Taming the Heart (Crimson Ridge #3)

by Elliott Rose

“Circling back to my question though, does the owner live here, or is it staff only, or what’s the situation?” “You’re looking at him.” The man before me mumbles. Ringing chirps of cicadas and the quiet rustling of leaves fill the air as I digest those four words. “What?” “I own this place. Tessa is my business manager.” He scuffs the ground with a boot and shoves both hands in his pockets. “Oh my god. You let us drive all the way out here, and I had no idea. Why didn’t you say something?” Christ, it’ll officially haunt me forever that I called my new boss Cock Ring in the middle of the airport. “Tessa was supposed to be here to explain all that.” “Ok, well—god, I suppose I want to say thank you for the contract. I mean, this place is incredible.” I’m still gaping at him as I gesture a sweeping arm in the direction of his exceedingly beautiful ranch. “Still got a lot of work to be done,” he mutters, looking anywhere but at me. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to it.”

“You know…” I hear a sparkle in Tessa’s voice. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did like her. She’s smart, accomplished, not to mention gorgeous. But please be thinking like the boss of a new business, and not a grown man developing a crush. There are things we can write into business contracts, but you’re gonna need to disclose if something happens…” “Nothing is going to happen. With anyone. I’m still goddamn married.” I know what that little huffing breath she blows out on the other end of the phone means. Tessa is rolling her eyes silently at me. “Ah, yes, but only for what, another two months? Eight weeks and counting, the last I checked my calendar.” “Get back to your guy. Give my love to Oscar... and tell him he was far too pretty. It was about time he got scuffed up a little and earned himself a little hoof print on his chest.” “Oh my god, you have such a fucked up sense of humor. Go cuddle that asshole horse. He’ll probably bite you, and then you really won’t have time to spiral about Mandy or her crap.”

To the outside world, I have to portray the image of the faithful husband until the carefully staged and perfectly curated announcement is made. Then, I’ll be free. Which means, I absolutely cannot allow myself to even look twice at the gorgeous girl who is going to be here all summer long.

“Morning, Captain Beau-gainvillea.”

Would there be a worse way to launch your dream consultancy business than to chase after the man paying your wages, while ignoring the wedding band on his finger? My all too perceptive brain insists on jumping up and down to make sure I remember he seems to only wear it when out in public.

“Think that should be almost long enough under the water. Just a few more minutes should do it. How does it feel?” “Like I want to hex that pan, put a generational curse upon that stove, and never attempt to cook again in my life.” “The arm, Sage.” I shake my head. She winces. “Very ouchy.” “Any better after being under the water?” “Yes.” She pauses. “Thank you, by the way.” “No need to thank me. It’s part of the job.” “Boss, part-time fighter-jet pilot, and medic.” She lets out a low whistle. “A man of many hidden talents, you are indeed.”

“Back to Mandy…” Setting my glass down, I simply will myself to persist with this conversation, ignoring every protest and complaint swirling through my blood. “She’s not going to be back for a while?” Beau studies his beer with a sudden dullness behind his eyes before puffing out his cheeks. “We’re on track for a divorce.” There’s a carnival, a multi-color fiesta complete with fireworks, trumpets, and confetti rioting where my stomach should be. However, I cling to my composure on the outside. Only just. “I’m sorry to hear that.” No, I’m not. Fuck yes, bitch, this man isn’t quite as off-limits as I believed him to be. Thank you, Universe. Hail every Goddess, and let me say my prayers at the altar of whatever anti-cupid’s arrow grants couples their separations. “It’s been a long time coming. I guess, I just haven’t really told many people… don’t trust others very easily, ya know.” His throat works as a sip of beer goes down. “In my world outside of Crimson Ridge, it was too easy for rumors and bullshit to spread like wildfire.” My heart is hammering inside my chest. “Consider me a high-security vault.” With one hand, I mime turning a key over my lips. “Thanks.” A muscle in the side of his jaw pulses.

“About time you dragged your sorry excuse for a mustache out this way, Heartford. Can’t have you damaging those soft hands of yours pretending to be a rancher full-time these days.” Stôrmand goddamn-pain-in-my-ass Lane hits me with a wink and curious blue eyes before nodding in the direction of the cooler propping up his boots. “Help yourself.” “Wild one.” I narrow my eyes on him, and the spot where his palm rests on the hip of the sweet brunette standing at his side, talking animatedly with Sage and Layla. “Good to see you two are still keeping it in the family.” Storm shoots a scowl my way that makes me want to crack a smile a mile wide. “I hope you’re taking good care of my boy, Teddy, for me.” Briar glances over her shoulder at me and clicks her tongue with a hint of a smile. “Also… I heard that.” “Well, good thing Uncle Storm here is providing the beers, since I’m still sporting a horse bite you could see from space, thanks to your boy.” “Fuck off.” Storm grunts. Pouting at the fact I’m still determined to milk the ins and outs of their relationship for every point I damn well can. “You deserve whatever that horse sends your way.” He points the neck of his beer bottle at me.

