Naked Hunger: Naked Cowboys, Book 8 (9 page)

Sable was amazed at how ready she was with so little foreplay. But then, hadn’t all those very sexy looks he’d been giving her at Mike’s been foreplay? The other women certainly had noticed it and hadn’t hesitated to mention it. What was she going to do about it? Sex with Ryan was off the charts, especially with no messy emotions involved. But she needed to keep herself under tighter control when they were out in public. So did he.

Ryan curled his fingers in her channel and bit down on her clit, and any thoughts dancing around in her brain disappeared as her orgasm came crashing down on her. Ryan was relentless with his clever mouth and fingers pushing her higher and higher. Her body bowed with the spasms, until at last she crested and the climax slowed. Eased. Halted.

She lay there panting, eyes closed, trying to regain some sense of self when she heard his low, rumbling laugh. She looked down the length of her body at him through eyes barely open. His smile was outrageously self-satisfied.

“I love pushing your buttons like that.”

She unclenched her hands and brushed some errant strands of hair out of her face. “And I love having you do that. I’d say more, but your ego is already big enough.”

He chuckled again. “And think. We’ve only just gotten started.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t you have work to do at the ranch tomorrow? You’ll need your strength.”

“It’s under control. Besides, my hot veterinarian, sex with you energizes me.”

When he pushed himself to his knees, she dropped her gaze automatically to his cock. Standing proudly away from his body. As always, she was amazed at its size, its thickness, at her body’s ability to accept it. Even though she had barely recovered from the climax he’d just brought her to, already the inner walls of her pussy were thrumming with need and her nipples ached for the touch of his fingers and his mouth.

Ryan’s eyes burned with the knowledge and that same wicked smile curved his lips.

“Happy to oblige,” he said, as if she’d spoken the words.

“No, wait.” She hitched herself up to a sitting position. “My turn now.”

He frowned as she knelt and pushed his body back on the bed. He lifted one eyebrow, studying her.

“Can I ask what you’ve got in mind?”

“I’d rather show you than tell you.”

Licking her lips in anticipation, she slid one hand between his thighs. She glided her fingers across the soft sac of his balls and up to curve them around the root of his shaft.

She squeezed lightly and licked the velvety surface of the head.

“Jesus!” Ryan nearly came off the bed. “Easy, darlin’. I’m primed and ready.”

“But I haven’t had my fun yet,” she teased as she took his length in her mouth.

“I don’t think you’ll have too much time for fun,” he told her in a strangled voice. “It won’t take too much to tip me over the edge.”

“Let’s see.”

She drew her tongue across the head again, then down one side of his cock and up the other, her slim yet strong fingers squeezing the base. He was already so close to exploding he had to reach for his control. Just seeing Sable could turn him on. Seeing and touching her naked body made his cock harden to the point of pain. And bringing her to orgasm with his mouth and fingers, tasting her spicy sweetness, riding her through intense spasms, brought him right to the edge himself.

He wanted to tell her to stop, but the feel of her velvet lips on his shaft was so good he wanted her to do it more. The touch of those strong fingers, pressing in just the right places, made his balls ache. He closed his eyes and gave himself over to the pleasure, the glide of her wet mouth doing tantalizing things to his nerve endings. Electric sensations glided through him, pushing him closer and closer to the brink. Finally, when he knew he was dangerously close to the edge, he twisted her hair in his fingers and pulled her head up.

“Next time, I’ll let you finish,” he rasped. “But right now, I want to come inside that sweet cunt of yours.”

He shifted their positions on the bed, ripped the foil on one of the condoms, rolled it on and then arranged her on her hands and knees. He smoothed one palm over the curve of each cheek. God, she was incredible. He was getting to the point where her friends-with-benefits thing wasn’t working so well for him anymore. He wanted more. A lot more. He just had to figure out how to convince her that they could have it all—his ranch, her practice, and a life together where he would never make unreasonable demands on her.

He licked the tip of one finger and drew it through the hot crevice of her ass, pausing a moment to press against the tight ring of her anus.

“Next time,” he promised, “I’m going to fuck you here. When you’re good and hot and ready, I’ll slide my cock into this tight channel and take you on a trip you’ve never been on before.”

She moaned softly.

He slid two fingers inside her, amazed at how quickly she was ready for him again.

“God, Sable. I can’t believe you’re ready for me again so fast.”

“Mmm hmm. That’s what taking you in my mouth does for me.”

Jesus.
He was only making himself hotter, and he was already at the boiling point. Sucking in a breath, he took his inflamed cock in his hand, nudged her opening and very slowly, slowly, slowly slid inside her. He had to stop a moment when he was fully enclosed and gather himself so it wouldn’t be over too soon. Sable was still hot and ready, her wet walls gripping him like a vise, her hot liquid bathing him.

