“All I do is think about you, Walker,” she murmured, her eyes closed as her fingers danced in his hair. “I touch myself thinking about you doing this.”
His cock twitched, his balls tightening high and hard. He wanted to plunge inside her, kiss her while he fucked her hard. But not yet. Not when he could feel her hot and wet surrounding his finger, not when he could breathe in the scent of her, not when he could taste her.
He leaned in and swiped his tongue around her clit, and she let out a low moan.
“Yes. Like that,” she said, once again drawing his head down with her hand. “I like that a lot.”
And he liked that she talked to him, that she was right there with him while he lapped at her clit, took the bud in his mouth and sucked it, all the while continuing to slide his finger in and out of her pussy.
“Walker, I’m going to come. Lick me right there, I’m going to come.”
She lifted and he gave her what she wanted. She bucked against him, sliding her sex all over his face as she writhed in orgasm. Oh, man, he liked feeling her and tasting her when she came, liked feeling her body move as spasms gripped his finger over and over again, until she fell back against the bed and panted.
He removed his finger and crawled onto the bed, popping his finger into his mouth to taste her.
Jolene grabbed his head and brought his mouth to hers for a deep kiss that rocked him to the soles of his feet. She licked at his lips, tasting herself, and didn’t that just make his balls tight as stone.
When she let go, her eyes were glassy with spent passion, her skin flushed warm and pink. “Now get your clothes off so I can touch you.”
And not a minute too soon, either. He was as eager as a teenager fumbling with his clothes and about to have his first bout of sex with one hot, experienced woman. He stripped, pulled a couple condoms from his pocket and laid them on the nightstand. Jolene arched a brow, smiled and made room for him as he crawled onto the bed. As soon as he was flat on his back, she rolled over onto him.
“My turn,” she said, pressing her lips to his and kissing him with her sweet lips until his cock was a raging beast ready to slide up into her and fuck her into oblivion. But when he reached for her, she pushed him back.
“Oh no. You are not going to deny me this time. I want your cock in my mouth.”
Heat shot straight to his shaft. “Well I’m sure as hell not going to tell you no, honey. Suck that dick all you want.”
She laughed, moved down his body and positioned herself on her belly. With a wicked gleam in her eye, she focused on his cock. Now, what guy wouldn’t get his balls tied in knots to have a beautiful woman like Jolene lick her lips so close to his dick?
And when she put her hands on him, it was a slice of sweet heaven on earth. Whenever he jacked off, he did it to get a release, and his hands were calloused and rough. Hers, even though she worked hard for a living, too, were softer and smaller, and he could sure as hell tell the difference as she wrapped both around his shaft. And because she was a tough girl and not timid, she put some pressure on him, which he liked, swirling one hand over the other as she moved up and down.
He could lie back, watch her do that for hours, and die a happy man. But when she pushed forward and took the head of his cock between her lips, he gripped the sheets in both hands and tightened his jaw, because son of a bitch she had one hot, wet mouth. She let go of her hold on him, then it was all her mouth doing the work, as she got up on her knees and went down on him full tilt, taking him from top to bottom all the way to the back of her throat.
“Fuck,” he bit out as she took him hard and over and over again, sucking him deep, then releasing him only long enough to slide her pretty pink tongue over the crest and the underside of his shaft. Then she’d slide that tongue all the way down and flick it over his balls until he thought he’d die.
He tangled his fingers in her hair while she wound her tongue around his balls, licking and sucking them just the way he liked it, taking them into her mouth and rolling her tongue over them there, too. By the time she had his cock back in her mouth again, he was out of breath and ready to come.
And she knew it, too, because she smiled at him, held on to his shaft and began to stroke him. He jerked her hair, holding her in position while he pumped between her lips, his balls tightening with the pressure of her mouth around his cock.
“I’m going to come in your mouth, Jolene. Right . . . now.”
He groaned, then flexed his hips up as he jettisoned a stream of hot come into her waiting mouth. She squeezed and stroked every drop from him as he rocked against her, shuddering as the impact of his climax tore through him with blazing heat. And Jolene stayed with him the entire time, taking everything he had to give, continuing to lick and suck every drop.
“Damn,” he managed when he could speak again. He reached for her, pulled her up against him, then rolled them side to side, facing each other so he could see her, kiss her, taste what she’d done to him.
She slipped her hand between them, holding his cock gently to stroke him again while they kissed. He reached for her breasts and slid his thumbs over the buds, feeling them harden, listening to her moan and whimper as he cupped her, then kissed and licked them.
His cock was hard again in record time, no surprise considering the woman he was with. He reached for a condom and put it on, then spread her legs and slid inside, burying himself deep. Jolene wrapped her legs around his back and lifted against him.
There were no words this time, and it seemed so right to kiss her, to slide his hand underneath her to lift her, to need to be closer to her as he fucked her, as he felt the sensations intensify inside. Her pussy gripped him tight and hard, and he wanted her to come again, rolled his hips to grind against her clit, listening to the sounds she made. He knew when she was close, and he’d draw back a little, extending their pleasure until she was clawing his back, growling at him with the need to release.
