“I fucking love your pussy,” he whispers and nibbles at my lips. “Your mouth. Your tits.”

“I love it when you talk dirty,” I reply and moan when he pulls me down onto him, so hard I almost see stars. “Fuck me, Zack.”

“I am,” he replies with a wolfish grin. “And I plan to for a while yet.”

“Oh God, I’m going to come, baby.”

“The only thing better than watching you come is making you come, Jilly.” He kisses me hard and thrusts deep and I come apart, shivering. I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him close.

“I missed you,” I whisper into his ear.

CHAPTER Nine

ZACK

“She’s doin’ better, boss,” Louie assures me as he runs his hand down Lily’s flank. Louie has been a ranch hand at the Lazy K since I was a kid. I trust him completely—with our animals, our land, and our family.

“You gave us a scare, didn’t you, girl?” I pet her neck and smile when she nudges my face with her muzzle¸ asking for apples. “You can have apples in a few more days.”

“Nothin’ more frustrating than watching a horse with colic,” Louie says with a shake of the head.

“Or more exhausting,” I agree. “I’m pretty strong, but I’m not built to make a horse stand on her feet when she doesn’t want to.”

“You did good, son.” Louie scratches his head and nods at my dad and Josh as they come into the barn.

“How’s our Lily this morning?” Dad asks as he claps Louie on the shoulder. The two men have had an employer/employee relationship for close to thirty years and are also the best of friends.

“She’s holding her own, finally.”

Josh steps into the stall to give the horse some attention. Dad watches with pride in his eyes, takes a quick glance around, and then says, “I’d like to steal Louie away for a few hours and mend some fence in the west pasture. That last snowstorm was a bitch.”

“So much for retirement,” Josh says tauntingly.

“Your mother has me signing up for exercise classes at that new fancy gym in town and volunteered me to help with the winter carnival. For God’s sake, son, cut an old man a break.”

“This is your ranch, Dad.” I laugh and carry tack to the other side of the barn. “You’re welcome to do whatever you want.”

“Exactly,” he agrees with a grumble. “And if I have to watch one more episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, I’m going to lose my mind. Now your mother wants to buy an RV and drive around the country, trying all those places to eat. I’ll weigh four hundred pounds before a month is out.”

Josh is laughing in earnest now, and Louie is coughing, masking his own laughter.

“Mom just wants you to enjoy retirement, Dad,” I assure him.

“I’ll enjoy it just fine right here, riding my damn horses and checking the fence.”

“Well then, let’s see to it.” Louie motions for Dad to lead him outside. “Call if you need us, boys.”

When the barn door closes, Josh and I shake our heads at each other and grin. “I hope he never retires,” I say.

“He’d go crazy, and Mom knows it. She just likes to rile him up.”

“Seems all the King women enjoy doing that.”

Josh nods and pats Lily on the neck, then walks out of the stall and closes it behind him. “So how is Jilly?”

“She’s doing well.”

“Okay, stubborn ass, how are things with you and Jilly?”

I fold a saddle blanket and throw it on a pile of blankets and then prop my hands on my hips. “It’s going . . . really well.”

“That’s great.”

“Is it?” I rub my fingers over my lips as I think about the beautiful woman that has managed to capture my heart in such a short amount of time.

“Why wouldn’t it be? Jill’s awesome.”

“I feel like a selfish bastard, J.”

“Why?” He frowns at me and leans his hips against the wall. “Does she think it’s more than you do?”

“No, it’s not just sex for me, man. She’s amazing. Funny. Smart as hell and yeah, she’s sexy as fuck. But Jesus, is it fair to ask her to take on all of my fucking baggage?”

“Did you ask her that?”

“Yeah.”

“What did she say?”

“That she has baggage of her own.” I shrug and pace around the barn. “But seriously, I have a kid who is about to be a teenager, and we all know how hard that’s gonna be.”

“Seth is great, and he’ll be easier than you think.”

“I have a bitch of an ex-wife . . .”

“Who you never hear from, thank God.”

“I have guilt issues from when I was deployed . . .”

“That you’re working through.”

I stop and glare at my brother.

“Seems to me,” he continues, “that you have a lot of excuses, but I think you’re just scared.”

“I’m not scared of a girl,” I scoff and then I swallow hard. “Holy fuck, I’m terrified. This is worse than taking fire in the red zone.”

“Yeah, Cara still scares the shit out of me,” Josh agrees with a grin. “But she’s so damn worth it.” He sobers, watching me closely. “Are you planning to end it?”

“No,” I reply quickly. “I don’t want to end it. I tried to stay away from her for months, and it was torture.”