Reckless Heart (13 page)

“Where is all around?”

“My dad is a contract consultant for the government. We’ve been in Washington, D.C., Virginia, Washington state and even California. Most recently Texas of course.”

“You must have moved a lot.”

“Yes. When I get my own place, I’m staying put forever. I hate moving all the time, trying to make new friends, to fit in with people who have backgrounds I can never match. I guess I’m glad I got to see different areas of the country, but I don’t suffer from wanderlust.”

“My dad bought this place before he married. It’s been in our family now for over thirty-five years. Except when I attended the university, I’ve lived here all my life. Can’t imagine what it would be like to move frequently.”

“It’s not fun. You’re lucky.” Wistfully Molly looked around. She'd love to belong to a place like this. To know it had been in her family for years and would continue for generations to come.

“How well can you ride?” Josh asked.

“I can stay on. Want to go faster?”

She grinned at him. The day seemed brighter by being with him. Only the two of them and the endless open range.

“Yes.” He urged his mount into a lope and Molly kept up with him. The blood pounded through her veins, the wind blew past her face, cooling her heated skin. She felt so alive she tingled.

He drew up beneath a stand of cottonwood, near a pond. Slowing the horses, they walked quietly for a few minutes, then Josh stopped and dismounted. He handed his reins to Molly, his fingers brushing hers: “I need to check something.” Walking deeper into the stand of trees, he studied the ground, the animal paths that led to the pond. He circled the pond and came back to Molly.

“Looking for something?”

“Checking the tracks to see who might be using this watering hole. Only cattle so far.”

She nodded, her gaze caught with his. Her fingers felt numb holding his reins. Her heart caught in her throat. Mesmerized by his gaze, she could only look and hope he couldn’t read the turmoil that raged through her.

“Molly?”

“Yes?”

“Have you decided yet?”

His low, sexy voice sent tendrils of sexual awareness shooting through to her fingers and toes.

She took a deep breath. Her whole life could be changed by a single word. Was she willing to chance it?

“Yes.”

She tossed him the reins and quickly dismounted. Stepping closer, she raised a hand to his cheek.

“I’ve decided it would be very nice to have some actual experience to draw upon to write my book.”

Being with him would definitely broaden her horizons. She'd grab all the fun she could now, save the memories for when she moved on.

He let his breath out slowly—as if he’d been holding it.

Her fingers trembled against his cheek and he covered her hand with his, holding her against the warmth and strength of his jaw.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said gruffly.

She nodded, her eyes locked with his. He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. Then a slow smile tilted the corners of his lips. “You’re a pretty woman, Molly Forrester. That Marc was a fool to let you get away. Are you sure the proposed partnership is what drew him to you?”

Pleasure warmed her like the sun. She wished she could bottle the feeling to take out anytime she wanted. Smiling up at him, she knew nothing could mar the perfection of the day.

“I'm sure. But thanks for the compliment.”

Slowly Josh leaned forward until his breath brushed against her cheeks. She saw the desire in his eyes and her heart raced in anticipation. Slowly her lids grew heavy and closed. She felt his touch, light as a feather at first, pressing against her as he claimed her lips in a kiss that promised so much.

He moved her hand to the back of his neck, released it and drew her against him in a tight embrace. His mouth moved against hers, teasing hers open, tracing her lips with his tongue before slipping inside the moist heat of her mouth to explore the shimmering waves of desire that jumbled in her.

Her hat fell off—she didn’t notice.

Her horse stomped impatiently; she didn’t hear it.

Her entire focus centered on Josh’s mouth, his body, the wondrous sensations he caused. Heat suffused, hotter than the Texas summer sun. Desire raged, stronger than the most compelling hunger. Delight bubbled up and rushed through her.

She held on for dear life. Feeling like she was spinning away in a vortex of light and heat and air, she held on to him to keep herself anchored on the earth. It was glorious. The most wonderful thing ever to happen to her.

Slowly, slowly, he ended the kiss, pulled back just an inch, still holding her soft compliant body against his. Her eyes opened and she gazed into the molten steel of his. Had the earth shifted on its axis or was she the only one to feel like it had?

“That was nice,” she said dreamily, knowing her cheeks must be flushed with the heat that poured through her.

“Nice?” He grinned. “Is that the best you can do? I don’t think that’s enough for your book. Should we practice some more? I’ll kiss you, you tell me how you rate it. When you think you have enough for the book, we’ll stop.”

Her mind went blank.

She couldn’t
rate
his kisses. She could only feel the sensations so foreign as they captured her body and held her enthralled. If he thought she could think coherently after kissing her like that, he had a better opinion of her abilities than she did.

She took a deep breath to tell him so, but the scent of horses, grass, and Josh’s own masculinity threw her. She nodded and closed her eyes, opening her lips slightly for his next kiss. She would try to define exactly how she felt—

All good and well to plan to be analytical when being kissed. Until his mouth moved over hers, until his hands rubbed her back, moved around her ribs to cup the weight of her breasts and send shooting spirals of pure hunger deep in her body. She could not think, could not analyze, only feel. And the feelings were miraculous, amazing, truly amazing.

They were both breathing hard when he ended the kiss. “Well?”

“
Very nice.”

He groaned and rested his forehead against hers. “What do I have to do to get beyond nice?”

She giggled softly and rubbed her nose against his. “I think it’s me. I think you’ve fried my brains and I’m stuck on that word. Really, the kisses are better than nice. I’ve never been kissed so—nicely—in my life.”

“When we get back to the house, I’m going to see if we have a thesaurus for you.”

