Dillon's Claim (14 page)

His eyes glittered with
unquenched hunger, but she could also see the love inside of him. She felt like
the luckiest woman in the world.

“So? Will you let me take you
to dinner and then we’ll see what happens afterward?”

Charissa wrapped her arms
around him and pressed her face into his throat as she nodded. The elation
sweeping through her made her feel dizzy, so happy she thought she’d explode. “Sure.
I can tell you right now what’s going to happen after dinner, though.”

He stroked a hand over her
spine and nuzzled the side of her neck. Making her melt. “Yeah? Does it involve
that fancy new four-poster bed I helped put together while you were gone?”

“It’s done?” she asked
excitedly.

“All done.”

She tipped her head back and
gave him a naughty grin. “Did you also happen to notice the collection of silk
scarves I have hanging in my closet?”

The glint in his eyes turned
wicked. “No. Damn, how did I miss that?”

“Hmm.” Her fingers trailed
down over his ass, teasing lightly. The thick muscles clenched beneath her
hands. “I bet you could put some of them to good use with that new bed frame.
Those posts looked plenty sturdy, enough to tie someone down to.”

Instantly, his hand cupped her
jaw. His steely blue eyes searched hers intently, all traces of amusement gone.
“Do you want that, sweetness?”

“Yes, but only ever with you.
Because I trust you. And I loved what you did to me. I want more,” she admitted
in a whisper, completely unashamed.

His answering smile made her
toes curl, but then he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers. “Christ
I want you. When can you kick your parents out of here?”

Charissa licked her lips, sure
the temperature in the foyer had just shot up a hundred degrees. “Just as soon
as we finish the painting,” she answered breathlessly. “Got an extra brush?”

Dillon lifted his head, his
expression hopeful. “There’s an extra roller in the bathroom.”

She could get rid of her
parents one coat faster. “Give it to me, quick.”

He turned and shot down the
hallway. Grinning, she followed right on his heels.

Also
Available

Dustin’s Gamble

by

J.J. Ranger

Book Two of the Dume Ranch Series

After leaving for a career in NYC, Shannon Piermont has come home
to Bandera, Texas. Her cousin is getting married and her grandmother has died,
but all she can think about is Dustin Dumen. The sexy ranch owner had once been
able to charm her pants off, but not this time. Just because they’d once shared
a passion hotter than the Texas sun, didn’t mean she’d settle for barefoot and
pregnant in a one-horse town.

Dusty knew Shannon couldn't settle down until she'd seen the world
and he'd taken a huge chance she'd find her way home. Now that she has, the
stakes are higher and he'll do whatever it takes to keep her there. He’d
gambled with their love once—he won't do it again.

Can Dustin convince Shannon she can have it all—a career and a
family—or will he have to settle for one last ride of passion?

Chapter
One

Shannon
Piermont slowed the SUV to a crawl on FM 1077, trepidation filling her heart.
Officially she hadn’t been back in fourteen years—at least not to see anyone
other than Gran. It felt like another life. In that old life, the world had
been much simpler, Gran was alive and Dustin…

Just
a quarter mile to go and she would be on his ranch, walking to the office to
check in for her cousin’s bachelorette weekend.

“I’m
here for Bridgette,” she said out loud, as though hearing the words would erase
the niggling doubt that she was really there for Dustin.

And
maybe to convince him to forgive her.

She
passed the driveway to Gran’s property on her left, but Shannon couldn’t bring
herself to look in that direction. Too many memories, too many ghosts and
regrets. Carolyn—she refused to think of the woman as “mother”—kept bugging her
about selling Gran’s ranch, threatening to take her to court if she didn’t give
in.
Money hungry
—

She
bit back a sigh. No, she wasn’t going there. She had enough to worry about with
seeing Dustin again.

She
made the next right onto the gravel road, the entry blocked by a massive beige
cobblestone-and-wrought-iron gate.
DUMEN RANCH
was scripted in iron
across the rounded top of the gate. The
N
in Dumen dangled.

Shannon
chuckled. Apparently her generation wasn’t the only one who snuck out at night
to loosen the screws so that the sign to read “Dume.” And she’d bet she wasn’t
the only one to call it the “Do Me” ranch. She and Dustin had unscrewed the
bolts on the sign almost every weekend, much to his father’s annoyance.

She
punched the code into the key box and waited for the gate to swing open, then
drove the SUV along the winding gravel drive.

A
small herd of longhorns—probably no more than a dozen—grazed in the pasture to
her left, the Double D brand on their flanks. A half mile in, she turned into
the parking lot at the bottom of the small hill. A slight breeze rustled the
leaves of the giant shade trees. Cutting off the engine, she grabbed her bag
and stepped out into the humidity.

The
place hadn’t changed one bit. She closed her eyes and could almost smell
fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, made by the loving hand of Mrs. Dumen.
Home.
Even after all this time, the ranch felt just as much her home as Gran’s place.

The
sidewalk to the two-story stone lodge was on an incline and by the time she
reached the front porch, her calves burned—just a small reminder she’d lapsed
on her workouts since coming back from Paris. The temperature inside the
building felt cool against her heated skin. The interior was homey. Large wood
beams framed the room and supported the roof and added to the rustic feel. It
smelled of leather and sunshine. A few people milled around the room.

