by Ann Jacobs
Was Brad out there? Keely imagined him chattering in the cold wind, seeing to his livestock. She sat up, dragging the comforter around her like an Indian blanket, and looked harder for the man whose close proximity was keeping her from sleeping through the storm.
The falling snow, glowing through strong beams from spotlights aimed toward the barnyard, made it difficult to see, but Keely was fairly certain that the tall cowboy dragging a reluctant animal into the barn was Brad. Did he need more help getting all the cattle to safety? She started to get up and dress but stopped when she heard muffled footsteps in the hall. “Brad?”
The doorknob turned and he peered inside. “You ought to be asleep, not staring out the window at the snow. Damn it, I should have remembered these spotlights light up this whole side of the house as well as the barnyard. Sorry we disturbed your beauty sleep.”
“You were out there, getting those cows into the barn.” She didn’t need to ask. The full-body shivering and flushed cheeks framed in a heavy flannel cap with earflaps securely fastened told the story. “Come here, you need to warm up.”
“No, you come here. You’ll never get any sleep on this side of the house with all that light outside. The hands will be out there off and on all night, making sure there are no calves buried under the snow. You can sleep with me. Nothing will happen unless you want it to.” When he held out a gloved hand, Keely untangled herself from the covers and headed for the door.
What am I doing? At the moment she didn’t care that she’d promised to keep Brad a sometimes sex scene partner and nothing more. She hadn’t wanted to see how he lived, to know he’d furnished a special room for when his older sister had spent weekends away from the rehab center. Keely hadn’t wanted to find out his kindness extended to the cattle she’d assumed he’d leave to the ranch hands to take care of. Seeing this side of him, his sense of responsibility toward the livestock, was eroding her determination to keep the motivation for their relationship strictly lust.
Trying to hold back as much as she could, she still held out her own hand and took those last two steps into Brad’s icy embrace.”Brrrr. You need to get out of those cold, wet clothes.”
“And into a hot shower. Come on, I’ll tuck you into bed first.”
* * * * *
The lingering taste of her lips stayed with Brad as he showered, letting the hot needles of water drive away the worst of the chill from out of doors. He had a feeling Keely’s body warmth would do the job a damn sight better. Just thinking about her in his bed, waiting, had his pulse racing, his dick getting hard.
He tamped down the lust. This was about getting to know Keely, showing her he was more than the club Dom always ready to take her on a hot, wild ride. After all, fortunately timed blizzards like this one didn’t come along every day.
Dragging the towel across his chest, he wondered if he should shave again. After all it wasn’t that Keely hadn’t seen him close to naked, lots of times. Or that she didn’t know that he removed his body hair. She’d commented on that more than once.
But this wasn’t the point. He didn’t want to scratch her pretty face, and he intended to do a lot of sampling of her sweet lips, so he grabbed his electric razor and mowed down the five o’clock shadow from his cheeks, chin and upper lip. His chest and belly felt smooth enough when he ran his hand down his body. The biweekly waxing he’d endured yesterday had apparently done its job. Except for the small tuft of pubic hair he kept neatly trimmed above his cock, he was smooth as a baby’s ass all over. All for the sake of fitting the stereotypical image of a club Dom.
Taking a towel and wrapping it around his hips, he crossed the bedroom room, dropped the towel and slid into bed beautifully, powerfully naked.
When Keely rolled over and put her hand on his thigh, his balls tightened. The sweet smell of her damp hair filled his nostrils, and her soft breath tickled his collarbone. Then she shifted, tossing one long leg over his thigh. One move and he’d have his dick nestled in her soft, neatly trimmed pussy hair. The next step would be to roll her over on her back and fuck her until she begged him to make her come.
“Oh, Master. You feel so good. Please, master, take me.”
“Not master, not now. Tonight I’m just Brad, the guy who wants to make love with you, for real. No whips and chains, no dungeon equipment and no toys. No having you service me. Tell me what you want, Keely.” He used her name deliberately because names had no place in the dungeon. There it was masters and slaves, cocks and cunts, mouths and assholes, once in a while a mental whistle at well put together tits and ass. Here was different.
