A Solemn Creed (Texas Oil Book 5)

by Dakota Black

  Amber slid her other leg around his thigh, soft moans pushing past her lips.

  He pulled out until just the tip was inside and palmed the bedding, using the power of his arm muscles to hold his body aloft. “I want to give you hours of pleasure, to fill every hole with my cum.”

  “Yes! Oh, yes. Don’t tease me!”

  “This is no tease, sweetheart. This is a man taking what he wants.” Driving inside, the force shoved her against the bed. Creaking and popping sounds floated between them, mixing with his savage grunts. “Every. Chance.” Pumping in and out, he continued to hover, studying her facial expressions, her soft cries of joy.

  She pinned her feet together, jutting her hips in an effort to meet every hard thrust with one of her own. “Yes! Oh. Oh!”

  Camden slowly lowered his head, pressing kisses across her lips as he thrust harder. Faster. The feel of her pussy muscles clenching around him created a rumbling in his groin, a stiffness in his legs. He wanted this to last for hours, but his desire was bursting at the seams, his longing to fill her an almost haunting moment. This wasn’t about fucking a woman but claiming her.

  Owning her.

  With every hard thrust, his heart beat faster, racing to the point his breathing was ragged. Blinking, beads of sweat trickled down both sides of his face, slipping ever so slowly onto her chest.

  Tossing her head back and forth, she panted. “Oh, so-”

  He captured her mouth, keeping her from finishing her sentence. Every dark craving rushed into the forefront of his mind, all the nasty things he longed to do. Unable to stop the beast from breaching the surface, he jerked back then rolled her over, forcing her onto her knees.

  Yelping, she was pitched forward, so vulnerable and so open.

  “I will take you in every hole whenever I desire.” Fisting her hair, he yanked back her head as he slapped his stiff dick against her ass.

  Amber opened her legs, struggling to keep her hands against the comforter.

  Smack! Crack!

  Issuing two hard smacks, he expelled a ragged breath before driving his dick into her pussy, slamming his groin against her bruised ass.

  “Aaahhh…” she breathed and as he began to drive into her cunt in a brutal manner, she pushed back, meeting every hard thrust.

  He tossed his head back, roaring as he plunged in a savage manner, his shaft wrapped by the warmth of her cunt muscles. The way they squeezed around him, pulling him in deeper, there was no way to hold back. His entire body began to shake, and he gritted his teeth, pushing away the climax as he thrust harder, his thigh muscles strained.

  “Camden…” Her whispered word was lost in his haggard grunts.

  But he heard her. He could sense she was giving him her submission, unlocking the tight chains that had taken her into a ruthless darkness. He cupped both breasts, his fingertips digging into her soft skin, squeezing. “Am-ber!”

  Amber rocked forward and backward, shoving her hips against his, the sound of skin slapping against skin mixed with their animalistic sounds.

  Sweat dripped into his eyes and he swung his head from side to side, trying to hold back the orgasm, grunting as he strained. As cum rushed up his throbbing shaft, he pinched her nipples, twisting and pulling, delighting in her sounds of anguish. The moment he came, shooting hot cum deep inside her cunt, he fell over her, draping his arms over hers, his heart thudding, his blood pumping. And he knew. And he understood. The longing. The waiting. This moment.

  He was in love.

  Amber sat on the split rail fence, kicking her boot against the wood and watching the various ranch hands showing off. She hadn’t been able to say two words to Camden during the entire barbecue and it seemed as if he’d purposely stayed away, perhaps to keep up appearances. The night they’d shared had been amazing, but she continued to question his integrity.

  “Got a dollar for those heavy thoughts of yours.”

  She smiled hearing Pepper’s approach. “A whole dollar, huh?”

  “Yeah, well business is slow.” Pepper leaned against the fence, placing her hand over her eyes to avoid the sun. “I think the boys were all very happy.”

  “You did good. I appreciate you being here.”

  “You mean doing all the cooking?” Pepper teased.

  “Very funny.” Amber looked away, studying Zeus and his reaction to Camden.

