Page 40 of Ride Me Cowboy (Coyote Creek Ranch #1)

She looks at me for several beats, like she’s trying to work out if she should trust me or not. “I’ll think about it.”

This is a girl who’s been rejected and hurt a lot in her life, and no matter how much bravado she shows on the farm, she’s terrified of putting herself out there, in case it happens all over again. We’re a lot alike, in that way. Maybe that’s why I like her so much.

“You know, it’s nice having another girl around,” she says, as she stands up. “Cass is great, but she’s away so much.”

“What’s she like?”

“Pretty much like one of them,” she hitches her thumb toward the door. “Longer hair, swears a fair bit more.”

I smile at that. “I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

Mackenzie considers that. “A word of warning, Beth. She’s super protective of these boys.

I reckon it’s on account of them not having a mom, and her having been the only girl in the family, she’s always seen it as her job to keep them on the straight and narrow, even though she’s the youngest. If she thinks you’re messing around with Cole, she’s likely to kick you right out. ”

My jaw drops. “Seriously?”

“Oh, shit, yeah. Of all of them, he’s the one she worries about the most. And I don’t reckon she’d think you were a good choice for him.”

“I’m not…he hasn’t ‘chosen’ me for anything,” I say, breathlessly.

“That won’t much matter to Cass.”

“Why does she worry so much about Cole? I’m pretty sure he can take care of himself.”

“Has he told you about their mom?”

I frown. “I mean, a little.”

“Messed him up a fair bit,” Mack says. “Just…be more careful about where you guys…you know. If you don’t want the headache of the others finding out.”

Sound advice. “Thanks, Mack.”

“I’ll get the footage to you after breakfast tomorrow.”

She grabs my empty bowl and makes to the door. I watch as she leaves, still frowning, wondering about Cole, his mom, his sister, and wishing I wasn’t as involved as I already am.

Cole

“You hiding out in here?”

Beth spins her chair to face me, and my mouth goes dry at the sight of her. It’s been a long day. A long day of missing her, wishing we hadn’t fought this morning, wishing Mack hadn’t walked in on us.

“No,” she says, her eyes flicking to mine then darting away, a tight smile on her lips. “And yes.”

“Yeah?” It’s the last thing I wanna hear. I walk over and move to stand between her legs. “Why’s that, City Girl?”

I put a hand on her cheek, and she closes her eyes, leans into me. That feels darn good. I guess I’d been expecting she might pull away. Might be holding onto whatever had driven her out of the kitchen this morning.

“I just wasn’t sure I could face Mackenzie and act like everything was normal,” she admits, cheeks flushing as she flicks a gaze up at me.

“Yeah?” I brush a thumb over her cheek. “That’s all?”

Her eyes are huge on my face and as we stare at each other, this huge chasm opens up right in the center of me, like a bottomless pit of something. I back away from it real fast, dropping my hand to my side.

“I don’t want to fight with you.”

My gut tightens. I crouch down, resting my palms on her thighs, something deathly important wrapping around me, something I know I need to get out. Need to say, and have her hear. “We can fight ‘til the cows come home, darlin’, I ain’t never gonna hit you. I ain’t never gonna hurt you.”

Her eyes sparkle with unshed tears and her lips part on a soft rush of breath.

I kneel up, bringing my face close to hers.

“If anything, fighting with you just makes me want to do this,” and I kiss her, like I did this morning, only I’m gentle now, soft and slow, because I just know she needs that.

Her hands come around me, pressing against my shirt, but I taste her salty tears.

“I’m sorry,” she says, pulling away, biting into her sweet pink lip. “I’m a mess.”

“We’re all a mess sometimes,” I say. Don’t I know it.

“I wasn’t afraid of you, Cole. That’s not what I meant.”

I run my hands up and down her thighs, comforting her. Feeling her. Feeling everything flood through me. Adrenalin, need, concern.

“It’s funny, Christopher never really got mad, his rage was ice cold. Controlled and contained. I was his way of getting it out.”

