Chapter Six

Chelsea sighed as Colt’s lips brushed over hers, their kiss lingering, full of passion. His hands trailed down from her waist to her hips and grasped her ass, pulling her even closer to his body.

“I want you, Chelsea,” he whispered into her ear.

“Let’s take a shower,” she responded, then gently led him to the bathroom in her bedroom, guiding him to sit down on the edge of the bathtub. As Colt removed his boots and socks then stood up to unbuckle his belt, he looked at her and frowned.

“You can’t shower in your clothes, you know,” he teased.

“I was enjoying watching you,” she replied, moving to stand before him. “Let me help.” She unbuttoned his jeans, slid the zipper down, before she tugged them and his boxer briefs down, freeing his growing cock. She wrapped her hand around it, coaxing it to full hardness as Colt groaned under her touch.

Chelsea lowered to her knees before him and took him into her mouth, and a moan escaped from his lips. She continued to suck on him, all the while carefully kneading his balls. Colt’s fingers weaved through her hair.

Colt stepped back from her. “I want to fuck you.”

She looked at him, stood, then turned away, and started the shower.

Once the water reached a comfortable temperature, Chelsea quickly shed her clothes.

“Damn, get a condom from my wallet,” Colt said urgently.

She complied, taking out the condom from his wallet and setting the wallet on the counter.

As Chelsea turned to enter the shower, she caught Colt’s gaze fixated on her.

“Just admiring the view,” he said playfully.

She laughed, stepping into the shower and wrapping her hand around his cock once more.

“I like my view better,” she teased as she squeezed him gently.

A deep groan escaped Colt’s lips as he whispered, “I need you, Chelsea. Now.”

Their eyes locked together; Chelsea tore open the packet and carefully rolled the condom down over his hard shaft.

Colt moved his hand between her legs, moving a finger along her wet slit, their gazes never breaking. A soft moan left her lips as he grazed her clitoris, sending an electric shock through her.

“You’re wet,” he murmured against her lips before devouring them.

“Colt, please,” she begged softly as they broke apart.

“Don’t I always?”

“Yes. Yes, you do.”

Gently guiding her back against the warm shower wall, Colt lifted her and eased inside of her.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he instructed, which elicited another groan from him when she obliged. The water cascaded down their bodies as they moved together.

With his hands gripping her ass, their lips still locked in a deep and sensual kiss, she moaned into his mouth as he pushed into her, her legs wrapping tighter around him, pulling him even closer. His hard length sunk into her wet warmth as she let out a long sigh of pleasure.

The warm water from the shower hitting their naked bodies added to the sensation, making it even more intense. He pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes, and grinning before driving back inside of her with more force.

“Fuck, you’re incredible,” he groaned between kisses on her neck and jawline. “Your skin is so soft... your beautiful face... so fucking sexy.” He sucked on her earlobe, and she shivered in delight.

Colt’s hips moved faster against hers as he pulled back, his cock sliding in and out of her. She gripped him tightly, urging him to go deeper inside of her, wanting to feel every inch of him against her insides.

****

Her hardened nipples brushed against Colt’s chest with each forceful thrust, their bodies in sync beneath the hot cascade of the shower. He gripped her ass tightly, controlling the rhythm as he drove himself into her. He took her lips in a heated kiss, then he pulled away slightly and pressed his forehead to hers, their panting breaths mingling in the steamy air.

“Colt,” Chelsea gasped, her body tensing as she reached for that peak. “Please,” she moaned.

He smirked and trailed tender kisses from her cheek to her ear. His breath caressed her skin as he whispered huskily, “I’m going to make you come, baby.”

She shivered against him, then she screamed out his name as she came, her body trembling in his embrace.

The tight clench of her body around him pushed Colt over the edge and with one final thrust, he buried himself deep within her. A low, guttural groan escaped from his chest as he came, the steam surrounding them.

He lifted his head slowly and gazed into her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes closed as she took deep breaths. When she opened her eyes and looked into his, a slow smile played on her lips and he couldn’t help but grin.

“That was incredible,” he said, leaning in to kiss her again. “I can never get enough of your lips.”

“I know I’ll never get enough of you,” she replied, returning the kiss.

“Can you put your feet down? I’ll make sure you don’t fall.”

She unwrapped her legs from around him and he held onto her as she steadied herself, laughing when she slipped.

“You weakened my knees, Monroe,” she joked.

Colt chuckled. “I aim to please, ma’am.”

