Crack the Whip [Dark Days Ranch 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Read online

  The man jumped the bar and headed in her direction. The closer he got, the more she wanted to gravitate in his direction. Well, that shit wasn’t going to fly. Instead, she turned and began heading out of the entrance.

  “Hey!”

  She could hear him running after her, but Georgina kept walking. It wasn’t but a minute before he jogged up to her side.

  “You totally just blew me off.”

  The wolf inside of her was practically purring around and rubbing against her insides like a cat, and she hadn’t even got a good look at the man yet.

  “You’re Georgie, right?”

  Heat engulfed her body at the way her name rolled off his tongue. She closed her eyes and stopped. Slowly, she turned and had to crane her neck to look up at him. Time slowed as Georgina connected with his dark eyes. She knew he felt it too when he sucked in air. No. She shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was feeling.

  “You’re not Georgie?”

  “What?”

  “You shook your head no.” He licked his lips. The moment she had seen his tongue, her eyes became glued to his mouth. It was probably the most kissable one she’d ever seen.

  “Oh.” She paused. “Yes. But you’re not allowed to call me that. Georgie is for my friends only. I don’t know you.” She headed across the land that separated the two corrals.

  “I’m Damien. Logan wanted me to come help you.”

  Her eyes peered over at him. She tilted her head to see him past the straw cowboy hat she wore. From the angle Georgina was looking, she could see her blonde hair falling out of the pins she’d used to pull back the long length. “Well, as you can see, I’m done. So yeah, have a good day.”

  “Wow, you really keep trying to burn me.” Damien lunged forward and cut off her path. His gaze was scorching. Georgina almost sighed at how gorgeous he was in the Stetson. But good looks didn’t make a suitable mate. And if it did, she wasn’t interested anyway.

  She stepped around him.

  “You can’t avoid me forever, you know. If you don’t talk to me now, I’ll just be here tomorrow. And the day after. And—”

  “Okay, what do you want?” Aggravated, she put her hand to her hip.

  “Truthfully?” The tone of his voice deepened and the smile disappeared from his face. It was replaced by a look that said he was done playing her games, and ready to bend her over his knee to spank and tease her until she was on the verge of having the best orgasm of her life.

  He closed the space between them. “What I’d really like is you naked and on your knees.” Damien’s expression told her he wasn’t kidding in the least. “Do it, Georgie. Get on your knees and look up at me.”

  The command made her mouth part. No one had ever talked to her like that before. No one. Yet, she couldn’t deny how her stomach tightened in arousal. And a part of her wanted to obey him. A really big part. While his eyes narrowed, she watched his face grow closer. “Down, Georgina.” The authority in his tone didn’t just stir respect. It branded it deep within until all she wanted to do was await his next instruction.

  The hard ground was suddenly under her knees. He pulled the hat from her head and her long blonde curls fell down to her elbows. “God, you’re absolutely beautiful. You belong to me now. You know that, right?” He crouched before her and his breath brushed against her lips. “Say you know you’re mine.” Pressure gripped the back of her neck. The tightness of her nipples ached against her lace bra.

  The touch of his finger traced across her lips, and she moaned at how the contact wasn’t only on her face, but completely surrounding her. He was in complete control, and even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t be able to fight him.

  His lips moved impossibly closer. Was he going to kiss her? The only thing separating them was his fingertip. “Say it, Georgie. I’m waiting.”

  Footsteps caused her head to jerk to the side. Bex rounded the corner and she blinked hard as the boy stopped walking to look at her. What the hell was she doing? Georgina reared back and grabbed her hat. She stood and looked down at him. “I belong to no one. Stay away from me.”

  “Oh you’ll be mine, soon enough. And you know it. See you tomorrow, Georgina.” He laughed and she watched him wink and walk away. Bex was suddenly gone and she had no doubt that he was wishing he hadn’t seen that. She’d been so hard on him since he had started working that she was almost embarrassed that he’d witnessed her in such a vulnerable position. Everyone here knew her as a hard ass. Once word got around, and it would, the men were going to have such a blast giving her a hard time.

