That Night With The Rich Rancher

Eagerness to draw out the evening made it easy to answer. “Let’s go to your place,” she said. “I don’t want tonight to end yet. It’s been fun, Tony. I know things will go back somewhat to the way they were because that’s reality, but this has been a special night.”

“You have no idea how special it has been. Things may go back to sort of like they were, but they won’t ever again be the same as before. You’ll no longer have an antagonistic neighbor. I promise.”

“Dare I hope,” she gasped, clutching her heart, making him laugh. Shaking her head, she smiled. “There’s no way this truce is going to last.”

“I’ll try if you will,” he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief, and she had to laugh in return.

“I promise I’ll try, too,” she said, looking into his eyes and again feeling an electrifying current spark between them.

“I keep waiting for a pitch from you to get me to agree to something. You all but admitted that’s the purpose of your bidding for me tonight.”

“Maybe I’ve delayed that original agenda,” she said in a sultry voice. “I’m having fun, Tony. Fun that I don’t want to spoil. The night is magical, a trip into a world that doesn’t really exist. But for a few hours, we can pretend it does and enjoy it.”

He raised her hand and brushed a light kiss on her knuckles, his breath warm on her hand.

“I’m glad,” he said. “I’m not ready to tell you good- night and watch you walk away.” He placed his hands on the arms of her seat, facing her and leaning close, his voice dropping to a whisper as he said, “I want to hold you and kiss you again.”

Her heart thudded and for the first time she realized she might be in trouble. Was Tony the one who would get what he wanted out of tonight instead of her? She’d planned to wring concessions from him, but now it seemed he was once again in control and she was under his spell. Not once had it crossed her mind that she could be so beguiled by him.

And she was powerless to stop it.

His gaze lowered to her mouth and suddenly she couldn’t get her breath. She tingled, feeling as if she strained to lean closer to him while she actually didn’t move at all. He moved closer, until his mouth settled on hers. He kissed her, another kiss that set her heart racing and made her want to move into his lap, wrap her arms around him and kiss for the rest of the flight.

Instead, in seconds—or was it minutes?—she shifted away. “This plane isn’t the place,” she whispered reluctantly. She had to keep her wits about her. Had to mind her goal of working out her water problem, at least partially. Still, her breath came quick and shallow, matching his own.

Looking at her mouth, he didn’t move for a moment and her heart continued to drum a frantic rhythm. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, “I want to kiss you for hours.” His words caused a tremor to rock her. Another shock added to the continual shocks of the night. She had no choice but to admit the truth—she wanted him to kiss her for hours.

As his gaze met hers, he scooted back into his seat and buckled his seat belt again.

When her breathing returned to normal, she tried for conversation.

“Why do you have a condo in Dallas? I thought you were as much into ranching as my brother Mike, that both of you had devoted your lives solely to ranching.”

“I’m on two boards that meet in Dallas—for my brothers. Wyatt has recently acquired a bank and I’m on that board. Nick recently became owner of a trucking company with two close friends and I’m on that board, too. In Dallas, I have a small condo and I like having a place of my own I can go relax when I’m in the city. It’s convenient even though I don’t spend a lot of time there. I don’t have a regular staff in Dallas unless I plan to stay a long time, which rarely happens. Then I hire from a local agency to cook and clean.”

“That makes sense.”

“I spend most of my time on my ranch. When we’re back in our regular routines, I’d like for you to come over to the MH Ranch sometime. I have a new horse and I’m boarding a new quarter horse that Josh bought. You’re welcome to come see them, ride them and tell me what you think.”

“Sure,” she said. “I suspect you better let all the guys who work for you know that you invited me or they’ll tell me I’m trespassing and toss me off your ranch.”

He laughed. “I’ll tell them. Now if you’ll come wearing a dress with your hair down, they’ll be so dazzled, there’s no way they’ll mention trespassing. Far from it. We’ll all welcome you with open arms.”

