Chapter 21 #2
She does, crying out so loud I have to clamp my hand over her mouth, tilting her head so she can look at me. “That’s it, come for me. Prove you’re mine.” Her pussy clenches around me in waves, pulling my own orgasm from me with brutal force.
I come harder than I ever have, emptying myself inside her while her body milks every last drop, both of us shaking with the intensity.
When I finally pull out, we’re both breathing like we’ve run a marathon. She stays pressed up against the wall, legs trembling, my cum already starting to drip down her thighs.
I press my fingers back into her, making sure every bit of my cum is inside her, the possessive part of me liking the idea of her walking around with a reminder of who she belongs to. I pull her panties and jeans back up and turn her to face me.
“Don’t clean up,” I say. “Leave it. I want you to feel me all day. Want you to remember this every time you move.”
Her eyes are dazed, pupils blown, lips swollen from kissing. “How could I forget?”
I kiss her again, slower this time but no less possessive. I tip her chin so her eyes meet mine. “You were incredible tonight.”
“You bought a rancher.”
“A fucking great one.”
She shakes her head as she zips up her jeans, but I can see her smile. “We really need to get to the house before someone comes looking for us.”
“Let them look.” But I’m already straightening my own clothes.
“You’re insane.”
“Probably. But you love it,” I say with a laugh.
“Unfortunately, I do.” Her words are almost not loud enough to hear, but I do, and I reach for her hand, not making it a thing.
“Thank you. For tonight. For being right when I was being stubborn. For being fucking incredible.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” Her voice is still raw from crying out. “Now let’s go face whatever fresh hell is waiting.”
We leave the barn just as the sun fully clears the horizon, both of us still flushed, still breathing hard, looking exactly like we’ve just fucked against a wall.
And I don’t care who knows it.
* * *
The hell turns out to be three very angry siblings in the main house dining room.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Caroline demands the second we walk in. “You two left at midnight with a cryptic text and didn’t answer your phone for six hours!”
“We were working,” I say calmly as I pull Lennox closer.
“Working on what?” Nathaniel crosses his arms, his face tight with worry and anger. “We had no idea where you were. For all we knew, the Marshall crew had grabbed you both.”
“They didn’t, and we recovered the cattle. You’re welcome.”
Silence from all of them, which never usually happens, and all three of my siblings stare at me.
“You what?” James finally says.
“We recovered the cattle. All twenty-three head. They’re back in our south pasture where they belong.” I pour Lennox and myself a cup of coffee from the service on the sideboard. “Lennox figured that Marshall would be too distracted with his casualties to watch stray cattle. She was right.”
I hand her the mug and our fingers brush. The electricity from the barn still flows between us, and I want to touch her again, right now.
“You went back onto Marshall land?” Caroline asks slowly. “Hours after an ambush that put Dad in the hospital. The two of you. Alone.”
“Yes.”
“Are you fucking insane?”
“Possibly.” I take a long drink of coffee. “But we got our cattle back without a single shot fired. I’d call that a win.”
Nathaniel moves to the window, looking out toward where the south pastures would be. “You actually got all twenty-three head?”
“Count them yourself if you don’t believe me.”
“Oh, I believe you. I’m just trying to figure out if you’re brilliant or suicidal.” He turns back. “How did you move that many cattle with just two people?”
“Lennox did most of the work.” I glance at her. “She can do things with cattle I’ve never seen before. Made it look easy.”
“It wasn’t easy,” Lennox says quietly. “But it worked.”
Caroline studies her with new intensity. “You planned this? The whole operation?”
“I had the idea. Sebastian executed it with me.”
“Unbelievable.” But Caroline is smiling now, sharp and impressed. “You snuck onto Marshall land, recovered stolen property and got out clean. That’s… I’m not sure whether to be impressed or furious.”
“Be both,” James suggests. “I am.”
“We need to tell Dad,” Nathaniel says. “He’s been asking Mom about the cattle every time he wakes up. It’s driving her batty sitting there with him asking the same question over and over. This will…” He pauses. “Actually, I’m not sure how he’ll react.”
“Visiting hours start at eight.” Caroline checks her watch. “We’ve got ninety minutes. Everyone, clean up and look presentable. We’re all going to the hospital together.”
“All of us?” Lennox asks.
“Yes. You especially.” Caroline’s smile is dangerous. “You’re the mastermind here. You get to explain to Dad exactly how you pulled this off.”
* * *
County General Hospital is modern and sterile, the complete opposite of the ranch. We file into Dad’s private room. He is propped up in bed, his shoulder heavily bandaged, IV lines running into his good arm.
He looks old in the hospital bed. Diminished. It sends a chill through me.
“About fucking time,” he growls when he sees us. “Been sitting here all night wondering what the hell is happening back home.”
“Dad.” I move to his bedside. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I got shot. How do you think I’m feeling?” But his eyes are sharp, alert. “What’s the situation? The Marshalls make any moves? Our security holding?”
“No moves from the Marshalls. Security’s tight. And—” I glance at Lennox “—we recovered the cattle.”
Dad’s eyebrows shoot up. “All of them?”
“All twenty-three head. Back on our south pastures as of about two hours ago,” I add.
“How the hell did you manage that? I thought they scattered during the ambush.”
“They did. But Lennox figured out a way to get them back.” I gesture for her to step forward. “Why don’t you explain?”
I watch her face pale slightly as all eyes turn to her. Being scrutinized by my family is one thing. Explaining a risky nighttime operation to the wounded patriarch is another.
But she steps up, her voice steady as she lays it out. The theory about Thomas Marshall being distracted. The cattle wanting familiar ground. The quiet approach in darkness. The careful gathering and pushing them home.
Dad listens without interrupting, his expression unreadable.
When she’s done, silence fills the room.
“That was smart,” Dad finally says. “Risky as hell, but smart. You read the situation correctly, anticipated their response, exploited their weakness.” He studies her. “Where’d you learn to think tactically like that?”
“My father. He always said the best offense is making your opponent think they’ve already won while you’re actually taking back what’s yours.”
“Warren taught you well.” Dad’s eyes cut to me. “And you went with her? Just the two of you?”
“Yes.”
“Could have been another ambush. Could have been a trap.”
“It wasn’t. Lennox was right about the timing.”
Dad is quiet for a long moment, and I see something shift in his expression. Calculation. Suspicion.
“Convenient,” he says quietly. “That you knew exactly when the Marshall crew would be distracted. Exactly where our cattle would be. Exactly how to recover them without incident.”
The room temperature drops ten degrees.
“Dad,” Nathaniel starts.
“No.” Dad’s eyes stay on Lennox. “Think about it. We have a leak. Someone who shared our plans, who set us up for that ambush. And now, hours later, Sebastian’s wife, whom we barely know, suddenly has all the answers. Knows exactly how to fix everything.”
“You think I’m the leak?” Lennox’s voice is steady, but I can see her hands trembling.
“I think it’s awfully convenient that you showed up right before all this started.
That you’ve inserted yourself into every aspect of ranch operations since you got here, and now you somehow manage to recover stolen cattle without Marshall noticing.
” Dad’s face is stern. “So yeah, Miss Briggs. I think you might be the leak.”
The accusation hangs in the air like poison.
And I realize with cold certainty that everything Lennox and I had built, fragile as it is, is about to shatter completely.