Outback Princess

by Lexxie Couper

  They fell into each other. They’d kissed at least half a dozen times since her arrival and yet the overpowering sensation of holding her like this never lessened. The impact was stronger than getting kicked in the gut by a horse. Every time he touched her, the need for more grew.

  He broke the kiss, touching his forehead to hers. “I know you Yanks do the whole hayloft thing, but the best I can offer is a shed.”

  Annie frowned, even as a smile played on her lips. “Shed?”

  He grinned. “Wanna make out with me in the shed? There’s a stack of hay bales in the corner that almost hits the ceiling.”

  Annie’s smile grew wide. “That sounds…intriguing.”

  Hunter grasped her hand and tugged her toward the shed. “Just making out, Annie. That’s all. I promise. I won’t let it go farther than that.”

  They had less than an hour before the jackaroos started arriving to tackle the day’s tasks. Soon the yard would be teeming with men drinking coffee before settling down to work. For now, the station was relatively quiet. He could imagine the satisfied smirk on his mum’s face if she were to spot him holding Annie’s hand right now. His resolve to keep his hands to himself crumbled even more.

  When they entered the shed, he gestured to the hay bales stacked at the back-right corner, like a staircase made of tightly compacted straw. Annie started first, climbing each square bale as if she were scaling a mountain. Hunter grabbed a blanket, not waiting for her to reach the top before making his own ascent. He distracted her midway by running his hand down her bare leg. She’d donned shorts again today. They were perfectly appropriate, coming nearly to her knees. Even so, that didn’t keep him from fondling her trim calves.

  “Keep that up and I’ll fall,” she chastised, though there was no censure in her voice.

  “Don’t worry about that. I’d catch you.”

  She paused for a moment then gave him a sweet smile that knocked the breath from his lungs. What the hell was wrong with American blokes? How could they let a woman like her run around free and lonely for so long?

  Once they reached the top of the stack, he resumed the kiss without a word. Annie accepted his embrace, her hands tightening on his waist. Her firm grip told him she was afraid he’d pull away again. He knew he should. Walking away was the right thing to do, but no force of nature was going to stop this stampede. He’d promised her a makeout session and by God, she was getting one.

  Hunter tossed his hat to the bale beneath his feet, tangling his fingers in Annie’s soft brown hair. She’d joked once that she got all the brains in the family, while her younger two siblings got all the beauty. Hunter couldn’t imagine any woman holding a candle to his Annie. Her eyes were bluer than a clear Australian sky. Since arriving in Oz, her porcelain skin had warmed to a beautiful golden brown.

  Annie started to sit down, but he stopped her. “Wait.” He spread out the large blanket he’d grabbed. “Hay is scratchy stuff. This might help a little.”

  She helped him pull it over the hay then they lay on their sides, facing each other. “I can’t remember the last time I made out on the sly. I feel like a naughty teenager again.”

  He’d brought loads of girls to the tops of hay bale stacks when he was a boy. He’d learned quite a bit on the hay. “Where did you do your fooling around?”

  She grimaced, humor twinkling in her blue eyes. “Oh God. This is sort of embarrassing to admit.”

  “Tell me.”

  “The back of my dad’s limo.”

  Hunter shook his head, chuckling. “Jesus. What a life.”

  She didn’t respond. Instead, she ran her hand over his chest, dragging it down until she could slip it under the thin cotton. Then she caressed his bare skin. “If it makes you feel better, I think I prefer it here.”

  “You think? Sounds like I have my work cut out for me.”

  He rolled her to her back, moving over her. He’d jerked off to this image a couple times since her arrival. Annie beneath him, parting her legs to welcome him between.

  He pressed his cock against her, enjoying her soft intake of breath. Her face was flushed, her gaze heavy, inviting. She pulled him lower, initiating the next round of kisses. Unlike the hungry ones by the paddock, these were slower, deeper. Their mouths met and fused like time had stopped for them. The sense of urgency dissipated. This was what they were here for. No more. No less. Just this.

