by Starla Kaye
He was a good driver, especially after having dealt with the results of what had happened as a result of the risky driver who had taken his parents’ lives. He’d keep his eyes peeled for the dangers, but he wasn’t into brochure conversation.
“I’ve a got a dream of my own, a long-range goal. I’m having a hell of a time getting a start on it, like you.” He wasn’t sure why he was telling her this, but the words just came out.
“Expanding the ranch?” She studied him curiously.
He shook his head and an annoying curl of hair fell onto his forehead. He brushed it back with one hand. “I need a haircut, bad.”
“No,” she protested, blushing when he glanced in her direction. “Sorry. I kind of like your hair the way it is, a little shaggy.”
He wasn’t sure what to think about that, but he liked the comment anyway. “I like your sassy ponytail, too. ‘Course I liked your hair hanging free as well. All nice and silky soft.”
Now she didn’t appear to know what to say in response, so she changed the subject. “Your dream doesn’t involve the ranch?”
He hadn’t shared his dream with anyone besides the elderly veterinarian in town. Not even with Jake, not since Sam had been forced to quit college all those years ago. He hadn’t seen any point in sharing something that was so far out of his reach. But he found himself saying, “I’ve got a chance to take over the main veterinary office in Crowley. That’s the town closest to the ranch.”
She swiveled in her seat as much as possible. “You’re a veterinarian? I didn’t know that. Shelby never mentioned it.”
“I’m not.” Bitterness twisted in his gut and traffic held his attention for another mile. “I’ve wanted to be one since I was a kid. I’ve always had a way with animals. A real interest in taking care of them.”
“So why haven’t you pursued this dream?” She held up a hand to stop him from answering right away. “Sorry, I’m not always this slow. You took over the ranch at twenty or something, didn’t you? You had to keep it going in order to financially take care of Shelby.”
Sam focused on the pair of sharp curves ahead. As always, it pained him to even think about the one thing in life he wanted so badly. Talking about it was even worse. He’d resented having to take over the ranch, the same ranch he and his father had argued about many times. His father intended for him to take over the ranch when he retired. He’d told his father he wouldn’t do it. They’d argued about the decision so damn many times.
He gritted his teeth, tightened his hands on the steering wheel. Shelby hadn’t heard any of those arguments, thank God. She didn’t know how much it had hurt him to end up doing just as his father had wanted all along. But, in spite of his resentment concerning the ranch, he’d tried to never let her see how he’d felt. She’d loved growing up on the ranch and was a real horsewoman. He’d always hoped that one day she would eagerly take over the role of ranch owner. Yet another hope of his evidently shot to hell.
Frustration ate at him. He needed space. He needed out of this damn tiny Jeep. A faded sign on the side of the road just ahead mentioned a totally impossible for him to pronounce name of an historical church down a side road. A quick decision had him turning down the lane.
“It’s time to get out for a bit. I need to stretch my legs.” He glanced at her. “I figured since you’re obviously into history stuff that this might be a good spot to do so. I’ll unwind, and you can go look around.”
Valentine was worried about Sam. The conversation had come to a crashing halt and she almost regretted even bringing up the ranch and dreams. Almost. It was pretty clear to her that he needed to talk about this whole veterinary matter. It meant something to him, even now after having supposedly given up the dream twelve years ago. It upset her that he hadn’t trusted his sister enough to share something this important with her. The man needed to talk, to vent. She was a professional listener, someone trained to hear people share their innermost feelings and accept their venting. She would use her skills, even though he might resent her for it.
They pulled up next to a small church, built in 1853 per the sign. The instant he turned off the engine, he practically leaped out of the Jeep. He strode briskly away from the church toward a spot that overlooked a valley and some kind of crop fields. He stood stiffly, as if fighting back things he didn’t want to think about…as if fighting some kind of personal demons.
“Why haven’t you ever told Shelby about this veterinary interest of yours?” Valentine asked, moving up behind him. She knew he had to have heard her approach, but he refused to look at her.
“What good would it have done?” He said the words hollowly, hopelessly.
She touched his arm and the muscle beneath the shirt jumped. “Sam—”
He shifted away. “I couldn’t do anything about my dream. I couldn’t manage the ranch and go to vet school at the same time. Hell, I was only twenty-two when it all fell apart, when I had to grow up damn fast.”
She ached for him. Twenty-two was awfully young for so much responsibility. And she knew it was a lot of responsibility, because the Thompson Ranch was a big one. She’d heard the pride in Shelby’s voice when she talked about her home. This big, sad cowboy had done an amazing job of not only keeping the ranch going, but also in expanding it into one of the most prosperous ranches in the state. She honestly didn’t know what to say at the moment.
“That dream has always stayed with me. I never figured I’d have a real chance to even pursue it. Now I’m being handed an unbelievable opportunity to make it come true.”
He looked at her, pain in the depths of his brown eyes. “But I can’t abandon the damn ranch. It’s been in the Thompson family for over a hundred years.” He drew in a deep breath. “I’ve got to convince Shelby to take it over. The place is as much hers as it is mine, as much her duty as it is mine.”
His jaw tightened. “She’s being stubborn about the matter.”
