Forever Wild: A Camden Ranch Novel

by Jillian Neal

  “Then taste me. I know you want to. I can see it in your eyes. God, you love it don’t you. You love that you were the first guy to ever touch me like this, love that you know how to make me come all over your face when you lick me, love that you were the first to taste me. Do it. I’ll take everything you’ve got and then some.”

  His cock burned so fiercely he was concerned his Wranglers might catch fire. He did love that he’d been her first, the first guy to ever touch her tender virgin skin, the man who’d opened her, giving her everything he was, the first to ever see her come completely undone at his touch. If he had any say at all, he’d also be the last.

  Closing his eyes, commanding himself not to give in, he clenched his jaw until he was certain if he opened his mouth the next thing he said wouldn’t be lay back and spread your legs for me. “Not tonight, darlin’. Later. This is it for tonight. I’ll get my taste. I’ll suck what I get from you off my fingers, gorge myself on them until I decide it’s time to have my fill of it from your pussy. Right now, I want these.” He leaned and swirled his tongue around her left nipple. His name hissed from her lips. She was so close. He eased up, extending his delectable torture.

  He drowned her nipple with his kisses until he finally drew it into the fiery heat of his mouth and began to suck. Gently, he eased his thumb under the hood of her clitoris and gave her what she required to come.

  The throbs of her sweet clit were timed to her racing pulse. His own heart thundered in his chest. He sucked harder. He was going to have a dozen half-moon fingernail marks on his shoulders. The pain registered instantly as undeniable pleasure and racked readily in his balls. “So good, isn’t it, baby?” He released her breast and whispered in her ear as she panted for breath. “Feels so good right there. I know.”

  “Oh God,” she purred.

  “Breathe for me, sugar. Have to remember to breathe.” Another stroke deep inside of her and another rotation of his thumb and she came with a racked gasp of breath. He eased his hand away and wrapped her up in his arms as she collapsed against him in a storm of aftershocks that he swore shook his soul as well.

  “I love you, Indie,” he vowed readily as he lifted her back into his arms and settled her in the bed. He grinned at the ancient cowhide-patterned sheets she’d had since they were in high school.

  “Stay with me.” The yearning in her eyes made him consider doing just that, but he refused to have sex with her that night, and if he crawled in the bed there’d be no stopping himself. He just wasn’t that strong, and the line between keeping her sated but constantly begging for more was razor thin. There was too much at stake for him to give in because she made him weak. Luke doubted her father would be too thrilled to wake up to them naked in her adolescent bed together anyway.

  He leaned down and brushed a tender kiss on her temple. “Not tonight, darlin’. I gotta get up and do chores in an hour. I’ll be right back to pick you up. I promise.”

  She leaned up on her elbow and gave him a kiss that made leaving her room feel like he was being asked to stand barefoot in a hot oven. He settled the sheets around her gently. “Sweet dreams, doll baby.” Locating the jeans he’d stripped off of her, he stole those red satin panties that had all but driven him right over the edge. He made a show of inhaling her scent from the fabric before he shoved them in his pocket.

  “Those gonna be covered in jizz when I get them back?” A deep yawn contorted her beautiful face before she achieved a sleepy smirk.

  “Who says you’re getting them back, sugar? I’ll see you in the morning. Sleep good.”

  When Luke passed Saddleback’s, he cringed. Her Camaro was the only car in the empty lot. Dammit. He’d completely forgotten they were supposed to pick it back up on the way to the ranch. Whole town would surely be talking by morning. Half the residents of Pleasant Glen had watched him drag her out of the bar. No doubt what everyone would suspect now. That was sure to go over like a lead balloon. Rubbing his eyes, he pressed the accelerator harder. There was no way to get the car now, and he was beyond exhausted.

  He headed in his front door, stripped, grinned at the peek of red satin in the pocket of his discarded jeans, and collapsed into bed. So far his plan was on track. She’d given him the two weeks and agreed to his bedroom conditions. He just needed a little help from fate and he’d have his girl right back in their hometown where she belonged permanently.

  Chapter Six

  Less than two hours from the time his head had flattened his pillow, a knock sounded on Luke’s front door. A long, largely incoherent string of expletives flew from his mouth as he stumbled to answer it. Normally, his brothers and sisters would get started on the chores without him if he had a long night out with a sick animal.