“And you do it so well. I’ve been missing out,” she muttered.

“What?”

“My ex was terrible in bed. Now I know for sure.” She shook her head. “He never talked to me during sex like you do.”

“I can stop if you want.”

“Don’t you dare. It’s hot and sexy. I love it.”

Colt laughed. “Alright. Let me grab a towel for you.”

He slid the shower curtain aside, picked up a towel and wrapped it around her before lifting her and setting her on the bath mat. He grabbed another towel for himself and stepped out of the shower, wrapping it around his waist.

“I’m starving,” he announced.

Chelsea laughed. “We definitely worked up an appetite. I can make sandwiches.”

“Sounds good. Let me get dressed.”

“Do you have to?” she asked with a playful flutter of her eyelashes, trying not to laugh.

“For now,” he replied with a wink.

“You should leave a pair of sweatpants here,” she suggested.

“Yeah, I could do that.”

“Do you happen to own a pair of gray ones?”

“Gray?” He furrowed his brow. “Yeah, I think so. Why?”

She smiled. “No reason.” She walked from the bathroom to enter the bedroom.

Colt shook his head. There was no way he could understand what she was thinking. He pulled on his boxer briefs, jeans, and T-shirt before walking out of the bathroom into the bedroom, where he saw her pulling on lounge pants and a tank top. He wanted her again already.

After she finished dressing, she looked at him and grinned. He leaned against the doorframe of the bathroom with his arms crossed, staring into her eyes. He knew he had to be careful because there was no doubt in his mind that she could break his heart.

****

Taking his hand, Chelsea guided him to the kitchen and gestured for him to sit. He pulled out a chair and settled down. She retrieved ingredients from the fridge to make sandwiches as she noticed Colt yawning.

“You seem exhausted,” she remarked.

“I am. Jett was out sick today, so we had to pick up the slack. Hopefully, he’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Well, how about we eat our sandwiches and watch some TV before you leave? You should relax a bit before trying to drive home in such a tired state.”

“Sounds good.” He yawned again. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” She smiled.

She placed his sandwich on a plate and set it in front of him before joining him at the table. He picked up his sandwich, took a bite, and moaned.

“This must be really good or I’m hungrier than I thought.”

After they finished eating, they cleaned up the kitchen and returned to the bedroom. Chelsea watched as Colt walked toward the bed, looking utterly exhausted.

“You’ll be more comfortable if you take off your jeans,” she suggested.

He looked at her skeptically. “Are you trying to get me out of my pants?”

“Is it working?”

Colt chuckled. “If I wasn’t so tired, I’d show you.”

“Lie down, Colt. I’ll find us a movie.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He grinned as he stood up, removed his jeans and shirt but left his boxer briefs on, then lay down on the bed.

As she flipped through the channels, she glanced at Colt to see him with his eyes closed and she knew he was asleep. He looked so relaxed that she hated to disturb him until after he rested a while.

When the movie ended, she yawned and decided to close her eyes for just a little while, then she’d wake him and he could drive home. Yeah, she’d wake him soon.

****

Colt jerked awake; his senses immediately alert as he scanned the unfamiliar room. For a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was until he saw Chelsea’s familiar belongings scattered around the room. The scent of sizzling bacon filled his nose, making his stomach growl in hunger.

Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, Colt cursed under his breath. He quickly got dressed and made his way to the kitchen where he found Chelsea cooking at the stove.

“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked with a slight edge to his voice.

Turning to face him, Chelsea smiled. “I fell asleep too.”

Colt grit his teeth, trying to suppress his frustration. Moving toward his hat hanging on a hook by the door, he grabbed it and placed it on his head before heading toward the door and opening it.

“Wait. Where are you going?” Chelsea called out after him.

With a little too much force, Colt closed the door and turned to face her. He tried to keep his tone calm as he spoke.

“I’m leaving. We agreed to keep this between us and if someone sees me leaving here in the morning, how is that going to happen?”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Chelsea retorted defensively.

“I didn’t say you did,” Colt replied with exasperation. “But we can’t risk anyone finding out about this.” He removed his hat, ran a hand through his hair in frustration before sighing heavily. “I have to get to work.”

Slamming the door behind him, Colt rushed across the yard and entered the barn. Once inside his office, he slammed that door shut too and leaned against it with his hands on his hips.

What was she thinking? They had agreed to keep their relationship private until they figured out if there was something more between them, but how did this early morning incident help with that? All it took was for one person to see him leaving her house and their secret would be out.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He opened it to see Brian standing there.

