Page 40 of The Cowboy's Ultimatum

“You have to ask,” he warned, his voice husky.

“Please, Sir, may I come, please, please…”

“Now, give it to me now.”

As she exploded beneath him, he squeezed his eyes shut and let his climax sweep through his body. He could hear her cries as his powerful, sparkling spasms seized him. When they finally released him from their grip, they left him breathless with his heart pounding.

* * *

Nestled in his arms, Helen let out a contented sigh. She never wanted to leave, but the air against her skin was turning cold.

“We’d better head back,” Andy softly remarked. “The light’s fadin’ and it’ll be chilly pretty soon.”

“I know, I was just thinking the same thing, but this has been amazing. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“Hey, the pleasure’s all mine, like, seriously,” he replied with a chuckle, then sat up and reached for her shirt. “Here, put this on.”

As she took it from his hand and began slipping her arms into the sleeves, she glanced across at the mountain just in time to see a huge slice of ice break off.

“Andy! Look! The mountain.”

“Wow, you don’t see that every day!” he exclaimed, darting his eyes across just in time. “I wish I’d had my phone out.”

“Me too. It makes me want to sit here and watch for it to happen again.”

“That was one chance in a million.”

“Like you,” she whispered.

“And you,” he murmured back, then closing his eyes, he placed his lips on hers in a long, lingering kiss.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Across from the ranch in a heavily wooded area Ken had been watching the ranch. When he’d spotted Andy and Helen head out on a ride he’d planned to break in for a poke around, and he’d make it obvious. Keeping Helen on edge and the cowboy worried could prevent a foolish last minute change of heart. But a deputy’s car had arrived and parked on the side of the road.

Ken had been forced to stay where he was, hoping the annoying lawman would leave. But he didn’t budge until Helen and Andy returned. By the time they had settled all the horses into the barn and returned to the house it was almost dark, and Ken still faced a long ride all the way back to Dallas. There were important matters waiting for him at his clubhouse, including a meeting with one of his biggest suppliers.

The following day he would be supervising the deliveries to his sellers, including Erin. When he was finished he would have to ride back to Smoky Hill with several of his gang to ensure he had control of his new pipeline. Small towns were surprisingly profitable. He didn’t have a crystal ball, but he was pretty sure he knew how it would all go down, and rarely was he wrong.

“They’re back, now get the fuck out of here,” he grunted under his breath staring down at the deputy’s car, then abruptly broke into a grin. Andy had appeared and was jogging across the road. Ken knew it was to thank the deputy and send him on his way.

* * *

Andy planned to invite the deputy in for a cup of coffee, but as he approached the car he couldn’t shake the edgy feeling he’d hadsince he and Helen had been putting the horses away. Pausing his step, he stared up and down the empty road.

“Hey, Andy, what’s wrong?” the deputy called, leaning out his window. “Did you see something?

“No, but I’ve got one of those weird vibes. You probably know what I mean,” Andy replied, walking towards him.

“Oh, yeah, you bet I do.”

“Maybe I’m just bein’ paranoid.”

“I’ve been parked here the whole time you were on your ride and I haven’t seen any bikers.”

“I guess I’m just twitchy. Anyway, I came out to thank you and to ask if you’d like to come in for coffee.”

“That’s real nice, but I need to get back to the station then head on home. But the sheriff said I can call in a replacement if you want.”

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