Sweet Victory

www.beautifultroublepublishing.com

Sweet VICTORY Nikki Winter Copyright © 2011 by Nikki Winter All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including but not limited to: printing, photocopying, faxing, recording, electronic transmission, or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission from the authors or holders of the copyright. This book is a work of fiction. References may be made to locations and historical events; however, names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination and/or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), businesses, events or locales is either used fictitiously or coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only. Published by Beautiful Trouble Publishing, LLC PO Box 61 Colfax, NC 27235 www.beautifultroublepublishing.com Cover Art: Les Byerley http://www.les3photo8.com/ Editor: Stephanie Parent Proofreader: Novellette Whyte http://authorgurunovellette.blogspot.com/ Formatter: Savannah J. Frierson, http://sjfbooks.com/editing/ E-book Conversion: Jim & Zetta, http://www.jimandzetta.com/ ISBN: (eBook) 978-1-61788-098-8; (print): 978-1-61788099-5

Three times the charm is what they say! Well, they lied because this one had to be the hardest to get out since I wanted it perfect but I will say it was the most fun also. Once again BTP, I’ve got to say thank you. Jayha and THE Jeanie I’m doing my best to make you guys proud so you can keep doing the ‘I told you so’ song and dance you love so much. To my editors, your patience knows no bounds because I can work a nerve. To my cover artist, keep them coming because I love every one of them. Last but never least to my readers, I so wouldn’t be doing this again if ya’ll hadn’t fallen in love with me that first time, so to all of you I just want to say ‘THANK YOU’. —Nikki

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CAVEAT This work of erotica contains adult language and sexually explicit scenes, which are smoking hot. This book is intended only for adults, as it is defined by the laws of the country in which the purchase is made. Keep this book out of the hands of under-aged readers.

There’s a Thin Line She just needed him to do it one…more…time. That was all it was going to take. Eyes closed, slowly inhaling, she mentally begged for him to do it just one more time. And when he did, she was going to snap his hand in half like a wishbone and then watch him whimper and fall to his knees. Victory Graham waited for what she knew was coming: for Jason Malone’s little, creepy hand to rub across her behind—and she wasn’t disappointed. Dropping her tools, Vic spun and snatched his hand before bending both sides of his palm in opposite directions. She delighted in the sickening crunch and the subsequent shout of agony, but she didn’t let go. Instead she moved on to his fingers, snapping them one by one until she was down to his pinky. Already on his knees, Malone tried to move but she just squeezed harder. “Unh-unh.” “What the hell is your problem? Lemme go!” Malone yelled. Ignoring the footfalls and the circle of ranch hands who until five minutes ago had been mending breaks in the corral fences, Vic

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simply enjoyed the view of her boss on his knees. “For the last two years I’ve been ignoring the looks and double talk. While I can take the innuendos and the graphic, disgusting language, I draw the line at you putting your hands on me, Malone.” Face red, eyes watering, he stared up at her with pure rage. “I never touched you! What the hell are you talking about?!” Her boss either couldn’t stop shouting, or the pain was so great that screaming was his only outlet from it. Fury had a stronghold on her. Enough was enough. She’d joined Malone Ranch after graduating with a master’s degree in supply chain management. Originally, the ranch was run by Malone’s father, but the old man decided to hand over the reins to his oldest son four years ago. The problem with that was the fact that his oldest son was a jackass with an inferiority complex. That probably wouldn’t have affected her if she were less of a target for men with issues. Standing six feet tall in her bare feet, she looked most men dead in their eyes, that is, if she wasn’t looking down at the top of their heads. When she hit her first growth spurt, she’d quickly learned that men would either

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tease her or stay the hell out of her way. Being one of the men who had to look up at her, Malone figured that picking on her was a good way to keep her in her place. Moreover, being the boss, he figured that she’d take it. That was the kind of thing that happened when you were as smart as a pet rock. It had started with light teasing about her being a “tall drink of water.” After that, it had slowly moved on to comments about how healthy her figure was. She’d ignored the barbs, which just made Malone try harder. Somewhat of a self-proclaimed charmer, he didn’t seem to grasp that she wasn’t interested until she told him outright that she’d rather date the creepy character from the Leprechaun movie than him. That probably wasn’t the best idea, but the Napoleon complex-ridden jackass had used up all of her patience. Now here they were, with Malone in a very uncomfortable position, and she was on her way to losing a job that she needed. Trying to let go of her rage wasn’t working. He had touched her. The first time his hand brushed her, she simply ignored it, refusing to give him the reaction that he was looking for. The second time she ignored it

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hoping that he’d stop, but after that third time, the Southern fury that was such a big part of her came through full throttle. Her head snapped up as one of the ranch hands stepped forward. Archer Davis—a ranch hand—held his hands out as if to placate her. He was a little older and had been one of the first to show her the ropes when she’d started. In a way, she could even consider him a friend. “Now Vic, I think you just need to settle down and let Mr. Malone go.” His normally booming voice was soft and hesitant. In the midst of considering the request, Malone spoke and robbed her of any compassion she might’ve had for him. “I don’t need any of you fighting my battles against some giant bi—” Before he could call her out of her name, she broke that last finger. Dropping his hand, she stepped back, still watching him. She didn’t have to look around to know that the crew all wore identical looks of astonishment. Who wouldn’t, because it sure wasn’t every day that you saw a man get handed his ass…by a lady.

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Staring down at Malone, she kept her tone quiet and spoke. “Remember your pain and consider what I’ll do to you if you ever put your hands on me again.” While Malone was sure to get back at her, right now she didn’t care. She kept her gaze on him as she walked a good distance backwards. “You’re fired, Graham!” he shouted, probably in an effort to save face. Chuckling a little, she flipped him the bird over her shoulder as she got far enough to safely turn around. “I quit, you sexist SOB!” The walk to her truck was the longest one she’d ever made. How in the hell was she going to pay her bills? Luckily, her truck was paid for, but she still had bills. She also needed a work environment where she wouldn’t be sexually harassed. She’d just swung open the driver’s door on her Ford when she caught sight of someone behind her. Not even hesitating, she reacted. Spinning around, she had the man pinned against her truck before she had time to process who it was. Archer stared back at her, completely calm. Releasing him, she asked, “Any reason you’re prowling around?”

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He took a breath. “Sorry, Vic, I just wanted to talk to you.” “Next time just call my name. You were two seconds away from turning three different shades of the rainbow.” Understanding dawned over his features. “We underestimated you the whole time, huh?” Shrugging her shoulders, she answered, “I’m not very surprised. I’m a woman and I’m quiet. That usually spells ‘target.’” Archer shook his head. “No, Vic, I mean we really underestimated you. Unless you were dealing with your nemesis Rod, I’ve never seen you anything but quiet and gentle, but this was different. You wanted to kill him. I saw it in your eyes.” She stiffened, suddenly uncomfortable with Archer’s assessment. “He touched me. I can take the barbs, but touching me is different.” “Are you really quitting?” Nodding, she answered, “It’s either that or really kill him next time, Archer. It won’t stop with a few broken bones.” It was his turn to nod. “I understand that, but where are you gonna go?”

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“I’m going someplace where I don’t have to break bones to get some respect,” she said as she climbed into her truck. I’m also going someplace where I don’t have to have eyes in the back of my head. While she didn’t like to fight, her Marine daddy had made damn sure she could. If she told her Daddy what had happened, he’d be proud—and then he’d be on his way to jail for homicide. *** Rod sighed long and hard. Today was going to be a rough day. Something had felt off from the moment he’d rolled out of bed. If he were honest with himself, he’d admit that rolling over to find her gone again was what had him bugging. Quietly freaking out as he walked the property of Halima Ranch, because he realized he’d have no peace until he had her with him every single day and night, he almost didn’t hear Bianca Halima when she called him. Turning, he took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the woman headed his way with a baby girl on her hip. Bianca was one of those rare finds, and was beautiful inside and out.

