Authors: Beth Williamson
Unbridled (27 page)
“Where the hell have you been?”
Alex looked confused. “What’s going on?”
Connor barely held his temper. “You disappeared with an eight-year-old boy for six hours. His mother is worried sick and the sheriff just got here to look for him.”
She opened her mouth, then shut it.
“Don’t you blame that child.”
“I’m not planning on putting any blame on him.” She met Daniel’s gaze. “Let’s get down there so your mom doesn’t kill both of us.”
“Oh, man, Alex, I’m in so much trouble.” Daniel’s face paled even further. “More than when I put the hot pepper in the pancake mix or when I hid all the saddle blankets.”
“You did what?”
“Mom’s gonna whoop me.”
Connor would find out what happened later. “Get going. Now.”
Daniel didn’t even hesitate a second. He took off on the pinto, leaning low in the saddle. His hat even flew off but he kept going toward the barn.
Connor walked after him, picking up the boy’s hat. It gave him the opportunity to accept the fact that the two of them were okay, unharmed and back at the ranch. Now, of course, he would have to relax before he talked to Alex. Connor had let his temper get the best of him too much since he’d met Alex.
He had to remember it never got him anywhere but in a shit-load of trouble.
Alex rode up beside him, her face contemplative and, if he wasn’t mistaken, contrite. Interesting change in his furious lover.
“I’m sorry if we worried you, Connor.”
“We’ll talk later.” He damn sure wasn’t ready to have this conversation with her yet.
“Fine. I can accept that.”
“What you need to do is talk to Claire now.” Connor gestured to the embracing mother and son down in the grass.
Alex rode toward them, leaving Connor by himself. Now, if he could stop shaking before he made it down there, it would be a miracle.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A
lex had never been in a situation like this. She’d been responsible for causing a significant amount of worry, and it had never occurred to her. The selfishness of taking Daniel with her, playing with him in the woods like a kid, well, it was almost embarrassing.
lex had never been in a situation like this. She’d been responsible for causing a significant amount of worry, and it had never occurred to her. The selfishness of taking Daniel with her, playing with him in the woods like a kid, well, it was almost embarrassing.
She gazed at Claire as she embraced Daniel. The expression on her face was one of love, in its purest form. That of a mother for her child.
Suddenly the resentment Alex had been holding tightly for Claire began to melt away. There was no rhyme or reason in how she held Claire accountable for her father’s sins. The woman so obviously loved her son, it made Alex’s heart hurt to watch them.
She missed her mother; the kind of hugs and affection that Alex had received were irreplaceable. She felt guilty for causing Claire so much worry. She dismounted and walked toward them, ready to face the music for the afternoon’s activities.
“Claire, I—”
“Don’t. Don’t you dare tell me you’re sorry. You are the adult here, the big sister he can’t stop talking about. You can’t possibly have an excuse for being so irresponsible.” Claire’s voice was like steel, her tone sharper than any knife.
Alex’s guilt increased tenfold at the admonishment, which was well deserved, unfortunately. “I don’t have an excuse. We spent the day together and it was, uh, fun. Time got away from us.”
“You had fun?” Claire glanced at Daniel. “You had fun?”
“We went on a treasure hunt like I used to do with Daddy.” Silent tears streamed down his face. “I’m sorry, Mama.”
“And whether or not you accept my apology, I’m sorry too, Claire. You can’t imagine how much.” Alex hugged herself, since there was no one else around to do it.
Claire’s shoulders dropped and she hugged her son again. “Ah, Daniel, there’s never a dull day with you around.”
“I guess you’re Alex Finley.”
Alex turned to find a giant beside her in the guise of a sheriff. The man blocked out the sun.
“Yes, good or bad, I’m Alex Finley.”
He held out a big paw toward her. “Yancy Scanlon.”
She took his hand and he barely squeezed it, although his hand practically swallowed hers. “Nice to meet you, Sheriff.”
“Eh, call me Yancy. I’m glad I didn’t have to search for you. Claire was about to tear me a new one, if you’ll pardon the expression.”
Alex’s cheeks heated. “Sorry about that.”
