Rancher Dragon Read online

  The world melted into darkness around her, getting smaller and smaller as she got closer. Until it was just her skin on Beck’s, his huge body pressed to hers, his chest rubbing against her breasts, his hips connecting with hers in quick succession, arousal so powerful she bit down on Beck’s shoulder trying to hold back.

  Then Beck thrust into her one last time, and Sierra immediately came, gasping into the crook of his neck while she felt Beck’s cock jerk inside her.

  She looked up just in time to see Beck let out a choked sound, gritting his teeth as he came with her. Seeing the effect she had on such a big, powerful, lovable man was almost magical, and the way he continued to pump deep inside her only sent her orgasm flying higher than it already was.

  Darkness and moonlight were their only companions as the hanging chair rocked back and forth while the last of their releases ebbed and jolted. Sierra had come so hard she didn’t even know when the chair had started moving or if Beck had been using the motion to thrust into her harder the whole time.

  The end result was mind-blowing all the same.

  How could she possibly have a life without him now that she’d been enjoying him so much?

  “That. Was. Amazing,” she said, still catching her breath.

  Beck paused a second, then pulled out of her before standing and pulling his jeans up around his waist.

  “Wait, where are we going now?” she asked as he carried her toward the back door.

  He just grinned widely. “I ain’t even half done with you yet, sweetheart. And my mouth has an appointment with your sweetness that still needs to be kept.” He opened and shut the door, taking her toward the room.

  And as he picked up right where they’d left off, Sierra did her best to just live in the moment, letting herself be carried by the waves of pleasure that seemed to ebb and crash at Beck’s touch alone.

  She couldn’t control the future.

  But she sure as heck would enjoy the present with her man.

  14

  A few days later, Beck was out working on a fence and thinking that the days were going too fast.

  The time with Sierra would probably be the happiest of his life, and he needed to savor it.

  He was living with a woman who looked at him like he was a legend rather than a monster.

  He had a sort of home that felt even more right to him than Dragonclaw.

  And because she trusted him so deeply, so clearly, Beck felt like he was beginning to trust himself.

  To see what his friends, most of them anyway, saw in him.

  It made the pain, the horror, the mistake of that day so long ago fade away…

  He positioned a nail and brought his hammer down, slamming it into the wood just as he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

  “Well, ain’t this a sight for sore eyes?”

  Beck grinned, looking up and instantly setting aside his hammer as he saw his oldest friend, TJ, walking down the drive toward him.

  TJ must have walked over from Dragonclaw. Like Beck, TJ liked to wander, never staying in one place.

  They’d met in the military. Beck couldn’t remember which war anymore. He’d served wherever they needed him since fighting was all he was good for.

  At least that’s what he’d thought until he’d met TJ. Beck had been self-conscious of his rugged past, his rough upbringing. TJ was smart. Sophisticated.

  They’d been quick friends since the day they met. TJ the brains, Beck the brawn.

  But TJ also accepted that Beck had found a home at Dragonclaw, so he only came around once a year or so, usually when he needed help.

  “Good to see you,” TJ said, shoving his hands in his worn pockets. His work boots were dirty from the walk. He had on a white tee shirt and a flannel checkered shirt thrown over it, which caught the wind.

  TJ grinned, and his dark-blue eyes sparkled. So dark they almost looked black. “Whatcha doin’ this far from Dragonclaw? You usually stick to that place like glue when you’re not with me. And you haven’t been with me. Couldn’t come with me last time either.”

  Beck nodded. “Harrison needs me around this year. Rainy season.”

  “Damn,” TJ said. “I could use you. And come on, aren’t you ready to roam? See more of this wild range?”

  Beck looked around him. “I think the last of the wild range is here now. The rest has been tamed.”

  “Maybe so,” TJ said, rocking back on his heels. “But there are still many adventures to be had. What d’ya say you take off work and—”

  “Can’t,” Beck said, grabbing another nail and placing it between his teeth while he set up another and slammed it in. He took the one from his mouth and nailed it in also. “Swamped.”

