Weekend Surrender

by Lori King

  “What’s his name?” she asked as she watched the stallion graze in the field.

  “Romeo.”

  She laughed and it rippled through him teasing at the need in his gut. “Really? Where is Juliet?”

  “Pregnant in the other barn. She should foal anytime, so she can’t be with her lover.”

  Rachel’s eyes lit up as she finally turned and faced him. “That seems rather unfair. To take two star crossed lovers and keep them apart when she’s obviously facing something so monumental.”

  He couldn’t resist rolling his eyes. “Yeah…well, I have a pretty good feeling they will be back together soon enough. Besides, Romeo here is quite the ladies’ man. Juliet is the third mare he’s knocked up this year.”

  “Really? Wow! Impressive odds. Guess Juliet probably learned her lesson. The pretty ones are always the playboys.” She looked up at him through her eyes lashes with a teasing smile, but he couldn’t help but think there was more to her statement than just a joke.

  They sat watching the big black stallion as he slowly moved around the corral, and Parker hurried to eat the rest of his meal. When he swallowed the last bite and put the plate down on the hay bale, he looked up to find her watching him instead. A wave of apprehension went through him. This was the first time he had been alone with her, and all he wanted was to strip her clothes off and claim her in every physical and emotional way, but it was more important they talk. He had questions he needed answered.

  “Do you want a quick tour of the horse barn?”

  Her eyes lit up, and she nodded, “That would be great!”

  They headed across the yard to the main horse barn where most of their pregnant mares were housed. He reached out and took her hand as they walked, lacing their fingers together when she didn’t resist.

  “I’m glad you came with us this weekend, Rachel,” he said softly, and she turned surprised eyes up to him. A warmth filled the chocolate pools as she smiled back.

  “Me too. I haven’t had this much fun in years.”

  “You could stay longer, you know. You don’t have to leave tomorrow.” His breath caught in his chest at her silence, and he felt her pull away from him. Emotionally she was bruised, maybe scarred, and he wasn’t sure how to overcome her fears just yet. Choosing to let the subject drop, he started to talk as they walked through the barn. “This is Freckles here, and she is having her first foal, and next to her is Magic. Doc is pretty sure she is having twins this time. The gray one there is Ghost Dancer, she’s new to the ranch, and she isn’t pregnant, but she’s awfully skittish. She’s a rescue horse, so we have a ways to go before she’s comfortable here. We’re taking our time getting to know each other right now.”

  “A rescue horse?” Rachel moved very slowly to the door of the stall where Ghost Dancer was moving restlessly.

  “Yeah, I don’t know the whole story but the way I understand it, she was found nearly starved to death and badly injured from whipping sores that hadn’t been treated and hadn’t healed. A few more days, maybe a week, and she would have died. Sawyer can probably give you more details. He was the one that went and got her when the agency called. I couldn’t leave that weekend.”

  She watched him closely, and he reached out to brush her dark hair away from her cheek. “So you’re telling me that Mr. Parker Brooks, badass cowboy, has a soft spot for abused and injured animals?”

  He shrugged in response, and she giggled, stepping closer to him.

  “Well, Mr. Brooks, just so you know, I find that to be a very sexy quality in a man.”

  That got his attention. His cock throbbed behind his zipper, coming to life in a painfully obvious way, and he groaned when she pressed a little kiss to the bottom of his jaw. “You’re playing with fire, sunshine.”

  “Yeah, so maybe I’ll get a little burned. It is awfully hot in here.” She reached for his zipper and he stopped her with his lightning fast reflexes. “Hey! What’s the problem?”

  “Rachel, there are things about me you don’t understand yet.”

  “Really? So fill me in. Tell me something that would surprise me.” Her chin tilted up defiantly and she stepped back crossing her arms over her chest. The stance was pure brat, and he wanted to bend her over his knee and spank her ass red for challenging him, but that would be too much too fast. If he wanted to keep her, he needed to proceed with caution.

  “I want kids.”

  She stared at him in shock as her jaw fell open. “What?”

