by Desiree Holt
He did his best to watch each competitor as they rode into the ring at a full gallop and wound in the cloverleaf pattern around the three barrels. They leaned their horses into the turn, coming close to the barrels to shave seconds off their time without hitting the barrels themselves. They were good, all of them, but Jake was waiting for the best. The champion.
And now here she came, tripping the clock timer as she raced into the arena. She was a blur of her signature red, white, and blue as she and her horse completed the cloverleaf. When the buzzer sounded, Jake looked at the clock readout in front of the judge’s booth. She’d beaten everyone else’s time by three seconds. When they announced her name as the winner and she rode in for her victory lap, more than his brain stood at attention. His cock, obviously wanting to get in on the festivities, swelled and pressed hard against the fly of his jeans. He glanced to his right to see if anyone was paying attention to him, but their eyes were glued to the arena, clapping and cheering. He took advantage of their distraction to ease the material of his jeans so his shaft wasn’t so constricted.
He did his best to keep his errant body under control as they headed downstairs, out of the arena, and back to the barn area where Trish would be stabling her horse. She was still in her fancy outfit, brushing her horse down in the stall.
“Oh, hey!” She looked up when Jake leaned over the stall door. “Thanks for coming tonight.”
Instantly the double meaning of the words snapped into his mind. Yeah, he’d love to be coming tonight. Right in her mouth or her hot body, maybe after spanking that very fine ass until it was a bright red.
Damn it, you idiot. If she could read your mind, she’d run for the hills. Not everyone likes the pain/pleasure Dominant/submissive environment.
But, oh god, if she did…
He dragged his mind back to the here and now. “Great job tonight.”
“I think Misty here gets all the credit.” She grinned. “She likes to show off as much as I do.”
Their gazes locked, and that same snap of electricity he’d felt at lunch zapped through him. Behaving himself tonight wasn’t going to be a lot of fun.
“Come over here, and let me hug you.” Liz Wright gave Jake a gentle shove to make room for herself.
“I’d offer you the same thing,” Katie laughed, “but I don’t think I can get close enough.”
“We’ll all have plenty of time to hug her when we get to the restaurant,” Alex broke in. “Good work, Trish, but no less than we expected. You’ll be running out of room for all those trophies pretty soon.”
“That is, if she had a shelf to put them on.” Liz glanced at her. “If you ever gave serious consideration to my offer, you’d have all the shelf space you needed. Or wanted.”
Jake looked from one woman to the other. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” Liz told him, “I’m trying to convince her she’s won about everything possible. That since she’ll probably take the championship at Nationals this year, it might be nice to think about settling down.” She looked at Trish. “And coming to work for me training racers.”
“And I keep thanking you for the offer, but you know how I feel.” Trish gave Misty one final swipe with the brush. “I’m not ready to settle down yet. You know that. I love the thrill of competing.”
“Meet the right man, and you might change your mind.” Liz grinned at her husband. “Alex managed to change my mind about a lot of things.”
Trish dropped some oats in Misty’s feed bucket and made sure she had water before letting herself out of the stall.
“No man is going to make up my mind for me in this area,” she insisted.
“Just be sure you aren’t so hooked on the thrill of competing and winning that you miss a great opportunity. Or a great guy.”
“I promise you, when I’m ready to settle down, you’ll be the first person I tell. Okay?” She dusted off her hands. “Now let’s go eat. I’m starved. And ready to celebrate.”
“We came in three cars,” Reece commented, “although I told Jake he could have ridden with us.”
Jake shrugged, trying not to be obvious about the fact that his eyes were glued to Trish’s every move. “We were watching the young bull. If there was a problem, I didn’t want you and Katie to have to leave and go home.” He chuckled. “That’s what you pay me the big bucks for.”
“In any event,” Reece went on, “Trish, you can ride with one of us, and we’ll bring you back to get your truck when we’re done if you like.”
“I have a better idea.” Jake heard the words come out of his mouth before he realized he’d said anything. “Trish, why don’t I follow you to your motel? You can ride with me to dinner, and I’ll bring you back afterwards.”
