Cowboy Casanova: Rough Riders, Book 12

by Lorelei James

  “You trying to scare me, cowboy?” She purposely taunted him with a label that meant nothing to him. To show him she could turn off her connection to him any time—just like he could.

  He put his mouth next to her ear. “The name is Bennett, sub, and your night just got a lot more…interesting.”

  Ainsley swallowed hard. The heat of him, the scent of him, the overwhelming power and masculinity made her head spin. Made her want to plaster her body to his and lose herself in him. Beg him to take his loan business elsewhere so they could continue this. Beg him to understand she’d never had—maybe she’d never find—another man who knew what she needed like he did. And that pissed her off. Stupid traitorous body. Stupid sex-addled brain. “You can’t just—”

  “I can, I will, and I did. I want you nekkid and sitting on my bar when I get home.”

  “This is unfair.” Why was she pushing him? Because he pushed her into a corner first? Or because she wanted their last night together to be memorable?

  “Says you. I think I’m bein’ more than fair.”

  “I won’t do it.”

  Bennett eased back, fire dancing in his eyes. “Gonna run rather than face the consequences?”

  “No. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “You insulted me.”

  “Maybe I was insulting Rielle.”

  He half-snarled, “That earned you another ten.”

  She backed up a step. Then another. And he stalked her.

  “I thought I heard you sneer that you weren’t scared,” he said in that low, dangerous voice.

  “I’m not.” Such a liar. “But I’ve done nothing to warrant punishment.”

  “Guilty until proven innocent in my world. So you’d better have a convincing argument against punishment to present to me when I get home.”

  “Why should I bother? You’re going to make it hurt anyway. Hurt worse than it already does.” Stupid move, Ainsley, you aren’t supposed to tell him that. You’re supposed to be the cool-headed professional and the obedient sub who won’t let him see your disappointment on any level.

  Ben gave her a look she’d never seen before. “Ainsley. I never meant—”

  “Found them.” Rielle waved a stack of paper bags. “I also grabbed the herbs. They should be refrigerated.”

  Grateful for the interruption, she practically ran to Rielle. “Thanks. How much do I owe you?”

  “Twenty bucks oughta cover it.”

  Ainsley figured that was a low amount after she loaded the four heavy bags into her trunk. She ignored Bennett’s hard, hot stare that seemed to liquefy her bones as she chatted with Rielle.

  She didn’t look his way when she climbed in her car. She hesitated at the end of the driveway.

  A right turn led back into town. A left turn led to Ben’s house.

  She knew his eyes were on her vehicle as she turned left.

  Ainsley wasn’t naked when Ben walked in the door. Something smelled good, and while the thought of a homemade meal awaiting him stirred a weird longing, she hadn’t followed his instructions.

  And she didn’t seem particularly perplexed about that.

  She sliced cubed potatoes and dropped them in a pot of boiling liquid. She tossed in a handful of herbs and nestled the lid over the steam. Then she looked up at him. “Now that I’ve got that started, we can talk about your—”

  “No talkin’.”

  “But you always want to talk about this stuff.”

  “Not today.” Ben’s gaze swept over her fully clothed body. “Strip. Now.”

  “You said I could convince—”

  “Huh-uh.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m waitin’.”

  “I’m supposed to strip right here in the kitchen?”

  “You can strip over by the bar, which you’re supposed to be on, nekkid, if memory serves. Every time you open that pretty mouth to argue I’m takin’ note.”

  “But—”

  “You are surely tryin’ my patience today, woman, and that will reflect in your punishment.”

  “Fine.” Ainsley stomped across the room, throwing clothes over her head like confetti as she peeled them off her body.

  Ben would find it funny if he wasn’t so damn annoyed with her.

  Oh hell, there was a fine sight, her luscious butt shaking as she climbed atop the bar. She faced him, arms crossed, legs crossed, wearing a very cross look.

  “I don’t like your attitude. And I think maybe I’ve been too lenient on you. Or maybe in the two days we’ve been apart, you’ve forgotten who’s holding the reins.”

  The woman actually rolled her eyes.

  “Stretch out on your belly.”

