Maria opened the door and went into the kitchen. She took the bowl to the sink and started running water over the vegetables.
“Guess you’ll have to get used to spending time there. Don’t expect Jackson will want his wife in one place and him in another.”
“How do you know what Jackson might or might not want?” Samantha asked as she took out a pitcher of tea and poured herself a glass. “Want some tea?”
Maria shook her head no and continued to work on the beans. After a moment, she said, “He’s a man. No man wants to have his woman miles away from where he’s living. Not natural.”
His woman, the image of those words brought an instant recall of the hungry look she’d seen on Jackson’s face earlier. A part of her was trying very hard to keep control of the situation, but she found it harder and harder to deny the urges of her body, the desire to have Jackson make love to her again. And yet, she feared if she gave in to him, she’d soon become more Mrs. Stone and less the woman she had envisioned for herself.
“What do you want for dinner?” Maria asked. “I thought I might cook a couple of steaks?”
“I’m going to Jackson’s for dinner.”
Maria chuckled. “See, he’s a typical man.”
Samantha felt her blush. “It’s only dinner, Maria.”
“Whatever you say, dear. I’ll ask Mr. Riley what he’d like.”
“Where is Gramps?”
A brief frown crossed Maria’s face. “He said he had an important appointment in Saddle Creek. He didn’t say with whom or how soon he’d return.”
“You’re worried.”
“No. I’m sure it’s nothing. Now you go unpack and decide on what you’ll wear for your big date tonight.”
“Really, Maria, you and Gramps are too much.” She heard Maria laugh as she headed upstairs. Gramps rarely went to town. Folks mostly came to him. Maria was worried, although she denied it. Something felt wrong. Still, whatever the problem, if there was one, Maria would never tell her if Gramps said not to.
She quickly unpacked and changed into her jeans and a blue shirt. Just the outfit alone made her feel more like her old self. She’d saddle Princess and ride around the ranch. She opened her window and took a deep breath. Home. This was where she belonged, where she intended to stay. She just hadn’t figured out how to make it all happen her way.
* * * *
Samantha took a last glance in the mirror at her jeans and black shirt. She’d pulled her hair back into a pony tail. Casual and comfortable, nothing special to give Jackson any ideas. And how about your own? She shook her head at her reflection. She had herself under control. What happened in Houston was just an aberration.
She walked briskly downstairs and heard voices from the kitchen. Gramps, Jackson, and Maria sat around the table drinking coffee and talking. Jackson spotted her first. He glanced at his watch.
“A woman that’s ready on time, a miracle.” He gave her that thousand-watt smile, and her knees went weak.
Ignoring him, she went to Gramps and kissed his cheek. “I missed you today.”
“I had lunch with some friends and went out to see old Mrs. Daley. Her arthritis keeps her close to home.” He nodded at Jackson. “He tells me he’s having you over for dinner.”
“We discussed it, but we can eat here just as well and keep you company.”
“Definitely not. Maria is going to join me. I’ll be fine. You two have a lot of talking to do. Jackson said he’d like to decide on a wedding date, and I’m all for that. Don’t keep this old man waiting too long. I still want to walk you down the aisle.”
Samantha saw the warmth in Gramps eyes, so she bit her tongue. She’d been planning on a long engagement, but looking at Jackson and Gramps, she didn’t think she’d get away with prolonging the inevitable.
Jackson rose, kissed Maria on the cheek, and shook Gramps’ hand. He put his arm around Samantha. “Don’t wait up for her. It might take hours to convince her to plan our marriage for later this month.”
“This month!”
“We’ll talk later.” Jackson shuffled her quickly out the back door and to his truck. Before she said another word, he helped her into the seat and went around the front to get into the driver’s side.
“I’m not marrying you this month. There are plans to be made, invitations to send out. Why, you probably have hundreds that will expect an invite.”
He reached out with his right hand and squeezed her leg. “Relax. We’ll discuss the wedding while I barbecue our steaks.”
