Page 37 of Tempting Wyatt (Triple Creek Ranch #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

wyatt

LEAVING IVY ALONE IN MY BED is harder than I expect it to be. But I’ve got work to do, and she needs the rest after the controlled burn triggered her childhood trauma.

The fire upsetting her was unexpected as well, but I’d felt pulled toward her, as if I’d known without knowing that she needed me.

Tearing myself away from her warm, sleeping body, curled perfectly against mine, is more difficult than I care to admit—even to myself. Somehow, I manage, and now I’ve got to get to the morning meeting and get my head right.

Seeing her in the bar with my brother had broken through a layer of my armor no one ever had. Awakened the possessive beast in me that wanted to claim her there on a pool table with everyone watching.

My dad used to say when he found my mom he knew he’d found his better half, his partner for life, and the woman made especially for him.

We all thought he was a sap. But I was starting to get it, starting to feel things I’ve never felt and I’m not sure what to do about it.

Every time I look at her, my brain and heart go to battle.

I want to fuck her tight little body more than I want my next breath. I’m developing a bone-deep need to make her come. Daily.

Now that I know how she tastes, I’m well and truly fucked. Those soft moans and sweet whimpers will be the death of me. I could eat that sensitive sweet pussy every single day for the rest of my life.

Not only could I, but I want to. Badly.

But I have a bigger problem.

I want to keep her.

I’ve never wanted to claim a woman in my life.

The ranch has always been my primary responsibility and even before my dad passed, adding a woman to the mix seemed unfair to her and like adding yet another responsibility to my already overextended list. But this one, the one who appeared out of nowhere, as if sent here just to take my breath away, who works alongside me on the ranch and calls it fun, has me reevaluating everything I thought I knew.

It’s a struggle to watch her sleeping in my bed—like the angel that she is—to not wake her up with my face buried between her smooth thighs.

I’ve never been addicted to anything—not women, like Isaac; or fixing shit, like Asher; or even breaking the rules, like Caleb.

But I’m nearly certain I am addicted to Ivy.

To making her smile, to making her come, to watching her tight body writhe beneath me while I torture her with my tongue.

In addition to the sexy little spitfire in my bed, there’s an actual fire I need to check on. The controlled burn ends today, but I’m already thinking up excuses for Ivy to stay at my house instead of going back to her cabin.

After last night though, I have a serious concern about what might happen once I’ve had her.

Once we start, I’ll never be able to stop.

I’ve been drawing parallels between Ivy and Nina but I’m realizing they couldn’t be more different. I’d fooled around with Nina once or twice but I was good with calling it what it was.

A one-off that didn’t mean anything.

But she wasn’t good with that or her ego wasn’t. She wanted more, expected more. When I couldn’t—or wouldn’t—give it to her, all hell broke loose. Because Caleb had given her the ammunition and the power to destroy us. And I’d given her the motivation.

Swallowing thickly as I take one last look at Ivy’s beautiful body in my bed, I’m tempted to stay. To take the day off, which I’ve never done.

I get dressed quietly, but I’ve made my mind up. Fuck no strings and fuck the idea of her leaving in a few days.

I want her. Fuck, I want her so bad that my cock aches, just looking at all that smooth skin and those delicious curves on display. She’s so damn beautiful. She’s genuine and sentimental. Inquisitive. Hardworking. Loyal to a fault.

She’s not the type you fuck and forget.

She’s the kind you marry and thank God for every day for the rest of your life.

She’s also on the rebound. She mentioned a recent breakup. It must’ve been serious enough to send her here. To me. To the ranch.

Where she’s thriving. Where she’s happy.

Where she belongs.

I have to get the hell out of my house before I lose my complete mind and just propose to this woman I barely know.

I don’t know if eating her pussy rewired my brain or what, but every second I stand here, watching her, I feel more and more like I’m losing my damn mind. Along with all the rest of my parts.

Because now? All of me belongs to her.

WHEN I ARRIVE AT THE still-smoldering pasture, Isaac greets me with suspicion. I tie off my horse because if the fire flares back up, Jameson gets anxious. Kind of like the woman asleep in my bed.

“Where you been, brother? Expected you hours ago.”

I ignore his inquisitive stare. “Good thing I don’t work for you.”

It’s a low blow, and I’ve never treated my siblings like employees, but I’m not prepared to answer questions. Especially when the answer is staring at the woman in my bed while she sleeps and trying to figure out how I plan to beg her to stay in Montana forever.

And I’m still pissed he started a bar fight that delayed my girl sitting on my face all night.

Lucky for me, Isaac isn’t sensitive.

“Guess that answers that,” he says with a mocking grin. “Remind me to put in my requests for the next time Mom rents out the cabin.”

I decide to ignore his assumption, even though it’s accurate with the latest tenant being naked in my bed at the moment.

“Speaking of the cabin, we’re smoking out the area over there.” I gesture to the smoke blowing that direction. “How much longer we keeping this going?”

Isaac shrugs. “Not sure. Let me see what Antonio thinks.” He calls out to the man standing twenty or so yards from us.

Antonio steps away from several ranch hands to join us.

“What are we thinking on this burn? Another day or no?” Isaac asks.

Antonio’s brows dip on his weathered face. “Hands found more clover in the pasture. We’re going to extend it to the east corner today, but it should be out by tonight.”

If the wind kicks up, that could keep smoke blowing toward Ivy’s cabin all night tonight and all day tomorrow. But clover gives the cows bloat, and there’s no telling how far it’s spread.

Guess she’ll have to stay another night with me then. My cock throbs behind my zipper.

I rake a hand through my hair. “We have a guest in the larger cabin. She has some, um, issues with fire.”

Isaac aims a wide-eyed expression in my direction. “Does she now? Well then, she could always come crash in my cabin.”

Over my dead body.

“She’s in mine now,” I admit, my tone more possessive than I meant for it to be. “It’s farther from the burn area, and besides, it’s bigger.”

Isaac snorts. “Keep telling yourself that, brother.” His eyes gleam. “We could always let her decide for herself.”

“I’ve got it handled,” I tell him, mentally adding a dozen more tasks to his day to keep him away from Ivy.

“Move the horses for the night so they don’t get spooked by the smoke.

Make sure none of the cattle are close enough to get a hold of that clover.

And, hey, maybe grow the fuck up when you get a minute. ”

Isaac levels me with a challenge in his eyes, all traces of humor leaving his face. “If she’s off-limits, just say so.”

Right. And give my entire family shit to talk about for years to come.

I catch myself glaring at him while choosing my words carefully.

“Never said anyone was off-limits. You just have work to do—that’s all.”

Lots and lots of work. So much work.

I intend to make damn sure of it.