A Real Cowboy Never Says No (11 page)

He swept his hand under the loose waistband of her pants, sliding his hand over her bare bottom, never letting up his relentless assault on her mouth as he gripped her hips again, this time, skin against skin in a dazzling seduction of sensation and strength.

Red stomped his foot once, the sound jerking her back to the present. She was on a horse! "Chase, we have to stop—" He cut off her protest with another kiss, sliding his hands under her bottom and lifting her so tightly against him that his clothes seemed to merge with her own skin.

Sensation flooded her senses, and all she could do was cling to him as he continued his sensual, delicious assault on every level. She was vaguely aware of a rocking motion, and realized that Red was walking, but Chase gave her no time to think about it. He wrapped his arms around her, and then swung her off his lap in an effortless move that made her feel like she weighed about five pounds. He swept her through her window, depositing her inside the room. For a brief moment, she felt the cool night air sweeping over her now, filling with regret and loneliness. Why had he ended the kiss so quickly? Even as she thought it, however, she took a deep breath, steeling herself against the turbulence of emotions as she turned away from the window.

It was better this way. She needed space from him to think, to figure out, what she needed to do—

Suddenly, she heard the thud behind her, a thud that sounded suspiciously like Chase coming through her window after her. Her heart leapt in anticipation, and she spun around, but she didn't have time to fully turn before his arms wrapped around her, sending heat rushing through her. Before she could decide whether to protest, he scooped her in his arms and carried her toward the bed.

Oh, God, was she going to do this? They were just going to leave his horse in the middle of the ranch? "Red—"

"He's well-trained. He's fine. I took off his tack before I followed you in. He'll head to the barn and settle down for the night." He set her on the bed, and pulled back, his blue eyes gleaming at her. "But I appreciate the fact you were concerned about him."

It was such a small thing for her to have done, but she could see from the intensity of his gaze that he meant it. By thinking about his horse's well-being, she'd somehow passed some test she doubted he even knew he had. Her heart tightened for him. This wasn't simply a man whose kisses ignited a passion in her. It was a man who'd suffered greatly as a child, and dedicated his life toward keeping his family together, a man who was touched by the fact she'd cared about his horse...a man who was afraid he'd break her if he breathed on her.

She smiled, her heart softening as she ran her fingers over his cheek. "You're a good man," she said softly. "Your brothers are lucky to have you."

He went still, and for a moment, she thought she'd said the wrong thing by bringing up his brothers. Of course it had been a mistake. His brothers were his reality, the meaning of his life, the rock that had held him together for so long...and she was not a welcome part of it. "Listen, I don't want to interfere—"

He cut her off with a kiss, a kiss that was almost desperate with need. The fierceness of the kiss broke through her walls, and she wanted to cry with the intensity of her response. She understood the loneliness that drove him, because she'd lived it with AJ, and because she'd experienced it in the years since her parents' car accident.

Chase was so alive, so passionate, a survivor who had transcended his past and become an indomitable force. Still kissing her, he eased her backward, until he was on her, his weight pressing into the bed. It felt so good to be beneath him, to feel his warmth and strength enveloping her. Her entire body practically vibrated with a need for him, a need that was nothing like what had driven her into AJ's arms.

AJ had been about finding comfort with a friend in the midst of devastating grief. This moment with Chase was about her own need as a woman. It was about Chase as a man. It was lust and desire, and something more, an attraction and a source of strength greater than she was. She tugged at his shirt, pulling it out of his jeans, needing to feel the man beneath the rugged exterior.

He eased off her and dragged his shirt over his head, showing a lean body cut with the muscles of a man accustomed to a physical life. Scars crisscrossed his flesh, and her heart tightened at the reminder of all he'd suffered. She instinctively sat up and pressed a kiss to the one over his heart, a jagged line that looked like a knife had torn his flesh apart. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

His fingers tangled in her hair, and he went still as she kissed another mark on his ribs. "It's okay," he said softly. "It was a long time ago."

"Never long enough," she said, as she kissed a scar on the front of his shoulder. "It's always too raw," she said. "I know it is."

