Page 44 of Claimed By the Cowboy
I let her set the pace, watching every expression chase across her face—uncertainty, surprise, then pure, radiant pleasure. Sensing she’s close, I sit up and crush her to me, driving into her until she shatters. She clenches around me like a fist, her sob of pleasure tearing through my chest like wildfire. I follow her over the edge with a roar that probably carries to the main house. We collapse together, breathing hard, sweat cooling on our skin.
She tucks her face into my neck, breathless and glowing. “So… more like a thirty-pump chump that time.”
I kiss her damp hair, grinning like a fool. “Careful, Mrs. Sutton, or I’ll have to go for forty next time.”
“Good.” She traces patterns on my chest, looking satisfied and thoroughly claimed. “BecauseI want to do thata lot.”
I laugh, but I'm already hardening against her thigh. “Darlin’, that was only the beginning.”
Chapter 13
Kitty
A month of marriage to Tom Sutton, and I've never been happier.
I wake up every morning in our cabin in his strong arms, breathe in the clean mountain air, and spend my days bringing Ruth’s herb garden back to life. For the first time in forever, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I feel whole. Alive.
Well… most of the time. A few weeks ago, I started experiencing a tightness in my chest that my inhaler couldn’t ease. Then, last week, the headaches began—nothing terrible, just stubborn enough to linger. I’ve been brushing it off as too much sun or not enough water while working in the garden. The last thing I want is to be a burden again. Not now. Not when everything finally feels right.
“Morning, beautiful,” Tom murmurs against my neck, his voice rough with sleep. His arm tightens around my waist, pulling me closer to his warm body.
“Morning, husband.” I love the way saying that word makes him smile against my skin.
“What’s the plan for today?” His hand slides over my ribs, thumb tracing lazy circles that make me shiver with remembered pleasure from last night. “More garden restoration?”
“I want to finish the chamomile section.”
“How do you feel? You’ve been a little off-color the last few weeks.”
Trust my husband to notice what I’ve been trying to ignore. His sharp blue eyes miss nothing.
“I’m fine,” I say lightly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “City girl, remember?” I tease. “I’m still getting used to all this sun and fresh air.”
His brow furrows, and I feel the weight of his gaze on me. “As long as you’re notoverdoing it.”
I roll to face him, pressing a kiss to his jaw to soften my deflection. “Don’t go all protective cowboy on me. I’m tougher than I look, remember?”
“That you are,” he says quietly, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “But if you feel worse, you tell me. No excuses.”
Something in his tone makes my throat tighten. He means it—he’d move heaven and earth if I so much as whispered the wordhelp.
I smile faintly and rest my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “Okay. If it gets worse, I’ll tell you.”
His arms tighten, anchoring me against him. “Good. Because I intend to keep you healthy enough to annoy me for the next fifty years.”
I pull back to look at him. “Only fifty? Lightweight.”
His chuckle rumbles through me as he presses a kiss to the sensitive spot behind my ear that makes me melt. “So, who have you roped into helping you today? Delaney?”
I shake my head. “No, Luna. Delaney is working with Daniel today.”
“Your sister seems happy. She’s thriving.”
“She is,” I say with pride. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so… free. She’s not surviving anymore. She’s living. We both are.”
“She’s a good fit as ranch coordinator. She’s already whipped the books into shape. Everyone loves having her around. And she’s been hovering around Shay like a mother hen with her favorite chick.”
I smile at the image. “Oh, she has. Shay can’t stand up too fast without Delaney appearing at her elbow, ready to catch her. I think she’s memorized the prenatal handbook cover to cover.”
