‘I hope Alan’s not too hard on Marcie. At least she didn’t hurt the horses.’
Grayson lifted his head and half-smiled into the sun. ‘I’m glad she didn’t hurt any living thing. That includes you, Lauren, not just the horses.’
Lauren looked back down at his boots. The softening in Grayson’s gaze as he studied her was unnerving. He tugged her hand out of her pocket, enfolded it in his and continued walking.
‘I’m not sure how Marcie managed to get out to the ranch. She doesn’t drive yet and I can’t imagine her walking five miles with a can of paint, can you?’
‘Maybe she had help. Have you told Bob Foster about this?’
‘Not yet, Alan says he’ll bring Marcie over to see me later. I’m hoping we’ll be able to clear up a few details then.’
Lauren squeezed Grayson’s hand. ‘Thanks for telling me.’
He gave her an amused glance as they reached the gate leading through into the stable yard. ‘Thanks for being so understanding.’
‘Marcie’s just a kid. If it had been the beautiful Ms Anna Paulson throwing paint around, I might’ve gotten worried.’
Grayson clamped his fingers onto her elbow. ‘Do I detect a hint of jealousy, Mrs Turner?’
Lauren stopped and faced him. ‘Yes, you do, although Anna Paulson must be used to that. Most of us are way out of her league.’
‘You’re worth a thousand of her and don’t you forget it.’ Grayson flexed his fingers against her skin, drawing her closer.
Lauren studied the grim set of his mouth and whispered, ‘What did she do to make you hate her so much?’
‘Anna? She agreed to marry me and changed her mind two days before the wedding. She didn’t have the nerve to tell me to my face so she arranged for me to catch her in our bed with her lover.’
Lauren stroked Grayson’s cheek. ‘She was stupid, almost as stupid as I was for running out on you in Las Vegas.’
There, she’d said it. She’d admitted she might’ve made a mistake. She waited for his response without daring to breathe.
He met her gaze, his blue eyes direct. ‘But at least you had the guts to come back here, face me and tell me you don’t think it’s going to work. You didn’t send your father or some employee to pay me off.’
Grayson kissed her hard on the mouth. To her relief, whatever inner conflict he’d been struggling with seemed to have been satisfied. ‘Let’s make this quick. I’d rather spend our last few hours alone.’
Lauren waited at the deserted end of the indoor arena while Grayson arranged for someone to drop the tack up to the house. Despite it being a Sunday, the immaculately turned out barn was still busy. Behind her, a man drove a small tractor full of manure and soiled straw bedding from the recently cleared stalls along the narrow passage and out into the sunlight.
She jumped when Grayson came up and placed his hands on either side of the rail, trapping her between them. ‘Do you mind if we wait a minute? My stallion, Cole is going to cover one of the young mares for the first time. I’m just going to watch from here to see if everything goes OK.’
Lauren glanced down at the other end of the arena where three men waited with a tall black stallion. Even from a distance, Lauren admired the wildness of the stallion’s long arched neck and gleaming muscled coat. She wondered how the mare would feel at such an awesome display of masculine power and energy.
‘If you want to go down there, I’ll wait,’ Lauren offered, her gaze fixed on the stallion.
Grayson shook his head. ‘I’m supposed to be off work today and my deputy manager is dealing with this. If I go down there, I’ll get in the way.’ Grayson looked pained. ‘I know it’s good for me to delegate but I hate doing it.’
Lauren laughed. ‘So do I. I always think that no one can do the job as well as I can.’
‘We’ll just watch from here then and hope they don’t notice us.’ He glanced around. ‘This end of the barn is deserted. We shouldn’t be in anyone’s way.’
Lauren’s attention returned to the far end of the arena. ‘Is that the mare? She looks a little nervous.’
‘Yeah, that’s Brown Sugar.’ Grayson pointed at the stallion. ‘See how Cole’s ears have come up and he’s taking in her scent?’
Lauren leant closer into the fence, one foot on the lower bar and Grayson crowded behind her. She could feel the warm press of his body from shoulder to knee. The stallion neighed and pawed at the ground reminding Lauren of a thousand Western movies. Grayson laid one arm along the top of the fence surrounding Lauren in his embrace.
