Wild as the Wind_A Bad Boy Rancher Love Story Read online

  I shook my head and avoided his side stares. His voice for my part of the conversation sounded like some mixed up version of Scarlett O'Hara meets any female voice from an old Monty Python sketch.

  "You're ridiculous," I said before realizing what I was doing.

  Dammit. I failed in less than five minutes.

  "She speaks!" Jeremy said, flourishing his free arm wide. "Thank God. I was beginning to think your prolonged illness had addled your wits."

  I rolled my eyes and glanced over at him. "You're not talking your way into my room that easily.”

  "Oh, come on. Can't I just come inside once? Then I could go home and tell all my brothers that I'd made a pilgrimage to the sacred shrine of Chrissy's room. They'll all be real jealous. I’ll let you ride my bike.”

  Was he mocking me? I turned and stopped, pressing my hands on my hips as I took an aggressive step toward him. "Shut up, Jeremy Thompson. If you had a brain, it'd die of loneliness."

  Jeremy laughed. "I don't know what's got you all upset, but it's true. My brothers still talk about you, you know. When we lived closer they used to stay up half the night talking about you. 'I wonder what her room looks like.' 'I wonder what kind of panties she wears.' 'I wonder if she'd ever let me kiss her.'"

  No. Damn. Way. I didn’t believe a word of it. He was lying. He had to be.

  His tone softened as he took a step toward me, my aggression not seeming to scare the boy at all. He was an idiot for sure.

  "Hey," he said, looking down and kicking at a tuft of grass with his boot. "I'm sorry if I did anything to offend you. I don't like the thought of you mad at me. So tell me what I can do to fix it, and I will."

  I turned and started walking again, lost in thought. It was rude to leave him there, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I was far too in love with Jeremy Thompson to let anything but angst flow between us. I didn’t want to ride his bike. I wanted to ride him.

  He says he's sorry. Says his brothers talked about me, even thought about my panties? Did he really just say panties to me? His brothers wanted to kiss me?

  But what about him?

  Doesn't matter. It’s irrelevant. Just get through the summer and then it's off to college where there will be plenty of attractive, smart young guys just ready to sweep me off my feet.

  I had grown from a girl to a woman, but the boy behind me sure did leave me feeling like a needy, underdeveloped girl again.

  "I was real excited when I heard your dad was looking for an extra pair of hands this summer. The house has gotten a little rough around the edges since Momma passed last year. The softness is almost gone at home, but here, it's just like I remember it."

  I frowned and stopped, glancing back and waiting for him to catch up again. I had heard about Mrs. Thompson's passing but hadn't been able to attend her service. I’d been in San Antonio for a quiz bowl competition as the team captain. Now I wondered if I'd made a mistake, putting school activities before family friends.

  “I should have been there,” I mumbled. He continued talking, ignoring my admission of guilt, which I was grateful for. Maybe he wasn’t such an ass. I needed him to be one though, right? How hard would I fall for him if he wasn’t? Hard.

  "Your mom cooks and cleans, and hums her way around the house, straightening and making sure everything looks nice and smells nice. Just like my momma used to. Living in a house with five other men and no female presence, things start to go a little feral. We've lost a lot of the niceties my mother used to bring. I miss her. I miss her a heck of a lot."

  His openness entirely melted my defenses. I wanted to turn and slide my arms around his waist, pulling him into a warm hug and promising that it would get better. I just couldn’t.

  "I'm sorry," I whispered, adverting my gaze to the ground.

  "It's okay. We’re all dealing with it. Let's change the subject from me though. I’d rather talk about you. You got big plans after this summer, I would assume?"

  "Sure do. I got a full-ride scholarship to UT Austin. I leave for campus in August."

  "A full ride? Austin's the best school in the UT system. Dang, girl, I always knew you were smart, but you're Austin smart. Way to go."

