by Shae Shannon
A half growl, half sigh blew out of Dixon’s wall-of-muscle chest. “What exactly did it do, Emm?”
“I was haulin’ balls when everything just quit. The radio went dead, lights went off, it died, and it was a bitch tryin’ to steer it. I had to almost jump on the brakes to slow down.”
“It’s probably your battery, cables, or the alternator. I will call Jase to come tow it back while I take you to Momma. Lyndon is busy fixin’ fence with Dad. Now strip down and get that sweet little ass in the truck so we can go.”
“Ain’t nothin’ little about this ass. You obviously haven’t seen me in a swimsuit lately. I make cottage cheese look sexy. Turn your head.” She scooted to the edge and was about to jump when he stopped her.
“Don’t make me paddle you for puttin’ yourself down like that. There ain’t nothin’ wrong with that butt. You can change in the cab in case a car goes by. We don’t need you causing any wrecks out here from you being nekked.” He swung her up in his arms like she weighed nothing and set her on the passenger side seat. “Here, give me the clean ones. I’ll hand ’em to you so you don’t get mud on ’em.” He stood, waiting for her to proceed with an impatient expression forming around his eyes and mouth.
Her mind began to turn at his words, digging up rumors she had heard of his sexual tastes. Most that had spread them turned their nose up at the “dirty, masochistic, devil worship” as they had called it. The talk of whips, restraints, and spankings heated her core and made her mind flood with “what-ifs.” She quickly shook the thoughts away, knowing it would bring nothing but pain to even pretend they would want someone as plain and frumpy as her. “You gonna watch?” Her hands planted on her hips again.
“I have seen it all before, Emm. Now strip that muddy crap off and get in these. They ain’t exactly clean, but they are better than what you got on. You are gonna end up with a cold being wet at this hour. Why didn’t you wear a jacket anyway? It’s still chilly in the mornin’s.”
“I haven’t had time or the money to go wash clothes. I wash what I have to in the tub and hang dry it, but with the dang rain lately I can’t hang them out, and they don’t dry in the house because of this stupid humidity. And, you may have seen it before, but I have grown up. I am not the little piggy-tailed, freckled-faced kid I used to be. I grew boobs. I grew enough rump for twelve people. I don’t want you to lose your breakfast, so turn around.” Her eyes went wide as he just stood there, with his arms now crossed in front of his chest. Oh what I wouldn’t give to taste every dip and curve of that chest. Why couldn’t he be the one stripping down? Why does he have to see how gross I am, especially compared to his perfect, lean, solid, bulging…
“Emm! You didn’t hit your head or something, too, did you? You are a million miles away. After we get everything fixed up you can bring your laundry to the house. Momma has told you a million times to bring it up there. Now strip, woman. I have never had this much trouble getting clothes off a female in my life. Sheesh.”
Blood rushed to her face, heating her cheeks to what could only be a rosy shade of red. With a huff of defeat, she yanked her shirt off over her head ungracefully and tossed it in his face. Her ponytail had been yanked out in the process, causing her long locks to fall around her like a blanket. She reached for the clean shirt, but only received a speechless, mouth-open, wide-eyed stare.
* * * *
Dixon was fully aware of the curvaceous, beautiful woman EmmaLee had become. He fought his conscience in a brutal battle every time he was around her to not think of her as a woman but as a sister. He had grown up with her for shit’s sake. He had kept his head straight up until now. What sat before him was not his sister. Two of the most perfect boobs he had ever seen peeked out from behind the thin, see-through black lace bra that barely contained the size-D mounds. Her delicate pink nipples pebbled into hard peaks from the chilly morning air and begged to be sucked. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Her soft stomach had the cutest little belly button that would fit his tongue perfectly.
He could picture what her round, lush ass would look like decorated in pink patches from his hand, or a whip…or…Snap out of it! The little devil on his shoulder won out on the battle of good and evil. “Hurry up. Get those dirty ass pants off so you can put these on before you catch your death. What are you waiting for, the cops to show up and haul you in for stoppin’ traffic?” Guilt flooded his veins, knowing good dang and well that he should hand her the damn shirt before she took off her pants. He just physically couldn’t do it. He had to see what was behind door number two. His heart rate accelerated more in anticipation, and the moisture from his mouth suddenly evaporated. He had to fight his eyes to blink because his mind refused to miss a single second of the glorious sight before him.
