The journey from the banks of the Guadalupe to the sidewalk in front of Tricia’s Treasures took about ten minutes and not one moment during that time did Lance leave her untouched; he kept a hand on her arm, her back, or her knee as he drove. It was as if he feared she’d disappear if he wasn’t touching her. 

“Don’t look at my house really close,” Tricia said as she fumbled for her keys. “My home isn’t dirty, but it’s a little cluttered.”

“Believe me, I’m not here to check out your housekeeping skills.” Lance wrapped his arms around her, his hands skating up under her shirt, teasing the smooth flesh at her waist.

With shaking hands, she finally managed to get the key in the lock. Once they were inside, she refastened the door, but didn’t flip on the light. The front of the store was made entirely of glass and she didn’t really feel like it was anyone’s business if she had company or not. “This way.” She grabbed Lance by the belt buckle and led him toward the stairs.

Bling, bling, bling…

Tricia giggled. “Watch out for the wind chimes.”

“I’m like a big bull in a china shop,” Lance mumbled. “I hope I don’t break anything, lumbering around in the dark.”

“You’re fine, I’m thrilled you’re here.” Making her way to the back of the store, she opened the door to the stairs. Flipping on a light, she closed the hall door behind them. “Now, we can see.”

“Yea, and what I’m looking at is fine.”

As she ascended the narrow staircase, Tricia glanced over her shoulder and realized he was referring to her butt. “Oh, thanks, but that’s something else you shouldn’t look at really close.” She couldn’t help but smile as he answered with a fondle to her hip. “I can’t believe we’re going to do this.”

Choosing to answer with actions rather than words, he swept her up in his arms and continued to the second floor. On the top landing, he set Tricia on her feet and lifted her delicate hand to his lips, dropping a kiss into the center of her palm. To Lance’s surprise, his lips tingled from just that simple kiss. Tingled, by damn. “I want to do everything with you.”

Tricia paused, a bit in a daze. “Yea, I must be dreaming.” She whirled around and opened the door to her apartment. “Quick. Come on, let’s do this before I wake up.”

Lance caught up with her as she switched on a lamp. His surroundings barely registered, he saw a big, soft couch with lots of pillows and there were plants everywhere. “Not so fast, I don’t want to get lost in this jungle.” He snagged her by the arm and pulled her back against him. Covering her mouth with his, Lance’s lips stretched into a smile when he felt her nimble little fingers unbuttoning his shirt. “You are an impatient little minx,” he said, drawing back a fraction so he could see her face.

“I am.” There was no use being coy when what she wanted more than oxygen was within her reach. Grasping both sides of his now open shirt, she stood on tiptoe and layered her lips to his once more, and this time she held nothing back. Tricia was hungry for him and not ashamed to show it. With one skim of her tongue across the seam of his lips, they parted for her, but he was fast to take command. She almost swooned as his tongue swept into her mouth, ravenously demanding everything she possessed. Melting against him, she moaned as Lance walked her backward until she was pressed to the wall. Folding his body around her, he enveloped her completely. As aroused and excited as she was, Tricia couldn’t ignore how his hardness and warmth made her feel safe. “Now, I can touch you all I want.” She slid her hands up between them and played in the sexy mat of dark hair on his chest.

Lance was almost at the end of his rope; his control was slipping. He’d been cocked and primed for this moment for months and when he felt her fingers massaging his pecs, her unabashed need felled him. “Let me see you, baby.” He slipped his hands under her shirt and began pushing it up.

See her? And just like that, she was nervous.

“Can we go lay down? My knees feel weak. And there are covers in there…to cover me up.” She’d been fine until he said something about seeing her naked. This was what she wanted, Tricia had no idea why she was feeling so inadequate.

“Horizontal is one of my favorite positions.” Anything she wanted was fine by him, just as long as they didn’t stop. “You aren’t the only one with fantasies, you know,” he said as he followed her down the hall, anxious to get her out of those clothes. “I’ve been dreaming about your breasts.” Her blouse was low cut enough to show some cleavage. Just the thought enflamed him, he was itching to get his hands on those soft, pretty mounds, to make them quiver and beg for his touch. “I can think of all kinds of things I want to do to them.” Like kissing. Licking. Sucking. God, he was walking bowlegged, his cock harder than a brickbat.

