Dallas Nights (4 page)

“
Damn right, baby. You look beautiful, wearing nothing but my kiss.” He slapped her ass hard. She cried out and snapped upright.

“
Stay down,” he said into her ear, low and seductive.

She shivered.
Her mind tumbled with emotion. With his welt rising on her bottom and his love bite on her throat, she was more his than when she’d worn his necklace.

The tip of his hard cock probed her slit.

“I don’t have a condom, and I’m not going to use one on you. I’ve never fucked without one.”

The world stopped. She reeled under what he was saying. Make love, like a couple with a long-time commitment
? The moment swelled, ballooned.

He was asking whether or not she belonged to him.

“Me either.” A tremor ran down her spine, twisting her.

“
That’s good, because I’m claiming you.” He drove his cock deep. Her body splintered in sensation—feeling him bareback drove her love to new heights.

He pulled out slowly then eased back in with so mu
ch tenderness, her eyes blurred with tears. Their combined gasps were background music to the rhythm of flesh. Lightning crashed in her core.

He rocked into her
, and she clenched. He paused, breathing heavily in her ear. She turned her mouth into his. Sweet kisses were interspersed with tormenting plunges into her pussy.

He slapped her ass again and pistoned his hips, reaching depths that maddened her. She shoved back in time to his thrusts.

Reaching around, he located her hard pearl and strummed it once…
twice.

She splintered, her walls clamping and releasing wildly. Milking him.

With a guttural cry, he came. Jets of cum bathed her walls. The shock of him filling her pushed her higher. She throbbed as waves slammed her. Finally, she realized he’d fallen still, his cock still inside her.

She reveled in the knowledge that she
’d bound herself to him in a brand new way.

When
she came back to herself, it was to the sound of birdsong and the quiet rhythm of Dallas’s breath. He swept her bare body with his hands, stroking her breasts, belly, kissing her neck tenderly.

“
That should have happened last night,” he said into her ear.

She shuddered
and turned into his arms. He held her for long minutes. The breeze rustled the tall grasses, and they tickled her bare calves. At last, he released her and started to hand her articles of clothing. She leaned against him as she dressed, stealing looks at his strong jaw and the hard planes of his body.

“
What is it?” he asked after the third one.

“
You.” Her voice was breathy.

He stared at her. She ran a hand down his chest and scraped his love trail. His cock hardened instantly.

“You’re just… wow.”

Hi
s grin cut a path over his face. Leaning in, he brushed his lips over hers. “You’re more than wow, baby.” He delivered a slap to her ass. “Now get dressed and let’s get that truck out.”

* * * * *

Ellie watched each inch of Dallas
’s rock-hard flesh disappear under his clothes. Where was his head? When he stroked her, she felt the old Dallas shining through. But sometimes she wondered if she was projecting the old Dallas onto the new.

She reached to touch him, but he just gave her a grin and stepped away.
Remorse filled her, because she hadn’t gotten a chance to love him properly—not last night or just now. Was he holding himself apart from her in order to guard his heart?

It was obvious she
’d slaughtered him years ago. And earlier, when she’d mouthed off and said she didn’t want cowboys... could she get any stupider?

She
’d messed up twice. But she wouldn’t make a third mistake. He was too important to her.

After her
loss of judgment with Nathan Rafferty, she’d dumped the guy. Realizing too late that his brand of charm didn’t compare to the glow of Dallas’s. By then, she’d lost him, though. She didn’t have the guts to face Dallas and apologize. Shame had made her hide for too long.

As they drove to the pond, he
grew quiet.

She tried to draw him out, make him talk.

“Lots of changes in this town since I left,” she said. “Some of the land looks so different to me.”

“
Yes’m.” He pointed. “That house used to belong to Jordans, remember? Now it’s a historical landmark, and they’re opening it for tours within the year.”

On the
y bumped toward the pond. He stabbed a finger toward the right. “That ancient tree we used to sit under finally fell.”

She blinked at the crumpled trunk. Limbs still scattered the ground around it. Warm memories of lying under the branches and talking out problems with Dallas filled her. “
What happened to it?”

“
Lightning struck it a year or two ago.” His dark gaze pinned her to the seat.

She studied him, wishing she could read him better. What was going on in that handsome head of his?

He tugged his hat lower as if to hide.

She couldn
’t shake the feeling that he wanted to get her out of the mud and out of his life, no matter what had just happened between them. Maybe coming back had been dumb, as most of her decisions were.

The traces of his lovemaking still wet her shorts. The mind-blowing feel of his cum filling her made her squirm for more. She
’d never been this close to a man before—he’d wholeheartedly claimed her, and her decision to allow that would never become a regret.

What he didn
’t know was he’d always owned her heart.

She rested a hand on his thigh. The bulge of muscle twitched at her touch, and she grinned.
He was far from immune to her, and that counted for something.

They reached his house, and he stopped in front. A dog zoomed into the yard, happy to see Dallas, but when Ellie climbed out of the truck, the dog snarled as if hungry for flesh.

“Your dog is… um…” She eyed the mangy-looking thing. Its grayish fur rippled in several different directions. Its underbite revealed several crooked teeth, and its eyes bugged out.

“
That’s Webster. He’s butt-ugly, but he’s loyal.” Dallas cocked an eye at her.

