by Mary Winter
“We’re going to time share. Probably spend tonight here then I’ll have to check in with my patients. I’m sure we’ll work something out.”
Laura sounded so happy, so proud that he couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah, it may mean I’ll commute, but it’s not foaling season. I don’t plan on shirking my duties. You guys covered for me while I was gone. Figured I’d return the favor in case you and Jacy wanted to get away.”
Te stood. “Good. I need to talk to her about that Bonding Ceremony.”
“Be careful. Women can be kind of stubborn about that,” Reid said. He glanced over at Laura and winked.
“Yeah, they can. I’ll be in the barn if you need me. Better go keep Jacy out of trouble.”
Reid watched them go. The lussor wound around Te, pulling him toward the barn, and he figured Te would be getting into some trouble here very shortly. Good for him. It was good to see the couple working things out after coming together during Edwin’s illness. He clasped Laura’s hand. “Shall we?” He stood, pulling her up beside him.
~* * *~
Hearing Reid receive approval for their plans, listening to his banter with Jacy and Te, Laura realized the family she had always wanted was right before her eyes. Even the enigmatic Cord, who seemed to come and go on his own schedule, if not outright approved of her, certainly didn’t object to Reid’s plan to build them a house. She grinned as he tugged her by his side, wrapping his arm around her. They snuggled together as they ascended the stairs to Reid’s room.
Her stomach fluttered. Her mouth went dry, and she leaned into his broad shoulders for strength. She’d never seen his room. While tending Edwin, she’d gone up and down this hall numerous times, but as his doctor, she’d never ventured beyond his room. The door where the former Conclave leader used to stay stood closed at the end of the hall. Reid led her to the first door on the left and opened it. She stepped inside a very masculine domain.
The double bed held a rumpled worn, green blanket and dark green pillowcases and sheets. Apparently, he hadn’t taken the time to make his bed the last time he was here. Given that had been the morning of Edwin’s funeral—had things really gone that quickly?—she didn’t mind a messy bed. Some handmade pine shelves held a variety of equestrian trophies, books, and various pictures. An open closet door revealed hangers full of jeans and western shirts. A few pairs of boots sat on the floor beneath them. No supermodel posters hung on the wall, just a few well-placed framed equestrian art prints, and one large family photograph of the Conclave taken at least ten years ago.
“What do you think?” Reid closed the door behind them.
“I think it looks like you.” Her attention stayed on the bed.
“You know…” Reid stepped closer. He looped his arms around her waist, splaying his hands across the top of her buttocks and pulling her closer. “If we stay here, there are only two bathrooms. You’ll have to share.”
Laura flattened her palm on his chest and tilted her head back. “I’m okay with the bathrooms. But I want to know if you are you okay with the situation with your brother.” She blew out a sigh. This close to Reid the lussor unfurled, the binding ritual they’d gone through making their connection stronger. She had no idea if this constant need drove Te and Jacy, or perhaps it was enhanced by her pregnancy. She tamped it down. A lot had happened in the last few days. A lot.
Reid’s eyelids drifted closed, shuttering his thoughts from her.
Laura waited him out. Their relationship had healed, improved beyond measure. She didn’t want to come between Reid and his brother, though from the fights she’d witnessed in the last few weeks of Edwin’s life, the bad blood ran deeper than woman trouble. She kept her breathing even, her heart calm. Reid’s woodsy aroma teased her nose, a smell uniquely him though it was no doubt a department store brand.
He released her.
Laura stared at him as he crossed the room and sat on the bed. He slumped, started to balance his chin in his palm then let his hands fall to his sides. “I wish I was a strong enough man to forgive my brother.” His soft voice cut the silence.
She went to him and dropped on one knee so she could look him in the eye. “What happened between us was as much my fault—”
“No. Not that. I’m over that. You’re a desirable woman and I wasn’t giving you what you needed. Kade, well that’s his personality, to swoop in and take what he wants. I just had the bad luck of walking in on it.” Reid shrugged. “He was the only family I had left, besides StarMyst, and his stubbornness stole that from me. I love Jacy and Te. They’re my Conclave, but they’re not my brother by blood. We formed this family here, grew up together…” His gaze lifted to stare at the picture of them together, a family, that hung on the wall. “Kade threw that all away.”
Laura didn’t know what to say. Having no siblings of her own, she could only image what Reid was facing, and frankly, it probably paled to the reality. She’d already given up her Conclave, her family, as a lost cause years ago.
“I don’t know if I can forgive him, not yet. It’s just too new and raw. Maybe in a few months, maybe later. But that doesn’t affect us. You understand that, right?”
Laura smiled. This question, she could answer. “I do. It’s okay. Maybe I had it easier. I knew I had to write off my family. You were so close. It was hard to watch. I can’t imagine what it was like to live it.”
He nodded. “Maybe coming back here was a bad idea. Maybe we should just stay at your place. You’ll be the only woman using the bathroom then.”
