Cowboys Like Us (13 page)

“Ahh, Logan…” She arched toward him, offering her breasts, squirming against the counter as he tugged at the end of the cherry stems. Tunneling her fingers through his hair, she gripped his scalp and began to breathe faster.

At last he closed his lips over both nipple and cherry, pulling them into his mouth and squeezing them against his tongue. By the time he moved to her other breast, she was writhing against the laminate.

“Logan, I want…could you please…”

With one final caress, he moved back and picked up the schnapps bottle. “Yes. Now. Just open up a little….” He nudged her thighs apart and dripped the liqueur onto her brown curls, where it slid down into the pink treasure hiding beneath.

She moaned and opened even more for him, all hesitation gone in the flood of her need. Her trust and surrender were complete, a gift he prayed he was worthy to receive.

Crouching down, he tasted butterscotch and woman, mixed into a heady brew that drove him insane. He would need some relief soon, but first…first he would give her this. He didn’t rush, even as the pounding of his blood and the pressure on his cock, and yes, the tension in his knee, begged him to hurry.

Instead he started with gentle movements of his tongue and an easy suction. But gradually he bore down, pushing her harder as her cries grew in intensity. He held her hips to keep her right where he wanted her, right where he could… there, that was the spot.

Her thighs began to tremble as she let out her breath in one long wail and came, bathing his tongue in her release. He held her and kissed her drenched curls as she sank back to the counter.

Taking his head in both hands, she urged him upward. “That was…”

He gasped as pain jabbed his knee.

“Oh, Logan. Your—”

“Not a word.” He looked into her eyes. “Not one word.”

“All right.” She met his gaze. “Thank you.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“Now it’s your turn.”

C
ARO CONVINCED
L
OGAN
to move into the bathroom, where they could rinse off in her tub shower. She knew it would be a tight fit for him in there, but she didn’t think he’d fit any better on her kitchen counter. She lit a couple candles for atmosphere and brought the can of whipped cream as she led him into their new venue.

But it wasn’t until she finally had him stripped down that she noticed the large bruise on his backside. “Yikes, Logan. You hit the ground really hard, didn’t you?”

“And I don’t want to hear anything about that, either. Next thing I know, you’ll decide I’m too feeble for the whipped cream treatment. I’m a professional athlete. I can take it.”

She slid her hands up his powerful chest. “You’re one tough guy, huh?”

“Yes.” His lips curved in a smile. “And don’t ever forget it.”

“I won’t, but I’m putting my fluffy bath mat in the tub before you sit in there.” She positioned the mat at the end of the tub. “Climb in, big boy.”

“Is it pink?” He peered at it suspiciously in the flickering candlelight. “It looks pink.”

“It’s salmon. Besides, when I’m through with you, you won’t care if it’s purple with green and yellow spots.”

That made him laugh, and he stepped into the tub. “No doubt.”

Once he was in, she surveyed the situation. There wasn’t much room left for her. He was a bigger guy than she’d realized. “Can you put one foot out on the floor?”

“Like this?” He accomplished it easily, by bending his knee and angling his leg outside the tub.

“Perfect.” Now she had a spot right where she needed to be, facing his impressive package. Once she completed this maneuver, she’d never be able to mix a drink that involved whipped cream without thinking of Logan.

She started to ask him if he was comfortable, but that was a silly question. Of course he wasn’t. He had a bruise the size of a saucer on his fanny. His knee probably still hurt from crouching down to give her an orgasm to end all orgasms. He was the walking wounded, but she intended to make him forget that, at least for a little while.

Stepping into the tub with the whipped cream can in one hand, she lowered herself carefully to her knees. “Hold still,” she said, copying his words on purpose. As if she’d been able to hold still once he’d started smearing butterscotch schnapps on her nipples.

“I don’t think I could move if I wanted to. Your tub has me in a hammerlock.”

“Good. Then you can’t get away.” She put her finger on the nozzle of the can and pointed it at his gloriously erect penis.

“I have no desire to—ah! That’s cold!”

“You won’t be cold for long.” She decorated him with whipped cream from tip to base, and he flinched with each sweep of the spray can.

“Am I supposed to like this?”

“You will in a minute.” She set the can outside the tub, leaned forward and began to clean him up. Oh, yes, this was
fun. He tried to maintain his cool, but soon he was breathing hard and twitching with every swipe of her tongue.

The combination of salt and sweet was delicious, and she was tempted to spray him again, except she didn’t think he’d last through another coating of whipped cream. Whenever she glanced up, his eyes were squeezed shut and his jaw was tightly clenched. He was desperately struggling not to come.

