Sunset on Us, page 11
Cheyenne’s body went rigid. “No, no, it wasn’t like that. There was nothing you could have done.”
Colt wanted to believe that. He had to ask. A hard lump formed in the back of his throat. “Do you forgive me? For not being there, for not protecting you?”
Cheyenne sat bolt upright. “Colt, this has nothing to do with you. I never blamed you. Ever. Not even for a second.”
“The night it happened, I was gone. I should have been there. That was the night I went with Case to help deliver a calf, wasn’t it?”
“Colt, don’t do that. Don’t play the ‘what if’ game. That never turns out well. Trust me, I have been playing it for eleven years.”
Colt took her hand in his. “And do you ever ask what would have happened if I had told Case I couldn’t help him? If I had driven you back from your grandma and not Ron?”
Cheyenne stared down at the patchwork quilt, tracing the pattern with her finger. “No. He had been following me. He told me. If it wasn’t that night, it would have been another night. You helped Case because you’re a good man. You have always been a good man. That’s why I loved you.”
Loved. Past tense. He tried to ignore the dejection that word brought. “What are you going to do next?” Please say you’re going to stay. Please say we will figure something out.
“The statute of limitations has expired. I can tell you the exact moment it happened, ten years to the day after my eighteenth birthday. The moment I turned twenty-eight, he got a free pass.” Her voice trailed off. “That was hard, that birthday was hard. Thank god I had J.”
Hearing Jamison’s name made his skin crawl. Finding out the man was gay did not lessen that. He still resented him. He was grateful that he had kept Cheyenne safe, but it should have been Colt. Those were years that belonged to him. They were stolen from him.
Cheyenne placed her hand on his chest. “I know you and J got off on the wrong foot, but I love him. He is my best friend. He got me through. That is why I wrote the song for him.”
“I prefer the song you wrote for me.”
“Which one?” Cheyenne’s eyes were wide with curiosity.
“What do you mean, which one?”
“You still don’t get it. Every love song I have ever written is about you. Listen to Broken. Every song on that album was written for you.” She sighed, and let her eyes focus on the quilt.
Colt lifted her chin. He had to see her eyes. To really see her. To hear her response. Her words. “Really?”
“Really.” She nodded.
“Well, now I can admit I own all of your albums.” He laughed.
“You do?”
“Of course I do. I even went to one of your concerts in Louisiana.”
Her eyes widened. “You were at one of my shows? I can’t believe that. Ahh, now I am feeling self-conscience. Was I okay?”
“You’re Cheyenne Ford—you were more than okay; you were amazing. The crowd loved you. They always do.” Colt let the sides of his mouth pull up.
Her nose wrinkled. “The crowd doesn’t know me. You have to know someone to love them.”
Now was his moment. He could tell her he loved her, but we wouldn’t. He couldn’t. “Are you hungry? I brought peanut butter and bread. I can make toast.”
Cheyenne looked out the window. “That would be nice. I’d love something to eat before going back into town.”
“You know, on second thought, you don’t need to go. You can stay here as long as you want. I can get supplies. Case is taking care of the ranch. My mom can wait to see you.”
Cheyenne shook her head. “I need to face it. If I run, they will chase, and they will dig. They will dig up every little secret. I can’t ... I need to cut them off at the pass. If I give an interview, even one, it will take the wind out of their sales. It will be a nonstory. It is not interesting if I am willing to talk about it. I just need to do it—rip it off like a Band-Aid.”
Colt hesitated. Don’t push. But he had to. “What are you scared they will find out?”
Cheyenne blinked. It was clear she wasn’t prepared for the question. She put on her stage smile, stood up, grabbed his hat, then put it on. She stood in front of him naked except for her smile and his hat. “The question, Cowboy, is what will they find out about you. Boy, I have been gone a long time. I am sure you have a lot of deep, dark secrets.”
Colt smiled and shook his head. He wasn’t going to be put off his question, no matter how cute she was.
