When the first morning light hit my face, I squirmed. My muscles ached, and my neck felt strained. I wasn’t sure what I had been thinking last night when I wanted to be romantic and sleep with Emma in front of the dying fireplace. Shifting, the soft skin against me momentarily surprised me as I remembered every single detail from last night. Emma’s slick folds, her silky skin, and her long legs wrapped around my hips as she rode me all the way to a mutual climax.

Fuck! This girl had me in the palm of her hand, and she didn’t even know it.

My morning need pulsed against Emma’s lower back as I realized how easily I could take her again. One shift and I’d be inside her. But the ranch chores had waited for me long enough. I tried to pull my entwined body away without waking her – unsuccessfully.

“Don’t go.” The hum of her plea spread through me, but I knew if I neglected my horses for much longer, they’d make me regret it. I could almost guarantee they were smarter than many humans, and if I didn’t give them enough attention, I’d pay for it later.

“Sleep, Emma. I have to go to town and do some work around the ranch.”

I lowered my mouth to hers to taste her swollen lips in remorse. How could I walk away from her? She opened up so willingly, letting me dip my tongue inside her, tangling her fingers into my hair and moaning softly.

Shit! Why couldn’t I had asked George to help out for an extra day?

She murmured against my skin, forcing me to lean further into her, wrapping her into my arms. A few more seconds of this and I was sure I’d lose myself inside her again. I shook away the thought and lifted her off the floor, carrying her into my bedroom. As I lowered her to my bed, kissing her once more on her lips, I said, “I promise we can continue this later. If you need anything, my cell number’s on the fridge.”

There was only so much a man could take before losing control with a naked vixen in his bed. But knowing that the sooner I got done with work, the more time I’d get to spend with Emma. With the last ounce of free will I had, I finally pulled away.

“Okay,” she said, and closed her eyes.

I quickly showered, got dressed, and not bothering to have breakfast, left for the stables. The loud neighs greeting me vibrated through the long corridor as I opened each stall to let the dozen out, leaving Hansen behind.

“Feel like going for a ride, buddy?”

His head bopped up and down as if agreeing to my offer. I saddled him up and before I knew it, we were cantering through the fields of grass, right by the forest. There was nothing better than the feel of Hansen’s strength, speed, power, and control. It felt as if he were running for his life with his best friend and he never wanted the joy ride to end. Passing the forest I slowed Hanson down to a trot. Soon the rest of the herd caught up to us, following Hansen as their leader, the way they normally did.

“So what are we going to do with Emma?” I asked, smoothing my hand over his velvety neck as if I were talking to a best friend. Hanson stopped for a bite of grass, completely ignoring my question. Why was I so confused about this? I knew deep down inside what I wanted – her, for much longer than she was expecting to stay. Yet my childhood memories tugged at my every instinct, preventing me from completely committing to a woman of whom I knew I wasn’t worthy. I’d eventually fail her the same way I’d failed every woman in my life: Annabelle, my mother, and Claudia – yeah, I’d skipped the part where I told Emma about the scouts’ camp being co-ed. I’d skipped the part where I didn’t tell her how many girls the bastard had raped right in front of us before we escaped into the woods. How he’d raped each new girl every hour that we were gone, yelling out that he’d keep going until we showed. It wasn’t until he threatened to start shooting that Derek, Reeve and I decided to make our move. Our move that was too late for every single victim of his, male and female. But it was too late for Claudia as well, my then-girlfriend.

Sometimes I was certain I’d been cursed. I was meant to fail every single woman in my life. The girls at camp, my sister Annabelle, my mother whom I couldn’t even look in the eye when I thought about how I was supposed to be the older brother who protected his sister. How could I give Emma what she needed if I couldn’t protect her? And here I’d agreed for her to find a fucking kidnapper for me.

Fucking douchebag!

I shook my head and got off Hansen, tying his reins to a tree, and removed a brush from the saddlebags.

Sweat dripped off my forehead as I pulled the bristles along the shimmering brown coat, which shone in the sun as if it were cleaned every day. Maybe that’s why he appealed to so many buyers. But Hansen was one of the two horses I could never sell. We had a bond I couldn’t explain. The male horse let out a neigh of appreciation.

“I know, buddy. I’m sorry, I’ve been a bit busy.”

George wouldn’t be here until this afternoon to clean them off. He was the one who had taken care of my horses until now, feeding them, attending to their exercise, and keeping the stables clean, but I still loved to spend time with my dozen best friends who didn’t mind hearing every complaint and story of a failed man. And George had asked for this day off quite a while ago.

