Cowboy Dragon Page 11

  But she wasn’t finished. She wouldn’t give this cowboy the satisfaction of being done just yet.

  “Another?” he asked in that low, commanding voice, and he reached up to squeeze her breast and press his thumb into the bud of her nipple, calming and arousing her as he made longer thrusts.

  “Another.” Her hand was on her other breast, the sensation almost soothing in contrast to his hard… everything that was focused wholly on her coming and nothing else.

  “That’s my girl.” He pumped his hips into her, making Marian’s breath catch in her throat from the sensation, and she reached both hands behind her to grip the windowsill above her so she could hold on for dear life as she felt another quickly rising build of pleasure.

  In minutes, she came again, writhing and screaming and both cursing and blessing Harrison’s name for his intense, overwhelming lovemaking.

  “I think…” She was aching from release from head to toe, tired but needing to see her man finally lose control like he’d made her again and again.

  “I know.” He leaned over her on the bed, still standing on legs that were a little shakier, even though it was barely noticeable from her angle. “Think you have one more for the finale?”

  “For this?” Her hands grabbed onto his shoulders, glad he was close enough to touch her now, his warmth sheltering her body and making her feel safe and surrounded. “Hell yes.”

  Harrison’s gaze focused as he started to move quicker than before, the wet sound of each thrust tickling her ears even as he wrapped his arms around her to pull Marian in closer. She gripped the velvety, iron muscles on his back, too overwhelmed to moan, to move herself, to do anything really as he pushed them toward the edge.

  When this was all over, she didn’t know how she could go back to any normal world. Harrison felt like home now, the Dragonclaw Ranch and its people her family.

  She loved him. As crazy as it sounded, she loved this man.

  And even though neither of them had said it yet, Marian could see it in the way he looked at her. In the way he acted like his world would collapse if anything happened to her. In the fierce, unstoppable pleasure he gave without question or demands.

  Harrison’s body was getting tense, and she watched with rapt attention as his jaw clenched, the muscles there twitching as he continued to join them both together. She was already so close she could come at any moment, so she just held her breath and tried to wait him out.

  The awaited moment came quickly, and she felt him go rigid inside her just as her own release began to spill out. She came fast and hard, the jerking of his cock only pushing her further as he grunted into her shoulder and she bit down on his.

  God, it felt so good. Better than anything else in the entire world, coming together with her man as wave after wave pulsed deep within her core, wringing out every last bit of tension.

  By the time they’d relaxed, she noted the red mark she’d accidentally left on his shoulder.

  He’d probably give her crap for it, but it was just the heat of the moment.

  Harrison didn’t seem to notice, though. Or if he did, he didn’t care as he pulled the other sleeping bag over them, creating a cocoon of warmth as she relaxed in his arms.

  “I’d say that was my limit there,” she said with a sigh, loving the way her body melded against his.

  “Not bad for starters,” he whispered into her ear, his breath ticklish.

  “For starters? That was a freakin’ marathon.” He was making her all excited all over again.

  And as the rain continued to pour, they snuggled and ate snacks and started all over again, taking advantage of every minute the sudden storm had given them. When the rain let up, their lives would have to resume. But for now, it felt like heaven to just have Harrison all to herself.

  The rest of the world could wait.

  17

  Harrison hadn’t wanted to leave the secret little world he and Marian had been sharing out in the shack in the northeast pasture. But time stood still for no one, even dragons, and once the rain let up, they got their clothes back on, quickly brought the strays back to the herd, and made for the ranch.

  By the time they were trotting back into the courtyard, it was dusk. The clouds overhead were dispersing, casting the sky in bright-red and orange and purple hues, more beautiful than any artist could truly capture on a canvas.

  But it all paled in comparison to the woman in his arms, riding in front of him, smiling over her shoulder up at him so sweetly it almost made him want to give up a life of being a cowboy if it meant he could keep her.

  “You are one in a million,” he whispered into her ear, placing a light kiss while no one was watching, which made her giggle.

  “Says the man who can’t stop going down on me,” she said quietly.

  “My preferences are my own, missy. Now git inside and get a proper meal. You’ll need your strength for later tonight.”

  “What about you?”

  “I have a couple things to sort out with Beck and Clancy. I’ll be right in.”

  “Okay.”

  She smiled up at him as he let her off of Rusty, and he leaned down to lightly slap her ample backside when she turned to make for the house.

  Such a perfect ass.

  Perfect everything.

  And each time he looked at her, his dragon roared, Mate, louder and louder until it was deafening in his ears.

  She looked over at him at least a half-dozen times before disappearing inside the house, and Harrison let out a pent-up breath as more serious thoughts crossed his mind.

  The storm had been the most wonderful distraction in his entire life. He felt deep things for Marian he’d never thought were possible for a lone cowboy like himself.

  But there wasn’t time for romance right now, even if Harrison wanted the lady to be his until the end of time.

  Not when they were all in potential danger.

  He hopped off of Rusty and handed the reins to Dallas, who took his horse back to the barn. When both Beck and Clancy appeared in the yard, he motioned for them to join him at the usual spot immediately.

