A Cowboy for Christmas (13 page)

Casey pulled her long-sleeved top over her head and tossed it toward the pile of Bonner’s clothes already on the floor. Her shoes and pants followed, until she was only in her bra and panties. The look of lust on Bonner’s face clearly showed his appreciation of the view. As did his actions. He reached out and flipped her onto her back.

He hovered over her, his eyes narrowed with desire as he gazed down. Much like she’d done to him, Bonner skimmed his hands over her body, sliding her panties down her legs. He made short work of her bra, which ended up on the floor with the rest, then he leaned low capturing her breast between his lips, torturing her nipple. Arching her back, she pressed deeper into the heat of his mouth. He answered the action with a groan while he slid one finger inside her.

Her breast popped from his mouth as he repositioned himself between her legs before giving her what she’d dreamed of since leaving Colorado. As Bonner braced himself above Casey, he plunged the length of his cock inside her, forcing a sigh from her lips.

Bonner kept his eyes focused on her face as he stroked in and out. He watched her as she watched him, with a mingled expression of hunger and relief that their joint need was about to be completely satisfied.

Casey’s body coiled, poised on the brink of climax as Bonner increased the speed of his stroke. As she lifted her hips off the bed, he slid his hands beneath her and rocked into her faster, hitting every spot she needed him to.

The increase in both of their breathing told of their impending orgasms. Casey grabbed the firm globes of Bonner’s ass and pulled him closer as he pounded into her. That was all it took to push her over the edge. Her muscles clenched around his cock in orgasmic spasms that had him gasping for breath and finally groaning loud as he plunged and held deep one last time.

He lay on top of her, totally still except for his heavy breathing, for what seemed like a long time. Not that she was complaining. Bonner’s weight upon her, his cock, still firm though fading inside her, was what she’d longed for during every lonely night she’d spent in this bed since meeting him.

“I really missed doing this with you.” She kissed his chest and stroked his back.

“Me too.” Bonner let out a short laugh that vibrated through her. Finally he pushed himself up. “We need to talk about some stuff.”

His stomach let out a loud rumble, causing Casey to frown. “I think we need to order dinner too. When was the last time you ate something?”

“Mrs. Jones made me something before I left for the airport this morning.”

“Then you’re long overdue. I’ll order, then we’ll talk and eat. Deal?”

“And uh, maybe some more of what we just did?” The old Bonner she knew and loved was starting to resurface.

“Oh, definitely. And if I remember correctly our discussion in the cabin, the next time should be your favorite position.” Casey smiled.

“I’m finding with you, every position is my favorite.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.

She broke away and groaned.

“Keep this up and we’re never getting out of this bed.” Actually, they really didn’t have to. She held up one finger. “Hang on for just one minute. I can fix this. What Chinese food do you like to eat?”

“Got me.” Bonner shrugged and was paying much more attention to running the tip of his finger around the darkened edge of her nipple than to her question.

“I’ll just get us an assortment.” Casey swatted his hand away and reached for the cell phone in the pocket of her pants on the floor. She found the number for China Gourmet in her contact list and dialed. “Hi, I’d like to order take out for delivery… Casey Harrington… Yes, you have me in the database… Yup, that’s me… Um, one order of Pepper Steak. One General Tao’s Chicken. Two egg rolls. A large Pork Fried Rice. Oh, and one order fried dumplings. You have my credit card on file? …Great. How long?... Thanks.”

Bonner’s brows rose. “You really don’t cook, do you?”

“Nope.” She rolled toward him, biting her lip. “That make you think less of me?”

His gaze dropped to where he skimmed his hand over the curve of her hip. “Nope. How much time we got ’til the food’s here?”

“They said twenty minutes or so.” She smiled at the look of hunger in his eyes. It wasn’t only food he wanted. “Why?”

“I have an idea how to kill the time.” His cock showed he was more than ready again. “Roll over.”

Casey pursed her lips but did as he asked. “I thought you wanted to talk.”

“Later.” Lifting her ass high in the air, he was inside her before she could respond.

His having come moments before did nothing to diminish Bonner’s performance. He finished in the time allowed, though Casey wouldn’t have minded if they could have gotten an extension. She’d just gotten herself cleaned up in the bathroom and was pulling her Maverick lounging pants on under the shirt she’d taken from Bonner in Colorado when the doorbell rang.

Her path to the door took her past the kitchen table where Bonner’s hat lay. Just the sight of it made her smile.

She took the large bag from the deliveryman, signed the credit card receipt and added a tip. Skirting Bonner’s suitcase on the floor, she left the food on the kitchen counter and turned toward the bedroom. As Casey padded back to Bonner, stretched out naked and gorgeous on her bed, she realized two things—she could get very used to this and to do so would be very dangerous.

Dressed in nothing but his long dress shirt and boxer briefs, Bonner let out a big breath, his belly full to bursting. He leaned against the chair back. “That was a lot of food.”

