ROMANCE: MENAGE ROMANCE: Tapped and Taken by Two (Pregnancy Sports MMA UFC Fighter Romance) (Alpha Male Romance) (32 page)

~Teasing Desire~

              Southern Utah wasn't a cool or damp place, not by any means, and Jen was exhausted and tired. Not to mention thirsty. God damn she could use a drink. As she spurred her horse on she rode a long, curving line around one side of the herd, trying to push the cattle into a tighter knot so they would be easier to maneuver through the gate. The corral behind the gate was large and would have no problem holding the big herd. Shane was on her far left working in toward the gate just like she had, trying to give the animals time to adjust and move around. One of the things that amateurs like to do was try to cram the herd through the gate like the cattle was a big loaf of bread that they didn't care enough about not to mash into a cupboard space. The cattle would end up tearing up down the fence and the gate if they didn't give them all time to do their thing when they squeezed together.

From the start of that day, Shane and her worked really well together. It was like they could tell without even signaling to each other what their next move would be. Nothing much was said that whole day though. It was strange. Jen had spent the whole ride out to the herd, riding hard behind Shane trying to think of how she was going to break through his wall, but as soon as they arrived Shane simply looked at her and said, “I’ll take the left to start,” and that was it. From that moment on they were just working. They didn’t even take a break to eat lunch or refill their canteens, and Jen’s water had run out about an hour ago under the hot sun with the cattle constantly kicking up dust. Jen could tell that Shane was used to working like this. It was like he didn’t even know she was there though, which is a little worse than going out of his way to avoid her. Before, Jen felt like Shane was making a point not to notice her. At least then she knew she was in his mind in at least some way. Out on the range that day, she was not even there. The two of them just worked and Jen probably could have been any of the other down on their luck ranch hands that worked for her father.

When the last cow was finally through the gate the sun was starting to get low and everything was starting to grow a golden yellow tinge from the fading day. Jen slid off her horse to sit on a rock and shake the last few drops of water from her canteen for the fourth or fifth time. Feeling caked in dust, grime, and the smell of cattle Jen stared off into the distance and started realizing how angry she was at Shane for treating her like she didn’t exist that day. It was right at this point Shane rode up to where she was sitting and finally opened his own canteen to take a big swig of water for what seemed like to Jen, the first time that day. As Jen was about to ask for a drink, Shane looking straight at her, poured what was left in his canteen over his own head to cool himself down and then roughly wiped away some of the caked on dust from his face with a rag that seemed almost as dirty. 

Jen couldn’t believe how inconsiderate he was being. Rudely ignoring her. Wasting his water on himself without even offering a drink to someone, who albeit knew what they were doing out on the range with the cattle, but certainly could use some consideration especially on a hot day like that day. Shane not even picking up on her annoyance or anger in the slightest just stared off and said, “well you aren’t the worst person who ever tried to ride a horse or wrangle cattle before.”

Jen couldn’t even bring herself to say anything back and just got back on her horse and said, “There’s a stream over that hill. I’m gonna fill up my canteen before heading back. You can just head home.”

“Your father asked me to watch out for you today, so I reckon I’d better not show up back home alone today,” said Shane.

Jen was so tired and angry that “Suit yourself” was all she could think of as a reply. At this point, she was more than willing to forget about ever trying to fulfill some ridiculous fantasies she had been entertaining. Whatever she had felt for Shane quickly vanished in that moment.