Well, fuck me if that doesn’t make my own anger spike.

“I will never hurt you,” I say again, because I just need her to know that. Even when she says she does, it’s so important to say it. Over and over. So she has it like a promise, tight around her heart and soul. She deserves so much better. She should never have wound up with a guy like that.

“That’s not why I didn’t like fighting with you.” She bunches a hand in my shirt, staring at her fingers. “It’s more…I like us being on the same page. I’m sorry if you felt like I went behind your back.”

“You did go behind my back,” I say, watching as her cheeks flush a darker shade of pink. “But I know why you did it. I know you’re trying to help us. And I think your idea’s good, Beth. I appreciate you.”

Her throat shifts as she swallows, surprise evident in her sparkling blue eyes. “Really? You’re not just saying that, because…”

“Because I want to fuck you again?” I grin, loving the way she reacts to me using that word. Her whole face explodes with a hunger that is as visceral as what’s in my own belly.

“Yeah.”

“Nah, I can walk and chew gum at the same time. This is business. The other is pleasure. Best pleasure I’ve ever known, come to think of it.” I wink at her, long and slow. “So whaddaya say, City Girl. You ‘bout done for the night?”

“Your place or mine?” she jokes.

“Neither, the way you scream.” I pull her to standing, and press a quick kiss to her lips. Quick, not because I want it to be, but because if I kiss her how I’ve been craving, I know we won’t make it so far as the pickup.

“Meet me at the truck,” I say, and she nods, quickly.

I walk away from her and only the fact I’m gonna see her again real soon stops me from turning back and dragging her into my arms, to hell with who sees.

I made Beth mine last night, and for my part, I don’t give a shit who knows it.

We’re two consenting adults, what we do is our own business, no one else’s.

But Beth doesn’t want that, and I have to respect her wishes, so I stalk out of the house, just biding my time until I see her bathed in moonlight, walking quickly across the gravel.

It crunches softly underfoot, and when she reaches me, she smiles.

Her hands are trembling a little when she waves one in greeting.

I hold the front passenger door open, and inhale her sweet scent as she sits down.

Before she can do the belt herself, I come around and grab it, fastening it across her and clicking it into place.

I keep my face close to hers, enjoying the way her breath speeds up, brushes against me, warm and frantic.

“I can’t wait to have you again,” I say, reaching my hand between her legs and brushing her sex.

She moans softly in the cab of my truck.

“I’ve been thinking about you on your knees all day, naked this time, all mine to see, to feel.”

She swallows audibly.

“You want that, baby?”

She nods, and again, I think it’s cause she’s having a hard time getting words out.

“What else do you want?”

I love hearing her talk.

“I…want to feel you,” she says, eyes sweeping shut. “I want to feel you right at the back of my throat. I want to taste you.”

My body shudders at what she’s promising, and I have no concept of how I don’t unbuckle her seatbelt and get this happening right here. But we need privacy, and fast.

“Okay then, let’s make it happen,” I say with a calm I don’t feel, shutting her door gently before climbing into the driver side and starting the engine.

But Beth, sweet Beth, doesn’t want to wait. As I pull away from the ranch house, she reaches over and undoes my jeans, her eyes on my face, her lips parted. Her hand reaches around my cock, freeing it from my shorts, squeezing it in her palm, so I snap my head toward her, cursing under my breath.

“Beth,” my voice is a growl. “We’re not gonna make it where we’re going if you do that.”

“We just have to make it away from the house, right?”

“Far enough away that no one can hear you scream.”

She looks over her shoulder. “I think this about does it.”

And then, she undoes her seatbelt and leans down, taking me deep in her mouth, head in my lap, so I swear again and pull the car to a stop, killing the headlights so no one in the house has a view of us if they happen to look out.

I breathe her name into the car as I press my head back against the seat, staring straight out at the night sky, wondering just how I got so lucky to have Beth Tasker swan into my life—refusing to think about the fact she’s going to leave it again in a short couple of months.