Mating Seduction-epub

by Bonnie Vanak

  Sitting on a seasoned gelding he’d found for her, Lexie watched him work. The other cowboys paled in comparison to him.

  Tight jeans molded to his muscular thighs, hidden now by leather chaps. Instead of a traditional halter, he used a braided rawhide bosal looped around his cutting horse’s nose. At the bosal’s end was a long rope. Fascinated, she watched him guide the horse as the calf ran to the right. He leaned into the saddle and let the rope fly. Jackson jumped off his mount and with werewolf speed, dropped the yearling down and roped it tight in minutes.

  Glancing up, he saw her staring. Jackson tipped back his hat and winked. “Don’t worry, Lexie. I’ll be much gentler when I tie you up.”

  “And I’ll be far more trouble, because I can run much faster than a fat calf.”

  “Don’t doubt it,” he murmured, his gaze sweeping over her. “Can’t wait to try.”

  Then he became all business as he beckoned to her. She slid out of the saddle and joined him. Lexie approached the trussed yearling with caution.

  “Yearlings spook easily. Stubborn as hell and they can run fast, too. Easier to rope ‘em, give ‘em their meds and turn ‘em loose instead of rounding them up. Bring me that cooler over there, sweetheart. It has the vials of vaccine in it.”

  When she did, he opened the cooler and removed a vial, then took a stainless-steel syringe with a needle long enough to spear an anaconda. Lexie felt faint.

  “I’ve heard Mitchell pack Lupines were into kink, but is this your idea of a fun time? You’re not going to use this on me, are you?”

  Jackson held up the big syringe. “Naw. All you’ll feel with this baby is a little prick. And I want you to feel a much larger one.”

  At his cocky grin, she realized the double entendre. Laughter bubbled up like effervescent water. She let it out and oh, it felt so good to laugh again. How long had it been? This cowboy with his sexy swagger and lopsided grin made her smile.

  “Today we’re vaccinating the yearlings. You inject and I’ll rope ‘em. Here.”

  Moving over to one of two calves already roped and bawling like banshees, he knelt down. “Easy, girl,” he soothed. “Now, this is a sub-q injection, right under the skin. Needs to go in fast and hard. You want to shove it in and pull out, then move on to the next one.”

  She considered. “Like a cowboy on a Friday night with the ladies. In hard, out real fast. Shove it in, pull it out and next!”

  Jackson set down the syringe and said nothing. For a moment, Lexie thought she’d pushed it too far. Then she saw his wide shoulders shake and heard his deep laugh. “Damn, Lexie, I forgot what a wicked tongue you have.”

  Oh, but his tongue was much more wicked and left her panting for more. Lexie grinned and picked up the syringe. “So, neck or rump?”

  “Neck, just in front of the shoulder. Don’t want to hit the rump. Too much risk from injection sores, and that spoils the cut of beef. Though the rump makes a bigger target.”

  “Not with Darius, your pack beta. He’s got so much ego, his head’s bigger than a cow’s ass.”

  Jackson laughed again, touching her forearm. “I miss this, us laughing together. I missed you.”

  The simple declaration warmed her. No one in her pack admitted to missing her. When she’d lost her parents shortly after her fourteenth birthday, Nikita, her mother’s youngest sister, became a surrogate mom, loving her more than Lexie’s own mother ever had. But lately Nikita had been too preoccupied to pay Lexie much attention. The other pack members seldom noticed she was around. Tolerated her, yeah. But missed her? Nope.

  He showed her how to inject the needle, steadying the calf with one hand. Next, she tried it. Jackson guided her hand over the syringe, his palm warm and calloused. The nearness made her flush with heat, and her heart pounded faster.

  When she succeeded, he grinned. “Good job. Knew you’d be a natural.”

  The praise flushed her with pride. Even when she’d succeeded at some small task at her pack, few noticed. They were too busy worrying about their own hides.

  Remembering that, she stopped smiling.

  Jackson sat back on his haunches and quietly regarded her. “What are you scared of, Lexie?”

  Could Lupines mind read? Never heard of it, but this was Jackson, so keenly intuitive. “Being around needles spooks me.”