“Oh, I’m not sure—”
“That’s a great idea!” Liz grinned at her friend. “I should have thought of that myself.”
Jake watched a slide show of expressions wash over Trish’s face—surprise, anxiety, insecurity—wait! Insecurity? From this self-assured rodeo champion. Then she looked at him, and he saw unexpected need in her eyes. At least, he hoped it was need.
For a brief moment, her mouth curved in a tiny smile before it disappeared and she turned to fiddle with the latch on the stall door. “I’d hate to put anyone out.”
“It would be my pleasure,” he assured her.
And you have no idea how much.
“Good!” Liz clapped her hands together. “Then let’s get out of here. We have reservations at Hannigan’s.”
As they headed out of the barn, a tall redhead with angry lines on her face stomped up and planted herself in Trish’s path.
“I don’t know what you did tonight to win,” she spat, “but whatever it is, enjoy it because it’s the last first place you’ll take.”
Beside him Trish tensed, then forced herself to relax. “Good riding’s what did it, Lily.” Her voice was unexpectedly calm. “Maybe you should just practice a little more.”
“We all know what kind of practicing you do,” Lily sneered. “And I’m telling you, that’s it. You’re done.” She turned on her heel and walked off, anger in every line of her body.
“What was all that about?” Jake asked.
“That’s Lily Kirklin,” Liz said. “A bitch of the first order. She’s probably pissed because Trish keeps beating her time.
“Just sour grapes.” Trish waved a dismissive hand. “She doesn’t bother me”
Liz narrowed her eyes. “She’s not someone to ignore, Trish. I hear people talk about her all the time. She’ll do you any damage she can.”
“She can’t do anything I won’t let her. She’s just trying to get to me so she can throw my timing off. Come on, let’s go get some dinner. I’m starved.”
Jake guided her toward his truck, swallowing his comments, but he had to agree with Liz. He’d seen the damage jealous women could do. He hoped Trish kept her guard up.
****
Jake pulled his truck into the parking slot in front of Trish’s motel door, shut off the engine, and shifted in his seat to look at her. Dinner had been fun and easy, although tension had simmered just beneath the surface. Now, in the truck cab, it roared to life again. They sat there as a long moment of silence stretched between them. She unfastened her seat belt and was about to reach for her door handle, but he wasn’t about to let her get away with ignoring the elephant in the room.
He touched her arm, holding her back, watching her. “Who’s going to mention it first?”
She looked down at her hands, frowning. “Mention what?”
“Come on, Trish. You know what I mean. That three seconds out of time in Oklahoma.” He damn sure hadn’t forgotten it, and he’d bet every dollar in his wallet she hadn’t either. That one look had been so electric, so sizzling, so charged it had seared his memory cells forever.
He waited with forced patience as she nibbled on her lower lip. He hoped she didn’t do that too much longer or he’d be doing the nibbling, on her lip as well as other body
parts.
She sighed, as if she’d come to some great decision. “Yes, I remember.”
He unlocked his seat belt and reached for her shoulders, cursing the damn fucking console that separated them. Gently, he turned her as much as he could, then tucked one finger under her chin to tilt up her face.
“You might be able to fool yourself, but you can’t fool me. There was more electricity between us in those three seconds than it takes to light up San Antonio. And today at lunch? The minute we saw each other, it was still there. I’m surprised we didn’t set the place on fire.”
Her lips curved in a reluctant smile. “Okay, I’ll admit there’s an…attraction. Of sorts.”
He burst out laughing. “An attraction. Oh, yeah, that’s for damn fucking sure. In case you forgot, let me show you just how much of a one.”
Despite the awkwardness of the console, he hauled her as close as he could manage, cupped her face with one hand, and kissed her. Not a scorching kiss. Not a hungry kiss, although just the touch of her made him ravenous. No, he didn’t want to scare her off. This was a tempting kiss. A teasing one. He had the sense she was ready to bolt, so he had to handle this just right. He pressed his lips gently to hers, licked gently at the lower one, and traced the closed seam with the tip of his tongue. Although he had one arm firmly around her, she could have pulled away. Pushed him back. Turned her head. But she didn’t. She parted her lips just enough for him to ease his tongue inside.
