His Submissive Jewel [The Martinis and Chocolate Book Club 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)

by Lara Valentine

  Cam opened his mouth to argue, but snapped it shut. His asshole of a brother was right. He did want Noelle. Badly. One night and morning with her hadn’t been nearly enough. She was smart, funny, sexy, and Cam wanted to explore the simmering heat he knew he hadn’t imagined between the two of them. She might be the woman he had been waiting for. A woman he could love.

  Cam sat down on the hay bale next to Colt and sighed. He really hated when his brother had that smug, satisfied look on his face.

  “Yes, I do want her. She’s the kind of woman I’ve wanted to meet. I thought I was doing my duty going out to help her last night. I never expected to enjoy the time with her. I thought I would just have to deal with it. But, she’s amazing. She’s not only beautiful. She’s the whole package. I thought she was attracted to me, too, until this morning. Did you see her face when she found out I was Brody’s dad? Dear God, she looked at me like I had one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel. It never for a minute occurred to me our age difference might be a problem. Shit, I’m only forty-nine. That’s not old. Didn’t Abby say Noelle was going to be thirty in a few weeks?”

  Colt barked in laughter. “She did say that. And Noelle didn’t look at you in horror over your age. She just looked surprised. I’m guessing she thought you were Brody’s older brother, not his father. You should feel complimented.” Colt slapped Cam on the back. “And when you say she’s the whole package, does that mean she’s submissive, too, you lucky son of a bitch?”

  Cam stood up and started pacing the hay-strewn floor. “I don’t know. I get a vibe from her that she likes it when I take control and get protective. I also get a vibe that she’s never submitted to anyone or anything her entire life. Her submission won’t be easily won. She doesn’t like to obey from what I’ve experienced.” He stopped in front of his brother. “Do you really think she wasn’t turned off by my age? She looked gob-smacked by the news.”

  “Shit, yes, she was surprised, but you could feel the sexual tension between you two. It was thick and it didn’t dissipate when she found out you’re as old as Methuselah. As for her submission, no submission worth winning comes easily. You know as well as I do.”

  Colt certainly did know it. Julie had led his brother on a merry chase almost thirty years ago before she had agreed to wear his collar. They were proof a lifelong Dominant-submissive relationship was not only possible, but could bring both parties happiness and fulfillment. Cam had always wanted what Colt had with Julie. His own marriage had crashed and burned fifteen years ago. He had learned a great deal from his marriage and divorce, and one of those things was that good women were hard to find. This woman had literally driven herself to his remote ranch. He wasn’t going to let this chance pass him by.

  Cam nodded, determined now his mind was made up. He smiled as he imagined her restrained at the club to the St. Andrew’s Cross. She would be a sight to behold with all that fiery red hair and amber eyes. How long would it take for her to beg him to let her come? Would she struggle against his domination, and then finally, sweetly surrender? He hoped so.

  “You’re right, Colt. No woman or submission is worth anything if you don’t have to work to win. Do you think I’m too old to woo the beautiful Noelle?”

  Colt snorted with laughter. “Probably. But, I doubt you’ll let that stop you. Just a word of warning, though.”

  Cam frowned. “Warning? Are you warning me she may not be submissive? I won’t force her, Colt. This has to be what she wants, too. I won’t take. I’ll only accept what she willingly gives me.”

  Colt shook his head. “I know that. You’re a good Dom. One of the best. My warning is about Gwen. She’ll be visiting for the wedding, and she’ll cause trouble if she thinks you’re happy. Watch out for her meddling. You and I both know that woman is a royal bitch.”

  Cam knew quite well. Gwen was his ex-wife and worked to make his life difficult on a regular basis despite being divorced for over a decade.

  “Point taken. I’ll keep an eye on Gwen. You, too. I can’t be everywhere at once. I don’t want Gwen pulling any shit with Noelle. She wouldn’t stand a chance with Gwen.”

  Cam turned to head back to the main house, Colt’s warning ringing in his ears. He was going to take his chance with Noelle, and he wasn’t going to let Gwen anywhere near her.

  * * * *

  “I can’t wait to see it!”

