by Mari Carr
Jade’s flushed face, her hungry eyes, her tight nipples told him all he needed to know, as she reached for the button on her jeans.
Liam rose, shoving her hands away. She was going too slowly. His cock was thick and hard, throbbing in the confinement of his own tight denim. He didn’t dare free it or he’d never finish what he’d started.
For much of his younger years, he’d resisted the part of him that craved rough sex. Celia had been a virgin when they’d first made love. She preferred to be cuddled, caressed, kissed. Liam had given her that because he adored her. If being her husband meant locking away certain desires, he’d do it, and willingly. After her death, he slowly began to let the darker pleasures he yearned for emerge.
However, Compton Pass was a small town. People talked. So he’d only indulged in BDSM games while on the road on business trips. Until now. There was no power on earth that could stop him from showing Jade the real Liam.
As he tugged her jeans and panties down, Jade toed off her sandals. Within seconds, he’d returned them to their previous positions, Liam sitting on the couch, Jade sprawled out over his lap. Her ass was flushed a light pink from his earlier spanking. It wasn’t enough. He longed to paint it red, to set the sensitive skin on fire.
“Please.” Jade squirmed on his lap, so he placed a sharp slap to her upper thigh.
Then Liam stroked between her legs, along the opening to her sex. Jade gasped when he pressed on her clit. She was drenched, her arousal coating his fingers. All of his suspicions were confirmed in an instant. Not only did Jade enjoy his rough touch, it turned her on.
“Liam,” she said, his name escaping on a breathless sigh.
Hearing her voice caused something to twist inside. His head reeled from it. The night had tumbled down like one long string of dominos, each tile that fell taking a hundred more out until Liam wasn’t sure what was left. All he knew was he had to find some way to make Jade Compton understand she was going to be a hell of a lot more than a summer fling.
She was going to be his wife, his partner on the ranch and the mother of his children.
But for now…his hesitance confused her.
Jade twisted, looking over her shoulder at him. “I trust you.”
He grinned, thrilled by her words. He stroked her ass gently. The words “I love you” floated across his brain, but he didn’t speak them aloud. She wasn’t ready for that.
He had two months to wrap his Compass girl up in ropes so tight she wouldn’t be able to escape. He’d bind her to him not only with friendship, but with craving, need, and, God willing, love.
“Close your eyes, Jade.”
She blinked twice before her eyelids lowered, then she turned around until she faced the floor once more.
Liam lifted his hand and lowered it on her ass and upper thighs. He didn’t hold back, didn’t bother to shield his strength. He knew her better than anyone—knew her limits as well as her longing to go wild, to take things just to the edge, and then, maybe, even a bit further. He would be the only man to give her this, to keep her safe while setting her free. It was the only way he’d ever hold her and claim her heart.
Jade wouldn’t—no, she couldn’t—live her life in the conventional way. She’d feel stifled, trapped in a world where she followed the rules associated with being a woman, a wife, a mother. Hell, he didn’t want her to fit those molds.
He loved her courage, her bravery, her recklessness, her foul mouth and her loud, brash laughter. Liam continued to spank her as so many realizations assaulted him.
Love. Forever. Marriage.
Jade. Jade. Jade.
She squeezed his leg roughly as she groaned—the sound a perfect blend of agony and indulgence.
“God, Liam.” Her voice was thick with unshed tears and demand. “Please make me feel this. Make me feel something. I’m so tired of being numb.”
He missed a stroke, then recognized the truth behind her admission. Jade had admitted to being restless, but now he knew it was more than that. She’d always seemed like the square peg in the round hole. That should have been evident to him from the start.
Hadn’t he met her in a cemetery, kneeling at her dead brother’s grave? How many years had Jade smothered her own flame out of some misplaced feelings of guilt over being the sibling who lived?
Her ass and legs were bright red, yet she still pushed toward him, silently begging for more. Jade wanted to come alive. So did he.
