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  She collapsed back onto the bed and Bo followed, falling slightly to the side so that he didn’t crush her. He pulled her close and rested his head on her chest, kissing her soft breasts periodically as his pulse calmed.

  “Never in my life…” Val sighed as she let her sentence trail off.

  “Never in your life, what?” Bo raised his head to look at her.

  Pink tinged Val’s cheeks as he waited for her response.

  “Never in my life has sex been that good.”

  “I’d have to agree with you there.” Bo smiled happily.

  “And I feel so…so comfortable with you. Like I’ve always known you and didn’t just meet you hours ago.”

  “I feel the same.” Bo raised up on his elbow and brushed a strand of hair from her face. “This may be horrible to say, but I’m so happy your car got stuck.”

  Val smiled brightly, but then groaned and smacked a hand against her forehead.

  “Oh, crap! I forgot I need to contact my insurance agency.”

  “Just leave it. Don’t worry about it ‘til morning. Let’s just enjoy each other for the night. Our business will still be there when the sun comes up,” Bo suggested.

  “Alright,” Val nodded her agreement.

  Bo leaned down and kissed her softly.

  “Let’s go take a shower together,” he proposed.

  “Okay, I’m down.”

  Bo got up from the bed and reached out a hand to help Val up. He didn’t tell her that he didn’t want her to call her insurance company because the sooner she did, the sooner she’d be gone. He didn’t want it to be over yet. He didn’t want her to go home to San Antonio. He wanted her to stay, but didn’t see how she would. He was sure she had a life there. And he doubted that she’d just up and stay with him after knowing him for less than a day.

  It didn’t change the fact that that was exactly what he wanted, though. He just knew that it was unlikely to happen. So instead, he wanted to make it a night neither of them would ever forget.

  Chapter 5

  Blinding light hit Val’s closed eyelids and she scrunched up her face in response. She cracked one eye to see what the source of bright light was and found it was the sun streaming through the blinds in Bo’s bedroom. She pulled the covers over her head and snuggled deeper into the warmth of the man spooning her.

  She was exhausted and not even close to ready to get up. Bo had kept her awake most of the night. He couldn’t keep his hands off of her. She figured most of it was from five years of pent up need. He had been a beast in bed. Val was pretty certain she’d even sweated out her relaxer. And she was beyond sore. Of course, sore in the most delicious kind of way. But sore nevertheless.

  She needed a timeout.

  Apparently, Bo didn’t. Not if the hard, hot appendage between the crease of her cheeks was any indication.

  Val felt soft kisses up her spine to the sensitive skin of her neck. Bo rubbed his rock hard shaft against her backside, then she felt the tip seeking out her welcoming heat.

  “No, Bo. I can’t. I’m too tender down there.” Val reluctantly denied him.

  There was no doubt that she was incredibly turned on. She could feel the slickness pool between her legs. But her nether lips were swollen and her insides tender.

  “Shit. I’m sorry, Val. I didn’t mean to get so carried away.” Bo apologized as he pressed his forehead between her shoulder blades, trying to collect himself. “I just can’t seem to stop touching you…wanting you. It’s like you woke a sleeping bear.”

  Val smiled into the pillow. A bear was exactly the animal she continued to compare him to in her head.

  “It’s okay, Bo. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Hell, I wish we still could because I’m still turned on. You seem to have that effect on me too.” Val admitted.

  To show him just how serious she was, she grabbed his hand that had been splayed on her tummy. She guided his fingers between her legs, lifted one thigh, and slid his fingers between her folds. His large, calloused fingers against her sex made her instantly roll into them. The moment Bo felt how wet she was he inhaled sharply. He pressed his lips against her back and moaned. She felt his tongue flick her skin, making her tremble.

  “Damn, Val! You’re killing me. But I know what I can do for my girl so she still gets hers.”

  Bo flipped her onto her back and kissed down her body until he was settled between her legs. Val was thankful that even though she’d been through a long dry spell that she’d remained hopeful and continued to get waxed. Aside from the little triangle on her mound, she was as smooth as a silk.

