The Cowboy Takes A Slave (Cowboys & Cowgirls) (2 page)

“Yes, I think I do know that,”
she replied.

***

It had been two hours since the kiss. Jake couldn’t stop thinking about the way her body felt up next to his, the way she sounded, her little sighs of appreciation. Her tongue. Dear God. Bringing his horse to a stop, he dismounted and walked over to the embankment that overlooked a river on the south end of his property. He was finally by himself. He got his wish, and it was wonderful. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his Chambray shirt from his waist and tossed it over his head. He hadn’t done this since he was a kid, and he’d been wanting to for a long while now. There was always someone around, and for once, he was alone.

Lorna watched him come to a stop at the top of a hill. She felt bad for the way she treated him earlier. She was just as much at fault as he was. She acted indignant, when she was anything but. He stirred her. She hadn’t felt that way in a long, long time.

As she approached on the paint that one of the ranch hands saddled for her, she dismounted and made her way toward him. But when she got there, she caught a quick glimpse of skin before she heard a splash, and then a “Holy shit!”

Turning, she tried to get away unnoticed, but of course, today wasn’t her day.

“Lorna?” Jake asked. Lorna turned and had tried to smile, but ended up looking miserable.

“What’s wrong?”
Jake asked quickly.

“Oh, nothing. I was just…”

“Did something happen?” he asked, stepping out of the pond before he remembered that he was completely naked.

Lorna’s eyes widened again, her skin was hot. Really h
ot. The man had a body. A very…impressive body.

“I’m so…
Oh my God,” he said quickly, but Lorna laughed.

“Really? Oh, this is great.
You’re laughing!”

Lorna just realized what he meant, and she tried to explain, but as she was doing it, she saw his smile. And then a hand reached out and pulled her in.

“Jake!” Lorna cried. “Holy…”

“Shit, right? This water is freezing!”
Jake laughed.

“God, yes it is! Oh my God! What the hell is wrong with you?” Lorna asked, trying to find warmth in the water. Where the hell was all of the warm pockets when you needed them?
Jake came closer. His skin was cool, but she could feel a warmth that had nothing to do with the water, burn from inside.

“Why did you come up here, Lorna?”
he asked. His eyes were a dark brown. And his brown hair was slightly waved, without his cowboy hat on. He looked all rugged and sexy and…

“I came to tell you,” she said, looking at his mouth.

“What?” Jake asked, using his hands to warm her back, he stroked her. Long, soft, burning strokes.

“This,” she said, then she kissed him.

The kiss was even better than before. It was wild, carnal, and it was the most passionate Jake had ever felt about anything. This was better than riding, ranching, anything. His hands went to the front of her blouse, and he looked into her eyes for permission. She whispered yes. That was all it took.

Slowly, he unbuttoned her shirt, caressing the outsides of her breasts until the blouse was completely open. He brought the sides down her shoulders, capturing her arms at the elbows and dipping his head to her taut peaks. She was beautiful, voluptuous, and her nipples were hard and ready. He first licked them, taking his time, enjoying the feel of this woman in his mouth. Then with an urgency he had never felt before, he sucked hard on one, while playfully tugging at the other. She moaned in passion. His dick was so hard right now that he could barely stand it. She looked like a goddess, naked before him. And he feasted on her. She brought her hand down slowly, testing, teasing, until she grabbed hold of him, stroking. Jake let his head fall back as she moved her hand up and down. He watched her eyes, full of passion, as she played with him. It was nearly his undoing. Then she stopped, peeled her pants off, and threw them up on the embankment. The water no longer felt cool against their skin.

He pulled her toward him, and moved his body until he was between her thighs. She was the sexies
t woman that he had ever seen, and she was ready and willing to be with him. He thought he’d died and gone to heaven.

Climbing on to his erection, Lorna moaned. He was larger than the only other man that she’d been with. He filled her completely, making her body ache as he moved. Slowly at first, then at a steadier rhythm. He touched her breast
s with his hands, squeezed them, and licked them with his tongue as she rode him. The water splashed up on them, keeping her breasts hardened buds. She could feel every wisp of the wind as his tongue licked, and the wind kissed her body with its chill. Climbing off him, she pulled herself up the embankment and turned to look at him. His eyes closed, before opening up to her. She held her hand out, and he smiled.

“I want to see all of you,” she said, shyly.
Jake grinned and laid her down in the grass. Immediately, he found her center and they were rolling, feeling, touching. He pumped hard into her as her hands went to his ass and grabbed. He moved harder, faster and steady as she cried out.

“
Jake, oh, Jake!”

