by BJ Wane
“Ca… Sir,” she corrected when he scowled. “What…” She broke off with a startled cry, the smack Grayson delivered with the paddle catching her unaware. Hissing in a deep breath, she struggled with the burn before the painful pleasure took hold.
“The paddle is worse than my belt, but not as bad as a flogger, or cane. We can switch to one of those if you don’t tell us what we want to know.” Caden reached into a pocket and in the next instant, small pulsations rippled up and down her rectum as the beads set up a vibration against sensitive tissues she could feel in her sheath through the thin membrane separating the two orifices.
“Oh… crap.” Sydney’s low moan followed the next swat, both cheeks now throbbing along with her rectum. Caden’s fingers plucked at her nipples, adding to the bombardment of sensations slowly robbing her of cognizant thought. She averted her eyes from his rugged face, not trusting that probing gaze, or her ability to resist giving in to him.
“Talk to me, darlin’,” Caden insisted before bending and drawing one beaded tip into his hot mouth.
The strong, suctioning pulls on the tender bud tightened her abdominals and sent tingles all the way down to her toes, the warm pleasure overridden by the next, painful smack of the paddle. “Please, I… can’t,” she pled, wishing different circumstances had brought her to the Dunbar Ranch, and to her rancher.
“Why?” Grayson nipped the soft spot where her shoulder and neck connected, his hand caressing her heated buttocks.
Shaking her head, Sydney fought off the desire to share her burden and remained silent. They couldn’t help her out of her dilemma back home. Despair dampened her eyes and need threatened her determination to keep from revealing her uncle’s machinations. That need increased as Caden swore and delved between her legs to tug on her swollen clit and the sheriff delivered yet another blistering blow to her ass, and her sanity.
“I just can’t… Caden, Sir, please.” Unable to voice her concern over her plight or the desperation to lose herself in the pleasure only he could drive her to, she yanked on the restraints and looked into his eyes. “Please.”
Chapter 6
Caden’s frustration with Sydney’s stubborn silence rose another notch. The need to learn what could have happened to upset her so much warred with the driving force to lay claim to her once and for all. She surprised him with the way she’d maintained her stoic resolve to keep him in the dark given what he and Grayson were putting her through. He’d hesitated to take this step, fearing he would lose her trust instead of succeeding in getting to the bottom of what, or who had spooked her in town. Grayson wasn’t one to exaggerate and the concern for her had come through in his voice over the phone loud and clear. Imagining someone hassling her enough to cause such a reaction brought out protective instincts he’d never experienced with anyone else. He wouldn’t take chances with her well being, even if it meant risking her turning against him when this was over. With his patience wearing thin, he deemed it time to up the ante.
“My turn to spin the wheel,” he said, yanking on her hair and then stepping over to the smaller wheel. He spun it, the odds in his favor of it landing on a position convenient for what he wanted to do next. Smiling at where it stopped, he moved in front of her again and reached up to rotate the large wheel. “Head down, literally,” he warned before turning the apparatus until she dangled with her head a few inches off the floor. “Perfect.”
“For what?” she gasped, her heart thumping in rapid rhythm beneath his hand as he reached down and squeezed one breast. The bonds were snug enough to hold her without undue pressure or discomfort, at least not on her limbs. Both her libido and sanity were another matter.
“Oh, a little of this,” Grayson interjected, nipping one reddened buttock.
“And a little of this.” Caden flicked the anal beads up a notch and bent his head to lick up her damp seam and then dip inside her slick pussy to tease her clit before pulling back. “Ready to talk yet, Sydney?” He pinched her ass when she shook her head, her breathing escalating as he added a finger to his tongue delving inside her. Grayson kept his own hands busy on her breasts while tracing his mouth over her butt. The two of them had enjoyed many years tormenting reluctant women into submitting to their demands and knew what they were doing. The curl of jealousy in Caden’s abdomen took him by surprise however, but then, it shouldn’t have. He should be used to the unexpected emotions she pulled from him by now.
