Cowboy's Bride (13 page)

"Silly, I know you want me.
You've made that
clear all along.
You keep saying it has nothing to do with the
ranch."

"And?"

Kalli swallowed hard.
"And I want you.
I
wasn't handing you a line either, this morning was very special to
me.
I get hot and excited just thinking about it."

"Hell." He reached out and pulled her
off-balance, crashing against him.
His arms tightened around her
until he could feel the soft mounds of her breasts pressing
intimately against his chest, could feel the heat of her belly
against his, the smooth strength of her thighs matching his.
Burying his face in the strawberry fragrance of her hair, he held
her tightly, letting himself feel the feminine mystery and magic of
her soothe him, inflame him.

Kalli remained silent, reveling in the
sensations that wrapped around her.
She pressed against him,
feeling the solid wall of rock-hard muscles shelter her.
Closing
her eyes, she breathed in his scent and grew warm and languid with
desire.
She pressed her lips against his neck, trailed them to the
pulse point at the base of his throat and let them he against his
steady beat.
Daringly her tongue darted out and tasted him.
She
felt him tighten against her, felt the growing arousal that assured
her he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Smiling in shy satisfaction, she kissed him
again.

With a groan, he tipped back her head and
captured her lips with his own.
Flames of desire licked between
them as they strained to get closer.
His mouth opened hers, and
when his tongue began its explorations, she met him, enticed him,
tantalized him.

Stuffing slightly, Kalli put weight on her
injured foot and the pain spited through her.
She moaned
involuntarily, shifting away from it.

Trace pulled back, his eyes puzzled for a
moment, then reality intruded.

"Dumb move on my part." He lifted her again
and headed for the lighted room beyond the screen door.
Depositing
her in a chair, he sat back on his haunches and stared at her, one
hand gently brushing away the strands of hair that fell across her
face.

"Don't stop," she whispered, her palm
caressing his cheek, feeling the aid-of-day stubble rasp against
her skin.
"I don't need that foot anyway." She leaned forward and
brushed his lips with her own.

"You're battered and bruised and have a
sprained ankle.
And you're hungry, or so you said," he answered,
rising.
He hung his hat on the rack and turned to the counter.

She frowned.
"I don't want to stop," she
said, watching him.
Why had he stopped?

"Honey, when you and I come together, it's
going to be wild and hot and hard and I don't want to have to pull
back for fear of hurting you.
We can wait.
After all, didn't you
just insist you're here for the long haul?" His voice had a hard
edge to it.

She nodded.
What a complex man.
She was sure
he'd take her right to bed, love her until morning.
Now he appeared
to be willing to wait.
Her gaze dropped to his jeans.
Men couldn't
hide desire.
His control must be formidable.
Why wouldn't he just
take what she was so willing to offer?

She closed her eyes, sizzling with memories
of that morning.
Remembering what he just said.
When they got
together it would be hot and hard and wild.
Her heart raced.
Just
being with him was wild.
What would making love be like?

"So you will help me learn how to ranch?"
she asked.

He gave a lopsided smile.
"How to ranch.
Hell, I guess so.
You won't last."

"Stop it!
I don't want to hear it.
You may
be right, but that doesn't mean I want to hear it all the time.
Besides, if you don't help me, I'll sell somewhere else if I can't
make it myself," she said dangerously.

"Oh, yeah?
No one else has made an offer
that I heard of," he replied easily.

He wasn't worried.
The only other property
that might ever want her land was the Bar M Ranch, which touched
the corner of her land near the river.
And Bob Marshall had never
voiced any desire to expand his place.
Trace wasn't worried.
Sooner
or later the lady from Boston would admit she was not a rancher,
and hightail it right back to the big city where she belonged.

What worried him was his reaction to her
personally.
Very personally.
He wanted her like he'd never wanted
anyone.
Even Alyssa's sexual attraction when he had been a randy
young rodeo cowboy didn't begin to compare to Kalli Bonotelli's.
He
didn't understand it.
Was it just celibacy that drove him?
It had
been a long Time, but he'd gone long stretches of time without a
woman before and never felt this...
this craving.
He knew it had
nothing to do with wanting her land.
If she signed everything over
to him today, he'd still want her in bed.

He didn't like it.
Didn't like feeling so
caught up with his emotions that he almost lost control.
And that
was the reason he held off tonight.
Just to prove to himself he
could.
He was in charge of this.
When he deemed the time right, he
would take her to bed.
But he was not giving in to his instincts or
her pretty, pouting mouth.
He'd choose the time and place.

"Glaring at the eggs won't cook them," she
said softly, the teasing lilt in her voice jerking him to
awareness.

He stared at her over those high sculpted
cheeks, his look cold and hard.
"Never bite the hand that feeds
you."

She smiled slowly, seductively, and shook
her head.
"I never would," she said in a low voice, her gaze
holding his.
"I might nibble a bit.
Even nibble elsewhere..."

He sucked in his breath at the image that
danced before him, of her sprawled across his bed, her mouth on him
hot and sexy.
Maybe the time and place was now and here after
all.

