Chapter 10

ARIA

 

 

I smile, shading my eyes from the sun by angling the brim of my light brown cowboy hat more toward my forehead and I reach with one hand to my side until I can touch Cash’s one currently wrapped around the gearshift.

I could not be happier —even if my feelings for this man are all over the map— we just spent a very pleasurable and productive hour visiting Silver Bridle Ranch.

I feel like a lot has been accomplished already even with just an informal talk between us.

I was worried Cash didn’t really mean it when he promised he would ask for my input when it came to the management of my ranch— that Silver Bridle would in fact be mine in name only—, but today I have been happily proved wrong more than once: not only he was the one to bring up the subject, he asked me what my ideas where about the direction we should take with it and if I felt like taking a trip down right away instead of the next day to do a bit of brainstorming.

I, of course, was more than happy to oblige.

Our tour of the facilities and our chat about my future projects for my ranch have been nothing like I expected them to be.

I thought Cash would listen to me just for the sake of being polite and then tell me what he thought would be the best course of action, surprisingly enough that was not the case.

We had a very constructive talk and I can truly say Cash valued my opinions, just as much as I valued his.

No matter my other doubts about the impact marrying Cash will have on my life, I can really see this will not only save Silver Bridle from ruin, but really turn it into something bigger.

Cash’s big Escalade passes the gated entrance of his main ranch and I sigh nervously when I catch a glimpse of the imposing house slowing coming into view.

“Molly is probably waiting for us on the porch, you’ll see. She is very anxious to meet you, baby.”

I give him a little smile, but I don’t think I fool him, because I feel his hand tighten on mine.

To tell the truth, I don’t know exactly what to think about my upcoming visit to what he calls ‘the manor’ and consequentially meeting this Molly Sutton.

He told me she was his nanny when he was a child and that she is now the housekeeper here.

I tried to make him open up a bit more about their relationship or his life in general, but Cash is not a very talkative man and seems to be very private about this sort of things, nevertheless I can tell he seems to be very fond of her so I’m slightly nervous about this introduction.

I have pictured it in my head a couple of times and no matter what I say, I know it would sound odd and that the situation will be awkward.

‘Oh, hello there, nice to meet you. I’m to be Cash’s wife in about three days, even though we just met and you have never seen me in your life, how do you do?’

“Stop worrying and fidgeting, Aria. She will love you,” Cash says, practically reading my thoughts and making me pout.

Am I really that transparent for everybody or is it just him that can really read me so well and so easily and if this is the case, what does it mean for us?

Cash parks the car and walks around it to open the door for me.

“C’mon, sweetheart, I promise there will be no grilling involved: she is nothing like Carson. The worst she can do is feed you until you can’t walk.”

I take his outstretched hand and smile.

“I really liked Carson, he seems a bit rough around the edges, not unlike you, but it’s easy to see that he is a good man.”

Cash frowns down at me, I don’t really know why.

“He liked you as well and anyway if you liked him, you will love Molly, everybody does. She is very sweet and she will adore you, you’ll see.”

I nod, but I’m still doubtful.

Any uncertainty about meeting this Molly gets trampled on when I really take a look at the manor in its entirety for the first time and I feel almost like I can’t breathe.

Beautiful and daunting are the first words that come to mind.

I am way out of my league here.

The enormous, wood ranch-style house sprawls on so many squares feet I can’t even give an approximation at a glance.

It has a large deck that wraps around it and its entrance is marked by imposing double-doors carved from oak, the sun reflecting off of their glossy darkness.

Cash squeezed my hand, kissing my temple. “What do you think, sweetheart? You like it here? I plan to have this as our main residence, I don’t want our child to grow up in Austin, constantly bothered by too much unwanted attention.”

I smile at how he is already thinking of the comfort of a baby we have yet to make.

“It’s lovely, I think I could adapt quite well, but Cash, I have to tell you: this place is freaking huge! I’m going to need to use GPS or a compass not to get lost and I’m talking only about the house, let alone the grounds.”

