In the Ranger's Arms (The Men of At Ease Ranch)

by Michaels, Donna

  “Damn, you’re potent, Jovy,” he said, his voice low and rough, and the smoldering gleam in her eyes didn’t help his control. “You have to stop.”

  Son of a bitch if her grin didn’t turn wicked and his heart rocked in his chest. Hard.

  “No. I don’t.” She shook her head. “It’s time to even the slate, Stone. I still owe you for that horseback ride.”

  He muttered a curse. “You don’t owe me a damn thing. Don’t you realize how much I enjoy pleasing you?”

  “Oh, I get it.” She bent down to kiss his abs. “It’s no different for me. You’re always helping others. Pleasing others. Pleasing me.” She sat back and held his gaze. “It’s my turn to please. Your turn to take for a change.”

  Before he could reply, she went down on him, and ah…hell…she knew his rhythm. Her talented lips worked him over until he could barely breathe. His eyes drifted close. Maybe she was right. He needed to learn to let others take the lead. She gripped his hip with one hand and cupped his balls with the other while her lips caressed every inch of his throbbing dick.

  Maybe he could enjoy it for a little longer.

  “Hey, Stone.” A knock sounded at the door. “You in there, man?” his brother asked, bringing Jovy’s spine-melting mouth to a halt. “It’s almost time for brunch.”

  Stone’s eyes flew open and his gaze shot to the door. Still locked. Thank God. “Okay—” he choked out, and when he glanced at Jovy, that mischievous gleam returned to her eyes as she went back down on him with merciless vigor.

  His heart hammered so hard in his chest it nearly took flight. She did that crazy thing with her tongue again, testing his sanity. “Jovy…” he ground out.

  “Stone, you sure you’re all right?”

  Fuck. “Yeah…”

  “Okay,” Brick replied. “See you downstairs.”

  His mind barely registered his brother’s words. He was too busy trying to hang on to his control.

  Then she hummed.

  To hell with it. Closing his eyes, he lay back and placed his hands on her bobbing head. He was done. It was too much, and not enough. And so damn perfect. For a good two minutes, he gave himself over to the ecstasy she offered. Adrenaline rushed through him fast and fierce as every cell in his body heated and tingled, especially in his balls. He was close. So damn close.

  Stone forgot how to breathe, and only managed to whisper her name as she zapped every damn brain cell in his head and turned all his bones to mush in a release so strong his ears rang and vision blacked out. He never experienced anything so damn powerful in his life.

  Last night in the back of the truck was mind-altering. And now this. He had no idea what to do with these feelings. Shattered. Rebuilt. Whole. Solid.

  It changed him. For the better somehow. But lack of brainpower made it impossible to dissect. Stone just knew he was changed.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jovy held back a laugh at the startled faces that greeted her and Stone as they sat down to brunch. A good dozen or so men sat at the table all staring openmouthed at the man by her side. Satisfaction warmed her heart. Their reaction was a clear indication that Stone didn’t entertain women at the ranch too often. A fact she liked. A lot. Too much. But she didn’t care.

  “Jovy, hi.” Brick shot to his feet with the other men. “Now I know why my brother has been holed up in his room all morning. Sorry about the knock. I didn’t know you were here.”

  Dammit. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop the heat from rising in her face. It wasn’t like the guy saw what she was doing to his brother through the door.

  The memory of the pure, raw pleasure transfixing Stone’s face brought a smile to Jovy’s lips. Being able to give him that much joy made her feel incredible. Heaven help her, she wanted to do it again and again. “That’s okay,” she replied. “No one was around when we came in last night.” And apparently they were in a deep sleep when Stone made her scream his name several times.

  “Give me five minutes, Jovy. I’ll whip something up for you quick,” Vince said, disappearing into the kitchen before she could tell him to eat first, but there was one thing she discovered about Rangers: they were men of action.

  Her mouth was already watering at the feast of savory meat teasing her on the table. Damn. She’d forgotten the torture of last week’s brunch. But she’d survived and would again. Especially if Vince came through with another yummy vegan dish.

