And she knew from all that she’d heard that there were doctors and lawyers and secretaries and small business owners within this huge family. They owned cattle farms and grocery stores, and she was sure one of them was a bank president. And of course, the Spectacular Seven as she’d dubbed them—the Walker brothers someone called them—were owners of the freaking sex resort they’d built in their small but well-to-do town.
It was crazy to watch them, and part of her was sad that she wasn’t part of it. But she was also sad that her mother wasn’t here to share this with her, to sit beside her and people watch, to eavesdrop on the conversations. Such as the one good-looking guy—she thought his name was Ethan—talking to one of his cousins about places he could take his husband—yes, husband—for a surprise romantic getaway around Christmastime.
“Yeah,” Ethan confirmed. “He mentioned the mountains. Snow.”
“Ooh. I’d say Colorado,” the woman said. Mercy thought she was Jared’s sister, Eve, but she could’ve been wrong.
“Colorado?”
“Beautiful place. You could go to Aspen or Breckenridge or … there are a dozen different places. Do you like to ski?”
“No.”
“Well, you could always stay inside, by the fire.”
Of course, Mercy pretended not to listen to that one because she felt as though she was invading their privacy, but in a rare moment, she found herself actually envying the big blond guy who shared his life with this man. Ethan and Beau. Happily ever after.
For fuck’s sake.
Mercy didn’t believe in happily ever after. Too much shit got in the way for that to ever come to fruition. For her, anyway. She’d come to accept that Gracie had definitely gotten her happy on big-time. And she suspected her father had now found his second chance in the love department, although anytime Mercy thought about that, her heart felt like a million bees were attacking it. She liked Jan, even if she didn’t act like it. She simply couldn’t wrap her head around her father falling in love again.
Why couldn’t once be enough?
And then there was Hope.
Mercy had watched her the most tonight. From the time her sister had intercepted the crazy woman who hadn’t been invited. She didn’t know what that was about, and quite frankly, she didn’t give a shit, either. But now, Hope was spending her time with Jared and his little boy—the cute kid with the chocolate-brown eyes and the cowlick. They looked … happy.
It’d been a long time since Mercy had seen Hope happy. There for a while, she’d thought her sister was going to find something with Ben, one of their previous guests. But that had fizzled before it ever picked up any steam. But then Tornado Jared walked in the door and suddenly Hope was smiling again.
Secretly, Mercy hoped her sister continued to smile. She prayed to the universe—because she didn’t believe in any sort of god, especially not one who would take her mother away from them when they’d all needed her the most. Nope, she prayed to the universe that Hope would find true happiness. Her sister deserved it more than anyone else. She’d always put the ranch first, put their family first. She wasn’t selfish, even if she was a giant pain in the butt sometimes.
Still… As Mercy sat here, letting all this happy-happy-joy-joy bounce right off of her, she did want some of it to stick to Hope. Enough to make her sister smile a little every day.
“I THINK YOU wore him out,” Jared told her as they walked into the main house, Derrick sleeping soundly in his father’s arms.
It was a little after eleven, and most of the parents had started carting the little ones off to the cabins, desperate to put them to bed during the lull from the sugar high and tonight’s festivities. It had been a good time, and Hope was pretty sure the Walker family had thoroughly enjoyed the fun.
But now, it was time for Hope to say good night to Jared and Derrick. She had to get up for work in the morning, even though she’d prefer to spend the whole day in bed with Jared.
“He’s got a lot of energy,” Hope told him now. “I think he wore me out.”
Since Jared had his arms full, Hope unlocked the door to his room and held it open. She didn’t plan to go inside but found herself being pulled in that direction when Jared latched on to her shirt, tugging her.
She laughed, trying to be quiet since Derrick had definitely passed out, Jared’s shoulder acting as his pillow.
“Don’t go anywhere,” Jared commanded softly before heading over to the bed and depositing Derrick on it.
