Page 85 of Barbed Wire Hearts

I explode, my pussy clenching violently, my eyes rolling back in my head.

He groans in my ear. “That’a girl,” he purrs before he gasps and buries his teeth in my shoulder to mask his own sounds as his warmth fills me and begins to drip down my inner thigh. His hand eases on my neck, and I gasp in great gulps of air, my vision swimming briefly before it clears.

Dakota chuckles and strokes his hands down my body. “What I wouldn’t give to do this in the light,” he whispers. His lips trace along the place he bit me, kissing it, caressing me. “Next time, I’m going to fuck your throat. You won’t be able to make a sound then either.”

My pussy clenches and throbs, but I’m exhausted, my body pulsating with our releases. He carefully pulls from inside me and lays me back down on the sleeping bag gently, so at odds with the way he fucked me. He reaches around and grabs some cloth before beginning to clean me up with it. I let him, too tired to do anything more than gasp when his hand glances over my clit.

“Get some sleep,” he orders, before lying down beside me and spooning me, his arms warm and protective. “I’ve got you, little troublemaker.”

And so I do. I float off into the ether.

The nightmares don’t come after me again that night.

Big bad Dakota keeps them away.

ChapterFifty-Two

Kate

I’ve never been so relieved when the final day comes, and the cattle count gates appear in front of us. A few people sit at the top of them, their counters in their hands to take note of how many cattle each ranch is bringing in. It’s a long process, one that takes longer than it does to reach the gates. We’re about ten thousand head of cattle strong, and there are only five people taking count. I understand why it takes until the end of the day and a little after dark to complete. I’m honestly surprised it doesn’t take a few days.

“So what now?” I ask, watching as the final group of cattle wait their turn.

“Now, they graze up here for the season,” Wiley answers. “When the wind comes with a chill, they’ll slowly work their way back home.”

“Just like that?” I blink at the sheer number of cattle now in the reserve before us. The government maintains it as a wilderness reserve but it also serves purpose for this as well. It’s protected for many reasons. Wiley had explained how it all worked on the way here. “They just know where to go?”

“Sometimes there’s cattle that go to the wrong ranch,” Levi says with a shrug. “We just keep an eye out and return them to the proper ranch if necessary.”

Around us, the other ranches celebrate as the final few cows head through the gate and the gate keepers shout “Done!” A cheer goes up in the air, from both those of us who traveled the drive as well as those who came to help pack everything up. Naomi claps on the side with the rest of our crew, waiting to load us up and cart us back home.

We did it. We drove ten thousand cattle nearly eighty miles. The sense of celebration is infectious, and I find myself celebrating with the rest of them despite the fear I’ve felt on this trip. It’s a mix of chaos as everyone starts loading up their horses and gear. We wait back, letting everyone else get loaded before we do the same. We’ll celebrate more at the ranch, and we’ll have the next couple of days off to rest, but I can’t help but feel as if things are only getting started. Once we’re loaded and it’s only down to us, Dakota pats Naomi on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Naomi. We couldn’t have done this without you,” he tells her.

“That kind of sounds like a raise,” she teases, clearly joking, but Dakota nods.

“It does,” he answers. “We’ll take care of that in a few days.”

Naomi’s eyes widen. “Oh my gosh. Thank you!” And then remembering that we’ve been on the drive for two weeks, she gestures to his pickup truck. “She’s all ready. Want someone to drive y’all?”

Dakota shakes his head. “No. We’ll follow you home. Y’all go on ahead.”

She nods and takes off, leaving the four of us to climb into Dakota’s truck. As usual, Levi hoists me into the front seat before taking the seat right behind me. Wiley leaps in on the other side and Dakota gets behind the wheel. When we pull away, it feels like leaving behind both a war zone and a vacation. It’s a strange feeling.

“Another great season,” Wiley says as he stretches out his shoulders. “But man, am I glad the next one isn’t for another year.”

Dakota laughs and watches as our convoy takes off. He waits a minute to give them a head start before pulling out on the road. He’s still laughing, all of us gushing about a job well done, cracking jokes, enjoying ourselves even with the exhaustion. We stay that way until we round a turn in the road and find a black car parked across the road in front of us, blocking the way. Dakota slams on his breaks, sending all of us forward in our seatbelts. I shriek in surprise, my hands locking out to brace myself before the seatbelt locks and does it for me. I look up through my hair, my eyes wide.

“Is that what I think it is?” I rasp, staring at the black Suburban.

“There’s a crow on the fender,” Levi answers, and it’s the only answer I need.

“Fuck,” Wiley growls, his hand grabbing my shoulder. “Be prepared to duck down if they start shooting.”

“Shooting?” I squeak. I’ve never been shot at before. I don’t wanna start now.

The Suburban door opens and the same man from before gets out, the messenger.

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