The sensuous mouth broke into a grin and a laugh rumbled up from somewhere deep inside him. "Mitchell Brand. Mitch. Good old Henry didn't tell me that A. Kelley was a woman. And a gorgeous one at that."Autumn made a face. "Good old Henry and I never met in person and I'm sure he didn't care what I looked like.""Tell me." If she could have seen his eyes clearly she was sure they would have been looking her up and down. "Is it true you bought this place on eBay?"She sighed. "Yes. What gave me away, the idiot sign on my forehead?"Mitch Brand chuckled. "No, darlin', not at all. It's just that...""It's just that no one in his or her right mind would buy this place, right?" Autumn swallowed back the bitter taste in her mouth. "But I'm here, for better or worse. And it sure looks like 'worse' is the operative word.""Well, then. Welcome to..."His grin widened..."what's left of Sweetgrass Ranch.""Thank you. I think." She looked around. "Where are the others? I don't see anyone els
Her first sight of the inside of the house almost made her want to cry again. Then she remembered the pact, squared her shoulders and dug in. Mitch had been very blunt about what it would take to put the ranch on its feet again but he'd also helped her draw up a budget she could afford. And he'd been right about sniffing out bargains for her. She listened to him on the phone with one supplier and was sure he came from a long line of con artists. While he'd gone about ordering new fencing, checking cattle sales, ordering building supplies and looking to see what men he could rehire, Autumn had attacked the house from top to bottom.When she finished she realized it was only dirt and grime that had made the place look so dilapidated. Once she had everything cleaned and polished, she could appreciate the wood floor, the furniture gleaming with age and furniture polish, the windows everywhere that gave her magnificent views of the ranch. Two of the men Mitch hired scraped and painted the
Mitch had barely headed back to his own house before she raced to the little den, opened up her laptop and went directly to her Instant Messenger list. No time now for the blog or even email.Please, please, please let someone be online. Ohmigod, you'd think I was a fainting virgin.Still, the realization that tonight would probably be The Night had her shaking with nerves. There was a big difference between talking and doing. She checked the list, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Rachel was logged in. What a stroke of luck. Good, solid practical Rachel. She'd tell it like it is.Flexing her fingers, she typed frantically.Autumn: Help! Help! Help!Rachel: Okay, what do you need? Autumn: The gorgeous hunk I blogged about has asked me out to dinner. Tell me quick what to do.Rachel: Shower and bathe every crevice in your body and douse yourself with that jasmine scent you love. He'll love it when he peels you out of your clothes. Wear one of your tank tops so he can get a
They were mostly silent on the drive home. Mitch found a country music station and turned it on low volume."You need to learn Texas-style music," he told her, letting the deep baritone of a familiar voice fill the silence in the truck cab.By the time they reached the ranch, between the beer, the dancing and the music, Autumn was feeling as mellow as she ever had in her life. She dug into her purse for the keys to the house but Mitch shook his head."Uh-uh. I've got a better place for you to spend the night."Butterflies did the two step in her stomach and her palms were suddenly damp. She knew what he had in mind. The same thing she did. Could she actually go through with it?When he helped her out of the truck, it seemed the most natural thing in the world for her to take his hand and let him lead her around the barn to his house. On the porch he looked hard at her, eyes boring into hers."We both know what's going to happen, Autumn. We've been building toward this since you g
He lifted her up and carried her into another room. Autumn had her eyes closed, her head against his shoulder, unaware of where she was until she felt Mitch dip and use one arm to move something. Then she was lying on crisp cotton and she opened her eyes to find herself in his bedroom. A click and the bedside lamp came on, throwing soft light and shadows.Mitch stood beside the bed, looking down at her, a hunger in his eyes she'd never seen before from any man she'd been with. All her insecurities came charging back and she had to resist the urge to cover herself."Please turn off the light, okay?" She tried to smile. "I like the dark."He sighed even as his gaze continued to travel over her. "Autumn. Darlin'. You have a very sexy body. I want to see every bit of it. You have nothing to hide, trust me. I have no reason to lie to you."She tried to pull her thoughts together and not make herself sound like an idiot. "I know all the women you've been with are much younger than me. My
At first Autumn thought the pounding she heard was in her head but forcing her eyes open she realized someone was at the door.The door? What door? Where the hell was she?She looked around at strange surroundings, bewildered. Lifting the covers, she realized she was completely naked. And sore in strange places.Then it all fell into place in her brain with a loud thunk!She was in Mitchell Brand's little house. Thirty-two year old Mitchell Brand. Her very own boy toy. She hoped. Exactly what she and her blog ladies had talked about. Jesus! She'd actually gone and done it and the sex had been beyond anything she could have imagined. And if she remembered the bits and pieces of what he'd said, he planned for them to do this again.But now someone was knocking on the door in a manner that said whoever it was, wasn't going away.Mitch rolled off the bed and yanked on his jeans. "I'll take care of it," he said in a low voice. "Don't worry about a thing."He disappeared into the livi
