Cowboy After Dark Read online

  “You just completely destroyed the mood.”

  “Are you sure?” She rolled to her side and reached over to run a finger down his tense jaw. “Last time I checked, we still had a canopy of stars arching over us.”

  “A canopy of stars.” He turned to face her and propped his head on his hand. “Did you write that?”

  “None of your beeswax.”

  Although she’d said it in a teasing way, he got the message. No more questions about her late great writing career. “Let’s start over. How about if you lie back and look up at the stars?”

  “I did that already, and you didn’t pick up your cue.”

  “Try it again.”

  She sighed and rolled to her back. “Beautiful stars. Now kiss—”

  His mouth covered hers before she could finish. And hallelujah, did she liven up the party. He’d thought she would. Any woman who had the guts to block the path of his F-350 as it charged up a hill would most likely be fun to kiss.

  She ignited like a bottle rocket, pressing her fingers against his scalp and pulling him in deeper. He went gladly. He felt more than heard her moan, because somehow his hand had cupped her breast, and his palm absorbed the vibration.

  The moan inspired him to unfasten the buttons on her shirt as he thrust his tongue into her mouth and explored the tantalizing sweetness there. She might be able to keep some of her secrets, but these he could unlock—her yearning to be touched as he unfastened her bra and caressed her silky breasts, her need to be kissed with a thoroughness that made her gasp and writhe beneath him.

  Cade had told him to bring condoms just in case. Now he wondered if he’d been a fool to leave them behind. Her hot kisses and soft whimpers told him she might be willing to take whatever he offered.

  Breaking away from the warmth of her lips, he braced himself above her, although he couldn’t make himself give up the delicious sensation of fondling her plump breasts. He struggled to breathe. “I didn’t come prepared to—”

  “Neither did I.”

  “But I should have—”

  “No.” She laid a finger over his lips and took a steadying breath. “If you had, I would have thought less of you. I agreed to an evening horseback ride.” She rubbed her finger over his lower lip. “That’s all.”

  “But now my hand’s inside your shirt.” He continued stroking her. “Do you think less of me for touching you like this?”

  “Let me ponder that question.” With a soft murmur of delight, she closed her eyes.

  She talked like a writer. Who else would say, Let me ponder that question? But he wouldn’t mention it. Instead he’d focus on giving her as much pleasure as she’d allow. Beneath his gentle massage, her skin warmed, and the tempo of her breathing changed.

  “Mmm...no, I don’t think less of you.” She opened her eyes and arched into his caress. “In fact, if you should happen to kiss me there, I wouldn’t complain.”

  Although she was mostly in shadow, he heard the quiver of excitement in her voice. “Then maybe I will.” Pushing her bra aside, he leaned down and brushed his lips over her tight nipple. Her moan of anticipation sent a message straight to his groin. In no time his already thickening cock became a steel rod.

  If he had any sense, he’d stop before he ended up in agony. But the pressure of her fingertips against his scalp told him how much she wanted this. So did he, even if loving her within specified limits would be torture. Accepting his fate, he licked a circle around that quivering peak before slowly drawing it into his mouth.

  His reward was her throaty cry of pleasure. She held his head to her breasts as he continued to lavish attention there. Before long she’d begun moaning and shifting restlessly on the blanket. Tension was building in him, and he knew it had to be building in her, too.

  At last he kissed his way back up to her mouth and thrust his tongue inside in a blatant gesture of seduction. He couldn’t give her everything, but he could give her enough. When she began sucking on his tongue, he figured she knew exactly what he was suggesting.

  Ending the sensual kiss, he gazed down at her. She was breathing as hard as he was. “Will you think less of me if I make you come?”

  She gulped. “Not less. More.”

  If he hadn’t been so high on hormones, he might have laughed. As it was, he had to clench his jaw to keep his own orgasm in check. He could laugh about her adorable answer another time, when he wasn’t busy unfastening her jeans and sliding his hand under the elastic of her very wet panties.

