Chapter 6

Sam

The morning sun casts long shadows across the ranch as I make my way to the stables, my boots crunching on the gravel path. A gentle breeze carries the scent of hay and leather, mingling with the earthy aroma of the horses. I focus on the tasks at hand, determined to keep my mind off Colton and the confusing emotions swirling within me.

As I brush down Midnight, Colton's favorite mare, I hear footsteps approaching. My heart quickens, knowing it's him before I even turn around. I keep my eyes on the horse, my hands moving in rhythmic strokes.

"Mornin' Sam," Colton says, his deep voice sending a shiver down my spine. "You're up early."

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. His presence is overwhelming, filling the stable with a tension that's both thrilling and terrifying. I can feel his gaze on me, intense and unwavering.

Colton moves closer, reaching out to stroke Midnight's muzzle. His hand brushes against mine, and I jerk away as if burned. He frowns, his blue eyes clouding with confusion and hurt.

"Sam, I..." He starts, then falters. "I'm sorry for pushin' you away. It's not what I want, but I'm scared of lettin' you down."

I turn to face him, my heart hammering in my chest. His rugged features are softened by vulnerability, and I ache to reach out and comfort him. But I keep my arms at my sides, my guard firmly in place.

"I understand, Colton," I say softly. "You have a lot on your plate. I don't want to be a burden."

He shakes his head vehemently. "You could never be a burden, darlin'. The truth is, I'm…I’m fallin' for you, hard and fast. And it terrifies me. Because I don’t think you understand…I’m fucking obsessed with you. If we ever become man and wife in every sense of the word, I won’t be able to control myself. You’ll be mine. Do you understand what I’m saying to you, honey?"

My breath catches in my throat, his words hanging in the air between us. The admission is both exhilarating and daunting, a promise of something beautiful and dangerous.

Colton takes a step closer, his hand cupping my cheek. His touch is rough and gentle all at once, igniting a fire within me that threatens to consume us both.

"I want to be with you, Sam," he whispers, his breath hot against my skin. "But I need to know if you feel the same. Heaven knows I ain’t ever gonna be good enough for you. A washed-up old cowboy like me. And I feel like I’m a selfish asshole for even expecting a beautiful thing like you to tie yourself to me, but fuck, I want you to.”

I frown at his words. He acts like he’s eighty. He’s only thirty-five, and I’m twenty. He’s not that much older than me.

Colton clears his throat and speaks roughly, “The ball's in your court now, honey."

I stare into his eyes, searching for the truth behind his words. The intensity of his gaze is overwhelming, a silent plea for understanding and acceptance.

The dying sunlight paints the ranch in ethereal shades of gold and orange as I stand before Colton, my heart beating an unsteady rhythm. His rugged features soften, those piercing blue eyes capturing mine with an intensity that both thrills and terrifies me.

"Colton, I..." My voice wavers, the words catching in my throat. "It's just hard for me to believe that someone like you could want someone like me."

His brows furrow, a hint of confusion clouding his gaze. "What do you mean?"

I avert my eyes, suddenly finding the worn floorboards beneath my feet utterly fascinating. "Look at me. I'm not exactly the type of woman men like you usually go for." My hands nervously smooth over my curves, accentuating the very insecurities that plague my thoughts.

Colton steps closer, the heat of his body enveloping me like a comforting blanket. His calloused fingers gently tilt my chin upward, forcing me to meet his unwavering gaze. "Sam, honey, you're everything I didn't know I needed. Hell, it’s taken every ounce of my self-control to not ravish you every time I see you. You’ve given me a permanent case of blue balls. I’ve been beating off every night thinking of you, torturing myself knowing your sweet self was just down the hallway."

My mouth falls open in show, but before I can respond, his lips descend upon mine, capturing them in a searing kiss that steals the breath from my lungs. His strong arms encircle my waist, pulling me flush against his muscular frame. I melt into his embrace, my hands instinctively clutching at his broad shoulders for support.

