It’s hidden toward the back half of the ranch, but it’s actually one of the main reasons the Jameson family even bought this land. Besides the acreage and the location and the view, the proximity to one of the country’s hidden and often forgotten gems was the final selling point.
The wind brushes across my face as Sonny picks up the pace, and I’m pleasantly surprised when Leah releases one of her arms from my waist just to hold it up in the wind.
Her following laughter is giddy, and it’s so fucking sweet, it makes my chest feel like melted butter.
“Exhilarating, ain’t it?” I glance over my shoulder to look at her, and she flashes a big, gorgeous smile at me.
“It’s unbelievable!” she shouts over the wind. “Now, I’m starting to understand why you love riding so much.”
Damn, this feels amazing.
This beautiful woman wrapped around me while Sonny leads us toward the sunset? There isn’t anything better than this.
The adrenaline pumping through my veins combined with the way it makes my heart kick up into a quick rhythm reminds me so much of the way I felt when I used to ride broncs—straight-up addictive. But it’s a dangerous kind of addictive that isn’t satisfied with just one hit.
No fucking way. It makes you want to do it more and more and more until it’s all you can think about. All you want. Desire. Crave. Need.
Hell, I could do this with Leah every damn evening and I don’t think I’d grow tired of the way it feels to have her this close to me. To hear her laugh and see her smile, all while I’m doing one of my favorite things in life—riding.
A future with her is far too easy to picture, and it takes a Herculean effort not to let my brain wander down that way of thinking.
Tonight isn’t the night to be having any fucking world-shattering revelations.
It’s about showing Leah the most beautiful place on the ranch to witness a sunset. It’s about watching wonder fill her eyes and happiness spread across her face. It’s about seeing her smile and hearing her laugh and enjoying the carefree woman I’ve grown to adore with an intensity that makes me feel something I’ve never felt for a woman.
Something I’m not ready to admit to myself.
After another mile or so, I guide Sonny past the gates that separate the ranch from the national forest, and it’s not long before I can tell Leah is glancing around at the change in scenery behind me.
“Where are you taking us?”
I grin over my shoulder. “Somewhere with a bit of elevation and that’s going to blow your mind.”
She snorts but doesn’t say anything else, and I switch my focus to safely getting us to our final stop. The path that leads us there is completely uphill and a bit rocky and bumpy in areas, but Sonny keeps his composure and manages it without any issues.
Once we reach the perfect spot, nestled right in between the pink cliffs, I hop off Sonny and loosely wrap his lead line around a nearby tree. With one gentle pat to his head, I let him know he did me proud, and then proceed to hold up a hand to Leah to help her off my horse.
She hesitates for a moment but, eventually, lets me help her. Once she reaches the halfway point of her descent, I wrap my arms around her waist and finish the rest for her.
The moment her feet hit the ground, she smiles up at me. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
“What are you talkin’ about?”
“I was taking too long to get off Sonny, so you took matters into your own hands.”
I lean forward and press my lips to her mouth before moving them to the shell of her ear. “Maybe I just wanted an excuse to touch you,” I whisper.
Her responding smile is downright sassy. “Or maybe you were just impatient?”
“Guess we’ll never know.” I shrug, and she sticks out her tongue at me. “Now, just out of curiosity, do you want to see the surprise? Or do you just wanna stand around and bicker with me because you’re feelin’ fuckin’ pent-up and horny?”
“Who says I’m horny?”
I nod toward her chest where her tits look thick and heavy, and her nipples press hard against her tank top.
“I’m cold,” she retorts, and I reach out to touch my hand to her cheek.
“You feel warm to me, darlin’.”
With a playful hand to my chest, she shoves me away.
“All right, cowboy. It’s time to put your money where your mouth is. Show me the surprise.”
I nod and grab the blanket I packed from where I strapped it on Sonny’s saddle horn.
“Follow me.”
A few minutes later, I locate the special spot, lay the blanket across the ground, and pull Leah down to sit in between my spread legs.