Hard Ridin' (12 page)

Her inner muscles clenched him and he gave a groan. Rocking her against him, he searched for the deepest spring of tenderness inside himself. He could do this—wanted to do this—give her the romantic interlude along with the pleasure. He traced the fine bones of her cheek, her jaw, down to her collarbones. Following with his lips, he whispered love words. Not exactly poetry, but it was a start.

Chapter Seven

Laurel leaned against Jens’s truck and watched the tractor make one more pass over her field. She shouldn’t curse the coming of planting season, yet she did.

Since the sun was setting later, they were able to work longer. Most of the day had been spent on the main farm, getting the fields ready for planting. While the men plowed and hauled fertilizer and fixed broken tractor parts, Laurel had seen to more domestic duties—feeding calves and making a huge meat-and-potato lunch for Jens and Holden.

Sharing the table with both of them should have been awkward, but for some strange reason, a camaraderie had befallen the three of them. While the men tucked in with grunts of appreciation, she’d chattered about the shipment of seeds she’d just received for her crops.

Laurel’s fields were smaller, but they required a bit more maintenance. The soil up here hadn’t been worked in decades, and it needed special nutrients as well as the organic fertilizer the men had spent a fortune on.

At lunch, Jens had caught her gaze across the table and her pussy had slicked immediately. And Holden had later rubbed his socked foot up her calf, which ignited her further. Between the two of them, she was going to be turned to ash.

She’d been caught up with Holden in the barn half of the day and enjoyed some freedoms against the rough wall. Now she was ready for some time alone with Jens.

Bouncing atop the tractor, Jens looked as if he could be the model for a farm ad. Hunky guy with a perfect sweat-darkened trail down his spine, hat tipped low and hair curling under the brim. Laurel dug her knuckles into her thighs against the urge to run her fingers through it.

How had she gotten to this place in her life? She’d fallen into the loving of two men with the ease of slipping into a hot bath. Except now she didn’t gain enough ease from one man.

She needed them both.

But a thread of worry continued to run through her. After Jens had returned from town, Laurel had caught the faint trace of perfume clinging to his denim shirt when she hugged him. When she’d asked about it, he’d told her that he ran into an old friend in town. Also, that old friend had put a secretive light in his eyes.

The wind gave a sudden blast, and she wound her arms around her waist to keep warm. Jens bounced around another turn and came to a stop about ten yards from her.

He geared the engine down to an idle so he could holler over it. “Looking for a ride, little lady?”

A smile tugged at her lips, and instant warmth pooled in her core. “Why, yes.”

“Come on up.” He waved to her, and she jogged up to the enormous tractor. Being seated atop a massive vehicle that held so much power was a bit frightening in an adrenaline-rush way.

Jens extended a gloved hand to her. She gripped it, and he vaulted her up against him. The heated spice of his skin filled her senses. Was it wrong to only want to go to bed with her lovers? Two should satiate her, but the opposite was true. She was left more wanting after each encounter.

Maybe that’s because something’s missing.

The voice in the back of her mind caused her to jerk. Jens mistook her movement for a shiver.

“Whoa, darlin’, you are cold. Here, lean against me and hang on tight. I’ll drive us home.” Jens’s face was shaded by his hat, but the bright blue depths of his eyes sparkled out at her.

She gripped the back of the seat and got a better footing on a strip of metal on the side of the equipment. Then she slipped an arm around Jens’s waist and held on tight. Burying her face against his shoulder, she drank in the tangy smell of his hard work and his personal musk. The flesh between her thighs ached to get him into the shower, soap him up and feel him stretching her, filling her.

She gave an involuntary moan.

Mistaking her noise for discomfort, he smoothed a palm over her thigh. “Almost there, baby.”

The house was a short ride away. When they rolled to a stop on the gravel drive, she moved to dismount. Jens reached back and yanked her across his lap. His arousal pressed against her hip, as eager and ready as she was.

His gaze burned into hers for a long heartbeat. How many times had they shared this look of wanting? While twirling around the dance floor at The Hellion, when he was buried deep inside her, and at the dinner table with Holden looking on.

Clenching her thighs to stop the extreme ache that began at those thoughts, she traced her thumb over Jens’s hard lips. “I’ve got dinner in the oven for you.”

Surprise unsettled his features. His long brows shot up and he grinned. “Aren’t you the sweetest little thing?”

God, she loved how he said “thing” with that twang. It plucked at her heartstrings every time. “It’s the least I can do after you worked a long day to help me.”

“I’ll teach you how to drive the smaller tractor soon, but for now, it’s easier to get it all done as quickly as possible. Besides”—he gave her bottom a stinging slap—“I love doing this for you. And this.” He claimed her mouth.

The smack burned the skin on her ass, but it did more than that. It doubled—tripled—her need. White fire raced over her flesh. With a moan, she wrapped her arms around Jens and met his tongue stroke for stroke.

As he ran his gloved hands over her curves and traced the underside of her ass with his finger, her pussy squeezed. Juices flooded her panties. If they hadn’t already been soaking all day, they were now.

Tearing his mouth from hers, he captured her throat. Every fine hair on her body stood at attention.

“Damn, baby, you’re so soft, so willing.”

She heard a “but” in his voice and withdrew enough to see his amazing eyes. “And…?”

He gave a snort of laughter. “And I’m a grungy farmer who needs a shower.”

Lurid images of water and soap streaming over his bulging muscles swirled in her head. Beneath her layers, her nipples pinched into tight knots.

Provocatively skimming her lower lip with her tongue, she held his gaze. “Water’s hot at my place.”

“Mmm. So’s your pussy.” He slipped his hand between her thighs and cupped her sex through her jeans.

