12-Alarm Cowboys

by Cora Seton

  “Please, Cole.”

  He devoured her with his gaze.

  She licked her lips and he couldn’t resist. Gently, he brought his lips to hers and kissed her. Her arms came around his neck and he pushed his tongue into her mouth where her own met his. He slanted his head to better taste every inch of her, a slight strawberry flavor reminding him of their last hour picking the juicy fruit from his mother’s garden.

  Lacey’s moan as she moved her hand through his hair tightened his balls with anticipation.

  Releasing her mouth, he returned to her breasts. The need to taste her sweet spots was too harsh to deny. He brought his mouth to her right nipple and sucked gently. She grasped his hair as her body arched against him. The hard pearl tasted of nirvana and he nibbled it lightly before drawing it carefully into his mouth.

  Lacey squeaked in pleasure, a sound all her own that had the ability to send need through him like a ricochet bullet. He couldn’t wait much longer. Pulling back, he kissed his way down her flat stomach, his hands gliding along the sides of her waist and over her hips until he pushed them against her thighs, spreading her legs and revealing the wet spot of her lacy panties.

  He swallowed in anticipation. Hooking his finger beneath the waistband, he pulled downward. The panty split apart, the tiny sound of Velcro as it let go caught his attention. Surprised, he looked up at her, but her face had changed.

  She wasn’t the innocent, young, loving Lacey he’d known. This was the more mature Lacey with refined features. This was the face of a woman who knew what she wanted and the smirk on her lips told him loud and clear, she wanted him. He let his gaze roam over her full breasts, held now by a bright, hot pink underwire bra with no cups at all, serving up her woman’s chest like a feast that couldn’t be ignored.

  Unable to resist, he latched on to a nipple and sucked hard. Lacey’s hands fisted in his hair as she arched toward his mouth. He couldn’t let go, sucking and twirling his tongue across the hard nub. He used one hand to knead the other breast before twirling that nipple with his fingers, even as he nibbled the one inside his mouth.

  “Cole.” His name coming from her lips was like a caress. It was time.

  He released her breast to go back to the sweet spot he had unveiled. The hot-pink panty remained partially opened and he pulled back one side to view what he hadn’t seen in years. Her sweet pink pussy was moist with her readiness, but her folds were closed tight, revealing nothing.

  He pushed his hands against her inner thighs, spreading her wider, parting her folds a tiny bit. He held her legs apart and brought his mouth to the slit that opened and from the bottom to the top, he tasted her need until he hit the hard ridge of her clit. Slowly, he licked, circling it and lapping upward.

  Lacey’s hips rose from the hay, rocking against his mouth.

  Leisurely, as if his cock weren’t as hard as ironwood and his balls tighter than a rattlesnake’s grip, he brought his tongue down between her folds and pushed his way into the opening of her sheath.

  “Cole, I need you inside me, now.” Lacey’s hands gripped his hair, trying to pull him up. Willingly he gave into her, his cock jerking at the remembered tightness that was all her.

  Covering her now full curvy body with his own, he hesitated. He was so much bigger now.

  Her hands on his ass, fingers digging into his flesh, convinced him to give it a try for both their sakes.

  He pushed the head of his cock between her slick folds and pressed himself an inch into the tight canal he remembered. “Shit, Lacey, you still feel so good.”

  Her legs wrapped around his. “Don’t stop. Please, Cole.”

  She pulled him in another inch, her sheath sucking him hard, causing him to take deep breaths to keep control. He let his head fall forward, lightly touching her forehead with his own. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Her body stiffened and her eyes opened. “You’ve already done that.”

  A bucket of ice water spilled over his head and he sputtered, his whole body tensing as he sat up in bed. No water. No Lacey. Just another fucking dream. He looked at the clock and moaned. 2:47 a.m. Two more hours before he had to get up. He punched the pillow and lay back down, his hands behind his head. What the hell would it take to get just an hour of uninterrupted sleep?