“That’s it, Lorna,”
Jake cooed. “Tell me what you want.”

Lorna moved her hips up to meet his, harder and faster. She’d never made love like this in her entire life. Such passion, such heat. She reached up and pinched one of his nipples hard.
Jake let out a soft cry, and she did the other. His thrusts became wild, and she knew that he was ready.

“Come for me,
Jake.”

“Lorna, that was…hell, that was perfect,” Jake said. One hand was underneath her neck and the other was on her side. She was curled in his arms, facing him. She smiled shyly.

“Yeah, it was,” she said. She licked her lips, relishing in the feeling of just making love, when it hit her. She slept with a man for money!

Her body froze, and she knew he could feel it.

“What?”
Jake asked; his head dipped down as his hand came to her chin, lifting it up so he could see her eyes.

“I’m a whore!” she gasped. “Oh, my God! I can’t believe it!”

He laughed. “What?”

“I’m a…
don’t you laugh at me, Jake Tavers!” she scolded. “You heard me! I’m a…Oh my God, what have I done?”

“Well, I’m offended!”
Jake exclaimed.

“Oh, please! You and your…
well, that,” she gestured to his naked body as she stood up. Looking for her clothes, she walked closer to the water. Picking the articles up, she rang them out, completely unabashed by her nakedness.

Jake
watched her dress. “I can help if you’d like?”

“Oh, God,” she said, disgusted. “I have sex for the first time in
six years, and I get this? Heaven help me!”

Six
years?
Hell, he felt special. It’d been two for him. “Listen, I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean, just a minute ago you were saying it was great.” Jake stood now and started to put on his jeans. They gave him a little trouble pulling up. His skin was still wet.

“Throw that in my face, why don’t ya!”

“Lorna, listen…It wasn’t like that, you know it wasn’t.”

“What? This wasn’t just sex for money? God,
Jake, don’t be stupid! You are just mad because you paid for the entire week! Well, I’m not giving you anything else for this week, I’ll tell you that!”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
he yelled. Now he was pissed. He just had a wonderful time with a woman, a woman he thought was damned near perfect, and now this? Psycho as the rest of them!

“Oh, don’t you act like this was a love match! You came into my…”

Jake’s face fell. He put his hat back on his head and mounted his horse. “I’ll go first.”

“Okay,” she said quietly. “Wait!”

“Don’t worry, Ma’am,” Jake said, tipping his hat. “I won’t let anyone know that you…slipped up with me.” And with that, he was gone.

Chapter Two

L
orna sat back down in the grass next to the spot where she had just made love with Jake Tavers. She could already feel the soreness of her muscles creeping in. Four years was a long time. The last man that she had slept with was her ex-husband, John. John was in the Marine Corps, currently in Texas. They were married for five years, and had a son together. Liam was five. And it had been nearly six years since she slept with another man.

Her husband was abusive, to put it mildly. He started out sweet in their relationship, always sending little notes, carving their names into things—trees, desks, silly little things like that, and then they got married.

He wanted children right away. She was too scared to bring a child into their relationship. She always gave excuses to herself for his behavior. When he left for deployment he would send her letters, apologizing for his ways. She fell in love with him each time he left, but when he came back, the love stopped.

She started Kids Kare nearly six years ago when she found out she was pregnant. She always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, taking care of her little one, sharing kisses and peanut butter sandwiches, but John wanted her to work. He said time and again that if she had ever had his children, she would not be sitting around eating bon-bons all day.

Lorna sighed;
Jake wasn’t John that much was true. She never felt passion the way she felt in the moments that she knew Jake. Hell, she technically hadn’t even known him for a day! And yet, she already slept with him!

After
Jake left Kids Kare the day before, Lorna’s mom said that there was something about him that she liked. That she had a good feeling about him. Lorna, for some reason, felt the same way. She didn’t know how to explain it. She always hated the word fate, but in this instance, she felt it weighing heavily on her conscience.

“What the hell am I going to do now?” Lorna said to herself, before standing up and mounting her horse.

***

Jake was sitting on the front stoop of the porch when Lorna finished with her horse. He had to hand it to her, she could ride. He watched her fly in from the field and down to the stables. The woman was a catch. Hell if he knew how to rope her in—especially after the way she acted after sex. Jake shook the thoughts away as he heard his phone ringing. Standing up, he walked inside and got the cordless. “Hello, this is Tavers.”

“
Jake! It’s Jenny. Everything’s okay, but I really need you.”

There was something odd about her voice. “Jenny, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Sarah. She’s…well, she’s really sick, and I can’t. I can’t afford the medical bills, and she is just…she’s asking for you.”

