by BJ Wane
A disturbed look crossed Aislyn’s face as she pulled her roll apart. “You didn’t enjoy your time upstairs with him the other night?”
“No, I did.” Roz wouldn’t lie, to herself or anyone else. Drake’s rough fucking, followed by his attentive focus on just her, had been a dream come true, a memory to sustain her if she ended up spending time in prison.
“But?”
Roz put her spoon down and regarded her friend with a rare spurt of irritation before swallowing it with a sigh. “But it was a one-time thing. He scratched an itch I’d pestered him into appeasing. That’s all there is to it, and us.” She didn’t understand the gleam in Aislyn’s eyes, the sly curl to her lips.
“I seem to recall you engaging with someone else, not going after Drake, but, okay, if you say so. Let’s get going, while the sun’s high and at its warmest.”
Works for me. Anything to move Aislyn off the subject of Drake and last weekend. Another thing that worked for Roz was walking up to the dainty roan mare tethered to a corral post by a large stable ten minutes later. The filly greeted her with an affectionate head nudge, and Roz’s heart melted as she reached out to stroke her soft nose.
“She’s precious, and so sweet. What’s her name?” she asked as Aislyn joined her.
“Princess.” An older man strode up to them, Aislyn greeting him with a wave toward Roz. “Hey, Jim Bob. This is Roz, the friend I mentioned was coming out today.” She turned to Roz. “Jim Bob’s been on the ranch, and with the McCulloughs since the guys were toddlers.”
“Really?” Roz shook Jim Bob’s hand. “Were they as cute at that age as they are now?”
He chuckled. “Something tells me I better keep my mouth shut on that one. So, you’re the one giving young Drake fits. I like you just for that. He needs someone to shake him up a bit.”
Roz told herself to let it go. It was easier than continuing to disavow everyone’s belief there was something serious brewing between her and the youngest McCullough. “I don’t know him well, but I don’t see Drake following in his brothers’ footsteps any time soon. I like his choice of horse for me today, though, and I’m eager to ride Princess.”
Jim Bob brushed a hand over the mare’s flank. “She’ll be an easy mount to try your seat on, and Aislyn here knows the smoothest paths to ride, but I’ll feel better if you take a few turns around the corral first.”
The protective gene seemed to extend to the McCullough employees, but that just endeared the older man to Roz even more. “Good idea,” she agreed, hoisting up into the saddle as Jim Bob opened the gate.
Roz couldn’t keep her eyes off the extended view from atop Princess. She couldn’t imagine anyone tiring of gazing upon the sweeping ranges, rows of Douglas firs and several species of green pine trees amid the backdrop of snow-capped mountains, all spread out under the never-ending blue sky. Eager to travel across those acres while riding her new four-legged friend, she nudged Princess into a faster gait toward the exit, comfortable enough to get going on their ride.
“You look good up there,” Jim Bob said as she rode out of the enclosure. He sent Aislyn a stern look as she mounted. “Don’t get reckless, or Gavin won’t be the only who takes you to task. Let me know if you need anything.” Tipping his hat, his smile revealed two deep grooves in his craggy, weathered face. “Nice meeting you, Roz. Enjoy your afternoon, ladies.”
“Do you have a penchant for careless riding?” Roz asked her as they set out across the field.
Aislyn giggled. “One time, I got brave enough to race across a pasture when I was out on my own, and wouldn’t you know it? Gavin and Cody just happened to catch sight of me from their truck.”
“What happened? Did you get grounded?” she drawled with a hint of sarcasm.
A flush stole over Aislyn’s face. “Oh, worse. A spanking that didn’t end in a climax.”
Roz winced in sympathy. “I don’t think that would have gone over well with me, and that’s based on one experience.”
“It only takes one by the right person to get you hooked.”
That was what worried her most, that she was already hooked on Drake and what he could do to her. “I wish someone had warned me of that before I set my sights on Drake.” Her shrug went with her rocking along with Princess’s slow gait. “Still, I’m sure I’ll have no trouble finding just as much fun with other unexplored aspects of sexual submission, and with someone else.” She cut her gaze over to Aislyn in time to see the same look of concerned knowledge crossing her face as Roz had seen her share with Olivia. “What?” she demanded.