He’d carried around more than his own fair share of blame following Celia’s accident. He should have driven her to the city, should have insisted on going with her rather than caving to her admonition about the danger of him seeing her in her wedding dress.
Enough. The past was dead and buried.
It was time he and Jade started living in the present. Made some strides toward the future.
His hand stilled, covering her ass. Jade’s breathing was loud, labored, dotted with the occasional hitch that told him she was on the verge of crying.
Or coming.
Or both.
He lifted her, pushing her to her back on the couch. Jade spread her legs and lifted her arms in invitation.
“I need you,” she whispered.
Liam kicked off his shoes and shed his jeans in record time. He didn’t bother to remove his shirt or hers. Next time they’d manage to make it to the bed, to get naked.
This time…
He knelt between her spread thighs, holding himself over her as he pressed his cock to her opening. She was soaked, the juices of her arousal allowing the head of his dick to slide in easily.
Neither of them looked away, their gazes connected as he slowly drove deeper into her tight, hot pussy. Once he was fully seated, he paused, studying her face.
Jade smiled, the expression completely her. Mischievous, naughty, daring. “You could at least offer to wear a condom.”
“You’ve been on birth control since you were seventeen.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure how I feel about sleeping with someone who knows all my secrets.”
He kissed her. Couldn’t resist. Jade stiffened for the briefest of moments, but it was enough for Liam to know she wasn’t finished fighting this.
Them.
Regardless of his intentions, his battle to win her heart was only just beginning. He pulled away and looked at her.
Jade wrapped her legs more tightly around his waist, lifting her hips in an attempt to take control of the situation. She didn’t want the romance. She wanted the fucking.
Too bad for her. She was getting both.
“Don’t stop now,” she demanded.
He cupped the sides of her head in his palms, letting her know without words that he held the upper hand. Bending forward, he kissed her again. Softly.
Jade stilled for a split second before opening her lips, urging him to deepen the kiss. He didn’t take the bait. Instead, he kept his touches gentle.
It threw her off-guard.
“Liam,” she whispered after several minutes. “Fuck me.”
Rather than respond, he twisted his fingers in her hair, tugging at the long blonde tresses until her back arched.
“Yes,” she hissed.
“I’m changing the rules again.” He punctuated his words with a rougher pull.
Jade’s chest rose and fell rapidly, the action pressing her breasts against him in a way that drove him crazy. His cock twitched, but he forced himself to remain motionless within her.
“What do you mean?”
“Sex isn’t going to be on your terms only. If I want you, I’m coming to find you.”
She tried to shake her head, to refuse him, but he tightened his grip on her hair. She gasped. Jade tried to lift her hips, seeking to control the situation again. Liam dropped lower, pushed more of his weight against her in order to hold her still on the cushions.
“Goddammit, Liam. I don’t want to talk about this right now. Fucking move or get out of me.”
He tilted his he
ad to her neck, placing an openmouthed kiss on her soft skin before sinking his teeth in, marking her.
Her pussy muscles clenched against his cock. Liam held firm, resolute. For several minutes, he alternated between sucking, biting, licking the soft skin of her neck. No doubt she’d spend a few days trying to cover up the visual reminder he was giving her of this night.
“If you give me a hickey, I’m going to kill you.”
He lifted his head and grinned. “Too late.”
She slapped her hand over the spot. “You jackass. What are we? Fifteen?”
“We’re going to have sex whenever or wherever we choose, Jade. I’ll tie you up, spank that sexy ass of yours, fuck you as hard as you want, but you’ll stop trying to call the shots.”
She hesitated only a moment before nodding. “Fine. Now can we cut the conversation and get to the good stuff?”
He’d started with the easy demands. There was still one more and it would be a miracle if he got her to agree, but it was the only thing he truly wanted.
“In a minute. I want you to stay here for the next two months.”
“Fuck off.” Jade tried to shove him away from her, but he didn’t budge, didn’t give way. “Are you insane? No way. No deal.”
