by Peyton Banks
Her body grew tense, and she rode the ripples of her climax.
Wade stiffened beneath her. His roar tore through the air. Joy continued to rock against him, wrapping her arms around his neck when he exploded.
His warm release filled her.
Joy collapsed on top of Wade, spent.
A small smile played on her lips.
Wade’s large hand rested on her back. They both lay together, their breathing erratic.
Joy closed her eyes and relaxed on him. At the moment, she didn’t want to think of anything else but them.
Right now, it was him and her, and that’s all that truly mattered.
15
Wade glanced down at his watch, and his heart skipped a beat. It had been an entire two weeks since he had run into Joy and her family at the Notorious C.O.W.
Two glorious weeks of seeing Joy practically every day.
Wade enjoyed her company. He would even go as far as to say that they were officially dating. It had been years since he had actually had someone he considered his girlfriend.
He loved everything about Joy.
Their personalities were similar. She made him laugh, and was extremely competitive about everything.
Most days, she came over in the afternoon after work. It was the highlight of his day.
She should be arriving at any moment.
He had just readied two horses for them. Today he had a special date planned. He’d gotten the idea a few days ago when she had shared with him how she’d had to scare off some coyotes from their sheep. This was a common occurrence for ranchers.
He, of course, made the wrong comment about her not knowing how to shoot.
He knew he was in trouble the moment her eyes narrowed on him.
“Any day you want to compete, you let me know, Wade Brooks.”
Her voice echoed in his head.
Well, today, Joy Whitaker was going to have to put her money where her mouth was.
“Two horses,” Carson grunted.
Wade glanced over and saw him and Parker walking into the barn.
He shook his head, knowing his brothers were probably about to bust his balls.
“Were you invited to go for a ride?” Parker asked Carson.
“Me?” Carson snickered. “Hell naw. I don’t think we’re cool enough to hang out with ol’ Wade anymore.”
Parker wrapped an arm around the youngest Brooks’ shoulder as they strode toward him.
“Don’t feel bad, Carson. One day, when you grow up and find a woman, you won’t want to hang out with your brothers either,” Parker announced. It was good to see Parker in a playful mood. He had been through so much recently, and it was nice to have the old Parker breaking through.
“Y’all are idiots,” Wade muttered. He shook his head and returned to his task.
He packed the last of the paper targets in a saddlebag and turned to his brothers. The spot he had planned to take her to was already together. He had stopped by earlier to set up old tin cans and glasses at the range they used.
“Is that what it is?” Carson gasped, holding his chest in shock. “Well, shit. What about the bunnies I hung out with last weekend? They don’t count?”
“You need to leave those women alone. They only want one thing.” Wade jokingly shoved Carson.
Carson put up his fist, playfully throwing it. Wade immediately blocked it, not above tussling with him.
It had been a while since they’d engaged in a friendly fight.
Carson grinned. “Hell, that’s all I’m looking for.”
They circled each other, with Parker observing. He adjusted his hat and folded his arms.
“I’d have to say today, my money would be on Wade,” Parker snickered.
“Why? ’Cause he don’t want to get his clothes dirty for his little date with Joy?” Carson responded. Moving quick, he rushed Wade, and caught him by the waist. Carson’s speed and strength had come in handy during his college football days.
“Always got jokes,” Wade snorted, landing a quick left to Carson’s side.
Carson released him and stepped back.
Their breaths were labored from their roughhousing.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to get you dirty, bro,” Carson chuckled. He straightened and held his side with a slight wince. “We wouldn’t want you to not be presentable for your date.”
Wade shook his head and smiled. He wrapped his arm around Carson’s neck. Knocking his baseball cap off, he ruffled his hair as he and Parker had done when they were kids.
“Don’t worry about my date,” he said.
“You and Joy have been spending a lot of time together. What’s up?” Parker asked, his gaze connecting with Wade’s.
He released Carson and shrugged, fixing his shirt.
“She’s been spending the night too,” Carson snickered. He dipped down and snagged his hat from the ground and dusted it off. “A lot.”
Wade’s gaze cut to Carson, who wagged his eyebrows at him. Carson was nosy as hell. How the hell did he know that?
Laughing, Wade swept a hand through his hair. It looked like he was busted. He was close to his siblings, and felt comfortable talking about Joy with them. He wouldn’t be going into intimate details or anything, though. There were some things that should be kept private, even between brothers.
“Joy and I are together,” Wade admitted. It felt good to get it off his chest and say it out loud. He had to keep a goofy grin from spreading. “I really like her. She’s an amazing woman.”
Images of her spread out on his bed came to mind, and he swallowed hard.
His cock twitched.
He had to push those memories away. There would be no way Parker and Carson would let him live down an erection in the barn.
“Does Pa know you’re dating a Whitaker?” Parker asked softly.
Wade shook his head. He hadn’t wanted to share that information with his father just yet. Jonah usually came out of the house early in the mornings. They would take him along the ranch in one of the four wheelers. The old man enjoyed the outings. It wasn’t on his horse, but he didn’t fuss anymore.