  *

  Lacey coughed and kicked off the blanket. Sitting up, she grabbed the bottle of water on her nightstand and took a gulp. She pulled in deep breaths, counting to ten on the inhale, counting to ten on the exhale like she’d been taught. No smoke filled her lungs as it had in her dream. No fire licked up the wall next to the door to get out. No heat blasted her face, just the cooling flow of the air conditioner. She lifted the hem of her t-shirt and wiped her neck.

  She was safe.

  Cole had brought back her nightmares.

  She took another swallow of water. It had taken her two months to stop them the first time. Reliving the nightmare of waking up in the burning carriage house every night was not conducive to coherent thought. She’d lose her job if she didn’t get a handle on them.

  She shouldn’t be having nightmares at all. According to the therapist her parents insisted she see, the fact she had wrapped herself in a blanket and got herself out through the flaming door should have convinced her mind she was in control. But she’d never told the therapist about Cole, or that the need to see him again had motivated her to brave the fire to get out. Nor had she told the woman that he held her closely afterward only to push her out of his life the next day.

  Lacey swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped her feet into the pink bunny slippers her mom had insisted on buying her. She pulled on her peach silk robe and padded into the kitchen. Turning on the light over the stove, she set the tea kettle to boil and prepared to make chamomile tea. Maybe the tea and looking over the monthly budget could calm her mind enough to sleep a couple more hours. It was only 3:05 a.m. and if she showed up to work any earlier than five thirty, she’d hear about it.

  Luckily, her casita faced the main building, so she didn’t have a view of the burnt rubble. When her tea was ready, she walked outside onto her patio, her computer under her arm, but it was chillier than she’d expected. Maybe a warmer robe was in order. Fall was such a great time of year because the temperatures finally dropped at night.

  As she set her computer and tea on the table, movement caught her eye. Someone crept around the back of the resort’s kitchen and he or she was clearly looking for a way in. No guest would attempt to obtain something to eat by climbing in a window.

  Quietly, she moved back inside and picked up her phone, dialing Kendra, who she sincerely hoped wasn’t still in her office.

  “Lacey, are you all right?” Kendra was definitely wide awake.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Are you in your office?”

  “No, I’m home. Why?”

  “I just saw someone trying to get into the kitchen from the back of the main building.”

  “Shit!” Kendra must have covered the phone because Lacey heard a muffled conversation. “Okay, Wade and I will check it out. You stay put and lock your doors and windows.”

  Lock her doors and windows? Fear meandered up her spine. Maybe she should bring her laptop in first. That had too much confidential information to leave out on her patio with a prowler about. Hands sweating, she quietly opened the patio door and grabbed her computer. Jumping back into her home, she closed the door quickly and locked it.

  Not sure if she’d locked the windows last time she used them, she checked each one, glad she did when she found the one over the kitchen sink unlocked. She’d locked the front door when she came home, but she double-checked anyway.

  Leaving the light on in her living room, she moved into her dark bedroom and closed the door then stood next to her window where she could see both Kendra’s two-story home and the main building.

  Wade strode down the path to the new building then broke into a run. He must have seen something. She watched him until he passed out
of view. Now she wished Kendra had hired a security guard. It was easy to believe they were so far off the beaten path that no one would bother them, but most people in the area knew they existed and with police at least twenty minutes away, that left a long time for someone to escape if they wanted to steal something or do damage. Kendra had already had graffiti issues on the guest garage, and an attempt to destroy the bridge across the creek.

  Lacey kept her eyes peeled for Wade, getting more nervous as each minute ticked by. Then the lights flicked on inside and outside the main building. Gosh, she hoped that was Wade.

  The phone ringing in her living room startled her and she put her hand to her chest, even as she ran out to get it.

  “Hello?”

  “Lacey? Wade. Whoever was snooping about is gone but the side window to the generator room was busted. Not sure they had enough time to take anything, but could you come over and take a look? Make sure everything is the way you left it?”

  “Of course. Let me get some clothes on.” She heard glass smashing in the background. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. Just walking on glass over here. You wait until Kendra comes by and picks you up. I don’t want anyone alone out here while it’s still dark.”

