Authors: Paige Cameron
“We’re very glad to see you back home,” Drake said.
Brent bent down and kissed her cheek. “That’s from Angie and me.” He grinned at her and handed her his cell phone. “Why don’t you call her? I called her on the way back here to let her know we’d found you, but she’ll want to hear your voice.”
Lily sat at the table and phoned her sister. Ty fixed her hot chocolate.
“Hi, Sis,” Lily said. “Yes, I’m not hurt, only hungry. I’m going to eat, and then I’ll call back and we’ll talk more.” She handed Brent his phone. “Sorry, but I can’t resist this food. I’m starved and it smells wonderful.”
Ty was finishing cooking the bacon and eggs. He’d warmed leftover fried potatoes and biscuits from yesterday. Quickly, he filled her plate with them. “Start on this. I’ll add the rest in a few minutes.” Brent and Drake sat at the table with her, drinking their coffee and smiling as she gobbled every bite down. As soon as Ty had the rest cooked, he put the bacon and eggs on her plate and joined them.
* * * *
She’d never been as hungry in her whole life. When she finished and sat back, she had to smile at the three men watching her every move. “I’m fine, really. Thanks to all of you.”
“I’ve never seen a small woman put away that much food,” Brent said and smiled. “I’m amazed.”
“We all are, about your eating and you being alive and well,” Drake added. “How did you survive?”
Lily told them about what happened between her and the leader just before they left. “The thin man urged him to leave me alive. That helped.”
“But your courage saved your life,” Ty said, and the other two nodded in agreement.
She was embarrassed, but pleased by their praise. “There wasn’t anything else I could do. I thought if I was going to die, I didn’t plan to die whimpering.”
“When a man or woman is in that position, they each have to make their own decision. What they think might work to save their life. What you chose saved yours because there was a thread of decency buried somewhere in that evilness facing you, and you tapped into it,” Brent said.
“He’s right,” Mick added as he came into the kitchen. He walked to the table and grinned at Brent. “He got himself into enough close calls where he’s used all sorts of ways to wiggle out.” His joke eased the seriousness of their conversation and soon they were joking and laughing over old stories.
Lily sat back and watched the interplay between the men. Ty cooked food for the rest of them, and they talked as they ate. The kitchen was bright with sunshine, her belly was full, and contentment wrapped around her like a warm cloak.
Ty listened to the conversation and occasionally glanced at her. She wondered how all of this had affected him. Would he stay close to her or step back again?
Chapter Ten
Lily and Ty had gone to the airport to see Brent and Drake off. Mick had left earlier after checking with some contacts. He had several names as to who the person behind the kidnapping might be.
He left the names with Ty to give to the Sheriff. The FBI were arriving soon to pick up the kidnappers.
The silence in the house wrapped around them as they walked back inside. They hadn’t talked on the drive from the landing strip.
“I need to do a few chores and talk with Dirk to see if there are any problems concerning the ranch. I’ll check the house first, and then keep the doors locked until I return.”
“Don’t worry about me. I doubt anyone else will be trying to get me. Not after the way you all managed to rescue me and get the bad guys.”
“I can’t help but worry. I—” He turned and strode out the door.
Her kidnapping had not helped their relationship. He’d been more open to her before, and she’d let hope enter her heart. But his fear was back. Lily sighed. His walls came down briefly, but were easily raised again.
Still tired from her ordeal, she checked the doors and went to her room. She curled into a ball under the covers. Tears ran down her face and she sniffled. All the energy she’d focused on being brave was melting away. Deep, heaving sobs followed the tears. She cried until her eyes were puffy and red.
* * * *
Ty strode across the snow into the barn and saddled Night Star. “Time for us to go for a ride, old boy.”
Cold air blew in his face as he headed across the fields. He saw several of the men working on a fence and rode toward them. Work would keep him mind off the woman back at the ranch. Maybe.
He helped the men repair the fence, told them Lily was safe, and then rode on. Away from the ranch house. Away from the decision hovering in the back of his head. But it didn’t work.
He might as well go face her and talk it out. He’d head back to the ranch, rub Night Star down, and then see her.
His heart jumped when he walked into the silent house. For a second he thought somehow they’d gotten her again. Ty took the stairs two at a time and rushed into her bedroom. Lily lay curled in the fetal position. Her face was blotchy from crying.
Damn, seeing her this way made him want to gather her into his arms and never let her go. And to wrap her in cotton wool, as the old saying went, to protect her from all the hurts that life would send her way.
Her fragile appearance belied her inner strength. The fact that she’d handled herself so well during a dangerous situation showed she was not weak.
Lily’s scent permeated the room. The sliver of sunlight coming around the curtains shone over her, like a beacon calling him home. Ty found himself unable to resist sitting in a nearby chair, removing his boots, socks, and the rest of his clothes.
He carefully pulled back the covers and climbed into the warm bed. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close.
Lily stirred, raised her head, and smiled. She nuzzled his neck, and all his blood went down to his dick.
