by Kristi Gold
He bent his head and took her mouth with a vengeance, sliding his tongue against hers slowly, deliberately, and she responded with a little action of her own. They stayed that way through one more song, making out like they had as kids. But the man in him backed her against the wooden wall, grabbed her butt and pressed against her, seeking relief but finding none. And what he was about to do wouldn’t help a damn bit, but he wanted to do it. Had to do it.
He shoved her shirt off one shoulder then slid the strap to the tank she wore underneath down her arm partway. Now that he’d gained access, he broke away and took her breast into his mouth, circling her nipple with the tip of his tongue. She answered by undressing enough to reveal her other breast and framed his head in her hands. The small sexual sound she made drove him to the brink of insanity, pushed him toward forbidden territory. Right then, right there, he could take her down to the ground just to be inside her. Instead, he decided he would make this about her, but only if she agreed.
With that goal in mind, Austin released the button on her jeans and paused for a protest. When that didn’t happen, he slid the zipper down and whispered, “Do you want me to stop?”
“I...” She let out a long, broken breath. “No. Don’t stop.”
That was all he needed to hear. He worked his hand into her jeans, where he rimmed the edge of her panties. She gave no indication she’d changed her mind, which drove him to keep going, keep searching beneath the silk for that very sweet spot. She was warm and wet and definitely ready for the attention. He gave it to her with slow strokes before he quickened the pace. She gripped his shoulders tightly, moved her hips rhythmically in time with his touch.
After she tensed, he raised his head from her breasts and brought his mouth to her ear. “It’s okay, babe. Just let go.”
And she did, with a rush of dampness and a low, ragged moan. He didn’t let up until he knew he had milked every last pulse of her climax and she collapsed against him. He kissed her again, softly this time, as he pulled her clothes back into place. He turned away and rested his palms on the railing to regain some scrap of composure.
“Austin, are you okay?”
As okay as he could be with a flaming erection and no place to go to douse it. “I’m fine.”
“Well, I’m not.”
He prepared for a lecture that no doubt would arrive soon, swift and sure. And since he’d gone back on his word, tossed the friendship pact to the wind, he damn sure deserved it.
Seven
Georgie truly wanted to scold him, but this wasn’t all his fault. He had asked if she wanted to stop, and she’d told him no. She wasn’t some weak wilting flower with no free will. Truth was, she had wanted him so much she hadn’t been able to control the familiar underlying chemistry. They were combustible together. They always had been. She’d known that when she’d agreed to come with him. Deep down she knew this would likely happen. And in all honesty, she didn’t care, even if she should.
She stood there, shivering, her damp shirt and jeans only adding to her overall discomfort. “I’m freezing.”
He pushed away from the banister and faced her. “Understandable. You’re soaked to the skin.”
“So are you.”
“Sweetheart, that’s the least of my concerns at the moment.”
She sent a pointed look at his distended fly, somewhat surprised that he didn’t invite her to finish what they’d started.
“Take your clothes off, Georgie.”
Apparently she’d been mistaken. “Excuse me?”
He bent over, snatched one of the blankets from the floor and tossed it to her. “Don’t look so worried. I’m not going to ravish you.”
“You just did.”
His patent slow grin came out of hiding. “Yeah, I did, and I don’t regret it because obviously you really needed it.”
Boy, had she. “It’s been a while.”
“Same here.”
She had a hard time believing that. “Try six years.”
Shock passed over his expression. “You mean—”
“The last time you and I were together was the last time for me. Now turn around so I can get these clothes off.”
He started unbuttoning his shirt. “I’ve seen you naked before.”
“Maybe, but I’d rather that not happen now.”
“Fine, but if I turn around, you’re going to see my bare ass.”
“Not if I don’t look.” Maybe she’d take just a little peek. Or a long gander.
“Alrighty then.”
Georgie made quick work of shedding her clothes, socks and boots, while Austin took his sweet time. She was already wrapped securely in the blanket by the time he shoved down his pants. She remained glued in place, holding the blanket closed with one hand and her wet clothes in the other. She studied all the planes in his broad back, the buns of steel, the strong thighs and calves dusted with hair, and decided she couldn’t speak if her life depended on it. Then he did something completely off-the-wall—laced his hands behind his neck and flexed his muscles, then did some crazy thrust reminiscent of a male-stripper movie she’d seen a while back.
A chuckle bubbled up in her throat and came out in a full-fledged laugh when he looked over one shoulder and grinned. “Stop it,” she said when she’d recovered her voice. “And cover up.”
“You didn’t like my moves?”
Oh, yeah. “Please put something on before you catch a good case of pneumonia.”
“Fine, but just let me know if you want some more cheap entertainment.”
She averted her gaze when he leaned over and snatched the blanket from the porch slats. When she ventured another look, fortunately she found him covered from the waist down. Of course, that left his stellar chest in full view.
