Page 8

Chapter Eight

brUNO

The judge approaches with the black blindfold, and the arena falls silent. This is it. Everything I've worked for, everything I want, comes down to the next thirty seconds.

“You ready, Bruno? I can take off the blindfold…” the judge asks quietly as I dismount.

“I’m sure.” I take the blindfold from his hands and tie it around my eyes, the world disappearing into darkness. For a moment, panic claws at my chest. What the hell am I doing?

Ranger stands perfectly still beneath me as I settle back into the saddle. His ears flick back, listening for my cues. Fifteen years we've been partners. If there's any horse that can do this, it's him.

“You ready, boy?” I murmur, stroking his neck. “Time to win our girl.”

The starting gun fires.

Ranger explodes forward into complete darkness, and I have to trust everything to him. Trust his instincts, his training, his heart. The thunder of hooves fills my ears as we race toward the first flag, and I count strides in my head, feeling for the rhythm that tells me when to reach.

The fabric of the first flag slaps into my palm.

One down.

Ranger wheels toward the second flag without breaking stride, his body language speaking to me through the saddle. Slight lean left, the bunching of muscle beneath me that says he's adjusting course. My hand stretches out into nothing, and for a terrifying second I think I've missed.

Then fabric fills my grip. We weave around the course, moving instinctively as I gather the other flags.

Six down.

The crowd noise fades to a distant roar as we approach the final flag. This is the hardest one, positioned at the far end of the arena and requiring the sharpest turn. Ranger's breathing changes, becoming more focused, and I know he can sense the target ahead.

We take the turn at full speed, Ranger's hooves barely maintaining their grip on the packed earth. I lean into the turn with him, feeling his powerful hindquarters drive us forward. My hand reaches out into empty air, stretching, straining...

The flag snaps into my palm just as Ranger straightens for the final sprint home.

Done.

The race back to the starting line is pure magic. Ranger stretches into the longest stride he's got, eating up ground like his life depends on it. Wind whips past my face, and even through the blindfold, I can sense the finish line approaching.

We cross it in a thunder of hooves and the roar of the crowd, and I rip the blindfold away to see the timer.

Twenty-seven-point-eight seconds.

I won.

The arena erupts around us, but all I care about is finding Everly in the crowd.

She's pressed against the fence rail, tears streaming down her face, hands pressed to her mouth in disbelief.

I dismount and hand Ranger's reins to the groom, never taking my eyes off Everly as I vault the fence rail.

The crowd parts around me, voices calling congratulations that I barely register.

When I reach her, I take my hat off and place it on her head, scooping her up into my arms and kissing her over and over.

“You won.” Her voice comes out breathless, eyes wide with wonder.

“Come home with me.”

She nods, and the tightness in my chest finally releases. “Yes.”

The drive up the mountain crackles with tension. Everly sits with her thighs pressed together, stealing glances at me while I navigate the winding road. Every few minutes, her tongue darts out to wet her lips, and my cock strains against my jeans.

The sky overhead churns with dark clouds, finally releasing the pressure that's been building all week. Thunder rolls across the peaks, still distant but getting closer, and the first hint of cooler air stirs through the open windows.

“Feel that?” Everly murmurs, tilting her face toward the breeze. “The heat's finally breaking.”

“About damn time,” I growl, but I'm not just talking about the weather.

Halfway up the mountain, I can't take it anymore. I pull into a scenic overlook and kill the engine. Lightning flickers in the distance, illuminating her face as she turns toward me.

“Bruno, what…”

I'm across the cab and kissing her before she can finish the question. She melts against me immediately, her hands fisting in my shirt while I devour her mouth. When I break away, we're both breathing hard.

“I've been thinking about this all day,” I growl against her throat. “About getting you alone. About all the things I want to do to you.”

Her breath hitches. “Like what?”

Instead of answering, I slide my hand up her thigh, pushing her sundress higher. “Tell me you want this, Everly. Tell me you want me to touch you.”

“Yes,” she gasps. “Bruno, yes.”

My fingers find the edge of her panties, already damp. “So wet for me already. Such a good girl.”

I stroke her through the fabric until she's squirming in the passenger seat, little whimpers escaping her throat. When I finally push the cotton aside and touch her properly, she moans.

“Good girl. That's it…” I encourage her, working her swollen clit with skilled fingers. “Louder. I want to hear how good I make you feel.”

She spreads her legs wider and moans as I slide a thick finger inside her tight pussy.

Increasing the rhythm of my fingers against her clit, I watch as her thighs tremble and her whole body tenses.

She comes apart in minutes, her body shaking as she cries out my name.

When she finally opens her eyes, they're dazed.

“Bruno…” she breathes.

“We're just getting started.” I bring my fingers to my mouth, tasting her salty sweetness. “You taste like heaven, sweetheart. I could spend hours between your thighs.”

Her cheeks flush, but her eyes never leave mine. “I want that. I want everything with you.”

“Then let's go home so I can give it to you properly.”

The rest of the drive passes in a haze of anticipation. Everly keeps touching me; her hand on my thigh, fingers tracing patterns on my forearm. By the time we reach the cabin, I'm harder than granite and about ready to take her on the hood of my truck.

My cabin sits nestled between towering pines. The approaching storm makes the air electric, charged with energy. But I barely give her time to admire it before I'm pressing her against the front door, my mouth crashing down on hers with desperate hunger.

Thunder rumbles overhead, closer now, as I grind my hips against hers so she can feel exactly how much I want her. “Been wanting to do this since the moment I saw you,” I growl against her lips. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

Her hands fumble with the door handle behind her back. “Show me.”