Spasms of delight nearly unhinged her. A few caresses and she’d be sailing over the edge. Her body ached to feel him push a finger inside her.

“Let’s get off this tractor.”

His chest rumbled with a laugh. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

He gently eased her off him, and she cautiously jumped to the ground. The wind gave another sharp blast, which cut through her. She huddled into her coat and watched Jens leap down. He straightened up with that rolling grace she adored. Before she could take a single step toward the house, he had whipped her off her feet and into his arms.

She issued a squeal that was stolen by the wind. Taking advantage of Jens’s closeness, she set her lips against his salty throat and raised a shudder from him. By the time they hit the front steps, his erection jutted into her hip.

Oh yes. Tonight she’d get exactly what she wanted from him—more of his domination. The way he took control of her sent a renewed thrill through her each time. Somehow, Jens had ended up as the bad boy in bed, and Holden had become the tender and romantic lover. Never in her wildest dreams had she envisioned this turn of events.

Hell, she’d never imagined herself sleeping with both men at all.

Jens twisted the door handle, and then they were inside. The scents of garlic and cheese greeted them, and he groaned. “Damn, two fine meals in one day. You’re gonna spoil me.”

She’d had at least two fine romps a day for a week, and that made her as spoiled as a cat with a pail of cream. Though it was a bad idea to mention this, she couldn’t stop thinking about Holden and Jens and how they pampered her in bed, up against a barn wall or bent over the sofa.

“Let’s get you in the shower. Our meal can wait.”

The corner of his mouth quirked up and a bracket formed there. The depths of his eyes twinkled. “I love an eager woman.”

“Mmm. That’s good. Because I want you.”

Giving her a quick kiss, he set her on her feet. “You turn down that oven while I check on your new seed shipment.”

Immediately, she caught that thread. Excitement about her farm momentarily staunched the want in her belly. She was sick and tired of waiting for the weather to stabilize enough for them to plant. Every day her seeds sat here, the bags urging her to pour the contents onto the ground and cover it with soil, her impatience grew.

“Will it be tomorrow, Jens?”

He obviously knew exactly what she was talking about. Today at lunch, she’d asked the same question. When could they get this project underway? Her dreams were on hold, and she was tired of waiting.

In fact, she was tired of waiting for Jens too. The fire leapt once more.

She trailed a fingertip down the center of his chest, between his hard pecs, and gazed up at him with what she hoped was a “come here” look.

He used his teeth to yank off his gloves and leaned down slow inch by slow inch. Waiting for those firm lips on hers, she quivered. His musk met her senses first, and then his heated breath washed over her skin. When he didn’t move fast enough, she gripped his T-shirt and yanked him down.

Their mouths colliding, they skipped the spark and went straight to the inferno. She wriggled against him, rubbing her breasts on his chest and her belly on his erection as she squeezed his shoulders and brought him down to her for more delicious kisses.

He ground his hips against hers, darting his tongue deep into her mouth. Just as she slid her tongue over his velvety one, he groaned. Pulling away, he clutched her waist and put an inch of space between them.

Confusion tore at her, and frustration made her stomp her mental foot. Damn, she’d watched him bumping around that field and wanted him for far too long to go slow.

“Jens…”

He twisted her hair around his fist and used it to tilt her head back. Pain prickled her scalp, infusing her with want. “You know what?”

“Hmm?” Her insides were molten lava.

“I think you need a lesson in patience.” Giving her a sharp pinch on her backside, he released her.

Mind spinning, she watched him move away from her. Each muscle rolled with a fluidity that was animalistic, and damn, she wanted that animal moving atop her. Inside her.

Instead of heading for the stairs and her bedroom, as she’d hoped, he squatted before the boxes of seeds.

A lesson in patience…what did that mean?

Without looking at her, he sorted through the bags and trays within the cardboard boxes. Half of her life savings was inside those boxes. If this crop failed, she was screwed, and not in a hot, delicious way.

The longer they had to wait to get the seeds into the ground, the more chance that the crops wouldn’t have enough time to gestate and produce big. If she didn’t produce big, not only wouldn’t she have enough money to try organic farming next year, but she’d be out of a place to live. No money equaled no home.

“Jens, it’s almost the end of May. When do you think we’ll be able to get these crops in?”

He pivoted his head and gave her a piercing look that instantly quelled her tongue.

It also sent rivulets of warmth between her thighs.

“Patience, my love.”

She gave a jerky nod, spun on her heel and strode toward the kitchen to turn off the oven. As she went, she wiggled her hips a little more than usual. Hopefully, Jens got over his “patience” routine and realized he was as hungry for her as she was for him.

Drawing up in front of the stove, she stared at the temperature knob for a long minute. Maybe he didn’t want her with the same intensity. Was it possible that after working to get under her skirt for so many weeks, he’d sated himself so soon?

A long sigh trickled from her lips. Reaching to twist the knob to
off
, she was stopped by a big hand. Jens moved in behind her. Close.

As she stared at the thick veins running over his wrist and forearm, her ache grew. Despite her worry that he wasn’t as interested in her anymore, she couldn’t stop herself from rubbing her ass against his groin.

“Uh-uh.” He leaned away from her. “Remember that patience, sweetie? Out here in the country, we don’t always get what we want when we want it. That includes a quick trip to the market, Saturday night entertainment and even prompt medical care.”

She turned her face toward him, giving him her profile. “Does that mean no warm beds too?”

He gave a little laugh, heating her temple with his breath. “No. But you won’t always get what you want when you want it, Laurel. Those seeds won’t get into the ground any faster just because you demand it.”

She spun to face him. Behind her, the oven radiated heat, but before her, the man was an inferno. A few grains of soil clung to the dark hair on his jaw. He’d doffed his hat and his hair lay on his scalp in damp whorls.