Home at Last [Davis Hollow, Davis Ranch 1] (Siren Publishing Allure)

by JQ Jones

  She pointed out a man with broad shoulders slumped close to a glass of what looked like an energy drink with a shot of a liqueur in it.

  “The unhappy man at the end of the bar is Donald Ray Todd. Karma is a bitch,” she said, turning to introduce Lacy after the older woman came to their table to take their order.

  “What ya havin’, Iona?” Lacy asked.

  “A glass of pinot noir, please.” Iona looked around the room that was much bigger than it looked from the outside.

  About seven couples were dancing on a nice-size dance floor. Iona had her attention snapped back to the table by Lacy’s raspy laughter.

  “Iona, does this place look like it’d have a pinot noir? We got the red shit, the pink shit, and the white shit. What kind of shit you want?” Lacy said over the music.

  “If that’s the way it is, then I’ll take the pink shit.” Iona went back to watching the dancers. CJ ordered bourbon.

  “How long have you lived alone? Damn, how old are you? In this light you don’t look eighteen,” CJ said. His stroked her thigh in a slow back and forth motion.

  “Thanks, I think. I’m twenty-three. I’ve lived in the house alone since I was fourteen. Our parents and grandmother died in a house fire. You heard the rest in the kitchen. Cyn and Linc deserved a regular life. I wasn’t okay, but I’m better now. I’ll go to London with you tomorrow, but I still think we could handle this over the phone.”

  “Don’t change the subject. If you’d been my sister I’d have made you come live with me. You were way too young.” Clint’s callused hand covered both of hers as they lay on the table. She pulled one away to sip her wine.

  “When our family died, Cyn and Linc threw themselves into living to the fullest. Me not so much. I had to think about the whys and ramifications, and I do that better alone,” she said. She smiled at Lacy as she brought them their drinks.

  CJ sipped his bourbon. “When did you stop thinking about it and decide to rejoin the rest of us poor, sorry souls?”

  “I didn’t rejoin the rest of you poor, sorry souls. I decided to just do me. I also like being by myself. The things I do for pleasure and work are solitary habits.” She drank the rest of her wine. “Ready to go? I have to get up and pack.” She stood up and shot a wave at Lacy and a snarl at Donald Ray Todd. She turned to wait as CJ paid the tab and chatted for a minute with Lacy.

  They ran through the increasing rain to the huge SUV. CJ turned on the heat to take the chill out of the air. They sat silently for a minute then he quickly backed out onto the road and drove halfway to Iona’s house before pulling off onto a road choked with weeds until they disappeared from sight of the road.

  He left the warmth of the cab to lower the seats flat. Spreading a thick, soft blanket over it, he climbed into the back and began to maneuver in the space he made small as his broad, thick body took up most of the backseat.

  Iona turned in her seat, watching him with a quickening heart rate as he opened his shirt and pulled it from his jeans. A V of curly blond hair covered him from nipple to nipple, dipping down to merge with his pubes.

  CJ lay for a minute, allowing her to look her fill, then he leaned between the seats to adjust the heat down and snag her by the hands through the opening to the back.

  “I don’t plan on fucking you in the backseat of a car, Lil Bit. But I have to see if you’re gonna feel as good against me as I fantasied. I need for you to come back and get naked so we can introduce ourselves properly.” CJ unbuckled Iona’s seat belt, brushing the strap down her shoulder with probing fingers. Iona gasped a little.

  “You don’t disappoint me in any way.” CJ tipped her face to catch the dim bottom side lights casting a glow over the backseat. He pulled her fully within his arms, wrapping his much longer legs around the deep curve of her ass. She accepted the wet, moist kiss, ending with CJ sucking Iona’s bottom lip to the point of real pain until he released it with a pop.

  Iona licked and sucked the lip, guessing that they would be slightly swollen for a few days but wanting more. Her arms were pinned to her sides as CJ kissed and licked her neck and throat. She could only whimper.

