by Unknown
Jace’s sister Dianna flew in from New York the same day she and Taylor arrived and appeared to be staying indefinitely. Dianna had attached herself to Jillian like white on rice. Every move the older woman made, she was there. Jace’s sister had become an unexpected ally against Jillian and her constant barbs.
She knew Dianna was angry with Jace, but she didn’t know why. It wasn’t a puzzle she felt like piecing together. She looked up and saw Dianna strolling toward her.
“Hi,” Dianna said, reaching out to stroke the black stallion that poked its head over the half-door of the stall. The stallion nickered softly at the sound of Dianna’s familiar voice. “Jace still refuses to allow you to train the horses? Stubborn jerk! I’ve a good mind to give him a piece of my mind.”
Kaycee laughed and went back to shoveling manure. “He’d most likely give it back to you,” she said breathlessly.
The stallion’s ears pricked with curiosity as both women laughed. Dianna pulled a carrot from her jeans pocket and fed it to the big horse. “Hey, sweet boy,” she crooned, scratching the black-as-midnight stallion between the ears. “Jace says Tulip is one dangerous stud. He’s the only one who can handle him.”
“Tulip?”
Dianna’s forest green eyes filled with mirth. “Ain’t that a bitch of a name for a big, black, studly stallion that makes it his priority to breed every mare that comes into season, even if he has to jump a fence to get to her?”
She giggled. “Kind of reminds me of your brother.”
Dianna snickered. “Yeah…all three of them. You haven’t met Wild yet, have you?”
Kaycee shook her head.
Dianna’s eyes sparkled with mirth. “Just wait. He’ll pop up one day. Wild is like the wind, meaner than a snake, and hell on the ladies. He left a string of broken hearts from here to Wyoming and back when he was riding the rodeo circuit. He served time in prison, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know.”
“He served five years of a ten-year sentence. Well, that’s all water under the bridge now.” She held her hand out to Kaycee. “I think I’m a little late with this, but I’d like to welcome you to the family. And I was wondering…your brother…is he always such a schmuck?”
“Yes. Always.” Kaycee wiped her palms off on the seat of her jeans and shook her sister-in-law’s hand. “Thank you, although no one’s supposed to know Jace and I are married. I think everyone knows. What has Taylor done to you?”
Dianna frowned. “It’s not so much what he’s done—it’s what he says. Oh, hell. It is what he did! He’s–he’s such–such an—”
“Asshole?” Kaycee supplied for her, grinning. “I find that word works well for me.”
“That’s the word.” Soft laughter flowed from Dianna. “Surely you don’t mean Jace is a schmuck, too?”
“Nah.” Kaycee laughed.
A grin played on Dianna’s mouth. “Taylor’s worse than a bad-tempered bear waking up from hibernation. He called me a spoiled, rich bitch. I objected to his calling me rich. The man has an evil mouth.” She flushed. “He might be crippled, but he sure knows how to kiss.” She gasped. “Er, forget I said that.”
“It’s forgotten. Your brother’s a great kisser, too, although I’d never tell him so.”
Dianna gave a half-hearted shrug, laughing. “Well, I just wanted to welcome you properly into the Remington family.”
“Jillian in on making this welcome?”
“Fuck, Jillian.”
“We think so much alike,” Kaycee said grinning.
“The bitch needs to pack and haul her ass outta here before she causes more trouble.”
Kaycee arched a brow. “More trouble?”
Dianna chewed a thumbnail. “Never mind,” she said freeing her thumb. “I don’t want to talk about Jillian.” She sighed. “You should let Jace know about your hands, Kaycee. He’ll be furious if you get an infection.”
Kaycee’s eyes narrowed on Dianna. Her sister-in-law was a beautiful woman. They were about the same size in height and build, but that was the only thing they had in common. Where she was fair and violet-eyed, Dianna was just the opposite with a heavy cloud of long, straight, jet-black hair that swung to the middle of her back. Her eyes were her best feature, big, and green as new leaves in the spring, surrounded by a fringe of thick, dark lashes.
