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  “Fuck me, you’re good. So damn big,” Brandy managed, the sound muffled, strangled from lust.

  “Don’t forget about me,” Candy whined as she darted a look over her shoulder.

  “Don’t worry, sunshine. You’re next and I’m going to claim that tight ass of yours.” Boone chuckled, the sound almost evil. This was the kind of control he’d always wanted.

  Brandy panted and pressed her face into the bedding. “Wait. I gotta come.”

  Smack! Pop!

  Boone slapped his hand against her ass and drove harder and faster as stars floated in front of his eyes. He could hear the raggedness of his breath and clamped down on the approaching orgasm.

  “Oh, God!” Brandy stiffened, jerking up and arching her back. “Yes. Yes. Yes!”

  The moment she clenched her pussy muscles around the thick invasion, he almost lost it. Gripping her hips, he dropped his head, watching the way beads of sweat slipped down from his face to the small of her back. No, he refused to come.

  “God…” Brandy slumped down on the bed, her back heaving.

  Boone wiped his mouth and grinned as Candy crawled backward and opened her legs wide.

  “Fuck me, please,” she whispered.

  “Your wish is my command.” Boone shoved his fingers into her wet pussy, slathering them with her juice then pushed then into her asshole, flexing them open. He pumped several times as she wiggled and moaned, then knew he only had minutes left. His body was swaying, beads of sweat dripping into his eyes but he slipped the tip of his cock into her dark hole, waiting as her entire body tensed. “Going to be rough.”

  “Just fuck me.”

  He thrust his cock inside, hissing as her tight ass muscles wrapped around his shaft. The warmth was incredible. He licked his lips and pulled out, driving into her again. And again. Nothing should ever feel this damn good. Leaning over, he cupped her breast, his grip firm and plunged harder and faster.

  “Shit!” Candy whimpered.

  His legs began to shake to the point they were cramping yet he refused to stop, driving in long and even strokes. His balls were so damn full, and he knew the instant he was going to come. “Shit.” Rocking forward onto the balls of his feet, he picked up his pace until he was left breathless. “Oh, yes. Yes. Fuck!”

  When Boone was able to open his eyes, he wanted nothing more than to care about either one of the two women, but that wasn’t going to happen.

  He knew exactly who he wanted – the very woman of his dreams.

  Chapter 3

  Stasha knew she had to be insane. Her GPS had taken her on a winding and very narrow road. Darkness had settled in, at least given the heavy tree cover. She had no fucking idea where she was going and no weapons to speak of, except the butcher knife she’d taken from the kitchen drawer. Yeah, that was going to do her a lot of good. She knew she’d passed by the slender gravel driveway at least twice. Slowing down, she squinted and did her best to position her headlights to be able to read the numbers on the mailbox. “Thank God.”

  After glancing in her rearview mirror, she turned on the road. She could swear she could see various critters running out in front of her truck. And how in the hell could anyone hear the cries of puppies from this distance from the road? Had Penny been some kind of a plant? Megan had insisted that the women was on the up and up, a mainstay in town. She still had her doubts.

  She slowed to a crawl and hovered over the steering wheel, trying to make out anything. Rolling into a small clearing, she could see what had to be the house, but it was run down and had to be abandoned. Braking and shoving the gear into park, she kept the engine running as she tried to rationalize what the hell she was doing. Babies. If there were puppies that had been left, they could be hurt and definitely had to be hungry. She could do this.

  Turning off the engine, she kept the headlights on until she grabbed her flashlight, making certain it would work. She’d added fresh batteries, and everything appeared normal. After taking a solid five deep breaths, she turned off the lights and opened the door, debating on the knife. She half laughed. As if a monster was hovering in the darkness.

  As soon as she was out of the cab, she could hear the sounds of dogs howling. The sound had to be coming from the house. Every step tentative, she walked up the two steps, hesitating. There were no lights on inside, no cars or any other sign that someone lived here.

