Chapter 17
Jesse
“Cole!” I called across the house. “Come look at this!”
I waited for a good thirty seconds, but there was no answer.
“Cole!” I called out again. Still no answer. “Evelyn?” I asked, leaning back in my office chair so I could see down the hall to the kitchen. “A little help please.”
“Cole James Nelson!” she cried, her voice filling the house with that motherly tone. “Get your ass down here!”
I heard the heavy thud of boots on the stairs, followed by the familiar sound of Cole’s irritated sigh. He appeared in the doorway of the office, his expression guarded as always.
“What is it now?” he asked, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. He’d been avoiding me since the night I caught him watching me on the couch. Not that he knew I knew for certain, but the tension between us had reached new heights. I was having a lot of fun with it.
“Look,” I said, pointing at my laptop screen. “The orders, Cole. They’re coming in faster than we can process them.” I swiveled the screen toward him. “We’ve got people from California, New York, even Florida wanting our beef. The website’s blowing up.”
Cole hesitated, then reluctantly crossed the room to look over my shoulder. I could feel the heat from his body as he leaned in, careful not to touch me. His manly scent filled my senses, making it hard to concentrate.
“That’s...” He trailed off, studying the screen. “That’s a lot of orders.”
“More than a lot,” I replied, unable to keep the excitement from my voice. “We’re going to need to process more cattle immediately. And probably hire someone just to handle shipping.”
Cole straightened up, putting distance between us again. “I don’t know, Jesse. That’s moving awful fast. We should be careful about—”
“About what? Success?” I interrupted. “This is exactly what I told you would happen. People want quality beef delivered straight to their door. They’re willing to pay premium prices for it too.”
He ran a hand through his dark hair, a gesture I’d come to recognize as a sign of his internal struggle. “It’s just a lot of change all at once.”
“Change that’s saving the ranch,” I reminded him. “Look at the numbers, Cole. We’re making twice what we would through the traditional channels. And it’s all profit.”
Evelyn appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on her apron. “What’s all the commotion about?”
“The website,” I explained, unable to keep the grin off my face. “It’s working better than we expected.”
She crossed to the desk, peering at the screen over my other shoulder. “My goodness! All these people want our beef?”
“They sure do,” I said, scrolling through the order list. “We’ve got more demand than we can handle right now. We’ve already completely sold out of the expensive cuts.”
Evelyn beamed, looking between Cole and me. “Well, isn’t that something? Looks like we really have something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.”
I’d almost forgotten the holiday was tomorrow. Time had flown by since I returned to Hell Creek.
“I suppose we do,” Cole admitted, though he still looked uncertain.
“I’m going to head into town,” Evelyn announced, untying her apron. “Get us something special to celebrate with. A proper cake, I think.” She paused just for a moment, studying us both from the doorway, a big smile on her face. “Your daddy would be so proud of you two.”
Cole flinched at Evelyn’s words, his jaw tensing. I could see he was still uncomfortable with the idea of his father being proud of us working together, especially given what had been happening between us lately.
“I’ll be back in an hour or so,” Evelyn called, already heading for the door. “You boys behave yourselves! And don’t burn the house down!”
The front door closed with a soft click, leaving Cole and me alone in the suddenly quiet house.
I could feel the tension thickening in the air between us.
Ever since that night on the couch, he’d been working overtime to avoid being alone with me.
And now he had no chores to occupy his time and no Evelyn to act as a shield between us.
“So,” I said, leaning back in my chair and looking up at him. “What do you think? Pretty impressive, right?”
Cole shifted his weight, eyes darting between me and the door like he was plotting an escape route. “It’s good,” he admitted reluctantly. “But we need to be careful not to overextend ourselves.”
“Always the pessimist,” I sighed, standing up. The movement brought me closer to him, close enough that I could see his pupils dilate slightly. “Can’t you just admit I was right for once?”
“I never said you were wrong,” he muttered, taking a step back. “I just said we needed to be careful.”
