Sunset on Us, page 6
“Colt, please,” she begged.
Colt shook his head. She wasn’t tamed. As soon as the gate was open, she would bolt. She needed saddled and reigned in. “What do you want, Cheyenne? Tell me.”
“Colt, please.” She pulled against the coarse binding of the rub. The skin on her wrists was red and raw. She would draw blood if she kept pulling.
“You said no more fast, needy sex. I promised you slow. This is what you wanted, isn’t it, darlin'? Nice and slow.”
Cheyenne groaned. “Fast is good. Hard and fast. Colt, please, I changed my mind. I like it fast.” The frustration in her voice. She wanted it deeper.
Colt leaned down and kissed her. “You know I am a man of my word. If you ask for slow, I’m going to give you slow.”
His hand continued to stroke her, never giving her enough pressure, always holding back. He watched her chest rise and fall. If it got too quick, she was getting close to coming, so he eased off. Over and over he repeated the cycle, each time taking her slightly higher.
“Ahh,” she screamed. “I hate you. You’re torturing me.”
“Tell me you shouldn’t have left,” he said again.
Cheyenne pushed her hip up against him, riding his hand. “Please,” she begged. “I need you inside me.”
“Where do you need me?”
“In me. Please.”
Colt lowered his head until he hovered above her thighs. “Is this where you want me, darlin’.”
“Yes! Yes. Please.” She gasped. “Please make love to me, Colt. I need you.”
Satisfaction spread through his chest. They were the words he wanted to hear. He rewarded her by lowering his head to the entrance of her body. He then spread her legs wide so she was open to him, fully exposed. Her pussy was pink and wet, glistening, ready for him, only him. Mine. He licked her. His tongue entered her body, making love to her like she had asked ... no, begged. The proof of her desire was salty on his tongue. Her taste, the one he loved.
Cheyenne rocked her hips against him, meeting every thrust of his tongue. Her legs jerked as frenetic energy built between her thighs. She was going to come.
Only if he let her.
He pulled back again. “Tell me you shouldn’t have left.”
“Yes. Yes. I shouldn’t have left. I should never have left you. I need you, just you.”
Pride swelled in him. He rewarded her by returning to her clit. He sucked and licked as his fingers spread her, circling her inner walls.
“Oh, God, yes. Yes, Colt, yes. Don’t ever stop. Please don’t stop,” she screamed out as her orgasm rocked her body. She thrashed against her binding as wave after wave of pleasure rocked her.
Colt held her until the last tremors had faded from her body and her breathing had returned to normal. “That is how a man should do it,” he said against her ear.
Cheyenne opened her eyes. “You were always my man, Colt. Always.”
The words he always wanted to hear. Colt undid the rope to free her hands and kissed the angry red marks on her wrists. So delicate.
He took her face in his hands and kissed her. God, she felt good, so right. Slowly, he eased his cock into her, savoring each sensation, every sigh, every movement in case this was their last time. That was always more than a possibility with them. Would he want to know when it was their last time? Would it make it better? Would he have not been as bitter if he had known back then that it was their last time? No. No matter what, he would want more, always, forever.
“Cheyenne,” he breathed her name like a benediction.
Her hands laced through his hair, bringing his head lower to deepen the kiss, the movements of their tongues matching the gentle cadence of their hips.
Cheyenne moaned into his mouth as another orgasm spread through her body. He wanted it to last, stay intimately connected to her forever. But it was too good, too much, so sweet.
He came inside her with a groan. Damn, she was so perfect, this ... them ... the way it should be.
Colt rolled them to their side, still inside her. He held her for a long time, neither of them speaking. Words could only ruin it, shatter the fragile connection.
Eventually, he did need to pull out of her. The reality was a bitch. They both had their own lives to return to, and responsibilities.
He handed Cheyenne back her clothes. She would leave now. Nothing had changed.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” he asked before he could stop himself. She would say no. Don’t give her the chance to reject you again.
