Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
RYAN
“Good morning, Texas,” Jo greeted me, way too cheerful for my liking.
She handed me a cup, and I mumbled my thanks.
It wasn’t anything new to her; she knew I wasn’t a morning person.
Unlike me, she bounced out of bed full of energy and cheer.
It was why I gave her the nickname Sunshine.
Normally, I didn’t interact with humans before my second or third cup of coffee.
On the farm I worked on, people knew to stay clear of me.
Sunshine had learned not to speak to me in the mornings. During the last three months I visited Harrison, I carved out some time for Jo. The last thing I expected the first night we got together was that we would still be meeting up months later.
“I’m going to go have my coffee on the balcony. You can come get me when you are ready to go out to eat.” She was all smiles as she headed for the door.
We met up at the hotel near the airport with plans to spend the next two days together before I flew back home.
I hadn’t done so much travelling since I was in the service.
Once I retired, I put down roots in Redstone Range, South Dakota.
It was a few hours away from the Silver Creek Ranch in Ironhaven.
When I found out Harrison was getting married, I decided to show up for his day.
He hadn’t invited me, just mentioned his nuptials in passing.
His not issuing an invitation wasn’t a slight on his part; he just figured I wouldn’t venture that far away from where I had put down roots.
Normally, Harrison would be right on the money.
But he was the kind of buddy I didn’t mind going to bat for.
Besides, I felt I owed him. What better way to repay him than to make sure he had someone in his corner when he got married?
Was I surprised he was tying the knot? Hell, yes. Our pasts didn’t make us ideal candidates for settling down, with a wife, white picket fence, 2.5 kids, and dogs in the yard. War had left scars. Harrison and I weren’t the type of men who wanted to share ours.
We were men with needs, but we were upfront about our shit.
A meal followed by some rolling in the hay.
It was as far as things went. Well, Harrison had abandoned the script somewhere along the way.
After meeting Amara, I got it. If a woman ever suited a man, it was Amara for Harrison.
He looked happy. It was good for him. I knew better than to believe it would ever happen for me.
The coffee wasn’t strong. After I spent all night folding Jo into all kinds of positions, the last thing I should have been thinking about was how Harrison had broken free of the shackles of the scars that dictated we would end up alone as old men.
I jumped into the shower. She had already been here.
Not only was the stall wet, but her faint scent lingered in the air.
It was rich, smoky, and spicy. She always smelled good, even after hours of being sweaty. Actually, she often smelled better.
Fuck! If I was going to be hard in the shower, I would have preferred her company.
Jo’s learning curve was insane. There was no trace of the woman who had lost her virginity a few months before.
She owned her sensuality and sexuality in a way that always left me wanting more.
Cold water was in order. The sooner I could get us out to breakfast, the sooner I could get us back here to the hotel and have her under me.
Although I wasn’t opposed to her being on top. Damn, Jo knew how to ride.
After my shower, I grabbed another cup of crappy in-room coffee and joined Jo on the balcony.
I squeezed her tight-clad thigh. Her hair was up in a ponytail, which made her look so much younger.
She was wearing one of those large off shoulder sweaters.
I couldn’t resist the urge, so I kissed her bare shoulder.
“I zoogled it and found this great new place to eat breakfast.”
Jo loved breakfast. “I could eat breakfast literally any time of day. What’s better than pancakes after a long day at work or eggs benny with a glass of wine?”
She was passionate about the things she liked. The shit was infectious.
“Is this a drive or a walk?”
“I need sustenance. You know, since someone kept me up all night.” Jo opened then promptly closed her mouth. She wrinkled her nose, realizing the mistake she had almost made.
It seemed she had learned the lesson about sticking her tongue out at me. The last time Jo had done it, she had ended up bent over the back of a sofa, with a pussy full of my dick.
“Aw, too bad.” I winked at her. It would have been my pleasure to show her the consequences of sticking her tongue out.
Going to breakfast with women I slept with wasn’t the norm for me, but Jo and I developed a friendship.
When we weren’t horizontal, or flirting, hanging out with her was like being with the guys.
She had a smart mouth that I appreciated.
The woman didn’t blow up my phone either.
Often, I was the one who reached out to her.
I’m old-fashioned and not much into texting, so, I would sooner pick up the phone than send a text.
“You are the only person I know who doesn’t text. It is 2025. Even my parents text instead of calling.”
“You don’t want me calling you?” I asked.
“Now, Texas, did I hurt your feelings?” She laughed.
“I don’t have feelings, Sunshine.”
Jo went quiet, and her next words were sombre. “I know.”
Her answer hadn’t felt the best, but I shook off the feeling. I didn’t do serious and had made it clear to her. Jo had agreed it was best for both of us.
“Our arrangement is perfect. You live in South Dakota, and I live here in Alberta. We can get together while it is fun when you visit,” she had reasoned.
So far, it had been working well.
Our arrangement didn’t change what kind of man I was. There was no way I was going to allow her to open her wallet to pay for anything while we were together. I watched her eye the bill the server handed to me after we finished breakfast.
“Texas,” she called. Her tone was softer than usual.
I sighed because whatever she was about to say was sure to piss me off. I wasn’t fixin’ for an argument, but it looked like it couldn’t be helped. We had this discussion before. Well, some version of it.
“No,” is all I said, reaching for my wallet.
“It isn’t a big deal.”