  “Now, just lay back and enjoy, because I’m gonna eat this pretty pussy ‘til you scream.” Bo grinned up at her slyly.

  Val always hoped with each new man she eventually had relations with that he would enjoy going down, but she had rarely found anyone who did or was any good at it. She mentally crossed her fingers and toes as Bo lowered his head.

  Slowly, he teased her by kissing her inner thighs, bypassing where she wanted him most. Which only made her even wetter. He kissed down one thigh, blew cool air on her slick heat as he passed her cleft, and then kissed up the other thigh. Finally, he kissed down to her labia. He took turns nibbling and sucking each lip into his mouth. Val rocked her hips into him, but he ignored her attempts to get him to her clit.

  Bo moved to her center and lapped at her opening, tasting her. She felt his tongue penetrate her, fucking her with his mouth. Val thought she’d go crazy if he didn’t move to her clit.

  “Bo, please!” She begged on a sob.

  He growled and his tongue flicked up over her clit. The sudden contact she’d been craving made her cry out. He had done his job well, teasing her into a frenzy. Her hands plunged into his hair and almost ripped the strands from their roots. It only spurred Bo on.

  He sucked and slurped at her bud like a starving man. Val never thought she’d enjoy a man who was as vocal as he was going down. But his enthusiasm was such a turn on. And she could relax and enjoy the pleasure he was happily giving her.

  Bo flattened his tongue and stroked up her clit slowly. Then he swirled his tongue around it. He alternated back and forth between maneuvers. It was when he flicked her bean with hard, quick strokes that Val’s legs literally began to tremble. Bo made sure he tortured her with variations before going back to what she needed most.

  Finally, he sucked her clit into his mouth and flicked at it relentlessly until she lost it. Val’s cry broke from her lips on a sob, her back arched, and her hips bucked against his hungry mouth. Bo gripped her hips and held her to his mouth. It soon became too much and Val scooted across the bed and pushed his forehead to get away from his mouth.

  “Enough! Enough.” She panted, before collapsing onto the bed when he released her.

  After a few minutes, Val was finally able to catch her breath. She turned her head groggily to look at Bo. He grinned at her and winked, proud of his handy work. She glanced down and saw that he was still hard as a metal pipe. She smiled at him slyly as she got onto her knees in the middle of the bed. Reenergized at the thought of pleasuring him as well.

  “Now it’s my turn.”

  She crawled towards him like a lioness stalking her prey.

  Chapter 6

  “So, you mentioned last night that your parents kept you from getting what you truly wanted. What did you mean by that?” Val asked Bo curiously across the kitchen table that afternoon.

  They’d just gotten in from checking on his longhorns out in the fields and the road conditions. Val had noticed that Bo had been moody until they saw that the flood waters hadn’t receded nearly enough for her to find a way home. After that, he’d relaxed completely and had smiled at her in the late morning sunshine.

  If Val was being honest with herself, she’d admit that she too was glad she had one or two more days with the big man with an even bigger heart.

  She had already called her boss, Mark and her insurance company earlier that morning, before their ride
across his property. To which, Mark apologized profusely for making her drive out to Houston. Now that everything was taken care of, they were back inside and had warmed up with leftover stew. The sun had come out, but it was still a chilly February day. And along with the sun, Val’s curiosity for the man she was quickly falling for had come out too.

  Bo stopped eating and gave her a thoughtful look.

  “Well, my first love… My first everything, Charlene, who by the way, was a lot like you in many ways. Coloring, figure, and warm personality.” Bo began with a faraway look in his eyes.

  “She was black?” Val asked unable to hide the surprise in her voice.

  She’d stereotyped him negatively before he’d even stepped foot out of his truck last night. Never in a million years would she have guessed that he dated black women before.

  That’s what you get for assuming.

