Spurred (Steele Ranch 1)

1

CORD

“Fuck.”

The curse slipped out at the sight of her. There was no other word for it. She was too gorgeous and I was too screwed. I’d hoped the pictures I’d seen of her had been wrong. That her hair wasn’t a fiery shade of red. That the curl in it wouldn’t get wrapped around my fingers when I held her in place for kisses. That she didn’t have a spray of freckles across her nose. Or full breasts, rounded hips. Gorgeous, ripe ass.

No, one look at the pictures my lead investigator had emailed and I’d gone hard as a rock. She was perfect. And when I’d shown them to Riley, he’d nodded in agreement. No words had been needed.

And now, with her standing before me in her floral sundress, her shoulders bare except for two thin, little straps holding it all up, I was completely and totally fucked.

Because she was mine. Mine and Riley’s. This woman, the first Steele daughter to be found and come to Montana, was well and truly claimed. She just didn’t know it yet. And all I’d said to her was “fuck.”

And of course, with the one word, I’d blown it. She startled and looked up at me with surprise and a hint of fear in her eyes. When she took a step back and glanced around the baggage claim area for either an escape or for someone to help her, I clenched my jaw tight.

Yeah, I got that a lot. I was a big fucker, but I wouldn’t hurt her. I’d never hurt her. I’d thought about how the first time we’d meet would go, and it hadn’t been like this.

I’d scared her. Good thing she was looking at my face and missed the way my dick was pressing painfully against the zipper of my jeans. That might have really scared her because I was big. All over. I looked forward to when she learned just how big it was, taking each thick inch of it deep inside her hot little pussy.

She wasn’t a small woman; she came up to my chin in her city-slicker sandals that were useless on a Montana ranch. They were hot as fuck, and I thought about how those little heels would feel as they dug into my back as I tossed up the hem of that flirty dress and fucked her. Yeah, my dick wasn’t going to go down anytime soon. Not until I sank into her, fucked this need right out of me. Like that was possible. This…ache I had for her was not ever going to go away.

So the hard-on remained. If she saw what she did to me, she’d run the other way.

That was the last thing I wanted. I wanted her as close as possible. So close I was balls deep inside her.

I cleared my throat, took off my hat, rested it against my thigh and covered myself with the brim. I tried to get my mind out of the fucking gutter. Yeah, I wanted to do all kinds of dirty things to her, to muss up that lipstick—hell, to see it coat the length of my dick—but that would be later. Now, I had to keep her from running to the nearest airport security officer. I had to be a gentleman, even when I wanted to be anything but.

“Kady Parks?” I asked, lifting my hand in front of me as if I were surrendering to her. Perhaps I was, because pretty much between one heartbeat and the next three weeks ago, I’d gone from contented bachelor to hers. Irrevocably. Seeing her in the investigator’s pictures—of her walking out of her school and talking to a few of her students, carrying a bag of groceries to her car, carrying a yoga mat and heading into the local Y—she’d destroyed me for all others. I had no idea what it was about her, but there was no turning back now.

I wasn’t complaining. Not one bit. I’d wanted to settle down for a while, but had never found the one. But ever since my lead investigator sent me her pictures, my fantasies had been filled with her and only her. No other woman would do ever again. My balls ached to grab her, toss her over my shoulder and take her back to my house and have her in my bed until I could ease the need for her. My brain—which wasn’t getting any blood supply since it was all south of my belt—was trying to tell me to chill the fuck out. She’d be mine. I just had to say more than “fuck.”

“Yes,” she replied. Her voice was soft, melodic and perfect for her. What I’d imagined it would be like. But, it held a quaver of fear, and since I’d put that look in her eye and the sound in her voice, it was my job to fix it.

I gave her a small, and hopefully reassuring, smile. “I’m Cord Connolly.”

The fear melted from her face like snow in July—gone as quickly as it had come. She recognized my name, knew I was part of her welcoming committee.

“You’re big.” Her hand went to cover her mouth, her eyes widening in surprise. “I’m so sorry! Of course, you know that,” she gasped, the words muffled by her fingers. Embarrassment tinged her cheeks a pretty shade of pink.

I laughed then, ran my hand over the back of my neck. “No worries. I am big.”

She dropped her hand but had yet to get over her mortification since her gaze flitted about, everywhere but at mine. “Professional football?”

Slowly, I shook my head. “College. I could have gone pro, but I chose a different path instead.”

She cocked her head to the side, her hair sliding over her bare shoulder. I was mesmerized watching it, jealous of a wayward curl as it brushed her pale skin. I had to wonder if she stayed out of the sun or slathered herself in sunscreen.

And that had my thoughts veering to spreading the lotion all over her body for her. Not missing one bare inch of her. I cleared my throat. “Military.”

“Oh, well. Thank you for your service.”

I offered her a slight nod, not used to being thanked for what I’d done. It had been a job, one I’d done well before I got out, started my own security firm. My background wasn’t all that exciting, so I changed the subject. “Riley Townsend is here, too, parking the truck.” I angled my head toward the sliding doors I’d come through. “I’m sorry we were late to meet you.”

She smiled and I stifled a groan. Her lips were full, a shiny gloss on them. Something red. Or plum. Some color with a girly name. She was so fucking feminine, a stark contrast to me. Delicate. Breakable. At six-four, two-hundred fifty pounds, I was a Neanderthal in comparison. No. A caveman. The basest form of a guy who found a woman and wanted to toss her over his shoulder and carry her back to his cave. To keep her. Claim her. Mark her.

“It’s no problem. My flight arrived early.”

I cleared my throat again, thinking just how I wanted to mark her, my cum dribbling from those lush lips or perhaps coating her belly and breasts. Dripping from her pussy and down her thighs. Or marking the rosette of her virgin ass. Oh yeah, that little hole still had its cherry. Just looking at her, I was sure of it. No way had anyone claimed that gift yet.

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. I had no words. No brain function. We stood there, staring. I couldn’t look away. Couldn’t believe she was real. All peaches and cream skin and citrus scent. She was here. She was going to be mine. Ours. I just didn’t need to blow it.

Fuck. This time, I kept the word within. I kept thinking mine, mine, mine, like a chant. A broken record. I curled my fingers into a fist to keep from reaching out, stroking over her silky hair, sliding my fingers down the long line of her neck, over her delicate collarbone that peeked out from beneath the strap of her dress.

Other passengers moved around us. A tired toddler cried from a stroller that was pushed past. The canned security message blared from the hidden speakers. No one felt the electricity that passed between us. The way the air crackled with need. Want. Instant attraction.

She wasn’t immune. Surprised, definitely. If the way her nipples were pressing like two pencil erasers against the thin fabric of her dress was any indication, she liked what she saw, perhaps just a whole lot more of it than expected. I just had to wonder if her pussy was eager for me.

“There you are.”

Riley’s voice broke the spell and Kady turned to look at my approaching friend. At her approaching husband. Yes, we were going to be her husbands. Not just Riley. Both of us. Weird, yes, but I didn’t give a shit. We were claiming her. Not that we were going to mention that at this moment, but if we were going to take her to bed, do all the things I’d thought about—and then some—she’d ultimately have our ring. We wouldn’t disrespect her like that.

Kady watched Riley as he approached. The warm smile on his face was his usual, but as his best friend, I knew the spring in his step was because he was just as eager to meet her as I’d been. But since he’d driven and had to park, I’d gotten lucky and found her first.