Buckle Down (4 page)

“Mhm” He did not let up, and reached for her breast,
pinching her nipple.

 “Oh, God. Yes. Just. Like. That.” Her pussy contracted,
squeezing his fingers while her clit pulsed against his tongue. She panted and
moaned and bit her lip. Like molten lava bubbling to the top of a volcano, she
burned and melted inside until eruption was inevitable and she let it go,
nearly sliding down the wall.

He gripped her hip, holding her in place and moved his
fingers in and out slowly, stroking that sensitive spot. “I love how you feel
inside. You’re so tight.” He lifted her leg off his shoulder and stood up, planting
his knee between her legs, where her pussy still throbbed.

He moved in closer, touching her lips. “Wanna taste how
sweet you are?” He tugged at her bottom lip.

She opened her mouth and sucked his fingers.

“Good, huh?” Shane smiled, his face inches from hers. “I
could eat your pussy all night long.” Leaning forward, he kissed her neck and
trailed his fingers over her collarbone and down her side where he squeezed her
waist.

“I don’t think I can move.” Her breath came in fast puffs
and she held fast to his shoulder.

He leaned his forehead against hers. “No hurry, baby. Take
as long as you need.” He straightened her skirt and shirt and backed away. He
took her hand, kissed the back, and led her to the couch. Pointing at her
coffee cup, he asked, “Warm up?”

Shane opened the door to Tess’ truck and pulled her to him
before she could climb inside. He kissed her, reminding her of the feel of his
tongue between her legs. If she didn’t leave now, she would drag him back
inside his apartment and fuck him on the living room floor.

He nuzzled her neck. “When can I see you again?”

Heat stirred in her middle and she closed her eyes dreamily.
“When are you off?”

“I get off at five most days.” His hand slipped around and
cupped her ass. “Everybody’s gone by six. I can make you dinner.”

Her breathing increased. “I’ll bring dessert.”

He laughed. “You are dessert, sweetheart.”

Why did she feel like they were old lovers? She usually didn’t
fall for guys’ bullshit, but he nearly had her wrapped around his finger. Well,
half an hour ago he literally had her wrapped around his fingers. “I have
dinner plans tomorrow night. How about Thursday?”

“Perfect.” He kissed her once more and stepped back. “Drive
safe.”

She smiled. “Always.”

The drive home didn’t take long and she was on cloud nine
when she pulled into the driveway and hit the button to open the garage. Nothing
happened. She pressed it again. Exhaling loudly, she got out of the truck. She
punched in the code on the keypad beside the door, and still nothing. Probably
an electrical glitch.

She turned the truck off, leaving it parked outside, and
went in through the front door. She’d call Luke or Cade to come check on the
garage opener in the morning. Looking at the clock on the kitchen wall, she
realized she had spent over three hours in Shane’s apartment. A low grumble
sounded in her belly. The last time she had eaten had been lunch with Luke and
Natalie. Shane had helped her work up an appetite, and not just for food.

She nuked a hot pocket in the microwave and poured some
pretzels beside it on the paper plate. She carried it up to her room. Gypsy
momentarily looked up from her spot on Tess’ bed and put her head back on her
paws.

Tess rubbed the top of Gypsy’s head and sat down on the bed
to eat. The hot ham and cheese concoction filled her stomach, but there was
still an emptiness inside her.

The next morning she woke up to her phone buzzing on the
nightstand. There was a text message from Shane. Just a simple
good morning
with a smiley face. And it put a smile on her face to know he thought of her at
six o’clock in the morning while she snored away. She had slept hard. No
sleeping pill she knew of could compete with a mind-blowing orgasm. Her mind
drifted, wondering what it would be like to climb on his lap and slide his cock
inside her and feel that searing friction.