  She was whimpering, so he wasted no time in foreplay. Thrusting his fingers deep into her slick channel, he pumped rapidly. She came fast, her cries filled with mostly incoherent words. The ones he did catch were earthy and to the point.

  When at last she sank back to the blanket with a groan, he kept his fingers buried in her hot body as he leaned over and kissed her. He couldn’t see her smile, but he could feel it. He moved his lips leisurely over hers and enjoyed the contented and lazy way she kissed him back. Finally he lifted his head. “I think you liked that.”

  “Oh, yeah.” She sighed happily. “Solo sex isn’t nearly this much fun. “

  “Sure isn’t.”

  Cupping his face in both hands, she gazed up at him. “I wish you could see me better so you’d know how happy I feel.”

  “I can tell by your voice.”

  “Thank you for...for giving me a wonderful orgasm.”

  “Glad to do it.” He moved his fingers in a gentle rhythm. “I’d be glad to do it again.”

  “I think that’s all I’ve got. You turned me inside out.”

  “If you say so.” He didn’t believe her. Their first kiss had been explosive, and he’d sensed a wealth of bottled-up emotion. Orgasms were a great way to let off steam. He was in a pressure-cooker situation himself, but it was temporary. He couldn’t explain how he knew it, but he was convinced she’d been stressed for quite some time.

  “You’re not going to stop, are you?”

  “Not unless you want me to.” Curving his fingers, he listened to her breathing as he explored a little.

  Her breath hitched. “That’s...nice.”

  Ah. He’d found her G-spot. He stroked her there until she began to tremble. “Maybe you’re not done, after all,” he murmured.

  “You have good hands, Liam Magee.”

  “It’s a treat touching you.” He leaned down again and feathered a kiss over her mouth. “I like making you come. Listening to your cries.”

  She laced her hands behind his neck and lifted her lips to his. “I might have sworn a little.”

  “I think you did.” He thrust faster and circled her clit with his thumb.

  “I might...swear this time, too.” She gasped. “That feels wickedly good, what you’re doing with your thumb. I’m vibrating from the roots of my hair to my toenails.”

  “That’s the idea.” He marveled at the way she handled words.

  “Oh, Liam.” She clutched his shoulders and lifted her hips. “I do want this. I do.”

  “And you’ll have it. Come for me, sweet lady.” He bore down, craving her release because she so desperately needed to let go. No telling what had her locked up tight, but maybe someday she’d trust him enough to reveal it.

  “I think... I think I... Oh, yes, there. Do that again!”

  He pressed her clit with his thumb, and she came in a rush. This time there was no mistaking her jubilant swear words or the breathless laughter that spilled out as she lost herself in the glory of letting go.

  Her laughter was contagious. He couldn’t remember watching a woman come and laugh at the same time, but he liked it. He liked her. A lot.

  Finally they both caught their breath, and he leaned his forehead against hers. “That was fun.”

  “You’re telling me. Epic climax.
That’s probably redundant.”

  “Probably.” And there she was, throwing out those fancy words again. As writers tended to do.

  “Let’s relax and look at the stars.”

  “Okay. Sure.” Easing his hand free, he lay back on the blanket. “I can’t improve on a laughing orgasm, at least not without condoms.”

  “Just so you know, I don’t usually laugh.” A zipper rasped as she did up her jeans.

  “Meaning my lovemaking is funny?” Maybe he should have been insulted instead of charmed.

  “No! Your lovemaking is superlative.”

  “I like the sound of that, but please don’t lie to boost my ego.”

  “I’m not lying.” More rustling around indicated she was fastening her bra and buttoning her shirt. “You really know how to please a girl. I started laughing because it was so great it was either laugh or cry. I didn’t feel like crying.”

  “I’m glad. That might have worried me.”

  “I know. Most guys don’t understand happy tears.”