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She had been one of the few women with whom he’d formed a genuine friendship. Dating her had been on his mind long ago, but he knew he wasn’t right for her. Evan Halima knew it, too, and he wasn’t about to let him anywhere near Bianca. After a long time of dancing around it, Evan and Bianca had finally admitted that they were meant for each other. Taking credit for the love match between the pair, he often touted his skills as the love doctor since it was his date proposal that finally made Evan take action. She usually ignored him and threatened to stop making him red velvet cake, which usually shut him up. It did, however, take a while for Evan to look at him without scowling. His boss had held the notion that Rod was still trying his hand at Bianca. Once the other man had finally seen that Rod wasn’t trying to move in on his woman, he’d stopped threatening to kill him. Now if he could just get Dane Halima to stop sizing him up for a shallow grave, that’d be good. While he’d had a history with Dane’s wife, Brianna, it was in the past. The two had gone their separate ways with no hard feelings since they both knew it was a bad idea in the first place.

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Other than Dane, they were all good friends. He enjoyed his friendship with the family, even though one of Bianca’s kids made him nervous. Of course, Bianca would have that kid in tow right now. Bailey had golden eyes just like her mama’s, and as always, she stared at him intently. Shifting back and forth, he felt the same way a gazelle probably does right before a lion takes its ass halfway off. Bianca sighed. “I wish you two wouldn’t do that.” “Do what?” he asked, still staring at Bailey. “The staring thing. It only makes her stare harder.” “Well, if you didn’t bring your creepy wide-eyed kid around me then we wouldn’t have this problem. Her freaky stare makes people grab for their throats.” Bianca smirked. “Calling her creepy doesn’t make her want to like you, Rod. She may not be able to understand words fully yet but she can sense the tone behind them.” Raising a brow, he simply said, “I’m sure she can. I bet she can also sense when the apocalypse is coming, considering the fact that she’ll have a hand in bringing it about.”

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“You’re just upset because she’s one of the few females that you can’t charm,” she replied, chuckling. “Oh, I can charm her, but then she won’t like anybody else.” A dimpled smile peaked from Bianca’s pretty face as she shook her head. “You just need one woman to bring all that cocky down a notch.” Grinning, he retorted, “Sorry sweetheart, I have too many lovely women trying to bring it up…a notch. Now what is it that you, oh wonderful baking Goddess, need from me?” “Evan’s busy with some paperwork and wanted me to ask if you have any recommendations of who should take the position of another foreman to manage crops and land irrigation along with stabling. Between the workload and our wonderful little merchants of evil, he’s ready to pull his hair out. I love his hair so I can’t allow that to happen.” Honestly, he’d been thinking about recommending that same thing. With a growing family, Evan couldn’t devote all of his time to the ranch like he used to. While Rod was great at his job, he needed help.

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“I really can’t think of anybody from this crew with the time or patience for that. Maybe he should start looking outside of the ranch hands. We need the help.” “I told his giant, corn-fed ass the same thing, but he won’t listen to me. He doesn’t want to hire somebody outside his normal crew. It’s getting under my skin since he’s starting to get too tired to tend to my needs. And we all know I get real cranky when he’s not tending to my needs. Nobody wants me cranky, Rod.” This was true, since a cranky Bianca meant an “I’m not baking a damn thing” Bianca. That could not happen. Cake was one of his best friends. “I’ll start looking, but in the meantime, if you know anybody with the experience and in need of work, you can point them in my direction.” She gave a sharp salute. “Will do, Captain!” “You do enjoy your bouts of sarcasm.” Her face was solemn when she said, “It makes me the loved and adored woman that I am. I simply can’t leave it alone.”

Between Lust and Hate Vic needed sweets, lots and lots of sweets. That would do a world of good for making her feel better. Of course, it wouldn’t do any good for her hips and thighs, but currently she couldn’t give two damns. Right now a sugarinduced spastic attack on her nervous system sounded like a small piece of heaven, and she knew just the place to overdose. Hitting the locks on her truck, she made her way inside of Sweet Temptations. The smell of freshly baked pastries made then tension in her shoulders melt. Smiling as she walked in, she was startled by a war cry that rent the air. A second later a small body raced from behind the display cases and slammed into her legs. Grinning, she looked down into Elijah Halima’s adorable face. “Vic! Vic! Vic!” Elijah chanted. It seemed like he was always chanting something, but what was strange was his lack of pants. She scooped him up and headed toward Elijah’s mother. Bianca was busy ringing up a customer when Vic reached her. “Your child doesn’t have

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on any pants,” she announced to anybody who would listen. Rolling her eyes toward the ceiling, Bianca retorted, “He won’t keep them on. I put them on and he takes them off again. I don’t know whether I should be concerned that he’s showing signs of being a nudist or if he’s just rebellious.” “I would go with rebellious, since he hasn’t tried to take off his pull-ups.” When Bianca just stared at her, she burst into laughter. “He didn’t!” “Oh yes, he did. At least until he figured out that going around half naked just makes it easier for Mommy to spank his little caramelshaded ass.” Still chuckling, she hugged Elijah to her. “Watch it unless you want him running around naked and cursing.” Biting her lip, Bianca said, “Then that would just remind me of the way his daddy was acting the other night when I decided I wanted to play.” “Gah! That’s disgusting and just way too much info!”

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Grinning now, she responded, “You sound like Bri. Why are you here correcting my etiquette instead of at work?” “I quit this morning,” Vic answered, kissing Elijah’s dimpled cheeks. Bianca’s head snapped up. “Did you quit or finally kill Malone? Are you here to say your final good-bye?” “Ha ha. No, I didn’t kill Malone, although I came mighty close to it after he wouldn’t keep those creepy little hands off my precious, delicate body.” Snorting, her friend replied, “Delicate could apply to you if you hadn’t managed to put a man twice your size in traction for a month.” Growling, she said, “You people just won’t let that go! He scraped my truck! You also fail to mention that he refused to pay for the damages!” “So you thought that slamming his head— repeatedly—into his driver’s-side door was a productive idea?” “It made me feel better after he called me every name but the one my mama gave me.” Bianca chuckled. “I swear between you and Brianna, I need to keep bail money around.”

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“I still say that Dane didn’t have to take me in.” “That idiot cried like a baby with all that moaning and saying, ‘Oh my face!’” “Yeah, he was a bit of a whiner, wasn’t he?” “So what are you gonna do now?” Bianca asked. “I have no idea, but since I didn’t want to have to flee to Rio de Janeiro for killing him, it was for the best.” Bianca stared at her for a moment. “It’s nice to know you have your escape plan already mapped out.” She shrugged. “Plans are good.” “I have an idea that I wanna run by you.” “What, you have a contact in Rio who has a safe house?” “No, you nutcase. Evan is looking for a new foreman and you have all the credentials, so how about applying?” “That sounds absolutely great, but I have one problem…” “And that would be?” “My arch-nemesis also works there.” “You and Rod have been fighting for years. At some point it’s going to have to end.”

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“It will as soon as he takes back what he said that day.” “You mean when he was eight years old and said boys were better than girls?” “Precisely.” Well, she had to come up with a partly legitimate excuse, even if it was insane. Bianca sighed one of her long “you’re ruining my day” sighs. “Vic, Evan is coming to bed later and later every night because of the workload he has.” “Uh-huh.” “That means he’s tired while I’m alert.” “Uh-huh.” “This results in his immediately falling asleep and my staying awake and in a…mood.” “Okay, that’s just nasty.” “And every time I have to go to sleep without having my needs taken care of…well, I get cranky, Vic, and we all know what happens when I get cranky.” Her eyes widened as she realized what Bianca meant. Cranky Bianca was a no-baking Bianca, which meant Vic’s unlimited supply of all things sweet stopped. That could not happen. “So do I have to come up to the ranch

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to apply or just call Evan? Either one works for me.” Bianca’s smile was full and bright. “I thought you’d see it my way.” *** “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rod said, sending a pleading gaze toward his boss, silently praying that what Evan had just said was some cruel, sick joke. Evan shook his dark head, a smile in place as he retorted, “No joke, Rod. Vic’s our new foreman.” Rod’s shoulders slumped as he stared at the glaring woman before him. The Amazon— as he liked to secretly call her—stood there, arms folded across her ample chest, pretty face set into a scowl that could scare a grizzly. His life was officially ruined. The thought of having to look at her every day… “But she’s…she’s Vic!” Grinning, Evan just nodded. “Yes she is, and now she’s Foreman Vic.” “So get used to it, Cro-Magnon,” the Amazon added. He hated when she called him that, but what could he do about it? Years of resentment

