9781618857279MakeMineaCowboySullivanNC (20 page)

She
crawled up on the bed to lay her head on the pillow. He took the spot next to
her and gathered her into his arms. He kissed her hair while his hand did a
slow crawl from her shoulder to her wrist.

“I
love holding you like this.”

“You
just want me naked next to you.”

His
cock stirred, taking on a life of its own. “Well, yes. I love you naked any way
I can get you.”

“Typical
man.”

A
knock sounded on the door. “Are you two okay in there?”

“Yeah,
Ma. There’s no blood. We’re fine.”

“Good.
I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night,
Ma.”

“Night,
Nina.” She snuggled down closer to his chest. “Kind of awkward, don’t you
think?”

“Nah.
I think my mom was trying to get us together like this.”

“Why?
She knows I don’t live here. It’s not like this could possibly develop into a
relationship.”

“It
can’t?”

“No.
I have my life in Los Angeles. You have your life here. We are two very
different people, Joel.”

“She’s
playing matchmaker again. She told me to stay away from you earlier.”

Mesa
laughed. “She told me the same thing this morning. I should avoid you today.”

“Sneaky
woman, my mother.”

“Yep.
She knew by telling us to stay away from each other, it would force a blowup
and eventually we would have to talk. Thus, leading to this.”

“Well,
she might not have thought it through to this end, but she definitely had it
right about staying away from each other. I can’t.”

She
rubbed her face against his chest, loving the feel of the springy hair beneath
her cheek. “Me either. You’re like a drug. I can’t get enough.”

“I
say we let it go where it may. If this is supposed to be something besides a
short term thing, it will work itself out.”

She
pressed her lips together, thinking about the situation. Could she walk away
after her week here was over without regrets? Probably not, but she had to. Her
life in Los Angeles came first. She was a writer after all. A semi-famous
author who had a full, rewarding life in the big city. She liked having stores
around the corner. She enjoyed having the nightlife and clubs to visit if she
so chose to, not that she was much of a nightlife person, but the option was
there.

Here you would have the abundance
of ranch life to jumpstart your muse. You would have the quiet, the horses, the
cowboys, and the little bar in Bandera where you could dance the night away in
the arms of one hot cowboy.

But
what if things with Joel didn’t work out? What if she gave up her life in Los
Angeles, moved here to be with him, and they broke up after a time?

I could always move back to Los
Angeles at any time.

“You
aren’t helping.”

“Huh?”
he asked sleepily when she glanced up at his face. His eyes were closed and his
breathing had slowed into slumber. “Did you say something?”

“No.
Go to sleep, big guy.”

Soft
snores reached her ears moments later as she snuggled back against his chest.
There wouldn’t be any use trying to make a decision like this on a whim. Like
he said, let’s take it slow and see where things go. If it’s meant to be, it’s
meant to be. She should be able to make a decision by the time her week at the
ranch went by.

Now,
if she could just keep her heart from being the deciding factor in the whole
thing, she might be able to make an intelligent decision.

Chapter Ten

Sunlight
streamed through the window, dragging her from her dreams. Dreams of Joel
danced behind her eyelids, keeping her from fully awakening to the birds
chirping outside and the low bawl of cattle in the distance. She could get used
to these sounds. The quiet country sounds instead of the blare of car horns,
the chatter of people below her window, the bark of neighborhood dogs and the
hustle of everyone in the city. No one slowed down to appreciate the things in
life.

She
reached to the side of the bed expecting to find Joel’s warm body next to her
only to find cold sheets. She sat up, pushing the hair from her eyes and looked
around the room. His clothes were gone.

“Well
duh, Mesa. He works on a cattle ranch. He has to be up with the chickens.”

The
clock on the table read seven-thirty. She jumped out of the bed, grabbed some
clean clothes, and headed for the shower. Breakfast would be served in thirty
minutes and she still had to be presentable. She wasn’t sure why she cared so
much since it was a cattle ranch. They lived with dirt and mud every day, so
what difference did it make?

She
lifted her arm and sniffed. “Okay. I do need a shower.”

Several
moments later, she stood beneath the warm spray of the water and drifted into a
little daydream. Joel’s lips on hers, firmly taking what he wanted.
His hands, slick with soap, drifting down over her breasts and
pinching her nipples between his fingers.
The feel of his lips on the
tight nubs, pulling and sucking them between his lips, drove her desire higher.
Her hand drifted down between her thighs to touch her clit. A soft moan escaped
on a sigh.

“Are
you touching what’s mine?”

Now
her fantasy had a voice.

“I
want you.”

“Open
your eyes.”

She
opened her eyes to find him standing at the bathroom door, leaning against the frame
with a wicked grin on his lips.

The
screech she released made him laugh. “What the hell? How did you get in here?”

“Master
key.”

“I
thought you were working. I was trying to get cleaned up for breakfast.”

“You
looked like you were enjoying yourself a bit. Mind if I join you? I could use a
shower, too.”

“Somehow
I don’t think we’ll be doing a lot of showering.”

“I
hope not. Watching you touch yourself was so fuckin’ hot, I almost came in my
jeans.” He quickly stripped off his clothes and climbed into the shower with
her. “Much better.” He grabbed the soap and lathered up his hands until they
were slick. “Now I can touch you like I wanted to this morning before I left
your bed.”

“Why
didn’t you?” she asked, whispering along his throat. “I would have loved to
wake up like that.”

