It took everything Lucas had not to break down. He held himself still for a moment. They could be playing with him. Sometimes people liked to do that.

"I know about your money trouble, Lucas," Jack said firmly.

"Here's the deal I'll make with you. I'll pay off your debt, and you come and live with us for a year. You'll work on the ranch. Think about this, son. This is hard work. This is physical labor. You'll live in the dorm I have for the unmarried ranch hands. There's only three of them, and I think you'll get along. You'll eat with us, though.

You'll be my brother, Lucas. You'll be part of our family. At the end of the year, you can stay on, or I'll pay for whatever training you need to get a good job. I'd love it if you worked for me. I could use a lawyer or an MBA. It's your choice."

150.

"Why?" Lucas heard himself ask. He fought hard not to cry. No one ever offered him anything like this before. No one offered him something in return for just working hard and being himself.

"Because it looks like you could use the help," Jack stated plainly.

"But, son, that hair is going to have to go."

"Thank G.o.d," Lucas breathed. "Can I do that today? This hair is awful. I hate hairspray, and it's constantly in my eyes. And I promise to get some jeans that fit, and I won't ever wear guy-liner again. I get to work with cows, huh?"

"Yes, Lucas. You'll get to work with them and be kicked by them and probably step in more of their c.r.a.p than you ever dreamed possible. It's not easy."

"I can do it." He felt himself get a little defensive. He heard his father's voice insisting Lucas couldn't be trusted with anything.

"I know." Jack's voice was strong and encouraging. "You can do anything you set your mind to, Lucas Cameron. Do you have anything you need to get before we leave tomorrow? Let me warn you, Willow Fork is a small town. There's no Best Buy out there."

Lucas shook his head. He didn't own anything he gave a d.a.m.n about. He had that house in California, but it would be easy to sell it.

The thought of a whole new life without the enc.u.mbrances of his old one sounded heavenly. He was ready to let it all go. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Jack nodded. Abby was smiling at him kindly.

"You're going to love living on the ranch, Lucas," she promised him.

He wasn't so sure, but he was more than willing to give it a go.

Not a go, he promised himself. He would make it work. He would give his brother a year of hard work and then decide what to really do with his life. Jack would help, he suddenly knew. Jack would give him advice, and he would probably lecture him on all sorts of things.

Jack would ride his a.s.s, and there would be times when Lucas would 151.

wish his brother would keep his nose out of his business. Lucas smiled. It sounded great. "I know I will."

Jack's green eyes narrowed. "What kind of car do you drive, son?"

"Whatever kind you tell me to, sir," Lucas replied quickly, remembering the little metal cube that still sported a visible Ducati symbol. He wasn't going to mention the two-seater roadster he kept in LA. He had a feeling it would be cubed and added to Jack's growing collection of offensive vehicles.

Jack nodded. "Good."

Abby sighed. "Well, at least you'll fit in."

Jack gave Lucas a look that told him he should probably do whatever Jack said next. "Go on and get ready. We're leaving in the morning. You should enjoy your last night in civilization. Don't drink too much."

"Okay," he promised as he opened the door.

"And Lucas," Jack called out. "Stay away from that Slater fellow.

I don't like him."

"You got it, Jack." That was the easiest promise Lucas had ever made.

152.

Chapter Thirteen.

Abby looked up at her husband as the door closed behind Lucas.

Jack was so big and handsome, and what he was doing for his brother was kind. He was everything she could have wanted in a mate. "It's a good thing you're doing for Lucas."

Jack's green eyes gleamed in the early morning light. His eyes went straight to the diamonds at her throat. She could see the possessive satisfaction he took in the sight. "It might be the dumbest thing I've ever done. That boy is going to be a handful. The other hands will eat him alive if he shows up in that makeup he wore yesterday."

Jack was a little behind the times, Abby decided. "It's called metros.e.xual. It's very trendy."

"Not in Willow Fork it isn't and certainly not at the ranch." Jack was standing perfectly still, but Abby realized he had something on his mind. She thought she knew what it was. Her body heated up just thinking about it.

"I have a feeling we can get him looking a little more masculine,"

Abby allowed. "After all, he looks just like you. Once we get his hair cut and put him in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, he'll look the part."

"He looks like me?" Jack didn't sound so sure. He obviously didn't study himself the way she studied him. There was no doubt Lucas was a close relation.

"On the surface. He looks like a boyish version of you." She pointedly ogled her husband. "You're the man version, baby."