  Abby pushed Noelle into her bedroom and jumped on the bed. Noelle shook her head, laughing, and opened her suitcase. Cam must have brought them up while Abby was showing her around the ranch. He was so caring and always a gentleman.

  “I hope you like the ring set. If you don’t, I don’t know what I’ll do. You’ll have to make do with them, until I can redo them.”

  Noelle was nervous. She loved the way the wedding set had turned out, but Abby and Brody were the ultimate judges. She needed to show Abby the rings and find out if she hated them or not. She pulled the velvet boxes from her bag and handed them to her sister.

  “Since you said Brody won’t wear his ring every day due to the hazards of working on the ranch, I decided to put stones in his wedding band. Go ahead. Open it. I can’t stand not knowing if you like them or not.”

  Abby fumbled with the box but managed to open it. She was quiet as she stared at the rings that Noelle had designed for her. The silence stretched on as Abby continued to stare down at the rings.

  God, she must hate it.

  “If you don’t like it, I can do something else.”

  Abby looked up at Noelle, her eyes bright with tears.

  “I love it. I simply love it. I can’t believe how beautiful it is. I wish Brody weren’t working outside right now because I want him to see this. You’re a genius, sis.”

  Noelle felt her body go slack with relief. She didn’t realize how tense she had been holding herself until this moment.

  “Look at Brody’s ring, too. Do you think he’ll like it?”

  Abby snapped open the second box and gave her a brilliant smile.

  “He’ll love it. It’s manly, but not clunky and big. It’s perfect. All the rings are perfect. Do you think it would be bad luck to try them on?”

  Noelle smiled in relief. Abby really liked the rings. “No, I don’t think it will be bad luck at all.”

  She helped Abby slip first the delicate yellow gold wedding band on her finger. Abby was a horticulturist and Noelle had designed delicate vines and flowers twining around the band with tiny diamonds and sapphires. Diamonds were Brody’s birthstone and sapphires were Abby’s. Then the engagement ring slid on her finger with one ornate vine studded with diamonds circling the large, round center diamond. It was delicate and old-fashioned, just like Abby.

  “It looks beautiful on you, Ab. Does it fit?”

  Abby was grinning now. “Perfectly. Now I don’t want to take them off. Perhaps I can convince Brody to get married today.”

  Brody’s wedding band was a wide gold band with the twining vines and a channel of diamonds. It was simple, but the lines were strong.

  “If anyone can convince Brody to move up the wedding it’s you. I’m glad you chose yellow gold. It will go with so much of your other jewelry. That necklace you have on is very pretty.”

  Abby blushed as her hand flew up to the necklace, fingering the heavy links.

  “It’s a gift from Brody. I never take it off, except to wear a more formal one. It’s…it’s my collar, Noelle.”

  Noelle replayed the words in her head a few times before responding.

  “Your collar? I can see it’s a choker-style necklace, if that’s what you mean.”

  Abby shook her head and chewed her bottom lip. Noelle could see her sister struggling with something.

  “Spit it out, Abby. You’re dying to. I can see that.”

  “It’s my collar, Elle. I’m Brody’s submissive, and he is my Dominant. All the Hunter family lives like this. I knew I needed to tell you in case you saw something while you’re here that you didn’t understan
d.”

  Noelle forced herself to stay quiet while she gathered her thoughts. She knew about these kinds of relationships from her book club reading, of course. She had always been fascinated by the exchange of power and how intimate the couples seemed to be. The level of trust in the relationships was off the charts compared to many vanilla relationships. But an entire family of Dominant-submissive relationships?

  Wait, is Cam a Dominant or a submissive?

  A Dominant. No question. His air of calm control, and protectiveness screamed Dominant. She waited for the wave of disappointment, but it never came. She had never thought of herself as submissive and always assumed she would want a submissive man. But the thought of a man kneeling at her feet and obeying her commands suddenly seemed very wrong. In fact, she was having a hard time even picturing it.

  “Noelle, say something. You’re expression is negative.”

