Destry Read online

  “I’m just saying it figures the chick who turns you inside out, lands right in your lap.” Brax nodded his head to Amelia, who was sitting cross-legged in the shade eating an apple. Her blonde hair that had been tied up at the base of her head was now blowing out in the light breeze. “I think you need to stop thinking things are so cut and dry, D. Just because it walks like a duck and looks like a duck doesn’t mean it’s just a duck.”

  I barked out a laugh at his bad analogy. “Ducks? Really?” I shook my head and cracked the bottle of water he handed me, gulping it down. The cool water that ran down my chin and onto my chest was welcomed in the heat of the day. “She’s only passing through. Don’t go getting ideas in your head,” I reminded him. I wasn’t sure if the two weeks were going to be the slowest, most painful of my life or if they’d fly right by.

  “Hmm, maybe she could be convinced to stay,” he mused, with an innocent expression on his face. One I knew better than to buy into.

  “I’m warning you, Brax. Leave the girl be; she doesn’t belong in these parts.”

  “Ducks, D. Not just ducks.” He looked over at her again. Then I did something I’d never done in my life. I snapped at him.

  “You don’t have a fucking clue what you are talking about. Finish up here. I’m done.” I jumped on my quad and sped off toward the house. Not only had I just taken Braxton’s head off, but I’d skipped out on my responsibilities too.

  Once home, I traded my quad for my truck, stopping just long enough to grab a clean shirt, and flew out of the driveway heading toward the local bar. Once there, I pulled in and crushed the brake pedal to the floor, slamming my door as I jumped out. I stomped inside and threw myself into a bar stool slapping my hand down twice to get Rach, the bartender’s, attention. She took one look at me and slid a beer down the worn wooden counter top. I downed it in a few long pulls and nodded at her as she finished up with her customer and wandered down to me with another two bottles in her hand.

  “Rough day, D?” she asked uncapping both bottles and sliding one to me before tipping her own back.

  “Rough goddamn week,” I grumbled and chugged down my second drink.

  “Out with it then.” Rach nodded putting her drink down and leaned forward onto her elbows. I’d known Rach practically my whole life. She’d grown up round here and went to the same school as us, kicked around the same circles and generally been a good friend.

  “Damn city girls coming in and screwing shit up.” I hadn’t intended to say much of anything, but the thing with Rach was once she got you to talk, the flood gates seemed to open and there was no stopping it.

  “Oh, shit.” Rach rubbed a hand over her face and grimaced “Is she back? “

  I cringed and shook my head knowing exactly who she was. She had a name I’d never mention again in my God given natural born life. She had been a city girl too. I slipped back into the memory of my seventeen-year-old self.

  “You sure about this, buddy?” Darren, my best friend all through school, had asked quietly while we sat on the grandstands watching all the students walk past.

  “Never been more sure of anything in my life.” I shook my head and smiled. “She’s it, bud. She’s the one. I’m gonna marry that girl.” I looked down at the huddle of people on the field and spotted my girl. Long brunette hair, long legs and a magnetic personality. She threw her head back and laughed loudly, everyone around her joining in. Nobody could be near her and not be happy. She was just that kind of person. “Yeah, I’m gonna marry her.”

  I snapped out of my memory when I heard glass smashing. I looked further down the bar to see Rach with a guy almost twice her size in her face. I didn’t even think of moving seeing as I knew exactly what would happen next. I watched from out the corner of my eye as Rach grabbed a handful of his shirt when the guy pulled his hand back, and without a second thought, she reared her fist back and planted it square on his face causing blood to flow from the obviously broken nose she’d just served him. She let go of his shirt, pushing him back and he tumbled over his bar stool, cussing her out the whole time. “You bitch!” he yelled at her.

  She reached behind the bar, pulled out her baseball bat, and then told him, “Get your stupid ass out of my bar. Don’t let me catch you here again, needledick.” With that, the dumbass got up and scurried to the door just about pissin’ his pants on the way. Rach was a tough one and everyone in town knew not to fuck with her or her bar.

  “You good?” I asked when she came back down my way with another cold bottle for me.

  “Yeah. No sweat.” She winked and wiped the remaining blood off her hand.

