Ride A Cowby (2 page)

Marie shrugged. “I suppose not. Still, he is a strapping big fellow. Very handsome, too. A woman could use a good long ride on that one.”

“
Ride a cowboy and save a horse?” Lily laughed. “Not this woman. Besides, who ever heard of a man paying for what he wants with sex?”

“
Why not,
Cherie
? I mean, it’s the only commodity that women have,
non
? Imagine what it must be like, having a man pleasure you for a change?”

Lily nearly dismissed the idea, but before she could, she heard a noise from the other room.

“
How much longer is she going to make me wait?” A man’s voice boomed down the hall. “I’ve got things to do. My ranch won’t run itself.”

Anger welled in her like a dam near to bursting. “How dare he come to my home and raise his voice.”

Lily pushed up her sleeves and marched out of the study and toward the parlor. Shoving the door open, she took her first look at the insistent rancher.

Wade MacReynolds was impossibly tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His hair was long and rough‐cut, pulled back by a leather strap. Lily noticed that the color was a bit odd, light brown with blond streaks, likely from working out in the sun too many hours without a hat. He had a rectangular face, marked by soft brown eyes and strong cheek and jaw lines. More than that, his mouth was extremely enticing, full and plump, even though he held it in an angry scowl. A very kissable mouth, she thought. And when his perfect teeth bit down on his bottom lip, thoughts of where he might put that mouth on her body instantly set her heart to racing.

Tense seconds passed as they stared hard at each other. She almost could feel his teeth nibbling at her breast, her neck, and her ribs. She could imagine him trailing hot, moist kisses all over her body and then nestling his lips between her legs, sucking and caressing her very essence.

Lily had always supposed that it was possible to communicate with a man without saying a word. And, if the way his angry expression changed to pure lust when he looked back at her was any indication, it was true. Worse yet, she saw her own hunger reflected in his eyes, their perfect mahogany now turning a smoldering gray green. Pulling her gaze away from his too‐beautiful face, she let it slide sensuously down his chest to the perfect juncture of his legs. Even through the thick layer of denim, she saw an impressive thickening of his cock.

It was all Lily could to do to keep from moaning in pleasure. And if looking at it was this much fun, she could imagine how delightful fucking it would be.

“
Ma’am,” he croaked. “The name is MacReynolds, Wade MacReynolds. I wrote you about the water rights on your property.”

Lily swallowed again. “I remember your letter.”

He nodded, grasping his hat in his hand so hard, he’d likely destroyed its shaping.

“
You said you’d consider my offer if I was good in the bedroom.”

“
Are you?” Lily asked. Of course, she’d put that line in a dozen letters to men who’d wanted to take advantage of what they thought was a helpless woman. It kept most men away from her door, and those who did show up making demands on her met with her riding crop when they fell short of her expectations.

A woman in a man’s world, Lily had always had her way in the bedroom. After some interesting bed play with a local judge, convincing him not to prosecute one of her girls for stealing, she’d set in motion a persona that kept the law just the other side of the sheets and the cowboys lined up at her door.

In truth, sex had only been a tool for her most of her life. Molested at a young age, she’d long ago learned to turn her skill in the bedroom to her best advantage. She’d worked hard at her trade, and the various whips and other toys that she kept in her ‘playroom’ had gone a long way to building up her reputation. It made her customers nervous and polite and kept them coming back for more.

But now, looking at the tall, impossibly broad‐shouldered, and way too sexy man in front of her, Lily began to form a delicious idea. Sex just for fun.

“
That all depends,” he told her.

Suddenly, Lily’s mouth became dry. She licked her lips. “On what?”

“
On what I get for my efforts.”

Lily gave him a small smile. “Let’s just say your efforts have to please me. If I find your company enjoyable, then I accede the rights, for one week.”

He started forward, anger coloring his expression. “One week? What the hell is that? You trying to take advantage of me?”

Lily stiffened her spine. “More like the other way around. No matter how good a cock you have, sir, or how well you use it, you’ll be using my land for a long time. Pardon my language, but a fuck, even with so marvelous a specimen as you, can’t be worth that much.” The man fairly raged now. “You sure ain’t no lady, Miz Barnett.”

“
And you aren’t really a gentleman, now are you? I’m curious. There are other ranchers in the territory who have water aplenty. Why come to me?”

The cattleman’s expression darkened. Lily found herself liking a man who carried so much emotion in him. It certainly was a refreshing change from the greedy, soulless bastards she’d had to deal with all of her life.

“
They won’t help me.”

The way he ground the words out Lily saw immediately how painful it was for him to even admit that much.

“
Why not?”

“
Cause I used to be a bad man, Miz Barnett. I’m on parole from prison, and the folks around here would rather shoot me than deal with me. It’s all I can do to keep them from coming on my land and stealing me blind. Now, they’ve cut off all of my resources hoping to run me outta business.”

Although she didn’t show it, Lily sympathized with his plight. If most of the men in the county weren’t cheating on their wives with her girls, then they would have likely run her out on a rail years ago. She licked her lips again. It was damn tempting to help him just to spite those sons of bitches.

But to do so without any personal gain would make her look soft. And the one thing she couldn’t afford to do was appear weak in the eyes of the people around her. If she did, they’d be on her like vultures on a three‐day‐old corpse.

“
Sorry, Mr. MacReynolds. My offer stands. You want to deal with me, then you have to submit to my rules.”

*****

“…
you have to submit to my rules…”

The words rang in Wade’s ears as loud as the prison chapel’s bells ringing before an execution. He cursed under his breath. The days of his time spent locked away in a cage came back to him full force. One meal a day, water so foul it burned his throat and gagged him just to smell it, and days on end without sunlight made him remember all right. Still, he reminded himself, this was a woman’s bed. How bad could that be?

