by Desiree Holt
Ryan pumped his fingers in and out, all the while continuing to torment her clit as her hips jerked and her body shook. It was over way too soon, leaving her panting and only partially fulfilled. He lifted his head, his lips glistening with her juices and curved in a self-satisfied smile.
“You sure taste damn good, Sable. Damn fucking good.”
She gave a half laugh. “Thank you.” She looked down the length of her body to his very sexy face. “But you know, I want to taste you too.”
He shook his head. “Not this time. You’ve got me so fucking hot, if you put your mouth on my dick, I’d blow in about two seconds.” The lust in his eyes burned hotter and brighter. “We’re going to do this again, and that’s not even a question. Believe me, one of the first things on the agenda will be for you to suck me hard so I come in your mouth.”
His words were like an aphrodisiac to her, igniting the still unsatisfied hunger deep inside her.
“I want to do that.” Her words came out as barely a whisper.
“Right now, I have other plans.”
He trailed kisses down the inside of one thigh and up the other, finishing with an open-mouthed kiss on her pussy lips and a nip at her clitoris. Then he pushed himself off the bed and unzipped his jeans, shoving both them and his gray knit boxers off together. Sable couldn’t swallow the gasp that escaped her mouth.
Holy shit!
She was sure they’d invented the word magnificent for his cock. It rose proud and thick and ready from a tight nest of black curls, the head a dark plum color. Big. That was another word that came to her mind. Okay, maybe enormous would be better. The sac with his balls rested heavily against his thighs. Everything was, of course, exactly in proportion to his body, and that was more massive than any man she’d ever been with. But neither the size of his body nor his shaft frightened her. Instead, excitement sizzled through her, and the appetite for him that had been slaked a bit roared right back full force.
His mouth ticked up in that devilish grin again when he caught the look on her face. He wrapped his fingers around the thick column of flesh and slid his fingers up and down just once in a teasing gesture. She couldn’t take her gaze off him and her tongue peeped out to wet her lips as she stared at the sight. She wondered if all of that would actually fit inside her.
“You can take it,” he said, as if reading her mind. “I promise. I got you nice and wet and relaxed.” His face sobered. “And I won’t hurt you, Sable. I’ll go nice and slow, so you enjoy every single minute of it.”
“I know you will.” And she did, even before he’d said anything.
She followed his movements as he grabbed a condom from his nightstand drawer—so much for wondering if he’d brought other women here—ripped open the foil and rolled the latex on with an expert motion.
“I needed to do this before I totally lost my mind with you and forgot.” He climbed back up between her legs. “And I know that’s exactly what’s going to happen the minute the head of my dick touches your very delicious and tempting cunt.”
She loved the raw language he used. She’d thought it wasn’t possible for her to be any more aroused than she was, but his words fed the fire growing inside, driving it hotter and deeper.
Sable thought he’d probably get right to it after he’d spent all that time already driving her crazy with his fingers and his mouth. But she was wrong. Dead wrong. He started in on her breasts again, kneading them as he leaned over her, plucking them with thumb and forefinger before drawing them one at a time into his hungry mouth. Immediately, the walls of her sex contracted in hungry need. She needed him to just plunge right into her, but as before, he was determined to draw this out as long as possible, tease her until she went mad with wanting him.
Braceleting her wrists with his fingers, he arranged her arms over her head, leaving her virtually helpless, his big body caging her. But instead of trying to tug herself free, she reveled in it, in the pseudo feeling of helplessness, captive to a man intent on ravishing her.
He trailed little kisses along the line of her jaw, down her neck, behind her ear where he stopped to nip the soft flesh of her earlobe. He covered the hollow of her throat where she knew her pulse was beating like a wild thing, sucking it into his mouth and then soothing it with his tongue. Then along her shoulder, he gave teasing little pecks that woke up every single one of her nerves, at least the ones not already blazing beneath her skin.
Sable arched her body up to him, silently urging him to touch more, do more. She tried to twist herself beneath him, push up against him, but he moved his mouth down her body instead. His long arms held her arms in place while he licked and kissed every bit of her skin from her throat to her navel. When she was ready to scream at him to get on with it, he rested between her legs, his cock against the raised curve of her mound, put his mouth next to her ear and told her in great detail every single thing he wanted to do to her. With her.
His words were like actual strokes to her body, stoking the need rising within her. She wanted him inside her. Now.
“I think you’re ready for me now.” His low, erotic words rumbled through her. “I’m for damn sure ready for you.”
He released her wrists and trailed his long fingers down her body. Placing his big hands beneath the cheeks of her buttocks, he lifted her and pressed the head of his cock against her opening.
“Look at me, Sable.” His voice was hot and demanding.
She locked gazes with him, caught the intense need that flared in his eyes. “I am,” she whispered.
“Keep looking at me. Just like that. Just. Like. That.” He punctuated each word with a thrust of his body, and before she could even realize it, he was lodged deep inside her.
God. He was so long and thick he filled every inch of her, taking her breath away. She had to lower her lids for a moment to give herself space to breathe.
“Look at me,” he repeated.