  I flinched and pulled my hand into a fist at the next wave of memories that hit me.

  “You’re only twenty years old, boy. You sure you don’t wanna wait a bit longer? Gramps had told me that afternoon.

  “Nah, I’m going to get my city girl. I’m taking her to the drive in and I’m gonna ask her. I got the ring today. I’ve got it all set up. I pick her up in an hour. I’ve got the picnic dinner all ready to go; her favorite flick’s playing tonight. The stars are out and it’s gonna be something I’ll never forget, Gramps.”

  She’d moved in to town a few years back from the city, and from the first moment I’d laid eyes on her, I knew I wanted that girl. She might have been city, but she was my city, and I was gonna have her for the rest of my life.

  “Best be hurrying then. Don’t waste any time. Girls like that, they don’t hang around waiting.” Gramps had been spot on, and apparently so had I. It turned out to be a night I wouldn’t ever forget.

  “She ain’t her,” Rach said, taking my empties away. I’d been lost in thought for so long I hadn’t realized I’d knocked back half a dozen beers already.

  “Come again?” I raised my eyebrows at her while I slid my next drink from one hand to the other.

  “You heard me.” She wiped down the counter in front of me with the rag in her hand. “Not all of ‘em are gonna do a runner like she did.”

  “And what makes you think that?” I scrunched my brow up at her.

  Rach shook her head and looked to the roof before bringing her gaze back to me. “Because why would you be sitting in my bar on a Thursday afternoon when you should be working, drowning your sorrows over a girl you say isn’t important? You’re the smartest guy I know, Destry. You wouldn’t be letting her get to you if you didn’t already know she was different.”

  I grumbled into my beer as Rach walked off to serve more customers. I had to concede; I had made my mind up early in regards to Amelia being just like that girl who’d broken a piece of me. Maybe, Rach was right. Maybe, I needed to look at her with more of an open mind. Maybe, she wasn’t the spoilt little princess I’d assumed she was. Maybe, I already knew all of that to be true.

  The rest of the week flew by in a blur of sweaty, shirtless guys, who were too hot for their own damn good. I hadn’t yet regretted my decision to insist on helping out around the place, and now their gran and pops were staying with family; it seemed like they needed the extra help.

  To say I was more than a little surprised at how well the boys could cook, clean and generally take care of themselves was an understatement. Clearly, they’d been taught from an early age how to take care of things. It was refreshing, considering the men who’d been in my life couldn’t even manage to get their own clothing out of the closet on their own. Their clothing had to be laid out for them, lined up for their convenience in the order that they dressed, pressed to perfection, and presented like some kind of twisted fashion show. Much like the women in their lives.

  One would think a week wasn’t long to reflect on your life situations, but I’d come to realize very quickly that the life I had been living wasn’t for me. It was a series of acts and curtain calls, ones that were destroying who I really was, who I wanted to be. I was done with it; I was ready to live my own life, for nobody other than myself. I’d already started. Instead of acting the way I had been taught a lady should behave, I’d be
en myself—my real self—the entire time I’d been here. It was liberating, not having to worry about makeup and pearls, sitting with my ankles crossed and not speaking unless spoken to. I’d rather spend every day of my life working in the beauty of a ranch than stuffed into the most expensive dresses with huge diamonds on my hand.

  “Hot damn!” Austin’s low gravelly voice filtered through my thoughts as I stepped out the back door onto the veranda. I turned and found him looking at me with a sexy smirk.

  “Hey, look at you all scrubbed up. Hot date?” I asked, taking in his twinkling green eyes; the boy was a looker that was for sure. I was sure he could have his pick of girls; he had that self-assured, cocky vibe about him and he played on it. Always dropping a suggestive comment, and beyond all that, was his naturally tanned and well-cared for body.

  “I dunno. You ready?” He smirked his signature look down at me from where he leaned against the railing, his dark gray cotton shirt stretching over his muscled frame.

  “Cute, real cute.” I laughed at him, bending slightly to slip my pumps on my feet. I still hadn’t had time to go shopping, so I had the few pairs of shorts and tanks I’d picked up in town; the rest of it was borrowed from Ellie-May. Luckily, we were close to the same size. However, her tendency toward short denim skirts and flannel shirts wasn’t quite what I was used to, but I made them work to my advantage.

