Surrender to Desire

Surrender
to Desire

By

Tory Richards

Copyright © 2013 Tory Richards

All Rights Reserved.

Published by Tory Richards

Tory Richards:
http://www.toryrichards.com

Email: [email protected]

This is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons
living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely
coincidental.

Surrender
to Desire

COPYRIGHT
© 2013 by Tory Richards

All rights reserved. No part of this
book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written
permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles or reviews.

Cover Art by Tory Richards

Edited by Alisha Corsi

Chapter 1

With an unlady like snort of disgust Callie Peters tossed
the crinkled map aside, and swerved over to the side of the road with a sinking
feeling in her stomach that she was good and lost. For the better part of an
hour she’d been driving around, looking for the sign that would direct her to
the Evans Ranch, and her future place of employment. Yet she hadn’t passed as
much as a single mailbox. She whipped off her over-sized sunglasses and tossed
them onto the dashboard, taking in the surrounding area.

The road stretched on until it disappeared into the
darkening horizon. Nothing but rocks, dry dirt, and dried out pot holes. Grass
and wildflowers knee high swayed with the breeze along the shoulder, and
further, past the barbed-wire fence that lined both sides of the countryside.
An occasional tree dotted the landscape, some dying and nothing more than
twisted, bare branches that looked like fingers clawing their way out of the
earth.

She opened the door to her dusty Volvo and got out to
stretch her legs, the last forty-eight hours-at least thirty of that behind the
wheel-beginning to take a toll. Turning in a three hundred and sixty-degree
revolution she saw absolutely nothing that indicated that anyone, human, that is,
lived in the vicinity. She’d seen plenty of cows and horses, but where were
they now? She supposed they were brought in for the night.

Closing her door, she walked to the middle of the narrow
road, looking back in the direction she’d come. The thought of turning around
and losing more time didn’t appeal to her, and besides, she only had about an
hour before it would be dark. Her gaze took in the fact that there were no
power lines, which meant she’d be lost out there with nothing but the
headlights of her car to guide her.

She sighed, already knowing there was nothing behind her.
Should I keep going?
 
Her gaze landed on a small hilltop in the
distance, a lone mushroom-shaped tree perched on the center of it like an open
umbrella. Maybe she could see something from there. Without hesitation, Callie
began walking toward the fence, realizing she’d have to climb between barbed
wire to reach the hill.

She wondered how much trouble she could get into for
trespassing, as she cautiously made her way between two rows of fence to the
other side. No one could accuse her of being there to steal any live stock;
this particular pasture didn’t look like it was being used, as far as she could
tell. Still, she glanced around for a moment to make sure, before marching up the
hillside toward the tree. She should have a bird’s eye view once she got there.

Callie had no sooner made it to the hill top when her gaze
immediately spotted the large black cow, just on the other side. It was
massive! If the size hadn’t intimidated her the massive horns certainly did the
trick. For a moment she stood still, in awe, never having been so close to
anything like it before. She could hardly count the calves she’d been allowed
to hug and pet at the state fair each year.

The animal hadn’t noticed her yet, and was contentedly
munching on the new grass growing at its feet. Then, suddenly the huge head
swung up, and large dark eyes zeroed right in on her. Callie held her breath as
their gazes locked. She didn’t think cows were dangerous, but she’d grown up in
the city and didn’t know very much about them. She took a fearful step to the
right, thinking she’d be safe closer to the tree, and that’s when the cow
vaulted into action.

With a cry of alarm Callie realized she was in trouble.
There was nowhere for her to go and she doubted she could outrun a cow in the
open pasture wearing sandals. She wasn’t about to wait around to see if the
animal was coming to check her out in friendly curiosity, either. Her only hope
was the tree. She didn’t give her girlish attire a second thought as she jumped
for the first branch and pulled herself off the ground. It was funny how
adrenaline helped you do the unthinkable when fear ran through your blood.

By the time she was a safe distance in the branches above the
cow was directly beneath her, staring up at her with big friendly looking eyes.
I’m not falling for that, big boy.
She positioned herself in the fork of the tree and leaned back against the
trunk. Great, just great, Callie thought to herself as she took in her barren
surroundings.
Now what am I supposed to
do?

