by Mary Winter
Somehow, she managed to wiggle out of her boots and pants, then naked, straddled him once more. Instead of impaling herself on him, she leaned forward, stroking his velvety length with her fingers. A few drops of fluid emerged from the tip and she smoothed them into his skin with a caress. She wanted to drive him to the same fever-pitch of arousal that he’d done to her, and yet, she suspected he probably was there already from the way his hips bucked and he gave soft groans as she caressed him.
She moved so her pussy hovered over his shaft, and then slow enough to torture both of them, she fitted him to her opening and lowered herself onto him with a single long, slow stroke. She moaned, leaning forward to brace her hands on his shoulders. He grabbed her waist, drawing her even closer to him, and then arching his hips for good measure. Only then, did he began to move.
He thrust into her, keeping his movements slow and steady, clearly with an effort to make it last. Not that she wanted to be that patient. Now that she had him inside her, she wanted to take it to its logical conclusion, and then ago again. Twisting her hips, she wrested control away from him and began to move, increasing her pace.
With a ragged groan, he met her thrusts. The sounds of their panting breaths and the slap of skin against skin filled the room. Her inner muscles tightened around him. When he reached between her legs to caress her clit, she couldn’t hold back anymore and came with a loud scream of passion. A moment later he poured into her, the hot burst of his seed reminding her of one vital fact. They hadn’t used protection.
They knew each other; she worried only about the physical effects, though she was in the wrong place in her cycle, she hoped. Not that a baby with Caid wouldn’t be perfect. Just not now. Not when someone was killing her cattle and her ex had flipped to psycho mode. She slumped against his chest, his heart hammering beneath her cheek. His hands lazily stroked her back holding her, his cock still half-hard inside her.
“We should take this upstairs,” he murmured into her ear.
“Yeah. We should.” She shifted her weight off him, prepared to do just that when her phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Instantly, she went on alert. Grabbing her phone, she noticed an image Shelby texted to her. She’d gone back into the cafe to work another partial shift to cover for one of the other waitresses. A flyer promising proof of real, live UFO activity promoted the event that seemed to be hosted by UFOP. The contact name? Ashley.
“Fuck,” she muttered, handing the phone over to Caid. “I think that’s one of my cows, too.”
Caid finished fastening his pants, then took the phone, a scowl deepening across his face. “Mind if I text it to myself?”
“Not at all.”
She arranged her clothes, watching while he forwarded the message to his, Hank’s, and Bull’s cells, or at least that’s who she assumed the three numbers were. He handed the phone back. “Ask Shelby if the cafe has any surveillance video. Any chance they saw who put the poster on the board?”
“I’ll check.” She hadn’t thought about things like surveillance video, though now that he mentioned it, she probably needed something for her house and barn. A moment later Shelby’s reply returned. No video and no one saw who had placed the photos.
Caid passed that information onto Hank as well, perhaps he could tap into the municipal cameras, then frowned. “Well that killed the mood.”
She chuckled, then leaned over and kissed Caid on the lips. “I don’t think anything could kill the mood when I’m with you, but yeah, that put the damper on things.”
“I want to ride out and talk to Bull. You’ll stay here.” It wasn’t a request, but an order.
“I could go?” One look in his face, and she knew the truth. No, she couldn’t. Someone had shot at her or at least at her horse, once and she wasn’t keen on giving them a second chance. “I’ll stay here. I can’t twiddle my thumbs and it’s too early to start supper. What can I do to help?”
As soon as Caid began shaking his head, she knew. Nothing. Leave this to the trained professionals.
“I’m sorry, but right now we’re waiting on forensics. I want to see if Bull has seen anything. There’s not a lot we can do until we get more information.” He pulled her into an embrace.