  “This is what I thought would happen. You make me crazy. You ready to get naked for me, Lil Bit? Let me help.” He threw her outercoat and sweater to the front seat. He draped her bra over the console, tossed her shoes into the passenger side floor, and finally whipped her jeans into his seat. He carefully pulled her over his body, across hard thighs and even harder penis. She settled with her breasts smashed against his chest. His hands fisted in her dreads, bringing her forward slowly. They stared as they came closer to share another open kiss.

  Iona closed her eyes as she collapsed her head back and savored the taste of CJ. Scotch, a little of her, but mostly all CJ’s central essence, male with a hint of mint as she slowly licked her lips. CJ cupped his right hand around her throat, fingertips teasing her ear.

  “I did think that this would be enough but I have to taste that little pussy. I smell you. I can feel that soft drip coating your inner thighs. You want me bad.”

  “Yeah, I do, you’re so big and girthy,” she whispered, afraid to break the intense passion that shimmered inside the tight backseat. Rain pattered stronger and ran in rivets down the windows. Iona lay, waiting for CJ to sate himself on the feel of her skin and the taste of her mouth. Her lips swelled even more as she leaned in to suck his top lip while he nursed her bottom one.

  CJ growled a final time before he jerked his head away, placing her on her back on the flannel blanket. He played the fingers of his right hand from her clit to her weeping pussy. His left hand held her ankles, bending her legs slightly to leave a gap. That left him room to play with her until his hungry growl filled the tiny space.

  “Fuck. Gotta taste this.” He plunged into her, making her scream as he allowed his teeth to graze along her clit. CJ alternated between attacking her clit and lapping up her juices as she came and came. At first she was able to get by with quiet little whimpers. That changed as soon as he held her clit between gently biting teeth so that his tongue could lave it. Then she screamed, clutching at his head and unable to stop the dance of her hips.

  “Yeah, Lil Bit, that’s what I thought.” CJ knelt between her legs, watching her twist in passion. He pumped his throbbing dick in a blur as he shouted his release and came all over her belly. Their breathing slowly returned to normal. CJ wiped Iona down with a black silk T-shirt that he packed down into one of the seat pockets.

  Iona didn’t know what to say. “Thanks for the orgasm?”

  “You’re welcome, Lil Bit. It really was my pleasure.” He helped her dress before slipping on his jacket and pants. The rest of his clothes he left where he’d thrown them off. He cracked a window and pulled her into his arms as he lay back on the seat.

  “Don’t go to sleep, Lil Bit. I have to get you home so you can pack.”

  “I’m not sleeping. I’m resting my eyes.” Iona closed her eyes and sighed into the warmth of CJ’s arms, asleep before she realized it. Dawn was breaking when CJ finally dropped her off. The honks of the geese took away Iona’s chance to sneak into the house. “To boldly go where no one has gone before,” she said as she walked up the path to her house.

  * * * *

  “Your brother is pissed beyond belief. You better have a good story,” Jeff said. He sat in Iona’s kitchen drinking a cup of tea. It was five thirty in the morning. Iona came through the side door, expecting Linc to be in the living room.

  “I had business to discuss with my client.” Iona passed Jeff on the way to the stairs in the hallway.

  “You might want to shower because the smell of your business is very, very strong.” Jeff smiled into his coffee cup. Iona grabbed clothes from her closet and ducked into the upstairs bath. Some business is stronger than others.

  Chapter Four:

  If the Sky Falls Down

  “Why aren’t you finished packing?” CJ said, his hand resting on the curve of Iona’s hip. His fingers slo
wly caressed her in small circles, making her squirm with little movements that weren’t too obvious if you didn’t stare. Clint stared.

  Iona saw him looking and tried to ease out of CJ’s light grip. CJ chuckled low, whispering in her ear, “We have six hours of flight time. Three hours to go over the deal and the rest for me to take care of the almost virgin part.” Iona shivered in anticipation.

  “You should eat something. We’re making breakfast. This is the first time you’ve left the Holla since the fire,” Cyn said as she and Jeff moved around the kitchen like the practiced team they were. Today, Jeff was in charge of hastily put-together cinnamon rolls in addition to loading the oven with two pans of biscuits while Cyn sautéed onions and mushrooms in a pat of butter and olive oil for quick omelets and salmon.