“No problem. We haven’t had anything exciting happen around here in a while. It’s good to keep us on our toes.” Yancy looked behind her. “You need me to do anything else?”
She turned to find Connor, his face still set in granite.
“No. Thanks for coming out.” Connor had never looked so fierce, and she found herself somewhat nervous to face him alone. That was a first for Alex.
He grabbed her arm. “We’ll see you later, Yancy.”
The big sheriff’s brows went up but he just waved and walked away toward his deputies.
“Let’s go, Finley.” Connor marched her to Rusty. “You need to take care of your horse.” He took the pinto’s reins and, whether or not she liked it, they walked into the barn.
Everyone was outside, so the building was empty. Alex was glad of the chore; it brought her back to earth. The shock of realizing her mistake, her negative impact on not only Claire but everyone at the ranch, made her feel awful. Even if she felt closer to Daniel than she’d expected, her actions had caused a great deal of problems.
After unsaddling Rusty and rubbing him down, she went to the feed bin to get a scoop of oats for the bay. As she walked back with the food, she noticed the pinto’s stall was closed, which meant Connor was finished. But he was nowhere in sight.
She poured the oats in Rusty’s trough and he pushed her out of the way to get to it. Obviously grass hadn’t been enough for the great horse. Alex closed the stall door and looked around, but still didn’t see Connor.
Perhaps he was angry enough with her to go somewhere and cool off. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she knew that was the wrong assumption. He was close by, waiting for her.
Against her will, Alex felt a tingle race through her body, making her nipples pop and a pulse beat thick and heavy in her pussy. He was watching her.
There were two stalls at the back of the barn where the clean hay was kept. One of those doors was open and she walked toward it, confident she’d found out what he was up to.
When a hard body slammed into the back of her, she gasped in surprise. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling her flush against him and the already hard cock in his jeans. A moan escaped from her as his other hand traveled up and down her body, pausing to pinch her nipples hard.
He hadn’t been the aggressor in their sex. Yet. Now that she’d shown him how she liked it, apparently Connor was ready to show her. Alex was more than ready for that.
Using his pelvis, he bumped her forward toward the stall. She tried to grab something, grip her boots into the floor, anything to halt his progress, to make things more challenging for him. Of course, he had her in the middle of the barn, and there was nothing to grab but him.
So she reached around and felt his hard-on. Her pussy clenched in anticipation of the fucking she’d get from him. It was life and death all over again, when people need to feel alive after an intense experience. Alex definitely felt alive now.
“You like this?”
She managed to make a sound of agreement although her body already told the truth for her.
“I can smell your cunt already. You want me, don’t you?”
Alex squeezed him again. This time it was his turn to moan. He pressed his mouth against her ear and whispered harshly.
“I’m going to fuck you hard, up against the wall.”
Alex almost creamed her jeans.
They entered the stall and he kicked it closed. Their harsh breathing echoed in the stall with bales of hay stacked every which way. Sounds from outside the barn were muted, but they told her there were people just a few feet from where they were. Anyone could hear them or see them.
Alex had never been an exhibitionist but the very idea they could be caught made her excitement notch up quite a bit. He turned her around and captured her mouth in a bruising kiss. This was no time for gentleness, and she didn’t want any.
Their mouths opened and tongues dueled for control. He unbuttoned her blouse, then popped her bra clasp. His callused fingers tweaked and rolled her nipples until she nearly begged him to bite them. Her heart pounded so hard, her ribs ached—she’d never been so aroused in her life.
She yanked at his shirt and he pinned her arms against the wall. He took control and she wanted to fight it, wanted to grab it back from him, but this time Connor wouldn’t let her.
“It’s time you let me take the reins.” He kept her pinned with his weight, sliding one leg between hers until her pussy rode his thigh.
As he pushed up against her clit, his mouth settled on one ripe nipple and bit hard. She swallowed the scream that threatened as she rode his leg.
“Take off your pants.” He let her arms loose and she felt disoriented for a moment or two.
Then she heard his zipper and knew she had seconds before he’d be inside her. Her body shook with pure adrenaline as she fumbled with her clothes, standing stark naked within seconds.
