by Reece Butler
Eric still couldn’t remember what the fight was about all those years ago. Max said he’d been drinking. The black gap of nothing bugged the heck out of him, but there was nothing he could do about it unless Max enlightened him. The reason for their prior disagreement didn’t matter because this fight wasn’t to even a score. Thanks to that phone call he was furious, outraged, disgusted, and every other word. But what really stuck in his craw, what had him facing the best fighter in town, was that he couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
His job was gone. He was stuck in this hick town until he could create a new life.
Matt knew, but he couldn’t tell anyone else about it. That would make Eric seem weak, and Eric Frost was never weak. He was in charge of his life, his worksite, and everyone involved with it.
“Stop jawing and hit him again, Max!” yelled a familiar voice. “I got twenty bucks on you.”
It was Max’s younger brother and fellow husband, Jack, complaining. He was also a big man, but a bit shorter. Like Matt, Jack was a full-time rancher. Thirty-plus years wrestling cattle had honed their muscles. Eric figured he and Matt would be having a few wrestling matches with each other over the next couple of months unless Matt’s lady friend cooperated in lowering his stress levels. Max feinted, forcing Eric to get his mind back on the fight.
“Wagering is illegal,” answered Max without taking his eyes off Eric. “There’s got to be a deputy watching. Arrest that man!”
“Nope,” replied Keith Adams. “I got a twenty on it, myself.”
“On who?” demanded Max.
“Don’t think I’ll say right now.”
“It’s okay, son,” called another voice from the crowd. “I got forty on you.”
“To win or to lose?” demanded Eric, recognizing Fred, Max’s second father’s voice.
“Just hit him, Dad!”
“Joshua Maxwell Gibson,” yelled Max without looking away from Eric, “why aren’t you with Grandma?”
“He is, and we’re both hoping to watch his pa clean Eric’s clock,” replied the feisty older woman. “But so far all we’ve seen is wrestling and a lot of jaw-flapping.”
“Mom?”
Eric had been waiting for Max’s momentary distraction to strike. Max turned at the last moment so Eric’s fist just grazed his ribs. Eric took a hard jab in return. The world outside faded as they fought in earnest.
“Stop this immediately!”
The unfamiliar female voice cut through his concentration. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a furiously gorgeous tall blonde stomping toward him. Her hair was too short and her face too red, but the body that wiggled as she neared was pure heaven. He straightened, stunned to realize the top of her head came past his shoulders. Well past. Was she Matt’s woman? Damn, he’d died and gone to heaven. He grinned in welcome.
“Howdy, ma’am, I’m—”
“Dead meat!”
Max’s direct blow to the jaw spun him around. He crashed to the ground as everything went black.
Chapter Eight
“It’s over, folks,” said Max, grinning at the crowd. “I won. Time to get back to work.”
Nikki had not expected Max to knock Eric out. She’d thought they’d both turn to her to discuss the situation. She ignored the jubilant sheriff for a closer look at the handsome man at her feet. She’d had a quick glance of his eyes, brown and welcoming, before they’d rolled up and he’d gone down.
“You, too, Doc,” said Max.
“I am working. You knocked him unconscious. I have to check him over.”
She had to make sure he wasn’t badly hurt. After all, Max did get an advantage when his attention swung to her rather than the fight. His magnificent physique had been amazing while moving. Out cold, his muscles lax, she noticed what some would call imperfections. But his scars made him human. They also proved he didn’t spend his life behind a desk or at the end of a stethoscope. The sight of his body grabbed her like a riptide, urging her closer.
She resisted his pull as the townspeople left. A few made pointed comments about her being a spoilsport and cutting their fun short. Someone jumped in to support her. They argued about whether there should be a rematch, since Eric had been interrupted. She caught snatches of comments about seeing him laughing for once, and that he should get drunk more often. Most of it was good humored, but from what she’d learned about small-town gossip, he wouldn’t be living this down for years.
