THE RENEGADE RANCHER (11 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Staring at Brian’s lips made Lindsey want to devour him like fresh water after hours in the surf. Tasting him? Wow. Just wow.

He sipped her like hot chocolate on the beach in front of a bonfire. She could hear the surf pounding between her ears, building. The crescendo had never felt so welcome or right.

Making love to Brian here, in a strange house owned by a man she’d never met, was a little more than crazy. But she kissed him back. Long and hard and enthusiastically.

They only made it a few steps away from the table. Her arms risked a journey to his back, pulling his work-hardened body closer. Anticipation pulsed through her with every gulping breath. She wanted to get the feel of cotton from under her fingers and leave nothing between them.

Kissing Brian took her to the top of the highest wave she’d ever ridden. She should rethink, slow them down. But just like being at the top of that magical crest, it was too late to turn back. The hard ridge against his zipper left no doubt where he thought they were headed.

He ran his tongue down her throat, nipping sensitive places along the way—places she had no idea existed. It was as if they’d never been discovered before. She clamped her eyes shut as all the blood rushed from her brain and her knees.

Lindsey hadn’t thought about the way she’d dressed until Brian’s hands slipped higher under her shirt, brushing skin and nothing else. Her hands rose and slowed his advancing fingers. When she’d left the shower, she hadn’t allowed herself to imagine being this close to Brian. She’d been ready to get started on their manhunt, not curl up next to him. When she lifted the pressure from his hands he’d find out just how ready she’d become. But he knew that. She could see it in the smoldering embers of his eyes.

Lindsey tugged the soft, worn shirt over her head and her damp hair swished against her blistering skin. Her arms came down on top of his shoulders. Before she could discover the sinewy lines of his muscles, his mouth captured one nipple while his fingers circled the other.

The instant his calloused palm brushed her, she wanted to scream for more. There was no way to stop the reaction building inside. She wanted to torture him by running her nails across his tanned muscles and teasing him into mindless oblivion.

Somewhere in her brain, some neurons fired a warning. Where they were exploring was dangerous waters. She’d never been the type to venture too deep without her surfboard. Even though she knew it could only end in disaster, she wanted him beyond reason.

A relationship with Brian would be like a tourist on a bodyboard preventing real surfers from enjoying the waves. Or worse, pearl diving off the front of her board on takeoff. Why would she set herself up for failure? She knew nothing about family, roots, ranches or animals. Her life had been waves, sand and sunsets.

Unfamiliar thoughts floated through her mind, mixing with the sexy essence of who Brian was. Someone she’d been attracted to from the first time she’d noticed him. It was one of the reasons she’d remembered him so clearly from the coffee shop. There was something familiar, something comfortable and something so sexy she couldn’t think straight half the time she looked at him.

Her fingers reached for his belt buckle, big and all cowboyish. His mouth nipped her breast, causing a hitch in her breathing. She was used to drawstring swim trunks and baggy jeans, but she’d noticed Brian’s tight jeans once or twice. Maybe three or four times if she was forced to admit the truth.

The way they hugged his thighs and backside. Just thinking about him made a shiver travel the length of her body. She had her fingers on his zipper when he twirled her around and wrapped his arms tight—one covered her breasts, the other kept her waist close to his rigid body.

“Are you sure you want to go there?” he whispered in her ear. His breath shot all sorts of tingles down her spine. “Once we reach the bedroom, I’m not sure I can turn back.”

“Yes and yes again.” The words were spoken without a thought to any of the concerns she’d had seconds ago. Her body was already humming for release. “Don’t you want—”

“Definitely.” His voice was deep, husky, sexy. He nipped on her neck to the soft flesh of her shoulder. The evidence of just how much he wanted to continue pressed against her as she squirmed in delight. His hands wandered over her aching flesh. “Walk.”

“How can I when you’re... Oh, my.”

His fingertips dipped under the elastic of her shorts. Teasing her before pulling back. He swung her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom, dropping her on the bed.

“If we don’t get naked fast, I’m going to make love to you with my boots on.”

They laughed together, kissing and tugging at his clothes. He ripped his shirt off over his head, baring his strong shoulders, revealing a smattering of chest hair that made him even more sexy.