Cheyenne surprised him by smiling. “What vegan food do you have, Cowboy?”
“I’ll have you know I was planning on having a salad tonight.”
“With your steak.”
“Obviously.” He smiled.
“That’s the cowboy I know. I would love to have a salad with you.”
“I also have peanut butter and raspberry jam.”
Cheyenne’s smile widened. “You know that’s my favorite. Cowboy, you already seduced me, no need to bring your A-game now. Save that for later.”
“If I had only known it would take a PB&J.”
Cheyenne leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “I love your stubble.”
“Then I will never shave again.”
Cheyenne shook her head and laughed. “No, you’re far too handsome to cover that face with a beard.”
He grabbed her hands and kissed her wrists and welts. “I’ll take you back to the house, and then I will see to the horses.”
Cheyenne shook her head. “I’ll come with you.”
Colt shot her a dubious glance. “You want to clean the stable.”
“Cowboy, take that surprised look off your face. I was born and raised in Cut and Shoot, Texas. I know how to muck out a horse.”
“I know how to do a lot of things. That doesn’t mean I would volunteer to do them.”
Cheyenne stood up and pulled her tank top over her denim skirt. “Why is it so hard to believe I would want to help you clean the stables? I want to spend some time with you, not on my back.” She held up her hand to stop him from speaking. “Not that I’m complaining. The time I have spent on my back has been amazing. But I miss talking with you.”
“Woman, we both know you only think my mouth is good for one thing, and it ain’t talking.”
Cheyenne stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek again. “That’s not true, Cowboy. You’re a great kisser. Don’t forget that. I need your mouth for that too.”
Colt circled her fingers with his hand and led her to the stables. They worked side by side, cleaning and laying fresh hay, Cheyenne humming a tune he did not recognize. He knew all her songs. He would never admit it, but he had all her albums.
“Looks good, right?” Cheyenne announced victoriously, her hair tied in a messy knot on the top of her head and a pitchfork in her hand.
“You sure do.”
Cheyenne shook her head and laughed.
This had been his dream, to marry Cheyenne and build a life together, working side by side during the day and making love at night. His dreams were simple. Cheyenne’s were bigger. Cut and Shoot was too small. Even Texas wasn’t big enough for her dreams. A bitter sadness spread across his chest.
“Come on, Cowboy. I’m hungry.” They walked toward the gate where her car was parked. She clicked the lock. They hadn’t been in a car together since high school. He had always been the driver. This was different. It was not what Colt had ever imagined. Maybe it could work? Cheyenne in the driver’s seat?
Cheyenne smiled, almost as if she could read his thoughts. She drove them back to the main house. “Wow, Colt. This place is amazing. I’m glad you bought Potter’s. It needed a good owner.” There was an edge to her voice he didn’t understand.
“Thanks. I’ve done all right.” Colt helped her down from the cab of the truck.
“You’ve done more than all right. How did this happen, when I left, you—”
“Didn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of,” he offered for her.
Cheyenne smiled. “I was going to say you were still working away for Old Man Potter. But you put it so much more eloquently. If I ever need a lyricist, I am calling you. But, seriously, how did you afford to buy Potter’s ranch?”
“After you left, I threw myself into work. I did nothing but work, drink, and screw.” Cheyenne winced at his words. Why? They’d both moved on. They both had a past. They were each other’s first, but there was a lot after that for both of them; he was sure of it. “Anyway, this place was run into the ground. It went into foreclosure, and through sheer dumb luck, I had just enough to buy it, complete with four hundred head of cattle. I built it up from there.”
“It’s not luck, Colt. You were always the most driven person I know. Nobody works as hard as you.”
He smiled at the praise.
“Why the new name? What does Night Latch mean?”
Colt hesitated before he told her. “Night Latch is the part you put on the saddle to give you something to hold on to when your horse tries to buck you off and break free. It’s for the wildest horses. You know the type.” He named it for her. He always wondered what would have been enough to keep her, but he would never tell her that.