She flashed him a confused look, but proceeded to follow his commands and shimmied her hips out of the tight jeans and tossed them to him as well. Holy fuck she was breathtaking. He had never laid eyes on such perfection in his life. She was all curves in all the right places. One thing was for certain, she was definitely all grown up. All of the anorexic twiggy stick figure women combined held nothing next to this little sex kitten. Her innocence only candy coated the already scrumptious package that his eyes refused to detour from. The thin scraps of black lace that covered her left enough for the imagination to keep him fantasizing for months to come. His knees threatened to buckle. Her clearing her throat reined in his wandering thoughts and his arm mechanically handed her the T-shirt. As she lifted her arms over her head to pull it on, her tits lifted in an invitation. Son of a bitch. Don’t move. Don’t touch. Stop looking now! Oh my God, I bet they taste so sweet. Thankfully, and unthankfully at the same time, his shirt fell down to her upper thighs as she stood and reached for the sweats. He remained speechless, due to the fear of his arousal showing through his voice. After she had them on, tied up, and rolled, he slid into the driver’s seat without a word and headed for the Dennison Ranch.
“Are you okay, Dixon? I told you that I have changed, and that I am a far cry from the model type you date. You shoulda turned your head so you wouldn’t get nauseous and scarred for life.”
Disappointment and embarrassment shook through in her voice. He could visibly see the lump that had formed in her throat, and it made his heart ache for her. Damn her shitty self-esteem! How the hell can I fix her without leading her on? She deserves so much better than this! A second glance in her direction only amplified his suspicions. She looked like a lost puppy that had been beaten down and left in the rain.
“Yeah, Emm. I was just thinking of all the things that I gotta get done on the ranch today. It’s gonna be a long one. We have calves to castrate and something keeps cutting the fence. It will be the fourth time this month we have had to go out and string wire. I am beginning to think it’s a human causing all of the trouble.” It took all he had to ignore her self-doubt and insecurities. What he really wanted to do was turn off on a back road and show her what his real feelings were. He hated knowing that she was probably breaking on the inside. “Don’t ever cut yourself short like that, Emm. You are gorgeous.” Dixon couldn’t bring himself to leave doubt and her heart broken, no matter how bad he wanted his feelings concealed. Thankfully, he restrained from explaining he was dumbfounded and speechless from her beauty and loved every juicy, sexy, sweet moment of seeing her body she so desperately underestimated.
Her shoulders visibly relaxed. Thank God for the Dennison charm. It always helps having a way with the ladies. He noticed the bluish tint her toes had taken on as she folded her feet under her butt to heat them up. Frostbite may be a bit of an overexaggeration for the weather on an Oklahoma March morning, but there was no reason for her to be freezing.
EmmaLee’s toes screamed their discomfort from the cold, wet mud. She lifted them and folded her feet under her butt trying to heat them up. “Put your feet up here, darlin’. Let me warm them up. The heater is blowing on my lap.” Reluctantly, she lifted them across his legs. One enormous hand
wrapped around her left foot and began rubbing. The friction quickly brought them above freezing temperature and her body to boiling point, the rough calluses created from hard farm life causing chill bumps to form all over her skin with every sweet caress on her tender toes. Bloody hell. How am I supposed to fit into the sister role when all I want to do is fuck his brains out? This is definitely Jerry Springer stuff right here. My damn body is going to go into orgasmic convulsions if he doesn’t stop! With the last thread of composure she had left, she attempted to move her feet from his lap. Her foot scraped along the crotch of his jeans and against a huge, hard bulge.