  Just enough of his brain cells were still functioning to remember that no one knew he’d been doctoring Juliet. Everyone was under the impression he’d driven off into the sunset with Indie to kindle the old flames and no one was going to cut him any slack for that.

  He jerked the door open, rubbing his hand over his stubble and through his hair.

  A glint of sunlight floated low over the pastures near Luke’s home, turning the navy blue sky a deep indigo.

  Brock offered him an apologetic gaze. “Sorry, man. I, uh, assume last night went well. I’d let you sleep, but I got a heifer in trouble. Sacs been showin’ for too long without anything else. She started last night when I got back from town. Nothing’s happening. I’m worried we’re gonna lose her and the calf.”

  Luke managed a nod. Damn, this was gonna be one long day. “Let me grab a cup of coffee. I’ll be right there. Can you get her in a headgate?” Brock followed Luke into his kitchen where he made a quick cup of coffee using the fancy coffee maker that made one cup servings his parents had given him for Christmas.

  “I’ll try. Can’t get her up at all currently. I’ve got the chains out there though.”

  While the cup filled, he pulled on his jeans and a clean shirt. He tossed Indie’s panties on his dresser. Brock pretended not to notice, but the smirk on his face said otherwise. Luke offered no explanation. Wasn’t anybody’s business but his.

  He cringed when they reached the heifer. Poor thing was laying on the ground, damn near groaning out her agony. Luke’s stomach clenched. Holly and Natalie were trying to help. Grant was pulling on shoulder gloves. The ones Brock had been wearing were laying nearby.

  “I’ve got her.” Luke scrubbed up and grabbed his own set of gloves before he coaxed his way past the visible sac and worked his way to the canal. Dammit. “Got four hooves already in the canal. I don’t think I can reposition it. Get her in that head gate.”

  “You gonna do a cesarean?” Grant patted the cow’s side gently. “It’s all right, girl.”

  “Don’t know another way to save ‘um both. Get her left side scrubbed and shaved. I gotta get my kit.”

  By the time he got back, Natalie and Brock had the cow secured, and Brock was easing a razor down her side. Holly was scrubbing her hands and arms to help him. His youngest sister’s determination rolled off of her waves. You never told Holly she wasn’t going to do something. She was almost as stubborn as Indie, but not quite. If she was as hellbent as Luke on saving the mama and the calf, he was fine with her help. They’d certainly done this before.

  He drew up the anesthesia and set to begin.

  A few minutes later, Luke’s cell phone rang in his pocket. “Get that.” He leaned his hip outward while he made the final incision. Grant grabbed the phone.

  “If it ain’t Indie Jane calling,” he goaded as he answered her call.

  Luke hated he couldn’t talk to her and explain why he wasn’t on his way to pick her up. He could just make out her greeting.

  “Yeah, hang on, he’s right here.”

  Luke stared at his brother, certain he’d lost his mind. “I’m a little busy.” He gestured to the small hoof he was currently easing out of the cow.

  “You birth. I’ll hold the phone.” Grant held the phone to
his ear.

  “Hey, doll baby, sorry I’m late. I’m in the middle of a c-section.”

  “Oh my God. Why are you talking to me?”

  “Grant has the phone to my ear. I can multitask.” Gently, he paired the calves back hooves and gestured for Holly to rupture the amniotic sac.

  “I’ll let you go. I’m gonna go have breakfast with Daddy then I’ll come out there.”

  “Your car’s still at Saddlebacks.” He glared at his siblings as they all snickered.

  “Shit. Forgot about that. Oh, and just for your information, I’m wearing nothing but the smile you left me with and … socks.”

  Luke couldn’t help but chuckle. Her slight rebellion and the impish tone of her voice sent a flashflood of blood to his cock. “That ain’t exactly what I told you to do.”

  Holly rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

  “My feet got cold, and I haven’t ever been too good at doing exactly what anyone tells me to do.”

  A grunt escaped Luke’s lips as he attached the chain to the calf’s hind legs. Ornery little vixen. They sure as hell could play this game. In fact, he’d love nothing more. “I need to go, sugar. We’ll continue this conversation later, because believe me, I’ve got plenty to say about that.”

