AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don't miss the curious tilt of her head, nor the hesitant step she takes toward me. But it's clear as day—even if she doesn't understand it yet—that Nora Davenport is becoming my obsession. And I'll be damned if I let anyone else so much as think they've got a shot with her. She's mine to protect, mine to desire.
Mine to claim, whatever it takes.
* * *
I'm leaning against the fence, watching Nora as she moves with a grace that's got nothing to do with ranch work. Her every step is a siren call and I'm all too willing to crash on those rocks. She's bending over to pick up a saddle from the ground, and hell if my mind doesn't wander to less innocent bends and curves.
I’ve been coming up with bullshit tasks for her all day, things that I claim she needs me to show her how to do. All so I can come up with an excuse to be close to her.
Guard her from every other male who would look at her.
Mine.
We walk side by side to the stable, the air thick with everything unsaid. The horses seem to sense it too, their whinnies like a chorus to our silent song. I show her how to brush down old Betsy, our hands brushing more than once. Each contact sends a jolt through me, hot as the summer sun beating down on this Texas plain.
"Your dad's doing good work around here," I say, trying to sound casual, but really I'm fishing, wanting to know how much Edward Davenport's seen of what's simmering between his daughter and me.
"Thanks," she replies, her focus on Betsy's flank. "He likes it here. Says it's good to be busy."
"Keeps the mind off things," I add, thinking not for the first time how a busy mind is the last thing I want right now.
"Exactly," she agrees, unaware of the double entendre.
We walk side by side, Nora's lithe form keeping pace with my longer strides. I can feel the heat coming off her, even more intoxicating than the midday sun. Every now and then, I catch her sneaking looks at me, and it stokes the fire inside, makes me want to show her just how much of a man I am.
"See this here?" I stop and point to a loose wire on the fence, seizing the chance to press close as I feign fixing it. Our bodies touch, and it's electric, a current running straight through me.
"Looks like you've got strong hands," she says, bold and teasing, glancing up at me through those lashes.
"Strong enough to keep everything I care about safe," I murmur, locking eyes with her, letting her hear the promise in my voice.
She bites her lip, and my imagination runs away from me. I imagine how those lips would taste, how they would look wrapped around my cock…
The air between us crackles, charged with unspoken desires.
"Let's head back," I say after a moment, reluctant to end our time together but knowing there's a time for playing and a time for laying down your cards.
Nora nods, casting one last lingering glance at the horizon before we turn toward the house. The sun's dipping low, painting the sky in hues of fire and passion—fitting for the burn simmering under my skin.
Tonight, I'll lie awake, consumed with thoughts of her, imagining the taste of her lips, the feel of her soft curves beneath my calloused hands.
Because Nora Davenport is my obsession.
CHAPTER TWO
Sawyer
I lean against the rough bark of an old oak, my gaze snagged on the scene before me. Nora's out there in the pasture, under the cruel kiss of the midday sun, her figure a silhouette against the blaze of the open sky. She bends over a stubborn weed, yanking it from the earth. Her movements are fluid, like she's part of the landscape—natural and wild.
Her skin's got that glow, you know? The kind that comes from days spent under the Texas sun, a rich caramel that makes my fingers twitch with the urge to touch. Nora's wearing these cutoffs that should be illegal, hugging every curve of her lithe frame in a way that has my blood heating up more than this damn heatwave.
She straightens, sweeping a loose strand of hair from her face, and even from this distance, I can see the sheen of sweat on her brow. It drips down, past her temple, teasing along the gentle curve of her neck. Jesus, what I wouldn't give to follow that trail with my lips, feel the beat of her pulse beneath my tongue.
She's like a mirage, all golden and glistening out there, making my throat dry. There's something about the way she moves, oblivious to the way she's got this grown man hiding behind trees just to steal a glimpse. A picture of innocence with a side of sin.
Nora pauses, tipping a water bottle to her lips, and I swear I can feel the cool rush down my own parched throat. She's a vision, all right—a siren call to a man who's been at sea for far too long. And hell if I'm not ready to crash against her rocks.
I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to rein in the wild stampede of desire that's been trampling through my mind since Nora stepped onto my land. It's a losing battle, and I know it. My gaze tracks her every move, latching onto the slightest sway of her hips as she bends to adjust an irrigation line.
