by Ali Olson
“Now?”
“Now.” Renee turned to the men, who had just gotten the door fully open. “Shut the door again, guys. I need to get a picture of you opening it.”
She didn’t wait for a response. Her mind was buzzing too fast to slow down as she hustled Jessica back inside. The sunlight, the barn, the men. It was all perfect, and she needed that photo to grace Jessica’s story and her page design. But she had to move quickly if she wanted to capture that magic.
In no time, she had the camera around her neck and was running back down toward the barn. “Open the door slowly,” she commanded to Aaron and Jeremiah, raising the camera to her face.
The shutter clicked again and again as the barn door opened, and once it was in place, the two men turned to Renee. “What was that all about?” Aaron asked.
“Something for work,” Renee mumbled, not looking at him, her thoughts occupied.
She stared intently at the screen on the back of the camera, reviewing the photos she’d captured. There. Renee couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. She had found the perfect one for her page.
Giddy, she turned to Jessica. “This photo will look perfect with your article.”
Jessica narrowed her eyes at her sister, but then she looked down at the screen and her expression changed. “Wow. That’s an amazing picture.”
Renee noted that Jessica hadn’t said anything about not using the article. Could this day get any better?
She took the camera back to the house, holding it carefully, as if it was a priceless treasure.
Renee set the camera on her bed. She was itching to sit down and work on the spread, but everyone was expecting her to return to the barn and the business of wedding preparations.
At least in the barn she’d be able to watch Jeremiah. Her lips curled into a smile as she thought about the muscles in his arms rippling as he moved heavy objects. Maybe she’d even get lucky and he would need to bend over to work on something, giving her a great view of his ass.
That thought sent her bounding down the stairs and to the door. Before she could open it, though, Jeremiah stepped through, and his lips were on hers.
Renee had no idea why he was there or if Jessica would be following right behind him, but she couldn’t care too much when Jeremiah was kissing her like that.
Just as the kiss began to deepen and her fingers crept along the waistband of his jeans, he stepped away from her, leaving her kissing nothing but air.
“We’d better get back,” he said. “Jessica forgot her wedding notebook and I volunteered to grab it for her, but if I take too long, she might get suspicious and come looking.”
Renee nodded and started for the door, but before she could reach it, Jeremiah grabbed her arm and pulled her in for one last kiss. This time, she was the one who pulled away, though reluctantly. “The notebook, remember?”
He gave her his sexy sideways grin. “Couldn’t help myself. I’ll see you out there.”
She left him to search for the notebook and headed back to the barn, heady from the kiss.
This day was definitely in the running for the best day of her life.
9
JEREMIAH MOVED ANOTHER chair into place as per Jessica’s instructions, and went to grab a few more. Renee was a couple of rows ahead of him with Jessica, adjusting the angle so the seated guests would all be facing the altar area at the far end of the barn. Her strawberry blond hair fell in her face in a way that sent a delightful pang through his heart.
He had it bad, there was no denying it. What kind of trouble was he getting himself into?
Once they were all working as per Jessica’s instructions, she disappeared inside to double-check something while the rest of them continued with the barn. Jeremiah hoped Aaron would leave as well and give him some time with Renee, but no such luck.
When they were finished, Aaron said, “I’m heading back to the house. You two coming?”
Finally, Jeremiah thought.
“I want to adjust a few of these rows first,” Renee said immediately.
“I’ll help. We’ll meet you up there in a few minutes,” Jeremiah added.
The moment Aaron was gone they headed for each other. A couple of minutes was all they had, but they took advantage of it.
Renee was in Jeremiah’s arms immediately, and the carnal passion of her kiss sent fire through his veins and straight to his groin. When her tongue slipped past his teeth, it was all he could do not to pull her to the ground and take her right there.
“We’d better go in,” Renee said when they broke apart, much too soon for Jeremiah’s taste.
“I’m right behind you,” he said, trying to bring himself back under control.
He watched her walk toward the house, a now-familiar pain in his heart.
* * *
RENEE WALKED INTO the house and almost tripped over a suitcase. Her suitcase. Before she could formulate any thoughts beyond the oddity of her suitcase being in front of the door, Jessica was walking into the room with her phone to her ear. She didn’t look happy.
“We’ll see you tomorrow then. And you’re sure it’ll be dry by Thursday?”
She nodded to herself, thanked whoever she was talking to, and hung up with a sigh. Renee was still standing in the doorway, utterly confused.
Jessica looked at her sister with an exasperated smile. “You know how something always manages to go wrong?” she asked.
Renee walked over to her sister, preparing herself to deal with a Jessica freak-out. Wrong was one of her sister’s least favorite words. “What happened?”
“A pipe burst upstairs while we were out in the barn. The carpet in the guest rooms is completely soaked.”
Renee’s eyes grew wide. Jessica just shrugged, and Renee wondered if she’d actually heard her sister correctly. How could she be so calm? “You’re handling this really well,” she said.
“I panicked at first, but a plumber’s on his way, and I just got off the phone with a carpet cleaning company. They’ll be coming by tomorrow, and they promised everything will be dry and ready by the time people start arriving on Thursday. It’s all under control.”
