Burning Desire

by Ami Snow

  “Is that a compliment?” Derrick asked sarcastically. “Because if not, I’ll have to refresh your memory sooner than I planned.”

  “It’s the best compliment Rachel laughed.” They finally took their dip in the pond and dressed to head home. The ride home was slower than the one they’d taken to the pond, but it gave them time to talk. Derrick told Rachel about school and the night everything had changed. He went through the events as if they had just happened. Rachel told Derrick about her dreams of winning the barrel racing competition in the rodeo and what she planned to do if she did.

  “So you’re leaving, if you win?” Derrick asked.

  “I don’t know,” Rachel said. “For the longest time I’ve dreamed of moving away from this small town, of seeing the cities and traveling. Then you showed up.”

  “I shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your dreams Rachel,” Derrick said, even as his heart fell. “If traveling and visiting the large cities like New York and Los Angeles, then you should do it.”

  “So this, tonight meant nothing to you?”

  “I didn’t say that,” Derrick replied. “I said that you should follow your dreams. I care about you Rachel and I’ll be sad if you decide to leave. But I have no right to stop you.”

  “Are you interested in someone else?”

  “No,” Derrick said. “But with everything I have hanging over my head your father is already risking his own to help me. I can’t ask him for you as well.”

  “Ask him for me?” Rachel laughed. “Am I a child that you should ask for my curfew? I’m a woman grown Derrick. A woman who makes up her own mind about her life and who she sees, what she does.”

  “My mother raised me to treat the lady I care for with respect. It’d be disrespectful if I didn’t ask your father for permission to see you.”

  “We just made love at a secluded pond Derrick,” Rachel smiled. “I think it’s a little late for asking permission. Unless you’d like to tell my father about our time out tonight.”

  “I’ll pass,” Derrick smiled. “But I am serious Rachel. If you want to travel, you should do it. Not that I won’t do everything in my power to convince you to stay with me.”

  ***

  The next morning Rachel was ready to go when her father said that he’d be meeting Derrick at the small airport just outside the city. “You’re going?” Rick asked, eyeing his daughter.

  “I promised I’d help,” she said, heading for the car before he could argue. She rode quietly beside her dad, until he started talking.

  “You went swimming last night,” Rick mentioned lightly.

  “I did,” she replied. “It was a good night for it.”

  “Derrick went with you.”

  “He did,” she smiled. “Dad we’ve talked about this. My personal life is mine. Do you really want the details?”

  “No,” Rick said. “But I’d like to think that I taught you better than just giving yourself to a man because he stirs your blood.”

  “You did. You and mom sort of drilled it into me.”

  “Good.”

  “And just so you know,” Rachel smiled. “I haven’t given myself to anyone in more than three years. But there’s something about Derrick that pulls at me. Something I’ve never felt for or from anyone else. I care for him.”

  “That being said, we don’t know all there is to know about this man Rachel. I have a good feeling about him as well, but I’d still like you to be cautious.”

  “He said I should follow my dreams, even if it meant leaving. He’d sacrifice what he wants to see me happy Dad.”

  “That can be a double edged sword sweetheart. Relationships have to have balance in order to work, especially for the long-term.”

  “So you think I should back off?”

  “Are you the one who started everything?”

  “It was sort of a mutual decision,” Rachel said. “But I have to say that if I needed a reason to stay here, Derrick would be the leading one.”

  Rachel didn’t need to see her dad’s face to see that he was worried. She couldn’t say anything to reassure him so she kept quiet. They met Derrick at the airfield and the smile on his face said more than any words he might have uttered. “Jack will be ready in just a minute,” Rick said, stepping onto the ladder and up into the airplane.

  “Good morning,” Derrick said, touching her cheek. She closed her eyes and smiled. Before she could think of something to say Derrick took her mouth in a slow, simmering kiss. Her lips parted and warmed as the kiss went deeper. Conscious of her father’s presence Rachel pulled away and smiled.

