Ready for the Rancher

by Zuri Day

  Six

  Adam relished the feel of Ryan in his arms. They needed to talk before...whatever...to establish what this night was and, more important, what it was not. He’d faced uncomfortable situations more than once when a woman’s inability to remain emotionally detached had turned one night of pleasure into months of pain. There were those who had ulterior motives, who’d used various means to try to trap him or begin a relationship with him as a way to increase their social status or bank account. He could spot women like that a mile away before he turned twenty-one, thanks in large part to a caring older brother who used his own experiences as lessons for Adam. He’d had his own teachers, too, and the hard knocks as proof. He didn’t feel any of that energy coming from Ryan. From her, all he felt was sensual heat.

  But they still needed to talk.

  “I’m really feeling you, beautiful,” he began, pulling his arms more tightly around her. “But we need to make sure we’re on the same page so that later there will be no hurt feelings or misunderstandings.”

  Ryan sat up and away from him. “Well, that’s a first.”

  “What?”

  “A man trying to kick me out of his bed before I ever get in it.”

  Adam groaned. “That’s not it at all.” He tried to pull Ryan back into him but she resisted.

  “I’m teasing, but I get it. Before we get all caught up in the throes of passion you’re wanting to make sure I’m not some crazy stalker type who will see tonight as anything more than it is—two mutually consenting adults coming together to give each other what we both want.”

  “I would have worded it differently, but when it comes to dealing with people in general, and especially the opposite sex, I’ve learned the benefit of being up-front. Even when the cards are placed squarely on the table there is still no guarantee against hard feelings. But at least I know I’ve been as honest as possible, without anyone being purposely misled.”

  Ryan nodded. “Thank you.”

  “You’re upset.”

  “No, really, I’m not. I appreciate your honesty. It’s all too rare these days.” She turned more fully toward him. “To be clear, you and I are on the exact same page where tonight is concerned. I think you’re hot. You said I was, too. We’re attracted to each other and want to have fun. I’m not looking for anything else, including more physical encounters beyond tonight. I’m not looking for a relationship, a sugar daddy, a baby daddy or a husband. I’ve just started a business, and will have very little focus to place elsewhere. If you don’t have condoms, we’ll need to make a pit stop. After we’ve...enjoyed the evening, I’d like a ride home. I’d also like whatever happens to remain between us. Dennis especially doesn’t need to know about it. Does that just about cover it?”

  “Harshly, but yes.”

  “You wanted all the cards to be put on the table.”

  “I would have placed them down gently, maybe added a flashy little spin to the ace or the joker.”

  “And here I come and slap ’em down like we’re playing bid whist and I’m headed to Boston. Then again, you probably don’t even know that card game.”

  “I’m familiar.” He smiled, briefly, before turning serious again. “As for your brother or anyone else for that matter, I’m a very private person. I don’t kiss and tell.”

  “Good to know.”

  Adam eyed her for a long moment. “You’re a different kind of woman, Ryan. I like it. It feels good to speak plainly, like we’re doing. There’s too much time spent in life playing games.”

  “Depends on what kind of game.” Ryan had just begun to lean back into him when they reached the gates of the Breedlove estate. The car stopped, its headlights illuminating the opening of the majestic wrought iron wonders.

  “You live here?”

  “My entire family lives here.”

  “Oh.” Adam heard trepidation.

  “But not in the same house.”

  “Oh!” He heard relief.

  The car drove through the gates and down the wide, winding road. Even in semidarkness the landscape looked grand, lanterns attached to the poles of white picket fences, trees creating dancing shadows as they bent with the wind. Adam watched as Ryan once again displayed a sort of vulnerable wonder that tapped on an unknown place inside his heart. She was quiet as he joked with the driver before they said goodbye and walked up the steps. He opened the door and stood back.

  “After you, my lady. Welcome to my home.”

  Ryan walked inside and stopped just inside the foyer. “You’re the only one who lives here?”

