Six Pack Ranch [5] Rocky Mountain Rebel

by Vivian Arend

  Travis distributed beers, and singing along with the radio resumed. Small talk, easy company. Laughter rose as their conversation veered into stories about Joel and Travis as they grew up and played fast ones on their older brothers.

  Vicki sipped her beer slowly, not sure how she would react after the moonshine. The erotic background created by the flickering of the fire and Joel’s constant caresses drove a rising need in her core.

  Travis and Ashley were more obvious about the petting they were doing. The other woman’s coat gaped open to show she had only a shimmering camisole under the thick covering. Travis kissed her often, catching hold of her head and interrupting the conversation whenever he wanted. His hands controlling her.

  Vicki swallowed, her heart beating faster than it should. Joel nuzzled her neck, and she would have given anything to be back in her apartment. Or in the tent, or anywhere private for that matter.

  Ashley hopped up on the tailgate, swaying her upper body to the music. “Come on, Vicki, let’s dance.”

  She found her footing, hips moving in time with the heavy beat in the song. Vicki watched for a moment, unsure what to do.

  Joel stroked her again, his thumb slipping over her nipple and making the hair at the back of her neck stand upright. “Your decision. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

  All her deliberations from earlier in the week, after the incident in the barn, rushed back in. About how she was leaving in the spring and this entire relationship was a sham. She had to protect her heart, not set herself up for more pain.

  This was time for casual fun. Nothing permanent about this situation. Why not dance? There were only the two guys. It wasn’t as if she were stripping in front of an entire club.

  She pushed off the blanket and bounced up, swaying in surprise for a moment as her balance went out of kilter.

  Joel caught her with one hand. “Whoa, you okay there, darling?”

  She lifted her chin. “I’m more than okay.”

  Vicki leaned over and kissed him, letting her hands explore his groin as their lips meshed. Yeah, he was already excited. Good thing, because she sure didn’t want the sexual buzz of the evening to be hers to experience all alone.

  She slipped his grasp and backed away with a wink. “I need some dance time to warm me up.”

  “I’ll warm you up,” he growled, but she was out of reach, hoisting herself onto the tailgate with Ashley’s help.

  “Nice.” The other woman swayed, spinning her hips toward the guys and glancing over her shoulder at Travis. “Let’s see how long they last before we find ourselves being hauled off for a little ravishing.”

  Ashley had leaned in close, the words whispering out, her sweet cinnamon breath brushing Vicki’s cheek.

  “This is a game?”

  Ashley ran her hand down Vicki’s forearm and slipped their hands together so she could squeeze her fingers tight for a second. “Honey, life’s always a game of some type. The rules are win, and have fun while winning. Simple. Right?”

  The pulse in the music echoed through Vicki’s body. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  The blonde at her side stepped away and got into the dance, staring down at Travis with a challenge as she swung her hips and slid her hands up her torso.

  All that was caught in a second’s glance before Vicki turned to see what Joel was doing.

  Oh my. He’d eased himself back in his chair, long legs stretched in front of him. The erect state of his cock was easy to see as it pushed the fabric of his jeans. He had a thick sweater on, so there was no way to enjoy the intimate sexiness of his torso, although, sweet mercy, the man was built, that much was obvious even through his layers.

  Joel lifted his hands and linked his fingers behind his head, his gaze drifting over her.

  She was suddenly at a loss as to what to do. “Umm, Ashley? I don’t…?”

  The other woman swayed to her side, wrapping an arm around her waist even as she kept time with the music. “What’s happening, you need a dance lesson? You were doing fine the other day. Just loosen up. Feel the music.”

  Ashley stepped behind her and put her hands on Vicki’s hips. Vicki was simultaneously more tense and more relaxed. With Ashley’s help she’d found the beat again, the two of them pressed together and swinging their hips.

  But the heat in Joel’s eyes when Vicki glanced his way stirred something inside and made her body ache in places that had no right to be turned on. Not when she was basically in another woman’s arms. Even though it was Joel Vicki focused on, his eyes locked on where Ashley’s hands clutched her.

