by Reece Butler
He winked, then kissed his way down her neck. She sifted her fingers through his thick hair, smiling absently at the thought of shocking some of the patrons of Tanner’s Mercantile.
Matt’s tongue gave one warning swirl around her nipple before his mouth engulfed her. Hot, wet, his tongue sliding around, his teeth grazing her, then he gripped her nipple between his teeth and tugged.
“Yes!”
She arched her body, pressing her bottom up as well as her back. But instead of continuing, he released her.
“We’ll finish this later. It’s time for breakfast.”
She groaned, and Matt’s grin lit up the room. He sat up with a laugh, then rolled off the bed. His cock was eager for her, pre-cum glistening in the sunlight streaming in. Yet he tucked it into his boxers and hauled on sweat pants. She’d have to put up with being on edge, the same way as Matt.
“Will it take Eric long to finish the chores?”
“Doesn’t matter how long it takes him. After he left I snapped the deadbolts. There’s no keys. Eric will have to wait outside until I let him in.”
“You didn’t!” Delighted, she pulled herself to a sitting position. “He’ll be furious!”
He paused, then shrugged it off. “Yep. Not my problem.” He pulled on a t-shirt. “I’m the ranch boss,” he said when his head emerged. “My word is law on the Circle C. When Eric is here, if it involves ranch business, he obeys me. He doesn’t like it, but that’s the way it is.”
The look he gave her as he tucked in his shirt made him look like Eric’s twin. The happy-go-lucky man was gone, as was the eager but bashful lover. The man who stood before her, hair all over the place, cock tenting his gray sweats, was as commanding as his older brother. Matt was even more complex than she’d realized. He dominated the room, calmly sure of himself, master of the entire ranch.
Eric had a different aura, one that also commanded her obedience, but it was to him almost exclusively. Matt’s authority was all-encompassing. She felt he would know instinctively what the land needed, the way Eric knew her.
“Do the two of you fight about it?”
He snorted a laugh. “We’re brothers, both of us used to being in charge of operations. Of course we fight.” He made a fist and rubbed one hand in the other. He rose on the balls of his feet, as if ready to rumble. “I expect me locking him out might produce a decent free-for-all.”
“You’d fight over me?”
“When we’re hot and bothered we’ll fight over anything. And when you’re around, we’re always that way.”
“I don’t want to come between the two of you. That wouldn’t be right.”
He surprised her with a laugh, and strode toward the bed. The grin brought out the fun-loving, eager man again. But she could also see the steel behind the easy-going side he usually showed the world. He didn’t stop at the edge of the bed, but crawled forward until they were eye to eye.
“Nikki,” he said, low and deep and arousing, “you already came between us. More than once. And it felt very right.” His eyes dropped to her lips. She licked them nervously. His voice deepened. He stroked her breast with his knuckle. She startled at the touch. “And you want that to happen again, real soon. Don’t you, sweetheart?”
All her breath was needed to keep her lungs functioning. Her brain focused only on the fingers now caressing her. She couldn’t speak, so nodded.
“Good girl,” he murmured.
He brushed his lips over her cheek, and rolled off the bed before she could demand more. He opened the top drawer of the highboy dresser and removed a pair of thick wool socks. He sat on the bed, back to her, and put them on as if she didn’t exist. Aroused, needy, and frustrated, she took he pique out on him.
“Does that include me?” He turned, sock half-way over his foot. “The orders. Do you expect me to obey them? Because I’ve got enough of that with Eric.”
He turned back to the job of getting dressed. She waited, losing patience, as he rose and reached for his belt. The buckle clanked as he lifted it from the dresser. Why would he pick up his belt when he was wearing sweat pants? He ran it slowly through his fingers. She couldn’t look away, as if it was a snake about to strike. The thought of having the leather lightly slap her bottom made her mouth go dry.
“Nikki, look at me.”
He used a commanding tone, one she’d not heard from him. She was in his home, in his bed, even. Of course she would do as he asked.
