Breaking Him

by Sherilee Gray

  He lapped and sucked, growling as he worked me. It was so damn good. My moans were constant now, filling the room. I learned last night, the last few days, the man knew how to make me come, which meant he was purposely holding off. “Please, Eli,” I begged, and tightened my grip on his hair. “Let me come, baby. Please let me come.”

  He pulled back, and I could see the satisfaction in his eyes. The man loved it when he made me beg. He lifted his mouth away, and I cried out, ready to beg all over again, but then he replaced his lips and tongue with his fingers. His head dropped to my inner thigh, getting a close-up view of my quivering sex. I loved watching him like this. He circled my clit like I’d shown him, making me writhe and buck. “More?” he asked, warm breath tickling my damp skin.

  I bucked. “More.”

  He continued to circle my clit, then dipped down, spreading more of my arousal, then up again. Rubbing back and forth over the sensitive bundle of nerves. He leaned in and lapped at my opening, again and again—then he pushed his tongue inside me and I shattered. Crying out, body shaking. And somehow through my haze, I heard Eli’s groan of approval.

  I was still spasming when his tongue slid over my sensitive flesh, lapping up my come. His hands gripped my butt, and he spread my cheeks, swiping down the crease, getting every drop. I shuddered and spread my legs wider for him. He paused, just for a second, then he was at my ass. He circled my puckered hole with his tongue, up and back, groaning the whole time.

  Nerves kicked up in my belly, blended with excitement. How the hell could I still want more after the orgasm he’d just given me? But that’s what Eli did to me.

  God, it was so good, all of it. Everything he did to me made me wet and achy.

  He licked and sucked me, played with me until I was swollen and aching and wet again. I was getting restless, desperate. I needed him inside me, and he obviously felt the same way, because he rose up, and after wiping his face on the sheet, positioned himself over me.

  His cock jutted from his huge, muscled body, long and so damn hard. Thick veins bulged along the length, and the tip was dark. Jesus, I wanted him. I spread my legs wider, inviting him to take me. My skin was burning up, slick, and I was close to undulating on the bed. I was that desperate for him.

  His expression was all heat…fierce. “I need inside you again, Abigail,” he said. “Will you let me fuck you, sweetheart?” Despite the possessiveness in his eyes, the way he touched me, there were still these traces of uncertainty. He was still questioning what was happening between us. How much I wanted him.

  I’d never seen that look on his face before, had never heard that sweet, hungry edge to his voice. Didn’t he know he didn’t have to ask? I was dying for him. “You can have me, Eli. You can have me any time you want me.”

  His nostrils flared, and he growled as he dropped down, covering my body with his—and before I had the chance to start begging again, the fat head of his cock was stretching me open, sliding in an inch.

  “Is this mine, Abi?” He lifted up onto his hands and stared down at me.

  I gripped his ass, digging my nails into firm muscle. “Yes…yes, it’s yours.”

  His eyes flashed, and he slammed forward, filling me in one brutal thrust.

  “Oh shit,” I cried. “That feels so good, Eli. You feel so good.”

  His body strained above me, every muscle bunched, every vein and tendon bulging under his tanned skin. His hips were slamming into mine, over and over, the wet slap of our skin, our harsh breaths filling my head.

  He growled. “Oh God, sweetheart…I need…I want…” he started, then stopped himself, gritting his teeth.

  I opened my mouth to tell him to take whatever he wanted, but I didn’t need to. I saw the moment he decided that for himself. His eyes got hotter, darker, the fierceness moving to a whole new level. A moment later he pulled out, gripped my hips, and flipped me onto my stomach. He arranged me how he wanted me, no asking for permission this time. He lifted my ass in the air, then he rammed into me from behind, taking me how he wanted.

  I screamed, biting my pillow. He was big, but from behind, even more so, stretching me to almost the point of pain. The kind of burn that only made the pleasure I was already experiencing that much better. I must have freaked him out, because he stopped, cock buried inside me, fingers digging into my hips.

