by Piper Stone
Tanner and I had come early, inspecting the various pens and livestock without tipping our hand as to the lot we were here to bid on. I had an advantage since I’d only been back from Afghanistan for a couple of months and this was my first auction. No one knew me so the bid from some unknown entity might throw them off their game.
Tanner tipped his hat, his gaze more inquisitive than anything else. “I can see that. You just need to know this is a dog-eat-dog environment. Nothing like before. Ranchers are like vultures given the state of the economy. There are also some unscrupulous people in the game as well. You just need to be careful.” He kept his voice hushed, his eyes forever scanning the group of seated ranchers.
That much I’d learned as well. Times were entirely different than when I’d left Missoula years before, the economy shutting down several of the ranches and farms I’d known as a kid. I’d even questioned whether I still had a place in the ranching world. Still, I was in no mood to be treated as if I’d never seen a damn cattle auction before. Besides, careful wasn’t in my vocabulary.
“Yeah, I got it.”
Tanner bristled, grumbling under his breath.
“What is it?”
He cursed in Spanish before inching closer. “Stay away from that one.”
After searching the crowd, I followed Tanner’s stare toward a man who stood at the rails, the same one who’d been following the cowgirl. Interesting. “What about him?”
“He’s bad news. An asshole. A true swindler.”
“There must be a story.”
Snorting, he darted a look in my direction. “Not one worth mentioning any longer, but just mind you stay away from him.”
“Got it. I’ll take another look at the herd.”
Nodding, I knew the business was cutthroat, men and women fighting tooth and nail to purchase the prized collection of their choice. I shifted closer to the stairs, keeping my attention pinned on the copper-haired vixen as she was escorted toward the rear set of doors by one of the burly security guards. My entire body remained electrified, my balls tightening just from the sight of her.
“Careful with that one as well, Mustang. All kidding aside. The rumor mill has it that she’s a ball buster,” Tanner huffed, even growling under his breath.
“Meaning what?” I shot him a nasty look.
“No one seems to know who she is, but she’s been asking a lot of questions the past couple of weeks, snooping around where she shouldn’t be. She’s even making inquiries with certain members of law enforcement.”
“Why?”
“I told you, lots of unscrupulous people in the business,” Tanner huffed. “Some particular ranchers are starting to notice, the kind you don’t want to have on your radar. The girl is going to get herself in a heap of trouble if you ask me. You know how tight the big boys are. They don’t like to be fucked with.”
“Interesting.” Yeah, I knew exactly how tight they were. In some ways, it was like going back in time, an old boy’s club. A feisty woman wouldn’t be accepted easily, especially one with a caustic mouth. Why did I have the feeling he had more of an indication about what she was looking for than he was willing to tell me? While Tanner was a good man, foreman for Hawk’s brother Drake as well as their father, he didn’t take kindly to outsiders.
Including me.
“I’m going to do a walk, see if there are any other ranchers that will fight our bid. Just my advice. Keep her off your radar.”
“Yeah, I hear you. I’ll keep that in mind,” I said with no inflection, making a mental note to mention it to Hawk at some point. Chuckling, I realized I didn’t even know her name.
I remained standing in the back of the crowded auditorium, studying the way the various ranchers handled placing their bets. There were always strategies, but in the end, it all boiled down to the person with the highest bid. However, it was obvious that the old timers expected to win the opportunity. I was here for one thing. Angus beef.
As the bidding process began, I paid close attention to who was most active. I knew a few of the cowboys, although time hadn’t necessarily been good to them. While the younger group of bidders didn’t surprise me, they seemed out of their element.
After a few minutes, I’d seen enough. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. I walked outside into the sunshine, immediately grabbing my sunglasses. My mood remained surly, likely from the various nightmares that had kept me awake over the past week.
And the tequila I’d consumed in an effort to soothe the demons. The hangover left my mouth dry and my pulse skipping.
Plus, I wasn’t a patient man and auctions held no interest in my mind. As I walked through the aisles, the stench grew significantly worse, the heat oppressive for a September day. I found my way to Lot 63, the pen full of the Angus steer Hawk was determined to purchase. I had to admit the animals were impressive as hell.
But I walked on by, acting as if I didn’t care, moving to the next pen. At least I could find a position where I could study the Angus for a few minutes as well.
I moved closer to the metal fencing, leaning over the top rail. When I noticed the same girl from before taking pictures in as clandestine a manner as possible, I became even more curious, heading to the other side of the pen. She didn’t bother acknowledging my presence.
At least at first.
“If it isn’t the dangerous man,” she stated in a nasty voice. “I’m curious. Are you just some jerkoff who enjoys threatening women, attempting to disguise yourself as my friend?”
Jesus Christ. The woman was one hellion on wheels.
“Mouthy brat, this dangerous man saved you from being accosted.” I could tell she was shaking, as if the confrontation she’d experienced inside had rattled her.
“Mouthy brat? You have some nerve.”
“I guess I could say the same damn thing about you.” I lifted a single eyebrow after issuing the words, every inch of my body electrified just as before. Why would I have such a reaction to a strong-willed, bitchy female?
Even if she was sexy as fuck.