  “Dammit.” Dirt flew around her at the kick of her boot. She was just going to have to set him right first thing tomorrow. No one ordered her around. Plain and simple.

  Trucks began pulling down the drive and she knew it was already five. She headed for the office, but decided against it. If Logan had given the command for the man to work with her, then there was no way he was going to change his mind. And that really put a damper on things. This cowboy was her mate. What was she going to do about that? It would ruin everything she’d worked so hard for.

  Georgina wasn’t in such a rush to leave, after all. She walked to the barn and slid down the wall, taking in the main corral and all riders headed back to the stables. It had taken her years to get her position here at the ranch. Suddenly, she could see it all falling away, and she couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t.

  * * * *

  Damien walked into the office and peeked in on Logan. He was still at the desk, and Ty was sitting a good foot away. Papers were everywhere. Their eyes lifted as he came in and picked up his suits.

  “How’d it go with Georgie?”

  Logan looked over at Ty and they both started laughing. Damien’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, it went very good. We meet back up first thing in the morning.”

  “Oh.” Logan threw his mate a look. “Well, then. I guess you could hang out there for a few hours. I have some men coming down to interview for jobs out there with you guys. Why don’t you take a look at these and see if any of them sound like they would be a good fit for us.”

  Damien took the small stack from Logan. He looked at all the others and assumed it had to be for other positions throughout the ranch. Experience, along with pictures and background information appeared for each one. Damien flipped through and paused when he got to a dark-haired cowboy, wearing blue. The shirt was the same color as his eyes. He focused, trying to recall if he’d seen him before.

  “Who’s this one? Have you talked to him yet?”

  Logan leaned forward and nodded once he saw the Polaroid. “Came in last week. We take pictures of each one. I met him personally.” Logan shrugged. “Seems like a good guy. He’s originally from Big Boss. Spent some time in Triple Z before coming here. Name’s Austin, I believe.”

  “Yeah.” Damien scanned his information. Something about him was off, but he wasn’t sure what. “I think I like this one. You should call him in.”

  Logan smiled. “Oh…right. You’re looking for a partner. Well, I’ll let him know to show up tomorrow around lunch time. Be here at eleven if you want to meet him.”

  “Will do.” Damien threw the suits over his shoulder and walked to the car. He popped the trunk and slid them in. Georgina flashed in his mind and he smiled. He couldn’t believe it. A mate. Just for him. It blew his mind. And beautifully feisty. Damn, he couldn’t wait to have her writhing beneath him.

  Damien looked down at his watch. There was no way he’d make it back to his room to get ready before he had to meet the real estate agent at six. He looked toward the bunkhouse, grabbed the suit he’d had on earlier, and headed in that direction. As he made his way in, men nodded in his direction. Normally, he’d stop and bullshit, but now wasn’t the time.

  The large restroom had five showers. He hung up his suit and stripped down. The second one was the only stall available so he headed in. Singing began echoing off the walls and whoever was across the barrier to his left joined in.
Damien laughed and lathered himself with the liquid soap. If it was one thing they didn’t lack at the ranch, it was food and toiletries.

  The smell had him examining the bottle. He had to admit, he was impressed. The stuff smelt pretty good. As he rinsed out his short hair, Damien let the memory of Georgie kneeling before him take over. His cock instantly got hard. Damn if he didn’t want to take her right there where she’d submitted to him. It was a small step. But she’d done it. He couldn’t believe it. He thought it’d take more time. Could it be that his little Miss Georgie was a submissive by heart? A smile came to his face. Definitely. If they were going to be mated, then there was no holding back. Not for either of them.

  Chapter 3

  The smell of coffee had Georgina closing her eyes in bliss. She smiled and stared out of Dark Days’s lounge window. It was already ten thirty, and Damien had never shown up this morning. All those hours of tossing and turning were for nothing. When she’d gotten in at seven, she was sure he’d be there waiting. Every hour that ticked by only set her more at ease.

