by Leah Brooke
“Daniel, I don’t know what you’re complaining about. You didn’t want me to live alone, and so I’m staying with J.W.” Her impish grin made his cock stir. “He took up too much room in my bed anyway. His is a king.”
Still grinning, she held the phone away from her ear, leaning forward to kiss J.W. while Daniel called her name in the background.
When she would have pulled away from him, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, deepening his kiss until she moaned and softened against him.
Lifting his head, J.W. reached for the phone, only to have her jerk it back, blinking as if snapping out of a trance. “That was sneaky.”
J.W. smiled and lifted a brow at that, taking her feet into his hands and pulling them onto his lap. Content to listen to her conversation and just watch her—touch her—he reached for the half-glass of lemonade on the table beside her and gulped it down.
Suddenly, Lana stiffened and sat up. “Aren’t you the one who told J.W. to take care of me? Too bad. You’re being unreasonable, Daniel. I am not leaving here to move in with Mom and Dad.”
Angrily, J.W. reached out and took the phone from her, setting her feet aside as he rose. “Daniel, this is J.W.”
He smiled reassuringly at Lana before crossing the patio and walking through the French doors to his office. Not wanting his conversation with her brother to upset her, he closed the door securely behind him.
“Damn it, J.W.! What the hell are you doing sleeping with my sister? I asked you to watch out for her—not seduce her!”
Feeling his temper rise, J.W. clenched his fist at his side, careful to keep his voice low. “If I didn’t know how concerned you’ve been about your sister, or what you’ve been through, you and I would have a serious problem. I didn’t seduce her, and our living arrangements are none of your damned business.”
“She’s my sister.”
“I know she is, which is one of the reasons I’m not going to punch you in the face the next time I see you. If you have a problem with our living arrangements, or anything else that concerns me for that point, talk to me. Don’t yell at Lana. She’s been through enough, don’t you think?”
Daniel blew out a breath, his frustration obvious. “Yes, she has been through enough, and I have a feeling she’s not thinking clearly. How the hell could you take advantage of her that way? I trusted you, damn it!”
Moving to the window on the other side of the room, J.W. felt an icy coldness come over him, partially because he’d wondered several times in the past few weeks if he had taken advantage of her vulnerability.
He felt guilty as hell for it.
“I told you from the start not to question what I did.” Blowing out a breath, he ran a hand through his hair, more furious with himself than Daniel. “I’m not used to explaining myself, Daniel, but for this, I’ll make an exception. I met your sister at the benefit, and we got off on the wrong foot. Sparks flew. We became lovers.”
“Son of a bitch!”
“I didn’t take it lightly then, and I don’t take it lightly now. I’ve been trying to get her to move in with me, and I finally got her here. I’ve got some problems here at the ranch. I can’t stay with her in her apartment anymore. I’m needed here.”
“You’ve been staying with her?”
“Of course.” J.W. had had just about enough of explaining himself. “She’s mine, Daniel, and I won’t let anyone—even you—interfere in our relationship. Now, if you’d like to talk to me about your beautiful wife and tell me how she’s doing, fine. If not, this conversation’s over. I just came in, and Lana and I are going to have dinner.”
“Damn it, J.W., I know your reputation with women. I trust you, though. Just don’t make me regret it.”
“I hope neither one of us regrets it. Your sister’s giving me a hard time. I thought I’d never get her to move to the ranch.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”
“Your sister’s different. Special.”
“I know. It breaks my heart to see how much she’s changed.”
“She needs to get her confidence back. I’m working on it.” Unused to talking about his personal life, J.W. changed the subject. “So how’s the expectant mother?”
Daniel chuckled. “Kristen’s as beautiful as ever, cranky and uncomfortable. What do you mean Lana’s yours? Are you that serious about her.”
“Yes. Call when Kristen’s in labor.” Grinning, J.W. disconnected, cutting off Daniel’s curse, and went back out to the patio to find Lana.
