by Vivian Arend
“I liked it,” she whispered, the words sultry and deep to her own ears.
“You like it hard? If I were to lean over you on the bed, press my weight on top of you and suck your nipple into my mouth hard, would that turn you on?” He paused, his breathing rough on the other end of the line. “Or you want me to play with you slowly? Tongue around your sweet red nipples again and again?”
“Tonight I want it hard.” She pinched as she answered, the tingle in her groin growing as her breasts grew more sensitive.
“Shit, yeah, tugging and biting until you make those sexy moaning sounds deep in your throat.” He growled, low and husky. “You taste so good, your skin is hot against my lips. I’m going to touch your pussy the next time I see you. Slowly take my fingers and open you up to find out what pleases you.”
She whimpered, wishing he were there, doing it right at that moment.
“Touch your clit, Beth, use your vibrator if you want, but imagine it’s my mouth and my fingers down there. Licking and exploring, circling your sweet pussy and dipping inside.”
She fingered and teased herself, flicking the vibrator on and following his voice, moaning as his directions brought her closer to climax by the second.
He panted in her ear. “I can imagine how you’re going to taste and I can hardly wait. I’ll push my tongue into you, deep inside, reaching for the sweet cream from your body. Circling your clit again.” He swore softly. “God, Beth, I want to touch you so fucking badly right now. Want to fill you up. Put something into your pussy for me, so I can think about being the one to press in. Stretch yourself full.”
The vibrator was cold and plastic, and she would have given anything at that moment to have him really there with her, his hot skin over hers, his breath warming her, the scent of sex in the air.
“What are you doing, Daniel? While you’re talking to me? Are you…hard?” Her inhibitions melted away with the heat of desire rippling through her.
“Hard? Hell, I’ve got my fist around my cock and it’s not enough. I can’t wait to have your mouth on me. To see your lips surround me and have you suck me.” Beth let out a moan, wondering what it would feel like to touch him that intimately. To hold him in her mouth and taste his seed. “I imagine your tongue touching me, and my balls ache. I want more than your mouth—I want to fuck you hard. Slip the head of my cock against your sweet pussy and drive in like a hammer.”
She groaned, the wicked words making her hotter than she’d ever expected. She pressed her vibrator against her clit. “Where are we?” Her voice sounded hollow, her ears full of the rush of blood pumping through her veins.
“I’ve got you bent over the seat of my truck, your ass bare, your pussy all wet and ready for me.” The soft echo of a slapping sound carried over the line. Oh my God, that was him, stroking himself in the background. The knowledge was so carnal and raw, she could barely stand it. “I get to watch every second of fucking you this way, your pussy lips hot and swollen around my cock.”
From behind. Beth flipped her mental imagine and rubbed her clit harder, plunging the warm plastic into her needy core.
“Your ass looks so good, I’m tempted to take my cock and squeeze my way in there, let you—”
“My ass?” she gasped. The tingling grew harder and hotter than before. Anal sex had never been on the agenda. Until now.
“You like that idea, do you?”
She couldn’t even breathe.
“Not this time, darling, I’m getting too close. I want to feel you come around me. Squeeze my dick when it’s buried deep in your body. I’m gonna fuck you hard until you can’t stand it anymore, my fingers on your clit, my cock—”
“Daniel, ohhh…” She came, the waves fast and hard, shaking her body and making her gasp in pleasure.
“Yeah, do it. Fuck, I can’t…” He groaned in her ear and another delicious pulse struck. She let it take her, the vibrator slipping from her body, her touch on her clit slowing as her sensitivity rose. The blood pounding in her ears deafened her for a second, her climax rolling slowly down as she pictured him bent over her, still buried inside. As trite as it was, she figured that was as close to the earth moving as she’d ever gotten. They both lay speechless for a moment, the echo of their harsh breathing the only sound carrying over the receiver.
“Holy hell, woman, I can’t wait until I’m really with you.”