And, though unintentional, it was her fault.
Once it was quiet she knelt beside the man sprawled on the grass like a magnificent rug. He was tanned above his jeans as if he often went without a shirt. A white gap between the tan and his jeans suggested he often wore just boots and pants, and had come from a hot climate. Many of her clients worked outdoors and wore a hat. Like them, he had a line a couple of inches above his eyebrows where the sun rarely hit.
“Perfect!” said Brenda with satisfaction. She peered over Nikki’s shoulder. “You got him flat on his back, right where you want him. Too bad he’s out cold.” The quiet words echoed Nikki’s thoughts. Brenda snickered. “You’d best tend to your patient while you can. I expect he’ll be wild when he comes to. He lost against Max twice now. He won’t live this down.”
Brenda followed the others across the street and into the Roadhouse. Nikki heard something about the tab would be on Max since he’d won.
Nikki shuffled closer until her knees were beside Eric’s right hip. She lightly pressed two fingers against the side of his trachea, feeling for his external carotid artery. His pulse was steady and strong. His neck was warm and his chest very inviting. She decided she needed to listen to his heart directly. Since she hadn’t brought her bag, she’d use the old-fashioned method of direct contact.
She braced herself by placing one palm on the cool grass on the far side of his ribs. She bent over. His chest curls tickled her cheek until she pressed her face onto his skin. It was hot, scented with fresh sweat and whiskey from his breath. His heart beat steadily, but she held her head there just to make sure. Who knew when she’d be this close to a half-naked man again?
He inhaled and his heart suddenly sped up. Before she could pull away a strong arm wrapped around her back. The other went lower to cup her bottom with a hand like a hot brand. He hauled her over his body, chest to chest. She tried to use the one arm she had loose to shove herself free, but she was no match for his strength. She managed to keep her head up, but he aligned the rest of her body with his.
And then he rolled like a crocodile, taking her with him.
She ended up flat on her back with a very large male pressing her down. An amused set of brown eyes gazed down at her with far too much satisfaction. She wriggled, trying to get loose. All that happened was that his legs settled deeper between her spread ones. Because their bodies were close to the same size, that meant the ridge of his cock rode right where she’d imagined it on too many lonely nights.
It fueled the ache in her pussy, which demanded relief by a hard, blunt object. A cock would do fine. Why not the one barely separated from her pussy by a few layers of cloth?
“Well, howdy, ma’am,” Eric drawled. “If I’d known you wanted a tussle, I wouldn’t have taken on Max.” His half-closed eyes drifted to the area of her lips. “I’d rather satisfy a decent-size woman like you.”
His words, slow and sexy as warm honey, flowed under her usual mask of calm dignity. Many men in Climax had deep voices, including her two new brothers-in-law. But none of them made her shiver in desire. Was it the thought of him liking her size, or that he believed she wanted hot sex? His hand now traced her left hip.
“You all right under there, Doctor Meshevski?”
She looked past Eric to Max. The sheriff looked like he was hiding a laugh and doing a bad job of it. Mortification sent heat into her face.
“Get him off me!”
Max touched the blood at the corner of his lip with his fist. He shook his head. “I don’t follow orders when I’m not on du
ty. But don’t you worry. I’ll ask one of the deputies to stop by.” He slipped on the shirt he’d been carrying. “First I need to put some disinfectant on this cut.”
“Help me get free, and I’ll get some from the clinic.”
“Thanks, Doc, but I got it.” He nudged Eric’s hip with his foot. “Anything left of that bottle of Jack? I need to rinse my mouth with alcohol.”
“Help yourself,” replied Eric without looking away from Nikki. “I’ve got something better to do.” He grinned. “Wanna play doctor? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
Max headed across the street, chuckling. Nikki craned her neck around as best she could. The only other person in the park was the one on top of her. She had to get out of this on her own. The good news was, no one would see. A park bench, with shrubs behind it, blocked the view of anyone in the Roadhouse.
