An Appetite for Love Read online

  No laugh. Not even a snort.

  “That’s amazing. A lot of people aren’t willing to give their dreams a shot.”

  “What about you?” Jasmine took the chance to get the conversation away from her. She got a pot of water boiling and added the corn, then got a pot going for the veggies. She stared down at the beans. “These are so fresh.”

  “My dream is the ranch,” Ben admitted. “We get all our fruits, veggies, and meat from the farmers market. That way we are sure they are as fresh as they can be.” He sounded proud of that.

  A smile touched Jasmine’s lips. Good to know. She thought as she set the beans in the pot and checked the potatoes. That would be something to add to the website.

  Ben headed over for the grill and got the stakes going.

  It didn’t take long for everything to cook, and soon the two of them headed outside to a small dining table.

  “It’s where the staff used to sit for their smoke breaks.” He explained as if that would allow Jasmine to make sense of the rough shape it was in.

  They ate in silence for a long time, until Jasmine was done her meal.

  “I’ve got to admit, that was one of the best meals I’ve had in a very, very long time. Thank you. The stake was amazing.”

  Ben shrugged as the sun set around him. “I can’t take credit for most of it. The guys who raise the cattle do a wonderful job. When a lot of ranches in the area started switching to big chain stores my dad thought they were stupid. I tried to convince him to do it too since it would be a lot cheaper. But my dad wouldn’t have any of it. He said we had to keep the money in the pockets of the ones who deserved it. I was young then, I thought he was stupid and I told him so- now… now I get why he did it and I wouldn’t think of ever changing over to a big chain store.”

  He was probably right. It would probably save them a lot.

  “One of the reasons I picked your ranch is because I saw a lot of bad review about food for other places.”

  “Reviews? Online?”

  “Yea.” It didn’t seem like he even understood the internet fully.

  “Huh.” H sounded so impressed.

  “They have websites dedicated to it.” She said almost teasing. “I didn’t see much about this place, but I decided to take that as a good sign. People are more likely to leave a bad review than a good one.” Jasmine paused. “And I have to admit, I’m glad I picked this place.”

  Being here, the only one. It was something that she would never forget.

  “Since we’re admitting things.” Brian paused. “I gotta admit, it’s been nice to have ya around.” His accent had vanished for a little while, but now it was back in full swing. “It’s been a long time since I had someone around the ranch. A long time since I have a good tour like I did today. The schools in the area still come ‘round here for classes once in a while. But that’s about the most attention we get these days. Except a few old friends of my dad’s.”

  Chapter 3

  Jasmine’s heart skipped several beats.

  It had been a long time since she felt helpful to someone else, and even longer since she hadn’t felt used by them. After they finished dinner Ben insisted that he would do the dishes, and when Jasmine mentioned taking advantage of the pool before hitting the hay Ben jumped on it.

  He insisted she go check the pool out, saying that it was one of the newest additions to the place. Finally, Jasmine agreed to let him do the dishes and headed for her room where she changed into her bathing suit.

  When she arrived at the pool her jaw dropped.

  She had been expecting something… well, less than what this was.

  It was all enclosed with glass, and when she stepped into the large glass building she found it warm. She quickly saw the thermostat and padded over to it. Yup, it was on and heating the place.

  She looked around. On a table lay a fresh towel with a piece of paper on it. She padded over there and glanced down at it.

  Hope the place is nice and warm for you.

  Thank you so much for helping with dinner, now it’s time for you to relax and enjoy your vacation.

  If you need ANYTHING I will be in my office, feel free to come let me know.

  Beside the note was an unopened bottle of beer.

  Jasmine grinned as he took the beer, opened it and headed for the headed for the pool. Already, her skin was warm from the air around her. She placed her phone down by the pool and slipped into the water, the perfect temperature to go with the room. After a couple swings of her beer she settled down into the water, letting it soak into her and relax her body.

  She hadn’t realized just how sore the horseback ride had made her until now.

  After a couple seconds she placed the beer down behind her and reached for her phone, making sure her fingers weren’t too wet. She fired off a few quick emails about a potential website- and all the ideas she already had.

  After what felt like an hour of soaking in the water, Jasmine slipped out, grabbed her empty beer bottle and her phone and padded over to the fresh towel Ben had left out for her. She wrapped herself in it and allowed the fabric to soak up the water on her skin.

  She made her way to the thermostat and turned it off before striding to the door and letting herself out, making sure it was closed behind her.

  She glanced down at her phone, her eyes widening as she stared at it. It had been three hours. How could it have felt like so little time?

  She mentally shook herself. I must have really needed to relax. She thought as she headed towards her room. As she passed the main office she saw the light still on. Her head tilted to the left. Was he still working? Of course he was. What was she thinking?

  He was probably the type who worked until he went to sleep. In some way or another. Between the horses and the paperwork he probably had to.

  Why doesn’t he just hire someone to do it? She wondered.

  Without realizing it she was heading for the office. The towel wrapped around her and the empty beer bottle in her hand.

  She knocked a couple of time before opening the door.

  Ben looked up from his desk. Paper cluttered it around him. But that wasn’t what she stared at it. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of black glasses.

