Spurs and Heels (18 page)

Changing the pay structure had soured her on working for the Woodworths, even though she knew they were good people. Doug had intimated that he had other changes in the works that included her but hadn’t offered any details. She grew weary of the way he hinted but was never more forthcoming about his plans and where she fit into them.

Thinking about it made her feel exhausted all the time.

Ash regularly stopped in with lunch or sometimes brought her flowers. He defined stability in her life. The sound of his voice when she was stressed about work was all it took to ease her. And the sound
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of his spurs jingling as he walked through the store never failed to make her heart jump and her body to respond in excitement.

Valentine’s Day was just such a day. Juliana stood in the open stock room doors talking with Leah when her ears pinpointed a telltale, metallic jingle.

“What is that sound?” Leah asked, turning to look in the stockroom and then scanning the sales floor.

That, dear heart, is the sound of guaranteed heart-stopping,
pussy-pounding sex headed my way.
How fortuitous that she was leaving for the day in less than five minutes. Ash had promised her a special Valentine surprise and had asked her to take the evening off.

He turned the corner, sauntering toward her, bearing a bouquet of cheerful white daisies.

“Well, boss, enjoy your Valentine’s evening.” With a heartfelt sigh, she added, “I sure hope there’s another one like him somewhere out there for me.”

“Ah, you’re young, Leah. Give it some time, and your knight in shining armor will make his appearance.” Juliana watched happily as Ash sauntered up to them. He nodded politely at Leah and held the bouquet out to Juliana.

“Hello, darlin’”

“Hello, honey. These are beautiful,” she murmured as Ash leaned forward to kiss her cheek and handed her the bouquet.

“I’d have handpicked some wildflowers for you, but it’s too early for them.”

Admiring the cheerful bouquet, Juliana said, “I’ll hold you to that in April. Leah, unless you need me for something else, I’m out of here.”

“Have fun, boss.”

Ash walked her out to her car and followed her home. She put the flowers in a water-filled vase and changed clothes as he requested.

Coming out of her bedroom clad in jeans and her boots, she said,

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“Okay,
Mister ‘Man with the Plan.
’ What do you have up your sleeve?”

Ash smiled and pulled her to him. “I thought you’d like a picnic at Bowie Lake. The weather is perfect for it. From there you’ll just have to wait and see what happens.” The twinkle in his bright, blue-green eyes told her that his “wait and see” would be worth the wait.

Once they arrived, she helped him spread a blanket and they unpacked the picnic basket he’d brought. They sat on a spot that looked out over the lake, and ate as they watched the sunset.

Conversation was minimal as the sky changed colors, and after they were finished eating, he pulled her back against his chest. She laid there enjoying the sound of the breeze blowing and the birds calling to each other. Ash stroked her with a touch that was almost hypnotic.

It startled her slightly when she felt a metallic coolness against her neck.

“What—”

“Happy Valentine’s, darlin’.”

Lifting the gold pendant that rested at the hollow of her throat to look at it, she gasped in surprise. The heart-shaped pendant was encrusted with sparkling diamonds.

“Ash!” She sat up so she could look at him. He smiled up at her from his reclined position.

“Want me to put it on you?”

“Yes! It’s beautiful.”

After the gold chain was fastened around her neck, she threw herself at Ash, drawing a chuckle from him. She climbed on top of him and peppered his face with kisses.

“So this means you liked it, I guess.”

“I do. I love it.”

He reached out and captured her face in his hands and she stopped what she was doing to gaze into his eyes.

“Juliana.”

“Ash?”

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“I love you.” Juliana’s lips popped open in surprise. She was about to speak, when he placed his fingers over her lips. “Before you say anything else, I want you to know something. I love you, but I don’t want you to say it back until you’re sure. Don’t say it because you think I want to hear it right now.” She would have said it right then, but he changed the subject. “While we have a little light left, why don’t we load up and move on to the next Valentine’s Day surprise?”

“There’s more?”

“Yup.”

She grilled him once they were in the truck, but he just chortled and told her to wait and see.

Following Bowie Lake road around until they arrived at a turn-off, he drove down the driveway until they pulled up to a small log cabin that sat on a low cliff, overlooking the water. He walked her to the front door and opened it for her. Warm light flooded the cabin, and she detected the scent of a fragrant wood burning in the fireplace.

“How did you do all this?”

“I know some people.”

She stepped in and looked around the small structure. It was probably once a weekend home and someone had renovated and updated it into a romantic little getaway, perfect for two people in love. There was a large, stone fireplace on one wall and a cozy, little, tiled kitchen in one corner. The enormous bed sat against the wall opposite the fireplace, under an imposing wrought-iron canopy which was festooned with gauzy drapes. Plush, upholstered chairs sat beside the fireplace. A small butcher block table occupied another corner and a doorway led to what looked like a bathroom. The floors were hardwood with festive, colorful rugs scattered about.

“Get naked, darlin’.”

Ash’s voice was deep and rumbling, making her heart do the jitterbug in her chest, but she started stripping as fast as she could.

She recognized her overnight case and her makeup bag on a bench

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near the bed and glanced at him in surprise. He’d planned this out thoroughly because if they were spending the night, she’d need her stuff.

“Oh, shoot.” That brought her responsibilities to her mind.