Sarah was his niece, Jenny’s daughter. “Jenny, what happened?”
Jake asked as Lorna walked up to the front steps, she knocked on the door. He motioned for her to come in.

“Jenny, slow down. Jenny, stop
crying, I can’t understand you…Jenny, put Sarah on the phone.”

Jenny?
Lorna thought.
Sarah?

“Sarah, it’s U
ncle Jake. How’s my sweetheart?” Jake said softly. Lorna sighed, then sat down at the table. He followed, pulling out the chair next to hers.

“I’m sick again, Uncle
Jakey.”

He
thought he’d be sick. His Sarah was only seven years old and she had been in the hospital more times in her lifetime than he had. Jake swallowed, his voice rough, “Baby, you know I’m here for you. I will be for the rest of my life.”

“What if I die, Uncle
Jakey?”

“I’m not going to let that happen, Sarah,”
Jake said. “Listen, baby, I need to talk to your momma; you put her on the phone, and go pack your suitcase. You and mommy need to come see me. The horses miss you.”

“Okay. Love you,
Jakey. Mommy, Uncle Jakey said to pack my suitcase.” Jake could hear the excitement in his niece’s voice.

“
Jake, you know we can’t come to the ranch—Charlie.”

Jake
’s demeanor changed. Lorna could feel the slight chill in the air. “Listen to me, Sis, if Charlie has a problem with you two coming to visit your only brother, then I will come take care of it myself.”

“
Jake, you know…”

“No, Sis, I don’t. You listen to me. Sarah is sick, and it’s time that we get her to a good hospital. Byron’s is one of the top cancer research hospitals in the world, and I live less than thirty-five minutes away from it. Besides, the ranch is perfect for a family, and I miss having mine around. Sarah will love it. And she hasn’t gotten to see her pony for a long time now. Someone needs to love it.”

Lorna went to stand; the conversation seemed way too personal for her to be listening in on it, but when she moved, Jake grabbed her hand and pulled her over to his lap.

“Sis, I’ll be waiting for you and the kid. Don’t make me come over and get you.”

Jenny laughed, “I suppose we can get away for a while.”

“You do that,”
he said, then hung up the phone. Instantly, his arms wrapped around Lorna for a hug. She stiffened briefly, then surrendered to it, wrapping her arms around him, too. And he did something that he had never done before in front of a woman. He cried.

THE NEXT FEW DAYS went by in a blur. Lorna helped Jake get the house into shape, sweeping out rooms, dusting, knocking out a few cobwebs, and prettying up the place. Lorna picked some flowers and put them in vases all over the ranch, making the once drab surroundings cheerful in comparison. She also helped him move a small twin bed into a room that overlooked the stables.
There,
Jake thought, his niece would have the perfect view of the horses; Lorna thought so, too. They hadn’t talked about their first time making love once since that afternoon by the pond. He didn’t want to bring up anything that would ruin their time together, and he was pretty sure that was why she was keeping it out of range, too. Inevitably, it would have to be discussed, he was sure. He only had four more days until his contract was up, and he sure as hell needed more time than that.

Walking over to the coffee pot,
he started the brew. He rolled his neck to the side. His shoulders were stiff. He’d been working hard around the house, around the ranch, and of course, repairing fence lines at ridiculous hours. Within seconds of his first neck roll, Lorna reached up and massaged his shoulders. Surprised, he flinched, making her stop and ask if it was okay.

“Are you kidding?” he said, smiling. “I haven’t had a massage in a very long time.”

“Well you did jump!” she joked.

“Hell, I was shocked.”

Lorna laughed. “Well, consider me the jumper cables. So, have you heard from your sister again?”

Jake
knew she knew the answer to the question before it was out of her mouth. Hell, when he was in the house, she was in the house. They were like magnets, moving around each other in perfect sync. “No, I did get a text, though. She and Sarah will be here in two more days.”

Lorna was quiet, not knowing how to place the information. She had four more days of ‘Slavedom’, and his sister and niece would be here for two of them. It didn’t seem enough time.

“You okay?” Jake asked, leaning his head back. He could smell her perfume. She smelled like jasmine. He wondered if she laid down in the fields earlier, when he was working. He closed his eyes, taking in the scent.

“Yeah, I’m…
Yes. That’s great. I bet you miss her.”

Jake
exhaled. “Yeah, I do. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah, she moved out shortly after our father died.”

“Oh,
Jake, I’m sorry; I didn’t know.” Lorna stopped the massage and he turned around to face her.