Then he gathered himself and began a measured, steady stroking motion, in and out, back and forth. The little sexy sounds she made only urged him on, and he stepped up the pace. Soon she was rocking with him, thrusting her hips back at him each time he drove forward. They moved as one, as if everything was choreographed, hard and fast. The heat of her cunt was searing him, even through the condom, and he was perilously close to the edge. Reaching one hand around her hip, he found her clit and rubbed it and pulled it.

It was just enough, for both of them. They exploded together, everything around them ceasing to exist. He felt catapulted into a dark vortex, spinning and whirling, everything focused on the spasming of Sable’s inner walls and the pulsing of his cock inside her. He had the sensation of a rocket exploding inside him and tossing him into a whirlpool of sensation. It went on and on, the only thing punctuating his mind the sound of Sable’s hot, sensuous cries as they came and came and came together.

He barely had the strength to ease himself from her and pad to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. Then he was back in her bed, spooning his body around hers, pulling the covers over them. He stroked her arm and her shoulder and kissed the slender column of her neck and behind her ear. She had come to mean so much to him in such a short time. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep up this
just-friends
thing with her. He wanted so much more. He’d just have to find a way to show her it could work.

“I’ll leave before it gets light,” he told her. “I set my phone alarm. But right now I just want to cuddle up to your naked body.”

“’S all right,” she murmured, and wiggled comfortably against him.

He tightened his hold, relishing the feel of her silken skin against him as he drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Five

Sable had been coming out to Ryan’s ranch about six most mornings to get in an hour riding Clover before she started her day. Usually, he rode with her, enjoying the sense of just the two of them out there in the middle of nowhere. But today there was important business to attend to, so they’d put off the ride. Red Danger was delivered early in the morning and that was the key focus of the day. She watched while he and Sonny spent a good bit of time getting the animal settled in his new digs.

Now, Ryan watched carefully as she walked up to the prize bull in his special stall. Like the one they had for Brutus, it was twice as wide as the others, was bedded with extra straw and had padding on the walls. They had let him out into the special area cordoned off just for the two bulls so he could get some exercise and work off some of the energy stored up during the trip from the seller’s. Right now, only Brutus used the area. The other bulls were turned out into the closest pasture one or two at a time, carefully watched and kept away from the cows so there was no injury or worse, accidental impregnation. He’d spent too much money on his breeding bulls to have them mate with just any of the cows.

After the next rodeo season, with the contracts he had, he planned to build yet another barn, with pens rather than stalls, and a special bull walker. He’d start small, with a few of the bulls, and add to it the following year as the larger contracts came in. He hoped.

Red Danger was now in the restraint stall, ready for Sable to give him the once-over. He leaned against the wall. Watching her carefully. He’d been impressed with the way she’d given Brutus an exam when she’d first arrived. This fascinated him even more. He was sure she harbored some fear of the animal. If she was smart, she would, just as everyone did with an animal weighing sixteen hundred pounds and bred to buck. But you’d never know it to watch her.

“Well?” He couldn’t keep silent any longer. If she found something wrong with the animal, he’d be on the horn to the seller in a hot second.

She turned to him and smiled. “He’s perfect, Ryan. A fine, healthy specimen. I can’t wait to see the calves he sires. Have you picked the ones you want to mate with him yet?”

“I have.” He nodded. “The hands and I tagged the first four we’ll use. We’ll be bringing them in from the pasture and putting them in that smaller area close to the barn so we can monitor their heat readiness. This big guy will have a chance to get used to his new surroundings before we tap into him.”

“Sounds good.”

“So how about coming up to the house for a quick cup of coffee? Or do you have to get right back to the clinic?”

Sable pushed back her sleeve to check her watch. “I have a little time. Let’s get this big guy back in his regular stall first and let me observe him a little. Then I’ll be up for my coffee.”

“Okay. I’ll get Sonny to help me here.”

They had just moved Red Danger back to his regular stall when Ryan’s cell phone rang. He checked the readout. His new contact at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

“I’ll need to take this up at the house,” he told Sable. “Just come on up to my office when you’re finished here.”

The call took a little more than ten minutes. He had just hung up and walked back into the kitchen when Sable came in through the back door.

“Whew!” She pretended to wipe sweat from her forehead. “That’s some monster out there. Excellent conformation. You’ll have some very valuable bulls out of him.”

“I’m hoping. I’ll want you at each of the births too. I’m not taking any chances.”

She grinned. “I wouldn’t expect less. Now how about that coffee.”