Striding o
ff to the barn, he left Ellie in the yard with Webster, her heart bleeding. She shouldn’t have come here, thinking to get back into Dallas’s good graces. The forgiving young man she’d known was gone—replaced by this hard, unrelenting cowboy.

A cowboy with
an ass she could bounce quarters off.

Seconds later, the rumble of a tractor engine ebbed from the barn. She looked away from Webster, who wouldn
’t allow her to take a step without corralling her back against the truck, and saw the big red tractor roll out.

I
’ll get my truck unstuck and go. Leave Dallas alone.

The sex they
’d shared had been the hottest experience of her life, but she wouldn’t continue to try if he wouldn’t accept her efforts.

The massive tires
bore down on her, and she pressed closer to the truck. Webster hemmed her in.

Dallas threw open the small door of the tractor cab and waved at her. “
Come up.”

She started to move, and Webster pealed a growl that made her heart seize.

“Enough,” Dallas barked at the hound. Webster sat, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. Again, Dallas waved at her.

She came forward, unsure how to climb into the massive tractor. Would she even fit up there with him?

Maybe there’s room on his lap.

As she neared, he pointed to a metal ledge she could use to step up.
She did, launching herself into the cab and into his arms.

He held her a moment longer than necessary, then eased her onto the vinyl seat at his side. There was barely room for her, but if she crossed her legs and squished herself against the metal and gl
ass side, she fit.

Being wedged between the tracto
r and his big body aroused the hell out of her. She itched to wrap herself around him and press her aching breasts into his chest but feared he’d push her away.

The noise of the tractor prohibited them from
speaking. She bounced up and down beside him like a jackhammer. He threw an arm around her shoulders, anchoring her.

The heavy weight of his arm sent warm wisps of pleasure through her
system. She inhaled his fresh, soapy scent and let her mind wander.

How would
it feel to be attached to this man forever? There was no doubt in her mind that he would have asked her to marry him eventually, had she not given up on him.

Right now, tethering herself to Dallas burned a hole of want straight through her soul.

When they reached the pond, it appeared that her truck had sunk another few inches overnight.

“
Good thing we’ve got the tractor,” he said, mouth grim.

The rollercoaster of her emotions plunged her into the depths of despair again.
I shouldn’t have come. Shouldn’t hope.

He removed his arm from her shoulders but brushed his lips across her temple.

Her heart soared.
Maybe it’s not too late.

He
jumped down and strode to the truck. The cable he’d tried to winch it out with the previous night still curled along the ground, attached to the frame. He hooked it to the tractor and launched back behind the wheel beside her.

“
If this doesn’t work, it looks as if you’re stuck in Greenville for good.”

She stole a look at his profile. His mouth was set firmly, and not a crinkle of
a smile touched his eyes. Again, the rollercoaster of her emotions dipped.

He depressed the gas, and the tractor rolled forward. When the cable tightened, she twisted around to watch as the old pickup
’s tires were unglued from the muck and rolled free.

She
gave a cheer but just as quickly squelched it. Now that she was out, he’d expect her to go.

Go away.

From him.

Tears burned in her throat.

He towed the truck halfway across the field to a drier area, while tears tumbled down her cheeks. Slanting a triumphant look at her, he did a double-take.

“
Ahh, Ellie girl, what is it?” He pulled the brake and cupped her cheek, smoothing the wetness with his thumb.

She shuddered. “
It feels so good to hear you call me that again.”

“
Jesus, woman, do you think you’ve ever been anything else to me? Ever could be?” He gripped her waist and hauled her over his lap.

“
I’m floundering here with you, Dallas. You take my body, make me feel as if I mean the world to you, then you shut down, close me out.”

He shook his head, looking
straight ahead at the field before them. Heat was building, and steam rose off the dewy grass.

And here she sat, in his arms but once again as far from him as she could possibly feel.

Self-directed anger bubbled in her veins, and she tossed away all caution. He’d put himself out there and she’d stomped on his heart. If she was going to make this work, she had to take the same risk.

Even if he sent her away.

She bracketed his face with her hands and directed his gaze to hers. Staring deep into his chocolatey eyes, she let him see the need inside her.

“
You belong to me, Dallas, just as much as I belong to you.”

He didn
’t speak, just stared.

She leaned in, pressing her forehead against his and gazing into his eyes up close. His breath washed over her face, mak
ing her heart trip. Scuffing her hands over his stubbled jaw, she whispered, “Say something.”

A quiet no
ise broke from his throat. He opened his mouth but snapped it shut again.

Ellie raked her fingers down his chest to his waistband. “
Talk to me while you’re buried deep in me.” It seemed that he only opened himself to her while giving her pleasure.

He groaned, and his
gaze focused on her once more. She shoved open the little door and tipped through it, into the cooler air. Tugging on his hand, she said, “Out here, where you took me that first time and linked us forever, I want you to make love to me.”

His broad shoulders vibrated as a shiver passed over him. She dropped to the ground and
hurried away without looking back. If he followed, she’d rejoice. If he chose not to… well, she’d cross that bridge when it stretched before her.

The soft ground s
ank under her boots. She picked her way to a spot along the top arch of the heart shape, where it was drier. Lowering herself to the ground, she wrapped her arms around her knees and waited.