by Katee Robert
“Oh, me? I usually help out on my days off when there isn’t something that I need to be doing for Cups and Kittens.” She took a long drink of water. “And I might have known you were out here, so I volunteered to bring you guys lunch.”
He smiled. “Now the truth comes out.”
“Guilty.” She twisted a strand of her dark hair around her finger. “I wanted to talk to you about something, but in the light of everything, I think it was a horrible Aubry-induced idea.”
Color him crazy, but any idea that came from that redhead made him curious. “Tell me.”
“I’d really rather not.” She huffed out a breath when he leveled a look at her. “Okay, fine. Do you want to be my boyfriend for real?”
He’d anticipated all sorts of words to come out of her mouth…but not that. “You want to date me.”
“I know we’re already sort of dating, but it’s fake dating. I want to real date.” She scrunched up her nose when she frowned. “Though, to be honest, I don’t really know what would be different. Maybe more sex? Or you tell me what’s wrong when I ask if you’re okay?”
“Sugar—”
“You’re not staying. I know.” Her smile was all sorts of tentative. “But you haven’t left yet. I like you, Adam. And I think you like me, too.”
Hell, yes, he did. Too much. Jules wasn’t the leaving kind. She was the type of woman that had a man thinking all sorts of insane thoughts about settling down and kids and coming in from work to find the windows lit and dinner on the stove. The kind of woman who had “home” written all over her.
You’ll break her heart if you say yes. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it’s coming.
But not today.
He pulled her into his lap. “Well, fuck, sugar, you make one hell of an argument.”
Her hands landed on his shoulders. “Is that a no?”
“Nope.” He ran his hands up her thighs. “These jeans should be fucking illegal.”
“What? These are work jeans.” She frowned. “You didn’t really answer my question.”
“Sure I did. Yes, sugar, be my girlfriend.” Until I leave Devil’s Falls in my rearview once and for all. He dipped his thumbs beneath her waistband. “Now let me get you out of these jeans.”
She laughed and slapped his hands. “Daniel’s going to be back any time, and as much as I want to jump your bones, I’d rather not have to pay for the therapy he’d inevitably need if he saw us bumping uglies.”
“Jump my bones? Bumping uglies? I don’t think my dirty-talking lessons have had their desired effect. We’ll need a repeat.”
She leaned forward until her lips brushed his ear. “Come by when you get off work. I’ll be waiting for you with nothing but a sheet on.”
“Lose the sheet and you’ve got yourself a deal.”
Jules laughed, though the sound turned into a moan when he used his grip on her hips to slide her against the hard ridge of his cock. “Maybe I’ll be wearing panties and cowgirl boots. Or these jeans and nothing else. You’ll have to show up to find out.”
He cursed low and hard. “I’m going to be in hell for the rest of the day. I hope you’re happy.”
She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and wriggled free. “I am.”
And hell if she didn’t sound it.
Chapter Seventeen
Jules paced from one side of her apartment to the other. This was such a dumb idea. What if he doesn’t show up. Worse, what if he does? She looked down at her getup—boots and panties and a long-sleeved flannel shirt that she’d left unbuttoned. When she got dressed, she’d had that look on Adam’s face fixated in her mind. He would have had her right then and there in the field without a second thought.
But that was the problem. He’d had the entire afternoon for second thoughts. It didn’t matter if he’d said he was coming over and that he’d be her boyfriend for real—he could have changed his mind.
She eyed the closed door to Aubry’s room. Her friend had taken one look at her, shaken her head, and gone off to hide. Not that Jules could blame her—she felt a whole lot like hiding right now, too.
A knock on the door had her considering diving for the thick, knitted throw blanket on the back of the couch. What had she been thinking, dressing like this? She looked like one of those cowgirl wannabes in a music video. It didn’t help that her boots, having seen better days, probably ruined the effect. They were the boots of a woman who worked.
She started to kick them off, but whoever it was at the door knocked again. Jules hurried over and peered through the peephole. Adam. There was no way he didn’t know she was here—especially since she’d been the one to tell him she would be. She rested her forehead against the door. “Get it together, Jules.”
“Sugar, if you’re going to talk to yourself, you might as well let me in so you can talk to me instead.”
Her eyes flew open. “Sorry, but I think I’m going to die of embarrassment.”
“Let me in.” His voice turned coaxing. “Do you know how I spent the rest of my day?”
It was strange having this conversation through the door, but she didn’t immediately move. “How?”
“Hard as a rock and aching for you. Let me in, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
She opened the door to find him grinning. “Said the big bad wolf to the little pig.”
The expression melted away as he took her in. Adam’s eyes went dark, and he rubbed a hand across his mouth. “Fuck, sugar, I changed my mind. I’m not going to tell you a damn thing. I’m going to show you.” He cleared the doorway in a single step, backing her into the apartment and kicking the door shut behind him. “The redhead?”
“She has a name.” Jules took several steps back, her heart beating too hard.
“I know.” He shadowed her movements, following her as she backed around the kitchen table and toward her bedroom.
“She’s in her room.”
