Deacon's Touch
Callie Croix · Ongoing · 8 Chapters
About this book
After her own engagement goes to hell, workaholic Jessica Talbot dreads her friend’s bachelorette party at a dude ranch in Nowheresville, Texas. But the outlook for the weekend brightens when Deacon Dumen picks her up at the airport. The sexy cowboy awakens every dormant sexual fantasy with nothing more than a friendly smile and a handshake. Ex-Air Force Pararescueman Deke Dumen doesn’t know what to make of the beautiful yet reserved brunette who breaks through the walls he built after an injury ended his career and a divorce soured him on relationships. As a guest at his family's ranch Jessie is off limits, but the Dom in him rebels at the restriction, even as he realizes his penchant for control in the bedroom would likely scare the holy hell out of her. When Jessie shocks Deke by asking for exactly what he's been craving, he's ready to break the rules and introduce her to his own brand of dominance. Her willing surrender rocks them both to the core. But once the weekend's over, they must decide if it was just a wild fling or the start of something more.
Chapter One
Chapter One
“
I
’
m not going to make it
.
”
Jessica
Talbot
wedg
ed
her cell phone between her ear and shoulder as she juggled her
purse and briefcase
and ran
through
the terminal to
ward
her gate.
“
Mechanical problems grounded my connection, so they
’
re trying to get me on another flight. It
’
s already boarded,
”
she added, dodging a young family
to find a clear path
.
“
Aw, you
’
re going to miss the
bonfire
.
”
Bridgette
’
s
voice
rang
with disappointment.
“
I wanted everyone to get to know each other before we turned in for the night
.
”
Jessie
was already in a bad mood
, and her friend was making it worse
. The only reason she
’
d come on this trip was because Bridgette
’
s fiancé had guilted her into going.
Bridge really likes you, and none of my friends or family are going. It
’
d mean a lot to both of us if you
’
d go
to the ranch
.
Already u
p to her eyeballs in work,
Jessica ha
d
taken the wheedling for as long as she could before cracking Monday night. Now here she was, stressed about being away from the office when she had so much work to do and chasing a connecting flight
after a series of mishaps that was becoming laughable
.
Bridgette was a sweet
heart,
but a
fter the
hellish
day she
’
d had
,
the last thing
she
cared about was sitting around a smoky bonfire
with a bunch of strangers
.
“
Sorry, hon.
Go on without me.
”
God,
O
’
Hare
was
freaking
huge.
Twelve more gates to go.
Her legs already felt like rubber, and she was having trouble catching her breath.
“
Once I get to the ranch
,
I
’
ll
be too wiped to visit anyhow, so I
’
ll
probably just turn in. If I don
’
t get lost
on my way out there
, that is,
”
she muttered under her breath.
“
You
’
re renting a car?
”
“
Guess I
’
ll have to
now
.
”
She didn
’
t expect the others to wait around two hours for her
.
“
No, we
’
ll send out one of the owners to pick you up.
”
To catch her breath,
Jess
ie
finally slowed to a fast walk and
shifted her camera bag onto her other shoulder to grab
her phone.
“
You sure? I don
’
t want to put anyone out.
”
“
Hang on.
”
She could hear a
deep
male voice in the background, then
Bridgette
’
s
before she came back on the line.
“
It
’
s not a problem.
Deacon will
pick you up.
”
“
Deacon
.
Okay, a
nd how am I going to find him
?
”
“
I just showed him your picture
, so he
’
ll find you.
”
Her
picture?
Oh, God
…
She fought back a sigh.
“
Not the one from your shower
last week
.
”
Bridgette
laughed.
“
Sorry
, it
’
s the only one I had on my phone.
”
Jess
ie
swallowed a groan. Lovely. The guy was probably dreading meeting her now.
She looked like a stoned vampire in that shot.
Complete with red eyes and a head of snarled, frizzy curls from being caught out in the rain.