  “That man of yours is sure smitten with your horse.”

  “He’s not my man and speaking of smitten. Seems like you and Drago were getting cozy.” Amber gave her friend a look, surprised the two had gotten along. This wasn’t about jealousy, but the connection seemed too close.

  She snorted. “Just the alcohol. Nothing more.”

  “Bullshit. You were hanging all over him.”

  “Do I detect a hint of jealousy?” Pepper admonished, smacking Amber on the leg.

  “Nope. I’ve never claimed Drago in any fashion. I’m not sure about him anyway.”

  “You’re not sure of any man who comes your way. Why?”

  Amber wasn’t certain if she had an answer. “Just no time in my life for a man. They require a lot of effort.”

  Pepper laughed. “All good things do, honey. Jesus. You sound like you’ve given up. Did something happen last night?”

  She felt her face reddening, creating a wave of heat. “Something?”

  “You fucked him. Didn’t you?”

  “Louder please. I’d like every one of the crew to know.” Rolling her eyes, she noticed Drago moving toward Camden. What in the hell?

  “Girl! That’s wonderful. Did you bring him gifts or just tumble over his knee?”

  She twisted in Pepper’s direction. “You seem awfully fascinated in my desire for discipline. Very much so. I’m beginning to think you’d like to explore the idea.”

  Pepper shrugged. “I might. Sounds fun. I do love rough and tumble men.”

  “Then Drago is your man.”

  “What’s there not to trust about him?”

  She thought about the question. “I think somebody I employ is working with Mr. Randolph.” When there was dead silence, she squinted, studying Pepper’s face. “What?”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “The man seems to anticipate my every move on the ranch before I do. Not certain what to think.”

  “I don’t know. He’s a brooding Russian. That much is certain, but do you think he’d really sell his soul?”

  “Money is a big attraction.” She craned her neck, trying to figure out what Drago was doing. Talking with Camden? This was odd. The two men did not get along, even sparring at the barbecue.

  “I guess, but he just doesn’t seem intelligent enough I guess.”

  Amber laughed. “There’s much more underneath his scowl. Trust me. Besides, I thought you adored dark and dangerous men.”

  “I do, honey. I wouldn’t mind a little one on one time with him, but nothing more.” Pepper followed her gaze. “What is going on between those two?”

  “I’m not sure, but I think I need to find out.” Jumping off the fence, she walked in the direction of what now appeared to be an argument. After just a few steps, she took off running. When she was able to hear their loud voices, she rushed to get in the middle. She knew Pepper was trailing behind her.

  “You just stay away from her!” Drago snapped.

  “I think the lady gets to decide who she wants to spend time with,” Camden countered.

  Dear God, Drago was drunk. “Hey!” Amber called.

  “Yeah? Well, I know you. I know exactly where you come from. You’re a liar!” Throwing a punch, Drago caught Camden just under the chin, the force knocking Camden on his ass.

  Camden scrambled to his feet, rushing forward, issuing a solid punch to Drago’s gut.

  “Stop!” Amber called, moving to within two feet of them.

  As the men scuffled, throwing punches, several of the other ranch hands crowded around.

  “This oughta be good,” one of them said, laughing a
s he shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “Yeah, well, we don’t need them killing each other,” Chowder stated and took several long strides closer. “You boys need to stop this shit.”

  “Look at Camden,” Pepper whispered.

  “This is ridiculous!” Amber countered, her anger level increasing.

  Drago took a wide swing, missing Camden by several inches. Camden shot back with a kick to Drago’s gut, sending him reeling onto the ground.

  Amber shoved her way in between several of the cowboys. “Stop. Now!”

  Camden gave her a look, panting as he stepped back, his hands on his hips.

  Drago was pulled to the ground by another ranch hand and growled, fighting to get back to Camden.

  “Enough!” Jorge yelled. “You boys are going to need to play nice with each other or I’ll dock you both a day’s wages.”

  Drago hissed and threw Jorge a nasty look. “You need to get this lying sack of shit out of here.”

