by Liz Crowe
The fork disappeared between her plump lips. God, I never thought watching someone eat was sexy before. Her brown eyes sparkled in the overhead lighting of the dining hall. He shook his head. Thoughts of her in any kind of romantic situation would just lead to trouble.
“I would appreciate it. I have a vivid imagination but to have firsthand knowledge is priceless. Makes it much easier to describe scenes when you have information.”
“Do you know horses?” he asked, pushing his empty plate back.
“A few. I don't have any of my own, but I’ve ridden before.”
“We can do some ranch work tomorrow if you like. Ride fences and the like.”
Her smile lit up the room like a beacon for wayward ships at sea.
“Awesome. I haven’t been on a real working ranch before so this will be the best experience I could ask for.”
“Joel, you’ve got roundup tomorrow,” his dad interjected.
“Do you think it would be okay for Mesa to go with us?”
“If she doesn’t mind watching you and your brothers branding. Castration might be a bit much for her to watch.”
“Oh no, Mr. Young. I would love to watch!”
“Please, call me James.”
“Very well, James. I think it would be a great experience for me to watch everything.” Her excitement almost bubbled over like a boiling pot.
“It’s smelly, dirty, nasty work. The boys can tell you.”
The group murmured their agreement, but she wasn’t to be dissuaded. If she wanted to watch branding, she'd watch branding, he decided. He was going to give her the full experience for the time she would be in his care.
Most of the guests had finished their meal and put their plates in the tub for the dirty dishes so the group of men picked up their plates too. Mesa followed with her own until she spied the chocolate mousse cake sitting on the side cupboard for the guests. “May I?”
“Of course. It’s dessert for everyone. You’ll really like it if you are a chocolate person. It’s very rich, though.” He grabbed two cups and headed back to the table. “These are my favorite.”
As she spooned a little bite into her mouth, her eyes closed and she groaned. It was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. His cock jumped to attention behind the fly of his jeans. Fuck! She looked like she might orgasm at any moment and he wanted nothing more than to see the same look on her face as he drove into her hot pussy.
He cleared his throat and swallowed hard past the lump. Her tongue slid over the surface of her lips, swiping at the bit of chocolate clinging to her bottom lip. He wanted to suck her tongue into his mouth and taste the decedent chocolate mixture on her lips for himself. The groan rumbling in his chest stopped at his lips. If he let it out, she'd know how much her little display turned him on. I’m so screwed.
“You okay, buddy?” Joshua slapped him on the back and grinned.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
She opened her eyes and he noticed they twinkled with mirth. Of course she knew what she did to him. Didn’t every woman have the ability engrained in her psyche to torture a man until his balls turned blue?
“This is fabulous, Joel. I’m glad you suggested it. I’ve never tasted anything this good.”
“Glad you like it,” he squeaked. He cleared his throat as he blushed. His brothers laughed, as they filtered out of the room joking around and punching each other. Damn them all.
The dining room slowly cleared of guests, leaving her and Joel alone at the table.
“I guess I should get going so it doesn’t take me long to get back. I hate driving in the dark on roads I don’t know.”
“Would you like me to go with you?”
“Would you?”
“Sure. You know, so you don’t get lost coming back.”
“True. I probably will. Of course, you’d have to come rescue me again.”
“I’d rescue you anytime, darlin’.”
She blushed and dropped her gaze to the table. Surely, she wasn’t embarrassed by his attention? Women like her should be showered with it. Curvy, cute, and sexy, with a rack big enough to bury himself in, would get her lots of interest around these parts, especially from his brothers. They all liked curvy women.
“Is that a southern boy endearment you all use to get in women’s pants?”
“Huh?”
“Darlin’.”
“I use it for anyone I like, so it doesn’t apply to just getting into a woman’s jeans.”
She took his hand between hers, stroking her finger over his knuckles. The sensation reminded him of what she could do to his cock if he could get far enough with her. She’d only be there a few days. Maybe she’d be interested in some wild sex.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I use it a lot for my characters. I’m curious if I’m doing it right is all.”
“It is an endearment southern men commonly use, I guess. I never noticed before.”
“Do you mind if I write all this down? It’s great to have someone I can base characters off of now that I've met a real cowboy.”
“You never met a real cowboy before?”
“Well some, yes, but not one who works on a ranch or lives the life every day. This is great!” She scrambled to her feet dragging him up with her. “We should go if we’re going to get back.”
“I need to let my parents know I’m leaving with you.”
“All right. I’ll meet you outside by the car. Jeremiah slipped me the keys at dinner.”
As she headed down the middle of the room toward the door, he couldn’t help but notice her cute little ass. His mother’s sundress molded to her like a second skin, emphasizing the round curve of her backside. Her long legs would look good wrapped around his hips.
“Damn, I need to get my head out of the gutter. She’s a guest. We don’t fuck guests.” He shook his head to clear the lingering thoughts as he headed to the ranch office.
“Mom, I'm going to town with Mesa to get her stuff.”