Sydney quit pleading aloud, but her body spoke in eloquent demand for her. A light sheen of perspiration coated her soft skin, her pussy’s slick, grasping heat, and the little mewls of pleasure that accompanied each stroke over her puffy clit all telltale signs of her heightened state. Caden nipped at one smooth fold, enjoyed the catch in her throat, and then plundered her depth with three fingers.
“Anytime you want to spill the beans, we’re all ears,” he said above her saturated flesh. Wrapping his lips around her clit, he drew on the delicate, hypersensitive nub until her whimpers turned into cries and a gush of liquid heat filled his mouth.
“I don’t know,” Grayson put in as he took another bite out of her ass and reached down to squeeze her breasts. “I’d hate for her to stop my fun now.”
“I…God!” she exclaimed as Caden upped the vibrations of the anal beads one more time and plowed her pussy with deep, forceful plunges. He tortured the tender flesh of her clit with a scrape of his nails and then pulled back as her damp muscles contracted with small spasms. “Okay! I got a message from… back home I didn’t… like,” she stammered, her confession easing his guilt, her next pitiful, whimpered plea shredding his need to push for more. “Please.”
Caden nodded at Grayson and stepped back, even though he suspected there was much more to Sydney’s upset yesterday. She’d never spoken of her family or hinted at where she hailed from. Understanding family dynamics, and the desire to keep them between family members, he relented in pushing for more as there was always tomorrow to delve deeper if he found it necessary.
With a slow spin, he righted Sydney’s body and they both worked to get her down. Her flushed face revealed a combination of relief, irritation and desperate need, all of which he planned to do something about without his friend’s help.
Grayson cupped her face, kissed her slow and deep then nodded at Caden. “Later,” was all he said before strolling away, leaving Sydney to fall against him when her legs refused to hold her up.
Scooping her up, Caden carried her over to a spanking bench, laid her down and released his engorged cock. Her thighs fell open as he sheathed himself, the blatant invitation also reflected in her eyes and in the cream oozing from between her swollen labia. Gripping under her knees, he brought her legs over his shoulders and leaned forward to thrust inside her grasping pussy. “Now, darlin’, right now,” he growled in demand, withdrawing and then plunging, over and over, his vigorous assault inching her up on the bench until he grabbed her ass and held her groin tight against his. He could feel the pulses of the anal toy through the thin membrane separating her orifices, the tight clutches of both holes pushing him to the edge. His grunts mingled with her pants, the glaze in her eyes matching the mindless ecstasy spinning through his head. The bench shook from his hard, carnal fucking. The unexpected pain of Sydney’s small teeth sinking into his shoulder caused him to see stars with his explosive climax, the exalted pleasure more than anything he’d experienced before.
Sydney shook under Caden’s pummeling body, wrapping her legs around his pistoning hips to hold him inside her as she splintered apart around his jerking cock. She should be angry at the way he and the sheriff had tried to manipulate her for information, but when she’d seen the concern in their eyes and felt it in their touch, her initial pique fell away. The warm glow replacing it added to the heated lust their dual assault on her senses initiated.
Struggling to catch her breath, she relaxed her legs as she came down from another mind-numbing high and then sighed as he lifted her in his arms. She couldn’t res
ist nipping his thick corded neck as she whispered, “That was fun but I don’t think I’ll want to include someone else very often.”
He surprised her by replying gruffly, “Not a problem, darlin’. I just discovered I have a possessive streak that’s been hiding until you showed up.”
“Really? That’s so sweet.”
He grunted as he retrieved her clothes. “No, it’s not.”
It was, and so was the way he dragged her into his bedroom when they returned to the ranch and tucked her in close to him. She tried not to think about a scary stranger and his threats as she fell asleep, content for the first time in weeks.
Caden awoke to an empty bed, missing the warm softness of Sydney’s body curled against him. One night, the only entire night he’d spent with a woman in his bed, and the longing to repeat it couldn’t be denied. A door opened and closed, followed by low voices echoing from down the hall. Glancing at the time, he couldn’t believe he’d slept past seven a.m. The only mornings he indulged in an extra hour of sleep were Sundays when the ranch chores consisted of feeding the livestock not already grazing in the pastures. Rolling out of bed, he dressed and padded into the kitchen to find Connor and the live-in hands already eating.