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for one comment still hadn’t faded. It was a good possibility that Victory wouldn’t hate him if he retracted his statement that boys were better than girls, but he just couldn’t do it. Rod knew women could do anything a man could and that in some cases women could do those things even better, but he wasn’t about to admit that to Vic. Sure, he could apologize to Vic and clear up the animosity, but there was no fun in that. He so loved the way her wide brown eyes narrowed on him when he said something to piss her off. Good lord, the woman was gorgeous. Yes, it was indeed much fun to get Victory Graham good and worked up. It had always and would always be the only way she’d acknowledge him outside of bed. Amazingly, he could be smooth and charming with everyone else but her. Vic had a bullshit meter and called him on his every single time. With her he found himself blurting things out—it was something he’d been doing for years. He’d get her fired up just to watch her go. How twisted was that? Rod had plenty of women who’d fall all over themselves for a shot, but none of them made his heart stop with a smile or made his

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mouth feel like it was full of cotton with a glance. Day or night, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get her out of his head. He couldn’t stop wanting her. So of course he had to have a smartass remark for her now. “Guess that makes me king of the bedrock then, baby,” he said as he winked at her. He just adored the way her jaw clenched at that. “’King of man whores’ is a more fitting title.” “You say whore and I say connoisseur.” “You say connoisseur and I say you’re gonna be in need of a penicillin shot real soon,” she smirked. Bursting into laughter, Evan clapped one large hand on Rod’s shoulder. “I can see that you two will be just fine, so I’m going to laze off, which really won’t be lazing since I have to make sure my son doesn’t destroy the whole ranch and my daughter doesn’t destroy the whole world.” “I thought we were just worried about Bailey taking it over,” Victory responded, smiling. “That was before. Now she just has a look on her face that says we—her minions—are no longer entertaining, therefore we should all

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perish,” Evan said before heading back toward the ranch house. “So I guess I’m stuck with you being here,” Rod said. “You don’t have to be,” she replied. “Really?” “Yes, you can always quit. Then I’d actually want to come to work every day.” He just snorted. “Not on your life, baby.” Vic’s growl cut across the space between them. “I’m not your baby. I told you to stop calling me that. Remember my rules for the workplace?” Grinning, he asked, “Scared you’ll start following me around and begging to hear my deliciously deep baritone say it again?” He watched her take in a deep breath and shake her head. “No, I’m scared that I’ll eventually give you a spinal injury just for annoying the hell out of me.” “There’s one way that I would gladly let you injure my spinal cord, Vic, and it involves me on my back.” She nodded and then said, “Done.” Suddenly, Rod found himself looking at the world from a whole new perspective. On his

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back with Vic standing over him, he wheezed out a question. “What…” “Your spine injured?” “No.” Victory snapped her fingers, mouth twisting before she said, “I didn’t hit hard enough—maybe next time.” Rod only had enough energy to watch her strut—and it was a strut—across the property and toward the stables. Was it strange that instead of being pissed she’d laid him out, all he could think about was how absolutely amazing her ass looked in the jeans she was wearing? Damn, he wanted her so bad. *** He made her crazy! That fact wasn’t very different from any other day of their lives they’d been sniping at one another. Rod was infuriating. The man managed to tap dance on the last fragment of her last nerve every single time they were in the same space. Vic honestly couldn’t understand what women saw in him. Sure, he was good looking if you went for the six-foot-three, broad-shouldered, thickly muscled type. Yeah, his sun-kissed blond hair

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was silky looking, his face a combination of hard angles, along with baby blue eyes and a devastating smile. Rod’s features should’ve made him look like a pretty boy, but he looked more like an Olympian. When he turned those thickly lashed eyes in a woman’s direction… She shuddered and then froze. What in all hot hell was she doing? The last thing she should have ever been thinking about was Rod’s looks. He pissed her off, made her temper flare, and she couldn’t stand his whorish ass. He…he made her horny as all get out. Letting out a groan, she started back toward the horse stables. Being attracted to Rod was a truly frightening thing that just resulted in her despising him even more. The more she wanted him, the more she hated him for making her want him. Roderick Hines was not her type, and her hard nipples so did not have a say in the matter.

That Can Always Be Crossed “That was a really nice act you put on in front of Evan today, baby.” The way he crooned in her ear combined with the way his large hands ran down her sides in a smooth sweep sent a shudder up her spine. “What act? And cut that shit out,” she hissed, kicking backwards as she peered around the trailer they were hidden behind. “You know exactly what act I’m talking about,” he answered, smoothly sidestepping the blow. Rod’s lips found her earlobe. “Have dinner with me tonight?” “Um…no. I’ve got plans.” It totally counted as plans if one had a marathon of nothing but Jason Statham movies lined up. “With whom?” he growled, spinning her around just to pin her to the side of the trailer. “His name is Nunya Dammy, now move.” “Have dinner with me tonight, Vic.” “What, am I speaking Gaelic? I said no.” “Yeah…see, I’m ignoring that because it’s not the answer I want.”

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“And you won’t be hearing what you want, so,” she made a shooing motion with her hands, “Get.” “Give me one good reason why.” “Reason number one, I told you that whatever it was we were doing had to end as soon as I started here, and reason number two, you wanna share way more than a meal. I know you.” Chuckling, he leaned in and nipped right under her chin. “You know exactly what we’ve been doing, or do I need to remind you, baby?” “Kiss my ass.” “I’ve been trying to arrange that for months now, baby.” “What is wrong with you?” He got closer, and Vic’s breath left her. There was a steel pipe between her legs all of a sudden, and it took a supreme amount of willpower to stay very still. “You’re what’s wrong with me. I’ve been watching you for weeks.” Leaning in, he whispered in her ear. “Watching that cute ass walk past me has been driving me nuts. Do you know how hard I get every single time I see you mount up, imagining you riding me the same way you do those stallions?”

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How was she supposed to answer to that? Vic really should’ve been more concerned about being caught getting groped, but damned if his hands didn’t feel good and damned if he hadn’t found her spot. “C-cut that out.” Ignoring her, Rod sucked a little harder right beneath her earlobe —which inevitably sent a homing beacon right to her clit and swelled it. Vic moaned. “Rod, I’m serious. You’ve gotta stop. We’re at work and…and…” Her words trailed off as his hands gripped the bottom of her thighs and he wrapped her legs around his waist, pushing that deliciously hard denim-clad cock right into her. “Oh…God…” “I want you so bad, baby. You think I fight with you for fun?” He shook his head and ground into her. “No, it makes you pay attention to me, and when I have your attention…” As his large hands reached up to cup her breasts, his thumbs rubbing her nipples, Vic let out a whimper. “Fun things like this happen.” Then his kissed her. No, that was the wrong word. He took her mouth and stole the moan right out of her throat.

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His tongue stroked hers as his hips continued their slow grind. For just this moment she forgot how much they fought, forgot that somebody could find them at any time because this man took her that much out of her mind. That was why she hated him so much sometimes. He could make her forget everything, and it was as disconcerting as it was fun. It felt too good--he felt too good. Breaking the kiss, Rod gripped the bottom of her tank and pushed it up, along with her sports bra. He wasted no time when her nipples were free and latched onto one and then the other. Vic’s breaths poured out in harsh pants as she felt an orgasm clawing its way up her spine. Rod let go of her nipple long enough to kiss her and catch her groans in his mouth. Inhaling deeply, he pulled her shirt and bra back down, unlocked her legs from his waist, and set her gently back on her feet. Then all he said was, “Dinner’s at my place. Nine o’clock sharp.” Giving her one last kiss, he ambled off, leaving her wide eyed and feeling some kind of way that she just couldn’t find the words to describe.

