by Grey, Helen
She’s got game.
I knew she would be sore in the morning, if she wasn’t already, but I also hoped that she hadn’t been bruised too badly. The pressure of her breasts against my shoulder blades was distracting. Every bounce over the road brought her nipples in contact with me. Every turn prompted her to clench her thighs a little bit tighter against my own. Every small bounce into the air when the tires left the dirt, which I did try to reduce, caused her to clutch her arms more tightly around my waist. I didn’t know why, but I was definitely aroused. My cock remained in a semi-hard state that had me feeling a combination of chagrin and amusement.
I was actually surprised that she had either initiated or endured the kiss, whichever it was, and I was even more surprised by my own reaction. Her sudden intake of breath, the glimpse of the pulse pounding in her throat, the expression of surprise in her eyes, had me wondering. She was different, that was for sure.
By the time we reached the top of the ridge line, I was impatient to get off the ATV and walk around a little. To walk off my arousal, my confusion, and focus on the task at hand. I turned off the engine and climbed off. Took several steps away from the ATV to gaze down at the panoramic view spreading into the distance.
“What an awesome view!”
I turned to see Misty standing behind me. I smiled as her gaze took in the valley below. I never grew tired of seeing the pleasure on someone’s face when they took in the beauty of their environment. I nodded in agreement.
“Definitely,” I said, gesturing. “Hunting, a small lake over there offering a variety of fishing styles to anglers, over one hundred miles of hiking trails, fifty miles of bike trails, and about thirty miles of trail for four-wheelers.”
“And people who come here, do they mainly stay at the cabin or are they pitching tents out here?”
“We have two campgrounds for those coming by RV and who prefer to be close to the main cabin and the ranger station, which is just outside of the south end of our property line. The campers who prefer the wilderness can come out here and pitch a tent just about anywhere they please, although fire laws are strictly enforced.”
“By whom?”
“Fire Rangers and my own employees, who should be arriving within the next week to get things set up.” I glanced at her before turning back to admire the scenery. “Anyone not abiding by the rules of the facility is evicted. No ifs, ands, or buts. No excuses. That means anyone caught using non-approved weapons for hunting, found going over the fish size or limit or burning campfires outside of restricted areas or in any other way being careless in such matters. You break the rules, you get booted off the property.”
“Kind of an extreme approach, isn’t it?”
I turned toward her. “Have you ever seen how fast a forest fire can travel in the middle of summer? A pond or lake overfished to the point that it damages the ecosystem around it? A deer felled by fire from an AK-47?”
She frowned. “Why would anyone hunt deer with an AK-47?”
“You’d be amazed at what some people do,” I scoffed. “I have no problem with anglers or hunters as long as they abide by traditional sportsmanship. I have no patience with novices who fail to follow a wounded animal to put it down or those who hunt just for the sake of killing.” I glanced at her. “And you can put that in your magazine article.”
She gazed up at me. “So basically, you’re telling me that you run your properties with an iron fist?”
I shook my head, annoyed by the question. “Not an iron fist, no. Just certain expectations of basic human decency. If you kill it, you eat it or offer the meat to be sold. Like I said, I have no patience for those who kill just for the sake of killing.”
She continued to stare off into the distance. I didn’t know what she was thinking but I waited for more questions. Actually, I was curious how long it would take her to ask the question.
“So tell me, Mr… Blake,” she amended. “Exactly how many properties do you own and operate now?”
Actually, I was hoping that she didn’t ask a lot of questions right now. It’d been a long few weeks in San Francisco and I had been so looking forward to just being outdoors by myself, enjoying the sense of peace that always flowed through me when I was in the wilderness. It wasn’t that I was antisocial exactly, but I also was realistic enough to acknowledge that I was not a socializer. I was not a people-person. Which was the main reason I’d hired good people for my board. It was no secret that I had little patience with the social functions, fundraising, or actual promotion of my properties, although I knew that each was required as owner and developer.
“Blake?”