“Will you stop with the bathrooms?” She mock-punched him in the arm. “If you want to go back to my place, we can. If you want to stay here, we can. I’m okay with whatever you decide, and I’d hate to have you commute back and forth from town when we could be just fine here. I’m the one who has to drive to her job. You don’t.”
Reid lifted his gaze to meet hers. He looked at her, really looked at her, and without the lussor to fog things up between them, she had the sense that he was really seeing the situation as it was.
Her mouth went dry. She licked her lips, hoping now wasn’t the moment that he’d flee. Rising onto her knees, she cupped his cheek and drew his face down to hers. “I love you, Reid. I won’t let something like this stand in our way. Even if you only had an outhouse.” Without waiting for a reply, she slanted her lips across his.
The sated lussor barely flickered to the challenge. Laura grinned against Reid’s mouth, wanting this to be just about them, not their Sorcerer powers or their binding. Her mouth moved over his seeking an opening to his mouth. He raised his hand and skimmed it along her arm, but made no other move to touch her.
Laura deepened the kiss. Her tongue slid across the seal of his lips, asking for entrance. He gave it, opening his mouth to her. She slid inside, wishing she could crawl inside him and let him know exactly how much he meant to her. No matter what happened with his brother, she loved him. She always would.
She slid her hand between them, flattening it against his chest. A gentle shove sent him tumbling back on the bed and she quickly crawled over him to straddle his hips. The springs creaked beneath them. She could only imagine the fun that the guys must have had here trying to keep some things quiet. She wriggled a bit more, listening to the musical springs and tried not to giggle.
Beneath her, she sensed Reid giving in to the kiss. First one hand cupped her ass, the other sliding along the length of her back. His cock hardened, pressing against her sex. She relished the pressure, grinding down on it until it bumped against her clit. She moaned into his mouth, making him swallow her pleasurable cry.
His hips bucked. The springs sounded again and even sated, the lussor flared. Whatever emotional demons had been haunting him seemed to have fled. At least for the time being.
A part of Laura screamed at her to stop and analyze what had just happened. If Reid wasn’t one hundred percent sure of his decisions…well she wanted to know right now. But straddling him, the lussor rising, knowing that once ag
ain she’d had a home, a family, she couldn’t stop now if her life depended on it. She tore her lips from his long enough to gulp air and tear open the snaps on his shirt. With his chest bare to her touch, she let her fingers roam.
“Believe me now that I don’t mind commuting from here?” She bent down and pressed a kiss to his nipple. Drawing the tight bead into her mouth, she sucked it hard and deep. “How about now? Or now?” She punctuated each question with tiny kisses.
“Yeah, I guess I do.” Wrapping his arms around her, Reid wrestled with her, flipping her over on her back. He slid her onto the bed, the mattress and springs creaking.
A knock sounded on the door. “Be quiet in there, some of us are trying to work.” Te’s highly amused voice filtered through the wall.
Laura burst out laughing.
“I thought you were working in the barn,” Reid called.
Te muttered something that sounded like ‘smart ass’ on his way down the hall. “Still want to stay here?” Reid propped himself up on one elbow.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She dragged his lips back down to hers. Somewhere below them, the front door slammed. She figured Cord had left again. Everything was as it should be. And she figured somehow, somewhere, Edwin knew, and he approved. After all, when it came to her, Reid had offered all his forgiveness, and his love. And that was something to seal with a kiss.
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About the Author
Mary commutes between her dream home near the Mark Twain national forest in Missouri and her current residence in Iowa. She lives with a menagerie of animals including an opinionated horse and a cat that was a dog in past life. When not writing spicy tales of erotic romance, she enjoys writing science fiction and fantasy, spending time with her horse, and enjoying the outdoors. Lucky for her, her partner (hero) shares these same passions, and usually both of them can be found in their respective dens writing.
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If you enjoyed Prodigal Son check out the first book in the series…
StarMyst: Prodigal Son
By Mary Winter
Te’s breath caught in his throat. Jacy leaned against the fence, a cowboy hat jauntily sitting on her head. Her long dark red hair fell in a ponytail nearly to her waist. He stepped forward, using his powers to conceal his approach. Of course, if Jacy were any sort of mage she would sense his presence. He moved slowly, taking in the length of her legs encased in formfitting denim. Her ankles were crossed. His gaze riveted to her heart-shaped ass and his mouth went dry. The lussor roared like a hungry beast, making his cock harden. His fingers itched to caress every curve on her body. Seeing her stripped away the years until he was a horny young man lusting after something he shouldn’t have. The bay horse in the arena snorted. Te stopped. He waited, but when she only reached into her pocket to feed the horse some treats, he moved forward again. The mare licked Jacy’s palm. He envied that horse. The memory of her earthy musk scent filled his nostrils, and suddenly, he stood close enough to smell it. The lussor reminded him of his neglected duties.
