by Vivian Arend
“Don’t start a war you can’t win, little girl.”
She lost her meager control. Stomped forward and slammed her heel down on his instep. When he swore and jerked his leg out of her way, she shot past his bulk and popped through the doorway to the main room, heart pounding like a drum.
If her purse had been somewhere other than on the coffee table, she would have left right then and there. Walked to the highway and all the way into town if necessary.
But Joel rose and came toward her, the smile on his face turning to concern.
“What’s up?” he whispered as he slipped her fingers into his.
Escape was impossible. She’d make the best of it and then never again agree to attend one of these events. “Nothing. Everything. Just…let’s sit down.”
“I saved you a seat by me,” Robbie called out.
Joel had her by the hand and wasn’t letting go. “Sorry, short stuff. She’s my date, so she’s sitting beside me.”
Robbie pouted until Gramma asked him to ring the bell to call everyone to the table. While he happily raced off, Joel tugged her in close and leaned down to speak quietly. “You okay?”
She took a deep breath, wishing she could lean her forehead on his chest for a while and hide. “This being-your-girlfriend thing isn’t working too well.”
He snorted. “Yeah, it’s been interesting on my side as well. We’ll compare notes after dinner. In the meantime, stick it out. I think the toughest part is over.”
“God, it better be.”
He squeezed her fingers as the dinner bell rang, and people pulled out chairs and settled children into place. Joel led her toward the middle of the table where she discovered to her delight Beth was seated across from them.
There was hope for survival. Especially when the food arrived. And continued to arrive.
Obviously, this was one of those households she’d heard about where food equaled love. Not like the family where she’d grown up. She examined the bounty of the home-cooked meal and compared it to the one year her mom had bothered to notice the holiday by prodding her current lover to pick up a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
This was a different setting, a different environment altogether, and suddenly even Jesse being a jerk she could understand. They were guarding their own. Protecting the family from an outsider, and she could hardly fault them for circling the wagons.
She didn’t like it, but she could see why it was happening.
Vicki got lost in the passing of platters, gravy bowls and side dishes. She avoided looking at Jesse who fortunately was on the same side of the table as her and at the extreme end.
The longer the meal went on, the less tense the situation got. There was still the occasional time she looked up to see someone glance away, but more often instead the person smiled.
And offered more food.
“You want the mashed potatoes?” Travis held out the bowl. “I did the honours, and I am the king of mashing them.”
“King of eating them as well,” Joel joked. “You sure you can’t put the rest of what’s in the bowl on your plate?”
“I’m being a gentleman and offering our guest a spoonful before I claim the remains.” Travis shook the bowl. “Go on, you know you want some.”
“I’m going to explode.” Vicki turned down the offer. “You go ahead.”
More talk. More laughter. More food. She really was getting uncomfortable. She never ate this much. Platters were removed, bowls were nearly empty when Mike spoke from the head of the table. “You know, I think this is the biggest Six Pack-only gathering we’ve had yet.”
Vicki quickly counted heads. Seventeen. Three single Coleman boys and five kids. Three couples, four counting Joel’s folks.
Her cheeks flushed. Five couples counting her and Joel.
Weird. And hugely uncomfortable.
Mike pushed his chair back and rose to his feet. Silvery-grey painted his temples, and a dusting of lighter strands shot through the dark brown hair on his head, but he was obviously the sire of the six grown men gathered around the table. He cleared his throat.
A toast or something was coming. Vicki planted her hands in her lap to stop from fidgeting.
“When you boys were little, every Thanksgiving we’d go around the table and get you to tell us what you were the most thankful for.”
“I remember that.” Daniel pointed at Joel. “Especially the year Joel shared he was most thankful we hadn’t been caught making rope swings in the barn like you’d told us not to.”
Laughter rose to cover Joel’s protest. “I was five. I was very thankful.”
“Rope swings?” one of the little boys asked.
“Don’t go getting any ideas, young man.” Beth turned to her husband. “You want to let your dad finish speaking?”
Once the amusement died down, all eyes returned to Mike who was nodding, a contemplative expression softening the lines on his face. “I’m not going to get us to do that this year, mostly because there are so many of you if I let you get talking, we’ll never get to dessert. But it did remind me. Every year I’d expect you to say one thing, and damned if nine times out of ten you didn’t surprise me with something else. And you boys always seemed to focus on a different topic than your brothers.”
His gaze trailed down the table as he spoke, lingering for a moment on each person before moving to the next.
“You might all be my sons, but you’re all unique. Over the years you’ve brought different things to this family, both good and bad to be honest, but I’m glad of it all. It’s made us have to band together, and it’s made us learn. And now that there are others than just blood joining us, each of them brings something special with them as well. Things that can make this family stronger and richer because of who they are.”
Vicki kept her chin in place as Mike met her eyes. She refused to turn away, hardly daring to think what it sounded like was true. That he was asking his family to give her a break.
That she was welcome in their midst…
“So as the head of this part of the Colemans, I’m going to give thanks for us all this year.” Mike raised his glass and everyone scrambled to copy him. “To family. Whatever that looks like. Constantly growing, constantly changing, let’s celebrate our strong roots even as the branches reach in new directions.”