  “You’ll want to save the rest of that for later,” she chuckled. “And good morning.”

  Derrick helped her up the ladder, letting her lead. She found her seat to be luxuriously comfortable. When Rick came out of the cockpit he looked from Derrick and Rachel and nearly winced. “We’ll be ready to go shortly.”

  “Mr. Parsons can I speak to you in private?”

  “Alright,” Rick agreed. He led Derrick back to a small room and the two men sat down.

  “I’m not sure what Rachel has and hasn’t told you. I’ve come to have strong feelings for your daughter sir. I know that we’re just getting to know each other and I’ll respect whatever you want, but I’d like your permission to see her on a personal level.”

  “I commend your forthrightness son,” Rick said sighing. “It’s not easy raising kids, especially daughters. It tries a father’s heart for sure. Rachel has been taught from a child that her choices are her own, as are the consequences. She’s of age and any control I might once have had is long gone. She’s free to see you on whatever level she chooses. I would ask that you remember each other when making decisions. Think about her before you do something. Think about how she’ll feel when she finds out and ask yourself whether or not she’ll be happy. Be honest and upfront, especially if you should decide that she no longer is the woman you want to spend time with. A broken heart heals faster when it’s told the truth instead of dragged around in a lie.”

  “I agree completely sir,” Derrick assured him. “I appreciate our talk and all your help. If I can track down my old friend’s, maybe I can figure out how to get out of this mess.”

  “Let’s hope there’s some strong leads out there.”

  They touched down as close to Points Bluff as they could and the search started in earnest. Derrick showed Rick and Rachel where he’d last seen his two companions. It was a small patch of woods off a major intersection that was now busy with traffic. “This was the last place I saw them.”

  “And you checked the obituaries?”

  “You were right to suspect foul play,” Derrick said, his face falling. “Both of them were killed less than six months ago. That must be why Cassandra’s hounding me. She doesn’t have any more leads on her money.”

  “What are you going to do when you find it?”

  “Turn it in, along with myself and hopefully catch Cassandra as well.”

  “I’ll hire an attorney,” Rick said, his voice brokering no argument. “Maybe a talk with the D.A. in exchange for your help, will get them to loosen your sentence some.”

  “Maybe,” Derrick said, but didn’t hold out hope. He deserved whatever the District Attorney’s Office slapped on him.

  It took them all day and into the afternoon to track Derrick’s original movements. When he stopped the three of them started digging. They dug an ever increasing swath of dirt and three more hours into it, hit a large metal box.”

  “Got something,” Rick called over his shoulder. Derrick took the metal box and lifted it out. Under it were three more boxes, all in the shape and manner of a safety deposit box from a bank. Derrick opened the first box to see fresh bank notes sitting inside. The other remaining boxes held the same and together the three of them worked to unearth all four boxes. They filled the hole in as best they could and carried the boxes back to the plane. Rachel rode with Derrick to the Points Bluff Sherriff’s office, retelling the e
ntire story from beginning to end.

  “You say you’re willing to wear a wire and meet with this Cassandra?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Alright,” the Sherriff said. “We’ll get you cleaned up, get some fresh bills in a bag for you and see how that sits with the judge once we catch this woman.

  Derrick met Cassandra at Winwood an hour behind schedule. “I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show, just like your friends.”

  Derrick kept his emotions under control. The less Cassandra knew the better. “I said I would, here I am. I also have your money. Three million in small, unmarked bills as promised. It took me some time to track it down, but its here.”

  “Excellent,” Cassandra said with a huge smile. “I suppose I should be honest and tell you that your two friends met their untimely deaths when they failed to produce my cash. I was sorry about that as it’s always a last resort. However, now that we’re squared away, you’re free to live out your life in peaceful ignorance. If you ever want some easy money again, let me know. I could use an honest man such as yourself.” Derrick waited for Cassandra to take out a couple stacks of bills and toss them at him. “And as promised, two hundred thousand in cash. That should relieve those student loans some huh?” She laughed and Derrick shivered at the evil sound of it.

