by Various
Bam! Bam! Bam! "Damn!" He almost levitated off the bed.
"Supper’s ready! You have five minutes to get in here or I’m throwing your part out to the cats."
"I’m coming, She-devil!" He slipped the jewelry into his front pocket, not really sure whether he was going to give it to the little shrew or not. Slipping off his jacket, he slung it on the bed, then rolled up the sleeves of his shirt as he made his way down the hall. Her cottage, which sat about a half mile from the main house, was comfortable, inviting and smelled like home. He liked it. It had been a while since Cade had spent time in a place like this. Rodeo life was tough. Well, those days were just about behind him. Was he relieved? Hell, if he knew. "Something smells good."
"I hope you like it." Abby sat down primly, placed her napkin in her lap, then couldn’t find a place to put her gaze. Looking at Cade wasn’t an option. She didn’t want to lose her appetite. She laughed, amused by her own joke.
"What are you giggling about? Have you developed mental illness while I’ve been gone? I‘ve heard early on-set dementia is a malady for old maids," he said as he settled himself across from her.
"Old maid?" She broke her own rule and glared at him. "I’ll have you know I’m only twenty-nine. I’m not over the hill, yet." His words hurt, but she’d pout later.
"Let’s think about this. You say you will never marry and you don’t date. What does that make you?"
"Smart?" Abby chewed on her lip and served him. "You’re older than me and unmarried. What does that make you?"
"An eligible bachelor." He licked his lips. "This food looks amazing. What is it?"
"A double standard, that’s what it is." When he stared pointedly at her, she answered. "Veal chops with Rosemary butter, pancetta green beans, lemon barley pilaf and a chocolate amaretti torte."
"Hmmmm, you always were a marvelous cook. Did you slip in some Spanish Fly?" He named a drug often used as both an aphrodisiac and as a poison. "If you did, I have to tell you it wasn’t necessary. I’m horny all the time."
"Oh, hush, I don’t care if you ever get another erection." She tossed a roll at him, which he caught. "Just eat."
They ate in companionable silence, ‘til she felt guilty and searched for something non-combative to say. "Congratulations. I heard you made World Championship Cowboy again." Heard wasn’t exactly correct. She’d been at his last competition when he received the award. But he didn’t need to know that. She just hoped her surprise came through.
"Thanks, I guess you heard I’m hanging up my spurs. After this wedding, I’m heading to the Hill Country. There’s a spread I’m looking at, 5000 acres near Shovel Mountain. It has 13 ponds, a spring fed grotto and a beautiful view of the Colorado River."
Abby couldn’t help but smile. "Sounds perfect."
"So, this wedding, how do you feel about it?" Poke. Poke. He hid a grin.
Curse words turned the air blue. "It’s a mistake, a horrible mistake. I can’t believe Jase is going to marry that wicked, no-count, lily-livered excuse for a woman. She won’t treat him right. Hell, she won’t even cook for him. She’s a freakin’ vegan!"
Cade roared with laughter. "They can hire a cook, Abby. Your brother is rich."
"Yea, that’s why the money-grubbing, fake-boobed, bleached blonde bimbo is marrying him." Abby fumed as she viciously cut up her chop. "She eats garbanzo beans and seeds and crap. Heck, they can’t even have a normal wedding cake! It has to be gluten free and be made without eggs. I had to put almond milk in it for Christ’s sake!"
"Why are you making the cake?"
"Because I wanted it done right," she fussed.
"Brat."
"Although…"
Abby’s smile was so cute, Cade’s toes curled. "What did you do?" He wouldn’t put anything past her. She was diabolical. He oughta know.
"The last time she ate over here...I put real butter in her mashed potatoes and honey in her carrots."
Cade roared. "You’re so evil. I love it!" Damn, he enjoyed being with her. They fought and carried on, but they seemed to feed off each other’s energy. It was exciting as hell. Feeling mischievous, he decided to really piss her off. He loved to live dangerously. "I thought I heard somewhere you decided to become a lesbian." Cade watched her eyes widen and her cheeks grow pink, then she frowned at him like she’d love to dump a sack of cow fertilizer on his head.
"Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? You ass. But no."
"Hmmm, okay. It’s just a mystery to me why you’ve decided to live the way you do. You certainly sent me packing."