He passed the doorway into her room and kicked it shut behind him, too. “Then you better be quiet or we’re going to traumatize the hell out of her.”
“Keep—” She shrieked when he burst around the corner of the bed and scooped her into his arms. Jules braced herself, but he didn’t throw her onto the bed this time. Instead he laid her down and sat back, looking at her like… She didn’t have words to describe how he was looking at her.
He smoothed his hands up her legs, spreading them as he reached her thighs. “Fuck, sugar.” His thumb played down and stroked over her panties. “Wet, just like I knew you’d be.”
“I guess I like being chased.”
His expression was nearly pained. “That’s good. I like the fuck out of chasing you.” He hooked the sides of her panties and dragged them down her legs. “One of these days, I’m going to set you loose in a field in nothing but these boots. And then I’m going to chase you down and fuck you right there in the grass.”
It was suddenly a whole lot harder to draw a full breath. She could picture it perfectly, that hungry look on his face as he stalked after her, the wheat whipping at her legs, her body exposed to the breeze.
“You like that. Good.” He got her panties past her boots and tossed them to the side. “Spread your legs, sugar. Show me how much you want me.”
She did what he said, feeling a little foolish, but that feeling faded as he started talking. “Did your little tease act this afternoon leave you as worked up as it did me?”
“Yes.”
“Mmm.” He gripped her thighs, spreading her wider yet. “And did you come home and get one of those little buzzy toys out?”
How did he know?
He must have read something on her face. “You’re far too relaxed to have spent the last few hours like I did.”
A blush spread across her cheeks. “I’ve come three times since I got home.”
He froze,
his eyes narrowed. “Three.”
“Yes…”
“Three fucking orgasms you denied me.” He yanked her to the edge of the bed as he went to his knees beside it. “Three orgasms that should have been mine.”
“Well—” She had to slap a hand over her mouth when he licked up her center, zeroing in on her clit. She was already sensitive from all the orgasms earlier, and the pleasure was so acute, it was almost painful as he sucked her clit into his mouth. “Adam.”
“I’m taking what’s mine, sugar. With interest.”
He went at her like a starving man. There was no stopping, no passing Go, no collecting two hundred dollars. There was just an Adam-induced orgasm hurtling down on her. She grabbed her comforter and screamed her pleasure into it, writhing against his mouth.
But he wasn’t done. He was nowhere near done.
The aftershocks had barely faded when he flipped her onto her stomach. “That’s one.”
Surely he didn’t really mean to…
His hand cupped her, sliding through her wetness, two fingers spearing her and then withdrawing to slide over her oversensitive clit. Over and over again. With her butt in the air and her face pressed against her mattress, she should have felt horribly exposed, but there was no room for feeling anything but what he was doing to her. An impossible pressure built in her, spiraling higher and higher with each stroke. “Adam, please.”
“Did you think of me when you were rubbing that vibrator all over your clit? I think you did. I think you knew exactly how hard I was for you, and that only got you off harder knowing that I was riding around with a cockstand to end all cockstands.”
It had felt naughty to be pleasuring herself while she knew he wasn’t able to. She moaned, trying to thrust back onto his fingers, but he slapped her butt hard enough to sting. “Hold still, sugar. This is my rodeo, and you’ve got to pay your dues.”
“You’re so mean.”
“You have no idea.” He pinched her clit, the shock of the pain sending her hurtling into another orgasm. Jules collapsed onto her bed, her legs shaking and her breath coming so hard, she sounded like she’d just run a marathon.
He rolled her onto her back. “Breathe, sugar.”
“I’m…breathing.” Sort of.
Adam licked between her legs again, but the earlier fury driving him seemed to be at least partially abated because he took his time as if savoring the taste of her. She lay there, half sure she was having an out-of-body experience. It was the only explanation for her wanting to grab his hair and grind herself against his face even after two orgasms in entirely too little time.
She stretched her arms over her head, arching her back. “You make me crazy.”
“Believe me, the feeling is fucking mutual.” He spread her folds, fucking her with his tongue the same way he’d fucked her with his fingers. It made her feel sexy and wanton and like someone else entirely.
“Adam.”
“That’s right, sugar. Me. Not your fucking buzzy toy.” He lifted his head, something dangerous flickering over his face. “Where is it?”
She pointed to her nightstand before common sense caught up with her. “Wait—” But it was too late. He’d yanked open the drawer and brought out B.O.B.
Adam eyed the bright pink Lelo vibrator. “Interesting taste.” He turned it on, a wicked grin spreading over his face. “On second thought, I think your buzzy toy and I would make a fucking amazing tag team.” He slid the vibrator into her, adjusting the setting until she had to fist the comforter over her head.
“Oh my God.”
“One more orgasm, and I’ll let you come on my cock.” He fucked her slowly with the vibrator. The sensation of his hands on her body, combined with the toy between her legs, made the pleasure almost impossible to bear. “That’s it, sugar. Let go. I’ve got you.”
