When You Fall... (16 page)

Fuck it. I’m in
, he thought. “That’s the only one you’ve got?” he asked as his smile met hers.

She laughed and walked over to him. No, it was more like a stalk. He watched her come to him, watched as she crawled over his body like one of those panthers—slow, sexy and all predatory. Her eyes held his captive. His skin tingled and his blood warmed as he watched her open the condom package.

She watched him follow her hand as it slid the condom over him. Watched as she moved her lips in to meet his, still on all fours, looming over him. He lifted his knees, planted his feet on the bed, closing her into his body. He reached for her ass then, his hands gliding over it smoothly and moved upward to her waist in search of her breasts. He tugged gently there, filled his hands with them; a nice fit for his hands, and not so small after all, he thought as he stroked and tugged them again.

She moaned, a nice sexy sound. Their mouths made love to each other. She pulled back and leaned forward, moving her breast to his mouth this time. He obliged, pulling one into his mouth, sucking, tugging, pulling, causing her to moan again. He could get used to that sound, he thought before he moved on to the other breast, his hands back on her ass, pulling her down to meet his hips, while separating, spreading her, aligning her to take him into her body. He pushed her hips back to feel him, pointing upward, strong, hard and ready for her. He made her hips circle around the tip of him and he groaned at the initial wet contact before pulling her forward, and her breast back to his mouth.

He moved her back and forward like that for a while, not in any hurry. When she came forward he tasted her breasts and then moved her back to take him in, moving more inside of her each time, but never all of him—not yet at least—reveling in the smooth, satiny feel of her surrounding him.

He moved her forward again, tasting, tugging, stroking with his tongue, and again, this time sucking harder. He pushed her hips back to take more of him inside of her this time. He groaned at the way she felt around him. One more time, he pulled her forward, back again for another taste, and back to take him, almost all the way. He left her there for a second, and moved his hips in a circular motion this time. She moaned, her mouth on his, her tongue more frantic. She wanted all of him, and tried to push downward, but he held her hips to prevent it. He groaned again at her desire.

Her hands moved to rest on top of his on her ass, urgency in them to fill her completely, but he knew what he was doing and what he wanted, so he pulled her forward again, tugged at her breast one final time, and pushed her hard this time, to take him in completely. She groaned, he moaned, and held her in place.

“I knew you would be good,” she panted, and he took her lips in a bruising kiss while he started to move her up and down. His hands were gripped tightly on her hips, and he met her with hard, punishing strokes.

She let herself go, loving his strength inside of her, letting him move her in whatever way he wanted. He kept it up, even after he felt her start to climax and heard her moan as she came. He kept it up, moving her up and down, around and over him. He felt her start to climax again, and held her down on him while still moving in and out of her, kissing her as she came, before starting again.

She was limp, but still holding on, and a few minutes later felt herself start to come again. She was surprised that she could; she’d hadn’t ever before. This time he joined her, holding her hips down to his, and made love to her mouth as they came.

He stayed there, holding her on him, kissing her mouth, slowly this time, just moving that tongue of his around hers, playing.

“I knew you would be good,” she said, again, when she could breathe. He smiled against her mouth, eyes enigmatic, and lifted her off of him. He sat up, looked back at her and smiled again. Then he ran his hand through his hair, brushing it from his eyes. He was dangerous, and better than she’d thought he’d be.

#

It was near three in the morning now. She checked the clock before he’d turned her over for more.

“Rafael,” she said, not sure if that was a plea for more, or an
I give up
. Her hands were holding on to the rail of her bed; his grip on her ass strong and sure. She’d just climaxed and was trying to pull her thoughts together, but he’d moved her into this new position. She wasn’t even sure what position it was.

After the first time and then the second time, she’d conked out. He’d awakened her around 1 a.m. for the third course, kissing his way down her body; initially her mind was still blurred by sleep, but not for long. He was some kind of talented. He moved up and entered her with one smooth thrust. She groaned again, just thinking about the way he’d felt inside her. She’d fallen asleep again afterward, exhausted.

