On His Ranch by Dinah McLeod

Chapter 11

“Are ya ready?”

“Ready,” she replied, unable to miss the way her hands trembled as she held them out, waiting for Chase to announce the start of their contest. A contest she already regretted suggesting before it even started.

For one thing, he seemed pretty darn sure of himself. Of course, she imagined he felt that way about everything—it just seemed to be a part of who he was. But while it might be a normal, everyday thing for him, and was definitely a part of his charm, she was competitive. She wanted to win, even if his own prize was something she knew she would enjoy very much.

“Get set… go!”

She reached for the udders, but her hands fumbled. Which was ridiculous because she’d had a couple of lessons now. Which should have made her surer of herself, except that she couldn’t stop thinking about the way his lips looked. Full. Soft. Yummy.

Her belly flipped, and her hand slipped on the udder again. “Dang it,” she muttered, quickly swiping her hands on her pants. She was jumpy enough already, but the ping sound of milk hitting inside Chase’s pail only heightened her nerves.

Get it together, Piper! Or he’s going to win!

Finally, she began milking her cow. Though slow to start, she forced herself to block out her jumbled, confused feelings and the sound of Chase hard at work right next to her. She concentrated on nothing but her fingers pushing the milk out, and before long she was pleased to see the bottom of her pail covered with milk and the contents rising.

“Done!”

She whipped her head around to look at him when his triumphant declaration filled the air. She caught her breath. She’d never seen him like this. Despite declaring victory, the arrogance she was accustomed to was gone. He looked excited, his eyes and cheeks shining with the thrill of it.

“There it is,” she whispered to herself.

“What?” He grinned as he looked at her. “What did you say?”

Piper had long held a theory that the little boy or girl that a person had once been never truly went away. She had a feeling Chase had tried to bury his little boy pretty deeply and that she had just seen a rare glimpse.

“Nothing.”

“Do you want to compare pails?” His grin widened.

“I had trouble getting started,” she tried to wheedle.

He threw back his head and laughed, and when he did the cowboy hat slipped off, revealing his black ringlets.

Before she could stop herself, she reached over and brushed it to the side. When she found herself caressing the side of his face longer than she should have, she moved to take her hand away, but before she could, Chase grabbed it.

“You’re sure actin’ like a woman who doesn’t wanna have sex with me.”

His wolf-eating grin made her blush. She’d been caught. She tried to tug her hand away, but he held it firm. “What are you—”

“I won, remember? I intend to claim my prize.”

“Two out of three?” she ventured.

Chase stood and pulled her to her feet. Without a word, one hand claimed her waist while the other tilted her head up. And then his lips came toward hers.

Piper stood, inwardly cursing her own foolishness. As he tipped her chin up, she wished she had agreed to what he’d wanted. She’d been feeling prickly and hurt from being ignored earlier and when he’d admitted to wanting her, it had felt good to say no. But as soon as she had made contact with his skin, her entire body had awoken and she couldn’t deny that she wanted him more than she could remember wanting anything.

When his lips pressed against hers, she melted against him. The knots in her belly loosened, morphing into something churning and delicious and wonderful.

Then it was over. When he released her and stepped back, she blinked at him, dazed.

“Two out of three,” he echoed her earlier words. “Same stakes?”

She brought her hand to her mouth, touching her lips, trying to feel what he had done to them. Piper seemed to have lost her voice. Maybe he had taken it, somehow, with his intense, too-quick kiss. But she nodded her agreement and somehow stumbled over to the stool so that they could begin again.

“Get ready… get set…”

* * *

She was letting him win. He could tell. Whether it was by design or just because he was better at it—he’d be ashamed of himself if he wasn’t, given that he’d been milking cows since he was seven years old—she was making it too easy.

Not that he minded. No, sir, he did not mind one bit. He wanted to kiss her again—harder and longer this time. But when he won their second race, instead of claiming his victory then and there, he’d suggested that they finish milking all the cows and he’d take the kisses she owed him after they were through. She had agreed with a nod. She hadn’t said a word since he’d kissed her the first time.

Senior would have my head if he knew how long I was taking to get this done, he surmised. But he dismissed the thought. For the first time in his life, he didn’t give a damn.

After they had finished milking all the cows, their last race done, Piper stood with her arms hanging limply at her sides. She looked like she didn’t know what to do with her hands.

He, fortunately, had no such qualms. “Four more kisses, isn’t it?”

“Five,” she answered in a whisper.

