46. Not Going to Eat Penis-Shaped Food
NOT GOING TO EAT PENIS-SHAPED FOOD
EMBERLEIGH
“Oh, baby. That’s never going to happen.”
“Don’t say that. You can’t know that. Tragic, unforeseen things happen. They did to Em. They did to me that day too.”
“That was an accident. Colt will be fine.”
“You don’t know that. It was a banana. I gave him a banana. I almost killed him, Braxton, and you can’t whitewash that into thinking it’s no big deal!”
“Have you ever eaten a banana?”
“Yes.” I stiffen. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“And you didn’t die?”
“Obviously.” I finally meet his eyes, and mine flare with frustration, the edges turning to slits.
“Then—” He squeezes me to emphasize his point. “Why would you think that bananas would be a thing?”
“Anything could be a thing!”
“Right. Grass, pollen, peanuts, freaking seaweed. Have you been tested for seaweed?”
“No.” I know what he’s trying to do. “And I eat sushi.”
“My point exactly.” He squeezes me again, as if that can make this better. “You tried it. It was okay. As for Colt, fifty percent of his DNA is yours; fifty is mine. I’m not allergic to bananas, and you aren’t either. How could we have known?”
“I could have killed him.”
“It could’ve. You saved him.”
“Because I endangered him.”
“Baby.” He holds my gaze and one hand rubs my back, down to my ass before palming me there.
“You’ve got to get something. He’s a boy.
And he’s a Ranger. He will have bruises and cuts.
He’ll have ant bites and bee stings. Hell, chances are he’ll be thrown from a horse. God forbid, we have pregnancy scares.”
No. Nope. Nuh-uh.
“He can live and explore and play. He can climb trees, swim in the lake, and learn to ride a dirt bike. That would be my choice. Or we can wrap him in bubble wrap and hope he never stubs a toe.”
“There’s a lot in the middle, and dirt bikes are a hard no.” The fight is leaving me. The despair isn’t exactly, but Braxton is right about the bubble wrap.
The smile in Braxton’s voice is unmistakable and the vibration in his chest rumbles through my body.
“Get dressed, Emberleigh. Jeans and boots or running shoes. Meet me in the living room.”
“Why?”
“We have plans tonight.” He stands and sets me on my feet.
“Braxton, I—”
A finger hits my lips while a smile plays on his. “The answer to that is ‘I would love to.’”
I purse my lips under his finger as I growl, “Don’t tell me what to think.”
Laughter barks from his chest. “Come on, baby. Do this with me. I was an ass today and I want to apologize. Let me.”
I nod and head for the closet. “You’ve got Colt?”
“Pop has him.”
I whirl on him. “All that went on today, and you dropped him off?”
“He’s in the living room. They both are. EpiPen at the ready, just in case of nothing. He’s had a bottle and they’re probably watching TV.”
“But—”
“Your call, baby. But I wanted to have some time.” He walks to the door and pauses just before he exits. “Love the towel. I’d love to rip it off you. But I’m being mature and shit. I’m also leaving because that isn’t my strength.”
He winks and closes the door behind him.
My hair is a wreck and takes way more time than I’d like to get brushed through. Drying it is a whole other debacle, so I end up pulling it back in a low bun because I don’t have the patience to keep on.
I throw on light makeup and a white tee, jeans, and my sneakers. I don’t own boots, well, not that I would wear on the ranch. Probably should see what Brighton wears and invest in a pair. If I’m going to live like a cowgirl, I might as well have the right footwear.
“I don’t own boots,” I offer as I walk down the hall.
Colt pops his head up over Pop’s shoulder and smacks his hands on his shirt collar and the back of the chair. His gummy grin shows three teeth. How we’ve gotten any sleep during that train wreck is beyond me. He waves, and I wave back.
Braxton reaches for my hand, and I take his as we head to the front door where he grabs a hat.
“Back later, Pop. Cell’s on.”
“Won’t need it. Did this successfully four times.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“And, Brax?” The glint twinkles in his eye, and a grin plays on his lips. “If you think she’s spunky—”
Braxton slams the door before he can finish. Pop’s laughter is audible on the porch.
“That was rude.”
“You have no idea.” But a grin becomes a smile breaking across Braxton’s face.
We walk hand in hand past my car and his truck and toward the big house and the barn.
The sun is still high in the sky. When we arrive, there’s a bustle of activity.
Brighton comes out from her office and gives a hug to Braxton and then one to me.
Neither linger. I don’t think she’s the hugging type.
“So glad Colt is okay. That scared the shit out of me. Find out anything else?”