  Jeremy's words spread a warmth through me far more than they should. I couldn’t seem to find words to respond. He was trying to be friendly and I was lost in the memory of him five years earlier, when he'd been the object of all of my adoration. Being the only girl helping out in the fields with a group of unruly boys had been rough, but Jeremy had always treated me with kindness and respect. Why had I blocked that?

  His treating me like a lady is what made me fall in love in the first place. He'd been patient, and sweet, and his rangy frame had made me drool with preteen lust. He still seemed to possess those qualities, especially the drool-worthy ones.

  "Seeing as how you're all smart and all, maybe this will interest you. There's gonna be a meteor shower tonight, and I was planning on watching it up by the lake. You wanna come with me?" If he noticed that I wasn’t capable of holding a conversation, he didn’t let it bother him.

  I had passed by the news story on TV that morning, the idea of it being so rare catching my attention. I’d considered checking it out myself, but to go up to the lake with Jeremy Thompson at night? I wasn’t so sure that was a good idea. I wanted to feel the firm press of him against me almost too much. If I made a dumbass move and got rejected again… well, I’m not sure I would recover.

  I glanced up at him, his piercing blue eyes watching me closely. "You're interested in a meteor shower? I wouldn't have pegged you for the type."

  Jeremy shrugged. "Sure, I like looking at the stars. And besides, meteors are just a bunch of shooting stars, and if you wish on one, your wish comes true. So the way I see it, I can make a whole bunch of wishes during a meteor shower."

  I laughed and he joined in. Despite his shortcomings, Jeremy was charming. Why was I forcing myself to act like an ass again? A four year old hurt?

  "Okay," I said, deciding to give in and see where things led. "I'll go."

  Later that night, after I had finished cleaning up the dinner dishes, we walked out the old road that led up to the lake. The sun was setting, and a few stars winked on, here and there, in the darkening expanse of the sky.

  "This meteor shower is only supposed to be visible every six or so years."

  I nodded. "Yeah, it's called the June Boötids meteor shower, and it's fairly unpredictable."

  "So you won't see another one until you're...what...25?"

  I wondered about the direction of the conversation, but worked hard to let my guard down. He had been nothing but nice. I owed him kindness and the benefit of the doubt until I could figure him out a little better.

  "Well, I turned eighteen a few weeks ago, so that means I'll be twenty-four the next time it comes around."

  "Oh, happy birthday then. I turned twenty-two back in March.” He moved a little closer, his shoulder brushing by mine softly as he moved.

  The last rays of the sun were reflected on the still surface of the lake and my breath caught in my chest as I walked over the small hill and it came into perfect view. I loved the lake, especially when I got to spend hot summer afternoons swimming in it with friends, or occasionally going fishing with daddy. Although, fishing mainly consisted of me reading a book while dad drank beer and watched the tip of his pole for a bite.

  "It's pretty." Jeremy turned toward me as we paused for a minute. "But not as pretty as you."

  "That's a lame come on," I said, chuckling softly at him. I needed to keep this light. Certainly he wasn’t hitting on me. These things just didn’t happen and if they did, they were with guys like Harold. Not the town hottie.

  He put an arm around my shoulder and turned his face toward mine. "It might be lame, but it's true. You're the prettiest girl in five counties."

  I swallowed hard and went for overconfident, which wasn’t a strong suit of mine, but what else was I gonna do? Pee myself. Yeah… peeing on myself seemed a
n option.

  I lifted my eyebrow at him. "Where is all this coming from? You think I'm easy pickings since you're staying in my house?"

  Jeremy frowned. "Not at all. There's nothing easy about you."

  I bristled and tried to pull away, but his hold tightened. I liked how strong he was and that he wasn’t willing to let me win.

  "Dang, girl, you could start a fight in an empty house. What's so wrong with just taking a compliment? You're beautiful. Surely you know this. You ain't blind and your house has a few mirrors."

  I worked to not let my jaw drop. Jeremy thought I was beautiful? I was alright, but beautiful isn’t a word I would use to describe myself.

