by Lexi Post
“Hmm, that feels so good.”
At her words, an idea struck. It might only take her mind off her mom for a short period of time, but it would definitely relax her. Her problem was she took responsibility for everything, rarely admitting that anything was beyond her control. He knew one sure way to topple that in her psyche.
He ran his hand up her legs to the top of her jeans and unbuttoned them.
As his fingers found the zipper, her hand covered his. “What are you doing?”
He glanced up to see her eyes were still closed, her head still back against the couch.
“I’m undressing you. You’ve had a long day.”
“Uh-hmm.”
At her agreement, he swept aside her hand and unzipped her jeans. Hooking his fingers inside the waistband of both her pants and her panties, he worked them down. “Lift.”
Her hips rose until he worked the material past her ass, then she dropped them back onto the couch cushion. That she hadn’t argued with him was telling. She wasn’t just tired physically, but mentally.
Pulling her jeans off, he pushed back the throw rug as he moved the coffee table out of the way. To avoid cluing her in, he knelt before her again, ignoring the erection growing in his jeans to unbutton her tan western shirt and flick open the front clasp of her bra.
Her large breasts pushed the cups aside as if they’d been anxious to come out. She sighed, but didn’t move.
Quietly, he unbuttoned his own jeans and slid the zipper down, giving him some breathing room. With that accomplished, he began to work her shirt over her shoulders. Pulling her willing body toward him, he pushed the shirt down her arms until both sleeves were half off.
Slowly, he brought the ends of the sleeves together behind her back and tied them.
Her breath caught. “Wade.” Though her tone was a warning, the hoarseness of her voice revealed her true feelings.
He didn’t respond. Instead, he looped the sleeve ends one more time to knot them. When he leaned her back against the couch her arms behind her, he found her eyes open and darkened with desire. Yet still, she shook her head. “We can’t. You have to—”
He pressed two fingers against her lips. “I have to take my woman.”
Her chest rose as she took a deep breath.
He’d used the word take on purpose. They made love in many ways, sometimes quick, sometimes gentle, sometimes slowly, but he’d discovered only by taking total control of her could he help her when she felt overwhelmed. “No more words.”
Her eyelids grew heavy as he spoke. That she responded so quickly proved how much she needed this.
Moving his two fingers over her chin and down her neck, he felt her swallow. He wanted to kiss that very spot, but he resisted and continued lower, straight down between her breasts. Her rosy nipples were already hard and begging for attention, and they would receive it in due time.
He trailed his fingers lower, over her tight abs to her belly button. Again, he resisted the urge to stop and play and continued down her smooth skin, over her abdomen and down to her mons.
Kendra opened her legs, giving him access to whatever he wished.
Slowing his hand, he felt the hard nub of her clit beneath the pads of his two fingers and stopped.
His own desire inhibited his breathing, forcing him to take in more air to keep his focus. Gently, he let his fingers rest against her, pressing on her slightly.
Her legs spread wider, but she made no sound.
She wanted him to continue his journey and find her opening, but making her wait, not get what she wanted when she wanted it, was all part of freeing her from her burdens. He couldn’t let her direct his movements.
He dropped his other hand onto her knee, the surprise touch causing her to start. Good. He didn’t want her to guess his intention. He removed his hand and set it on her waist. Again, her breathing hitched.
Smiling, he lifted his hand and rested it on her shoulder. This time she relaxed. So he lifted it again and cupped her left breast. Beneath his hand, he felt the speed of her heartrate increase.
She’d finally fully capitulated, given up all control, which meant their lovemaking would refresh her in more ways than one.
What she didn’t know was what that did to him. It was all he could do not to flip her on to the floor and take her. He tried to think of it as good willpower practice, but his cock could care less.
Refocusing his thoughts on the soft mass cupped in his hand, he squeezed it, gently massaging the globe, but staying away from the pebbled skin of her areola. Without giving her a clue, he leaned forward and bared his teeth.
