Page 59 of Something Tangled Something True (Rosa Ranch #1)

“DISTRACT ME, RY.”

To say I’m exhausted would be the understatement of the century. My joints ache, and my eyes still sting from the tears I’ve been holding in.

Ryder takes my hand, leading me to the truck, driving us home in silence.

There’s nothing more to be said right now, nothing more we can do.

Bee offered to keep Nugget for the night so we can settle down and have a breather, which is unbelievably appreciated.

“Stay here for a minute, please. I want to check the house before we go in.” I’m too tired to argue, so I give him a defeated nod, letting him lock me in the truck.

I’m not sure anything would surprise me at this point.

My chest feels tight while I wait for him. I watch as each light flicks on inside, Ryder passing the windows and casting shadows that fill me with momentary fear. When he finally emerges on the porch, my shoulders relax for the first time since Lemmon showed her face.

Ryder opens my door and lifts me against his muscular body. My arms wind around his neck, and I breathe him in, allowing his strong arms to cage me like he’s physically grounding me to this Earth.

“I’m gonna take care of you, darlin’,” he assures me, bringing me inside, walking us through the living room and into our bathroom.

“I know, Ry. You’ve always taken care of me,” I whisper, staring at my reflection in the mirror, black streaks of mascara dried down my cheeks. My hair frizzy, eyes puffy and red.

Ryder’s rough palms scrape down my bare shoulders. He squeezes my biceps and trails his fingers back up, brushing my hair to one side, pressing a gentle kiss to my shoulder. A chill races through me as my nipples peak, and my breasts feel heavy.

I watch him as he takes in every detail of my body through the mirror. When his eyes meet mine, I say, “Distract me, Ry.”

“Are you sure?” he whispers, knowing exactly what I’m asking for.

“ Please ,” I plead, my eyes welling with tears.

That’s all it takes for him to take the lead and give me everything I want.

His hands slide down the slope of my spine, and I hear the zipper as he undoes my skirt, his intake of breath when he slides the chiffon over my ass and down my thighs.

My skin feels electric everywhere he touches, and as he travels up my body, allowing the skirt to pool at my feet, his warm breath leaves a trail of goosebumps over my leg.

He unzips the side of my top and unclips the halter neck, gathering my hair in his fist and tugging lightly.

I melt into his touch, my head landing on his chest as he takes my top off, revealing my bare breasts.

His eyes look drunk on my very existence. “Look at you, darlin’. All that glowing skin, your stunning face, this perfect hair. Don’t get me started on these breasts…” he trails off, cupping my small chest in his large hands.

He pinches my nipples, twisting and kneading. My knees wobble, and he slides a hand down my abdomen, holding me up while he continues toying with me the way I’d shown him last week.

The tips of his fingers travel lower, tickling just above where I want them most. “You’re everything I’ve ever needed,” he whispers against my skin, lighting my nerves and heart on fire. My chest heaves, and the needy whine that leaves my lips sounds foreign to my own ears.

My thighs are coated in my arousal by the time he slides his middle finger through my wetness and circles it over my clit. The most delicious feeling licks up my spine, and heat coils in my belly.

“I can’t believe you’re finally mine, Lola,” he whispers against the shell of my ear, working me to an orgasm with every swirl of his finger.

“I’ve dreamed about you for as long as I can remember.

Wished you were in bed beside me when I woke up each morning.

Regretted not going after you when you left,” he admits for the second time in twenty-four hours.

My heart feels like it’s being strangled.

“And now that I have you, darlin’, I plan to remind you just how mine you really are.” His hands shift, fingers digging into my wide hips as he spins me to face him and hoists me onto the counter.

“I want that more than you know.” Fire blazes behind his eyes at my response.

The cool countertop bites at my flesh, but my awareness of it is erased as Ryder sinks to his knees. He lifts my foot, pressing tender kisses from my ankle up to the inside of my knee, widening my legs to accommodate his broad shoulders.

His head falls back, and he sucks in a steadying breath, turning his attention to what’s waiting for him.

“God, darlin’. You’re just as pretty between these legs as you are everywhere else. I’ll never get over how stunning you are.” His eyes flit up to mine. “Can I have a taste?”

My fingers twine into his muddy-brown hair, dragging his head so his mouth hovers above my needy core. “Take anything you want from me,” I plead.

He grips my thighs, laying them over his shoulders, and drags my ass closer to the edge. His tongue darts out, parting me as he groans.

“You taste so good,” he praises, and my vision starts to blur. “Tell me what you like, darlin’,” he instructs, flicking his tongue over my clit.

“Fingers—oh, yes!” I’m panting, squeezing his head between my thighs as he presses a finger inside me. He draws my clit into his mouth, sucking on the tender flesh and inserting another finger into my pussy.

Every touch and taste consumes me, calling me to the brink of bliss, and when his crystal-blue eyes lock on mine, holding me in a trance, he says, “If you want my cock buried inside you, you’ve gotta prove you can still take all of me, darlin’.

” He inserts a third finger, and my mouth drops open, my lip trembling as need ricochets through me.

“That’s right, Lola. Just like that. Come for your husband. ”

It doesn’t take long. The punishing thrusts of his fingers contrast with the featherlight kisses he presses into my skin, and soon, I’m seeing stars in my periphery.

He slides up my lax body, pulling me against him and supporting my weight as he carries me to bed.