Rope 'n Ride Box Set Books 1-6

by Em Petrova

  Her throat closing off, she stared out at the men lassoing the steer and leading it back to where it needed to be.

  What if she and Buck’s relationship was never going to be forever? They’d met at a time in his life when he’d needed someone, and she’d been there. But now that time had begun to fade his grief, they’d fallen apart.

  “Look at them,” Wynonna said with laughter in her voice. She shook her head at their antics—Ryder chasing Ridge on foot and Lane lassoing his heels, ripping him off his feet. He face-planted into the earth. Buck was off to the side on horseback just as he’d been when she’d first set eyes on him. But they were both very different people now.

  Falling into bed hadn’t healed the rift between them. And at the end of the filming, she was walking away from Buck for good.

  * * * * *

  Though Ma had made Buck’s favorite meal of fried chicken and home fries, he could barely eat. The pit of his stomach had a dull ache as if he’d swallowed a huge gob of bubble gum like he often had as a kid.

  They were all on edge, waiting for Ennis to show his face. They sat in various poses around the kitchen table—Ryder perched on the corner, Ridge with his elbows on the table and his face in his hands, West irritatingly tapping a spoon he’d used to stir his iced tea. Lane had gone outside, unable to stand the tension, and Buck was about to make his exit too.

  Only Wynonna seemed nonplussed as she chatted with their mother about entry fees for the next barrel race.

  Buck pushed out a sigh and got up. As he passed Channing, he touched her shoulder. She pivoted her head and met his gaze. The worry he saw there bothered him. He didn’t want her facing this mess with them. She had her own bullshit with her brother.

  God, Buck wanted to rough up Luke for taking advantage of Channing that way.

  She covered Buck’s fingers with her own, and then one of the dogs barked. Lane’s step on the porch sounded next, followed by the creak of the screen door opening. “Fuck-face is here.”

  At their favorite nickname for Ennis, Ryder gave a crooked smile and got off the table. They all stood as one, including Channing. Buck grasped her shoulder, and she stopped. “You don’t need to be present for this.”

  “I want to.”

  He searched her eyes and finding what he needed, he gave a dip of his head. “Let’s go.”

  A funny look crossed her face, but he grabbed her by the hand and led her outside onto the porch to greet the one man who was making their lives hell. The minute Ennis Calhoun had learned he was the rightful heir of the ranch, he’d done nothing but try to get them off it.

  They were digging in, though, and pulling up every word of the law that would aid them in their cause. Right behind Ennis was his attorney, and luckily the Calhouns’ lawyer had just pulled into the driveway.

  Buck gave Channing’s fingers a squeeze before towing her with him down the porch steps and across the yard. First they greeted their attorney before turning to Ennis.

  “Nice to see you, Future Mrs. Buck,” the man said to Channing, ignoring Buck’s extended hand. He curled his fist at his side and tried to keep from punching the dirt bag. Thing was, Ennis might be the bad guy in their family but he looked like one of them. Same chiseled chin and straight nose.

  He didn’t act like them—not by a longshot.

  Channing managed to say hello in a cool tone that made Buck want to dance a two-step. At least she wasn’t sucked in by his suave ways.

  “What’s all this?” Ennis waved in the air at the large group surrounding them. The film crew stood at the ready, cameras already flashing and brand new SD cards in place.

  “We’ll need you to sign a contract, Mr. Calhoun,” the production manager said, holding out a clipboard.

  “For what?”

  “Allowing us to film you. All footage can be put into the reality show.”

  Ennis’s eyes popped out. “Well isn’t that special? The cousins have finally found a way to earn big besides rodeoing.” He reached for the clipboard and began to read the small print.

  Buck ground his molars. The squeak of tooth on tooth brought Channing’s head up and she wrapped her fingers more tightly with his in a show of solidarity. They both knew Ennis had just taken a cheap shot at their skills.

  Five minutes later, with Ennis’s signature scrawled on the page and the entire group stuffed into the normally spacious-feeling kitchen, the meeting commenced.

