Summer Fling: Compass Girls, Book 3 (20 page)

Jade took him in her mouth, encapsulating the head, sucking deeply. Liam clasped her cheeks in his hands, her name sounding almost reverent as he whispered it, once, twice, then again.
 

She wrapped her hand around the base of his dick, squeezing it firmly as she took more of him into her mouth. He shared her love of rough touches. Recalling that, she pulled back until only the head remained, then she nipped at the tip of his cock.
 

He groaned and his hands tightened on her face. She felt adored when he held her like this. Jade had never wanted this connection during sex, never craved emotional bonds. For her, sex was an end to a means. When she was horny, she found a way to appease herself—either with a lover or by her own hand.
 

Caring, friendship and comfort had never figured into the equation. Now she wondered how she had ever enjoyed the act without them.

She sucked Liam deeper, taking him as far as she could, swallowing the head of his cock. He caressed her hair, telling her without words exactly what she was doing to him.

Jade gave herself over to the moment, taking his cock quicker, deeper. She touched his balls, stroked his thigh, hummed her assent when his fingers tangled in her hair, tugging lightly.
 

Liam had given her so much. So much more than she had offered in return. When she stacked the piles side by side, there was no competition. He’d held nothing back, sharing so much of himself while she constantly kept her distance, leaving huge parts hidden, tucked away, protected.

She didn’t do that this time. Today she’d let it all go. He’d helped her do that. Now it was his turn.

She tightened her grip on his cock, swallowed his head once more, dragged her teeth and tongue along all the sensitive parts she’d found during her explorations.
 

“God, Jade. I can’t hold on.”

It was all she needed to hear. She doubled her efforts, sucking harder, deeper, faster, thrilled when Liam’s body shuddered, his large frame trembling with the force of his climax.

Spurts of come filled her mouth and she swallowed them down. Then she released him. Liam dropped to his knees in front of her, kissing her deeply, telling her with actions rather than words how much he loved her.

She jerked back.

Liam frowned, confused by her abrupt action. “Jade?”

She knew his face, read his expressions, understood this man. Jade forced herself to look into his eyes. And there it was.

Love.

No one had ever looked at her with that emotion, but it didn’t matter. Jade recognized it just the same.

She licked lips that had suddenly gone dry. “We should get dressed in case someone comes in.”

Liam tilted his head, clearly annoyed by her desire to cut the interlude short. “No one’s coming.”

“Even so.” She stood, walking away from him, back to where she’d left her clothing in the middle of the barn. Her hands were shaking and tears streamed down her face. She fought like hell to stem the flow.

Before she could get dressed, Liam was there, enfolding her up in his strong embrace. “Take a minute, Jade. Settle down.”

She accepted his hug, wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him. Time passed slowly as she let his soft swaying and quiet
shh
’s comfort her. He didn’t try to talk, didn’t ask her any questions she couldn’t answer.
 

Instead, he just held her. Let her be until she got her bearings, caught her breath, found a way to stand on her own two feet again. It was always that way with Liam. When she lost her way, he found her, brought her home.

Finally, when she felt capable of facing her life once more, she took a step back and started putting her clothing back on. “It’s getting late. I need to get a shower before heading to Spurs. Bruce finally took my advice and hired some extra help. Trevor Jenkins is starting tonight and he’s sticking around until close, so you don’t have to come in. I’ll get him to walk me to my car.”

“Is this you running away?”

She frowned. “No. I’m going to work. There’s a difference.”

Liam zipped up his pants but left the button undone. Jade wished she didn’t find that look so hot.

He pulled her face close to his. “We got a little too close to the fire.”

She shook her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do. But I’m letting you off the hook anyway. You aren’t the only one who needs some time to think, to get their head on straight.”

It was the only thing he could have said to calm her down. To soothe the ragged parts of her that couldn’t quite understand what had just happened. Throughout everything, Liam had seemed so sure of what they were doing, of what he wanted. The idea that he was rattled as well comforted her.
 

“Just so you know—the fling’s not over, kiddo.”

She raised one eyebrow, hoping the look hid exactly how much she’d been freaking out. “I don’t remember saying it was.”

Liam gave her a quick, hard kiss. “We have until the end of August to figure it all out.”

In the past, she would have run out of this barn as fast as her feet would carry her. But Liam had sparked something inside her. She wanted to explore it. He’d just admitted that the time limit stood, the boundaries that protected her were still in place. It gave her the courage to return. “I’m not bowing out, cowboy.”

His thumbs stroked her cheeks in that way that she loved way too much.

“I have to go.”

“I know.” He dropped his hands, allowing her to take a couple steps back. The distance didn’t help. He still overwhelmed her, consumed too much of her space. “I’ll be at Spurs around ten.”

She didn’t even bother to argue with him. If Liam said he would be there, he would, and it didn’t matter a lick what she said. She didn’t even bother to chastise herself for how happy she would be to see him. “Fine.”

Chapter Nine

Jade wiped the sweat from her brow, then put her hat back on to shield her eyes from the hot sun. It was mid-August and there wasn’t a speck of hope for cooler weather anywhere on the horizon. The summer had been a bitch, beating down on Wyoming for nearly two months without providing a drop of rain. In addition to the normal ranch chores, Jade had spent a fair amount of time hauling water to the cattle as the streams had run dry.

She leaned against the fence, watching a couple hands help Liam with Fearless. They’d put a rider on him for the first time last week and the bull had lived up to their expectations. Hell, Fearless had surpassed them. He was one mean-ass bull. She grinned as the bull kicked out against the training straps with enough force to nearly drag all three men off their feet.
 

