by Liliana Hart
Her hands grew damp with anticipation as she saw the large one on top addressed to her. It had to be from Antoine. She washed her hands at the sink and left her plate untouched as she took the mail up to the privacy of her room.
She opened the packet with trembling fingers and read Antoine’s slanted scrawl. It wasn’t long, but there was a world of emotion in the short paragraph.
My Dearest Chloe,
I write to you with the taste of your quim still sweet on my lips and wanting you with a desire that makes me hard for your touch. The love I have for you makes the days ahead of me easier. Lucien has extended his stay in Chicago, and I’ve had to change my plans. Do not fear. He will be stopped. I will give my life to make sure of it if necessary. And Chloe, I do believe it might be necessary. A part of me wishes I had gotten you with child in our short time together so part of me can live on. A man’s legacy is important. But have no worry of me. If my life shall end know that we will meet again in the next life. Our love will endure and I’ll be inside you once again. Don’t feel sorrow for me. Live your life as you were meant—with joy and passion. I hope these things find you soon.
Love always,
A
Despite his instructions, Chloe couldn’t help but shed tears. She dried her eyes and went through the rest of the packet. There were several legal papers—the deed to the ranch, Antoine’s bank account numbers so she’d have access to his funds, and a forged marriage certificate waiting for her signature. There was also a will inside bequeathing the land to any children they might have produced and the house to her. There was no hope of children with Antoine. She’d bought a diaphragm from Sears after the first time she’d had sex with Lucien. She read on to the end of the will and saw that all of the breeding horses would go to Jack Bradford. It was enough to prove to Chloe that Jack had been something important to Antoine.
If Antoine was dead, then that meant that Lucien was not. And Lucien wasn’t the kind of man to let someone get away with betrayal. Not even his lover. Which meant that Lucien could be looking for her too. She decided to ask Mrs. Peace if there was an extra pistol in the house. She’d keep it in the drawer of the table next to her bed and keep a knife under her mattress. It was better to be safe than sorry. She just hoped she’d have the courage to use them if the time came.
Chloe put the papers in the bedroom safe—the combination had been in the papers Antoine had sent. She laid down on the bed and thought of Antoine. It was his face she saw as she drifted to sleep.
Dark had fallen by the time Chloe awoke.
She went to the bathroom and washed the sleep from her eyes and combed her hair. She’d gotten used to wearing trousers over the last weeks and decided they were much more comfortable than dresses, so she pulled on a fawn colored pair and a white man’s shirt and made her way downstairs in search of food.
The house was empty, but there was a plate of cold cuts and cheese in the ice box. A load of bread sat in the cupboard, so she cut off two slices and made herself a sandwich. She’s just swallowed the last bite when she heard the familiar sound of boots on the front porch.
“You’re out late,” she said as she opened the screen door and joined him on the front porch. He held his hat in his hand and slapped it softly against his thigh.
“Mrs. Peace told me the mail came today. Any word from Billy?”
“He sent some personal papers to me. And a letter.”
“Is he coming back?”
“I don’t think so,” Chloe answered softly. “His…business didn’t go the way he thought it would.”
“It was his chance to take,” Jack said. “He always knew there were risks involved.”
“You know?”
“Yes. And I know if he sent you here it was because you were special to him.”
Jack’s calloused hand grasped hers and pulled her to the porch swing, and she sat down close beside him. He pushed the swing with his foot and they swayed back and forth in the dark—in silence.
His hand still held hers and his thumb rubbed erotic circles on the inside of her wrist. Chloe closed her eyes and leaned back her head against the back of the swing, savoring his touch. Her breath hitched as she felt the coolness of his breath against her neck. She turned her head automatically to meet his lips.
They were soft against her. Undemanding. He kissed the corners then moved down the line of her jaw to the lobe of her ear. She moaned as he caught the flesh between his teeth and bit gently.
“I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you,” he said roughly.
“I know. I’ve waited for you to take me. But you never did. I thought you only wanted An…Billy.”
“I wanted to see how long you could resist my touches. I knew I was making you wet with the way you were squirming in the saddle.”
“Beast,” she said on a laugh. “It was torture.”
The swing stopped moving and Jack lifted her so she lay across his body. It didn’t take any more encouragement for her to find his lips on her own. She ran her fingers through his hair as their tongues warred for possession. His taste was bold and a little spicy, and he stroked every inch of her mouth, savoring it all.
Chloe shifted in his lap until her legs straddled each side of his legs. The bulge under his trousers was unlike anything she’d every felt before as she rubbed her clit against him. He made fast work of unbuttoning her shirts and pushing it off her shoulders. She dropped it to the floor behind her and arched backward as his lips trailed down her throat to her camisole covered breasts.
She moaned as his hot mouth found her nipple under the thin cloth and began to suckle.
“God, you’re so hot in my arms,” he said. “You burn me.”
Chloe pulled his shirt up over his taut stomach and over his head. “Let’s go inside. I want to feel all of you. The hands sometimes check the grounds after dark.”
“No. Right here.”