I glanced down at Misty, who was looking up at me expectantly. Once again my eyes swept over her features. She was attractive, no doubt about it. Her curiosity seemed genuine as well. “At the moment, eight, at least here in the states. I’m also considering the acquisition of a few international properties.”
“Really? Where?”
“Well, I can’t go into great detail, but one is in Mexico, down near the Yucatán Peninsula, and then there’s one in Scotland and another in Spain.”
“You like doing this, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “Of course, I do, or I wouldn’t be doing it.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said, looking back to the view. “I’ve seen a lot of people doing things they didn’t really have a passion for just for the sake of money.”
I pondered that. “Okay, was that last question official? About how many properties I have?”
“Sure,” she nodded. “It might be common knowledge, but I’ll ask more about them later, as well as what you expect to offer and gain from international acquisitions. Not just financially.”
“Okay,” I grinned. “Now it’s my turn to ask you a question.” She turned from admiring the view of the stream meandering its way along the valley floor to glance up at me. Her expression shifted from admiration to wary. Nevertheless, she nodded. “Where did you come from, Misty Rankin?”
“North Dallas,” she replied, turning her gaze back to the wilderness. “What about you?”
I laughed. “Nice way to slide that one in. But as you should know from my biography, I was born in Kansas. Shawnee County to be precise. But you probably already know that, don’t you?”
She answered my question with another and it wasn’t the one I expected. “So you’ve always been an outdoorsman,” she said. She didn’t ask it as a question as much as a statement. I nodded.
“I’m curious, Blake,” she continued, turning toward me. “I’ve been told that you like to bust broncs, skydive, scuba dive, bungee jump, and do that thing with the wings suits. I’ve also seen firsthand that you like to go four-wheeling. Is there anything that you don’t do?”
I grinned. “Sure, there’s one thing I don’t do, something that even gives me the shivers.”
She gazed up at me, her expression befuddled and expectant. Finally, she stamped her foot with impatience. “What is it?”
“I get to ask you a question again.” I enjoyed teasing her and was beginning to feel that she wasn’t in the least impressed by my bank account, or how many properties I had. She seemed more interested in learning why I did what I did. A nice, refreshing change of pace. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if she was just warming me up. Inevitably, I knew the question would come out.
“Tell me, Misty, what do you like to do for fun?”
She thought about it, opened her mouth, then changed her mind. She flashed me a brief look of chagrin. “I don’t have a lot of extra time on my hands,” she replied, offering a one-shouldered shrug as she returned her gaze to the distance, watching the slow circling of a hawk far overhead.
“And if you did have more time?”
She sighed. “Oh, I don’t know. I used to like horseback riding, which in Texas certainly isn’t anything new.”
“Did you have a horse growing up?”
She gazed up at me and lifted an eyebrow. “It’s your turn, Blake. Now wil
l you please tell me that something you don’t, or can’t do. That something that gives you the shivers?”
I offered a short laugh. “Spelunking.”
“Cave exploring,” she said, offering a slight shiver of her own. “I wouldn’t do that if you paid me.”
“I don’t either,” I said. “Never have, even when I was little. I’m not sure why because I’m not afraid of much of anything…not even the dark.” My voice trailed off as I thought back. I couldn’t remember exactly when my fear of caves or tunnels developed, but I’d experienced it for most of my life, at least as far back as I could remember.
“Interesting,” she said. “Why?” The question was soft, contemplative. “You’re an adrenaline junkie, I get that. Most adrenaline junkies thrive on thrills—”
“My turn,” I broke in. “You like to ride roller coasters?”
She offered a short burst of laughter. “Hell no! If I turn around too fast, I get dizzy.”
“Then what do you like to do for thrills, Misty?”
I wasn’t surprised to see the flush creep up into her cheeks. I’d seen her blush before, several times already, and the emotions she held inside piqued my interest. Why the flush? What secrets was she hiding? Despite my attempt not to, I became more curious about her.