“Did you bring your fancy camera getup with you, sugar?” Storm stops his assault on Briar’s throat for half a second and gestures at the skyline, turning into a flare of brilliant orange, deepening to a shade of royal purple along the mountain range. “Not tonight.” I shake my head. Though now he’s mentioned it, I almost wish I had tossed my equipment in the backseat just to have it on hand. Never mind, there’s always gonna be another impressive display in the skies over Crimson Ridge to chase after on another night. “Who’s got a fancy piece of equipment? And why is this the first I’m hearing about it?” Sage’s voice chirps in, and my gaze flicks over to meet hers. The sparks and dancing flames hit her dark eyes, making them glow like two golden orbs. “Hasn’t your boy here mentioned his favorite little hobby?” Storm cocks an eyebrow my way. “Oh my god. Sage, you have to see his stuff. Beau is really talented.” Briar pipes up and I’m immediately regretting the day I ever made friends with Stôrmand Lane on the pro tour. “It’s nothing.” I shift my weight and pick at some fluff on the blanket I’ve got draped over my lap. “Heartford here is more than just that ugly slug of a thing on his face. He’s got an online account for his photos and all.” Storm carries on. Briar nods and goes all soft smiles, looking at me as if taking photos is something more than just a silly little thing I do for fun. “He’s got incredible photos of the ranch. That one you took of Teddy in the river is my...

“Oh, I’m sure all those cowboys could show you around,” I mutter, keeping my focus on the fire. Sage stands over me, looking down with that mane of silky dark hair flowing over her shoulders, acres of smooth brown skin, and her denim cut-offs with boots that are determined to kill me. “Cowboys, cowgirls…” She shrugs and hits me with a sly little cock of her head to one side. “I’m thinking maybe I should go see what this town has to offer for a night of fun since it’s been all loved-up happy couples here.” Bass thumps quietly from inside the waiting vehicle. But, Sage hovers. It’s just enough of a moment’s hesitation that I really can’t decide whether to be an outright asshole and force her to leave, or whether I’m going to break and do something utterly selfish. “Are the keys in your truck?” she asks. Looking so damn gorgeous, with her plush lips flushed darker thanks to the chill on the breeze. “You’re not driving anywhere,” I growl. “Considering the whiskey you’ve taken on board tonight.” Not that I’ve been monitoring what she’s been doing, but I know I’ve had enough to drink that it was never even a question about going anywhere before morning. She’s my employee. Only natural I put the same rules in place for her. Dark, pretty eyes narrow my way. “I need to get my things out of the backseat, but thanks for the dad-mode reminder.”

“Beaumont, hmm?” “Add that to your roster of names.” “Sounds about right… shoulda known your full name would be something old-fashioned and grouchy.” “Yeah, well, not all of us are good time, golden, party boys without a care in the world.” Once again, I’m reduced to a grown man growling at a pretty girl, because it’s all I seem to be able to do when she gives me that sass and attitude. The side of Sage I want to play with, I want to push back, and I certainly want to see just how much she enjoys when someone does give her the kind of consequences she’s tempting and seeking. “Oh, that’s right, you’ve forgotten how to have fun.” Turning to face her, my focus immediately drops to take in her figure. Sage leaning up against that hay bale, giving me an alluring stare is a breathtaking sight. Glittering eyes framed with a thick smokey liner, enhancing their beautiful almond shape. Eyes I shouldn’t be paying such close attention to. “I’m not boring.” My teeth clench, and I’ve taken a step closer before I can stop myself. “Coulda fooled me, Mr. Rodeo Star.”

