The next thing I knew his chest was coming over my back, while his hands reached around, pinching at both of my nipples. He entered me, fully, working up a pace immediately. His hands slid down my body until my hips served as handles. He pulled my body into his so hard that loud slapping sounds filled the area around us. My breasts bounced around as Rusty continued pumping me. I knew when he was being overwhelmed by his eruption when his body tightened, and he held me completely still. Though I wanted him to continue, his body was spent.

  He gained his breath back and rolled off of me, letting the breeze hit our soaked skin. I was at a loss for words, simply devoured by sexual satisfaction. There was nothing that could bring me down from this high.

  Nothing but hearing my cousin’s voice getting closer.

  Chapter 18

  Rusty

  My legs were still weak as I jumped up and started pulling my jeans on over my sweat-soaked legs. Noah’s voice

  was getting close, as was the sound of the horses canters. I hooked my belt just as I saw him coming through the stable entrance. Isabella gathered her clothing and covered up with the blanket, while positioning herself in the corner of the area we were in. Since the walls were only chest high, if Noah looked hard enough he’d see her hiding there.

  I walked far away from where she was crouched down and picked up a shovel, as if I’d been hard at work. Shalan appeared behind Noah, both of them caught up in their own conversation. I nodded when Noah acknowledged I was inside.

  “I figured you’d be in here in the shade. It’s hotter than hell in that sun.”

  “The breeze is nice today at least.”

  Noah jumped off his horse and offered his arms to Shalan to catch her when she climbed off. She wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss as he sat her down on the ground. He smiled as he pulled away and kissed the top of her nose. “I love you, darlin’.”

  She giggled and turned to me. “Hey, Rusty. Sorry I missed you this morning. I wanted to thank you for all your hard work with Titan, and let you know that my new horse will be here in about a week. Are you sure you’re ready to take on another project? I can get another person to help.”

  I put up my hands. “No need. I enjoy it. It actually gives me something to stay busy. Besides, what man doesn’t love a challenge?”

  It was hard to not think of Isabella when I said it. She was the biggest challenge in my life. I could only hope that this time had changed her mind about me. It was ridiculous for us to not be together, when we obviously both felt the same about each other.

  “We’re goin’ to head back to the house and grab our bathin’ suits. Shalan wants to get in the pool.”

  “Sounds nice.” “You should join us,” she added. I smiled, trying to not talk so much that they’d end up

  sticking around. “I’ve got a lot to do before I’m done for the day. Enjoy your swim. Maybe I’ll come next time.”

  Noah took off the first saddle and started carrying it over toward where Isabella was hiding. I panicked, rushing over and taking it out of his hands. “I’ve got this, boss. Go ahead and enjoy your day.”

  He walked over to grab the second one. “Nah, I can help. It’s only a saddle.”

  When I hung the first one up I spotted her out of the corner of my eye. She was bawled up in the corner ducked down. If Noah came in this direction he was going to see her.

  I spun around quickly, holding out my hands for the second saddle. “Go on now. I’ve got this taken care of. I’ll brush down the horses, and make sure they’re watered before I do anything else. The farrier is coming later on anyway, so they’ll be ready for his arrival.”

  Noah finally let me take the saddle. For a second I swear he looked behind me like I was hiding something. Just as it appeared he was going to say something, Shalan came and grabbed him by the hand. “Come on. You promised me a whole day with no work.”

  I waved as they finally left the building, and then sighed as they disappeared on a golf-cart. “The coast is clear.”

  She stood up and starting putting on a bra when I heard another voice coming from the doors. A female entered, and it took me a second to realize that it was Addison, Noah’s younger sister. “Whoa. Put some clothes on Bella. If Noah catches your ass in here he’ll flip out.”

  She threw her shirt over her head as she frantically started on her other cousin. “Oh my God, Addy, you can’t tell anyone. Please, you’ve got to promise us that you will keep quiet about seein’ us together.”