Here in his house, his bed, he wanted to celebrate that he’d found more in Keely than a sexual submissive who needed her pleasure punctuated with pain and occasional humiliation. When they’d talked earlier, he’d discovered a woman with fears and hope, a woman he hoped was beginning to see him as a man and not just the Dom decked out in leather who could wield a cat-o’-nine or flogger to ensure her pleasure through pain. “Come on, tell me what I can do to make you happy.”
“I want to please you. But I don’t know how.” She traced the line of his jaw then rubbed her thumb along his lower lip, her touch tentative yet incredibly arousing.
“You’re doing fine so far.” Shifting his hips, he settled against her. “I love the feel of your breasts against me. Of your heart beating next to mine. I like the way your pussy hair tickles my cock when we’re lying here like this.”
“Would you please, please…” Her voice was hesitant, but the way she writhed against him made it obvious what she wanted.
“Tell me what you want, baby. I need to hear the words, not just feel you getting me so horny it’s all I can do to hold back.”
“Damn you, I want you to fuck me. Now, before I burst inside.”
“And I want you to fuck me. Take what you want, I’m not stopping you and I sure as hell am ready.” That was an understatement. His dick was about to explode, being so close yet so far away from her hot, wet cunt.
He couldn’t help but feel her tremble as she moved over and straddled him. Her expression reminded him of how the doe he’d almost hit out on the highway a few weeks back had looked when she’d stared into his headlights, certain she was about to die yet hoping for his mercy. It was then he realized he loved Keely, whatever love was.
Somehow he seemed more intimidating lying beneath her, his huge rigid cock probing gently at her pussy, than he ever had cracking the whip over her in one of their dungeon scenes. That was it. This wasn’t a scene. This was Keely and Brad, in new territory, mingling emotions with desire. It scared her half to death.
He had to have known she was terrified, because he reached up and cupped her cheeks. “It’s all right, baby. Come down here and give me a kiss.”
She did, as if she had no choice. Maybe she didn’t. She bent, running her fingers through his dark, silky hair as she joined their lips and tasted him. The fresh smell of mouthwash and aftershave reminded her once more that this was no scene. Like it or not, Keely had crossed a line she’d sworn she never would. She was making love to Brad, not serving her temporary master.
Tentatively, she licked his lips, and when he opened to her she plunged her tongue inside. Their tongues tangled, each seeking the other. And what she felt wasn’t just lust. He conveyed warmth, affection—all the things that terrified her about giving in to this undeniable attraction. She’d been fighting those deep emotions now for months, since the first time she’d walked into the dungeon and submitted to Brad as her master.
Tonight she had no will to fight anymore. The incredible feelings swept her away like a strong wave beating on a windswept shore.
Everywhere their bodies touched, she burned. His hands, callused but oh-so gentle, slid up and down her back, the way she imagined he’d someday comfort his child. Soft swirls of arousal started in her belly, making their way slowly through her body as he raised his hips and joined their bodies, never breaking the intimacy of the kiss.
She wan
ted to touch him, not just to feel the heat of his cock in her pussy, the slight abrasion of his clean-shaven chin and upper lip on her face. His thrusts, measured yet deep, made her wish she could keep him there forever. Only half aware of her actions, she tightened her inner muscles, caressing and milking his long, thick shaft.
He groaned. His muscles tightened as if he were fighting for control. The veins in his neck bulged, but he kept up the motion until she cried out with her climax.
While the aftershocks were still going through her, he lifted her away.
“You didn’t come.” Somehow that made Keely feel she’d cheated him, and that made her lift her hands, wipe the sweat off his brow.
“No condoms in the house. I didn’t dare come inside you, maybe force you into a relationship you haven’t quite accepted.” The words came out harsh, guttural, as he obviously tried to slow his racing heartbeat.
“No condoms? You? I can hardly believe it.”