Smiling, she shook her head. “Nice try, but I don’t wear a dress to ride a horse.” She shrugged. “In fact, I don’t wear a dress anywhere around home. But you can tell them I’m coming.”

“Sure. Better yet, let me know beforehand and I’ll pick you up. I probably should do that anyway, so they all know we have a truce of sorts.” He turned more so that he faced her in his seat. “And it is a truce, Lindsay. Definite and permanent. I’ll never again be able to fight with you.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean, Tony. Your intentions might be good, but there is no way this side of hell that you’ll be able to stick by that statement.”

Once again he leaned in closer and her heartbeat quickened as it had before. “Yes, there is definitely a way that I can be influenced to stick by that statement. You can wind me around your little finger if you really want to.”

“I don’t believe that one.”

“You should,” he said, settling back in his seat again. “Before tonight, did you ever think we would get along as well as we have?”

“Of course not.” She tilted her head to study him. “In some ways, we’re strangers. There’s a lot I don’t know about you.”

“That’s true and a lot I don’t know about you. But strangers? No way, Lindsay. There is much I want to explore and discover about you and I intend to do that tonight,” he said in a husky voice that made her heartbeat jump again.

Cutting into their conversation, their pilot announced descent into Dallas, and in a short time Lindsay looked out at the twinkling city lights spread far into the distance.

“Do you have your car at the club?” Tony asked.

“No. I left it at the hotel and took a cab.”

“Good thinking,” he said.

Once they arrived back at the country club, a valet brought Tony’s car around and in minutes they drove through the iron gates to his condo complex.

As soon as Lindsay entered his unit, she walked through his entry hall to cross the spacious living room and look out over the sparkling lights of downtown Dallas.

“You have a gorgeous view.”

“Do I ever,” he said, and she smiled when she turned to see him looking at her.

“I meant the city lights,” she explained, knowing he understood exactly what she had referred to.

“Want a drink?” he asked.

“Yes. White wine, please.”

He removed his jacket and tie, dropping them on a chair, and walked to a bar in a corner of the room.

“This is a large living area. It’s very nice,” she said, looking at comfortable brown leather chairs and a long leather sofa.

“It’s convenient when I’m here, which is not too often. A few days here and I’m ready for the ranch.”

“That I understand,” she said, crossing to the bar to perch on a stool and watch him pour her wine.

“I have a full bar if you prefer something else.”

“The wine is good.”

He handed her the glass and picked up a cold beer. “I figured you for a cold brew,” he said, smiling at her. He set his bottle on the counter, his gaze skimming over her legs when her skirt fell open just above her knees. “Lindsay, it’s a crime to hide legs like yours all the time.”

“You have no idea what I do all the time. We see each other about once every four or five months at best.”

“That I intend to change.”

She shook her head. “You know as well as I do that we’ll go right back to our usual way of life when the sun rises in the morning.”

“I hope to hell not,” he said, holding up his bottle of beer in a toast. “Here’s to the most beautiful neighbor I’ll ever have and to a night I’ll never forget.”

Laughing softly, she touched his bottle with her wineglass and sipped her wine.

“Here’s to the day we can both be civil to each other,” she said.

“I’ll drink to that.” He touched her glass, took a sip of beer and set his bottle on the bar. “But we’re going to be much more than civil to each other,” he said, the amusement no longer visible in his expression. With his deep blue eyes gazing intently at her, he took her drink from her hand and placed it on the bar. Her heartbeat quickened in anticipation while desire burned in the depths of his eyes.

“I’ve waited all evening for this moment—to be alone with you,” he said, stepping closer. His arm circled her waist and he lifted her off the bar stool easily, standing her on her feet and drawing her into his embrace as his gaze lowered to her mouth.

Desire made her draw a deep breath as he leaned closer, and then she closed her eyes, winding her arms around his neck, surrendering to his kiss.

