by Chloe Lang
“Me either. She’s the only one for me.”
“For us,” he corrected.
“I think you should go to her now. You’ve shown her you’re a big bad Dom. Now show her your other side.”
“I’m no pussy, bro.”
“No. Never said you were. But you’ve never been twenty-four-seven either, Dax. She needs to see that part of you, to feel that part of you.”
“And what are you going to be doing?”
“I’m going to get some help to make sure that money never gets here to Wilde.”
* * * *
With Drake by his side, Heath pounded on Harry’s front door.
The mechanic opened his door slightly, a pistol in his hand. “What the fuck are you two doing here at this hour?”
“We’re here for Charly’s money for her car.” Heath was in love with Charly. There was no way he was letting her leave.
“She sent you?” He lowered the pistol.
“Not exactly, Harry,” Drake admitted.
“Why don’t you both come on in, and let me hear what you have to say?” He opened the door wide and motioned them inside.
Harry led them to the kitchen, which was neat as could be. “Sit.” He pointed to the kitchen chairs and pulled out a half-full bottle of Maker’s Mark. “Drink?”
Heath nodded and took the seat next to Drake.
“Are you guys still trying to corral her?” he asked, pouring liquid into three highballs.
“One of us is working on that as we speak.” Heath thought about Dax. Heath and Drake hadn’t told Dax the full plan, but he would be brought in on it soon enough. What was needed was more time.
“I’m not sure I want to get involved in this again.” Harry handed Heath and Drake each a glass before lifting his own. “To love.”
Heath and Drake raised their glasses and clinked them with Harry’s. Then they all took a long swig of the warm amber liquid.
Heath enjoyed the burn as the whiskey coated his throat. “She’s the one for us. I swear.”
“That might be true, buddy. But you and Drake have already dragged me into these shenanigans with Charly Wynn. I didn’t come out unscathed. She still doesn’t trust me.”
“Let us worry about Charly’s trust, okay?” Drake took a big swallow of the bourbon, draining his glass.
Harry downed the rest of his whiskey and filled his glass back up. “You’re going to have to convince me. Another?”
Heath drained the last of his glass, pushed it in front of Harry, and nodded. He’d drink all night if it meant keeping that escape money out of Charly’s hands.
Chapter Nine
A knock pulled Charly from her thoughts. She would be leaving Wilde, as well as Drake, Heath, and Dax, tomorrow. Sure, her heart would never survive, but there wasn’t another alternative for her.
She opened the door of her hotel room at the Cactus. Dax stood in the hallway with several bags of what her nose detected was dinner. “I thought we were going to meet Drake in the lobby and go to the Horseshoe Bar and Grill.”
“Plans changed, kitten.” He kissed her on the lips, making her toes curl.
God, she wanted to tell him about her plans. But what good would that do? He’d only convince her to stay by paddling her ass until she surrendered. A wonderful idea, but not a practical one. She had to get back to New York and her mother. There she could clear her head and figure out how to find a job, any job.
“I hope you like Mexican food.”
“Boy, do I.”
“I’ve got homemade tortillas, fajitas, salsa, black beans, the works.”
Her stomach answered him with a growl.
“I heard that, kitten. You are hungry.”
She took a deep breath. “I guess I am.”
He prepared a plate for her of a little bit of everything he’d brought. “Sit on the bed, sweetheart. You like Dos Equis?” He pulled out the six-pack of Mexican beer.
“I’ve never tried it, but I do like beer.”
He pulled out another bottle of something she had tried before. “Tequila? Really?”
“Just a couple of shots, kitten. Good for the appetite.”
“I’ve heard that about wine but not tequila.”
His lips curled up wickedly. “I’m not talking about food.”
Oh boy! I shouldn’t take him up on his offer. That would be foolish since I’m leaving tomorrow. Her heart was ripping apart, though. Tonight was her last night in Wilde.
“You got shot glasses?” she asked.
“Straight from the bottle, baby.” He took the top off the container and took a long swig. “Yes. So good.” He handed her the bottle. “This will put hair on your chest, kitten.”
“I don’t think you’d like that, Dax.” She giggled. “I haven’t done this in ages. And when I did, there was salt and limes.”
“I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to tequila, but I did bring salt and limes in case you weren’t.” He produced the aforementioned items from one of the brown bags.
Hoping to shock the unshakable Dax, she shook her head, put her lips on the bottle, and tipped it up for a big sip. The liquid blazed down her throat, warming her up like a blazing fire on a cold winter night.
“I’m impressed, kitten. You’re a purist, too.”
“I wasn’t before tonight, but a girl can learn.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for. Now, let’s eat.”
They devoured the meal in no time. It was delicious and filling. A couple more swigs of tequila had Charly relaxed and soft around the edges.
“You stretch out on the bed, sweetheart. I’ll clean up.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” The little buzz from the tequila allowed her mind to take a break from all the current pandemonium in her life.
Dax threw the empty bags away and packed up the leftovers, placing them in the little fridge under the TV. When he was done, he began pulling off his clothes.
“Wait a minute.” She sat up. “I’m not sure we should do this again.”