  “What’s going on with your pack that you’re not telling me - or Aiden?”

  “It’s not a big deal.” She set down the syringe. He folded his hand over hers, confident, assured and very masculine.

  “Talk to me. I want to help.”

  Besides being sworn to secrecy, she couldn’t trust Jackson to keep what she knew from his pack leader. Lexie shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’m here now, and few in my pack will even notice I’m gone.”

  That admission hurt. Jackson squeezed her palm, his gaze warm. Compassionate.

  So close, and yet she couldn’t allow him closer. Physically, she knew she was toast. But emotionally, she had to create distance because her heart had already been shattered. Lexie, the deformed Lupine. She couldn’t run as fast, fight as hard or contribute as much.

  She couldn’t trust that Jackson wouldn’t also take her for granted and grow bored, riding off into the sunset after lassoing her heart and leaving it broken into bits.

  After working for a few more hours, they and the other cowboys broke for a late lunch, sitting on a horse blanket and eating the sandwiches he’d packed in the cooler in the back of the ranch pickup. As she polished off the last bite, Jackson glanced upward at the sun. “Time to head back. Promised Aiden I’d be there to meet with Cora, from the Bar B. She’s bringing Big Boy to us today. Gonna settle him in for a day before he gets to work.”

  The roast beef soured in Lexie’s stomach. “Cora Baker? Bart Baker’s daughter? I’ve met her.”

  Cora was her fiercest rival in barrel racing and attended the same college as Lexie before Lexie dropped out. Cora’s father was one of the wealthiest land owners in Montana and spoiled his only daughter. Slender Cora with her sexy strut and fashionable clothes drew all the males to her. Wondering if Jackson was among them, Lexie felt a pinch of jealousy.

  He stood and stretched out a hand. “Come with me. Big Boy’s on loan from the Bar B. We have a few mares going into their last season before the cold sets in. He’s going to show all the ladies a good time.”

  His palm enfolded hers, warm and strong, sending a tingle down her spine. Jackson’s hands were large and dusted with dark hair. “I’ve heard that’s what you do to all the women in town.” She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.

  Sunlight draped him in shadow as he towered over her. “Lexie, I’m a healthy male Lupine. Not going to apologize for my wild ways. But you need to know that right now I want only one female. And when I mate, it’s for life because I’m ready to settle down.”

  Lexie’s heart tripped as he rubbed a thumb over her hand. Jackson was pure Lupine, strong and skilled. But he was also loyal and embraced his pack’s lifestyle. Her loyalty came to her own pack, even though she stood at the fringes, always hanging back. Jackson ran out front.

  They could never make it work because his loyalty to the pack would come before any loyalty to her. Hadn’t she tolerated enough of being invisible? She wanted to be – deserved to be – number one.

  “You got me, Jackson, but only for this week. Because when you turn me loose, I’m gone.”

  His gaze glinted dangerously. “Then be prepared, because you’re going to need your strength. I’m going to ride you long and hard, darling, and you’re going to love every minute.”

  At a loss for words, she mounted her gelding and followed him to his pickup truck and trailer, parked a distance away. The trucks and trailers made ranching easier on the cowhands. By driving to the work site at each pasture, they were able to return to the lodge at night instead of sleeping out on the range or using several horses.

  Jackson drove back to the lodge as Lexie stared out the window
at the Mitchell ranch’s vast spread. Nikita had often wistfully talked of this ranch’s success and how they were the wealthiest in Montana.

  He parked near the barn and she helped him unload, stable and groom their horses. Then they walked to the smaller breeding corral near the barn. Clad in designer jeans and an angora sweater so expensive it could feed a third world country, Cora stood outside the fence, chatting with Aiden and tossing her blond hair. A muscular bay stallion kicked his heels up as he raced around the enclosure.

  “Hi Cora,” Lexie said politely. “How are you?”

  Ignoring her, Cora turned to Jackson with a polished smile, her teeth gleaming like a shark’s. “Hi there. I was just telling your boss he’d better let you have more days off and stop putting you out to pasture with the herd. I haven’t seen you in a long time and it’s time for my next lesson.”

  At Lexie’s inquiring look, Jackson explained, “I’ve been giving Cora riding lessons.”