Chase felt his entire body shudder as Mira kissed each of his scars. He didn't even think about them anymore, but having her isolate them one by one brought them all roaring back to life. But it felt different now. Instead of flashbacks of the pain and fear he felt as a kid, his muscles relaxed, releasing the tension that he'd been holding for so long. His muscles trembled as they let go, as if they didn't even remember how to be normal.

Then, she rose to her knees, as if to go around him and see his back. He stopped her, pulling her against him. "My turn," he said.

She smiled as he bent his head, the intoxicating smile of a woman who had stopped his world on its axis. He kissed her, this time a slow seduction. He tasted her lips with careful purposefulness, taking the time to slide his tongue across every inch of her mouth, memorizing the feel and taste of her.

He started to lower her to the bed again, and she pushed at his chest. "Boots?"

"Boots?" He nibbled his way down her neck. "What about them?" He had no idea what she was talking about. All he could focus on was
her.

"I think they're super sexy and everything, but I don't want to be the woman who isn't even worth taking boots off for."

"What?" He pulled back, then grinned when he saw the twinkle in her eyes. "You know you're completely worthy of ditching the boots." He swung off the bed, and yanked off his cowboy boots. He didn't waste time, sliding his jeans off as well, leaving behind only his boxer briefs.

She was propped up on her elbows, watching him, her face shadowed by the moonlight as if she were an ethereal goddess who had come to earth just to ease his pain.

"You are one fine woman," he said as he eased onto the bed, crawling across the navy comforter until he was above her, suspending himself, not quite touching, but almost, a temptation so great his muscles were actually shaking with the effort he was exerting to restrain himself.

Mira placed her palms on his chest, a sensual, incredibly delicate touch that made his abs tighten. "Kiss me, Chase."

"A cowboy never says no to his woman," he said, lowering himself on top of her. This time, it was pure heat between them, the thin fabric of her top and pants no more than a tease. Her skin was hot, a sinful temptation. Her breasts were straining against her camisole, her nipples hard and ready.

"I'm not your woman," she whispered.

Yes, you are.
He didn't say it aloud. He just kissed her, a kiss that staked his claim on the woman he'd coveted since the first time he'd seen her picture on AJ's desk during orientation week their freshman year.

She sighed in capitulation, and wrapped her hands around his neck, pulling him closer. Her kiss was as fervent as his, stoking the embers already burning within him. This time, when he slid his palm beneath the hem of her silky top, he moved his hand upward, sliding her top aside. Her breasts spilled free, and he pulled the shirt over her head, tossing it to the floor.

He cupped her breasts softly, stunned by the sight of them. Petite and soft, they filled his palms as if they were meant for him. "Perfection," he whispered, as he bent his head to place a reverent kiss on each nipple.

Mira stiffened beneath him, a soft gasp slipping from her lips as he kissed her breasts. Satisfaction poured through him as he drew her nipple into his mouth and bit lightly.

"Oh, wow." She gripped his shoulders, twisting beneath him. "I can't believe how good that feels."

He grinned. It felt right to have her responding to him so completely. She was entirely accessible to him, allowing herself to feel every sensation he stirred up. He wanted her to feel amazing, to drift to the heavens in ecstasy. He wanted to give her everything he had to offer.

New furor surging through him, he kissed his way down her belly to the waistband of her pants. Her skin was so soft and smooth, her muscles trembling as he moved lower. He thumbed the waistband of her pajama bottoms, and ever so slowly began to slide them downward as he kissed her.

The soft tuft of hair tickled his chin, and then he pressed a kiss to the swollen nub between her legs. Mira's body jerked, and she let out a soft cry, and tried to pull away, even while her fingers dug into his hair, holding him right where he was.

He grinned, and wrapped his arms around her thighs, holding her still as he kissed her, sweeping his tongue across her folds. She tasted like the sweetest honey, one that was created just for him. It was intoxicating perfection, stirring up a sense of possession inside him. He wanted to claim her as his own, forever and ever, locking her down against him. His muscles were taut with need, as he continued to kiss her, intense satisfaction roaring through him as she responded to him, giving herself over to him completely. Her trust in him settled in his gut, and it felt so right. This was his woman, the one he'd been waiting for his entire life.
Mine.