  “So, how was your first week?” Brick asked, cutting a thick, juicy steak that had her taste buds hurting so bad the room faded out of focus for a moment.

  She suppressed a tremor and shook off her meat stupor. “Good. Great, actually,” she corrected. “Yesterday, I hired two women to help cook and run the place.”

  “Really?” Stone turned toward her, surprise lifting his brow. “Won’t that cut into your capital?”

  “No.” She smiled. “Cece and Blanche don’t want to be paid. They’re happy to do something they like, and I’m hoping they’ll consider keeping it up after I go.”

  Some of the light faded from his gaze, and her heart squeezed before a shaft of hope sliced through. Could he be just as miserable at the thought of saying good-bye? After last night, she wasn’t sure she could. The man made her feel so much. So good. The more time she spent with him, the more she discovered about herself. It was weird, but he opened her eyes, made her see herself in a different light. And seeing herself through his eyes? God, he made her feel like the sun that rose and set.

  “They seem like they enjoy cooking,” he remarked, the sadness gone from his gaze.

  She set her hand on his arm and smiled. “They do, so…now that my time is freed up, I’d love to get my hands on your business.”

  Coffee spewed from Brick’s mouth before he began to cough.

  Laughter went around the table, mingling with Stone’s chuckle. “I’d love that, too.”

  “When can you start?” Brick asked, pounding a large fist against his chest. “The office is a mess again. It looks worse than last week.”

  Worse?

  Jovy’s eye twitched. That wasn’t possible. But by the way the men were nodding, she had the sinking feeling he wasn’t exaggerating. “I was hoping to start at it today, if you didn’t mind.”

  “Today is great. Today works for us, right, Stone?” A big grin dimpled Brick’s handsome face.

  Stone covered her hand, sandwiching her fingers between the delicious calluses on his hand and equally delicious muscles flexing in his forearm. “Yes. Thank you. We can certainly use your help. I just feel bad because we can’t pay you what you’re worth.”

  Warmth spread through her chest. “That’s so sweet of you to say, but I will only help you out if you don’t pay me at all.”

  He stiffened. “I can’t let you work for us and not pay you, Jovy. Besides, wouldn’t it help out your portfolio?”

  “Technically, it might.” Her grandfather hadn’t been too clear, just that he wanted her to set up and run the vegan café, and he’d look at the return on the money invested, as well as the balance of her bank account. So if she deposited money she’d earn from Stone, it could maybe theoretically count. “But I don’t want to take money from you. I want to help you make money so the ranch can help more veterans.”

  The table grew quiet. All activity ceased. But Jovy didn’t look at the other men; she kept her attention on Stone.

  His expression softened and warmed her from within. “I don’t know what to say.”

  She smiled. “‘Yes’ is a good word.”

  “‘Yes’ is a great word,” Brick chimed in. “And on behalf of Foxtrot and At-Ease, I accept your very gracious offer, Jovy.”

  Stone smiled at her, and she squeezed his arm before turning her attention to his brother. “Thank you, Brick. I look forward to helping out.”

  Vince appeared with more of those delicious almond-flour pancakes smothered in strawberries she’d devoured the last time, so while enjoying her meatless breakfast, Jovy listened to the
men talk about work, excitement and pride lining their faces. Even the ones who were quiet last week joined in, their gazes less haunted, more animated. She got the sense that helping fellow veterans by building a place to live chased away a little of the darkness, and in a small way healed a piece of them. Building this bunkhouse gave them a purpose and a cause.

  For some, it was a lifeline.

  Jovy’s throat heated and closed, making even Vince’s delicious food tough to swallow. She set her fork down, calling it quits on her half-eaten plate.

  Stone leaned in close. “You want to see the progress we’ve made on the women’s quarters?”