She laughed at his reaction, pleased beyond
anything she was able to invoke a reaction.
Maybe he wasn't as
immune to her as she thought when he pushed her away.
Maybe he did
want to wait until she was healed, the better to love her.
She was
thrilled.
Gingerly she rotated her foot, unable to keep the grimace
of pain away.
Damn, she wanted to heal fast, to see what this
cowboy had in mind for the two of than.

In the meantime, she would spend every
moment learning everything she could about running a ranch.

The omelet was light and delicious.
He found
an old bottle of wine and they shared it as Kalli complimented him
on her dinner.

"Didn't know you were so talented," she said
when she pushed ho empty plate away.
"That beats whatever Charlie
would have brought."

"Charlie's a good cook."

"So I hear.
But that was wonderful.
Do you
cook at home?"

"No.
I have a housekeeper, Maria.
She cooks,
stays over when I need someone to be there with Becky."

"Is she young and pretty?" Kalli asked,
toying with her wineglass, sloshing the pale liquid around and
around.
Almost holding her breath for his reply.

He chuckled, stretched back in the chair,
his long legs crossed at the ankles.
Tucking his thumbs in his
belt, he shrugged.
"I reckon her husband, Ed, thinks she's pretty.
As to age, she's about fifty.
Where is that on your old-to- young
scale?"

"Let me see, if a rodeo cowboy is old at
thirty-four..."

"Witch," he said without heat.

She laughed and flirted with him.
Squeezing
every moment of enjoyment from the evening.
Daringly she rose on
her good leg and hopped over to him, plopping herself down on his
lap.
His surprise enchanted her as he sat up, drew in his legs to
hold her, his arms going around her so she wouldn't fall.

"What the hell-"

"I want you to kiss me," she said, putting
her arms around his neck, snuggling against him, her breasts
pressing against him.

"Kalli, no.
I told you-"

"Just a kiss, Trace, nothing more."

God, nothing more?
One touch of that sweet
mouth and he would be all over her like flies on honey.
No matter
what his intentions, no matter how much control he thought he had,
there were limits.

"Kalli."

"Just a few kisses, Trace.
Then I'll go to
bed like a good little girl.
A chaste little girl, if you prefer."
She chuckled and kissed his jaw.
Trailing her open mouth across the
stubble of his beard, she tasted him with her tongue.

He moved to intercept her lips with his,
locking her into an embrace that seared them both.
One hand scooped
her bottom to hold her higher against his chest while the other
threaded through her soft hair, holding her for his kiss.
His
tongue tormented her, delving deep within the warm sweetness of her
mouth to taste every part of her, tasting the wine and Kalli's own
unique flavor.
Her lips moved against his as she met his every
thrust with wild abandon, returned every stroke of pleasure with
one of her own.

She was breathing so hard she thought she
might pass out.
But she couldn't get enough of Trace.
She cursed
the clothing that stood between them, cursed his decision to wait
until she was better.
She was so hot she could hardly stand it.
She
longed to expose her skin to his, feel his heat wrap around her and
take her away from the mundane chores of running a ranch, no matter
how much she wanted it.

"Enough." He pulled away, still holding her
hard against him, his hot breath spilling over her shoulder.

Idly Kalli noted he was breathing as
erratically as she.
Good, she didn't want to be the only one
affected by that kiss.
She felt as if she would melt into a tiny
puddle.
Slowly her breathing steadied.
Her awareness returned, and
with it a nagging pain.

"Trace, you're pulling my hair," she
whispered, unable to move.

Slowly he released his grip on her silky
hair, soothing her scalp.
"Sorry.
But I had to hold on to something
or strip this little T-shirt off you, put you on the table and take
you right here.
I told you we'll wait!"

"You're always telling me things.
Why not
explain so I understand, rather than just order me around," she
said, pulling away enough to look into his eyes.

He stared at her.
"I've been boss for so
long, I'm not used to explaining things."

"Even physicians explain why they are
prescribing treatments for patients to their lowly nurses.
If you
would give me reasons, maybe I wouldn't react so strongly to your
bossy ways."

"So giving you reasons will stop your
arguing at every pass?"

"Now, I didn't promise that, exactly.
But it
would go a long ways toward better harmony between us."

"I think the harmony between us is just
fine." He caressed her hip lightly with his roughened hand.

"Stop that or I'll never get to sleep."

"Which is what you need." With no effort he
rose and carried her into her bedroom.
"Will you be all right
during the night?"

"If you're worried about me, you could
stay," she said, drawing the sheet over herself, trying to see his
expression in the dim light spilling in from the hall.
He hadn't
put on her light.

"Not on your life.
What would my daughter
think?" he asked.

"Isn't she asleep by now?"

"Yeah, and has been for hours.
It's after
midnight, sweetheart, give me a break.
I need some rest before
tomorrow."

"And you wouldn't get it here?" she asked in
mock disbelief, shivering in delight at teasing him.

"No, and you know it.
I'll be back for
breakfast."

"Charlie-"

"Dammit, Kalli, leave it.
I said I'll take
care of you and I will."