Page 24 of Headstrong Cowboy
For so long, she’d played it safe.Stayed with Beau when she should’ve left him years before they’d called it quits.If she had a major flaw, it was her people-pleasing trait.She hadn’t wanted to disappoint her parents or even Beau.Had thought that any feelings of discontent she had were because she missed her family.In the end, she pushed through it and told Beau what she was feeling.The relief she’d felt when he said he felt the same way had been through the roof.
With Ryder, she didn’t want to be safe.She wanted to take risks.Do things that she hadn’t done before.What she was feeling for Ryder was so different from anything she’d felt with Beau.Chrissy had no idea if that was a good thing or a bad thing, considering she’d thought she’d been totally and forever in love with Beau.
The time for thinking was over, and it was time to act.Not allowing a moment to second-guess herself, she moved until she was straddling Ryder, resting on his thighs.His hands landed on her waist and, with a flick of her finger, her cowboy hat tumbled down her back.She lowered her head and pressed her lips against his.
Like the last time they’d kissed, her body ignited, and she pressed her chest against his.Ryder’s arm tightened around her and the next instant she was rolled over so that her back was resting against the ground.The change in their position allowed her to wrap her arms around his shoulders, holding him close.
Their tongues dueled, and Ryder’s hand brushed against the side of her breast.She ached for him to open the buttons of her shirt and touch her properly, but he didn’t do that.He kept his hand back on her waist and pulled back slightly.His eyes were cloudy with desire, and she could feel the evidence of it against her thigh.
“What you do to me,” he whispered and shifted again, so that he was back leaning against the tree and she was sprawled across him, one of her legs over his.
Chrissy rested her hand on his chest, right over his heart, feeling the rapid tattoo of his heartbeat.“The same that you do to me?”she asked.
“I guess so,” he said and stroked his fingers up and down her arm.
They sat there under the tree, not saying anything, watching the horses munch on grass as a light breeze wafted over them.It was peaceful and perfect.It didn’t feel awkward and she didn’t feel the need to fill the silence between them.Everything she needed to do would still be there when she got back to the farm, but for a few moments, she was going to appreciate just being held by Ryder on a beautiful fall afternoon.
*
When they arrivedback at the barn, Riley was there, so Chrissy did a couple of runs on Ranger, not pushing him because of the big ride they’d been on.But the times they generated were still impressive.
All the while she was going through her paces, she was aware of Ryder leaning against the fence, watching her.His presence hadn’t made her nervous, which surprised her.He was a champion bull rider, but so what if the events they’d competed in were different?He had earned accolades that, at one time, she’d dreamed would be heaped upon her.
Now, here they were, standing between their cars, and Chrissy wasn’t sure what was going to happen next.The last time she’d been the one to ask Ryder out.Would he do the asking this time, or was it going to be up to her again?Not that she minded.She was a woman of the twenty-first century and she’d proven that she could go after what she wanted.But there was still a part of her that wanted him to ask her out.Wanted him to make the first move.
“I should be getting back to the farm.Check in and see how Sunny’s doing.”Chrissy fiddled with her keys.
“Are you needed there urgently?”Ryder stepped into her personal space, the tips of his boots touching the tip of hers.
Her heart hammered in her chest at his closeness.It would take nothing for her to lean forward and lean her head against his chest.Then his arms would come around her, cocooning her in his embrace.
What was his question again?Right, he wanted to know if she needed to get back to the farm.
“Not really.”
“Can I tempt you to join me for a drink at the Graff and maybe dinner there as well?”
Honestly, Sunny had been running the farm with Dad long before Chrissy had returned home.It wasn’t like she provided Sunny with any concrete help in terms of knowing where to trim stalks back or how much fertilizer should be put on the plants.She was getting to be an excellent weeder, though.The business side was where her skills mattered.Something that she could’ve been providing to her family for years if only she and Beau had reached their decision earlier.And if she’d taken her father’s calls.
Ugh...how many times was she going to think about what she should’ve done?She didn’t do it and here she was, standing in front of one of the sexiest, handsomest men she’d ever known, thinking about her past.Some things she could never change, but she could be present in the here and now and do what she wanted.
“I’d like that a lot.But—” She looked down at her dirty clothes.They so weren’t up to Graff standards.“I’ll need to change.”
Ryder pulled her close and nuzzled her neck.A million tingling sensations rippled down her spine.“There’s always Grey’s Saloon, if you’d prefer something more relaxed.”
Thoughts were impossible with the way his lips were caressing her neck.She wished they were anywhere but standing in Riley’s driveway.“Maybe next time.I’d like to go to the Graff and I can always stop by Tilly’s to get something to wear.She won’t mind.”Chrissy pulled away from Ryder’s tormenting mouth and smiled at him.“I really want to get out of these clothes.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged,” he murmured.The meaning of her words sunk in and heat bloomed in her cheeks.
Sleeping with Ryder wouldn’t be a hardship but, for her, it was a little too soon for that.She wanted to get to know him a bit more.She had a feeling there was much more to his story than what he was letting on.There was always the internet, where she could find out the information, but she wanted to hear it from him.
“About that—” she started and stopped, not sure how to approach the subject.There was no way she’d misunderstood the hidden message in his words, but she also didn’t want to make an assumption in case she was completely off base.“I’m not—”
His finger landed on her lips.“I’m sorry if I said something that made you uncomfortable.The truth is, I’m attracted to you a lot, little flower, but I’m not going to force you to do something you’re not comfortable with.Or ready for.I can wait for as long as I need to.”
They’d only known each other a short time, but Chrissy knew he was a good guy, and what he’d just said proved that even more.“Thank you.I appreciate that.”He’d given her honesty, and so it was up to her to do the same with him.“It’s just I don’t have a lot of experience with men.I married my high school sweetheart.I’ve only ever been with him.”
Ryder took hold of her hands and raised them to his lips, her heart melting a little when he pressed his lips against them.“Thank you for telling me that.You don’t have to be afraid of me.Afraid that I’ll go back on my word.I’d rather take another goring from a bull than hurt you.”
