Taking Charge (Lone Star Burn Book 4)

  David turned to look out over the darkened driveway. “I want you to have that win, Lucy. Being with me doesn’t mean you can’t save your ranch on your own. There are no rules. We define what we have.”

  Lucy wanted to believe that. She wanted to so badly. “Why are you so good to me?”

  When David looked down at her again, the fire in his eyes made Lucy question why she worried about anything when it came to him. All the answers were right there for her to see. “We belong together. I knew that from the first moment I met you.”

  Lucy leaned her head on his shoulder again. Her emotions were still too scattered to be able to say anything that would match the intensity of how he felt for her. She didn’t want to hurt him by saying less and didn’t want to lie, so she remained quiet. After a short time, she said, “You were right about how good being with my friends would feel. I needed this.”

  David rested his chin lightly on her head. “It’s obvious Chelle and Sarah felt the same. Poor Sarah, she says whatever is on her mind, and we love that about her, but I bet she has trouble sleeping tonight.”

  “I’ll talk to her tomorrow. I was angry, but, in the end, I’m glad it’s out there, I guess.”

  David sighed. “I am.” He nuzzled the side of her face. “So, tell me, what exactly is a high-tech vibrator?”

  She described some of them to him, and finished by saying, “I know it may be an unconventional way to make money, but I’m actually pretty good at selling them.”

  “I don’t doubt it for a minute,” he murmured into her ear.

  Even though her body was heating up, she gave him a slight push. “I’m serious. I went to school for marketing, but I’ve never really applied what I had learned. When I came across this business and heard they wanted someone to design the marketing plan, I wasn’t sure I could do it. But I know I can now. I get it. It’s not just putting products up on a website. It’s connecting with potential clients.”

  David raised his head and arched an eyebrow. “And how do you do that?”

  “Through a blog, and it’s working. It’s anonymous so I can be honest.”

  “What do you write about exactly?”

  Lucy blushed. “I try out one of the items, then share my experience with it online. That way, women know what to expect when they use it.”

  David shifted and adjusted his jeans. Lucy glanced down at the bulging evidence of how the topic was arousing him. Knowing how easily she excited him was a turn-on for her, too. Lucy licked her bottom lip. “Sarah suggested I try them out with you so potential buyers would know how they work with couples. I know you said you were into toys, but now that you know what they’re like, are you still game?”

  David closed his eyes for a second, a lusty grin on his face. “Fuck, yes.” He looked over at her, his eyes blazing with desire. “Getting a room in town at this time of night would be obvious.”

  Lucy almost said she didn’t care, but it was also exciting to see what else he suggested. “Yes, it would be.”

  “The walls in the main house are thin.”

  “Definitely.”

  “The bunkhouse is the same and full of men.”

  Lucy bit back a smile. “Looks like we have to wait.”

  “Or get creative.”

  I love the way he thinks. Lucy could barely breathe. “How?”

  He kissed her deeply until they were both shaking with need. “Your blog sounds like a perfect bedtime story. If I can’t have you by my side tonight, I’ll settle for coming to the sound of your lovely voice.” He kissed his way to her ear. “On one condition.”

  Lucy was on fire and ready to promise him anything. “What?”

  He whispered, “You have to come, too. I want to hear you bring yourself that pleasure.”

  They kissed again, losing themselves to a passion so intense it threatened to toss all sanity to the wind—making love right there on the porch became a real possibility. Lucy tore her mouth away from his before she suggested that herself. She rushed to the door. “Good night, David.”

  “Talk to you in a few,” David said, then hopped over the railing of the porch and walked off into the dark toward the bunkhouse.

  Lucy stepped inside. Sarah and Tony were in the living room talking. Sarah waved her in. Lucy walked toward the doorway. Her body was trembling with anticipation.

  Sarah stood. “Lucy, I just wanted to say again how sorry I am about spilling the beans. I promise it’ll never happen again.”

  Lucy hoped she didn’t look as excited as she felt. Still breathless, she said, “It’s all good, Sarah. I’m over it. No worries.”