She returned it, understanding where they were with things, and battling the feeling of helplessness. Not that there really was anything to do. If she pulled her cattle off the pasture, she’d have to feed hay, which would drive up her costs exponentially. And, there was a part of her that refused to knuckle under Jon’s stupid pressure. “If you ride out, take Sooty. He’s the most level-headed. Or, the key to the utility vehicle is hanging by the back door. It’s full of gas, take it.”
“I will, thanks.” He released her and tucked his cell phone into its holster. He disappeared upstairs, and emerged a moment later with a gun holstered at his waist.
She didn’t like the look of the gun, didn’t want to think about him getting in trouble out there, especially not on her behalf. She reminded herself that he’d been in the military, parachuting into the most dangerous of situations to retrieve wounded soldiers.
“Text me if anything happens. I can be back in a flash.” He gave her a quick hug and then grabbed the keys and was gone.
~* * *~
Both Bull and Caid returned in little over an hour and after a dinner of spaghetti casserole, Bull headed back out to the pasture. Adrenaline thrummed through her veins. Making love to Caid until they both couldn’t walk straight would be the perfect way to cap the night. She’d toss him onto the bed, well, like a domino. Except, not even he could settle the nervous energy humming through her.
“It’ll be alright,” he said.
She stood in a tank and yoga pants, not quite sure she wanted to strip to get into bed. If something happened, she didn’t want to have to waste time getting dressed. “How can you say that? We’re waiting for someone to attack my cattle so they can what? Sell tickets to an event. I mean, seriously. That’s why this is going down?”
“It’s just a theory. Kellan will hopefully find out more. Maybe even something that exonerates Jon.”
Jenny shook her head and sat on the edge of her bed.
Caid sat next to her, pulling her into his arms. His hands lazily moved over her biceps, down to cup her elbows and back again.
“No, it makes sense. I didn’t see it. I think because we were already growing apart, but he’d always had that at any cost kind of vibe, you know?” Jenny snuggled deeper into his embrace. “I hate waiting.”
A low chuckle vibrated through Caid’s chest. “That never gets easier. Even in AFSOC, it was wait around until we were called into action. We could do something to pass the time, but I want to be alert in case he decides to come back here.”
She nodded against his chest, then released him and stood. “Well I want to be right there with you, so what do I do?”
Caid grinned. “Sit in the dark house and look out the windows. I’ll probably move to the back of the barn to get a better view of the well house. I’ll be right back.” He left, returning a moment later and handed her a small, black radio. “This is how we’ll keep in touch. You see anything. Anything at all. I don’t care if it’s a mouse in the pantry. I want to know.” He pushed the radio into her hand and closed her fingers around it. “Don’t let this out of your sight.”
“I won’t,” she assured him. “I won’t.”
“Good.” For the next twenty minutes he showed her how to sit at the window so she could look out, but no one could see her inside, and he gave her a pair of night vision binoculars. Once it became fully dark, he had her use them until she could make out small objects, like the bucket left near the well pump, at a distance. He proclaimed her ready for watch.
She wasn’t. A yawn overtook her and she tried to hide it and failed miserably. “Sorry,” she muttered, making herself comfortable on the stool she’d placed just beyond the window.
“It’s okay. I’ll be upstairs. Remember. Radio if you need an
ything.” With a curt nod, Caid left.
Jenny stared out the window, reminding herself that this was like being on calf watch or foal watch with a friend. Of course then, it didn’t matter if she talked or made noise, though she tried to keep quiet. She’d done it, stayed up all night and mostly functioned the next day. She could accomplish that now, too.
Movement startled her. She lifted the night glasses in time to see an opossum go darting across the arena. She released a breath. Maybe there was nothing out there, that this would be a foolish endeavor. She sat back and continued to watch.
Jenny roused to hear the door slam and realized that Caid must have dashed outside. She also belatedly realized she’d fallen asleep. Glancing out the window with her binoculars she saw him race toward the barn. Something had happened.
She bolted to the back door, realizing that the key to the utility vehicle was gone. A moment later she heard its engines start and it headed toward the pasture—toward Bull. She wasn’t being left out this time. She hurried out the door, running to the barn. As soon as she reached Daisy’s stall, a hand clamped over her mouth.