The cry of the hawk soaring high overhead interrupted my thoughts and I gazed at it for several moments, admiring its grace and beauty. Then I turned and headed back for the ATV. Playtime was over. We needed to get back to the ranch house. “Come on, Misty, let’s head back to the cabin.”
She nodded and followed. As she climbed onto the back of the ATV, she wasn’t able to stifle another groan as she swung her leg over.
“You’re starting to feel sore from your fall, aren’t you?”
She replied without hesitation. “Yes, and I have a feeling I’ll be even more sore tomorrow.”
“I’m sure a hot bath tonight will go a long way toward soothing your aches and pains,” I said just before I started the ATV. Her response was drowned out by the roar of the engine. I shifted my hand, opened the throttle, and then we took off back down the hill. Once again, Misty held on for dear life, prompting me to smile.
I could just imagine what was running through her mind. Spending the night alone with me in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere? Then again, maybe not. Maybe she wasn’t concerned at all about my presence. It wasn’t like I planned to seduce her or anything anyway. Still, I wondered why she wasn’t protesting having to spend the night alone with me. Her assignment? Was she worried that if she didn’t complete the interview she would be fired?
As I made my way carefully down the mountainside, I wondered about that. Just how far would she go to complete her assignment? Not that I was thinking of taking advantage, far from it. I reminded myself that she wasn’t my type. But what if she were? Would I feel tempted to make a pass at her? Offer an innocently phrased comment dripping with innuendo? An outright invitation to spend the evening doing something other than contemplating the silence or reading a book in the main room? I thought about that. Every time her breasts bounced against my back, I thought about it. At the same time, I knew that doing so would come with severe ramifications, especially if she wasn’t open to such advances.
Maybe that’s what made me so curious about her. Would she or wouldn’t she? I wondered how she would react if I made an overt advance. I tried to focus on the dirt trail. What was I thinking? I wasn’t the type to play around with people’s feelings or emotions. I’d been on the receiving end of that far too often. I shook my head, uncertain where all these feelings came from.
I didn’t know Misty Rankin. I had no interest in getting to know her either. She was here for an interview. Nothing more and nothing less. I had agreed to answer her questions, to a limit, and then we would each go our separate ways.
Still…
By the time we got back to the cabin, it was mid-afternoon. The sun was slowly dipping toward the west, the warmth soothing but not overwhelming. A breeze flowed through the tips of the pine trees and tugged at my hair. I pulled the ATV back into the barn and turned off the engine. She climbed off the back first and I followed suit.
“What now?” she asked, heading for the barn door.
What now indeed…?
By the time Misty got halfway to the house, I noticed her stiffness. I knew instinctively that every muscle in her body protested. I had fallen a time or two myself. As she took the three short steps onto the porch, she couldn’t help but wince. Unfortunately, I saw it.
“You’ve hurt yourself, haven’t you?”
She turned to me, automatically shaking her head. “No, I don’t think it’s anything serious, just bumps and bruises. I’m not used to… I’m not used to falling off four-wheelers and my muscles are reminding me of that.”
She seemed surprised by my frown of concern. “If we don’t do something about this now, you’ll barely be able to move tomorrow,” I said, opening the front door and allowing her to enter in front of me.
“What do you suggest? It’s not like I can take a backsie, can I?”
“A what?” I asked, not understanding.
“I can’t go back for a do-over,” she explained.
Misty
I didn’t like it when he grinned. In fact, I really wished he wouldn’t do that. It made him far less intimidating and so much sexier. And sexy was the last thing I wanted to think about when I looked at Blake. It was hard enough as it was. That grin made it just about impossible. Every nerve in my body came to attention and I found myself staring at him again.
“I can make up a liniment,” he commented. “It doesn’t smell that great, but it does work wonders.”
“What’s in it?” I asked warily. I’d been around liniment plenty of times in my youth.
Again, that damned grin.
“A little bit of this, a little bit of that.”
I sighed. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. At least any more than I do already.”
