by Snow, Nicole
“I don’t believe that’s necessary,” Dad says. “We talked about this, dear. Annabelle has other things to focus on right now, and so do we. Specifically, what she intends to do with North Earhart Oil.”
“She’s selling it to Mr. Briar,” she snaps, sizing my father up. “Clearly the only solution.”
Dad shakes his head. “Not for the price he offered. North Earhart is worth five times more than his offer.”
“It is?” Mom blinks, and I can practically see the dollar signs in her eyes. She lays her hand on Dad’s arm. “Gary, you never—”
“Mentioned it?” He smiles at her. “No, my dear, I didn’t. I wanted to see just how bad that man was trying to lowball us so I’d have a baseline for a real offer. None of this has been pleasant, of course, but it turns out Annabelle may have just done us a favor by being so stubborn.”
Mother looks at me and nods slowly, thoughtfully before leaning back to Dad and asking, “Five times, Gary? You’re sure?”
Dad takes a drink of wine to hide his smile. “At least.”
Mother picks up her glass and takes a sip. “Well, then, we’ll just have to quit wasting our time and go shopping around, won’t we?”
Dad smiles and holds his glass to hers. “Patience is a virtue. And frankly, the sooner we cut strings with Avery Briar and his...unseemly reputation in this industry, the sooner we’ll have better, well-respected companies returning our calls.”
It’s my turn to smile back. I know what he’s doing. Buying us the most precious thing of all – time.
If we can just get Mom off pursuing any deals with Jupiter, then he’ll be able to talk her down in other ways over the next couple months. Drake and I will finally be left alone to solve the rest without my parents in the way.
“Five times!” Mom chirps again, clinking her glass against Dad’s. Then she turns to me. “You know, Annabelle, perhaps I have been rather...hasty with all of this. I still don’t understand why you had to be so rude or ambush me with this strange, awkward arrangement with your companion.”
She pauses, her eyes shifting to Drake.
“However, I see you had your reasons. Both of you, perhaps.”
For a second, I glance at Dad. He needs me to play along if this is going to work.
“Um, yeah, Mom. I did my homework, saw the valuations Gramps had done the last couple years. He left them with Roger Jones. If we’d folded and taken the Jupiter offer, we’d all be kicking ourselves for years. I had to put a stop to it. I was going to tell you, but...”
“Nonsense. I was far too hasty,” she says, softening into her usual flattery when she thinks things are going her way. “You’ve saved me from myself, Annabelle.”
I smile, but not because she thinks I’ll ever sell out.
It dawns on me how wrongly I’d always perceived things. How I’d thought Mother was always in control, when in fact, Dad can mastermind some truly brilliant things.
My parents clink glasses again. I reach under the table for Drake’s hand. He laces my fingers through his and squeezes.
“Annabelle?” Mom again.
Her and Dad are holding their glasses over the center of the table, waiting. I lift my wine glass, and so does Drake, and we all clink them together.
* * *
Dinner with my parents is always a lengthy affair.
Mom insists on having a five-course meal and drinks afterward, so it’s nearly ten by the time we’re finished. The four of us walk to the entryway, where Mom holds my hands and once again kisses the air next to my cheek.
I honestly don’t know if her lips have ever touched me. Not that it matters. Not tonight.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and having a normal, non-standoffish relationship with my own mother might take longer.
“I’ll admit one thing, he did a good job with the ring,” she says, still holding my hand and examining it more closely. “It reminds me of a Turtleman.” Without looking up, she asks, “Drake, where did you find such a ring out here?”
He grins at me. “I didn’t. I ordered it from Phoenix. It’s a Turtleman, sold by Black Rhino.”
The names mean nothing to me, but I’m not into jewelry designers.
“No! It can’t be,” she says, almost aghast.
Before I realize what she’s doing, Mom jerks the ring off my finger and is examining the inside like a demented jeweler.