She was resolute that the two of them were incompatible for anything long-term and serious. Liam was determined to prove her wrong.
Jade continued to push against his shoulders in an attempt to escape. He grasped her wrists, pressing them firmly to the couch, next to her head. He lifted his hips and thrust in powerfully.
Jade’s head flew back. “God,” she cried. “Yes.”
He gave her three more rough shoves, his cock pounding inside her until she stopped trying to flee. Her legs tightened around his waist, urging him to continue. He pressed in once more, deeper this time and with more strength than he’d ever let loose with a woman.
He bit her shoulder as he continued to fuck her hard. Then he soothed the spot with his tongue, his lips. “Move in.”
Jade pressed her eyes closed tightly, but when she refused him again, the word “n-no” came softer and with a stutter as he beat a relentless rhythm inside her body.
Releasing her hands, he reached lower, cupping the sore flesh of her ass in his palms. Her skin was still hot to the touch. He squeezed, reminding her of his rough spanking, making sure she understood exactly what he was offering.
“Liam!” Her cries of pleasure were as loud as her laughter. Jade was a study in contradictions. In so many ways, she held back nothing, giving a hundred percent of herself. In her work, in sex, or while riding her horse or her motorcycle, she set herself free completely. However, when it came to her heart, she refused to offer even the slightest peek inside, locking it away tightly.
She was close to the edge. Liam needed to stake his claim now or he’d lose this game for good. Come morning if he hadn’t secured her agreement, she’d retreat. “Stay with me, Jade.”
She didn’t reply, didn’t bother to shake her head. Liam wasn’t sure she’d even heard him.
He stilled once more, then nipped her earlobe, forcing her to look at him.
“Please,” she whispered. The desolate sound was almost his undoing. She needed her release, physically, but also emotionally. She was afraid.
It didn’t matter. He couldn’t give in.
“Two months, Jade. That’s all I’m asking for.” For now.
She licked her lips, then nodded slowly. “Fine. Okay. But that’s all. No more new rules.”
He was careful to school his features, to hide the smile threatening to consume his face. Jade would interpret it as gloating and it would piss her off.
He didn’t bother to tell her he didn’t need anything else. He kissed her roughly, giving her the strong, overpowering touches she’d been seeking earlier.
Then he resumed his pace, pounding deeper and harder into her. His motions were driven by elation, tinged with desperation.
He had two months to overcome Jade’s fears, to prove to her he was the only man for her. To win her heart.
Jade dug her nails into his shoulders as she cried out with her release. Her pussy clamped down on his cock so deliciously, Liam didn’t bother to hold back. They had time now.
He called out her name as he came, filling her, as she arched against him, accepting every drop. Once their breathing had returned to normal, he twisted them on the couch so that she lay against his chest.
Her breathing grew slower, deeper as she fell asleep. Liam tightened his grip, holding her close, relishing the beginning of the rest of his life.
Chapter Six
Liam awoke to the sound of banging. He squinted as the bright sunlight assaulted his eyes. Then he felt the pins and needles attacking his left arm. Glancing down, he realized the source of his pain. Jade was sound asleep, nestled in his hold. He savored how good it felt to have her there.
While last night had been an eye-opening experience, Liam didn’t pretend things were going to be smooth-sailing from this point on. Jade wasn’t finished resisting him yet.
They’d passed out on the couch briefly, but Jade had awoken him a few hours earlier, tugging off her shirt and his as she rode him slowly, leisurely. Her actions had been an attempt on her part to seize some of the control he’d claimed. And he’d let her. Hell, there was nothing hotter than a sexy cowgirl riding his cock. He might prefer the dominant role most of the time, but he also didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. The sight of Jade’s tits bouncing as she pressed up and down on his dick was a vision he intended to carry with him for the rest of his life.
The pounding continued. Someone was at the door. Liam carefully lifted Jade so he could free his arm, then he tried to stand without jarring her too much. His foreman was probably wondering where the hell he was. Liam never overslept, never failed to show up at the stable before everyone else.
