Kickin' Up Dust: Operation Cowboy, Book 1 (12 page)

“It’s a surprise. Now get to work.” He swatted her behind. The crack made her horse shy away and Danica cry out.

Before he went back on his decision to leave her alone for the time being, he grabbed a shovel that had been leaning against the finished fence. The scent of loamy earth filled his nostrils. The rhythm of hard work soothed him, though his libido still raged.

After they’d erected two posts and filled the gaps with barbed wire, they were ready for the gate. The sun was climbing high, and sweat beaded on his neck as he worked. Danica wiped her forehead several times and took a break to drink some water.

“I can’t believe we’re nearly finished. Think of the free time we’ll have when we’re not fixing or building fence.” Her insinuating tone was a dark whip to his senses.

He gave her a crooked smile. “Yeah, because ranching only takes a few hours a day.”

She laughed at his joke. “You know what I mean. Joining our fences means the herd will have more room to roam. We won’t be moving them around as much to find better grazing land.”

“That’s true. But we’ll have new goals. Like putting in that late corn crop. Making hay.”

“Rolling in it.” She twitched her hips his direction, and he issued a groan.

Dragging his focus away from her sexy body was a hard test, but he managed.

“You keep checking your watch. What’s going on, Pup?”

He rolled his eyes at her nickname. “Got something to do in about half an hour. We gotta rush this. Here, grab the other side.”

The gate was a final addition to the enclosure. It would be kept open to combine the ranches. But if they ever wanted, they could return to their original separation. The idea of not being part of her everyday life stabbed him.

He glanced at her beautiful face and prayed nothing would ever happen to make him fall out of her good graces. Sleeping with her was a risk, and eventually he’d need to put a stop to it.
Today. You promised it would be this afternoon.

She won’t remain single forever
, a voice in the back of his mind said. He cringed from thoughts of her marrying, of having little cowboys and cowgirls who would run this land just as they had. His chest tightened.

Dammit.

When the gate was installed, they stood back to look at their handiwork. At the same moment, they turned to each other. Danica threw herself at him. He caught her, hitching her legs around his waist as he claimed her mouth.

Sweet flavors burst in his mouth while passion flowed like honey through his veins. She parted her lips for him, and he plunged his tongue inside. She moaned, angling to give him deeper access even as her hands roved over his shoulders and back.

He kissed her until his lips tingled and he was as hard as steel. Still, it wasn’t enough. He feared it never would be.

When she tore from the kiss, her eyes were fever-bright. “Surely we have a few minutes.”

He pinched her backside, which was a mistake because she pushed her damp, hot pussy against him. Fuck, what risks he’d take to stroke her to orgasm. To watch her come apart and feel her juices spill over his fingers.

He’d face a firing squad to have it.

With a smooth motion, he let her drop to the ground. Clasping her face in his hands, he walked her backward until the gate was at her spine. Then he held her gaze while one-handedly unbuttoning her shorts.

“You’re making me burn up, Brodie. Hurry.” Her panting breaths threatened to knock him to his knees, but he remained upright. His fingers met hot, silky flesh. He eased his hand into her panties, stretching the cotton. Holding her gaze, he probed the top of her seam.

Her clit was a ripe berry beneath his finger. And she was wild in seconds. Rocking against his hand, slick with need. He captured her mouth once more as he circled her clit. She leaned on the fence heavily, legs splayed, small cries escaping her.

He sank a finger into her, and wild need tore through him. He dragged her closer, straining with the urge to join them with his cock. When he alternated between fingering her deep and toying with her nubbin, he felt her tense.

“God, Brodie. I’m so close.”

“Come on my fingers, darlin’. Say my name.”

Because that’s not possessive as hell.

He didn’t care about anything right now except feeling her come apart for him.

Squeaking gasps left her. Her pussy was so damn slippery, and he was about to skid out of control, drop his Wranglers, and fuck her here and now.

“Brod—” Her choked cry cut off halfway; her legs quivered. He crushed her lips beneath his as she tipped over the edge and came. For a mindless minute, he floated with her in an erotic haze, stretching her release with slower swirls of his fingertip.

