Wild Cowboy Nights

by Katee Robert

  He did. He just didn’t kiss her lips.

  Daniel pressed a kiss to one hip bone and then the other, shifting to settle between her thighs. One big hand pressed lightly down on her lower stomach, and he met her gaze. There was so much left unsaid between them, but now wasn’t the time. He drew his tongue over her center, a long, savoring lick that made her squirm. He kept her pinned in place, though, the feeling only heightening the sensation of pleasure as he licked her again. “You always were my favorite flavor.”

  I don’t know what to say to that.

  He circled her clit with his tongue, taking away the need to say anything at all. She reached over her head and grabbed the bottom of the headboard, needing something solid to hang onto while he drove her relentlessly to oblivion. Daniel never quite let her take the final plunge, though. He teased her, drawing ever closer to the edge, and then gentling his touches to prevent her from coming.

  The third time, she cried out in frustration. “You are a horrible man.”

  “Mmm-hmm.” He pushed a finger into her, the shock of penetration making her eyes fly open. “And you’re almost ready for me, darling.”

  Almost ready for… She lifted her head. “Then stop teasing me and get up here.”

  “When you put it like that…” He crawled up her body and settled between her legs. A wild thought rolled over her that they’d been in this exact position too many times to count when they were teenagers in the back of his truck. She pressed her lips together to keep the hysterical giggle inside. Daniel raised his eyebrows. “What?”

  “I feel like an idiot teenager again.”

  He went still, and she kicked herself for saying anything to bring them back to those days. To that day. But it was something that would come up again and again. If they didn’t find a way to work through it, they were destined for a future filled to the brim with misery and fights and just plain awful times. We have to figure it out before the baby gets here or he or she will be visiting him every other weekend like Jessica’s parents forced her to do. The thought beat back the desire coursing through her body, her mind kicking into high gear again.

  Daniel shook his head. “Later.”

  His cock notched in her entrance and then he was inside her again, that slow, sensuous slide filling her and making her feel whole. She locked her ankles at the small of his back, allowing him that extra depth that made her back arch. “Danny.”

  “I’ve missed the way you say my name when I’m inside you.” He rolled his hips, sliding one arm beneath her back to seal them as close as two people could be. His lips brushed her ear with each word, sending shivers through her body in time with his short thrusts. He kissed her, and that was all it took. She clung to him as she came, her entire world narrowing down to the feeling of Daniel on top of her, beneath her, inside her. His cock filling her, his taste in her mouth.

  She came down from her orgasm to realize he was still hard inside her. Hope blinked at him, and Daniel gave her a grin that made her heart skip a beat. “I set a high bar, remember?”

  She didn’t remember much of anything right now.

  He pushed off her, adjusting their angle until her ankles were propped on his shoulders and he was on his knees. The new position nearly made her eyes roll back in her head, his cock impossibly deep inside her. He thrust, pulling out of her almost all the way and slamming home, drawing a cry from her mouth. Daniel eyed her, adjusted his angle, and did it again.

  “Oh my God.” There was nothing to do but hang onto the headboard, riding out the waves of pleasure radiating through her.

  She was vaguely aware of his strokes becoming irregular and hurried and him growling her name as he came, but she was too busy floating on a cloud of bliss to do much more than unclench her hands from the headboard and reach up to stroke them down his back where he’d collapsed on top of her. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Okay, maybe you can fix most problems with sex.”

  At least temporarily.

  …

  Daniel managed to scrounge up a snack for them—a bag of Goldfish from behind the absurd number of cream of mushroom cans he’d rage-purchased earlier—but he wasn’t about to let Hope out of his bed any time soon. The sex had been… Fuck, he didn’t have words for how good it had been. All he knew was that the second they left this room, they were going to have to figure some shit out, and he flat out wasn’t ready. This was a much-needed reprieve, and he was going to hold onto it for as long as he could.

  On the other hand, there were things they needed to figure out sooner rather than later.

  In all the chaos since Hope showed up again that first time, Daniel hadn’t seen much of either his friends or family. Truth be told, that wasn’t as abnormal as it once might have been, but he couldn’t hide her away indefinitely. A weekend, yes. Any longer and word would get out—had already gotten out that she was back in town if the half a dozen missed calls from his mother were any indication.

  He needed to let people know about the baby, but telling each person individually and having to deal with the variety of reactions that would no doubt range from shocked to pissed to joyful was exhausting to even think about. It would be easier to get them all together and deliver the news at once—like ripping off a Band-Aid.

  First, though, he needed to get Hope on board. He’d already fucked things up enough without springing this on her, too. But if he could do both with one fell swoop…

  He stretched, half rolling over to run a hand down her side. Fuck, she’s so beautiful, it kills me. “I was thinking.”

  “Always a dangerous prospect.” She opened one eye. “Go on.”

  “We have to tell my family eventually—and Adam and Quinn.”

  Hope sighed and rolled onto her stomach to bury her face in the pillow. “Can’t we just tell them in approximately eight months when the baby is here? It’s not like they’re going to see me much in the meantime to ask why I suddenly look like a human-shaped elephant.”

