Chapter Five
“All you have to do is tell me you’re not interested,” Devin said as he moved closer to her.
“I’m older––”
“Bullshit, Willa. I don’t care about that. You are too fixated on the age difference. All I’m fixated on—is you.”
“Do you just want to be with an older woman, is that it?”
He grinned. “I’ve been with older women. Tell me you’re not interested, and I’ll go.”
Willa stared up at him and shook her head. “Devin…”
Sighing, he nodded. “I get it. I’ll leave, and I won’t ever bother you again.”
He reached for the doorknob when she touched his arm, and he turned to look at her.
“I don’t want you to go,” she whispered.
“You shook your head.” He frowned.
“Because I don’t know what to say. I’m so attracted to you––” Willa gasped when he grabbed her arms and pulled her to him.
“Why was that so damn hard to admit? And don’t say it’s because of the age difference.”
“It is though. I’m forty. I don’t need my heart broken at this stage in my life, and you have heartbreaker written all over you.”
“I’ll do my best not to hurt you. Besides, what makes you think you won’t break mine? You have no idea how much I want you. In every way possible.”
“Devin, I do want you… so much. ”
He moved his hands down her arms to her waist and then around to her butt. Then he pulled her against him.
“Do you feel how much I want you? How much I want to be buried deep inside you?”
“Yes,” she said and pushed her hips against him.
“I have to kiss you. Tell me no.”
“Why would I do that, Callahan?” She smiled at him.
Groaning, he moved his hands up to cup her face as his lips crashed down on hers and he took her mouth in a deep hard kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck. When her tongue touched his, he almost lost it. Pulling his lips from hers, he moved them across her cheek to her ear where he tugged on her lobe with his teeth. Down her neck, he ran his mouth to her collarbone then back to her ear.
“You have no idea how much I want to fuck you. I’ve been hard since you first stepped from that limo,” he whispered in her ear.
Willa pulled back from him and her eyes met his. “At least you’re honest.”
“What?” He frowned.
“You said you want to fuck me, not make love to me. There’s a difference.”
“I know there is. I’m always honest, so I’m going to tell you that I don’t know where this is going, but I want to find out.”
“It’s not going anywhere. I’m leaving here, Devin. In a little over three weeks. Nothing can come from this.”
Staring at her, he felt his heart crack a little. There was no way— no way at all— he could be in love with her. It didn’t seem possible to him to be able to love someone that quickly and yet, Jaxon said he fell in love with Bethany the minute their eyes met and Reid had said the same about Lucy. But he’d never believed in love at first sight—until now.
“Nothing, but great sex.”
“Prove it, cowboy.” She was staring up into his eyes.
Walking her backward until she came up against the wall, he placed his hands on the wall on each side of her head then leaned in to kiss her, but stopped when his lips were barely touching hers.
“What are you waiting for, Callahan?” she asked in a breathless voice.
“I’m waiting on you, darlin’.”
Looking into his eyes, she pressed her lips to his and kissed him. Growling deep in his throat, he took her lips in a deep kiss. Taking her hands in his, he held them above her head then clasped them with one hand and moved the other one down to the bottom of her tank top. Slipping it under her shirt, he slowly moved it up to her breast, and gently cupped it then ran the pad of his thumb over her nipple, making it stiffen. Willa moaned low in her throat and wiggled her hands to be let free.
“Patience, darlin’,” he murmured against her lips before pressing his to hers again. She gently bit his lower lip making him groan.
“Devin, please…”
“I will, I promise,” he said, then pulled her shirt off over her head, tossed it to the floor, and stared at her breasts. “Dear God, you’re perfect.”
Moving his hand back to her breast, he rubbed the pad of his thumb against her nipple and watched as it stiffened, then he skimmed his hand down her stomach to the waistband of her lounge pants and slipped his hand inside. Lifting his head, he stared into her eyes.
“Commando?”
“Always when I go to bed.”
Devin grinned. “Lucky for me I stopped by at your bedtime.”
“You are so devastatingly handsome, Devin Callahan. How can any woman resist you?”
“You did.”
Willa snorted. “For three days.”
“They were the longest three damn days of my life.”
“I seriously doubt that. Now, shut up and finish what you started.”
As he stared into her eyes, he slowly lowered his head to kiss her again. Once his lips were touching hers, he slid his hand into her pants and stopped just above her curls making her whimper, and he smiled against her lips then slid one finger down through her slit. She was already wet.
“Have you been thinking of me?”
“All the time. Damn it, Callahan. I’ll get you back for this.”
Chuckling, he moved his lips to the crook of her neck then back to hover above her lips. “Can’t wait.”
