Her Prada Cowboy: McCulloch County Series #1 (3 page)

“Just how’re you aimin’ to do that,
doll face?”

He leaned back in his chair with his
legs spread out in front of him.  Shannon frowned, realizing he would not offer
to even take her to the nearest town!

“I’ll phone the car rental agency. 
They should have a branch in Brady.  They’ll send a rental out here I’m sure.”

“What’s the hurry to get to Houston?”

“I have an important meeting there on
Wednesday at Perfecto Architects, with the owner, Jarrod Parker and his
marketing team.  Ever heard of him?”

“Sounds familiar.”

Rosa choked and he diligently slapped her
on the back.

“Careful, Rosa.  Chokin’ can cause
serious trouble.”

“So can fibbin’!”

Jarrod smiled and winked at her.  She
scowled at him, knowing he was up to no good.  She kind of taken to the little
dark haired beauty. She was not happy seeing the lusty look in his eyes.
Little
Nonny was not like the other loose ashes in the wind he normally beds down
with!

“If the meetin’ is on Wednesday, why the
rush to get there tomorrow?”

“I have some changes I need to make to
my presentation and I have a late afternoon meeting with a colleague of mine.”

“So, are you an Architect, doll face?”

“No, I am the Communication and PR Specialist
Manager at Global Media in Los Angeles.”

“Still don’t know why you’re here. 
‘Don’t you have a branch in this area?”

“Yes, in Dallas.  This is a big
contract for us. I am currently in the process of designing specialized
communication programs, we want to propose  them for this project.”

“Hmm … well, good luck with that.”

“Weren’t you allot upon goin’ to
Houston tomorrow as well, Jay?”

“Yeah, but I have changed my mind.”

Rosa nearly swallowed her tongue. 
This time she did not even try to hide her annoyance with him.

Shannon speared the last piece of
steak into her mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the rich and tender meat. 
Jarrod shook his head and saluted her with his fingers against his temple.

“I never would have believed a little
slip of a girl like you could eat a steak like that.”

“Maybe because I am not a little
girl!”

His eyes lowered to her chest and appreciated
the swell of her breasts against the soft material of the dress. His smile was
lewd when her nipples puckered into tight nubs in reaction to his stare.

“Yeah … you’re no girl alright!”

Shannon
helped Rosa to clear the table and stack the dishwasher.  Shannon brewed coffee
as per Rosa’s instructions while she dished up the Pecan Nut pie she made for
dessert. She listened with a smile to the little chubby woman, who all of a
sudden could not stop talking.

“How long have you been here, Rosa?”

“In Texas all my life.  Here in McCulloch
Country for the past twenty years.  I worked for Jay’s Dad then.”

“So you’ve known Jay since he was a
young boy?”

“Oh no!  He never stayed here.  He
grew up with his Mom in Los Angeles.  They dropped the plot when he was only eight
years old.  ‘Twas not a friendly separation and she kept him from his Dad all
the years.  He pitched up here one day fifteen years ago.  He was already twenty
then.  It was such a happy day.  Dylan could not stop cryin’.  Jay … well, he
just stood there with an expressionless face.  When Dylan got hold of his
emotions, Jay asked him why he deserted him.  Why he left him with a woman that
hated him and blamed him for their divorce.  Somethin’ she made sure he never forgot,
cursing the chant every day for twelve years.”

“Where is she now?”

“Oh, she passed on.  She became a
drunk and made a hornet look cuddly. She was so mean to that poor boy. She took
all her anger and frustrations out on him.  Hit him somethin’ awful, but he
stayed because he believed she needed him.  She sent him to college, and made
sure he was educated, but love … the poor boy never had any growin’ up. He
neve’ even went to her funeral.  Maybe it was her influence that made him the
man he is today.  He worked hard and is walkin' in tall cotton for years.”

“Walking in tall cotton?”

“Means he is loaded … in LA terms, my
boy is a billionaire.”

“From horse breeding?”

“Och lovey of course!  He dabbles in
investin’ and he owns his own company too.”

“And his Dad?”

“Oh, the ole geyser found himself a
new wife.  A real gem!  He semi-retired and they travel around a lot.  They’re
in Alaska at the moment.  We’re expectin’ them back next week.  Jay built them
a house over yonder hill.  They’re very close now, the two of them.”

She shook her head and her eyes were
sad when they met Shannon’s.

“Such a pity she messed the boy up.  He
figures there are no such thin’ as love.  But he loves the ladies alright.  He’ll
take up with any hound that’ll hunt!  As long as they never get their britches
in a knot and want more than a tumble between the sheets.  No one around here
though … he stays away from floozies here.  Says he does no’ have the patience
for stalkers.”

