CHAPTER SIX

PEPPER

Reagan's green eyes burned into mine with an intense fire that melted me to my very core. 

"Pepper..." 

His deep, husky voice went directly to my brain and traveled over my skin. 

Then his mouth was on mine, his tongue invading my lips as large, firm hands palmed my breasts and held tightly around my waist. 

So hot. So much heat. So much touch and sensation. I was drowning in him. 

And then a thick, heavy rod between my legs made me gasp. It was so hard it felt like a steel beam trying to split me apart. He pushed inside me and I screamed but there was no pain. 

Only the sweetest, stretching pleasure so intense that it barely skirted the line of pain. My scalp tingled as his fingers wound through my hair and tugged slightly. He filled me to the brim and emptied me completely with deep, rolling thrusts of his powerful hips. 

I came with his massive cock fucking me with abandon and his moans of my name in my ear. 

And then I was falling. 

"Fuck! Shit!" 

I landed hard on the floor next to my bed, tangled up so tightly in my sheets that I was certain I looked like a mummy. 

My heart hammered like a drum in my chest as I fully woke and got my bearings.

My body was burning up and I was slick with sweat. My breathing came out in short, labored gasps. I definitely had an orgasm in my sleep. 

While having the most vivid, hottest dreams of him. 

Slowly I touched my fingertips to my lips, my breasts and my waist. 

It was so real. I felt the pressure and heat of his kisses, the tight, possessive grip of his hands on me. 

The THC in the brownie really must have amplified my libido and brought to the surface my desire for that man when I tried to suppress it. 

As I untangled myself from the sheets I noticed the sunlight pouring through the windows. 

Goddamnit. If the sun was already up, I had overslept and would be getting a late start to the day. 

I threw clothes on frantically and tossed my hair up into a messy bun. Only then did I realize how quiet the house was. 

"Bonny?" I called. She never came into my bedroom like she usually did. 

I tried whistling and still no sign of her. 

I padded barefoot into the kitchen, trying not to worry about her. Since I got up late, she might have already gone outside through the doggy door. I just hoped she didn't let herself out at night while a coyote or mountain lion could get her. 

"Hey, Bon-bon!" I called as I pushed the front door open and stepped out onto the porch. The sun, already high in the sky, hit me with a wave of hot air that filled me with dread. It was going to be a long, hard day.  

"Bon-bon! Here, girl!" 

"That's a cute nickname." 

"Fuck!"

The voice startled me out of my skin and I jumped three feet into the air. 

Sitting on the bench just outside my front door, relaxing and smirking, was none other than Reagan fucking Sells. 

My body temperature shot up and I knew my face was beet red. Hell yes, I was embarrassed, but not for any reasons that he knew about. 

Or did he? In the last three days, he never failed to pop up everywhere. Even in my dreams. Just a few minutes ago I could've sworn his cock was rutting in and out of me, fucking me to the best orgasm I'd ever had. 

Now here he was in the flesh, although I had to blink and rub my eyes to make sure. 

Gone was the crisp, tailored suit. Instead, he wore jeans, stylish desert boots, and a breezy, light blue linen shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and unbuttoned halfway down. I felt like a pervert ogling the exposed skin on his strong, sculpted chest. The shirt still hugged his form as though custom-tailored to fit him, which it probably was. 

Just from my dumbfounded staring, I could already tell that my dreams did not do him justice. His body was so much harder and well-built than my imagination ever could have attempted.

He completed the look with a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses and a large cup of iced coffee in his hand. I was somewhat relieved that I couldn't see his green eyes behind them. Looking into those eyes mere moments after my inappropriate dreams of him, while my body was still returning to normal after my orgasm, would've rendered me unable to speak.

"The fuck are you doing here?" I demanded, suddenly aware of my bralessness and crossed my arms. I felt stark naked standing in front of him. 

"I came to work," he said simply. "Almost got started without you, which probably would've been a bad idea since I don't know the first thing about farming." 

"Excuse me?" 

I had to be hallucinating. 

"I heard you needed extra hands," he said. "I had a free day, thought I could use some exercise and sunshine so here I am, being a good neighbor." 

The gears in my brain turned as I stared at him, trying to figure out what kind of game he was playing. Did he think being friendly would make me more likely to sell the land to him? Or was he trying to infiltrate my business somehow and see how he could just take the land from me?

"No."

I set my hands on my hips, squaring my jaw and giving him my best pissed-off look.  

"That's not why you're here. What's this really about?"

His shrug was infuriatingly casual and calm. 

"I just told you, Pepper. There's no angle, I just want to help. If I'm going to be a part of this community, I might as well help out my neighbors." 

If only I could see his eyes, surely I'd be able to tell that he was lying. 

But it would also be harder to tell him no. 

A sudden, snorting sneeze caught my attention. Leaning my body to see where it came from, I saw Bonny lying on the porch. She lounged halfway under the bench, halfway under Reagan's legs.

Bon-bon, you traitor! I thought. You were growling at him two days ago! Why are you suddenly so friendly? 

As if reading my mind, Reagan produced a baggie of dog treats from his pants pocket. Bonny immediately raised her head and started wagging her tail. 

"My old boy Hank used to go nuts for these before he passed," Reagan said as he fed her one and scratched her ears. "He was a pit bull too. I rescued him from a dog fighting ring." 

"Sorry for your loss," I muttered before clamping my lips shut. 

Damn it. That was a glaringly obvious ploy to tug right at my heartstrings. Why did I have to care about animals so much? 

"It's alright. He lived to a happy, comfortable fifteen years of age." Reagan chose that moment to push his sunglasses on top of his full head of rich, brown hair. His green eyes glittered brightly in the bright, indirect sunlight, so much that I could see the multicolored flecks in his irises. 

"So, you giving me a job or not?" 

I shifted my weight, still trying to resist him but I was losing the battle fast and we both knew it. 

"Something tells me you're not exactly in need of a job," I said. 

He shrugged again. 

"Maybe not, but you do need some extra muscle," he pointed out. "Nothing against Maddy but I could probably move more crates of apples than she can." 

Of course. Sweet, unassuming Maddy told him about my flaky seasonal workers. I should never have left her alone with him. 

I really did need the muscle though, as much as I hated to admit it. And he evidently carried it in spades. Would it be so bad if he helped me catch up from oversleeping?

“Okay, here’s the deal,” I said, trying my best to sound tough and bossy. “We’ve got to work fast but with the sun already so high, we’ve got to stay hydrated. Breaks are gonna be short and only when necessary.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Reagan rose to his feet with a grin. “Put me to work.” 

My breath hitched in my chest as he stood before me. He was so close, closer than he ever stood before and smelled wonderful, like Irish Spring soap and raw, male musk. It was a pity he’d be smelling like dirt, sweat, and manure in a few short hours.

“One last thing,” I said, trying my best to hold my ground as he towered over me. “Shit’s gotta get done and it’s gotta get done correctly. I can’t afford to lose crops to newbie mistakes. If you’re slow or you keep screwing up, I have every right to terminate you. Are we clear?” 

“Crystal,” he replied without hesitation.

“Good.”

I sat down on the bench and paused for just a split second. My eyes were at the same level as his crotch which was mere inches away. My clit pulsed with the dream of him fucking me etched firmly into my mind and I hoped he didn’t notice my face reddening even more. 

“Let’s get to work,” I said as I pulled on my boots.