Strictly Business (11 page)

They waited a while, watching silently while the mare
recovered and the baby rolled and neighed. She saw Jake look underneath as the
horse started to get to its feet.

“It’s a colt!” His eyes were shining, excitement making his
face radiant.

She found herself grinning foolishly. His energy was
contagious. He waited to make sure the mare got back to her feet and then they
snuck out, giving mom and baby time to bond. He headed over to the sink to wash
up. He looked over at her, still smiling. “You uh, you have some goo on your
shirt,” he said, pointing.

Jess pulled off her loose shirt and checked her white
T-shirt for spots. It was clean. She looked up just in time to see Jake peeling
his shirt off. Holy cow! She was sure she was staring, but she couldn’t stop
herself. He was huge... all solid muscle. His chest and arms were tight and
defined. And he had more than a six pack of abs.
How was that possible?
His jeans were old, faded and soft, and hung, barely on his hips, looking like
they could fall off at any moment. And based on his tan, he’d been working
without his shirt lately.
Oh my God.

He turned to face her, a fresh T-shirt in his hands and
froze. She didn't really notice the movements, they simply registered somewhere
in the back of her mind. The cognizant part of her brain just kept staring,
unable to take her eyes off his amazing body. A body that she never would have
expected. As her eyes trailed a little lower, she noticed that the bulge in his
jeans, impressive enough already, seemed to be growing. As her mind finally
registered the cause, she jumped, her eyes flying upward to meet his.

He smirked at her a little and asked, “So, do you like what
you see?”

Her breathing stopped, only to return on a stutter. Blood
rushed into her cheeks as she frantically searched for a response.

“Because I do. I really do.”

He slowly walked toward her, giving her every chance to turn
and run. And run she should. She just needed to make her feet listen to her
brain. She knew he was going to kiss her. She knew she should stop him. She
also knew she wouldn’t. She wanted, no, needed to kiss him. She had to feel
that body pressed against hers.

He tilted his head to the side, his voice growling as he
said, “Take your hair down.”

Without thought, no conscious decision, she reached up and
quickly pulled out the pins holding her hair in its roll. When the last pin
fell in the dirt, she shook her head letting her hair fall loose, cascading
over her shoulders and down to her waist. She heard him suck in a breath.

And then he was there, right in front of her, running his
hands through her hair. “It’s beautiful,
you’re
beautiful.” He put his
hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him so they were touching.

She inhaled deeply, feeling her aching nipples brush against
his warm chest. She ran her hands up his arms, settling them on that chest,
strong and taut to the touch.

Then he asked, “What else are you hiding? I knew about the
body and now the hair.” He ran his hands through it, leaning in to kiss her
forehead, her cheek. “Is that it, or is there more?”

Jess froze. Should she show him? Most people found her eyes
kind of weird. How would he react? Did she want to find out? She wanted to kiss
him. Kiss him and so much more.

I should show him.

She took his hand, stepped backward and turned to go to the
house, pulling him behind her. “Come with me.”

* * * * *

He followed her, his heart in his throat. His shaft aching
with need, with anticipation. She walked across the yard, headed into the house
and stopped in front of…the bathroom?

She turned to face him, her expression showing her nerves.
“Don’t freak out, okay? It’s a little weird.”

She stepped over to the sink and Jake was really confused.
He wasn’t sure what to expect. Was the hair a wig? Were the boobs fake? Did she
have a crazy scar? What was she doing? He saw her poke her finger in her eye.
First the right, then the left. And then she turned back toward him.

“Okay, so you wear contacts, big deal. I have reading
glasses that I use on the compu…”

She looked up at him with the most beautiful eyes he’d ever
seen. They were ice blue, or gray…no, they were silver. “You wear colored
contacts.” She nodded. “Why?”

This shocked expression came across her face. “You don’t
think they’re weird?”

He stepped back, took both her hands and held them out to
her sides, and he looked. Stared, really. Took in every inch of her, the hair,
the eyes…the body. “They’re not weird. They’re perfect. You’re perfect.”