Sydney stood, picking up her empty plate and smiling at him. “Don’t worry, we saved you plenty.” She breezed by him as if nothing had changed between them, and that just pissed him off because everything had changed. By the time he discussed the day’s agenda with his brother and then ate, he was the last one to remain. He carried his plate into the kitchen where he found her at the sink, gazing with an expression of longing out the window.
“I didn’t want to ask in front of the hands,” he said, setting his plate down and wrapping one arm around her waist to pull her back against him, “but how are you this morning? Any problems?”
“Just a little sore.” She turned her head up to him, her look now teasing. “But I kind of like it, even if you were mean last night.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Don’t keep things from me and I won’t have to be.”
A shadow crossed her face, but she smiled and drawled, “Really?”
“Yeah, okay, I still might be, but only for fun, not to pull answers from you.” He kissed her before pulling back. “I’ve got to run…” A shout from outside drew his frowning gaze out the window to see several of the younger hands riding in from the north pasture, their faces masked with anger and concern. “What the hell? Excuse me, darlin’.”
A cold knot of dread settled in Sydney’s abdomen as she followed Caden outside. The lingering pleasure and contentment she’d felt since returning to the ranch last night and waking with his massive body curled around her vanished in the time it took to hear Austin, one of the younger hands, tell Caden, “It looks like poison, Boss. We’ve already lost three head, several more are showing signs of sickness.”
“Call the vet,” Caden snapped to Connor who had just pulled up. His blue eyes turned to ice as he scanned his employees’ faces as they gathered in the yard. “You guys bring in the sick as fast as possible. Connor and I will look for the source. Let’s hope whoever did this only messed with the water supply in one pasture.”
Sydney’s hand went to Spike’s scruff, sinking her fingers into the collie’s soft fur to anchor herself against the pain sweeping through her. This was her fault; she brought this trouble to Caden’s ranch, his livelihood and the ranch hands who had embraced her with such friendliness. Without a doubt, she knew the stranger sent by her uncle to threaten her was behind the vandalism. She’d never dreamed he would try to get her cooperation by harming the livestock. If she didn’t leave, would he go after Caden, Connor, or one of the hands next? Oh God, she couldn’t bear it if anyone was harmed because of her. It was bad enough several cows had already suffered because she put her selfish reasons for staying a little longer first instead of doing the safe thing and leaving.
She reached out to snag Caden’s arm as he started toward the barn. “What can I do to help?” she asked, not realizing the need to be of assistance in her voice was also reflected in her eyes.
“We’ll need food when we get back, sandwiches if you can because we likely won’t have time to sit down to eat. And watch for Grayson. I’ll call him and report this and he’ll need to come out and investigate with us.” He strode off without another word, his face stiff with anger, his cobalt eyes swirling with frustration.
Sydney walked over to the mess hall on leaden feet, her heart heavy in her chest, praying she was wrong but knowing she wasn’t. She wouldn’t leave until she helped them through this crisis, which was the least she could do. But she refused to return home. Where she would go, she didn’t know. Caden had paid her a week’s wages, so she had enough money to last a few weeks without dipping into her dwindling savings. Despair threatened to overwhelm her as she entered the kitchen she’d grown to enjoy cooking in, memories of the guys teasing her about her penchant for getting lost or into trouble and complimenting her cooking replaying her head. She couldn’t believe how much she would miss everyone after such a short time.
