Wild Seduction

by Daire St. Denis

  Ash was about to leave but something stopped her.

  Gloria was standing by the sink, the morning sun shining in and making her red curls look like a halo. Dillon was kneeling in front of her, his big hands on her belly.

  “You sure it’s nothing serious?”

  “It’s normal. They call them Braxton Hicks contractions. It’s just my body’s way of practicing for the real thing, apparently.”

  “You going to make it until after the wedding?” Dillon asked, as he leaned close, putting an ear to her belly.

  “You know I will. Our baby is not coming until after Dad is married. We have an agreement, her and I.”

  “You mean you and him.”

  Ash took a picture, focused and took another, and another. She knew she had a winner, when Dillon pressed his lips to the front of Gloria’s shirt, and Gloria gazed down at him like she was the goddess of love.

  Quietly, she tiptoed out of the kitchen, not wanting to let the couple know that she’d been there and interrupted their poignant moment. As she made her way outside to meet up with everyone, a strange sense of melancholy overran her earlier playful, sexy thoughts.

  Catching sight of Colton standing by the quads, watching her approach, made her tummy tumble. Why? It wasn’t like she wanted what Dillon and Gloria had. Well, not with Colton, anyway. But that didn’t change the fact that she wanted to be loved. Someday.

  * * *

  DESPITE THE FACT he’d only had about five hours of sleep, Colton did not feel tired. Nope. He was energized, and watching Ashley work energized him even more.

  Who would have guessed she was such a wildcat?

  Jesus.

  He could not get enough of her. That striptease last night? That was about the hottest thing he’d ever experienced. Until she woke him up in the middle of the night, sliding her lithe body over his, kissing him and touching him, rousing him from sleep until he was wild with need.

  That’s what she did to him. She turned him into a feral beast.

  A beast who wanted her. Now.

  Unfortunately, he’d have to wait because they weren’t alone. The four of them had taken the quads around to the other side of the pond where there was a nice wooden bench carved out of a fallen log.

  “This is pretty,” Jasmine said, running a hand along the bench before sitting down.

  Ash focused on her, taking a couple of shots. “Curtis, why don’t you sit beside her so I can get two people in the shot,” she said. “It will give Jasmine a better idea of how it’ll look.”

  “I’m not one for pictures,” Curtis said gruffly, looking to Colt for help.

  Colt ignored the other ranch hand.

  “Come on, sit,” Jasmine said. “I won’t bite.”

  Reluctantly, Curtis sat, and Ash took a few pics of them on the bench before instructing them to go down by the pond.

  Colton watched it all from a distance, admiring the way Ashley used the camera as if it was an extension of herself. There were no long waits in between shots, no stupid comments like, “say cheese.” She talked and moved and took pictures as natural as anything.

  Colton took them up to the Doghouse next, the old homestead that overlooked the whole valley and ranch. It’d been fixed up in recent years, and now there was a rustic old log swing on the porch.

  For all Jasmine spoke, Curtis stayed quiet, posing awkwardly alongside her in all the shots while Ashley worked. Colt had to admit, there was something incredibly sexy about watching Ash do her job. Witnessing her passion in action. She talked her way through poses, but she took a lot of shots when people weren’t looking.

  A couple times he even caught her taking sneaky pictures of him.

  “Can we come back up here later?” she asked him. “This would be a great place to take some sunset pictures with the ranch down below.”

  “Whatever you say, boss.”

  Damn. Why did it satisfy him so much to see her blush? Who knew.

  The next stop was the swimming hole on the edge of the property near Quarry Road. Abandoned as a quarry more than fifty years ago, the place became popular with generations of town kids as a place to hang out. It was a pretty spot; the water was a blue-green color, so clear you could see all the way down to the bottom, and surrounded by big trees on the west side. Jasmine sat on an old tire swing, which had been there even when he was a kid, while Curtis pushed and Ash took pictures.

  Colton had been sitting on a log apart from the others, chewing on a blade of grass and thinking random thoughts, about what work needed doing this afternoon, about Ashley taking her clothes off, about the upcoming qualifying rodeo in Wyoming, about Ashley kissing her way down his chest...

  When he heard the snap of a twig off to his right. “Whatcha doing?” he asked, catching her.

  “Nothing.” She smiled.

  “Why don’t you come sit for a bit?”

  “Jasmine wants to see some more spots.”

  “You sure? Because she’s looking pretty content exactly where she is.” Colton glanced back to where Jasmine was laughing with Curtis. He didn’t think he’d ever heard Curtis laugh before.

  “You think she likes him?” Ashley asked.

  “Dunno.”

  “But she’s engaged.”

  With an exaggerated shrug, he said, “Don’t ask me. I’m no good at commitment or relationships, Ash. I’ve never understood it.”

  She frowned and looked at her camera screen. Was she avoiding his gaze or scrolling through images to see if there was any evidence of his suggestion.

  Nudging her with his elbow, he said, “So, what’s on the agenda for tonight?”