“Did I thank you for rescuing me?” Her breathy voice sent heat swirling through his body.
“It wasn’t only me. It took a whole group of us working together to find you.”
“But you were the one who arranged the rescue and insisted on rechecking that one area the next day. Sheriff Grady told me when he stopped by today before your brothers left.”
Ty kissed her mouth. “I had a hunch, that old gut feeling.”
Her hips wiggled closer. His hard cock rubbed against her abdomen.
“Be careful, darlin’. I’m so hungry for you it won’t take much for me to roll right on top.”
Her sexy chuckle made his cock twitch. Damn, he wanted her in the worst way. But he’d only planned to hold her, and then when she woke to have their talk.
Suddenly, she rolled him back against the bed and straddled his body. Her warm hand took hold of his cock.
“You were saying?”
All intelligent thought was gone. He groaned as her hand began to move up and down his length.
“We need to talk.” He tried one last time to be reasonable. When she put her lips around him he gave up. He’d worry about that later.
He ran his hands through the soft strands of her hair while she kissed, teased, and sent his heart into overdrive.
Holding onto his last tether of control, Ty stopped her and moved her up to face him.
He cupped her face and kissed her eyelids, her cheeks, her chin, and then her mouth. When he dipped his tongue inside her sweet, hot mouth, a rush of pleasure centered in his chest and spread through him. Her tongue teased and tangled with his.
Sliding his body downward, his mouth brushed across her chin. He took a nip at her earlobe before moving to the juncture between her neck and shoulder. Her pulse beat against his mouth. The taste, touch, smell, and sight of her was addicting to him.
Her lush mounds topped with rosy nipples invited his attention. He licked her pebbled peak. Her moan urged him on. Taking his time, he kissed each breast and cupped the silky mounds in his hands.
Lily’s head thrashed back and forth. “Yes, oh yes.” The whispered words spilled out.
Reaching down with one hand, he rubbed her swollen nub as he ran his teeth across her tight nipple.
Gradually his lips followed the path of his hand. When he tasted the sweet nectar coating her pink folds, he said, “You are so delectable. I may self-destruct at any moment.”
Her body rose to meet his mouth. “I want you inside me.”
“In time, honey. Lie back and enjoy.” He put two fingers into her pussy and moved them in and out as his tongue laved her nub. Her fingers dug into his thick hair. Her musky scent and honey taste had his control slipping fast.
Ty moved into position, his cock at her opening. Staring into her dark eyes, he slid into her hot, silky pussy. Her inner walls hugged his cock tight.
She screamed his name as her hips rose and met his every movement. He pumped into her pussy faster and faster. Fire licked along his nerve endings. A jolt of electricity flickered up his spine as he exploded, emptying his seed into her. At that moment, for a brief second, he remembered the condom. He started to pull out but her legs held him tight and her hips pulled him in closer, sending his thoughts far away.
Afterward, they lay side by side, both breathing heavily. As his mind returned, so did the thought. Lily could be pregnant. No. He didn’t want to take a chance on seeing another woman die.
His common sense told him what had happened to Candice was unusual, and the risk of it occurring again was very slim. But still the fear lingered inside him, hanging on, reminding him of those dark days when he didn’t know how to survive.
He felt Lily staring at him. “We need to talk.” Getting out of bed, he grabbed his clothes and started to the door. “I’ll shower and dress in my parents’ room. See you downstairs.”
* * * *
She didn’t regret their coming together. It was wonderful for her. A celebration of being alive and with the man she loved. Even if he told her good-bye, she’d have these memories.
Who was she kidding? It would break her heart. Still, she had discovered how strong she was, and no one could take that from her. She’d survive.
She told herself this as she showered. Then she dressed in jeans and a royal blue sweater and went downstairs. In spite of all her brave thoughts, her heart was heavy.
Ty had put on coffee for him and hot chocolate for her. He’d made sandwiches for them. He gave her a halfhearted smile. “Mom says difficult conversations are better faced on a full stomach.”
Lily sat at the small kitchen table. “Are we going to have a difficult talk? I thought what happened between us was lovely, sexy, and exciting.”
“True, but we forgot one thing, or I should say I forgot.” He gazed at her and realized she had no idea what he meant.
“I forgot the condom.”
“And?”
“You might be pregnant.”
Lily’s heart sank. She’d thought from his actions and words that he might want to marry her. Obviously, her dream wasn’t his.
“Say something?” he said.
“What do you want me to say, Ty?”
“I had many mixed thoughts when I went riding. Your kidnapping shocked me. I’d thought I might be ready to consider marriage, but I know I don’t want any wife of mine to get pregnant. I can’t go through that again. The fear, and if something happened, the thought of the grief overwhelms me.”
“Let me be sure I understand you. You do not want children?”
“I like children, but not for me. I can’t imagine how hard those nine months would be, waiting to see if everything would be all right. I’m not willing to gamble and lose you.”