“What’s up?” Colt asked, trying to push aside his frustration.

“Jett is still sick,” Brian informed him. “I sent you a text but you didn’t answer, so I wanted to let you know.”

“Damn it,” Colt muttered under his breath. “Another long day ahead then. Thanks for letting me know, Brian.”

When Brian hesitated before leaving, Colt raised an eyebrow in question. Clearing his throat, Brian mumbled something about checking on the horses before quickly exiting the office.

Feeling drained and stressed from the morning’s events, Colt removed his hat and threw it across the room in frustration.

****

Chelsea stared at the door, jerking when it slammed shut. She set the fork down, turned off the burner, moved the pan off it, then pulled a chair out and sat down. She never meant to make him mad. She had every intention of waking him, but her eyes grew so heavy, and she thought if she just rested for a minute, she’d wake him up, but she didn’t wake up until six this morning.

Not wanting to disturb Colt’s peaceful slumber, she quietly got out of bed and got dressed before heading to the kitchen to make coffee. She hoped the smell of bacon would wake him up an hour later.

Unfortunately, it did more than just wake him up. He was beyond angry, and she understood why. He didn’t want to be seen there at that time of the morning. She just prayed that no one saw him because if they did, he would be beyond pissed.

Sighing, she pushed back her chair, stood up, and made her way back to the bedroom to change clothes. Her appetite was gone.

As she entered the bathroom, she saw Colt’s wallet on the counter.

After getting dressed, she picked up the wallet and headed back to the kitchen. Pulling on her jacket from the hook by the door, she stepped outside onto the porch. The morning air was cold, and snow was predicted for later in the day.

Descending the steps of the house, Chelsea made her way toward the barn, hoping to find Colt in his office. She needed to apologize for falling asleep without waking him up first. She feared his reaction would be one of disappointment and anger, telling her that their relationship wasn’t worth the risk.

Entering the barn, she walked along the aisle until she reached the office door. Letting out a sigh, she watched her breath form in front of her in the chilly air. It was cold within the barn walls but warmer than outside.

As she turned to leave, she caught sight of Colt emerging from the tool room, pushing a wheelbarrow. When he saw her, he stopped and took a deep breath before walking toward her.

“I found your wallet,” she said nervously, holding it up as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

He took it from her and looked at her with a serious expression.

“Thank you,” he said simply.

“Colt, I’m sorry—”

He held up a hand to stop her.

“No, I should apologize. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

“Yes, you should have. I didn’t do what I promised.” She shrugged. “I just wanted to close my eyes for a few minutes.”

“It’s alright, but you understand where I was coming from, right? If we’re going to see if this goes anywhere, we need privacy until we know for sure. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, and I agree. If other people knew, we’d never have a moment to ourselves to figure out if we have something.”

He cupped her cheek with his gloved hand. “Oh, baby, we definitely have something between us. But I want to see if there’s more.”

She smiled. “Me too. I was worried that you were so angry you wouldn’t want to try anymore.”

He grinned and shook his head. “It would take a lot more than that to make me that angry. Chelsea, I’m in the barn by six every morning and being an hour late is not acceptable. I can’t do that. I have responsibilities here.”

“I understand. Did anyone say anything?”

“Not really. Brian mentioned he sent a text but since I didn’t respond, he came looking for me. I think he had some suspicions, but he’d never say anything. I trust him. We just have to be careful for a while.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. We know now what needs to be done.” He tilted his head. “Maybe you could come to my place instead?”

“I’d like that.”

“Good. We can do that once in a while. Now, I have work to do, so go away. You’re too much of a temptation.” He quickly kissed her lips before picking up the handles of the wheelbarrow and heading into a stall.

Chelsea smiled, leaving the barn and making her way to the riding stable. She noticed several vehicles parked outside and was happy to see that business was thriving.

She opened the door, stepped inside, and walked up to the rail. She watched as Christine led a horse around with a little girl sitting confidently in the saddle with a wide grin on her face. Christine waved when she saw Chelsea and she returned the gesture with a wave of her own.

Chelsea couldn’t help but feel happy as she left the riding stable, seeing how well things were going.

As she walked back to the house, she paused to admire the snow-capped mountains in the distance and wondered how the boarding stables would fare during the winter. Would people still ride? She certainly planned to. There was something exhilarating about riding in the snow. She had always loved riding, regardless of the season.