That desperation aroused her, too, and she realized that must have happened to him while he’d treated her to his revised version of a buttery nipple. He had more self-control than any man she’d met, but she was about to destroy what little he had left.

After taking care of the last smears of whipped cream on his quivering penis, she closed her mouth over the tip and slid down, taking him as deep into her throat as she could. His answering groan was her reward. Hollowing her cheeks, she drew back, caressing him with her tongue as she moved upward.

His voice was strained. “Devil woman.”

She released him and blew across the velvet tip. “Yeah. Want more?”

“Yes.”

With a smile, she enveloped him in her warm mouth once again, and this time she reached down and cupped his tight balls. Some more suction, a gentle massage, and he was hers. With a hoarse cry, he erupted, and she took all that he had to give.

He lay there, his massive chest heaving in the aftermath of his orgasm. With one last swallow, she released him and sat back to survey her handiwork.

He opened heavy-lidded eyes. “That was incredible.”

“Glad you liked it.”

“Is it okay if I stay like this forever?”

“Sure.” It was easy to say—they both knew he wouldn’t.
But for now, she’d live for the moment, and this particular moment was pretty doggone wonderful.

L
OGAN DIDN’T BELIEVE
they’d both fit in the shower at the same time, let alone have room for him to give her another orgasm. But apparently they were both inventive and reasonably agile, because that’s how it worked out. Afterward, they dried each other off, gave in to exhaustion and crawled under Caro’s quilt to sleep until dawn.

Morning came with the cry of a hawk as it wheeled through the brilliant Wyoming sky. Logan pulled Caro close and couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this good.

She snuggled against him. “What time is it?”

Lifting his head, he was able to make out the numbers on the digital clock on her nightstand. “Eight.”

“
Eight?
Seriously?”

“Unless your clock’s on the blink, it’s eight.”

“We have to get a move on.” She wiggled out of his arms and climbed out of bed. “Grandma Bonnie expects me there by nine every morning.”

Logan thought Caro needed to break Grandma Bonnie of that habit, but it wasn’t his place to say. He’d offered to go with her to Jackson, and he couldn’t very well start off by criticizing her handling of her grandmother.

He swung his feet out of bed. “We’ll pick up breakfast on the way.”

“There are usually doughnuts and coffee in the visitor’s lounge. She’ll want to go there, especially if she thinks people will be excited about seeing you.”

He wasn’t used to making do with coffee and doughnuts, but he didn’t mention that, either. After a lifetime of eating foods that would create the peak performance he required for his job, he was in the habit of eating a decent breakfast even though he was no longer playing ball. But if Caro needed to
be there at nine, and that meant coffee and doughnuts were the easy solution, he’d put up with that for one morning.

“You take first shower,” he said. “I left an overnight bag in the truck. I’ll go get it.”

She went into the bathroom and tossed his jeans out before turning on the water. “You’ll need these if you’re going down to your truck.”

Putting on jeans without briefs was a trick, but he managed it with great care. The shower was already running by the time he went outside, barefoot and shirtless, and started slowly down the steps. His knee was stiff, but it usually was in the morning. Considering the workout he’d given it yesterday, it could have been worse.

Maybe sex was good therapy for his knee. He smiled at that as he walked gingerly over to the Chevy, his bare feet coming in contact with a few sharp rocks along the way. In his haste to be with Caro, he’d left the truck unlocked, with the keys dangling from the ignition. Not cool.

His overnight bag was still on the seat, though, along with his hat. He doubted the crime rate was particularly high in Shoshone, Wyoming.

A guy in a battered old sedan that was probably some shade of brown under all the grime pulled over and rolled down his window. “Everything okay?”

Logan gave him a wave. “Fine, thanks.”

“Don’t often see shirtless, barefoot cowboys out on the street.”

“I suppose not.” Logan didn’t consider the parking lot exactly “the street,” but he should have realized that coming out here wearing only his jeans would add to any rumors circulating about his relationship with Caro. He didn’t mind being described as a cowboy, though.

“I’m Elmer Crookshanks,” the guy said. “Run the gas station across the street. If you need gas, I’m your guy.”

“Thanks. I’ll remember that.”

“You’re that baseball fella, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Staying with Caro, I see.”

“Uh, no, not exactly.” Now Logan really regretted not bringing his overnight bag up last night.

“If you say so. Well, gotta go open the station. You take care, now.”

“You, too.” Logan felt like banging his head on the roof of the truck. He might as well have put up a billboard announcing he was sleeping with Caro. Now every person who stopped to buy gas from that scrawny little guy would get the word—“that baseball fella” had been parading around minus his boots and shirt, which had to mean he was fooling around with one of the local girls, namely Caro. Shit.

