Chapter 7
Javier had taken Daphne’s words to heart and turned all of it over and over the rest of the day. His mom was wise. Fair and pragmatic. It was time to make amends, and possibly it could begin with Memphis.
She looked as sexy as hell tonight. Her dewy, sun-kissed skin was a surprise given she was a redhead. The loose sleeveless top allowed him to appreciate the full breasts and tiny waist that flared out to compact hips and nicely rounded ass that was his favorite shape on a woman. That had been confirmed when he slid his hand into the rear pocket of her shorts. It had been hell trying to keep his hand still when he ached to explore.
She was fit—lean and muscled legs, arms, a flat stomach—with admirable womanly curves; all-in-all, a body, face, and gorgeous long red hair that challenged him to think straight. Then there was her personality. So much like Ransom when he had been at his best. The penetrating looks. The single focus. The awareness. What he hadn’t witnessed yet, was an emotionally driven decision, other than her resolve to come to Torch River.
He would get the details. Find out who she was. All he knew was that Ransom had adopted her as an infant, soon after his marriage to her mother, which would put Memphis around thirty-years-old. Too young?No. He sensed she was a woman older than her years. Ransom would have raised a strong kid; he was sure of that.
What did Memphis think about their age difference? There was so much he didn’t know.
He held her hand without a thought and led her away from the Wake and the music. “This way. There’s another deck by the river that most people forget about. It’s a lot quieter.” They walked through the oaks, pinching two glasses each with the fingers of their free hands, and took the wide stone steps down toward the river.
“Wow. This is pretty. Has it been here long?” She sat, placing one cup under the bench, and angled her body toward him.
Javier did the same. “Over thirty years. Your dad and I built it. We added the steps after I went down on my ass one night. It had rained earlier. The slopes and hills around here can get slick as hell.”
She glanced around, taking it all in. “It’s so peaceful. That’s what I’ve noticed about this side of Torch River. It’s more like the river itself, as it is now anyway. Easy and content. I like this side better than the other. Everyone refers to it as the Cliffs?”
“They do. Because it’s situated on cliffs. Elevated.”
“Why is this side called the Narrows?”
“Because we have limited land and resources. The Narrows is restricted by the national forest to the west and the Torch to the east and south, where the river bends and then forks. The rest of the available land was purchased by a corporation decades ago, to keep it out of the hands of the wealthy and their developers. The corporation has also acquired land bordering the narrows. Dry Ridge to the north and Harmon to the south. Unfortunately, not before the land for marina and its club was purchased.”
“I overheard some women at a coffee shop in the Cliffs griping about the land. Is the corporation comprised of residents? Locals who live in the Narrows?”
“Yes. Each corporate member has equal ownership, control, as well management and decision-making. The park south of the marina is owned by all of Torch River.”
“What’s the corporation called?”
“Eclipse.”
“As in ‘exceed expectations’?” She smiled and sipped on her beer, humor filling her eyes.
Memphis caught on fast. He lifted his beer and saluted her.
“Clever. You’re an owner, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“Was Pops?”
He drank slowly from his cup, giving himself time to consider before answering, wanting to be truthful, but not give too much away since Memphis had not revealed her reason for being in Torch River. Could it be to lay claim to what Ransom believed was his? He had known the plans and that creating a corporation to achieve them was in the works, but as soon as he was exiled from town, his name was stricken from consideration. “No. Your father was gone before the corporation was created.”
“The wealthy in the Cliffs want the Narrows land.”
“Badly. We continue to fight.”
“How?”
Don’t give away too much. “There’re committed residents in the Narrows.”
“That takes a lot of money and a well-organized coalition of people. It sounds similar to what I wanted to talk to you about, another David and Goliath situation. If you don’t mind, I’ll bring you up to speed.”
“I’d like that.”
“Pops raised me to be his right hand, teaching me all about ranch operations and management and cattle. Creed Ranch is in the beef cattle business. Angus. It was Fuller Ranch originally, owned by Mama’s parents. They left it to Pops when they passed.” She paused and looked at him. “Pops and I had a lot of discussions about my future. He encouraged me to go to college and pursue what interested me. I did, graduating with an agribusiness degree and then attending law school and focusing on estate planning and corporate law. I enjoy what I do.”
“Are you good at it?”
“I am.” She chuckled. “Very. Eben, my brother, has never shown much of an interest in the ranch. He went into investment banking.”
His assumption was wrong. Memphis wasn’t here to claim to a non-existent allotment of the corporation. “There’s more.”
“There is.”
He drained his cup and picked up the other. “Want your second one?”
“Sure, thanks. This beer is great.”
