AdriannasCowboy

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica
Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Adrianna’s Cowboy

ISBN 9781419923623

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Adrianna’s Cowboy Copyright © 2009 Savannah Stuart

Edited by Helen Woodall

Cover art by Syneca

Electronic book Publication August 2009

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Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not
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This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons,
living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The
characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

Adrianna’s Cowboy

Savannah Stuart

Dedication

This story is for Josh. Thank you for all your
support.

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark
owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Stetson: John B. Stetson Company

Chapter One

Adrianna Campbell grabbed another scarf and shoved it into
the side pocket of her overflowing suitcase.

“Did you hear what I said?” her friend Lindsay asked.

Holding her cell phone against her ear with one hand, she
grabbed a pair of boots from her closet. “Yes, I heard you but I’m not going to
sue them so forget about it.”

“You should. Firing you without any notice after you worked
your ass off for four years is wrong. And all because you wouldn’t screw your
boss. Stupid fucker,” Lindsay muttered.

Adrianna sighed as she folded another pair of jeans. “I know
but I was planning to quit soon anyway. Taking that sleaze ball to court is the
last thing I want to do.”

“Fine, how about we trash his car then?”

She chuckled. “Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re kidding or
not.”

“Who’s kidding? Teach that jerk a lesson he’ll never
forget.”

“Okay, no, because that’s crazy and I don’t want to end up
jail. Besides, this is going to be a good thing in the long run. I’ve already
called my dad and he’s excited I’ll be spending some extra time at home.” Even
though she only lived two and a half hours away, she hadn’t been home in four
months.

Her dad might have an idea why she’d been avoiding Campbell
Ranch but if he’d guessed, he hadn’t let on. A year ago he’d rehired Sam
Blackwood so she’d made sure to schedule her visits around the cattle runs,
knowing she wouldn’t see Sam.

“I’m going to miss you,” Lindsay said.

“I know but I’ll call you when I get there, I promise.”

“Okay, be safe.”

After they disconnected, she gave her room one last glance
before rolling her suitcase down the hall and stairs.

Her phone rang again so she fished it out of her purse. She
smiled when she saw the number. “Hey Dad, I’m walking out the door now.”

“Adrianna, it’s not your father.”

Her throat clenched at the intoxicating, familiar voice.
Somehow she made her throat work. “Sam? Why are you calling from my father’s
phone?”

He sighed. “Listen, I don’t know how to say this but uh…your
dad….”

“Is my dad okay?”

“Shit, sweetheart… Your dad had a heart attack. He passed
away about ten minutes ago.”

Her purse slid to the floor and she leaned against the wall
for support. “You’re wrong.”

“I’m going to send someone to pick you up—”

“No! I’m leaving right now.” Without waiting for a response,
she hung up the phone and shoved it in her purse. It continued ringing until
she made it to the highway.

It was almost easy to tune out the sound but finally she
shut it off and turned the radio on low. Talking to anyone right now was
impossible. If she talked to Sam of all people, she’d start crying and then
she’d never make it home.

* * * * *

Sam Blackwood paced the length of the front porch and tried
calling Adrianna.
Again.
Went straight to voicemail.
Again.

Sighing, Sam scrubbed a hand over his face and headed back
inside. Even if he was annoyed with her, he sure as shit couldn’t show it when
he saw her. She’d just lost her dad. She might put on a tough façade sometimes
but he knew the woman would be hurting something fierce. Hell, everyone who
knew Jacob Campbell was hurting.

The sound of a car door slamming stopped him. He rushed back
to the front door but before he made it, the door swung open. A gust of icy
wind blasted him but he could barely feel it as unexpected heat swept through
him.

It was
her
. The woman he’d wanted for longer than he
cared to admit. Big blue eyes he remembered well stared at him with raw pain.
She had the type of eyes a man could drown in if he let himself.

“Sam.” The ragged way she said his name tore at his heart.

He took a few steps toward her, closing the distance between
them. He’d regret holding her later but for now he didn’t give a damn. Tears
spilled down her fair-skinned cheeks as she stepped into his arms and he fought
the guilt he experienced at actually enjoying holding her slim body against
his.

Her strawberry blonde hair was shorter than he remembered.
She wore it closer to her shoulders now. And it was straight, not wild and
curly like before. Of course he hadn’t seen her in about four years. Things and
people changed. One thing was for sure, his attraction to her hadn’t.

She was also smaller, leaner, than he remembered. Everything
except her breasts of course. They pressed against his chest and even though
she had on a thick sweater, he knew what they looked like. Knew what they
tasted like. Perfect rosy buds he’d kissed and sucked on until she came. To his
horror, his cock lengthened as memories assaulted him.

He tried to think of something, anything else but nothing
worked. Like some horny teenager, his cock wouldn’t listen.