She felt sorry for them both. “Of course you have a right to your dream. But Shelby has a right to hers as well. Running the ranch is not her dream,” Valentine pointed out, reasonably she hoped.
He looked accusingly at her. “She was never this stubborn until she started having talks with you! We got along damn good. You’ve filled her head with all this independence stuff. Now she doesn’t understand loyalty to family.”
Valentine bristled and narrowed her eyes in disgust. “You’re such an idiot! Blind to only what you want to see.”
“Want me to leave you here in the middle of nowhere?” he bit out, waving around him.
“You wouldn’t do that and we both know it.” At least she hoped he wouldn’t drive away without her.
He started back to the Jeep and she ran after him. She stood between him and the driver’s door, pulling in air. She was out of shape. “And you think your sister is stubborn!” She pulled in another breath. “For your information, Mr. Thompson, I did not change your sister’s personality. She did not suddenly become obstinate or independent because we had a few sessions.”
“I’ve never seen much use for you psychiatrists, at least not when it came to pushing your services on people who don’t need them. Like Shelby.” His nose wrinkled in obvious distaste for her occupation. “She’s always been levelheaded. Always respectful. Hardly ever gave me any grief growing up.” He glowered at her. “Until you messed with her head.”
She was tempted to punch him right smack in the nose, but she’d probably break her hand. Instead she called upon her dwindling patience. “I am not a psychiatrist. I am a professional romance therapist. I don’t mess with people’s heads. And I don’t push my services on anyone.” She was reconsidering punching him now.
He had the good sense to look uncomfortable. “Exactly what the hell is a romance therapist? Do you teach people about sex? Find out why they’re not getting satisfied or something?” He shook his head. “That’s plain old pitiful.”
She stretched to her full height and still only went nose to shoulder wit
h him. “Have I mentioned what an idiot you are?”
“Watch it, darlin’. I wouldn’t mind busting your butt again.”
Immediately her buttocks tightened. Still, she refused to back down. “You can—and will—do what you feel you must. I’m positive of that. Suffering a few hours from a sore bottom doesn’t make me cringe in my sandals, cowboy. It won’t make me stop trying to correct the error of your thinking.”
“Give it your best shot, but I’m reserving the decision about giving you another spanking.”
She was almost too annoyed with him to even try.
After a few seconds, she said, “I never discuss what goes on between my patients and me. But let me make this clear. I do not teach lessons in sex! I work with clients to help them find release for their suppressed feelings in relation to romantic harmony in life.”
She looked pointedly at him. “Maybe you could stand a few sessions, about romantic harmony. Not about suppressed feelings, because you express them pretty well.”
“I don’t even want to think about my baby sister and sex, romance, or romantic harmony.” He shifted uncomfortably. “What I do know is that since Shelby released whatever ‘suppressed feelings’ she was suffering, there’s been nothing but disharmony in our lives!”
The semblance of calmness she’d seen in him for a minute had disappeared. Fury sparked in his expressive eyes again. “She won’t even discuss the ranch issue anymore. She told me you said it was okay with her to focus on what she wanted to do with her life. That the ranch was my problem alone.”
Before she could comment, he pinned her with a heated look. “I’ve never once had a woman complain about my romancing. Fact is I can give a woman a hell of an orgasm.”
Her thoughts immediately headed down a path they shouldn’t be going. She fought to ignore his last comment and think back to what she’d said to Shelby. She didn’t remember putting it exactly the way he’d accused her of doing. But there was the chance Shelby had gone with her own interpretation of their talk about the ranch and Sam.
“I don’t think I quite said the ranch problem was all yours. But, Sam, have you ever really considered your sister and her dreams in all this decision about the ranch?”
His shoulders stiffened, but he remained silent.
“You’re torn because of what you want to do. But I’m pretty sure you haven’t listened at all to what Shelby wants to do! And it isn’t just Shelby’s desires that matter in her life anymore. She will soon have a husband and they will make decisions together.”
His chest rose and fell in deep, sharp breaths. His face had reddened and his mouth had tightened. She saw it all and worried about him. He’d faced so much in his life, and it seemed that maybe this particular hurdle was too much for him. She knew deep down he would never hurt Shelby or risk losing their relationship forever. But right now he was on the edge, because his own dream seemed even farther away than before. He needed a temporary release for all that pent up frustration. And, darn it, she could only think of one easy way for her to help him. She really should get some kind of good merit badge for what she was about to do.
“About that spanking…”
He looked a little surprised at her mentioning it, and then latched onto the idea. “Guess you realize you deserve one for interfering in our lives. For not understanding the boundaries of what’s not your business.”
“Not really, but I suppose you feel they need to be more defined.” She was the idiot here. She was all but challenging him to turn her over his knee. What she wouldn’t do for a client! For a client’s pigheaded brother.
She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t to be led across the parking lot and to a bench behind the church. Nor did she expect to have him reach down to undo her shorts, and then push them down to her knees. She was too stunned by it all to even react. For about two seconds.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she gasped in outrage, reaching to pull them back up.