Pausing, he looked down at himself.
First, he had to go take a shower.
* * * *
After dinner, a knock on the sliding door to the study startled Lana. She jolted, spilling coffee onto the kitchen table. “Oh!”
J.W. reached for her hand. “It’s okay, baby. I told you that I was expecting John and Rod. John’s used to coming to the study door. We meet there most nights to talk for a few minutes. You don’t have anything to worry about.”
Embarrassed, Lana pulled her hand from his and wiped the spilled coffee. “I know. I’m just jittery.”
Rising, J.W. ran a hand over her hair, his eyes searching. “Why don’t you go up and unpack while I talk to them? I like the idea of your things with mine. I won’t be long.”
“But the dishes—”
“Don’t worry about the dishes. Just relax.” Bending, he touched his lips to her hair. “I won’t be long.”
After he left the kitchen, Lana turned in the other direction and went to the master bedroom, pausing just inside.
The masculine room carried J.W.’s warm, clean scent and immediately gave her a sense of security, one that she hadn’t found in her apartment.
She’d never lived with a man before, and very conscious of imposing, she went to the dresser he’d told her to use and slowly opened the top drawer.
She hadn’t brought much so it took no time at all to put things away in the drawer and a few in the closet. After hurriedly placing her suitcase in the closet, she went back out into the bedroom again, pausing when she noticed her bat propped against the foot of the bed,
Knowing she slept with a weapon a hell of a lot more deadly than a bat, she smiled to herself and stuck it in the closet before she left the room to tackle the dishes.
J.W.’s deep tone reached her, and although she paid no attention to what he and the other men said, the sound of their voices settled her, the knowledge that J.W. was close by giving her a sense of security she’d never take for granted again.
With their voices in the background, she left her thoughts drift.
She wished she knew what J.W. and her brother had talked about, but J.W. had told her only that he’d told her brother to mind his own business.
They’d been friends for years, and not only did it mean a lot to her that they got along now that she and J.W. had become lovers but she also didn’t want her relationship with J.W. to come between them.
Lost in thought, Lana reached up to put the last plate away just as a strong arm came around her from behind, startling her so badly she almost dropped the plate.
J.W. must have anticipated it because he caught it before she could drop it, his lips warm against her neck. “Sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to startle you. I thought you heard me say your name. Why’d you do the dishes? I told you to unpack.”
Nuzzling her neck, he slid the plate into the cabinet and wrapped both arms around her, covering her breasts and massaging gently. “I like the idea of your things next to mine. Did you have enough room?”
Covering his hands with hers, she leaned back against him and closed her eyes as she tilted her head to the side to give him better access. “Hmm. Plenty.” She smiled and tilted her neck a little more, a moan escaping at the little ripples of pleasure racing from her neck downward to her nipples. “I only brought enough for a few days.” She tried to move his hands faster over her breasts, but he kept his massage light and slow. “I already told Alice that I know I’m onl
y a guest here, but I’m not about to let her clean up after me. Besides, I didn’t have anything else to do.” She smiled when she felt his cock pressing at the small of her back and purposely rubbed against it to tease him the way he teased her. “Are you done with your meeting?”
J.W.’s teeth scraped over her neck in playful retaliation. “It’s not exactly a meeting. I told you that John and I like to get together each evening to discuss things that need to be done. Things that happened that day. Problems. Ranch business. Tonight I’m promoting Rod to assistant foreman.” Sliding his hands up her shirt, he teased her nipples through her bra. “I find myself wanting to stay closer to home.”
Lana’s heart raced. “Why are you telling me this?”
J.W. lifted his head to meet her gaze. “Because this is your home now. It’s important for you to know what’s going on. I want you to feel comfortable here.”
Smiling, Lana turned in his arms and stood on her toes to press her lips to his jaw. “And what do you plan to do here, especially since Alice is here all day?”