He tamped it down as he stopped behind Jacy. His palms burned to touch her, to see if her hair was still as silky as he remembered. Jacy scratched the mare underneath the chin, laughing as the horse snorted in her face. The musical notes of her laughter rolled over him like a tidal wave and broke the dam of his control.
Te laid his hands on her shoulders. He hadn’t meant to touch her. Didn’t even know his hands were moving until he felt the heat from her body rising into his palms. He curled his fingers around her muscles and began to knead. Jacy relaxed into his touch.
She had to know he stood behind her. Mages sensed the presence of another mage. Yet she said nothing as his hands slid down her arms, then up again. He rubbed the tender place at the base of her neck, his thumbs hitting the exact spot he knew she liked.
His cock jerked at her soft moan of approval, and the lussor demanded he take her now. His body clenched, balls drawn tight, wanting to be inside her slick heat once more. Leaning forward, Te smelled her. She smelled of dust, horses and pure woman. Te inhaled as if he might never smell the heady elixir ever again. The need to take her right there against the fence rode him. The lussor growled in satisfaction as Te slid his hands over her sides.
“Mmm,” Jacy said, leaning back into his touch. “That’s nice.” Strong fingers massaged her neck and shoulders, finding the tense places in her muscles. The figure behind her stood close, a bit too close, but sometimes Reid did that. The flash of power identified the man as a member of her Conclave, probably Reid wanting to apologize for his brother, the ass.
His hands slid over the edge of her breasts, making her nipples harden in anticipation. Worried about Edwin’s health and the bombshell he dropped on her, she leaned into the man massaging her back. She heard a swift inhalation, and for a moment wondered if it wasn’t someone else behind her. The body felt too solid, too hard to be her younger foster-brother. A frown worried her features.
The man nuzzled her, his lips caressing her neck. A groan rumbled from deep within his chest. He kissed the column of her neck until his tongue delved into the sensitive place behind her ear. Jacy gasped at the pulse of arousal deep within her. Hastily, she cleared her throat and tried to step away. “You’re getting a little friendly there, aren’t you, Reid?” She tried to convince herself it was only Reid, and not the man who filled her dreams.
Her words must have startled the man because he released her and stepped back. “Reid better not touch you like this.”
Good Medicine
by Mary Winter
Available now at Pink Petal Books
When Sadie thought about her perfect Friday night, she didn’t imagine herself covered with manure and blood. She should have been used to it by now. Working as a vet in a small town just outside of Kansas City meant she would tend to a child’s hamster on one appointment and the very next one would send her out to vaccinate cattle. Or as in this case, stitch up a badly wounded calf.
Sadie unlocked the door and slipped inside the veterinary office, ignoring the sign out front that had Dr. Devon Markier III, DVM listed as the owner. The banking gods had frowned on her purchasing this clinic, never mind that Devon and she were the same age. Being from a wealthy family had its perks in this town.
She closed the door behind her, wishing she could just as easily shut out her uncharitable thoughts about her boss. Humming equipment provided the only sounds in the dark office, illuminated only by the soft glow of safety lights over the exits. From memory, she made her way to the locker room. Her shoes squished across the linoleum. For a moment, she debated about going home, but she wanted to document the call and leave notes for Devon since he’d be working tomorrow. And she really didn’t want to bring the mess clinging to her coveralls home with her.
> That calf had been tangled in barbed wire, and Sadie didn’t even want to contemplate the number of stitches she’d put in the wounded animal’s body. She’d administered fluids and antibiotics, finally proclaiming the creature stable enough for her to leave. Had the calf been anything but a 4-H project, she probably would have just put it down, but looking into the tear-filled brown eyes of the creature’s eight-year-old owner had made that impossible. She hoped the tiny thing made it through the night.
A small light shone through the open bathroom door. Devon must have left it on for her. She tried not to be thankful he had, nor contemplate the thoughtfulness the gesture. It was much easier to dwell on the fact that she hadn’t been able to muster the funds to buy out Dr. Kirkpatrick’s half of the vet practice when he had retired. Devon and his thoughtful gestures could go straight to hell. But damn, he’d look good going.
Sadie headed for the light like a beacon, dragging her tired body along with her. Turning the corner, she stopped. Devon stood in front of the sink, rinsing off a razor. His sable hair still dripped water where it curled along the back of his neck. She followed a drop along the long line of his naked back, tanned and muscled, to where the blue waistband of his designer underwear soaked up the bit of moisture.
Sadie’s mouth went dry.
Dressed, Devon Markier III looked like he stepped off a male fashion show runway. which was why she probably was angrier at him for buying out the vet practice than she should have been. Wearing only a pair of very high-cut briefs, he looked like a dream come to life. And she hated herself for having those dreams.
“I’m sorry.” Sadie backed away from the door, her breath whooshing from her lungs.
He turned his piercing blue stare on her and smiled. “Sadie, you’re back. I thought you would probably head back to your place since it’s so late. I’ll be out of here in a minute. Had a guinea pig with an abscess that came in at the last minute, and I wanted to clean up before heading out.”
