The Billionaire Cowboy's Carolina Girl (Contemporary BWWM Romance) (4 page)

"Eleni texted me and told me she would come."

"Tell her that no pregnant woman needs to be looking after a woman who needs help walking around. Y'all would be fallin' all over each other in no time flat. And I ain't got time to take another trip to that fancy L.A. hospital."
 

"I told her you'd probably be staying anyway." I smiled. I didn't want my sister to be here trying to lift me up any more than Billy Joe did. But still, there was that little problem of the man in my house who was shamelessly flirting with me... and maybe trying to propose. At the very least he was getting me to consider leaving my home and moving to a ranch in Austin. I sighed and handed Joe the key.

"Wait a second before you open--" Before I could finish my sentence, Billy Joe had opened the door, and two of my dogs were on him, jumping up and making whining noises. The one-eyed cat named Katie joined in, purring and circling Joe's leg.
 

"I guess this here's the welcome committee. Y'all go on and scoot for a second. Your mama's got a little hurt here, and we gotta get her on inside." Joe leaned down and scratched the retired greyhound behind her ears. The pug ran in circles, vying for the handsome cowboy's attention too.
 

"Looks like they already got a crush on you, Billy. I mean, Joe. I can't quite wrap my head around this new name of yours." He pushed me up into the house, easily lifting the wheelchair into the house.
 

"Sorry about the mess... and the animals." He wheeled me over to my bedroom, not saying a word. Another cat joined me on the bed, nuzzling my hand and purring softly.
 

"It's all you, Anita. And it's exactly what I've been waiting for. Now tell me you'll think about coming back with me to Austin. It's all I've ever wanted... at least since I met you, anyway."
 

"I told you I'd think about it. But it can't happen right away..." I clicked on a light and looked into Joe's eyes, taking in his serious expression. He lifted me onto the bed, sending a jolt straight to my center. Any time he touched me, I was hyperaware of my skin, my flesh... and how much it wanted this man.
 

"Why can't it happen right away? What's tyin' you here, my Carolina girl?" I blushed, and he sat down next to me. He raked his fingers through his close-cropped brown hair and gave me the smile that I'd fallen in love with. That smile could light up a room, and it brought every memory of that summer back to me. My heart beat hard in my chest, sending chills through my entire body. He brought a hand to my cheek and traced his fingers down over my neck. The chills flooded through my body, my skin turning to gooseflesh.
 

"My sister... my friend. The agency." I looked to the side, avoiding those cornflower blue eyes. They seemed to stare into my soul, breaking me apart.
 

"That ain't you. That ain't what you said you wanted."

"I'm a different person than I was back then. I lost all those dreams a long time ago."

"You can build them again with me. Move into the house, work with me... make us some beautiful babies. I had dreams of you where you were pregnant, glowing and beautiful."

"I don't even know if I can
have
kids. What if I can't? My mama had problems..."

"Your sister is older than you, right? No reason to worry. Besides, we'll adopt six or seven of 'em if you can't. Just as long as it's you and me... we're family, Nita. I always knew we were. I spent years looking for you, and somehow we walked into the same room. And there you were, just as beautiful as the day I left you. I should never have gotten on that plane." He tipped my face towards his, kissing me as gently as he had before. But this time his lips lingered on mine, communicating the desire he'd held inside for so long. He kissed me hungrily, searching my lips with an aching need. The desire took over my body, making that tiny pinprick of desire expand. Warmth spread through my thighs, tongues of fire leaping through me, making each cell in my body explode with need.
 

"I should have... I should have kept in touch with you. I should have done something. I don't know what I should have done."

"And right now, I should be goin' out to your couch while you get some sleep. That ankle's gotta heal before you do anything else." He cleared his throat and pulled away from me.

"Stay," I said simply. "Stay with me tonight, and we'll decide everything in the morning."
 

"Are you sure, Nita Lee?" He kissed me again, his lips sweet and tender. But I could sense the strength behind them.
 