  Adam nodded. “I have help that comes and goes. But tonight, it’s just you and me.”

  He took her hand, walked them through the house and into the master suite. After hours of flirting and teasing and mental foreplay, it was time to get down to business.

  “Your place is beautiful,” she said, looking around.

  Still holding her hand, Adam walked to the bed and sat down. “I’ll give you the tour tomorrow,” he whispered as he gently pulled her to his lap. “But I need something else tonight.”

  The kisses, already hot, wet, deep and searching, quickly gave way to more in-depth pursuits. Adam lay on the bed and pulled Ryan with him, tongues twirling in lips still locked together. He pushed away silky material to caress silkier thighs. His hand moved from there to squeeze the plump cheeks that he adored and back to the triangular patch of lace covering her paradise. When he ran a finger over the material and down her folds, she groaned, tightened her arms and deepened the kiss. Clearly, he was headed in the right direction, a fact further sealed when he slipped a finger beneath the fabric and felt her dewy lips. His sex thickened and lengthened. Any clothes at all was too much of a barrier.

  “Hold on, baby.” He sat up. “Let me help you out of that.”

  He gathered the hem of her dress. She raised her arms. He pulled the material over her head, cupped the weighty globes that greeted him and brushed his fingers across breasts that were barely concealed. He reached for the thin piece of fabric adhered to her skin, gently pulled and revealed a nipple that put the most scrumptious blackberry to shame. He kissed it, pulled off the other cover, and kissed that nipple, too. His shaft was fully engorged now, his control paper-thin. He rolled off the bed, removed his clothes, reached inside the nightstand drawer and put a box of condoms on the table.

  Ryan pulled off her undies as she cocked a brow. “Think you have enough?” she asked.

  He sheathed himself, then crawled back on the bed and between her legs. “If not, I’ll buy more tomorrow.”

  When it came to making love to Ryan there was so much more that he wanted to do, intended to do, needed to do. He wanted to draw out the foreplay, lick every inch of her skin. But his body had a mind of its own. Ryan spreading her legs beneath him didn’t help. He rubbed his sex against her softness before touching his tip to her door. She swiveled her hips beneath him. He sank farther down. Pulling out to the tip, he kissed her, slowly thrusting forward and back. He pulled and plunged, repeating the move until fully engulfed, deeply and completely, until all of him belonged to Ryan. He felt her muscles clench and her body expand as he placed his hands beneath her booty to go deeper still. She clasped her legs around him, brought out goose bumps by lightly running her nails over his flesh. He set up a rhythm—swirling, grinding, pumping—that took them to a magical heaven, over and again.

  “That was amazing,” Adam said, once his breathing returned to normal. “Even better than I imagined. Was it good for you, too?”

  Ryan turned fully toward him, wiped away a bead of sweat. “So much so that I want seconds.”

  Adam said nothing, just reached for the condoms and prepared for another round. Somewhere from the back of his mind came Ryan’s words about no further physical encounters after tonight. Of course she was right. This shouldn’t go further. As the sister of a potentia
l employee it couldn’t go on. He looked into her eyes while idly flicking her nipple with his finger, and realized just how difficult it would be to not have any more physical contact with Ryan. Maybe impossible, even. But keeping his distance was the right thing to do. So he would try.

  Seven

  In the days that followed her night with Adam, keeping her feelings toward him casual was easier said than done. One errant thought, and Ryan’s body would tingle as it had when he’d touched her. At night, her muscles remembered and clenched like he was still inside her. There was nothing blasé or inconsequential about what they’d shared. From the time he’d picked her up in that fancy limo until he’d dropped her off in an even cooler sports car, every moment had been special. There was nothing casual about that evening, or about Adam Breedlove. It’s the reason why even though they hadn’t spoken since then, he was still on her mind. Why she had mixed emotions about going to Bakersfield the coming Friday, when she’d see him again.

