My Favorite Cowboy

by Donna Grant

  Moans weren’t enough. He wanted her screaming. He wanted her completely and utterly at his mercy.

  The faster he slid inside her tight, wet sheath, the quicker her hips rose to meet his. But it still wasn’t enough.

  He couldn’t touch her like he wanted, like he needed. Caleb looped his leg around hers and rolled, pulling her with him as he flipped onto his back.

  Audrey didn’t miss a beat. She straddled his hips, a soft smile curving her mouth. Their breathing was harsh and loud, their bodies coated with a light sheen of sweat.

  She pushed against his chest and sat up. He was buried deep within her, and every movement of her hips caused him to tighten his grip on her.

  With a twist of her head, she flipped her hair over her shoulder. Then, she started riding him. Her hips shifted back and forth as she ground against him.

  The sight of her with her lips parted and her face flushed as she rocked her body was the most sensual, wanton thing he had ever witnessed.

  Right up until she dropped her head back, exposing her neck. Caleb was absolutely enthralled. He watched her breasts swaying before he reached up and cupped them. The mounds filled his hands, but it was the hard nipples poking against his palms that he loved.

  She moved faster, her hips rocking quickly as her breathing grew shallower. He bucked his hips. Her answering cry was all he needed to hear.

  He was close now, so close to climax, but he didn’t want to give in. Not yet. Not until Audrey had taken her pleasure.

  Caleb watched Audrey’s face and the emotions that showed there. He knew she was about to orgasm by the way she bit her lip and dug her nails into his chest.

  Suddenly, she stiffened and cried out. He gripped her hips and held her as he thrust hard and fast. Her body jerked as she clenched around him. Caleb gave in to his own pleasure then. He’d never climaxed with a partner before, and he found that it deepened the connection between them.

  This was more than just sex. More than just sharing pleasure and each other’s bodies.

  This was.…

  He refused to think about it. Instead, he basked in the afterglow of their ecstasy.

  Audrey lifted her leg and rolled onto her back. He turned his head toward her, unable to look away. And when she looked at him, there was a smile upon his face.

  “Wow,” she murmured.

  He shifted to face her and moved her hair from her forehead. “I’m not finished with you, doc.”

  Her grin widened. “Good, because that’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say.”

  * * *

  Phil stared into the twilight from his seat on the back porch. He knew what was coming, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.

  The burner phone was quiet. It was how he liked it, but he knew it wouldn’t last. As soon as he’d set fire to the building with the dead horse inside, he’d known it was a bad idea.

  He’d run as fast as he could from the quickly accelerating blaze, but he could feel the heat of it on his skin even now. The explosion had been a surprise. He should have factored in all the chemicals the vet had used, but he hadn’t cared.

  His orders had been to get rid of all traces of the animal, and that’s what he’d done.

  There had been nothing in any of the newspapers or on the police scanner about the sick horses at the auction house. Surely, if the next two animals had died, there would have been reports.

  That’s what his employer wanted. At least, that’s what he thought they wanted. The truth was, they had kept their real intentions to themselves.

  And that’s how he liked things.

  It wasn’t unusual, but he’d begun to have his doubts about this job. At the rate his employer wanted things done, Phil was afraid that their next request would be murder—one thing he refused to do.

  Everyone had a limit, and that was his.

  The phone buzzed behind him. It fell from the arm of the rocking chair to the deck. He wanted to ignore it. The contract he had with his employer was, in fact, finished. He could throw the burner away and forget that it ever existed if he wanted to.

  Except he knew his employer’s identity. And he knew they would go to extremes to ensure that no one discovered who they were. Including killing Phil.

  As long as Phil worked for them, he was safe. At least, he hoped that was true.

  Phil picked up the burner and read:

  YOU FAILED. THE VET DISCOVERED THE POISON AND SAVED THE HORSES.

  He closed his eyes, sighed, then he sent his reply. I DID WHAT YOU ASKED. EVERYTHING WAS DESTROYED.

  OBVIOUSLY NOT.

  Phil waited for the message to continue but it didn’t. Did this mean that he was finished? He really hoped so because he had a bad feeling that this was going to be the case that got him caught by the law.

  After decades of autonomy, he wasn’t about to give that up. No matter how much money was offered. Because you couldn’t put a price on freedom.

  Phil started to set aside the phone when it buzzed again. A sinking feeling filled him.

  THERE’S SOMETHING ELSE I NEED.

  Chapter 23

  Audrey stared at the wall. She was on her side nestled against Caleb. This was usually the time when she made her excuses and left. But, oddly enough, she was quite content just lying there.

  Caleb’s hand lay on her hip. Some might think it was done casually, but she knew differently. He had tightened his fingers on her before loosening them. Almost as if to let her know that her body wasn’t just a resting place for his arm.

  She smiled. Neither had said anything since they rolled to their sides. She wasn’t sure what to say. It wasn’t like she had been in this position before. The fact that she was staying the night pretty much relieved that issue of if she should stay or not.

  But it brought another: where would she sleep?

  Audrey’s mind flashed back to when they’d made love. Her stomach trembled when she recalled how Caleb had touched her, kissed her.

