Salacious Sale

by Lola White

  “But you prefer the Double O”—he turned back toward her and stared at her face a little too hard for comfort—“with all the big, overstuffed, drab, worn-out furniture and cracked linoleum. With creaky floorboards and drafty windows.”

  “It’s a home. You can feel the history.” Her face felt too hot when she mumbled, “You can feel the residual love leftover from generations of happy marriages.”

  “Hmm. I wouldn’t have pegged you for sentimentality. I had no idea you were such a romantic.”

  Olivia shifted. Again, guilt stabbed her in the chest but so did a spark of anger. She just wasn’t certain if she was mad at him or herself.

  He couldn’t afford it. That had stung. When she’d touched him under the mulberry, she hadn’t been thinking of their properties, the stream, Mayor Wiggins or her own desperate economic strategies. She’d been thinking of how hot he was in her palm, how thick and soft and tempting. She’d been thinking of how good his fingers felt as they filled her, how alive every nerve in her body had become with just a touch and how much better it would be if he put his dick inside her.

  “I wasn’t trying to seduce you for the Double O the other day.” The minute she uttered the words, Olivia winced—on the outside, where it was visible to anyone looking her way.

  Cody turned a dull red, but his expression closed down even more. “I find that hard to believe. You’ve never made a secret of what you wanted or how you planned to go about getting it.”

  “When did I ever—?”

  “The first fucking night I ever met you.” He slid forward as if to intimidate her but stopped himself after a single step. He clenched his fists at his sides and his eyes gleamed with anger, in spite of how low he spat his words. “You climbed right onto my lap after flat-out telling me that you wanted my land.”

  “I never said such a thing!” But her conscience burned under his accusation.

  She did want his ranch—or at least his promise to hold it in reserve for her. She’d pay money, just not all at once. She’d offered to take care of Eugene, and she could probably even swing monthly payments for whatever Cody’s father was doing as well.

  But she needed her water rights and the cooperation of the O’Neals. She was willing to do almost anything to get them.

  “See?” Cody pointed in her face as she had done to him moments ago. “There’s that look. Crafty, sly. I don’t trust it at all and you wore the same goddamned expression when you stuck your hand down my pants and grabbed my dick.”

  “But that’s not why I did it.”

  “Bullshit! You have an agenda that’s all too easy to figure out, and I know exactly what role I’d be playing. You think I’m stupid?”

  “No.” Olivia fisted her own hands and raised her chin. “I thought we had chemistry. And I thought you were as lonely as me.”

  Cody shoved his fingers through his hair. “You know, maybe I should just go now. I really don’t need dinner. I’ve seen enough of the Raines Ranch.”

  “No! Wait! How could I explain to my mother—” Olivia clutched at him as he turned away.

  “Just convey my apologies.”

  “Please!” She held him back, even tugged him toward the massive dining room where the guests would soon share their meal at one large table. It galled her to beg for anything—again—but she had to make him understand how serious his decision was. “Please. You can think what you want of me. I won’t bring it up again, but I need you to meet the others. Meet the people depending on this place.”

  “I don’t have to, Olivia.” He pulled from her hold and began to pace. “I get it. I really do. I know how important this place is to you, and I understand how the Double O fits into all that. I even understand your relationship with my grandfather, but I also have to keep in mind that my grandfather’s health is precarious.”

  “Eugene would never want to sell the Double O.”

  Cody shot her an evil glance. “You know how pissed off he is that we’ve got to sell. I don’t know what to do with him—where he’ll go or who will take care of him—but I know that’s just part and parcel of this whole fucking thing. I have more on my plate than your business!”

  “I know, but—”

  “This is my family, Olivia!”

  “Mine, too!” Anger ripped through her and she found herself invading his space, nose to nose and drilling her finger into his breastbone. “This is not just some money-making venture, you jackass! This is my life, my livelihood and the livelihoods of several people. The whole fucking town benefits from this ranch, including your family. And if you think Eugene is any more to you than he is to me just because you share some DNA, you’ve lost your damned mind. He’s been more a father to me than you could ever know, and I’m the one who’s been here, taking care of him, making sure he eats, making sure he takes his medicine.”

  “And I thank you, but—” Cody stepped back as she poked him again.

  “I’m the one who had to call nine-one-one after I found him on his kitchen floor. I’m the one who sat in the fucking hospital for hours, waiting for the worst and praying for the best. I’m the one who’s been there every damn day while you and your father ignored the situation for a month!”

  “Olivia—”

  “Fuck you, O’Neal! You don’t even deserve the Double O.”

  Cody grabbed her as she went to poke him again. She tugged against his hold but he reeled her in until she was pressed to his chest, her own heaving with the need for air and the struggle against the sobs breaking through her lungs. He wrapped one arm around her then lifted his fingers to wipe the tears from her cheek.

  She felt his lips press to her temple as he said, “I’m sorry you had to go through all that. I’m sure it must have been terrifying…heartbreaking. I’m sorry all the burden fell on your shoulders, and if you felt alone in dealing with everything, I apologize for that, too. But we didn’t ignore him, Olivia. We couldn’t get here.”