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*** Rod sighed as he trudged out of his shower, rubbing his wrist and wondering if maybe he’d gotten just a little too “happy” while getting cleaned up. A man could only take so much, and that wasn’t the first time he’d had to have man-to-hand combat because of Vic. He almost chuckled. How one woman could inspire that much of a reaction from him was utterly amazing. Checking his digital clock, he realized that he only had about twenty minutes to finish getting ready. Luckily he’d ordered dinner already, Vic’s favorite: Italian. There was always the slim chance that she wouldn’t show up, but after their encounter today, he was deeply hoping she’d give in. Her constant fight was starting to wear on him. Though he had no clue what it was they were doing, he was enjoying every minute of it. One unplanned night together had turned into days that turned into months and so on. Now here he was trying to figure out how to keep her in other parts of his life besides his bed. He could get why Vic didn’t take him seriously, being that his reputation wasn’t the best, but she happened to be the only woman who really

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did it for him. If he could just get her to see that, everything would fall into place. When the doorbell sounded just as he was pulling up a pair of jeans over his boxers, Rod’s heart jumped and he headed down the stairs. He’d barely swung the door open when she was pushing past him and pacing through his living room. “I came to say one thing and one thing only.” Vic sounded so sure that he almost laughed. Since whatever crazy argument she had now was sure to be a good one, he sat down and made himself comfortable. “We’re not doing this anymore, Rod.” “Unh-huh.” “Whatever this is, it’s over, definitely over this time.” “Unh-huh.” “I simply came to tell you that what happened at work today was totally unprofessional and can’t happen ever again, under any circumstances. From now on we’re co-workers. Not lovers or fuck buddies but coworkers.” “Okay.” She drew in a breath and squared her shoulders. “I’m leaving now.”

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He swept a hand to the door. “All right, baby.” Giving him a curt nod, she marched to the door. “I’m really going now.” “I heard you the first time.” “And I won’t be back,” Vic added. He hid a smile. “I gathered that, baby. I enjoyed us while we lasted.” Rod stared at her back as she took in deep breaths, her hand reaching for that knob. Not waiting too long, he walked over to her, standing just a few inches away. “Turn around, Vic.” Her forehead hit the door. “No.” “You and I both know that you didn’t come over here to tell me any of that utter bullshit you just spewed.” “Yeah…I did,” she mumbled. He placed a hand on either side of her. “No, you didn’t, so turn around.” Vic simply shook her head. Rod tried a different tactic. “Then open the door and leave, since you seem to wanna do that so bad.” Her hand reached for the knob again but balled up and landed at her side. “I hate you,” she whispered.

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Gently turning her around, he held the sides of her face to make her look at him. “You wish you did. Every day you look at me and you get angry with yourself for wanting me. Stop doing it to the both of us, Vic, because that ache isn’t going anywhere.” “I just don’t understand how or why…some days I feel like I’m coming outta my skin.” Rod kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, and then her lips. “You need me as much as I need you. You fight me to distract yourself.” His voice was low as his hands made a slow journey down her sides. “I picked up on that too long ago to not see the signs now.” “I shouldn’t be…” Whatever she’d been about to say next, he stole with his mouth and enjoyed the way her hands ran through his hair. The kiss was supposed to be a simple way to stop her rant, to truncate her doubts, but it quickly spiraled into something that had him pulling her shirt up over her head with her back against a wall and him moving between her thighs. The gentle push of her tongue against his made him groan as his hands ran up her back. Breaking the kiss, he tugged her head back and

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ran his lips down her throat and to her still bound breasts. Freshly showered, he was guessing, she smelled like brown sugar and vanilla. It was driving him insane, but the way her nails bit slightly into his shoulders when he got rid of her bra and latched onto a nipple made him move against her just a little bit harder. “Oh…Rod…please…” He planned to—as much as he could and all night long. “I will, baby. I promise.” Stepping back, he unlocked her legs from his waist and stripped her shorts down her long legs before dropping to his knees. He repositioned one of her legs over his shoulder and buried his tongue in the one place he’d been fantasizing about for years, and he delighted in the wail that left her in response. This time his name got mixed up with the Almighty’s, but then returned to his again. A smile flitted across his lips. Apparently Vic also had the small habit of letting out some serious four-letter words while coming. When she finally stopped grinding down on his tongue, he stood again. “Be right back.” Practically sprinting from the living room, he tore through the house looking for a box of

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condoms. He let out a sigh of relief when he found some in a downstairs bathroom. Making his way back to the living room, he slid to a halt at the sight of Vic propped against the wall. Damn, she was beautiful; curved in all the right places, covered in smooth cinnamon-brown skin. Her eyes lifted and caught his. Still watching her, hr unzipped his jeans and gripped his cock as soon as it bounced free from the confines of his boxers. Vic’s gaze immediately shifted from his face to his hand, and he did his best not to come when she licked those full lips. “Later,” he rasped. Ripping open a condom, he managed to get it on and had her right back where he wanted her, up against the wall with her legs around his waist. “No going back, Vic. It’ll be hard as hell, but if you want me to stop you have to say so.” Staring him directly in the eyes, Victory just lowered her hips until she had the head of his cock inside her. Rod caught himself before he whimpered like a puppy. “I’m not changing my mind at any point, so stop talking and get to the part where you keep making me feel good,” she whispered near his ear right before nipping

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his neck, and the next thing he knew his hips were moving on their own accord. Her thighs gripped his waist tighter, her nails dug into his shoulders harder, her pants came out faster, and her moans grew louder. Moving with him at a frantic pace, she begged him not to stop. He couldn’t stop. This wasn’t supposed to be how it went. He was going to romance her and ease her into things with him, but dammit, she felt too good. She screamed his name just right, and her body gripped his cock so hard when she finally came that she pulled him right over the edge with her. *** Vic took a deep breath and tried to wiggle from beneath the arm that was holding her. Hours and hours after using almost every surface in Rod’s house, they’d finally settled in his bedroom, in his bed. She frowned. His bed, the same bed that he’d slept in with others. The same one Brianna may have been in. Yeah, they’d discussed his brief stint with her best friend, analyzed it even, but what about the rest? What about every other woman who knew

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what this felt like? Suddenly feeling as if she were suffocating, Vic tried to sit up, but that arm just held her tighter. “Rod,” she said softly. He slept on. “Rod, let me go!” Vic slapped at his shoulder. He jerked awake. “What?” Looking down at her, he frowned. “What’s wrong?” “I need to go.” Finally able to get from under him, she got up and starting looking for her clothes. “Vic, what’re you doing?” “I’m trying to find my clothes. They must still be downstairs,” she muttered, heading for the door. But she suddenly found herself flat on her back with Rod over her, and he was frowning. “You wanna tell me why you’re fleeing like you just found a collection of human ears and a shrine in my closet?” It was her turn to frown. “You don’t really have any of that, do you?” “Vic!” “It was a plausible question!” He stared at her. Sighing, she relaxed on the bed. “I don’t get how we got here or why. I don’t get what you see in me half the time.”

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Scowling now, he practically growled, “What the hell does that mean?” “You had Brianna. Did it ever occur to that if you couldn’t appreciate her, you can’t appreciate me either?” “We’ve talked about this.” “Yes, we have, but I’m still not too clear on why you and Bri stopped seeing each other in the first place.” “We weren’t good for each other, that’s why.” Shaking her head, she focused on a point over his shoulder. “That doesn’t tell me anything.” “I don’t know how to make it any plainer, Vic. You pull this shit all the time.” He let her go and rolled away. She sat up. “Pull what shit?” “Every fucking time we get remotely close, you bring up something completely irrelevant to us. It never fails, whether it’s work, past relationships or other doubts. Maybe if you opened your goddamn eyes for once, just once you’d notice the flaming hoops I jump through just to get you to notice me. Our sleeping together doesn’t mean shit to me anymore! And do you know why?” Those baby

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blue eyes that were normally filled with a constant laughter stared at her with nothing but pure fire now. Vic just shook her head. “I’ve been relegated to your plaything. You pull me outta the nightstand when you get the urge and then put me right back. No dates, no dinner, no mushy stuff, remember? When you need a good fight or a great fuck, then you call me—other than that, I’m your dirty little secret. I can be the first to admit that I don’t have the best reputation. Yes, I’ve dated and slept with more than my fair share of women, but I always, always made sure they were in the same mindset as me. Stop throwing Bri in my face because we got together under circumstances where we’d tricked ourselves into believing it could be something more. If you wanna leave, then man up and say you’re too goddamn scared to give me a chance. Don’t throw bullshit excuses in my face when I’ve given you no reason to doubt me.” And with that said, he left the room. He didn’t slam the door or tell her she had to leave; he simply walked out, and for the first time since she could remember, Vic truly regretted opening her mouth.

