The Cowboy's Prize

Chapter 7

The horses knew exactly where they were headed. They'd heard the water long before us and I found myself being bounced along slightly faster as my mount quickened her pace towards the source of the noise.

I had to admit I was very happy we were stopping and I definitely needed Scott's hand to get down.

As my horse bent her head to drink from the stream, Scott hopped down from his own horse and came over to assist me. I felt like one of those women from cheesy Barbara Cartlandesque romantic regency period novels who needed two strong arms to lift me down.

But that was fine, because Scott's smile as he reached up to help me was dazzling, his large hands on my waist were firm and steadying and then he lifted me like I was as light as a feather. When my feet met the grass under them, my face was tipped up to look in his and our eyes met. But my knees buckled under me before anything else could happen and I felt myself begin to fall.

"Steady now." He softly whispered as he clasped me tighter and waited for me to feel strength returning to my limbs.

I inhaled his scent, closing my eyes and feeling the muscles in his arms as he held me. His forearms were like bands of steel, and I bit my bottom lip imagining what those strong arms could do to me if I let him.

Then another's face flashed before my closed lids and I opened my eyes with a quick inhale trying not to let that memory close me off from the man in front of me.

"Are you OK Mitchy?" Scott asked, my expression telling him more than anything that my mind was elsewhere.

"Yeah" I said. "I'm sorry, for a moment there bad memories kind of came flooding back." I smiled ruefully as he nodded with understanding. But he rubbed my arms to comfort me and when I could breathe normally again, he smiled. And I met his smile with my own.

"I can make them go away." He said softly, as he used one large hand to tip my chin up towards his. I breathed out slowly as his eyes shuttered and their blue became more intense, hungry even.

My lips parted with anticipation as those blue eyes locked their gaze onto my mouth. It was such a cliché, like that moment before two people kissed each other in the movies. But in that instant I knew it was something real, that sense of anticipation, the expectant lip lock and all the thoughts that fly around in your head even as your lips are locked on to each other like the Millennium Falcon trapped in the Death Star's tractor beam. Slowly but inevitably meeting at that point in time and space.

That first contact was soft, hesitant almost. A slight meeting of equally soft lips with mine. The slight pressure of his mouth on mine was sweet, it felt gentle and let me know anything more would be my choice. And I wanted more.

I stepped into Scott's embrace. Closer to his hard chest, letting him wrap his arms around me tighter and pressed my lips to his again. He made a noise deep in his throat, like he was holding back some kind of animal, but he didn't unleash the beast, just contained it and let me direct the pace. It was even more erotic, knowing he was moved by me so deeply but that I was in charge.

So I teased his lips with mine. Pursing mine against his again, and again. Taking my time and enjoying the taste of him. My hands moved on his chest, feeling the strength hidden under the layers of cotton and flannel that hid the raised pectorals and his hard body. My searching fingers moved higher and found his collarbone, the muscles at the side of his neck that were rigid as he forced himself to stop from crushing me in his embrace.

My eyes flew open at the strength he was containing inside his body. He'd looked like a big teddy bear, a smiling giant when we'd first really looked at each other. Now I knew how he kept himself up on those massive beasts he tried to tame. But his eyes told me he wouldn't hurt me when he opened his own. And I melted into him again and let him take the kiss deeper.

I expected to be ravished, but he continued to be gentle. He only pulled me completely against his rock hard body. Letting me feel every inch of him as he took over in the teasing department. His lips drove me mad, taking my oxygen and making me feel light headed. And I opened my mouth letting him in.

That's when he kissed me senseless. When we pulled away from each other to breathe, we stood staring at each other, dragging in lungfuls of air, our eyes locked on each other's, no words necessary.

It was bone deep, the knowledge that he was going to make me his.

And I was going to let him.