Primal Surrender (17 page)

Claudia dropped back against the back of her chair with a huff. “I want a happily ever after.”

The other two women exchanged a glance and she would swear they shared a wicked glint in their eyes when they turned back to her. Zoey took the first shot, “So what’s between you and the Thompson boys?”

Shrugging, she frowned at the question, “I wish I knew. I met Mack first, and there was just something about him. A spark between us like I’ve never experienced before. Then when I walked into the bar the other night and met Ryker, it was like an electric shock. When I’m with only one of them I feel happy, but when I’m with the two of them I feel sublime.”

“Sounds like Stone River’s newest inductees to the polyamorous lifestyle to me,” Rachel said, smiling cockily.

“Not likely,” Claudia said with a snort. “The two of them are not interested in trying ménage. At least not on a permanent basis. And I’m going back to Austin soon to get my marching orders.”

Zoey’s eyes widened, “Excuse me? Going back?”

Nodding, Claudia felt the heavy pull of depression in her heart. She didn’t want to leave Stone River, but by staying she was just delaying the inevitable. It was important she talk to her father and explain what happened with the Granite Estates project. Perhaps there was still a solution to be found so the whole project wasn’t scrapped.

“Well if you’re taking the easy way out, we had better take this opportunity to party with you while we can!” Rachel said, jumping to her feet and downing the last of her drink. “Let’s go, ladies. This bar needs a bit of livening up.” With that, the bubbly brunette seemed to let her fashionable real estate persona slip even further into the background as she took the dance floor. As the lone occupant of the thirty square foot space, Rachel rocked her hips in time to Josh Turner’s deep baritone singing, “Firecracker.”

“We better join her, so she doesn’t get herself arrested,” Zoey said, grabbing Claudia’s hand and leading her out to the floor.

The three women rocked and bopped to the music for several songs. After the first couple of minutes as the only dancers, they found themselves joined by several other ladies, and a few gentlemen. Quickly the quiet somber crowd filling the bar on a weekday evening began enjoying the spark of excitement.

Claudia couldn’t remember when she had enjoyed herself more. Good friends, good food, good music, and the freedom to dance. It was heaven. The only thing missing was the two men who seemed to dominate her thoughts lately.

As much as she liked the idea of finding a happy ending with two gorgeous, sweet men like Mack and Ryk, she knew the logistics were more complicated. It wasn’t realistic to believe otherwise, and she was nothing if pragmatic. In a couple of days, she would pack a bag and head for Austin. She needed to find out what was next on her schedule. By now her father would have received her email detailing the decision made by the town, and Gaven Schmidt was known for pulling the trigger quickly. He would already have a Plan B, and possibly a Plan C. She just needed to find out what it was and embrace it. Maybe then she would be able to let go of the hopelessly happy woman she found in Stone River.

*****

Ryker was waiting outside the bar when the three women spilled out into the night. They were laughing with a girly abandon that brought a wide smile to his face. Stepping out of the shadows and into the yellow light of the parking lot, he waited for Claudia to notice him.

“Shit. Did I miss curfew again?” she asked. Her tone was half playful and half irritated, with just a hint of tipsy sass.

Zoey snorted, “Uh oh! He’s going to crack the whip now.”

Rachel sputtered between giggles, “Make him frisk you first! Get the full body cavity search!”

All three women were a laughing heap of bawdy innuendos that might have made Ryker blush if he hadn’t spent more than a decade in a locker room. “Alright, ladies, enough. Zoey, Dalton should be here any minute to get you and Rachel. Parker called me and asked me to swing by and check on you when you didn’t come home by eleven like you promised.”

That sobered Rachel up, and she dug in her purse for her phone, “Shit! I can’t believe I’m late! Jules is going to hate me forever!”

“I highly doubt it, Rach. Hell, she just now learned your name was mama,” Zoey said, dissolving into girly laughter again at her own joke.

“How much have you been drinking, kitten?” A new voice echoed across the parking lot, and Ryker turned to greet Dalton Keegan as he reached his wife’s side.

“Only two, I think. We are drunk on life, and my abs hurt like hell from laughing. You should see Claudia dance! Damn, the girl can shake it like a polaroid picture!” Zoey’s antics brought another round of laughter. The atmosphere was so relaxed Ryker found himself chuckling along with the group.