He
ran his hands over her breasts. “Because I didn’t want to wake you. You were
sleeping so peacefully with a beautiful smile on your lips.”

“I
was dreaming of you like this.”

He
laughed as he pinched her nipples, drawing them to little points of pleasure.
“In the shower? I thought that dream came when you were touching yourself.”

“Well
yes, but I dreamt of you just the same, touching me, loving me. I can’t get
enough.”

He
slanted his mouth over hers, driving his tongue between her lips in the erotic
dance only two lovers know. His hands skimmed down her abdomen and around to
her hips to draw her closer to his body. His rock-hard erection pressed into
her stomach. “Do you want me?” she asked, pulling away from his kiss to lick
his throat.

“Oh,
hell yeah.
I snuck away from my chores to have
you.”

“So
romantic, you are.” She released a throaty laugh as she nipped at his skin. She
wanted to bite him, eat him up until he couldn’t escape her feast on his flesh.

One
of his hands slid around to the front of her body to dive between her thighs.
“God, you’re wet.”

“I’m
in the shower,” she said with a laugh before it turned to a moan the minute he
thrust two fingers inside her pussy. “Okay, that’s not because of the shower.”

“Let
me grab a condom.”

She
glanced into his eyes. “I don’t want a barrier between us.”

“What
are you saying, Mesa?”

“I’m
clean and I’m on birth control. Are you?”

“Clean,
yes.”

“Then
fuck me, Joel.”

He
put both hands under her buttocks. “Wrap your legs around me.”

“You
can’t li—”

“I
wrestle cows for a livin’, darlin’. I can handle a little thing like you.”

He
lifted her in his arms and she wrapped both legs around his waist. With her
back against the cold tile, he slid home, filling her to the brim with his hard
flesh. Her satisfied moan echoed off the tile enclosure.

“God,
you feel good, baby.”

“Move,
Joel. I need you.”

He
rocked his hips back and forth, sliding his scalding length deep inside her.
His groan matched hers. Ecstasy fogged her brain. Water beat down upon them in
a cascade, pounding in a solid stream between them as he continued to rock his
hips.

“Damn,
I’m not gonna last like this. The sensation is killing me.”

“Make
me come.”

He
shifted his stance. The slide of his cock hit her G spot in exactly the right
place to shoot her desire to explosive. She exploded on a cry, his name a
mantra from her lips. Stars burst behind her eyelids, blinding her to anything
but the feeling of him deep inside her.

His
own climax echoed hers until she felt the stickiness of their mingled cum
sliding down her leg.

She
rested her head on his chest, dragging air into her starved lungs until her
head cleared and she could think straight again.

“I
like it much better without the barrier between us.”

“Me
too, but I didn’t want to push.”

The
breakfast bell clanged, startling them both. He pulled out of her and grabbed
the soap to finish washing her. “We need to hurry or we’re gonna miss
breakfast.”

“We
can always hit the diner in town.”

“Don’t
you have work to do?”

“Yeah,
but I’ll already be in hot water for skipping out this morning.”

“I
don’t want you to be in trouble.”

“It’s
okay. Josh covered for me.”

“He
knew you were coming up here to seduce me?”

“I
didn’t tell him if that’s what you mean. I think he might have assumed so from
the silly grin on my face.” He washed himself, and then waited for her.

She
quickly washed her hair and rinsed in the warm water that seemed to be turning
colder by the second. “I think we’re about to run out of hot water.”

“Yeah,
I think so too. Hurry.”

“I
am.” Within minutes, she’d washed every bit of soap off and grabbed one of the
fluffy, white towels hanging on the wall to dry
herself
with as Joel rinsed.

He
shut the water off then pulled the other towel down.

“What
time did you wake up this morning?” she asked, heading back into the bedroom with
the pile of her clean clothes.

“I’m
always up when the sun comes up. We have to feed and water the animals before
we take them out for the day.”

“I
know the bed was already cold by the time I woke.”

“Yeah,
I’d already been up for a couple of hours by then.”

“Wow.”

“Do
you want to go to town?”

“Sure.”

They
dressed in a rush in between kissing and touching. His lips found her throat as
he nibbled from her earlobe to her collarbone. “If you don’t stop, we’ll never
get out of here. Food calls,” she said in between moans of ecstasy and trying
to button his shirt.

“Maybe
I want something else to eat.”

Her
pussy creamed at the thought, soaking her panties. She loved when he ate her
out. “Later, cowboy. My stomach needs sustenance.”

“Party
pooper,” he replied, pressing his forehead against hers. “Promise?”

“Oh
yeah.”

“Okay,
let’s get food then.” He stepped into his boots as she tied her tennis shoes.
“Did you bring boots?”

“I
hadn’t planned on being on a ranch. I really should go buy some, I guess.”

“Yes,
you should, especially if you plan on ridin’ with me.”

“Riding
you?”

“With
me, Mesa, but I’ll take the other, too.”

“I
bet you would, cowboy.”

About
fifteen minutes later, they pulled up to the front of a quaint little diner
situated near the light in the middle of Bandera.

“Does
everyone come here?”

“A
lot of the older crowd comes for coffee early and so do many of the wranglers.
They shoot the shit during the morning before they head out for the day’s
work.”

“This
place sounds so fun.” She took out the pen and paper she always kept in her
purse to jot down some notes on the diner. A waitress showed them to a booth
near the window. Joel took one side and she took the other. She set the book
aside to glance at the menu. A ham and cheese omelet sounded good to her.