“Fuck . . .” He groaned, sucking in a deep breath, his arms and legs beginning to tremble. She worked for it, jerking him in a steady rhythm, until his groans came right on top of each other, and he lost his control. His eyes shut and he grunted, again and again, his semen spilling over her hands.
With a final shudder, he reopened his eyes, breathless, and she dipped her fingers into the water, cleaning them. His chest rose and fell with his heavy breaths while she grinned at him, obviously proud of herself for getting him off and taking control of him.
He smiled back, thinking her cute, then pushed off the rock, landing back in the water with her. She squeaked when he grabbed her, wrapping one arm around her waist to lift her feet onto a rock, bringing her out of the water. Not giving her a chance to catch up, he dropped his hand between her legs. He did not hesitate. She was drenched, ready to play, and he took full advantage. One finger slid inside her then another, and she moaned.
He arched a single eyebrow at her. “Ready for a ride, darlin’?”
Her lips parted to reply. But before she could, he thrust his fingers up inside her, the water splashing around them. The moment her eyes grew wide with pleasure, he knew he’d found her sweet spot and began moving his fingers back and forth, none too gently. Her response was immediate.
“Holy fuuuuuck,” she gasped, a gasp that hastily turned into a piercing scream of euphoria as her head fell back, her taut nipples pointing up to the sky. The moonlight cast a stunning glow over her gorgeous creamy skin while she crashed into her pleasure, going wild around him.
By the time he was done with her, she was sinking back into the water, utterly limp, his hand on her arm the only thing keeping her afloat.
Now he grinned. “That’s how we end, Emma. Always.”
* * *
Late into the night, with a blanket around Shep’s shoulders then tucked over Emma, she sat on his lap in an Adirondack chair, staring at the flickering fire. Harper had gone home with Brody and his girlfriend, and Chase and Nash had gone to bed inside. The slow country music song played softly through the speaker resting on the chair across from her. The night was quiet, so silent that she could hear Shep’s breathing by her ear.
While the silence was peaceful and relaxing, a thought kept repeating in her mind. No matter how much she tried to push it away, the same thing came circling back, maybe because of all the sweet things that Shep had done for her. She somehow wanted to take some of the weight of his life away. “Your mom will be okay if you have to sell your father’s land,” she said.
Shep pulled the blanket tighter around them. “Let me guess, my mother told you the other day I was stressed, didn’t she?”
“Not in so many words, but she did say that she was worried about you.” Emma gazed into the flicker of the fire, mesmerized by the vibrant colors. “Even without her saying anything, I can tell you’re stressed.”
“How?” he murmured in her ear.
“When you go quiet, you’re thinking, not resting.”
“Well, you’re not wrong,” he said. “I’m trying to come up with a solution to all this without making things harder on my mom.”
“I know you are, but honestly, she’ll be okay. Maybe not at first, because change is hard.” Emma knew that one for herself. She’d been there. Change is a certain type of hell that could break a person, but . . . “Once it’s all said and done, she’ll see that she’s going to be okay.”
The second the words left her mouth, Emma began to see how much she was okay too. She hadn’t been before, but now there was a brightness to life again that hadn’t been there. She owed that to Shep. He made her transition to River Rock easier because he helped give her a new life full of excitement and thrills. Was this life different than her life in New York City? Yes. Did she miss the big city? A little, if she was honest with herself. But she was beginning to fall in love with this new reality she was living, and Shep was a big part of that.
He gave a long-suffering sigh then shifted Emma to the side so she could see his face. The orange hue lit up his cheekbone, detailing all the masculine lines, and showed all the responsibilities in his eye. “I know that my mom will be all right. That’s not my worry.”
“Then what is?”
He brushed his hand over her hair, tucking the strands behind her ear. “The land, the business, that’s the only thing my mother has left of my father. She just lost him. How can I ask her to lose more?”
Emma’s throat tightened at the raw emotion crossing Shep’s expression. He’d shown her so many sides of himself, but this sweet, tender side was by far the one she connected with most. Almost as if this side was only for her, a side where he let go of it all so she could see into his heart.
Before she had a chance to find the right thing to say, he continued. “Beyond that, what will my mother have if she doesn’t have the Blackshaw legacy, along with the company? She’s known as Jenny Blackshaw, wife of Rick Blackshaw, owner of the largest cattle company in Colorado. Who is she without that?” He paused then said softly, “You know what it’s like, Emma, to start over.”
Emma gave a soft nod of agreement.
His gaze fell to the fire. “My mother’s life has already changed so much with the loss of my father. I don’t want her to lose anything more.” His eyes became distant; lost in a memory. “When I first moved to LA with Sara, I was like a fish out of water. Nothing made sense. And by the time I left there, I can tell you, I didn’t even know what I wanted anymore, or who the hell I was.”
She didn’t want to interrupt, but she wanted to know more. “So, then you came home?”
He blinked, bringing those soft, tender eyes to her again. “Yes, I came home. To her, my mother, where everything made sense for me. Within a week, I felt like myself again. That’s because of her, because of how stable she is.”
“She’s a good mom.” Emma smiled.