The moment his mouth settled on hers, her heart slammed against her ribs as passion ignited and desire overwhelmed her. Tony was hard, his chest sculpted with muscles, his biceps like rocks from constant ranch work. She breathed in his scent and knew she would remember it forever. She wound her fingers through his short hair and returned his kiss, wanting to stir him as much as he did her. She tightened her arms around him without having to stand on tiptoe to kiss him because her heels added inches to her height.

As Tony drew her more tightly against him, his warm hand played over her bare back and then up to her shoulders. Dimly she felt him push away her straps as they slipped down on her arms. In seconds she was aware of slight tugs to her scalp when he removed the pins and her hair fell over her shoulders and down on her back.

Slowly, while he kissed her senseless, he drew away each pin until finally her hair framed her face.

He raised his head to look at her, running his fingers slowly through the long locks. “You’re so beautiful. You take my breath away, Lindsay,” he whispered, sounding as if he meant every word. How could she find this pleasure with Tony? Or want him so desperately?

She had meant this night to be lighthearted, friendly, seductive, so afterward he would be civil to her and try to cooperate with her. She hadn’t considered there could be this unbelievable, fiery attraction that he seemed to feel as much as she did.

No matter what he said, they’d go back to their old ways after tonight, though maybe not as contentious. This blazing attraction was for one night only. Tonight she wanted this time with him because she had never before desired or reacted to a man the way she did Tony.

His gaze shifted to her mouth and he leaned down to kiss her again. How long they stood kissing, she didn’t know, but at some point, Tony picked her up to carry her to the sofa, switching off the overhead lighting, leaving only the bar light glowing softly.

She planned on some kisses and caresses and then she’d stop. Truthfully, she had never even planned on this much. Dancing, some laughs, a good time, maybe some flirting as she tried to soften him up so he would be more receptive to what she wanted.

She had never dreamed it was possible for Tony’s kisses to turn her world upside down, to make her heartbeat race and cause her to desire him more than any other man. She was on fire. As if of their own accord, her hips shifted slightly against him, pressing tightly and feeling his hardness. He was ready for her.

Astounded by the need she felt for him and the response his kisses evoked in her, she kissed him wildly, her fingers unfastening the studs on his shirt, finally pushing away the fabric. Wanting to touch him, she ran her hands over his warm, rock-hard chest, growing bolder when she heard him take a deep, trembling breath. He set her on her feet while he continued to kiss her.

She felt his fingers at her waist at the back of her dress and then felt him tug down the zipper. He ran his hand lightly over her bottom and she moaned softly as her desire intensified.

While he kissed her, his hands slipped lightly up her back and across her shoulders and then came down to push her red dress over her hips so it fell softly around her ankles.

Tony stepped back to look at her. She wore only lacy bikini panties.

His eyes had darkened to a stormy blue-green and he let out a ragged breath. “I’ll never forget this moment,” he whispered, and stepped to her to crush her against him, kissing her deeply, a kiss that made her feel wanted and loved. She knew she wasn’t loved by him, but he made her feel that way, as if he needed her more than he had ever needed any other woman.

He showered kisses on her throat while his hands cupped her full breasts and his thumbs circled their tips. His kisses moved lower until his lips met one breast while his hands caressed the other.

Running her fingers in his hair, she gasped with pleasure when his tongue circled her nipple. She was awash in desire, wanting him more than she had ever dreamed possible. She wanted his loving; she wanted all of him.

She had made a decision much earlier to end this night before it led to lovemaking, and she’d stuck with it even as they flew back to Dallas. But now desire forced her to rethink her decision, instinctively feeling that this moment would not come again.

Common sense told her that, come morning, they would go back, at least partially, to the arguments they had had all their adult lives. Tonight was special, a once-in-a-lifetime magical night that would never come again, and what they did tonight, all their loving, would carry no ties after dawn.

