by Claire Adele
Lance and Mark had both given her a personable good-bye when they left to return to the ranch after dessert was ordered by Beau.
Beau, who she’d learned was foreman of his mom and dad’s ranch, had the freedom to stay longer at lunch, she supposed. Ty said he was forced to stay and have dessert since he’d been in Beau’s truck today. As she remembered the happy looks on their faces when the bowl of chocolate brownies and ice cream for five had been brought to their table, she smiled. The three of them had enjoyed every bit of the ice cream and brownies and argued good-naturedly over who would eat the extra two cherries. She loved cherries, and Beau was a sweetheart to offer her his cherry after Ty had eaten two.
Beau and Ty had brought Chloe back to the shop just as they promised they would. The loan shark’s men hadn’t returned that afternoon, and Chloe was ready to close up and call it a day.
The door handle on the front door squeaked as someone turned it. As she glanced to see who the last minute customer was, the bell on the door jingled. “Beau! I didn’t expect to see you back here again today.”
He removed his hat. “Everything going all right?”
She smiled at him. “Yes. It’s been quiet with just a few shoppers. What are you back for?”
He strode quickly to the front counter where she sorted receipts into a bank bag. “I came by to ask you if you’d go out with me for dinner.” His baritone voice came soft as velvet.
“Oh. I…well, I need to close up the shop and stop by my home first, but I’d love to have dinner with you. What time did you have in mind?”
“How about in an hour? Will that give you enough time?”
Chloe would have to hurry to be ready in an hour, but she should be able to make it. “That sounds fine.”
“I need directions to your place,” he said.
She wrote out directions for him and handed him the paper. He took it with his large, strong hand.
“Actually, do you mind if I stick around until you lock up?”
“That would be great.” She appreciated his company, especially after the visit by Cinco’s men earlier when Beau and his friends had run them off. She worried they might show up again before she left for the day.
She finished counting the money and put it in the bag, turned out the lights, and locked all the doors.
Beau followed her out the front door, and she locked it. He walked her to her van and held the door for her. He had nice manners.
She smiled at him. “I’ll be expecting you in an hour.”
* * * *
Beau waited impatiently for the hour to pass. With ten minutes to spare, he brought his pickup to a stop in Chloe’s driveway. The small, old home on this street one block north of Main Street was easy enough to find. Although many of the houses were now rented out, the owners hadn’t torn down and rebuilt in this area. The yards were larger here than in most of the recently developed neighborhoods. With the good soil of this river-valley land, some of the old trees planted back then still survived, and their gnarled trunks framed the houses, giving them an eerie atmosphere.
Earlier he’d driven over to Jim’s Steak House to make their reservation for a private table. Beau wanted to get to know more about Chloe. Since Ty was also interested in her, Beau needed to find out as soon as possible if she’d be amenable to a ménage with him and Ty. A secluded table with great food and drinks was the best way he knew of so soon after just meeting her today.
He turned off the ignition and decided to wait a little while longer before knocking on her door. He glanced at her front door just as it opened. She gestured for him to come inside. Her motions were jerky. What was wrong?
Maybe something came up and she needed to cancel their plans. He opened the truck door and closed it as he hurried to join her. If it didn’t work out for her tonight, he could always ask her out for another night more convenient for her. He hoped they could spend time together tonight. He wanted her so bad it was like a hunger in him.
Ty had agreed to a threesome with her. Beau wanted to feel her out about that possibility tonight so he could let Ty know. He didn’t want to scare her off even though she’d probably tell them to get lost if she found out they were werewolves.
“Hi.” He took the front steps two at a time.
She held the door wide. “Come in.” Her voice sounded different and strained.
Something scared her. He could see it in her dark-brown eyes. “What’s up?”
“I got a phone call from someone who said basically that I’d better pay my rent now or else.”
“Shit. Did you recognize the voice?”
“He sounded a lot like Cinco Gonzales. That bastard. Why did I ever take a chance on trusting him? I should never have taken a loan from him.”
“You couldn’t have known what he’s like if you didn’t live in this area. He’s a small-time loan shark, but he’d love to be bigger. Right now, I doubt that he has many clients. He probably needs your money to pay his rent.”
Her hands shook as she smoothed stray strands of her long hair back from her face. “I’ve never had anyone talk to me like that before.”
“You want to get out of here? I’ve made a reservation for us at a great steak house.”
She met his gaze, and he could see that she was too uneasy. He quickly reassured her. “We can cancel going out tonight if you want.”
She nodded in agreement. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather stay here. That phone call shook me. I think I can put something together for us to eat. I just need to check and see what’s in the fridge.”
She was shaking so bad it affected her voice. Hoping to calm her, he stepped close to her and took hold of her shoulders as gently as he could. “We’ll figure out something together. Don’t worry about Cinco. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay here as long as you want me to, all night if that would help.”
Her beautiful eyes widened. “That sounds great. I’d appreciate it. I’m a little shaken and being new in town, I don’t know who to call for help. I know he just wants his money, but still, that phone call surprised me. I want to handle this problem, but I’m not sure how to go about it.”
Beau nodded in understanding. “I’ll talk to Cinco and straighten him out. Tonight, I’ll be right here for you.”
