by Chandra Ryan
She giggled again. “Hands and knees, huh? I’m so easy that you’ve already given up on all pretense of romance or seduction?” she teased lightly.
He laughed as he walked back to the bed. It wasn’t the light or airy laugh she’d heard him use the day before though. This held a dark edge to it that made her heart beat loudly and the hair stand on end at the nape of her neck.
“You seem to be living under the very common delusion that a man’s biggest challenge is getting a woman under him.” His movements were controlled and almost languid but she saw an intensity in his eyes that made her pulse race. She’d seen enough wild animals to recognize that look. He was stalking his prey. Toying with it before he pounced.
“It’s not?” Her voice had gone breathless.
His smile had the same smoldering darkness as his laugh. “Oh no. Getting a woman into your bed is the easy part. Keeping her there is the real challenge.”
She had a hard time believing any woman would voluntarily leave his bed, but still, his words made her tingle. “Is that so?” Without conscious thought, she leaned toward him, letting the blanket and sheets drop around her waist. His attention immediately focused on her breasts, and her nipples pebbled at the attention.
“It is.” He’d reached the bed but didn’t join her on it. The air between them crackled with tension but he seemed content to wait for her to make the next move.
She rolled over onto her stomach in front of him and then slowly brought her body up into the position he had requested. “Hands and knees like this?” She tossed a seductive look over her shoulder at him as she asked the question. “Or like this?” She lowered herself to her elbows but kept her ass high in the air. When he didn’t answer she winked and then wiggled her hips. “I want to make sure I’m doing this right. I’d hate for them to break down the door before we got to the really good part.”
His hands were clenched at his sides, his breathing rough and his cock was already hard enough for him to throw her down and take her. Everything about his stance told her she’d done everything exactly right. Still, she couldn’t help but tease him.
“I don’t think it’s possible for you to do anything wrong in bed.” He ran a finger over the crease of her pussy and she had to fight against the urge to rock back against it. “Damn, you’re wet.”
Yeah, rubbing against him that morning had gone a long way in warming her up but it’d been that dangerous tone he’d used as he stalked her that had really gotten her hot and bothered. She needed him. Needed the release he could give her before she had to face the rest of her day. But he refused to give her what she needed. Instead he slid two fingers into her channel, teasing her ruthlessly. “You’re driving me insane.” She looked back at him as she rocked into his hand.
“The feeling is mutual.”
He added a third finger and the stretching sensation made her whimper. Needing more, she began rubbing her breasts against the blanket whenever she rocked forward. The texture made the ache in the pit of her stomach grow but it wasn’t enough to give her the release she sought.
“I didn’t promise to make you scream and then fail to deliver,” she said around panted breaths. Yes, they were bitchy words. But she hurt with desire. And he refused to end that pain. When he pulled his fingers out of her and took a step back, though, she found his reaction extreme. She growled with frustration as her body continued to rock even with the delicious friction now gone.
“You are an impatient one, aren’t you?” His voice was harsh but not angry.
She was about to show him impatient when she heard the drawer to the nightstand open. Condoms! That one thought brought some measure of comfort to her. And when she heard the tear of the package opening, that comfort morphed to near euphoria. “I’m not impatient,” she said as she watched him slide the condom over his cock. “I’m determined.”
This time his laughter was light. But instead of chasing away the intense mood he’d set, it only added to it. She wanted both. She wanted him light and fun, and dark and sexy. And right now, this second, she had it all.
“Scoot that delicious ass of yours forward so there’s room for me on that bed too.” His palm came down on the cheek of her ass just hard enough to make her yelp in surprise but she quickly complied. The bed dipped under his weight as he caged her body with his. She had to be patient for one more moment as he lined his cock up with her channel but then she was filled with wonderful pressure as he pushed forward to enter her.
He’d brought her too close to release for her to hold anything back. She bucked under him as she sought some measure of relief to the hunger that threatened to consume her. With each thrust he grew more demanding but she answered him with her own body’s need. Her muscles were tense and she breathed in shallow gasps but she didn’t give a damn. The ache in the pit of her stomach had solidified. It was heavy and strained. And then, in a frozen second of time, it broke. In the distance she heard someone scream Jasper’s name but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t bring herself to care about anything other than the waves of contentment and euphoria that were crashing against her.
When Jasper called out her name and gripped her hips to thrust roughly into her, though, suddenly something else did matter. He did. She reveled in his release almost as much her own. He’d been dark and dangerous for her. He’d laughed and teased for her. But, most importantly, he’d made her scream just to keep her in bed.
His nip on her shoulder brought her out of her moment of reverie and back to the present. “Take it back,” he demanded softly.
Her brain must have turned to mush because, as much as she wanted to do what he asked, she had no idea what he meant. “What?”
“And I quote, ‘failed to deliver’. Take it back.” This time his bite actually stung.
She collapsed under him in a fit of laughter. When the mattress sprung under her, she rolled over to see where he’d gone. She was still smiling but, afraid she’d hurt his feelings, she’d gotten control of the laughter. Much to her relief, Jasper appeared completely content. He disposed of the condom and then lay down next to her.
