The Start of Something Good

by Jennifer Probst

  "Stray bullets. Had to dig them out in a warzone, so it got a bit messy. They're kinda ugly, huh?"

  "They're beautiful." She dropped an open mouth to kiss the scars with tenderness. "What about your other arm? This crisscross scar?"

  "Bullets got me in the leg and right there on my last mission. Another messy surgery."

  "I think they're manly and sexy." His snort turned into a groan when she worked her way down his naked body for more investigation. The sheets tangled around his ankles, and she savored his musky, male scent. She pushed him onto his back and straddled his thighs so she had full access. Even after two rounds, he was hard again, his massive erection throbbing for attention. She ignored it, choosing to bestow her attention on his broad chest, generously sprinkled with hair, her thumbs flicking his tight, flat nipples. He jerked in a breath, reaching out to grasp her shoulders, but she lifted her head and wagged a finger.

  "No touching."

  "Ah, are we playing now? 'Cause I do enjoy a good game."

  A shiver shot down her spine at his dark, almost threatening tone. That dominant voice he used like a flick of the whip got her instantly wet, but it was her turn tonight. She'd never embarked on bedroom adventures before, never comfortable enough in her own skin. Sure, she'd donned lingerie, lit candles, and tried to play the role of seductress, but something had always fallen short. Looking back, she realized it was her own insecurity in her sexuality. But Ethan made her feel not only secure but also sexually wanton, the open approval and hunger in his eyes soothing her nerves, tempting her to take what she wanted, how she wanted. Mia liked this new part of her.

  A slow smile curved her lips. "Maybe. If you're really good, I'll give you what you want, horse man."

  "Princess, you have no idea what you just promised me." He propped up both arms behind his head, giving her free rein. "Go play."

  Her gaze dropped to caress his stiff cock. She licked her lips, enjoying the buzz of challenge between them, and lowered her head with slow, deliberate movements. "This should be fun."

  His smug smile faltered.

  When she dragged her tongue down the line of hair on his chest, he stiffened.

  When her teeth nipped at his hip, he muttered a curse.

  Mia reveled in every tremble and growl as she steeped herself in the beauty of pleasing him. His battered body was rock solid, with a lean strength and powerful muscle demanded of his job and his dedication. She slid down lower to stroke his damaged knee, where the skin was raw and puckered, a reminder of the bullets that had shredded flesh and muscle and bone with an intent to kill. She left no inch untouched by her lips and tongue and fingers, showing him with each stroke how she worshipped him.

  By the time she worked her way up, a faint sheen of sweat gleamed on his skin. His fists clenched behind his head, and his pale-blue gaze met hers with a desperation and need she couldn't deny. "Mia."

  She grasped his hard cock by the root and took him fully inside her mouth in one long, slow movement.

  He gave a vicious jerk. Burying his hands in her hair, he held the back of her head and arched his hips for more. Crazed by his response, she took him deeper, moving back and forth to lick the tip, then slide him toward the back of her throat. His balls tightened, and he grit out her name, but she kept up the pace, not slowing down, using her hands to squeeze and stroke every last inch, sucking harder, and then with a mighty roar, he let himself go.

  Before she had time to gentle her grip and take him back down, he'd grabbed her by the hips and flipped her over on the bed. Sliding his palms under her ass, he lifted her up to his descending mouth and devoured her.

  He sucked and licked and teased, and in moments, she edged near orgasm. Digging her heels into the mattress, she reached for more of that wicked tongue dancing over her clit. "Ethan, I need you."

  "I'm playing. Don't bother me."

  She moaned in torturous agony as his tongue circled the hard nub, and his fingers thrust deep into her pussy, curling just right to hit the sweet spot. Again. And again. She begged and cried his name until finally, he pulled back and donned a condom. Almost sobbing with relief, she tried to drag him toward her, but in one swift motion, he tossed her onto her knees. "Head down, baby. Hips back. This is my reward."

  He pressed his way inside her inch by slow inch. His fingers dug into her hips, holding her still until he was fully seated. The raw intimacy of the moment, along with her vulnerability, shattered the last of her control. She shuddered and moaned into the pillow, wiggling to get closer and force him to move.

