Over the Barrel Read online

  "No, darling, it feels wonderful. Yes, like that, Blair. Yes, suck down on me and use the tip of your tongue. Good girl, very good! You are enjoying this, aren't you?"

  She nodded, her eyes locked on his face while she swallowed him further into her throat. Sloan ran his fingers through her hair, gritting his teeth, as the pleasure grew more intense. His lids grew heavy with lust.

  "Blair, that feels so good. Can you take me in further?" he groaned. Blair nodded. "All the way, darling. Go down all the way."

  Blair strained against gagging as she worked the length of his pole to the back of her throat. His sweet, salty fluid bathed her mouth with a flavor she compared to the groundnut candy that Madeline used to make for her. It brought a smile to her eyes as she remembered that those special treats always cheered her up when she was feeling melancholy or ill. She closed her eyes and began to hum with contentment, the taste of him bringing about one of her few happy memories. Her eyes flew open as his cock throbbed and began to pulsate. He called out her name as his release exploded into the back of her throat and she reflexly swallowed its entirety.

  Neither of them spoke after she removed him from her mouth. Sloan slid into the water in front of her and they both sat in silence, breathless and drained. After several minutes, Blair grabbed her chemise and gracefully slipped it over her head. She paused silently and then took in a breath.

  "I think it's best if we remain distant from one another, Mr. Adkins."

  Sloan's head whipped instantly to face her. "Pardon?"

  "My heart cannot stand further refusals. It will be too painful to endure. I will want more of you and cannot have any."

  "Blair, what are you talking about? Didn't you like what just happened?"

  Blair looked at the ground. "I enjoyed it all too well. So much so that, the thought of not having you in that manner again sickens my stomach."

  "Don't say that. This dalliance was enjoyable for me as well. I will want you again."

  "You desire to lie with me, yet you do not feel that I am worthy as a mate. How am I any different from your late wife?" Blair's eyes filled with tears. "You sought her out for her favors, but she was unequipped to do anything on her own. You grew to hate her, not love her. I wish to have love and desire in my life, not abhorrence."

  "I could never abhor you, Blair. You are nothing like her."

  "No?" Blair spun to look up into his face. "Pray tell, what is it that I can do that she could not?"

  Sloan hesitated for a moment and then looked her straight in the eye.

  "You can make me happy."

  Chapter 7

  Blair remained silent for the rest of the evening. She avoided Sloan's questions and pulled away from his arms each time he attempted to embrace her. Confusion, uncertainty, and doubt plagued her thoughts. He had refused her invitations, even reprimanded her for making such suggestions, but then he relinquished his position and had joined her in the river and exchanged pleasures with her.

  He had shown no interest in her body until that moment, beyond tanning her hide when she disobeyed him. Were his words spoken simply because he desired a warm body to lie with now because conversation with her was no longer enough to spark his interest? She knew she was an intelligent woman, and that her inquisitive mind raised a challenge for him, a challenge he had seemed to enjoy. Her aunt's words haunted her, telling her that a woman's place was not to think, but to do. Do what? The very things she had never been taught?

  That was untrue. Madeline had tried to teach her kitchen skills, but Blair found it more interesting to frequent the stables and curry the horses. Sewing and embroidery were taught at the academy, but Blair spent more time pulling out stitches than procuring a garment. Aunt Imelda insisted that she keep her bedroom tidy, but Blair paid no attention to putting items in their place and stuck them hodge-podge wherever was convenient. She sighed loudly, accepting that her failures were of her own doing.

  She looked up into the sky and studied the mass scattering of stars that were suspended like drops of water around the full moon. The sound of footsteps behind her caught her attention, and a warm hand rested on her shoulder.

  "Come get some sleep," Sloan said gently. "It is late, and we have to be up when the rooster crows."

  Blair turned to him. "Starting tomorrow, I will make our meals. I will also attempt to darn the hole in your shirt from where Skinwalker nipped you. Before you say anything," she held up her hand, "I owe you an apology for my behavior. I have no desire to be valueless."