  She was shaking her head at the images of a man on his knees, submitting. Instead she was substituting images of herself kneeling at Cam’s feet. The erotic thought made her nipples peak and cream drip from her pussy. She was shocked at her body’s response. Maybe she was a little bit submissive, after all. Or maybe just with this dominant man.

  “It’s okay, Abby. I’m not going to judge you. Honestly. I’ve read about this stuff, you know. I’m not naive. Does he treat you well? Are you happy?”

  Abby laughed and lay back on the pillows with a dreamy smile. “He treats me like a princess and yes, I’m very happy. He doesn’t tell me what to eat or what to wear, but he looks after my welfare, and I know I am the most important thing in his life.”

  Noelle felt a twinge of envy. She had never been the most important thing in anyone’s life.

  “I’m happy for you then. I really am. So, the whole family is like this?”

  Noelle tried to sound casual.

  Abby rolled over on her stomach and admired her new rings. “Yes. I guess they have been for generations. Brody and his brothers are all Dominants, plus his uncle, oh, and his father, of course. Do you think Brody will look like Cam in twenty-five years?”

  Noelle was still trying to process the fact that Cam was a Dominant.

  “Probably. He looks very much like him now.”

  Abby gave her a sly smile. “Maybe I’ll fix you up with Lucas or Caden. I know you’ve always said you like being in charge in relationships, but I think that’s a bunch of bull. I think you’d like a dominant man. There’s nothing like an alpha male in bed.” Abby giggled and looked around to see if anyone was around. “I’ve never come as hard or as often as I do with Brody. He’s an awesome lover. I bet his brothers are, too.”

  How about his father?

  Noelle shook her head, but wouldn’t meet Abby’s eyes. “I’m not interested in Lucas or Caden. I’m sure they’re nice, but I’m only going to be here a short time. I don’t think getting involved would be a good idea.”

  Abby tugged off her rings and placed them carefully in the jewelry boxes.

  “The Hunter men have a way of sneaking under your radar. You never know, Elle. You just may have met your match in these men.”

  Noelle had a suspicion Abby was right. One Hunter man in particular was very dangerous to her heart.

  * * * *

  The wind whipped through her hair and chilled her cheeks, exhilaration running through her veins. Cam, Abby, and Brody had insisted she get a tour of the ranch. Not on horseback, as she had expected, but on the back of an ATV. Noelle laughed as Cam hit a small hill at full speed sending them sailing in the air for a few feet before landing back down with a jolt. Her bones were rattled, but she didn’t care. This was the most fun she’d had in forever. Cam was driving the ATV like a bat out of hell, but she felt safe as a lamb with him. Every movement of the vehicle was carefully calculated and controlled, just like its driver.

  She was pressed close to his solid, muscular back, her arms wrapped tightly around his lean middle. His masculine scent mixed with the outdoors and she pressed closer, breathing him in. He felt strong and warm, and she couldn’t stop her fingers flexing on his rock-hard abs. Even through his jacket she could feel that there wasn’t an ounce of spare flesh on him. He was all muscle.

  He stopped under some oak trees and pointed to a vast field in the distance. “That’s a hay field. Hay is a cash crop. We grow more hay than we need for the cattle and we sell the rest.”

  “You sell it? Can you really make money on it?”

  Brody and Abby came up behind them on another ATV and stopped next to them.

  “Damn, Dad, I can’t keep up with you. How did you get so far in front of us?”

  Cam laughed. “I still know a few tricks I haven’t taught you. Noelle and I were talking about growing hay for profit.”

  Brody grimaced. “Haying is back-breaking work.”

  Cam nodded toward the field. “But profitable. Now that you’re going to be a married man, I think you need a part of this ranch to run yourself. Something you can lead and be proud of. I was thinking you might want to take control of the haying operations.”

  Brody’s face broke into a grin. “You mean it, Dad?”

  “Wouldn’t offer if I didn’t mean it. What do you say?”

  “I say I’m the man for the job. Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll work hard and make sure everything runs like clockwork.”

  “I have all the confidence you will, Brody. I don’t know about you all, but I’m starving. Let’s take a break and have some lunch.”