  She nodded, and a minute later, her fingers were entwined with Stone’s as they walked past the men’s bunkhouse toward another similar structure under new construction. “Wow.” She gasped, marveling at the large building that stood where just last week was nothing but a field. “You’ve already got the roof on and some of the windows installed.”

  A big smile spread across his face, giving light to his eyes. “I know. We’ve been hard at it since Thursday, trying to get as much done as possible before we have to stop tomorrow to start on the McGregor Feed remodel and the Hastings job.”

  “Good thing you have several teams of workers.”

  “Yes,” he replied. “And thanks to you sending a few clients our way this week, our teams are all contracted out on other jobs. We’ll have to work on this on weekends and our spare time.” He led her inside the shell of a building where he took her in his arms and kissed her slowly and with so much heat she nearly melted in a puddle at his feet.

  When they broke apart for air, she clutched his shirt so she didn’t fall. “What was that for?” she asked between breaths.

  He brushed a thumb over her still-tingling lips and surprised her when he replied, “Me.”

  Maybe her talk with him that morning had sunk in.

  “’Bout time you started thinking of yourself, Mr. Mitchum,” she declared, sliding her hands over his broad shoulders and into his hair. “I approve.”

  Then they were kissing again in the middle of an enclosed building with two-by-four interior walls shooting up here and there. A new beginning in a new beginning; the words resounded in her head, and the sweet smell of raw wood would always remind her of this special moment.

  All too soon the kiss ended, or maybe just in time. The man made her feel so much. Too much. Jovy had a hard time processing what was going on. Such strong emotions ran rampant they scared the crap out of her. As if sensing her fear, or understanding it, Stone entwined their fingers again and kissed her knuckles. “How about a tour?”

  “I’d love one,” she replied, and spent the next half hour seeing the building through Stone’s eyes. He was so passionate, so expressive his descriptions brought each room to life.

  It wasn’t hard to miss how much the place meant to him. How important it was to him to create a peaceful yet functional space for these veterans. His enthusiasm was warming and addicting, and by the time some of the men returned to pick up their hammers and nail guns she could tell he was eager to lend a hand.

  She tugged free and touched his arm. “Go on. Pitch in while you can,” she urged.

  Surprise lifted his brow. “Are you sure? I brought you here to spend time with you.”

  “And you have.” She patted his chest. “But you need to take advantage of the weekend to work on this. Besides”—she waved a hand toward the ranch house—“I have an office to organize, and I got the impression from Brick it’s going to take me hours.”

  An apologetic smile tugged his lips as his big, warm hands encircled her waist. “Yeah, sorry. I’ve been too busy with work and…other things…to stay on top of the sorting and filing this week, let alone try to chunk down on the old stuff.”

  Jovy knew she was the “other things,” so she was more than fine with the extra mess that supposedly awaited her in the office. “No worries. I’m on it,” she said. “You concentrate on this bunkhouse and let me worry about your paperwork.”

  “You’re a lifesaver,” he said, lowering his smiling lips to brush hers in a sweet kiss of thanks. He drew back, his gaze searching. “You sure you don’t mind?”

  “Absolutely,” she replied, pulling out of his arms. “I meant what I said at brunch. I really have been itching to get my hands on your business.”

  He choked out a laugh. “You know I love when you handle my business.”

  “I love handling it, too.” She winked. “If you’re a good boy and get a lot done in here today, I’ll do some more handling tonight.”

  “Deal.” He kissed her nose and drew back. “I’ll see you in a few hours. If you have any questions, you know where to find me.”

  True—putting his whole heart and soul into this project…that’s where he’d be.

  And as Jovy left the building, she had the strongest urge to watch Stone, so she turned back around and leaned against the doorway. He was talking to one of the men, a tool belt around his hips, a smile on his face, and an excited gleam lighting his gorgeous gray eyes. It was a gift to watch the incredible man doing something he loved. Warmth spread through her chest so fast it brought tears to her eyes and an ache in her heart.

  He was the gift.