“That’s okay, it happened three years ago. Sis couldn’t handle the memories here, and she took her little family and moved a few states away. She got a divorce last year, and her ex,
Charlie
,” he said his name with disgust, “forbade her to come here.”  Lorna’s eyes widened at the last part of information.

“Yeah, I had the same reaction. I told my sister that this was her home, but I think she’s afraid that Charlie will sue for custody or something. He doesn’t like me much.”

“How can anyone—”

Jake
smiled. “Not like me? Well, I think he felt that Jenny should have been left the ranch. It was a big sore spot with him.”

“You mean your family didn’t leave it to her, too?”

“Well, mom left Jenny her legacy…jewelry, money, clothes… And dad…well, dad had the ranch. It was in his blood, just like it’s in mine. Don’t get me wrong, I’d give half of it to Jenny if she wanted it, but she doesn’t. She never did. She told dad that. We always knew…”

“Still, though, it’s got to hurt that he didn’t leave her something.”

“Oh, he did. He left her the wells.”

“Wells?”

“She has 10 shares in oil. Jenny isn’t poor at all, but you don’t know that. And I mean it. You don’t know that. Jenny, doesn’t know that. I have the certificates here. That’s why I want her here. Dad specifically told me not to leak part of the will out; it was also put in a codicil with the lawyer. Jenny’s husband isn’t a trustworthy man. When dad found out about him hitting her, well…”

“He hit her?” Lorna looked outraged.

“Yep. Son-of-a-bitch spent the night in jail once for it. She got away, but for some reason she is sticking around him.”

Lorna froze. That’s exactly how she was.

“What’s got your tongue?”

“Nothing,” she replied quietly.

“That’s a whole lot of nothing,” Jake said.

“You don’t know the half of it.”

ON DAY FOUR
, LORNA got a call from her mom. Her son, Liam, wasn’t feeling well. Her mother tried to hold off calling her, but it didn’t look like it was going to blow over. “Mom, I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”

“Well, honey, usually these things just go away. I know you are just having a great time over there, and I didn’t want to bother your romantic getaway!”

“Mom! There’s nothing…”

Just then Jake walked into the kitchen, and smiled at Lorna. “Good morning, would you like a cup of coffee?”

Lorna held up one finger, and motioned that she was on the phone. Jake smiled. “Your mother?”

Lorna nodded. “Mom, put him on the phone.”

“Liam, honey, what’s wrong?”

Liam? Honey?

Jake didn’t look at her, but he listened closely to the conversation. This Liam,
Honey
, character wasn’t feeling well… and for some reason it was Lorna’s problem. Jake didn’t understand what was going on, but he wasn’t too happy that he had made love to this woman, and she had a damn boyfriend! Or worst yet, a husband! Walking over to the table, Jake sat down with his cup, nearly spitting out its contents when she ended the call with “Mommy loves you”.

Lorna looked at him like nothing at all was different. “Mommy loves you?” Jake asked, then swallowed.

“I have a five year old son named Liam,” Lorna challenged.

“Well, that’s…
that’s good.”

Lorna smiled sardonically. “Yes it is. Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Tavers?”

“No, I don’t have a problem with that; I just think that maybe you could have mentioned that, I don’t know, earlier! What about your husband?”

“My
ex
-husband and I haven’t been together since Liam was two! Do you think I’m the type of woman that sleeps with a man that has a husband?”

“No, but I also didn’t think you would lie to me, either!”

Lorna was outraged. Sure, she omitted some information, but this wasn’t a serious affair. This was just…she didn’t know what it was, but there were no promises made.

“I didn’t lie to you! And you sure as hell didn’t tell me about your sister and her kid until after!”

“That is not the same thing, and you know it!”

“Whatever.”

“Oh, nice. Yeah,
whatever.
” Jake stood up and went over to the sink, emptying his cup’s contents. “Is he alright?”

“What?” Lorna said quietly, slumping down in her chair. The fire seemingly gone out of her.

“Your boy, is he okay?”

Lorna took a deep breath and then exhaled. Liam. “Oh my God. I have to go!” Lorna stood up abruptly, and nearly fainted.

“Hey, are you okay?” Jake was there in a second, hands on her shoulders, comforting.

“I’m…
I’m fine. I have to go. I’m sorry, but my son needs me.”

“Definitely. Let me drive you.”

“I have my car, Jake,” Lorna said, grabbing her keys from the counter.

“I know, it’s just. Well, you don’t look so good.” Lorna huffed. “Before you go all crazy on me, I meant that you just about fainted. I don’t think you should be driving.”