Summer Fling: Compass Girls, Book 3

by Mari Carr

  The seriousness on his face dissolved, replaced by the first genuine smile she’d seen since he’d carried her to the bedroom. “I’ve wanted to lure you away from Compass Ranch for years, but I figured you’d never leave the family business.”

  “What girl can resist a raging, powerful bull?”

  Liam laughed. “I realize you’re not talking about me, but I’m just arrogant enough to pretend otherwise.”

  With that issue resolved, Liam gave up his gentle touches, opting instead for something that couldn’t be described as anything less than forceful. Wonderful. One night in and Jade was already addicted to Liam’s dominance.

  At some point, she’d have to sit and analyze what the hell it was about this type of sex that made her toes curl with excitement and her pussy clench with need. But for right now, she didn’t give a shit about the psychology.

  Liam pressed three fingers deep, causing her head to spin and her heart to race. She tried to move toward his intense drives, but he knew his way around straps. He’d secured her to the bed tightly. The idea of being helpless beneath him left her breathless, hungry in ways she’d never experienced before. He toyed with her clit, stroking her slow, then fast. Gentle, then hard.

  “God. So good.” She closed her eyes, ready to give in to her climax when Liam withdrew.

  When she looked at him, she found him kneeling between her outstretched thighs, his face suddenly strict, stern. More moisture found its way to her sex.

  “Not yet.”

  She scoffed. “I’ll come whenever I want, cowboy.”

  Liam shook his head, cueing her in to the stupidity of her assertion. Without his help, she was screwed. And not in a good way.

  “You want to reconsider that comment?”

  She blew out an exasperated breath. He’d tied her to his bed and pushed every hot button inside her. Now he had her over a barrel and they both knew it. “Maybe,” she conceded begrudgingly. Reconciling the two extremes in her personality would never come easily.

  “There’s nothing wrong with giving up control every now and then, Jade. I know what you need, what you want. Why’s it so hard for you to let me give it to you?”

  “I have no idea. It just is.”

  Rather than respond, Liam left the bed, crossing to his closet. He dug around for a few minutes before returning with a necktie.

  “Planning to go to church to pray for some answers?” she taunted.

  He chuckled. “Nope. Gonna help you curb that loose tongue of yours.” Liam knelt on the bed by her side, putting a knot in the tie, then using it as a gag.

  Jade tried to resist it, but her struggles were pointless. Once it was in place, he shucked off his jeans and returned to his spot between her legs.

  He pointed to her right hand. “Raise two fingers. Give me the peace sign.”

  She frowned, confused, but did as he asked.

  Liam looked pleased. “Since you can’t say the safe word, that’s the signal. Do that and I’ll stop.”

  Jade pulled the fingers down quickly, drawing her hand into a fist.

  “Maybe that gag will stop you from trying to give orders. Now. I’m going to fuck you, Jade. First with my fingers and then with my dick. You’re not going to come until I tell you to. If you do, I’ll untie your legs, flip you over and use my belt on you.”

  Her pussy clenched, her face giving away exactly how much his threats weren’t scaring her.

  “Jesus, Jade. You’re killing me.”

  While she enjoyed the way he exerted his power over her, she loved being able to do the same. She may have the quieter role, but the truth was she held just as many cards as Liam, if not more.

  She closed her eyes and moaned when Liam curled his fingers inside her, stroking her g-spot. Stars formed behind her lowered lids and once again, the desire to come overwhelmed her. Jade began to give in to it, but Liam was too in tune with her body’s signals.

  He withdrew.

  She shot him a dirty look that was met with one raised eyebrow and a taunting expression that basically said I dare you.

  Jade took a deep breath through her nose, trying to still the demon inside her clawing for freedom.

  Liam smiled when he recognized she was in control of her needs, then returned to torment her some more. When her orgasm approached yet again, Jade fought with everything she had to keep it at bay.

  Liam didn’t make it easy on her. He continued to thrust his fingers deeply, making sure to hit just the right spot every single time. Jade swallowed heavily, her mouth dry. Her body started to tremble, yet she remained strong.

