Surrender to Desire (8 page)

“Down at the far end of this line. He wants this new fence
up by the end of the day!”

“Thanks!” Chaz looked over at Callie, where she’d come to a
stop next to him. “Jax is our ranch manager. His job is to know where everyone
one is at all times.”

“That sounds like an impossible job.”

“Nah. We use radios.” He gave Callie a wink and nudged his
horse.

She nudged her horse and almost let out a squeal when Gypsy
took off suddenly at a quick pace. But then she realized the ground had dipped unexpectedly,
and when the mare was on even ground again she fell back into a slower pace. As
they neared the end of the line, she saw Blade before he noticed them. He was
adjusting a pole into the ground. The definition of muscles in his arms as he
worked took her breath away.

Then, as if something unseen passed between them, he glanced
their way. Her heart did a flip, and a warm flush surged through her. He straightened
from what he was doing and wiped his arm across his brow, and then started
walking their way. Though he did briefly acknowledge Chaz, his burning gaze
remained on Callie. She stared with longing at him.

“When did you get back?” he asked Chaz, rubbing Gypsy’s
nose.

“This morning.”

“You haven’t wasted any time.” Blade’s gaze moved from Chaz
to Callie, then back again.

His message couldn’t have been clearer, to Callie anyway. He
was staking a claim on her and making sure his brother knew it. At least that’s
what she was hoping.

Chaz threw back his head and laughed. “Relax, brother.
Callie and I are just out for a little ride. And besides, I already saw your
mark on her.”

What?
Callie knew
exactly what Chaz was referring to. She’d seen the purplish mark on her neck
that morning when she showered, only she thought she’d covered it up with
makeup. Now she understood the long look Chaz had given her in the kitchen
earlier. He must have noticed it and drawn the only conclusion that made sense.

With both brothers looking at her with quiet amusement, she
felt her cheeks fill with heat. “I was ambushed.”

Her comment had Chaz erupting into laughter.

“Really?” Blade’s gaze moved lazily down Callie’s body,
leaving her tingling in places only he had knowledge of. “You never saw it
coming?” His gaze lingered on her breasts.

Damn, my nipples are
turning hard.
She decided not to respond to him.

“I saw it coming the first day.” As if knowing how he was
affecting her he smiled a wolfish grin and turned his attention back to his
brother. “So how did the Collins job go?”

Chaz shrugged. “Just like I thought it would. Evans Security
received a sizable bonus because I finished up early. I’ll only be home a
couple days, though. Beau dropped another job in my lap.”

Blade didn’t hesitate. “You want me to take this one?”

“Hell no. You’re a better cowboy than I am.” With a nod,
Chaz indicated the work being done. “What’s up?”

“Time to start replacing the old fences. We found a large
section down the other day, but I think it had help. The sheriff is looking
into it.” Blade looked up at Callie. “How do you like riding?”

“Gypsy’s a sweetheart,” she grinned, leaning foward to rub
her hand down the mare’s long neck.

“Ten minutes worth of lessons and Callie’s a pro,” Chaz
grinned.

“I’m a fast learner.”

“Where are you two off to?”

“I thought we’d take a ride over to the birthing pasture.”
Chaz covered a yawn.

Callie caught his yawn. He mentioned something about R and R
earlier, and he did just return from a job. He must be tired. “We can see the
calves another time, can’t we?”

Chaz yawned again, nodding yes at the same time.

“Head back to the house. I’ll take Callie for a ride.”
Before Chaz could respond Blade pulled himself up on Gypsy, behind her.

Instant arousal flooded Callie’s senses the moment she felt
Blade’s strong, hard body behind her. It was the first day all over again. And
she knew once they began moving that keeping her desire in check would be a
thousand times harder. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer,
letting his finger tips brush roughly between her thighs over her pussy. It was
all she could do not to groan out loud.

His other hand gathered the reins from her hands. He made a
clicking noise and prompted Gypsy to turn around. “I love my brother, but he’s
a ladies’ man,” Blade said against Callie’s ear.

His chest made a good head rest. “I did notice that he’s
charming. He’s a nice man. Don’t you trust your brother?”

“Explicitly. But a man can only take so much when temptation
is just a bedroom away. And you’re way too sweet and pretty to ignore.”

Callie laughed. “It sounds like you’re talking about
yourself, Blade.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “Don’t you think
attraction has something to do with it?”

