Chapter Fifteen
Hailey
That Evening
I stretched my back and rotated my head on my neck, rubbing just underneath the back of my skull with my fingers, trying to work out the kink that had settled in from spending too much time cross-legged on the bed going over pages and pages of notes. I’d written down a lot more than I realized since arriving here, nearly filling half the pages in one notebook, not to mention several loose sheets of paper that had been handy when a thought or idea occurred to me. I was trying to get them organized and typed up so I could get started with a loose outline. Once I had that, I’d be able to start the actual story. With any luck, I’d have most of the first draft done before I returned to New York.
I leaned forward over my crossed legs, pushing the glasses up my nose so I could review the final pages in this notebook. I had plenty of great stuff here, enough to get started on an outline, but it still seemed like something was missing. It didn’t feel like I was really connecting to the environment out here. All these notes were so superficial. I needed to go even deeper. I was only skimming the surface right now. Having so much access to Cash had been a huge help, especially now that he had begun to really open up. Just watching the way he talked about Jackson and his ranch had given me tons of material to work with. He’d even invited me to accompany him more as he went about his daily tasks. Unfortunately, most of the more interesting tasks were done before I even got up in the morning. There was no way in hell I was going to get up at the butt crack of dawn to watch him feed and water the animals and muck out the stables. Not that I didn’t want to, but it was so early! I still hadn’t learned how to ride a damned horse, and I’d been here for weeks. Maybe that could be an easy place to start. I made a mental note to bring that up to Cash the following night over dinner. He seemed really open to helping me any way he could. And I desperately needed to know more about what it was like to actually work on a ranch, not just stay in the guest room of one. That might mean some early mornings, as much as I might not like it.
Sighing, I sank back onto the pillows I’d propped up against the headboard, just staring at the screen of my laptop next to me and the notebook lying on my lap. I had so much damned work to do, but it was getting late, and I was tired. All the words were so fuzzy I had to blink constantly to keep them in focus. I’d been at this for hours and was starting to feel a little delirious and on edge from all the coffee. I tilted my head against the wall and let my eyes drift shut. Maybe I could just snooze a little and then come back with a second wind to power through the rest of this.
The door to the guest room opened slowly, and I started upright at the creaking sound it made. Cash was standing in the doorway, dressed in boxers and a white T-shirt that was straining over his broad chest. My eyes drifted right to his crotch. I couldn’t help it. He was visibly excited, and the shape of his erect cock made my heart race and the breath catch in my throat. I had to swallow back a moan at the sight of him.
“I was hoping you’d still be awake,” Cash said, his deep voice purring so the twang in it got my heart going even more. “I’ve been having so much trouble sleeping lately. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn’t find a single word to say.
He stepped into the bedroom without another word, moving around cascading piles of my crap, his green eyes laser-focused on mine. I couldn’t move a muscle as he sat down on the edge of the mattress. He closed the laptop and moved it to the foot of the bed, then he took the notebook from my hands and threw it to the ground to join the rest of the chaos.
“Do you want me as bad as I want you?” he asked in a whisper that set off a luscious tingling sensation between my legs.
I nodded and managed to breathlessly whisper, “Yes.”
He leaned to remove my glasses, tossing them onto the ground near the vicinity of my notebook. Before I could even think to protest, he pressed his lips against mine, and I opened my mouth to him, moaning at the feeling of his tongue playing with my own. He tasted just as good as I imagined, sweet and musky, and I couldn’t get enough. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my tongue into his mouth, wanting to taste every inch of him.
He pressed himself into me, and we tumbled back onto the bed, his hips fitting neatly between my legs, his hardness rubbing against the wet, needy heat of my sex. He worked his hands under my nightshirt, pushing my sports bra out of the way so he could run his fingers over my breasts. I arched my back into him, moaning and kissing him, begging him silently not to stop. It had been so long since I’d been with a man and I’d wanted this for weeks.
I wasn’t wearing any shorts, just panties beneath the long nightshirt, and he pushed those out of the way, his fingers probing past my lips and into the dripping wet heat that was waiting for him. My entire body reacted, and he moved his lips to my neck as he continued to toy with the throbbing heat between my legs, his fingers entering me as I cried out, begging him out loud not to stop.
He looked at me, his green eyes as hot as the air in the room. “Do you want this?” he asked, and I nodded, my cheeks flushed and trembling.
“I want it so badly, Cash.”
He smiled, and that only got me more excited for him. He pushed his boxers down his hips and settled on top of me again, the hard shape of his cock pressing into the hungry, wet inferno igniting my sex. He thrust his hips and entered me in one stroke, the pleasure exploding inside me as I cried out again.
My eyes flew open, and I couldn’t breathe at first. My muscles were locked up tightly. The air was stuck in my throat, and my fingers were between my legs, where the crotch of my panties was soaked. I looked around me in a panic, eyes wide, expecting the hulking shape of Cash positioned above me, his sexy mouth curved into a heart-stopping smile. But I was alone.
Slowly, I regained the ability to breathe normally again, and my body relaxed, the muscles letting go one by one so I could sink into the blankets and pillows. Blinking, I checked the room again, expecting to find Cash hiding in a corner or something. He wasn’t here. It had all been a dream—kissing him and feeling the long, hard shape of him entering me.
Oh, God.
I pulled my fingers from between my legs when I realized how busily they were moving back and forth in that wetness. I’d never been so turned on by a dream before. If Cash burst through the door right now, I’d strip off every bit of my clothing and let him have his way with me. Hell, I might have my way with him instead.
I pushed the notebook onto my lap and closed the computer, still breathing heavily at the thought of Cash between my legs, his hands up my shirt, and his hot mouth on mine. I needed to get some real rest. I had to face this man in the morning after having a dream about us having sex.
I burrowed into the covers and turned off the lamp on the bedside table, my cheeks on fire, though there was no one here to witness the embarrassing scene. How was I going to keep living under the same roof as this man if I kept having these kinds of X-rated dreams about him? It was only a matter of time before I slipped and acted on them or, worse, forgot how to act around him altogether.
I needed to get it together. That started with some sleep. Hopefully, my mind could manage to stay out of the damned gutter this time.
Paige was right. I needed a date. As soon as I got back to the city, I’d set up one of those dating profiles and start looking around. Clearly, I was in need of some intimacy. But, right now, I needed to keep it professional. Cash had been nothing but the perfect gentleman, which meant he wasn’t interested. If I couldn’t keep my hands to myself and my mind on my work, I was going to have to find somewhere else to stay. That was all there was to it.