  Riding you? She wanted to ask, but bit her tongue.

  Aiden’s expression remained neutral. “Have to get back to work. Cora, thanks for all your trouble. If you change your mind and want to stay the night instead of driving back, there’s a room waiting for you.”

  The Skin watched Aiden walk off. Lexie wondered if Cora had turned Aiden down because she’d have to bunk alone. The woman was a tramp.

  Sweat dampened her palms. She rubbed her hands against the blue jeans, fighting the Lupine urge to growl at Cora.

  Jackson focused his attention on the prancing stallion and walked over to the corral. “He’s a beauty.”

  With his back to Cora, he couldn’t see her hungry expression as the woman stared at Jackson’s ass. “He sure is.”

  Lexie smiled at the Skin and lowered her voice, knowing Jackson had sharp ears. “It always amazes me how some females are so eager to cozy up to every stud who wants to mount them. Good thing Jackson has taste when it comes to selecting the right partner.”

  Cora gave Lexie’s hips a pointed look. “Maybe Jackson likes to select females who are thoroughbreds and look less like… cows.”

  Her temper fractured. “Better a sweet cow than a farming instrument.” At Cora’s puzzled look, she added, “Hoe.”

  Cora hissed and started forward. Lupine instincts surged as Lexie prepared to fight. But Jackson finally turned and approached, the woman stepped back and gave him a syrupy smile, placing a proprietary hand on his arm. “I do hope you’ll be overseeing the breeding. Daddy trusts you implicitly, after all my recommendations. It’s why he lowered the stud fee. You have magic hands.”

  Magic hands? Suddenly weary of all this, Lexie climbed over the fence and jumped into the corral. Horses were the only animals she trusted, the only ones who didn’t hurt. Hell of a life, being a werewolf who liked horses better than her own people.

  The stallion stopped kicking up his heels and approached with a loud snort. From behind her, she heard Cora scream, “Leave him alone!”

  “Lexie’s good with horses,” Jackson snapped. “She knows what she’s doing.”

  His faith in her ability filled her with confidence. Big Boy’s nostrils flared, as if he tried to catch her scent as she walked up to him, not looking him in the eye, just ambling up to him like two strangers getting to know each other. She placed her head near his shoulder, inhaling his scent, letting him sniff her. Then, when he lowered his head, she rubbed his velvety muzzle.

  “I know it’s tough, being carried from place to place,” she told the stallion. “But you’ll like it here, I promise. They’re real nice, and the food is decent, and so is the lodging. It’s not a five-star hotel, but the scenery is nice. There’s some real pretty fillies to look at.”

  Big Boy snorted in agreement. Lexie scratched his ears. “You’re special. I can tell.”

  With a final pat to his withers, she turned, marched over to the fence and climbed up, then jumped down. Folding her arms across her chest, she looked at Cora – daring the woman to say a thing.

  Cora ignored her and jiggled the keys in her hand, addressing Jackson. “I have to get back to the ranch.” Then she gave her widest smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Big Boy.”

  A low growl rumbled from her throat as Cora sped away in her truck. Lexie decided she was tired of playing games. If Jackson and Cora were an item, she needed to know.

  “Are you sleeping with her?”

  Jackson gave her an incredulous look. “Hell no. Give me credit, Lex. I have taste.”

  She relaxed a little. “If Cora knew you were a wolf, she’d probably mount your head over her fireplace.”

  “It wouldn’t be my head she mounted,” he deadpanned.

  Her mouth twitched, but she couldn’t laugh because women like Cora, natural seducers, made Lexie feel clumsy and awkward and chubby. Jackson leaned closer and thumbed her wrist.

  “I want only one female and it’s not a rich, blonde Skin who will fuck anything with a penis.”

  Lexie’s eyes widened. “Anything? So that’s where those horse rumors came from.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. Then Jackson stopped, his gaze hot and hungry. He clasped her chin and stroked a finger over her mouth, his scent swimming in her nostrils and making her intoxicated and wanting. “It’s time. You’ve been riding solo for too long.”

  Without warning, he kissed her.

