by Beck, J. L.
Then there was the pastime of, what the hell was I thinking road, she drove for the rest of the night. Why in all tarnation would she ever leave a man like this? She didn’t really have the answer now. Yes, she’d been young and scared back then, though no one ever knew the scared part. She also had Brea at home in America and she couldn’t let that child down again. After Brea’s dad walked out and left them to fend for themselves, she swore she would try to make it up to the girl. Wasn’t the kid’s fault she had bad taste in men at that time.
Truth be told, the biggest reason was that she loved Rand and had never loved a man before or since. It scared the bejeezus out of her at the time and it still did. She spurned him out of self defense, she finally figured that much out now, since she faced the facts about herself. In the Daisy Plush archives, it was the biggest mistake she’d ever made.
Yeah, there were mitigating factors too back then, she knew he would never let her take Maggie who was a baby at the time to the States, plus she’d already had a helluva time trying to raise a kid all by herself as it was. She didn’t know if she could take care of two without landing in the poorhouse.
So, now 20 some odd years later…Here he was. Demanding that she finally make it right and marry him. Only, this whole thing just popped up out of nowhere and she never expected to be lying here in her bed with his warm arm lying over her.
Once again, the fear rose up with her doubts. Why? After all these years, why hadn’t a man like this married up and had more kids? Yeah, he had one child already when they met, a son. She kept trying to remember the kid’s name, as she had spent some afternoons watching him play when she and Rand were together. Was it Walter? Winston? No, no….She just couldn’t remember it, but he’d been real cute back then.
Daisy knew her mind was wandering and that she was just trying to diffuse the virtual dynamite stick someone had shoved into her bra. This man endured the worst of her, then he raised Maggie up fine and held his world together after she kicked him in the teeth with her rejection. She let out a sigh, why the hell would he wanna hitch up with an older version of his Daze? If it was revenge, she’d already decided to take her licks for what all she did to him back then.
The man in question moved a little and stretched that long hard body as he slowly opened his eyes to gaze over at her. Smiling, he reached over and hefted her on top of his body.
Daisy gasped and found herself sitting on top of him.
Peering up at her, his burning eyes raked over her top shelf assets as she called them.
His tongue popped out and licked at his lower lip.
Her body visibly shuddered at the sexy sight. Wishing she could feel that hot, sexy organ on her nipples right this minute!
He tugged her down and did just that, swiping that velvety tongue right over one and then the other breast.
“Ohhh,” is all she could get out as a response while her body literally trembled.
His smile grew and he latched onto to one nipple then fingered the other.
Daisy threw her head back and let out a tittering sigh. The feeling was unlike anything she ever felt. Well, it seems like the Rand diet was over, thank the heavens and she was planning on eating her fill!
He suckled and switched nipples while letting out a hungry sounding moan.
Daisy thought she was gonna lose it. Go stark raving mad and let out a scream.
Rand just kept at it, then slid his hand to between her legs and caressed her now wet folds, rubbing her button until it was swollen with need. All the while, keeping up the blazing mouth and finger stroking action on her breasts.
Her body coiled and she knew she was gonna orgasm just from this simple foreplay. Her panting grew loud in the room while Rand worked her body over like he was tuning a violin to play the sweetest song she ever heard.
Gulping as her throat almost closed up, she squirmed with need and heat. Her hunger for this man was being torqued up and her body was reacting to him like it always did.
Without warning, Rand propelled two fingers up into her.
Her breath caught in her throat as she gasped loudly. “Ohh, R-Rand…” Her words came out all rattled like she was nothing but a stuttering fool.
He didn’t respond, in fact he pumped her good and deep while suckling one breast and then the other with his fingers working her.
“You—I’m—gonna…” Daisy remained the blithering fool while she rode those long strong fingers and felt her body climb that ladder of ecstasy.
