“If we can work in some riding, we will, ma’am. We have a funeral to arrange, so a forty-mile round trip on horseback is out of the question. My apologies.”
Marina looked a bit taken aback by River’s abruptness, but I was grateful he shut her up.
“Oh. Okay,” she murmured, somewhat stunned that he wasn’t falling all over her. She was used to men salivating. I was, too, but River wasn’t just any man who fell victim to his dick. He could have anyone he wanted within a hundred miles or more. Just ask Suzy Welling.
“We’ll talk later, Thea,” he said softly. “You ladies have a good night.”
It dawned on me that I didn’t know if he was leaving or staying at the house, but I didn’t want to ask him in front of Marina. I wanted her to go in her room and go to bed. I wanted a shower and then to go see my horse, Star.
Chapter Two
River
WELL . . . THAT TANKED.
I threw a rock in the creek that ran between my parent’s place and “The Acres”. That’s what I, and all of the employees, called it. Even Leonard Andreas called it that. He said that he didn’t need his name plastered all over hell to know what was his. I guess he was right. I loved this place. I’d been working it like it was my own since I was seventeen. He paid me well, but that wasn’t why I did it. I did it for her.
I picked up a heavier rock and flung it as hard as I could. I could see the house where I grew up on the horizon. It was older than the Andreas house and smaller, but it was visible. My mother had called to ask if I needed anything, and she came over and helped me picked out a nice suit, tie, and shirt to take to the funeral home.
I laughed to myself, thinking how I made sure to grab his Old Spice. The man was probably a billionaire and he wore fucking $7 aftershave. He always smelled of Old Spice, except when we were working our asses off. That was another thing that made him a great man: he always worked his ass off, right along with the rest of us.
All the boys loved him because he was “do as I do,” not “do as I say,” and he shared the wealth. There was always a hefty bonus after we took cattle to market or the crops were harvested. Everyone who worked for Leonard Andreas respected the shit out of him, and we all felt like this was our own place; especially me. The day Leonard Andreas died was one sad, goddamn day.
My head turned toward the stables. A few of the horses were whinnying and I decided to go check on them. There weren’t too many predators around that could hurt them, but sometimes we had rattlesnakes and those fuckers could spook horses faster than anything else. If the horse was tied or confined, as they were in their stables, they went crazy.
I rushed up the small embankment from the creek to the main property, and the wild weeds turned into the finely manicured lawn. I hurried up the crushed white gravel lane that led to the stables, lengthening my stride, but not running. The horses didn’t seem to be out of control, just disturbed. Leonard always kept a double barrel shotgun on the wall inside the stable door in case of unwanted critters. I’d made use of it once or twice. Once when I refused to let Leonard send the lot of them to the butchers, after his wife was killed by a horse kicking her in the corral on the north side of the stables. I was just a scared kid, standing up to a formidable opponent for a good cause . . . I knew Mrs. Andreas wouldn’t want the horses destroyed, and more, I couldn’t let him do that to Thea.
I understood his grief better now that I was older, but at the time, all I wanted was to protect a girl I was starting to fall hard for.
The memory was vivid as I walked up to the double sliding doors of the stable. There was a regular door to the right of it, with a glass window in the top half. I’d stood right in front of those open double doors with that shotgun in my hand.
I fired it once into the air. “No! I won’t let you do it, Mr. Andreas! She wouldn’t want it!”
“Don’t you tell me what my wife would want, kid!” He’d shouted back. “Get out of the goddamn way! This isn’t your business!”
I was scared shitless. Sure, I was starting to develop lean muscle from working on my dad’s place and The Acres, but I wasn’t yet full-grown and he was taller than me, by a good six inches. He waved me away. There were three horse trailers connected to huge dually trucks, each ready to load up six of the horses and haul them off to their doom.
Thea was softly sobbing behind me. I sucked in my breath and mustered all the bravado I had. “Bullshit! It is my business! I helped raise and train them. I worked my ass off, and in a year several of them will be old enough to breed with Johnson’s. It’s all been planned. If you don’t give a shit about that, think about Thea!”
