Claimed by Vicki Lewis Thompson

Chapter Eight

Josie was a little disconcerted to discover Emmett helping Jack saddle the horses for what was supposed to be a secret rendezvous, but the foreman gave no indication that he thought a thing about this two-hour ride. Josie assumed Jack had mentioned the longer timeframe. With his duties at the ranch, he’d have to.

Emmett was definitely an old-school cowboy. His worn clothes and battered cowboy hat indicated a man who cared more for function than style, and Josie was sure the red bandana poking out of Emmett’s back pocket was there for practical reasons and not for the jaunty splash of color it gave his appearance.

Josie’s clothing choices had been much more deliberate. Underneath her tight jeans she wore her sexiest black lace panties and bra. She would have loved to appear in her red silk blouse, because Jack used to say she looked hot in it, but she didn’t dare tip off Alex to the underlying reason for the riding lesson.

So she’d worn a dark blue shirt, and once she was in the Bronco, she’d unfastened the top three buttons. When she’d seen Emmett with Jack, though, she’d done up the buttons again. She’d also put on her hat, none the worse for having fallen off during her wild ride yesterday. Jack had retrieved it on their way back to the barn.

She had to believe that Jack had kept their plans for this morning to himself and that Emmett had no idea what they had in mind, and yet Emmett must be a savvy guy to be the foreman of such a major operation as the Last Chance. Although she considered herself a gutsy woman, she wasn’t above being intimidated by an authority figure like Emmett Sterling.

Finally she pulled Jack aside and spoke in a low voice. “Does Emmett know anything?” she murmured.

Jack’s answer was swift and concise. “No.”

“Are you sure? Because he has that way of looking at a person that makes you think he knows everything.”

“He might suspect, but he doesn’t know.”

“I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Jack checked the bridle on his black and white Paint. “Nope.” He adjusted the fit of the bridle with calm assurance.

Watching Jack ready his horse for the ride sent tingles of sensual awareness through her. There was something very sexy about a man who worked with horses. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago she’d been surrounded by accountants and computer geeks. Nice guys, smart guys, but then she’d come west and encountered the equivalent of knights in shining armor.

Jack epitomized the breed — strong, silent, elemental. She didn’t kid herself that she’d have the same reaction if he traded his cowboy duds for a Brooks Brothers suit. She craved the denim, the leather, the rakish tilt of a hat and the occasional jingle of a spur. Once Jack had shown up in chaps, and she’d almost had an orgasm on the spot.

Emmett gave Destiny a pat on the rump. “He’s all set for you, Josie.”

“Thanks, Emmett.” She reminded herself to walk over to the left side of the tall horse. “If I intend to keep riding, I should learn how to saddle my own horse.”

“Not much to it,” Emmett said. “Common sense will take you a long way when it comes to horses.”

Josie smiled at him. She liked this guy. She wouldn’t mind being friends, if the opportunity presented itself. “Common sense takes you a long way when it comes to most things.”

“That’s a fact. Need help climbing up on that horse?”

“No, thanks. Jack taught me how to do it.” Thrusting her left foot into the stirrup, she grabbed the saddle horn and swung her right leg over Destiny’s back. As she eased down onto the curved saddle, the sun-warmed leather touched her in places that were already sensitized by thoughts of what the morning would bring.

Once aboard, though, she realized that Destiny was still tied to the hitching post and there wasn’t much she could do about it from where she sat.

“Let me fetch your reins.” Emmett made it sound as if that was the way everyone did it — mounted up and then had someone else untie the horse.

Josie knew better, but when Emmett settled the reins around Destiny’s neck and knotted them together before handing them to her, she allowed herself to feel like a real horsewoman. “Much obliged,” she said, because that was the kind of language she’d heard in western movies and it just sounded right when a person was sitting on a horse.

“Anytime. You look real natural up there.” Emmett touched the brim of his hat. “Have a good ride.”

“I’m sure I will.” Josie focused on the innocent meaning of that statement, because if she thought about the sexual implications, she’d turn redder than the bandana in Emmett’s hip pocket.

She glanced over to find Jack watching her interaction with Emmett, a bemused smile on his face.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes.” She meant that sincerely. She’d been awake since before dawn. Although she’d worried that Alex might assign special meaning to her behavior, she’d indulged in a long shower, taking care to give her legs a close shave.

She’d been tempted to curl her hair and leave it loose around her shoulders, but then Alex really would know she was primping for this supposed riding lesson. Instead she’d put her hair in its usual braid after washing and drying it.

“Then let’s go.” Jack wheeled Bandit around and motioned for Josie to go ahead of him. “Want to try a trot again this morning?” he called out.

She wondered if that was for Emmett’s benefit, so the foreman would be convinced they were focused on her riding skills. “Sure,” she called over her shoulder, and nudged her heels into Destiny’s flanks.

The jolting began immediately, and her fanny bounced against the saddle exactly the way it had the day before. So much for hoping she’d magically be able to ride a trot today. She lost one stirrup and was in danger of losing the other one. Without the saddle horn to grip, she would have ended up on the ground.

