River's End (River's End Series, #1)(63)

A wall hit her back. The barn wall and he lifted her up. Her legs were now supported by the leg he thrust between hers. Oh God, what was happening? Where was this coming from? They weren’t like this. They were careful to not even brush hands when they switched lead ropes back and forth. How could Jack’s hands now be on her? Or Jack’s mouth be on hers?

His hand came to her stomach, so warm and soft, she groaned. He gently pushed up, his fingertips brushing over the lace of her bra and the tight beads of her nipples. At his touch, her insides seemed to twist around. The sudden fire that ignited wherever he touched ran lower and much hotter inside her.

He suddenly lifted his mouth off hers, and dropped down, pushing her shirt and bra out of the way and placing his mouth on her. She nearly screamed at the sudden wet, hot sensations. His lips circled her puckered, tight nipple, as his tongue licked over it, first one and then the other. His hands ran down her stomach, into her jeans and beneath her underwear. She nearly quit breathing as her breath hitched and her vision went fuzzy. His hand pushed the seam of her underwear aside as he touched her. Inside her. She ran her hands in the silky strands of his red hair as she felt the pressure of his fingers. Oh God, it was incredible; so quick and hard, she felt the spirals of delightful sensations starting and soon couldn’t hold herself up.

He suddenly straightened, pulling his mouth back to hers as she nearly collapsed against the wall and onto his hand. Her hands circled up around his neck and she held on. She couldn’t stand it. She felt the pressure, and saw the colors swirling behind her closed eyes. He watched her face and she could feel his gaze on her, but could not open her eyes. She would not open her eyes.

He was thick and hot against her and his hand moved to the top of her jeans, where he started to undo them.

“Dad? Are you out here?”

They both froze in unison. Erin’s eyes flew open as she looked up at Jack. He was leaning close to her, and her arms were around his neck. She could see the start of whiskers on his cheeks, and the faint color of his eyes in the murky light. Jack suddenly whipped his hands off her and took his fist, slamming it into the wall, high above her head. “Fuck me,” he muttered, as he unclasped her arms from around his neck, and stepped back, breathing hard. She pulled her shirt and bra back into place.

Jack’s scouring gaze raked over her. Then he turned and walked out of the barn to go to his older son who nearly walked in on his father screwing her against the barn wall. Erin almost fell onto the hay-strewn floor, she was so mortified. With herself. And with Jack. Especially, since Ben or anyone else could have caught them.

What just happened? Why would Jack do that? Kiss her? Touch her? And why did she let him? She wrapped her arms around herself as she scrambled to her feet. Tiptoeing towards the back of the barn, she planned to get out and sneak back to her trailer and hide while she figured out how she could ever, ever, ever, again in her lifetime, be in the same room as Jack Rydell.





Chapter Nineteen


Jack glanced around the barn, but she was long gone. He didn’t know whether to be glad or not. Ben was beside him, chatting away about a girl from school. He couldn’t have repeated a word his son said to him if his life depended on it.

What just happened? He didn’t know. One moment, he was about to kick Erin off his ranch, and the next, he was kissing her. And nearly having sex with her in his barn. Right about the same time his elder son always got home from school. Jack ran a hand through his hair. What came over him?

He had no clue or foresight that he would do that. He never contemplated kissing Erin, let alone, doing what he’d done. He was mad at her, sure; and shocked at seeing the job where she worked. At last, all the wayward comments he kept hearing from various men in the valley made sense to him.

And what did he do about it? He nearly made all their innuendos a fact. He felt his stomach pinching. This wasn’t like other situations. He had to face Erin, and couldn’t merely ignore her, or not call her since she freaking lived on his ranch.

He wasn’t sure exactly how he could ever face her again, which was an odd sensation for him to have. It wasn’t like he usually got shy about sex or whom he had it with. But never before did he have sex with his little brother’s former girlfriend. He felt ashamed, which shook him up. When was the last time he’d done anything but the right thing? The honorable thing? It had been awhile, and he wasn’t glad to see he still hadn’t outgrown some of his urges and reckless behavior.

It wasn’t long before Charlie came home and he, too, joined them out in the arena with the horses. He was talking a mile a minute and excited about the end of the school year project they all planned to do. He wanted to collect horse manure and start a compost pile with food scraps, from which he could show the before and after results of his efforts. Jack had a tough time not chuckling; only eight-year-old boys could find horse crap interesting enough to turn into a class project.

“Hey Dad, is it okay if I asked Ms. Gray to dinner tonight?”

Jack stopped before the horse he was saddling. “You invited your teacher to dinner? Tonight?”

“Actually, I asked her last Monday. I forgot to tell you. She said yes though.”

Jack stared at Charlie. “Your teacher is coming to dinner tonight? Are you kidding me, Charlie?”

“No. Isn’t that okay? She’s really nice, Dad. I think you’ll like her.”