“I’m waiting.” He held his hand above her, poised to start a punishing round of tickling if she didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear.
“Okay, okay, I take it back. You delivered on your promise.”
He kissed her neck gently as his hand explored her body. “You better believe I did.” He ran his hand along the underside of her breast. The light pressure made her squirm.
She rolled over onto her side to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Already she could feel the embers of desire start to spark to life again. “I guess that makes you a man of your word.” She pulled him to her and kissed him as she rubbed her body against him. His hand had just strayed to her sex when the knock at the door startled them both.
“Kat, the sheriff is here. He needs to speak with you,” Stan yelled through the door.
Jasper smiled down at her but didn’t pull away. Instead he ran his finger through the lips of her pussy, eliciting another shiver from her. “One of these days I’m going to keep you in bed until you pass out with exhaustion.” The knock at the door was more demanding this time. “Unfortunately it doesn’t look like today is that day.”
When the knock came a third time she cursed under her breath at the door. “Did you hear me?” Stan asked loudly.
“Yeah. I heard you. I’ll meet him in the front room in five minutes,” she yelled. “And you,” she said to Jasper. “I will hold you to that.”
He laughed as he got off the bed. “I’m counting on it.” He grabbed his clothes off the floor and dressed quickly. “I’ve got some forms and reports to go over. Why don’t you meet with the sheriff and then we’ll have lunch together?”
“Sounds like a plan.” She could feel the weight of responsibility pressing down on her now that he’d left her side. It’d been so easy to forget the entire ranch depended on her while he lavished attention on her. He made her feel young and
carefree again. And, as much as she hated admitting it, she really enjoyed being young and carefree.
She waited for Jasper to leave the room before dressing. And, as soon as she’d brushed her hair and teeth, she went to find her guest in the front room. “Good morning, Sheriff.” Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. The sheriff had been a good friend to her parents. He’d always been like an uncle. No one wanted their uncle to know they were having sex.
“Good afternoon, Kat,” he corrected with a chuckle.
She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “Oh yeah. Good afternoon.”
“I see you and your fella are getting along.”
Her cheeks burned now. If only the ground would open up and swallow her. But since that was unlikely to happen, she decided a change of subject would be the best tactic. “Yes, um, have you had a chance to check out the barn?”
All sign of teasing disappeared and his expression turned serious at the mention of the barn. “My men have been going over the scene for the past hour. We’ve got a couple things to show you.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” she said under her breath. She’d officially lost all her afterglow. She followed him out to the barn, her stomach cramping nervously the whole way. Once in the barn, he led her back to stall fifteen. The stench of soot and ash combined with other scents she’d rather not identify to hang heavily in the air and remind her of everything she’d nearly lost.
“This is the seat of the fire. It’s where the fire was set.” He pointed to an area that looked no more or less singed than anywhere else to her.
“Set?”
“Yep.” He dug a small jar of bright-purple liquid out of his pocket. “This wasn’t an accident. This is just a field test but purple means an accelerant is present. Looks like someone sprinkled it on the hay. Once I send it off to the lab, we’ll know the exact chemical used but, for now, this is good enough to call it arson.”
“Why would they do this?” She didn’t believe in coincidences. This had to be tied to the attempt to take her ranch from her. But to what end? To hide behind paperwork and bureaucracy was safe. Setting a barn on fire, though, would leave behind evidence. It didn’t make sense unless they were desperate, and they hadn’t had enough time to get desperate.
The sheriff cleared his throat and glanced around the barn before answering. “Maybe not everyone is happy with the new man about the house.”
She looked up from the scorched ground to study him. “I’m not the type to inspire this level of jealousy.” She gestured to the damage around her.
He lowered his voice before he said, “Are you so sure? We both know that one of your men thought you were going to marry him. Losing a potential wife is bad enough out here, but to have the ranch he thought of as his own ripped out of his hands and given to a stranger? Sounds like motive to me.”
She didn’t need to ask the sheriff whom he was referring to. Mark had spent months bellyaching to anyone who would listen after she’d turned down his lackluster proposal. Her father had wanted her settled if anything happened to him and her mom and he’d spent years filling Mark’s head with ideas. By the time her father did die, Mark believed everything on the ranch should be his—including Kat. But still, she couldn’t believe he would rather burn it to the ground than see another person have it. And she couldn’t imagine him working with the person who filed the complaint against her. He would lose everything if she lost the ranch. “He didn’t like my decision and he made no secret of it, but he loves this land. He wouldn’t destroy it. Not even out of spite.”
“Maybe he’s not lookin’ to destroy it. Without a barn and with a couple head of cattle missing, I’d reckon this ranch could be downright affordable. If it became a headache and you decided to sell, that is.”
Was it possible? “No, surely not. He’d been angry at first but he’s come to terms with my decision.”
The sheriff shook his head. “Maybe not as much as you think. He’s still in at the tavern most nights, telling his tale of woe to any who listen. I don’t know why Jake tolerates Mark harassing all his customers. Night before last it got so bad that I had to break up a fight between him and Clint.”