He licked butter from his fork and Abby swallowed hard. "It’s no mystery, Cade. I’m just not interested in good-looking men." She cleared her throat. That hadn’t come out right. "I’m happier alone."
"Aha! So, you do think I’m good-looking." They locked gazes. Her eyes were sparkling, probably with anger, but that was okay. Fuck! She was so beautiful and smart. She was sweet to everybody, but him. And she was damn sexy. If no one was enjoying her delectable little body, it was a crime against nature, a terrible crime. "Let me ask you something," he sobered, needing to know. "We’ve never talked about it. What changed your mind? Why don’t you like me, Abby?"
Uh-oh. Careful, Abby Grace. "I don’t dislike you, Cade." She paused, thoughtfully. "I just don’t like you." No, she didn’t like him. She loved him with all her heart.
"So, you’re ambivalent toward me. You have no feelings for me at all? Or are you secretly in love with me and wishing you could lick jalapeno jelly off my six-pack?"
"Grrrrrr..." She considered pouring ice tea over his head. "I‘d probably get sick from narcissistic poisoning."
"If you feel nothing for me, why are your nipples so big and hard? They’re playing peekaboo at me through your sweater." He stared at them. He couldn’t help it. "Do you even have on a bra?"
"ARG!" Abby crossed her arms over her breasts, cupping the tip of each one in her palm. "Stop looking at me!"
Cade took a big sip of tea. "How many times have you turned me down?"
"I don’t remember." Standing up, she cleared their plates, hoping he would change the subject. "Do you want a piece of torte?" She sat the decadent chocolate dessert between them. "I’ll cut you a big piece if you’ll change the subject."
Cade considered his options. He wanted answers, and he’d get them eventually. He was nothing if not persistent. Right now, he wanted chocolate. "Cake."
She looked satisfied and cut them both a serving.
"Can I have milk?"
"God, I can’t believe I’m waiting on you!" She got up and poured him a brimming glass full. "Don’t expect this type of treatment all week!"
"I think you ought to at least date." Cade spoke around a mouthful of the best cake he’d ever put in his mouth. "Dang, this is good!"
She snatched his plate out from in front of him. "You were supposed to change the subject."
"Not so fast." He grabbed her hand and gently reclaimed his dessert. "You can break my heart, but you can’t take my chocolate."
Abby laughed. "I see where your priorities are." Then, she realized what he’d said. "And I didn’t break your heart. No way."
Cade let it go. No use having salt rubbed into his wound. "Why won’t you at least go out on a date? Trevor told me you haven’t gone out with a guy in years. A girl like you needs to be married."
"No, God, no. I’m just busy." There, that was a good answer. "My practice is growing, my hours are unpredictable and I prefer the company of animals to people. Besides, I hear marriage is overrated. Once the honeymoon’s over, it’s all downhill."
"All depends on the chemistry, Abby. For some, the honeymoon never ends." Or at least that’s what he’d envisioned with her. Cade took another bite of dessert. "You’re cynical. Are you hiding something?"
He stared at her so long that Abby began to fidget in her seat.
"Hiding something?" Hell. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"What do you do for sex?"
Whoosh! The air left her lungs. "Pardon?"
"What do you do for sex?" He repeated, looking at her breasts again. "You’re sexy, Abby. A little prickly, but a man would have a helluva good time taming you. Do you think I ought to give it another whirl?"
By now, she was quivering from a combination of anger and arousal. Cade was dynamically attractive, sensual as sin and putting off some type of pheromone that was driving her crazy. He was flirting with her! Was he serious? Usually they just sniped at each other. Oh, well, it didn’t matter. Even if he was, she could never, ever let anything come from it. "I think you’ll draw back a nub if you try."
"Oh, really?" He stood up. "What do you do when you’re aroused?" He laid down his napkin. "Do you touch yourself?" He took a step or two toward her end of the table.
Abby stood up. "Don’t you come anywhere near me."
"Do you run your hands over that sweet little body?"
He was coming closer, stalking her like a big cat. Abby retreated. "Cade, I need to do the dishes. Why don’t you watch television, or better yet..." She brightened. "Why don’t you go take a dip in the stock pond? I put some testicle eating fish in there especially for you."
