Into His Keeping (7 page)

“Yeah.”

“She doesn’t stick to it?”

“Doesn’t like it.”

“So? It’s good for her.” Holdin scowled. “How often does she go off it?”

“None.” Drifter answered as he glanced around the large yard and outbuildings.

“Then why’re you worried?”

“She forgets things. I just make sure. I gotta drive the car around to the garage. Since you’re here, you could open the door for me.” Drifter pulled the car keys out of his pocket, turned away to lope around to the front of the house where Jill had parked.

Holdin watched him, frowning. What had that been about? Was the boy afraid he wouldn’t let him drive the car around to the garage? Not likely, Holdin had been driving equipment around the ranch when they visited from the time he could reach the pedals. Or was Drifter embarrassed about admitting he kept an eye on his mother? Another thing Holdin had no problem with.

Holdin shook his head and took off at a jog to make it across the nearly three acres of lawn to the garage before Drifter got there with the car. Entering the equipment garage, he activated the electric door. Drifter backed the car onto the lift skids as if he’d been doing it for years. Jumping out, the boy adjusted the fit and operated the hydraulic lift with an obvious knowledge of its workings. Holdin stood back as the car went up. He didn’t offer assistance because he suspected Drifter needed to prove he could do this.

Being a father was a huge mystery but Holdin figured he knew how to be a friend. That had to be the place they started. He knew for a fact Drifter had no idea how to be a son, so both of them were SOL on that one.

Working in silence, they removed the front passenger side wheel to have a look at the brake pads. Holdin took the stance of assistant as if he’d seen Drifter do this a thousand times and had no doubt he could do it well. The dark clouds whirling around the teen’s head seemed to dissipate when he realized Holdin really wasn’t going to start trying to instruct him on how to do the job.

* * * * *

Jill was groggily aware of the door softly closing behind Holdin as she hugged the pillow and sank back into the lovely dream she’d been having. She’d heard Drifter’s voice and that made her smile softly as she faded back to the past. She knew it was a dream and reached for it.

Eighteen again
,
she was at the movies with Holdin and several of his friends the first Friday night after her father and she had moved to Connersville
.
Her dad had been amazed she had a date already
.
He was exhausted from his first week of work at the factory
.
He was genuinely pleased she was making a new group of friends
.
It meant she was integrating into her surroundings
,
not sitting home alone feeling lonely and all
“
new girl
”.

The cool
,
late winter night enveloped Jill in loving arms as the present receded and she was sitting in the dark theater beside Holdin
.
Their shoulders were touching and tingles raced down her body at the contact that wasn
’
t as casual as they hoped it appeared
.
First date and surrounded by others
,
it had been safe and exciting all at the same time
.
The shadowy dreamscape morphed him and her to a few months later to a warm loft over the foaling barn on Holdin
’
s parents
’
ranch
.

A private picnic evolved into hours of Holdin showing Jill how high he could make her fly
.
On this day
,
he
’
d stripped her clothes off in a long
,
languorous make
-
out session
.
His mouth ate her taste into him
,
loving her
,
drawing her soul into the shadowy loft as he growled his passion
.
When he was like this
,
she knew it
’
d be hours of progressively intense demands from her lover
.

In the foggy dream reality
,
the memory poured over her
,
bathing her body in the fire Holdin had demanded of her that long
-
ago afternoon
.
Stretched out on the blanket
,
her body was his instrument and the more intense he became
,
the more finely tuned she became
.

One large hand was molding her breast exactly how she loved to be touched
.
He could cup her
,
pressing down in slow circles as thumb and forefinger rolled a plump nipple in relentless rhythm
.
It was heavenly and maddening
.
His deep
,
slow kisses combined with that touch were driving her crazy
.

He
’
d completely undressed her but only his shirt and shoes were off and her hands fumbled to reach his belt buckle
.
He caught them and drew them over her head
,
trapping them in one of his hands
.

“
No
,
baby
,”
he growled
,
lifting his head from her swollen lips to look down at her
.
“
Not yet
.”
His breathing was ragged as he lifted his head farther to survey his prize
.

“
Damn
!”
Holdin murmured reverently as his gaze traveled over her body with arms restrained
.
Jill
’
s delicious hips were gently rocking in invitation
,
the slick evidence of her pleasure glistening on her thighs as she rubbed them together
,
trying to give herself some relief since he hadn
’
t touched her there yet
.

