“Deckland. There you are. Tucker dropped by to ask you a question,” Elsa said.
Deckland would rather go straight for the food and wine and forget shoptalk, but a rancher’s work was never done. “I thought you’d have called it a day by now, Tucker.”
Standing up, he pushed in his chair. “One of the cattle didn’t seem herself and I thought you might want to know. If you have the information for the vet, I can call and take care of it. You two can enjoy your evening.”
Any other time, Deckland would have taken the task on himself, but he knew Tucker was capable—not to mention, Deckland had a beautiful woman waiting on him. “Let me get that for you.” He took out his cell, clicked on contacts and found the number. Scribbling it on a piece of paper, he handed it over.
“Well, thanks for the hospitality, Elsa. I’ll be scooting and leave you two to that delicious smelling grub.” With a quick nod, Tucker headed through the door.
Deckland turned to Elsa, she was up and plating food. “What do you think of Tucker?”
She sighed. “I think he’s a man that’s had his heart broken. I’d say he’s still suffering.”
“That was my thought too. But let’s forget about good ole Tucker and dig into this meal. I’m starving.” He pulled out a seat for her. “You come and have a seat and let me get out plates.” Receiving a smile, she did as he requested.
After they’d finished eating, they shared the task of washing dishes. When he dried the last dish, he looked over to find Elsa watching him with a mischief eye.
“What’s that look, sweetheart?”
“Wanna go upstairs and see what sorta trouble we can get into?” She winked.
His heart raced at her loaded statement. Dropping the towel onto the counter, he took her smaller hand into his and together they climbed the stairs at a steady pace. Inside his bedroom, he closed the door, then pulled the curtain.
She met him in the middle of the room, bare feet touching. He watched her with neediness as she grabbed the hem of her shirt and dragged it over her head. Next, the shorts. She unzipped them and they fell at her ankles. He ticked his gaze over her red, satin bra to the matching thong that barely covered her mound.
“Let me do the honors.” He tucked his thumbs into the thin strings and tugged the wisp of material down her bottom as she shimmied her hips and legs. His gaze dropped to the apex of her thighs and his cock grew to ginormous length. The woman was going to be the death of him, but at least he’d die the happiest cowboy this side of Texas.
He skimmed his fingers over her flat stomach to the steamy, moist V and she quivered under his touch.
“You’re overdressed, cowboy.”
In record time, he discarded his clothes.
****
Elsa smiled, relishing in the naked cowboy. He belonged on a poster board for a perfect male specimen.
His cock, long and rod-straight, had a drop of pre-cum gleaming on the head. Moistening her lips, she wanted a taste of his splendid glory, to explore every inch.
A warm, pulsating tingle sped down her spine and nestled like a heat bomb between her thighs.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she crooked a finger, bidding him closer. He ate up the distance between them and stood before her, his erection the perfect level. Wrapping her fingers around his thick shaft, she brought her mouth on him, suckling him until he tickled the back of her throat. Gaining a rhythm with fingers and tongue, she licked him until his groans grew deep and authoritative. His long fingers tangled into her hair, gently tugging in message.
Standing to her feet, she dropped her head onto one shoulder so she could gaze into his welcoming eyes. “I like tasting all of you.”
He slipped his fingers across her cheek, his eyes turning dark and exposed. “I want to bury myself in you, darlin’, make you come until you fall into my arms in exhaustion.”
Her knees wobbled. “I’m game.”
“Turn and bend over, sweetheart,” he demanded, and the soft hairs on her body stood erect.
Bending over the mattress, she brought her bottom high and spread her legs wide. Cool air swept across her soaked pussy, and she knew she was more than ready to have him buried deep within her body. “I want you fast and hard,” she whimpered.
He finally touched her, his warmth enveloping her. He dipped a large finger over her wet folds and slipped the digit inside, thrusting in a wild pace. “You’re swollen and hot as hell.”
