Destiny Wears Spurs (13 page)

“I’ve wondered all day if the hair on your chest was as soft as the hair on your head.” She stroked his chest with her fingertips.

He lifted his head, and his eyes locked onto hers. “You sure you’re all caught up?”

She repeated the featherlike caress again. “God, yes. I’m dying to find out what happens next.” Diving her fingers into the center of his chest where the hair was thickest, she pushed him back a step, and he blinked at her.

She left one hand on his chest and reached up with the other to run her fingers through his hair. Standing on her toes, she leaned forward to reach him better. When her breasts brushed against his chest, her nipples hardened in response.

“What was the question?” she whispered.

“I forgot.” His smile vanished.

She stood still, her breath coming faster, in awe of the way her body responded to him. He reached out at the same time, only managing to tangle up their arms.

“Hang on,” he said.

Before she knew what he was up to, he spanned her waist and lifted her high and hard against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he crushed her to him then buried his face in the curve of her neck. He rested her back against the wall. She kept her legs wrapped tight around him as he cradled her face with one hand, making her feel cherished. Her eyelids drooped, and he kissed her forehead and then pressed her eyelids with his lips until she closed them. She felt him brush her lashes and circle her nose with his own.

Cody ran his tongue across her jaw until he reached her ear. She tipped her head to the side to give him better access and moaned when he dipped inside, blowing warm, moist air. He bit her neck and then licked it. When he sucked gently, a soft sigh escaped her lips, beckoning him to taste her mouth. He rained tiny love kisses across her throat and under her jaw, stopping to nip her chin. Pulling back, he searched her face. Her mouth parted, and she caressed his lips with her breath. She licked her lips and he groaned deep in his throat, running his thumb across her bottom lip.

It had been way too long since she’d done anything like this, she thought, and licked his thumb. His breathing grew heavy, and he stared. Way, waaay too long. Grinning, she did it again. When he dipped his thumb inside, she bit it, sucking like he had done to her neck. Cody groaned, pressing his hard arousal into the soft apex of her thighs as he claimed her lips with a fever she’d never known.

Monica trembled, needing more of him. With a hunger that matched his, she grabbed his face and thrust her tongue into his mouth. He countered with his tongue, and the battle was on.

They took turns attacking and retreating, their heads tipping from side to side while their tongues circled, glided and swept, attempting to touch and taste all. By the time they broke apart, she had never been so thoroughly kissed.

His head rested against hers while they fought to catch their breath, and her fingers fisted in the back of his hair. His hands clasped her bottom, holding her tight against his unbuttoned jeans.

“Wow,” she said.

“Yeah, wow,” he seconded.

When he thrust his hips against her most intimate spot, she gasped. Grinning, he caressed every inch of her fanny with his fingers.

“You’re not wearing any underwear.”

“They’re built in,” she replied, barely able to talk with his fingers working their magic. Then a thought came to her. She reached her hands behind him and slipped them down the back of his jeans to confirm her suspicions.

“You’re not wearing any, either.”
Oh, mama.
“Do you realize we’re practically ....”

“Surprise, surprise.” He chuckled over her astonishment, while her hands remained down his pants, holding his firm, bare buttocks. “I don’t know ‘bout you, but ‘practically’ isn’t enough for me. What do you say we make it definitely?”

Smiling in return, she was more than ready to show him what she thought of ‘definitely,’ but the sound of horses’ hooves riding into the corral sliced through their web of desire.

“Son-of-a ....” His grin disappeared, and he set her down on her shaky legs. He fastened his jeans, shoved one arm into the sleeve of his shirt, and then paused to stare at her clothes. Yanking his arm back out, he tossed his shirt to her, piercing her with an intense look. “This isn’t over.”

She caught the shirt and arched a brow. “Who said it was?”

* * *

Cody stood at the end of the barn as Jake, Rusty and Hank entered. They looked around and seemed impressed with Monica’s work. Feeling a bit uncomfortable just standing there, he spoke. “You’re back early.”

“We sure are, son. Funny thing, we couldn’t find a problem with the irrigation dam.” Jake stopped walking about halfway to him and puckered his wrinkled face. “Where’d your shirt go?”

Jake and Hank swiveled in the direction of Rusty’s gaze and stared in the shadows of the far corner. “That you, Mo?” Jake gawked at her.

Cody couldn’t help grinning as she tried to pull his shirt lower than her sexy-as-all-get-out knees. It was provocative but a damn site better than her layers. No way in hell would he let her wear
those
layers in front of his men. She’d barely had time to button his shirt before the guys had strolled in, but she couldn’t do a thing about her wild hair and swollen lips.

Cody winced but added, “I think some animal of some kind tore them apart.” There was nothing he could say to make the boys think any different. Besides, they planned on sleeping together anyway and would have if his men hadn’t returned.

“Sweetie, you don’t have to explain anything to us. We know all about you not feeling well, and Cody doing all the work yesterday, but he really should find a better place to take care of his business.” Jake shot him a disapproving look.

Cody couldn’t win. Her winged brows drew together and she opened her mouth, but looked like she didn’t know quite what to say. She snapped it closed and nailed him with a scowl. Slapping her palms on her hips, she took a deep breath, getting ready to unleash a tirade on him, he was sure.

What the hell. They all thought he was sleeping with her anyway, and at the moment, he couldn’t think of any other way to shut them all up. Slipping his hand under her hair, he cupped the back of her head and pulled her to him as he swooped down to cover her parted lips. He kept his eyes open and locked onto hers as he drove his tongue deep. Her eyes crossed and then rolled back as her lashes fluttered closed.

Several minutes after kissing the sense right out of her, he broke away and winked at her dazed expression, biting back a grin as those sexy knees wobbled.

Let
her
be the one to deal with
his
actions for a change.