He pulled his mouth away and stared up at her. “Yes, you are gonna and I want you to keep your eyes locked on mine when you do.” He placed his mouth back on her erected nipple and moved his fingers, so that his thumb was rubbing her button while his other fingers were plunging sweetly into her wetness.
Panting for breath and hanging on for dear life, she gazed into those mesmerizing blue eyes and rode his digits like she was a bronc rider fighting for a title. “Ohhh!” she shouted when her body grew ridged and her juices bubbled out as she helplessly came onto his fingers.
Rand watched her face, while his eyes roamed over her body caught in the throes of glorious ecstasy. “Yes, Daze, I love the way you come apart for me…come for me,” he whispered in that sexy deep voice while his eyes blazed at her.
Daisy felt his voice rumble through her and it heightened her climax as she did just as he told her to do. “Oh, I am yours Leatherman!” she let out the cry and dropped her head back as her body went up like a firework rocket on the fourth of July. Her limbs and torso trembled and convulsed helplessly as she panted like a wild animal. Then her head dipped back down to gaze into his eyes again.
He grabbed her face with both hands and tugged her down. “Never forget that again, Daze. You are mine till we die,” he whispered to her lips and then smothered her mouth with his.
His hot tongue possessed her mouth just as her climax was winding down, but by no means did it hinder it, it made it the sweetest she’d had in many years. Daisy was lost, her world tilted sideways and her reasons for leaving this man in the first place was finally put into the crazy bin—permanently.
The hot possessive kiss lasted a minute or two and Daisy was panting through her nose. I might die from suffocation here and if so, I’d die happy!
Rand finally pulled his hot mouth away and gazed into her eyes. “That was pre-honeymoon foreplay.” He gave her a wicked wink.
Daisy let out a breathless laugh. If that was just foreplay, then the honeymoon was gonna make her deaf, dumb and blind! Sated, she slumped onto his wide smooth chest with a whoosh of breath forcing its way from her lungs and waited for a minute or two till her heartbeat slowed down before she finally said it, “…I was—scared,” she whispered quietly.
Rand’s body stilled beneath her.
“…I never loved anyone like I loved you. It remained true that day and every day till now. I knew you could hurt me like no other man. I always clung to my pride, ‘cause in my world, it was all I had. So, I ran, I flat out—ran.”
“Daze—”
She lifted her head and gazed into his eyes. “And I figure you could still hurt me. But finally, good sense has reached my stubborn brain and heart. Even if you are here to do just that…” She gulped heavily as tears fell from her eyes to drop onto his cheeks. “You can hurt me and I will take it with honor. ‘Cause there is no amount of groveling I could do to make up for it…ever.” She sniffled and swiped at her tears.
Rand stared at her…hard. His eyes looked intense. “That’s what you think I’m doing?”
Daisy shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m just sayin’ if it is? I’ll take the whippin’. “
Rand’s lips tilted up in a smile. “Tell you what…I will give you that whipping two days from now, and you best be ready.”
Daisy gulped at the look I his eyes. “No man has ever laid a hand on—”
He gently grasped her cheeks again. “I’m YOUR man, always have been and always will be. I figure you will pull up that wedding
dress and place your luscious, beautiful ass right on my lap.”
Daisy shook from the heat in his eyes and her mind lit up with the sexy vision of her placing herself there—what a delicious image it was too. “Well, God dammit Rand, that may just be the second best idea you ever had!”
His eyes twinkled as he asked the inevitable question, “So, what was my first?”
“Sex on the beach.”
He laughed hardily at this and kissed her soundly on the lips. Abrupt like, he lifted her up and set her on the bed. Rising from the mattress, he looked like some kind of king of all men as he boldly strode nude across her room.
Daisy sat mesmerized, enjoying the eyeful of beef she was lucky to get. Unabashedly, and almost drooling like a dog over a bone, she stared at his muscled frame that still looked mouthwatering after all these years. Then she caught sight of his stand up erection, remembering how that thick powerful tool felt being in her tool belt. “Hellfire, Rand!” she exclaimed.
