by Aliyah Burke
As one, he and Connor turned. A tall cowboy strolled across the parking lot, hat low over his eyes and moving with the rolling gait of a man who spent most of his time in a saddle. The man stopped before him, thumbed back his hat, and Dustin found himself staring into some deep brown eyes. Recognition hit him.
“Judd Travers. How are you doing?”
He offered his hand and found it in a strong grip. Judd owned the Flying T, the largest spread near Branchwater. Other side of town from his but same side that the Finley ranch resided.
“Fine. You?”
“Staying busy. You know how it is.”
The man grunted. Dustin knew he didn’t talk much but compared to Judd, he was a chatterbox.
“Have a moment?”
Connor walked away, leaving them alone. “What can I do for you?” Dustin asked.
“Finn.”
His hackles rose. He didn’t like the man mentioning her name. Much less the one people who knew her called her. “What about her?”
“Were you pleased with her work as a farrier?”
Hell yes he was. However, if he said no he could keep Samantha away from Judd and his brooding good looks. Where this proprietary notion came from he had no clue, but it was there and he couldn’t ignore it. On the other hand, she would never forgive him if he got between her and a job.
“Yes, I was. Samantha does a great job. You won’t be disappointed.”
Judd stared at him before nodding. “Thanks.” He walked away.
“Everything okay?” Connor asked as Dustin climbed into the truck.
“No. He wants to hire my farrier.” He forced his fists to relax.
“Your farrier?” Connor faced him, question in his eyes.
Dustin gave a brusque nod. “Mine.”
“You didn’t…nawh, you wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her name.”
“Thought about it,” he admitted, pulling the truck onto the road.
“But didn’t.” Dustin didn’t speak. “Right, Dustin?”
“Didn’t.” Dustin refused to look at his foreman, well aware of what Connor would see.
The ride back to the Diamond J was silent aside from the music pumping through the cab. Once there, they parted ways and he strode to his office and sat at his desk. Mounds of paperwork stared at him, and he didn’t even want to begin.
“Hello?”
He jerked at the voice echoing in his ear, caught completely by surprise after having forgotten he’d even dialed or picked up the phone. Much less that he’d called Samantha Finley.
“Hello?” Her question came again with that similar cock-hardening Texas drawl that no matter how long she’d been away she couldn’t ever lose. That voice, her intoxicating, spine-tingling tone.
“Samantha.” Yeah, he sounded like a fool.
He felt as much as he heard her sigh. “What do you want, Dustin?”
Good question. What did he want? What had he called her for? Hear her voice? Ask her a question?
“Meet me.”
“Meet you?” she asked.
“Yes, come meet me.”
“To what end?” Her words and tone were cool, and he knew she was suspicious.
Not that she would be wrong. He had a visual of the end he’d prefer to share with her.
“To talk.” He could lie with the best of them.
“Right now?”
He scowled as the ugly image of her with Judd Travers flashed through his mind. “You busy?”
“Yes.”
“With what?” What was wrong with him? This proprietary anger and demanding wasn’t like him.
“Cleaning if you must know.”
He thought fast. “So you could use a break.”
“Sorry, no.”
His opportunity was slipping away as he breathed. “Meet me,” he said one more time.
“Something you need a face to face for?”
“Yes.”
She sighed again. “I’m at Clyde’s vacuuming my truck.” Click.
That was all he needed to know. His chair scraped along the floor as he shoved it back. He grabbed his hat and was out the door within minutes. Normally forty-five minutes or so to Clyde’s, Dustin made it in thirty-five as he pushed the speed limit beyond anything he’d done before.
Sure enough, he spied her truck by the vacuum and air station. The shiny silver gleamed where there wasn’t a layer of dirt—which to be honest didn’t include much of the vehicle. He parked beside her, waved to Jones the proprietor of said gas station, and walked around only to pause. No longer was the truck in the forefront of his thoughts. Not even close.
He had singular focus on the firm derrière that stuck out as its owner vacuumed. She’d not changed since he saw her earlier, at least pants wise. Those jeans cupped her in ways that made him jealous. Her cowboy boots bounced up and down, and he figured she was singing along with working. He leaned against her truck, waiting for her to realize he had arrived. Right beside her kicking legs and firm ass. He had to clench his fingers to keep from grabbing her.
Samantha kicked him as she began backing out, paused, and glanced over her shoulder. Despite how swiftly she masked it, he saw the flash of admiration—and lust—in her eyes. He didn’t release her gaze or move as she continued backing up. The motor quit on the vacuum and the silence surrounded them, heightening the existent tension.
For a moment, he wondered if she was going to bolt. She brushed by him, and that concoction of honeysuckle and jasmine teased him. His pants felt as though they’d shrunk another size.
“You wanted a face to face, you’ve got it.” Again, her tone bland and unemotional.
Didn’t matter. Her eyes continued to give him perusals, and he hid his smirk. She tilted her head and began to step to the side. He readjusted, ensuring to keep her blocked in by the door and him.
“Here we are.”