“It’s brewed in the Narrows,” he said, handing it to her and experiencing a sense of pride.
She finished her first beer and nested the second one inside the empty cup. “Are you bored?”
“Quite the contrary.” The play of emotions shifting rapidly over her lovely face fascinated him, as did her story. “Why do you need my help? Our help?”
“I want to share the backstory so that you understand why Pops had me search you out.” She lounged back in the corner of the armed bench. “Our boss and cowboys have been with the ranch for decades. It pretty much runs itself at this point. I work it sometimes because I love it, but more often I’m at the firm these days. After the growing interest in our ranch, Pops grew nervous. He had me go over the trust with another attorney to ensure it was ironclad and would protect Creed Ranch from being taken over. There’s a neighbor, in the most rural sense of the word, who is determined to buy us out. Even though his ranch is ten times the size of ours, Trey Rooney is shrewd and unscrupulous. He wants it all. It doesn’t matter what he has to pay to own it.”
Javier rubbed his chin, thinking. “Creed Ranch is David. Your neighbor is Goliath.”
“Uh-huh. Like the Narrows to the Cliffs, as I understand it.”
“A suitable comparison.”
“To make it worse, Eben is engaged to Arla, Trey Rooney’s daughter. Pops feared that Eben’s lack of interest in the ranch and his lack of mettle would prove hell for me, that Arla will pressure him to take me to court and contest the will and trust. The courts might agree that a married couple, one of whom is a Rooney, are more deserving of Creed Ranch and green-light the merger. Plus, he has politicians in his pocket.”
Something was missing. There had to be more to the story. “Why now?”
“Because an enormous oil deposit has been discovered beneath a section of our land. It’s worth billions.”
Fuck. That’s a lot more.“Why me, Memphis?”
“Because you claimed Pops as a brother, and he you. Family. There was a time you had each other’s backs. My father hoped there was a chance you might help me. You’re my uncle.”
“I’m about as much your uncle as the trees surrounding us.” Javier exhaled a lengthy sigh. “For a minute I was hoping you were going to propose sex.”
Memphis shot to her feet and threw the beer that remained in her cup at him. “Fuck you. Pops said you could be surly. He was too nice. Easy on the eyes or not, you’re a bastard.”
He jettisoned to his feet and grabbed a wrist. While wiping the beer from his face, he yanked her to him so that they were nose-to-nose. “No one says fuck you to me and gets away with it, Memphis.”
“Well, I just did. Fuck you again.”
* * *
She worked to release her wrist from his grasp, but he easily held her fast but without hurting her. Instead, his eyes glowed with the heat of an aroused man.
Her gulp was audible, drowning out the symphony of crickets.
“I’m a hard man, Memphis, with a hard-on. You’re an insistent woman who’s turned me on with her potty mouth. I enjoy fucking.”
The gasp escaped before she realized it.
His voice was low and husky. “I think you do, too. There’s a wildness under that lovely pulled-together exterior. I want you in my bed. I’m going to take you hard and deep. Over and over. I want to hear you scream and feel your nails slice my skin as you come apart because you’ve never had so much pleasure. And then we’re going to fuck some more. Until we can’t. And, if we can manage, if we haven’t passed out from gorging ourselves, we might talk afterward. Or while drinking strong coffee as the sun comes up. Got it?”
She flushed at his words, imagining what he vividly described. Her voice quaked. “What if I say no?”
“You have no desire to deny what I’m promising, Memphis. I’ve caught your scent. You’re wet. I bet you’re soaked.” He purred, causing her insides to clench. “Your nipples are hard against my chest. You’d have no issue doing it here. But, to get the most out of our time together, we’re going to have privacy. We’re going to my place.”
She nodded mutely and swallowed.
“You have nothing to fear.”
“I know.” She whispered. It was true. She knew he was safe. Pops would never have had her seek him out otherwise. Lightheadedness hit her and she swayed.
Javier steadied her and planted a slow kiss on her forehead while pressing his erection into her belly. She groaned.
“You’re as hungry as I am. We’re going to leave. Now. I’m going to rinse this beer off me. You can join me in the shower, or we can start elsewhere. I really don’t care. My bike is on the other side of the Wake.”
In a heady fog, her hand in his, Memphis floated along beside Javier in the direction of this bike. “My car.” She managed weakly.
“Sammi will drop it off at my place.”
“My keys …”
He pulled his phone from a pocket and left a voice message. “Hey, Sam. Memphis left her GTO in the lot. Can’t?—”
“The door’s unlocked. Don’t lock it. The lock sticks.”