  “That’s because we don’t cry happy tears. We don’t get that concept.”

  “Do you get the concept of crying, period?”

  “Sort of.”

  She groaned. “Yeah, no, you don’t. You’re like ninety percent of the male population. You’ve been taught that crying isn’t manly.”

  “Because it isn’t. In a crisis situation, you don’t want some guy sobbing when he should be busy saving the princess from the dragon.”

  “I agree, but once he’s saved her and they’re headed off to a well-deserved night of passion, that’s when he could shed a few happy tears because they both survived. No one would judge.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  “Okay, I wouldn’t judge.”

  “If we’re talking about your average princess, I predict she’d take one look at Sir Weepy and dump him for the nearest Sir Stiff Upper Lip.”

  She chuckled. “That’s good. Sir Weepy and Sir Stiff Upper Lip. Can I use it?”

  “For what?”

  Her sudden silence spoke volumes. “For nothing. Never mind. I got carried away.”

  He was tempted to ask her what really happened to make her give up writing, but now was not the time. “I like it when you get carried away.”

  “I did tonight, that’s for sure. I was only planning to kiss you.”

  “Well, you did that.”

  “And a whole bunch more.” She hesitated. “I’m feeling a little selfish. It was all about me, and yet you—”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.”

  “Because you’re Sir Stiff Upper Lip, right?”

  “Um, yeah.”

  “And Sir Stiff Tallywhacker, I’ll bet.”

  “What?” He couldn’t help laughing. She was a riot. “Where did you get that?”

  “I have a book of euphemisms. There are three pages of synonyms for penis.”

  “Good Lord. Three pages?”

  “Maybe it was four. Tallywhacker was my favorite.”

  “I’m not going to ask why.”

  “I’ll tell you anyway. It’s the sound. It’s a fun word to say. You should try it.”

  “No, thanks.” Couldn’t she see how much she loved words? How wrong it was for her to stop writing? “But while we’re on the subject, I plan to bring condoms next time.”

  “We probably need to talk about that.”

  “I’m sure we do. Finding private time will be tough, considering all the wedding stuff starts up tomorrow with the rehearsal. Technically we don’t have to be there, but...”

  “We should go and watch. We may not be in the wedding, per se, but I think staying at the ranch makes us members of the wedding party.”

  “It does. And Grady and I offered to help Saturday with the final setup for the ceremony. I guess Rosie decided they needed a tent, so it’ll be all hands on deck.”

  “Which is as it should be. I’m not about to suggest we sneak off to have sex instead of helping. I’ll be with Rosie in the kitchen both days, I’m sure.” She blew out a breath. “So, what can we do? Rendezvous in the barn after everyone’s gone to bed?”

  “That might be our only option for this weekend.”

  “Grady will know if you leave the cabin.”

  “Yeah, he will. The door squeaks. And Rosie hears everything. She wouldn’t mention that one of her house guests left in the middle of the night, but she’d know someone did.”

  “I feel like a teenager with a curfew.”

  “Me, too. So maybe we shouldn’t push it. After we get back to Cody, we won’t have these issues.” When she didn’t answer right away, his gut tightened. “Listen, you have to know how much I want to be with you, but the barn isn’t very romantic. I’d really like to make love to you on an actual bed next time.”

  “Liam, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way.”

  All his senses went on alert. “Any comment that starts out with that disclaimer makes me nervous.”

  “A little over a year ago, I had a bad breakup.”

  “I’m not surprised to hear it.” Some of the puzzle pieces fell into place.

  “Really bad.”

  His heart ached for her. Such a loving, creative soul, and some slimy douche canoe had caused her pain. Maybe she stopped writing because the piece of shit had broken her heart. “Give me his name and location and I’ll beat the crap out of him for you.”

  “He’s not worth it.”

  “I’m sure he’s not, but if it would make you feel better, I’ll gladly do it.”