“Definitely.”

“Then you should know that Chaz isn’t attracted to me. As
soon as he suspected that we were involved he took a mental step back.”

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know,
honey.” He chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“The same thing happened when Beau brought Marissa here for
the first time. Only I was the one doing the walking.”

His comment peaked Callie’s interest. Marissa was a
beautiful model. “You were attracted to Marissa?”

“I didn’t even get the chance. One look in Beau’s eyes and I
knew he wanted her. The beginning of their relationship was explosive, and
mutual.”

Doesn’t he see the
same thing is happening to us?
Maybe it was best if they changed the
subject. “Any girls in your family, Blade?” Callie tried not to notice that his
cock was turning hard against her rump.

“There are four of us total. We have a younger sister,
Josey. She just got married and she and Doug are on a month long honeymoon on a
cruise ship somewhere. What about you?”

Not fair!
Did he
think she wouldn’t notice his fingers stroking steadily over the denim covering
her pussy? Callie knew she was wet. She could feel her clit tingling. “I’m an
only child. And from what my mom tells me they were lucky to have me.” A little
whimper passed through her lips when Blade’s teeth tugged at her earlobe. “Are
we almost there?”

“We’re not going to the birthing pasture.”

“No?” she said weakly.

“I’m taking you to a special place.”

God, he does that
every time he touches me.

 
He ran his mouth
along the side of Callie’s neck. “I don’t know what you’re doing to me, honey,
but the minute you’re within eyesight my libido goes into overdrive and I’ve
got to have you.”

“What do you think you do to me?” she asked in a trembling
tone. “I jumped at a chance to see you when Chaz offered to take me for a
ride.”
 
She tilted her head so he had
better access with his searching mouth. He brushed her long hair aside and
started nibbling at a spot behind her ear. A sensitive area that made Callie
shiver wildly and become wetter. “You take my breath away.”

He drew Gypsy to a stop, and dropped the reins. The next
thing Callie knew his hands were traveling in a slow caress up her body to her
breasts. He fondled them over her shirt with growing ardor, tweaking her
nipples until she dropped her head back and cried out. All the while she felt
Blade grinding his erection against her.

“We’re here, baby.” His tone was hoarse. “We better get down
before it’s too late.”

 
 
Callie opened her eyes to see that they’d
reached a small lake, surrounded by trees and grass. It shimmered beneath the
sunlight. “What does that mean?” she asked breathlessly. “No will power?” She
was actually trembling.

Blade dismounted and held his arms up. “Not enough,” he
agreed, catching Callie as she slipped out of the saddle.

“Are we going for a swim?” She teased him by rubbing against
the bulge at the front of his jeans.

“Among other things,” he growled, giving her a brief kiss.
“When we were kids we used to come here almost every day. We’d bring our
friends from school, and on Saturday nights we had bonfires and drank beer.” He
began unbuttoning Callie’s blouse.
 
“Then
we all grew up, and the folks had a pool put in.”

He slid her blouse over her shoulders and down her arms. His
burning gaze focused on her full breasts. She reached forward and did the same
thing to his work shirt, letting her hands run over his hard flesh. Blade
kissed her long and hard, while his hands moved to the snap on her jeans. A
sharp tug, and then he was lowering them as far as he could without breaking
the kiss.

“Is it safe here?” she asked when he kneeled down to remove
her jeans and underpants all the way. She kicked her sneakers off and lifted
her feet for him.

“From human eyes.” He glanced up at her with amusement in
his eyes. “An occasional cow might come by for a drink.” His gaze ate her up.
His hands went to her hips to keep her from moving away. “Damn, I’m hungry.”
With that said Blade leaned forward and kissed her pussy.

It was a good thing he had his hands on her because Callie
had the urge to sink to her knees when his tongue slashed across her clit.
“Blade!”

Her wild response encouraged him to continue. His tongue
stabbed at her clit over and over, until her legs began to tremble. She dropped
her hands upon his shoulders to balance herself, crying out softly as her body
exploded with raw sensation. Then, without warning, Blade pulled back and rose
to his feet.

“Like honey,” he said, fusing his mouth with hers. Callie
could taste herself on his tongue and her excitement grew.

She reached forward and unbuckled his belt. The snap and
zipper came next. And just like Blade did to her, she rolled down his jeans and
boxers until she came to his boots. As he worked at kicking them off, her gaze
moved to his cock. It was fully hard and throbbing and she leaned in to kiss
it. His low groan urged her to take him into her mouth.

