Love Unspoken (9 page)

“Come outside with me.”
He drew her up alongside him.

Noelle followed and Cole was pleasantly surprised by her adorable
yet weak efforts to help him load the truck. He was glad no one was around to
witness the fiasco of a man his stature being aided by a stubborn little female
in high heels, who refused to listen to his pleas for no help. The entire
episode pleased him beyond measure. She was now
his
stubborn female.

Chapter
Eight

After Cole left two days ago and Noelle realized how forgiving he
was, it made the decision to follow her heart even easier. The way her father
spoke down to her in front of Cole had been a humiliating experience that
unexpectedly became one of the best moments of her life.

Cole had all the reasons to let her simmer and drown in her own
anguish, but instead he chose to give comfort, reassurance.  Noelle sighed.
Would she ever stop feeling this elated? She hoped not. If anything it would
only get better today. She was halfway to the bungalows where Cole and the
other cowboys resided on the ranch.

Miles above the landscape, the sun stretched over the horizon in
a dusky copper and violet splendor. Beyond the meadow, she could see the three
small houses, constructed side by side, which Mr. Somerset divided into
apartments for the workers. Noelle slipped by two of the trees and hastened in
the direction of the first house, shared by Cole and three other cowboys.

Noelle looked over her shoulder. A sliver of guilt slashed into
her like a poisonous blade.  Despite telling herself it didn’t matter if her
parents found out about Cole, the fear remained nonetheless of their reaction
to her choice of lover. They were going to view her relationship with Cole as a
step backward. Dating the same type of men ‘without any future’.

Her fists tightened. She wanted to strangle anyone who thought of
Cole in such a demeaning way. He was the only person to show her what kindness
meant and it sickened her to think of anyone judging him based on his outward
appearance and job.

The sharp squeak of a well pump captured her attention. Noelle
turned and her heartbeat sped. She loved the way there would never be any
mistaking her man in a crowd. The thick muscles of his back bunched and corded
with each downward stroke of the bronze handle. She couldn’t take her eyes off
him, not even when he turned toward the tree she was leaned against and caught
her gaze.

Blood rushed between her thighs into her pulsating clitoris. Cole
was doing a number on her and the desire coursed rampant into her cunt.

In a similar fashion as he’d done at the river, he crooked his
fingers to her. Noelle felt her feet move before realizing she had crossed more
than half the distance to him. In that moment nothing else in the world
mattered, existed, except her and the strapping cowboy headed toward her. Cole
circled his thick arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground, her feet
dangling over the emerald grass.

He dropped a kiss to her neck before placing her on the ground.
“You’re
early. I was going to meet you out by the road. Did anyone see you? Bother
you?”

Noelle shook her head, deeply touched by his concern and the
possessive glint flaring in his dark eyes.

“No one saw me.” She looked at her watch and realized Cole was
right. She was about fifteen minutes early from the time he’d told her he would
be finished tonight. At seven-thirty, it was at least three hours earlier than
the usual hours he worked until each day. “I didn’t realize,” she began. “Do
you want me to wait somewhere else if you have work to complete?”

He laughed and quickly shook his head. God, she loved that sound.
It was just tiny whispers of breath, but unmistakable as laughter from the look
of happiness on his face.

“No. I have you here. Don’t leave.”

“Afraid I might not come back?” she joked.

The smile on his face vanished.
“I didn’t think you’d come.”

She hadn’t either to be honest. It had taken her a good ten
minutes to come to terms with the fact that she was yearning inside her body
and heart to see where this would lead. She needed to see him as much as she
needed the clean mountain air.

“I wasn’t sure if I would,” she admitted carefully, “but I had
to. I wanted to see you.”

Cole looked her right in the eyes.
“See where I live?”

She nodded and stroked the hard line of his jaw. “I don’t care
how the place looks. If I did, I wouldn’t be here.”

Noelle lightened her tone. “Are we going inside or not?”

His lips curved upward. Her face heated. How demanding she must
sound. To her relief, his lips widened into a full on smile.