  Sloan slipped his hand to cup the back of her neck and stroked her ear with his thumb. "How many times must I tell you that you are not valueless, Blair? Not in any way. Come now, it's time to get some sleep." He kissed her forehead and then led her silently to her bedroll.

  True to her word, Blair was awake early, stoking the fire and boiling coffee in the beaten-up kettle. She forced a smile as Sloan sat up and rubbed his face. "Good morning. I used some of the flour and made flapjacks."

  Sloan looked doubtful. "Did you put salt in it?"

  "No. Was I supposed to?"

  "Did you poke holes in the top to let the bread breathe while frying?"

  "No." Blair's face fell. "I did it all wrong, didn't I?"

  "Honey, trail cooking is an art. And it doesn't always come out tasty. Let's see what you got here," Sloan said, crawling over to the fire. He picked up a "flapjack" and tapped it on a rock.

  "It's a little hard," Blair cringed. "I'm sorry."

  "Don't be sorry. You didn't know it, but you made hard tack. It travels well and can be tossed into a cup of coffee or tea to soften it so as you don't break your teeth."

  Blair wrinkled her nose. "We could always use them to throw at the bad men."

  Sloan laughed. "Lemme get cleaned up a bit, and I'll teach you some things. Blair?"

  "Yes, Sloan?" she looked up at him, her expression somewhat defeated.

  "You did good, kid. The first step is trying. I'm proud of you. Let's take a day off the trail, and I'll show you some things."

  His words brought encouragement to her that lasted the rest of the day. He taught her how to make biscuits, skin and roast a rabbit, and how to build a rock oven where they baked stone cakes for their journey. Blair even found a beehive, which, after much discussion, she decided to abandon, for Sloan's sake.

  "Sorry, girly, but last time I tried to smoke out a nest, I got stung pretty badly. I'm just getting over my encounter with that skunk," he pointed to the recently unpatched eye. "I'm not willing to engage nature at her worse just yet."

  "How do you smoke out a nest?" Blair asked, slyly.

  "Don't you even think about it, young lady. Bee stings on your pretty skin won't count for anything, compared to the blistering I will give you."

  "You don't have to be mean. I was simply asking out of curiosity."

  "Keep your curiosity away from things that sting, bite, or claw. I mean it, girl."

  "I hear you," Blair sighed. "Sloan?"

  "What, darling?"

  "It's unusually warm tonight," she observed, glancing up at the sparkling sky. "Do you think it's safe for me to take a dip?"

  "Skinwalker hasn't given us any reason to suspect there is anything around to cause us harm. Horses are pretty good watchdogs." Sloan considered, poking a potato around the fire ashes. "Go ahead. Just be careful."

  Blair nodded and stood gracefully, aware of his watchful eyes on her back as she picked her way over the rocks and down to the running stream. She stood on a flat rock, her back to him, and slowly allowed her clothing to fall, layer by layer, to the rocky ground below. She paused as the moonlight reflected off her snowy skin, and unwrapped her waist-long hair to fall in a loose wave of curls down her back. Her skin shivered in response to the knowledge that she was being watched. Without glancing behind her, Blair entered the cold stream.

  She leaned back against the sandy bank and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the water as it raced over her body and washed away the sweat and grime
from the day. A tiny breeze caressed her wet face as she lifted her chin to the sky. Blair hid a smile as the sound of crunching footsteps neared her, followed by the rustling of clothing being removed. She kept her eyes closed as Sloan sank into the water next to her.

  "It feels wonderful, doesn't it?" she asked, not daring to turn in his direction.

  "Sure does." Sloan said quietly.

  "If you want to kiss me again, I would not prevent you."

  "I do want to kiss you. I just don't want to be rejected again. Doesn't do well for a man's ego."

  "I didn't reject you! It was my fear of you refusing me further that spoke those words. I … my confusion confounds me. You are right about this feeling of being torn between what I desire and what is considered proper. I certainly do not wish to present myself unmarried to my grandfather and be with child."

  "I would marry you should that occur," Sloan said.