  "Look," he said, slipping his arm off my shoulders and reaching to take my hand. “Come down here.”

  We stopped at the bank of the water and he tugged me to the edge, pointing at our reflections in the dark water. "Just look. You're gorgeous. That thick golden hair that explodes with little golden sparks in the sun. Eyes greener than Kentucky bluegrass. Skin like cream, and a body as lithe as a colt, with a spirit to match."

  I glanced down at the water and squinted. He sees all that? In me? I see a scared twelve year old with a crush.

  I turned toward him and started to talk, but words just wouldn’t give me aid. I felt myself falling into the impossible depths of his bottomless blue eyes. His fingers slid down my arm and rested on the swell of my hip, tightening a little. He pressed the fingers of his other hand under my head and tilted my head. I honestly thought that was the moment. I couldn’t handle the pressure of thinking it was to be a letdown.

  "Hey look," I said, pointing behind him. "A meteor."

  He didn't bother to turn and look, he just stared into my face and whispered in his deep bedroom voice, "Make a wish, Christina.”

  I didn’t have time to do anything as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I slid my arms around his neck, unable to help myself.

  It was a proper kiss, a real, adult kiss, and it was… incredible. His lips gently caressed mine, coaxing me to relax, to give in. I had no choice but to relax against him, opening myself up to whatever he wanted from me. He suckled my bottom lip, a soft groan leaving him as my knees went weak.

  His tongue began to probe at the seam of my lips and I couldn't help myself. I opened my mouth and slid my fingers down his sides, slipping them under his shirt and brushing them along the soft skin of his back.

  He pressed his tongue deep into my mouth and it was nothing like the kiss with Harold. His tongue was wet and soft and tasted like peppermint. I sucked on it softly, letting my body tell me what we were going to do next. He groaned again and I whimpered, unable to stop the building need that filled every open space inside of me.

  After an eternity he pulled away and began placing little kisses along my cheek before dragging his lips down my neck. He pressed a hot kiss to my ear and I shivered. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I saw you again. Thoughts of you have been driving me crazy."

  Thoughts of me? I moaned and rocked my hips against him.

  "That first night, when you showed me your room, your little yellow dress was soaked through. I could see how heavy your breasts had gotten and your little blue panties. My mouth is watering right now to taste you. I can’t get it out of my head, Christina."

  “Chrissy,” I whispered, giving him permission to use the nickname he had given me.

  His words set me on fire. He brushed his fingers over my hips and caressed the top of my rear before holding me in place and shifting his hips. The thickness of his erection rubbed against my stomach and I thought I might fucking melt right there.

  "Chrissy," he said, running his nose up neck and pulling back as he looked down at me. He moved his hands to cup my face again, leaning down and brushing his lips across mine.

  I needed to step back. This was going too fast and I barely knew him. The guy I grew up with was bi-polar. How could he be any different now? I pulled back and walked a few paces away, turning to look up at the sky.

  "Look at all those shooting stars." I pointed at the meteor shower that was now in full effect. "You're missing a lot of chances to make wishes."

  Jeremy laughed. "Why bother?

  He moved behind me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me flush against his thick chest. "My greatest wish just came true."

  I blushed and relaxed in his arms, leaning my head back against his shoulder and wondering how the hell this happened. Did wishes really come true?

  We watched the meteors streak through the sky in silence until he walked me home, his grasp on my hand comfortable, but almost too tight.

  I laid in my bed that night, alone in my room. I couldn’t sleep for anything. I kept replaying his kiss, hearing his words and those soft little groans…. Fuck those groans. Every part of me ached to get up and go find him.

  I slid my hand down my stomach and into my panties, my fingers quickly dipping into the slickest wetness I had ever produced. I jerked my hand back up like I had been scalded. I didn’t need this. It was bad, right? I would bend down and worship this boy if I wasn’t careful and like he did four year ago, he would leave at the end of the summer and rip my heart from my chest.

