Chapter Seventeen
The excitement in the air was palpable, and she felt thrilled at her heart's direction. Sometimes, clarity comes from the most unexpected moments.
She wanted to see her husband. She needed the connection that only he could offer.
She parked near the stables at Sagebrush Rose Ranch and climbed out of her car. She slammed the door and took a step but stopped mid-stride. She was caught by the sight across the pasture. Jinx was mending a fence, and shirtless. His torso glistened in the evening sunlight. She wanted to deny the sensation building between her thighs, but it was a force to be reckoned with.
The sun had started to set, casting a golden glow on the land. This was her favorite time of the day, and she usually liked to take a ride.
Friday night meant most of the crew had left to work out their end-of-the-week restlessness at Mav’s, so she wondered why Jinx was still working. He was still on restrictions and guessed he just wanted to be on the land. A hardworking man always wanted to be out working the land.
Jinx dropped the hammer and reached for his shirt hanging off the fence. Instead of dragging it on, he used it to wipe away the sweat from his brow.
Justice felt a familiar tingle spread from her nipples to her groin. Who could blame her? Jinx was tall, lithe, muscular, and had the prettiest baby blues she’d ever seen. But there was more to him than just his physical good looks. He wasn’t like all the other cowboys. Jinx was quiet, stayed focused on hard work and no one on the ranch ever had to ask him to do anything because he was already doing it. Justice admired that.
She took off for the pasture and her husband.
She walked through the tall reeds, which brushed against her boots, and the wind gently caressed her bare shoulders. The moment Jinx saw her, his eyes widened slightly, and then a smile erupted over his lush mouth.
He didn’t remove his gaze from her as she approached. Bits and pieces of hay were stuck in his hair and on his body. The waistband of his jeans settled low on his lean hips.
Seconds passed as their gazes locked.
Finally, she asked, “Why aren’t you out celebrating with the crew?”
She saw his throat bob as if his words were lost, but he found them. “I didn’t feel up to a night at Mav’s.”
She scanned the land to the front door of the farmhouse. Everything was quiet.
She met his gaze again. The day's anger and frustration had formed a crescendo inside her. She might do something she would regret later, but for now, she wanted to connect with him.
“There’s something between us,” she said.
He blinked. “I don’t think I’m following.”
“I realize I have feelings for you?” She held her chin steadily.
One corner of his mouth lifted. “Justice—”
“Not yet, cowboy. I’m not finished. I want us to help raise the baby together. I’m your partner.”
“Okay…” his words trailed off with a clearing of his throat. “What changed your mind?”
“It’s not what changed my mind but what made me realize I’m a lucky woman. I’m happy. With you. With Ilene. I want us to build a life together. A home.”
His smile widened.
It was refreshing to see a man as sexy and handsome as Jinx being vulnerable. Most men who were this good-looking tended to be overly confident, like Kent.
“Now can I say something?” he asked, his eyes full of mischief.
“No, not yet. There’s still more I need to say. I’m attracted to you.” Tonight, she wasn’t holding anything back.
Jinx swiped his gaze around him, laughing, but he stayed quiet.
“I’ve missed you.”
“Now?” One brow popped up.
“If you must,” she teased.
He crossed the distance. He wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her around. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear those words.” She pressed her fingers into his warm, sweaty skin.
“Be careful. Your leg.”
“It’s okay. You’re lighter than a bale of hay.” He let her slide down his body until they were face to face. He held her there.
“Hardly.” She plucked a piece of hay off his cheek. “Put me down, cowboy.”
At her request, he lowered her to her feet. “What do we do now?”
She took his hand. “Come with me.” She guided him toward the barn as more light disappeared from the sky. “I want to show you something.”
“The barn?”
His words were broken off by her shoving him against the barn door and pressing her mouth against his. The kiss was quick, but warmth spread through her body like warm honey. “I want you. I believe you want me.”
“More than you’ll ever know.” His voice was a bit breathless. “Are you sure? Here? Aren’t you afraid of getting caught?”
“The question is, are you sure?” She licked her top lip.
As if a chain within him was broken, he snaked his arm around her waist and dragged her deeper into the dimly lit barn, and before he had her pressed against the wall, his mouth was back on hers, and the fingers of his free hand were entwined in her hair. “The only one I care about is in my arms.”
She moaned in delight as he took the lead, enjoying the feel of being caught between the hard planes of his body and the wall. He lifted his mouth and kissed her neck, the indentation between her collarbones and lower to the tops of her breasts.