  Derrick took his evidence back to the Sherriff in time for Cassandra to be captured. He knew that she’d be furious with him, but all the money would go back where it belonged and he could get on with his life without all of his past choking that life out of him. The next week came quickly and Derrick took Rachel with him to purchase his breed stock for his horse ranch. He bought the property outright and negotiated a loan for the three other adjacent lots that had sat empty for a while. He had the homes on those lots moved to a piece of donated land and they were quickly turned into shelters for the homeless and needy. Two months after the Sherriff at Points Bluff nabbed Cassandra, he wrote a pardon letter for Derrick releasing him of any legal of civil responsibility tied to the case. He was truly a free man and is past could finally be buried.

  He and Rachel continued to strengthen their relationship and she was able to do some much needed and desired traveling over the next year. Every time she came home Derrick always hosted a special, private dinner for them and the more she came and went the more he fell in love with her. A year to the day after he’d first walked into the bank for an account, Derrick asked Rachel to marry him. Six months later the tied the knot and learned to live the lives they’d always dreamed of. Thankfully Derrick’s risk paid off and his quarter horse business took off, thanks in part to great original stock and Rachel’s incessant advertising. They expanded their properties even more and Rachel finally found a reason to stay home for a while when she told Derrick that she was pregnant. Thankfully Rick and Julie Parsons were also thrilled at the news and Derrick was finally able to settle down in Crescent City, Arizona and sow seeds for his very abundant future.

  THE END

  Taken Rough by the Rodeo Cowboy

  COWBOY ROMANCE

  By: Amanda Bolton

  Taken Rough by the Rodeo Cowboy

  “Daisy!” Maggie had to shout to be heard. Having a wedding reception at Billie’s Honky Tonk had its advantages – cheap beer and hot wings being very near the top of the list – but a quiet ambiance was definitely not one of them. “Where are you going? You don’t even know this guy!”

  Daisy giggled. She’d had a few drinks, it was true, but she was even more intoxicated by the attention she’d been getting from the tall, blond cowboy. He’d whirled her around the dance floor a few times, and had then somehow maneuvered her into a corner, kissing her passionately, and letting his hands wander all over her ample, curvy frame. “What do I need to know?” she said. “He’s a cowboy. Check out the hat.” The cowboy, it was true, had a large white hat on. It looked great with his tight t-shirt and even tighter blue jeans.

  Maggie had a suitor of her own, another cowboy who was drunkenly whispering in her ear all of the things he’d like to do to her ass. “You’re sure you’re all right?”

  “It’ll be fine,” Daisy assured her. She looked her cowboy up and down, feeling shivers of sexual excitement running through her frame. “So damn fine.”

  Maggie’s cowboy was pawing at the top of her raspberry pink top, pulling the thin fabric away from her pert breasts. “Come on, baby,” he growled. “I want to make you come like you’ve never come before.”

  “I’ll call you,” Maggie said to Daisy, “after!”

  Daisy nodded, and let the cowboy take her by the hand. He led her out of the crowded honkytonk. Once they were outside, it was suddenly quiet and still. There were a lot of cars in the driveway but very few people. Daisy and the cowboy took advantage of the situation to continue their make out session.

  “Man,” the cowboy groaned. He had Daisy sandwiched between the side of his blue pickup truck and his long, tall, hard body. She had her arms up around his neck, pulling him down to kiss him more easily. “I could make love to you right here.” Daisy could feel the urgency of his erection, pressing up hard against her stomach.

  “That sounds so good,” she agreed, “but maybe you shouldn’t.” Over the cowboy’s shoulder, she could see the pair of beat cops slowly working their way down the sidewalk. The cops weren’t looking directly at her and the cowboy, but they weren’t exactly looking away, either. “I’m not really into having an audience.”

  The word audience stopped the cowboy cold. He froze in place for a second, and then straightened up and stepped backward, putting some space between their bodies. He looked around, saw the cops, and gave them a friendly nod. “Where are you staying?” he asked.

