CHAPTER FIVE
Following Hunter’s direction, Blythe climbed a narrow back staircase and stopped at the first door to the right. A single bed covered in a pale green quilt lined one wall, and a small antique dresser decorated with a flower-patterned pitcher set on the opposite one. The one far wall set alone with the exception of a large window overlooking the barn and fields lined with translucent curtains that hung from a black iron rod.
The attached bathroom was small and outdated, but with an allure that only came from old things made new again with time and hard work. Blythe left her bags on the bed and stepped into the bathroom, surprised by the claw-footed tub and pedestal sink that had to date back to the first remodel of the house. She turned on the shower facet and let the water run cold, cooling her body from the afternoon heat as much as from Hunter's touch.
Having planned to spend the week doing nothing more than drinking too much wine and sunning at the pool, she'd only packed loungewear, a couple of dresses for evening, and a sexy teddy just in case.
Blythe pulled on a pair of black yoga pants and the matching white tank, twisted her wet hair in a towel, and crawled into white cotton sheets that smelled as if they’d been dried outside in the sun.
Hunter must have a housekeeper. No man, especially one who worked all day and came home to work on his house in the evenings kept a place as tidy and clean as the ranch house. Either that or he didn't use the place enough to get it dirty.
The light from the window overlooking the barn still shone bright, and Hunter claimed to have chores to do before starting lunch, so a nap was in order. Hopefully, by the time she woke, he'd have news about her car from the sheriff, and she'd at least have her wheels to explore the town.
She set the alarm on her phone for an hour and closed her eyes. Her stomach growled at the thought of lunch. And coffee. Hadn’t he promised coffee?
By the time she finally woke, she’d forgotten where she was. A quick glance reminded her of Hunter’s place. She picked up her phone and checked the time. The alarm had gone off hours before and had probably tuned off on its own when she never stopped it. Her day with Hunter had taken more of a toll than she’d thought.
The window was dark as was the room. She crawled from bed, feeling the stiffness in her legs and back from a sound sleep. She unwrapped the towel and let her still damp hair fall to her shoulders. The coolness felt comforting on her heated skin.
After the preview of Hunter's dirty minded thoughts in the front yard, she picked out her next outfit carefully, making sure it was thin enough to keep her cool yet thick enough to conceal the texture of the lace bra and panty set she'd bought for just this kind of occasion. Though she had expected she would meet the man in the hotel bar, and by morning, he'd be nothing but a distant memory. Not a housemate like Hunter. A pale blue maxi skirt and matching tank top fit the bill, and she slipped them on with a dab of scented lotion and a light coating of powder to her face. Anything more would melt away.
Padding across the floor on bare feet, she cracked the bedroom door open and heard the muffled sounds of raised voices downstairs.
Hunter hadn't mentioned expecting company. But then again, he hadn’t expected her to sleep away the entire afternoon and on into early evening. Maybe he’d called in the maid. No. The voice was masculine, and angered, though she couldn’t make out what either said.
Then, there was the sound of a woman. Her voice soothed over the deep undertones of the men.
Blythe stepped back in her room and closed the door, rethinking walking downstairs. Then again, if he hadn’t wanted her here, he wouldn’t have asked her to stay.
She opened the door and took the steps with caution. Closer to the source, the voices came from the kitchen.
With light steps, she treaded just inside the door. Hunter had his back to her, and a taller man, dressed head to toe in cowboy perfection stood facing her with wide eyes and a slack mouth.
Seconds later, a woman stepped into view from around the corner and dropped a hand to the man’s shoulder. By the look of her belly, she was pregnant enough to pop at any time, and her skin glowed and her lips smiled.
Hunter must have read their reactions. When he turned around, it wasn't surprise she found in his features, but embarrassment with a slight twist of anger that made her stomach uneasy.
"If we'd known, Hunter," the woman started, but cut off when the man beside her cleared his throat.
The man with the same broad shoulders and dark complexion as Hunter stepped forward and offered his hand. “I’m afraid we interrupted something. You’ll excuse us. I’m Beau. Hunter’s younger brother.”
Blythe took his hand and didn't miss the tension in Hunter's stare when she did.
“And this is my wife, Molly.”
