Unbridled (9 page)

Alex frowned. “I don’t want to be nice to him. He’s coveting the ranch that’s mine by right.”

Bernice snorted. “You come back in here after ten years and strut like a peacock, but let me tell you, girl, your feathers ain’t shiny around these parts. Folks have worked hard to make this ranch into something special, something to be proud of, and you ain’t gonna ruin it because you want to have a temper tantrum.”

Alex’s cheeks heated at the chastisement. Bernice could always reduce her to a little girl facing the principal, make her feel as though her transgressions were monumental. She almost wanted to stick her tongue out, but that would just prove Bernice’s point.

“I’m not having a temper tantrum, Bernice. I want what’s rightfully mine, what my parents held in trust for me.” Alex stood. “I have no place else to go, and no money to leave. If you want to make it difficult for me, then so be it, but I’m here to stay no matter who runs the place.”

Bernice stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I ain’t saying you’re not welcome, girl, and I’m mighty glad to see you. I can’t tell you how much. I just don’t want your pride or your anger at your papa to ruin a good thing. ’Cause let me tell you, this is a good thing. It can be for you too.”

“I’ll make my own judgment about that. Thanks for the food. It was the best I’ve had in ten years.”

Alex stood, took the glass of iced tea and walked away. She felt Bernice’s gaze and disapproval with each step she took. There was never a time in her life that she felt smaller than when she was judged by the people she respected. Bernice reminded her of that with powerful clarity.

She wanted to dismiss her anger and hurt, and start anew, but it wasn’t going to be that easy. Alex had some issues to work through, and come hell or high water, she’d do it. The first was finding out exactly what Connor Matthews was doing to Finley’s Ranch.

After retrieving her laptop from the trunk of the car, Alex entered the house again and set the empty iced tea glass at the check-in desk, then made a beeline for his office. She almost hoped he wasn’t there so she could snoop around.

There was no shame in snooping. Sometimes she could find out a lot of things simply by looking when no one was around to keep information from her. The hallway and the office were empty, and Alex smiled grimly as she set up her laptop on his desk. It didn’t matter if he ran the place; if she was half owner, he could find another place to perch.

The laptop found a secured wireless network but she couldn’t find the password anywhere on his desk, although she did look through all the drawers just to be sure. There was a bottle of mouthwash, a toothbrush and toothpaste with floss in the bottom drawer. Obviously Connor had good oral hygiene, which was a plus in Alex’s book.

She found notebooks, pens, a thumb drive and a neat stack of invoices for feed, hay and veterinary services. The thumb drive intrigued her, so she plugged it into her laptop and took a look-see at the contents.

“Find anything interesting?”

She didn’t look up at the voice because she knew it was Connor at the door. “Not yet but give me a few more minutes.”

“That drive contains the guest records for the last six months. No trade secrets or incriminating evidence.”

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him standing in the doorway as she paged through the spreadsheets on the drive. He was telling her the truth, and that pissed her off, for whatever reason. She wanted him to get caught in a lie. It would make it easier to dislike him.

“Okay, now I want access to the real books. Not just guest records, fascinating as they might be.” She tapped her laptop. “Give me the network key and I’ll find what I need.”

His gaze narrowed. “I don’t work for you, and I sure as hell don’t take orders from you.”

Ah, she’d finally riled the calm Connor Matthews. Good, she’d rather have him rattled than annoyingly calm.

“I beg to differ. If I own half this ranch, then you do work for me.”

“There’s a clause in the will giving me the position of chief operating officer for the ranch. That means I work for the estate, not you.” He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him, looking more like a stalking panther than a man. She shivered at the predatory gleam in his eye.

Perhaps she shouldn’t have stepped on his paw.

“Six of one, a half dozen of another. You are responsible for giving me information when I want it.” She stood as he loomed over her. No need for intimidation tactics. Her pulse thrummed fast and heavy as she caught wind of his scent. Why did he have to be so damn attractive?

