Chapter Thirty Seven

“I suggest you get the hell off the lady.” Came a gravelly voice, and Billie gave a gasp of embarrassment.

She peeked over Jon’s shoulder, realising that her screams and begging had been overheard - and misunderstood - by her neighbour, Jace.

“Jace?” She said, looking past Jon.

“Billie?!” He sounded shocked. And now even angrier, though he should’ve realised who it was from the horses standing patiently.

“Yeah, Jace. Uh……this isn’t how it looks - or sounds.” She said, blushing furiously. “This is my….friend….Jon. He wasn’t attacking me.”

“I…..ummmm……” Jace sounded almost as embarrassed as she was. “I saw the horses and heard you scream, and…..”

“I know. Can you give us a couple minutes? Wait out by the horses?”

“Uh…..sure, Billie. Sorry.” The last word was muttered shyly.

“Uh-huh.” Billie mumbled as he made the rifle safe and left them to make themselves decent again.

“Holy fuck.” Jon muttered against Billie’s ear, slowly pushing himself up off her.

The combination of recent orgasm and the threat of death made his arms tremble slightly as he rose over her, easing out of her body. He gave her an embarrassed smile.

“So much for nobody but us chickens, huh?”

“Yeah. Sorry ‘bout that.” Billie blushed. “I guess Jace was out riding or hunting or something.”

Jon grabbed a handful of paper towel from the saddle bag, wiping himself off, and Billie did likewise before reaching for her panties and jeans. Even with the soft layer of panties between her flesh and the jeans, the friction of denim on sensitised skin made her shudder in a kind of lingering pleasure. She pulled on her boots as Jon packed the picnic debris into the saddlebag, then they made their way out to where the horses - and Jace - waited.

The older guy was standing by Copper, the mare leaning her head on his shoulder, looking balefully at Jon, probably wondering what he’d done to piss her owner off so much he’d brought out his rifle.

“Hi Jace.” Billie said, forcing herself to look straight at him, refusing to be ashamed of what he’d walked up on.

“Billie.” He said with a slight smile.

“This is Jon.” She said, gesturing toward him, and with no hesitation Jon held out his hand.

“Good to meet you, Jace.” He grinned, the grin confident and open, without being cocky or arrogant. “Hey - thanks for letting Billie borrow Copper. She’s been great.”

“You’re welcome.” Jace replied, shaking Jon’s hand. “Good to meet you, too.”

The awkwardness of the way they’d initially ‘met’ dissipated quickly. None of the three of them was a particularly shy person - Billie and Jace were ranchers at heart, so well-versed in the sexual activities of most animals, including humans. Jon, though neither of the other two knew it, was a rockstar and, well, it was the eighties, so there wasn’t much he hadn’t heard of, seen or participated in. Sometimes all three at once.

Now that he knew Billie hadn’t been being raped, but had been a more than willing participant, Jace quickly made his excuses and left them alone. Once he’d ridden off out of sight, Jon collapsed in a heap on the ground, pretending relief from terror.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so close to being shot before.” He chuckled, and Billie laughed, nudging his thigh with the toe of her boot.

“He wouldn’t have shot you.”

“No? Sure sounded like he would.”

“Well, okay, he maybe would’ve……but not until you got off me…..at that range, the round would’ve gone straight through you and hit me.”

“I’d already ‘got off’ on you. In you.” Jon smirked up from ground level, grabbing her ankle. “Thought you’d noticed.”

“Nope. All I noticed was my brain falling apart.”

“Awww.” He grinned happily, winking. “I do aim to please.”

“Oh, I know you do. And you did.” Billie smirked now. “Repeatedly.”

“Why, thank you ma’am.”

“Time we got going.” Billie said, glancing at her watch, and Jon held up a hand, letting her pull him to his feet.

They saddled up the horses and mounted, Billie trying - not entirely successfully - to hide her wince as the saddle rubbed her jeans into her. Jon chuckled, but didn’t say a word, just grinned as he followed her along the trail. After only another few minutes, Billie halted Drummer again, reaching into the saddlebag for her camera.

“See!” She smiled, pointing into the distance. “Mountains.”

Jon shaded his eyes, peering where she pointed, only just able to pick out the darker blue shadow on the horizon. If Billie hadn’t assured him they were mountains, he’d have thought it was just a line of low cloud.

Looping her reins around the horn of her saddle, Billie took a few photos, then swiveled in the saddle to snap one of Jon, who grinned.

“Make sure you get my best side.” He smirked, and Billie gave an evil grin.

“Okay. Take off your jeans, then.”

“Hey! Naughty cowgirl, huh?”

“Yuh-huh.”

“C’mere.”

Not quite understanding why, Billie turned Drummer around and brought him close to Copper. Jon took the camera from her and looked at the simple controls, then pulled Billie close, their heads together as he turned the camera and snapped a couple of photos of them together. He wasn’t even sure why he did it. Just felt like there should be some record of his being there, of meeting Billie. It was a strange feeling, like something was changing, and he couldn’t quite figure out if it was good or bad. He just knew it was inevitable.

Billie was surprised at his action, but when Jon turned to her, kissing her lingeringly, she just kissed him back, half-understanding that the feeling of change she’d been having was starting to affect him, too. Jon gave her back the camera and she packed it away again, then they started the ride back to the ranch.

That night, over dinner, they were both quiet. Not an uncomfortable silence, but just two people occupied with their own thoughts. Even if those thoughts were pretty similar. Finally, as she finished the last piece of chicken on her plate, Billie smiled over at Jon, a slightly sad smile.

“You need to go, don’t you? It’s time for you to get back to your real life.”

“I…..yeah.” He gave a crooked grin. “I guess so. I can’t hide away from my life forever, can I? Even if I’d like to.”

“Nope. Life will always find you, Jon.”

“Yeah.” Jon sighed, but there was a kind of strength in the soft sound. “I need to talk with Richie before I do anything else. Need to talk to him in person.”

“So he can punch you out again?”

“If he feels like he needs to, yeah. I probably deserve it. And more.”

“And you’re just gonna cowboy up and take it like a man, huh?”

“Yep.”

“Good for you.” Billie reached to touch his hand, then began clearing away their plates.

They took coffee through to the living room, Billie breaking out the whisky again, and they snuggled together on the couch, sipping and talking the night away. When it grew late, the coffee long finished and neither of them able to summon the will to move for more whisky, Billie tilted her head to look up at Jon.

“I know what I said before - what we both said - but……would you sleep with me tonight? Just this one night? Our last night.”

“I think I’d like that, Billie. I’d like to hold you all night, before we say goodbye.”