Cowboys Like Us

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  Only two years apart, they had been friends once. Then Keely had launched into puberty like a rocket, leaving B.J. behind. Living on a ranch where the only other females were her boyish younger sister and the Garfields’ housekeeper, Keely had found no one to help her through the confusing process of growing into a sexual person. She’d only had the dim memory of her mother to guide her, a mother who had apparently looked and acted just like her. Or so her father said.

  Keely had developed early, B.J. late. And it had seemed to Keely that B.J. had tried to keep her tomboy image just to set her apart from her wild sister. Or maybe they’d split the parental influences between them, with B.J. becoming like Arch and Keely growing more and more like her mother. At any rate, B.J. had become the good daughter in their father’s eyes, while Keely had continued to blaze a path toward bad-girl land.

  But Jonas wouldn’t be attracted to a woman who didn’t have a touch of naughtiness, so maybe B.J. wasn’t Little Miss Innocent anymore. Maybe she wouldn’t be as mystified by Keely now. Then again, maybe she would turn her back on her rebel sister, and that would be painful. Keely had a real aversion to pain.

  In fact, she gravitated almost exclusively to pleasure and living in the present moment. The past couldn’t be changed and the future was a guess, but for the moment she had Noah Garfield right where she wanted him at last. As they approached the Tahitian, a ripple of anticipation made her shiver with delight. He had found her hard to resist in a drugstore. Once she got him inside this tropical paradise, he’d be a goner.

  Set a distance back from the street, the hotel beckoned visitors to approach by leading them through a man-made jungle misted with thousands of tiny jets and cooled with countless tumbling waterfalls. The air reverberated with exotic bird-song and the steady beat of native drums.

  “What fun,” Keely said as they joined the throng headed toward the entrance.

  “I’d hate to get their water bill,” Noah said.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake. Can you do me a favor for the next three days and try not to think of practical things like that? You’re going to ruin my fantasy if you insist on worrying about utility bills.”

  To her surprise, Noah laughed. “You’re right,” he said. “Vegas is over the top, and you might as well accept that from the git-go.”

  “Very good.” She took off her sunglasses and slipped them into her purse as they approached a large clearing. “There’s hope for you, cowboy. Maybe before the weekend is over, you—”

  She forgot what she’d intended to say as the foliage gave way to a view of a granite cliff rising ten stories above them. “My God. They dive off this thing.” She stood and gazed at the deep pool at the base of the cliff while she tried to imagine having the courage to hurl yourself into it from that height. “I definitely want to see this show tonight.”

  Noah glanced over at her. “I hope you don’t mind watching it by yourself. I have a bachelor party I’m supposed to go to and it might run late.”

  That fit perfectly into her plans. She could squeeze in some interview time. “No problem,” she said. “I’m good at amusing myself. But could we stop by the desk and get me a key to the room?”

  “Oh. Sure.” He sounded anything but sure.

  “Would that make you uncomfortable?”

  “No, no, of course not.”

  “You’re worried that the people at the desk will think you picked up a call girl, aren’t you? Just like Richard Gere picked up Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.” She thought that was a good image to plant in his mind.

  He looked uneasy. “But I’m not—I mean, we’re not—”

  “Tell you what. I’m going to help you out, here. In that movie, he told everybody the girl was his niece. So let’s say I’m your cousin.”

  “Nobody will believe that.”

  “Of course they won’t, but they’ll pretend to believe it, and that’s good enough, right?”

  “I think if we say that you’re my cousin they’ll know we’re lying and be even more sure you’re a call girl.”

  Keely smiled at him. “Okay, then what do you want to say? That I’m a wayward woman and you’re trying to reform me? They’ll believe that even less. I’d better be your cousin.”

  He gazed at the cliff before looking back at her. “Maybe we could share a key.”

  “I don’t see how that would work, unless you want me to hang around outside the room waiting for you to come back tonight. I don’t think that would be too good for your image, either.”

