Page 48 of Rancher's Strength

With the movie over, the kitchen cleaned, and the kids in bed, I walked to the bathroom and found Lexie sitting on the edge of the tub in her robe as it filled. She grabbed the lavender bath salts and some bubble bath and dumped them in, and the small space filled with the calming floral scent.

“What are you doing?”

“Take your clothes off.” She smiled.

“You first,” I replied. She arched her brow, and I knew there was no use arguing. I pulled my shirt open, shrugged it off, and watched as she frowned. I kept my eyes on her; I didn’t need to know what I looked like. The fall was bad, and I was pretty sureI was lovely shades of black and purple. Dropping my jeans, I quickly discarded my underwear and socks.

“Get in,” she said before walking out of the bathroom.

Hot water scalded my skin as I lowered myself into the tub. Christ, this woman was trying to burn me alive. Steam rose around me, and I let myself relax back against the inflatable pillow. The soft closing of doors in the hallway made me smile. She was fierce and determined when she needed to be, but there was no stopping her once Lexie slipped into caring-for-everyone mode. You'd have whatever she thought you needed—probably before you even realized it yourself.

“How’s the water?” Lexie’s soft voice from behind me calmed the thoughts in my mind.

“Scalding.”

“Perfect. Sit up.” I groaned as I pulled myself up. When I glanced back, I watched Lexi shed the robe she was wearing—and did a double take when I realized she was naked. The water around me rose as she stepped into the tub. I moved forward as she settled behind me, draping her legs over mine. Gently, she put her hands on my shoulders and pulled me back to rest against her.

“Can I just say, I never thought we’d be doing this again?” I said as I ran my hand along her long, toned leg. On cold nights when I’d been out checking cows or after long days of riding, she’d always draw me a bath, and we’d just lay in it together. Sometimes, we’d talk, but more often than not, we’d just be.

An ache formed within me, and suddenly, I leaned forward. She was too close. Space wasn’t what I needed, but I just needed to breathe.

I winced as Lexie’s delicate fingers traced over the scars on my back. They didn’t hurt exactly, but they evoked memories of things I never wanted to remember—most of them from wounds I’d carried all my life. I’d left things out when I’d told Ruby aboutmy family, things I prayed every night she’d never have to know. And I wasn’t a praying man, but she'd never know what I’d been through.

But Lexie had always known. I’d bared my soul to her the first night we’d made love. I was sure she’d run, but she grabbed a bottle of lotion off her nightstand and rubbed my back for what seemed like hours. I can almost still hear her quiet words: “Vitamin E will help with the scaring. It might be too late, but it won’t hurt anything. We need to do this every night.” Lying with my face buried in her pillow, her scent washing over me, I wasn’t about to argue.

“Who did this?” she asked, and I had the sense she’d go after them.

“Doesn’t matter now; that part of my life is over, and the best is about to begin.” How naive I’d been that night. It had been a perfect life until it wasn’t.

I needed to let her know that no matter what had happened between us before, this was it now. It was her and me, and I would never let her go again. However, I didn’t know how to express that. I wasn’t the best with words and feelings like that. So, letting her touch the most vulnerable parts of me was the way I knew how to communicate my feelings.

Her lips pressed gently against each scar, her hands moving from my shoulders down across my pecs, her fingers slippery from the bath water. I leaned into her, letting my eyes drift closed as I gave in to her touch. My cock already at attention as she traced her slender digits down my abs before lightly tracing my head, now bobbing out of the water and leaking pre-cum at the tip.

Her mouth continued moving down my shoulders, her tongue sliding along my sensitive skin as she lightly squeezed my shaft as if asking for permission before she continued. I groaned,pushing my hips forward, letting her know she had all of me. That she always did.

I usually wasn’t one to give up control, but with her hand pumping my cock and lips tracing my shoulders, I closed my eyes again, relishing in the feel of her touch. But I could only go for so long as she picked up the pace, my balls constricting; I was already ready to come for her. To give into everything she was giving me.

But I wasn’t ready yet. Not until I had her good and satisfied. I needed her to know how much she meant to me. And to have her come for me. Multiple times.

Turning my shoulders toward her, I caught her lips with mine, our tongues tangling together as I kissed her deeply, giving her everything that words couldn’t say. With our mouths still together, I gripped her waist, pulling her onto my lap and making water splash over the side of the tub. Her hips straddling mine, so her pussy pressed right against my hard cock, and neither of us cared about the mess we were making in this bathroom.

I wanted nothing more than to take her right there, to watch as I filled her to the hilt. But I knew she needed warming up first. And I wanted to feel her come all over my fingers before I filled her with my cock. I broke our kiss only to trail my mouth from her lips down her chest, swirling one of the hardened buds of her nipples with my tongue.

She gasped, bucking her hips into mine as if she couldn’t wait to get some friction on her swollen pussy. I smiled onto her chest, looking up to see her eyes at half-mast. I knew what she wanted, but not yet. I needed to make sure she was nice and ready to take all of me.

“Mmmm, do you like that, Lexie?” I murmured, moving my mouth to her other nipple before meeting her heated gaze. Hereyes slowly closed, and I moved my head back, forcing her eyes to pop open as she looked down at me, her gaze widening.

“Eyes on me, Lexie. I want to watch your face as I make you come,” I commanded before slowly circling her nipple with my tongue.

She nodded, her mouth forming a perfect O as she let out a small gasp, her eyes at half-mast.

“That’s a good girl,” I growled as I traced my fingers from her breast down her stomach until I reached her swollen pussy nestled against my cock. She spread her legs wider, giving me access to brush my fingers against her clit before hooking a finger inside of her. Her moan was louder this time, breathier, as she shivered against my touch.

“That’s it, Lexie, spread yourself for me. I want you to come all over my fingers before you take my big cock,” I murmured, adding another finger inside of her.

Her hips moved in the same rhythm. I pumped my fist, and I knew she was close, her breathing quickening as she struggled to keep her eyes open. But I needed her to watch me. I wanted to stare at her beautiful gaze as I made her come.

Pressing my thumb against her clit was all it took for her to cry out, her whole body shaking around me as she came hard, gasping as she rode out the aftershocks of her orgasm.

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