The Birthday Gift (2 page)

Amanda
decided closing a deal that would net her a large commission was a wonderful
way to spend her birthday.

The house and
thirty acres had been on the market for three years. It had been vacant as long
as she could remember. Amanda had shown it to several clients, but no one had
wanted to buy it. The grounds were an overgrown jungle and the house in need of
major repairs. Despite the outward appearance, the Hudsons had taken one look
and fallen in love with the place. They believed they could turn it into a
beautiful and profitable bed and breakfast.

Stepping inside
her front door, Amanda slipped off her high heels and sighed from relief. She
believed she should look professional when showing a house, which meant a
business suit and heels. The summer heat let her replace her usual business
suit with a sleeveless shift, but she hadn’t been able to talk herself into
replacing the heels with sandals.

A drink
topped her list right now before she did anything else. Iced tea would hit the
spot after being outside for the last two hours. Showing a house in the
96-degree heat wasn’t her favorite thing to do, but the commission on the sale
to the Hudsons would make every drop of sweat and discomfort worth it.

She really
needed that commission.

Amanda hadn’t
realized how expensive running a ranch would be when Jake told her he wanted to
raise horses. He’d had a tidy sum in the bank from an inheritance when they
married, but that had quickly diminished to a few thousand dollars. Even with
Jake doing as much of the work as he possibly could, he still had to pay for
help along with the feed, vet bills, and other expenses. Their only income came
from Amanda’s real estate commissions. While those had been steady enough so
she and Jake lived comfortably, the commission from the Winslow mansion sale
meant their household expenses would be covered for several months.

Hopefully,
Jake would sell a horse sometime during those months.

She’d talked
to Jake about buying a new computer when she closed the sale on the Winslow
mansion. She felt guilty for even considering such an expense when she should
save every dollar possible, yet she wanted to log on to the computer sites
right now and start comparing prices. Jake had told her to go for it, that she
deserved a new one after having her old computer for almost five years. He’d
said to buy the best, with whatever options she wanted.

She knew Jake
would agree to whatever she wanted to buy. They’d been married for two years
and together as a couple for four. In those four years, he’d shown his
generosity in so many ways. A single pink rose appeared on her pillow several
times a month. Whenever a book by one of her favorite authors was released, she
would find it on her nightstand. Her favorite candy would show up in her
briefcase. She’d open her desk drawer and find a figurine of Garfield to add to
her collection.

So many
little things, but they meant more to her than diamonds.

He didn’t buy
her a birthday present for they’d agreed not to exchange gifts on their
birthdays, but he knew he’d be dead meat if he didn’t give her a card.

This year,
he’d given her more than a card. He’d woken her this morning with his tongue
between her thighs.

Amanda laid
her briefcase and car keys on the kitchen counter. Remembering the way Jake had
loved her with his mouth made her shiver, despite the hot summer day. After
four years together, Jake knew exactly where to touch her, and how, to give her
the ultimate pleasure. She loved the way he used long, gentle licks from her
anus to her clitoris to arouse her. Once her desire started to build, he’d
concentrate more on her clitoris—licking it, sucking it, pulling it between his
lips. He’d dip his tongue inside her pussy, over and over, then move back to
her clitoris for more of his expert attention. It would take only moments for a
heart-pounding, breath-stealing orgasm to race through her body.

What he did
with his tongue was probably illegal in fourteen states.

This morning
had been no exception. Jake had raised her desire to fever-pitch with his
tongue until her body shook from her climax. She’d barely had the chance to
catch her breath before Jake turned her to her side. He’d snuggled up behind
her, lifted her leg, and pushed his cock deep inside her. He’d moved slowly
while caressing her breasts.

“Touch
yourself,” he’d whispered in her ear.

His warm
breath sent goose bumps scattering across her skin. Jake loved to watch her
pleasure herself. Wanting to please him, as well as herself again, she began
rubbing her clitoris in time to his thrusts. Jake’s breathing became harsher,
his thrusts harder. Another orgasm built and Amanda surrendered to it as she
felt Jake shudder with his own release.

How she
adored making love with her husband.

Amanda sighed
happily.
I’m married to a generous, sensitive, sexy, handsome hunk who loves
me as much as I love him. How did I get to be so lucky?

She glanced
out the kitchen window as she reached to open the cabinet door to get a glass.
She stopped with her hand in mid-air when she saw Jake and Patrick huddled
together beneath an oak tree in the backyard.

Amanda
smiled. Jake was enjoying Patrick’s visit so much. Even though she and Jake had
been together several years, she’d never had the opportunity to meet Patrick.
Starting a horse ranch had consumed Jake for the last two years. Before that,
Patrick had been busy building his ski lodge. He’d been recuperating from
bronchitis when they got married, so he missed their wedding ceremony. The
cousins had stayed in contact by telephone and e-mail, but since they lived in
different states, this was the first time they’d seen each other in five years.

She continued
to watch them. Her smile faded and she frowned slightly. They were up to
something besides catching up on each other’s lives. They’d been conspiring
with each other for the last two days. Amanda would catch them whispering,
which would stop immediately as soon as she got close enough to hear them.
Sneaking up on them hadn’t been possible, and she’d tried it several times.
Jake had incredible hearing, the bum.

She wondered
if their plotting had something to do with her birthday. Maybe they planned to
surprise her with a special dinner. Not having to cook on her birthday would be
a very nice gift.

