STORY EXCERPT

Brittany Hook let herself into her apartment. It had the stale smell of being closed up for several weeks. She’d extended her vacation to be at her sister Sondra’s wedding.

Surprisingly, she’d had a difficult time telling everyone good-bye. It had been easier than she thought to get attached to Triple Creeks Township and its residents, especially Jared and Ward Jarvis.

It was good she’d had to leave and come back for her work. She wanted to forget the Jarvis brothers, and it wasn’t going to be easy.

The memories of how her first marriage ended and the painful divorce still made her cautious about men. Her first husband had been her first love, and he’d been unfaithful.

Her phone rang as she put down her bag and purse in her one bedroom. “Hello.”

“Just wanted to be sure you got home all right.” Jared’s sexy voice made her heart beat faster.

“How did you find my number?”

“Your sister gave it to us. Don’t be mad at her. We can be very convincing when we want to be.”

“I just got in and I have to unpack. I don’t have time to talk.” She hated being so abrupt, but she had to end this relationship before it began. She never wanted to be hurt again. It wasn’t worth the risk. Plus, she didn’t think she’d want to have two husbands.

“Let me tell you the reason I called. Ward will be working in New York next week. He’s going to stop by and make sure you’re doing all right.”

“It’s really not necessary. We had a good time, but my life is here, in New York. Thanks for the call.”

She hung up and glanced around the small bedroom. Her life was this apartment and going to work. The dream she’d had of having a home and children was gone. Tears filled her eyes, and her throat had a lump in it when she remembered her ex-husband saying she was barren. They’d tried to have children, and she’d failed. She brushed her fingers across her face where the tears ran.

Buck up. I have a job I enjoy, in the most exciting town in the East. It’s more than most. I will not be a crybaby. Damn Jared for calling me and stirring up unresolved feelings.

* * * *

Jared Jarvis clicked his phone off and turned to his brother, Ward. “She wasn’t too receptive to the idea of seeing you. I think she’s hoping to forget us.”

“Is she worth the bother?” Ward asked in his coolest voice.

“Hell, yes. What do you think?”

“I’m not sure. We’ll have to see. I’ll skip seeing her this visit, although I will find out where she lives and works. We’ll let her see if she can forget us.”

“It’s a risk.”

“Pushing her to accept us is, too. Be patient. Tell me about that bull you think we should purchase.” Ward walked to the desk and picked up the flyer advertising the sale.

“He sounds good, but I’ll go check him out before we buy him,” Jared said. “They also have a horse I want to check on.”

Ward grinned. “That’s the real reason you want to travel to Wyoming. Go ahead and let me know what you find. I’m going to check the books before I leave next week. This afternoon I’m going for a ride over the property. I miss this place whenever I travel to New York.”

“It is getting lonely around here, especially since we’ve found Brittany.” Jared walked to the door, grabbed his hat, and started out. “If we do as you suggested, it’s going to be a long month or so before we have contact.”

“Yes, but if she’s the right one, it’ll be worth it.”

Jared strolled out the door and got on his horse. It was the latter part of the summer, and the smell of hay and cattle blew through the air on a warm breeze. This place was bred in his bones. It was home and he loved it, even on the most difficult days when he dragged in muddy, smelly, and tired. He was glad he’d been born and raised here.

Mountains rose in splendor around the edges of their land. Wildflowers decorated the prairie, and the house sat as though it had risen from the ground like the mountains, strong, secure, comfortable.

Damn, he was getting too melancholy. He pulled on the reins of his mare, Diamond. She responded immediately, and he rode toward the barn. He’d spend the afternoon training his latest horse. Maybe he’d forget about Brittany for a little while, but she had touched his heart in a way no one had in a long time.

Ward was different. Jared understood his brother, but others often saw him as stubborn and hard. His mom and dad had adopted Ward when he was three. They’d thought they couldn’t have children. Then a year later his mom found out she was pregnant with Jared. Ward had been five years old when he was born.

Jared took the saddle off Diamond and rubbed her down. He saddled the black-and-white mare he’d been working with and led her out to the fenced-in training area.

