Tense as a spring, she hurried out the front door. She’d wait on the porch. No sense in tempting herself.
Jake took his time coming outside. He parked that cowboy hat on his head and grinned at her. “I don’t understand you city girls.”
She folded her arms over her chest. “What does that mean?”
His sultry stare swept slowly over her body sending a rush of desire to her core. “I guess it’s more important to look hot than to dress practically for a ride, huh?”
“I’ll be fine.” She’d had enough of a man telling her what to wear. Her ex had played that card to death. But Jake thought she looked hot. That shouldn’t matter to her, only it did.
“Let’s go reintroduce you to Daisy.” He offered his hand, but she refused it.
With a shrug, he started around the side of the house. She followed.
They stopped right next to the horse. How would she get up that high? The stirrups had to be at least four feet off the ground. “Big horse.”
He nodded and she caught another waft of his enticing scent. “Got to be. She’s built to haul around heavy loads.”
She gulped. “Don’t you have one that’s a little smaller I can start on?”
A quiet chuckle broke from his lips. “There’s Mr. Giggles. He’s a pony we hire out for kids’ parties.”
Kids’ parties? What the hell was he implying? “Never mind. Daisy is fine.”
Jake adjusted the stirrups. He stepped around her and set his hands on her waist. Renewed desire rushed through her.
“Put your left foot in.” He gestured toward the stirrup. “I’ll help you into the saddle. Just say when.”
She looked up at the horse. Swallowing hard, she slipped her foot into the stirrup. She gave her head a firm nod. “Ready.” Her pulse raced.
He hoisted her up. She swung her right leg over the horse and landed smack in the center of the saddle. The animal twitched. She grabbed onto a protrusion resembling a shoehorn in front of her, but the instant she looked down, her stomach lurched.
Don’t be a baby.
Daisy took a step forward, then back as she whinnied. Paige’s heart pounded like it might explode any second.
Screw appearances. She hovered low, wrapped her arms around the horse’s neck and squeezed her eyes tight. Why did she agree to do this?
If I fall, no one will catch me. No one ever has.
“Look at me, Paige.” Jake’s voice.
She peeled open her eyelids and tried to stop her body from trembling.
“Afraid of heights?” he asked.
“I guess so.” Or afraid of traveling on anything with its own heartbeat or that didn’t have brakes. She clung to the animal’s mane.
“You have to sit up tall.” He smiled and gave her a reassuring wink. “How about we take this real slow.”
“By slow do you mean we’ll begin on foot or in a car, maybe?”
He shook his head and untied the reins. Tugging gently on the horse, he guided it away from the post. “Nice and easy.”
Paige marveled at the sheer power of the animal’s muscles as Daisy’s back moved the saddle up and down. “Can we stop, please?”
“Whoa, Daisy,” Jake said.
Heart still hammering, Paige pulled her right foot out of the stirrup. “I don’t want to ride. Maybe later I will.”
“Sure?”
She nodded, anxious to get the hell off the beast. Jake lifted his arms to her. She threw herself off the horse and into his embrace. Jake stumbled backward and she fell on top of him on the grass. His hat went tumbling away. A great whoosh escaped his throat.
Straddling his hips, she stared down at him, hoping she hadn’t just killed the poor guy. “Are you all right?”
He opened his eyes looking a bit dazed. That handsome face lit up with a sexy grin. “You kidding? I’ve got a beautiful lady sitting on top of me. Doesn’t get any better than that.”
Despite herself, Paige laughed. Jake’s hands caught her shoulders, pulled her down until their faces were inches apart. She started to protest, but he stilled her with a gentle brush of his lips over hers. She shut her eyes, distilling the implications. But for once in her life, she didn’t care. All she knew was it had been a long time, way too long, since a man had made her feel this way, all woozy and full of butterflies.
She parted her lips, allowed his tongue entrance. His fingers moved to her head, and forced her closer. They shared a slow, tasting kiss. The world fell away. Nothing existed but Jake and his sensuous mouth, his fingers combing along her scalp, the swell of his cock pressing against her belly.
