Cowboy 12 Pack
Page 92
“Chase?” Reno’s whisper came from behind him.
He turned and held out his hand to her. “Baby.”
She padded to him on bare feet, wearing one of his big T-shirts, her hair messy, and her face soft with sleep.
Pulling her close, he pressed his chest against her back and wrapped his arms around her.
After a few minutes, she sighed. “So beautiful.”
He kissed her neck. “Yeah, you are.”
She purred a little. “What are you doing out here? Thinking?”
“Mmm hmm.” He trailed his tongue from her ear to her shoulder. “Thinking of waking you up for some night lovin’.”
Reno wiggled her fine ass against his growing erection. “Perfect timing. I was just dreaming of making you my love slave until morning.”
He bent and picked her up in his arms. “Mistress Reno. I am at your command.”
*
THAT AFTERNOON, RENO watched Chase from under the new cream-colored cowgirl hat he’d bought for her that morning. Against her bare thighs, the rough wood of the top board of the corral fence scratched, but she wouldn’t give up this seat for anything.
Chase and his ranch hands worked to break in a wild mustang he’d acquired at auction after it had been injured and rescued by the Wild Horse Rescue Ranch.
He’d admitted paying too much for the skittish mare, but Chase had considered it a donation. Reno let her heart fill with love for her cowboy.
He wore an old checkered shirt, its sleeves long gone, the back wet with sweat. A cowboy hat, grungy from hard use, sat planted firmly on his head. His big arms glistened in the beaming sun as he held the rope and turned circles while the horse reconciled herself to the idea of being domesticated.
She grinned. If only Chase were that easy to tame. He did some wild, risky things on the ranch, but he swore he knew what he was doing, and she believed him. The small spread was well maintained, and well suited to the two sides of Chase’s personality. The mansion housed the country star, and the land nurtured his cowboy spirit.
Outside the fence, Steele strode up beside Reno. His dark hair gleamed blue-black in the sun. They chatted for a few minutes with her about the weather, music, and horses, but she could sense something going on inside him.
After his third heavy exhale, Reno leaned toward him. “You don’t sound too happy.”
He looked up at her then glanced away. “It’s this whole brother thing.”
She nodded and kept an eye on Chase and the bucking horse. “Chase didn’t tell me much more than you just recently found out about Ryder.” She lifted her brows. “But if you want to talk, I’m happy to listen.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, ’cause guys are always anxious to talk about stuff.”
A little laugh escaped her chest. “Okay. I’ll take that as a ‘no’.”
Steele crossed his arms over the top of the fence and propped one booted foot on the lowest board. “I didn’t mean to come across as rude.” He gave his head a shake. “I just don’t know how to get past this.”
He sounded so confused, she had the urge to give him a big hug. “Maybe you don’t have to get past it. Maybe it’ll just work itself out with time.”
With a quick nod, he focused on the horse. “It’s been three months, and I can’t get rid of the anger.”
“But you’re not angry with Ryder. He’s innocent in all this, just like you and your sister—”
“Innocent?” He smirked. “Right. He’s just so goddamn smartass about the whole thing. Like it’s some kind of a joke to him.”
She didn’t know Ryder well, but from the short time she’d spent with him, she could tell he was a joker. “Is he acting different now that the…secret is out? Or was he always a ‘goddamn smartass’?”
Steele stared toward the middle of the corral, his lips tight and his jaw working.
She’d either made a good point—that he’d been friends with Ryder before they knew they were related. Or, she’d really made him angry.
He glanced up at her. “Chase is a lucky man to have found you, Reno. You’re a smart lady.”
The grin that broke across her face was half-relief and half-joy. “Thank you. I feel like the lucky one, though.” She watched her cowboy for a moment. “He’s incredible.” Her heart thumped with a deep desire for permanence. It startled her.
With a quick slap on the top board, Steel stepped back. “I’d better get going.” He gave her a sly smile. “I’m headin’ back to LA.”
What did that mean? Tracy? Had they gotten together?