Jack caught up with her and grabbed Destiny’s bridle. “Whoa, son.” He slowed the horse to a walk. “Okay, Josie, get your stirrups back and we’ll try that again.”

“I don’t wanna.”

“Come on.” He flashed a smile in her direction. “Being able to sit a trot is a basic skill.”

“But it’s embarrassing to have Emmett see me bouncing around like that.”

“I don’t know if he even stayed around to watch, but I was hoping he did.”

She bristled. “You want to show off my ignorance? That’s not very nice, Jack.”

“Depends on how you look at it. The more he sees you as a rank beginner, the more he’ll understand about these two-hour lessons.”

“Oh.”

“Now are you willing to trot, just in case Emmett’s still watching?”

Josie secured her feet in the stirrups and pressed her heels against Destiny’s ribs. “Let’s ride!” Sure enough, she was as bad as ever, but Jack had made an excellent point.

Just when she thought her teeth would rattle right out of her head, Jack came alongside again and took hold of Destiny’s bridle.

“Easy, son.” He brought the horse’s gait back to a walk. “We’re out of sight of the barn, so you don’t have to punish yourself anymore.”

“I figured that was the case, but I was too busy holding on to go for the brakes.” Now that she wasn’t sitting on a pile-driver, she was able to appreciate her surroundings. The soft buzz of honeybees mingled with the chirp of birds and the steady clop-clop of their horses’ hoofs on the dirt.

Underneath the scents and sounds of nature hummed her constant awareness of Jack, a low note of excitement in the otherwise peaceful landscape. He cut a fine figure on that big black and white horse. Today his shirt was hunter green, which showcased his dark coloring inherited from his mother, who’d been part Shoshone.

They were headed for the trees, and she wondered how far in he’d lead them before calling a halt. She had virtually no control over this enterprise, and she wasn’t used to being passive.

“Jack, I need to learn to stop my own horse when he’s trotting, don’t you think?”

“I guess.” He glanced over at her, his face shadowed by the brim of his black Stetson. “Although Emmett pointed out to me that the wedding won’t be a rodeo. If you can ride at a walk and stay on the horse when he’s standing still, that should take care of the wedding part.”

“So I really don’t need to learn to ride very well at all.” To her surprise, she was disappointed. “You know what? I want to learn how to ride. I mean, for real.”

“You do? But you’ve lived here for three years without learning. We were together for six months, and you never said a word about riding, even though you knew I practically lived on horseback whenever I wasn’t with you.”

“I didn’t want to take the time, I guess. You were busy and I was busy.”

His voice was low and intimate. “Face it. We spent most of our time together in bed.”

Images rushed into her mind, heating her blood. She met his gaze and tension coiled tight within her. “Which wasn’t a bad thing.”

“Definitely not a bad thing.” His eyes darkened until they were pools of intensity. At last he groaned and turned his head away. “I swear, all you have to do is look at me like that, and I can’t think of anything but getting you naked. No wonder all you thought I had on my mind was sex the other night at your apartment. You were right.”

“I’m just as bad, Jack,” she murmured. “I want you so much right now that I’m liable to start squishing as I ride.”

He reined his horse to a halt and grabbed Destiny’s bridle. “Hang on.”

“What—”

“We’ll worry about riding lessons later. Let’s move.”

As Jack urged Bandit forward, Josie gripped the saddle horn and prepared to be bumped along until they reached the trees, but instead the motion changed to a rolling gait that was not a trot, but not the full-out gallop she’d ridden yesterday.

“What are we doing?” she called out to Jack as he churned along beside her.

“Finding some privacy!” he called back over the sound of the horses’ pounding hooves.

“I mean the horses! What is this they’re doing?” Without knowing how, she’d adopted Destiny’s rhythm and they were moving together so well she couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t ride, not really, but this was glorious.

“We’re cantering! Watch out for branches!” He guided them into the trees.

“I love cantering!” Josie dodged an overhanging pine branch right before Destiny slowed to the dreaded trot again. Not for long, though. Jack brought both horses to a halt.

“Where are we?”

“Doesn’t matter. We’re out of the open meadow, and that’s all I care about.” He vaulted from the saddle, his boots making a crunching sound as he came down on a forest floor littered with leaves, pine needles and small branches. He quickly tied Bandit’s reins to a tree.

Josie scrambled down, too, her heart racing from the ride into the trees and the reason for it. Jack had decided to quit messing around.

Following his example, she tied Destiny’s reins to a tree branch. In the time it took her to do that, Jack had taken a blanket from somewhere and spread it on the ground.

“I see you came prepared.”

He glanced at her before hanging his hat on his saddle horn. “Guess I liked your suggestion.” He closed the distance between them and pulled her close. “You need to ditch this hat, lady. I intend to make hot, sweet love to you, and your hat will get in the way.”