The woman held out her hand, but as soon as Blythe took it, she pulled her into a hug. Molly’s belly bumped into her ribs, and Blythe feared she had hurt her, but Molly held her tight. “It’s so good to meet you.”
Hunter moved forward. “This is Blythe.” He cut both Beau and Molly off. “She’s the owner of the car you found by your place.”
All surprise slipped from her mind at the mention of her car. “You found it?”
“We weren’t sure who the car belonged to.” Beau tipped the brim of his hat to her. “I towed it to our barn with the tractor this morning and put in a call to the sheriff soon after. He mentioned Hunter was tracking a lost vehicle. I'm so sorry about the mix-up. I thought it belonged to a ranch hand out drunk in the field, and I was hoping to play a prank on him."
“With a Virginia plate on the back?” Hunter’s tone approached hostile.
Beau gave his brother a calculated stare. “Not all the ranch hands have Texas plates. They don’t tell, and I don’t ask.”
Blythe felt the tension between the brothers and fought the urge to step between them. “Not a problem. Where is the car now?”
Hunter's eyes caught her gaze. "Beau had it towed to Dale's. He hasn't had time to look too closely at the whole car, but for now, you need a new radiator and fan belt."
Molly broke the tense silence that followed. "We didn't mean to intrude. Beau and I should have called first."
She squeezed Beau’s shoulder, but he didn’t seem to take the hint. “Hunter, if you’d told us she was staying here, we would have invited her, too,” he said.
"Beau." Molly's voice held a warning.
What had she just walked into, other than a discussion about her car?
“Blythe.” Beau’s eyes softened when they reached Blythe’s, almost as if he was sending her an apology. “We Coles have a family dinner once a week and for the last year my big brother has refused to come. If you’re still in town, maybe you can talk him into making it to the next one tomorrow night.”
One glance at Hunter told her any answer she gave would be the wrong one. “I’ll see what I can do. If I’m still here.”
Hunter stared at his brother. "Dale doesn't work Sundays, and he doesn't have the parts she needs. You already know she won't be leaving."
Molly took her husband by the hand this time. “We really should be going. Sorry again for the intrusion, Hunter. We’ll tell Gramps hello for you.” She glanced back to Blythe. “And again, so sorry about the car mix-up. Even grown boys will be boys.”
There was a look between her and Hunter that could set off an electric charge hot enough to ignite the entire room. Then Beau leaned in and kissed his wife’s cheek. He placed a hand on her stomach and softness entered his eyes. “We want you there, Hunter. This little guy needs an uncle like you in his life, no matter how you feel about the rest of us.”
“I’ll think about it.” Hunter stepped past Blythe and reached for the back door. He opened it and stood to the side. “Tell Gramps I’ll be at the kennel early tomorrow. He can take the later shift.”
Molly nodded, and the couple left, leaving Blythe to wonder what the rest of us meant.
Until the back door closed and they were alone again, she hadn’t noticed Hunter had showered, shaved, and changed into a tight fitted black tee and a pair of jeans that hugged every inch of him to perfection. His brown hair was slicked back and still wet from the shower, and the smell of aftershave filled the room.
“You didn’t tell me you had a brother.” She ventured toward the island bar in the center of the kitchen and took a stool. “And a nephew on the way. That’s exciting news.”
“I have a nephew on the way,” Hunter gruffed. “But I don’t have a brother. Not anymore.”
Her skin prickled at the coolness in his tone and the dullness in his eyes.
Hunter pulled two plates from a cupboard and dropped them to the counter with a clamor that made her jump.
Small talk. She needed to calm him with small talk. “Molly seemed nice enough.” When he responded by dropping two sets of silverware next to the plates, she tried again. “Dinner with your family would be fun. I’d like to go...if we can.”
“I don’t do family dinners.” He stalked across the kitchen and pulled the oven open. The smell of roasted meat filled her nose and made her stomach ache with hunger. He stirred a tray of veggies and chicken and closed the oven again.
“Beau seemed to want you there. Maybe they have an announcement about the baby. When is he due?”
Hunter turned sharp on her. Their eyes met and for several long seconds they stood, locked on each other.
"My offer still stands,” Hunter broke the silence with an even tone. “You are welcome to stay here for the week, and I'll make sure you get home safely and your car gets fixed at the end. But my personal life is private."
Blythe’s skin chilled at the rawness in his voice mirrored with the stare in his eyes. “Personal life, off limits. Got it.”