"I didn't get to return the favor," Autumn finally managed to say."There'll be plenty of time for that. Don't worry." He shifted her so she faced him, taking one of her hands and wrapping the fingers around his thick cock. "I'll have trouble bending over today but I'll let you make it up to me tonight." He brushed his mouth against hers. "Okay?"She nodded, then cleared her throat, looking at him with the water spraying around them, a sudden attack of nerves gripping her. She hadn't realized when she set out to do this how important his opinion of her would be. Why should she even care? But she did. Unexpectedly."Mitch, I don't usually... That is... Oh, hell. Never mind."Here I go again. Idiot of the year.She pulled herself from his arms, opened the shower door and managed to step outside. She was drying herself with one of the big towels on the counter when Mitch stepped out next to her."Look at me, Autumn," he commanded. "Right now."Reluctantly she lifted her eyes to his
They ate in silence for a moment.Autumn stared into her coffee cup. "But if I hire him, even for a short while, that's going to signal to him that I agree to being...shared.""In a manner of speaking. Yes. But it's your choice, darlin'. All the way. No one's feelings will be hurt if you say no."When she and her friends had started out on their odyssey, she'd thought it would be courageous enough just to get a younger man in her bed. Now she was on the verge of jumping into a ménage. How wild was that?"Can I wait until I meet him to give you an answer?" She hoped she didn't sound as timid as she felt.Mitch laughed, a warm sound. "I wouldn't expect anything else. Anyway, Randy wants to meet you. I can send him packing if you want." A slow grin spread over his face. "And by the way, he and I are the same age."Two of them? Would that make her a double cougar? She swallowed the hysterical urge to laugh."You mean he's still here? Waiting?" She lifted her eyes and stared at him.
"Ohmigod, what time is it?"Zoe sat up sharply, her elbow digging into Brad. "Hey, ouch!""Oh, sorry." She looked at the bedside clock, the numbers read five o'clock. d five o'clock. "Shit. Brad? I've got to get back to my room and hope that no one came looking for me last night.""I'm sure they'd figure out where you were," he sniggered."No, no, no. You don't understand, My mother will have a fit we saw each other the night before the wedding.""Zoe." He reached for her. "I have a feeling Raine was plenty busy herself last night."She stopped in the process of raking back the covers. "You think so? You think she and Scott finally got together?""I'd say from the heat they were generating around each other it's a damn good bet.""I still have to go." She leaned over and kissed him, then rolled out of bed. "Don't get up. If I see your naked body I might not be able to leave.""In that case..."He made a move to rise."Uh uh." She pushed him back and gave him a light kiss. "I
Brad swallowed the relief he felt. She hadn't kissed him. The movement when she turned her head was so smooth it hardly seemed deliberate. But it was. He knew Zoe like a book by now. And something he didn't even realize was knotted deep inside him loosened. Whatever Zoe had been looking for with tonight was changed because of their relationship. Their love. So he'd finish this fantasy for her. Make it good. Then it would be over and tomorrow they'd be married.Checking to make sure he'd spread sufficient lube inside her ass, he spread the cheeks wide, positioned the head of his cock at her hole and pressed steadily inside.Jesus, she was tight. He felt Clay's cock through the thin membrane compressing an already taut passage. Shit, he had to admit the sensation of feeling another man's cock next to his inside Zoe's body was an incredible turn-on. Lust jolted him, icy heat gripping his balls and streaking along his spine. "Hang on, sugar," he panted. "Get ready for the ride."As if
She felt Clay's hands leave her then the mattress dipped again as he moved. When she opened her eyes he was lying where she'd been earlier, his head on the pillow, stroking his cock."It needs your mouth, honey," he told her. "Come over here and suck me."Quivering with unrestrained lust, Zoe crawled around until she was kneeling between Clay's muscular thighs. She looked back at Brad, saw him nod and brushed Clay's hand away, replacing it with her own. When she closed her mouth over him the familiar taste flooded her senses. As if the action was automatic, she swirled her tongue around the thickness of his shaft, tracing the line of the vein wrapped around it. Her other hand lowered to cup his testicles, squeezing them gently, the moan she elicited from him vibrating through her."Up and down, sugar," Brad coached, moving in behind her, tossing aside the wet wipe he'd used on his hand.In a moment she felt his fingers probing at her pussy again, stroking, stroking, stroking. She s
