The Love Goddess Brands Her Cowboys (10 page)

His entire body tingled. After this, could she still be planning to leave him? The idea depressed him so he put it out of his head. Instead, he concentrated on dancing and cuddling the woman he knew he’d always love.

Suddenly, through a megaphone, he heard the voice of his Uncle Jed. “Can I have your attention please?”

The music stopped and Chad and Star broke apart to look at the tall, stout graying man standing at the edge of the large patio. Chad pulled Star in front of him, pressed her body into his, and crossed his arms over her. They were both facing Jeb now and her lovely ass pressed into his cock. But he tried to pay attention to his uncle.

“I’d like to give a hand to my brother Asa Jerome Austin and his fiancé Alice Helms from Phoenix Arizona! Yep, you heard me! Asa’s getting married!”

Chad’s jaw dropped as the crowd made sounds of delight and clapped.

Star looked up at him.

Chad shrugged. “I thought there was someone…but I didn’t know…it was serious.”

He watched as the country band stepped back to give Asa the microphone, which he removed from the stand. Alice stood beside him, a handsome woman in her fifties with dark blond hair and smile lines around her startling green eyes. Her grin was warm…Still shocked, he listened to his father.

“Thank y’all for coming to my party,” he said, in a jolly voice, which he didn’t use too often, at least not around Chad. “I like to think of this as my thirtieth birthday. The second time around.”

For that little joke he received a few chuckles.

Then his face grew serious and he looked up. Was his father staring at him? He didn’t know because they were pretty far apart and then Asa’s gaze moved away and he wondered if he’d just imagined it. The old man looking at him with love and regret? Could it really happen? “Listen up, folks! It’s true that I’m marrying Alice, my wonderful lady of ten years. I know it’s a shock to all of y’all, including my family. When I wanted to be with her, I vacationed in Phoenix, on her ranch, because, truth is, I never thought I’d want to get married again…so why bring her into my world?”

There was a pause and this time Chad knew his father was staring at him, so he smiled to show his approval. The old coot could use a lady in his life full-time. He figured Alice would soon be moving to Texas…

“I was a fool,” he said, as he glanced over at Alice and she smiled at him. He looked back into the crowd, scanning it this time. “I’ve loved her for years, but I was afraid to commit again. But…lately…well, within the last few days, actually, my heart has changed. Suddenly I just knew that the decision I have made is the right thing to do for everyone else and for myself.” He paused and licked his lips.

Chad held Star closer and didn’t even breathe as he waited.

“Something good must be in the air,” Asa went on “because I find I’m full of all the love I tried to bury since…since my wife…well, since I didn’t let nobody see. Chad, I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you, son. Honest to God, I have always loved you more than I can say.”

Chad didn’t move, but he could feel his eyes tearing up.

His father moved on quickly. “When I marry Alice next month, I am going to retire to Arizona to live with her there. I am handing the deed to my ranch to my beloved son, Chad. Chad, come up here and get the deed because now this ranch is yours.”

Chad was too shocked to move at first, but Star gently pushed him forward. “Come with me,” he whispered to her.

She nodded and he escorted her to the stage, his legs wobbling with each step. When he reached his father and Alice, first he turned to Alice. “You’re too good for my old man,” he said and grinned, then hugged her, shutting his eyes to hold in the tears.

He pulled back and moved a step over to stand before his father. Asa was grinning at him as he held out the deed. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Chad asked, trying to act composed. “Nothing…you aren’t being impulsive?”

Asa laughed. “I’m never impulsive. This has been on my mind for a few years, but I held back. It’s refreshing to finally do what I want to do; what I know is right. I don’t want to work so hard anymore…and I want to be with my lady. Here.” He shoved the deed into Chad’s hands and stepped forward to give Chad the only hug he could ever remember getting from his father. Chad hugged him back, blinking hard.

It was a short hug, accompanied by lots of cheering. He stepped back and grabbed onto Star’s hand, holding the deed, realizing what this meant. “Thank you, sir,” he said.

“In exchange for this, you give me some heirs,” he said, and winked at Star.

Cheers and hoots hit his ears.

As they walked back to their place, Chad got a lot of back slapping and good wishes. But Chad didn’t want to be with anyone but Star after this startling moment. He pulled her behind everybody else, then grabbed her and hugged her with all his might. “You didn’t pull any tricks?” he asked her.

“You have most of my power now, Chad. Did
you
pull any tricks?”

The question made him smile and relax a bit. He didn’t want to worry about the small stuff; he had bigger things in mind. “No.” He felt as if they were floating on a cloud together.

“Just the aura of love we’ve established in the atmosphere can bring out the best in somebody,” Star told him, “but if the feelings weren’t there to begin with, they don’t suddenly materialize. Your father really wanted to do this, cowboy, or he wouldn’t have done it.”

Chad felt on top of the world as she confirmed his thoughts. He had the deed to the ranch and the lady of his dreams, he couldn’t ask for more. She pressed against him and the swell of her breast against his arm made him instantly hard. Did she have any idea how much he needed her? All would be perfect, if only she’d stay. He’d have to find a way to make that happen. But first he had a little surprise for his love goddess.

“Sugar, let’s go for a ride,” he said taking her elbow to guide her toward his vehicle.

She looked up at him teasing, “A ride. I don’t see any horses, cowboy. Unless you’d like me to ride you instead.”