  I couldn’t make my mouth work to tell him I was okay, so I did the only thing I could, I fucked back onto him, telling him what I wanted without words, taking him deeper.

  He barked a curse, then he was drilling into me again.

  He hit me deep, and I was coming, my walls clamping down on him so damn hard I knew I wouldn’t be the only one seeing stars. He gritted out a rough sound, and still gripping my hips, began fucking me without restraint, powering that huge cock into me, over and over, until I was crying and shaking, clawing at the sheets.

  I came twice more before he finally pulled me down onto his cock with force and roared his release, pumping me so full of his come that it was sliding out of me before he’d finished.

  When he pulled out, he collapsed to the side, taking me with him. Then he rolled me onto my back, brushed my hair off my face, and stared down at me. He was puffing, his massive chest heaving. I lay limp, like my bones had dissolved.

  “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you?”

  I managed to shake my head.

  His brow creased. “Did I make you feel good, darlin’?”

  I’d have thought he was joking, if it weren’t for his serious expression.

  I couldn’t help it. I wrapped my fingers around the side of his neck, pulled him down so his face was buried against my throat, and giggled uncontrollably, managing between gasped breaths to get out, “If it’d been any better, I’d be unconscious.”

  That’s when I heard it for the first time, that deep, low sound that cut off my giggles and had my heart growing bigger, so big I didn’t know how it was still beating.

  Elijah Hays was laughing, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard.

  Chapter Eight

  I parked the tractor in front of the barn and jumped down. The feed was getting low, there was no sign of rain, and I still hadn’t heard from Connor Jacobson about the loan extension. It had only been a few days, I guess, but I got the impression he wasn’t in any hurry to help me out, not after that conversation in his office.

  Asshole.

  Short of stripping and doing a rain dance, I wasn’t sure what the hell I could do.

  I walked around the side of the tractor and toward the training pen…and nearly tripped over my own two feet. Ever since I told him about my troubles with the bank, Eli had upped his training schedule with the horses. The mare was doing really well, and I knew without a doubt she’d bring in a pretty penny. Not just as a cow horse, either. She came from good stock, and if her new owner wanted to get her in foal, those foals would bring top dollar. It’s something my dad and I had wanted to do for as far back as I could remember, but we never quite got there. Not when there were bills waiting to be paid. The short-term turnaround always took precedence. It was how we’d kept this place going. Dad, like Eli, had had a way with horses. The two of them, both training and selling, had allowed us to keep this place afloat. Obviously things had slowed after his death, and as happy I was that Eli was helping me out of the bind I found myself in, I didn’t want him blaming himself or working himself into the ground.

  Right now he was on his own horse. Gus was a gentle giant like his owner, and his unruffled nature was perfect in the training pen. The mare was giving him the odd sideways glance, but she wasn’t frightened or dancing away when Eli rode near. She was doing great, had come so far in such a short time.

  But what had me tripping and stumbling over my boots was the way Eli looked in the saddle. It never got old. He was born to it.

  I headed over, the flutter in my belly increasing the closer I got. His jeans and boots were covered in dust, and his blue T-shirt was plastered to his
chest and abs as he rode in a wide circle. He’d turned his cap backward, so I could see his face clearly, the way his lips moved as he talked to his horse, the lines crinkling the corners of his eyes when he gently smiled, pleased with something they did. That smile, small as it was, was breathtaking.

  But it wasn’t just his smile. It was the whole package. The last few nights we’d spent together had been life-altering. He was still a little unsure, not always trusting his instincts. I was doing everything I could to let him know how amazing he was, that nothing he wanted from me was wrong. But he was still holding back, afraid of what he wanted, maybe afraid that I’d reject him if he took what he needed…and I knew he craved more. I sensed it in him so strongly, it was like I could see inside him. I didn’t know how to convince him to let go, other than telling him how much I loved everything he did to me.

  I trusted him with my body completely. His size, his quiet nature, his past and fears, none of that could hide his beautiful soul.

  He’d never hurt me. Ever.