  Having a business to open helped. It kept her busy and focused, thinking about others instead of herself. People who were hurting and needed the type of healing that she could provide. As she pulled into the parking lot of their newly updated establishment, Ryan was determined to keep the reason she’d come back to Las Vegas in the first place front and center in her mind.

  Ryan parked in a space near the new office and let out a yelp. Brooklyn had called last night saying the signage was finished, but she didn’t know it had been mounted. A smile of satisfaction clung to her face as she exited her car, her eyes never leaving the window. Once in front of the classy artwork of white-and-gold lettering against a backdrop of deep blue, she stopped and took it in:

  THE INTEGRATIVE HEALING GROUP

  FOR MIND, BODY, SOUL

  Brooklyn Chase, CSP, CHT * Ryan Washington, ND

  Whole Food Nutrition,

  Energy Healing–Prana, Reiki

  Massage Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Acupuncture

  Intuitive/Angel Reading, EFT Calibration

  The sound of a blaring car horn caused Ryan to jump. She turned and waved as Brooklyn pulled up in her canary yellow Kia Sportage complete with airbrushed angel wings. What a woo-woo chick! Ryan loved her like the sister she’d always wanted but never had.

  Brooklyn jumped out of the car and ran up to Ryan. “Isn’t it beautiful?” she exclaimed, pulling her sister/friend/business partner into an enthusiastic hug. The women danced around like little girls before Ryan pulled out the brand-new, sparkly gold office key.

  “Let’s take this party inside,” she murmured, “before we scare away our clients.”

  The women stopped just inside the door and took in the foyer/waiting room specifically designed to bring immediate peace and calm to all who entered. The soothing shades of blue, warm lighting and gently flowing fountain created the desired effect. Abstract pictures, a table containing magazines and pamphlets, and three chairs completed the look.

  “What do you think?” Ryan asked.

  “Hmm...” Brooklyn did a slow turn around the room. “I think we need one more thing.”

  “What?”

  “Some type of aromatherapy.”

  “An essential oil diffuser!”

  “Exactly,” Brooklyn said with a nod.

  The women high-fived and continued down the short hall with rooms on both sides.

  Ryan stopped at the second door on the left and opened it. “I’m glad we decided to rent out these two extra rooms,” she said.

  Brooklyn followed her into the room. “I agree. I’m still thanking the angels that Suyin replied so quickly.”

  “I think her acupuncture practice will do really well. But do you think this room will be big enough for her table?”

  Brooklyn nodded. “I think so. She’ll have that, maybe a chair and a place to set her equipment. What else will she need?”

  “I don’t know.” Ryan pulled out her phone to type notes. “But I’ll set up a time for her to come check it out so she’ll know exactly what’s needed.”

  They left the small office and continued viewing the rest of the space, taking notes on what decorating items were left to be purchased.

  “How’s your love life?” Brooklyn asked her as they reached what they’d planned as a break room, in an abrupt segue from a conversation involving bamboo plants.

  “What love life?”

  “With Hollywood, that guy who took you to the show at CANN.”

  “Oh, Adam,” Ryan replied, a yawn the only prop missing from her attempt at sounding bored. “That was one date. He isn’t my love life.”

  “I googled him.”

  “You what?”

  “Yep.” Brooklyn crossed her arms and calmly leaned against the counter. “Sure did. Put his name in the search engine. Picture came right up. That man is fifty-two kinds of gorgeous, darlin’. His family owns the CANN Casino Hotel and Spa. He’s freakin’ rich!”

  “And?”

  “And when are you seeing him again?”

  “Friday.”

  “My girl!” Brooklyn held up her hand.

  “But just as friends. We’re not going to date.”

  “Please. Tell that to someone who hasn’t seen how good he looks. Talk about balancing your kundalini with a little tantra...”

  “Shut up!”

  “Why?” Brooklyn asked.

  Ryan laughed. Brooklyn didn’t. “I’m happy for you, okay?”

  “This isn’t what you think. Adam’s a casual acquaintance, my brother’s friend. Neither he nor I are interested in anything serious. We’ve both got way more important things on our plates.”