  “Why—”

  Then Bennett was in front of her, his hands curled around her face, pulling her forward until they were nose-to-nose. “Do you want me to get a gag?”

  Her eyes went wide and she shook her head.

  “Then do what I tell you.”

  Her flesh squeaked against the bartop she obeyed so fast.

  “Hands clasped above your head.” After she complied, he ran his hand across her body, from her ankle up to her shoulder. “Stay put.”

  Ben retreated to his bedroom and set his bag of toys on the bed. He transferred the riding crop, the ping-pong paddle, the medium-sized curved vibrator, the vibrating butt plug, the leg and arm restraints, and the small bottle of lube to a smaller bag. Just for shits and giggles, he grabbed the ball gag and his single tail whip.

  Ainsley wasn’t meekly stretched out on the bar like a good sub, awaiting his return. She was in the kitchen messing with the stove.

  “Are you still defying me?” he roared.

  She yelped, dropping the metal lid. The loud clank after it hit the floor made her jump again. She bent down to retrieve it, then slammed it on the counter. “I can explain. I didn’t want the soup to boil over while you were playing with me so I got up and turned it off.” She aimed her gaze at the floor. “I’m sorry.”

  “Not acceptable behavior,” he snapped. “When I say stay put, I mean stay put. You could’ve asked me to turn off the soup. Instead, you chose to ignore my instructions and did whatever the hell you wanted. Bad choice. Get back on the bar as you were.”

  When Ainsley peeked up at him with those less-than-remorseful eyes, but didn’t move, he pulled out the whip and snapped it in the air. “Now.”

  Another yelp and then she was running across the room, making all of her girly parts jiggle very nicely.

  Christ, his dick went hard and he hadn’t even touched her yet. He put the whip, the vibrating butt plug, and the ball gag within her view. He stretched her arms above her head and secured her wrists to the brass rail running along the inside and outside of the bartop.

  She didn’t utter a peep when he restrained her legs in the same manner, but her breaths were coming much faster.

  “Oh and for the record? This isn’t playtime. You are bein’ punished.” Her body shuddered as his fingertips skimmed the curves of her ass. “Do you know why you’re bein’ punished?”

  “Umm…initially? No. Now I know my punishment will be because I disobeyed you. God forbid I put safety first by turning off the stove and preventing a fire hazard.”

  “Are you still arguing with me?”

  “You have to admit—”

  “Silence!”

  Ainsley sighed. Wearily.

  “You disrespected me at Rielle’s place. Then you flat-out insulted me. That alone was enough to earn you a few licks. But your absolute disobedience after the fact, in your Dom’s home, has earned hefty consequences, Ainsley.”

  “I understand. And I am sorry.”

  Like hell you’re sorry. “Since we agreed early on spanking wasn’t a punishment, I’m improvising. By my count you earned forty marks.”

  “F-forty?”

  “I’ll split them—twenty with the paddle, twenty with the ridin’ crop.”

  She exhaled. “Thank you for not…just thank you.”

&nbs
p; Ben didn’t like it that she flinched when he touched her. And why was she shaking so hard? “You wanna tell me what’s goin’ on?”

  “I’m f-fine.”

  “No, you’re not. Tell me.”

  “Don’t use the whip on me. Ever. Please. I-I’d use my safe word before I’d let you.”

  He froze. Hadn’t they discussed her hard limits? Didn’t she know he’d never… Christ. This was fucked up. “Ainsley. Look at me, please.”

  She lifted her head, but her hair obscured her face. He gently brushed the silky strands aside. “I’d never use the single tail on you. I know it’s a hard limit.”

  “Then why is it on the counter?”

  He felt like a total dickhead for using it as a scare tactic. “It was just in the bag,” he lied.

  She relaxed slightly. “Okay.”

  Part of him wanted to call this punishment off. But a stronger part knew Ainsley needed this lesson.

  Why? So the next Dom she hooks up with will reap the benefits?

  The thought of another Dom touching her made him insane.

  Ben did grant a soft kiss on her forehead as he ran his palm up her bound arm. “Count loud enough so I can hear or I won’t count it. And I better hear respect in that tone, understand?”