In order to distract herself, Georgie draped her shirt, jeans and pink panties over the railing while he came to her side to do the same. Once that was done, she faced him with a frown. “What now?”
“I guess we could go to bed.”
“We don’t have a bed.”
“We have a couple more blankets and a dry floor in the cabin, unless you want to sleep out here.”
A sudden clap of thunder and subsequent bolt of lightning told her that wouldn’t be wise. “The cabin it is. Did you bring a flashlight?”
“Yep. It’s in that bag behind you.”
“Then get it.”
“You’re closer.”
She muttered a few mild oaths as she bent down, opened the canvas duffel and rifled through the contents. “You brought clothes.”
“An old shirt and a few rags. Keep going.”
Of course the flashlight happened to be on the bottom. She straightened and handed it to him. “You’re going in first.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Austin opened the door and shone the beam into the vacant cabin. Georgie followed him inside and couldn’t see much of anything aside from the pine floor and barren walls, but she didn’t spot any wildlife, either. Then suddenly he spun around and headed out the open door, leaving her all alone, in the dark.
“Austin Calloway, where are you going?”
“Don’t panic,” he said as he returned with the light. “I just grabbed the rest of the bedding so we can tolerate the bare floor.”
“I’m not sure I’ll get much sleep with the threat of vermin hanging over me.”
“I’ll protect you,” he said. “Here, hold this so I can see what I’m doing.”
She aimed the beam on her half-naked bed buddy while he spread out two more blankets, one on top of the other. Once that was done, he rolled what appeared to be the aged shirt and the aforementioned rags into two pillows.
“Your accommodations are ready, ma’am,” he said.
“Not
exactly a five-star hotel, but it will do.”
Austin dropped down onto the pallet and patted the blanket. “Soft as a mattress.”
“Maybe a concrete mattress.” Georgie lowered herself beside him and scanned the room with the narrow beam, thankful she didn’t see any animal eyes staring back at her.
“Hand it over, Georgie.”
“Why?”
He stretched out on the pallet, easy as you please, not leaving a lot of space between them. “I don’t want to wake up with a light shining in my eyes because you heard a noise. Worse still, I don’t want you whacking me with it when you mistake me for a raccoon.”
She reluctantly relinquished the flashlight and laid back, making sure the blanket was secure around her. Still, she didn’t find much comfort in the limited covers, the floor beneath her or his close proximity. “I wonder how long this storm is going to last. If it doesn’t end soon, our clothes won’t be dry.”
“You brought an extra pair of panties.”
She paused until the shock subsided. “How do you know that?”
“I peeked inside your bag.”
“That makes you a snoop, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry. Sometimes I’m just a little curious.”
A little too familiar with her, she decided, as she rolled to face him. “Extra panties or not, they’re not going to do me much good when we head back to the ranch.”
“You wouldn’t be the first woman to ride naked as a jaybird through town on a horse.”
“Very funny.”
He turned the light on her. “I’d buy tickets to that, and so would every man in a thirty-mile radius.”
She refused to honor him with a response. “Turn that thing off, please. I’m half-blind.”
“You got it.”
After he snapped off the flashlight, silence hung over them for a few moments before he spoke again. “How many boyfriends have you had in the past six years?”
None. Zero. Nada. “There you go again, being intrusive.”
“Hey, I told you about my marriage. Turnabout is fair play, right?”
He did have a point. “If you must know, I was too busy to date.”
“You’re saying you didn’t have one man in your life?”
Only her little man. “No, I did not, and I assumed you would figure that out when I told you how long it’s been since I’ve had sex. And for your information, women don’t have to have a man to be happy. I had school and now I have my career, and that’s all I need.”
“All signs pointed to the contrary on the porch a little while ago.”
Darn his insistence on reminding her of her vulnerability. “I had a moment of weakness.”
“You had one hell of an orgasm. Do you want another one?”
Oh, yes... “No, thanks. That should last me another six years.”
He chuckled. “Sweetheart, I don’t believe for a minute that’s true. And if it is, you’re a lot stronger than me.”
“I don’t know about that. You didn’t ask for a thing in return after our interlude.”
“Interlude? Is that sophisticated talk for foreplay?”
“Go to sleep, Austin.”
“Whatever you say, Georgie girl. And FYI, I apologize in advance for the tent I’ll be pitching in the morning underneath this blanket.”
That sent all sorts of naughty visions running amok in Georgie’s mind. But the heat those fantasies generated did little to rid her of the sudden cold when a breeze blew through the ancient cabin. She pulled the blanket closer and tried hard to control her shivering body and chattering teeth, to no avail.
“Roll over, Georgie.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I’m going to put my arms around you because you’re cold.”
“We’re also naked.”
“All the better.”
“No way.”
“We’ll keep the blankets between us.”
She wanted to rebuff his request, but her chilled state wouldn’t let her.
