Stony Creek Cowboy [Stony Creek] (Siren Publishing Classic) (10 page)

Ben. Even his name was solid like the hulking man that he was. Lately it seemed that every time she turned around, he was comfortingly just there. She couldn’t even muster up the emotions to get upset with him that he had apparently eavesdropped on a very personal and embarrassing conversation.

“Mr. Davis, I believe the lady declined your offer and you may leave now. In fact, I strongly recommend it,” Ben said very quietly with an unnerving calmness.

Lizzie watched as Mr. Davis snatched up his briefcase, gave both Lizzie and Ben a nasty look, promising that this wasn’t the end of the conversation, and left the restaurant. Lizzie returned her gaze to Ben.

“Lizzie, what was that all—” It was all that Ben managed to get out before Lizzie cut him off with a wave of her hand.

“It was a mistake, Ben, just a stupid mistake,” she said very softly, her sadness apparent even to his ignorant male ears.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

With a sigh, Lizzie looked up into his gorgeous face. “If only, Ben, if only.”

* * * *

I will not think about that woman. Nope, I am not gonna think about Billie. I am going to enjoy my beer, vintage Bon Jovi tunes and repair this water pump. Not gonna think about who she is with or what she is doing. Not gonna think about how she was able to hold her own against Gwen without acting as classless as my ex.
That thought made him hot. She was a woman who was able to be strong outside the house but a soft submissive in the bedroom. She was perfect. Intelligent, beautiful, funny, independent, and she knew how to really cook. He knew that was part of the problem.

His mother had told him that Billie was the talk of every knitting circle in town. Apparently, they couldn’t get over what a lovely young lady she was, such a smart professional physician and so refined. He couldn’t agree more, but he had a more intimate opinion of the lady. He was tortured by the memory of the taste of her on his tongue and how sweetly she had responded to his rough caresses in the barn. His poor suffering cock rose up yet again against the restrictive material of his jeans.

He was going to need medical attention if he didn’t get some relief before long. He would have to go see the fine-looking doctor to see what medical treatment she would recommend. He imagined her unzipping his fly slowly, so as to not further injure his swollen perma-erection. Jackson could see the concern in her eyes as she observed its stiffened condition. With a graceful movement, Dr. Rothman would have descended to her knees and looked up into his gaze. “Don’t worry, Jackson. I know exactly how to make this better.” On her next breath, he watched her gently lick her lips and softly kiss the tip of his staff. A small bead of pre-cum appeared on its end. She deftly used her tongue to lick away the small amount of moisture there. He heard his own hiss as her mouth took his hard length completely to the back of her throat. She hollowed her cheeks and she sucked him in. He threaded his hands in her hair and with controlled strength started to fuck into her mouth. His eyes never left her face, fascinated by watching her take his cock into her warm, wet mouth. She would be heaven. He needed this woman and the way she made him feel. Jackson could practically feel her tongue start to lick around and around the tip and she struggled to pull him back into her throat. He felt pricks of electricity start to pool at the base of his spine and leaned his head back. With his eyes clenched, he shot streams of cum to the back of her throat, thrusting until not a drop remained. She looked up at him with her half-lidded eyes, looking with pleasure upon his body. She had swallowed every drop as he directed. “I believe that should cure the problem, Mr. Powell. If you have any reoccurrences, please feel free to come again.”

Jackson regained some semblance of consciousness. He was lying on his leather couch, pants unzipped, and had a rock-hard cock in hand. “Fuck me!” he shouted out in frustration. So caught up in the fantasy, he didn’t realize it was he and not Billie that was bringing him to pleasure. He looked with disgust at his seed all over his hand. If he wasn’t such a stubborn piece of chicken shit, he would drive over to her house right now. His thoughts were interrupted by the grating sound of his phone ringing. Caller ID indicated it was his father on the line.

“Dad, what’s the matter?”

“Evening, Jackson. Does something have to be the matter for a father to call his son?”

“No, but it isn’t your habit to call after ten in the evening, Dad. So, what’s on your mind?”

“Well, I won’t beat around the bush, then. I just got off the phone with Doc and she needs some help. I would be happy to help her but I have plans and I can’t change them easily,” his Dad said.

“Is something wrong? Does she need help right now?” he asked almost anxiously.