Abruptly she pulled back and stared up at him through
tear-laden eyes. “Are you…”

He cleared his throat but didn’t answer. To his surprise, an
unexpected grin spread across her face and she laughed.
Actually laughed
.
“You always were a randy bastard,” she murmured, as she stepped out of his
arms.

Yeah, only for you.
“Do you have luggage?”

“Everything’s in the car. I can get it later—”

But he was out the door before she could finish. He found
her car unlocked so he lugged out a suitcase that should have its own zip code.
Looked like she was planning to stay awhile.

The thought gave him a moment’s pause but he shoved it away.
Adrianna might have been interested in him when she was young and too naïve to
know what she wanted but things were different now.

When he came back inside, he found her sitting at the
kitchen table sipping on a beer.

“You hungry?” he asked.

“Not really. Maybe this beer will dull some of my senses.”
Her laugh was wry and full of pain.

“I don’t want you to worry about anything, Adrianna. I’ve
talked to the funeral home and your father’s lawyer. Everything’s being
handled.”

“When…when’s the funeral?”

“Sunday afternoon.” Today was Friday.

She stared at her beer. “He always said he wanted to be
buried out by that old sycamore tree.”

He pulled out the chair and sat across from her. “I know and
we’re going to do exactly what he requested. Listen, why don’t you settle in
and get some rest? There’s nothing you can do until tomorrow anyway.”

For a moment he thought she might say more but instead she
simply stood. “Okay, just lock up on your way out.”

“I live here now.” The words sliced through the quiet room,
effectively sucking all the air out with them.

Her big blue eyes grew even wider as she stared at him.
“What?”

He hated telling her this next part. “Your dad… His arthritis
had gotten bad the past couple months so I moved in from the bunkhouse a while
ago to help out.”

“Why didn’t he tell me?”

He rubbed a hand over his face. “He didn’t want you to
worry.”

She mumbled something about her dad being a stubborn ass but
then bit her bottom lip.

When she didn’t respond he continued. “If you’d be more
comfortable, I could—”

She shook her head. “No, this house feels so empty without
him here. I guess I’ll just head upstairs.” She cleared her throat and glanced
down at her feet. “Which room is yours?”

“I took the one next to your old one.”

“I see.” She turned on her heel and disappeared down the
hallway.

What the hell did that mean?
I see?
Seconds later, he
heard her walking around upstairs and he cursed the day he’d thought it smart
to kiss Adrianna Campbell. The sexy woman was quicksand for a man like him.

Chapter Two

Adrianna stepped under the powerful shower jets. Tension
raced through her body and she fought the guilt that threatened to overwhelm
her. Her father was dead and instead of mourning, she was lusting after the man
downstairs.

She still didn’t know the details but after twelve years in
the service, Sam had apparently decided to retire. A year ago he’d moved back
to Cedar Grove and no surprise, a job had been waiting for him.

As she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair she wished she
could rinse away her attraction to Sam. She snorted at the thought. Any woman
with a pulse in a hundred-mile radius would be attracted to that man. With jet
black hair, an Adonis face and muscular thighs she’d fantasized about on more
than one occasion, the man was walking sex appeal.

Only once had he let his guard down around her. She’d been
home over the holiday break and he’d been home on leave. She touched her
fingers to her lips remembering his roughness. The way their tongues had
collided in a hungry frenzy. Instinctively, she squeezed her thighs together
remembering the way he’d stripped her naked, kissed and worshipped every inch
of her body, brought her to a mind-blowing climax, then hadn’t finished what
he’d started.

That thought was like a rush of cold water over her skin.
Years later she still couldn’t figure out why he’d denied himself pleasure when
she’d been ready and willing. Shaking her head, she turned off the shower, stepped
out and wrapped a big cotton towel around herself.

She peeked out the bathroom door into her room. To her
relief, Sam had already brought up her luggage. After blow drying the dampness
out of her hair, she slipped on a pair of panties and slid under the covers of
her bed.

Snuggling deeper under the patchwork quilt her mom had made
for her, she shut her eyes. After twenty minutes of tossing and turning she
gave up. She slipped out of bed and threw on a black-and-pink kimono-style
robe.

The rest of the house was quiet as she made her way down the
stairs. If she remembered correctly, her father had some whiskey hidden in his
office. She barely tolerated the stuff but if she mixed it with hot tea, she’d
sleep the night through.

The heavy wooden door to her father’s office was silent as
she pushed it open but she jerked to a halt when she realized she wasn’t alone.
Looking tired, Sam sat behind her father’s desk hunched over a stack of papers.

“What are you doing?”

He glanced up and for a brief second his eyes flashed
blatant interest as they raked over the entire length of her body. Her nipples
tightened painfully under his scrutiny and she had no doubt he could see her
reaction through the thin robe.