Tricia was glad she’d straightened her bedroom, usually it was littered with dozens of items of clothing. They weren’t dirty, she just had a mental block about hanging things on clothes racks and putting them in a closet. “Do you want to sit on the bed while I put on something sexy?” She had this little outfit put back for such an occasion. “I have a black shorty gown with matching panties, they have little bows on the sides.”

“Sounds amazing, but I’m more interested in the gift than the wrapping,” Lance growled. The woman had no idea how she was affecting him. She was this intriguing mix of femme fatale and naïve innocent, he had no idea which was the real Tricia – but he looked forward to finding out.

“Really?”

Why did she sound surprised? “Hell, yes, but you can model it for me some other time.” She’d led him into a room so purple that he felt like the cartoon character who’d dropped his glasses in a bucket of purple dye. The curtains were purple, the bedspread was purple, the pillows were purple, even the walls were purple. “Love your color scheme.”

Tricia giggled. Dang it. “Does my lack of decorative imagination kill the mood?”

Lance let his eyes rove over her, taking in her angel face, the cloud of blonde silk haloing around her head, and a centerfold body so perfect he wanted to go to his knees in awe. As sexy as she was, part of her allure was the way she looked at him, how she always seemed so interested in anything he had to say. Tricia made him feel like more than just a man who worked someone else’s ranch. “Honey, not even a nuclear bomb could distract me from loving on you.” 

“Oh.” She gave him a smile. “Good.” He stood there so male, so magnetic. Her small room made his shoulders look impossibly wide. “Let me make a place for us.” Moving to the bed, she began removing pillows and placing them on the floor.

“Enough.” He took Tricia by the shoulders and pulled her down to the bed with him. Between deep drugging kisses, Lance ripped off his shirt and began working to rid her of the material that stood between him and his goal.

Tricia was torn between a desperate need and a self-conscious dread of Lance seeing her body for the first time. No man had ever seen her unclothed, much less the man of her dreams. “I don’t work out much…any,” was the only thing she could think to say as Lance stared at her upper body once she was revealed to him. She knew she wasn’t as toned as some women and comparing her body to his, hers seemed way too soft and nothing like his tight perfection.      

“Who gives a…” Lance’s voice was gruff and filled with admiration. “God Almighty, you look fuckin’ perfect to me.” Her gorgeous tits were full, high and round, with nipples that tilted upward, as if inviting his mouth.

He ran one finger lightly around a puffy areola and her nipples instantly peaked at the tender caress. His lips followed the same path and Tricia whimpered her approval as he nuzzled all over her breasts, but somehow avoided the tight, throbbing beads where she needed him the most. “Don’t tease,” she whimpered. He lifted his gaze to hers and Tricia was hypnotized by the desire she saw in his eyes.

Lance chuckled, then made a satisfied noise in the back of his throat which sounded like a big cat purring. Sitting up, he moved her into his lap and encircled her waist, draping her back over one strong arm. “You’ve been teasing me for months.” Taking one swollen nipple between his teeth, he lashed it with his tongue before fitting his mouth over it and sucking hard.

“I didn’t mean to,” she gasped, arching her body as the exquisite sensation robbed her of breath. “I wanted this as much as you.”

Lance didn’t comment further, he was indulging himself, moving from breast to breast, cupping and kneading the generous mounds, tonguing her berry pink nipples and sucking on them like candy.

Tricia closed her eyes one moment, then felt compelled to open them the next. She’d never seen a more erotic sight than Lance Rogers suckling at her breast. He was so intent, seeming to take so much pleasure from the act. And she, who had only ever come by her own hand, was perilously close to coming just from the pleasure he was lavishing on her now. “Please, Lance, please,” she cried, and he raised his head, his eyes shining down on her.

“I’m doing my best to please you.”

“Do more.” She fumbled with his belt buckle. “I’m dying here.”

“Easy baby, easy.”

How could he sound so calm when she was going crazy? She could feel his erection under her thighs, he felt hard and huge. Maybe he was just used to this type of thing. Tricia felt out of her depth. “I want you naked,” she puffed out an exasperated sigh.