He skimmed her cheeks with his fingertips, followed her jawline, and found the tender spot behind her ear. He swallowed a small grunt of satisfaction when he felt her pulse pounding furiously. Considering the fact that his cock was straining at his fly and his own pulse wasn’t too steady, he was delighted to see that she was as affected by this as he was.
He took a lot of time with the kiss, licking the inside of her mouth, coaxing her tongue to duel with his, moving his hand down over the slick fabric of her sleeve and around to cup one firm breast. But he wasn’t eighteen anymore or even twenty-five. And making out in a truck, even a tricked out one with a center console, was not his idea of a good time. Still, he told himself, take it nice and slow. She knows nothing about your life as a Dom. Might not even be attracted to it. Although if things worked out as he hoped, he planned to introduce her to it little by little, until she was as addicted as he was.
She’ll be leaving soon.
Again that little voice whispered in his head, but he ruthlessly suppressed it. One thing at a time. The first thing was to get her naked. Then he’d take it from there.
“Can we get out of this truck and into your room?” He murmured the words against her lips.
For a panicky moment, he thought she might say no. But then she pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. “Yes. It’s a lot more comfortable in there.”
“Did you somehow get the feeling we were the object of a plot tonight?” he teased.
She gave an unsteady laugh. “Embarrassingly so.”
He helped her out of the truck, took the key card from her, and opened the door to her room. She flipped on the light switch that turned on a lamp beside the bed, giving the room a soft amber glow that disguised the utilitarian appearance of thousands of rooms just like it. Take it slow, he told himself again. Don’t attack her like a sex maniac. But she was just so damn hot.
He managed to give her enough time to set her purse down before he pulled her into his arms. Then his body took over, running full throttle. This kiss was not nearly as gentle as the first one. Threading his fingers through her hair, he held her head in place while he thrust his tongue deep inside her mouth. God, she tasted incredible, sweet and hot at the same time. He fed from her, licking and sucking, drunk on the taste.
He shifted one leg behind both of hers to pull her tight to his body and keep her there, her breasts soft pillows against his chest, her mound cushioning his cock. He couldn’t get enough of her, devouring her mouth, running his tongue everywhere over the inner surfaces, sucking her tongue hard into his mouth. He broke the contact only to drag air into his lungs, but he kept her pressed to his body, running one hand up and down her back.
“I’m sorry,” he managed at last, their faces barely a breath apart.
For a moment, hurt flashed in her eyes, and he realized she’d misunderstood him.
“For falling on you like a starving man,” he explained. “But Jesus, Trish, it feels like I’ve been waiting for you forever.”
“I—don’t know what to say.” Her lashes swept her cheeks as she looked down.
“Say nothing.” He tipped up her head so he could see her eyes. “Just let me show you.”
And keep the Dom in the closet, or you’ll likely scare her away.
That was going to be hard. It was so much a part of who he was. But maybe, if things worked out—
First things first, he told himself.
Taking her hand, he led her toward the bed, stopping just inches from it. His automatic instinct was to order her to strip for him, but again he restrained himself. “Let me undress you. I want to take my time doing it so I can appreciate every inch of you.”
He tugged the tails of her blouse from her fancy jeans and opened each snap one at a time. Unable to resist the creamy skin it revealed, he trailed his tongue over the ridge of her collarbone before pressing a string of kisses on the skin just beneath it. He paused a moment to take in the swell of her breasts above the red satin of her bra before lifting first one wrist then the other to unsnap the cuffs. The satin of her bra tempted him so he bent his head and pulled one nipple into his mouth, fabric and all. Unable to help himself, he bit down on the hard bud, enough to make her gasp. When he glanced up at her face, he saw pleasure bloom in her eyes, so he sucked harder. Placing his hands on her hips, he pulled her body tight against his.
