Break In Two (19 page)

The next morning seemed to greet the pair too early. The sun poured in the window, as they lay naked, still touching one another. Cole woke up and lay beside her, watching her sleep. The thought of riding off that day brought a sense of dread. He wanted to stay here in this bed with her and shut the world out forever. He watched as Claire stirred and opened her eyes.

"Good morning, Gorgeous," he said with his sexy grin.

Claire gave him a look of pure adoration, "That might be the best way to wake up ever," she said with her voice a little raspy from sleep.

Cole pulled her into a warm embrace, "I was just thinking how I would like to stay in this bed with you forever," he said, kissing her shoulder.

Claire grinned at the thought, "That sounds nice. How could we arrange that?"

Cole thought for a moment, "Lotto tickets?"

She laughed, "Dare to dream."

Cole held her closer, "This is the first time in my life that I haven't wanted to go on a cattle drive. You're the only woman that has ever done that to me. It's almost physically painful that I have to leave for even a few days."

Claire caressed his arm with her hand, "You mean you're worried about blue balls?"

Cole laughed out loud at her crudeness, "No, I mean because I'm so insanely in love with you that I feel like I have to be near you at all times."

Claire shook her head, "Me too. The thought of it is so sad, which is just silly, because in five days, we'll be right back here. And yet, I have this crushing feeling in my chest when I think of you getting on your horse and leaving."

"Plus, you're such a nympho, how will you manage to go more than a day without sex?"

It was Claire's turn to laugh, "Oh, don't worry about me, I'll just wait for the UPS guy to show up."

"Oh I hate that guy," Cole teased, "I could just kill him." He kissed her on the forehead and got out of bed.

Claire watched him cross the room completely nude. He looked like an athlete in the locker room, casually walking around, utterly unaware of his own nakedness.

"Well, in the mean time, do you want to join me for a shower? Your breasts look like they could use a lot of soap."

Feeling bold, Claire threw off the covers and looked down at her breasts, "They do like the feeling of your big hands soaping them up," she said. The sight of her nude body and the thought of his hands on her had him hard again.

They made love in the shower, losing track of time. As they hurried to get ready for the day, Claire asked, "So Cole, how do I handle things with your parents while you are away?"

Cole pulled his t-shirt over his head, "Well, just be yourself. You won my dad over already, so that's easy. My mom might take a little longer, but I think she gained a lot of respect for you last night. They won't be here the whole time anyway. They are going to ride out with us today and then camp for two nights with the group, then ride back."

He walked over to her, fully dressed and gave her a kiss on the forehead, "I wish I could be here the whole time. You'll be okay though. You're so wonderful, she'll figure it out soon enough."

Claire had thrown on her jeans and her button up shirt from last night, "Thanks, Cowboy. I feel better," she said, pressing her hands to his muscular abs. "I better run back to my place and get dressed."

Cole looked at her, "You know, you should just move all your stuff over here. It's silly for you to be going back and forth all the time."

"Why Cole," she smiled coyly, "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

Cole looked down at his feet and then raised his eyes to hers, "Too soon?"

"Logically? Yes. But it does feel right, doesn't it?" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him hard on the mouth.

When they stopped, she said, "You know, let's wait until your parents leave. I don't think it would play out well if we did it now."

"If that makes you more comfortable, okay. But you know, Claire, we're grown ups and I don't let them make my decisions for me. It seems a little silly pretending you aren't sleeping here when we all know the truth."

"I know. Of course you're right, but I'd rather just wait anyway. Just in case your mom doesn't warm up to me, okay?" Claire replied.

"Okay. As long as you won't stop sleeping here in the mean time," he said, locking his arms around her waist.

"Sure. Does that include the UPS guy while you're away or should I take him to my place instead?" she asked with a wicked grin.

"Grrrr" he nipped at her lip and squeezed her bottom, "You could drive a man crazy."

"That's my goal," she said winking at him. "See you at breakfast?"

"Not if the UPS guy is there."

Claire laughed and rushed down the stairs calling back, "Don't worry! I told him not to come by until tomorrow."

The next few hours were a flurry of activity with everyone preparing for the arrival of the guests. Three families were meeting for a reunion of sorts. They had all been to the ranch before so they were going to saddle up with the same horses they had the last time they stayed there and head out right after lunch.

Claire made a large fruit tray with a yogurt dip, a salad, burgers and sweet potato fries with a garlic aioli dip for lunch. She and Alicia had all the camping food packed up before the meal was served.

Cole was busy greeting the guests, taking care of the logistics and making sure all the cattle and horses would be ready to go on time. By lunch, they were both feeling worn out, in part from being up so late having sex but also from having to say good-bye for a few days.

Cole's mom had been busy as well, getting herself packed and her own horse ready for the ride. She had been very polite to Claire at breakfast, but things were definitely awkward between them.

At lunch, Claire and Cole ate alone on the patio in the shade after she had served all the guests. When it was time for the group to head out, Claire walked down to the barn with Alicia and Ben to see them off. Claire walked over to Cole, as he got ready to mount Dudley. He looked down at her has she approached and smiled, pulling her in for a long hug, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

"I'm going to miss you," he said softly, "but at least I'll have the memory of last night and this morning to hold me over until I'm back."

