Surrender to Desire (7 page)

“So, you want to tell me how a man let’s a beautiful woman
like you get away after eight years vested?”

“Donald and I just grew apart. And I left him.” Callie wanted
to make sure that Blade knew that.

Blade searched her eyes for a few seconds before saying,
“You’re leaving a lot out.”

She took a deep breath. “There is something I have to tell
you.”

Maybe it was the way she’d said it, but suddenly Blade was
sitting back and watching her with a serious expression and sharp eyes. He
nodded, urging her to go on.

“Well, Marissa has asked me to tell you, so I guess now is
as good time as any. My ex, Donald, has been stalking me since I left him a
year ago. I’ve moved around a lot, changed jobs, and he somehow manages to find
me. I don’t think it will happen this time, Blade. Val helped me get this job
through Marissa.”

“Val?” He was frowning now, his demeanor changed from casual
to something she couldn’t name. Protective?

“An old school friend of Marissa’s. And I used to work for
her.”

“What’s his last name?”

He wasn’t taking notes, yet Callie knew he would remember
everything she told him. “Blade, I’m not telling you this so that you can get
all protective, and stuff. I promised Marissa I’d tell you and I have. Donald
isn’t dangerous. He just wants me back.”

His expression never wavered. “What’s his last name,
Callie?”

Callie stalled, taking another sip of beer. She didn’t want
a big deal made of this.

“Look, honey.” Blade leaned forward and lowered his voice.
“Any stalker is dangerous. Sooner or later he’s going to realize you mean what
you say and then he’ll get desperate.”

She supposed he was right. But she just couldn’t see Donald
being dangerous or doing anything stupid. Then she thought about what Marissa
had said the other day. “Donald Cook, so, what are you going to do?”

He shook his head and sat back again. “Nothing, as long as
he stays away from you.”

Their steaks arrived and the conversation ended. Not until
they were both close to being done did Callie ask Blade what happened to him
the day before. He explained about the fence and missing cattle, and how there might
be other nights he wouldn’t make it home.

“I’m not used to living with someone. I should have called
you and the next time I will.” He finished his beer and motioned the waitress
over for another. Callie shook her head no. “So, you were worried about me.”

“Don’t get me riled up again,” she warned lightly.

His eyes grew openly amused. “I kind of liked the little
wildcat side of you. Those pretty eyes shooting fire at me, your face all
flushed with passion.”

“My bottom still hurts,” she teased. It was the truth.

For a moment Blade studied her intently. He finished his
beer and then rose to his feet. “Come on. Dance one dance with me before we
leave.”

Callie took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. He
led her to the dance floor. When he turned she folded into his strong embrace.
A soft sigh escaped her when her body came into contact with his, and she wound
her arms around his neck.

Blade growled in her ear and buried his nose in her hair.
“You feel damned good against me.” His hands skimmed down her sides, stopping
at her hips. Strong fingers squeezed her gently.

“You smell good.” Callie inhaled deeply, burrowing her nose
against his chest.

As they moved slowly to the music, their bodies melded into
one. Callie realized there was no place she’d rather be. Blade was a special
man. He made her feel safe and when he made love to her she felt cherished. He
wasn’t a selfish man, only worried about his needs. He saw to hers, too.

His hands smoothed around to cup her bottom. Blade pulled
her closer and tighter against him. She sighed softly, having no doubt they
would make love again when they got home. Thinking back to her spanking, Callie
wondered what she needed to do to get another one.

The song ended too soon for Callie, but, after
 
looking at Blade and seeing the tiredness on
his chiseled face, and in his eyes, she could tell he was exhausted and needed
to get home to bed. She didn’t imagine spending a night out on the ranch
offered much in the way of pleasant sleeping accommodations.

He paid the tab, offered the drooling waitress a nod of
acknowledgement, and they were out the door.

“Why don’t I drive home?” Callie offered.

“No, ma’am.” He opened the passenger side door.

Callie turned to face him before climbing in. “You don’t
trust women drivers?” He crowded her against the seat, trapping her between the
door and his body. Then without warning he leaned forward and kissed her
passionately. It didn’t last long but caught Callie off guard. He quickly
lifted her onto the seat. She opened her mouth to protest but he closed the
door before she could get a word out.

