Under the Cowboy's Control (16 page)

Travis turned and grabbed his shorts and dug into his pocket. Since the day she walked onto his ranch, he had carried protection with him, wherever he was. He pulled the small square out of his pocket and started to rip it open, to have it ready by his side.

She watched what he was doing, shock running through her. She knew it was a condom, but why, exactly? Weren't they sinful? She and Travis were married, there should be no need for birth control.

"Why--Why d-do we need that?" Her voice was soft, her legs moving with her agitation.

"I'll get you pregnant if we don't use one." His words were harsh.

"Maybe n-not."

"Maybe so." Did she want to risk pregnancy? Already the thought of sliding into her, totally naked, totally unprotected, was arousing him even more. God, he really wanted to take her virginity with nothing between them.

He studied her, the silky smoothness of her body waiting for him.

His voice was deep, questioning her. "Are you okay with no protection? You'll risk a baby?" A vision of her sitting in the living room, nursing his baby came to mind.

His shaft pulsed between them.

She answered in a quiet voice. "
Si
. I am your wife, am I not?"

Travis abandoned the idea of contraception and dropped down beside her. "Yeah, you're my wife."

She had had her chance. An elemental satisfaction ran through him, piercing his brain, piercing his body. If she wanted to tie herself to him for life, he damn sure wasn't going to argue with her.

He was finished talking.

He wrapped her in his arms, and lowered his mouth to hers. The kiss was hot, carnal, making them both moan with need. Their tongues tangled, their hips aligning and pushing together. His fingers sunk into her hair and held her to him, immobilized.

He lifted his mouth and brought his hand down between her legs, opening her folds and finding the bud at the top of her sex. He pressed against her and watched her shimmer in his arms.

The tutorial he had given her the day before had prepared her for what was going to happen.

"I want to go slow, but I can't." His voice was a growl as he watched her legs part for him.

She panted, her breathing erratic. "No. Not slow."

Selena reached down between them and put her hand on his erection, the move he had loved so much the day before. He jerked away from her.

"No. I'll come too fast. I want to come inside you."

She closed her eyes as intense feelings washed through her body. She stiffened slightly when his finger slid down and found her small, wet opening. She felt her body raining all over his fingers, but she was on fire and couldn't be embarrassed.

Her hips lifted, asking for his penetration.

He slowly slipped his finger inside of her. She tightened around him and her breath caught at this new sensation.

Travis tried to be careful. The need to be gentle and a basic male curiosity had him going slow. He hadn't penetrated very deeply when he came to the membrane that guarded her virginity. It was strong and taut. He thought the tiny opening was too small to put his finger inside. She was so tiny; his hands were not.

"Angel, I'm touching your virginity." His hand shook as he spoke; his words deep and low. "I'm holding it in my hands." He bent his head and kissed her forehead in benediction.

Selena was shimmering with a need that had her raising her hips toward him. "
Si,
si.
Please, Travis."

Travis hesitated only briefly. He took his finger from her and pushed his torso over hers, spreading her legs wide. He captured her wrists in his hands and lifted them over her head, and held them there with one of his strong hands.

Her eyes flew wide. She stared up at him, shocked to find herself held captive.

Twin feelings of trepidation and excitement arrowed through her. The look on his face was intent, the skin stretched tight over his features, his nostrils flaring as he sucked oxygen in and out of his lungs.

Travis was fighting the primeval urge to seize her and ram into her. Now was the ultimate time to be gentle, and all he could think about was busting through her virginity and claiming it as his.

He hung over her and fought the feeling, fought it hard.

Travis closed his eyes and took her lips softly. He felt her hesitant response, and he let go of the wrists he had captured. He held himself over her with one strong arm, while he slid his other hand unerringly down her side, past her waist, and landed on the treasure between her thighs. He put his finger on her bud and pressed lightly, rotated it around until she was moaning again and moving against him.

Her arms fell around his shoulders as they continued to kiss. She pushed her pelvis into him, and she was wet fire between her thighs.

It was time.

Travis moved his finger from her and positioned himself at her wet, slick opening.

