Just Her Luck (60 page)

Poor, poor little fat Genevieve, her mommy didn’t love her.

I don’t fucking need his pity!

He can keep it.

This makes so much sense now- the turnaround in him.

Shit! I don’t even want to know what I’d said.

In this moment, I wanted to turn it all on him, make him vulnerable and confused too, so I did.

“How about you, Reeve? What about Maura?” I sneered. “Did she take one look at your dazzling personality and find it lacking?”

His body stiffened and his hands fisted at his sides, jaw ticking as it clenched and unclenched, but his gaze was steady and unwavering on me, never faltering once.

“She didn’t want me. Not really. She never did. I caught her fucking one of the ranch hands at the bunk house one night.”

He fingered the scar on his face, laughing a nasty laugh, and my eyes widened.

“I got this when I was fourteen, did the guys ever tell you that? I fell off one of my Daddy Brayden’s horses. I wasn’t supposed to be riding it, he had forbidden it. Said it was too wild, wasn’t trained enough yet. But I thought I knew better and did it anyways. It bucked me right off. I was so cocky and self-assured, thinking I’d prove him wrong, I wasn’t expecting it. Threw me so hard I flew across the pen and smacked into an old post clear over the side.”

He fingered the scar again, drawing his finger slowly down it.

“Raked my face on a nail sticking out of the wood. I’m lucky they didn’t have to remove my eye.”

My breath left me in a rush as I listened, my feet planted firmly in place.

I don’t think I could have walked away, even if I’d wanted to, I was so rooted on the spot.

“It never bothered me before, not truly. I’d always been grateful it hadn’t been worse.” He stopped talking for a minute, gathering himself.

As patiently as I could, I waited on bated breath for him to finish.

“Maura never said anything about it, and I thought she was the prettiest, sweetest, kindest thing you ever saw. She was all warm smiles and long legs. Long blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes I’d ever seen.”

His eyes locked with mine, his smile bitter and disheartened.

“I’d thought I was the luckiest guy in the world when she’d asked me out.
Me.
It had never occurred to me to question why someone like
her
would want someone like
me
. Go out of their way to be with me… We were together for three months when I’d asked her to marry me. She’d said yes, of course, and I’d thought we’d live happily ever after, amen.”

He snorted and kicked at the dirt by his booted foot.

“I caught her fucking one of the stable hands, mid act, going at it like two cats in heat. I broke it off with her immediately, as soon as I’d caught her.”

He looked up at the sky, staring off at it.

“They hadn’t even finished gettin’ dressed yet and I dumped her ass and stormed out. There was nothing she could have done or said after that to fix it, so I’d ended it right there. She’d tried beggin’ at first, cryin’ and carryin’ on, following me around, calling me at all hours. She cornered me a week later, but when she realized I wasn’t about to budge
- that I was really done with her
- she went off. Seein’ I was serious, she’d laughed in my face and let me know exactly why she did what she did.”

He stopped talking and sat down heavily into one of the patio chairs, his back to me.

There was a cooler next to him, left over from their card game, and he opened it, pulling out another beer.

“What did she say, Reeve?” I asked quietly, stepping a little closer.

“Maybe it’s best I don’t tell you. You might throw it in my face later.” The bite in his words hit me as if he really had taken a chunk out of me.

I flinched, smacked by the sudden rebuff, and hurried into the house, swiping at my face and hurrying towards the stairs.

I was halfway up the staircase when Reeve called my name.

I had every intention of ignoring him, but he called for me again, something in his voice rendering me immobile.

I stopped, but didn’t turn around.

He hesitated.

Not wanting to let him get another lick in, I started to continue up the stairs.

“She said the only reason she’d ever asked anyone as hideously disgusting as me to go with her was because she knew I had money. She figured she could marry me and have fun with whomever she wanted and still enjoy all the perks. She said I was too calf eyed and cocky to notice anything was amiss. To her, it was the perfect set up. When I found her that one night… it was three days before the wedding.”

We both stayed in our own spots, stuck in place.

Stunned, I stood there, numb, hit with his confession and the truth to his words about my own short comings.

I heard his heavy tread as he started to walk away.

“She’s a fool, Reeve. You shouldn’t let her run your life anymore. Not everyone is like her.”

I thought he’d already walked away when he answered me, his voice just as small and whispered.

“I know that now. You’ve helped me see that, long before you ever knew it. I can’t take back the fucked up shit I did or said and I can’t change my general surliness, but I really am sorry for what I did. I know I was wrong. I hope… I hope some day you can forgive me. I wasn’t wrong about what I said about your mama, though. Don’t let her be your Maura, gremlin. Don’t let her ruin what you’ve got goin’. Be happy.”

I had a death grip on the banister, my knuckles white from gripping it so hard.

I closed my eyes and let the tears slowly fall, making my way towards the rooms.

Be happy.

Don’t let her be your Maura.

I wiped at my face quickly and made my way to Ephraim’s room, needing my cuddly cowboy’s sweet words right now.

I need his comfort. Need him.

I tossed off my clothes and pulled one of his shirts out of his drawer, pulling it on over my head.

I crawled in and he wrapped his arms tightly around me, his head resting on my chin.

“Didn’t get enough good night kisses?” he teased groggily, kissing my hair.

“I love you,” I sniffled, gripping him tight.

He woke up at that and his big hands smoothed down my hair, rubbing my back comfortingly.

“I love you too, baby.”

“Just hold me, please.”

“Always,” he murmured, pulling back enough to kiss me on the lips.