“You’re a stubborn man,” she said the minute he climbed in
beside her.

“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a wink and started the truck.

Callie leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes.
There was no use arguing with him.

Chapter 7

“Good morning, beautiful.” Blade buried his nose in Callie’s
fragrant hair, and then gave the lobe of her ear a tug. She moaned, but it was
the kind of sound someone made when they were tired and wanted to be left
alone.

He began raining kisses down her neck and collarbone. She
moaned again but still didn’t move. His travels took him down her chest to her
breasts. As he sucked and licked at them, her moan of protest turned into a
whimper. Grinning, he tongued her nipples until they were hard and standing up.
He trailed his fingertips down her body to the soft hair covering her mound,
ever so gently dipping his index finger over her clit and inside heaven.

“Fuck, baby. You’re already wet.” Blade slid his finger back
and forth, imitating what his cock would do. The scent of her arousal and the
feel of her slick, honeyed warmth were intoxicating, hitting his senses full
on. He’d been horny before but nothing compared to the pounding arousal that
flowed like lava in his blood now. His thumb circled the hard pea-sized nub of
her clit.

“Blade!”

Her body came to life, arching and straining against his
deliberate teasing.
 
Blade wanted Callie.
She’d slept in his bed last night, which was where she was going to stay. She
completed him. She’d managed to burrow so deep into his soul that he was
actually scared for the first time in his life, afraid of losing something he wasn’t
sure he had, or wanted. Now he understood how Beau had felt upon meeting
Marissa.
 

Suddenly Callie rolled half on top of his chest and kissed
him. “Are you going to stop teasing me and fuck me or not?” she murmured
against his mouth. She bit down on his bottom lip, and then erased the pain by
sucking the spot tenderly.

Growling low, Blade forced her back upon the bed and rolled
on top of her. He took his cock in his hand, running it up and down the opening
of her wet pussy lips. Moaning wildly, Callie arched her hips. Blade teased her
mercilessly, until he couldn’t take any more and she was a writhing mass of
woman-flesh beneath him. He positioned his dick and thrust forward, burying it
as far as he could. Sweet heaven!

They stared into each other’s eyes as he thrust in and out
of her welcoming body, Callie’s changing to brown with her emotions.
 
Her lips parted as her breathing became
heavy. Long flowing hair was spread out beneath them against the sheet.
God, fucking her feels so good!

Her soft hands began to caress over his shoulders and chest
as her pleasure grew. Next, they glided down his sides, around to his back, and
then down over his buttocks. She was panting heavily. Blade felt her nails
clench into his ass, forcing him deeper into her pussy. His speed picked up and
with it her tiny whimpers. He rolled onto his back, bringing her with him.

“Blade!” she said with surprise.

He lifted her and lowered her over his cock. Once Callie was
settled and began moving he laid back and closed his eyes. She knew what she
was doing. Riding him up and down, and then grinding her pussy against his
loins. He groaned with pleasure, reaching for her swaying breasts, squeezing
and weighing them with his hands. Her nipples were as hard as cherry pits,
tempting him into raising his head so he could roll them with his tongue and
taste their sweetness.

Callie let out a small cry and began to move faster. That
told Blade she was getting ready to come. And so was he. He placed his hands on
her waist and helped guide her speed. “Come for me, honey,” he encouraged,
holding his own orgasm back. He moved his hand between their bodies to
manipulate her engorged clit. Callie’s flushed loveliness, the way she flung
her head back and closed her eyes when she was in the throes of passion, were
his undoing.

He thrust his cock inside her one last time, and convulsed with
the force of his orgasm. Callie collapsed onto him, out of breath. Blade
wrapped an arm around her back and held her close. His heavy panting seemed
overloud, but matched the pounding of his heart. They lay like that for a few
minutes until their bodies calmed.

“Are you okay?”

Blade chuckled. “I believe you’re the one who collapsed on
me.” He liked the feel and weight of her satiny curves on top of him.

“Oh.”

“Are you okay?”

She nodded slightly. “Very okay. Sex with you is, ah,
different from what I was used to.”

