by Ava Sinclair
She nodded. Her cries had diminished to little hiccoughing sobs now, and Jace took her in his arms. “Clean slate, baby. Clean slate.” He kissed her on the head. “Now get dressed. We’ve been out here longer than I intended and I’ve got to get back to work.”
“No, you don’t,” she pouted. “You own the ranch. You can spend the day with me if you want.”
“You’re right,” he said. “But I want you to spend the day thinking about why your butt is so sore. Now go on…”
Lily Mae pouted, but dressed nonetheless. Jace could tell she didn’t want to get back in the saddle, but he made her do it anyway. It was part of the lesson.
She kept her horse at a walk now, the mare moving easily as if she knew her rider couldn’t take much jostling. As they were heading over the hill, the ranch foreman, Lyle, met them coming up the other side.
“Hey, boss.” He tipped his hat toward Lily Mae. “Ma’am.” When she nodded in reply, Lyle turned to Jace. “That quarter horse mare is foaling, but something ain’t right. I’ve called Doc Harper, but I figured you might want to get to the barn.”
“Damn,” Jace said. “She’s early. I hope this isn’t going to end badly.”
“Can I come?” Lily Mae asked.
Jace turned to her. “No, baby. I want you back at the house. You know why, so go on.”
There were tears in Lily Mae’s eyes as she pulled her horse toward home without a word.
Lyle watched her go.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
Jace sighed. “Nothing I can’t handle,” he said. “Lily Mae got set in her ways out in California. Now that she’s back in my life, she’s having to learn that she can’t always get her way. Sometimes it rubs her wrong.”
Lyle chuckled as he and Jace headed toward the large barn east of the house. “Well, no one’s going to judge you for it. You always were the only one who could handle that girl when we were growing up. It shocked us all when she up and ran off like she did. We all thought you two would find your way back together. I just hope…”
“Hope what?” Even though he was in a hurry, Jace pulled his horse up short. Beside him, his foreman did the same, resting an elbow on his saddle horn as he turned to look at Jace.
“She was gone a long time, Jace. Who knows what she got into in California. I know she and her mama weren’t close, but apparently Helen claimed to be worried about what her daughter was doing out there.” He paused. “You sure you know what you’re getting into? I’d hate to see something come up later to ruin things for you two. I’m thinking it would hurt worse to lose her the second time around.”
Jace looked down the hill. In the distance he could see Lily Mae riding up to his house—their house, now. He’d offered to share everything with her without so much as a second thought. But now Lyle’s cautionary words combined with the memory of Lily Mae’s outburst at the pond had him wondering if there wasn’t something going on with her that she was hiding.
He looked over at his friend. “You’re right,” he said. “It would hurt more the second time around. But I aim to do all I can to keep her. If it falls apart this time, it won’t be because I didn’t try.” He sighed heavily. “But enough of this. We’ve got a horse to see to.”
Chapter Eight
Lily Mae stood in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom she shared with Jace, looking at the thin welts his switching had left on her bottom. Tears slipped from her eyes and trailed down her cheeks, but those tears weren’t because he’d punished her. He was right; she’d earned it. What’s more, he’d cared enough to give her exactly the kind of limits they both knew she needed.
No, the tears were for fear of losing the man and the life she’d always dreamed of, and for doing exactly what she’d promised not to do—lying to Jace.
The truth was that she did want her belongings. The townhouse contained not just everything she’d worked for, but everything Jace had so graciously kept her from losing. But by now Tony Orzo had to know she’d left town, and he’d be waiting for her if she came back.
How could she explain her association with a man like that, or the tacit promise she’d made in a moment of desperation? And even if Jace forgave her, Tony wouldn’t. Lily had heard rumors about what happened to people who crossed him. A chill ran though her as she considered the safety of the man she loved.
Dropping the hem of the flowered dress over her thong, she headed into the kitchen. From the window, she could see the barn. The veterinarian’s truck had been parked outside for over two hours, and she’d wanted to go check on things but Jace had told her to stay in the house and she owed it to him to listen.
