Casey’s gaze flicked to his features when he came to a stop directly in front of her. She could tell by the way his hands were balled into fists at his side that he was fighting the urge to take her in his arms. So she decided to make it easy on him and take him into hers.
She reached up, cupped his face with her hands and on tip-toe, leaned forward, intent on giving him something to think about while he was away. First she readied his lips with a couple of quick swipes of her tongue, ignoring his sharp intake of breath with each stroke.
She decided this was her kiss and she would go slow, be gentle and savor every moment. Working more on instinct than experience, she brushed her fingertips against his jaw and on a deep sigh, his mouth opened and she inserted her tongue and began lapping him up like he was the tastiest morsel she’d ever devoured. And when his tongue joined hers, something that mirrored a quake caused her insides to rumble with a need she felt only while in his arms. She felt herself drowning and quickly grabbed hold of his shoulders to keep from falling.
She released his mouth when she heard one of the horses, either his or hers, make a sound. She rested her forehead against McKinnon’s as they both tried to regain their breath.
Moments later, McKinnon stepped back and she watched as he rubbed a hand across his eyes and down his face. Then he muttered something that sounded a lot like “damn” before waking away. She watched as he remounted Thunder and then rode off like the sheriff’s posse was after him.
* * *
“You okay, Casey?” Savannah asked later that afternoon while the two of them were sitting outside on the porch, enjoying the view of the mountains. Durango was inside watching a basketball game on television.
Casey glanced over at Savannah who had cooked chicken and dumplings, a Westmoreland recipe she had weaseled from Chase Westmoreland, the cook in the family. Chase and his wife owned a soul-food restaurant in Atlanta. And it just so happened that Chase’s wife, Jessica, was Savannah’s sister. To say the least, the meal had been delicious.
And speaking of delicious…her thoughts shifted to McKinnon. He was probably back at the ranch packing to leave in the morning. She wondered if he was still thinking about the kiss they’d shared earlier that day as she was.
“Casey?”
Casey sighed. “Yes, I’m okay. I was thinking about something.”
Savannah glanced over at her and smiled. “Something or someone?”
Casey smiled. It was definitely someone. McKinnon Quinn had a knack for kissing her crazy one minute, then putting distance between them the next. “I just don’t get it,” she said softly.
“Get what?”
Casey’s gaze flicked to Savannah. “Why would a man who acts like he enjoys kissing me one minute put distance between us the next? As if he regretted what he’s done?”
Savannah chuckled. “Sounds like he’s afraid of getting in too deep. Do you have a problem with him kissing you?”
“Yes. No. I—I don’t know,” Casey muttered, clearly frustrated. “But our kisses don’t mean anything.”
“And what makes you think that?”
Casey rolled her eyes. “Trust me, they’re just kisses. If they meant something, he wouldn’t regret doing it the next day.”
Savannah nodded. “McKinnon evidently wants you but is working hard to apply the brakes. I’m wondering how long he can hold out on not having you.”
Casey shrugged. “I can’t be worried about something like that.”
Savannah gave a ladylike snort. “Casey Westmoreland, aren’t you the least bit interested to know why he’s afraid to get into a serious relationship?”
“I’m not as naive as you might think, Savannah. I have two brothers, remember, so I know why some men prefer not getting into serious relationships. It’s called commitment phobia. McKinnon is full of testosterone with a capital T. And like Clint and Cole, I’m sure he accepts the concepts of sex and intimacy as a way of life. I used to watch how my brothers would operate, changing women as often as they changed their shirts. I was the one whose head was filled with romantic illusions of forever love and till death do you part.”
“But still, if a man showed interest in me one day then tried acting like I didn’t exist the next, I’d like to know why,” Savannah said. “That way I’d know how to handle him.”
* * *
While driving home from Durango and Savannah’s home Casey inwardly admitted that Savannah had raised a pretty good question. Why was McKinnon putting brakes on anything developing between them?
There was only so much kissing a couple could do before kissing turned into cuddling, stroking, getting naked…and then what? Did he think they could continue to kiss without ever wanting to take things further? Already whenever he took her into his arms she felt emotions she hadn’t experienced before. Her body would get hot and bothered like it had recognized it’s mate—as if that in itself wasn’t the craziest thing.
Or was it?
Her chest heaved at the possibility and heat was spreading to all parts of her body. Could McKinnon be her true mate? Her mother always claimed that a woman would know the man that was meant for her. And although her mother had filled her mind with lies about her and Corey, all Casey had to do was look around to know true love did exist for some people—like Durango and Savannah, her father and Abby, and McKinnon’s parents, to name a few. Then there were all those Westmorelands who were happily married.
She was determined when she saw McKinnon again that she would get some answers. If he was playing a game with her then he would find that she was a worthy opponent. She wasn’t all that experienced when it came to man-woman stuff, but she was not a woman to take lightly.
* * *
McKinnon glanced out his bedroom window the moment he heard Casey returning. He took advantage of his position near the window to study her unobserved. It was dark, but the flood lights around his home provided enough lightning to clearly see her.