  Instead of knocking, she tried the front door. It was unlocked. Every move as methodical as possible, she stepped inside, leaving the door wide open. Flashing the light, she could tell easily that whoever had left had done so in a hurry. There were two chairs, a bookshelf full of papers and books and even a rug in front of the fireplace.

  She felt for a light switch. While she found it right by the front door, nothing happened. Okay. You can do this. Her nerves on edge, she moved the flashlight back and forth as she walked further inside.

  Yowl! Yelp!

  The noise startled her to the point she almost peed in her pants. She took another deep breath and concentrated on the sound. Down the hall. She was certain. Swallowing, she swung the light in a complete circle, making certain no one was behind her then crept down the dark hallway. The door at the end of the hall was closed. She heard scuttling sounds, like little paws tapping, running. Dear God, if some motherfucker left puppies here to die, she would hunt them down and kill them.

  When she reached the door, she nodded as if trying to convince herself that everything would be okay. The moment she opened the door and held the beam down to the floor, she melted. “Oh, babies.” There were at least six, maybe more puppies who were scampering back and forth, howling and yapping, the little barks full of anguish. The stench was overpowering, and her stomach churned as bile rushed into her throat. Feces were everywhere and the smell of urine strong.

  “Goddamn assholes.” She flipped the flashlight around the space and noticed another door. There was a mattress on the floor and the puppies had shredded the foam as well as the material. Bits were everywhere. She could see what appeared to be a bucket in the corner. Upon closer inspection, she determined whoever had abandoned them had left some food. By the fact they were still running around meant they weren’t lethargic, so the timing couldn’t have been too long. Maybe a week or two.

  She hunkered down. “It’s okay. We’ll get you out of here.” She’d brought three cages, hoping they’d be enough. After a few minutes, two trotted in her direction, fearful and barking yet curious. “Hi there. You’re adorable.” They appeared to be some type of large breed, perhaps Goldens or yellow Labs. Managing to capture two in her arms, she struggled to get out of the door, closing it behind her.

  Her heart was racing as she rushed toward the back of the truck, forced to drop the flashlight in order to open the tailgate and one of the cages. The dogs wiggled, continuing to yelp but she was able to get them inside. After latching the gate, she huffed and placed her hand over her heart. Who would do this kind of thing?

  After grabbing the flashlight, she repeated her act and when she finally had the seventh and last pup in the cage, she breathed a sigh of relief. Still, she had to go back inside one last time in case a puppy was hurt or lost. She had such a sense of dread as well as a terrible feeling something horrible had happened behind closed doors. At least she’d been able to save a few furry lives.

  Stasha walked back inside and the house was creepier, creaks coming from various places in the house, the wind pushing limbs against the roof. Yeah, she was petrified of every shadow. She walked into the kitchen and could swear the substance on the floor was congealed blood. Biting back a moan, she opened a couple of doors and saw or heard nothing else. The bedrooms were clean, except for hunks of trash and the distinct odor remained but after opening every door, the stench seemed to have been mixed with a copper smell.

  The rancid stench of blood.

  Gagging, she held her hand over her mouth as she scoured the room and the adjoining bathroom. The poor pups had been able to drink out of the
toilet. God. She could barely think about what they must have endured. Certain she’d gotten them all, she moved quickly back to the front of the house.

  Clip!

  She froze and held her breath. This was no tree slapping against the fallen gutters or wind whistling. Very slowly she turned in a full circle. The shadows seemed to have encroached, even rushing toward her. Nausea rolled in her stomach, churning to the point she could barely breathe. Think and breathe. Move. Get the hell out of here. Willing her feet to work, she scampered outside, slamming the front door.

  Now, the truck seemed way too far away. Her legs pumping, she raced for the driver’s door.

  Click!

  Bam!

  Bam!

  The boom woke Boone immediately. Disoriented, he jerked up from bed, trying to figure out where he was and what he’d heard. As he rubbed his eyes, he breathed out. His head hurt like a son of a bitch. Glancing over at the clock, he was shocked it was a little past nine thirty. Still foggy, he climbed out of bed, remembering the party and the girls. “Christ.” There was no sign of them.