Offering
them a smile, she crossed to the office and poked her head in the door. A thin
blonde of twenty-ish, with baby blue eyes, looked up from her computer and
leaned forward, pushing her exposed cleavage almost to her chin.

“Can
I help you?” she asked with a lilting southern drawl.

“Checking
in.” Shannon fished her wallet from her purse and handed over her driver’s
license and credit card.

“Of
course, Miss Piermont. You will be in the Bronc Bustin’ cabin. I am supposed to
tell you Bridgette will be in the Twisted Knot with Jessica.”

Bridgette,
the bride and reason for this weekend get together, was her older cousin and
was marrying her college sweetheart, Adam. Jessica was probably Adam’s friend,
who Bridge had gushed about a few weeks back. Shannon bit back a sigh of
relief. As much as she loved her cousin, and as nice as Jessica probably was,
after a hellacious fashion month in Paris, missing Gran’s funeral and a
first-time homecoming, the last thing she really wanted was to share space with
a gaggle of giggling women.

“Shay?”
said a deep voice behind her.

She
looked over and broke into a grin. “Dillon. Holy hell, you grew up good!” She
raked her gaze over his tall, lean frame. Short dark hair gave him a mature
look. Piercing blue eyes twinkled. “You’re smiling. Should we be worried?”

Dillon
laughed. “Why would you be worried?”

“Come
on,” she teased, tapping his flat stomach with the backs of her fingers. “You can’t
fool me. I know you’re the crusty, serious brother.” Dillon had always been the
serious one, Dane the flirtatious, Deacon the sexy one, and Dustin…Dustin was a
good mix of all. At least, in her opinion.

He
rolled his eyes. “Gee, thanks. Nice to see you home, kid.” He chucked her on
the chin and brushed past her into the office. “Ashley, have you seen Dustin?”

The
blonde handed Shannon the cabin key. “Not since this morning. But then he said
something about going to the house.”

Dillon
looked over at her. “Shay, why don’t you go to the main house and round up
Dustin for us? I know he will be thrilled to see you.”

Shannon
gaped over her shoulder at him. “Me?” Did he not realize how she’d left things
with Dustin?

“We’ll
take your bags to the cabin,” Dillon assured her. “A bunch of cars just pulled
up and we’re about to get swamped. I could really use his help.”

She
heaved a sigh. “Fine.” She’d never been able to turn down a Dumen brother
yet…unless one counted the breakup with Dustin fourteen years ago.
Going to
have to see him sooner or later. Might as well be sooner.

Forcing
one foot in front of the other, she trudged out of the lodge and up the path to
the main residence. Pink, yellow, red and white roses bloomed around the
walkway leading up to the door, and she breathed in their heady scent. Nausea
swirled in her stomach.

God,
why did she have to jump to obey Dillon’s orders? She wasn’t a kid anymore. She
dreaded the initial reunion with Dustin, had hoped to put it off for as long as
possible—if not completely—until this weekend was over. One drama at a time
please.

Drawing
in a deep breath, she raised her hand and pressed the doorbell. She waited for
two minutes and then hit the button again. She leaned her forehead against the
oak door and tried to calm her ever present nerves. How would Dustin react when
he saw her? Did he really know she was coming? And what would he think when he
found out she intended to stay for good?

“Guess
nobody’s home,” she mumbled.

The
door swung open, and she lost her balance with a startled squeak. She reached
out to grab something, anything to stop her descent, and latched on to a pair
of denim-clad hips. The material slipped down and with it, she landed on her
knees, face-planted against a very masculine crotch. The tip of his cock peeked
from the front of his red plaid boxers. Heat flooded her belly and moisture
pooled in her panties in response to his arousal. The familiar scent of leather
and sandalwood tickled her nose.

Dustin.
Memories of a night over a decade ago filled with sweat-lathered bodies on the
bank of the creek swam before her eyes. She shivered. All it would take was the
slightest turn of her head and…

“Not
that I’m complaining about your enthusiasm, honey, but you’re a little too far
to the left,” a familiar, deep masculine voice teased.

She
looked up into Dustin’s amused face. That crooked grin hit her in the gut with
lust so fierce she wanted to toss away caution and jump him right there.
Mortified, she pushed away and leapt to her feet. Dammit, of all the impressions
she could have made, falling face first into his cock was not the way she
intended to go.

Heat
burned in her cheeks. “Dillon needs you at the lodge.” She turned on her heel.

“Wait.”
He gripped her hand. “Aren’t you going to say hello or anything?”

Shannon
shook her head, keeping her gaze locked on the safety of the door. “I can’t
talk to you with your…your
thing
exposed. Pull up your pants, for God’s
sake.” Only he could make her feel like a blushing virgin.

His
laughter vibrated through her breasts, and her nipples hardened against the
lace of her bra. “Well, darlin’, my exposed
thing
never bothered you
before. But if you insist…”

The
rustling of denim against skin teased her imagination and whetted an appetite
she hadn’t known in a long time. She squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the
image of his cock saluting her.

“You
can turn around now.”

Drawing
in a deep, calming breath, she did. He’d fastened the button-fly of his jeans,
much to her relief. But the exposed V of his pelvis was too distracting for her
peace of mind. She focused above the waistline and on his face. Hazel eyes were
emphasized by small lines around the edges. A strong jaw was softened by full
lips. Gone was the boy she’d fallen in love with. In his place was a man who
could very well destroy her if she let him get too close.