by Linzi Basset
“What kind of question is that? I grew up on a ranch and you know good and well my mother was a culinary genius. I could cook a proper ranch house breakfast by the time I was five years old.” She tipped her head with a saucy grin. “Do you cook?”
“I do. Very well, I might add.” The smile that curved his lips was the one that always gave Rachel’s libido a kick-start—a naughty smile that personified him as the bad boy cowboy she believed him to be.
Hunter Scott was as rogue as they came and if she took what he’d just said seriously, he was her rogue cowboy.
“Anyone home?” A gruff voice followed a loud rap on the front door.
“It’s Sheriff Garcia,” Rachel recognized the voice that always made her think of a steel grater over stone. It suited the mammoth man with his bushy beard and dark brown eyes. “We’re in the kitchen, Sheriff,” she called out and smiled as he stomped into the open area seconds later and sniffed appreciatively in the air. He was well known for his large appetite. How else, with his larger than life body, he needed food—lots of it.
“Just in time for lunch, I see,” he said with a broad smile as he took the proffered stool Rachel pointed at next to her.
“Hmm, and here I thought I made enough to feed an army.” Anna looked at Rachel with a haughty smile. “Better dish up for us first. Once this caveman gets his grubby paws on my pasta, we’ll end up starving.”
“Careful, little girl. My paws won’t mind warming your behind for sassing me like that.”
“Gmphf, as if you’d be able to catch me.”
Rachel was surprised at the red bloom spreading over her friend’s face. She bit back a smile as she recognized the charged atmosphere between the two for what it was. Sexual chemistry. She should know, since it was exactly the thread that tied her to Hunter.
“Good to see you, Noah,” Hunter said as he shook his hand.
“Same here.” Noah regarded him with an unflinching look. “Not that I expected to find you here.”
“Why should you have?” He smiled briefly and switched on the heavy griddle on the stove. “Mind if I help?” he winked at Anna.
“Be my guest.”
Rachel glanced between the two men. The atmosphere suddenly flared with testosterone but not in a bad way. The two men seemed at ease with each other, but she couldn’t help detecting an unasked question hovering in the air between them.
Hunter picked up the bread knife and cut six thick slices of ciabatta. He pointed at the half clove of garlic that Anna had left on the counter. “Are you done with that?”
“Yep, be my guest.”
He quickly rubbed the garlic on the bread and buttered it before he placed it on the warming griddle on the stove. Rachel watched him with amazement. He looked so comfortable performing such a homey task.
“I assume you have some news about the incident with the horses, Noah?” Hunter’s voice combed over her as she forced her attention to the man at her side, waiting expectantly.
“Yeah.” He pulled out a folded sheet of paper from his pocket. “I emailed it to you as well, Rachel, but wanted to give it to you personally.”
“List of what?” She held out her hand and quickly opened it once he handed it over.
“The list of the 2019 model GMC Sierra 1500 trucks registered to owners in the Van Zandt County. Forensics took photos and molds of the tracks at the scene. They found that one of the tracks had a different tread than the other three.”
“Indicating a spare tire, perhaps?” Hunter asked as he removed the toasted ciabatta from the griddle and placed the plate in the center of the counter.
“We believe so. As you can see there are roughly forty such vehicles registered in the county. Problem is, they’re widely spread but we’re going to start finding those closest to your property.” Noah looked at Rachel who was studying the list. “Is there anyone on there who you know or that might have a grudge against you?”
“I know a couple. They’re all ranchers in the area but none of them would ever do something to hurt animals or have a reason to hurt me or …” She looked between Hunter and Noah. “Are you implying someone is trying to chase me off my property?”
“It’s one possibility.” Noah looked at Hunter. “We already know Hunter is after your ranch but I also know he’s the last man who would mutilate a horse as a measure to get what he wants.” He smirked. “Besides, it’s not his style. He’d rather throw in an additional two million before he’d hurt an animal.”
“I know that.” She frowned down at the list. “There are also two agents vying for the property on behalf of corporations.”