  “Okay.” When Wade hung up, she returned to her bedroom and threw on a pale-yellow sundress. Where was her white shrug? She liked to have it with her at work because of the air-conditioning. Not finding it in her closet, she gave up and grabbed her lavender wrap instead. She probably left her shrug in the office. After brushing her teeth, she braided her hair and grabbed her straw cowboy hat. At least she didn’t have to worry about sleeping anymore.

  The low hum of a golf cart caught her attention as she slipped on a pair of sandals. She donned her cowboy hat and made it to the door before Kendra could knock. In the light of her front door, she could see Adriana, the bartender, was already on the cart. Adriana gave a smirk. “Hope you weren’t looking forward to a full night’s sleep.”

  Lacey shook her head as she jumped in the back seat of the cart. “I was planning to come into work early today anyway.”

  Kendra started the cart moving toward the biggest building on the resort.

  Adriana growled. “Not me. As soon as I check to see if anything is missing, I’m going back to bed. I don’t have to work until noon and there’s a good chance I might be late.”

  Kendra frowned, but didn’t say anything. It was probable neither Adriana nor Kendra had gone to bed yet. Both usually didn’t start work until noon, but Kendra as the owner did whatever needed to be done, when it needed to be done.

  Wade greeted them at the front doors then locked them after they entered. “Lacey, check the front desk, safe and computers. Adriana, check the bar and see if anything is missing.” He took Kendra’s hand. “I’ll show you the break-in.”

  Adriana headed for the two bar areas and Lacey watched Kendra and Wade stride through the gathering room with the large stone fireplace. She sighed. A tiny bit of her was jealous of their relationship, but mostly she was glad they had moved past their different backgrounds and planned to make a life together.

  She checked out the front desk to see if anything was disturbed from the outside first. Seeing nothing, she walked down the hall and entered the back room with the coffeemaker. Flipping the switch, she scanned the area but didn’t see anything amiss.

  She checked the petty cash and computers at the front desk. Nothing was disturbed there either. Maybe the prowler didn’t have time to take anything. Comfortable that all was as she left it, she traveled farther down the hallway to Kendra’s office and crouched by the safe. Quickly moving the dial in the correct combination, she opened it and counted the money, twice. It was all there.

  She closed the safe and spun the dial before standing. As she headed down the hallway back toward the front, she heard Adriana shout and curse.

  Lacey broke into a run and met Kendra and Wade as they, too, ran to the bar. Adriana stood behind the bar scowling. Kendra hopped up onto the ironwood bar top. “What is it?”

  “Those motherfuckers took at least a dozen top shelf bottles of booze. Excuse my language, Lacey.”

  “No problem. I think it was warranted in this case.”

  Kendra hopped over to the inside of the bar and reviewed the missing bottles. “I know liquor is expensive, but who would do this?”

  Lacey sat on one of the barstools and peered over. “Probably poor college students stocking up for the coming weekend.”

  Kendra’s eyes turned hard. “They have high-end taste for poor college students.”

  “Of course.” She thought back to the college parties she’d attended. “Sapphire Blue Gin, Patron Silver Tequila and Jägermeister were the norm, but it’s been a few years so tastes may have changed. Besides, if you couldn’t afford liquor and had the chance to steal some, wouldn’t you steal the stuff you could never afford and buy the stuff you could?”

  “She has a point.” Wade leaned against the bar, his stance reminding her of Cole’s.

  Did they all go to cowboy school and learn that? She clasped her hands in front of her.

  “Shit.” Adriana pushed her disheveled black hair away from her face. “All those you rattled off are missing and then some. I have back-up bottles in the storage room if they didn’t hit that, but we’ll have to order more.”

  They all looked at each other then as one turned and headed for the storage room. When they arrived, Kendra opened the door and hit the light switch. They all stepped in. Lacey scanned the shelves and breathed a sigh of relief. “You can double-check with Selma, but I think everything is here.”