Jade could just imagine the line of rodeo cowboys lining up in hopes of going eight seconds on him. Good luck with that. Her uncle Seth had told her about Bodacious, the world’s most dangerous bull. Like Bodacious, Fearless had a dangerous kick that would no doubt buck off even the most seasoned riders. While Liam didn’t say as much, she knew he was excited by Fearless’s prospects. Owning such a bull would not only be profitable, it would build upon Circle H’s reputation, make them a real competitor in the business of outfitting rodeos.

Jade hoped all of that came to pass. No one worked harder or deserved to see genuine success more than Liam.

Liam handed a strap over to a third ranch hand before walking to where Jade stood. “I’m going to have to run into town. I’m meeting Jesse Wilkins and his son about providing some broncs for the amateur competition they’re organizing next month. Want to ride along?”

Jade shook her head. “Nope. Jesse’s son is a pervert. Not interested in spending an hour with the asshole staring at my tits and making suggestive comments under his breath the whole time.”

Liam wrapped his arm around her shoulder, tugging her closer. “Didn’t realize that’s what classified someone as depraved in your world. So I guess I’m one too?”

She laughed. “Oh yeah. You’re a huge perv.”

Liam kissed the top of her head. “I love you, kiddo. I’ll see you this afternoon.”

He pulled his truck keys out of his front jeans pocket and got in the pickup without ever realizing the wake he left in his departure.

She watched him pull away, panic rearing its ugly head. For two months, they’d worked, eaten and slept side by side, but never once had they spoken the word
love
aloud. Because of that, Jade had let herself pretend it didn’t figure into the equation.
 

Jade looked around Circle H, seeing the house, the barn and the pastures through different eyes. She’d come to consider this place her home.

And she was in love with Liam.

“Fuck,” she whispered. She’d done it. Let him get too close. Her heart began to race—with fear, panic. Jade tried to calm her breathing, but it was pointless. Frantically, she glanced around the ranch, searching for an answer.
 

A way out.

Her gaze landed on Angel, the bucking bronc Liam had recently purchased. It was an amazing horse—strong, tough, perfect.

“Hey, Bucky. Give me a hand, will you?”

Bucky walked over, frowning. “Hand with what?”

“I want to put a saddle on Angel.”

“What the hell for?”

Jade looked skyward, praying for patience, her nerves tattered. If Bucky tried to talk her out of what she planned to do, she’d punch his lights out. “Because I’m going to ride him.”

Bucky shook his head. “Are you crazy?”

Jade narrowed her eyes, her hands on her hips. “No. I’m not. I break horses on Compass Ranch all the time. This isn’t that much different. Now are you going to help me or am I going to tell your sister about you sleeping with those two buckle bunnies in her bed when she was away for that religious revival last month?”

Bucky took off his hat and beat it against his jeans. “Now come on, Jade. Let’s don’t get mean about it. Judy would skin me alive if she knew about that. She already thinks I’m going to Hell, praying for my damn soul day and night. I don’t need her sending me there any earlier. Why don’t we just wait until Liam gets back? Make sure he’s okay with this.”

Jade’s temper erupted. “I don’t need Liam Harrison’s permission to do a fucking thing.”

“Well, dammit, I do. He wouldn’t like this.”

“Isn’t it a shame I don’t live my life to make sure Liam’s happy?”

“That horse is too new, Jade. We don’t know what he’s capable of yet. What about Jewel? She’ll give you a good spin. Lots of kick in her.”

“No. I want Angel.”

Bucky muttered a slew of choice words under his breath, but then, finally, he grabbed a saddle, getting the horse ready for Jade.

“Damn suicide,” Bucky said as she climbed the fence, ready to mount.

Jade was offended by his lack of confidence in her. Angel wasn’t the first wild horse she’d ever ridden and he wouldn’t be the last. She loved the thrill of holding on—woman versus beast. “I’m not
that
bad a rider.”

“Not talking about you. When Liam finds out I put you on this horse, he’ll break my neck.”

Jade rolled her eyes. “You ready?”

Bucky nodded grudgingly, then opened the gate to set Angel loose. Jade tightened her grip, grinning at the strength of the horse’s first powerful leap. For several seconds she lost all sense of her surroundings as the battle between her and the horse raged.
 

However, her concentration broke when she heard someone yelling her name. She turned just in time to see Liam scaling the fence. Her grip slipped as Angel gave one last, powerful buck.

Jade flew through the air, dust and dirt clogging her lungs and blinding her as she fell to the dry, brown ground.

She landed hard, the wind knocked from her, but she didn’t have time to consider that before she was dragged up and pulled out of the corral.

She grasped her head in an attempt to stop her brain from rattling around. Once the world stopped moving, she heard Liam’s voice.
 

“What the fuck were you doing?”

“Riding Angel.”

Her short answer seemed to give Liam an apoplexy as he threw his hands in the air, leaning over her, pure fury radiating from him.

 
“Do you have some sort of death wish?”

“No. I don’t.”

Liam squeezed her upper arm tighter as he dragged her across the yard. “Oh yeah. That was obvious from the fact you were sitting on your ass with that horse’s hooves just inches from kicking you in the head. Jesus, Jade!”

“I wouldn’t have been on the ground if you hadn’t distracted me. Did you see how long I stayed on?”

Liam’s face flushed a brighter shade of red. Jade wondered if she’d ever seen him so angry. “Bucky!”

“Yeah, boss?” Bucky jogged up next to them, clearly afraid he’d be fired for his part in Jade’s stupidity as Liam continued to drag her toward the house.

“Call Jesse. Tell him I can’t make it.”

“Sure thing.”

Liam stopped and turned to look at the ranch hand. “And I’ll deal with you after I’ve taken care of Jade.”