  She reached for his hand. “Thank you for that. He’s a dragon not worth slaying. Stand down, Sir Stiff Upper Lip.”

  “Nothing worse than a knight with no dragon to slay.”

  “I wish it could be that kind of story, where you defend my honor and we live happily ever after. But happily-ever-after only happens in books.”

  “Not true. What about Phil and Damon?”

  “For their sake, I hope they found their happy ending.”

  He might be paddling upstream on this issue. He couldn’t use Cade and Lexi as an example because they were still in negotiations, and he hadn’t met Finn’s girlfriend, Chelsea, yet. “What about Rosie and Herb? They’ve loved each other for more than forty years.”

  “Okay, okay. Some lucky couples end up happy-ever-after, but it’s rare, like winning the lottery. I don’t play the lottery, and I’ve decided not to pursue another long-term relationship. It hurts too much to crash and burn.”

  “I see.” So he’d been a convenient sexual release mechanism. He tried to pull his hand from hers, but she held him tight. “Hope, I’m starting to feel like the pool boy.”

  “You’re not. You’re an incredible gift after a year of misery. But I always planned to tell you that whatever happened between us could only last until the wedding was over. I’m not ready for any more than that.”

  He sighed in frustration. The ex must have really done a number on her if, after a year, she was still hurting. Overcoming that kind of injury with a couple of encounters in the barn could be impossible. And she’d probably refuse to go out with him in Cody because there would be no built-in parameters. “So you’re leaving day after tomorrow?”

  “No, actually, I’m not. I’ve agreed to house-sit for Damon and Phil while they’re on their honeymoon. They adopted a couple of kittens, and they need someone to look after them while they’re gone.”

  Hot damn. His odds had just improved tremendously. He felt like doing a fist pump, but he didn’t want to scare her off, so he kept his tone casual. “Interesting.”

  “The kittens? I know. Apparently Damon’s always wanted—”

>   “Not the kittens. I decided to take a week off from rafting and spend time with Rosie and Herb over Fourth of July. I’ll be around for the week after the wedding, too.”

  The rhythm of her breathing changed. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Now you do.”

  “What about Grady?”

  “He’s driving back after the wedding. Because of all the work he put in on this sculpture for Damon and Phil, he’s behind on a couple of commissioned pieces. He wants to use Fourth of July to catch up.”

  “He doesn’t want to hang around for the holiday stuff?”

  “I’m sure he’d love to, but he has obligations to the folks who’ve put down a significant deposit and are eagerly awaiting their creations.” Liam had learned that an artist’s life wasn’t as fancy-free as people imagined.

  “Then you’ll be alone in that cabin?”

  “That would be nice, but it’s a home for students now. I’ll move into a guest room at the ranch house so we can spruce up the cabin for the kids.”

  “But if Grady’s leaving and taking the truck, how are you getting home?”

  “Grady can fetch me, or Cade and Lexi might take me back. Lexi’s been asked to give a weekend riding clinic in Cody, and she’d like to check out the venue and meet the folks before she commits to it.” He paused, his heart thudding. “Or, depending on how the week turns out, I could hitch a ride with you.”

  And then he waited, determined not to say anything more. Two nights wouldn’t make a dent in her armor, but if he had a whole week and lots of relaxed private time...miracles did happen, even if she no longer believed in them.

  7

  HOPE GULPED. “I feel as if you’ve led me to the edge of a cliff and invited me to jump over it with you.” She turned her head and discovered he was looking at her. His face was mostly in shadow, but light from the stars glinted in his raven hair.

  Liam was a beautiful man, and he wanted her. She’d thought her interest in men had died after Tom’s betrayal, but Liam made her ache with longing. She shivered when she imagined spending the next week in a sexual relationship with him.

  “Let’s try a different image.” Rolling to his side, he reached over and cupped her cheek in one large hand. “We’re both on vacation, right?” He smoothed his thumb over her cheekbone.