“I am thinking about Thea, young man! I don’t want her killed like Frita! Get out of the goddamn way, now!”
I shook my head adamantly. “No! I’m sorry, sir, I can’t! It was an accident!”
He stalked toward me, fuming. I knew he was hurting. We all were. Frita Andreas was a saint of a woman. Everyone in the community loved her. She and my mom were friends from high school and I’d known her my whole life. I adored her.
“Do you think that shitty old shotgun is all I’ve got? I have an arsenal in the house, young man. Get the fuck out of my way!”
I shook my head hard, and planted my feet. My hands were sweating and I was afraid I’d drop the friggin’ gun on the ground. I adjusted my hold on it. “Look, I understand you’re hurting! I’m sorry! If you want to blame someone, blame me! If you want the horse responsible to die, I’ll shoot the goddamned thing myself, but I won’t let you destroy all of these animals! If you want to get rid of them, I’ll ask Jeff Johnson to take them.” I was sure I could get as much money for them as the Purina was paying. I walked up to him, until I was right in his face. “Look at her! She’s the only thing you have left. This will kill her. It’s not fair to punish Thea, or kill the horses because one of them got spooked by a fucking snake!” My chest was heaving, and adrenaline flowed like fire in my veins. “With all due respect; you know that, sir. I take responsibility. It was my fault that I didn’t see that fucking snake until it was too late. It’s my fault. Not the poor horse.”
Tears started in his eyes, and it was a hard thing to see; this proud, larger-than-life man could break. He didn’t say a word, he just turned, and flung his arm out at the trucks, silently telling the drivers he’d changed his mind. They started their engines and started to roll out of the driveway.
A sobbing Thea ran to me and threw her arms around my neck. I put one arm around her waist and pulled her close, careful to keep the gun away with the other, even though the safety was on the whole time. Hell, it only had one round in it, and I’d already off’d that in the air. I didn’t even have more shells in my pockets.
“Thank you, River! You saved them.”
She cried hard in my arms, and all I could think of was that I was going to protect this girl for the rest of my life. After that, we were inseparable, and slowly, Leonard came around and out of his funk. He didn’t ask me to take care of the horses, but I did. He didn’t ask me to fix shit, but I did. He didn’t ask me to ride out and make sure the cattle in pastures not near the creek were watered, but I did. Eventually, it was just expected. After I graduated high school I started working at the ranch full time, and he started paying me more. I didn’t ask for money. I didn’t have to. Leonard Andreas was a fair and honorable man.
I grabbed the doorknob on the door, and pulled it open. I peered inside. There were large metal lights hanging from the ceiling down the main corridor of the stable, but I didn’t flip them on. Each individual stable had a light and one of them was on about halfway down. Star.
Thea was here. I walked toward the stall, trying not to let the heels of my boots make too much noise. I wanted to sneak up on her and just watch her. She used to love that horse.
She was inside the stall, the sliding door was open just enough for her waif-like frame to fit through. I peered around the opening and the horse was nuzzling her nose against Thea’s chest and she wa
s stroking the side of Star’s neck and cheeks, her forehead pressed to the place with the spot on the sable’s head.
Phbbbbbbbb. Phbbbbbbbb.
Star made soft sounds as she lifted her chin and moved it over Thea’s shoulder in a sort of hug. Instantly, Thea’s arms lifted around the horse’s neck. “I missed you, Star. I love my girl, so much.”
“She misses you, too,” I said softly.
Thea turned her face toward me, but kept her arms around the horse, her forehead pressed against Star’s cheek. “I have to admit, I miss this place.” Her voice was sad and so were her blue eyes. She was just out of a shower, and was wearing frayed cutoffs, an old T-shirt I recognized, and the brown cowboy boots I bought her for her eighteenth birthday. Those long legs in those short shorts with the boots were more than hot.
“You look good, here.” I wanted to be mad at her, but I wanted to kiss her more.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to take care of the funeral stuff.”
“It’s okay. It was unexpected.”
“It was, but at least it was quick and he didn’t suffer.” Her words were melancholy and filled with sadness.