“I don’t have to give you anything you demand. Didn’t anyone tell you that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar?” He leaned in so close, she could see the flecks of dark green mixed with the lighter green of his eyes.

“Who says I want to catch flies?” Why was her voice so breathy?

“You’re bossy.”

“You’re annoying.”

She didn’t want to kiss him, but damn if she didn’t find herself wrapped around him with her lips locked against his. After an initial moment of surprise, he pulled her close and she felt every inch of his hardened body against hers. My, oh my, he was definitely in shape. If she had been sober the night before, she wouldn’t have woken up alone; that was for sure.

Her nipples tightened fast and she ground them against his hard chest, eager for more. His hands cupped her ass, pulling her against an erection she really wanted to see up close and personal. Connor was well endowed and she couldn’t have been happier about that.

Their tongues rasped against each other, sweet wet heat she wanted repeated between her legs. Their clothes were annoying and preventing her from actually feeling skin on skin. She managed to get herself up on the desk, then spread her legs wide and pulled him into the vee of her pulsing core.

Something poked into her left hip, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was Connor. She yanked at his shirt until it came free from his jeans and suddenly she had open access to his chest. Crisp dark hair tickled her hands as she got to know his nicely muscled front.

He somehow managed to get her blouse unbuttoned. She felt rather than heard the groan when he popped her bra open and her breasts spilled into his hands. They were double Ds and the one part of her anatomy she was proud of. The light pink nipples were already harder than she imagined they could ever be. Then he flicked them with his thumbs.

Her lower half clenched and she could hardly wait to get her pants off. First, though, his dark head dipped and he sucked her nipple into his mouth. Oh God, his tongue and teeth were dexterous and marvelously gifted. He somehow managed to suck, bite and lick her at once. Connor had obviously been a breast man for quite some time.

She popped open the button on his pants and unzipped, pleased to find a pair of easy-access boxers. When she reached in to find his cock, he shuddered against her. Smooth satin and steel, nicely formed and all hers. She couldn’t quite reach his balls so she satisfied herself by pleasuring the base of his staff and running her other hand up and down.

He broke the kiss and sucked in a loud breath. “What are we doing?”

“Scratching an itch. Now, shut up and strip.” She hopped off the desk and made quick work of her trousers and panties.

When she glanced at him, the sheer size and girth of his cock made her mouth water. Very soon she’d have to taste that wonderful looking organ, but not now. Right about then she wanted only to feel it inside her.

Oh God, he was fantastically hung. She took her time stroking him and getting to know his balls before she stood up. His pupils were dilated to the point that his eyes looked almost black.

She put her trousers on the desk, then slid up until she was sitting on them, and opened her legs wide. “Ride me, cowboy.”

After a quick snap of a rubber on his staff, he was on her in seconds, his deliciously hard cock nudging her entrance. Alex grabbed his head and yanked him down to her breasts.

“Bite me.”

Nothing excited her more than a little pain with her pleasure. As his teeth closed around her nipple, he plunged inside her hard and fast. She managed to suck in enough oxygen to avoid passing out, but just barely. He was perfect, so damn hard and big, he filled her until there wasn’t an iota of space between them.

He mumbled something against her breast, then began to move within her, and he had a fantastic rhythm. She pushed against him as he slammed into her. The wet sounds of their joining mixed with the shallow gusts of breaths they managed to take.

Alex grabbed the edge of the desk and inched closer. Now he hit her clit with each thrust, heightening her pleasure. She wished he wore a cock ring, but perhaps another time. This was fast and furious fucking, exactly what she needed.

He switched breasts and bit the other, making her entire body clench. She was close to coming after only five minutes of being with him. Connor groaned and stopped moving.

“I’m going to come if you do that again.”

Alex squeezed harder. “Then let’s do it. I want to come
now
.”

She slammed against him each time he pounded into her. Faster, harder, wetter. Alex’s eyes rolled back in her head as the orgasm overtook her. She dug her fingernails into the desk as his teeth dug into her nipple. A scream rose in her throat, but she kept it contained, letting loose only a grunt.