Cheyenne bent over and picked up the twine that held together kindling. “Hands on the headboard,” she commanded.
Colt laughed.
“I don’t know why you’re laughing. You’re getting tied up, Cowboy.” She wagged her finger at him.
“Am I now?”
“Where is your whip when I need it?” She peered around the room.
“Woman, you would hurt someone with a whip.”
Cheyenne let out a soft giggle. “Only if you made me use it.”
“Oh, is that the game we’re playing?”
“No game, Cowboy. I’m going to get some secrets out of you.” When Cheyenne shook her head, her hair moved enough to see the rosy peaks of her nipples. Fuck, she was sexy. She could tie him up and whip him and do whatever she wanted to him as long as she stayed with him.
Colt raised his hands above him and took hold of the wrought iron bars of the headboard. “Do your best, darlin’. I’m at your mercy.”
The corners of Cheyenne’s mouth pulled into a mischievous grin. “Do you trust me, Cowboy?”
“With my life,” he replied without hesitation. She could do anything she wanted to him. Any limits didn’t apply to her.
Cheyenne leaned over him to tie his hands together. Her nipple grazed his lips, and he captured the pink bud in his mouth and sucked.
“Oh no, you don’t, Cowboy.” Cheyenne pulled back. “I don’t think so. You want this?” She rolled a nipple between her fingers. “You will have to answer some questions first.” Her nipple went hard in her hand. Immediately his body responded, all the nonessential blood in his body redirected to his cock.
Cheyenne tightened the binding. “Feel free to fight against the rope. Only right that I mark you the way you marked me.” She held up her wrists to show the faded red welts, then ran her hands over his chest, working his nipples into tight knots before tracing her hands over the deep ridges of his abs. “You are a fine specimen, I will give you that, Colt Clayburn. Honestly, how could you think I was with Jamison? I don’t like blonds. Give me a tall, dark cowboy with black hair and big brown eyes. That is my thing. Where can I find one of those?” She laughed, and then leaned down and kissed him. She only let their mouths brush, but the moment he tried to deepen the kiss, she pulled back.
“First question. Hmm, let me see.” She tapped her lips. “We will make it an easy one. Get your baseline reading like a lie detector. Consider me Maury Povich.”
“I would rather not.”
“Yes, a naked, red-haired, female Maury.” She put her hands on her hips, which were curved to perfection.
“Now that is a show I would watch.”
“I thought you would like that. I know you well. Now, stop distracting me. I am exposing all your secrets. First question: what is your favorite song?”
“‘Bluebonnet Kisses,’” he replied in a heartbeat.
She shook her head. “No, not of my songs, of all songs. Think big, like of all songs ever written.” She held out her hands as far as they would reach. “Think big.”
“‘Bluebonnet Kisses.’”
“Really? She squinted at him.
“Yes. Next question.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You like that song because you always knew it was about you.”
“Lucky guess. The entire song was about your first kiss. Seeing as I was the one you were kissing, it was a safe assumption.”
“Actually, no, you weren’t my first kiss.”
Colt pulled against the rope. “Woman, you better be joking.”
She shook her head. “I can tell you now. Because, well, you’re tied up and all. You were not my first kiss. I was yours, but you were not mine.”
“Who was it,” Colt demanded. “I’ll kill him.” He was only half kidding.
“Ooh, fratricide, that is so Greek tragedy of you.” Cheyenne laughed.
“You what? Cane? Are you saying you kissed my brother first?”
Cheyenne shook her head. “Not Cane.”
“Cord. Did Cord kiss you? I will kill him. Son of a bitch.”
“Not Cord.”
“Case?”
She nodded. “Yep, after Sunday school. Mrs. Colley had just given a lesson on Samson and Delilah. The story is so sexy, don’t you think? Anyway, you were home sick that day, and I grabbed Case and kissed him. I think I was the first and last woman to kiss him.”
Colt studied her features. She knew too. “When did you figure it out?”
“Ages before you, Cowboy. Does your mama know yet?”
