Betting on Grace (6 page)

Yeah, Lane knew that Grant liked to be dominated from time
to time. Actually, more often than not, although he was quick to give his own
demands, as well. Lane didn’t give a fuck either way, but he damn sure enjoyed
that disoriented expression on Grant’s incredibly handsome face. And from the
moment he’d stepped through Grant’s front door, Lane had known that leaving
anything up to Grant tonight would’ve gotten him nowhere fast. At least this
way, Grant didn’t have time to think about anything other than the two of them
and the sweet impending release they would both find soon.

Lane knew that Grant purposely tortured him as he
sheathed him with a condom, stroking him relentlessly, causing Lane to pant for
breath, desperate to bury himself in the scorching recesses of Grant’s
incredible body. But he was holding off because he knew the moment he slid
home, he’d be a goner.

“Don’t forget the lube,” Lane breathed roughly. He was
having a hard time focusing with Grant jerking him off slowly … ever so fucking
slowly.

And just as he had with the condom, Grant teased him
beyond reason as he coated Lane’s cock with lube, preparing him to take him.
When Lane couldn’t endure any more, he gripped Grant’s thick wrist firmly,
stilling his movements.

“Come here,” Lane demanded, pulling Grant flush
against him, their chests colliding as the water washed over them. Steam
billowed around them, and Lane wasn’t so sure it was solely from the water or
if the mere touch of their bodies caused the influx of heat to intensify.

Finding Grant’s mouth once more, Lane explored,
keeping it leisurely as long as he could, desperate to rein in his control so
that this didn’t end before he was ready. While his tongue slipped into Grant’s
mouth, he glided his hands over Grant’s smooth, warm skin, content just to
touch him, hold him.

God, he loved this man.

Not that he dared mention that again because he knew
Grant was still holding himself back, for whatever reason.

Not Lane. Lane knew that life was too short to hold
out for something that he recognized was unavoidable. He would do anything for
Grant and Gracie. Anything. Including giving his life for them. That’s how he
knew it was love.

So instead of saying so, he ensured that Grant felt
the meaning behind the unspoken words in every movement, every touch, every
kiss. He longed to pleasure this man until neither of them knew which way was
up. Or what day of the week it was, for that matter.

“Oh, God, Grant,” Lane said against his mouth. “I need
to be inside you.”

“Yes,” Grant agreed with a groan. “God, yes.”

Drawing back, Lane ran his hands over Grant’s body
again, down his sleek, muscled pecs, over the dips and valleys of his washboard
abs, then between his legs, stroking him gently with one hand while he placed
the other on Grant’s hip, urging him to turn around.

Lane didn’t release Grant’s cock as he pressed his
chest against Grant’s back, kissing his neck, sucking on his skin. He wanted to
mark this man, to let the world know exactly who he belonged to. But he didn’t
dare. That would only invite trouble, and as it was, they had enough of that
with all of the watchful eyes around the ranch.

But right here, right now, in the small confines of
Grant’s shower, they were the only two people in the world. The only two people
who mattered, and Lane was going to make love to this man.

He continued to stroke Grant’s steel-hard length while
he inserted two fingers into Grant’s tight ass, prepping him. Knowing his
restraint was slipping, Lane didn’t play for long before he removed his fingers
and brushed the head of his cock against Grant’s puckered hole.

“I’m going to fuck you hard, baby. I’m going to take
you right here, but I don’t want you to come until I tell you to. Understand?”

Grant nodded, his hand coming around to latch on to
Lane’s thigh. Lane would never get tired of Grant touching him, always touching
him. It was the greatest feeling in the entire world.

“Baby,” Lane said on a breathless moan as he pushed
deep, his cock sliding into Grant’s ass. “Oh, fuck, Grant. So damn tight.”

Lane leaned over Grant, forcing him forward. “Put your
hands on the wall and don’t move.”

Lane released Grant’s cock from his fist, needing both
hands to grip Grant’s hips. He couldn’t take much more, and he wanted to bury
his dick as far as possible, hear Grant beg him to send him over.

“Does it feel good?” Lane asked as he withdrew slowly
before thrusting his hips forward and going deeper than before.

“So good,” Grant groaned, rocking back against Lane.
“Don’t stop.”

“I don’t plan to,” Lane said. Although they both knew
it for the lie that it was. The scalding-hot depths of Grant’s body pulled him,
making him dizzy from the overwhelming pleasure. Lane tried to keep his pace
slow, but that didn’t last long.

