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  “Do we need flashlights or anything to get to the barn?” Lacy asked. He looked up into her beautiful, brown eyes, and recognized the desire lurking in them. She wanted him, but was desire enough to base a relationship on? Maybe she’d consider a fling while she was visiting. The thought brought a bad taste to his tongue and he grimaced unintentionally. “Sorry, I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to ask that.”

  “Oh, no, I wasn’t frowning at your question. Sorry, I was lost in my own head.” He hurried to assure her. “No, we don’t need flashlights. After thirty years on this ranch I’d have to be strung out drunk to have trouble finding the barn, even in the midst of a blizzard. Luckily, it’s just dark out.”

  He held the door for her to exit first so that he could attempt to peek at her denim clad ass as she went, but her coat concealed it.

  “So, how did you come to be on the ranch?” she asked conversationally as they turned so that the icy wind was at their backs, and hurried towards the barn.

  “My mom OD’d when I was eight. I didn’t have any other family that could take me in.” He answered shortly, trying to focus on slowing his pace so she could keep up with him. They reached the barn doors quickly, and he pulled one open just enough so they could slip through into the warm shelter. Like a cocoon, it enveloped the two of them in the scent of hay and animal, and Drannon breathed it in deeply. This was his favorite place on the entire ranch, and he let himself take a moment to enjoy the fact that Lacy was standing next to him.

  “I’m sorry about your mom. I can’t imagine what it was like to go through that when you were so young,” she said, her eyes reflecting the sincerity of her words.

  “I won’t lie, it sucked, but her death ended up being the best thing that could have happened to both of us. She found peace from the never ending addiction, and I found Abe and Sera Crawley.”

  Lacy gave him a small smile as she pushed her hood off. “Tell me about them. Everyone speaks so highly of the Crawleys. I wish I’d had a chance to meet them.”

  Reaching for her hand, he led her down the main aisle of the barn as he started to speak. “Abraham Crawley was as old-fashioned as they come. He believed in raising boys to become men, and girls to become ladies. He wasn’t a mean man by any measure, but he was tough. I think we all needed that. Tough love goes a long way with kids who haven’t had any sort of center point in their lives. Lots of kids passed through Crawley Creek Ranch, but a few of us stuck. Sera was the mom I dreamed about having when I was a young kid. She cooked, and sang, and rode a horse as well as any man. I’ve always imagined finding my own Seraphina Crawley and having a love as deep as hers was with Abe. When I was a kid, I thought they were angels sent by my mom to take care of me like she couldn’t. Mind you, I didn’t have those same golden beliefs as a teenager, but then, what teen enjoys having boundaries and discipline?”

  His comment got the desired giggle out of her, and he smiled over his shoulder. She was so beautiful when she smiled, he stumbled over his own feet and cursed sharply.

  “Are you okay?”

  He felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment, but he took a chance when her face reflected only concern for him. “I’m fine. It’s just when you smiled at me, I forgot how to walk for a moment.”

  Her intake of breath was followed by a sweet sound that rocketed straight through his body to his groin making it throb uncomfortably. Her lips were parted in an O shape that brought to mind all sorts of dirty things he had no business thinking.

  “I’m beginning to think they’ve given the wrong man the nickname “Romeo.” She teased.

  Drannon slid his arm around her back, and pulled her closer, “I’m not Romeo, but I can admit when I find a woman attractive. I’m not going to play games with you Lacy. I want you. I want to finish what we started yesterday. I want to touch you and taste you, and hear you screaming my name when I take you to my bed.” He paused to let that sink in, enjoying the flush that filled her cheeks, and the way her chest rose and fell with her labored breathing. “If you want me to back off, just give me the word.”

  Silence grew heavy between them, and the temperature rose by twenty degrees. Drannon held his breath as he waited for her to turn him down, but she just licked her lips smiled.

  “So what are you waiting for, Cowboy?”

  The words made his cock rock hard in his jeans, and he groaned before dropping his mouth to hers.