  “What’s up?” Beck asked, brushing his hands off.

  “You two were gone quite a long time out in the pasture. Stop to take a little break in the storm, did ya?” Clancy said with a grin.

  “Y’all can keep your comments to yourself. Unless you want a reminder of what my fist feels like.”

  Clancy shrugged but backed off.

  “Now this is serious. We’ve got trouble,” he said grimly.

  “You mean the Copperheads?” Beck asked.

  “What?” He hadn’t heard any news of them recently, which was good news in his book.

  “Yeah, Beck and Reno ran into a few patrolling the open fields out in the southeast. Said they were ‘looking for strays.’”

  Bandit speak for rounding up what didn’t rightfully belong to them.

  “We drove ‘em off our property, but I doubt that’ll be the last we see of them,” Beck said with a satisfied grin. He was always itching for a fight, no matter the reason.

  Harrison growled with frustration, taking his hat off and running a hand through his hair before replacing the Stetson. He looked back to the main house, wondering what Marian was up to right now.

  “No, nothing to do with the Copperheads, though that certainly isn’t helpful right now. Considering we have might much bigger problems.” Harrison gave a knowing glance to Beck, then Clancy.

  “What is it?” Clancy was first to read the mood, brows lowering.

  “I think something’s coming out of hibernation.”

  Beck’s face went calm, which happened rarely.

  Clancy waved a dismissive hand. “What? No way. There hasn’t been nearly ‘nuff rain for that.”

  “We came across tracks. It spooked Marian’s horse.” He still remembered the giant imprint in the ground, saw the holes in the earth made by huge, sharp talons even larger than a dragon’s.

  “Did she see it
? Does she know about them?”

  “No, she doesn’t. And I aim to keep it that way.” The helpless woman had only just found out about shifters. The last thing she needed to know was that something horrible lay sleeping beneath the soil of the Texas wilderness.

  “They couldn’t have been fresh. I mean, today was the first real rain we’ve had this season.” Beck, the expert, started talking professionally.

  After all, they’d been dealing with this trouble off and on for centuries.

  If the Copperheads were a thorn in his side, this problem was a railroad spike that jutted up from the ground when you least expected it.

  “Maybe it just woke up, ate a herd or two of deer, and went back to sleep,” Clancy said.

  “We can hope,” Harrison replied. There were enough terrors in Marian’s world. There was no sense bothering her about it yet.

  “So what do we do? If it heads south, it’ll make a quick lunch of our cattle.” Beck watched the horizon as he spoke.

  “Keep the herds rotating along the eastern pastures as long as possible. We just got rain, so the grass should be in good shape.”

  “But those border the Copperheads. It’ll take us weeks to try to fence off every acre of land, assuming they don’t make more holes,” Clancy said, exasperated.

  “They’ll sniff something’s going on. Those are our backup pastures, not the main ones.”

  “I don’t care, Beck. I’d rather lose a few dozen strays than three hundred head to a ravenous creature just waking from hibernation.”

  Beck and Clancy shared a look, then nodded. “It’s been years and years since a single sighting. Why now?” Beck asked. “The last decade has been more than dry enough to keep them underground.”

  “I don’t know what makes those reptiles tick. Maybe it went back to sleep. But I ain’t taking any chances with our crew until I’m certain we’re clear of trouble.”

  “And if it shows up?” Clancy’s green eyes went bright, nearly glowing for a moment.

  “We deal with it like we have all the others.” Harrison squared his shoulders, trying to dispel the tension there. “Until then, I only want us three leaving the safety of the ranch right now. Beck, you update Reno.”

  “I’ll talk to Dallas,” Clancy said.

  “Good. If we keep our eyes peeled, the spring rain should come and go, and summer’ll dry everything up good. But no heroics in the meantime. No fuckups, okay?”

  Nods from both men.

  “Now finish up. And fellas?” They turned midstep to look at him. “Not a word of this to Marian.”

  “Sure thing,” Clancy said. Beck grunted his assent, and both men went back to their work.

  Harrison took a look out on the horizon, which was turning quickly navy blue and indigo.

  For the first time in his life, it felt like there were too damn many things on his plate.

  Before Marian, he had his ranch and cattle and livelihood and his crew to worry about. As their leader, it was his job to ensure everyone’s safety.

  But since an unforgettable afternoon with an unforgettable woman, his stress had doubled. Really, he’d been caring deeply about Marian’s welfare from the instant she’d set foot on his land, and balancing her well-being with his work had already proved incredibly difficult.

  All of it was only further impacted by the fact he was falling for her, hard. Loved her even, more than the wild Texas wilderness he called home.

  Which was why he was going to stay the course and just get them all through the next couple of months. Because the last thing he could afford to worry about right now was a tiny woman with hazel eyes, at least more than he already worried.

  Even if he would give up his entire world just to keep her safe.

  18

  The second week at the Dragonclaw ranch flew by faster than a galloping thoroughbred, and Marian really felt like one of the crew as she spent her days working alongside her new friends. Thankfully, Harrison didn’t take her out past the ranch, probably playing it safe after the scare with Cookie, though the memory of their afternoon together at the shed burned in her mind like hot coals.

