Honor climbed from the low carriage of Jolene and was immediately gifted with a stinging swat to her backside. The loud thwack filled the still night air. “In the house, Little Darlin’,” Sean commanded before stepping up to the driver’s side window.
Austin couldn’t help the blush that stained her cheeks as Honor rubbed her bottom, gave a saucy grin and turned toward the house.
“I hope you two behaved yourself, Hellion, because if you didn’t you might be getting a bit of what Honor will be getting right now. Only you won’t enjoy the effects quite as much, I’m sure.” His words were in no way meant to be sensual but they caused her pussy to flood nonetheless. Would Hayden use a sound spanking as punishment? Would she like it? Something warned her that she would and that for her, it could easily become obsessive and go a bit deeper.
All or nothing was a motto she enjoyed in life. In this instance though, it was a scary proposition. One better left as a fantasy. One that couldn’t become reality.
The next morning she awoke bleary-eyed but happy. It was a bright new day and she would make the best of it. She dressed carefully in the woven beige skirt and matching shirt she’d found for an unbelievably good price at Claire’s, and did her hair once again in a softer and more sophisticated style. Adding simple gold hoops to her ears and a pair of dark brown pumps, she left her trailer for The Big O Ranch.
It was probably one of the funniest ranch names she’d ever heard and there were plenty of ranches in Texas to poke fun at, but the Big O had to take the cake. It was a sore spot for Hayden who refused to change the original name. He stated that it had been named the Big O Ranch by his ancestors, and as long as an O’Malley owned it, it would remain the Big O Ranch.
It was a subject Austin no longer brought up unless she was aiming for a fight. That thought flew from her mind as she opened the door to the office. Her heart dropped to her toes as she felt bile rise in her throat.
There on her knees in front of Hayden who sat just as proud as you please on the soft, oversized leather couch in the office, was Bunny Barnett. Aptly named, she was a tall, willowy blonde with less brains than a flea. Dressed in nothing more than a slinky black cocktail dress, which just happened to be gathered around her waist, Bunny showed off the bareness of her thong-clad ass. Austin wanted to throw up at the sight.
Evidently, brains weren’t needed when it came to sucking dick because Bunny seemed to be doing a superb job of it, if the sound of Hayden’s moans was any indication. Blinding anger combined with an overwhelming amount of jealousy stole over her, sweeping through every inch of muscle in her body.
Hayden’s head was thrown back in ecstasy. If she had had a few emotion-free moments to think about it, Austin might have found the whole thing a bit funny. The way Hayden’s jeans were sagging around his ankles, the tops of his boots barely showing over the white of his cotton boxer briefs. But there was no humor to be found.
Austin was so upset she shook with it and through the haze of red she had trouble remembering that Hayden had every right to do whatever he pleased, with whom he pleased in his own home.
She tried to quietly leave the room but in the process stumbled, causing her keys to clank against the door. She froze where she stood as Hayden looked up. Bunny stopped what she was doing, releasing Hayden’s cock with a soft plop. She was about to rise when Hayden tightened his grip upon the back of her head. At the same time, he mumbled words for her ears alone causing her to resume her ministrations to his rigid cock.
Bunny’s mumbled sounds of pleasure filled the room making Austin want to bash her over the head with the closest blunt object. Instead, she gathered every ounce of the strength inside of her and said, “I’m sorry. Please excuse me.” The last came out on a ragged breath as she fled the room.
She’d just opened the door and bent her shaking knees to climb into Jolene when the front door opened. Bunny Barnett walked out as if nothing were amiss followed closely by Hayden who wore nothing more than a pair of jeans and his scuffed boots.
From the look of it, he was still proudly aroused. Briefly, she wondered what type of torture she could bestow upon the unfeeling asshole.
With trembling fingers, she started Jolene. She wanted to get the hell out of there before she was forced into an uncomfortable conversation with her boss, but luck wasn’t on her side.
The look in her eyes made his chest ache and that scared the hell out of him. The way she tried to hide the pain made her look even more vulnerable. He longed to pull her into his arms, to ask for forgiveness, but he couldn’t. To do so would lead to things neither of them was ready for. Instead, he would complete his plan effectively putting an end to any feelings she had for him. It was the only thing he could think to do.
After thanking Bunny for her help, he strode with a casualness he didn’t feel to Austin’s car. She was sitting as still as a stone statue, he felt like scum, but it was for her own good.
He saw her eyes move and knew damned well she’d seen him standing beside her car but she didn’t budge. He tried to open the door but found it locked so he knocked on the driver’s side window.
“Open up, Austin.”
She did as he asked but continued to keep her eyes averted from him. “Now don’t go acting all embarrassed, darlin’, we both know you’ve been caught in the act, it’s no different for me.”
Her head snapped toward him, her eyes blazing. “It would be really hard for me to get caught in the act being a virgin and all,” she said slowly, making sure he heard every word she spoke.
Her cheeks were red flags on her face, her anger and hurt was palpable, but he felt he had no choice but to continue. “Sure, sweet thang, whatever you say,” he drawled in his most sarcastic tone.