The thrill of being discovered shot straight to Chloe’s core. She kissed him again as she begged him to hurry. He pulled at her trousers while she did the same to him. His erection stood tall against his stomach, thicker around than anything she’d ever had inside her before and slightly curved.
“Mmm, so big.” Chloe took him in her hand, pleased that she couldn’t touch her thumb and finger around him. “I can’t wait to taste you.” She moved off of him to kneel down, but he stopped her.
“Not tonight. I need you too bad.”
He pulled her up and ripped the straps of her camisole so it slithered to her feet and she was completely naked before him. He took her nipple in his mouth once again and settled her over his cock. She felt the tip of him at her entrance, and she wondered if she’d be able to take him all even though she was wet. She pushed down and moaned as the bulbous head entered her. She was already stretched as wide as she could go.
“Fuck,” he moaned and threw his head back. “You’re so damned tight.”
Chloe pushed down further and then worked her way back up, spreading her moisture over his shaft, and then taking him deeper as she pushed down again. She circled her hips as she worked her way up and down, finally taking him completely inside of her. He stretched her to capacity. It felt incredible. And then she began to ride.
He grabbed her hips tightly and moved her up and down on his shaft, the gentle curve of his cock hitting a place inside her that had never been touched before. She ground against him and moaned as he took her nipple between his teeth and bit.
She screamed out her pleasure and she never felt the orgasm coming. It shattered her from the inside out, consuming every part of her body. Jack took her mouth in a searing kiss to stifle her shouts. And his. She felt his cock expand as he ejaculated inside her, wave after wave of hot come that pulsed against her inner walls and sent mini-orgasms wracking her body.
“Please, no more. No more,” she begged.
He was still twitching inside her. Still hard. He lifted her up gently, causing her to cry out at the friction, until she felt
the pop of his head leaving her body. They were both covered in his semen, but she didn’t care. She could hardly move. She fell to the side of him in the swing and decided she could sleep the rest of the night right there.
“God, will it be like that every time?” he asked once he’d gotten his breath back.
“I hope not. You’ll kill me.”
He stood slowly and pulled on his clothes while Chloe watched out of heavy eyes. He gathered up her clothes and put them inside the screen door for her to get later, and then came back for her. He carried her to one of the downstairs bedrooms and laid her on a small bed with a white quilt.
“I don’t have the strength to carry you up the stairs.” He kissed her gently on the forehead. “Are you up for a ride in the morning?”
“Oh, yes.” Chloe had a feeling their morning rides would never be the same.
Chapter Ten
She was right.
They saddled the horses quickly the next morning and took them for a fast ride to the edge of the McKenzie property where it met Jack’s land. A creek divided the two ranches, and a thick copse of oaks provided a secluded spot.
They’d barely dismounted their horses before they were in each others arms again. They wasted no time getting each other undressed and rolling to the soft grass.
“Even after I came in you I was hard all night, wanting you again,” Jack said, licking into her mouth.
Chloe grasped his cock in her hand and pumped it slowly, feeling the proof of his words. He flipped her on her back and took her hand away, holding her wrists tight in his grasp.
“You’ll make me come too soon.”
He kissed his way down her body until she felt his breath on her clit. His tongue flicked against her slowly, savoring each taste. Each kiss. He licked each fold delicately. Torturing her to the point of madness. Stopping each time she came close to coming.
“I want to taste you to,” Chloe said, and he flipped their positions so she sat astride his face and could see down the length of his body.
His cock stood rigidly, his balls tight underneath, and she leaned forward and licked just the tip of him. He moaned into her pussy, sending vibrations all over her body. It would be impossible to fit him entirely inside her mouth, so she knew she’d have to get creative. She cupped his balls firmly in one hand and held his shaft in the other, stroking it in time to her licks, swirling her tongue around the head and then sucking it inside her mouth. She couldn’t help but writhe against his face as his tongue continued to make the same slow licks up and down her nether lips.
She began to move faster and Jack mirrored her. Chloe squeezed his shaft and massaged his balls until they tightened even more under her hands and she knew he was close. She moved her fingers down, massaging the area between his sac and his anus, until she made it to the puckered star. He was thrusting against her now, just as she was grinding against him.
She slipped first one finger inside him, and then another, pushing her way into him and massaging his insides in time with the pumps of her fists and the swirls of her tongue. He moaned continuously against her clit and his tongue moved faster and faster. Her fingers hit a small knot inside of his and he stiffened in response, screaming his pleasure into her pussy. His come hit the back of her throat just her own orgasm rocketed through her body. She drank him in, every drop, just as he drank her.
When they finished, Chloe rolled beside him, spent, and fell asleep in his arms.
Jack now knew very well the reason Billy had sent Chloe to him. She was a miracle. Every fantasy he’d ever had come to life. And it would only be sweeter if Billy was there to join them. But he wasn’t, and he might never be.
Chloe stirred in his arms, and his cock stood at attention in response. He’d never get tired of her. Never stop wanting her.
