by Jenika Snow
“You don’t have to be worried or nervous, Pearl.” He leaned forward, clasped his hands together, and looked down at them. They were filthy from working on the truck, and no amount of cleaning would take the grime off. It was embedded in his fingers, in his very bones. He was a farmer, a cowboy, and that was how he’d always be.
Pearl was a sweet and sophisticated city girl, had been surrounded by the hectic world he stayed away from. Maybe that’s why he was so drawn to her, because she was so different from what he was used to in Granite? It made sense to a point, but even that didn’t explain why he’d been drawn to her before he even knew any of that. Underneath that unsure, timid exterior she sported right now, he saw a woman that was sure of herself, of her accomplishments. She’d been dealt a shitty hand currently, but was clearly making a home for herself in Granite and trying to push through it.
“So, I have the job?” she asked, breaking up his thoughts and the silence. He leaned back in the seat once more.
“The job is yours if you think you can handle the three of us.” He smirked. “My brothers are loud, immature, and you being here to cook and clean up after them will only make it worse, I think.”
She smiled, and the way her face lit up had his heart beating a bit faster.
“If you think you can handle that, and not wring their necks every night when they get on your nerves, I think you’d be good here, Pearl.” He saw her smile fade slightly, and she looked down at the table.
“Honestly?” She looked up at him. “It’ll be nice to be around people again. Even in the city I didn’t really have anyone aside from the people I worked with, and they were pretty self-absorbed and vain. You three work hard, clearly, and the atmosphere is relaxing and gorgeous.” When she smiled this time it was a little sad, and this part of him wanted to go to her, pull her onto his lap, and hold her.
He wanted to be the male that made her smile, not the one that had her feeling crummy. He’d never wanted to comfort a woman, didn’t care if their emotions had them crying and clinging, but with Pearl he did, and that made him feel like a man, but also a little uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry you were alone,” he said and meant it.
She shrugged and pasted on a smile that wasn’t very believable. “It is what it is.” She cleared her throat again. “But…” She paused, and he knew what she was going to say before the words left her mouth. “What are we supposed to do about last night? I mean, isn’t this a bit awkward?”
He thought about what she said, not because he needed to, but because he didn’t know how to answer it. “Well, it is what it is, right?” He used her own words to respond, because if he told her that he still wanted her, wanted to be in her again, she might run off and not take the job. He couldn’t have that. He wanted her near, wanted to have her close for his own selfish reasons. Travis didn’t even know if she’d let him have her again, and maybe that’s all he needed to get her out of his system? Yeah, that had to be it.
Pearl was just so much different from the Granite women he’d immersed himself in, and because of that he was addicted to the idea of her. God, it sounded like such a fucking asshole thing to think, but right now he was holding onto it, and rolling with it. She’d either give him the time of day again, or she’d say fuck off, which may be what he deserved.
Chapter Ten
Pearl sat at her grandmother’s kitchen table, the hot coffee in the mug in front of her smelling of vanilla. She also added a bit of cinnamon to her coffee, and her grandmother had loved vanilla flavored things, so it was the best of both worlds. She picked up the mug and stared out the window. She had to leave to go to Sterling Farms in about ten minutes, and the sun hadn’t even risen yet. It had been three days since she’d gone over to see Travis and his brothers, taken the job, and realized that this would be the easiest or hardest job she’d ever done.
With advertising it was easy. She knew her objective, knew her goals. But with this she was doing domestic things to help out hardworking men that hadn’t been with a woman for more than a few hours at a time. She’d heard the rumors over the last few days, even asked her neighbor, Brooklyn, about what the deal with them was. The truth was she wanted to know about Travis, about his past and what made him tick. To hear Brooklyn say he was basically a man-whore in Granite, but that the women wanted him like they wanted a tall glass of water on a hot day, pissed, annoyed, and made Pearl sick to her stomach.