"You too," Claire said, "You're amazing. No man has ever made me whimper or beg before."

"Good," he replied, smirking a little, "What are you going to do with yourself while we're gone?" he asked.

"Probably run and swim a little and maybe head into town. See if I can find a Victoria’s Secret store. I need some new panties. Someone wrecked my favourite pair," she rolled her eyes, trying to look annoyed.

"Oh now
that's
a shopping trip I would gladly go on," he smiled down at her and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "How am I supposed to sleep with that thought on my mind?"

"You can lay awake in your tent, knowing that I'm in bed thinking of you and touching myself," she said very quietly so no one else would hear.

Claire could feel his cock straining in his jeans and she liked knowing she had this effect on him. Cole's face looked almost pained, "Okay, Gorgeous, take it easy. If I get on my horse with a raging hard-on, I could break something."

Claire giggled, "That won't do. I'll need your something when you get back."

Cole gave her a big, tight hug and another gentle kiss, "I’d better go. I love you."

"I love you too."

As she watched him ride away leading the group, she was certain he was just about the sexiest man she had ever laid eyes on. She had one of those moments where she couldn't believe he was hers.

Later that day, when Alicia went to lay down, Claire decided to go shopping. She was
going to grab some supper and check out a yoga studio in town. Alicia and Ben were the only ones left at the ranch that night and they were going out for dinner and a movie.

As Claire got into her car for the first time since the accident, she felt a little nervous. She had not been behind the wheel since then. She started it up and told herself to relax. By the time she got into town, she had her confidence back.

Her first stop was the mall. She hadn't been shopping in a long time and it was nice to browse around with no reason to rush. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if Janet was there. She sent her a text,
Shopping afternoon - missing my big sis!

Janet would be asleep now so she wouldn't get it for several hours.

Claire wandered around for a bit before finding a Victoria’s Secret. As soon as she walked in, she could feel the pulse of the store. The music was loud, the lingerie was endless and as always, there were lots of sales people to help her out. She grabbed a bag and began browsing, starting with bras. She selected several different designs, including the Dream Angels push up bra in a coral pink colour with ivory lace. She found a few t-shirt bras and then went to find matching panties. As she looked at the panties, she noticed a sexy corset in red and black hanging on a rack near the wall. She decided to try it on, along with a flimsy baby doll in royal blue. She went into the dressing room and shut the door. Taking out her cell phone, she texted Cole,
"At Victoria’s Secret trying on lacy, tiny things
."

A minute later, her phone chimed. Cole had texted back already, "
Pictures please
."

She tried on the blue baby doll first. She took a photo of herself in the mirror, making a pouty face. She looked at it for a moment trying to decide if she should send it. She was feeling naughty, so she decided to go for it. She sent the photo, along with the caption, "
Should I get it
?"

Almost immediately, she got back, "
Um, yeah. I almost fell off my horse. Get it and throw away all your other clothes
."

Claire giggled as she tried on the corset. Wow - she couldn't believe how sexy she looked. This one was going to be a surprise for Cole.

As she tried on her first bra and panty set, her phone chimed again, "
So, what are you trying on now?
"

She texted him back, "
Something small, red and lacy
."

"Sounds nice. Can I see it?"

"When you get back. A girl needs to have some surprises to keep things interesting."

"Oh great. Now my imagination is going to go wild for four days wondering what small, red lacy thing you have waiting for me to see."

"It's much better than what you're imagining..."

"Young lady, don't make me turn this horse around."

"If only...I'm making a list of really dirty things I'm going to do to you when you get back."

"Okay, I am officially hard as a rock, which is kind of painful."

"Oh now I'm all wet thinking about your hard cock."

"I have to stop reading now and calm down. Continue this later?"

"Definitely..."

Suddenly there was a knock at the door to her dressing room, "You okay in there? Do you need anything?"

Claire panicked and shoved her phone back in her purse, "No, just trying to decide which ones to take."

In the end, she decided to take them all. She was starting a new life with a new man and she wanted new lingerie to go with it. She got a pair of black thigh-high tights and stilettos to wear with the corset.

She hit a few more stores before stopping for supper. She bought a new pair of boot cut, dark jeans that gave her butt a lift. She also bought a pair of ripped, cropped, skinny jeans in light denim, a few t-shirts, a pair of black wedge sandals and a cute, fitted military style jacket in dark grey.

She stopped to eat a big salad in the food court, before leaving to find the yoga studio. On her way there, she saw a western wear store and decided to stop in. She had always wanted a cowboy hat, so she decided now was as good a time as any. She browsed around for a while, trying on several before settling on a tea-stained raffia straw hat with a turquoise jewel on the front of the band.

She made it over to the yoga studio just in time. She did a ninety minute flow yoga class, challenging both her strength and flexibility. When she left, she felt relaxed and calm, as she always did after yoga. When she got home she texted Cole, "
Just got home from yoga class. Working on my flexibility. XOXO Bendy Girl
."

A few minutes later, she received a reply, "
I just might be the luckiest man on the planet. Missing you, especially the bendy and naughty parts of you.
"