He drove his tongue deeper, inviting hers to dance and play. His taste was part mint, part coffee. She couldn’t get enough. Sweet desire spiraled inside her. She licked and tasted and explored, slid her tongue over his teeth. Long dormant need crashed over her and flooded her veins.
The horse neighed suddenly. Jake broke away. “Sorry, darlin’, but I don’t think either of us want to get stepped on by Daisy. She weighs nearly a ton.” He rolled over her, gave her mouth a quick swipe of his tongue. He stood and offered her a hand. She let him help her up. The instant he let her go, she missed his touch.
Jake brought the horse back to the post and tied her there while Paige dusted the grass and dirt from her knees. Heat rushed to her cheeks. What had she been thinking? She’d never been prone to such rash behavior. How had her libido overridden her brain in seconds flat?
No, Jake was the wrong person for a meaningless fling. It would never work to allow her carnal needs to interfere with settling her father’s estate. She brushed her hands together and sucked in a steadying breath. That’s that. She’d just pretend it had never happened. And hoped he’d do the same.
Jake cleared his throat and returned to Paige’s side.
Damn, the woman looked hot in those impractical shorts and that skimpy tank top.
At least her outfit finally allowed him a glimpse of that body. And he enjoyed the view. The feel of her straddling his lap a minute ago had made the fall well worth the backache he’d probably suffer later. And her scent, God. She smelled like the flower shop in town, so sweet you never wanted to leave. Like roses and carnations and honeysuckle all mixed together.
Only he didn’t much care for the way she stood now, with her arms wrapped tightly around her body and her eyes looking everywhere but at him. Like she didn’t want to continue what they’d started.
Her cheeks and neck flushed pink. Could be from the heat—or the hot kiss that held the promise of so much more. Or maybe she was embarrassed. “Horses take some getting used to. Nothing to be ashamed—”
“I’m not ashamed!” The color spread over her entire face. She shut her eyes a moment and huffed a breath. “That kiss was a mistake. One that won’t happen again.”
If he were a betting man, he’d lay odds she was dead wrong about that. He tried to stifle his grin.
“Can we please do the tour of the ranch on foot?”
He stared down at her sandals. “Not in those shoes. This is a big place.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s fine. They’re quite comfortable.”
He contemplated telling her it had as much to do with the abundance of piles of horse dung scattered about, but why not let her find that out on her own? “Fine. Let’s start with the stable.
They hadn’t gone fifty feet when she yelped and yanked off her shoe. “Do you let these damned horses go to the bathroom everywhere?”
He tamped down a chuckle. “Uh, they don’t have a whole lot of control.”
“Why didn’t you warn me?” Her chest heaved. Showed off perfect, rounded tits. Pebbled points strained the thin fabric of her shirt. His mouth watered to taste those erect nipples.
His cock hardened. Fighting the desire to kiss her again, he forced his eyes to meet hers. “You didn’t seem to want my wardrobe advice.”
Her face contorted in an angry scowl. She opened her mouth to say something. Instantly, she snapped it shut. Grippin
g her dung-covered shoe, she hobbled toward the house. “Give me a few minutes to clean up and change.” She picked up her pace.
A boom of thunder sounded nearby. Jake scrutinized the storm on the horizon. Time to get Daisy home. He adjusted the stirrups then climbed into the saddle. Giving Paige a backward glance, he rode toward the stables. As the sun sank low, he removed the saddle. May as well muck out the stables now. He ushered the horse into the corral.
After getting Daisy settled into her stall, he gathered the feed tubs. He cleaned them out, filled them, then hung one for each horse.
He’d just finished spreading straw in the fourth stall when Paige marched in and glared at him. She now wore jeans with a T-shirt that hugged those luscious curves perfectly. “I expected you to be at the house. For your information, I’m not one of those women who says I’ll be ready in a few minutes when I really mean a lot longer.”
What had her so ticked off? “I’m right here, honey. No reason to shout.”