He held himself there and looked at her face. She was so beautiful, he couldn't believe she was his.

"Selena, open your eyes for me." The words whispered over her consciousness.

Her eyes slowly opened to find him staring down at her. He pushed the broad head of his penis inside her and watched her while he did it. He continued to slowly push in and Selena's eyes widened as she felt herself being stretched wide.

He saw the moment she began to panic, and he reached down between them and started rubbing her sweet spot again. "It's okay, baby. I've got you." His head dropped to her breast, and he took a pink nipple into his mouth and started sucking on her, deeply.

Her silky passage became slicker, and she pushed against him slightly.

He butted against her hymen. He couldn't penetrate any farther without taking her completely. He fought for control, and tried to remember he could only take her virginity once.

He slid back out, almost completely. He lifted his head and her eyes searched his.

He slid back in and her breath caught and she wriggled beneath him.

He repeated the movement several times until he thought he would die if he couldn't push all the way in. His hand manipulated her clitoris and she began bucking against him.

Her body clenched beneath his, and he knew she was about to come. He tightened his butt and with one smooth thrust forward, impaled her completely.

Her fingers clawed at his back, and she clutched him to her as her climax took hold. Waves upon waves of intense pleasure pulsed from her body. She felt no pain.

He sank all the way into her, and momentarily stilled while ferocious satisfaction swept through his whole body. He pushed in harder as he felt her orgasm take her.

He pulled out, and pushed back in, delicious tension taking hold of him as her internal muscles gripped him. She was so tight, so hot, so silky, so wet. He gritted his teeth as his body took over, pushing at her, pulling from her in a primal rhythm.

He shoved his hands under her butt and tilted her toward him, allowing for an even deeper penetration.

He lost it completely and hammered at her.

Selena felt it the moment his body separated from his brain, and knew he wasn't in control anymore. Her orgasm had faded, and now she hung in his grasp, and tried to endure. He wasn't hurting her, but she was completely stretched, and the pressure was enormous. She wrapped her arms around him as far as she could and reached out with her tongue to kiss the male nipple in front of her.

When she did, he went wild and bucked against her, growled deeply from his chest and spilled his seed inside her.

Travis moved his hands from her butt and dropped onto his elbows so he wouldn't crush her. The most intense orgasm of his life was slowly fading, and a primal feeling of possession fueled his blood.

He reached down and lazily kissed her lips, twining his fingers through her hair and holding her face captive. He raised his head and studied the large violet eyes looking back at him. "Now you're my wife."

She gave him a shaky little smile. "Yes."

He took more kisses from her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, Travis. It didn't hurt at all." The words were almost a whisper.

His voice was deep. "It hurt you. You just didn't notice because you were coming.

The pleasure dulled the pain. Pleasure is the perfect anesthetic."

He rolled onto his side and took her with him. Their bodies disconnected and Selena felt a twinge of discomfort and grimaced.

He noticed. "See, you are hurting. Baby, I'm sorry--Jesus Christ!" He looked down and saw more blood than he had anticipated. Her eyes started to follow his, and he grabbed her chin and held it in place. "Don't look."

Selena frowned. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want you to be upset." He stood up and in one controlled movement, grabbed her hand and swept her to her feet. He picked her up and headed to the pond with her in his arms. He waded into the water, and only dropped her to her feet when he was up to his waist.

She clutched at him immediately. The water swirled around her chest and she wrapped her arms all the way around him. "Travis, I cannot swim." Her words came in small gasps.

He held her safely by the arms, and his grip tightened. "Why the hell not?"

"Because I am afraid of deep w-water."

"Why didn't you tell me that this afternoon when I suggested coming to the pond?"

She blushed. "I for--forgot. I was thinking of other things."

Yeah. He knew what she was thinking of. "Well, we'll have to remedy that problem.

But not today. I've got other things on my mind."

He reached down and lifted her face to his. His deep, velvet brown eyes captured her violet ones. "Thank you, Angel."

She gave him a sweet smile. "You are welcome, Travis. What are you thanking me for?"