And When It Happens He kept his eyes on the ceiling, even as he heard those soft footfalls coming down the stairs, especially when he felt her slowly climb onto his sectional. Never once moving, he took in a small breath when she straddled him. Rod didn’t look at her until her face hovered a few inches above his. “I was being a bitch.” That was just like Vic. She’d state something cut and dry. When Rod started to open his mouth, she shook her head. “You were right. I haven’t been giving you a chance from day one, and that’s not fair.” Shrugging, she added, “Normally I don’t give a shit about fair and then somebody ends up needing surgery, but this time I care.” Her mouth twisted sardonically as she stared down at him. “This freaks me out, Rod. You freak me out. You gotta give me time to adjust because I’m used to wanting to maim you on a day-today basis. I’m not trying to box you in as my own personal toy. I just really don’t know where this is going, and like it or not, I can’t just forget that you were with Bri…”

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His kiss stopped her words. Pulling back, Rod stared up at her. “You think too much, way too much. Firstly, you make me feel things that I can’t even dig too deep into because it scares me. Secondly, I think I should finally stop evading it and tell you what happened with Brianna so I can put all those doubts to rest.” Vic shook her head. “You don’t have to do that.” “Yes, I do.” He sat up a little but kept her in his lap. “We slept together, twice.” Her brows went up. “That’s it?” He nodded. “Yep, that’s it.” “There’s no severe story of getting drunk and doing it or leaning on each other through a time of need?” Chuckling a little, he answered, “No, we were lonely and horny. The end. When I tell the story it makes me sound like a detached asshole, so I like to avoid it whenever I can.” “So there was nothing special there. No deep longing?” Vic looked so thoroughly confused that it just made him laugh a little harder. “No, baby, there wasn’t. I wouldn't call Bri a mistake, ever, but it was more out of curiosity, just to see if there was a spark there—which there wasn’t.”

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Nodding, she looked at him and asked, “But there’s a spark here?” Sobering, he replied, “Yes, there’s something here. There’s always been something here, and I’m glad I finally got the balls to make both of us see it.” Victory’s brown eyes twinkled with pure amusement. “I never said I saw anything.” His brows winged when she giggled. “Oh, really?” She slowly slid off his lap and nodded. Rod stalked her as she slowly backed away. “I’m giving you a chance to take that back.” Shrugging, she started for the stairs. “And I’m bypassing it.” He lunged for her, chuckling when she swung around and ran up the stairs with a squeal. *** How could one man be so sweet, yet so stupid at the same time? Rod claiming her was absolutely adorable, even if it was temporary, but the way he was going about it was doing the Mamba on her last nerve. Vic was working, or at least she was trying, because every time she

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asked for help from anybody but Rod, he popped up like a freaking whack-a-mole on crack to take on the task. What the hell was wrong with him? Getting fed up with his ‘Mr. Helpful’ act, she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the stables where she’d been trying to fix a broken stall door. “Where’re we going?” Rod asked as she pulled him along. Not paying him any mind, she just kept on walking until she reached the barn, which was thankfully empty. Vic shut the doors behind them and then faced Rod. “What in all hell is your problem?” The teeth grinding would have to stop, or a trip to the dentist was in order. He frowned, looking mildly confused. “What’d I do?” “You, oh sovereign ruler of stupid, are making it obvious t0 everybody that you wore my ankles as earrings last night.” He bit his lip, and she was sure it was to keep from laughing at her. “And how exactly am I doing that?” “Each and every time I ask for any help from somebody besides you, you appear like cellulite after an all junk food diet.” Folding her

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arms across her chest, she leaned against the closed door. “What gives, Rod?” Widening those baby blue eyes, he shrugged. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m just trying to be helpful.” Shaking her head, she replied, “Rod, I know you. There’s so much more to it than that. So your next answer better be the truth, or you will be surrounded by a world of hurt.” He looked up at the ceiling and then down at the floor before muttering, “They’re always staring at you and grinning and acting so…nice. It’s pissing me off.” “You’re standing there and telling me that because the crew likes me and isn’t rude…it’s pissing you off?” “That about sums it up.” “You’re just so…so…I don’t even have words to describe that besides ones that would make you cry.” “You are entitled to your opinion, baby, but those idiots will use any method they can just to get next to you.” She rolled her eyes. “What? You think I’m suddenly gonna hop on one of the crew and ride them right in front of everybody? That was a rhetorical question, phrased oddly but

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rhetorical none the less, so if you enjoy being able to speak, you will not answer that.” “I just don’t like the way they look at you, Vic.” For a second her ever cocky foreman looked…well…not so cocky. Those baby blue eyes were hesitant and unsure. “And how do they look at me?” He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly seeming uneasy. “All moon-eyed and shit. I know that look since I’ve been giving it to you.” Well that just took the wind out of her sails. She sighed. “They may be looking at me, but the only one I'm paying attention to is you.” Which was true. Since the night before, Vic was feeling way more attuned to Rod than she’d ever been, but she’d drawn a line. They could be a couple everywhere but work. She wouldn’t have the hands and staff picking on her. Some shit she just couldn’t take. Walking closer to Rod, she kissed him. “You’ve gotta cut it out before someone catches on. I don’t wanna be the topic of discussion here.” Especially not since she’d been that at Malone’s. He put one large hand on the nape of her neck and bought her a little closer. “I’m sorry,

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but watching them watch you is driving me crazy.” Kissing him again, she rubbed his shoulders. “I get that, but I’m not paying them any mind. Okay?” Nodding, Rod pressed against her and kissed her back, once and then twice. “Okay.” She had no idea who made the next move, but when Vic came to her jeans were around her ankles and Rod had her bent over at the waist, just a few seconds from taking her. “Wait, wait, wait...Rod, we have to stop. We just talked about this.” She panted, standing upright again. He made a sound somewhere between a groan and a whine before he slid a hand down her waist and between her thighs. “I’ll be quiet. I swear.” Ignoring the lightning that shot up her spine when he circled a finger around her clit, she pushed away and fixed her clothes. “We can’t, not here and not now.” For a second she thought he’d ignore her, but he just looked down at his cock. “See the way she leaves us? I thought she’d changed, but she's still mean as ever.”

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Snorting, she shook her head and zipped up her jeans. “I’m not even going there with you. Fix yourself and c'mon.” He did as she said while grumbling like a five-year-old. They shared a few heated glances while getting redressed, both wanting nothing more than to go right back to the haystack, but they knew they had work to do. Rod held her hand as they walked out of the barn and down the small hill, but they both froze when they saw Bianca heading up to where they were. Turning to each other at the same time, they said one thing: “Run!” And they would have done just that if Bianca hadn’t said, “I’ve been looking for you guys everywhere!” Cringing, the pair turned back around and forced smiles as Bianca got closer. Vic’s friend stopped and tilted her head to the side, studying them both. “Vic, you have hay in your hair, and Rod…your shirt is on backwards.” Confusion cleared and gave way to a sneaky smile. “Any reason for that, you guys?” “Nope, there’s no reason at all,” Vic said quickly, maybe a little too quickly. Bianca’s grin widened as she backed away from them. “Ooooooooh, I’m telling!” Then she turned and ran down the hill.

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“Dammit, Bianca, get your ass back here!” Vic yelled, dropping Rod’s hand and heading after the loudmouth. “Vic and Rod sitting in a tree, F-U-C-” “Don’t you dare complete that!” Bianca’s forward momentum picked up, and she lost her around the horse stables because she had doubled back, but she heard Bianca’s voice and followed it, finding her near the bull corral with Evan and the crew surrounding her. Vic caught Bianca in midsentence. “And they were in the barn…” Running, she grabbed ye ole loud mouth and slapped a hand over said mouth. “Shut it, B.” Vic had to pull her hand away when Bianca licked the palm. “I’ll rinse my mouth with bleach later since I don’t know what that hand has been doing, but for now I shall announce what I witnessed.” “You’ll regret it.” “I doubt that. As a matter of fact, I believe that nothing other than joy shall come of this.” “Bianca.” “Victory.” “Don’t.” “Oh, but I must.”