  “You said, ‘tell me something that would surprise me,’ so I did. I want kids. I love kids, and I’m hoping when I settle down to have a half a dozen of them.” His gut tightened waiting for her reaction. He had left off the part about wanting kids with her, but being the first time he had ever admitted his desire for children out loud, he figured he could be forgiven for the omission.

  “Wow. Okay, yeah, you surprised me. I think you’d make a great dad. All four of you guys will make good dads someday.” She turned and faced the horse in the stall in front of her, attempting to put distance between them again.

  When he stayed in place and waited silently, she fidgeted, and moved on to the next stall. “Who is this?”

  “Cashmere. She is actually Hudson’s horse, but he wanted to try breeding her. This is her first foal too.”

  The silence grew and he could almost hear her brain spinning. She was deep in thought as she stared at the solid black mare in the stall.

  “My dad bailed on my mom when I was young. He fell in love with his secretary, and they had an affair. In a matter of moments one Sunday evening over dinner, my life went from perfectly happy to a complete wreck. They moved to Seattle to be close to her family when the divorce was final, and she got pregnant. He has a whole new family there, and has completely forgotten about the daughter he left in Texas.”

  Parker’s heart broke for her, but he remained quiet, afraid if he spoke up now she would stop talking. Cashmere moved closer to Rachel so she could stroke her hand over her face, and Parker tried not to fall to his knees. Rachel was everything to him at this point. Years of watching and wanting her had taken their toll on his life. Sure, he had been with other women, but none of them meant as much to him as this little spitfire did after only twenty-four hours in his home. Several minutes passed before she spoke again.

  “You know, Mitch had a lot to say about my dysfunctional family, but then again compared to his perfect life, mine seemed pretty fucked up.”

  “Don’t curse.” The words slipped out of his mouth instinctively and he saw her stiffen at his demand. Damn it. He couldn’t change his nature. This was who he was, and if she couldn’t tolerate it, he should know it sooner rather than later.

  “I’m sorry. Talking about Mitch just brings out the worst in me.” Her words eased an odd pressure that had been building in his chest, and he finally moved to her side reaching out to wrap his arms around her waist and draw her back against his chest.

  “What happened with Mitch, Rach?”

  “Ah you know the story, small town white trash girl from a broken family hooks up with the son of a political giant in said small town, only to be raked across the coals when he realizes he can do better.”

  Her snarky tone sent his blood pressure sky rocketing, and he felt himself squeezing her a little tighter. “Cut the bitchy attitude. You and I both know Mitch could never do better than you, and if he thinks that Connie is better…well then he’s just a special kind of stupid.”

  She laughed, and relaxed a little in his arms. “I have a bad habit of picking the wrong man.”

  “Maybe it’s because you’re only allowing yourself to pick one man.” He knew he was pushing her, but he couldn’t resist the opening.

  “Or maybe I’m just not meant to be in a relationship.” She turned in his arms and rose on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m going to go back in the house and take a nap. Thanks for showing me the barn.”

  Parker wanted to argue. Every fiber of his being
was telling him to keep her there and make her keep talking, but he knew in his heart that if she wanted to be with the four of them, eventually she would make the decision on her own. He couldn’t force it. Nodding, he smiled back, “Thanks for lunch, sunshine. You make on hell of a bologna sandwich.”

  “It’s so nice to be recognized for my many talents,” she said playfully as she sauntered out of the barn, leaving Parker chuckling and Cashmere staring after her forlornly.

  Parker reached out and stroked the soft hair on the horse’s nose, “Yeah, she’s pretty amazing isn’t she? With any luck she’ll let us keep her.”

  Chapter Ten

  “You’re joking right?” Parker looked really pissed.

  “It wasn’t like it was on purpose. It was an accident. I was in the moment, and I lost my head,” Rogan said. His brown eyes narrowed in irritation as he faced off with two of his three brothers and explained that he had had sex with Rachel without a condom.

  Sawyer threw his hands up, “Dude! Don’t you think we all lose our minds when we’re with her? You can’t make that kind of mistake!”

