12-Alarm Cowboys

by Cora Seton

  Skye thought that would be the end of it, but Jax and Dane were both on their feet in a flash, looking like they wanted to tear each other to pieces. Crap, they weren’t going to stop until somebody got hurt. Skye dropped her shopping bags and ran over to them, shoving herself between Jax and her brother, even though that was a damn dangerous place to be at the moment.

  “Stop it right now!” she shouted, putting a hand on each of their chests. “Both of you!”

  Giving Jax a little shove, she turned to face her brother. Dane looked mad enough to bite through a horseshoe, but that didn’t stop her from glaring at him.

  “I never ran away from anything, Dane,” she said before he could open his mouth. “And I left Dallas because you wanted me to. When Mom and Dad died, you couldn’t get me bundled up and out of your hair fast enough. It was like you couldn’t stand to look at me.”

  Dane reeled back as if she’d smacked him, but now that the words were finally coming out, Skye couldn’t stop them. “All I wanted to do was stay home and be with the only family I had left. But you decided you knew what was best for me, without ever considering what I might want.” She thumped him in the chest, not even trying to hold back the tears or the anger. “I dumped Jordan the moment I realized he was just like you—deciding what kind of life was right for me, telling me where I should go and who to associate with. Well, I wasn’t going to put up with that crap from him, and I sure as hell am not going to put up with it from you anymore, either. I’m staying with Jax because he’s never once tried to tell me what to do. He supports me and wants what’s best for me, as any good friend would, something I never got from you, my own frigging brother!”

  Tear running down her face, she turned and marched back to where she’d dropped the shopping bags. It took some doing to get all of them situated on her fingers, but when she did, she turned to glower at her brother.

  “And let’s get something else straight. When Jax and I sleep together, it sure as hell won’t be any of your damn business!”

  Tightening her grip on the bags, she dragged them up the steps and into the house, slamming the door behind her as hard as she could. She wanted her brother to know she was done—with the argument and with him. And if that meant she was closing the door on him forever, then so be it.

  *

  “I think it’s time for you to leave, Dane,” Jax said softly.

  He’d managed to avoid another run-in with Dane on his way out of the fire station that afternoon, but he should have known his friend would show up sooner or later. His jaw was smarting a little from the glancing blow Dane landed, but he knew Dane had to be hurting worse. And not just from that solid jab to the chin Jax had given him, either. The pain in his friend’s blue eyes had nothing to do with Jax’s punch and everything to do with what Skye had said.

  Dane cleared his throat. “Maybe I should try and…”

  Jax shook his head. “Not now, Dane. It’s too soon. You both need to let some time pass. You can’t just talk this out.”

  Dane hesitated, his gaze going to the house. After a moment, he nodded. “I never wanted to do anything but help Skye. She took Mom and Dad’s death really hard. I thought getting her into a good college was the right thing to do.”

  “I know,” Jax said. “And I probably would have done the same thing if I’d been in your place. But Skye wasn’t the only one who took your parents’ death hard. You did, too. You dealt with it by burying yourself in work spending every minute of the day trying to make enough money so Skye could go to college.” He put a hand on Dane’s shoulder, giving him a rough shake. “But burying yourself in work is the way guys deal with things, not women. The way Skye saw it, shipping her off to college was the same as flat out ignoring her.”

  Dane’s shoulders sagged. “That’s not what I intended.”

  “I know, but it’s not anything you can fix with a simple apology, at least not right now. It’s going to take some time. Look, just go home, okay? I’ll call you in a couple days.”

  Dane looked like Jax had kicked him in the balls instead of punching him in the face. But he nodded and walked back over to his truck. After another quick glance toward the house, he got in and drove away.

  Jax watched him go, wondering if the rift between Skye and Dane could ever be fixed. For both their sakes, he hoped so.

  Chapter Six

  ‡

  Jax heard Skye crying before he even reached the door to her bedroom. He cringed. God, he hated when women cried. It made him feel completely powerless. And knowing that Skye was the one doing the crying made it even worse. She was more important to him than any woman he’d ever been with. Knowing she was hurting cut him down deep in his soul.

  He lifted his hand and knocked softly on the door. “Dane left.”

  Skye didn’t answer.

  “He’s sorry for all those shitty things he said. He didn’t mean any of it.”

  Still no answer.

  Jax knew he should give her some time alone, but he couldn’t get his feet to move. He hadn’t been there when Skye needed him ten years ago. He wasn’t going to do that to her again. So instead, he leaned back against the wall and slowly slid down it until he was sitting on the floor. Then he rested his head back against the wall and his forearms on his knees and listened to her cry.

  He wasn’t sure how long he sat there before Skye’s tears slowed, then eventually stopped altogether. A moment later, she made a little sniffling that sounded so damn cute he couldn’t help but smile. He was about to rap on the door again when he heard the bed creak as she got up. She didn’t open the door right away, though. Maybe she was checking her make-up, or doing whatever strange ritual women did after crying.

  A few minutes later, the door opened and she came out. She was still wearing the snug fitting black pants with the flared bottoms and the tee she’d gotten at Victoria’s Secret, but had ditched the flip-flops. Her nose was a little rosy and her eyes were red rimmed and a tiny bit puffy, but neither detracted from her natural beauty.