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Evan stepped out from the group of silent bystanders. “Exactly what’s going on?” “Well baby, I went to go find Rod and Vic and they were…” Evan and the whole crew winced at the high pitched squeal that had left Bianca’s mouth, cutting off her tattle tale. Sadly for Bianca, Vic had a really good grip on her underwear and had pulled it up her ass as far as it could go, making Bianca stand on the tips of her toes. “I told you to shut it,” Vic said in a quiet tone. *** Damn, she could be vicious. Rod had followed the pair after they’d taken off and ended up with most of the crew and Evan, watching the way Vic pulled Bianca’s panties so far up that she practically had B suspended in mid-air, like a harness. As Hal, and older crew members, wandered over to him, a slap fight commenced between Vic and Bianca. Interestingly enough, Vic never let go of her underwear. “She’s giving her the most atomic of wedgies,” Hal stated. “Yep.”

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Chuckling, Hal nudged him and said, “I wouldn’t mind giving Vic one if it could get my hands near that ass.” Rod smirked and placed an arm over the other man’s shoulders, gripping the back of his neck. “Hal, I’m sure that you see that perfect, perfect ass right?” he questioned, turning Hal’s head in the direction of the two women. “Yes,” the crew member answered. “Well that perfect, perfect ass is my ass, and if I catch your hands anywhere near my ass…well, you won’t have an ass to speak of. Got that?” He kept his tone low, while staring Hal straight in the face. The crew member must have seen something disturbing, because he paled a little and nodded, stepping back. “Glad we understand each other,” Rod said, giving the most charming of smiles.

Things Can Get Crazy “You’re such an ass, Rod! Don’t you ever, ever cut me down like that in front of the crew again!” Victory shouted, stomping into the horse stables. “You could’ve gotten hurt, Vic! What the hell were you thinking?!” Rod yelled back, close on her heels. “I knew what I was doing! I don’t need you making me look…” “Making you look like what?! Like you couldn’t handle that bronco? Because you couldn’t, Vic! He was two seconds away from charging you head on, and you challenged him to do it!” “And I would’ve handled it!” She spun to face him. “I don’t need you undermining me in front of the hands! That makes me look like I can’t handle simple tasks!” “No, it doesn’t, but it keeps you from lying in a hospital bed! You have nothing to prove here, Vic! Nobody’s saying you can’t handle yourself, but when you jump into a bull corral with no backup somebody has to step in!”

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“I knew what I was doing! I didn’t need you!” “Stop! Just stop it, all right?!” Rod exploded. “You could’ve gotten hurt! I don’t give a damn how mad you are or how loud you yell! When it comes to your safety, all bets are off, and you’ll get that reaction from me every damned time you put yourself in danger like you did today. I don’t want to ever see anything like that again! We clear?!” “You aren’t my daddy, Rod! I don’t have to…” “I said are we clear?!” he roared, cutting her off. Vic stood there feeling like a damned child, watching the way he was inhaling, trying to control himself. He had embarrassed her in front of the crew. His jumping in the corral with her wasn’t the problem. It was the way he’d yelled at her and chastised her like some kid that pissed her off. She was simply trying to rope a male so she could move him to a bullpen. However, she hadn’t realized it was the same bronco that put Evan in the hospital a few years ago but Rod did. He chose to inform her of that as soon as they got the bull squared away. The yelling wasn’t that bad. No, it was

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the fact that the hands stood and listened to him while he did it that was the problem. The only reason she’d even gotten mildly thrown off was because she could swear she saw Malone heading for the main house while she was out there. They’d had a pretty nasty encounter a week before in public where he’d decided to try and embarrass her, saying that she ran away from problems instead of facing them. It’d been hard as hell not to break his neck, but she’d held out, even with the name calling and the taunting. Vic knew the only reason he’d been bold enough to do it was because he figured she wouldn’t cause a scene in the middle of a grocery store. He’d been right; she wouldn’t. Walking away wasn’t easy, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. Seeing him today brought all that pent-up rage back to the surface but that still wouldn’t be a good enough reason in Rod’s eyes, so she chose not to even mention it. Finally answering him, she spoke through clenched teeth. “Yeah, we’re crystal.” He nodded with anger still in his gaze before turning and walking out. ***

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Didn’t she get it? Didn’t she know why he exploded? Seeing her almost charged head-on by a bull that was known to be aggressive… Rod rolled his shoulders, shook off the tension building there. Vic could’ve been hurt. She knew this job well, knew how to handle herself. Hell, he had seen her rope broncos more than enough times, but when she went across the corral gate something in him snapped. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she could do it. It was just that protective instinct. He could admit that losing it in front of the crew wasn’t one of the best things to do, but she needed to know that she’d put herself in danger. Sitting back and watching her do it without a word just wasn’t in him. Rod walked away from the stables. He inhaled deeply, trying to get his heart to stop hammering. It was amazing how one woman could make him want to shake her and kiss her all at the same time. “Hey, Rod! Is everything all right? Things got pretty tense back there.” Turning, he looked at the hand that had approached him. “No, Dex, everything isn’t all right. You ever see Vic doing something asinine

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like that again, the first thing you better do is come and get me. We clear?” “Yes sir.” Dex nodded. “You’re pretty protective of her, huh?” He gave a curt nod. “Yeah, I am.” “Good, she needs that here. I heard she had a rough time at Malone’s.” Rod stopped and looked over at Dex. “What do you mean?” The other man shrugged. “Yah know, the typical male posturing BS. He did his best to make her feel small; make her feel like she couldn’t do her job. From what I know, she broke his hand when he decided touching her was a good idea,” Dex said absently. Then he added, “As a matter of fact he’s here now for whatever reason, which is probably why Vic was thrown off with the bull. I’m sure she spotted him when she was trying to rope the mean bastard. Heard he followed her into the store last week harassing her. Just from the names alone that he’d called her he needs an ass whooping if you ask me.” Rod had heard more than enough and agreed wholeheartedly. His feet were moving before he could even think about it. They were taking him to the main ranch house, taking him to Malone.

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*** “I don’t know how to make it any clearer, Malone. I’m not selling you a stud.” Evan Halima glared down at the irritating prick in front of him. He couldn’t stand Malone, never could. The rancher was greedy and too shifty for his tastes. Evan had no doubt that selling him a stud would result in disaster and of course cause him to kill someone. Nope, he just couldn’t do it. Especially not after the way said prick treated Victory while she’d worked for him. For that alone he should whoop his ass, but he had five feet and ten inches of “wife in a bad mood” threatening him with her eyes not to fight from across his office. She’d finally gotten Elijah down for a nap and Bailey too, so apparently unleashing his wrath to smite Malone was being frowned upon today. “C’mon, Halima, I’m laying two hundred grand at your feet here for one horse. Tell me that don’t look appealing,” the prick said. The only reason Evan had even let him in was so he could turn him down for whatever he was asking for and do it joyfully.

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He looked Malone square in the eye. “Nothing from you is appealing, Malone. I don’t want anything those grubby little hands have touched. Yes, it’s completely personal because no, I don’t like you. Could I be a reasonable businessman and tell you yes?” He shrugged. “Of course I could, but I’m not feeling really reasonable today.” Looking over at Bianca, he asked, “Was that nice enough?” His wife didn’t stop rocking the sleeping toddler in her arms when she sighed. “I suppose it’ll have to do. At least you didn’t cuss and there were no threats of shoving anything anywhere.” “Take Bailey and put her in the nursery and that could change,” he retorted. Bianca rolled her eyes. “Just please politely and quietly escort Mr. Malone off the premises.” Evan looked at the other rancher, who’d sat quiet through the whole exchange. He could tell Malone was agitated that his offer had been rebuffed. “Since my wife insists that I must have manners, could you please get out?” Throwing up a hand, Bianca sat back and shook her head. “What?” Evan asked. “That was polite and quiet.”

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“Halima, just give it a chance. I’m sure…” “Son, there’s nothing you can assure me of. Now I’ll give you a few seconds to move yourself or I’ll do it for you, which won’t be fun for you, but it’ll be a joy for me.” Malone stood. “You’re making a big mistake.” “So are you. You’re still standing here,” Evan answered. The other man thrust his chin up a bit and headed for the door. Then Evan watched him fly past said door a few seconds later and couldn’t help but say, “Well, things just got a lot more interesting.” *** Rod picked Malone up and dragged him toward the front door and then outside before shoving him away. “You son of a bitch!” Malone got his footing and stood. “What the hell, Hines?” “You ever go near Victory again and I’ll kill you! I don’t mean ‘idle threat that I’ll never follow through’ kill you. I mean I’ll snap your neck and watch with glee as the light fades in your eyes! You got me, jackass?!”