“I’m going over the books. With your father’s passing, I don’t
want anything to fall through the cracks in the next couple weeks.”

“I can go over them tomorrow if you’d like. It is what I do
after all. Or rather, what I did.” Since she’d graduated college she’d been
working for the same advertising company. In four short years she’d moved up to
be the head of the accounting department. Everything had been great until the
boss’s son took over.

“Did? What happened?”

“I uh…I got let go. Yesterday in fact.” She shrugged and
wrapped her arms around herself.

His dark brow furrowed as he straightened in his chair.
“Why? Not because of your dad?”

“I had a difference of opinion with my boss. He thought sex
should be included in my work requirements. I disagreed.”

Sam immediately stood with clenched fists. “That son of a
bitch—”

She covered the distance between them and put a gentle hand
on his arm as she leaned against the edge of the desk. “I can take care of
myself Sam. Besides, it’s the middle of the night. What are you going to do,
drive to Charlotte and kick his ass?” She smiled and lightly squeezed his arm,
hoping to draw a grin from him.

His entire body stilled at the contact. His gaze slid down
to her face then to her chest, caressing her body just as intimately as if he’d
used his hands. When his nostrils flared she sucked in a deep breath. “Go back
to bed, Adrianna.” The words came out hoarse and raspy.

“Why?” Her grip on his arm tightened when he tried to pull
away from her. The feel of his bunched muscles under her fingertips sent shock
waves to her pussy. The man was absolute perfection.

“Because if you don’t, I’m going to fuck you over the desk,”
he growled, deep and low.

She wasn’t sure if his words were supposed to scare her or
turn her on. Whatever his intention, it was the latter that won. She spread her
legs and let the robe fall open farther to reveal a lot of bare skin.
“Promise?”

She didn’t know who was more surprised. Him or her.

His dark eyes widened for a split second. “Damn it woman,
you don’t know what you’re saying.” He brushed past her and stomped out of the
room.

Tears stung her eyes as the door slammed behind him but she
swiped away the few errant ones that dared to spill over. Turning on her heel,
she decided enough was enough. If they were going to live in the same house for
the next couple of days, she was going to get some answers. She hurried up the
stairs and when she stood in front of his door she took a deep breath before
knocking on it. When he didn’t answer she listened closely.

The sound of running water greeted her ears. She jerked his
door open, then continued on to the bathroom door. It was slightly ajar so she
marched in and flung the blue shower curtain back.

Sam had one hand on the tiled wall and one hand wrapped
snugly around his very hard cock. His midnight black eyes slightly widened but
he didn’t move or try to hide what he was doing.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “So what? You’d rather jerk
off than be with me?” Years of putting thoughts of Sam out of her head and
dating men who never compared to him, all came rushing up at once. If his
answer was yes, it would be more than she could handle. She’d taken two steps
toward the door when an iron hand closed around her arm. It all happened so
fast she nearly stumbled. He was in the shower and then he wasn’t.

Soaking wet and completely naked, Sam held on to her as he
dripped water all over the floor. By the dark look in his eyes, he wasn’t
letting go. Her breathing increased as they stood there staring at each other.
Why wasn’t he saying anything? She tried tugging away from his grasp but he was
immovable.

After a long pause he finally spoke but his words came out
hoarse. “What do you want from me, Adrianna?”

She took a deep breath and didn’t miss the way his eyes
traveled to her mouth. “I want to know why you always push me away. I see the
way you look at me, Sam.”

He dropped his hand and grabbed her by the shoulders so that
she completely faced him. Almost instantly, cream dampened her panties. His
neck muscles corded tightly and the wild look in his eyes put her on edge. Her
gaze followed the hard lines of his muscular chest down to his ripped abdomen.
His cock jerked under her scrutiny and she tried to take a step back but he
still held firm.

“If we take this next step, you’re mine,” he growled.

She tore her gaze away from his pulsing cock and focused on
his face. He hadn’t exactly answered her question but that was fine with her.
Her throat tightened and it was all she could do to nod.

Sam released her and quickly turned off the shower knob.
When he did she got a glimpse of his sculpted ass and she sucked in a deep
breath. There couldn’t be an ounce of fat on the man.

He turned back to face her but was silent again, making her
wonder if he’d changed his mind. Finally he spoke. “Do you understand what I’m
saying? You. Are. Mine.”

Again she nodded. She wanted him to dominate her. Always
had. Heat and cream flooded her pussy like a tidal wave. The look in his eyes
was primal and, if she was honest, a little terrifying. Not that she was scared
he’d hurt her. Sam would never do that. She was just worried maybe she’d bitten
off more than she could chew.

