Stables (Black Gulch Ranch #2)

33. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Dixon

“Char—” My hand holding her wrists squeezes them more firmly against the rough wooden wall. “—if you’re begging to choke on my cock until I drown you, that can be arranged.”

When her tongue darts over her lip, my free thumb traces the path before circling her throat. “I bet,” I whisper as I follow the ridge of her windpipe with my calloused pad. “I could feel myself all the way down…to here.” Gently, I press into the hollow at the base of my neck.

The weight of my touch makes her swallow reflexively.

It’s a fight to hold myself. My mustache twitches as my hard bulge digs into her belly.

Her jaw sets into that sexy look of determination. Meeting my heated gaze, a smile tugs up her cheek.

“Let me try.”

My tenuous thread snaps, and I let her arms fall free. But I let my hand on her throat grow heavy enough to push her to her knees.

With a practiced movement, I have my zipper down and my swollen cock free before her knees hit the stool.

Knotting my fingers through her auburn hair, I push my tip against her velvety lips. My knuckles are the only buffer between her head and the wall when my hips thrust between her teeth.

Jesus. Watching her stretch around my girth makes my nuts tighten.

Gagging, her palms wrap my shaft trying to slow me.

Fuck, she’s amazing.

“That’s it, Char. Relax. Take me deeper.” A groan starts somewhere in the depths of my chest.

I can feel myself leaking onto her burning tongue as she struggles.

Look at her trying so hard, begging to suck me down.

My thighs quiver with each stroke in restraint.

Tears spill from her eyes and I wipe them with my palm.

Every time I pull back, her nostrils flare with a breath, and each push, I sink further, holding it longer until the pressure in my loins warns me I’m near the breaking point.

“Char,” I growl. “I’m gonna—” I try to pull back, but her hands wrap behind me and her nails dig into the ass of my jeans to bury me into her scorching mouth.

I can’t stop myself from driving into her, roaring through my release.

She doesn’t let go, sucking my very existence through the end of my sensitive cock. My hips buck on their own until I pull away faster than she can prevent me.

Panting, I lean my head against the wall over her, the last shivers of climax ripple through my body.

My fingers are still tangled in her hair as her arms wrap my waist.

“Did I do okay?” Her voice is muffled, so I pull her up to hold her.

“Incredible.” I manage to gain control over my racing heart and cup her cheeks.

But then I see it.

A tinge of blood discolors her puffy lip. “Char?” Ice floods my veins. “What is this?” Carefully, I turn her face to the dim light from the window.

It’s a small split, barely bleeding, but it wasn’t there a moment ago.

She smiles crookedly. “I think your zipper got me.”

Fuck, I knew better.

“I shouldn’t have—”

Her fingers cover my mustache. “I know the safeword. My mouth was just full.” She shrugs with a giggle. “Besides, I kinda liked that I made you go wild.” Her tiny wound hides between her teeth before she pulls me by the ears close enough to kiss me.

She tastes a little salty with a tang of copper, but all sweet. Picking her up, I hug her to my chest. It’s one thing to want to mark her, leave bites on her neck, my hand prints on her pale hip…but to do so accidentally makes pain go through my chest.

I’m no different than him.

As if she can sense what I’m thinking, she tips my hat back to look into my eyes. “Hey, are you mad at me?” Her blue irises flick back and forth as she watches my reaction.

“No, just myself,” I grumble.

“Were you trying to hurt me?” Her thumbs rub matching circles on the back of my neck. “Like, in anger?”

“I’d never do that.” I know she can’t possibly see the conviction in my words, but I’m solemn in my oath.

“Then we just learned you need to fold your jeans back a little further next time.” She squints and wrinkles her nose. “Especially if a little blood makes you squeamish, doc.” Her white teeth flash in a grin.

“Funny girl.” I hoist her over my shoulder as she shrieks in laughter. “We better go take care of those horses before my brother tans both of our hides.”

I can’t count the number of times I’ve walked between these barns and the main house in my lifetime, but none of them felt as right as walking with her hand in mine.

It’s like seeing the world through a different lens.

I feel both lighter, and more wary. I crave the warmth of her touch, but find myself watching every corner in case there’s a need to protect her.

I want to kick my own ass for giving her that ding on her lip, yet want to keep staring at it because every time I see it, my dick twinges in the memory of fucking her hot throat.

There has to be something wrong with me.

The smell of fresh bread and garlic greet us before we even go in through the entrance. So many people make the cavernous room feel smaller, but cozier.

“Finally!” Mason calls from the table. “We were fixin’ to start eating without you.”

“Sorry we’re late.” Char’s cheeks flush. “Lori? What can I help with?” She pulls from my hand to go to the kitchen and wash up.

I sidetrack to the hall bath to do the same, then meet her near the counter where she’s carrying freshly sliced french rolls.

