The McGilley Trilogy (35 page)

“What will your brothers think of your new filly?” she asked as she wiped barbeque sauce from her lips and chin. The sandwiches were delicious, but damn messy.

Donovan studiously avoided looking at the way her tongue kept darting out and licking her lips as well as the fantasy provoking images that innocent action inspired. Shrugging at her question, he replied, “They’ll support whatever I want. I have no doubt they’ll fall in love with her as fast as I did and will like the challenge of raising such a rare breed.”

“It must be nice having siblings, especially ones you seem so close to.”

The wistful tone of her voice and reflected in her eyes caught his attention. “You’re an only child?”

“My parents were lucky to have me. They were in their late forties when I made a surprise appearance.” Wanting to quickly move the subject away from her and her family, she turned it back to him. “You guys must be close if you’re so sure of their support.”

She didn’t like to talk about herself or anything personal, and normally he felt the same way, but he was still curious about what had happened to her, now more than ever since she had so casually dismissed the man who had abused her so horribly as being any kind of threat.
Damn,
he thought with a little self-directed humor
, I’m discovering that it was much easier being fuck buddies with a woman than it was being just friends.

“They’ve had my back over the years, especially during our teens. I was the rebellious one.”

Well, they had that in common she thought ruefully. “Gave your parents a hard time, did you?”

“You could say that. Dad just ignored our behavior, putting it down to typical adolescence and left it to Jed, our foreman at the time, to keep us occupied. Mom was a different matter.”

His eyes, always so cool, glittered with humor and affection. “She was the strict one?”

Rolling his eyes, he said dryly, “Oh, yeah. By the time we returned to her at the end of summer, it took her that first week to get us back in line, but believe me, she managed to do it quickly and efficiently.”

Anna wished she had such fond memories of her childhood, even of disciplinary tactics. Her parents just preached constantly to her, quoted the bible and asked her to do better whenever she disappointed them. And damn if those guilt producing words and looks didn’t work. It seemed Donovan and his brothers had more fond childhood memories even though their parents were divorced than she had of being raised by both of hers.

“I think she must deserve a medal. Raising three boys couldn’t have been easy.”

Shit, there she went again, Donovan thought as she picked up a fry and nibbled on it. That mouth of hers could provoke a man into doing just about anything, even if he was determined not to. Trying to concentrate on the conversation instead of his semi-hard cock and visions of pushing his full erection passed those full, soft lips, he said, “Especially since neither Colin nor I are her biological kids.”

Surprise colored her voice as she replied, “Really? I hadn’t heard that.” Most of the rumors that circled around the McGilley brothers had to do with their obvious good looks, their single status, wealth and the speculation about their sexual exploits, and of Donovan the rumors included the time he spent as a prisoner of war in Iraq.

“Yeah,” he admitted dryly, “and considering Dad fathered the three of us in three years, while still married to mom, it’s surprising she didn’t castrate him.”

“Will there be anything else?” the waitress asked before setting their check on the table.

At Anna’s negative shake, Donovan said, “No, thank you,” then paid the bill, ignoring Anna’s protest and offer to get this meal. “I asked you, remember?”

Rising, they headed out to their trucks as she replied, “So, if I ask you somewhere, I’ll cover the charges, right?”

“We’ll see.” Opening her door, he added, “Thanks for coming today.”

“I enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to seeing her again when I check on Belle in a few days.”

Donovan watched her drive away, determined that this would be it, the last time he would give in to the urge to see her, to spend time with her, to fantasize about what he refused to even consider doing with her. He rarely went to the club during the week, usually he worked too late and was too tired to go out, but he just might consider making a visit tomorrow night to relieve some of this tension just being around Dr. Anna Kingston seemed to cause him.