He reached for his jeans slung over a chair and turned to face her in all his proud glory. “What is it Sugah?” He emphasized the southern word heavily.
At his teasing the southern vernacular, Daisy burst into laughter and felt giddy like a girl again. “You—”She had to stop talking to laugh some more. “—you seemed to being carrying some serious wood!”
He tilted his head at her, then gazed down at himself. “Yeah, guess I am.”
“Well, bring that two by four over here and let me make some plywood for ya,” she offered with a tittering.
Raising his head, he grinned. “Nope, I’m gonna wait, till we build our log cabin.”
Daisy laughter faded. “What?”
Rand shook his head while smiling and sat on the chair to pull his jeans on. “My 501’s might be a tight fit right about now, but I got other hounds to chase.”
Daisy sat up straighter. “What are you talking about?”
He stared over at her. “Never you mind. You just make sure you got the wedding stuff all lined up the way you want it, okay?”
Blinking her eyes, she shrugged. “I think I covered all that. It’s gonna be at Mable Kincade’s ranch.”
His brows rose. “Good. Now, I am going to ask you to do something you may not want to do.”
His accent just got thick and she knew this meant he’d gone serious. Daisy swallowed heavily and prepared herself. She swore she would do anything this man asked, and for the first time in her life, she was willing to allow a man to have hold over her. She squared her bare shoulders and met his gaze.
“Do you have anyone on staff here that can run the ranch without you always being present?”
Daisy held her breath. Here it is the first and one of the toughest hurdles. Good thing she already took care of this, though Rand didn’t know it. “I appointed someone already.”
His eyes widened as he pulled his shirt on. “You did?”
She nodded her head.
Rand wore a stunned expression. “No argument, no tussle?”
“This time, there ain’t gonna be any if I can help it. I was stupid once and I’m not going to live stupid anymore.”
Rand stood up while buttoning his jeans and faced her. “So, you’re saying that if I asked you to do something, you’ll do it?”
Daisy lowered her eyes. Never before had she ever let a man in. Let a guy tell her what’s what. They all wanted something or another from her and they never had her heart, not like this man. He raised their kid all on his own, he never tried to change her, all he ever did was wait all this time for her, or so it seemed. “Anything you ask…”
Suddenly, his strong hands were lifting her up from the bed.
Gasping, Daisy stared at his face as he held her aloft like she was a petite girl and slid her nude body down over his clothed hard form. “I’m not here to take anything away, Daze. I’m here to put us together like we shoulda’ been all this time. I would never cage you up, ‘cause if I did, you wouldn’t be the woman I’ve been hung up on all these years.”
Daisy felt tears well up in her eyes for the second time already today and it wasn’t even 8 o’clock in the morning!
He kissed her sweetly on the lips. “Don’t change for me. Be the Daisy I always loved, except you won’t be allowed to run away again. It’s just that the ranch here, well—”
“It don’t go with a marriage Rand, this I know.” She laughed. “I mean it was all about the beef, but I wasn’t herding cows here for Christ sake!”
He stilled for a second at her response, then tilted his head back and laughed.
Daisy just stood in awe, she’d forgotten that laugh, she forgot it always made her hot for him, the sound was so rich and warm. She gulped again, as her naked body felt the rumbling from his laughter.
He finally stopped laughing and kissed her cheek. “Okay, then. Just pack up what you want to take with you and you can always come back here when the business needs you.”
The tables had turned yet again, as she was the one stunned now. Daisy blinked her eyes. She could’ve sworn he was gonna ask her to sell the ranch. “You mean…?”
He nodded and stepped away while boldly gazing at her nakedness. “I never said you had to give up anything, Daze.” He bit at his lip and adjusted his stance as though he were in pain. “But God dammit, you’d better get dressed before I pop the buttons on these jeans!”