Once we're inside, I lift her onto the kitchen counter, stepping between her thighs and pushing her dress up around her waist. Lightning flashes through the windows, illuminating her face as she spreads wide open for me.

The sight of her on my counter, panties soaked and clinging to her pussy, makes my mouth water.

“Look at you, gorgeous,” I breathe, running my hands up her soft inner thighs. “So perfect. So ready for me…”

The storm builds outside as I hook my fingers in her panties and drag them down her legs, dropping to my knees before she can protest. The first crash of thunder coincides with the first swipe of my tongue, and she cries out loud enough to compete with it.

“Bruno, oh…oh…”

“That's right, sweetheart. Say my name.” I work her with my mouth and tongue, alternating between gentle licks and firm pressure until she's writhing against my face. Rain begins to patter against the windows, gentle at first but getting harder. “You taste so fucking good.”

I add my fingers to the mix, curling them inside her while my tongue works her clit.

The storm rages outside now, rain lashing against the windows and thunder shaking the cabin.

She comes with a scream that echoes through the rooms, her thighs clamping around my head as waves of pleasure crash over her.

“Please,” she gasps when she can finally speak. “I need you inside me. Now.”

I'm on my feet in an instant, lifting her off the counter and carrying her toward the bedroom. Lightning illuminates our path through the cabin, rain hammering on the roof.

The bedroom is my favorite room in the cabin; a huge king-sized bed facing those same western windows, now dark with approaching night. I set her down beside the bed and reach for my shirt, but she catches my wrists.

“Let me,” she says, her voice husky.

Her fingers shake slightly as she works each button free, pushing the fabric off my shoulders. When her palms flatten against my chest, I have to lock my knees to keep standing.

“You're so warm,” she whispers, tracing the muscles of my stomach with her tongue. “So solid.”

I catch her chin and tilt her face up to mine. “Your turn, sweetheart.”

I reach for the zipper of her dress, dragging it down slowly while my mouth works her throat. The fabric pools at her feet, leaving her in nothing but a pale blue bra that showcases her curves perfectly.

“Fucking beautiful,” I murmur, unhooking the clasp and letting it fall. “Every inch of you.”

I back her toward the bed, my hands and mouth mapping every curve, every sensitive spot that makes her gasp and arch against me. When I take her nipple between my teeth, she cries out and her nails dig into my shoulders.

I lay her back on the bed and work my way down her body with deliberate slowness, kissing and licking until she's trembling beneath me. When I spread her thighs and settle between them, she tries to close her legs.

“Don't you dare hide from me,” I command, holding her open. “I want to see all of you. Every gorgeous inch.”

I worship her with my mouth until she's sobbing my name, her hands fisted in the sheets. When she comes for the third time tonight, I finally allow myself to shed the rest of my clothes.

“I haven’t been with anyone since I moved here. That’s over a decade ago. I want this to be good for you, sweetheart…”

Her eyes are dazed as she looks up at me. “I’m on the pill. And I had a full check when I split with Trent.”

“Look at me, Everly,” I say, positioning myself at her entrance. “I want to see your face when I claim you.”

Her eyes lock with mine as I push inside, inch by inch, until I'm fully inside her. She's so tight, so perfect, and I have to grit my teeth to keep from losing control immediately.

“You feel like heaven,” I groan, starting to move. “Like you were made for me.”

I keep it slow, wrestling with my self-control, wanting to give her the maximum amount of pleasure.

“Harder,” she gasps, wrapping her legs around my waist. “Please, Bruno.”

I give her what she wants, increasing my pace and driving into her with long, powerful strokes that have the headboard slamming against the wall. She meets me thrust for thrust, her nails raking down my back. Each flash of lightning and crash of thunder spurs us on.

“That's it,” I reach between us to stroke her clit. “Come for me again. Let me feel your sweet little pussy squeeze my cock.”

She explodes around me with a scream, her walls clamping down on my cock like a vice. But I'm not done with her yet. I pull out and flip onto my back, gripping her hips. “Your turn to ride, cowgirl.”

Rain pounds against the windows as she straddles me, sinking down slowly until I'm buried deep inside her again. The sight of her on top of me, golden hair cascading over her shoulders, soft tits bouncing as she finds her rhythm, is pure perfection silhouetted against the storm-lit windows.

“That's it, sweetheart,” I groan, hands gripping her curvy ass as she moves. “Show me how a good girl rides her cowboy.”

She turns around without dismounting, giving me the most incredible view as she continues to slide up and down my cock.

“Fuck. You look so good like this.” My hands roam over her back, her hips, anywhere I can touch. “Such a fast learner. Such a perfect little rider.”

She throws her head back, moaning as she finds the angle that hits just right. The storm seems to echo her pleasure, thunder rolling across the mountains. “Bruno, I'm going to…”

“Do it,” I command, reaching around to stroke her clit while she rides me. “Come all over my cock. Let me feel how good I make you.”

She comes again, and the sensation of her tightness pulsing around my length finally triggers my own release. I spill inside her with a roar that mingles with the thunder outside, both of us crying out in unison.

Afterward, we lie tangled together, sweat cooling on our skin.

“Was it worth it?” she asks softly, tracing patterns on my chest. “The risk you took today?”

I tilt her chin up so she has to look at me. “Everly, you're worth everything. The cabin, the land, my heart… all of it. You're the most precious to me. Without you, I have nothing.”