The same visions flashed into my mind as the scent of her perfume wafted into my nostrils. I wanted nothing more than to spread her legs open wide and feast on her pussy.
Snorting, she snapped several pictures of the steer, her single look rebellious as hell. “What’s wrong? The Angus too rich for your blood? My guess is that you’re some lowlife cowboy who wallows in his own stench after enjoying abusing the animals.”
I was shocked at the nasty stream of words coming out of her mouth. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Let me guess. You’re just one of those assholes. Same shit. Different day,” she hissed. “If you think you can stop me, you’re wrong. I have every right to be here.” She snapped her head in my direction.
However, the animosity in her gorgeous wide-open eyes further fueled my aggravation. Why was she fucking with me?
And what the hell had she argued about with the auction officials? Abuse? I was more than just incensed at her accusations. I was pissed as hell. I’d never hurt an animal for any reason.
Jesus Christ. What beef did she have with the auction, or was it just men in general? While the woman’s sultry voice sent a skittering of heat down the length of my legs, my inability to keep my anger in check was my immediate reaction. “You’re right. I am an asshole. The simple truth is that I’m not the kind of man to be fucked with. I guess the only question on the table is who the hell are you? Some animal-loving jerk who makes assumptions about shit she has no clue about?” I stated, trying to keep my anger in check.
I’d failed, a harsh hiss erupting from my gut.
“Dangerous? That almost makes me laugh, cowboy. As far as who I am? I’m someone determined to expose the industry and all your atrocities.” She gave me a hard onceover before continuing. “I know I’m right. See, I’ve watched you during the course of the day, the way you are sizing up every one of the smaller ranchers, ready to pick off their livestock like some vulture.”
What the fuck?
“You did what?” I snapped back.
She nodded, inching close enough I was able to gather another whiff of her provocative perfume. As the exotic scent filtered into my system, my mind shifted to a bizarre combination of fury as well as desire. The way the light breeze forced several strands of her hair to float across her face was almost as beautiful as the golden halo created by the sun’s rays. Then there was her nasty expression, the utter hatred in her eyes.
“I have pictures of you checking out eight of the poorest ranchers, going back and forth from one to the other. My guess is you have some plan in mind, working with others to lowball them. Do you have any idea how hard it is for these ranchers to be here selling off their livelihood?”
No wonder her caustic questions were riling every red-blooded cowboy.
“Lady. I don’t know who you are or what you’re accusing me of, but I suggest you get the fuck away from me before things get ugly.” While the words were spouted off before I could think about them, they certainly had an effect, but not the one I would have expected.
She took a step away, immediately lifting her camera and snapping several pictures of me. “I’ll take that as a direct threat, something I refuse to tolerate. I don’t care if you are from some big ranch, your shit does stink. Trust me, you will be hearing from me again, only you won’t like what I have to say.”
I was shocked to the point I had no immediate reaction other than to stare at her smug expression. What I could tell was that there wasn’t a cowboy within close proximity who hadn’t heard the exchange, their scrutinizing gazes meaning their curiosity could entice them to dig into my identity, watching my future moves. I’d been looking at every other lot of cattle with the exception of the Angus in a stupid attempt not to tip my hand. Well, that shit wasn’t going to fly any longer.
Within seconds, the ridiculous shock wore off and I went after her, determined to find out what she thought she knew. Accusations of this nature could ruin the reputation of the ranch. Hawk already had enough on his plate to deal with this shit.
“Where the fuck are you?” I huffed under my breath, a combination of frustration and burning desire sweeping through my system. While I appreciated her feisty behavior, I didn’t think anyone would be able to tame the little filly and I had zero patience. I took long strides, pushing my way through the crowd in my effort to find her.
I wasn’t surprised that she’d left the pen area quickly. She’d made her point in front of enough people, sending whatever disjointed accusations she’d been determined to do.
While I was taller than the majority of the crowd, standing a little over six-foot-four, I wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of her.
At first.
When another glimmer of sun highlighted her long hair, I growled and took long strides in her direction, wrapping my hand around her forearm and jerking her backwards. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You need to tell me what you’re really doing here.”
“Get off me, you brute,” she hissed, struggling to get out of my hold then shoving her palms against my chest. “I don’t owe you a damn thing.”
“Maybe I am a brute,” I said through clenched teeth as I dragged her closer. “But you attacked me, little lady. From where I come from, that’s pretty close to assault.”
Her eyes opened wide again then she burst out laughing. “You are just as pompous as the rest of the cowboys, maybe even more. And there’s more where that came from if you threaten me again.”
Our nasty argument had drawn far too much attention already. I yanked her around the corner and into the shadows of the building, pushing her hard against the siding. At least there were far fewer folks who’d pay any attention. “That’s it. I refuse to take any additional crap from you. If you have evidence of some criminal activity, then you need to let the sheriff know.”
“Uh-huh.” Grinning, she tried to stand as tall as possible, although I towered over her by several inches. “Just give it your best shot, buster. That just means you’re like all the rest of the assholes.”