Hope watched while he removed Derrick’s boots and socks, then tucked him beneath the blanket, setting Derrick’s cowboy hat on the nightstand.
She kept her eyes trained on Jared as he came back over to where she was standing by the door. She thought for a second that he was going to kiss her good night and let her slip out. Apparently he had other ideas, because he took her hand and pulled her directly into the adjoining bathroom, closing the door as quietly as he could behind them.
Before she could protest, his mouth was on hers. Since this was the only place she wanted to be—maybe not necessarily in the bathroom—Hope leaned against the counter and let herself be kissed. Neither of them said anything as Jared began unbuttoning her shirt. The only sound she made was a gasp of pleasure when he placed his big hands on her ribs, then deftly slipped his thumbs underneath her bra.
Oh, God, yes.
She had to bite back another moan when Jared grazed her nipples with the rough pad of his thumb, sweeping across them over and over until she was hardly able to breathe.
“Shh,” Jared said, pulling back and pressing his forehead to hers. “Don’t wake the sleeping boy.”
Hope nodded, not exactly sure why. She didn’t want to wake Derrick. For one, the little boy needed to rest, and two, she didn’t want Jared to stop doing what he was doing. She tried not to think about the little knock that could sound on the door at any moment if Derrick did wake up and hear them.
While she stared down at Jared’s hands, she observed the way he deftly unhooked the front clasp on her bra, allowing it to fall open. Only then did he mold his hands—God, they were warm and rough—to her breasts, squeezing them gently, as he began lightly pinching her nipples.
She sighed, swallowing the cry of pleasure.
“Shh,” he urged again as he lowered his head and took one nipple into his mouth.
Thankfully the light in the bathroom was on, because Hope wanted to see this, wanted to watch as he tormented her in the most exquisite way possible. Which he did for what felt like forever. When his mouth finally returned to hers, Hope kissed him, letting him swallow the sounds she couldn’t hold back any longer. She gave herself over to him, barely aware that he was quickly unbuttoning her jeans, lowering her zipper, then slipping one hand down into her panties.
“Christ, you’re wet,” he said, the words barely audible. “So fucking wet. I want… No, I need to put my cock inside you. I want to feel you warm and wet around me, Hope.”
As he spoke, he pushed two fingers inside. Hope had to bite her lip to keep from begging. He finger-fucked her while she urgently unbuttoned his jeans and lowered his zipper. She wanted to give him the same pleasure he was giving her, but Jared didn’t allow it. Instead, he pulled his fingers from her body, roughly shoved her jeans down to her knees before doing the same with his own.
When he spun her around, one tanned arm sliding around her stomach to hold her to him, Hope knew that this was going to be the best Halloween ever.
JARED COULDN’T WAIT; he needed to be inside her. He felt like he’d waited an eternity for this. Every second he wasn’t making love to this woman was torture. Bending his legs, Jared slipped his cock between her thighs, sliding against the smooth, warm lips of her cunt.
“Bend over more,” he urged, whispering directly into her ear.
Hope did as he instructed, and Jared leaned over with her, continuing to
hold her against him with one arm while guiding the head of his cock against the soft, wet entrance to her body.
“Fuck, Hope… Ahh, Christ…” The heat of her enveloped him, and for a second, he was sure he saw stars. The intensity was tenfold and he wasn’t sure why that was. Sure, he’d been lusting after her for most of the day, blessed beyond reason that he’d been able to spend it with her and Derrick. Every time he’d looked at her, he’d thought about sneaking away so he could do this, push deep inside her and watch until she came undone.
He looked up into the mirror, capturing Hope’s gaze and holding it while he slowly sank into her, pulling out only slightly, then pushing in deep once more. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, her kiss-reddened lips parted as she pushed back against him, taking him deeper.
With his mouth still against her ear, he said, “I could spend the rest of my life right here, Hope. Buried inside you, letting the heat of your pussy milk me.”
