“When?” Cara asks and dives back into the pan of brownies.
“Last weekend. Seth spent the weekend at a friend’s house, so I went to the ranch.”
“Hold up.” Cara holds up a hand and then shoves it through her hair. “You were at the ranch all weekend and I never saw you once?”
“It’s a big ranch, Cara.”
“Okay, so get to the good stuff,” Lauren interrupts. “Tell us everything.”
“Well, at first I wasn’t going to sleep with him. We were just going to hang out.”
“Yeah, I tried that with Josh,” Cara says. “It obviously didn’t work for me either. The King boys are just too hot for that.”
“Yeah, and then the roads got too icy for me to drive back to town, and then one thing led to another, and then next thing I knew it was Sunday and Seth was home and we were snowmobiling and playing video games and having dinner.” I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around my legs.
“So it didn’t suck,” Cara says.
“No, it was fun.”
“What’s the problem?” Lo asks.
“Well, I spoke with Zack that night after I got home, but haven’t heard a word from him since then. I’ve texted him a couple of times, but nothing.” I shrug in exasperation.
“It’s only been three days,” Cara says with a frown.
“He said he wanted to see me this week and would call.” I sound ridiculous. “Am I becoming one of those girls who checks her phone every three seconds and stalks his social media?”
“Zack doesn’t do any social media,” Cara replies with a grin.
“I know, I checked—and that makes me a tiny bit psycho.”
Lauren laughs. “Did you drive past his house? Call his mom? Hire a PI?”
“Of course not.”
“Then I’d say you’re good.”
“Why didn’t you just call one of us to talk it out?” Cara asks. “I live on the same property. I have the inside scoop, you know.”
“What do you know?” I lower my legs and help myself to a brownie.
“Well, he probably didn’t call because he’s been in the barn with a sick horse for the best part of the last few days.” Cara sips her coffee and I feel like the biggest idiot on the face of the earth.
“I’m a moron,” I whisper.
“No, you’re just a woman who wants attention from the man she’s currently sleeping with,” Lauren replies and pats my shoulder. “That’s understandable.”
“He said he’d call, and when he didn’t, it pissed me off. Most men promise the world and then typically end up disappointing you.”
“Not always. You’ve just had shitty luck with men.” Cara crosses to the coffeepot to refill our cups. “He’ll call. He and Josh have been out with the vet and that horse almost nonstop. The poor thing.”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “He could have at least returned my texts.”
“Zack’s famous for forgetting his phone in the house. It’s not yet habit to grab it—he spent too many years in the field and they didn’t have cell phones out there.”
I nod thoughtfully. She’s right. Of course he was too busy being worried about getting blown up by a roadside bomb to think about carrying a cell phone.
And I’m acting like a lovesick teenager. “I need to get a grip,” I mutter in disgust.
“I think it’s great.” Lauren stirs her coffee and then props her elbows on the table and takes a sip. “I hope it works out.”
“We’re just getting to know each other better.”
“Yeah, while nekkid,” Cara says with a giggle.
“That’s the best part,” Lo agrees. “What about Seth?”
“What about him?”
“How is he reacting to it?”
“Good question,” Cara agrees.
“He doesn’t know that we’re seeing each other. We all hung out together on Sunday and it went really well.” I shrug and smile. “Zack’s a great dad. They’re adorable together. I don’t know who’s more endearing: Zack, Seth, or that sweet dog of theirs.”
“So you’re cool with hanging out with Seth. It’s not just about the sex with his dad.” Lauren is watching me calmly and Cara tips her head to the side, waiting for my answer.
“I don’t know what this is yet, but it’s not just sex,” I admit softly. “If that was the case, I wouldn’t have stayed around after Seth got home. The sex is great, but so is just being with them. I like them.”
“Awesome.” Cara grins as Lo yawns.
“I’m sorry,” Lo says and blinks rapidly. “I’m not sure why, but I get so tired around this time of day.”