He laughs, hugging me to his side. “No way you’ll get lost, baby, I don’t plan to ever let you steer too far from my side.”

Now, that deserves a kiss.

I lean forward, raising to stand on my tippy-toes and balancing myself with my hands against his broad chest to deliver it.

The guy is so damn tall, even then he has to help me a little and bend down to meet me halfway, but somehow I love that he is so manly, so sexily uh… hulkish compared to me, he makes me feel safe and also delicate and feminine, the exact counterpart to his big muscles and hard edges: we go together, we balance, we match. I love it.

I only wish I could get to see whatever seems to run through his mind.

As we walk hand in hand toward the house, a pretty woman of about fifty, not taller than I am, with fiery red hair pulled up in a bun, a huge smile on her face and dark rimmed glasses on her nose bursts through the double doors and flies down the steps of the porch to come stand in front of us; an expectant air of energy and barely contained excitement hovering all around her.

“Here you are!” she says, pulling Cash down for a hug and a kiss on the cheek and giving me a rather friendly and inviting smile.

“Hello dear, welcome to the manor.”

I smile at her. “Thank you, Miss Sutton.”

“None of this Miss Sutton stint, darling. Call me Molly.”

I feel Cash’s hands gently landing on both of my shoulders, his strong torso molding to my back.

“Molly, this is Aria Murphy, my fiancée. Sweetheart, Molly Sutton, my housekeeper and very dear friend.”

I start to stick my hand out for her to shake, but Molly pulls me in for a surprisingly strong hug, pats my back and then she starts to talk and well… basically never stops.

“I am so happy, so happy… you look so cute together. I could not believe it when Cash told me, but here you are now so I guess it is indeed true, but only a week really, no planning at all. No way I can throw you anything fancy, but well… I will do it later anyway. Aria you must tell me all of your favorites. Do come inside… this sun is terrible, I have tea and cakes waiting for you inside, Cash tells me you have a sweet tooth, dear. I hope you’re fond of chocolate. I made red velvet and a strawberry tart and apple pie; the workers really need something to raise the moral with this dreadful heat never letting up. Cash, that bear called you while you were out, said he could not reach you on the cell, do call him back, don’t make me speak with him more than I want to, please. Don’t stand here on the porch, it’s far too hot, come in, come in… I also have some ice-cream for you…”

She ushers us inside still talking about all matters of delicious foods and smiling kindly at me.

Cash chuckles. “That’s Molly for you…”, he says with an arched eyebrow.

I grin at him. “I’m not sure I followed everything she said, but she seems very nice. I like her. Especially the parts about the cakes. Did she really bake that many?”

He smiles at me, shrugging. “Probably more. Come, let’s have a glass of cold tea. I’ll show you a little bit of the house later, I’d rather give you a tour of the ranch first. What do you say?”

I nod. “Sounds good to me, but Cash, one more thing?”

“Yes, babe?” he asks distractedly, checking his phone.

“Who is this bear that keeps calling here?” I inquire in a mock-serious tone and Cash picks me up to kiss me, laughing against my mouth.

 

 

—*—

 

As soon as we escape the manor and Molly’s endless parade of sweets —God bless that woman, but I don’t think I could take another sip of water let alone any more food inside of me.

I rub my belly. “I feel very much like a Thanksgiving’s turkey right now.”

Cash laughs. “I guess I should insert a joke about you having no idea about what stuffing is yet, but I’ll pass… seeing that I feel exactly the same way. Molly really went overboard today, must be in deference to you, future Mrs. Stone.”

I blush slightly at the appellation and Cash chuckles, kissing my temple.

We spend the next hour or so touring the stables and then Cash shows me the stall of the horse I will be mounting today as he leads me around the ranch, a beautiful caramel-colored mare with a long white mane and white stockings on all four legs.

As soon as I’m on the saddle, I feel an instant connection and I smile appreciatively at Cash: this horse’s gait is perfect for my height and weight and she has a very comfortable seat.

