Maybe this little game tonight wasn’t such a good idea after all. Thinking about his ex put him in a miserable mood. Why had he agreed to this? Because he wanted Raelyn and something inside him made him agree to anything to make it happen. But that’s all it was about. The sex. He couldn’t stop thinking about her, about it, about how good it felt with her. He needed to have her again and get her out of his system. She wanted to get to know him, but that wasn’t going to happen. The only thing she’d leave knowing was how his cock felt inside her. How it felt to have multiple orgasms and still want more.
Yep. He’d play her game, but he’d use his own rulebook. She didn’t know what she’d gotten herself into.
*
Raelyn finished her shift and headed to the apartment. After she showered, shaved, and picked out her three items of clothing, she moved on to tackling a bigger decision—what three questions to ask? There was so much she wanted to know about Hayes, Hannah, his life. She grabbed a notepad and pen and started jotting things down.
Her phone rang so she grabbed it. Ugh. The last person she wanted to talk to.
“Hello, Raelyn,” her mother said.
She breathed deep then asked, “How are you?”
“My life is chaotic, as usual, but even more so these days. You really put me in a bind by taking off like that. I had to call a temp agency and the girl is horrible.”
“I’m sorry you’re having such a rough time.” She really wasn’t sorry, but didn’t know what else to say.
“Come home.” Her mother’s tone had changed, only slightly, but enough for Raelyn to notice. “So we can get back to our normal life.”
“But I have a new life. Here.”
“In that rinky-dink town? There’s no way you can possibly be happy there.”
“I really like it. I’m making friends and I enjoy my job.”
“But it’s not home. Your home is here.” She paused a moment. “With me. I need you.”
What was going on? Was this the same woman who’d belittled her over a silly arrest? Embarrassed by her daughter’s indiscretions? “Since when do you care if I’m there? The last time we talked, you were downright ashamed to have me as a daughter.”
“I was upset and angry. My daughter got arrested. How else was I supposed to respond? And the circumstances of it were just…disgusting.”
Here we go. “Mom, I have no energy to do this with you again. This right here is why I left.”
“You don’t understand. Someday when you’re a mother, maybe you will.”
Raelyn doubted she would ever understand her mother’s reasoning for treating her daughters the way she did.
Her mother continued. “I can’t believe both my girls have left me. I’m all alone now.”
Raelyn wanted to say, “Whose fault is that?” but didn’t. “Maybe we just need to be apart for a while.”
“But you’ll consider coming home?”
Was she detecting an odd hopefulness in her mother’s voice? “Uh…sure. I’ll think about it.”
“Okay. I’ll be in touch. Goodbye.”
That had been the weirdest phone call she’d ever had with her mother. It almost seemed like she missed her. So bizarre.
Chapter 9
Hayes got home from the side job and showered, put on a clean pair of jeans, no shirt. Too damn hot, even with a fan in the window. He picked clothes up off the floor and took out the garbage, made his bed. He was cleaning like the damn president was coming to visit. When had he started caring about this kind of shit?
Raelyn would be there soon and he realized he was anxious, in more ways than one. He couldn’t wait to get her in his bed, that was a given, but he was nervous, too. He’d agreed to answer questions about himself, his life, his daughter, and even though he planned to give Raelyn the most vague answers possible, he still felt uneasy about it. Hopefully he’d be able to distract her and she’d forget all about her questions.
A soft knock on the door, and when he opened it, she stood there, leaning against the frame. Tight red dress with a plunging neckline showing off those perfect tits, its skirt short enough to give a sneak peek at the thighs he couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into.
He let out a whistle. “Damn, sweetheart. I might need to fuck you with that dress on.”
She stepped in. “Since there are no dry cleaners in Fort Mavis, that is a definitive no. This is a look-and-no-touch dress.”
He pushed the door closed and yanked her to him, immediately burying his face in her cleavage, inhaling her sweet scent. He ran his tongue along the crevice of her breasts.
“Uh uh. Not yet.” She pulled back and put her hands on his bare chest, pushing him toward the bed. “None of that until you answer some questions. Sit.”
“Let’s get the interrogation over with. I want as much time as possible with your naked body.”
She set her purse on the desk, her eyes sweeping around the room. “It’s rustic. I like it. It suits you. How long have you lived here?”
“Is that your first official question?”
“No.”
“Then I’m not answering it.”
“You’re not gonna make this easy on me, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Fine. I can handle you.” She stood in front of him, maybe five feet away, that sexy-ass dress with super high black stilettos. She could definitely leave those on all night. “Question number one. What was your childhood like?”
What the hell kind of question was that? “I don’t know. Typical, I guess.”
She just stood there, hands perched on her hips.
“Well, go ahead. Take that dress off.”
“Uh uh,” she said, shaking her head, arms crossing over her breasts. “That’s not a good enough answer.”
“That’s all you’re getting.” Two could play this game.
She uncrossed her arms, grabbed her purse, and turned to the door. “See ya around.”
“Stop,” he said as her hand reached for the knob.
Maybe he’d underestimated Raelyn. If he wanted her naked—and God, did he want her naked—he had to give her more. He leaned back on his hands and started talking.
