Chapter 7
TANNER
Axel’s battered Stetson shaded the top portion of his face, lending an air of mystery that went well with snug-fitted denim and a plaid flannel shirt.
He could have been a gladiator, a knight, or a warrior, and yet he was a cowboy through and through.
The afternoon sun bathed him in autumn light as he and Hudson guided their horses along the path toward the corral.
He was on Karma, a gorgeous chestnut with a white snip on his muzzle and Hudson—fuck, he could have been astride an elephant for all that I noticed.
Hudson waved in greeting and hopped from his horse. “Hey, we were just checking on the new bull. He’s an ornery little fucker.”
I grabbed the reins. “Oh, yeah?”
“Tobias isn’t aggressive. He just misses his herd,” Axel piped in, sliding gracefully to the ground. “We need to reintroduce him to the larger group.”
Hudson inclined his chin. “Agreed. Here, I’ll take the horses in. Lou will meet you at four o’clock in the main office to go over the inoculation schedule, Axe.”
Axel grunted in acknowledgment. He waited till Hudson was out of earshot to face me…but remained stubbornly silent. All business.
That was the way it was supposed to be, of course.
But those big fucking hands had held me in place to tongue-fuck my mouth. So much heat, so much passion. And damn it, that had been a few days ago.
My gaze strayed south and stalled at the bulge in his Levi’s. I know, I know. I was going rogue again. My blood was practically sizzling, undercurrents of electricity zinging through my body.
I wanted to climb him, ride him, use him. He could use me too. I wouldn’t mind. Not one fucking bit.
Jax’s advice popped into my mind like a cartoon devil sitting on my shoulder, no angel in sight.
It wouldn’t have to mean anything. He’s leaving in December. He said he was up for anything.
“You all right?” Axel rumbled, his voice like gravel.
I met his eyes and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good.”
And with a tip of his hat, he turned and walked away.
Uh…what the fuck?
“Hey. Wait up,” I called after the behemoth of a man striding toward the stables.
Axel didn’t wait.
He continued inside and veered left.
I went after him, but I was stopped twice by eager employees with cheery greetings before I was able to break free.
The office was empty. No one was at the desk or hanging around the coffee bar along the far wall.
Not surprising. The Oak Ridge stables consisted of three separate buildings, and though each had an office, only the main one—which was also the largest—had a full-time staff presence.
The others were used by vets, breeders, and trainers as needed.
The plain walls were lined with tasteful black-and-white photographs of our horses, past and present, and rows of plaques were interspersed with casual staff pics on the walls of the short hallway that led to a supply closet and a bathroom.
I checked the bathroom first, then pushed open the door to the supply closet.
Axel stood in front of a shelf of ointments and bandages, hands on his hips, perusing the selection as if he were choosing cereal at a grocery store. He glanced up and don’t quote me, but I could have sworn he smiled.
He reminded me of a wild animal, dangerous in its stillness. A smarter person would have cut their losses. Not me.
“You said…anything.”
More silence. It pulsed and echoed off the walls until it reverberated like a heartbeat.
Axel’s lips lifted in a rogue-like tilt. “What’d you have in mind?”
Look, I’d had plenty of male lovers over the years, and I wasn’t shy or nervous about sex. However, I’d never been with a man like Axel. I’d always ended up dating thin, lanky professorial types who didn’t mind giving up control.
That was not Axel. He gave alpha male energy like no one I’d ever met.
I felt small next to him. Strange, ’cause I was tall by most standards, fit, and muscular.
I could hold my own at the ranch…or in a bar fight if necessary.
But only a true fool would dare mess with Axel.
He was too big, too mean-looking. He was the kind of guy who could turn your insides liquid with a feral growl or end you with a lazy swing of a bear-sized paw.
What did I hope to gain by cornering him in a supply room?
Okay, fine…sex. Or something, anything. The second we’d agreed this was possible, it was all I could fucking think about. Axel’s big body on mine—covering me, owning me.
Axel stepped closer, his gaze sweeping me from head to toe. I held a hand out in invitation. He ignored it. My heart sank as he walked to the door.
