A Rancher's Desire (8 page)

Aiyanna shook the thought away. No,
no, no,
she’d be
normal.
The question was, what did that mean exactly?

“Hey, you wanna stop your mental conversation and answer your phone before I throw it across the room? The buzzing is getting on my nerves.”

Aiyanna snapped out of her thoughts and grabbed her cell. “
That’s
the four beers you had,
not
my phone that’s giving you a buzz.”

Lalani scowled and she stuck out her tongue before looking down at her cell. “Oh shit, it’s Julian.”

“Don’t sit there looking stupid, answer it!”

“What do I say?”

“Just be cool and aloof.”

“Oh yeah, because I’m
really
great at both of those. Remember ninth grade when Tommy Wilkins tried to ask me out and you gave me the same advice?”

Lalani winced. “He really was never the same after you accidentally knocked him into the home economics stove. Although, I heard he
did
go on to become a firefighter.”

Aiyanna went to reply when she realized her phone had stopped ringing.

“See? I told you to answer it!”

“Don’t yell at me and uh-oh it’s ringing again.”

“Answer it!”

“Stop yelling!”

“Aiyanna Jordyn so help me God...”

“Okay, okay.” She finally hit the button to answer it. “Hello?”

Lalani fell out giggling at her impression of “cool and aloof.” Aiyanna kicked her.

“I want to take you to dinner tonight.” There wasn’t the slightest hint of hesitation in Julian’s smooth voice.

Aiyanna bit her lip and waved a hand at Lalani who had apparently heard him and kept mouthing, “Say yes!”

“I don’t know, Julian. I’m kind of busy today.”

“No she’s not!” Lalani shouted.

Taking both sock clad feet, Aiyanna managed to push her friend all the way off the sectional.

“Ow, you bitch!”

Julian’s chuckle came in clear. “Busy committing acts of violence against your partner in crime?”

Her lips twitched. “Maybe.”

“Have dinner with me?
Please?
I was an ass yesterday.”

Leaning back on the couch, she shook her head but realized he couldn’t see her. “No, you weren’t. I think I understand why you did it.”

There was a pause. “You shouldn’t ever doubt how much I want you,
Hermosa.
I just didn’t want to push you.”

“I wasn’t exactly fighting you off, Julian.”

Lalani’s head popped up long enough for her to make kissing noises. Aiyanna’s foot swung but Lalani ducked. “Ah-ha!” That’s when Aiyanna threw a pillow and knocked her back down.

“I hate you!”

Julian was full on laughing now, the deep sound making Aiyanna smile. “Are you enjoying my torment Mr. Almanza?”

“If I say no will you finally put me out of my misery and agree to dinner?”

“Maybe.”

Somehow Lalani was fast enough to snatch the phone out of her hands and being that she was only a size smaller than Aiyanna, she held her own when Aiyanna tried to wrestle it back from her. “Hello? Julian. Hi! Yes, I’m surviving her cruel abuse. I know! She’s so mean to me. Tell you what, I’ll have her ready by eight. Is that okay? Ah, great. I’ll even make sure she has on no panties.” 

“Well Julian, if you even
make
it to the restaurant to kill male gawking onlookers after realizing she’s not wearing any, you’re doing something wrong my friend. Okay, eight. Don’t fuck up this time, alright?” She finally hung up the phone and looked over her shoulder at Aiyanna who was sitting on Lalani’s back, glaring at her.

Lalani grinned. “So it looks like you have dinner plans tonight. Need some help picking out a dress?”

Aiyanna simply stood and headed for her bedroom. She ignored the other woman when she yelled out, “Aw c’mon A.J.  I’m doing you a favor here!”

He wouldn’t do it. No, no, no. He’d made it all through dinner, even though he’d been wondering if Lalani really
had
let her leave the house sans panties. Julian didn’t have time to check for himself since Aiyanna had simply been shoved onto her front porch with the door locking behind her.

Now he was pulling up into her driveway, determined to keep his eyes off her thighs and his cock to himself.

“You were quiet tonight.”

Glancing over at Aiyanna, he tried desperately not to get caught in her gaze. He didn’t exactly know what Lalani had done but his woman’s eyes were smokier than usual, her lips looked fuller and the dress... It was black, strapless and it had to be taking an act of God to hold her breasts up like that.

Julian sighed. “Aiyanna I’m going to walk you to your door, say goodnight, and go back to my hotel room.” His temporary housing at the moment until her company was finish with his home.

Her lips twitched. “Okay.”

