The Cattle Drive [The Armstrong Brothers of Cedar Creek] (Siren Publishing Classic) (19 page)

He walked her into the room and set her back on the ground. His hands found their way to her shoulders and gently brushed her straps from her shoulders, letting her nightgown fall to the ground. Kissing her mouth, he moved slowly down to her neck as his hands came up to her waist and around her back, feeling her soft skin beneath his coarse hands. She felt like butter silk.

Rachael’s hands slowly moved up his chest as he kissed her neck, and soon she had removed his shirt, letting her hands roam across his firm chest. Her fingers twirled in his hair as she placed little kisses across his chest. He was everything she thought he would be, and she loved the smell of musk and leather that swirled around him. Her hands made the way down to his jeans, and soon he was standing before her naked as she was.

“Rachael,” he softly moaned as he kissed her lips.

“Yes,” she replied, raising her arms up around him. Michael lifted her and placed her on the bed, lying next to her. His hands slowly trailed down her chest to her hip and down her legs, grabbing under her knee and pulling her leg up high around him. He took her mouth softly and invaded the warmth, taking the breath out of her. Rachael moaned, and she tasted him. His mouth found her neck and slowly moved lower. Taking her breast in his mouth, Rachael moaned with pleasure, and his tongue tickled her nipple.

His hands moved slowly down her body to her hips and between her thighs to the warmth that awaited him. His hands ventured and soon found the warm little nub, and when his thumb moved across it, she arched her back toward him and whimpered. He slowly moved down her stomach, leaving a trail of kisses behind him, and as she parted her legs, she was wet and waiting for him.

Rachael grabbed the sheets as Michael began to suck her. She closed her eyes and let the fire burn within her, and as he took her into his mouth, she let go and released herself to him, letting out a scream as she came to him. Michael slowly kissed the inside of her thighs, working his way back toward her as her lifeless body relished the explosion within her.

Michael loved the look of pleasure upon her face, and when he took her mouth again, she raised her leg and wrapped it around his waist. Michael loved the feel of her, and soon, he wrapped his arms around her, rolling her onto of him.

There in the moonlight, Michael could see her. She was beautiful and soft. Her plump breasts fit perfectly in his hands, and as he sat up he took them in his mouth, tracing each one with his tongue. Her nipples were pert and erect, and her body quivered at the touch of him. She let her head fall back as he devoured her chest, and when he raised his hand to her head, he removed the clip from her hair, and he felt her long, beautiful chestnut hair fall around him. He moved his mouth up to her neck, slowly kissing every inch of her until he found her lips once again. Holding her close to him, he lifted up under her arms and slowly lowered her onto him.

Rachael felt the warmth engulf her as he entered her, letting out a soft moan. She slowly began to ride him as he held on to her, kissing her. Her hands slowly moved up and down his back with every motion she made, and her body craved more. The motion was slow and deliberate, taking it very slow as she moved on him. He held her close, kissing her and wanting her, all of her. As she began to move faster, he tried with all his might to try to maintain the building tension with him. He wanted her, and he wanted this to last.

Michael slowly lowered her to the bed and kissed her softly, savoring every taste of her. She smiled when he said, “Rachael.” With her on her back, he slowed the pace once again, moving within her, trying as hard as he could to give her pleasure, and when he felt her arch herself against him, he felt her warmth explode all around him. He soon flooded her as he came in one long, slow thrust, releasing himself within her. As he lowered himself on top of her, she took his face in her hands, and when he saw those emerald eyes, he knew at that moment he was in trouble.

He knew at that very moment that, God help him, he was in love with her.

Rachael lay there inside his warm embrace and relished the warmth she was feeling. The only time she ever felt warm was when she was with Michael, and even though she tried to play it off, she knew she liked feeling alive again. Lying there in his arms felt natural, like she was meant to be there. She raised herself up and laid her head on his chest and listened to his heart beat. She lay there quietly, listening to the beat, thump, thump, thump…and she slowly closed her eyes.