  “Yeah? What’s he lying about?” Jorge got in the man’s face.

  Camden moved closer. “Just stay away from me.”

  Amber could tell there was more to the fight but at least Camden was ready to walk away. She sauntered closer just as Drago managed to break away and in a split second, he had Camden by the throat, pushing him hard against the barn wall. And she heard the man’s words.

  “I know exactly why you’re here and I will kill you.”

  Chapter 9

  Camden eyed Drago, the same anger rushing through every cell in his body that had been there the day before. There’d been nothing he’d done to provoke the man, but his threat had been real enough. And he doubted the overt words had anything to do with his relationship with Amber. You bet the man was hiding something.

  He grabbed his thermos, taking a gulp of water. The day was blistering hot, not a damn cloud in the sky. He hadn’t been able to have any kind of a discussion with Amber given the party, but they would tonight. There was a game going on and he was determined to dig his way through the muck.

  As he wiped the sweat out of his eyes, he noticed Jorge giving the five-minute sign. So much for a long break. Hearing his phone, he struggled to yank it out of his sweat soaked jeans. Mitchell. “You’ve found something?”

  “Took me a little while, but you’re not going to like what I have to say,” Mitchell retorted.

  “Yeah? Well nothing would surprise me.”

  “Let’s just say that Bart Randolph is banking on acquiring certain properties. He’s pigeonholed himself into needing them.”

  “Why?”

  “Oil, my friend. There’s rumblings that he wants to take over Steele.”

  Camden closed his eyes. “What? How in the hell could he do that?”

  “Remember some of Mr. Steele’s old buddies? They’re still around, including their sons. They’ve developed some sort of consortium, but the Randolphs, including his boy, Kyle, are the major players. Promises made? That kind of thing?” Mitchell half laughed. “Except neither his land or any he currently owns right now has any sign of oil and trust me, the man has been digging on his property for almost a year. Hired some of the best geologists in the business but he’s bone dry.”

  “Huh. And all the ranches he wants to purchase, or I should say steal are butted up close and personal together.”

  Mitchell snickered. “You bet. All eighty some thousand acres. If he struck gold on even a quarter of them, he could challenge Steele in a heartbeat. Our stock would potentially plummet, and he could swoop in.”

  “Damn it. Why didn’t we see this one coming?” Camden hissed. Because they’d been too busy building a damn slick building and working with the government on off shore rigs to pay any attention to their own backyard. He noticed several of the ranch hands had already saddled up and were heading out. Only Drago remained, watching his every move.

  “Let’s just say there are some dirty dealings. There isn’t any concrete proof, but several financial institutions are supposed to be involved. They provide the loans, the money needed and voila, they are made whole plus some hefty bonuses.”

  “Motherfuckers.” Hearing the shrill whistle, Camden turned away.

  “What in the hell is that?” Mitchell asked.

  “Just a reminder I need to get back to work.”

  “What exactly are you doing there again?”

  Camden tried to think about what they were going to do. “We need to talk about how to deal with this.”

  “I have some ideas, but it means you need to get yourself back here so we can discuss it.”

  “Let me call you tonight.”

  Sighing, Mitchell hesitated. “Okay. There are other details you need to understand, but I don’t want to discuss it on the phone. And Drago Presidio?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Consider him armed and dangerous.”

  Camden ended the call, slipping the phone into his pocket. This couldn’t be worse news. As he yanked the gloves from his saddlebag, he noticed Jorge on the two-way radio. There was something wrong. Jogging closer, he tried to listen in on the conversation.

  “Damn it! Not again. Yeah, I’ll send a couple crews.” Jorge shoved the radio into his front pocket.

  “What’s going on?” Camden asked.

  “Chowder found some fence sections down. This shit is getting old.” As Jorge took a step forward, he faltered.

  “Whoa.” Camden grabbed his wrist then swung his arm around Jorge’s waist. The man was white as a sheet. “We need to get you out of the sun.”

  “I’m okay. I have to get out there,” Jorge said, the words fading.