As the kiss deepens, Colton's hips begin to move, grinding against me through the layers of our clothing, letting me feel in no uncertain terms what I do to him.

A ragged groan escapes his throat, vibrating against my lips. He breaks the kiss, his breath hot against my skin as he rasps, "You crazy girl, do you see what you do to me? Not want you? Honey, I burn for you."

My heart soars at his words, a heady mix of desire and disbelief coursing through my veins. Could it be true? Could this rugged, handsome cowboy truly want me , curves and all? The evidence of his arousal pressing insistently against my hip suggests that yes, indeed, he does.

My fingers tremble as I hesitantly explore the planes of Colton's chest, the heat of his skin seeping through the worn fabric of his shirt. The air between us crackles with tension, the silence broken only by the soft rustling of clothing and the pounding of my own heart.

Colton's hands slide lower, his touch setting my nerves alight as he cups my curves possessively. "Every inch of you belongs to me now, darlin'," he murmurs, his voice a low rumble that sends shivers down my spine.

I gaze up at him through my lashes, feeling both vulnerable and powerful under the intensity of his stare. "Show me," I whisper, surprised by my own boldness. "Make me yours."

A growl emanates from deep within Colton's chest as he lifts me effortlessly, carrying me towards the bedroom with long, purposeful strides. He lays me down on the soft quilt, his body covering mine like a protective shield.

Clothes are shed with fumbling urgency, barriers discarded until nothing remains between us but heated skin and shared breaths. Colton's hands map the contours of my body, his touch reverent yet demanding, igniting a fire in my veins.

“Look at you, all these beautiful curves. You drive me insane, darlin’,” Colton groans as he strokes his cock while he gazes down at me.

I can’t stop staring at him—the immense length and girth of him. I bite my lip, worry taking over.

How in the hell is he going to fit that inside me?

Colton picks up on my worry becuase he suddenly stops, his brow furrowing. “What’s wrong, honey?”

My cheeks flush as I admit, “It’s just…I’ve never done this before, and you seem so…”I gesture toward his cock before I finish lamely,”big.”

Colton's eyes widen, relief and tenderness mingling in their depths. "Never?" he asks softly, his hand reaching out to gently caress my cheek.

I shake my head, feeling a wave of vulnerability wash over me. "No. I…I’ve never had a boyfriend. And then my father died, and I was just trying to survive..." My voice trails off, the weight of my past hanging heavy in the air.

Colton's expression softens, understanding dawning on his rugged features. "Oh, darlin'," he murmurs, his thumb brushing away a stray tear that I hadn't even realized had escaped. "We'll take it slow, I promise. I'll make it so good for you."

His words, spoken with such sincerity and care, melt away the last of my reservations. I nod, trusting him completely as I whisper, "I want you, Colton. All of you."

A shudder runs through his muscular frame at my declaration. He lowers his head, his lips trailing feather-light kisses along the column of my neck, his beard rasping deliciously against my sensitive skin. "Good, honey, because I want every inch of you. You’re going to be mine. All mine. You understand that, honey?”

I swallow and nod, warmth washing over me at his possessiveness. It makes me feel wanted . I want to belong to him.

“Then, you just lay there and let me take care of you, darlin’,” he says before he drops to his knees and pulls me to the edge of the bed.

I gasp when I see his head between my thighs, and then I feel his tongue lick me down there .

A strangled cry escapes my lips as Colton's tongue delves into my most intimate folds, exploring, teasing, igniting a firestorm of sensation that threatens to consume me whole. My hands fist in the quilt beneath me, my hips arching instinctively against his mouth, seeking more of that exquisite pleasure.

Colton groans, the sound vibrating through my core as he laps at my slick heat with increasing fervor. His hands grip my thighs, spreading me wider, opening me fully to his sensual onslaught. Each stroke of his tongue sends bolts of lightning racing through my veins, coiling tighter and tighter in my lower belly.