“Ooh, who are you?” Cheyenne cooed as she bent down to pet his dog’s head. The collie rubbed its head against her and wagged his tail, preventing them from going into the house. “You’re gorgeous. What’s your name?”
“That’s Jasper. He couldn’t work today. Had a sore paw, but looks like he is fine now. You’ll be back out again with me tomorrow, right, boy?” Colt bent down and gave the dog a scratch behind the ears.
“You named him Jasper? Like the egg baby we had to raise together in seventh grade. Remember that? You did such a good job. I was always forgetting about it and leaving it in my locker. But you remembered.”
Colt didn’t answer. “Come on, boy.”
“Wow,” she said again when she walked into the entry hall. He looked at his house through her eyes, all ten thousand square feet of it. The front of the house was a wall of massive windows that overlooked the plains. “I’m glad I was never here before. I’m glad it’s yours now.” Her eyes clouded over as her thoughts drifted away.
“You never came here? Not even as a kid. Ron used to have the wildest parties. If he wasn’t a State Trooper, he would have gotten himself in a lot more trouble.” Colt laughed. Ron Potter was like a brother to him. Ron was five years older and five times wilder. He always lived a life close to the edge. “Have you seen him since you’ve been back?”
The color drained from Cheyenne’s face. “No, um, no. I am just here to clear out my parents’ house and play the gig in Houston.”
Colt nodded. “I saw the video from the hospital. The one with you singing to the little girl from the Broken album.”
She frowned. “You saw that too?”
“Darlin’, everyone in the country saw that. It was nice of you to do that for her. You can tell she loved it. Sneaky girl, everyone knows you never sing songs from Broken.”
“Yeah. But I couldn’t say no. Not to her.”
“Is she the reason you’re doing the charity concert?”
Cheyenne glanced down at the floor. “Her parents contacted me a few months ago. They can’t find a match. It’s just so sad.” The words caught in her throat.
“They will. Everyone in Texas is now registered. You did a good thing, Cheyenne. I’m proud of you.”
Cheyenne wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. “You promised me food, Cowboy. Lead me to the kitchen.”
“Words I’ve waited too long to hear. Cheyenne Ford wants to cook in my house.” Colt grabbed her hand and led her through the hallway into the large room. It was bright. Had all the latest appliances. Colt had a problem of night-time purchases, which meant he had the best of all electronics.
Cheyenne laughed. “I bet.”
Colt opened up the refrigerator that looked like a cabinet and pulled out as many vegetables as he could find and placed them on the counter.
“This ought to be a good start.” Colt tapped the counter. His words were about the dinner, but he knew the depth of his sentence meant something more.
Cheyenne nodded and went to work. She washed and chopped the vegetables for a salad and made a sandwich while Colt fried a steak. “You sure you don’t want one,” Colt offered.
“Nope, the smell is good enough. But let's be honest, I might want to kiss you later, so I will taste it then anyway.”
“Or I can make you your own. I’ll still be kissing you later. Don’t worry about that, darlin’.”
Cheyenne laughed. “Nope, iron will.”
“Yes, I experienced some of that iron will in the barn.”
“Nope. That’s different. You’re my vice, Cowboy. Everyone needs at least one.”
Colt sat down at the table beside her and held up his beer bottle to toast her. “To vices.”
“To vices.” She clinked her bottle against his. “You know what would be fun, to go for a ride. I don’t get to the stables enough. J ... um, I don’t have anyone to go riding with.”
“Darlin’, I spend all day in the saddle.”
Cheyenne wrinkled her nose. “I suppose it stops being fun when it’s your job.”
“That’s what every chef in the world says about food. Not that I would know,” he added quickly. “I’ve never had a private chef.”
Cheyenne laughed again. “Cowboy, they would have to pay you to cook in this kitchen. Are you on some sort of ‘appliance of the month’ plan?” She gestured to her surroundings. “I’ve never seen so many high-tech things in one place.”
Colt tilted his head. “Well, that might be one of my vices.”
