“Such as?”
He smirked. “Bigger and better for one. And a little rough.”
“Doesn’t sound too scary.”
His cock thickened by the second. She had no idea the restraint he was using. If he let go, he’d probably take her right on the kitchen floor. “Not scary at all.” He pulled her against his erection and leaned down to kiss her neck. The sweet scent of her shampoo drove him wild like an aphrodisiac to an already aroused male. He wouldn’t be able to wait until he got her in his bed. She was so warm, so ripe, so his.
“That feels good,” she said, wriggling against his cock.
He lifted her up under the arms and set her on the counter. They were more equal in height now since she was so tiny in comparison. She wrapped her legs around his hips, spurring him to keep going. His resolve to keep professional diminished, his libido taking control.
Callum slid his hands under her shirt, cupping her bare breasts. They were soft and perfect, filling his hands nicely. “It’s been a long time for me,” he confessed. “You’re so…so soft.”
“Your hands are rough. I like it.” Her willingness to accept him despite his distracting syndrome made him want her even more. He felt accepted, understood.
“I may just break a slight thing like you.”
She smoothed her hands over the expanse of his shoulders. “I wonder how that would feel.”
He wanted to show her. Callum stepped back a foot and tugged off his shirt. She watched him with fascination in her eyes. He unbuckled his leather belt and brought down his zipper, groaning once he had more space for his ever-growing cock. Still sheathed by his boxers, he moved on to Hailey.
“Arms up,” he said.
She complied without complaint, raising her arms so he could remove her shirt. Her breasts were beautiful, youthful, sloping out into tempting peaks. Too tempting not to sample. He wrapped his arms around her hips and buried his face in her lush tits. When he sucked a firm nipple into his mouth, she let out a strangled moan, signaling her readiness to be fucked.
“Brace the counter. These are coming off,” he said, hooking his fingers around the waistband of her shorts. He slid off her panties at the same time, leaving her completely nude on his kitchen counter. Callum took a cleansing breath, the red hue from the sunset flooding the kitchen in a warm bath of light. She was the ultimate temptation, a siren he couldn’t ignore.
She reached for him, a wanton glaze in her eyes. “Kiss me.”
“If I start, I won’t be able to stop. Do you have anything against doing this here?”
“Do you?”
He kissed her hard on the lips. He’d been wanting to kiss her since that first day. The reality wasn’t disappointing. Callum lost himself in her taste, the heat of her breasts against his chest, and her probing hands testing his muscles. As he gave himself over to his passion, his tics eased, leaving him in rare peace. He pulled her tight to his body, carrying her to the kitchen table, not breaking their kiss. Her tongue was lively, keeping him on his toes.
The table was solid oak, built by his daddy before he was born. If anything could support Hailey as he rode her hard, it would be the kitchen table.
“You look good enough to eat,” he said, spreading her legs at the knees. Her blonde hair pooled on the wood as she watched his every move. Her pussy was glistening from an overflow of moisture, so pink and swollen. He’d love to feast on her, to rub his face in her folds as he made her scream for release. But he was in no shape to deny himself tonight.
“Come to me,” she said, reaching out. He didn’t deny her, dropping over her and feasting on her tits. He fiddled with his boxers, freeing his cock.
“Oh, baby, you drive me crazy. I have to have you.” He ran the head of his cock along her slick folds, preparing himself.
“Then take me,” she said.
Callum positioned his body securely between her legs, aiming his erection at his target. As he slid into her pussy, he thought the tightness would be his end. “Fuck, you’re tight, darlin’.”
He was only a couple inches in when she sprung her news on him. “I’m a virgin.”
Callum froze, his cock pulsing in her cunt, eager to continue. “No, you’re not. You’re twenty-six.”
“You’re my first.”
“Well, it’s too late to stop now, Hailey. Do you want me to stop?” Please say no.
She touched his face. “I want you to be my first. I’m not afraid. Not with you.”
Knowing he was her first made him feel even more possessive. He also wanted to be her last. He was the only man to know her sweet, little body—she was his. Now he faced a difficult dilemma. He’d never been harder or hornier, but he had to take her virginity tenderly like any good man would.
“Tell me if I hurt you.” He eased in, inch by inch, his eyes lolling back in his head. Callum intertwined his fingers with hers at the sides of her head. He kissed her temple, then her lips—soft, individual kisses. They were promises. He’d always be there for her. He’d never hurt her. Callum hoped she could feel his intentions because he’d never been good with flowery words.
Chapter Seven
Hailey accepted Callum into her body, welcoming him. It was more than sex, it was a bond, a cementing of a new relationship. She’d known there was something between them before he started giving her the cold shoulder. The past week had been difficult for her. Lonely. She missed talking with him, saddened that their budding connection was stifled so soon. She could scarcely focus on her research when he dominated her thoughts. Now she had an abundance of hope. Or was it just sex for Callum, a momentary bout of passion?
Right now Hailey only focused on his cock filling her to the hilt. He was thick and long, her walls stretched to the max. The groans he made were masculine music to her ears. She wanted him to enjoy himself, to never forget his pleasure came from her body. Although she’d waited twenty-six years to lose her dreaded virginity, she was glad she’d waited. It made all the difference sharing it with a man she could imagine forever with, a man she respected.