Her chin wobbled with the effort not to cry. Damn! He swore under his breath. Please don’t let those tears fall, he pleaded silently as he shoved his fisted hands into his pants pockets in order to keep from reaching for her.
Her words cut to the quick. “I don’t know what I ever did to you, Hayden O’Malley,” she started when he cut her off.
She knew exactly what she did to him sashaying that tight, little, barely covered ass in front of him day in and day out. She drove him nuts!
The little bit of anger her words brought to the forefront urged him on. Ruthlessly he spoke to her. “Don’t act the shy little virgin with me, Austin, and don’t pretend you haven’t been following me around like a bitch in heat. In case you haven’t noticed, you aren’t even close to being my type.”
All the color drained from her face leaving her skin sallow-looking, but the look of horror in her eyes was what made him feel like the bastard he was. Just finish it already, he thought, knowing by doing so he would never have another chance at anything more than a passing relationship with Austin Calhoun.
“The new clothes are real nice, darlin’, but they don’t make the woman.”
He couldn’t stand there a moment longer or he would pull her out the damned window and beg for forgiveness. Head high and what was left of his heart in his throat, he turned on his booted heel and strode angrily to the door.
Briefly, he paused on the lowest porch step then turned when he didn’t hear her car leave.
“Take the rest of the weekend off Austin, I might just have more company later, but be here bright and early Monday morning or Judge Gumar and I might just find a reason to have lunch.”
It was a threat he immediately regretted making when her car spit gravel as it skidded around the corner leading to the long dirt road she’d have to take before reaching the highway.
“Son of a bitch!” he swore as he headed in the house. He couldn’t think of a single person to call to find out if she made it home okay so he prayed instead, and hoped that he hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of his life.
The rest of the day was spent working tirelessly, trying to forget all that had happened just that morning. It had only been hours and yet it felt like days. He prayed with every shovelful of shit t
hat she wouldn’t call his bluff. He didn’t know why but he had to see her again. Even though he’d purposefully hurt her and in no way wanted to, he cared for her.
The thought of Austin with another man, any man, was enough to make him spitting mad, and yet at the same time, he wouldn’t accept her for himself. What kind of man was he?
The night was worse than all the others combined. Being horny and alone was one thing, but being downright miserable sucked. Instead of erotic dreams, he kept dreaming of the hurt in her big blue eyes as they swam with unshed tears.
The way she held herself still, barely breathing, and how pale her normally creamy skin had been. He’d caused the whole damned mess and some niggling thought in the back of his mind warned him that it would take a small miracle to turn around the events he’d just put in motion.
He was ashamed of the words he’d spoken to her. Never in his thirty-eight years had he chastised a woman for not being a virgin or for what she did behind closed doors. It was none of his business who did who, and he’d just gone and broken the one rule he’d always stuck to…
You don’t stick your nose into other people’s personal lives.
* * * * *
Sunday came, the day dreary and gray, just the way Hayden felt. After finishing his morning chores, he drove into town for a drink at O’Malley’s and to visit his brother Sean.
The place was packed. It seemed like half the town was there to watch NASCAR on the big screen TV Sean was so proud of. Shouts and curses rang throughout the dimly lit room as several cars spun and crashed in a flurry of metal and rubber.
Hayden noticed several of the regulars kept sending quick glances his way. Instead of waiting, he asked Sean what was going on.
“Something I’m missing here?” he said, trying not to let his discomfort show.
Sean’s meaty hands neatly folded the white bar towel he’d been using to dry beer mugs. “I’d say. You’re the talk of town.” Hayden groaned. He could only imagine what talk he was involved with this time.
“What this time?”
“Well, this time you are only indirectly involved. Seems most of the older men of the town—” he said, nodding toward a table of regulars “—thought you’d be the one to get Austin to behavin’. They were all just a bit surprised when she made a spectacle out of herself last night.”
His body tensed with Sean’s words. He shouldn’t ask because it wasn’t any of his business but he had to know. Knowing he’d regret asking the question before it was even out of his mouth didn’t stop him from doing it.
“What did she do this time?”
“Aw, not much, really. She and a group of her girlfriends came in last night and had a bit too much to drink. There was a group of young bucks in here all fancied up in suits who seemed kind of smitten for a while there. They did some dancin’ and just had a good time from what I can tell, but you know those old boys like to talk.”
“She didn’t drive herself home, did she?” If she did, he was going to wring her neck right after he whipped her ass.
“Damn, Hayden, what do you think I am? Of course she didn’t drive herself home, Honor took her, but when I opened up this morning her car was already gone so I have no idea when she picked it up or who brought her here to get it.”
Sean seemed to be thinking and then added, “Honor got herself a pretty red ass the other night after I came home from work and found a note that she’d gone to one of them parties with The Hellion. I gotta say, Hayden, I don’t much care for Honor and Austin getting together.”
Hayden took a long drink from his bottle of beer. “Sounds like your problem,” he muttered as he laid some money on the smooth surface of the bar. He drove home wondering where Austin was and what she was doing.