She blew out a breath, her frustration apparent. “I don’t have time for games, Dustin. What do you need?”
You.
He couldn’t push the word past his lips, it wasn’t happening. He could do something for her though. Perhaps—and most likely—for him.
Dustin backed her against the wall of the door, pressed his lower body against her, and rubbed his shaft along her jeans. She clenched her jaw, nostrils flared slightly, so he did it again. A whimper slipped free this time, and he took it as a sign.
Kissing Samantha had to be as close to heaven as a man like him would ever get. Soft lips parted beneath his gentle pressure, and her tongue met his. It was his throat that released the groan this time.
He would never get tired of kissing this woman. Her taste seeped into him, bringing with it a centering calm he hadn’t realized he’d missed until this moment. He gathered her close, pressing his palm against the small of her back, encouraging further connection between them.
Samantha resisted, her hands against his tightened abs, and held herself back slightly. He didn’t like that and used his other hand to draw her flush to him. Thrusting his tongue deeper, he took what he wanted, keeping up the pressure until she gave him what he craved. Her submission.
Once he received it, the kiss gentled until he ended it. Lips still touching, he breathed heavily.
“Is that it?”
His pride took a direct hit from that simple question. That’s all she can say to me? Anger sparked in her gaze, which was fine by him, as his had been pricked as well.
“Is that all?” he repeated. “No, that’s just the start.” He lifted her, the hose dropping down on the ground, and placed her on the seat before wedging himself between her legs. “There’s no denying the passion between us, Samantha. You can’t. Hell, I won’t let you.”
“Not denying it, just deciding to ignore it. Which is something I very well can do.”
“Why ignore it?” He grabbed her thighs, drawing her along the leather seat until she fit against him. Damn, he wanted her long legs around him without a single stitch of clothing between them.
What do you know, those possessive feelings kicked into high gear. Although his libido also did at the mental image of her self-pleasuring. Biting back his growl, he leaned closer and used his tongue along the whorl of her ear.
“Is that what you need? Someone to take care of your needs? I’m right here, darlin’, say the word.”
* * * *
Someone? No. Him? Yes. Finn hardly dared to breathe as she sat pressed against the brooding cowboy in such an intimate way. The hard ridge of his cock along the seam of her jeans made it difficult for her to concentrate.
Just say the word. Oh, how she’d love to. Visions of their naked sweaty bodies, limbs entwined, streamed through her mind on an endless loop. It did nothing in the way of helping her remain focused on the fact she was supposed to keep her distance from him.
That and whatever he was doing to her ear. Good Lord! He kissed his way along it, derailing her thoughts with each passing second.
I can’t afford to get caught up in the drama of this town.
“Is it, Samantha?”
“Finn.” The correction fell on a breathy sigh as his lips connected with the sensitive skin of her neck.
“A man’s name,” he countered. “You’re all woman.”
Damn him, he could seduce her out of her clothes anywhere. Problem was, they weren’t anywhere, they were at a gas station and despite the fact they had some shelter, it was still public.
“I won’t do this.” Lord that had been hard to get past her lips because all she wanted to do was…well, him.
He placed them nose to nose and stared at her with those eyes of his, the ones that haunted her dreams.
“Are you busy next weekend? Not this one but the followin’ one.”
She blinked a few times, thrown by the question. “Am I…”
“Busy next weekend.” His smooth voice finished her statement.
Like she knew. Heck, she hardly could recall her name around him. It took some doing, but she managed to focus. “No, just going to work on some things at home.”
“Come away with me.”
She knew the answer should be no. Knew it. “Where?”
“Horse expo and competition. I’ve got some horses in.”
She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she thought about it. Not that there was much to think about. That was all he had to say. She loved horse expos. Christ, I’m so flippin’ easy. Couldn’t even put up a small bit of a fight. “Let me make sure daddy will be good. Are you going all three days?”
“Yes. Four technically, going the day before it starts.”
He stroked his knuckles along the side of her face. Her belly quivered with a mess of butterflies. He smelled so delicious, all she wanted to do was wrap her arms around him and hold him. Lower his jeans zipper and go from there.
“Sounds like fun.” Damn, when had her voice gotten so husky?
He leaned closer, his breath fanning her cheek and ear. “Come with me.”
Oh, he could so talk the devil out of his kingdom without even trying.
“Is this something so you can talk about it with your ranch hands?” she asked seriously. “I don’t need to be—”
“Forget everything but us.”
She arched a brow. “Us?”
“Are you still trying to deny there’s something between us?” He flexed his hips, driving his thick length against her.
She licked her lips. “We’re at a gas station.”
Dustin looked deliberately to his left then right. “So we are. What’s your point?”
“People could be staring.”
“Through two trucks with tinted windows?” He placed his hands on her waist, rocking against her core, skyrocketing her body temperature. “Besides, all we’re doing is talking.” His gaze burned hotter. “For the moment.”
“I hate being gossiped about, and I have things to do.”
He gave a slight nod. “I have your number so I’ll send you departure time once I get it all figured out.”
She shook her head. “I said I had to see if I could go.”