  Adrianna stalked to the boxes of booze. “Yeah, none of these have been disturbed.”

  Kendra threw her hands up. “I guess that’s that. I’ll call Detective Anderson and ask him to come out. Who knows? This could be related to the fire.” She looked at Lacey before brushing by. “Adriana, make a list of everything that was taken. But don’t touch anything until after Detective Anderson has had a look.”

  They filed out, Adriana cursing as she closed the door.

  Lacey followed. “Look at it this way, Adriana. After you make a list, you can go back to bed.”

  The hot Hispanic bartender looked over her shoulder at her. “You mean go to bed in the first place.” She winked and sauntered off toward the bar.

  Lacey chuckled. Adriana may not be working in a brothel anymore, but she enjoyed one-night stands even more now that sex was no longer business and all pleasure. She and Adriana were complete opposites, yet they truly enjoyed each other’s company. It was what made Poker Flat so unique. Kendra may have pulled together a family of misfits, but what a great family to be a part of.

  She returned to the staff room behind the front desk and started a pot of coffee. She scanned the area again to be sure nothing was missing. She doubted very much the theft of the liquor and the fire the night before were related. Then again, they had dealt with vandals before. Still, it felt good that Kendra expected the fire’s cause to be anything but her.

  Lacey’s heart hitched again at Cole’s betrayal. It had been years since she’d felt the hiccups of pain over his quick judgement. Why did he have to come back into her life? And more importantly, would he stay out of it?

  “I smell coffee.” Kendra walked in and pulled a coffee mug out of the cabinet. “Looks like I’m destined to go without sleep for another day.” She sat at the small round table waiting for the coffee to finish brewing.

  “I’m sorry.” Lacey sat across from her. “I thought our troubles were over once the resort opened.”

  Kendra shook her head. “I didn’t. People just can’t stand alternative lifestyles. They are so insecure in what they believe, they must make everyone conform in order to feel safe.”

  Lacey pondered Kendra’s opinion. “I never thought of it that way. So basically, some people in this county feel having a hidden resort for nudists means that their own lifestyle may be threatened? How strange.�
��

  Kendra shrugged. “I don’t expect to change anyone’s mind. It’s like politics and religion. A subject that will always have conflict. All I want is for others to leave my guests alone. I want a safe environment for them. This latest incident reinforces the need for me to hire a security guard, maybe two.”

  “As long as neither is like Powell.” Lacey smirked. “I think we need someone with a little more backbone.”

  “Believe me. This time the interviews will be more like interrogations.” The coffeemaker beeped and Kendra stood. “Why don’t you call Dale and ask him to closely vet a few candidates for me.” She poured coffee into her mug. “Unless I have you start the process, it’ll never happen.”

  “Will do. I’ll call him today. I know I will feel safer.”

  Her boss nodded and headed for the door but stopped and turned. “I would be lost without you, Lacey. Thank you for keeping this place so organized.”

  “You’re welcome.” Warmth suffused her cheeks as Kendra disappeared. She rose and pulled a mug out of the cabinet for herself. Praise from her boss didn’t come often and it always took her by surprise. She was paid very well, had her own little casita to live in and loved her work. She couldn’t ask for anything else.

  “I almost forgot.” Kendra stuck her head in. “Detective Anderson said he planned to come out today anyway to interview the staff about the fire. If you could spread the word, that would be helpful.”

  She swallowed hard. “I will.” When Kendra disappeared, Lacey collapsed into the chair. Living through another fire investigation opened too many old wounds and frazzled her nerves.

  Taking a deep breath, she rose, poured herself a cup of coffee and took a much needed sip. Time to make a to-do list for today. She couldn’t call anyone yet as it was far too early. She glanced at the clock. 3:37 a.m. It would be a long day.

  *

  Lacey watched as Detective Anderson flipped the page of paper over the top of his pad. “I did find tracks past the barrier on the other side. It looks like whoever was here came down on an ATV. I took fingerprints from the bar. We should know whether there were one or two people even if the prints aren’t perfect.”