“How so?” Blade was very interested in knowing.

“Much more satisfying. It’s not all about you,” she
explained. “What I mean is that you, I mean I, we.” She finally gave up.

He decided to take a shot in the dark. “Both get off?”
 
Her blush told him he’d guessed correctly.
“And he was okay with that?”

“I honestly don’t think it occurred to him that he was the
only one who, ah, got off.”

“No, honey.” Blade gave her a tender kiss. “It sounds like
your ex was lazy and selfish. When a man cares about the woman he’s with, he
doesn’t have to think about pleasing her. He makes sure the end result is that
they’re both satisfied.”

“So that’s how it works, huh?” There was a teasing light in
her eyes.

“Yes ma’am.” Blade buried his hands in her soft hair and
held her to him for a long, leisurely kiss that stoked the flames of their
desire. When he pulled back they were both a little breathless.

“Come on, honey, before I say ‘to hell’ with work and spend
the day in bed with you. Let’s get a quick shower, and have some breakfast
before I head out.”

“I’ll get a shower after I fix you breakfast,” Callie said,
moving off him. “You go get your shower.” She got to her feet.

Blade watched her grab his shirt off the floor and slip into
it. He could hear her humming as she walked to the kitchen and smiled. By the
time he had finished his shower and dressed, the aroma of coffee and breakfast
reached him. A nice surprise greeted him when he entered the kitchen.

Callie was stark naked and setting his breakfast on the table.
She glanced up and smiled seductively at him.

“Are you breakfast, honey?”

“No. But if you’re a good boy I might be your dinner.” She
put a cup of coffee next to his plate.

“Don’t you know cooking and nudity don’t go together?”

Her soft laugh filled the kitchen. “I didn’t want to get
anything on your shirt.” She kissed Blade on the cheek. “You have a nice day.
I’m going to take my shower.”

Blade watched her sexy backside disappear from his view. He
hadn’t had breakfast yet and he already couldn’t wait to come home for dinner.

****

Blade was gone when Callie returned to the kitchen. His
plate and cup were in the sink. She tidied up, and made a fresh pot of coffee
for later. Then she went to their bedrooms, collected the dirty towels, and
stripped the beds. She checked the guest bathroom, freshened up the linen in
there, and tossed everything into the wash. Then she went about looking for
clean sheets and finally found them in the guest bathroom closet. She made her
bed first, dusted a little and then headed back to Blade’s bedroom.

She made his bed and was in the process of touching up his
bathroom when she thought she heard a noise. Was that the kitchen door?
 
She stopped what she was doing and listened
for a moment. She heard footsteps coming down the hallway and left the
bathroom, stopping short. Walking into the bedroom was a carbon copy of Blade.
Surprise registered on his face when his gaze lit on her.

“Hi, you must be Beau Evans,” Callie smiled, reaching out
and offering him her hand.

“No, ma’am. I’m Chaz.” He engulfed her hand in his much
larger one. “And you must be Callie Peters.”

She nodded. Even though Callie knew the brothers were
identical triplets, it was amazing how much they looked alike. “If you’re
looking for Blade, he’s working.”

“He’s not expecting me. I heard you moving around back here
and thought I should make my presence known, in case you stumbled on me later.”

Callie was thankful for his consideration. “I thought you
were away on a job.”

Chaz nodded. “Yeah, I finished up early. All I want now is a
couple days of R and R.”

He backed up when Callie moved toward him. “I haven’t
checked your room since I’ve been here. It might be a little stuffy.” She
scooted around him.

 
“I think I can handle
that.” He chuckled.

 
“Would you like a cup
of coffee or something to eat?” She turned when they entered the kitchen. “I
was just thinking of fixing a snack.”

“If it’s no trouble,” he said, pulling a chair away from the
table and sitting down. “So, where are you from, Callie?”

“New York.” She opened the fridge and took out some cheese
and cold cuts. “City born and raised.”

“This is your first experience on a ranch?”

“Yes. And except for being chased up a tree by a big black
cow my first day here, it hasn’t been bad.”
Especially
her and Blade’s sexual escapades.
 