He didn’t make it to the club the next night. One of the barn cats got into a brawl and needed stitches beyond his ability to do. For the third day in a row, he found himself at the clinic. After Anna tended to the feisty calico, he found himself asking her to dinner again, just as another thank you he told himself repeatedly through fish and chips and a game of pool at another downtown pub. Thursday he had to drive sixty miles east to do a spot follow-up on a recent purchase. New owners of their horses had to agree, in writing, to allow one of the McGilley’s to stop by unannounced for the first year after purchase to ensure the well-being of the horse, a practice that worked well to set their minds at ease. By mid-afternoon he caved to the desire to spend more time with her and before he knew it he was dialing the clinic and asking her if she was free to ride along with him. Her pause had him holding his breath, which had his temper starting to take hold, but then she had simply said yes. The relief he felt did nothing to cap his simmering, self-directed irritation over his failure to stay away from her or keep his thoughts from randomly straying in her direction.

Come Friday, he found himself anticipating her visit way too much, which royally pissed him off. He liked her way too much, had enjoyed the past few days with her way too much. Yesterday, on the drive back to Lexington, they had made an unplanned stop at one of the historical homes that had been converted into a fine dining restaurant. Dressed in jeans, they stood out, but neither of them seemed to care. Donovan wasn’t a wine and dine them kind of guy and much preferred going to a casual pub when he ate out, but he had enjoyed that dinner as much as the previous ones, which was why he was more determined than ever to make her visit today to check on Belle the last time he would see her. He was convinced she was safe from her abusive past, and that was all he had wanted to do. He was positive after he spent a few hours fucking tonight, this sexual tension and need she aroused in him would be gone.

The clinic usually closed early on Fridays, but an emergency had Anna running late, an emergency that she had been oddly grateful for. The more time she had spent with Donovan this week, the more she discovered she wanted to explore her sexual fantasies with him, which didn’t make sense because he gave her no indication whatsoever that he wanted her that way. Since meeting him last weekend, he hadn’t touched her, not even casually, yet she had gone home each day with damp panties and images swirling in her head that she hadn’t craved experiencing in over two years.

It was her interest in kinky sex and her dissatisfaction with their sex life that Todd had inadvertently discovered and that was responsible for his tirade against her. Guilt over her responsibility for that as well as the measures she had been forced to use to save herself had buried her desire for sex of any kind. Until now. Donovan, with his hard, chiseled features and even harder body, seemed to have awakened not only her dormant arousal but her desire to explore the unknown, the alternative sexual practices that promised to deliver those mind blowing climaxes she had never experienced.

Pulling into the gravel parking area in front of the McGilley stables, she watched the stunning amber gold of the sunset for a moment while she fortified her courage to go through with her plans. Looking down at her jeans and casual shirt, she admitted she certainly didn’t dress to encourage Donovan to agree to her request, but then again, she didn’t think he was the type of man to let a glimpse of cleavage or bare leg sway him. He fell more into the category of fuck ‘em and leave ‘em, which was fine by her as long as he left her with an introduction to the lifestyle she had craved to experience for so long.

The four college students who worked for Donovan came out the side door and were going to their vehicles as she got out of her truck. They acknowledged her with friendly waves, even the one who had inadvertently exposed her secret. The slight blush that spread across his face and the way he quickly got into one of the trucks made her want to reassure him that she wasn’t put out with him.
Well,
she thought as she went inside
, maybe if she saw him again she could let him know she held no hard feelings toward him.

Entering the stables, she walked slowly down the neatly swept aisle casually stroking a velvety nose or neck along the way. There was no sign of Donovan, so she let herself into Belle’s stall and did a thorough exam of the mare, marveling at how well she had recovered. The gangly colt was adorable and made her smile as he wobbled around the stall on his long, spindly legs. A soft neigh from the stall next to them drew her attention, and after latching their gate, she peaked over the next one to see Donovan’s new filly.

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Donovan asked, coming up beside her and resting his arms on the top of the hatch.

“Gorgeous. I can’t wait to see her next year when she’s fully grown.”

