“I’ll have the chocolate also. Anything chocolate is my favorite, too.”
As she scooped the ice cream into bowls, the phone rang. Jared picked up the receiver from the wall phone. Britt hadn’t seen one of those in years, but suspected it was another item of their mother’s that they refused to get rid of. She liked how they treasured her things.
“Hi, Ward. Wait a moment. I’ll have Brittany come over and we can hold the receiver between us. Then she can hear what you have to say.”
She moved close to Jared, and he placed the phone between them. “What happened, Ward?” Britt asked.
“The team followed Winscott to his meeting. It was in the back of the Italian restaurant as you’d described before. The FBI had planted two men inside before Ralph got there. And the rest of the team waited right outside the back door. They just had time to jump back and find cover before the owner of the restaurant and another large man shuffled Winscott out and into a black sedan. The team scrambled to follow, but they made several crazy twists and turns and got lost in the downtown traffic.”
“Does the FBI have any idea where they took Ralph?” Britt asked.
“They have several hunches and have stationed men at each place. I’m afraid they intend to get your name from him, and when they do, he’ll be of no more use to them. They’ll find another money-hungry businessman to launder their money.”
“What you’re saying is they’ll kill Ralph?”
“Probably. But if the FBI can catch them leaving the building with the body, they’ll move in and get the whole group. Hopefully.”
“We need to assume they’ll have Brittany’s name,” Jared said.
“Yes. If you have to leave her make sure someone else is guarding her at all times.”
“I’ll feel terrible if they kill Ralph because of me.”
“Honey, we’ll feel more terrible if they get to you. Ralph put his own life in danger when he started doing business with those lowlifes. Look, I’ve got to go. I’m riding out with Chad to one of the warehouses where we suspect they may be holding your old boyfriend.”
“He was not my boyfriend, and you know it,” Britt snapped.
Ward chuckled. “You are so easy to rile. I wish I was there. See you soon. Take good care of her, Jared.”
“You bet.” Jared grinned. He disconnected the call. “He’s a man of few words at the end of a conversation. I’m going to contact Kel and let him know what we’ve learned.”
“We’d better eat our ice cream first before it melts.”
Jared went back to the table and smiled when he saw the large bowl of chocolate ice cream. “But your bowl is much smaller.”
“I have to worry about my figure,” she teased.
“It looks great to me.” He winked his eye and swallowed a spoonful of dessert.
Britt ate smaller bites and watched Jared. He did everything with gusto and a smile. He was one hundred percent easier to be around than Ward. His golden hair had the tousled look it always had and his shirt outlined his wide shoulders and muscled chest.
She wanted to go around the table and sit on his lap to entice him to bed, but she was wary after her experience with Ward.
“Your appraisal of me has my cock hard as a rock. No fair if you don’t want to play. My body’s so hot the ice cream melts as soon as it hits my tongue.”
He’d almost emptied his bowl. “Shall I get you some more to cool you off?”
“No, I need to go in the study and call Kel. I’ll manage with you out of sight. I’ll meet you in the great room after I talk with him.”
“I’m going to clean the kitchen first.”
Jared took long strides down the hall. She heard the study door close. Apparently, he wanted his conversation to be private.
She put the rest of the food in the refrigerator and the dishes in the dishwasher. It didn’t take long to have the kitchen in tip-top shape. Their mother had taught her and Sondra to clean up as they cooked. It was a good lesson.
A large television sat in one corner of the great room with several lounge chairs surrounding it. At the other end, a fireplace covered most of the wall. It was a comfortable room. She turned on the television and clicked through the channels. Jared joined her just as she’d settled on watching one of the popular comedy shows. She muted the sound.
“What did Kel say?”
“He’s going to put a deputy on duty here at the ranch with you.”
“His deputies are needed for more important jobs than babysitting me. I told you that I can shoot.”
“I convinced him the only time the deputy will be needed is when I have to help with a job on the ranch. My foreman can manage most everything, but once a day I’ll want to check with him and see what’s going on. We arranged that the deputy will be here from three to five. I guess I really don’t need to check on things every day, but I want to as long as I know you’ll be safe.”
“Does Kel have a deputy with Sondra?”
“Yes, whenever he or Boyd can’t be home.”
“I hate this. I should go back. The FBI can put me under protective custody until this is all over. Then you and my sister and her family can go back to your normal lives.”
“Oh no.” He picked her up and sat down with her on his lap. “I want you here. I need to see you’re safe. This will give us a chance to get to know each other better. If you go back to New York now, I have an idea you won’t return for a long time.”
Britt had put her arms around his neck. She breathed in his woodsy, musky scent. His warm body made her want to relax against him. He studied her face, and his fingers brushed her hair back behind her ear.
“You’re the prettiest filly around these parts, lady. I can’t let you go.”
She laughed at his pronounced Western accent and his words. “Dear me, sir, you do bring a blush to my face. I simply don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t.” His mouth captured her lips in a searing kiss. His hand slid down her neck and under her blouse to cup her breast. “Your skin is like creamy satin.”