“Ahhhh shit!” His hips shot forward until his dick hit the
back of her throat.

She sucked and tongued his thick, vein riddled flesh as long
as Blade let her. When his hands reached down for her she had no choice but to
get to her feet. His expression looked wild. Without warning he picked Callie
up and walked with her to the water’s edge, and beyond. She tensed when he was
deep enough that the lake was lapping at her bottom.

Blade smiled down at her and the next thing Callie knew he
was lowering them below the water’s surface. Flush against one another, he
kissed her passionately, tenderly, until it seemed they were becoming one.
Wordlessly she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he penetrated her body
with one, long, thrust. She felt overwhelmed with emotion, fought the tears but
lost.

And Callie knew then that she was falling in love with
Blade.

Chapter 8

Callie stood before the bathroom mirror and gave herself a
long look. They were expected at Marissa and Beau’s in half an hour and she
wanted to look just right. She didn’t know who was going to be there, and only
knew one thing for certain. The most important man in her life was going to be
there, and that’s all that mattered.

Reaching for the lacy shawl she’d draped over the towel bar
earlier, she left her room to meet Blade and Chaz in the kitchen. As soon as
she appeared both men got to their feet, their gazes appraising her from head
to foot. Callie felt the difference in their assessment as if it was
tangible.
 
Where there was fire of
approval in Blade’s eyes as his gaze ran over her, Chaz’s look was appreciative
yet impersonal. He didn’t make her pulse jump or her blood warm like his
brother’s scorching look.

“Ready, boys?” Callie beamed, wrapping the shawl around her
neck.

Blade’s brows arched. “Boys?” He reached for the ends of the
shawl and yanked Callie against him. “I haven’t been a boy for a long time.” He
kissed her. “I would have thought that I proved that to you.” His voice was low
and smooth.

“Come on, kids.” Chaz interrupted their intimate moment and
they both glanced at him where he’d halted at the kitchen door. “Time for that
later.”

“Jealous, brother?”

Chaz held the door open and stepped back so Callie could
walk through first. She made eye contact with him briefly. “Do you have a
girlfriend?”

Behind her Blade burst out laughing. “Honey, all the girls
are his friends. Chaz isn’t the settling down type.”

“That’s not true,” he responded, closing the door behind
him. “I just haven’t met the right lady yet.”

Blade opened the passenger side door of his truck for
Callie, closing it securely once she was settled inside. There was nothing she
could do but smile at the brotherly banter going on between Blade and Chaz, as
they made the quick drive to Marissa and Beau’s new ranch. By the time they
parked she knew enough about Chaz to realize he liked women in general and
hadn’t found one yet that held his interest long enough to bed her more than
once.
His
words.

Beau opened the front door and welcomed them as they walked
up the steps leading to the front door. Seeing the three brothers together was
amazing for Callie. The impact the big Texans made was a combination of their
bigger than life personalities, their rugged good looks, and their sheer size.
Beau greeted her warmly and suddenly they were being directed inside to a huge
room that had obviously been designed for entertaining.

Callie barely had time to take in the pool table and bar
area when her gaze lit on the only other occupant of the room. “Val!” She
couldn’t contain her excitement of seeing her ex-boss and friend. “I didn’t
know you were going to be here.”

“Neither did I, I almost didn’t make it. I’m dealing with a
problem client right now.” Her gaze shifted to the brothers.

“Val, these are my brothers, Blade and Chaz.”

“Nice to meet you boys.” She held out her hand.

Blade and Chaz exchanged amused glances. Blade took her hand
briefly. “Likewise, ma’am.”

Chaz nodded his acknowledgement. “Ma’am.”

Recalling their conversation on the way over, Callie watched
Chaz and Val closely. There was definite interest in their eyes as they
appeared to be sizing each other up. Knowing Val, and her tastes in men, Callie
was a little surprised to see the invisible shield come down, which if the man
was perceptive enough, realized that he was being dismissed.
 
Callie glanced at Chaz. Oh, he knew it all
right. His expression revealed he was amused over Val’s reaction to him.

“I hope everyone is hungry, because I cooked enough for an
army.” Marissa came into the room, a rosy glow on her smiling face. Her glance
encompassed everyone. “When you hear the timer go off dinner will be ready.”

