by Rye Hart
I get up and open the door to find Cole leaning in the door frame all sexy as hell. His hair is tousled and he smells slightly musty from working in the field. None of that is enough to stop my mind from wandering to bad places. I throw my arms around his neck and bring his mouth to mine. All traces of the bad news I had to deliver are forgotten.
He steps into the room and closes the door behind him, turning to pin me up against it. My hands slide under his shirt and my fingers trace the lines of his well-defined abs. Good God this man is hot. I put my hands flat on his chest and push him away from me, moving quickly before he can pin me to the door again.
“I am hungry,” I purr as I walk backwards toward the bathroom, shedding my clothing as I go. “I think I’d like to taste that nice big cock of yours tonight.”
Cole’s eyes turn even darker and he makes a noise low in his throat that tells me he likes my proposition. He strides toward me, shedding his own clothes until we are both in the bathroom naked as the day we were born.
I turn on the water and step under the spray, pulling him in with me. As the warm shower cascades over us, I wind my arms around Cole’s neck and plant small kisses along his angular jaw. He tries to bring his mouth to mine but I tease him by pulling away before our lips meet. I can tell I’m driving him crazy.
Slowly, I sink to my knees in front of him and wrap my hand around the base of his now throbbing shaft. I love the fact that my fingertips barely meet around his girth. I begin to deliberately stroke him from top to bottom, watching how the purple head pulses with each pass. Cole is starting to fidget above me and I finally decide to relieve some of his tension.
I take his cock into my mouth and begin to suck deeply. He moans and fists his fingers in my hair with one hand while using the other to steady himself against the wall. I continue to squeeze the base of his shaft while I use my tongue to coax tiny drops of fluid from his tip. I lick the drips of cum off and swallow them greedily, urging him to spill himself down my throat. I meant it when I said I wanted to taste him.
Cole gives a tug on my hair and pulls me off of him before he can come in my mouth. “No,” he says throatily. “I need your pussy.”
I stand up to my full height and turn around so that my back is to him. Cole cups my breasts in his large hands, rolling my nipples between his thumbs and forefingers until I feel a mixture of pleasure and pain. I grind my ass against his dick and he slides two fingers into my cunt to see how wet I am. Satisfied with his findings, Cole bends me over so I am completely open to him.
He takes one of the fingers he just pulled from my drenched pussy and slowly pushes it into my asshole, using my own juices to lubricate the way. Never having experienced this before, my brain doesn’t quite know how to process it. I had always expected anal to hurt, but what Cole is doing to me with his fingers fells anything but painful.
After a moment, he withdraws his finger from my ass and centers his throbbing cock at my entrance. He grabs my hips in his hands and plunges himself deep into my pussy. I cry out at the sensation of him filling me so completely and place my palms on the shower floor so he can go as deeply as he wants. Cole takes my invitation and drives himself fully into me over and over again so that the sound of his balls slapping my ass fills the room.
I feel myself close to the edge of release when Cole again slides a finger into my asshole. I come immediately with an intensity I’ve never known before, my juices squirting out from my pussy and all over his cock and balls.
“Oh fuck! Oh my God. Fuck, Cole!” I cry out as my orgasm washes over me. It’s all I can do to keep my legs from buckling as Cole continues to pound into me from behind.
Cole thrusts roughly twice more before grunting and pouring himself deep into my womb. The mixture of our fluids runs down my legs as he helps me stand and buries his face in my hair. As our breathing slowly returns to normal, we take turns washing each other and I know in that moment, that I am already in love with Cole Parker.
Chapter Ten: Cole
I step out of the shower and wrap Sydney in a towel, pulling her against me. We stand like that for a few moments before I tip her chin toward me with my finger and kiss her deeply. When I pull back and look into her eyes I can see clearly that her feelings run as deep as mine. I shake my head in wonder.
“What?” she asks.
“I don’t know how or when, but you’ve really gotten under my skin,” I tell her.