  “I guess not.”

  “Noah, we’re in Vegas, Sin City. So what if you have your cousin staying in your room? That’s probably one of the tamest situations they’ve seen around here in ages. I’ll bet an hour ago they gave a guy two extra keys because he ran into his twin cousins. And remember that not a single person behind that desk is your neighbor. So you don’t have to give a care what they think.”

  He gave her a wry grin. “Point made. Let’s go get the key.” But as he started toward the large entrance doors decorated in brass bamboo, he suddenly turned back and grabbed her arm. “Come this way,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “Just go with it. Head back the way we came.” He hustled her down the walk past the crowd of pedestrians.

  “Noah, I don’t understand what we’re doing.”

  “I’ll tell you in a minute. Come over here.” He stepped into the landscaping and pulled her in with him.

  Instantly she was spritzed from head to toe. “I don’t think we’re supposed to be walking on the—”

  “Down behind this rock.” He pulled her to a crouch behind a large lava rock.

  “Noah, I’m getting soaked from all those misters spraying down. What on earth is the matter?”

  “The groom.” He took off his Stetson and peered up over the rock. “Brandon.”

  “Ah.” She gazed at Noah’s tense profile. Despite her complaining, the mist felt kind of good after the warmth of their walk. “So you’re planning on keeping me a secret from the bridal party?”

  “I hadn’t thought about it until you started talking about the extra key, but then I began thinking that it could be kind of awkward, trying to explain everything.”

  “Maybe you’re right.” Far from being insulted, she was delighted. One of her most popular magazine articles had dealt with secrecy in a relationship and how tantalizing the forbidden could become. She would love to be Noah’s forbidden secret for the weekend. It would make her that much harder to resist.

  “Here comes Brandon. Can you get down lower?”

  “Sure.” She got to her knees on the mossy ground and hunched down even more. The plants gave off a loamy, fertile scent that was quite exciting. And fortunately this wasn’t really the tropics, so she didn’t have to worry about putting her hand on an icky bug by accident.

  Noah went down on his knees, too. Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her in close.

  Secrecy had all sorts of benefits, she decided as she snuggled against him. She’d only felt the hard press of his body once before and that had been wildly exciting. Yet he’d been a kid then, not much older than the drugstore clerk. She preferred this version. Maturity sat well on him—he had the solid strength and intriguing scent of a man in his prime. Their damp clothes seemed to melt against their bodies, giving the illusion of skin against skin. She could almost feel steam rising from where they were pressed together.

  “I’m sorry you’re getting all wet,” he said softly.

  “There are worse things.” Like wanting to be kissed so bad she could hardly stand it. She studied his lower lip and longed to run her tongue along its length. She wondered if he’d moan the way he had the first time she’d kissed him years ago. And she wondered if he tasted more like a man than a boy. In order to find out, she needed him to tilt his face down toward hers, so she spoke his name. “Noah?”

  Sure enough, he looked down at her. His eyes grew darker. “What?” he murmured.

  “Lean closer,” she
whispered. “I need to tell you something.”

  His eyes grew darker still, and his lips parted as he drew near. “What?”

  She slipped her hand behind his neck. “Jungle drums get me hot.” Then she kissed him.

  4

  NOAH’S PROGRAM TO REFORM Keely was seriously off track. Not an hour into it and he was making out with her in the bushes. For the second time in his life he’d succumbed to the temptation of her mouth, but he’d had some idea he could deal with it this time. For some unknown reason, he’d expected a repeat of the kiss she’d given him as a sixteen-year-old. He’d sadly miscalculated.

  Oh, she’d had plenty of passion back then, too, but she hadn’t been quite sure what to do with it. Now, she’d learned. Good God, how she’d learned. The pressure of her mouth was light at first. Warm. Soft. Taunting him.

  His first reaction was to move in and take control. He fought not to do that, because if he took control, he’d never know Keely’s plans for this kiss. He had a strong feeling she had plans…and he grew dizzy with anticipation.