“Out here being a thundercloud ready to rain on anyone who dares think about having fun. The kind you wouldn’t recognize if it jumped up and slapped you in the face.” She darts her tongue out to wet those enticing lips. Leaning closer, I press one forearm high above her head. Sage is all spitfire and teasing words, with a shimmer to her eyes that I’m losing the willpower to not outright stare at. My eyes roam her face, tracing the delicate curve of her cheekbones, down to the cupid’s bow sitting right above that pretty as sin mouth of hers. “I might be a little out of practice now, but in another lifetime, I would have been able to show you the ride of your goddamn life.” The words roll like the first rumble of thunder between us. “In another life, huh?” As Sage says the words, I see her mouth tip up at the corners. Ever so pleased with herself for loosening the knot keeping my self-restraint in place. I’ve officially lost hold of my damn rope as I lower my head and allow the tip of my nose to skim her jaw. “There wouldn’t be any other ride you’d need.” I mean every single fucking word. “Where has this big game suddenly come from, cowboy?” Sage doesn’t move. I’m not even sure she’s breathing. It’s like she’s just as painfully aware as I am that we can’t be this near, we can’t be like this. Despite that, for whatever reason, she’s allowing me to get oh, so perilously close, while still maintaining a fraying thread of separation. “I said I was a bit out of practice, baby. No...

“This isn’t allowed to happen.” My brows knit together, and yet I still linger right there, with only millimeters between my lips and the spot above her pulse point I could suck down on. She hums a soft agreement. “We can’t.” “I’m your boss…” “Pretty sure that ring on your finger is the bigger issue.” Of course, she’s right, and we both know it. I step back, pushing off the hay bale, and scrub a palm over my mouth. “You should probably go inside.” My eyes don’t stray from hers. “You should probably stop looking at me like that.” The devilish thing she is, Sage smirks. Now this girl knows the truth, and I can’t decide whether this feeling ballooning in the pit of my stomach is relief or the worst kind of I’m fucked sensation. “What the hell am I supposed to do with you? When you look like that… when you walk in wearing shorts like those…” Sage interrupts me. “Are you blaming my choice of clothing?” “No,” I shake my head and drag a palm over the back of my neck. “I’m blaming myself for losing any sense of which way is up or down when I’m around you.” “What if I didn’t mind?” She lets her head tip back a little, raising her jaw and hitting me with deeply hooded eyes framed by those goddamn thick lashes. “What if I wouldn’t mind you getting a little reckless with me and letting go of that control you’re clinging to, hot stuff?” “Goddamn, Sage.” Her eyes dance with daring and temptation and the sorts of games I need to learn to walk far away from. “What are you gonna do? Put me...

“Don’t tell me you aren’t feeling this, too.” She challenges, and I’m damn near on her again. Crowding Sage with my bulk, I stand over her, looking down at those perfect, pouty lips. “Fine. You wanna hear it? You wanna hear me say the words… that my marriage—the one where in the eyes of the public, all but our first child’s name had been picked out—is over. All of it’s done. Except, I’m not free.” My voice is thick with desire and the strain of trying to explain something that I shouldn’t even be saying out loud. “The only thing stopping me from fucking getting my hands on you, Sage, is this ring still stuck on my finger, and my own damn morals that are hanging by a thread. Are you happy? Is that what you want to hear?” Sage lets her eyes bounce between my own, and my mouth, and her expression softens. The sight of her so close has me exhaling through my nose, blowing out a long, resigned sigh. The truth blossoms with each thudding heartbeat, that there are so many other ways I’d prefer a night like this to go between us. “You captivate me, Sage. You capture me.” Without thinking, I take a lock of hair and rub it between my thumb and forefinger, studying the soft strands beneath my callouses. “I’m a man with a hundred racing thoughts at any given time, and only a scattering of limited words. Somehow, I don’t know how you do it, but you twist that and make it feel like all thought flies out of my head, and there are suddenly words on my tongue.” She hums, and it’s such an a...

Sage Maloney doesn’t pine after a mustache she cannot make the acquaintance of. No. She dons her bad bitch boots, channels her inner rockstar, and lives her life to the fullest.

“Here’s to not feeling guilty, for having a pulse, and fucking finally being into someone that isn’t your own fist.”

“I have two weaknesses I probably shouldn’t tell you about.” My fingers drag up the cotton of my baggy t-shirt, tracing the swell of my breast leading to my collarbone. “I’m certifiably weak for cute girls with tattoos who could ruin my life… and men with mustaches. That’s the reason I didn’t want you to shave yours.”

“Considering you used to climb on the back of rampaging bulls as an idea of a good time, I suspect you don’t have any. So, indulge my curiosity. What’s your weakness?” I comb my fingers through my loose curls. “Although if it is hot as fuck facial hair, I’ve got some great accounts I can recommend you subscribe to.” He clears his throat before speaking. “Apparently tonight it’s Stôrmand Lane convincing me to play him at pool…” Beau hesitates, and a crackling tension extends across space and time while I’m left hanging before he continues. “And the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, who video calls me when I’m all alone in my hotel room.”