When they got to the stream Jen quickly got off her horse and used her hands to scoop up the water and bring it to her mouth while her horse started taking a much needed drink herself. She didn’t notice Shane watching her as she scooped up more water and splashed it all over her face and neck. If she could she would’ve just taken off all her clothes and laid down in the stream to cool down. Feeling at least a little refreshed though Jen turned around in time to see Shane pulling off his shirt and start splashing water all over his chest and arms. In that moment, Jen couldn’t help but just gawk and stare just like she had so many times before that day. Jen was now just angry at herself for wanting him so badly even though he seemed to go out of his way to disregard her. It was like the quick visit to that cool stream had just washed away all the anger and resentment she had been feeling though and now that persistent desire that wouldn’t leave her was creeping back again. After a moment or two, Jen tried to pretend like she wasn’t watching and started to fiddle with her saddle trying to look like she was preparing to start riding off for home, but really she was doing everything she could to take in the scene of Shane washing the dust off his body. Paying special attention to his six pack and grooves that disappeared below his belt framing his silver belt buckle.

Shane stood up and put his arms through his shirt sleeves again, but didn’t button it up. He left his muscular chest and abs exposed and walked towards Jen who was still fiddling with her saddle. As he got close to her he said in a confident and what would be an annoyingly cocky manner to almost anyone but Jen’s ears that moment, “I know you stare at me when you think no one is looking.”

Jen paused for a moment and then tried to shrug off the shock of realizing her desire was now out in the open. “What do you mean,” she said trying to sound innocent with a look on her face that was meant to tell him he must be delusional.

“I always catch you looking away you know,” he said.

Inside Jen was shaking while on the outside she knew she couldn’t hold that incredulous look on her face for long. She was now looking away and acting like none of this was phasing her at all. “If you knew then why haven't you said anything before,” Jen was able to fumble out.

“I thought about it after the first week or two, but then I figured it was probably best not to try and start anything with the bosses daughter, so I just figured it was best to just ignore you,” he replied.

“Well then why bring this up now.”

“I dunno, your father mentioned a few days ago that he wanted me to start teaching you a few more things out on the range. I just figured maybe I should get all this out in the open if we were going to be spending more time together. Maybe we could get some real work done afterwards.”

Jen couldn’t think of a reply, “after what?” she thought and before she could manage another one Shane stepped forward and wrapped his one arm around Jen to spin her around and pull her forward to him and then cocked his head to the side to lean in for a deep and passionate kiss. Jen did her best to resist, but there not much of her willing to keep up appearances at that moment with Shane’s open shirt and mouth moving towards her to fulfill what she had been fantasizing about for almost a year at the point. She knew it was a bad idea. She knew he was a bad boy and there were probably a bunch of stuff in his mysterious past that made him the cocky guy who chased after easy girls and then quickly moved on to the next one, and think that he could just walk up to the bosses daughter and start kissing her. She couldn’t stop herself from kissing back and eagerly pushed her tongue into the kiss to meet Shane’s. Even though she was angry at him, the desire she felt over the past year was too strong not to just easily flood back into her at a moment's notice. A desire like that was just too much to let the alarms going off in her head have any chance of breaking off this kiss. Just as soon as it started it was over though, and Shane stepped back, looking a little shocked himself in that moment. Possibly, not expecting the kiss to feel the way that it did. Jen herself was noticeably stunned and the two of them wobbled a bit with flushed faces staring at each other. Shane was the first to come back down to earth and turned around and started doing up his shirt. He took the opportunity to adjust himself in his tight cowboy jeans that fitted him so perfectly, but also now had a little extra mound in the front that wasn’t there before the kiss. Jen’s own body was telling her to keep going as she noticed a familiar wetness that had been caused by just her fantasies about Shane in the past. As he awkwardly started to climb back on his horse, he seemed to collect his cocky attitude again though and told her to get moving if they were going to make it back by dark. Something had obviously affected Shane in the few moments after they broke the kiss, but it didn’t show as he slung himself back on his horse.

As they were trotting up the hill Shane slowed his horse enough to allow Jen to catch up and ride right beside him for a moment. Jen could tell he was about to say something he had been wrestling with in his head for a while.

“If you want to keep staring like you did in the woods that night, that’s fine, but if you want me for real maybe you should do something about it.”