  He planted soft kisses on her lips, cheeks, neck, even her closed eyelids, and Annie followed suit. He’d never felt such adoration. Neither of them sought to undress or to take the game to the next level. They simply gave and received while holding on tight.

  Annie changed the rules first. Her hand left his chest, drifting south until it hovered above his cock. Their eyes met and held. She gave him a sexy grin while trying to unbuckle his belt and open his jeans.

  Hunter didn’t stop her. Instead, he bent his knees, holding himself up with his hands on the blanket. He wasn’t a saint, but above that, he was no fool. He wanted her to touch him. Once she had his pants open, she wasted no time in exposing his cock and gripping it tightly, letting him know she had arrived at her destination.

  He hissed between gritted teeth, trying to ignore how fucking good it felt. He was no stranger to fooling around, but in the past, he’d always managed to give as good as he got. Annie’s rough rubs against his aching flesh sent him to the top too fast. He needed to get control.

  He was about to slow down her sexy pumping when she moved. She shoved against his chest, forcing him away from, then rose on her knees. She pressed him to his back, quickly assuming the top position. Then—holy fuck—she shifted lower.

  Hunter closed his eyes, blinded by the stars flashing behind his eyelids as Annie bent down and took him in her mouth.

  “Jesus, Annie! So fucking good.”

  He felt rather than saw her lips curve around the head of his cock. Her grip tightened at the base. He was too large for her to take in all at once, but he’d be damned if she wasn’t giving it a try. The head of his dick brushed the back of her throat and he groaned. Annie retreated completely, releasing him with a pop.

  Hunter parted his lids, found her looking at him.

  “I want you to come in my mouth.”

  It was all she said before she started to suck his cock back inside.

  Hunter swallowed heavily. Fuck. Given the way she was working his erection, he’d say that ending was a foregone conclusion. Worst part was it wasn’t going to take long. Hunter started counting heads of cattle in his mind, trying to prolong her sweet torment, but it didn’t help.

  He reached for her, stroking her hair, whispering words of jumbled nonsense—all his overwrought brain could manage.

  “So pretty. God, Annie. Jus’ like that. Fuck me. So fucking—Fuck me.” Somehow his crazy talk seemed to stoke her own needs. He watched her use her free hand to grasp her breast, pinching the nipple hard.

  The added visual fueled his arousal and he was lost. He gripped her face. “Gotta come. Gotta—” They were the only words he managed before his cock erupted. Annie didn’t pull away. Instead she took each drop as her reward, swallowing until he was spent.

  Hunter’s head, which he’d lifted at some point to watch her, fell back against the blanket. Sweat rolled down the side of his face, but he didn’t have the strength to wipe it away. His heart pounded so hard he feared it would burst.

  Annie moved, coming to lie beside him once more. Hunter turned to face her, gripping her hip and pressing her against his now flaccid cock. He kissed her, long and deep. She’d just rocked his world.

  She wiggled against him, trying to find a bit of satisfaction of her own. Hunter broke the kiss, reaching down to unfasten her shorts.

  “Hunter,” she whispered.

  “Shh. Your turn.” Annie hadn’t bothered removing his pants; instead she’d simply grasped what she wanted. He followed suit.

  Pressing his finger against her clit, he marveled at how wet she was. Most women treated
blowjobs like a nasty bit of foreplay they merely endured. That didn’t appear to be true for Annie. Her nipples were pebbled, poking through her t-shirt, and her cunt was soaking wet and hot as the summer sun. Hunter shoved his entire hand deeper into her shorts, cupping her mound.

  Annie moaned, applying her own pressure, pushing against him for more. Curving his hand, he thrust two fingers inside, pumping them fast and deep. Annie responded like a sprinter to a starter gun. Her hips picked up the rhythm of his fingers.

  Her eyes drifted closed. Hunter watched a pretty pink hue paint her cheeks. She was a blusher—when embarrassed or hot or in the throes of sex. He’d never thought a mere shade of color could be such a fucking turn-on.

  “I want to watch you come.”

  Tit for tat. Annie had made her request. Now he made his.