“Mr. Frost, if you don’t get off me you are going to be in a lot of trouble!”
“Not happening, Doc.” His eyes roved over her as he spoke, as if cataloguing her assets and planning his next move. “And I like this type of trouble. Makes me want to get even deeper in it.” He nudged his groin against her. “You made me lose the fight. You owe me.”
“Made you lose—? Ha! You’re the one who stopped fighting to stare at me like I was a hamburger and you hadn’t eaten in months.”
The corner of one lip twitched. His eyelids relaxed from alert to sensual. Now she understood what “bedroom eyes” meant. One look and she wanted to be in a bed with him. One that was about eight feet square.
“Prime rib.”
She shivered at the deep drawl featured in her fantasies. “Pardon me?”
He shifted to the left, which removed his chest from her left breast. A moment later he replaced it with his hand. She froze, unable to move or even breathe. She’d been rudely grabbed before and had refused to set the finger of the man who’d taken the liberty. But Eric’s touch was something else. Trickles of arousal ran along her neural pathways, blocking their ability to react.
He watched her intently, his eyes smiling as he molded her breast with his hand. Her nipple was so hard that it poked through the lace into his hand. She managed to open her mouth to breathe, panting as she hauled in air. Whatever he’d done between her legs had felt wonderful, but this was even more. He caught her nipple between two fingers and squeezed. She gasped and found herself arching into his hand.
“You’re not hamburger, baby girl. You’re prime rib. Like the ones right here.” His fingers slipped under her breast. He caught a rib between his thumb and fingers and stroked it. He did the same with the next, and the next, slowly dropping toward her belly. “I like a woman with nice…ribs. I’ll check out your loin next. Bet it’s nice and tender. Makes me wonder how you’ll taste.”
All her life she’d had to be in control to repel danger. Eric had taken control from her, and she had to get it back. That meant getting him off her body. She’d feel far more confident if she was vertical. She bent her knees and jammed her heels into the dirt to lift her lower body and throw him off. Instead, her action pressed him even tighter. Was it just the pressure, or had his cock increased in size?
His eyes widened at her action, then got all sleepy again. No, not sleepy. Awake and interested but playing it cool. At least, that’s what she thought it might be. She had no experience in these matters. She was panting so hard that her brain was short-circuiting from an excess of carbon dioxide. That was why she couldn’t think of anything but his heat and touch.
“Matt said you snuggled right close when he danced, and you fit just right.” Eric wriggled, rubbing his cock against her again. It felt way too good to be decent. “He’s right. Did you like it when he patted your ass at the end of the dance? He said your cheek fit his hand.” The eyes sucked her into a pool of dark chocolate. “I’d best check that out.”
The comment proved Matt’s touch had not been accidental. Her body had responded, right to her quivering core. He’d heated her to a fever pitch with that dance. She felt like he’d claimed her, especially when he clasped her back cheek. But when she turned, hoping for more, he was gone. She’d gone to bed frustrated and furious, vowing to never even look at him again.
“If he liked me, why did he run away?”
She jammed her lips together, too late to stop her complaint. Eric caught her nipple between his fingers again and squeezed. The jolt of need made her moan.
“Matt didn’t want to leave you all hot and bothered, Doc, but he’d promised to meet me in Missoula.” Another squeeze had her inhaling a gasp. “But enough about Matt. You got me now, and I am going to make your pussy purr.”
His lips brushed against hers. She opened for more, but he was too quick. Frustrated, she glared into a pair of satisfied eyes. He was a tease, arousing her but denying more.
“You think so?” She ground out the complaint. “You haven’t done much more than talk so far!”
His eyes darkened and his nostrils flared. She gulped. The fun-loving goof had revealed a much darker side. His steely gaze was now closer to that of Aggie’s Keith. Nikki had watched Marci and her new grooms leave, then hung around the parking lot for a bit with Aggie. Keith had come out, called his wife over, and demanded she spread her legs for his touch. Her pussy had ached for the same thing. It ached again now.
