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nervous animal.
As they crested a hill, they both groaned simultaneously at the
view in front of them. What should have been a trickling creek
leading to a small pond was now a raging river torrent, complete with
white water rapids, and trees floating in it.
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“Holy shit,” he murmured.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s got to be a hundred yards
across,” Lauren groaned. “If the low-lying areas all look like this, the
whole town of Montford might be washed away by morning.”
“We’ve got to get back to the ranch and let Bran know what’s
happening.”
“He’s already dealing with flooding from the river.”
“Yeah, but if the water keeps rising at this rate, he’s going to
have bigger problems on his hands than the Blue,” Vin said, trying to
keep the concern out of his voice. Like Lauren, he’d never seen the
water this high in his life. They’d had wet seasons, and even some
flooding over the thirty plus years he’d lived at Crawley Creek, but
nothing this devastating. “I’m guessing the water’s already overtaken
a few of the back cabins.”
“Destiny said it was only up to her doorstep before.” Lauren
remarked. The wind made her words sound far away as they rode at a
much quicker pace in the direction of the main house.
“Yeah, but we’ve had at least four more inches of rain since
then, and that lake back there assures me that we’re going to have
damage. It’s unavoidable.”
“What about Munchkin?” She turned her head to meet his gaze.
Sorrow filled her chocolate-brown eyes, and she turned back without
him having to respond. Obviously, she’d realized the answer to her
own question. There wasn’t anything they could do to help the lost
cow at the moment without putting themselves at risk. No matter how
much Drannon loved his pet, he’d never expect anyone to sacrifice
their safety to retrieve it.
The lights of Crawley Creek were a welcome sight as they rode
into the yard, but Vin turned Toto in the opposite direction of the
barn.
“What are you doing?” Lauren protested. “We need to call
Bran.”
“First we need to see how high the water is out back. We may be
able to figure out a temporary dam, or divert it somehow…” His
words drifted off when Toto balked about halfway down the lane
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Lori King
between the cabins. In front of them, water spread as far as the eye
could see.
Out of the thirteen guest cabins on the ranch, Vin counted only
six on high enough ground untouched by the floodwaters so far. The
damage was much more extensive than he’d imagined.
Hearing Lauren sniffle, he wrapped one arm around her middle
and hugged her tight. “I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” she said, her
voice shaky with her tears.
“Me, either.” He turned Toto around and nudged him into a trot
toward the barn. Once inside the warm interior, Vin jumped down
and turned to lift Lauren from the saddle. Tears were still pouring
down her cheeks, and he pulled her into a tight embrace. “Don’t cry,
sweetheart. We’ll figure it all out. We just have to have faith that
things will work out. Look at the bright side; if we have to evacuate
the ranch right now it won’t be as difficult. Half the population is out
of town.”
She let out a half-laugh half-sob, and shook her head. “I’m not
sure that’s a bright side.”
“Sunshine, remember? Sera always said there’s always sunshine
behind every rain cloud.” He tipped her chin so that he could brush
his lips over hers, and then released her. “Why don’t you go inside
and fill the others in while I dry Toto out. I want to check him over
for injuries after being out in the hail.”
She nodded, and without a word, disappeared out the barn door
into the darkness. Left with only his own fragmented emotions, and
an exhausted horse, he set himself to work. He was determined to be
the glue that held Crawley Creek together in this natural disaster.
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By the time Vin finished in the barn and came into the house,
Lauren had managed to fill in Destiny, Marilyn, and Jeanette, as well
as call the sheriff’s office with a report of the high waters. The ladies
were seated at the kitchen island with mugs of coffee and hot cocoa,
and Marilyn rose immediately to offer him one.
“No, thanks. I think I want a hot shower followed by a beer,” he
said with a wry grin. Glancing at Lauren, he was disappointed to find
her already showered and changed into a pair of soft-looking, gray
pants and a long-sleeve t-shirt. He’d held out a slight hope that she’d
be joining him in his ablutions, but clearly, their intimate interlude
was over for the moment. “What did Bran say?”
“I didn’t get ahold of him directly. I talked to Tiffany Clark, and
she said she’d radio Bran.” Lauren explained, cupping her mug in her
hands and sipping the warm brew.
“Tiffany? What was she doing answering Bran’s phone?”
Lauren shrugged, but Marilyn answered, “She’s been seeing that
deputy, Thomas Whitaker. My guess is he got called in to help with
the flood, and Tiffany’s helping out by manning the phones.”
Vin nodded his understanding. It was the way of things in a
small town. Everyone pitched in when there was an emergency.
Turning away, he took a few steps in the direction of his old room
before looking back over his shoulder. The fact that he caught Lauren
watching him walk away made his heart skip a beat, and he took a
chance.
“Hey Lauren, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Lori King
Her cheeks grew pink, and she hesitated, drawing curious looks
from the other three ladies. When she realized she was the center of
attention, she jumped to her feet. “Sure.”
Waiting there in the hallway for her, he watched her curvy body
sway with each movement, and his cock thickened behind the wet
denim of his jeans. Cursing the unforgiving material, he reached out
once she was close enough and took her hand, pulling her along with
him to his room.
“What is it?” she demanded as she followed him into his room.