A click of a lock later, my back was against the wall, my hat was on the floor, and his tongue was halfway down my throat.
This was right where we’d left things the other day…times ten. The fire burned hotter now. There was nothing tentative in our touches. We sucked and nipped in feverish exploration.
I was drunk on the taste of him and the heat of his body.
My tenuous grip on self-control slipped with every twist of his tongue.
That needy whimper had to be coming from me, and if I wasn’t so horny and hard—to the point of detonating like a time bomb—I’d have been mortified.
Circumstances being what they were, I didn’t give a fuck. I had to feel him.
I hooked my fingers through Axel’s belt loops and tugged him to me.
He grunted the second our denim-clad erections collided. “Oh, fuck.”
“Ungh, that’s good. So good,” I groaned, knocking his Stetson off as I fused our lips and ground my pelvis against his rock-hard length.
It was raunchy and nasty, but damn, the friction felt amazing. And when he dragged his lips along my jaw, lowering his hands to cup my ass and buck his hips, grinding our cocks, I almost came on the spot.
Axel must have been in the same state. He inched away, resting his forehead on mine. “Wanna touch you.”
“Do it,” I whispered, grabbing his hand and flattening his palm on my crotch.
He met my gaze, his nostrils flaring. Without a word, he unbuckled my belt, undid my fly, and shoved my jeans out of the way. Then he gripped my shaft through my boxer briefs and stroked me.
“Christ, this is a very nice fucking cock.”
Another whimper. That couldn’t be helped, though. I was on fire. “I want to see you. Show me.”
Axel released me to deal with his belt and zipper, and pushed his jeans down.
His cock sprang from the confines of his briefs like a jack-in-the-box, swaying between us.
I reached for him automatically, wrapping my fingers around his large dick, testing his weight and girth, exploring the smooth skin over steel, the wide head and the angry vein leading to his balls. Damn, even his balls were big.
I rolled them, returning to jerk his cock until he growled into my ear.
“Harder, cowboy. Jack me like you mean it.”
I did as I was told, my breath hitching as he lowered my boxer briefs, licked his palm, and proceeded to stroke me from base to tip like a damn pro. I matched the pace Axel set, dragging my thumb across his slit for lube as our tongues twisted.
We probably made quite a picture—two cowboys polishing each other’s poles with our mouths fused.
I didn’t care if we got caught. Not now.
I needed this too much. I craved him with a ferocity that threw me off-balance.
I could think of nothing I wanted more than to give Axel the reins and beg him to eat me or fuck me. Right here, right now.
He'd do it. He wouldn’t think twice about taking me against the wall or on the floor or—
Oh, shit. Axel broke the kiss and let out a low, feral moan as a jet of cum spilled over my fist. I was close, too. But instead of finishing me off, he ran a finger through his release and reached around to slip a digit in my hole.
My orgasm thundered through me. I gasped, squeezing my eyes shut as white light permeated my vision and made the world spin on its axis.
I was too strung out to worry about an awkward aftermath, but it was there, and I wasn’t quite prepared to deal with resetting an already tenuous balance.
I straightened slowly and looked for something to clean up with, studiously avoiding Axel’s gaze. I found a roll of paper towels, grabbed a few, and handed the roll to him. We tidied up in silence. Then Axel rescued our hats, wordlessly flipping mine to me.
I slipped it on, inclining my chin slightly. “Thank you.”
“For a good time?”
I snorted. “Something like that.”
“Hmm.” Axel held the door open for me. He inhaled as I passed and muttered something unintelligible.
“What did you say?”
He considered me for a moment with that lazy tilt of his lips. “I want you like I haven’t wanted anyone for a long, long time. Don’t know when, but I’m gonna fuck you, cowboy.”
With that, he touched the brim of his hat and sidled by me.
I gulped, eyeing Axel’s impossibly broad shoulders and muscular arms as he disappeared into the office.
I’m gonna fuck you, cowboy.
Holy shit.
It wasn’t poetry, but it was close enough.