She screamed as his open palm landed a stinging slap to her aching pussy, praying none of the other cowboys were currently in the bunkhouse. The past weeks had taught her that none of those jerks would come to her rescue. Not that she wanted to be saved from Brock, because when he finally permitted her to come it would be explosive.
“Why are you being punished, hellion?”
Damn the man. He knew that rough, growled tone of voice made her mindless. To increase both their pleasure, Tink held out as long as possible, until the need to orgasm became unbearable.
“Because I didn’t tell you the sheriff called,” she cried. She would have told him about the court date, after the holidays and once she wrapped her mind around facing the vile bastards who had mistaken her for Savannah and abducted her.
Brock’s head lifted and his intense but warm green gaze met her own over the length of her torso. It was the hurt and disappointment she saw flash in his eyes that sparked her tears. What he said next made her feel even worse.
“I know you’re used to doing everything alone, but we’re in this together.”
She nodded, unable to find the right words to express how much his support meant to her. He had more than earned her trust and had bridged a path to her heart. The love and understanding she read in his expression had the impulsive organ pounding against her ribs. No matter how comfortable she’d become with Brock, revealing emotions still didn’t come easily for her.
Tink pulled at the restraints, needing to touch him. To let her body speak the words that her lips were reluctant to form. Yes, she wanted the orgasm he’d denied her but the desire to hold him was far greater.
“Brock.” She tugged again ineffectively. “Please…I need—”
She didn’t have to say more because in an instant he was there, his big body blanketing hers. No sooner were her arms free than she flung them around his neck and held on tight. Her breasts flattened against his chest and she swore their hearts shifted into the same rhythm.
Going from a solitary life to being part of the large ranch family wasn’t an easy adjustment. In the blink of an eye everything had changed and her head still spun with the effort to catch up. She was now a full partner in a new business and living with a Dominant lover in a bunkhouse of all places. Once spring thaw came they would begin building a house together.
Crap, it was happening again. Her throat closed up and she had a hard time getting any air into her constricted lungs.
And as always, whenever she needed him, Brock was there. Somehow he knew exactly what she required. He gently cupped her cheeks and got right in her face so that his steady green gaze filled her vision. “That’s it. Look at me, Tink.” His warm breath washed over her face. “Breathe with me. Nice and easy, darlin’. There’s nothing to worry about. It will all work itself out and I’ll be right here, holding you.”
“That’s the scary part,” she wheezed.
“You don’t have to be afraid anymore, hellion. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me.”
The panic began to recede, washed away by Brock’s loving words and caresses. He kissed away the words that trembled on her lips.
“Shh, hellion. You don’t have to say it yet. I already know and the feeling’s mutual.”
He never ceased to amaze her and Tink had to wonder what she’d done right to deserve the love of such an incredible man. Even if she couldn’t say it, she would damn sure show Brock how much she loved him. Every day. For the rest of her life.
But how she longed to tell him.
Digging down deep, Tink found that her love for him gave her courage and the words slipped past her lips. “Brock, I love you.”
“Good girl,” he praised. “I love you too. And I do believe you’ve earned a reward.
Oh, hell yeah.
“What do you want, Tink?”
She didn’t have to think about it. “You, cowboy. I want you.”
He growled low in his throat and shivers of anticipation skated over her skin. “You’ve got me, hellion. Just try to get rid of me.”
She shifted her legs, locking them around his hips. Brock thrust forward, filling her in one fluid thrust that left them both gasping. Then he surprised her by reversing their positions, putting her on top.
“Take me, hellion. I’m all yours.”
She’d never heard sweeter words.
Epilogue
“I need to get laid,” Riley grumbled beneath his breath.
The comment earned him an elbow to the ribs from Brock, the best man at this shindig.
Life at the Shooting Star ranch had been perfect when it had been just Van and the four hired cowboys, inventing wild games to play and becoming good friends in the process. With each new resident at the ranch, things had changed.
His gaze scanned the guests. In the front row Cord held Van’s hand. When Van hired Cord as the ranch foreman, he had insisted they do some actual ranching. At least he’d invited them all for a night of pleasuring Van before the wedding.
Dakota and Tamara sat next to the other couple. Now that woman knew how to party and had been more than happy to be shared by Brock, Zeke, Jesse and Riley. But then Van had gone and hired Dakota to work with the horses. Tamara had shacked up with the Indian, bringing an end to the wild sex.
Millie, sat in the next row with the Mortons. Thankfully Mandy had snapped right back from being held captive by that sick bastard, Wyatt Bodine. The fact that Riley now hung out most often with the kid spoke volumes about the direction ranch life had taken.
The music began and the bane of his existence walked down the church aisle toward him. Riley’s groin tightened at the sight of Stephanie Black. Damn, the gorgeous brunette was like a fire in his blood. A forbidden fire, since her brother was his boss and her sister-in-law owned the ranch.
Her big blue-gray eyes lasered in on him and Riley swallowed hard. So much intelligence in those warm eyes. He’d known she was smart as a whip before hearing about her degree from one of those highbrow schools out East. Needless to say, Steph was way out of his league.