This man could bring me to orgasm by saying my name in that tone of voice alone, I’m almost certain of it.

those nights you spent alone in your hotel room. How did you unwind by yourself after coming off the adrenaline high of the rodeo, hmm?” “Jesus Christ.” He sounds pained, and immensely turned on. “I—I don’t know if it’s a good idea for me to answer that. None of this is a good idea.” “Do you want to stop talking? I can hang up.” The fluttering pulse in my neck matches the wings beating in my stomach, hoping for what his answer might be. Yet, I still feel like there’s every possibility the stern, grouchy, closed-up version of Beau is going to make his appearance and shut this phone call down faster than a fire marshal at an overcrowded nightclub. “I’m married, Sage. Maybe it’s only on paper. Even if it’s over. That legality, or… fuck… technicality, still exists.” He exhales with a heavy rasp, his words not exactly slurred, but they’re drowsy coming off his lips. It’s the sexiest sound, hearing him let his guard down, allowing me to have the version of him not strung together so tightly for once.

“There’s an answer to that question that I’m supposed to give you… but it’s really fucking hard to think straight, or remember a single thing when you’re giving me those eyes.” I’m a peacock preening my feathers, shamelessly glowing from head to toe. “You’re a good man, Beau Heartford. Maybe a little too honorable for your own good.” “Don’t I fucking know it.” “You don’t want to come this far and get caught allowing those impossibly high standards you’ve set for yourself to slip, now, would you?” I click my tongue. “Takes one overachiever to know another.” God, I love when he meets me like this. Ready to dance in the flames. “Have you ever been tempted?” Cocking my head to one side, I let my eyes linger on the camera. “Tempted? To cheat? Or tempted by you, Sage.” He growls, and it doesn’t fucking matter how far away this man is; I feel a shudder roll straight down to my toes. “Because those are two very different things. The first, no. Never. The second, I’m barely hanging on by a goddamn thread. I’m getting closer to snapping the longer I’m around you.” My tongue runs a line along my bottom lip, and I swear to god, even though I can’t see his face, it’s as though I can feel him track that movement through the phone screen. “Is it cheating if you’re not here?” He remains silent. It’s so fucking sexy I can’t breathe. “You don’t have to watch, but I like it when I know someone might see. Maybe that’s my third weakness… having an audience.” As I say the words, I become bolder...

“You’re just watching, baby,” I murmur as my fingers trace the soft swell of my inner thighs. “Maybe you’ll let yourself enjoy this. Maybe you’ll wrap your fist around your dick and touch yourself for me. Or, maybe you’ll be a good boy and wait ‘til I’m done, then get yourself off after.”

“You don’t need to hear about all the little daydreams I keep having about that night on Devil’s Peak… when I wanted you to say fuck it, wanted you to slip your leash and let your hands find my waist.” My weight sinks further into the pillows at my back the longer I keep stroking and playing. I like how this angle looks on the camera. While there’s nothing showing, it’s the act of the tease that makes it so much hotter. A shadowy crease at the tops of my thighs. A peaked outline of my nipples. A deeper flush to my mouth. It’s sensual and erotic and plays right into the side of me who loves to put on a show for an appreciative audience. “No, I don’t think you need to know that I can’t stop thinking about what might have happened if you’d pushed me up against that hay bale, like a true cowboy. For your mouth to suck down on my neck, to nibble that spot… you know the one… that special little place that acts like a mute button for the brain.” There’s absolutely no way to know what Beau is doing. My only certainty is that the call hasn’t ended, and if that’s the case, then he’s still watching. Knowing he’s in this with me, allowing me to indulge this side of myself, well, that sets my blood aflame. I glide my hand down the side of my panties and keep my eyes locked on the camera. No going back now. Hitching the fabric, I slip my fingers beneath and brush over my swollen clit. “I’m not gonna tell you that I wish you would turn up at my door. I’m not gonna tell you just how hot i...

“If there’s anyone who’ll sweet talk her, it’ll be Stôrmand Lane.” Sky adds. “With those two out on the road together this long? We’ll be lucky if we don’t end up with ten dozen horses trotting back to Crimson Ridge after them. Beau’s just as much of a horse-whisperer as Storm is.” Why yes, I’d swish my tail and gladly prance for that man and his mustache, too. So I’m no better than a filly seeking a good home, apparently.

Fuck you, Beau Heartford, for being the ultimate temptation. Have a taste of your own medicine.