  Skye slid down the wall to sit next to him, but didn’t say anything.

  “So, you had a crush on me in high school, huh?” The words were out before he even knew what he was saying. He cringed inside. But it was better talking about that than bringing up the shitty stuff Dane had said, wasn’t it? “Why didn’t you ever let me know you were interested?”

  She tucked her hair behind her ear and gave him a wry look. “Why didn’t I let you know? Because you’re almost four years older than I am and if we dated when you were a senior and I was a freshman, it probably would have sent you to jail.”

  He thought about that, then grinned. “Good point. Thank you for keeping me out of jail.”

  They sat there in silence for a while, her left knee touching his right one.

  “Thanks for sticking up for me with Dane,” she said softly. “I’m sorry it got you punched in the face. Does it hurt much?”

  “Nah.” He reached up and rubbed the side of his jaw to prove his point. It wasn’t that bad. God knew, he’d certainly had worse. “Dane hits like a wuss. It won’t even leave a bruise.”

  She frowned, her brows puckering as she studied his face. “I hate that I’m putting you in the middle of this whole thing.”

  “You didn’t put me in the middle of anything, Skye. I chose to be there,” Jax said firmly. “Dane knows he’s been acting like a jackass. He’ll get his head screwed on straight at some point and come back with his hat in his hand.”

  Skye didn’t look like she believed him, but she didn’t call him on it. “I’m sorry about the stuff I said out there. About sleeping with you.”

  Jax had been wondering about the comment she’d thrown out just before storming into the house. He couldn’t lie and say he hadn’t been thinking about sleeping with Skye, too. It had been the number one thought on his mind since seeing her walk into his kitchen wearing nothing but his dress shirt. And that horse ride they’d taken together earlier had left him as hard as a fence r
ail. But without knowing how she really felt about him, he sure as hell wouldn’t make a move on her.

  “Did you mean it?” he asked softly. “Or did you just say that to make your brother mad?”

  He was asking not only because he needed to know, but because he wanted to give her a way out if she had simply said it to piss off her brother. He didn’t even realize he was holding his breath until she turned those big, blue eyes on him.

  “No, I didn’t just say it because I was trying to make him mad. I said it because I’ve been thinking about it ever since you walked into the hospital last night.” She wet her lips, then caught the lower one between her teeth. The sight made his cock stiffen. “Being away for ten years hasn’t changed anything. I’m more attracted to you now than I ever was.” She gave him a sheepish look. “I hope that doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”

  The only part of him that was fast becoming uncomfortable was his shaft, and that was because it was straining against the front of his jeans. “Not as long as you don’t mind me admitting that I’ve been having some decidedly more-than-friendly thoughts about you since you’ve gotten back in town.”

  Her lips curved into a naughty smile. “I don’t mind at all.”

  They sat there gazing at each other, neither of them saying anything, instead letting their eyes do all the talking. And hers were saying a hell of a lot. Finally, unable to take it anymore, Jax leaned forward to kiss her. Skye didn’t wait for him to get there, but met him halfway.

  Their lips came together in a slow, tender kiss. She tasted like a juicy peach on a hot summer day, and Jax had to force himself not to go too fast. He wanted Skye to make one-hundred percent sure this was really where she wanted their friendship to go. But based on the way she was kissing him back, she wasn’t questioning this decision at all.

  Jax buried one hand into her long, silky hair, pulling her closer and slipping his tongue into her mouth with a groan. Skye tangled her tongue with his, sliding a hand behind his head and yanking him in tighter. Her other hand eagerly started undoing the buttons of his shirt, and he briefly wondered if they might end up making love right there in the hallway.

  But he decided against it. Not that making love to Skye on the floor wouldn’t be amazing, but because doing it in bed—at least the first time—would be even better.

  He pulled his mouth away and stood up. Taking her hand, he tugged her to her feet and swung her up in his arms. Then he carried her down the hall and into his room.

  *

  Skye expected Jax to set her down on her feet, but instead he gently tossed her on the bed. She started to laugh, but it came out sounding more like a moan as he stripped off his shirt. She had to work hard to control herself as she stared at his six-pack. Those abs were enough to make her want to crawl across the bed and worship him. Then he kicked off his boots, unbuckled his belt and dropped his jeans to the floor, and she just about swooned like a heroine out of a romance book. She’d known he had a great body underneath those clothes, but daaaaammmn.

  His long, erect cock jutted straight out from between his muscular legs, pulsing slightly in time with his heartbeat and already throbbing with need. It had been one thing to feel his hard-on pressing up against her ass as they went horseback riding that morning, but this was something so much different.

  She rolled over on her stomach and wiggled forward, drawn toward Jax—and his cock—like she was hypnotized. She felt strangely turned on by the fact that she was still completely clothed while Jax was bare-ass naked. Maybe she could have him walk around the house like this all the time.

  When she reached the edge of the bed, he moved closer, bringing his beautiful shaft right into alignment with her mouth. What kind of girl could pass up an offer like that?

  Not her, that was for sure.

