All the King's Horses

by Katherine Rhodes

  “Yup, I’ll be good. Geo and Tate are still here, and we’ve got a room at a hotel. So no one is driving home tonight. We’ll all be fine.”

  The men nodded and headed for the door. “RJ, you got a hell of woman out there. I would think about how to keep her around. From what we heard about the fire last week, and now this… well. She’s a keeper.”

  “Thank, man, I’m trying to figure that part out.”

  He was alone in the bathroom. Just enough to take a deep breath and realize that he did want Lucy around. She took no shit, and just like he defended her, she defended him. She was damn good in a fight, which made him laugh. Lucy had gone after that Gibbons brother like a woman possessed, and he kinda liked that. He’d always thought that he wanted a pretty little woman to sit on his lap and make him smile and delicious dinners. Never in a hundred years did a Yankee with a pedigree and an attitude ever cross his mind as the perfect woman for him.

  Yet, there she was.

  “You comin’ out here soon, RJ?” Carl’s head poked into the room.

  “Yeah, I’m comin’.” RJ nodded.

  Carl stepped in. “Something on your mind, kid?”

  “I’m good, Uncle. It’s all good.”

  “You’re taken with that pretty wild woman, aren’t you?”

  “I certainly am.”

  Carl bobbed his head sagely. “Your dad would be thrilled you’re falling for someone with such fire in her soul. She’s like your mama in a lot of ways.”

  “My mother?”

  Cocking his head, Carl paused, then nodded. “Yeah. A lot like her. You think a lesser woman could have survived the death of her husband and still find the strength to kick out her abusive ex? Raise two children and take on a legacy that wasn’t hers? You need someone like your mama, because that’s what you know a woman should be like. Your princess out there? That’s it. Don’t let her get away, RJ. Make her a Miller. Make yourself a happy man.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Carl. I appreciate that.”

  “And for the love of little green apples, man, show up here when it’s not busy and fight-filled.”

  The two men walked out of the bathroom, laughing a bit. Lucy was still at the bar, a cold pack on her head, and a beer in her hand.

  Damned sexiest thing he’d seen in ages.

  Walking over to the bar, he stood next to her. “Excuse me, ma’am, this seat taken?”

  Lucy looked him up and down with a smile. “It is now. You from around here, mister?”

  “Sure am, ma’am.” He grabbed the beer the bartender put down for him.

  “So I’m wondering, then. What do you know about horses?”

  “I’m hung like one.”

  Lucy started laughing and leaned over to him. “Take me to the hotel, RJ. Fuck my brains out.”

  “I love it when a woman doesn’t mince her words.”

  Chapter Ten

  RJ MOVED OVER HER, HIS COCK FILLING her and stretching her.

  Lucy’s head dropped to the bed as she panted and heaved her breath. She buried her sighs and moans in the pillow, as RJ’s hand slid around her hip and found her clit. His finger was soft, then furious, then soft again, and he knew that drove her mad.

  “Oh shit, yes, RJ. Yes.”

  She moved his hand from between her legs and played with herself, knowing that drove him crazy. His hands very quickly busied themselves at her breasts, pinching and pulling, and then suddenly, he wrapped his hand in her hair and pulled—not hard, but with enough strength to make her feel it. His other hand pressed her back down, making sure her nipples grazed the fabric below.

  She felt owned. Commanded.

  Loved.

  “RJ…”

  “Shit, Lucy. You’re so tight. I can’t believe how tight you are.”

  “Harder, RJ. Harder. Make me feel you.”

  He was happy to oblige, pistoning in and out of her pussy. She moved with each thrust, the peaks of her breasts roughed against the blanket. Everything together wound her body up, higher and tighter.

  “RJ, please. Now, please.”

  “Are you coming, princess?”

  “Yes, yes, please! Now!”

  Slowly, his hand traveled down her spine, between the globes of her ass and found the protective guard covering her dark ring. He grasped and with agonizing slowness, pulled it away from her body. She felt the string first exiting, then came the drawn-out expansion of her ring, and the sudden pop of the first bead. “Ohhh…” Her breath was hard to control. She was so overwhelmed by the sensation she didn’t know if she was trying to breathe in or out.