She laughed, revelling in the sense of freedom washing over her. “I feel about sixteen years old. Except I’d never dreamed of phone sex at that age.”
“I’m damn glad you’re not sixteen. Shit, I’m getting hard again, just thinking about what you must look like right now. I bet your skin is flushed and warm, and you’re all soft and cuddly.”
Boneless was a better word for it. It took actual effort to answer him. “You like cuddling, Daniel?”
He hummed, soft and low, and a trace of a shiver flitted over her skin. Damn, he turned her on.
“I like sex, and cuddling is a part of it. I love how cuddling slips into sex.”
“Really?” She rolled over, slipping the vibrator into the drawer with her last burst of energy. She’d wash it when she woke. Right now, sleep beckoned.
“Hmm, really. I’m going to take you in the morning sometime, when you’re all soft and drowsy. I’ll slip into you and bring you to an orgasm as you wake.”
“Stop it. You’ll be getting me all worked up again.”
He laughed. “You relaxed now? Feel better?”
“Hmm, yeah.” Thinking about anything right now was virtually impossible. “See you tomorrow?”
“Can’t wait. Sleep well.”
Beth clicked off the phone and dropped it on the side table. After turning off her light, she buried herself in the toasty quilt. The sexual euphoria in her body lulled her to sleep. Tomorrow would be soon enough to think things through.
7
Rafe stared open mouthed. “For serious?”
Gabe sighed. “I’ve been doing the math, and if we don’t change something, we’re not going to have enough land or animals to support even one of us, let alone you, me and the folks.”
His kid brother paced to the nearest bale and sat with a plop. “Shit. I thought it might get tight, but nothing like that. What did Dad say—?”
“Ain’t told him yet. I wanted to run something past you first.”
Rafe’s eyes widened, the vivid blue in them hitting hard, a warning beacon gone wrong. “You did up the books without letting Dad know what you found?”
“He doesn’t know I was in them in the first place.”
“Holy fuck. You’re really looking for some trouble.”
The phantom pain of getting back-handed halfway into tomorrow shook Gabe, but not hard enough to make him change his path. It wasn’t only that Daniel had egged him on. Time to find one thing to change that would make a difference. This was the one thing, the right thing to do. Years too late, if he was honest. “If we want to have a place to live and call home down the road, and if Mom and Dad aren’t going to end up begging for favours from the rest of the family, we need to start planning for changes now.”
His brother nodded slowly, but his doubt remained clear. “You talk about having a place to call home. Seems to me not that long ago Rocky was the last place you wanted to be.”
Gabe couldn’t deny it. Couldn’t deny the guilt he now felt at having left Rafe in a tough situation when not even in his teens. “I left. It’s true, and you know why. But you have to admit I came back and I’ve worked damn hard since then. If there was a way to make those years I was gone easier on you, I should have done it. I was just so bent on getting away from the old man and his know-it-all ways, I didn’t even think of you.”
“Didn’t expect you to.” Rafe looked even younger than usual as he picked up a length of rope and started coiling it. “But that doesn’t change the fact that Dad and you don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things. You saying we need to make some big changes to the ranch is going to go
over like a pile of manure. I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire again.”
They stared at each other for a minute before Gabe broke eye contact and paced away. “Understood. Which is why I wanted to talk to you before I said anything to Dad. So the first question is—do you want to keep going once you’re done with school?”
“Ranching? If we can afford it, hell yeah.”
Which was pretty much what Gabe had expected. “So the next question is, what part? You willing to give up…what, in order to keep doing the rest?”
Rafe shrugged. “I want to work outdoors. I want to work with the animals. If we could find some way to get rid of extra fields, I’d be good with that. But the animals are probably my top choice.”
“That’s what I thought. So I’m going to do some research into how we can make this ranch viable again. Enough to support three families, if possible. Once I’ve got the information in place, then we can talk to the folks. Because facts are facts, and it’s tough to argue with solid figures and cold hard cash.”