He knew about Claudia’s dance skills, he’d seen them himself, but what he hadn’t seen was this carefree relaxed goddess, who laughed with her friends, and smiled like the world was at her feet. She looked stunning even with her hair tousled from dancing all night, and her mascara smeared where she wiped away tears of mirth.

Dalton smiled at Ryker, and nodded to Claudia, “You got that one?”

“We’re good,” he responded, waving the three on as he stood shoulder to shoulder with Claudia. He breathed in her scent, letting the warm cocoa butter flavor of the air around her rest on his taste buds and fill his head. For the rest of his life he would associate cocoa butter with this curvy bombshell.

“Bye, ladies! Thank you for taking me out tonight!” Claudia called out, blowing an energetic kiss to Zoey, who caught it dramatically and then dissolved into giggles again.

Ryker could hear Dalton firmly instructing his wife and her best friend to get into his truck and buckle up, before he turned to face Claudia. Her gorgeous hazel eyes were a warm amber color, and they swallowed him whole the moment he made eye contact.

“So you’re playing knight in shining armor tonight again, huh?” she cocked her hip to the side and looked him up and down like a piece of meat. “Does that mean you have to carry me home on your noble steed? Because I’m still really tender from Sunday’s ride—”

He snorted, and she blushed lightly as she picked up on the double entendre of her words. “Duchess, I wouldn’t be the right cowboy for the whole riding off into the sunset gig. However, since you’ve been drinking I will be taking you home. We’ll get your car tomorrow.”

“You know, you’re kind of hot when you’re being all bossy and serious.” She walked toward his car without a backward glance, and he hurried to catch up.

“Thank you. You’re kind of hot all the time. I didn’t think your ass could look better until I saw it in those jeans. I’ll have to write a thank you letter to the manufacturer.” He held the car door open for her and smiled when she slid gracefully into the seat. His car was far from a Benz, but she rode in it as though it was gold plated.

“That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me,” she said with an astonished look on her face. “I’m not even sure what to say.”

He gave her a wink and shut the door so he could walk around and get in himself. “Buckle up, buttercup, no breaking the law in my car.”

She rolled her eyes but snapped the seatbelt in place. “Are you going to place your hands at ten and two as well, or is it only certain laws you won’t break?”

“Oh no, I’m an excellent driver, and I obey almost all driving laws.”

“Last I checked, drunk driving was—”

“Okay!” he interrupted. “Almost all driving laws. Actually, my biggest weakness is speed limits. I used to drive an amateur drag car when I was off season just for kicks.” Out of the corner of his eye he saw her mouth drop open. “What? You didn’t think my whole life was football did you?”

After a pause, she nodded, “Yeah, I guess I did. What other secret hobbies do you have?”

He smiled at her newfound curiosity, and shrugged, “Not many. I like to play basketball, and golf, and occasionally dress in drag on the weekends. The normal manly hobbies.”

Claudia’s eyes couldn’t get any wider as she gasped in shock, “What?”

“I’m kidding, lighten up! I like guy stuff. Sports, fast cars, pretty girls. I don’t cook much, but I’m a grill master. What about you?”

Dropping her head back on the headrest, she relaxed a little and let out a sigh, “I had so many hobbies as a kid I never had much time to slow down. Now as an adult I work all the time, and still don’t get a lot of down time. When I do I like to work with my hands. I love refurbishing old worn out things and giving them new life.”

“Why didn’t you speak up and tell your parents you didn’t want to do all of those activities?” Ryker asked. He just couldn’t wrap his brain around it, because his life was so carefree as a kid. What would it have been like to be faced with a regimented schedule every day and never have time to be free?

“It just wasn’t an option. My parents loved me enough to want me to have every possible opportunity. Perhaps they should have given me more free time, but then I wouldn’t be the woman I am today if they had, so I’m grateful for what they did for me. It wasn’t always easy, and as a kid I resented all of the schedules and practices, but now I see how it helped me be a stronger businesswoman.”

Just like that she turned his first opinion on its top. She was absolutely right. If her parents hadn’t pushed her to be so responsible, perhaps life wouldn’t have brought her here to Stone River, so he wouldn’t wish it any different.