I can tell he selected her very thoughtfully: I could have not picked a better mount for myself.

I look at him atop his huge white stallion, black Stetson on his head, denim jeans and boots and I feel my pussy clench. He looks absolutely gorgeous.

 

After a long ride across the countryside, Cash starts to give me that smoking hot look that makes me burn up inside and I know what’s coming.

To my surprise, he doesn’t steer us back toward the manor, but further along within a crop of tall trees.

At first I don’t understand, but when I see him dismounting and pulling a blanket from the bag tied to his saddle, I understand.

“Outside, Cash?” I ask simply, answering the unspoken question in his bright blue eyes.

I’ve come to cherish all the time we spend together and I fucking love the moments we spend exploring each other, but I’m not entirely comfortable with the location.

“Outside, babe. It’s in the prenup, remember?”

I dismount as well. “That we have to fool around outside?”

Cash sends the horses to graze on the meadow not too far from us and turns toward me again.

“No, that you have to spread those legs and give me what I want whenever and wherever we are. Now come here, Aria and don’t worry: this is very secluded and there’s no one around. Do you really think I would choose to risk showing some other man what’s mine, if I thought someone could happen upon us here?”

I have to concede his point: he is crazy jealous and possessive; he would have a coronary if another man saw me naked.

Again, any feminist notion I ever thought I held should make me feel discomfited by his dominance and over-protectiveness, not turned on, yet it doesn’t.

I look at my big, strong man and everything else flows out of the window and the only thing that matters is the way he makes me feel: wanted, happy, safe and almost… loved.

And I know probably I’m only reflecting my own feelings and desires over him, but what can I do?

I’m in too deep to go back anyway.

Cash kisses me deeply, sending the train of my thoughts crashing and then he pulls me down to sit on the blanket on his lap.

I turn slightly to the side, feeling his huge erection poke my hip and excitement courses through me.

Cash fishes a little box from his shirt pocket and he opens it in front of me, taking my left hand in his.

My eyes fall on the most beautiful ring I have ever seen and on the way the rays of the sun reflect off the multi-faceted, pale pink surface of the biggest princess cut diamond in the history of engagement rings, the white gold of the band inlaid with a circle of tiny clear diamonds.

“Cash…” I murmur unable to say anything more.

He slips the ring onto my finger and gives it a little kiss.

“It’s a little big, we’ll have it fixed when we go back to Austin. I hope you like it.”

I throw my arms around him. “I love it…”

He kisses behind my ear.

“It was my mother’s,” he whispers on my skin.

I barely catch his words and I’m not entirely sure he meant for me to hear them, nevertheless I try to pull back a little to acknowledge that I did.

“I… I don’t know what to say, Cash, are you sure you wish me to—”

Cash’s lips stop me, quelling the rest of my words on my tongue with an insistent, demanding kiss, that makes me forget about everything and everyone else in the world besides him.

We kiss endlessly and Cash rolls us over until I’m on my back, my thighs on either side of his waist, his hard cock, now free from the tight confines of his jeans, bobbing between our stomachs.

I moan at the sight, biting my lips.

I want so many things, it would take me weeks to reach half way down my mental naughty list.

Cash slides the jeans off my legs and tears my panties, ripping them down the middle in his haste to take them off of me.

His passion, making my pussy contract on nothingness.

“God, you are so fucking beautiful, Aria. I want to put my cock inside you so badly,” he groans against my lips.

I feel his thumb starting to draw slippery circles on my clit and his other fingers, teasing my little opening.

“Fuck,” I moan softly, my body arching against his strong one, his dick painting my stomach in trails of hot pre-cum.

“You are so tight baby, pushing my big cock inside this pretty pussy will be a fight at first, but we both want it so much and you are so ready and primed for it that once I take that sweet little cherry of yours, it wouldn’t take me much to thrust all the way in.”

“Oh, God!” I moan at his dirty words, feeling the orgasm already start to swamp my pussy and burn in my lower belly.

Cash takes one of my extended nipples in his mouth and gives me a little bite on it, making me cry.