Phbbbbbbb Phbbbbbb. The horse nudged her again.
I pushed the door open further and joined her inside. “We were going to have a barbeque this weekend. I think we should go on with it. It’s what Leonard would want. He wasn’t a churchgoer, as you know, and he wouldn’t want a sad wake and funeral.” It wasn’t that Leonard didn’t believe in the Almighty; he just didn’t have the time to spare running this ranch. He used to say the Texas sky was his church and being outside was the best place to talk God.
She nodded. “He’d say; just plant me and get it over with.”
I huffed out a small laugh. I was leaning my bent arm on the metal bars on the top half of the door, so close to her I could almost feel her breath. “He would.” I reached out and slid a finger down her face over the track of a tear. Touching her was gentle and soft, but it hit me like lightning.
She closed her eyes. I couldn’t help it, I let my hand cup her face, and she pressed her cheek into it. I reached for her hand and pulled her forward. It only took one step and she was in my arms. “How about a kiss? For old times sake?”
I bent my head and hovered; my mouth paused over Thea’s as I used my lower lip to nudge her upper one in a seductive tease. Instantly, my body engorged. She still smelled the same. In this stinky stable, her sweet scent filled my nostrils. She was so close.
“Uhhh, River,” she sighed my named and her fingers threaded through mine as her chin lifted. It was all the invitation I needed. My mouth swooped down and took Thea’s in a deep kiss. It was like time melted away, and nothing had changed. I moved in front of her and turned her so that her back was up against the stable door. Star snorted and pawed behind us, but it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t try to escape with Thea near.
Her hands moved up my body, over my shoulders and into my hair, pushing my old Stetson off my head and sending it to the floor. I pulled my mouth free long enough to slide my hands under her arms and lift her up. Her legs automatically wrapped around my waist, and I pushed my hips into hers. She moaned as she felt the hardness of my want for her, and I thrust my hips into her heat with a groan. I could feel her through all of our clothes. My hands wrapped around the bars on either side of her head and I started kissing her again. I held her weight with just my hips as I rubbed my erection on her body.
The way she was fisting her hands in my hair, her panting breaths and the hungry way she was kissing me back told me she needed this as much as I did. The three years that she’d been gone still dug at me, but in that moment, I only wanted to be closer, to devour her, and love her with the abandon that used to define us.
Her booted foot dug into my ass as her hips pushed up into mine. Our tongues were mating inside her mouth, and I sucked on hers until it was inside mine. I pulled my mouth free to breathe and pressed my forehead to hers. I was fighting an internal struggle that said I shouldn’t let myself get sucked in again. “Oh, fuck, Thea” I moaned. “I told myself I wouldn’t let this happen.”
One of her hands slid down over the planes of my chest, and curled into the material. It felt desperate, in the same way that I felt desperate. Her sweet breath rushed out over my neck in a hot, delicious rush. Her head was on my shoulder and her face was buried against my neck. I wondered if she could feel the thunder of my pulse.
I sensed she wanted to say something, but speaking would ruin the moment; it might make us reconsider what we were about to do. Instead, she kissed me again, but this time it was slow, languid, and deep as fucking hell.
My body ignored my logic and pushed against her again. She let out a little mewling sound that shot right to my dick. There would be other times to talk, to tell her how I really felt about her leaving, but right now, I just wanted to lose myself inside her soft, hot, tight little body.
When the kiss ended, I held Thea against me with one arm under her butt, and I slid the door to the stall open, stepped through and shut it. “Sorry, Star,” I murmured.
There was a stall at the far end that we kept full of straw and another full of alfalfa. The doors to both were open. I took her into the one filled with straw. Most of it was loose and all over the floor. We used it for clean bedding for the horses when we mucked out the stalls. I pulled the door shut behind us. Instantly, we were kissing over and over and it was amazing.
“I could kiss you forever. Just kissing you would be enough.” I murmured as I let her feet slide to the floor. I didn’t want to let go of her, but the straw wouldn’t be comfortable as it was. I cupped her face as I broke off the kiss, turning to peel off my T-shirt. I laid it down on the straw and then unbuckled my belt, and pulled it free of my jeans. I released the button and the zipper and yanked the front of my jeans open. My erection was full and proud as I pushed jeans and boxer briefs down just enough to release my cock and balls. I’d need to keep my legs covered under the circumstances.