She finished off her coffee, took it to the sink and rinsed it out. The sun was just now starting to rise, and she knew the guys had already been up and working for hours. She wasn’t a total moron when it came to country living; she just wasn’t used to it. After she grabbed her things, the few potted flowers she’d gotten at the greenhouse to put in the kitchen and living room of the main house, she got into her car and started it. Then she headed to Sterling Farms, her heart in her throat, her nerves a wreck, and all because she was anxious to see Travis.
When she parked her car in front of the main house and cut the engine, the sun had already risen, and she could see the small forms of the guys working in the distance. They were working with a horse, running it around a pen, and maybe breaking it in. She got right to work, knowing that they’d probably be starving when they came inside in about an hour.
She set the two lilacs on the kitchen table when she entered the house, wrinkled her nose at the stale smell that filled the small room, and proceeded to open some windows. It was supposed to be nice today. She’d cook, clean up afterwards, then start on straightening up the main house. It would take her a few days to make it livable, that was for sure. Cleaning was not what she’d envisioned herself doing as a profession, but the scenery was nice, it wasn’t backbreaking work, and she was close to the object of her desire. God, she sounded like a hormonal teenager.
She got all the ingredients to make pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and hash browns. She made a mental note to run to the store later and stock up on food since these men were in dire need of protein rich items. If she was really going to do this then she’d do it right and make herself proud of what she was doing, even if that was cooking and cleaning.
By the time she had the table set and the food ready to go she heard the front door opening and banging shut. She took a step back, watching as Jace and Colton came in. The sound of their boots hitting the floor was loud, the scent of their sweat was strong, and the look of surprise on their faces when they saw the spread on the table had her smiling. She was nervous, having never really cooked for anyone aside from herself and her parents occasionally when they were alive. It wasn’t hard to prepare a meal, not to her at least, but she was worried that she’d disappoint.
“Well damn,” Jace said and took off his cowboy hat. He grabbed a rag from his back pocket and wiped off the sweat from his face.
“That’s one damn spread, Pearl,” Colton said and did the same as his brother.
Travis came in last, and her heart jumped in her throat as she watched him take in the scene of the table and lean against the wall. “Boy, better get cleaned up so we can chow.” He grinned at her, and she felt her smile grow. Why did she care if he approved?
Because you want this to work out. Because you want him more than you should.
Yeah, she really did, and she didn’t know if that was smart or not.
After the guys cleaned up and were sitting at the table they started acting like they hadn’t eaten in years.
“Damn, Pearl, this shit is good,” Jace said, his mouth full and the atmosphere happy and content.
“Don’t talk with food in your mouth, ass.” Colton said around a big mouthful of food. She found herself laughing at their antics. Turning, she started washing the dishes, needing to find something to keep busy.
“You want to join us?” Travis asked.
She looked over her shoulder at him. Shaking her head, she curled her nails into her palms. “I ate before I came here.”
He nodded once, went back to eating, and she turned and
finished cleaning the dishes.
“We haven’t had cooking like this since Mom.” The room went silent when Jace spoke, and she looked over her shoulder again. There was this heavy tenseness that filled the room, and the expression on the guys’ faces was somber, sad. She knew from speaking with Brooklyn that they’d lost their parents years ago, and had stayed on the farm to keep it going. These men were strong, stuck together, and although their reputations might not be the best because of how much sex they liked, the truth was they were honest and hardworking.
“Would you guys like more coffee?” she asked, grabbing the pot and going over to the table. She didn’t want to interrupt their personal time of reflecting, but she could also see that they were uncomfortable as the memories of their mother clearly consumed them.
“Yeah, darlin’,” Travis said, and she was frozen, not sure if she should react to him just calling her that endearment. But Jace and Colton didn’t act like it was a big deal, or they didn’t care, because they kept right on eating and changed the subject.