At least not about driving around in the carts.
Jonah Brooks always found something to complain about.
But the fresh air and small tasks out on the ranch were doing him some good. His coloring was looking better, and even the physical therapist agreed getting him out on the land and moving around was helping.
By the afternoon, he was back in the house with Eliana fussing and driving her crazy.
Joy had yet to tell her father. She’d shared with Wade that her mother, Georgy, and her sister, Lexi, knew of them. She wasn’t brave enough to tell her father yet, even though she understood she had to.
Wade realized this wasn’t right, and soon they would have to tell their fathers. He just wanted to ensure his was strong enough to know he was dating Whitaker’s daughter. It was a weak excuse, he knew, but seeing his father collapsing on the ground wasn’t something that just disappeared from his mind.
Wade could still see the color drain from his face before he had hit the ground.
He blinked, trying to clear the memory.
He and Joy were too old to be running around in secret.
They would have to tell their fathers, even if they did it together.
“Hey, fellas. Look who I found,” Maddy called out from the doorway.
They turned around to find Maddy and Joy standing next to each other. They both giggled, glancing at each other.
Wade’s heart skipped a beat.
Joy was dressed in cutoff shorts and a plaid shirt tied at the waist. Her dark hair was contained in two braids on either side of her head.
He swallowed hard, trying to guess what she had on underneath the clothes.
His girl loved lingerie, and he loved peeling it off of her. It was like getting to unwrap his Christmas gifts early.
He had eyes only for Joy as she walked toward him.
“Hey, Maddy. Hey, Joy.” Carson nodded to them.
“Hey, Carson,” the girls echoed simultaneously.
Maddy went to Parker, who pulled her in for a hug and kissed her forehead.
“How’s my Maddy girl?” Parker asked, his hand resting on her small baby bump.
“Better now.” Maddy grinned and looked up to Parker.
“Hey, there,” Joy greeted, smiling.
Wade opened his arms for her. She walked straight into them and wrapped her arms around his waist. Her body felt so damn good against his. It had been too long since he had seen her.
Last night, she had not stayed over, but had gone home, citing she had to get an early start today.
“I missed you,” he murmured, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips.
The barn had grown silent. He and Joy turned to find Maddy, Parker, and Carson with shit-eating grins on their faces.
He had forgotten they were there the second his gaze had met Joy’s.
Joy ran a hand across her face.
“Do I have something on my face?” she asked.
Wade smiled, knowing he had officially just claimed her in front of them, which he was fine with. He never hid anything from his brothers, and wasn’t going to start now.
“Why are y’all grinning like that? What’s wrong with you?”
Wade chuckled and rested his chin on her head. “Before you came in here, Parker and Carson were giving me the third degree about us,” he admitted.
“We were not,” Carson sputtered. “We were just inquiring about your intentions with our dear brother.”
Wade rolled his eyes. Joy released a giggle and glanced up at him. She patted him on his abdomen and turned back to them.
“Don’t worry, fellas. Your brother’s virtue has been—”
“Long gone,” Parker interjected, sending them all into a fit of laughter.
“Be that as it may, I’m finding your brother very useful,” Joy replied haughtily.
Wade pinched Joy on her ass. Squealing, she tried to squirm away from him.
“I’m just useful?” he growled playfully.
Maddy covered her face as she burst out laughing. Tears streamed down her cheeks while she fanned herself.
“It’s about time there’s another woman around you guys. I need something to break up all the testosterone,” she said.
“We’re not that bad,” Parker scoffed. He pulled Maddy in front of him and wrapped an arm around her. He turned his attention to Wade. “Where are you two going?”
“It was going to be a surprise, but I might as well tell her now.” Wade slid his hand down and entwined his fingers with Joy’s. “A certain woman, who will not be named, has issued a challenge. She apparently thinks she’s a better shot than me, so we are headed out to settle this.”
“Are you serious?” Joy spun to him, her grin wide. There was her famous competitive glint in her eyes. “Are you sure you want to tell them that we’re competing? I wouldn’t want your little pride to be hurt in front of your brothers.” She poked him in the chest.
“First of all, there’s nothing small about my pride,” he joked, drawing her close to him.
She gasped, and tried to push him away. He hoped she wasn’t embarrassed by his innuendo, but they were only around his brothers and Maddy. They’d heard worse.
“And second, you won’t be winning today. I guarantee that.”
His brothers snickered.
“A date with a woman and guns, now that is what I’m talking about.” Carson gave them all a salute and strolled toward the entrance of the barn. He spun around and walked backward. “I’m going to have to find me one.”
“What? A gun?” Maddy called out after him.
“Nope. A woman!” He grinned and turned, disappearing out of sight.
“Your brother is a nut.” Parker shook his head. His hand dropped back down to Maddy’s stomach. “Let’s go, babe. I’m sure we have to round Tyler up.”
They ambled toward the back entrance of the barn.
“You may have better success than me. Maybe we should get some rope and wrangle him like y’all do the cows,” Maddy suggested.