  She blinked, her gaze finding his for only a moment before her lids closed once more.

  “Yes,” she whispered. Then, like him, her words were jarred loose. Driven by pure lust and need, she seemed to disengage, releasing control of her thoughts, just as his had. Annie was his kind of lover. Her dirty demands were the stuff of his wet dreams.

  “Harder! God, Hunter. Go faster. I need…deep. Three.”

  He added another finger, stretching her tight pussy even more. Annie liked it rough. Christ. So did he. Her body stiffened only a second before her muscles clenched against him. He didn’t let up, didn’t cease until he’d wrung every beautiful spasm, shiver and shudder out of her.

  Only when her climax subsided did he soften his thrusts. Slowly, he dragged his fingers out. Annie didn’t move for several moments, giving Hunter time to study her pretty face. When she’d first arrived, she’d been pale, with dark circles under her eyes. He’d blamed travel for that tiredness, but after hearing about her life in New York, he suspected perhaps that was her natural state. As the days passed, he’d watched the tension around her eyes and mouth lessen. Her skin had darkened with the sun, a few cute freckles appearing on her nose and cheeks.

  Right now, as she lay boneless, replete, she looked healthy, relaxed. Beautiful.

  Finally Annie’s eyes opened, her gaze finding his. Neither of them spoke as she rolled to face him. He was reminded of lying with her like this in his bed as she stroked his cock. It was a new position for him, but it was suddenly his favorite. Lying close to her, watching her expressive blue eyes, sharing her air, knowing he could reach out and touch her anywhere, at anytime. It was as close to heaven as he’d ever come.

  “Thank you,” she whispered after several silent moments.

  His mouth twisted into a crooked grin and he wiggled his eyebrows. “For what?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Well, for that,” she gestured to her lower body, “but also for the last few days. I’d sort of hit a wall at home. Hit a point where I just couldn’t take one more step. I feel stronger now.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’m glad.”

  “Did you know yesterday was Thanksgiving? Or, well…today. God. The stupid time difference is so confusing.”

  He shook his head. “That’s one of your American holidays, right?”

  She nodded. “Yep. Usually families get together for a big meal and to take a moment to say what they’re thankful for.”

  He frowned. “Shouldn’t you be home with them?”

  She sighed and closed her eyes. “I love my family, Hunter. I truly do. My sisters sort of drive me nuts, but they’re funny and harmless most of the time. They’re twins too. Did I tell you that?”

  “No. I didn’t know that.”

  “I’m older by four years.”

  Hunter did the math. Annie, at seven, would have remembered their mother leaving, however, her younger sisters had only been three. They’d never known what it was like having a mother in the house. Annie did.

  “My father’s wealth increased as we got older and with that money came more and more exposure.”

  “I thought you said your father sort of promoted that.”

  Annie’s lips tightened. She’d been so relaxed just a few minutes ago. Hunter hated to see that easiness go away. “He did. Apparently there’s a gene in my family that makes them crave attention. It’s dominant in my dad and sisters, recessive in me and my mom.”

  Suddenly things were making more sense. The one person who’d grounded Annie, made her feel secure in her family, in her own skin, had left her alone to deal with those differences.

  “Is that why she left? The attention?” he asked.

  Annie nodded slowly. “Yeah. I think so.” She paused. “I know so. The tabloids drove her nuts. Do you know where she is now?”

  Hunter shook his head.

  “In a little villa in Tuscany. The place is completely isolated except for a few neighboring villagers.”

  “Does she still live with her younger man?”

  “Yeah. They’ve been married for nearly twenty years. He works in a vineyard and she putters in the garden and writes poetry. They don’t travel often because my mom says she’s never found anywhere as beautiful as Italy, anywhere that brings her that same peaceful feeling. I’ve visited her a few times. It’s nice, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t get that same sense of home there that she does.”

  Hunter could appreciate that idea. He’d never left Australia and had only traveled to Sydney and Adelaide a handful of times. While it had been cool to see the lights of the bigger cities, he’d missed home. Farpoint held his heart and always would. It seemed Annie was still searching for her place in the world.