  "You feel so fucking good," he groaned. He reached out and fisted her hair, turning her face toward him. "Eyes on me."

  He moved. With each slap of their bodies, the tension twisted tighter as his cock buried deep, filling every empty space inside her, shoving her closer to release. And with each thrust, his gaze locked on hers, until Mia was helpless to deny him. She shattered with a cry, and his mouth took hers in a rough, intimate kiss, and she let herself go.

  Later on, she realized she was already lying to herself.

  "Hey, Ethan, we got a problem over here."

  The sun had just broken over the horizon, but he'd been getting used to being up by dawn and already on the farm. He headed over to the barn on the far side of the property. It was the smallest of the bunch, holding mostly equipment and a handful of horses who were more senior and had been with the farm for a while. Harper and John stood aside, examining something with matching looks of worry. He stopped beside them and studied the wall of the barn.

  Spray paint in blood red scrolled the word BITCH.

  Underneath, in inky black, the word PRICK was in fat block letters.

  Two of the barn windows were smashed in. Broken glass scattered on the sill and littered the ground.

  "Horses okay?" he asked, his mind working quickly to piece together the strange vandalism.

  "Yep," Harper said. "Nothing's been touched inside the barn. Anyone hear something last night?"

  John shook his head. "Did my nightly check and found no trouble."

  Ethan regarded the crude words on the side of the barn. "Hey, Harp, any pissed-off boyfriends we don't know about?"

  She snorted. "Hell no. How about you? Piss off Mia last night?"

  "Ha ha. Seems like our criminal isn't gender specific. Did you call it in?"

  Harper shrugged. "Not yet. I will so there's a report on file. Sometimes the college kids drift off on a drinking spree and get mean. I've been thinking about installing cameras for extra security, but we haven't had any problems in a long time."

  "Let's get them installed this week," he said. "Just in case it's not a fluke. What about you, John? Gambling debts? Cheating on the wife?"

  John cracked out a laugh. "I wish my life was that interesting. I'll ask around to see if any of the other workers saw anything."

  "Okay. I'll check with Chloe when she gets here, too. Also Ophelia. Probably nothing to worry about, but I'll have the cameras up by this afternoon."

  "Thanks."

  Harper and John started the cleanup, and Ethan grabbed his phone to look up Gary from Beltran's Alarms. The bashed-in windows were more common than the profanity. It was just a bunch of horses and farm workers here. Who'd want to send a clear message of hate?

  A few hours later, he'd lined up Gary to come out and had spoken with all the other workers. No one had heard or seen anything, and no one seemed to think it was a specific grudge. Must be kids.

  He was heading over to work with Phoenix when Chloe entered the barn. "Hi, Ethan. I freshened up the hay in Barn Two. Can I help John with Missy's bath?"

  "Sure. Hey, I want to show you something. We had an incident last night, and I wanted to check if you heard anything."

  She frowned. "What incident?"

  He led her over to the damage. Her skin turned sheet white, and she gasped in horror. "Oh my God."

  "Not the most welcoming message." He studied her face, noting her shocked expression, and relaxed. He didn't
think she had anything to do with it, but with the past vandalism, he needed to consider it. "Any idea if someone was targeting the farm? Anyone mad at you? Or me and Harper?"

  She paled further. Her hands trembled slightly, but the girl shook her head, hard. "No. No one." Her voice sounded faint. Ethan watched her, noting the hesitation in her voice, the tone of someone covering up the truth. "Did you see who did it?"

  "Nope, but we're getting cameras installed so it doesn't happen again." He paused and drilled her with his gaze. "Did you do this, Chloe?"

  Her features turned fierce. Her blue eyes blazed. "I didn't do it, Ethan. I'd never do anything to hurt the farm or the horses. Please believe me."

  He studied her for a moment, then nodded his head. "I know, sweetheart. I believe you." And he did. Working with Chloe the last few weeks had bonded him to her in a way he hadn't expected. He was protective over the girl and proud of the way she'd grown under his watchful eye. Seemed like his intention to stay unattached to any person or animal who needed him was slowly fading away. Mia was in his bed every night. Phoenix had intrigued him. And Chloe allowed him a flash of what it felt like to mentor someone in his field--so different from the military.