“I’d like that, but not yet.”

He throbbed just from her huskily voiced suggestion and felt her curious gaze drift down to the hard cock tenting his pants. He growled pulling her to him now that they were out of sight of the party backing her against a tree grinding into her to let her see how hard he was. “Baby, you’ll have all the cowboy riding you can handle in a few minutes and we’ll take my jeep to get there.”

She let out a startled laugh when he scooped her up and carried her toward his jeep. “Shhhh,” he scolded giving her a smack on the rear that made her gasp with pleasure. Oh yeah she was more than ready for what he had planned. He only hoped it didn’t backfire on him because he was counting on it to seduce her into staying. He jerked open the jeep door and plopped her on the seat then opened the glove compartment to pull out the fur lined blindfold he’d hidden there.

Her eyes widened as she looked at it. “What’s that for?” she asked looking at it with a smile.

“You, of course,” he said slipping it over her eyes. Her little gasp of distress told him she was feeling the sensory deprivation right away and it made her nervous. He stroked a hand down her face and she leaned into his touch, calming.  “Better?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said slowly.

“Good,” he said hopping behind the wheel and starting the engine. “No peeking now or the adventure stops and you get spanked.” He saw her delicate shiver, the way the pulse leapt in her throat, and her nipples budding under her dress. She was more excited than scared.  Excellent!

He took off for the rendezvous spot trying to hold himself in check. It wasn’t easy with her pressing against him, the warm feminine scent of her wrapping around him, making him even harder. When he got to his private beach, in record time, he let out a wry smile she couldn’t see behind her blindfold.

Chad shut off the engine and turned to stare at her in the moonlight.  The moonbeams turned her dark hair to silk and highlighted the blush on her cheeks. His girl was practically vibrating with excitement and he was glad he could give her the adventure she craved. “We’re here,” he said reaching out to stroke a hand down her bare arm. She let out a little needy gasp that made him smile. Oh yeah, she was eager for more. He itched to just take her fast and dirty right here. Reigning in his most basic urges, he tuned into the music playing softly down on the beach. Then he got out of the vehicle and stalked around it to open her door.

“I hear music. Is this another party you’re taking me to?” Star asked, and he grinned at her excitement.

“Something like that. It’s a skinny dipping party at my private beach,” he said gauging her reaction. She smiled and he got harder.

“Skinny dipping you say? I’ve heard of that.”

The little love goddess was teasing him and she was going to get it. He reached in and tugged her off the seat and into his arms as he kissed her deeply, letting her feet dangle off the ground. She clung to him, letting out a little urgent sound he felt all the way down to his aching cock. Then she was opening her mouth for him, surrendering, and it was all he could do not to lay her back on the seat and fuck her right there. Patience, he told himself but his cock wasn’t listening. He somehow managed to shuffle to the side and slam the door and press her sexy ass against it as he dove in deeper, rocking his aching cock at her, reveling in the sexy sounds she made. Her stiff nipples were like laser beams burning into him and her creamy soft mound.   He broke the kiss to order, “Wrap your sweet legs around me, baby, and don’t let go.” When she obeyed him, her legs wrapping around him, her hot pussy pressing harder against his stupid cock, he thought he’d lose his mind and his load.

Slow down, idiot, he told himself.
Make this last. Make her die to have you
. His hands weren’t listening and stroked her sexy ass, squeezing her cheeks as he carried her towards the beach.  His damn rod was so hard that he ached, but he stalked across the sand to the beach blanket Diego had laid out, seeing the boom box playing music and the champagne chilling in the bucket with three glasses on ice. If his baby wanted a threesome she was going to get it but good.  He looked around to make sure Diego wouldn’t see him doing magic then simply blinked their clothes away.

The moment the barrier of their clothing was gone, she let out a gasp rubbing against him, and he dropped like a rock, rolling onto the beach blanket, careful to fall on his back so that he wouldn’t crush her.  It left her astride him with her creamy mound perched right above his cock and he looked up at her in wonder, asking himself how he’d ever gotten this lucky. His gaze roved over her from the silly blindfold she still wore dutifully to the blush turning her cinnamon skin a sexy rosy red. “You can take off the blindfold, love.”

She tore it off and blinked a few times as if to focus, looking around at the moonlit private beach, the soft blanket they were on, the boom box, and then the bottle of champagne and three glasses. He knew the minute she’d figured it out because she grinned and looked at him.  “Three glasses?”

“I told you she was a quick study Chad,” Diego said walking toward them with a picnic basket in his hand.

“Where you been hiding?” Chad asked, stroking Star’s hair.

“Behind the trees, watching,” he said and he winked at Star.

Star looked at him then turned to Chad. “You planned this?”

“Um hum,” he said rocking against her gently making her gasp.

Diego grinned. “You can ride the cowboy, babe, and I’ll just watch if you don’t want me to touch,” Diego said.  He swept a hand down his body indicating his pulsing cock. “But I’m seriously hoping you’d like to touch. It’s your decision,
bonita
.”

“Yeah, it’s your decision, sugar.” Chad watched her face flush under the moonlight and stars; saw her nipples tighten and smelled the sweet musk of her arousal peaking. He’d done the right thing. “It’s all right to enjoy him too,” Chad said. “As long as your feelings are for me, I don’t care if you get pleasure from Diego too.” Her look of wonder told him he’d done the right thing.

“You…you invited him here?” Star asked.