They had just finished and Ryan had taken the cups to rinse when Sonny came barging through the back door.

“Boss, boss. Holy fucking shit. Better get out here right away.” His face was red, he was sweating and he looked scared.

Ryan’s blood chilled. “What’s going on? What the hell’s the matter?”

“It’s Red Danger. Come on. He’s out.”

“Out? What do you mean
out
?”

He brushed past Sonny, leaped off the back porch and headed across the yard to the barn. Manny was standing there, waving them on.

“He got into the pasture, boss. Come on.”

Ryan raced through the barn, and sure enough, his brand-new pedigreed
expensive
bull was not in the barn where he belonged. Not in his stall. The door to the stall was wide open and Red Danger was in the near pasture with the small herd of cows Ryan was keeping there. The gate to the pasture also stood open.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Sonny, help me here.”

It took them the better part of a half hour to return things to normal. No one was happy, not even the bull or the cows. He was just fortunate Red Danger hadn’t decided to get lucky with any of his cows. All his careful planning could have been right out the window. When everything was back to relative normal, he dropped down on a bench in the wide barn aisle and drew a deep breath.

“How in the fucking hell did this happen?” he asked Sonny. “We’re so damn careful around here.”

Sonny shook his head. “I don’t know. I was with one of the horses in the other barn, and all the other guys are in the north pasture riding fence. Manny was helping me and then needed something from this barn. He went to get it and discovered what had happened.” He stared at Ryan. “Said the only person he saw around here was Dr. Hunter. But she wouldn’t—”

“Sable.” He smacked his hand on his forehead. “Where did she go to? I left her down here looking over Red Danger again.”

“Uh, she left while we were getting the bull back inside,” Manny told him. “I saw her drive off.”

“Just like that?” Ryan persisted.

“She said had to get back to the clinic,” Sonny pointed out. “Nothing she could do here anyway.”

Still, it rankled him she’d just walked off like that. Then something else occurred to him. He looked from one of the hands to the other.

“Did either of you see her before she came up to the house? Notice if the gates were open?”

Manny shrugged. “Sonny was busy with the bay gelding. I just noticed her hanging around Danger’s stall. I figured she was, I don’t know, doing some vet things.”

“Some vet things,” Ryan muttered. “She could have left the damn gates unlatched if she wasn’t paying attention.”

“But to what purpose?” Sonny asked. “She wouldn’t want harm to come to the cattle.”

“She could have just been careless,” Ryan snapped. “I checked those latches myself before I went up to the house. I left her down here. Who knows what she was doing.”

“Jesus, Ryan.” Sonny stared at hm. “She’s an animal doctor, for chrissake. She’d know better than that.”

“Would she? Doc told me one of the reasons she bought this practice is because she didn’t get to work the large animals much in West Texas. Maybe there was a good reason. Maybe she just isn’t as careful as she should be.”

He couldn’t believe he was saying these things about Sable.
Sable
. Of all people. He raked his fingers through his hair.

“She told me she did her internship on large animals,” Sonny said. “Doc wouldn’t have sold to her if she didn’t have the goods to do the job.”

“But she was the only one down here.” Ryan ground the words out. “I should have asked her why the hell she wanted to stay when I went back up to the house.”

“Women shouldn’t be around these bulls,” Manny said. “They don’t know what to do. You shoulda told me and I’d ’ave watched her.”

“Well, everyone’s tucked up safe now,” Sonny pointed out. “Go get yourself another cup of coffee. You can use it.”

“Actually, I think I’ll take a run into town.” He pushed himself up from the bench. “I’ll be back.”

Sonny grabbed his arm. “You should cool down first, Ryan.”

Ryan glared at him. Sonny never called him anything but
boss
unless he was being very serious.

“I mean it. Don’t go barging in there where she’s got patients and all and start yelling.”

“I’ll be a model of courtesy.” He glared at Sonny. “You go double-check everything around both Red Danger and Brutus. Triple-check. I’ll be back.”

He did his best to calm his nerves on the drive into town, but he was seething. He just could not believe that Sable, the woman of his dreams, the vet on her way to being the darling of the county, would do something so stupid. He was sick to his stomach at the thought of the financial loss he could have suffered. He’d put himself out there moneywise to get the bull. Indiscriminate breeding wouldn’t produce bulls that people would pay high dollar for. He needed that high dollar. His whole operation could have gone down the drain. Well, he’d see what she had to say for herself.

Maybe this whole sex thing with her was just a way for her to distract him so he wouldn’t realize how unprepared she was for this job. And Doc Lynch, what was wrong with him selling to a so-called doctor like her? By the time he reached the clinic, rather than having himself under control, he had worked up a full head of steam. He slammed the truck door and barged into the clinic.