  "Of course you would, but would we repeat the miseries of your last marriage? I say no. If I were to marry, I would do so for love, not for a child. 'Tis selfish of me, true, but I would not wish to have a child be raised with someone who did not truly love her as his own," Blair said sadly, but firmly.

  "How could I not love a child as my own? She would be the result of our time together."

  Blair exhaled, nodding in agreement. "Yes, you are correct. I misspoke once again. Sloan, my desire for you is all-consuming, but it would be foolish of us to consummate a relationship when none exists. If there were another way …"

  "There is, but you might find it distasteful. Some women do," Sloan said, placing her foot in his lap and massaging her instep.

  "I did not find that lover's kiss distasteful once I tried. Please, tell me."

  "I hesitate. Have you ever read the Miller's Tale, by Chaucer?"

  "Oh my! Yes," Blair confessed. "I found an old copy of the book hidden in my aunt's library. She had a locked desk where she kept unsavory novels."

  "You broke into the desk?"

  "Of course I did! Would you have expected me not to?" She giggled with her naughty confession, "I did not understand it, however. It was written in old English and I found that very laborious."

  "I took my favorite passage to memory when I was attending college," Sloan chuckled, "Would you like to hear it?"

  "Yes. You will have to explain it to me, though."

  "How about if I just tell you what happened? Absolon went to kiss Allisoun's lips and was offered her nether parts. He kissed her bum hole."

  "Oh My!" Blair's eyes widened. "That is truly distasteful."

  "He thought the same. However, that brings up the point that we have an option, if you desire to give it a try."

  "You mean …?"

  "Yes. Many woman enjoy that act if time is taken."

  "But is that not sodomy? It was spoken of in church. It is a sin!"

  "Figures they would teach you about that but not how to breed," Sloan scoffed. "If you were to judge people's actions by the clergy and their interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, yes, I suppose it could be labeled that way. But, like you, my sweet Blair, I choose my own path. My relationship with the Almighty does not require another man to tell me what is right and wrong, and I interpret the Good Lord's Word for myself. I believe, in a marriage bed, all is permitted if both parties agree."

  "We are not in a marriage bed, Sloan."

  Sloan lifted her foot out of the water and pressed her instep against his cheek, kissing it tenderly. "No, we are not. Nor are we in a marriage with another, so there is no unfaithfulness occurring."

  "I don't know if I am ready to indulge in such sordid behavior. There is no commitment to one another, either, and that tends to cause an individual to make selfish decisions."

  "I respect that. In the meantime," he started to massage her other foot, "we will just sit here and enjoy a nice warm evening together."

  Blair offered a thankful smile and a tiny moan as his strong fingers worked their way up to her ankles. The stirring in her groin began to build as he stroked and rubbed the aches from her calves and thighs.

  "Your hands are magic. You seem to know where all my pain is."

  "I have an idea. Come," Sloan said as he stood. Blair wrapped her hair to cover her breasts as she rose next to him, avoiding his appreciative gaze upon her person. He led her to a flat rock near their campsite and tossed a thick horse blanket upon it. Sitting down, he patted his thigh.

  "Bend over my knee."

  "I will not! I have done nothing to deserve chastisement, and if you …"

  "No back talk. Over my knee," Sloan ordered.

  Grumbling, Blair obeyed. She shifted uncomfortably on his hard thighs, swallowing fearfully as his hand stroked the balmy wetness of her pale bottom. The smack caught her unprepared, and Blair shrieked.

  "Why are you punishing me?"

  "I am not punishing you." He smacked her again, followed by a firm caress over the reddened blotch. "I am pleasuring you."

  "This does not feel pleasurable. It stings like bees! Ow! Oh …" her shriek ceased when his fingers slid between the dip of her thighs.

  "As is my intent, darling. I do enjoy not having to struggle against yards of material when I wish to kiss your delightful bottom with my hand," Sloan announced, smacking her briskly across her jiggling cheeks and then returning to finger her wetness. "You have a magnificent rear end, especially when it thrusts upward towards me. What are you doing, Blair?" he asked teasingly as she began to gently rub her sex against his thigh.