Indecision flashed briefly in Aislyn’s eyes before she replied, “Let’s just say I know things about the McCulloughs that might prove that confidence false.”
“Other than Drake’s time as a POW?”
“So, you’re aware of that already. Gavin and Cody won’t bring it up to anyone except family, and I doubt Drake mentioned it. Someone at the clinic?”
Nodding, a tightness squeezed her chest, the same response she got whenever she let herself think about Drake’s suffering. “Dr. Dennis mentioned it. No details, but I hurt every time I see his scarred face.”
“Yeah, me, too, and I don’t know much, other than he was held in a cave in the desert by two Taliban and escaped after two weeks.” Shaking her head hard enough to send her wheat-blonde hair flying around her shoulders, Aislyn sent Roz a challenging grin. “Ready to really ride?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she answered, grateful for the distraction from her thoughts and the pang they produced. “But I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
“Gavin’s way up in the north pastureland. I’m not sure where Cody and Drake are, but we’re a distance from any of the grazing ranges yet.”
Roz returned her excitement. “Then what are we waiting for?”
Holding on tight with her legs and hands, she kicked Princess into a run, exhilarating in the slap of wind numbing her face, and the instant thaw as she quickly snapped her eyes upward from looking down at the ground blurring by as they rode. Her petite mount surprised Roz with her stamina and the amount of ground she could cover in the ten-minute run.
Aislyn pulled up as Roz saw a small herd of black cattle grazing around a lake and several cowhands huddled around a downed cow. She didn’t need the immediate flutter of her pulse to spot Drake among the group. His height and size put him above the others, not to mention she’d recognize that chiseled profile from any distance.
Following Aislyn’s lead, Roz fought against the warm pleasure filling her as they trotted closer. The sheer depth of yearning to approach him, hear his voice, to touch him, didn’t bode well for sticking to her resolve to put the brakes on their relationship. Yanking on the reins, she turned to Aislyn when they halted side-by-side by the fence.
“They look busy. Shouldn’t we head back?”
“I think the cow’s all right. They’ve got her up now.”
Following Aislyn’s nod, she watched the black Angus wobble toward the herd, she then jerked on the reins as a sudden, full-body quiver of hot anticipation whipped through her when Drake mounted and started toward them. Her quick, knee-jerk reaction, even from this distance, startled her as much as poor Princess. The little mare responded with a nervous side-step that caught Roz off-balance and sent her sliding off in a slow topple. Landing with a thud on the hard ground, she got the wind knocked out of her and her ego bruised.
With a self-deprecating huff, she lay for a moment, gazing up at the wide expanse of blue until one worried face and one none-too-happy rugged countenance leaned over her, blocking her view.
Roz’s heart did that familiar slow roll, and she knew she was in trouble, in more ways than one.
****
Rodney kept on driving as his mark turned off and went through the gates of the McCullough Ranch. Lindstrom’s information on Roz Kingman had been thorough and accurate, making it easy for him to locate the clinic where she both worked and lived, once he’d arrived in Idaho. He drove
a half mile and made a U-turn, pulling over when he reached a spot that gave him the widest view of the private property to watch where she went.
The spread-apart three houses and mammoth barns were a ways off, but he still caught a glimpse of her car stopping at the farthest place. He was used to biding his time, waiting for the right opportunity to work on contracts. He had a damn good thing going, not just for Lindstrom, but several other clients with the means to get whatever they wanted.
Two women exited the house a short time later. Rodney waited until they took off on horseback before driving to the clinic for a little B&E. He turned off on a dirt road and parked in a secluded copse, out of sight of passing vehicles. Even though the clinic was closed, it was located on the main road, and he couldn’t chance someone spotting his car. It was a short walk to the rear of the building, and he chuckled at the ease with which he picked the lock on the back door. He loved flimsy hardware. It was a simple matter to jimmy the cheap mechanism without leaving a trace the lock had been tampered with.