“I know the feeling,” she says and lays her head against my chest.
I inhale deeply, feeling a sense of calm I haven’t known in a long time.
“Cole?” she asks.
“Yeah darlin’?”
“I really am hungry now,” she says.
I chuckle and finish toweling off. “Yeah I’ve worked up a bit of an appetite myself. What would you like?”
She thinks for a moment and then says, “Actually, I think I’d like to go into town to Madge’s. I’ve been thinking about that pie all day.”
We go to our rooms to dress and when I meet her again in the living room, Sydney is wearing a soft yellow fitted t-shirt and faded jeans that hug her curves in all the right places. It takes every ounce of my self-control not to throw her down and fuck the shit out of her right there on the floor.
We walk into the diner and the small dinner crowd greets us enthusiastically. Once we are seated, the other guests start peppering Sydney with questions: How does she like it so far? Am I being a good host? Will I be bringing her to the fair this weekend? Sydney graciously answers the questions, making sure that each person feels acknowledged. The way she is endearing herself to these folks I’ve known all my life makes me swell with pride. I simply have to find a way to keep her from going back to Chicago.
Once the rest return to their own tables, we place our orders and settle in to wait for our food. Sydney suddenly looks uncomfortable and I reach over the table to take her hand in mine.
“What’s up?” I ask.
She looks at me for a moment as if trying to figure out the best way to tell me something I’m not going to want to hear. I hold up my hand before she can say anything.
“Ben’s got a case, doesn’t he?” I ask.
She nods apologetically. “I’ve dug through every property law I can find but it’s all coming out as I suspected. Since the property was willed equally to the three of you, he is entitled to his third. And seeing as how the profits were made from business run on that land, he is entitled to that as well.”
I sit back in the booth and run a hand over my face, a knot forming in my stomach. “What are our options?” I ask.
Now its Sydney’s turn to look ill. “Well you can either cut him in on a third of the profits from here on out, or you and Luke can buy him out of his share of the land.”
My brain quickly starts to do the calculations. “And if we don’t have enough liquid cash to buy him out?”
“Then he could force you to sell the land and split the money in thirds according to your parents’ will,” she says.
Madge herself delivers our food and chats for a moment. I plaster my best fake smile on my face until she leaves us to eat, then I push my plate away, suddenly not in the least bit hungry.
“Is there any way to get Ben to reconsider?” Sydney asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t see that happening. After our parents died, Ben withdrew and all but refused to do any work on the ranch. Aunt Nora tried to make him help as much as she could but as soon as he turned seventeen, he filed for emancipation and took off. We’ve hardly seen him since.”
“Maybe if you and Luke could sit down with him and explain that you’d have to sell in order for him to get the money?” she asks.
I nearly laugh at the suggestion. “It will be a cold day in hell when Luke sits at the same table as Ben. They were best friends growing up and Luke was hurt when Ben left home. I don’t think he’ll ever get over it.”
We both pick at our food for a bit before calling Madge over for the check. Sydn
ey asks for a piece of the lemon meringue to go and we head back to the ranch. After letting her into the house, I tell Sydney that I need to go break the news to Luke.
“Why don’t you move your stuff to my room?” I ask, wanting her close to me from here on out.
She nods and smiles and I kiss her before heading out to confront Luke. I think I’d rather be kicked in the balls by one of the horses than break this news to my baby brother.
Chapter Eleven: Sydney
Cole leaves to go talk to Luke and I head to the guest room to gather my things. I’m almost giddy as I take my bags up to Cole’s room. I feel like I’m the lead in some cheesy romance novel, head over heels for the cowboy. My head is telling me this is all happening way too fast, that I have a life in Chicago that I’ll be going back to in a few weeks. But my heart is telling my head to shut the fuck up. And my pussy agrees.
I’ve never felt so satisfied in every sense of the word with a man before. Cole makes me feel beautiful, sexy, and appreciated; and it’s only been four days. My ex-fiancé hadn’t made me feel like that in damn near three years.