“It’s okay, beauty.”
Her insides melted, exhilaration
fluttered through her as he signed the word for her special nickname.

He reached for her hand and hesitantly Noelle closed her fingers
over his. Once she stepped inside his room there would be no going back.
Nothing her father or anyone said would entice her to turn her back on him.

Cole held the door opened, his large hand bracing the wood frame.
Noelle felt him watching her as she scanned the spartan room. A bed with a
simple square headboard took center stage in the middle of the room. It was
neatly spread with maroon-colored linen. A single dresser stood in the front,
lacking a mirror except for a small hand held that rested near the edge it.

She knew the ranch hands didn’t live in luxury, but it still came
as a surprise. This unappealing room was where he lived, came home to after
working those endless hours.

“Are you comfortable here?” She didn’t want to lie and say it
looked nice.

His gaze flickered about the room. Nodding, he answered,
“It’s
not very different than my home.”

Noelle pursed her lips. His family never crossed her mind. She
hadn’t thought of what his life was like elsewhere. If things developed as she
hoped it would, would his family accept her? What sort of people were they?

“Do you miss your family?” Or maybe he didn’t have a family. Just
a home somewhere with no relatives awaiting his return. Her fate, most likely,
after her relationship with Cole came to light.

He rubbed a crease in his forehead, deep in thought.
“Yes and
no.”

Noelle tilted her head to the side and rolled her eyes. “Yeah,
but that’s no answer, Cole.”  She really wanted to know.

He grinned at the expression on her face. “
I’ll tell you
another time. Come beside me.”

Noelle sat next to him, feeling her nerves for the first time as
realization dawned on her. She was sitting on his bed, here in the bedroom of
the cowboy she had been thinking about for longer than she’d ever admit.

She should bolt. Apologize to him and say she never meant to lead
him on. She didn’t want him to find out about her past addiction. It was
humiliating and no one wanted their girlfriend to be a former drug user,
definitely not a proud man like Cole. He would never understand.

A few of strands of hair fell out of her ponytail holder. Noelle
blinked in surprise when he grasped the locks and tenderly pushed the strands
under the thick rubber band. It was such a simple gesture yet it went straight
to her heart.

Noelle faced him. “That day at the river. Why were you there? Was
it to take a swim, or because…” She allowed her voice to trail off hesitant to
voice the actual question.

“Because what?”
He lifted a brow then tapped a finger to
his head.
“I don’t want to be a mind reader with you.”
To soften his
words, she felt his hand upon her cheek, gently stroking. 
“Always talk to
me. Don’t ever shut me out.”

Easing away from her, Cole gave a curt nod as if he was giving
her permission to tell him everything now. If those moments of dominance
weren’t making her pussy positively drip for him, then surely the sun would
never rise. The fact that he held so much power without having to say a word
caused her knees to shudder. It was scary and satisfying the impact he had on
her and her body absolutely craved it after all the years alone.

“Did you go there hoping you would see me?”
I went there to
see you
, she wanted to tell him.

Cole searched her eyes. His massive chest rose heavily.
“I
did. So much of what I do is because of you.
” He took her hand, watching
her reaction as he lowered it over his erection.
“Because of this, too. I
wanted you to know what you do to me.”

Noelle nibbled her bottom lip. Her gaze flickered to the front of
his pants. He was so hard. Her panties moistened recalling how big he was and
how amazing it felt just having him partially inside her. Noelle traced her
fingers over the bulge straining inside his jeans.

To think, Cole had wanted her even after they’d parted so
horribly that day when he’d found the snake-bitten yearling. So much, that he
had gone looking for her. Her heart clenched at the memory. He’d sought her out,
but she hadn’t given him what he needed, wanted. Instead she had allowed her
needs to become paramount.

Noelle closed her eyes and ran her fingers over his cock. There
would be no climaxing on her stomach this time, not unless Cole wanted to.

“You wanted to come inside me, didn’t you?” she murmured,
pressing a hand to his stomach.