Casey laughed and looked out over the remains on the table. “You did it justice.”

“Yeah, guess I was hungrier than I thought.” Bonner glanced at her sweet face, framed by the collar of the shirt she’d taken from him back at the cabin. Just the sight of her warmed him. He only wished he could be touching her too, but she was on the other side of the table. “Can we put this stuff away later and just sit together for a bit?”

“Sure. We can snuggle on the couch under my Maverick Western Buffalo Plaid Throw. It’s perfect to give as a gift or to keep for yourself.”

“So I’ve heard.” He laughed. “Sounds perfect.”

She took his hand, while eyeing him closely, as if she knew he needed to hold her while they talked. They made their way to the sofa, and sure enough, there was the plaid throw, which she arranged over their laps. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer, needing her strength as his own flagged. New York was so foreign to him, but worse, the corporate offices where he was expected to lead an entire company, would be even more so.

“You’re going to do great, you know.”

He glanced down at her, as she looked up at him. “How can you know that?”

“Well first off, I’m very good at my job and I’ll be behind you all the way. Second, I did some looking into your assistant Dean. He’s young but he’s way overqualified for the position. He can handle much more than just booking flights and meetings, or sorting through your mail. I think giving him more responsibility will keep him from eventually getting bored and moving on to another company. He can be a real right hand man for you here, so use him.”

“All right.” Bonner absorbed all she was saying. It made sense but didn’t exactly belay his fear of standing in front of all the corporate executives and being laughed out of the office for being an uneducated cowboy, just like J.J. had said.

He let out a sigh, and Casey responded by slipping an arm around him and squeezing. “Let me tell you something. You can take a fish out of the water, but that doesn’t make him a less valuable fish.”

Bonner genuinely laughed at that, long and hard. “So you’re saying I’m the fish in this situation. Uh, thanks, I guess?”

“You’re no more the fish than I was. Look, I was marketing a German-based bank this time last year. Now, I’m helping sell the Western lifestyle and philosophy. Since I joined the company and started the new social marketing campaign, sales have increased fifteen percent over the same period last year.”

“Congratulations. That’s something to be proud of.”

“Thanks, but I’m not looking for compliments. What I’m saying is this—actually this is a good idea and I think we should plan it after the New Year—but anyway, if you were to fly all the corporate big wigs from Maverick Western out to the ranch in Colorado, throw them into a saddle and smack the horse’s ass, they would be just as insecure and out of place as you feel in the offices here.”

“But the difference is, they haven’t been put in charge of the ranch. I have been put in charge of the company.” God help them all.

Casey shook her head. “What you’re not getting is that you don’t have to be an expert at all of their jobs. The CFO and his accounting department don’t expect or need you to be a CPA. Just like I don’t need you to know how to market Maverick Western. We’re good at our jobs. That’s why we have them. What we need you for is to remind us why we’re there. To help us and the customer remember the philosophy and the example that John Maverick set a hundred years ago. I can’t think of a man more perfect to take Jake’s place in that.”

Wow, she really was good at her job. She even had him believing he could do it. “That’s what Jake said too.”

“Did you know he was leaving control of the company to you before he died?” She frowned.

Bonner shook his head and let out a short laugh. “No, not even close. But that brings us to what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Casey nodded slowly. “Okay.”

Bonner drew in a deep breath. She needed to know all of it. There was no doubt in Bonner’s mind Casey would keep his confidence about his birthright, but it was important she be prepared with the truth because if Jocelyn and J.J. decided to go public with this information sometime down the road, it would be Casey and her department doing damage control and trying to save the company’s reputation.

He swallowed away the dryness in his mouth and launched into the tale that he was still having trouble believing himself.

* * * *

His hands were sweating. His armpits too, but thank God the suit jacket would hide that, even though it felt more like a straight-jacket at the moment. Bonner ran his finger between the collar of his shirt and his throat.

In the privacy of Jake’s, now Bonner’s office, Casey pressed her palms to his face and stared directly into his eyes. “Listen to me. You’re going to be great and they’re all going to love you. Trust me.”

He braced his hands on her waist, wishing they could give up on all this and just go back to her place. “I do trust you.”

“Good.” She nodded, looking full of the confidence he wished he felt as strongly as she did. “You ready?”

He swallowed hard. “Yes.”

She led the way toward the boardroom, and it was all he could do to not reach for her hand for comfort, because waiting inside was everyone of any importance in this company. Jake’s company. Now, his company.

Dean, who was as young as Casey had described but hopefully also as capable, stood outside the closed door of the room. “They’re all inside, Mr. Boyd. Another copy of the seating chart listing their names and positions is in the folder at your seat, in case you need it.”

“Thank you.” He’d spent an hour trying to memorize it last night at Casey’s place, right after she’d shown him how to get into his new corporate email account from her computer and download a PDF file, whatever the hell that stood for.