I let the reins loose and slapped Hansen’s behind, letting him join the others to roam around the fields. The beauty of owning so much land was that you could pretty much do whatever you wanted with it, especially since my bank account wasn’t exactly dying of hunger. My grandfather had been smart enough to secretly sell part of the crude under my farm, pumping the oil out in the forest, where no one other than the buyer knew it even existed. The binding clauses would ruin the investor’s corporation if word ever leaked out.

Sweat dripped off my back. I pushed past the green shrubs that hid the private lake beyond, needing to take a dip. I removed my clothes and plunged into the crystal clear water, trying to sift through my head the number of lies I’d told Emma that could ruin us. Lies about the camp, about Annabelle and my cowardly ways, about the millions of dollars my family had because of the oil underneath my ranch. I guess she knew part of that secret, at least. And she’d eventually find out about Claire as well – the girl who’d fixated on me since high school. And since we were going to the summer fest together, I couldn’t avoid her for long. Fuck! That could definitely be a problem. I was beginning to lose track of all the lies.

And if that didn’t do it, I was sure that when Emma found out about her brothers hiring me to take their spoiled little sister out of the city, she’d order a supersonic flight back to New York.

An hour passed before I heard the thumping of horse hooves in the distance and wondered whether Hansen had come back already. Riding here was our ritual, but he usually gave me more time than this. But when I saw Emma saddled on one of my horses, trotting toward the shore, right between the bushes, I froze. Did she have a death wish or something?

“What are you doing?” I asked, hastening my strokes toward the shore. She was wearing another plaid shirt tied around her waist with the top three buttons open, and her voluptuous cleavage spilled out. Emma not only looked hot and enticing, but more beautiful and real than many of the country girls around here often pretended to be. And the way she wore that cowboy hat was as if she was born to do so. It didn’t matter that the water was cold, I was getting hard for her already. I jumped out and pulled my jeans on without bothering to dry myself.

“We skipped supper last night and you didn’t eat breakfast.” She pointed to the basket sitting in her lap.

“You rode Moose with that?” I asked. He was one of the few horses that no one rode – simply because he wouldn’t let them. Emma stilled for a moment, looking at me in a funny way as if I’d said something I shouldn’t have.

“Yup. I whistled, he came over, and so I saddled him up.”

“Emma, you better get down. His name is Moose for a reason. He’s not to be ridden.”

She squinted her eyes, thinking for a moment about what I’d said.

“I beg to differ, Eric. Moose here likes me. I have a feeling that me and this gentle horse were meant to be in each other’s lives.” She smoothed her hand along his neck. “And I think we’re going to be good friends.”

Gentle? Is she kidding me?

“How did you find me? And I didn’t know you rode.” I reached for the basket that was sitting in her lap as she slid off the horse and playfully slapped his hindquarters. Most people would have tied the reins to a branch, forcing the horse to wait, but Emma gave Moose the freedom I would have. The kind of freedom he’d wanted since birth, when he’d run away and joined a herd of wild moose. We’d found him frolicking around with a newborn calf, and hence his name.

“I thought last night would have given you a hint of how well I can ride.” The look of satisfaction on her face was priceless. “And I didn’t find you. Moose did.”

Yeah, I wouldn’t put it past the beast, whom I could never sell because of the temperament he displayed when shown off. And then after a while, he’d gotten too old to sell. Plus I’d always thought there was something special about him. He didn’t want to be touched by many, and I guess reserved showing his calmer side to those he took a liking to – which to this day had only been George, my horse keeper, and Emma.

“And you saddled him,” I repeated, still amazed.

“Why are you so surprised? I’ve ridden my entire life. You know there are training camps at the outskirts of New York, right?”

“Yeah, but I never imagined you at one.”

“Sit and eat. I have questions.” She spread a blanket out on the grass by the lake and removed sandwiches, orange juice, and a box of cookies.

“I have work, Emma.”

“No, you don’t. George came in. His plans got canceled, and he said he couldn’t stay away from the horses.” She already had a mouth full of an egg sandwich.

Yup, that was George.

“Why did you lie to me, Eric?” she asked bluntly, as I took my first bite.

I swallowed through my throat, wondering which lie exactly was Emma referring to, and tried to guess which one would be easiest for a private investigator to figure out.

“Emma, I didn’t want you to hear the gory details.”

“You need to stop treating me like I’m made of tempered glass.”

“You’re wrong.”

“Why, Eric? Why am I wrong?”