  “Yes. Sir.”

  Using the paddle, he smacked her left butt cheek. The thwack bounced off the bar mirror in an erotic echo.

  “One. Sir.”

  By the time he reached twenty smacks, Ainsley was very squirmy and his cock was painfully hard. What a gorgeous sight, her ass a bright pink border between the white skin of her back and thighs. He traced her butt crack until his fingers connected with her pussy. Her wet pussy. Oh hell yeah. His angel was a sub through and through. She needed this as much as he did.

  Pity she’ll walk away from this lifestyle and from you at the end of the night. You’ll just become a memory of the weeks she dabbled on the wild side.

  Ben had to toss that unsettling thought aside. He turned the vibrator on the lowest speed, rolling it across those flaming butt cheeks. He said, “Lift up,” and slid the phallus into her cunt.

  Ainsley gasped and tried to squeeze her legs together.

  He brushed his mouth across the shell of her ear. “Half done. But if you come before you get the next twenty lashes? I’ll give you ten more with my hand, understand?”

  “Oh God. It’s…vibrating right on my G-spot.”

  “I know. And be warned, I ain’t gonna go fast with these last twenty. I like takin’ my time with the crop.”

  She moaned. And wiggled that pretty pink butt.

  “Get ready to count.” He knew these would sting twice as much because the tissue was already swollen and he braced himself for her reaction.

  She reared up when the blow landed. “Oh, you bastard, that hurts!”

  Ben waited for her to realize her error.

  “Sorry. Sir. It just…stung. Crap. That was…ah… One. Sir.”

  “Good girl.” Ben smoothed his hand over the hot skin, as if deciding where to place the next mark. Her entire body vibrated in anticipation. The next lash hit the crease of her thigh.

  “Oh, I…fuck…you…shit… That’s two. Sir.”

  By the thirteenth mark, her body still trembled but she’d fallen into a deeper breathing pattern. Her voice had taken on that dreamy quality as she counted.

  At number seventeen, her hips began to bump up and she tried to grind her crotch into the wood. Ben gathered her hair in his hand and raised her head. Her eyes were glassy with that mix of pleasure and pain. He wanted to fuck her so bad he could practically taste the scream she’d release on his first deep thrust. “Don’t come. You come and I start over, remember?”

  “Please.”

  “No. You can take three more, Ainsley. And these three are gonna sting.”

  She shuddered, but whispered, “Okay.”

  He’d gone into that Dom zone, where their every breath seemed synchronized. Where he felt sweat breaking out on his body in the same places he saw it on hers. Where he felt each blow travel from the crop, up his arm and down to the exact spot on his body where he’d just hit on hers. He swung. Connected with her flesh. She cried out. Not in pain.

  “Come on. Two more.” As much as he wanted to level the blows boom boom, he spaced them out, hyper-aware the anticipation would make the release so much sweeter.

  As soon as she rasped out, “Twenty,” he shucked his jeans and rolled on a condom. His hands shook as he untied her ankles. She moaned, “No,” when he eased the vibrator out.

  Ben crawled up on the bar and hiked Ainsley’s hips into the air. Keeping hold of her knees, he plunged into that tight, wet heat, and an animalistic snarl burst free.

  Ainsley whimpered. He pumped twice more and slipped his hand around to finger her clit. Jesus. She was so primed. As he rubbed that plumped nub, he stretched over her lush, bound body, hissing as her scorching hot butt pressed into his lower abdomen.

  “Oh God. Yes. Oh please.”

  “Come on, baby, take it. You’ve earned it. It’s right there.” He withdrew, slammed home, and pinched her clit at the same time he opened his mouth wide and sucked the sweet spot on the back of her neck.

  Ainsley released a primal scream. Her cunt spasmed so powerfully around his cock he thought the contractions might suck the seed right out of his balls. He held on through the fierce bucking of her body, through her gasping sobs, through the potent aftershocks that were clusters of tiny orgasms.

  When she lowered her face to the bar, trembling and spent, Ben pulled out of her pussy, gritting his teeth as the muscles clamped down, trying to keep his cock inside.