“What the hell would big shot businessmen want with an equestrian ranch?” Noah thundered.
“They claim they wish to turn it into a school for underprivileged children and use it as their annual welfare donation tax reduction.” Rachel shrugged. “But they could do that anywhere in Texas.
“If either of them has anything to do with this, it means they have other sinister plans and not the noble one they used to sell it to you,” Anna said with a dark, brooding look on her face. She abhorred big corporations invading their ranching community, especially with the aim to benefit financially.
“Let’s eat.” Anna placed the steaming pasta dish next to the plate of bread. She quickly tossed the salad while Hunter went in search of plates and cutlery.
The next hour sped by amidst healthy bantering and debates, which resulted in a very pleasant lunch.
Noah rubbed his belly as he stood up. “That was delicious.” He eyed Anna with a dubious look on his face. “Much better than I expected from a sassy pants attorney.”
“Typical of a caveman pretending to be sheriff. An offhand compliment doused by an insult.” She tapped one foot on the floor as she gathered the dirty dishes. “It’s no wonder you’re still single.”
Noah bellowed out a deep laugh. “Keep at it, little snip. One day you’re going to chip those digs too deep and then it’ll be you and me.” He ambled toward the door. “I’ll keep you in the loop, Rachel.” He glanced at Hunter over his shoulder. “Walk with me.”
Hunter grabbed Rachel around her waist and pulled her close for another toe-curling kiss. “I better get going too. I’ll call you later.” He sauntered after Noah. “Thanks for lunch, Anna. You should sell that recipe to old Joe in Alsa. His bistro could do with a filling dish like that.” He winked at Rachel. “Bye baby.”
He caught up with Noah at his truck. The look in his eyes was alarming.
“What’s up?”
“There are two names on that list that concern me, since Rachel’s foreman confirmed they’re regular visitors here.”
“Who are they?”
Noah looked around. “Something about this entire situation has me uneasy. I think there’s more to it than meets the eye.” He glanced back at the house. “My gut tells me Rachel’s life is in danger, Hunter.”
“Your instincts are never wrong. Now, tell me who has you worried?”
“I don’t want to discuss it here. I’ll come to your place for a beer tonight. I might have more intel by then.” His eyes sharpened. “Keep our suspicions to yourself, Hunter. Let’s not wake up sleeping horses—at least not yet.”
Chapter Seven
“What the devil am I doing here?”
Rachel listened to the husky intonation of her voice echoing in the cab of the truck as she cut the engine. She stared at the luxurious modern architecture of Hunter’s two-story house. It wasn’t the original ranch house of the property. He had it designed and built four months after her parents’ funeral. He’d only moved in a couple of months ago. It suited the rugged wildness of the man himself.
She’d been fighting a losing battle over the last two days. Hunter had phoned her twice a day, playing at a perfect courtship, but his deep, soothing voice had such a salacious effect on her libido that she was ready to jump his bones and ride him like a bucking filly. Her fingers rat-a-tatted against the steering wheel with indecisivenes
s. Hunter had been so fervent when he’d come to her house two days ago, she’d expected him to have humped her silly by now but the damn man had backed off. She’d never been bold enough to instigate sex and to be the one to take the first step to push their relationship to the next level was a tad disconcerting.
“How gorgeous is that!”
Her eyes drifted over the lake and her breath caught at the sight. The yellow ball of fire changed to hues of orange and then tangerine. It merged with the sky and the cotton-candy softness of the clouds, as though they blushed at the warm touch of the sun. The sun was swallowed half-mast into the water, but its reflection in the lake made it look complete. The picturesque view managed to calm her frayed nerves.
“Well, missy, you’re here now. Either hustle your ass back home or do what you came here for.” Her shoulders squared as she came to a decision and jumped out of the truck. “It’s high time I assert myself as a woman and demand my due. Yes, Hunter Scott, you awakened my lust and come hell or high water, you’re gonna feed it tonight!”