  She ignored his comment for a moment before raising her gaze. “What on earth do you mean?” Her expression was completely deadpan.

  “Well, now...” Placing his hand on her bare thigh, he made little curlicues with his fingertip. “I’m just thinking... I’ve gone to a whole slew of trouble, taking the morning off, carting you two around.” He leaned over and nudged her shoulder with his jaw. “Touching you.” He took a deep breath from that sweet spot on her neck below her ear. “Sniffing you.” Placing a soft kiss on her shoulder, he whispered, “Kissing you. It’s been tough work. Torture, really.”

  Through it all she sat perfectly still. “You’ve sure had it rough,” she said quietly.

  He couldn’t read her. Was she mad at him for some reason?

  Colton took hold of her chin and turned her toward him, saying, “Everything okay?”

  A slow smile crept across her features, and her brown-gold eyes twinkled with sexy mischief. Her hand settled on his thigh, snaking up to settle over his crotch. “If you think this is torture—” she squeezed, gently “—then you haven’t seen anything yet.”

  * * *

  IT HAD BEEN a pretty much perfect day. The weather was warm but not too warm. The air smelled of fresh grass and blossoms from the rain, the trees had that bright green spring hue, and the pond had sparkled with the mid-morning light. Getting to spend the entire morning behind her camera taking pictures was the best, and she knew she had some amazing shots. But perfect lighting aside, it helped that she got to do her favorite thing after a night of extreme pleasure. Then there was tonight and the promise of even more pleasure.

  Except that somehow she had to come up with a way to torture Colton. She drummed her nails on the tabletop, while she waited for the images from her camera to transfer to her computer.

  After they’d returned from their outing, Jasmine had gone to her room to make calls to her parents and Parker. She returned just as Ashley was sorting through the images.

  “Wow,” Jazz said when Ash clicked on the photo of Dillon and Gloria in the kitchen. “Seriously, Ash. That is an amazing photo.” She touched the screen. “Is that the natural light or did you enhance it
? Because it’s—oh, my God, perfect—like they’re surrounded by the white light of love.”

  “I know. Right?” Ash said, gazing at the image. Something hot formed at the back of her throat. “I haven’t done a thing to it, but it’s easy to take a good picture when people don’t know you’re doing it.” She smiled up at Jasmine. “It also helps when both parties are so completely photogenic.” She closed the image and opened a file with the series of pictures of Jasmine. “Kind of like you.”

  Jazz made a derisive noise and waved off the comment. But she leaned forward as Ash went through each image individually. Jasmine and Curtis sitting on the bench, looking awkward. Jazz and Curtis sitting in the grass by the pond, talking shyly. The two of them sitting on the porch of the old homestead, staring off into the distance. Curtis pushing Jazz on the tire swing over the swimming hole, laughing...

  “They’re really good,” Jasmine said slowly.

  They were good. Maybe a little too good. Whereas the photo of Dillon and Gloria was about love, this series seemed to chronicle the story of a budding attraction. A cowboy showing a city girl a good time.

  “Do you think Parker will like them?” Ash asked hesitantly.

  “I don’t know.” She paused. “Honestly? I don’t think he cares. He told me to go ahead and plan the whole wedding because he says couples just fight when they both try to get involved.”

  “Hmm.” Ash focused on the screen as she created folders and dropped the images into the appropriate ones. “Do you have a favorite location out of any of these?”

  Jazz stared at the computer screen. “I like them all but...”

  “But what?”

  “I think the swimming hole is my favorite.”

  Ashley found the series of pictures and opened them up again. “It is really picturesque. You two look like you’re having fun. What were you laughing about?”

  Jasmine’s cheeks turned pink as she grinned secretively at Ash. “Do you remember playing dice?”

  Ash remembered the game but had never played it. It was meant for a group of young singles to play while drinking.

  “Curtis reminded me of a time I coerced him into playing.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “I didn’t always tell you everything.” She got a defensive look in her eye.

  “Like?”

  “Like the fact that I’d always kind of liked him. He was so different than the other guys—quiet and stoic.” She met Ashley’s gaze. “Kind of like a male version of you.”

  “So, when I told you I liked him in high school?”

  Jasmine blinked, then blurted, “I told him you didn’t. Then I seduced him. On purpose.”

  It didn’t matter that all of this was old news. It was like Jasmine had just stabbed her right in the gut. Her best friend. “Why would you do that?”

  “Don’t you know?”

  “No.”

  “I was so jealous of you.”

  “Of me?” Ash pressed a hand to her breast, incredulous. “Why on earth would you be jealous of me?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” She paced around the table. “You have always known exactly who you are, what you want. You don’t do stuff to impress people or to please them. You’re just you, and you don’t apologize for it.”

  Ash blinked in confused. “But...”

  “Come on. You must have known how jealous I was.” She glanced at the computer. There was an image of Colton sitting on a log by the swimming hole, a long blade of grass hanging out one side of his mouth. A thoughtful expression on his handsome features. “How jealous I still am.”

  “What could you possibly be jealous about?”