When he moved his finger to her clitoris, she gasped against his lips right before he pressed his to hers and forced her mouth open wider then moved his tongue into her mouth. When she sucked on it, he about came in his jeans. He was so hard he hurt, and her hand at his belt buckle wasn’t helping the situation. Once she lowered the zipper, she moved her hand inside to wrap it around his hard cock. She jerked back from him and looked at him with wide eyes.
“What?” he asked frowning.
“Wow. You’re really hung, Callahan.”
“Thank God. I was afraid you were disappointed.” He grinned against her lips.
“I don’t think you can disappoint me.”
“I told you before I’d do my best to make sure you are satisfied.”
Willa shivered against him. “I want you so much, Devin.”
“You can’t tell me that enough.” He stepped back from her making her moan.
Giving her a grin, he dropped to his knees in front of her, took the waistband of her pants in his hands, and lowered them to the floor. Once she stepped out of them, he tossed them across the room. Leaning forward, he kissed her stomach and down to above her curls, he used his thumbs to separate her slit and then touched her clitoris with his tongue. Wrapping his hands around her ass, he pulled her closer. He realized he loved her ass as he squeezed it. Moving one hand around her hip to between her legs, he inserted a finger and rubbed it against her G-spot. Her moans were driving him insane, and then her hands clutched his hair as she began to draw in deep breaths. He sucked on her clitoris and moved his finger against her. Her legs began to shake, and her fingers tightened in his hair as her inner muscles clenched around his finger then she cried out as she came.
Devin reached into his pocket to remove his wallet and took out a condom. She surprised him by grabbing it from him. She ripped it open then pushed his jeans and boxer briefs off his hips and rolled the condom down over his swollen cock. Staring into her eyes, he lifted her legs up and grabbed her ass to hold her up. Her arms encircled his neck as her legs wrapped around his waist. They didn’t take their eyes off each other as he thrust hard into her. A groan tore from his throat. It had never felt this good, and he’d been with a lot of women. But this was unbelievable. The feeling of being inside her was better than he thought it would be. He knew sex with her would be good, but this was beyond good. This was fanfuckingtastic . Pulling out, he slammed back into her.
“Fast and hard?” he asked.
“God, yes… please.” She groaned.
“We’ll take it slow the next time,” he said as he started to pound into her.
“You feel so good. So good,” she whispered.
“Kiss me, Willa.”
Her lips captured his in a deep kiss. Her tongue dueled with his briefly then she tore her mouth from his, and gasped.
“Devin…” Willa moaned.
He could feel her inner muscles clenching around his dick then she cried out again, and he couldn’t stop his orgasm from exploding even if he’d wanted. Groaning as he came hard, he swore he saw stars. Leaning his forehead against hers when it was over, they both tried to catch their breaths.
“You okay?” he asked between harsh breaths.
“Yes. God, that was fantastic.”
“Yeah. Do you think we could try it in a bed the next time?”
Willa laughed. “Anywhere you want, cowboy.”
“So now you’re easy?”
“I must be because I want to do that again. Soon.”
“You know I can’t stay here tonight, right?”
Willa pushed at his shoulders, and he let her down then held her until she moved away to pick up her lounge pants and pull them on. Pulling his jeans up, he walked to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. When he came back out, she was sitting on the sofa with her arms folded—looking angry.
“Why are you pissed?”
“I’m not. You can go now.” Willa wouldn’t look at him as she waved her hand toward the door.
“Because I said I couldn’t stay?” Walking to the sofa, he took a seat beside her. When he reached for her hand, she pulled away from him.
“Willa, I can’t be seen leaving your cabin in the morning. I was going to suggest you come to my place. No one is allowed over there—” Then let out a loud oomph when she leaped onto his lap interrupting him.
“I thought you were being a jerk.”
“Me? A jerk? I’m hurt.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I want to spend the night with you but if someone sees me coming out of here in the morning, it won’t look good for either of us, or the ranch.”
“All right. When can we go?”
“Now if you want. Just get dressed, and you can wear the same clothes in the morning. If you get to the lodge before six, no one will see where you came from since the buffet doesn’t open until then. The doors will be open though, since the staff will be there.”
“But, I’ll need something to sleep in.” Willa frowned at him.
“You’ll sleep in my bed.”
He grinned when she punched him. “I’ll give you one of my T-shirts to wear tonight. Although I know it’s going to destroy me seeing you wearing it.”
Jumping up from the sofa, she smiled at him. “I’ll shower then get dressed.”
“It’s not far from here. You can walk. Just follow the road up behind the lodge. I’ll leave the gate open.”
Devin kissed her. “I’ll see you in about an hour.”
The smile on her face had him almost picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom. His heart slammed against his ribs as he looked at her.
Shit. I am in so much trouble.