Cole circled his hand around her wrist.
“I wanted to be inside
you.”
He continued to sign something to her, but Noelle didn’t understand.
He looked away in frustration. Her heart twisted for him.

She brushed her lips to his shoulder, loving the feel of his
solid hardness. There was not an ounce of fat anywhere on Cole, just sinewy
cords of lean muscles from the ungodly hours he worked each day. Her legs
shook, imagining his powerful body above her pumping hard deep inside her cunt.
All the way up to my belly.
Her legs went jelly. A sensual heat pulsed
between her thighs.

“Tell me,” she beseeched. “I want to know everything you’re
thinking. Write it down and show me, Cole. You have to know how I much I loved
having you inside me. I want to know how you feel. I want to feel what you
feel.”

Noelle went to the floor, kneeling before him. Brushing her lips
to his stomach, she kissed along the rippling muscles, uncaring if someone were
to come through the door and witness her display of affection for him.

Noelle paused in her kisses. She glanced up from between his
thighs as Cole reached into his back pocket. He returned her look with a deep
penetration gaze. She was certain he was gifted with those eyes to make up for
his lack of speech.

Flipping the paper over she noted that he started with her name.
She smiled. He did that all the time. She supposed it was his way of getting
over not being able to repeat it to her.

Noelle. I love being with you, but I never expected something
that intimate from you. I never want you to give more or allow more than you’re
comfortable with.

She wet her lips. He wrote one thing, but his eyes told a
different story. She peeked at him and bit back a lusty whimper. Cole looked as
if he was getting ready to eat her alive.

“Don’t say that,” she told him quietly. “I was selfish with you.
You should have expected more. You should always expect more.”

Embolden by his concern and tenderness, Noelle rose from her
position on the hardwood floor and crushed her lips to his. This could never,
would never be wrong, she reminded herself. His lips covered hers as Cole moved
backward to the bed, drawing her down onto his lap, his arms entwined around
her waist.

His roughened hand traveled beneath her shirt, closing over both
breasts. Noelle arched into his thrilling touch. Rough fingers pinched her
sensitive nipples.

His hands fell to her hips, stroking the curves. Noelle gasped
when suddenly he lifted her from his lap, practically throwing her on the bed.
His eyes held hers and she knew he was pleading for understanding and
everything else she had to give.

Cole dipped his head to her stomach. Noelle in turn raised her
face, closing her eyes in blissful surrender. His lips traveled below her
bellybutton, planting warm kisses that promised wicked delight.

Noelle felt his hands on her jeans, tugging them below her feet.
Once the jeans came off, he gazed into her eyes while tracing his fingers over
her panties. Heat burrowed into her belly and her cheeks blazed when he arched
an eyebrow, a smile on his lips as he touched the wet spot in the center of her
underwear.

He lowered his head to the blatant evidence of her arousal,
affectionately rubbing his face against the wetness. But Cole wanted more.
Slipping his hand into the cotton waistband, he removed her panties. He held
her legs open at the knees and delved his tongue between her slickened folds.
Noelle moaned. She wanted him to lick her so much.

Not tonight, Noelle,
she told herself.
You can’t be
selfish to him
.

Curling her fingers around a lock of chestnut hair, she tugged
slightly. It was going to be hard denying herself the feel of Cole’s tongue
caressing her tingling flesh.

“No,” she managed to cry out.

He lifted his head and stared at her in confusion.
“You don’t
want my mouth on you?”

Yes. God yes. She wanted him to lick her pussy and tell her how
sweet she tasted…but she wanted to please him also.

“I want that so much, but I want to,” she lowered her gaze to his
cock, protruding from his jeans. Saliva pooled in her mouth. “I want to suck
your penis. I want to make you feel how you made me feel that day by the
river.”

She inhaled a deep breath, watching his hand stroke his erection.
Cole swung his gaze to the ceiling, eyes closed, his massive chest rising
heavily. After a spell, he opened his eyes and signed to her.
“You want
this?”
He peeled down the zipper and withdrew the heavy shaft, fisting it
in front of her.