Didn’t stop him from dreaming though, regardless of the cold shoulder she’d given him since catching him and Brock with Bobbie Lee at the engagement party.
Silky tendrils of chestnut-brown hair framed her delicate face, drawing his gaze to her high cheekbones, pert nose and those lush cherry-red lips he longed to taste. The strapless gown, he remembered someone referring to the color as latte brown, hugged her toned, shapely body to perfection. While her high, full breasts were adequately covered, the exposed upper swells had Riley tugging at his suddenly too-tight collar. A cream-colored sash around her middle emphasized her nipped-in waist. He regretted the gown being floor-length and covering her spectacular, mile-long legs. The sexy woman turned him inside out, tempting him beyond his ability to resist.
Steph never broke eye contact with him and as she walked up the three steps to the altar, he very nearly stepped forward to meet her. He was saved at the last second by Brock’s sharply indrawn breath.
Riley glanced at his friend then down the aisle to watch Tink walk forward and he smiled. Only the wild hellcat could turn walking through a church into an act of seduction. Shame she’d shacked up with Brock and the stingy bastard wouldn’t share her anymore.
This time the elbow to the ribs came from his other side. Riley scowled at Zeke, who whispered, “Gettin’ to be slim pickins around here.”
He nodded in agreement and once again wondered if it wasn’t time to move on, regardless that he owned ten acres of the ranch lands. That didn’t mean he had to do anything with the land. Not when living at the ranch had become so miserable. There was no shortage of beautiful women on the ranch, but they were all taken or untouchable.
Going to Smiley’s bar alone and fucking one of the women from town had lost its appeal long ago. Finding satisfaction had become damn near impossible when he always pictured the woman he pleasured as sweet, untouchable Steph.
Most nights he drank to
o much then slept on the couch in the main house to avoid lying awake all night with a hard-on from listening to Brock fuck Tink’s brains out. Her blissful screams drove him right out of his mind.
The music changed and Kate stepped into view. Her thick auburn hair had been swept up with a few tendrils left loose around her face. The contrast between her hair and pale skin caused her bright emerald-green eyes to really stand out. She was stunning in the vintage champagne gown with appliqué roses. Jesse was one lucky man to have landed the foxy redhead.
Riley slapped a tight lid on the overwhelming desire to have what the rest of his friends had found. His friends who thought they knew him so well but didn’t have a clue. They all saw him as a reckless bad boy who refused to grow up. A wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind of lover who’d never settle down with one woman when that was precisely what he wanted most.
Yeah, it was long past time for him to be moving on.
* * * * *
Stephanie Black observed the byplay between the other ranch residents, once again feeling like a pathetic outsider peering in the window, longing to be part of the fun. She’d been welcomed and accepted at the Shooting Star but couldn’t help feeling that was because of her brother. More than anything, she wanted to truly feel as if she belonged here.
“You have absolutely no patience,” Brock accused Tink, who had been itching to get out on the dance floor.
“Nope,” Tink agreed. “Didn’t feel like standing in line when they were passing it out.”
Riley put in his two cents’ worth. “Bad move.”
Tink stuck her tongue out at him and blew raspberries. The flirtatious move felt like a knife slicing into Steph’s back. She’d wanted Riley since the first time she’d laid eyes on him. Ached to be the one he teased and flirted with. Longed to be held in his arms. But Riley barely knew she existed.
Brock shook his head. “Skipped the maturity line too.”
“Yeah, when they called out maturity she misunderstood, thought they said purity,” Riley informed everyone. “Knowing she didn’t qualify for that one she totally ignored the line.”
Tink snorted and Brock actually cracked a smile that reached his eyes. Steph was happy for him. He smiled a lot more since Tink came into his life. Riley laughed so hard the fool nearly fell out of his chair, sending everyone else into hysterics while Steph silently prayed for the night to finally be over.
When the DJ called the entire wedding party to the dance floor for a slow song, she was unable to suppress a groan. Dancing wasn’t the problem, she loved to dance. What she took issue with was her dance partner.
More than six sinful feet of drop-dead gorgeous cowboy—Riley Jasper.
Tall, dark and handsome didn’t come close. His slightly long jet-black hair had a tendency to fall over his forehead and into those deep blue eyes she’d happily drown in. Steph fought a nearly constant desire to feel the shiny strands of hair slip between her fingers. With his dark complexion and angular features, his face tended to look somber until his lips spread in a sultry grin that lit him up from within and exerted a magnetic pull on her.
But the cowboy kept his distance from her while flirting up every other woman around, ripping out her heart in the process. In her own, socially inept, subtle way, Steph had let him know she was interested. Riley had never taken the bait.
She may be book-smart, but when it came to men, Steph was severely lacking in the skills that seemed to be second nature to other women. Women like Tink and Tamara who never failed to capture and hold the prankster’s undivided attention.