Her face reddened again. “Honey?” She balled her hands into tight fists at her sides. “No one calls me honey.”
“Can’t say that anymore, huh?” He’d heard about city girls like her with their hot tempers and bossy attitudes. Must be a real firecracker in bed.
“I am ready for that tour now.” She spoke real slow, as if he were a moron.
He ignored her tone. “Look outside, darlin’. You won’t be able to see anything in the dark.” He hung the pitchfork on a hook on the wall. Then he grabbed a water bucket from a nearby stall and handed it to Paige. No time like now to start breaking her in. “Take this to the hose, rinse it out and refill it.”
She stared at him as if he were an alien. “You expect me to take care of the horses?”
He pushed his hat farther back on his head. “I’m taking care of them. You’re only helping me out. That’s all right, isn’t it?”
“I’m a bookkeeper, not a horse keeper.” With that, she dropped the bucket on the floor, splashing water on the rubber mat. She lifted an eyebrow in challenge and crossed her arms over her chest, a hundred-percent spoiled city girl.
She’d succeeded in pissing him off but he managed a chuckle. Keeping his voice barely above a whisper, he said, “That wasn’t very nice. Now you get to do them all.”
Paige’s temper flared white-hot. She stood her ground. No way would she do Jake’s work. She tapped her foot and stared him down, her eyes narrowing to slits.
“One way or another, you’re going to fill those buckets.” He took a step closer, leveling a stern look at her.
She pulled in a breath infused with his scent, powerful and manly. Horses whinnied from the corrals. She shuddered with raw need. The tension between them electrified the air. She clamped down on her rising desire.
I am not turned on by this arrogant country boy.
Yet her nipples ached and her pussy grew moist.
“You’re not allowed to be a prima donna on a working ranch.” He was so close now she could practically hear his heart thundering in tandem with hers.
“I’m not—”
His hands caught her shoulders and he stilled her with a kiss, hungry and deep. Even better than before. He sucked on her tongue, swirled his around hers. Those pesky butterflies started flapping their wings inside her. All reason flew out the door. She threaded her fingers through his thick hair, knocked that damn sexy hat right off his head. Liquid desire washed over her, flooded her veins.
Jake slid his hands under her shirt, ran them up and down her back. His touch on her bare skin sent delicious shockwaves through her entire body. A moan caught in her throat. His rough skin rasped over her flesh, igniting her nerve endings with a craving for more. He drew her against him, close enough that his erection pressed into her belly. She lowered her right hand and traced his hard cock through his jeans.
A rough growl rumbled from deep inside him. He broke the kiss and met her stare with a smoky blue gaze. Lifting her shirt over her head, he let out an appreciate whistle at the sight of her lacy bra. “You have some damn fine breasts, ma’am.”
His compliment ratcheted her passion higher. Jake bit her left nipple lightly through the material. The air was still, yet a quiver danced over her skin. He pushed aside the lace covering her other breast and cupped it with a calloused hand. Pleasure swirled around her, shot in every direction. She rolled her head back and swam in bliss.
“Don’t stop.”
Did I say that?
God help her. She meant it. His tongue laved her sensitive skin, bathing her in delicious sensations.
Lightning flashed through the open-air stable windows. Seconds later, the mighty roar of thunder shook the ground beneath them. She felt Jake stiffen seconds before he pulled away. But she still needed so much more from him. She craved the feel of his hands, his lips, his cock.
The tight set of his jaw confirmed that they’d have to put this party on hold. “Sorry, darlin’. I have to move the horses inside. We have wicked lightning storms here.”
She swallowed back the disappointment and nodded. He handed over her T-shirt.
A fling with Jake isn’t wise.
Perhaps the interruption was all for the best. Nature’s way of telling her to stop before she did something she’d regret. Only she didn’t regret a moment of it. In fact, she couldn’t wait until she had him alone again.
For once in my life, I’m going to do what I want and not what my mother, my boss or my ex-husband wants.
And she wanted Jake. Badly.
He retrieved his hat from the floor and stuck it atop his head.
“Can I help?” she asked.