****

Blade Evans pulled his stallion Calypso to a halt, searching
the ground beneath them for signs that Satan had passed that way. The prized
bull was getting ornery and independent these days, disappearing at will when
the mood struck him. But at least he was predictable, Blade noticed, taking in
the deep hoof prints left in the soft earth next to the watering hole. Raising
his head, he squinted as he searched the horizon, seeing a small black spec in
the distance. Yep, at least he was predictable.

Pulling on the reins sharply, Blade directed Calypso in the
direction of the hilltop. Satan was beneath his favorite tree, standing poised
as if he were telling the world he was king of the hill.
  
He appeared to be daring anyone who got in
the way, ready to back up that challenge with a twenty-five hundred pound body
and the massive horns he wore like a crown on his head. In spite of the
aggravation, a smile spread across Blade’s mouth as he nudged Calypso into a
faster trot.
 
He’d promised Marissa he’d
get home in time for dinner for a change.

“Satan, you old devil, I’m getting damned tired of having to
come looking for you,” Blade grumbled upon reaching the bull. “You keep this up
and I’ll hang your hide on the wall in my bedroom.” The animal just glared at
Blade as if he didn’t have a care in the world. And why should he worry? He was
making the Evans’ Ranch a ton of money.

“Excuse me.”

Blade knew he wasn’t hearing angel’s voices but he glanced
up all the same, because that seemed to be where the voice was coming from. His
eyes widened with disbelief when they landed on a pair of sandaled feet.
Attached to those sandals was a pair of the prettiest legs he’d seen in a long
while. His eyes continued up, widening when they reached the bright red
triangle covering her pussy. Then suddenly the sight was taken away from him
when the woman dropped her long, gypsy style skirt. His gaze slid up the rest
of her body, taking note of her full, curvy shape.

The flowing skirt she was wearing outlined her waist and
generous hips. The peasant style blouse, hanging half off her shoulders,
brought attention to her large breasts and cleavage. Hair the color of hay was
piled haphazardly on top of her head. Caught by the slight breeze, loose
strands moved against her forehead and neck. By the time his gaze took in her
full lips and pretty brown eyes, his breathing had turned slightly uneven.

Christ!
 
His body’s reaction to the unexpected
situation caught him totally by surprise. The fact that he was responding so
rapidly to her, a stranger, told Blade he’d been too long without a woman.
Months. There just hadn’t been time. With his brother Chaz gone most of the
time on company business, and his other brother Beau married and living on his
own spread, someone had to stay home to run the family ranch. Evan’s Security
had gone from a three-man operation to one-man, temporarily.

“Hello?”

Blade grinned at the impatience in the woman’s tone. “Yes,
ma’am?”

“I’m not up here because I want to be.” She flashed him a
smile.

“Just why are you up there?”

“Your cow chased me up here.”

“Satan?” Blade snickered. “Satan is a bull, ma’am. And the
only thing he chases around here are the females he’s about to mount.” Her
skirt moved with the breeze, teasing him with glimpses of her shapely legs. He
was hoping to catch another look at the silk between her thighs. “Do you need
help getting down?”

Her gaze shot to Satan, while her teeth chewed on the corner
of her bottom lip. “If you don’t mind.”

“Just drop down and I’ll catch you.”

He could sense her hesitation.

“I’m no lightweight,” she said after a while.

Blade paused, thinking about how to answer that. Women
tended to be sensitive about their weight. As far as he was concerned there wasn’t
a thing wrong with a woman who had a little meat on her. And from what he could
see, there was definitely nothing wrong with her.

“Yes ma’am.” He kept his tone neutral. “I think I can handle
it.”

“What about your cow, ah, bull?”

Blade followed the direction of her gaze to where Satan had
wandered off. “Satan is the reason I’m out here. He escaped from his pen.
You’re lucky he did. We only use this pasture during the winter months.”

“At least something is working out in my favor today.”
 
She smiled down at him. “Get ready because
here I come.”

Blade watched her take a careful step onto a lower branch,
holding her skirt against her legs. He gripped Calypso tightly between his
thighs to keep him steady. When she ran out of branches he raised his arms. The
next thing he knew she dropped down right onto his lap. He caught her against
him, and for a moment he was being smothered by her sweet flesh, exposed when
her skirt got caught up on his hat. Several mind numbing thoughts registered at
once, her subtle fragrance of something wild and tantalizing, the satiny
softness of her skin, the arousing little gasp that passed through her lips.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!”