Her legs looked a mile long. Tucked inside skin tight jeans and western boots with worn, run-down heels, Dianna was a trim and beautiful woman. Kaycee eyed the slightly wrinkled blouse on her and the obvious fact she wasn’t wearing a bra. Her gaze slid to the purplish bruise on her throat.
Hmmm. Did Dianna realize she had a whopper of a hickey on her throat? Good Lord, it was half the size of her hand. Someone had done some serious loving on her. Taylor? She snorted. Doubtful. It must be one of the cowhands.
She hoped her sister-in-law was smart and stayed away from Taylor. His temper was short and sharp. He didn’t care who he hurt.
Dianna was definitely in a snit, and once she got in front of a mirror, Kaycee figured she’d be in an even bigger snit. Her sister-in-law looked thoroughly ravished. Her beautiful cheekbones were stained a flaming red.
She couldn’t help thinking there had been something more than a kiss shared between Dianna and Taylor or at least shared with some cowboy. She could hardly bring herself to believe Taylor made a serious pass at Dianna.
“Oops. I believe that’s my cue to make myself scarce. Big brother looks mad as hell.”
Kaycee whirled to see Jace bearing down on them. She picked up the shovel and went back to work. She heard Dianna’s scathing remark to Jace as she passed by him.
“You better be good to her, J.D.”
Jace eyed his sister. “Don’t call me J.D., damn it!”
Dianna grinned, blew him a kiss, and kept on going.
Why the hell didn’t his sister go back to New York and get out of his hair? It seemed people he didn’t want around him were everywhere. He couldn’t get a minute alone with his bride. It wasn’t like Dianna to hang around the ranch.
His brows were still furrowed when he reached Kaycee. “I need to talk to you.”
She lifted a shovel full of horse manure and let it fly toward the wheelbarrow. She missed it by a good two feet. The pile plopped on the top of his shiny western boots. Shit!
Yep, the rich aroma rose to his nostrils.
“So, talk! You have my undivided attention.”
Ah. She was still angry with him. He should have known better than to get close to her and a shovel full of horse shit. His fragile, little wife had a temper. His lips twitched. She ignored him and went back to shoveling manure. Jace grabbed the shovel handle, jerked it free of her grasp, and flung it across the stable.
Kaycee moaned and shook her hands.
“What?” He locked his fingers around her wrists and turned her hands over. His anger and frustration with her instantly evaporated when he saw the ruptured blisters and pink patches of new skin on the palms of her hands. “Aw, sweetheart, why didn’t you tell me? Why aren’t you wearing gloves?”
“I don’t have any gloves to wear, and it’s my job.”
“The hell it is. Your job is taking care of me.”
“If that doesn’t sound just like a man!”
He tugged her closer. “In case you haven’t noticed, sweetheart, I am a man.” He drew her closer until he felt the tips of her breasts brush against his chest.
She placed her hands on his chest and leaned back a little. “How could I fail to notice you’re a man?”
She sounded breathless.
He dipped his head and covered her mouth determined to take even more of her breath away. Her lips parted beneath his and she accepted the penetration of his tongue. He pulled her snug against his hardness, raised his head and brushed her bottom lip with his thumb. “God, you feel good. I miss you. It feels like years since I last held you. Kissed you. I want you.” He drew in a deep breath, slowly exhaled. “I’m lonely, sweetheart, and I’m
tired of sleeping alone. You’re moving into the house today.”
She shook her head.
“There’s no choice involved here, Kaycee. You’re my wife. I want you with me, at my side, in my house, my bed, my life. I want to keep you safe. Duel called me…”
“What?” she asked. “Is something wrong?”
“The preacher who married us is dead. Murdered.”
She pressed trembling fingers against her lips. “Oh, dear God. Smitt?”
“Duel thinks so. Someone broke into his office and stole our marriage license. I want to know what was going on between you and Smitt. How determined is he to have you? What kind of threats has he made? No more secrets.”
She jerked away from him. “When you tell me what’s between you and Jillian, then I’ll tell you what’s between me and Smitt.”
“Fair enough.”
She frowned. “I expected an argument.”
Her breath came out in a slight gasp as he pulled her back into his arms.