“You okay?” he asked.
He’d gone so slow, something she didn’t think he was capable of. She’d prepared herself for a hard, unforgiving fuck. Her body was ready, moist, and anxious. But he was a tender, patient lover. He continued to amaze her.
“You can’t hurt me. I feel—I feel like I’m burning inside. Only you can make it better.” It was the best way to describe the inferno building in her cunt. Her toes curled as the energy spread outwards. She wanted him to fuck her, to work his cock inside her until she screamed his name.
“Yes, ma’am.” He pulled back and thrust back in, over and over. The rhythm slowly increased in speed and strength. He slid both of his forearms under her shoulders, securing her to his body. She kissed his lightly stubbled jawline, seeking his lips.
“More,” she said.
Her word was the final catalyst. Callum fucked her so hard the heavy oak table screeched against the hardwood floor. She kept her legs around his hips, anchoring herself to his body. Pulsing waves began to roll through her, warning of an impending orgasm. It felt heavenly, a bliss she wanted to live in forever. Each thrust of his hips brought her closer to a precipice, his pubic bone rubbing deliciously against her clit with each upstroke.
“Oh God, Callum!”
“Come on, now. Let me feel you squeeze my cock. Claim me like I’m about to claim you.” He drove into her like a finely tuned machine, his sweat-slick body a beautiful sight with the gentle cast of twilight from the window highlighting all his flexing muscles.
He seemed to know how to help her along, grinding against her and tweaking her nipple. His pace was furious, making her cry out and beg for him to make her come. It was exquisite torture.
When she finally detonated, the world stopped for those precious seconds. It felt as if she soared high above their bodies on a cloud, the wash of satisfaction incomparable. Then she fell down hard, her body contracting in violent waves as her pussy milk
ed Callum’s cock. It was an orgasm beyond her wildest expectations.
He grunted and groaned, squeezing the air out of her as he held her tight, releasing inside her body. She’d done it, kissed her virginity good-bye. Hailey had expected her future to consist of late nights reading research books, a half dozen cats lounging around her. No longer. She had the chance at a real life, a happily ever after she never expected to achieve.
When all was said and done, the lust settled, Callum didn’t disappear as he usually did. He carefully scooped her up into his strong arms, carrying her up the old staircase to his bedroom. She’d never been in his room. He always kept the door shut and she dare not peek and invade his privacy.
It was dark inside, the heavy curtains pulled shut. He kicked the door closed behind him and then walked her across the room.
“I’m actually glad Arden showed up. If it weren’t for him, I’d never have had the nerve to talk to you again.” He settled her down on his bed. The mattress was firm and the bedding smelled like him, all male.
“I’ve missed you. I’m not good with the silent treatment.” Her sterile childhood was nothing to covet. All she wanted from Callum was warmth and acceptance. He climbed in bed beside her, pulling a heavy comforter over their bodies. Callum spooned her from behind, tucking her in close. He kissed her shoulder, and she felt utterly wanted.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you…well, maybe I did at first. This is all new to me, but I’m going to try my best not to sabotage things between us.”
“Is there an us?” she whispered.
He ran the backs of his fingers up and down her arm, his breath warm on the back of her neck. “A farmer doesn’t rush his harvest.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we have to take things a day at a time and see where they lead.”
She’d just given Callum her virginity, her heart, her everything. The new path her life was suddenly taking was exciting and she wanted to jump in with both feet. But, of course, he was right. Rushing a commitment was bound to sour any relationship.
“That’s fair,” she said.
“You sound disappointed.”
She shrugged. “I’ve just been on my own for so long. It will be nice to finally belong somewhere.”
“Don’t be frettin’. You’re mine now. I just have to get used to having a woman around.”
They fell asleep in each other’s arms. By the time she opened her eyes the next morning, a sliver of light peeking in through the curtain, Callum was gone. She sighed contentedly, rolling to her back. Her body was deliciously sore. Her cowboy would be out harvesting one of his fields. She wondered if Arden even returned home last night and if he’d start helping Callum around the farm. God knows he needed the respite. All she could do was focus on ridding the property of pesky hogs, which would hopefully make his life easier.
****
When the weekend came around, Arden decided it was time to have a word with Callum’s guest. He could see love in his brother’s eyes, and he wouldn’t have her break his heart. Just like when they were kids, his need to look out for Callum was strong.
She was sitting in the long grass behind the house with a couple of textbooks that looked heavier than her. The wind gently picked up the ends of her blonde hair, her feminine scent travelling all the way to where he stood.
He approached her. “Something interesting?” he asked.
Hailey looked up at him, the sun reflecting in her blue eyes. “Oh…just some research. I think I’m finally onto something.”
“That’s good. I hear it’s been two weeks already. How long you plan on staying?”
“I–I haven’t thought about it. These things take time.”
He walked around the area, alternately taking in the views and watching her reactions. “You know my brother ain’t simple, if that’s what you’re thinking. He’s smarter than I am. You can’t believe the calculations he can do in his head.”
