The Ranger's Rules

by Lily Harlem

  “Not nearly enough,” he repeated.

  “What?” she snapped. “What’s not nearly enough?” She glared at him.

  “Begging. I need more.”

  She clenched her jaw so tight she feared for the survival of her teeth. The sheer nerve of the man.

  He tipped his head to one side.

  Damn it.

  “Okay, okay, please, make me come, over and over. Don’t be such a bloody tease.” She paused. “In fact, just go for it, fuck me. I bet your dick is hard in your pants, why not just do us all a favor.”

  “Wow, you’re a little wildfire, aren’t you?”

  “Whatever.”

  He grinned as he reached for the waistband of her knickers. He dragged them down her thighs and made short work of removing them.

  Yes!

  Now she was ready for him, all he needed to do was get his cock out. And damn, from what she’d seen it was a very fine cock too.

  She closed her eyes, tugged her arms, and spread her legs.

  “Pretty pussy,” he said, stroking over her pubic hair.

  She knew she should be ashamed of her position, of exposing herself to this man who wasn’t her lover. Who was someone who liked to discipline her in the most unreasonable of ways. But she was too far gone on the road of lust. Her needs were all-consuming.

  He flicked over her clit.

  Her entire body twitched, her legs pinging as if made of elastic.

  “And so wet,” he said, slipping lower to her entrance.

  She held her breath as he circled her there, then slid in. As he stretched her with what she thought was two fingers, he set his thumb over her clit.

  “Oh, yes, yes…” she hissed. Being filled was bliss and just what she needed. She canted her hips for more and gasped as he smoothed over her G-spot. “Rhett, yes, just there… oh, fuck…”

  Moist clacking noises filled the air as he began to finger fuck her. She’d take what she could get, her orgasm was racing toward her, coming was within reach again. She knew it was going to be big, so big. She wasn’t sure how she’d cope with its ferocity when it was finally set free.

  “Jeez, woman, you’re so sweet and tight.”

  She didn’t answer, it was there. Her heart thudded. She forgot to breathe. The topple into ecstasy was within reach.

  He pulled out.

  All sensation stopped.

  “No!” she wailed, opening her eyes. “Not again, you bastard, you total, utter, fucking bastard.”

  He laughed and stood from the bed. “I think we can safely say you’ve learned your lesson, Casey.”

  She clamped her legs together, tried to scissor them to create enough stimulation to work her clitoris, but it was no good.

  She arched her back, kicked the mattress, shook her head. The all-consuming disappointment at not coming was eating her alive.

  He stood at the side of the bed, his hands on his hips, looking down at her.

  “What the fuck are you staring at,” she snapped at him. “Call yourself a man, do you?”

  “A man who demands his woman be obedient.”

  “I’m not your woman.”

  “You’re living in my house, sleeping in my bed, and seconds ago you were begging me to fuck you. I’d say that makes you my woman.”

  She couldn’t argue any of those points, and besides that, her brain was fudged. All she could think of was getting free and masturbating. She might have a quick scout around and see if there was anything she could use as a dildo too.

  “And…” he went on. “Don’t think I’m setting you free anytime soon.”

  “What?” His words infuriated her further. “I demand that you do, right now. You’ve had your fun.”

  “Disciplining isn’t for fun, Casey, it’s to ensure you walk the line.”

  “Yeah, right, fingering me didn’t get you hard, is that what you’re telling me?”

  “Not especially.” He was annoyingly still while she was fidgeting. “Though hearing you beg, seeing you practically naked, that did.”

  She huffed.

  “But I don’t need to go and jerk off, Casey, if that’s what you’re wondering. I can wait for the real thing.”

  “The real thing. You think you’re ever going to get that from me now?” Red dots of anger danced in her vision. “Because you’re not. You’re bloody well not. I want to go back to Amakala. I can’t cope with your stupid games, your constant crossing the boundaries of our relationship.”

  “You still want to go back there?”

  She said nothing, just scowled at him. It was the last thing she wanted. At least not until she’d been well and truly fucked by Rhett, that was what she wanted right now.

  “No, I didn’t think so.” He shrugged and turned. “I’ll release you in half an hour, when you can be trusted not to touch yourself.”

  As he left the room she let out a half shout, half wail of frustration. Damn the man, his rules and his big fucking ego.

  Chapter Ten

  Casey guessed about half an hour had passed, and was just starting to worry what would happen to her if Rhett didn’t ever come back, when he appeared in the doorway holding a tray.

  She turned away from him, hating the fact she was practically naked and no longer writhing with lust. The fan had cooled her skin and with it the heat of her need. Her pussy was no longer wet though she felt tacky between her thighs, and her clitoris was no longer engorged with blood and pulsing with desire.

  “I see you’ve calmed,” he said, stepping into the room.

  “I didn’t have a choice.”

  “No, you didn’t.” He set the tray on the bedside table, then fiddled with the belt buckle.

  Her hands were quickly freed and she went to pull them downward. But he caught her wrists and stilled her movements. “Slowly,” he said. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

  An expression of concern crossed his face and something in his eyes—worry, consideration—made her do as he’d asked.

