“To truces,” I echo. We sip, letting the cold pilsner cool off the heat that’s burning from my core and has nothing to do with the residual heat of the day in the air. It’s good beer—nothing fancy, but just honest-to-goodness beer. “Nice. What brand?”
“Negra Modelo,” James replies. “A little rare around this area, but I was introduced to it during a tour stop in Tucson. So, when I decided to stay here for a while, I ordered two cases through a shop in town.”
“I’m honored,” I say, sipping at the beer. I take a deep breath, looking at the glimmer of the moon on the water and speaking my mind again. “I like this. Being out here like this. On the surface, it’s dark and quiet. Almost like sensory deprivation. But if you use all your senses, there’s more.”
“What do you sense?” James asks, and I feel his warmth shift closer to me again. I smile and sip at my beer before answering.
“It’s not really quiet. I can hear the cattle mooing quietly far away. There’s the moon, and every once in a while I can see a flash of firefly light if I watch closely.” I laugh, then continue, “I can even smell Mama’s cinnamon crumble and beer on both our breaths. There’s more going on than you think at first.”
I close my eyes, tuning in to every nuance, and hear James swallow, maybe a gulp of air, maybe beer, I can’t tell. “And what about your sense of touch?” he asks. “What do you feel?”
Before I can say a word, I feel his fingertips tracing up my arm, this time to find my jaw and cup it in his hand. He turns my head toward his, guided almost blindly before pressing his lips to mine. It’s sweet, not tentative, but it’s like he’s testing me out, exploring without pressuring me too much. Forward, but respectful . . . and exciting.
I move my lips to adjust slightly, tasting him. He must feel my agreement because he takes our kiss deeper, hotter, more forceful. Setting my beer down, I wrap my arms around his neck, our tongues starting to tangle as he threads his fingers through my belt loops and pulls me into his lap to straddle him. Dimly in my mind I hear a clink as one of our beers tips over, but I really don’t care.
Feeling his already thickening cock underneath me gives me another jolt, and I roll my hips against him, grinding myself against the ridge in his jeans.
“My touch is telling me a lot of things . . . all of them good and hot,” I rasp as he kisses my neck. “Very fucking good.”
He gently grabs my ponytail, pulling my head back to give him access as he moves down my neck, licking and kissing. He reaches for the hem of my shirt, slipping it over my head before cupping my bra in his hands.
I can feel the coarse, rough calluses on his fingertips and palms as he traces over the swells at the tops of my breasts, humming in appreciation. “You’re soft as silk.”
“I’ll admit I like pampering some,” I murmur as I tug on the back of his shirt, finding his skin and tracing his muscles. James growls, running his palm across my bra-covered nipple in a velvet, soft caress that is my total undoing.
He could be rough and fast, fuck me brutally with nothing but his strength and his animal passion. I’d take it, love every minute, and go home totally satisfied and with a smile on my face. I’d even feel respected the next time I came out here, because here in the dark, I’m not ashamed to admit that’s what we both desperately want. But him being gentle with me, worshipful as he dips his mouth to suck me through the plain cotton of my bra, feels even better.
I moan at the onslaught, my scalp prickling as he holds my ponytail tight, the warmth of his kisses on my skin, the fire at my core. I grind my hips harder against his rock-hard cock, finding a rhythm that makes us both pant. Two sets of denim are between us, but I’m still soaking my panties, rolling and riding the bulge as the heat builds inside me. His hands lock onto my hips, guiding me at the pace he wants, but I want it too.
“Fuck, Soph,” he rasps. “You’re gonna make me come in my jeans like a damn teenager. I can feel your heat even through our clothes. Rub that pussy on me, use me to get yourself off.”
I do; I buck against him, finding his mouth in the dark and stifling my cries in our kiss. I don’t know if he even planned for things to go this far . . . but right now I don’t care.
I throw my head back again, lifting my chest to the night sky and offering myself to James’s ravenous mouth. “I’m gonna come . . . God, I’m gonna come just feeling your thick cock against my pussy.”
“Then come, darlin’,” he growls, kissing my exposed skin in between words. “Show me how fucking hot you are for me.”
