by Maree, Kay
“I must be out of my goddamn mind to be doing this,” I mumbled as I reached Louisiana.
A throaty laugh wove between us, and she grabbed my forearms. Streams of water ran down her face that beamed with a renewed zest for life. Her eyes now held the spark that had been missing since she arrived here, and Christ, she wore it well.
The more my eyes adjusted to the rain smudged darkness, the more of her body became distinguishable. Not only that, when my eyes flicked to her chest, I was hit with a need so strong it had me seeing red. Her pebbled nipples were like a damn matador's flag, capturing my attention through the thin fabric of her sleep shirt. I was transfixed with the bead of rainwater collecting in the dip behind her collarbones. The tiny pools overflowed into her cleavage and lit an overwhelming urge in my veins to lick those streams of water from her skin. My hands begged to be filled with her breasts, to bury my face between them as her fingers dug into my scalp.
My vision blurred when the rainwater finally soaked through my hair and drained into my eyes. Jerking my head to flick it away, I blinked hard then grinned at Louisiana. She lowered her arms and stood stock-still with her eyes locked on me. Her lips parted, almost in an invitation, and I barely found the strength to deny myself of accepting it. She looked absolutely and undeniably edible, and goddamn, I was a starving man.
My knees locked with the effort to not step toward her, and my heart raced so hard it hurt.
Even standing in the pouring rain in the darkest hours of the early morning, our crackling chemistry was as plain as day.
Louisiana seemed to blink the water off her lashes in slow motion, just like I licked the rain from my lower lip. Her eyes followed the movement of my tongue and her shortened breath increased the strain within my jeans. The anticipation was killing me to the point I could no longer hold off.
I reached for her as her name whispered from my mouth. The rise and fall of her chest intensified the ache in my veins. I was a man about to break, on the verge of crossing countless firmly drawn lines while standing barefoot on the gravel with the rain teeming over us. And the most alarming point of all was that I didn't care one single bit.
Louisiana’s fingers touched down on my waist and sent a bolt of electricity shooting through me.
“Christ, darlin’,” I murmured and swallowed thickly.
I wanted her so badly it was impossible to hide my obvious arousal. She had me blinded, yet all I could see was her.
Her sopping wet, blond hair clung to her forehead and neck, her nipples and silhouetted breasts through the saturated fabric, and her plump, heart-shaped lips… it all had me inching closer.
Ignoring the warning sirens going off in my head, I slowly lifted one hand and ran a thumb over her nipple, and not without holding back a groan.
“Oh fuck,” Louisiana breathed, her voice trembling as if she was freezing. “Do it again.”
My dick got harder. “I shouldn’t be touching you at all. Jesus fuck, we should not be doin’ this,” I growled louder despite my fingers grazing over the valley between her breasts.
“It’s been so long since I’ve… I want to feel a man again.” Louisiana’s hand not-so-subtly brushed over my erection and my hips involuntarily bucked forward with need.
Tilting my head back, I groaned while welcoming the cooling rain smattering against my face. I clutched at the final threads of restraint and faced Louisiana again.
“We need to stop. This ain’t right, Louisiana.” Despite my words holding strength, her breast filling my hand belied my true impulse.
Louisiana nodded. “You’re right, we shouldn’t be doing this.” She shifted closer and lifted her chin in invitation.
Squeezing her breast harder and setting my free hand on her waist, I all but fell to my knees when she palmed my dick and rubbed firmly.
Our breaths grew shorter, and I knew that if I slipped my hand between her legs, I would find her ready for me. The thought created a painful throb to surge down my hard length, and I groaned again.
“Christ, I want to kiss you right now.”
“So do it,” she challenged.
I fought the Angel and Devil on each of my shoulders, and as I cupped the back of her head and began to lower my mouth upon hers, the front door of the house banged open.
“What the fuck are you two doin’ out here? It’s pissin’ down!”