Paisley comes running from the spare room, with Libby and Sophia on her tail. “Daddy!” she calls as she nearly runs into my leg. “Uppie!” Her arms wave over her head towards me.

Libby chokes down her laughter. “Well, that didn’t take long.”

“I heard you’re the one who taught her that?” I ask as I adjust Paisley to my side.

Color rushes up her neck. “Yea, um—”

“Thank you.” I wink at her before pulling out my chair and grabbing a piece of bread for Paisley.

Sophia groans with a smile, then sits across from me and a giant bowl of spaghetti noodles.

“Lori, everything looks delicious, thank you.” I can’t imagine cooking for this many people is easy.

Blue’s long legs stretch out to the side near Ceasar’s dog bed. The black and white Border Collie tilts his head when Blue crosses his boots.

“Yea, thanks for having me at dinner. I feel mighty lucky.” Blue grins at me. “Just like ol’ times when your mom would cook after we were out riding all day, huh?” He looks around. “If Wade and Ford were here, it’d be like a reunion.”

Mason snorts. “A court of jesters.”

Blue scratches his whiskers. “Only when Wade was here. Remember that time he got caught in the south pasture because he tried to team up that colt and a steer, then we had to go through all that mud to get him out?”

Sawyer, who’s been sitting quietly at the end of the long table staring at his phone, pops his head up. “Wait, he did what?”

Mason laughs, leaning back to move Jack up onto his shoulder. “He gave zero shi—” He pauses and glances at Paisley on my lap. “—cares. I swear he has no impulse control. Pretty sure he was two inches shorter after getting bucked off that mess.”

It makes me chuckle. “Mom was so ticked, she made him scrub the floors when we all came dragging dirt in after rescuing him.”

Libby places half a dozen bottles of salad dressing next to a heaping pile of greens, then finds a spot on the other side of Char. “Sure was nice they let me stay,” she whispers towards Char, but I catch it.

As far as I’m concerned, she’s family, too. She stood up for Char and protected her when I couldn’t.

Doesn’t matter that I didn’t even know Char then, I’m still grateful.

Once the food is all ready and plates are full, I take it on myself to prompt Blue.

“Go ahead with business. We need to know what you found.” I take the moment to chop up more noodles to add to Paisley’s little plastic plate.

I don’t know who’s messier, her face, or my knee where she keeps dropping bits.

Caesar will eat well cleaning up the tidbits after dinner.

Blue lets out a long sigh. “It might want to wait until after we eat.” He mops up some sauce with the heel of a roll and chews slowly before continuing. “There’s only a tad of good news.” He turns to Mason. “I tracked down a few more of your cattle, but after they were sold. Seems that shell company that was running them under their brand is based out of Texas.”

“Texas? Who in the hell would want to screw with us from there?” Mason puts his fork down and rests his palm on Lori’s thigh.

Blue shakes his head. “All we can figure is that it’s new, only about five years old. And they’re funneling every animal from the local yards down through Mexico.”

“I don’t think I understand what that means,” Char says quietly.

Blue runs his fingers through his short dark hair. The silver in his mustache hasn’t reached his head yet. “They’re stealing livestock from up this way, western Montana into Idaho, shuffling through the Mexican stockyards, then bringing back up to disperse through different sale barns around the country.”

“Oh.” Her mouth forms a circle, making my eyes fix on the small split in her lip.

It stopped bleeding before we left the barn, but I still know it’s there.

“Then what’s the bad news?” Libby asks, watching Blue intently.

His mouth twists into a wry smile. “I found one of the horses, but it’s already heading south. From the sale notes, there might have been two more in that batch.”

Char slumps against my shoulder, her fingers wrapping my forearm.

“Well, that’s good though? Isn’t it? They’re still alive and can just watch for them to come back?” Libby pats Char’s leg.

Blue strokes down his chin before propping his elbows on the table and lacing his fingers. “I’m afraid not. Horses don’t come back from there.”

Libby’s blond brows furrow. “Then you have to stop them. Can’t you call someone?”

Blue’s eyes pinch. “I am the ‘someone’. The Feds don’t give two shi—shakes about a couple of shady equine sales. They won’t do crap until it’s hundreds of animals.”

“You mean, they can just take her stock, they could take mine, too, and nothing can be done?” Libby’s voice raises an octave.

This time, it’s Char’s turn to placate. She reaches to Libby and rubs her shoulder.

“No one is going to mess with your farm, Libby. Everyone loves you and your family.”

Libby takes a deep breath, placing her palms flat on the table. “I shoulda just shot Matt, then none of this would have happened.”

Blue, Sawyer, and Sophia are a sea of wide blue eyes on the other side of the table staring at her, until Blue starts laughing.

“You’re feisty. Remind me never to piss you off.”