  Iona turned around for the first time since she had come into the kitchen to look into CJ’s eyes. His face was too close for her to see it all, so she focused on his sparkling emerald eyes and a bright smile, seduced into comfort by the constant stroking of his hands, gently, carefully tracing the same spot over and over again.

  “You’ve been on this mountain way too long, love. You need to come with me and show the world what that brilliant mind of yours comes up with almost without effort. You’re gonna save my deal, earn me a whole lot of money, and become my lover.” CJ said it loud enough for everybody in the room to hear.

  “Aren’t you married or something?” Iona pulled away from him.

  “I was or something but that was over as soon as you opened the door. You, my little bit of semisweet chocolate, are mine and I will not disrespect you by making you anything but my very own woman.” It was a bold declarative sentence. “But men don’t say stuff like that in public, do they?”

  “Only if they’re a righteous Oklahoma boy like me, Lil Bit. Wanna come, Cynthia? Lil Bit could use a chaperone.”

  “Iona’s grown and even I agree that she needs to leave the Holla from time to time. I was thinking about taking her for some shopping in Charleston, but I guess if the opportunity to see London comes along, that sorta overshadows the mall. Iona’s no fool. She’ll have a ball.” Jeff, Cyn, and Iona turned to look at Linc as he leaned against the dishwasher. He’d been silently watching everything going on in the now seriously crowded kitchen.

  “Iona’s smart enough to take care of herself wherever she goes,” Linc said slowly. “CJ, I’ll nip a tendon on your right hand if you hurt her in any way.” Linc didn’t break eye contact with CJ.

  “I appreciate you taking care of Lil Bit like the big brother you are, but I’m here to do that now,” CJ rumbled.

  Iona pulled away from his tightening hold. “You guys do know that it’s the twenty-first century and I can take care of myself. Besides, Linc, if it’s not on an operating table, blood makes you sick.”

  “Why would you say something like that?” Linc puffed up bigger than his usual lean, six-foot-two-inch frame.

  “’Cause when we went hunting a few years ago you puked when I started dressing the deer you killed, by the way.”

  “You lie.”

  “You wish.”

  Jeff smiled as he brought out fresh cinnamon rolls, filling the house with a mouthwatering smell. After slathering them with a rich glaze, he carefully pulled three sticky buns apart from the rest and carefully placed them in a rubber container along with a small bowl with more glaze.

  Jeff said, “Iona, it’s time for you to stop mourning and live a real life. It’s a big risk, but you can always come home if it’s not what you want. I’ll take care of the dogs, geese, and that stupid goat that only comes down from the hill when he wants to.” Jeff’s rich brown eyes sparkled. “Linc will get over being mad a few minutes after you leave.”

  CJ followed Clint’s example and piled an omelet onto five biscuits on a paper towel, grabbed Iona’s hand, swung her laptop over his shoulder, and pulled her out of her house and down the path to the waiting limo. The dogs whined and paced the porch as Iona hurried down the steps. She wanted to say good-bye but was afraid that she would cry in front of everybody. She did look back to see her little family, including Buster and Bunny, standing on the porch, watching her disappear from them for the first time in her life.

  Iona felt the back of her throat close up as she struggled to catch the few tears that leaked from her left eye. She concentrated on the passing landscape to hide it from CJ. He didn’t pet or cuddle her, but from time to time, he handed her his glass of scotch. Each time Iona took a few sips before handing it back. They were rolling down an almost empty West Virginia Turnpike when she realized that the drink was always suspiciously fresh each time she took it from CJ.

  “Can you turn on the overhead light for a minute?” Iona asked. They had maintained a silence interrupted by soft music and the faint swish of the car.

  “Sure thing, Lil Bit,” CJ said. He flicked a switch from a middle console that lit dim side lights. Iona tucked her right leg under her as she turned to face him on the seat. He raised the partition between the front and the back, cutting off Clint’s deep, hearty laughter.