A final shudder racked her, and she collapsed against him, twisting the fabric of his shirt.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful when you come.” He stared at her through lowered lids. Her cheeks were pink, her lips plump. And her eyes… Damn, he didn’t deserve a woman who looked at him like that.

He slid his finger back and forth over her nubbin a few more times. She jerked in his hold, and his cock was impossibly hard. But he couldn’t sink into her slippery heat right now.

Withdrawing his hand, he fastened her fly again. Then he couldn’t stop himself from sticking his fingers into his mouth and sucking. Her cheeks grew pinker, and a rumble left him, half need, half regret. He wanted her with a fury, but once they started several hours would be lost to total bliss.

“We’ve gotta go.”

“Where?” she asked, still leaning on the gate, her palms on his chest for support.

“Back to the ranch. We’ve got someone to meet.”

* * * * *

Danica blinked at the cattle being driven off the truck and into her pasture. Young ones for the most part. And a few mature animals that could be used for reproduction. All in all, a hell of a lot of money had been laid down for this new herd.

Brodie’s face was alive with excitement. “What do you think, darlin’?”

Her heart expanded to see him happy—but deep down she felt betrayed. Wasn’t this their combined operation? Their fathers had given them free rein of their ranches, but Brodie wasn’t including her in decisions?

Swallowing hard, she said, “It’s unexpected. How did you do it?”

“When you’re at war, you don’t have a lot of places to spend money. I had a little egg sitting there and I decided it would be better used here.” He stretched a hand toward the milling beasts.

Suddenly Danica felt small and mean for being upset that Brodie hadn’t shared this decision with her. He’d put his life on the line for that money, and whatever he did with it was totally within his right.

“It’s a new crossbreed,” he was saying. “They mature faster, which means—”

“We can sell them faster.”

“Right.” His eyes gleamed.

She caught a little of his joy and looked at the herd with fresh eyes. She saw the potential roaming around her pasture, not only some betrayal of their agreement. He’d done this for the good of all of them.

Catching his hand, she squeezed his fingers. “This is great, Brodie.”

He brought her knuckles to his lips and skimmed them with a kiss that made her throat tighten. He hadn’t been home for very long, and he’d seen her as a woman instead of a child for a lot less time. But she’d never felt this way about any man. If she was honest, she could see him as a permanent fixture in her life.

But she still felt his reluctance. Even while he peeled her off the stars, she felt him holding back.

When he handed the fat cashier’s check to the man delivering the cattle, Brodie was nothing but smiles. Her heart flipped at the sheer male beauty before her. She wanted to see more happiness shining in his eyes.

He drifted to stand close to her. Shoulder to shoulder they watched the driver head back to the main road.

“My first real purchase. Look at them.” He propped his hands on the fence and stared at the animals.

“A lot of branding to do.”

“There’s that. I’ll ask Wydell to help.”

“He’ll like that. He seems to prefer ranching to demolition.”

“That’s backbreaking work. And in this case soul-breaking. He’s ripping apart people’s lives.”

Deep in thought, she tugged on her earlobe and her earring back fell off. The silver stud fell and struck Brodie’s boot. With lightning swiftness, he dropped into a crouch. His nimble fingers closed around the bright object, and then he popped to his feet.

The movement left her breathless. His muscles bulged with the predatory action, and she was left to think about his years spent as a soldier instead of a rancher.

All day long she couldn’t shake the feeling that he was two different men trying to merge into one. As they checked over the cattle’s health, she envisioned him leading men into combat. When his big hands moved to do a task, she only saw him running the chamber of a weapon.

What was it about today that had her looking at him differently? Maybe her heart was trying to take in the whole Brodie.

As he strode in her direction, his arms swinging at his sides and his hat tipped low, her nipples hardened. Low in her belly, the familiar ache began.

He glanced at her as he went into the barn.
Coming, cowboy. I’ll follow you into a cave full of rattlesnakes.

Before he could grab some horse tack, she landed a hand on his chest, over his pounding heart. “A good day’s work, lover.”

“Danica…”

“Why do you try to stop yourself, Brodie? You know you want to give in.” She swayed against him.