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A twisted smile formed on Malone’s lips, pure hatred shining in his eyes when he said, “What, are you fucking the stuck-up bitch? Is that why you’re so mad? Hines? I’m surprised she gave you a go. I’ve been trying for months.” Okay, so obviously the asshole didn’t think he’d attempt to kill him just because there were witnesses around. He didn’t know Rod very well, now did he? Before he could talk his body out of it, Rod was charging the bastard head on with a roar of pure fury exploding from his chest. Only about five foot eleven or so, he had him in height, but Malone was a little thicker. It didn’t matter because Rod didn’t have time to be logical about weight class. He was seeing blood red, and pretty soon he’d only be seeing blood. *** “Uh…Vic?” She turned at the sound of Dex’s voice. “Yeah, what’s up?” “Well first you’ve gotta promise not to be pissed at me,” Dex said, taking a small step back. She raised a brow. “What’d you do?”

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He rubbed the back of his neck and winced. “Well, I kinda leaked it to Rod what happened between you and Malone…” “Oh shit…” “And then I realized that Malone was here but I didn’t stop talking, so he also knows about what happened last week…” “Double shit…” “Then before I could stop him, Rod headed for the ranch house, and he’s currently beating the hell outta Malone…” “Shit, shit, shit!” Without pause she dropped the hay that she’d been dropping into stalls and ran. *** Hands were pulling at him, voices were yelling, but he couldn’t focus on any of it. All he knew was that another man had touched his Vic; another man had insulted and disrespected her. That demanded redress, which Rod was giving by the dozen. “Rod! Rod, you’ve gotta let him go! C’mon, man!” Hands strong enough to hold him finally grabbed him and dragged him back. He fought

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the whole way, trying desperately to get loose, but what had him in a murdering rage was the fact that Malone just lifted his battered head, spat blood and smiled. “She must’ve been real good in bed.” “Does this dumbass have a death wish?” one of the observing hands muttered. “Apparently he does.” The red haze mildly faded as his head snapped up. Vic’s brown eyes glared at him briefly before she looked down at Malone as she stepped over him. “Still poking tigers, I see.” “And I see you’re letting tigers poke you…period.” A few hands chose that moment to step in and grab him, since Rod was up and heading for the prick in seconds, but Vic stepped in his way. “Stop,” she said softly. Her eyes were angry, but her touch was gentle when she grabbed his face. “At least he managed to get one good hit in.” She poked at his black eye. “Ow!” “Oh, sorry. Did that hurt?” “You know it did.” “Good. C’mon so I can get you an ice pack, dumbass.” She walked past Malone without even acknowledging him.

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“So did you just beat the living shit outta him for no reason?” Evan asked from behind him. “Because she seemed completely unfazed by the fact that you just beat the living shit outta him.” Rod watched Malone try to stand on his own. “No, I beat the living shit outta him because it was fun. When I come back from the cussing out that Vic’s about to give, please have him gone, otherwise…” “You’ll beat the living shit outta him again?” Evan asked almost gleefully. “No…I’ll kill him like I promised.” With that, he walked away. *** She didn’t wait for him to get all the way up the front porch before she yanked the screen door open. Elijah and Bailey were down for a nap, so she’d keep her voice as low as possible, but she was so pissed it would be a hard thing to do. “What in all hell is wrong with you, you jackass?” she hissed. He sighed and walked in, headed straight for the kitchen and sat at the island. Vic went to the freezer, grabbed an ice pack and smacked it

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over his face. “Don’t yell, the babies are asleep,” she whispered when it looked like he would. He grimaced but said nothing. “Why would you go doing something crazy like that?” “The question is,” he said in a low voice, “Why didn’t you tell me about this weeks ago when you got here?” “Because firstly it’s none of your damned business, and secondly I handled it already. Why would you do that?” “He deserved to get his ass whooped, therefore I stepped up for the job.” Vic let out a frustrated grunt and slapped her hand against the countertop. “Stop doing that, stop going around like I can’t fight my own battles.” “He put his hands on you.” “And I broke his hand! It wasn’t even that big of a deal to begin with. I just wanted to prove a point! Dammit, Rod, I can handle myself!” Realizing that her voice had risen, she calmed a bit. “You can be pissed all you want, Vic, but there was no way I was letting that go,” Rod retorted resolutely.

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Fury hit her so hard that for a moment she felt dizzy. “You don’t get it.” There was something in her tone that made him look at her differently. “You just told every single person out there that we’re fucking. Not just one or two, but the whole goddamn crew and our boss knows that we’re fucking. Do you have any idea or understanding of the amount of shit I will catch for this? I left Malone’s specifically because I wouldn't sleep with him and he couldn’t take no for an answer. Exactly what personal brand of hypocrite do I look like now?” Vic slowly stood. “We’re so done.” Before she could make her way out of the kitchen, Rod spun her back around to face him. “Are we done because of what I did or because you've been looking for any reason imaginable to run?” He snorted and stepped back from her. “It never fails. No matter what I do or how I do it, you’ll always find a reason that we shouldn’t be together.” Throwing up his hands, he added, “I quit, Vic. I’m done. You want us to be finished? Well we are, because I can’t keep doing this with you. There’ll always be something wrong, and I can’t keep fighting when I'm fighting alone.” With that said, he

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walked away from her, and for some reason she felt it like a gut punch.

But Sticking It Out “Good Lord, what is the stench flowing around in here?” Vic didn’t lift her head from its resting place on her couch where she'd been crashing for the past week. “Obviously something died, and oh look, there it is!” This time she did lift an arm to flip her friends the bird as they made their way into her house. “Fuck the both of you,” she muttered, her voice muffled by throw pillows. “I knew I shouldn’t have given you keys.” “You gave us keys for a purpose, and we’re glad, because dude, you look like shit.” How was she supposed to ignore that comment? This time Victory did lift her head to glare at her friends. “Get out.” Bianca and Bri both smiled and did as they pleased, which consisted of taking spots on the couch and getting cozy. “You’re being a jackass and we’ve both come to tell you that. Since we don't wanna hear the lamenting and the list of reasons that you’re so goddamn miserable, we’re giving you a choice. Either you go clean up and go talk to the man-whore, or we will hose you down

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ourselves, and it will not be a pleasant experience. What shall it be, dear friend?” Brianna asked. “I choose the option where both of you leave before I have to dig two more shallow graves,” Vic answered. Bianca did one of her classic dramatic sighs. “I guess we gotta hose her down.” Shaking her head sadly, Bri tsked and then hauled herself up. “I tried, Vic, I really did, but you leave us no choice.” Bianca followed suit. “Now we gotta take matters into our own hands.” “And while we don't want to…” Brianna shrugged. “This should prove to be fun.” Vic tried to run, she really did, but the heifers just caught her en-route to her bedroom. *** All that doorbell ringing was getting on his goddamn nerves, and he couldn’t take it anymore. Rod unrolled himself from the lounging position on his couch, the same place he'd been all week, and finally went to unlock the door. He would've laughed if he'd been in

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the mood, but right now he was just so...confused. Frowning a little, he looked down at the hog-tied woman on his front porch. “Vic?” Whatever she was yelling behind the tape on her mouth couldn't have been good. “Enjoy!” Rod looked up to see Bri and Bianca waving at him from Bianca’s truck before the pair took off. He sighed and picked her up, glad that her arms and legs were tied because he was very close to laughing now, and, well, he didn't want to be hurt. Putting her on the couch, he pulled the tape off her mouth and cringed when he could finally hear her shouts clearly. “Bitches!” Trying desperately now to keep a straight face after noticing something else the sisters had done, he cleared his throat. “Is there any reason there’s a bow stuck to your chest?” They’d done a good job with dressing her and she smelled amazing, but that damn bow was distracting. “Because,” she started, speaking through clenched teeth, “those bitches thought it would be fun to leave me like a present.”