Brushing his lips over hers, he smiled faintly. “Let’s just consider the day foreplay for the nights.” Straightening, he slid his hands from under her shirt. “For now, I want you to come and meet John and Rod. It’s important to me for them to know who you are, and for you to know them.”
Guiding her from the kitchen with a hand at her waist, he led her down the short, wide hallway, past the laundry and mudroom and to the study, where two men waited for them.
Getting to their feet, both men, dressed in jeans, button-down shirts, and cowboy boots held their hats in their hands in front of them.
Keeping a strong arm around her, J.W. urged her forward. “Lana, this is John Hudson, my foreman.”
The older man smiled, making the lines on his face even more pronounced. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
Lana smiled and offered her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. J.W.’s told me a lot about you.”
“All good, I hope.”
Lana laughed softly, liking him immediately. “All good.”
J.W. rubbed her back and gestured toward the other, much younger man. “And this is Rod Stevens. He’s also a foreman and will be sharing responsibilities with John.”
Rod had dark hair that barely skimmed his collar and sharp, dark eyes that seemed to see right through her. His small smile gleamed white against his tanned, olive skin, a tenderness in it that contrasted sharply with his dangerous looks. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
He spoke with a slight accent, and she realized immediately that he was of Mexican descent. He lifted his gaze to J.W.’s almost at once, his demeanor respectful. “Thanks again for the promotion, boss. I won’t let you down.”
J.W. smiled. “I know you won’t.”
Once the other men left, J.W. locked the door behind them and turned to her. “I’ve been imagining you naked in my bed all day.”
Lana’s heart raced as he stepped closer, the erotic intent in his eyes igniting fires in every erogenous zone in her body. “It’s a big bed. There’s a lot of room.”
J.W.’s eyes flared. “Not where I’m going. Where I’m going is nice and tight.”
Chapter Eleven
Lana fisted her hands in J.W.’s hair, kissing him back with a hunger that seemed to grow stronger and more intense every day.
The sense of connection with him also grew stronger, a connection that scared her on so many levels, but that filled her with peace she’d been searching for.
She feared depending on him too heavily, but the security and affection he surrounded her with had already become indispensable.
She clung to his strength like a lifeline while need for him quickly grew out of control.
Carrying her into the bedroom, he lifted his head. “Shhh. Calm down, baby.” Brushing his lips over hers, he strode to his bed and lowered her to the mattress. “I’m gonna take that sweet ass tonight, baby, and I’m not gonna be in any hurry.”
Sitting up slightly, he hurriedly unbuttoned her top and flung it aside. “We’re gonna take it nice and slow.”
Reaching up, she slid her hands under his T-shirt, shoving it up and out of the way, revealing a chest of smooth, hard muscle. Pressing her lips against it, she rained kisses everywhere she could reach, getting to her knees to reach higher as she attempted to take his shirt off. “I’ve never been with a man taller than I am.” She groaned in frustration when he put enough distance between them to remove her bra and toss it aside.
Even the second or two separated from him as he stripped out of his own clothes left her chilled.
J.W. chuckled softly as he reached for her again and worked her out of her skirt, laying her back again to pull it down her legs and toss it aside. “You’ve never been with any man but me.”
Sliding her hands down his chest to his belt, Lana lifted her face to his, her heart tripping at the hunger in his hooded gaze. “You know what I mean.”
Slipping his thumbs into her panties at each side, he smiled, ripping the fabric and tossing it aside. “I know what you mean, baby. Hmm. Naked and in my bed.” Pushing her hair back from her face, he stared down at her. “The last time we were here, I took your virginity. Now I plan to take your other virginity.”
A flick of his tongue over first one nipple and then the other had her writhing beneath him, her hands clenching on his shoulders. The knowledge that he planned to take her in such an intimate and carnal way had her ass clenching and tingling in anticipation. “J.W.! Hurry.” She couldn’t stand the sharp awareness much longer.