I kissed him eagerly, caressing his back and ass as he pulled me towards him, nipping at his lips hungrily, my tongue sneaking in between the seam of his lips to play with his.

“I want you, baby. Mmm… need you...” he grumbled.

I gasped when he pulled me on top of him and massaged my thighs, lifting me up to angle me over him.

His eyes glittered hungrily, his tongue swiping quickly across his lower lip in the dim light of his room, his blue eyes burning like two boiling sapphires.

I leaned down to suck on his jutting lip, and his cock jerked, trapped between us.

Lifting up, I slid down on him slowly, sheathing myself on him, nails digging into his chest as his fingers dug into my hips.

At our joining, we both gasped in unison.

It was like he was branding me with his heat, his flesh so thick and long, running along my inner flesh with a flaring intensity, hitting every nerve ending I never knew I had.

He groaned, and I clenched down on him, eliciting another groan, relishing his responses.

Buried to the hilt, I ground my clit into his pelvis, calling out quietly as I rocked against him, our tempo increasing with our mounting ardor.

“Yeah, baby, just like that,” he panted, gripping my hips tight to thrust up into me, ramming that special spot, neck muscles straining as his mouth opened and his head fell back, a light sheen of sweat glistening over him.

My orgasm built up quickly, washing over me in a shower of building pleasure.

I cried out, grinding myself into him urgently, panting and gasping at the intensity of it.

He gave a few more harsh thrusts, his body jerking and trembling underneath mine, his hot seed bathing my quivering quim, chanting my name quietly as he found his release.

I was still twitching all over when I slumped down against him, my breathing harsh into the quiet of the room.

Our rushed breathing was the only sound.

Eventually, Ephraim’s softening cock slid from my sated depths, both of us rolling onto our sides.

He reached over to turn on the bedside lamp, and I got comfortable, stealing his favorite pillow, inhaling the scent of soap and man,
all Ephraim
.

Ephraim cursed and looked over at me, just now noticing the jar of condoms sitting on his nightstand, unused.

“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t even think.”

I kissed him quickly to shut him up, wrapping my arms around him tightly.

Whoops.

Crap. Looks like we fudged up a little.

“It’s my fault too, cowboy.” I gave him a loaded smile, laughing softly, “Don’t rat me out and I won’t rat you out.”

I gave him a funny look and held out my hand.

He grinned and hugged me to him, laughing at my cajoling tone.

“Deal, baby. Deal. Mums the word.”

****

I heard the quiet, low tones before I made it to the bottom of the stairs, my guys all huddled up, gesturing at something, grumbles and snickers renting the air.

I’d woken up late this morning, going back to sleep after Ephraim had left to work.

“What’s so funny?” I asked curiously.

I saw Bo’s grin as he flapped something at Thatcher, Thatcher snatching it quickly out of his hands to shove it into his pocket.

I ended up getting a round of guilty looks when they all spun around.

“Uh…”

“Erm…”

“I’m hungry! What’s for breakfast?” Sawyer cried happily, clapping his hands together, lifting me up in a hungry kiss before he set me, befuddled and frazzled, back down on my feet and escorted me to the kitchen.

“Why are we all being so secretive?!” Thatcher complained, bringing up the rear. “I have questions, damn it, and I want answers!”

My brows pulled down in a puzzled frown and I looked at Thatcher from over my shoulder.

“What questions, short stack? Anything I can help you with.”

He grinned at the look on my face and pushed his way to me, mowing down Bo as he elbowed him hard out of the way.

“Yes, actually,” he said sweetly, wrapping his arm around me, “as a matter of fact, you can, my little pookiekins.”

“Uh-huh,” I murmured, unconvinced, giving him an ‘oh, really’ stare.

He pulled the paper out of his pocket that he’d shoved in there a minute ago and waved it around in front of me.

“Explain this, missy!” He waived the paper around in front of my face, huffing and puffing.

I pinched his cheek hard and grabbed the paper out of his hand, giving him a saccharin sweet smile to match his earlier one.

I kissed his nose while he rubbed at his cheek, glaring at me in a pout.

Not put out in the least, I tapped his nose, cooing at him, and headed over to the stove, paper in hand.

“Well?” he demanded, “aren’t you gonna read it?”

“I will in a minute,” I said casually, pulling out a flat frying pan and setting it on the stove.

“Just drop it, Thatch,” Bowen chuckled, getting the coffee maker started.

“Yeah,” Sawyer cut in, handing me eggs and bread to start French toast, “I don’t see what you’re gettin’ all fired up for. It’s funny.”

I smiled at him gratefully and got everything else out, mixing the egg batter up quickly.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Thatcher sniped, “Yours doesn’t sound like mine.”

Bo and Sawyer both snickered.

When the first batch was on, I unfolded Thatcher’s paper and read it.

I folded it back up and stuck it in my back pocket, going about my business.

“Ahem,” Thatcher cleared his throat exaggeratedly.

I smiled, but didn’t turn away from the stove.

Dissatisfied with my lack of response, he sidled up behind me, and I sensed him before I felt him, shivering when warm hands cupped my hips and lips nibbled lightly at my neck, warm breath caressing my skin.

“I’m waiting,” he sing-songed quietly, right into my ear, getting a laugh out of me.

“What do you want me to say, cupcake? I wrote it, I know what it says.” I put on four more pieces of toast, using the large, flat pan that was made for this kind of thing.

Four pieces of toast cooking at a time is sooo much nicer than two. Gets the work done that much faster.

“That’s all you have to say?” Thatcher scoffed, “You tear me apart with a few callous words and that’s all I get?”