No huge surprise there. The two men were like brothers in all ways. “Those two are always fighting.”
“But are they always fighting about you? Clint didn’t like some of the names Mark was calling you.” The sheriff looked at the scene around them again. “Couldn’t hurt to have a talk with him. If a man wants land bad enough, he can find some pretty inventive ways to get it. And, by all accounts, he wants this land pretty bad.”
Maybe Mark wouldn’t work with the person who filed the complaint, but he wouldn’t have to if he were the one who’d filed it. “I think you’re right. Can’t hurt to go have a chat with the man.”
“We’re just wrapping things up here. If you want to wait a few minutes I’d be happy to go with you.”
She shook her head as she took the first step toward the exit. “No need. Besides, I won’t get anything out of him if he thinks he’s about to be arrested.”
“I’ll do his official interview tonight. Then we can compare notes. If there are any holes in his story, we’ll find them.”
“Sounds good.”
“Be careful.”
She nodded as she stepped out of the barn but didn’t give the warning much thought. Even if Mark were behind the complaint and the barn fire, he wouldn’t hurt her. He wanted the ranch and that wouldn’t happen if he were in prison for murder.
After talking to a couple of the other ranch hands, she finally tracked Mark down to the back pasture. The trek was difficult and her breathing had become labored by the time she made her way to him. Had she known how far out he’d gone, she would’ve taken a horse.
“Hey, boss lady. What brings you out here?” He didn’t bother looking up at her as he continued scanning the ground with a digital reader. That gave her a chance to study him for a moment without him knowing. He wasn’t bad-looking. After her father died, she actually considered dating him and seeing where it went. It seemed like the easy thing to do. But they’d just had too much history. Every time she looked at him she saw the young, brash cowboy who’d lived to show her up anytime her father was near. She didn’t want to always be in competition with her husband.
“I could ask you the same question. With all the work needed to put the barn back together, I would’ve expected you closer to the homestead today.”
“Too many people running around up there. There’s no way I could get anything done. I thought I’d check up on some readings.”
“What are you looking for?” She tried to look over his shoulder but he turned so she couldn’t see the readouts.
“One of the men said there’d been some seismic activity out here. They were concerned about sinkholes.”
She felt a little guilty about her doubts. A single sinkhole could take out an entire herd. Here he was looking after the ranch’s best interests while she spent her day listening to gossip. “Found anything?”
“Nothing yet. It’ll take a while to clear the entire pasture though. Might want to keep the livestock in the front pastures until I’m done.”
“I’ll let everyone know.”
“Thanks. Appreciate that. Now your turn, what brings you out here?”
“I was actually looking for you. Wanted to make sure you were okay. Heard you got a bit singed last night.”
The device pinged as he took a step. He pressed a couple spots on the screen but then continued sweeping it over the ground. “No worse than anyone else.”
“And the fight with Clint the night before? You mend fences yet?”
That got his attention. He gaped at her for a second before he shook his head and returned his focus to the device. “How did you hear about that?”
“Small town. Gossip spreads.”
“Guess it does.” The device pinged again and he marked the site on the screen. “Yeah, Clint and me are good.”
“What about us?” She’d never really been a beat-around-the-bushes kind of girl. She wasn’t going to start today. “I know we’ve had our issues. Are we good too?”
“We’re good.” His words were as stiff as his body. It wasn’t a promising sign.
She looked around at the open expanse of sky and then sighed shakily. “If that’s so, why the fight with Clint and why are you still giving Jake’s customers an earful?”
He snorted and then kicked at a rock. “We’re good. It’s that dandy you brought home I’ve got a problem with. He’s trouble.”
“He’s city, but he’s not trouble.”
“The night he shows up there’s a fire. That sounds like trouble to me.”
“You got it wrong. Jasper Lee is a good man.” The need to defend Jasper swept through her with speed and intensity. “He rushed into that burning barn to save Blackie.” Not to mention coming back to check on her.
“He’s not who he says he is.”
Her heart stopped. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’re not the only one hearing things. He’s not here to marry you. He’s here to take the ranch away.” He gave her a scathing look. “When he does you’re going to look like a fool in front of the entire town. Clint seems to think you know what you’re doing though. That’s what we were fighting about.”
Her stomach knotted tight enough that she thought she was going to be sick. People knew Jasper was there to investigate the ranch? How had they found out? Jasper had told her they kept these investigations a secret. And he hadn’t had time to tell anyone. She needed to get back to the house. She had to talk to him. “I’m glad you two made up. If you find anything, let me know right away.” She took a couple steps then faced him again. “And come back by the barn in about an hour. The sheriff wants to question everyone. Make sure no detail about the fire is lost.”
“Will do.” His attention was already on the scanner again.
She made a mental note to find out which scanner he had and download the data later. For now, she had to get back to the house and talk to Jasper. She walked as quickly as she dared over the rough terrain but it still took forever before she got anywhere.