“That’s right, five. You want to stand or sit?” He patted his knee invitingly. Truth be told, he was only teasing, letting her languish in her awkwardness. He already knew exactly how he wanted her, how he planned to capture and claim that sweet rosebud mouth of hers.

“I…” Piper trailed off, her eyes transfixed on his knee. “Um… I think… I’d rather stand.”

Wondering if she was remembering being face-down over his lap, Chase chuckled. “Your wish is my command, darlin’.” He stood and moved toward her, his steps swift and sure. He took hold of her hand and pulled her along to the barn wall.

“What—”

“Shh.” He pressed her to the wall, pinning her wrist above her head and looming over her. He silenced her with a kiss. It was firm and long. And also not enough. He was hungry for her—damn near ravenous.

“Chase—”

Seeing his opportunity, his tongue slipped inside. She fought him for a moment, apparently intent on telling him something, but there was nothing she could say right now that was more important than this—rediscovering the taste of her mouth. After a moment, she relaxed, and he seized her tongue with his own.

She melted against the wall.

That was when he knew he could have anything he wanted.

Take it slow, boy, take it slow. Savor it.Make her yours.

He pressed into her, firm and unyielding, deepening the intensity of the kiss. His free hand found her hip. A moment later, his fingers traveled, a mind of their own, and unzipped her jeans.

She pulled away. “Wait. Chase—”

Determined not to be distracted, he took hold of her chin and kissed her again, this time using his tongue to pry her lips apart.

She wriggled, trying to break free.

That’s okay, darlin’, go ahead and try.Truth be told, he liked it better that way, anyhow.

* * *

Piper felt overwhelmed with the emotions warring inside of her. On the one hand, her insides felt like Jell-O—soft and pliable in a way she’d never experienced before.

Is this what it’s supposed to feel like?she wondered as his mouth captured hers, clearly intent on taking her captive. She tried to pry free, to get him to listen, but she didn’t try that hard. And he was clearly bent on having his way. Who was she to argue when it was what she wanted, too?

When he finally broke away, she found herself gasping for air, her lungs in need of oxygen even as her lips burned with desire for his.

“You better.” He locked her gaze with his own, holding her with his stare as he unbuttoned her jeans.

Piper shivered.

“If you want me to stop, you better say so now.”

The words were hard, guttural, and yet as her eyes scanned his face she knew he was just tired. She also knew there was nothing she would say to stop this.

“Words,” he prompted, eagerness making him sound rough. “I need to hear you say it.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I don’t want you to stop.”

Chase captured her chin in his hand, his touch unintentionally rough as he kissed her again, long and hard. He ended it by nipping her bottom lip.

Much to her surprise, her pussy flooded with warmth. She ran her tongue over her bottom lip, liking the slight sting. Before Chase, she’d never had rough sex. In fact, she’d never had fun sex. She’d just had… sex. Plain, boring, pedestrian. It had never particularly excited her, but she’d just figured that’s the way it was. Now, though, she was feeling just as impatient as he sounded.

“What?” she asked when she caught sight of his furrowed brow.

“You’re not what you seem, are you, little girl?”

“Well, I keep telling you to stop calling me that, so—”

He chuckled and reached out a hand to caress the top of her head. “Are you tryin’ to deny it?”

“Deny what?” She played dumb.

“That despite those beautiful breasts and smokin’ hips, you’re a little girl.”

She didn’t know why they were having this conversation. All she wanted was for him to fuck her. But his statement gave her pause. She’d suspected such things before, even half-admitted them to herself. She’d even stopped protesting when he called her that. But she didn’t know if she could say it out loud, just like that.

There was being naked, and then there was being exposed. That was what he was asking her to do and she didn’t know if she was ready for it.

“Can we just… you know?”

He arched a brow. “What’s ‘you know’?”

More boldly than she’d felt the day before—perhaps in part to wanting to change the subject—she reached out and laid her hand over the bulge in his pants.

“Fine.” The word came out a growl of desire. “Have it your way.” He reached for her jeans and finished unbuttoning them.

The movement made her shiver. Her thighs began to quiver as he pulled them down to her knees. She moved to lift her foot but he stopped her by kneeling. “What are you—”

Before she could get the question out, he was tracing her labia through her thin cotton panties. Piper leaned her head back looking at the ceiling, eyes closed as she gasped.

