Cowboy 12 Pack
Page 153
Damn! That wasn’t a dog collar. That was Levi’s sub collar he was talking about. It must have fallen into the back seat. Levi didn’t have a steady lady at the moment, but he did like to adorn the lady du jour. “Tell him I’ll make sure Lady gets a collar.” Now, he’d have to go by the pet store and hunt something as near to what Nathan had seen as he could. Jacob rang off and he cuddled back up to Avery for a few minutes. He’d never been one to collar a woman, but he knew what it meant. It was a visible, recognizable sign of possession, ownership and commitment. Among his kind, it was as meaningful and binding as an engagement ring, maybe more so. He didn’t know how Avery would feel about being collared, but it would make him happy to give her both, a ring and a collar. And the one he had in mind would be a girl’s dream, a platinum circle encrusted in diamonds, not your ordinary collar.
Nuzzling her neck, he stroked his hand down her body, just enjoying the touch of her skin. “Hey, Sexy. Do you have to work today?”
With a small yelp, Avery almost levitated off the bed. “Foot a duck! What time is it?”
“Calm down, Sweet. It’s only eight o’clock. We’ve got plenty of time.” She wiggled in his arms like a slippery eel. Finally, he let her go before she tangled herself any farther in the covers. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Going to her knees in the bed, she plunked herself over on top of him, just climbed right on, laying full length on top of him. “I’m supposed to go help Tricia. I can’t let her down.” Taking his face in her hands, she kissed him long and deep, her tongue delving in and rubbing against his. “Mmmm, you are such a temptation.” She snuggled down, fitting her head under his chin. “Am I taking too many liberties?”
Moving that wealth of hair to one side, he rubbed her back. “Impossible. Consider me your playground. Wanna ride the roller coaster?” He pumped his hips up and let her feel his bulge that was beginning to rise to the occasion.
“God! I wish.” She licked his chest, kissing all around his nipple. “Maybe, we could get together later in the week or something. That is, if you want to.”
What was it going to take? “Avery, my Avery.” He took her chin between his thumb and first finger. “I’ll take you to work and pick you up when work is over. Tonight, we’re going to a family dinner, celebrating Jessie and Jacob’s wedding. They’re sneaking off to get married this afternoon. I want you moving in with me, today.”
“Wonderful, I’m so happy for them,” she beamed, then went very still. “About us, I would love to move in with you, but we’re still making sure this all works. Right?”
He reiterated his last mental point. “What is it going to take? I thought we proved something here last night.”
“We did,” she agreed. “Still, I think I have a ways to go.” She was purposefully vague. What she wanted was for him to tell her that he loved her. During their lovemaking, he had said that he loved her just the way she was, but people said things like that all the time. Avery dreamed of Isaac holding her face, looking in her eyes and telling her that he loved her more than life itself. When that happened, she would have everything she’d ever wanted. She’d have Isaac.
Isaac was feeling a bit frustrated. He had her in his arms, but he felt like she could fly away at any moment. It was like trying to hold on to a small wild creature that didn’t know whether they could completely trust you or not. “If we still have a ways to go, Avery, you might ought to try giving me a map so I can find my way.”
Not knowing how to answer, she chose to change the subject. Glancing at his watch on the bedside table, she sighed. “I’ve got to get ready to go and yes, I’ll go to my house and pack a suitcase and go home with you tonight. Where we stay doesn’t matter to me. Home is where you’ll be.” She could tell that admission pacified him, somewhat. “If you could pick me up at, say six? I need some time to talk to my agent.”
She began scrambling off of him. To be so graceful on stage, she was adorably uncoordinated. Most likely, he would spend a lifetime catching her before she fell. Funny, that sounded perfect to him. Tearing his eyes off of her bobbing rump, he thought about her comment. Agent? What agent? “What are you talking about, agent?”
No time like the present. After all, they were sharing everything else. “I write romance novels. Most of them have been just contemporary, but I’ve started writing erotic novellas, and they’re selling like hotcakes. I’m a smut writer!” she announced proudly.
“Holy Hell!”
