Vivian Arend - Rocky Mountain Rebel

Her future looked a whole lot brighter.

It was impossible to resist. She threw her arms around him and kissed him this time, trying to put a little more of how grateful she was into her touch.

He hummed but broke them apart, stroking her cheek as he smiled down. “As much as I hate to interrupt you, we need to keep moving.”

Moving forward. All the time. She totally agreed.

He led her to a pen that was four times the size of one of the horse stalls and held at least a dozen sheep.

She climbed up on the gate and peered in. “Lots of the furry buggers in there, aren’t there?”

“Yup.”

Joel stood beside her and rubbed her back.

Vicki waited, but he didn’t seem to be going ahead with the explaining bit. “So. This wrestling business…”

“Not really wrestling.” Joel pointed into the pen. “More like dancing with them, in a way.”

She followed the line of his finger and cursed. “Joel Coleman, is that my Christmas present in there?”

He nodded.

Damn. “You get the weirdest ideas. This is going to help me with my horse phobia, how?”

“Animals are animals, darling. Doesn’t matter if they’re horse or sheep, once they get used to having you around, they’re going to get up close and personal. I figure it’s easier to practice with the short smelly variety than the tall ones.”

Good point. “Exactly what does ‘get personal’ mean?”

“They’ll bump you.” He hip-checked her lightly, and she laughed.

“God, you’re insane.”

“Yeah, I’ve been told that before.” Joel rested his folded arms on the top of the gate. “You going to rescue your present before they unwrap it for you?”

“Good thing they aren’t goats. Those guys eat everything, right?”

“You don’t even want to know.”

Vicki eyed the gate, but opening it didn’t seem like a good idea. With her luck, half the beasties would get out before she’d get the thing closed. Instead, she climbed up and swung a leg over the top.

Joel grinned, taking the time to stroke her thigh. “Nice work jeans, by the way.”

The jeans in question had a hole in one knee from the last time he’d had her in the barn, and there was a worn patch on her ass she swore was from when he’d dragged her down the hallway and into her bedroom.

Vicki ignored him and crawled down the other side. The sooner she got her present, the sooner she could get to the part of the day when she gave him a present.

When she landed on her feet, a few of the sheep jolted and ran to the far side of the pen, but the rest were all too interested in the box in the middle of the space to pay much attention to her.

“They won’t bite, right?”

“Only if you bite first.”

“Jackass. So reassuring. A simple no would have worked.”

He chuckled but didn’t say anything else.

Vicki took a deep breath and stepped forward. One sheep moved aside, another. This was going to be way too easy. “Looks as if your little plan isn’t going to work. They’re parting like the Red Sea.”

Well, until that moment. She reached for the package right when one of the fuzzy beasts sidestepped and knocked her hand away.

She reached forward again, and this time one of them bumped her shins hard enough to rock her on her feet.

“Fuck.”

Joel laughed. “Watch it,” he warned.

Vicki spread her stance and braced herself to stay vertical. “Stupid things.”

“Hey, right now they have your present, and you don’t. Who’s the stupid one?”

She whipped back to face him. “You did not just compare my intelligence to a sheep, did you?”

He ducked behind the gate. “They’re actually very clever animals.”

Vicki laughed. “Oh man, are you in trouble.”

But first, she had this puzzle to solve. She glared down, slightly pissed off they were blocking her this easily. “Shoo. Go on, get out of here.”

“That’s it. Now don’t be afraid to give them a little guidance.”

“A kick in the ribs?”

“Sheep don’t fly very well. Just use your knees.”

And like that, it made sense. Vicki waded forward, applying pressure to the stupider beasts that refused to budge. It wasn’t as if she was hurting them, but it was enough to get the more stubborn ones out of her way.

“Open it while you’re in there,” Joel ordered.

God. “Bossy, bossy.”

It wasn’t a big deal anymore. Now that she had the method of dealing with the sheep figured out, she had to work to keep her balance, but it wasn’t impossible by any means. She knelt to get at the packing tape, and ended up with a sheep staring her eye to eye.

She raised an elbow and used it to force him back while she stripped off the tape and popped the top open.

Inside a pretty pair of new cowboy boots gleamed at her.

“Oh, Joel.”

She rescued them from the box, nabbed the box with her other hand, and holding both high in the air, waded through the sea of walking cotton balls.

“You’re a pro.” Joel reached over the gate and grabbed her burdens.

That was right about the time one of the sheep got real up close and personal and took out the back of her knees. Vicki grasped the wood slats frantically, catching herself from falling.

Joel dropped everything to trap her hands in place. “Whoa, don’t blow it now.”

She hauled herself up, climbing to the top and staring him down. “Interesting choice of words…”

He frowned, offering her a hand as she made her way over and rejoined him. “What mischief you got planned?”

Enough. She peeked around cautiously, but it seemed to be only them and sheep. “How long before your brother comes looking for you?”

“Never. He’ll just head into the house after he’s done. Why?”

She tugged him into the next empty stall. “Because I want to give you your Christmas present.”

Joel laughed as she planted a hand on his chest and backed him toward the wall. His pupils dilated as she dropped to her knees, hands reaching for his waist.

“Oh, darling.”

“See, I’m nice.” Vicki loosened his belt and popped the buttons on his fly. “I’m not making you wrestle anything.”

“You’re gonna be wrestling something in a minute…”

They both smiled. Joel leaned back on the solid wood and opened his legs wider around her.