  TJ let out a snort. “Harrison pimping you out?” He looked around, his piercing dark-blue eyes taking in everything. “I didn’t think this spread would be able to afford it.”

  “Not for money,” Beck said, setting his hammer aside and studying his work. Then he cocked his head, looking at TJ. “What did you need me for anyway?”

  “Why does it gotta be that I need you for something?” TJ asked playfully. “Maybe I just want you along.”

  Beck just glared at him. He liked TJ. He’d step in front of a speeding truck for him. But TJ always had a plan. Always something he was working on. Beck didn’t mind helping. He just liked being told beforehand.

  TJ put his hands on his hips. “I really didn’t need anything in particular, Beck.”

  “No help carving out the side of a mountain so you can mine it?”

  “No!” TJ laughed. “I swear I just came to check on my big, strong brute of a best friend. No one around our usual wandering haunts has seen you. Then I find you here instead of Dragonclaw. So there must be a reason.”

  Beck wasn’t sure he wanted to tell TJ about Sierra yet. He was oddly possessive of her. Their nights together… He hadn’t known that life could contain such ecstasy.

  He was falling for her. Hell, maybe he was already more in love with her than he had any right to be.

  He wasn’t ready to share her just yet.

  But TJ was just TJ…

  “Who lives here?” TJ asked, looking over curiously. “Why in tarnation are you blushing?”

  Beck wished to hell he wasn’t, but he could feel his neck heating up. He wished he could be like TJ. Always smooth, calm, and in control. Educated. Kind and polite to everyone.

  And TJ’s dragon had never buried a bunch of innocents under a goddamn mountain.

  Something Beck envied even after hundreds of years of trying to drink away the pain and guilt.

  But he was doing better now. He had Sierra. She was teaching him that was a fluke. He wasn’t a monster.

  She was… loving him.

  Just as he was thinking about her, the door to the ranch house opened, and she stepped out onto the porch, looking gorgeous in jeans and a gray sweater. Her blond hair caught in the wind, and her cheeks flushed as she noticed him and waved. “Beck!” Her eyes moved to TJ, and she looked puzzled.

  “Ah,” TJ said, a look of surprise slowly turning to genuine delight. “You found yourself a lady! Well, why didn’t you say so, Beck?” He started walking forward. “I’m your oldest friend. You gotta introduce me to your girl.”

  Beck put a hand on TJ’s arm, stopping him. “It ain’t like that. It ain’t… permanent.”

  TJ stopped and stared at him.

  “I’m just helping her ‘round her place and fixing it up a little, as I owe her a favor.”

  “The talon?” TJ asked, eyes widening. “You said you would never give that to anyone again.”

  Beck felt his heart clench, but he couldn’t back down now. “Too late. I did. And I’m glad I did. I like the lady, but she knows I can’t stay here. She knows it ain’t—”

  “Permanent,” TJ said.

  “Yeah,” Beck said.

  Silence sat between them for a moment, the only sound the rustling of dry Texas grass and wind through the trees.

/>   “Well, of course, Beck,” TJ said, picking up his smile once again as he walked forward, slapping Beck on the back and dragging him with. “You’ve always been a helper. Of course you’re helping the nice lady. Now let’s go meet her. Anyone who treats you well is fine by me.” TJ smiled. “And if she makes you happy…”

  “She does,” Beck said. “So watch what you tell her about our old shenanigans. She don’t know about dragons.”

  TJ raised an eyebrow. “Of course not. Have you ever known me to misbehave?”

  “No,” Beck said, shaking his head to try and remove the odd paranoia he couldn’t shake. Was this what having a mate was like? Not even wanting another man to look at them?

  But when they reached the porch and Sierra’s smile set his heart on fire again, he could mostly push away that odd feeling of reservation in his chest and introduce two of his most important people.