She was wearing a pair of jeans with a V-neck green blouse. She had on what appeared to be a pair of sturdy boots and her short hair seemed tousled or windblown, giving one the impression she had just gotten out some man’s bed or had driven home with the car window down. He wanted to lay blame on the latter and not the former. The thought of her in any man’s bed beside his was a very disturbing one.
When she went inside the cottage and closed the door, he moved away from the window, wondering how he could feel so possessive toward a woman that wasn’t even his and could never be. Any man who knew his situation would have the common sense and the decency to leave her alone. In fact, any man with a lick of sense would not have kissed her in the first place, let alone kiss her a few more times after that. He knew the score.
He also knew he wanted her.
There was no rhyme or reason as to why he felt the way he did considering everything. But he would give anything to take her into his arms one last time and brand her his, even if it was only for a minute, an hour…a night. He had found out the hard way that when it came to Casey, kissing her would not be enough. She was able to arouse a desire in him so strong and potent that it didn’t take much to make his body hard with one hell of a relentless throb.
Like it was doing now.
He inwardly swore as he slammed his luggage shut. He wanted to feel the hardness of her nipples pressed against his chest. He wanted to fit her body to his, position her as close as she could get to relieve his ache, stop the throbbing. He wanted to kiss her again, slide his tongue into her mouth, devour her, savor every stroke as he feasted on her taste…or let her control things the way she’d done earlier that day by the stream. As inexperienced as she was, her technique had been flawless and had his loins blazing to the point the fire was still burning now. He had this connection to Casey that he just couldn’t shake. A man with a whole lot of sense wouldn’t act on it but around her he seemed to be senseless.
Even now he could picture her getting ready for bed, taking a shower, letting the water stream over
her naked body. More than anything he wanted to be in that shower with her, take her against the tile wall, hear her call his name the moment he made her come.
Warning bells went off in his head, reminding him of the reason there could never be anything serious between them, but he dismissed the reason with a low, husky growl as he made his way out of his bedroom toward the back door. At the moment he was too far gone to even think straight.
* * *
Casey heard the loud knock on her door the moment she stepped out of the bedroom. She tightened the sash of her robe as she crossed the room, wondering if anything had happened to Prince Charming.
She glanced out the peephole and saw it was McKinnon and quickly unlocked the door and opened it. “What happened?”
“Nothing happened.”
Casey met his gaze, saw the unmistakable intensity of an aroused man in his eyes—a man who fully intended to get stimulated even further. She couldn’t decide if she should snatch him inside and have her way with him, or run for cover. She quickly recalled her talk with Savannah, and even more recent, the talk she’d had with herself while driving home. She swallowed hard, fighting the desire and the urge to give this man any and everything he wanted. She had to stand her ground and not make things easy for him. Well, not too easy.
She tilted her head back and tried not to focus on that look in his eyes. “Then, why are you here, McKinnon?” She couldn’t be more direct than that, she thought.
McKinnon stared at her. She was as he’d thought, still damp in some places from her shower and ready for bed. He reached out and caught her hand in his before she realized what he was about to do. He felt the shiver that passed through her, heard her sharp intake of breath. “I’m here because I’m leaving in the morning and I wanted to kiss you goodbye before I left.”
“Why? So you can have a reason to ignore me when you get back on Saturday?”
Her words were sharp and sliced right through him. She had taken his behavior after every kiss as a rejection of her, but he’d only been trying to preserve his sanity by not starting something with her that he’d known he couldn’t finish. He had seen putting distance between them as the only answer. Where he saw it as a positive, she’d taken it as a negative. But now he was past the point of trying to be noble. There was an air of intimacy surrounding them and they were both breathing it, being consumed by it, nearly drowning in it.
“No, that’s not the reason why. I want to kiss you so I can carry the taste of you with me.”
She inhaled sharply, thinking he knew exactly what to say to make her come unglued. When the warmth of his fingers closed around hers, she knew she was loosing the battle. But she refused to give in until she had the answers she sought. “Why? Why did you stay away after each time we kissed, McKinnon?” she asked softly.
He stared at her for a second and knew he had to be honest with her, as much as he could. “I didn’t see it as staying away from you, Casey. I saw it as distancing myself from temptation. It was either that or make an attempt to take you to bed every time I was around you. I wanted you just that much.”
“And you saw that as a bad thing?” she asked, needing to understand.
“I damn sure don’t see it as a good thing. You’re Corey’s daughter, Durango’s cousin. To me the Westmorelands are like family. I can’t see starting something with you that would lead nowhere. I doubt any of them would appreciate it if I did.”
“And you’re sure it would have led nowhere?” she asked quietly.
“Yes. I don’t intend to ever get serious about a woman. Marriage is not in my future.”
“May I ask why?”
“No. That’s one topic that’s not up for discussion. Just take my word that it’s not and let’s leave it at that.”
His words were a sure sign that some woman had hurt him. Was that the reason he was still bitter and hell bent on not giving his love to someone else? “So, why are you here, McKinnon? I’m still Corey’s daughter and Durango’s cousin, and you’re still not looking for anything permanent in your life.”
