Brazen (Brazen #1)(42)

Finally she took matters into her own hands. She wrapped her legs around his hips and arched forward, taking him the rest of the way home.

He lowered himself, allowing her to take some of his weight but not all. He loved the feeling of her pressed to every inch of his skin. The contrast between her softness and the hardness of his body fascinated him. It gave him a sense of her trust. He could so easily crush her. Hurt her.

Her hands slipped over his shoulders, her fingers digging into him as he thrust into her. He could feel her quivering around him, her pu**y gripping him, fluttering softly as her body tensed. She was close, and he was determined she’d get there first.

“My Jaz,” he murmured. “My sweet Jaz.”

She fused her lips to his, and he was swamped by the heady mixture of sweet and hot, love and lust.

She began to shake, and her legs and arms tightened around him. He thrust harder and reached down between them to stroke at her clit. She gasped and then latched onto his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

He clenched his teeth and held himself still for a moment until he was sure she’d experienced her release. Then he let go, burying himself as deeply as he could go. He withdrew then thrust forward once, twice and finally again.

His balls tightened unbearably. Every muscle in his body clenched until he erupted deep inside her, the relief making him weak. He lay wedged within her, content to remain still as he jerked and finished inside her.

He gathered her to him and shifted until he was beside her. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. “I love you,” he said one more time.

She kissed his chest and snuggled deeper into his embrace. “I love you too, Zane. So much. And never less than Seth. I need you to know that.”

Her words touched a worry that he didn’t even know he’d had, but as she uttered them, he felt some of his anxiety lift. He squeezed her and let his hands wander over her, content to touch her.

“I know,” he finally said. “I know, Jaz.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Jasmine woke the next morning curled tight in Zane’s arms. For a moment, she allowed herself to absorb the utter contentment she felt, but then she remembered the encounter with Seth the previous night.

It was an unwelcome jolt of reality.

Zane’s lips brushed across her temple. “I have to go.”

She turned to him. “Where?”

“San Antonio. Remember?”

She hadn’t remembered. “How long will you be gone?”

“Just for the day. I’ll be back late tonight.” He paused for a minute then cupped her chin in his hand. “You could go with me.”

She was tempted. It would take her away from the ranch and Seth for the day, but then that would defeat the purpose of her coming home in the first place. And what she really wanted was a few hours to wander over the land with her camera. It had always lifted her spirits in the past. Maybe she’d see Old Man again.

“I think I’m going to go out with my camera,” she said. “I haven’t been riding since I got back home. I doubt Esme even remembers me.”

Zane rolled out of bed and strode naked to the door. He looked so graceful and comfortable in his skin. Long, sleek, dark and beautiful. His hair curled down his neck and touched the tops of his shoulders. The muscles in his back bunched and rippled as he pulled a shirt over his head.

When he’d finished dressing, he walked back over to the bed where she was now sitting up, holding the sheet to her chest with one hand. He bent and kissed her—long, hot, breathless.

“Think of me today.”

She smiled. “I will.”

She watched him go, and sighed heavily as the door closed a few seconds later. Her limbs heavy and lethargic, she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and stood. She trudged into the bathroom to take a long hot shower.

Twenty minutes, later, Jasmine walked through the kitchen, surprised to see Carmen nowhere in the vicinity. She laid her camera bag down on the counter and scribbled a quick note telling Carmen where she was going. She stuck it to the fridge with a magnet, collected her camera then headed out to the barn to saddle Esme.

She smiled when she passed Lucky and Tanner, Seth’s and Zane’s horses. She held out a hand to pet their noses before walking on to Esme’s stall.

Just months after arriving at the ranch, Jasmine had gone horse mad. In an effort to indulge her and bring her out of her shell, they’d bought her Esme. But she hadn’t wanted to ride alone, so they’d each gotten a horse so they could accompany her. It had become a favorite pastime of theirs, riding over the terrain in the evenings, deer watching.

“Hey girl,” Jasmine whispered as Esme nuzzled her cheek. Esme whickered softly in return as Jasmine stroked her neck.

After saddling her, Jasmine led her outside the barn into the morning sun. She threw the strap of her camera bag over the pommel then pulled herself up into the saddle.

Her heart lightened as they disappeared into the back country of the ranch. The sun shone hot and unrelenting, and she relished every minute of it. She soaked in the rays, the land, the peace that surrounded her at the idea of being home.

She stopped at the usually dry river bed that now trickled with the remnants of the recent rain and let Esme drink while she took several shots of the jagged serpentine design cut into the sand and rock.

She loved the earthy colors, the smatterings of browns and oranges, deep reds and pale yellows. Every once in a while a jackrabbit would scare up and run balls to the wall across the ground only to disappear behind a clump of cacti.