“
Just look for a tall cowboy in a
hat
and boots, and you can
’
t miss him.
”
Yeah, like there weren
’
t plenty of those in San Antonio?
Her phone beeped.
“
Damn, my battery
’
s running low. Gotta go
,
hon, but I
’
ll see you at the ranch.
”
By the time she got off the plane in San Antonio, all she wanted was a shower and a bed.
The thought of spending the weekend
with a group of women she didn
’
t know
was suddenly enough to make her want to catch a flight home
.
Too late now
, and you
’
ve got no one to blame but yourself
. Suck it up, princess.
She
followed the throng of passengers to the baggage claim and glanced around to
see if anyone looked like they
recognized her but
,
after a few minutes
,
walked
up to the carousel. Her suitcase was one of the last off, of course, and she lugged it off the conveyor with a sigh before turning to face the crowd of people milling about.
She spotted a cowboy
wearing a hat,
standing off to the side
,
and started toward him. He was a pleasant-looking man
,
somewhere in his fifties, and gave her a smile as she approached.
“
Are you Deacon
?
”
His smile widened
.
“
No
,
ma
’
am, but I wish I was.
”
“
Oh. Thanks.
”
Embarrassed
, she stopped and changed directions, pulling her bags out of the
foot
traffic
so she could scan the area without getting in anyone
’
s way.
No more tall cowboys wearing Stetsons.
Great, t
hat
’
s all she needed—to have the day capped off
by
her ride standing her up. Taking a cab
out to the ranch from here would probably cost a
small
fortune.
She should have said no and stayed home. Why the hell couldn
’
t she just say no to people?
S
he fished out her cell and was
dialing
the ranch when
t
he automatic
doors opened and a gorgeous man
walked in. Her eyes immediately
locked
on him and stayed there, admiring his long legs
encased in snug jeans
and wide shoulders
set off by a black
T
-shirt
.
His arms rippled with muscle as he moved
.
No hat, but w
hoa. Now
that
was an attractive man.
When he glanced in her direction
,
she jerked her
gaze
away and went back to searching the crowd. In her peripheral vision, she could see him coming closer.
Then closer still.
She looked over, stealing another peek. A
ripple of shock ran through her when she realized he was
staring ba
ck at her. H
eading
right
toward
her
.
She straightened
, her heart
tripping
.
This couldn
’
t be her ride
.
Good God, he was gorgeous. Over six feet, with
short
dark hair and a
chiseled
,
clean-shaven face that made the breath catch in her throat.
His confident stride and posture drew every female eye.
Every dormant sexual fiber in her body suddenly flared to life.
Unable to look away, she stared at him.
To the point of rudeness
.
As he neared, h
e nodded to her
.
Dark blue
eyes met her startled gaze,
and the corners crinkled
in something close to a smile
.
“
Jessica
?
”
His deep
, Texas
drawl rolled over her like
melted
chocolate
, and his teeth were a flash of white in his tan face
.
Squelching the
sudden
nerves in her stomach, she gave him a polite smile.
“
Yes.
You
’
re
Deacon
?
”
“
Yes
,
ma
’
am.
”
Of course he was. She couldn
’
t believe
Bridgette
hadn
’
t
at least
warned her
so she could freshen up
before meeting him
.
The man screamed sex, an
d not the polite, gentle kind. No, a man like that would dole out h
ard, sweaty
loving
that would leave her feeling tired and a bit sore. The kind of sex she hadn
’
t had in
…
Hell
,
she couldn
’
t remember the last time she
’
d had sex like that.
But definitely not
since she and her ex had first been together
.
Deacon
offered his hand.
“
C
all me Deke.
”
She swiped hers
self-consciously against her jeans
before clasping
his
firmly. His palm was warm and hard, but his
long
fingers closed around hers in a gentle grip.
The brief contact sent a jolt straight up her arm and down to the pit of her stomach.
When he let go a second later, her heart was pounding against her ribs
.
