But she wasn’t alone. A tall, well-muscled cowboy came up alongside her, his face stoic. His size made Ms. Garner look like a child as she walked next to him. He’d wager the man was nearly as tall as he was, which wasn’t an easy task.
“Mr. Roberts. I was hoping I could have a word with you.” She was wearing tight blue jeans, which hugged her generous hips. Her T-shirt molded over her full breasts and read “Cowgirls do it better.” He could imagine. His cock twitched under his belt.
“Who’s your friend?”
“This is my brother, Matthew Garner. He’d like to speak with you about the mix-up at the auction.”
“Mix-up?”
The little spitfire couldn’t control her temper. She scowled and clamped her jaw down tight. “You have my horse, Mr. Roberts. That stallion was supposed to go home with me yesterday. I’ve been saving for the day he went on auction, and then you just came out of nowhere and pulled the rug out from under me. That’s not the way we conduct ourselves around these parts.”
He wasn’t giving up the horse. They’d already bonded in the span of a few hours. You couldn’t buy a connection like that. Nothing that Angel Garner or her brother offered him would be enough.
“How’d you get this address anyway?” He walked away from his uninvited guests, closing the paddock and hanging up his training lead on the end of the fence. The heat was already becoming unbearable, and the day was young. He needed to get his outdoor work done before the weather demanded he work indoors out of the heat.
“My brothers have their ways. Surely you’ve heard of them?”
Should he have? “Like you’ve said, I’m new in town. I don’t know your brothers from Adam.” Clay took measured steps onto his wraparound porch. The house may have been old, but it certainly had its charm. He saw the potential the moment he’d come with the real estate agent to look at it.
When he turned, Angel was elbowing her brother in the side. “Mr. Roberts. Would you consider selling the horse back to us? We’d give it an excellent home, and it’d mean the world to my little sister.”
Clay laughed out loud. “Your little sister needs to learn she can’t have everything she wants in life. That stallion is mine, legal and binding, and he’ll remain so.” She looked back and forth from Matthew to him, almost frantically. The other man appeared at a loss for words for either of them.
“Landon, do something!” she hollered when Clay opened the screen to the house.
Ah, she was trying to pull the wool over his eyes. He should have guessed the strapping young man wasn’t her brother, but a lover. The way the cowboy acted wasn’t consistent with a brotherly love.
“I thought your brother’s name was Matthew, darlin’. Either you need your head checked, or you’re trying to swindle me into selling my horse.”
She pointed her finger at him. “You’re being unreasonable.”
He shook his head, unbuttoning his shirt. His day was already disrupted, so he may as well shower and head into town to check on his operation. “No, I’m a very reasonable man. You’re just a little monster in need of a spanking.”
Her boyfriend choked back a chuckle, which earned him a punch in the arm from an irate cowgirl. “Damn you both. I won’t be made a fool of.” She stormed back to the truck, revved the engine, and then barreled off the property, leaving her lover literally in the dust.
They both stood there, not moving or speaking for the longest time. “Your girlfriend seems to be a bit off her rocker.” He didn’t expect the other man to refute him, not when he was standing miles from civilization with no ride.
“She’s not my girlfriend. Angel’s just a friend, and right now, I’m not even sure about that.”
Knowing they were just friends satisfied Clay in a way he hadn’t expected. It’s not like he was foolish enough to court a woman like Angel. He’d be better off stepping on a finishing nail than dealing with that devil of a cowgirl. Then why couldn’t he stop obsessing over her? She was an unrefined, no-apologies kind of girl. He’d like to bridle and brand the feisty little filly and ride the attitude right out of her.
“Tell you what. If you can hang around for twenty minutes while I take a quick shower, I’ll drive you into town myself.” No sense making the man’s shame worse. Clay didn’t have to be told Angel Garner was one hundred percent responsible for the lies and surprise visit. It would be difficult for a flesh-and-blood man to refuse the blonde beauty, so he couldn’t blame Landon.
“I suppose I don’t have much choice unless I want to spend half the day walking.” He tilted his hat in thanks and then came to sit on the porch steps.