“Late nights with Ty?” Cara asks with a knowing smile.
“That must be it.”
“Ew.” I wrinkle my nose and shudder. “I do not want to hear about my brother and late nights.”
“It’s not just late at night,” Lo adds with an evil grin.
“Yuck.” I cover my ears with my hands and laugh. “Stop talking.”
“Okay, okay, since you’ve had a rough week, I’ll go easy on you.” Lo laughs and then claps her hands. “Oh! The torchlight parade up at the Whitetail Mountain ski resort is happening next weekend! We’re all going, right?”
“Absolutely,” Cara replies immediately as I nod. “Grace and Jacob invited us all to join them at the lodge for the best seats up there.”
“I love it when we know the right people.” I sigh happily and sip the last of my coffee. “How are they, anyway? I haven’t talked to Grace in a while.”
“They seem to be having fun,” Cara says. Grace was a college classmate of Cara’s and they’ve been good friends ever since. After we all gave Grace lessons at the ski resort last month, Grace fell in love with the owner of the resort, Jacob Baxter.
“They make such a cute couple,” Lo says with a sigh. “I love a sweet love story.”
“Of course you do. You write them,” I remind her. Lauren is a successful author. We couldn’t be more proud of her.
“I wouldn’t say I write sweet love stories.”
“You write sexy love stories,” Cara agrees. “And we appreciate them.”
As the conversation segues to Lo’s current project, I sit back and nibble a brownie, thankful for these two women and their amazing friendship.
Men may come and go, but my friends will be a part of my life forever, and that is the best thing I could ever ask for.
The girls have just left and I pop the last bite of brownie in my mouth just as my phone rings. I grin when I see Zack’s name.
“Hello?”
“Fuck, it’s good to hear your voice,” he replies. His voice is rough and low, and my thighs immediately clench.
“How are you?” I ask and bite my lip as I lower myself onto my couch.
“It’s been a shitty few days. I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your texts, sugar.”
“Is everything okay now?” I ask, trying to keep my voice level.
“We had a very sick horse on our hands, but it looks like she’s out of the woods now.” He sighs deeply and I can hear the fatigue in his voice. “I just woke up from a few hours’ sleep, and I’d like to come to town and take you out to dinner.”
“I can hear how exhausted you are, Zack,” I say softly. “You should rest.”
“The only thing I need right now is food and you.”
“What about Seth?” I ask tentatively. “I don’t want to take you away from time with him.”
“He’s been staying with Mom and Dad for the past few days because I’ve been in and out so sporadically. He’s happy as can be, getting spoiled by my mom and decorating his bedroom over there.”
“They gave him his own room?”
“He’s the only grandchild. Of course they did.” He chuckles softly. “So, Seth is fine, and I want to spend some time with you.”
“I’d like that,” I admit quietly. “I just have to change my clothes and I’ll be ready to go.”
“
I’m on my way.” Just as I think he’s going to hang up, he says, “And Jilly? Don’t bother with panties. You won’t need them.”
The line goes dead and I stare at my phone for several seconds before laughing and rushing to the bathroom to take a very quick shower. I touch up my makeup and brush out my hair, then dress in a tight pair of jeans and a black low-cut blouse with a push-up bra that shows the girls off to their fullest potential.
I slip on a pair of boots with four-inch heels and take a twirl in front of the mirror.
Not bad, if I do say so myself.
I walk into the living room just as the doorbell rings.
“Hey, handsome.” I grin and step back as Zack’s jaw drops and his eyes roam from the top of my head down to the heels on my feet.
“Fuck me, you’re beautiful, Jilly.” He pulls me into his arms and kisses me, urgently. “I missed you this week.”
“I missed you too. I thought maybe you weren’t going to call.”
“Fuck,” he whispers and leans his forehead on mine. “I’m sorry. The days just got away from me, and I was in the barn more than I was at the house.”
“It’s okay.” I shake my head and push my fingers through his soft, dark hair. “I hope the horse is better now?”