Lily Mae figured whatever happened in the barn, her man would appreciate a good dinner. One of the joys of her new life was the huge farmhouse kitchen with its sub-zero fridge and freezer, double ovens, and huge six-burner gas range.
The room was filling with the smells of baking bread and slow-cooked roast with new potatoes, carrots, and sweet pearl onions. Lily Mae hummed as she began gathering the ingredients for a pineapple upside-down cake. If she were in L.A., she’d be either on a job or trying to hustle work in between fielding phone calls from her creditors.
Several times she’d told Jace she’d get back to work as soon as she could to pay him back, but he’d brushed it aside. “I’m happier just having you cook and look pretty,” he said. “It does my heart good to have something to come home to at the end of the day.” It had been such a delightfully old-fashioned sentiment and so… so Jace. And Lily Mae realized that she’d be quite happy being a housewife to Jace Whitaker. A submissive housewife.
She blushed at that last admission. In L.A. she’d developed the kind of Type A personality necessary to compete in her competitive field. Sweet, soft southern girls didn’t survive in the big city, and with no Jace in her life, she’d given free rein to her feisty side until it had grown downright obnoxious. Now, after just a few weeks living with Jace, she could feel herself soften into her new role. The primped and hurried woman in the clicking heels and business suit seemed like someone else now.
“Smells good in here!” Jace’s voice interrupted her thoughts, and she turned from the counter to see him standing behind her holding a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand.
“For me?”
“Of course.”
“Oh, Jace, they’re beautiful!” Lily Mae hugged him. It felt good to feel his arms go around her, especially after knowing how she’d disappointed him that morning. But he’d told her the slate was clean, and the kiss he planted on her lips reaffirmed that.
“What happened with the mare?” Lily Mae asked as she put the flowers in a vase with some water.
“She gave birth to a big healthy colt.” Jace smiled down at her. “You want to meet him? He was up and nursing like a champ when I left.”
“Oh, thank god,” Lily Mae replied. “And I’d love to. Just let me get this cake in the oven.”
“Sounds good. I need to wash up anyway.”
Ten minutes later, Jace was back downstairs in a fresh shirt and blue jeans. Lily Mae felt her heart swell with happiness. He was so handsome, with his easy smile and boy-next-door good looks.
“We’re out of pineapple,” she said. “You need to pick up some when you go to the market.”
“You can do it,” he said.
She dropped her gaze, embarrassed. “I would, but I’m kind of broke.”
“No, you’re not, sunshine.” He gave her a gentle tap under the chin. “I added you to the checking account yesterday when I was in town.”
“You did?” Lily Mae was surprised.
“I figured it would make life easier for both of us if you can do the marketing and pick up things from the hardware store.”
“You trust me?” she asked.
“Your past is just that, Lily Mae. The past. And I’m convinced that any woman who gets that excited about a bouquet of wildflowers is past the need for spending sprees. Besides, baby, you can have anything you want
. All you have to do is ask.”
The ranch hands had gone home for the day, and the barn was empty when Jace and Lily Mae walked in. The big bay mare had endured a difficult delivery, Jace said; the baby had been large and turned the wrong way.
“Doc did a great job, and as it turns out, it was a good thing the mare delivered a little early. If she’d gone all the way to term, he doesn’t think that baby would have come out.”
“He sure looks good now,” Lily Mae said, smiling as she watched the foal bump the mare’s udder with its nose. Its mother whickered softly, nuzzling the foal’s back as it began to nurse greedily.
“He needs a name,” Jace said. “I figured you might be able to help me come up with one.”
Lily Mae smiled. “What’s his mama’s name?”
“Well, her barn name is Penny. But her registered name is Doc Bar Chance of a Lifetime.”
Lily Mae looked around the barn. The light coming down the aisle was beautiful this time of day.
“How about Second Chance? We can call him Chance.”
Jace took her into his arms. “That sounds like a great name,” he said. His hands roamed her back and then slid lower to cup her bottom cheeks. “How’s the backside?” he asked.
