Ride Me Cowboy #5 (The Cowboy Romance Series - Book #5) Read online

  RIDE ME COWBOY #5

  BOOK 5

  By Alycia Taylor

  Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  LEXI

  The drive home after I spoke to my mother was excruciating. Mark was quiet and as much as I wondered what he was thinking, I didn’t ask him. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts anyways to worry about it. Did we do the wrong thing? Is what we did really, morally wrong? He’s not my brother. We’re not related by blood in any way. We didn’t grow up together. We’ve only shared parents for a short time and we’ve never lived together… Am I rationalizing? I suppose the only thing that really matters, the only question an adult needs to ask before getting into a sexual relationship is this: Are we hurting anyone?

  In this case, Mark’s dad feels hurt because he’ll be shamed in front of the community. Is that a legitimate wound? I don’t really think so, but I guess to him it feels that way. His standing in the community is important to him, but is it okay that it’s more important than his own son’s happiness? I looked over at Mark. Deep worry lines creased his brow. His father made him a nervous wreck no matter how hard he tried not to show it. With me and Mom it’s different. I don’t want to make her unhappy, and I don’t want to ruin her marriage – even if she is married to a jerk. But the one thing I know about my mother is that no matter what I do, she’ll still love me and our relationship will weather any storm. I know this for a fact because I’ve tested her more than once.

  A lot of my life has been spent feeling sorry for myself. I couldn’t understand why my real mother didn’t love me the way mothers are supposed to love their daughters. My aunt took me in, no questions asked, no qualms about all of the things she would have to give up to do that and instead of being grateful and trusting her, I had tried my damnedest to push her away. It took me a long time to figure out that no matter how hard I pushed, she wasn’t going anywhere. I looked at Mark. I knew that he knew differently about his father. Their relationship was so tenuous that it seemed the smallest thing could cause it to snap. This was going to be no small thing to Rob.

  When we turned onto the long dirt road that led up to the ranch, Mark looked at me and said, “My dad’s going to be an ass. So far, I think you’ve been spared seeing him at his worst. I’m apologizing in advance for what you’re going to see tonight. But no matter what he says, I’m not ashamed of being with you.”

  His words sent a rush of warmth through my body. It was amazing to me that an ass like Rob could produce such an amazing man as Mark. “Thanks, but you don’t have to apologize for your father. You’re right. I haven’t seen him at his worst, but just from what I know about the way he treats you, I also know that you’re ten times the man he is. I’m not ashamed to be with you, either. I count myself as one of the lucky ones.”

  I melted when he smiled at me. We drove into the driveway, and he parked. I saw him take a deep breath. He smiled at me again before we both got out of the truck. He came around and grabbed my hand. He gave it a squeeze and said, “Lexi…”

  I waited and when he hadn’t said anything after a few minutes I prompted, “Yes?”

  “I love you.” He just spit that out and then moved on to say, “No matter what, we’ll get through this, as long as we stick together.” I was shocked. “I love you,” was the last thing I had expected him to say. My heart was racing, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. He was looking at me strangely now…nervous…I was taking too long to respond. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was completely devoid of saliva. Finally, with a lump in my throat, but a warm feeling in my chest, I realized that I felt it, too I just wasn’t sure what it was until he’d said it.

  “You know what?” I said.

  “What?”

  “I love you, too.” He smiled broadly. I felt all tingly inside. I smiled back. He was right. All we had to do was stick together and we’d get through this. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I’m not giving him up without a fight. I shouldn’t have to. Who was Rob anyways that he could tell us who we should or shouldn’t love?

  When we walked into the house, it was eerily quiet. Mark looked at me, and I wondered if he wanted to just turn around and leave as badly as I did. He squeezed my hand again as I called out,

  “Mom!”

  I heard footsteps, and she stuck her head out of the parlor. Her eyes went straight to our hands and although she didn’t look mad, she didn’t look pleased. Mostly, I think she looked anxious. We both gripped onto each other tighter in spite of it.