  It should have felt like cheating. Heck, if she’d been dancing this close with another guy in front of her date, she’d have considered it over the line.

  This time, seeing Joel adjust in his chair, easing his hips to the side, she didn’t think she was in trouble. Not yet. And that pissed her off. A lot.

  They were supposed to be boyfriend and girlfriend, but a little girl-on-girl action was okay with him?

  Maybe the moonshine had been a lot more potent than she’d imagined because all of a sudden all she could think of was taking this to the next level. She’d gotten her first kiss from Joel, her first of just about everything.

  But there were some firsts he couldn’t give her, right?

  Only a good time, nothing permanent.

  She leaned harder on Ashley, reaching a hand around to catch hold of the other woman.

  A long, low moan escaped as Ashley returned the favour, sneaking her hand off Vicki’s hip and onto her belly. “That’s it, I thought you’d like this. Come on, honey, shake your hips. Yeah, now raise your hands and drape them around my neck.”

  Vicki obeyed so mindlessly she wasn’t sure what had come over her. Joel stared, every muscle gone rigid.

  “You’re driving him crazy,” Ashley whispered in her ear, right before what had to be lips pressed to her neck.

  Vicki shivered, her body arched as she let her head fall back on Ashley’s shoulder. “I think I’m a little insane. What the hell are we doing?”

  “Winning the game, honey. Trust me, your guy needs a kick in the butt right now. If I’m not wrong he’s about ten seconds from storming over here and hauling you away like you’re his prize possession.”

  Was that what Vicki wanted? To be claimed?

  God, yes, but it was the wrong answer. She wanted so desperately to belong, and the longing had to be fought with everything in her. She twisted in Ashley’s arms, her breathing unsteady as she stared at the other woman, their bodies still touching.

  One way to make this clear. It seemed so logical. She’d take charge of her own sexual education from here on. Starting with—

  Starting with…

  Ashley’s eyes were wickedly dark as her pupils and irises blended together into one mesmerizing mass. What Vicki was considering was insane, maybe even stupid. This experience had never been on her agenda, but somehow she found herself craving it as she leaned forward and kissed Ashley.

  Warm mouth, soft lips. The contact was…thrilling. Not as overwhelming as Joel’s kiss, there was no comparison, but the sweetness was delicious. And when Ashley slipped her tongue along Vicki’s lips, she opened without a complaint, the kisser now becoming the kissee.

  So many sensations overwhelmed her senses. Ashley’s body pressed closer, all curves and gentle slopes. Vicki snuck her fingers up and along the smooth skin of Ashley’s neck as their tongues brushed. Ashley rubbed their hips together, and Vicki moaned, desire rising fast.

  She’d barely had time to register that Ashley tasted faintly like watermelons when big hands wrapped around her waist and she was jerked from the kiss. The other woman winked saucily, licking her lips.

  That’s all she saw before the view changed and Vicki realized she was in deep shit.

  Chapter Twenty

  Joel didn’t say a word. He’d watched the dance progress and wondered what the hell the girls were up to until he couldn’t hold back any longer
.

  Not only was he achingly hard, he was fucking pissed off. Vicki didn’t seem to get the idea of this whole deal between them, and like hell was she going to fool around with anyone, guy or girl, while they were a couple.

  Possessiveness had never been an issue for him before, but right now he wanted to stamp her with his brand and make it abundantly clear the only person doing any touching, kissing or otherwise, would be him.

  Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Travis approaching Ashley, but he had more important things to do than pay attention to his brother. He lifted Vicki into the air and spun her, a little squeal escaping her lips.

  Her lashes fluttered for a moment before she glanced away.

  “Hell no, you don’t get to pretend you didn’t do that on purpose. Look at me.”

  Vicki lifted her gaze until her eyes were just visible through her lashes, her chin still tucked down.

  Going to play that game, was she? Fine, he could give her what she needed as well as teach her a lesson even if she continued the shy schoolgirl ploy. “Wrap your legs around my waist,” he ordered.

