Texas Bad Boys

by Rosemary Laurey, Karen Kelley

  “You okay, Juliet?”

  She probably was gawking like a virgin but…“Oh, yes! I doubt I’ve ever been this okay.” She swallowed.

  He was standing by the bed now, smiling down at her. Her obvious admiration was having its effect, when she’d already decided it wasn’t possible for him to get any bigger. He was…stupendous. All it would take was a stretch of her arm and she’d have his power between her fingers.

  But Juliet had a far, far better idea. Swinging her legs to the side of the bed, and pushing aside the sheets tangled about her knees, she stood and let her gaze take in every inch of him, from his gleaming eyes to his strong chest, his flat stomach and…here she had to grin. Why look any lower? Why just look?

  She dropped to her knees and as slowly and as deliberately as she knew how, she ran her index finger down the side of his erection and back.

  “Juliet!” he muttered.

  “That’s okay,” she replied, as much to herself as to him, and ran her finger up and down the other side before looking up at him and smiling. “Got a condom to spare?”

  “Sweetheart, I brought a whole damn box.”

  “One at a time will do.” She held up her open hand. Seconds later, she had the foil package ripped open and positioned the rolled-up condom on the silky smooth head of his cock. Then she did what she’d practiced for ages some months back—she rolled the first inch or so of the condom down with her mouth.

  Rod grabbed her head and gasped, “Sheesh! Juliet!”

  He was not distracting her now. Not when she’d waited for months to do this for real. Placing her hands flat on either side of the base of his cock, to keep his dark nest of curls free of the condom, she slowly unrolled the rubber. Once satisfied she’d done it right, she eased her mouth off him, knelt back on her heels, and admired her handiwork.

  Rod sort of gasped. “Where the heck did you learn that?”

  Might as well tell the truth, after all they were both naked here. “I saw it in a naughty film once and practiced.”

  He went very still. “Practiced?”

  Maybe this hadn’t been the right moment for the truth. Too late. “Yes, on a cucumber. I always wondered if it worked in real life.”

  He looked ready to say something else. But she wasn’t in the mood for conversation. Kneeling forward, she wrapped her arms around his thighs and circled the tip of his cock with her mouth.

  This was the moment that always flipped her mind into overdrive and sent her libido roaring. With his cock between her lips, he was utterly vulnerable. She could bite, injure, or maim, but instead she’d pleasure him as completely as she knew how.

  She flicked her tongue across and around the rounded head of his lovely cock, teasing the rim with the tip of her tongue and fluttering it around and under, flicking it gently over his frenulum and, then, with a swift move of her head and neck, swallowed him to the root.

  He groaned, his knees wobbled, and both hands grabbed her head. His fingers tunneled in her hair as he held her close and muttered, “Hot damn, Juliet, you’re incredible!”

  She looked up at his half-closed eyes and his parted lips. As their eyes met, his opened wide. They seemed darker than ever, more intense and lovelier. She smiled around his cock and eased her mouth back up. Slowly. “Thank you,” she said and swallowed him deep again. He rewarded her with another long, drawn-out groan.

  With deliberate, teasing slowness, she ran her tongue up one side of his cock and down the other, her body responding, her need growing. She’d be content to stay like this, adoring his cock with her mouth, kneeling here all day, spending hours celebrating his erection until she climaxed from the sheer pleasure and power, but he eased her head off him.

  “Juliet, love,” he said, “we’d better change tack, if you want this to last. Keep this up much longer and I’ll shoot my wad before I even get you going.”

  She looked up at him and laughed. “Rod, I’m going quite nicely already!”

  “Honey,” he said, closing his hands round her upper arms and lifting her to her feet, “you wait until you see what I can do!”

  He picked her up by the waist and all but dropped her on the bed. As she bounced on the mattress, he moved fast and ended up kneeling between her legs.

  “Lovely,” he said, smiling down at her. “You are utterly and totally beautiful.”

  “I could say the same,” she replied, leaning up a little to rest her hands on his chest and slide them toward his belly, playing with his nipples and navel on the way down.