As much as she adored her cowboy/paramedic, she wanted to see all of him. She tugged at his jeans, lifting one leg into the air, reaching for his boot. He lost his balance and toppled next to her on the bed.

Brian smiled the most genuine grin she’d seen, lying nose to nose next to her. One of those moments she’d dreamed about imitating from a book or movie. A moment where grins and laughter turn into a monumental life-changing instant. Maybe the thought changed her expression, but in an instant, Brian’s changed.

He reached out and cupped her cheek, turning to his side, close enough and suddenly so serious she wanted to remember every detail. This time was different. She felt it. Knew it.

At this exact moment in time...this was exactly where she was supposed to be. With this man who looked at her as though she was the only woman who could ever make him smile like that.

Later, she may get mad at herself for being irresponsible. But she had such a strong desire to be the only woman who would be in this position with him again. And that scared the daylights out of her.

Brian watched the laughter leave Lindsey’s beautiful face. He almost jumped off the bed to save her the embarrassing trouble of talking her way out of his arms and back into her clothes. Then her lips parted, waiting for his kiss.

There was no mistaking the longing. He felt it in the depths of his soul.

Playfulness was replaced with frenzied touching and heavy caresses. They rolled, scooted, shifted to the middle of the king-size bed. Overkill for the room, but he didn’t care and wasn’t analyzing why Mac didn’t want more than a bed in the bedroom.

He cupped a set of perfect breasts, dragging his thumbs across each, causing the perfect rose-colored peaks to tease him more. Lindsey tugged at his belt, not realizing the tip of her tongue was squeezed between her lips and driving him insane. She unbuttoned the top of his fly and he couldn’t resist. He devoured every inch of her skin, shoving the short shorts down her hips as he discovered all her contours and secrets. He still couldn’t believe she was his.

For one night or a single moment.

“You still have your boots on.” She sighed, arching her back as his hand continued exploring.

Fortunately, he could toe his boots off and did so without much difficulty. His jeans were a different story. He might get them off if he stood, but there was no way he’d stop the passion that was building inside of Lindsey. And then there was the problem of preparedness. He hadn’t exactly been thinking of casual sex, since he’d spent all his free time following Lindsey during the past two months.

So his pants would stay zipped and they’d be safe. But there was no reason Lindsey couldn’t have some fun. He could see her getting closer and closer to fulfillment. She tipped her head back, surrounded by a halo of hair. Her body arched into his hand and relaxed, finally opening the eyes he loved to look into.

“I don’t think this is at all fair.” She paused, gesturing to his jeans. “You still have clothes on.”

“And they’re staying there.” No condom. No sex.

“What?” Realization washed over her face. “Oh. I saw...” She shivered under his hand again and drew in a deep breath. “He has them on his...in his bathroom.”

“Lindsey, we can’t do—”

She sprung from the bed. “Get out of those jeans. No socks either.” She ran from the room.

He didn’t waste any time. He stood, stripped his jeans, boxers and socks and by the time he’d stopped dancing on one foot, she was waltzing back into the room, tearing a small package.

One look at him and she stopped in her tracks, taking a long stare at his splendid physique. A lesser man might have been intimidated. Hell, he might have been if she’d stayed in the doorway too much longer. When she leaped on him, he fell backward onto a soft mattress and he stopped wondering about everything.

With a hand on either side of his shoulders, Lindsey lifted herself open for a fun attack. He dropped light kisses across her clavicle, finding her pulse strong and rapid at the base of her throat. He skimmed his chin stubble across her smooth flesh, causing her to sit up.

She lightly raked her nails from his shoulder to his hip. He sucked air through his teeth as she shifted on his lap and rolled the condom into place. Brian ran his hands around her thighs to her bottom. He pulled her hips closer, using himself to excite her until she dropped her chest to his, catching her breath.

Panting, she took his face in her hands and kissed him deep and long. Her hair dropped around them and he splayed his fingers through the golden mass. It fell around their kiss, forming a small cocoon.

Shutting out the world.