She gasps. “Dear Lord! It is a Turtleman.” Looking at Drake, she says, “But that’s impossible. It takes years to get just the perfect design sometimes, regardless of the money. How could you possibly have it done in a matter of weeks? Movie stars have waited longer!”
“Easy when you know a man who rubs shoulders with every big designer,” Drake says.
Mother slides the ring back on my finger. “You need to get that insured, immediately.” She turns to Drake with a smile that would melt sugar. “What sort of 'friend' and how do you know them?”
Oh, this crap is about to get real.
“From the Army days,” Drake says. “Knox Carlisle served with me. Now he runs the biggest jewelry business in the southwest, hitched with a wife and kid. He won the lottery of Happily Ever Afters.”
“Knox,” Mom repeats, as if memorizing it. “You’ll have to put us in touch.”
Drake nods, a simple gesture that says no promises so loudly it makes me swallow a laugh.
“Goodnight,” Dad says, stopping Mom before she asks Drake another question. Dad kisses my cheek. “We’ll talk soon.”
Drake and I both say goodnight and shoot out the door.
I’m not sure which one of us wants to get away faster. He must be thinking the same thing, because when our gazes meet, we both laugh.
“Need anything from town?” he asks, backing the truck out of the parking spot.
You know what I need, I think to myself.
“No. Got everything we could want right at home.” Every part of me flushes, tingling with sweet anticipation.
We talk on the way home, but I’m not sure what about because I’m sure the road has somehow gotten longer. It’s taking us forever to get back to the ranch.
He parks the truck in the garage, and we enter through the door to the back porch.
I can’t wait any longer to touch him.
“My feet are killing me,” I say, putting one hand on his shoulder, using his rock hard leverage to tug off each sandal with my toes.
His hands go to my waist, holding me up, then slide lower to my ass. Leaving the shoes where they fall, I look at him, lifting my chin, so ready for a kiss.
“You should’ve worn your boots, darlin’.”
I want a kiss, dammit, not another smart-ass tease. “They would’ve looked real good with this dress.”
He shrugs and walks toward the kitchen. “Want anything?”
YES! I trot after him, just far enough to stick my head in. “No, it’s been a long day. I’m going up to bed.”
“Okay.” His head is in the fridge. “I’ll catch the lights on my way up later.”
My heart sinks.
This isn’t what I expected at all. Not after the hayloft.
I cross the room. “Night.”
“Night.” His head stays in the fridge, his hands rummaging through something.
I step around the corner, to where I can still see him, but he can’t see me.
He peeks over the fridge door, then shuts it, with nothing in his hands. They’re both pressed flat against the fridge surface.
He’s avoiding me again. Why?
I cross the room and climb the stairs. After what happened in the hayloft, I could’ve sworn...but wait.
If I hadn’t fallen off the hay, and if he hadn’t caught me, nothing would’ve happened. And there’d be nothing to look forward to now.
Excitement returns.
It’s my decision. He’s always said that about everything.
I hurry up the rest of the stairs. In a matter of minutes, I’m done in the bathroom, wearing nothing bu
t my short, yellow robe and standing next to my door, listening.
My heart skips a beat when I hear his heavy footsteps on the stairs. Heat rushes through me as I hear him walk past, into the bathroom, where I’d purposefully left my bra and underwear draped over the edge of the tub.
I’m nearly panting by the time I hear him enter his room.
I tell myself to wait a few more minutes, just to keep the illusion up, but it’s killing me.
This desire, this want, this heat. This freak magnetic control Drake Larkin has over my body.
I never knew it could be like this. A desire so strong it’s all consuming.
If something doesn’t happen soon, I’m going to have to please myself. I open the door and cross the hall, quietly, still listening. Movement inside momentarily disrupts the light shining under his door, and then it goes out. My heart pounds as I lean in, listening, until I finally hear a low groan.
Using the excuse, I knock slightly. “Drake?”
No answer.
Feeling the knob, it’s unlocked, and I push the door gently open.
