Redneck Romeo: A Red Hot Valentine Story (4 page)

She responded perfectly, taking her turn to taste his mouth
and twist her tongue around his. Her body moved in a seductive rhythm under
his. “Condom.” Her whisper took a few seconds to reach his brain.

If she couldn’t wait, he didn’t want to, either. Handing the
packet to her, he leaned back. “Put it on me, Genny.”

Her smile grew slowly. “Another first for us.”

“Uh huh.” All those years ago, he’d gotten hold of a box of
condoms. They’d inspected one and read the instructions, but it had been too
soon for them to take that next step.

She gently pushed him onto his back and sat up. Ripping open
the package, she got to her knees and slung a leg over him, sitting on his
thighs.

“Aw, damn.” She was perfect. Her full breasts, flat stomach,
and her trimmed, blonde mound opening to show her slick, pink lips. His cock
filled and jerked, his balls crowded up. He reached for her.

“Relax, Romeo.” She swatted his hands away. “Let me have my
fun.”

Lying back, he stared at the ceiling, taking a few deep
breaths. He stacked his hands under his head and gazed at her, appearing calm,
while his body hummed with the need to take her.

“Much better.” She smiled, held up the condom, and grasped
the base of his cock all in one movement.

“Damn it, you’re gonna kill me.” Her warm palm on his shaft
spread tingles like low-voltage electricity along his skin.

“I don’t want to do that.” She set the condom on his head
and slowly rolled it down, ending with her finger and thumb wrapped around the
hilt. “What I do want to do though...”

Before he could react, she leaned forward and positioned his
cock at the slick, hot entry to her pussy. “Wait.” He wanted to—

She shook her head and eased down onto his hard length, her
tight core squeezing him, and sending his objections flying. When she’d taken
him all the way, deep inside, she pressed her hands to his chest. “You said you
want to hold me here.” Her breathy words came out uneven.

Lifting herself nearly completely off his cock, she bit her
lip then dropped down again, taking him so far in, he could feel his knob touch
her cervix. “Maybe I want to hold you, too, Nick.” Her gaze found his. “Maybe I
want to feel like I have another chance.”

A sharp ache flooded the space behind his heart. “You do.”
He would do anything for another chance. Grasping her shoulders, he pulled her
down flat on top of him. He rolled them until Genevieve was underneath him, his
shaft still buried hard and deep inside her. “
We
do.”

Genevieve’s breath left her as Nick’s hard chest pressed
against her breasts, his flat stomach heavy on her own, his hips between her
thighs and his staff deep within her core. The moment of complete bliss was
quickly followed by the knowledge that this was where she belonged. After her
years of wandering, she’d found her home again.

Propped on his elbows, Nick grasped her wrists and inched
his face closer to hers. The intensity of his gaze pinned her, and told her
without words that he had her where he wanted to keep her.

His hips moved, pulling his thick staff out of her pussy.

His pupils dilated and his eyes rolled back. As he thrust
back into her, she canted her hips, letting him in further, pressing her clit
against his pelvic bone.

Sweet, hot contractions worked in her core, and clusters of
chills raced up her spine. Closing her eyes, she watched the colors behind her
eyelids sparkle and shift.

Nick’s lips pressed against the corner of her mouth, then
nibbled a path to her earlobe. His teeth captured it, sending traces of delight
to her nipples.

He moved faster, pumping into her, rubbing his chest on her
breasts, his pelvis on her clit.

Sucking the tender skin of her neck, he whispered sexy
sounds and hot groans. In minutes, his body tensed and he threw back his head.
“Genny, come with me.”

She let herself go, concentrating on the pleasure deep
inside her. The orgasm started low in her body, raced up her spine, and
exploded in her brain.

Showers of lights popped and snapped, tingling electrified
every inch of her skin, and her channel tightened to grip him like she would
never let him go.

His shout echoed in the big, masculine room, bouncing off
the walls like a wolf’s howl. His body shuddered with the last hard strokes of
his cock and he collapsed on top of her, still holding her wrists.

“The real thing—you in my arms—is more amazing than all my
fantasies of you, combined.” He eased his weight off her, but kept her pinned.
Lifting his head, he smiled down at her. “Did I just admit that out loud?”

Her heart thudded at his words, his smile. “Yes, you did,
and it just about made me want to squeal.”

“Go ahead.” He released her wrists, eased his cock from her
core, and stood. “But wait ‘til I’m in the john.”

The view of him from behind as he walked away made her
squeeze her legs together to enjoy the sweet soreness of her pussy. His narrow
hips and legs were pale, while the top half of him was tanned. He was all
muscle from neck to ankle. Strength surrounded his body, while tenderness
filled his soul. He’d grown up to be as great a man as she’d known he’d be.

Walking back from the bathroom, he gestured to the hallway
door. “Would you like anything? Water?”

She shook her head and held out her hand. “Just you.” Saying
the words gave her more peace than she ever imagined experiencing.

He froze a moment, then slowly shook his head. “You’ve got
me.” He strode to the bed and lay beside her, on his side looking down at her.
“Perfect timing, too. I almost gave up hope of having a Valentine this year.”