"I'm the Dom version, Abigail." His expression changed, and he seemed to grow even larger. He stood straighter. Abby instinctively 153.

dropped to her knees. "Very good, Abigail," Jack praised her in deep, silky tones. "When you're wearing that collar and we're in private or downstairs in the club, you will behave properly. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Jack." She concentrated on keeping her breathing even. It was hard work since every cell in her body was humming in antic.i.p.ation. It had been far too long since she'd been dominated by this man, and she'd missed it sorely.

She kept her head lowered submissively in an attempt to prove she could behave that way when it was necessary. She heard him move toward her. His boots came into view.

His hand tangled gently in her hair. "I am an indulgent man, my love. I get the feeling you're going to want to come back here to play from time to time. When we are in this club, you will remember at all times who your master is. I don't use that term in our everyday life, but I will use it here. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Jack."

He nudged her head up to look him in the eyes. "I am never to find you in the club again without me. That rule is not negotiable." He didn't wait for a reply. It wasn't needed. Abby knew an inescapable dictate when it was handed to her. "Abby, we're alone, and you're wearing my collar. What is wrong with this picture?"

As quickly as she could, Abby tossed off the tank top and pajama bottoms she was wearing. Yesterday she would have worried about sagging b.o.o.bs and those five pounds that never seemed to come off.

Today, all that mattered was obeying Jack. She sighed as she shimmied out of her cute little boy-short panties. It would be the last time she would see them. She handed them to Jack who shook his head as he held them.

"Such a naughty girl," he commented. "Give me your hands, Abigail, wrists together."

Abby held her hands out, pushing her wrists together as he asked.

He quickly twisted the panties around and about her wrists until she was tightly bound by her own undies. He hauled her up. She was 154 barely on her feet before Jack led her to the center of the room. Abby looked up and saw a hook extending from the ceiling. Julian's rooms came fully equipped for bondage play. Jack pulled it down, adjusting it to her height, and then hooked her wrists over it. She could still touch the ground but just barely. It kept her slightly off balance.

"That's nice," Jack commented as he walked around her bound body. His hands traced her waist and b.u.t.tocks. "You look pretty like that, Abby. You're going to look like this tonight."

Abby opened her mouth to speak.

He gave her b.u.t.t a squeeze. "No, Abby. We're practicing. When we're in the dungeon, you don't speak unless I give you explicit permission. If you don't like the rules, then we can leave this afternoon. I really am all right with that, darlin'."

The whole not talking thing was going to be frustrating. Jack grinned as she struggled to stay silent. She would do it, though. She would do it because she knew she'd embarra.s.sed Jack. She'd made him look bad in a place he enjoyed. She would also do it because she was so curious about that dungeon she thought she would burst. After a moment, she calmed down and made sure her face was serene.

"Much better. If you have a problem being naked in the dungeon, then we'll leave. No? I didn't think so." He ran his hand down her spine making her shiver with antic.i.p.ation. "This is my plaything. I want to show it off." He chuckled as he began to strip out of his clothes. Abby watched with avid eyes as his big, hard body was exposed. Jack folded every piece, and Abby forced herself to stay quiet. She wanted to tell him to hurry the h.e.l.l up. She was getting wet just watching him. He was broader than Sam, his shoulders and arms were corded with heavy muscles. His big chest tapered into a lean waist. When he stood in front of her completely naked, Abby had to admit she loved the indention where his hips met his powerful legs.

She loved to run her hands over the little valley where muscle flowed into muscle. He was one gorgeous slab of cowboy.

155.

"You do wonders for my ego, darlin'. You look like you could eat me up. What's this Sam told me about you not appreciating this incredible body?" He ran his large hands along the curve of her waist and up to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "Who does this body belong to?"

"You, Jack," she replied. His direct question gave her permission to speak.

"Why do I love this body?" She could feel the warmth of his mouth just over her right nipple.

"Because it's beautiful," Abby sighed as he flicked his tongue over her turgid nipple. She knew the answer he wanted. When he played with her like this, she felt beautiful.

"Because it is so f.u.c.kable I can't help but shove my d.i.c.k in it,"

Jack swore just before sucking the tip of her breast into his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her up slightly so he could suckle with ease. His tongue whirled around the nipple. She reveled in the warmth of his mouth. He pulled strongly at one and then the other breast, giving her just the edge of his teeth. "If you didn't have some punishment coming this evening, I'd put you in clamps. I bought some clamps with pretty emeralds on them. I like dressing up my little plaything."

Bondage Barbie, Abby thought with a smile. That was her.