  The memories of the sex were nice, but he felt like a shit given he was glad they’d left after he’d fallen asleep. This wasn’t like him. He was still rattled as he realized the sound reminded him of a gunshot and had to have come from next door. The place, as far as he knew, was abandoned but with a shot being fired, some jerk off could spook the horses.

  Finding his clothes, he struggled into them and grabbed a shotgun out of the closet then headed into the kitchen. Where the hell had he left his keys? After a minute of searching, he found them on the back of the counter. He was determined to run off any strays who’d decided to party at the house next door. He’d been through this before, right after moving here and refused to take the crap any longer. The damn owner of the place let anyone rent the ranch and not a single tenant had worked out.

  Jumping into the Mustang, he roared the engine to life and took off, screeching tires as he rolled down the driveway. Turning onto the street, he knew the driveway was less than a half mile down the road. The adjoining ranch was too close for comfort. His fury increasing, he turned onto the pitted gravel and hit the gas. Seconds later, he could see headlights coming fast in his direction. There was nowhere to pull off, no way to get out of the way of the approaching vehicle.

  Slamming on his brakes, he skidded from right to left but kept moving almost a hundred feet. When the car jerked to a halt, so did the truck but only a few feet away. Exhaling, the headlights highlighted the woman inside and even from where he was sitting, he could tell she was terrified. Scrambling out of the car, he grabbed the shotgun, holding it in both hands as he approached.

  She scuttled back in the seat yet remained silent.

  But he heard the sound of puppies barking. What the hell? He moved forward cautiously until he was five feet from her driver’s door. With only the glow of his headlights, he could just make out several cages in the back of the truck. Shifting his attention back to the woman inside, he managed to recognize her. The vet from earlier in the day. “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head several times, her eyes wild with terror.

  Boone held up the gun and tried to allow her to see that he was placing it down. Then he held up his hands, nodding before reaching out and touching the door handle.

  A single moan escaped her mouth, but she blinked, almost as if in recognition.

  When he opened the door, he smiled. “Dr. Parker?”

  Her breathing was heavy, and she swallowed several times before nodding again. “You’re the cowboy from today. Boone?”

  “Yeah, that’s me.” He looked down the long and very dark driveway then back into the cab of her truck. There was no sign of a gun of any kind. “Do you mind telling me what in the hell you’re doing here?”

  She slid forward a few inches then pointed out the back window. “I was told these…” Gulping for air, she hissed.

  “Take your time.”

  “I was told that these puppies had been abandoned. I couldn’t let them stay another night.”

  “Uh-huh.” He glanced over his shoulder.

  “Here. Take a look.” Handing him a flashlight, she shuddered, her arm shaking.

  He took the flashlight and shined the light into the back of her truck. “Ah, shit. Those bastards. I should have known they would do some shit like this.” The puppies were howling, obviously terrified. He was going to learn who owned the rundown ranch once and for all. Too many kids and partiers had turned the place into a shit hole.

  “Why are you here?” Her voice was stronger.

  “I live next door. Heard what sounded like a gunshot.”

  She crept even closer, finally allowing one foot to ease out of the truck. “You would be right. Some asshole shot at me.”

  Sighing, he flashed the light down the driveway but could see nothing. He knew well enough that a gunshot could sound close even from several hundred feet away. “So, you decided to come out here in the dark all by yourself, armed with nothing but a flashlight?”

  She exhaled and held up a butcher knife, the blade shimmering in the light.

  “Great. This isn’t a movie, Dr. Parker.”

  Half laughing, she looked out of the windshield. “If I’d known it was dangerous, I would have brought the cavalry.”

  Boone chuckled. “You do have balls the size of melons, I’ll give you that, but you can’t do this kind of shit. You could have gotten yourself killed.”

  “That much I figured out.”