  “Yeah. We’d known each other since grade school. I swear, we were in all the same classes every year all the way through high school. I mean, I reckon that’s not too hard considering our schools weren’t that big, but still. It was torture, too, because I had a crush on her from day one.” Bo grinned, remembering his younger years.

  “It wasn’t until the first day of senior year that we finally started dating. She came up to my locker at the end of the first day and politely said to me, ‘Are you gonna finally ask me out this year before I go away to college? Or are you just gonna stare at me from across the room all year?’” Bo chuckled. “I guess she was tired of waiting on me. I awkwardly asked her out right then and there, and we were nearly inseparable that whole year. My parents didn’t find out about us until that summer after graduation. We’d kept it hidden because I had a feeling how they’d react. And sure enough, they were not pleased.

  “They threatened to not pass the ranch down to me. And this place was my whole life. I never wanted to be anything else but a rancher, like my Pop and his before him.” Bo sighed heavily. “So being young, gullible, and stuck, I ended my relationship with Charlene. She was devastated. I can still remember her face when I told her I couldn’t be with her anymore. It killed me. But that was a long time ago.”

  “Do you know what ever happened to her?” Val asked gently.

  “She went on to college, got a degree in Education. She’s a teacher now in the city and married with kids. I saw her a couple of years ago, right before my marriage ended. She looked real happy. I think that’s when I decided to file for divorce. Seeing her made me want to finally try and find my own happiness. Not my parents’ or anyone else’s, but mine. I thought it was high time that I was a little selfish for a change.”

  “Wow,” Val breathed. “I would’ve never guessed.”

  “You thought I was some good ol’ boy, didn’t you?”

  “Maybe,” Val hedged keeping her eyes from his.

  “Uh, huh.”

  Val glanced up and leveled him with a sassy look.

  “Hey, this is Texas. I love my home state, warts and all. But as a single black woman, you can never be too careful.”

  “You’re absolutely right. Luckily, you happened upon this good ol’ boy who just so happens to be an equal opportunity lover.” Bo grinned and winked at her.

  “I can’t with you.” Val shook her head, but couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face.

  “What about you? Did you have any great loves when you were younger?” Bo asked.

  Val looked down at her empty bowl and sighed.

  “No, never.” She looked up at him with sad eyes. “Remember the curse? I’ve never dated anyone longer than a few months. That’s nowhere near long enough to inspire great love.”

  “That still amazes me. If I’d have known you, you would’ve been mine three-hundred-and-sixty-five days a years. But it doesn’t matter now, I have a feeling that curse is over.” Bo stated confidently.

  “Maybe.”

  Val knew he wanted more, but she was still on the fence. She’d only known him for less than twenty-four hours. That wasn’t long enough to make any well-informed, life-altering decisions. Even if she felt the rightness of them as a couple deep down in her bones.

  Bo was silent for a while. It was obvious that he knew she was being resistant. Surprisingly, he didn’t get mad or frustrated. He finally grinned and changed the subject.

  “Come on,” he said standing up from his chair. “I’d like you to meet some friends of mine.”

  “Uh…okay.” Val looked down at the sweatshirt and sweatpants she’d borrowed from him. “Though, I don’t think I’m dressed appropriately to be meeting any of your friends.”