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He bit the inside of his cheek and waved a hand at her outfit. “I'm betting that you didn't consent to the lace bra and boy shorts either.” “No, I didn’t, and when I catch them Damon will have two less people to count in the population,” Vic said softly. “Why exactly did they Christmas-wrap you and leave you on my doorstep?” Rod questioned as he untied her hands and legs. “For some reason they seem to believe that you’re the answer to cheering me up.” He stopped and stared at her until she looked up at him. “Why would they think that?” Shrugging, she answered, “Because I’ve been camped out on my couch all week.” Grunting, he plopped down next to her. After a few minutes of silence Vic finally asked, “We’re one fucked-up pair, aren’t we?” That made him smile before he replied, “Yes, we really are, but I don't wanna be fucked up with anybody else, baby.” She smacked his shoulder. “Then why in the hell did you just leave me like that?” “You were trying to leave me first!” “Because you embarrassed me! I would’ve gotten over it!”

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“Oh cut the shit! You went into your ‘Woe is me’ routine!” “Did not!” “Did so!” Rod couldn’t even begin to claim knowledge of how she ended up in his lap, her hands running through his hair and the velvet softness of her tongue pushing against his, but nothing had ever felt better. They pulled away panting at the same time. “Are we making up?” Vic asked, pelting kisses across his face and down his neck as she pulled at his tank top. “Uhhh...yeah, I think so.” His hands were rubbing across her skin, relishing how soft she felt as he unhooked the bra. “I mean making up usually involves sex, right?” Her hands were busy untying his sweatpants and pushing them down her hips. “Uhhh...yeah, I think so.” God, he had to get inside her before he imploded. “So that means we say 'I'm sorry'?” When she finally sheathed his cock, Rod's eyes almost rolled back. “Uhhh...yeah, I think so.” Gripping her hips, he bought her down hard. Vic moaned and then gasped out, “I'm sorry.”

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He nodded hard and croaked, “Me too. No more fighting or running, okay?” “Yes, yes, yes.” Unable to tell whether that answer was for his question or the deep stroke he was doing, he stopped caring. She felt too good to be thinking about anything else. With the way her hands gripped his shoulders and her hips found that perfect rhythm, they could fight every day for all he cared as long as it ended just like this. Growling, his hands went to her hips, sliding her up his length— just to slam her back down again. Victory’s moan made him smile before his hips lifted as hers came down. It felt so good—no, she felt so good. The way she gripped him as if she were custom made had Rod almost biting his tongue. Vic’s pants worsened as his mouth found a hard nipple and sucked it in until it hit the roof of his mouth. She cried out, her breath harshening as she came down harder on him. Rod grunted and sucked harder, his palms finding both halves of her ass and kneading them as he pumped upward faster. “Oh God…don’t stop…please don’t stop.” Vic sobbed.

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He released her nipple before gasping out, “I won’t, and I really don’t think I can.” “Good…because…I’d have to…kill you.” “Killing me this way, baby —would be wonderful.” As he replied, he made sure to grind his hips into hers and winced when she bit his shoulder right before her muffled screams of release reached him. When she contracted around him, he quickly followed her over the edge. Vic sighed and said, “This was really romantic.” *** “This was in no ways romantic, Vic. You took me… on my couch...like a whore,” Rod said with a serious face, his forehead leaning against hers. She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing, but when his shoulders started shaking, she couldn’t help herself. Slapping him on the ass, Vic replied, “You are a whore; my whore.” And goodness knew that she’d missed him. If she were honest with herself, she could also admit that she loved him, almost more than anything. He made her

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smile, he made her laugh, he pissed her off, he made her crazy, and the man just made her adore him. He gasped and sat back, placing a hand to his chest. “Is that supposed to make me feel better?” She shrugged. “It should because at least I’m claiming you.” “Yes, as your whore!” “And your point would be?” “I am not a whore. Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t sleep with every woman I dated before you.” Snorting, she just kissed his forehead. “You don’t have to defend your whorish activities to me. I just better be the only one you’re doing them with currently, otherwise nobody will be able to call you Rod anymore.” His mouth opened, and then he looked down to where they were still connected. “And amazingly, he hasn’t withered like a leaf even after your horrible threat.” “Because he’s been used so much, he has staying power. It’s a defense mechanism, Rod. If the damn thing feels threatened, then it’s gonna do just like a captured jellyfish.”

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He raised a brow. “And what, pray tell, would that be?” “Try to reproduce until the bitter end.” Rod laughed as he stood and un-wrapped her legs from around his waist, placing her feet back on the ground. “You can be such a dork.” She thumped him in the forehead. “But you adore this dork, and don’t you forget it.” He just gave her a lazy smile as he grabbed her hand and kissed the center of it. “Trust me, baby, I won’t because I more than adore you. I love you.” Her heart stopped and then started beating a mile a minute while she thought of something sassy to say. Swallowing to regain moisture in her mouth, she said, “I know you do, and you should, because I'm amazing.” Rod grinned and started to slowly follow her as she backed up toward the stairs. “You gonna say it back, baby?” “Make me,” she taunted. Before she took off running, she heard him say something about her “needing a firm hand.” Damn, did that sound good.

Can Bring Sweet Victory Five years later…

“Oh Lord, what in all hot hell is that?” Vic laughed along with her youngest child’s giggles. Watching Rod change a diaper was a very rewarding experience. “Enjoy it, Daddy,” she said, staying in the doorway. The rest of their troop, which consisted of two more girls and one lone little boy who seemed to know that he was outnumbered, were busy being hypnotized by all-day cartoons. “Why…why is her face getting all red like that?” he asked, staring down at their baby girl with something akin to horror. “Oh that? That’s just the ever lethal baby gas face. In a moment you shall figure out where the lethal part comes in.” Chuckling, she watched his face turn a lovely undertone of green as baby Tori’s fumes reached him. “That’s just nasty.” Rod shook his head. “Yes, but it’s just so much fun to watch when she does it to other people.”

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“You see this, Tori? Do you see how cruel your mama is to me, her perfect, perfect husband, and the one that made you so pretty?” he crooned, picking the wiggling little bundle up. “HA! I made them all pretty. You did nothing except for defile me to get them here.” “And you enjoyed every minute of it,” he replied, finally managing to get Tori into her diaper. That fact was true, but she’d never admit it. Fighting was just too much fun. She took Tori from him. “Enjoy this last one because there shall be no more.” He just smiled. “Says you.” “No, says me and my uterus, which is quite happy empty, thank you.” *** Vic could protest all she wanted, but as far as he was concerned the more, the merrier, and having more babies just seemed like a good idea. Not responding to her, he followed her back to the playroom, which was in fact nice and quiet. Robbie lay between his sisters, eyes glued to the TV while Tatum and Raven

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watched in complete awe of the continual and annoying singing paired with horrible dancing that was happening on said TV. “Is that subliminally telling them that they can take over the universe? Because I think Bailey would object to anyone trying to interfere with her plans,” Rod whispered. Vic grinned. “Either that or she’d be happy to have partners.” She sat on the sectional and snuggled into his side when he plopped down beside her. Tori was busy trying to eat her fist while everybody else seemed to be thoroughly entertained with the TV. Rod stopped a moment and just looked at everyone, first his wife and then his munchkins, trying to figure out how he’d managed to pull it off. Years and years of fighting and getting on one another’s nerves, and here he was with Victory and all was right in his world. He just smiled and pulled her closer, laying his cheek against the top of her head. Lord, he loved this woman. She was violent and goofy while being sweet and sexy all at the right time. Twenty-odd years ago when he’d first argued with her on the playground, he’d never thought they’d be here now, but he wouldn’t

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trade it for anything. Conquests had come and gone, but this, no, she was the sweetest victory.

NW**

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Nikki Winter When Nikki wrote her first story in the tenth grade, she knew without a doubt she was destined for greatness. Now if she could just convince everyone else… Buckling down, she’s taken the time to polish what she refers to as her “writing superiority.” She hopes that the tales she has created grab the readers’ attention, and make them devoted slaves to her will fans. If you want to let her know just how absolutely, positively awesome she is, you can always e-mail her at [email protected], friend her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/NikkiWinter/100002445230428, or follow her on Twitter as @NikkiWinter19.