Before he knew it, he was slamming into Grant, pulling
Grant’s hips back toward him with each forward thrust.

“Tell me,” Lane insisted. “Tell me how good it is,
baby.”

Grant’s ass clenched around Lane’s cock, making sparks
shoot off behind his closed eyelids. So fucking good.

“I never want it to end,” Grant called out, his voice
barely discernable over the sound of the water rushing down over them. “I want
you to fuck me forever. Oh, God, Lane. Fuck me harder.”

Lane did just that. He pounded into Grant over and
over, his hands slipping and sliding over Grant’s wet skin as he grappled to
keep him within his grip.

“Harder, Lane. Fuck me harder!”

“Are you ready to come for me?” Lane asked as he
pistoned his hips faster, burying his dick all the way into Grant as he kneaded
Grant’s ass cheeks with his thumbs, gripping his hips hard.

“Fuck yes,” Grant groaned, his deep voice harsh with
need. “Let me come, Lane.”

Lane continued with his punishing thrusts, slamming
into Grant until they were both moaning, their bodies tense from the release
that was within reach. When the pleasure ignited every nerve ending in Lane’s
body, he knew he couldn’t hold on any longer.

“Come for me, Grant. Stroke your dick and come for
me.”

One of Grant’s hands disappeared from the wall, and
Lane could feel the vibration as Grant stroked himself fast, incredibly fast.

“Fuck, Lane. Oh, fuck. I’m gonna come.”

“That’s it, baby. Come for me. And when you do, I’m
gonna come in your ass.”

Lane wasn’t sure whether the words were what sent
Grant over the edge or just the sheer ecstasy of it all, but Grant’s body went
rigid, his hand stilling as he groaned, the gruff sound echoing through the
small bathroom.

“Ahh, fuck yeah,” Lane said, digging his fingers into
Grant’s hips as the pleasure blinded him. “I’m coming, baby.”

And while Lane was filling Grant’s ass, Grant reached
around and gripped Lane’s thigh painfully hard, intensifying his orgasm
tenfold.

It was so fucking good Lane was surprised that he
didn’t pass out.

Tuesday morning

Grace stepped out of the dining room and onto the
porch in time to see a little girl clinging firmly to the hand of her father,
both of them chatting away as they made their way up the steps. Upon seeing
Grace, the little girl offered a cheeky grin, looking both timid and excited.

“Good morning,” Grace greeted softly, admiring the
little girl with her dark, curly pigtails and her wide smile.

It was still incredibly early, just after seven, but
the ranch was already buzzing with activity. Breakfast began at five for the
early risers and the wranglers and generally lasted until ten to ensure
everyone was accounted for. From the looks of it, her two guests had already
had breakfast. Or at least coffee, if the white foam cup in the man’s hand was
any sign.

From where Grace stood, she could hear the goats
announcing their good mornings from the barn, the horses neighing in the stable
one hundred or so yards away, the clank of dishes from the dining room behind
her, and the chatter of people as they made their way to and from the main
house.

She smiled, inhaling deeply. Living here, being a part
of such an incredible place… It was a dream come true. A way of life she’d been
born into, one that she could never imagine any other way. Grace loved this
place, every little nuance, every incredible detail. And each morning when she
awoke, she sent up a huge thank you for all that her family had been blessed
with. Things hadn’t always been that way, though. There had been a painful part
of her life when she’d cursed God for taking her mother away from her. But as
time had drifted forward, Grace had, too. Until eventually, now, she could be
grateful for all she did have while still missing her mother. The grief had
never gone away, but it had lessened somewhat over time.

Refusing to start the day off on a sour note, Grace
shook off the errant thoughts. “How are you today?” she asked, directing her
question at the little girl now hugging her father’s arm while bouncing on the
balls of her feet, shooting glances over her shoulder toward the main barn.

Grace followed her gaze, seeing that the barn had
already been readied for the morning, two of its oversized doors open to greet
the early-morning sun.

“Good,” the little girl chirped, clearly enthused.

Grace looked up at the man to see that his dark brown
eyes were shining brightly as he stared down at his daughter.

“What’s your name?” Grace asked the little girl. She
couldn’t have been more than five or six, and she looked adorable in her
overalls and her little pink boots, her dark hair, streaked with natural auburn
highlights, pulled up into pigtails, long ringlets hanging down past her
shoulders.

“Madison. Everyone calls me Maddie,” she replied, her
light brown eyes sparkling in the sunlight. The color was surprising, not a
standard shade of brown, more like gold.

