Stables (Black Gulch Ranch #2)

41. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Dixon

The hum of the world falls silent.

All that exists is her.

My one.

The soft pink of her dress matches the flush in her cheeks as she looks up at me with shiny sapphire eyes.

Scarred, but stronger than when I met her.

Her chin tilts up and her jaw sets, not quite covering the quiver of her red lower lip.

Fighting her tears, she slides the platinum ring over my knuckle and follows along with the words from the preacher until I hear the two I’ve longed for. “I do.”

My chest aches. I swear my heart is pounding through my ribcage. I want to grab her, kiss her, ravage her at the pulpit for giving herself to me.

Every moment I’ve spent with her plays on a reel through my mind, while every dream of the future runs through an unlimited playbook of hopes for the life we’ll have together.

“Dixon?” Her fingers light on my wrist, sparking me back into the present.

“Sorry. You’re so beautiful I got lost watching you.” I try to smile and grit back the roar of triumph that’s threatening to escape.

I can’t hide the shake in my hand when I push the matching band with the inset diamond into place.

My voice cracks as I repeat the words. They fade before they’ve barely left my tongue.

The preacher clears his throat, reiterating a phrase I think he’s already said. “You may kiss your bride, Dixon.”

I feel no pain as I bring up both palms to cup her face. Shoulder wound be damned, I’m a new man pulling her to me.

Our noses nearly touch. Hovering so close to her our breath mingles, only one truth joins us.

“My wife.” Crashing into her, I’m reborn in the baptism of her willing kiss.

Life before this moment was a starless void.

When I finally open my eyes and pull away from her tender lips, I pause.

I want to remember this forever.

On my deathbed, I want to seek out this single memory. The look of adoration in her gaze, the soft feel of her breasts pressed against my chest, the heat of her slow exhale as the smile tugs up her cheeks framed by the long curls of her auburn hair.

A lifetime will pass, but it will always be this moment that I’ll return to. When she vowed her heart and I swore mine in return.

Picking up her palm, I place a soft kiss over her new jewelry. The tiny ring that represents my entire being wrapped around her dainty finger.

When Paisley squeals, it’s the first time I sense anything away from Char.

Glancing over, Libby has tears streaming as she tries to hold a very squirmy toddler.

“Libby, I want down,” Paisley whines.

When Libby relents and sets her on the wooden floor, Paisley runs up to Char and wraps her arms around her leg. “Mommy is a princess, too.”

I thread my arm around Char’s waist and press my lips to her temple. “Yes, she is.”

“Mr. McCullough? I have just a couple of quick forms for you and your wife to fill out.” The soft piano music dulls the preacher’s voice.

I can hear him well enough for her new title to make my cock twitch.

Watching her sign the papers using my last name makes it rock hard.

“I guess I’ll need to practice that.” She blushes and hands me the pen.

“Some days it’s good to be a doctor, so I can chicken scratch.” I grin, putting my mark beneath hers.

“It’s official.” Blue chuckles. “You really tied the knot.” He shakes his head, and holds out his hand to me. “Congrats, buddy. Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Had to find the right woman.” I grip his palm, hoping he knows how much I appreciate him being here.

And saving her.

“You’re a lucky man, Dix.” Blue lets go of me, then tips his head at Char. “Take care of the big guy.”

She bites her lip and nods, pulling my arm against her body. “Thank you for being here. Did you want to come to dinner with us?”

Damn it. I was hoping to rush her straight back to our room.

“I appreciate it.” He glances over towards Libby, who’s pointing at brochures along the far wall with Paisley. “But I just realized who her father is. I don’t think now is a good time.”

“Mortal enemies?” I grin.

Blue’s eyes widen. “No, quite the contrary. He’s a great guy and we’ve been friends for years. He just told me something before I left that I’m having a hard time processing. It ain’t my place to say anything, so I’ll find my own way back to the hotel.” He puts on a broad smile. “Maybe I’ll get some luck of my own down here.”

Tipping his hat, he slips out the door.

“What do you think that was about?” Char whispers, pursing her lips.

“Nothing for us to worry about tonight, Mrs. McCullough.” I love how that rolls off my tongue.

“Oh, that sounds strange.” She smiles with pink tinging her cheeks.

“Get used to it, you’re stuck with me.” My palm finds the round curve of her ass with a firm pinch making her jump.

Fighting her giggle, she leads me towards Libby.

“Ready? Did you want to get some dinner?” Char plays with Paisley’s pigtails as she asks.

Libby glances between us, then a furrow forms in her forehead. “You’re kidding, right?” The corner of her mouth raises into a smirk. “You really want to go have a burger after your wedding when you could be having that?” She jabs her finger towards me with a laugh.