* * * *
He was going to kill her when he saw her next. It was one thing to throw one of her usual tantrums, but to desert him way out here with no way to get home? He was doing her a favor, taking time off from a paying job to help her weasel some new guy out of his horse. If he had to take a side, he’d be beside the dark-haired cowboy. He seemed reasonable and even offered to drive him into town after being tongue-lashed by Angel.
Some days he didn’t know why the fuck he put up with her, and then he remembered the sweet girl locked up behind skin as thick as old leather. She may be nice to look at, but below the surface was a turbulent mix of emotion so unsettled it could scare off even a full-grown man. The truth was she’d been there for him when it counted, which was why he stuck around. With the Garner brothers being his good friends, it was automatically his job to keep a look out for Angel. Sometimes he may have took the job a little too much to heart.
While others couldn’t stand her abrasive personality, he saw the softer side. When she was seventeen, she came to him in tears, insisting there wasn’t another person in the world she could confide in. Always a do-gooder, she stepped in to help the Carson brothers when one of the money-hungry industrialists tried to take over their farm after their momma died. The Carson brothers still had no clue the sacrifice Angel made by agreeing to hand over her prized stallion. Her father gave her a beating to remember for supposedly selling the valuable horse, and she yearned for that black stallion ever since.
Knowing what he did, he kept her close, maybe coddled her too much. He’d helped to create a monster, as Clay had said. Maybe it was time to take that monster by the horns, rather than permitting it to wreak havoc on everyone in its path. She’d been hurt in the past, but after five years, it was time to move on.
Chapter Four
“So…” They drove in awkward silence over the uneven dirt roads leading into town. “How long you know Angel?”
“All my life. We’re a small community, and most of us grew up together.”
“She’s a hostile little thing. Cute as a button, but I still can’t see why you’d humor her.” Clay wondered what her story was or if she could even have one at her ripe, young age. It was usually folks up in years that harbored bitterness from bad life experiences. Or was Angel truly an inexcusable, spoiled brat?
“As long as you keep on her good side, you’ll do okay.”
“I’m a hopeless cause, then. She already hates me with the intensity of the sun.”
They both laughed because it was true. “As long as you have that stallion, I expect she’ll continue to hate you, too.” It always came back to the horse, but he suspected Angel would never be truly happy. There was an unsettled air about her. He had the urge to reach out, claim her, and teach her some control through discipline—pleasure and pain. But he’d given up his old lifestyle to start fresh here in the heart of the prairies where his business would flourish. He had a sister to think about, a business, and a future. Then why was he ready to risk everything for one night with Angel?
Halfway to town and a whirlwind of dust obscured the road up ahead. Angel’s truck raced by them and then fishtailed as it turned around without stopping. She’d actually come back to fetch her friend, even though he’d have been walking for half an hour if Clay hadn’t offered to drive him.
“She hasn’t forgotten you after all,”
said Clay, watching the crazy cowgirl in his rearview mirror.
“Don’t stop. I’m really not in the mood for her right now.” Landon ran a hand through his hair before leaning to the side to watch the other truck coming up fast.
“I think she may be crazy enough to rear-end me. Maybe I should cut you loose and save myself a trip to the body shop.”
Angel began to honk her horn, over and over. “Don’t you dare. That woman is fit to be tied.”
“Maybe you have the right idea. I think that headstrong girl needs to be cut down a few notches. I’m always game if you wanted to teach her a lesson.” It was happening. All his base desires were bubbling up to the forefront of his mind. He could already picture Angel bound and blindfolded, his face between her legs. If Landon wanted to get a little revenge in, double-teaming always made things more interesting.
The honking continued as she swerved back and forth on the dirt road. “What kind of lesson?”
Clay gave the other man a sideways glance. Did he have to spell it out to him? Only a blind man wouldn’t be attracted to the blonde bombshell, and taming that forked tongue of hers was a sinful temptation. The ultimate challenge for a now-closeted Dom.