He toyed with her nipples, pinching them lightly and making her moan. "I'll put the clamps on you, and then I'll shove a vibrator up that hot little p.u.s.s.y of yours. I'll tie you up while Sam and I watch a football game. The vibe is on a remote, of course. We'll make you come so many times you'll forget what it was like not to. You'll beg me to let you go, but I'll keep it up. You better hope the game doesn't go into overtime, baby. That's what's waiting for you the next time you decide to insult something I love. Am I clear, Abigail?"

She nodded. "Yes, Jack." It came out as a breathy moan because he was doing a d.a.m.n fine job of torturing her now. His hand slid down her body and teased her c.l.i.t. He rubbed in and around the desperate little nub, but managed to avoid brushing across it. Just one 156 little stroke and Abby was pretty sure she'd come, but Jack knew how to make her crazy.

His green eyes were sleepy with desire as he started to gently push a single finger in and out of her p.u.s.s.y. It wasn't anywhere close to enough. It was just enough to tantalize, to make her want to scream for more.

"Was there something you wanted, my pretty little slave?" Jack asked.

"Please make me come."

His eyebrow shot up.

"Jack," she quickly corrected. He didn't like master or sir. He wanted to hear his name on her lips. "Please make me come, Jack."

"Well, since you asked so sweetly." Jack sank to his knees. He pulled her legs around his shoulders. She was completely at his mercy. The bonds overhead held her up, but all of her grounding came from the man she was wrapped around. Her feet dangled behind his back. His breath was warm on her p.u.s.s.y.

"Please, Jack," she begged, because he was taking his time.

There was a sharp slap to her a.s.s. "I didn't ask you a question."

She closed her mouth. She had a bad feeling that if she fought him, he might stop what he was doing. She'd pushed him hard over the last twenty-four hours. She'd spent fifty-thousand dollars on clothes, shoes, and lingerie, a good portion of which was currently sitting on the streets of downtown Dallas. She decided not to argue with him.

"Good girl," he said after a moment of compliance.

He let his tongue slide through the juices flowing out of her p.u.s.s.y.

Abby bit back a moan, not entirely sure how silent he wanted her. His hands caressed the spot he'd smacked, and he held her in place while his tongue plundered in and out. Abby let her head fall back as he f.u.c.ked her with his tongue. The slow build started low in her c.u.n.t, radiating outward. She wanted so badly to push against him, to force him to flick at her c.l.i.toris. It was right there. She was right on the 157.

cusp of coming. Then his hand came forward, and his thumb swiped firmly across her pulsing c.l.i.t. The o.r.g.a.s.m bloomed outward, exploding through her. There was no holding back her scream as she fell over the precipice.

Before she could come down from the o.r.g.a.s.m, Jack was lifting her up and off the hook. He did nothing to unbind her hands. He merely arranged her over the arm of the sofa.

"Spread your legs," he ordered. His voice was rough and gravelly.

He was on the edge, and Abby was thrilled to be the one who put him there.

Abby complied, breathing heavily into the cushions of the sofa.

Her whole body was pulsing and languid. She felt like she was flowing rather than moving. She sensed Jack move in behind her, spreading her legs further.

Jack held her as he thrust in. Abby buried her face in the pillows to mask her groan. He was so big from this angle. He felt so good filling her roughly with his c.o.c.k. She heard him grunting as he pounded into her.

"Never again, Abigail," he swore as he shoved his way into her c.u.n.t. "I will never again find you in a place like that without me. You will never get on the back of a d.a.m.n motorcycle, and you will wear your f.u.c.king wedding ring."

"Yes, Jack," she managed as the pleasure built again. He'd positioned her so that every thrust of his c.o.c.k brought her c.l.i.t in contact with the side of the couch. It was almost too much. She couldn't control it. Abby cried out into the pillows as she felt her body explode with sensation.

"Oh, yeah, baby. Oh, f.u.c.k that's beautiful." He pulled at her hips.

She felt him grind against her, giving her every ounce of c.u.m he had.

He held himself tightly against her as though he was unwilling to give up the connection, but after a moment, he pulled his c.o.c.k out. He pulled her up and into his arms and made his way back to the bedroom.

158.

Abby laughed as he tossed her on the bed. He was back on top of her in an instant. Abby got the feeling she wouldn't be sight-seeing today. She held her bound hands up questioningly.

Jack gently pushed her hands over her head and into the hook at the top of the headboard.

"I like you like this, Abby," he said, trailing a hand down her torso. "I might keep you like this today." He fingered the material that kept her hands bound for his pleasure. "And maybe I should relent a little on the underwear. They make awfully good bindings."