I followed his retreat, closing the distance between us again. “You know what your problem is, Cole? You’re afraid of success. I used to see it all the time at the marketing firm. People get so used to barely scraping by that they don’t know what to do when something actually works.”
His back hit the doorframe, trapping him. “That’s not true. Not for me.”
“No?” I challenged, stopping just inches from him. “Then why do you keep fighting me on every decision? Why can’t you just trust that I know what I’m doing?”
Cole’s chest rose and fell with quickened breaths. I could see the pulse jumping in his neck. “I’m trying,” he said, his voice lower, rougher. “This isn’t easy for me.”
“Which part?” I asked, reaching out to straighten his collar, letting my fingers brush against his neck. “The business stuff or the other thing?”
He swallowed hard, his eyes darkening. “All of it.”
I let my hand linger on his chest, feeling his heart hammering beneath my palm. “You know, we’re alone now. No ranch hands, no Evelyn. Just us.”
“Jesse,” he warned, but he didn’t push my hand away. “We talked about this.”
“No, you talked. I listened. And then I decided you were full of shit.” I moved even closer, our bodies almost touching now. “I saw you that night, Cole. Watching me on the couch.”
His face flushed dark red, eyes widening with panic. “I don’t know what you’re—”
“Don’t,” I cut him off. “Don’t lie to me. I knew you were there the whole time.”
Cole’s breathing grew more ragged. “You... you—”
“I what?” I said, pressing my body against his. Despite all his protestations, he didn’t pull away. “Spit it out, cowboy.”
“You knew I was there?” Cole’s voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes searching mine for confirmation. “The whole time?”
I nodded, my lips curling into a smirk. “I heard you on the stairs. You’re not as stealthy as you think.” I pressed my palm firmly against his chest, feeling his heart hammering beneath my touch. “I wanted you to watch. I wanted you to see what you do to me.”
His breath hitched, and I could see the internal war raging behind those piercing blue eyes. Desire battling with his stubborn need to deny what was happening between us.
“This isn’t right,” he muttered, but his hands moved to my hips, gripping me tightly instead of pushing me away.
“Then why does it feel so good?” I challenged, rolling my hips against his, feeling his thick cock through his jeans. “Why can’t you stop thinking about me? About that night in the tent?”
Cole’s fingers dug deeper into my hips, and a small groan escaped his throat. “You’re my stepbrother,” he said weakly, the protest sounding hollow even to my ears.
“I’m also the guy who’s saving your ranch,” I reminded him, leaning in until my lips were inches from his. “And the only person who knows what you really want.”
His resolve was crumbling. I could see it in the way his eyes kept dropping to my mouth, in the way his breathing grew more ragged with each passing second. They way he kept softly grinding his dick against my thigh. I had him right where I wanted him.
“What do I want, Jesse?” he asked, his voice rough with need.
“This,” I whispered, and closed the distance between us.
The moment our lips met, something in Cole snapped. His hands flew to my face, cupping my jaw as he deepened the kiss with desperate hunger. Gone was the hesitation, the guilt, the denial. There was only raw need as he spun us around, pinning me against the doorframe with his body.
I moaned into his mouth, my hands finding their way under his shirt, feeling the hard planes of his stomach. He was all muscle and heat, his body burning against mine as our tongues battled for dominance.
“Fuck,” he gasped when we broke apart for air, his forehead resting against mine. “I… I can’t stop myself…”
“Then don’t,” I said, pulling his shirt up over his head and tossing it aside. “Stop fighting what we both want.”
Cole’s eyes darkened as he stared down at me, his chest heaving. “What do you want, Jesse?”
“I want you to bend me over that desk,” I said boldly, nodding toward my father’s old desk where my laptop still displayed our success. “I want you to fuck me until I can’t remember my own name.”
A growl rumbled deep in his throat, and before I knew what was happening, he had spun me around, his strong hands threading through my hair as he swept papers off the desk and forced me down on top of it.
He forced my jeans down, exposing my ass, his hands fumbling with his own.
The sound of his belt buckle hitting the floor sent a thrill through me.
I could hear him spitting into his palm behind me, then the slick sounds of him coating his cock.