"I'm sure," I said, pulling him to me. "My ankle doesn't even hurt that much when you're here with me." Even though I wasn’t sure, I knew there wasn’t any choice but to give in. We had both been waiting so long, and this is what we truly needed.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Nita? I know I've been doggin' you ever since I got here... but I don't want you to do nothin' you'll regret."

"I won't regret it. I've been waiting too. I don't know how we'll work it all out. But... I want to be with you too. At least right now."
 

I didn't know if we would be leaving together for Austin the next day. Hell, it seemed that I *couldn't leave my life in Los Angeles. But my entire body and brain felt like they might explode, leaving me in a thousand pieces, if I couldn't be with Billy Joe that very instant. My heart beat hard in my chest, sending fire through my veins.
 

He took me into his arms, gently pulling my body onto his lap. He crushed his lips against mine, hungrier and more insistent than he had been only a few minutes ago. The anxiety rushed through me. We'd left each other with broken hearts so long ago... And now we were rushing into this all again. But here we were. I was undone, completely helpless in his arms. He traced his fingers over the neckline of my dress, his fingertips brushing against the sensitive flesh of my breasts. He put his hands on each of my arms, lightly brushing against my skin.
 

"Anita Lee, the most beautiful woman I've ever known. Who knew you were holed up in California? You don't belong in this city. Yours is the kind of beauty that belongs in nature, the kind of body that needs to move in the sunshine and open fields." I laughed, shivering slightly as he moved his hands down to my waist and kissed me again.
 

"You're too much of a poet for your own good, Joe. What if I'm not the woman you knew? What if I've changed so much and lost so many of my dreams that I don't make you happy anymore?" A prickling heat rose behind my eyes. How could one moment make me feel so excited... so happy... and yet, so afraid?
 

"Ain't possible," he said, kissing my cheek and moving his lips down my neck. He spoke no more and moved his lips over the fabric of my dress, taking one nipple into his mouth through the gauzy fabric of my dress and bra. I gasped, holding him closer as he moved his mouth to the other breast. He teased my other nipple, and shocks of pleasure ran through my body, hitting every nerve ending in my body. It seemed then that I remembered what this man was capable of... how he made me become putty in his hands. Tenderly, he lifted my skirt up around my waist, taking hold of my hips and squeezing gently. "You're still perfect, and I'm gonna have you... just like when we were young. Hell, just seeing you makes me feel twenty-one all over again."

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words would come. Slowly, Billy Joe hooked his thumbs into the waistline of my panties, pulling them down to my knees with agonizing slowness. He grasped the lacy fabric and pulled them down to the floor, carefully pulling them over the clunky boot I'd gotten from the emergency room.

"You okay? I'll be careful of your... very sexy contraption right there." I laughed and nodded.

"I think it'll be just fine." Billy Joe kissed my lips and brought his hands to my legs, spreading them open for his touch. His fingertips traveled over my skin, exploring every inch of my thighs. I gasped as chills ran through my body. He spread my legs open further, and a rush of cool air hit my pussy, nearly making me rise from his lap with desire and anticipation. He chuckled, moving his fingers closer to the silken folds so that I could almost feel the heat of his skin.
 

"You always liked being teased, Nita. You still do?" I grinned and took his hand in mine, guiding his fingers to my clit. He groaned deeply, and I could feel him getting hard, his cock growing against the back of my thigh.
 

"I don't like being teased anymore. That's just one thing that's changed."

"I think I can live with that," he said, flicking his fingers over my clit. A burning ache filled my body, and I cried out, pushing his fingers inside of me. He thrust his fingers deeper inside, slow and steady. Throwing my head back, I dropped my hand away from his, my body going limp. Billy Joe pressed his thumb down against my clit, moving it in gentle circles as he continued to pump his fingers inside my pussy. My body shook with pleasure, focused on that place where he filled me. That place that had been empty for so long. He looked into my eyes, showing me the hunger he held inside. Gently, he lowered me down onto the bed and knelt before me. I groaned, knowing what was next. My body responded with the muscle memory that knew Billy Joe completely, and I moved to the edge of the bed, wrapping my good leg over his back. I sat up and pulled my dress off over my head, laughing as I threw it behind me. I felt Joe's hot breath against the flesh of my pussy, making me crazy with desire. Almost instinctively, I arched my back against the bed, my toes curling with a deep, aching need.
 