  “Y’all ready?” Ellie-May stepped out onto the veranda wearing the cutest pink cowboy boots I’d ever seen.

  “You think you’re going out the house looking like that, you’re kidding yourself.” Destry’s voice sent a shiver though my body and goose bumps broke out across my skin. No matter how much I tried to be oblivious to him, he continued to have this effect on me. For the most part, we tried to ignore each other. Occasionally, I’d get caught staring or vice versa, so I knew he was looking; however, most times I caught him, he’d have a scowl on his face. Turning my head, I saw him standing behind us in the doorway, one hand stretched up above his head holding onto the doorframe. From the corner of my eye, I did a slow sweep of him, taking in his boots and well-fitted worn jeans. His shirt was riding up, giving a peek of his gloriously ripped stomach. A happy trail of hair demanded my eyes follow it until it disappeared into the low-riding edge of his jeans, framed by hips anyone would have trouble not wanting to reach out and bite. Hell, I almost lunged at him from across the porch.

  “I’m more than capable of choosing my own clothes, D. Cut it with the big brother bullshit and let’s go.” Ellie-May’s sass never ceased to amuse me. Destry simply scowled and tapped on the doorframe before walking up dangerously close behind me.

  “Look good, darlin’.” His hot breath blew on the back of my neck where he spoke in a low growl. Just his voice that close and the heat from his hard body behind me had my knees dangerously close to buckling. “Save me a dance,” he whispered before moving away and sauntering down the steps like that whole situation hadn’t affected him in the least. Meanwhile, I stood stock still with what I’m sure could be described as lust-filled glossed-over eyes, a racing pulse and damp panties. My libido was now in full swing and we hadn’t even left the porch.

  “Saw that.” Austin’s laughing voice startled me out of my fog. “Come on. Let’s get you in the truck before you spontaneously combust.” I picked my jaw up off the ground and followed him down the steps to where the boys’ trucks sat. I expected we’d just be jumping into Austin’s big Chevy 2500 Silverado; it was a nice piece of machine in its own right and made for a nice ride that fit all of us in, but before I made it to the back doors, a hand wrapped around my forearm.

  “Ride with me?” Destry asked in a sultry voice, pulling me gently into his body. As I stumbled, my hands fell flat on his chest where I could feel his strong steady heartbeat. My brain short-circuited and I was sure if we were in a cartoon, my tongue would have rolled out of my mouth and I would have melted into a puddle. Staring up into his gorgeous blue eyes, I managed to make my head move up and down without blurting out how much I’d like to climb his body like a tree. He waved everyone else off as they pulled out of the drive, and led me around the side of the house where the gravel path continued.

  I came up short when Destry stopped and opened the door to a baby blue 1976 Chevy pickup. It was nothing short of extraordinary, fully restored to its original glory, complete with reupholstered gray bench seat and what looked to be the reconditioned smooth metal steel. “Wow,” I breathed, leaning in and running my hand along the dash. A deep groan sounded behind me, poorly covered up by the clearing of a throat. I was wearing a tiny denim skirt and bending over, and oh, good Lord, I was flashing Destry, who was still standing behind me, holding the door open. I straightened myself quickly without thinking and smacked my head on the doorframe. “Ouch!” My hand shot up to the back of my head where I’d connected with the metal. I’d hit it hard enough that I could feel an egg forming under my fingers.

  “Ah, shit” he mumbled, grabbing me by the hips and spinning me round. He then planted my ass on the seat so I was facing him, my legs hanging out the door. “Let me see,” he said, squatting down in front of me while carefully touching my head and feeling around in my hair with his hands.

  “I’m okay. It’s just a tiny bump.” I winced when his fingers brushed over the sore spot. He made a noise in the back of his throat, and before I knew it, he was carrying me back to the house. My arms automatically went up to his shoulders. He walked with me cradled in his arms as if I weighed no more than a child. I was pretty sure I didn’t have brain damage, so the rush of blood to all my sweet spots had to be the fact his really big, really strong arms were holding me tightly to his chest.

