STORY EXCERPT

The stranger topped her by at least six inches. If he hugged her, the top of her head would fit under his chin. He waited for her answer, projecting a seductive aura of power and control. She’d seen the look before, on her more dominant uncles. Uncle Keith didn’t do it often, but when he looked across the room at Aggie that way, her boisterous aunt seemed to melt.

An unfamiliar twinge struck between her thighs. Another made her nipples contract into hard buds. He cleared his throat. His hat covered a certain part of his anatomy. Was it on purpose? Was he interested in her? As long as he wasn’t in a relationship…

She dropped her eyes, breaking the spell and reminding her of what she wore, and didn’t.

Oh, God, now was not the time to meet Mr. Studly Dom. Not when her hair was still wet and tangled and she wore nothing underneath her old silk robe!

She looked up, belatedly crossing her arms to hide the evidence of her arousal. His lip twitched. Her face, which was already hot from her recent shower, burned. Dammit, she hated feeling unsure. It was a familiar feeling which, as usual, was quickly followed by anxiety. She hid it under a mask of bravado.

“Uncle Tommy didn’t call. I thought you were the sheriff.” She suddenly realized what he might think about her answering the door like this. “He’s an older cousin who thinks he should keep an eye on me.”

Damn, now she’d implied the law needed to check up on her!

She turned to Rascal, still grinning in welcome at her side. “Some guard dog you are!” He tilted his head at her. “I know, I didn’t listen to your warning,” she muttered.

The hand the man held out for Rascal to sniff was broad, with long fingers. The dog took it as permission and explored his jeans from waist to ankle. The stranger’s chuckle seemed to ripple down her spine and lodge between her legs.

“Hey, boy.”

“Rascal doesn’t usually take to strangers. He’s my guard dog.”

“He knows I’d never harm a woman.” He slid her a glance. “Especially one as pretty as you.”

Just once she would like some good-looking man to say she was pretty and mean it. This guy wanted a job, and thought a bit of flattery would help. Having a stranger arrive out of the blue, when she was at her worst, was bad enough. Having him see her, and wake a sexual longing she’d thought impossible, ticked her off.

He must know dogs, since he found the right spots behind Rascal’s ears. He had to bend over to reach. She was used to men this size. She was not used to the way his eyes assessed her, or how it made her feel. However, she was not going to behave like a silly female. Just because a handsome, hunky man wanted to work for her while her parents were gone…

She straightened up to her full five feet, eleven inches, lifted her chin, and glared at him.

“Who are you?”

“Jet Quartermain, ma’am. My buddy, Houston, is in the truck.”

She took a step sideways to peer around Jet toward the truck. It looked empty. It also looked like it was about to croak. How did he get across those mountain passes in that old clunker?

“Houston’s asleep. He’s a bit banged up,” said Jet, “but he’s a good mechanic. Tom White said you might need someone to fix a tractor. Houston’s used to army vehicles, but he can make any engine purr.”

She swallowed hard. Jet was doing a good job of getting her engine purring all by himself. Focus!

“You’re ex-army?”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s where Houston got injured.”

The familiar ache struck out of the blue. “My cousin Danny was killed by a roadside bomb,” she whispered. "One of those IEDs."

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he quietly replied. “It’s happened to a lot of good men and women. And service dogs,” he added, bending over to give Rascal another scratch.

Even if this Houston was no good for ranch work, she owed him for his service to his country. The tractor did need work, and her daddy hadn’t gotten around to tuning up the ranch trucks yet. Then there were the half-finished jobs he never got around to finishing because he got an idea for a new invention. Hell, the Valley could use a good mechanic, as Peters’s Garage had enough to do with town vehicles.

“Why isn’t he recovering with family?” she asked.

“Neither of us have any.” Jet looked up at her. “We can work as long as you need, no strings attached.”

His quiet words didn’t match the fire in his expression. His eyes lingered at her chest. Not lewdly, but showing interest. A man this size might prefer a big woman. The thought of having him show her what she’d been missing made her tingle.

