01 Winters Thaw (12 page)

Neither of them spoke as he pressed inside. If he’d been in less agony, he would have entered her with more care, slowly. As it was, he wanted her too much and she felt wonderful.

Sienna didn’t complain, didn’t give him any reason to doubt she was with him in her need. Her nails dug into his back as he pushed in the last inch, seated to the hilt.

Then he lifted his hips until only the head of his cock remained and thrust in harder. Sienna’s gasps, her moans of pleasure, her fingers clinging to his arms urged him on. Over and over, he pounded inside her as she joined him in the dance. Every time he returned, she was there, her hips lifted to welcome him back. When he felt his climax building, his balls tightening, he reached down to rub her clit.

“Come with me.”

“I already came.”

Daniel didn’t have the strength to roll his eyes, though he sure as hell wanted to. “Do it anyway.”

He stroked her clit faster, increasing the power behind his thrusts into her body. Sienna’s back arched.

“Holy shit,” she breathed. “Holy, holy shit.”

Unable to hold off any longer, Daniel’s cock exploded, the pleasure so pure, so intense, it couldn’t be described as anything less than sweet agony. He’d only begun to come down when he felt Sienna tumble over the cliff again.

Her inner muscles tightened around his cock and he groaned, his flesh too sensitive.

“Fuck.” He gasped for air, his chest rising and falling like a horse that had just been put through his paces.

Sienna shuddered when he pulled out and fell to her side. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling as she attempted to catch her own breath. Daniel watched the veil of uncertainty and shyness begin to cover her again.

He wasn’t having it. Rising, he went to the bathroom to quickly dispose of the condom and then he crawled back into bed.

“Come here.” He reached for her, wrapping her in his embrace. They were both sweaty, sticky. He was going to insist she take a shower with him.

He knew Sienna would try to retreat to her own bedroom soon, but he wasn’t about to let her walk out in the cold winter air in her present overheated state.

She wrapped her arm loosely around his waist, though her body was definitely tense.

“Relax.” He reached down to raise her arm higher on his chest, then he lifted her leg over his hips. He liked the feeling of her snuggled against him.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“We just had some pretty incredible sex. Don’t you think we deserve a little bit of cuddling?”

“I have no idea what the proper protocol is after casual sex.”

“It’s this,” he assured her.

She didn’t loosen up. Instead, she lifted her head to glance at the clock beside his bed. “I should probably get dressed and head back to my house.”

He grinned at her innocence. She was a breath of fresh air after far too many jaded buckle bunnies. He lifted his alarm clock up and set it. He showed her the time. “That early enough?”

She nodded. “You don’t mind me sleeping here?”

He tightened his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “Close your eyes, Sienna. I’ll make sure you’re home before anyone realizes you were gone.”

“Okay. It
was
incredible, wasn’t it?” Her sleepy question told him she was in no condition to fight him about returning home. He was glad. For the first time in a week, he was damn tired himself and there was no way he’d let her walk back to her house alone in the middle of the night.

“That was just the beginning. We’re not finished by a long shot.”

He felt her lips lift into a grin against his chest. “I’m glad. I have a whole list of stuff I was hoping to try.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

The tension in her body began to fade as she whispered her fantasies to him. Whether it was the dark room, the haze of sex still lingering in the air or pure exhaustion, Sienna held nothing back as she shared her deepest, darkest desires with him.

His sweet nurse had an active, vivid, sexy-as-hell imagination. Despite having just come, Daniel felt his cock twitch when she described her favorite capture fantasy. He closed his eyes and let her words wrap their way around his own needs, feeding them. Sienna dreamed of bondage, sex in public, being chased, spanked. Jesus.

When her words came slower, he realized she was talking herself to sleep. He gently placed his finger against her lips.

“Shh. Go to sleep, beauty.” She was going to need her rest. Because Daniel was determined to give her everything. He’d fulfill all her fantasies.