Vicki raised her glass, adding her “to family” more hesitantly than the others around her. Clinking glasses with Joel, with Beth. Turning to the other side and connecting with Travis and others farther down the table.
It was the strangest sensation ever. Like she’d stepped into a warm embrace when she’d expected to be slapped. Joel rested his hand on her thigh and squeezed softly, and her throat tightened a little with the sheer flood of emotion washing over her.
God, what she wouldn’t give for her and Joel to be real. Guilt at pulling a fast one should have shaken her to her core, but all she could think of was how good it felt to experience this at least once in her goddamn life.
Fuck doing the right thing; she ached to have this kind of acceptance.
When she glanced at the head of the table and caught Mike smiling at her, she wasn’t sure what to do. He lifted his glass and nodded briefly, then turned to his right and kissed his wife before loudly announcing it was time for dessert.
Vicki put her glass down and snuck her fingers into Joel’s. His bright smile had a shot of surprise in it, but he didn’t let go until they had to have two hands to deal with the plates of pie being passed along.
What a topsy-turvy day it had been.
Chapter Twelve
It had been two weeks since they’d set up their little deal, and the few times they’d gotten together Joel had made sure they hit the tack room for more practice in the saddle. Between her job and the rush of fall chores, there hadn’t been any more date-dates since the family dinner.
Joel stood at the railing and waited. Vicki examined the currently empty corral as if she expected horses to magically sprou
t from the ground and overwhelm her.
“If you put one foot in front of the other and keep moving, it works better,” he teased.
Vicki flashed him her middle finger, but she obeyed, stepping to his side. Her reluctant motion gave him plenty of time to look her over, which gave more than enough time for his body to tighten with need.
She still didn’t have proper boots, but the rest of her wardrobe made that detail slip. Her jeans fit just right, low on her hips and tight enough he wanted to lay a hand on her and stroke until she whimpered with pleasure. She’d found a ladies-cut jean jacket somewhere, and the swell of her breasts pressing the material made him happy for things to come. For when he could get more up close and personal with her.
While they had time for the getting-to-like-horses part, Joel was eager to step up the physical side of the equation. Not just because she was sexy enough to melt his brain, but he liked her. Stubborn, feisty—what was there not to like?
He held out his hand and Vicki accepted it, tucking up against his body.
She tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “Hmm, okay, see you should have told me you were starting with this kind of thing. I would have been over here a lot faster.”
“You need to trust me, remember?” He leaned down and kissed her, just because he could.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and responded eagerly, their tongues tangling as a rush of lust poured through his limbs. Her lips were soft under his, but she gave willingly as he demanded more, taking the kiss deeper, a little rougher. Her enthusiastic response, that strange blend of inexperience and fiery passion Vicki seemed to bring to everything she did, set his body on fire.
Joel grabbed her around the ass and lifted her, dragging their bodies together and swallowing her low groan of pleasure.
When he set her on the top railing and moved back a space, she sighed. “Damn, I like kissing you.”
He tugged her forward until she was perched on the rail, more held by his body than anything else. “Good. Because today you get your reward first.”
She eyed their surroundings. “We’re gonna fool around right out in the open? You’re just daring your family to catch us going at something, aren’t you?”
Joel shrugged. “After last Sunday, I don’t think any of them are going to give us shit whatever we do. My dad was pretty plain about that. But honestly, there’s no one around. Everyone said they had things to do in town, so we’re safe.”
Vicki stared at their bodies, at the intimate position with him stepped up close between her spread thighs. “If you say so, but damn if this doesn’t look like a compromising situation.”
She had no idea. “Lift your head up, darling, and let me at those sweet lips.”
Desire rushed between them, and while he longed for skin on skin, this wasn’t a bad place to be. The late-fall sun tried its best, but mainly body heat kept them warm. Vicki opened her mouth as he caught her by the back of the neck. She slipped her tongue along his lower lip then put her teeth to it gently. All the little things he’d done to her the last times they’d kissed, she proved she’d learned damn well.
It was fun, but not where he was going with this lesson. Joel dragged his lips from hers and worked to calm his breathing. “You’re too tempting. Now turn around and stand on the second railing.”
Vicki frowned but with his help squirmed her way into position. “What are you up to, Joel Coleman?”
“Hmmm, you’ll see.” He lowered his hand to her ass and squeezed. “Damn, I guessed right. You’re the perfect height now.”
Her words came out a touch breathless. “Perfect height for what?”
Joel stepped in closer, meshing their bodies together. “A little exploration.”
He took off his hat and hung it on the post next to them. When he tucked his head down along her neckline he didn’t have to concentrate on anything but her. On the way his cock pressed tight to her legs, on the taste of her skin as he licked her neck.
She shivered. “Okay, so far this lesson is going fine.”
“This isn’t the lesson.” He nipped her ear lobe and she squeaked. “Here’s the lesson. You tell me what’s in front of you while I distract you.”