He slapped her hands away and tugged her with him as he sat down on the bench. He pulled her over his lap so quickly all she could do was say, “Ooof.” Then, adding even more to her horror, he jerked her bikini panties down to join the shorts. It felt really odd to have the gentle breeze blow over her bare bottom.
“No! Being spanked is bad enough.” She tried to wriggle free. Her face flamed in embarrassment. “Pull them back up! What if someone else drives up here and stops to look around?” She wiggled some more.
His hand connected with her lower buttocks and moved her forward until she planted her hands on the ground. “Spankings are best given on a bare bottom. I warned you before.” He swatted her again, harder.
“I’ve changed my mind!” She tried to push up off his left knee but he held her firmly in place with an arm across her back. “I just thought you needed a way to release your frustration. But I’ve changed my mind.”
A dozen hard smacks landed on her cheeks, alternately. “So you were sacrificing yourself for my sake? How saintly of you. Too bad I’m not buying your innocence in all this.”
“I am innocent!” she protested, reaching a hand back to try and protect her stinging bottom. “Stop. It hurts. Sam, stop!” She shoved her hand between her bottom and his flying hand. Mistake.
He grabbed hold of her hand and held it out of the way. “You knew a spanking hurts. You should have thought about that before you decided to offer your bottom to me.” He went back to searing her wiggling buttocks.
The spanking went on for what felt like forever, but probably was only a few minutes. She had a difficult time judging reality when her thoughts were focused on the hard hand that kept falling. It was tough to catch her breath, too. He wasn’t wasting any time getting this lesson delivered. It hurt, really hurt.
“Stop! Please stop!” she begged, tears streaking down her face.
“No more interfering between Shelby and me?” he pressed, holding his hand to her bottom.
“I was not interfering!” she shouted on a sob. “I just wanted to help. Both of you.”
To her surprise, and her relief, he sighed and stopped. “Help by staying out of it from now on.”
Fire sparked off her poor bottom and she was reluctant to move. She lay quietly sobbing another minute, knowing he was probably staring at her bottom. Oddly, she was getting turned on. So was he, if the size of his erection next to her hip was any indication.
Finally, he eased her panties up, slowly, gently. He helped her climb awkwardly to her feet. She stood in front of him, lower lip trembling. “I never meant to cause problems for you. Either of you.”
His expression was hard to read, except for the darkening of his eyes, the way his nostrils flared. His gaze focused on her mound and she felt the familiar warmth of arousal spreading through her. Wrong time, wrong place. She carefully pulled up her shorts, wincing at the tightness of the fabric over her tender bottom.
“I’m sorry, Sam. Really.” She held her breath and zipped the shorts. So not a pleasant experience.
His eyes searched hers, and he must have read the sincerity within them. “I should probably apologize for spanking you, now that I’ve calmed down. You only partly deserved it.”
“Only partly?” she asked, gently touching her bottom.
He stood, his arms sweeping around her and hugging her in such a way that she felt treasured. In truth, even when he spanked her, he made her feel cared for. How strange was that? Maybe she was the one who needed a therapist. No, she was totally sane. She just had this strange desire to be held, to be touched, to be anything by this man so unlike any other in her life.
“Partly I wanted to burn that sweet bottom of yours. Partly I wanted to kiss these pretty pink lips.” His head lowered until he was kissing them. Until he held her so tightly to him and kissed her with such passion that she never wanted him to let her go.
She felt his heart pounding; felt his cock growing between their bodies. Her own body responded with eagerness. She moved against
him, aching, wanting, and kissed him back with a fire of her own.
After a minute, he raised his head to grin down at her even as he pressed his cock to her stomach. “I’m thinking it’s about time we did something about these sparks that keep lighting when we’re together. Time I proved to you once and for all how much of a lesbian you aren’t.”
* * *
Valentine had done a lot of things in her life, but she’d never checked into a hotel for a quickie. As they drove further down the road to Hana, they’d tried snuggling in the Jeep. But it was impossible. They’d stopped at several isolated spots to do some serious kissing while pretending to enjoy the view at roadside. That had ignited a desperate need in each of them that had to be dealt with long before they would be able to drive all the way back to the Papakea Resort on the other side of the island. Actually, she’d been the one to spot the small hotel with individual cottages and suggest they “rest” for a while.
The cottage they rented was decorated island-style with lots of bamboo and bright colors. If she’d been able to think about anything but Sam, she would have enjoyed really studying the place. Instead the only piece of furniture that interested her right now was the king-sized bed she lie stomach down and naked across. The thick comforter beneath her bare body felt cool and seemed to heighten her awareness of him even more while he worked at tugging off his boots. He’d stripped her almost the second they’d entered the cottage. Not that she had resisted in any way.
She hugged a pillow, smiling back at him. “How long are you going to take, cowboy? I’m getting kind of lonely here.”
He kicked the boots aside and went to work unbuckling his belt. “Darlin’, it’ll be worth the wait, believe me.”
“Says you.” She knew he was watching her every move and she couldn’t resist reaching around to touch her barely stinging buttocks. He’d admitted to enjoying the sight of a woman’s freshly spanked bottom, especially hers. She felt kind of excited about the way her bottom enticed him. “Never in my life would I have guessed that I’d become attracted to a man who believes in spanking.”