****
As she showered, Willa couldn’t stop smiling and wishing they could have showered together. She’d been so hurt when he’d said he couldn’t stay because she thought he was a typical man where after having sex with her, he couldn’t tear out of there fast enough. It wasn’t that at all. She should’ve realized he couldn’t be seen leaving a guest’s cabin in the early morning.
God! The sex had been fantastic. Devin was a fantastic lover, and her orgasms had been earth-shattering, to say the least. Her knees had nearly buckled when he let her put her legs down. Sex against the wall . She’d read about it in the books she couldn’t get enough of, but never had she thought she’d ever experience it. Now since she had, she knew it was the sexiest thing ever. She wanted to ride him and couldn’t wait to get to his place.
Entering the living room, she picked up her key then walked outside. Even though it was nine o’clock, it was still unbearably hot. No one was out. The full moon and streetlamps lit up the walk like a guiding light for her to see the road.
The day had started out shitty with the trail ride but then had gotten better when Devin spoke to her at the creek. But nothing compared to what had just happened between them. The weeks here were going to fly by, she just knew it. She faltered to a halt. If she kept on, her heart was going to get broken. In only three days, he’d started working his way into her heart. Was it possible to fall in love with someone in only three days? Was it love or simply infatuation? She knew he didn’t love her. Although he said he never got involved with the guests, how did she know that to be true? He could tell that to any woman with whom he got involved .
Damn it! What was she doing? She should just turn around and go back to the cabin. It would be for the best just to stay away from him. Ignore him. Not needing to participate in any activities, she could stay in her cabin and work on the rest of Rocky’s itinerary. It would keep her busy and she wouldn’t have to face Devin. She wouldn’t have to see him in his sexy jeans and chaps, and she wouldn’t be having sex with him. Well, hell. That changed her mind.
Taking a deep breath, she continued on her way and walked past the lodge then around the back of it. He’d told her to just follow the road behind the lodge, and it would lead right to his gate. She saw a No Trespassing sign, but the gate was open just as he said it would be. She was glad she walked a lot because she had to go up an incline.
She came to a stop when she saw the home in front of her. It was hard to see all of it, but with the moon shining down on it and the lights shining out from inside, she could see it was impressive. The windows along the front were tall and wide. It reminded her of a ski chalet she’d stayed at in Colorado a few years ago when she and Rocky had been there for a movie shoot and had done some skiing while there.
“You coming up or just going to stand there?” Devin said from somewhere on the porch.
“Where are you?” She squinted as if that would help her see in the dark.
“I’m sitting here on the porch. Come on up, darlin’.”
She was really beginning to like him calling her that. Taking a deep breath, she started up the drive. A dog barked, making her stop.
“Will he bite?” she asked as the dog came toward her.
“ She , and no. Dolly is just a good watchdog. She’s friendly.”
Willa kneeled and put her hand out to the dog as she approached her.
“Hello Dolly.” She laughed. “I feel like I should break into song.”
She heard Devin chuckle as she stood and walked to the porch then up the steps.
“What took you so long?” he asked her.
“Nothing…”
“You had doubts about coming here, didn’t you?”
“I just don’t want to be one in a long list, Devin.”
“A long list of what?”
“Of women you’ve had here.”
“It’s a damn short list. Besides relatives, you’re the only other woman on it,” he snarled.
Moving over toward him, she took a seat in the rocking chair beside him. His booted feet were propped up on the wooden rail which surrounded the porch.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you angry. I have trust issues with men.”
“No shit,” he muttered.
“My husband was a real jerk.”
“He must have been if he let you go.”
She sighed. “It’s not a pretty story. Suffice it to say, he accused me of cheating with Rocky when in fact, he was sleeping with another woman.”
“Asshole. Why would any man fuck around on you?”
“He thought he was God’s gift. Trust me, if he’s God’s gift, I’d rather have the money.”
Devin chuckled then reached for her hand. “Do you want to tell me about him?”
“We got married when we were both twenty-five. I was a virgin on our wedding night. I remember being disappointed because I thought there was more to it than that. Not until later did I know I was right. He was only in it for himself. I was miserable but once I got the job with Rocky, I put it behind me and put everything into the job. Then Edwin got jealous of Rocky and accused me of sleeping with him. We had a huge argument. The next day I decided to go home early, so we could have a talk. I was ready to tell him I wanted a divorce. I found a note from him telling me he was leaving me for another woman he had fallen in love with and who wasn’t cold in bed like I was—” Devin snorted but then she continued. “I filed for divorce that day and have never regretted it. She can have him. We were married twelve years. I know it wasn’t me with the problem.” Willa smiled as she stood.
“He’s an idiot, and I can’t believe you put up with bad sex that long. You have some catching up to do then. Let’s go inside.” Devin stood and glanced over the rail. “Come on, Dolly.”
****
Later when they lay in bed together, Willa had her head on his chest and her arm across his waist. His arms were wrapped tightly around her.
