Her Grumpy Cowboy (Fit Mountain Cowboys #3)

5. Jasmyn

Chapter Five

JASMYN

“And right about here,” Luke points to a grove of trees in the distance, “is where Maisey once convinced me there was buried treasure.”

I laugh. “Buried treasure?”

“Yep. She had half my brothers out here digging for hours,” Luke chuckles. “She’s got imagination, that’s for sure. I gave her an old locket we found in the attic, telling her it was a family heirloom from a cowboy pirate. You should’ve seen her face.”

It’s Saturday afternoon, and Luke and I are on our first official date.

We decided an afternoon date would be best since Luke wanted to be home before Maisey’s bedtime. And when Melody, Wyatt’s girlfriend, offered to take Maisey for mani-pedis, Luke thought it would be the perfect opportunity to steal away for a horseback ride and picnic. Now, we’re out on the trails, sunlight filtering through the canopy of trees.

Luke’s grumpy exterior is nowhere to be found today. He’s relaxed, his posture casual in the saddle as we trot along the narrow path. He’s telling me all sorts of stories about growing up on this ranch, and each one makes me laugh harder than the last.

“Sounds like you two have a lot of fun together,” I say, glancing over at him. “It’s clear you’re doing an amazing job with her.”

Luke’s eyes soften. “I try. Maisey keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure.” He shifts in his saddle, giving me a sidelong look filled with mischief. “Remind me to tell you about the time I tried teaching her to ride. Let’s just say it didn’t go quite as planned.”

I giggle. “Now you’ve got me curious.”

His laugh is a deep sound that vibrates through the air between us. “Well, let’s just say I ended up in the dirt more times than I’d like to admit. She found it hilarious.”

“Poor you!” I tease, unable to suppress my grin.

As we continue riding, the landscape unfolds around us—rolling hills and endless sky. Each step the horse takes brings us closer to something undefined but promising. I steal glances at Luke, wondering what it would feel like to be part of this world he’s created with Maisey—a world filled with love, laughter, and, perhaps, room for someone new.

“I can’t imagine juggling all of this on my own,” I say as we crest a hill, the vast expanse of the ranch stretching out before us. “Running a ranch, raising a kid...”

Luke shrugs, his broad shoulders flexing beneath his worn plaid shirt. “It’s not always easy,” he admits. “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Maisey, the ranch, this land. It’s in my blood.”

Something about the way he says it, with such quiet conviction, makes my heart swell.

“Looks like we’re here.” Luke nods toward a cluster of trees atop the next rise. “Best picnic spot on the whole ranch, if I do say so myself.”

We dismount in the shade of a towering oak, the horses nickering softly as Luke tethers them to a low-hanging branch. I take a moment to stretch my legs, wincing at the ache in my thighs. It’s been years since I’ve ridden a horse.

Luke must notice my expression because he’s at my side in an instant, his hand warm on the small of my back. “You all right?” he asks.

“Just a little saddle-sore,” I manage.

Something flashes in Luke’s eyes. “I could give you a massage later,” he offers. “If you’d like.”

My pulse hammers in my throat. “I’d like that,” I whisper.

Luke’s lips curve in a slow, devastating smile. “Then let’s sit down. I packed us a little something special.”

He takes my hand, guiding me toward the sprawling oak tree. The grass beneath is soft and inviting, dotted with golden sunlight filtering through the leaves. Luke reaches into his saddlebag and pulls out a soft, worn quilt, spreading it on the ground with a practiced flick of his wrists.

I sink onto the quilt and Luke settles next to me, his thigh pressed against mine.

“So, how did you and Lindsay become best friends, anyway?” Luke asks, reaching into the picnic basket and pulling out a container of bright red strawberries. He plucks one up and offers it to me, his fingers brushing against my lips as I accept it.

I chew slowly, savoring the sweetness, before answering. “Lindsay and I met at Northwestern,” I begin. “We were both freshmen and stuck in this tiny dorm room. At first, we were just polite strangers sharing space.”

Luke chuckles, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “Can’t imagine you two being strangers.”

“Right?” I laugh too, shaking my head at how quickly that changed. “She had this wild energy about her, always dragging me out of my comfort zone. Before long, we were inseparable.”

“Sounds like you balanced each other out.”

“Exactly,” I nod. “We pushed each other in all the right ways.”

“So, what brought you to Cooper Hills?” His hand settles on my thigh. “This town isn’t exactly bustling with opportunities for a dancer.”

I lean back on my elbows, letting the sun warm my skin. “During my junior year, I had this nasty fall during a rehearsal,” I continue. “Tore up my ankle pretty bad. It changed everything.” My voice wavers slightly, and Luke squeezes my leg gently. “I healed okay. But after that, my chance of being a professional dancer was pretty much out of the question.”

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” Luke murmurs.

“It’s okay. It all worked out. Lindsay was already planning to move back here after graduation. She convinced me to come with her. Around that time, she heard about a new ballet school opening in Cooper Hills. They needed teachers, and with my dancing dreams sidelined, it felt like the universe was giving me a second chance. Almost like a sign.”

Luke nods, understanding softening his gaze. “I’m glad she did. I can’t imagine Cooper Hills without you now.” His words send a ripple of warmth through me.

“I’m glad, too,” I say softly.

In the next heartbeat, Luke shifts closer, cupping my face with his hands. His thumb grazes my cheek as his eyes flick down to my lips.

And then he’s kissing me.

Luke kisses like he does everything else - with absolute focus and devastating skill. His lips move over mine, coaxing and teasing, until I open for him with a sigh. He licks into my mouth, exploring me with a sensual hunger that leaves me weak.

As his tongue tangles with mine, I forget that he’s nearly a decade older, that I’m his daughter’s teacher, that we’re from completely different worlds.