Of all the sexual lessons she’d learned, this was one of the most sheer, out-and-out fun. Pulling his cock forward and feeling the heavy weight in her palm. Sliding her fingers up and down his girth and watching his face tighten with pleasure.

It was power in its purest form, to take a strong man like Joel to his knees in bliss.

She leaned forward, still looking up at him from under her lashes. She applied one small lick to the end of his cock as if he were an ice-cream cone, and was rewarded with a shudder.

So. Much. Fun. Teasing him with her tongue, rubbing the sensitive spot right under the head she’d learned drove him mad. Wrapping her lips around the tip for a second to get him good and wet then sucking hard as she popped off.

“God, Vicki.”

He thickened in her grasp. She waited for him to make the next move. It was becoming a bit of a game, because he didn’t seem to know every time she gave him a blowjob, he eventually caved and did the same thing.

And she loved it.

Vicki pumped her fist faster. Squeezing harder than she’d thought safe, but he’d taught her how he liked it. Worked her mouth over him until he was nice and wet, and she could take more of his length. She hadn’t managed to do any of that deep-throat stuff yet, but he didn’t seem unhappy with her attempts.

Joel threaded his fingers through her hair, and she hummed, earning a harder thrust.

“Sweet mercy, woman. When you do that, I feel it all the way to the back of my brain.”

With a mouthful of cock she wasn’t about to ask which brain, but the quip still made her smile.

He caught hold of her then so it was no longer her moving over him, but him in control. Vicki opened wide and brought her tongue into play as best she could, sucking when he dragged his hips back.

So gentle, even as he fucked her mouth. Saliva slicked his length, escaping to moisten her cheeks. The taste of his seed snuck onto her tongue as his breathing sped up.

“So damn good.” Joel stroked a hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ear. “I ain’t lasting long. You want to swallow? Decide fast.”

This time she did. Instead of pulling back to watch him finish himself—spraying into his own hand or over her chest like he’d done in the past—she held him tighter.

“Ease off,” he ordered.

Guided by his hands she leaned away enough his cock rested on her lower lip. She went to town with her tongue as he stroked himself rapidly. And when he gasped, the first shots of come exploding from his cock, she surrounded him again and swallowed him down as far as she could go.

“Fuck.”

It was all over but for the shaking. Joel lost control and let her take care of him.

“You killed me.” Joel cupped her head, his cock continuing to jerk in her mouth as she played with his softening shaft. “Goddamn killed me dead.”

She was still trapped, nose to his groin, the scent of sex in the air around them. Joel stroked his fingers free, released her and pulled her up to lean on him as he sprawled against the wall.

“Let me remember how to walk. I think you sucked my brains out my dick that time.”

Vicki laughed. “Merry Christmas, Joel.”

He smiled down at her. “Merry Christmas to you too.”

Vicki opened the oven and pulled out another cookie sheet of finger food, transferring the hot tray to the counter top and stepping away to allow Tamara Coleman to load the wonton wrappers onto serving bowls.

“It’s people like you who give the Coleman family a rep for incredible parties.” Karen Coleman lifted the lid on a Crock-Pot and breathed in deeply, letting loose a moan of pleasure. “God, do we have to share? How about we stay here and eat all night instead of going into the living room with the greedy lot of them?”

There was already enough of a crowd in the tiny kitchen, Vicki wasn’t sure what Karen meant. “Tamara’s apartment is nice, but it’s not made for occupancy of…well, how many are there in the clan?”

Tamara pushed her glasses up her nose. “Don’t bother trying to count. It’s not the actual blood relatives, it’s the number of friends, lovers and other mischief-makers they bring with them that adds up.” She turned to her sister. “Still don’t see why you didn’t accept Dad’s offer to hold the party at the Whiskey Creek Ranch. We could have all fit much easier.”

Karen scooped the last spoonful from the pot and stuck a bunch of forks into the bowl. She sighed. “Right. You know very well if we’d had it there, we’d never get out of the kitchen. At least here we can leave if we want to.”

The loud beat of the New Year’s party music reverberated through the apartment, spilling through the door as Matt entered to grab more soda from the fridge, and another cousin, Steve, shouted after him to bring out the rum.

Tamara ducked out of the way, passing the plates she’d filled to Steve before turning to nod at her sister.

“True. I’d forgotten that part. Not living under his roof makes it much easier.” She grimaced at Vicki. “Sorry. Dad’s old-fashioned. The fact I’m a woman living in the evil city, let alone that I have my nursing degree makes him all kinds of crazy.”

Vicki nodded, wrapping her brain around another form of family. With no dad in the picture, ever, she hadn’t considered the ramifications of having a dominant male figure in her life. “Wow. I…didn’t think that still happened.”

Karen leaned back on the counter. “Dad means well, in his stifling, misogynistic, cave-man way.”

Tamara pulled the meatballs from her sister’s hands and tilted her head toward the living room. “You’re the one putting up with it on a daily basis. You’ve got more masochist tendencies than Travis.”

Vicki laughed at that description of Travis. Yeah, right. He was one hundred percent, grade-A bossy male, but it wasn’t her place to discuss what she’d noticed in Ashley and Travis’s relationship.

She washed her hands and got ready to head back into the party to find Joel when Karen tugged her sleeve. “Hey, if you don’t mind. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure.”

Drat. Here was one of those incredibly awkward moments. Doing things with the Colemans meant running into Joel’s cousin at times, and over the past month the questioning glances cast at her and Joel had grown more intense. Vicki didn’t know if the little tidbit regarding her horse issues had gotten loose or what.