“No argument. You first, darlin.’” He nuzzled her ear, traced his tongue down her throat in a gentle stroke. “I don’t like what’s happening, Kaycee. Why didn’t you tell me you were arrested in Reno?”
She bit her full lower lip. “It’s not something I like to talk about. They questioned me for hours, accused me of the vile crime of murdering my dad. They treated me like I was some kind of lowlife, handcuffs, interrogations that went on and on until I was so exhausted I wanted to confess to the crime.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I didn’t kill my father. He shot himself. I saw the body, the gun in his hand. There’s no doubt, but I picked up the gun. It looked so lethal in his hands. I wasn’t thinking straight. I should never have touched that gun. I just wanted to get it away from the body, yet I wanted to talk to my father one more time. Talk to him,” she cried. “Can you understand that? Understand when reality is staring you in the face and you know you’ll never get a last chance to talk or say good-bye? I wanted to see him smile, hear his voice…and I couldn’t.”
“Sssh, sweetheart.” He rubbed her back. “I never thought you killed your dad, but there is doubt he committed suicide. Since you left Reno in such a hurry, the cops are asking questions.”
“I didn’t leave in a hurry. You told me I had a week to get here. I got here. Damn it! How can they believe I murdered my father?”
He gently bit her throat. “Sssh. It’s okay. We’ll work it out. I promise.”
“Uh…can we talk about this later?”
He leaned back, grinned down at her. “Sure. We can talk much later.”
Kaycee moaned when he slid a hand under her shirt and palmed her aching breasts.
“You’re not wearing a bra. Do you ever wear one?”
“Not if I can help it.”
He rubbed a thumb across her sensitive nipples and backed her up a few steps. “Good, because I’ve discovered I love having free access to your breasts.”
She didn’t want to think about her father or his death. Right now, she couldn’t think coherently about anything, not with Jace’s mouth all over her. She looked around, wondering how they ended up in an empty stall.
He didn’t give her time to think. He ripped the buttons off her shirt and slid it off her shoulders.
“Jace.” She whispered his name, a whisper somewhere between an ach filled with desire and a gentle plead for him to take her away again. Take her away from the struggles of everyday strife and everything that haunted her memories.
He captured her bare breasts with his hands, sucked the nipples, and took turns drawing them into his mouth until they tightened into tiny, taut buds. He moved his hips, and thrust against her. His hardness throbbed urgently against her belly and she reveled at her power over him. Slowly, he unbuttoned her jeans and worked the zipper down until he could ease a finger deep inside her.
She whimpered a protest when he withdrew his finger and dropped to his knees in front of her. She braced herself against his shoulders and he tugged off her boots. Her legs trembled, her breath escaped in deep gulps.
Kaycee felt the urgent, unsteady shake in Jace’s hands as he yanked her jeans and the silky bit of lace covering her womanhood down her legs and off her in one smooth swoop. He tossed them toward a back corner of the stall. Then he was there, his tongue smoothly gliding inside her, lapping, as if he was searching for sweet cream.
She flung back her head and smothered a cry of pleasure. “Oh, God, Jace.”
He eased out of her with a long, slow stroke of his tongue. “What? You don’t like?”
“Hmm, I like very much.”
“Good.” Then he was back inside her, lapping, suckling. He swirled his tongue around the little nubbin before drawing it inside his mouth to nibble on it. Her orgasm hit her hard and fast and left her breathless, shaken, and craving more. As Jace stood up, she fumbled with his zipper, dropped to her knees in front of him and stroked the engorged length of his shaft. Shyly, she touched her tongue to the tiny drop of liquid gathered on the straining tip of his penis.
He moaned and gripped the back of Kaycee’s head bringing her closer. That was all the encouragement she needed. She slid her tongue over him, around him, then slowly lowered her head, and drew him into her mouth.
Jace flinched at the feel of her hot wet mouth wrapped tightly around his aching shaft. It was everything he’d imagined and so much more. He wrapped his fingers in her long hair and thrust gently, once, twice, three times. His belly tightened. A violent shudder shook his big body. He was right there. His blood hummed in his veins. Jesus!