“I’m confident.”
No argument there. Finn struggled not to roll her eyes. The man oozed confidence and it was—quite honestly—a turn on. “I need to finish—”
His kiss cut off her words. Need pulsed through her and she sank deeper into the hard chest she longed to explore sans clothing. There was no reason for her to attempt to argue further. She knew it, and so did Dustin. She’d be going with him.
When the kiss ended, her nipples had drawn painfully tight and she longed to rub her core against the hard ridge in his jeans. It wouldn’t take much for her to find relief. Something she desperately craved.
“I’ll let you know the time.” Another brief and powerful kiss and she was left alone on the backseat of her truck. Horny. Correction. Hornier that she’d believed she could be.
* * * *
“Bye, Daddy!” she called over her shoulder as she jogged down to where her truck waited, agleam in the sun. She paused by the passenger door and glanced back to the porch where her father waited. “Will you be okay?”
He only used one crutch now and was definitely on the mend. He merely couldn’t do his work yet. His color had returned along with his outlook.
“Things will be fine. Luke and Matt will be stopping by to handle the chores. Go. Enjoy the Expo.”
She blew him a kiss, tossed her bag in the passenger seat before climbing in the driver’s side and heading for the Diamond J. Part of her had guilt for not telling her father she was accompanying Dustin Kane to the Expo.
Her tires rumbled over the dirt drive leading up the long road, beneath the large sign emblazoned with the ranch’s name. She took a deep breath, needing to find some calm before she reached his house. And him. All too soon, it appeared in her view, the large home sprawled out before her.
She’d always loved this house from the first time she’d seen it. Only once had she been inside when she’d gone with a girl from school to there. Dustin hadn’t ended up being home. Still, she’d only made it to the end of the entryway. His father had made it abundantly clear she wasn’t to pass that point. According to him, no person of her race—and he’d not been that nice about his wording—would get beyond where she stood. Regardless, she’d been enamored with the openness of what she’d seen.
The angled one story country house created a beautiful scene against the endless Texas backdrop. Something about it made her imagination run wild and free.
Down by the barns she spied his dark green F-350 King Ranch Dually with a gooseneck attached. As she parked, she watched the very man who had invaded her dreams—while both awake and asleep—lead out a chestnut horse from the barn to the waiting trailer.
“What am I doing?” she asked herself as she hopped out and grabbed her bag from the backseat.
Messing with danger. Her brain had the right of it, yet she couldn’t stop herself from striding down toward him. Tall, dark, and handsome stepped from the back as she reached it. She swallowed her immediate reaction to seeing him.
His grin, sin incarnate. His eyes were shadowed by the brim of his Stetson. “Ready?”
“Sure am. Anything I can do?”
“You can put your bag in the living quarters. I’m almost ready.”
She stepped back and stared between the trailer and him. So focused on Dustin she’d neglected to notice more about the trailer. Erotic images swarmed her at the mere thought of sharing space with this rugged cowboy. He encroached on her personal space, causing her to take two steps back before halting. Now, she could see his eyes. Was it her imagination or did they sparkle with challenge and heat?
“Worried?”
Yes. Worried she wouldn’t be able to control herself around him. “No, just thought we were staying in a hotel.”
“Don’t worry, there are two beds in the LQ. Decision is all yours.”
She licked her lips and tightened her grip on the straps of her duffle. What was there to say? She wasn’t stupid and recognized what he’d implied. “Good to know.” Brushing by him, she went to the door and stepped through.
A low whistle escaped as she closed the door behind her. Damn, this is nice.
White ceiling and decorator wallboards. The mocha fabric set off the tan carpeting on the riser wall and bed area beautifully. Formica covered table and countertops with cherry panel cabinet doors. There were tinted windows with both valences and mini-blinds for added privacy.
Dropping her bag on the vinyl floor, she popped her head into the lavatory, where more Formica countertops waited along with a shower. Not to mention the pass-thru door to the cargo area. What an area. The sofa she knew would fold down to another bed yet her gaze continually focused on the queen with a gorgeous quilt where it rested in the bed area.
The door shut behind her, and she turned to see Dustin had entered. He hefted her bag then paused. “Do you need anything from this or can we store it?”
“I’m good, store it.”
She watched him place her bag in the storage area. Then all his attention was on her. With her back to the stainless steel kitchen sink she couldn’t get past him. He was between her and both doors.
Did she want to get away? Not particularly.
“Let’s head out.”
He raked his gaze over her before leading the way. Finn dragged a hand down her face as she stared at the firm ass encased in denim moving before her. Oh yeah, she realized following him, I’m in big trouble.
She sat in the leather seat and watched as he exchanged final words with his foreman. Both men were good looking; however, it was only Dustin who caught her eyes. With admiration, she observed him as he strode back to the truck—long, powerful strides, confidence, and a cowboy swagger that dampened her panties.
He swung in and started the engine. “Ready?”
Not even close. “Always.”
He slanted his gaze at her, and she swore his lips kicked up at the corners. If it had, it was brief for he glanced forward and got them moving.