Heart pounding, Bonner drew in a breath and nodded to Dean. He had a strange feeling of transcending time, as if he was on the back of a bull in the chute nodding to the gateman, the adrenaline surging through his veins making him feel superhuman. He embraced the long forgotten feeling.

As the door swung wide, Bonner stepped aside and motioned for Casey to go in first. Her lips twitched with a smile, and she walked to the head of the long table inside the room. He strode in after her with more confidence than he knew he could muster.

She faced the assembled executives. “Ladies. Gentlemen. It’s with pleasure I introduce to you the new president of Maverick Western. He was Jake Maverick’s right arm for ten years at the family ranch and it’s only fitting he step up to fill his shoes at Maverick Western. I give you Bonner Boyd.”

Casey stepped to the side and to his amazement the group began to applaud. Hell, they more than clapped, they got to their feet. His gaze swept the men and women standing for him.

Bonner swallowed away the lump in his throat and waited for the applause to start to die down. “Thank you. Please, take your seats.”

He waited as they did, hoping he remembered what he wanted to say. The words he’d been up most of the night working out in his head. The other half of the night he’d been awake burying his fears and frustration inside Casey. He shot a glance at her, then looked back at the faces of each and every person seated at the table.

“Jake Maverick told me something years ago, but it always stuck with me. He said, ‘Bonner, you’ll find there are two kinds of men in this world. There are doers, and there are talkers, and the interesting thing is, a man is never both because the doers are too busy doing to be talking, and the talkers are too busy talking to be doing.’” He glanced down the table and noticed smiles and nods, and a particularly proud look on Casey’s face.

He cleared his throat and went on. “You’ll find I’m not a man who has a lot to say, but I guess that’s a good thing according to the old man…uh, I mean Jake—“

There were chuckles throughout the audience. Bonner smiled at his own slip. “I never called him that to his face, mind you, but I don’t think he would have minded. He always called things the way he saw them, just like I do. Anyway, I’m a good listener. I appreciate a good day’s work. I’m not the most educated man you’ll ever meet, but I’m smart enough to know a person never stops learning, even if he lives to be a hundred. And lastly, if you need anything from me, just ask. Whether I’m here in New York, or in Colorado, Dean will know how to get in touch with me. Otherwise, quite honestly, as long as you all keep up the values and the mission Maverick Western has represented for the past hundred years, I’m smart enough to know to stay out of your way and let you do your jobs. You all know what you’re doing or Jake wouldn’t have put you where you are. So, that’s it. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

The applause resumed, louder than before.

He glanced at Casey for help. She stepped forward and the room got silent. “Does anyone have any questions?” When no one stepped up to ask him anything, she nodded. “All right. Then I guess we’re done here. Dean has scheduled meetings between Mr. Boyd and each department head over the next week so you’ll all get to speak with him one on one and familiarize Mr. Boyd with your particular department. Thank you.”

There were lots of hands to shake, as Bonner tried to connect names to faces, then the room cleared except for him, Dean and Casey.

She smiled. “You did really well.”

“Thanks. They were really…receptive.”

“Of course they were. I’ve been building up to this for the past week. Press releases. Daily blog posts. All about you. I wanted everyone to know you and appreciate what a good choice Jake made before they met you.”

“Wow. Thanks.” Bonner itched to touch her, but Dean being there stopped him. He glanced at his assistant. “So, what next?”

Dean whipped a piece of paper out of his folder. “I’ve printed out your schedule for today, then I have the rest of the week mapped out, both daily and a weekly overview. It’s all printed out in here. You know, I could order you a tablet.” Dean held up a device that matched the one tucked under Casey’s arm. “Then you can see any updates in the schedule in real time.”

Bonner laughed. “Can we stick to paper for now?”

“Sure. Anyway, you’ll see your next meeting isn’t for an hour, so you have a break.” Dean pointed to the paper.

“Good. Thank you. I, uh, think I’d like to go over some marketing things with Miss Harrington as long as I have the time. If she’s available?” Bonner shot Casey a hope-filled look.

“I have some time.” She smiled.

“Okay. I’ll come to your office in time to show you to your next meeting.”

“Thanks, Dean.” Bonner barely noticed the man leave, he only had eyes for Casey. The moment the door closed behind his assistant, Bonner stepped forward and pulled Casey into his arms. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything.” He pressed her close and then laughed. “Is it horrible the only thing I can think about is bending you over that table and loving you until we both can’t stand.”

Casey laughed. “Funny. I was just thinking about the same thing.” She glanced behind her. “We could lock the door.”

Damn, now he had a hard-on. “Stop tempting me. I can’t do something like that my first day.”

“That’s fine. I can wait until your second day.” She looked devilish.

“Thanks. I appreciate that.” He laughed. “How about a compromise. I’m willing to go back to my office and maybe make out for a little while.”

She grinned. “Sounds good.”

He felt lighter. As if the weight of a world of worry was slowly lifting off his shoulders. Could it be possible this whole thing was really going to work out? That he actually could pull off being president? Bonner was afraid to even think it.