  Harrison was even busier than before, and he was often gone from the ranch all day, coming back just at sundown atop Rusty, gaze warming the second their eyes met.

  And every night, he’d made sweet love to her everywhere and anywhere—in the kitchen, in his bedroom, in the tub, on the sink, at the window—bringing her even closer to the realization that she loved him. But every time she went to say something, a dark thought in her mind said, “He’s a cowboy,” and she held the words off for later, thinking next time she would definitely say it.

  Maybe it was because Marian could feel a strange tension in Harrison that she hadn’t noticed the first week. His answers were shorter, his attention sometimes drifting toward the horizon when it appeared no one was looking. And even though his affections had been nothing but perfect, he was terser with the other men, less patient with mistakes and more demanding with his orders.

  She’d seen her father act like this too, usually when finances were tight or when work was scarce. But the Dragonclaw Ranch seemed to be doing as great as ever, by all accounts. The horses were foaling fine. The herds were cooperative. Even the weather had been nice, only a few cloudy days with sparse rain here and there to upset the otherwise pristine, sunny spring days as flowers came into bloom.

  So what was on his mind all the time?

  Harrison had her hand in his as they went outside after the end of another long day, after enjoying Dallas’s specialty for dinner—venison and steamed rice. A bit gamey but definitely the best deer she’d ever eaten.

  He took her around the side of the house to a small campfire pit she and the men spent their time at when winding down after a long day. But this evening, it was just her and Harrison.

  No complaints there.

  She sat on a rough-hewn bench that had been made smooth over years of use and lacquering, and Harrison set a blanket out over her before joining her beneath the blanket.

  So warm and cozy. Nothing like resting against her man to make the stress of the day disappear.

  But even as she watched the embers crack and glow with orange heat, Harrison was silent. Not that he wasn’t usually silent. He was just… extra tonight.

  “You did a fine job with the gelding today. I think he’s really taking to you.”

  “Clancy says I must’ve been a wrangler in my past life on account of the fact all the horses like me so much.”

  “Horses can sense energy. If you’re angry or stressed or scared, they respond to it. Which is why they probably like you so much.”

  “Why?”

  His hand smoothed over her side while she laid her head on his lap, enjoying the warmth from the fire and the warmth of his body.

  “Because you have the calm mettle of someone that’s been through hard times but never let them break you. A lot of people go through things, but it’s how they come out on the other side that determines their strength of character. I’ve heard big men talk a big game all my life, saying they’d done this or done that. And I’ve seen those same men shit themselves when their horse spooks or the elements test them.” His blue eyes were warm, lit by firelight as he looked down at her. “You’ve braved things much worse than horses or summer storms, Marian. Much worse things, like grief and loneliness and uncertainty. Things that can bend a person so outta shape that even when the good times come ‘round, they’re never quite themselves again. But I knew the second I laid eyes on you that you were a strong woman. A powerful woman. Someone that’s earned respect not because people are out on the streets with your name on their lips, but because you have the inner strength to overcome.”

  He grinned down at her, reminding her of the first day they’d met.

  “So yeah, that’s why horses like you, in my opinion.”

  “Thank you, Harrison.” She lay against his lap again, wondering about what he’d said. Wondering about the time they�
�d shared. He knew almost everything about her history now. And even though his history stretched back a lot farther than hers did, he answered her questions without hesitating usually.

  But even through the kind words and his emotional acuity, she could still feel Harrison’s tension.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but what’s been bothering you lately?” She sat up so she could see his response. His eyes widened a little in surprise.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean exactly what I mean. Just… since the day we were out on the range, things have felt… I dunno, different.”

  “How so? Have my capabilities not been up to your expectations?” He gave her a rakish smile, making her toes curl in response.

  “Not at all. In fact, that’s the one place I feel like I get the real you. But when you’re around the others, or at breakfast and dinner, you seem… tense.”

  “Nuthin’ except the usual.” He sighed, scratching the back of his head when she didn’t appear mollified. “There are just a lot of things going on, with watching the cattle and making sure everything’s all right before the storms really hit.” The way he emphasized the last part made her wonder why some rain was such a big deal. Maybe because of the storm that had almost killed him decades ago?

  As much as she loved being around him, loved hearing his stories and talking about their lives together, it reminded her too much of the past to hear Harrison say the same things she’d heard from her father.

  There just isn’t time like I’d planned on, honey.

  I’ll make sure I remember next year, sweetie.

  Things are really busy right now. They’ll turn around soon.

  All the real reasons she didn’t trust cowboys.

  They weren’t just heartbreakers. They were promise breakers too, able to pledge the world on a platter one minute and excuse a dozen important moments in her life because things got “busy” the next.

  She felt an unbidden tear at the corner of her eye, and she raised a finger to swipe it away. Harrison, the hawk he was, didn’t fail to notice, though, and she felt strong arms pick her up and set her in his lap as he held her with both arms, still covered in the warm blanket.