Stony Creek Cowboy [Stony Creek] (Siren Publishing Classic) (19 page)

Jackson could tell from Billie’s annoyed look that she didn’t find his teasing very amusing. Jackson couldn’t have been more pleased if he had won the lottery at that moment. Her obvious need for reassurance fired his heart and his blood like nothing ever had in his life. She must be genuinely falling for him if she needed that. No more games, he inwardly sighed in relief. His erection pulsed against her in response to his thoughts, but ironically it was his heart that took precedence at that moment.

“Baby, all teasing aside, it should be blatantly obvious what is going on here. After denying both of us for way too long, I realized that I don’t think I can live without being near you. I know for sure that no other man is ever going to touch you again. Don’t be afraid of me or this change. It just makes us an official ‘us.’” He thought for a moment and continued with a laugh, “Now we are officially boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Billie snorted at that ridiculous end to his speech. Boyfriend indeed! Men really were annoying creatures. She felt his hands still in their explorations of her back and tighten around her waist.

Jackson looked her in the eye and said, “Billie, I am so crazy about you and have been since I met you, too. You are now mine. Together we will figure out the details, but, baby, you have to feel how right this is. Mine. Yours. Ours. That’s what is happening.”

After several more hours of loving that took place in front of the snowy picture window, on the stairs, and finally in the waterfall shower, they fell into bed with a condition that Billie called “A pleasure coma.” They woke late in the morning with their bodies curled together, his behind hers, in a tangle of sheets and limbs. She giggled not only from the light kisses he peppered on her ear and neck but the feel of his rock-hard morning arousal.

His arms tightened around her as he felt her ticklish response. Suddenly she wrenched herself out of bed and stood in the middle of her bedroom unaware of the effect of her glorious nudity. Jackson rolled over on his side and propped himself up on one hand to unabashedly observe the sway of her breasts as she jumped.

“What is the matter, baby?” he asked with a yawn.

“It’s Sunday,” Billie practically yelled at him. For his life, Jackson had no idea what it was about Sunday that had her crazed. He continued to look at her lasciviously. Maybe she was disturbed that he hadn’t fucked her first thing and was feeling deprived. He actually thought that was hilarious and began to chuckle out loud at that thought. After settling, he looked at her and shrugged his shoulders as though to say he was confused as to what Sunday meant.

“I have to make your mom and aunt pies, you dolt! Ugh, men. Apparently all they teach in Wyoming schools is about cows, rodeo, and snow!” With that, she grabbed her robe and turned to run downstairs. Problem with that was that she hadn’t looked where she was going and promptly fell right over a two hundred pound Madison.

“Ugh!” she yelled and she flew facedown onto the carpet. Jackson was by her side in a flash as was the culprit of her attack.

“Are you okay, baby? Gotta be careful of the wildlife around here. They also teach not only about the cows but also how to watch out for them!” He laughed.

Downstairs, Billie made them breakfast while rapidly whipping together two pies to bring to dinner. Jackson was quiet through the morning and she wondered to herself why. She crossed the room to wrap her arms around his shoulders while he sat on the couch.

“Why is such a good-looking man so quiet right now? Seems a shame.”

He clasped her forearms in his hands and gave a gentle squeeze. “Just kinda bummed thinking that things are going to be different tonight, as I have to sleep back at my place.” His voice sounded thick and held no small amount of regret.

Billie sighed and hugged him tighter. She hadn’t thought about that. It was as almost though she forgot that he lived in his own house. With a pang in her heart, she kissed him on the side of his neck.

“Well, I guess we are just going to have to have a lot of phone sex and sexting. You do know how to sext, Jackson?” she teased inquisitively.

He shot her a hot look. “I think I might need some lessons, baby. We can start during dinner tonight. If I send you a text and you blush, then I guess I am doing it correctly!”