Hope didn’t respond, but he knew she wouldn’t. She didn’t have the luxury of being able to whisper in his ear.
“God, baby, let me… I need to…” He held her stare in the mirror. “Let me fuck you, Hope. I need to feel you come on my dick.”
She inhaled sharply, and he released her, grabbing her hips with both hands as he began thrusting inside, deep, hard. He couldn’t stop himself. She felt incredible. So hot, so fucking tight. But it wasn’t like the other times. It felt different, better. And that was saying something, because every time he’d been inside her, it’d been fucking amazing.
He looked into the mirror once more, watching as she gazed at him, her heart in her eyes. He knew that Hope had been holding back on him, trying to keep herself distanced. Admittedly, he’d done the same, but it was futile. He couldn’t stay away from her, didn’t want to be without her. Hell, he wanted to spend every fucking night with her in his bed. He wanted to wake up every morning with her beside him.
“Jared…” The rough exhale wasn’t loud enough to be heard outside the bathroom, but he could see she was worried she wasn’t going to be quiet. She’d told him she couldn’t when she was with him, and he fucking loved that. Loved when she told him she was coming. Loved the way she cried out his name.
He dug his fingertips into her flesh, doing his best not to hurt her as he slammed into her, mindful that he had to be careful. She was so small, but not at all fragile. Still, the lust she inspired in him was unlike anything he’d ever known.
Closing his eyes, he leaned into her again, pushing in deep as he reached around and slid his middle finger between the smooth lips of her pussy, seeking her clit.
Hope’s hands gripped his arms, her fingernails digging into his flesh at the same time her pussy clamped down on him, gripping him as she came. It triggered his own release and only then … only then did Jared realize what was different.
It wasn’t the fact that he was completely and totally in love with this woman…
Nope. Not that simple.
Hope’s eyes met his in the mirror, and he saw the recognition in her beautiful eyes. He waited to see how she would react. He held his breath, waiting, praying…
The smile that lit up her face wasn’t what he’d expected. And when she turned to him, gripping him by the front of his shirt and jerking him down so that his mouth was on hers, Jared breathed again, his heart leaping into his throat.
“We forgot the condom,” she breathed against his mouth.
He could feel her smile. It allowed him to breathe a little easier. He wasn’t worried about it at all, and he prayed she wasn’t, either.
“And I have to admit … that was … ah-fucking-mazing.”
He couldn’t have said it better himself.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“WE’VE GOT A problem,” Travis stated firmly, glancing down at his cousin who was sitting in one of the rocking chairs on the back porch of the main house.
Jared peered up at him, squinting. “What’s that?”
Travis glanced around, noting all the people. There were a half dozen sitting in rocking chairs lining the back porch, others walking around as their kids played on the playscape, a group tossing a football not too far away.
Nope, they couldn’t have this conversation here. As pissed off as he was, as much as Travis wanted to let everyone in on this to ensure they had the full support of their family, he knew he had to rein it in a little.
“Let’s take a walk,” he suggested, hoping Jared wouldn’t ask questions.
Jared got to his feet. “You mind keeping an eye on Derrick for a bit?” he asked Zoey.
“Of course not,” she said, her smile sweet, but Travis could see the concern in her eyes. She knew something was wrong.
And she was right. Something was very, very wrong.
Travis turned to lead the way off the porch and toward the front of the house, where he knew no one would overhear.
“What’s up?” Jared asked when Travis stopped beneath a giant pecan tree.
“You know my brothers and I are taking turns this week going in to AI. We can’t leave it for a full week without us there.”
Jared cocked a brow. “Okay.”
“I went in early this morning, but not before stopping by Pop’s house to check things out. I drove through the property, making sure everything was good. Everyone’s gone and the whole town knows it. Figured it wouldn’t hurt to make sure everything was still locked up tight.” Travis sighed. “All was well, except your front door was standing wide open.”