What? Did I really say that?
He lifted an eyebrow and leveled a wary stare at her. “Sure. Open that first stall.” He pointed to the half door behind her.
She did as he instructed, then watched him lead each animal inside from the corrals. His clothes grew wetter and wetter with each trip, but he didn’t seem to mind. By the time he walked the fourth horse into its stall, he was drenched, but no less enticing. His soaked shirt exposed the rippling muscles of his shoulders, back and chest.
She drew an appreciative breath and squirmed against the liquid heat building between her thighs. Imagining Jake’s hands slipping between her legs, her breath caught. Centering a hand on her chest, she glanced outside. The storm wasn’t letting up at all. Lightning sizzled all around them. The house was way too far to make a run for it across a flat open field.
She heard something shuffle behind her. Spinning around, she found Jake spreading a thick layer of straw on the floor in the empty stall. He’d taken off his shirt and she had to tamp down her sheer awe at his bare torso. Uncovered, his form looked even more enticing.
The man exuded so much sensual heat it was a miracle he hadn’t singed her a few minutes ago. His chest was hairless except for a light sprinkling between his pecs. And he had a better six-pack than any man she’d seen at her gym in New York. His smooth skin bore a golden tan. The thought of those powerful arms around her made her heart jump.
“What now?” She couldn’t tear her gaze from his incredible body. Even his walk turned her on. More a swagger, really.
He picked up a pile of blankets from the area where he stored the saddles and carried them across the stable to the last stall. “Come on.”
She hesitated at his tone, but the command touched something primal inside her, something dark and incredibly irresistible.
“Come here, woman.” Lower, his voice more forceful this time.
The man had the power to turn her into a puddle of estrogen. She followed him into the stall. He’d set up a sort of bed on the floor. “Looks lumpy.” She slanted him a grin.
“Once we’re done with it, it’ll be a whole lot lumpier.” He unfastened his belt.
Desire rumbled through her. She closed the distance between them. “Let me.” Heart racing, she reached for the buckle, yanked the leather back and forced it through the metal.
He pulled off his
boots, threw them aside.
Paige sank to her knees, unbuttoned his jeans. She slid down the zipper slowly, tantalizing him. The wet denim stuck to his muscular legs as she peeled the pants away. A commando man. She liked that. His erection sprang toward her, granite hard and flushed with blood. Veins stood out along the shaft. She swallowed at his impressive size and closed her fist around the base.
Jake hissed out a breath.
His cock, still damp from the rain, felt so hot she wouldn’t have been surprised to see steam rise off of it. The head was perfectly symmetrical and a silvery drop of semen glistened at the tip. She squeezed her fist tighter and licked the seed from his slit, salty and hot. His hips pushed toward her and she allowed more of his length inside her mouth. Swirling her tongue around the shaft, she tasted his male scent and her own desire heightened. She cupped his balls and took his cock, so heavy with need, into her mouth, only a little at first.
He let out a pleasured moan and pushed closer. She pulled him deeper, taking his length all the way inside until it touched the very back of her throat. Hot, wet desire flowed to her sex with every stroke. She rasped her teeth over his shaft, eliciting a pleasured gasp from his lips.
“Paige. Where have you been all my life, honey?”
She smiled at that, looked up at him as she ran her tongue along the underside. She sucked his ball sac into her mouth and lapped at the tight skin. The bliss evident on his face sent a shiver of excitement dancing up her spine. His cock throbbed and pulsed. She closed her lips over it as she circled the base with her fingers. He thrust into her mouth slowly at first, but with more and more need. His moans grew louder, more insistent. She used her fingernails to lightly scrape his balls and he rewarded her with a gasp.
Water and sweat slid down his chiseled chest in rivulets. He grasped her head and moaned. A drop of semen escaped. Paige savored its heady flavor. He pistoned his hips in an ancient rhythm. She tightened her grip. His release drew closer. She felt it in the quiver of his skin, heard it in the rumble inside his chest.
Shades of Sexy: Six Uber Hot Stories Page 26