“Dad took off when I was three. We didn’t have much. I went to school, got shitty grades, made a couple friends, did a lot of stupid shit, got in a lot of trouble. Started working at fifteen to help my mom out with money, which made her happy because it also kept me out of trouble. Odd jobs around town, mostly, but I worked hard and learned a lot. Missed high school graduation because I failed twelfth grade English, but I refused to go to summer school. I wish there was more to it, but there really isn’t.”
The answer must have satisfied her because she set her purse back down and reached behind to her zipper. His dick twitched as the sound echoed through the room. The dress fell to the floor. Fucking cheetah print lingerie.
“Ready for the next question?” she asked.
“Absolutely.”
“How did you end up working as a ranch hand?”
He’d expected something far more difficult than that. “After Hannah was born I needed something steady that paid decent money. I’m not exactly qualified for much else than manual labor. I met a guy who worked at a ranch and he told me to look into it. I worked at three ranches before I went to Magnolia Acres. I work my ass off for them and they pay me well.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“Is that your final question?”
“No. It’s part two.”
He stared at her, unable to stop his grin from spreading. “I’ll let it slide. The answer is yes. I like taking care of the animals.”
She nodded in acceptance and reached behind her, unhooking her bra and tossing it to the floor. Goddamn, those tits were perfect. The last time he’d seen them, she’d been shadowed in darkness, only moonlight to illuminate her body. But now he could see the color of her skin, the cotton candy pink of her nipples. And fuck did he want to taste them. His mouth actually watered in anticipation.
“Last question,” he said. “Better make it a good one.”
Without hesitation she said, “What happened to Hannah’s mom?”
There it was. The question he’d expected and dreaded. But at least he’d prepared an answer. “She decided she wasn’t cut out to be a mother and left.”
“That’s terrible.” Raelyn stepped toward him and took his face into her hands, her long brown hair trailing over her shoulders, framing her. “I can’t even imagine.”
Maybe she sensed the sore subject, saw it in his eyes. He’d tried to stay as indifferent as possible, but she obviously saw through it.
She continued. “Hannah must have been devastated. You, too.”
It wasn’t a question, but he answered anyway. “She was too little to know what had happened. Wasn’t even a year old yet.”
“How did you handle it?”
“That’s another question, and once these panties are off, you’re out of questions.”
She stared into his eyes and ran one of her hands through his hair. “You can talk to me.”
“I don’t want to.” He looped a finger under the tiny strip of satin holding her panties up and followed it around the front, the back of his finger rubbing across her soft hairs to her heat. “I held up my end of this silly game, now it’s your turn.”
She held his gaze for a moment longer, accepting her defeat, and stepped back. A sexy smile spread across her lips. “It’s only fair.”
Slowly she spun, facing the opposite wall, and pushed the cheetah print satin down her tanned thighs. She bent forward as she continued to the floor, giving him a full view of every inch of her. His dick sprang to life, throbbing in his jeans, as the blood in his brain rushed south. The last fifteen minutes of his life were instantly forgotten. He focused on the here and now and all the things he was going to do to Raelyn’s body.
*
Raelyn stepped out of her underwear and set her gaze back on Hayes. He looked like he was about to drool and the fabric of his jeans was going to rip apart any second. “If I’m naked, you should be, too.”
He stood, towering over her, even in her five-inch Louboutins. After unbuttoning his jeans, he slid the zipper down and pushed them to the floor. Commando. Holy fuck.
“You ready for this, darlin’?”
“Absolutely.”
He yanked her to him, his fingers digging into the flesh of her ass, bare breasts pressed against his chest. His lips were a whisper from hers, his gaze dark and hungered. “You’re mine now.”
Her stomach fluttered at his words, moisture dripping between her thighs.
Hayes lifted her, a wicked grin spreading across his lips, lips she couldn’t wait to suck on, and he playfully tossed her on the bed. She giggled as he crawled to her, his massive body between her bent legs. His tongue trailed over her stomach and through the valley of her breasts, then kissed her. His tongue hot, it dove deep inside her as her hands roamed his body, his muscular ass built from years of hard work. The rough hairs around his mouth scraped against her and she knew she’d be red for days, but she didn’t care.
He pulled away and reached into the nightstand for a condom. When it had been expertly rolled into place, he took both her hands and pinned them to the pillow above her head. His eyes locked onto hers as he thrust into her and she gasped.
Raelyn ached to touch him, to hold his ass as the muscles contracted and released, to run her fingertips through his hair, over his shoulders. But Hayes seemed to like restricting her. He watched her as he thrust, slowing his pace, tantalizing her. He moved one of his hands from hers, holding them both with only one, and palmed her breast. Animalistic and rough, he kneaded her with possessiveness, and when he pinched her nipple she cried out.
“Did you like that, sweetheart?” he asked. “Or was it too rough?”
Her heart drummed in her chest. “I liked it.”
“Good.” His lips curled into a devious smile that made her even wetter, anticipating what came next.
He dipped his head and took her other nipple between his teeth, alternating nips with sucking as he rolled the other between his fingers. She thought she might orgasm just from his touch, pleasure mixed with pain. But then he pulled away, releasing her hands.