  Held her.

  She replayed the events over and over in her head, and each time, her heart raced, and it felt as if a thousand butterflies had taken flight inside her stomach. No one—not one single person—had ever made her feel even a tenth of what Caleb did.

  “You’re supposed to be resting,” Caleb mumbled near her ear.

  She tried to bite back her smile. God, what was wrong with her?

  Oh, that’s right. She knew. Caleb.

  “I, ah, I am,” she said.

  He kissed the top of her ear. “Your definition of resting is quite different than mine.”

  She couldn’t stop smiling. “Is that right?”

  “Uh-huh. Definitely. You need to reevaluate things. Follow my lead,” Caleb replied drowsily. Then he pulled her against him and snuggled her even tighter.

  Another five minutes passed before Caleb sighed loudly. “You’re not going to sleep, are you?”

  “No, but I like lying here. With you.”

  That was a first for Audrey. Damn. There seemed to be several firsts that included Caleb. What did that mean? Did she want to know? Did she dare to find out? Because all of this felt so easy. That meant it was good. At least, she hoped so. She didn’t have much experience to fall back on.

  He rose up on his elbow, causing her to fall to her back. She looked up at him as he gazed at her curiously. Had she said too much? Everything she’d voiced was true, and she wanted him to know that. But maybe she had said too much.

  “There was a hint of surprise in your voice at that confession,” he said.

  She blinked. Confession? Yeah, she supposed it was an admission of sorts. “Was there?”

  “Audrey, if you regre—”

  “No,” she said hastily before he could even finish the sentence. The one thing she had no compunction about was being with him. “I don’t. Not at all.”

  He nodded once. “Good. Because neither do I.”

  She had to touch him again. She sifted her fingers through the sides of his hair, letting the c
ool, short strands caress her skin. “I don’t have to stay tonight, though.”

  “Do you want to leave?”

  Audrey took in a deep breath as she ran through all the possible answers. Once more, she decided on the truth. Her eyes lifted to his. “No.”

  “I want you in this bed with me, but that’s going to be your decision. No pressure. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she replied.

  “Just know that I’ll be joining you in yours if you leave.”

  She busted out laughing as he grinned. As the laughter died, they lost themselves in each other’s eyes. Caleb’s head lowered slowly. Right before his lips touched hers, Audrey’s eyes shut.

  Their kisses before had been full of lust and passion and fire. This one was soft, gentle. And, somehow, it held even a deeper hunger.

  Audrey liked it. Perhaps too much, because she suddenly started thinking about being with Caleb tomorrow, and the day after. And the day after that. A woman who shied away from relationships was now thinking about being in one.

  And it made her smile.

  Her arms wrapped around his neck as his tongue slid past her lips. He kissed her deeply, thoroughly. When he finally lifted his head, she felt as if he had touched the deepest parts of her that she hadn’t even known were there.

  He ran his knuckles down the side of her face. “I want nothing more than to have my way with you all night.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Caleb chuckled. “I’m thinking I should feed you first.”

  “I can wait.”

  “Your stomach can’t. It’s been rumbling.”

  Audrey covered her eyes with a hand. “Well, that’s embarrassing. I didn’t even realize it.”

  He pulled her hand away. “Consider it fuel for later.”

  “I can do that.”

  She got another glimpse of him when he rose from the bed to grab his clothes. There wasn’t a part of him that she didn’t find sexy and altogether alluring. She was in dangerous territory, but even realizing that couldn’t get her to backpedal.

  He grabbed her feet and yanked her towards the end of the mattress. Soon, they were laughing again as she tried to bat his hands away and stay in bed. In the end, he won by sheer strength alone. He lifted her and set her on her feet.

  How was it that Caleb was a man she could have a passionate exchange with one minute, tell him private things another, and then laugh with a heartbeat later?

  Once dressed, they made their way into the kitchen. He rummaged in the pantry as she got out some water. When she turned, Caleb stood in the pantry doorway, holding up a box of crackers and a can of spray cheese.

  “I’ve not had that in forever,” she said, reaching for the cheese.

  He held the can out of her reach. “Oh, no. This is only for pros. You’ll have to earn your right to use the can.”

  “And how do I do that?”

  His sexy grin made her heart skip a beat. “A kiss will work.”

  She cocked a brow at him, but the stern look didn’t last long as she walked to him, rose up on her tiptoes, and placed her lips on his mouth.

  Strong arms came around her and dipped her backward. Caleb looked down at her and winked. “Sweetheart, you are now crowned a pro. Would you like to do the honors first?”

  “Please,” she said and reached behind her to grab the can.

  They straightened and walked to the living area where they sat in the middle of the room. Audrey got a cracker and eagerly popped off the cap, pressing the nozzle and watching the cheese come out of the container. She put the snack into her mouth and sighed in contentment.

  She chewed and swallowed while Caleb took his turn.

  “I used to beg my mother for this every time we went to the store,” she said.

  Caleb laughed, nodding. Around his food, he said, “We never had money for it, so once, when I was about nine, I stole a can. Abby was furious when she caught me and Brice eating it.”