The rope, twisted off and neatly coiled was hung on the wall. Rafe moved on to the next piece of equipment, polishing and cleaning as they talked. “It sounds good, but you know facts mean shit to him at times.”
Gabe eyed the faint white line of the scar running down Rafe’s cheek. “We’ll set any meetings up when he’s stone-cold sober, and there’s as much money in the bank as possible. Rafe, this ain’t happening overnight. And the doom and gloom I’m seeing in the books isn’t about to fall on us tomorrow. I’m just…thinking for down the road.”
His brother laughed, his blond head tossed back even as his hands kept moving as he dealt with chores. “Now I wonder if you’re the one who’s been drinking. Talking about the future and planning for families. I thought you didn’t want a family.”
“I don’t. I was talking about you. And Mom and Dad.”
“Still don’t know what your trouble is about having a family someday.”
A flash of a smile and a soft hand brushing his cheek came back to haunt him. Gabe’s gut twisted, and he shoved the memories to the farthest corner of his mind. “There’s no family in my future. Be done with poking that question at me, okay? But that doesn’t mean I want to be out on the street or having to work in some big-box store hawking video games or flipping burgers at a fast food joint. There’s nothing like living here, and I don’t want any of us to have to give it up, not even Dad. Because when he’s not being a jackass, he’s done his best over the years.”
Rafe shrugged. “Fine. Do your research, and I’ll keep my mouth shut. But don’t be stupid and let it out early what you’re up to. Do me and my bones a favour.”
Gabe dropped an arm around his brother’s shoulder and gave him a squeeze. “I’ll be careful, and I’ll make sure that what we got doesn’t get lost. You can trust me.”
Another bit of gear resumed its position on the wall, and Rafe brushed his hands off with a grin. “So, now that you’re in the big-brother-talking-and-planning mode, what say you help me plot some ideas about how to get Jenna to give me a second look. Damn girl is being stubborn.”
Oh Lord. Giving advice on romancing to his little brother. Just what he wanted. “Fine. Let’s finish chores, and I’ll find you a beer at my place. We can talk all about your lousy love life and I’ll try not to laugh.”
“Fuck you,” Raphael spoke with no venom in his tone, winking to ease the sting.
They worked together easily, and Gabe smiled. Yeah, it was good to be heading down a new path, even if it wasn’t going to be an easy route.
Daniel waited by the pool doors for Beth and the boys to arrive. This was their third meeting at the pool, and he was looking forward to today’s swim.
Getting involved with Beth had pretty much worked out as he’d expected. Trying to find time to spend together with the boys around made life very difficult. Oh, the two of them had met for coffee, and he’d joined her picking up groceries. They’d even managed to “accidentally” meet while walking a few evenings. But none of these circumstances offered any real time alone, and there were only so many things they could safely talk about in public or around the kids. While he was fine with taking his time to romance the woman, they weren’t going to ever get past this stage if he didn’t do a little wrangling.
Luckily, wrangling was something he was damn good at.
Beth pulled up in her SUV. The boys poured out as soon as the lights dimmed and the engine turned off.
“Daniel! Come on, hurry, hurry.” Excited beyond belief, the three of them had enough power to drag him off his feet without even trying.
“Hey, guys, let me help your mama for a minute, then we’re good to go.” Lance eyed him as he moved forward, offering a hand to Beth. The kid watched him like a hawk around Beth, and there was no way he wanted to be explaining anything to an eight-year-old when there still wasn’t anything to explain.
“Morning, Daniel.”
He loved how she blushed. “Morning. You ready for some fun in the water?” Oh hell, he hoped so.
She gave him a suspicious look. “Come on, boys. Let’s not keep Daniel waiting.”
Inside the doors the little guys scattered, pulling off their boots and bouncing outside the change-room door like grasshoppers. Beth laughed at them, a light and rested sound, and Daniel felt something inside turn over. The draw he felt toward her wasn’t diminishing, and it wasn’t only caused by sexual frustration.
“Sleep well?” he asked softly.