“Don’t go movin’ them yet, EmmaLee, your toes are still ice cubes. Just sit back and relax until I get you to Momma. She is gonna tear into your ass for not coming to us sooner.” His hand wrapped around her right foot, giving it the same panty-twisting attention as the first. She pressed her thighs together inconspicuously, hoping he didn’t glance over to see why she had changed positions while she did her best to ease the sudden throbbing ache that had settled in her sex. Her attempts were in vain because he did just that. His gaze drifted over her from head to knees, taking longer than necessary over her boobs and crotch area. If it weren’t for the dirt road they had just turned on, they would have wrecked. The slow speed on the back road also gave him more time to rake his heated, half-hooded, sex-filled eyes over her, making the floodgates open and gush past the barrier of her lace panties. It took all of her willpower to prevent a moan from escaping her plump, trembling lips.
The truck hit a pothole, sending them both bouncing out of their seat and jostling the intimate moment out the window. She quickly withdrew her legs and faced forward without any protest from him. He gripped both hands onto the steering wheel like his life depended on it, causing his knuckles to turn white. He wouldn’t take his eyes off the road to meet her stare. From the raging need that now coursed through her veins and the reality of the situation, once again her eyes overflowed with tears and began gushing down her already stained cheeks. Her head whipped to face the window to conceal her leaking heartache.
Since she had finally escaped her ex douche bag, abusive, cheating, bastard of a boyfriend two years ago, the hole in her heart had only gotten bigger. It was the Dennison brothers who had come to her rescue like her own personal knights in tight blue jeans. Her heart had become theirs from that day forward. She hadn’t been on a single date since then. Her lack of experience had added to her insecurities and kept her from trying to move on and get over them. Now, what her body and heart had always wanted sat right beside her within grasp and she had never felt farther from her desires and happiness than this moment. Her heart sunk into her stomach, wrenching silent, jerking sobs from the depths of her soul.
Her forehead leaned onto the cool glass. She was so consumed in her inner turmoil that she was oblivious that the truck had stopped. Two arms wrapped around her and pulled her into the safe shackles. Her head fell against his chest, dropping in defeat. “Oh, baby, I am just failing miserably at making your day any better.” Her only response was another bout of weeps that rumbled into his shirt. “EmmaLee Brooke, look at me now.” His deep, commanding tone made her head jerk up involuntarily to look him in the eye.
Dixon almost cracked. The poor little beaten thing was pitiful. Her bottom lip quivered, and her bloodshot eyes still gushed tears. He had to fight off the urge to just crush his lips to hers and kiss her better. “Baby girl, listen to me. I know today has been the breaking point of your nerves. Please quit automatically assuming that you aren’t anything besides gorgeous, amazing, and sexier than any other woman I have ever laid eyes on. Any man would be lucky to have you. We are proud that you are a part of our family. Dry those tears now. You are safe, and we will get things fixed up for you.” Her eyes widened in surprise, obviously shocked at the sudden reveal of feelings. He knew he didn’t express mushy stuff frequently, but he had to stifle a snicker at her doe in the headlights look.
“You are?” Her tiny little squeak and trembling lip cinched a vise around his heart. Dixon pulled her in his arms and held her. “All right, now let’s get you cleaned up a bit and to the house. Okay?” Her head nodded, and she accepted the handful of napkins he handed her from out of the glove box. In the most unladylike fashion, she blew her nose with a wad of the tissue, digging and cleaning out her tear goopies. He erupted in laughter. “And that is why we love you so much. Are you sure you didn’t leave part of your brain in there somewhere?” EmmaLee punched him playfully in the shoulder, knowing good dang well that the rock solid muscle barely felt her tiny swing. He puckered up in his best imitation of a pout, rubbing the spot like he was injured for life. “Oh stop it. You big ol’ baby.” With a smile, he reached over and scooted her next to him for the rest of the ride.
As they were pulling in the long, tree-lined driveway and over the cattle guard, EmmaLee reached and tucked her hand in his. “Dixon?”
“Hum?”
“Thank you.”
“That’s what family is for, Emm.” They both sat content in the comforting silence until the huge truck pulled up at the house.