His soft-voiced comments stirred the hair behind her ear and made her skin tingle. Her breasts pressed into his arm, tightening her nipples. Finding it difficult to breathe, she whispered, ‘Why do they have to hobble the mare and cover her face? It looks more like an execution than a mating dance.’
‘Because Brown Sugar is new at this we want her to remain as calm as possible. If she panics, she’ll do less damage to herself, the stallion and the guys than if she was loose.’
Lauren shivered as Grayson bit down on her neck and then licked the same spot. ‘By taking away her sight, she’s relying on her other senses and less likely to be distracted. She’ll smell and hear the stallion, which is the most important element of a successful mating.’
‘I thought all this mating business was done in a test tube these days.’
‘Sometimes it is, but Brown Sugar’s owners wanted to try it the old-fashioned way. Apparently the mare’s dam had problems conceiving artificially and they’re concerned Brown Sugar might be the same.’
As the stallion was led closer and closer to the tethered mare, his vocal challenges became louder, her whickering replies less so. Lauren held her breath as the two handlers lined the stallion up behind Brown Sugar. The mare turned her head, scenting his presence, and swished her tail out of the way.
‘She’s telling him she’s ready for him now,’ Gray murmured. ‘Cole will be able to mount her.’
Lauren caught a glimpse of the stallion’s sexual equipment as he reared on his hind legs and came down over the mare. Dust kicked up by the stallion formed a cloud around the coupling horses. The savagery of the primitive act made Lauren catch her breath. ‘Jeez, it’s a good job she can’t see or else she’d run a mile. He’s certainly a big boy.’
Grayson chuckled and the sound vibrated through his chest setting Lauren’s senses tingling. She arched her back as the hardness of Grayson’s erection settled against her buttocks.
Grayson groaned. ‘There’s nothing like being around an aroused stallion to make a man feel inadequate.’
‘You feel just fine to me,’ Lauren whispered.
Grayson’s forearm tightened across her breasts as the stallion pushed off from the mare and was led away. As the swirling dust motes and sand resettled over the arena, Grayson turned Lauren to face him within the circle of his arms.
‘You enjoyed that, didn’t you?’
Lauren nodded as Grayson’s fascinated expression became predatory. Without speaking, he took her hand and led her towards one of the empty stalls. He pushed the door shut and circled her. Lauren found it hard to believe how turned on she was and how quickly Grayson had picked up on it.
The sweet smell of hay washed over her as Grayson halted in front of her. He held out his hand, his gaze commanding. ‘Take off your boots and jeans.’
Aware of heat and moisture pooling between her legs, Lauren complied. Grayson’s borrowed denim shirt came down to her mid-thigh, leaving her decently covered. He pointed at it. ‘Unbutton the shirt.’
Lauren took her time sliding the buttons free, aware of Grayson watching her and the building anticipation of pleasure. He swallowed hard as he took in her tight nipples showing through the sheer silk of her bra. She resisted a brazen urge to touch herself, to bring that wild look into his eyes and make it boil over.
He walked her across to the empty hay manger in the corner of the stall. ‘Hold onto this and bend forwards.’
Lauren grasped the wooden structure with both hands, aware of Grayson moving closer. From her position, she had a nice view of his bulging jeans.
‘I’m going to cover your eyes, just like the mare’s.’ A folded blue and white bandana appeared briefly in front of her blocking out the light. Lauren could smell a hint of Grayson’s aftershave on the stiff fabric. She drew in a deep breath, trying to adjust to her lack of sight, trying to judge exactly where Grayson was.
The silence stretched. A horse neighed somewhere in the distance followed by a man’s faint laughter. Lauren imagined Grayson staring at her half-exposed body and licked her lips as her heart rate increased.
‘You’re beautiful, Lauren.’
Gray swept his hand up the inside of Lauren’s shirt, caressing her naked spine from bottom to top. She shivered at the faint roughness of his palm and the hint of possessiveness in his voice. The soft hiss of his leather belt being drawn out of his jeans made her listen more intently. She sensed him edge closer and held her breath.
‘Do you remember how the stallion sensed the mare?’ Grayson inhaled, the sound loud in the sultry silence. ‘I can smell you, Lauren. I know that when I want to push inside you, you’ll be wet and ready for me.’