“No, River. It’s not enough.” Thea’s hands closed around the shaft and her thumbs rubbed over the head, the second I was back in front of her.
“Ughhh,” I groaned and my head fell forward. Her chin came up in a silent plea that I kiss her again. My mouth slammed down on hers and she sucked on and licked at my lips. “Oh, God, Thea,” I panted as she worked my cock. “I can’t.” I reached down and grabbed her wrist to stop her purposeful movement on my body. I couldn’t bear to end the contact completely, but I needed her to slow down or I’d come too soon. Thea excited me like no other woman ever could because my heart was full of her. Still. Fuck, there was no question, she still owned me.
I wanted skin on skin, everywhere, but I didn’t want her delicate body marred or scratched, and if we got completely naked we’d pay for it later.
We were both breathing hard and my hands became frantic to rid her of her shorts and panties. I wondered if they were as sexy as the one I’d glimpsed on the security cameras when the wind blew up her dress at the gate. In seconds they were around her feet, and caught on her boots.
Her eyes were locked on mine as she lifted one foot so I could navigate the material over it and then, the other. I smiled. “Looks like we’re doing it with our boots on,” I said, lifting her up to gently lay her down on my shirt. She was little, but the shirt wasn’t long enough to allow me to take hers off.
I went down with her and ended up on my knees between her legs, looking down at her, and pushing up her shirt with one hand. I wanted to see her body and my eyes roamed over it. She was thin, but still possessed a gentle, yet womanly swell to her hips and her small, silk covered breasts. I pushed up the bra to free them, and hovered over her. She reached for me with both hands and I fell into the cradle of her body. God, it was heaven. I wasn’t inside her yet, but she arched and pressed her sex on my cock. She was hotter than hell, and I could feel she was slick and ready. All it would take was a slight shift and a push, and I’d slide deep into her sweet folds
. Jesus, just thinking about it made more blood rush wildly through my body. I was throbbing, aching, dying . . .
“Are you sure, Thea?” I asked.
She nodded and slid her hands up my torso, over my shoulders, and into my hair. “Yes. I want this, River. I want you.”
It was all I needed to hear. My mouth found hers and my tongue played with hers at the same time as her tight heat surrounded me. I could feel her stretching as her body tried to accommodate mine, her booted heels pressing into the back of my thighs.
We were desperate for each other. I pulled my mouth from hers to trail sucking kisses down her neck and shoulder. We moved together in perfect and opposite unison. I pushed into her body over and over, long smooth thrusts, getting as close as I could, yet it wasn’t close enough.
I wanted to suckle her breasts, but to do so would mean I’d have to separate, and it wasn’t gonna happen. Instead, I slid a hand up her thigh and over her hip, along the side of her body until I could cup one of them with my free hand. I teased the nipple with my finger and thumb until Thea was crying out with pleasure. Her body clenched and pulled at my cock, milking me to the point of no return. I wanted it to last forever, but it had been too long.
Her hips moved opposite to mine and I pushed in as deep as I could get, letting my tongue thrust into her mouth; I kissed her as deep as my body was digging into hers.
“Jesus, Thea. I’m gonna come. Come on, baby,” I begged. I pushed my pelvis into hers, seeking to put the right pressure on her clit. I could tell by the way her body was clamped down on mine that she was close.
I couldn’t help it; my orgasm was imminent. When I hit the tipping point and I pulled out, letting myself spill all over my shirt in the space between her legs. She moaned in protest as I left her body, but I didn’t know if she was still on the pill, and I almost hoped she wasn’t because that would mean she didn’t have a new relationship.
My orgasm rushed over me and I jerked with the force of it, though I knew it would have been even more incredible inside her. I used my hand to bring her body to shuddering climax, wanting to make sure she felt good. Her back arched, and she let out a small moan. “Mmmmmm. . . . .”