He tugged her arms, pulling her against him. Finally, his
lips were on hers.

He spun around pressing her against the wall, bringing her
tight little body more firmly against his own. He was so hard he hurt, his
erection pressing against the zipper of his jeans almost painfully. She slid
her tongue against his lips, fully joining in the kiss and damn near bringing
him to his knees in the process.

He ran his hands over her ass, loving the firm roundness,
then back up past her waist, digging his fingers into her hair. He couldn’t get
her close enough. She pulled her mouth away from his and moved to press hot wet
kisses across his chest. She was twisting her hips against him, making him groan
as he struggled for control. He ran his hands under her shirt, sliding it up as
he went. When he saw the soft pink lace bra he groaned again.

“You’re amazing,” he growled out. He bent down running his
tongue around her ear and down her neck. She whimpered, grinding her hips
against him and nipping at his chest. His shaft pulsed, throbbing, aching to be
inside her. He was lost in a haze of arousal.

He reached around, unhooked her bra and pushed it up,
exposing her breasts. “Oh, God, your nipples are so tight.” He reached down,
gripping her ass and lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist,
bringing them groin to groin. He gritted his teeth, pressing her tighter
against the wall as he bent his head down, licking her nipple, sliding around,
teasing her. Finally he took the tight little tip into his mouth, sucking
gently.

She whimpered, twisting her hips against him, arching her
back. As her body arched away from the wall, she pushed her breasts up even
further. He took the hint and suckled as deeply as he could, nibbling a bit
when she whimpered a second time. She twisted her hips again, grinding against
his shaft, dragging another groan from his lips. “Jess, God …so sexy. So
responsive, so soft. You need to stop grinding like that.”

His words said stop, but he couldn’t prevent his body from
thrusting against her. He couldn’t believe he was this close to spilling his
seed. She made him crazy. He pressed his mouth against hers as she started
twisting her hips faster.

He could feel the muscles in her stomach and thighs working
as she squeezed and twisted against him. He knew she was close to an orgasm,
could feel the tension in her body. He desperately wanted to see her eyes flash
with her release, that soft sated look settling in its wake. He felt her hands
sliding around to his shoulders, one making a fist in his hair. When she moaned
into his mouth as she writhed against him again, he thrust forward to meet her.

Then he heard the front door slam.

It was like ice water poured on them both. He set her down
quickly, leaned in and kissed the tip of her nose, then turned and strode off
to his bedroom and a cold shower. He hoped that would be enough to calm his
raging erection, but he somehow doubted it.

Jake tried the cold shower, and it was icy. It didn’t work.
He could still feel her rubbing against his shaft, smell her hair, her skin.
Feel her little points pressing against his chest. She had been wild,
unrestrained. He couldn’t help but wonder if she would bite when she came. He
knew she’d been wet, and he still ached to touch her, to feel her hot and wet
around him. His imagination was still running wild when he found release in his
own hand, wishing it had been in her.

* * * * *

Jess ran across the hall, slamming the door behind her. She
stripped off her clothes, turned on the water and looked at herself while she
waited for the water to heat. Her eyes were glittering, her breath still coming
shorter than normal. Her nipples were still tight, pointing off swollen
breasts, announcing her desire. Between her legs she felt achy, empty and very,
very wet. She wondered just how far she would have let things go if they hadn’t
been interrupted. She had a feeling it would have been too far. It had already
been too far. She knew she should be grateful to whoever came home. Probably
Mike. But with her body still throbbing, it was a little tough to find
gratitude.

She stepped into the shower. The water felt amazing, warm
and tingly where it hit her flesh. The spray against her already overheated
body increased the throbbing in her sex. She found herself running her hands
down her abdomen, sliding her finger between her folds until she found the nub.
Maybe tonight she would be able to find release. She’d never been able to reach
an orgasm. She had tried, even watching late night Cinemax. But she’d never
been able to let go enough for release. After a while she’d quit trying. It
almost made things worse. Tonight, in the arms of a man she barely knew, had
been the closest she'd ever come to an orgasm.

