by Ward, Alice
“Well, it’s about damn time,” he sang.
I pulled away from James and smiled up at him. Matt had one arm wrapped around Lucas’s waist and leaned into him for support.
“Does this mean you’re finally going to tell people that you love this man?” Matt asked, slapping James on the shoulder.
“Yes,” I said, raising my chin and smiling broadly. “Yes, I am. What do you say we head back to the resort?”
“I think that’s a great idea,” Lucas agreed. He squeezed Matt. “I think this one’s had a little too much fun tonight,” he added with a laugh.
“Honey, you haven’t even seen what I have planned for tonight,” Matt teased him. “Willow’s right. It’s time to head back to our rooms. You two go grab us a cab. Lucas and I will take care of the tab and meet you outside.”
Matt poured the last few splashes of champagne into his glass, tossed it back, and set off for the bar. Lucas followed to keep him on his feet while James and I ducked outside.
We stood near the curb and James hailed a taxi. As it slowed to a stop, I looked up at him with a mischievous smile.
“So, can we continue this celebration back at the resort? Or do we have to wait until after we talk to our parents?”
James smiled back at me, his eyes smoldering with desire. “I think we can bend the rules a little.”
He held open the taxi door and gestured for me to slide in first. I threw my arms around his neck and gave him another hungry kiss. I pulled away and caressed his lips with my thumb.
“I think we can throw the rules out entirely.”
***
The elevator doors opened to our floor and James and I stumbled into the hallway, our bodies entwined. We quickly raced to the door of our suite and I groped through my purse for our room key.
“You have no idea how happy you’ve made me,” James whispered in my ear as I slid the keycard into the door. The key reader beeped and I pushed open the door, stripping out of my clothes as I walked through the living area.
“I intend to make you even happier,” I cooed at James, feeling light headed with happiness. “But first, I need a shower. Care to join me?”
“You bet your fine ass I want to join you,” he said, lifting me into his arms. I pulled my camisole over my head and unfastened my strapless bra as he carried me into the bathroom. He sat me on my feet and I started the water while James stripped out of his tux. I let my panties fall to the floor and stepped into the shower stall.
The resort boasted a spa in every room and I’d had my eye on the shower since the moment we arrived. It was a large, glass walled structure with a rain drip showerhead mounted on the ceiling and massage heads mounted on each wall. A stone bench sat in the middle and the glass could be sealed to trap the steam. I let the hot spray wash over my body as I waited for James to join me. The room went black and I heard the glass door slide open.
I reached out in the darkness and touched James’s chest. I backed against the wall and pulled his body to mine. He planted soft kisses across my face as he held me in his arms.
“I have a confession,” he whispered. “I’ve wanted to get you in here all weekend. It was all I could think about when I showered this morning.” He lowered his head, licking my neck before lapping up the water that had pooled behind my collar bone.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing,” I admitted. “In fact, I had quite the fantasy about it this morning myself.”
“Do you mind the dark?” he asked, sliding his hands over my wet, slick skin. “I thought it might make things a little more exciting. Of course, if it doesn’t work with your fantasy I can turn them back on. I’m looking forward to letting you act that out.” He sucked my breast and pushed his cock against my hip to show me just how much he was looking forward to it.
“The dark is fine,” I said and placed my hands on his shoulders, feeling the thick muscles beneath my fingers. “But you’ll have to sit down.”
“Whatever you want, baby.”
My eyes were adjusting to the dark and I watched James back up to the bench. He sat down and I kneeled before him, taking his cock into my mouth. I licked sweet water off of the tip and teased his balls with my free hand.
James moaned and wiggled beneath me. He put his hands on my head and pushed me up and down. I stroked and sucked, determined to make him come at least once before I had my way with him. But James had other ideas. After a few minutes, he wrapped his hands around my arms and pulled me to my feet.
