again. Lauren wrapped one hand around his neck and let the other trace the muscles in his back as their lips met over and over.

She’d seen him on the job up close and personal, both on the farm as well as riding a huge, crazy bull. The rodeo had been last month, and it had been a huge event. People had come from all over Colorado and even other states and Lauren had watched in awe as he had twisted his body right along with the bucking animal. She was both frightened as well as incredibly turned on when he finished. When he came right over to kiss her, Lauren nearly ripped his clothes off, and she remembered it now.

She tilted her head as he sucked her tongue into his mouth and wrapped her legs around his body. They’d done nearly everything together, and now it was time to give herself to him. Lauren pushed against him and Cole backed up as he watched her slide off the table and offer him her hand. Cole took it, and they walked into the house and to her bedroom. “Are you sure?” Cole asked in a hoarse voice. She nodded and lifted her shirt over her head. Lauren had picked out a light purple lace underwear set and when she faced him his breath caught in his throat. “Baby, you’re so beautiful.” He gathered her into his arms and brought her onto the mattress as he kissed her swollen lips before moving his mouth over her pale neck.

Lauren slipped his button up shirt off of his shoulders and felt the breeze against their skin as she looked over his tanned chest in between kisses. He was so sexy and she looked into his eyes before he covered her nipple with his mouth through the bra. They’d come so close to this, but the feel of him sucking her inside of his mouth was overwhelming, and she moaned as she gripped his hair. His hand slipped around her back and she felt him unclasp the hook before he pulled away and released her generous breasts.

She cried out as he kissed her all over and finally settled on her bare, hard nipples and sucked harder. His hands loosened her jeans and slid them down as she moved to her knees. She slipped her hand down to tug at his jeans and opened them enough to slide her hand over his thick cock as he groaned against her.

Lauren found herself on her back, naked, as he kicked his pants off and crawled up between her legs to lick her slowly. It was intense, almost too much, and Lauren jerked against him. “Oh, Cole. This feels too good.”

“I want to taste you when you come for me,” Cole told her, as he parted her and found her sensitive, swollen nub. She rocked against him as he murmured to her in between long licks and deep sucks with his mouth and finally she felt something break inside of her. Lauren arched her back and cried out as she closed her eyes to see the stars against her eyelids. She felt him continue to taste her as her orgasm rocked through her. “You’re like honey, Lauren. You taste so good and look so beautiful like this.” Cole stared at her and she managed to open her eyes and look back at him. “I love you, Lauren. I love you so much.”

“I love you, Cole,” she told him. He reached down and slipped off his boxer briefs. He looked so good in them with his tight abs and toned thighs, so much so that Lauren almost hated to see them go.

She’d prepared for this and had been on the pill since she got together with Cole. He moved over her body as he looked closely at her. “Baby, you’re everything to me.”

Lauren felt him slip between her legs and stroke her with his fingers before he pressed against her entrance. “Ready for this?”

“I've been ready for you for years,” Lauren assured him. He slid inside of her and moved slowly so she could adjust to his size. She moaned as she felt him fill her and move a little deeper as something pinched. “Oh, Cole,” she whimpered, before heat filled her and she started to move.

“Lauren, baby. Yes, honey,” Cole told her, as he moved with her until their bodies were slapping together. He held out until she trembled before him and then released inside of her as he told her how much he loved her.

Cole held her on the bed after as they tried to find a way to make his over six-foot-tall frame fit. Lauren was already five foot six and she had a hard time. “How big is your bed?”

“I have a king,” Cole told her.

“Now that I’ve given in to you, can we sleep there sometimes?” Lauren asked, as he stared into her eyes.

“I will sleep anywhere that you are. Now that I have you, I am not letting you sleep alone ever again,” Cole promised her and she smiled so much that it hurt her face.

“I like that,” Lauren told him, as he pulled her against him and kissed her hair.

They made breakfast the next morning, and he looked at her across the table. Her first time was now three or four times ago, and Cole smiled at her. “I have a small place, much smaller than this. I always just felt like it was four walls compared to this house and I think that I’d like you to live there with me. If it’s too small, we’ll get something bigger, but I need you with me all of the time.”

“I’d love that.” Lauren had no idea how she’d gone from being single to having such a strong love in a matter of months, but she was happy as she stood up and went to hug him. Cole spun her around as she laughed and squealed.

They cleaned up the house and cooked dinner for their friends since they were due home on Sunday, and then they broke the news to Adam and Jane. Jane hugged Lauren happily even as she proclaimed how much she would miss her with tears. They opened a bottle of champagne and toasted to love and cowboys and Lauren slipped into the secure feeling of Cole’s arm around her before clinking their glasses together.

Cole took her to his place the following evening, and Lauren looked around with a smile. It was smaller, but it still offered a good living room with a spacious master bedroom and a guest room. It just needed a little warmth and she assured him that she could help him with that.

Lauren moved in two weeks later. She still spent a lot of time at Jane’s house, because the girls loved staying up late together and talking. Lauren adored Jane so much and thanked her every day for helping her to meet Cole.

The wedding wasn’t planned for another six months, but Jane was already thinking about every detail. This was going to be her only wedding and she wanted it to be a perfect day, something that made Adam roll his eyes every time she said it. He only cared that she became his wife and that was the only detail that he wanted to focus on. They were more in love than ever and Lauren loved seeing Jane so happy.

Lauren was falling more in love as well. She loved the nights when she was with Cole in his bed and he taught her more and more about sex and making love. Even though he was not that experienced, Lauren thought he was perfect. She loved the way that he held her afterwards and whispered how much he loved her. Cole was a perfect boyfriend and she was happy.

“Did you live here with Kelsey?” Lauren asked him one night, after they’d made love sweet and slow.

“No. We never lived together, since she wanted to be married first,” Cole told her, as she gazed at him.

“Why did you ask me to live here?” Lauren asked. He smiled and kissed her.

“I love you more than I’ve ever loved anybody,” Cole explained. “I have never wanted someone close to me the way that I want you.”