“My present to you is a night alone. Once we get to the hotel, I don’t want to see you again.” She leads Paisley to the door and pushes into the warm night. “Paisley, how about macaroni and cheese with cartoons?”

“That’s a good friend.” My lips brush Char’s ear.

“The best.” She exhales then climbs into the dark recesses of the limo.

I slide in next to her, while Libby and Paisley move near the front so they can look through the clearer windows.

It leaves Char and I in the shadows.

Wrapping my arm around her slim shoulders, I pull her knees over my thigh so I can hold her close.

Her fingers wedge between her leg and the tight denim over my crotch.

When she begins to stroke the seam of my jeans concealed by the folds of her dress, I know she’s just as eager to get back to the room as I am.

“Do you know what I can’t wait for?” My mouth finds the sensitive skin beneath her jaw.

“Hmm?” Her nail bounces over every stitch, making a throbbing tempo through my loins.

Tracing her shoulder down, I let my thumb drift across her nipple, reveling in it budding through the thin fabric of her dress. “To watch you come for the first time as my wife.”

Her temple falls gently against my chest as her light touch starts at my lips, burns down my chin and Adam’s apple, then loops the hollow of my throat.

As if she’s memorizing me with her tender caress.

“My husband,” she murmurs.

I can feel her damp tears soaking through my shirt. But with the fire blazing within me, I’m sure it will turn to steam any moment.

The door to the limo opens to the bright foyer of the hotel.

It’s hard to walk with my cock so full of desire.

She presses her back to me in the elevator, thankfully hiding the uncomfortable bulge that is begging for release.

“You kids have fun now!” Libby giggles, scooping up Paisley and running down the hall to her room.

Holding the card to the electronic lock, I keep Char from going in when I kick it open. “I may be broken, but I’ll be damned if I let you walk across the threshold on our first night.”

I crouch, then pull her over my shoulder, grasping her hips so I can carry her one armed into our suite.

Pressing her against the wall, I let her slide slowly down my body until her mouth is level with mine. “I don’t ever want to put you down.”

She smiles, wrapping her arms around my neck, she tilts my hat back. “That’s going to make riding horses awkward.”

“You can ride me instead.” My thigh works between her knees, bracing her between the paneling and my feverish flesh.

Finding her soft lips lights a fuse that flashes through me.

I’ve never wanted her as badly as I do now. It’s a whole new level of desire knowing that she’s given herself to me. And that she’s taken ownership of my heart.

Something I never knew I could let live outside of my body.

But it’s hers.

Two armies war within me. One wants to claim her quickly, fully consummating our new bond. The other wants this night to last forever.

I wish both could win.

Yet as her nails scratch their way down my back and loop into my jeans, I’m beginning to think the first may be in the lead.

She finds the buttons on my shirt, only pausing long enough to let me lift her pretty pink dress over her head.

My fucking wife has on no panties or bra.

“Jesus, Char. If I’d have known, I’d have sat you on my lap in the limo.” I let the rough pads of my callouses rasp over her beaded nipples before pinching them.

“I wanted it to be a surprise.” She deftly unbuckles my belt, then goes for my straining zipper.

My teeth find the base of her throat as I pin her hands. “I like those kind of surprises. I have one too.”

Her neck arches deliciously, pressing her breasts toward my ravenous mouth. “Will I like it?” Her words are breathy pants when I nip and suckle on each.

I pause, meeting her lidded gaze. “Tell me if you don’t.”

Lifting her with my good arm, I sit her on the edge of the bed and kick out of my jeans.

But when I grab my hat to toss onto the chair, she stops me. “Leave it on, cowboy.” Her tongue makes a glistening line over her puffy lower lip.

Fuck, I love her.

Dropping my Stetson back over my ears, I tug open the drawer next to the bed and show her the handful of silk ties I’ve stashed.

I pull one of the bright red ones loose from the pile. “Put your wrists together.”

She rises to her knees, a seductive curl to her mouth as she obeys me.

I wrap the length twice, then tie it with a bow. “Such a good girl.”

Using it as a handle, I tug her over my thighs, putting her bare ass in the air. “I don’t think I finished punishing you for wanting to delay this.”

Kneading each tender globe leaves a pink hue to her pale skin.

“I wanted to give you an out, in case you changed your mind.” Her words are muffled against the mattress, but they ring through with an icy grip.

The first slap on her hip is hard enough to make her jump forward with a small cry.

“Char, I wanted to put that ring on your finger from the first moment I met you.” Rubbing the red print makes my cock bounce against her chest.

“You did?” she squeaks.

My palm stings with the next stroke. “Don’t ever doubt my love for you.”

Her thighs squeeze together as she wiggles on my lap. “Yes, daddy.” Her panting words sizzle through me.