For the next hour she listened to the guys talk about what else needed to be done before the sun went down, and then she cleaned up. Looking out the window over the sink she saw Jace and Colton making their way toward the barn to muck it out, and a smile came over her. They’d acted so thankful after breakfast, even if this was her job and they were paying her.
Pearl cleaned the kitchen, worked on that damn thing all morning, and once she was satisfied that the dirt and grease were cleaned up as well as they were going to be, she started working on the living room. The pictures of Travis, Jace, and Colton that hung on the wall spanned the course of their lifetimes. Picking up one of the pictures, she ran a rag over the glass, cleaning the dust from it, and staring at the woman, man, and the three little boys that were at their feet. They were in front of the main house, the mother and father on the steps, the little boys smiling wide as someone took their picture. It was a cute photo, one that showed a happy family.
The picture itself was a little faded, clearly aged from sitting on the mantel, and sun worn. It was taken in the eighties judging by the clothing everyone wore, and Pearl smiled. She had a similar picture of her mother and father, but it was when she’d been in the late nineties, her brightly colored overalls, one of the straps hanging across her chest, and her hair in about a hundred micro braids. God, she’d loved that time back then, loved that she’d had her family, the love they gave her continuously, and she hated that everything changed.
Setting the picture back down, she finished dusting, Pledging, Windexing, and finally vacuuming. When she was satisfied this room was tackled she took a step back and looked at her accomplishment. It was going on lunchtime, but the guys had eaten a big breakfast, and she’d start cooking a little later. When she’d negotiated her schedule and her duties with Travis it had been surprisingly easy to get what she wanted. He’d just sat there, let her do all the talking, and agreed with whatever she’d said.
So, Pearl would be working for them four days a week, coming in at sunrise, cooking breakfast and a late lunch for them, and cleaning. Her wage was actually very generous, or at least she thought so until she’d spent the entire morning cleaning only two rooms. These men didn’t like to clean up after themselves, that was for sure, and she certainly was earning her keep.
After she put the cleaning supplies under the sink in the kitchen she looked out the window and saw Jace and Colton again. They were shirtless now, but the distance made it too hard to make out their physique. Although Pearl didn’t need to see up-close how toned and defined they were. She could gauge that with their clothing on, and knew they looked just as phenomenal as their older brother.
She went through the task of cooking lunch, having decided on sandwiches and homemade macaroni salad. She’d set out a pitcher of sun tea, and it was nice and ready when she brought it in. With a bag of chips on the table, the toppings for the sandwiches, and the salad also waiting to be devoured by the three men, she took a moment to just listen to … nothing. It was so peaceful here, so tranquil even with the sound of the guys shouting in the distance. She hadn’t seen Travis since he left after breakfast and disappeared in the back property, and the ache she had refused to leave. What was it about him?
“What are you thinking about?”
The sound of Travis’s deep voice shocked her out of her thoughts. There he was, standing before her in nothing but a pair of denims, his hair slightly damp from sweat, his chest glistening from his time out in the sun, and all she thought about was clearing off the table and letting him have his filthy way with her right here and now.
“I—” Clearing her throat and smoothing her hands down her thighs, she tried to think of something more innocent. “Nothing, just that I should go to the store since you guys don’t have much in the food department that’s healthy.” She’d used up all of the “good” food for breakfast and making lunch, and if she was going to be cooking the rest of the week they needed more than what was in the pantry and fridge.
He moved into the kitchen and set on the table the rag he’d been using to clean off the sweat from his face and chest. Her heart started pounding a little harder, a little faster. He moved over to the sink, right where she was standing, and cleaned off his hands. The scent of him was clean sweat, fresh male despite the fact he’d been working in the sun all day. His jeans were worn, dirty, and the big gold belt buckle he wore screamed country boy, or at least she was assuming that given the movies she’d seen of cowboys. She liked how he looked, liked that he was wild and untamed.
“You smell like lemon,” he said and turned his head to look at her. The sound of the running water had her ears ringing, or maybe that was the sound of her heart eating so fast and hard.