  “Did you want to hang out and play a game of Scrabble?” Sarah asked.

  Lucy shook her head vehemently, then forced a yawn. “I would, but I’m so tired. I’m heading right to bed. Good night, y’all.”

  Her friend gave her a funny look, then sat back down beside her husband on the couch. “Okay, see you tomorrow for breakfast.”

  “Perfect. Okay. See you then.” Lucy sprinted up the stairs. She turned on the radio in her room just loud enough to block out the sound of her voice and called David.

  He sounded as out of breath when he answered. “I’m torn. We could still go to a hotel.”

  Lucy pushed aside her usual shyness. “I’ve never done this before. I’d like to try it.”

  “Oh yes.” David let out a sexy hiss. “Take off your clothes and describe yourself doing it.”

  Feeling a little ridiculous, Lucy swept her shirt up over her head and said, “I took off my shirt.” She unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor. “Okay, I took off my bra, too.” She paused, feeling uncertain. “I don’t know how to make this sexy. I’m sorry.”

  David’s tone was excited and encouraging. “Anything you say is hot to me, Lucy. There is no way to do this wrong. I want you so badly, I could come from the sound of you reciting the alphabet. Just talk.”

  Confidence brought the sexiness back to what had momentarily felt ridiculous. She stepped out of her shoes, jeans, and panties. “I’m sliding my legs out of my jeans, and it feels so good. It reminds me of your hands on me. I’m kicking my silk panties off. They went flying onto the bed, the bed where I’ll be in a minute, spread out, touching myself, wishing you were with me.”

  “Fuck, Lucy, you’re good at this.”

  I am, Lucy thought. She remembered a boyfriend who had once asked her to talk dirty to him. She’d tried, and after a few minutes, he told her to forget it. They’d had sex, but it was as mediocre as her sexy monologue had been. The two experiences couldn’t be compared. Lucy saw why now. It wasn’t about doing it right or wrong. It was about how much pleasure she found in pleasing David. This wasn’t for him—it was for them.

  Just like couples who use toys on each other.

  Lucy walked over to the bed and lay down on top of the blankets. “The air in the room is cool, but I like it. You’d like how my nipples are already jutting out, begging to be in your mouth. I’m on the bed now, and I’m already wet for you. Can you feel how wet? I’m touching myself the way you touched me. It’s not the same, but it’s good. My hand should be your hand. I know exactly how you’d rub me. You’d start slowly, then move faster. Oh yes. You’d do it just like that.”

  David was breathing heavily. “Those gorgeous tits would be in my mouth. Tell me what you’d want me to do. Lick your fingers, and use them like I’d use my tongue.”

  Lucy did just that, and it was so much more exciting than anything she’d ever done to herself. Memories of his mouth on her breasts just a few hours ago were so vivid, they mixed and intensified the pleasure her own hand was capable of bringing.

  “Now read to me.”

  Lucy didn’t want to stop. Everything she was doing felt too good. “Really?”

  His voice was a demanding growl. “Read your blog, Lucy. I want to hear what you do with your toys. Now.”

  “Yes.” Lucy was used to the softer side of David, but he was also a man who knew what he wanted
, and he didn’t settle for less than everything. Submitting to his will brought a whole new level of excitement to the exchange. Lucy scrolled through her phone for a blog entry from when she’d tried a toy she imagined working better with two.

  With his cock in one hand and his phone in the other, David lay across his bed, stroking himself while Lucy chose an entry to read to him. She was the ideal woman in his mind. She was kind, intelligent, funny, and sexually adventurous, without taking it to a level he didn’t want to go to. He had been well acquainted with Internet porn since he’d gotten his first computer at sixteen. Some men might deny it, but he doubted many were different.

  Some people saw it as societal corruption; David viewed it as nothing more than a visual menu of what people had always been doing behind closed doors. Seeing something didn’t mean you had to do it, just like going to a restaurant that served octopus didn’t mean you had to order it. A good sex life came from knowing your own personal taste and finding a partner who shared it. David’s taste was already narrowing to one particular part of the menu—Lucy and whatever side dishes came with her.