“How long have you owned Bur Oak?” she asked him.
“Five years now.”
“What did you do before then?”
“I was a bull rider.”
“Get out,” she exclaimed.
“Seriously? A thirty-nine-year-old woman says that?”
“Forty but who’s counting?”
“You are darlin’. I’m sure as hell not.”
Tilting her head back, Willa looked up at him. “Why did you leave bull riding?”
Devin sighed. “Jax and I talked about doing this for years.” He shrugged. “I told him when we each won another buckle, we’d start on it. I won mine before he did so I came here and took care of getting construction crews in to get started. Then two years ago, after winning his own buckle, Jax was on his way home from Idaho Falls with his wife when a drunk driver hit his car head-on. He’d been driving, and Bethany was asleep. The car was hit so hard that it spun around then slammed into a tree on the driver’s side, crushing Jaxon’s hip, and breaking his leg in several places.”
Willa gasped. “Oh my God. That’s horrible. I can’t imagine the pain he was in.”
“He had to have emergency surgery.”
“Wait. Jaxon is married?” She frowned.
“Bethany died at the scene,” he said in a quiet voice, the memory closing his throat.
Willa sat up and looked at him. “How awful.”
“He told me he begged her to hang on, but she told him she knew she wasn’t going to make it out of the car.” Devin swallowed hard. “She was right. Jax said she told him to find someone new, but all he could do was beg her to stay with him. Our uncle, Declan flew us all to Idaho Falls then he flew Bethany’s body back here. For a year, Jaxon didn’t want to do anything. He blamed himself for her death. He lived here with me for a while then he finally started to work on the ranch and built his own home. He and Bethany had owned a small ranch not too far from here, but he wouldn’t go back to it when he returned to town. Mom and Dad packed up everything. The boxes are in their attic. Jaxon sold the ranch and has never asked to see the things packed away. He took her death really hard.”
“How long had they been married?”
“About three years. He saw her at a rodeo and fell for her the minute he saw her. We all loved her, but she was his world. I can’t see him finding another woman, but I still hope he does.”
A tear rolled down her cheek, and Devin wiped it away.
“I hope he does too. I didn’t know you were twins.”
He grinned. “How did you find out?”
“I asked Jaxon which of you was older.” She laughed.
In response, he groaned. “I bet he said he was… by four minutes.”
“Exactly.”
“He loves telling people that. But then, Jax thinks he has a limp too.”
“Because of his hip? I’ve never noticed a limp, but we all have things we dwell on that only we seem to see.”
“I agree. You seem to dwell on our age difference a lot.”
“I can’t help it. I wonder why I even let you in.”
“I don’t know what to say to that comment, Willa. Your insecurities about our age difference boggles my mind. If it was the other way around, it wouldn’t bother you, would it?”
“What do you think of Judy?”
Devin scooted up against the headboard. “Why the hell would you ask me that?”
“I’m just curious.”
“She’s very immature. She told me she was twenty-two. I honestly thought she was younger than that by the way she acted.”
“Nine years younger than you. The same difference we are,” Willa murmured.
“Yes, but I’m not immature. I’m a grown man, and I act like it. Except when I’m around you then I act like a horny teenager.”
“Devin, I just don’t know why we should even get involved with each other. I’m going to be leaving.”
Pushing away from the headboard, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, stood then found his jeans and pulled them on. He was fighting a losing battle here.
“All right. If that’s how you really feel about it, we won’t see each other anymore. No matter what excuse you use, like you’re leaving in three weeks, I know it’s because of the age difference. If it doesn’t bother me, why the hell should it bother you? I’ve never wanted any woman the way I want you, but I’ll get over it. Get dressed, and I’ll walk you home.”
After pulling the zipper up on his jeans, Devin yanked the door open so hard, it slammed into the wall and then he walked out clenching his fists. She just didn’t get it.
****
Willa blinked tears from her eyes as she crawled from the bed to find her clothes. This wasn’t how she had wanted this to go. She’d just wanted to clarify that sex was all this could be. Liar! In three weeks she’d be gone and it made her heart ache, but she had a job to return to in California. She’d been attracted to Devin from the start. When he flashed those beautiful white teeth and those dimples appeared, she was a goner.
Now she’d made him angry, and he was practically kicking her out of his home. He had certainly just kicked her out of his bed.
After dressing, she walked down the stairs not seeing him anywhere. She entered the kitchen, and when she didn’t see him there, she stepped out onto the porch to see him leaning against a post with his arms folded. Devin glanced over at her then started down the steps.
Moving past him, she ran down the steps. “Don’t bother. I know the way.”
Stopping on the steps, Devin stared at her. “I don’t like the idea of you walking in the dark alone.”
“I’m a big girl. I don’t need you,” she said then took off in a run down the road and out through the gate.