He spooned behind her and groaned as she shifted against him in her sleep. He could only take so much. He circled his hand around her breast and squeezed gently, rubbing her nipple with his thumb. She sighed, but didn’t stir. She’d literally exhausted herself with pleasure.
He continued to thrust himself against the crease of her buttocks before deciding it was time for her to wake up. He lifted her leg and put it over his own. She was still wet from his mouth and her orgasm, and he probed gently with his cock, finding her ready and open for him. He pushed inside her swiftly, to the hilt, and she gasped aloud as she came awake.
“I had to have you,” he whispered in her ear.
“Then by all means. Take me.”
Her voice was husky with desire and want, so he had no choice but to do as she commanded.
Chapter Eleven
The weeks flew by with their lovemaking. By the time the first snow came in October, Chloe and Jack knew each other intimately, body and mind, and they’d made love every way possible.
Mrs. Peace and the other hands all knew of their affair, and all seemed comfortable enough with it. Jack spent most nights in her bed, waking before dawn to go see to his own stock.
She felt different with Jack than she had with Antoine. Antoine had wanted nothing more than to please her. To make sure she was taken care of and comforted, treating her with a kind of reverence she’d never experienced before. He’d seen to her every need in the short time she’d known him.
But Jack was different. Jack didn’t try to take care of her. He expected her to give as much as he did—in and out of bed—and he treated her as his equal. It surprised her more than him that they were becoming such good friends.
Both men had given her the exactly what she’d needed to make her feel special. To give her the power she needed to pick up her life when it had been nothing but shit. She owed them both more than her gratitude.
“It looks like a blizzard’s coming,” Jack said one day after lunch. “We’ve got to get all the stock battened down at both ranches before it hits. I’ll be late for dinner.”
“What can I help with?” Chloe asked.
“You and Mrs. Peace keep the coffee hot and the fires stoked. Keep all the lights in the house burning, no matter how late. Just don’t go to bed without me.” He kissed her goodbye and all she could do was just as he said.
They were gone for only an hour when the snow began to fall harder. Big fat flakes that covered the ground quickly. Soon the wind began to blow, Chloe worried about Jack as it howled against the windows and whether he was warm enough. She became really worried when she couldn’t see anything but white as she stood at the front door well after dark and long since supper.
Chloe changed into a white nightgown and heavy wrap and sat in her chair by the fire, trying to keep her mind on the sewing in her hands. But her mind stayed with Jack. She loved him. And she was ready to live her life with him. She was tired of the men she loved being taken from her.
Her tears were bitter as she buried her face into Jack’s shirt, his scent fresh and clean as she breathed him in. The clock chimed midnight and she kept the lights burning. Her eyes grew heavy and she couldn’t help but doze in her chair as she waited.
The slam of the front door blowing against the wall startled her awake. She stood as two men covered in ice and white stumbled into the warmth of the house. Her sewing fell to the floor unnoticed.
“Oh my, God!” Her hand covered her mouth on a choked sob.
“He drove up just as the storm started,” Jack said, grinning, as they leaned on each other like giddy drunkards. “Just in time to help us get all the cattle in. But his blood’s still thin and he’s about frozen solid.”
Antoine looked up at her, his face thinner than she remembered. His smile was bright, but his eyes were unsure at her reaction.
“I thought you were dead,” Chloe said through her tears.
“No. I very much wanted to live.”
She ran to him with her arms open, and his eyes filled with relief. His coat was soaked through and shivers wracked his body, but she held to him tight, kissing his chin and cheeks and the tip of his nose before settling on his mouth. Antoine
held her tightly, and she felt Jack’s arms embrace them both. She turned her head and rested it on Antoine’s shoulder and then looked at Jack. His eyes met hers, and the need in them made it difficult for her to catch her breath.
“I don’t know about Jack, but I’m starving and I’d love to get on some dry clothes.”
“Of course,” Chloe laughed, wiping her tears. “There’s fresh coffee on the stove, and Mrs. Peace baked a ham this evening. I’ll get everything ready while you two change out of your wet things.”
Antoine gave her a quick kiss and Jack squeezed her hip before they both headed up the stairs. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to follow up after them.
They weren’t gone long, but when they came into the kitchen their faces were flushed and their eyes were bright. Jack’s erection bulged impressively behind the buttons of his trousers, and Chloe couldn’t help but lick her lips at the sight.
She kept her eyes downcast as the men filled their plates to heaping. She hadn’t seen Antoine in months. She didn’t even know if he still felt the same way about her, but after one look at him she was able to recall his taste and the feel of him hard inside of her with ease. But questions and doubt spiraled through her mind, leaving her wondering if she’d really have a home here since they now had each other.
Chloe picked at her food as the men warmed their bodies with food and drink. No one spoke until both plates were cleared and only dregs were left in the bottom of the coffee pot.
“Is Lucien dead?” Jack asked.
Chloe looked up quickly. It’s the first time she’d heard Jack utter Lucien’s name. She’d never been completely sure that he knew everything that Antoine had been up to in his other life. They’d never come straight out and talked about her time in New Orleans or what had happened there. Everything Jack knew about her was before she’d ever met Antoine Rousseau.