“Don’t you dare think about moving.”
“Jon?” She spoke behind his hand, her words muffled. “What are you doing?”
“Making sure you don’t ruin my plans. Come on.”
There was no way in hell she was going anywhere with him. Twisting her body, she bit into the pad of flesh covering her mouth. Jon yelped and jumped back. Jenny wiggled free, grabbing the first thing she could to try and defend herself—a pitchfork.
She leveled the steel tines at Jon, not wanting to think about what if he had a gun. She reached for the radio—crap, she’d left it back at the house. Instead, she screamed at the top of her lungs. Wordless and with as much force as possible, she imagined shoving the sound down the road to Caid.
Jon rushed her.
She jabbed him with the pitchfork, grunting when the tines bit into his thigh.
“Ow! Bitch!” He reached to slap her, missing her when she swung the pitchfork at him again.
“Why? Why did you do this to my cattle?” Was that the sound of the utility vehicle coming? She rushed him, brandishing the pitchfork in front of her.
Two sharp pops—gunfire?—sounded from outside. Her heart leapt into her throat.
Taking advantage of her distraction, Jon scrambled to his feet and darted out the door. She followed, though by the time she reached the yard, he was gone.
More shots—yes, those were shots. And then silence.
Jenny wrapped her arms around herself. “Caid?”
Silence met her question.
Oh god. What if Jon had done something? What if he’d—the utility vehicle’s motor cut off her thoughts.
“Jenny! Get in the barn!” Caid’s shouts sent a rush of relief through her. “He’s not alone.”
His words galvanized her to action. She ran back into the barn, ducking into an empty stall to stay out of sight. More shouts that sounded like Bull fighting with another man, and was that her brother she heard was out there? She peered over the edge of the stall, unable to see anything in the darkness. Damn, she’d left the binoculars back at the house too. Her heart pounded and she bit her lip, wanting to stay quiet and out of the way, but what was going on out there?
Chapter Five
As soon as he realized Jenny was at the barn, Caid whipped the utility vehicle around and raced back toward the house. She’d been sleeping when she left, looking adorable with her head resting against the wall, the binoculars slack in her hands. He’d thought he’d been quiet when he’d left the house and said a prayer she wouldn’t awaken. He should have known she’d be in the middle of the action.
He motioned to Bull to take the man on his right, Logan going for the one on his left. Her brother had been watching the far side of the pasture at his request, and having the three of them together made it like old times. Except instead of the Taliban, they were fighting assholes exploiting Jenny’s cattle to make money. He wasn’t sure which group was worse.
He swung at the man in front of him. The man went down with a grunt, and Caid quickly jumped on him, flipping him over and fastening his wrists with zip ties. He disabled his legs in the same manner, then turned toward Logan who was fighting two more men. True to form, Jon had bolted, the sound of squealing tires announcing his departure from the barn. No doubt he’d encounter the sheriff’s deputy stationed not far down the road.
Bull came at them, seeing Logan and diving into the fight to support him. The woman he’d been chasing must have gotten away. Damn it, that possibly made two of them. From the way these men worked, Caid pegged them for hired muscle, told just what to do and nothing more, lest they give away the entire mission. He scowled and hurried for the barn.
For a moment his heart dropped, not finding Jenny. A moment later her head poked up over a half-open stall door and she rushed forward. Caid held up his hand. “Let me make sure it’s safe. Stay put.”
It seemed like a lifetime, but only was a few more minutes before he returned and pulled her into his arms. “You okay? Why didn’t you stay in the house?”
She flinched at the bark in his words. “I woke up and you were leaving. I won’t be left behind again. I came to the barn to saddle Daisy. Jon was here.” Her voice shook. “I stabbed him with the pitchfork.”