  Finally, after a century and a half, Liam granted her reprieve. “Come.”

  She exploded. Splintered. Shattered.

  It was painful. Beautiful.

  She wanted to scream his name, felt the need to wrap her arms around him so he could hold her to the planet. As it was, she’d been catapulted into space, rocketed into orbit. It reminded her of her first time on a roller coaster. The incredible trip up and down the track had been terrifying. Exhilarating. The second she stepped out of the car, her feet touching earth, she’d known she would want to ride again. And again.

  It was the same now.

  Liam tugged the gag out of her mouth. She started to speak, but he was there, kissing her, his tongue plunging against hers.

  “Come inside me,” she whispered, surprised by the husky, sexy tone of her own voice. It sounded foreign to her.

  Liam released her legs, bending her knees to open her completely. “Wrap your ankles around my waist and hang on.”

  Captured by the straps at her wrists and Liam’s powerful thrusts, Jade gave in to the moment as another orgasm claimed her. Then another. Soon, Liam was with her, hot, thick jets of come scalding her, filling her.

  Right now, right here, she was his.

  And it was perfect.

  Chapter Seven

  Jade peeked around the hospital door. “Knock knock. You still alive?”

  Bruce gestured for her to enter. “’Bout time you got your ass over here to visit me. I’m bored out of my mind and the food tastes like shit. I’m gonna need you to make a run for a cheeseburger and fries.”

  Jade rolled her eyes and claimed the seat beside Bruce’s bed, her guilt over not making it to visit him yesterday fading quickly in the face of his demands. She’d intended to come see her boss first thing yesterday, but her day had unraveled in ways she’d never have been able to predict. It began with the early visit from her father, followed by the few hours she spent tied to Liam’s bed and ending with Liam escorting her to her cabin to help her pack, then the two of them eating a late dinner nude in his kitchen before moving the party back to the bedroom.

  “No. I’ve been telling you for weeks to go to the doctor and you ignored me. Healthy meals are your punishment.”

  “Dammit, Jade, I’m a dying man. The least you could do is give me my last request.”

  She snorted. “You lying jackass. I saw your doctor and you’re fine. You’ve just got a hole in your stomach, for pity’s sake.”

  “And high blood pressure,” Bruce added, as if that would convince her to do his bidding. “Probably caused by you and your sassy mouth at work.”

  “It’s caused by eating trash and smoking.”

  Bruce scowled, his grumpy expression too familiar to her. “The least you could have done was smuggle me in some goddamn beef jerky.”

  Jade reached into the pocket of her shorts and pulled out a Ziploc with two strips of his favorite treat. “Here.”

  “Two lousy pieces? You couldn’t bring the whole pack?”

  Jade yanked the baggie out of his hand. “Ungrateful asshole.” She opened it, pulled a slice out and proceeded to eat it. “Just for that, you only get one.”

  “Aw hell, stop fooling around. Give me that.”

  She handed him the jerky. She shouldn’t give him the stuff at all, but she knew Bruce well enough to comprehend that two days in the hospital without a Whopper, a beer or
a cigarette probably had him contemplating a jump from his second-story hospital window. Jerky seemed like the lesser evil of all her boss’s vices.

  He chewed, closing his eyes as if she’d just delivered pure heaven.

  “You feeling okay?”

  Bruce shrugged. “They’re going to have to put a stent in my heart. Apparently it’s an easy procedure. In and out surgery. Piece of cake.”

  Jade hated the idea of her unhealthy boss having to go under the knife at all. “I guess that’s good. What about the blood pressure?”

  “They’re trying to bring it down with medicine and diet.” It was clear Bruce wasn’t fond of their methods. She worried about what would happen when he left the hospital. He lived alone, with no wife to keep an eye on him and force him to behave. Jade made a mental note to stop by his house after he was released to bring him some fruit and vegetables. Maybe she could recruit Hope to help her fix him some healthy meals he could heat up easily. Jade sucked in the kitchen, but her cousin was an amazing cook.

  “You saved my life, Jade.”

  She waved her boss’s words away. “Not really. Liam did most of the heavy lifting.”