“Do we—” Blade made eye contact with Callie, “boys have time
for a game of pool?”

Callie returned his smile, and then surprised herself, and
him, by pursing her lips and shooting him a kiss. The answering gleam in his
eyes warned her not to push him. After a long moment he pulled his gaze away
and the three men moved on to the pool table.

And so the evening went. While the brothers played a couple
games of pool and drank beer, the women clustered together on the couch and
talked. Each one, Callie noticed, snuck an occasional glance at the men. More than
once she caught the lingering looks between Marissa and Beau. Their love for
one another obvious. She couldn’t help wondering if she’d ever find that. Her
gaze went to Blade, as he was about to take a shot. At the crucial moment his
gaze lifted and he glanced at her, causing Beau and Chaz to laugh when he took
the shot and missed the ball completely.

I think I love him.
But how does he feel about me?
Callie knew Blade wanted her body, but did
he feel anything for her besides lust? She hadn’t expected to fall for the
rancher, but from the moment she’d landed in his arms she’d felt a spark ignite
between them. He filled a need in her, something she hadn’t known she was
missing until now. And when he kissed her, touched her, he aroused a fierce
hunger inside her that only he could appease. She’d never felt any of that with
Donald.

The kitchen timer went off, signaling that dinner was ready.
Without prompting they all followed Marissa into the dining room. She turned
down offers of help and encouraged them to sit, while Beau went with her to the
kitchen. Callie tried to hide a smile when she noticed that Val seemed to go
out of her way
not
to sit next to
Chaz. That wasn’t like her friend, who would normally pair herself up to the
lone wolf in the room.

Didn’t she realize the challenge she was putting out there?

This was going to be interesting, Callie thought. Either Val
was playing hard to get, or she was attracted to Chaz and didn’t like it. She
knew her friend liked to play the field on her terms. Maybe she felt threatened
by Chaz? Callie dismissed the idea. Not strong, self-assured Val.

Marissa returned, carrying a large glass bowl filled with
salad. “Would someone pour the wine, please?”

Val reached for the bottle of red wine, and began to pour.
Callie observed she and Chaz make eye contact but when he winked at Val she
lost her smile, turned red, and looked elsewhere. A soft laugh escaped Callie
before she could stop it, and a sharp glance from Val only made her laugh more.

“What’s so funny?” Marissa questioned.

“Nothing,” Val snapped, answering for Callie.

Marissa’s confused gaze moved back to Callie. She shrugged
and reached for her glass of wine.

Beau followed with a platter of roasted potatoes and prime
rib. Silence followed as they all busied themselves with fixing their plates,
and then eating. Occasional comments went about the table at how good
everything was. Wine glasses were refilled several times, except for Marissa,
who drank water.

As dinner wound down the conversation turned to a mixture of
business and baby talk. Beau and Marissa had decided not to find out what the
sex of the baby was, preferring to be surprised on the day of delivery. Later,
when Marissa took her and Val to the nursery it didn’t surprise her to see
they’d done it in soft, neutral colors, good for either sex. Callie liked the
baby farm animal theme.

“Okay, now that we’re away from the guys, have you told
Blade about Donald yet?”
 

Before Callie could respond to Marissa’s question Val added,
“No one seems to know where he is.”

“Well if he’s smart he won’t show up around here. And I did
tell Blade.”

“Do you have any idea where he could be?” Val questioned.
Callie shook her head. “What about family?”

“He does have family, but they’re all over the United
States.” They’d taken several trips to Oklahoma to visit his folks and younger
siblings, and she knew he had cousins in New Jersey and Rhode Island. “There’s
no way he can find me here.”

“That’s what you said about New York,” Val reminded her.

“That was my mistake.” Callie hadn’t thought Donald would
actually call her mom to find out where she’d gone. They’d never had a great
relationship, and she hadn’t told her mom Donald was stalking her because she
didn’t want her to worry. “This time mom knows not to tell him anything.”

“I feel better now that I know you told Blade,” said Val.

“I’m really not worried about Donald,” Callie said, hoping
to calm their fears, as well as put the subject of Donald behind them. “He was
never violent towards me, just controlling. He doesn’t take ‘no’ very well.”

Marissa sighed. “I hope you’re right, honey.”

“So, Val.” Callie put her attention on her. “What do you
think about Chaz?”