He searched her sky-blue eyes, close enough to see the darker flecks and count the freckles adorning the tip of her nose. He wanted to believe he had an emotional handle on this ride.

If he was honest, he was barely hanging on to the words he wanted to say. He knew what type of person Lindsey was on paper. He knew what he thought she was like from what he’d seen in the past twenty-four hours. He just needed time.

Time to discover if she could feel the same way. Even if she couldn’t, he’d fallen long and hard. He really hoped Lindsey wouldn’t mind keeping a piece of his heart tucked somewhere safe.

Stopping his teasing, he flipped her onto her back and slid inside. They moved together, their bodies hitting a rhythm age-old but unique only to them. Sweet, tender, hard and sexy until she cried out and it echoed through the house. He followed with a sweet release he wanted to repeat. They kissed, sated and smiling. He rolled to lie by Lindsey’s side, the breeze from the ceiling fan cooling the fine sheen of sweat making love to her had created.

Simply dragging her nails lightly back and forth across his abs created another burn that wouldn’t be doused easily.

No more debate why Mac had gone with the large bed.

Chapter Seventeen

Lindsey was totally and completely exhausted. Brian was a marathon champion lover. Their schedule was completely off. She hadn’t had four hours of straight sleep since leaving his ranch. They’d drift off, touch in the middle of the ginormous bed and wouldn’t be able to stop the nuclear blast until they were both on their backs breathing hard to recover.

Exhausting, but wonderful. She’d never imagined spending every waking—and sleeping—moment with a man would be this rewarding.

“You know, we’re going to have to trek back into the real world sometime soon.” She pointed to the empty box of condoms that needed to be replaced. “The last two are on the nightstand.”

“We’ve spent two days in bed. Searching, talking and—” he kissed her shoulder “—other things. It’s time to make some decisions, Lindsey. We’re even out of frozen food.”

“I could always make a run to the store. I doubt anyone would recognize me and I hardly think you want to give delivery boys directions, as if anyone would deliver out here in the middle of nowhere to begin with.” She popped the laptop open and read Jeremy’s notes on the real estate book. It was what she’d been doing when Brian had awakened and a simple kiss had led to a delectable round of lovemaking. But she was determined to find the reason Jeremy had been looking into the sale of mineral rights. It had to be a clue.

“You’ve been at that memory stick for two days. Making any headway?” He quirked his brows together, causing his crooked stiches to wrinkle. He was propped against the headboard, finishing off the orange juice they’d mixed up from frozen concentrate. “Mac’s going to need his place back soon. We should probably think about our next move.”

“I think we’re close.” She focused on the screen, hiding Brian’s rippling muscles behind the lid. His simple movements made her want to close the laptop and continue hiding with him here in the cabin. No. They had to finish at least one conversation and make progress.

“You said that yesterday,” Brian said from his side of the bed, swinging his legs over the edge and sitting.

“Well, it’s true.” She closed the lid and set the laptop aside, trying not to let her frustration show. “If we don’t come up with something, then where do we stand? What do we do then?”

“Leave?” He stretched as he stood.

“The murderer is still out there and determined to kill me, Brian. Or kill the both of us now. You’re the one who convinced me that running wasn’t an option.” She tossed the large pillows against the wall, then flipped the silky sheet aside. “Who’ll run the ranch if you leave?”

This particular conversation would chase him from the room and she was going to follow him this time.

“Same people Dad sells it to next month.”

They’d talked every minute they weren’t making love or sleeping. She knew all about the ranch’s financial problems and a little about how the town had treated him over the past twelve years. “Stop being a jerk. You told me you don’t want him to sell.”

She admired him for sticking it out, continuing to live there and help his dad. She even knew how Alicia had finally made him fight his twin so they’d start talking again. What he wouldn’t admit was how much he loved working with horses. But she could tell. It was his life, his passion.

When he spoke about training a spirited animal, his face lit up. And she’d learned quickly if she wanted him excited to ask about how he’d improve or how to get a stronger breed. Then she’d watch the disappointment drain his energy when he remembered it was just a pipe dream.

“The bank will never give me a loan.”

She rounded the bed and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. “You don’t know that, Brian. You haven’t applied.”