In this moment, none of it matters.

There is only Luke and the scorching heat building between us with every slide of our mouths.

His hand finds its way up my thigh, between my legs, and just like that, I’m on fire. My murmur of pleasure spurs him on, and he cups me through my leggings.

“Can I touch you here, baby?” Luke rasps. The desperation in his tone sends a flood of heat straight to my core. “I want to feel how soft you are inside.”

“Yes.” My hips arch instinctively toward his hand. “Please.”

With a groan, Luke slips his hand beneath the waistband of my leggings. His rough fingers slide over my slick flesh and I gasp, my head falling back against the blanket. He teases me with feather-light caresses, tracing the shape of me until I’m writhing beneath his touch.

“You’re so wet,” he murmurs, wonder and desire mingling in his deep voice. “So ready for me.”

I can only whimper in response, lost to the exquisite sensations he’s creating with every stroke of his fingers. When he finally slides one thick finger inside me, I nearly come undone right then and there. My inner muscles clench greedily around him, drawing him deeper.

Luke sets a maddeningly slow pace, pumping his finger in and out as his thumb finds my aching clit. He rubs the sensitive bundle of nerves in tight circles, and I see stars, pleasure coiling tighter and tighter in my belly. His touch is electric, igniting every nerve ending until I’m nothing but a trembling, desperate mess.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” he coaxes. “Make that sweet sound for me.”

His voice is a warm rumble, grounding me even as my body floats on the edge of something spectacular.

A second finger joins the first, stretching me deliciously, and my back arches off the blanket. I cling to him, fingers digging into his shoulders as my moans fill the space between us.

He leans in, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispers words of encouragement that I can barely process. My world narrows to the points where we are connected—his fingers inside me, his thumb over my clit, the solid warmth of his body beside mine.

“I’m gonna?—”

My breath catches as the tension snaps, sending waves of pure bliss crashing through me.

I cry out his name, clutching him tight as pleasure consumes me.

He doesn’t stop until I’m spent and boneless beneath him, panting and pulsing with aftershocks. Slowly, he eases his fingers from me, leaving me feeling empty and aching for more.

“You look so pretty when you come,” Luke murmurs. His eyes are dark with desire as they roam over my flushed face. “So gorgeous, falling apart for me like that.”

A shiver runs through me at his words. I’ve never felt more exposed, more vulnerable. But with Luke, it feels right. Safe. I reach up to brush my fingers along his stubbled jaw.

“You make me feel so good,” I whisper. “I want more.”

Luke’s eyes go dark with lust. “How much more, baby?”

“I want you inside me,” I tell him. “I want to feel you come.”

Luke inhales sharply. “Are you sure, baby? We don’t have to rush this.”

But I’ve never been more certain of anything. I cup his face in my hands, holding his intense blue gaze with my own.

“I’m sure,” I breathe. “Please fuck me, Luke.”

Something seems to break free inside him at my words. With a low growl, he surges forward to claim my mouth again, the kiss deep and demanding.

Quickly, he sheds his clothes, tossing them aside with impatient hands. His cock springs free, long and thick, the head already glistening with precum. My mouth waters at the sight, a fresh wave of desire surging through me.

Luke looms over me, his body a wall of tanned muscle and barely restrained power. He leans down, his lips brushing against my ear as he settles between my thighs.

“I can’t wait to sink my cock into your tight little pussy,” he growls. “You’re gonna feel so good wrapped around me, baby.”

The first press of him inside me is heady and overwhelming in the best way possible. He fills me completely, stretching and claiming in a way that feels right—it feels like coming home.

My hands find purchase in his hair as he starts to move, each thrust stoking the embers of pleasure that still smolder within me.

“Good girl,” Luke growls. “Taking my cock like you own it. Fuck, your sweet pussy feels so good.”

His words wind me up even tighter. I can’t get enough of his dirty talk and the way he praises me so filthily.

“You like that, baby?” he rumbles, slamming into me harder. “You like it when I tell you how hot and tight your pussy is? How perfect it feels milking my cock?”

“Yes,” I gasp, my nails raking down his back. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”

Luke sets a brutal pace, his hips snapping against mine, the wet slap of skin on skin filling the air. It’s raw and primal, and I’ve never felt anything so incredible.

He shifts the angle slightly and suddenly hits a spot deep inside me that has me seeing stars. I cry out, my back arching as pleasure coils tighter and tighter in my core.

“There it is,” Luke grunts. “There’s that sweet spot. I can feel you clenching around me, baby. You’re about to come, aren’t you? Do it, sweetheart. Come all over my cock. Make a mess for me.”

His filthy words are my undoing. With a shattered moan, I detonate, my inner muscles spasming around him as ecstasy crashes through me wave after wave. I’ve never come so hard in my life.

“Fuck, Jasmyn!” Luke snarls. His rhythm falters and then he’s coming too, spilling deep inside me with a guttural groan.

For a long moment, we just cling to each other, our hearts pounding in sync as the aftershocks of our climax ripple through us. Luke presses soft kisses to my face and my neck, murmuring words of praise and affection against my sweat-dampened skin.

Finally, he rolls to the side, gathering me close. I rest my head on his chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat as it gradually slows.

“That was...” I trail off, unable to find a word that adequately describes the magnitude of what we just shared.

“Perfect,” Luke finishes. “It was perfect. You’re perfect.”

Emotion swells in my chest, so big and bright it steals my breath. I tilt my head back to look at him, marveling at the tenderness in his vivid blue eyes.

“I think I’m falling for you, Luke Clayton,” I whisper.

His arms tighten around me. “I’m already there, darlin’. I’m already there.”

We lay tangled together on the picnic blanket, the warm breeze caressing our bare skin, birdsong drifting on the air. I’ve never felt so peaceful, so content, so utterly right.