  Eight months. It seemed like an eternity and not nearly long enough to get used to the idea of being a dad. And she was still planning on leaving in the morning. He forced himself to focus. “You know that’s not an option.”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  Daniel considered how to respond, trying to keep from steamrolling her like she kept accusing him of doing. “What do you say to getting together for a dinner and announcing it there? Let everyone know at once so there aren’t any hurt feelings that we told one person before another.”

  “I suppose that would require me to make yet another trip to Devil’s Falls?”

  Not if she didn’t leave in the first place. He ran a hand down her spine, splaying his fingers across the small of her back. “Or maybe you could take some vacation days and we could do it this week. Get it all out of the way at once.” The longer she was here, the better chance he had of convincing her to stay for good.

  She lifted her head. “You won’t let it go, will you?”

  “This is sheer self-defense.” He kept touching her, trying to soothe away the tension that had bled into her muscles. “If you’re there and so is the rest of my family, there’s the added bonus that with everyone together, we’re less likely to get new asses ripped by my parents.”

  Hope made a face. “Speaking of parents, I suppose we should extend an invitation to mine, too, if we’re going forward with this insanity.”

  He bit back a denial. She was agreeing to his plan, which meant he couldn’t do a damn thing to jeopardize it. He hadn’t seen the Moores since John’s funeral, but he couldn’t get the condemnation on Mrs. Moore’s face out of his head. It was one of the contributing factors that pushed him to leave Hope alone for good, though he’d never tell her that. The decision had been his, and he didn’t like the idea of causing problems with her and her parents.

  That didn’t mean he was all that eager to see them again.<
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  But he’d fake it. For Hope. He cleared his throat. “That sounds great.”

  “Liar.” She laughed softly. “But if we’re going down together, it might as well be in flames.”

  Daniel kept stroking her back. “We can do this, darling. I promise.” It struck him that he’d made promises to her before, a lifetime ago, and he’d failed at following through on a single one of them. Promises that he loved her, that they’d have a future together, that he’d be by her side through thick and thin.

  I fucked up before. I won’t do it again.

  “Don’t make promises you know you can’t keep.” She blinked at him from beneath a tangle of blond hair, as pretty as a picture, made all the more attractive because it was because of him that her lips looked so kissably plumped and his whiskers that left light marks on her pale skin. He felt out of control and damn near animalistic with the need to mark her, to prove to anyone who came too close that she was his and his alone. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have a right to claim her.

  He’d given up being an honorable man a long time ago.

  “We’ll talk about it later…but later isn’t here yet.” She rolled into him, hooking his neck and pulling him down to her. “Now, kiss me and let’s stop worrying for a little while.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “It’s been a minute, stranger.”

  Daniel kept his cell to his ear as he closed the door to the truck, doing his damnedest to ignore the censure in his friend’s tone. “I’ve been busy.”

  When Hope had woken up, she’d developed a totally bizarre craving for Greek yogurt, so he was hustling to pick some up before she starved to death since that was the one thing they hadn’t purchased yesterday. Pregnancy sure makes her dramatic. Not that he’d ever tell her that to her face. Things were finally starting to actually move forward between them, and he wasn’t about to do anything to fuck that up.

  Not on purpose.

  He’d already more than proven he could—and would—fuck up on accident.

  Hence, making this call while he was alone.

  “Busy.” Adam didn’t sound all that impressed, and he shouldn’t be. As far as excuses went, it was a shitty one. “By busy, I take that you mean you’ve been shacking up with Hope Moore for the weekend.”

  This goddamn town was out of control. They’d left the house together exactly one time, and that was all it took for gossip to spread like wildfire to everyone who’d listen—which was the entire population. He checked the sidewalk in front of the store, but thankfully he didn’t see any of the older folk lurking, waiting to ambush him for news. If he hurried, he could get in and get out without running into someone he knew. “Word gets around.”

  “Yeah, well, you can’t take her to Main Street and expect it not to—though I’m kind of thinking you damn well knew that.” Adam didn’t bother to give him a chance to respond. “What the fuck are you doing? I know things got carried away back at your birthday party, but I was under the impression she went back to Dallas.”

  “She did.”

  A beat of silence, then another. “Right, well, you don’t have to confide in me about shit. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to be giddy as fuck over you shutting me out—again.”

  Damn it, Adam had a point. He was the one who’d opened up a little over a year ago when he finally decided to stay in town for good. Daniel headed into the store, keeping his gaze focused on the ground and his hat tucked low. The truth was, there was a reason he’d called Adam instead of just issuing a blanket invite.

  He needed someone to talk to.

  It was hard to force the words out, hard to make it real by telling someone other than himself and Hope. He scanned the store, but there was only Jessica popping gum at the register, her attention trained her phone. Still, it couldn’t hurt to move deeper into the place. “She’s pregnant.”

