Page 40 of Taming the Billionaire Cowboy
“What?” I squeak.
“Everything I did — all the work I put in to get to where I am, becoming CEO - it was to get away from what I grew up with. I had nothing, and I was afraid of going back to that. So afraid that I missed what I was trying to do in the first place. But you… you make it look easy. I don’t know how you do it, raising Bradley, working as hard as you do.”
“I’ve only done what I needed to.”
He watches me, quiet and careful, knowing I’m holding something in, and suddenly I can’t lie anymore. I can’t pretend that I’m some kind of superhero when I’m just an average person who’s been struggling for years.
“I’ve been so afraid of going under,” I say. “Bradley’s dad… I didn’t expect to do it alone.” I don’t look at him because I don’t want to see the pity in his eyes. “I thought I could trust him.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sure that makes it hard to trust people going forward.”
A lump forms in my throat and I push it down, willing myself not to cry. He has no idea.
“You can trust me,” Oliver says. “I won’t bail on you, Carly.”
Why is he saying this? He’s my boss. Sure, we’ve been having a good time together, and he’s now a frequent star in my dreams, but that’s just a fantasy. I can’t… we can’t-
He clears his throat. “You said that you thought I wouldn’t last a week…”
“What about it?”
“And now?” he asks. “What do you think of me now?”
“Now you scare me.” My voice drops, soft and small, and I look at him, see the storm in his eyes and the calm around it. I see everything I’ve been hoping for, everything I’ve been afraid of hoping for.
“I didn’t think anything could scare you,” he says. “Not after watching you wrangle those chickens.”
I laugh, a tight, nervous laugh that catches in my throat, and it feels like I’m about to jump, about to take the chance of a lifetime.
“Or the way you ran this ranch when I had no clue what I was doing,” he goes on.
“Only because I care about it so much,” I say.
“That’s what I mean,” Oliver says. “You’ve got this, Carly. Whatever you want… it’s yours. I’m yours.”
It’s like all the air is sucked out of the room. I stare at him, feeling frozen, my heartbeat the only thing I can hear.
He goes on. “I know I’m your boss, so I don’t want… I don’t want to cross any boundaries. If I am, I understand. Tell me, and we can forget I ever said that.” He shakes his head. “Shit. I shouldn’t have said that. Yeah, just forget?—”
Before I can overthink it, I lean in and press my lips to his. It’s more than I expected, more than I knew it would be. I kiss him, and he kisses me back, and it’s the kind of certainty I’ve never had, the kind I want to keep.
The noise of the storm wraps around us, closes in on us, and it’s too wild to ignore, too loud to think of anything else. I’m all in,reckless and free and riding this out with him, and it’s the best decision I’ve made in a long time.
Oliver’s skin is warm, and I melt into him, all of me forgetting to be cautious, all of me taking a chance I never thought I’d take again. I tell myself I won’t get in too deep, won’t give away too much of myself, but the words are lost in the downpour. They dissolve into the noise of the rain, the rhythm of my breath, and his body against mine.
We tumble onto the blanket, and the earth is solid beneath us. Oliver rolls so he’s on top of me, the weight of him enough to make me lose myself, enough to keep me safe.
His hands find my hair. His lips press to mine. I wrap my arms around him, pulling him closer, keeping him flush to me. Desire races through my every cell, making me feel like I’m on fire, like if I don’t have this man then I’ll die.
He kisses down my neck, across my collarbone, and I arch into him. No one has ever touched me like this before, ever made me feel so free.
I fumble with the button on his jeans, knowing I’m rushing it but not caring. And knowing this is what he wants, too. He’s hard against my hand, ready for me.
He pushes my shirt up, peeling it over my head and tossing it to the side. His lips gently graze my neck, making me groan with need. Hands shaking, I finally manage to unzip his jeans and reach inside.
His length responds to my touch, pulsing against my palm. I stroke him gently, the rest of the world fading away. There’s only us here. Us now.
He pushes my bra off, and together we get his pants off, then mine. It’s quick, the shedding of our clothes, and that’s exactly how I want it. Foreplay has been every minute we’ve been together since meeting, including the fights.