“I’m shooting a music video in a few months, and from what I hear from my production people, your friend Tracy may be working with me.”
Reno turned so fast, she nearly lost her balance. “Really? That’s great. She’s a sweet girl and an accomplished actress.”
“Yep. We haven’t talked since that day I met you both, but she’d told me she was interested in doing more short projects.”
“She’ll be thrilled.” Oops, had she given too much away? Tracy would kill her.
He tipped his head. “Oh yeah?”
She made a face. “Oh no. I’m not going to get myself in any deeper. Just you be careful with her, Steele.” She gave him a semi-stern look. “She’s still a country girl at heart.”
He nodded once. “Warning received.” He winked. “After all, I’m just a country boy.” His smile gleamed, wide and wicked.
Before she could respond, her phone rang. She waved goodbye to Steele and answered the call from her brother Cody. “Hi.”
“Hi. How’s it going down there?” She could hear the concern in his voice. He wasn’t excited about her spending alone time with a bad-boy country rocker.
“Really well. Chase is recording an album with Steele McLairn and Ryder Landry.”
At her brother’s snort, she grinned. “I don’t mean to name drop. And it isn’t all movie stars and music giants here.” She glanced at her cowboy. “Right now, Chase has a mustang on a lead and is trying to calm her enough to put a saddle on her.”
“Didn’t expect that. So, it’s a working ranch?” Her brother was a farmer, and he’d appreciate that Chase wasn’t just playing cowboy.
“Yes. Horses and cattle. It’s gorgeous here.” A breeze blew the fresh scent of salt water over her, setting tree leaves shimmying in the sun. She could be very happy here.
“Well, I won’t keep you then, but a courier just delivered a package to our place since you weren’t home.”
“From who?”
“It’s a college out east somewhere. Hang on.” Papers rattled.
“A thick package?” Thick would mean she may have been chosen to fill the spring semester teaching position that Drake had helped her apply for.
“Yeah, like a couple inches thick. You want me to open it?”
“Would you, please?” A wild case of jitters clenched her stomach. She hadn’t imagined she’d be picked over all the academics applying for the job, but why else would they send a ream of paper?
After ripping sounds, Cody cleared his throat. “Says here, ‘Dear Ms. Linden’.” He read the entire letter announcing their offer of a four-month teaching position. She made Cody read it again as she watched Chase feed apple slices to the mustang. The words spinning in her brain had no correlation to the pictures she viewed with her eyes. It dizzied her.
“Thanks, Cody. Can I call you back? Once this sinks in?”
“Yeah, sure. And hey, congratulations.”
She hung up, and tucked her phone into her shorts pocket. As she watched her sexy cowboy, apprehension filled her. How would he take the news that she was going to France for four months?
Chapter Fifteen
‡
THREE HOURS LATER, pool water cooled Reno’s back and the hot sun warmed her front as she floated in the pool. Soon after talking to her brother, she’d retreated into the house to book an evening flight home. An hour of pacing the cool rooms hadn’t helped her find the right way to break her new
s to Chase. She’d slipped into a two-piece swimsuit and come outside.
“Baby, mmm. Look at you in that bikini.” Chase’s voice woke her from a semi-slumber. He tossed his cowboy hat on a chair and stalked toward the edge of the pool, stripping off the sweaty shirt, his boots, and jeans as he came. Jumping in, he swam up under her, tipped her off her floatie, and pulled her to him for a big, sloppy kiss.
She squealed and brushed her wet hair off her face. “You’re crazy.”
He unhooked her top and peeled it off her breasts then bent down to suckle them. “Crazy for a taste of my woman.”
“Chase!” She looked toward the house. “The staff! Steele!”
“Gone. Every last one of them.”
“The ranch hands?”
“They don’t come up to the house. They have their own pool.” His hand snuck down her back, under her bottom, and down the crack of her ass.
“Oh.” She moaned, as his finger found her back door and an unexpected zing of desire bounded through her. “Wait.”