Chapter Four
It took the experience of a true woman and the know-how of a wanna-be makeup artist to get the purple smudges concealed beneath her red eyes. Sunglasses would have to do the rest.
The tears she’d shed last night would be the last. The time she’d been wasting on a man who cared nothing for her would be no more. She’d made a promise to herself and intended to keep it. It was the only thing that would help her through her six-month stint of service at the Big O Ranch.
With a wall firmly built around her tattered heart, Austin climbed into Jolene and made her way to work. It was a bright and sunny Monday morning and she planned to make the best of it. No matter how hard it was, she would not let Hayden O’Malley get the best of her nor would she let her traitorous body lead her astray. If she had to find a substitute for the rough and rugged rancher then she would.
At twenty-four it was time her virginity took a backseat and she learned what it was to truly be a woman. Watching not only the road, but also the flat land extending along both sides of the highway, Austin realized what a futile effort it would be to try and find a replacement for Hayden. He was a one of a kind man.
Disgusted with the road her thoughts had taken, she mentally braced herself for the confrontation to come. And it would come just as surely as the sun rose every morning. Out of sheer spitefulness, she’d worn another of her slightly used outfits.
The outfit might not make the woman, as Hayden so eloquently pointed out, but it sure made her feel womanly, so she tried with all her might not to give a shit what anyone else thought.
Of course, that all flew right out the window when she stopped off at the local diner for a fountain soda before heading off to the ranch. She’d run into none other than Bunny Barnett.
Damn! She swore under her breath. The gods must be really pissed at her for some reason.
“Well, if it isn’t our very own little sex goddess,” Bunny taunted, a malicious smile on her face.
Austin couldn’t help the venom that dripped from her voice. “Funny coming from someone who was caught red-handed, or should I say lipped, with her mouth wrapped around O’Malley cock, wouldn’t you say, Bunny?”
Austin knew it was petty but for once, she felt like lashing out at the label she’d been branded with, if they only knew. Bunny’s next words were spoken with pure malice.
“Jealous, little girl?” Her next words were mortifying and said loud enough that the room at large heard. “Claire’s must be having a sale or something.” The evil witch laughed. “Saw that exact same outfit on Norma Lions just before she joined that diet club of hers. I’d heard she’d pawned all her fat clothes off at Claire’s.”
The twinkle in Bunny’s eyes made Austin want to kill. In two steps, she was face-to-face with the simpering fool and ready to knock her block off. She’d just cocked her arm back and was ready to let it fly when two very large hands lifted her in the air then set her back down.
“Who in the fuck do you…” she got out before she noticed just who it was—Sean O’Malley and he didn’t look happy.
“Uh-uh, Little One. I wouldn’t go there if I were you.” His eyes were angry and his mouth wasn’t smiling.
She knew she’d not be getting a hold of Bunny Barnett today so she turned to Sean with her head held high and said with as much dignity as possible, “Thanks, Sean, you probably just saved my ass from Judge Gumar.”
She was just making her way to the door when Bunny hollered out, “Just like your clothes, Austin, leftovers are all you’ll ever get when it comes to men.”
“Not if I can help it,” she mumbled as she let the door close behind her without bothering to look back.
She replayed their conversation over in her head several times before she turned Jolene’s steering wheel sharply, flipping a shitty right there on the highway, and made her way back home to change.
From now on, she was going to be herself no matter who it angered. The trip to the ranch after her harrowing confrontation with Bunny was shrouded in insecurities she wouldn’t allow to bring her down.
With a fake-as-hell smile welded to her pale face, Austin entered the sprawling ranch house. It was like coming home, minus the warm welcome. The place itself called to her, wa
rming her from the inside out. The heavy wooden door was illuminated by the sunlight as it filtered through the beautifully worked stained glass surrounding it on both sides.
The wood floor of the foyer was gently worn from years of work boots and spurs scuffing its surface. She liked the way it sounded beneath her sandal-clad feet. Making her way to the kitchen, she warmly greeted the men who stood about sipping coffee and eating hotcakes fresh from the griddle.
With practiced ease, she spared a glance for Hayden. “Mr. O’Malley,” she said in way of greeting hoping her smile seemed genuine and not at all like the grimace she felt it was.
His eyes narrowed in suspicion, their hazel depths staring intensely as though they could see right through her.
Her nipples peaked beneath the thin surface of her lace demi-cup bra. She was sure they were visibly noticeable through the thin stretch cotton of her black ribbed tank top. She’d worn it on purpose because she knew Hayden absolutely hated it.
Black with the stark picture of a white trailer right in the center when read properly, it would amount to White Trailer Trash. It was sort of an inside joke between herself and her three closest friends. Over the years, they’d all lived in a trailer at some point in time. Only she and one other could be classified as butt-white so they threw the jab back and forth. A bit of friendly banter between friends who were close enough to be sisters. Just another little glitch to show off her less-than-normal sense of humor. It was too bad none of them lived close by—she sure could use a shoulder right about now.
For some reason though, Hayden found it offensive and told her so whenever he saw her wearing it. He also seemed to complain nonstop about her choice of living accommodations as if he had every right to do so.
Hayden's Hellion Page 3