Wade was so happy for Parker and Maddy. They were in love, and it showed the minute they were next to each other. Maddy was good for his brother, and Wade loved her like a sister.
Joy laughed and turned to Wade. “Tyler sounds like me when I was a kid.”
“That nephew of mine loves the outdoors, and will try to hide from his parents when it’s time to go home.” Wade tugged her along and headed out of the barn where the horses were waiting for them. He snagged the saddlebag he had prepared and hefted it onto his shoulder. “I hope you’re ready for today’s ass kicking.”
Joy wagged a finger at him. “Don’t start talking your shit, Brooks.”
He grinned and pulled her close, dropping a hard kiss to her lips. He loved seeing her riled up.
She just didn’t know how good of a shot he was.
He was going to have to burst her little bubble and show her his skills.
16
“You’re looking mighty good on that horse, girl,” Wade teased.
Joy glanced over her shoulder and grinned.
“What’re you doing looking?” she joked. Her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. The second they’d left on horseback, they had been flirting back and forth. She sat up straighter in the saddle.
Joy had been in a playful mood when she got dressed. She felt like being a total country bumpkin. Short-shorts, her shirt tied at her waist, and she’d put her hair into two thick French braids.
Can’t get any more country than this.
Wade’s eyes lifted to hers, and his grin widened.
“I’m liking the way you’re sitting in that saddle,” he admitted.
“Is that so?” She batted her eyelashes as he brought his horse to ride alongside hers. Had she known they were going riding, she would have brought Jazzy. Dixie, the mare they’d lent her, was an intelligent, friendly horse who’d immediately taken to Joy.
Her gaze landed on Wade, and she would have to admit, he was mighty fine. He wore a soft T-shirt with his jeans and boots, and today, had on a Stetson. He was the epitome of sexy cowboy.
“You’re not looking too bad over there, Brooks.” She tossed him a wink.
His smile widened, and he lifted his hat and tipped it to her.
“Glad you think so,” he replied.
They fell into a fit of laughter. She was excited about the date he had planned. It just showed he was as competitive as she was. She had issued the challenge, not knowing he was going to make them go through with it.
If he wanted to get his behind whooped by a girl today, then she was just the one to do it.
“Follow me. We’re almost there,” Wade announced. He trotted ahead of her and Dixie, leading the way.
“Come on, girl.” Joy kicked her heels in to speed up the mare. She followed Wade through a wooded area for a few minutes. The path narrowed, and Dixie was extremely well-trained. She walked behind Wade and his horse without even needing to be instructed to do so. Soon, they came out to an opening that revealed beautiful rolling hills off in the distance.
Up ahead of them were man-made target posts. Cans and large glass jars were set up already.
“Someone came out here and got it organized?” she asked, impressed. Her heart skipped at the thought of him coming out earlier to prepare for their date. She glanced around and saw they had everything they would need.
He pulled his horse to a halt and turned to her. “I wanted to make sure there was no reason you would try to back out.” He dismounted and walked toward her.
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from this,” she chuckled.
He stopped by Dixie and held out his hand for her. She normally would have fussed and proclaimed that she didn’t need a man helping her from a horse, but she kept silent. Wade was being the sweetheart he was.
“Thank you, sir. Aren�
��t you a gentleman.”
He grinned. “Darlin’, you just don’t know.”
Taking his hand, she threw her leg over Dixie and allowed him to help her off. She purposely slid her body down his, allowing every inch of their bodies to meet.
Once on the ground, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his head close to hers for a proper kiss.
Joy wasn’t above using her feminine wiles to rattle Wade.
He tore his lips from hers and grinned.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to, pretty lady,” Wade murmured. He pressed his lips to hers for a chaste kiss and drew her closer.
She bit back a whimper at the feeling of his erection straining against her stomach.
“What are you talking about?” Joy called on her dusty acting skills to try to play innocent.
Wade ran his hands over her ass and gave it a squeeze. The feel of his hardness had her knees growing weak.
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
Another kiss, and he backed away from her.
“It’s not going to work. I’m going to win.” He laughed and walked back over to his horse. He took the saddlebag and threw it over his shoulder.
“Hey,” she scoffed, following behind him.
She was impressed by his setup, and could tell it was an area they had used many times. He took a few things from his bag and set them down on a wooden table that was constructed near a tree. Yeah, Wade and his brothers came here often. Their range was thoughtfully built, and had everything they would need.
Resting her hands on her hips, she turned to him. “You know you have an unfair advantage.”
“Just because my brothers and I come out here at least once a month, you think I have an advantage?” That sexy grin of his was in place. He marched over to her and gently slid a pair of protective glasses over her eyes.
Her body was going haywire.
She was always aroused when she was around him.
How the hell was she going to concentrate on shooting a gun with him watching her? She’d be lucky if she could get a gun to fire with him standing so close to her.
Wade leaned down and kissed her.
“Right now, I just need to make sure those pretty brown eyes of yours are protected,” he murmured before capturing her lips again.