Jackson heard his father give a quick snort. The whole reason for this phone call was probably that his parents felt that both their idiot son and Billie needed help, and the only way they could get it was with a little push from concerned loved ones. “No, nothing is wrong,” Jackson heard his father say. “I just promised I would help her go look over some horseflesh tomorrow and realized just now that I am, um, busy. Do you think you could take her out to the Saunderses’ ranch tomorrow and help her out?”

Jackson inwardly groaned. How was he to resist her sweet self if he was locked in the cab of his dually with her for an hour in each direction? Did his father not know what damage he could do in five minutes, much less two hours? However, he realized that if he did want to further his acclimation plan, he couldn’t do that if he wasn’t alone with her at some point. It was a way to aid in making her more comfortable with him and for him to decide if he really wanted to do more than fuck her senseless.

“I might be able to squeeze her in after eleven. What are you doing that you can’t get out of, Dad?” he asked suspiciously.

“I, uh, have to help your mother and aunt reorganize the Ladies Guild supply closet. Listen, I really like Doc but I respect your mother and her temper more. Troy and Ben will gladly take over the evening cattle check. I know they won’t mind if you are helping Doc.”

Jackson snorted to himself. Yeah, he was sure his brothers were
happy
to volunteer for more chores. If Jackson had to guess, he ventured that his mother had somehow threatened not only his brothers but his father for their cooperation in operation “good daughter-in-law.”

“Broke out the big guns with that one, huh, Dad?”

“What does that mean?” his father quizzed.

“No worries. Just tell her I will pick her up at eleven thirty tomorrow.” He heard his father mumble his thanks as he hung up. There was no way Jackson was ever going to be so in love with a woman that he pulled that kind of crap on his son.

He knew he should seek professional help after he hung up the phone and realized that he still had to find a towel to clean himself up.

As Jackson made his way up to Billie’s front door, he heard the seemingly menacing growls that Madison and Zeus made. He was glad to hear it, because it meant that very few things would be able to sneak up to her house without her knowing. At the sound of male voices within, he twisted his head to the side to listen. Just then the door swung open, revealing a beaming smile that she bestowed upon him. Damn, that just made him feel so good. He figured that dogs had announced his arrival and the departure of two men he wasn’t expecting to see.

“Morning, all. What brings god’s gift to cow paddies out this way?” Jackson innocently asked with a smile.

With a devilish smirk and a shy glance in Billie’s direction, Adam Taggart sheepishly answered, “Why just asking Doc if she would like to come over to our spread for a late afternoon ride and some dinner is all.” If Jackson wasn’t sure of his two friends’ intentions by that comment, he was positive of them after seeing the look on Sean’s face as he gazed at Billie. Shit. These brothers were good guys and in only the two minutes he had been in her house with them, he was ready to rip their heads off for breathing in the same air as she did.

Billie had an odd look on her face as she spoke on her phone to Sam, apparently about a broken window. Jackson figured he could ask her about that later. He turned his direction back to his misguided friends.

“Tough luck, boys,” he heard himself say. “My dad would have my hide if I didn’t assist the doc here in choosing some horseflesh for her barn.”

Without blinking an eye, Sean turned to watch Billie gather her things across the room. “You know, Jackson. We know you have so much work to do on that monster ranch of yours. Adam, why don’t we let him do his chores while we squire the doc over to the Saunderses’?” He turned his far too good-looking face in Jackson’s direction as though to bait his friend further.

Like hell they would. He had been looking forward to figuratively and literally feeling his way through the situation he was in with Billie. “Thanks for the offer, boys, but I have it covered. While I appreciate the help, Doc here needs some ‘experienced’ assistance.”

The men gave several chuckles as they watched Billie gracefully walk back into the room with her purse. She looked radiant.

“Can you guys believe that some kid shot a hole through my front window at the office already? I haven’t even been here that long and I have to replace it already!” Billie lamented to her group of men.

“That happens from time to time when the kids get bored, Doc. Don’t worry, Sam will get it all squared away for you. If you have any problems, though, feel free to call Adam or me anytime.” Jackson gave Billie a look that left her with little confusion as to Sean and Adam’s interest in her.

Jackson was momentarily distracted by the way her breasts sensually bobbed slightly with her walk when he heard her say, “I will, and thank you so much for coming over and giving me the opportunity to get to know you both better. I would love to take you up on that ride really soon. Let me get squared away with my own horse or two and I promise we can make some plans. Jackson here was kind enough to take time out to assist me in my purchases.”