Her body started to tremble, and she gripped his shoulders. He took advantage, upping his assault, driving her relentlessly, tightening his grip on her hips as she bucked against him. Anticipation roared through him and he bit lightly, just enough, just right, exactly how he knew it should be. "Chase!" She gasped his name, and then her body shuddered under the sudden, ruthless, orgasm.

Red-hot desire roared through him as she came apart in his arms, and raw need pulsed at him. He needed more. He needed to be inside her, to make her his in the only way he knew how.

He ditched his underwear, and then moved up her body, kissing as he went. She opened her eyes, and smiled. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were half-lidded as she held out her arms to him. "Make love to me, Chase."

"God, yes." He slid his knee between her thighs, parting them.

She immediately wrapped her legs over his hips, and his heart seemed to stutter at her complete trust of him.

His cock pressed against her damp entrance, but he didn't enter her. Instead, he took her face in his hands and kissed her, the gentlest kiss he knew how to deliver. It wasn't a kiss of untamed lust. It was a kiss that was for her, and her alone. He didn't have words to describe it. He didn't know how to articulate the promise he was making, because he wasn't even sure what it was.

He poured it all into the kiss, and she responded with equal passion, until the world seemed to vanish, and all that remained was the woman in his arms. Need coiled within him, escalating with each moment until his muscles ached and screamed for release.

He shifted his hips and slid right into her, their bodies coming together in the perfect synthesis of desire, lust, and partnership. She gasped, her legs tightening around him as he sank deeper inside her.

The feeling of being so connected with her was almost surreal. It was so incredible, as if this were the moment his entire life had been building toward. She was the one he'd been waiting for, the one who could somehow strip him of all the hell that haunted him. She was the one who could make him whole again.

He thrust again, pulling out, then driving even deeper, again and again, until he couldn't think of anything but her. She seemed to fill his entire existence, a great flash of sunlight burning up all the crap searing into him. He needed more. He needed everything. He needed this moment. He needed
her.

She gasped his name, and her body went rigid as the second orgasm flooded her. The moment she found her release, he released his ironclad control over his own lust. His orgasm hit him so hard that her name tore from his throat. He bucked against her, holding her tight in his arms as he rode the wave that seemed endless and merciless, dragging him into her spell until there was nothing left but the two of them, and the fire that had marked him forever.

Mira awoke to a heavy weight wrapped around her, suffocating her. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw rustic wooden walls, and a masculine room she didn't recognize. Where was she? Panic rushed through her, and she tried to sit up, but the weight tightened around her.

"It's okay," Chase muttered, sleepily. "Just me."

Chase?
She turned her head to see him beside her. He was on his side, facing her, his leg draped across her hips, and his arm tucked around her torso. His eyes were closed, and thick whiskers lined his jaw.

Relief rushed through her and she sank back onto the sheets. She became aware of the fact they were both naked. The heat from his body was burning through her, and the hair on his legs was prickling her thigh. She could even feel his erection pressing against her hip. Desire and awareness licked through her as she recalled the previous night. What had she done, sleeping with him like that?

Embarrassment flooded her cheeks, and she rested her arm across her eyes, half-wishing she could sink into the mattress and disappear. She didn't even know him. Her grand plan had been to come out to Wyoming and start her own life, not fall into his arms less than five hours after arriving.

What would he think of her? He already knew she'd slept with AJ less than a month ago, and now she'd jumped him like a dog in heat? Granted, AJ had been her first in years, but still, how would he know that? Her chest tightened, and she fisted her hand in frustration. What kind of standard had she set? How could she possibly protect herself from him now? Would he want her to jump into bed with him every night? Because it would be really difficult to maintain a "business partnership" marriage if she was getting naked with him every night. Not that it would be bad, because sex with him was amazing, but she couldn't do this.