  Cam helped Noelle off the ATV as Abby rushed toward them, her face glowing. “Thank you, Cam. Brody won’t let you down. I’ll help him with the paperwork stuff so he can concentrate on the operations.”

  “You and Brody make a good team. My son is a lucky man.”

  Abby blushed and bustled off to help Brody set up lunch. They had leather bags with a couple of blankets and a picnic. Noelle’s stomach growled. The fresh air had peaked her appetite. Cam chuckled. “I think you’re hungry, too. Let’s get something in your stomach. You need to keep your energy up on a ranch.”

  Noelle crossed her arms over her chest and gave Cam a smile. “Did you have this planned the whole time? Bring Brody and Abby out here and then tell him the news? They’re so excited.”

  “Not the whole time. But it seemed as good a time as any when I realized how close we were to this hay field. Brody and Abby will do a fine job. I can put my energies elsewhere. There’s always work to do on a ranch.”

  Noelle arched an eyebrow. “But you’re here with me today, showing me around the place. Don’t you have work to do?”

  “Yes.”

  Noelle blinked. “Yes? That’s it?”

  His blue eyes twinkled. “How about, yes, I have work to do and yes, I’m here with you. As I said, there’s always work to do on a ranch. The work isn’t going anywhere, but you won’t be here forever. If I want to get to know you, then I have to make time to spend with you.”

  Noelle felt her heart speed up. “You want to get to know me?”

  Cam gave her a gentle smile. “I do. Is that okay with you?”

  “Um, sure. Yeah. But…why?”

  Cam reached for her hands and gave them a squeeze. “Because I like you. I enjoyed spending time with you last night. I think you enjoyed it, too. Am I wrong?”

  Noelle couldn’t deny the truth of his words. “No, I had fun last night if you don’t count the almost perishing in a storm part.”

  “You never came close to perishing. I would never have let anything like that happen.”

  Noelle looked up at him through her lashes, feeling the heat of his hands. “Where do we go from here?”

  Cam put his arm around her shoulders and headed toward the picnic Brody and Abby were setting out. “We eat. Then we finish touring the ranch. Maybe later we can spend more time together. I’ll let you try and convince me that smaller defense spending is a good idea.”

  Noelle laughed. “Coupled with real tax reform it could lower our deficit.”

  �
�You sure know how to sweet-talk a man. Let’s eat.”

  Noelle let Cam lead her over to the blankets, but she wasn’t paying any attention to the food. Her focus was on the handsomest man she had ever met. A man who was not only sexy but nice as well. She wanted to get to know him, too. This was the start of something. She could feel it.

  * * * *

  Noelle wrapped her arms around herself as a cold breeze raised goose bumps on her skin. The day had been pleasantly warm with only a chilly breeze in the morning. According to Abby, however, the nights still got quite cold. She could be toasty next to the fireplace inside, but had felt the need to get away from all the people in the house. It wasn’t unpleasant, just different. Many evenings found her eating takeout, alone in her condo, while she worked. Tonight there had been eleven people at the massive dining table. Cam had sat at the head, clearly the leader of this loving and lively family. She jumped in surprise when she felt something warm wrap around her.

  Cam, with a blanket.

  She’d know his scent anywhere. He smelled of the outdoors and something that was so intrinsically Cam. Her heart started beating faster when he didn’t move back immediately. He stayed close behind her, and she could feel the heat come off his body and feel his warm breath on her neck and shoulders. She wanted to turn around and press herself against his muscled hardness. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat.

  “Thank you. I guess I was getting chilly. I just came out for some air.”

  She felt rather than heard Cam’s chuckle.

  “And to freeze to death? Your Florida blood is probably a little thin to be standing out here in just a sweater. Did the family drive you out here?”

  “No. Well, kind of. I’m just not used to being around this many people. My job is rather solitary. I spend much of my time alone. You must be used to this, though.”

  His large hands ran up and down her arms, sending her arousal into orbit. Her panties were getting quite damp, and her breasts were straining against her lace bra. She didn’t remember ever wanting a man this badly. She wanted to feel his hands on her quivering body.