“A bit sore,” she said, winding her arms around his neck. “If only there were someone to kiss and make it better.”
“Naughty girl,” Jace replied, taking her hand and pulling her across the barn aisle into the tack room. Reaching up, he pulled a riding crop off the wall. “You should know better than to tempt a man with an access to leather.”
Lily Mae gasped as Jace suddenly turned her around and pushed her to bending over a wooden saddle rack. For a moment, she feared she was in trouble due to the way he jerked the hem of her dress up and roughly pulled down her panties. But then his hand was roaming her bottom, his fingers tracing the fading welts he’d left earlier.
She moaned as he kicked her legs apart and began to gently tap the outer lips of her pussy with the tab at the end of the riding crop. It was a strangely erotic feeling.
“That’s a naughty pussy you’ve got there, ma’am,” he said. “It’s a distraction to a decent man.”
She looked over her shoulder at Jace, arching her back as she did so. The tab of the crop continued to gently strike her pussy, generating wet little slapping sounds as she became more excited.
“Do you have any idea of all the ways I plan to fuck you?” Jace was leaning over, growling the words in her ear.
“Tell me,” she said.
He’d turned the crop around and was now inserting the braided leather handle into her pussy. She thrust back to meet it, keeping her gaze locked on Jace.
“I want to fuck your pussy until you can barely stand. And then I want to fuck that ass while I play with your clit. Is that something you can handle, baby?”
Handle? Lily Mae was so excited she couldn’t tell him what she was thinking—that he was putting her deepest fantasies into words. Ever since Jace had pushed his fingers into her ass she’d wondered if he’d take her there. No man had; her bottom hole was virginal. She told him so, and he smiled down at her, removed the handle of the crop from her pussy, and pushed it against the twitching rosebud of her anus.
Lily Mae groaned, digging her nails into the wood of the saddle rack. Her heart was pounding with excitement.
“Relax, baby,” he was saying. Jace had slipped two fingers into her slick pussy as he continued to push the handle of the crop against her bottom hole until the muscles relented enough for it to enter. The sensation was a delicious cocktail of pleasure and pain, with the thrill of being so utterly dominated only increasing Lily Mae’s arousal.
“Aaaaahhh!” she cried as he simultaneously fucked her ass and pussy with the crop handle and his fingers. Lily Mae was close to coming when Jace withdrew the crop handle, knelt down and thrust his tongue into her bottom hole while ramming his fingers up to the hilt in her pussy.
Lily Mae screamed from the unexpected taboo sensation, her pussy clenching rhythmically on his fingers, rocked by the wave of the strongest orgasm of her life.
“Did you like that, baby?” Jace had turned her around to face him, and Lily Mae was overcome with the desire to please him as he’d pleased her. Sinking to her knees, she wordlessly undid his belt and jerked his pants and briefs down. His cock sprang free just inches from her face.
Lily Mae cupped his balls, rolling them in her hands as her little pink tongue darted out to lap away the drop of pre-cum oozing from the slit on the velvety head of his cock. He had a beautiful cock, she thought, long and thick with a map of finely ridged veins visible under the skin. She traced one of those veins with her tongue before sliding her mouth over the head, sucking the smooth, mushroom tip of his cock until he was fisting her hair and groaning.
“Take all of me, baby,” he said, and she did, opening her mouth and relaxing her throat as his large hands cupped either side of her head. Jace was thrusting into her mouth now, and as she moved her head in time with his thrusts, her fingers sought her turgid clit and rubbed.
Lily Mae had given oral pleasure to other men, but with Jace it was different. Even now, he was controlling the action, making her feel so deliciously dominated as he set the pace of the thrusts, using her in a way that turned her on. She could feel his cock twitch and throb, could taste the slippery, salty flavor of him on her tongue. Lily Mae reveled in knowing she was about to make him come like this, was about to please him anew by swallowing his cum. When she felt it surge from his cock, she closed her lips tight around him and grabbed his ass tight, digging her nails into his well-muscled buttocks as she swallowed each creamy jet of his arousal.