  “I know that, Sawyer. Look, she said she’s on birth control, and I don’t think she was upset about it.” He ran his hand through his hair and plopped down on the couch heavily. Rachel and Hudson were currently in Parker’s bathroom taking a bubble bath in the largest tub in the house. That was Hudson’s way, he was a romantic at heart. All four brothers had just gotten back into the house when she came stumbling into the kitchen looking sleepy and tousled. Rachel didn’t look too distraught when she linked hands with Hudson and disappeared down the hallway, in fact she looked downright excited about the impending pampering.

  Rogan couldn’t keep his mind focused while he worked all afternoon. The mental image of her pregnant with his child did crazy things to his brain and body, so he kept having to force his mind away from it. The odds of her getting pregnant from that one incident were very slim with her on birth control, but he couldn’t keep from hoping just a little bit that it would happen. If she got pregnant then maybe she would reconsider the temporary status of their relationship. She didn’t seem like the type to cut and run, and her heart was too big to shut her child’s father out of its life.

  “If she’s pregnant we’re moving her in,” Parker said resolutely, and Sawyer barked out a laugh.

  “Yeah? You and what army? Rachel doesn’t exactly follow orders well, brother.”

  Sawyer was right, but Parker’s Mr. Badass gene was probably going to try to prove he could force her. Rogan turned to Parker, “Sawyer’s right, Parker, we can’t make her do anything. I can’t say I’m completely sorry it happened. I’ve only fucked one other woman bareback and that was Theresa McCray my freshman year of high school when I lost my virginity. Being with Rachel was…I don’t know how to describe it. It was just magic.”

  “Okay, Casanova, but you might have just screwed this whole thing up for all of us. She’s going to feel forced into a relationship if she’s pregnant. We all agreed to seduce her this weekend, and then let the decision be hers.” Sawyer rested his elbows on the kitchen table and chewed his lip. It was his tell, the only physical manifestation of his anxiety when something had him worried.

  “I can’t change it now! What’s done is done,” Rogan responded sharply. Anger and frustration were tinged with just a shade of shame in his gut.

  “Yeah, we can’t change it, but if she’s pregnant it won’t just be you tied up in it. It’s just another good reason not to let her go tomorrow,” Parker said, and Rogan rolled his eyes.

  “You’re such a douche, Parker. What woman wants to be treated like that? Like she doesn’t have a mind of her own? Do you think Rachel can’t make up her own mind about us?”

  Parker stared back at Rogan silently, but his eyes looked shaken. In Parker’s world everything was black and white. When something happened you made the choice you knew was right, and then went on with your life. Unfortunately he was almost too set in his desire to dominate, and Rogan was afraid he would scare Rachel off. He had seen her react submissively to Parker already, but the whole thing was still a novelty. How would she react to it on a day-to-day basis?

  “Rogan is right, Parker, you need to ease up,” Sawyer said.

  “I know how to deal with Rachel, thank you very much. She and I had an interesting heart to heart in the barn earlier.”

  Rogan’s ears perked up and he turned to face Parker, “Really? What about?”

  “Did you know her dad had an affair and left her mom for another woman? He has a whole different family now, and he hasn’t even tried to keep in touch with Rachel.”

  “Shit. Another fucktard that hurt her. We should start a list, because some day we’re going to have to kick these guys' asses,” Sawyer grumbled.

  “And she believes she wasn’t good enough for Mitch. That’s why she’s pushing us all away from her. Damn it, she thinks we’re going to hurt her,” Parker said, slamming his hand down on the table.

  Rogan leaned forward on his elbows. “So we have to prove to her we aren’t going to betray her trust. I hate to say this, but it means letting her leave tomorrow if that’s what she wants.”

  Parker glared back at him, while Sawyer looked a little green around the gills, but neither one argued. The truth sucked, but there it was. Rogan would do anything to keep Rachel with them, but if that wasn’t what made her the happiest, then it wasn’t going to make him happy.