  “My turn!” It was almost a growl, as he grabbed both wrists and held them to the bed on either side of her. “You had your fun, now I get to tease you.”

  Very, very slowly, he licked up from her navel to between her breasts. While her little whimpers of pleasure were still fading, he blew gently up and down on the damp skin and set her off again. She was still trying to catch her breath from that little trick when his hands tightened on her wrists and he leaned forward and did the same from nipple to nipple.

  He hadn’t been kidding about teasing.

  “How’s that?” he asked.

  “Wonderful!”

  “This will be even better.” As he spoke, he closed his mouth over her left nipple, his tongue circling and teasing, as if mimicking her movements of a few minutes earlier. Once she let out a little sigh, he moved. To her right nipple.

  He went back and forth, teasing each one just enough to get her wriggling and moaning before switching. At least she had her hands free now, and she used them to full advantage, holding his head; running her fingers through his dark, and now disheveled, hair; stroking up and down his back; even scratching with her nails until he muttered, “Trying to leave your mark on me?”

  “It’s a thought.”

  He lifted his head and looked her right in the eye. They were so close she could have counted his eyelashes. Darn long, thick, and luxuriant they were, too.

  “Better stop you thinking then, hadn’t I?”

  “You can try!”

  With a deep, sexy laugh, Rod slid down the bed, grabbing her wrists on the way down. Once again, he had her pinned to the mattress. A sharp thrill rippled across her mind, sending a rush of desire right down to her pussy. Her heart raced, her mouth went dry, and all he’d done was hold her wrists! Not quite all—he was looking at her spread legs as if he’d never been that close to a woman before. Something she soundly discounted, given the last few minutes.

  “Yes,” he said, a note of pent-up excitement in his voice, as he let go of her hands and gently opened her vulva, “let’s see if you can think through this!” His mouth came down on her.

  She gasped, then groaned aloud as the flat of his tongue teased her from fore to aft and back. While she recovered from that bit of excitement, his tongue got in closer, flicking over her ready flesh, back and forth and round and round, just skipping her clit every time.

  She wanted, needed his tongue on her most sensitive spot and he was deliberately avoiding it. She grabbed his head, trying to hold him where she needed him most but he was not about to be led. Not now. He had her spread and needy and was playing it for all it was worth, ignoring her groans and cries. He was wicked! Wonderful! Incredible! And she couldn’t stand being strung out any longer.

  “Rod! Please!” She was about to implode, explode, or…

  “Since you asked so nicely, my love.” He moved faster than she could have credited, kneeling up between her legs, pushing her thighs wider, and grabbing hold of her hips. Lifting her up and pulling her closer, he pressed the head of his cock to her ready opening and with one swift movement entered her. Deep and hard.

  He was so big, so immense inside her, that she cried out, lost in a wild rush of sheer and wondrous pleasure as sensation bombarded her brain and she roared with delight.

  He paused a moment or two, as if giving her a chance to catch her breath and accept the vast cock sheathed hard and deep. She was invaded, possessed, taken, filled. Her head sagged back on the bed an
d she let out a long, slow keening sound as the reality of his wondrous size and power swept over her mind.

  “Okay, love?” When she gasped out her assent, he began to move. Slow and easy at first, waiting until her body accepted his rhythm.

  She sighed with the sheer joy of his presence inside her, and as her hips began to pick up his tempo, he quickened his pace and the depth and force of his thrusts.

  His power, size, and strength drove her arousal higher and faster. She was lost in a wild eddy of sensation as her body responded to his cock, and her mind zapped out. She couldn’t think. Had no need to. Ever. All she wanted was to be joined with Rod, to feel his male power, and to receive his strength and love.

  She was yelling, the words making no sense, but it seemed he understood, driving even harder and faster until her cries became shouts that echoed in the room, and sensation flooded her reason and her will. She was climbing the peak now, spiraling up to a climax, soaring higher and faster than ever. Her entire mind, senses, and reason focused on Rod’s cock and the pleasure he gave her. In the distance she heard shouts and grunts, as her mind whirled upward in a wild rush of joy and she climaxed. Again and again and again. Until Rod gave a loud shout and together they collapsed, sated, sweaty, and contented, into a tangled mass of hot, slick bodies and limp arms and legs.