“This pussy is mine now.” With another biting smack, I run my fingers up her soaking slit. “Has my wife been this wet all day?”

“Mhmm,” she whines, rolling her pelvis to spread her legs. “I’ve been thinking about you—”

I shove two fingers into her dripping cunt making her head fly up with a moan.

“—husband,” she croaks.

Jesus. My nuts ache with my new name. I wouldn’t have it without her.

I can feel the pre-cum leaking from the tip of my raging cock smear across her belly. Every time she breathes, the friction draws me closer to the edge.

I’m losing the battle of control.

Withdrawing my hand, I drag it up and down the length of her, spreading her slick juices up and over the tight pucker of her ass.

“Char,” I say hoarsely. “I’m going to claim every piece of you as mine.” I let my thumb trail down to press on her stiff clit. Splitting my fingers, I push two into the clenching confines of her pussy, and my pinky into the tiny hole above.

She stiffens for a moment, then relaxes into my touch.

“It feels good,” she groans.

I pick up speed until she’s writhing on my legs and screaming my name.

“That’s it, come for me.” I work a second finger into her spasming ass.

So fucking tight.

When she collapses over my legs, I turn her over and loop her tied hands over the headboard.

My lips find hers in a bruising kiss before I settle on my knees between the temple of her thighs. Propping myself with my good arm, I work my way down her supple body leaving tiny red marks with each nip.

When my tongue finds the drenched apex of her beautiful pussy, her breasts rise to the ceiling, suspending her by the binding on her wrists.

Her body is the bridge to heaven, and I will follow her path wherever she leads.

The tremors in her belly grow when I push my fingers back within her.

I know if I don’t stretch her first, she won’t enjoy my girthy cock.

“Give me another.” I exhale over her quivering belly. “I want to watch my wife come on my face.”

A smile teases up her swollen mouth as her heels dig into my shoulders.

I don’t even feel it when she hits the stitches of the wound on my back.

Just the burning desire that rages in my limbs and knots in my loins.

“Dixon!” Her throaty cry echoes through the room as the gush of her release floods my chin.

That’s my girl.

She shivers through her climax, her sweaty flushed face turning on the pillow.

The ache in my shoulder doesn’t stop me from digging into the bedside drawer one more time to pull out the small lavender scented massage oil bottle.

Dribbling some over her flushed skin, I pour it liberally over my stiff cock as well, then use the engorged head as a wand to spread the slippery fluid up and down between her thighs.

“Every piece of you,” I pant, looping her tied wrists over my neck.

“It’s yours.” She pulls herself close, trailing scalding kisses over my jaw.

Plunging my throbbing length into her begging pussy, it makes us both gasp at the sensation.

I might just let go and come in her, against her fertile womb I’ve already sown as mine.

The cool air hits my slick shaft when I pull out.

Fisting my rigid cock, I press the tip lower until I feel the tight muscles spread.

Her body tenses, her nails dig into my scalp as I push through the first constricting ring.

“Relax, Char.” With short thrusts, my thighs quiver in restraint. “Let me do the work.” Pulling her knee up spreads her wide, relieving some of the restriction.

“Dix.” She trembles in my arms, her rapid pants bathing my chest in heat.

I pause, waiting to see what she does, giving her body the chance to adjust.

“Oh please no. Don’t fucking stop.” Her fingers claw into my arm.

Who am I to argue?

I let her hips settle lower, watching her teeth pull her lower lip between them.

It’s only when I’m fully seated that her head tips back with my faster thrusts that the first shudder runs through her.

My groin gets soaked with her rapid orgasm as a low moan builds in her chest.

Hanging by only the silk tie, she flexes her back away, changing the angle so I can sink to my belly into her convulsing virgin ass.

Again, a cinching spasm shakes through her and another douse wets my thighs.

Jesus, I can’t hold much longer.

Her pulsing muscles squeeze my cock until I find myself pistoning into her, then the wave crashes over me.

She cries out with yet another as I lose myself. My nuts spasm a burning release into her hot pulsations.

Tremors jerk my waist until my sensitive cock feels as if it’s on fire.

Collapsing onto the bed, I let myself slip free and prop my hat over my face.

Both of our chests heave, sweat covers our bodies.

“I think I’m in a puddle,” she giggles. Her arms are still locked behind my neck, but she nestles her head on my shoulder.

I prop up the brim to see her. “That’s why I made sure the room had two beds.” I grin.

When I’ve caught my breath, I use my good arm to scoop her from the sopping mattress and carry her to the bathroom.

As the steam fills the spacious room, I lower her slowly to the warm tile and untie her wrists.

Pulling her left hand to my lips, I leave a slow kiss over the shining band on her finger.

“Can I take off my hat now Mrs. McCullough?”

A smile plays over her lips. “For now.”