9781618857279MakeMineaCowboySullivanNC (23 page)

“You
have everything, Joel.”

I want your heart.

He
nudged his cock against her opening and slowly slid as deep as he could
possibly get. “Aw, fuck.”

“Do
it. Fuck me.”

He
braced his feet wide apart so they didn’t slip in the shower and fucked her
until she screamed his name on a prayer.

His
balls drew up against his groin and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer. She
needed to come again before he let go.

“Play
with your clit.”

“What?”
she asked in a panting whisper.

“Play
with your clit. Make yourself come again.”

“But…”

“Do
it now.”

She
snaked her hand down between their joined bodies until she reached her clit.
With her head back against the shower stall, she completely lost herself in the
pleasure she built with her fingers while he slowly guided his cock in and out.
God, she’s beautiful.
“Come for me,
darlin’.”

A
high scream echoed off the stall doors when she climaxed the second time,
drawing his own from deep inside his body to explode inside her with gushing
spurts. His legs shook as he tried desperately to draw air into his starving
lungs.

“Oh
my God.”

“Yeah,
you can say that again.” He slowly let her legs down and helped her stand on
her own two feet. “You’re fabulous.”

“You
are pretty good yourself.”

They
quickly washed
the cum
from their bodies before they
climbed out and dried off. “Do you want to stay here instead of going to your
place?”

“I
can make you scream more at my place. No neighbors.”

“True.
I’m not quite done with you yet, cowboy.”

“Good.
I ain’t nearly done with you yet, city girl.”

They
got dressed and then snuck down the stairs, listening for any noise from the
family to know whether they’d come back from the
muddin
’
party. She giggled like a child as they sprinted toward the door on tiptoes,
trying to be quiet even though he didn’t think anyone had come home yet.

He
pulled the door open to come face to face with Jeff.

“Where
the hell are you goin’?”

“Back
to my place.
Later, brother.”

Jeff
just shook his head as they went around him laughing as they took off running
hand in hand toward his truck.

“We
can’t take this, Joel. It’s full of mud on the seats.”

“Let’s
take your car then.”

“Let’s
just stay here.”

“Fine
by me, babe. I just didn’t think you wanted everyone in the house to know how
loud you get when you come.”

“Let’s
take my car.” She pulled the keys from her purse and unlocked her car that sat
two spots down from his truck.

It
only took a few minutes for them to reach his cabin, get inside and strip down
to skin. He loved having her close.
There’s
that word again. I am not in love with Mesa.

“What’s
wrong?”

“Nothin’,
why?”

“You’re
frowning as you look at me. It’s kind of hard on the ego, you know.”

“Sorry.
I just had a thought.”

“What?”

“It’s
nothin’, really. I’m sad you’re leavin’ in a couple of days.”

“Yeah.
I know.”

“Let’s
not think about it right now. Okay? I wanna love you all night long.”

“An
all-nighter, huh?”

“Oh
yeah.” He drew her down in front of the fireplace.

“Too
bad it’s too warm for a fire. I’ve always wanted to make love in front of a
fire.”

He
held up one finger. “Wait right there.” He walked to the thermostat and cranked
up the air conditioning. “Now, it’ll get cold in here so we can have a fire.”
The fireplace was gas logs so he just hit the switch and ignited the thing.
“How’s that?” he asked, snuggling down on the rug and pulling her into the
crook of his arm.
Nothing like a willing female to appreciate
in front of a roaring fire.

“Perfect.
Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me.”

“Me
too. I love the way the firelight bounces color off your skin.”

“My
pale skin, you mean.”

“No.”
He kissed her shoulder and run his tongue along the curve until he reached her
neck. “You have fabulous skin.
All soft beneath my tongue.
I love your taste.”

“I
didn’t realize I had a taste.”

“You
do.
Sweet with a little tang.
It’s addicting.”

“Is
it?”

“Yep.”

She
turned around in his arms until she rose up on her knees between his legs. “I
like your taste, too.” Her tongue danced along his jaw until she reached his
ear. “I could fall in love with you so easily.”

He
pushed her back and looked into her eyes. Sincerity and insecurity shone bright
in her gaze. Did she really mean what she said? Was she in love with him? What
about his feelings for her? Did he feel love for this enigma of a woman who’d
turned his life upside down since he found her on the side of the road?

“Don’t
freak, Joel. I just meant if we had more time.”

He
exhaled on a rush.

“Make
love to me.”

He
pushed her back on the rug and kissed her from the tip of her nose, over her
shoulder, across her breasts, down her abdomen, settling between her legs. “I’m
gonna eat you until you cream for me.”

She
moaned softly and closed her eyes.

Her
pussy glistened with her juices in the firelight as he looked at all the pink
flesh. She wasn’t a
waxer
, but she obviously kept it
well clipped. No stray hairs anywhere. Funny he hadn’t really noticed before.

“What
are you doing?”

“Lookin’
my fill. You are so gorgeous, you take my breath away.”

“It’s
bit disconcerting to have a man between your legs just so he can look.”

“We
like to look.” He licked from pussy to clit in one long stroke.

Her
head fell back on the carpeted floor as she growled deep in her throat.

He
loved the way she tasted, too. He loved everything about her.
God, I’m so screwed.

Not
willing to give into the feelings surging through him at the moment, he loved
her until she came twice by his tongue and his fingers. He moved up between her
thighs. With one skillful snap of his hips, he buried his cock so deep inside
her, he knew he’d come home.