  What was happening to him? When had his temporary retreat begun to turn permanent?

  He refocused on Chloe. "I don't want you to worry about this; we have it under control. I have to work with Phoenix, so John could use your help with the baths."

  "Okay." She walked off, her shoulders a bit slumped. Maybe he should talk to Mia about her reaction. He didn't want the girl to be scared of intruders when she was his responsibility while working here.

  He caught sight of Gary coming out of his truck and walked over to meet him. He'd feel better with the cameras. Maybe he'd dig a bit in town later on in the week and see if anyone had been causing trouble.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ethan regarded the horse grazing in the open field. Another week had passed, and now Phoenix allowed him near. His regular visits helped the horse get used to his presence. The horse now allowed him to stroke and comfort. And he took his treats--he had a terrible sweet tooth and a weakness for iced oatmeal cookies--with a trust that built a bit more each day. It had taken longer for Ethan to finally get a decent bridle on him and lead him outside, but he got there. Even the horse's sensitivity to noise was getting a bit better. Ethan banged an old tin can against his door a few times per day. When the horse spooked, Ethan was right there to soothe, until Phoenix began to realize noises weren't associated with pain. It was all good, but now the real challenge began.

  To get him to accept a rider.

  "He's bonded to you," Harper commented, watching Phoenix munch his way through the field. "Must be all those hours in the barn and Ophelia's cookies. He's a pig, too. They must've been starving him."

  "Probably."

  "Do you think he was raced?"

  Ethan kept staring at Phoenix, running the rope through his hands as he pondered his approach. "Yeah. I'll know more once I ride him, but that may be a while. Gonna need to find his hotspots and have him reconditioned. You know, there's no guarantees."

  "Just need a chance. He deserves it. There's something about him. Something--"

  "Special." The word popped out before his brain made sense of it. He'd bonded with horses before, especially since he was young. Ethan figured this one had dug under his skin because it had been so long since he'd tried to heal a horse, but it was more than that. His gut screamed there was a fire in the horse's soul that burned bright. It had been smothered, and Phoenix had forgotten it was there.

  Ethan intended to show him it was still there, ready to ignite.

  "You're coming for dinner tonight, right?" Harper asked.

  "Yep." A knowing grin tugged at her lips. He smothered a groan, realizing it was teasing time. "What?"

  "You and Mia. You make each other happy. I like seeing you both together."

  He quirked a brow. "Do you know you're channeling Mom right now?"

  "Nah, that's Ophelia, not me. I just like torturing you. So is this a summer fling or more?"

  "None of your business."

  She laughed again. "Sure it is. I have to look out for my big brother. Make sure she's not some hussy looking to manipulate and steal all your money."

  "She probably has more than I do," he muttered. "And I happen to like hussies."

  "Come on, just give me a little something so I'll leave you alone."

  "We're just having fun this summer. She has to go back in August when Chloe goes back to school."

  "No talk of the future?" she asked.

  "The moment we do, I'll be sure to call."

  He pushed away from the fence and headed toward Phoenix. Unease trickled through him at her sister's words. Ridiculous. Things were going great with Mia, and there was no need to analyze further. They'd fallen into an easy routine--working separately during the day, then eating dinner with Ophelia and Harper and Chloe. After sitting on the porch, chatting with various guests, they'd retire to his bungalow and spend the night together. Hei Hei was delighted at his new nightly companion and took pride in waking them both up before dawn with his enthusiastic clucking. Only Mia's appearance made him stop. It was getting to be quite a love story.

  Each night, another layer seemed to be stripped away, both physically and emotionally. He craved her body like a drug addict, but it was her brain that kept him long engaged after his stamina gave out. She combined a shy sweetness with a sassy spice that kept him mesmerized. She was smarter than him in too many ways and had a delicious sense of humor.

  She was the whole package.

  And she'd be leaving in three weeks.

  Shoving the disturbing thought out of his mind, he concentrated on the horse who had stilled and was waiting for him to approach. Ethan swung the rope back and forth in his hand, registered the slight tremble of nervousness shaking through his body. Yeah, it must've been bad. The horse had gained weight, and his coat was now a healthy, shiny black that gleamed in the sunlight. But Ethan knew it wasn't the outside that mattered. It was the scars on the inside that needed to be addressed.