  “Mmm, can’t wait.”

  Grant ended the call for him. Before his siblings and cousin could begin their teasing and harassment, Luke frowned. “It’s twins. That’s what was wrong. Pull now.” He and Grant took hold of the chains and pulled the first calf free. “Get her breathing.” He handed the calf to Brock, who had the baby breathing a second later. He cleaned her up while Luke eased the second towards his incision.

  Indie set her phone aside, rubbed her hands over her face, and blinked several times as she took in the bedroom that had been the backdrop for her entire childhood. It took her a moment to process that she was not sixteen, she had not been messing around with a teenage Luke Camden in her childhood bedroom the night before, and she really had no reason to feel like she’d done anything wrong. The heady excitement that always came from a healthy dose of rebellion still brought a grin to her face, however.

  Sitting up in bed, she let the feeling of Luke’s instructions for her to sleep naked work through her. She still needed to figure out how exactly he’d turned into the personification of her every dirty fantasy, but just then she didn’t care. Kicking the sheets off of her feet, she grinned at the socks she’d added, partly for warmth but mostly for spite. Bring it on, Luke Camden. Let’s see how far you’ll really go playing a surly dom. The ancient alarm clock on the bedside table announced it was nearing nine. She hadn’t meant to sleep so late.

  Her father knocked on her bedroom door. “Indie Jane, you want some coffee? I made breakfast.”

  Instinctively, she jerked the sheets back over her chest. Time seemed oddly variable. She couldn’t quite place the current version of herself correctly on the timeline of her life. “I’ll be up in a minute, Daddy,” she called. “And hell yes on the coffee.”

  She heard the customary pops of the old parquet flooring as her father shuffled back to the kitchen.

  Indie dressed and padded down the hallway towards the smell of coffee. Her father’s smirk greeted her as he handed her a mug. “Found Juliet messing with this when I went to check her this morning. Might not want to leave them in the barn.” He picked up her bra from the counter and placed it in her other hand.

  Certain her face was now the color of the bra in question, Indie returned to her room and tossed it in the hamper. She took a long, drawn minute to regain her composure before she rejoined her father at the breakfast table. He was still chuckling. “I’m guessing you might also like a ride to town to retrieve your car.”

  Indie ground her teeth. The first sip of her coffee eased a little of her annoyance however. “Yeah, if you don’t mind. Luke’s doing a C-section on one of their cows this morning. I thought I might go out to the ranch and see if I can help.”

  “Boy’s better than any vet with an actual degree. He really ought to go back and finish just so he can get the prescriptions easier. The vets in Ogallala gives him a hard time when he orders meds, but they won’t come out here and take care of the animals so they always fill ‘em. They just like to remind him that they have degrees hanging on their office walls and he don’t. He’s the one that does all the work, though. This town wouldn’t make it without him.”

  Irritation ticked in Indie’s blood. She hadn’t known any of that, but when she considered someone making Luke feel less than, the desire to forcefully remove their heads from their bodies welled in her soul. Who the hell did they think they were anyway? She dared one guy with some fancy-ass degree to say to her face that Luke wasn’t the best vet and the best man in the entire Midwest. You have the best, Indie. So, why the hell do you keep running from him? Whoa. Her brain pulled that one right out of left field. She drowned the thought in more coffee and her father’s slightly overcooked eggs and bacon.

  “I’ll kill him,” Indie huffed an hour later when her father pulled into the gravel parking lot of Saddlebacks. Blue flashing lights alerted everyone on Main Street that morning to the fact that her Camaro was still in the lot. Clarke Newsome, the illustrious sheriff’s deputy of the Glen, and the pipsqueak who’d ratted Luke and Indie out to the principal one day when they were making out under the bleachers a good fifteen years ago was leaning against her car. Indie’s blood boiled. She still hadn’t forgiven him for tattling, and now he was leaning against her prized possession. Clarke had always been jealous of Luke and looked for any opportunity in school to make his life miserable. It appeared nothing had changed in that department. Nothing in this stupid town ever did, she reminded herself.