“I promised you this morning we were gonna try something different.”
She sucked in a breath. Anal sex? Yeah, that was different. “Are you sure?” Nervous excitement shook her voice.
He pulled back from her breasts and grinned at her. “I’m sure. You’re not, huh?”
“I don’t know.” A couple of her other boyfriends had wanted to go there, but she’d never felt comfortable.
He laughed and picked her up in his arms, carrying her out of the pool. His lips curled in a wicked grin. “Trust me.”
Okay, this was it. She needed to decide if she could do something this decadent. Heck, she’d done many things with Chase that she’d never dreamed of doing. She’d admit to enjoying them all. Might as well live on the edge. She smiled. “Where do you want me?”
He kissed her quickly and stood her next to the double lounge chair. The hot Texas sun warmed her pool-chilled body as he used the corner of a towel to dry her face then ran it over her body slowly, lovingly.
As he moved lower, he slipped her bikini bottom down, using the towel gently on her legs, calves, and feet. His muscles bunched, glittering with water drops, and between his legs, his cock stood turgid…and so thick…
She almost changed her mind, but the look on his face was so sincere, she couldn’t resist. He wanted to give her a new experience, and she’d committed herself to becoming more adventurous. He was going too slow, though, and the waiting gave her too much time for doubt. “Chase, I want to feel you inside me…there.”
His face changed from smolderingly seductive to fiery intense. He dropped the towel and grabbed her close, squeezing a little too tightly. As his cock jutted hot and hard into her belly, his kiss ravaged her mouth and she matched his hunger with her own, but only for a few seconds until he stepped away.
“Don’t move.” He went to his jeans and pulled something out of a pocket. Strolling back, he stood next to her and showed her a condom packet and a small vial of lubricant.
She lifted a brow. “You were pretty confident that I’d say yes, weren’t you?”
“After we talked this morning, I grabbed these and fingered them while I worked the mustang. It reminded me that all this…” He glanced around him. “Means nothing, if I don’t have the right person to share it with.” His gaze met hers and she saw a deeper vulnerability than he’d shared with her before.
She whimpered. “Oh Chase.”
He grinned and tweaked her nipple. “Now, let’s have sex.”
She laughed at his instant switch from emotional to horny. “You’re so bad.”
“Yeah, that’s why we’re so damn good together. Devil and angel.”
She glanced down at his shaft. The spike of heat that tightened her core was hot as Hades. “I’m no angel.” She whispered the words as she gave him her best sultry look.
He laughed, low and naughty. “Thank God.” He turned her to face the lounge chair. “Bend over, bad girl, and show me what you want.”
She leaned forward until her hands touched the cushion then spread her legs, arched her back and went up on tiptoes. “I want you, Chase.”
A growl rumbled from him. “Perfect. So fucking sexy.” He ran his palms over her back and hips. “Tell me if anything hurts or if I go too fast.” His strong hands squeezed her ass cheeks. “You’re so pretty.” His breath came fast. “And I’m so fucking excited, I’m having a hard time holding myself back.”
“Um.” She looked back at him. “You won’t—”
“Don’t worry, baby.” He massaged her ass. “I’ll be careful.”
His hands left her, but within seconds, his finger slid along the ridge of her tight hole. The lubricant was warming, and he circled her, stopping to press against her anus. The excitement of the forbidden thrilled her, and the sensuous feeling of his finger against her flesh sent tingles through her belly. This would be nice.
Chase eased a finger all the way inside her, then pulled it out and circled her puckered hole again. The pressure increased as he pushed in two fingers, stretching her, preparing her.
She moaned, the sensuous touch not at all painful as she’d expected, but deliciously hot and arousing. Looking over her shoulder at him, his face was so intent, his eyes seemed dark, even in the bright sunlight, his wet hair clumped unevenly, and drops of water clung to his chest hair. He was gorgeous. And all hers.
Her hole stretched as he pushed his fingers further in and moved them in and out. The sensation tingled along her crack to her spine. He looked into her eyes. “You okay?”