  “The Western Inn near the airport,” Daisy said. “I’m sorry it’s so far, but everything in town is booked…”

  “With the rodeo, I know,” the cowboy cut her off. “No, that’s good.” He opened the pickup’s door and ushered Daisy inside. “I’d bring you to Mandalay Bay, but it’s a nuthouse over there. It’s good to get off the beaten path when you can.”

  It wasn’t a long drive to the Western, but the cowboy took his time. He drove cautiously, not because he’d had too much to drink – as far as Daisy could remember, he’d had one beer, compared to her four or five – but because he was busy. He had one hand on the wheel and the other up between Daisy’s thighs.

  “So you aren’t from around here, are you?” he asked her, deftly rubbing his fingers against some of her most tender flesh through her panties. Daisy shifted her hips just enough for her panty fabric to move to the side, giving the cowboy easier access to her molten folds. Every time he touched her, she wanted him to do it again and again.

  “No,” Daisy said, shaking her head. “I’m from Boston. Just came down for the wedding.” She shuddered and jumped as the cowboy’s fingers did their magic. The motion made her huge tits jiggle; the cowboy smiled at the sight. She gasped, and then remembered her manners. “What about you? Are you from Vegas?”

  The cowboy shook his head. “I might as well be, for how often I’m here,” he said. “But no. I’m from Oklahoma.”

  Daisy hand’s had found their way into the cowboy’s lap. “So what brings you out here, so often?”

  “Work,” he replied. Then he turned his head to kiss her quickly. “Work and women.”

  She tightened her grip on his rapidly swelling bulge, squeezing him through his jeans. “Sounds like a good gig.”

  He spread his legs as much as he could, giving Daisy more room to work. “I’m not complaining.” His fingers went to his belt buckle. “You want me to undo this?”

  Daisy eyed the large silver belt buckle. “Man, you really are a cowboy, aren’t you?” she laughed. “No, keep them on,” she said. “We don’t have a lot of room in here and I need some space to do what I want to do to you. I’m not exactly a small girl, you know.”

  The cowboy smiled. “You’re exactly the right size.” His gaze fell on her double DD chest. “I
n all the right places.”

  “You’re nice and hefty yourself,” Daisy said with another squeeze. The cowboy closed his eyes, but only for a second. Daisy spotted the blue and white Western Inn sign. “You can pull in here.”

  He did, carefully finding a dark parking spot in the corner of the lot. Daisy wondered about that for a moment – was a jealous wife going to interrupt all of her exciting plans – but didn’t ask. Maybe it was the beer, maybe it was how good the cowboy’s muscular body felt pressed up against her own, maybe it was the moonlight, but Daisy just didn’t want to know.

  Daisy’s room was on the third floor. The elevator was slow to arrive, leaving them lingering in the lobby. This made the cowboy uncomfortable. He kept glancing toward the front door.

  “Why are you so nervous?” she asked him.

  “I’m not nervous, I’m eager,” he said with a smile, bending down to kiss Daisy. He pulled her rounded body up against his, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I can’t wait to get you out of these clothes.” He started kissing Daisy’s neck. “Man, you smell so damn good. Good enough to eat.”

  The elevator chimed, signaling its arrival.

  “That’s music to my ears,” Daisy said.

  Daisy’s hotel room looked like any of a million hotel rooms in Vegas: a large bed, cheap furniture, and a tiny adjoining bathroom festooned with signage urging guests to be mindful of their water usage. The cowboy gave it a quick once over, pulling the curtains closed, before turning his attention to Daisy.

  “Now that we’re alone,” he said, “let’s get you out of all those clothes.” He reached for the hem of Daisy’s blouse. “I’ve been wanting to see those gorgeous titties of your since I first laid eyes on you.”

  “Well, let’s not keep you waiting any longer.” Daisy peeled her shirt off, revealing her fleshy belly and a black bra overflowing with her massive DD breasts. She smiled. “You like what you see?”