  “Georgie, it’s good seeing you.” Logan came in and poured him a cup. “I wanted to ask you how your day went with Damien, yesterday. He was pretty excited to help out this morning, and would have been here, but he’s meeting with the bank about buying a house.”

  “Oh.” The frown that followed was immediate. So he hadn’t quit or run off. Great. That only meant he’d be back. “Well, you can tell him we’re all good. I’m sure you have lots for him to do.”

  Logan tilted his head and leaned against the wall. She knew he was studying her. That was one thing about their alpha. He hardly missed anything, and apparently she hadn’t been as smooth as she’d thought. “Actually, he’s pretty free for the next week. If you don’t have any objections I think I’d like him to shadow you.”

  Something close to panic set in. Georgina swallowed hard and battled whether she should be honest with him. If she did, where did that put things?

  “Just spill it, Georgie. I can tell your mind is going ninety to nothing. You’ve never held anything back with me, so what is it?”

  The coffee was hot as she sucked it down. Everything in her wanted to beg Logan to never let him come near her again. Yet, the wolf in her ached to be in his control. Georgina placed the coffee on the small table and took a seat. “I think it would be best if maybe you had him shadow someone else. We’re just not compatible.”

  “Compatible?” Logan came forward and joined her at the table. “That’s not a word I would have expected to hear, Georgie. What I thought you were going to say was something along the lines of, he’s too loud, or annoying, or hovering…a word more describing the reason as to why you don’t want to be around him.”

  “Well he’s not any of those. I just meant that our personalities don’t mesh well together.”

  “I thought we hit it off pretty good.” Damien rested against the entrance to the small lounge area. She almost didn’t recognize him in the dark gray suit. Why in the world was this happening to her? Couldn’t fate just leave her alone and let her be happy? Jeez, the more she looked at him, the more she knew her will was caving. It only took mates a good few hours for their guard to fall. Time was ticking, and she was already being sucked in.

  Warmth burned into her hands from gripping the coffee mug so hard. “You were mistaken,” she snapped. “I thought maybe when I said, ‘Stay the hell away from me,’ that I’d been extremely clear.”

  “Whoa.” Logan stood from the table. “Damien, you didn’t mention anything like this to me yesterday.”

  “Because she doesn’t truly want that. Do you, Georgie?”

  Slowly, Damien walked toward her and she could feel her heart explode in her chest. The closer he got, the more her wolf went crazy. Fear at her emotions made her stand and ease back.

  “Answer me, Georgina.” That dark look, the one that made her wet, covered his face. In the suit, his aura went beyond powerful. Damien was a god. All she wanted to do was lower to her knees before him, again, and cater to his desires.

  Breathing became impossible. Her eyes were transfixed on his gaze. She knew a big part had to do with the pull from their bonding trying to kick in, but she didn’t care. Damien was demanding her attention and she was giving it to him. If she could only remember what he’d been saying.

  “Georgie.” The firmness in his tone snapped her back to reality. His words filtered back in. Did she really want him to stay away? Well that was easy.

  “No.” Georgina paused and shook her head, hard. “I mean, yes! Dammit. Get back and stop doing that. I can’t even think around you.”

  Logan laughed and circled until he was standing off to the side, between them. “So, who wants—”

  “Logan?” A man walked into the room. Georgina looked over and felt her jaw drop. Her eyes snapped to Damien and watched as his body went rigid. He shook his head and burst out laughing.

  The man was just standing there with a look of surprise on his face, all the bit as shocked as she and Damien probably were.

  “Okay.” Logan placed his coffee cup down. “Well, this isn’t my first rodeo. How about we all take a seat at the table. I have a feeling this is a conversation that I don’t want to miss.”

  “I really have to get to work.” Georgina was ready to haul ass. One mate was bad enough. Two. Hell no. She couldn’t deal with that.

  The men all sat down and Logan pointed to the chair. “Sit, Georgie.” All she could do was pace. Her feet refused to cross an invisible barrier. Looking down at the tile, it happened to be the closest line of grout to the chair.

