by Reece Butler
A thin knife appeared in Tom’s hand. He used it to clean under a fingernail. Matt snorted a laugh.
“If you’re doing that to try to scare me, don’t bother. I’ve got a friend who carries at least half a dozen of those all the time. Lance’s knives are so sharp he can split a hair.”
“How’s his aim?”
“Why? You think you can best him?”
“Not many can,” replied Tom with easy confidence. “You willing to put your ranch on the line? If something happens to this bird, I won’t be the one on the hock to replace it.”
“This ranch means nothing unless Nikki’s here with me.”
“You’d give it up to save her life?”
“In a heartbeat.”
“Fair enough.” Tom put the knife away and straightened. “Nobody gives a damn if I die. Might as well do what I can to help you marry the woman. I’ll hold you to the promise of naming a boy after me.” He grimaced. “Maybe someone will think kindly of me when I’m gone.”
“You’ll do it?”
Tom scowled. “I said I would, didn’t I? I don’t make many promises, but I keep the ones I do. Get your stuff.”
Matt tucked his hands under his armpits after getting strapped in. There were more dials and switches in that Army helicopter than in the civilian version. He did not want to accidentally bump something and make Tom abort the mission.
“You really think you’re going to die alone?”
Tom continued his pre-flight inspection. When he was done he met Matt’s eyes. He looked haunted.
“I just accepted the closest thing to a suicide mission. If I survive the next two years, maybe I’ll find myself a woman and settle down.”
“You don’t seem to be the type of man who’d settle.”
“For the right woman, a man will do anything. Now shut up so I can get rid of you before the storm starts up again.”
The roar of the engines cut off any further communication. The rain held off while they swooped up the mountain. He couldn’t see a damn thing except what the spotlight lit up. And what he did see was not good. They followed a raging torrent, what once was a road, to a fairly flat spot. Tom pointed. Matt saw the glow of a tent before the copter’s spotlight found it. Tom held the copter steady as Matt descended. As soon as he was loose, the bird whipped up, turned half upside-down, and was gone.
Matt turned on his flashlight and quickly, but safely, hurried to the tent. Slipping and breaking a leg, or even twisting an ankle, would be a stupid move. Eric’s face peered out. He scowled, using his forearm to block the beam. Matt shone the flashlight on his own face so Eric would know who was there.
“Matt? What the hell are you doing here?”
“She’s my woman, too. And I’m going to prove it.”
“Matt’s here?” Nikki stuck her head out beside Eric. She beamed. “You are!”
Oh, God, she looked good. Her hair was messed, her lips swollen with his brother’s kisses, but she was alive, and that was good enough for him. His frantic worry morphed into a need to prove that she was his, that they were alive.
“Get your ass in that tent,” he roared. “I want you on your back, legs spread!”
Her jaw dropped. “What?”
“Did you hear my order, or do you need a reminder on your ass?”
“But, there’s no danger…” She blinked at him, eyes wide. He moved forward, dropping to his knees to crawl in. She backed up, skittering out of the way. He shucked his boots, ignoring Eric, who watched silently.
“No danger? You scared the hell out of me! Driving out in a spring rainstorm with the mountains clogged with snow! You ought to have your ass paddled. And I’m the man to do the job.”
He pulled his belt from his jeans, rolled it up, and set it aside before hauling his pants off. She knelt, naked, biting her lip at him. She hesitated, flicking her eyes at Eric.
“Better do what your men tell you,” said Eric mildly. “When Matt’s done spanking your ass, it’ll be my turn.”
“What?”
“On. Your. Back!”
Nikki scrambled to obey. She spread her legs, bending her knees. He crawled forward, dipping his head between her thighs. He inhaled her fragrance. It slammed into him, flaming his need. He dipped lower, tasting her. She was wet, and hot. He flicked his tongue over her clit. She gasped and lifted her ass for more. He sat up, using his finger to tantalize her.
Nikki was safe.
She clenched his finger with her pussy muscles. His chest finally relaxed enough that he could inhale fully. She was also aroused, and she wanted him.