“Well, my name’s Grace, but everyone calls me Gracie,”
she told her.

“Are you a real cowgirl?” Maddie asked, looking up at
Grace as though she were responsible for all of the exciting stuff at the
ranch.

“I guess you could say that. What do you think a real
cowgirl is?”

“One who wears boots and has a horse,” Maddie said excitedly.

Grace laughed as she eyeballed her feet, hefting one
booted foot up a little, then the other before lifting her gaze back up to meet
the little girl’s. “Well, I’ve definitely got boots.” Leaning down close to the
little girl’s ear, Grace lowered her voice to a mock whisper and said, “And
I’ve also got my own horse.”

Maddie, bless her cute little heart, squealed with
excitement.

Turning her attention to the little girl’s father,
holding her hand out for him to shake, Grace said, “And you must be Mr. Ruhl.”

The man gripped Grace’s hand gently but firmly.
“Technically, Mr. Ruhl would be my father. You can call me Ben.”

“Nice to meet you, Ben.” Grace smiled at the handsome
man, studying his face momentarily.

Although he looked content to be there, based on the
sidelong glances he would give Maddie, Grace sensed that something was
bothering him. As she spared him a full head-to-toe glance, purely to check out
his clothes, she came to the conclusion that his outfit wasn’t likely the
culprit.

He wasn’t quite as decked out in western gear as his
daughter, but he was sporting jeans and a polo, which was a positive sign.
Grace still found it baffling that there were men and women alike who would
come to ride horses wearing less-than-appropriate apparel, namely shoes. Daring
a look, Grace confirmed that the man was wearing sneakers. She smiled to
herself as she looked back up at him. “My name’s Grace Lambert. Welcome to Dead
Heat Ranch. Hopefully someone already told you that I’d be your guide for the
entire time you’re here, which, if I remember correctly, is two full weeks?”

“Yes!” Maddie exclaimed. “I get to be a cowgirl for
two whole weeks.”

Ben chuckled at his daughter before meeting Grace’s
eyes, his smile strengthening with each passing second. “Yes, we’re here for
two weeks.”

“Y’all are gonna have a great time. I promise. And
we’re gonna do a lot of fun stuff. Starting now. This mornin’, I’m here to show
Maddie the horses, maybe take y’all for a ride if you’d like.”

Maddie jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “Yes!
Yes! Yes!”

Ben chuckled, shoving his hands into his pockets and
once again directing his focus on Maddie. “She loves horses. I’ve promised her
we’d do this for a long time. So, here we are. Whatever you’re willing to teach
us, we’re your eager students.”

“Have you ever been on a horse, Maddie?” Grace
questioned.

“Nope! But I wanna ride one.”

Grace couldn’t help but share the little girl’s enthusiasm.

“So, I hear you wanted a tour of the barn?” Grace
asked, once again speaking to the little girl.

“I wanna see the horses,” Maddie corrected, her smile
like a ray of sunshine.

“Well, the horses aren’t actually
in
the barn.
We keep them in stables. And on this ranch, we have many horses, which means we
have a lot of stables. How about I show you the main barn first, then we’ll
head over there.” Grace pointed toward the largest stable on the property, the
one that they had recently relocated all of the family’s horses to. “That’s
where I keep my horse. His name’s Astro Boy.”

They had previously housed several of their personal
horses in the barn, but with the significant changes being made to the ranch in
recent weeks, they had decided to allocate the barn fully to housing things
other than the animals. Initially, Grace had refused to move Astro Boy, her
beloved five-year-old paint, but when Grant had informed her that they were
also upgrading the main stable, she’d relented to their demands.

“Are there any
real
cowboys here?” Maddie asked
as Grace started to amble toward the barn, the pair falling into step beside
her.

“
Real?
Like the guys who wear boots and have
horses?” Grace teased, referring to Maddie’s definition of “real.”

Maddie nodded, bouncing as she walked.

“Last I checked, we have roughly forty, I think,”
Grace explained. “Everyone who works here also lives here.”

“I wanna live here!” Maddie exclaimed, making her
father chuckle. “We get to stay in a
real
cabin. It has walls and floors
that are made of wood and everything. I get to sleep in a bunk bed. On the top.
Oh, and I have a TV in my room! I don’t have a TV in my room at home. That’s
why I like this place. I can hear the horses and cows when I’m sitting on my
bed. Oh, but the stove is kinda weird.”

Grace laughed as she tried to keep up with Maddie. The
girl clearly wasn’t shy, that was for sure.