A fond smile played on her lips as she remembered working here years ago and seeing Colt on his horse. He had such a natural way with horses, and she couldn’t help but be drawn to him. Did he still have that magnificent black stallion? She blushed at the memory of her teenage infatuation with him, desperately wanting to touch his soft hair and kiss him. Of course, she had been too embarrassed to even look at him when they were introduced by Mr. Cotton.

Making her way into the house and removing her coat, Chelsea felt excited for tonight and unless Colt kicked her out of bed, she would spend the night with him.

****

Colt held Chelsea close to him in bed as they lay together. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

“Have you ever been married?” she asked suddenly.

“No,” he answered simply.

“Why not?”

“It’s just never been something I wanted,” he admitted.

Chelsea sat up and looked at him. “Never?”

“Never.” He shrugged. “I guess I’ve always been content being single.”

“A confirmed bachelor, huh?” she teased.

“Yeah, I suppose you could say that. Tell me about your ex-husband.”

Chelsea sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “I met Ron at Dewey’s one night. He stuck out like a sore thumb in that bar. But we danced and had fun, and he called me the next day to go on our first date.”

“How long ago was this?”

“Thirteen years ago. I was twenty-three at the time. We were married for ten years and divorced for three now,” she explained.

“No kids?” Colt asked.

“No, he kept putting it off. Now I know why,” Chelsea said with bitterness in her voice. “Having a child would have interfered with his whoring around. The first time he cheated on me was five years into our marriage. Well, that’s the first time I found out about it anyway. Who knows how many times it happened before that? When I told him I wanted a divorce, he suggested counseling. We went, and I thought things were getting better. But then on our tenth anniversary, we were at the Hartland for dinner, when a woman I didn’t know came over to our table and he introduced her as a coworker. But I could tell by the way they looked at each other and their awkward conversation that something was going on. When we got home, I confronted him, and he finally admitted that he had been seeing her for two years.”

“Two years? Fuck,” Colt cursed under his breath.

“Yeah,” Chelsea agreed sadly. “It broke my heart, but I promised myself I would get over him, and with the support of my friends and family, I did. For three years after the divorce, I didn’t date anyone. I was too scared.” She looked into his eyes. “You’re the first man I’ve wanted to be with since then.”

“I’m sorry he did that to you. But karma will catch up to him eventually,” Colt said reassuringly.

Chelsea laughed bitterly. “It already has. She cheated on him and left him for another man. Ron divorced her.”

“I bet that felt good when you found out,” Colt remarked.

“It felt amazing,” she admitted, resting her head back on his chest.

“Do you ever see him?”

“No, not for almost two years now. He actually wanted to screw around with me on his wife.”

“Damn, what a piece of work.”

“It seems like we’ve both been let down by people. Me with Ron and you with your mother.”

“Yeah, but at least I ended up with the Cottons. Some foster kids never find a stable home.”

“I’m glad you found your way here.”

“I believe it was meant to be. A friend from one of my previous homes ran away when we were fifteen. He wanted me to go with him, but I was too scared. Two years later, I couldn’t take it anymore and left on my own.”

“And now you’re here. Do you know where your friend is nowadays?”

“Yes, he’s living in Wyoming now.”

“That’s great. Is he happy?”

“He seems to be.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’m curious, how did you recognize me when Mr. Cotton brought me into the barn when I was going to buy this place? I mean, the last time you saw me was twenty-two years ago.”

“Your eyes,” he said.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Even when you first started working here at age fourteen, I thought you had pretty eyes, and I thought, what a cute kid.” He laughed when she elbowed him. “Well, you were a kid and that’s all I saw you as, but now, all I see is this stunning woman I want to know better.”

“I’d like that. I had such a crush on you.”

He chuckled. “I know and that’s one reason I gave you a rough time. I was too old for you, and you needed to see that.”

“You seemed like such a man to me back then.”

Colt laughed. “Are you saying I’m not one now?”

Chelsea burst out laughing. “Oh, my God! No, I meant, since I was so young, but you were only twenty-one. Now, I see you as a very mature, sexy, man.”

“Well, that made up for it then.” He yawned, signaling his exhaustion. “I should get some rest, sweetheart. I have an early start tomorrow.”

“I’m tired too. Let’s get some sleep.” She sat up and planted a kiss on his lips before resting her head on his chest again.

He held her tightly against him, nuzzling his cheek against the top of her head as they both drifted off into a peaceful slumber.