When they arrived at her home, he felt butterflies fill his stomach. This was the moment. He and Mack had agreed he would give the seduction thing one more try. If she was into it, then they would approach her about trying a ménage relationship. If she wasn’t, Ryker would walk away for the good of his relationship with his brother.

Taking her keys, he unlocked the door and held it open for her. She dropped her purse on the dining room table and turned back to face him. “Thank you for the ride home, again.”

He bowed as elegantly as possible, and gave her a grin, “Always at your service, m’lady. Now, about your payment for services rendered…”

She cocked her hip and her eyebrow rose indignantly, “Payment? You’re joking right?”

Shaking his head, he stepped closer, stealing her personal space. “Nope. I think you owe me for dropping everything to ride to the rescue.”

“Dropping what? Your evening television and beer routine? And what rescue? I didn’t need rescuing thank you very much. I could have gotten a ride home with Zoey and her husband.” Her hands were on her hips now and her hazel eyes were flashing fire.

“Mmm, but I think you’ll enjoy this payment as much as I do, duchess, so go with it.”

Sliding his arms through the openings under hers, he wrapped them around her waist, quickly dragging her up against his body. Before she could protest, he dropped his mouth to hers and kissed her with every ounce of pent up lust that had been raging in his balls for the last week. It rushed through him like a violent summer thunderstorm wreaking havoc on the countryside. The winds of desire laid waste to any protest she might have put up, and before he knew it her hands were clutching at him, holding him closer and riding the swell.

There was nothing gentle about the way he pushed his tongue into her mouth and tasted her. There was no romance, or sweetness in his hands when he cupped her ass, and ground his cock into her soft belly. Only raw lust, and an intriguing need for her to touch him too. Forcing himself to release her lips, he reached up and tugged at her long blonde locks as she stared back at him with glazed eyes heavy with her own need.

Swallowing a groan of lust, he forced his tongue to work in his mouth. “Say yes. Claudia, I need to be inside of you, so say yes. Or better yet, don’t say anything at all.”

His need had finally overwhelmed her resolve, and suddenly desire dominated both of their motions. Her hands were clawing at his clothes, while her mouth was kissing, nipping, and licking at the skin as it was revealed. She was like a wildcat in his arms, and his cock throbbed in his jeans. Stretching the denim past its comfort zone, and making his brain spin.

Pushing her shirt up to her armpits, he finally got a glimpse of the creamy globes he had been fantasizing about. Vanilla colored and cocoa butter scented, they screamed out to him behind pale pink lace. Mouth watering, he ran his tongue over them at the edge of the fabric. Like magic the skin swelled and rose to meet his teasing mouth. A gentle bite to the dark shadowed curve between them left an indent that brought out some primal satisfaction. He had claimed her as his own. It didn’t matter that his brother had traversed her planes and valleys first. All that mattered was she was hot and wet beneath him now.

Flicking open the hook at her back, he peeled back the cups of her bra to find perfect pink nipples reaching out for him. Sucking one between his lips, he added just enough pressure to make her knees wobble beneath her. Sensing his opening, he lifted her into his arms and carried her the short distance to the couch. She went willingly, tugging her shirt the rest of the way off so she was bare now from the waist up. Reaching up, she ran her hands over his naked torso, before lifting her chest to scrape her nipples against his pecks. Fire raced through his loins at the contact, and he hissed out a breath.

“You’re going to kill me, duchess.”

“If you leave me hanging I’ll kill
you
, Ryker.”

“Not a chance, love.”

He released the button on her jeans and shoved them down to her ankles only to find his process hampered by her shoes. Growling in irritation as she toed the offending canvas off, he hurried to get her completely naked. Once she was divested of every scrap of fabric, he pushed her knees open and sat back on his haunches to stare at the damp curls between her thighs. The fragrance of hot female was heightening his need, and he pressed a kiss to the inside of her knee before placing it on his shoulder.

“Hey wait!” Her hands reached out to still his forward progress and she frowned down at him, “You’re not naked yet!”

“If I take my jeans off right now, I’ll come all over the carpet, Claudia. Now just lie back and let me taste you.”