She began to squirm against him, desperately pulling her
skirt down and tucking it between them. When she realized she’d ended up on his
lap facing him, she turned ten shades of red. Blade clenched his teeth until
his jaw hurt. She might be embarrassed but his body’s reaction to her squirming
against his cock was no laughing matter. He was turning hard in record time.

He decided to ignore his situation and pray that she hadn’t
noticed it. “Why are you here anyway?”

She met his eyes, and Blade noticed the tempting curve of
her full lips, wondering if they were as soft as they looked. “I was looking
for a ranch.”

Blade couldn’t help it, he laughed. “In a tree?”

She smiled in return. “No, I’m lost.”Amusement flickered in
the eyes that met his, before she glanced away.

He followed her gaze, seeing her car for the first time.

“I stopped at a store a few miles back for directions but I
think I took a wrong turn somewhere. Do you know where the Evans Ranch is?”

Blade knew who she was as soon as the words left her mouth.
Callie Peters, the woman Marissa had insisted on hiring once she and Beau had
moved out.
Damn! She’s my new
housekeeper?
This was trouble. His interested gaze moved over her pretty
face, then
 
lowered down to her creamy
throat, bare shoulders, and stopped at the breasts crushed against his chest. A
strand of her hair blew into his face, arousing him with a whisper soft caress
across his stubbled cheek. Then he remembered she’d asked him a question.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Her eyes were hazel, not brown as he’d first thought, and
framed with thick black lashes that brushed her cheeks when she blinked. They
rounded with happy surprise at his response, and damned if her sexy mouth
didn’t form into a shape that made his cock jump with excitement.

Down boy! There’s no
way she’s going to bring you any relief.

“Then I am going in the right direction!” Her enthusiasm cut
into his thoughts. “Thank goodness. How much further down the road is it?”

“It’s too complicated to explain and I doubt you’d find it
in the dark. You’re on the back road. I’ll take you there.”

“But what about my car?”

“Someone can come get it for you and deliver it to the
ranch.”

“Will it be safe here?”

Blade chuckled, and then he realized she was serious. “This
isn’t New York, ma’am. And you’ve been on Evans land for the last ten miles. It
will be safe.”

She released a sigh. “I’m from New York, it’s not all bad
there,” she said defensively, with a spark in her eyes. “Do you work for the
Evans?”

“You could say that.”

“I really didn’t want to meet them all disheveled like this,
and delivered on a horse, but I guess it could be worse.”

Blade had to wonder how. He was sitting there with a cock so
hard it hurt, and the only thing keeping her from knowing about it was the
layers of material from her skirt. If he didn’t get some relief soon he was
going to be a basket case. It wasn’t Callie’s fault he hadn’t been this close
to a woman in months, with the exception of Marissa. But she was off limits.

“You’ll need to turn around before we can leave.” Blade knew
he could ride with her the way she was but that would be sheer torture having
the front of her body rubbing against his with every step Calypso took.

“I don’t have to get down, do I?” She looked nervously at
Satan.

“No, ma’am. Just turn around and face the front. I’ll help
you.”

“By the way my name is Callie,” she offered, her face
softened with a smile.

He gave a slight nod of his head. “Blade.”

Her eyes widened. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Evans.”

Blade glanced at the hand she held his way, then back up at
the shining light in her friendly eyes. “Just Blade, ma’am.”

“Okay.” She lowered her hand. “How do I turn around?”

Damn. He wished the eagerness in her voice was for something
else. Then Blade realized he needed to get his libido in check. “Lift your leg,
ma’am.”

She looked at him with a-deer-in-the-headlights look.

“I promise not to let you fall.” He didn’t want to put his
hands on her but he was forced to when she did what he asked and began to
slide.

She gasped and grabbed the front of his shirt, and he took
hold of her upper arms. The sudden urge to kiss her came out of nowhere and was
so strong that he knew if he didn’t do something drastic he would give into it.
What the fuck is wrong with me?
He
was acting like a randy teenager with one thing on his mind. With a sound of
impatience to mask his arousal, Blade easily lifted her by the waist and swung
her around until she was settled in front of him.