I squeeze my eyes closed, but the dark view doesn’t change until I see white sparks across my eyelids, the orgasm taking me over the edge, and I cry out.
I can feel my body shudder, the rhythm turning into spasms, but he takes over, pushing and pulling my hips as he works his cock against me, prolonging my orgasm and chasing his own. He’s grunting, gasping in need for release, and I give him all I have left, satisfaction sweeping through me a moment later as his breathing catches, and he growls. “Soph . . . fuuuuckkkk . . .”
His words disappear into a groan, and I feel him lift me off the ground as his hips buck once, twice, three times before he falls back on the blanket, unable to control himself. I ride him through his orgasm, prolonging his the way he did for me. As he begins to pant, he wraps his arms around my hips, stilling my movements and pulling me tight against him to meet my mouth in a heated kiss.
We stay there for a short eternity, both of us catching our breaths. James touches his forehead against mine, a little chuckle making him shake beneath me. “Fuck, Sophie, I don’t think I’ve dry humped a girl since high school. But damn, I don’t think it was that good, even back then.”
I smile, knowing he still can’t see me, but the humor is obvious in my tone as I tease him back. “I’m betting this was your plan all along, Cowboy. Take the new girl to your special spot by the pond, get her buzzed, and hump the fuck outta her.”
He laughs, stroking my back with work-roughened but still gentle hands. “That would’ve been a great plan. Wish I’d thought of it, but it seems to have worked out okay in the end.”
It’s surprisingly not awkward as we clean up, both of us knowing that if we stay out much longer, someone’s going to start asking questions. Even as we walk back toward the house, it’s a comfortable quiet, although judging by the way we’re both walking, our jeans aren’t quite as comfortable as they usually are.
James helps me into the truck, and I smirk at him, knowing he’s going to check out my ass again. I’m expecting that, but I’m not expecting it when he gives my right cheek a nice smack as I get in.
“Oh, is that how you like it?” I ask, glaring at him. Still, I can see the playful grin on his lips, and I know I’m smiling too; it’s obvious that everything’s in good humor. “You want to smack my ass a bit, watch it jiggle back and pink up from your handprint?”
James’s chest rumbles as he moves fast as a flash into the truck’s doorframe, pressing his hips against my ass as he pulls me close again. “I could definitely be talked into it if that’s what you want. I just wanted to show your curves a little love and appreciation, but right now, you just expanded my fantasy from last night to involve a little light spanking action.”
He looks up, as if he’s lost in a daydream, and I can’t help but ask. “You were fantasizing about me? Tell me more.”
James steps back a little, enough for me to turn around, before he answers, “Last night, as you were leaving, I pictured ripping your jeans down to your boots—enough to let me in but keep your legs locked together so you could grip me tight. Then I’d bend you over this old truck seat and fuck your pussy from behind until you screamed my name.”
My breath rushes out of me in a whoosh, and I’m glad the porch light is on and it’s still early enough someone might be awake inside. “Damn. I’m glad you didn’t say that last night, because I just might’ve let you.”
He moves in close, cupping my neck and looking in my eyes. “Well, I tol
d you now. How about tonight? Trust me, I’ve still got enough in me to make you scream my name.”
Before I can answer, there’s a loud bang as the screen door on the house closes. Our gazes snap to the door, and Luke sheepishly waves. “Hey, you two. Just heading home.”
He ducks his head, striding quickly out of sight.
“Where’s home?” I ask, almost surprised. “I sorta imagined you all lived here in the big house.”
Realizing the moment has passed, James lets go of my neck and steps back, gesturing off to his left, toward the road. “We’ve got bedrooms here . . . but Luke and I live out in the ranch-hand bunks right now. We don’t have any this time of the year, so it gives us a sense of privacy that living with Mama doesn’t. Mark’s got a little trailer out on a back pasture since he lives here full-time.”
I nod, letting my heartbeat slow. “So you and Luke don’t live here full-time like Mark?”