  I leaned on the fence and watched him, unable to look away. I wanted him, now. Constantly. And when he lifted his head and spotted me, and that dark, dirty heat sliced through his brown eyes, I knew he felt the same way. His mouth quirked up on one side, gaze roaming my body, and the hot needy sensations it caused shot through me, rippling over my skin. He adjusted his ass in the saddle, and I grinned. The man was now sporting wood, and we both knew there was nothing he could do about it, not right then.

  I was in the mood to be a little naughty, to tease. So I leaned over the railing farther. My tank was low cut, and I pushed my arms together, giving him a nice view of cleavage down the front. His brows shot up and then lowered, eyes narrowing. I threw him a wink, then after I’d flashed him once more, I gave him a little wave, turned and, adding an extra sway to my hips, walked away.

  I probably shouldn’t tease, but it was all in fun, and the more worked up Eli got, the more control he let slip. There was a raging inferno inside that man just waiting to be released.

  And I wanted him to release it on me.

  I headed inside. I didn’t have long to get ready before Cassie came to pick me up. There had been a fair in town today, and they were having a live band tonight. I’d said I’d go before Eli and I had gotten together. I’d mentioned it to him yesterday, but I knew he wouldn’t come. I would’ve backed out, but I’d agreed to meet an old school friend of mine who was in town for a few days and I didn’t want to let him down. We barely saw each other anymore as it was, and I missed him. James had been my best friend since the third grade. When we got older, we’d tried dating. It hadn’t worked out, but we never stopped being friends, and I hoped we always would be.

  I grabbed a quick shower and got dressed, leaving my hair loose and putting on my favorite dress. It was still hot, even when the sun went down, so I didn’t bother with a sweater. Eli was just finishing up when I walked out, leading Gus toward me from the field. He’d spun his cap around again, so I couldn’t see his eyes as he neared, but I didn’t miss the way his massive shoulders had stiffened or how the bulge in the front of his jeans had grown.

  He stopped in front of me, and I patted Gus’s nose. He nudged my hand, greedy for more pats.

  “Cassie should be here soon.”

  Eli’s face was still in shadow, and I sucked in a breath when he reached out and touched my waist, hand smoothing over the rose-print fabric.

  “Do you like it?”

  “You look beautiful.” His hand lifted to my hair, touching the ends, then across to my jaw, the side of my throat. “Beautiful,” he said again in a gruff voice.

  The sound of Cassie’s truck coming up the road reached us, and he dropped his hand.

  “I won’t be too late.”

  He dipped his chin and led Gus to the fence to brush him down.

  Cassie pulled up beside us, casting a glance in Eli’s direction. He murmured, “Hello,” and got on with what he was doing. Cassie seemed to relax after that. I don’t know what she thought he’d do, but it annoyed the hell out of me that she was so wary of him in the first place. I tried not to think about it. Tonight I planned on having a good time.

  “Is James meeting you there, honey?” Cassie asked. “I saw him in town yesterday. Boy said he planned to wear you out on the dance floor.”

  Eli stilled, going full-on statue. Shit. James was just my friend; there was nothing romantic between us—not anymore; there barely had been when we dated—but Eli had lived in this town his whole life as well. He had to know that James and I had gone out. I wanted to explain to him, but Cassie had her eagle eyes on me, and as much as I loved her, I had no intention of sharing my and Eli’s relationship with her, not yet anyway.

  I tried to laugh it off. “I’m sure he’ll be too busy sweet-talking the ladies to worry about his old friend.” I couldn’t make it any plainer than that.

  Cassie laughed and joked with me as we climbed in her truck, but Eli hadn’t moved. His head was tilted down and to the side, that blasted hat hiding his eyes so I couldn’t even try to read what he was thinking.

  Then we were driving down the road, headed for town. We’d barely left and I was already desperate to get home again, to make sure Eli knew he had nothing to worry about.