I flip on the light and survey Cole’s room. It is decidedly masculine, yet simple in style. A large four-poster king bed dominates one wall, and a stone fireplace sits across from it. I imagine being curled up on the floor in front of the fire with Cole and it sounds like pure heaven.
After a few minutes, I hear an engine go roaring past the house, followed by Cole muttering as he comes in the back door. I go down to the kitchen and find him punching numbers into his cell phone. After a minute, he tosses the phone on the table and shakes his head.
“Fuck!” he says loudly.
“Was that Luke that tore out of here like that?” I ask him.
“Yeah. He took the news about as well as I expected him to. I tried to get him to come up here and just talk with us for a few minutes but he was hell bent on hitting the bar instead,” Cole answers, a note of concern in his voice.
I go over to where he stands and wrap my arms around him, feeling him soften against me. He’s so strong, but I can tell that he needs to lean on me just a little. I run my hands up and down his broad back and he slides his down to cup my ass. I tilt my head back and he catches my mouth with his, his tongue tangling with mine. I know how to make him feel good and I happily oblige.
I start to unbutton the shirt he’s wearing and place soft kisses over his smooth chest. He lifts my shirt over my head and, with the flick of his wrist, discards my bra. He picks me up and sets me on the counter, dipping his head low to take a nipple in his mouth. He suckles until it is hard and wet and moves to the other one to do the same. I moan in response, enjoying the feel of his tongue on my tender flesh.
Cole plucks me from the counter and carries me to the table where he lays me down and unbuttons my jeans. I lift my hips so he can slide them and my panties down before he drops his own around his ankles. He leans over to kiss me and I wrap my legs around his waist, guiding him inside me. I grip the edges of the table as he pounds his need into me, using his thumb to trace small circles on my swollen clit. Within a few seconds, I am calling out his name as I come. Simultaneously, Cole plunges deep and empties himself inside me with a groan and I can see the bliss on his handsome face. When the fog of our shared orgasm clears, however, reality reclaims his mood.
Sometime later in the middle of the night, I am startled awake by a noise in the room. I sit upright and it takes me a minute to remember that I’m now in Cole’s bed, and he is on his phone. His voice is panicked and his face looks stricken. He puts the phone down and turns to me.
“Cole? What’s going on?” I ask groggily.
“It’s Luke, there’s been a bad accident.”
***
I am suddenly wide awake and rushing to get my clothes on. Cole grips the steering wheel with both hands, white-knuckled, as he speeds toward the hospital in Billings where Luke has been airlifted. His terror is palpable.
“I knew I shouldn’t have let him go,” Cole was saying.
“Stop. Cole, you are not responsible for this,” I try to tell him.
He shakes his head and stares at the road ahead of him. “No. Ben is,” he spits through clenched teeth.
I try my best to soothe him as we drive, but it is of little use. He is scared shitless for one brother and pissed as hell at the other. It’s time like these that I don’t mind being an only child. I close my eyes and say a prayer for Luke and for Cole too, I don’t know what he would do if Luke doesn’t make it.
After about forty-five minutes, we pull up to the hospital and rush in through the Emergency doors. Cole spots the reception desk and heads for it, a man on a mission. I follow behind, trying to be supportive without interfering.
“Can I help you?” the woman asks as we approach.
“Yeah, my brother Luke Parker was brought in by helicopter just a little bit ago,” Cole says and I can see his strength begin to waver. He is terrified.
The woman types a few things into her computer and then rises from her desk. Coming around the corner, she takes Cole gently by the elbow and ushers us toward a private waiting area.
“If you can just wait here, I’ll have someone come in and talk to you as soon as they can,” she says sympathetically.
“Can’t you tell me anything?” Cole nearly begs the woman. “Is he still alive?”
The woman looks at Cole and smiles sadly. “He was when he came in, that’s all I know,” she says before leaving to fetch someone who can tell us more.