  But as Sierra led them both inside, inviting TJ to dinner, Beck couldn’t quite shake a sense of unrest that he’d never felt before.

  15

  As Sierra ate dinner next to Beck and across from TJ, she didn’t know what to make of Beck’s friend.

  He wasn’t anything like Harrison or Clancy or even Dallas or Reno.

  There was an air of refinement around him, and charm, but something held back. Like he was hiding something.

  Perhaps he was just the polar opposite of Beck. They were both clearly Texas men. Tall. Muscled. No-nonsense. But while Beck was huge, TJ was merely tall and built. They were both handsome men, but she preferred Beck’s roughhewn handsomeness to TJ’s almost pretty-boy looks.

  Just her preference.

  Though, after knowing Beck for a while, after feeling his embrace and tasting his kisses, she’d probably take him no matter what he looked like.

  She was more smitten by this man than she’d ever thought possible.

  Beck was laughing at a story TJ was telling, and there did seem to be a good rapport between the two.

  But there was just something nudging at her.

  “Now, how did Beck win over the prettiest little lady in these parts?” TJ asked playfully. “This big ol’ brute. Sweet little thing like yourself oughta be with someone more refined.” He gave her a smile.

  She gave him one back but didn’t quite feel it reach her eyes. There was something in the way he called Beck a brute.

  Something hidden.

  “Not at all,” she said. “Beck’s totally my type. I like a mountain man.”

  Beck’s beaming smile was all the thanks she needed, and she leaned into him, blushing and bumping him with her shoulder.

  “That’s good for Beck, then,” TJ said amiably. “This is a pretty little spread too. Nothing like Dragonclaw, but real nice. Homey.”

  She smiled. “Thank you. It’s been in my family a lot of years. My ancestors homesteaded it.”

  TJ nodded. “Back then, a man could take what he could hold.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Sounds so lawless. I don’t think I would have liked to live back then.”

  Beck opened his mouth, then closed it as if he’d been about to say something but changed his mind.

  “Beck?” She nudged him. “What is it?”

  “I think it was probably beautiful back then,” he says. “Wild and free. I think… it was an improvement. When it was just the mountains and wild plains and humans hadn’t tamed it.”

  “But isn’t that a little hypocritical since we’re humans?” she teased.

  “Well…” He flushed, averting his gaze, and she wondered what that was about. “Yes, we take up resources here too. But we ain’t building shopping malls for people to buy stuff they plumb don’t need. We’re losing what’s important for what’s fleeting.”

  She smiled at him, feeling her heart fill up every time he spoke lately. He was just such a sweet, deep man beneath that rough, growly exterior. She didn’t think she would ever get enough of him.

  She might even love him.

  “You’re right. This land,” she said. “Other people we care about. That’s what matters. Not things. I agree.”

  “You two are made for each other,” TJ said, leaning back in his chair and looking easily between them. “I’m glad to see Beck happy, even if this isn’t long-term.”

  In her heart, it was forever, but she knew she might never be able to have that. It would be up to Beck. She’d never force him.

  She felt him stiffen beside her and put her hand over his to relax him slightly. “Hey. However this works out, I’m glad for what we have.” She smiled at him until his face finally relaxed and his eyes met hers gratefully. “I’m never gonna be mad at you, Beck. Not for doing what you want or think is best for you to do.”

  Beck nodded. “I don’t deserve you.”

  “Well, with that kind of mush, I’d better be going,” TJ said, winking at them and standing to get his hat.

  She brought it to him while Beck handed him his jacket, and TJ surprised her by taking her hand to bring it up to his lips for a kiss.

  Beck’s growl was loud and immediate, and TJ dropped it.

  “Same ol’ Beck,” he said. “Hates to share. Sorry, I lost myself to my usual gentlemanly habits.” He put his hat on and tipped it. “No harm done.”

  Beck was just standing there looking surprised by his own jealous reaction. But Sierra couldn’t help but be happy about it.