  Juliet couldn’t move. She couldn’t think. Was a darn good thing breathing and heartbeat were reflexes or they’d have shorted out, too. Her pulse pounded in her ears and somewhere near she heard Rod’s racing heart. Shifting slightly she curled into his wonderful body, draping a limp arm over his chest as she felt his damp skin against her face. Turning her head, she kissed the nearest bit of Rod’s flesh—his arm, perhaps?—and tasted salt.

  “That,” she said, with great effort and concentration, “was incredible!”

  “Yes, sweetheart, you sure are!”

  She meant to say something more, but her fogged brain couldn’t find the words she needed. She closed her eyes, to help her think, and was asleep in seconds.

  Eight

  Juliet awakened to an empty bed but her memories were as clear as the morning sunlight pouring through the window. The room smelled of lovemaking. Rod might have left, but his presence remained along with a wonderful ache between her legs and a glorious feeling of lassitude. As she rolled over and stretched, a sheet of paper rustled under her hand. A note from Rod. She grabbed it and sat up. “Darling, hated to leave so soon but it’s my turn to open up the Rooster.”

  Back to reality with a thud. Not that she was about to complain about her current reality. She and Rod did have to sort out the future of the Rooster but they had time.

  She showered fast and headed downstairs for coffee before attacking the desk and filing cabinet again. She took the last few steps at a skip and pushed open the door into the Rooster. Seeing Mary-Beth was busy, Juliet leaned through the serving hatch to ask Lucas for a sausage biscuit before helping herself to coffee. She was topping it up with milk, when Mary-Beth looked her way and smiled.

  “Morning. Has it been busy?” Juliet asked.

  “Not too bad,” Mary-Beth replied, breaking into a grin. “You look relaxed and happy. Date with Rod went well?”

  Not quite what she’d expected over her morning coffee but no doubt the word had spread via the police. “We had a wonderful Chinese dinner at the Lotus Bowl.”

  Mary-Beth gave an earthy chuckle. “Honey, it’s written all over your face. You had way more than spicy fried noodles last night.”

  Blast! Was it really so obvious? Going by the heated flush spreading up from her neck, yes. Twenty-eight should be far too old to blush, but unfortunately it wasn’t and Mary-Beth didn’t miss a thing. And now Lucas was leaning through the hatch expectantly.

  “One sausage biscuit coming up! Looking good this morning! The boss came in humming. Something put him in a real good mood!”

  All right, meet fire with fire. “Yes!” Luckily there was no one sitting at the counter. This might be a bit too much for old Gabe Rankin. “Must have been the all-night, wild, monkey sex!” She gave them the sweetest smile she knew how, picked up the plate and her coffee, whirled around, and headed for the door.

  She never made it.

  “Mizz ffrench, Juliet?”

  It was Rod’s cop friend, Sheriff John Snow. She was tempted to ignore him, but he was a policeman after all. Suppressing a sigh and her irritation, Juliet turned back just as Mary-Beth roared with laughter. It obviously took her a few seconds to process the monkey sex confession. “You got me good there,” she said, still laughing. “Good luck!”

  Looked like she might need it. The sheriff was coming toward her, a worryingly intent look on his face. “Morning,” he said, “you all right?”

  “Of course.” He’d better not make any comments about how she looked contented and relaxed this morning.

  “I spoke to Rod a while back. He told me what happened last night.”

  How dare he! She bit back the temptation to emasculate the lawman with hot coffee and then grab the full carafe and look for Rod. “He did, did he? Interesting, was it?”

  “Astounding! Quite impressive, I understand.”

  Damn Rod Carter and every breath he took! Mortification had her blood thundering in her ears. “Indeed?”

  “Of course, I’d already heard about it.” How the hell? “First thing when I came in at seven, I got a call from Joe Watts over in Pebble Creek. The whole force is talking about how you took out those two punks.”