And then he’d give her more.

Chapter Seven

Sienna sat on the front porch, rocking slowly on the swing. While her eyes were taking in all the happenings of the ranch, she wasn’t seeing a damn thing. It was her day off. She’d intended to use the time to do a little Christmas shopping, but she couldn’t manage to wrap her head around the holiday.

After a week of sneaking out for midnight rendezvous with Daniel, she was tired, sore in places that had never hurt before and flying so high off the ground, she couldn’t see Earth.

So far, she and Daniel had managed to keep their change of status from friends to lovers a secret from her immediate family. Only her cousins knew. She smiled when she recalled the very long group grilling she’d received after her first night in Daniel’s RV.

She’d never seen Jade so impressed and, if she wasn’t mistaken, Sterling had appeared a bit jealous.
Of her.
It was fun to be the wild Compass girl for once. For the first time in her life, she could see the appeal of cutting loose, having fun, living on instinct.

She and Daniel had agreed to keep their relationship a secret because neither of them was sure how her father would react. Daniel needed his job and, given the fact Sienna had never dated any boy besides Josh, there were some unknowns in terms of how far she could push Dad’s protective streak. Sex with a boyfriend was one thing, but a casual affair with one of his ranch hands? Sienna had no desire to approach her father and say, “Oh, by the way, Dad, I’m sleeping with Daniel. But don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. Just fucking.”

Vivi and Hope walked out onto the front porch.

“There you are,” Vivi said, joining her on the swing. Hope claimed a rocking chair nearby. Vivi and Hope had a standing weekly lunch date. Usually, Hope would pick her up and take Vivi out somewhere special, but as their grandmother had just started to recover from a head cold, they’d opted to stay in today.

Sienna grasped her grandmother’s hand. “Did you two have a nice lunch date?”

Vivi nodded. “We sure did. Hope’s chicken salad is officially better than mine. My reign as ruler of the kitchen is over.”

They laughed, then Vivi lifted her face and took a deep breath. “The fresh air feels good. It’s a pretty day.”

Sienna agreed. They were having a brief respite from the chilly weather. Today’s sunshine actually felt warm for a change. “That’s one reason why I decided to hang out here rather than tackle the shops. Unfortunately, I’m afraid I’m going to pay for that later. I still don’t have Christmas gifts for James or Dad.”

Vivi pulled her sweater around her, her legs moving in time with Sienna’s as they rocked on the swing. “Your mom and I went in together to buy your dad that new saddle he’s had his eye on. That man will buy the boys the best of everything when it comes to riding equipment, but he never manages to get himself anything nice. I swear he’s used the same saddle for nearly twenty years. I can’t believe the thing hasn’t fallen apart.”

Sienna nodded. “Yeah, that’s true. Maybe you and mom are on to something there. I’ll talk to Daniel to see if there’s anything else Dad’s using in the stable that could stand to be replaced.”

Hope spent a few minutes listing all the things she’d bought for her family. Sienna grinned as she listened. Hope was the queen of Christmas. She usually had her shopping finished and her presents wrapped before Halloween. While Sienna wasn’t quite that efficient, she was typically in better shape by this time of the year. If she didn’t get her act together soon, she’d be doing the Christmas Eve dash with Jade and Sterling. Something she never thought she’d have to do.

It had been a weird winter. Hell, the whole year had been screwed up. And yet, Sienna couldn’t muster any regret or sadness. Truth be told, she was having the time of her life.

Vivi smiled. “Sounds like you found some really nice things, Hope. Jody and I got Seth a new saddle. I can’t wait to see his face when he opens the box. That one he’s using now is about to fall apart.”

Hope gave Sienna a funny look before turning her gaze back to their grandmother. “You just told us that, Vivi.”

“Oh. Did I?” Vivi frowned as warning bells sounded in Sienna’s head.

Sienna leaned closer. “I’d like to make you an appointment to come in and see Dr. Spencer.”