“There’s no one better.” He smiled back. “Knowing that, of course, I want to protect her from the confusion of having everything she knows ripped out from under her. She’s suffered enough.”
Emma got that, but . . . “You also can’t take all this on yourself, though.”
He drew in a long deep breath before addressing her again. “I have to at least try to make this better. For her.” Another pause. Then, “You have to understand that when I came home after ending things with Sara, I had my mother and my father to come home to. They were my normal, my safe place.”
That, Emma totally understood. New York City and her parents had been her safe place. Coming to River Rock, without Grams here, had been like the world suddenly looked completely different. Through Shep’s concern, she saw what Harper had seen—she was stronger than she knew. Somehow, she hadn’t fallen into a deep, dark depression she could never climb out of. For the first time, she stopped thinking about how her life as she knew it was over and decided to start realizing how amazing she was to keep going. She took Shep’s hand, twining her fingers with his. “Is that what you’re worried about? That your mother will feel lost?”
Sadness touched Shep’s eyes. “I think she’s lost her safest place of all, my father. To make her lose the family business, the one part of my father that still stands, is not something I can bring myself to do.”
Emma stared into his eyes and the vulnerable emotion Shep showed her, touched by that more than anything ever in her life. For such a strong man to show her this tender side, she felt sucked in, drawn to him in powerful ways that were simply unexplainable.
Within this warm, comforting, safe space, she allowed herself to care about him without the worry that he’d hurt her. “See, but that’s what you’re missing.” She cupped his face, freeing her thoughts, giving him parts of her heart that she had closed off before. “Your mom does have a safe place.”
One single eyebrow arched. “Which is?”
“You.”
Intensity flashed in his eyes with the furrow of his brow. Emotion that she understood because she was feel
ing it alongside him. They’d been lost before, the both of them. Somehow that had brought them to this very moment together. He leaned in and sealed his mouth across hers in the gentlest kiss he’d given her yet. There was no blazing heat, but there was something within its power that spoke of a togetherness that was all theirs, that no one could touch, that they both knew began on this very night.
When he leaned away, he kissed her forehead, then rose with her in his arms, placing her on her feet. Only then did she hear the song playing through the speaker again, realizing exactly what Shep planned to do. He dropped the blanket onto the chair, and he reached for her hand. “Be close,” was all he said, bringing her against him. The moonlight, the starry sky, and the fire were the only lights around them.
She rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes, while he dropped his head into her neck and guided her through the dance. Silence drifted between them, but it was most welcome, because it was within the quiet she heard what he was saying without words.
He needed her too.
Chapter 15
The following morning, feeling a little slow and sluggish after the late night with Emma, Shep dropped into his seat at Chase’s reclaimed barn-wood kitchen table set next to the small kitchen with black cabinets. Chase was to his left, Nash on the right. Emma was placing her dirty plate into the dishwasher after finishing off the breakfast Chase had made. Last night Chase had given up his bedroom, taking the couch across from Nash so Shep and Emma had a place to sleep. He owed his brother one.
Chase’s living room took up most of his space, with a corner fireplace and a flat screen hanging above the mantel, surrounded by dark-brown leather couches. Down the small hallway, he had a large master suite and a bathroom, and the space now felt even more crowded than usual, as Shep knew he couldn’t put off this conversation any longer.
With the coffee already brewed in a mug in his hand and his stomach full of bacon, eggs, and slightly burnt toast, Shep returned his mug to the table and got right to the point. “I’ve looked at Dad’s financial records. Schultz isn’t downplaying anything. The company cannot continue as it is. Dad has lost ten major contracts in the last year.”
Nash stopped midway through drinking from his mug, arching an eyebrow. “Do you know why?”
Shep shrugged. “At this point, it’s only guesswork, but I imagine Dad must have not been feeling well, even if he never showed that to us. Clint must have realized he wasn’t giving his clients the attention they deserved, and perhaps Clint jumped on that and schmoozed the hell out of them.”
Chase scooped up some eggs with his fork and asked, “All right, so, now that you’ve had the chance to look things over, what are you suggesting we do?”
Shep ran a hand across his face, rubbing away the tiredness from the previous night. “The way I see it, there are only two things we can do.” He dropped his hand and glanced between his brothers, lifting a finger. “One, I’ll need to close Blackshaw Survival, and we will all have to put our focus into the business.” To Chase, he said, “You and I can head up sales.” To Nash, he added, “You’ll have to run the farm.”
The answering frowns told Shep neither Nash or Chase were thrilled with that idea.
“Exactly,” Shep agreed with nod. “I’m not keen on that option either.”
Emma clanged a spoon against a plate, glanced over her shoulder, and gave a smile that eased the weight on his chest. In fact, he suddenly realized he was talking family business with her there, not even second-guessing himself. They’d come far, him and her, so quickly that it was easy to forget that he hadn’t been with her a long time.
Staying on task, Shep focused on Nash again when his brother asked, “What’s the second option?”
Shep drew in a deep breath to prepare himself, knowing the reaction he was going to get before he opened his mouth, but what choice did he have? “We sell the land to Clint.” Nash’s nostrils flared. Shep pushed on. “What they’re offering is a fair amount. I called my real estate buddy, Rob, and he told me the offer is solid. We’re not being shortchanged.”