ADULT EXCERPT

She turned in his arms and shivered. “I do have to, or I’ll always be looking over my shoulder. I can’t live at your ranch forever.”

“Maybe you can.”

“You aren’t sure you want me for a wife. Don’t you think I’ve seen the uncertainty in your eyes? You’re all for an affair, but anything more serious”—she looked directly at him—“you don’t know what you want.”

“I won’t lie. You’re right. I’d like to take you to my bedroom and slide my cock deep into your sweet pussy.”

“I want the same.”

Ward raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you certain?”

“Yes. I have to get back to my apartment in a little while. What are you waiting for?”

He scooped her into his arms and took long strides down the hall on the left to a large master bedroom. The curtains were drawn back from a wall of windows. The twinkling lights of the city shone below. Ward put her on the king-size bed and took off her heels. He stood back and admired her.

“Your beautiful hair and the color of your eyes and skin look incredible against my green bedspread.” He kicked off his shoes and sat her up where he could unzip her dress and remove her bra. Once her upper half was bare, his attention focused on her luscious breasts.

“What happened here? He lightly touched the bruise on her one breast. Britt bit her lip. “Tell me, please.”

“Ralph squeezed my breast when he was insisting I go into the ballroom with him.”

“I hope before this is over that I get a chance to knock a few of his teeth out,” Ward growled.

“It’s over. Forget it. The FBI capturing his friends and him will be enough satisfaction.  

His fingers brushed across the velvety soft skin, and he kissed the bruised area. Then he knelt in front of her and licked her pointed nipples. When Ward glanced at her face, he caught the flash of desire in her gorgeous eyes. His cock ached it was so hard.

He pulled her up and the dress fell off of her. He slid one finger under each side of her bikini panties, and then glided them down over her hips and along her gorgeous legs. Her pussy was right in front of him. He took a deep breath of her seductive scent then he lifted her back onto the bed and put her clothes on the nearest chair.

Ward felt her eyes following his every movement. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and pants. In a very few minutes he was naked.

She reached for him as he put his knee on the bed. His heart pounded like it might burst out of his chest. He lay beside her and let her explore his body.

Her fingers stroked his face, across his mouth, and down his neck. Then she leaned forward and kissed where she had touched. She electrified him.

When she kissed his mouth and opened her lips, he rolled her on her back and took control. The interior of her mouth was sweet and soft. His tongue raked along the sides and dueled with hers. He sucked on her tongue, and her moan aroused him further.

Ward pulled back and stared at her face. Her green eyes shone like jewels, and her rosy lips were puffed from his kisses. He kissed the skin of her neck and at the spot where her pulse beat fast and hard.

She reached out and placed her hand around his hard cock. It jerked in her hand.

“He wants to be inside of your pussy.”

“I want to taste you.”

His cock hardened more. “Can you feel your answer?”

Brittany grinned when he moved to her side. She slid down and took his cock into her warm mouth.

“Ah, damn that feels good,” he managed to say with a groan.

Her tongue brushed across the crown of his cock and down the side. Then she began to go up and down his length.

He barely held on. He wanted to come inside her pussy, at least this time. But when she sucked on the end of his dick, he almost lost it. Gently, he stopped her and pulled her beside him.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Brittany lay on her back, and he kissed his way down her body. His lips brushed across her stomach, before he separated her lower lips and sucked on her tiny jewel. Her body bowed, and she pushed herself closer against his mouth. He sucked on her clit and licked several times.

Then he savored the taste of her from her clit down to the opening to her pussy. His tongue flicked inside, and she yelled out his name. She tasted like honey. He wanted to continue, but his cock throbbed with the hunger to sink deep inside her pussy.

“Please, take me now.” Her body trembled with desire.

Ward grabbed the condom on the bedside table and sheathed his cock. Then he positioned himself at her opening and watched her face as he moved slowly inside her pussy walls.

Her pupils dilated, and she threw her head back. Her hips rose, bringing him in further. Damn, she felt good, too good. He stopped for a second as the fiercest desire swept over him to make her his.

“Don’t stop.” Her hands held on to his buttocks, and she moved her body up and down against his wide cock.