Cade shook his head. "I saw ice on the pond when I drove up. But we could shower together." This was fun. "Stop fighting it, Abby. Stop fighting me. You know you still want me. Admit it."
Abby wasn’t admitting a damn thing. She glanced over her shoulder, measuring how far it was to her bedroom door. "The dishes can wait till tomorrow."
"When you touch yourself, do you ever think of me? When you rub your little clit and pinch your nipples, do you ever call out my name? Cade, oh, Cade, I want you, Cade." He mimicked her voice.
He was about three feet away and aroused, heavily aroused. Abby could see the outline of his cock through his jeans. "Call your name? Never!" Lie. Lie.
"So, you do masturbate, don’t you?" He reached out for her.
And when he did, Abby turned and ran like the devil himself was after her. She sprinted across the room, down the hall, into her bedroom and slammed the door. And locked it. Then, she leaned back against it, clasping her heart, trying to catch her breath. She wasn’t scared of Cade. She was scared of herself.
Abby Grace King wanted Cade Tallbull more than she wanted life.
But she couldn’t have him. Ever.
She was just about to step away from the door when she heard him…
"Abby?" Cade’s whispered voice came from the other side of the door. She jumped. "Abby?"
"Go away."
"I’m going to be in bed just on the other side of the wall, thinking about you. Listen for me, Abby. You just might hear me moaning your name when I cum."
"Oh, God," she whispered. "I’m gonna kill him."
She heard him chuckle as he turned and went to his door.
"Goodnight, Abby," he called. "Dream about me."
Chapter Two
Cade walked into his room with a swagger. He was getting to her. Of course, he always did. This time was different. If he wasn’t mistaken, he’d seen hunger in her eyes, a sexual hunger directed straight at him.
Dang, the necklace! He’d forgotten to give it to her. Pulling it out of his pocket, he cupped it in his hand. She was going to love this. Maybe he’d put it on her himself. Yea, that’s what he’d do.
Shedding his clothes, he ambled toward the bathroom. A shower would feel good. When he was through, he stretched out on the bed to listen. Hot damn, the walls were thin. Cade could hear her moving around. This could be fun…
"Shoot, shoot, shoot," Abby grumbled. How in the world was she going to survive this week? She loved Christmas, but it was stressful even at the best of times. She didn’t even have her tree yet. Add the wedding to the typical holiday madness, spike it with her extreme dislike of the bride…why, she’d be lucky if her hair didn’t fall out from sheer nerves. Now that Cade was in the picture, insanity was just around the corner. It was obvious he was going to do everything in his power to torment her.
Jerking her sweater off, she shed her jeans and underwear as she walked. Abby stalked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Turning to pick up a towel, she caught a glimpse of her body in the full length mirror on the back of the door. A spike of shame and sorrow pierced her heart. Most of the time she could forget, but Cade made her feel things she’d spent years trying to bury.
Needless things. Things she could never have. Like a husband, a family, and a sex life.
"Don’t even go there," she chastised herself. "There’s no use." Quickly, she went through her bedtime routine. To get her mind off what couldn’t be, she went over her schedule for the next day. Bryce Adams was bringing his prize stallion to mate with one of Chris Farmsworth’s mares. Many breeders were using artificial insemination, but Bryce preferred the old fashioned way. He thought letting nature take its course kept his stock healthier and happier. Abby couldn’t help but agree. She knew she’d be healthier and happier if she let nature take its course, but she couldn’t—she just couldn’t. Cade must never know she pushed him away because she couldn’t afford to pull him close.
Sighing, she got out of the shower, toweled dry, and pulled on a pair of sleep shorts and a nightshirt. Padding to the bed, she glanced at the clock. It was only ten, a little early to go to sleep, but she could read a while or…something. Spending another moment with Cade when he was in such an aggravating mood was impossible. Throwing back the covers, she plumped her pillow and yawned. Crawling on all fours to the middle of the bed, she plopped down and stared at the ceiling.
Then she heard it.
"Abby Grace…"
Cade’s slightly sing-song saying of her name made her jerk.
"Abby?"
She pinched her lips together and pulled the pillow over her head.
"Abby, I can hear every move you make…from you slapping the pillow, to the bed creaking, to those sweet little sighs you make as you nestle down in the covers."
