Wade had no idea what to think about that. Kendra had been pretty shy about anyone seeing her leg.
“Plus, after she gone and catch Powell in her room last night, she need a new security guard.”
“Powell was in her room?” Wade stepped closer, his hands fisting of their own accord. “What happened?”
Billy put his hands out in front of him. “Hey, it weren’t me. I just hear a hammer were involved and she took that security cap he love so much. We kept quiet while he comes back this morning for his things, but rumors is flying now.” Billy grinned, obviously enjoying the stories that were circulating.
Wade should have been there with her. Instead, he’d been sulking in the barn.
“Anyways, I just thought you likes to know you ain’t gots much time to decide. Thinks on it. You knows what they says. ‘If you doesn’t go nude, you must be a prude.’” The old man chuckled, showing his missing tooth. “See you at dinner.”
“Thanks, Billy.”
The old man nodded and shuffled outside then stopped and looked back. “You knows about that thing you has about others seeing Miss Kendra naked?”
Wade lifted an eyebrow, wary. “Yeah?”
“Does you ever think how she feel if you was naked too?” The sly devil winked and then continued on his way.
No, he hadn’t thought about what it would be like for Kendra if he was naked because he’d never planned on getting naked in public.
He hadn’t called Dale either, even though Kendra had asked him to. He wanted to give her time to cool down first, but that wasn’t happening. If she truly loved him, wouldn’t she at least give them a chance?
Yeah, but last night he’d been an ass, in shock at seeing her sitting naked among a bunch of other naked people despite the fact he’d asked her—okay, told her—not to. His anger had taken over. From the first moment he’d met her, it was obvious she would never be the dependent type and he liked that, so why did he want her to do as he said now?
He shook his head and picked up the feed. He had a lot to think about.
*
KENDRA REVIEWED THE photos her guests had emailed of them on the resort. They told her she needed to show naked people on her website, otherwise the place would appear sterile. Four of them didn’t care if they were on the internet and had the others take the pictures.
She grinned at the one with Lucinda’s husband doing a cannonball in the pool. Another showed three of them toasting at the bar. There was one that had particularly good lighting with them sitting in the conversation pool. The next showed a couple riding naked on horseback. They had come back glowing after that. She clicked on the following photo and Wade stared at her, his arm around Lucinda’s shoulders.
That was the last photo she wanted to see. What would he think if he could see her now, sitting behind her desk naked as the day she was born, except for her boots? She never took those off in public. Quickly, she moved to the next photo. It was a cute one of two ladies giving Billy a kiss on each cheek. At least she still had her outcasts, although she’d lost one.
“Hey, Kendra.” Adriana stood in the doorway. “You have to see this.”
Her bartender had been stopping in throughout the day, completely charmed by their guests. “I’m a little busy right now.”
“Not too busy for this. Seriously, you need to come.”
It couldn’t hurt to stretch her legs a bit. She’d been sitting at the computer for over two hours. “Okay.” Rising, she threw on her cowboy hat and stepped outside her office. “What do I need to see?”
“This way.” Adriana pulled her by the hand and she twisted away. “I’m a big girl. I can follow you without getting lost in my own resort.”
Adriana laughed but continued past the front desk to the edge of the great room.
Kendra stopped before Adriana did. Standing next to the fireplace chatting with Lucinda and Leonard was Wade. A very naked Wade. A very naked, hot, muscular, sexy Wade in cowboy boots and hat. She had to stifle the urge to drag him into her office and ride him.
Lucinda distracted her when the older lady patted Wade’s hard forearm. The woman was flirting outrageously, which was adorable. But what if it was a gorgeous Hispanic young woman like Adriana? How adorable would it be then? Was that what Wade meant when he’d said he didn’t want anyone else looking at her? Probably. She had to admit, he’d seen that problem before she did.
Then what was he doing? He was supposed to be opposed to the whole nudist concept.