He, on the other hand, had freed only his cock, which stood proudly in the shadows, jutting from his jeans.
“Suck it.”
Alex didn’t mind the order; in fact, she reveled in it as she dropped to her knees and took him. The hot maleness of him filled her mouth. God, he tasted so good. She grabbed the base of his shaft and massaged the sweet spot between his balls.
She lapped at the head, gently nipping the sensitive skin, smiling when he hissed. He groaned and grabbed her head, showing her what he wanted from her. Alex took his lead, eager to please him, eager to fuck him.
Her lips closed around the pulsing shaft. As she sucked him deep into her mouth, to the back of her throat, she pinched her nipple. She closed her teeth around him and bit lightly, making him jerk, pressing against the roof of her mouth.
Alex smiled inwardly and did it again. The saltiness of his pre-cum coated her tongue. She fondled his balls and sucked harder. They tightened in her hands and she knew she had him close to coming, anticipating the gush of fluid for her to swallow.
He yanked her head away and pulled her to her feet. Connor turned her around, putting her hands on the wall and kicking her legs apart. His clothes rubbed against her as his cock slid between her wet folds.
He guided his staff into her welcoming entrance, then reached around to her breasts. Alex shook with need as he poised just barely inside her.
“Jesus, Connor, fuck me.”
His fingers closed around her nipples and pinched just as he thrust inside her, embedding himself to the hilt. She bit her lip to keep the scream from exploding. Her body clenched around him so hard, she could barely tell where he ended and she began.
“So fucking tight,” he whispered as he bit her earlobe and began moving inside her.
Deep, sharp thrusts, nearly impaling her on his dick. She had never known him to be so rough, and she loved it. This was a fierce fucking, a primal mating between animals. Their quickie in the cabin was nothing compared to this. It was intense; it was incredible. It wouldn’t last for either of them.
Voices in the barn made her breath catch, and Connor paused. They could be caught at any moment, she naked with him fucking her. What a story that would make around the campfire.
“Come for me, baby,” he commanded. “Now.”
As if on cue, her body responded and she felt her pleasure building to its peak. She grunted as her hands dug into the walls, splinters lodging themselves in her skin. His grip tightened on her hips as he pounded into her, faster and faster.
The orgasm traveled north from her toes until it hit her pussy and the explosion made stars shine within her, around her, outside her.
Yes, yes,
yes
.
yes
.
She shouted Connor’s name in her mind as she came so hard, she stopped breathing, her heart stopped beating and her mind stopped thinking. It was the most amazing moment of her life.
He buried himself inside her as his own orgasm hit. The hot cum gushed inside her, filling her, making her own waves of pleasure continue off his. She pressed her forehead into the wood, trying to suck in a breath. Connor was shaking as much as she was.
The voices grew closer and he withdrew from inside her, leaving her a bit bereft. She wanted more, needed more, but now wasn’t the time. They were about to be discovered. He shoved a bandanna at her.
“I know it’s not ideal, but use it to clean up.”
In the shadows he straightened his clothes while she pressed the cloth against her pulsing core. A little dizzy and trembling quite a bit, Alex managed to pull on her clothes. She picked up her boots as Connor came over and kissed her hard.
“I love you, Alex Finley.”
With that, he left the stall, leaving her shaken and bewildered. The man had handed her his heart and walked away with hers.
Connor managed to keep his cool as he walked out of the barn. His entire body vibrated with enough energy to launch a damn space shuttle. He kept a grim expression on his face and sent everyone back to work, then walked Claire and Daniel back to their cabin.
What he wanted to do was run back to the barn and hold Alex until he stopped shaking.
He couldn’t possibly explain what happened in that barn, but it was a turning point in their relationship. It was an elemental union that affected him right down to his bones. Then he’d actually told her he loved her.
Holy Mary and all the saints. He’d told her he
loved
her. Never mind if it was true or not; he had simply blurted what he was thinking, what he was feeling, without a thought to the consequences.
loved
her. Never mind if it was true or not; he had simply blurted what he was thinking, what he was feeling, without a thought to the consequences.
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