  Scorching hot fire blazed through Lacy’s body the moment they connected. She loved feeling the rasp of the day’s beard growth against her cheek, and the rough material of his brown coat against her fingertips. Each sensation made her already sensitive nerves raw, which made his kiss that much sweeter. Once again, her brain fried under the onslaught of his passion, and she fought to keep her knees locked underneath her.

  He expertly swept his tongue between her lips, tempting and teasing her into a playful kiss that led to nips and deeper, hungrier kisses. His hands slid down her back to her ass, and she could feel him tugging her coat higher so that he could cup her curves in his palms. When he finally reached his goal, she sighed with pleasure at the contact. She knew the size of her own butt, and he had massive hands that seemed to fit it perfectly. All she wanted was for him to… A moment later, she had her wish, as he lifted her and carried her a couple feet away to a stack of hay bales.

  The new position gave his hands more freedom, but the layers of warm clothes between them hampered their amorous endeavors. She giggled against his lips when he struggled with the zipper on her coat, and when he finally released it and started to push it off her shoulders, she shivered.

  “Shit.” He grumbled, “This isn’t right. I won’t take you for the first time in the barn like this. You deserve better.”

  She smiled when he sweetly kissed her forehead and pulled her warm coat back over her shoulders. The tender action eased the last of the doubts she had about this vacation fling. If she had an option, she might pack this cowboy up and cart him back to Chicago with her, but since she didn’t, she’d just enjoy the time she had with him.

  “We got a little carried away anyway. You’re supposed to be introducing me to your friends.” She jerked her head toward the deeper interior of the barn, and he smiled.

  “That’s right, we still need to check on Dorothy. Come on, we’ll make it quick, and then I’ll show you how we like to keep warm in North Dakota winters.” He led her to a stall that held a pretty golden brown horse with a black mane. As he opened the stall door, he began talking softly. “Hey pretty lady, how are you this evening? How’s that baby doing? You still look beautiful, yes you do.”

  Lacy watched from outside the stall as Drannon approached the horse and ran his big hands gently over her coat to her belly. He continued to pet Dorothy soothingly the entire time he was checking her over. Once he was content with her condition, he gestured for Lacy to come inside.

  “Lacy meet Dorothy. The lady of Crawley Creek.”

  She grinned at the introduction, and held her hand out as the horse nuzzled her, inhaling her scent. Dorothy seemed to approve of her because she gently bumped Lacy’s knuckles with the bridge of her nose in a gesture that clearly requested a pat. The hair between the horses eyes was softer than a baby’s skin, and Lacy sighed. “You’re certainly a beautiful lady, Dorothy. It’s lovely to meet you.”

  “Dorothy is the oldest mare we have on the ranch, and she’s produced several of our best horses. I have a feeling this will be her last pregnancy though. This one’s been hard on her.” Drannon ran his hand under the rounded belly of the animal just as Dorothy decided to snuff at him. “I hear ya, girl, but I’m not willing to give you up just on the chance we can get another winner out of you.”

  “A winner?” Lacy asked.

  “Her first son won a world championship. She’s produced several offspring that have won various contests actually.” Drannon explained.

  “Wow. I can see why she’d be proud to keep having babies then.” Lacy laughed when Dorothy nudged
her again as though in approval.

  “Well, like it or not, I’ve got to protect the lady of Crawley Creek, so this is her last baby.” Drannon said with one last pat to Dorothy’s rump. “Come on, we’ll say hi to Munchkin and then get back inside. I can hear ice on the roof.”

  Lacy paused in surprise and realized that she could hear what sounded like rain pattering against the metal roof of the barn. “Should we wait and come back tomorrow to see Munchkin?”

  The look Drannon gave her as he secured Dorothy’s stall door could have melted iron. “Lacy…baby, I have a feeling that once I get you in my bed I won’t be letting you go so quickly. And besides, the ice will be followed up by snow, which I will be even less likely to get out of bed for.”

  She followed his lead and met Munchkin the cow before they ran for the ranch house. The ice was coming down hard, and it pelted her cheeks painfully. By the time they reached the house, her shoes were soaked through, and she was glad to be inside the warmth.