“Good.” He dropped the potholder next to her. “The chicken will be done in another twenty minutes. Help yourself and leave the mess for me.”
“You’re not eating?”
He opened his mouth as if to say something then closed it. "I still have work to do in the barn, and it's already late. Help yourself, and I'll see you in the morning."
She picked up the potholder and toyed with the idea of throwing it at his retreating back as he walked out the kitchen door.
What kind of man pressed all the right buttons to prime a girl for a night of hot sex, then shut it down without even an explanation? Apparently, this guy did.
She poured herself a glass of water and turned the oven to warm. Her appetite walked out the door with the brooding man who was supposed to be her promise of release after a crappy twenty-four hours.
Tomorrow, Mr. Sulky had better be in a better mood.
****
Hunter jerked up the tool belt he'd left slung over a stall door and strapped it around his waist. The outer siding on the back of the stable hung loose and bowed in areas and the new boards sat in a pile in an empty stall. Replacing the old with the new made for the perfect job to blow off some steam.
Beau had a knack for intervening at the worst time. Beau also knew he had company, or he would have called about dinner instead of making the fifteen-mile trek out with Molly in her condition. Gramps and his big mouth probably hadn’t been able to get both feet in Beau’s front door before he’d spilled the news of the new girl in his older brother’s life.
Hunter pounded two nails into the first new board. The part that pissed him off the most was bringing Molly into his home. Since Grandma died, Beau and Gramps hadn’t stopped pushing him back to the family fold. They’d even used his commitment to Best Friends as a tactic. But brining Molly into his home cut deep into what little respect he still held for Beau.
Hunter pulled at a loose board with his bare hands and cursed the wood that bit into his skin. He surveyed his hand and, finding a splinter in his palm. He bit the small spike of wood loose and spit it on the ground.
He’d lost his temper in front of Blythe. He’d let Beau get under his skin and some small part of him still couldn’t take the sympathy Molly held in her eyes. He’d let both get to him until the frustration boiled over in anger.
In those few moments right before Blythe had come in his hand that afternoon he’d looked deep in her piercing brown eyes and he’d seen something unexpected. So unexpected it’s shaken him to the core. Trust. In those few seconds between lust and release, she’d looked at him as if the world around them had ended and he was the last man standing.
Hunter slid two new boards against the barn wall and hammered, disregarding the noise he made. Did it matter what kind of man Blythe thought he was? According to the phone call he'd overheard, she was only interested in finding a cowboy to add to her collection of men.
Hunter glanced at the house, and Blythe’s delicate silhouette illuminated from the guest bedroom window. He hadn't told her the shade was transparent. Maybe it was best if he didn’t. He stacked two more boards against the wall and nailed them in, convincing himself if he worked hard enough, he could forget about her. It didn't work.
Blythe raised her arms over her head, and the delicate outline of her curves called for his attention. He threw the hammer to the ground and tossed the tool belt across the stack of siding. He was a fool to think he could get her out of his head while she was still in his house. Her smell would soon permeate everything. Her makeup would be spread out over the guest bathroom counter. She would spread her body out on the guest bedroom sheets.
The only other time he'd shared space with a woman had been the week before basic training when he and Molly had rented a cheap motel room. They’d spent every second together memorizing every detail about each other. They’d promised to stay together no matter what came between them. That promise kept him sane through basic and deployment, but upon returning home, he found that vow hadn't meant the same for Molly.
The familiar ache of betrayal had swelled in his chest at the sight of Beau and Molly together in his kitchen, but Blythe’s presence dulled the pain to bearable. She descended the stairs into the kitchen and all focus fell to her, giving Hunter a chance to school his expression and shake the tension from his shoulders.
It was Blythe who made the last couple hours bearable and it was Blythe who had taken his mind off his brother’s infidelity. And he rewarded her by leaving her standing in the kitchen alone to worry she’d done something wrong.
What a fucking jerk you are, Cole.
Hunter strapped the hammer back in his belt and dropped the tools to the pile of boards, not stopping to collected the discarded wood for the trash pile out back. He slid the barn doors shut until they slammed into each other from the force, grabbed his hat from the bed of the truck, and stormed up the front steps hell bent on putting the last half hour behind him and finishing what he had started with Blythe.