“How sweet of you, Joel. I’m sure she’ll appreciate the company. It is a forty-five minute drive back to San Antonio.”
“I’m afraid she’d get lost coming back.”
His mom looked at him with an arched eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s not just to spend more time with her? She’s an interesting young woman.”
“She’s a guest, Mom.”
“I know. You boys don’t mess with guests, no matter how beautiful they are.”
“That’s right. It’s your rule.” Never mind the two times before. Mom would kill me if she knew.
“It hasn’t been a problem for you…until now.”
“No problem.”
“Are you sure? I think you’re trying to convince yourself more than me.” She stood up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Son, if you’re interested in Mesa, go after her. There is nothing wrong with finding the right woman in a strange circumstance. God has a way of bringing us together with our soul mate.”
“Soul mate? Mom, I’m only thinking of fucking her for a few days, not marrying her.”
“You never know. She might get under your skin so fast you won’t know what hit you. Love works in mysterious ways sometimes.”
“Stop trying to get us married off so you can have daughter-in-laws. I’m only twenty-eight.”
“Plenty old enough to have a family of your own. You’re all stubborn mules when it comes to women.”
“No, none of us have found the one. I personally won’t settle for anything less.”
“Good for you, Joel. I don’t want any of my sons to settle for less. Y’all need to hurry the hell up with this woman thing though.”
Joel rolled his eyes. After a big hug, he stepped back and kissed her on the cheek. “I love you, Mom, but I’ll find the right girl someday. Don't rush me.”
“Rush you, hell! It’s time all of you settle down. Especially, Jeff, Jackson, and Jacob. They’re all in their thirties.”
“Then go bug them. I know Jacob had a
hot date with a girl from town last night. He didn’t get home until early this morning.”
“I’m worried about him. He’s been drinking a lot lately.”
“I know. I’ve tried talking to him about it, but he just tells me to butt out. He doesn’t think he has a problem.” The sadness on his mom’s face hurt his heart. He knew she wanted the best for all of them. “It'll work itself out.”
“He needs to get his ass kicked. Maybe that’ll straighten him out.”
“I don’t know. Only if it’s by a woman. I better go. Mesa is waiting by the car. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“No problem. We’re doing the bonfire tonight.”
“I know. I already told Mesa about it. She’s excited. She wants to see the foal being born, too, but I’m not sure of the mother’s timeframe. I don’t know whether she’d want me to wake her up in the middle of the night.”
“She probably would want you to, but you need to get going. Don’t keep the lady waiting.” Nina grinned like she had a secret. His mother was playing matchmaker again, and this time he was the target.
Chapter Three
Mesa stood near the car waiting for Joel to emerge from the house. The whole ranch was beautiful. She couldn’t seem to look quick enough to take it all in. The house, the barn, the cabins, the cowboys…Good Lord, the whole thing overloaded her cowboy sucking brain.
She frowned. That wasn’t a good comparison for this particular situation. Not like she had an aversion to sucking anyone, especially if it included Joel. Her whole chest expanded with a deep sigh. Getting involved with anyone right now wouldn’t be good. Her life included her apartment in Los Angeles, her cat, Tigger, and no boyfriend in sight. Even if she only wanted a quick fling, he wouldn’t be the right guy to do it with. His charming good looks, cowboy manners, gentlemanly behavior, and nice ass in those jeans made him hard to resist, though.
Joel stepped out the door of the main house and headed in her direction. The wide chest, bulging biceps, and trim hips made her panties wet. She could easily fashion one of her characters to look like him. The dark hair curling slightly by his ears and around his neck, the sparkling blue eyes, the trim, sensuous lips she wanted to kiss with everything inside her. All of it made her body sit up and take notice of the hot man coming closer.
“Ready?”
“Yep,” she said, opening her door. “You know, you don’t have to go with me. I think I can find my way back by myself.”
“I doubt it with these roads at night. Besides, you can tell me more about your writing while you drive.”
She slid behind the wheel before she buckled her seatbelt. “You don’t want to hear about my writing do you?” The car turned over with a twist of the key.
“Sure,” he said, buckling his own seatbelt. “It sounds interesting.”
As she backed out of the spot, she replied, “It’s not very interesting, really.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that? I’ve never met an author before.” He pushed the seat back to accommodate his long legs. “So, explain to me what you write.”
“I told you. I write cowboys.”
“I got that part, but you said they weren’t like westerns, really.”
Heat crawled up her neck, splashing red across her cheeks.
“Are you blushing, Mesa?”
“Yes. You’re teasing me, Joel.” Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter.
“No, I’m not. I really want to know what you write.”
She inhaled through her nose, blowing it out through her mouth in a rush. “All right. I write erotic cowboy stories.”
“Erotic?”
“Romance. The guy and the girl meet, they have some kind of conflict, they split up, and then they resolve things to get back together. In between, there is lots and lots of hot sex.”
“Oh. Sounds fun.”
“They think so, I’m sure. They certainly don’t argue with me when I’m writing it.”