Monica swayed, staring at Cody in disbelief. She couldn’t believe he’d kissed her in front of everyone. “Wh-What the heck are you doing?” she whispered.

He plopped his hat on his head, smirked, and then touched the brim, looking satisfied. “Miss Hammond. Boys. I’ll be heading on out now. Loads of work, and all.” He hooked his thumbs through his belt loops, causing his sculpted chest to flex, then pivoted on his boot heel and strode out the back door in nothing but his tight, bun-hugging jeans and sexy black hat.

She swallowed, her throat dry, and stared at the deep V of his wide back, watching the sinewy muscles do a dance of pure masculinity as he swaggered out of the barn. Yum ... Yum ... Yum. She drooled, her gaze dropping to his delicious firm butt as he rounded the corner out of sight, then she jumped right out of her skin when Rusty’s long, low whistle rang out behind her.

“Well, I’ll be,” Jake proclaimed in awe.

“So that’s the way the wind blows.” Hank grinned.

The men snickered but clammed up when she pinned them with a sizzling glare. “Here’s the scoop, boys. I am not, I repeat,
not
sleeping with the boss. Got it?”

They wisely remained silent but nodded, looking like cowboy bobble heads. Maybe she’d add bobble heads to the ranch ad campaign.

“Well, I’m starved. See you, boys.” She walked toward the front of the barn, stopping by the calf’s stall to lean over and kiss his downy head. Glancing over her shoulder, she bit back a chuckle and waved to the slack-jawed men, and then she waltzed out the door in nothing but her gym clothes and Cody’s western work shirt, swinging in the pleasant afternoon breeze.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“Now, girly, how can I help ya, if’n you ain’t heard halfa what I been tryin’ to tell ya?” Festus stood, with hands on hips, trying to scowl but not putting much effort into it.

“I’m sorry, Cookie.” Monica laid her hand on his arm, causing him to blush. He’d insisted she call him Cookie, since everyone else did. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

He began to talk, but her thoughts wandered once again.

It was Friday. The end of another miserable week, with only a couple more to go. She hadn’t seen Cody last night because a storm had rolled in. He and the boys had been busy moving the breeding herd to the pasture shacks for safety, and he hadn’t shown up for dinner. How come he was avoiding her? After what they’d shared in the barn, she’d thought they’d decided to have a fling.

Hadn’t he said he’d wanted to make it “definite?” Although, she wasn’t so sure about a fling now that he’d lied to her. Bobby’s grandmother wasn’t really sick. She was really dead. Dead since before Bobby was even born.

Thanks to a sleepover with Cassie last night and a whole lot of wine, she’d found out Bobby hadn’t gone to help her at all. He was enjoying a paid vacation, courtesy of one lying Mr. Rafferty. Barn duty? She’d let him know what he could do with his “barn duty” just as soon as she saw him again. It had nothing to do with the fact that he didn’t want her around, she told herself.

Nothing at all.

Festus cleared his gruff throat. “As I was saying, when ya didn’t show up this mornin’, the boys headed out to the summer pasture to move the herd back, seein’ as how the storm’s over, and all. Cody left a list of Bobby’s chores fer ya to--”

“Oh, he did, did he? Well, I won’t need that list. Let Cody do the
boob’s
chores himself.”

Festus blustered, shuffling his feet, a pink glow tinting his snowy white beard. Monica couldn’t worry about offending him. She had to figure out what to do about the conveniently-absent Cody.

“Now, where’d I put those bottles?” No matter how mad she was at Cody, she couldn’t abandon Buggy.

Festus squirmed. “Don’t ya worry none ‘bout that ornery bugger. I fed him earlier. He’s mighty impatient if’n his belly’s not full when he wants it to be.”

“Thanks.” She smiled and kissed the cook’s cheek. When he turned away, not quite hiding his flaming face, she swallowed a chuckle. “See you later.”

Runny eggs. Ugh. Even her hands turned green, she noted, rubbing her stomach. But her plan was too important to let something as stupid as a hangover get in the way. “I’m sure.”

Monica made her way to the barn and said hello to her beloved pet, scanning the stalls. All the horses were gone, except Snoozer, whose head was buried in a pail of oats. Cody could be out on the range all day. Her gaze swung back to Snoozer as the mare took a long drink of water.

“Oh, no. Don’t even think it, Mo. After all the abuse you’ve endured on a horse, you can’t even consider it.” She turned around and sat, sketching the scenery as she waited for Cody and the men to return.

After thirty minutes, she grew more and more angry over the way he’d deceived her. Were all men liars? That had been her experience so far. She scribbled over the scene she’d just sketched and broke her pencil. Even the mountains looked angry. Granted, she’d asked what she could do to help. After all, she was supposed to be working. Even though she’d been disappointed about not getting to work out on the range, it’d lessened the blow believing he’d needed her.

“Ha. He needs me, all right. Needs me like he needs a fly buzzing around a pile of manure.” She ground her teeth, seething. Well, she’d had enough.

Dusting off her blue jeans and smoothing her peach shirt, she walked to the mare’s stall. Hank had promised to show her a bit about taking care of the horses and riding them, but he’d been too busy lately. But she was determined to ride this flipping horse once and for all. Feeding Snoozer some sugar cubes, she glanced at the room where they kept the saddles.

“After what happened with the saddles last time? Forget it. It’s just you and me and the wind. We’ll be free like the birds, the way nature intended.” She glanced at the wall where some of the equipment hung and thought better of it. “Well, almost the way nature intended.”

Monica grabbed the halter and the rope that attached to it. Miraculously, she managed to put it on the horse. This probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but she didn’t think she could get on Snoozer any other way, so she used the bucket again to climb on the railing of the stall and then slid onto the horse’s back.