We jumped apart as if Jake’s voice was both a floodlight and scythe swinging between us.
“Standing in the goddamn rain, that’s what,” I shouted back, full of frustration and annoyance at my stupidity.
“Why the fuck would you do that?” he exclaimed, sounding as baffled as I was.
Now that our spell had been well and truly broken and I’d managed to get my erection somewhat back under control, I gestured to Louisiana to head in. I kept my eyes squarely focused on Jake. Otherwise, they would have dropped to her ass as she walked two steps in front of me.
As if stepping up before the judge, Louisiana and I came to a stop side-by-side and held still under Jake’s scrutinizing glare.
I gently touched Louisiana’s elbow while hoping it wouldn’t ignite more sparks. “Go have a warm shower. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Sobriety had cleared the desire from her eyes, and I saw that she was equally unsettled about what had passed between us. I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile then indicated for her to give me and Jake a few moments alone. Without a word, Louisiana hastened inside, leaving wet footprints in her wake.
Once she’d hit the stairs, I turned my attention back to Jake. His smirk widened knowingly.
“She’s leadin’ you astray, boss. I’m impressed.”
“How much did you see?” I asked in a low whisper.
“Nothing, yet everything.”
Running a hand through my hair to rid some of the water, I took a deep breath and looked him in the eye.
“She- I’ve-” Incoherent words cluttered my head. Confusion and election tugged me in different directions and I couldn’t process what I felt storming within.
Jake clapped me on the shoulder. “I know, brother. She’s got you by the balls and it’s exactly where you want her hand.”
“This changes nothing, Jake. It can’t.”
He scoffed and drawled, “Yeah, keep tellin’ yourself that, Bran. Do I need to make myself scarce for the rest of the night?”
I stepped inside and shut the door behind us. “You don’t,” I snapped. “Head on back to bed, I’m gonna grab a stiff drink.”
With a dip of his head and a rolling chuckle, Jake headed back upstairs. We had another early start in the morning and with all this rain, the stock needed checked first thing.
In the kitchen, I grabbed down a tumbler from the top shelf and poured myself a finger of my favorite bourbon. The oaky burn took the edge off my jumbled thoughts, yet did nothing to calm my elevated blood pressure.
Taking the glass upstairs with me, I was both disappointed and pleased to find Louisiana’s door firmly closed and no light coming from under it. While I dried and pulled on dry underwear, I sipped back the liquor.
Lying in bed ten minutes later, there wasn’t so much a hint of sleep on my mind—it was consumed by the little blond across the landing.
I was well and truly out of my depth with this one.
Louisiana
I heard the silent taunts from the walls the next morning as if they were shouted.
Shame, shame, shame.
Dawn had brought the sunshine with it, and the blinding light behind the bedroom curtains melted away some of my regrets over last night.
Recklessly and far too easily, I had put my position in this program in jeopardy and now I risked losing it all after fighting tooth and nail to get my application approved. I desperately wanted to see out the remainder of my sentence here instead of behind bars, and sickness rolled in my belly because I had compromised it all. An overwhelming fear of being sent b
ack to the confines of prison paralyzed me where I lay on my back. The ceiling high above blurred and warped through misty tears as remorse settled deep.
With each day, my heart grew so much heavier and I was scared it was going to break altogether. The one thing that meant the entire world to me was so far out of reach, and I missed him so hard my entire body ached. The memory of his beautiful smile brought fatter tears to my eyes. Being here wasn’t just about me—I had to do it for him; the single, most important love of my life.
The house was eerily quiet when I made my way downstairs. Holding my breath the entire time, I found the kitchen vacant and tidy, and there was no sign of neither Jake nor Brandon.
I let out the pending breath with a massive sigh of relief. Sure I had a major apology to issue but couldn’t bring myself to face Brandon just yet; an invisible belt around my chest tightened at the mere thought of the conservation that needed to happen.
