Page 24 of Big Gruff Cowboy

She says with a frown, “I was being helpful.”

“You were acting like a servant,” I argue, anger burning in my gut. I hate that she felt that way, even for a moment. “It’s not just there. You do it everywhere.”

She scowls. “So, now it’s a problem if I keep your house tidy?”

“Our house,” I quickly correct her, “and no, that’s not the problem. You don’t have to earn your place here.”

She blinks up at me, tears welling in her eyes. “It’s just that I want to stay.”

“No one is going to make you leave. No one will ever pull my sweet girl from my arms,” I reassure her.

I try to tug her into my embrace, but she ducks away. She moves to the kitchen island, puttering and putting things away.

“Lizzy,” I call her name and she finally looks at me, and the pleading look on her face just about guts me.

Her voice trembles, “I’ve never had a family. I’m nervous that I’m going to mess this up, and I won’t get another chance.”

My heart twists for her, the pain threatening to bring me to my knees. I move toward her, but she holds up a hand, and I instantly still. She’s quiet for a moment, searching for the right words.

“I had a foster family. It was the nicest place I’d ever stayed at. The home was clean and warm. No one hit me.” She wraps her arms around herself. “I got treated like the other daughters as long as I kept the house clean and made sure everything was neat. But the mom always reminded me that I was just one mistake away from getting sent back.”

I swear under my breath. How the fuck can anyone be that cruel to a child?

She continues, “One day, I dropped a glass. It shattered, and that was it. I was out again. I know the moment I mess up, you’re not going to want me anymore. The thing about it is I really like you. I like your family. I like being with you.”

I circle the island in two quick strides and drag her against my chest. “You can shatter as many glasses as you need to. No one is ever going to send you away. I won’t let them.”

She sniffs against my chest.

I hate this. I hate all the wounds that were left on her heart by those that only wanted to use her for their gain. I hate a system that left a little girl feeling so unloved and so very alone. I press a kiss to her forehead, quietly reassuring her, “No one is going to take you away from me. You won’t ever have to leave.”

Chapter 13

Lizzy

“No one is going to take you away from me. You won’t ever have to leave,” Noah murmurs as he holds me to his chest. He’s so strong and solid. His body is a fortress, wrapping around me.

My hands slip under his t-shirt, tracing the planes of his body. His sharp intake of breath and soft groan have my nipples pebbling beneath my t-shirt.

“Lizzy…” His voice is soft. He’s still thinking that I need comfort. He’s right, but I need more than just the comfort of his words. I need skin-on-skin. I need to be naked with this man, need to feel his cock ramming into me. Reminding me that I’m his, no matter what the past is trying to tell me.

“I need you to make love to me,” I admit. He’s making me feel too many things. All the walls I’ve built are threatening to come crashing down. I need to stop feeling and just be in motion with him.

He searches my face for a moment but whatever he sees must reassure him that this is what I need. He helps me out of my shirt. We’re a tangle of limbs, dropping clothes as we hurriedly undress.

We’re bumping into walls as we kiss each other and laughing the entire time. This is how things are with Noah. They’re easy and simple until finally, we’re in his big bed together and he’s hovering over me. His gaze is filled with so much tenderness even as he drags his cock through my swollen folds. “You feel that, good girl? That’s your man’s cock.”

I whimper at the words. I love the dirty things he says and the way he makes me feel so naughty while reassuring me that I’m his good girl. I desperately want to please him, to make him proud. “Please, I need it.”

He ignores my pleading and continues the slow torture. He presses a soft kiss to my jaw. “Who will give you babies?”

“You will.” The words come out as a whine. He’s pushing me closer and closer to the edge. But I don’t want to go over without him. I need to feel him inside of me, demanding I take his cock.

His lips move higher, brushing against my earlobe. “Who will milk your tits when they grow big?”

“You will.” I try to lift my hips to get more friction but all it takes is one stern look, and I instantly settle down. He’s in control. The thought has more moisture gushing from my body.

He nips at my lobe before licking away the sting. “And who will come in your sweet little pussy until your ripe little body can’t take anymore?”

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