My heart raced as I felt the blunt head pressing against my hole.
“You sure about this?” Cole growled, his voice husky with lust.
“Don’t ever ask me that again,” I panted, pushing back against him.
Cole gripped my hips hard enough to bruise and slammed into me with one powerful thrust. I cried out, my fingers scrambling for purchase on the smooth desktop as he filled me completely.
“Jesus Christ,” he groaned, holding still for a moment. “You feel so fucking good.”
I was already seeing stars, the stretch and burn of his thick cock inside me sending waves of pleasure up my spine. But I’d been practicing every night for a while now, stretching myself out, knowing he’d give in eventually.
“Fuck me,” I demanded, wiggling my hips. “Now, Cole.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled back slowly, then drove into me again with a force that shoved the desk forward an inch. The laptop wobbled dangerously close to the edge, but neither of us cared enough to save it.
“This what you wanted?” Cole growled, setting a punishing pace. “To be fucked over Daddy’s desk like a little slut?”
His words sent a jolt of electricity through me. “Yes,” I gasped, pushing back to meet each brutal thrust. “Harder.”
Cole’s hand tangled in my hair, yanking my head back as he pounded into me. With his other hand, he reached around to grab my cock, his fingers playing with my piercing in a way that made me whimper.
He responded by slamming into me harder, hitting that perfect spot inside me that made my vision blur.
I was lost in sensation, reduced to nothing but nerve endings and need.
The wood of the desk was cool against my heated skin, Cole’s body hot and hard behind me.
I could feel his thighs slapping against the back of mine, the sound echoing through the quiet house along with our ragged breathing and desperate moans.
“So fucking tight,” Cole growled, his rhythm faltering slightly. “Been thinking about this ass every night.”
“Me too,” I admitted, my cock leaking pre-cum onto the polished wood beneath me. “Been fingering myself every night thinking about you.”
His grip on my hair tightened, forcing my cheek against the desk. “I’m gonna fuckin’ breed you right here over this desk.”
“Please,” I begged. “Give it to me, Cole. Give me everything you’ve got.”
Cole’s hips stuttered, his rhythm becoming erratic as his orgasm approached. His fingers dug deeper into my hair, yanking my head back even further as he pounded into me with abandon. I could feel his cock throbbing inside me, hitting that sweet spot with every brutal thrust.
“Fuck, Jesse,” he groaned, his voice strained and desperate. “I’m gonna cum. Can’t hold back anymore.”
“Do it,” I demanded, pushing back against him. “Fill me up.”
That was all it took. With a guttural roar, Cole slammed into me one final time, burying himself to the hilt as his release flooded me.
The feeling of his hot cum filling me pushed me over the edge.
I came untouched, my cock spurting across the polished wood of my father’s desk as waves of pleasure crashed through my body.
For several long moments, we stayed frozen in that position, both of us panting, my cheek pressed against the cool surface of the desk, Cole’s weight heavy on my back.
“Holy shit,” I finally whispered, my voice hoarse from moaning. “You were more pent up than I thought.”
Cole’s grip on my hair loosened, his hand moving to stroke the back of my neck almost tenderly. “Yeah,” he agreed, his breath hot against my ear. “I was.”
Slowly, he pulled out of me, and I winced at the emptiness that followed. I felt his cum dripping down my thigh as I straightened up, turning to face him. His chest was flushed, sweat glistening on his skin in the afternoon light streaming through the office window. He’d never looked more gorgeous.
However, what I wasn’t prepared for, was the look in his eyes. There it was again, shame and guilt. I reached up before he could pull away, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“You’re coming with me, right now,” I said, pulling him out of the office and toward the stairs.
“Jesse… I…”
“Cole,” I said softly, turning to face him eye to eye. “If you don’t come upstairs with me right now, I’m going to tell everyone on this ranch what you just did to me.”
His face turned white as a sheet in an instant. “You… You wouldn’t do that…”
“I would and I will if you try to run away from me right now.” I grabbed his hand. “Now come on.”