  “There’s nothing more important than love, Ryan.”

  Ryan gave her best friend a patient look, as one might a child. “That sounds good, but love isn’t going to pay the lease on this office.”

  “And this business, no matter how successful, will never hug you, love you, or keep you warm at night. One needs balance to be truly happy—work, play and love.”

  Ryan didn’t respond. She headed back down the hall toward the foyer.

  Brooklyn walked alongside. “Hey, maybe you guys can come to Johnny’s concert on Friday. It’s a battle of the bands. Should be fun.”

  “Sounds like it, but we’ll be in Bakersfield.”

  “Meeting the family already! Wow, that is huge!”

  “No, this is business! Adam might give my brother a job. He’ll be in Bakersfield to tour the plant where Dennis currently works. I’ll be there to see Mom and Dad.”

  Mentioning her adoptive father tempered the mood. “How is he, Ryan?”

  “About the same, I guess.”

  “He’s agreed to your treatments, right?” Ryan nodded. Brooklyn reached out and placed a compassionate hand on Ryan’s arm. “I’ll be sending love and light as well. I hope that they help.”

  “Me, too.”

  “And I hope that your brother gets the job. Just remember that contrary to popular belief, business can be mixed with pleasure. A soul mate can show up anytime, anywhere. If it knocks, Ryan, answer it. Take a chance on love.”

  * * *

  Adam had offered to book Ryan on a flight to Bakersfield. Tempting, but she’d declined. It didn’t feel right to have him spending money on her, even if he was a billionaire. Besides, the drive from Vegas to Bakersfield was just over four hours. She enjoyed short road trips. They helped her relax, gave her time to think and get her head right. For a weekend in the Washington household that included dinner with her lover, a healing session with her father and the first time seeing her mom since a visit with her birth mom, the woman that Ida had forbidden her to see, she’d need it.

  That Friday she filled up her tank and left Vegas just after rush hour, arriving at her parents’ home around two. She pulled luggage and her laptop out of the car and headed toward the front
door. She hadn’t always gotten along with the people who’d adopted her, but they were her parents and it had been a while since she’d seen them. Even with the turmoil that surrounded each visit, in the moment, it felt good to be home.

  Ryan rang the bell, and then bent down to search for the spare key always hidden beneath the welcome rug. The door opened.

  “Oh, hi, Mom.”

  “Ryan, your hair!” Ida exclaimed, before turning abruptly to walk back down the hall.

  Ryan hid an eye roll as she followed her mother, Ida Marie, inside. She’d traded perms for her natural curls her first year of college. But every greeting was as though her mom saw them for the first time.

  Ida Marie Washington was a formidable woman, more in comportment than appearance though she was plus-size. Ida wasn’t particularly attractive but she worked with what she had. Ryan could count the times on both hands and maybe a foot that she’d seen her mother without makeup or properly dressed in more than twenty years, usually in a color scheme involving black, navy or tan. Outside, she wore low-heeled pumps. Inside, black ballet-type house shoes. No exceptions. Ryan often wondered about the rigidity, what her adoptive mother held on to so tightly. What nurturing or healing needed to happen with Ida’s inner child.

  “Baby girl!”

  Ryan left her luggage at the living room entrance and hurried over to hug her dad. Where Ida was cold and icy, Joe Washington was warmth and comfort. An introspective man with a quiet demeanor and ready smile, he’d often been the salve soothing Ida’s barbs and Dennis’s taunts. When Ida would get angry and question why she’d bothered to adopt Ryan, Joe would pull her to the side and say, “You are this home’s sunshine. Don’t let nobody dim that light.” She’d loved him every day that she’d known him, and would love him into forever.

  “How are you, Dad?” Ryan perched on the arm of the recliner her father occupied, keeping her smile bright despite the shock of noticing her dad’s continued weight loss.

  “Better now!”

  Ida entered the room and sat on the couch. “Don’t sit on the arm of the chair like that. Have you forgotten how you were raised?”