Wildcard (13 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Dressed in a comfy pair of old blue jeans, a jade-green t-shirt, Nikes, and a jacket to keep out the chill, Trace hurried from the ranch house toward the barn to meet up with Jess. She’d French-braided her hair to keep it out of her face and had kept her makeup light. After all, she was hoping he’d be kissing off all her lipstick anyway.

Flutters stirred in her belly in anticipation of seeing Jess. She shrugged the lunch bag higher on her shoulder and entered the dark recesses of the barn. The acrid smell of smoke left over from the fire still surprised her every time she entered the barn, reminding her that their little world wasn’t as safe as she’d always thought it to be. Things like that happened to other people, but since she’d been back at the ranch, she’d learned that over the past few months they’d been happening just a little too often to suit all the ranchers and other folks in the area.

As she walked past Imp’s stall, she caught the sound of Jess’s voice at the same moment she saw him ahead, standing next to Dancer’s stall. The mare was already saddled up, and Tequila, Jess’s sorrel mount, was right beside Dancer.

Trace’s pulse rate picked up and those flutters in her belly magnified. Lord, oh lord, he looked good wearing his black duster, black Stetson, jeans and boots. Dark and dangerous looking, that was her man.

“…be careful,” Jess was saying into a cell phone as she got closer. “Just stay back…” He caught sight of Trace as she drew closer. She saw a flicker of something in his eyes, and then he gave her a brief smile and a nod as he listened to whoever it was on the other end.

“Uh-huh,” he said into the phone, his gaze focused on Trace. “Gotta head on out,” he added and then took the phone away from his ear and punched it off before stuffing it into his duster pocket.

Trace wanted to ask who he’d been on the phone with, but she knew it was none of her business. Instead she placed her palms on her hips and gave him a teasing look. “Cowboys and cell phones…somehow that just seems
wrong.
”

With one finger, Jess beckoned to Trace to come closer. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong, sugar.” When she reached him, his eyelids lowered as he settled his hands at her waist and brought her hips flush with his. “Waking up in the morning without you in my bed where you belong… that’s a serious problem in my book.”

The lunch bag fell to the dirt floor of the barn as Trace sucked in her breath. She moved her palms to his chest, feeling the tenseness in his muscles through his denim shirt. “Well, Lawless, I think I know just how to solve that problem.”

Jess’s blue eyes flashed with sensual fire as he lowered his mouth to claim hers, and he sank his teeth into her lower lip. Trace moaned into his mouth, and then took him deep as he thrust his tongue inside. He tightened his grip on her, rubbing his erect cock against her belly at the same time.

Her pussy grew wet and her nipples ached as she tasted his unique flavor. His masculine smell, spicy aftershave, and the clean scent of soap wrapped around her. She couldn’t think…she could only feel as he kissed her absolutely senseless.

When Jess drew away, Trace was so dazed that she just stared up at him. He gave her that sexy grin of his that brought out the dimple in his cheek.

“Office,” she said. “You. Me.
Now
.”

He grinned down at her. “We’d do just that if Jake and Dee weren’t already in there. Doing office work, no doubt.”

With a sigh, Trace replied, “If it’s anything like our version of office work, they’ll be in there all day.”

Jess chuckled softly as he captured her mouth in another searing kiss. Trace was so hot for him that she was ready to take him in a stall and have her way with him, no matter that someone might come by.

Hot breath blew across her cheek and a soft muzzle nudged the two of them apart. Trace laughed and rubbed the nose of her black mare, Dancer. “You looking for some attention, old girl?”

“I don’t know about her, but I sure am.” Jess tweaked the end of Trace’s braid. “Let’s head on out. Maybe we’ll find ourselves someplace a little more private.”

The ride into the mountains behind the Flying M was a form of torture, Jess decided. While he rode Tequila, the slow and easy gait of the roan mare only added to his sexual discomfort. He swore he caught Trace’s peaches and cream scent over the smell of horses and piñon, and could hear her heartbeat over the creak of saddle leather and the sound of hooves against dirt and stone.