He settled the hat on his head and took the stairs two at a time. He stopped at the top with every intention of knocking on her bedroom door. But as soon as he heard the rustling of her sheets and imagined her lying in the bed, he charged in.
The only light in the room came from the bedside lamp Blythe used to read a book. On the cover, a shirtless pirate held a longhaired beauty as if he planned to devour her.
So, that was the fantasy Blythe desired. To be taken like a romance heroine in the arms of an expert lover.
With her eyes wide and her mouth agape, he crawled over her, took the book from her hands, and tossed it to the floor. He didn't give her time to think before he dropped his mouth to hers. He cupped the back of her neck in his hands and kissed her hard, the way he'd wanted to since he'd watched her pleasure herself on his tailgate. Quick and needy, he plunged, imagining his tongue delving into the depth of her sex.
Blythe had a power over him, and for now, he was giving in.
****
His mouth was wild on hers. His hands rough in her hair, his body heavy on her breasts. The need he seemed to consume from her filled the room, and Blythe felt instantly wet with lust.
“I thought you weren't coming back tonight,” she spoke into his lips.
Hunter cupped two massive hands around the back of her head and looked deep into her eyes. “You didn’t want me too?”
“No.” She rushed to grab his hair and held her mouth close to his. “But you left angry and you left me alone.”
His gaze heated. “The only thing that upsets me about tonight is the time I wasted angry when I should have been up here giving you what I promised this afternoon.”
“Then you're not angry?” she whispered.
He pressed his knee between her legs until the thin sheet that covered them pulled tight around her. "Not anymore. But, we have an agreement. Personal lives are not a part of this week. We'll go to dinner with my family, stay long enough for them to leave us alone, and then the rest of the week is about giving you the fantasy you came to Texas for." His gazed softened. "Starting tonight."
Hunter dropped his head to her neck and kissed her. Her sensitive skin burned with the heat from his lips. “I want to make you come again,” he whispered into her hair.
Blythe arched her back, elongating her neck, wanting him to cover every ticklish inch with his mouth.
As if reading her mind, Hunter dipped his face into the hollow of her neck and licked, milking a soft moan from her throat. My God, the man knew how to use his mouth for pleasure. The thought of those lips between her legs made her sex pulsate in anticipation. If anything, seeing the rougher side of Hunter made her want to explore him. Made her crave taming the man she saw when he was with his brother.
Hunter pulled the neck opening of her tank top down until her breasts pushed through the hole like two overfilled balloons. Her nipples hardened at the exposure, and her skin tingled in expectation of his touch.
Her thoughts scrambled as his warm tongue lashed out at each tender nipple. She squirmed under him, fighting the temptation to scream from the pleasure.
"I'm not going to stop this time, Blythe. I'm going to take you with my fingers, then I’m going to take you with my mouth. And only when you've come so many times you can't imagine it happening again, I'm going to take you with my cock."
He took each nipple between his lips, and sucked tenderly at first and more greedily as she wiggled under his sizzling mouth. The taut, invisible string that connected her sensitive breasts to her core tightened, and her warm juices flowed between her legs. When she gasped from the sensation, his gaze flickered back up to focus on her. Damn, did he have the most amazing eyes, and being taken in with them was almost as sensual as being touched by his hands.
“Is this how you wanted it on the tailgate earlier?” Hunter looked up and smiled. He knew what his touch did to her. He reveled in the idea of being able to send her over the edge of ecstasy with only his mouth. “Do you know how damn hard it was to hold back from fucking you this afternoon?”
Feeling the need to ground herself, Blythe grabbed a handful of sheet and fisted her palms before speaking. “Then why did you hold back?”
Hunter raised one corner of his mouth into a half grin. “Did you think about me being inside you all afternoon and tonight when you slipped between the sheets?”
Barely able to form thoughts, much less speak, she nodded in answer.
“I need to hear it.” Hunter pressed his lips into her tit before nibbling on the tip.
The surge of pain sent sparks firing off in her belly. “Yes,” she almost screamed before schooling her voice. “I even dreamed about it.”
Hunter looked back up. His eyes heavy with lust and his grin deep with satisfaction. “Then you know why.”