  “Are you happy in New York, Annie?”

  Her response came instantly. “No. Not really.”

  “Then why are you there?”

  This time her answer took longer. He could see her formulating her response, searching for the right words. “Honestly? I have no idea. I think I settled there after college because that’s where my family was, because that’s where the jobs were. Before I knew it, one day had become a month and a month had become a year, then six years had passed. I kept going because it was easier than uprooting, moving somewhere else.”

  “Why did you come to Australia?”

  “Because I’m tired of playing it safe. Tired of accepting the status quo. I want my home, Hunter. It’s out there. And I’m going to find it.”

  It was on the edge of his lips to tell her to stay longer, to try Farpoint on for size. Ridiculous as it seemed given her short stay, Hunter suspected Annie belonged here. Unfortunately, he couldn’t extend that offer. Not until he cleared things with Dylan.

  He’d put off talking to his brother for days, uncertain what to say. Now he knew. He wanted Annie. Somehow he’d have to make Dylan understand.

  A car door slamming outside the shed recalled them to their present state.

  Hunter rose slowly, hooking his pants back up. “I suppose we should head to the house. The work day is about to start.”

  Annie set herself to rights as well then took his proffered hand and they descended the hay bale staircase.

  When they returned to the house, they ran into Hazel at the front door, carrying a small overnight bag.

  “Running away from home?” Hunter teased.

  “It’s my turn to stay with your Aunt Joyce. She had her hip replacement surgery. I told you about it a few days ago.”

  Everything had been a whirlwind since Annie’s arrival. So much so, he’d forgotten his mother had promised to take a turn caring for his elderly great aunt. “Oh yeah. That’s today?”

  Hazel nodded slowly. “And tonight. I’m sleeping there as well.” Her gaze traveled from his face to Annie’s. Damn observant woman.

  Annie must have felt the penetrating look as well. “I think I might head upstairs for a quick shower,” she said.

  Hunter didn’t want to let her go, but Hazel clearly had some piece to speak and he wasn’t going to be given an easy escape like Annie.

  “Of course, dear.” Hazel gave her a motherly kiss on the cheek. Annie smiled at the gesture an
d, for a moment, Hunter thought he saw the sheen of tears. “You have a nice day and I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

  Annie said goodbye to his mum. Hunter watched her walk down the hallway, knowing he was in a whole world of trouble—and not with his mother.

  He was falling in love with Annie Prince.

  Hunter Sullivan, the world’s most practical man, was losing his heart to a woman who didn’t even live on the same continent, whose father had more money than God, who had come here because of her interest in Dylan. Fuck.

  “Call Dylan.”

  Hunter glanced at his mum, trying to ignore the elephant in the room. “You need a hand with your bag?”

  Hazel narrowed her eyes. “No. I don’t.”

  “How about I drive you over there?”

  She shook her head. “Keith’s waiting in the truck. He’ll take me. Call your brother.”

  “I will, Mum.”

  His mother reached over and placed her hand on his shoulder. “If for no other reason, Hunter, than to tell him how you’re feeling.”

  He nodded. His mother left and Hunter watched the retreating truck until the taillights disappeared into the darkness.

  Then he walked over to the phone. It rang the moment he touched the receiver.

  He answered with his usual. “G’day.”

  “Hunter.”

  A twin moment. It wasn’t the first time he and Dylan had reached out to find each other at exactly the same moment. His mother always laughed and it was she who’d dubbed them “twin moments”.

  Hunter forced a casual tone to his voice. “Dylan. How you goin’?”

  “I’m doin’ all right. Mum says you’ve been entertaining Annie there for me. Well done, mate.”

  “Are you on your way home?”

  It took a few seconds for Dylan to reply. “No.”

  “You still missing your luggage?”

  Dylan cleared his throat. “Uh, no. I got it back a couple hours ago. Just thinking I might stay here a little longer.”

  “You’re going to stay in New York? I didn’t think you were interested in sightseeing. Thought you were just going to meet Annie.”