  “Are you ready?” she asked huskily.

  David groaned. “Yes.”

  “When I opened the package, I wasn’t impressed. It was smaller than I’d imagined and purple. I’ve never liked purple toys. They remind me of childhood television characters I’d rather forget. I put that thought aside, though, and read the instructions. It arrived precharged, thankfully. The directions were vague and without diagrams, so I took my best guess as to where the toy stimulates. I suggest using lube with this toy since the amount of thought that went into the how and where to use it didn’t rev me up for the trial run. So how was it? I give it a four out of five, but only because I can see this one working much better with a partner. The C shape allows it to vibrate on the G-spot and the clitoris at the same time, which is amazing. The remote control option allows for a hands-free experience. It’s small enough to be worn under clothing, but it’s loud, so I wouldn’t try it during your office break. The remote includes a timer option, which would allow you to take the boredom out of long commutes to work. This toy was designed small so it can also be used during intercourse as a way of enhancing pleasure for both. I haven’t tried it that way yet, but I’d love to hear from anyone who has.”

  Still hard and excited, David chuckled. “It’s not exactly what I expected.”

  Sounding more excited than insulted, Lucy said, “Hey, I wrote what women want to know. And they love it.”

  David pictured Lucy naked on her bed, one hand on her wet sex, caressing herself while she read to him. “It was good. Now, ditch the blog and tell me how you feel.”

  “Besides being insulted that you don’t love my writing?” she teased.

  David growled. “It was awesome, but you know what’s better? Imagining you here with me, kissing your way to my cock.”

  Lucy’s laugh was a provocative tease in his ear. “Are you sure? I could read you another entry.”

  “Do that only if you want me in your bed tonight. I’ll have you screaming out my name, and I won’t care who hears.”

  “And how would you do that?” She purred her request. “Tell me how you’d take me there. Every detail.”

  “Lucy?” Her name was almost a growl on his lips. Not what I want on my lips right now. I want my mouth on her pussy. Licking. Sucking until she screams.

  “Yes, David,” she answered, and there was a tremor to her voice that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

  “Open your legs. Wide. Now.”

  He was certain he heard her whimper.

  “I’m so hard for you right now, and if I were with you on that bed, you would have your sweet, luscious lips wrapped around my cock. You would be licking and sucking, licking and sucking. You would be wanting my cum, as you used that sweet tongue of yours to work my head.”

  Fuck if her moan at that moment didn’t almost make him come. I wish I could see her face. See desire in her beautiful eyes.

  “Can you taste me, sweetheart? Can you feel how much you’ve turned me on?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. She was panting.

  Fuck, I can barely breathe.

  “You want my cock in your mouth?”

  All David heard was a moan. God, I should be in her bed right now. Fuck.

  “Put two fingers inside your pussy. Now. Push them hard into you so they hit you where you need it.”

  “Uh-huh. David . . .”

  “And Lucy, while you’re making love to my hard cock, do you know what I’ll be doing?”

  “No.” He barely heard her, but he imagined the flush on her skin. Her sheen of sweat as she wrapped her mouth around him. Sexy girl. He could hear how wet she was. He could hear the slap of her fingers. So he went for it.

  “I would have my tongue so deep within your pussy that you’d barely be able to breathe. I’d be licking, sucking, licking, and sucking. You’d be thrusting your sexy pussy up against my mouth so I could devour every last drop of your sweet-as-fuck juices as you come all over me.”

  Imagining his chin wet with her juices, and hearing Lucy give herself over to her orgasm, had David coming. Hard. Imagining her sucking every part of his cum down her pretty throat. He could hear her heavy breaths. Imagine her glazed expression.

  And that’s how it is done, darlin’.

  David rolled over, cleaned himself off, and then, spent, flopped back down onto the bed.

  “Lucy?”

