Page 13

Sage

I’m on the road to Laredo when my phone pings with a message.

I’m almost at the same point as earlier, only this time I’m not dreading hearing from someone. The last call led to me having one of the most thrilling experiences of my life.

It’s only a few seconds until I can pull over and see what’s happening. If it was something at the ranch, I’d get a call. There’s no follow-up to the message. Not like the incessant ringing I had before.

I arrive at the juncture, slowing down as I get off the road and onto the shoulder. I lock the doors again and pull my phone out.

Ranch Manager. This time, when I see it’s Ezequiel, I don’t have that sense of foreboding. No, this time it’s anticipation of what he wants. I press my index finger to the screen to open up the message.

Send me the video.

The throbbing starts between my legs. The video is what started it all. The image flashes in my mind—his hand going into my top. How he circled my nipples. How he tugged and played until I was a hot mess.

The dots appear on the left-hand side. He’s writing a message. Likely because he’s seen I read what he sent. I bite my lip, waiting to see what he’s going to say.

Send me the video . The message pops up, same as before.

I glance around at the mesquites and brush. A truck goes by fast enough it shakes the cab.

No.

I type the two letters, but I hesitate, biting my lip. He’s in the video, too, so technically he’d have every right to it. But that’s not a situation I want to get myself into.

I press the button, sending the message, then bite down harder.

I can picture his face. Mainly, the way his mustache will shift as his lip quirks in annoyance because he’s not getting his way. That’s too bad. This time, I feel no remorse in thinking that.

The three dots dance around on the screen again. Anticipation builds inside me, then the dots stop. What happened ? A call comes in, interrupting the message. Frustration takes hold of me for a split second, then I see the name flashing across the screen. Ranch Manager. Ezequiel.

My heartbeat thunders as the throbbing between my legs increases. I hit the button, answering the call.

“I didn’t get to taste you.”

Oh Lord.

My body showers me with moisture. It’s not just what he said, but how he said it. I’ve never heard that tone in his voice before. It does something to me I can’t quite explain.

As for tasting me, I’m not sure what exactly he means. We didn’t kiss, and, although he played with my breasts, he only used his hands. Then he moved south. Whew . I don’t know if I’d be able to deal with much more than what we did. As it was, the orgasm he gave me blasted me into the stratosphere.

I wet my lips before I can say a word. “I didn’t get to taste you either.”

The growl, such a feral sound coming from the likes of him, seems fitting. Goosebumps run down my arms and over my chest, going everywhere he touched me not so long ago.

“Woman, you sure aren’t making this easy.”

Seems fitting that for once he’s the one having a hard time instead of me. Not that the state of my panties would confirm that.

“How is the video of what we did going to help you with not tasting me,” I tease.

“At least I’d have something to remind me of what I missed out on.”

Missed out on? How could he even think that? What could he possibly do? The guy banged me so hard he cleared my sinuses.

“Send me the video,” he says again.

I’m so tempted. I know what it’s like to have someone take over your imagination. To have them be everything for you. Is that what he’s looking for also? If so, how can that be me?

“I can’t,” I whisper into the phone. I couldn’t deal with having that video fall into the wrong hands. Having everyone see what I let him, a man who doesn’t like me, do to me, to my body.

“Why not?”

“I deleted it.” My hips shift as I feel the dull ache of having had him inside me.

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to,” I counter.

“Where are you?” This time it isn’t that demanding sour tone he’s always used. The velvet in his voice has my toes curling again.

I swallow hard as another water truck passes. “I’m on the side of the road.” I glance at the sign, showing Laredo in one direction and Catarina in the other. “Actually, right where I was last time you called.”

“I saw you didn’t go home.”

I probably should have. This changed everything about what I planned to do. The sun’s going down already, and I’m actually going to show up at a hotel with a man’s hands imprinted on the white tank top I’m wearing. I’ll have to walk in with my arms folded over my chest for them not to see he was playing with my boobs.

“No, I was trying to get to Laredo.”

He pauses. He’s quiet long enough that the silence creeps up on me. Why isn’t he saying anything?

“Come back.”

Out of all the things he could have said, I never would have expected that.

My heart’s in my throat. Another round? The throbbing between my legs urges me to say yes. My nipples tighten, reminding me of how it felt to have him touch me.

“Um…”

There’s no denying he’s making a demand, not asking me what I want to do. I don’t know if he’s even interested in what I want, what I need. It’s an order. Nothing less.

Yet, I’ve never wanted something so badly.

“It’s late.”

It’s my excuse to buy myself some time. To figure out if it’s what I’ll do. This afternoon, it was a moment of passion when I was vulnerable. Maybe it’s what I wanted to hear. Maybe at some point I could come to regret it. But, if I go now, it’s my own decision, no matter what his tone is.

“And?”

“I’d never make it to town in time to grab a hotel. It would be the middle of the night when I got there.”

“Who says you’d be leaving before the sun came up?”

Dear Lord.

“Maybe I can talk you into letting me record you again.”

Oh hell . My breath rushes out. Images assault me out of nowhere. His strong arm around me, fingers spreading over my breasts. My shorts at my knees and his fingers inside my panties. I can still hear the sound of his fingers moving through my wetness, my breathing shallow as I tried to keep it together while he fondled my clit.

“You’re thinking about it,” he says, knowingly.

“I—” The blush of embarrassment rushes through me. I never thought having a man’s hand under my clothes would be such a turn-on. “You’re just trying to get some amateur porn.” I chuckle. “So you can get off on the image of me.”

“Sweetheart, I’ve been getting off on the image of you a for a while.”

“Oh my God,” I mumble. I can’t even imagine that happening. I’m caught somewhere between embarrassed, shocked, and a little turned on at the thought of being his fantasy.

“Now, I want the real thing.”

The memory of my pussy trying to tighten around him sends a shudder through my body. “Okay.” It’s little more than a whisper, but his breath rushes out.

“You know how to get to the Torres house?”

I have a mental image of the map on the wall. The Torres house is about half a mile from the main house. “Yeah, I think so.”

“I’ll send you the combination to the lock. That way you don’t have to pass a guard shack.”

That’s thoughtful, considering my position and the rumors that would start. It also keeps me from going across the road in front of the main house, which may come with its own set of problems.

“I’m on the way.”