“If you hear me speak like this, you will obey me. I only use it when necessary. I don’t want you hurt, or doing something that will cause something bad to happen. Understand?”
She bit her lip, then nodded.
“I knew doctors who could make their patients laugh, even if they hurt. They were fun-loving and enjoyed life. But in a crisis situation they barked orders and expected instant obedience. They had to, because the lives of their patients was at risk. You’re saying that, when I hear you bark an order, something or someone is in danger.”
“Exactly.” The stern expression faded. “It would almost kill me if you got injured, or worse, while on the Circle C. It would be my fault.”
“Why your fault? If I didn’t do what you said, wouldn’t it be my responsibility?”
He slowly shook his head. “If I don’t prove to you that you must obey me, no matter what I say, no matter whether you agree or not, then it’s my fault. If something happened, it would be because I didn’t convince you, well in advance, that my word as ranch boss was law.”
A loud noise made her jump. She looked to the noise. He held his belt, folded in half, between his hands. He released the tension, then yanked them apart. A loud snap! filled the room. Her breath caught, then her pussy flooded.
“Are you, ah, saying you’d use that belt on my bottom if I disobey you?”
He shook his head, staring deep into her eyes.
“By then it would be too late,” he said, calm and cold. “You might be badly injured, or have started a stampede, or a thousand other things.”
He snapped it again, and her blood ran cold. Yet her pussy and breasts flared with heat.
“You’re not going to use that on me, are you?” she whispered. It was as loud as she could talk with her chest so tight.
“I will, if I get the slightest suggestion that you mightn’t listen.”
“Ah, isn’t there another way?”
His face relaxed, his eyes warming to their usual humor. “What, you don’t want to feel this on your ass?”
“Not at all.”
He broke their gaze as he rolled the belt up and set it back on the dresser. Her breath shuddered from her lungs in relief. Relief, but a touch of disappointment.
“That’s good,” he said, turning back to her. His eyes lit up as they caressed her nakedness. He held out his flat palm, then made a deliberate movement to look at it.
“Oh, no. I don’t want to be spanked, either.”
Yes, you do. You want it so bad you’re ready to be naughty just for the attention. Your nipples are harder than marbles, your breasts are swollen, your face and chest are hot, and when you move from this position there will be a large damp spot on the sheets!
He contemplated her for a moment, then nodded briskly.
“Fair warning, Nikki. If either me or Eric think you need a readjustment in your thinking, we’ll have your pants down or skirt up before you can think to run.” He turned to leave, took two steps, then paused. He turned back. “And Nikki?”
She swallowed, then licked her lips before she could speak. “Yes?”
“Running away from your punishment means you need extra encouragement to obey.”
Nikki groaned. He didn’t hold back the grin that showed how eager he was to have her show non-compliance. He closed the door behind him. She heard him whistle cheerfully as he walked away.
She moaned and collapsed backward onto the huge mattress.
A professional woman should not eagerly anticipate her skirt being raised, her panties pulle
d down, and a man’s hand spank her bottom. It was fine to want the cock that she was sure would impale her right after. But a spanking wasn’t something she should want.
“But why not? Darn near every other woman around here, including my own sister, enjoys it. Why shouldn’t I?”
She stomped to the bathroom to take care of morning necessities. Instead of a long bath, she took a quick shower. She was too hungry to linger. Matt had promised breakfast. And then, by God, she was going back to sleep!
Chapter Thirty-Six
“You’re quite the sleepyhead this morning,” said Matt.
He rested his hand on Nikki’s lower back as he escorted her to the barn. He needed to touch her. Just a bit, a connection that meant she was still with him. They’d done things together that he’d done with no other woman, but he didn’t know her well. That would take time. Time that he hoped she would give.
“For some reason I’m really tired,” she replied with a hint of sarcasm. “Maybe it has something to do with being kept awake half the night by two demanding cowboys.”
