Cowboy 12 Pack
Page 167
When he finished, he tilted her chin. “Did you enjoy that?”
She couldn’t meet his gaze. “Yes.”
He stood and lifted her up with him. “I couldn’t tell. How about this?” He cupped her face and licked at her lips. She opened her mouth, inviting him in, but he only kissed the corners of her mouth.
Pulling away, he gazed at her. “Well?”
She nodded, not sure why he needed to ask.
Taking his hat off, he threw it on the hay bale. Then he wrapped his arms around her, one hand on her back, the other behind her head. Without preamble, his head lowered and his lips met hers, but the kiss was not gentle. His tongue pushed into her mouth to tangle with her own.
Passion, hot and white, seared through her limbs and she grasped his shoulders, pulling herself into him.
He walked her backward until she felt the new wood of the barn wall against her spine, her hat falling to the floor. His kisses became more demanding.
Abruptly, he stopped and studied her. She could barely stand, and yet he appeared unaffected except for his breathing. “Wade?”
He shook his head. Taking her hands from his arms, he pulled them over her head and tied them with a rope.
“What are you doing?”
He didn’t look at her, but concentrated on tying the other end of the rope to a peg on the wall above her. “I’m helping you.”
She tried to free her wrists, but the rope was secure. Nervousness threatened. “Let me go.”
He traced the line of her jaw with his finger until he reached her ear. “No. You have customers coming in a couple days and I’m going to help you react to them. I will use positive reinforcement to get you to express what you feel.”
Some of her panic resided as her curiosity took over. “What do you mean?”
His finger moved down the side of her neck to her collarbone. Ripples of anticipation moved from there to her breasts.
“You are not to speak. I will only take my cues by the look on your face. If you appear to enjoy what I am doing to you, then I’ll continue. If I can’t tell, then I will stop.”
“Wait, what if someone comes?”
His finger moved down the neckline of her shirt and stopped at the first button. “I will hear them if you remain quiet. Now stop talking. Focus on what you feel and show me in your facial expression.”
Oh God, what she felt was hot. How was she supposed to show him that?
Wade slowly unbuttoned the first three buttons on her shirt, exposing her cleavage. His finger traced the mounds of her breasts down to her bra. He unbuttoned the rest of her shirt to her skirt.
She expected him to touch her again, but instead he yanked the bottom of her shirt out. “Oh.”
He stilled and frowned at her. “I said no talking.”
“Can’t I make noises?”
“No.”
There was no way she would be able to keep silent. No way. But the anticipation of exactly how far he would go had her trying.
Unbuttoning the last two buttons, Wade spread her shirt and tucked it behind her. “Don’t move.”
She frowned at that command and he grinned. “Unless, of course, you want to push your lovely body toward me, then I may make an exception.”
She forced her lips to curve upward.
“Good. For that hesitant smile I will continue.”
Wade traced his finger along the edge of her white lace bra, something she’d bought along with the western wear. Adriana’s feminine lingerie had given her the idea that not all her underthings needed to be plain.
“What do we have here?”
Chapter Seven
‡
WADE’S FINGERS PLAYED with the plastic clip between her breasts and she held her breath. She hadn’t known he’d be seeing her like this. She’d ordered the front-clasp bra to try it, not sure it would give her the support she needed. As Wade sprung the clasp, releasing the bra cups to scrape across her nipples, excitement shot down to her pussy, forcing her to breathe again. She needed more of these front clasps for sure.
She couldn’t resist watching Wade’s finger trace a path from her cleavage to her left breast, where it circled her areola before brushing across her nipple. The pebbled skin showed him exactly how aroused she was, but he looked at her to see her reaction. She smirked, the best she could do. She wanted more. She shouldn’t, but his touch had started a tension deep in her sheath and she couldn’t resist him.
His smile was full as he brought his attention back to her breast. With the lightest of pressure, he blew on her nipple. Seeing his mouth so close and not touching made her want to grab his head, but her hands were too securely fastened.
He put his finger into his mouth then ran it around her nipple. She sucked in air as tingles of hot yearning spread across her abdomen. His hands came down to grasp her waist, holding her still. His mouth finally clasped her tortured peak. He sucked. Hard. Need burst in her core and she arched into him as much as she was able.
At her movement, his teeth tugged on her nub while his lips formed a smile, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he scraped his teeth back and forth across her hardened nipple. Moisture gathered between her folds. She swallowed a moan, not willing to end her sexual torture yet.
Sucking on her breast once again, he slowly lifted his mouth away, holding on to her until the last possible second. He looked up at her, one eyebrow raised.
She opened her mouth and licked her lips.
Wade’s face froze as he stared at her mouth. His hands moved toward her face again, but then he shook his head. His finger pressed against her mouth. “I’ve already tasted these lips. It’s time to taste your other lips.”
Her eyes widened, her whole body tightening in anticipation.
“Good. Your expressions are more honest now.”
She didn’t dare say a word, not when his eyes promised her pleasure.
He knelt at her feet and his hands ducked under her skirt to clasp her calves. At his touch, she stiffened. When he ran his hands between the top of her short boots to her knees, she tensed at the frown on his face.