Liam fastened his jeans but didn’t bother to tug on his T-shirt. He wasn’t going to work this morning. Once he gave his foreman instructions, he’d wake Jade and the two of them would move their physical explorations upstairs to his bedroom.
Walking to the foyer, he opened the door, but the apology for his tardiness died on his lips when he spotted Sawyer Compton on the threshold. “Sheriff.”
“Jade never made it home last night.”
He’d forgotten about Sawyer’s plans to question them both in regards to Bruce’s car accident. Liam rubbed his jaw, wondering how he could get out of this predicament with most of his body parts intact. Sawyer Compton had a reputation for being the world’s most overprotective father, next to his brother Silas. Not that Liam blamed him. Jade was his only daughter and given her penchant for landing into trouble, he could understand Sawyer’s need to keep a close eye on her.
“I know.”
Sawyer opened the screen door and pushed his way into the house, past Liam. “Is she here?”
“Yeah.” Liam didn’t bother to deny a truth they both knew.
Of course, Jade chose that moment to reveal herself. “I’m trying to sleep, Clayton. You and Wyatt go somewhere else to talk,” she demanded from the living room. Liam could tell from her drowsy voice she was still asleep and didn’t have a clue who she was admonishing. Apparently she thought she was at home in her own cabin with her cousins and their boyfriends.
Sawyer walked toward the living room, straight to the couch where Jade lay, only partially covered by the blanket he’d pulled over them last night. She was on her stomach, eyes closed, hands thrown over her head. The blanket rode high enough to reveal evidence of his handprints of her thighs and there was no denying she was completely naked beneath it.
Liam winced when he spotted faint red marks on her neck and shoulder where he’d bitten her. He walked over to adjust the blanket, covering her better, even though it was too late. Jade’s dad had gotten an eyeful. Liam didn’t want to know what the sheriff was thinking, but he suspected it began and ended with his own very painful death.
Sawye
r’s jaw tensed as he turned his angry gaze on Liam. “Is there something you want to tell me, Liam?”
Jade jerked awake at the sound of her father’s voice, lifting her head slightly from the pillow. She blinked against the bright sunlight, took in his appearance and her father’s, then dropped her head down once more.
“Shit,” she muttered. “What time is it?”
Sawyer glanced at the clock on the mantel. “Eleven a.m.”
“Why are you here so early?”
Sawyer put his hands on his hips, the position reminding Liam of one he’d seen Jade assume anytime she was pissed off. “Eleven is early?”
“I got off work at one thirty. Pulled Bruce out of a burning car at two. Sat in the emergency room until three. Dealt with this asshole—” she gestured at Liam “—until six. So yeah, Dad. To answer your question, eleven is early.”
Sawyer scowled. “Get dressed, Jade. I’ll drive you home.”
Liam stepped closer to the couch. His life was already in danger, he might as well go for broke. If Jade escaped now, Liam would have to fight like the devil to get her back. He suffered no illusions that her agreement to move in with him for the next two months was set in stone yet. There was work left to do.
“I’ll take her to Compass Ranch. Later.” And he’d remain there while she packed her stuff, then he’d bring her right back here.
Sawyer’s eyes darkened, and Liam cursed his wayward tongue. Probably not smart to piss off a man with a gun. Sawyer rarely wore a real police uniform, opting for jeans and a polo shirt with a small logo of Compton Pass Sheriff’s Department on the right-hand side. But he never failed to include the gun belt.
Jade groaned. “Just let me sleep a little while longer, Dad. Liam can drive me home in an hour or so. Okay?”
Sawyer didn’t reply immediately. His face told Liam he wasn’t okay with anything that was going on.
Finally, he nodded. “Fine, Jade.” Sawyer started for the front door before turning to catch Liam’s eye. He tilted his head, indicating he expected Liam to follow.
While he didn’t believe the sheriff would assault him on his own property, Liam wasn’t willing to bet the farm on that.