Sam reached out for Adrianna and inwardly cursed his
unsteady hands. He tugged the tie on her silky robe free and pushed it off her
shoulders. It fell to the floor without a sound. His entire body tensed at the
sight in front of him. Faded tan lines didn’t cover nearly enough of her smooth
skin and she had a dangling bellybutton ring.

A tiny four-leaf clover. He grinned. Yeah, she was
definitely getting lucky tonight.

He’d seen her naked before. Once. Yet somehow he felt like a
randy teenager ready to fuck for the first time.

Her hands went to cover her breasts, maybe out of
nervousness but he grasped them and held them firmly at her sides. The small
action pushed her perky breasts out farther. He leaned down and sucked one of
the ripe buds, circling her pink nipple in erotic little motions, flicking and
teasing the tip, which earned him a ragged moan from her. “Mine,” he murmured
against her soft skin. She might not fully understand what he meant but that
was too damn bad.

She’d been too young for him before. Very legal yes but he’d
known back then if he had her, he wouldn’t have been able to let her go. And
that wouldn’t have been fair to her. This time she’d come to him and he wasn’t
letting her go again.

When she clutched his shoulders and leaned into him, giving
him better access to her body, he lost it.

Without giving her a chance to change her mind, he lifted
her up in one swoop. If he didn’t get her to his bed, he’d fuck her on the
bathroom floor.

The first time, he was doing this right. Drops of water
rolled from his body onto hers as he stretched her out on his bed. Small
rivulets ran down her flat stomach and onto the bed.

She deserved foreplay. His brain screamed at him to give her
something. Once his cock was inside her sweet pussy, he knew he wouldn’t be
long. He’d never had a problem with stamina before but something told him she’d
be different.

Hell, Adrianna was different.

Gorgeous, sweet, incredibly smart. Everything he wanted in a
woman. He couldn’t understand why she’d want a roughneck like him but she’d
made her choice and now there was no turning back. Just the thought of being
inside her was enough to make him come.

“Sam?” The sound of her shaky voice brought him back to
reality.

It took him a second to realize he’d been staring at her and
not moving.

Stretched out on his dark sheets, she looked like an
offering to the gods. Petite as hell with surprisingly large breasts for her
frame, the woman had a body made for string bikinis. His balls pulled up
painfully tight.

“Do you trust me?” he rasped out.

“Of course.” Her words came out as a whisper. Adrianna
squirmed under Sam’s intense scrutiny and he guessed it was because he looked
like a hungry animal. He felt like one too.

She apparently pushed her shyness away because she reached
for his shaft and wrapped her hand around it and squeezed. With slow, measured
movements she started stroking him.

And that’s all it took for him to pounce. He grabbed both
her wrists and placed them above her head. He refused to come in her hands and
the only way he could do this was if she wasn’t touching him. “Don’t move your
hands.”

With a curious expression on her pretty face, she nodded.

He’d never been into bondage but he’d also never been with a
woman like Adrianna. He quickly slid off the bed and hurried to his closet. He
was back seconds later with two neckties.

Her blue eyes widened but at least she hadn’t moved. And she
didn’t question him as he secured both her wrists to the headboard. Trailing kisses
down one of her outstretched arms, he continued a path across her smooth
shoulder and neck. When he reached the sensitive part behind her ear, he raked
his teeth across her delicate skin. While he savored the softness of her body,
he reached down and cupped her mound.

She tensed under his touch for a brief moment but when he
rubbed a finger over her clit, she sighed in appreciation.

“Tell me what you want sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear.

“You.” The word came out raggedly.

He increased his movements but kept his touch gentle. “I
want to hear you say what you want.”

When she didn’t respond, he stilled his hand, hovering over
her clit but not moving.

She tried to move her hips against him but he held a firm
hand over her stomach, pressing her into the bed. Finally she spoke. “I want
you to fuck me.”

That was what he wanted. His mouth was on hers. Dominating
and hungry. Their tongues danced with pent-up need, desire and a strange
familiarity.

It shouldn’t be that way but kissing her felt like the most
natural thing in the world.

When he began nibbling her bottom lip and slowing things
down, she tried to wrap her legs around his waist but he lifted his head back
and reached down to clasp her thighs with both hands. “Not yet.”

Gripping her knees, he spread her legs apart as he trailed
kisses down her body. He feathered kisses across her breasts and abdomen. When
he got to the sensitive section above her mound, all her muscles tensed under
his mouth.

He continued until his face was between her legs. Going down
on a woman was something he’d never thought much about. It was usually
something he did to return the favor.

She waxed but there was still a strip of soft strawberry
blonde hair covering her pussy. As he stared at her perfect pink lips he
couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do more than taste her.

The engorged nub of her clit peeked through those lips so he
blew lightly on her skin, opening the folds further. Her hips jolted at the
sensation but he moved a calming hand to her thigh. Tension hummed through her
and her breathing was wild and uneven but she stilled at his touch.