“Not a chance.” Scraping his teeth over the sensitive underside of her breast, he used his powerful shoulders to push her thighs wide. “Every time I explore you, I learn something new, and this time I plan to learn quite a bit. I won’t be satisfied until I know every one of your secrets.”
Her stomach muscles quivered under his lips, her moans becoming harsher. Her breath caught when his hands wrapped around her thighs, anticipation making her tremble. “J.W.! Oh God.”
The intense heat at her slit made her desperate to press her thighs together, but J.W.’s shoulders held them parted.
His hot tongue slid through her slit, his low groan of appreciation vibrating through her. He took his time, the slow slide of his tongue teasing her mercilessly before dipping into her pussy. He fucked her with his tongue, the strokes of his tongue becoming harder and more demanding.
Possessive.
He lifted his head just enough to glance up at her before his lips closed over her clit, sucking it gently but with a firmness that sent a shockwave through her. Easily overcoming her struggles, he held her still, chuckling against her slit. “You wouldn’t be tryin’ to get away from me, baby, would you?”
She couldn’t deny the erotic feel of being held so securely, his hold making her feel safe instead of defenseless.
The gentle way he used his mouth on her now made her crazy, and she kicked at him in frustration, so close to coming she could taste it.
Just as her body tightened and she thought she would go over, he slid his tongue lower, fucking her pussy with it again.
“J.W.! Stop teasing me, damn it!” She kicked at him, her kicks ineffective against his strength.
He lifted his head only inches and chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. “No.” He slid his hands up her inner thighs to close on the backs of her knees, spreading her wider and making it impossible to kick at him anymore.
Then he did something that made it impossible to move at all.
Lifting her higher, he ran his tongue from her pussy to her puckered opening, sending shocking sparks of electricity from her puckered opening to the inner walls of her ass.
With a cry of stunned pleasure, she tried to push away from such intense sensation, but J.W. held firm. “J.W.! You c–can’t do that. Oh God!” Her ass clenched incessantly, the need to be filled overwhelming.
J.W. lifted his head and lowered her to the mattress again, the sound of the dr
awer opening in the darkening room making her jolt. “Yes, I can. The only things I can’t do are things that hurt you or that you just don’t like.” His finger slid into her soaked pussy. “Baby, you seem to like this just fine.”
He brushed his lips against her inner thigh, moving closer and closer to her pussy. “I could do this all damned night. I love the taste of you, the feel of you. God, those sounds of pleasure make my cock throb. I want more.” Holding her knees high and wide again, he ran his tongue through her slit, dipping it into her pussy before concentrating on her clit again.
Lana jumped, her clit so hot and swollen that the slightest touch threatened to send her over. “I want to f–feel you, t–too. Oh God. Please!”
To her surprise, he turned on the light.
“I need to see you.” He flipped her to her belly with an ease that never failed to thrill her and bunched two pillows under her hips.
Too aroused to be completely embarrassed, Lana hesitated only momentarily when he parted her thighs again. “J.W.!”
“Shh.” Running his hands over her bottom, he moved between her legs again, effectively keeping them parted. “You’re not ready to have your ass taken yet. We need to play a little.” Holding her hips, he used his teeth, tongue, and lips on her bottom cheeks, each intimate caress heightening the awareness in her ass.
Fisting her hands in the bedding, Lana bit her lip, aware that her position left her ass high in the air, her most private opening now clearly visible in the light. She could feel his gaze there for several heart-pounding seconds before his teeth scraped over her bottom cheek. “J.W., what the hell are you doing to me?”
She didn’t feel like herself at all. She felt carnal. Exotic. The raw, primitive hunger made her demanding, and she found herself opening wider, desperate for relief.
Lana’s toes curled, and trembling with excitement, she found herself lifting herself to him, the erotic feel of his tongue and lips on her puckered opening stunning her.
Her clit still ached with need, and to get attention there, she lifted herself higher, but J.W. only chuckled against her bottom, nipping her ass cheek lightly before resuming his attention to her puckered opening, the light flicks of his tongue driving her insane.