Her footsteps faltered as she stomped toward the porch and noticed a sleek sports car parked next to Hunter’s truck. She glanced at the house and realizing the front door stood open, she stomped up the stairs. If he wanted privacy with whoever the flashy car belonged to, it would’ve been closed.
Her bravado slithered away as she stopped in the vast open entrance hall. A quick look around the grand open space assured her there was no one around, which caused an uneasiness to trickle down her spine.
A gruff voice coming from upstairs caught her attention followed by a feminine giggle. Her back stiffened.
“So much for deleting their numbers!”
Before Rachel realized she’d moved, she was at the top of the stairs and stalked down the hallway toward Hunter’s room where the noises were coming from. The closer she got, the angrier she became.
Her steps slowed. Maybe this was a sign. The one she’d been expecting since she couldn’t get past the fact that Hunter was a sought-after bachelor. Not to mention a powerful Dom in the BDSM community. He only needed to snap his fingers and she had no doubt many submissive women would come running. What chance did she have—a woman standing on the precipice of opening herself to becoming a sub. Perhaps retreating at this point was a good idea.
“Hmm, you have such strong hands, Sir.”
Rachel’s body solidified at the sultry voice floating toward her. Anger threatened to stifle her as she stopped in front of the door that stood slightly ajar.
Don’t blow this, Rachel. You want this man. You need him to be the Dom to the sub crying for release and guidance.
She frantically searched the memory banks of her mind through the pages of those hot BDSM novels she’d read for the perfect scene to guide her. If she gave in to her fiery nature and stormed inside, she’d throw the woman out of the window by her hair, which warned her would completely destroy the tangible relationship Hunter and she stood at the verge of.
She heaved in a calming breath as she pushed the door wider. Her heart ratted furiously against her chest as she leaned against the door frame. Her eyes scorched over the beautiful blonde woman whose hands trailed over Hunter’s naked back. Even with anger boiling very quickly to rage, she couldn’t help but gape at the rippling muscles as he shrugged his shoulders. Every inch of him was mouthwateringly gorgeous, even his legs and feet. A growl scratched at her throat as she watched the long red fingernails move lower to tug on the small white towel covering his hips until it fell to the floor.
“That’s much better,” she cooed and moved a hand to cup his tight butt cheek.
“Did I give you permission to touch me?”
The woman’s hands immediately dropped to her sides. Even Rachel felt her insides stir at the commanding and dark tone of his voice.
“I apologize, Sir, but can you blame me? You’re such a perfect specimen to appreciate.”
“Behave Amy.”
“I’m trying, Sir, but lord help me. This I can’t resist.” Her voice turned all whiney as she groped for his cock. Rachel had to force herself not to charge forward and rip Amy’s eyes out, especially as she noticed his shaft growing hard under her expert touch.
“Enough. It’s time for you to leave.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Rachel was quite impressed that her voice sounded firm and assertive. She fought to keep her expression impassive as Hunter spun around. Her gaze dropped to his cock that bobbed in a pendulous arch. She bit back a pleased smile as it slowly seemed to grow larger and harder under her avid stare.
“Just who the hell are you? How dare you interrupt us?”
Rachel combed a cold look over the woman who glared at her with open hostility. Rachel held her gaze just long enough to establish that she and not the blonde, was the alpha woman in the room. She allowed a pleased smile to twitch on her lips before she looked at Hunter. The rogue wasn’t the least perturbed. In fact, he seemed to wait for her reaction with a brooding look on his face. Instinct kicked in and she set out to give a stellar performance that would warrant an Oscar.
“Do I assume this is a, how shall I word it, a warmup routine … Sir?” The hesitation was just long enough to get the desired effect. Hunter’s eyes exploded like a ball of fire although his expression didn’t change nor did his relaxed stance.
Except for his cock saluting her at full mast.
Rachel could swear she felt the heat emanating from his body scorched through her skin over the distance to spark an inferno inside her.
“Who the devil is this, Hunter?”
“My submissive.” The low Texan drawl trumpeted through Rachel’s mind to tease her eager ovaries to full-blown preparedness.