A shudder bounced across her flesh as her channel quivered. He withdrew his finger. His cock touched the top of her ass cheeks, slid between the deep cleft until his head pressed her awaiting core. She undulated her hips, tempting him to take her fast.
“I’m so hard that I think I’ll explode if I don’t have you.” He cupped her cheeks, lifted her slightly and pushed himself into her.
She cried out in delight.
His fingers pressed between her butt cheeks, rolling along the tight opening, slipping the tip of a finger into the virgin area. “Yes!” the word spilled from her parted lips.
Moving her bottom, she swirled her way along his shaft, inch by inch, allowing her muscles to ease over him in a tight embrace while his fingers increased her turmoil. When he removed his hand, her cheeks pressed his pelvic bone, she clenched her pussy muscles, clamping him along her moist cave. A groan flowed from deep within his chest as his fingers slipped to grip her thighs.
Bringing her chin up, she noticed her distorted reflection in the large picture hanging on the wall. She lifted her eyes to his narrowed gaze and the slight pout of his plump bottom lip. Adrenaline washed through her, creaming her core. She enjoyed seeing him, watching him, when he had no clue.
He filled her completely, stretching her and reaching her most intimate parts. Her brain whirled with endorphins as her body raced toward release. His breaths grew heavier in her ear, and she knew they were both close.
He leaned over her, brushing her hair off her neck as he kissed her sensitive skin. He flicked his tongue along the curve, sending tingles of pure pleasure long her weak limbs.
Pulling himself out of her, he teased her pink lips with his head, plunging inside of her, then out again. She whimpered, drowning in pleasure as he teased her into bliss. Circling her hips, she bucked her ass hard against his hips, his balls bounced against her flesh, the crisp hair chafed her warm flesh. “I-I’m coming.” The words came out in a hoarse whisper.
“Yes, baby, yes!”
He pumped faster, harder, sliding to his tip then thrusting into her—a tempo of ecstasy. He cupped her bare breasts, tugging and rolling her nipples while kneading the mounds in his large palms. Her boobs had never been more sensitive.
The raspy hair on his chin scraped against her shoulder and her neck, before he nibbled her earlobe and darted his tongue along the bend. She arched, laying the back of her head against his wide shoulder. Her heartbeat raged in her ears as her pulse raced. The pumping of his cock was at a perfect rhythm, touching all of the right places.
Goosebumps raised her flesh and the throbbing in her pussy increased as an orgasm like no other pounced through her. Stars speckled her eyesight and rainbows shattered like sweet candy through her. Paradise beckoned her into its warm arms, dragging her through an invisible maze of pure stupor.
Life would never be the same for her.
He moaned her name followed by an expletive she couldn’t quite wrap her brain around. Grabbing her shoulders, he dug his fingers into her skin as he braced her, his body tightened as he froze.
When the vibrations of his body ceased, he slipped out and turned her around to face him, cupping her cheeks, gazes melting into a blue-invigorated puddle. “I want you to sleep with me. I want to hold you in my arms and hear you breathe.”
“Anything you want, Deckland.” She kissed his cheeks and smoothed the pad of her thumb along the curve of his bottom lip.
CHAPTER NINE
ELSA LOOKED UP from the flowers she was watering when she heard tires on gravel.
She brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the glare of the bright sun that blurred the car as it pulled along the grass and parked. The door opened on the sleek, silver BMW. A large ring on the driver’s right hand glistened and she lifted her gaze to his face.
Elsa’s heart crashed into her stomach. Oh my God!
The watering can slipped from her fingers and she barely noticed the cold liquid on her feet as adrenaline scorched her veins. The man, with too much confidence, strolled her direction, a smile lit his good looks.
“What are you doing here?” Her throat ached.
“I should ask you the same question, sweetheart.” Her ex-husband, Tom, smoothed his red, silk tie.
The past that she’d tried hard to forget stood within several feet of her, wearing a designer suit and spotless loafers. Not a hair was out of place in his slick style. Seeing him now, after so long, she couldn’t imagine that she’d once loved him—if she could call it love. As he looked at her with dark eyes of ownership, repulsion sped through her.