* * * *

Two
days later Mesa stood at the side of her car as Joel loaded her suitcases. Nina
hugged her with tears in her eyes. “You know you can come back anytime, honey.
You’ll always be welcome.”

“Thanks,
Nina, but I’m not sure I can.”

“He
loves you, you know.”

“No,
I don’t think so.”

“He’s
just bein’ stubborn. He’s a man after all.”

“I
know, but I don’t think things would work out between us even if I were here
permanently. We’re too different.”

“Wait
and see.”

“Everythin’
is in the trunk, Mesa.”

“Thanks,
Joel.”

“I’ll
leave you two to your goodbyes. You take care, honey. Call and let us know you got
home all right. I’ll worry until you do.”

Nina
hugged her again. “Thank you for everything,” she whispered in the older
woman’s ear.

“You’re
welcome.”

Joel
stood off to the side with his hands in his pockets until his mother walked
back to the house. “Come ’ere.”

Tears
spilled down her cheeks as she hugged him close to her heart. She loved him.
She knew she did, but she couldn’t give up her life in Los Angeles to move to a
small town in Texas and she couldn’t ask him to leave the only life he knew to
do what? He would be so out of place in Los Angeles, it would be comical.

He
moved back and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Don’t cry, darlin’.”

“I’m
gonna miss you.”

“I’m
gonna
miss you too.” He glanced at his watch. “You
better get goin’ or you’ll miss your flight.”

She
closed her eyes and sniffed, holding back the tears without success. “Bye,
Joel.”

“Bye,
darlin
’.”

Chapter Twelve

“You’re
being an asshole, Joel. Go fuckin’ get laid or something!” Jonathan yelled as
the two of them stood toe-to-toe in the barn.

He
knew his brother was right. He’d been a total dick the last few weeks, but he
didn’t know what to do to fix it. “Fuck you.”

“Go
find some chick to fuck and get it over with. Mesa left. You didn’t stop her.
It’s your own damn fault you let her get away and now you’re miserable. You’re
totally in love with her.”

“I’m
not in love with her, damn it!”

“The
hell you aren’t. Look at yourself. You barely eat, you aren’t sleepin’, and I
bet you haven’t been able to fuck another woman since she left.”

“What
difference does that make?”

“You
couldn’t could you? You tried and you couldn’t get it up.”

“Get
the hell away from me before I kick your ass.”

“Try
it!” Jonathan put up his fists and backed up. “I’m waiting.”

“You
aren’t worth the bruise on my knuckles.” He stomped off, heading for the peace
and quiet of the main lodge. Guests were few this week, so he should be able to
sulk in private. He hoped.

A
few moments later, he stood by the window of the main lodge looking out over
the front of the house. He hadn’t talked to Mesa in a month, not since she
walked out of his life. Miserable would describe his state of mind since she
left. His life had come down to this, up at dawn, ride the fences, help his
brother break horses, feed the animals, and mope the evening away with a bottle
of beer and his television. He couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep and certainly
couldn’t even think about being with another woman. He’d tried that. The
weekend after she left, he’d gotten drunk at the bar in town, took someone home
and then couldn’t preform. The woman had left pissed.

“Son,
why don’t you call her?”

“Because
I can’t, Ma. She doesn’t love me.”

“I
think you’re wrong.”

“Why
wouldn’t she say it then?” he asked, turning to face her.

“She’s
just as stubborn as you are.” Nina jammed her hands on her hips to take up her
I’m-the-mother-so-listen-to-what-I’m-telling-you look. “Did you tell her you
love her?”

“No.”

“Then
why would she say it first? Why do you think it’s up to her to tell you, but
you couldn’t tell her?”

“I’m
not in love with her, Ma.”

“You
really believe that, son? You’ve been miserable since she left. I’ve seen the
way you mope around here like someone killed your dog. Give it up. I don’t know
if you think to convince me or yourself with that statement, but it won’t work
on me.” She hugged him and stepped back. “You love her, Joel. It’s written all
over your face. You were happy when she was here. Go after her. Convince her
you love her and bring her back home where she belongs. If you don’t, you’ll
regret it for the rest of your life.” She placed her hand on his cheek. “I love
you, son, but you’re drivin’ us all nuts with this.”

* * * *

Four
weeks. It had been four damned weeks since she left Bandera and Joel. Mesa
buried her faced in the pillow on her couch. She hadn’t been able to eat,
couldn’t sleep,
didn’t
want to do anything but dream
of Joel where he visited every night. She was miserable. “This is fuckin’
crazy!”

Her
phone rang, but she didn’t feel like answering it. Every time it rang the one
person she wanted to talk to wasn’t there. She’d made sure he had her phone
number when she left, but so far, he hadn’t used it. Obviously, he’d moved on
without her. She needed to do the same. She just couldn’t seem to breathe
without thinking about him.

Her
answering machine picked up and she heard the voice of her agent. “Mesa,
darling. I need to talk to you about this book you sent me. Please pick up.”

“All
right, Mesa. I hate to say this, honey, but we can’t publish this. We write
romance. This doesn’t have a happily ever after, honey. The heroine is
miserable and we can’t sell this to anyone. You are a talented woman beyond
words, but this won’t sell. You need to rewrite the ending. I’ll call you this
afternoon.”