Intimate Illusions [The Callens 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (18 page)

He wasn’t sure he wanted to go. Being with Max might be worse than staying incarcerated until the trial. The deputy unlatched the door, and he had no choice but to leave.

It looked like someone had emptied Max and filled him with cement. As soon as Ian picked up his possessions, Max spun on his heels and he followed him out.
Hello to you, too, bro.

Ian piled into the front seat of the truck, though he might have been more comfortable in the back. At least Max couldn’t glare at him on the ride home.

“Next time, hit the wall instead of a person’s face.” He could talk. Ian thought Max might give him the silent treatment for a few weeks.

“You mean make sure the ass I hit isn’t a friend of the mayor.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to hear my side?”

“Deputy told me.”

Perhaps when Max was willing to listen, he’d share. “Did you catch the thief in LA?”

“I got evidence about who was guilty. The police are handling the details.”

That implied the answer was no, which was why Devonne hadn’t flown back. “What’s Devonne’s state of mind?”

“She’s upset.”

He figured, but hearing it still tore him up. “When the dust settles, I trust she’s coming back.” His gut churned when Max didn’t answer. “She
is
coming back, right?”

“No.”

His mouth turned dry. “Why the fuck not?” Max’s knuckles had turned white.

“I told her not to.”

His hands clenched. “Why?” He hadn’t meant to shout. If they hadn’t been in the truck, they might have come to blows.

Max glanced over at him. “You’d hurt her, and I didn’t want to see that happen.”

“You have to be kidding. You think I would hurt her?” He slapped the dash. “You’re the fucking idiot who broke her heart by not telling her to come here.”

“You’d lose interest,” he said more calmly than Ian thought possible.

“I love her.”

“Is that why the moment she leaves, you’re gallivanting around getting drunk? Pick up any women while you were out?”

The comment cut so deep, no words came out. He dropped his head back against the seat and forced himself to stay calm and not say something he’d regret. They turned into the ranch drive, and he was never more thankful to be able to get out of Max’s sight. He had to find a way to convince both his brother and Devonne that he was ready to devote his life to her. What that would take he didn’t know.

* * * *

The last three weeks had nearly killed Ian. The ranch became dead without Devonne. He hadn’t realized how lifeless the place was after she’d left. She’d given him a new purpose. He wanted a wife, and he wanted a family. That would only work if he and Max could get along again.

His brother had softened somewhat in that he’d started ordering him around again. However, Ian made it a point to get up earlier than usual and was out the door before Max could rant. Ian kept his visits to the Raging Bull limited to Saturday night. Of late, he hadn’t had as much fun unless it was to share a drink with the hands. He had no desire to look for another woman. He wanted Devonne.

Today, he was on his horse on the way to fix an area of fence that had been damaged from a truck mishap. Usually he would have asked the hands to take care of that, but he needed the physical release of hard work. He also wanted to contribute more to the place. It was his livelihood, and if and when Devonne came back, he wanted the ranch in top-notch order.

There’d be no more auctions until the spring. While fall was rolling in soon, they’d have to worry about moving their cattle to a warmer climate for the winter.

He spotted the broken fence. This part of the land had barbed wire across the back. He dismounted, donned some heavy-duty gloves and went about repairing the damage.

Yesterday, he and the man he hit had settled for a small sum of money. A few locals had testified that the man had been talking trash about the models, and Ian had defended the women’s honor. While he was glad that event was behind him, it pissed him off that Max thought that incident was enough to keep Devonne away.

He felt dumb for not getting any contact information from her. He would have liked to e-mail, call, or even Skype her, but Max said it was for the best if they kept their distance. It would only make things more difficult.

Once he fixed the fence, he rode back to the barn and brushed down his horse. The simple acts of working the ranch gave him such pleasure. If Max got out more, he might understand how things ran around here. The ranch hands usually came to Ian for advice, but somehow Max thought he did nothing.

Disgusted, he brushed the dust off his chaps with his hat and headed back inside to shower. Max was in town meeting with someone who wanted to buy the beef, so the house was silent when he stepped inside. He’d gotten halfway to his room when the doorbell rang.

He scanned his memory for who it might be. The only one who came unannounced was Sam. He trotted to the door and opened it.

“Devonne?” He didn’t know why he made that a question, but his tongue got tied.

She smiled and threw her pretty self into his arms. He probably smelled, but at the moment neither seemed to care. Their lips touched, and his whole body sizzled. To say his cock stood to attention was an understatement.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a cab sitting in the drive. “Tell me you got some luggage and that you’re staying.”

“If you’ll have me.”

“Have you? I’m never letting you go. If Max says anything, I might have to kill him.” She laughed.

He disengaged and jogged over to the cabbie who was taking her gear from the trunk. Devonne must have told him that she was uncertain about the reception. “Let me help you.”

She had four suitcases. Once they got them unloaded, the cabbie smiled and drove off.

He shoved two cases under his arms and grabbed the other two. He more or less waddled back to the house. “Follow me.”

He led her back to the spare bedroom she’d had before. They could decide later which bed she’d sleep in.

“Did Max contact you?” Maybe his brother had softened and asked her to return.

With his back to her, he couldn’t see her reaction. “No. The police investigated the theft, and my store manager will be prosecuted. I would have come sooner, but I had to train someone else to take over her job. I know Max said not to come, but I think what he told me was wrong.”

Ian put down her suitcases and spun around. “Did he claim I was a fuckup and that I’d found someone else or something?” He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from spitting.

“More or less.”