  “We’re in here,” she said. We followed her in, and Rob’s look was less anxious than Mom’s – it was angrier. He was sitting on the sofa, smoldering.

  “What’s going on, Dad?” Mark asked.

  He looked at our joined hands again and in an incredulous voice he said, “Are you kidding? You’re standing there holding hands with your stepsister and you want to know what’s going on? Taylor has gone all over town and told everyone that the two of you are sleeping together. At first, I didn’t believe her, but then I saw the two of you together when you had your broken wrist. It’s disgusting! Shameless!” He popped up off the couch. Mark immediately stepped in front of me. It was sweet and it made me feel safe.

  “Lexi, is this true?” Mom asked.

  “Yes,” I squeaked out. Mom looked sad, and I felt another pang of guilt in my chest. She kept glancing at her husband, and I had to wonder how much of her anxiety was provoked by him. Rob made a disgusted snorting sound. I moved my hand up to Mark’s arm and stepped out from behind him. I held onto him as I said, “Neither of us meant for this to happen. We tried to fight our attraction to each other, but sometimes, you just can’t. I believe Mark and I were meant to be together. I love him, Mom. I’m sorry.” I looked at Mark and I amended that. I didn’t want him thinking that I was sorry about how I felt about him. “I’m sorry that it’s caused you stress or embarrassment or whatever it’s caused you. But I’m not sorry that I love him. He’s like the piece of the puzzle that’s been missing from my heart all this time. I’m glad I met him and I’m glad I fell in love with him and I’m glad he loves me back.”

  Mark was smiling at me. Rob looked like his head was about to explode, and Mom just looked like a nervous wreck. I felt bad for her, but I was finished worrying about Rob. He took a step towards Mark and I felt his body flinch under my hand. It made me wonder how much more had gone on between them over the years that Mark hadn’t told me about. He was terrified of his father.

  “I want you out of my house. Tonight!” The arm I was holding onto tensed even more, but Mark didn’t say anything. He looked like he was just riding out the storm. Some people might think of him as being cowardly towards his father, but I really think that he’s afraid of exploding on him if he gets too angry and lets himself go. “You make me sick,” Rob continued. “You’re worthless. You run around the country playing cowboy and with all of that opportunity, you can’t find a woman to screw outside of your own family. It makes me sick to even think that it may have happened under my roof. Never again! When you leave you take all of your stuff with you because you’re not coming back. And don’t take anything that’s
not yours, either, or I’ll send the sheriff out to collect it. I hope that you do marry her and the two of you have a miserable, worthless son like I did, so that you will finally understand what a disappointment you’ve been to me all of these years.”

  Mark still didn’t say anything. I was appalled. This man is the one who is disgusting. How can he talk to his son like that? I tried to keep my mouth shut, too. My poor mother looked like she was about to have a full-blown panic attack. I couldn’t do it, though. I could feel the rage bubbling up in my chest and it was either tell him how I feel or scream at the top of my lungs.

  “Excuse me… You’re the one who is a disgusting disappointment.” Mark and my mother both looked at me with wide eyes. Rob practically had smoke coming out his ears now. I didn’t care; I was going to have my say. “All your son has ever tried to do is follow his heart. As he was following his heart, you were giving him a hard time. He aches in his heart because he wants so badly for you to be proud of him. Instead, you want to strip him of his self-confidence and make him feel guilty for doing what he loves and being very successful at it. He’s amazing. He’s kind, generous, loving, tolerant…all of the things you’re not. Maybe you’re jealous of him. Maybe that’s the problem. You make me sick. A child shouldn’t have to wonder if they’re loved. A man shouldn’t have to feel like an irresponsible child every time he’s in the same room with his father – especially when he’s doing nothing wrong! My mother abandoned me, and I’ve struggled with that my whole life. But you know what? I don’t believe that I’ll be the one who dies regretting it. I believe that she will be. I think you’ll regret this, too…when you’re old and alone because you’ve driven everyone who loves you away!”