“Oh, Cash…” I whimper, my fingers digging in his back as he keeps on driving his cock against my belly, his fingers still strumming my clit.

“You’ll take every inch of me, won’t you, baby?”

“Yes, yes,” I moan, my legs tightening around his waist, my lips against his throat.

Cash nips the underside of my breast, turning my body into a pile of mush.

“As soon as the wedding is over, sweetheart, I’m going to rip whatever pretty gown you have on and get to your sweet little cunt. I’ll lick you until you faint and then I’ll shove inside of you raw, nothing between us, baby. I want you pregnant yesterday,” he groans. His smoky, commanding voice making another climax run along my body, my legs and arms shaking, my pussy soaking his fingers; the squelching noises of his caresses filling the silence.

As I start to recover from it, Cash flips us over.

Now I’m astride his muscular thighs, the stalk of his hard cock springing back and forth between us, the large crown dotted in pre-cum gleaming in the sun.

“Take my cock in your hand, baby,” Cash croaks out, looking at me sexily, his heavy-lidded eyes on me, bright with lust and desire.

I wrap my hand around his dick and start to stroke up and down, but his hand snaps up to grasp my wrist and stops me.

“Not like this, baby. I want you to bring my cock between those delicious pussy lips of yours, I want you to rub your clit against my head, until you come using me.”

I moan brokenly and start to do as he says, riding his cock up and down, keeping it between my folds and barely resisting the urge to move the sleek, bulbous head lower and fit it in my slit.

“That’s it baby, ride my cock. I want you to cum like this and dry my balls of every drop of seed I have as you do it.”

I toss my head back, riding him faster, my hips gyrating in a steady rhythm that soon has us both climaxing, me with a strangled cry and he with a heavy, guttural grunt.

A thrill running under my skin at the sight of his hot, creamy cum staining my pink clit and pussy and clinging to my golden little curls.

I fall on top of him, breathless, his hands sliding all over my body.

We kiss deeply and remain like that until the annoying sound of a phone going off interrupts our interlude.

“Fuck,” Cash grumbles and reaches with one long arm to retrieve his cell that our mad ride must have made slide toward the opposite side of the blanket.

“There better be a good reason for this if you want to still have you job tomorrow,” he answers the call, his face nuzzling my chest; a scowl marring his handsome face.

He nods while he listens and then sighs.

“Alright, I have to ride back to the manor and get the pickup, it will be faster if I drive. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

He playfully slaps my bottom, making me gasp.

“Sorry, baby, we need to get going. I have to go to take a look at something on one of the oilfields. Get dressed.”

 

—*—

 

 

We reach the main stable and Cash, slides off his horse, helping me to dismount my own and then we walk hand in hand inside, the horses trailing behind us.

“I won’t be long, Aria. An hour at the most… I’m sorry I have to go.”

I smile up at him. “It’s okay, I’ll find something to keep me entertained.”

He nods. “I’m sure you will. You could take a walk on the grounds if you like, or simply relax at the manor with Molly.”

“Or I could take a nap and catch up on some sleep, ‘cause a certain Mr. Stone has the tendency to keep me up at night.”

He hugs me to his side and whispers in my ear, his breath tickling me.

“I wouldn’t have to keep you up so much, if it wasn’t for how much you keep me up, baby.”

I giggle, shaking my head.

Cash hands over the bridles of his stallion to a stablehand, after slipping him some slices of carrot and I look up at my mare, caressing her muzzle.

She snorts and stomps lightly, clearly begging to have a treat of her own and Cash dutifully delivers her prize.

She neighs softly and pushes her big, long head against his chest, not stopping until he doesn’t pet her a bit.

I laugh. “Oh, Cash, she is adorable. Thank you for letting me ride her today.”

Cash leads the mare to her stall and smiles at me. “She is going to be yours, Aria, I acquired her just for you.”

I feel my mouth drop open.

I simply assumed this was one of his horses. He bought her for me?

“Why?” I ask.