  Her heart skipped a beat.

  “Is everything alright?”

  He sounded so damn worried.

  “Oh, yes. Of course.” Jasmine cleared her throat. “I um, just saw the light was still on and….” And what? Why had she come over here? Because I wanted to see him. Yea, she wasn’t going to say that.

  Ben stared at her. His eyes locked on her.

  Jasmine realized she still hadn’t given a reason for stopping by. “I wanted to say thank you. For the towel.”

  “Oh.” He sounded relieved. “You’re welcome.”

  Jasmine padded into the office. She caught sight of a mini fridge in the back corner. Without a word she walked over to it and opened it, after placing her phone and the empty beer bottle on top.

  She bent down and grabbed two bottles.

  Ben’s eyes locked on her ass as she bent forward. He could just see the bottom as her towel raised. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to look away.

  She was a client staying here at the hotel. His daddy always told him not to hang flings with the girls who stayed here, otherwise you might get caught one day when two of em return at the same time.

  Of course, if he listened to his own words of wisdom he never would have met ma.

  Jasmine closed the door to the bar fridge. The sound snapped Ben back to reality, his heart skipped a beat as he heard the noise.

  Jasmine closed the distance between them and held a bottle of beer out to him as she rested against the desk. She looked around. “That’s a lot of paperwork.”

  Jasmine was itching to get at it.

  It wasn’t that she loved reviewing number or anything. It was that urge to help him. To go over the numbers and help him find a way to keep things going. Just one more way
she wanted to help him, between this and the website, if she could leave this place a little better than how she had found it she would be happy. It was just that simple.

  She reached out, her hand touching a paper ever so gently.

  Her eyes locked on his. “You know, I really wouldn’t mind helping.”

  “I’m not going to ask you to help during your vacation.”

  “And what if I’m offering?”

  “Too bad. I won’t say yes.”

  Without a word Jasmine stood. She sat herself down right on his lap and reached for a log book. Her brow furrowed. God was it out of date.

  She took a long sip of beer before she turned to see what Ben’s reaction had been.

  He stared at her. Wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

  That wasn’t the only reaction he had, though. With just a towel covering her Jasmine was sure she could feel something twitch between his legs.

  A jolt of desire hit her. She licked her suddenly dry lips and turned her attention back to the document she’d reached for.

  Her mind raced. Arousal ran down her spine. She tried to focus on the book but couldn’t seem to think about anything other than what was under her. She swallowed dryly, taking another long swig of beer. She had just enough in her for it to be a bad thing. Jasmine knew she wasn’t drunk, but she was relaxed enough that she wasn’t worried about anything she might do- and that was a bad sign.

  Jasmine turned to Ben, wiggling her hips against him as she moved. She cleared her throat.

  “So, clearly your papers are super out of date.”

  Her eyes locked on his and she lost her train of thought. She was going to say something. Damnit. What was it? She cleared her throat.

  “So… uh…” She got lost staring into those eyes. Butterflies filled the pit of her stomach and arousal ran down her spine.

  Her heart skipped a beat as she felt a rough hand touch her leg. Maybe it was by accident. It was barely even a touch after all.

  Jasmine glanced down at his hand on her knee, then at him.

  The hand slipped up her leg, just a fraction of an inch.

  God.

  Ben was so fucking horny.

  It had been a long time since a woman sat on his lap. He didn’t want to push her, or scare her away. He didn’t want her to feel like he would take advantage of her. His hand stopped at a somewhat respectable distance.

  Jasmine’s hazel eyes locked on his. She licked her lips taking a deep breath as she cracked her neck, a soft moan passed through her lips.

  Ben’s heart skipped a beat. He could feel his erection growing under her. God, I hope she can’t feel that. He could see her looking him up and down, her eyes resting on his face. On his scars.

  He felt his heart drop. Of course she was looking at his scars. That is what everyone looked at. He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

  “You must be tired, I’m sure you had a long drive.”

  Not breaking eye contact a grin spread over her face. “I could use to lay down. Might be… relaxing.”

  Okay, so it wasn’t that hot. But Jasmine had to think on the spot. Was he trying to send her to bed because he had no interest in her? She could feel his boner growing so that didn’t seem likely.

  Then why would he try to get rid of her? Or was he trying to suggest that they go to bed? Together. She reached up to massage her neck, working out a kink. As she shifted the towel undid around her breast and fell down to her hips.

  Her bikini was modest, but this close up there was still lots of skin to show. And Ben started.

  If only for a fraction of a second. Then he brought his gaze back up to her. It was almost fun. She wanted to see how much she could push him. How far she could go until he finally tried to make a move on her- more than just his hand on her leg.

  His rough fingers had been frozen on her skin for a while now. And she was more than okay with that.

  Jasmine took a deep breath, her breast moving as she did so. Looks like I found that cowboy I wanted. The thought took her off guard. She’d come out here hoping for a hot hookup with a guy in a plaid shirt. But she’d found him. A black, all T-shirt. No cowboy boots and no cowboy hat. But she still wanted him. I’m just not sure if he wants me or not. She stared at him for a couple of seconds, trying to figure it out. Finally she stood. The towel fell, staying put on Ben’s lap.