“Nothing yet. Appointment with an allergist next week. In the meantime, we won’t introduce anything new. Apparently, I reacted to bananas and grew out of it.”
“You’re still not a banana person.”
“Yeah, not going to eat penis-shaped food, and the texture is…” He makes a smacking gesture with his mouth while his face looks like he swallowed a lemon. I can see the boy he was under the man he is. If Colt makes that face, I’ll be a goner.
“Yeah, yeah,” Brighton says, trying to imitate her brother.
“Wandy and Brooks are ready to go.” She turns as if she’ll lead us to the stalls, but veers off toward her office. “Have a good evening. Not too many cookies.”
“Except for the evening part, I didn’t understand anything she said.”
“You’ll see.” He throws an arm over my shoulder, and I lift my hand to hold his dangling from around my neck. When he pulls open stall doors, I see two horses, saddled with packs.
“Emberleigh, this is Wandy.” He turns from one horse to another. “And this is Brooks.”
“I don’t ride.” It comes out quiet.
“Don’t need to do dressage. Just going to take them out to stretch their legs.”
He takes me to a huge horse, patched with brown splotches over a gray and cream body. It dips its head to me, long lashes following my movements.
“Brooks, this is Emberleigh. She’s new to this, so be sweet.” I’d swear the horse nods, but I’ll never repeat that.
Braxton shows me how to check that the saddle is on correctly, that it’s snug but not tight around the belly.
“Is Brooks a boy or a girl?”
“She’s a mare. She’s older. She’s Brighton’s. Wanted you to have a safe horse.”
I can hear the smile in his voice as I stroke the mare, enjoying her reaction as I run my fingers through her mane.
“Hello, girl. You okay if I ride you? I don’t know how to, so you’re going to have to be gentle, okay?”
She nuzzles Braxton, and Wandy looks to him as well. “Wait until we get out of here. Don’t want Bright to see,” he says covertly, addressing the horses and grabbing their reins, leading them out the stall doors.
We walk through the entry doors and Braxton releases Wandy’s reins, throwing them over her back. He walks me through how to use the stirrup and lets his hand linger on my ass with a squeeze as he helps me up into the saddle, handing me the reins and showing me the proper slack in them.
“Thank you, girl.” I stroke Brooks’ neck and watch as Braxton lifts himself onto Wandy’s back like it’s second nature. It’s sexy to be honest, the command he has of his body over the horse. He looks good there.
He drops his sunglasses to his face and lowers the brim of his hat before clicking his tongue and turning his elbow and off we go.
Braxton
The look of wonder on Emberleigh’s face is worth it. Glad we weren’t riding together, just so I could see it.
We ride west, until we find a nice open patch, and I pull Wandy to a stop. Brooks does the same.
I swing off my girl and rub along her jawline, promising her treats, then offer my hand to Emberleigh, who looks confused.
“You can use the stirrup and sweep your leg behind you, or you can swing sidesaddle—” I lift my arms up like I would for Colt. “And I’ll catch you.”
Graceful Emberleigh shows none of that and proceeds to twist her legs underneath her, falling toward me with a squeak. Luckily, her legs weren’t caught in the stirrups or we’d have had two visits to the ER in one day.
She tumbles into me, taking me to the ground.
“I’m sorry. Oh my gosh, are you okay? I’m so—” Her hands roam my body, teasing me, but not in the way I’d like.
But I don’t let her apologize again.
I drag her head to my mouth and enjoy the feeling of her on top of me. One hand low on her back, the other cupping her head, I lave at her lips. I spear my tongue into her mouth.
When she pulls back, the look in her eyes tells me she isn’t thinking at all if I’m hurt.
“Braxton.”
“Yeah, baby.”
She shakes her head and closes her lips. I give her that play. Not in my nature, generally, but wondering what she’ll say and do if I give her a little control.
“You okay?”
“Better than okay.” I lift my pelvis, knowing she can feel how better than okay I am.
“Not to be weird or anything, but do you walk around with a constant hard-on?”
“Before you? No. Since you? Pretty much,” I admit. “You’re fucking beautiful. Your piss and vinegar attitude…”
She pulls back, squinting her eyes and ready to argue.
“That right there. Standing up to me. Your brains. It all does it for me. But watching you come?” A whistle escapes my lips. “I never stood a chance.”
She just stares at me. “Well, if we’re confessing things, you do it for me too.”
“Yeah?” I spread her legs to either side of my hips, hating her jeans and mine, but lifting my hips as she continues.
“Yeah. I touched myself thinking about you.”
“More than once?”
She gasps, but nods, searching my eyes. “How did you know?”