He wasn’t prepared for the dog, but after a moment’s hesitation, the scroungy-looking mutt cowered away from him. He’d planned to cause mischief in the clinic, but since he had such easy access to her living quarters, he decided to keep it simple today. Poor dog, all cooped up on such a nice day.
“Here you go, fella. Have a free romp on me.”
Rodney stepped out, leaving the door ajar enough all the dog had to do was nudge it to slip outside. Jogging to his rental, he decided he deserved a cold beer with his afternoon pick-me-up to celebrate his success.
****
Concern and irritation mingled together in a tight coil cramping Drake’s gut as he reached down to help Roz off the ground. The instant surge of hot pleasure zinging through his veins at seeing her had changed to a cold grip of fear when he’d seen the two of them tearing across the last stretch of grassy pastureland before reaching the fence line. Hadn’t he believed her rash behavior would land her in trouble one day?
“Are you hurt?” he demanded roughly, sweeping one hand down her back to brush off the dead grass as he held tight to her hand and checked her pupils.
Roz laughed, her eyes sparkling, her face pink as she looked up at him. “I’m fine. Wasn’t paying attention, is all.”
“Yeah, and that mad gallop had nothing to do with it, right? Were you even aware of how fast a horse can run, regardless of size?” He gave Aislyn the evil eye. “You know better.”
Roz piped up before Aislyn could say anything. “Ostriches run faster than horses. Did you know they can roar like a lion?”
“Huh?” Aislyn eyed her with worry.
Drake snorted. “She likes to spout animal trivia when she’s nervous or wants to deflect attention from something else.”
Roz’s lips curled in the teasing grin he’d grown to like. “You think you know me, do you?”
“Enough, for now.” Since he’d already decided to quit fighting the constant urge to either fuck her or hold her close, he might as well not waste any more time. From the flash of sadness crossing her face as she tried to step away, he wondered if it was his turn to butt against an obstinate wall for a relationship he knew she wanted.
Instead of addressing him, she turned to Aislyn, the move inching up her sleeve far enough to reveal part of her damaged ulna bone, a reminder of just how much he still needed to learn about his mate. He clenched his jaw against the wave of impotent fury from seeing the injury and imagining someone causing her such pain. He understood his brother’s actions and possessiveness so much better now that he’d quit fighting the inevitable. The most important thing he needed to remember going forward was to keep himself in check at all times, regardless of the strong compulsion to avenge her.
Squeezing her hand, he wondered if she realized she wasn’t trying to pull from his grip, and if the desperation that had driven her to first go after him until she got what she wanted, and then back off stemmed from her ordeal.
Avoiding his gaze, she turned to Aislyn. “I hope Gavin won’t blame you for my clumsiness. I’m not hurt, except my pride.”
“I’m just glad you’re all right. At least Princess had slowed enough you didn’t go flying.”
“It’s not her fault either. I jerked on the reins and startled her.” Roz ran her free hand down the mare’s neck as Princess nudged her.
“You can ride up with me on the way back. Princess will follow us.” This time, she did take her hand away, the panicked flare in her eyes almost comical if Drake were in the mood to be amused.
“I said I’m fine…”
Ignoring his future sister-in-law, he yanked Roz against him, fisted a hand in her hair, and crushed his mouth on hers. As soon as she softened and opened for him, he pulled away, but kept hold of her hair.
“You picked the wrong man if all you wanted was a quick fuck.” Not that she’d had much choice. But she didn’t know that, his wolf heritage another secret that lay between them.
Roz didn’t blush, and he wondered what he’d been thinking. She wasn’t the type to embarrass easily. At least his comment had chased away the alarm that had cut him to the quick.
“I tried picking someone else the other night. You interfered. Deal with it.”
Aislyn giggled as she walked by them and swung up into her saddle. “She’s got you there, Drake. I think I’ll get a head start and let you two hash this out.”
Frustration gnawed at him, and he mounted Major, determined to take control. She wanted him, well, she had him. Reaching down, he smirked her eyes widening in surprise as he hauled her up and set her in front of him.