She lay curled on her elbows and knees now, her body positioned in front of him, close to the headboard of the bed; she knew because her hands were holding on tightly to the rail. Her back was to his chest. She could feel him behind her, solid and lean.

She was also positioned at an angle, bent over with her breasts touching the bed; if only she could catch her breath. Nope. She was back on her knees now; his one knee in between her as he pushed smoothly into her, kind of sideways. She moaned. He felt perfect.

He’d removed her arms from the rail and held them by her sides now, wrapped up tightly by his left arm, while he placed his other arm palm-down against the wall to try and get some resistance. He began to thrust in and out of her.

He pushed in again, hard, then harder still, and she groaned; her sound was muffled in part by the bed. He pushed in again, and again, and then again. “Rafael,” she said, and he let go of the wall, bent his head next to her, turned her head to him, and kissed her.

“Yeah?” he whispered, a few seconds later, as he pushed back into her. One hand gripped her breasts now, and his other was at her hip, holding her still, as his mouth opened and moved over hers.

“Oh,” she moaned.

“Yeah, I know,” he whispered against her lips as he pulled out and slid back in her warmth. He kissed her again, lifted his chest, put his hand back on the wall and started again. He didn’t let up until she was saying something, coming again, not even sure of the sounds that spilled from her lips anymore; it was something unintelligible. He moaned, hand against the wall still, pushing one final time into her.

“Rafael,” she said, opening her eyes a few minutes later. He stood, catching his breath, looking down at them, still joined, before moving his eyes to connect with hers.

“What is it?” she said, in between pants. She couldn’t read him.

“Nothing,” he said, pulling out completely. He leaned in and captured her lips again. “It’s nothing,” he said, getting out of the bed and walking over to her bathroom. She followed him with her eyes. He was a sight, covered in sweat, his hair falling into one eye, a body covered in lean muscle. She sighed and closed her eyes. She was some kind of tired again.

#

Wednesday

Her phone was ringing. Where was it? Where was she? Her mind was one big blur. She’d been dead to the world, more than she usually was. She sat up, still nude, remembering how she’d gotten that way, and smiled. Her body felt stiff and sore. That was nothing new, but it felt different somehow and man, was she energized. She felt ready to tackle the world. The phone had been in her purse and it showed a missed called from Frankie. Her voicemail informed Carter that she, Sandra, and Gwen would be driving up to the ranch this coming Friday to make sure she was okay. It had been two weeks since that crazy wedding breakup attempt. It seemed like forever ago; another time in her life.

She sent each of them a text, telling them she was doing fine. It was the truth; she felt hopeful for the first time in a long while. And all it took was a good screw. No, it was more than that. It was being here, working on the ranch, away from the pressures of having to be all that she couldn’t be. She’d gotten reacquainted with her first love amid this week’s hard and demanding work.

Here it was horses, and being outside; it had always been horses, and the quiet. Here she’d gotten glimpses of the flyaway Carter of old—the one she hadn’t seen since high school, the one who’d grown up here and loved it, the one that didn’t want to sell anymore; not that she ever had. What was she to do about that?

It was no longer about searching for a man. That was for damn sure. After all that had transpired with Bentley, her dad, Gloria and her sisters, followed by her crying jaunt, it was time to figure out what she wanted to do. Really wanted to do. So this time when she got back on her horse, it would be in a direction she was sure of, and one she’d decided for herself. And it was looking like ranching would be her new occupation.

“I want to be a cowgirl,” her 5-year old self used to say to anyone who would listen. She laughed at the memory of herself. She in one of her little cowgirl outfits that her grandmother was always buying for her—the skirt and matching vest with the fringe thingies hanging off. She’d wiggle her hips and those little fringe thingies would dance.

She smiled wistfully. A cowgirl? Really, Carter? How much does that pay? Not enough to live on, that was for sure. What are you going to do, give riding lessons all your life? That’s okay at 23, but at 55, is that all you want to have done with yourself? You’ll be living in poverty. Time to grow up, Carter.