“I am, kitten.” He threw his clothes in a pile on the chair by the lamp. “I’m very sure that we should.”
“Can we talk first?” she asked, feeling her eyes widen at the sight of the sexy, naked cowboy. So beautifully male and dangerously handsome. His body was ripped from head to toe. And just under his eight-pack was his nine-inch monster, hard as a rock.
“No.” He walked over to the bed, looking down at her with a smile crossing his sensual lips. “Talk after? If you surrender to me, then yes.”
What little resistance was left in her evaporated the second she saw him grin. He wanted her now, and knowing that fact made her insides sizzle.
If she only had tonight with him, why not make a memory?
Dax leaned over and kissed her, and tingles spread through her body. Never releasing her lips, he crawled on top of her. As his tongue invaded her mouth, sweeping away all her hesitation, his hands began undressing her. He pulled her top over her head and continued to kiss her into a savory dizziness. Her lips felt swollen from his mouth’s assault. She felt liquid seep from her pussy.
“Sit up for me, kitten.” Dax guided her into an upright position. He removed her bra in a flash, tossed it to the floor, and cupped her mounds. “I can’t get over how perfect your breasts are.”
Charly knew she should be holding back, but the burn of tequila in her belly and the desire to feel Dax once again inside her pussy kept her moving forward on this path. Final destination—a broken heart.
“You’re back in your head, kitten. I can tell.”
“I’m stunned. I wouldn’t have guessed you could read minds.”
He brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Not minds, just one mind. Yours.”
“That’s not fair. I’m at a disadvantage because I can’t read your mind.”
“I like you at a disadvantage, kitten.” Dax looked like he might actually drool. “I like you in that state very much.”
Charly felt him pinch her
nipples, sending a delightful sting from both her breasts through her body. She moaned, getting even wetter.
Dax licked her throbbing tips. “Time for me to suck these gorgeous tits.”
“Please. I want that,” she begged, fighting back the tears of good-bye.
“You are so beautiful, Charly.” His eyes were filled with lust and awe.
“So are you, cowboy. So are you.” A tear fell from her left eye, and she tried to wipe it away before he noticed.
Too late. “What’s this? Why are you crying?”
“No reason. Just enjoying being here with you now.”
He clamped down on her nipple with his teeth. She yelped, and he released the tiny bits of throbbing flesh. “Kitten, I’m here. You need to be handled with care according to some. That true?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Are you able to get off this way?”
“Yes. I think so.”
“I don’t think so, kitten. I can tell that you’re burning up inside.”
She nodded. “And you’re hard for me.”
He laughed. “Only every second since I met you.”
He pulled off her jeans, tossing them next to her discarded bra. Then she felt his warm hands glide up her legs. He dragged her panties down to her ankles, but not off.
“I’d prefer cuffs, but your silky underwear will keep your legs together some.” He sat up and looked her up and down. “Nice. Very nice.”
His total confidence and lusty state washed over her like a warm cloth. As he gently massaged her breasts, Charly licked her lips. His calloused hands felt so wonderful that she couldn’t imagine not being able to enjoy his touch ever again.
“You’re the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen, kitten. I can’t get over how perfect you are.”
Charly sighed. “Hardly. I’m overweight. My breasts are too big for my height. I have—”
His index finger touched the middle of her lips, stopping her from voicing the rest of her diatribe. “Don’t ever talk about yourself when I’m around. Tonight might be about caresses and not spankings, but if you say another negative word about yourself in my presence, I swear I’ll bend you over may knee and paddle your ass until it’s black and blue. Understand?”
She trembled, anxious and hot from his words. “Yes, Sir.”
He winked at her. “Don’t think I’ll treat you like this every night, kitten. You and I both have other needs that will only be satisfied another way.”
Charly nodded, though she knew there would be no other nights with him. “But this is nice, Dax. I’m enjoying this. Are you?”
“Hell, yeah. I’m burning up inside to plow into your stunning, tight cunt, dripping like a juicy, sweet mango.” His fingers grazed the slit of her pussy, pulling a moan out of her throat.
Dax shifted down the bed, landing between her thighs. “Gotta taste your cream, kitten. I’m going to lap up every drop.”
His lurid talk got her so turned on. Each syllable was like hot sparks igniting her desire to a rolling, roaring flame.
Dax grabbed her thighs and guided her legs over his shoulders. “You’ve got the cutest pussy I’ve ever seen.” His hot breath warmed her soaked pussy. “You want me to taste your juices, kitten?”
“Please, Sir. I’m dying for your tongue on my pussy.”
“Time for my sweet dessert.” Dax ran his tongue up and down her pussy, causing her to gasp aloud.
The more he tormented her mound with his tongue and lips, the more she creamed herself. She’d never been this wet before. When he covered her slit with his open mouth and teased her clit with his fingers, her womb began to clench down.
Dax sent his tongue down between her puffy vaginal lips, and she shifted her hips to press her pussy more firmly into his oral assault.
Charly shot her hands up around his neck, scraping his skin with her nails.
When his tongue hit her throbbing clit, she screamed, “Oh God, Dax.”
He used his fingers to spread her pussy’s slit wider. He licked her into a delirious state of oblivion.