  She lit up a joint and exhaled before answering. “Whatever. You keep quiet about this, and I never saw nothin’.”

  I walked over and grabbed the paraphernalia out of her fingers. “You won’t be needing this, young lady.”

  “Hey, Give that back. I paid good money for that. Besides, you wouldn’t want my daddy findin’ out what his help has been up to, would you?”

  Isabella rushed over, grabbing the joint out of my hand and delivering it to her younger cousin. “We won’t say nothin’ either. You have my word.”

  In a second’s time I was being pulled out of the stable. “You’re just going to let her smoke pot like that?”

  “If it prevents my family from knowin’ that this happened, then yes. That’s exactly what’s goin’ to happen.” When she started to walk away I pulled on her t-shirt, causing her to stand still. I took a few steps in her direction, breaking that distance she’d made between us.

  “Don’t leave like this. We need to talk about what we’re going to do.”

  She turned, with a shocking grimace. “What we’re goin’ to do? There is no we, Rusty.”

  “You just...I can’t...come on now. You know that wasn’t nothing.” It shocked me that she’d showed up out of nowhere, allowed me to make love to her, and was already denying that it ever happened.

  Isabella covered her face, like she did when she was thinking or frustrated. “For the past week I’ve been melancholy. I just needed to unwind, Rusty. You know that’s all this was for us. You’re lonely, and I’m all messed up. We did each other a favor. That’s all.”

  I refused to let her walk away. “No. That’s not all it was. Why do you keep denying yourself the pleasure of being happy?”

  “Because I can’t be with you. Please, don’t ask these questions. I enjoy your company. I ain’t even goin’ to try to lie to you about it, but you know my situation. You know we can’t be together, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner we can both agree that this can’t happen again.”

  “You came onto me this time. I did what you said and kept my distance. You’re the one that stomped in here on some mission to fuck. This is on you. What’s your excuse this time? Is it your hormones? Did you just need to get off? I’m not your damn punching bag. If you say that this is nothing, than I suggest you keep it that way. Don’t come running to me, and expect me satisfy you, so you can just walk away. I’m done putting myself out there to be walked all over.”

  She shot her hands in the air. “Fine! I’ll stay away. So sorry I bothered you, Rusty. I didn’t mean to ruin your day.” When I saw that her eyes were glossed over I knew I’d crossed a line. I hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings, but done just that.

  Still, she’d used me for the last time. I wasn’t willing to let her hurt me, when there was absolutely no way for anything to come of it.

  She was already clear across the dirt lane when I called out to her. “Don’t walk away mad.”

  I saw her middle finger shoot up above her head as she continued walking at a fast pace to get away from me. For being angry, I couldn’t deny how cute she was when she was throwing an attitude. If I had my way, I would have scooped her up and taken her back into that stable until I could convince her that my feelings were genuine.

  For the next week Isabella avoided me at all costs. She was determined to make it clear that we were nothing to each other. I’d stopped by her house several times after dark to try to reason with her, but she refused to answer the door and let me inside. I knew she was in there, probably cursing me under her breath, yet I didn’t know how else to reach out to her. I didn’t have her phone number, and I certainly didn’t know a way to leave her a message where nobody else would find it first.

  Day after day I sulked silently to myself, trying to come up with ways to win her over. It was ridiculous that I was a grown man, in his thirties, determined to win over a twenty- something female that was hell-bent on keeping her distance.

  When the new horse was delivered it took a lot of the extra time I had used to dwell on Isabella. I focused all of my energy on my new project to try and get her off of my mind. It worked during the day, but at night I longed to see her, to hold her, and to tell her that if she’d give me the chance, I’d be everything she ever needed.