Cole paces the room like a caged animal and I try to offer what comfort I can. I know the ugly scenarios that are going through his head and I wish I could take them away. After a few moments, a young doctor enters the room and asks us to take a seat. I do not like the sound of that.
Cole’s ass barely touches the cushion and his grip is enough to nearly rip the armrests from the chair. “What’s happening with my brother?” he asks.
The doctor clears his throat. “He was brought in by helicopter and taken immediately to surgery. He has several broken bones, including his lower spine, and some damage to his lungs and liver. If he survives, he will have a very long and very painful recovery ahead of him.”
Tears begin to well in my eyes and I stifle a cry with the back of my hand. I need to be strong for Cole, he doesn’t need to worry about me breaking down.
“You said he has a broken spine,” Cole is asking. “Does that mean he’s paralyzed?”
“It is too early to know,” the doctor says. “The level at which the break is, is low enough that it might not impact his ability to walk, but a lot will depend on the swelling around the spinal cord. I will be back in when there is more news to share.”
The doctor leaves and Cole swings his haunted eyes in my direction. In that moment, all of his strength leaves him and he slides to his knees on the floor. I quickly gather him in my arms and hold him as he weeps.
Chapter Twelve: Cole
I sit on the floor in this damn waiting room, bawling like a baby in Sydney’s arms. I have never been so scared in all my life; not even when my parents died. I knew we had each other and Aunt Nora then, now all Luke has is me.
I quickly pull myself together and get to my feet, pulling Sydney up with me. I don’t know what I’d do if she weren’t here. I am about to tell her just that when I catch a glimpse of something that nearly shakes me to my core. There, out at the reception desk stands Ben. He is gesturing wildly and the woman at the desk is trying to calm him.
Finally, he looks toward where the woman is pointing and our eyes lock. My emotions are at war inside me. Part of me wants to grab him in a fierce bear hug and weather this storm together. The other part of me wants to beat his ass to a bloody pulp. Sydney follows my stare and places her hand on my arm. Her touch grounds me and I look at her and smile.
“Looks like you are about to meet the infamous Ben,” I say, my voice wavering.
Ben walks into the room and stands in front of me, hands shoved
in his pockets, staring at his boots. He is only an inch shorter than me, but he is broader of chest and shoulder. We have the same black hair and dark eyes but his skin in much paler. That’s what comes from working in an office like a pussy instead of out in the sun, I tell myself.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask him.
Ben looks at me, surprised, and I notice for the first time that he’s got the beginnings of a good shiner. “He’s my brother too, you know,” he says.
“No, I mean, how did you know to be here?” I try again.
Ben looks at me a long minute before answering. “I ran into him at the bar,” he starts.
I point at his eye. “Did he give you that?”
“Yeah.”
I can’t help but smile. “Good,” I say.
“Jesus Christ Cole, Luke is in there fighting for his life and you want to start with me too?” Ben whines.
“The way I see it, he wouldn’t be in here ‘fighting for his life’ if it weren’t for you and your bullshit lawsuit,” I say, getting heated now. “What the fuck happened?”
“I tried to talk to him but you know what he’s like when he’s drunk. He hauled off and clocked me, the little shit. He took off and I tried to go after him and get his keys but he knocked me on my ass and beat me to the truck. I followed him to make sure he was ok but he was all over the road and the next thing I know, he loses control and his truck is rolling. I tried to get to him but I couldn’t get him out. Jesus Cole, if you could see his truck-” Ben stops, clearly upset by the memory.
I take a deep breath and instinct drives me into ‘big brother’ mode. I wrap my arms around Ben and clap him on the back. “Well it’s a good thing you were following him. Who knows how long he’d have laid out there before someone found him,” I hear myself say.
Ben wipes at his face and looks over my shoulder. I turn to see Sydney standing quietly by, watching our interaction. I reach my hand out to her and she takes it, coming to stand against my side.
“Ben, this is Sydney,” I say. “Sydney, this is my little brother Ben.”