  “Yes?” she asked in a whisper.

  “When we get back to your house, let’s try that toy.”

  She chuckled. “See, I told you my blog was effective.”

  He could have told her that her writing skills had nothing to do with the fact that he was dying to try all the toys with her, but he kept that thought to himself. “It sure was. Lucy, I won’t want to sleep in the bunkhouse in Mavis.”

  She breathed in audibly. “You want to move in?”

  “We’ll make love every night. You’ll fall asleep in my arms. I’ll wake you with a kiss each morning. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. You want this as much as I do. Say yes, Lucy.”

  He waited for what felt like an eternity for her to answer. The longer she didn’t say anything, the more he began to worry he’d pushed her for too much too soon.

  “Yes,” she said, then hung up.

  David tossed his phone on the bed beside him and stared up at the ceiling. The last thing he wanted to do was go to sleep. He wanted to throw open his window and yell that she was his.

  He wanted to join her in the main house and hold her until the sun came up.

  He held himself back because he knew she needed more time before she could fully give herself to him. For now, he would bask in the relief that she wasn’t unreachable.

  She’d said yes.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next morning, Lucy showered early and, although she dressed simply, took extra care with her hair and makeup. While applying the finishing touches, she paused and studied the woman looking back at her. There was a life in her eyes that hadn’t been there for so long, Lucy had doubted it would ever return. She glimpsed the woman she’d been before her father died, and the thought brought a smile to her lips.

  No, she couldn’t go back, but she could go on.

  And not just survive.

  She could live and laugh again.

  She thought about David.

  Maybe even love one day.

  The glow on her cheeks had nothing to do with the makeup she’d applied and everything to do with memories from the day before. When she thought about how hard she came last night—just from hearing David’s incredibly sexy voice demanding she touch herself and imagining blowing him—she couldn’t stop smiling.

  David was a gentle soul, but he was also a confident, dominant man, and . . . and the more she was with him, the less she wanted to imagine her life without him.

  So much had changed in one day. When she though
t about how new everything was, fear nipped at her heels, but she refused to let it affect her mood.

  The optimistic woman in the mirror deserved a chance to prove that happy endings were possible. She’d paid her dues. She’d survived more than she ever thought she could. Was it impossible to believe she might deserve someone as good as David in her life?

  Lucy made her way downstairs and was surprised to see Chelle already there. She was talking to a still apologetic-looking Sarah. As soon as they heard her, they both turned.

  Sarah said, “Lucy, I still feel awful about—”

  Lucy closed the distance between them in a few long strides and threw her arms around her, swallowing the rest of what Sarah would have said in a tight hug. “You will never know how grateful I am to have you in my life.” She turned and hugged Chelle. “You too. Let’s not worry about something that actually turned out for the best. I’m glad it’s out there.”

  The happiness Lucy had seen on her own face was reflected in the smiles of her friends. Sarah said, “Tony is showing David and Mason one of the horses. I told them to take their time. Let’s make a big breakfast. We were supposed to head to town today, but what do you think about hanging out here?”

  Chelle said she thought Mason would probably love being able to truly relax without worrying about who was watching.

  Lucy agreed. She really liked Fort Mavis, but her friends were the reason she’d come, and having a stress-free day with them sounded perfect.

  They headed into the kitchen together as Sarah joked, “Funniest thing about the vegetables we were preparing for dinner last night. They ended up all over the floor. I cleaned it up, but what do you think could have done that? Squirrels?”

  Lucy slapped her forehead. “I meant to clean that up. Sorry, Sarah.”

  Chelle rounded her eyes in feigned innocence. “I don’t know what else could have been on your mind.”

  Sarah winked at Lucy. “Details are not necessary, but I sanitized the whole kitchen.”

  Lucy sat on one of the stools that lined the kitchen island and wagged a finger at Chelle. “We contained ourselves until we got upstairs, but Sarah, you should have heard Chelle and Mason. I was mortified to be caught with David, and those two were calling upstairs to us. I was dying.”