When he’d worked one nipple to his satisfaction, he moved to the other one, giving it the same treatment. Finally, he released the clasp on the bra and slid the straps down her arms. He couldn’t stop staring at the creamy mounds of her breasts, tipped with nipples swollen to a dark dusky rose. He nearly licked his lips at the sight.
“Gorgeous,” he breathed.
He scanned her face again, needing to see her expression. The hunger in her eyes and the faint flush on her cheeks sent a blast of heat through him.
The jeans came next, the popping of the snap and the rasp of the zipper sounding unnaturally loud in the room. He eased them down past her hips, biting his lip at the sight of the tiny red thong that matched the bra he’d discarded. He was so fascinated by each part of her body as he revealed it that he hadn’t thought about the fact she still had on her boots.
Lifting her slightly, he sat her on the edge of the bed and knelt to tug the boots off, along with the thin socks she wore. Trish rested her hands on the bed, leaning back slightly, letting her legs fall slightly apart. Jake stared at her pussy barely covered by the tiny red triangle. The skin on either side, along with her inner thighs, was smooth as glass, not a stray curl peeking out. Oh, god, she waxed. Jake preferred all his subs to wax. It showed their delicious pussies off to better advantage.
He ran the backs of his fingers up her inner thighs until he got to the little piece of satin. Slowly, he eased it away and down until her mound was completely exposed. His cock, already painfully swollen, jerked hard against the fabric restraining it. Light brown curls, only a shade darker than the hair on her head, defined the lips of her cunt in two well-trimmed lines.
He inhaled, the scent of her musk mingling with the trace of whatever bath gel she used and teasing his nostrils. He had to have a taste of her. He swiped his tongue over the curls, barely touching them before pushing the tip into her slit. Holy fuck! The heady taste of her went straight to his cock and his balls and every other part of his body.
Impatiently, he grabbed the thong, yanked it down her legs, and dropped it to the floor. Then, pushing her thighs wider apart, he dove in for a better taste of her. He parted her labia with his thumbs a
nd ran his tongue the length of her slit, licking his lips before doing it again. And again. He savored every inch of her, licking and lapping, pausing only to swirl the tip of his tongue around her clitoris. The dark pink flesh told him as much as her wet cunt how aroused she was.
He worked her with his tongue, and her body trembled until she finally lay back on the bed and gave herself over to him. When he had slipped his tongue over every inch of her slit and labia, he nudged her thighs wider and, watching her, slipped two fingers into her hot channel. He saw her hands fist at her sides and heard the sharp intake of her breath. He drove his fingers in and out, adding a third as her walls became slippery and clamped down on him.
Jesus!
He badly wished he had handcuffs with him or his special rope to tie her hands and bind her to the bed. He hadn’t had vanilla sex in a long time, and it was testing his control. But this wasn’t about him. It was about Trish, about making her feel good and want more. Of him. Then, maybe—
He watched her as he drove his fingers in and out of her body, heard the tiny, sexy little moans she made, felt the thrust of her hips against his touch as he drove her up that sexual cliff. When spasms began to rock her inner walls, he took her clit into his mouth and bit down lightly, driving her over the edge. She bucked up into his mouth, panting hard, hands tightly fisted as the tremors shook her again and again.
He thrust and sucked until the last little spasms faded away, and she lay limp beneath his touch. Then he rose and bent over her, pressing his mouth to hers.
“Taste yourself on me,” he murmured as he slid his tongue inside.
Eyes still closed, she let her tongue tangle with his, her warm breath soft on his face. When he broke the kiss, he bracketed her with his arms and studied her face.
“Open your eyes, Trish.” He tried to make it a request rather than an order. “Let me see what’s going on there.”
What he saw was the gaze of a woman who was both satisfied and wanted more. When she ran her tongue over her lower lip, he had all he could do not to bite it.
“Better than any bourbon I could find,” he told her. “I could drink that forever.”