Her body went weak in his arms. She unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it open. She kissed his neck and ran her teeth across his strong shoulder as he rubbed her tightened nipple between his fingers. A mixture of pleasure and desire pulsed inside her center. Her pussy wept with the need for him to touch her and to fill her with his hard cock.
Britt’s head fell back and his lips kissed a path to her open blouse. His eyelids partially hid the look of desire in his eyes.
“Your pulse is pounding.” Jared’s deep, masculine voice hummed through her body. A fever swept across her sensitive nerves, ramping up her desire to throw off her clothes and take his cock deep inside her.
Why not? She’d never done a really daring thing in her whole life. Britt pulled away and stood in front of Jared. She began to remove her clothes. His eyes followed her movements as first her blouse, and then her bra hit the floor. He groaned. The sound make her heart beat faster. She slowly pushed her panties and jeans off at the same time. Luckily, she’d worn flats tonight. They’d been easy to slip off.
“Damn, you are so gorgeous.” Jared put out his hand and pulled her to him.
“This is my show,” she said. She walked to where he sat and straddled his body, then she began to unfasten his belt buckle.
Jared cupped both of her breasts in his warm hands. It was difficult to keep her mind on what she was doing when he caressed her sensitive skin and lightly pinched her nipples.
After finally managing to get his buckle undone and his jeans unbuttoned, she had him stand and yanked them off. He had one item left, his boxer shorts. Once he was naked, she took hold of his long, hard dick.
“Ah, baby, that feels damn good.” He pulled her down on the rug on top of him.
She rose and put his cock at her opening.
“Wait.” He reached in his back pocket and handed her a condom.
“You came prepared.”
“Mom said I was the one
who always planned ahead.”
Britt laughed. She ripped the package open and slowly rolled it onto his cock. “Ready now?”
“Yes, my lady.”
But first she leaned forward and pulled his shirt wide open. She rubbed her breasts across the soft hair on his wide chest and kissed his mouth. Her tongue swept inside. He tasted of mint. His tongue tangled with hers and the ball of desire in her core tightened. More moisture flowed from her pussy.
Jared rubbed her clit and ran his fingers along her folds to her pussy opening. He put two fingers inside her pussy and touched her sensitive spot.
Her body bowed. Jared quickly rolled her onto to the floor and put his mouth on her clit. He licked all along her lower lips and then tasted her juice at her pussy opening. His fingers rubbed and pinched her pebbled nipples while his mouth tasted, licked, and sucked on her lower lips. Her body vibrated with a ravenous passion. He’d inflamed her into a sizzling, demanding female.
“Take me, damn you.” Her voice sounded sultry to her ears. Who was this woman? She didn’t know herself.
When he placed his cock at her opening, she groaned, “Yes.”
Vaguely she heard a soft chuckle. His cock filled her and stretched her pussy to its limits. She clenched tight around him and held him deep inside her. Jared placed her long legs on his shoulders and began to move in and out. He moved slowly at first.
Britt grasped his hips. “Faster, give me more.” She raised her hips, urging him on. His eyes darkened, as deep a brown as the dark chocolate she loved. He thrust harder and faster and her pussy rippled in joy. Her body tightened as the pleasure spiraled into a peak and exploded, sending delightful ecstasy blasting through her body.
Jared moved in and out faster and faster, and then held still as he shouted out his release. He rolled to the side. “I’m glad we had a nice soft rug placed in front of these lounge chairs.”
He smiled at her and took hold of her hand, then kissed it.
“I don’t ever want to let you go.”
She sat up and stared down at him. “It’s too soon for you to know how you feel about me. I’ve gone through this before. Men don’t tend to care about me for the long haul.”
“Maybe you’ve met the wrong men before, and we’re the right ones.” He rose and pulled her up against his naked body.
“I don’t think so. Ward is like the others. We’ll have fun for a few months. After that it’ll begin to slowly end.” She picked up her clothes and started out of the room. At the door, she turned. “Hell, my husband found a girlfriend and left me after four years. He brought her to the house and introduced her. I’m not anxious to hand my heart into the care of another man or men.”
Chapter Eight
She hurriedly walked to her room and shut the door. Britt leaned against it for a second before going into the bathroom to shower. Both Jared and Ward had touched her deeply when they made love to her. They both were different, and yet they each made her want to get closer and closer. It was difficult not to open her heart and let herself love them.
If only the law would catch the men after her. She’d go home. Back in her old routine, she’d be able to resolve how she felt about them, and what she wanted to do with her life. She probably wouldn’t have a job at her former place of employment. Her boss wasn’t happy with her so she’d fill Britt’s position.
Britt stepped in the shower. She enjoyed the warm water flowing across her body. She tried to block out all her worries, at least for a few minutes.
* * * *
Jared went to his room, showered, dressed, and walked to the study. He shut the door and sat behind the desk. The room was gloomy and chilly without a fire. He started a small fire in the fireplace, and then he pulled out his phone and punched in Ward’s number.
“Hi. What’s up?” Ward asked.
“Where are you?”
“I’m sitting in a car hidden by some bushes and watching for anyone to go in or come out of the warehouse we’ve surrounded.”
“Chad’s with you?”