He shrugs. “All my horses are quite big and temperamental. I wanted a sweet and docile horse for you and also I wanted your mount to be on a smaller scale. I don’t want you to put strain on your shoulders and back when you ride.”

“Oh, Cash… thank you.” I don’t know what else to say.

I turn around, hug him and pepper kisses on his roughly stubbled jaw and chin.

He takes holds of my face and delivers a kiss of his own to my mouth, turning my legs into Play-Doh stripes.

“She needs a name, by the way. Do you have any ideas, Aria?”

I smile turning back to the mare and reaching up to caress the white forelock on her head and her soft, perfectly groomed, braided mane as I study her closely.

After a while I nod, again focusing on Cash.

“I want to call her Moon Child, you know… like the Childlike Empress from ‘The Neverending Story’, my Grandpa used to read the book to Alma and me when we were little… we must have watched the movie a million times.”

Cash visible startles at my words and takes a step back, his face becoming unreadable.

“I’d better get going. I’ll see you later,” he says bluntly, hastily kisses my forehead and turns around, leaving me there frowning at the mare.

What did I say?

I hear Cash’s stallion stomp and snort, clearly unhappy at his master’s departure and at the idea of being confined.

“Stop it, Artax, no more playing, you need to rest now,” a young worker, scolds him, laughing while attempting to remove the bit and bridle from him.

I didn’t know that was the name of his horse.

Artax, Atreyu’s valiant horse in ‘The Neverending Story’.

Now that I think of it, I don’t remember asking it to Cash, probably because as usual his presence rendered me a babbling, nervous, mushy mass of hormones and during our ride he was calling the stallion, boy, Donkey or Cork head.

I wonder if he is familiar with that book or if he just picked this name because he thought it was cool.

Well, one way to find out.

I go back to the manor, get rid of my muddy boots and following the scent of something delicious baking, I find again the kitchen and Molly.

“Hey, dear. Where’s Cash? Did you enjoy your ride?”

She fires her questions in rapid succession and I start to answer hoping I can keep up.

“Hello, Molly. Cash was called by one of his foremen, I understand he needed to inspect something on one of the oilfields. I did enjoy the ride very much, thank you, for asking. These lands have some truly breathtaking prospects.”

Plus, it’s nearly impossible to have a ride with Cash and not completely enjoy it, I mentally add, smiling to myself.

I sit down at the huge wooden table. “Can I ask you something?”

Molly closes the faucet in the sink and turns to look at me.

“Of course, dear.”

“Cash’s horse… his name is Artax, right? Is it in reference to a book?”

She nods and smile. “Yes. ‘The Neverending Story’. Are you familiar with it?”

“It was a childhood’s favorite,” I confirm.

For a moment she seems to be far away, but then she sighs, fills two tall glasses with cold lemon tea and takes a seat opposite me, passing me the icy beverage with a faint smile.

“Thank you…” I murmur.

After a while she starts to speak again. “It was his mom’s favorite book.”

That’s why he was so taken aback.

Molly shakes her head. “Poor boy, he remembers nothing of his family, of course. He was just a baby when they… but he has tried to keep their memory alive as much as he could and tried to know them as much as it was possible, but there’s nothing like firsthand knowledge I suppose.”

Oh, God. Why would he have no memory of his family at all?

What happened?

From the way she is talking, it’s clear she thinks I know what this is all about.

“Molly?”

She pats my hand. “What, darling?”

“What happened to his family?” I ask.

She looks a little surprised. “You don’t know? He hasn’t told you?”

“No and I haven’t checked. Somehow it feels wrong to Google his life up online.”

Molly looks away. “When Cash was only a couple of months old, his father had to take part in a round of conferences. One of the stops was in New York City. Conrad liked to have his family with him as much as possible, so we were all traveling together. He and Rachel, Cash’s mother, loved each other very much. In deference to his father’s status, we were staying at this partially-renovated, historical hotel in New York; it belonged to one of his friends and was not yet open to customers. We had been traveling for weeks around the States. We were all very jet-lagged I remember. Cash was very fussy that afternoon, and it was impossible to put him down. I suggested his mother that I would take him and his brother for a stroll in a nearby park, so that she and her husband could rest. They had an important engagement that night. There was no way I could convince Cooper to come along. To this day I wish I had thought about a way to bring him with us. He wanted his mommy and there were no promises of ice-cream or toys strong enough to tear him away from her. He was only three.”