  With the soon arrival of the rest of the Mitchell clan, Noah had me doing extra work around his parent’s place to prepare for the large amount of people that would be coming into town for the wedding shower. Shalan had even provided me with a list of special requests that she’d come up with on her own. I worked alongside the other ranch hands on our tasks, while trying to come up with a plan to get to know her parents. I thought that if I could convince them I wasn’t a bad guy, they’d persuade their daughter to have an interest in me. Of course, they wouldn’t have to know that I’d already been in her pants, or that late at night she kept me from closing my eyes. All they needed to see was that I was a hard worker, with kind mannerism. In some ways it felt like I was a teenager again, going to meet my date’s parents for the first time.

  Since everyone was invited to the dinner, I went out and purchased a new pair of jeans, a button up shirt, and even a new pair of boots. My old ones were starting to wear, and even though they were extremely comfortable, they didn’t exactly look presentable. Besides, I was pretty sure that the manure smell was baked into the leather.

  With new ideas, and a fresh set of things to put on, I was ready to see her again, and do my best to try to win her over for the hundredth time. She’d soon know that I wasn’t going to give up. Being with her had changed my life, and she might not have been able to admit it, but I knew she felt something for me too. Providing it was the hard part.

  Chapter 19

  Rusty

  The day before the big party, I was running around trying to make sure that everything was in order. Noah

  was doing the same, running after me task after task to double check. When the workday was over I longed for a long, hot shower to wash away the crud and sweat.

  As soon as I pulled up at my trailer I saw Noah. He hopped of the Gator and approached me with this concerned look on his face. I swear I thought he knew that I’d been with Isabella in the stables. I was certain that his little sister had spilled our secret. I silently prepared for him to come at me.

  “Did you get things taken care of?” I nodded. “Yeah.” He gave me that same sneer as before. “Everything all right

  with you, Rusty? You’ve been quiet the past couple of weeks. You used to carry on with some of the guys, and even they’ve noticed a difference. I need to know if you’re in some kind of trouble. I hired you without question, but I can’t have somethin’ shady goin’ on. If there’s somethin’ you need to tell me, I’m all ears.”

  I put my hands up. “Whoa. There’s nothing shady going on. I assure you.”

  “All right then. I’ve already taken care of the chicken houses for tomorrow. That kid Johnny is goin’ to handle them for us.”

  “Thanks. I’m just going to get up early and double check things at your parent’s house. The tables will be set up in the pole building before everyone arrives.”

  He started to walk away, but turned around. “Thanks for all of this. This woman of mine is about to drive me bonkers. I’d much rather go to the court house. Don’t ever get married, man. It’s a pain in the ass.”

  Once he’d gone, I took a long shower trying to clear my head. Of course, the mere mention of being married had only given me reason to think about Simone. I’d been so focused on moving forward with Isabella that I felt guilty over not spending my nights mourning her and Sydney. I knew she wouldn’t have wanted me to do it, but for so long it was how I’d gotten by.

  It didn’t take long for me to get myself all worked up. A hunger was building inside of me, and I only knew one way to feed it.

  I didn’t bother taking a golf cart, or looking around as I began my journey across the ranch, and down the long dirt lane. Her kitchen door was unlocked, and I refused to stand outside to get caught, or be rejected entrance, so I headed inside without waiting. I called for her twice, before I began looking around, only to find her in the shower. I knew I’d frighten her, but didn’t hesitate pulling the curtain to make my appearance known.

  She jumped. “Oh my God. You scared the shit out of me. What the hell are you doin’ in my house? You need to leave, Rusty. Is there a vehicle outside? We’re goin’ to get caught.”

  “I walked. Relax. Nobody saw me.” All I could do was stand there staring at that gorgeous body that I wanted to devour. My eyes showed her the exact reason for my visit, and it didn’t take her long at all to decide what she was going to do about it.

  Her gaze stayed focused on mine, as she took my hand. I was so shocked at what was happening that I didn’t notice her pulling me in the water until it was too late.

  I kissed her sweet lips before saying anything else, or arguing with her about being fully clothed. As the water soaked all of the fabric, I stood there, wrapping my arms around her tiny waist.