His touch, rough and possessive just moments ago, was now light and transporting. The things he’d made her feel yesterday, the ones she’d been so sure couldn’t be duplicated, came flooding back to her. His touch awakened desire inside her in a way that felt all-consuming and powerful. It filled her, making her warm and tingly from the top of her head down to her pinky toe. Her pussy ached, and her thighs shivered.

He must have noticed, because the next thing she knew she felt his head in between her legs, kissing the inside of her thighs.

A moan slipped past her parted lips. She had to touch him. To feel him. Her hand found itself intertwined in his hair. It was just as soft as she remembered, and better yet, it made her feel connected to him in this moment.

“You better not be tryin’ to direct me, little girl,” he growled, cupping her pussy.

The sensation made pleasurable shivers ripple through her. “I wouldn’t dare.”

“Good girl.” He hooked his thumbs in her panties and pulled them down bit by bit, heightening her anticipation. Then he whistled. “Well, look-ee here.”

Somehow, Piper had forgotten what he would see. But now she froze, her belly knotting itself up in the mere seconds it took for her to be yanked out of her hazy thoughts and right back in the present. While they’d been out last night she’d bought a razor and had taken care of her landscaping needs before she’d turned in. “I…” She swallowed hard, at a loss for what to say.

His thumb stroked her pussy lips. “Nice and smooth. I like that.”

Familiar heat filled her face, but it wasn’t fueled by humiliation this time. It sounded like he really meant it, and she couldn’t help but be pleased.

Then he traced her lips again, but this time with his warm tongue, and Piper would have come undone if his hands had not been holding her hips steady.

“You ready for me?”

She didn’t have to think twice. “Yes.”

In the span of time it took for her heart to skip, Chase pulled her to him, then laid her down before shucking his pants off. His cock sprang out, hard and long.

Piper felt her mouth go dry. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever stop being awed by the unveiling of his large shaft. It was more than its size that made it impressive—it looked just as powerful as the man who wielded it. Piper could attest to its strength and her pussy tightened at the sight of it.

But when he lay down on the floor next to her, propping himself up on an elbow to look at her, she was taken aback.

“What… what are you…” She trailed off, unsure how to ask.

“I can’t do all the work today, darlin’, you’re gonna have to earn your orgasm.”

Having it spoken of so bluntly made her gasp, but she found surprise quickly being replaced with eagerness. “I can…” She looked up at him through lowered lashes. “I can do anything I want?”

“Within reason.” The words came out a growl of warning. “There are consequences to everythin’, keep that in mind.”

Piper couldn’t resist giggling at that one. Then, before he could say anything else she began to tug the sleeves of the flannel he was wearing open over a white T-shirt. Chase, true to his word, helped her when she needed it, and before much longer she was staring at his bare chest.

Delicious arousal churned in the pit of her belly. It was even better than she’d thought it would be. He was tan and chiseled from the tops of his shoulders, his strong chest, and his mouth-watering abs to his flat stomach. It was enough to make anyone a bit faint, knowing that he would soon be inside of her.

On impulse, she leaned forward and placed a kiss on the hollow of his shoulder. That kiss led to another a bit further down, then one on his neck. Then she worked her way down, trailing kisses along his skin every half-inch. She was mesmerized by the feel of him—the smoothness of his skin, the woodsy, manly scent. She got lost in him, her lips grazing across him while the heat in her pussy intensified.

Her tongue flicked over each nipple in turn and she smiled to herself when he groaned when they pebbled. When she got to his movie-screen-worthy abs, she paused, taking a moment to just be in awe. Awe led to liquid pooling between her pussy lips and Piper squeezed her legs together to trap it as she bent over and let her tongue explore his abs.

“You’re killin’ me, woman.”

“Woman, little girl, sheesh. Make up your mind,” she teased. When a quick, hard spank landed on her bare bottom, she cried out, more from the surprise than the pain.

“Watch the sass today,” he warned. “I’m not in the mood.”

“Noted,” she muttered, blowing across the places she’d licked. Satisfied, Piper inched down his lean, hard stomach, dipping her tongue in his navel. Then she tugged his boxers down and sighed in ecstasy at the sight that greeted her. She hadn’t seen his entire body yesterday, which was how she missed the happy trail leading down to his big, erect cock. She kissed her way down it and after pressing her lips against the head of his cock, she stopped.

“We better get going.” She batted her eyelashes at him. “Lots of chores to do today.”

Chase sat up with a frustrated growl. “You’re impossible.” With deft, strong movements he pushed her to the stone. “I’m thinkin’ rough today.”