As she put together thick sandwiches filled with ham, roast beef, turkey and cheese, she stewed over her circumstances. The more she thought about her uncle and his lackey, the faster her despondency changed to anger again. How dare they interrupt the first peaceful weeks she’d been enjoying since fleeing Missouri and hurt those innocent animals. Damn it, wasn’t it bad enough Uncle Mike’s actions forced her from her home, a job she loved and far away from the rest of her family, whom she adored? She thought of Caden, the way his blue eyes lit with fondness even when he’d been exasperated with her behavior, or how they would darken when arousal outweighed his determination to keep her at arm’s length. He’d introduced her to new sensations that had led to heights she’d never achieved before, never imagined were possible, and she didn’t want to give that up, or him. He was different last night, and she wanted to stick around and see where his thawing feelings might lead to. She realized she now wanted him more than she missed her family, and that acknowledgement shed a whole new light on what she needed to do next.
“I’ll show you, you son-of-a-bitch,” she muttered aloud as she got out ingredients to make brownies. “The sheriff just might be interested in hearing about what I know…”
“I wouldn’t advise that,” a cold voice said from behind her. “In fact, a call from my employer suggested I make sure you return home by taking you myself.”
Sydney whirled to face the doorway, fear clogging her throat when she saw the same man who threatened her in town last week leaning with negligent nonchalance against the doorjamb. With a shaking hand, she reached for the large knife lying on the counter separating them and let him see she wouldn’t cower from him this time, even if her insides were jelling into a quivering ball of nerves. “Get out of here before…”
He cut her off with a slice of his hand, his eyes going to slits in his lean face. “Everyone’s out trying to save their precious cattle, I made sure of that. You can put that down; I’m not here to harm you, just to deliver one final warning. Your uncle needs you back in Missouri by the end of the week, and since you have a two-day drive ahead of you, I suggest you leave no later than Tuesday.”
“And if I don’t? You’d be a fool to try anything on this ranch again after I talk to the sheriff.” She didn’t know where her sudden bravado came from; she only knew she was tired of her uncle controlling her life.
He shrugged, as if unconcerned by her threat. “Maybe, maybe not. It’s your word against mine, and I assure you, I left no evidence that could be traced back to me. It’s a huge spread, a lot of places where one of those young cowboys or your rancher can meet with an untimely accident.”
The very softness of his voice chilled her to the bone. “You wouldn’t,” she whispered. Fear for the people she’d come to care so much for spread throughout her quaking body, turning her hands clammy and her throat dry. With those few words, anguish over her hopeless situat
ion returned tenfold, demolishing her brave front.
“Monday afternoon, when everyone is out in the fields, meet me at the crossroads out on the highway. Don’t be late or think about not showing or you’ll find out what I’m capable of and willing to do to ensure I get paid for this job.” With a mock, two-fingered salute, he spun about and disappeared as quietly as he’d snuck in.
With a sob of defeat, Sydney slid to the floor, buried her face in her hands and wept. No way would she risk anything happening to Caden or anyone else on his ranch. Two days, that’s all she had with him, and then it was back to long days and lonely nights while she searched for a way to keep her plight from hurting her family.
She managed to pull herself together by the time the first riders returned with some of the sick cattle. The veterinarian team was waiting for them in the barn where they immediately started pumping stomachs to rid the poor animals of the toxins poisoning their bodies. From what she could gather, only the three cows had died so far, a small boon considering how many could have succumbed before help arrived. The other good news was that pasture held less than twenty head of cattle that hadn’t been driven closer to the ranch yet. To help keep the line for treatment moving steady, she brought the food out to the hands and the veterinarian staff, enabling everyone to continue administering first aid while eating. The guys mentioned they’d fenced off the two watering holes and samples were en route to a lab in Billings. By the time Caden returned with Connor and Grayson, the cattle had been treated and were resting quietly in the corral behind the barn.
“I don’t know about you two, but I’m beat,” Connor sighed as he, Caden and Grayson entered the house after the hands left for home. “I’m heading back to my place for a quiet night.”
Sydney looked at their tired faces and her heart ached for what she’d inadvertently put them through. “I made chili, since it turned so cold this afternoon.” The clouds that had rolled in with the increasing north wind dropped the temperature ten degrees in an hour and didn’t stop there as afternoon slipped into dusk. “Can you stay for dinner?” She included the sheriff in her invitation.