  "Hey, Phoenix, how are you doing, boy?" He kept talking in a low voice, reaching out to stroke and coddle, enjoying the way Phoenix ate it up like he was starving for kindness. "See this rope I got? We're going to try to do some work with it, okay? I'd never hurt you, which you still don't know now. But in order to get to the other side of this mess, you need to go one way, which sometimes isn't pleasant." He rubbed under the horse's chin with one hand, lifting the rope overhead to throw over his back.

  The horse reared back, snorting madly.

  Ethan remained still, the rope still swinging in his hand. "Bad memory, huh? Yeah, this may suck. But eventually, you're going to realize what it feels like to carry someone on your back. To become one with a rider. To be free, the way you need to."

  Phoenix rolled his eyes back and pawed at the ground in a pure temper tantrum.

  Ethan grinned. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I never said it wasn't going to take a while. Let's calm you down and do it again."

  And he did.

  For the next few hours, he swung the rope. Phoenix retreated and gave him shit. Ethan soothed. The routine went on and on under the hot sun, until they were both sweating and tired. Until, finally, the rope swung over his back and he didn't move. Just panted madly, gaze fixed on Ethan, as if letting him know he'd try this only once, and if he got screwed, he was done.

  Damn, this horse was magnificent.

  He tied the rope around the horse just so he could get the feel of it, and then pulled the oatmeal cookie out of his pocket. It was smooshed, but Phoenix pricked his ears in delight and gobbled it up, slobbering all over Ethan's palm. He talked and stroked and patted all the horse's favorite places, then pulled the rope off his back.

  As he headed back to the stable, Harper and Chloe began clapping. "That was amazing," Chloe said.

  "Thanks, but it's only the first
step in a long process. Patience is the number one item needed when working with horses. Consistency is another."

  "Well, you're on the right track," Harper said. "Three people told me this horse was a lost cause."

  "No such thing. I'm gonna shower and head into town for a few. Meet you for dinner at six?"

  "Sounds good."

  He took his time changing into fresh jeans and a blue button-down shirt, then drove his pickup into town to stop at Bea's Diner. He had a plan for seducing Mia tonight, and it all started with one thing.

  Pastries.

  Damn, how he loved to feed her. Loved to watch her eyes roll back in ecstasy as the sugar hit her tongue. Loved the little sounds she made at the back of her throat--the same exact sounds right before she came. He had become officially obsessed with surprising her with various treats that were as high quality as he could get.

  Mia wasn't cheap. She didn't eat carbs or sugar unless it was extraordinary. And that was a challenge he relished.

  The cheery bell rang as he entered. A few of the townspeople waved him over, and soon he had been roped into having coffee, sharing the normal gossip and news. Mia seemed to be the hottest topic of conversation--and quite popular. Seems all the local shops were clamoring for her advice and wanted to put her on payroll. He dodged the most private questions and eventually got back to the pastry counter. "Hey, Bea. Ready to hook me up?"

  "Of course, sweets. I have something special I just made today for Mia."

  He frowned. "How'd you know it was for her?"

  Bea gave a tinkly laugh. "Sweets, I see it all over your face. You're smitten. Fran told me all about the cupcake festival and how you went to dinner there and insisted she try an apple cider doughnut. Said you both practically combusted when you looked at each other."

  Ah, shit. Was he blushing? Ex-Special Forces did not blush. "Just a summer thing," he mumbled.

  "Sure. Lacey Black got all pissy because you said you didn't want to take her friend out. That true?"

  Why was he surprised? There was never any privacy in this town. "Yeah."

  "Well, there you go. It's serious. Is she getting a tat from Tony? It's free."

  He shook his head. "How the hell does word get around so fast here?"

  "Nothing else to do but gossip and look out for our own--especially in the summer. Soon the college will be open, and those adorable teens will be filling my booths. I tell you, they may talk a good game about eating organic and vegetarian, but my burger-and-fries supply triples when they come back. Most of them are good for business."