Renee’s suitcase suddenly made sense. “My room—”
“Flooded,” Jessica finished.
Renee nodded. “I’ll just get a hotel room for a few days. No big deal.”
Jessica shook her head. “You don’t need to do that. I’m sure Jeremiah will help us out and take you in for a couple days. If that’s okay with you.”
Renee’s heart started to pound so hard it hurt, and she felt like jumping in the air. A couple of days—and nights—at Jeremiah’s? Yes, please.
She forced herself to nod calmly. “That’s fine.”
Her inner self was dancing a jig, and it seemed like every inch of her was revving up for what surely lay ahead. Lay being the operative word.
Was it too soon to leave?
Apparently not, as Jeremiah walked in the door and placed his hand on the top of her suitcase. He acted casual, but his eyes were gleaming with a fire that heated her entire body. “Did Jessica tell you about the pipe?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Are you okay staying with me for a couple of days?”
She wanted to laugh at the hesitation in his voice. She wanted to fist pump the air and have an impromptu dance scene like in a Bollywood film.
She nodded again.
He smiled. “Great. I’ll get your suitcase in the truck. We can leave whenever you’re ready.”
Oh, she was ready.
Jessica gave her a quick hug. “Thanks for being so good about this. You two can come over tomorrow if you want, but we’ll be able to get along fine without you if you want to explore the town or something. Thursday will be a busy day, though.”
Renee’s brain was only capturing words in fits and starts, but she understood the gist. Sex all day tomorrow.
After reassuring herself that her sister really wasn’t freaking out over the carpets, Renee followed Jeremiah out to his truck and hopped in. Hell, she practically flew in. Jeremiah got behind the wheel, and then they were on their way to his house and complete freedom.
Neither spoke at first, but the grin on Jeremiah’s face spoke volumes. Renee clasped her hands in her lap, trying to keep them off Jeremiah until they were at his house. It took only a mile for her to fail in that attempt, and she unbuckled her seat belt, slid over on the bench seat and buckled into the middle seat, tucking her body close to Jeremiah’s.
She saw his jaw tighten, and a rush of desire enveloped her. He was attempting desperately to hold himself together, but he was going to break if she had anything to say about it. She ran her hand along his leg, from his knee up to his thigh, then up a little farther.
“We’re never going to make it the five minutes to my house if you keep doing that,” he told her through his clenched teeth.
“Maybe I don’t want to wait that long.”
Renee had spent enough time on their first ride imagining them having sex in his truck that she was pretty sure they could make it work just fine. And she was certainly willing to try it. Leaning over to nibble on his ear, she said, “Five minutes seems like a very long time.”
He growled in agreement, and the truck bounced slightly as he pulled it off the road and behind a small copse of trees. Before she had time to react, the engine was off, as were their seat belts, and she was engulfed by his scent and warmth as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her onto his lap.
She found herself settled between him and the steering wheel, his lips and tongue drawing a line of fire along her collarbone as his hands danced around her breasts, turning her nipples into hard buttons of sensation. Feeling his hard hot erection pressed against her leg made her pulse jump, and her heart pounded so hard in her chest that she might have been worried if she’d had the ability to think.
She leaned back against the wheel, giving him more access, and he took advantage of it. Her bra was unhooked in seconds, and her shirt was lifted, exposing her chest to his ministrations. His tongue swirled around the areola of first one breast, then the other, and then he took each of her nipples into his mouth in turn.
She pressed herself back into the steering wheel harder. It took several seconds and Jeremiah’s anguished movements away from her chest before she realized she was leaning on the horn.
* * *
JEREMIAH GROANED. WHAT the hell was he doing? Had he really been planning on them having sex right here, in this very not-secluded spot fifteen feet from the highway? The loud insistent horn was just the icing on the cake to ensure that they would be caught.
As delicious as Renee was, he forced himself to stop. He wanted her naked, but he would need to wait the few minutes until they reached his house. It was definitely a view he wanted to keep all to himself.
Renee slid off his lap onto the seat beside him, then moved back to her original spot, leaving the middle seat open between them. Jeremiah knew he should be happy for the brain-clearing space, but all he wanted was to pull her back on his lap. Not touching her seemed like an impossible challenge.
He fumbled with the key, trying to get the engine to start, but all his attention was on her. With her hair and clothes disheveled, her skin tinged with pink, as if she was very warm, she looked so sexy that he couldn’t pull his eyes away.
It was only when she looked at him with that fire in her eyes and in a husky whisper told him, “Your place. Now,” that he managed to turn to the task at hand.
With herculean effort, he got the truck started and back on the road. Neither of them spoke, but their heavy breathing filled the cabin with barely controlled desire.
When they were almost at his ranch, he had himself under control enough to glance at Renee again out of the corner of his eye. She had put herself mostly to rights, but her parted lips and lowered eyelids gave away the fact that she hadn’t managed to calm down completely.
Perfect.