  “Did she make you return it or pay for it?”

  He shook his head. “She lectured us for all of a minute about stealing before she took the cheese and had some herself.”

  “I can’t wait to meet your sister. She sounds amazing.”

  “She is.”

  Audrey chuckled and made herself another cracker.

  For several minutes, they ate and looked out the windows, simply enjoying each other’s company. Audrey was having the best day. To have something so wonderful come from something so horrendous was mind-blowing, but she wasn’t going to question it.

  “You look content,” he said.

  She gazed into his brown eyes and nodded. “Very. I like the simple things in life.”

  “I’m as simple as they come.”

  “Oh, no. I sincerely doubt that,” she said with a laugh.

  He put his hand over his heart and gave her a fake wounded expression. “What? You don’t believe me?”

  Audrey shook her head, grinning. “Not one bit.”

  “Good, because it was a damn lie,” he said with a chuckle.

  “High-maintenance, huh?”

  “The highest,” he confirmed with a teasing wink. “And you?”

  She squeezed the cheese onto another cracker. “I think I’m somewhere in the middle.”

  He leaned on one hand while he bent his leg, propping his foot up and resting his other arm on his knee. “So you like simplicity, but you also want someone to treat you like you’re the most special woman on Earth.”

  “Yes,” she said with a nod.

  Caleb reached over and took the can from her and used the last of it to make a design on the cracker he held. Then he extended it to her. “That’s not too much to ask, you know.”

  Audrey turned her palm upward and watched as he set the cracker in her hand. She didn’t know if it was a meaningful gesture or not. This was what she got for only casually dating. And it wasn’t like she could just come out and ask what it meant.

  Her mind cautioned her about reading too much into things.

  But her heart … oh, her heart was bursting with happiness.

  It was ridiculous, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. The gesture had to be one of the sweetest things ever. Audrey took the cracker and brought it to her mouth. Just before it passed her lips, she met Caleb’s gaze.

  The shield she usually saw around him was lowered. The man sitting before her now was the real Caleb. Kind, charming, funny, and absolutely delightful. All of that combined with a face and body that made everyone ogle him and come to a standstill was almost too much.

  And he was with her.

  Her!

  She put the cracker into her mouth. Caleb’s lips crooked into that sexy half-smile that always made her knees weak. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had so much fun—or passion—with a man.

  It didn’t matter that she’d planned to stay the night. She didn’t think she’d want to leave anyway. And that was huge.

  “So,” she said. “What are your plans for the ranch?”

  Caleb glanced outside. “Just what you see. We could continue to grow, and I suppose we will, but I don’t want us to become so big that Brice and I can’t handle things ourselves. If we hire others to help us do our jobs, then we’re too big.”

  “Are you worried that others won’t train the horses as you do?”

  He snorted, but nodded. “That’s exactly it.”

  “Then train them.”

  “That still means I have to trust the people we hire to ensure that they’re doing what they’re supposed to.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at him. “That’s called running a business.”

  He gave her a flat look. “I know that. Don’t forget, I was part of the East Ranch for many years. I worked on it from the time I was fourteen until three years ago. I know every facet of that ranch.”

  “I don’t understand why you wouldn’t want to be as well known.”

  “Oh, I didn’t say I didn’t want to be well known. I want
people to seek us out to either buy horses or train them. I want people to know that when they come to us, it’s ensured they’ll get a well-trained horse that hasn’t been abused.”

  Audrey brought her knees to her chest as she licked the remnants of the food from her lips. “Now I see. It takes years to build that kind of reputation. Hiring others to help could damage it with one bad incident.”

  “Exactly. Clayton raises, breeds, and sells cattle. His stock is highly sought after by other ranchers, but there is no training involved with them. You have to take care of the animals, but they stay out to pasture.”

  “You’ll succeed.”

  Caleb gave her a peculiar look. “Why do you say that?”

  “It isn’t in your nature to fail.”

  Chapter 24

  Something had to go wrong. Caleb needed it to.

  By this time, Caleb could usually point out at least three things about a woman that he didn’t like. Whether it was that she wore too much perfume, chewed with her mouth open, or had an annoying laugh. Hell, he’d gotten so picky that he sometimes refused to see a woman again because she was rude to a waiter.

  It didn’t take much for him to find reasons not to be around a woman again. Why the hell wasn’t that happening with Audrey?

  He liked the way she tucked her hair behind her ears. And the way she laughed. She gave in to the action, joy erupting over her face and flashing in her eyes. He liked that she could take a joke and quickly turn it around on him. She was thoughtful and compassionate and just so damn sexy that he couldn’t get enough of her.

  Had he changed? Or was there nothing to dislike about Audrey?

  He feared it was the former, for sure.

  They were drifting into territory he wasn’t familiar with. And he needed to get his feet under him again. Quickly. Before he did something stupid.

  “What?” she asked when she caught him staring.

  Caleb shrugged and shook his head. “Just looking at you.”

  “It’s the way you’re looking,” she said softly.

  He brushed his fingers down her cheek. “How?”

  “Like you’re seeing me.”

  “I do see you.”