Lucinda spotted her. “Hey, it’s the Night Owl. She finally emerged from her nest.” The woman laughed at her wit, but Kendra didn’t even smile as she gazed into Wade’s eyes. They crinkled at the corners as he lifted his lips in a warm smile. Then he mouthed three words. I love you.
Her weight settled on her right hip as her insides melted into a puddle of mush that surely everyone could see leaking into her boots. She wanted to go to him, but her feet were stuck and she had no strength.
Wade must have perceived her predicament, pretty obvious with all that goo running over the top of her boots by now, and he strode across the room. He stood in front of her, blocking her from the view of everyone. She should thank him for that, but she couldn’t make her mouth form the words.
“Can I talk to you in private for a moment?”
She nodded, but still didn’t move.
He looked over his shoulder. “We’ll be back in a moment, folks. Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do while we’re gone.”
The group chuckled and made a few jokes, but Wade linked her arm in his and walked her toward her office.
When they arrived, he closed the door and grasped her face.
She opened her mouth to speak, but his lips came down on hers in a gentle, loving kiss. Oh God. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he played with her tongue, leisurely stroking and sucking.
Eventually, he moved his kisses to the outside of her lips, then her jawline and to a spot behind her ear. She scrunched up her shoulder. “That tickles.”
He raised his head and used one hand to take off her hat and throw it on the table. “We need to talk.”
Hearing her own words thrown back at her made her nervous, but since his arms were still around her, it couldn’t be that bad. “Okay, talk.”
He smirked. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have expected you to give up your dream for me. I was selfish, one of my many faults. You had always been very open about your plans and I knew full well what I was into, but I kept my feelings about it close to the vest and that was wrong.”
She studied him, trying to piece together the thought process that had brought him to this point, but she couldn’t. “Apology accepted. But you were against getting naked, against nudist resorts. So why are you naked, I mean except for the hat?”
He gave her his full smile and her heart filled with love. “A few naked people and one old coot showed me the error of my judgment.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “And it’s kind of fun. I didn’t have to decide which pair of blue jeans to put on to come over here. As for the hat, I looked strange without it.”
Her heart soared and she clasped him around the neck to give him a kiss of her own, plastering her naked body against his. He could never look strange to her. He was perfect. When her mons rubbed against his hard cock, he broke off their kiss. “Whoa, if we’re going to be walking around naked, we will need regular private times to take care of this.” He looked down at his erection.
“I’ll be happy to help with that.” She slanted her gaze at him. “I thought you said cowboys never fold.”
He looked affronted. “I didn’t fold. I just raised the stakes and you called.”
She wrinkled her nose. “So why did you raise the stakes? I wasn’t bluffing.”
“I know, but the pot was well worth winning. I love you, Kendra, Night Owl, whatever. I want to be your number-one misfit if you’ll let me.”
“It would be my pleasure.”
He scooped her up in his arms and laid
her on her table. “Hmmm, actually, I think it will be mine.”
She laughed, grasping his ass as he leaned over her, his tongue invading her mouth once again. By betting the highest stakes she had, her heart, she’d won the biggest jackpot of her life.
Her very own cowboy.
Epilogue
‡
“SHE’S TALLER THAN I remember.”
Wade grinned. It had taken two weeks, but he’d finally dragged Kendra away from her work to experience her own naked trail ride. The fact that Buddy and Ginger had made a reservation had tipped the scales. Kendra wanted to be sure the experience was perfect, but she was hesitant. “Don’t worry, I’ll be with you.”
She looked doubtful as she eyed Sundancer.
“Come here. I’ll show you a tall horse.” Taking her by the hand, he brought her out back to where Sage was enjoying the sun in the corral. “You remember Sage, right? Now this is tall.” He patted the sturdy Belgian. Sage was the most relaxed horse at the resort but one of the strongest, pulling the guests and their luggage in the wagon. Wade would never tire of the patrons’ enjoyment of the ride or the gasps when the resort came into view.