With well-practiced precision, he nipped at the hard nipple above his palm.
She moaned, but didn’t push her breast into his face like she normally would have.
To reward her for her capitulation, he took the hard nub between his teeth again and rolled it back and forth.
Her head lolled to the side as her breathing grew short.
With no warning, he pulled the nipple into his mouth and sucked hard.
Her moan this time was louder and her hips bucked against his fingers, pressing her clit between them.
He immediately let go of her breast. “I will decide what pleasure to give you and when.”
She nodded. It wasn’t the first time they’d done this. She well understood how her orgasm would be if she let him control everything.
He grinned despite his discomfort. She wasn’t very good at waiting…usually. To reward her for her patience, he moved his fingers twice in a circle against her clit, watching her as her mouth opened with her pleasure.
Though he told her he loved her, she didn’t fully comprehend how deep his feelings went. Despite that, he had no doubt she loved him. There was no half anything with her.
Leaning toward her again, he distracted her by brushing her left nipple with his thumb. Then he licked at her right nipple before gently sucking it in to his mouth, while his tongue continued to play.
He craved the taste of her and as soon as his brain registered that she’d remain pliant beneath him. Giving in, he sucked hard, his finger pinching her other nipple.
Her groan was an aphrodisiac that was too hard to resist. He moved his fingers on her clit up and down, keeping the pressure light, while her breasts received harder attention.
Stopping to view the rosy nipples and allow the sensations to subside, he caught his own control before returning to her pleasure, his fingers against her clit, never stopping.
The scent of her readiness filled his nostrils while his mouth and fingers were busy, making his movement jerks, instead of smooth. He couldn’t allow that and immediately lightened up on her body, keeping his strokes light, despite his rock-hard cock.
Taking his hand from her breast, he pulled his cock from his jeans, ignoring the light scrape of the zipper, which helped him find some semblance of control. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.
Opening his mouth, he released her breast and straightened to gaze at her flushed face. The soft, low sounds coming from her filled his heart with love. Sitting back on his heels, he removed his fingers from her clit and used his hands to spread her legs wider.
The hitch in Kendra’s breath was the only reaction she gave.
He couldn’t resist the scent of her desire any longer. Keeping one hand on her thigh, he lowered his head.
At the touch of Wade’s tongue on her opening, Kendra’s sheath tightened of its own accord. Luckily, Wade couldn’t know that or he might stop. It took all her will to remain relaxed and accepting. What awaited her if she did, was an intense orgasm that she could lose herself in.
He stroked upward and over her clit, as he gripped her legs to hold her in place. His tongue made another swipe, this time playing with her hard nub, eliciting sharp slices of pleasure before delving into her sheath.
He was magic with his tongue, repeating the same pattern multiple times, increasing her need until she started to pant. Then he let up, barely flicki
ng at her clit only to blow air on it.
As he began to play again, increasing his pressure, his fingers found her right nipple and rolled it. The excitement was so strong that she had to hiss to keep from bucking her hips upward. If she did, he’d lighten his ministrations.
He must have been pleased with her reaction, because his tongue didn’t leave her clit and the movements grew stronger. When his other hand left her leg, she hoped his finger would move inside her, but it didn’t. Instead, he captured her other nipple, giving it the same pinching pressure and roll as the first.
Her sheath was filled with readiness, but the illusive orgasm remained out of reach, Wade’s continued touching neither increasing or decreasing. She moaned, almost crying out with her desire, not sure she could wait, but even as she thought to force it by touching herself, the bonds of her shirt sleeves kept her from interfering.
He must have sensed her exquisite torture because his tongue suddenly stopped and was replaced with his lips. He gently sucked her clit between his teeth.