“Rachael,” Michael quietly said.

“Hum…” she whimpered.

He was going to continue when he realized that she was sleeping. He just sighed and lay there for a little while longer holding her. After a couple of minutes, he slowly reached for the blankets and covered them both up. Soon he, too, was asleep with her in his arms.

* * * *

The house was all quite when the brothers entered looking for Michael and Rachael. The kitchen was empty, and soon Henry made his way to the coffeepot and started making a fresh pot. The brothers all walked over to the table and sat down.

“Henry, do you have to make all that noise? My head is killing me,” Mitchell said, putting his head in his hands.

“Well if you didn’t drink all that damn beer last night, you wouldn’t have a headache,” Mark replied loudly in Mitchell’s ear. Mitchell turned and pushed his brother away from him.

“Knock it off, you two. It’s too early for that shit,” Marcus complained, nursing his own headache. “So where is the beauty and the ugly beast?” he asked, looking around for Michael.

“Hang on, let me check the living room,” Matthew said, walking toward the living room only to return with two folded blankets and a pillow. He placed them on the table and just smiled. “Looks like our big brother found better accommodations last night,” he said, looking toward the ceiling.

“Well, I hope he got
some
sleep. But someone needs to go wake him up. The day is wasting away,” Mitchell said with a grin. They all looked at each other, and then all eyes were on Matthew. “Hell no! I am not going up there,” he replied quickly.

“Come on, Mattie. You’re the next oldest. You go get him. We are all too young and too pretty to die. Besides, Mikie already has ruined that ugly mug of yours. Another beating might make it look better,” Mark said, laughing.

“Find someone else. What about you, Marcus?” Matthew replied. Marcus looked up at his older brother and just shook his head.

“Nope. The last time I woke him up with a girl, he almost broke my arm, just because I saw her naked. Not this time, Mattie. It’s your turn.” He grinned.

“I will give any one of you a thousand dollars to do it,” Matthew said, sitting down.

The brothers looked at Matthew and at the same time, they all said, “Coward!”

“You guys are impossible! I’ll go do it!” Henry said.

Making his way up the stairs, Henry just laughed. “Don’t know what the big deal is anyway.”

It only took five seconds for the brothers to jump to their feet and chase after Henry, trying to stop him from entering that room. As they raced up the stairs after him, they saw Henry’s hand on the doorknob.

“Henry, don’t turn that knob!” Marcus yelled.

But they were too late.

As they reached Henry, Mitchell tripped over Matthew, and all five of them fell, stumbling into the bedroom one on top of the other, only to find Michael and Rachael sleeping in the bed.

The door flew open, and the ruckus woke Michael and Rachael out of their sleep. Both quickly sat up in bed and looked at four men and a boy lying on the floor. As the brothers all looked up, they saw Rachael next to Michael. Quickly, Marcus and Mitchell tried to cover Henry’s eyes. Matthew smiled sheepishly, and Mark’s eyes glistened at the sight of her.

Michael slowly looked over to find Rachael sitting up in the bed, with the sheets only covering her waist, exposing herself to her brothers. He quickly grabbed the sheets and covered her. Picking up his boots, he threw them at his brothers. “All of you are dead! Get out!” he shouted.

Rachael just sat there quietly laughing, watching his brothers scramble to their feet, stumbling over one another and trying to remove themselves from her room. She listened to Michael shout and curse at each of them, and when the door was finally closed, she just laughed louder.

Michael looked over at Rachael, who was laughing hysterically. He started to laugh with her. Leaning over, he kissed her.

* * * *

The next two weeks were an adventure with Michael’s brothers around. She quickly learned that they all had different lives and were all devoted to Henry.

Matthew was the doctor. He’d attended Vanderbilt Medical University in Tennessee, doing his residency at Chicago County Hospital. He then joined Doctors Without Borders and traveled the world, lending his assistance wherever he went. Matthew was the second oldest, and when he was in the States, he spent his time with Michael and Henry. She learned that it was Matthew who taught Henry to play the piano. Then there was Marcus.