Piper threw her head back and laughed, but her laugh morphed into a gasp as he entered her with a quick, hard thrust.

“None of that, now. You want this. Your wet pussy told me you do.”

He’s certainly right about that.

Still, it was a different sensation altogether from the gentle, timid, considerate boys she’d been with before. Chase was none of those things, but as much as it surprised her, it only added to his sex appeal. Once upon a time, BC—before Chase—she would have said that she valued those things in a lover. But now, with Chase looming above her, the lines of his handsomely sculpted face a tantalizing combo of solemn and stern, she knew she’d been wrong.

As he moved inside her, he was all business, his thrusts powerful, fueled by purpose.

Piper lifted a hand to caress him, but he caught it by the wrist and pinned it to the floor, increasing speed as he pumped inside of her. Rough, he’d said, and he certainly delivered on that promise. But it was not the way she’d imagined it would be. Somehow, even on the cold stone floor, even as each powerful thrust of his cock inside her made her muscles grow taut, being utterly owned by him was the best experience of her life.

With her only free hand, Piper grasped his shoulder and raked her nails down his back.

Chase’s breathing sped up along with his thrusts and he was pumping into her so hard that it nearly felt like being spanked by his cock. But this was one spanking she wouldn’t protest or beg him to stop.

Feeling herself on the brink of orgasm, she lifted her hips, meeting his hurried, powerful thrusts.

Chase grinned down at her. “Havin’ fun, aren’t you, darlin’?” But without waiting for an answer, he sped up, plunging deep inside her as his balls slapped against her, only increasing her desire.

Piper dug her nails into his shoulder, biting down hard on her lip at the same time, muffling her cry of ecstasy.

“Let it out, darlin’. No one will hear you but the cows.”

He didn’t crack jokes often and she couldn’t help but laugh.

Chase grinned down at her. Then he leaned forward and crushed his lips against hers in a hard kiss. He nipped her bottom lip before pulling away.

“What was that for?” she murmured, feeling her belly tighten.

“It did it for you last time.”

Delight filled her. Any other time, she would have been embarrassed, but knowing that he’d seen her, noticed that tiny, seemingly meaningless detail, turned her on even more. Her thighs quivered and Piper knew she was close to coming. She felt dizzy with the desire coursing through her. She’d thought that their overwhelming chemistry the day before would be a one-and-done, but the magic between them was still here.

Piper shut her eyes, allowing herself to savor the sensations he was stoking inside of her. Her nails dug into his shoulder and her belly flipped when he quickened his pace once more. Soon after, his breathing became ragged—a sign that his own release was near, if she didn’t miss her guess.

“Yes,” she breathed, raising her hips and rocking in rhythm with him. “Yes, please.”

“Well, have a listen to you,” he said between clenched teeth. “So polite.”

Her only reply was to wrap her legs around him, which made him grunt and buck into her.

Piper couldn’t hold back the scream that welled inside her throat. It was pure ecstasy that coursed through her body as she came with a shudder, and she wouldn’t have been able to stop it if she wanted to. Not that she wanted to. In that moment, everything vanished—the barn, Senior off doing chores somewhere, Patti back at the house. She even forgot the cows. The only thing that existed for her was Chase, still pumping inside her.

His thrusts were frenzied, his face taut with concentration. And then he stopped, his muscles stiff as he groaned in pleasure. Then he fell to his side, breathing hard.

She’d never felt so happy and relaxed. So utterly spent, and yet, so full.

To her surprise, she felt his hands brushing across her arms and he pulled her close. Piper turned her head to look at him. My god, he’s got to be the only man in the world who looks even hotter after an orgasm.

“You okay?” he asked, stroking the side of her face.

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Not feelin’ talkative? That’s not like you,” he teased, the corners of his mouth quirking.

She stretched lazily. “Sorry. I’ve just never been so utterly fucked before.”

Chase’s brow shot up immediately. “That’s quite a potty mouth, little girl. I think I’ll be findin’ some soap to wash it out.”

She smiled, feeling pretty sure of herself as she cuddled into him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Depends on what it is, little girl.”

The use of his favorite nickname for her gave Piper the courage she needed. “I was just wondering…”

“Hmm?”

“Earlier, your mom was asking you about the missing horse…” There was no mistaking the way he tensed.

“Yeah? What of it?”

“Well… I was just wondering… um… do you know what’s going on?”