With a huff of exasperation, she walked with him to the house. In pickups and cars, the construction workers were streaming down the drive. The one at the end gave a honk-honk, and then quiet settled over the farm.

Conn stopped them for a minute to gather pets, then loped toward the pasture.

Linda glanced at Sam. “What’s he up to?”

“He was on guard while the construction crew was here. Now he’ll make sure no varmints invaded since his morning patrol.”

Linda laughed when the dog turned to look at them, as if to say the house was in their care now.

“So what did you do today?” Linda asked as Sam led the way into the kitchen. She nodded when he pulled out a bottle of wine.

He poured her a glass. “Financial chores—bank, accountant. Had a chat with a couple of people, looked at some new equipment, ordered more grain.” He grabbed a beer for himself and drew her out to the front porch to join him on the swing.

“Busy man.” He had so many balls in the air, it was a wonder he could keep track. And she’d thought running a store was tricky…and thinking of that made her remember basketry. “Oops. I left a basket I wanted to finish out in the car. And my purse.”

He walked to her car with her and carried in the oversize tote of basketry supplies.

After setting her purse near the door, she pulled her cell out. The display showed texts and voice mails from Brenna and Charles. She sucked in a startled breath. So many messages. Had something happened? Why’d she been so stupid as to leave her phone in the car?

“Got a problem?”

She glanced at Sam. “My children called. Lots of calls.” Her hand shook as she hit Brenna’s speed-dial number.

“Mom. Mommy. I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry.” Her daughter was crying, almost incoherent. “We didn’t mean it. We shouldn’t—”

“Mom, I’m sorry.” Charles had apparently grabbed Brenna’s phone, and he didn’t sound any better.

“What?” What had they done? Burned her house down? “Charles, whatever you did, I forgive you, but what did you do?”

“Jesus, the way we talked to you. What we said. We didn’t realize.” Her big, strong son sounded as if he was in tears.

She looked at Sam, terror rising inside her. “They’re almost hysterical. What—”

Sam plucked the phone from her limp fingers and said into it, “A man makes his apologies in person. Got a piece of paper?” He paused, then gave his address. “A half hour? Good.” He tossed the phone into her open purse before giving her a nod. “They’ll come here. I need a shower.”

Mouth open, she stared after him. Her children had tried to apologize for the way they’d talked to her. Had been crying. And Sam hadn’t been surprised; his dark gray eyebrows hadn’t even lifted. As she sank into a chair, she heard the shower come on. Sam had given orders to Charles, and her obstinate son had taken them.

After a moment of weighing the facts, suspicion wove into knowledge. Sam had expected them to call. Could they have called him earlier? No, they didn’t know his last name.

But Master Sam Davies certainly wouldn’t have had any trouble finding her children. What had he done?


SAM LET THE hot water massage the tightness out of his shoulders and counted minutes in his head.

He’d made it to three minutes when the shower door was flung open.

Mama Bear had left the cave. He tried to avert his face before she noticed his amusement, but didn’t succeed.

Hands on hips, Linda glared at him. “What did you do to my children?” Even as furious as she was, her voice was still controlled. No shrieking, no hysterics. She was one fine woman. Then she slapped his shoulder. “You tell me. Now!”

He gave her a quick scan. She’d dressed for the farm in a V-neck T-shirt and jeans and left her shoes in the entry as he liked. Good enough. “As the sadist in this relationship, I do the slapping.” He grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked her into the shower.

She was soaked in seconds. Nice scream. Set all the hair on his body tingling.

“You aren’t allowed to hit me.” He ripped her T-shirt at the neck and drew it downward, pinning her arms against her sides.

“You-you-you bastard!”

“If you figure to sit and stew until they show, think again.” As she struggled, he unzipped her jeans and shoved them and her underwear down to hobble her ankles.

“Dammit, let me go.”

“Nope.” He dug his fingers into the last remaining welts on her ass, pulling her against him. With an unbreakable grip on her nape, he held her for his kiss, taking and taking until she went limp against him. Until she kissed him back.