“I never thought that.”
“You sure? Most people do.” Arden was skeptical of everyone, especially cute little blondes capable of destroying his brother.
She closed her textbook. “Look, I know he has Tourette’s Syndrome.”
“He tell you?”
“It’s obvious, and I did a thesis on it in my second year of studies, among other neurological disorders.”
He rubbed his chin, trying to figure her out. What was her deal? Surely she didn’t want Callum for a relationship. She could get any man of her choosing, educated men who could take proper care of her. “So you know it has no cure?”
“And I also know it has no impact on intelligence, and the tics are completely involuntary.”
“Fancy talk.”
“Meaning it’s not his fault. I would never judge a man for something he was born with. And the disorder is more common than you think, just not as severe as Callum’s.”
He crouched down beside her, taking a lock of her hair between his fingers. “And what’s your story, Ms. Watson?”
She looked at him shyly, as if uncomfortable with his closeness. “I’ve been trying to make something of my career for the past two years but so far nothing seems to be panning out.”
“Before that?”
“Six years of university.”
“Just the thought of that makes my head hurt. What makes a person dedicate that much of their lives to the almighty dollar?”
“It wasn’t about money for me. My parents are both doctors and expected me to follow in their footsteps. When I didn’t specialize in family medicine, they disowned me. I’ve been on my own ever since.”
“You haven’t seen them in all these years?”
She shook her head.
Arden couldn’t understand some families. His parents were deceased, but when they were alive he’d do anything for them. Even now, he’d die for his only sibling, Callum. Blood ties were supposed to stick together through any trial or tribulation. This girl had healthy parents, apparently well-to-do. It seemed a sin to stay apart over matters of money and career choices. One day it would be too late to make amends. Personally, he couldn’t live with that kind of guilt, which was part of the reason he decided to return home to the O’Shea Ranch. Even the isolation and fruitless outlook of life on the farm weren’t as bad as estranging his brother.
“So what happens to you now?” He dropped down to his side, supporting himself on an elbow. The sun was strong, set in a clear sky. “You volunteer your time to different ranches in exchange for room and board?”
“I need more research before the university will consider giving me another grant.”
“So this isn’t about helping Callum?”
“It is. I’m helping him while helping myself. There’s nothing wrong with that, is there?”
“There is if he’s falling in love with you.”
She froze, her lips parting. “Did he say that?”
“I haven’t spoken more than two words to him since arriving. I think my little brother is working hard at avoiding me.”
Hailey began to stack her books, readying to leave. He reached out and snagged her wrist, keeping her on the grass with him.
“Maybe you should be more supportive now that you’re back,” she said boldly.
He smirked. “So you have a little fire inside you after all.”
“No, I just care about Callum. It’s not natural for one man to tend all this land on his own.”
The property was huge, but their daddy had managed on his own until they were old enough to do their part. Hard work never killed a man. It was laziness that was the root to many evils.
He took out his flask, feeling the urge for a quick drink. Her eyes narrowed as he tilted the silver flask against his lips. “What is it?” he asked, pausing.
“What’s in that? Alcohol?”
“Want some?”
She pulled back slightly. “I don’t drink. And neither should you if all the stories are true.”
“There’re l
ots of stories chasing around. If you were the smart girl you say you are, you wouldn’t listen to gossip and hearsay.”
“Then what’s the truth? Are you a no-good Irish drunkard?”
He cocked an eyebrow. “That’s what they’re saying?” Arden nearly choked on his own spit. That must have been the funniest thing he’d heard in a long while.
“One of many things.”
“Did you hear any stories about how I’m such an excellent lover?”
Her cheeks flushed.
“No? Then how about I show you? Then you can spread your own firsthand gossip.”
“I have to go.” She tugged her arm away.
“Wait, wait…” He tucked his flask out of sight. “Forgive me, darlin’. I’m slow to trust, especially after being on the road for nearly a year.”
“I’m not usually one to listen to gossip, but you haven’t exactly made a good case for yourself so far.”
He got to his feet, brushing the dry grass from his black Wranglers. “Let me change that then. How about I take you for a ride?”
“I have research to finish.”
“It won’t take long. It’s good to let loose once in a while.” He wanted to see how much effort it took to get Hailey to smile, and how long it would take for her to agree to bed him. Arden’s life was simple. His few pleasures were a good fight, hot sex, and mind-numbing alcohol. He didn’t expect her to hang around for long after he proved she didn’t love Callum unconditionally. And he didn’t expect to have an inkling of interest for her tomorrow. The sooner she was gone, the better. There was no way she wanted his brother for keeps. Every woman who’d ever shown interest in him suddenly developed an aversion once they witnessed a full-blown attack of his Tourette’s. How could this girl be any different?
“Where do you want to go?”
“Come on.” He walked towards the equipment barn. Callum better not have touched his Harley. He’d rebuilt it himself before he left to follow the circuit. When Arden entered the dim interior of the barn, he immediately saw the black tarp in the corner. His heart leapt. There was nothing quite like hitting the open road, feeling the wind rushing by his ears, and the power of the engine beneath him. It had always been his therapy—next to the bottle.
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