Claire loved the smell of the land after a hard rain. Add in a brisk breeze and it made for a pleasant walk from the house to the barn that Tuesday evening. When she was only a few yards from the barn and ready to turn around and go back to the bunkhouse, Beau ran out to meet her. Putting his big paws on her chest, he licked her up across the face and then ran back inside.
Levi startled her when he stepped out of the shadows. “Where’s Zaylie?”
“Retta took her to church. Her little girls’ Sunday school class is making cookies to take to the nursing home tomorrow evening. She wants Zaylie to go with her to that too. They’ll sing Christmas carols for the old folks and pass out treat bags with cookies.”
Levi opened his arms and she walked into them. He pulled her close to his body and rested his chin on the top of her head. “You were made for me, Claire Mason.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because I feel complete when I’m with you,” he said.
“Me too.” She shivered in spite of the warmth spreading through her body.
“You’re cold, darlin’. Let’s get you inside to the tack room.” He tucked her hand into his, and she followed him into the barn. Beau yipped from his bed in a pile of hay, and his tail thumped a couple of times, but then he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
Warmth rushed out of the tack room when he opened the door. Then they were inside with the smell of leather and the remnants of his woodsy shaving lotion from that morning—all blending together. He took her hand in his and laid it on his broad, work-hardened chest, and she could feel his heart racing.
“This is what just being near you does to me, Claire. I’ve never experienced anything like this, and I’m afraid I’m going to mess it up,” he drawled.
“Me too,” she admitted honestly as she picked up his hand and laid it over her heart. “This is scary on more than one level for both of us.”
He removed her hand and kissed the palm. “We’ve got at least two hours all to ourselves. Justin and Cade went to Bowie to buy more Christmas lights.”
“Then we’d better make the best of it.” She tugged at the top of his coat and unfastened all the snaps in one fell swoop. Then she started at the top button of his chambray work shirt and slowly undid enough that she could slip hands inside and run them over his bare skin.
He groaned. “You are killin’ me, woman.”
“But what a way to die,” she said as she grinned up at him.
His lips found hers, and the sparks ignited the dimly lit room. “One more of those and you won’t have to undress me. All my clothes will go up in flames.”
“Are you sure about this, Claire?” His voice was hoarse and his eyes searched hers.
“I’m not sure about anything, but I know that I want this with you, Levi. It’s a rare opportunity that we’re on this ranch alone, so let’s make the most of it.”
He gently removed her jacket and then tugged her sweatshirt up over her head. Static electricity made her hair fly out like she’d stuck her finger in a light socket. He smoothed it down with his fingertips, and she shivered again.
“Your touch,” she started.
“I know.” He threw his shirt off to the side and undid her bra. Then it was skin against skin, her breasts against the brown hair on his chest. “My God, that feels good.”
She could feel the hardness behind his zipper begging to be freed, so she slipped her hand between them and undid his belt buckle, the button on his jeans, and pulled the zipper down.
“Oh my!” she gasped when she realized he was commando.
“Never been one much for underwear.” He grinned.
“I see,” she whispered.
He kicked off his boots and took off his socks and jeans, then tossed them over toward the end of the sofa. Standing there before her with only the fire from the heater to light the room, he looked like a Greek statue of a perfect man, only this one was flesh and blood. She wanted him to make love to her, ached to feel him inside her.
“Oh no!” he said when he’d finished undressing her and laid her on the sofa.
“What? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I don’t have protection,” he groaned.
“I’m on the pill,” she whispered.
“Great.” He smiled as he reached for his jeans and pulled his phone from the hip pocket, touched a few icons, and “Good Morning, Beautiful,” by Steve Holy started to play.
“Someday I’ll wake up with you by my side, but right now the words say the way I feel about you, Claire, and I want you to hear it as we make love,” he whispered.
His kisses turned loose desire and emotions that she’d never felt before. When she thought that she’d surely melt from the inside out, she reached down and guided him inside her, and they began a rhythm together as the song played all the way to the end. He brought her right up to the edge of an amazing climax. She wrapped her legs around his middle and raked her nails across his back as she nipped his ear. “I need you. I want you. Please, right now.”
He picked up the pace and smothered her with steaming-hot kisses, and together they reached a height where the air was so thin they had trouble breathing. Then with a final hard thrust, they fell all the way back to earth with her in his arms.
“My God. That was a first,” he gasped.
“Surely not,” she panted.
“It was, darlin’, my first time to make love rather than have sex.” He rolled to one side, but the sofa was so narrow that they were still plastered against each other.
“It’s a good thing we don’t have all night. We’d burn down the ranch,” she said.
“Amen and there’d be nothing left of us but a pile of ashes. This was…” He stopped as if he couldn’t think of the right word.
“Amazin’?” she asked.
“Oh, honey, I don’t think there’s enough words in the dictionary to describe what this really was.” He kissed her again and shut his eyes.
“Don’t you fall asleep, cowboy. We’ve only got a few more minutes before the family comes home.”
Family.
Home.
The two words branded themselves on Claire’s heart as she snuggled up next to him to make the most of every single second they had left.