  “Don’t scalp him,” her father sighed. “I ain’t got time to bail you out today, and it sounds like Luke’s busy, too.”

  Indie narrowed her eyes. Eliza Olsen was dressed in her waitressing uniform and had her finger wagging in Clarke’s face. As soon as Indie’s father had the truck in park, she leapt out.

  “Get your ass off my car right this minute, Clarke, or I’ll recover my seats with your skinny hide.”

  Eliza laughed. “He ain’t got enough fat on him to fry his ears, Indie, much less make seats out of. Now get Clarke. I ain’t kidding. Me ‘n Ed don’t give two hollers that her car’s here. It ain’t hurtin’ nothing.”

  Indie couldn’t help but grin. Eliza and Ed had owned Saddlebacks for as long as she could remember. She’d always adored Eliza. A warm contentment washed through her, an odd sensation given how irritated she’d been just a moment before.

  “This vehicle was parked in a private lot all night, Miss Harper. I’m writing you a ticket. You keep up with that disrespectfulness to an officer of the law, and I’ll add trespassing, loitering, and threatening an officer to the charges.”

  Ben’s hand landed on Indie’s shoulder a moment before she lunged at Clarke. “Don’t do it, baby girl. He sure as hell ain’t worth it.”

  Eliza’s hand moved from her hip to jabbing Clarke in the shoulder. “You got one thing right, Clarke. This is a private lot, a private lot owned by me and mine, and if I say Indie can park her car here for as long as she likes, she can. I’m glad it’s here. Makes me happier than a pig in mud she and Luke might me workin’ things out. Now get, ‘fore I go find me a skillet.”

  Indie took a half second to wonder just how many people were already aware she’d agreed to being Luke’s for the next two weeks. She ran her fingertips over the rather large purple hickey on the right side of her neck. She’d let him brand her like a billboard, so she supposed she really couldn’t complain. Her father hadn’t commented on the mark, though he’d most certainly seen it. She’d have to wear four scarves to cover the thing, and she was definitely not a scarf-wearing kind of girl.

  Clarke turned his frustrated glare on Eliza. “You start letting just anyone park here all night, won’t be long before we up and have street gangs right here in Pleasant Glen. Is
that what you want?”

  “Oh, dear Lord in Heaven.” Ben rolled his eyes. “Clarke, son, ain’t there somebody jay-walking down by the drugstore, or maybe Aunt Bea’s jarring up some kerosene pickles or some’um? Indie’s takin’ her car on to Camden Ranch now. Ain’t no harm done. Let everyone be.”

  “Every single man in this town, save your pansy-ass and maybe Mayor Jenkins owns pitchforks and pistols, and sure as heck knows how to use ‘em both. They also got enough strength to haul hay, cattle, horses, and just about anything else. Let some street gang try out the Glen, you mo-ron, they ain’t gonna get far,” Eliza retorted. She cringed a moment later. “Oh, I’m sorry to speak ill of the mayor like that, Indie. He’s been in here every day this week, prattling on about one thing or another. On my nerves something fierce.”

  Indie beamed at her. “Believe me, no offense taken. I got about as much use for the mayor as I do for Clarke.”

  “Both ‘bout as good for our town,” Eliza agreed. “You know, that’s what I oughta do. I oughta march right inside and call up Luke. He’d bury you in the ground like a daisy then run you over with his tractor. Now, ‘fore I call up to Camden Ranch, get.”

  It irked Indie that Eliza thought she needed Luke to fight her battles for her, but the image of Luke running over a half-buried Clarke with a tractor was rather humorous.

  “Fine. If the Olsen’s aren’t going to press charges there’s not much I can do, but when them street gangs from Omaha take up here, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” With that, he flung himself back in his squad car and drove out of the lot.

  “That boy is just eat up with the dumbass.” Eliza shook her head. Indie and her father cracked up. “I am sorry ‘bout all of that, Indie. I was so excited when I saw Luke up and kiss you like that last night and then he dragged you out here and mmm, mmm, mmm, just like a scene outta a movie, so romantic. I wish Ed’d take some lessons. You know, you oughta let Luke take a lick or two at Clarke. Serve him right, and there ain’t nothin’ sexier than when men fight over ya.”