He lifted his head, looking at her, questioning his gaze. “You should understand that you’re stuck with me. I want you. I want us.”
“It’s not stuck when you choose to be where you are,” she whispered, caressing his cheek with the back of her knuckles.
“I’ve been thinking. I want us to have a big wedding. Invite the entire town. I’ll even put on one of those monkey suits if you want me to.”
“Why?”
“Because you deserve the very best. You can wear one of those white princess dresses that brides love.”
“We’ll discuss that later. Less talking, cowboy, and much more action.”
With a heady groan, he clasped the top of her sundress and dragged the straps down her bare breasts. She arched into his mouth when he lapped at one nipple, using his hand to draw the perky nub in and out.
She knocked his hat to the ground and entangled her fingers in his thick hair, clutching the satin mass in her fists as she brought her hips up in an invitation as old as time.
He pulled back just enough so he could draw her dress lower, and he followed with his lips. Kissing her, thrusting his tongue into her navel and lower to the waistband of her panties. She felt the dress slide down her legs as he planted a gentle kiss on her dew-soaked core through the satin panties. She gyrated her hips, needing more.
He hooked the fabric with his finger and pulled it down her trembling legs while he drove his tongue into her. He probed her slick body until she felt prickles of the beginning of an orgasm taking shape.
Using his fingers to part her lips, he focused all his attention on her clit. Rolling the tip of his tongue over the swollen jewel until the weblike grip of orgasm lifted her on its wings. Her cries filled the darkened space. Night had crawled in, and she couldn’t see anything, but she could hear his heavy breaths, the rustling of his jeans, the telltale scraping of his zipper. His body was against her again and she caught the blueberry scent of her on his lips. She laid her hands on his shoulders and kissed him, tasting the tanginess of her orgasm.
She needed to touch him.
She wrapped her fingers around his girth, reveling in his size. Through the darkness, she was connecting with all her other senses. Her smell, taste, and touch were heightened. There was something quite sexy about being there with him. They were the only two in the world, or so it seemed.
The ripping of paper made her jump, and she lifted her hand away. The snapping of a condom echoed through the dark barn as she anticipated that touch.
She couldn’t wait long.
She gripped his wrapped cock and led him to her center, silently begging that he relieve the need and desire whirring through her with the velocity of a tornado.
He pushed her hand away gently, and his tip parted her as he slowly eased inside of her tight passage, adjusting her to every inch like she was precious. Until he filled her completely and she was stuffed with him. His hands cupped her thighs, lifting her legs as he pressed her against the wall. She dug her nails into his bare shoulders, knowing her nails nicked his skin, but she couldn’t stop herself. He thrusted deeper and deeper, and with each thrust, he lifted her higher on the wall. She wrapped her arms around him, laying her forehead on his shoulder, panting as she pulled each breath into her dry lungs.
Sweat beaded his body as the temperature rose inside the windowless space. Their bodies were slick, but he held her steady in his clutches as he continued to ram her into submission.
The orgasm came strong, much like an invisible hurricane that took away her last strand of control, and a sensation she’d never felt before took her body hostage. He cried out her name and that one little act sent her over the edge. A second orgasm formed, this one stronger than the last.
As she trembled in his arms with repeated spasms, he lunged inside her with rigid hip thrusts. His pants became heavier; his reach deepened until finally, with one last stiff propulsion, he stilled. She could hear the heavy beating of his heart as it matched her own. His face was buried between her neck and shoulder, his ragged breaths caressing her cheek. She wasn’t sure how much time passed until he finally set her down onto her feet but didn’t release her.
A mix of emotions scrambled through her.
But there was not an ounce of regret.
In the darkness she fumbled to lower her dress, not even caring about finding her panties.
“I to go. There’s something I must take care of. When I get back home, I want to tell you everything.” She slipped out of the barn door.
*****
Once the barn door opened, a sliver of light from outside flooded in, bringing realization to what he’d just shared with Justice.
His breathing was still labored as he watched her run up the path. Her hair caught in the wind, and the hem of her dress floated around her toned legs.
What the hell?
What did she need to tell him?
Maybe it was time they both confessed and laid everything on the line.
With a sigh of concern, he reached for the used condom, dragged it off and shoved it into his pocket to dispose of. Something caught his attention. He grabbed the strip of pink fabric. Justice’s panties. He shoved them into the other front pocket.
Stepping outside, he knew it was time he revealed that he’d taken the photos at the restaurant of her sitting with Downs. He had to take the risk and tell her everything before someone else did.