Lance gave her a wicked smile. “We’ve got all night. You don’t know how long I’ve waited to get my hands on these beauties.” He cupped her generous tits, weighing them in the palms of his hands. “They’re just the right size. I could feast on them for hours,” he murmured before dipping his head back to the pleasurable task.

How could she argue? He was giving her ecstasy – yet she wanted more. As he played with her breasts, she kissed him everywhere she could reach – neck, shoulders, cheek. She also ran her hands over his back, lightly scratching. Tricia was so aroused, she couldn’t be still, she began to move her hips, ever so slightly – the friction was immeasurably sweet.

Lance endured her sexy moves until he could take no more. “You win.” Quickly, he helped her shed her clothes, then tore off the rest of his own. Lying back on the bed, he took her with him. “Who am I kidding?” he whispered as he took in her naked body. “I win. You’re the hottest little thing I’ve ever seen.”

Tricia wasn’t keeping score, she was too entranced with the man who shared her bed. “You’re so beautiful,” she murmured as she made herself at home, kissing every single inch of his chest, licking his abs, and sucking his nipples.

“Tricia…Tricia…” he moaned as she made her way down his body. “These angel kisses are driving me mad. Come back here.” Taking her by the shoulders, he brought her mouth back to his and kissed her hungrily. “Now, I’ll show you my definition of foreplay.” Placing her on her back, Lance positioned himself between her thighs, their intimate areas touching for the first time. While he moved against her, he feasted at her lips, his hands busy at her breasts, milking at her nipples.

Tricia was so aroused, she thought she might faint. She clawed at his back, then grasped his hips as he continued to grind on top of her. She could feel the long, thick ridge of his cock as he sawed against her damp cleft, the tip nudging her aching clitoris with every forward thrust. Bending her knees, she pushed up, seeking more of him. “I can’t wait anymore, Lance, please.” Tricia opened her thighs wider, a rush of liquid warmth inviting him in.      

Lance was hard as a steel pipe. “I’m too excited. I’m not going to last too long this time,” he apologized.

His admission surprised her. The idea that he wanted her so much was thrilling. “I don’t care, we can always do it again.”

He moaned his agreement, “Again and again.” Returning to her breast, he mouthed as much of her breast as he could, taking the whole areola between his lips. The amazing suction made her want to weep with relief. He acted as if he’d never get enough of her, his tongue teasing the sensitive tip without mercy, his mouth suckling her like a warm, erotic vacuum. “I love this, Lance, I love this so much.”

Lance did too. So many nights spent alone, so many dreams unfulfilled and now he felt as if he’d won the lottery. He couldn’t get enough of her, she deserved hours of foreplay, multiple orgasms, everything he could give her. When she raised her hips, rubbing her soft femininity against his aching hardness, Lance couldn’t hold back any longer. Slipping a hand between her legs, he found her wet and ready for him. “God, you feel good. Next time, I’ll blow your mind, I promise.”

“I don’t know how it could get any better,” she said, the words coming out in small pants.

“Oh, believe me, it can,” he promised as he thrust two fingers into her tightness. “That’s right, squeeze me, love.”

Tricia clung to him, riding his hand as he fingered her. She’d used vibrators, but they didn’t compare to this. Those instruments of pleasure hadn’t been attached to a big, sexy man. No, this was completely different than what she was used to. Tricia hadn’t gotten a good look at him yet, but she knew he was big – much bigger than her battery-operated toys. “Lance, I feel…”

“That’s right, feel, baby. Come for me.” Using his thumb, he caressed her clit as he pumped his fingers in and out of her.

Tricia gave herself over to his will, fighting to breathe. She couldn’t believe that she was here with Lance like this. He was totally focused on her, his mouth spreading kisses from her lips to her neck, his big hand cupping her sex and bringing her to the point of no return. The tide of pleasure began to crest and she felt herself rise with the wave, her chest heaving as she sought the pinnacle of release.

“Breathe, baby, breathe.” Lance covered her mouth with his and breathed for her, his fingers still moving deliciously in her pussy. “That’s right, that’s my baby.” He swirled and caressed, rubbed and thrust, finding a spot so sensitive that she bucked in his arms, almost elevating from the bed.

“Lance!” she screamed, shattering in his arms. Colors swirled behind her eyes and every nerve in her body zinged with delight. All she could do was cling to him, he was her rock, her lifeline. As he held her, Lance whispered sweet words of praise, telling her how beautiful and wonderful she was to him.