  Her defiance had returned. He debated what to do. While there were hunters in the woods, not usually this time of day and she’d no doubt developed enemies given her brazen attitude. Would someone have followed her out here? This wasn’t a Netflix show and he doubted anyone would go to the trouble of following her. “Who told you about these animals?”

  “Penny… Penny Johnson. She is a new client of mine. Is she okay or should I have run away from her?”

  “Penny? Nice lady. Maybe a bit eccentric but wouldn’t harm a fly. If she told you then she was worried, although I have no idea how she knew about these puppies. She lives on the other side of town.” Wasn’t this an interesting bunch of shit?

  “As you can see, she was right.”

  “Yeah, she was.” He handed her back the light. “Look, you’re rattled, and I’d like to be able to help you with the puppies, at least for tonight. My place is a half mile down the road. Follow me back and I can give them food, water and shelter. And we can talk. Fair enough?” When she didn’t say anything, he smiled again. “You know I work with the smokejumping team. If I try anything outrageous you can call my captain. Fair enough, Doctor?”

  “Stasha. My name is Stasha,” she mumbled after looking him up and down more than once. “Yeah, I could use someone to talk to.”

  “Good. Slow and easy.” Grabbing the shotgun, he walked back to the car and the same sensations he’d had before rushed into his system. He liked the girl. Way too much. He swung out of the driveway and onto his own, heading for the house.

  After parking the car, he waited until she crawled out of the truck before walking closer. The last thing he wanted to do was spook her. “If those babies were abandoned, they have to be hungry. Like I said, I have a secure place we can take them. I’ve got some food and we’ll get them water and bedding. You game?”

  Stasha exhaled, the sound exaggerated. “That would be great. They seem okay, but they have to be hungry.” She yanked down the tailgate and reached inside.

  “I’ll get the cages. Grab your flashlight.” He pulled out two of the cages and they walked toward the barn. Warm light flooded the area and he moved past the horses to the last stall.

  “They’re beautiful.”

  He eyed her face as she looked from one horse to the other. “They’re special to me. Let’s get them in here. As he opened the gates and the puppies came bounding out, he crouched down. “I have no idea how people could do this kind of thing.”

 
“Neither do I but I’ve seen it more often that you want to hear about. The stories are horrible.”

  The shudder in her voice was chilling. “I can imagine. Let’s get them some water. I have some dog food up at the house. I keep it since half the team have dogs.”

  “Team?”

  He pulled the cages out of the stall and latched the door, grabbing a clean bucket. “Smokejumpers. We’re all pretty tight.”

  She remained quiet, her arms draped over the top of the gate. “Who the hell was shooting at me and why?”

  “Well, there are a hell of a lot of people who don’t take kindly to anyone interfering. You know, your mouth at the rodeo? Learned that one the hard way when I moved here.”

  “I don’t want to know.” Huffing, she mumbled under her breath. “I don’t care if I ruffled feathers. No one has a right to shoot at me for any reason.”

  Chuckling, he shook his head. “My guess is the shot seemed closer than it really was. I wouldn’t worry too much.”

  “You weren’t there.”

  No, he wasn’t. After pouring the small bucket full of water, he eased it inside. “Pretty pups. Shouldn’t be hard to find families.”

  “If they live. They could have several kinds of diseases.” Stasha groaned.

  “Anyone ever tell you that you worry too damn much?”

  “All the time.”

  Boone gave her a wink. “Let’s get you up to the house. I’ll make some coffee.”

  “Do you have anything stronger?”

  Grinning, he motioned toward the door. “I can make that happen.” They walked in silence and while he had several questions, he could sense she wasn’t ready to talk. At least she hadn’t snapped his head off. He also knew he was going to find out what was going on with the ranch, yet he suspected the gun blast had nothing to do with the fact she’d rescued dogs.

  “Here we are. Nothing fancy and it’s not clean. I had a party today after qualifying.”

  “You know what you’re doing. I watched you,” Stasha half-whispered.