He reached down between them into the water and found the liquid heat between her thighs. He palmed her firmly. "For my wedding present. The gift of your virginity will be a special memory that I'll take to my grave. You've truly humbled me."

Selena heard his tender words, but the heat he was making between her thighs threatened to burn out of control. She tried to answer him. "Mmmm…"

He slipped a finger inside her. This time, he didn't have to be as careful. She clung to him and moved against his hand. He bent down and lapped at her nipple. Within moments, they were both on fire.

He moved his hands to her waist and lifted her. "Wrap your legs around me."

Selena did as he ordered, and clung to his shoulders as he began pushing inside of her, taking small, jerky thrusts. Finally, he was seated in her completely. He groaned at the tight fit. "Oh God, yeah. That's it." He held her firmly by the butt, both hands wrapped around and underneath her. He controlled the movement of her body. He lowered his head. "Put your breast in my mouth."

Shock and anticipation swept through Selena. She didn't hesitate, and in seconds he was sucking at her nipple, manipulating her up and down as the thrill of sexual excitement arced between them.

Within moments they had both reached a peak, and were coming together, finding each other's lips and fusing their mouths together. Their tongues entwined as the pleasure rushed through them, straining together as one.

When Travis came back down to earth, he was careful to keep a tight hold on Selena, so she would feel safe in the water.

He waded back out of the pond, carrying her in his arms.

Three weeks later, Travis was going over the accounts when the phone call came.

He answered, tension gripping him. He knew who was calling. "Blake."

"Yeah, I've got the information you're looking for." The man on the other end of the line didn't waste any time. "The old man died a few years ago, but the grandmother is still alive. And she's not all that old, Travis. She's sixty-five. And she seems to be in good health, man." The running commentary stopped for a moment.

The news hit Travis with equal feelings of gladness and trepidation.

"Yeah, okay. Where's she living?"

"She's living in Fredericksburg. With all the other rich retirees."

"She's rich, then?" Travis was beginning to feel things that he didn't want to admit to.

"Oh yeah, she's rich." There was a pause. "And hold onto your hat, buddy. She knows about her grandchildren. She doesn't know the brother is dead yet, and she's got all her money in a trust for the two of them."

A sick feeling slid down Travis's spine. It felt an awful lot like fear. "So she's not only going to be glad to see Selena, she's going to want a relationship with my wife."

"For sure, man. I can't figure out what sent her son running off to Mexico all those years ago, but the lady is all into philanthropy and she has a good reputation among the locals. I'm warning you man, she's going to want your wife."

Travis took down the contact information for Selena's grandmother, thanked him for the information, and hung up the phone.

He sat down behind his desk and put his head in his hands and thought about the situation. He knew Selena was content here, but just how happy was she? And how much of it was from choice, and how much from circumstance? He wasn't going to lie to himself now. He had held onto her with a tight fist from the first day she had walked onto his ranch. He had kept her here solely for himself and had callously manipulated her into marrying him.

He thought back to that day, three weeks ago in Laredo, after he had bought the rings. He told her what his expectations of marriage were, and then he had knowingly stoked her fear by telling her he would drop her off at a hotel by herself and leave her there alone. Shit. What kind of a low life son of a bitch was he? He could easily have helped her find a job, and find a safe, decent place to live. He had people all over Laredo who owed him favors. But had he offered that? Had he given her that choice? Hell no. He ruthlessly and methodically scared the crap out of her so she would marry him.

And since that day three weeks ago, he hadn't let her get far from her tether. He liked it best when she was glued to his side, barefoot in his kitchen or naked in his bed. It helped that she really didn't have a choice. She didn't have any money of her own, even though he continually offered to buy her whatever she wanted. She seemed content to stay on the ranch, and he knew with absolute conviction that she was happy in his bed. He had made sure of that. But what real choice had he given her? None. Nada. He had chained her to him, stolen her virginity, and mercilessly used her for his own purposes. It had all been about him. What he wanted. He had set out from day one to make her totally dependent on him. For everything. For money, for food, shelter and clothing, and now he had taught her to crave the sex he could give her.