She brought her gaze back to his. She was so turned on she thought she might actually climax without any more foreplay or movement. Apparently, Ryan had reached the limit of his own endurance too.
“Wrap those sweet legs around me, darlin’. Then hang on tight, because I’m about to take you on the ride of your life.”
Holding her firmly in place, he withdrew until only the tip of his cock was lodged inside her, the thickness of him dragging against her walls as he did so. The friction was sweet torture, driving her higher and higher. Then, with one fast motion, he drove into her again. Then out. Then in. He filled her so completely, so tightly, that each thrust and retreat fired her nerves and dragged at her sweet spot. Her climax was building, slowly and steadily, her body trembling with the anticipation of it. As the tempo increased, so did the swell of need inside her.
And then…there it was. An explosion so cataclysmic it took her completely outside of herself. She clung to Ryan in desperation, digging her heels into the small of his back as her entire body shook and shudders rippled through her, each one more intense than the others. The walls of her pussy vibrated around his massive cock as it pulsated inside her wet heat. Everything around her disappeared except this man, this instant and this mind-blowing orgasm that tossed her around like a tornado.
Sable was so lost in the erotic grip of it she had no sense of anything else. Not time, not place, not anything. Just the spasms shaking her body and the throb of this man inside her. Vaguely, she heard someone screaming and wondered if it was her, but her brain cells deserted her. At last—at last—the shudders slowed, subsided, and eventually the aftershocks faded away. She lay there panting, trying to pull together the fraying edges of her brain, which seemed to have taken a long vacation.
When she finally managed to pull in a full breath, she became aware of the fact that Ryan was holding his weight on his forearms so as not to crush her. She opened her eyes and looked into those wicked blue ones, so close she could see that there were tiny flecks of gold in those magnificent irises. The corners of his mouth ticked up in a s
ensuous, satisfied grin, and he brushed his lips briefly over hers.
“You okay?” he asked.
A puff of slightly hysterical laughter escaped her mouth. “Pretty satisfied with yourself, aren’t you?”
He kissed her again, another quick touch of lips to lips. “I’d say both of us are pretty damn satisfied, wouldn’t you?”
She threaded her fingers through his hair, slightly damp from his exertion. “I’d be lying if I said no.”
His face sobered and he studied her intently. “I said before that I understand you don’t feel you can get into anything deep right now. And I meant it. But that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to enjoy each other.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Friends with benefits?” Her earlier thoughts echoed in her head.
“Maybe.” His gaze was so penetrating she was sure he could see clear into her soul. “But like I said before, only if the friends thing is for real.”
Sable frowned. “What do you mean, only if it’s real? What else would it be?”
“Real means being seen in public with you, not hiding away whatever this friendship is we’ve got. I brought this up before. I might want to have lunch with you in town. Take you to dinner.” He locked his gaze with hers. “You know, like friends do.”
“I heard what you said,” she told him slowly. “It’s just…”
“We hardly know each other,” he finished for her. “I heard what you said. Let me be more specific. I expect to change that, and I’m not going to hide us away like some dirty little secret. That’s not my style. I’ll repeat it as many times as I have to so you’re good with it.”
Sable bit her lower lip. “I didn’t mean—”
He shook his head. “I know we just met and we hardly know anything about each other except—” he grinned, “—the sex is stupendous. So I’m willing to take it slow because I know there can be something more there. You know it too. I’m not a horny kid anymore, so I’m willing to work toward it. But we’re going to build here. Make no mistake about it. That work for you?”
Did it? What if someone else asked her out? Would she go? Was she making this too complicated? Right at the moment, she had no desire to spend whatever free time she had with anyone but Ryan, but she hadn’t even been here a full week.
Damn, Sable. A handsome, sexy man wants to take you out and have sex with you and you have to think about it? Get real.
“I’ve lived in small towns before,” she pointed out. “Everything seems to be fair game.”
“True. But everyone with animals, large or small, is tickled to have you here, so if there is gossip it won’t amount to much.”
“I hope.” She let out a long sigh. “Okay. Yes. Friends with benefits. If that works for you, it works for me.”
“Think we could get to a few more of those benefits right now?” He nipped her lower lip.
Astonishingly, her body, which she’d thought was totally wiped out, began to stir and come to life.
“We can certainly try.”
Chapter Four
Sable stroked the soft fur on the head of the blue heeler and helped him off the exam table.
“He’s just fine,” she told Amy Montgomery. “A great dog. He’ll be around a long time to chase cattle.”
Amy clipped the leash in place and wound the end of it around her hand. “I’m sure I don’t know what Buck would do without him. He goes on every cattle drive and helps when it’s time to herd the calves for branding.”
The dog sat patiently at Amy’s feet, erect and alert. He looked from one woman to the other, as if to say, “Well, of course I’m perfect.”
“I’m thinking of getting one myself,” Sable said as she walked her friend to the reception area. “I can keep him—or her—in one of the runs when I’m here. Or in my office when he or she gets older.”
“I think that’s a great idea. I’m surprised you didn’t already have one.”