Colt shook his head.
“What about your brothers?”
“Nope.”
Cheyenne frowned. “So only you and I know.”
“Well, I like to hope he has sex, so presumably the men he sleeps with would know.”
Cheyenne bent over and kissed him again. “You got me off-topic again. Cowboy, you’re so distracting, between the muscles and the tan and your stubble and your eyes.” She sighed. “I want to tie you up once a week just to look at you.”
“Only if I can do the same.”
“Now, don’t be lying. We both know if you tied me up, you wouldn’t just be looking.”
“True,” he admitted.
“Right. Now that we have established a baseline, I can ask you some tough questions, and I’m going to sweeten the deal. I will reward every honest answer.” A wicked grin spread across her face as she climbed into bed and settled between his legs. Slowly, she began to stroke his cock, up and down the shaft, and then she circled the head. “Why did you name your dog Jasper?” She lowered her head onto his cock, her tongue swirling around the crown while her fist pumped him. Oh god. She always knew how to do this. Nothing was like her mouth on him.
“I like the name.”
Cheyenne moved her hand and sat up. “And the lie detector determined that was a lie.” She shook her head. “Answer honestly and I will keep going.”
“Yes, I named him after the egg baby we had in junior high.”
Cheyenne rewarded him by returning her head to his cock. This time she took him deeper. Her hand cupped his balls, squeezing as she sucked. Oh god, that was good. She sucked and licked as her hands worked his balls. She gave the tip a quick peck before she sat up. “How long did you wait before you had sex with someone else?”
“Cheyenne, no.” There was no way he was going to answer the question.
“Tell me, Cowboy, or that cock is going nowhere near these lips.”
“No, Cheyenne.”
“Okay, fair enough. We’re done. Maybe if you spit in your hand, it will feel like my mouth. Or I know, warming lube, that will feel like me.” She made a face. “But no, it wouldn’t have the same suction. Hmm, what to do? What to do?”
“Twenty-three days.” He anticipated the next question and answered, “I went to your parents’ house. Your dad said he had just spoken to you on the phone and you weren’t coming home. Ever. I drove to Houston. I met a woman in a bar. I don’t remember her name. It was a one-night stand.”
Cheyenne’s mouth pulled down in a frown. Shit, he shouldn’t have told her. Then, her head lowered again, and she sucked him harder, taking him deep in her throat. Oh fuck, that was good. He was going to come like that, down her throat.
She pulled back.
He groaned when she stopped. He was almost there. He could feel his balls begin to tingle. He needed to come.
“How many partners have you had?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t kept track.”
“Ballpark.”
Colt let out a frustrated laugh. “No, not that many, less than that. I couldn’t fill an entire ballpark.”
Cheyenne smiled. She stroked him with just enough pressure to keep him aroused. She had no intention of letting him come. This was payback for the barn, but he’d let her come.
He groaned again. His cock had never been this hard, this thick or long, and it was being wasted on pathetic half-hearted strokes of her hand. He needed to fuck her, either her mouth or her pussy. He just needed to be inside her.
“Did you ever think about me when you were with them?”
“Yes.” More often than he would even admit to himself.
She lowered her head to his cock and sucked. Oh, sweet Jesus, that felt good.
“Oh, Cheyenne.”
She sat up. “Have you ever thought about me when you touched yourself?”
“Of course. All the time. Most days in the shower.”
The answer pleased her. She lowered her head again, but this time, instead of taking his cock into her mouth, she took one of his balls while her hand pumped him. The sensation sent a bolt of pleasure up his spine. “Oh fuck. Cheyenne, I need to come.”
Cheyenne sat up again. “I’ll let you come, but only if you admit that none of those women meant as much to you as I did.” Her eyes were on his.
Colt couldn’t take it anymore. He pulled free from the rope and grabbed Cheyenne’s hips, then slammed her down hard on his erection. He filled her, not stopping until he hit the soft barrier of her cervix. Her eyes widened in surprise. “I can’t wait. I need to be inside you. Ride me, Cheyenne. You know you’re the only woman I have ever loved. I don’t need to tell you that. You know.”