“Why?” Vivi asked. “I just had a checkup six months ago.”

Sienna nodded. “Even so, I’m concerned about these lapses of memory you keep having.”

Hope chimed in. “I think a checkup is a great idea.”

Vivi waved away their concerns, dismissing their anxiety with a joke. “You’re worrying for nothing. When you get to be my age, you’re lucky if you can remember your own name most days.”

“Even so, I’d feel better if you’d go,” Sienna pressed.

Hope bent forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “So would I.”

“No,” Vivi snapped, rising from the swing angrily. “There’s not a thing wrong with me and I don’t appreciate you girls pestering me. My memory is fine.”

Hope bit her lip nervously. Sienna shared her cousin’s surprise and anxiety. Vivi had never lost her temper with them. Ever.

“Vivi,” Sienna started, trying to keep her voice softer, calm. “I just think—”

“Dammit, Jody. I said no!”

Sienna wasn’t sure how to respond.

Finally, it was Hope’s quiet voice that filled the silence. “That’s not Jody, Vivi. It’s Sienna.”

Vivi’s angry face melted away as bewilderment clouded her eyes. Sienna realized she preferred the anger. Her grandmother’s gaze passed from Sienna to Hope, appearing so lost, it took all the strength in Sienna’s body not to rise and wrap Vivi up in her embrace. To drop her request. To promise that everything would be okay.

“Fine,” Vivi said at last. “Set up the appointment, Sienna. I’ll go.” She walked back into the house leaving Hope and Sienna floundering for answers.

It was several hours later when Sienna made her way to the stable. She and Hope had made an appointment with Sienna’s boss for after New Year’s. Dr. Spencer assured them he’d do a thorough exam and he agreed that the girls were right to insist Vivi come in.

Once they’d spoken to the doctor, they called Sterling and Jade to tell them what had happened. All four girls made plans to accompany Vivi to the appointment. Talking to her cousins had gone a long way to soothing Sienna’s concerns, but she still couldn’t quite let go of her anxiety.

She hoped Daniel could offer her some sort of solace. He had a way of taking her mind off her worries, either with jokes or sexual innuendoes. Every night, they’d come together in a mad dash, stripping off their clothing and tumbling onto the bed, barely speaking a word. The sex was incredible, but she enjoyed the cuddling that came afterwards just as much. Daniel would hold her as they talked—their conversations little bits of nothing most of the time. Lately, it felt as if he was tempering so many of her rough edges.

After her distressing conversation with Vivi, she hoped to do some forgetting of her own.

She glanced around the stable, disappointed when she found it empty. She hadn’t sought Daniel out during the day this week, appreciating their need to be circumspect. But today…she needed him.

“Hey,” Sienna cried when strong arms engulfed her from behind. She relaxed within seconds, recognizing Daniel’s touch.

“Shh.” Daniel’s breath tickled her ear. “Walk.”

She obeyed his hushed demand for silence, amazed by the instant arousal his touch provoked. He propelled her toward the tack room. The windowless space was small and dark. Once they were inside, Daniel didn’t bother to turn on the light. She jerked when she heard the door close behind them, twisting in his arms.

“What are you do—”

Daniel cut off her question with a kiss that not only robbed her words, it stole her air as well.

“No talking or I’ll gag you.”

Daniel’s voice was dark, threatening, hot as hell. God, he’d remembered her capture fantasy. She’d secretly worried she had told him too much about her dark desires that first night because he hadn’t mentioned them since.

In the past week, though the sex had been hotter than hell, it had also been fairly straightforward. Usually, he met her outside the back door of her house and walked with her to his trailer. By the time they got to his place, they were too hot and bothered to do much more than tear each other’s clothes off and fuck as if their lives depended on it. She’d never felt so much passion, such heart-racing need in her life. The days dragged by at a snail’s pace while she waited for the time when she could fall into Daniel’s bed again.