“He’s dead wrong.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here.” Her eyes shimmered. “I’ve been so miserable without you two.”

Those were the sweetest words he’d ever heard. “Sugar, I’m not trying to minimize your pain, but I’ve been in far worse shape.”

They rushed into each other’s arms and nearly devoured each other. Ian pulled back. “I have to shower. I’ve got more dirt on me than a snake after a dust storm.”

She laughed. “I’ve got plane grime. Does that count?”

“You saying you want to join me?”

“I’ve heard there’s a water shortage in Wyoming, and since I plan on moving here, I want to help out the state.”

He leaned his head back and laughed. “When you were here, did I ever tell you I loved you?”

A tear balanced on her lashes. “No, but I knew.”

He grinned. She understood him. That was why they’d connected. “Well, let’s get you undressed. I’ll try to keep my hands to myself until after we’re clean.”

As soon as Ian had opened the door and Devonne saw the shine in his eyes, the tension had disappeared. Her usual confidence had slowly eroded on the plane ride over as Max’s words echoed in her mind about not wanting her to come. She’d wanted to call and talk with Ian, but all of her friends told her to let one of the men contact her. That was not how she worked. If she wanted something, she always had to go after it.

“Turn around and let me unzip you,” Ian said.

His fingers fumbled on the metal, but he got her dress open after a few tugs. He’d already turned on the shower water before he undressed, and the steam wet her skin. “Hurry.”

He slid the dress over her shoulders and kissed her neck. “I’ve dreamed of doing this every night since you’ve been gone. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve wanted you.”

His pained words soothed her aching doubts. “I hoped you would.”

Her bra came undone, and Ian’s fingers wrapped around her front and rubbed her breasts. Then one hand slid down her belly. Her pussy creamed from the anticipation. “Shouldn’t we get clean first?”

His hand stopped its descent. “I got carried away.”

“I’m not leaving, so you can be carried away for a long time.”

He turned her around and gently kissed her as if she were fragile. She pressed her hands against his chest to guide him back.

He chuckled. “I’m going. I know I must smell.”

His masculine appeal heightened her senses, but she didn’t want his head to get any bigger. She loved Ian just the way he was. He stepped into the shower then pulled her in, but he stood under the water first. Dirt cascaded off his skin.

“Switch.” He grabbed the liquid soap and dribbled it on his body. “Let me get clean, and then I want to wash you.”

“Save me some spots, too.”

He scrubbed his legs, chest, and arms. His hand hovered over his cock for a bit then stopped. “I’ll leave him to you.”

“My pleasure.”

He doused some shampoo on his head.

“You can rinse.”

“I’ll wait. I love to watch you.”

She wanted to be squeaky clean, so as soon as he stepped from the spray, she washed her hair, too. Her conditioner from when she was here last month remained in the shower. So that was where she’d left it. She rinsed and conditioned her hair.

While Ian waited for the water, he put a few drops of bodywash on his palm and dragged it over her tits. “God, but I’ve missed you.”

His rough hands soothed her achy tits. “Not any more than I’ve missed you.”

He moved closer and captured her lips. Pulling her to his chest, he changed positions so that the water hit his back. His hard cock pressed against her as he devoured her mouth, and their tongues explored each other as if for the first time. Her slippery chest made it hard to press into her chest with enough pressure.

Soap dripped down his face and nearly got into her mouth. “Rinse your hair before I start eating soap.”

He grinned, and her heart sang. This man made her see all of the possibilities in life. The soap quickly left his scalp, and he returned to kissing her. When his lips touched her neck, he stepped back.

“Your conditioning isn’t my choice of flavors either.”

“Whoops.”

He let her rinse her hair clean. When she was done, she palmed some soap and went to work cleaning his thick cock. As soon as she wrapped her hand around his length, his eyes closed. “It’s like the illusion is coming true.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you are my intimate illusion.”

She laughed at his phrase. “I suppose that means you’re planning on being intimate. I can assure you, however, I am no longer an illusion.”

“I pray to God that’s true.”

Her hand stilled as his mouth captured her nipple. He tugged hard, but his teeth slipped off. “I think I like you dry better.”

“That can be arranged as soon as I finish cleaning you.” She rubbed her hand up and down his cock.

His shoulders tensed, and his teeth scraped harder against her skin to keep the contact. The glorious pain made her squeeze harder. Her thumb slid over his mushroom head, and his breath caught.

He clasped her wrist. “Can we save this until later? These three weeks have been very hard on me.”

“You don’t think women have hair triggers, too?”

Faster than she could inhale, his finger slipped into her pussy. His touch was like an opiate, inflaming every inch of her body. Her groan escaped, and his speed increased. She clasped onto his shoulders and held on the best she could. Her body seemed to liquefy as spasms rolled down her pussy. She wanted to taste him, touch him, and savor every inch of his body.

“Can we take this someplace else?” Her breath caught in her throat.

“I’d love to place you on a blanket in the middle of a field of wildflowers and make love to you for hours, but right now, I’m too desperate.”

“Me, too. I was thinking more like a bed.”

“That is closer.”

They both stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. She was bent over drying her leg, when he placed a towel on her back. “It will go faster if I help.”

That made no sense since he wasn’t getting dry, but she wasn’t going to complain. He was able to rub her back quickly and effectively, but lingered a bit too long on her ass. When he threaded the towel between her legs, all of her thoughts left her head. His touch intoxicated her. She stopped what she was doing and let the joy of the moment seep into her soul. This is where she needed to be. Forever.