“Ready for one of my favorite positions?”
She nodded, ready for anything and everything he would do to her.
Hayes sat back on his knees and pulled her ankles to his shoulders. She locked them around the back of his neck as he grabbed her thighs and thrust even deeper. Raelyn bit her lip to keep from crying out.
“Touch yourself for me, darlin’. I want to watch you.”
She did as she was told, putting her hands on her breasts, pinching her nipples, keeping her gaze locked on his. There was a thrill in him watching her touch herself, in doing the things she only did when alone. Raelyn moved one hand to the small patch of hair, just above where they were joined, where his cock slid in and out of her with ease.
“That’s it. I want to see you get yourself off.”
She touched the hardened nub buried there, swollen with desire. A zing of pleasure rocked her body and she did it again and again. She lifted her finger to her mouth, licking it, then returned to her clit.
“Fuck yeah,” he whispered then began to move faster.
Raelyn rubbed circles on her sensitive bud, the pressure within her building. Hayes pounded into her harder now, his gaze on her, watching her hands, then resting back on her eyes. His grip on her legs tightened as murmured groans escaped his lips. She answered back with her own, but no murmurs. She couldn’t contain herself in that way.
“Come for me, sweetheart,” he said, the words combined with her continued pressure on her clit, his cock deep within her, sent her over the edge. Her walls clenched tight around him as her body pulsed at her touch, and he found his release, too.
Raelyn lay there spent, labored breaths, as Hayes gently removed her legs from his shoulders and lowered his body to hers. She wrapped her arms around him, kissing him, as his hands caressed her body.
He bent to place a gentle kiss on one of her nipples. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“No. It was good. All of it.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Cause it’s about to happen again in five minutes.”
Her clit throbbed in anticipation. Apparently it hadn’t been satisfied with one amazing orgasm. And she was not satisfied with one time with Hayes. She started to wonder if she could ever have enough of him.
*
Hayes never let a woman stay the night. Staying meant cuddling and sleeping together, then morning awkwardness for him and unreciprocated feelings for the woman. All things he aimed to avoid.
Raelyn hadn’t made an attempt to get dressed or head for the door. Instead she lay wrapped in his arms. She fit against him perfectly, her soft skin like silk against his rough and weather-beaten body, and he began drifting into sleep. But he knew what he should do. He should make her leave.
She spun in his arms and snuggled in, a kiss to his throat. The action was so simple yet so tender. It made him yearn to keep her here. Made him wonder if he could take the risk again.
“Do you want me to leave?” she asked.
She’d presented him with an out. An easy way to get her out of his bed, out of his life. But he couldn’t say the word.
“Hayes,” she said, and he felt her pull back, sensed her gaze on him.
He opened his eyes and stared into hers, for the first time noticing their amber hue. Like whiskey.
“Do you want me to leave?” she repeated.
He still didn’t answer her, but those gorgeous eyes of hers softened and she ran her hand through his hair. Could she see inside him? Did she know what raged in his brain, his heart?
She pressed her lips to his then whispered, “I’ll go.”
Uncontrollably, his arms tightened around her. “Stay.”
Raelyn nodded and he reached to turn off the bedside lamp. The darkness
of night surrounded them and his senses heightened. He closed his eyes, breathing in her sweet scent, his skin warmed by hers, and drifted into the most peaceful sleep he’d had in a long-ass time.
Chapter 10
Raelyn’s alarm blared from somewhere in the room. She opened her eyes and was alone in Hayes’ bed. The room was empty but she heard the shower. She silenced her alarm and headed for the bathroom.
“Got room in there for one more?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Only if you want to make us both late for work.”
“I think we can keep our hands to ourselves for five minutes so I can wash up.” She pulled the curtain aside and stepped in, totally unprepared for the sexiness of Hayes in the shower, his body wet, hair slicked back, suds dripping down those delicious abs. “Um… Can I have the… shampoo?”
He grabbed the bottle and turned over her palm, squirting some in. After spinning her body, her back to his, he moved to let the spray hit her. She tilted her head, letting the water rush over her, every cell of her body aware he was only inches away. So not as easy as she’d anticipated. Raelyn quickly washed her hair, rinsed, and stepped out.
“Hey. You didn’t even wash that gorgeous body of yours.”
She turned back to him, that damn sly smile, and noticed his cock, half hard. She salivated. “I’m good. I better dry off and get dressed.”
He laughed as she slid the curtain closed and stepped out of the bathroom. Oh, dear God she was addicted to this man! By the time she’d dried her body and found her bra and underwear, the water had turned off and Hayes walked out in just a towel wrapped low on his waist. Holy fuck. She was most definitely going to be late for work if she didn’t get out of there ASAP.
She scrambled to get her dress on, then her shoes. She threw her purse strap over her shoulder and said, “See ya later,” as she headed for the door.
“Where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?” he asked, more laughter in his throat.
“Work. Same as you.” She forced a smile. “Don’t want to be late.”
He stepped toward her. “Or are you afraid that if you don’t get out of here immediately you won’t want to leave at all?”
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