  Besides, her shoulders were stiff, and her hands tingled a little.

  Very gently he rubbed her wrists, where the belt had held her. They were marked with red lines, and he turned them over and around, as if examining them.

  “Your skin is delicate,” he said, a single line creasing his brow.

  “You should know.” She thought of her spanked ass, all red and rosy with the imprints of his palms.

  He didn’t answer. Instead he stooped and kissed each wrist, the paler underside, then gently and slowly he rested them down at her sides. He then reached for her knickers. “You want me to put these on for you?”

  “No.” She sat and snatched them from him. “I can do it.” Now that she was free. Thank goodness.

  He inclined his head.

  When she’d pulled on her panties and refastened the robe around herself she went to swing her legs off the bed.

  “No,” he said. “Please. I’ve made you breakfast. Stay where you are, eat, you’ll need your strength.”

  “Why, what other forms of torture do you have in mind for me?”

  He chuckled. “Nothing of the sort, a treat in fact.”

  “Oh, yes?” She hoped she’d injected enough sarcasm into her tone.

  “Yeah, there’s something I want to show you, about an hour from here. You’ll want to bring your camera.” He reached for her pillows, fluffed them, then set the tray next to her. “You’ll enjoy it, I promise.”

  She looked at the egg on toast, the fresh orange juice, and the single camellia flower floating in a small glass bowl. He’d added a white linen napkin, something she couldn’t have imagined him owning.

  He stooped, pressed his hand on her shoulder, then kissed the top of her head. “We’ll leave in half an hour.”

  Casey didn’t answer. She was stunned by the turnaround of his mood. He’d gone from tormentor to carer and was now promising a fun day trip.

  Her stomach growled as he left the room. Picking up the knife and fork, she started on her breakfast. S
he couldn’t remember when she’d last had breakfast in bed. It was a treat. She also couldn’t remember being so mad at and intrigued by another person as she was by Rhett Dawson.

  * * *

  Forty-five minutes later, Rhett was navigating the Jeep along the side of a steep ridgeway. The tracks were deep and full of potholes. Casey was holding the lip of her seat and the door handle, her camera bobbing around her neck. “How much further?” She was beginning to feel queasy. They’d stopped so she could take shots of a herd of wildebeest, but she was getting ready to stop again. The last thing she wanted was her delicious breakfast making another show.

  “Just past that section of trees, down a narrow gulley, and then another few hundred yards.” He glanced at her. “It’ll be worth it.”

  “What will be? What is it?”

  “You’ll see.” He concentrated on the road again.

  Casey had no choice but to continue to hold on and stare straight ahead. Soon they passed the skinny trees and were heading out of the gulley. There were no more trees, though long, pale grass fluttered on the breeze.

  “I’d have thought this would be grazed,” she commented.

  “Not much nourishment,” he said, “but it will be, when the richer grass is eaten.”

  She glanced about. “Is that why there doesn’t appear to be much wildlife here?”

  “Yeah, the big cats go where the herds are.”

  “I guess.”

  He gestured around the savannah. “It’s also flat here, few places to hide.”

  “You mean the way the leopard did, yesterday.”

  He shuddered. “Don’t remind me.” He glanced at his rifle, sat between them, as if checking he had it, even though she’d never seen him leave his compound without it.

  The track soon took them back along the ridgeway.

  Casey peered into the distance. There seemed to be some kind of mist clouding one section. It was different to the heat haze she often saw. “What’s that?”

  “You’ll see.” He threw a grin her way.

  She didn’t reply. Instead she beat down the wave of excitement his grin and secretiveness had produced inside her. She didn’t know why it had, but there was no denying it. Rhett Dawson had produced emotions in her she hadn’t even known were there.

  She didn’t probe further into what was causing the mist, but after a few minutes it became obvious. They were driving alongside a sheer drop that allowed for incredible views to the hills in the distance. A river had etched its way through it—the color of chocolate milkshake—and the plain was dotted with rich vegetation. Far away a herd of zebra had congregated by a meander in the river and was drinking.

  As the low rumble filtered toward her, and the air became damp, she knew for sure they were approaching a waterfall.

  Rhett brought the Jeep to a halt and killed the engine. “We can get out here.”

  Casey didn’t move. The sight before her was mesmerizing. Water cascaded over smooth round rocks, swirling and bubbling as if it were boiling. Then it disappeared, leaving ghostly vapor hanging in the air in its wake. A crashing sound churned up from below.

  “It’s okay,” Rhett said. “There’s no wildlife around here. Not only would we see it, but they’re scared of the falls. Rightly so, it’s damned dangerous.”

  “So shouldn’t I stay in the car? You’re always so worried about my safety.”

  “You’re okay with me at your side.” He walked around the front of the vehicle, his rifle slung over his back. When he reached her door, he pulled it open and held out his hand. “Come on, I’ll make it worth your while.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “I will.” He laughed.

  His smile was infectious and she grinned and took his hand. He helped her out then wrapped an arm around her waist.

  As he led her to the front of the Jeep, parked only fifteen feet from the start of the falls, she wondered when it had become okay for him to be so familiar with her—touch her, kiss her, act as though he owned her. It wasn’t unpleasant, though, this sensation of being his. In fact she had to admit she liked it rather a lot, despite his infuriating behavior earlier.