“Be careful what you ask for, baby girl,” warned Eric. “You’re playing with fire.”
Baby girl? No one had called her a nickname unless it was an insult. She’d never had a father to comfort her. Those two words, combined with Eric’s size, made her feel dainty. It made her want to curl up in his lap and let him comfort her. It made her want him to do a heck of a lot more, as well. She clenched her internal muscles, needing something to grab other than air.
She didn’t have the experience to know exactly what she was asking for. Surely Eric could turn the ache in her pussy into something overpowering. This was her chance to find out what Marci had been boasting about. Nikki had to strike while the iron was hot. Or, in this case, while his cock was hard and her pussy was soft.
“Maybe I like fire,” she retorted, taunting him. “This grass is cold. I could use some heat.”
A low growl rumbled in his chest. He shifted, pressing the ridge of his cock against the edge of her clit. It felt so good!
“How much heat can you take, Doc?” he drawled. “With just my mouth, tongue, and fingers I can have you screaming your second orgasm in twenty minutes.”
Second orgasm? He could give her two, one after the other? The thought took her breath away. It also swept away a lifetime of modest behavior, of being good, of trying to fit into a world that said she was too big, too loud, too smart…too much of everything for most men. But this one was mighty sure of himself, as well as bigger and stronger. Maybe he could handle her the way she’d always wanted.
“Bet you twenty dollars you can’t,” she said, brazen and demanding.
He blinked at her, then tilted his head and laughed. She went cold. She’d offered herself, and he didn’t want her. Humiliation beat at her. She hit back with fury.
“You rat!”
Chapter Nine
Nikki yelled the words, pounding any part of him she could reach with her fists. She fought hard, struggling with all her strength. It took him some effort, but he managed to catch her wrists. He easily hauled her hands high over her head. His were so large he only needed one to hold both wrists. While she struggled he’d wrapped his legs around the outside of hers so she couldn’t kick. She was totally immobilized. She panted from the futile effort. And from something more. If her pussy was hot before, it was steaming now.
She’d fought with everything she had, and he’d controlled her. It was a shame he didn’t want her, but now she knew what it felt like to be totally aroused, and alive. Eric Frost might not want her, but now she knew what to look for in a man. Only if he made her feel this way would she consider solving her virginity problem.
“What the hell was
that all about?” He glared down at her, angry rather than aroused.
“I don’t like insults,” she said between clenched teeth.
He frowned, looking down and to the right as he thought. His eyebrows shot up. He brought his face close to hers.
“You thinking I’d turn you down?”
Her throat was too tight to answer, so she nodded.
“Aw, hell.” His mouth twisted up on one side. “I was laughing because I was cursing my life, and you come along and make me this offer.” He used his free hand to skim her body from shoulder to hip. “I can’t wait to see your skin.” His face dropped closer until his bruised lips were right over hers. Was he going to kiss her? She held her breath.
Eric’s touch was gentle and sweet. A light brushing of his lips over hers. Then he nibbled one corner. She opened her mouth to inhale. He took it as an invitation and swooped in. Gentle went out the window as he plunged his tongue into her mouth. She tried to move, but couldn’t. He held her captive, hands, body, and legs, while he took what he wanted. What she wanted. He ground his pelvis, complete with rock-hard cock, into her groin. She moaned as the pressure on the seam of his jeans transferred to what was under her skirt. Her clit ached, demanding more, but he pulled back.
“Why don’t me’n you find something softer, like a bed? I got a hankering for a taste of your pussy.”
She sucked oxygen deep into her lungs. A few brain cells pumped to life. Bed. Him tasting her. Him doing a lot more than tasting. But how to get him there without raising questions?
“The clinic!” she blurted. He raised an enquiring eyebrow. “You might have a concussion. I really should check your reflexes. At the clinic.”
Smoldering eyes flowed down her body. “I’d say my reflexes were just dandy.”