Page 26 of A Cowboy's Claim
The tingles that had begun when he kissed her leveled up again. Sydney undulated over him in a slow, even rhythm, his fingers digging into her butt cheeks as he allowed her to be in charge. But the heated light in his eyes and the tension building in his body said she wouldn’t get to play for much longer.
Fabric bunched around her waist, untidy and unkempt, but from the pleased look in his eyes, he was into it.
She reached between her legs to rub her clit, and Declan picked up the pace. The grip on her hips elevated her far enough that he could thrust his cock deep and hard on each rock, shooting the air from her lungs in the best possible way. She wanted it all, wanted it hard and dirty.
Declan flashed his barely there smile, his eyes burning intently?—
“You like this,” he said quietly. “Naked from the waist up here in the outdoors. Those pretty tits bouncing for me. My cock fucking into you so you feel it everywhere. You taking what I give you so sweetly. You need this, need me to show you how to let go.”
“Yes,” Sydney whispered. “So close.”
“Let me have it.” Declan slowed his thrusts but held her so immobile that it seemed every drive went deeper than the one before. “Give it to me. Squeeze my cock so hard it feels like you’ll never let go.”
She broke. The rush of pleasure didn’t come in a wave, but an absolute cascade that hit her hard enough she lost control of her muscles and collapsed on top of him. He held them locked together, and with every continuing pulse of her sex around him, she felt it so deeply it triggered another set of aftershocks.
It was pleasure, yes, but also connection, and she glowed inside at being known well enough by this man that he could play her body like a Stratovarius.
A minute later? An hour? Sydney wasn’t sure when it was, but Declan rolled her back onto the cushions and delicately draped a cozy blanket over her before he dealt with the condom.
Then he was back, pulling her into his arms and holding her as the sunset bloomed then faded and the stars popped out overhead.
When he dropped her off at the house in full darkness, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and headed inside.
That’s when she realized that for the last hour or more, neither one of them had spoken.
It didn’t feel as if they had to.
The next days passed quickly,which was a relief. Busy hands meant Declan’s mind was far too occupied to worry about making the right decision when it came to convincing Sydney to give them a chance.
Because he was very firmly of the opinion they alreadywerea thing. Not what he wanted them to be, but somewhere on the journey to it.
She was still skittish.
No way in hell he’d be stupid enough to relate her directly to a horse in real life, at least not where she could hear, yet the same principles were involved. Don’t go too fast, don’t introduce new elements too quickly.
Whether Sydney liked it or not, they already had a solid base. Sex wasn’t enough to sustain a relationship, but it was a fine starting place. If it took him keeping her in bed until she realized she never wanted him to leave, he could handle that.
Jinx came home from horse camp on Sunday, absolutely thrilled with how much she’d improved. She phoned to let him know she was back but was staying for supper with the Stone family. “If that’s okay?”
“It’s fine with me. Did you mention this to Petra or Aiden?”
She hesitated for a second. “I did, and they approved, but I kind of felt like I should ask you, too.”
Declan knew about the plans to make Jinx officially part of Aiden and Petra’s family, and if this wasn’t a clear sign that it was time to clarify things, he didn’t know what was.
Still, for now, he followed along like usual. “It’s okay with me. Call when you want to come home and I’ll pick you up. I wouldn’t mind saying hi to Sasha’s parents.”
“Got it. Bring Dixie? I’ve missed her.Love-you-Deck-bye.” The last four words came out as a smeared blur, but they lit something inside him big and bright.
The next second fear rolled in again. If anything happened to that girl, he would never forgive himself.
They needed to make changes around High Water because they all had too much to lose, and it wasn’t fair to any of them to have their loved ones at risk.
It was a small gathering at the family table that night. Jake had taken the ranch hands to work on their roping skills. Tansy went to visit her sister Ivy so Jeffrey could spend time with his three cousins.
Petra and Aiden held hands under the table and pretended they weren’t.
Kevin arched a brow, the scarred slice on the side of his face turning his amusement into a very pirate-y expression. “You do know we can see you, yes?”