  “They won’t care. Trust me.”

  ~~~

  If there was one thing his Pop had taught him that was true, it was that animals could tell you a lot about a person. Bo had been around animals his whole life and that logic had never failed him.

  Bo took Val’s hand and guided her across the yard, helping her dodge patches of mud from last night’s rain. She looked adorable as she clumsily made her way in his giant rubber rain boots. He led her to the stables where his horses awaited his visit to be shown some love and let out to graze.

  Val gasped with delight, the moment they walked in and his horses stuck their heads out their stalls to greet them.

  “These are the friends I wanted you to meet,” Bo gestured towards the stalls.

  “Oh! Look at the babies!” She cried out in a voice reserved for small children and animals.

  Bo grinned, glad he made the right choice in bringing her to the stables. He watched her as she slowly approached a pretty reddish brown mare he called Cinnamon. Val eased out her hand, giving the horse time to feel her out and then stroked Cinnamon’s smooth coat. The horse whinnied happily and nudged Val with her nose, searching for treats.

  Bo handed Val an apple he grabbed from a bucket.

  “Hold your hand open with your fingers flat. You don’t want her to accidentally bite your fingers off,” Bo instructed.

  Val followed his instructions to the letter and Cinnamon snatched up the apple quickly. The horse nodded her head in approval as she munched on the fruit.

  “This pretty lady is Cinnamon,” Bo introduced. “She’s gentle and sweet and the mom to most of the horses in here.”

  Bo walked with Val along one side of the stable to the other, introducing each horse. She greeted each one with a rub along their neck and a treat. He stopped at the last stall, where his personal horse was stabled. His horse was a giant black stallion.

  “This is King,” Bo said proudly. “He’s my personal horse. The only horse that can carry my big ol’ butt for any length of time. He’s a bit feisty, so be careful.”

  Val’s mouth was agape at the size of his horse. King was easily seventeen hands. Definitely bigger than most and the biggest of all the horses Bo had. And Bo was the only person King would let ride him. Even Bo’s ranch hands left grooming King up to him. They wouldn’t go near him with a ten foot pole.

  “He’s beautiful,” Val breathed in awe.

  King’s ears pricked forward, listening to her voice. Apparently, he like it and what she said, because to Bo’s shock, the stallion stretched his neck out and nuzzled Val with the side of his face.

  “Well, I’ll be damned,” Bo shook his head in amazement.

  “What?” Val looked up at him curiously.

  “He normally doesn’t like anyone. And what he just did was his way of telling you that he likes you.” Bo scratched his head.

  “Awesome!” Val grinned brightly.

  “Alright, let’s see if he’ll take a treat from you,” Bo said as he passed her another apple.

  Val put the apple in the middle of her hand and laid her fingers out flat. Sure enough, King took the apple and ate it with no problems. When he finished, he stretched out his neck and nudged her arm with his nose, seeking out more treats. Bo gave her a carrot and King took that as well.

  “It’s unbelievable. You’ve totally won him over. You’re like a cartoon
princess, or something. With all the woodland creatures following you around as you sing,” he joked.

  Val just laughed in response. She was too busy rubbing and patting King’s coat as she cooed at him.

  Bo distinctly remembered King trying to bite Lou Ann’s face off every time she got within a few feet of him. King didn’t like many people, but he’d hated Bo’s ex-wife. Which was why Bo knew his animals were a good judge of character and why he’d brought Val over to meet them.

  If he’d had any doubts before, they were gone the minute every last one of his horses took a liking to her. At this point, Bo wondered if he introduced her to the chickens, would they lay golden eggs for her.

  “Maybe if you’re still here when the ground dries up, we could go for a ride. Me with King and you with Cinnamon,” Bo suggested.

  “Uh…yeah. That would be nice.” Val said vaguely, not willing to commit one way or another.

  Bo couldn’t help it. Every time he got an opportunity to broach the subject of her staying, he would. He wanted her to stay more than anything and wanted to feel her out for how she was feeling about the idea. Unfortunately, she wasn’t biting.

  It seemed as if she wanted to, but was just being cautious. Bo knew he hadn’t imagined the relief on her face when they’d found the roads to still be inaccessible.

  He felt like a pretty logical person more often than not. He didn’t give the belief in signs much thought. But something kept telling Bo that their meeting wasn’t just coincidence. It all came together too perfectly for it all not to be fate.

  Or maybe I’ve been alone too long and have become a desperate loony tune.

  Suddenly, something knocked into Bo so hard it pulled him from his woolgathering. Once he was jarred back to the present, Bo quickly gripped Val’s shoulders to steady her after he almost sent her flying from the shove. He squinted at his ornery horse who had been the culprit. King had shoved him hard into Val with his snout. After the push, the horse nodded his head vigorously up and down. Then he pushed Bo into her again and nodded his head once more.