“Right. You don’t discuss. You order. I will not be told what to do.”
His deep chuckle and the warmth of his hand on her thigh sent a zing of desire straight to her core. She would not let him distract her with sex. She straightened in her seat and brushed his hand aside. “Behave. I’m coming for dinner, not to be dinner.”
Jackson laughed out loud. “That does sound much more enticing than mere barbecue.”
“Whatever has come over you, Jackson?”
“You, and the thought of having you all to myself, especially on our honeymoon.”
Heat rushed to Samantha’s face. “We do not need a honeymoon.” She heard the tremble in her voice. Jackson’s words had conjured all kinds of erotic pictures. Maybe she was losing her mind from all this stress. Determined to ignore him for the rest of the short ride, she turned her head and studied the passing scenery. Jackson hummed as he drove. She found she couldn’t ignore him or put him out of her thoughts. His scent, particular to him—part outdoorsy and part just his sheer masculinity—surrounded her, his humming set her nerves on edge, and his body seemed to fill up the truck cabin. Damn him. Where had all her newfound determination gone?
“Make yourself comfortable,” Jackson said as he led her into the large family room with the kitchen on one side. “I’ll start the fire. The steaks are marinating in the refrigerator.
“Can I help?”
“Sure, toss a salad together and turn on the oven.” He pointed to the island in the center of the kitchen. “The potatoes are ready to go in.”
Samantha saw the aluminum foil-wrapped spuds. In the fridge she found romaine lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, shredded carrots, and mushrooms to dice and slice for the salad bowl. Jackson had gone out the glass doors to the patio and was bent over checking the propane tank.
He really did have a fine ass. His tight jeans did nothing to hide his physique. He’d left his white shirt unbuttoned to the third hole, and brown hair shown between the edges. A familiar gold chain hung around his neck. She had glanced closer, when she first noticed it, and it was the one she’d given him at his high school graduation. A St. Christopher’s medal to protect him in his travels. On the back she’d had inscribed, To My Best Friend ever, Samantha.
Thinking back to their interlude in the shower, she realized he’d worn it then, too. Had he always kept it on or just recently since their situation changed? She could ask him, but something stopped her. She didn’t want to know.
“You’re staring,” Jackson said in a teasing tone.
“Not at you,” she denied. “My thoughts were miles away.”
“Your nose is going to start growing if you keep telling fibs.”
“I don’t fib.” Samantha turned her back to him and put the potatoes in the oven then grabbed the vegetables and began to rinse and cut them up. Concentrate, be strong, or you’ll find yourself at the justice of the peace tomorrow.
Surprisingly, Jackson didn’t tease her anymore, and he kept the conversation casual.
“The food is delicious,” Samantha said. “I’ve noticed you’ve made some changes since you bought the ranch from your folks. I like the new colors in here.” She glanced around the family room. “And that’s a gorgeous pool and patio area, very private, too, with the high concrete walls you had built around it.”
Jackson grinned. “That’s so I can skinny-dip whenever I want. Have you ever gone skinny-dipping, Samantha?”
There went her face blush
ing again. “No, I haven’t.”
“What a shame. Maybe we can take care of that tonight. Your first adult adventure with me.”
Samantha jumped up and began to clear the table. “I don’t think so, Jackson.”
He stopped her, took the dishes, and set them in the sink. “The maid comes tomorrow. She’ll clean this up.” He pulled her close to him. “I dare you.”
“No.”
“Scared?”
“Of course not.”
“How about if I promise not to do anything you don’t want.” His husky tone flowed like a caress over her body. “If it makes you feel better, then leave on your bra and panties.”
“But you’ll be naked.”
“Of course.” Slowly, he lowered his head and captured her lips. His tongue slid into the warm recesses of her mouth, moving in a light, soothing motion. He continued to kiss her while he picked her up and carried her outside to the pool. After putting her down, he strode to the side of the patio, reached in the family room door, and flipped the switch, leaving the house in darkness. Next he put out the lights on the patio and around the pool, except for a few colored ones under the water.