  “You need some ice,” he ground out between his teeth. I bit my lip to keep from nibbling along his strong jawline. I did need ice, but it was more to cool my body temperature thanks to him, rather than for the bump on my head.

  “Ah, I’m kinda heavy. You can probably put me down now,” I told him when he shifted me a little higher in his arms. I moved my hand down to ready myself for the moment my feet touched the ground, only to feel him shudder under my palm. His gaze connected with mine. His eyes darkened and filled with desire. I sucked in a breath and did it again, running my hand back up his chest, across the side of his neck and stopping against the back of his neck. His eyes didn’t leave mine and a hiss escaped his full lips. The bump on my head was all but a distant memory as the hand he had behind my back moved a little lower then stopped abruptly. I was conflicted. I didn’t want him to put me down, but I wasn’t about to throw myself at him.

  “You’ll need to stop me now.” He was looking down at me like he was about to pounce.

  “No,” I breathed, his face moving closer to mine with each second. “I don’t want you to st—” His mouth crashed down on mine before I’d finished my sentence, and he took everything I was offering up, consuming my mind and body with a kiss that lit me on fire. I didn’t even register him moving me around until my legs wrapped around his waist of their own accord. Weaving my fingers through his soft hair, I moaned into his mouth when he bit down gently on my lower lip then sucked it into his mouth, easing the delicious sting he’d created.

  My body took control of my brain when his calloused hands slid up under the back of my already pushed-up skirt. He broke away from my mouth, both of us panting as he turned us around and sat my ass on the edge of the table. I hadn’t even realized we’d made it back inside the house until then. “Cherry, of course, it’s cherry,” he breathed, referring to my cherry lip balm. I hadn’t gone a day without it since I was ten; it was my biggest weakness. His mouth came down on my neck, nibbling his way lower until he found the spot that joined my shoulder and neck, sending a delicious shiver through my body straight to my clit. I was so turned on I couldn’t see anything passed getting him inside me, and doing it as fast as possible. I grabbed at his shirt, pulling it up and over his head, forcing him to break contact with my skin. Dropping the cotton in my hand, I took
my time eye raping his amazing body. I’d seen him shirtless every day I’d been at the ranch, but up close and personal, it was something girls’ wet dreams were made of. I reached out and ran my nails down his muscled chest, not stopping until I’d gone past his washboard abs and my hand was wrapped around his denim covered erection.

  A growl tore through his chest, and before I could blink, my torn panties were hanging off the chair beside us. I ripped my tank over my head and threw it somewhere behind him. I gave his cock a squeeze when it twitched in my hand, and his eyes rolled back slightly. His head came down taking my mouth in a lip-bruising kiss of teeth, tongues and moans, while he made quick work of my black lace bra. I grabbed his button-fly jeans and tugged them open with force. I came in contact with nothing but skin; he was as hard as steel and as smooth as silk.

  “Jesus Christ,” he moaned when I pumped my hand down his thick, long cock a few times, causing his hips to buck slightly. One of his hands palmed an aching breast, pinching my nipple just barely, which had me arching up into his hand, practically begging for more. Destry’s other hand slid slowly down my hip until he grabbed my thigh. His fingers moved slowly down my leg until he got to my ankle where he wrapped my leg around his waist. Every part of me was screaming out in need; my chest was heaving with the fast breaths I was taking.

  He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a condom, quickly tearing open the packet and rolling it down his length. I’d never known a man putting on a condom to be so damn hot, but the way he held himself—heavy in his large hand—was nothing short of sexy.

  Sitting on the edge of that big wooden table, one leg wrapped around him, the other now hooked over his arm, he lined himself up and rubbed the head of dick across my aching clit, causing a series of blissful shocks to go off in all different directions. I was teetering on the threshold of orgasm when he grabbed one side of my hip and drove himself into me. My head flew back and I moaned loudly, unable to control the sounds coming from my own mouth, with each thrust of his hips. I gripped onto the edge of the table to hold myself in place as his hips found a brutal pace. Pounding into me, we turned into a frantic mass of arms, legs and slapping skin.