Chapter Seven
‡
AS ISAAC WENT about his day at the bar he attempted to digest the information that his pure and innocent little church girl had, in a matter of a few days, emerged from her cotton wool cocoon and revealed herself to be sexually adventurous, fun as hell, sweet as sugar and the weaver of erotic words. “That beats all I’ve ever heard,” he talked to himself as he wiped down tables with a grin on his lips.
His morning had been full of the things that came with owning a bar. Doris had insisted they hire a cleaning crew, and she had been right. So he’d interviewed three different services this morning, and settled on one that ought to work out fine. Crowbar did all he could, but he needed help. The cleaners would start tomorrow. Plus, he’d placed his liquor order. All of the family fun had depleted his stock. They still had Aron and Libby’s wedding on the 16th and then his birthday on the 31st. He couldn’t believe his big brother would be tying the knot in less than a week and Jacob was getting hitched, right about now, he realized as he glanced over at the clock.
Isaac didn’t worry about money, not really. Hardbodies wasn’t making a killing, mainly because he used a lot of his inventory for private use. As far as he was concerned, that’s what it was for. He wasn’t accountable to anybody but himself and his employees. Tebow kept them all going and Noah deposited his share of the profits into his checking account monthly. That money was what he used to take care of his ‘projects’. None of the family questioned one another about their profit sharing funds. Each brother did their own thing. Noah and Aron made sure that proper investments were made, the ranch was updated, expanded and ran like a well-oiled machine. Jacob was the mogul of the group. He had made some private investments and now had his own mineral company. Still, they were a family and families took care of one another.
“Boss!” Levi called from the back. Isaac laughed. In many ways Levi was such a cut-up. “The bull is here!”
Ah, the mechanical bull. “Excellent. I’ll be right there.” When he got to the back, the deliverymen had just unloaded the big box and were ready to take it in to bolt it to the floor. “Do we have all the electrical hook-ups ready to go?”
“Sure thing. We’ll be bouncing around on this thing before the sun goes down.”
Levi’s off-hand comment just gave Isaac an idea. He wondered if Avery would want to ride him while he rode the bull. Hell yeah! Together, they worked with the installers until the simulator was in proper working order.
“How much are you guys gonna charge to let somebody ride this thing?” One of the deliverymen asked.
“Nothing,” Isaac answered. “This is to draw customers in and keep them happy once they get here.”
“Makes sense.” The two shook hands with Isaac and Levi and took their leave.
As they picked up the scrap pieces of cardboard left over from the box to burn, Levi cut his eyes at Isaac. “Did you meet that new girl last week, Pawnee Baker?”
“Yea, I did. She seemed like a nice lady.” Just a few days ago, his response would have been, ‘she’s a looker or nice rack’, but that was pre-Avery.
“I heard something about her.” Levi’s tone, more than his words, told Isaac that whatever he was about to say was important to him.
“What’s going on?” He walked over to the bar. “It’s five o’clock somewhere. Right?” They didn’t open till five, but ownership had to count for something. “Wanna beer?”
“Yea, I think I need one.”
Taking two longnecks from the cooler, h
e opened them and walked over to join his friend. “So what did you hear about the lovely Miss Baker? I saw quite a few cowboys checking her out. If you’re gonna throw your hat in the ring, you’d best do it in a hurry.” Isaac poured half the bottle down his throat. “She into kink?”
“Hell, she gives kink a whole new meaning.” Levi leaned back and took a long swig. Isaac thought he looked miserable. So, he waited for his bartender to continue…and he waited.
“Well, don’t leave me hangin’!” Isaac complained.
“That’s the whole problem. She’s hangin’,” Isaac mumbled.
“What are you talking about?”
“She’s pretty, you know. I mean real pretty. And I was attracted to her, big time. It’s not like I don’t get women, but there was just something about this woman that seemed so soft and vulnerable. I guess you could say that she brought out the man in me.”
“So, what’s the problem?” Sometimes he had to be drawn a picture, but he just wasn’t getting it.
“Man, I mentioned to Terence Lee that I intended to ask her out and he laughed at me.”
“Why?”