  “I have no plans on being hysterical or anything, CJ. You don’t have to feed me booze so I won’t have the vapors,” Iona said. “May I have some water?”

  CJ shifted over to open the small, discreet fridge, opening a bottle of water before handing it to Iona. She smiled her thanks, slightly biting her full bottom lip after she finished drinking. She curled higher in the seat, sitting in the lotus position on the narrow leather seat, her knee just breaking the plane of the seat. Clint looked at her with deep concentration. He fixated on her mouth as she couldn’t stop a rebellious tongue. She licked her lips, tasting the earthy remnants of the alcohol.

  “Is that really good scotch? I grow my own smoke ‘cause I smoke sometimes, but I rarely drink,” Iona said.

  “It is a rather good scotch, about eighteen years old, oak cured. I’ll pour you a straight so you can taste it without the distraction of the ice.” CJ quickly fixed two neat drinks.

  They clinked glasses as Iona sipped her drink. “It’s got a spice in there. What is it?” she asked.

  “Cherrywood casks.”

  “It’s very good.” She set her glass in the holder on the door. He did the same. Before she could settle back on her side of the seat, CJ had her up and across his lap. He flipped her shoes off, unbuttoned her jeans, and pulled them down her legs and off before she could react. She was commando as she usually was at home. She made a feeble attempt to capture her jeans but lost that battle, which was over very quickly.

  CJ moaned deep in his chest, crashing right on her naked clit, which was mashed a little above his navel. He growled as he pulled her shirt, sweater, and bra off in a few passes of frenzied hands. The wet spot under her pussy was growing.

  He grabbed her head tightly in his hands, getting instant eye contact. He nodded slightly before he thrust his tongue between her trembling lips. He surged in, tasting each corner of her mouth, seeking out the rich scotch flavor. Iona dueled with him, enjoying the taste and the fight. She broke the kiss with a loud gasp.

  “I thought this would be wetter.”

  “I can make it hotter and wetter, but I need a bed for that. Right now I want to taste that little pussy of yours again.” CJ leaned against the door, bringing her legs over his shoulders. Her shoulders rested on his tented knees. She could feel his cock pulsating against her lower back.

  Iona sucked in air as his tongue flicked over her erect clit. She throbbed more and more, releasing her essence that CJ lapped as if it were his favorite dessert. Iona thought it might be too much but couldn’t—more like didn’t want to—make it to stop. Her whole pussy beat to the rhythm as he learned her with his tongue. She whimpered when his thick finger entered her, only to stop after going halfway in. He started to gently stroke her, learning her feel. He withdrew his finger, sucking it into his mouth before feeding his second finger to her. She sucked it with the clear intent of making him come. He groaned, popping his
finger from her mouth to jam two fingers into her center. Her gasp came louder and stronger. She covered her lips with both palms of her hands.

  He reached up to take her hand away from her lips. “No, baby, I want to hear you when you come. I already know you’re a screamer from last night. You’re such a responsive young thing.”

  Two fingers played the tightening muscles, dancing around, tracing slowly every inch of her pussy. “Hell, I’ma make you come for me in a few minutes, but first I want to make you earn it. Squeeze my fingers, baby, yeah, that’s it. Work it, baby.”

  “I can’t take it. It’s too intense,” Iona said. She gyrated on his fingers, wanting more but not sure she could go that next step. She felt connected to CJ. She shot her eyes to his and found him watching her with a smile that broke into a big, wide grin as she clamped down on his fingers and came for him again. Both hands shot to her mouth to cover the semi-scream boiling from deep within her.

  He pulled her hands down and replaced them with an open kiss that took the rest of her breath away. It was way wetter than the last one. He pulled her tight, Iona’s head dropped to the side, and he licked, nibbling lightly, her offered throat. She went to sleep fifteen miles outside of Charleston.

  * * * *

  After helping an almost comatose Iona back into her clothes and tucking her sleeping form into a blanket, CJ lay back in the seat, watching her sleep and just thinking. He said nothing as Clint lowered the window separating the back from the driver. “What about Elizabeth?” was Clint’s whispered question as soon as the divide was all the way down.