I can see tears shining in her eyes and I feel an invisible cold hand grip my heart as I listen.

This is very difficult for Molly, maybe I should not have asked.

“It’s okay Molly… you don’t have to tell me,” I reassure her, squeezing her hand, but she shakes her head.

I gulp, feeling tears sting my own eyes. I may not know what happened that day, but I know that Cash doesn’t have a brother anymore.

Molly dries her tears and sniffles. “We went… we went for our stroll and when we got back, two hours later, it was hell. There was an accidental fire and…”

“Oh my God…”

“It was hours before they could put it down. It actually never reached their suite, but the smoke must have… the police said they died in their sleep. Carbon-monoxide intoxication.”

I don’t know what to say to that.

“He was left completely alone…” I say after a while, barely registering that I’m talking out loud.

Molly doesn’t hear me though, her back is to me again and she is bending in front of the oven. “Damn… I think I’ve burned a good batch of Cash’s favorite peanut butter and chocolate cookies.”

I know there’s more to the story, but I don’t want to tax her further.

It’s clear she doesn’t want to go back to that time any more than she has had to already.

“Thank you for telling me, Molly.”

“Don’t mention it, dear. Aria, you really look pale.”

I sigh. “A sudden headache…”

Molly pats my cheek. “Why don’t you go upstairs and lie down for a bit? I’ll send up Cash as soon as he’s back.”

I try to muster a little smile for her, thankful for her tact and understanding.

“Thank you, Molly,” I say and leave the room, after giving her an impulsive hug.

Once I’m in Cash’s bedroom, I pull out my cell and launch my browser.

I don’t like the idea to snoop around in his business, but I need to understand.

I really didn’t want to end up Googling him, but I don’t see he telling me on his own, there’s no other way to find out.

It’s only a matter of few clicks and the rest of the story tumbles out in front of me, the titles of the newspapers of the time alone are enough to give me a sad outline of what Cash’s life has been like.

Only survivor of the tragic fire.

Alone in the world, two months old and heir to a fortune worth billions.

I scan the articles through blurred eyes.

He was never placed in a family, his father had made provisions in his will in case of his and his wife’s death regarding their children.

Being a baby worth so much, he could not be placed safely within a family for fear of those people ending up wanting to control his wealth and his company.

For this reason, since he was a baby, Cash has been looked after by his family staff, particularly Molly, under the tutelage of Mr. McKade.

I try to blink away the tears as they fall on my cheeks but they are too fast in their course for me to keep up with them.

I lie down and close my eyes, momentarily too stunned to wrap my mind around what any of this could have meant —could still mean— for Cash.

He is just as alone as I am, that’s what he meant when he said he understood my pain.

And what is this deal going to do to us?

Will it really make us a family or will we only end up being alone together?

I don’t know for how long I lie there crying, my heart clenching for his pain, his loneliness, my mind starting to see his weariness, his brusque manner and his distance in a different way.

But what can I do?

How can I help him deal with his sorrow, when I don’t know how to let go of mine?

I feel strong arms pick me up and crash me against a hard chest and I don’t need to open my eyes to know who is holding me.

I know this strength, I know this woodsy mainly scent.

“Why are you crying, Aria? What’s up?”

I look up at him, pushing my face off his torso and meeting his concerned gaze.

“I didn’t know…” I hiccup.

He kisses my temple, stroking my back up and down. “What, baby?”

I feel fresh tears haze my vision.

“How… how much we are the same.”

“What you mean?”

“Your family… my family… we are completely and utterly alone.”

He cups my face in his hands, his kiss the only antidote to both my pain and his.