“We’re not through, are we?” she asked, sitting up, finally calming down enough to be coherent. “I want more.” Lance shuddered as she wrapped her small hand around him as far as it would go. “You are so big. All of you is hard and perfectly proportioned, so muscular.” She familiarized herself with his erection as she let her eyes feast on his beautiful body. He was thick and long and so hard. “I love the way you feel, so smooth.” Finding a pearl drop of precum on the tip of his cock, she rubbed it in. “I want to play with you.” She gave him a mischievous little smirk as her free hand dipped down to find his sac.

“You’re playing all right, playing with fire.” His eyes were bright and his face taut. Giving her a naughty wink, he stroked his erection and felt his chest swell when she moaned. “Is this what you want?”

“Yes, please.” When he sat up, she laid down. “You on top, first. I’m not ready to drive.”

“I’m having so much fun with you,” he confessed as he covered her, bracing his forearms on either side of her to hold himself up. “Ready?” Lance asked as he kissed her once more, reaching down between them to position his cock at her entrance.

Tricia shut her eyes as he eased into her. Biting her lip, she willed herself not to cry out. She wanted this more than anything and she wasn’t going to ruin it with tears.

Lance groaned, “Fuck, Tricia, you’re so tight, love.” He paused in his effort to work his way inside. “Are you okay? Can you relax for me?”

“Yes, I will,” she whispered, doing her dead level best to please him. She knew she was tense. “I’m trying.” The gasp bursting from her lips was more like a sob.

“Hey, hey, baby,” Lance muttered as he stopped moving. “There’s no rush.”

“Just give me a second.” She gave him a hopeful smile. “You’re just big.”

“And you’re just perfect.” Realizing she needed more stimulation, he began kissing her, giving her lips tender caresses as he let their tongues play. As he worshiped her mouth, Lance felt her body begin to soften and give, as she let her mind think of something else besides what felt different. When he heard a satisfied little whimper, he sat up on his knees, keeping their connection and moved to lavish attention on her breasts, sucking on one nipple while he milked the other. Gradually, the whimpers turned to moans and her hips moved against him. “That’s my baby,” he whispered as he began to rock into her, allowing more of himself to ease into her tight channel. He hadn’t known for sure if she was innocent, but the realization made him proud. He didn’t want anyone else touching her – no one past and no one future.

Tricia understood what Lance’s control was costing and she loved him for it. She could see perspiration on his brow and his teeth were clenched. The sounds coming from his mouth were low and desperate, he was doing everything he could to make this good for her. Lifting her hips, she wrapped her legs around his waist, giving him more room. “I’m better now,” she whispered. When he let out a harsh breath and sank deeper into her, she gasped at the delicious friction on her swollen clitoris. “Oh, this is good,” she breathed, as the discomfort faded into a delightful stretch and burn. Grasping his hips, she encouraged him to move.

Lance agreed, this was very good. Holding back was torture, but the feeling of her gripping him like a glove was out of this world. Pulling all the way out, he thrust back in.

“Oh, my God! Do it again!” she cried, finally comprehending exactly what the big deal about this truly was. Lance chuckled and repeated the thrust – again and again. Faster. Harder. Deeper. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Tricia lifted her whole body, needing to get closer, to give him whatever he needed – just so long as he didn’t stop what he was doing. “More, more, more,” she chanted, nipping his shoulder in her delirium.

Her wish was his command. Focusing totally on her pleasure, he fulfilled his every desire.

“Lance! God, Lance!” Tricia screamed in her climax, her whole body shaking with a pleasure so intense that she didn’t know if she’d survive.

Wanting to prolong this heaven, he lifted her legs over his arms and let go. Abandoning any semblance of control, he pounded into her again and again. The incredible clenching of her orgasm began again and as she was squeezing him like a vise, he bellowed his surrender.

Tricia clasped him to her, she didn’t know what was best – coming or watching him come. Her heart was so full, she thought she’d explode with happiness. “I loved that, thank you, thank you, thank you.” She kissed his sweat dampened face, pushing his hair from his eyes. All he could do was groan her name and drop his head to her chest. Tricia cradled him to her, cherishing his vulnerability.