He let her nipple go and straightened up to bury his spurting cock deep inside her. Alex rode the waves of her own orgasm as she pulsed around him, milking him, prolonging her own ecstasy until she saw stars behind her eyes.

Alex sucked in a lungful of air and realized she was shaking. Thank God she was sitting down or she might fall down. That was when she realized Connor was trembling too. He leaned into her and she felt his thunderous heartbeat against hers.

“Holy shit.” Her voice was hoarse and a bit wobbly.

“Exactly what I was thinking.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “This wasn’t what I had in mind this afternoon.”

Alex heard the regret in his voice, but she ignored it. Who cared if he didn’t want to have a quickie in his office? It happened and she was glad of it. She’d needed it badly and obviously so had he.

He grabbed tissues from the box on the corner of the desk and handed her some. They spent the next few minutes cleaning up and locating their clothes. Alex tried to ignore him as he finished dressing.

The entire room smelled of sex and their musky odors. She breathed in deep, loving it. He, however, opened the window to allow a breeze in. When he turned around, he wouldn’t meet her gaze.

So that was the way it would be.

“I’m sorry, Alex. I don’t know what came over me.”

She narrowed her gaze and stalked toward him, their positions now reversed between hunter and prey. He stood his ground, but didn’t look at her until she grabbed his chin and forced him to.

“That, Connor, was a fantastic afternoon fuck. No need for apologies or regrets because I sure as hell don’t have any.” She cupped his balls. “I enjoyed myself and hope we can do this again when there’s a bed nearby.” Alex was still reeling from the encounter but meant every word she said. She and Connor seemed to be made for each other as far as sex was concerned. Her knees were still knocking together.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a knock at the door interrupted him before he could say a word. Alex kissed him hard, then picked up her laptop.

“Password?”

Connor looked flummoxed by the question.

“For the network. What’s the password?”

“Oh, uh, zero, six, one, seven, eight, zero.” He looked as if he wanted to punch something. Alex was pleased to note he’d been affected as much as she had from their encounter.

As she opened the door to leave, she realized the network password was her parents’ anniversary. Her father surprised her with each little piece of information she learned at the ranch. If he’d loved his family so much, why had he abandoned them?

Confused and feeling completely unsettled, Alex wasn’t sure if she was running from her own mistakes, her father’s ghost or the man who turned her knees to jelly.

 

 

Connor got rid of the interruption quickly, unable and unwilling to talk to anyone right then. He needed time alone to think and recover from the afternoon’s activities. As he closed and locked the door, he barely made it to his chair before he plopped down so hard the damn thing slid back two feet.

He stared at the desktop, realizing he’d just fucked Alex on yesterday’s receipts. What the hell had happened to him that he would forget everything but her? He’d never felt that kind of primal need, the absolute heart-pounding need to join. It was as if he’d become an animal scenting his mate.

Truthfully, if Alex hadn’t passed out at the hotel, it might have happened there, before he’d known who she was. The fact was, Alex and he were totally and completely sexually magnetized. He could almost feel the pull even when she wasn’t in the building.

He would have put his head on the desk but he was afraid he’d catch a whiff of her scent. Connor was not the type of man to lose his head over a woman, especially one who threatened everything he’d built the last eight years. She was everything he didn’t want in a woman. She was bossy and outspoken, and she cussed like a sailor.

Connor preferred a demure woman who didn’t get dirty or argue constantly. Someone like Claire, although it would be extremely weird to be attracted to her since she was kind of like a quasi-sister-in-law. Yet did he really want a woman like her? The last dates he’d been on had been with women he’d met in bars, no surprise there, with big tits, big smiles and no brains. None of them liked horses and none of them had any idea he was more businessman than cowboy nowadays.

That blew the idea of liking demure women right out of the water. He picked them brassy and easy—Alex was the exact opposite, even if she had had sex with him less than a day after they’d met. He couldn’t explain why, but it didn’t make her slutty in his eyes. She didn’t seem to be able to resist the pull between them any more than he could.