Up. She had horses to feed and trees to trim. There was also more grass to cut. She didn’t want any negative thoughts intruding on her positive mood. She was going to take a trip to see her neighbor, and thank him for last night, for making her feel wanted for the first time in a long time. He had devoured her. That was the best word she could come up with to describe the takeover that had been Rafael.

#

Carter’s phone was ringing again. She recognized the tune: “I smell a Rat.” It was the tune she’d assigned to her sister Savannah. She picked it up.

“Hey,” Carter said.

“Okay, I’ve got you hooked up like a pickup truck,” Savannah said, without so much as a hello. “You are going to be the only female present at our little soiree, besides me, that is. And since I’m off the market, you’ll have them all to yourself. Sherman has invited all the single men he knows and, of course, they all meet my basic criteria; money and a promising future to keep the money coming. So come dressed to impress.”

“You know, I’m tied up that night. So sorry. I can’t make it.”

“I haven’t told you the date yet. The 25th of July. That’s a Saturday night. Be here at 7. I’m not playing with you,” Savannah said in warning.

“Really. I’m not playing with you, either. I’m not coming. Not really interested in meeting men, particularly any of those you’d pick.”

“Didn’t hear you tell that to dear old dad or Gloria. And what are you going to do, anyway? You can’t live out on the farm. Go Carter the Cowgirl. The best western show in town. I can’t believe you haven’t outgrown that phase yet.” She laughed for a minute or two. “Oh God, remember when you first came to live with us, the outfits you used to wear? Oh, that was funny,” she said, laughing again. “Wear something nice. I mean it. I didn’t go through all this trouble to have you mess it up.”

“I’m not coming,” Carter said again.

“Right. See you later.”

#

Carter parked in the small drive in front of Rafael’s home. It was a little after lunchtime.

“Hello,” a young woman said, stepping to the doorway after she’d knocked. Beautiful was the best word Carter could come up with to describe her. She was tall with long dark blonde hair cascading over her shoulders, lightly tanned skin; built like one of those Betty Boop characters of old. Carter stood there, dumbfounded for a few seconds.

“Hi,” she said, finally finding her voice. “I was looking for Rafael.”

“He’s in the barn, where he always is, working on something,” the woman said, not unfriendly, but not exactly friendly, either.

“Oh,” Carter said.

“I’m a friend of his. Danielle,” she said, giving Carter the once-over. “I know who you are,” she said. “You’re Crazy Carter from the YouTube video; the one who tried to break up the wedding of her old boyfriend. I showed Rafael the video of you,” she said and smiled. “You must be desperate, huh?” she said, with that same detached tone, neither friendly, or unfriendly.

Carter smiled thinly, turned and looked off in the distance, uncertain of what to do. This was not what she’d expected.

“That’s me,” she said, turning back to face Danielle, a full smile in place. “I just stopped by to thank Rafael for helping look after my family’s property,” she said.

“You plan on staying here for a while?” Danielle asked.

“For a while,” Carter said.

“Hiding out much?” Danielle said.

“Not really. Tell Rafael I stopped by, okay?” she said, deciding she didn’t feel like talking anymore.

“You can tell him yourself. He’s down at the barn, working on something. He’s always working on something,” she said.

“No, that’s okay. Don’t want to interrupt. Just tell him I stopped by,” Carter said.

“Sure,” Danielle said, watching Carter get in her car and drive away. A few minutes later, Rafael returned from the barn. “I thought I saw a car. Who was that?” he asked, coming up to stand beside Danielle. She hadn’t gone back inside.

“That was Crazy Carter. Remember the girl from the YouTube video? I’m surprised I even remembered, but I’ve watched that video so much. It’s one of my favorites and you didn’t tell me you knew her,” she said, watching his face. What was she looking for?

“Oh. What did she want?” he asked, his eyes on Carter’s car as it made a turn onto the main road.

“To thank you for looking after her family’s property.”

He nodded, eyes still on the now empty road. He turned to face Danielle.

“When are you leaving?” he asked.

“I thought you might want to reconsider,” she said, offering up a promising smile.

“Nope. Don’t think so,” he said, unmoved.

“Guess it’s now then,” she said, her eyes flashing angrily now.