As they lay there quietly, both were a bit shaky, tiny aftershocks still jolting their system. “Are you okay?” Lance asked, the question asking more than the obvious.

She kissed him on the top of his head, running her hands over his broad, strong back. “I’m great.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Could you tell I’ve never done this before?”

Raising up, he eased out of her and they both moaned their reluctance to give up the sweet connection. Moving to the side, he pulled her close, weaving his fingers into her golden locks, lifting them off her neck. “Yea, I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“You didn’t, not really,” Tricia said adamantly. “A girl has to start somewhere, right? Are you disappointed?”

“No, hell, no,” Lance growled. “I’m glad, I’m thrilled you saved yourself for me.” As soon as he said it, he realized his statement probably wasn’t entirely true, they’d only known one another a little over a year. “How old are you?”

Tricia felt self-conscious, she didn’t want him to know about her past and her freaky condition. “Twenty-four, but I’ve never met anyone I was this attracted to before.”

“Oh, honey, don’t think I’m complaining. It’s just so crazy that no man has snatched you up.” He ran a knuckle over the silky skin of her cheek. “All the men you’ve been around must have been deaf, dumb, and blind.”

“Well…no.” She gave him a kiss. “Maybe you’re the one who isn’t seeing me as clearly as others do. Are you under my spell?”

“If I am, I want to stay right where I am.” He kissed her back. “Keep up the magic.”

Contented, they lay in one another’s arms. “Can you spend the night?” she asked, cuddling close.

“Not all night, I have to be at work early.”

“I’ll take what I can get,” she said happily, rising to turn off the lamp. “Can we sleep without clothes?”

“God, yes. What man would turn down the chance to sleep naked with a wet dream like you?” Bringing the covers up, he tucked them around her. “Go to sleep, sweetheart. I’ll stay as long as I can and I’ll kiss you before I go.”

Letting out a happy sigh, she relaxed in his arms. “You made me very happy, Lance Rogers. Thank you.”

“You made me happy too, love.” He closed his eyes, but sleep was a long time coming. The smile on his face kept waking him up.

 

* * *

Lance’s internal clock woke him at five in the morning. He blinked and stared into the dark, slowly becoming aware of the soft woman in his arms. Reluctantly, he extricated himself from her embrace, making sure she sank back into the pillow. Placing a lingering kiss on her cheek, he rose and pulled on his clothes. There was just enough light filtering through the window from the streetlights outside to allow him to see. The sight of Tricia Yeager all sleepy and sexy made him want to crawl back under the covers until he could wake her up for another bout of lovemaking. “God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered to her sleeping form.

With one last lingering look, he got ready to take his leave. He wanted to tell her how wonderful she was and how much he’d enjoyed himself. Leaving her without saying goodbye didn’t sit well with him. As he shut her bedroom door behind him, he thought about writing a note. Yea, that would work. Carrying his boots, he eased into her living room, being careful not to get tangled up in one of the many plants and bushes she had sitting around. “There’s probably two or three snakes in here, you can’t live in a jungle and not expect snakes.”

Glancing back to make sure he shut Tricia’s bedroom door completely, he flipped on a light so he could see clearer. Spotting a small roll-top desk, he headed to it and found a pad of paper and a pen. Just as leaned over to start to write her a note, his hand braced on the desk for support, Lance spotted something that changed everything.

All he could do was stare in disbelief.

Slowly he straightened up and as he did, Lance lifted a framed photo from the desk. The picture was of Tricia and an older woman, each standing on either side of a beautiful roan horse. As he processed what he was seeing, the bottom fell out of his world. Hurt and rage boiled up inside of him, burning a hole through his heart. The woman who stood next to Tricia was Marcelle Lambert. She was older, but still very recognizable as the bitch who’d ruined his family and killed his father.

An inscription on the frame read, To my Granddaughter, with Love.

Lance almost dropped the photo as he realized the woman whose bed he’d just vacated was the pit viper’s flesh and blood. “Oh, my fuckin’…” He never would’ve thought about the resemblance between them if he wasn’t staring at it with his own two eyes. “Tricia? What is this?” he asked the shadows in the room. “It can’t be,” he protested, even as he forced himself to accept the ugly truth. Somehow. Someway. Tricia was a Lambert. And the most damning thing of all was that the two of them were standing beneath a gate that proclaimed the word Shenandoah. His home. His ranch.