He clasped her hip. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Why?” She wasn’t acting coy—she genuinely had no clue why they should try to stay away from each other. They were both free, and they were like biscuits and gravy. Everything about them worked. Why was he denying it?

“Because of Matt.” His roughly spoken words fell between them.

Understanding dawned over her. Feeling an icy grip, she took a step back. “You think Matt would disapprove of what’s between us?”

He stared into her eyes for two long heartbeats. Then he twisted away. “I don’t know.”

She cupped his jaw and turned his head back to study his face. “You do. Why would you think that?”

“Maybe because—” He broke off, throat working and eyes downcast.

“Wait. Don’t tell me he told you on his deathbed to stay away from his sister.”

Brodie’s gaze flashed to hers, angry and intense. “Don’t talk about that.”

“I know it hurts you. It guts me to think about it and I wasn’t even there.”

“Stop.”

“He wouldn’t be upset with his best friend for making his sister happy.”

He went still. “Is that what I do, Danica?” His burning whisper scorched her senses.

A loaded silence hung between them. One shift and the balance would be disrupted—he could end things and she could go off in tears. But she wasn’t going to back down. He was worth fighting for, even if it was his personal demon she was trying to slay.

She nodded. “My parents are living in the dark of their grief. All my friends are gone and I only have an occasional paper to look forward to writing for my college course. That and a butt-load of work on a ranch that is depressing and lonely as hell. What do you think, Brodie?”

His chest gave a violent shudder as if he were harnessing something wild. The crease of his jaw fluttered beneath her fingers.

With his basic-training swiftness, he plucked her off her feet. His lips crashed over hers as he spun her to a wall, her legs hoisted around him. An uneven moan ripped from her chest, and he answered with a sound like a wild beast.

Their mouths collided. She surrendered to the bruising violence in his kiss. Wanting everything about this beautiful, hardworking, life-weary man. She pushed off his hat and threaded her fingers in the strands of his hair.

He thrust his cock toward her pussy. “You and your damn cutoffs. I can’t stay away from you,” he gasped between carnal kisses.

“I’ve got three pairs you haven’t even seen yet.”

His growl vibrated from the ends of her hair to her toes. When he slowly levered away and started stripping off her top, her heart constricted at the sight of his fierce expression.

God, he was a beautiful man, and she was in love with him. It had happened weeks ago, in the moment he’d brought Matt home to her and cried with her on the front porch. She’d given her heart to Brodie. Her childhood friend, her lover. He’d always been family, and now she wanted him in a whole new way.

Brodie was losing his damn mind to this woman. As he clamped his lips around her nipple and drew it into a tight peak, he tried to care about his vow to stay away from her. But her admission that he made her happy—well that was a personal crack he hadn’t realized he was addicted to until this minute.

He sucked on her breast, tugging long moans from her. When she skidded a hand down his chest to his waist, he couldn’t hold back another second. He needed to be inside her—now.

Letting her slide to her feet, he one-handedly worked open his belt and jeans while she dropped those tormenting shorts over her lush curves. His cock popped into his hand, and he stroked it. Once, twice.

The flash in her eyes was his only warning before she dropped to her knees and took his hard cock in her scorching hot mouth. With a growl, he fisted her hair, gazing at her closed eyes and sweet lips working him.

“Take it, darlin’. All of it.” His command unleashed something primal inside him, and he churned his hips, feeding her every inch. She mewled around him, which only fueled him more.

Need mounted way too fast. As she ran her tongue around his head, he bit off a groan. Dragging her up his body, he speared her with two fingers. She cried out as he filled her body.

“Come for me. Come on my fingers then I’ll pin you to this wall and fuck you until you don’t know your name.” He latched onto her throat, sucking and kissing while he fingered her hard and fast. When the heel of his hand bumped her clit repeatedly, he felt her tense.

With a wicked grin, he ground his palm against her nub.

“Please, Brodie.”

“You need to come, darlin’. Trust me to take you there. Let go, my beautiful angel.” He dragged his lips and tongue up her neck to the corner of her lips. As her orgasm hit, she turned her mouth against his.