  “I’m going to take a shower. When they come out, why don’t we pop some popcorn and watch a movie? Let’s show her we can all four spend time with her without sex too.” Rogan’s eyes skipped back and forth between his two brothers waiting for them to respond.

  Sawyer cracked a small smile, “Good idea! I’ll go pick a movie, Parker can make the popcorn.”

  “Fuck,” Parker grumbled, but he stood and headed for the kitchen cabinet looking for their mom’s old air popper. It had been a long time since the four brothers made time to have a movie night, and reinstating their mother’s favorite family pastime with Rachel seemed perfect. Just so long as they didn’t fuck it up.

  ****

  Steam wafted up off the water, making the bathroom seem slightly hazy, and seductively intimate. Rachel was braced against Hudson’s broad chest with his arms crossed over her bare breasts, and his fingers laced through hers. She could feel his heart beating through her back, and the coarse hairs on his legs tickling her own. It was peaceful to be sitting in the huge jetted tub that occupied Parker’s bathroom with the baby of the four brothers. Of the four of them, Hudson was by far the quietest about the whole weekend’s events. He seemed content just to enjoy holding her in a tub of bubbles.

  “It’s so quiet in here. It’s almost as if no one else exists,” she murmured, sighing and then smiling as her heavy breath sent bubbles skittering across the surface of the water.

  “No one else does exist when I’m with you, Rach.”

  She giggled, and twisted so she could see his face, “Oh stop it. I don’t need flowery words, Hudson.”

  A frown marred his brow and his jaw ticked, “You might not need them, but you deserve them, Rach. I want you to know how good it feels to have you in my arms, that way later, when you’re alone in your own bed, maybe you will dream about me holding you.”

  She turned back around quickly to avoid his eyes. His words were intimidating. She didn’t want to hurt any of these guys, but softhearted, sweet Hudson was the most likely victim of the bunch. In her heart she knew she was already attached to these four guys. They intrigued her, seduced her, and made her feel more special than anyone she had ever met, but how long could that last? A few weeks, months, perhaps even a few years, but ultimately the fire and intimacy would fizzle out and instead of being hurt by one man, she would end up hurt by four.

  Hudson didn’t let her linger in silence long as he began speaking while resting his chin atop her head. “Do you know the first time I really noticed you were all grown up was at the fundr
aiser for Millie Creason’s family?”

  “You mean the bake sale to replace their roof after the tornado? Really?” She was perplexed as the memories of that day four years ago drifted back to her.

  Millie was a longtime resident of the area who was widowed when her husband was in a tragic farming accident. The following summer a nasty storm had blown through town and taken the top part of her home off, leaving her and her three children without shelter temporarily. The whole town had banded together to collect money in various ways and then rebuilt the missing parts of the structure in a matter of weeks.

  “Yeah but, honey, you were wearing a pair of lipstick tight jeans that day, and believe me, you had the sweetest buns there.”

  Rachel burst out into laughter. “Oh my God. You are such a cheese ball.”

  “It’s not cheesy if it’s the truth, and I would never lie to you.” Hudson sounded slightly offended, and she turned around, rising up on her knees to face him. Her breasts lifted out of the water and his gorgeous dark eyes focused on them immediately.

  “You wouldn’t huh? Not even a little white lie?” she asked, purposely swaying toward him seductively. His tongue darted out to lick his lips and his breathing grew a little rougher.

  “Nope.”

  “So what if I asked you if something made my butt look big?”

  The astonished look he gave her at her question had her giggling. His eyebrow lifted and his mouth hung open. “You’re joking, right? You’re ass is perfect, honey. Every time I lay eyes on it all I can think about is getting my hands on it.”

  Her pussy pulsed at his erotic words, and she suddenly felt overheated. “What if I wanted you to put your hands on it, Hudson.”

  A grin spread over his handsome face, “All you have to do is ask.”

  Taking that as her cue, she leaned into him, dragging her nipples across the bubbles that dotted his hard chest, and stopping a fraction of a breath away from his lips.