  “Well, I think I might head off to bed.” Her eyes locked on his. “I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” Her eyes sparkled as she gave him her best flirty smile before turning on her heel and heading for the door. She glanced back for a fraction of a second.

  He stared at her with wide eyes.

  “You know, if I didn’t know better I’d think you were inviting me back to your bedroom.”

  She stopped, resting a hand against the door. She turned to face him.

  “I am.”

  Without another word she walked out of the office.

  Her heart raced as she headed towards her room. Had she just made a total fool of herself for no good reason? If he doesn’t come after me I’m going to feel like a moron. And it’s not like she was going to be able to go after him now. She had just walked away. If he didn’t come out after her-

  Something grabbed her wrist. She gasped being jerked backwards. She gasped spinning around.

  Ben’s lips crashed against hers. Hot. Passionate.

  Jasmine’s heart pounded in her chest. A soft moan passed through her lips as she pulled her closer to him. Her arms wrapped around his neck.

  She hadn’t realized she’d been so close to a building until she felt her back hit it gently.

  Ben pulled away from her, his lips touching hers softly this time. “I can leave you alone, if you were only joking about that.” She could hear the embarrassment in his voice.

  “No.” Just one small word, but so much power behind it. Jasmine pushed him away from her.

  The look that flashed across his face told her everything. He thought she was saying no for an entirely different reason. She took his hand, her eyes sparkling as the warm wind whipped around them. “I wasn’t joking.”

  She led him towards her room.

  Again, she felt herself pressed against a wall. His lips touched mine. Jasmine felt him reach into his pocket. His free hand ran over the curves of her body. Her eyes rolled back as she let out a soft moan. His free hand slipped out of his pocket. He wasn’t looking at her as his hand moved towards her.

  No, not towards Jasmine. She watched him unlock the room. She raised an eyebrow. “That’s not my room.”

  “No one else is here. And they’re all my rooms.” His voice was soft as he took her wrist and pulled her into the room. The light flicked on. His lips crashed against hers. His fingers tangled into her hair, pulling her closer to him. He guided her over to the bed.

  Jasmine pulled away from her. Her eyes locked on his as she dropped to her knees and reached for the belt on his dirty jeans. His eyes sparkled as his fingers tangled in her hair.

  “Sweetheart, it’s been a damn long time for me. You’d best not push your luck.”

  Jasmine laughed softly, she loved his honesty. “Don’t worry.” She cooed as she undid his jeans and pulled them down to his ankles. His hard cock sprang forward. She swallowed dryly.

  Without another word, she took his cock into her mouth. A soft moan passed through her lips.

  Ben gasped, his eyes rolling back. His fingers tightened in her hair.

  Jasmine pulled his cock from her mouth.

  “We’ve got lots of time.” She promised him. She wasn’t sure how a man like him could say ‘it’s been too damn long.’

  Like he didn’t have women falling all over him every time he went out. He could have taken advantage of it, but still. She wanted to be sure they got the most out of this.

  She mouthed his cock again. Working fast and hard. Her eyes locked on him as his body tensed.

  “Fuck.” He let out a soft breath as his fingers tightened in her hair. />
  She took his cock deeper, feeling his head hit the back of her throat. She moaned, her tongue licking every inch of his cock that she could reach.

  Stroke. Stroke. Stroke.

  Jasmine took his cock deeper, her mouth working over him faster and faster.

  Ben’s hips thrust as a gasp passed through his lips, his cock slipping deeper into her mouth as he let out a deep breath. She felt his load slide down his throat.

  He had been right. He wasn’t going to last long at all. Jasmine pulled away, licking her lips as she stood.

  Ben’s cheeks flushed a deep red that would put a tomato to shame. “I…”

  Before he could say a word Jasmine’s lips touched his.

  “Relax,” She muttered softly. “I know how this shit works.” You went too long without it and just a couple licks could get you off. She pulled away, pushing him towards the bed. “That was just the warmup round.” Her eyes blazed with desire as Ben grabbed her and pulled her down onto the bed, rolling her onto her back. Her legs spread, and Ben resting between him they stared at each other.

  His lips trailed along her neck softly, his hand reaching for what little fabric she had covering her breasts. Jasmine pulled away, slipping Ben’s shirt over her head. Her eyes widened as she swallowed dryly. Tan- check. Abs- check.

  His eyes sparkled as he caught her reaction.

  She pushed him lightly, changing their position. She straddled his hips on top of him. “I’ve always wanted to ride a cowboy.” She confessed. Her cheeks burned when she said it. Ben grinned widely. His cock twitched under her.

  “God I wish I had my cowboy hat within reach.” He muttered as he looked her up and down.

  Jasmine looked around the room, as if hoping someone would have left a cowboy hat around. A laugh passed through her lips.

  She reached for the nightstand. “Not a cowboy hat, but I’d say it is a little better.” She said as she grabbed the condom and pulled back, showing Ben.

  “Fuck.” He muttered reaching out and taking it. “I guess I wasn’t thinking straight.”