“Why don’t you go upstairs and take a shower or better yet, soak in a hot bath for a while. I’ll gather the ingredients and whip up a batch. It takes about an hour, so take your time.” He thought a moment. “Go ahead and use the same room as before. It has an attached bathroom. Some of the others don’t.”
“I’m not interrupting any plans you have for the rest of the day, am I?” I asked as I headed for the bottom step. I glanced up at the second floor, mentally counting the steps I had to navigate to get there.
“Not this afternoon. I need to look over some paperwork in the office, nothing exciting. Tomorrow, I have to head into Klamath Falls for a while, but like I said, if you get much stiffer than you already are, I won’t be taking you with me.”
Misty sighed. “I’m sorry, Blake, I don’t mean to interrupt any of your plans—”
“You’re not, and besides, it was my fault for going too fast.” He gestured upstairs. “Can you make it? You want me to carry you?”
I did a double-take. While my mind shouted yes, that I would love for him to carry me upstairs, the reality of it caused me to frown. While he certainly looked strong enough, I wasn’t about to get that up close and personal. It was awkward enough, the way he was glancing at me. Was he assessing my weight? I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. What else could he be thinking?
“No, I don’t need you to carry me,” I said. “I can get upstairs all by myself, thank you very much.” Again, he grinned, and I realized that he had been joking. A least I hoped so. Nevertheless, my nether regions began to tingle and throb at the very thought.
“Only one thing,” he added. “Not more than four inches or so of water in the tub, okay? Until I get the resort up and running, we only have a limited supply of water in the tank.”
I looked over my shoulder at him, surprised. “You’re going to ration water usage when you have guests?”
He nodded. “For the short term. Besides, this place won’t be listed as luxury accommodations, but rather rustic
. I’m not sure if you noticed, but none of the rooms have televisions or even Internet access. And as I mentioned, even cell service is sporadic. Nothing like a getaway to get away, right?”
He turned and headed for the kitchen as I took the steps slowly, one at a time, gritting my teeth at the stiffness in my hips, and the protest my thigh and hip muscles shouted at me with every upward step. The back of my left shoulder was also extremely sore. I hoped I hadn’t pulled any muscles, but the one between my shoulder and my neck definitely felt a lot stiffer than it had even an hour ago.
By the time I got up to the second floor and slowly walked down the hallway, I was looking forward to a nice, long soak. I didn’t want to take too long, but enough to rinse the dirt from my hair and my skin and maybe soothe the growing ache in my muscles. I was surprised that the tumble had caused my body such distress, but I had landed hard and then rolled numerous times.
I stepped into the bathroom and stooped down over the bathtub, groaning again. I placed the plug into the drain and then turned on the faucets, adjusting the water temperature to my liking. While the water ran in the tub, I slowly undressed. I stepped naked into the bedroom, assessing my body in the large mirror on the closet door. Viewing myself, I didn’t notice any severe bruises. At least none that showed up yet. A few scrapes, but nothing serious. I wondered what Blake would think if he could see me naked right now.
Shit. Why do I keep thinking about him?
What I saw in the mirror was a shapely form, maybe more padded than others, but hadn’t that been all the rage during the Victorian age? Ample, plump breasts that despite their size were surprisingly firm and didn’t droop. Dark areolas and nipples, which instantly hardened at the thought of Blake looking at them. An hourglass figure. As far as I was concerned, I was appropriately proportioned. Still, not for the first time, my gaze focused on the large birthmark that ran like a jagged and loosely formed lightning bolt from the bottom of my left breast across my chest and meandered its way toward my right hip.
I hated that birthmark now more than ever. Would Blake find it as abhorrent as I did? None of my ex-boyfriends had ever seen it. Well, just one. After that, anytime I’d had sex, it had been in the dark; sex in the backseat of a car in high school, a nighttime rendezvous in my dorm at college, and once with a guy I met in a bar. Much to my chagrin and shame, I’d done the dirty standing up in an alley that time. My only excuse was that I’d been off my ass drunk.