“So far, yeah.” He nods and then grins down at me before gently brushing his lips over mine one more time. “Are you really going to try to walk through the snow in these fuck-me boots?”
“I’ll be fine,” I insist. “I was going for sexy.”
“You’ve achieved it. I can’t get much harder.” I cock a brow and boldly glide my hand down his chest to cup his hard-on in my hand. “I stand corrected. That did it.”
“Very nice, Sergeant King.”
“Dinner first,” he growls and cups my face in his hands, kissing me yet again.
“Let’s go.”
He helps me out to his truck, patiently guiding me through the snow in my heels.
“I can’t believe you’re wearing those in this weather.”
“I won’t fall,” I assure him and then damned if I don’t slip. I catch myself, but Zack turns and lifts me into his arms, carrying me the rest of the way to his truck. “This is excellent service.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he says with a grin. “I can’t have you falling. You’ll break your neck in those things.”
“You don’t like them?” I pout.
“I fucking love them, sugar. Wear them anytime you want. I’ll carry you.” He winks and kisses my cheek before setting me gently in the cab of his truck.
“What are you in the mood for?” Zack asks as he pulls out of my driveway.
“I already ate a third of a pan of brownies today, so we might as well indulge in some greasy bar food.”
“Bar food it is.” He takes my hand and kisses my knuckles as he easily maneuvers through the streets to downtown Cunningham Falls.
“My house is so close, we almost could have walked here.”
“Not in those boots.” He laughs and parks, helps me out of the truck, and leads me into the dimly lit bar. There is a small kitchen immediately to the left, where we place our order, then go to find a table in the heart of the bar.
Because it’s a weeknight, it’s relatively quiet. We choose a table near the back, by the pool tables.
“Shall we play?” Zack asks, pointing to the table.
“I don’t really know how.” I shrug and bat my eyes innocently. “But I guess we can play. Will you show me?”
“Sure.” He grins widely and hangs our coats on the backs of our chairs before choosing two pool cues. He’s delicious in another pair of faded blue jeans and a fitted blue T-shirt. He’s wearing Chucks, which surprises me but completes his outfit perfectly.
He’s just yummy.
“I’ll break,” he offers and sets up the balls while I order us both a beer from the waitress.
“Good idea.”
He takes his shot and scatters the balls, and when a solid goes in the corner pocket, he says, “Looks like I’m solids.”
“You are solid, yes,” I agree and run my hand down his arm, feeling his muscles. “I like it.”
“Are you going to be trouble all night?” he growls in my ear.
“I don’t know what you mean.” I smile serenely and point to the table. “Your shot.”
He chalks his cue and watches me with narrowed eyes, and a half smile on his lips, then takes a shot, missing the pocket.
“My turn.” I circle the table, looking for my shot. Of course, I lied through my teeth to Zack. I played pool all the time in college, and I’m damn good at it.
Not that he needs to know that.
I make sure I find a shot that puts my ass in his line of vision as I bend over the table and take a shot, sinking the ball.
“Oh, yay! That must have been a lucky shot.” I wink at him and then bite my lip at the look of lust in his eyes. He’s leaning against his stool, his arms crossed over his chest, showing off the bulge in his arms.
Christ on a crutch, I want to attack him.
I circle the table and find my next shot, on the opposite side of the table, bend deep so he can see my cleavage, and shoot the ball, missing the pocket.
“Don’t think I’m not onto your game, sugar.”
“I’m playing pool.” I shrug and smile at the waitress who delivers our food. Zack takes a huge bite of his burger and then walks around the table and takes several shots, sinking all of the balls.
I nibble on my buffalo chicken fingers with sour cream and chive fries—really, I’ll be eating yogurt for a month to make up for this meal—and watch the sexiness that is Zack move around the table.
“Nice shot,” I say when he sinks his fourth ball in a row.