She pressed her naked body against his side and he wished they were skin to skin, but he was working, so he was fully clothed. Luckily, Kendra had hired Jorge back. His fight had been with Sheriff Harper when Jorge defended Kendra and he was willing to return now that he wouldn’t be blackmailed anymore. That pleased Dale. It changed his record with Poker Flat Nudist Resort to one hire being promoted, one staying and two leaving. He could live with that since there shouldn’t be any more strange occurrences. Unfortunately, the old stable manager wouldn’t arrive for two more days, which meant Wade still had stable duty.
She squirmed against him. “Okay, you made your point.”
He moved her closer. “Go ahead, you can pet her. She likes people.”
Kendra’s hesitancy lasted less than a minute. She stroked the horse’s side and her smile appeared again, an expression he loved getting used to.
“She reminds me of the beer commercial.”
He stroked Sage too, and the horse looked back to nuzzle his arm. “Those are a different breed, but you’re right in that she is big like that. So are you ready to try Sundancer?”
“Yes.”
After giving Sage a final pat, he led Kendra back to her waiting Arabian. His predecessor had done well in researching trail riding horses for the area. All Wade had to do was pin down the ones he liked the most. He still needed at least two more. “Okay, put your foot in here, and up you go.”
Sundancer didn’t move as Kendra found her seat. She looked around wide-eyed. “Wow, this is high.”
“Yup. Now take these reins like this.” He showed her how to hold them. “Are you ready?”
“Definitely.”
He mounted Ace and looked over at her. With her hair down, she made him think of a dark Lady Godiva, but Kendra’s hair wasn’t that long. It just brushed the top curve of her breasts and her rosy nipples were in full view. He shifted in his saddle, already getting hard. “Okay, let’s go.”
“What do I do?”
“Nothing. Sundancer will follow Ace.” He clicked his tongue and tapped Ace’s sides. The well-trained horse started for the canyon and Sundancer followed. He turned around in his saddle to see if Kendra was comfortable and his throat grew tight. Her eyes were glowing with wonder and a smile played at her lips. Her breasts moved with the slow gait of the horse and her naked hips rocked as if she were making love. He snapped his head back to the front and swallowed. He didn’t know what he’d done right in his life to deserve her, but he sure as hell would appreciate it.
He led them down the trail he took guests, but halfway around it, he moved off, again looking back to make sure Sundancer followed even though it was an area she hadn’t been before. Kendra smiled at him. “This is so beautiful.”
“Just wait.” He scrutinized his route, not wanting to miss the Joshua tree that would signal the right turn he wanted to make. When he found it, he smiled.
Between the tree and the canyon wall lay an oasis. He moved Ace to the side, clicking his tongue to keep Sundancer coming through the narrow opening.
Kendra’s face lit up as she viewed the alcove with its own sandy entryway into a small pool of water. “Oh wow. I didn’t know this was here. I can’t believe there is still water with how dry it’s been.”
Wade dismounted and walked over to her. “The creek that runs through your property is fed by the surrounding mountains. It’s been raining up there almost every night since I’ve been here.” He lifted his arms up. “Now put your hands on my shoulders and throw your leg over this way.”
She did as told and he helped her down. Reluctantly, he let go, but he held on to her hand.
“I didn’t know it was raining up there.”
He shrugged. “When you’ve lived here awhile, you’ll start to notice those things. Come on, there’s more to see.”
He carefully led her around the cactus, very aware of her naked skin. As they approached the little pool, the large rock formation became visible.
“Oh Wade, this is amazing.”
He stood back and let her explore it just as he did when he’d first found the place while deciding on trails. The rock jutted out in three layers. The bottom one was just above the water in full sun. The second started farther back and provided a large shelf, half of which was covered by the third shelf, which had no overhang at all. What had astounded him was the natural rock steps that made all three levels accessible.