Jill moaned
,
all she could manage was a plea
.
“
More
.
I need it
.”

“
It
’
s comin
’,
baby
.
Stay just like that
,
don
’
t move
.”
He released her hands and abruptly pulled his tube socks off
.
“
Do you trust me
?”
he asked softly
.

“
Yes
,”
Jill whispered back as she lay stretched out under his eyes
.
He stared at her a long moment without moving
.
Her body was burning with need
.
She arched her back slowly
,
setting the soft mounds of her breasts shuddering
,
and drew her legs apart for him
.
His body jerked in reaction to her visual tease as she knew it would
.
Her smile was a naughty moue
.

Holdin leaned his face down to her ear
.
“
I told you not to move
,
my wicked little wildcat
.
Now I
’
m going to see that you understand me
.”
He sat up slowly and held up one of his long tube socks so she could see it then reached up and swiftly used it to bind her wrists together
.

Jill gasped and he looked directly into her eyes as she heard a clink and click above her head and then she couldn
’
t tug her restrained arms down
.
His fingers were trailing down the soft skin of her arms as she tried to twist her head up and see what he
’
d done
.

“
What
?”

“
Shhhh
,
Jilly
-
girl
.
Do you know how beautiful you are
?”
His fingers teased down the tender skin of her underarms
,
down to cup the full breasts
.
His thumbs both gently circling swollen nipples but not giving her the harder caress she wanted
.

“
But what
…”
Jill gasped
.

“
Do you trust me
?”
he interrupted again
,
not taking his eyes off her breasts this time as he teased them
.

“
Yes
.”
Jill relaxed and stopped trying to look up at what he
’
d done to her wrists
.
His attention to her sensitive breasts was too distracting to worry about her hands
.

He leaned down and lightly licked one plump nipple
,
carefully painting it with damp attention that wasn
’
t the hard touch she was beginning to crave
.
He blew across his glistening prize and watched it distend farther for him before he glanced up into her eyes again
.

“
Are you uncomfortable
?
In pain
?
Is the position a problem for those reasons
?”
he questioned her in a firm voice that sort of startled her
.

“
No
.”

“
Then this is the trust I need from you now
,”
he continued as his knuckles grazed her soft belly in a circling pattern that was almost a feather touch to her sensitive skin
.
“
If anything scares you
,
all you have to say is stop
.
You know that
,
Jilly
-
girl
.”

She nodded
,
her entire body beginning to tremble in excitement as she realized his intentions
.
Her legs were once again pressed together
,
rubbing in a vain attempt to create some friction for her needy pussy
.
Her hips continued to roll slightly as she squirmed
.
His large hand opened on her belly
.
He nearly spanned her from hipbone to hipbone
,
pressing her down and holding her still
.

Jill started panting
.
His strength was always a turn
-
on
,
but this type of control was new
.
Something about it was amazingly hot
.
She wasn
’
t afraid of him
,
she couldn
’
t be
.
This was her Holdin and he always took care of her
.

“
Are you mine
?”
he asked her mysteriously as he began petting her belly
.

“
Yesss
,”
she hissed
,
his fingers grazed the top of her damp curls and maddingly circled up again instead of sinking into where she needed them
.

“
You know I love you
,”
he continued
.
He was kneeling beside her
,
his gaze on his own hand as he caressed her
.
“
I
’
d never hurt you
,
never
.
Let me show you how much
,
baby
.
Give me your trust
.”

“
Yes
,
please
!
Now
!”
Jill encouraged him as he just sat there watching his hand on her belly
.

“
Spread your legs
,
baby
,”
he commanded softly
.
“
Show me how much you want me
.”

Jill
’
s legs V
’
d apart
.
“
Wider
,”
he insisted
,
and she extended them as far as they would go
,
digging her heels into the soft blanket beneath them to lift her hips up for his touch
.

“
No
,
baby
.
Put that sweet ass back on the blanket
.”
His tone was firm again
.
“
Turn your heels in and lay your legs open for me
.”

She did what he told her
,
laying herself open for him as she
’
d never been before
.
Soft lighting glistened on damp inner thighs
,
sparkling curls and the swollen folds of her most private flesh exposed to his view
,
at his command
.
Jill felt her body tighten in an unbelievable mix of embarrassment and excitement
.
It wasn
’
t as if he
’
d never seen her before
.
His mouth had investigated every inch of her many
,
many times
.
But this was different and more intensely erotic than she
’
d ever experienced before
.