“These people talk to you?”
“Of course they do. They tell me their story. I just write it down.” She glanced at Joel. “I’m not crazy.”
“Okay.”
“You don’t understand. The characters are like voices in my head.”
“Okay.”
“Stop it.”
“No, really. It’s fine. Just let me out here. I’ll get a ride back to the house.” He laughed at the sour look on her face as she scrunched up her nose. “I’m kidding, Mesa. I think it’s good you write books.”
“You don’t think I’m nuts?”
“No. We all have our little quirks.”
Quirks? “Authors are a bit over the top sometimes.”
“I wouldn’t know. You’re the first one I’ve met, but if they are all pretty like you, then I don’t mind.”
“I’m not pretty.”
“Sure you are. I like my women curvy, and you have just the right amount of curves.”
“I’m not your woman.” With a flip of her hair over her shoulder, she concentrated on the road in front of the car. Texas junipers sped by the windows in the fading daylight. More longhorn cattle dotted the landscape. Blacktop stretched in front of the car for miles. She knew she’d been driving away from the main road for a while before she’d run out of gas.
“Don’t get testy. It’s a compliment.”
He shifted in the seat, bringing her awareness of him into sharp view. Damn.
“Do you not get complimented often? You should, you know.”
“Not much, I guess.” She shrugged. The sunlight had begun to wane, creating long shadows in the scenery. Rocks of all shapes and sizes sprouted from hard ground. She’d have to ask Joel what kind they were so she could be accurate in her description, should she use it in a book. Inspiration flowed, abound in her imagination since she met him. The surroundings of the ranch, his brothers, him, all of them sparked something in her she’d been afraid had died over the last year. Her writing had suffered—badly. Yes, she had a few best sellers, but her last book flopped. The next one needed to be stellar to bring back her fans.
The breakup with her longtime boyfriend, Kurt, hadn’t helped matters, but she couldn’t fault him. The decision to call off their relationship came from her. He hadn’t liked it, but they parted on friendly terms. Their sex life fizzled out some time ago with her need to explore. She wanted more and Kurt had been satisfied with missionary position. No fun. No excitement. Nothing. What would sex with Joel be like?
“Do you write full time?”
His question brought her mind back to their conversation. Thinking about sex with Joel wasn’t where she needed to be. Well maybe it was, but she couldn’t act on it even though it had been a while since she’d been between the sheets with anyone. “Yes. It keeps me plenty busy.”
“I imagine it kind of makes you a hermit, though. Sitting in front of your desk all the time.”
“I guess. I don’t go out much.”
“Where do you live when you aren’t going to these conferences?”
“Los Angeles.”
“In L.A. itself, or one of the suburbs?”
There he went, stretching out his long legs again. Damn, the man looks good in a pair of jeans. “A suburb. I have a small apartment with my cat.”
“Ah. A catlady.”
Her head whipped around as her gaze locked with his. Those intense blue eyes stared back until she focused on the road again. “I only have one. I don’t consider myself a catlady.”
“Boy, you’re testy. I didn’t mean anything by it. I like cats.”
“Do you have pets, other than your horse?”
“A horse isn’t a pet. It’s a working animal. Something required for my job.”
She raised a hand and said, “Sorry. I think of horses as pets. They can be big babies.”
“Ours aren’t pets.”
“But you love him, don’t you?”
“Yeah. He’s my buddy.”
“Then he’s your pet.”<
br />
Joel laughed. “All right. I’ll give you that. He’s my pet. I’ve had him since I was young. My parents got him for me on my thirteenth birthday.”
“Did your brothers get one, too?”
“Yeah. We all three got our own. Before, we would ride one of the stable horses. Jet is my horse.”
“Jet? But he’s red.”
“I know. He fit the name ’cause he’s quick. He’s a cutting horse.”
“You don’t mind if I pick your brain while I stay with your family, do you? I’m realizing even though I write about cowboys, horses, bullriders, and all things western, I don’t know everything I should to make my books authentic.”
“Sure. I don’t mind.”
She glanced his way and smiled. “Have you ever ridden a bull?”
“A few times, yes. In high school, mostly. We all did those crazy-ass things during our younger years.”
“You make yourself out to be this old man. What are you? Twenty-five?”
“Twenty-eight, but when you’re doing rodeo for a livin’, it makes you old fast. Ever realize there aren’t a lot of old rodeo guys? It’s a hard life.”
“Any of your brothers do professional rodeo?”
“Nah. We have too much work to do around the ranch.”
“Oh.”
“Ranchin’ is a hard life too. Don’t get me wrong.” He wiped his palms on his pant legs. “We get up before dawn most days and don’t get to bed until late.”
“I’m sure you all have a normal party life though, right? I mean, all work and no play makes Joel a dull boy.”
“We get around,” he said with a crooked little grin on his lips.
She wanted to kiss it right off his mouth.
The lights of San Antonio came into view as more businesses sprouted up along the sides of the road.
“What hotel are you staying at?”