He nodded once and got out of the driver’s side to walk around and open the door for her. Taking her hand in his, he gently pulled her until she was fully out of his truck and sucked in a deep breath when her chest brushed against his. He. Wouldn’t. Do. It. 

Fighting every primal instinct he had, Julian tugged her along until they reached her front door and stared at her under the low light of her porch lamp. God, she was beautiful and he wanted her so bad that his whole body ached. He. Wouldn’t. Do. It. 

Brushing a stray tendril of hair from her forehead, he leaned in and placed a kiss there. “Goodnight,
Hermosa.”

Her eyes searched his for a moment and when he saw acute disappointment in their brown depths, it made him want to take the feeling away, all night long. He. Wouldn’t. Do. It.

“Goodnight,” Aiyanna finally whispered. He waited until she opened and closed the door behind her before his eyes slammed shut and he placed a palm on the solid oak.

“
Jesús
help me,” Julian murmured and started back for his truck. He got to the bottom step of her porch before he heard the door swing open again. Turning, he saw Aiyanna standing there, nibbling her bottom lip, her eyes so full of need that he couldn’t have stopped himself from walking back up that porch even if he wanted to.

Dammit. He was going to do it.

Chapter Seven

Aiyanna could distinctly remember one of her first trips to the zoo. Their guide had said to never tempt a caged animal. As soon as Julian’s stormy gaze locked on her, the words reverberated in her mind. She wasn’t dealing with Julian anymore. Well, not
Julian
per se. No, this was the
other side.
The one that Daddies feared their daughters would chase and the one that Mamas warned their baby girls about.

This was the animal; the one that resided in every man. The side that could make you wet with a simple glance and a calmly spoken word. The side that had you spend all day wiggling in your office chair as you tried in vain to suppress the ache that suddenly built. The side that made you want to sleep in all morning because the night before every ounce of energy you’d had was drained in one fell swoop.

Oh, this was
that
side and for every step Julian took to get closer to her, Aiyanna could feel the walls of her pussy clench in anticipation. She was so ready that with one touch she would shoot off like a rocket.

She backed up as he came forward. Julian kicked the door closed with one foot, his eyes still locked on her. Then he was sliding one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders as he jerked her into his chest.

His mouth came down on hers so quick that he stole her next breath and when his tongue pushed between her lips she was a goner.

Julian’s jacket went flying. His boots went next along with her stilettos and then he was ripping the zipper down the side of her dress as far as it could go before he yanked it off.

Any insecurity that she might’ve held while standing in front of him half naked melted away due to the searing heat in his eyes. They trailed from her face until they reached the apex of her thighs.

Julian’s nostrils flared. “She kept her promise.”

Aiyanna smirked. “And you broke yours.” She backed away slowly, heading for the stairs. “Gonna keep going down your road paved with good intentions, cowboy?”

When his eyes narrowed, she ran.

He caught her before she even reached the second step; the sight of her bare, smooth, round ass was too much temptation now that he was faced with it—
literally.
Aiyanna’s surprised laughter brought a smile to his face as he spun her back around and sat her on the floor in front of the steps, spreading her legs as wide as possible. Nothing was left to the imagination; her pussy lips were bare and swollen, the pink pearl of her clit peeking out and just begging for his mouth.

But first he needed to hear
Aiyanna
beg. Julian’s knees hit the carpet that her luscious ass was resting on. He pinned her in on either side, watching amusement light her gaze.

“I’m gonna get rug burn tonight, aren’t I?”

He kissed her forehead, both her cheeks and settled on her lips, slipping his tongue inside and tangling it with hers. When she moaned and reached for him, he moved back. “I’ll make it feel all better tomorrow,
Hermosa,”
Julian murmured before leaving a trail of kisses down her throat. Stopping at her collarbone, he reached behind her to unhook her bra and threw it over his shoulder. Her nipples perked up under his stare and Julian’s mouth watered.

He’d spent the night before in his hotel room trying to remember exactly how they’d felt on his tongue while stroking his cock until his wrist was sore and he had to stop. Tonight, he’d be buried balls deep inside of his woman and wouldn’t have that problem.

Cupping both of her full breasts, he pressed them together and went from one nipple to the other, licking and sucking until her hips were rocking in a restless motion and needy moans were pouring from her mouth.

Julian moved his lips to her soft belly and pressed a kiss there, briefly considering the fact that, whether she knew it or not, this place would one day house their babies. Aiyanna may not be completely ready to face her feelings for him but Julian knew without a shadow of a doubt that he’d fallen for her the night he’d first laid eyes on her.