But not just any woman. Lily Barnett. And he knew her kind of woman.

For an instant, his mind went back to his prison cell. The smells and filth returned to his senses full force. The memories of that place assaulted his psyche, gripping his heart with thick fists of shame and anger.

“
Open up for me, Wade,”
Rosalie’s voice rang in his ears to this day. She’d done the unthinkable to him. Raped him and had him beaten half to death. The warden’s wife had been very exacting in her tastes, and when she’d finished with him, he’d felt the whip on his back and then been subjected to days on end without so much as a kind word from anybody in that damn, forsaken place.

But that was two years ago, and he’d survived, damn it. He’d survived, and he could take anything as long as it meant his freedom. Chances were no matter what the locals said, Lily couldn’t be as bad as all that, could she?

“
What do you say, Mr. MacReynolds? I haven’t got all night.”

Well, neither did he.

“
When do we start?”

“
Tonight. Now.”

Wade’s balls drew up into his abdomen. He wasn’t ready for this.

“
Fine.”

Although it wasn’t a death sentence, it sounded pretty damn harsh. Not knowing what to do, he looked around the room. The sound of her laughter surprised him.

“
Not here, Mr. MacReynolds.” She turned and walked to the corner of the room and pulled a bell rope. A tall, dark‐haired man appeared in the doorway. He was roughly the size of a tree trunk, and when he looked at Wade, it was with only one eye. The other was sealed shut, and ragged skin scarred over half of his face. There were other scars visible on his face and arms, too, and he looked as if he could deal out as many blows as his grizzled body had taken.

“
Yes, Mistress?”

“
Tell Helga to prepare the lavender room. Then, take Mr. MacReynolds out back for a bath.” She turned a coy glance his way. “I don’t take to filthy men.”

Wade watched as she walked out of the room. Anger and fear mixed in his blood like whisky and fire. How dared she!

“
This way, sir.”

Wade followed the servant down the long hall and to the back of the house. Together they walked to a tall, shed‐like building beside the outhouse. Taking out a set of keys, the servant unlocked the door and motioned him inside.

The first thing Wade noticed was the warmth of the room. And, in the corner a long tub sat, filled with steaming water. Beside the tub stood a petite, white‐haired woman. She waved him over.

“
Come, come,
Monsieur
. Off with your clothes and into the tub. The mistress awaits her pleasure.”

Wade crossed his arms. “I can bathe myself.”

She nodded once and smiled. “Of course, you can. Now hurry, before she changes her mind.”

Changes her mind, indeed, he thought. Crossing his arms he waited. For a moment, neither of the servants moved, each one waiting for the other. Then, the woman shrugged.

“
You are a stubborn man, Mr. MacReynolds,” she said, making a tisking noise. Then, motioning toward the door, she nodded once. “As you wish. It seems the Mistress has her work cut out for her.”

When the two of them had gone, Wade took off his clothes and laid them on the chair beside the tub. Truth was, he didn’t need a bath all that much. Since he’d left the prison he’d made it a practice to scrub himself daily. Being dirty reminded him of being in that filthy place, and that led to other memories he’d decided to keep buried deep in his psyche.

Once in the hot water, Wade’s anger began to dissipate somewhat. The bath actually felt good on his sore muscles. He’d worked hard that day, and it wasn’t quite so bad ending his labors this way. That and the thought of the prim redhead under him was a very stimulating notion. Clean sheets, soft bed, and a willing woman. Well, there were worse ways of getting what he wanted.

That is if she let him pleasure her the way he wanted. He suspected that Lily Barnett wasn’t used to letting men have their way with her. Inside her bedroom or out of it. He remembered what she’d said. Her rules.

Well, he’d see about that, now wouldn’t he? Closing his eyes, he let his hands wonder over his body. Oh, yeah. He’d let her play with him a little, he thought. First, nibbling on his nipples and then running her tongue from his mouth, down the side of his face, his neck, chest, belly, and to his cock.

At the notion of the lovely woman’s attentions, old one‐eye stood to attention. It had been a long time since he’d had the pleasure. Of course, his sojourn on Rosalie’s bed didn’t count. She’d forced him. Forced him and then violated him. Not this time, he told himself.

Old one‐eye would have his way with Lily, and she’d be damn glad of it, but it would be Wade who’d be in control of the situation.

*****

Lily paced the length of her room. What in blazes had she been thinking? Her clit seemed to have taken over her senses since the moment she’d laid eyes on Wade MacReynolds. Now, every waking minute was agony. Pure agony.

“
He’s ready
, Cherie
,” Marie said. She stood at Lily’s door, arms crossed and wearing an amused expression.

“
Yes, of course.” Lily started to move toward the door, but Marie held her hand up.

“
This one is different,” she said.

“
Aren’t they all?” Lily didn’t care. She was tired and excited and wanting to be done with this business.

“
Non, they are not. He has scars. I think you should be careful.”

“
Scars? What kind of scars?” “Marks from a whip, I think.”

“
Oh.” Lily’s mouth went dry. She still felt the sting from the time one of her customers had taken a strap to her back. Fortunately, he’d been a weak man, and her young back had healed completely. Healed on the outside, at least. She still bore scars. They were just deeper than most. “I suppose a different kind of discipline is called for, then. Either way, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Marie squeezed her arm, concern shadowing her expression. “Be careful,
Cherie
.”

“
I’m always, careful, Marie.”

*****

Lily walked to the lavender room. She could hear the faint rustling of sheets and the whispering sound of his sigh. It was strange how his presence affected her. Her legs became heated and damp at the very thought of him. She hesitated. If even thinking about him brought such a quick reaction, then what would bedding him be like?