“No, Mark’s the good son who followed in Pops’s footsteps with running the ranch,” he says. “Luke is a half timer, here for a few weeks, and then he’s off taking a horse to show or to breed. Sometimes he’s even gone for weeks at a time if he’s got a training contract. This is his home base, and his horses are here, but he’s in and out pretty regularly. I’m gone most of the year . . . big rodeo season runs January to April, then fall circuit to finals in Vegas a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving.”
“Vegas? So you’re riding most of the year?”
James shrugs. “Been that way since I was eighteen. Come home in the summer to help some, but this year that was even more important since Pops passed in April. Hard to believe it’s really just been mere weeks, but as he always said, ‘The work must go on!’”
“Do you really believe that?” I ask, and James sighs.
“He was old-school like that. Keep on keepin’ on, no matter what, and he’d expect nothing less from us. Yeah, there’s still a big chunk of hurt inside . . . but we’re working through it.”
“I’m sure he was proud of all three of you.” There’s a quiet moment, and I think James is reflecting, trying to decide if his father would actually be proud of him, and I realize something important in what he said. “So you’re only here part-time too? You’re going back to the rodeo in the fall?”
He must hear the flirty question in my voice because he looks at me before replying, “Yeah . . . sorta need to.”
“Oh, that’s just . . . good,” I reply, hearing the lie in my voice even as it leaves my mouth. “I’m here for the summer, then back to school. You know, a summer internship.”
He seems to catch my meaning, leaning in to give me a quick smack on the hip. “Just for the summer? Guess we’d better make it count then, huh? How about if tomorrow night, after you check on Briarbelle, we head into town, and I take you to dinner?”
I grin. “That sounds great. It’s a date.” I give him a saucy wink before continuing, “Oh, but FYI . . . I’ll be dressed in work clothes for our date. It seems odd to change out here.”
James laughs, nodding in appreciation. “What you’re wearing now suits me . . . and you . . . just fine. And if you went and changed clothes out here . . . not gonna lie, I’d be peeking like a pervert, and we might never get to town.”
He looks up and down my body one last time before he shuts the door, then thumps the doorframe twice, just to make sure I’m in tight. “Good night, Soph. I’ll see you tomorrow. Even?”
I use two fingers to mime him walking into the house and reply, “Even.”
I watch him walk inside before starting the truck and pulling a U-turn in the yard to head home. My brain races the whole drive, whirling in ways I never expected.
Wow, what just happened?
My initial impression of James was obviously wrong; he’s been nothing but a gentleman since that first argument. And God, he’s so hot! I don’t think I’ve dry humped a guy in years, but I came harder with him than I have from full-on sex.
Best of all, he seems okay with a short-term deal and wants to take me out. I’m calling this day a ten on a scale of ten.
Helloooo, summer of my dreams.
CHAPTER 8
JAMES
Mama is pleased when I tell her that Sophie and I won’t be at dinner because we’re heading into town for a date and is blabbing to Mark and Luke before I even have a chance.
Of course, this means my brothers have to spend the rest of the day teasing and bugging the shit out of me about it. Luke gets started first as the three of us unload bags of feed for the horses before mucking out the stalls and laying down fresh hay.
“She gonna be a Bennett Babe now?” Luke asks as he sets down another fifty-pound sack of feed from the ATV trailer. “Just a tip, little brother . . . ladies like the ride to last quite a bit longer than the eight seconds you’re used to. You up for the challenge or you gonna blow it too soon?”
Mark grunts, setting down the pitchfork that he’s using to get the dirty hay out of the stalls. He even harrumphs a little, which for him is practically falling down in the dirt and rolling around laughing while holding his sides. He gets his own jab in. “I’ll tell you, she seems like a nice kid.”
“Kid?” I ask. “You need to get your eyes checked. She’s all woman, Mark.”
“Speaking of being blind, not sure what she’d see in a shit like you, but I guess everyone’s got to go mucking about a time or two.”
He winks, so I know he’s not being serious. It’s just his way . . . staid and serious, always in control and responsible for everyone and everything around him.
I drop my last bag and flip them both off. “Just for that, you two can play Dorothy in the barn. I’m gonna go check on the herd.”