Just once she’d love to be the recipient of one of his pranks. Not that she longed to find a rubber snake in the toilet or face any of his other infamous tricks. She just wanted to know that she’d entered his mind as more than a passing thought of Cord’s little sister.
By far the worst torture was knowing he’d slept with every woman on the ranch with the exception of Millie, who was old enough to be his mother, Sandy, who was already married, and today’s bride, Kate. She couldn’t escape to town either, where he had the reputation of a prized stud horse. Seemed he wasn’t picky and would take any woman, other than her, for a long, hard ride.
Stepping into his arms, she took a deep breath, drawing the scent of sandalwood cologne and his own unique masculine musk into her lungs. The warm hand at the small of her back branded her skin right through her clothes.
He held her stiffly and kept her at a distance as one would when forced to dance with an elderly relative. She, on the other hand, struggled not to melt into Riley’s warm, chiseled body as they glided around the floor.
Steph loved living at the ranch and working with Kate and Tink, but how much longer could she go on pretending that what she wanted most in the world wasn’t being dangled just out of her reach but freely offered to everyone else?
She’d lived on the ranch for some time, knew all the faces. While they meant her no harm, the way they saw her wasn’t going to change. She had to face it head on, move somewhere she’d be accepted for herself rather than live in her brother’s shadow. There were no guarantees she’d make it on her own but she had to try.
Tilting her chin, she glanced up at Riley’s handsome face to find his blue eyes looking everywhere but at her. That settled it. Leaving what she knew and going off alone was scary, yet it had to be better than living with constant pain.
Then the DJ started the countdown and the crowd joined in. Panic surged, tightening her chest and making it hard to breathe. In mere seconds a new year would be ushered in. All the couples around them cast expectant gazes at each other, anticipating the traditional kiss.
Her hands trembled and she cast about for an excuse to step away. “I…uh,” Steph stammered, “I h-have to go.”
Either Riley didn’t hear her over the countdown or chose to ignore the desperation in her high-pitched tone. As she attempted to take a step back, Riley’s arms tightened, pulling her closer to the warmth of his big, hard body.
“Riley,” she gasped. “Please—”
The crowd shouted “one” then cheered. Cold sweat skated down her spine and Steph struggled to get free. A firm hand clasped her jaw and tilted her head so she had no choice but to meet his deep blue stare.
“Happy New Year, beautiful,” he spoke in a soft, almost reverent hush.
He tilted his head and slowly angled forward. Steph froze, unable to believe this was actually happening. Riley intended to kiss her.
The noise, the crowded reception—it all faded away. There was only Riley and one amazing moment in time. She couldn’t have turned away even if she wanted to. Steph stared at his lips until they were so close her eyes crossed.
He paused a mere fraction away from making contact and she thought he’d changed his mind. Then firm yet soft lips brushed across hers. Steph figured that would be the extent of his kiss. She was very wrong.
A moan rumbled up from his chest and Riley again tightened his hold until her soft curves melded to his hard planes. The steely length of his erection pressed against her belly. Her breasts swelled and ached, cream dampened her panties. Heat blasted through her and she gasped.
Riley fused his lips with hers, thrust his tongue into her mouth. Her hopes surged. Steph poured all her love and desire into the kiss, hungrily devouring the lingering taste of beer and his own unique flavor as her world was rocked on its axis. Rising up on tiptoes, she clasped her fingers behind his neck and struggled to get even closer.
Breathless, she reluctantly pulled back, sucking in huge gulps of air. When their lips parted, Riley blinked and stared for a long moment before putting distance between them.
“That shouldn’t have happened. It was a mistake.”
The harsh words sucked all the warmth from her body. He turned and stormed off through the crowd, stomping the pieces of her shattered heart beneath his boot heels.
About the Author
Nicole Austin lives on the sheltered Gulf Coast of Florida, where inspiration can be readily
found sitting under a big shade umbrella on the beach while sipping cold margaritas. A voracious reader, she never goes anywhere without a book. All those delicious romances combined with a vivid imagination naturally created steamy fantasies and characters in her mind.
Discovering Ellora’s Cave paved the path to freeing them, as well as manifesting an intoxicating passion for Romantica®. The positive response of family and friends to her stories propelled Nicole into an incredible world where fantasy comes boldly to life. Now she stays busy working as a certified CT scan technologist, finishing her third college degree, reading, writing and keeping up with family. Oh yeah, and did we mention all the hard work involved with research? Well, that’s the fun job—certainly a labor of love.
Nicole welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Nicole Austin
Candyman
Cougar Challenge: Summer of the Cougar
Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis I anthology
Enough
Entwined Hearts with TJ Michaels, N.J. Walters & Ciana Stone
Erotique
Flyboy
Have a Little Faith in Me
Kenna’s Cowboy
Master’s Thief
My Greatest Fantasy
Passionate Realities
Predators 1: Cat’s Meow
Predators 2: Eye of the Tiger
Predators 3: Foxy Lady
Rakahnja’s Haven
Restless
Savannah’s Vision
Tempestuous
The Boy Next Door
Trip My Switch
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
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