“Believe it or not, you’re the first woman I’ve ever had in my house except my sister and the woman who keeps the place clean. The first I’ve ever had here who would have given me reason to stock some protection.”
His confession shocked her, but what surprised her more was her own realization that she’d gladly have taken his seed. Her traitorous body still wanted that ultimate mating that carried too much risk. A lifetime of responsibility. “Thank you for being a lot more responsible than I was,” she said, dragging her hand down his body until she curled her fingers around his still-pulsating erection.
He smiled, a wry upturning of those sensuous lips she’d sampled moments earlier. “Not that I’d mind you having my kid, but I’m not sure if you’re ready to make the kind of commitment I want before we start our family.”
Was she? Keely didn’t say. Things were apparently moving too fast for her. She swallowed, as if she were trying to stave off the tears that wanted to erupt. But it did no good. She had that deer-in-the-headlights look in her eyes again, and it made him feel incredibly protective.
“Don’t cry, sweetheart. Relax. We’ve got time. The way the weather looks outside, neither of us is going to be going anywhere for the next few days. I’m going to go take care of this little problem myself. Don’t trust myself not to give in to the temptation to come inside you, bare skin to bare skin. But you’re not ready, I can tell.”
Chapter Three
When he finished taking care of his painful hard-on in the bathroom and putting on flannel PJ bottoms, he went back to bed to find Keely sound asleep. He slid in beside her and gathered her in his arms.
Keely wasn’t the sort of sub his brother had married. It was understandable, considering the fact that she’d grown up watching her mother fall completely under the control of a cruel master whose behavior sounded a lot like that of Diana’s ex. Yeah, Keely liked kinky sex, needed to give up control in the context of dungeon scenes. He had a sneaking suspicion that she couldn’t come without feeling a certain amount of force or at the very least coercion. But she wasn’t likely to go down on her knees and give him head while he watched TV, not unless it was her own idea. He didn’t imagine she’d take to cooking dinner in the nude either, for that matter. It seemed his pretty sub was mighty concerned about what other people thought of her.
Did that bother him? A few weeks ago Brad would have said yes. Now he wasn’t so sure. Spending time tonight with Keely, he’d seen a whole new side of her. A strong side, a caring one not just for him but for the damned stupid cattle they’d had all that trouble forcing into the barn so they wouldn’t freeze.
His little brother had lucked into one of the few true, natural slaves. Not that Brad resented Jared. If any Dom needed a woman like Ninia, Jared had after losing his military career, part of one leg and a good bit of his self-confidence. He thrived on his wife’s total dependence. Her 24/7 submission in every aspect of their lives.
But Brad was beginning to think he could do just fine with a woman who needed him to take the lead in bed but wanted to be his equal in all the other parts of their lives. Keely. Now all he had to do was talk her out of her doubts about him.
There wasn’t much he could do to stop the gossips from whispering about what they thought went on at Roped and Lassoed, or what part he took in acting out scenes there. What he needed to do was persuade Keely it didn’t matter, that no one cared what a bunch of old biddies thought. Yes, he’d been a wild rich kid whose interests centered around kinky sex and rodeo, but now he was thirty-five years old, grown up and ready to take on responsibility for a family.
Hell, he already took responsibility for his family. Since Diana had gone to rehab soon after Jared had brought Ninia home, he’d taken care of her part of the family ranching business. He was still doing most of the work of running their cattle operation, even though Diana had come home at the end of the summer. If Brad said so himself, he’d handled it all pretty well, between running the dungeon and spending the summer on the rodeo circuit. He even kept an eye on Jared and Ninia as they prepared to open a dude ranch on his share of the ranch, making sure as much as he could that Jared didn’t overdo it by trying to disprove his disability.
All he had to do was show Keely this responsible, adult side of him, prove he loved her and that he wanted her the way she was. He had the feeling it wouldn’t be nearly as easy as convincing her that he didn’t give a damn whether she was dirt poor or a millionaire.
He lay there for a long time, looking up through the skylight at the storm raging outside. It showed no sign of letting up anytime soon.