With a huge grin,
Jackson took note of the dirty looks that Adam and Sean gave. He felt that they had little remorse as they smacked him in the side of his head as they said their good-byes. Jackson knew that his friends were well aware that he was rarely interested in more than a quick fuck when it came to all women. It had to be obvious to both Taggart brothers that this woman was of more than a casual interest to him. Jackson appreciated their gracious retreat from their prey by acknowledging his unspoken claim on Billie.

After he watched them drive away, he turned to Billie and placed his hand on her lower back. With a gentle nudge, he ushered her through the front door to the passenger seat of his truck. After opening the passenger-side door and lifting her inside, he looked into her questioning expression.

“Don’t the men in New York assist the women into the car?”

“Yes, of course they do, but I never saw a man lift a woman into their truck nor a man who was strong enough to be able to do so.” Billie’s hands still burned from having touched Jackson’s huge biceps as he had effortlessly lifted her up and into the truck. What the heck kind of supplements did these men take in Wyoming? She figured she could bottle it and make a fortune.

The drive to the Saunderses’ horse ranch was a quiet one. Billie tried to focus on the rolling hills, evergreens, and Wyoming Mountains that rose majestically off in the distance. It was a losing battle in her mind. She was confused and felt off-balance. The man was making her so crazy that she was sure she couldn’t trust herself for making any decisions today. Just his masculine scent, a mix of the outdoors and his cologne, that filled the cab of his truck send her pulses racing. Was she actually starting to sweat? It was mid-November, for Pete’s sake. What did he want from her? One moment he was tender and possessive. They kept having stolen moments of what had to be foreplay that was so hot she was sure her boots were singed. Then usually the next day, after the man probably had time to digest his actions, he would pull away and be just a polite neighbor. He would give her warm smiles then place two feet of walking distance between them. Even right now he was sitting on the driver’s side, looking more delicious than any man had a legal right to, with an ocean of unspoken thoughts between them. She let out a sigh and decided to put Jackson on the shelf of good neighbor and friend. She wasn’t going to sit around waiting for anyone anymore. Her heart felt leaded and her eyes blurred at the thought that he might even bestow his passion on another lucky woman in the near future. Could she bear to watch? No, she would try to enjoy the company and laughter of some of the other fine specimens of Stony Creek. While she desperately wanted to sit on Jackson’s lap and suck all his thoughts of previous or future women away, she knew for her own sanity, she had to accept that those women may be a reality, ugh. How did she get to this pathetic lovelorn place in such a small amount of time? It almost felt cosmic between them, destined. She had been wrong before, though, and turned back to watching the landscape roll by.

Jackson heard her sigh and chanced a look in her direction. She looked so forlorn and sad. Had he done that? He suspected it to be true, but because he had taken to acting like a coward where she was concerned, he said nothing. How could he get her used to the idea that she could belong to only him while he struggled to figure out his own feelings? Why did her sadness make him want to envelope her in his arms and kiss her until she smiled? What was it about her? Maybe it was that she was new and from the East coast, a novelty perhaps. Or maybe it was because she had a smile and time to care about everyone and everything around her. He smiled to himself as he recalled watching her through the front window of her office as she greeted Daniel McGuire last week. He had fallen and ripped up his knee pretty decently. She had knelt down right in the waiting room and fed him chocolate cookies until he smiled and hugged her senseless. Would she be tender like that with their children? It was thoughts like that, Jackson realized, that were getting him into trouble in the first place. Sure he wanted her. He wanted her with an intensity that almost rattled him because there was more than just passion interlaced with his need for her but another emotion, too. A possessiveness and need to have her near him as often as possible. He hoped he would figure it out, as his balls were of a fine shade of blue and probably about to fall off if he didn’t get to have her soon. He smirked when he remembered how he luckily ended up being the one to come to her aid today. His family was a riot. After a moment of thinking of an appropriate retribution for them all, except his mother, she had his permission to meddle, he came to a startling conclusion. Maybe they did know something he didn’t know. The Gwen disaster really made him question his perspective in starting new relationships. Perhaps he should change tactics and start to trust the opinion of the ones that he loved. He decided to give it a shot.