She stood on the second level looking down at him. “This is so unique. Our guests would love it.”
Her use of the word “our” made him more confident than ever he’d found the woman of his dreams, though he’d never dreamed of someone so fascinating and perfect for him. “I was thinking more that this could be our special place, when we want to slip away for a few hours. Since we’re living at our place of work, this could be a nice retreat.”
“I would love that.” She carefully made her way down toward him and he met her at the bottom.
“I also thought since we rarely make love in our bed, this might work pretty well for us.” Their very different sleep patterns had made daytime sex a must since they were rarely in bed together for very long.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I think that’s a perfect idea. How about if we christen it now?”
He moved one hand around to grasp her naked ass and cupped the back of her head with his other. “That was my plan.” Not giving her a chance to respond, he kissed her hard, his erection in his jeans pressing against her soft mound.
The moan of pleasure in the back of her throat had his balls tightening. Shit, he’d wanted to take it slow, but her need was as strong as his own. With effort, he pulled back. “Help me get off these damn clothes.”
She laughed as she pulled down his zipper, releasing him and allowing him to breathe again. “And you were the one who didn’t want to go nude.”
He paused in unbuttoning his shirt. “Careful, or you’ll find yourself in cold water.”
She looked over her shoulder. “Hmm, that has possibilities.”
He raised a brow at her, but didn’t stop undressing. Instead, he whipped off his shirt and threw it on a nearby rock. His hat followed. “Yours too. I want everything exposed.”
She didn’t hesitate and threw her hat to join his before sitting on a rock to take off her boots.
He sat next to her and did the same then slipped off his jeans. His socks and underwear were next. He helped her to stand. “Are you ready for me?”
She touched her hard nipples. “What do you think?”
Her exhibitionism caused his balls to tense. Impatient, he moved his hand between her legs and stroked the wet juices he found there before pushing two fingers inside.
Her gasp of pleasure fueled his own.
“What about you?” She grasped his cock, tightly stroking up to his wet ti
p.
He groaned, barely holding back his own orgasm. Shit, his woman was hot. Taking her hand from him, he pulled her to the shallows of the little pool. The coolness of the water gained him some time, but not much.
“Wrap your arms around my neck.”
She did, bringing her luscious breasts tight against his chest, her pussy teasing his erection.
“Now wrap your left leg around my waist.” When she did, he grasped it, his cock rubbing against her wet folds.
“Now your other one.”
“Wade, you’re standing. You’ll fall.”
“Are you challenging my manhood?”
She shook her head. “Never.” Grasping him tighter, she lifted her leg up. As she did, he hoisted her with his other arm and tilted his hips, spearing her to his hilt.
“Oh God, Wade.” Her shudder vibrated through him, reassuring him she was as close as he was.
Slowly, he stepped back, deeper into the water, its coolness refreshing, but every step moved him back and forth inside her, teasing them. As soon as he’d reached his hips, he stopped, his back firm against the ledge.
“Woman, this one’s for you. Love me as you please because afterward I’m going to bend you over this rock and make you come again and then I’m going to take you on top of this rock, spreading your legs wide as I pump into you. Then in the shade on the second rock, I plan to take you against the back wall, and finally, high above us on the top rock, I’m going to tie you down and have you whatever way I want. It’s the only way to christen this space properly.”
Her moan told him all he needed to know, and he tilted his hips, his cock sliding in deeper.
She immediately took over, her pleasure building his, her body instinctively milking his own. Her hips pumped against him, cool water splashing at his balls. He bent his knees, matching her rhythm, bracing against the rock to give her the most pleasure possible. Then her sheath contracted around him and her body stiffened, sucking at him, pushing him over the edge.
As their mutual shouts filled the hidden alcove, a small hawk took flight. Wade watched it soar as he came down from heights far higher than that. He kissed his love on the forehead and held her tight. Now that he had her, he’d never let her go.
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