Despite the central air blasting in the house, familiar heat
spread through her body and liquefied between her legs. Her nipples responded
and she rubbed her palm over one hard peak. She let her knees fall apart and
her hand slid down over her stomach. Tension pooled and the muscles in her
thighs tightened. She rubbed her clit through her panties. Her hips moved in
time with her hand. She ached. She needed to come. Using her other hand, she pulled
her panties to the side and dipped a finger into her pussy. Imagining it was
Shane’s finger, she pushed it deeper, wiggling it around, coating it in her
juices. She was so wet and her pussy throbbed. Using her slick finger, she
rubbed her clit slowly, prolonging the orgasm threatening to erupt any second.

She stopped long enough to kick her panties off and spread
her lips open for better access. She arched her back and lifted her ass off the
bed, rubbing harder. The mattress sunk where she dug her heels in to push her
pussy against her fingers. She quickened the pace and dipped a finger back
inside for more lubrication. Her heart raced and her breathing accelerated. She
pressed down on her clit, moving her finger from side to side over it.

Her eyes rolled back and her thighs clamped together
involuntarily. Her body contracted and her toes curled as all her energy poured
into that tiny, pulsing spot. She bit her lip and moaned, as wave after wave of
pleasure flooded her. She held her fingers still as her heartbeat pulsed in her
pussy.

“Dear god,” she whispered. “I need to get laid.” She crawled
out of bed and stumbled to the shower.

Tess pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and walked
down the stairs, where she stopped short. Her brothers were sitting at the bar
in the kitchen.

“Hey. What are you guys doing here?” she asked, opening the
refrigerator to find cream for the coffee she was about to make.

Neither of them said anything at first. She scooped coffee
grounds into the filter and started the machine before turning around. She leaned
against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “God. Did somebody
die? Would one of you say something?”

Cade exhaled. “What’s going on with you and Shane Wyatt?”

Tess laughed. “What? You’re both here because of Shane?”

Luke stood up and paced the kitchen. The top of his head
barely cleared the entryway to the living room. He was imposing at six foot
five, but he didn’t scare Tess.

He turned and stopped. “Phoebe called me this morning and
said she was worried about you. She said she saw you leave Wyatt’s apartment
last night and that y’all were kissing and carrying on.”

There was no describing the anger that boiled up inside her.
Her heart beat so hard that it echoed inside her skull and she had to concentrate
to slow her breathing so she did not hyperventilate. Not only was Phoebe a
complete bitch, but the nerve of her brothers to come over and question her
about her personal life. “My first response to this is that it’s none of either
of your business, nor is it Phoebe’s business. How dare you…”

“Did he tell you about the ride coming up?” Luke asked, tensing
his jaw and pressing his palm hard against the countertop. His temper was one
of his lesser qualities and had often landed him in hot water while growing up.
He was always in trouble for fighting at school, and he and Cade would kick the
shit out of each other in the backyard over games of football and tag.

“What ride? What are you talking about?” Tess poured herself
a cup of coffee to busy her hands. She dumped in two spoons of sugar and poured
enough cream to make it look like caramel.

“Wyatt is my leading rival for the championship title. I
find it a little disconcerting that he’s managed to get into my little sister’s
pants a month before the rodeo. Nothing like needling the competition.”

She slammed the mug down on the counter, sloshing coffee
across the granite. “Get out. Both of you.” Her hand shook and she grabbed the
edge of the counter to steady herself. She did not know if she was angrier that
they came here to dig into her personal life or if she was pissed that Shane
didn’t mention he knew her brother and intended to upend him. Her mind raced,
like a horse around the barrels at the rodeo, zigzagging from one scenario to
the other.

“Tess—” Cade started.

She whipped around and cut him off. “You can just shut up. I
half expect this macho bullshit out of Luke. But, you? Jesus Christ. Do Nat and
Livie know the two of you are here? Do your wives approve of this bullshit
ganging up on me?”

Luke postured in the middle of the kitchen. “We’re not
ganging up on you. You’re our baby sister. We can’t stand by and let some
asshole use you just to get to me.”

“You’re assuming he’s using me. Maybe he didn’t mention this
because his interest in me has nothing to do with you. Did that ever cross your
mind? Or is it all about you, as usual?” Tess put her hand on her hip and
lifted her chin in defiance.

“That’s not fair.” Luke’s face flushed a deep red and his
nostrils flared like an angry bull about to charge.