“She’s my friend. I couldn’t…”
“She ain’t your sister, cowboy. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed all those fine curves. The only way she’ll lose that venom is with a good ol’-fashioned spanking. Something her parents should have done long ago.”
He saw the man’s doubts morph into a wicked grin. “Pull off to the left at the next path. It’s the abandoned Tyler farm. No one will spot us up there.”
They’d both committed to this party now, no turning back. Clay turned off the road, trying to maintain his speed to keep some distance between him and Angel. She followed them up the narrow, winding path between numerous mature trees. He pulled around to the back of the condemned house and parked in front of the old century barn. It was decrepit, not maintained for decades. There was nothing to see but unplowed fields and stacks of packing crates left to age under the harsh Alberta elements.
“This is either a very, very bad idea, or the best yet,” said Landon. “But if she tells her brothers, they’ll skin me alive.”
“When we’re through with her, she won’t tell a soul.” Clay cut the engine and rolled down the windows to let the afternoon breeze pass through. Within a minute, Angel’s truck door slammed shut, and she appeared at the driver’s side of the truck. Her eyes looked exceptionally blue with the sunlight hitting them just so.
“Landon? What are you doing in his truck?”
“If you’ve forgotten, Angel, you left me stranded at his place.”
Clay opened his door, sweeping her back along with it. He slammed the metal back into place, holding her with his gaze. Just as he had a knack with feral animals, he also had the same effect on unruly women. She backed away until she hit the side of the truck. “You know what your brother and I were talking about? We were discussing how desperately you needed a proper spanking. I’m guessing your daddy let you run wild, but now we’re here to correct that.”
She scoffed. “You’re crazy.” He watched her throat as she swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling in deep waves. Her bravado was cracking. It was a beautiful thing watching something so wild slowly fall under his control. He’d enjoy her.
* * * *
Angel nearly made it back to town when she realized what a bitch she’d been to Landon. He was missing half a day’s work because of her, and she’d stranded him with that jerk, Clay Roberts. As soon as she came to her senses, she made haste getting back to the ranch.
When she saw Landon and Clay in the truck together, all she could think about was that dark-haired cowboy negatively influencing one of her best friends. Had Clay reamed him out for coming to trick him? Was he driving Landon to the police station for trespassing charges? A hundred foolish thoughts flitted through her head.
But now she was trapped between the hood of the truck and Clay’s solid body. She glanced down to where his shirt tucked into his belt. The large silver buckle suddenly captured her attention. This wasn’t just some random guy who’d bought the horse she wanted. He was a hardcore cowboy with a fit body, dark good looks, and a rugged quality that made her realize she was indeed a woman. Beside him, she felt small and feminine.
“Tell me I’m a horse thief again, darlin’,” he dared. And for some preposterous reason she wanted to challenge his dare.
“Horse thief,” she whispered, looking up at him from beneath her lashes. Angel was in the worst possible situation, trapped beside a secluded barn where no one would find her, with a complete stranger. At least she had Landon. He’d protect her, which gave her a sense of bravery when dealing with Clay.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” He bent over and hoisted her up over his shoulder.
“Hey! Put me down!” She squirmed under his iron grasp. The man carried her as if she were a feather pillow. His strong hand gripping her inner thigh did crazy things to her body—anticipation, a deep throbbing in her cunt. Would he really spank her? Force her to do dirty things any decent girl would pale over?
“I will, darlin’. Right over my knee.” He neared the barn, her body jostling as he walked. Clay kicked open the old bay door with his black cowboy boot and strode in. He sat on a wooden bleacher-style bench and stretched her over his lap, facedown. She didn’t think he was actually serious. No men dared to mess with her when she had three of the most badass brothers in town. They were protective to a fault, but here she was over Clay Roberts’s knees with none of her brothers in sight.
Angel fought him tooth and nail, attempting to get her footing so she could stand up. As much as she was determined to win this battle, she was also curious as to what he’d do if he got his way. “You’re crossing the line, cowboy!”
He easily reached between their bodies and unbuttoned her Levi’s, and then began the long process of tugging the tight-fitting material down her hips. Her heart rate picked up. Where was Landon? Shouldn’t he be stopping this?