  It felt so good to finally receive the wish I’d prayed to get at every birthday party or during every shooting star. The man of my dreams kissing me, wanting me, hot for me.

  Still, some worry dug into me. Something that wanted to warn me about the path I was on. It kept whispering the same thing over and over.

  Be careful what you wish for.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Dinner the following night was awkward at best. I felt like Jeremy's kisses were branded all over me. Would everyone notice?

  Things seemed to go as usual. A long day's work in the field meant hearty appetites, so talk was at a standstill until everyone had finished their first portions.

  When conversation did began, it revolved around football. Jeremy was starting his senior year at Texas State in San Marcos. He was a running back for the Bobcats, and they were expected to go far this year.

  Jeremy was surprisingly modest, despite her father's loud proclaiming of his impressive statistics. His eyes were on me while daddy outlined his personal opinions on the team's strategy and prospects.

  It was as if everything else fell away when he stared at me. I couldn’t help but once again be swallowed up in his deep blue eyes. The smile that played along his lips caused my heart to flutter.

  When dinner was over and the chores were finished, he nudged me outside and took my hand, walking with me toward the lake again. A light blue blanket lay across his arm and he chatted about his brothers, filling me in on everything I didn’t know. I swear I didn’t hear a damn word he said. All I kept thinking about was being on a blanket – laying down – with Jeremy Thompson. Was this shit for real?

  He laid the blanket out under the large oak tree beside the lake and patted the space beside him. “Come here. Come sit with me, beautiful.”

  I worked on being graceful as I lowered myself to the spot beside him. I had no sooner touched the ground before he reached over and wrapped an arm around me, pulling me into his side. He smelled faintly of some cologne, the deep hint of the woods teasing my senses. He must have taken a shower and tried to smell nice, which surprisingly meant a lot to her.

  "Do you like college?" I figured it was a safe topic to start off with. He'd been at Texas State for three years, he must have some insight into the experience.

  Jeremy rested his back against the tree trunk and looked up into the sky. After a moment he answered. "I like playing football, and some of the classes are decent."

  "Which classes?"

  "Functional biology was cool," he said, "but the tests were murder. I liked Agricultural Engineering. I hated the lit class I had to take."

  "Agricultural Engineering? Is Agriculture your major?"

  He nodded much to her surprise. The Thompsons had had a small plot of land when they'd l
ived down the road, but they'd never done much with it. After they'd moved to San Marcos, I’d figured they were out of the farming business.

  Apparently I figured wrong.

  "What about you? You got your courses all mapped out, I bet. What's your major gonna be?"

  I smiled. I liked how much he knew about me without having to ask. I guess he was paying attention all those years, or maybe his brothers were. Bastards were hoping to catch a glimpse of my panties…

  "I'm going to major in biochemistry as a part of the pre-med program."

  "Pre-med huh? You wanna be a doctor?"

  I nodded. It made as much sense as anything else. I had potential, or so everyone kept telling me. Becoming a doctor would make the best use of that potential. It sure made her parents happy. Hopefully it worked out.

  "Must be nice to know what you want already. It took me a while to figure out I wanted to get into agriculture. Most people seem to be getting out of the business. Still I always enjoyed working the land. Especially here on your farm. It's a summer vacation and an internship all rolled into one."

  He took my hand and winked at me. "You're the best part of the vacation, by the way. Farming is fun, but you're in another league entirely. I wasn’t sure if you were going to let me within a few miles of you though."

  I smirked. "I'm glad that I rate better than stacking hay and milking cows, and you are lucky. I wasn’t going to let you close at all. Not sure how you got around that one."

  "Funny," he said, tweaking my nose softly. "You always had spirit, Chrissy."

  I frowned, turning away as the nickname bothered me somehow. I guess not being lost in the midst of a hot kiss changed my feelings on it.

  He took my chin in his grasp and turned me back to face him. "What's wrong?"

  "That name. You and your brothers used to call me "Pissy Chrissy, remember?"