“You ready to be taken, Nikki?”
If she didn’t know what he meant, that she would be his from now on, then she’d better learn fast. He was not letting her go again. What he said to Tom was the truth. Without Nikki in his life, the ranch was just a bunch of dirt with cattle wandering over it.
She nodded.
“Not good enough. Tell me.”
“I want you to take me, Matt Frost. Hard.” She lifted her arms, reaching for him, and dropped her knees. He traced her thighs to the swollen lips that glistened in the light of the lamp.
Something in him broke. He looked her in the eye to make sure she knew who was thrusting inside her, He entered and thrust right to the hilt. She groaned, deep and primal. He dropped to his elbows and grabbed her shoulders. She grimaced, but he didn’t care. She would take all of him. But she didn’t even try to push him away. No, her knees tightened, bracketing his hips. Her pussy grabbed his hard cock, and he was lost.
Staring at those crystal blue eyes, he pounded everything into her. His terror of losing her, his need to keep her forever. He did it in the most primal way, fucking her hard until he shouted his release. He pumped her full, making her belong to him. She screamed, and her pussy clamped him like a vice. She clenched so hard he felt another orgasm cresting.
He rose to his hands and, this time, watched his cock be swallowed by the swollen folds of her pussy. Slightly less crazy now that she belonged to him, he changed angles. Her eyes opened in surprise, then rolled back in her head as she spasmed once more.
He slumped onto his elbows, panting as he hauled air into abused lungs. He felt himself grinning like a hound dog. He knew why they bayed at the moon. If it wasn’t pouring rain he might have done some baying himself.
Her eyes opened, and caught his.
“That ring any bells, sweetheart?” he asked.
“I’ll take that over a spanking any day,” she said, panting.
“No spankings tonight,” said Eric.
Matt had forgotten he was there. No one had mattered except Nikki. His woman. Shared with Eric, but still his. Forever.
“That’s good,” she said.
She shifted, and Matt rolled to take the weight off her. She ended up on top of him.
“Spankings can wait until we’re home,” he said.
She opened her mouth to complain. He gave her one smack, on the right cheek. She screeched.
“What was that for?”
“You did something that put you in danger, sweetheart. And that put me, and Eric, and Tom in danger. If I hadn’t notified our friends and neighbors that you were safe, they would have gone out in this storm to rescue you. That would have put them in danger as well.
“Oh.” She chewed her lip. “I won’t do it again.”
“Damned right you won’t,” said Eric. “We’ll paddle your ass hard enough that you won’t ever forget.”
“But, I said I wouldn’t—”
He swatted her other ass cheek. She squeaked and tried to slip off him, but he grabbed her tight.
“Settle down,” he said. “We need sleep. There’ll be a pile of work to be done to clear the roads in the morning.”
She pouted, but said nothing more as they settled themselves. They put her in the middle of course, so they could both be sure she was protected. She ended up face to face with him. Eric turned out the light as the rain started again.
“I didn’t mean to do anything wrong,” she whispered to him. “So why the spanking?”
“Remember I said that you had to learn? This is part of the learning.”
“But a spanking is so…so…juvenile!”
“Admit it, Nikki,” he replied. “You like that Eric and I care so much for you that we’ll make your ass sting. And then we’ll make you forget all about the pain with a couple of orgasms.”
“The orgasms are nice,” she finally admitted.
“And the spanking?”
She heaved a sigh. “Yes, they’re kind of nice as well. In a kinky way.”
He chuckled. “Kinky is good.” He raised his voice so Eric could hear over the rain. “Nikki agreed that she likes being spanked, as long as she gets release afterwards.”
“Good,” rumbled Eric. “Because after we get home she won’t be able to sit down for a week. But because it’s punishment, there won’t be any orgasms.”
“What?” She hauled herself up on one elbow. Eric had to release her breast so she could lean over her shoulder and talk to him. “That’s cruel and unusual punishment.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet, baby girl,” said Eric, chuckling. “Now go to sleep.”