He moved down her belly kissing her ticklish sides as he went.. His smooth chin rubbed alone the sensitive flesh and she fought to keep from jerking away. Instead, she pressed her fingers into his hair. Eager to feel him deep inside her, she couldn’t wait for him to finish.
Hunter lifted to his elbows, his body planked above her, allowing her to unzip his jeans and pull them down his thighs. They stuck at his boots.
Some fantasy.
The roar of laughter that erupted from Hunter’s lips vibrated against her cheek. “So not everything about being a cowboy is sexy.” He grinned.
He pushed away from her for a second to kick off the boots and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing the wall of chiseled, tanned muscle. With his clothes now in a heap on her floor, he turned his attention back to the bed.
“You’re going to work for it, Blythe. You’re going to fucking work for your come.”
With a quick jerk he pulled off her yoga pants from the waist and slid the buttery soft fabric down her thighs. At her knees, he leaned over and kissed the soft skin of her inner thigh. She wished he'd rush. She wiggled under his touch, but instead his speeding up, his hands stilled. He glanced up, catching her gaze with his.
“I don't intend to rush this, if that's what you're after. I intend to take you slow and well until you’ve exhausted every ounce of patience. And then I intend to take you again.”
He rolled the fabric past her knees, over her ankles, and off her feet before he dropped his head to each toe and sucked.
“Hunter,” she breathed as his lips tightened and his mouth sucked. She'd never thought of her feet as erotic until his lips circled her toes. She pictured the same lips wrapped around her arousal and a new shockwave of awareness poured into her middle.
Hunter moved up her body, smoothing his calloused hands over every inch from her ankle to her waist. She shook at the sensitive touch.
His head dipped into the apex of her thighs. She ran her fingers through the sun-kissed curls that reached his neck. His fingers parted her folds and his tongue dipped between her lower lips, and she reared at the electric sensation.
Unable to contain the sensation of entry, she pushed against his mouth and felt the reward of being impaled again.
Hunter circled his tongue over the needy lips of her sex before diving back into her clit. His fingers dug at her thighs as she gripped his hair in her fist and pulled.
As if he knew she couldn't take anymore, he moved a hand to her middle and plunged one finger deep in her opening, moving it in rhythm with his tongue. When the second finger dipped into her entrance, she moaned. The fullness had her rocking her hips, taking him deeper, until her mind fogged and her body moved without her control.
And she came. Hard and loud as the screams rolled out of her in waves.
Hunter glanced up again, a prideful brightness in his eyes. “That’s what I like to hear. Tell me how good it is, baby.”
The musk of her sex was still on his lips when he bent in to kiss her and she lapped it up. “That’s your mouth,” she whispered between kisses. “And your hand. What comes next?”
She pressed her head into her pillow and took in his soft gaze. Please came to mind.
Hunter broke their stare and pulled his boxers down to his knees before reaching down to his jeans and pulling something from his pocket. If he hadn't offered protection, she wasn't sure she'd be able to stop herself from taking him anyway.
He rolled the condom on, and his weight returned. Muscular legs spread her, and his erection pressed into her thigh before finding her entrance. He slid just the tip inside, and she pushed her back off the bed to take him in, greedily. Hungrily. Until the full sensation forced her to stop, and he pulled out before pumping into her again.
He cupped her breasts in his hands and continued the assault on them with his tongue while driving himself into her over and over. She reached for his back and dug her claws in, feeling them break the skin as she pulled back. Marking him as hers. Hers. Only for tonight, and only in the throws of passion, but for this few moments alone, he belonged to her.
Their rhythm hastened, and he thrust deeper inside until the growing urge for a second release overpowered every other thought in her head. Blythe bit her lip to hold on until his release showed in his face and his cock throbbed against the walls of her core. She let go, and the explosion of the mutual orgasm shook her body.
Hunter cried out his release before he dropped to her shoulders and buried his head in her hair.
Blythe wasn't sure how long they laid in silence before he raised his hand again and traced her areola with a lazy finger.
Hunter rolled to his side and lifted his head on his elbow. “Was it everything you thought a cowboy should be?”
Blythe closed her eyes and searched for just the right way to explain sex with Hunter. Nothing seemed like the right choice, so instead she turned to the floor, lifted his hat, and put it on her head. With a smile, she answered, "Once you go cowboy, you never go back." And after a week with Hunter, she truly wasn't sure if she ever would be able to go back.