  Pop. Another bead drawn out of her body. Her cry was wordless and consumed with desire. She was so close to her climax. So close.

  Another bead, pop. She was dizzy with the feelings RJ was creating in her.

  “One more, princess. I know you’re going to come.”

  Lucy simply couldn’t answer him, but panted and nodded her head.

  He slammed himself into her as, pop!, the last bead was out. Her world went blinding white with the orgasm that washed over her. She was so overwhelmed, she didn’t make a sound. Her whole body froze and seized in agonized delight, shaking involuntarily. Her walls clenched his plunging cock and when the climax finally settled in enough to let her cry out, RJ bathed her inner tunnel with his hot cum as he thrust against the grip her pussy caught him in, groaning in delight.

  RJ wrapped the toy in a paper towel quickly and dropped it to the floor. He wrapped his hands around Lucy’s breasts and rolled them to their sides, his dick still surprisingly hard inside her. Pulling her thigh up over his hip, he began to move slowly within her again.

  “Another one?” Lucy was surprised. He didn’t go soft at all.

  “You do this to me, woman. This is all you. And it’s all for you.” His fingers played leisurely at her clit this time. It took longer, but there was something soft and so sweet to this climax as he came inside her again and she cried out his name ever so softly in the growing light of morning.

  RJ’s lips kissed and suckled at her ear. His breath was warm, welcome across her skin as his erection finally started to soften. He rested his forehead in the crook of her neck, pulling her close.

  “Lucia, I love you.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “RJ—”

  He put a finger on her lips. “No. Don’t tell me it’s a bad idea or it can’t happen. It just is. There’s no argument or brokering. I love you.”

  The words hung softly in the air. They weren’t dangerous, they didn’t hurt. They felt rather nice, if Lucy were to be honest with herself. But they were also a complication. She had to go home next week. The horses were all arranged and it was time to head back to the da Silva farm.

  She found his words convincing her a little more that she didn’t really want to go back. For all she had back there, she’d found something new and amazing at Double Down she wanted to be a part of.

  After the horses, she told herself.

  They dozed quietly in the light, waking again when the sun was higher, and made love again. She could stay there in his arms for days. Just sleeping and loving him.

  “Lucy, I have to get up,” he said sleepily. “We have a shipment coming in at the supply store. Supplements, and it’s not able to be delivered. I gotta pick it up.”

  Lucy moaned, non-committal. She rolled over and stared into his eyes, lazy with sleep and desire. “Well, you’ll be back later and we can maybe go on another picnic.”

  RJ smirked at her. “That we could. We can bring some extra rope to tie up...the horses.”

  “Mm, right. The horses.” She held her wrists up touching. “Neigh...”

  Laughing, he kissed her nose. “You are a joy. No, I really have to go. Addie and Fatima are supposed to be watching and helping with King. The vet is coming back to check that foreleg and tell us we can start reconditioning him. Why don’t you play with them until I get back?”

  “Only if I get to play with you after.”

  “Ins
atiable.” RJ rolled away to stand and Lucy rolled to watch him dress. He had broad shoulders and a well-toned back that she loved running hands over. His ass was two firm tight globes she would walk by and slap or grab softly—both seemed to turn his ‘horny’ on to high, and nine times out of ten, they wound up naked and screwing each other in a closet or other out-of-prying-eyes space.

  There was, however, that time in Birch’s stall while the horse was out in the pasture...

  RJ slid his boxer-briefs up and over his butt, removing it from her view. She made a little disappointed noise, and he turned with a laugh. “Lucy, you’re going to get me hard again.”

  “Like you’re ever not hard around me, RJ?”

  “Well, that’s a technicality.” He sat down on the bed and kissed her forehead. “Wanna come with me or help Addie with King?”

  “King, please.” She smiled. “Not that I don’t love spending time with you, but we need to cool off a little bit.” Lucy leaned in close. “I loved the beads. Let’s keep those.”