* * * * *
Keely woke up, snuggled closer to the warm muscular body behind her. Brad had put on PJs, she realized when the soft fabric nudged her bottom. It felt good, being close enough to feel his heart beating, listen to the up-and-down cadence of his breathing.
What time is it? She opened her eyes and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. Oh no! I’ve got to get to work. She started to roll over but was held firmly by the arm draped over her waist. “Brad, I have to go.”
“Take a look outside, sweetheart. No one’s going anywhere now. Not to mention, I doubt your boss will open the store, even if he can manage to get to it.” He propped himself up on one elbow and looked out the window. “All the power lines are down. You can use my satellite phone to call whoever needs to know you’re okay. Regular cell service is never too reliable up here in the hills.”
She took the phone he handed her, and dialed her work number. “Hey, this electric plug for the charger is working. And the bathroom light is on. What…” There was no answer at the store, so she left a message that she wouldn’t be in and handed the phone to Brad.
He grinned. “Don’t get all bent out of shape. The electricity here in the house is coming from a generator. It’s not safe this far out not to have backup power. Here, let’s see what they’re saying on TV about what this blizzard is doing up in Laramie.” He flipped on the TV, came up with nothing but a crackling screen. Swearing under his breath about the cable company’s satellite being out of commission, he got out of bed and disappeared into a walk-in closet. “Here, my sweats will be awful big on you, but at least they’ll keep you warm for now. We can go downstairs and rustle up something to eat before I go check on the animals. If you want to come outside with me, you can raid Diana’s closet. I’m pretty sure she left some cold-weather gear when she moved back to her house.”
“That’s all right, I’m sure my own clothes have dried by now.”
He doubted that the blue jeans and that short sheepskin-lined jacket she had on last night would do much to keep her warm outside in this mess, but he didn’t want to raise her hackles. He was learning fast that Keely had an extra-large dose of pride.
* * * * *
Keely was beginning to view Brad differently every minute she spent with him on the ranch. No way could she keep on seeing him as only a club Dom, a man without a face who had no interests other than giving and taking sexual pleasure in every conceivable way. Watchin
g him seek the source of a mournful, frightened sound beneath the snow until he found a bedraggled, practically frozen calf and lifted it in his arms, she realized there was much more to her kinky lover than met the eye.
Most of the gossips in Laramie thought Brad was the same old playboy, hiding his goodness under the brash exterior of a carefree rodeo cowboy, a Dom who had no qualms about doing whatever he needed to do to run Roped and Lassoed successfully. But they hadn’t seen Brad up close and personal the way she had, the man who cared for his family and his animals, accepted responsibility for friends and family when they needed help.
Brad ran Roped and Lassoed as much to meet the needs of others in the lifestyle as to satisfy his own Dominant nature. He’d taken over and managed Jared and Diana’s as well as his own huge land holdings, Jared’s for several years while he was overseas and later recovering from his injuries—and Diana’s recently when she’d been in rehab. How could Keely keep herself from falling in love with a man who’d tromp through hip-deep snow to rescue one small, stubborn calf?
“Come on inside the barn before you freeze out there,” he yelled over the shrill sound of the wind as he moved toward the barn door. It wasn’t an order, but Keely found herself wanting to obey, and not just because she was getting chilled despite the fact she was wearing several layers of cold-weather clothes. Inside, she grabbed a towel off one of the stall rails and went down on her knees to wipe down the shivering baby.
Brad found another towel and knelt beside her. “Do it a little harder, sweetheart. He’s got a tough little hide, and we need to get him warm before he runs off to find his mother.” He looked over at her and smiled. “I’m surprised you didn’t want to stay in the house out of the cold, but I’m glad you came outside with me. You never told me that you know your way around barns and stables.”
Putting a little more muscle into rubbing the calf’s side, Keely considered how long it had been since she lived with her parents on a small ranch outside Laramie. “I’ve always loved the outdoors, and being around cattle and horses. But my close-up experience came when I was real young, before Daddy died.”