“You pestered me into an affair, and now I’m not letting you change your mind. Deal with it.”
Drake settled her against his chest, whistled to Princess, and tightened his arm around Roz’s waist as he kicked Major into an easy lope. It took several minutes before she let the stiffness go out of her body with a huff of concession.
“Okay, but only because you’re so freaking hot, and I’m still horny.”
Fuck but he liked her humor-tinged honesty. He bent forward, his pulse leaping when she tilted her head sideways to accommodate the bite he delivered to her neck. “Same here,” he growled, running his tongue over the red mark.
Straightening, Drake fought the temptation to take her now, without stopping or slowing their ride. Once he’d decided to take this chance, the first risk to losing his shit again he’d dared since leaving the military, he’d known it would be his only opportunity to reach for the brass ring. His downfall had started the moment he’d first seen her at Puss ’N Boots, and he’d lost the battle the first time his hand had connected with her soft ass.
They arrived at the barns with the descent of the setting sun, the air already cooling as Drake lifted Roz down and kept hold of her hips. Drawing her close, she flustered before schooling her features to reveal nothing of the inner turmoil she was good at holding inside.
“I saw you tending a cow that was down. I’m sure you’re aware they can sleep standing, but did you know they only dream lying down?”
“Can’t say I recall that tidbit. Did you know you spout one of those fun facts when you’re uncomfortable with a situation or unsure about what you’re feeling?” She tried breaking away from his grip, but he wouldn’t let her run from what she started. Lifting his left hand, he pushed up her right sleeve and ran a finger over the crooked bone. “Will you tell me who hurt you?”
“Sure,” she returned readily, raising her hand to his face and tracing a finger down his scar. “As soon as you talk about this.”
“I never…” Snapping his mouth shut, he drew in a deep breath to stem the instant rise of fury threatening his composure. Except with the military shrinks, he’d never discussed his captivity, too worried rehashing those days would lead to another breakdown of his control. Everyone in his family was aware he’d given his wolf freedom to kill, even though he’d never admitted that sin. They loved him, understood, and didn’t condemn him
for snapping.
Even if he was of a mind to swap abuse stories, Drake needed to invest in sealing their relationship before revealing his canine heritage. “Let’s table that discussion for later.” Dropping his hands, he gathered up the horses’ reins and addressed her over his shoulder. “I’ll pick you up for dinner in an hour.”
****
Roz shook her head, once again unable to resist Drake, or his take-charge attitude. It’s just lust. That lame excuse fell flat as she pivoted from staring at his butt while he took the horses into the corral. She crossed over to Aislyn, who was waiting in her car, and slid onto the passenger seat.
“I’m ready. Thanks for waiting.”
“I’m sorry. I thought he was with his brothers,” Aislyn said, veering toward the house.
“No, problem. Everything’s fine.” Too fine. At one time, she would have considered that a good thing. She wasn’t dumb enough to believe, or even hope Patty and Ricky would suddenly have a change of heart toward her, or to not take their threats seriously. Her ex in-laws had never hidden their hatred of her and her marriage to Dean. “We’re going out for dinner tonight.”
“I knew he’d come around!” Aislyn exclaimed with glee and a beaming smile.
“Don’t get too excited. It’s a physical relationship, nothing serious.” She figured if she said it often enough, she might convince herself.
“Okay, if you say so.” After parking in front of the house, Aislyn turned to face Roz. “Give him a chance, though. He’s a good guy.”
“I know. That’s why this is so difficult, and no, I can’t explain.” She got out and strode to her car, waving. “Thanks for a nice afternoon.”
“Anytime.”
Roz drove to the clinic, making excuses for caving when Drake sternly reminded her it was she who had pursued him until he’d conceded. He had a point, right? And she did get off on his take-charge control, the way it left her free to indulge without thought or guilt, right? She was still taking each day one at a time, living it to the fullest in fear of it being the last day of freedom, right? Then there was her continued simmering lust for him, and just him, to take into account, right?