She shrugged indifferently. “I think all the Evans brothers
are sexy as sin.”

“I only asked you about one,” Callie pointed out with a
knowing smile. She glanced at Marissa, who was watching Val with curiosity.

For a second it appeared she wasn’t going to answer. “He’s a
womanizer.”

“How can you tell?” Marissa asked.

“Just by the way he looks at me. And we all know I like to
be the one doing the pursuing.”

Which was so she could pick men she could handle, Callie
thought to herself. Val wasn’t stupid. As a lawyer she relied on her instincts
and right now they were probably screaming at her that she wouldn’t be able to
control a man like Chaz. And if Val couldn’t control her relationships, no
matter how long or short they were, it made her feel vulnerable.

Maybe she’d had her own Donald once.

****

After a few more drinks, a few more games of pool, and talk
about up-coming business, Blade decided to call it a night.
 
Especially after he glanced at the three
beauties sitting on the sofa, deep in conversation and laughing like school
girls, covering yawns in between laughs. Marissa needed her rest, and he needed
Callie. They’d exchanged meaningful glances during most of the evening and he
was ready to take her up on some of the promises in her eyes.

They said their goodnights and headed home. Half asleep,
Callie’s dark profile showed him that her head was resting back against the
seat. Something prompted Blade into reaching over and taking her soft hand in
his.
I have it bad.
He couldn’t go
anywhere without thinking about her, looking for her, or finding a reason to
touch her in some way.

“I’m tired,” she said softly. They linked fingers.

“Me, too.”

Both she and Blade chuckled on hearing Chaz’s voice coming
from the back seat.

“I’m definitely going to sleep in tomorrow,” he added.

“We all are,” Blade said. “We don’t work on Sundays.” He
parked the truck and within minutes they were inside and he was locking the
door behind them.

“Night, kids.” Chaz kept right on going towards his room.

“Goodnight,” Callie responded, covering a yawn.
 

Blade took her by the hand and led her down the hallway to
her room. Behind him he heard her yawn again, and he smiled. He wanted her, but
his thoughts of making love to her were pushed aside when he realized how tired
she was. Once inside her bedroom he turned to face her. Their eyes met and
held.

Without speaking, he reached up and removed the clip in her
hair, watching the wealth of honey-colored tresses tumble down around her.
Then, because he couldn’t stop himself, Blade threaded his fingers through her
hair and pulled Callie in close for a kiss. Her soft mouth and the sweep of her
tongue against his made him drunk with desire. She tasted of wine, and warmth.
He forced down the need to fuck her, and reached up to undo the buttons on her
blouse.

An amused chuckle escaped Callie as she swayed slightly on
her feet. “Are you going to undress me and put me to bed?”

“That’s my intention.” As long as he could control himself.
He was afraid once he got down to bare skin it would end his plan of tucking
her into bed and leaving her to a good night’s sleep.

Blade pulled her blouse away from her breasts, over her
shoulders, and down her arms. He tossed it to the foot of the bed. He tried to
ignore his hard cock but there was no way he could ignore the perfection of
Callie’s breasts encased in the lacy bra. He leaned forward and kissed the swelling
of flesh above her bra. Moaning weakly, Callie’s hands curled into his shirt as
if she needed help remaining on her feet.

His tongue burrowed into her cleavage before he reached
behind her and undid the clasp. Peeling the bra away, her beautiful, warm
breasts fell into the palms of his hands. Blade caressed them.
I’m a weak man.

“Oh, that feels so good,” Callie murmured, swaying slightly.
“The wine…”

Just as Blade thought. He’d watched her drink three glasses.
His hands moved to the snap of her jeans and then he was pulling the zipper
down. His breath locked in his throat when he pulled her jeans, and thong down,
exposing her pretty pussy. It was all he could do not to drop to his knees so
he could have a taste. She kicked off her heels and lifted her legs so he could
take them all the way off and toss them aside.

With Callie standing completely naked before him, Blade was
afraid he was fighting a losing battle. His cock was pounding for freedom. The
urge to push Callie back upon the bed and fuck her until they were both
breathless and exhausted was so strong that he stepped away from her.

He turned down the covers. “Get into bed, honey.”

“Aren’t you coming, too?” Callie asked softly. In spite of
her slight intoxication her hands made quick work at undoing his shirt. She had
to step forward in order to remove it, and when she did the tips of her breasts
brushed against his chest.