  “Oh, that!” A minor incident that faded into insignificance compared to the true splendor of the evening or, rather, early morning.

  Another odd look; this time it was pretty much justified. “Do that sort of thing every evening in England, do you?”

  “No!” She shook her head. “I most certainly don’t! First time in my life and I hope the last.”

  “Don’t blame you,” he replied. “Mind you, the guys over in Pebble Creek more than owe you. Seems when they brought in the punks’ car, the backseat was littered with wallets and pocketbooks, some from as far away as San Antonio. That pair was a regular two-man crime spree. They’re nailing them with upwards of a dozen jobs.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” That sorted out, she wanted to find Rod.

  “Got a black belt in karate, have you?”

  “No, a brown belt in kung fu.” Nice pause while that registered. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do.”

  Rod wasn’t in the back anywhere and his truck was gone. No point in languishing in his absence. Might as well toss another couple of bin bags of old papers. She opened the door to what she now thought of as “her” office and almost trod on a file folder lying on the floor, its contents spilling out on the threadbare carpet.

  Remembering two nights ago, Juliet looked around for other signs of tampering. Other than a desk drawer slightly open, which she might have done, everything else appeared untouched, but how the dickens had this file ended up on the floor halfway across the room?

  She should have bought a lock for the door when she got the bolt for the bathroom.

  But right now…She bent over to gather up the scattered papers and noticed the handwriting on a yellowed sheet torn from a memo pad. It was a handwriting she’d become quite familiar with the past couple of days.

  There were other notes, most of them stapled to printed sheets, and a few loose letters in envelopes with foreign stamps: France, Italy, even Hong Kong. A letter, in a different handwriting, fell out of one of the envelopes. It was the name signed at the end that caught her eye: Drew. Her father’s name. Okay, nothing unusual in a son writing to his father, and it was hardly out of the ordinary for a father to keep those letters. But stapling a canceled check to it?

  She opened the letter and read. Ten minutes later she was sitting on the floor, papers spread around her. Her coffee went cold and the biscuit sat untouched. The contents of the folder were far more engrossing.

  An hour later, she stood. Sh
e’d just made an incredible discovery and needed someone with whom to share it. There was still no sign of Rod, and much as she liked Mary-Beth, this was not something she was ready to tell her.

  It was just going to have to stew a while.

  How this particular file ended up on the floor mystified her. Had it been Rod? Had hearing her gripe about her father and grandfather caused him to leave this file in her path—literally—so she’d learn the old man had not neglected her? He’d sent money for her keep, school fees, holidays, and even a pony for a birthday one year. Only the money never reached her. Every check sent to her father for her use and her mother’s support went straight into her father’s bank account and stayed there.

  Seemed, if the rough notes were accurate, her grandfather had discovered the truth only after his son’s death. This recent bequest had to be his attempt to right a wrong. Certainly changed her opinion of the old man. And made her wonder, yet again, what sort of specimen of humanity her father was. He’d written repeatedly asking for money for her and even supposedly a deposit for a house for her and her mother, and not a single penny of it ever reached them.

  And if he’d done it for her, what about her two half-sisters? She rooted through every drawer, searching for folders labeled with their names—Nina and Lillie, she remembered—but didn’t find a trace. Or maybe Rod still had them. After all, it had to have been him who’d left it out. Although why he took such a roundabout way was beyond her. “Hey, Juliet, I think you ought to look at this file” would have been considerably more direct.

  Thinking of Rod, where was he?

  Nine

  Rod was sitting in a booth at the Rooster eating lunch with a man who looked vaguely familiar. While Juliet had been shattering a belief held since her earliest childhood, Rod had been munching on beer-battered onion rings.

  He had his back to her and didn’t notice her until she was within touching distance. The other man looked up. Rod, following his gaze, turned. Seeing her, he stood up, delight spread all over his face. “Juliet!” In front of the lunchtime clientele, he put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her. Just a gentle brush of his lips on hers, but it woke a tidal surge of physical memories and, she suspected, was registered and mentally recorded in the minds of every single Silver Gulch inhabitant present.