She drew a heart on his chest. “We finally get our
Valentine’s Day. After all these years.”

“Tell me everything, Genny. All the things you left out
before. I wanna know all the things I missed.”

She wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him in for a
kiss. “First, I’ve got to prove to myself that you’re real. That this isn’t
just another dream.”

He leaned close, brushing his lips on hers. “No dream. Just
reality finally going our way.”

****

An hour later, Nick held Genevieve as she slept. She’d
talked about her life in Colorado, her family there, and finally of her father,
which made her cry a little, before she drifted off to sleep. She’d had a good
life, she loved her blended family and her job.

Was there a way to convince her she’d have just as great a
life here with him?

The sound of a loud engine outside the window came closer,
then stopped near the house. Nick sat up, jostling the bed, and looked out the
window. “Damn it.”

Genny yawned. “What is it?”

“My brother’s here.” He looked at her naked body and
grinned. “Stay here, I’ll get rid of him.”

She sat up and peered out the window. “Let me at least get
my clothes.”

Nick stood, spotting Rory scratching the dogs’ heads. “Okay,
but hurry.”

They ran down the hall, hand in hand. He peeked around into
the kitchen and tugged her in with him.

Giggling, she grabbed her clothes and sandals and skittered
back toward the bedroom just as Rory’s booted foot sounded on the first step.

Nick swooped up his pants and boots and lunged into the
dining room.

The screen door squeaked as it swung open. “Hey. You in
here?” It slammed shut behind him, and footsteps crossed the kitchen.

His brother knew that wherever the dogs were, Nick was close
by. “Yeah.” He pulled on his jeans and left everything else in a pile out of
sight. He walked into the kitchen and spotted his T-shirt balled up in the
corner.

“Whoa, bro.” Rory went to the fridge and pulled out a beer.
“Looks like you been rode hard and put up wet.” Rory’s black hair was newly
trimmed, and his green eyes shone with mischief.

Walking to the corner, Nick picked up his shirt and pulled
in on. “I fell asleep.” He finger-combed his hair.

Rory’s hand froze on the bottle cap. “In the dining room?
Without a shirt on?”

“Pest.” Nick frowned and grabbed the bottle out of his
brother’s hand. “What do you want?” He hated to be rude, but he needed to get
him out of here. Fast. The vision of Genevieve in Nick’s bedroom shot wicked
pulses of heat to his groin.

“Hell.” Rory grabbed another beer, twisted off the top, and
drank half of it. “I woke the hibernating bear, huh?”

“Sorry. I’ve got a lot to do. Can we talk later?”

“Sure. I know when I’m not wanted.” He walked to the table
and picked up a large brown envelope bearing their attorney’s logo. “Griff
asked me to give this to you.” He swung the envelope between his finger and
thumb. “Your ‘fiancée’ is not very happy with you.”

Nick looked toward the hallway, but it was clear. Hopefully,
she’d closed the bedroom door. He grabbed the envelope. “Thanks.”

Rory tipped his beer toward Nick. “The baby is due any day.”

Nick needed him gone. He walked forward, crowding him.
“Okay, I’ll look at the papers and call you if I—”

“Aw, hell, big brother.” Rory held out a hand, stopping
Nick’s forward progress. “You’ve got a babe here, don’t you.” He nodded toward
the screen door. “I saw the strange truck out there, but didn’t think you’d be
having a nooner.”

“Yeah, I got a babe here.” He pointed outside. “Now go,
please, before I—”

“Fiancée?” Genny’s voice choked on the word.

Nick turned.

She stood in the doorway, fully dressed, holding her palms
over her belly.

“Wait, Genevieve.” He stepped toward her. “I can explain.”

“Genevieve? Jellybean?” Rory shouted. “No effen way!
Jellybean Riley.” He laughed. “It’s so great to see you.”

She forced a smile for his brother, but her eyes watered.
“Hi, Rory. I...was just using the bathroom.” She walked past Nick, past Rory,
and stopped at the box she’d left on the counter. “I’m returning this.”

Rory walked over and opened the box. “What is it?” He picked
up the gun.

Behind him, Genny wiped a single tear from her cheek and
took a deep breath. “My father stole it from yours.” She looked at Nick. “I
thought maybe you’d like it back in your life, but things have changed too
much.
We’ve
changed too much to ever go back.”

Rory’s gaze shot to her face, then to Nick’s. “Damn.” He
slowly set the gun in its foam protection. “We aint’ talking about the gun
right now, are we.” He patted her arm. “Sorry I interrupted.” He left through
the screen door, clomping down the steps.

Nick waited until his brother drove away. “Let me explain.”
He looked at the envelope in his hand and set it on the table. “I did have a
fiancée, but we—”

“No.” She blinked rapidly. “I don’t need to hear it. I’m
just sorry if my coming here has caused you to think about abandoning your
fiancée and baby.” A shiver shook her. “I couldn’t live with myself if I—”

“Stop.” He stepped toward her.