  Adam didn’t say anything while Daniel grabbed a basket to throw the yogurt into, and by the time he’d turned down an aisle at random, he still hadn’t said anything. “I’m taking that to mean you don’t approve.”

  “What the fuck are you doing?”

  He winced and held his phone a little farther from his ear. He surveyed the food lining the shelf in front of him. Cereal. He could do better than cereal. She would need vitamins and shit to help the baby grow healthy. Oatmeal is better. He frowned at the selection and finally grabbed one of the high-fiber ones. Babies need fiber, right? “I’m doing right by her, Adam. It’s time.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with doing right by her, but this is a fucked-up situation, and if you don’t see that, you’re even more fucked in the head than I thought.”

  Daniel narrowed his eyes, moving to the next aisle. “Tell me how you really feel.” He realized he was staring at a vat of olive oil and kept going, heading for the produce section. Devil’s Falls wasn’t exactly a hub of all things grocery related, but surely he could find something that would sound good to Hope.

  Adam seemed to realize he was being a jackass, because he took a harsh breath. “I’m sorry. But what the hell are you two going to do?”

  That was the question of the hour. He knew what the ideal situation would be, but he also knew that there was no way Hope would agree to marry him just because a baby came along. Convincing her that it wasn’t just about the baby was going to be harder than hell…but maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. As she’d pointed out time and time again, what happened thirteen years ago wasn’t a good enough reason to make a decision about things happening right now. Maybe it was time he finally started listening.

  He picked up an apple, frowned, and set it down again. Maybe I should make a run in to Pecos. “She’s mine, Adam. She always has been.”

  “If that’s the case, you’ve done a shitty job of taking care of what’s yours.”

  It was the truth, and that only made it sting all the more. He glared at the oranges. None of them were good enough. “I’m looking to change that now.” He grabbed a cluster of bananas and set them in his basket, balancing the phone against his ear. It was time to get to the point of this call and hang up so he could focus on what food would be the best bet for Hope. “We’re putting together a dinner this weekend to tell the family—both families—and I’d like you and Jules to be there.”

  Adam sighed. “It’s going to be a train wreck.”

  “Probably.” Most definitely. There wasn’t an outcome where the Moores were happy about this, and he didn’t think his parents would be too keen, either. They loved Hope, and he’d broken his mother’s heart when he and Hope broke up, but he figured this wasn’t how they dreamed they’d end up with grandchildren.

  “I’ll be there—for this and for whatever either one of you need down the road.” He hesitated. “Don’t fuck this up, Daniel. Hope’s a good girl—always has been—but she’s been through a lot. It hasn’t broken her yet, but it’s just plain cruel to pursue this if it isn’t what you really want.”

  “I want it.” He’d had a hell of a time convincing her to let him have this much. He wasn’t about to jeopardize his chance to make amends by pushing her too hard, too fast.

  Maybe you should have thought of that before you fucked with her car.

  Daniel didn’t know if he believed in karma, but if it existed, it was practically waving a flashing neon sign in his face telling him that he couldn’t ignore Hope and their baby. “I’ll let you know about dinner once we have the day and time finalized.”

  “Sounds good. And Daniel?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Congrats.”

  He hung up, a slow smile spreading across his face. That had gone better than he’d anticipated. He knew Adam wasn’t happy with how shit had played out recently. Hell, Quinn wasn’t happy, either, but Quinn was less likely to corner him and confront him about it. They’d worked together too long for him to rock the boat unless he thought the
situation was dire. Adam didn’t have that problem and, combined with Daniel’s meddling cousin rubbing off on her now husband, he could be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

  But all that was going to change.

  Everything was going to change.

  He headed for the refrigerated section, determined not to forget yogurt after he’d come here specifically for it. He laughed softly at the pile of food in his basket. Should have gotten a cart. Daniel stopped in front of the yogurt section. Where the store was sparse in selection in other places, someone who stocked it really liked yogurt. There were at least twenty different varieties. Once he found the Greek version, that narrowed his choices down to six. He frowned. Short of calling Hope, there was no telling which flavor she wanted—or if that would be the same flavor she’d want tomorrow.

  Better get them all.

  He grabbed as many as could fit into the basket and then had a moment of considering if he should go back and get an actual cart so he could buy more. There had to be some kind of limit on how much yogurt one woman could eat, right? He studied the basket. “Well, hell. If she wants more, I’ll just come buy out the rest of the selection.” Simple.

  Daniel couldn’t stop the stupid grin from spreading across his face at the incredulous expression Jessica gave him as she rang him up. Let her wonder what he was up to. Let the whole damn town wonder. Hope Moore was in his house and in his bed, and she was staying—without a fight—for at least a few days more.

  Things are finally starting to look up.

  …

  Hope stood in the kitchen, looking at the neat rows of Greek yogurt in the fridge. She’d laughed when Daniel came back with bags upon bags of it yesterday, but it was all she wanted to eat right now. He was trying so hard and, despite her, he was starting to win her over. They hadn’t really solved anything with their fight, but maybe it was better to just focus on the future instead of the injuries they’d dealt each other in the past.