She leaned back on her heels then, looking up at him adoringly as she gently wiped the corner of her mouth and licked her fingers.
“Mmmm, baby,” she said.
Jace reached down and cupped her chin in his hand. “Damn, girl,” he said. “Damn.”
Chapter Nine
Although her SUV had been back from the shop for weeks, Lily Mae preferred driving Jace’s truck. All the radio presets were to stations they’d grown up listening to. The interior smelled of hay, leather, and sweet earth.
It had been nearly three weeks since Jace had switched her, and Lily Mae had been—in his words—‘good as gold.’ It was easy pleasing him. She smiled as she adjusted the straw cowboy hat on her head as she drove. When she placed her hand back on the steering wheel, the diamond in her new engagement ring glinted in the sun streaming through the windshield.
She hadn’t been expecting a proposal so soon, but she’d found herself all but screaming “yes!” when Jace had dropped to his knee on the dance floor of the honky-tonk he’d taken her to for old time’s sakes and popped the question to raucous applause from friends.
“When’s the big day?” someone yelled, and Jace had lifted Lily Mae into his arms and spun her around as he answered.
“As soon as she can find herself a pretty white dress. I want to put a baby in her belly!”
Lily Mae had never been happier, and now with their wedding just a month away—Jace had agreed to let her plan an outdoor affair at the ranch—she was busier than ever with errands and planning.
Her first task on this warm afternoon was to meet the furniture delivery truck at her mother’s house. Jace had paid to have the interior painted and wood floors laid in hopes of boosting its appeal as a rental property. Then he’d suggested that Lily Mae boost its appeal further by redecorating it altogether.
As the furniture arrived, she was again overwhelmed by the generosity of the man she was to marry.
Lily Mae decided she’d show her appreciation by cooking a gourmet meal. The farmer’s market would be her last stop of the day, but first she had to go to the post office to mail some letters for Jace.
“Your timing is perfect!” A cheery voice greeted Lily Mae as she entered the post office, and she smiled at the postmistress, Miss Edmunds, who nodded to her from behind the counte
r. “I got a bunch of mail I was sorting to deliver to your mama’s house and I was afraid I was going to have to chase you down for one of them since it’s a certified letter.”
“Probably more stuff with the estate,” Lily Mae said wearily as Miss Edmunds pushed the stack of mail toward her along with a slip from the certified letter. Lily Mae scrawled her name on the slip without looking and pushed it back across the counter before handing Jace’s letters to the postmistress.
“Maybe,” Miss Edmunds said, “but I don’t know why somebody in California would have dealings with your mother.”
Lily Mae felt a sudden chill. “California?”
“Yeah,” Miss Edmunds said. “L.A.” She looked curiously at Lily Mae over the top of her horned-rimmed glasses before turning to wait on another customer.
Lily Mae walked to a nearby table and placed the stack of mail on top. The certified letter had been sent in an expensive vellum envelope. She immediately recognized the address; although it didn’t say so, it was from the corporate offices of Bayside Gentleman’s Club, Inc.
Her hands were shaking as she opened the envelope.
I suppose you thought you could just skip town and I’d forget about our deal, Lily. You should know better than that. You’ve tried my patience by changing your cell number and making me track you down, but it was easy enough after my people found your mother’s death notice in the paper.
You owe me seven thousand dollars and I expect to be paid. Of course, we can always negotiate the terms we discussed, but either way this will be settled.
Ordinarily, I’d accept a cashier’s check, but given that you’ve put me to all this extra trouble, I expect payment to be hand-delivered within a week from the day you receive this letter… If not, I’ll come to where you are and personally settle up. I’m sure your hometown is an interesting place. I’d love meeting your friends, too…
Tony hadn’t signed the letter. But it was hardly necessary. It was only when Lily Mae heard her name being called that she realized she’d caught the attention of the postmistress and her customer, who were both staring at her with concern.