“I can’t fight this, baby. I’m not supposed to crave you, but I can’t find any more reasons not to.” Goddamn, I’ll get down on my knees and beg this girl right here, right now, if that’s what she needs. “Beau. You’re married.” Her fists stay clenched in my shirt, but she rails harder against my torso. An act that shoves me away and clutches me near, all in the same action. “Say the words, Sage. Tell me you don’t want me anywhere near you.” My palms skate down her shoulders, following the curve of her spine, as my lips keep descending to seek out her collarbone. Goddamn the feel of her soft breasts brushing against my torso is like heaven. I’m torn between the need to keep descending her body, to take them into my mouth, and the desire to feel her properly. “Tell me you don’t want to know what my touch feels like.” I hum against her sun-kissed skin. “Oh my fucking god.” “Tell me to stop right now. I’ll walk away.” My voice is low and gritty to my own ears while my teeth graze back up the column of her throat. As I pursue that tender patch of skin, my tongue laps at her pulse, tasting the faint hint of saltiness and sweet fragrance there. “You’re the one who had all the rules. Don’t do this to me.” She breathes, arching her neck to give me better access. “I’m not gonna be anyone’s second prize.” That drives me further down this path of self-destruction. I sink my hands lower, palming and squeezing her ass beneath the water. “There’s no putting you anywhere but front and cent...

“You think you could get away with putting on that kind of performance and not face any consequences? You’re going to lie there and take your punishment because I’ve been in agony all week long. Now it’s my turn, baby.”

“No, Sage,” he grunts, and keeps striding up the riverbank. “I’ve driven since before dawn to get back here.” As he speaks, I feel every one of his gritty words rumble straight through his soaking-wet chest and into my own. He refuses to set me down, or let me go, and proceeds to unhook the hinges on the flatbed. “I’ve struggled with a head full of impure thoughts about the pretty girl staying in the cabin only fifty paces from my bedroom. I’ve spent the past hour going out of my head worrying about your safety. If it isn’t already clear, you’re on my mind permanently, and I’m about done with denying all the ways I’m needing you.”

“I think you like being bad,” he murmurs. “I think you like being bad with me.”

“Did you touch yourself while you watched me?” I purposely taunt, with a breathy gasp. Shoving him to the edge of reason, because I’m not going to hang here in this torment on my own any longer. “Did you stroke your cock while watching me put on a show, or were you too afraid of what it might mean if you gave in?” That earns me exactly what I’m after. “Goddamn it, Sage.” Beau sounds pained and desperate as the first crack of his open palm lands on my bare skin, making me jerk. Heat blossoms immediately, racing from the site of the sting to throb in my clit. “I couldn’t stop watching you.” Another smack follows on the other side. “You had me trapped, even though I should have ended that call before it went as far as it did. You had me nearly unloading without a single stroke.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do with you, my naughty girl?” Beau gives me one more imprint of his palm before finally delivering what I’m panting for. He dives a hand between my legs, sinking his fingers back into my weeping, clenching pussy. “I’m not anyone’s. I’m certainly not yours.” My spine bows as I outright moan. “You say that now, but you will be.” “That’s rich…” I’m frantically trying to widen my legs but can’t because of the bikini restraining me from simply opening fully for his touch. “Coming from the man who has a ring on his finger… who has a wife.” As I gasp out the words, there’s something I can’t explain that happens to my body. This infuriating man curls his fingers and expertly strokes my inner walls, leaving my mouth dropping open on a whine. “What I have is an ex, she’s a divorce just waiting to be finalized. A signature on a page erasing her from my life. That woman is a shitty decision from my past, just like I’m sure you have a trail of broken hearts littering the streets in your wake, beautiful girl.” “I’m not interested in excuses.” I claw my fingers for purchase as he strokes me so damn perfectly. “Don’t—Don’t give me some sorry story about being neglected as a husband, and so you’ve decided to stray.” “I’ve already told you, it’s not like that.” Beau draws back slightly to drag his fingers through my slit. This time he moves slower, but no less ruthlessly to liquify my body and brain into pure, glimmering pleasure, just for him. “I need you, ...

“One time.” I whimper. He makes a noise that sounds so smug, so wicked, like he’s just won another world championship. “Just this once, hmm?” “Yes.” My teeth clench. I’m so close and hate that he’s wound me into this frenzy. “We both know that isn’t going to be enough, baby.” Holy fuck, I can’t seem to stop gripping his fingers harder and harder each time he calls me that. “Until you aren’t married anymore…” I gasp as he sinks deep, tightening around his fingers. “That’s already one terrible decision I have to live with myself for making.” “You’re not the one to blame here, Sage.” His words are soft, in contrast to his rough handling of my body. “I’m the one in the wrong place at the wrong time. A man who should know better than to even think about looking at you. But I can’t survive another goddamn day.” I exhale a shaky breath, a whimper of pleasure. “Then you’d better make this worth it, cowboy. One. Time.”