  He ditched the condom and closed his fist around the base of his shaft. His eyes focused on the sexy sight before him. That beautiful red butt in the air, her inner thighs slick with her juices, spread to reveal her swollen sex. His hand pumped harder. Just a couple more. His shaft swelled. His balls tightened. Ben roared as he came, aiming each hot spurt at her ass. He gloried in pure male satisfaction at seeing her so thoroughly, so intimately marked by him. First by his hand and then by his seed.

  He could not tear his eyes away from watching those milky spots turning into wet stripes on her pinked ass.

  But his knee joint cracked loudly, reminding him where he was. Dazed, he patted Ainsley’s thigh and backed off the bar. His legs were awful damn rubbery as he walked to the kitchen. He washed his hands, his face and soaked two hand towels with cool water. When he returned to take care of Ainsley, the thought of this being their last night together tied him up in knots. Tied him up so completely he thought about calling off the loan. He could get the money from Settler’s First.

  You’re gonna gamble this chance to own the land your family has always wanted for a piece of ass? Even a prime piece of ass? Wrong. You can have this scenario every weekend at the club. It’s nothing special. The land is. Get with the program. Stay on track. Stay focused.

  Ben shut out the warring voices in his head and focused on his sub. He wiped her clean with gentle strokes as his free hand caressed her hair. He released her restraints and helped her find her balance as she slid off the bar.

  Ainsley leaned on him as he led her to the couches in front of the TV. He draped her across his lap, nestling her head into a cushion, offering her a bottle of water, which she declined.

  When he placed the cool towel on her abraded skin, she hissed. Then sighed.

  “Anything I can get you?” he asked, drawing random patterns on her back.

  “No.”

  He brought her down from the orgasmic high with soothing touches and gentle caresses. Eventually he urged her to turn on her side so he could see her face.

  Ainsley looked at him without his asking.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Will you kiss me?”

  Ben leaned over and captured her mouth. He fed her flirty kisses, tickling kisses, kisses laced with passion, kisses tempered with sweetness. When he nibbled on the insi
de of her lips, she pulled him closer. Threading her fingers through his hair, holding him in place as she took a hungry kiss. All at once she remembered her place and abruptly released him.

  “Sorry. I just needed…you to anchor me.”

  “I’m glad you asked me for what you needed, instead of making me guess.” Wasn’t it ironic she opened up to him on their last night together? He brushed his hand over her silky hair, from her scalp to where it curled against her shoulder. “We’ve come a long way in a few weeks, haven’t we?”

  “Mmm-hmm.” Ainsley pressed the side of her face against his chest. “I’ll miss this.”

  It hit him then, the finality. It wasn’t just the Dom/sub relationship he’d miss; he’d miss her. Everything about being with her.

  They stayed wrapped together for so long the room grew cold and Ben knew the fire had dwindled to cinders. He smooched her forehead and slipped away, covering her with a fleece blanket.

  Ben restocked the wood stove. He crouched and warmed his hands, his thoughts racing a million miles an hour. His gaze moved to the loan paperwork waiting on the counter. It wasn’t too late. He could toss the envelope into the fire. They could continue exploring this thing between them.

  Then what happens? You spend time together and you fall for her even more than you already have? You’ve no guarantee she won’t end it anyway, because you know she’s not convinced this is sustainable. She hasn’t acted like she’s bothered you’re ending it, besides the snippy comments she made at Rielle’s. So either way, you’ve still lost her and you’ve also lost the land.

  “Ben?”

  He turned around. “Someone took a little cat nap.”

  “Sorry.” She yawned. “Did you eat?”

  “No.” He seemed to have lost his appetite. “Are you hungry?”

  “Not any more. But I’ll leave it for you.”

  “You’re taking off?”

  She nodded and wrapped the blanket around her nakedness and headed for her clothes, which he’d picked up and placed on the chair. As she finished dressing, her gaze landed on the envelope on the counter. “Did you finish the paperwork?”

  “Yep.”

  “Will you be around tomorrow if I have specific questions?”