Gathering her scattered wits, she found her voice.
“
Thanks for coming to get me.
”
“
My pleasure.
”
He nodded at her luggage.
“
Is this it?
”
“
Yes.
Sorry I didn
’
t recognize you, but I was looking for someone wearing a hat.
”
You sound retarded. Stop talking.
A grin.
“
It
’
s in the truck. Ready?
”
H
e grasped the handle
of her suitcase
and
pivoted
around to set a hand on the small of her back. She
jerked
at his touch, and cursed her fair coloring
that
betray
ed
her nervous
blush
at
his nearness
.
He didn
’
t seem to notice.
“
We
’
re out this way.
”
His broad hand pressed above her waistband as he guided her out to the curb, the delicious warmth of it seeping into her skin.
The contact was firm yet gentle, and
somehow
protective. It stirred
up everything female inside her
.
That simple touch made her nipples bead against her bra and set off alarm bells in her head.
Since her broken engagement, she
’
d barely looked twice at a man. And she
’
d never reacted to one so strongly. But some
thing about Deacon made her body sit up and take notice
.
She hadn
’
t
seen
a ring on his wedding fing
er, but maybe he
couldn
’
t wear one
because of his work at the ranch
.
Or maybe
he was
single
.
Single doesn
’
t necessarily mean unattached.
Shocked by her thoughts
, she
gave herself a mental shake and forced
away
the nerves squirming in her belly.
Why was she even wondering about his marital status?
In her head
, she groaned.
H
e was yet
another complication she didn
’
t want to face this weekend
,
but for the next forty five minutes or so, she didn
’
t have much choice
.
This was going to be a long drive out to the ranch.
****
Whoever had taken that
damn ugly
photo of her should be shot.
Deke guided the little brunette out the
automatic
doors to his truck, stealing a glance at her through his lashes. She was a hell of a lot prettier than that awful
picture
.
Not very tall, coming up to his shoulder, she was trim and curvy in her jeans and
form-fitti
ng
white
shirt
that stretched across
surprisingly
lush breasts. The picture had made her look twenty years older
and not at all attractive
.
Remembering his manners, h
e dragged his
gaze
from
her
excellent
breasts
.
“
Have a good flight?
”
“
Yes, fine.
”
She ran a hand through her long, curly
hair, flipping it over her shoulder.
He caught a whiff of her scent
when the breeze picked up
.
She smelled good, like strawberries.
It made him want to lean in close and get a good whiff of her
, but since she already seemed a bit uncomfortable
,
he refrained
.
“
This is us,
”
he said as they approached his black F-250. He opened the door and
took her hand to help
her in, charmed at the faint pink
in her cheeks when her golden brown
eyes darted to his.
He liked knowin
g she was aware of him as a man.
“
Thanks.
”
“
You
’
re welcome, sugar.
”
He almos
t smiled at the way her blush deepened. Shy little thing.
If his manners
and subtle flirting
were enough to bring color to her ivory cheeks, the bachelorette
weekend
was going to be interesting for her.
He shut the door behind her,
ignored the twinge in his lower back when he
loaded her bag in the
truck bed
,
and slid behind the wheel.
Pulling away
from the curb
, he stole another glance
at her
. She had her hands clasped neatly in her lap, and he noticed the way she tapped her foot. Nervous
of him
, and wound tighter than a coiled lariat. Time out at the ranch was just what she needed
, but he didn
’
t think she
’
d much enjoy the festivities planned. Unless she was one of those women who let loose after a few glasses of wine
. He opened his mouth to make
an attempt at
small talk, but she beat him to it
.
“
So
,
you and your brothers own the ranch?
”
Her eyes were real pretty
—
whiskey-
colored
and
fringed by thick black lashes
.
“
Yeah. The four of us.
”
“
Are you the oldest?
”
“
Nope. Second in line.