  Skye reached out and wrapped her hand around the thick base of his cock tugging him closer. Then she extended her tongue and swiped it across the bead of pre-cum waiting for her at the very tip. It was sweet and just the tiniest bit musky.

  “Mmm,” she moaned, and Jax mimicked the sound. How was it possible for a man to taste so good?

  She wiggled forward a little more, closing her eyes and swirling her tongue around and around the head of his cock like it was a lollipop. Only better. In between, she took him deeper, letting the very tip touch the back of her throat before pulling back to focus on the head again.

  Jax’s hand came up to cradle the back of her head, his finger slipping into her hair. He didn’t try to take charge, though. If anything, he seemed more interested in slowing her down. She would have laughed—if that was possible with her mouth so full. Not that she would have complied anyway. She intended to keep doing what she was doing until Jax exploded. And from the way his hips began to flex and thrust in time with her licking, it would be soon.

  But Jax had other plans, Just when she was sure he was about to come, he tightened his fingers in her hair and slid out of her mouth.

  “Hey!” she protested, tilting her head to the side to look up at him. “I had something special in mind for him.”

  Jax chuckled. “I bet you did. But I have some plans of my own—and they don’t involve letting you make me come in the first ten minutes, or you keeping your clothes on.”

  Skye gave him a pout, but didn’t complain. She wanted this to last just as long as he did. And as for her clothes, she was ready for some skin-on-skin contact herself. So when he spun her around on the bed and eagerly stripped off her pants, she lifted her butt off the bed to help. Her tee and bra quickly followed. That left her lying on his bed wearing nothing but her new panties, which had only gotten wet all over again while she’d been licking him.

  She quickly reached down to take them off, hoping to keep Jax from seeing what a complete mess she’d made down there, but he wasn’t having any of it.

  He caught her hand and shook his head. “That’s my job, and I take my job very seriously.”

  The smolder in his dark eyes told her he wasn’t teasing about that. Her heart raced as he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her panties and began to slide them down inch by agonizing inch. She blushed as the soaking wet material clung to her pussy for a moment before he pulled it away to leave a trail of clear, gooey liquid along her inner thighs.

  He paused with her panties banded around her knees, gliding his fingers up her legs to trace them around her wet pussy, but not touching it. She bit her lip.

  “How long have you been aroused?” he asked softly.

  She caught her breath at the hunger in his eyes. “Since going riding with you this morning.”

  He teased his fingers closer to her clit, his sensuous lips curving into a sexy smile. “I guess you just like riding horses, huh?”

  Skye opened her mouth to answer, but all she could do was moan as he slid a single finger up and down her folds. With her panties still around her knees, she couldn’t open her legs as wide as she’d like to, but she could definitely roll her hips. She was so desperate to feel that finger on her clit, she was almost dizzy.

  “It wasn’t the ride,” she gasped as his fingertip lightly grazed her clit. “It was feeling your hard-on pressing against my ass.”

  He grinned, placing his fingers in the folds on either side of her pussy and rubbing them up and down. All he’d have to do was slide down a little more and he’d be plunging those fingers inside her.

  “So you like the feel of my cock against that beautiful ass of yours, huh?” he said huskily. “That’s something I’m going to have to remember.”

  She closed her eyes, imagining what Jax meant by those naughty words as she let herself enjoy what he was doing with his fingers. She was so caught up in the blissful sensations she didn’t realize he’d slipped her panties all the way off until she felt him spread her legs wide and dip his fingers deep inside.

  Her eyes shot open, but it was too late to do much more than inhale sharply as Jax brought his thumb up and pressed it rhythmically around in little circles right on
her clit at the same time two of his fingers slipped in and out of her pussy.

  She writhed on the bed, rotating her hips in a circular motion in time with his movements. She clutched the sheets in one hand and a handful of his hair in the other, holding on for dear life as her body spasmed over and over. Then she let out a little scream as she arched up off the bed and came long and hard.

  Skye was just floating back down to earth from the first orgasm she had in months—at least one she hadn’t given herself—when she felt Jax’s weight on the bed. She opened her eyes to see him leaning over her, his body perfectly positioned between her legs. She glanced down and realized he’d slipped a condom over his cock while she’d been recovering from the epic orgasm he’d given her.

  She spread her legs wider, wrapping them around his hips and welcoming him in. Jax didn’t tease her, but instead placed the thick head of his shaft against her wet opening and slid all the way in with one long thrust.

  She caught her breath as he filled her completely. They couldn’t have fit together any better if they’d been made for each other. Or maybe it was because they really had been made for each other.

  She anchored her heels against his strong, muscular ass and pulled him in even more, making him touch her in places that brought sparkles to her vision.

  “You are one amazing, beautiful woman,” he whispered in her ear as he slowly began to move inside her. “Do you know that, Skye?”

  How was a woman supposed to answer that?

  Since she couldn’t think of anything witty—not with his cock buried in her like it was—she simply pulled his face around and kissed him long and hard.

  She dug her nails into his back and locked her legs around him tighter, doing everything she could think of to urge him to thrust harder. He obeyed her silent command, pounding into her hard enough to take her breath away and make her so lightheaded she thought she might pass out.