Cheyenne smiled, then began to rock her hips against his, slowly lifting off of him before sliding back down his length in one fluid motion. Her pussy clenched around him each time, molding to him like a glove, a perfect fit. Her body was made for him.
“I won’t last long,” he warned. He couldn’t make her come first this time. He didn’t have the time or self-control. His body was spinning out of control, climbing toward ecstasy. He couldn’t stop it, and he didn’t want to. He just wanted her to ride him until he came in her soft body. He would make it up to her next time.
“Don’t hold back, Cowboy. Come inside me.”
With those words, he let go and came inside her with hot sprays, pumping high into her. Once finished, he pulled Cheyenne hard against his chest and held her. God, he loved her. Everything about her—the way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she tasted. He needed to taste her again.
Colt rolled her over onto her back and spread her legs. Her pussy glistened, full of his cum. The sight was enough to make him hard again, but this was about her. He lowered his mouth onto her clit and began to suck as his fingers pumped inside her. She moaned his name, raising her hips off the bed, but he pushed her down so he could keep making love to her with his mouth.
“Oh, Colt,” she screamed as an orgasm rocked her.
He kept licking. As one orgasm ended, another began.
“I can’t,” she protested, but she was already coming again.
Colt waited until the last tremor had faded before he sat up. I love you. The words were there in his mind and in his heart, but something stopped him from saying them out loud. Instead, he pulled her against him. They didn’t need the words. In the same way, he didn’t need to tell her she was the only woman for him. She knew. Even if he couldn’t say the words, they both knew.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
There were paparazzi lined up outside the gate of Night Latch when Colt and Cheyenne arrived at the ranch. The large gates prevented anyone from entering, but it did not stop them from taking pictures through long-lens cameras.
Colt’s chest tightened. It was his fault the world knew what had happened to Cheyenne. It was Colt on the video shouting it out. He would apologize again, but Cheyenne made him promise not to. Christ, she was strong. Anyone else would have crumbled by now, but she kept her head held high. She didn’t complain about the photographers or all the media coverage. She didn’t like it, but she never complained, she just took it in her stride like everything else. He admired that about her, along with so much else.
“Hey, Jasper.” Cheyenne leaned down and rubbed the dog behind his ears.
“Welcome back,” Case called from the doorway.
Cheyenne wrapped her arms around his brother. “Hey, Case, good to see you again.”
“You too, Cheyenne. You look better than you did last night.”
“I am. I feel good. Strong.”
Colt closed the door behind them. “Thanks for taking care of everything, Case.”
“Don’t worry about it. Your phone is ringing off the hook. I have no idea how they got this number. They’re calling my office too.” Case shrugged.
Cheyenne frowned. “I’m sorry, guys. You didn’t sign up for this. It isn’t fair.”
“Cheyenne Ford, don’t you dare apologize. This isn’t your fault.”
Colt put his arm around Cheyenne. “What he said. No more apologizing. This will blow over. We’re good as long as you’re holding up.”
Cheyenne smiled. “I’m fine. What time do we need to be at your mama’s?”
“In an hour. I’m going to head over now, unless you need me for anything.” Case tapped his hands on the counter.
“No, we’re good.” Colt nodded.
“All right then, see you soon.” Case lifted his hat and placed it on his head as he went through the front door.
Colt turned to Cheyenne and gathered her up in his arms. “We don’t have to go to dinner.”
“Yes, we do. I’m not going to hide away, and there is no way I am standing up your mama. I need to get back on her good side.” She prodded his chest with her finger.
“Darlin’, as long as you’re on my good side, that’s all that matters.”
“I’m serious. I need your mama to like me. It’s important.”
She was talking like they had a future. He hoped they did, but he’d hoped they did then too. Things can change in an instant.
Cheyenne pulled back. “Right, I need to make something to take.”