  Drannon noticed her wet feet the moment she tugged her shoes off, and he dropped to his knees while still wearing his coat to cup her foot in his big hands. Her wet socks hit the floor as he began rubbing her toes vigorously to warm them up. “Damn it, I should have found you a pair of boots to wear. I’ll be pissed at myself if you end up with frostbite.”

  “Hey,” she reached out and cupped his cheek in her palm. “You didn’t know it was going to start sleeting while we were out there. I’m fine, I promise. I’ll go up and soak in a hot bath to get my blood flowing again and be good as new.”

  “Not without me you won’t,” he said huskily, kissing her hard before he got back to his feet and shrugged out of his coat. Lacy hurried to follow, stripping her winter gear and thrusting it haphazardly into the storage cubby in her haste. In record time, the two of them were racing up the massive staircase barely acknowledging Marilyn’s hello as they swept by her on her way to bed. Lacy considered feeling embarrassed, but she was a grown woman, and she had a hot cowboy who wanted her. There was no need for self-recriminations. All that mattered right now was fulfilling the driving need for Drannon that rolled in her belly.

  Chapter 6

  Desire overrode Drannon’s need to be a gentleman, and at the top of the stairs, he scooped Lacy up, throwing her over his shoulder as he continued on down the hallway to his bedroom. She gasped at the impact of his shoulder on her stomach, but the caveman act turned her on more than she wanted to admit. Just knowing he wanted her so much he couldn’t wait was doing a number on her libido.

  She was correct in her assumption that his room was the one at the end of the hallway with the double doors, and she barely got her head up to look around before he was putting her down on a massive bed. The room was richly masculine in decoration and surprisingly modern compared to the rest of the home. His bed was black and chrome as were the end tables on either side, and she caught a glimpse of a black metal ceiling fan when her back hit the mattress and before his body blocked out her view when he followed her down.

  He pressed open mouthed kisses to her jaw and throat, sucking slightly with each kiss and making her drip with anticipation. Bath forgotten, she began sliding the buttons of his shirt open, one at a time until she could see the dark curls of chest hair over his pecs. She leaned forward just enough to press a kiss against his collarbone, and giggled when he let out a rumble of appreciation. Drannon tugged her shirt off to reveal her breasts and tweaked a nipple gently. Lacy arched her back to press her breast further into his hand, aching for him to grab it hard and have his way with her. She wanted the desperation back, not this gentle, sweet lover.

  Lightly nipping at his lips, she grabbed the two flaps of his shirt, and pulled as hard as she could, pleased with herself when the last couple of buttons went flying. He chuckled and grabbed her hands.

  “Feeling a little needy, huh? Patience never killed anyone, sweetheart.”

  “Easy for you to say, you’re not the one dripping on the bed! And I am not talking about the water from outside.” She winked and he groaned, pressing his mouth to hers in a deep kiss that seemed to sizzle all the way to her stomach.

  When they broke apart she got her first good look at his well-muscled chest and abs, and she nearly drooled in delight. He looked like he’d been carved from stone by Michelangelo himself. Each ripped ridge made her pussy clench, and she skimmed her fingertips over his skin memorizing the map of his physique. Black ink drew her attention to his left side, and she tugged at his arm to get a better look.

  “What does it say?” she asked, frowning at the words imprinted on his golden skin.

  “Growth before pride, in Italian.” He answered. “My life’s motto.”

  He didn’t elaborate, but she made a mental note to ask him about it later. He was delightfully distracting as he began tugging at her remaining clothing. It only took another moment for him to strip her jeans and panties from her body, leaving her blissfully naked to his hot gaze. When he paused his movements to stare down at her, she wiggled impatiently and tugged him down on top of her again. She spread her knees a little wider, and he shifted, sliding his groin into the V of her thighs. His jeans were rough against the sensitive skin of her pussy, but she rocked against him regardless. Running her hands under his open shirt, she felt hard muscles rippling under heated skin, and heard her own moans of appreciation as he captured her nipple with his lips.