Her orgasm swept through her like a dust storm, obliterating all thought and sweeping her up to the pinnacle of ecstasy. She whimpered as she was tossed about by the sharp highs and lows of ultimate pleasure. Just as her world began to right itself, Wade pulled her forward and laid her out on the cold tile floor. As her nipples made contact with the hard surface, they hardened again, and she shuddered with anticipation.
Her hands, still tied behind her back, her face on the floor, she was at his mercy. Wade’s low growl behind her keyed her senses that he wouldn’t wait to take her. As soon as his hands pulled her ass up, she knew it would be hard and fast. Her sheath flooded with that knowledge just before his cock thrust inside her to the hilt.
His hands came down on either side of her, and he pulled out only to push in so hard that she slid a few inches on the floor. As if that was exactly what he wanted, he did it again, her nipples coming in contact with the rough grout between the tiles. The added friction tightened her sheath.
He thrust again, moving her across the floor a few inches at a time, her hands helpless to stop it as another dip between the tiles hit. This time when he pulled back, he grabbed her tied arms with his teeth and brought her back with him.
Her clit scraped, her nipples scraped, and his next thrust threw her over the edge. Her orgasm gripped her as Wade continued to thrust, finally kneeling back and pulling her hips back with him to spend himself inside her, prolonging her pleasure as he filled her.
When they’d regained more even breathing, he untied her hands, and pulled her up, holding her tight against his naked chest, his face against her back. She smiled that he’d managed to whip off his shirt but not his pants.
She leaned forward and he released her. Pulling herself off him, she turned around and sat on the floor to face him. “Thank you.”
He looped his hand around her neck and pulled her in for a long, lingering kiss. When he was done tasting her, he leaned his forehead against her. “My pleasure.”
She chuckled. “No, really. It was all mine.
Chapter Three
Wednesday continued.
Wade drove the golf cart just a little faster than appropriate. He hadn’t wanted to leave Kendra until she’d fallen asleep, but that had put him behind. He smiled as he passed the old west town across from the corral and barn. He wouldn’t be surprised if she was late to work, too.
At the ring on his phone, he let up on the acceleration and let the cart roll to a stop as he answered. “Hey, Mac.”
“I need a little help here. I’ve got a man with a rattlesnake bite and a hysterical wife.”
He glanced at the Stable Manager’s office, relieved to see no golf cart there signaling either Jorge or Crystal had arrived yet. “Are you at the main building?”
“Yes. I’ve called for an ambulance, but nothing I say is getting through to her.”
He hit the accelerator and turned the wheel. “I’m on my way.” Ending the call, he headed away from both the residences and the barn, taking the pathway down the forked dip and up to the main building faster than he should. If Kendra saw the dust cloud he left, her good mood would evaporate.
As he crested the small hill to the dirt parking area for carts in front of the main building, he slowed. Mac looked like a carved statue for all the emotion she revealed as a nude Mrs. Ditzman clearly railed at her.
Pulling up next to the golf cart with Mr. Ditzman, he stepped out.
“Oh, Wade. There’s got to be something you can do. He’s dying.” The woman, maybe fifteen years his senior, and far more wealthy, looked truly panicked. They were from Wisconsin and this was their first visit to Arizona.
A stern tone was definitely in order to cut through her hysteria. He nodded toward Mr. Ditzman, who sat in the cart, not moving at all, his jaw tight. “When did he get bit?”
As he expected, Mrs. Ditzman responded to his authority. “An hour ago.” She threw Mac a glare. “Maybe two. I’m not sure. It took forever for her to come.”
He glanced over the short woman’s head to catch Mac shaking her head. “And where did this occur?”
“We woke up before the sun and decided to go for a walk.”
At least it wasn’t a rattler in the casita. “So you ignored our warning about walking in the desert while it’s dark.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “How can you talk to me about this when my husband is dying?” Her voice ended on a sob.
Having established that the resort was not responsible, he took pity on her. “Mrs. Ditzman, your husband isn’t dying. I promise you.”