  “No, you don’t. Tell me where the fence is down.” He walked Jorge toward the small enclosure they used as a resting facility. He grabbed a bottle of water, handing it to Jorge.

  “South section, but different fence system and not one you’ve worked on. We’re just sitting ducks. Not enough men to patrol the area. Damn the Randolphs.” Jorge leaned over, coughing.

  This wasn’t good. While he was certainly no doctor, he could tell that Jorge needed medical attention. “Listen to me. Call Amber. You need an ambulance.”

  Jorge forced a smile. “I’ll be all right, son. We can’t let Amber lose this ranch.”

  “I won’t. Trust me. You need help. Tell me where to go and I’ll make certain she doesn’t lose any additional cattle.”

  “Camden. You’ll need to take Drago. He’s the only one who knows that section. I know you don’t trust him, but I do. Take him with you.” He motioned for Drago then coughed again, the choking fit lasting for several seconds.

  Drago sauntered over, a snarl on his face until he noticed Jorge’s condition.

  Camden was surprised to see the man’s face soften. “He’s far too ill and we have a downed fence.”

  Wiping his mouth, Jorge took another few seconds before he could answer. “The new section of fence on the Southside. If those bastards…”

  “Take your time.” Camden gave Drago a hard look, remembering Mitchell’s words.

  “The best cattle are out there. Amber didn’t think anyone knew about the area,” Jorge continued. “If they go, she’ll lose the majority of the season.”

  Drago snarled. “Over my dead body. I need a third man to do this since Camden is green.” He gave Camden a dark scowl.

  Jorge nodded. “I’ll get Walt. He’s close. Go.”

  “Call Amber. She needs to get you to a doctor,” Camden instructed.

  “We need to go, now!” Drago took off, taking long strides toward his horse.

  Jorge gripped Camden’s arm. “Work with him. He’s not a bad man.”

  “That remains to be seen. Take care of yourself.” Camden patted his shoulder and took off, jumping on his horse. Drago was already out of the line of sight by the time he left the makeshift camp. He caught up with him only minutes later and they rode side by side.

  What in the hell were they going to do? Rush had a strong hold in Texas, but with that kind of acre
age owned by someone else, you bet they could make a play for the Steele site. He wasn’t ready for a knock down fight, but there was no doubt, he was going to have to head back to Dallas. The last thing he wanted to do, especially since Amber was just starting to trust him.

  Drago pointed to a bank of trees. “We’re going over there. Follow my lead. If Walt is here, he has the truck with the equipment. If not, we need to keep the cattle from heading anywhere.”

  “That I can do.”

  “And don’t fuck with me.”

  Camden bristled but remained silent. As they rounded the corner, he could see the reason behind the concern. The fence was electrified. They slowed to a trot as they moved to within sight of the fence and the damage.

  “Damn it. The fuckers did a nice job of destroying the fence. Assholes knew what they were doing. The electric volts aren’t enough to hurt the cattle, only keep them away. Unless they’re exposed. It will kill them or allow them to run away. Doesn’t matter. Damage is done.”

  Camden shook his head and glanced around the area. “Wonder how long it’s been like this?”

  “I checked it Saturday night. No doubt while we were having that party, Sunday,” Drago huffed.

  Camden didn’t respond, but the timing would make sense, which would mean someone had alerted Bart to unleash his goons. There was at least one mole on the crew. And he knew damn good and well who had the most to gain. He caught Drago giving him a harsh glare, the kind meant for the man you planned on killing. “Did you do this?”

  Various portions of the fence had been professionally cut through, gaping holes allowing cattle to roam through. However, if the steer or any human accidentally touched the scarred lines, they could be electrocuted.

  Drago snorted. “I don’t know what you think of me, Camden, or should I be more formal since you own a very lucrative oil company, but I’m not the one who’s been lying to Amber.”

  “She knows about Rush Enterprises.” If Drago was surprised at the information, he didn’t show any expression.

  “Then why are you here?”

  “I don’t need to tell you a goddamn thing.” Camden sneered. “Why don’t you tell me what an oil rigger is doing tending a ranch?”