Tony was incredible. No man had ever excited her the way he had, and no man would ever make love to her the way she knew he would. Beyond that, she was unable to think when his hands and mouth were on her. But she was able to make a decision. She pulled back and looked into his eyes.

“Tony, I’m not protected.”

He raised his head, kissing her lightly. “I’ll take care of it,” he whispered, and leaned down to kiss and fondle her other breast.

She wanted him with all her being, wanted to make love with him for the rest of the night. With deliberation her fingers unfastened his trousers. He grasped her wrist and she paused as he released her to yank off his boots and then his socks. He dropped them carelessly to the floor and returned to kissing her while she pushed down his trousers and then peeled away his briefs.

Her heartbeat raced as her gaze swept over his muscled body. His manhood was thick and hard, ready to love. Stepping closer, she caressed him while he stroked and showered her with kisses.

He picked her up again, kissing her when he carried her through his condo. She clung to him with her eyes closed as they kissed. He touched a light and she glanced quickly to see they were in a bedroom. She returned to kissing him until he stood her on her feet. He reached down to yank away the comforter covering his high, king-size bed.

Watching him, she felt her heart drum in anticipation of the pleasure he would give her. As her gaze swept over his muscled body, she trembled. He stepped back, looking at her in a slow, thorough study that made her tingle as much as if his fingers had moved over her in feathery caresses.

“So beautiful, so perfect,” he whispered, drawing her into his embrace as he leaned over her to kiss her hungrily. His hard erection pressed against her, his hard body hot and solid against her.

Why did she want him so desperately and respond to him so intensely? His slightest touch set her quivering and his kisses rocked her, building in her a need unlike she had ever felt before. How could she have found this with Tony?

She couldn’t answer her question. Nor did she care. She just wanted Tony and his loving for the rest of the night.

He lifted her into his arms again and placed her on the white sheets, kneeling beside her, his knees lightly pressing against her thighs. Then, as if in a dream—or a fantasy—he rained kisses from her ankles to her mouth.

She writhed, her hips moving slightly as blinding need built inside her until she wanted him more than she ever thought possible.

“Tony, make love to me,” she whispered.

“Not so fast, darlin’. We’re going to take our time and love for hours,” he whispered, still showering her with kisses.

His endearment, spoken in a tender voice that she had never heard before from him, was as effective as his caresses.

“Tony,” she gasped, sitting up to grasp his shoulders. “Make love to me. Let me love you.”

“Shh, darlin’,” he said softly while he kissed her breasts between his words. “Lie down and turn over, let me kiss you,” he said, pushing gently.

She rolled onto her stomach and he picked up her foot to kiss her ankle lightly and then brush kisses higher up the back of her leg. He traced circles with his tongue on the back of her knee.

Digging her fingers into the bed, she raised her head slightly to look over her shoulder. “Tony, I can’t touch or kiss you this way.”

“You will soon,” he whispered, and returned to his tender ministrations, trailing his tongue slowly up the back and then along the inside of her thigh.

Aflame with longing, she twisted and rolled over, sitting up to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him, pouring all her hunger for him into her kiss, wanting to drive him as wild as he had her.

They fell back on the bed with Tony over her, his weight welcome against her. While she moved her hips against him, he kissed her as he rolled beside her. “Do you like me to touch you here?” he whispered, fondling her breast. “Do you want me to kiss you here?” he whispered, moving to brush kisses on her inner thigh, watching her as he did. “You’re beautiful.”

His words heightened the moment, making her more aware of him and what he was doing while she was lost in sensation and desire.

While he kissed her, his hand trailed up her leg to the inside of her thighs. When he stroked her she gasped with pleasure.

His hand moved against her, driving her to new heights. She didn’t think she could take more and she reveled in the feelings he evoked in her. Needing him, she reached out and took him in one hand as her other played over his chest.