He loved her sweet smile. It had greeted him when he stuck his head in the bedroom door after he’d prepared breakfast. He’d found her on her side, one cat curled at her back, the other behind her knees. She looked so at home, in his home, that his heart had dang near burst. Eric had demanded to be let in. When Matt refused, he’d growled something before storming off to town to eat.
“Tiger and Cheddar enjoyed sharing the bed with you.”
She slowed, and turned to him. “I can see you naming a striped cat Tiger, but to name one after cheese?”
“Florrie helped choose the names. She likes cheddar-cheese sandwiches, and we were having them for lunch when Eric arrived with the kittens, so…” He shrugged, returning her smile.
“Eric brought kittens? He told me they were your cats.”
Matt turned her back toward the barn and encouraged her to walk again. “My big brother pretends to be a badass, but he has a soft heart.” He kissed her cheek. “Not that he wants you to know about it.”
He’d shown Nikki his stern side, which she seemed to have accepted. At least, she hadn’t mentioned it again. He hadn’t planned to get all Ranch Boss on her, but the time had been right. She had to know reality. It wouldn’t be right if she was hurt because she didn’t obey him when danger threatened.
And dang! She sure got hot when he told her about being spanked. Just thinking about it made his cock throb. She needed a break from sex, but it better not be for too long.
“How big is this horse you’re going to introduce me to?”
He heard her hesitancy, and replied to the real question. “Soldier is about thirty years old. He’s big, but slow and steady. You’ve got that apple I gave you?” She nodded and held it out. They’d cut it in quarters. “Give it to him the way I show you, one piece at a time, and he’ll follow you anywhere.”
Her blue eyes sparkled in the sun. “You mean, like children with candy, and men with sex?”
“Exactly.”
The reminder had him surging to life. He dropped his hand to cup her ample bottom. She laughed and swatted his hand away, then sidestepped, almost dancing her way into the barn. He’d left the doors open because of the great weather. He followed her into the scents that meant home to him. Leather, and horses, and what horses eat and put out.
“Shep! How are you today, fella?”
He admired her ass as she bent over to shake the dog’s paw, then ruffle his fur. Skirts had their uses, but a pair of Wranglers so snug he could see the outline of her thong…now that was something to make a man’s sap rise. An impatient neighing brought her to her feet. She took a step back as Soldier poked his head over his stall and repeated the demand.
“Don’t mind him, he’s just jealous of Shep,” said Matt. He gave the old horse an affectionate rub around the ears. “Dad and Pops got Soldier for my ninth birthday, when he was three. He went almost everywhere with me. Didn’t you, old man?” Soldier bumped him with his head. “He smells that apple, Nikki. You want to give it to him before he knocks me over?” Her eyes went wide. “Just joking, sweetheart.” She bit her lip. “I’ll help you.”
“He’s awful big.”
“That’s a good thing,” he replied. “Small horses tend to be high strung.” He flashed her a grin. “Like dogs and men, it’s usually the little ones who yap around, trying to prove they’re more important. Big men, like me, know who they are, and accept it.”
“I’ve met enough short men who take my height personally, and want to attack me because of it,” she replied. She looked pensive for a moment, then smiled at him. “You’re right. You’re nothing like those ridiculous excuses for men.”
She stepped forward with more confidence, though she wasn’t totally comfortable. He let her sidle up to Soldier.
“That’s good, Nikki. Horses like you to come at them from an angle. I’d have you let him sniff your hand but you smell like apples and he’ll try to find it. Hold your hand like this, with one quarter of the apple on top.”
She placed her hand in his, and he directed her up to Soldier’s mouth. The horse snuffled, then lipped up the apple. Matt placed another quarter on her hand, removing his. She bit her lip, but didn’t move. Soldier took that one as well. By the fourth quarter, they were buddies. She ran her fingers around his ears, copying his movement from earlier.
Yes, his Nikki was a smart woman, as well as an intelligent, educated one.