I shook my head. How could I tell her that I didn’t want to fail her the way I had failed all the others? I didn’t want to seem like a weakling Hobbit who avoided confrontation, and in turn had failed every woman in his life up to this point.

“I failed them, Emma. We shouldn’t have waited so long in those woods.”

She breathed out, eyeing me. Whatever was going on in that head of hers, it had to be big. It seemed she had a thousand thoughts running through her mind.

“Are you afraid you’ll fail me?” she whispered.

“I know I will.”

I already have.

“Well, you’re wrong. See, there’s something you need to know about me, Eric. I’m a private investigator.”

“Yeah, I know.” Where was she going with this?

“So that should give you a hint that I can’t be lied to. If I am, I will find the truth. I’ve learned this a long time ago, but all truth comes out eventually. And I’d rather hear it from the source – no matter how bad.”

I took a long swig of the juice she’d brought, wondering whether I could tell her more. I wanted to, but I was afraid it would change the way she felt about me.

“All right, there’s more,” I sighed.

She didn’t move.

“The crude I told you about, I’m selling it under a different name and under confidential clauses. I’m not sure whether I’m right on this, but I think my grandfather had a fallout with Huntz’s family long ago. My parents had never confirmed this, and there’s no way in hell I’d ask them to, but I think my mother may have had a relationship with Huntz. At least I think the two families wanted them to have one, but it never worked out. It was supposed to mend the past. I don’t quite know all the details, but it’s something that’s never been openly spoken about in the family. I know there’s a deeper connection there, I just can’t seem to find it. I thought if I hired a professional, they could help me out. And that’s where you came in.”

“Good, now we’re getting somewhere.”

I took in her casual tone, asking, “You knew about this?”

She raised a brow.

“Yeah, you’re a PI.”

“Eric, I want to help you, but I cannot if you keep things from me. I’ve seen so many lies and secrets in my life destroy relationships, and believe me, they don’t stay hidden. And when they’re exposed, they usually tear couples apart. Only the few strong ones make it through.”

“Emma, I promise that I wanted to tell you. I just didn’t know how. Part of me will always want you to stay clear of Huntz.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry I’m not the man you thought I was.”

“That’s because you’re way more than I thought,” she said, leaning over and gently kissing my lips, taking me aback. How did I deserve this? How could I tell her that the biggest lie was still brewing inside me, and if she knew the truth she’d leave me and wouldn’t look back? As her mouth opened, I was certain that she hadn’t figured out my connection to Reeve and her just yet. If she had, she wouldn’t have been giving herself to me now.

Emma pulled away, saying, “I’m here for you. And I promise not to leave until my job is done, so you don’t need to worry about Huntz anymore.”

Suddenly my need for justice didn’t seem as important. If Emma found Huntz, dead or alive, it would mean that she would go back to New York. She’d leave Ogden behind and never look back again. Or worse, he could go after her.

“You don’t have to fear that I’ll tell anyone about the ranch either, Eric. There’s no need for me to say anything to anyone. It’s your family’s business what you do with it. I would never betray your trust.” She paused for a moment smoothing her finger over my brow. “What’s wrong, Eric?”

“Nothing. It’s just that I never imagined you’d be so quick to forgive. I promised to give you all the information I had, but didn’t.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Cowboy.” Her hand slid down to my thigh and ran up to my crotch, lifting my mood, among other things.

I shook off my guilt, giving in to the pleasure her touch brought to my body.

“And you surprise me every minute.” I kissed her again, feeling her need grow in the swell of her breasts.

“I. Want. You,” she whispered, taking a pause between each word to kiss me, fondling my sack through my jeans with her other hand, and I was gone. Everything I wanted to tell her, about Reeve and how I came to find Cross Enterprises, simply evaporated. I untied the knot holding her shirt together, sliding it off her shoulders, taking in the sexiest red bra I had ever seen, one which didn’t leave much to the imagination and made my cock strain. Emma quickly tugged down my already unbuttoned jeans as I took care of her shorts.

I flipped her onto her back and smoothed the stray hair off her forehead.

“You can have me any time, sweetheart,” I said, feeling her juices with my hand, unable to wait until I felt her warm pussy around me. I loved when she submitted to me, unknowingly giving me the strength I needed.

“No.” She stopped me, pushing herself up on her elbows and forcing me back. “I want to taste you, Eric.”

The grunt that left my chest surprised me as I sat back holding her gaze. The connection between us sizzled with electricity as she licked her lips, her focus darting from my eyes down to my pulsing cock. And when she lowered her head down, already stroking me with her hand, pulling my slippery skin up and down my length, I was lost.