  “There is a clause where the widow may dissent to the claims of the will,” their lawyer said. “Meaning Margaret—or Peg—Calhoun is protesting that the land belongs to Ennis Calhoun.”

  The lawyers shared a minute or two of legal-speak that Buck had no desire to follow. He stared at his cousin, who was staring at his fiancée. Channing shifted from boot to boot next to him.

  “Let’s get this all out in the open now.” Ennis spread his hands on the table, playing to the cameras by looking directly at them. “The ranch is worth a lot of money—”

  “Which we plan to pay,” Lane interrupted.

  “I have no doubts,” Ennis drawled. His meaning the exact opposite—the fuck-face was totally mocking them. Buck didn’t realize he was moving toward his cousin until he felt Channing’s restraining hand on his biceps.

  Ennis grinned at her, and Buck growled, low in his throat.

  “Why do you want this land anyway, Ennis? You don’t give a damn about ranching,” Buck said.

  “I do have a vested interest in other things to do with this land.”

  “Like mining it. Drilling for oil. And wiping off every tree,” Ryder muttered.

  “I could never run this ranch as well as y’all.” Ennis folded his hands with a grin. Buck snorted a breath through his nose and tried to let that insult pass. For months he’d been giving them every passive-aggressive insult he could come up with. It was time to put the asshole in his place.

  “We’ll have the money to you in two months,” Buck stated.

  Ennis looked up. Tapped the pen he was holding. “The price has gone up since we last spoke.” Ennis’s lawyer nodded.

  “You son of a bitch! You fucking fuck-face!” Wynonna flew across the room, hands out in a way that screamed “choke hold.” Every one of the brothers had felt her claws gripping his neck at least one time in his youth. Once she got hold of you, she didn’t let go. And Buck was more than willing to sit back and watch his cousin be strangled.

  Ryder caught her around the waist before she reached Ennis. But at six-feet tall, she was a powerhouse. Still, Ryder was stronger. He wrenched her around and carried her bodily outside.

  Lane gave a laugh.

  Ennis slid back his chair and stood. “The asking price went up by twenty grand.”

  “We’ll have it,” Buck ground out.

  “I’m certain you will. But I could always change my mind.” With a tip of his hat in Channing’s direction, he started toward the door with his lawyer dogging his heels.

  “Motherfucker,” Ma whispered, but they all heard her.

  They gaped at their ma, sitting so primly with her hands clasped atop the table where she’d made them pray over every meal since the time they had teeth. Channing was the first to giggle, and then they all burst out laughing.

  Wynonna beamed. “I have taught you well, Mother.”

  Ryder had a fit of wheezes that just made them all carry on more.

  Buck was still coiled too tightly. “C’mon.” He clutched Channing’s arm and led her through the kitchen and down the hall. She was still laughing in that soft, breathless way that made him achingly hard. As soon as he pulled her into their bedroom and closed the door, he trapped her against the wall. “You’re mine, darlin’.”

  “Buck—” Her blue eyes shifted from side to side as she searched his gaze.

  “I didn’t like fuck-face looking at you. Now put your arms around my neck because I’m about to kiss you until you can’t remember anything but my name.”

  * * * * *

  Buck wasn’t kidding.
She was nothing but a melted puddle of desire with boots. But she couldn’t even use her boots because her legs no longer worked and he’d lifted her into his arms, her thighs around his waist as he kissed and kissed her.

  This wanting was insane. She felt like a teenager with raging hormones. Buck’s possessive streak was sexy as hell. She’d only seen it surface once before, at a bar in Tulsa after an old friend had dragged her onto the dance floor. When she’d stopped dancing and looked up, Buck had stood at the side, arms folded and wearing a glare that would melt the panties off any woman.

  Ennis was a good-looking son-of-a-bitch, she’d give him that. But just as a leopard was beautiful on the outside, he had sharp teeth and claws. She had no doubt Ennis wouldn’t hesitate to tear apart his extended family as well as the ranch.

  Buck swept the interior of her mouth with his tongue. She shivered in his hold and returned his kiss stroke for stroke. When he eased his hands around her ass farther, his fingertips teasing the crotch of her jeans. She cooed.