“I heard you once. About blew my load picturing you. Eventually did, knowing you were touching yourself.”
She turns her face away, but I reach up and turn it back to me.
“Don’t do that, Emberleigh. Don’t hide from me. You’re telling me you wanted me, and I’m telling you I wanted you right back. Why are you being shy?”
“I may know what I’m doing in business, but I’m out of my depth with you. I don’t talk like this. Don’t say those things.”
“What? That you made yourself come thinking about me?”
She bites her pillowy bottom lip, and I growl, bucking my hips.
“I want to bite that lip.”
I watch the shift in her. Watch her become emboldened. “Then do it.” Her voice shakes. But she’s trying to play, and that’s all it takes.
I lever up and grab her neck, yanking her to me. I take her mouth until her moans seep between us. I flick a thumb over the taut peak of her nipple and feel her writhe under my touch.
“You want me, baby?”
She holds my stare and nods.
“Tell me. Tell me what you want. I’ll do whatever you say, but only what you say.”
She nods again and lifts off me, undoing her jeans, kicking off her shoes and dropping both, along with her panties, to the grass below us. She straddles me again where I sit and she lowers a hand to stroke my throbbing dick.
“I want you to play with my breasts. Want you to make me come that way. Or come close. And then I want to ride you until we both do.”
“I’ll allow it.” I try to sound like a judge granting a request in court.
But she squeezes through my jeans and retorts. “No. I’ll allow it.”
“Well, fuck me. Miss Carrington, you just keep getting hotter and hotter.”
“Plan to, Mr. Ranger. But first I need you to touch my tits and make me beg for more.” She lifts her shirt off and reaches behind her, unclasping her bra.
And I do what she asks. I hold her to my mouth, sucking her tits, rubbing my thumb under the swell near her ribs, teasing her nipples with my fingers and my tongue.
Blowing, tickling, rubbing, sucking. But my teeth are what take her over the edge.
I watch as she falls into ecstasy and cup her sex while she does, feeling her heat there, teasing her continually.
She brings her fingers to my fly and quickly undoes my button and zipper. Her small hands palm my cock, and I groan, fighting to take her mouth as I buck into her hand.
“No, Mr. Ranger. I’m in control.” I see the teasing in her eyes, and she moves my hands from her pussy.
“You think so?”
“I know so, but if you’d like me to stop…” She lets it hang there.
“If I remember correctly, I was going to do to you what you requested.”
“Yeah? Oh, how the turn tables.”
“Did you just quote The Office to me while holding my cock? You’re freaking perfect. I freaking lo— You’re freaking perfect.”
She lifts up on her knees, taps my hips and says, “Up.”
“Already there… if you hadn’t noticed.”
“Oh, I noticed.” And she licks her fucking lips.
I growl and lift my hips while she drops my jeans and boxers below my ass.
Then she straddles me, dragging my tip through her scorching heat.
I strain for her. My dick strains for her, and she tortures me by wetting me in her juices and rocking against me.
When she sinks down, I have to start enumerating the Astros bullpen because I have never felt this kind of pleasure.
Fuck. Condom. I’ve never been bare with a woman. Ever. Broken condom, once. Raw? No.
There is no fucking comparison.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck,” I chant and feel her giggle ripple around my cock.
“Don’t tell me what to do, Braxton.” She lifts so slowly off me she may be trying to kill me and then sinks back down, squeezing as she does.
I take control.
This playing is fun and we’ll sure as fuck do it again, but now? Now I need to drive this, because I can barely see straight.
I lift her and yank her down on my cock, thrusting up into her. Over and over and over. And when she rolls her hips, I think I’m done for.
“Hands off, Mr. Ranger.” She swats at my hands. “My turn. Sit there and take it like a man.”
“Save a horse, ride a cowboy?”
“Something like that.” She rolls her hips and squeezes me as she does.
“Baby, I’m going to come. I’m going to come hard and I… I need you to get off me.” I pause because coherent thought isn’t happening right now. “I’m serious, Emberleigh.” I grab her hips to lift her when she holds my face and drops her voice.
“I have an IUD. I’m clean. If I didn’t trust that you were too, I wouldn’t have taken you. You can come when you want, Mr. Ranger, but I get to come again first.”
“Fuck, woman. You’re so fucking sexy. I’ll give you anything you want.
” I take one of her tits in between my thumb and forefinger and reach between us to find her clit.
It takes very little to set her off, but when her pussy sucks me in deep, it milks my cock.
I come, hot and hard inside a woman for the first time in my life.
I know, immediately, she’s ruined me forever for anyone else.