Watching
them, she looked for any kind of clue that would tell her what they were
saying. Even if she couldn’t figure out what they were up to, she enjoyed
simply looking at them. Her husband was so handsome, and Patrick could pass for
his brother. They had the same build, the same hair color, the same eyes, the
same way of moving…

She wondered
if they were the same in bed.

Embarrassed
by her thoughts, Amanda looked away from the tempting vision out the window.
She had no right to fantasize in any way about Patrick. She’d known him for
only a few days, and Jake kept her completely satisfied sexually. If she could
personally pick out every trait a lover should have, Jake would be the end
result.

Still…

Thoughts of
having both of them at the same time had occupied her mind since Patrick’s
arrival. The only explanation Amanda had was the fact that Patrick looked so
much like Jake. He was an inch or two taller and a bit huskier, but the two
favored each other so much, it was almost scary.

She felt
guilty fantasizing about a man other than her husband, yet she couldn’t help
letting those fantasies run rampant through her mind. She imagined having two
Jakes who would do whatever she wanted, however she wanted it. Two Jakes could
lick and suck her nipples at the same time. Or one could suck on her nipples
while the other one licked her clitoris. Or maybe one could slide his cock
inside her while the other one circled her anus with his tongue. She loved it
when Jake licked her there. It seemed almost…taboo, but felt so good.

Jake’s
mustache felt wonderful on her skin. Patrick’s full beard would probably feel
even better…

Desire
coursed through her body and Amanda closed her eyes as she shivered again.
Get
your mind off of sex and back to business. You have to finish the Hudsons’
contract before they call.

She took one
more glance outside, but Jake and Patrick were gone. She heard Jake’s pickup
start, then the door to the mud room open and close. A moment later, her
husband came in the back door.

“Hi,” he said
with a smile.

“Hi.”

He walked
over to her, tilted up her chin, and dropped a soft kiss on her lips. “How did
it go with the Hudsons?”

“I’m going to
start computer shopping tomorrow.”

Jake looped
his arms around her waist. “That’s great. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. I
tried not to get my hopes up too much, but I really wanted this sale. That
monstrosity of a house has been on the market for three years.”

“And you love
that huge commission.”

Amanda
grinned. “And I love that huge commission.”

“Do you know
what they plan to do with the place?”

“They want to
turn it into a bed and breakfast-slash-resort, complete with fishing, swimming,
tennis, a golf course…the works. That’s going to take a lot of time and a lot
of money, but they apparently have plenty of both. And we could use something
like that in our area. It’ll bring in more tourists, which will lead to more
people settling here, which will lead to—”

“More commissions
for you,” Jake said with a grin.

She smiled.
“Yeah. Do I sound money hungry?”

“Not a bit.
You sound like a successful businesswoman and I’m very proud of you.”

His words
warmed her heart. Jake’s approval was so important to her. As long as she had him,
nothing else mattered.

Wanting to be
closer to him, she touched his chest. She let her palms glide over the soft
cotton of his T-shirt, liking the contrast of the smooth material over his
solid muscles. Working with horses had definitely given him a killer body. “I
was about to fix me a glass of iced tea. Want one?”

“In a
minute.” He tightened his arms around her waist. “You aren’t the only one
around here with good news today. George Mayo bought Texas Thunder.”

With a squeal
of delight, Amanda threw her arms around Jake’s neck and hugged him tightly.
“That’s wonderful!”

“Yeah, I
think so too.”

The feel of
Jake’s firm chest against her breasts brought back all her desire from a few
moments ago. Trying to be a good girl and listen to what her husband had to say
instead of jerking his clothes off, Amanda pulled back and looked at Jake’s
face. “Did he agree to your price?”

“He didn’t
even bat an eyelash when I told him what I wanted, which tells me my price was
probably too low. But that’s okay. I’m happy to finally bring some money into
the house.”

Amanda had
suspected Jake wasn’t happy about not selling any horses, but this was the
first time he’d actually said anything to her. “We’ve done fine, Jake.”

“No thanks to
me.”

“It takes
time to build up a clientele for the horses. You expected that.”

“Yeah, but I
didn’t think it’d take
this
long. I’ve practically wiped out our
savings.”

“
You’ve
done no such thing. We’re a partnership, remember?”

“Yeah, but—”

Amanda
touched his lips to stop his argument before he could start it. She refused to
let him feel guilty about his business getting a slow start. “No ‘buts’
allowed. Whatever we do, we do together.”

Jake moved
her hand and held it tightly in his own. “You’ve brought in a steady income,
Amanda. I haven’t.”

“Do you think
I love you any less for it?”

“No, of
course not.”

“Then what’s
the problem? We both knew it would take time to build your business. Things
have been tight sometimes, but we’ve done fine.” She raised his hand to her
mouth and kissed his palm. “I wouldn’t change one thing about our time
together, Jake.
Not one
. It’s been more wonderful than I ever imagined.”

Jake softly
caressed her lips with his thumb. “I’m so lucky to have you.” Leaning back
against the counter, he pulled Amanda between his spread legs. His groin
nestled snugly between her hips. “How did a plain, ordinary guy like me get you
to fall in love with me?”

“Oh, I don’t
know,” Amanda said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I guess you were
just blessed.”

“That must be
it.” He slid his hands from her underarms to her hips and back again. “So, do
you have any ideas how I could keep on being blessed?”

A devilish
gleam lit his eyes. Amanda knew from that gleam and the feel of his cock
hardening against her exactly how “blessed” he wanted to get. That was fine
with her. She would take any chance possible to make love with her husband. “I
might. Do
you
have any ideas?”

“Oh, I’m sure
I could think of something we’d both enjoy.”