“I asked you to drop this subject the last time you brought it up, Lindsey.” With the tip of his finger he drew a design on her skin, down her back, then back up, getting closer to her breast with each pass.

“Don’t change the subject this time. This is important to you. Running away isn’t a possibility.”

“It may be necessary for you to stay alive. Are you saying you’d rather do it alone?”

“I’m not admitting defeat yet. I still want to find this guy.” She lifted her face toward his, seeking a kiss.

He kissed her into silence and she let him. She was still tingling in all the right places from waking up in his arms. The desire to change his plan of attack and avoid this conversation just wasn’t strong enough.

Making love to Brian Sloane was a pleasure she didn’t want to give up.

* * *

B
RIAN
STOOD
NAKED
,
drinking directly out of the carton of milk. The only light slicing through the darkness was from the open fridge door. It was a small pleasure, but one he’d enjoyed many times over the past two days.

“Tell me again why standing there like that makes you happy?” Lindsey had slipped into one of his T-shirts. The shirttail hit her low enough to make his wandering eye curious to see more—even when he’d seen more many times.

“It’s simple. Because I can.” He tipped the remainder of milk into his mouth, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I never get to do this. I live with too many people to walk aroun
d ‘nekid as a jaybird.’”

Her arm circled his waist as she leaned past him for a bottle of water. Her soft breasts molded to him before she eased back to stand next to the counter. She crossed her arms and could barely drink through her smile.

“What’s going on?”

“I think I’ve found it.”

“A connection? Are you kidding?” He wanted to grab her around the waist and twirl her in celebration before she said anything else. Before they could discuss it further and realize there wasn’t a connection at all.

But if he touched her, they’d end up back in bed. Two days of making love to her hadn’t quieted the need even a little. So he stood here with a hand on his hip and an empty milk jug in the other.

“I wanted to know when Jeremy got curious about real estate, so I checked the actual downloads on his laptop. And that stupid memory stick that didn’t have anything listed, but said it was full? I finally thought of the password to open the hidden files, and there are a ton of them. Copies of research and references to emails. An email that occurred after a string of conversations regarding mineral rights that weren’t transferred with the sale of property about twenty years ago. The current property owner wanted to know if Jeremy would be interested in selling.”

“Was he?”

“Jeremy didn’t own them. They thought he was part of the corporation that does.”

“How does this connect to a man trying to kill your family?” Brian searched the fridge for something to take his mind off the long and very sexy legs in front of him. If he attacked her right now in the middle of her discovery, he might not hear the end of it.

“The rights are worth a lot of money now. Jeremy was trying to determine which family member sold them to the corporation. He couldn’t find any records.”

“So you think the guy he was emailing decided to kill him?” He leaned an elbow on the top of the door.

“We could go see.”

“Right. Just ring the doorbell and ask if this guy is trying to exterminate the Cook family?”

“Of course not. I haven’t thought of everything.” She smiled, taunting him by crossing her arms under her braless breasts and showing him the bottom half of her derriere as she spun around. “But I did think of something to pass the time until we have to leave.”

It hit him. Just like that, he didn’t want to leave. Didn’t want her in danger. He tried to hold his finger off the panic button, but it wasn’t working. He wanted her safe, wanted to turn the evidence over to the police and keep her hidden somewhere. He wanted to tell her he loved her.

Just like that. In an instant, he knew.

“Lindsey?” He took a step, spun her into his arms and let the fridge door shut. His eyes adjusted as he stared into hers, wanting to tell her. He couldn’t wrap his mind around saying the three little words aloud. He’d never done it. Never expected that he ever would.

“What’s the matter? You said we needed a game plan. The lady lives straight up Interstate 35.”

“I wanted to...” After. He should tell her later. Somewhere romantic. Not naked as the day he was born in a kitchen. “Never mind. You said a woman?”

“I searched the map for her address. One of her emails said she divorced a second cousin of ours years ago. But his name is on your list of accidents.”

“We should probably talk to her.”

“You don’t sound very excited.”

Should he be? “I guess I didn’t expect you to find anything.”

“I would have found it sooner if I hadn’t been so distracted by other things.” She smiled, hiding a glance at his body.