“Mmm hmm.” She smiled, wanting to feel his cock there. “I’m ready for you.”
On an uneven breath, he stepped back and rolled on a condom, used lubricant on it, and stood behind her, their legs touching from hip to calf. The coarse hair on his thighs scratched erotically against her tender skin. The tip of his cock touched her puckered rosebud. She closed her eyes to concentrate on the sensation of her man taking her in the ass for the first time.
He eased in, just the head, and held still for a moment. Her breath caught at the sting which was quickly followed by a restless desire that told her she needed more.
When he pushed inside, she relaxed her muscles. She savored the feel of him entering her, a fraction at a time, until he was seated fully inside her.
The sensation was unlike anything she’d felt before. Pleasure mingled with a low level of pain. The combination was earth shattering—and addictive.
“Aww, Reno, this is damn good.”
She moaned. “I like it so far.”
He pulled out and pushed in again, then thrust faster and pumped her full of him, over and over. His breathing grew rough and he groaned. When he reached around and touched her clit, he found an enticing rhythm, circling it then rubbing quickly, alternating motions.
His rubbing shot a wave of intense pleasure through her. The seductive pressure of his anal thrusting and the new sense of fullness sent her spiraling over the top. A slow, rolling orgasm washed over her. “Chase, yes!” Heat rippled across her skin as she let her head drop, breathing to the beat of the pulsating ecstasy in her brain.
He cried out, pumping faster, his orgasm making his legs shake and his hand clamp tightly onto her ass. After a moment, he slowed, still breathing rapidly, then shivered.
She cooled slowly, as if waking from a hot dream, and drew a deep, shaky breath. Her skin tingled.
“That was incredible.” He slid out of her, guiding her as she collapsed onto the lounge chair.
Chase lay behind her, holding her close and kissing her neck. “How was it for you?”
“Mmm.” She purred like a naughty kitten. “I liked it. It’s so different.”
“I knew you would. You’re built for having wild sex, baby.”
That shocked her out of her afterglow. She turned her head to look at him. “I have no idea what that means.”
He kissed her nose. “It means I have a few more things we can try. Whenever you feel adventurou
s again.”
She closed her eyes against the bright sun. “Right now, I just want to nap.” Responsibility invaded her lethargy, reminding her she needed to pack. Oh God, first she had to tell him she was leaving. Her eyes popped open. “Chase, I didn’t get to tell you—”
“That you want me again?” He kissed her lips. “Already?”
“I do, but this is business.”
He sucked her tongue into his mouth and twirled his around it before he backed away and grinned. “Yeah, so is this.”
His cock grew hard against her thigh. “Let me tell you my news before you make me forget again. I’ve been awarded a grant.”
“Good. More money. We can buy more condoms.” He concentrated on licking the corner of her mouth.
His touch nearly distracted her, but she had to tell him. “No, it’s more than that.”
He traced his lips down her cleavage and tasted her nipples.
“Chase, listen to me.” Her voice was barely a whisper as her brain cells snapped off, craving another wild orgasm.
He continued suckling, and the delightful lust tracing from her breasts to her pussy nearly overwhelmed her thought process. “I can seduce and listen at the same time.”
She huffed out a breath and put her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. “I’m going to France for four months.”
His brow furrowed. “Why?”
“I’ve been awarded a grant to teach at the Sorbonne. I’m a last-minute replacement for one the ten original recipients who was forced to drop out.”
“Four months? When?”
“In four weeks.”
He stared into her eyes. “No. Turn it down.” Anger tinged his deep rumble.
Reno’s mouth fell open, but she could barely put words together. “I can’t!”
“Baby, I’ll be on tour starting next week. In the US. How the hell are we gonna see each other if you’re way the fuck over in France?” Chase’s hand tightened on her hip.
“We’ll figure it out. You can come over to visit a few times. And I’ll come back when I can for a long weekend.”
He shook his head. “That’s not enough. I want you with me on the tour.”