He forced himself not to speed too much the last mile, and then they were parked beside his house. The moment the engine died, Renee was back on his lap, by his efforts or hers, he couldn’t be sure.
He kissed her, plundering her mouth and sending his body into a frenzy. He managed somehow to get the truck door open, and without removing his lips from hers, he held her tight to his body and got them both out of the truck.
Once they were on solid ground, Renee straightened up and stood beside him. “You can show me your place later,” she said, breathless, as she pulled him toward the door.
He fumbled with his keys in his haste to get the door open, but somehow he managed it, and then they were inside. The moment the door shut behind them, Renee was back in his arms, her body pressed against him, making him groan deep in his throat. God, she was sexy.
She pulled her shirt over her head, and he ran his hands over her creamy smooth skin. She shivered at his touch. Another shot of heat went straight through his heart and down to his cock, pushing the zipper of his pants to its limits.
Renee slipped off her bra, exposing her luscious breasts, her erect nipples. He leaned over to suck one into his mouth, satisfaction coursing through him as she gasped. He wanted to give her the time of her life. “Tell me another one of your fantasies.”
She was silent for a minute, as if she was thinking. He moved to her other breast, swirling his tongue around the pert nipple before bringing it into his mouth, his teeth scraping lightly against her skin, earning him another gasp, this time turning into a moan that he felt through to his core. “Cowboy hat,” she managed.
He had to smile. “The New York City girl has a thing for cowboys, huh?”
“Not until I saw you,” she said.
He liked this woman. Every second that he passed in her presence made him more and more sure that he wanted to be with her beyond just this week.
He pushed that thought away. For now, he was just going to enjoy the present, and he was going to make sure she enjoyed it, too. He pushed her gently onto the couch and opened the coat closet near the door, grabbing his cowboy hat from the shelf. “No shirt!” she called out from her spot on the couch, making him chuckle.
“Yes ma’am,” he said in his most twangy cowboy accent.
As per instructions, he took off his shirt and placed the hat on his head. When he turned around, he gave her his most smoldering smile, tilted his hat to her, and said, “Howdy.”
He’d never actually said “howdy” to anyone before in his life, and the moment he said it he realized how stupid it sounded. She laughed, and so did he. He took off the hat. “Didn’t really pull that off, did I?”
She shook her head. “Nope. How can you be so bad at acting like a cowboy? You are a cowboy.”
“I’ve been so busy taking care of horses and other actual cowboy things that I forgot to take lessons on how to say ‘howdy’ just like they do in the movies. I never learned how to spit tobacco juice, either.”
Renee grimaced at the idea of airborne tobacco liquid. His heart thumped. How did she manage to make a grimace cute? Man, he had it bad for this woman. “Okay, no fake cowboy talk. I can still pull off the hat, though. After all, this is my actual hat, so I should be able to make it seem real.”
He put the hat on his head again, tipped forward, and then pushed it up with one index finger so it slid backward. Fire danced in Renee’s eyes, and she exhaled slowly, nodding. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to.
Walking over to her, he noted how her eyes roved over his entire body. He wanted to move faster, so it could be her hands instead of just her eyes that were doing the touching, but if this was one of her fantasies, he wanted
to do it right.
When he reached where she was sitting on the couch, he dropped to his knees in front of her. She spread her jean-clad legs farther apart to allow room for him, and he put one hand on each of her legs. As his hands slid along the fabric toward her thighs, he could feel her body tensing with excitement.
His hands kept going until they reached where the material joined, and one hand rubbed over the area, creating pressure on the sensitive skin beneath. When she leaned back at his touch, spreading her legs wider for him, the pressure in his own jeans reached a new capacity he would’ve imagined to be impossible.
He kept rubbing, reveling in her pleasure, and his gaze slid from the damp spot on her jeans that showed exactly how excited she was up along her smooth stomach, lingering on the luscious peaks of her breasts, and finally landing on her entrancing face. Her head was tilted back against the couch cushions, her lips slightly parted. Her eyes were open and looking down at him, watching what he was doing.
His whole body tightened as he looked at her. He took the hat off his head and placed it on hers, then leaned forward and began kissing, biting and licking the silky skin of her stomach that he’d admired moments before. He pressed in closer, spreading her legs even wider and giving his mouth access to her pert breasts, teasing the already-hard nipples with his tongue until Renee’s breathing turned ragged.
He kept going, touching and licking until her body shook as an orgasm washed through her. She cried out with the force of it, and his dick jumped so hard at the sound that he would have worried about the zipper of his pants if he’d been able to think of anything but Renee.
As she came back to Earth, he leaned back slightly to get a better view of her face beneath the cowboy hat. Her eyes were closed, all the muscles of her face relaxed. “Was that what you had in mind?” he asked her.
She began to nod, then opened her eyes and smirked at him from beneath the brim of his hat. “Well, it was a good start, but the fantasy isn’t over yet.”
With that, she pushed lightly on his chest until he was resting on his haunches. Then she undid her jeans and slipped them off, revealing lacy black panties and shapely legs. When she took the panties off, too, he could hardly control himself, but he stayed still, watching to see what she would do next.