Sable shrugged. “Long story for another time. But I think either a blue heeler or an Australian shepherd would be perfect.” She handed the clipboard with her exam notes to Deedee to enter in the records and generate the bill.
“Have you been to the kennel out on Westover Road? Cameron Myers usually has a litter of Australian shepherds twice a year.”
Sable nodded. “Cam called me the first week I took over the practice to come look at his pregnant bitch. Nice kennel, by the way. He’s very conscientious. I was happy to see it.”
Amy nodded. “He opened it when he moved back here from Houston.”
“He lived in the city? This must be quite a change for him.”
“He needed it. He was with a high-profile accounting firm and had a bad stress attack. His doctor told him to get out of the rat race if he wanted to live.”
“So now he raises dogs?”
“Among other things. He also now has a one-man accounting business. He says he’s not as rich as he might be if he’d stayed in Houston, but at least he knows he’ll live longer.” She studied Sable. “He and Ryan Donovan are good friends.”
Sable busied herself with papers on the reception counter. “And that concerns me because?”
“No reason.” Amy shrugged. “But you’ve been hanging out a lot with Ryan, so I thought you might be interested in who his friends are.”
She’d been expecting this, even been prepared for it. In the past three weeks, she and Ryan had been out to dinner a couple of times. He’d even come by the clinic twice and picked her up for lunch.
“One of the benefits of being friends,” he’d stressed with a wink.
She’d laughed at that. Since he’d agreed to the whole sex-with-no-strings situation, she’d been very relaxed with him. And the sex was beyond anything her imagination could begin to create. He was experienced, inventive and enthusiastic. People could look at them all they wanted, even plot about them. As long as Ryan knew the score, that was all she cared about.
She gave Amy a direct look, the best way to deal with this.
“Ryan and I are friends.” She stressed the word. “Just good friends. This is very casual.”
“Very good friends,” Amy teased, “from what I see.”
Sable stared at her. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, honey. You’ve been seen a time or two with him. All anyone had to do was see the two of you the other day at the Bit and Bite to know something was going on. You practically scorched the air around you. You can lie to yourself if you want, but what’s going on between the two of you is anything but casual.”
Well, holy hell.
“Amy, you have an overactive imagination. He’s a good-looking guy, got some seasoning under his belt and he’s interesting to be around. Why shouldn’t we enjoy each other? It’s not as if it’s anything serious. That’s all I’m interested now.”
Maybe I should have that engraved on my forehead.
“Sable, really.” Amy swatted her arm. “Everyone in town loves you. I don’t think you could get more settled if you tried.”
“You say that now, but we haven’t had a real crisis yet. Not that I’m looking for one,” she added quickly. “I’m just saying that’s when people, especially ranchers, decide whether you cut it or not. And that goes for Ryan too, no matter how friendly we are. The animals come first. The kind of hours I keep aren’t easy for someone to take.”
Amy gave her a look of curiosity. “I’m guessing that’s happened to you before?”
Sable shrugged. “It happens to everyone. I’ve seen it before.”
“That doesn’t mean it would be a disaster for you.”
“Maybe I’m just not willing to chance it. At least not when I’m still finding my footing here.”
Amy laughed. “Don’t think I’m giving up on this. We are all relentless, as I think you are discovering.”
Sable grinned. That was certainly true. “I’ll remember that.”
She considered herself lucky that Amy and Reenie and their circle of friends had embraced
her, welcomed her into their midst, but they were unremitting seekers of information. Nothing seemed to be sacred. And yet there was a feeling of connection, of trust, of belonging that was very rare and precious. She’d never had time to be a part of anything like this before. She got the sense that they asked questions only because they cared for each other and wanted to help. But if for some reason this practice blew up in her face, would they still be there for her?
Worry about it later, Sable.
“So tonight is ladies’ night out,” Amy went on.
Sable knew the women alternated between the Lone Star Saloon and Mike’s. The latter was owned by Liam Douglas and his father, Mike. When Liam had come home after his last tour in Afganistan, beaten up by the war, the bar had given him a place to get his head together.
“We’re going to Mike’s because Liam is working and we like to go there and harass him.” She grinned. “His wife is worse than all the rest of us.”
“I only saw them together that once, but they seem very much into each other.”
Amy sobered. “Yes, they are. She was a Dallas cop, he was a former Army Ranger, and they were both burned out. Saddle Wells has been good for both of them. So are you up for it? For tonight?”
Was she? She had planned to stay home and do some things on her new house that she’d fallen in love with the minute she’d seen. But of course, there was that all-work-and-no-play thing.
“Sure. What time?”
“Seven? Mike’s has fabulous hamburgers.”
“Sounds good.”
“Want me to pick you up?”
Sable shook her head. “I like to have my truck with me all the time. Just in case.”
Amy shook her head. “I swear, you’re as bad as an obstetrician.”
“In a lot of ways I am,” she reminded her friend. “My first official visit to the Gold Buckle was a difficult delivery. And I’ve checked on three other simple ones since then.” She shook her head. “You’ve got a lot of horny cattle around here. I’ll say that for Rowan County.”