“Like hell. You were always the star,
big brother
.
Cade and I lived in your shadow. But we’re not kids anymore and my life is not
part of your competition.”

“Phoebe said you’re not the only one coming and going from
his apartment either. Is that what you want? To be some playboy’s toy?” Luke’s
voice boomed through the kitchen. “My sister is not some buckle bunny whore.”

Cade squeezed the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
“Just stop it. Both of you. Luke, let’s go. This went all wrong.”

Tess ignored her other brother and walked up to Luke and
poked him hard in the chest. “I’m not a little girl anymore. And having sex
with whoever I choose does not make me a whore.” The tears welled up in her
eyes both from anger and hurt. She had not had sex with Shane and, in fact, was
very selective with who she shared her body with. She was far from a whore.

Luke rolled his eyes and touched her shoulder. “Tess… I
didn’t mean it like that.”

“Yes. You did. And it’s fine. You can go now. This
conversation is over. Just know that it’s none of your business who I fuck.”
She turned around and walked back up the stairs. Standing at the top of the landing,
she waited to hear the door close downstairs. She sat on the edge of her bed
and squeezed the quilt in her fists as the tears fell. She wanted to leave and
go back to California. Her brothers had just made her feel like a stranger in her
own home. What gave them the right to do that to her?

Dragging her luggage out of the closet, she grabbed at her
clothes, yanking them off the hangers and tossing them into her suitcase. She’d
show them. She’d be gone by morning and they could all kiss her ass.

Gypsy sauntered into the room and made a figure eight around
Tess’ ankles. Tess closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

You’re not a little girl anymore, like you just declared
to your brothers. You can’t just pack your shit and bail whenever you’re upset.
Grow the fuck up.

She texted Shane and told him she was going to stop by. Half
an hour later she pulled up to the ranch. Part of her hoped she would run into
Phoebe so she could give that meddling skank a piece of her mind, but the other
part didn’t want the confrontation. Phoebe wasn’t worth going to jail over and
she just might punch the tramp’s lights out if she saw her.

She did not bother to put on any makeup or even brush her
hair. She stood on his porch in her gray sweats and a UCLA t-shirt.

He opened the door and smiled for a second before he stepped
aside. His grin quickly turned to a frown. “What happened? Have you been
crying?”

As soon as the door shut, she faced him. “I just had it out
with my brother. Is there some reason you didn’t tell me you were his main
competitor for the championship title?”

Shane exhaled and scrubbed his hand over his face. “Fuck. I
knew this was going to come up. I didn’t want it to.” He reached for her hand.

She pulled it away. “On top of that, Phoebe told my brother that
you’re fucking me.”

Shane’s face paled and he spoke through gritted teeth. “She
did what?”

“That’s right. She told him you were fucking me. Probably
just to get to him before the ride. It’s real nice being called a whore for
something I haven’t even done. And you better shut her down or I will. She’s
your bitch.”

Shane raised his hand up. “Wait a second. She’s not my bitch
or my anything.”

“So, you’re going to tell me you’re not fucking her?”

“No, I’m not fucking her. I mean, I did. Before. But that’s
been over for a while.”

Tess fought off the tears again. She didn’t want to cry but
between her brother badgering her and Phoebe being a snake and Shane standing
here telling her that he was not using her, she was overwhelmed. She didn’t
know who to believe. She buried her face in her hands to regain her composure.

Taking a deep breath, she looked back at Shane. “I have to
go. I need to think about all this.” She started for the door.

He caught her by the arm gently. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t using
you. There just hadn’t been an opportunity to tell you and I was afraid of how
that might affect my chances.”

She stared directly into his eyes. “Your chances of fucking
me?”

He didn’t waver and he did not look away. “No. If I just
wanted to fuck you, I could have done that last night.”

“Oh, you think so?”

He moved closer until she could smell tobacco on his breath.
“I know so.”

Looking at the floor, she hesitated. He was right. If he’d
tried, she would have let him. “I don’t know what to believe. I don’t know what
to think. This is all fucked up.”