She flicked a glance his direction. “Like a baby.”
They grinned at each other. He’d phoned last night and suggested he should come over. When she’d offered another excuse, he’d gotten them both off again, talking about surprising her with wild sex out behind the barn. He was getting damn good at talking dirty, but it was time for something other than climaxes in separate rooms. Separate houses.
Daniel had to adjust his stance to make room to take the pressure off his rising cock. Fuck, getting into a swimsuit was going to be dangerous.
Beth swiped the boys’ pool passes. Daniel coughed to get her attention. He leaned toward to the attendant. “You still have room in the water-games program?”
She pulled a clipboard out and checked it. “Five slots available.”
Beth frowned. “What’s that about?”
The girl perked up. “Something new we’re trying out. It’s a drop-in program, and we’ve got instructors to supervise and lead the kids through all kinds of games and activities in the pool. There’s no extra charge, and they get to try diving and water polo, and use the equipment. It’s a lot of fun.”
“Mommy, can we do that?” Bouncing bodies surrounded them, hands clutching at Beth, three sets of eyes pleading. Daniel smiled at her expression, her sheer delight at seeing the boys’ enthusiasm.
“Of course you can. If you’re old enough.” Beth turned to the counter. “Eight, seven and six. Is that okay?”
The girl nodded. “Definitely.” She held up wristbands, and three little arms shot out to get tagged. She gave instructions while she fastened them on. “You need to get changed, have a shower then join the group in the kiddie pool. That’s where you’re starting in…” she checked over her shoulder, “…ten minutes. But remember to walk on deck, right, guys?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Excitement carried in their voices.
Nathan tugged on Beth’s arm. “Are you going to play with us too, Mommy?”
“I think it’s only for big boys like you guys. I’ll take it easy in the hot tub. Is that okay?”
He squirmed with excitement. “Daniel can play with you. That way you won’t be lonely.”
Yeah, that was exactly what Daniel had in mind. He glanced up to see Beth staring back as her sons tugged her awkwardly toward the change room, her face flushed.
Daniel winked before turning to double-check. “The program runs for an hour?”
The girl behind the counter shook her head. “An hour and a half. That okay?”
“That’s just fine.” In fact, it was fucking marvellous. He slipped his shoes off at the rack and made his way down the hallway to make sure the second part of his plan would work as well. Once the boys were happy and cared for, he and Beth were going to have a little alone time.
8
“You planned this, didn’t you?”
“I did.” Daniel put her crutches to the side and helped her down the stairs into the hot tub.
She took another glance around the pool area. Her boys were already having a blast, screaming and yelling and doing cannonballs with the group. Daniel slipped his hand off her shoulder and tugged on her waist, drawing her to his side. There were a few other moms sitting on the deck in the plastic chairs, noses buried in books or chatting quietly together. A few smiled her direction, but no one seemed to think anything of her and Daniel sitting intimately together in the hot tub.
“I saw the notice last week when we were here, and thought it might offer a solution to our problem.”
His lips hovered over her ear, the hand at her waist rubbing the bare skin of her back. She didn’t do bikinis, not after three kids in three years. She was glad that the mess on her leg didn’t seem to bother him at all either. The scars from the car crash were beginning to fade from her leg. The scars on her heart? Maybe they were starting to go as well.
Fingers fleetingly brushed her thigh, and she took a quick breath.
“Our problem?”
“Getting alone.”
Another stroke, higher this time. She shivered in spite of the heat of the pool. “Daniel, what are you doing?”
He leaned back, resting his head on the tiles. “Trying to decide what I’m going to do to you first.” His dark grey eyes bore into her and she swallowed. Her libido kicked up a few notches.
“First? Here?” The words squeaked out of her. Oh. My. God. “Daniel, we’re in public. We can’t…” He grabbed her foot and tugged it into his lap, rubbing her insole hard with his thumbs. “That feels good.” She adjusted her position until she sat across from him, propping her other foot on him without any hesitation.