He glanced up. “Your left leg.”
She wouldn’t meet his gaze. “Just don’t look at it.”
“Kendra, look at me.” His tone had softened.
Hesitantly, she brought her gaze back to his.
“Tell me.”
She closed her eyes. Why hadn’t she had it fixed? She certainly had the money now, but until this moment, she’d had other priorities.
“Kendra?”
Fine. He might as well know. Maybe then he’d leave her be and stop torturing her with his perfect self. “I was bit by a coyote when I was three. We lived in a trailer out in the Nevada desert. We had no money. My dad was who knows where, and we only had one car. Mom wrapped it up as best she could with strips from a sheet. When dad got home he said I didn’t need no doctor. Three days later it was infected. My mother took me in the car while dad was passed out. We waited eight hours in the emergency room. When they finally saw me, they cut out all the rotten flesh in my calf and stitched me up. They said I should have skin grafts, but that kind of money was a pipedream.”
Wade stood and brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb. She hadn’t thought about that time in her life since she started playing poker. She pulled herself together. “It’s fine. I just cover it up. It’s not a pretty sight.”
Wade touched her forehead with his. “Of course it’s fine. It’s a part of you, who you are. I like who you are.”
If she could move her arms, she’d hug him right now.
He pulled back and pressed a kiss on her forehead.
Okay, so now he would untie her and let her be.
When he knelt before her, a lump formed in her throat. She swallowed hard so she could speak. “You don’t have to—.”
“I want to.” Wade’s hands found her calves again, but this time he didn’t hesitate. He stroked his hands upward. His thumbs tracing a path along her inner thighs
, but not quite reaching her moist pussy. She wanted him to go there, lick her there.
His hands moved to her hips and his fingers hooked on to her panties and slowly brought them down to her boots. He patted her left leg. “Lift.”
She did.
After he maneuvered the underwear over both her boots, he pushed one leg to the side, spreading her. He dropped her panties on a hay bale and even from where she stood tied, she could see a sheen on them.
He gazed up at her. “I’m going to taste you now. Remember, no noises.”
Oh God. Just his words made her want to groan with need. He was expecting the impossible.
Wade lifted the hem of her jean skirt and ducked underneath it.
She squeaked in surprise.
He must not have heard because in the next instant his breath brushed her mound. His fingers combed through her curly hair before he explored her folds. First the outside lips, then the inside. One digit followed the path of moisture to her opening.
She held her breath, her pussy swelling with anticipation.
Wade’s other arm snaked around her leg and grabbed her ass. She gasped silently at his large hand holding her in place. His finger at her opening slowly pushed forward, spreading her wet pussy, slipping in easily.
She bit her lip to keep from uttering a word. Instead, she squeezed her sheath.
He paused before pulling his hand back and adding another digit to invade her pussy. A few more times he pistoned inside her, the satisfaction of finally being speared drifting away as friction built.
Wade’s tongue darted out and licked her clit. She bucked at the sudden stimulation and his hand on her ass steadied her. She closed her eyes as another swipe of his tongue had her tightening around his fingers again. Then with his hand on her ass, he pressed her mound toward his mouth and sucked her clit.
She gasped, grabbing the rope above her hands. Excitement burst through her core and spread outward. Her head felt light as every part of her focused on Wade’s masterful mouth. His fingers, which had slowed, moved faster now, pumping her. She whimpered deep in her throat as waves of pleasure built upon each other. They stole her breath as her pussy tensed, finally sending her over the edge.
She thrust her head back and clenched her teeth as her scream erupted, unable to keep quiet any longer. Her back arched as her greedy clit conducted sweet fulfillment to her core.
Wade gave her clit a final kiss that had her jerking as his tongue connected with her sensitive flesh. His hand left her ass and he unhooked her leg from over his shoulder. She didn’t remember moving it. As her weight settled on her feet, her hands started to tingle.
Wade ducked out from beneath her skirt and grinned up at her.
She stared at him a moment before she allowed herself to smile, her brain triggering her facial expressions faster now. “That was wonderful.”
“So you liked your first lesson?”
She gave him a seductive look she hadn’t used in years. It felt good. “Oh yes. Are there more?”
His grin turned predatory. “Definitely.” He stilled. “Someone’s here.”
Her blood cooled instantly.
Wade stood and with a deft hand, he pulled a piece of the rope freeing her hands. How the hell did he do that?
In a moment, he’d jumped the rope off the peg and dropped it behind a hay bale. Grabbing his hat, he winked. “I’ll keep them busy while you dress.”
Pulling her bra together, she was once again pleased to have tried the front clasp, although she never expected it to be so useful in the ways it had already. Hearing voices outside, she quickly buttoned her shirt and tucked it in. She grabbed her new hat from the floor and dusted it off, ready to leave. A flash of white caught her eye. Pivoting, she sucked in her breath. Her lace panties lay half on top and half over the side of the hay bale.
The voices and the sound of crunching gravel came closer. Snatching up her underwear, she stuffed it inside her left boot, and moved toward the entryway.
As Wade and Lacey entered, she was petting one of the gray riding horses. Wade hadn’t told her their names yet. She’d have him order name plates for their stalls. She’d bet her new boots her customers would love knowing their mount’s name.