The electricity between us soared and for a few seconds, I almost kissed her for the second time. What the hell was going through my mind? While a part of me continued to hunger, longing to own her, I’d likely have to keep her locked in a cage given her ridiculous behavior.
Assholes. My anger continued to flare, even as my hard cock pushed hard against my jeans. I hadn’t experienced this kind of reaction to a woman in one hell of a long time. “I’m going to ask you one more time nicely, then things are going to get rough.”
“Rough, huh? Is that all your assholes know how to do, terrify and torture? I don’t have to say a damn thing to you.” She slammed her fist against my chest then attempted to slap me with her other hand.
Now I was spitting angry, seeing spots in front of my eyes. I snapped her wrist a split second before it connected with my jaw. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“That’s because I’m not a nice girl. In fact, I’m one nasty bitch so I suggest you get the hell away from me.”
While I would never hurt a woman, this one needed to understand that I wasn’t the kind of man who would allow bad behavior to stand. Not for any reason.
The best thing to do was disarm her. The inner bad boy grinned as I wrapped my hand around her throat, digging my fingers into her lithe neck.
That’s when I kissed her, crushing my mouth over hers. The shock of the taste as well as her body leaning into mine was instantaneous. For a few seconds, the experience felt like absolute heaven. I hadn’t had a woman in my arms or in my bed for years. I was almost instantly intoxicated from her perfume, the fragrance floating around me like one giant haze.
I thrust my tongue inside as she moaned into the kiss, her fisted hands pushing hard against my chest. The act of exploring the dark recesses of her mouth was filthy yet delicious, my cock aching like a son of a bitch. Time seemed to stand still as the electricity soared, my heart racing, my balls tight as drums.
As I kept my hold, she arched her back, grinding her hips against me and my hunger rocked off the charts. I wanted nothing more than to drive my cock into her tight little pussy as she wrapped her legs around me, screaming out my name.
I wasn’t even certain why I broke the kiss but as I dragged my tongue around her lips, the single purr she emitted was powerful, yanking out the Neanderthal inside. We were both breathing rapidly, the scattered sounds echoing in my ears. Damn, I wanted this woman.
Whoever the hell she was.
Then reality set in, forcing me to rethink my approach.
“You’re a pig,” she whispered, her words barely audible.
“Maybe so.”
“I’m going to… turn you in to the police or… I’m going to…”
“Uh-huh. Here’s the thing, you wicked brat,” I half whispered. “I don’t take kindly to anyone who tosses around accusations, especially someone who doesn’t know me. Especially if it ruins my chance for a business transaction. I also don’t like foul-mouthed women. Kinda pisses me off. You don’t seem to realize that you could land yourself in a whole mess of trouble making baseless accusations. The good folks of Missoula don’t like being messed with. So, here’s what we’re going to do.” I was prepared to drag her outside in an attempt to find out what the hell she was getting at.
Until she lifted her leg, attempting to knee me in the balls.
In a split second, I yanked her wrist as I stepped away from the building, the bad boy side of me reacting in an entirely different manner.
I thumped my boot on top of one of the chairs positioned next to the building and pulled her over my lap.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she squealed.
“I’m giving you exactly what you deserve. One. Hard. Spanking.”
Chapter 3
Danni
A what?
A spanking?
Oh, this man was a fucking asshole, even if he was the sexies
t cowboy that I’d seen… ever.
Bad boy.
Dangerous.
Delicious.
There were dozens of adjectives racing in the back of my mind as time slowed.
My entire body was shaking from the kiss, my pulse so high I was having heart palpitations. For all the bravado I’d tossed out, my legs were shaking. I’d been called names, shoved around, and followed. Fear continued to fuel my nasty attitude, enough so that I wasn’t able to control my reactions.
Including the fact my pussy ached, my nipples hard as pebbles. The second I’d stroked the cowboy’s cock, my mouth had watered. Christ.
I’d come here to take pictures in my attempt to find out if there was really something going on in the tight-lipped world of livestock auctions, but things had gotten out of hand. The hot cowboy certainly hadn’t helped at all. He’d scoffed at me, acted as if my accusations meant nothing.
Then the kiss and… and…
The dark and dangerous cowboy was so rugged, the scent of him like the most incredibly gorgeous man dunked in exotic cologne and testosterone. Just the way I’d felt in his muscular arms had created several tingles between my legs, my panties already damp from his savage, he-man actions.
Stop. Just stop.
My God, my mind was going off the deep end. What if my impetuous behavior would get me into some kind of trouble?
As he tossed me over his knee, I couldn’t react fast enough. Finally, the horror of the humiliation I was about to face riled my last nerve.
“Get off me. You’re one horrible bastard,” I yelped, trying my best to get out of his grasp. “You’re going to break my camera.” His brutal yank almost pitched the camera to the hard concrete surface.
“I won’t break your camera, brat, but maybe I should. Some people don’t take too kindly to their picture being taken,” the gorgeous cowboy growled.
“Jerk! I’m going to get you for this.”
“Now that you’ve called me every bad name in the book as well as threatened me with bodily harm, I’m going to make certain you remember that sweet talking a man will get you a lot more,” he said in a gruff voice as he grabbed my flailing arm, pinning it against my back.