While I ate breakfast, an increasing sense of solitude gathered around me. I was sure I’d heard horses ride out just after sunrise. Exhaustion pulled in my bones thanks to the long hours it took me to get to sleep. The rain chill couldn’t solely be blamed… the desire Brandon lit within me also vied for recognition.
When I made it outside after clearing away my breakfast dishes, the yard, stables, and additional barns were vacant, and the dog runs were empty. Standing with my hands on my hips in the middle of the yard, I puckered my lips to the side. What was I meant to do? I really wanted to smooth things over with Brandon but couldn’t do that when the man wasn’t able to be found.
At the very least, I needed to do what I could to get in his good-books, so I decided to start with mucking out the stables. Jake had previously shown me where everything was, and thankfully the horses had already been let out into the field behind the barn.
I still wasn’t used to their size, let alone being on the back of one. My poor thighs were still a little red, but thankfully the cream Brandon gave me had mercifully taken the sting away under my jeans.
With the stables cleaned and swept, I did a quick check over the horses in the field, even though I had no idea what I was checking for. Next was my chickies—I mean the chickens, I corrected myself on my way across the yard.
They were like little dinosaurs and, if I was honest with myself, a small soft spot was forming for the weird creatures. After collecting the eggs and taking them inside to wash, I hung out the load of laundry I found in the machine. The hardest part of the job was trying not to wonder which underwear was Brandon’s. I had to get my head straight and not go getting distracted by how well he would look in either of these styles of underwear. Huffing away the thought, I went on the search for another chore.
It was heading toward midday and I was conscious that neither Brandon nor Jake had left me to my own devices for this long before. Thanks to my overactive imagination, my mind started to run in all directions—of course conjuring the worst possible scenarios. Maybe something had happened to Brandon and Jake?
The silly notion sprung a pool of worry in my belly; there was no way Brandon would easily get hurt out here—not when he knew the ranch like the back of his hand.
I found what looked like fresh horse tracks in the yard and followed them down the lane that led to the first meadows. The further I walked into the countryside, the more I felt balanced, as if inhaling the lush, grassy aromas gave my energy levels a much-needed kick. Eventually, I came to the place where Brandon had turned Dottie around, and soon after that, I encountered a fork in the road. Left traveled up a gentle incline that climbed toward a large hill, and right continued around a small plantation of trees. Checking the horse prints, I was confident they had ridden to the right.
After five minutes, I began to second guess myself. Despite the spring sunshine, there was a distinct chill in the air as the breeze traveled through the valley. I’d stripped out of my sweater while mucking out the barn and now felt chilled in the shade of the large trees that lined one side of the farm road.
My heart tripped then spiked when I heard distant barking. Quickening my strides, I hoped that I would soon see the guys. The elation in my chest evaporated and immediately morphed into paralyzing fear as four dogs rushed towards me at a terrifying pace, barking and snarling. There was no escape. I couldn’t move. My head screamed for me to run, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate. I stood rooted to the spot by sheer horror with my hands raised as if it would stop their attack.
An ear-splitting whistle cut through the air and the dogs instantly responded. Looking behind the pack, I saw Brandon and Jake on horseback, galloping toward me. That was as scary as the damn dogs and also rendered me breathless and wobbly-kneed.
Brandon’s scowl, however, brought me back to reality. “Christ, Louisiana! What the hell are you doin’ all the way out here? And alone!”
I crossed my arms over my chest as if it would hide how fast my heart pounded. “Looking for you guys. I’ve been alone for hours and ran out of things to do.”
Guilt crossed Brandon’s expression. “Why do you think we were hurrying home? We had to move the calving herd out of a low-lying field that got flooded last night.”
I stammered in response to his harsh tone.
“Didn’t you get my note?” he asked.
“What note?”
Brandon ran a hand over his face, then shook off his apparent annoyance. “Doesn’t matter now.” He dismounted and beckoned me over. “I’ll double you back. G’me your foot and I’ll boost you up.”