  Bruce grinned and patted his oversized paunch. “Guess I could stand to lose a few.”

  Jade raised an eyebrow. “Gee. Ya think so?”

  “You know, Jade, I never got married or had kids. I was never interested in any of that shit. But I’d like to think if I’d ever had a daughter, she’d be the complete opposite of you.”

  Jade snorted with mirth, laughing so loudly the noise pulled a nurse in to check on them. Once they’d assured the woman no one was screaming in pain, the nurse left as she and Bruce dissolved into laughter again.

  “God, you’re a bastard, Bruce. But I do love you and your fat ass.”

  Bruce reached out and patted her hand. It was the only time her boss had ever shown her any sort of affection. “I love you too, Jade.”

  She waited for him to add some irreverent joke to take away the seriousness of the moment, but instead he fell silent and smiled at her.

  His sincerity took her unaware as tears formed in her eyes. She cleared her throat and stood up quickly, under the guise of tidying up a few magazines that were scattered around the room.

  “Hello?”

  Jade turned around, surprised to find Hope and Vivi standing at the door. “What are you two doing here?”

  Hope smiled. “Vivi had a check-up this morning. She insisted we stop in to see how you’re doing, Bruce. Hope you don’t mind.”

  Jade grinned at the change in her gruff boss’s demeanor with Vivi’s arrival. When it had just been Jade in the room, he’d remained slouched and sloppy-looking, not bothering to sit up. The second Vivi had entered the room, Bruce had pushed himself to an upright position, finger-combed his hair and straightened his sheets.

  “Awful nice of you to stop in, Vicky.”

  Vivi claimed the chair beside Bruce. Jade could see by the happy expression in her grandmother’s eyes that today was a good day. Hope plopped down on the small couch beneath the window while Jade continued to hover near the bed.

  “I was worried when I heard about the car accident. Has my granddaughter been looking after you?”

  Bruce nodded. “She’s doing her best, but I’ve been told by more than a few of the hospital staff that I’m not exactly a model patient.”

  Vivi laughed. “Good for you. Life is no fun when you behave.”

  “Vivi,” Jade admonished. “Don’t encourage him.”

  “JD was a terrible patient as well. It’s not easy for strong, independent men to feel beholden to anyone else. So I’ll tell you what I always told him, Bruce. Suck it up.”

  Bruce smiled. “Yes, ma’am. If JD could do it, I’ll try my best.”

  Jade nearly got whiplash, checking to make sure it was still her boss lying in the hospital bed. She’d never heard such quiet politeness out of him. Bruce noticed her surprise and shot her a dirty look.

  Bruce had never spoken to her about JD, but it was clear from his conversation with Vivi that he thought highly of her grandfather.

  Jade listened as Bruce and Vivi briefly reminisced about the good old days. Apparently JD and Bruce’s father had been best friends growing up.

  “I didn’t realize you knew my granddaddy,” Jade said.

  Vivi patted Bruce’s hand kindly. “Bruce is a few years older than Silas. When he was just a little thing, he was fascinated by anything and everything to do with cows. His parents were in the process of opening Spurs. Back then, it was more diner than bar. JD suggested Bruce spend the summer with us while they got things up and running.”

  “To keep me from being underfoot while my parents worked,” Bruce added.

  Vicky grinned. “You followed JD day after day on that ranch, helping out. I always wondered if you missed your calling by being a barman. You made a fair hand.”

  Bruce chuckled. “I was six years old, Vicky. I’m pretty sure I was more annoyance than assistance.”

  “JD loved having you there. In fact, I got pregnant with Silas that fall. JD said having you around made him realize how much he wanted some sons of his own.”

  Bruce grew quiet, a sadness coming into his eyes. “JD was an amazing man, Vicky. Not too many days go by where I don’t think about him.”

  Vivi nodded. “I miss him too.”

  Jade recognized the loneliness on Vivi’s face far too well.

  Vivi and Bruce continued telling stories, sharing memories of people long since gone. Jade glanced over when she felt Hope tug on her shirt and tilt her head toward the door. Jade followed her cousin to the small alcove as Bruce chuckled over some gossip Vivi shared.

