Secret Temptation [The Callens 3] (Siren Publishing M?nage Everlasting) (11 page)

“I find that hard to believe. Randy is a grown man. If anyone did give him shit, he could take them down so easily it wouldn’t be funny.”

Blake took her hand in his. “Our insecurities never hold up to scrutiny. They are what they are and we have to deal with them.”

“That may be true, but I want to give it a try.”

“If you succeed, you’ll be my hero for life.”

That she’d like to see.

April’s mom went full out trying to make the audition happen, but she had to wait for the orchestra to get back from touring before asking her conductor friend about any openings.

Meanwhile, April spent most of her time studying for her final exam. Blake’s workload jumped into high gear with the new semester looming, so they were lucky if they got to touch base once or twice in the last two weeks. Since she hadn’t stopped by the ranch except a couple of times, she’d only seen Randy one time when he was taking one of the horses out for a ride. She didn’t think he even knew she’d been there. She could have asked for another lesson, but the timing just didn’t feel right.

The hardest part of getting her own apartment was the loneliness. At the ranch, one of her siblings stopped by every few days. Now that Sam had changed her focus from a rancher to teaching people about a rancher’s life, she stopped back home now more than ever. One benefit of the change was that Sam and Dad were getting along better than ever. Maybe the biggest shock was that Sam was spending more time in the kitchen with Mom. When had she decided she liked to cook? Her husbands must have been a good influence on her.

Her brothers only came by every once in a while, but she still missed their visits. More than ever, she realized that having a family was what she wanted. She prayed her mom would pull through and get that audition for Randy. Maybe someday, she, Randy, and Blake could start a family of their own. Wouldn’t that be a dream come true?

When, and if, she found out her mom had succeeded, she’d have to take Randy to a secluded spot and tell him. That way, he couldn’t huff and walk away. Well, he could, but Randy would never leave her alone to ride back by herself.

Her cell rang. It was her mom. “Hey.”

“I got the audition for Randy.”

Every cell jumped for joy. “No way! Give me the details.”

“It’s for this Friday afternoon. They are auditioning for a violinist and a trumpet player.”

That didn’t help. “Randy plays the piano.”

“That is a problem, but Cyril Le Floch, the orchestra’s conductor, said that perhaps Randy could be a guest artist.”

While this wasn’t ideal, if she could get him to show up to the audition, it would indicate he accepted his talent. “Where?”

“Two o’clock at the Cheyenne Civic Center.”

“I can’t wait to tell him.” Actually, she dreaded telling him. He’d give her every excuse in the book why this wasn’t a good idea. She didn’t have class tonight, so a riding lesson might be in order. “I’m coming over. I love you, Mom.”

Her mother’s light laughter seeped into her soul and renewed her energy.

“I’ll have some lunch ready when you get here.”

Racing to change, she mentally rehearsed how she was going to break the news to him. The only way to get him to open up and say he would give it a try was if she, too, took a chance. That meant she’d have to ride the horse for all he was worth.

Once dressed, she rushed outside and headed to the ranch. If he refused to even give the audition a shot, she believed there might not be any hope for a long-term relationship between any of them. She wanted a man who could be himself. Randy was in his essence when he played, not when he put up this shield of not caring. She wanted the passionate person that lived inside Randy to be available all the time.

When she arrived, she rushed up the side steps. Even through the window, she could smell something wonderful cooking.

“Hi, Mom.”

“In here,” she called from the dining room.

To her surprise, the twins were there. “Ian, Max. What are you doing here?”

“We needed to talk to Dad about something,” Max said.

Ever since her dad sold them ten thousand acres of prime ranching land, she hadn’t seen them nearly as much as she would have liked. Since they were seated at the table, she figured they were here for their mom’s cooking.

Mom brought in a pot roast, and Dad ambled in.

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “I thought you said you wouldn’t be a stranger.”

“I’m here now. In fact, I’m going to see if Randy will give me another lesson.”