Billie moved away with a laugh and went to check on her pies. She ran her eyes over his incredible body as he unrolled from the couch to look out the window. Her eyes heatedly took in the unbuttoned jeans and his naked chest. As though on cue, her cell phone buzzed across the room. Billie didn’t take her eyes from him as she moved to pick it up.

Jackson heard her gasp and quickly turned to see what had caused her obvious distress. He saw her lips tremble and was immediately concerned. He wrapped her in his arms and gently took the cell phone from her hand.

“Gonna fuck you, bitch. Gonna fuck you up real good.”

Jackson engulfed her in his embrace as though to block out her very visible fear and kissed her on the top of her head. He took deep breaths in an attempt to hide his rage from her. He wanted her to see him only as calm, but what the fuck? He wanted to kill whoever was sending her these threats with his bare hands. It was going to be a very interesting dinner at the Powell ranch after he discussed this with his family.

* * * *

The Powell house was as boisterous as ever as Jackson and Billie walked up to the front door. Billie leaned forward and grabbed Jackson’s hand in a death grip, effectively pulling him to a stop. He turned and looked down at his lady love with a smile. She looked anxious and pale. He was immediately concerned that she was afraid of whoever has been scaring her.

“Don’t worry, baby,” he quickly reassured her. He put his pie down on the railing and swept her into his embrace. He tried to block out any fear he thought she had running in her.

“How can you tell me not to worry? Everyone knows what we have been doing for two days, Jackson! How can I face you mother and aunt?”

Jackson looked at her with an impish grin, as though reliving some of the more salacious moments of their weekend in his head. Obviously enjoying his thoughts, she felt his chest rumble with laughter.

“I would think it would be my brothers and cousins that you should worry about,” he teased.

“Oh god! How could I have forgotten about them? I will never be able to look them in the eyes again,” she wailed.

Jackson thought the whole scenario was pretty damn funny. He had guessed incorrectly as to the nature of her upset. This was much better. He could imagine her gorgeous chest suffuse with blush as his family imagined their weekend activities. Jackson leaned over and parted the edges of her coat, leaving no question in her mind that he was ogling her cleavage. As if on cue, he ran the edge of his fingertip down the inside of one of her breasts to where the two were mashed together.

Billie felt as her G-string was immediately soaked with a rush of moisture as she sucked in her breath at his arousing caress. She observed as his eyes took on a heated look as he leaned down to take her mouth with his.

“Don’t bother calling them, Mom, they are out here sucking face on the porch!” Benjamin yelled out to the rest of the house as he opened the door. “Geez, I would think that the two of you could take a break for at least a couple of hours, no?” Ben had a shit-eating grin on his face as he tormented the couple. Billie did then blush, just as Jackson had predicted, from hairline to chest.

“Looks just as arousing as I thought it would be,” Jackson whispered into her ear.

He turned and looked at his over-informative brother. “Do you think you can act your age at some point in this lifetime, Ben? You are getting more and more like Troy every damn day!”

The window next to the door slid up as two male faces leaned out to join the party. “Well, that’s the best compliment you have ever given me, brother!” Troy yelled from the opening. He had a huge smile on his face. If that weren’t enough to cause Billie to burn up with embarrassment, Cole’s face that was leaning on his hand followed a glance to the front picture window where Hunter, Brody, Bill, and Donny were observing the scene with rapt attention. Just kill me now, Billie thought.

“Excuse me, boys, but unless you want to feel the smack of my spoon against adult behinds, you had better let Doc in and stop teasing her. Once she gets over her blush, she can remind you that she knows ways to make your, um, manliness, not be so manly!” Lillian declared to her male family members.

Florence strode forward and picked up the pie that Jackson had left out with one hand and grabbed Billie’s hand with the other. She stopped in her march and turned momentarily to look back at Jackson. “Your uncle would have been proud of you!” she said with a naughty smile.

“Florence!” Lillian burst out. “We are the only three women here and we are supposed to stick together.”

Please kill me now and bury me! Billie thought with a groan.