“That’s where you are wrong. We already had this conversation, Sunshine. When we are together, you don’t pay for anything, be it food, the hotel, a cab, gas, nothing.” I took out the cash and placed it in the billfold.
She nibbled her bottom lip. “I don’t mind.”
“Yeah, but I do. Are you ready to go?”
She nodded. We walked silently to the car.
It would be a cold day in hell before I let a woman pay my way.
I might not be old-fashioned about a lot of things, but I stand firm on that.
If the men Jo dealt with before allowed her to pick up the tab, no wonder she didn’t trust them enough to open her thighs to them. Bunch of weak-ass bitches.
Besides, my financial situation isn’t what she thought it was. The money I saved when I was enlisted, was invested wisely. It sits there growing. I don’t need much, so I spend little.
Jo did not know, but I wasn’t just a ranch hand at Broken Stone Ranch. I had stakes in the place. The owner, Big Teddy, ran into some problems with land tax, and other things. The only way he would accept help is by giving me a share of the ranch.
Not to mention the part I hadn’t acknowledged in decades.
I was a Kay, one of the ones from the family that owns Kay Walters Machinery.
It was a household name in the farming industry.
What most people didn’t know was that Kay Walters wasn’t a person; it was the last names of my grandfather and his lifelong friend, who founded the company.
Although I have nothing to do with the family business, my trust fund still sits in my name, untouched.
So money would never be an issue. Even if it was, I would work three jobs before I let anyone, much less a woman, pay my way.
The silence stretched between us until we returned to the room.
“So, are you gonna pout for the rest of the day?” Jo asked, smirking at me.
It wasn’t often I was left speech-less, but this woman looked up at me and fixed her mouth to ask if I was pouting? I removed my hat, then quirked an eyebrow at her.
“I have some briefs I can go over if you are…you know, going to continue to pout.”
I walked over to her and backed her against the nearest wall. Others might have found it intimidating, but she just smiled at me. Her smile was a challenge, a spark that ignited something within me. I leaned closer, my hand still pressed against the wall, feeling the heat of her presence.
“I’m a grown man,” I murmured.
“Uh-huh.” She fiddled with the buttons on my shirt.
“I don’t pout.”
“You could have fooled me.”
“I don’t speak when I don’t have anything to say.” I cupped her jaw and tilted it upward, so our eyes connected. “But I found my words. We aren’t having anymore conversations about money. I pay. End of story.”
“I guess you win.” She shrugged. The lines around her mouth formed a sexy pout, her full bottom lip sticking out.
“No guessing about it, Sunshine.” I said my piece, and the discussion was closed. There would be no next time.
She nodded and began to unbutton my shirt. I had no problems with this. Jo didn’t do coy. Her boldness, the way she owned her sexiness, was the biggest turn-on for me. Once she had all the buttons undone, she pressed kisses to my chest. I felt my dick give a jump as she reached for my belt buckle.
“Well, I’m glad I can entertain myself with something besides work.” She reached into my jeans, freeing my dick.
“Happy to oblige.”
Her touch was perfect as she stroked my length, never breaking eye contact. I swear, the things this woman did with her hands and mouth. She was damn near a savant.
“Fuck, you have an amazing mouth,” I complimented.
“I know.” Her confidence was sexy as hell. “The skill came in handy when I was trying to convince my exes to forget about sex.”
Her warm, wet mouth enveloped my cock without hesitation. I couldn’t keep my eyes open as she took me deep into her mouth. She knew how much pressure to apply and when. My groans filled the air. Fuck! It felt so damn good. I wrapped her ponytail around my hand as she bobbed up and down my length.
I was so deep in her mouth. Her moans vibrated on my dick and sent shivers up my spine. My body hurtled towards a release I wasn’t ready for. Not until I could feel her tight, hot pussy wrapped around me.
“Stop,” I said.
Jo had a mind of her own and ignored my command. Inexplicably, she increased the suction as she moaned on my dick. That did it. I rocked back on my heels.
“That’s enough,” I grunted, pulling my cock from her mouth. The sound of the loud pop filled the room.
“Hey.” Jo’s voice dragged out the word, her lips pouting as she spoke. Fully clothed but kneeling, she looked unbearably hot, her lips glistening with wetness.
“God, you look sexy.” I pulled her to her feet and spun her around. I made quick work of getting her tights and panties pulled down. My only thought was getting my dick inside her. It was the only excuse I could think of for what happened next.
I stroked into her deep and hard. In, out. Her tightness felt so good, it took a moment to register something was wrong. Shit! There was a reason it felt foreign because it was. In my forty-seven years, I had never experienced it before.
“Sunshine,” I called cautiously as I held myself still.
“What?” She sounded impatient.
“Um, are you on anything?” My voice sounded hopeful. I did not want to pull out, but I would if I had to.
“What?” She sounded confused. Then, her walls flexed around me. “Oh, you aren’t wearing anything.”
“I’m not, but I’m clean.”
“I’m on the pill. So…” The implication hung in the air.
I responded by slowly pulling out and then slamming into her.
Her body tensed, and she let out a sharp gasp.
Each thrust became more intense, driving us both closer to the edge, our breaths quickening in unison.
I could feel her tightening around me as we both neared the edge.
Her moans grew louder, urging me on as I sped up my pace.
The heat between us intensified, our bodies moving in perfect sync.
With one final, powerful thrust, we both surrendered to the overwhelming pleasure, our cries mingling as we reached the peak together.
Well, that hadn’t gone as expected, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.