  This man was built better than any she had ever seen, much less touched. Hard work and long days seemed to create muscles like etched granite. Her mouth watered to taste him, but she couldn’t reach with his face pressed between her tits. Feeling frustratingly needy, she tugged at his bicep, hoping he would lift up a little. Instead, he bit her nipple making her squeal in surprise at the sharp pain.

  “Hey!”

  His dark head lifted enough to nail her with his gaze, “What’s the rush? I want to take my time and make love to a beautiful woman. Do you have somewhere better to be?”

  Lacy flinched at the question, “No! There is nowhere else I would rather be. I just want to show you how crazy you’re making me. You’ve got me pinned down so that I can hardly touch you.”

  Drannon shook his head at her, “No, you were in a hurry to get your orgasm started. Well, Miss Denvers, you will learn that, in my bed, we do things at my pace.”

  He reached up to release her hair from its braided coil, and when it finally relaxed out of the tight binding and spread out in a red wave around her head, she was pleased at the awe on his face. Lately, she’d been considering cutting it off to give herself a new look for her new life, but seeing how much pleasure Drannon got out of it made her glad she’d held off.

  “Your hair is stunning,”—he paused to press a kiss to her nose, and then grinned—“as are you. Now roll over.”

  He was up and off her before she could respond, and she laid there, staring at him in surprise. “What?”

  “Roll over. I want to see if your ass looks as good out of those tight jeans as I’ve imagined.”

  There was no way Lacy could have denied his request. She rolled, rising up onto her knees and elbows so that her ass was up in the air pointing directly at him. If he wanted to see her ass, then she was going to ensure he got the best possible view of it. Her hair hung over her shoulder pooling on the bed beside her.

  “Fuck me, that’s beautiful.” His words sent a shiver of heat down her spine, and she glanced over her shoulder just as he opened the zipper on his jeans. The fat, purple head of his cock was poking out the top of his black boxer briefs, and her mouth watered at the pearly drop of fluid resting on the tip.

  Within moments he was completely nude and crawling up onto the bed behind her. His lips and whiskers tickled the back of her calf as he pressed butterfly-soft kisses to the tender skin of her right leg from ankle to knee. She dropped her head to rest on the bed when he continued his slow journey up the back of her thigh. When he reached the curve of her ass, he paused, and for a moment, she thought he might
give her what she wanted and delve between her thighs. Instead, he dropped his mouth to the back of her left ankle and repeated the process up the back of her other leg.

  For several minutes, the only part of him touching her was his lips, and it was one of the most erotic moments of her life. When she felt his hot breath finally dance over the split of her ass, she moaned into the bedspread.

  “See what I mean, sweetheart? Let me do this my way; you won’t regret it.” His hands flattened on her rounded ass cheeks and spread them apart, opening her completely to his view in a way that no one had ever seen her before. She could feel her own juices dribbling down her thighs as he examined her. “You have the sweetest pink pussy. I wonder if it tastes as good as it looks.”

  His tongue felt enormously thick as it parted her pussy lips from the hood of her clit all the way to her perineum, and she gasped at the contact. His hum of approval answered the question he posed, and she felt her knees slide farther apart giving him more room. He took full advantage of the access as he used his tongue and lips to explore her labia and clit, moving over the sensitive flesh in a teasing dance.

  Digging her fingers into the mattress beneath her, she thrust back in time with his movements, craving release. Every time she got close to the edge of orgasm he pulled back, making her wait until she was panting and desperate.

  “Drannon, please!” the words broke from her throat along with a sob of need, and she clenched around the two thick fingers he pumped in and out of her passage.

  He rose up to his knees, and she felt his cock prodding against her pussy lips before he pressed past her vulva and into her tight channel. He went about half way before stopping to let her adjust, and she whimpered, pushing back against him.

  “Easy, I don’t want to hurt you.”

  She was so frustrated and needy that she heard a growl burst from her throat just before she slammed back against him, surprising them both. “You won’t break me! Fuck me, please God, just fuck me!”