“Just in case you decide to join me. You can be assured no one will see you but me.” His hand went to his shirt. He quickly took it off, and then sat and removed his shoes.
Samantha watched, mesmerized, as he undid the button on his jeans and slid the zipper down. Her heart pounded. She ought to turn away, but her fascination held her in place. Jackson stepped out of his jeans and shorts. Moonlight glistened across the planes of his chest and abdomen. His face was in the shadows, so all she saw was the taunting curve of his mouth. Walking casually to the deep end, he dove into the water and came up shaking sparkling drops of water from his hair that appeared black in the dim light.
“Are you going to stand there all night or join me?”
“Turn around.”
“Not fair, you watched me.”
“Please, Jackson.”
He moved away from the edge and began to swim along the length of the pool. Samantha undressed quickly, leaving her bra and panties on, then she slipped into the pool from the nearest side. Jackson popped up right in front of her.
“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“I don’t guess so.” She plunged to his left and swam away. They raced each other from one end of the pool to the other. Samantha swam well, but the only time she beat Jackson, she knew he’d held up just a bit. Breathless, she stopped at the end and paddled with her feet. Jackson moved to her side.
“Ready to get out? If so, I have a suggestion.”
Samantha raised her eyebrow. “I’m afraid to ask what it is.”
“Nothing terrible. I’ll give you a towel, and while you remove your wet underclothes, I’ll get some lotion and give you a massage.”
“That sounds dangerous. I’ll be nude.”
“Darling, I’ve seen you nude before, and I said I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”
Her heart tripped faster. She started to say no, to take her home, but found the words spilling out of her mouth were just the opposite. “All right. Still, you will stop if I say so.”
He didn’t wait for her to change her mind. He handed her a towel from the cabana, situated at the darkest end of the patio, then went inside. She barely had time to wrap the towel around her before he returned with a large bottle of lotion. He took her arm and directed her to a double-sized lounge chair. It was wide and long.
“Lie down on your stomach.”
Samantha managed to lie down without dropping her towel. Jackson straddled her and pulled her wet hair to the side. Soon, she felt his hands filled with lotion begin to massage her neck and shoulders.
“Relax. You’re full of tense knots.”
How did any woman relax with a nude man straddling them and his warm hands doing wonderful things to her muscles and skin? He kneaded away all the aches and tension as he moved along each arm and then took long strokes over her back. When he got to the towel, he lifted her enough to pull it off her backside.
She had a fleeting thought to protest, but he hadn’t left her the energy to move, much less say anything but moan in pleasure. When his strong hands caressed her buttocks, fluid seeped out of her pussy and fire licked along every nerve in her body. She started to move around.
“Stay still. I’m not through yet, my love. I’m just getting started.”
Jackson slid further down and massaged each thigh and leg before continuing to her feet. His fingers slid lotion over her toes and instep. When he rubbed her feet, any lingering tension flowed away. He left her feet and did a quick rub up her body until he wrapped his body around her.
“I’m going to turn you and continue on your front,” he whispered in her ear then nibbled on her earlobe.
Low inside, an ache began to build. She gave no resistance as he moved off of her and rolled her to face him. His hunger made his face look drawn. His lowered eyelids hid their expression. A cool breeze rippled across her skin, causing her to shiver.
He straddled her again, wiped the lotion from his hands, and began to massage her scalp. “I love your hair. When it’s dry, the strands flow through my fingers like silk.”
Lowering his head, he kissed her cheeks, the corners of her mouth, and sucked on her lower lip. His hands moved to her neck and shoulders, caressing her while his tongue tasted and teased her mouth.
Continuing his exploration, he nuzzled her neck. “I can feel your pulse beating against my lips. You smell like flowers and taste like the sweetest nectar.” His husky voice made her ache.