Mark gives me a wave while Luke laughs. I find the herd right where they’re supposed to be, safely roaming in the pasture now that I’m done repairing and checking the fence. I spend most of the day just watching the sun race across the sky, biding my time until four o’clock when Sophie is supposed to be here. My watch beeps me a warning, and I head back quickly, tapping my horse into a loping trot I’m so eager.
“You know, I definitely prefer the horse,” Sophie teases as I give her a quick kiss hello. “Something about seeing you trot along on horseback.”
We go in for a quick check on Briarbelle and her still-unnamed foal, both of which are doing just fine. In fact, it’s barely four forty-five by the time Sophie’s finished feeding Briarbelle her last cookie and we give them both a brushing.
We go to the barn sink, washing up. “Wait here. I’ll go grab my keys, and we’ll head out.”
Sophie smirks, raising a finely sculpted eyebrow. “You don’t want me to come into the house? I should at least tell Mama Lou hello. Or are you worried she is going to see what you’ve been gettin’ yourself up to?”
I sigh, knowing that if she goes in the house, we’ll never leave. “Yeah, you could go in and say hello, but I’d like to get on the road. Besides, Mama will probably pull out baby books or some shit and we’ll never beat the dinner rush.”
She laughs, a naughtily playful look on her face. “Baby books? With little James, all nekkid save for his cowboy hat? Now that sounds like fun.”
She moves to walk past me toward the house, but I step in her way, blocking her with the width of my body. I’m not a huge man—guys who are built like linebackers don’t do a good job riding bulls—but I’m a full foot taller than her, and my shoulders are near twice as wide as her narrow waist.
Her petite frame is dwarfed as I intentionally loom over her, and I drop my voice deeper and quieter as I bend down to rumble in her ear, “You’ll have to get past me to get up to the house tonight, Soph. I aim to take you on a date, and it ain’t in that house.”
Sophie reaches up with her dainty hands, pats my chest, and steps back, still smiling. “Alright, Cowboy. No need to get all bossy . . . yet. I was just teasing, so you can save the alpha bit for later.”
She winks, and I get the hint that she’s not really teas
ing about that part—that she really would like for me to be a bit heavy-handed in certain situations.
Sophie smiles, pointing toward the house. “Go get your keys. I’m gonna grab some girly things in my truck. Don’t worry; I’ll be ready as quick as you are.”
Somehow, I doubt any woman, especially one as beautiful as Sophie, can be ready for a date that quick, so I go a bit slow grabbing my keys. I even take a moment to stop by the bathroom, where I swig some mouthwash and squirt some deodorant under my pits. Nothing crazy, but I don’t plan on smelling like a horse’s ass for our date.
Somewhere from the back of the house, I hear Luke call out, “You two behave yourselves, don’t do anything I wouldn’t dooooo . . .”
I chuckle a bit, knowing that leaves me plenty of damn options. Luke’s no choirboy; I’m sure he’s done more than breed horses on some of his cross-country trips. But I don’t respond, not wanting to encourage him. Instead, I grab a fresh shirt from the laundry room and pull it on, then step outside. Sure enough, as I step into the yard, Sophie is ready, standing next to her truck.
I stop on the porch, taking her in. I just saw her a minute ago, but in that quick flash, she’s pulled her hair out of its ponytail, and a dark curtain falls in large waves down her back, her cheeks look a bit flushed, and her lips are rosier than they were. It makes me want to nibble at them like berries, see if they taste as ripe as they look.
Striding toward her, I can’t help but notice her eyes traveling up and down my body. I usually think of my body in terms of whether it’ll do what I need it to do. Mostly that means staying on a bull and doing it with just the right type of showboating that gets good scores from the judges. But I’m glad that she seems to like what she sees, and I can’t help but puff up a bit.
Stepping into her space, I grasp a wave of hair that’s running down the front of her shoulder dangerously close to her full breast and twist it around my fingertip. “Your hair’s longer than I thought it’d be all free like that. So soft too . . . like silk. So much of you is like silk; I just want to explore it.”
Buck Wild (Bennett Boys Ranch Book 1) Page 6