  “Thanks for stopping by with Vivi, Hope. She appears to be just what the doctor ordered. Bruce looks downright giddy. Unless, of course, that’s indigestion.”

  Hope grinned. “He’s a gruff old guy, isn’t he? I’m not sure I’d like to call him my boss.”

  Hope had always been the sweet one of the cousins, kind and quiet. One tongue-lashing from Bruce probably would have devastated Hope, who never wanted to disappoint anyone. Lucky for Jade, she was immune to Bruce’s rough ways.

  “Don’t be fooled. Under that miserable exterior, he’s pure marshmallow. You just have to dig really, really deep.”

  “What’s going on with you and Liam?”

  Jade blinked, surprised by Hope’s abrupt change of subject. “What?”

  “Sterling said you packed a bag yesterday afternoon, that you’re moving in with him. And Daddy says you’ve asked for some time off to start working at Circle H.”

  Jade blew out a long breath. It never took long for news to spread in her family. She’d only talked to Colby and Silas about taking a few weeks off this morning. “I’m going to start doing some work for Liam. Help him train Fearless and a few of the bucking broncs. You know how much I love that.”

  Hope crossed her arms. “You don’t have to live with the man to do that. It’s not like his ranch and ours are so far apart.”

  Jade had been in such a tailspin over Liam’s desire for a summer fling and then his insistence that she stay with him, she’d failed to figure out how she would explain things to her cousins or her parents. Or her aunts and uncles.

  She’d asked Colby and Silas about the mini-vacation, not daring to mention the brief change of address as well. And she’d managed to avoid Sterling, who had been busting at the seams to question her. Fortunately, Liam hadn’t believed she’d follow through on her promise to move in, so he’d shadowed her as she packed, no doubt expecting her to run. As a result, he’d protected her from Sterling’s inquisition and bought her a bit of time. Time she’d squandered with sex rather than thinking about the answers to questions that were bound to come.

  Maybe she was lucky it was Hope who’d cornered her first. She was, by far, the easiest to flounder for answers with.

  “Liam and I are sort of indulging in a friends-with-benefits thing right now.”

/>   Hope’s eyes widened. “You and Liam? Seriously? Since when?”

  Jade tried to decide exactly when it had started. They’d only had sex the night before last, but the whole tenor of their relationship had changed with that kiss at Spurs. “Not quite three weeks ago.”

  Pure excitement blossomed on Hope’s face. Damn. This was bad.

  “That’s so amazing. I’m so happy for you. The two of you are per—”

  “No.” Jade raised her hand to cut off the rest of her cousin’s words. “We’re not perfect or amazing or anything. We’re just fucking for a couple of months.”

  Hope frowned. “You put a time limit on it?”

  Jade nodded.

  “You can’t do that.”

  Now it was Jade’s turn to frown. “Why not?”

  “Because it doesn’t work like that.”

  Jade felt the desire to defend her decision, even though she completely agreed with Hope. “Who says?”

  Hope reached out to touch her arm. “Jade. Are you sure you’re doing the right thing here? I mean, you and Liam have been friends for a really long time. Doesn’t this seem sort of impulsive? Reckless?”

  That’s exactly what it was. It was what Liam had offered right from the beginning. And while Jade had longed to shake things up in her life, she hadn’t meant to go quite so far.

  “We’re going to be fine, Hope. The two of us have set very clear boundaries.” At least she hoped they had.

  Hope didn’t seem convinced, but mercifully, she let it drop. “So how are you going to explain this to everyone?”

  Jade shrugged. “What I just told you doesn’t work?”

  Hope laughed. “Not if you don’t want your dad to kill Liam.”

  Jade didn’t bother to tell Hope her father already knew she’d spent the night with Liam. He’d managed to escape unscathed, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. “What would you suggest?”

  “Just tell everyone you’re dating. That’s what they’re going to assume anyway given your new sleepover status.”

  For some reason, that lie—though simpler than the truth—rubbed against the grain. “Can’t I just say we’re shacking up for sex? Why do I have to pretend there’s a relationship involved?”