He had her almost breathless as his body and hands circled her, becoming an extension of herself. His teasing tongue tasted her belly button and licked her skin to her pussy lips. She raised her hips to meet him, but he surprised her by changing positions and pouring cool lotion on her feet to restart his massage.
Her whole body throbbed and hungered for him. She wanted him inside her. She moaned, twisting around.
His deep chuckle only aroused her more. “Be still. I’m not done.”
Heat flowed upwards from her feet to touch every overly sensitized inch of her body. He kissed each toe and her instep, taking what seemed like forever. It was heavenly, and yet she wanted, needed more.
Finally, he began to kiss her ankle, lower leg, and then he rubbed more lotion on her thighs and began to massage her, especially along the inner thigh.
She stared up at the sprinkling of stars above and the slender curve of the moon. Vaguely, she heard a rip as he opened the condom package. Quickly, he moved back to her, and his lips ran across her clit, arousing her to a fever pitch. He separated her pussy lips and tasted and touched all her most intimate places. Her insides clenched and unclenched, starving for his attention. She raised herself and opened her legs further, moaning the words, “fill me, please fill me.”
He moved up the length of her, where he could lick her peaked nipple. His fingers reached down and stroked just inside the opening to her wet, tight pussy. In her impatience, she took hold of his warm, stiff cock, and moving his hand away, she positioned him right at her opening.
“Do you want me to make love to you?”
“Yes, yes, push inside of me. I can’t wait another second.”
His cock slipped, just barely, into her gushing, wet pussy, and then he rubbed his thumb over her clit. Samantha raised her hips and pulled his buttocks toward her, but he controlled their progress, holding back and entering inch by inch until her head thrashed from side to side.
“Say you want me again. I want to hear the words.”
“I want you, damn it.”
He plunged his wide cock in all the way and ravaged her mouth while his body thrust in and out, taking her to a level of pleasure she’d never known. His kiss muffled her scream as she exploded with tremors rocketing through her limbs. A few more strokes and he pushed in hard one last time. His body stiffened as he crushed her to him.
&
nbsp; Gradually, the shaky world settled. Jackson lay on her, breathing heavily. He pushed himself up with his arms and stared down at her. “You’re all right?”
Samantha’s heart still pounded in her chest, but she nodded her head yes. Another second and Jackson rolled off of her.
“You will marry me on Saturday, two weeks from now. Invite whoever you want, big wedding or a justice of the peace, I don’t care.”
She wanted to remind him she wasn’t always going to take orders, but at this point she had no energy or desire to say anything. When reality returned, she blushed at the thought that she’d forgotten they were outside, even if behind high walls. Also, all her plans to resist him had melted away at his touch.
He rose and pulled on his jeans. “I’d better drive you home. Otherwise I’ll end up keeping you here all night.” She put out her hand, and he pulled her to him, gave her a quick hug, and kissed the top of her head. He reached for her clothes. “I’ll help you dress.”
“Oh no. I’m quite capable of dressing myself. Go inside and give me some privacy. I’ll join you in a moment.”
Jackson started to say something, but instead, he strode across the patio to the door. “Don’t take too long.”
Samantha took a deep breath and dove into the pool. The cool water dissipated the heat from her body. She swam two laps before getting out, drying off, and dressing. Jackson had come to the door.
“Ready?”
“Yes.” But she doubted it. Would she ever be ready for all the changes swamping her every day since she’d asked Jackson to marry her? Jackson had been her best friend for years. She’d known him better than any other man. She thought.
Yet, the man who accepted her proposal seemed a different entity. I don’t know him at all.
Chapter Six
Jackson glanced at Samantha several times as he drove her back to her ranch. Inside the truck, the silence was thick with unsaid words. He pulled close to the porch and turned off the engine. Outside, an owl hooted in the distance and several dogs barked.
Cameron, Paige - The Billionaire Cowboy Takes a Wife (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 5