“Thanks.” She smiled at him for the first time since he’d gotten there. “Let’s see what there is to eat.”
He squeezed her shoulders and released her. “After you.” Her scent teased him unmercifully as she led the way into her kitchen, her curvy hips tempting him. He’d wanted her since the moment he’d first met her.
From the small living room they crossed the long dining room and through a door to a large kitchen. These old houses had big kitchens. People needed plenty of room to prepare meals for large families back in the old days in the early 1900s. This kitchen had been renovated with new counters and a modern sink. In the middle of the room was a huge old table surrounded by several chairs. “Where’d you find the old farm table?”
Chloe took a couple of plates from an upper cabinet that had glass in the door and set the dishes on the table. “It’s a great table but it’s not mine. The house came with the furniture in it. Good thing for me, since I haven’t had time or the money to buy my own furnishings.” When she crossed to the pantry doors, he followed her.
The old pantry was large enough for two or three people to walk inside and move around at the same time. Her meager supplies only took up a small area near the entrance. The six rows of shelves built in a horseshoe shape and attached to the three walls would have held enough supplies to feed a large family back when the house was built. Two-by-four posts spaced at even intervals supported the inside of the shelves.
He heard a can hit the floor and turned to pick it up just as Chloe bent to retrieve it. Her sudden nearness hit him as if she’d taken his cock in her hand. Feral lust grabbed him in the middle. He took a deep breath and then another, striving to control his inner beast. No one had ever affected him lik
e she did.
Frowning, she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I just can’t seem to quit shaking, and I fumbled it.”
Her warm breath and sweet scent as she spoke so near to him made him shake with desire and need. She bent over him where he squatted on the floor holding the can in one hand. Her silken hair touched his face as the long curls bounced and swayed. He looked up but not high enough. The sight of her lovely breasts behind the V of her neckline caught his attention and hardened him painfully.
“I’ve got it,” he whispered, his voice rasping. He wanted her now, any way he could have her. Hell. He longed to sink his dick inside her wet warmth and take her hard and fast until they climaxed together.
She moved closer. He felt her tension as her slender fingers closed over his and her face almost touched his jaw. He rose to stand and helped her up with a hand under her arm. With trembling hands, she took the can from him and put it back on the shelf.
“You’re safe, babe. No need to worry. I’ve got you.”
He leaned back against the door molding as he pulled her slowly toward him. She took a step nearer, her eyes growing dark and her lush, rosy lips parting. He slipped his hands around the warm, firm flesh of her waist and drew her gently closer until she rested against him, her feminine hips snug against his, her sweet breasts nestled against his chest. His cock strained against his jeans and pressed against her flat belly. He lowered his head, searching her face for any sign of rejection. Discovering none, he brushed his lips gently over hers. They were warm, and the tip of her tongue licked across her upper lip. God. He wanted to ravish those sexy lips.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head, lifting her mouth to his. A shaky little moan came from her.
Oh, hell yes. He’d make her forget her fears with hot loving. He slipped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her closer as he spread her full lips apart with his. She didn’t object but released her breath in a sigh. It was all he needed to know. He touched her lips with his tongue, and she opened to him. He delved deep inside her hot, luscious mouth, tasting, caressing. A moan escaped from his chest and sounded to his ears like a possessive growl.
A sharp moan from her told him she wanted more. He kept the kiss gentle, and never releasing her mouth, he smoothed one hand up her side to cup the curve of her breast. Another little whimper encouraged him to give her more pleasure. He rubbed his thumb across her breast and found her nipple. She inhaled swiftly when he tweaked the hard nubbin. Her body moved against him as she shifted her feet. Her soft mound rubbed across his hardened cock.
God. He broke the kiss only enough to ask her, “Babe, do you want me to take things further?”
She nodded.
Sweet Lord, it was a good thing since he didn’t want to stop. He splayed his hand in the curve of her back below her waist and pulled her closer as he stroked his fingers through her silky hair with his other hand. When he slanted his mouth across hers and delved deep, she sparred with him. A feeling of success, as if he’d discovered something of unimaginable worth, raced through him. Her tongue slid along his, touching every inner surface of his mouth. She swirled her tongue around his, spurring his need. What would that sweet little tongue feel like lapping around his cock?
He explored her mouth, and her sigh warmed his face. He could feel her hard tits through her blouse pressing against his chest. He hungered to taste more of her. He stroked her tongue with his, fucking her sweet mouth like he wanted to taste her pussy.
Chapter Two
Chloe moaned from hot pleasure as his big, callused hand smoothed upward from the back of her waist under her blouse along her bare ribs. She inhaled at the amazing, intense sensations as he flicked one swollen nipple. Heat streamed to her wet, swollen labia and aching opening. He moved his hand to the front fastening of her bra and unhooked the ends. His sexy growl of frustration tickled her ears, and she chuckled.
Her excitement lightened her worries, and she smiled at his urgent actions as he lifted her shirt up above her breasts.
“Lord, you’re beautiful, babe.” His voice sounded full of awe. “I want to eat you up.”