  …

  Stone was having one of the best weekends of his life, and it still wasn’t over. His pulse kicked up as he stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off. The whole evening and night were ahead, and he couldn’t wait to spend them with Jovy. After putting in a long, hard afternoon, it was time to kick back and relax.

  “Hey, Stone, you done getting girlie?” Brick pounded on the door. “I need to spruce up, too.”

  Frowning, Stone wrapped the towel around his hips and opened the door. “What’s wrong with your shower?”

  “Vince is in there,” Brick replied. “He has a hot date, and since you were taking too long, princess, I offered mine.” He glanced at his phone. “But it’s getting late. I’m going to Braxton to the Roadhouse and need to get ready, too.”

  Cocking his head, Stone didn’t bother to hide his surprise. “Wow, two nights in a row? You never hit the Roadhouse two nights in a row.” He leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms across his chest. “Who is she?”

  Brick’s head shot back. “No one.”

  “Bullshit.” Stone smiled, positive he was right. Brick was in a hurry to see a female. “There’s nothing wrong with the food or beer at the Beer and Steer. So you’re traveling forty-nine minutes to the next town because of a woman.”

  “So what if I am?” His brother shoulder-checked him on his way into the bathroom. “You’re not the only one getting some this weekend.”

  He laughed and slapped the goof on the back. “I think it’s great. In fact, she must be special if you’re breaking your no-second-date rule.”

  “Relax, Mom.” Brick eye-rolled him. “She happens to be in Braxton on business and will be gone by next week. So there’s no reason to worry about her getting clingy.”

  “Ah, I see, she’s a safe one.”

  His brother smiled. Big. “Exactly. And damn, bro, she’s gorgeous. She’s got these big green eyes… Definitely worth a two-nighter.”

  Stone scratched the bridge of his nose with his thumb, trying to hide his grin at his brother’s unusual enthusiasm. “Green eyes like Jovy? Or like Cord?”

  Brick’s brow furrowed as he apparently made mental comparisons. “More like Cord’s.” He nodded. “Yea, exactly like Cord’s, only she’s more my type.”

  They laughed.

  “Good to know, or I’d have to warn Cord you have a thing for his green eyes.”

  Brick snorted. “No, I have a thing for the woman in Braxton with green eyes, and if you get the hell out of here, I can get ready and go share that thing with her.”

  Stone held his hands up and backed out of the room. “Sorry. My bad. Go make yourself pretty, princess.”

  His brother flipped him the bird before slamming the door in his face.
Stone laughed all the way to his room, where he got dressed in record time and was headed downstairs within four minutes. No need to get spruced up as Brick put it. Jovy liked him as he was, and it was damned refreshing not to have to worry about impressing the woman. She was happy to be with him…the real him.

  He strode into the office and stopped dead. “Wow, Jovy. It looks amazing in here. I can actually see the floor.”

  “Hey, you.” She rose to her feet, her face lighting up when she saw him, making him feel ten feet tall.

  He smiled and waved at the straightened room. “There was a matching chair to go with the couch? I’d forgotten. It’s been buried for so long.”

  The clutter was gone. Completely gone. Only two piles of papers remained, and she had them stacked up against the far wall. The furniture was clear. The floor was clear. Hell, even his desk was organized with only one stack on a corner that she was currently working on.

  “Did you have a good day?” Smiling, she stepped around the desk to meet him in the middle of the room with a kiss that set his temperature to inferno and fogged his brain.

  Damn, he could get used to that kind of greeting every night when he came home.

  But mindful of the open door, he reluctantly ended the kiss. “It just got better.”

  She pressed her lush curves into him. “Mmm…I agree.”

  “You’re killing me.” He bent to kiss the tip of nose. “I’m trying to behave. The door is open and the guys are about.”

  Ah…hell. His heart rocked in his chest. Her expression turned playful before she brushed her pelvis against his thickening crotch.

  “Then maybe we should lock the door.” Her enticing curves, combined with the tempting suggestion in a soft, sensual tone, were enough to spur him into action.