As the women settled in the kitchen to talk, probably about the success of their plan at getting Jackson and Billie finally together, the men congregated in the den. Jackson was greeted with bawdy comments by his brothers and cousins. His own father slapped him on the back and squeezed his shoulder affectionately. He heard his father quietly say, “You look happy. Haven’t seen that on you for a long time, son. I really like this girl.”

Jackson had to smile at his father and dodge the slap to his arm that Hunter was about to deliver. Talk about emotion. Hitting him was the only way Hunter knew how to express warm sentiment.

“I hope you don’t slap your girlfriend’s arms when you want to turn them on, Hunter,” he said with a laugh.

“Dumbass,” was the only reply.

Jackson closed the door and quickly told the men about what had been happening to Billie and that he suspected Len. Curses and angry comments were flung around the room while they discussed how to keep her safe and catch whoever this sick asshole was.

* * * *

Billie was still all ablush in the kitchen with Florence and Lillian hugging her senseless. Lillian had tears in her eyes as she told Billie that she had prayed for someone to light up her eldest’s life and she had received even more than she had hoped for. Her whole life, Billie had wanted to feel like she belonged to a warm, loving family. Perhaps things did work in mysterious ways. She had to remind herself that one weekend with Jackson did not a family make. However, she couldn’t deny the warm wave of happiness that crested over her senses. All she had ever wanted. Love. This wonderful family seemed to have it in spades. They weren’t perfect, but they were wonderful. She was ripped from her thoughts as Bill strode into the kitchen and picked up Lillian. He swung her around while loudly questioning, “Where the hell is the food, you gorgeous woman you? We men need to eat to keep fit and strong!” He let her down as she swatted his shoulder. She gave him a mischievous smile and smacked his behind.

“Get the boys in here.”

“Florence, my love, I would swing you around, too, but I fear we would end up in a heap on the floor as my back is older than I care to admit to and it would damage my reputation as your new lover,” Donny bellowed for everyone to hear. Raucous laughter filled the room as Florence turned to him. “I cannot mention your reputation as my sons are here, you naughty man!”

Billie smiled through the exchanges, while catching Jackson’s eyes twinkling at her. Troy pulled her aside to make sure she was okay. She thought that was very sweet of him to care and told him so. He just looked at her sideways and told her he was happy that Jackson and she had each other now. Billie couldn’t get over how sweet and communicative all the men in this family were. Well, Hunter was almost family and his communications were limited to grunts, slaps, and nodding. Still, when she turned and caught him looking at her seriously, she was dumbfounded as his lips turned up into a smile and nodded again in her direction. Would wonders never cease!

Dinner was its usual fun affair. She sat next to Jackson. It consisted of him running his hand up her thigh, lightly squeezing, and her talking to three people at once while Jackson was running the pads of fingers over her soft mound, causing her to jump. She noted that Bill was asking for the potatoes while trying to compliment his sister-in-law on them. Her G-string was now so damp, she was sure that she would leave a mark on the chair.

Yep, just the usual.

“Billie, honey, is too hot in here for you? You look flushed,” Lillian innocently asked. “Brody, please open up the window behind you. It needs to cool off a few degrees in here.”

“It’s gonna take more than a window opening to accomplish that, Aunt Lillian,” Brody said while laughing himself silly. Billie was ready to crawl under the table by the time the meal was over. The men all cleared the table while the women flopped on the couches to rest. Jackson came sauntering over and gently took her hand.

“We will be back in a minute. I want to show her my old room. Gotta brag about all my rodeo buckles and show them to her.” He yanked her up and pulled her determinedly behind him. They went up the back stairs to where she guessed his room was, surprised that he wanted to show her his buckles right at that moment. When they got to his room, he flung open the door and quickly slammed it shut while flicking the lock. She looked around, smiling at the floral comforter that now graced his bed.

“I was expecting Spiderman or something more boyish than the floral, Jackson,” she said with a nervous laugh.