  “You and Colton.” She pointed to the screen. “You two are so hot for each other. It’s crazy making.”

  Oh, shit.

  The truth sat at the back of Ashley’s throat, burning her esophagus and sending liquid fire down into the pit of her stomach.

  “I want what you have, Ash.”

  Ashley opened her mouth, willing the truth to fall out, but the words wouldn’t come. They were stuck, seared into the back of her throat. Jasmine had just confessed something that couldn’t have been easy. Etiquette dictated that she should come clean, too.

  So, why couldn’t she?

  Because the minute you confess, it will all be over between you and Colton. Admit it, Ash, you don’t want it to end.

  13

  ALL DURING CHORES, Colton could not stop thinking about what Ashley had in mind for tonight, his mind wandering to all kinds of wonderful forms of torture during the long silences that stretched between him and Curtis. The man was typically quiet, but today he was mute, not saying a word the entire time they were out in the pasture fixing fences. He made a few grumbling comments when they checked the herd and the calves, and he may have strung all of four words together when they were setting out fresh salt licks.

  Back at the barn, he went all silent again, giving Colton ample time to fantasize about Ashley.

  Because they’d taken the morning off, they didn’t finish chores until well after dinnertime, and by the time he returned, Ashley was waiting for him in the bunkhouse surrounded by the most delicious aroma of something cooking in his apartment-sized oven.

  Just seeing her there, sitting on his couch, making herself at home in his space did something to him. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a bad something, which was normally the case when females became too comfortable at his place: leaving their shit lying around, rearranging his stuff, that kind of thing.

  This was completely different.

  He hung up his hat on the peg by the door and tugged off his dirty boots. “I need a shower,” he said by way of a greeting.

  Without lifting her head from the magazine she was reading, she said, “Okay.”

  He waited for her to look up. When she didn’t he said, “You want to come help?”

  She slowly raised her gaze. “Nope.”

  “Any reason why not?”

  She plucked at the front of her shirt and sniffed. “I’m already clean.”

  “It’s not about getting clean, Ash.”

  She raised a brow at this comment. “Oh, I know that.” Then went right back to reading her magazine.

  When he didn’t move, she eventually looked up again. “What?”

  “You playing hard to get?”

  “No.”

  “Because I’m of half a mind to come over there, scoop you up and carry you off to the shower like some damn caveman.”

  Her lips twisted with a hidden smile. “Someone needs to be here to take the chicken out of the oven in a few minutes.”

  “You made me roast chicken?”

  “I might have.”

  “Mashed potatoes?”

  “Yep.” There was no inflection in her voice whatsoever though her pretty lips twitched in a very kissable way.

  “Gravy and string beans?”

  Her reply was nothing more than her flipping the page of the magazine and sighing heavily as if all these questions were a burden. But Colton knew better. It was no coincidence she’d made his all-time favorite meal. She must have asked Dillon.

  Now why would she go and do that?

  He didn’t know, but he was sporting a grin as he ambled on through to the bathroom. Sporting more than a grin, which was evident after undressing. He stepped beneath the spray of the shower, Ashley’s voice saying softly in his ear, If you think this is torture, then you haven’t seen anything yet.

  Colton had never looked forward to a meal more, not only because it smelled so damn good but because of what Ashley had in store for dessert.

  Sweet torture, he hoped. Maybe with some whipped cream as a garnish.

  Of course, he wouldn’t let her tease him very long. Oh,
no. Tormenting her until she screamed his name was just way too much fun. Spending any time with the woman was just way too much fun.

  By the time he was dressed and shaved, the food was on the table. He sat down and helped himself to a mess of it, piling it high.

  “I’ll take this as payment any day of the week,” he said with his mouth full, indicating the meal with a wave of his fork.

  Ashley smiled as she helped herself to food.

  “I didn’t know you cooked.”

  “Yeah, well...after my mom died, we all took turns in the kitchen. Then when Beth got married, followed closely by Zoe and Chloe, it was just me and Brandi around to cook for my dad.”

  Colton forked another mouthful and chewed thoughtfully. “When did your mom die?”

  “When I was five.”

  “No wonder you were always such a quiet, serious kid.”

  She made a noise while eating. Once she swallowed she said, “As if you remember me from when we were kids.”

  “Sure I do. You were a little thing, quiet as a mouse.” He drank deeply before adding, “I spit in your hair once.”

  Her eyes went wide.

  “It took me a while to remember because you don’t look much like that little girl anymore.”

  Ashley coughed and then took a long drink of water.

  “You okay?”

  She cleared her throat. “Yep.” And then kept eating.

  “You’re not still upset about the spitting incident, are you? Boys go through weird phases. I don’t know what it is about spitting.”

  She shook her head.

  Huh. She was either being mysterious or she was quiet for some other reason.

  Well, he was just going to have to find out, wasn’t he?

  He nudged her leg with his toe—his bare toe, since he hadn’t bothered to put on fresh socks—and she twitched.

  Then she looked up, gazing at him cooly.

  “Everything okay?”