“So there wasn’t anything wrong with the...um...memory stick.”

“Nothing that I found. Oh.” The double entendre hit her and she blushed from head to toe.

“You surprised me, Lindsey.” He reached out, trying to bring her into his arms.

“Wait. I thought you believed I could do this all along. If you didn’t, then why did you take up for me in front of your brother? Was it just to score points or to get him out of the way?” She jerked her injured arm free from his hand. “Why did you bring me here?”

“There’s a guy trying to kill you and—”

“And I was your alibi in case you couldn’t avoid the police.”

“No. I’ve been trying to help you.”

“Right. And now that I have a real lead you don’t want to.” Lindsey tiptoed backward, facing him like a cornered she-cat, claws extended and ready to pounce to protect herself.

“A lead to what? Jeremy might have been helping a friend. Have you read all his emails?”

“I think you’re wrong.” She shook her head back and forth. “You have to be wrong. Doris Davis was married to one of our cousins and had nothing to do with Jeremy.”

“Then why isn’t she dead, too?”

Lindsey ran into the bathroom, slammed the door and turned the lock. He leaned against the door, wondering if he needed to coax his way inside. He heard a few words he assumed were surfer slang. Words like
feeling maytagged
and
launched from the nose of her board.
Stuff from a different world that he didn’t understand. The shower started and then he heard tears. What did he know about those?

How could he apologize for making her cry? He didn’t know what to apologize for, let alone understand half of the conversation that had just taken place in the kitchen.

He could be a jerk and ignore it. Pretend he didn’t hear her crying. Repeating the conversation in his head, he could see that Lindsey might have been excited about her clue. It had just taken him by surprise.
So tell her!

He knocked.

“Lindsey?”

“Go away. I don’t need your help.”

“Come on, now. Whatever you think you heard, I didn’t mean it.”

“Think I heard?”

The door flew open. His blue-eyed beauty was covered in soap bubbles—not far from what he’d imagined the first night here. The fire in her blood turned her eyes a deep sea blue. He hadn’t seen them close to that color before.

One hand was on her perfect hip and the other on the door until she started wagging a finger at him. “What do you mean, think I heard? Because I know what tone I heard in your voice and I know what we’ve done for the past two days.”

“I didn’t bring you here to stay in bed.”

“But we did. You didn’t do anything to try to find the family connection to the murderer.” She pushed his chest with her finger, slipping a little on the tiled floor.

He reached to steady her. She was as slippery as a newborn colt that didn’t want to be handled. “You took me by surprise. That’s all.”

He’d been prepared for another round in bed, not a revelation that she’d found a connection that would put her in the murderer’s path again.

“I think you wanted me to fail so you wouldn’t have to help me. We could wait it out here until your brother’s friends figured everything out and the police caught the guy.”

“What’s wrong with laying low and allowing someone with experience to help? It’s better than spending the time in jail.”

“You want to know what else I think? I think you
want
to run away from home. Away from all the problems you’ve been facing. Maybe someplace where you can be
nekid as a jaybird.
” She impersonated his heavy Southern accent perfectly.

“If I’m such a jerk, maybe you shouldn’t have anything to do with me.” He released her and she skidded across the floor, catching herself before she fell.

“I don’t think—”

“Wait. You got your turn to talk. Now it’s mine.” He didn’t really want to say anything at all. But he didn’t want to hear an explanation from her either. He’d claimed it was his turn and she was waiting on him. “I knocked on this door to apologize. For what, I didn’t know, but I was going to do it. We just met and I get that. I understand where you might get the impression I wasn’t enthusiastic about tracking a murderer. Go figure. I’m not thrilled about being a murder suspect—in your murder, no less. But you should probably rein it in a little before assuming you know what makes me tick. You don’t have a damn clue.”

He left her near the side of the tub, her eyebrows drawn together in confusion, but he didn’t care. He didn’t really know Lindsey Cook. He knew the woman he’d created in his head.

He was used to people assuming they knew what type of person he was. Used to people assuming the worst. Used to— He swallowed hard, pulling on his jeans. He was used to being alone.