“Yes, and there’s another car near us with four FBI men. We’re considering raiding the place to see if they do have Winscott. If he’s alive, he can testify against them.”
“Come home as soon as you can.”
“Are you having problems?”
“Not a problem with Brittany. But you may be one.”
“I’ll see you soon.” Ward hung up.
“Whatever you do, brother, I’m going to marry Brittany, if she’ll have me,” Jared mumbled to himself as he shut off his phone.
He went in the kitchen and popped open a can of beer. Then he returned to the study and sat in front of the crackling fire.
Ward and him had been the best of friends all their lives. What would happen to that friendship if he married Brittany, and Ward didn’t? Would it gradually put distance between them?
Tonight, when they made love, he’d known she was the right one for him. Their bodies fit perfectly, and his desire had been overwhelming. He’d had lots of girlfriends. He liked women, and they liked him. But he’d always kept it light. Until they met Brittany at dinner in New York. One look into her green eyes, and his heart recognized his mate. He had to make it work whether Ward did or not. She was a woman worth fighting for, and he intended to convince her he’d love her for life.
Still restless after he finished his beer, he put out the fire and walked outside. Jared took a deep breath of the night air. He’d grabbed a jacket hanging on a hook by the kitchen door. The nights were getting chilly. Winter would be here soon. Moonlight shone across his land and onto the far mountains.
In moments like these he felt close to his dad. He remembered the good times they’d experienced on the ranch. Being in the house brought memories of Mom, but outside had been his and his dad’s territory.
Enough soul-searching. He needed to sleep if he was going to be able to keep an alert lookout for any strangers.
* * * *
Ward, Chad, and the others in the car next to them got out with guns drawn. Very quietly they spread out and around the warehouse. Two went to the back and reported there wasn’t a back entrance, but there was one on the left side. Once everyone was in place, Chad opened the front door.
In the distance they heard men’s voices and then a male scream. Chad motioned for the two other FBI men to follow him and Ward. They crouched behind big boxes and moved closer to where they heard the men talking.
“He gave us the woman’s name. That’s enough,” one man said.
“But I want to know who else he’s talked to, and why he thought he could use our money as his,” a gruff voice snapped back.
“Hell, you just get off on torturing people. Let me kill the sucker. When he floats up in the river, it’ll be a warning to others who might be thinking about cheating us. They’ll leave town if they’re smart.”
Chad made a motion to the others. They stepped out from hiding and surrounded the group standing by Winscott. “I have a better idea. We’re FBI. Drop your guns.”
Taken by surprise, one man raised his gun toward the men and one of the FBI men shot him. The others dropped their guns as instructed when they saw their guy dead on the floor.
“I told you we should have left a guy out front to guard this place,” one of the men said to the older man in the group.
“Hell, we lost them in traffic. How did you find us?” the man who appeared to be in charge asked.
“That’s for us to know and you to wonder.” Chad snapped the handcuffs on him. He made a call to have the prisoners picked up and for an ambulance for Winscott.
Winscott’s face was a bloody mess and several of his fingers had been broken. His head hung down as though he wasn’t conscious.
“Can you hear me?” Ward bent down behind him and started loosening the ropes.
“I can,” Ralph whispered.
“Did anyone else get Brittany’s name besides these guys? And did you tell them what she’d overheard?”
He nodded his head yes.
“They called the big boss?”
Again he nodded yes.
“Damn, we were too late. Do you know who’s the boss of this whole setup?”
“No.”
Ward heard the sound of the ambulance. “You’ll get taken care of soon.” He pulled the ropes away from Ralph Winscott’s body, and Ralph almost fell out of the chair. Ward kept his hand on Ralph’s shoulder until the medics with the stretcher got to his side. Shortly after they arrived, the wagon got there to cart the men to jail.
Chad and Ward walked back to their car. As they drove off Chad said, “We saved Winscott, but were too late to stop them getting Brittany’s name. She’s still in danger.”
“I’m flying home tonight. Jared will need help keeping watch and running the ranch. Hopefully, you’ll get the major players before they send someone after her.”
“We marked the bills she gave Ralph. They’re our one hope of breaking the operation wide open. I doubt any of the men will talk.”
“Let me know if they do.”
“Want me to drop you off at the airport?”
“The one I use is out of your way.”
“It doesn’t matter. I won’t be able to sleep much tonight, if any.”
“I’ve got everything I’ll need at the ranch. I’ll take you up on your generous offer.”
“I won’t be far behind you. Torrad and I will be coming to my ranch on vacation in a few weeks.”
They made good time getting to the airport. It was late, and there wasn’t much traffic. Ward had called ahead. The jet was gassed up and ready to go when they got there. He waved good-bye to Chad and strode across the tarmac to his plane. After speaking with the mechanic who’d checked the exterior, he got in the cockpit and began doing the countdown check for takeoff.
With any luck, he’d be home for a late breakfast.
* * * *
Britt found Jared in the kitchen ahead of her, again. “You’ll spoil me if you keep cooking my breakfast. Cereal and fruit is fine for me.”
Seductive Surrender [Triple Dare County, South Dakota 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Polyromance) Page 8