She raised a hand. “No, you stop. I heard Rory clear as the
Texas sky. A fiancée and a baby.” She narrowed her eyes and glared at him.
“When were you going to tell me all this? After a couple more rounds of
fucking?” The last word came out as a shout.

That wasn’t what they’d had together, and she knew it, but
he’d correct her on that later. Right now, he just had to keep her here and
make her listen. The best way to do that was to use brains, not muscle. Backing
up a couple steps, he propped one hip on the corner of the table.

Some of the tension left her body. “Sorry. I didn’t mean
that.” She placed her hand on the screen door.

He would not let this new start with Genny slip away. “You
were justified in your anger. Don’t ever hold back when you want to yell and
scream at me. We can work anything out if we keep communicating.”

Genny blinked a couple times. “What?”

“I’m gonna fight for you this time. I’m not going to let you
go.”

Her lips puffed out with the breath she expelled. “I think
it might be too late, Nick.”

“Hear me out, first.” He touched the envelope next to him.
“Then, if you don’t believe me, you can read the legal documents.”

Genny let go of the screen door and held onto the counter.
“I’ll hear what you have to say, but if I think you’re lying, no paperwork will
stop me from leaving.”

He nodded once. “You could always tell when I wasn’t
truthful.”

“Just tell me, Nick.” Her voice broke. “I can’t stand this
another minute.”

“Tessa and I, we’re not engaged any longer. She’s not
carrying my baby.”

“So what Rory said...”

“She’s suing me for breach of contract for calling off the
wedding.” This had been the most embarrassing event of his whole life, and he
would give anything if he didn’t have to tell her. If he wanted a chance with
her, though, he had to bare his heart.

“We dated, not exclusively. One night, we slept together and
she showed me the torn condom. Four weeks after that, she showed me the
pregnancy test. Positive.”

Leaning on the counter, Genny wobbled as her legs shook.
Adrenaline leaving her body?

“I offered to do the right thing. Dad made me draw up a
prenuptial agreement, and insisted on a paternity test before the wedding.”

Genny just nodded.

“Tessa went crazy. She started stalking me, accusing me of
cheating on her, insisting she move onto the ranch immediately. She threatened
to run away and never let me see the baby if I made her sign the pre-nup.”

“Oh, Nick. I’m so sorry.” Her beautiful mouth turned down at
the corners.

“I won’t lie, it was hell.” He’d hired a company to guard
the gates to the ranch day and night. Because she’d watch for him in town, he
eventually stopped leaving the ranch.

“Finally, Dad and I went to talk to her parents in San
Antonio. They had no idea what was going on.” Ironic, because Tessa’s parents
were what his father would have called
good stock
, and still the woman
had turned out crazy.

“Tessa had called them a month before she and I had slept
together and told them she was pregnant and getting married.” He stood and
walked to the sink, looking out the big window. “They hadn’t been able to
contact her since then.”

“The baby isn’t yours.” She still held onto the countertop
with a white-knuckle grip.

“No. It belonged to a man who didn’t want anything to do
with a baby.” He shook his head. “Part of me was devastated, but that’s just
the guy who wants to have a houseful of kids some day.”

“Where is she now?” she asked quietly.

“She’s with her parents, getting the psychological care she
needs.” He gestured to the envelope. “For some reason, she’s still paying her
lawyer to sue me for stopping the wedding.” He narrowed his eyes and looked at
Genny. “We had two in-vitro pregnancy tests done, both of them proving her
ex-boyfriend is the father. She admits lying to me about the paternity.” He
shook his head. “But according to her, that’s not reason enough to cancel a
wedding.”

“Nick, my God, I’m so sorry.” She moved a few inches his
way.

He took that as a good sign and went to her, pulling her
into his arms. “I would have told you. I swear I would have. But today...just
didn’t seem like the right time to haul out all the manure and dump it between
us.”

She squeezed him tighter. “No, you’re right. I’m sorry I
overreacted.”

“You didn’t.” He eased her shoulders back and ducked to look
into her eyes. “Your reaction was perfectly natural. That’s what I want in a
relationship. Honesty, emotion, all of it.”

“Well, that’s what we got.” She smiled. “Thanks to Pest.”
His nickname for Rory.

A cicada buzzed outside and a soft breeze blew through the
screens. “Listen. It feels like we’ve lived a couple lifetimes already in this
dang kitchen. Let’s take a walk. I’ll show you the new barns, the corrals, the
tractors.”

She nodded. “That would be fun. Let me get my boots out of
my truck.”

Nick kissed her, quick and hard. “That’s my cowgirl. Always
prepared.” He took her hand and they stepped out onto the porch. “Then we can
head to town and finally have our Valentine’s Day meal.”

Genny gazed off across the landscape. “Just like we’d
planned, but eleven years late.”

“It was worth the wait.” Her hand fit perfectly in his as
they walked down the steps and toward her truck.

“It was.” Her smile lit her face. “Just think. It might never
have have happened if my father hadn’t left me his stolen treasure.” She opened
the back of the topper and gestured to boxes marked with the names of Texas
cities. “One down, seven to go.”