“Quite vain of him, don’t you think?”

Rosa chuckled and winked at Shannon.

“Have you looked at him real properly,
lovey?  He sets all the ladies hearts a hammerin’, real quickly round here,
whenever he goes to town.  But as I said, he never hitches up with any of
them.”

Yip, he tends to set a ladies heart  hammering
real quick … some other parts too for that matter!

Rosa picked up the plates with the pie
and headed for the door. Shannon carried the tray with the coffee to the porch
outside, overlooking the swimming pool.  Jay got up and took the tray from her. 
Once seated, Jay looked at Shannon and Rosa.

“Must be special coffee there, Rosa. 
Took you lon’ enough to make it.”

“You know us women, we talk a lot.”

“About what?”

“This and that.  What’re you so
noisy?  I taught Nonny how to brew your special coffee.”

“Why?  Are you aimin’ to brin’ me my
coffee in bed in the mornin’, doll face?”

“Gmphf … in your dreams, muscle man.”

He guffawed and took a bite of his
pie.  He caught her eyes on him and lifted his brow I question.

“Somethin’ wron’, honey?”

“I did not figure you to indulge in
pie.”

“I love my pie.  No one makes pie like
Rosa.  Hers is well sought after across the country.”

“Don’t let him fool you, lovey.  He
has a sweet chopper of note.  I can’t stay ahead bakin’.  I figure his wife
will have to be a good cook.”

He just snorted and leaned back in his
chair, sipping his coffee.

Shannon turned to Rosa.

“I love your accent, Rosa, but
sometimes it is more pronounced than others.”

“I guess more an’ more people talk
with less than a drawl nowadays.  We still have a lot of sayings though.”

“Hmm, I’ve heard a few of those.  I’m just
not always sure what they mean.”

She glanced at Jarrod who sat watching
her broodingly.

“You don’t have an accent or talk with
a drawl.”

“I did not grow up in Texas.  I picked
up some habits, but not that much.  Coffee’s good, doll face.” 

He saluted the cup in her direction. She
glowed at the compliment.

Oh,
I am so pathetic!

Once
Rosa and Shannon went to bed, Jarrod went for a dip in the pool.  Rosa lived in
a small cottage just off the side of the main paddock.  He was immensely
conscious of the fact that he would be alone with a very tempting woman in his
house.

Sleeping in the room next to his.

Naked.

He scolded himself for not sending
someone to fetch her bags.  He dove down and swam from one end of the pool to
the other.  He swam back and forth until his chest felt like bursting.   Damn,
he should have taken Carol up on her offer last month.  Then he would not be in
such desperate need.  His aching dick concurred with his thoughts - throbbing
painfully – in remembrance of the tempting piece of ass on the first floor.

Staring up at her window, Shannon
walked past the open balcony doors to the bed … in her full naked glory.  He
was unable to take a breath.

That woman is tempting and so bloody
beautiful it is annoying!

He watched her lying back on the bed,
stretching her arms above her head.  The bed was facing the window, specifically
placed that way to allow the occupant to have a full view of the rolling hills,
the pool and garden.

Jarrod cursed.  The cool water of the
pool did nothing to ease his erection.  In fact, looking at her arching and
wiggling tossing to find her spot on the bed, had him grow a full, aching
arousal. He dived under again and was on the verge of passing out before he
broke through the surface.  He gasped for air and immediately got out of the
pool.

Grabbing the rough towel, he dried
himself quickly and refused to raise his eyes higher than the ground in front
of him. 

Hell, a man has to have some sense of
self- preservation!

With his father away with his new
bride, Jarrod has not been away from the ranch for over eight months.  Since
just before the marriage in fact.  He had a rule not to have sex with any of
the local women.  He only indulged when he was in Houston or Dallas, or
anywhere else, but not in  the close proximity of the ranch.  Jarrod hardly
ever had to pursue a woman, but he was very selective who he had sex with.  And
that was all it ever was.  Sex.  He had no interest in a relationship. Nor
sleeping with any of them.  Slam, bam, thank you mam and off he went.  There
were one or two women he has been with a few times, but they knew him well
enough not to expect anything more.

Now he had this tempting morsel under
his roof.  He has not had sex for probably close to ten months and he was horny
as hell. The morning was many hours away.  It was going to be a torturously
long night!

He stomped to the kitchen to grab a
bottle of water and ran up to his room.  There was a slither of light filtering
through the bottom of the door next to his own.  Jarrod clenched his teeth. 
She should really go to sleep and switch that damn light off! 