  “If you’d tried,” she sniffled. She fought the lull of Cody’s body heat, fought the comfort that seemed determined to sink down into her tired muscles and the sense of connection that encouraged her to lean more heavily against him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had someone to rely on—just her mother in terms of feeding and entertaining the houseguests. All the problems were still hers to take care of.

  “I’m here now,” Cody whispered. “I’m doing the best I can, but I barely have a grasp of the situation and you’ve been hammering at me since the moment we first met. I’ve got a lot to wrap my head around, a lot I have to sort out.”

  “I know, but…” She took a deep breath and made her confession. “I’m scared. I’m scared I’ll lose it all and have nothing. I don’t know how to start over again.”

  He brushed his lips across her temple once more. “I promise I’ll do the best I can—for all of us.”

  Chapter Eight

  “Do you want to come in?”

  Cody used up a lot of courage asking Olivia the question. He could hardly bring himself to look at her, but when he did, the Double O porch light fell across her features and picked out the lines of exhaustion around her mouth and eyes in soft yellow. She’d curled her fingers tightly around the steering wheel and her expression was bleak.

  He tried to inject some humor into the situation. “I can offer you a nightcap. It’s your own beer, but it’s nice and cold, and you don’t have to drink it in the middle of a crowd of strangers.”

  He’d seen how uncomfortable she’d been in her own house, at her own dinner table. Olivia had been—to his way of thinking—uncharacteristically restless and quiet around her guests, though Cody preferred to think that some of her fidgetiness might have come from him and the remembrance of what they’d done under that damned tree. Lord knew he’d been ready to shift all over his own chair every time he’d thought of how hot and wet she’d been for him, and watching her fingers curl around her fork, watching her lips move over the rim of her glass, had only brought the details r
ushing back in full, vivid color. He regretted that things couldn’t be different between them.

  “It’s not that I don’t like the guests,” she whispered. “I just don’t know what to say to those people. That’s my mother’s thing, you know?”

  “They’re just people. Talk to them like you would anyone else.”

  “They’re not like anyone else. I just…can’t.” She put her head down on the steering wheel and sighed. “Outside, on a horse, in the pasture or on a trail, sure, I can be the best damn tour guide this side of the Mississippi. Inside, around a dining table, where there’s two or more forks to choose from and the conversation revolves around stocks, bonds and international economies? No way. I’m out of my depth.”

  “I doubt you’re ever out of your depth.”

  She rolled her head against the steering wheel. “I never went to college. I know horses, some local history, how to identify poison ivy and how to tell the difference between a turkey vulture and a hawk when they’re both in flight. I can’t…keep up with everyone else.”

  Cody winced, having sat through the endless, dull dinner with them that night. He hadn’t liked the topics, but he’d kept pace. “Your mother got by with vague comments and bright smiles.”

  “My mother was born into a better society than what we find around these parts.” Olivia lifted her head and shook it. “Not as highfalutin’ as the guests we typically get on the Raines Ranch, but enough that she was taught how to host a dinner party. She still thought she was marrying some cattle baron when she met my daddy at the altar.”

  “She got a regular old cowboy instead, huh?”

  “Not even that,” Olivia snorted. “A pretend wrangler, maybe.”

  Cody scanned her body, taking in her posture, the defeat in her sagging shoulders and the anxiety evident in her white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel. He realized quite a few things weren’t adding up. “You had told me the Raines Ranch was a successful venture until the cattle prices bottomed out.”

  “Well, that’s not exactly true. My father took us into debt before he died. My mother thought she would come to the ranch and be some sort of dynastic hostess, probably wearing hoop skirts or driving a special-order, blinged-out pickup truck.”

  Cody bit his lip to keep from laughing at the image. “I can imagine.”

  “But my father died and we found out just how bad he was with money.” Olivia sighed once again. “I’ve been working since I was a teenager to put the pieces together for my family. I couldn’t have done it without your grandfather, but that meant I didn’t have time to learn what my mother could have taught me, and now I just feel—”

  “Awkward?”

  “Inadequate.” She met his gaze head-on and his heart twisted at the misery in her eyes. “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. Every day I play it by ear and hope to God I’ve done the right thing. But I hate staying there, sleeping there and eating at that table and listening to them talk, and I hate having to pretend to be interested or that I understand or even care about the same things they do. They’re so damned different than me—their lives so far removed—that I don’t even know how to bridge the gap unless we’re on horseback.”

  “Then why do it?”

  She stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “To keep the ranch. My family’s ranch that has been ours for generations—to make money, because everybody has to support themselves somehow, and to help others make money for the same reason. And it’s not all bad, Cody. I like taking them out and showing them the beauty of the plains. I like sharing the history of the area. I love taking them to the scrub to hunt. I like it when the guests take that white collar off and become everyday people.”

  Cody liked that her face was pink with passion and her eyes finally gleamed with something more motivating than the unhappiness that had glinted in the porchlight a moment ago. He reached out and brushed a lock of hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. “Then why do you look so sad?”

  “It’s just…hard. All of it’s just really hard.”