Jared’s eyes went wide. “The fuck? I know I locked it before we left.”
“Yeah. It looked like you did. Especially since one of the back windows was broken. Whoever went in used the window but came out the front door.”
“Did you call the police?”
Travis offered his best are you serious? look. “No. I went through the house, checked everything out. Temporarily boarded up the window, locked the door when I left. And yes, I checked it all out before that. The TVs are all there, laptop, stereo. Even your iPod, which was sitting on the kitchen counter. Whoever came in wasn’t lookin’ to rob you.”
“Fuck.”
Yep, looked like Jared had come to the exact same conclusion Travis had. It looked as though Sable wasn’t quite ready to give up.
Then again, Travis blamed himself for that. When she’d shown up at the ranch three days ago, he’d held back some of the information he had. It was a lapse in judgment. His attempt at being a gentleman and not throwing her completely to the wolves. He should’ve known better. Sable wasn’t going to quit until Travis shared the dirt he had on her.
No doubt about it, the information he’d been given this week would ultimately send Sable running hard and fast, as far as she could possibly get.
“What the fuck does she want?” Jared snarled. “I don’t understand why the fuck she can’t leave us alone.”
“Well, first of all, I think she simply wants you to know that she found you. She knows where you and Derrick live.” Not that they could’ve hidden that forever, but Travis admitted it was easier when she’d still been looking. “Not to mention, I’m sure she’s jealous,” Travis told him matter-of-factly. He actually knew she was based on their conversation.
Jared’s brow drew up in a frown.
“Sable saw you with Hope, Jared. Back at Moonshiners. And since Hope was the one to approach her here, she put two and two together. She’s crazy, not completely stupid. I’m sure she figures things are serious between you. That in itself is a problem for her. You might’ve divorced her, but that was only okay as long as you didn’t have someone else in your life.”
“She’s been screwing other men,” Jared said unnecessarily.
“She’s a selfish bitch, Jared. What do you expect? She wants it all. But mostly, she wants … money.”
“She ain’t gettin’ more fuckin’ money from me, T
rav. I’m done with this shit. Let her take me to court. Let her try to fight me. I won’t let her have Derrick. She won’t take him from me.”
“No, she won’t. But she doesn’t know that yet.”
Jared stared at him. “What else did you find?”
“A note. It was sitting on Derrick’s pillow.” Travis pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket, handed it to Jared. He watched as Jared read it.
Jared,
You probably thought I wouldn’t find out where you lived. But I’m smarter than you give me credit for. And while you’re off with your mistress, I’m hiring a lawyer. You’ve got until the end of the week to figure this out. You know what I’m asking for. Surely Derrick is worth more to you than a little bit of money.
Always yours,
Sable
When Jared looked up, Travis could see the man was fuming. The woman had been walking all over him for years now. She thought she had the upper hand, had the perfect way to control him because she could threaten the one and only important thing in Jared’s life. Quite frankly, Travis was tired of watching it. His cousin deserved a hell of a lot better than that crazy, selfish bitch he’d married.
Which was what led him to this conversation in the first place.
Travis could finally give Jared some good news.
GODDAMN IT. JARED was so fucking tired of Sable and her bullshit.
The woman didn’t know how to quit.
“Hey.”
Jared turned at the sound of Hope’s voice coming from several feet behind him. Despite the anger coursing through him, he felt something akin to relief as soon as he saw her.
“Hey,” he greeted.
When she walked closer, he pulled her right into his arms, not caring that Travis was standing there staring at him. He hadn’t seen her since she headed out this morning. When Jared’s parents insisted that Derrick spend a couple of nights with them in their cabin, Jared had taken the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with Hope, which included spending the night with her both nights. After he’d made love to her this morning, he had waited for her to take a shower, then he had walked her to the main house, where they’d shared breakfast. Needless to say, it’d been a damn good morning.
Jared (Coyote Ridge) (Volume 2) Page 26