“He said that it’s rumored Pawnee has a….damn, a p…” He stumbled with his words. “A p…”
“A P?” Isaac held his hands out in supplication. “Spit it out, Levi.”
“A penis.”
Isaac almost swallowed his tongue. “Damn.”
“Yes, a penis. A little one, but a penis, nonetheless. Supposedly everything else is there and all of it functions perfectly. It knocked me for a loop, I tell you.” He slouched over with his forearms on his legs, the beer bottling dangling between his knees.
“That beautiful woman is a hermaphrodite? I thought they were, you know, rougher looking. She seems so…normal…beautiful, I mean.” Isaac had seen a lot of things. He knew transsexuals, bisexuals, homosexuals, even some who claimed to be asexual, but never had he met someone with both male and female genitalia. “God, I bet she’s lonely.”
Levi looked up. “That’s what hit me. A person like that, there’d be nowhere for them to go, you know? Can you imagine how cruel people would be?”
“Yeah, she seemed so fragile and feminine. I can’t imagine anyone being mean to her.” Isaac felt sympathy for her. He had an open mind about things, more so than lots of people. “Does it give you the willies?”
“I don’t know, man.” Levi looked down at the floor. “I just don’t know.”
“You still going to ask her out?”
“Hell, part of me wants to. And part of me is scared to death. So, I just don’t know.”
Isaac stood up and held out his hand for Levi’s empty beer bottle. “Whatever you decide, you have my support.”
“Thanks, Man.”
Isaac left his friend sitting there with a big decision to make.
*
NOAH HAD STAYED with Harper until she had been looked at, cleaned up and admitted to the hospital. The doctor said she had broken ribs and deep lacerations. There was also a tear in her rectum from rough anal sex. That bastard Ajax had beat the hell out of her. Oh, she bore some of the blame. After all, Harper willingly put herself in these risky situations. But there was something strange about this and he seemed to be involved whether he wanted to be or not.
Against her will, he’d phoned her folks. They were good people, who had been friends with his own parents. Old Kerrville stock, they simply didn’t know what to do with Harper. Her mom had asked Noah if they should try and get her some help, and he had been a strong advocate. Counseling was critical, as far as he could see.
For a few minutes, he considered calling Kane, but this seemed like it should be kept private. All day a creepy feeling had been crawling up and down his spine. Something told him that he needed to see to this personally. Harper didn’t know for sure how to find Ajax, but she gave him several places to look for him, primarily dives and strip joints. He’d asked about sex clubs and BDSM clubs, but she said he didn’t do those anymore. Apparently, he’d been banned. That struck Noah as funny. He didn’t realize those kind of people had a conscience at all. With list in hand, Noah set out to find Ajax and see if he could get in a few licks of his own.
*
“SO, YOU’RE MOVING in with him?” Tricia stood over Avery as she packed her signature pink suitcase.
“Yes, and don’t just stand there. Help me! He’ll be here any minute. We have a family dinner tonight.”
Tricia gave Avery’s suitcase a little tap with her foot. “So, WE have a family dinner tonight. With the McCoys”
“Stop that. Would you quit smirking and hand me the underwear out of that drawer.”
Tricia stopped smiling long enough to dig out a dozen pair of white cotton underwear and some plain serviceable bras. “This stuff won’t do. We need to get online to Victoria’s Secret and do some serious shopping for you.”
“Just grab anything, I ran out of time. Damn agent kept me on the phone too long. All of that writing I did last summer paid off.” She looked up at her partner and smiled. “I got a three book deal!”
Tricia folded panties and arranged hose and slips in the side pockets of the soft-side luggage. “Three books?” she squealed. “Congratulations, I guess you’re not going to have time for me.” There was a hint of hurt in her voice.
“Nonsense, I gave you a good eight hours today and I intend to do that five days a week. Isaac doesn’t have a problem with my working, and I enjoy what we do. You’re not getting rid of me that easy.”
Tricia perked up. “Good. When am I going to get to read something you wrote?”
Turning, Avery opened a drawer on her nightstand and handed her friend a book. “There you go. I hope you enjoy it. Remember, it’s sort of risqué. Not as spicy as my current WIPs, but pretty racy, all the same.”