“Can’t miss it. Red, white ragtop. Can you drop it at my place after closing? Leave it unlocked. The lock sticks. She has her keys, so you’ll have to … you know. Thanks.” Javier disconnected and flashed her a dimpled grin. “We all can hot-wire. Sammi will take good care of it. She’s probably going to talk your ear off about it the next time she sees you. Daphne had a Goat back in the day.” He shared, referring to the GTO by the same nickname her father had often used.
I can hot-wire, too. “You sure? I can drive it.”
“You can, but riding with me is part of tonight’s foreplay. You don’t want to miss that.”
They tossed the empty cups into a waste container on the other side of the Wake. He mounted, then assisted her onto the Harley, lightly brushing his fingers on her bare thighs after she straddled the seat behind him. Her skin quivered at his touch. He settled her closer, causing her core to feel the heat of his magnificent ass and her breasts against his solid back.
“Ready?”
“Yes.” You have no idea how ready I am.
* * *
“Give me a few,” Javier said and disappeared down a hallway to her left.
Memphis appreciated that even though he had mentioned showering together, he didn’t push it. Join him in the shower or not? No. You can hold out. So can he. It’ll be even sweeter.While waiting, she did a cursory exploration of his home.
His place was neat as a pin and inviting, and a lot of house for one person. The post and beam construction made her feel welcome. The floor to ceiling fireplace of large river rock in the great room was double-sided. Through it she glimpsed a dining area, and beyond it, the kitchen—spotless and huge. The fridge and freezer were stocked, as was the dual zone cooler.
Memphis inspected the laundry and two other bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, then helped herself to a bottle of beer. She was about to open it when Javier’s hand appeared and gently took the bottle, causing her blood to sizzle as their fingers grazed.
Javier’s eyes locked on hers. “I’ll get it for you.”
He was naked, except for the charcoal-gray towel knotted below his waist. Water droplets dotted his powerful torso and shoulders, and the dimmed overhead lighting caused the gray in his hair to shimmer silver.
Every move mesmerized her.
His strong fingers untwisting the cap.
His lips sealing over the end of the bottle.
How he drank—slowly, savoring it, and rolling his lips.
She ached to be that beer.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth and his gaze was raw heat when he handed it back to her.
The intimacy of sharing the bottle wasn’t lost on her, neither was the prolonged eye contact. She melted from the inside out. “Thank you,” she said breathlessly, suddenly parched.
Javier eyes smoldered as she finished the rest of the bottle. He took it from her and put it in the sink, then threaded his fingers into her hair—gently undoing it, playing with the tendrils that fell in waves below her shoulders. “Beautiful.” Licking the beer from her lips, he slanted his mouth over hers, tasting it as he leisurely slid his tongue in. “Mm. The beer is more delicious on you.” He took her hand. “Come with me, Memphis. We’ll drink each other.”
The promise of pleasure had her body thrumming of her body combined with her heart flying around in her ribs made her light-headed.
Javier brushed the lobe of her ear with his lips and pulled her against his impressive arousal.
“I like to kiss.” She whispered, her hips grinding against him, the ravenous hunger in her unleashed.
“Do you?” His lips covered hers while he untied her top, unhooked her bar, and slid them off, becoming more demanding as his hands cupped her breasts and teased her nipples. He broke off the kiss. “Your tits are perfect.” He groaned, lowering her to the bed. “Raise your hips, baby. I need to see all of you.”
Javier purred as he explored her channel. “Beautiful. So fucking wet for me. Open your legs, baby.” He took his time suckling her breasts and feathering his lips over her belly.
She going to shatter if he kept it up and lifted her hips in an attempt to guide his lips and tongue to her core which was pulsing with hunger. “Jav?—”
He chuckled and kissed her fully again. “We’ll do that, but I need to fuck you first. You need me to fuck you first. How long are you going to last, baby? Me? Not long this time. I’m impatient.”
“I’m close.” Memphis tugged his towel loose, grasped him. She stroked him and cupped his balls.
“Ease off, baby.” He growled softly, stretching toward the nightstand, and handing her a condom. “Slide it on.”
“Please, Javier.”
Memphis gasped and quaked as he plunged in, filling her.
He thrust once and paused. “You okay?”
“Yes.” She rasped, surrendering to the euphoria vibrating in every single cell of her body.
“I need more, baby. Get your legs around me,” he said, helping, his hands bracketing her ass. He thrust again. “Yes, that’s sweet. Be my wild thing.”
“Deeper and harder, like you promised,” she panted, cupping his ass, encouraging him.
Javier slammed home with abandon, and she cried out, almost passing out as wave after wave of her orgasm rolled over her. He let out a guttural cry as he came and collapsed on top of her, his chest heaving with hers.