The wine gave them all some breathing space, not just Zoe. Without saying it, everyone knew what was coming next. The main event. The high point in every ménage scene. She knew both men were going to fuck her and her spent body suddenly came to life as her brain fastened onto the thought. She could almost feel them both inside her, filling her, pumping into her, and she shivered with anticipation.She lounged back on the pillows, sipping at the wine, watching Clay and Brad through heavy-lidded eyes. Oh, yeah, they were both so definitely ready. She didn't think she'd ever seen Brad's penis so thick and swollen and there was nothing small abut it under normal circumstances. Of course, she could say the same about Clay.They were standing in a corner of the bedroom, speaking in low tones and Zoe wondered what they were discussing that they didn't want her to hear. Were they deciding who would do what in their ménage? Would they ask her if she had a preference? Did she? She took another
Clay moved onto the bed between her thighs, his hands moving slowly up from her ankles to the top of her thighs then spreading them wide. Her cunt glistened with moisture, beckoning to be tasted and touched."Wait. Zoe, raise your hips, sugar." Brad reached for the pillows on the other side of the bed and slid them beneath her, elevating her cunt. "Now I can get a better view."He was glad she'd gotten a fresh bikini wax. It left most of that delicious pussy bare to his sight, nothing hidden by a cluster of curls. He sucked in his breath when Zoe reached over and wrapped her fingers around his cock, sliding them gently up and down. "Easy there. I don't want this party to be over before it starts.""Come closer," she urged. "You're too far away."Brad bent slightly, bracing himself with one hand on the headboard. He was watching Zoe's sensuous lips as she opened them, her tongue reaching out to lap the head of his shaft. The contact was electric, his body jerking with the power of
Brad thought he should feel a lot more weird about the whole situation but the atmosphere was so erotic it erased any awkwardness. He moved one hand back to Zoe's breast, trapping the nipple between two fingers while with his other hand he probed her slick, hot pussy. Already he could feel the sensitive walls quivering and quaking, gripping his fingers each time he thrust them inside her. When he looked over her head at Clay he saw the same flare of lust in the man's eyes he knew must be blazing in his own. Who would have thought he'd fall into this so easily.He loved Zoe more than his next breath. Loved looking at her nicely rounded five foot four body, her heart-shaped face with its clear hazel eyes, all framed by a thick mass of rich auburn hair. And he was extremely possessive where she was concerned. She was his, period. So he'd had a lot of reservations about agreeing to Zoe's idea of 'borrowing' Clay for the evening.But watching the man caress Zoe and now slow pushing his fi
He stared down at her upturned face. "I can't say I'm not at least a little jealous. I mean you and Clay were together a long time.""But not like us," she assured him. "Never like us. I never loved him, and he always knew it.""Okay. If that will make you happy, let's go ahead and do it." He cupped her chin and brushed his mouth over hers. "Just as long as you remember who your Number One guy is.""As if I could ever forget," she laughed and leaned over to pick up the phone.Clay wasn't in his room but Zoe reached him on his cell phone in the bar."Hey. Can you come upstairs for a bit?" She winked at Brad as she gave the suite number. "Brad and I want to chat with you about something. What? Just come on up. Bride's request. I'll tell you when you get here."Zoe was sitting on the couch cross-legged, a terry robe tied at the waist, holding a wine goblet when the knock sounded on the door. Brad had just pulled on his boxer shorts. He laughed when he saw the other man's startled ex
At last the dinner was at an end. People came by to wish her and Brad well and tell them they'd see them the next day at the wedding."You go straight up to your suite, honey," Raine told her when nearly everyone had left. "I'll see you first thing in the morning with coffee and we'll get ready for the big event.""You have fun tonight," Zoe whispered to her."We'll see." Raine hugged her. "See you in the morning.""You know tradition says we're not supposed to see each other tonight," Brad said when they were in the elevator riding up to their floor."I know." She slipped her hand into his. "But we're not exactly traditionalist, are we?" And maybe not in some other things. A little spice in their vanilla."Not in this. Come on."He led her to the door of his suite, slid his key card into the slot and pushed the door open. As soon as they were inside Brad tossed the card onto a table and stripped off his jacket and tie."Okay." He turned to Zoe. "First things first. Something
Zoe deliberately throttled her internal conversation with herself. It would accomplish nothing."Everything's fine," she said in a firm voice. She would make it be, whatever she had to do. Just as soon as she reined in her body and her mind."Did you see Clay?" Brad asked. "He was checking in when I came through the lobby."Clay Holbrook? Oh, yes. She'd been thinking of him. Probably far too much. She certainly wasn't in love with Clay. They'd been hot lovers but not anything more than good friends. Brad was and always would be her only love. Was I stupid to invite him? Brad thought it was okay but I think he just wants to strut like the usual male peacock and show off who got the girl. And he did. All the way. But Clay...Just thinking of him and the things they'd done in the bedroom-and other places-sent a shimmer of heat over her skin and ramped up the pulse beating low in her cunt. Clay. She wondered if he was as adventurous with his newest girl friend as he had been with her