  Vicki moved quickly, her hands on his shoulders clutching tighter as he jogged to the right of the fire where the rock face showed through the hillside. He pressed her back to the smooth surface, and her eyes popped wide as he ground his erection over her clit.

  “Joel, I—”

  He swallowed her excuses. As he ravished her mouth, the faint taste of another person made him want to mark Vicki five ways to Sunday. He tugged her coat aside at the waistline and snuck his hand upward. Naked breast filled his palm and he let his growl of satisfaction escape.

  He wasn’t done kissing her, but needed more. He dragged their mouths apart, hoisted her higher in the air. Vicki caught hold of his head, balancing herself as he shoved up her shirt and in one move took her nipple into his mouth.

  “Oh God, Joel.” Vicki fisted her fingers, pulling his hair. She wasn’t hauling him off her, but keeping him close.

  He sucked hard, laving his tongue over her nipple until she whimpered. Slow wasn’t happening, not tonight. Joel broke off, lowered her feet to the dirt and reached for her zipper. “Off. Get them off.”

  Vicki had her lower lip between her teeth. “Strip?”

  He squeezed her ass. “Right here, right fucking now.”

  She lowered her zipper, glancing over his shoulder.

  “Don’t look at anyone but me.” Joel yanked one side of her jeans down, panties going with it. The heat off her body made something inside crack. “I’m the only one you need to worry about, got it? Stop thinking about the others and focus on us. On me. I’m the one who’s going to fuck you until you can’t walk.”

  That wide-eyed-doe look did something to him. For a split second he worried he’d gone too far before he noticed her breathing had kicked up a notch, and she was clutching his sweater to keep him close, not push him away.

  Everything else vanished but the driving need to be inside her.

  He whipped a condom out of his pocket and pressed it to her palm. Vicki swallowed, crowded as she was between his body and the rocky outcrop. Joel slammed down his zipper and hauled out his cock, the erect length hard and more than ready.

  Condom wrapper abandoned to the ground, he rolled the latex on before focusing his attention on his now-silent girlfriend.

  She had one leg still in her jeans, the other bare. He was fully dressed but for his cock.

  “You ready for me?” Joel smoothed his fingers along her sex, slipping through the folds and finding what he’d hoped. “You’re good and turned on, aren’t you?”

  “God, yes.”

  She leaned her head back on the rock and thrust her hips toward him, as if she couldn’t get enough. He pressed his finger into her core and she sucked in air.

  Joel growled. “You like this a lot. The idea of being fucked right out in the open.”

  He sure the hell did. He spread her on a second digit, then a third while she panted lightly, her fingers digging into his shoulders even through the layers he wore.

  He slipped his fingers from her heat, hoisted her in the air, and lined them up, his cock nudging her sex. He settled her shoulders against the rock wall.

  Their eyes met and he drove deep.

  The cry of pleasure from her lips only made it easier to continue, pumping into her frantically, thrusting like a mad man. The fabric from her empty jean leg dangled toward the ground, flapping as they moved. Vicki had her eyes closed, sheer ecstasy on her face.

  Everything leading up to this moment meant Joel teetered on a thread. His climax built like pressure behind a dam, balls tightening, electric shocks sliding along his spine. He had less than a dozen strokes left before he’d lose it.

  A slight adjustment allowed him to squeeze his hand between their bodies all the way down to her clit. She gasped when he touched her, eyes flying open to stare, breathless, as he pinched the sensitive nub.

  Another thrust.

  Another.

  Vicki squeezed her legs tighter around him, pulling in time with his thrusts and driving his cock deeper. It felt so damn good he forgot everything except the need to make her come before he did. Had to be soon because, dammit, he wasn’t going to last.

  Another stroke, harder to her clit.

  Another thrust, deeper this time as he angled his hips. Vicki moaned sweetly, a long, low noise edging higher. Joel worked her harder, and her body quivered under him, nearly there…nearly there…

  She jerked hard enough he almost lost his balance. He did lose his control. Climax spilling out, balls emptying so hard his legs went rubbery.

  Vicki gasped as he thrust a couple more times, her passage so tight around him he couldn’t bear to leave.