"Oh, God, Colton," I whimper, my head thrashing against the pillows as he focuses his attention on the sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex of my thighs. He suckles me gently, the scrape of his beard against my tender flesh only heightening the intensity of the sensation.

My thighs begin to tremble, my body wound tighter than a bowstring as he drives me closer and closer to the edge of something I've never known before. "Please," I beg, scarcely recognizing my own voice, breathy and desperate with need.

Colton redoubles his efforts, one hand sliding up to cup my breast, his thumb grazing over my pebbled nipple in tandem with the strokes of his tongue. It's too much, the dual sensations overwhelming me, pushing me over the precipice into a chasm of blinding ecstasy.

I shatter beneath him, my world fragmenting into a kaleidoscope of colors and sensations as wave after wave of pleasure crashes over me. Colton gentles me through it, his touch turning soothing as he coaxes out every last tremor until I'm left boneless and sated beneath him.

He crawls up my body, his eyes glittering with masculine pride and undisguised hunger as he settles between my thighs. I can feel the hot, hard length of him pressing against my entrance, and a frisson of nervousness flutters through me despite the languid afterglow.

"I've got you, darlin'," Colton murmurs, sensing my apprehension. He brushes a tender kiss against my lips, the taste of my own essence lingering on his tongue. "Just relax and let me make you feel good."

With infinite care, he begins to push forward, the blunt head of his cock breaching my virgin entrance inch by excruciating inch. There's a moment of resistance, a sharp pinch of pain that has me stiffening beneath him, but Colton soothes me with whispered endearments and gentle caresses until I relax once more.

"That's it, honey. Take all of me," he groans as he hilts himself fully inside me, stretching me, filling me in a way I've never known before. It's an exquisite ache, a delicious fullness that has me arching against him, my body instinctively seeking more.

Colton stills above me, his breath coming in ragged pants as he fights for control. I can feel the tension thrumming through his muscular frame, the barely leashed power simmering just beneath the surface. His gaze locks with mine, those piercing blue eyes dark with desire and something deeper, something that steals the breath from my lungs.

"You feel so damn good, darlin'," he rasps, his voice rough with emotion. "So tight and perfect, like you were made just for me."

His words send a thrill racing down my spine, igniting a fire in my veins that threatens to consume me whole. I lift my hips experimentally, reveling in the drag of his thick length inside me, the way he stretches me so exquisitely.

Colton groans, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of my hips as he begins to move, slow and deep, each thrust stoking the embers of my desire higher and higher. The room fills with the sounds of our lovemaking, the creak of the bed mingling with our ragged breaths and soft moans.

I lose myself in the sensations, in the slide of his sweat-slicked skin against mine, the delicious friction of his body moving inside me. The world narrows down to this moment, to the exquisite pleasure building between us, coiling tighter and tighter with each thrust.

Colton's pace quickens, his control slipping as he chases his own release. His hand slips between our bodies, finding the sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex of my thighs, stroking me in time with his increasingly erratic thrusts.

"Come for me, Sam," he commands, his voice a low growl that sends shivers cascading down my spine. "Let me feel you."

His words are my undoing, the coil of tension inside me snapping as I shatter beneath him, my inner walls clenching around his length as ecstasy crashes over me in waves. Colton follows me over the edge with a hoarse shout, his hips stuttering against mine as he spills himself deep inside me, branding me as his own.

We cling to each other in the aftermath, our hearts pounding in sync as we catch our breath. Colton's weight is a welcome anchor, his arms a haven I never knew I needed. He presses soft kisses against my hair, my temple, my lips, each touch a silent promise of something more.

In this moment, wrapped in Colton's embrace, I feel cherished, desired, loved. The insecurities that once plagued me seem to melt away, replaced by a bone-deep certainty that this is where I belong. In his arms, in his bed, in his life.

My cowboy. My husband. My love.