“Are you all right?” I whisper. Still no answer and my hand moves to the light switch. “I thought I heard you groan.”
I flick on the light switch, holding my breath. And immediately almost swallow my freaking tongue.
He’s on the bed, propped up, stark naked. And Lord is he jacked.
His cock curves up over his fierce abs, and it’s glorious. He’s this huge panther-like thing, all oscillating slabs of muscle and ink, nothing but the faintest mischief on his lips.
They’re so thin, smiling, but the real glory sits in his eyes, explosive blue and locked on me.
Holy hell.
What’s going on? I’ve never fawned over a man’s dick before. Not that I’ve seen many. Before our tumble up in the barn, I’d never so much as touched a man there, never realized how huge and hard and alive it could be.
“Your ears told you right, darlin’,” he says in a rough whisper. “That groan was me.”
I force myself to pull my eyes off his swollen, pulsing cock and look at him again. “Why?”
“You’re looking at the reason. Everything you’ve been doing to me all night.” He sits up, grabbing his cock with his fist, giving it a mighty pull.
Oh, mama.
“You really can’t figure out what that shit downstairs was all about, beautiful?” He pauses, just long enough for me to shake my head. “Wanted to give you a little taste of what I’ve been feeling since dinner. You did one thing wrong when we fucked earlier today, Annabelle.”
I hold my breath, cheeks flushed like a sunburn. Something about hearing him drawl my full name makes me so wet, so hot, so ready, it’s a small miracle I’m still standing.
“Wrong?”
“Yeah. You left me hard for hours. When we fuck, round two, three, and four ought to be a given.”
Oh. My. God.
Is he for real? The longer I look at him, the more I realize that yup, he’s serious.
“Um, Dad kinda interrupted us. Wasn’t like I had much choice in the–”
He sits up, quick as lightning, and leans forward. Before I know what’s happening, he pulls on the belt to my robe, snatching it open.
“Here’s your choice, baby girl. Come the hell over here and suck. You do a good job, I might make that sweet fuckin’ pussy come so hard again you’ll be thinking Drake for days.”
His eyes take no prisoners. I’m swallowed up, devoured in bright-blue light, making me feel naked and vulnerable and totally his.
Is there even a question what happens next?
The idea that I gave him a hard-on like this thrills me. And what he’s asking for, wanting me to use my mouth...it’s something I’ve always wondered about for ages.
Smiling, I saunter forward, sinking to my knees as he shifts his knees apart. Memories of watching a couple dirty movies Alexa and the other girls brought – because that’s what college girls do – flash in my head.
Mom would’ve died if she’d known. She insisted I join the sorority that first year. After tonight, I might have a good reason to thank her.
“Hmm, I dunno. You’re sure it’s ready?” I whisper, moving my fingers achingly slow.
His eyes turn to feral pinpricks. Drake grabs my hand as it slides down his stomach. “Seriously, darlin’.”
“I am being serious.” Smiling, I push my hand down farther, my pussy tensing as I feel his abs, and then the divine line of coarse hair trailing to his erection.
“Bella, seriously,” he growls, eclipsing my hand with his, totally impatient, pushing my fingers down.
Oh, wow. The second my fingers touch the seething skin of his cock, he jolts slightly. “Shit! Let’s fuckin’ go.”
I don’t need to be told twice. Wrapping my fingers around him, I don’t even stop to savor his heat, his hardness, his fire before I’m moving. My nipples ache, wetness leaking down my thighs as I stroke his full, awesome length down to his base, down to the fire in his balls.
Too slow. I love how his entire body shudders, powerful muscles flexing like they’re showing off just for me. It’s all too easy to remember what they can do to me when he goes full fury.
“Bella,” he groans. “For fuck’s sake...”
“Nope, my sake,” I whisper, running my hand up and down the base again, this time a little faster. There, I spread my fingers, exploring his balls.
Thunder echoes in his throat again, animal and raw.
I peek at him, at how his eyes glaze over, how his teeth sink deep into his lower lip.