“You need to leave!” She forced the words through tight lips as she took a step backward toward the porch.
“Do you really think you can leave me?” The arrogant accent that she’d once found irresistible made her stomach turn.
“I divorced you.” Her bottom lip trembled.
“That’s only a technical hiccup, my dear.” He took a step closer. She withdrew, stepping on the plastic water can, and it cracked under her foot. “You’ve sent me on somewhat of a goose chase.” The darkest eyes she’d ever seen penetrated her flesh. He manipulated many people with his charm and handsome features, but she knew he was the devil in tanned flesh.
“Coming here is a waste of your time. We are through.” She made it to the bottom step.
Stiffness set his jaw. “No, we’ll never be through. You and I belong together.” He smiled and she wanted to run.
“You’re on private property. I’ll call for help. There are ranch hands here, and they’ll come if I scream.” Her threats sounded like idle snips, and not one muscle in him flinched. Of course he wouldn’t. He’d lived his entire life bullying others, pushing people around…including her for years until she’d left.
He laughed and it ripped through her. “Come now, sweetheart. Gather your things and return home with me. Enough playing hard to get. I’m growing impatient.”
There was a latent meaning to his words that ignited panic through her. He was dangerous and she wished he could no longer induce fear within her. Digging deep, she found bravery she didn’t have long ago. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Cold bitterness spread over his prominent features as he leaned against the post of the railing, tapping his manicured fingernails on the wood in a mechanical beat. “Elsa, I encourage you to rethink this craziness. You don’t belong here.” He swept a hand through the air and ticked his gaze over her. “Look at you. Did you crawl out of bed and forget to brush your hair this morning? You’re taking this country living to the extreme.” His nose wrinkled.
“Go to hell. Your abusive words no longer have the same effect on me. I’m over you.” She kept her gaze steady, matching his chin tilt.
He blinked but gained his composure. “You never did like the truth, did you? Stop pretending that you have a life beyond me—us. This cowboy you’ve been fucking will throw you to the dogs once he is finished.” His lip curled. “I’m the only one who really knows who you are, what you are.”
“You know nothing about my life now,” she snapped.
A brow curved. “I don’t? Deckland Brooke. Two brothers, Dante and Dillon. Parents died in a tragic accident years ago. Deckland is quite the saint. I’m sure you enjoy taking care of a man with a bad heart. I’m sure a man in his condition doesn’t need drama from a disaster like you.”
Her mind skipped back to the medicine bottle she’d found in the bathroom. Deckland didn’t seem like he had a ‘condition’. She certainly wouldn’t discuss him with Tom. “There was no drama until you came here. Once you go, the spectacle goes with you.”
He laughed. “I heard about the fire.” He blew on his knuckles and swiped them across his lapel. “Such a sticky mess.”
“What do you know about the fire?”
“That it’s such a harmful thing—fire destroys personal belongings, takes lives and creates a mess for all involved.” His intense gaze swallowed her whole.
Disgust burned her gut. “You—you started the fire?”
His cold chuckle made a bird squawk in a nearby tree. “Me? Oh, no. But you wouldn’t want to pass along your poor luck on others, would you?”
“You wouldn’t dare! You may have destroyed my life in the past, but I won’t let you hurt any of the people I care about.” She clenched her hands into fists.
“Then we see things the same, sweetheart. Come with me and no one shall suffer from your injudicious decisions.”
“Go back so I can be your punching bag after you’ve spent a night drinking and screwing one whore after another? Never!” She was so angry she shuddered.
“I had to fuck someone after you became a cold bitch. But you’re right. They were whores, but you were my wife.” His gaze softened slightly. “You’ve punished me enough. Come along and I’ll prove I can be a good husband.”
“We’re no longer married.”
“We can change that. We will change that glitch. You must understand that if I can’t have you, no one ever will.”
Her eyes blurred with tears, but she refused to cry, not wanting to gratify him with her emotion. Over her dead body would she allow any harm to come to Deckland. “You can’t threaten me.”