Each of the cabins that they reserved for the guests
was individually decorated to enhance the rustic appeal of the ranch. Somewhat
drastically, in Grace’s honest opinion. She knew there were working wood stoves
placed in several, which was probably what Maddie was referring to.

As the three of them made their way into the shadowy
interior of the barn, Grace explained what everything was, including the hay
and the various equipment that they had stored there. Maddie was full of
questions, continuing to pelt Grace with one after another, which she answered
quickly and efficiently.

This type of tour was a regular occurrence at the
ranch, although many of the guests came solely for riding horses, which, being
in Texas, the weather allowed for almost year round. Dead Heat Ranch was known
for the riding trails that had been forged into the beautiful Texas Hill
Country, along with the giant lake they had on the premises. The fishing wasn’t
as good other lakes in the area, but Grace believed many of their guests came,
a lot of them returning more than once, to enjoy the hospitality and the
one-on-one attention they received.

Each week, on Monday morning, Hope led them through
the guest list and any activities that had been planned or requested. Grace would
assign each of her sisters, along with many of the wranglers, to each guest,
ensuring that everyone who visited had someone who would show them around.

Maddie and her father had arrived on the ranch late
yesterday evening and were staying for a full two weeks, which was about twice
as long as the average length of stay for their guests. Not that she had a
problem with that. The longer they stayed, the easier it was for her to get the
activities lined up. After this tour this morning, she would give them a
questionnaire so that she could learn what other interests they had so that,
during their stay, she could ensure they had the best experience possible.

All part of her day-to-day.

“If you’re up for the walk, I can show you the
stables,” Grace said, glancing down at Maddie. “I need to check on my horse,
make sure he’s been fed.”

“You don’t feed him?” Maddie asked, sounding somewhat
disappointed in Grace, which, again, made Grace smile.

“Most days I do,” she answered, heading toward the
back doors of the barn that would lead them in the direction of the stable.
“Sometimes, like today, when I get to hang out with cool people like you and
your dad, I ask one of the wranglers to make sure he gets fed.”

“What’s a wrangler?” Maddie asked.

“That’s what we call the cowboys who work here.
They’re responsible for taking care of the animals.”

“Will I get to meet a cowboy?”

“I’m sure you will,” Grace told her.

Approaching the stables just a few minutes later,
Grace heard Astro Boy neighing softly, followed by a couple of snorts. Yes, she
knew she was late. He wasn’t going to be happy with her, but maybe if he was
lucky, she’d take him to the arena later. Grace had a feeling Maddie would
enjoy watching Astro Boy do what she’d trained him to do.

The question was whether or not she was up for it. It
had been a long time since Grace had been in front of an audience.

■□■□■□■□

Mercy practically crawled toward the main house. She
had no idea what her deal was, but she hadn’t slept much at all last night.
Actually, for several nights now. Tossing and turning, she continued to have
the most unwelcome dream. And, yes, damn it, she realized she was referring to
the dream as
unwelcome
, not disturbing or inappropriate or… Yeah,
unwelcome
was the best she could come up with to describe it.

“Mornin’,” she greeted her father as she stepped into
the brightly lit kitchen, where they generally would meet up for coffee each
morning.

“Good mornin’,” Jerry replied, folding over the
newspaper he had been reading and placing it neatly on the table in front of
him.

She noticed immediately that his salutation contained
the word “good," unlike hers. That was her first clue that he was far too
perky for that time of day, which was exactly why she stood staring at him
blankly. Was it her or was he in a strangely good mood?

“
What
?” he asked, his forehead wrinkled from
the frown on his face. “What’s the matter with you?”

Laughing, Mercy shook her head and made her way to the
coffeepot. “Nothin’,” she said, praying that the caffeine was going to help
erase some of the cobwebs in her brain. That dream was making it damn near
impossible for her to function. Unfortunately, there was only one person to
blame for that and … tag, she was it.

“Did you sleep well?” Jerry asked, again his tone far
more lively than she expected.

“Perfectly,” she lied. “You?”

“Never better.”

Okay, something was really off. Maybe she was still
dreaming.

“Ouch,” she muttered when she pinched her forearm just
to make sure. Nope, not dreaming.

“Did Gracie assign you to a guest this week?” her
father asked, his voice coming from behind her as she filled one of the
nondescript white mugs with coffee.

“Yep,” she told him. “Gracie had it in for me this
week. She put me with a group of women coming here for a ‘cowgirl’ retreat,”
Mercy explained, lifting her hands in the air and crooking her fingers to
signal the quotes.