Lauren bit her lip and pressed her thighs together. Grayson was right. She was more than ready to take him. He snapped the end of his belt out and grazed her butt. The leather felt warm and supple against her skin. He did it again, surprising her with the small sting, and then drew the length of the belt across her back. Her fingers fisted as he wrapped the belt around her wrists and secured her to the hay manger.
Grayson unzipped his jeans; the zipper rasped close to her ear. Lauren tensed as she smelt the familiar scent of his arousal.
His hand clasped her neck and guided her head to one side. She gasped as her lips brushed the crown of his erection. ‘Do I taste as good as I smell, Lauren?’ His wet fingers returned to her mouth bringing with them the taste of the sea and of new life. She sucked them clean.
He pulled up her shirt and trailed his hand down from her neck to her buttocks making her shudder. His fingers tangled with the lacy string of her thin panties and ripped the side open. They slid to the floor leaving her lower body naked to his gaze. His sinfully sexy voice was more of a lure without the gift of sight than she’d imagined.
‘When the mare was ready for the stallion, she moved her tail out of the way for him.’
The rough texture of Grayson’s jeans brushed the backs of Lauren’s thighs as he moved behind her. ‘If you open your legs for me, I’ll know you’re ready too.’
Lauren parted her legs and Grayson moved up close. His fingers dug into her hips; the soft hair on his belly rubbed her lower back. He groaned low in his throat as his cock probed her slick passage and slid home. Lauren arched her back, desperate to take him as hard and deep as she could, to feel every pulsing inch.
Gray bit down on Lauren’s neck as she clenched around his shaft, leading him in a sharp dance of thrusts and withdrawals. She wouldn’t let him slow the frantic pace. She demanded he take her fast, forcing her to a climax and making him want to come too.
Gray’s heart pounded against Lauren’s skin and his breath shortened as he fought the overwhelming urge to spill inside her. He gripped her hips, allowing her to push back against his mighty thrusts, amazed at her power and voracious appetite for more.
He managed to pull back, holding her still with his superior strength, making her wait. She writhed in his grasp as he brought his right hand in front and settled it between her legs. Crouching over her, he stretched his fingers and circled the place where his cock disappeared into her body.
God, he didn’t want to lose her. He wanted the welcome her body provided for him every day of his life. Having this to come home to at night would make his life worth living. He drew his fingers up from the straining flesh until they found her clit.
Lauren moaned and pressed her beautiful butt against him. He resisted the urge to plunge deeper and concentrated on stroking her swollen bud with the lightest of touches. He closed his eyes as she squirmed against him until her inner muscles clenched and reached for his cock. He thrust hard then, sheathing himself in her demanding heat, letting her take his come until he lost touch with anything except her body surrounding and completing him.
He tore off her blindfold as the last pulse almost brought him to his knees. He steadied Lauren around the waist as she sagged against him. He licked the sweat from her neck, continued to stroke her hard nipples, reluctant to stop touching her.
She nestled against him, her body relaxed and pliant. He wanted to bring her down to the hay-covered floor and start all over again. He wanted her sex flooded with his come so that she’d never get rid of the scent of him. When he managed to breathe again, he reluctantly pulled out and zipped up his jeans. He released Lauren’s wrists and turned to help her into her clothes.
She avoided his gaze. Grayson caught hold of her chin and made her look at him.
‘What’s up?’
Lauren grinned. ‘God, I can’t believe how much I enjoyed that.’ She gestured at the empty stall and stooped to pick up her ruined panties.
Grayson smiled slowly. ‘Honey, there were two of us here. I behaved just as badly as you did.’
‘Yes, but you’re a man. You probably felt some macho need to prove yourself after seeing that stallion. I’m supposed to be a little more sophisticated.’ Lauren finished buttoning her shirt and wrenched open the stable door. To Grayson’s disappointment, there was no one around to see them.
‘And did I?’
Grayson waited in the doorway until Lauren turned around and noticed he wasn’t following her.
She frowned, wrinkling her elegant nose. ‘Did you what?’
‘Prove myself.’ Grayson arched an eyebrow. ‘You wouldn’t want me walking around feeling insecure now, would you?’
Lauren opened her mouth as if to reply and seemed to change her mind. The scathing look she gave him was enough. Grayson made a theatrical bow and followed her back up the hill, his laughter warming the air behind them.