And when he couldn’t stand it anymore, when perspiration poured down his face, when their bodies were both wet with pleasure and sweat, he thrust and ground against her, watching her eyes widen as she came. And then he came, too, wishing he didn’t have the burden of a condom so he could spill inside her, to fill her with his come and feel her hot and wet surrounding him.
He’d never been this . . . intimate with a woman before. With Jolene, it seemed natural. She gave as good as she got. She was something new and fresh and exciting, as wild and free in the bedroom as she was out on the prairie.
There was a reason he’d sought her out when he shouldn’t have, that he couldn’t stop thinking about her, that he needed to be close to her.
He was falling in love with her, and damned if that wasn’t the worst thing in the world that could happen.
six
jolene pulled into the parking lot at dirk’s, realizing that even though she was alone, she wore a giant grin on her face. Okay, so she was in heaven. Work was going well, and Walker was the best lover she’d ever had. They’d been together almost every night for the past few weeks, and she had no complaints. What more could she ask for than a dynamic lover, a valuable ranch hand and someone who was fun to be around?
Though she’d noticed he wasn’t into public displays of affection, and she got the distinct impression he intended to keep their relationship just between the two of them. Which was fine with her—for now. But she certainly had no intention of hiding it forever, especially since she realized things were getting serious between them. Or kind of serious. Oh hell, she didn’t know for sure. The sex was great, and she loved being with him. Mason thought highly of Walker and wanted to make him assistant ranch foreman. He had the skills and experience and had been at the ranch long enough. He’d earned it.
Jolene was beginning to see a future with Walker. What she didn’t know was what kind of future Walker saw, because everything with him seemed to be all about right now. Though they enjoyed each other’s company, they hadn’t talked about the future. They di
dn’t talk about much of anything, including Walker’s past. He knew everything about her, had asked her to fill in the blanks about her family and her past and anything he didn’t know. He liked her to talk about herself. But when she asked him about his past, he always managed to change the subject.
If things were going to go any further between them, that would have to change. She wasn’t going to fall in love with someone she didn’t know.
Or maybe she was already in love with him. She’d never been in love before, so how was she going to recognize it when it happened?
She opened the front door of the bar and country music blasted her in the face.
God, she loved this place. Grin still plastered on, she went inside, spotted Brea and Gage and headed over to their table.
“Where’s Val and Mason?” she asked.
“Home having hot sex while they have the place to themselves, probably,” Brea said, waggling her eyebrows.
“Decided to stay in tonight?”
“Yeah. Valerie said she needed to inventory medical supplies, so Mason said he’d stay to help her.”
“Which means they’re having sex instead of doing inventory,” Gage said. “Or at least that’s what I’d be doing.”
“Yeah, but you’re perverted.” Brea elbowed him in the ribs.
“And that’s why you love me.” Gage grabbed her and kissed her.
Jolene rolled her eyes. “Maybe you two should have stayed home and had sex, too. I’m going to the bar.”
She leaned against the bar and waved to Sandy, who was working at the other end. She didn’t have to bother to order. Sandy would just bring her favorite beer when she had a free minute. Jolene flipped around, putting her back against the bar, and scanned the room. Mainly she was looking for Walker. They hadn’t made plans for tonight, but she’d told him she was coming to Dirk’s. He’d nodded and said he might be here, too.
They didn’t make plans, they didn’t have dates, they didn’t go out together.
And that was beginning to irritate her. They were going to have to talk about having this secret relationship. Jolene didn’t want it to be a secret any longer. Walker was going to have to talk to her about why it was necessary to have all their meetings be clandestine.
She spotted him playing poker with some of the guys from the ranch, and waited for him to make eye contact. When he did, she smiled, but he looked away immediately.
Okay, maybe he hadn’t seen her.
“Hey, girl, you’re looking good tonight.”
Jolene turned around and grinned at Sandy. “So are you.”
Sandy was a beauty. A stunning, tall, built-like-a-brick-shithouse raven-haired beauty, one of the main attractions for men at Dirk’s. At thirty, she owned the bar that she’d inherited from her dad, ran it single-handedly and had a shotgun under the bar that she used to handle anyone who got out of hand, though plenty of the guys acted as unpaid bouncers if some out-of-towners got out of control and didn’t understand the rules.
Sandy was another mystery that most people questioned, just not to her. She’d never been married, claimed she’d been in love several times, and that once you got your heart stomped on twice by the same man, you weren’t up to having it happen again. And when she gave you the evil look, you knew not to ask questions. So no one did. She never went home with anyone, though many of the guys tried. She just seemed happy to run the bar.
“Looking for some fun tonight, or just killing time?” Sandy asked.
Jolene shrugged, dying to tell Sandy about Walker. But she figured she and Walker needed to come to an understanding before she started blabbing about their relationship.
So she shrugged and grabbed a handful of peanuts. “Keeping my options open, as usual.”
“Have fun, honey.”
Jolene grabbed her beer. “I intend to.”