  When we arrived the band was already playing. The stalls and tents from the fair that day were still up but closed for the night. They’d been arranged in a large circle, a makeshift stage for the band at one end, dancing and mingling in the middle. Decorations and lanterns had been strung up as well, and they cast a soft, warm golden glow across everyone. It was beautiful. I wished Eli were there with me.

  I spotted James at the same time he did us.

  He rushed over and pulled me into a tight hug. “About time you got here, woman.” Then he grabbed my hand and dragged me away from Cassie. “Let’s dance.”

  I laughed. “I just got here. I need a beer first.”

  “Bullshit.” He snorted. “Abigail Smith doesn’t need Dutch courage to shake her ass on the dance floor.”

  Half an hour later we were still there. James was a great dancer, always had been. He spun me around the floor, that wicked glint in his eyes, purposely ignoring the scores of females desperate for his attention. By the time we’d finished another dance or two, he’d have every available woman throwing herself at him—and some that weren’t available.

  The song changed to a slow one, and he tugged me in close, wrapping his arms around me.

  I grinned up at him. “You’ll start a catfight soon if you don’t start sharing yourself around.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t get to spent time with my best friend very often. They can dance with someone else.” He gave me a squeeze. “You seeing anyone, Abi?”

  I blinked up at him. He never asked about my love life, not since we had our ill-fated attempt at one. “Why do you ask?” I tried to sound light and breezy, but my belly squirmed at the look in his eyes.

  He glanced away, then down at me. “We weren’t that bad together, were we?”

  I jolted and stared up at him. “Where the hell is this coming from?”

  “I don’t know.” His brow scrunched, and he rubbed the back of his neck like he wasn’t quite sure himself. “I’ve been thinking about coming home.” He touched my hair at the side of my face. “You’re what I think about when I think about home, I guess.”

  I gave his arm a light slap. “I love you, you know I do. But we were terrible together.” I snickered. “Kissing me was like kissing your sister, and you damn well know it.”

  The lines at the corners of his eyes crinkled, then he barked out a laugh. “Shit, it was bad, wasn’t it?”

  “The worst.”

  He mock shuddered. “Right, forget I ever mentioned it, and let’s go get a beer. I feel the urge to get wasted.”

  He slung an arm over my shoulder and led me to the beer tent, leaving me to wait while he got us drinks. I snorted to myself when he was swarmed as soon as he hit the bar
. I may not get hot under the collar for the guy, but I wasn’t blind, either. James was a good-looking guy. He was also funny, and if Kasey Cooper was right, a mountain lion in the sack. He was grade-A beef for this pack of husband hunters.

  I was still chuckling to myself when I spotted Connor Jacobson a little ways away. I caught James’s eye and pointed outside. He gave me a nod, then carried on fighting off his tipsy fan club.

  “Mr. Jacobson?” He turned at the sound of his name, eyes moving over me in a way that could only be described as appreciative. My skin crawled.

  “Abigail,” he said too loudly.

  His face was rosy, eyes on the droopy side. The man was hammered.

  “Nice to see you, real nice.” He rubbed his hand over his mouth.

  Jesus. “Sorry,” I muttered. “This isn’t the time to discuss business.” I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm.

  “Now, now, don’t go rushing off, honey.”

  This was going downhill fast. I needed to get away from this creep before he said something that could screw things up for me in a big way. I searched the crowd in the beer tent for James, but he was still surrounded by cooing females.

  “I’ve been thinking…”

  Never a good idea.

  “You have a predicament.” He shuffled a little closer. “Maybe old Con can help you out of your mess.”

  Old Con? What the hell? “I’m going to stop you right there, Mr. Jacobson. Unless you’re going to tell me the bank has agreed to extend my loan, I can’t imagine any other way you could help me out.”

  His eyes glazed over, then he stepped closer. “Your mama and me, we used to get on real good. I think you and me would rub together just as well.”

  I wrenched my arm out of his hold, sick to my stomach. I didn’t bother with a reply. He was too drunk to listen anyway. I just hoped like hell he was drunk enough to forget he’d propositioned me and all but admitted to an affair with my mother, or I was screwed.