Her back arched off the mattress as he used his tongue to fuck her and his little fingers to enflame her clit to her max.
“God, yes!” she screamed. “I’m coming!”
Dax’s hot breath hit her sensitive flesh like heat-seeking missiles. “Drown me with your cream, kitten. Cover my face with your juices.”
Her womb began to spasm as her climax crashed through her body like a million falling domino pieces. Waves of ecstasy rolled over her body. Charly closed her eyes as the shivering sensations took her higher and higher.
Dax continued his oral torture for some time, giving her one orgasm after another. She screamed, fisted the sheets, panted, and racked her nails in his flesh. After her last climax, she wasn’t sure she could take more of his wicked lips and lusty tongue.
Finally, he did relent, crawling up next to her. He got behind her and pulled her into a spooning embrace. “You were something else, kitten.”
“This is too much for me, Dax.” Already things had gone too far for Charly with this cowboy, but she still liked being held by him in the bed. His naked frame against her back made her feel secure and safe.
“I know, baby.” He stroked her hair.
When she’d gotten the news that the job in Malibu was no longer an option for her, Dax’s understanding and comfort softened her heart. Though the best course for her would be to walk away, she just couldn’t. Already in love with two Strongs, and falling fast for another, she needed to know more, even if there was very little hope of her having the incredible life that her cousin now had. Maude knew some, but surely Dax knew more. He had to.
She twisted around in the bed until she could look him directly in the eyes.
“I get that everyone expects you, Drake, and Seth to marry one woman. I also know that Tobias, Nate, and Heath are supposed to marry another. What I don’t understand is why you younger guys are so angry with the older ones, and vice versa.”
He sighed under what was apparently a heavy weight. “It’s a long story, Charly.”
Seeing the pain in his eyes, she hated to push him, but saw no other choice. Her heart was likely destined to be crushed, but she wanted to know if she had even a glimmer of a chance at happiness. “Enlighten me, cowboy.”
“All six of us were very close at one time.”
“That’s hard to see now, Dax.”
“I know. There was a trust that was unshakeable between us back then.”
“Until?”
Dax leaned back and rested his head on the pillow. He stared up at the ceiling. “None of us ever talk about this anymore. It’s like we’re all pretending it never happened.” He closed his eyes and continued stroking her hair.
She snuggled into him, hoping to soothe some of the pain the memories were stirring up in him. Still, she needed him to continue his story. If she could understand what had ripped them apart, maybe she could find a way to bring them back together. She owed them that at the very least.
“But something did happen, Dax. I can feel it whenever you six are together. Sure, most people would never know how much hurt is between all of you, but I know.”
“That’s for sure, sweetheart.” He cradled her chin in his calloused hands. “I hate that you’re having to deal with all this.”
“You’ve told me that I’m going to have to choose between the older brothers and you younger brothers, right?”
“One day. Yes.” He kissed her cheek. “I’m going to win you, Charly, whatever it takes.”
She wanted to tell him that he’d already crossed the finish line on that one, but couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right, especially since she had no prospect for a career in Wilde—and no future. Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn’t bear to think about leaving, not now. Foolish or not, she would put those thoughts aside for another time. Right now, she wanted to figure out how to help the men who’d captured her heart.
“Help me understand w
hy. I know that you and your brothers aren’t toe-the-line kind of guys. So, don’t try to feed me the line about the town’s unspoken expectations of a max of three men to one woman. I want the truth.”
“Seth introduced us to Gabby. She was older than him by two years. Drake and I got on board pretty quick.”
“Gabby? I thought you guys hadn’t ever been serious with a woman before?”
“Like I said, we act as if it never happened. Drake, Dax, and I were engaged to her.”
That bit of news shocked her. “When?”
“Drake and I had turned twenty-two, so about five years ago.”
Realizing there’d been a woman in the younger Strongs’ lives who had been much more than a fling for them got a double portion of jealousy boiling inside Charly. “You were too young to get engaged.”
He nodded. “That’s what the older brothers thought, too. Even our parents were not really keen on us getting engaged, but they came around.”
“What happened to her? Why didn’t you get married?” She wanted to ask more, but couldn’t find the courage. Had he been in love with Gabby? Had Drake and Seth? Of course, they had to have been. Why else would they have asked her to marry them?
“Everyone came around except Heath. He never let up on the three of us, saying Gabby was a no-good gold digger. It got really heated. We were all stupid. I wouldn’t say it was love, but it was something. He finally did prove to us that he was right.”
“How?”
“Heath is a manipulator.”
She shook her head. “Boy, do I know that.”
“He knew that Gabby would jump at the chance of getting a bigger piece of the Strong pie. We found them in bed together.”
“Oh my God.” No wonder Heath had been so sullen when talking about the brothers. What kind of guilt was hidden under his normal, carefree demeanor?
“Seth took it the hardest of the three of us. Though Heath had been right about Gabby, we all felt betrayed by him. Like a bunch of idiots, we thought one good turn deserves another. We got in the pants of the older brothers’ current squeeze at the time. That’s how our stupid competition got started. Whatever woman they go after…so do we.”