His admiration for her ratcheted up several notches. “He didn’t hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No. I think he wanted to kidnap me.” She swallowed hard, her shuddering breath audible in the darkened barn. “I bit him and when I got him with the pitchfork, he ran. I don’t think he expected me to fight back.”
“Good for you,” he said and meant it. “The pitchfork gave you distance, though your brother taught you how to punch, right?”
She answered with a chuckle. “Yeah.”
“Good. The next time that bastard gets close to you, hit him with everything you got.”
“Next time?” She shivered in his arms.
Two thuds and the groan of a downed man made her jump. A moment later Logan appeared at the barn door. “Everything okay in here?”
“We’re good. Situation contained?”
“It is. Bull and I will take them in.”
A moment later a cop car came flying into the driveway, lights and sirens wailing.
Caid released her and took her hand in his as they walked out, hands visible. Logan and Bull, he noticed were doing the same, which confirmed his thought that none of them had called the police about this.
The driver’s side door opened and a young deputy stepped out, shielding himself with the door. “Everything okay?”
“Situation under control,” Caid reported. He glanced at Jenny and nodded what he hoped was reassuring. “We have three assailants contained and would appreciate help taking them into custody. These other two men are my associates.”
“I recognize Logan. You’re Hank’s boys, aren’t you?” The deputy asked, clearly more at ease now that he’d identified them.
“We are.” Caid confirmed.
A moment later the deputy stepped forward and he had Jenny sit on the bench outside the barn while they took the three men into custody. All of them had to go to the station to give statements, including Jenny, and he drove while she leaned against him.
Tonight’s activities still bothered her, he could tell. She kept her lips drawn, her eyes downcast as they went into the police station, and though they sat around a large desk in a conference room, she clearly was still uncomfortable. Logan sat next to her, with him on the other side. Her brother held her hand on the table, offering her a tissue when she started to tear up. She refused it, stuffing her emotions down to finish her report, and damn if he wasn’t so proud of her. Later, he knew, she’d give into the tears, but here, in front of these men, she was a freaking trooper.
Finally the officers completed what they needed to do and the faintest hints of sunlight streaked the eastern sky as sunrise approached
Jenny’s ranch. Bull had ridden into town with them, and he excused himself and went to his camp as soon as they parked, leaving Caid to bring Jenny into the house. He helped her upstairs, then turned to leave.
“Don’t go,” she said, cupping his stubbled cheek. “Please.”
He stopped, his breath stilled in his lungs. “Are you sure? It’s been a hell of a night.” The last thing he wanted to do was push her, so tonight, whatever happened, would be her choice.
“Yes. I need you. Whatever’s going on out there is frustrating and crazy. You. Me. This is right, and I don’t want you to leave.” She stood on her tip toes and brushed a kiss across his lips.
The simple touch of her soft lips against his sent heat spreading through his body. He’d been so focused on protecting her, on keeping her safe and getting the hired muscle off to jail where they would no doubt start to sing, because he didn’t think they were very smart, that he’d shut down emotionally. It was a trick he’d learned in the military. Drop in, get the objective, get out to safety. Then, and only then, process the mission.
She curled her fingers into his biceps and pulled him closer. Deepening the kiss, she slid her tongue over his lower lip, and it took all his self-control to hold himself still, not to toss her down on the bed and have his way with her. Except, she must have had the same thoughts for she stepped back, and when she bumped into the mattress, broke the kiss to sit down. She kicked off her boots, then began to unbutton her shirt.
He remained rooted to the spot. His breath came quickly and he unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it off his shoulders.
~* * *~
Jenny smiled. Though she wanted Caid to tumble her to the bed and take her like some kind of bawdy romance hero, his restraint was oh so sexy. Watching him drop his shirt turned her on. Behind the lace of her bra, her nipples pebbled and warmth pooled between her thighs. She unbuttoned her jeans and leaned back, arching her hip and hoping she was making a show of pulling them and her panties down. She must have, for his nostrils flared and he took a deep, shuddering breath.