She really should!

He took a quick shower and pulled on a
pair of black Prada boxers.  Definitely safer to cover himself than sleep commando
with her in the next room.

Naked.

Tempting.

Sensual.

Naked.

He cursed his wayward thoughts and his
erection that seemed to grow harder and bigger with each passing moment.

His back barely touched the bed when a
terrified scream reverberated through the house.  He was out his door and in
the passage in a flash.  He threw her door open and charged in.

Shannon sat up in bed with her arms
clasped around her legs.  Her frightened gaze glued to the wall opposite the
bed.

“What’s the matter?”

“What’s the matter?  That … that thing
is the matter!  Where did it come from?”

He swung his head to the wall and burst
out laughing.  Her eyes swung from their frozen state to his and immediately
back to the creature stalking up the wall.  His beady eyes scowling at her.

“Probably from outside, doll face.  He
is just lookin’ for some warmth.”

“Well … he can go and look somewhere
else!”

She screeched and dropped her arms
from her legs to scuttle higher against the headboard.  Jarrod’s lungs went
into shut down mode.

Bloody hell, she is exquisite!

Her breasts were full, firm and
perfectly round with soft, dark rose colored nipples.  They bounced when her
back hit the headboard. Jarrod swallowed and forced breath into his lungs.  Her
torso was beautifully toned.  Her hips curved over a tiny waist with a flat, smooth
stomach that guided his eyes to the treasures between her legs.  The fact that
she was hairless caused his discomfort to grow painfully.  Even though she was
probably not much taller than five feet six, her legs were long and supple, but
curvy in all the right places.

“Don’t just stand there!  Do
something!”

“What would you have me do, doll
face?”

His voice was raspier than usual and
she frowned up at him.  Her breath caught at the heat emanating from his eyes. 
She realized that she was flaunting her naked glory to him. She grabbed at a pillow
to cover her vulnerability. 

Shannon caught another movement out of
the corner of her eye, she shrieked again.

“Oh Lord, now there’s two of them!”

“Relax doll face.  It is only horny lizards. 
They are relatively harmless.”

“Harmless?  Harmless?  They look like
devils!”

She
shivered and glared at the amphibians on the wall.  They were probably five
inches tall and had yellow, brown, and tan markings with frightening spikes and
horns on the neck and back. 

“Doll face, they are lizards.  Once
you switch the lights off they will go back outside.”

“How do you know?”

“I have lived here for fifteen years. 
I do know a little of what goes on around here.”

“Take them outside!”

“Take them ou … How do you propose I
do that?”

“I don’t know!  You’re the Texan! 
Shoo them out!”

He laughed deep from his stomach a
sound that enraged her even more.

“It is not funny, muscle man!”

“Shoo … hahahaha … you want me to …
hahahaha … shoo them outside.”

“Stop laughing you idiot! Eeeek! 
They’re going to jump on the bed!”

Jarrod chuckled and looked at the
horny toads, which were rocking back and forth against the wall, their beady
eyes on them.

“They are just reacting to the noise. 
Relax and go to sleep.”

“Go to sleep he says!  Go to sleep! 
With those critters staring at me?  I am not sleeping in this bed!”

“Good.  Because you are sleeping in
mine.”

Before she comprehended what he meant,
he bent over, ripped the pillow from her hands and picked her up in his arms. 
He strode through the door and looked into her eyes.

“Not that you will be doing any
sleeping tonight, doll face.”

“What … where … put me down!”

“You should have covered this
delectable body of yours before you called for help, Baby.  Now … you’re going
to expunge this hunger you created flaunting that beautiful sexy ass of yours,
since we met.”

Shannon’s nipples tightened in
response to his hoarse promise.  Her core flooded with heat and she clenched
her hands. 

Oh Lord! Oh Lord … and another oh
Lord!

“I … it was not intentionally!  You
flung me on the back of that monster horse of yours!”

He shouldered his door closed behind
them and it slammed shut.  The sound ominous in the quiet house.

“You can’t do this!  Put me down!”

“With pleasure, doll face.”

He laid her down in the center of his
massive bed and followed her down.  Before she could struggle he covered both
her legs with his strong muscled one.  His mouth covered her lips and he caught
her surprised breath in his mouth.

His lips were warm and intimate but
forceful.  He was intoxicating, his lips slowly stroking hers to ecstasy.
Before she knew it, his tongue swept past her lips and made sweeping, swirling
motions inside her mouth.  He darted his tongue repeatedly inside her mouth
until at long last his tongue found hers.