Callie cast him a smile. She made him a sandwich piled high with cold
cuts and cheese. “This one’s on me,” she joked, setting it, and a cup of
coffee, down on the table in front of him.

Because he looked so much like Blade, Callie found that
talking to Chaz came easy. She felt comfortable with him. What surprised her
most was that she wasn’t attracted to him in the least. There was no spark
there as there had been when she first met Blade.
Maybe that’s because my heart already belongs to his brother.
That
sudden realization stunned Callie. It was too soon to know where things might
be going between her and Blade. At thirty, she couldn’t afford to jump to
conclusions that might end up hurting them both.

“That big black cow must have been Satan. Thanks,” he said,
picking up half of the sandwich and taking a big bite.

“Thank God Blade came by, otherwise I’d still be up that
tree. He had to rescue me.” Callie sat down.

Chaz’s gaze moved over her with mild interest. “I’m sure
Blade didn’t mind rescuing a pretty damsel like you.”

The compliment sounded sincere. It dawned on her that the
Evans brothers liked their women with curves. Maybe because they were as big as
mountains themselves.

“So, how are you and he getting along? Blade can be moody when
he wants to be. Especially when he has a migraine.”

Callie choked on her sandwich. A fit of coughs racked her
body. The next thing she knew Chaz was pounding on her back until they
gradually let up. She exchanged a look with him, feeling the heat of embarrassment
on her cheeks. He was looking at her with a curious mixture of interest and
speculation in his dark eyes.

Oh crap!
She
smiled nervously. She didn’t know Chaz that well, but she recognized a
questioning look when she saw one. He was trying to figure out if there was
something between her and Blade.

“Okay now?”

Callie nodded. “Thank you.” She took a sip of coffee. “Would
you like another sandwich?”
 
She noticed
his plate was empty.

“No, ma’am.” He scooted his chair back. “I think I’ll take a
ride and see what’s been going on while I’ve been away.”

Callie stacked their plates and took their dirty dishes to
the sink.

“Have you had a chance to ride yet?”

She shook her head. “No.”

His smiling eyes crinkled at the corners. “Well, you’re
dressed for it. Why don’t you go with me? We’ll head out to the birthing
pasture. This time of year there’s bound to be a few calves running around.
We’ll look for Blade while we’re out.”

Excitement rushed through Callie.
 
She thought about the work she still had to
do, but the thought of possibly seeing Blade in his element made the decision
for her. “I’d love to see the calves but I’ve never been on a horse by myself.
I’m not sure—”

Chaz didn’t give her a chance to back out. “Come on, you’ll
do fine. We have a gentle little mare we use for city slickers. She’ll be
perfect for you.”

How could she say no? Especially when Chaz was already
forcing her out the kitchen door and down the steps. “I can go riding in
sneakers?”

“For now. We’ll have to see about getting you some boots.”

The first thing Callie noticed on entering the barn was the
pungent smell of horse and leather, and something else. There was hay
everywhere, and all kinds of riding equipment and barn supplies hanging on the
walls. Two sets of stalls lined the back, most were empty except for a couple.
Chaz took her to a stall with the name ‘Gypsy’ on it.

“Gypsy is very gentle. Great for beginners.”

When he opened the stall door Callie stepped back. He took
Gypsy by the halter and led her out. There wasn’t much for her to do after
that, as Chaz busied himself with saddling the small white mare. It amused her
to watch him, he was so focused that she was willing to bet he’d forgotten all
about her. Then he moved on to another stall and removed a large, sorrel with a
shiny coat.

Once his horse, Santana, was saddled he helped Callie mount
Gypsy. He gave her a quick lesson on how to control the mare with her legs and
the reins.

“I think I have it,” she said after about ten minutes.

He smiled up at her. “Good. We won’t be doing more than a
trot today. If you get into trouble just let me know.” He mounted his horse and
led the way out of the stable.

They rode down a dirt driveway, through an opened gate, and
into a pasture. There were ranch-hands all about, making her wonder how many
they had working for them. All were busy doing one task or another, most
acknowledged her and Chaz with a wave or shout.
 

“Hey, Jax!” Callie followed Chaz’s gaze to see a group of
men digging holes. One man in particular looked their way. “Where can I find my
brother?”