I’m not a religious man, but I’m pretty sure I just found the woman I’ll never get past having such a powerful, craving desire for. To willingly worship every day. We blindly seek out each other’s mouths. With sloppy kisses and murmurs exchanged as our hands roam freely, gliding over hot skin. I’m pretty sure my soul leaves my body, feeling her continue to clench around my length, encouraging me to remain buried inside. Her pussy keeps gripping me, as if she doesn’t want me to draw away. I can’t move. I don’t ever want to move from this spot. I’m already addicted to feeling her. To having those nails scrape my back. To the way we mold together so goddamn perfectly. And I’m already thinking of all the ways I can have her again.

“You’re in my bed, baby.” “I don’t think that’s my place.” “It is.” His eyes flash. “Shouldn’t we consult those marriage vows?” I sound incredibly breathy for a woman who strode away from that vehicle, confident that I’d close my cabin door and lock away our secret. One that was to be kept between the two of us, the mountain sunset, and the tailgate of Beau’s truck. Bringing one hand up to cup my jaw, Beau slowly thumbs the fabric of my dress with the other sitting on my waist. He studies my features with a slight furrow to his brow. “The vows that don’t mean shit? The piece of paper I’ve done nothing but punish myself by sticking to, while the other party in that arrangement did whatever the fuck they wanted?” All I can breathe and think is him as those warm palms hold me close, and everything in his energy crackles with an intensity, a damn forceful insistence that feels like he won’t allow me to leave his side. I’m not sure that I want to, either. He shakes his head. “Sage… I’ve been nothing but faithful all this time, and now that I’ve met you? None of that even goddamn matters anymore.” “But—” This is leading us firmly into territory that I don’t know how to navigate, or wade through. “There’s been no one in my bed. Not for years.” Beau’s eyes go so damn soft when they gaze down at me. If there was a true weakness I might have for this man, that expression right there is enough to have me forgetting everything I know about myself and our circumstances, and what it mig...

“Thank you. That might even earn you one more look at my pussy, hot stuff.” Beau lets out a delicious, dark chuckle. “No question, that’s absolutely happening more than once before tonight is over.” Before I can evade him, he drags my bottom lip between his teeth, slowly tugging in a move that makes my clit throb, and successfully pulls my brain apart at the same time. “The deal was one time.” Beau slips his hand over mine, then threads our fingers together to begin leading me in the direction of the barn. “One time, huh? That sure as hell sounds like a strange way to say one night.”

“You’re dangerous after dark,” I whisper. “You have no idea.” His rumble is gravely and oh, so deadly to my sanity.

“Not getting up bright and early to go put on a pornographic showcase in the workout room?” Her voice is raspy with sleep, and heat surges low in my stomach. I roll in her direction and settle myself to cover her soft body with my own. Bracing myself on my elbows, I push her silky hair back off her forehead and let my gaze roam all over those stunningly beautiful features of hers. Rueing with each heavenly stroke that I’m not going to be able to trace her warm skin with my fingertips like this tonight or tomorrow or however long it’ll be. Until the second our time comes back around, and I can prove to her just how good we are together. “You say I need to come with a warning… but I’m telling you, that weight lifting routine of yours is a hazard. Definitely put a lock on the door if you’re gonna be out here flexing these abs when you’ve got guests staying in the future.” She grins sleepily at me while poking the side of my stomach, and fuck my life, there’s no doubt that I’m already lost to her. “Can you blame me? I’ve got to watch your ass running around in skin-tight shorts. A man’s gotta find some way to get rid of that frustration.” I meet her soft smile with a smirk of my own. “Just give me your credit card and ten minutes online. I can find you some handy toys to help with that.”

“Can I be honest for a moment?” I kiss her sternum, continuing to map her softness beneath my lips. “Always.” Sage threads her fingers into my hair and arches her back. “I’m finding the talkative version of my boss quite a revelation.” She hums, content to let me wedge myself right here between her thighs, yet again. “Watch that smart mouth.” I nip at the side of her breast. The laugh Sage lets out is a sound I want to drink down every single morning for the rest of my life. “Go on then. Tell me all your secrets, hot stuff.” “I’ve never done something like this,” I murmur against the curve of her stomach. “Mr. Heartford.” She gasps with a faux-scandalized look widening her eyes. “Don’t tell me I popped your cherry?” Her fingers sink a little tighter into my hair, holding my gaze. “Christ.” I exhale a chuckle and give another gentle nip with my teeth. “No. This… not exactly a one-night stand… but…” I don’t want Sage to get the wrong idea about me. She needs to be under no uncertainty. I’m not that guy. I’m not anything but hopelessly gone for the girl currently looking back at me with honeyed streaks to her brown eyes. The girl who looks like all my future mornings and nights, and every moment in between. “Aw, look at you. Mr. Chivalry, right until the final orgasm.” “How do you expect me to leave you alone? Now I know how sweet your pussy is.” “You said it yourself. We can’t. There are much bigger things at stake here, cowboy. So we’ve got it out of our systems.” “You’re i...

