Page 4 of Horn of Plenty
“What followed me?” she asked, stunned by his revelation.
He pressed a whisper-soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. “The light. The energy. It was as if the sun rose and set for you—and only you. The hardest thing I ever did was try and fight it. But I can’t. I can’t fight it anymore. And Mabel?”
She stared into his eyes, those eyes that had once seemed so muted and callous. “Yes, Cal?”
“I don’t want to fight it.”
She wanted to ask him why. Why did he leave her in the rain? Why was it never the same between them? Why did he pretend like she didn’t exist? She stared into those blue eyes that she knew as well as her own. Did she really want the answer? Was she prepared for the reason?
“I don’t want to fight it either,” she said instead, then reached between them and positioned his cock at her entrance.
His gaze softened. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Did he mean the physical pain that was to accompany losing her virginity? In that case, she wasn’t worried. She could take the pain. Or did he mean her heart?
It didn’t matter. Whatever was to come, she wanted this—wanted him—too badly.
“You won’t. I’m tougher than I look,” she answered, arching into him, guiding him inside as she closed her eyes. But she immediately opened them. She didn’t have to pretend anymore. She didn’t have to close her eyes and imagine his presence. The man who used to only dwell in her fantasies was right here, ready and so very willing to make love to her.
Slowly, he eased his hard length inside her, filling her, stretching her. It was surreal while, at the same time, the most salient, real experience she’d ever had. And it was happening—this moment she’d dreamed of night after night.
Cal trembled as he hovered above her, and she drew her fingertips down his jawline. “You’re shaking.”
This big, strong hulk of a man who, in the blink of an eye, could erect a broody, sullen mask, now wore his heart on his sleeve.
“I’ve never felt anything like this before, Mabel,” he whispered, staring down at her as if she were magical.
She stroked his cheek. “I’m no expert, but I think there’s more to it.”
The look of wonder in her farmer’s eyes disappeared as a raw carnal lust took over. He pulled back a fraction, then thrust, keeping a steady rhythm. She didn’t expect to like it. She’d always figured her first time would be more like ripping off a bandage—something that simply needed to be completed. Never had she expected to revel in the slide of a cock moving in and out of her body. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in close. The sound of his breath against her ear sent a fresh jolt of lust through her body. She rocked her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust. His muscled frame held her imprisoned in a state of growing arousal, but she could feel him holding back.
“Let go,” she breathed against his lips. “I told you, I’m tougher than I look. I may wear hand-crafted shoes and delicate fabrics, but you know that I’m made of stronger stuff.”
With her words, she’d unleashed a stallion. Cal gripped her ass and changed the angle of penetration. His pelvis rubbed against her tight bundle of nerves, and the sensation consumed her. She gasped in sweet agony, closing in on her release as Cal dialed up his pace.
Thrusting his hips, he took her earlobe between his teeth. “It’s all for you. Everything,” he growled. Heat surged inside of her as they flew over the cliff. She writhed beneath him, drowning in an ocean of ecstasy, shattering into a million tiny pieces that only he—this man whose face she’d dreamed of night after night—could put back together.
Limbs tangled, they clung to each other as their breathing returned to normal. Cal gently removed himself, then gathered her into his arms.
“What happens now?” she asked, melting into his strong embrace.
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Whatever we want.”
She closed her eyes, and he tightened his grip as if he believed she might float away—or disappear into the night.
She couldn’t blame him. She’d done it before.
But what did she want now? Where was her place in the world? The cool metal of the charm pressed to her neck—a reminder that her brother had supported her dreams while Cal hadn’t.
That was the truth, but tonight, it wasn’t as easy to believe.
She drew lazy circles on Cal’s forearm as her body grew heavy with exhaustion. What she wanted was too complicated to unravel. For now, all she wanted was to forget the real world and soak in every ounce of this moment—breathe it in like air because two things still remained true.
Cal’s life was in Elverna. And her life, at least for the summer, was, too.
She’d have a choice to make…but not today.