“He’s got a winter coat that’s itchy. You want to help me brush him?”
She watched, asking questions and thinking hard, as he brought Soldier out and crosstied him. She slid the currycomb over her palm and worked one side, while did the other. Clouds of white hair fell to the floor. If Soldier was a cat, he’d have been purring.
He slowed to watch her work. She kept one hand on Soldier’s side so the old horse would know where she was, and spoke soothingly to him. All her concentration was on the job in front of her. Now and then she spit out horse hair that got in her mouth, but didn’t complain.
He rested his forehead on Soldier’s broad back. It was fitting that the two of them shared this moment. They’d shared so many others over the years. He’d told the horse everything. The first time he kissed a girl, the horribly embarrassing time when Mom found him with a Playboy magazine one of the guys had found in the barn and passed around. He’d been so engrossed in it, cock in hand, that he hadn’t seen or heard her come into the barn. He’d looked up to find her trying to hide her smile.
His hard cock had shrunk to nothing. She’d muttered something about future grandchildren, and left. As always, it was Pops she told. That’s when he got his first talk about the mystery known as women. There’d been other talks over the years as he learned to respect and admire the other half of the species.
“Matt?”
“Hmm?” Her puzzled eyes and kissable mouth was just the other side of Soldier. He leaned forward, lips first. Her eyes twinkled and she did the same. They kissed, a quick happy one. “You are the only woman I’ve met who could do that.”
She tilted her head and went back to work. “Do what?”
“You’re tall enough to kiss me over Soldier’s back.”
She laughed, a sound that went right to his heart. He wanted to get down on one knee right here and now and propose to her. But she wasn’t ready to hear it. She might never be ready, but he was going to do everything to prove to her that he could make her happy.
Both their jobs were stressful, but in different ways. She read the clues in people and used her knowledge to decide how to help them. He read the clues in the wind and weather, and the way the animals behaved. He used what he’d learned on the Circle C. Twenty-six years and counting. Nikki’s job was stressful. Coming here had let her relax, which was why he expected she was sleeping so much. If she lived here, she could get away from her job, and maybe find peace.
“Matt? What do we do with all this hair?”
“We
could use it to stuff a cushion.”
“What?” She raised her eyebrows and gave him a look of disgust.
He laughed at her expression. “That’s what people used to use it for. But I put it out with the manure. Give it a few years and then it goes back on the land.”
“Recycling, nature’s way.”
“That’s right. We don’t use fertilizers, or anything else that might harm the land. That was the agreement made a long way back by the Tanner’s Ford Valley Association. At the time it was to save money, as chemicals had to be paid for with cash, while manure is free.”
“Organic.”
“Exactly. We’re paid a lot more for our beef because the animals roam free, they’re not exposed to drugs, even by neighboring ranches, and we use the same methods as our ancestors.”
“It must be a lot more work.”
“Yes, and when the weather is bad many of us wish we could use one of those giant machines with the air-conditioned closed cabs. But we—”
“Cowboy up!”
He nodded and laughed with her. Suddenly, he couldn’t stand it. He ducked under Soldier’s neck over to her side, and pulled her into his arms. She was warm, and soft, and smelled like horses and strawberries. He held her, just enjoying her being with him.
“Oh, Nikki, you feel so good, just like this.”
“Shut up and kiss me, you fool.”
He pulled his head back to make sure he’d heard right. She touched her bottom lip with her tongue.
“Yes, ma’am!”
* * * *
Nikki closed her eyes as Matt’s footsteps faded.
How could she get worn out by working with Matt in the barn for an hour or two? After their delicious kissing session was interrupted by the disgusted snorts of Soldier, they’d turned him out into the pasture and cleaned up. Hair had been thrown down shirts, which meant they had to be removed. The same thing with pants, though boots stayed on. That meant they had to be creative. Those stacked hay bales were the perfect height for her to lie on, legs in the air, while Matt showed her what horny teenagers did in the barn when the parents weren’t around.