  Rob stood there and waited for me to finish. I was so passionate about it that I forgot to breathe throughout the whole speech. When I finished talking I sucked in a lungful of air. I looked at Mom. Instead of anxiety, there was something else on her face. It may have been wishful thinking on my part, but it looked like pride. I loved her so much. I did regret the chaos this was causing in her life. I regretted the chaos that my very existence had caused in her life.

  Addressing me then, Rob said, “I want you out with him. You’re not welcome here again. I hope the two of you will be miserable together. Get out, now!”

  I looked at Mom one more time. She was looking at Rob now with narrowed eyes. Mama Bear was emerging, and I had a feeling that once we’re gone, Rob was going to get more than just a piece of her mind. I went over to her and kissed her on the cheek. She looked at me with tears in her eyes.

  “Please don’t cry Mom,” I said. “It’s going to be okay. I love you.” She squeezed my hand and nodded.

  “I love you, too,” she toldme. I believed strongly that no matter what happened, she and I were going to be okay.

  I went over and took Mark’s hand and we walked up the stairs together to get our things. When we left, Mom and Rob were no longer in the parlor. I briefly wondered where they were. I didn’t care about him, but I prayed the night wouldn’t be too miserable for her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  MARK

  We drove into town in silence again. I was shaking. My father was an even bigger ass than I ever thought he was. I couldn’t believe Lexi stood up for me the way that she did. She was incredible…that was why I loved her. It was one of the reasons, anyways – I had a mental list. As I thought about how I felt about her, I felt the anger in my chest being quelled slightly. I felt like a pussy just letting Dad run all over me the way he did, but me losing my temper with him has always done me more harm than good in the past. I didn’t want to lose it in front of Lexi and Lydia. Lexi was right when she said there was some kind of connection between us. I couldn’t ignore the pull if I wanted to…and I didn’t want to. I wanted to be with her. I didn’t care who liked it or not. I pulled into a hotel and after parking and turning off the ignition, I asked, “Is this okay?”

  I’m pretty sure that she knew I was talking about the hotel, but I could tell that she was still angry as she said, “None of this is okay. I’m so sorry that I blew up on your dad, but…”

  “Don’t. Don’t apologize for anything that you said. Everything you said was spot on. Fathers are not supposed to be ashamed of their sons. At least, not unless they’re ax murderers or international jewel thieves.” I was trying to lighten things up. So far, it wasn’t working. “My point is that parents are supposed to love their children and be supportive of them no matter what they were doing, as long as they were trying.” I was trying, every day. She was also right that I wanted so badly for him to be proud of me. All of this made me realize that wasn’t what was important. The important thing was that I needed to be proud of myself and I am most of the time. The only time I have doubts is when he’s berating me.

  Lexi and I walked hand in hand into the hotel lobby. It actually felt good to not feel like I had to hide my feelings for her any longer. That had been harder than anything I’d ever done. I seriously fell so hard for her that I wanted to climb a tall building and tell the world that I loved her.

  We got to the room and Lexi still looked upset. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be,” she said. “I’m just having a hard time letting go of all this anger. I think I got it all mixed up with the anger I still have towards my mother. What is wrong with people? When I have kids, I swear I am not going to mess them up in the head this way.”

  I pulled her into me and kissed her softly on the side of her face. I felt the tickle of rage once more as I thought about how my father talked to her. He treated her like trash all of a sudden, and her only crime was loving his son. I held her against me for a few minutes and then I said, “How about a bubble bath or a massage?” I wanted to do whatever I could to take away her stress. I would move heaven and earth for her.

  “A massage? Really? You massage?” I wasn’t sure if she was just surprised or skeptical.

  I laughed. “I took a sports medicine class in college. I learned the basics. Take off your clothes and lay on the bed.”

  It was her turn to laugh. “Are you sure your whole goal wasn’t just to get me naked?”

  “My goal is always to get you naked,” I told her with a grin. “But seriously, I want to make you feel better.”

  “I’ve never been known to turn down a free massage by a hot masseuse.”