“I can help with that.” Daisy grinned at him as she offered to relieve his problem, yet again.
“Believe me when I say you are gonna be in some trouble on your wedding night and we’ll leave it at that.”
Her brow rose. “That sounds like my kind of trouble.”
Rand gave her that brilliant smile as he sat on the bed and pulled his boots on. “I’m gonna wear your sweet plush ass out, so be warned.” He gently slapped her bare butt cheek, stood up, then went out and shut the door.
Daisy rubbed her arms at the goose bumps that rose there. I can handle this. I can. It all seemed like a dream, a sweet, sexy fool’s dream and she didn’t wanna wake up to learn it was never real.
CHAPTER THREE
When I Think About You…
BREA
Cole’s Room, Triple K
Brea still felt rattled. Cole insisted they try and get some sleep, since they had searched for Mags and then spent another hour for Brea to calm down. Well, for her to act like she’d calmed down, so Cole could get some sleep. She hadn’t really and she wasn’t as angry but now, she had more trouble, worrying about what she was going to tell Mama Daisy.
I insisted Maggie should come with me to get away from the lurid Stud ranch where it wasn’t fitting for her to be. Then, I bring her here and she is waylaid the very first night by a hound dogging, lowdown, good looking snake in the grass cowboy! She wanted to pull her hair out by the roots, or Jet’ hair to be exact. How could this have happened? I just don’t get it.
After Maggie pulled that prank on him, by exposing him to all those starved women waiting for the stripper show? Humiliating him like that. Then all the while, she seemed not to be affected by Jet’ charm. In fact, it seemed that they didn’t even like each other! Brea thought it was gonna be okay.
THIS? Is so NOT okay!
She bit at her lip as she gazed over at the identical twin to that low down, pantie grabbing bastard and shook her head. How can look alikes be so not alike?
Cole slept soundly beside her, what a dammed sweet man he is too. He held her, stroked her hair and patted her back for an hour earlier, whispering all kinds of support and saying how sorry he was.
It’s not his fault she’d told him…that his brother couldn’t keep it in his pants. Then he’d made her laugh when he said he couldn’t do it either being around her.
“Brea…” Cole mumbled in his sleep.
She stared at him. He’s dreaming about me? She felt dumbfounded.
“Marry me?” he muttered.
Brea’s eyes rounded.
“Love you…”
She suck
ed in her breath. He’s talking in his sleep about marrying me? She didn’t know what to think. Maybe it was because Jet said he was gonna marry Maggie? No, he had said engaged. Could this be true? Mable did say marry when she was ranting about Daisy’s reaction. That must be it. She refused to hope. She already felt like this was all just a dream, having a man like him.
Then, they only had that one problem along the way when he found out she had wrote that list a while back and named Jet as the guy she intended to get. He had issues though, because Jet always stole his girlfriends. Her anger rose again, then the hound goes and steals my sister!
Noise came from the side of the house and Brea froze to listen. It sounded like yelling. She quietly and gently slid out of bed, then tiptoed to the window. Peeking out, she squinted at the men in the courtyard next to the bunkhouses.
Jet was standing while facing off with a huge cowboy in front a rather large group of men, all in various states of dress, like some just rolled out of bed.
Brea grabbed the window, raising it up. Then the voices floated over.
“I’m telling you, it wasn’t meant for her!” The rather large man shouted at Jet.
“You mean after you danced with her, you didn’t slip her a mickey?” Jet got right up in his face.
Seeing Jet’s anger, Brea sucked in her breath.
“So, it seems my brother has a bone to pick,” Cole whispered from beside her.
Brea jumped with a start and stared over at him.
He was now looking through the window too.
“I’m telling you, I had nothing to do with that part!” The bigger cowboy yelled.
“Oh! That part, Noble?” Jet stepped closer his fists were clenched at his side. “So, just what part did you have to do with then? The part where you groped her while dancing with her or the part where you spiked her God damn drink!”