Marcus was the fourth oldest, and a chef. He owned a very reputable restaurant in Miami, Florida called “Henry’s.” Marcus left home at the age of eighteen and went backpacking around Europe, making his own way in life. In Paris, France, he started working at a restaurant and loved everything about it. He soon enrolled in a culinary school abroad, making a name for himself. Moving back to the states five years ago, he soon started Henry’s. It was an overnight success, serving a mixture of French cuisine mixed in with Southern delicacies. He, like Matthew, worshiped Henry. Marcus was the one who taught Henry to cook.

The twins, Mitchell and Mark, were something else. Though the two looked completely identical, they were complete polar opposites. Rachael was even amazed they could be in the same room without killing each other. Mitchell was the CEO of his own company called Blue Jacket Industries, which dealt in high-tech electronics. His company, based out of Los Angeles, California was a fast-growing Fortune 500 company, which had recently branched out to Europe. Mitchell, just like his brothers, loved Henry. Rachael found out that Henry would spend his summers with Mitchell out in California learning to surf.

Then there was Mark, the oddball of the group. The man was funny and loved to joke around. He was continually making Rachael laugh. She found out that unlike his twin, Mark was a superb athlete. Graduating from Notre Dame University on a football scholarship, he was a second-round draft pick for the Remington Ravens. He was the star of the family and loved being in the spotlight. He was a true character.

She knew from all of them that though they were all very different, they all had one thing in common. They would all give their lives for…Henry.

With the brothers weaving themselves into her life and her ranch, Rachael spent her time with Henry, teaching him everything she knew. He loved the R & R Ranch, and she knew it. He learned rather quickly, and soon she stepped aside, watching him brand cattle, lasso a calves, herd the stock to the feeding ground, and tend to the horses.

She cherished her time with him. He reminded her so much of Robert. The comparison was uncanny. The drive to succeed was paramount within Henry.

It didn’t take long or hardly any pressure for Michael to allow Henry to move in with her. At least until the brothers left. Rachael firmly believed a bachelor pad was not a suitable place for a young boy, even if that young boy was almost eighteen. She adored Henry. He was a pure pleasure to be around.

With the brothers taking care of everything at the ranch, she was out watching Henry with the herding crew and called for him, “Hey, how about you and I head into town. I have some shopping to do. By the way, isn’t the prom tonight at the high school?”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t going to go, too much to do around here,” he replied.

“Do you want to go?” she asked.

“I don’t have a date.”

“What about Missy Ross? I saw you two together at the festival. Have you asked her?”

“She probably already has a date.”

“Well, you don’t know that unless you call her and ask,” Rachael said, looking at him.

Henry looked at her. Like so many young boys before him, he shied away from the thought and started hem hawing around. Rachael laughed. “Come on, Casanova. Let’s go call that pretty filly and see if she has a date.”

* * * *

It was sundown when the brothers returned. After they put their horses in the corral, they all walked to the house to find a silver Porsche Cayman, a red Dodge Viper, a midnight black BMW, and a Dodge Ram parked in front of the house. Mitchell grabbed Matthew’s arm and started to salivate. “Holy shit! That’s the car of my dreams!” he said, walking toward the Porsche, admiring its beauty.

“What the hell, whose car is that?” Mark asked, walking toward it.

“It’s Rachael’s. She has a nice collection, doesn’t she?” Michael confirmed.

“Is she planning on going somewhere?” Matthew asked.

“Who knows with that woman,” he responded.

The brothers all walked slowly in the front door to find Henry standing there before them looking like a fish out of water. Dressed in a black tuxedo, a crisp white shirt with a black tie, and buffed cowboy boots, Henry stood stiffly, afraid to move. His hair had been cut, and boy, did he look as nervous as a polecat.