“Have you ever had this fine ass red and throbbing?” He thought she was fine? She assumed by now that he hated her, like most strangers did. It was easier to scare off people rather than dealing with real emotion—which led to trust, and undoubtedly betrayal.
“If you take my pants off…”
He didn’t just take off her Levi’s but pulled her panties over the curve of her ass, too. Clay jerked the jeans down to her knees with force. Rather than anger her, a unique thrill spiraled through her body by being so exposed. She’d have scrape burns tomorrow, she was sure of it. “Beautiful,” he said. His rough hand rubbed soft circles over the globes of her ass as if he were making a wish on a crystal ball. She hoped for his sake he was wishing for a new set of balls because the second she was free he’d lose his.
“You’re embarrassing me. Pull up my panties!” God, she hoped he didn’t listen to her. She knew he had to be getting an intimate view of her privates, which did unspeakable things to her libido.
Clay ignored her, continuing to paint those menacing circles with his hand. The act warmed much more than her exposed flesh. In fact her whole body felt like a furnace—intense heat radiating in from all her extremities. Even her face felt flush.
“I'm no greenhorn, darlin’. You can complain all you want, but there's no denying you want me to continue. I’m going to start by teaching you that it’s wrong to demand something that ain’t yours. And, yes, I’m talking about that fine stallion. I won the auction fair and square, little girl, so you have no business being resentful towards me.” His hand lifted away, leaving her exposed to the cool note in the air. Then the strike came without warning. Smack. The fleshy sound was solid and filled the interior of the aging barn. A few pigeons pecking at the entrance scattered in a flurry of flapping wings.
“How dare you!” she shrieked. He repeated the motion. Smack, smack, smack. The vibration from each strike vibrated all the way to her
clit, which also rubbed teasingly against Clay’s rough, denim-clad thigh. She was out of her element. Every time his hand came down, she lost a little bit of power. It felt good to give it up, to be under the cowboy’s control. All she had to do was enjoy. He was the one calling the shots.
After several more blows, her flesh was tender and throbbing. But it was a twisted kind of pain, one that pulsed in beat with her pussy, increasing her needs. “That’s good. You know when to keep quiet.” She’d forgotten she stopped demanding for him to stop. Angel had shut up and focused on his ministrations, anxiously awaiting each time his hand would come down, mentally timing it.
“You’ve had your fun humiliating me. Now let me up,” she said, trying to sound thoroughly disgusted when she felt anything but. Her body ached for more, so much more, but she’d never admit to it. She wasn’t a whore, didn’t enjoy being bossed around…or did she? There may have been a black mark on her past, but that wasn’t her fault. She’d been young, naïve, and desperate to help her friends.
This was different. Angel was a woman now—strong, cold, and not to be messed with.
“No. You’re not getting away that easily, my little angel. Not until I’ve clipped your wings, and made sure you’ll never disrespect me or Landon again.” His hand slid lower, down her ass and between her legs. When the tips of his fingers brushed her moist pussy lips, her entire body jolted. How could one touch be so electric?
Landon squatted near her head. She’d almost forgotten about him. Did he condone Clay’s behavior? He’d always been a close friend, one of the few she turned to when she needed help. Surely he didn’t see her as a sexual object like the dark-haired cowboy obviously did. She braced a hand on Landon’s knee, trying to look up from the odd angle she was held in. He liked this, liked watching her getting spanked. The fact made her clit pulse, stronger, more demanding. “Aren’t you gonna help me?” She looked him in the eyes. The bluest eyes she’d ever known. Of course, she’d always felt that way. She used to compare the color to the early morning sky before the sun had fully risen. They’d spent many sunrises together working the ranch. But did she like those eyes, or love them? Was she deluding herself to think he was only a friend? Or was she denying the possibility because it was too complicated? Angel was so used to closing herself off—as a safety mechanism—that she wasn’t even certain of her own feelings anymore.
Espino, Stacey - Hogtying the Cowgirl [Ride 'em Hard 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 3
