Page 37 of Rancher's Strength

Neither of us spoke; our breathing slowed as we matched one another, breath for breath. Lexie’s hair was plastered across her face, and I reached to brush it away, tucking it behind her ear.“We need to remember to put your hair up next time. It’s going to be a tangled mess.” She let her gaze drift to me.

“Does that mean this isn’t just a one-time thing?” I was immediately thankful we’d left the light on; otherwise, I would have missed the hope in her eyes and the uncertainty on her face.

“Baby, if I can have this every night thing, it still won’t be enough.” Leaning onto my side, I pressed my mouth against hers. As I dipped my tongue between her slightly parted lips, she nipped my bottom lip and giggled against my mouth. Wrapping my fingers in her hair, I rolled on top of her and kissed her until she whimpered.

I ripped my mouth from hers and watched the corners of her mouth turn up. “Every night might kill me, Ry, but at least I’ll go out satisfied.” I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I just let the silence overtake us.

My eyes roamed her naked body until I stopped at a tattoo on her hip. It was thin, black ink, and I was very familiar with its design, but I had never seen it on her. I reached across her body and ran my thumb across the ranch's brand. “When did you get this?” Emotion filled my throat.

“Three years ago.” I tore my eyes from it and searched her eyes for an explanation. “I got it to keep you close. It was all I could think of doing.” Lexie closed her eyes and sighed.

I sat up and pointed to my ribs. At a quick glance, it was just the profile of a dark-haired woman, but to anyone who knew, it was the picture of Lexie from our first wedding. The photographer had just happened to capture her staring out at the crystal-blue lake. She looked so content, and it was my favorite picture from that day.

“Ryder, that’s me.” She sat up and reached out to run her fingers over my ribs.

“Yes. It is. I needed to keep you close.” She was only inches from me, and I wanted to kiss her again, but she pulled back and looked at me.

“What did we do?” Her shoulders slumped as she looked at me. And there it was—the regret. Sitting naked on the bed, it hung heavy in the room.

“Don’t do this, Lexie. Not again. Please.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. “This was too perfect to regret. Please don’t.” I let my head hang, waiting for something, anything, other than her overthinking this.

Her warm hands cupped my cheeks and lifted my head, and I opened my eyes just in time to watch her climb into my lap and wrap her legs around me. “It’s not regret, Ryder. I swear to you.” She looked me in the eyes, “Every intimate moment with you is always a highlight. I have no idea where this is going, but I don’t want to stop.”

“Please don’t pull away from me.” I looked at her, pleading, and suddenly my heart raced, forcing me to slow my breathing.

“I’m not. I swear to you. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.” She rested her forehead against mine, and we sat together in silence. My pulse slowed, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her tighter against me.

“You need to clean up. I’m slacking on taking care of you.” Lifting my head, I kissed her forehead and moved her off my lap, heading for the bathroom.

Flicking the light on, I placed my hand on the cold marble countertop and looked into the mirror. Closing my eyes, I thought of everything except the woman lying in the bed. Her touch made me jump, but it didn’t deter her. She slid her arms around me and pressed her hands to my chest. I shifted and placed one hand over hers, and we stood there together for a few moments.

“Lex, I’m fine. I swear.” Opening my eyes, I looked at her in the mirror. Her face was relaxed, and she smiled at me.

“I know you are, but I want you to know I’m here.” She kissed my shoulder, and my dark thoughts began to leave my mind. I should have told her, confided in her, but in some way, she knew. This didn’t happen often, and I was concerned that it was occurring now of all times. It wasn’t fair to her, but tonight, I didn’t need this; I just wanted to hold her in my arms.

“Let me get you a warm cloth. Sit on the edge of the tub.” She nodded and moved across the room. Letting the water run so it was warm, I grabbed a cloth and soaked it. “Open your legs for me again.” Lexie licked her lips, and I laughed as I knelt between her legs. Lifting the cloth to her thighs, I cleaned up the mess I’d created by not taking care of her right away. That was a failure on my part, but one that wouldn’t happen again.

I rinsed out the cloth and moved to her core. Her sweet sigh of appreciation made everything else disappear. “I don’t know the last time I’ve been so sore but felt so good.” She let her head fall back, and my cock wanted to go again. “No, that’s not true. I do remember.” She sat up straighter, and I tossed the cloth into the laundry hamper before I helped her stand.

“Do I want to hear this story?” I asked flatly as we walked back to the bed. Flipping back the covers, she climbed in, and I tucked them around her. I flicked off the light and climbed in beside her.

“It was five years ago.” My ears perked up at that, and I reached for her hand. She intertwined her fingers with mine and continued, “It was almost this time of year, as a matter of fact. We were out bringing the last bunch of cows in; it was just you and me. Well, and a hundred head of cattle.” She laughed and rolled over onto her side.

“Do you remember?”

“I do, quite fondly, actually. You screamed so much I was sure the herd would scatter all the way down the valley, and we’d have to round them up all over again.”

We both laughed.

“But I also remember how amazing that night was together. We’d moved into the main house early for the winter and had to be quiet, but out there, we could throw all caution to the wind.”

We’d been able to be wild and do whatever we wanted.

“I do recall you asking me to throw you over the back of the horse like you were dead because it hurt to ride the next morning.”

“Oh god,” she groaned as she buried her head in my chest. “I was so mortified when the guys asked why I was riding bareback when we showed back up with the cattle. And your stupid grin told them exactly why.” She slapped at my chest, and I gripped her hand and held it there. I’ll never forget the confused look of the other four when we showed up just before dark, hours late, and Lexie without a saddle.

They thought she’d been hurt and hovered around her as she slid off the back of Chestnut. Even in the dimming light, I could see her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Then Kipp looked at me, and all their worry faded, one by one, as they realized what had happened.

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