Stripped Naked (Naked Cowboys) (6 page)

Dillon couldn’t believe how impatient his body was or how ravenous he was for her. But tearing off her clothes in three seconds wasn’t his style, and he didn’t want to start now. Especially with this woman. He tasted her lips then trailed his tongue across the smoothness of her cheek to the tender spot behind her ear. With his teeth, he drew a faint line along the column of her neck, biting very gently where her neck and shoulder met. She shivered at his touch and a soft little moan drifted from her mouth.

Dillon took his time kissing and nipping while he tugged her top from the waistband of her skirt, stopping only to ease the fabric over her head. With each movement, he held his breath, praying she wouldn’t suddenly tell him to stop. Send him on his way. He opened the front clasp of her bra and cupped her breasts in his palms, brushing the nipples with his thumbs and drawing out another one of those sensual little moans.

He dipped his head to press his lips to the hollow of her throat, felt her pulse beating wildly beneath the delicate skin. She tilted her head back, giving him better access and he sucked hard, squeezing her breasts at the same time. Taking a stiff nipple into his mouth, he tugged and pulled it and rolled his tongue around it. When he’d tormented one to its fullest, he moved his mouth to the other.

As he sucked lightly on it he felt tugging at his waist and realized Jinx was pulling his shirt from his jeans. She slid her hands beneath the fabric to glide up his back, her heat branding him wherever she touched. Impatiently, he lifted his head and yanked his shirt off, tossing it to the side in his eagerness to feel her touch on his bare skin. Wrapping his arms around Jinx, he held her tight to his body, her plump breasts pressing into the hard wall of his chest.

Damn!

He could stand here like this all night if he didn’t want to get to other things. A
lot
of other things.

He kissed every exposed area of skin, forcing himself to slow his pace. Not easy to do while she ran her hands over his back, his shoulders, and around to his chest. She raked her fingernails lightly over his flat nipples, sending shockwaves through him. The contact made his head spin and his balls ache. They were both panting with a need and impatience that filled the room like a third person.

Kissing a trail down the valley between her breasts and onto the smooth skin of her tummy, Dillon unfastened her jeans. He lifted his mouth from her long enough to ease the jeans down her body. She rested her hands on his shoulders as he lifted first one foot and then the other so he could drop the jeans on top of his shirt. On his knees, he pressed his face to her pussy and inhaled her scent. If his cock had been hard before it was painfully so now, straining for both relief and release.

He gave into temptation and licked her through the thin fabric of her thong, rolling her taste around on his tongue. Gripping her thighs with his fingers, he pulled her taste into his mouth, ravenous to taste as much of her as possible. He shifted slightly so he could slowly lick the inside of each thigh, running his tongue through the creases where hip and thigh met.

She rocked her hips into him, her whimpers of need filling the air. She gripped his head as she pulled it more tightly against her and held it in place. He glanced up once to see her eyes closed, her mouth slightly open, face rosy with need. She was breathing heavily, as transported by what was happening as he was.

When he’d tortured himself as long as he could possibly tolerate, he rose, toed off his boots and shucked his jeans and boxers. His erection sprang free, thick and swollen, a bead of fluid sitting right at the slit. Jinx stared at it, wetting her lips slowly with her tongue before reaching out to wrap her fingers around him.

“Jesus!” His breath whistled through his teeth. “Don’t squeeze too hard, honey, or we’ll be finished before we start.”

Despite his warning, she stroked the length of him slowly, her slim fingers dusting every single nerve, and he had to grit his teeth to maintain any kind of control. He’d never been this aroused before, not with any other woman, and he wanted both of them to enjoy every minute. Finally, he brushed her hands away, pulled back the covers on the bed and lifted her to the crisp cotton sheets, stripping away her thong in the process. Kneeling between her thighs, he bent to capture her clit in his mouth, twisting his tongue around it and sucking it while Jinx groaned in pleasure.

He could have feasted on her all night, but his body was sending him a signal he couldn’t ignore. Placing a kiss on the nest of curls covering her cunt, he reached off the bed for his jeans and took out his wallet. Tucked into it was a lone condom, albeit one that had been there for some time. Holding it in his hand, he looked at her, naked and beautiful before him, eyes glazed with heat, face flushed with desire.

His mouth was so dry he could barely get the words out. “I feel honor bound to tell you this has been hanging around my wallet for a long time. I’m not sure I can vouch for its reliability.”

Her smile, equal parts of hunger and unexpected shyness, could have tempted the devil. “Let’s take a chance. I’m on the pill anyway.” She reached her hands out. “Let me do it.”

He shook his head. “If you touch me again I’m done.”

“Then be quick,” she urged. “Hurry. Please.”

It stunned him to realize his hands were shaking as he tore open the foil and rolled the latex on his aching shaft. Spreading her legs wide, he took a moment to drink in the sight of her cunt gleaming wetly for him. Ignoring the twinge in his leg, a constant reminder of the shooting, he knelt at the apex of her thighs and carefully peeled open the lips of her pussy. When he touched her clit with the tip of a finger she jerked in response and cried out.

“Please,” she begged again, as hot and hungry as he was.

Grinding his teeth against the chronic ache from the surgery, he nudged her opening with the tip of his erection then inched it in as slowly as he could. When the head bumped up against the mouth of her womb, he closed his eyes in ecstasy. Her inner walls were like a tight wet fist around him, clamping down on him, gripping him. He drew in a deep breath, bracing himself on his hands, pulled back and plunged into her with a hard stroke.

He tried to slow himself down, but that horse had already left the barn. His inner caveman rose up, brushing all restraint aside. He thrust into her again, and yet again, over and over, her pussy milking him, her cries mingling with his. They came together, an explosion of such force it totally blew his mind. The only sound in the room was that of air rasping into their lungs and the heavy beating of their hearts.