  “I’m going to find some lotion. I’ll be right back.” I went into the bathroom and found the guest basket. There was a little bottle of lotion inside. I took it out and smelled it…not bad. When I walked back into the room, I had an instant hard on pressing against my jeans and wanting out. She was lying on her belly on the bed – nude and completely gorgeous. “Wow!” She pulled her head up and looked at me. I could see her amazing breasts when she did. “You are so hot.”

  She grinned. “Thank you. Stay on track, though. You promised me a relaxing massage. I do prefer my masseuses to have less clothing on.”

  I didn’t need to hear that twice. I stripped down to my underwear and then took my place on the bed.

  “Wait a sec…how many masseuses do you have?”

  “From now on – only one,” she said.

  I grinned. That was what I wanted to hear. I sat next to her and got comfortable and then I opened the lotion. I squeezed some into my left hand and then rubbed both of them together until it was warm. I started on her shoulders and rubbed out in gentle, rounded strokes. I heard her sigh heavily and my cock jumped in my shorts.

  I headed from her shoulders to the center of her back and then I ran my hands down her spine, fanning out with my thumbs until I got to the small of her back. She wiggled her hips as I slid my hands along the top of her sweet ass. Mmm…I love the way she curves in all the right places. I shook my head and refocused, then I ran my hands back up to her shoulders.

  “Mmm, feels so good, Mark.”

  “Good, baby. Just relax and let go of all that stress.” I worked on her neck and shoulders for a while and then I moved m
y hands down to just underneath her armpits. I let them run down her sides, feeling the swell of her breasts. I stopped at her hips and worked my way back up. I let them run down again, letting my fingertips brush softly along the sides of her breast as I did. I felt her shiver as I worked my way back up and she moaned. She’s so damned sexy. I continued to work on her back for a while until her muscles were so relaxed and she was so pliable that I thought she might have fallen asleep. I moved down and straddled her ankles. After putting more lotion on my hands, I started on her hamstring and massaged down the leg, past her knee and continuing along her shapely calf to her ankles. Then I worked my way back up, all the while using firm but gentle strokes. She wiggled as I got nearer to the top and her foot brushed against my hard cock. I almost came in my shorts.

  I started using two hands on one leg then, starting a little bit higher so my fingers brushed lightly against her crotch. She moaned and wiggled again, opening her legs wider. I ran my hands down to her knee and then back up, letting the bottom hand reach slightly underneath her and brush her mound. She was breathing faster now, and I continued to tease her with my now sexual massage. I paid closer attention to her legs and my fingers got closer and closer to touching her pussy each time.

  “Turn over, baby.”

  She did as I asked, settling on her back and closing her eyes. I reapplied the lotion to my hands and after warming it up, I went to work on her sexy legs. I used my thumbs on her shins while my fingers had the pleasure of stroking against her beautiful, hard calves. When I finished the bottom part of her leg, I worked back up to the top. Again I let my thumbs brush against the tops of her inner thighs, teasing her before rubbing downward once more. She had her eyes closed tightly and was moving her body and making sexy little noises as I worked on her tight muscles. I finally couldn’t stand it any longer and on my trip back up her leg, I let my fingers lightly tickle her mound. She moaned and smiled, so then I let one finger trace along the outside of her slit. She gasped and opened her eyes. I scooted up so I was straddling her hips, and I bent forward and placed a kiss on her lips. She kissed me back, letting her tongue slide out and meet mine in my mouth. It was a hot, sexy kiss, and I had to rub myself against her as our tongues danced. I broke the kiss and let my mouth slide down her face. When I reached her neck, I bit down softly. She squirmed underneath me and whispered my name. I found her sweet spot near her collarbone and began sucking on it as I reached up and traced the outline of her nipples with my fingers. I teased both until they were as hard as rocks. Her gasps were loud and sexy and turned me on even more. I pinched one of her nipples and then I bent forward and sucked the other one into my mouth. She put her hands in my hair and held my head in place. She had her mouth open now and the sounds coming out were going straight to my head. My cock throbbed and begged for attention.