  Roughly, he trapped her against the door, his cock angled at her pussy. “You’re not leaving this room until you’ve come.”

  “But…chores.” She gasped as he fumbled between them, deftly opening her jeans. His hot fingers against her hotter flesh forced a cry from her.

  He swooped in, quieting her with his kiss. It gentled, slowed, until only the lazy flick of his tongue remained. Love welled inside her. She pushed into his hand.

  “So needy for me. So wet. Fuck, darlin’.” He whirled with her to the bed, and they fell in a heap. Before she could blink he was kissing a trail down her throat to her cleavage. Reaching into her top, he pulled her breasts free one by one. Her nipples puckered at the cooler air.

  Groaning, he took one on his tongue. It pebbled more. Then holding her gaze, he sucked. Each slick rotation of his tongue around the tip and the pull of his lips was exquisite torture.

  She had no idea where his hat had gone but when she raised her hands, she tangled her fingers into thick brown hair. The wicked look he gave her sent her into a frenzied state.

  “Please. Stop teasing me.”

  “And what?”

  “Lick my pussy.”

  “You seem to be wearing too many clothes, darlin’.”

  Together they attacked her clothing. Buck nudged her thighs apart using his jaw and then sank down before her legs and delivered a long, slow lap to her soaking pussy.

  She cried out, thumping the mattress with her fists.

  “Look at me.”

  Her gaze snapped to his. God, she’d never stop loving him. From messy hair to smoldering gaze to the wicked curl of his lips as he opened his mouth over her pussy, he was impossible to forget. Add accomplished cowboy, team roper and damn good man to the mix, and she was a goner.

  Throwing her head back, she let herself stop thinking and just feel. With swirling tongue movements, he tormented her for long minutes. Her hips rose and fell on their own. Finally, he growled and locked her ass in his hands, holding her right where he wanted her.

  Inner thigh muscles quaking, she watched him flick her clit with the point of his tongue. “Buuuuck.”

  He dipped his head to gather her juices, tongue-fucking her until she started to peak.

  Then he backed off. She dug her heels into the mattress and pushed upward against his lips. But he simply closed his eyes and let his forehead rest against her leg. A soft sound broke from her, and she ran her fingers through his hair, loving him more as the minutes ticked by.

  “I’m glad you’re with me.”

  “Buck…” It was part plea for him to finish, part emotional outburst.

  Tenderly, he pressed his lips to her thigh. Inhaling deeply, his eyes on fire.

  Without warning, he thrust his tongue back into her pussy. She cried out as pulsations struck her. One throb, two. Then she was coming hard and fast, her body a live wire under his mouth. He drew on her clit until she was too sensitive to go on. But then he only eased his intimate kiss, mouthing her lightly while she shook and muffled her gasps behind a pillow.

  After he delivered the final lick, she lay there half-alive, the pillow still over her face. She felt Buck’s chest vibrate with a laugh. He crawled up her body, and she threw aside the pillow.

  Hovering over her, his arms bulging and his lips still glistening with her juices, she didn’t think she’d ever get enough of him if he kept her prisoner here for a month.

  She wrapped her arms around him, crushing him against her. He made a gravelly noise in his throat. He made no move to continue with their lovemaking, and she realized this was only him laying claim to her.

  “I have to talk to my family about what happened. We need a plan. Do you think you can distract the crew while I do?”

  His question surprised her. Buck was asking her for help?

  “Umm…I’m sure I can come up with something.”

  “I know you can.” His eyes gleamed and he leaned in and stamped her mouth with his.

  She gripped his denim-covered ass, kneading the muscles that drove her nuts every time he walked away from her. “Aren’t you going to finish this?”

  Levering himself off her, he gave a small shake of his head and a wicked crooked smile. “Gotta keep you coming back for more. I want you wet and thinking about me until I drag you back to this bed.”

  Getting dressed proved difficult when her hands were unsteady. She felt as if a thousand watts of electricity had just zapped her. In some ways, Buck was far more powerful than an electric fence. She couldn’t believe the change in him today.