Her pulse hammered as he brought her close enough to feel the hard ridge of his penis pressing against the denim of his jeans. “Maybe you could get rid of it for me, cowboy.”

“Be glad to.” Holding her tight with one arm, he reached for the hat and hung it on Destiny’s saddle without even bothering to look at what he was doing.

“This isn’t the only time you’ve made love in the woods with a couple of horses looking on, is it?”

“No, but this is the first time I’ve wanted it so bad I’m shaking.” He lowered his head until his mouth was nearly touching hers. “Have you ever made love in the woods, Josie?”

“Never, Jack.” She discovered that she was quivering a bit, too. Anticipation could do that to a girl.

His lips brushed hers. “So you’re a sex-in-the-woods virgin?”

Her laughter was breathless from all the wanting crowding her chest. “Guess so.”

“Then I’ll be gentle.”

“God, I hope not.” Clutching the back of his head, she pulled him down and kissed him with all the urgency she’d been saving up for the past twenty-four hours.

He seemed to get the message. Continuing to kiss her, he scooped her up and carried her over to the blanket. Then he lowered her feet to the ground slowly as his tongue explored her mouth in a way that left no doubt as to his next move once their clothes were gone.

Breathing hard, he released her with obvious reluctance and started pulling off his boots. She did the same. They undressed with quick efficiency, tossing each item quickly aside. They’d passed the stage of undressing each other slowly and teasingly. After six months as lovers, they knew exactly how to get naked in the shortest amount of time.

Yet even in the flurry of activity, Josie couldn’t help stealing a glance at Jack as he shucked his clothes. He’d always had a magnificent body, but apparently he’d done more physical work than usual in the past ten months because now he was solid muscle. And he wasn’t kidding about wanting her.

Yet apparently she’d have to wait before she could enjoy the benefits of that gloriously erect penis. Jack guided her down to the blanket with kisses that started with her mouth and traveled south until at last he caressed her inner thighs with his tongue.

The blanket was soft, the twigs and leaves underneath lumpy, but she didn’t care if she lay on a bed of rocks. She trembled with eagerness. Jack had many talents as a lover, but this might be his greatest one. No doubt he knew that, because she’d told him enough times. If he wanted to remind her of what she’d been missing since they parted, he couldn’t have chosen a more potent method.

He began, as he always did, with a soft kiss placed exactly on that spot that generated such an incredible response throughout her willing body. She gasped as that leisurely touch of his lips sent jolts of sensation rocketing through her.

“I’ve missed you,” Jack whispered, his breath warm against her dampness. “Missed doing this.” He circled her clit with his tongue.

She moaned and curled her fingers into the soft blanket. She’d lost count of the number of nights she’d dreamed of Jack making love to her this way. Now he was here, and she needed… needed… yes, that — the stroke of his tongue, the pressure of his fingers, the moist caress of his mouth, the gentle rake of his teeth.

She writhed, she begged… and then she surrendered to a climax that roared through her with the force of a summer storm. Nearly rendered deaf and dumb by the pleasure, she lost track of time, but it seemed only seconds before he thrust deep. She arched upward, inviting him with the tilt of her hips to sink even deeper.

He said her name on a moan of satisfaction as he cupped her bottom in both hands and moved in tight, locking them together. Whenever they joined like this, they seemed to fit so perfectly, to complete each other so well, that she marveled they could exist separately.

Wrapping her arms around him, she waited for her second favorite moment — when he began to move. He nuzzled the curve of her neck as he stayed quietly within her. “I love this,” he murmured. “I love being together like this.”

“Me, too.”

“I’ve been an idiot.”

She smiled. “Yes.”

He nipped at her ear. “You were supposed to say me, too, like you did last time.”

She lifted her hips, cinching them even closer together. “But I haven’t been an idiot.”

“No.” His breath tickled her neck. “Just me.”

And then he began to move, and she couldn’t talk anymore. The pleasure was too great for her to form words or to think, or to do anything except whimper. She absorbed the steady rhythm and her body responded as it had from the first time they’d made love.

Rising to meet each thrust, she joined him in the dance they’d created from the beginning, the dance they’d perfected during hours spent like this, giving… and receiving. The spring of anticipation coiled within her as it always did when Jack stroked her this way.

Perhaps it was chemistry, or perhaps it was magic. But making love with Jack nourished her in a way nothing ever had. As her orgasm neared, she held onto him, anchoring herself so that she wouldn’t fly into a million pieces.

Yet, when the moment came, she flew into a million pieces anyway. But Jack was there to gather the pieces together and urge her toward another climax. She reached for it at the moment he found his own release. Together they tumbled into the whirlpool, their cries of joy blending with the sounds of the forest.

Josie lay in a daze of happiness, not caring if she ever left this place, or even this position.

“Josie.” Jack kissed her nose. “We have a problem.”

“That’s impossible.” She kept her eyes closed and savored the post-coital glow he’d helped create.

“Maybe not a huge problem, but we’ll need to get up.”

“I don’t wanna.”

“Well, you’ll have to. Destiny’s gone.”