  She watched as he ran a pained hand down his face. “No, I will not climb back into this bed and screw you again. I need to pick up the supplements.” He leaned back and gave Lucy a slow, thorough kiss, then grabbed his jeans off the chair. “Come down. I’ll make breakfast.”

  “Good idea. I’m famished.”

  “I can’t imagine why.”

  Lucy just watched as he fastened his pants and drew on his shirt. She really enjoyed watching him dress, each muscle in his arm or chest rippling with his movements.

  Rolling her eyes, she flopped back on the pillow. Damn it, she’d made herself wet all over again. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  Standing in the door, RJ turned and looked at her. “No playing with the toys without me, Lucy. I’ll find out. You wait for me, princess.”

  Holy fuck, that did not help her situation, hearing him give her direction about their bedroom fun. She glanced over at the door as he walked out, catching only the tail end of his delicious tail.

  Damn it!

  Once he left her room, she conceded defeat and got out of bed to take a quick shower and head down. She liked his little command at the end, keeping her hands off herself and her toys, so they were going to have to play with that Dom/sub stuff. Just a little. She did listen, though, and once she was out of the shower, she was dressed and heading down the stairs to the kitchen. She could smell the bacon frying and heard Addie and RJ laughing.

  When she walked into the kitchen, they were throwing marshmallows at each other and laughing their butts off. One of RJ’s went wild and bounced off her head. The two of them stopped and stared at her, worried about her reaction.

  “Well?” she asked. “Where’s my ammunition? If you’re going to drag me into your war, I need my own bag of ammunition.”

  “Truce!” Addie called, standing up from her crouched position. “There’s bacon and not enough munitions.”

  “Where’s Ellen?” Lucy asked. She thought neither of them heard her, but she turned around and they were beet red and pointedly ignoring the question. “Guys, where is your mother?”

  Addie cleared her throat. “She um… never came home from her date last night.”

  “Go, Ellen!” Fatima said, thrusting a fist into the air as she walked in.

  Lucy glanced between the siblings. “You’re serious. Your mother stayed out all night?”

  “With her date,” Addie said, flipping the bacon.

  “Wow.”

  “She does this once in a while. Sometimes she does it with Theo, and sometimes she does it with David.” Clearing her throat, Addie went on, “They both have standing offers of marriage.”

  “Go, mom.” Lucy cheered Ellen on.

  “It’s frustrating. She really does like them both, but she can’t bring herself to decide between them. And of course, my brother and I have different opinions on who she should marry.”

  “Let her be. If she’s happy, then just let her be,” Fatima said.

  “She’s our mother and she’s screwing two guys,” Addie said.

  “And your cousin Ryder is married to two different men,” Lucy answered. “Let it go. She’ll figure it out or she won’t. It’s not like she’s cheating—they know about each other. That much is clear.”

  “I don’t like it,” RJ said. He grabbed a piece of toast and headed for the door. “I’m going to the supply store. I’ll be back later. Don’t eat all the bacon on me.”

  “I’ll go with you!” Fatima called, running for the front door. “I need some supplies for the Appaloosa’s wound.”

  The door closed behind them a moment later and Addie sighed. “I get it. He’s mad because he remembers his dad. But I don’t, and it’s not fair to expect Mom to pick just because he’s holding on to a memory of James.”

  Lucy walked over and took the fork out of her hand, and took over the bacon. “You’re mad because he can do that. Because you got shafted on the dad department.”

  Crestfallen, Addie turned to her. “You did see us that night, didn’t you?”

  “I did.” Lucy’s nod was gentle. “I heard the whole argument, and I’m sorry, Addie. I am. I don’t know what it’s like for you. But you have to remember that your mother and brother do love you. They want you to be everything you can and do whatever you want.” She considered the young woman. “What do you want?”

  “I want to raise horses and marry Geo. I want to help RJ with the farm and have the chance to see the world. I have my degree in animal husbandry and photography.” She sniffled. “It just would be nice to have a dad who came to my graduations and taught me to drive. Maybe yelled at me in front of Mom for breaking curfew, but then high-fived me when she left the room.”