Was this a joke?

Was she laughing at him? Playing the same game that Marcelle had played with his father?

Poor Lance Rogers, lost his family home to a heartless bitch who demanded her husband extract the highest price for his father’s drunken stupidity. He couldn’t believe Tricia was related to the venomous bitch. He could just imagine the conversations she’d had with Marcelle about him.

With shaking hands, Lance put the damning photograph back in its place.

He wouldn’t be leaving a note. 

Lance had slept with the enemy and there was nothing to say.

Not even goodbye.  

 

* * *

When Tricia opened her eyes, she stretched, loving the fact that she was a bit sore in places she’d never been sore before. Her body felt well-loved and she owed it all to the most wonderful man in the world. Turning on her side, she buried her face in the pillow where he’d laid his head. She inhaled deeply and smiled, his scent had lingered and she wished he had too. Oh well, someday soon they’d wake up together.

Languid and satisfied, she took her time getting up from the bed, burrowing on Lance’s side of the bed and remembering the way he’d made her feel. “I love him!” she squealed to the empty room. “I love him so much!” He would call today, she knew he would.

When she finally tore herself away from the bed, Tricia stood at the mirror and checked to see how different she looked. There had to be differences, she was a new woman. Being with Lance had changed her, she felt cherished and…worthy. But she saw no changes in her appearance, she was the same big-eyed waif as always. She didn’t understand why Lance was drawn to her, but she was eternally grateful he saw something in her that no else seemed to see.

As she readied herself for the day, Tricia was sure her feet never touched the ground.

…By quitting time, Tricia was convinced her phone was out of order. She’d checked the faulty instrument every ten minutes and even shook it a few times.

Lance hadn’t called.

She knew he was working, but she’d expected him to check on her at lunch or when he took a break or something.

“Oh, hush and quit being so needy. The man has a job!” she told herself.

Still, a few minutes later, she was checking it again. Now, she wished they had set up messaging, he might have more time to text than call. The next time she saw him, Tricia would ask about it.

After all, they were dating.

By bedtime, Tricia knew something was off. What was wrong, she didn’t know. Walking the floor, she stared at the uncooperative cell phone. Old habits die hard, she was raised to believe that girls didn’t call guys. She’d always read that it was best to play hard-to-get, that only desperate women ran after a man.

But…what if he was hurt? Or sick? Would anyone even call her to let her know?

As she paced back and forth in her house, Tricia felt ill with worry. Desperate to make sure he was okay, she finally yielded to temptation and called him.

One ring. Two. Three. Voice mail. Leave a message.

“Lance, this is Tricia. I…” She stammered and stopped. Deep breath. “I just called to make sure you’re okay.” Big pause. “Call me if you get a chance…and want to.”

Disconnect.

…Lance stared at the phone as it stopped buzzing. Just seeing Tricia’s name displayed on the read-out hurt like hell. There was no way he’d listen to the message she left, hearing her voice as she told him more lies would hurt like hell. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He threw the phone across the room and watched it fall to the floor.

Grabbing his hat, he stormed out the door of his cabin. If he could walk far enough, maybe he could leave this nightmare behind. After he’d covered about a quarter mile, he leaned against a tree and just tried to breathe. Lance felt like his guts had been ripped out. How stupid he’d been! He’d had his heart set on her and now it was all over. The dreams he’d built up in his mind about Tricia shattered like so much cracked glass. 

He wondered what she was thinking. She had no way of knowing he’d seen that damn photograph. Did she think he wouldn’t find out? Did she think it wouldn’t make any difference to him if he did? The memory of her standing beside the woman who’d decimated his family plagued his every waking thought. And the fact that she’d been standing beneath the entrance to Shenandoah, proudly displaying the sign, burned like salt being rubbed in a wound.

After standing out in the dark for hours, Lance made his way back to the foreman’s cabin. He opened the door and stood there, gazing about the place he called home. Everything was borrowed. Everything belonged to someone else. He owned a few pots, his clothes, and his pick-up truck. For a while, for a few hours, he’d felt rich. Being with Tricia had felt so right.

Now, he felt poorer than the poorest beggar.

Slamming the door, he wished he could forget last night ever happened.