“It’s a contest?” She wiggled her ass, and he was the one to groan in frustration. “I like contests. Love winning even more.”
“Don’t count your chickens ahead of time, darling.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder, their mouths only inches away. “I have to describe what I see? Not very challenging.”
“Best out of three tries,” Joel whispered. “You ready?”
“Do it.” Vicki planted a quick kiss on his cheek before straightening and grabbing the top railing with both hands. She turned to the barn and started. “There’s a fence around a dirt area. I’m standing on the railing, and the ends of the fence are attached to the north and south barn walls.”
“Doing great. Keep going.” Joel took a deep breath. Planted his hands on her hips and moved in for some fun.
Kissing her neck and the sweet spot behind her ear made her voice tremble, but she kept talking. “There’s another fenced area on the other side of this one, and beyond that are bales piled up. I never knew you could pile round bales, but somehow you guys have done it. They’re wrapped in—oh. Um.”
Joel circled his hands over her breasts again. “You were saying?”
She arched into his grasp as she took a deep breath. “I’m saying you surprised me, but now I’m ready for anything. Do your worst.”
Oh hell, yeah. Joel stroked her belly en route back to her hips.
“Done already?” Her clear disappointment made him smile. “I was enjoying that.”
“Me too. Don’t you worry. You wanted me to up my game, so I am.” He tugged her T-shirt free from her jeans and snuck his hands under the soft cotton. Stroked his fingertips across her skin until his palms rested on her stomach, his thumbs brushing the underside of her tits.
His reward was a full-body shiver. Her grip on the railing tightened. “I’ll go on and talk about the tractors and how—oh my God, that feels good.”
He kept circling, each time his thumbs rising higher until they teased her nipples, only the fabric was too thick to allow him to do more than feel the faintest bump of where the hardened tips must be. “Damn padded bra.”
She snorted. “Trust me, it’s not padded. That’s all me in there.”
“Lined, whatever. It’s in my way. Should have told you to not wear it. Fuck.” It only took a second for him to reach around her and one-handed unclip the hooks.
She laughed. “You did that way too quickly, Joel. What kind of practice hours have you put in?”
“Shut up and tell me about the yard.” He shoved her bra aside and went for skin.
Vicki moaned her approval as he cupped her and returned to nibble on her ear at the same time. Making circles with his thumbs over her erect nipples, savouring the weight of her filling his hands.
“The tractors are green and yellow,” Vicki whispered.
“Count them.” Joel waited until she’d drawn in a breath to answer him then pinched lightly with thumb and forefinger.
She arched harder into his touch. “Who cares? Don’t stop.”
He wanted to strip her down so he could see what he was doing, but there was something to be said for feeling his way.
He had awesome follow-up plans, but the proverbial rock and hard place was starting to wear on him. His rock? The hard-on he was carrying that wouldn’t last much longer if she kept writhing her tight ass against his aching lower body.
Vicki lifted her face to the sun, unsure which was heating her more. The distant rays or the incredible sensation of Joel feeling her up. He crowded close, the thick ridge of his cock pressed to her ass, but it was his hands that obsessed her.
His work-roughened fingertips teased deliciously, the light tugs to her nipples a world apart from when she touched herself. With her non-existent experience with real partners,
she was no stranger to self-pleasure. It shocked her in a good way, how much it turned her on every time Joel slicked his palms over her flesh, how her skin grew more sensitive.
How there seemed to be a direct line between his hands and her aching center, although with him behind her, there was nothing to rub against to ease the want.
“Joel. Oh yeah, touch me. More…”
“You enjoying yourself, darling?” He sucked her earlobe into his mouth, hot tongue tracing around the sensitive skin of the opening as his words whispered past.
She rocked uneasily. His firm grip on her body continued but it wasn’t enough. “I want your mouth on me.”
“It is,” he pointed out, licking again.
Fuck. “On my breasts. You’re making me crazy.”
“Hmm, not yet. You need to earn the next reward.”
He was supporting her anyway, so Vicki let go of the railing with one hand. She snuck her fingers into her pants. If he wasn’t going to help, then screw him. She’d do what she needed on her own. Like usual.
She hadn’t reached her clit before his big mitt of a hand caught her, his fingers trapping hers under the waistband of her jeans.
“None of that. Cheater.”
“Please…” Great, reduced to begging. “We’re still right the hell out in the open, and all I can think of is you touching me.”
“All you can think of?” He pulled her hand from her jeans and adjusted position until he cupped her. When he rubbed, moving the seam of her pants against her sensitive clit, she whimpered.
“Get me off, please.”
He had her in a tight grasp, her naked breast clasped in one hand, a slow torment between her legs caused by his other, his body surrounding her and caging her in. “I will. Close your eyes.”
Vicki snapped them shut, grinding her pelvis into his hand, looking for a little more pressure.
“Shh, I’ll give you what you need in a second. Trust me.” His hand slipped from between her legs, and she bit her lip to stop the protests from escaping. He wrapped her fingers around the railing, adding pressure until she caught hold of the worn timbers. “Keep your eyes closed and count to twenty. I’ll be right back.”