His impatience snapped like a twig, reminding her of his cruelty when he’d broken the neck of her cat as a means of punishment after she’d denied him what he’d wanted. His malevolent ways were numerous and she realized long ago if she hadn’t gotten away from him when she had, he’d have broken her also—but more than that, he’d have tortured her in his psychotic trap until she became an emotional vegetable.
He took the short distance between them in two strides and, before she could make it to the door, he had his harsh grasp on her elbow and tugged her hard against his chest. He was thinner than Deckland, but his strength was identifiable. He stared down at her, his lips curled and his eyes dancing like fire.
“Get your things, now!” Spittle flew through his tight lips.
Her mind raced as her body threatened to weaken. She was at a loss. She’d known this day would come.
“Is everything okay?”
The deep voice brought Tom around. Elsa brought her gaze over his shoulder onto Tucker. Relief spun through her. Her ex released his hold and took a step back as a manipulative smile played at the corners of his mouth. He was good at turning on and off his charm.
Elsa rubbed the aching in her arm where she knew he’d left a bruise.
Not getting an answer, Tucker’s jaw tightened. “Elsa? Is all okay?”
Tom flicked her an intimidating eye.
“Yes. I—I was just talking to an old friend.” She forced a smile, which she’d perfected after years of pretending.
A skeptical glare turned Tucker’s face hard. He stepped forward and after a long second, he stuck out his hand. “I’m Tucker Bailey. And you’re—?”
“Tom, Elsa’s husband.”
“Ex-husband.” She corrected.
Tucker glanced over Tom’s shoulder and targeted Elsa with a curious gaze. Tucker dropped his hand, apparently realizing Tom wasn’t going to oblige him. “Sometimes we forget the ‘ex’ part of that introduction. Anyway, I came up to offer a hand to Elsa with the flowers.” He gave her a meaningful look. She caught the underlying message.
“Thank you, Tucker. Tom was just leaving.” She straightened her back and tilted her chin at a sharp angle. Bravery came tenfold when she had back up like Tucker. Tom though
t he was tough, but Tucker was taller and brawnier by far.
Tom didn’t offer even a squeak of refusal. He turned to Elsa, gave her a smooth, but powerful, grin. “Remember what I said, sweetheart. We shall see each other again.”
Expletives shot off in her brain, but she bit them back. No reason to tease the bully. He was leaving and that was what she wanted. She didn’t want to encourage an altercation between the two men, and the last thing she wanted was for Deckland to show up while Tom was here.
He walked toward his car and got in. He waved through his open window before jetting out of the drive, stirring rocks and dust.
“I know an ass when I see one and that man is prime example of one of the biggest.” Tucker shook his head. “I’m going out on a limb here, but the bastard is a thorn in your behind, right?”
Elsa wrapped her arms around her waist as her adrenaline flow finally slowed. “I’m sorry you had to get involved, Tucker, but thank you for coming when you did. Tom makes my skin crawl.”
He shrugged, his dark eyes sincere. “I’m glad I could be of assistance. It’s been a long time since I’ve had to physically handle anyone, but I’m sure a pipsqueak like that guy wouldn’t work up much of a sweat.”
“He’s a big coward, unless it’s a female.”
Tucker nodded. “I’m getting the feeling Deckland doesn’t know about pretty boy Tom.”
Sweat beaded on her upper lip. “I—well—no, he doesn’t. I tend to keep my past a secret, for obvious reasons. My ex isn’t a gem, as you surely saw.”
“No explanation needed. But, I have feeling your ex means business and plans to be the bumblebee on a horse’s ass until someone swats him. Deckland’s an understanding man, but he also has his limits. Good thing Tom ole boy dashed out of here before Deckland got back. The scene wouldn’t have been pretty. And maybe it’s none of my business, but he cares for you, it’s obvious, and he’s always been protective over those he cares for.” He tipped his hat and left her standing in a tug of war of emotion.
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