“I’m sorry,” he said, breathing hard as he stood up. “But I can’t take it anymore. We have to move to the bed. I have to be inside you, Willow. It’s been too long.”
I shook my head and pushed him back down on the bench. “I told you, I put a lot of thought into this,” I said, trying desperately to pout. “And I planned ahead, in case I had the chance to turn the fantasy into reality.”
I turned a knob on the shower wall, shutting off water flow to the rain drip fixture above the bench. I pointed the wall mounted fixtures to the floor and retrieved the condom I’d hidden under the bar of soap.
“You really did think of everything,” James said as I handed him the rubber. He unwrapped it, rolled it down his cock, and grabbed me by the hips. He pulled me towards him and I crawled into his lap. Our tongues curled around each other, seeking and giving. I let out a loud gasp of pleasure as I lowered myself onto his throbbing cock. I planted my knees on the bench and moved up and down, impaling myself over and over on his length.
“You’re really mine… forever?” James whispered through heavy breaths.
“Forever.” I said the words against his lips. I squeezed my pussy muscles and rocked my body into his. “I’m all yours, James… every part of me… whenever you want.”
“Oh God, Willow,” he groaned as I squeezed and released him again. I covered his mouth with mine and our tongues danced together, moving in rhythm with the rest of our bodies. I felt a slow burn build in my body and increased the speed of my movements.
James grabbed my hips and then ran his hands down my legs, pulling them around his waist. I folded them behind his back and he stood up, took a few steps forward, and pinned me to the shower wall. He thrust into me as hot water ran down our bodies. I let my legs relax and fall towards the floor. Being suspended in the air sent new, exciting sensations coursing through my body and the slow burn evolved to a burning fire.
“I love you, James,” I breathed out as I rocked my hips into his thrusts.
“I love you too, Willow,” he said, his lips finding mine again.
I knew I couldn’t hold my climax at bay much longer, so I stopped trying to and gave over to instinct. I grabbed a handful of James’s hair and swung my hips in circles while he lifted and lowered me up and down on his cock. We kissed until I couldn’t keep my ecstasy quiet any longer.
“Oh God, James,” I cried out as the tip of his cock found the deepest part of me.
“Right there, baby?” he cried out in return. “That’s the spot you like, isn’t it?”
“Oh God, yes! Right there!” I flailed in his arms as waves of pleasure coursed through my body. I came hard and loud, my release triggering his. I felt James’s cock spasm and spurt within me and after a final thrust, he lowered our bodies to the shower floor. He leaned against the wall and pulled me back into his lap.
“Do you have any idea how amazing you are?” he asked, planting a soft kiss behind my earlobe.
“We’re amazing together,” I corrected him with a smile. “Although, you completely ruined my plan. I was determined to make you come at least once before we made love,” I confessed.
James blazed a trail of kisses to the opposite earlobe. “I’d rather come making love to you. When we’re connected, it just makes everything better.”
I nodded, turned my head, and softly kissed his lips. I gave the lower one a gentle nibble before pulling away. “As soon as we get home, I’m getting on the pill,” I told him. I held his flaccid cock in my hand and
stroked it back to life.
“That’s a fantastic plan,” James agreed, his eyes rolling back in his head. “Until then, I have an economy size box of condoms in my suitcase. Want to see how many we can use before the sun comes up?”
I kissed him again and stood up. “I’ll race you to the bed.”
CHAPTER 8
Early the next morning, I was startled awake by the hotel phone. I rolled over, stretched, and looked at the time.
Jesus, I’ve only been asleep for a couple of hours. I know I didn’t request a wakeup call. Maybe there was a mix-up at the front desk.
I pulled the receiver out of the cradle and groaned “Hello?”
“Willow, thank God,” Renee said, her voice thick with worry. “I’ve been trying your cell, James’s too. I’m sorry to wake you up, but something’s happened. You all need to get home as soon as possible.”
I sat up straight in the bed and James stirred beside me. I held a finger to my lips to keep him quiet.
