Page 60 of Blame It On Midnight

“Eyes on me.” It was an order, and how could she refuse?

Collins placed her hands on his shoulders. “I need it faster,” she managed to say, biting her lip to keep from screaming when he pulled out entirely and rubbed himself against her swollen clitoris. With one hand still holding onto the truck for support, he gripped her hip with his other and, after easing back inside her…slowly…he began to fuck her the way she needed him to. In. Then out. Faster. Harder.

She moaned as her climax built. Began to cry when it crested. When it tightened around him. And when it crashed wide open and they came together, she told herself that no way sex could get better than this. Not ever.

Yet hours later, back at Duffer’s Place, back in her bed and the shower and on the chair and against the door. It was more than better. It was more than orgasmic. It was as if his body was made for her. As if his mind and soul and heart were the things she needed to live. To breathe. They were mad for each other. Frenzied with a need she couldn’t articulate.

And as she fell asleep, wrapped in his arms, she realized a few things. One, she knew that this connection between them was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. She would never feel this way about another man. Ever. And two, not once had they used a condom. Something she’d never done before. She wasn’t worried about a pregnancy because of her IUD. It was the trust thing she’d never managed with anyone before.

She’d lost control and so had he.

This was some kind of beautiful, crazy thing, and if she were being honest, more than a little scary.

Chapter Twenty-One

Saturday morning found Benton up early, well before the sun rose. He poured himself a big cup of black coffee, settled in the office, and did paperwork for a couple of hours. He was finishing up just as Nora made her way downstairs. Eyes sleep heavy and hair mussed adorably, she smiled when she spied him, and he scooped her into his arms. He dropped a kiss on her cheeks.

“Daddy, your beard tickles.”

He chuckled and deposited her in a chair, then grabbed the OJ from the fridge. Once she had a glass and gave him her breakfast order, he rustled up some bacon and eggs, then cleaned up his mess while she finished her breakfast.

“Mike Paul is coming, and we’re going to check on those mares.”

“The ones who have babies in their bellies?”

He nodded. “You want to come watch him work?”

“Yes, please,” she said, hopping down from her chair. “He lets me hold the thing sometimes.”

Benton didn’t want to know what the ‘thing’ was, so he didn’t ask.

“Brush your teeth and pull on some barn clothes.”

Normally, his daughter liked to lollygag after breakfast, but she was back down in less than ten minutes, with freshly brushed teeth (she presented an open mouth for his inspection), and her hair was tamed, pulled back into a ponytail. She followed him out to the barns, nattering nonstop about her kitten, her bunny, and her pony. Mike Paul was already set up with his ultrasound equipment and waved hello. They had ten pregnant mares to check, and while Mike Paul got to it, with Nora helping him out, Benton walked to the other end of the barn. Ryland and Cole stood in front of the last stall and waited for him to join them.

“Didn’t expect you boys until mid-afternoon.”

“The kid wanted to be back in time to meet up with his pals in Bozeman.”

“Right.” Benton nodded. “Music festival, isn’t it?”

His brother nodded, then pointed to the stall. “This colt is going to be amazing. Look at his lines. His conformation. And he’s barely two.”

Benton had to agree. He had a soft spot for blue roans, and this one, with an impressive pedigree, might be the plug he needed to fill the hole in his breeding program. He looked at Cole. “What do you think?”

His cousin looked like a man who’d been on the road for days. Which, to be fair, he had. He and Ryland had visited several ranches and breeding stables looking for the right colt.

“I think he’s the one. I’ll take him with me to Texas, and we’ll continue his training. But yeah, he could make a fine stallion for your program.” He winked. “You’re looking like you got a bit of a spring in your step. I take it things are good?”

“Don’t start,” he replied. Then looked at his brother. “Take the red truck if you’re headed to Bozeman. It has new tires and brake pads.”

“You going?” Ryland asked.

“I might.” He wasn’t sure if he and Collins were staying in or not. He grinned wryly. “I need to get through Nora’s first dance class of the year, and then we’ll see.”

Cole made a face and stepped back. “Have fun with that. I’ve been driving for hours. Gonna have a shower and hit the hay.”

He and Ryland turned back to the colt as his cousin headed to the house. He was already into the alfalfa. “What’s his name again?”

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