After Georgie shifted to her side, away from him, he scooted flush against her and wrapped her up in his strong arms. She had the strongest urge to rub her hands over that masculine terrain but realized it would be in her best interest to remain cocooned in the blanket, maintaining some semblance of separation. “Try to make sure we don’t have any skin-to-skin contact.”
“Darlin’, we already have several times in the past.”
“But this is the present. We don’t need to stir up something again.”
“Too late.”
Infuriatingly sexy man. “Good night, Austin.”
“Good night, sweetheart.”
Georgie closed her eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come. She thought about her schedule for the following week, a spattering of Monday appointments, lunch with Paris on Tuesday, her son’s arrival home on Thursday.
Her son. Their son. She had very few hours to tell Austin the truth if she stuck to her original plan. She had so many qualms about doing that very thing after his previous statement about not wanting to be a father for a long time.
He was a father. But could he transition into being a dad to a little boy who needed one so desperately?
As soon as she finally confessed, only then would she know for sure. And that confession would need to come in twenty-four hours or less.
* * *
Austin woke up with an erection as hard as a hammer and a sexy woman beside him. He rolled to his side, bent his elbow and supported his jaw with his palm to do a little studying of that woman.
At some point during the night, Georgie had flipped onto her belly, the blanket draped low to expose her dark hair trailing down her back, her eyes closed tightly against the morning light. He took a visual trip down what he could see of her body and paused where he glimpsed the curve of her bottom.
He wanted to uncover her completely, make love to her until noon. Maybe even later. Then suddenly she caught him off guard when she shifted to her side and draped her arm over his bare hip underneath the covers. Worse still, she buried her face into his chest, right below his sternum, and he could feel the warmth of her lips pressed against his skin.
Oh, man, what was he going to do now? He knew what he’d like to do, but since he saw no real signs she was fully awake, he remained in the same position, rigid as an anvil. All of him.
Refusing to take advantage of a woman in a sleep-induced coma, Austin considered all the ways he could bring her around and a kiss came to mind. Or a touch. Or the sound of a honking horn outside the cabin.
Startled, Georgie popped up and looked around like she needed to gain her bearings. “What was that?”
Unfortunately for Austin, those thick locks of hair concealed her breasts. “I think someone’s here.”
“Who?”
“I’m not sure, but I’ll find out.” And he planned to give them a piece of what was left of his mind.
He came to his bare feet, taking the blanket with him and tucking it around his waist to hide the result of his sinful thoughts. He then strode to the window and swiped the dust from the panes to discover one familiar black truck and two equally familiar men leaned back against it. “It’s Dallas and Houston.”
“Oh, no. What are they doing here?”
“I have no idea, but I’m damn sure going to find out.”
Austin swept open the door and closed it behind him after he stepped onto the porch. He immediately noticed his brothers eyeing the discarded clothes draped over the rail.
“Nice panties,” Houston said. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a pink kind of guy.”
He’d just stepped on his last nerve. “What in the hell do you two want?”
Dallas held up his hands. “Simmer down,
Austin. We thought you might be needing a ride.”
Likely story. “We’ve got two perfectly good geldings as transportation, so thanks but no thanks.”
“Two geldings that showed up at the barn this morning,” Houston added. “They must not have taken too kindly to the storm.”
Damn. “Maybe we’ll just walk back.”
Dallas smirked. “You might want to ask Georgie if she’s up for a six-mile hike.”
Houston rubbed his stubbled chin. “Georgie, huh? Glad that explains the panties on the porch. I was worried about you, bro.”
He didn’t appreciate their kidding, or their laughter or the fact that they’d just shown up, unannounced. “You guys could’ve called. I have my cell with me.”
Dallas exchanged a look with Houston before regarding Austin again. “Actually, Jen called and when she didn’t get a hold of you, she called me to check on you two.”
Austin realized he hadn’t taken the phone from the bag, and he hadn’t checked the battery. “Fine. Give us a few minutes and we’ll head back with the two of you. And you better be on your best behavior around Georgie.”
“Before you go inside,” Houston said, “I have a question.”
That was the last thing he needed, more stupid questions. “Make it quick.”
“Could you not have waited until you got in the house before you started taking off your clothes?”
He’d had too little sleep and not enough sex to deal with this. “Not that it’s any of your concern, but we both got wet.”
Dallas chuckled. “I just bet you did.”
Austin pointed at the truck. “Go start up the rig and we’ll be out as soon as we’re finished.”
“Finished with what?” Houston asked, looking way too amused.
Austin ignored the question, grabbed all the clothes, both pairs of boots and headed into the cabin without looking back. “Get dressed,” he said as he tossed Georgie her things. “The horses went back to the barn so Dallas and Houston are taking us back.”
She shimmied her panties into place beneath the blanket, sparking Austin’s fantasies. “I can only imagine how this looks to them,” she said as she worked the tank top over her head, giving him a glimpse of her nipple. “I’m sure they think something wicked happened between us last night.”