Nash leaned forward and said through gritted teeth, “You talked to Harrison?”
Shep nodded. “He called yesterday.”
“Of course he fucking called,” Nash growled, pushing out of his chair. “Harrison’s a snake. He wants to slither his way onto our property.” He shoved the chair, sending it toppling over, and moved to the living room window, staring outside, tension vibrating off him. “Harrison’s wanted to take over our land for years.” He glanced over his shoulder and all but spat, “We cannot let him have it.”
Shep leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. This was why his father had left him in change of the estate. Nash was too hard. Chase would’ve been too soft. Shep had to find a middle ground. “All right, Nash, you tell me what we should do, then? The business is sinking. Either we have to focus on the company, or we need to sell. Do you want to leave the employees that are like family to us, and Mom, with nothing?”
Nash scowled over his shoulder. “Of course not.”
Shep pointed to the knocked-over chair. “Then get your ass back in this chair and calm down, so we can figure this out.” A tense moment passed with Shep’s younger brother locked in a glare showdown with him before Nash finally accepted defeat. With a huff he returned, picking up the chair, and took his seat, glowering at the table.
Only then did Shep continue. “Believe me, selling the land is the last fucking thing I want, but we would have commit to saving the business to fix it.” To Chase, he asked, “Do you remember what handling sales was like?” They’d both done that part of the job for their father growing up.
“I do,” Chase grumbled. “It’s not something I ever thought of myself returning to.”
Shep agreed with a nod. Heading up sales for a cattle company was not his dream either. “You’re only months away from finally getting your construction company off the ground.” Chase had been saving aggressively to open Blackshaw Construction, so that when he did open, the company was successful out of the gate. He needed the money to hire workers, advertise, build one commercial property to show off what he could do. “Is that still your goal?”
Chase nodded. “It is, yeah.”
“You shouldn’t have to give that up.” To Nash, Shep added, “You’ve never shown an interest in running the cattle at the ranch. Has that changed?”
He shook his head, arms folded over his chest. “Running a cattle ranch is not the dream.”
Even Shep knew Nash didn’t quite know what that dream was anymore, maybe that was where a lot of his anger came from. “Which is why we’re left at an impasse. To keep Dad’s dream alive, we have to give up ours. This cannot be a quick decision. There are people counting on us. All the Blackshaw employees, and most importantly—Mom. We need to think clearly about this,” he said, glancing at Nash, “and stay calm, and then we can decide what our next steps should be.”
Nash bowed his head.
“Why are those your only two choices?”
Shep glanced over his shoulder, finding Emma standing behind him. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her in close. “It’s the only two choices that I think will get us out of this mess.”
She drew in a long, deep breath, her eyes narrowing in thought. “Both those choices just sound so terrible.” She wrapped an arm around his neck. “There needs to be another way.”
Shep looked down into his coffee mug. He still came to the same conclusion. “If there is one, I can’t think of it. We can’t hire anyone to take over sales for the company. We’d have to do it ourselves. And we’d have to go hard, fighting like hell to recoup the losses.”
Chase gave a dour nod. “Or do we sell the land, give Dad’s employees a payout that will keep them well until they find new jobs, and give a package to the employees up for retirement soon so they don’t have to worry?”
“I fucking hate this,” Nash spat, running his hands over his face. In the
lowering of his shoulders, Shep knew he had accepted the downfall of Blackshaw Cattle. “Running the ranch would make me miserable,” he said, his voice softer now. “That’s not the life I want.”
Chase patted Nash’s shoulder. “The construction company is not something I can let go of either.”
“Dad wouldn’t want you to give up on your dreams to save his,” Shep told them, resting his elbows on the table.
Silence fell, all eyes on the table, and it was heavy silence, where the truth was right out in front of them. Blackshaw Cattle was their father’s dream, not theirs. Sure, they’d always been proud of their father and looked up to him. But they had never wanted to be a part of the cattle company. Not in their teenage years, and certainly not now.
Emma finally broke the silence, her voice soft and tender. “I didn’t know your dad, but he didn’t tell you all about the company’s financial trouble for a reason. I suspect that reason was he didn’t want you to give up what you loved most in life. Just because his company is coming to an end, it doesn’t mean the Blackshaw name isn’t stil important.” She gave a sweet smile, looking between all the brothers. “You all make the name important.” To Shep, she said, “You have Blackshaw Survival.” To Chase, she added, “You’re going to build the most amazing houses that people will turn into homes to raise their families and make lasting memories in.” To Nash, she added, “You were in the PBR, and if you ask me that’s pretty damn cool.” She hesitated and laughed softly. “Kinda crazy, and makes me question your sanity, but still cool, and no one can take that away from you.”
Shep saw the way her words affected Nash. All the hardness left his expression, and Shep hadn’t seen that for a long time. Even Chase stared at Emma with a new sense of understanding about her. Shep smiled. Oh, yeah, now his brothers saw what he saw in Emma too. She had the power to warm souls.
Dirty-Talking Cowboy--A Kinky Spurs Novel Page 20