“Fuck, Emma!” I breathed, as her lips touched my crown and her tongue slowly pulled underneath my rim.

I leaned back, clutching at the grass beside me. Emma cupped my balls in her other hand, adding pressure underneath, lifting them and fondling them as her mouth slowly tormented me, taking me in deeper. I felt my ass tighten when it hit the back of her throat and she made her way back up. There was no way I could take this for long. Not like this, not in her mouth and between her warm lips.

She sucked with each bop of her head, moaning, driving me crazy. I wanted to touch her perfect tits and to grasp her ass and feel her cream for me, but I couldn’t move. Emma had me ready to explode within minutes. Her tempo quickened, and I felt the first sign of my release in the bottom of my spine, making its way toward my sack. The sounds of enjoyment coming out from Emma’s mouth between her slurps rocketed through my body, contracting my balls, jetting my essence right into her beautiful mouth. She didn’t let go until the last drop of my strength found her lips, finally lifting her head and wiping her mouth with her wrist, smiling.

“You’re unbelievable.” I pulled her onto me, kissing her slightly salted lips.

“I take it you enjoyed that?”

I lay back on the grass, holding her half-dressed body against mine, wanting desperately to reciprocate but failing to find the strength to do so. If I had to bet, I’d say that Emma had just robbed me of all the fluids in my body. She lay down on my chest, playing with the piercing in my nipple.

“Are there any females with claws I should be watching out for at the dance?” she asked.

I stilled for a moment, thinking about the one hazard Emma could potentially run into. “I’m sure you can handle yourself Emma.”

“Aha, so there is.”

Why the fuck did I forget that she was a PI every time I spoke? I breathed out, trying to take Emma’s advice of honesty and no secrets.

“It’s more than likely that my ex-girlfriend will be there.”

“Claire?” she asked.

I felt my brow lift on its own. I didn’t even want to know how she knew about Claire already.

“Missy told me,” she explained, without me prompting.

“Yeah, Claire. She had a tough time letting go when we broke up.”

“Why did you break up?” She asked.

“It’s a long story. She wanted kids and a family, and I wasn’t ready to give that to her. I wasn’t ready for the commitment she sought.”

“Is that something you fear, Eric? A family?”

Emma’s question didn’t shock me or scare me the way it would have if it had come from someone else’s mouth. It wasn’t something I’d given much thought to before, simply because I didn’t feel the need to, or because I’d never found anyone whom I’d consider as a good mother. But now, imagining a bunch of blond-haired toddlers running around the front yard put a smile on my face.

“No, I definitely want a family. A big one.”

She bit her lip, obviously pleased with my answer. I reached down between her legs, trying to feel whether she was still as ready for me as she had been before, but Emma pushed my hand away asking.

“Were there other girls beside Claire?”

I wanted to seem like the kind of a guy who was so much more, but I couldn’t lie any longer. With my failed past, I’d always stayed away from anyone whom I thought I could fail, including the herds of town girls that had advanced my way. Claire had been one of the few I’d taken, and I was sure it wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t been handing me beer after beer at a dance.

“Does it make me sound like a douche if I tell you not many?”

“It makes you sound like the gentleman I know you are, Eric.”

“C’m here,” I said, sliding my hands down to her hips, wanting to taste her sweetness on my fingers, feeling my need for her revive. I didn’t want Emma jealous of anyone else. I needed her to know that she was the one who was important to me. I wanted her comfortable and without doubts because there was no other woman in my life more important than she was.

She grasped my hand again, pushing it away. “Am I good enough to go to the barn now?” she asked unexpectedly.

“Is that how it’s gonna be, baby? You’ll only put out for me in the barn?”

“I want you to pop my cherry in the barn, Eric.”

Had I not explained the meaning of it to her yet? Taking her there meant commitment. It meant protecting her for the rest of my life, her being mine and only mine from now on; it meant having no secrets, none. Wasn’t that what I’d wanted anyway? I wanted to give her an honest life before taking her there.

I rolled over on top of her and took her mouth into mine, forcing my tongue through her lips, claiming them as my own, swallowing the moan that left her breath.

“I will, Emma, but not yet. Not until we’re ready.”

And I pressed myself to her again, her body finally yielding to my need as I promised myself to give her everything she’d ever wanted, including my barn. But most of all I needed to give her what she didn’t know I still could, and that was my full honesty.

As I lowered Emma’s red panties and finally dipped inside her, all my reason left and I gave into the lust I’d had for this woman since the day I saw her.