He lined it up with her clit, squeezing her thigh with his free hand. “You look so fucking beautiful when you come. Knowing I’m the cause of it… Yeah, I can’t get enough of that. I’m going to fuck that tight pussy of yours, sugar, until you’re begging me to never stop.”
Considering how close she was to doing just that, she believed him with every fiber of her being. She shuddered, her orgasm looming.
Which was when he took away her vibrator. She barely had time to protest when he was there, covering her, his cock replacing the buzzy toy. The feeling of him filling her sent her over the edge. Jules buried her face against his neck and sobbed as she came, his hands on her and his cock inside her the only solid thing in her world in that moment.
He slipped one arm beneath the small of her back and the other hand cupped the back of her head as he thrust into her, his mouth on hers, his tongue fucking her as thoroughly as his cock. The sensation was too much, forcing her orgasm to crest again. This time, he followed her over, his strokes becoming less smooth and his body going tight on top of her as he groaned her name.
She lay there, staring at her ceiling, wondering if this was all a dream. Surely the single sexiest man she’d ever known hadn’t just made her come three times in short order. That was just too good to be true.
And then Adam had to go and make it even better. He turned his head and kissed her neck. “Sugar, I’m going to take you on a real date.”
Chapter Eighteen
Adam scrubbed his truck down, wondering what the hell he’d been thinking yesterday with Jules. I’m going to take you on a real date. I’ll be your boyfriend. He was setting himself up for failure. “I’m not staying, goddamn it.”
“Are you talking to yourself?”
He glanced over to find Quinn standing at the bottom of his mom’s driveway. “What are you doing here?”
“So damn rude.” His friend shook his head. “But I know what you really meant to say.” He grinned and waved, his voice ticking up an octave. “‘Hey, man, nice to see you. It’s been a hell of a week and your gorgeous face is exactly what I needed.’”
Adam shook his head. “No, pretty sure that’s not what I meant at all. And I don’t sound like that.”
“Sure you do.” He settled into the rocking chair on the porch, absolutely dwarfing the thin wood with his large body. “You still doing that thing with Daniel’s cousin? Because rumor has it that you were seen making out like high school kids on her front doorstep yesterday in the early hours of the morning.”
“Rumor has it, huh? This town never changes.”
Growing up, more often than not, it’d been his name uttered as the hell-raiser who couldn’t keep himself out of the back of the town’s lone police cruiser. It wasn’t anything personal—there just wasn’t a whole hell of a lot to talk about other than football, ranching, and who was getting into trouble this week.
“Sure, it changes. Just ask my old man.” Quinn deepened his voice and screwed up his face in a scowl. “‘Back in my day, we respected our country and didn’t act like damn fools.’”
“You are seriously god-awful at impressions.” Adam chuckled. “How’s Sir Charles, anyways? He made his peace with you working with Daniel instead of heading up his oil empire yet?”
“Hardly.” Quinn stretched his legs out and laced his fingers behind his head. “If anything, he’s getting more desperate to bring me back into the fold. At the obligatory family dinner last month, he invited two blondes with tits the size of melons and dollar signs in their eyes. Mother was thrilled. Naturally.”
“Naturally.” He crouched down and went to work on his wheels. When he was a teenager, he’d envied the fact that Quinn’s dad was determined to have him follow in his footsteps. Once he hit his early twenties, though, he recognized it for the ball and chain it was. Charles Baldwyn cared less about his son’s happiness than he did about continuing his family traditions. Adam still wasn’t sure if an overbearing ass of a dad was better than no dad at all, but he’d stopped envying his friend. “How long did he man
age to go without offering one of them up in marriage?”
“A whole hour.” Quinn sighed. “You’d think they’d be bothered by him dangling them in front of me like a piece of meat, but they didn’t so much as blink.”
“Money makes people stupid.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” He crossed his feet at his ankles. “That was a nice subject change—very subtle. But you still didn’t answer my question about little Jules Rodriguez.”
He didn’t want to get into it. He could fool himself into thinking this wasn’t going to end in a complete train wreck—mostly—but Quinn would have no problem calling him out. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Quinn dropped his hands and sat up straight. “What the hell is going on with you and that girl?”
“She’s only seven years younger than us. It’s not like I’m robbing the fucking cradle.”
If anything, his friend just looked more interested. “See, that’s the thing. I thought you guys were playing a game—you do her a favor and make that asshole ex of hers jealous, and she occupies you so you don’t drive your mom insane pacing around the house. But that’s not what it sounds like when you say stuff like that. Are you actually interested in her?”
Yes. He pushed to his feet and grabbed the hose, spraying down the truck. “It’s not like that.”
“Are you sure?”
Adam didn’t say anything until he’d finished washing off the truck and disposed of the soapy water in the bucket. “You know she’s just using me to create a scandal.”
“And?”
He sighed and turned to face his friend. “And that’s a temporary thing no matter which way you look at it. She doesn’t want to settle down with the hell-raiser who gets the gossip mill raging. She wants the slow and steady guy who’s going to be there with her every night and making her coffee and shit in the morning and…” He rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s not me. That’s never going to be me.”