  Her pride insisted she attempt to resist him, but he kept her imprisoned, her body cinched tight. Jackson slowly stroked his tongue over her lips, his touch teasing and light, creating waves of hot pleasure through her tensed body. Gradually she relaxed, her breathing ragged as his kiss deepened. Her fingers itched to touch him and she leaned closer.

  As if sensing surrender, he suckled on her lower lip, then darted his tongue along the seam of her closed lips. Jackson flicked his tongue until she parted her mouth and then he slipped inside, slow and sure. He kissed her with arrogant authority, but such gentle persistence. He tasted of coffee and peppermint, and the bite of cold whiskey sliding down a parched throat. Eager for more, she opened wide, her tongue tangling with his.

  She felt him smile against her mouth, then he cupped the back of her head. Lexie moaned at the sweet pleasure of his demanding mouth, her breasts aching and full, their nipples hard points against her shirt.

  More. More.

  Suddenly he broke the kiss and stepped back, licking his mouth. Amusement and something dark and dangerous flashed in his eyes.

  “Just a prelude,” he murmured. “There’ll be much more of that, darling.”

  This was Jackson, the quiet but sexy cowboy who seduced legions of eager Lupine females, leaving them sprawled on their backs in a sexual daze, and then rode off.

  Jackson, who could break her heart if he saw what she truly was…

  “Why are you doing this to me?” she whispered, pressing her fist to her heart.

  How could she risk intimacy with this male who mattered so much? She remembered clearly the rejection from her ex-boyfriend. Determined to fit into college life, Lexie had started dating Stan, a fellow student studying veterinary medicine. But when he finally coaxed her into having sex, watching as she sat on the bed and removed her socks, he freaked out and changed his mind. The next time she saw him, he was escorting Cora to classes, and when they saw her, they put their heads together and whispered, Cora laughing as she glanced at Lexie’s feet.

  Now Cora also knew about Lexie’s deformity…

  Jackson shook his head. “For two years, I’ve waited for you. Waited for you to be home long enough to hang your hat, but every time I returned from the range, you were either off at another rodeo or back at school.”

  She lifted her chin, grateful for her skill at riding. “I’m always on the road.”

  Jackson picked up her hand and rubbed it against his cheek. The delicious scrape of his stubble against her skin made her shiver with pleasure. She wondered what it would feel like having those whiskers abrade her inner thighs if he opened them wide and…

/>   Don’t go there.

  “Maybe I can change your mind, show you the advantages of staying close to home instead of always hanging around rodeos and horses.”

  “I like working with horses. If you treat them as you want to be treated and let them know where you stand, they’ll treat you fair. Not like most, especially Skins, who judge people on their looks.”

  He gave her a long, thoughtful look. “You’re much prettier and more desirable than any Skin I’ve met. Or Lupine. Just wish you’d believe it as much as I do.”

  She longed to believe him. Around horses, she had confidence. Lexie understood them. She showed them who was the boss, but she also loved them, listened to them and gave them her full attention.

  Jackson gave her his full attention. No one else had ever paid attention to her, other than Diamond, like that Lupine did. But he only did it because he wanted sex. Or did he? Could they share something deeper and more lasting?

  Didn’t matter, because once the week was up, she was gone. She had to look out for herself.

  Chapter 5

  Jackson had to work in the north pasture, mending broken fence lines. He told Lexie to hang out at the lodge and make herself useful, getting to know the other pack members

  Never content to sit still, for work was always plentiful at a ranch, she volunteered to drive the tractor as Peter forked hay to cattle in the southern pasture. When they finished, she returned to the cabin and combed through the textbooks Nikita had sent over with her clothing. Dropping out of school had been heartbreaking, but necessary.

  Maybe some day she could return to her studies.

  As the sun dipped below the rolling hills and mountains, anticipation curled down her spine.Soon, he’d make her pay the price for racing Diamond.

  Poking through the fridge, she considered dinner. Maybe she could whip up a roast she found in the freezer.

  A knock came at the front door. Opening it, she saw a woman about her age carrying a casserole carrier. She had long, dark hair and sparkling eyes.

  “I’m Beth, Dale’s mate. I figured you were hungry. Heard you spent the day working instead of relaxing.”