  Beck moved in to give his friend a quick hug, and the men patted each other hard on the back as they parted.

  “No hard feelings?” TJ asked.

  “Of course not,” Beck said, opening the door for him. “You headed back to Wyoming?”

  TJ shook his head. “Think I’ll stay around Dragonclaw for a while. See if you change your mind.”

  “About what?” Sierra asked.

  “Nothing,” Beck said. “And I won’t. But you’re welcome to visit. We could go for a ride, talk about the old times.”

  “We’ll see,” TJ said, tipping his hat again. He leaped down off the steps with one easy stride of his long legs.

  Then he was off down the drive, kicking up dust behind him, whistling as he went.

  Sierra watched him until he disappeared behind the tree line, and then she looked over at Beck.

  “What was with that growl?” she teased. “Jealous?”

  “Of course I am,” he said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her in close. “I don’t know where this is going, but for now, you’re mine. All mine.” He nuzzled against her with a little growl.

  “He was just being polite,” she said.

  “He was being handsy. TJ’s a player. Always has been.”

  “He knows I’m with you,” she said.

  “That may be,” Beck says. “Doesn’t make me less jealous.” He exhaled roughly. “Not that I have any right to be.”

  They headed back inside, and he kept his hand on her lower back, protective as always.

  If Beck didn’t mean to stay, how would she ever do without him? She didn’t even want to think about it.

  Beck shut the front door, then joined her on the couch in the living room. “So what did you think of TJ?”

  She leaned back against the soft, familiar cushions, thinking it over in her mind. “I don’t know. There was something about him…”

  “What?” Beck asked, looking shocked. “Everyone loves TJ.”

  “I don’t know,” she said, putting up her hands. “I’m sorry. I get that you’re close. It’s just the way he looks at you sometimes. Or little things he says that feel like a dig. Or like he knows something I don’t.” She smiled nervously up at him. “Or maybe I’m just the one who’s jealous.”

  He grinned. “I don’t mind that.” His expression sobered. “But as for TJ, I don’t know. He knows me better than everyone, so yes, I would guess he knows things you don’t. I don’t see why that should make you uncomfortable. These things take time.”

  “It’s not just that exactly,” she said. “There’s just this feeling… t
hat he doesn’t respect you.” She felt panic hit her the minute she finished her sentence and wondered what she was thinking, saying that about someone Beck clearly trusted.

  Beck just stared at her for a moment, brows lowered in confusion.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just… You asked me, and I have this bad habit where I can’t not tell the truth.”

  He sighed. “I love that about you. It’s just hard. TJ’s been there for me through a lot of things no one else could understand. Even my other friends. He knows my deepest secrets. My dark spots.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I would hope he doesn’t think less of me.”

  “If he did, it wouldn’t reflect on you,” Sierra said quickly. “Beck, you’re the best man I’ve ever known.”

  “It means a lot to me,” Beck said. “What TJ thinks about me.” He sighed roughly, looking down at his hands in his lap. “I know that sounds stupid, but he was there for me when no one else was. My best friend. My first friend.”

  She got it and nodded slowly. “I get it. I’m sorry for putting my opinion in where it wasn’t wanted.”

  Beck’s eyes met hers. “No. I definitely want your opinion, Sierra. You’re a smart, strong woman. I always want to know what you think. Even if I’m a bit sensitive about TJ. And some other things.” He looked away at nothing in particular, but Sierra could feel the distance growing between them.

  She also had no idea what to do with it.

  Even though she felt close to Beck, she knew so little of his history. She wanted to know everything.

  “I hope you’ll tell me some of them sometime,” she says. “The things TJ knows that no one else does.”

  “Jealous, huh?” Beck asked, but he had that hungry, heavy look in his eyes that she loved.

  “Yes,” she said, brushing his hair back. He closed his eyes like a cat at how good it felt. “Of course. I want to be your best friend now.”