“Statistically speaking, people who have an orgasm every day live longer, calmer, more peaceful lives.” All I seem to be able to do is give her a stern look in return. Why is she prepared to put up with my dark cloud? How much more perfect can this girl be to walk in and find me tangled up inside my own ball of misery and yet look past all that? Sage treats me like there’s nothing to make a fuss about. “Look, all I’m saying is that if you’ve got your dick in your hand, I bet your brain would shut up real fast.” Her eyes sparkle. A challenge laid down right here in the middle of this barn. I swallow heavily, searching around for words on a long pause. “I can’t just whip it out right here.” “Why not? It’s your property, your business.” Sage tilts her head to one side, swinging her legs. “Pretty sure that violates every code that exists for bosses and employees.” “Ok, but say we’re not at work right now... it’s tequila o’clock somewhere. Which makes it dick-out-o’clock somewhere, too.” “Are you trying to kill me?” She’s got me damn near choking as mischief continues to roam freely all over her expression. “No, but I am trying to blow your mind... or at least let you blow off some of that steam.”

“When did you get that?” Her gaze eats up the way I thumb over the head, pushing the metal back and forth, and goddamn, this is so unbelievably hot. So reckless. I have absolutely no interest in stopping where this is heading. “Storm and I had a stupid bet years ago.” I stroke myself from root to tip, heart hammering a furious beat. “Whoever lost the buckle that year had to get their dick pierced. Whoever won had to get a piercing, but could choose where.” Her grin takes center stage. “He suits a nose ring.” “You’d better not be complimenting another man while drooling over my cock… not while imagining me tapping the back of your throat.” “Are you gonna do something about it, Heartford? Make me?” This fucking girl. I grunt and tug harder, wishing like hell I could take her up on her taunting. “What would you do… if I was thinking about someone else while sucking you… taking you as far back as possible?” “Jesus Christ. You don’t wanna know.” “World champion, hmm? There’s a competitive animal inside you, isn’t there? And you’re keeping him locked away so no one will see that side of you.” My fist shuttles faster, and tension pools low in my spine. “I’ll fucking show you just how competitive I can be if you dare think about anyone else while you’re stuffing your fingers in that tight cunt for me.” Sage’s eyes flash with a challenge. “You wanna watch?” “Hurry the fuck up.” A groan of desperation escapes because her pussy has been all I can think about.

“Goddamn, hearing you talk me to filth and put on a show is a lethal combination. Maybe I need to get you to record yourself so I can play that back sometime.”

“You must be the photographer.” I cock my head to one side. “Has anyone ever mentioned that you look exactly like that washed-up rodeo dude? Beau Heartford? Heard he used to spend more time grooming his mustache than actually getting on the back of a bull.” A miracle occurs right before my eyes. The world’s biggest, boyish grin spreads across his face, and oh my fucking god, I don’t know if my knees are going to buckle right here right now. “Apparently. Heard he’s an asshole who hates coming to things like this, though. Guess you must be mistaken, ma’am.”

“You know something?” She gives me a raspy little purr. “I really… really… love eating pussy.” A groan escapes my throat, and my cock jerks. Hearing that breathiness in her voice and visualizing that about this girl has me fucking dying already. “… but I love having my pussy eaten properly even more.” Oh, it’s fucking on.

“You’re so fucking bad for my health.” Her perfect tits are right there, with hard nipples poking through the fabric, and it takes everything not to start sucking on them and soak the thin material. “I can’t quit you.” I keep my eyes fixed on hers as I move her to sink down on me. And she’s so slippery, absolutely drenched, easily welcoming me into her silky soft channel. “This is too risky.” Her walls flutter around me the deeper I press inside. “But it’s a turn-on for both of us. I’m in a world of trouble when it comes to you, baby. Because I need you every goddamn day. I need this. I need to be near you... to be touching you and tasting you.”