“How can you say that? Rattlesnakes are poisonous. He’s going to die. We have to get to the entrance. The ambulance might be there already. If we’re not there, they might leave. Oh, my God, what if they are there now and—”
“The ambulance won’t leave. And I can tell you your husband isn’t going to die before he reaches the hospital. I know because I’ve been bitten three times.”
That stopped the woman in her tracks. “You have? By a rattlesnake?”
“Yes. It comes with ranching in the desert. They live here, too, so it’s not uncommon. Now, do you want to help your husband?”
She nodded, obviously still stupefied by the fact he’d been bitten and had lived to tell the tale.
“Good. Then go back to your casita, get dressed and get some clothes for your husband. The ambulance won’t mind transporting him to the hospital naked, but he’ll need to leave the hospital eventually. And if you want to go with him, I guarantee they won’t let you unless you’re dressed.
The woman looked down at herself as if she’d completely forgotten.
“And while you do that, I’ll take a look at your husband’s snake bite.”
Relief swept over the woman’s features. “I’ll do that, but don’t let him leave without me.”
“I promise.”
Studying him for another second, she finally turned and headed down the path toward the casita they were staying in, but not before throwing Mac a glare.
He strode to their security guard. “Why don’t you go home?” He glanced up at the light hitting the top of the ravine Poker Flat was built in. “It’ll be dawn soon anyway.”
Mac shook her head. “No, I’m going to head up to the garage and meet the ambulance. I think it only fair to give them a heads-up about Mrs. Ditzman.”
He’d been stupidly old-fashioned when Kendra had hired a woman for a security guard, but Mac had earned his respect too many times to count since she’d come on board. “Thanks. I think they’d appreciate that.”
Mac didn’t say anything else. She just headed out at a jog since Mr. Ditzman was in her golf cart.
Wade turned back and walked up to the golf cart. “How are you feeling, Mr. Ditzman?”
“Like my foot is on fire.”
He crouched down to look at the man’s foot. Since there was some blood, he wouldn’t wrap it. Blood could help the hospital identify the right anti-venom fa
ster. It didn’t look like a deep bite, which was good as well. He looked up to assure the man and noticed he was sweating despite the cool temperatures, which meant it was due to the poison. “Mr. Ditzman, you’re a lucky man.”
“I am? I don’t feel lucky right now.”
Wade stood. “You are. You have a shallow bite. That means that as long as you remain calm, you will be as good a new in no time. You’re also lucky because our hospitals here know a lot about snake bites. And most importantly, you have a wife who loves you very much.”
Mr. Ditzman’s eyes rounded in surprise, before a small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “Yeah. She can be a pain, but she does love me.”
He looked over the cart to find Mrs. Ditzman hurrying up the path with a bag over her shoulder. She wore two difference sandals, but he didn’t say anything. “Why don’t you hop on the back there and we’ll get you to the ambulance.
Still out of breath from the quick climb, she plopped down on the back seat.
He got behind the wheel and drove as quick as he could down the path, not wanting to jar the man too much. Once they made it to the garage, they found the ambulance just pulling to a stop.
Two paramedics jumped out. He quickly explained what he’d been told and they ushered the couple into the vehicle. Before they shut the door, he stepped to the back. “Mrs. Ditzman, whenever they release your husband, you just call us and we’ll send someone over to pick you up and bring you back here.
“Thank you.” The woman started to cry then and the doors slammed shut.
He stood next to Mac, watching the ambulance race off. He had no doubt the man would be fine. The wife, however, was a different matter. He thanked fate again for finding Kendra for him. The last thing she’d do is become hysterical during an emergency. Angry maybe, but not hysterical. She’d save her break down for after everything was fine. He grinned at the thought.
“Don’t ask me.”
Having forgotten Mac was there, he looked at her. “Don’t ask you what?”
“Don’t ask me to go pick them up. That woman is pathetic.” Shaking her head, she started to walk toward the ravine’s cliff edge.