Off the Record (21 page)

I don’t ever want to go back to reality. I want to stay cocooned here in Wyoming with Ever and live the rest of my days wrapped up in her.

That’s such a pussy thought to have too. If any of my teammates were in my head right now, I’d never hear the end of it. Maybe the only one that would understand is Nix. I know that’s how he feels about Emily.

I have no clue what has come over me. It’s beyond my comprehension how in just a few weeks I can go from attraction, to loathing, to lust to something that borders on the softest feelings I’ve ever had toward the female persuasion.

Ever is hot sex wrapped up in orgasmic bliss. But honestly, as I look at her now, sitting on the deck and reading a book with the sun shining down on her hair, I want to just pick her up and hug her. That is so anti-Linc, that I almost laugh at myself.

I step out onto the deck and Ever looks up at me. The sun is shining in her face and the light has made her pupils constrict and her irises to lighten to a pale blue. The contrast with her dark hair is startling to my senses.

“What are you reading?”

She closes the book and lays it on her lap. “Oh, just your typical steamy, romance novel.”

My eyebrows rise up. I would never have pegged Ever to read romance. I mean...she’s brilliant and no nonsense. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. Plus, she’s coming off a bad relationship where her ex-schmuck cheated on her. I can’t imagine romance is something that floats her boat right now.

I sit down on the lounge chair next to her. “So...what’s in a steamy, romance novel? Is the sex as good as what we have?”

Ever snorts. “No way. Doesn’t even come close.”

I settle back and close my eyes. “That’s good. I’d hate to have to read one of those just to get some pointers.”

Ever doesn’t reply and I let myself get lulled by the warm afternoon sun and the smell of wild sagebrush growing in the nearby field. I’m restful and at peace. I nearly fall asleep and I’m not even sure if it’s the beginning of a dream, but a soft, heat settles over my lap.

My eyes open lazily and I am stunned to find Ever straddling me without a stitch of her clothing on. Her hands are resting on her thighs and she’s looking at me with the promise of my complete undoing.

My gaze travels to her breasts, which are full, her nipples already hard.

“What are you doing?” I manage to rasp out.

“You know what I’m doing,” she says with a sinful smile. She brings her hands down to the hem of my shirt and lifts it over my head. I have to lean up a bit for her to get it off, and it brings her in contact with the full blown erection that started straining the confines of my jeans the minute I saw her naked body straddling me.

She leans over and she flicks the wetness of her tongue over one of my nipples and my hips buck, while my hands reach around to grab her ass. I push her down on me and the friction is about the kill me. She’s about to kill me. Her lips wrap around that same nipple and she sucks on it lightly, then bites.

“Fuck, Ever.” I had never realized how sensitive my own nipples were and I bet if I let her go to town on them, I’d probably fire off early just from that warm, wet touch.

“Let’s go inside,” she says.

I stand up from the chair and she wraps her legs around me. “No way. Inside is too far away.”

She giggles into my neck. “It’s just five steps away from where we are right now.”

I kiss her, stopping her words. Her arms wrap around my head and she groans into me.

“Five steps...too far,” I tell her before my hand goes in between her legs. God, she’s so wet and throws her head back when I cup her. I love the look of utter abandon on her face and if I don’t get inside of her—like right now—I think I might perish.

I spin around, looking wildly for something to brace against. The deck railing...that will work and it’s high enough to suit my purposes. I bring my forearm under her ass to hoist her up a bit and push her back into the wooden edge. With my other hand, I reach down and undo my fly. I glance into her eyes once and they are hooded and now completely dark. I grab my dick and the contact of my own hand against myself feels way too good. It’s about to feel better.

Positioning myself and Ever, I lower her down while her hands clutch onto my shoulders. Her eyes flutter close as she impales herself on me and I swallow hard. This isn’t going to last long and I bite the inside of my cheek to do something...anything...to get my mind centered.

She opens her eyes and looks at me.

“How are you doing?” I ask her.

She uses her hands to gain leverage and her hips for stability. She raises herself up, then lowers back down again. “I’m good,” she gasps and I pray my knees don’t buckle over the exquisite sensation of Ever riding me.

She does it again, licking her bottom lip, and the image of her pushing herself up and down on me is my undoing. I push her back harder into the deck rail and bend my knees. On her next move up, I grip her hips and slam into her.

Ever cries out and I stop. “Did I hurt you?”

“No,” she says, even as she’s shaking her head. “Do it again.”

I comply, pulling back and ramming back in again. This sound comes out of me...it’s like an animal attacking, and it both thrills and scares me at the same time. Nothing has ever felt this good.

Nothing.

My hips start pumping into her and she wraps her arms all the way around me, hanging on for dear life while I pummel her body. I hope this isn’t too rough but my body is on auto pilot. I can’t shut it down nor do I want to.

She feels too fucking amazing, wrapped around me.