“Honesty moment?” Her voice is dreamy as fuck. “Always.” My throat feels raw. Like I’ve released some sort of primal noise at the same time as unloading inside her. “I don’t want this.” I swear my heart stops dead in the center of my chest. The engine stalls and I start freefalling through space and time with a deafening silence. “Hey, no, not like that.” She shakes her head at the sight of my crestfallen expression saying it all. “I mean, I like you, hot stuff… but I don’t want to be attracted to you while it’s complicated. I’ve always swerved the other way when anything feels too serious or like it’s gotten too intense. Once, I had a guy send me a dozen roses unprompted, and when I tell you, I blocked him so fast I nearly broke my thumbs. I’m not built for commitment. Certainly not if someone is already part of a complicated as fuck package deal. Absolutely not someone who is married.” By the time Sage has finished speaking, my emotions have gone through a loop on a roller coaster. I’ve now got a stupid damn grin on his face. Maybe it’s because all the blood from my body is currently in my cock, still buried inside my girl, but I’m grinning at her through the darkness. “Did you listen to any of that?” Sage huffs and rolls her eyes. “Sorry, I only heard the part where you said you like me.” She tugs on my hair. “Of course you did. It’s this fucking hat, isn’t it? Scrambles your cowboy brain cells.” I let my palms rest heavy on her hips. “Ok, here’s my honesty… Sage, if it...

“Did you know, I’ve been down bad for you ever since that day on the sidewalk?” Beau takes another sip of whiskey, this time handing me the bottle as he works down a swallow. “Some places I can go and no one knows who the hell I am. If you’re not into rodeo or country music…” He winces slightly while saying those words. “You wouldn’t know my face. But out here? It’s damn impossible.” I take a long drink and let him keep talking. “You didn’t have a clue who I was. Couldn’t have cared less. And it was the first time I ever felt attracted to someone so instantly.” He wraps a hand around mine to briefly drag the bottle to his mouth, then pushes it back my way. “You terrified me, because I couldn’t want you. I didn’t have the right to desire you—I still don’t. Not when I legally have a wife. But she never saw me the way you do. She only liked the way a rodeo star fit her brand. That’s all I ever was, a glorified accessory to suit her image.”

“What’s your favorite thing to photograph?” Beau takes another drink, his eyes getting that look about them when he’s far away. Thinking of another place, another time, another moment in his life that had so many layers to it before I came along. “Sunsets are always the one thing I’m constantly chasing.” Readjusting his weight beneath me, he brings a hand up to play with some loose strands of hair framing my face, rubbing them between his fingers. “You know nightfall is coming, but there’s so much color there, and it’s a different painting every time. The sky is so vast and unpredictable. That’s a gift for a photographer. You could set up your tripod in exactly the same position every single day, waiting for the exact same time of evening, and never take the same photo twice.”

“It’s kind of like how I feel when I look at you. I never know how you’re going to surprise me.” He cups the back of my neck and proceeds to obliterate any lingering thoughts I might have had about us and how we’re at the mercy of being at the wrong time. Beau speaks against my mouth before kissing me with an achingly soft glide of his lips. “You’re my sunset sky, baby. Bright and mysterious and beautiful all at the same time.”

“Please say you’re into that? Please?” Sage pants against my mouth. My dick throbs. “Are you?” I say hoarsely. Hardly daring to believe this is where tonight might go from here. “Mmmm. Extremely.” Her tongue licks up my throat. A dark groan rumbles between us. “How are you even real?” Ever the wild thing sent to torment me, Sage slides a hand down to my groin and cups my erection. “Has it been a while, hot stuff?” Using her other hand, she keeps on playing with my stubble, dragging her fingernails over my jaw while squeezing my cock. Just to really send my brain flying somewhere up into the sky overhead, she pushes that luscious ass back against my hand. “How about… it’s been never.” I swallow hastily. “What?” Sage gasps in horror. “Oh, you poor baby.” Another firm grip of her palm has my stomach knotting with heat and desire and need. “I—I don’t want to hurt you.” I dig my fingers into her flesh and admit the part I’m most hesitant about. Logically, I know plenty of people enjoy… this… while piercings are involved. But with my girl, the last thing I want to do is risk causing her pain in some way. “You won’t. Lots of lube. We’ll take it slow.” Her mouth works a line along my jaw. Nipping and sucking on my overheated skin. “You gotta let me give you this.” “Isn’t this usually the other way around? Pretty sure it’s normally the guy pleading and convincing the girl to give it a try.” My voice is gritty, coarse-edged with the effort of keeping a level head right now. Sage’s t...

“You’re trouble.” My pulse races as fast as my blood is damn well heating the longer we play this game. “I think you kinda like my trouble.” “I do,” I murmur, letting my thumb drag her bottom lip down, utterly caught by how fucking stunning she is.