His brows rose. “I thought after you failed to handle Fleet of Foot that you’d never chance getting on a horse again.

“Me, too, but drastic times call for drastic measures.”

He returned her smile with a frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Mom placed a bowl of mashed potatoes in front of him. “Eat, Josh, and leave her alone. It’s called love.”

“Mom!” She didn’t need the whole world to know what she was up to.

“That so?” her dad said.

She didn’t need this, especially when her courage wasn’t at its highest. “Can we table this until later?”

“Eat, everyone,” her mom instructed.

Fortunately, the twins engaged Dad, and soon he seemed to forget his initial interest in her love life. Once lunch finished, the men went into Dad’s den, and she helped her mom clean up.

“How’s Sam doing?” If anyone would know, it would be the woman who kept track of not only their family, but her aunts, uncles and cousins. Sam had stopped by last week to tell them something about adding a new adventure to the ranch.

“She got a marketing person to handle the clients. I’m hoping that will give her more exposure.”

“I’m so happy for her. I feel guilty that I haven’t stopped by, but the few times I’ve called, she’s been with clients.”

“Stop by, even if it’s for a minute. I’m sure she’d love to see you anytime.”

“Maybe I should sign up for a weekend package and have her team teach me to ride.”

“I thought that’s what Randy was for.”

She laughed. “I have other plans for Randy, but yes, I do want to have him give me pointers.”

“Well, you better get going. I can clean up here.”

April took off her apron. “Wish me luck.”

After she tossed the dish towel and smock in the washing machine, she dashed outside. The sun was high in the sky, but the breeze cooled her skin. Hoping that Randy was in the barn, she headed there. Gus was brushing one of the horses. She didn’t like how his back was beginning to bow, but he seemed happy and not in too much pain.

“Hey, Gus. You see Randy?”

“He’s in the tack room.”

Her hands were sweating by the time she walked to the back room. His broad back was to her. She stood for a minute admiring how he was able to pick up saddles with so little effort.

“Randy?”

He spun around, and his lips actually lifted. Was Mr. Cool losing it?

“Haven’t seen you in a while.”

She couldn’t tell if that was a complaint or just an observation. “My class is getting hard. Between studying and fixing up my apartment, I’ve been busy.” She held up a hand. “But not too busy if you ever want to stop on by.”

He leaned against a wall stud and chuckled. “What can I do for you today?”

“I want to learn to get over my fear of horses. I want to ride hard.”

He cocked a brow. “You like to do it
hard
?”

Was he talking about horses or sex? “Sometimes. Depends on my mood.”

He pushed off from the post and eased on closer. “What kind of mood would you be in today? Are you asking to be ridden hard and fast?”

Holy moly, he was talking about sex. She glanced down at his pants. The chaps accentuated his cock. From the way it was bulging, he was excited to see her.

“Depends on who’s holding the reins.”

He laughed as he continued to close the distance. “What did I tell you about little girls sniffing around older men?”

From the twinkle in his eyes, he was enjoying the sexual innuendos as much as she was. “If I recall, you didn’t think I was a little girl when you had your big cock in me.”

“You were naked then.”

Her pussy nearly exploded thinking about the taboo nature of what they were about to do. Gus was on the other side of the wall. No telling what her father would do if he found out she was messing with the hired hand. Though, if she had her way, Randy wouldn’t be working for him for much longer. He’d be playing in large concert halls.

“That can be arranged again, if someone wants to help me.”

Randy was like light striking electrons, first exciting them then making them jump out of their shells.

His fingers flew through the row of buttons. After lowering her shirt down her arms, he tossed her top onto a saddle. His lids lowered a bit when he saw the sports bra underneath, but he didn’t seem to be phased by the obstruction. His fingers slid under the material and slowly lifted it up while his gaze stayed focused on her eyes. Lust pooled in his gaze, and she’d never been more turned on by the forbidden nature of what they were about to do.