Abby turned over. If she ignored him, maybe he’d go away.
"Abby, can you hear me?"
"No!"
"Oh, okay."
She heard him chuckle.
"Go to sleep, Cade."
"I’d rather talk to you." She heard his bed creak. "Let’s play a game."
Oh, Lord. "What kind of game?"
"Let’s have phone sex without the phone."
"I’ve never had phone sex!" She tried to sound scandalized, but she only managed to sound intrigued.
"Awww, you’re missing out." Not that he had phone sex often, but it had happened. When he’d hook up with a buckle bunny and move on to the next town, sometimes he’d keep the relationship going long distance, until it got boring.
"I don’t think that’s a very good idea." Abby had to be careful. He must never catch on to what happened or how she really felt. The one thing she dreaded more than anything else was seeing pity in his eyes.
"It’ll be fun. I’ll help. You just follow my directions and listen to my voice." Cade lay spread-eagle on his bed with the covers thrown back. Just hearing Abby’s voice and knowing she was lying there listening to him was a turn-on. Helpless to do otherwise, he ran his hand over his cock and cupped his balls. "Take off your gown for me, Abby. I’m naked and I want to know you are too."
"Cade!" she protested. God, she was tempted. He couldn’t see her. Besides, this was the most excitement she’d ever had in bed. Quickly, before she could change her mind, Abby took off her shirt, pushed down her shorts and trembled. "Okay, I did it." God, her nipples were like ice chips and she’d never been wetter.
"Good girl." Cade smiled. He stroked his cock. It was filling fast. "Okay, listen to me. I want you to run your hands over your body. Close your eyes, and start at your face. Soothe your palms down your neck, and on down to your chest. Do it, Abby."
She couldn’t help herself. Following his command, she ran her fingers over her skin. It felt so good. It was almost like he was in bed with her. If she closed
her eyes, she could pretend Cade was touching her. God, she’d give ten years of her life to know what it was like to be loved by Cade—even if he was worrisome.
"Talk to me, Abby. What are you feeling?"
"A headache coming on." Not true, but she couldn’t let him know the truth. It would be like arming a nuclear missile.
Cade smiled. "Believe me; this will make you feel better. Touch your breasts, Honey. Cup them and rub all around, but don’t touch your nipples, not yet."
"Hmmmmm." She sighed, she couldn’t help it. Abby wanted to touch her nipples.
"What color are they?"
"Pink, a deep rosy pink." She heard Cade groan.
"Pull them for me, tease them, play with them."
"What are you doing?" She needed to know. Following his instructions, she caressed her breasts. She wished they were bigger. It might make up for…
"You know what I’m doing." He was pumping his cock, working it from root to tip. "I’m pretending my hand is yours. You’re stroking me."
"God," she moaned. She couldn’t be still. Her hips lifted off the bed, and she was clenching and unclenching the muscles of her sex. Abby was so turned on, she wanted to cry. "Cade!"
"Put your hand between your legs, Abby." Damn, his imagination was working overtime. He could almost see her pink sex, how creamy she was. A little landing strip of dark down guided his eye and cock to paradise.
Abby opened her legs wide. She slid her fingers into her slit. Damn, it felt so good. She couldn’t talk, she could only whimper. "Uh, uh, ummm."
Cade strained to hear. "You sound so sweet." He was fisting his cock faster and faster. With his other hand, he gripped the sheet. If he didn’t hold on to something, he’d be out of this room and in her bed faster than a wink. Never had he wanted a woman more. "That’s it, Baby. Rub your little clit. Put your fingers inside that tight little hole. Don’t you wish I was lying beside you? Don’t you wish it was my cock filling you up?"
"Please!"
He heard her call out. He could hear the squeaking of the bed springs as her body writhed in ecstasy. Mercy, he was about to cum. He didn’t want to do it alone. "I can’t stop, Abby. Swirl your fingers around your hot button for me, milk those sweet nipples. Let me hear you say my name. Cum for me, Abby. My cock is about to burst!" He bucked his hips and imagined he was plunging deep into her wet heat. He wondered if she could hear the slap, slap, slap as he took his self-pleasure. "God! Yes!" He was right there…right there.