His lawman’s senses remained on high alert, always on the look out for danger. These mountains had been used for decades to smuggle not only drugs and other contraband, but illegal immigrants as well. He needed Trace to show him that cave, but he wasn’t taking a chance on anything happening to her. Could be this lead would turn out to be nothing, but he had to be sure.

While their horses traveled higher into the mountain, Jess rested his hands on the saddle pommel as he studied Trace. An Arizona December breeze stirred the tendrils of hair that had escaped her braid. Her cheeks were flushed and her jacket was open, and he could see her nipples poking against the t-shirt that matched the jade of her eyes… Eyes that were so full of passion it was all he could do not to stop the horses and take her now. Hell, if it wasn’t so chilly and she was wearing something a little less constraining, he’d have fucked her on horseback.

Jess’s cock throbbed against the tight denim of his jeans and he shifted in his saddle.

“Not much farther,” Trace said, answering his question before he asked it.

“Good thing.” He gave her a smoldering look. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll last before I have to have my hands on you.”

Her eyes widened and she ran her tongue along her lower lip. “I can’t wait to get my mouth on you.”

Jess clenched his reins in his fists. “All right. Your teasing’s gone far enough.”

Trace laughed. “Hold your horses, cowboy. It’s just around that piñon tree.”

“Wait a sec.” Jess reached out and grabbed Dancer’s halter and brought both horses to a stop. “Let me go on ahead and check it out first.”

“Why?” Trace gave him a puzzled look. “I’ve been there dozens of times. Dee and Jake still go there, too.”

“Things have changed.” Jess swung one leg over his mare and dismounted, his black duster swirling around his legs. “Never know what’s in these mountains these days.” With a firm look, he added, “Sit tight and stay with the horses. I’ll be right back.”

She frowned and folded her arms across her chest, but didn’t argue as Jess let Tequila’s reins drop to the ground. The mare was well trained and would wait for him until he returned or until he gave the piercing whistle that was Tequila’s signal to come at a gallop.

On silent booted feet, Jess moved through the trees until he came upon the secluded area surrounded by oak and piñon trees. From higher in the canyon a small stream tumbled over the rocks and down through a small ravine.

At first glance the place seemed empty. Bushes rustled to his right and in a flash he withdrew the gun from beneath his shirt, hidden at the small of his back. He trained the bead at the bush, but a second later a jackrabbit bolted out and sped across the clearing.

As far as he could tell, the area was secure. Now where the hell could that cave be—

The snap of a twig sounded behind him. Jess whirled, gun in his hand, only to point it directly at Trace.

Her face whitened at the sight of his firearm and he quickly lowered it and tucked it back under his black duster. “I told you to stay with the horses.”

Trace swallowed, a confusing range of emotions swirling through her. What the hell was going on here? “I—I knew there was no way you’d find the cave without me.”

His features were hard and his voice cut right through her. “It’s not a good idea to sneak up on a man like that.”

“I didn’t know you were carrying a gun.” She shifted her feet, feeling for all the world like she wanted to run but didn’t have any idea why she felt that way. “Why would you need to bring one?”

“Rattlesnakes.”

Trace frowned. “It’s winter.”

“There are a lot of different types of rattlesnakes out there.” He scrubbed his hand over his face and his tone softened. “Why don’t you show me that cave.”

“Okaaaaay.” She forced down the niggling of irritation as she skirted the clearing, not bothering to see if Jess was following her. For a big man he sure walked quietly. Pebbles and dirt crunched under her shoes, but she heard nothing from him. She was tempted to turn around to see that he was behind her, but she didn’t have to—she could
feel
his presence.

When she got to the back of the clearing, she started climbing up the boulders, higher into the canyon and to the right of the stream. Her jacket protected her arms as she shrugged by spindly trees and scrawny bushes on her way up the hidden path.

Flashes of memories came back to her, memories of watching Jake and Dee fuck down below. She’d had such a perfect view. It had turned her on, making her want to experience wild and exciting sex like those two had shared. Trace never had…until she met Jess.

Watching Trace’s pretty little ass as she climbed up the rocky incline was giving Jess a screaming hard-on. He kept close on her tail, but fell back a bit when she reached a ledge above the clearing. “Let me go in first,” he called to her, but in the next moment she vanished.