Goddamn, the woman could kiss. As he hardened, he rubbed his dick against her and felt her resistance melt. My woman. Reluctantly, he released her lips and lifted his head. “Cooperate and we finish fast. Otherwise your children will have to wait on the porch while you’re busy in here.”

Her eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.” Her pants pinned her legs together, and he had to work to push his hand between her thighs. But there he found her wet and ready. She trembled when he stroked over her pussy. She heated up fast. For him. The knowledge was a bone-deep satisfaction.

He circled her clit, pushed inside her entrance, then circled again. Fast, Davies. Remember? He wanted to linger and play until she screamed his name in frustration, but with a resigned sigh, he pulled her T-shirt up and off, then her bra. Hand between her shoulder blades, he bent her over, then positioned her hands on the corner shower seat. “Keep them there.”

“Sam. My children will—”

When he slapped her ass in reprimand—and to please himself—the sound echoed beautifully in the big tile shower. How many years had it been since he’d fucked a woman in a bathroom?

As the water beat on her ass, her bent-over position showed a hint of her glistening pussy, more of her anus. Nice. Even nicer, she stayed in place, and her face showed only arousal.

He rubbed the sting from her ass, pulled her labia open, and pushed his cock in an inch. Not roughly—she was still too emotionally fragile for that—but firmly. Had to be careful, but her wetness and low moan of pleasure said he was on the right path.

She was hotter than the shower, wetter, and tight enough to make him struggle for control. He pulled out halfway. When he thrust in all the way, the zing went straight to his balls.

Her ass tilted up slightly; she wanted more. Goddamn, she was cute.

He bent over her back. As his dick pressed deeper, she squirmed, taking him to the hilt. Burying his face in her lavender-citrus-scented hair, he reached around and cupped her breasts. Soft as anything he’d found in his life. He kneaded them and pinched her nipples hard enough to have her whimpering and trying to pull away. But his chest pressed down on her, his dick impaled her; she wasn’t going anywhere. Fucking nice. Her hot, slick cunt tightened each time he tugged on her breasts.

As the pain fed her arousal, her hips started to wiggle. He yanked her hair, pulling her head up as he drove into her. “Give me more.”

Her moan was like food for a starving man.

She certainly wasn’t thinking about anything but him. And he was going to push her hard enough that when her children arrived, she’d be glowing. So any guilt they tried to lay on her would slide off.

He coated his fingers with cream rinse and with the next thrust of his cock, he breached her asshole with a finger.

She gave a strangled gasp and attempted to straighten.

He leaned forward and gripped her shoulder, holding her down. “Stay put, missy.” But he paused to check her response. Combining rough sex and anal sex might trigger some bad memories. “We at green?”

As a fine trembling shook her body, her head bowed. Her whisper was barely loud enough to be heard over the water. “Green.”

He smiled. Not only did taking it in the ass wake up every nerve down there, but it was also the pinnacle of surrender. Linda was giving him her submission.

So beautiful and loving and responsive—she warmed his heart. He ran his hand over her back. “Good girl. Now stay there.” Spreading his legs for balance, he thrust his cock in deep, pulled back, and slid his finger into her ass. Alternating each until he could almost feel the humming in her body. He added another finger in her asshole, heard her breathing catch. “Someday, you’ll take my cock there.”

When a tremor shook her body, he grinned.

But time to head for the finish line. “Don’t move.” As she braced her arms on the corner seat, he reached around her with his free hand and fingered her clit, then hammered into her pussy and thrust his fingers into her ass. Deliberately overloading her senses, he drove her hard, not easing up at all.

He could feel her legs shaking. Then her cunt tightened around his cock, her ass around his fingers. Her clit was fully unhooded, begging for more. Almost there.

Her neck arched, her body froze, and she came with a high wail that echoed off the tiles and made him grin.

As her pussy squeezed around his cock, he released his control and let her cunt suck him dry. With a low groan, he wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her up.

Although he could have stayed right there, buried deep, he felt her knees threatening to buckle. With a sigh of regret, he pulled out. After putting her on the seat, he washed up.

He grasped her jeans, still around her ankles. “Lift your legs.”

She lifted one pretty leg, then the other. As he pulled her to her feet, she muttered, “You’re such a jerk.”