  "I am thinking of a time that you would peel my clothing away, layer by layer, and bare my bottom for you to have pleasure with it." She gasped as Sloan slapped her sharply upon the right cheek, the crack rebounded against the tall rock cliffs and sounding like a mid-summer thunderclap. Blair kicked her heels and twisted to stare as him. "What are you grinning about, you insufferable man?! That was quite painful!"

  Sloan cupped her right cheek in his warm hand and jiggled it gently. "Was it? Your wetness shows that it was not too unpleasant."

  "I admit that once the sting wears away, it leaves a strange sensation of warmth. Perhaps you will consider the other side and allow me to experience balance?" Blair asked slyly, wiggling her bottom under his hand.

  "Nothing would make me happier right now, my darling. You really are quite a joy to spank," Sloan stated, raising his right hand and landing another firm, meaty slap to her left side.

  "Yeow!" squealed Blair. "Not so hard! Sloan!"

  "Oh, hush yourself. Stop squirming; you are going to wear yourself out," he stated, adjusting her body to keep her firmly across her lap after each robust smack. "I wish it wasn't so dark, and I could see the color of this bottom. I am betting by the heat that it is turning to a beautiful apple red. Let's see if I can bring up enough color to see it by the firelight."

  Blair moaned, invigorated by the visceral experience that left her twisting and pleading, yet she never attempted to depart from her position over his lap. Sloan had spanked her with vigor, and despite the discomfort that left her softly sobbing, she found the experience absolutely wonderful.

  She was grateful for the time he allowed for her to gather her thoughts and emotions. Sniffling, she twisted to look at his smiling face. "That truly stung, Sloan. Truly!"

  "A proper spanking should leave a pleasant sting. It should also make your lovely bottom throb and feel nicely swollen," Sloan said, stroking the trembling flesh with languid ease.

  Blair sniffed, her body relaxing and the pain ebbing away, leaving a radiating warmth that shifted towards her womanly treasures. She began to wriggle on his lap as her femininity boiled with desire.

  "Sloan, I … I need that feeling you gave me again. When you kissed me down there. I need …" she whispered hoarsely.

  "Good! There are things you must learn about men. To know these things will make you very powerful," Sloan announced. "While we want your bodies more than anything, there are many of us who desire more than that. We want your heart and your mind
."

  "What do men desire most about a woman's body?" Blair asked, as his rough hands stroked the backs of her velvety thighs.

  Sloan paused before lifting her naked form to perch on the rock next to him. He squatted before her and ran his hands lightly over her plump young breasts. "We desire these."

  Blair stiffened slightly at the intimacy of his caress. She took in a deep breath and softened. "I see. What else do they desire of us? What drives a man to madness, Sloan?"

  Sloan ran his hand down her flat belly until his fingertip lightly brushed her mound. "This is our quarry. To be denied it brings us a heap load of distress."

  "Why distress?" asked Blair breathlessly as Sloan stroked her delicately, barely brushing her womanly cusp with his long fingers, teasing her puffy lips with feathery caresses. He waited several agonizing minutes before he responded.

  "You are so soft and hot, Blair. The wetness that calls from your body is soft and slippery. This wetness soothes the hard dryness of a man's cock," he said huskily, his fingers trailing from her clit to her bottom hole, spreading her ripeness as her lips swelled and opened to his touch. He ran his fingertips lightly over Blair's clit and the girl sighed with pleasure.

  "Am I very wet, Sloan?" Blair dreamily inquired.

  "Well, let me see," Sloan murmured. "Shall I feel inside?"

  "Yes," Blair whispered, spreading her legs slightly to allow him access.

  Sloan gently slid his middle finger into Blair's tight slit and the girl moaned aloud. "Dang, Blair, your body is begging for a cock."

  "Please," Blair panted, "more. Let me feel your finger inside of me. No!" Blair released a loud sigh of disappointment and frustration as Sloan withdrew his slippery finger.

  "Before you learn any more about what a man wants from you," he said as he stood, "I want you to learn about your own body. Give me your hand and let me show you."