His gut clenched and he rushed ahead to reach the ledge in a few strides. At first glance he saw only another boulder that easily topped seven feet in height. But when he rounded the boulder, he was suddenly in the cave, and Trace was waiting for him with her arms folded across her chest.

With trained precision, he quickly scanned the cave and his eyes and senses told him it was clear as far as humans or animals were concerned. To his surprise it was big enough for him to stand up in, even with his Stetson on. The floor was littered with leaves and a coating of fine dirt, and cobwebs clung to the ceiling. No sign of recent occupation by bats, wildcats, or bears.

He walked to the back of the cave and saw that it wasn’t too deep and there wasn’t any more to it than met the eye. Jess’s muscles relaxed and he blew out his breath. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but whatever it was, it wasn’t here.

“Satisfied?” Trace asked from behind him. He turned to look and she had one eyebrow raised. “I’d say there’s more to you than you’ve let on.”

Jess closed the distance between them and caught her by the shoulders. “What if there is, Trace MacLeod?”

For one second she wished he wasn’t touching her, wasn’t so close. Her brain always seemed to go on standby when he was near, and her libido on overdrive.

The hell with it.

Trace threw her arms around his neck and pulled him to her. Jess groaned as she bit at his lip, her hunger for him driving her on in a flurry of touching, sensation, and feeling. He pushed open her jacket and shoved up her shirt and then his big palms found her naked breasts beneath. Trace’s hands reached under his duster for his shirt and she ripped the snaps apart with one tug. While he fondled her nipples, she went for his belt buckle. Their mouths never parted, their kiss wild and frantic as she undid his belt and zipped down his pants.

She tore away from him, her breathing so ragged that for a moment she was afraid she’d hyperventilate. “I want you in my mouth, Jess.”

“Whoa, sugar,” he murmured as she dropped to her knees on the dirt covered floor and pulled out his cock. “I need to—” he started, but then sucked in his breath as she went down on him.

His hand clenched her braid as she slid him in all the way to the back of her throat. She stroked him in time with the movements of her head, her hand sliding down to the tight curls at the base of his cock and up to the thick tip. His masculine scent exhilarated her, made her anxious to please him, to taste him.

“That’s good…so fucking good.” Jess’s hand gripped her hair tighter, moving her more forcefully along his cock. She loved how she made him want her so badly he became even more masterful, more demanding, yet giving her everything at the same time.

Her shirt was still pushed up above her breasts and the cave’s cool air brushed her nipples and caused them to ache beyond the point of pain. She brought her free hand to first one nipple, then the other, pinching and rolling each between her thumb and forefinger as she sucked and stroked his cock.

Jess groaned out loud, the sensation of Trace’s mouth and hand on him sending all rational thought straight out of his head. And all irrational thought straight down to his other head. The feel of her hot, wet mouth sliding up and down his cock, that soft purring sound she made when she was turned on, the way she watched him as she sucked, and the way she tugged at each of her dark nipples in her excitement…
damn.

“I’m gonna come,” he said as he watched himself thrust in and out of her mouth. “Do you want to swallow?”

Trace purred and sucked even harder on his cock. He choked back a cry as his hips bucked against her face and his semen shot down her throat. She kept on working him ‘til he had to grab her head with both hands and say, “Hold on.”

With a satisfied smile, she allowed his spent member to slide out of her mouth and slowly licked her lips. “Mmmmm,” she murmured. “We’ll definitely have to do that again.”

From zero to fully functional, Jess’s cock shot back to attention. He gestured with one hand for her to stand up. The moment she was to her feet, he helped her pull off her jacket and yank her t-shirt over her head, tossing them both to the cave floor.

“Yeah, that’s more like it,” he said. “Now kick off your shoes.”

No questions asked, Trace obeyed. Her eyes and her face, though, were fevered with her excitement, her eagerness for him.

He yanked down her jeans and she stepped out of them in a hurry, leaving her in only her socks and nothing else. She looked so beautiful with her jade eyes almost black with passion, her strawberry blonde hair sticking out of the braid, her nipples dark and swollen, and her tempting slit just waiting for him.