Logan didn’t say anything about Elmer while he and Caro got ready to go to Jackson. He would eventually, because she needed to know in case it came back to bite her later on. Caro insisted on driving, and he was sure relieved that she didn’t need any gas from Elmer’s station before they left.

She looked extremely pretty this morning, with her glossy hair swept up in the ponytail he’d found so perky when he’d first met her. She wore a moss-green tank top and khaki shorts. He supposed that was because today she wasn’t required to be a bartender or a cowgirl. Instead she was a granddaughter.

Country music had been playing on the radio when she’d switched on the engine, but now she turned it off.

“I don’t care if you’d like to listen to that,” he said.

“I’d rather talk to you. What did Elmer Crookshanks have to say?”

“Weren’t you in the shower?”

“I made it a fast one. Then I came out to see if you were
back, and when I looked out the window, there you were, trapped by old Elmer.”

“Without my boots and shirt, which I think telegraphed what we’ve been up to.”

She looked at him, wide-eyed. “You think that telegraphed whipped cream and butterscotch schnapps?” “Maybe not
specifically
what we’ve been up to, smart-ass. I like to think the whipped cream and butterscotch schnapps will be our little secret for at least the next fifty or sixty years.”

“Sorry. I’ve already contacted the
Enquirer
and they want my story. Gonna pay me big bucks, too.”

“Don’t bother. Elmer Crookshanks will have the whole thing leaked by sundown, and the
Enquirer
isn’t interested unless they get an exclusive.”

“There goes my retirement fund.”

“Seriously, Caro, I’m sorry I ran down there half-dressed and practically announced to the world that I’ve been in your bed all night. I should have figured out a different plan.”

“As I keep telling you, it will only raise my stature in this community if everyone knows I’ve had
S-E-X
with the great Logan Carswell. Relax.”

“You’re not going to tell anyone about the whipped cream and butterscotch schnapps, though, right?”

She grinned. “I don’t know. What’s it worth to you?”

“Caro!”

“No, I’m not telling that, for heaven’s sake. That was private. But as for everyone figuring out that you spent the night in my apartment with me, I don’t give a flip. It was worth it.”

“You’re one special woman, Caro.”

She gave him a quick smile. “I’d have to be to snag a hunk of burning love like you for a few nights.”

He reached over and gave her knee a squeeze.

“Watch it. We don’t have condoms yet.”

“I know. And you’re driving. The last thing we need is a fender bender because I was distracting you.” He settled back in his seat. “So what do you think about this Peter Beckett?”

“His project, or him in general?” She reached for a pair of aviator sunglasses on the dashboard and put them on.

“Both, I guess.” Logan knew he should be enjoying the scenery out the window, but he was more interested in the scenery inside the truck. Caro looked hot in that outfit and the sexy shades made her look even hotter.

“His project sounds fabulous. I’ve heard of programs like that, where teenagers go stay somewhere they have space to move around, and can interact with animals. It’s supposedly very good therapy for them.”

“I can see how it would be. And there would be plenty of adult supervision, with all the hands around to ride herd on them. Emmett told me that mucking out stalls was great therapy.”

“I’ll bet it is. I haven’t had much opportunity, but I can imagine that you get down to basics when you’re shoveling horse poop.”

“I should probably try it.”

She glanced at him, but her expression was hidden behind her shades. “You probably should.”

He couldn’t help wondering what else she thought he should do, like maybe accept Beckett’s offer. She hadn’t said so, but if she was so high on the idea, she must be thinking he was a fool to pass it up.

“Do you think I should consider working with Beckett?”

“Not if you don’t want to.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s that I don’t think my head’s in the right place to be a help to those kids.”

She didn’t respond.

“Caro?”

“I don’t know whether I should say anything or not, Logan.
This is your life, and you have to come to these decisions on your own.”

“You’re right, and I will, but something’s going on in your head. I can tell. I’d like to know your opinion.”

“You might not like what I have to say.”

“So what? Do you think I can’t take it?” When she hesitated, he finally realized what was going on. “You don’t think I can take it.”

“Alex warned us that you would probably be a little…fragile.”

Logan blew out a breath. “Fragile.” The word felt bitter on his tongue. He might be struggling, but he was never
fragile.

“Well, is that so wrong? You just said your head wasn’t in a good place to help those kids! Isn’t that the same thing?”

“No! It just means I don’t feel qualified to give anybody advice on how to live their lives at the moment, because I don’t know how I’m going to live mine. Eventually I’ll figure it out, but I’m not there yet.”

She took a deep breath. “If you would get into something like Beckett’s program, I’ll bet it would help you as much as it would help the kids.”