Matt barely had to use any force to haul her back against his chest again. He lay there for a while, listening to the soft rain and the softer sound of Nikki breathing. This was what life was all about. Loving and laughing on the land.
They’d have to call Mom, Dad, and Pop to tell them about the wedding. They wanted a grandkid so bad that—
Condom. He hadn’t used a condom. He’d taken Nikki hard, on her back, filling her with his seed. She hadn’t stood up since. That meant his swimmers had a good chance at the pot of gold. A slow smile spread over his face.
If she hadn’t been pregnant that morning courtesy of Eric, there was a damn good chance she was now.
He fell asleep content for the first time in years.
Chapter Forty-One
Tom looked around the Roadhouse parking lot before climbing out of the truck. Dusty, beat-up pickups were about the only rides in sight. Matt had insisted he borrow Eric’s truck, which he’d parked facing out for easy escape. He didn’t expect to need an escape route, but old habits die hard. Especially habits that might keep him alive for the next two years.
The adrenaline rush from flying up the mountain into the storm, and then dropping Eric and Matt where they could protect Nikki, had raised his cock-meter even higher. He’d been way too long without a woman. He didn’t dip his wick in anyone who had visions of the white picket fence that he’d never seen. He also didn’t do barflies or anyone sleazy. That left a thin line of possibilities. The line was even thinner in small-town Montana.
He had one chance: a waitress named Dot.
When he was growing up in Nowhere, Texas, beehive hairdos were the thing, so that didn’t scare him off. Neither did her age. He preferred a mature woman sharing his sheets as they knew the score, had lost their inhibitions, and weren’t hung up on appearances.
He also liked a woman of substance. In his early life, a good layer of fat meant the woman had enough money for food. He shook his head at the image those slim, high-maintenance actresses were sending women. As if a real man gave a damn about perfect hair, makeup, jewelry, and expensive dresses. Women like that wouldn’t laugh, cry, or demand hot and nasty sex.
Should he tell Dot, if she was here tonight, that he was a friend of Eric’s? He’d had to grow out his moustache, beard, and hair for his next assignment. That might lower his chances with her from slim to none. He’d thought Matt would go to the roadhouse with him, but he had to help save his woman. That, or make sure she didn’t fall for his brother. Matt had done one heck of a lot of telephoning first. Word had spread and many called to see if they could help the doc in any way.
What would it be like to have an entire town give a damn about him?
Didn’t matter. He’d never know. Eric was about the only person who would give a shit if he kicked the bucket. And that was only because he felt indebted for the chance to rescue his woman. Eric had been green when he climbed in the chopper. He’d gone white and near passed out when they found the remains of Nikki’s car. Then Tom had spotted her above the stream. Eric had choked and started breathing again. Too bad he couldn’t hang around for the doc’s wedding, which from Eric’s reaction, couldn’t be soon enough. Or maybe she’d marry Matt? He shook his head, smiling wryly as he walked across the parking lot, avoiding the puddles.
He automatically stepped to the right as the door closed behind him. He couldn’t fade into a corner because there wasn’t one. The bar was straight ahead, with tables to the right, and a small dance floor. Toilets off to the left, with the entrance to the diner beyond. Matt had explained the overlap between diner and roadhouse, and that at this hour the diner would be closed.
He got checked out thoroughly, then dismissed. Who cared about a skinny guy in old jeans and plaid shirt who looked like a dark-haired ZZ Top? He could read a room in one sweep, and the Climax Roadhouse was safe. The most dangerous thing in the room might be the stuffed longhorn head hanging in the corner over the dance floor. If it fell someone could get pinned to the floor, right through the gut. It looked like a half-decent taxidermy job, and the old cowboy hat it wore at a jaunty angle was a nice touch.
He walked around the bar and straddled a stool with good sightlines. It also butted against a wall.
“What can I get you?”
A brisk young man in a white T-shirt gave him a nod. Tom returned it. “Bud, thanks.”
“You fly that bird to save the doc?” The bartender worked quickly as he talked.