  “So nobody knows you’re here?” She needed extra confirmation.

  My head moved from side to side, while I studied her reaction. From the shit-eating grin, I already knew she wasn’t going to ask me to leave. “Nope. The kitchen door is locked and we’re all alone.”

  Her fingernails trailed over my wet shirt. “You shouldn’t be here, Rusty.” I let her lift the fabric over my head, then watched as she unbuttoned my jeans, and started the task of pulling them down. They clung to my legs, but Isabella got them off with ease, probably because she had motive. I could feel her own hunger radiating off of that glistening body.

  I reacted, pressing her against the cold shower wall, and ducking down to savor her sweet pussy again. The flavor was disguised by the rapid amount of water running over her skin, not that I cared much. My idea was to give her pleasure, before taking some for myself. It was my motto; never being selfish for sexual gain. Although one could describe this moment as exactly that. I’d come for one reason, and she was giving it to me without a fight.

  I pulled my face away, only to finally answer her question. “I can’t get enough of you. I need more.”

  With no warning I lifted her up, waiting for her legs to wrap around my back. She welcomed my kisses, and accepted all of me as I entered her. The sheer pleasure of being inside of her overwhelmed me again. I buried my head in between her breasts, pushing her with my body, so that I could run one hand over her hardened nipples. This beautiful woman had finally let me in. I couldn’t get enough, and it was hard to control. I wanted to be lost in her, completely, with no concern for anyone else. We were two consenting adults, sharing a connection that was only natural. I’d waited for this woman to notice me, and now that it had happened, I wasn’t willing to give it up.

  After a few moments of straining to hold her up and do all of the things I wanted to do to her, I soon realized that it would be better if we continued on her bed. Carefully, I carried her wet body out of the bathroom and placed her down on the comforter on her mattress. She pulled me along with her, allowing me to savor her sweet lips.

  I took my time, never caring about where I wasn’t supposed to be. Nothing else was more important than remaining in bed with this woman, who’d gracefully helped me to begin to heal.

  Each encounter we were learning more about each other, like the way she enjoyed being tickled just under her chin, or the way she responded when I kissed the lobe of her ear. I loved the way she laughed, and how she made little moan sounds when I gave her pleasure.

  After spending a good hour in her bed, I let her know that I wouldn’t be able to stop visiting her. I put my wet clothes back on, and kissed her goodbye, knowing that I’d have to head back to the trailer to change into dry clothes, before I could even settle in for the night.

  It was difficult walking out that door, knowing she was still in bed naked. The annoying wet clothes left a smile on my face as I traveled back to my place, because I knew the reason they were still soaked was worth any lost amount of time.

  That night it was hard to stay focused on anything. She was so close, yet unreachable in a sense. If I could only convince Noah that I wasn’t a threat to his family, maybe he could get past his having to protect his cousin from me.

  There had to be a way to get into his good graces, and I was determined to make it happen.

  She was passed her first trimester, and we both knew that soon she’d have to tell everyone about the baby. As much as I wanted to be there for her, I knew she wasn’t ready to hear that I wanted to be around and help her raise the baby. I’d thought a lot about it, and had made my mind up. Nothing brought me more happiness than being a father. I knew that nobody could ever replace Sydney, but at least I’d be able to feel that kind of love again.

  With the upcoming nuptials of her cousin and his girlfriend, Isabella was on edge knowing that the family was coming in for a coed wedding shower. Her little belly was beginning to show, but she did a good job hiding it with baggy jackets, and sweatshirts. Since the weather was getting cooler in the evenings nobody would have questioned it. In fact, she probably could have gotten away with just saying she’d gained a few pounds, and they wouldn’t have known any different.

  Still, after worrying about it for so long she was ready to come clean. She was too far along for anyone to even suggest that she not keep the child. Even before we became something more, I think I would have lost my shit if I heard someone talking about that in front of me.