She wanted him to feel the same heady sensations he was strumming in her, so she caressed him, eliciting a growl deep in his throat. He stopped her, but he continued to love her, driving her to the brink, lifting her to the precipice of release. And then, when she was about to fall over, he pulled his touch away, shifting his hands to caress her breasts as he also showered them with kisses.

Her fingers wound in his hair. “Tony, I want you. I’m ready,” she gasped, moaning with pleasure as he continued to kiss each breast, his tongue drawing lazy circles over each nipple. His fingers dallied on her stomach, but when they slipped lower, she arched against him, thrusting her hips and spreading her legs to give him access.

That was all the urging he needed. Or so she thought. He moved between her legs and she clutched his buttocks, pulling him toward her. “Tony, I want you now,” she whispered. But he didn’t enter her.

The warm, solid weight of him pressed against her as he stretched over her and kissed her with a hunger that made her heart pound even harder. She wrapped her long legs around him, wanting him more with each second that ticked past. Never before had she wanted to make love as much as she did now.

“Tony,” she whispered again, the rest of her words smothered by his mouth covering hers and his tongue entwining with hers.

How could she want him so much? She couldn’t answer her own question, she just knew she did. She ached for him, her pulse pounding. “Tony, I can’t keep waiting...”

“Yes, you can and it’ll be better than ever,” he said. He laved her breasts, teasing her nipples between his teeth, and she felt a tug between her legs. All the while, his hands caressed her, binding them in one night of lovemaking that she would always remember. Though this night could not be repeated, she knew this was the time to make memories she’d carry with her forever.

“I want you now,” she finally gasped, tugging him closer.

He stepped off the bed to open a night table drawer and then he watched her, his eyes burning her, as he stood beside the bed to slowly put on the condom.

As she caressed his thigh, her hips shifted slightly in anticipation. She wished he would hurry. Then, he knelt between her legs, his eyes still on hers, as he finally entered her. She wrapped her legs around him again, caressing his smooth, muscled back and hard buttocks, as he slowly thrust into her. She cried out, arching to meet him, wanting him to move with her to give her release for all the tension that coiled tightly in her.

Hot and hard, his manhood filled her, moving slowly, driving her to greater need as she clung to him and moved beneath him in perfect sync.

“Now,” she cried, running her hands over his muscled thighs. He obeyed her, and her hips moved faster, her head thrashing as she was lost in the throes of passion, until finally he gave one last thrust, deep and hard, and she cried out. Arching under him, her fingers raking his back, her hips thrusting against him, she found that elusive release and he followed her, bursting within her.

“Tony,” she cried.

“Ah, darlin’...” He ground out the words through clenched teeth as his body continued to move over hers.

Finally, satiated, they stilled.

“You’re fantastic in every way,” he whispered, kissing her temple lightly, trailing light kisses down her cheek and sighing as he lowered his weight carefully onto her.

Gasping for breath, she clung to him while her heartbeat and breathing returned to normal. Tony rolled to his side. He kept her with him, his legs entwined with hers.

“I don’t want to let you go.”

“You don’t have to right now. I want to stay here in your arms, against you. Tony, this has been a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime night.”

“I agree,” he said, hugging her lightly and kissing her forehead. “Our lives have changed.”

“Not really. It may not ever again be as bad or as hateful, but tonight doesn’t really change what we’ll face tomorrow. My water problems, you telling me what I should or should not do, not to mention the next thing that’ll come up between us.”

There was silence while he toyed with locks of her hair. It seemed to her that many minutes went by until he finally spoke. “There’s one question I’d like you to answer. Is water what was behind your high bid tonight? You wanted something from me, Lindsay, and I haven’t heard one word about what it is.”

Three

At his question, she felt her very core stiffen. She didn’t want to get into that with him lying beside her and her wrapped in his arms. She didn’t want to say anything that would upset him and break the spell that had been woven around them.

“We’ll talk about that tomorrow. Tonight is special, Tony. I want to keep it magical until the sun rises and brings the reality of our regular lives back to us. Is that okay with you?”

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