  Gradually she increased the pressure, coaxing his lips apart. The gentle flick of her tongue was slow and lazy, seducing him by degrees. His head spun as the kiss grew deeper… and deeper yet.

  He cupped the curve of her hip and reaction surged through him. Her thin dress was so damp from the mist that she might as well not have been wearing it. He flexed his fingers, tightening his hold a fraction, and heard the change in her breathing.

  They should stop this. They really should. But she smelled like raspberries and tasted wicked and delicious, like the candy he’d swiped from the corner store when he was six. He’d eventually had to pay for that candy. He had a hunch he’d have to pay for this moment, too. Something so good always came with a price tag.

  Her mouth was moist and hot against his, and the spot where his hand rested began to grow warm. He stroked her in a gentle, circular motion and felt her tremble beneath his palm.

  The steady drumbeats coming from the sound system vibrated the steamy air around them, and his blood seemed to pump in the same rhythm as it gathered in a very predictable area. But no matter how hard he became or how much he ached, he felt safe from temptation—safe to explore her hot mouth and dream of her hot body without worrying they’d get totally carried away.

  After all, they were in a public place. They were hidden from view, but not even Keely would dare go further when they were a dozen feet from a sidewalk full of people. Not even Keely would make love in broad daylight in the middle of the hotel’s landscaping.

  Then she guided his hand from her hip to her breast, and he wasn’t so sure.

  Time out! his mind warned. Too late. Natural reflexes took over as he touched one of Keely’s perfect breasts for the first time. Although he’d tried to ignore her breasts ever since she’d turned twelve and they’d begun to show, he’d dreamed about them anyway, long before they’d been displayed in full color for the world to admire.

  The magazine picture had only confirmed what he’d suspected—Keely’s breasts were a national treasure, a living work of art. Only a dead man wouldn’t squeeze that handful of heaven when it was offered. He groaned with the tactile pleasure of closing his hand around so much ripeness.

  With a low, throaty chuckle she arched toward him. Maybe there was a note of victory in that chuckle, but he was too lost in the bliss of fondling her to care. Then the front of the dress loosened, and he vaguely realized she must have pulled at the laces, untying them. While his racing pulse was still reacting to that development, a soft pop filtered through his dazed state, and he felt the taut material of her bra go slack.

  Framing his face in her smooth hands, she leaned away from his kiss. “Be my guest,” she murmured.

  This was a mistake. A definite mistake. But he couldn’t not look. Slowly he let his gaze travel downward. Her breasts, kissed golden by the sun, lightly freckled as if dusted with nutmeg, spilled out of her dress. Of course this woman wouldn’t wear anything when she decided to sunbathe. He imagined her lying on her back, warm and relaxed by the heat, her body glistening with oil, the scent of raspberries heavy in the air.

  Moisture gathered in his mouth. He was so hungry for her. As he continued to look, heart pounding, the mist gathered in tiny droplets on her skin and her nipples tightened and darkened to a deep rose. His breath caught. This was a mistake. And he was going to make it.

  Slipping a quivering hand under the velvet weight of one smooth breast, he leaned down to taste paradise.

  Snip, snip, snip. Noah froze. The sound of hedge shears was unmistakable. And it was coming closer. Snip, snip, SNIP.

  He released Keely instantly. “Cover up!” he whispered urgently, getting his feet back under him and clamping his hat back on his head.

  With a lazy smile, she casually pulled the cups of her pale blue bra over her breasts and snapped the front fastener. She seemed in no hurry whatsoever as she adjusted the straps.

  The sounds of the gardener came even closer, yet Noah couldn’t stop admiring her cleavage and wishing he had a little longer to enjoy it. But the guy would be upon them any minute. “Faster!” he urged.

  “What’s the matter?” Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she slowly pulled the laces of her dress closed. “Afraid of getting caught?”