  “You’ve got a wonderful mom and brother—”

  “I don’t even question that. But it just would have been nice to have a dad, too.”

  There was nothing Lucy could think of to say. “Well, let’s get the bacon done and we can get to the barn and get King out in the field. I know he needs some trotting today.”

  Flipping another rasher, Addie nodded. “Right. We have a job to do. RJ will be back by ten, so I want King out, stretched and back in the stall by then. We have to do a full muck on the green barn, so I want to get the bucket loader over there.” She stared at Lucy for a minute. “You grew up around horses. You know how to drive heavy equipment?”

  “I was driving the bucket loader at ten.”

  Addie held up a hand. “High five. Let’s do this.”

  * * *

  It was clear that King’s Dominion was antsy. He was pacing his stall and wanted out by the way he whinnied when they finally walked up to his stall.

  “He just needs some time in the pen,” Addie said. “If I take him out there, can you muck out? Fresh hay, blah blah.”

  “Sure can.” Lucy nodded. “Are the tools in here in the same place as the other barns?”

  Pointing to the back corner, Addie nodded. “You got it. We did the big muck in here while you and RJ were off gallivanting around in Austin.”

  “We were trying to get the transportation for the horses. We were not gallivanting.”

  “Okay, copulating.”

  Lucy put a hand over her eyes and snorted. “Damn. Are we that obvious?”

  Addie turned and stared at her. “He screwed you in the barn. I know you’ve done it by the pond a few times. And for the love of all that’s holy on Earth, could you please not yell at him to pull the nipple clips off at three a.m.?”

  Her face flamed red, and Lucy had to walk away. “I thought we were being quiet!”

  Slowly, Addie shook her head. “Not even close. I’m right next door, too. Go use his room, please. Please, for the sake of my sanity. Go to his room. I can’t hear anything from there.”

  Turning on her heel, Lucy walked away, trying not to be too embarrassed. “I’m going to get the tools. You got his tack?”

  “I have his tack.” The laughter echoed through the stalls of the b
arn.

  There were only a few of the usual hands around this early in the day, and Lucy wound her way to the back of the barn to grab the muck out tools. She wandered back and King’s stall was empty. Addie had fitted him quickly, but the horse had been dying to get out there. It was going to be a good day when the vet finally cleared him to bear a rider again. Josef was dying to get back to training him. He and Addie had such a bond with the horse it just reminded her how much she really did love them, and loved being around them.

  Cleaning out the stalls was the worst part of the whole deal, and the piles that King left were gross. But after growing up around chores that involved horse crap, Lucy just got down to work and started raking out the hay that was on the floor. After the floor was cleared, she walked over to the nearby hose and turned it on, starting to wash down the mess.

  A sudden panic flashed through her, and she stopped, shaking her head from the burst. Glancing around, she surveyed the barn, and there was nothing out of place. The panic didn’t recede, but it didn’t really interfere with what she was doing—so she kept at the chores.

  The feeling rushed through her again, the panic growing this time, making her sweat.

  This wasn’t normal.

  It wasn’t her panic.

  With a gasp, she dropped the hose and ran for the pen where Addie was putting King through his paces. Or, rather, where she was supposed to be. The pen was empty. The gate was swinging open, and there were tracks that led off to the right, leading to the far side of the red barn and out past the yellow barn.

  The panic clenched again, and Lucy thought she was having a heart attack. She pressed on her chest, trying to make the panic stop as she ran down the trail that she knew was fresh and had to be King’s trail.

  “Addie? Addison! Where are you? Where’s King?”

  Running full tilt, partly to try to find Addie and partly to stop the pain in her heart, Lucy was desperately screaming Addie’s and King’s names. Turning the corner, she slammed into Jordan, one of the main hands in the green barn, and he caught her before she could fall.

  “Whoa, Miss da Silva. Calm down. What’s going on? Where are you running?”