“What? Appliances?”
Colt laughed. Unreal, it felt good to sit with her again. They used to talk for hours about everything. Then they would go riding. Cheyenne loved to ride. She said it cleared her mind. “I’ll take you riding.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened. “You will?”
Didn’t she get it? He would do anything for her.
The sound of her phone cut the moment like a dull knife. It was out of place and didn’t belong. Not in this moment. This was about them. “Shoot.” Cheyenne sighed when she saw the number. “Hey,” she said as she answered the phone. “No, yeah, I’m fine. I’m just ... um outside town ... Twenty minutes ... I’ll be right, home ... No. No. I’m fine ... Really ... Okay, see you soon ... Okay, me too.”
Colt’s hands clenched into fists. She was talking to Jamison. Fuck. It didn’t matter if he was not wanting her for her body. He had something else that Colt wanted: her attention. All of it. He didn’t want to share her attention with anyone, especially not another man. It didn’t matter if he was gay or not.
Cheyenne put down the phone. “I need to go. Thanks—”
“For licking your pussy? Don’t mention it.” He sat back and took a swig of beer.
“Colt. Don’t. Don’t be like this again.”
Colt stood up, his chair falling back as he rose. He couldn’t do this. She wasn’t ever going to be his. And he didn’t need to get his hopes up with pretend nonsense. She had to go.
Cheyenne’s mouth dropped as her eyes filled with tears. She shook her head and left.
CHAPTER TEN
Case Clayburn dropped the syringe into a portable medical waste bin. It helped Colt considerably that the only vet in Cut and Shoot happened to be his oldest brother. Case had gone to school at Texas A&M, but he chose to come home to set up his practice. It made sense. This was cattle country; there would always be a call for his services.
“He’ll be fine. The antibiotics will take care of any infection.”
Colt nodded as he ran a hand over the bull. The old boy had paid for half the ranch. God only knew how many cattle he had sired at this point—$150,000 a year worth, whatever that worked out to. Most meat in Texas could be traced back to him.
“Thanks, Case. I appreciate you coming out.”
“Mama would have sent me anyway to check on you. You missed lunch on Sunday.”
Colt didn’t respond.
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with Cheyenne being back in town?”
Colt pulled himself back into the saddle. He had work to do. “Thanks again, Case. Tell Mama I’ll call her.”
“You have been a right jackass since Cheyenne came back to town. If you want to pretend that’s not the case, you best change your attitude.” Case tapped the syringe in his hand.
“I’m always a jackass. That’s just me.”
Case shook his head. He had the same black hair as Colt, but Cases’ eyes were a blue-gray. “No, you’re pigheaded at the best of times, but you’re never mean. You’ve been an asshole since she stepped off her tour bus.”
“She didn’t bring her tour bus.”
Case smiled. “I know. I was testing you.”
“Why?” Colt stared at his brother. Why did Case always know how to get to him?
“Because if I asked if you had seen her, you wouldn’t tell me on account of you being a jackass.”
Colt sighed. “Yes. I’ve seen her.”
“And.”
“And what do you think? You just got done telling me what a piss poor mood I’ve been in. How do you think it went, Case? You’re the smart one. How do you think it worked out for me?” Colt’s chin jutted up at Case.
“So, you didn’t talk to her?”
“Nope. The talking has been on the lighter side.” Colt couldn’t help but smile.
“What does that mean? You’ve seen her but not spoken. Like she won’t speak to you. That’s not like Cheyenne. “
“Case, you’re far too interested in my sex life. It's time we got you someone.” Colt tapped his brother’s shoulder.
Case laughed. “Your sex life! You’ve had sex with Cheyenne Ford again. Man, I knew you would never get over her. That was fast work, even for you.” He laughed again.
Colt ran a hand through his hair. Case always could get him to admit things he didn’t want to. The talent was the bane of his childhood. Good to see he still had the annoying skill as an adult. “I’m not having this conversation with you. Thanks again for your help.”