“You smell like sweat,” she said and instantly felt like an asshole. But the truth was she liked the smell, grew aroused from it even. He shut off the water and turned to the side so he was now facing her. The sight of his chest, of his broad shoulders and tanned skin, and the thought she wanted to run her tongue along the droplets of perspiration on his body, had her so needy and wet.
“That’s what a man smells like, Pearl.” He took a step closer to her and she pressed her back to the counter, not having anywhere to go. “You know how much of a man I am, don’t you?” He was toying with her, trying to be this arrogant male that tempted her, she knew that, and he was succeeding.
Licking her lips and looking down at his mouth, at his jaw scruffy with stubble, and his lips full and kissable, she leaned forward, not able to stop herself.
“You’re wet right now, aren’t you, darlin’?” he whispered in that decadently delicious voice of his, all hard and deep.
She didn’t want to answer, didn’t want to admit that she was so wet she couldn’t even walk comfortably because her panties were soaked.
“You’ve been thinking about me, thinking about my cock buried between your thighs, and making you scream out because you feel so good.”
Her mouth parted on its own, her body became flushed with arousal, and she nodded, feeling herself slip down the rabbit hole like she was Alice. God, this man was like her drug of choice, and her body knew exactly the effects and emotions he could arouse in her. It wanted him, and she knew that she wasn’t strong enough to deny herself being with him, even if this was only about sex.
But she didn’t want that, didn’t want to just be another notch in his bedpost. As strange and wrong as it might be since they’d just met, she wanted more with the cowboy, but didn’t know if she could give herself over completely to a man like Travis. He could break her heart and not even realize what he’d done, and then all other men would be ruined for her in the future. That was a heady realization, and one that was kind of frightening.
Chapter Eleven
Travis was losing his fucking mind. He wanted Pearl, and he knew this wasn’t just about having his dick inside of her sweet body, yet he wasn’t quite sure how he knew that. There was a part of him that just
wanted to see what it was like to actually give himself to a woman, to care for her, be with her for more than just screwing. He wanted to show her off, have her on his arm as he took her into town and they went on … dates. Yeah, fucking dates. He couldn’t remember the last time he’dgone on a date.
He smelled her again, inhaled deeply and let out a low growl. She smelled fresh, clean, like lemons and honey. Damn, he wanted her body covered in honey, wanted to lick her flesh until she was a wet mess of arousal beneath him. His cock was hard, insistent to be buried in her tight, hot, wet pussy.
Taking another step toward her, he felt the heat from her body, felt the warm puffs of air leave her mouth as she breathed out. “I’ll be honest, since seeing you in that bar all those nights ago I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.” The sound of her inhaling, as if maybe his words shocked her, came through and filled his head. “I won’t apologize, won’t say I’ll stay away either, because I won’t.”
“I won’t be a pussy on demand for you,” she said in a soft voice that was slightly shaky.
“I can get pussy anytime I want, and that’s not an arrogant jab, but a fact.” He lowered his gaze to her mouth. “I want your pussy, no fucking doubt about that, but I also want you, Pearl.” He ground his dick into her, loved that her softness cushioned his hardness. “I want to have you in my bed, under me and all sweaty as you cling to my body. I want to be the only cock that is in your tight little cunt from this point on. I want to have my cum in your pussy, want you smelling like me, tasting like me, and only me. I don’t want any other woman, Pearl, and I don’t want you to be with any other man. As fucking crazy as this sounds, as crazy as hell that I’m jumping in like this and professing what I need, it’s the honest truth, darlin’.”
“This is insane.” She breathed out. “What you’re saying is crazy, Travis.”
He grinned, knowing that was the truth, but right now he was just going for what he wanted. Before he could say anything, or maybe take her right here on the kitchen counter, the sound of Jace and Colton’s voices on the front porch came through. Seconds later the front door was opening and banging shut.