“Naw, I didn’t save nobody,” replied Tom. He naturally fell into his Texas white-trash roots, talking slow and sloppy. “Jest dropped a couple guys on a rope. There’re the heroes. I’ll bring ’em out tomorrow.”
Shrewd eyes blinked at him. The man wasn’t as young as Tom had initially thought. He turned as he flipped the cap off the beer. The bottom edge of a tattoo was visible under his sleeve.
“Nice tat,” said Tom as he put down a ten. “Keep the change.”
“Thanks. You got one?”
Tom shook his head. “Cleanskin.”
It was a cowboy term he’d picked up from Eric. The ranchers used it for cattle which had not been branded. One of Tom’s advantages was that he had no distinguishing marks. No moles, freckles, or marks could link him to anything on a record. It wasn’t that he’d never been knifed. He had a tough hide and healed fast without scars.
“You eat yet? Dot’s still cleaning up.”
“Wouldn’t want to give the lady more work.”
“She’s been talking about that whirlybird since you flew over. Said she’s always wanted to fly in one.”
“Is that a fact?” Tom gave the bartender a nod. “I’ll trade her a ride tomorrow for her cooking my supper tonight.”
Tom made a deal with his libido. If this Dot was halfway decent, and was at all interested, he’d make sure she never forgot tonight. He’d grabbed a handful of condoms from the box Matt had offered, just in case. They burned a hole the pocket of his Levi 501s. If he’d known, he would have bought an old pair of Wranglers to better fit in. The boots were his favorite pair, and looked it. With a snug white T-shirt under his snap-front cowboy plaid and his old black hat, he looked and felt more at home than he had any time outside Texas ranch country.
A well-rounded woman with a brown beehive followed the bartender out of the back. She gave him a bright smile as she leaned over the bar. Her assets were hinted at, but not on display. The lady had class, green eyes, a killer body, and a smile to die for. Tom rose to his feet and pulled off his hat. The top of her head was at his eyebrow level, which in his books, made her just the right height.
“Ma’am, I don’t want to cause you no problems.”
She waved her hand for him to sit. “You look like you need some fattening up. What can I get you, sugar? Burger?”
He added her sexy, low rasp to his list of positives.
“I’m a hungry man, Miss Dot. I’ll take whatever you want to put in front of me. Name’s Tom.”
He spoke low enough so he’d not be overheard. The words were innocuous, but not the message he presented with his eyes. Her cheeks turned pink. She licked her lush bottom lip. He stared at it, then looked up. Her eyes widened, then dropped. She worried at her lip with a slight overbite. He’d rather he be the one doing the nibbling. He waited, neither speaking nor twitching.
“I know who you are,” she replied. “You’re a friend of Eric’s. Jeff said you’ll trade supper for a ride in that machine of yours tomorrow.”
“Yes, ma’am. No strings attached.”
“The kitchen’s closed. If you want steak, I can cook you up one at my place. You can manage a short walk?”
He’d have to hold his hat over his crotch during that walk, but he’d manage.
“Yes, ma’am.” Already her nipples pushed against her cotton shirt. “You lead, and I’ll follow.”
She looked to see if they were alone before speaking. “You’d better be promising what I’ve been waiting a long time for, flyboy.”
“I don’t make promises, Miss Dot. I just get the job done.” He let his gaze linger on her closest asset. “Might take me hours to finish this job. Got to make sure everything’s well greased and in perfect working order.”
“You got protection?”
“Enough for three, four days.” He looked in the bar mirror, noting the glances they were getting. “You want me to meet you outside somewhere? Don’t want to cause you no problems.”
“No use hiding in a small town. ’Sides, I want them to know I snagged me a hot one.”
* * * *
Tom kissed her forehead after a final morning loving session and a quick breakfast. They’d slept, some, but spent a lot of the time just cuddling. When they weren’t going at it like rabbits, that is.
“Don’t know how long I can hang around, Dorothy,” he said. “I got to return that bird or Climax’ll have some unwanted company.”