“Where the hell is she?” he demanded of Deedee.

The receptionist stared at him, eyes wide. “Is something wrong, Ryan?”

“Just tell me where she is. Sable.” He raised his voice. “Where you hiding?” He looked around the waiting room and saw everyone there staring at him in shock.

“I’m here.”

Sable’s voice broke into his rage. He looked up and saw her at the entrance to the examining rooms. “I gather something’s wrong. Why don’t we go into my office and you can tell me what this is all about.” She looked at Deedee. “Eric is finishing up with the poodle. I’ll be in my office.” She looked at Ryan again. “This way.”

They were barely in her office when she closed the door, turned to him and, hands on her hips, demanded, “You want to tell me why you come busting into my clinic screaming at me like your house is on fire?”

“You damn near cost me that house.” The words were like huge blocks of ice falling on metal. “You and your stupid carelessness.”

“I still have no idea what you mean. Why don’t you sit down and tell me.”

“Sitting down’s not on the list. What in hell were you doing with Red Danger when I went back up to the house?”

Sable frowned. “Doing with him? Nothing. Nothing at all. I just wanted to watch him a little, get a better idea of how he moves and stuff. He fascinates me, and I know he’s the foundation of the future of the ranch.”

“A foundation that could have been blasted to hell today, thanks to you.”

She sighed. “Either tell me what’s wrong or get out. I don’t have time for this.”

“Were you a little careless with the lock on his stall? Did you decide you wanted to see what happened when he was out with the cows?”

Sable shook her head. “Speak English. I’m still in the dark.”

“Okay, is this plain enough for you? You left the lock open on his stall and the gate open to the little pasture where those few cows are. Danger got out and was getting ready to mess with them. I’m just damn lucky he didn’t, or all that great pedigreed semen might have gone to the wrong cow, and I’d end up with calves worth about a hundred dollars.”

Her face turned white. “Wait a minute. Are you telling me you think I was careless enough to let that bull loose? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Nothing wrong with your hearing.”

For a long moment, she didn’t say a word. Then she opened the office door and pointed. “Get out. Get the hell out.”

“I want answers from you,” he demanded.

“I only have one answer for you. I didn’t do it. If you could even think I did, then we have nothing between us. Not even sex. So leave.”

“Oh, yeah. The sex,” he sneered. “Was that to muddy my brain so I wouldn’t know how incompetent you are?”

“In—” Her jaw dropped. “Incompetent? Who the hell saved your cow and calf?”

“Maybe that was just luck. Do you know if that bull had gotten injured or mated improperly, I could have lost everything? I literally bet the ranch on him.”

“Well, it wasn’t me, you asshole. Now get out, or I’ll call the sheriff and have him throw you out.”

“Oh, I’m going. But you will be too. Once I get finished.”

He stormed out, satisfied at the sick look on her face.

* * * * *

“So how are you doing really?” Georgie Hannigan asked. “If you don’t mind my saying so, you look like shit.”

They were sitting in Sable’s office. She looked across her desk at her friend.

“Gee, thanks. Be careful, I might get a swelled head.” She was desperately trying not to cry. “I’m going to lose it all.”

Georgie handed her one of the double lattes she’d brought in, took the cover off her own and blew on the hot liquid.

“That won’t happen, Sable. I promise you. I saw plenty of people in the waiting room when I came in.”

“The small animals.” She waved a hand. “It’s too expensive and inconvenient for them to drive over to the next county to see a vet. But the ranchers have all pulled out. I guess they’re paying the price for someone from Kerr or Bandera County when they need a vet.”

“I still can’t believe Ryan’s being such an asshole.” Georgie took a sip of her coffee. “He should know you’re not that stupid. I mean, personal situations aside, you have excellent credentials, and until this happened, you were doing a damn fine job. He could have just asked you if you saw anything.”

She shook her head. “I thought we were friends. That he knew me better than that. I thought we were—” She stopped.

“Were what?” Georgie prodded. “What did you think?”

That we actually had something special. That he was right and we had feelings for each other. Fat lot of good it does me now.

Still, it made her heartsick to think about it. She knew without Ryan telling her that he’d had deep feelings for her. That he’d been waiting patiently for her to realize how she felt about him. Right when she was just about to admit it to herself and to him, this happened.

“It doesn’t matter.” Sable took a sip of her own coffee.

“What have you been doing about Clover? Obviously, you haven’t been out to ride her.”

“That’s a big damn mess.” Sable scowled. “I called Sonny. At least he’s still talking to me. Anyway, I told him I was looking for a place to move the mare and he said he refused to hear of it.”