Long seconds passed before he could pull himself together. Then he lifted himself to catch his weight on his forearms, aware that he was heavy on her slight frame. He looked down at her, trying to figure out what to say, and realized she had the same stunned expression in her eyes that he was sure was in his.

She wet her lips. “Well,” she said at last.

“No kidding.” He studied her face, trying to read her expression. Wondering if she was as completely stunned as he was. “What the hell was that?”

“Damned if I know.” She let out a ragged breath. “I don’t even know how it happened.”

His laugh was uneven. Ragged. “At least that’s one thing I can tell you.”

She looked away from him. “That’s not what I meant. What I wanted to know was how we even let this happen? I’m not even sure we liked each other?”

“Maybe. At least not at first.” He eased himself slowly from the wet clasp of her body. “Let me clean up a little here and we can talk about it.”

“Bathroom’s through that door.” She pointed. “But I have to warn you. I don’t want to talk this to death.”

Neither did he. But he also had no intention of writing this off as once and done. Whatever was between him and Jinx Malone was a lot bigger than one night—one very short night—of hot sex.

Chapter Three

Jinx pushed herself up from the bed, dug her short robe out of the closet and tied it around her waist.

“I’m getting us cold drinks,” she hollered at the bathroom door. “Back in a sec.”

She heard him mumble something back at her as she headed downstairs to the kitchen.

What on earth was I thinking? Have I lost my frigging mind?

There was no denying the level of heat that had ignited the moment she and Dillon Cross laid eyes on each other. The very last thing she’d been looking for when she came home was another entanglement of any kind. She still fell asleep with nightmares of Max in their bed with two women. Not one, but
two
. She was sure it would be a very long time before the image faded. And even longer before she trusted another man with either her body or her heart.

Yet here she was, fresh from the most outstanding, combustible, erotic sex she could ever remember having. She’d been a more than willing participant.

She pulled two cans of soda from the fridge and rolled one against her forehead, hoping it would cool down her still overheated body.

“Jinx?” Dillon’s voice drifted down to her from upstairs. “Did you run out on me? I hope not. This is your house.”

“Coming.”

Oh, wait. That might not be the right word to use.

She grabbed two glasses and hurried up the stairs to find him waiting in the hallway, glorious in his nudity and totally unself-conscious about it. She swallowed a laugh thinking how he put Max the braggart to shame with his equipment.

The corner of his mouth turned up in a hint of a grin.

“I certainly hope so, but I think I need a minute to recharge.”

So he’d caught the double meaning of her answer. Damn. Heat crept up her face.

“Here.” She thrust a can of soda and one of the glasses at him. “I thought we could use this to cool off. We certainly need it.”

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he nudged her back toward the bed. “Thanks for the cold drink.” He stretched out his legs on the bed, unconsciously rubbing his thigh.

Jinx noticed and frowned. “That’s some scar you’ve got there.”

“Reminder of a battle with a reporter.”

“Are you kidding?” She sucked in a breath. “A reporter shot you?”

“Might as well have. Anyway, it’s the hazards of the job. Come on. Let’s talk a little. And not about that.”

Hummingbirds were doing a nervous dance in her stomach as she adjusted herself on the bed next to him. She kept her robe on, deciding she needed as much protection from him as possible. Or was it from herself?

Dillon took a long swallow of his drink before he said anything.

“I’m sure neither of us expected what just happened here. Or was looking for it.”

She nodded her head. “You’re right. And if I did anything—”

“Stop.” With his free hand, he took one of hers, linking his fingers with hers. “There’s no blame here, Jinx, except maybe on my part. I don’t know. What I do know is the heat between us has been off the charts since we met at the crime scene.”

She couldn’t stop the giggle that broke loose. “Not the usual way people meet, right?”

“Believe me, I’ve seen stranger.” He lifted their linked hands and kissed her fingers. “But my point is there’s something going on here, and except for this incendiary explosion I sense you’re not any more eager to jump into something than I am.”

The hummingbirds disappeared to be replaced by tight knots. What was he saying? Thanks for the great sex but it was a mistake? Wait. Shouldn’t that be her line? And no, she wasn’t looking for any kind of relationship. Situation. Whatever. But perversely, she didn’t want to give this up. This first time had been hot and fast, but the overwhelming desire still hung in the air. One time hadn’t even taken the edge off.

She chose her next words carefully, not wanting to let him see this might have meant more to her than to him.

“You’re right. That’s very sensible. I’m sure we can forget all about this and pretend it never happened.”

“What?” He tightened his hand on hers and pulled her around to face him, anger flashing in his eyes. “That’s not what I’m saying at all. I mean…” The words trailed off and he filled the space by taking a long drink of soda. “I’d like to keep seeing you, Jinx, but I’m in no condition mentally or any other way to think about a real relationship. I’m just trying to be fair to you. That’s all.”

Okay, she could deal with this. She hoped.

“You’re right that I’m not looking for anything. Or anybody. Not now.” She gave an unladylike snort. “Maybe never. But this—” she waved her hand in the air, “—whatever it is, I don’t want to back away from it either.”

“I still don’t like reporters,” he reminded her.

“I still don’t like cops.”

“So noted. And just so we’re clear. We’ll enjoy each other’s company—in private—and that’s all it will be.”

She nodded. “Sex with no strings.” And didn’t she just sound so sophisticated saying that.

“Exactly. Because I definitely want more.” He set his glass down on the nightstand. “There’s something I need to say first.”

Really? What could be more important than “I want no-strings sex?” This isn’t even friends with benefits.

She waited a heartbeat, and when he didn’t say anything she prompted, “Well?”

“Just so we’re clear, I don’t normally fall on a woman like an ape in the jungle the way I did with you. I just want you to know—”