”
And there wasn
’
t a moment on the ranch that he didn
’
t remember it.
He
shoulder-
checked as he merged them onto the highway toward Bandera.
“
E
ver been to a dude ranch before?
”
“
No, and I
’
ve never been to Texas, either.
”
“
Well then, we
’
ll have to make sure we take real good care of you and guarantee you
’
ll have a good time.
”
Why did that sound purely sexual to him?
“
I
’
m sure it
’
ll be great,
”
she answ
ered and turned
her head to look out her window
.
Ah. Not real comfortable with him looking at her when he was this close.
“
Where
’
re you from?
”
“
Seattle.
”
“
Beautiful city.
”
She smiled
at him
, the first genuine one she
’
d given
, and a dimple appeared in her right cheek
.
“
You
’
ve been there?
”
“
Few times.
”
When he didn
’
t elaborate
,
an awkward silence descended
and her foot tapped faster
on the floorboard.
Be nice.
He withheld a sigh.
“
You a friend of the bride
’
s
?
”
She
seemed
relieved that he
’
d spoken.
“
Sort of. I
’
m closer to the groom
,
though
. I
promised I
’
d come here to represent his side.
”
He glanced down at her hands in her lap. No ring on
the
left
one
.
“
What do you do back home?
”
“
I
’
m a stock broker.
”
Ah. That would
probably
explain why she was wound so tight.
“
Sounds stressful.
”
“
It has its challenging moments.
Have you always worked the ranch?
”
Sudden te
nsion grabbed
his muscles.
“
No
. Came home a few months
ago to help out.
”
“
Oh. From where?
”
The question was
polite
, but he wasn
’
t interested in discussing his past
.
“
Overseas.
”
His
brusque
tone had the intended effect because she stilled for an instant, then turned her head to stare out her window.
H
e imagined
his younger brothers
Dane
and
Dustin glaring at him
in disapproval
.
The eldest,
Dillon
, would just thin his lips in that
censuring
way that made Deke
’
s hackles rise.
Reigning in his irritation, he made several
more
attempts at small talk on the way out to the ranch, but mostly let her carry the conversation. Pulling up in front of the main
lodge
, he killed the engine and went around to help her out. Her sweet scent enveloped him as she leaned out of the truck and braced a slim hand on his shoulder
.
“
Careful, it
’
s a long way down.
”
He gripped her free hand and set his other one on the curve of her waist, his fingers pressing against the firm flesh concealed beneath that snug
shirt
for an instant longer than necessary
.
He liked the way she felt.
What was she wearing underneath? She seemed uptight enough to warrant
a
plain beige bra and white granny panties. But wouldn
’
t it be hot if she had
on
some Victoria
’
s Secret set under there?
“
Thanks.
”
She flashed him a
tense
smile
and stepped away
.
“
Welcome.
”
He shut the door
, and when she bent to check in her purse for something, her
top
gaped enough for him to see the
pale
curve of one breast and a glimpse of
light pink
lace
.
Damn, she
was
wearing sexy lingerie under there. He stole a discreet glance at her
butt
but
couldn
’
t see any panty lines. Was she wearing a matching thong?
He wondered what other secrets she was hiding.
“
Might as well check in first, before we unload your luggage.
”
He gestured for her to precede him up the concrete path that led to the guest lodge. She swung her purse over her shoulder and walked away, and he couldn
’
t help but admire the view of her shapely ass as it swayed with
each step
.
The woman
might be uptight, but she
had a truly excellent body.
His younger brother, Dustin, was in the office when they walked in. Friendly and easy-going, he got up and shook Jessica
’
s hand.
“
I
’
m Dusty.
Welcome to Dumen Ranch.
”
“
Thanks, I
’
m glad to be here.
”
Her
stunning
eyes lifted to Deke
’
s.
“
Do all your names start with D?
”
“
Yes
. You
’
ll meet
Dillon
and
Dane
later.
”
A tiny frown creas