Ever is gasping hard for breath, and thankfully she moans into my ear, “Feels good...don’t stop.”

I have no intention of stopping...ever.  My Ever.

Just as I feel Ever sink her nails into my scalp, her body stiffens and she clamps down on my dick hard...really hard. I think I’m feeling a powerful orgasm tear through her and I can’t hold out any longer. I come so hard, so long...my knees almost give way but I somehow manage to stay upright.

Even after I am empty, my hips still thrust against her shallowly, trying to milk every ripple of ecstasy out of my body.

When I finally regain my senses, I stumble backward, falling onto the deck chair that started this wild ride. Ever falls against my chest and lets out a shaky breath.

“Oh, my...” she says.

“Yeah...oh, my...” I stroke my hands up along her back and I feel very possessive about this woman in my arms. Things are changing for me so fast, that I wonder what has happened to the Linc Caldwell that subsisted on booty calls and was firmly against monogamy.

Ever’s breath is soft against my chest, and as the lazy Wyoming sun starts to warm my body again, I drift off into sleep.

I’ve decided to take Ever out on the town. Jackson Hole is fairly small, and outside of a few really great restaurants, art and jewelry stores, there’s not much else. Except for the Million Dollar Cowboy bar. It’s practically an institution unto itself.

Ever looks right at home. She purchased a pair of cowboy boots today and she’s wearing them paired with a flowered skirt that skims just above her knees, a plain white t-shirt that hugs her breasts with care, and a denim jacket. It’s a good thing she has the denim jacket on, because she’s not wearing a bra and I get an occasional glimpse of a hard nipple poking through.

She keeps looking with longing at the bar. “Come on, Linc. Let’s just go sit at the bar for one drink.”

“No,” I say emphatically. “I’m not about to have you flashing half your leg trying to get up on the barstool.

She grins cheekily at me but I smolder just a bit. The barstools here are actually cowboy saddles stuck on top of a metal pole. If she were to set her pretty ass on one of those things, her skirt would hike up practically to her hips.

Her lip is stuck out in a pout but I won’t budge on that. I figure if I’m going to have those proprietary feelings toward her, I might as well go all the way.

We nurse our beers and watch the band. I’m not into country music but “When in Rome”, right? The dance floor is packed with people doing the two-step and I unwillingly find my own foot tapping to beat of the music. Glancing at Ever, she’s enjoying herself, both of her heels tapping the floor and her shoulders moving.

When a slow song comes on, the parade of people two-stepping by slows, and they all start swaying together. I stand and Ever looks up at me. I  just hold my hand out to her and she takes it willingly.

Leading her onto the dance floor, her hand feels so right in mine. I pull her into my arms and she lays her cheek against my chest, her hands on my shoulder.

“This is nice,” she murmurs.

I make a sound of agreement in my throat. I rest my lips against the top of her head and I can smell her strawberry shampoo. I don’t think I’ll ever look at another strawberry again without thinking of the way Ever smells. The way she tastes.

“I’m glad you declined my dinner invitation that day I met you.”

She pulls her head back and looks at me with surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah. Think about it. We probably would have gone out to dinner, you would have written a really nice article about me, you would have gone on assignment, and we probably would have forgotten each other.”

A small smile creeps onto her face. “You know...I think you may be right.”

I lean down and give her a soft kiss. It’s one of thankfulness for the amazing circumstances I find myself in. “I’m actually really glad you wrote that article. It threw us together. And I’m really glad I have you in my life. I think something was missing until I met you.”

Ever stiffens slightly in my arms and she doesn’t respond. She just lays her head back on my chest.

“Did I say something wrong?” I ask her.

She looks up at me again and her gaze looks uneasy. “No...it’s just...I thought this was just sex. I thought that was all Linc Caldwell did...just sex.”

I want to reassure her that is not all there is to me. I want her to know that for some reason, she’s become more to me than just a great fuck. “Ever...everyone grows and changes. Maybe I’m changing. Maybe you’re changing me.”

I had hoped to see relief in her eyes. I had hoped she would kiss me and tell me that was fucking fantastic. I wanted her to say that something was missing in her life too until she met me.

Instead, she shakes her head sorrowfully. “I’m sorry, Linc. But I just don’t feel that way. I can’t feel that way.”

Then she steps out of my arms and walks off the dance floor.

I’m lying in bed next to Linc. He has me spooned into him, his arms wrapped tightly around me. His breathing is even and relaxed.

I am anything but.

Yesterday had actually threatened to destroy my sanity. I had thought I had firm control over my feelings. But yesterday, when Linc and I had sex on the deck, something shifted inside of me. It was like that hard block of ice around my heart started rattling, threatening to expose a vulnerable crack. His actions were intense and raw. I was stripped naked, but he made me feel more exposed and vulnerable...stripped to my core...with the way he moved inside of me.