Her eyes bounced around the stacks of boxes and grew wide. “Are
you moving?”
“Only to one of the cabins. With Drannon and Lacy getting
married, and Roman living with Franki now, Hawke and I decided it
was time to move out of the main house.” He reached over his head
to tug his shirt off. Turning back around to face her, he grinned when
her pupils dilated at the sight of his bare chest.
“Oh, that’s, um, great. Probably time to have your own space,”
she mumbled, taking a step backwards toward the bedroom door. She
seemed surprised to find it closed and turned an accusing glare his
way.
Stalking her way with slow, even steps, he felt his smile grow
wider at the nervous way she nibbled her lip and the tension in her
muscles. He stopped just a few inches away from her, and waited for
her to meet his eyes.
“Are you ready to talk about what happened?” he prodded. “Or
are we going to keep avoiding the subject.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Avoiding is good.”
“Good for what?”
“My sanity,” she muttered. “Look, Vinnie, I don’t know what
happened out there—”
“We made love,” he responded, cutting her off.
“Whatever you want to call it, we can’t let it happen again.
Especially with me leaving soon for home.”
“This is your home.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
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“You mean you regret tonight?” He inched closer, pinning her
against the bedroom door, and he noted her pulse jump in her throat.
Pressing his groin tighter against her stomach, he rocked in a slow
thrusting motion that made her eyes glassy. “Are you telling me you
don’t want this?”
“I didn’t say that, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to—”
His reaction was instantaneous, and when he thought about it
later, he couldn’t even remember making a conscious decision to
move. Without giving her a chance to finish her statement, he had her
in his arms and pinned against the door with her legs around his hips.
Grinding his cock into the split of her thighs, he pressed his nose into
her neck and growled, “Does that feel obligated to you?”
She was panting for air as desire rippled through them both, and
he nipped at her jawline. “How about instead of you trying to find an
escape route, we both just enjoy the time we have together. Stop
thinking so much.”
“I can’t,” she whispered.
“You can’t what?”
“Do this. You. Me. Us. I can’t let you go again. I barely survived
the last time.” She was crying again, and as much as he hated to see
her crying, he was intrigued by her words.
“Why do you think you have to let me go?” He stroked her hair
away from her face so that he could see her eyes. “Why can’t we just
be?”
~ ~ ~ ~
Lauren wanted to agree. No, she wanted him to make her submit
so that, later, she could blame him for her broken heart. That would
make it easier to walk away from him and back to her life in
Arkansas.
“Vin, please!” She cringed internally as the huskiness of her
voice.
He thrust his groin against hers and she moaned. “Is this all you
want from me, Lauren? My cock? I want so much more from you.”
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Lori King
Shaking her head, she tried to tamp down the building inferno
between her legs and concentrate.
“I want everything you have to give. Even the parts you don’t
want me to see. I want you to let go of your anger, and start over with
me. I want you to admit that you fucking loved what we did back
there in the woods, and beg me to do it again.” Every word sent
waves of lust washing over her, and she felt her traitorous body
respond, arching into him and grinding back.
Vin held her in place by balancing her ass on one of his muscular
forearms, while he shoved his other hand down the front of her
pajama pants. The sudden move startled her, but it sent her body
catapulting over the edge of no return when his thick finger thrust
into her slick folds.
“Oh, my God!” she whimpered, clawing at his shoulders for
some sort of stability as her world rocked.
“That’s a girl. Tell me how much you love having me in your
pussy. You don’t care if it’s my dick, or my finger, or my fucking
tongue. You need me to fill you up.”
His dirty words echoed in her brain, and she clenched her eyes
closed as her vision blurred. His callused fingertip scraped over her
swollen clit once, twice, and then…she exploded. Body bouncing
against his as her orgasm slammed into her, she had no control over
the way she trapped his hand between her thighs and rode his fist to
the end.
“Holy fuck, you’re a goddess,” he growled, easing her feet to the
ground so that he could reach for his own zipper. In a flash he was
pulling his cock out, and shoving her pants down to her knees.
It all happened so fast that she didn’t have time to second-guess
her decision. All she knew was that she wanted to experience the
completely full feeling that only Vin could give her. Following his
lead, she let him turn her so that her ass presented itself to his waiting
cock. Stroking the head of his member up and down her dripping
opening, he reached under her and cupped her braless breast in his
hand, pinching the nipple hard.
“Tell me you want it, Lauren. Say the words.”
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“Please…” she whispered.
He held completely still with just the tip of his cock inside her
pussy, “What was that?”
“Vin, please, fuck me!” she ground out.
“No,” he said firmly, maintaining a level of control that pissed
her off.
“What the fuck do you mean, no?”
“I won’t ever fuck you, baby. The magic between us could never
be called something so callous.”
Confused, she looked back over her shoulder at him. She was
surprised by the level of emotion staring back at her.
He pushed forward another inch, and she gasped. “I’m going to
make love to you. I’m going to love you so hard that it leaves an
imprint on your soul.”
With that, he shoved himself balls-deep inside her tight pussy,
and they both groaned together. He stretched her so perfectly, and the
way his dick curved upwards, every stroke teased a secret spot inside
her instead of slamming into it outright so the buildup was steadier