The last part he barely got out before galloping off toward home leaving Jen still in her stunned silence. Jen didn’t know what to feel anymore. She knew she should angry that Shane had treated her the way he did that day and just casually outed her feelings and nonchalantly offered to sleep with her using words that treated it like it was no big deal to him if they did or not. But there was also something about his voice when he said it. Something in his voice that sounded real, unguarded, and full of eagerness and desire. How could he feel like it was okay to treat her emotions like that though and why couldn’t she, through all her anger, not stop thinking about how soon she could take Shane up on his offer? Jen, not even realizing that Shane’s irrational behaviour might be he actually harboured desire for her as well, and to Shane, Jen was the forbidden fruit.

~Fulfilled Desire~

Jen took her time getting back home, barely letting her horse go much faster than a trot. Her father was waiting for her when she got back in the grey light and she was able to reply with a simple uninterested “fine” to his questions on how the day went as she put her horse back in the stable and took off its saddle before walking off to the small house she lived in on the ranch homestead property.       

              Later in the evening, Jen was restless and stood on her small porch staring off into the night thinking about what she was feeling and what she was going to do. She just could stop thinking about the kiss and what it would be like to go further than just kissing. Even though Shane was the last person on earth she saw herself in a relationship with, she had now been that girl in the forest and she couldn’t help but imagine what else that girl in the forest got to do with Shane that night. While she was running over some well used images in her mind, Jen quickly saw Shane walk toward the ranch hands shower house. Would she end up always feeling regret for not doing something about this simple desire for Shane? Even though she told herself she knew better than to call it anything but plain and simple lust, she asked herself, “wouldn’t she regret not taking this time to fulfill a basic physical pleasure like this? Maybe all these needs and desires would be with me until I really did something about it?” These thoughts were all bringing herself closer to what she knew she wanted to do, and in a way was just how she was steadying herself into action.

              Finally, she decided to do something about it and took a few steps off her porch.

              Jen pressed down on the latch on the door to the shower house. It was unlocked. She didn't really have much of a plan besides walking into the room Shane was showering in. It wasn't that good of a plan, really, but it was all that she had. Maybe it was enough to have motive and will power. Jen hoped so. Some alarms came into her mind:

“What if she came on to Shane and this was all just some kind of sick game to him? What if he went and ran his mouth to the other hands at the ranch? What if word got back to her father that she'd been rejected trying to seduce a man in the bath house? Would it be worse if the word got back that she had randomly came into the ranch hands shower house to have sex with a staff member?”

Jen didn't know anymore, and was too far into it to let these thoughts stop her as she slowly walked into the steaming shower room.

The shower was on but Jen couldn’t see Shane until he walked into the light and shook the dust off his hat. Jen quickly stepped back to melt into the shadows in the corner of the dimly lit room feeling ridiculous for being in this whole situation. In Jen’s fantasies, it was Shane who came to her, and she didn’t know if she liked the real version so far, but something wasn’t letting her drop it and walk away. If Shane knew she was there he wasn’t letting on. Shane unbuttoned and took off his shirt, looking like he'd worked the whole day without ever taking a break and had got back to the ranch in time to do another few hours of dirty dusty work, which he probably did. They both had rode long and hard all through the day, and even though Jen had already cleaned up Shane was just now ending his work day. “That was how things were in ranching”, Jen’s father had said to her when she told him she was too tired from the day and wouldn’t join him for dinner, “you had to be able to outlast the animals”, he offered as a parting comment.

              Shane had been doing a lot of the work around the ranch, that was something that Jen had no problem admitting. He almost always put himself in the position to do a lot of the work. It was just in his nature. There wasn't anything wrong with that, she supposed, but at the same time she wasn't about to think of him as trustworthy just because he wanted to go above and beyond all the time. Shane always insisted on being the one to chase down all the strays that would run off from the rest, as if trying to make a break for it. But that was never the case; the strays were always just hot and confused, trying to get away from the rest. He was just that kind of person. He liked to work hard, like he was paying off a debt for something.