He released her hand to lean in the doorway and took a moment to let his gaze rake over her from the top of her head to the toes of her bare feet. She looked sexy in her short silk black robe. “Because,” he said softly, meeting her gaze again. “In addition to being Corey’s daughter and Durango’s cousin, I can no longer deny that you’re also a very desirable woman.”
He reached out and placed a knuckle beneath her chin, forcing their eyes to meet when he added, “And a woman I want in my bed.”
The huskily spoken words sent more shivers through her body, made the nipples of her breasts press tight against her robe and made heat stream down her stomach to settle between her legs. “And you made that decision, just like that?”
“No,” he said easily. “It took me almost three weeks and only after you took the initiative and kissed me earlier today, making me realize and accept that you’re a woman with needs as well.”
Casey wondered what he would think if he knew that he was the one defining those needs, because the “needs” he was referring to had never been awaken until now. Not only had they been awaken, they were stirring to life and seemed to have a mind of their own. She nervously nibbled her lips.
“Wouldn’t you rather nibble my lips?”
Casey swallowed against a massive lump in her throat. His question had her imagining such a thing taking place. She was suddenly aware that she was losing ground with him. He had a way of stirring up her emotions and her passion. She drew in a shaky breath and took a step back He followed, closing the door behind him.
He stood tall, broad-shouldered. His muscular chest was covered in a tan shirt that seemed to highlight his golden-brown skin. His mane of hair flowed around his shoulders and the dark eyes staring at her had an intensity that nearly took her breath away. McKinnon Quinn was definitely any woman’s fantasy.
Before she could take another step he reached out and snagged her arm, bringing her closer to him. “When I said I wanted to take your taste with me, I meant it.”
Then McKinnon leaned down and captured her mouth with his, swallowing her sigh of pleasure in the process. With the sound, a fission of heated desire flowed through his veins and he intensified the mating of their mouths, erasing the physical distance they had endured the past weeks, as well as the one they would encounter over the next three days. He devoured her mouth like a hungry man who needed the taste of her as much as he needed to breathe, and when he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her luscious curves closer to the fit of him, he pressed against her, wanting her to feel just how much he needed her, wanted her.
She reciprocated, as if wanting him to know the same by slipping her arms around his waist as he continued to feast on her mouth. The taste of him always amazed her. He had the scent of man but the taste of sweet chocolate.
She felt herself being lifted into his arms but instead of taking her into the bedroom as she assumed he would do, he carried her over to the sofa and gently placed her there. He stood back and looked down at her. She looked back at him, seeing the thick bulge behind the zipper of his jeans as well as the dark look in his eyes.
He slowly eased down on his knees in front of her and leaned over and opened her robe to discover she wasn’t wearing anything except her panties. His gaze met hers just seconds before he lowered his head to capture a nipple into his mouth, feasting on it with as much intensity as he had with her mouth earlier. Each pull on her nipples sent a sensuous tug through her abdomen and heat escalating in her center. He braced his hands on both sides of her as he continued a hungry path down her body with his mouth. When he reached her stomach, he kissed her navel, drew circles around it with the tip of his tongue, before moving lower.
She assumed her panties would stop him but she soon discovered he didn’t intend for them to be a deterrent. She stiffened when he used his hands to ease the flimsy material down her legs, exposing the area of her that he sought. Then he touched her t
here and the moment he did, she shuddered as intense heat consumed her.
His fingers moved through the dark curls, teasing the sensitive nub, testing the wetness between her legs before he slid a finger inside and began stroking her.
“McKinnon.”
She said his name on a sensuous purr as he continued to stroke, sending shock waves of pleasure straight through her, making her incredibly aroused and filled with a need that was mind consuming.
He lowered his head and she made a move to get up until she felt the sharp tip of his tongue invade the area where his fingers had been. The sensations that single swipe of his tongue made were so potent she thought she would pass out. And when he gently lifted her hips to position her closer to his mouth, she moaned out his name from deep within her throat.
He relentlessly stroked her with his tongue, stimulating every sensory nerve within her, making her tremble all over. He had started a fire within her that she doubted could ever be extinguished. And just when she thought she was about to burn to a crisp, sensations overtook her, making her cry out before she could stop from doing so.
She closed her eyes, thinking that would soften the impact, but it made it that much more forceful, turning her entire body inside out. A heartbeat of a second later, something inside of her exploded and her body shattered into a million sensuous pieces.
When he finally removed his mouth from her, she opened her eyes and met his gaze. Before she could say anything, he kissed her, letting her taste herself on his lips.
Moments later when McKinnon pulled his mouth free, he stood as he gazed down at her. His body was throbbing and ached to be inside of her but knew tonight was not the time. She had to accept him on his terms before that could happen.
“McKinnon?”
He leaned down and gently pulled her up to hold her in his arms. When he released her, he met her gaze. “Before we can go beyond this, Casey, I need to be sure that you understand that this is all we can ever share. I have to know that you can be satisfied with that. Think about it while I’m gone.” His mouth then came down on hers as if he was branding her; kissing her with a desperation that had her moaning all over again.
Ian's Ultimate Gamble ; Seduction, Westmoreland Style Page 23