  “I’m good.” Her gaze kept going back to the men who were meant to be hers. They both had dark hair. Both were pretty tall, although the new guy was about two or so inches shorter than Damien. Where one had dark eyes, the other had deep blue. Damn, they were both handsome in their own way. And from their energy, they were completely different. Where Damien was all power, her new man had a very calming vibe.

  Logan leaned forward, letting her be. “Austin, I know now why Damien insisted I bring you here. Welcome to Dark Days Ranch.” Logan looked at Damien. “Well, you were looking for a surveillance partner, and I’m guessing you found one in more ways than one.”

  “Thanks.” Austin looked at Damien and his eyes stopped on her. “Are you okay? You don’t seem all right with this at all.”

  Georgina shook her head in bewilderment. “And you are? You’re ready to give yourself to me and…Damien?” The name almost felt sinful to say. He was all lust, temptation, and darkness. Every second she was around him she could feel herself falling under his spell. And the thing was, every time he used that authoritative tone, he was fucking her mind just as hard as she wanted him fucking her untouched body.

  “Of course.” Austin shrugged. “I’ve been on my own now for years. Everyone knows mates are the most important thing that can happen in a wolf’s life. It’s a gift. Hell, I take it with open arms.” His thick Texan accent was something Georgina hadn’t expected. And although she knew he was right, she just couldn’t let it derail her life. At least her career gave her something to look forward to. She could thrive in that lifestyle. Mates were good while they lasted, but what happened when they died and left you alone?

  The pain her mother had gone through was the best lesson she could have had on mates. Everything was great when her mother and father were together, but the moment he’d passed, her mother completely shut down. Life wasn’t worth living to her anymore, not even to be there for Georgina or her brother. Within two months her mom had died. Georgina couldn’t bear to put herself in that sort of situation. What kind of love was so strong that it completely took over a person that way? It was scary.

  “Well, excuse me if I don’t share your excitement over the situation.” She looked over to Logan. “My lunch break is over. May I go back to work?”

  “No.” Logan lowered his head. “Georgina.” The alpha inside of him poured through the room like a heavy perf
ume. “You know there’s no getting out of being someone’s mate. You can’t expect me to let two of my men go through physical pain because you don’t want to join in on the bonding.” His head shook. “I really don’t understand why you’d want to get out of it at all. Mates are a blessing.”

  Sweat began to form between her breasts. It was no secret that once the process began there was no stopping it. If, per chance, the three of them were separated, the outcome would be disastrous. But what was worse? Physical pain, or emotional zombification? The mental thought process she held inside was about to die, and what was reborn was nothing more than a programmed instinct to love complete strangers. At least, that’s the way she viewed it. She couldn’t do it. Wouldn’t.

  “Oh, no.” Logan groaned. “She’s about to bolt.”

  Georgina’s eyes flashed to him wildly. If a millimeter of a second more would have passed, she would have raced from the ranch as fast as she could. The pure fact that her alpha had already stood, ready to catch her, kept Georgina grounded.

  “I’m begging you, Logan,” Georgina pleaded. “Don’t make me mate with them. I don’t want it. If you would have seen my mother, after my father passed, you wouldn’t want your bond either.”

  “What do you mean?” Damien stood, gripping Austin’s shoulder. The new cowboy instinctively covered Damien’s hand at their connection. Already the bond was pulling them together, and they didn’t even realize it. How long would it be before she got sucked in and lost herself completely?

  The room began to spin. Desperation had her heading for the door, but she hadn’t made it two steps before black dots took over her vision. Georgina could feel herself sucking in air, deep. The tears were pouring out, and her whole body was shaking like crazy.

  “I think she’s hyperventilating. Man, she’s not kidding. She really believes what she says.” Damien swept her in his arms. “Georgina.” He sat on the chair and cradled her in his lap. “Calm down and speak to us. I’m sure if we understood, we could help ease your fears.”