  Until they both stopped shaking, Joel leaned into her, supporting them with the meager energy left in his lower limbs. Cold air swirled around them, and he stroked her naked leg where it rested over his hip, warming her with his palm.

  “Hmm, that feels nice.” Vicki whispered the words, her breathing nearly back to normal. “Joel?”

  He leaned his shoulders away just enough to see her face. “Yeah?”

  She stroked his cheek and smiled contentedly. “I liked that. Totally hot.”

  So had he, but he hadn’t forgotten why he’d been insane. Frantic sex had eased his anger, and the way she burrowed in against his neck, he didn’t think she was pissed off at all he’d been a demanding asshole this time around.

  Which was good, because he’d enjoyed the sex a lot. But this wasn’t the end, it was the beginning.

  He wasn’t about to start the next step now, with his cock still embedded in her body, but once they were back to civilization, they were going to have a long-postponed conversation. About her disappearance the days before, the fuck-it-all attitude she’d had tonight. Hell, even dig a little deeper into a few other areas that up to now they’d avoided in the good old time they’d been having while hanging out.

  Screw going slow. It was past time for some secrets to be shared.

  Vicki accepted the cup of hot chocolate from Joel, staring around her in amazement.

  He hadn’t taken her home after they’d driven back to the ranch house and dropped off Ashley and Travis. Well, not true. He’d taken her home and told her to pack a bag, then he’d hustled her out the door and into his truck. Driving into the mountains for an hour in the deepening black was a little like moving into a fantasy world.

  The heat under her fingers was the only solid, non-confusing part, so she focused on it. A few sips at a time to center herself before she had to break the silence.

  The tiny cabin had a small counter on one wall, the door to a bathroom on another, and the rest of the room was pretty much taken up with bed. This little corner she’d claimed was right in front of the wood-burning fireplace Joel had gotten going only moments after ushering her in the door.

  The entire evening had bordered on the fantastic, and she was still reeling.

  “How d
id you set this up so quickly?” She stroked the carpet under her fingers, luxuriating in the softness.

  “Friend of the family. We have a standing invitation. I checked the website, and it wasn’t booked for the next couple nights, so it’s ours.”

  Vicki shifted position as Joel lowered himself to the floor, his blue eyes catching hold of hers and not letting go.

  She wasn’t sure why they were there, but that expression he wore scared her a little. “It’s pretty, but I don’t understand why we took off so fast.”

  Joel leaned back on the foot of the bed, stretching his legs in front of him. “We need to talk, and there was a definite lack of places we could be uninterrupted. My place was out. Hope could stop in at any time at your new place.”

  “Forget the barn, since everyone we know finds us there eventually, right?”

  He smiled at her joke. “Yeah…”

  He wanted to talk. Vicki held herself very still. She didn’t think he’d haul her all the way out to a cabin to tell her he’d had enough of their little game. He’d been really pissed off when she’d…it seemed unreal now…kissed Ashley, but his anger had vanished after they’d had the incredible sex.

  Vicki waited. No way was she going to open up the conversation without knowing what he was looking for. She still trusted him. There was no way she would have come with him for the night if she didn’t.

  Although she quickly shoved a few reinforcement bricks into the wall she had to maintain around her heart.

  He didn’t keep her on tenterhooks for long. Reached over and plucked the cup from her hand and put it to the side. When he kept hold of her fingers and caressed them, she wanted to snatch her hands back because his touch was so tender she was going to come apart.

  Joel cleared his throat. “I’m a stupid shit.”

  She couldn’t help it. Vicki burst out laughing. “That’s not what I expected you to say.”

  “It’s true, though.” His thumb stroked the back of her hand as he carried on. “I understand more why, for the past few years, Blake and Daniel have told me I’m too young to grasp what’s going on. Why Matt shakes his head and pokes at me that some day when I grow up things will make more sense. I’m a shit because all the time we’ve been together I’ve been far more focused on me. Like some typical kid whose world is a ten-foot space, and they’re the center of the fucking universe.”