  And it was making her senses riot. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He was going to drive her batty, that was certain.

  She righted her bra and top before finding her panties and jeans balled up on the floor. Buck gave her a wink as he came out of the bathroom. The bulge in the front of his jeans was totally evident.

  She crooked a finger at him. “C’mere, cowboy.”

  He sauntered over as slowly as a dandelion fluff on the wind. “What do you need, cowgirl?”

  She pressed her palm to his erection, watching his eyes hood. “Let me take care of you, babe.”

  When he didn’t protest, she slowly dropped to her knees and unfastened his belt and jeans. His cock was so hard and long that the tip was barely harnessed by his briefs. His musky male scents made her moan.

  Buck cupped the back of her head and drew her into him. She freed his cock. The plump head was purple with desire and wetness glistened in the slit. She snaked out her tongue and tasted it. Warm, salty juices that made her own pussy clench for more of their naughty play. More spankings, maybe some rope.

  She flashed her eyes at him as she parted her lips over his tip, and in one smooth glide swallowed him to the base. When her lips rested on his balls and his mushroomed head in the back of her throat, she bobbed.

  “Fucking hell, darlin’.” He wrapped her hair around his fist, bundling it back so he could see her face as she sucked him. She withdrew, lapping up his veined length. Before taking him into her throat again. God, she loved the feel of him, tight muscles straining, his fingers raising a pleasurable sting on her scalp.

  Groaning around him, she got down to business. Sucking, licking, lapping. When he cupped her face with his other hand and churned his hips to sink deeper into her mouth, she felt a ripple of surrender in him. She clutched his ass and gave him every bit of what he’d given her a few minutes before.

  “Jesus…darlin’. So fucking good. God, you’re beautiful. I’m so close, right there. Can you take all my cum?”

  She made a noise of assurance, and he growled like a primal beast. With long pulls she drew on his cock, coaxing his orgasm upward. He tensed under her tongue, the vein along the side pulsing. As his face shivered with pleasure, she mouthed his tip.

  The first hot spurt hit her tongue, followed by another and another. She swallowed as he thrust in and out of her mouth. When a final quiver left him, she met his gaze and released him with
a pop.

  He caressed her jawline with a fingertip, his eyes aglow. “Whatever’s happened between us, I like it.”

  She smiled softly, his flavors still on her tongue. “Me too.” She feared all of this was temporary—a bandage over a sore muscle that helped short-term. But she couldn’t think about that now. She was in for the contract term and she might as well enjoy her “fiancé.”

  Running a fingertip across her lips, she slipped to her feet. “Tell me what happens with your family?”

  “Of course, darlin’.” He hauled her closer with his hand on her spine. She went on tiptoe and kissed him square on the mouth.

  He groaned. “I love that you taste like me.”

  “Same here.”

  He let her go, and she watched him leave the room, admiring his tight backside in those worn jeans with a hole in the right pocket. Now to come up with a way to lure the crew away from the family so they could have a few minutes to discuss the meeting with Ennis.

  When she went into the bathroom to clean up, she looked at her too-bright eyes. I think I have a plan.

  * * * * *

  The mood in the kitchen was much more somber than when Buck had left it. Every Calhoun was tight-lipped and on edge. Ready to do battle.

  “If we can win every event at Jacksonville, we’ll have a good chance of making that twenty grand Ennis upped the price to.” Ryder leaned against the counter but he was far from relaxed.

  Everyone looked at Buck. He was the only competitor who had even less control than the rest of them. If Asher wasn’t on his game…

  Damn, he needed this. They all did.

  “If I lose, I’ll find the money another way,” Buck said.

  “How?” Lane asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ll put up hay for the neighbors or something.” On ranches, there were always side hustles.

  “That little son of a bitch.” Lane pitched his voice low, but it held a note of threat more dangerous than theirs. Lane loved this ranch with everything in his being. Maybe more than they did. As youngest brother, he hadn’t gotten enough time with their father working the land. To feel closer to their Dad, Lane would take their pa’s horse out and just gallop the fields.