Page 18 of The Cowboy's Close Quarters Claim

Nothing serious. The lung healed up on its own in a few days. Didn't even need it drained or a night in the hospital.

The ribs, on the other hand, took a few weeks to make sure they were back in proper order. Three weeks of Gunner fussin' and fawning all over me; making sure I didn't do anything to injure myself again while he moved me out of my one-bedroom trailer out in the staff housing and into his two story place up near the main house where his mother still lives.

Three weeks of eating what the man calls cooking and lying around at nights much later than I normally stay up talking and laughing and fighting over which movies to watch while he rubs my feet...and once I was feeling up to it, other things as well.

He's impossible to live with.

Gunner's got a protective streak in him that runs even wider than the stubborn one, fussing over me all the time like I'm one of those fragile blossom type girls.

God help me when I give in to his crazy talk about starting a family together.

Of course I'm going to marry the infernal old grump.

He's right, we're too good together to let this slip through our fingers. I knew it that first night together. It just took me some time to get used to the idea.

"You ready for bed, darling?"

"Call me darling Clementine and we're going to have a problem, O'Leary."

Letting him pull me to my feet, he wraps me in his arms and softly sings the stupid song my parents named me for.

If he was anyone else, I'd knee him in the balls, but not only am I going to need him uninjured for the next hour or so-- I might secretly kind of like hearing the way his deep voice makes the hokey old song sound oddly romantic against my ear. And dirty. But that's because he's made up several new verses just for me.

"And if you don't get your sweet ass naked and in my bed, we're going to have a problem too, darling."

His hands are already wandering, squeezing my ass as he pulls me up against him, letting me feel how hard he already is for me.

"You still showing that thing off like it's supposed to impress me?"

Truth of the matter is, the man has more than enough to impress any girl. He'd probably scare the hell out of a girl that didn't know what to do with it. But I like giving my man grief, almost as much as I enjoy showing him that I know exactly what to do with the thick length pressed into my belly at the moment.

"I know how to impress you."

Gunner runs the scruff of his jaw along my collar bones, his mouth working hot kisses along my throat and then along my shoulder as he pops open the buttons on the flannel shirt I stole from his closet.

By the time his mouth closes over my hard nipple, I've lost my playful attitude as well as my balance.

The man does, indeed, know how to impress me.

With my back against the wall and Gunner on his knees in front of me, I'm in heaven right here in the hallway.

"Damn you, O'Leary..." But the words come out slurred and breathless.

My curse is answered with a smug grunt, but he doesn't have anything to say-- his mouth is busy.

He works his thick fingers along the seam of my sex, taking pride in the wetness that coats his fingers and tongue as he licks along the creases and teases my entrance till I'm moaning and begging for release.

"You wanna come for me right here in the hall, darling?" His voice is thick with desire as he speaks against the crease of my thigh while he drives two of his fingers deep inside me and moves them till I'm panting and squirming.

"You like getting me so worked up that I can't even wait to get you in the bedroom before I need to get a taste of your hot little pussy?"

His dirty mouth takes its fill of me again, this time locking over my swollen clit and working his tongue over the bud till I'm grinding on his face, one hand gripping the top of his head and one leg thrown over his shoulder so I can hold him in place till he finishes what he's started.

"Tell me, Clem."

How he manages to pull that wicked mouth off of me with the grip I've got on him, I don't know, but the loss of his tongue on me has me ready to cry.

"Tell me how much this greedy little cunt wants to come all over my face and I'll make it happen."

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