  He stared at her and realized that discovery didn’t seem to bother her at all. Maybe once she’d taken off all her clothes for the camera, she’d discarded the concept of shame right along with her clothes. She possessed a freedom that he could only imagine. To his amazement he envied her. He was also incredibly turned on.

  Here was a woman who wouldn’t balk at anything.

  Keely tied the laces of her dress at the same moment an olive-skinned man in khaki work clothes came around the boulder pushing a small wheelbarrow mounded with clippings, a pair of hedge shears resting on top of the cut greenery.

  “Madre de Dios!” the man exclaimed. He nearly tripped over a giant fern as he backed up a step.

  “We were just leaving,” Noah said. He held out a hand to help Keely up and wished he looked as composed as she did. But he could feel the heat climbing up from his collar and he couldn’t meet the gardener’s shocked gaze.

  Instead, he glanced at Keely, who was nonchalantly swishing bits of dirt from her shapely knees. She had never seemed more beautiful to him. The flush in her cheeks obviously came from pleasure, not shame. When she finished brushing herself off and peeked up at him, her eyes sparkled with remnants of desire.

  He’d kissed off all that satiny peach lipstick, and her dress was rumpled, giving testimony to exactly what they’d been doing. Yes, he was embarrassed that they’d been discovered here, but in a way he was proud that he was the guy this gorgeous woman had been making out with.

  While the gardener stared, Keely picked up her purse and the bag containing her drugstore purchases as calmly as if she were leaving a restaurant after a meal and the gardener was the busboy waiting to clear the table.

  Noah thought of the boxes of condoms inside that bag and wondered what would have happened if the gardener hadn’t come along. Noah suspected that if he’d been willing to make love to Keely’s breasts, chances were he might have been coaxed to make love to the rest of her. The thought of the gardener coming upon them later and catching something even more involved made him break out in a cold sweat.

  Swinging her purse strap over her shoulder, Keely flashed a winning smile at the gardener. “Qué pasa, Jose?”

  For one startled moment Noah thought she might know the gardener, but then he glanced at the man’s breast pocket and noticed the name embroidered on it.

  Jose’s shock and disapproval seemed to melt in the glow of Keely’s smile. Slowly he grinned back and gave a little shrug. “Nada, señorita.”

  She winked at him. “Bien. Adiós.” Then she picked her way carefully around the edge of the rock and headed for the sidewalk.

  As Noah followed, he heard the gardener sigh with longing. Keely
had made another conquest.

  She was waiting for him at the edge of the sidewalk, and naturally she’d attracted a number of glances, both of the curious and of the lecherous kind. The way the damp dress clung to her was close to indecent and the moisture had turned her wavy hair into a mass of ringlets. She looked delicious.

  When he stepped out from behind the foliage, several people stared openly. He tried to act as if prowling around in the hotel landscaping was a perfectly normal thing to do.

  “Dr. Livingston, I presume?” she said with a grin.

  He figured he had to get things straightened out right away. “Keely, don’t get the wrong idea. What happened back there was—”

  “All my fault,” she said. “I know. I was a bad girl.” She didn’t look particularly sorry about that.

  Bad girl. Damn, but that phrase made his blood race. But he had to control those impulses from now on, or he might as well forget about his plan to rehabilitate her. “No, it wasn’t all your fault. After all, I’m the one who dragged you back there in the first place. From now on, I don’t intend on anything like that happening again. I just want you to know that.” He looked into her eyes so he wouldn’t be tempted to notice how the dress molded to her figure. Fortunately, sunlight filtered down to the sidewalk and the material was beginning to dry already.

  “All right.” She looked far from convinced.

  “I mean it, Keely. No fooling around. We’re going to get your résumé in shape.”

  “And I really appreciate that.” She gave him a saucy look. “I’m just worried that my résumé’s not very well suited to what you have in mind. But if you’re willing to massage it a little, maybe there’s hope. I’m looking forward to your input.”