For some reason, her comment made him stiffen and move away from her. Looking at him, she noticed the cool look in his usually warm eyes first, second she saw the sheen of sweat on his face and neck and the damp spots on his denim shirt indicating he had been working hard at something. He smelled of hay, horse, sweat and man. Why she found that arousing, she didn’t know, but she did, and the unwelcoming look on his face did nothing to stop the slow curl of lust filling her.

“How did Belle check out?”

“Good, surprisingly so. You’ve obviously been taking good care of her. She can be turned out to pasture tomorrow.” It seems he was about as happy with her presence today as he was last week when she had shown up to assist with the delivery.

Nodding, Donovan ignored the look of hurt and confusion on her face. The sooner he sent her on her way and he got to the club, the sooner he could relieve this damnable tension she was responsible for. “Thanks for everything, Doc. Be sure and include this visit in your bill.”

Anna watched him simply turn and walk back into his office, casually take a seat behind his desk without bothering to close the door yet effectively shutting her out, and found herself fuming. She wasn’t about to waste the courage she had managed to build up in the last twenty-four hours and even his abrupt, surly attitude wasn’t enough to thwart her intentions.

Stopping in front of his desk, hands fisted on her hips, she glared down at him as he casually looked up at her and simply raised a brow in inquiry. “Tell me something, Donovan. What exactly were the last few days about? Why did you seek my company every damn day this week?”

She had a redhead’s temper
, he thought with amusement, but then quickly stifled his pleasure. “I told you, I just wanted to make sure you were safe from your abuser.”

“You did that the first day.”

“I was just being a friend. Do you have a problem with that?” he asked coolly as he tried to ignore the way her attitude was turning him on to the point of picturing her draped bare assed over his lap.

“No, not at all.” Turning from him, Anna walked slowly around his neat office, pretended to read and admire the plaques adorning the walls on his prize winning horses while she shored up her nerve. After a few tense moments of silence in which she could feel his eyes boring into her back, she took a deep breath, turned to face him again and blurted out, “What if I want more than friendship? What if I asked you to take me to your club, not Casey’s, but the private one upstairs?”

Surprise kept him silent as he wondered what she knew about the club. He had seen the interest, the attraction in her eyes these past few days as well as a speculative look he couldn’t decipher. Now he knew what she had been contemplating. The thought of her at the club, of her joining him there and agreeing to his demands both pissed him off and turned him on. It made him angry because that was exactly what he wanted and he knew he couldn’t have. That fact didn’t stop his cock from stiffening into a full erection.

“What the hell do you know about the second floor of Casey’s?” he asked sharply.

Anna could feel a warm flush steel over her face, but she didn’t let her embarrassment deter her when she had managed to come so far. “Your brother, Colin, let me and a friend of mine up there a few years ago just to watch for about thirty minutes. It was…for a special occasion.”

“And you think eyeing the activities we like to indulge in prepares you to participate?” he asked derisively. “Absolutely not, Anna. You’re not the type of woman to find pleasure in what you’d be subjected to there by me or anyone else.”

“How do you know?” she demanded. “For that matter, how will I ever know if I don’t experience it first hand?” She was back to glaring at him across the desk, her temper overriding her embarrassment, her hands fisted on her hips.

“You want to experience my lifestyle first hand?” he questioned silkily. He had to remain seated because his fucking cock was so hard he swore he could drill holes through concrete, but that response just made him determined to give her a short lesson that would either send her running or encourage her. His bet was on her fleeing, which was the only reason he was even considering it.

“Yes,” she answered bravely, determined to quit letting guilt rule her life. She couldn’t change the past, but that didn’t mean she had to spend the rest of her future paying penance for her actions. Two years and a scarred body was enough penance for her perceived sins.

“Fine,” he bit out, excitement warring with dread rushing through him as he pushed his chair back from the desk. “Come over here.”

His dominating attitude thrilled her, had her nipples in hard points and her pussy creaming as she slowly walked around the desk and stood before him.