  “We’ll stand here,” he said, leaning onto the front of the Jeep. He maneuvered her so she was standing in front of him, then wrapped his arms around her waist.

  She adjusted the position of her camera and rested her hands on his forearms.

  “What do you think?” he asked, his lips moving against her ear.

  “It’s amazing. Does it have a name?”

  “The locals call it Amanzi Anyamalale.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Disappearing water. This is their land up here, so when the water falls over the cliff edge, it’s gone to them, disappeared, it belongs to the next tribe.”

  “Ah, I see.” She paused. “What happened to the locals? I haven’t seen any here, ever.”

  “They’re still here, but they don’t have access to the reserve unless they work here, which many do at the main lodge and are happy to have regular income.”

  “But this was their land.”

  “They didn’t live on it, just hunted. When Amakala was set up, money was invested in education, new homes, and helping them to improve their lives. There were no objections, and some are granted permission to hunt when populations of certain species allow it, but few take up the opportunity. Their lives are better for tourism, as are the lives of the animals.”

  She was quiet for a moment. Africa never failed to take her breath away. And this was one such moment; Rhett’s body pressing into hers, the droplet-laced air moistening her cheeks, and the stunning views into the distance were incredible.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked, seeming to curl his body more smoothly with hers.

  “How nice this is,” she said quietly. “Here… with you.”

  “That’s what I was thinking.” His voice was equally hushed.

  “You were?”

  She went to turn in his arms but he kept her facing the falls.

  “No, stay like that,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “You’ll see.” He slipped his hand up the inside of her t-shirt and cupped her right breast. He kissed her ear, then down her neck; soft, seductive touches of his lips.

  She melted against him as her nipple tightened. “What are you doing?”

  “Shh, now. Don’t break the magic.”

  She stared into the distance, but barely saw the wondrous sight before her. She was concentrating on Rhett and what he was doing to her breasts. He’d found his way into the cup and was tweaking her right nipple.

  She clenched her internal muscles. A memory of the discomfort of being so near to coming but not, flashed in her brain. “No.” She tried to dislodge herself from him. “I’m not going through this again.”

  He kept her trapped. “No, you’re not.” He paused and switched to the other breast. “Trust me, Casey. Please.”

  She held his forearm as a new wave of longing went through her. She’d always enjoyed her nipples being fondled and tugged, and when it was a little harshly, so that it was flirting with painful, she liked that, too.

  “Relax,” he murmured. “I’ve got you, and we’re safe here. Just relax.”

  She blew out a breath as her breasts seemed to grow heavier. She was getting turned on, fast.

  Rhett slipped his other hand to the waistband of her trousers. He popped the top button then undid the zipper.

  “Rhett…?”

  “There’s no one for miles around. Let me touch you again.”

  “But?”

  He pushed her trousers past her hips, her underwear quickly followed. “This time I’ll take you all the way. You’ll fly, baby.”

  Damn, she liked the sound of that.

  Instead of replying, she widened her stance.

  “Fuck, yeah,” he said. Lust filled his voice and his breaths quickened. He slipped his hand to her pussy, and slid through her lips to her entrance. H
e dipped in, coating his fingers in her wetness, then eased in, knuckle deep.

  “Ah, yes…” she said, her spine curling forward.

  “I want to hear you come so badly,” he said, pulling her straight so her back was flush with her chest. “Come for me, Casey.” He set the heel of his hand over her clit and pressed.

  “God, yes, do that more and I will.”

  He pushed his fingers higher, trapping her clit beneath his palm.

  She groaned. “If you stop… this time… I’ll…”

  “I won’t.” He upped the pace, finger fucking her and squeezing her left breast. “I promise I won’t.”

  She curled her toes within her boots. Her breaths were short, sharp pants. The pressure was mounting. Her climax was careering toward her at an unprecedented pace. “Oh… yes… that’s it.”

  “Jeez, you’re going to hug my cock so tight when I fuck you later.”

  His words were like honey trickling into her system, coating her in sweet desire. An image of him pounding into her, making her come, besieged her.

  “That’s it,” he said, upping the tempo, “get wetter, fill my palm with your girl cum.”

  “Ah, fuck.” Unblinking, she stared into the distance and climbed the last few seconds to release. Part of her was terrified he wouldn’t be true to his word, that he’d pull out. But he didn’t and the point of no return gripped her.

  She held her breath and toppled into ecstasy. Her knees were weak but he held her tight and rode through the climax with her. On and on he kept it up, extending the bliss.

  Her heart was racing, her belly taut. She couldn’t remember when she’d last come so hard. And she was so wet, dripping onto him. The scent of her arousal filled her nose as her pussy spasmed around his fingers. “Ah… ah… ah…” she gasped. “That’s it.” Her internal muscles were quivering, taking what they could. The rest of her body felt boneless. Thank goodness he was holding her close.

  Finally he slowed his pulsations into her body and lifted the pressure on her clit. But he kept his fingers inside her.

  “Was it worth the wait?” he asked.

  “It was… damn it… pretty intense for a fingering.”