She swung around and tried to act nonchalant this time, determined not to zero in on Walker right away. But despite her best intentions to remain oblivious to him, her gaze kept drifting in his direction.
He kept his focus on his cards, not on her. In fact, after she’d looked right at him for a full five minutes, she realized he looked up from his cards only to place a bet or respond to something one of the other players said.
He knew she was there, dammit. And he knew where. Yet he ignored her.
Poker face? Maybe. It was important to concentrate when playing poker, and flirting with her across the bar wasn’t a good idea when a game was going on. But he could at least acknowledge her presence. This was exactly like he acted on the ranch during the day.
So she waited until he finished his game, left the table and came to the bar to get another beer. And even at that he headed to the opposite end of the bar.
Son of a bitch. Was he blind and in need of glasses so that he could see her?
Enough was enough. She headed down the bar and tapped him on the shoulder.
“I thought maybe you didn’t see me.”
He turned around, beer in hand, actually looking to see who was around them before he acknowledged her. “I saw you.”
That was it? “I saw you”? “Are you planning on ignoring me tonight? I thought we had a date.”
He scratched the side of his nose. “I don’t recall making a date with you.”
“I told you I was going to be here.”
“And I said I was coming, too. That doesn’t make it a date.”
Unbelievable. She pushed aside the ache of rejection in the pit of her stomach and replaced it with a good healthy dose of anger. She laid her beer on the bar. “You know what, Walker? You’re absolutely right. We had no plans for tonight. Or any night for that matter. Have a good time.”
She walked away, tears blinding her and impeding her progress across the dance floor. She bumped into several people, but she was determined not to stop until she pushed through the front door and out into the parking lot. She dug her keys out of her pocket and opened the truck, slid in and started the engine, tears streaming down her face now.
As she put the truck into gear, she caught sight of Walker coming toward her. She jammed her foot on the gas and burned rubber peeling out of the parking lot, gravel shooting from her back tires as she did.
No way would she let him see how much he’d hurt her in there.
She’d never allow any man to crush her heart.
Though she was afraid it had already happened.
walker stood at the edge of the parking lot and watched the taillights on Jolene’s truck disappear down the road.
Asshole. Motherfucking, heartless asshole. His gut had clenched when he saw the tears well up in her eyes, the way her lips turned down, her bottom lip trembling as she tried so hard not to cry in front of him there in the bar.
He’d hurt her. What kind of a son of a bitch did that to a woman he cared about? He was so damn worried about keeping his job that he didn’t pay attention to how he was treating Jolene. He hadn’t noticed what he was doing . . . or what he was doing to her.
He pulled his hat off and jammed his fingers through his hair, trying to figure out how he was going to fix this. He could climb into his truck and follow her back to the ranch. Talk to her.
But she was angry, and right now talking to her wasn’t a good idea.
He’d give her a day—or two—to cool down. Then they’d talk. Besides, if he disappeared right after Jolene, people would notice. They’d talk. And that’s what he’d been trying to avoid. Better to let it go right now.
He turned and headed back into the bar, the word “coward” screaming in his head.
Yeah, yeah. He already knew that.
seven
jolene hadn’t had any time to dwell on her misery about Walker, because ranch business took front and center. There was cattle to move and calves to process, and those duties required all of them to get busy from dawn to well after night fell, leaving everyone in a state of exhaustion at the end of each day. It had worked out perfectly, because she’d needed to
drive herself from sunup to dark to keep thoughts of Walker from entering her mind.
Fortunately Walker had stayed busy with Mason and she hadn’t seen him, which helped. And the weather had been prominent on her mind, keeping Walker out of it.
Even worse were the ugly clouds that had begun to form yesterday morning. Jolene knew Oklahoma weather. Mason had checked the forecast and it wasn’t good. They were about to enter a rain pattern that was due to last several days, on top of already rain-soaked land and swollen creeks, which meant they needed to get all the cattle moved to the higher pastures. A steady bout of rain would fill all the creeks on the property to overflowing, and the runoff on the hills would be even worse. She wasn’t about to lose any of the cattle to flooding.
The first drops had fallen midday the day before, followed by torrential downpours that hadn’t quit. The already saturated ground wasn’t soaking anything up; runoff had already begun and the ponds filled up fast. They’d ridden out to check the water levels, and decided it was inevitable the creeks were going to overflow. They’d moved as much cattle as they could already.
Now, late afternoon on the second day of nonstop monsoon-like weather, Jolene, Mason and Walker huddled inside the barn and talked strategy.
“Head count looks good. Other than a hundred or so grazing in the outermost portions of the property, we’ve got most of them moved,” Mason said.
Jolene wrinkled her nose. “Problem is we don’t know where the remaining ones are. We’re going to have to split up in groups, take the vehicles and scan the acreage until we find them, make sure they’re safe and not stuck in lower ground where they might drown.”
Mason nodded. “Grizz and I will take the south. You and Walker can head east. I’ve got Gage and Joey tracking north, which leaves Bobby and Ray to the west. Four teams should be able to cover the property and be back before nightfall.”