“What’s wrong, Renee? Is it Daddy? Is he okay?” My stomach tied in knots as I waited for her answer.
“Your father is fine,” she assured me. “It’s the horses, Willow. Someone snuck on to the ranch last night. Blaze and Buttercup are both sick and Thunder is missing.”
Panic raced through my body as I repeated her words. James sprung to action and started throwing our things into bags as Renee continued.
“Doctor Moon is with the foals. He’s doing what he can, but it looks like they’ve been poisoned. All of the guys are out looking for Thunder. But I don’t think he’s here, Willow. We put everyone in their stalls last night. None of the fences are down and he’s the only one missing.”
“Clementine and Glory are fine?” I asked.
“Yes, they seem to be,” she replied.
I sighed. “So if it’s poison, the foals were probably injected. Either that, or whatever made them sick was mixed in their feed and it wasn’t strong enough to hurt the moms. Have you called the police? Or the security company? The cameras in the thoroughbred barn should have captured everything.”
“The police are here and they’re reviewing the footage now. I don’t know who could do something like this, Willow. Your father is just beside himself.”
“Thank you for calling me, Renee. I’m going to get off here and see if I can arrange for an earlier flight home. I’ll let you know as soon as I have an arrival time. Don’t worry about picking us up. We’ll take a car from the airport.”
“I’ll arrange for one to meet you there,” she offered. “And I’ll keep you posted as things progress here. Hopefully, Thunder will be back where he belongs before you touch down in Colorado.”
“Thank you, Renee.” I hung up the phone and sprang out of bed.
“That stupid fucking bastard,” James growled. “You know Bradley was behind this. What did Mom say?”
I grabbed my cell phone and called the airport. “She said that Doctor Moon is doing his best to save the foals and the police are reviewing the security footage,” I told him as I paced the room, waiting for someone to answer.
“Thank you for calling Delta. My name is Judy, how can I assist you today?”
I explained to the ticket agent that I had an emergency at home and needed all four of our tickets to be transferred to the next available flight to Colorado.
“We have a flight scheduled to leave at ten o’clock, but there are only two seats available on the plane,” she told me.
I glanced back at the clock. If we had any hope of making the flight, we’d need to leave the resort in the next twenty minutes. “We’ll take them,” I told her. “Transfer the reservations for Willow Rogers and James Parker. Our friends can keep their original flight.”
“Okay, Ms. Rogers. I’m going to put you on hold for a few minutes while I finalize your arrangements.”
I threw a few things into my carryon bag and filled James in on our plans. He pulled his phone from his pocket, hit a few buttons, and held it to his ear.
“Matt, sorry to wake you,” he began. “My mother just called. Someone snuck on to the ranch last night. Thunder is missing and it looks like the foals were poisoned.”
I cringed as James relayed the information. I thought about my sweet, innocent babies suffering in their stalls and vowed revenge against whoever had hurt them.
“Yes, Willow just called the airport. They have a flight leaving at ten, but there were only two available seats.” He paused, listening and pacing, looking around the room for anything he’d missed. “That would be fantastic, thanks. We’ll let you know if we hear anything from home.”
James ended the call and stuck his phone back in his pocket. “Just grab your purse,” he directed. “Matt and Lucas are going to pack up our room and bring our stuff home. We need to get going if we’re going to make that flight.”
I felt completely overwhelmed and was relieved that James was taking control. I let the gown I was holding fall to the floor, slung my purse strap over my shoulder, and followed James out of the suite. We reached the elevator and he wrapped his arms around me while we waited for the doors to open.
“Race horses aren’t exactly easy to fence ,” James assured me. “There’s no way Bradley will be able to sell Thunder. And everyone in Durango knows what he looks like. I’m sure he’ll turn up once word spreads that he’s missing. Unless the police find him first... either way, Bradley won’t be able to hide him for long.”
The elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. “I know you’re right,” I told him, punching the button several times with my thumb, as if willing it to magically make things alright. “But it doesn’t make me feel any better. And when I think about Blaze and Buttercup…” My voice broke and I couldn’t stop them, the tears that had been on the brink rolled down my face. James wrapped his arms around me again and pulled me close.
“Everything is going to be okay,” he promised.
I laid my head on his shoulder and prayed that he was right.
***
“I still don’t understand why Bradley would do this,” Daddy said, his voice cracking with his words. He gripped Renee’s hand and stared blankly at the coffee table. “That boy was like my second child. I never knew he could be so… evil.”
It was Sunday afternoon and James and I had just arrived home. Mason picked us up at the airport and filled us in on what had happened during our flight. As we’d hoped, the new security cameras had captured everything that had happened in the thoroughbred barn. And as we’d expected, Bradley’s face came through clear as day in the footage.
I couldn’t bring myself to watch the films, but Mason had explained all of the important details. The camera mounted at the end of the driveway showed Bradley parking near the main road and walking towards the house. The camera in my barn captured him pulling syringes from his pocket and injecting the foals. After that, the bastard attached a rope to Thunder’s halter and led him off the property. When Mason left to pick us up from the airport, the police were searching for Bradley. By the time we arrived home, Thunder had been safely returned to his stall.
“This just goes to show that you never really know what someone’s capable of,” Renee said, shaking her head, her mouth tight in anger. “I could understand taking Thunder if he was hurting for money or something. But how anyone could hurt two innocent foals, I’ll never understand. Thank God they’re both pulling through. It was close.”
Blaze and Buttercup had survived the poisoning, but whether or not they’d have any lasting damage was yet to be seen. Bradley had been exercising his right to remain silent since the police picked him up and we still didn’t know what he’d shot them up with.
“I’m sorry I ever tried to push you towards him,” Daddy said, his eyes full of defeat. His skin was ashen and his body looked frail.
“You don’t have to apologize,” I insisted, worrying running through me. “You look positively exhausted, Daddy. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”
He waved off
my concern. “Yesterday was a long day and I’m not as young as I used to be. I’ll be fine, pumpkin. I’m just tired and to be honest, a little devastated.”
“Why don’t I make us all a nice pot of tea?” Renee suggested and began to stand.
“Let me,” I insisted, needing something to do.
“I’ll help,” James said, following me to the kitchen. The moment we were out of sight, I collapsed into his arms.
“You were right,” I sighed and hugged him close. “I’m so relieved that they’re all okay. Thank you for staying so calm. I don’t know how I’d have gotten home without you.” I pulled away and set a kettle to boil on the stove.
“I’m glad everyone sees Bradley for who he is now,” James said, his words tinged with the bitterness his face showed. “But I feel awful for your father.”
I nodded. “Your mom said that Dale called right after Bradley was arrested. He demanded that we drop the charges since he convinced Bradley to do the same for you in Kentucky. Daddy told him to go to hell.”
“I can’t say that I blame him,” James said. He pulled mugs from the cabinet while I fetched tea bags from the pantry.
“Look Willow, with everything that’s happened today, I’ll understand if you want to keep our news quiet a little longer,” he offered.
I shook my head. “I’m sure that Bradley will have plenty to say, when he finally starts talking. I want to get everything out in the open. That’s what we should have done from the beginning.”
“Cole! Oh my God, Cole!” Renee screamed from the living room.
The tea kettle whistled as James and I raced out of the kitchen. Renee was hovered over Daddy, screaming and crying. He held his chest, gasping for breath.
“Get out of the way,” James barked. He gently moved his mother aside, helped Daddy to the floor, and felt his pulse before starting chest compressions. “Someone call 911. Tell them that Cole’s having a heart attack and we need an ambulance right away.”
I stared down at the scene before me, unable to move.
No! This can’t be happening. Daddy’s healthy. It isn’t time for him to leave me. I’m not ready for this.