“Thanks.” He shoves some fries in his mouth and wanders back to the table. And for the next while, we eat and play in companionable silence, high-fiving when we sink the ball, and rooting for each other.
When we’ve finished eating, and begun our third game, someone puts some money in the old-fashioned jukebox and a classic Aerosmith song comes on. I shake my hips to the rhythm and dance around the table, looking for a shot. I lean over the table, still swaying my hips and shoot, missing the hole.
“Stay where you are,” Zack commands in a low voice.
I look up at him, startled, to find his brown eyes feral and trained on my ass. He walks around the table, glides one hand down my hip and butt cheek, then pulls my back against his chest and presses his mouth to my ear.
“Do you enjoy torturing me like that, Jilly?”
“Like what?” I ask breathlessly.
“Swaying your hips, walking around in these boots, bending over the table to show me your chest. I’m permanently hard here, sweetheart.”
I sigh against him and smile when he wraps both arms around me, hugging me tightly. “Let me stay with you tonight.”
“Absolutely.”
“I’m telling you now, I’ll have to leave very early to get back to the ranch. Josh is covering for me tonight, but I’ll need to be back early to help and to drive Seth down to the bus stop because it’s too far to walk in the snow—”
“Zack, I don’t mean to sound like an insensitive ass right now, but it’s been three days since we had sex, and I’m having a hard time focusing here. I won’t be mad that you’re leaving early in the morning.”
He groans and presses a kiss to my cheek, then retrieves our coats, throws some bills on the table for our waitress, and leads me out to the truck.
“By the way,” I mention casually as he drives as quickly as he can while still staying safe, which is faster than I would have thought, back to my place. “I’m not wearing any panties.”
He throws me a glance and then presses down on the accelerator even more, cussing under his breath.
“Stay put,” he instructs me when we pull up to my house. He comes around to my door, lifts me out of the truck, and carries me through the yard to the front door.
“And they say
chivalry is dead.” My voice is dripping with sarcasm, but Zack laughs and waits patiently as I unlock the door.
When we’re finally inside, Zack bolts the door behind us, then turns to me, and we immediately start tearing at each other’s clothes, scattering them about the room. I have to unzip and yank off my boots to get my tight jeans down my legs.
“Next time, you keep the boots on,” Zack murmurs. “They’re fucking hot.”
“So noted,” I reply and jump up into his arms, wrap my legs around his waist, and hold on as he carries me to my bedroom. “God, you feel good.”
My hands won’t stop roaming over his skin, his shoulders, his arms. I can’t wait to feel his back and stomach.
His cock.
“So do you, baby.” He lowers me to the bed and joins me, covering me with his large body. He rests his full cock against my folds, but doesn’t enter me as he kisses me with a fever unlike any I’ve ever seen. We’ve been starved for each other, and it’s only been a few days since we were last together.
With one hand in his hair, I glide the other down his back to his ass and hold on tightly, loving the way the muscles clench and move under my hand as he rocks his pelvis against my own.
“You’re so fucking wet,” he growls as his cock slides effortlessly through my dripping lips.
“Since the moment I saw you,” I agree and then bite my lip when he pulls up to look down at me. “Should I not have said that?”
“I love that you said that,” he says as he pulls his knuckles down my cheek. “I’ve had a hard-on since the moment I heard your voice today.”
“Can you turn onto your back please?”
He frowns for a moment and then complies, dragging me with him. I shimmy down his body and before he can blink, I take his cock in my hand and wrap my lips around the head, sucking firmly.
“Holy fucking hell, Jilly!”
“Mmm,” I reply and begin to move quickly up and down, pumping my hand in sync with my mouth, making him crazy. He plunges his hands in my hair and holds on for dear life as I fuck him with my mouth.
“That’s right, sugar. Suck it.” He groans and flops his head back on the bed, then looks back down at me, watching. His abs tighten with the movement, begging me to brush my hand over them, up to his chest, over his nipples, and back down the small trail of dark hair that leads to his dick. “You look amazing, Jill.”