“You didn’t think they were nice?” she asked in mock shock.

“No, I thought they were the knock-your-socks-off kind of kisses that have me wanting to rip this shirt off your body so I can feel your silky skin. I want to taste every inch of you, feel the weight of your breasts in my hands. See if my mouth on other parts of your body will drive me as wild as kissing your lips does.”

She swallowed. The image he painted in her mind sprang up as clear as if he’d already done it. But everything moved too fast for her. For a second she was strongly tempted to give in, but knew she needed to keep some perspective.

Clearing her throat, she pulled back a little, as much as his strong arms would allow.

“Maybe we should slow down a bit,” she said, searching his eyes. She didn’t want to disappoint him, but there was only so much she could take. She didn’t want to do everything today.

“This is slow,” he said.

“Not for me.”

Sighing, he released her and reached over to get her hat. Gently he placed it on her head. “You’re the boss. We’ll go at whatever speed you want. But you have no one but yourself to blame if I become impatient. Kissing you is like setting fire to gasoline. I want to explode.”

She beamed at him. “Josh, you say the most marvelous things. I can use them in the book!”

He frowned. “I’m not saying them to have you write them in some book.”

“I thought this whole reason for doing this was to help me with my book.”

Did he mean that? Was he speaking directly to her as a woman? Molly didn’t want to let the thought gain a foothold. She'd set herself up for heartbreak if she did.

He brushed his thumb across her damp lips.

“The idea is to give you some first-hand experience so your writing can be more realistic. But it’s also to have a bit of fun along the way—for both you and me.”

“Right.” Her smile came from the heart. “I’m having fun.”

“Sure, with
nice
kisses.”

“Very nice kisses. I’ll try to come up with other adjectives, if that would make you feel better.”

“All men like knowing their kisses are
nice
. Of course, I’ll have to work on my technique. I would like a wonderful or exciting sometime.”

“They were wonderful.”

“No changing things now. You said they were nice. I’ll have to work harder, that’s all.”

The glow from their banter warmed her heart. Josh’s sense of fun surprised her. In addition to being the sexiest man she’d ever known, he could laugh at her and have her laugh with him. Did he have any idea what he did to her when he drew near? His teasing delighted her, and made her wish they could be friends forever. She wouldn’t change things. If her book didn’t sell right away, maybe she could stay a bit longer at the Rafter C.

He pulled her hat down on her forehead. “Come on, Molly, time to ride.”

By the time they returned home, the sun sat low on the horizon. Josh had shown her the cattle and the calves. He’d explained roundups and branding, and how he culled the steers for market.

Molly had asked endless questions. While she wanted to learn every aspect of ranching, she also adored listening to his voice. She watched him talk, watched the love of his ranch shine through in his every word. And she basked in his attention.

“Thank you,” she said as they reached the barn. “I had a wonderful day.”

“Good. Go on inside and get cleaned up. I’ll take care of your horse.”

“I’ll fix supper,” she suggested, dismounting gingerly. Her legs felt like cooked spaghetti. Surreptitiously she clung to the saddle hoping Josh wouldn’t notice. She bet Gillian rode hours every day and had no trouble once she dismounted.

She frowned. She didn’t want to think about his girlfriend after the day they’d spent together. Not after the kisses they’d shared. Not after the agreement they’d struck.

He took the reins and nodded. “Something light. The men will have already eaten.”

“Soup and sandwiches?” she suggested, testing her knees. She thought they would hold her.

“Peanut butter again?”

Raising her nose in the air, she let go of the saddle and headed for the house, turning at the last minute and giving him a disdainful look. “I make wonderful peanut butter sandwiches, you should be so lucky to have me make you some.”

He chuckled and headed for the barn.

Molly waited until he entered before turning back toward the house. She’d take a quick shower and then fix them something. Only the two of them, it would be a nice dinner. Grimacing at the adjective she vowed she would come up with a whole vocabulary of spectacular ones to use in the future. She felt more than
nice
about the whole situation.

By the time she showered and donned fresh clothes, Molly acknowledged that she was so tired she could scarcely see straight. The lack of sleep the night before combined with all the time spent in the fresh air and sunshine riding made her wonder if she could stay awake long enough to eat dinner.

She didn’t want to miss any time with Josh, not after embarking on their experiment. And after dinner she might just take him up on that offer to find a thesaurus.

Molly thought to have a quiet dinner
à deux
, but she'd underestimated the draw of someone else's cooking to the cowboys. While they'd all grabbed something to eat, Jack came to the kitchen for coffee, Billy came by to see if there was anything for dessert. Trevor and Pete wandered in to see what kept the other two and sat at the table enjoying a cup of coffee.

Giving up trying to get Josh to herself, Molly finished her dinner, put her plate in the dishwasher and wandered down to the office.

If Josh wanted to talk with his men, she’d work on her book. Flicking on her computer, she sat down with the best of intentions. But as she stared blankly at the words on the screen, she knew she wouldn’t get anything done tonight. She was too tired to see straight, much less be creative.

It was comfortable in the old house. In the background she heard the rumble of the men’s voices. Outside the wind blew gently, rustling the leaves of the trees. The clock on the wall by the door ticked softly. Maybe she’d close her eyes for just a second. If she didn’t feel more awake soon, she’d give up and go to bed.

“Molly?” Josh shook her gently.

Slowly she lifted her lids and gazed at him. “What?” Blinking as she tried to wake up, Molly glanced around. She was still in the office.

“Go to bed, Molly. You’re asleep at your desk,” he said softly.