“Bella.”
My name is a growl, and I love it. I release his balls, grasping his dick again firmly, and this time, I pump it gently. When my hand reaches the top again, I feel something slick and intoxicating, his pre-come oozing out the tip.
My own wetness intensifies. I press my thighs together, stroking him again, working my hand faster.
His cock pulsates in my hand and I’m gone.
Snarling, he grabs my waist, pulls me toward him. He fists my hair, with just the right pressure to make it burn at the roots, and then he’s pushing me down, down, down on his dick.
I barely have time to flick my tongue across the top before sealing my lips around his shaft.
The skin is even softer against my lips, velvet over steel. Smooth and supple. Solid.
My tongue delights at his taste, and I hoist myself up on my knees to plunge deeper, taking more of him.
“Fuck.” Another low groan escapes his throat, just like the one I’d heard that brought me here.
His fingers tangle my hair around them and pull, mimicking my movements, guiding me to suck like he commands.
A moan slips out of me and pools around his length. I go down harder, just like he’s urging with his hand, pressing my tongue into the underside around his swollen head.
Alexa told me guys like that. And it must be true because Drake’s head rolls back, his jaw tenses, and I feel his cock swell in my mouth.
For a second, I’m panicked, wondering if he’s about to come.
But his whole body shudders, this mountain of muscle, flexing again and again as his huge chest swells with ragged breaths.
No. Not yet. I’m not done sucking and I don’t want to stop. My hand works his base, ears burning as I hear him curse again.
“Shit, darlin’. You’re a natural.”
I’m elated. He reaches out with his free hand, toys with my nipples, quickening the burn that urges me on.
My hand finds sync with my mouth. That’s how I learn to suck and stroke, in unison, working until the feral sounds spilling out of him become one unbroken growl, rising in pitch.
His entire body goes rigid, harder than ever, about a second before it hits.
I know what’s coming and I engulf his hardness, sucking like hell, my hand pumping back at the base against his balls.
“Bella. Bella, goddamn, I’m –”
He’s gone.
His w
hole length swells and erupts in my mouth, pouring ropes into me.
Amazing.
Even more amazing is how I think I can take it and just swallow. But there’s no hope of that by the third pulse, when I’m overflowing, leaking him so I have to pull back. Stray traces of his heat spatter my cleavage, marking me so there’s no mistake.
His.
He falls back a second later, still growling, the pulse of his cock slowing in my hand as I keep stroking.
“Holy hell,” I whisper, wiping his seed with one finger, where it fades into my skin.
“No, shit.” He’s gasping.
Honestly, so am I. He’s spent and I’m about to explode.
The only bad thing about men is that they need a rest – even if it’s probably more like sixty seconds for Drake.
He moves aside and I join him on the bed, pushing myself into his arms. I lay there for a second, fully stunned, wondering if I’ll ever get control of my own body again.
Drake smiles. “Hottest damn thing I’ve ever seen.”
I flush, right up to my ears. “Come on. Now you’re just brown-nosing–”
“The hell I am,” he growls, running his hand between my legs.
If he wanted to shut me up, mission accomplished. I can’t even form words when his thumb finds my clit, perfectly poised, just this teasing, sugary hellfire that makes me scream more.
“Seeing my come falling out of your mouth was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen, Bella. Makes me want that pussy now. Need it, woman. You’ve been real fuckin’ sweet to me, sweeter than I thought you could be, and I always pay my debts.”
His thumb strokes deeper while two fingers push through my folds. I can’t help but buck against his hand, slurring my whimper.
Great. Just great.
Apparently, this is what I get for pretending I have a shred of self-control when I’m naked and alone with Drake Larkin.
Smiling, he rolls me over and then flips around so he’s on top of me, pushing my legs apart. Holy hell, I guess he’s not kidding about the now part.
Still lost, I ask, “Are you for real?”
He kisses the top of my head. “As real as it gets.”
“Okay, cowboy. Let me know when you have a hard-on again.”