“Nope. You have no worries. I already cleared your morning off with Evelyn.”

“You did?”

“Yes. She said you had your planning session this morning, and they don’t expect to see you until one o’clock tomorrow afternoon. So you’re all mine until then.”

She wanted to be
all his
way beyond just one o’clock tomorrow.

“Ash, I don’t know what to say.” If he’d done this a month ago, she’d have gotten mad at him for disrupting her schedule and not asking her first. Now she was just grateful that he’d thought of it, and she wasn’t worried about the store at all.

“How about, ‘
Here, Ash, let me finish getting nekkid’
?”

Juliana giggled and went back to stripping. He removed most of his clothes as well and went into the bathroom. She followed and squealed in delight when she saw the positively huge bathtub. Much like the bed, it was so big three people could fit in it easily. Ash turned the faucet handle and set the water to the right temperature then threw in a small amount of bath salts. The herbal scent of lavender filled the room.

“I thought you might like a relaxing soak in the tub before I make love to you.”

“Oh, you thought right, handsome. This tub is like something from my fantasies. Whose cabin is this?”

“Belongs to a good friend who’s out of town right now.”

The tub filled quickly, and he helped her climb in after she pinned up her hair with the clip she found in her overnight bag and he’d wrapped her wrist. The genius had thought of everything. Settling in the water, she smiled up at him. The lethargy left her limbs as she noticed the throbbing erection jutting from his groin as he slipped off
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his snug boxer briefs. The hot water felt stimulating, but it was nothing compared to the heat that leaked from her cunt at the sight of him, needy and turned on, watching her.

He joined her in the tub and lifted her onto his lap so she sat straddling his hips.

She cupped her good hand and lifted water to sprinkle on his broad shoulders and chest. “So, what do you have planned?”

The slow, sexy smile that spread across his lips made her body hum in anticipation as he contemplated his words.

“Well, the first item on my agenda is making love to you in this ridiculously enormous tub.” As he said it, his cock pulsed against her clit where it was pressed intimately to her, and more heat rushed to her pussy.

“Ooh, yes,” she whispered.

“I’ll help you from the tub and dry you off. Then, since the weather is so nice, I’m going to carry you out onto the back deck and lay you down on the chaise that’s out there. You’re going to finger your pretty little pussy for me and show me just how you like to be touched, and then I’m going to make love to you again. We’ll rest for a while and enjoy looking up at the stars.”

That sounded nice. She’d never made love outside, and if they remembered to bring a couple of blankets, they might even be able to stay out there a while and be very comfortable. Ash’s cock pulsed against her again as he continued.

“Then I’m going to introduce you to a special piece of furniture that’s also out there. You’ll get comfortable on it, and then I’m going to slide every solid inch of my cock into your snug little asshole.”

Juliana inhaled suddenly, and her cunt locked down at the mental image he painted as though she was about to have a spontaneous orgasm. “Oh! Really?”

“Yes,
if
you want it. The loveseat out there will be perfect. There won’t be any pressure on your wrist. You’ll feel secure on it and be

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able to relax.
If
you want it. This has to be something you want as well.”

“Oh, honey. I want it like people in hell want ice water.”

“Good, darlin. Thanks for trusting me.”

Juliana tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him tenderly, stroking his tongue and sucking on his lower lip as she lifted and slowly gloved every inch of his thick erection. The water was hot, but his cock inside her was hotter.

Ash lifted his knees slightly so that she could sit in his lap with his cock deeply buried inside of her.

“Lean back just a bit, darlin’. Got something for your sweet little clit, if you feel like playing a bit.”

“Oh, I’m feeling it, all right,” she said with a chortle as she complied. He reached over the edge of the tub and removed a long, cylindrical object from the table nearby. A vibrator, from the looks of it. Ash must’ve gone shopping. “Oh, boy.”

“I thought you’d like this.” One end of it was broader and shaped like the bowl of a teaspoon. “Hold still as long as you can. Hands on my shoulders.”

He switched it on as his cock twitched inside her pussy, and she felt herself liquefy around him. The vibrator had a very high-pitched whirring sound, and Juliana had a feeling she would come the moment it touched her.

“I like the way you play, cowboy.”
Love you, love you, love
yoooou!

Her pussy convulsed the instant the high speed vibrations touched her clit through the soft jelly of the toy.

“Oh, God!” She threw her head back, barely aware of his hand at her upper thigh, holding her still on his cock. He stroked up and down with the toy under the water, and she couldn’t help it as she began to thrash against his hold, trying to move on his cock. Her pussy drew up around him like a fist, and he roared as she came suddenly,
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broadsided by the intensity of the explosion, pulling him into simultaneous orgasm.

“Holy shit!”

Juliana screamed as she ground against him, water splashing around them. Ash wound his arms around her and held her tightly as he thrust hard against her, dropping the vibrator in the water. As she caught her breath, she felt like her body was one gigantic pulse she throbbed so hard.

“Ash, that was one hell of a good investment.” Juliana went limp on him, and they stayed that way for a while. She’d been on the pill long enough that they no longer needed the condoms, and she loved being skin on skin with this big man. She looked into his eyes as he opened them and smiled up at her. Words weren’t necessary as she laid her head on his damp shoulder and snuggled against him. He gave a satisfied-sounding, growly rumble and held her securely.