Realizing that her efforts now were only increasing the
ache, she stopped. After washing, she dried off and went to bed. Even the
sheets rubbing against her made her throb. She groaned quietly. This was going
to be a long night.

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. It would be a
beautiful day, although probably hot. Jess got up, still exhausted, but no
surprise there. She hadn’t slept very well. Oddly enough, she had spent the
entire night having erotic dreams
. Mmmm, I wonder why that might be...

She stood in the bathroom looking at the mirror, debating.
She was in her jeans and T-shirt. She had the long-sleeve shirt in her hands,
but she really didn’t want to put it on. She was having the same debate with
her contacts and her hair. The hair was less of an issue, figuring she would
have it pulled back later anyway, just because of heat. She decided to put it
up, but only in the chopsticks, not in the full bun. It was a little looser and
a bit more comfortable. She decided to skip the long sleeve shirt, but she did
put in the contacts. She’d worn them for more than half her life, it just felt
weird to
not
wear them. She put on her standard makeup, mascara and lip
gloss, and headed out to the kitchen. She really needed some coffee. She
refused to admit that her change in appearance had anything to do with Jake.
She was just adjusting to the weather.

She was rethinking the decision as soon as she walked into
the kitchen. Since it was Saturday, breakfast was a little later than it was
the rest of the time. That meant that at seven thirty the room was full. All
the hands that lived in the bunkhouse were in the kitchen. And they were all
staring at her. Just as she was about to back out of the room and get her
shirt, Jake walked in from the other side.

* * * * *

Damn, she looked good.
Better even than his dreams.
This woman had a body men drooled over and women envied. And everyone in the
room was staring. He went through a quick internal debate. Did he want to grab
her and cover her up, or did he want to enjoy the view? He also knew that this
meant she was more comfortable here after last night. Or at least she was until
these creeps started gaping at her. When he finally made it up to her eyes, he
noticed two things. One, they were brown. Two, she was getting ready to bolt.

“Good morning everyone, how are y'all today? Marsha, you
look good.” Jake headed over to get some coffee, making his way into the room
in the process. “Did y'all have a good time at the bar last night? We have a
new colt to show for our efforts here.”

He was talking louder and more than he ever did. Marsha
noticed and looked over from Jess to Jake. When he caught her eye, he nodded
slightly. Marsha took the hint and joined right in, adding to the conversation
and the distraction.

“A colt, huh. Well we’ll just have to go on over and take a
look at him when breakfast is done, won’t we? Boys, does anyone need any more
coffee? There’s just a bit left and I need to start a new pot.” Marsha bustled
around, freshening up a couple of their cups.

* * * * *

After another minute or so, the conversation slowly started
to return to the room. By the time Mike walked in behind her, the noise level
was almost normal. She heard him walk up to her and turned just in time to
catch him staring at her too. When he looked all the way up to her eyes, he
nodded slightly before his, normally ever present, smile returned. Mike leaned
in and kissed her head, his standard greeting. And then he sauntered into the
kitchen to grab some coffee. She knew his deliberate choice not to comment on
her attire was designed to put her at ease. As she followed in his steps,
grabbing some coffee herself, she sent him a quick smile. He winked at her and
headed to the table. She glanced over to see Jake heading outside. He looked
back at her and, for just a second, she could see the heat flare in his eyes.
Then he was gone.

While she grabbed a plate, she could feel their eyes
watching her butt. But so far, no one had said anything, so she started to
relax a little. Still, she headed outside to eat on the porch swing. When she
walked out, she saw Jake sitting there, waiting for her. She smiled. She
couldn’t help it.

“I was hoping you’d come out here this morning. So, now that
we’re out of earshot, you look amazing. Really amazing.” He patted the seat
next to him. “Sit with me?”