He took her mouth with his again. She didn’t want him to stop kissing her. It was as if she needed so much more from him. She couldn’t believe she’d only met him and she wanted to have sex with him so soon.
What would her parents think? They accepted that she wanted badly to prove she could be independent and successful. But she didn’t think they expected her to include shameless sexual pleasure. However, they weren’t here right now to help her deal with Cinco, and Beau was. She needed to lose herself tonight in Beau’s confidence and talented lovemaking. Of course, it wasn’t really lovemaking. It was getting lost in sexual intercourse with Beau.
Another growl, almost of a starving man, came from him as he broke their kiss, lowered his head, and took one nipple in his mouth. He tweaked the turgid peak with his warm, wet tongue. She curved her back to offer more of her breast. A moan escaped her with the burgeoning, hot ache between her thighs and through her clit. She’d dated a few cowboys, but although they’d been nice guys, none had made her feel like Beau did.
She didn’t remember slipping her hands behind his shoulders, but she hung on tight as he licked her other breast and squeezed her nipple gently between his teeth. “Beau! That feels incredible.” Her breasts felt swollen, her nipples tight and sensitive.
“You’re beautiful, babe.” He cupped her breasts with his heated palms as he met her gaze, his dark eyes flaring with that unusual night-sky glow. He rubbed his thumbs across her nipples, making her inhale swiftly. “Those tits look good enough to bite.”
More fluid pooled in the aching flesh between her thighs.
He released her breasts, unhooked her waistband, and pushed her clothing down her hips. His hand caught on her lace briefs and slipped deftly beneath the elastic. Gentle fingers smoothed down her belly and parted her dampened labia, stroking softly over her most sensitive flesh.
“I love this sweet, naked velvet, baby.”
Her knees felt like they would buckle. The touch of his fingers over her shaved folds made her whole body shiver and her legs shake. She didn’t care. She needed him to pleasure her. “Beau, please.”
“Soon, babe.” He gently lowered her clothes and steadied her while she stepped free. He stared at her, his hot gaze roving over her dampened skin. “God, you’re gorgeous, babe.” He squatted down and nuzzled her folds, and touched her there with the tip of his tongue.
She shook again from head to toes from the sensual impact. She gripped the top of his shoulders. His muscles were huge and firm beneath her fingers.
He parted her folds with his gentle, callused thumbs. “Your rosy, wet clit is the prettiest I’ve seen, babe.”
She heard his low growl and felt his warm breath before he nestled his head between her thighs, licked her clit, delved deeper, and circled the sensitive nub with his tongue.
“Oh, God,” she cried out. Her thighs trembled. She’d been pleasured orally by a few men she’d dated, but not one of them had made her feel the exquisite pleasures Beau gave her. His heated mouth warmed her pussy like the hot Texas sun during a long day of tanning by a pool.
One of his long fingers slid between her slick flesh to her opening. He caressed her there, tantalizing her with slow circles. She gasped as his finger pushed inside her opening.
His wicked mouth released her clit. “Spread your legs, babe.”
Feeling more than decadent, she did as he said and moved her feet wider apart. She’d never reacted in such a wanton manner before with any date. She felt perfectly at ease as if she’d known him a long time. She’d never felt such extreme pleasure before, not even with her previous boyfriend. With Beau, she ached from her clit all the way to her little hole. She craved the release he could give her, if only he would. She panted, her breaths uneven. “Beau, I need you to…”
“Wait just a little longer.” His finger slid slow and deep inside her. He caressed a place
that gave her even more exquisite pleasure.
“Oh my, that’s fantastic.” He stroked that spot until her legs shook harder and her knees felt like they wouldn’t hold. Suddenly, he lowered his head again, and his mouth returned to her clit, licking and sucking. Over and over, he stroked her clit with his tongue and lips, and that sensitive place inside her with his finger, without stopping. With his arm around her hips supporting her, he covered her clit with his mouth and ravished her in a devastating kiss.
She moaned deep in her throat, the moan rising in pitch as her whole body trembled and tightened. He held her close to his warm torso with his arm around her thighs. His tormenting fingers increased the needy sensations until her back bowed. A moan escaped her, turning into a cry as every nerve ending in her body prickled with heat, and every muscle clenched, her body trembling with the rising pressure, until it whipped through her body and snapped into the hardest climax she’d ever known. She soared into darkness sweetened with the strongest contractions she’d ever felt squeezing her vagina. She shook with the delightful sensations. Slowly the strong pulses eased, and she opened her eyes at last, pleasure still tingling through her. Beau continued to kiss her swollen flesh until the pulses ebbed. She groaned, her body completely relaxed in his embrace.
He stood up and pulled her close with his free hand. She rested her head against his hard, muscular chest. “That was amazing, Beau.” Her voice rasped with her lethargy. She looked up at him and met his gaze.
“You’re amazing, babe.” Standing in front of her with his strong arm behind her back, he bent and kissed her breasts, first one and then the other, giving equal time to each one.
He didn’t remove his hand from her most sensitive flesh. The pleasure continued. He slowly slid his finger from her opening and another orgasm rippled through her. He hugged her close. His cock surged against her lower belly. He hadn’t found his own release. She wanted to give him pleasure like he’d given her.