“Kendra.” Wade’s voice was far too serious and she moved around the horse to meet them.
Lacey looked about to cry.
“Tell me.”
“Our electricity is gone. All of it.”
Kendra touched Lacey’s arm. “I’m sure there’s electricity somewhere in Arizona. Let’s see if we can’t figure out where we fit in that picture. Okay?” She gave the young woman a kind smile.
Lacey sniffed and straightened her shoulders. “Right. From what I could tell, all of the resort is without power. I was just coming here to see if Wade had any electricity on this end.”
“Wade, can you throw on the stable lights?”
He strode to the switch bank and threw each one. “Nothing. Let me check the office just to be thorough.”
Once Wade had left, Kendra turned to Lacey. “How long has it been out?”
“Not long. Selma was in the kitchen making Tres Leches cake for tonight’s dessert. She yelled and Adriana ran in. When they couldn’t find any fuses blown, they called me. I haven’t found Billy yet. I thought we should check the garage too.”
“Good idea.” She started for her golf cart. “The other side of the canyon receives electricity directly from the dirt road. If we can isolate where the problem is, we can get it fixed. Let’s go.”
Lacey hopped in. “I know we have a generator, but I wasn’t sure if Billy ever bought the gas for it.”
“Yes, he did. The good news is it will keep all our refrigeration units going as well as the air conditioning in the main building. The bad news is, that is all it can handle.” She drove the cart over to Wade’s office.
He was exiting the building. “No electricity in there either. I’ll grab my cart and come over.”
“Thanks.”
As she headed down the path, she glanced back toward the barn. Wade was already getting in his cart, but there was another there as well. She shook her head. Billy.
“What’s wrong?”
She glanced at Lacey, her concern crinkling her pretty forehead. “Nothing. I just figured out where Billy is.”
“Oh.”
Lacey didn’t ask where because they were all aware of Billy’s problem. He was doing better, but barely.
As they pulled up to the main building, Adriana and Selma stepped out. Kendra’s heart swelled. Every one of them was concerned. Her dream had become theirs. She stopped the cart and walked toward them, ready to assure them when Adriana pointed. “Look.”
Turning, she looked across the canyon. Blue light flashed like a warning beacon, probably amplified by the metal side of the garage. “Ah hell, what now?”
Wade drove up. “I’ll go get him. I can check the electricity while I’m over there.”
“Him?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Of course. It has to be Harper.”
“Right. Thanks.”
She turned back toward the women. “I guess we wait. In the meantime, let’s get the generator running. Adriana, can you help me with that?”
“Sure.”
“Lacey, why don’t you and Selma bring us a tray of iced teas and sodas? I don’t want us drinking anything stronger until the sheriff leaves.”
“Good idea.”
Kendra headed toward the end of the great room with Adriana. When they reached the back hallway, they entered the small utility room, which had no windows. Damn, what had she’d been thinking when she designed that?
Adriana pulled out her cell phone and switched it to flashlight. She shrugged. “The service may be spotty out here, but the battery lasts a long time.”
Kendra grinned, finding it easier to fall into the habit of revealing her emotions now that she’d started. And boy, had she started. How was she going to stop having sex with Wade when she c
ouldn’t resist him?
“Do you know what to do?”
“No…I mean yes.” Rerouting her brain from Wade to the electricity took a bit of effort, but she managed. She threw the switch to take the main building off the grid and pushed the button for the generator. They could hear it roar to life outside at the back of the building.
Adriana flicked the room’s light switch. “Oh no. It didn’t work. Now what?”
Kendra moved the master switch one more notch. “Try the light now.”
The room was blasted with white florescent light.
“Woo hoo! You did it.”
She grinned. “We did it.” She’d done everything she’d set out to do with a whole lot of help from her friends, and in less than two days, her dream would come true. Would Buddy and Ginger ever find this place? She hoped so.
Pride and confidence had her closing the utility room door with a thud. She would have to do something special to thank everyone. She couldn’t have done it without them. “Let’s go. I want to find out why Harper is here. He’s never come with flashing lights before, unless Wade’s wrong and it’s someone else.”
Adriana put her hands on her hips. “I hope he isn’t here on official business, like to shut us down for something we were unaware of. Or maybe Wade was wrong and the bird’s nest was a bald eagle’s.”
A chill ran up Kendra’s spine at Adriana’s words. To have come so close and be cut off at the pass would be too much to accept. Turning the corner, she found Lacey and Selma sitting in the main foyer sipping on sodas and watching the progress of the cart coming up the path, Harper’s distinctive uniform too obvious to ignore.
Searching for a calm she didn’t feel, Kendra grabbed an iced tea and leaned against the front desk, unwilling to show any of the turmoil in her heart, especially to the sheriff. So much for leaving her poker face behind.
Harper entered first, followed by Wade. She glanced at her stableman but he shrugged. Harper must have been close-lipped about his reason for being here. It wasn’t as if the two were best buddies.
She moved away from the counter. “Hello, Sheriff. I’m afraid we are out of electricity, but I can offer you a cold soda or iced tea.”