His shaft swelled, hardened even more as she drew him deeper and deeper into her sweet mouth. Beads of sweat rolled down his temple, down his cheeks, his throat. His stomach clenched hotly.
His balls tightened and throbbed.
Aw, God!
“Sweetheart, stop.” He sucked in a sharp breath. “Now!”
Don’t stop, his mind screamed.
He didn’t want her to stop. His hips moved of their own volition. Her mouth felt so good, hot, and tight. Intense pleasure stabbed at him. He was losing control. He lost control.
Jace threw back his head and moaned deep in his throat. The head of his penis swelled, throbbed and when the explosion came, it nearly knocked him to his knees. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. His chest ached. His heart slammed, racing erratically, as if it was trying to beat its way out of his chest.
He stood there trembling, his big body shaking violently. He clenched his fists tightly in her hair. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I never meant—” Jace lifted her to her feet and cradled her head against his chest. “Oh, baby, I’m so damn sorry. I never meant for that to happen. I’m so sorry. I tried to pull away. I did. You—”
“Don’t.” She touched trembling fingers against his lips. “I’ve wanted to taste you forever.”
“Christ,” he breathed. “You take me to my knees.”
She nuzzled his throat. “You taste good.”
Jace lifted her head, his breathing harsh and ragged. He looked down into her beautiful eyes. “I love you, Kaycee,” he said softly. “If there ever comes a time when you doubt that, I want you to remember, I’ve loved you since the moment I first saw you. Stay married to me. I want a family. Give me a family. Please.”
“Oh, God,” she cried and immediately burst into tears.
He held her tightly against him, rocking her in his arms. When she quieted, he stood her back from him and zipped his pants. Then he eased her down into his arms as he lay back on the freshly strewn hay. A faint smile touched his lips and he couldn’t resist caressing her naked bottom. “Well, that’s either a really bad response to my declaration or you’re nuts about me.”
She punched him on the shoulder. “I don’t love you. I won’t love you. I don’t want children, but you’ve accomplished the deed.”
A single brow arched. “Yeah? You’re pregnant? You’re certain?”
“The EPT turned pink. According to the pamphlet, that’
s a for sure and certain yes. Don’t look so damn pleased about it. I feel awful. I’m already having morning sickness and it’s dreadful!”
“Well, darlin,’ I spent that night and part of the next day trying to make sure I made you pregnant.” He turned on his side to face her. “Will you marry me, Kaycee?”
“We’re already married.”
“Yes, but I want another wedding. I want it done right, here at the ranch, out by the pool, with lots of flowers for you. I want to see you in a long, white gown, and a veil as thick as moss. I want a big shindig with music and a huge cookout, with hundreds of invited guests. Will you marry me, Kaycee? I adore you, sweetheart. And maybe you think you don’t love me, but I’m betting you do.” He smiled and those damned dimples melted her heart. “You wouldn’t have let me give you a baby if you didn’t care just a little.”
“Don’t joke about it, Jace. And I didn’t let you do it. It…just happened.”
“It sure did.” His lips split into a wide grin, and he nudged her with his jeans clad erection. “And it hasn’t stopped happening since the moment we met.” His smile faded. He suddenly looked serious. “I’m not joking, sweetheart. God, Kaycee, I’m crazy about you. Don’t you realize that? Are you feeling all right? Hell, you’ve been working like a dog in these stables, and you’re pregnant. As of now, you’re fired.”
“I have to work, Jace. I’ve got Taylor back in physical therapy. I have to pay for it.”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “Taylor can pay for it. He’s working. Besides, we need to make a doctor’s appointment for you. You’ll need vitamins, lab work, and maternity clothes. We’ll need to fix up a nursery. We need to go shopping.”
She grinned, placing her fingers across his mouth. “Will you marry me, Jace?”
He rolled her beneath him, tugged at his zipper, nudged her thighs apart, and slowly worked his cock inside her. He wiggled his hips playfully. “I ain’t cheap, woman,” he said grinning, “but I can be had real easy.”
She giggled. “Show me.”
“Oh, I intend to, darlin’. And just in case the little pink strip you peed on was wrong, let’s practice until we get it right.”