  “Tonight it could be easier.” A fresh surge of courage had Cody asking his question again. “Do you want to come in, Olivia? No strings, no pressure, no questions except one. Do you want to stay the night with me?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Cody got out of her truck and walked around to open her door for her. He waited while she hesitated, her hand on the keys while they were still in the ignition. An interminable moment frayed his nerves, until Olivia released her seat belt in a furious motion and jumped from the cab. When he took her hand, she closed her fingers tightly on his.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Very.”

  Keeping hold of her hand, he led her inside and up the stairs. Physically, his body was in a simmering state of anticipation—nothing hurried, but excited nonetheless. Emotionally, he felt energized but also calm, as if he and Olivia had been in a relationship for years. He was comfortable, though his lust was raw and prickly.

  Cody figured he was just stressed with the heavy load he’d been carrying.

  He opened the door to his bedroom. “This used to be mine whenever we visited. It’s only a full-sized mattress but I can’t… I won’t… My grandfather has a king, but we can’t use—”

  “There have been times when I stayed over here,” Olivia interrupted his stuttering explanations. “Eugene always told me to use this room. I knew it was yours, of course. He talked about you so much that I feel like I’ve known you for years.”

  “That feeling seems to be going around.” Cody spoke under his breath until he moved closer to the bed. “But he’d never said anything to me about you. Now, he doesn’t shut up, though. He told me no man around here was good enough for you.”

  “Huh. He used to say no one was good enough for you, either.”

  Awkwardness settled in, blanketing the room. Cody shifted from foot to foot. Olivia surveyed the space with obvious discomfort. Minutes ticked by.

  Then Olivia gave a short laugh and shook her head. “This is more complicated than it needs to be.” She came toward him in a determined rush and put her arms around his middle. “Better?”

  Cody stared down into her brilliant blue eyes and every taut muscle in his body relaxed. In that moment, it didn’t matter why she was there or what she wanted. She offered comfort—a complicated comfort that had a million strings attached in spite of what he’d said, but she was still warm and soft and pressed against him. He drew in the vague smell of lavender and spice clinging to her hair while a gentle slide of lust wended its way through his body.

  “Thank you,” he whispered.

  She laughed and took a half step backward, enough that she could tackle his buttons when she unwound her arms from his waist. “For what? We’ve still got our clothes on.”

  “Just…for everything you’ve done for my grandfather, Olivia.”

  Chapter Nine

  Olivia hadn’t protested the tight hold Cody had maintained on her hand as he’d led her inside and up the stairs. The feel of his palm against hers, their fingers entwined, had helped ground her and pushed back the shame and anger leftover from the last time they’d been together.

  She also hadn’t protested his specific warning about no strings and no pressure. He could think what he wanted, but she was determined to use the moment to its fullest advantage—business and pleasure.

  But when every tight muscle in Cody’s body eased, the curve of his spine shifted into a more natural position and he smoothed his hands over her back, heating her and encouraging her in ways she’d only hoped he would offer… When he said the word of gratitude—his appreciation for everything she’d done for a man they both loved—she couldn’t handle it.

  She shoved back her guilt with a quick attack on Cody’s buttons.

  He stopped her and stared into her eyes for a minute before he said, “I don’t know why you’re here or what you really want, but I know that you need comfort tonight, and so do I. I’m glad you c
ame in with me.”

  “I’m here because you asked me. As for what I want? Well, like you said, comfort would be a great place to start.”

  The second she’d spoken the words, Olivia realized their truth. With all the burdens pressing her into the ground—the fear for Eugene, her mother and her employees, the anxiety of possibly needing to start over somewhere else—she wanted a minute for herself. She wanted a moment she could use however she desired, to do whatever she wanted, with whomever she chose, without thinking of anything beyond the sensual zone she could create—a space in time where nothing else existed.

  She rose to her toes and planted her mouth on Cody’s with that driving thought urging her on. Sensuality was her only goal as she dragged her lips over his, lingering in the center to lick the bottom curve. When he opened for her, she snuck into the hot depths of his mouth with a series of slow forays, subdued assaults of her tongue until they found a gliding rhythm, sleek and hot—velvet friction.

  Cody hauled her closer and Olivia celebrated the minor victory with a wild undulation that left her nipples peaked and pulsing as they pressed to his chest. Their bodies were so close that she could practically feel his suspicions dissolving. Mission accomplished. Cody had just entered her sensual zone, willingly leaving all thoughts of business and what she might be negotiating for, behind. Unfettered pleasure spread out before them with infinite potential.

  She worked on his shirt buttons. He hauled her blouse up her back. Her reluctance to step away so he could undress her seemed to match his resistance to letting go, resulting in a push and pull that left Olivia more breathless than their kiss. Her breasts swelled against the pressure of Cody’s torso and the skin of her lower back rippled under a cool brush of air. Impatiently, Olivia let him have his way, raising her hands so he could rip her shirt off.

  Cody held her away from him as his gaze trailed down, lower and lower. The heat in his eyes more than made up for the distance from his body, but it made her impatience worse. Olivia curled her arms behind her and released her bra, flinging it God-only-knew-where.