Amy gaped like a fish out of water as she looked between them. “I thought you were kidding. You never had any interest in taking a permanent sub. Why now?”
“Because,” Hunter caught Rachel’s eyes in a heated look, “now she’s ready.”
Rachel suddenly found it hard to breathe, especially as he continued to just stand there, his gorgeous body on display with his cock so invitingly eager to play. She lifted her eyebrows and pursed her lips as he offered a wicked smile in return. She shrugged but was rather irritated to notice that Amy was just as fascinated with the view. She took two steps forward and picked up the towel from the floor.
“Let’s just put temptation out of the way, shall we?” she lilted and used his jutting cock as a hook to drape the towel over.
“Well, I’ll be—”
“Going,” Rachel snapped. She had kept her cool until now but the foolish woman didn’t seem to be receiving the message. It was time to put her foot down and make sure she knew to stay away from Hunter. “You exceeded your welcome and I suggest you listen very carefully. If I catch you anywhere near Hunter again, I won’t be as cordial as I’ve been today. From this moment, he’s off limits and like he made sure I understood him, I too, don’t share.”
Amy snorted angrily but seemed hesitant to leave and kept glancing at Hunter. The realization sunk in that he didn’t seem to be aware of her presence as his gaze was glued on the fiery redhead standing in front of him.
Rachel’s eyes dropped to the cleavage that struggled to be maintained by the tight shirt which had been unbuttoned to below her breasts. Amy followed her gaze and fumbled to close the buttons.
“Thank you for preparing Hunter for me, Amy, but I suggest you do as he said and leave.” She glanced at the prepared hunk and smiled wickedly. “We wouldn’t want all your hard work to go to waste, now would we?”
“You … you … how dare you!” She grabbed Hunter’s arm and looked at him beseechingly. “Are you going to allow her to talk to me like that?”
Hunter blinked as he pulled away from her hands. His gaze reluctantly moved from Rachel to pin her in place with a piercing look. “Rachel is the only sub I want, Amy, and as I said when you walked into my room uninvited, I’m not available anymore.”
“I suggest you hit t
he road, Amy, unless you’re a voyeur and intend to watch.” Rachel had reached the end of her tether but reigned in the desire to throw the woman down the stairs by her hair. Instead, she reacted to the lust coloring Hunter’s eyes as dark as the night and in one smooth motion, whipped the t-shirt over her head.
“Well, I never!” Amy gasped as Rachel quickly shimmied out of her jeans.
“Hit the road, Amy. I for one don’t want an audience.” Hunter’s dark voice brooked no argument and she quietly slinked out of the room, defeated in the knowledge that Hunter was indeed no longer available.
Hunter was oblivious to Amy leaving as he watched Rachel through hooded eyelids. He tossed the towel to the floor and wrapped his fingers around his turgid shaft. He lazily stroked it, fully enjoying Rachel’s little catch of breath as she watched him tease his engorging cock to full arousal.
“Don’t stop now, my pet.”
She tilted her head sideways and reluctantly forced her eyes to his. A lone finger toyed with the long strands of her hair.
“You want me naked … Sir?”
Again, the hesitation, like she was testing the use of the word on her tongue when in fact Hunter was onto her. It was deliberate, she was looking for a reaction from him; she needed him to acknowledge her acceptance of being his submissive. His chest bulged with pride. She might have an inkling of what Domination and submission was about but in reality, she was a complete novice to the full dynamics of such a relationship. That she was willing to throw caution to the wind and jump in feet first thrilled him to no end.
His hand stilled as she took a step closer. The usual dove gray color of his eyes turned darker, like the tumultuous waves in the ocean during a storm. He cupped her cheek.
“The fact that you’re offering yourself without any constraints means more to me than you’ll ever know. I’m honored, Rachel Davis, that you chose me to be your Dominant.”
“I have to admit, I’m a little wary. I’ve read a lot about it and I have an idea what it entails, but living it is a completely different challenge.” Her eyelids fluttered but she didn’t look away. “I hope you’ll have the patience to teach me the proper way.”