"I thought you didn't like to be teased," he said, his breath hot against my soft folds.
 

"I don't," I groaned, pulling myself closer to him. He kissed the tops of my thighs, moving lower and lower so that his stubble grazed my skin. Ripples of pleasure coursed through my body. "Please... come on," I sighed, my brain going blank with desire. Joe moved his hand back to the slick entrance, thrusting his fingers inside of me again. I pushed hard against him, nearly sending myself over the edge into oblivion. Without warning, he buried his face between my thighs, seeking out my clit with his tongue. He licked and sucked at the sensitive button. I cried out, my response involuntary and primal. I brought my hands to his hair again and pressed his face into me. Joe kissed my clit tenderly, his lips strong and sure. I arched my back, groaning in ecstasy, my body begging for more... begging for something even greater. I was heading straight for that climax that I'd dreamed of for the past eight years. Just as I was about to tip over that edge, Billy Joe pulled away.

"I want you to come... when I'm inside of you." I nodded silently, my body still teetering on that edge of explosion. The man I'd known as Billy Joe stood and unbuttoned his shirt, ripping it open so that the very last button popped off and skittered across the floor. He unzipped his jeans and stepped out of them, revealing the large bulge pressing against the fabric of his boxer briefs. He pulled his undershirt off over his head and stepped out of his boxers, fully naked before me... and just as beautiful as he had always been. The rippling muscles and hard body were just the same. His body hadn't caught up to his age quite yet. And for that I was grateful. I trembled in anticipation, sitting up more and still trying not to put pressure on my foot. I leaned toward him, taking his cock in my hand and stroking it gently. Again, my body seemed to remember him. I stroked him just as I had when we were younger, and he threw his head back, putting his hand over mine, gripping my fingers tightly. Joe's cock was rock hard, and I gripped it in my hand, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine. I rubbed my thumb over its head, and his hand loosened its grip, falling away. He moaned again, and I took the head of his cock into my mouth, listening to his sighs of pleasure. I swirled my tongue over the head, and he moaned, bucking his hips.

My body thrummed with longing. I savored each taste of his skin and each movement of his body, closing my eyes and going back to that time when we were young and carefree together. Billy Joe pulled away from my mouth just as his breath began to quicken, coming in short gasps that told me he was reaching his release as well. Slowly, gently, he bent down towards me, taking me into his arms. I looked into his beautiful blue eyes, noticing rings of yellow at the center of his irises. A deep flush rose in my body, and I pulled him towards me, sitting him down in the bed. I moved onto his lap again and reached around to unhook my bra. My breasts fell free, and he moved his hands to cup them, twirling each nipple between his thumbs and forefingers. I kissed him again, another rush of wetness coming to my pussy. I moved atop him, searching for his cock and gripping it, pressing it against the entrance to my pussy. He pressed himself against me, getting the head of his cock wet. I wrapped my legs around him, carefully avoiding putting pressure on my ankle.

"You okay, Anita? I'll be gentle..." His voice came out in a whisper.

"Don't be," I moaned, lowering myself onto his cock, letting it fill me completely. I sighed, moving against him and letting my body take over. My mind went blank, and I closed my eyes, beginning to ride him as he thrust against me from below. In one quick, smooth motion, he moved me onto the bed, lifting my unharmed leg and thrusting hard inside me. He used his position as leverage and thrust all the way inside of me again and again. He fell into a steady rhythm, making the pressure and need take me over.

"So sweet... just like I remembered," he said, falling against me and groaning into my ear. With each movement, he hit against my clit, sending me closer and closer to release. I moaned, arching my back again. My body trembled with the sensation, and the flames of desire licked up my thighs and into my core, surrounding the cock buried deep inside of me. The tension rose, and Joe rode me harder, sensing my need for release. My muscles tightened, each cell in my body full of the tingling pleasure that only this man could provide. My climax swept over me all at once, intense and soul-shattering. My legs shook, my toes clutching so hard that my foot began to throb again.