The Circle C needed a pair of hardworking men. She wanted them to prove she was not frigid and ugly and all the other things she’d been called. She’d hire them to work, and hope they might satisfy each other as an added benefit.

ADULT EXCERPT

Houston looked at what must be the most beautiful sight in the world. Lila’s short and curlies tangled with his mustache. Her smooth belly curved up, dented in at her waist, and then arched out to a pair of the most magnificent natural breasts he’d ever seen. He continued to lick and suck gently. Since Lila wasn’t going anywhere, he released her hips to grasp her breasts. She moaned. He filled his hands with them. Her hard nipples dug into the center of his palm. He weighed them, sliding his fingers underneath to that sensitive, rarely seen side. Her skin was like alabaster, only warm.

His cock throbbed, demanding release. It had been so long, and he’d wondered if it would ever work again. For some reason she’d chosen him for her first orgasm. Maybe when she’d had a couple she would use her hand, or her mouth, to give him release. She wasn’t experienced, so he wouldn’t push.

He caught her nipples between his knuckles and squeezed. Her gasp made him smile. He rewarded her with a tongue flick on her clit. Now that he’d had a good play with her breasts, he kept his head down to give him room to spread out her lips with his fingers.

“That clit of yours is all swollen and red,” he said. “She’s a beauty. Just like you.”

He used the slippery underside of his tongue to circle in one direction for a bit, and then the other. He took a break to breathe, then pushed her forward enough so he could taste her. God, she was perfect. Wet, and slick, and womanly enough to make him growl.

He went back to work on her clit, this time using the rougher topside of his tongue. He flicked left to right a few times and then up-and-down. He varied the pressure, finally working up to a figure eight. He’d use the smooth underside, and then the firmer tip. And then he began flicking.

“Oh! No more!” She rose up, pulling away from him.

“You don’t like it?”

She answered with a growl and slid along his body, one knee at a time. She went past his cock, then grabbed it.

“Oh, yeah,” he moaned.

Would she do the same for him now? She gritted her teeth, snarling at him. Then she lifted herself high and sank onto his cock. He choked, unable to move as she slowly slid all the way down. She was hot, and tight, and he was going to come in three seconds if he didn’t do something to set her off.

“Lean forward and ride me,” he said, gasping with the effort to hold back. “Use my hard cock. Take what you need. I’m here for you, baby.”

She leaned forward, slapping her palms on either side of his upper chest. She gritted her teeth, her face screwed up as if in pain. She slammed back, grinding her clit against him, riding his cock. He gathered up some of her juice and tried out her asshole. Her snarl got even worse. She sat up enough to impale herself on his finger. Oh yeah!

Her clit looked lonely, so he used his other hand on it, rubbing in a circle while she shafted him. He had her, front, center, and back, and she was loving every minute of it. His balls were desperate to explode but Lila had to come first.

She slammed up and down on him, clenching his cock in that velvet vice. He sank his finger deeper into her ass, in and out, fast. Her eyes went wild. He shoved his cock up as she came down, one finger deep in her ass, another pinching her nipple. Her pussy walls clenched around him

“Come for me,” he ordered. “Come hard. Now, Lila. Now!”

Her pussy clamped around him as her scream filled his ears. He followed a second later, grabbing her hips and slamming her onto his cock, again and again..

Lila finally slumped on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, loosely, as they were both gasping for air. For a moment he thought she was crying because her shoulders shook. But the eyes that she lifted to his sparkled, and he realized she was laughing.

“You making fun of my lovemaking? Because I can flip you over and spank that ass.”

Her lips curled up in the saucy grin. “Promise?” He gave her one swat on the back cheek. She squealed. “Truce!” she yelled.

She sat up, still panting and grinning at him. That made her lovely breasts quiver in front of him. His hands automatically went to them. He could worship this woman’s breasts forever. As long as he got equal access to the rest of her, including her brain. He grinned to himself. Pussy cream was far better for his face than the stuff the army gave him, but he didn’t think they’d prescribe it anytime soon.

God, Lila was smiling at him as if she didn’t notice his face was a patchwork quilt. Did she really not care? Or was it just the orgasm? The next few days should show him the truth.