“Sable Hunter, I like that name. Neat.” She held the book close to her chest as a distinct rumble was heard in the living room.
“I thought I told you to lock these doors. Anybody can walk in here on you two,” Isaac fussed as he found them in Avery’s bedroom.
“I see that. Don’t you believe in knocking?” She grouched at him, but she was all smiles. She let him gather her close for a kiss.
“Hi, Tricia, how are you?”
“Jealous.” She sighed. “Are there instructions in this book of yours on how to find a man like the one you’ve cornered?”
Avery made a wry face at Tricia. “Very funny, like you need any help? You’re gorgeous. Isn’t she, Isaac?” Held close in Isaac’s arms, she felt completely safe and…yes, loved. If he didn’t feel the same way she did, he was doing a heck of an imitation.
“Hey, is that one of Avery’s?” Keeping one hand on her arm, he reached for the book. “Let me see.” He thumbed through it. “I want to read everything you’ve written.”
“That’s no problem. We have no secrets. Do we?”
“No, we don’t,” he assured her. And he was damn thankful he didn’t have to lie to her. Avery knew all of his secrets and she loved him anyway. That knowledge was extremely freeing. “Are you about ready? The family will be gathering soon.”
Snapping her suitcase shut, she looked around. “Yes, I have enough. I can get the rest of my things later.” Avery was going to be positive. Everything was going to work out. Isaac would learn to love her, she hoped. He just had to.
*
CADY, OFFICIAL MCCOY fiancé, had stepped up and prepared the wedding supper for Jessie and Jacob. Joseph had helped, playing zydeco on the music system. They had concocted gumbo, grilled shrimp, rice pilaf, and bourbon chocolate bread pudding. It was going to be a meal to remember. Cady’s family had returned to south Louisiana, but their gift had been to fill their freezers full of enough shrimp, crawfish, and Andouille sausage to last till the next visit.
“Do you think Jessie will like the little bull we’re all giving them as a wedding present?”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that both of them will take to him right off, Litt
le Bud. Jacob has been hankering after one of Machine Gun’s offspring for years. Those little guys are worth their weight in gold.” Joseph was sitting at the dining table, on his laptop, registering for his first dirt-bike race since the accident. He didn’t type fast, but used the hunt and peck method. “Nathan has been in charge of getting our gift all spruced up and ready for presentation,” he explained to Cady.
“I’ve made pralines, Nathan. Would you like one?” Cady held out a platter of the pecan caramel confections.
“Yes, please,” he accepted one of the sugary treats. “Isaac just drove up with Avery. You know, if Noah brings home a girl, everyone will have one but me.”
Cady was amused. “Does that mean you are ready for a girlfriend?”
“Heck, no!” Nathan was emphatic.
“This is a family dinner, but I think it would be okay if you asked a date, Nathan.” Joseph took the opportunity to josh his brother. “Haley probably loves shrimp. Why don’t you give her a call?”
“Nah,” Nathan rejected his brother’s idea. “I think I’d rather spend time with that bull calf and Lady.”
“That will change.” Joseph laughed.
“Sooner than you think,” Cady added as she stirred the pot of gumbo. “Why don’t you take the little bull some sugar cubes? And you can give the horses a treat while you’re out there.”
“Can Lady have a piece of that candy? I think she’d like that.” At the mention of her name coupled with the word candy, Lady peeked her head around the door.
“Does Libby know you’ve been sneaking Lady in every chance you get?” Joseph tried to sound stern, but he liked to have animals in the house. His Mom had never stopped them from having pets, even in their rooms. But Sabrina, Aron’s first wife had put a stop to the animals and they hadn’t had any in the house since, until now.
“She don’t care, but she said I had to clear it with Jessie and Cady, too.” He gave Cady such a pitiful look that she walked over to the dog and offered a piece of the pecan confection. “You have my blessing, Miss Lady. You can sleep with me anytime.” She ran her finger down the dog’s head. “I bet she’s smarter than we all realize. Aren’t you, Girl?” The dog seemed to give her a knowing smile.