Instead of stepping closer, I took a pace back. “Oh no, I’m not riding him!” That horse was fucking massive.
Brandon let out a huff and tried to keep his voice light. “I’ll be right behind you and we’ll go slow. You’ll be safe. Now get your ass over here and get on.”
My eyes flared at his demand then flicked to Jake who belly laughed. “He’s a brat when he’s hungry. Best you remember that and listen to him, jailbird.”
Brandon whipped off his hat and whacked it against Jake's leg. Warmth gathered in my chest to see Brandon's hair sweat-dampened and plastered to his head. This was him in his element, and I found that sexy as hell—dirty boots, wet jeans, hat hair, and all.
When he turned his attention back to me, all annoyance slid from Brandon’s expression and it softened into an undeniably charming smile.
“C’mere, Louisiana,” he said again with a flick of his hand.
“It’s a long way back, girly,” Jake added.
I bit my bottom lip a couple of times then threw up my hands. “Fine.”
Brandon’s hands were already cupped and waiting for my boot, and he boosted me up onto his horse with much more ease than I anticipated. Nervousness surged through me as the gigantic horse shifted under my sudden arrival.
Alarm speared through me when I looked down to see Brandon no longer holding onto the horse, instead, repositioning near the horse’s rear legs.
“Where do you sit?” I asked with trepidation.
The smile Brandon aimed up at me created a series of bursts through my chest. Damnit, he was even more gorgeous than last night.
“Right behind you, darlin’.”
I did a quick check over my shoulder. “Where?” This was literally a saddle for one.
“Hold the reins like this,” Brandon instructed as Jake dismounted his horse.
He cupped his hands just like Brandon did for me, and the next thing I knew, Brandon was boosted up and jostling me from behind as the horse bolted forward.
Both of Brandon’s arms reached around my body and snagged the reins from my hands, quickly getting the horse back under control and standing still once more.
My heart hammered so loud I was convinced Brandon could hear it. Its fast beat stuttered when his breezy chuckle sounded close to my ear.
“Red didn’t expect that, did he?”
“I don’t think anyone expects an extra two hundred pounds to land on them without warning,”
I replied breathlessly.
“One ninety,” Brandon corrected in a lowered tone that sent ripples of energy pooling low in my belly.
Jake and his horse walked by and reminded us that we weren’t alone. Not that Jake’s presence seemed to bother Brandon; he pressed himself harder against my back, then breathed more words close to my ear.
“Hold on to the front of the saddle, darlin’.”
Whilst my brain struggled to stay focused, my fingertips found the edge of the smooth, worn leather, and gripped. With a tongue click plus a flick of the reins, Red followed after Jake’s horse. My back brushed against Brandon’s chest with every small movement. Even when I sat straighter, his chest seemed as close as ever. His body heat soon seeped through my clothes and raised my own temperature a few degrees. It spiked further when Brandon casually lowered his loosely balled fists onto my thighs.
“Is it okay if I rest them here, Louisiana?”
I swallowed thickly and murmured, “Sure.”
“I still can’t believe you wandered this far from the house. Don’t ever do that in the evening,” he warned, though his voice didn’t hold the harsh edge it did earlier.
There was no way I was admitting to being semi-worried for their safety. “I guess I got caught up in the freedom and beauty of this place. I can see why you love it out here.”
“Born ‘n’ raised on these lands. I’m a part of this ranch as much as it’s a part of me.”
Hollowness formed in my chest; I'd never experienced that compelling sense of belonging, and Brandon's simple sentence created a deep yearning that called to my soul. But, in reality, it didn't matter—what good was having a place to belong if I remained separated from the only person I would die for.
“Hey, relax, darlin’. You’ve tensed up,” Brandon soothed.
Exhaling a calculated breath in an attempt to ease the ever-increasing ache, I focused on relaxing my shoulders. “Sorry. Just thinking about things…”