She was so focused on him taking off her clothes that she forgot to get him out of his. Once the top half of her body was exposed, Randy took advantage of her nakedness. His head dropped and his mouth clamped onto her nipple. The tension shot straight through her as carnal joy sizzled straight down to her pussy.

Her breath caught when his teeth lifted the tip. “You still think I’m a little girl?”

“I ain’t finished exploring yet. I’ll get back to you.” He drew the other nipple into his mouth and her whole body sang.

She always considered Blake to be the one with the great sense of humor, but Randy was more intensely sexual when he teased her. She threaded her hands over his head and tugged on the piece of hair that hung over his forehead. His muscles bulged as he held on to her waist and wreaked havoc with her breast.

Gus might wonder what they were doing. “Hurry.”

He lifted his head. “Not on your life.”

They had been apart for too long. Need erased all reason. When he wasn’t paying attention, she unsnapped her jeans and lowered her pants over her hips. Randy must have taken notice for he stepped back, his gaze a bit distracted.

He reached into his back pocket, withdrew his wallet, and extracted a condom. “Let me get a blanket.”

He pulled a horse blanket off the shelf and tossed it beneath the post. At first she didn’t understand what he planned until he strode toward her, picked her up, and carried her to the post. “The blanket is to stand on. I want you upright when I take you.”

Her heart beat against her rib cage. She’d been dreaming about him since they’d gone to the museum together. They both took off their boots and pants.

“Let me do the ab reveal.”

His chin tucked in. “What’s that?”

She laughed. “I take off your shirt slowly until all your abdominal muscles are exposed.”

“I think you just like to look at my tattoos.” He winked.

“I’m sure that’s all I care about.”
Hardly
. “Raise your arms.” Taking her time, she lifted his shirt, admiring the rippled muscles. “Your body is amazing.”

He waited until after she’d removed his shirt to respond. “The better to hold you.”

“Oh, yeah?” She’d threaded her thumbs under her panties and started to pull them down when he gently squeezed her wrists.

“Let me.”

“My pleasure.”

He got on his knees and pulled her panties down a few inches with his teeth. His lips brushed against her skin, setting her on fire. He inhaled. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve been thinking about this.”

“I’m always available to you.”

He smiled then leaned forward. She tensed, waiting for the rush of joy that was sure to blast her. When his tongue darted in between her pussy lips, she reached behind her and grabbed hold of the pole to keep steady.

“If that pole wasn’t so rough, I might be tempted to tie you to it.”

She laughed. “You’d have to squat a foot to get in me.” He was twelve inches taller.

“You’d be worth it.”

When had Randy turned so sentimental? Was he falling for her? Her pulse raced at the possibility. “Aww. Thank you.”

He glanced up before returning his attention where she wanted it to be. He grabbed her thighs and tried to widen her stance but must have recognized the restriction. “These gotta go.”

The panties disappeared. “You’re still half-dressed.”

“Don’t worry. When I’m ready, you’ll get to see all of me.”

The thought stimulated her. When he plunged two fingers into her pussy, her scent overpowered even the heavy aroma of hay and horse. She arched her back when he crooked his fingers and brought every cell inside her to life.

“I like that.”

His response was to slip his fingers out and use them to hold open her lower lips. Then he planted his mouth on her opening and sucked. She jerked at the erotic stimulation. His teeth nibbled on her little bundle of nerves. She grabbed his shoulders and leaned forward. It almost wasn’t fair that he and Blake always wanted to pleasure her first.

“Can I play with you?”

He pulled back. “You sure?”

Was he implying there was a chance he might come prematurely? “Yes.”

Now he removed his chaps and his pants. Leave it to Randy to be wearing nothing underneath. My God, but he was a magnificent specimen. His huge cock was flat against his stomach. She dropped to her knees in worship and studied the inked swirls that wrapped around his waist and led right to his cock.