Chapter 2
“I knew that they would fit you, sweetheart. You look great. Did you have a nice hot shower?” The sweet teasing rang through in the beautiful older woman’s voice. Her silky, light brown hair curled up at the ends and brushed against her shoulders. Lillian Dennison looked amazing at the age of forty-eight. It was obvious that the boys had gotten their prettiness from their mother and their ruggedness from their father. She was also the busiest woman in four counties. EmmaLee always wondered how the woman got all of her energy when she went to bed after everyone else and was up cooking breakfast before the sun came up. Lillian had been the mother she’d never had, and had loved her as a daughter amongst the brood of boys that occupied the house.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Dennison. I don’t know what I would do without you. The shower was ahhmazing. I didn’t want to get out.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around Lillian.
“Oh, Emmie, when are you going to quit thanking me and just realize that you are family, dear? Now, Lyndon is over looking over your hot water heater, and Jase is working on your truck. Let’s go get dinner ready. I already have fresh linens in your room, and night clothes laid out on the bed. You are staying here. And for the last time, it is either Mom, or Lilly. You are not a stranger, girl.”
EmmaLee laughed at the fact that Lillian left no room for argument, but just stated it matter-of-factly. It warmed her heart, and erased some of the stresses that had been building up in her over the past few months. This was truly the greatest family in the world.
* * * *
Jeremy’s footsteps echoed down the long hall. “Lilly, darlin’, can you come help in the barn? I gotta get Gypsy, Fire, and Bojangles all saddled. We have a heifer limping and two getting ready to calve. I am trying to get ahold of the boys now. It’s going to be a long night.” He paused and smiled when he caught sight of EmmaLee. “Oh hi, Emmie. Go throw on a pair of boots and grab a coat, and unless you want cow afterbirth all over that pretty dress you might wanna change into some jeans and an old shirt, too.”
“Jeremy! We ain’t seen this girl in months and the first thing you say is get your butt to the barn and mount up, it’s time to work? Where are your manners?” Her scornful gaze drew a smile across his manly, handsome, chiseled face.
“Sorry, you are right, baby. Hi, Emmie. It is good to see you. Why the hell ain’t you been here where you belong, girl?” He wrapped her in a hug and kissed the top of her head.
Like his sons, he was a large man at well over six feet and two hundred-something pounds. His ruggedly handsome face showed faint lines of age, but only seemed to make him more handsome. Over the past few years, a light dusting of grey had woven in his hair, making him appear distinguished. He had that George Clooney or Sean Connery look—the one that no matter what their age they still held a certain sex appeal and were more than easy on the eyes. All of
the girls in school had always swooned over Jeremy when there were programs or conferences, and EmmaLee had always understood their attraction. “Hi, Mr. Dennison. I have been working nonstop, but I am sorry I haven’t been by. Give me a second and I will meet you in the barn.”
“Girl, what’d we tell you about that mister stuff? You best quit that now or I will sic the boys on you.”
A smirk tilted at the corners of Lilly’s lips. “I told her, she just don’t want to listen. Now, don’t work the poor girl too hard, she has had a heck of a day and looks like she hasn’t eaten in weeks.”
“Sorry, Jeremy. Your wife has been fussing over me all day.” She grinned at the nurturing woman before asking, “Can I borrow more clothes, Lilly?”
“Of course, dear, you know where my closet is. Don’t forget to grab a pair of boots and a coat. I will go make up some sandwiches and tea to send with y’all.” Lilly turned to head to the kitchen, but was caught by her husband in a lip-lock.
“I missed you this morning, sweetheart.” He kissed her sweetly, before pulling back with the look of concern. “What’s wrong with little Emmie?”
“I missed you, too. She is struggling. And, the stubborn girl didn’t come to us for help. She doesn’t know it, but Lyndon is over packing up her stuff as we speak. I want you to go into town tomorrow to get her a decent vehicle. She is going to end up killing herself in that bucket of bolts. The poor girl has been doing without food, hot water, a stove, and barely scraping by. Dixon found her alongside the road covered in mud in that death trap that had shut off, power brakes and all. It’s a miracle she is alive.”
Jeremy huffed a deep grumble. “Why didn’t the girl come to us? She can’t still feel like she owes us after all these years? I don’t know why them boys ain’t put a ring on her finger yet. We all know she is the one. Hell, she has been a daughter to us all her life.” His eyebrows drew together in thought.